Naquada

So today I had a call from a close friend who said that two people they knew had been identified as dead by their family in the Sharm al-Sheikh bombing. Originally listed as ‘missing’, its now been confirmed that they were among the victims of the bomb.

Its so unfair that lives can be taken away like this, snuffed out and erased for no reason, for no cause, for no sensible reason. It probably never enters these peoples minds of the knock on effect, the scars and gaps they leave in peoples lives with these cowardly acts, the future that they take away from these people, and from their families and friends.

Its now the closest I’ve been to losing someone directly, to have someone close enough to be able to relate to that loss, and the frightening thought that it could be anyone, anywhere including myself that falls victim to these pointless murders..

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time;

Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

Taking, as He did, this sinful world

as it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with Him

Forever in the next.

So its 12:46 am on Sunday morning, I’m sat at the Mac listening to Searching For The Balearic Heartbeat from the album Heavy Mellow by Chris Coco.

Todays goal was pretty simple. To take time for me, and do stuff I wanted to do.

I’ve been playing with some muscle reading and waking hypnosis techniques in my magic over the last few weeks, and to help with the general ideas I’m having in that space I got The Speed Reading Book and Use Your Memory: Understand Your Mind to Improve Your Memory and Mental Power both by Tony Buzan from Waterstones today.

I then spent the evening with a very close friend who’s always been there over the years, and shares quite a few of the same interests as me, a curry some wine and some general horse talk.

My minds now racing on something I’ve just read in conjunction with a book test he showed me a week or two back. A book test, to those not in the know is magic effect of asking someone to pick any page in a book, look at a word, and you tell them the word they are looking at. Mixing some Muscle Reading, some Suggestion and the initial idea we discussed a while back I think I may have come up with a pretty good method for the whole effect, this is where the memory and speed reading requirements came in.

In the general ramblings I’ve also started to install my blog at www.enterprisedataintegration.com. Which is going to be a completely work related blog, I’m working on the assumption that since IBM encourage blogging by their employees I’d give a work related blog a go. I’ve already started my own internal blog at IBM, each employee gets their own blog space which is pretty cool, as well as the ability to podcast from the IBM servers. So life at IBM seems to be possibly looking quite cool going forward.

..and the final thought.. Heavy Mellow is a wonderfully relaxing album, as always from Chris Coco!

So I am sat here in canary wharf waiting for my 1pm meetings, and just pondering my life right now.. Its not a great one at this second in time..

I am watching everyone else, wondering what they do.. Are they happy? Who do they go home to.. What are they thinking? Are they going to be doing the same thing in 5 years.. Sat eating a pret sandwhich on the terrace of the slug and lettice?

I am wondering what I need to, and want to do.. Or even if I have any control over it..

..Its hot, I am tired and exhausted..

Maybe tomorrow will bring something my way.. Maybe I need to go find it..

Joe Beda writes on his blog about the way software development works at Google..

It’s widely known that Google allows its engineers to spend 20% of paid work time on personal projects (although these projects nevertheless are considered property of Google).

Joe points out some interesting software development practices at Google. For one, the code database is open for everyone, the snippets and pieces are documented and developers are encouraged to re-use existing code.

The intranet is transparent to the max and Google accepts the fact that there’s more than one way to accomplish something, so a better method is always welcomed. Interesting to note that just like the Hawaiian shirt days, the 20% per projects are actively encouraged. I particularly like the idea at about how their intranet is super transparent. Development teams are actively encouraged to share the most intimate details of their projects with the rest of the company, happening through tech talks, design docs, and lunch table conversations.

Pet projects are actively encouraged at Google. It isn’t a matter of doing something in your spare time, but more of actively making time for it. I mean this thinking is a massively radical thought, almost the reverse of most companies now a days where work really spills into your spare time.

Googles intrapersonal environment at apparently is very energizing, if someone comes up with a new idea, the most common response is excitement and a brainstorming session.

I’d love to be able to do the 20% project in my work, there certainly are a million and one fairly work related projects I could start and devote at least 20% of my work time to. However, as Joe says, its more likely that it is a result of an environment and philosophy of the development teams at google, not something that could be imposed in an independent way.

If you like playing Sudoku, you can now play agianst the rest of the world online..

Sudoku Fun posts a new puzzle everyday and will also be changed once 5 people have entered the speed challenge successfully.

They also provide a leader board so you can see how well your doing against other Sudoku players on the site..

Sudoku is a simple game where you must fill in a grid so that every row, every column, and every three by three box contains the digits 1 through 9.

It’s an addictive brain teasing puzzle, can be solved by lateral thinking alone, and does not require the use of trial and error to complete it.

Solving time for each puzzle is typically from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your skill and experience.

Its been a very busy week, what with being taken over by IBM and being on a fairly complex proof of value all week, but I was reading Marc’s TabletPC Weblog;

He was talking about his friend wanting to buy a new Toshiba M200 TabletPC, he

So, I’m wondering now if I should go down the route of picking up a coach, no not the london to blackpool express, more the person that advises you on what you should be doing, and how..

I know you coudl say that it should be me that works that out, but sometimes its not that simple. The old adage of ‘a second pair of eyes..’ rings true here..

I picked up a book by Mark Forster when I took two weeks out, basically because I’d just had enough of my job, and it really helped. It didnt put me 100% back on the straight and narrow, more guided me back towards the right path.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m very very uneasy with all the ‘positive thinking’ methods of ‘improving your life’, they just have never seemed realistic to me..

I’ve read some of The Mind Gym: Wake Your Mind Up and its interesting how a lot of the practices that Marks talked about in his books Get Everything Done and Still Have Time To Play and How to Make Your Dreams Come True fit in well with this book..

As you know I attended a seminar that Mark ran a week or two ago, and to be perfectly honest I’m really getting on top of my work load, quite frightenly infact;

My backlogs are starting to clear, I’m no longer getting to the end of the day and wondering ‘where the day went’, or ‘I just didnt achieve anything today’. I’ve spotted dwindling the day away, I’ve started to (and I only say started to) get rid of trivia that I dont need to worry about and deal with during the day, and I’ve ended each day with a list full of completed tasked, and at least a few times getting to late afternoon and thinking.. ‘I have nothing more to do.. I’ve completed everything for today..’

So the question is.. Do I pick up coaching from Mark Forster, or survive on what I’ve learnt so far..? I guess its balancing out costs and the benefits, I’ve more decided on the methods of getting my stuff done (I mean the David Allen Getting Things Done vs other methods)..

Its just taking the plunge..

If you chase both rabbits, both will escape..

Very very true.. I used to chase lots of ‘rabbits’ (that is tasks) and I used to catch lots of them, but I started to find they started escaping..

On my new ‘effective me’ drive I’m really finding that going after one rabbit at a time means I’m catching much more, and its easier…

I also made Mark Forster’s Website harping on about the new effective me!! (check the testimonials towards the bottom..) – and if you want to book up… say Andrew Webb referred you!!

And what do you know? I completed everything I needed to again today!!!

So I went to Mark Forsters seminar on saturday ‘Getting Rid of Time Management‘ (that cold trip out into Horsham for 3 hours), and I was very dubious about it all at the beginning, but I’m actually now really excited about it all..

It was probably the best or the most well spent 3 hours (and thats all it takes) of my life, well ok thats not quite true, but it was indeed a very well spent 3 hours..

On Sunday, the day after Marks seminar I put the principals into practise;

I had cleared my desk (a task I’ve put off for months), cleaned my house, tidied my kitchen, changed the bins, emptied and reloaded my dishwasher and hoovered within two hours of getting up.. (I even used one of Mark methods to get me out of bed early!) I also went shopping (to 3 different places) returned home to meet a colleague to assist them with some work they need my help with, cooked all three of use dinner, tidied the kitchen again, and then sent Mark an email evaluating the seminar.

Everything on the course is absolutely common sense, its simple, easy to follow, but its just never occured to me before!! The whole idea of trying to do one days work in a day.. simple!!

I’ve also had 3 stress free days, I havent worried about things ‘coming my way’ because I know I’ll be able to head them off and handle them.

Marks running this seminar over the next few weeks in Horsham, Bristol and Manchester, and you can book a place here, if you do book a place, please say that Andrew Webb Refered you..

Marc over on the TabletPC Weblog has a link to an article on Digit Magazine.

Microsoft and vendors including Toshiba and Acer are trying to move beyond the niche markets that TabletPC’s are occupied in the past, mainly the mobile professional but I’d argue that not that many mobile professionals have them either..

Apparently both Acer and Toshiba will start selling tablets that are not as thin, light or powerful as their predecessors, but are up to 25% cheaper, which means its going to really enter into the consumer market.

Since TabletPC’s first were introduction back in November 2002, Tablet PC sales have increased but they are only a small fraction of the overall notebook sales, about 1.3% apparently.

The main issue is price and ‘getting it’..

Yes TabletPC’s are expensive, but you have to keep in mind what your paying for.. TabletPC’s biggest cost is the digitiser screen, alot of people see it as just a ’screen’ when it fact its the central part of the technology.

The second reason they havent really hit big time is a lot of people just dont ‘get it’.. I started on a slate form TabletPC, and that was great, now I’m on a convertable (the Toshiba M200) its even better. People see the TabletPC as a gimmick or a toy. They dont realise the potential of having all your ’stuff’ there… your notes, your email, your hand written notes, there…

Like now I’m in laptop mode, typing as if this was just a normal laptop, tomorrow I’ll be able to swap into slate more to take notes via ink whilst I’m on the phone to customers. Theres very few times I’m without my TabletPC, and I have say that I havent used paper for many many months, and I dont miss it..

Its ture the TabletPC still is missing the killer application that creates that gotcha moment for all users, ink isnt quite the have to have application but its close.