The Monktoberfest, my favorite conference at the confluence of technology and beer, is back for 2013 in lovely Portlane, Maine. Tickets just went on sale and there’s only a few dozen left. Prior speakers and companies in attendance include ZenDesk, GitHub, Untappd, Mozilla, Facebook, and more.
Here’s some photos from the inaugural Monktoberfest in 2011.
I was one of the earliest to register for B-Cycle (Denver’s bike sharing system) and now I’m excited to sign up for car2go in Denver.
Different from some existing car sharing services (which I’ve also tried), car2go has worked out a local ‘zone’ where if you park on the street (even in metered areas), you can leave the car there instead of being tied to specific parking lots of spots in the city. So, I can literally park in front of my house after taking a trip and use the app to find the nearest car (which may be in my neighborhood or on the same street where I work). It’s a great service and made me think of this quote:
A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It’s where the rich use public transportation — Enrique Penalosa, Mayor of Bogota
For a limited time, the $35 registration fee is waived if you use offer code “ROCKIES”. Check out car2go in Denver.
I’m often asked what I’m wearing on my wrist (it’s a Nike FuelBand) and then folks chime in with “ah yes, my friend has a different one” which then leads to a discussion of the pros and cons of the various fitness trackers out there.
I’ve been happy with the FuelBand1 just because its an easy measure. And with any tracking (weight, calories, time spent watching TV) until you measure, you don’t know how to adjust your behavior.
So, to folks who want to learn more, I recommend: reading the article at The Wirecutter comparing the various fitness trackers, start tracking, and then adjust your behavior accordingly.
The Daily Telegraph weighs in on Alan de Botton’s philosophical “commandments” for atheists:
Politeness he equates with tolerance for the “otherness” of people whose views do not chime with our own. As for self-awareness: “To know oneself is to try not to blame others for one’s troubles and moods; to have a sense of what’s going on inside oneself, and what actually belongs in the world,” he says.
Arguably, these are all great virtues for everyone, not just atheists, to strive for.
An excellent commencement address “I wish I’d heard” by Chris Schroeder over on Linkedin:1
You will have bosses, mentors, parents, and friends who tell you “how the world works.” They will share how their paths are the only paths to success. You will see classmates who do the same—and might even feel they are “passing you” (whatever that means) in their pursuit of the obvious. Good for them.
Resist.
I keep seeing a number of preconceptions floating around out there and arguments about black vs. white. Only recently I’ve started realizing there’s a lot of “unobvious” being missed…
From Joe over at Dappered on “luxury”:
It doesn’t matter if your outfit cost $7,500 or $75. It doesn’t matter if you’re hopping a private jet to Marseille or riding your bike to the park down the street. That Pinot Grigio can cost $500, or it can cost $6.50. What’s key is that you’re taking the time to actually enjoy life…
It’s a quick and smart read. I’m starting my list…
Obviously this is a compilation of hand-picked interviews, but this video certainly shows a refreshing amount of “a-ha” moments after asking a different (better?) question.
I was surprised to learn this was conducted in Colorado Springs given the composure of the community (very large population but not very diverse demographically, very Evangelical Christian and politically Conservative).
Chris Brogan, on Ev William’s Medium:
I’ve written five posts, all of them in a different collection … I’ve written about what mantras and chanting have done to improve my business. I’ve written about Microsoft Windows 8 and how it’s a disruptor. I’ve written about my mostly plant-based eating choices. All over the map. If I wrote this way on this blog, it’d be hard to know whether to subscribe or not. (Yes, I write somewhat varied material here, but there’s still a general theme.) That, to me, is the magic button of Medium.
I disagree. Lots of services already aggregate long-form discussions around a common taxonomy (Tumblr being of note).
Plus, this is something Chris Yeh first talked about back in 2007: The Grand Unified Theorem of Blogging — I piggy-backed on it with my own post titled Blogging Audiences and Feedback
In short: the more you talk about, the less focused you are, the less readership your site will enjoy. In other words, if you don’t write for a niche you won’t be “successful.”
As Yeh followed up in the comments: “Success means different things to different people. Like you, I’m content to write about the things that interest me, and to let the chips fall as they may.”
While Medium certainly reminds me of the blog networks and webrings of the early years, I’m confident they’re also aware of the reasons we no longer see webrings and blog networks. “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
Some of my writing has been featured over on the Breckenridge Connection blog again for GoBreck (the chamber of commerce). This time I looked at the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day holiday and highlighted some events and venues for celebrating the day of food and feast (the best kind of day, in my opinion). Click through to read the post on GoBreck.com.
This is a pleasure to watch.