< 140

… or in other words: About Me.

Just thought I would add a little blurb in the sidebar under the title of < 140. Of course this is borrowed heavily from the Twitter concept of 140 characters or less messages, but it does provide a method to create a concise description of oneself. The real challenge for some will be insuring the < 140 About Me message is a proper sentence using complete words and/or accepted acronyms; and, with proper punctuation. Here is mine:

WordPress junkie and blogger; aka Cais, a maker of fine Themes and Plugins.

This also happens to be my Twitter Profile which I have been using for quite some time; and, I generally use this when introducing myself, especially in an “around-the-table” setting. What is your < 140 ?

PIE Day 2011

Today is March 14 and to some it is a day to celebrate the mathematical symbol π, and so we have Pi Day! Here is a bit more infomation about the day:

March 14 was chosen since the numerical month/day (3/14) format of the date represents a very close approximation of the value of pi: 3.14.

Interestingly enough March 14, 2011 could also be considered IE day, as in the the long awaited release of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9.

You will be able to download the latest version of IE later today from at least one of these two sites:

I would say either is a great reason to celebrate the middle of March by either eating a great fruit pie; or, upgrading a much maligned browser to a much more current and standards compliant form.

So raise a slice to PIE (Pi + IE) Day … and enjoy!

Moving Things Along

Although in many cases, following instructions is a rather straight forward and almost mundane expectation; it can be believed by some you will need to have them read to you, and explained, as if they were written in a language you neither use nor understand. In cases such as these, simply agree to the premise …

… sometimes you need to pander to the bureaucracy of a situation in order to expedite it.

This is not to say the reasoning behind stating these instructions and the requirement to follow them is not without merit. It is simply to say the discussion may reach a point where no matter how well explained the relevance to the task at hand becomes moot.

Behind the Curtains

One of the great expectations when looking behind the curtains is to find a well oiled machine flawlessly producing faith, hope, and understanding. One does not expect to find a broken down disarray of disconnected thoughts and ideas where even the most basic building blocks are skewed and uneven.

Welcome to a meeting I just recently attended. Who and what are really not that relevant but the whole idea of preparedness and cohesion with an organizing committee is one that carries a great deal of weight when putting it behind an ideal plan.

When inviting clients to have a look around: the machine, at least, should be assembled if has not already been test run properly.

The product should be what the consumer is expecting as well. An offering of a similar but unrelated product does not necessarily provide an appropriate return on investment or make for a great user experience; it often creates a glut of unwanted goods and services that could be potentially damaging in the long run.

Burning the midnight oil and challenging your market with a new spin on a tried and true idea can produce unexpected gains; but, you must have a firm understanding of your target audience; their wants; and, their needs for the gamble to pay off.

Being Prepared

Maybe it’s the Boy Scout in me remembering that well known motto, “Be Prepared”; or, maybe I’m wanting to make sure the job gets done right the first time … either way, this thought came to mind while I was responding to a recent inquiry:

Caution in mystery is safety in history.

A simple little axiom to remember, but sometimes simple is best, too.

Writer’s Block

Just under the surface I know there is an idea just wanting to break out onto this digital page. There’s been an itch lately to write but it seems there is a block of sorts that is slowing down the whole process.

The nebulous thoughts in my mind are just shy of forming an idea to put into words.

Liberality

What a great word! I had to look it up:

… the trait of being generous in behavior and temperament.
The Free Online Dictionary

Why would I look up this word? Well, as some may know, I like reading quotes and to get my daily fill I recieve quotes from the book “Many Thoughts of Many Minds” via the services provided at DailyLit.com

This is the quote that inspired today’s post:

If you are poor, distinguish yourself by your virtues; if rich, by your good deeds.
Joseph Joubert

Modern Comments

Discuss.

Seriously?! Maybe I’m being a bit sensitive, but every time I see that demand … directive … self-agrandizing command? I cannot help but think the writer must feel they have just written their magnum opus and it is to be considered a requirement for every one of their readers to respond to; and yet, in most cases, it really is something a lot more run o’ the mill.

This is not to say I would dismiss the idea or ignore the content out of hand, but I honestly do not see this approach as one of the best to garner input … maybe it’s just me. What do you think?

PS: The original title was “Modern Day Rudeness” but that seemed a bit harsh and was changed before publishing this post.

Where Do You Write?

Maybe the question should be: where do you write?

I’m writing about two different ideas of “where”. The place where you publish your writings; and, the place where the creative juices flow and you actually put digital pen to electronic paper.

Personally I find that sometimes it is a bit overwhelming to have multiple sites to write for. I have three major domains of my own that I write content for; and, I have often and still do consider writing guest posts for a few other sites. This is content writing I am referring to, not some quick blurb of an aside or status update. Those types of posts would add another two or three sites I write for if taken into consideration. This creates a bit of a push-me-pull-you effect when the post idea has a cross-over potential between sites. I believe one should not just simply copy and paste the same content from one site to another creating the dilemma of: where do I write?!

One of the great beauties of writing here is my thoughts can meander around and really just accomplish more or less not too much at all; but, how often can you realistically reference a Pushmi-Pullyu and have it be relevant?! Give it a try sometime, it really can be quite liberating. (This paragraph is also one of the primary reasons I have been developing a new and interesting plugin … more to follow elsewhere.)

The other where of this topic is perhaps what sparked my writing today. Where do I write? I write wherever I can find a space to write my thoughts down. My home office, my work place, the subway, a laundromat, a coffee shop, a park … just about anywhere is the answer; but, I also find the physical where has a dramatic affect on the digital where.

… and as for the question of when do you write; that will be a topic for another time. Enjoy!

Strokes

It’s Friday and another week has passed by without any other posts being made here. I really do like to write. Often times I will have a stroke of genius only to realize it was just a stroke of madness when the idea hit me.

I was going to write a post about lists … seriously?! Lists?!! I must have been mad. No matter how many times I tried to start the grandiose Lists post I could get no further than the second sentence; then, it became unbearably boring, in a psychologically painful manner, to add even a few more characters let alone more words.

It seems a lot of the time I want to sit down and write I often find myself distracted or pulled in another direction … or just simply drawing a blank when the blank screen is staring back at me, as if taunting me to fill the space with anything … gibberish, Jabberwocky excerpts, badly written haikus?!

Are you a writer? blogger? digital philosopher? I still really like that term, digital philosopher, it brings to mind a vision of new-age poets and scribes. Individuals who can bring together words and phrases and bon mots that share an idea, simple message, an epiphany that others will read … and share.

Let your thoughts be genius and your madness creative for in these strokes of writing madness comes the ideas of creative genius.