Category Archives: Miscellany

Listo Ipsums

There seems to be a growing trend of slapping together a bunch of related words and calling it an alternative to the classic Lorem Ipsum text. With the tweet I saw today from Jason Fried, I thought it would be a good opportunity to compile several of the Lorem Ipsum alternatives that I’ve seen into one list. So here you go.

Do you have any others? Leave them in the comments section.

It’s Been a While

Wow. Nearly six months since I’ve posted. Not that I don’t care or anything. It’s been a busy six months. And I have three drafts in the pipeline here that I never got around to publishing. I know that doesn’t make for interesting reading, but not like I’ve got a lot of readers to worry about anyway. Self-fulfilling prophecy?

Anyway, while I assess the state of the older posts, I did just write one for Bozell’s Insights. Check it out.

http://www.bozell.com/insights/3855/santa-claus-is-an-expert-in-experience-design/

Stephen Colbert Holds Congress

This is not insignificant.

A very popular comedian just got 5 minutes in front of the US Congress to do his shtick. He even pauses for laughter, even if nobody took the chance to fill it in by laughing out loud.

And it was pretty funny.

The line between politics and comedy is officially gone. And he didn’t even hide his intent or make an attempt to do anything other than what he does on his television show every day.

Colbert plays a pundit. The character is a satire of an extreme conservative, but actually skewers conservatives in general. It’s pretty funny stuff no matter what side of politics you adhere to. Colbert also takes occasional shots at all everybody, but the primary character is supposed to come off as conservative.

In 2006, Colbert spoke at the White House Correspondents Dinner, where he went on as Colbert the character and played exactly who he is on his television show. At that time, I thought it was amazing that he was invited or allowed to appear, knowing full well what he did on a daily basis via the show. And that Bush was President.

Now, the Correspondents Dinner is typically something where they roll out some good natured humor. Every year, there are some pretty funny bits, and quite often popular comedians appear. But it’s as if whoever was in charge of that year’s booking had never seen Colbert’s show.

Here’s his appearance:

After that show, the fact that anyone would allow Colbert to “testify” in front of Congress simply amazes me. Not that he doesn’t have valid points to make. Not that he shouldn’t be afforded the right to do something that any American should be able to do. I’m all for it. It’s more that in doing so, he was able to essentially use the US Congress and all of the associated media coverage and press to further his persona as Stephen Colbert the character.

The whole ordeal was basically a plug for his show. AND IT WORKED!

I loved the whole thing. I was in awe that he’s been able to perpetuate this thing for so long that now he can basically appear as his character in public and people think it’s simply him.

Now, maybe they knew better, and maybe they had to allow it. But I bet if Larry The Cable Guy wanted to appear in character in front of Congress they might not let that happen.

So now, Colbert has appeared in front of the U.S. Congress to make a statement about immigration and migrant labor. From the very beginning of his five minutes, he’s cracking jokes and poking fun at Congress itself.

“As you’ve heard this morning, America’s farms are far too dependent on immigrant labor to pick our fruits and vegetables. Now the obvious answer is for all of us to stop eating fruits and vegetables.”

And also:

“Maybe this Ag Jobs Bill would help. I don’t know. Like most members of Congress, I haven’t read it.”

By the end, he’s made a few very valid points. And I’m sure gained a few more viewers for his nightly TV show, too.

Well done, real Stephen.

Pulling Weeds

We had a few nice days of rain last week, and it softened up the ground nicely. Perfect for pulling weeds.

I really like pulling weeds. It’s kind of therapeutic and meditative. I enjoy the repetitive action of finding the unwanted little plants growing, then carefully plucking them out so as to be sure to get the roots. It’s sometimes slow, but there are many reasons to take the time to do so.

Garden planting bed and weeds to be pulled

First, slow can be good. Too many times, we’re rushing through one thing simply to get to the next thing we have to rush through. Skip breakfast and get to work. Eat lunch at your desk. Let your friend’s call go to voicemail – it’s not work-related. Rush home for dinner. Inhale your meal, we have to clean things up. Hurry up and clean – got to get the kid ready for bed. Bathe him quick, it’s late. And so on. Where’s the enjoyment in that if your entire life goes that way?

Too often, that’s how every day is.

So I like pulling weeds. It’s slow. I can smell the earth. I can feel the plants and smell each one’s unique scent. Plucking grasses from among the lavender brings out the wonderful scent that the lavender has. Sweet woodruff has another amazing, earthy and unique scent. The grass smells good, too. The mulch in the planting bed smells great and feels good. The grit of the dirt on my fingers is nice.

There’s more to do. I wanted to comment while it was on my mind. Back out to pull weeds and soak up the experience.

Get out there and pull some weeds of your own.

Big Omaha & Big Ideas

The 2010 Big Omaha conference is now wrapped. Once again we had an impressive lineup of speakers and an incredible outpouring of ideas. I extend a gigantic, “THANK YOU” to Jeff Slobotski and Dusty Davidson for putting together such a well-run event and bringing this to Omaha. Way to go, guys.

My experience at Big Omaha this year was a little different than last. Last year, we had no idea what to expect and were completely blown away. High caliber presenters and all right here in our hometown. I was on a high for a good long time, and the ideas presented stuck with me.

This year, I felt that things were very similar to last year. That’s definitely not a bad thing. What it made me think about and feel, though, were quite different this time around. I have fewer notes. I talked to more people. I listened more, and I refined thoughts, ideas, and to-do items in my personal and professional inventory. So instead of this being the, “Wow I have some amazing ideas” reaction, it’s a, “Keep running with it because this ain’t bullshit” reaction.

And that’s THE BIG THING: All these big and new ideas and ways of doing things that the speakers talked about and the ideas and plans I have of my own – they aren’t a load of crap. They are real. They work. They have potential.

I heard a lot of people at the conference saying things like, “Wow – that WOULD be great to do at my company, but it would never work because of [insert excuse here.]” And to that, I reiterate, “Why not?” I know – maybe you aren’t in charge and you can’t simply dictate the way things happen. But you can make a difference. Lead by example. Show people what is possible. And if you can’t take the do-everything-at-once approach, then break it down into smaller and smaller pieces until you have something that is so simple and digestible that it’s easy to insert into The Way Things Are. Then you’re one step closer.

Jason Fried made that point when talking about how they approach software development cycles. If a task can’t be done in two weeks, they break it down to something that can be done in two weeks. That’s such a great way to approach a task. Huge, monumental things can seem overwhelming and make it harder to start or finish. A simple, defined project is much less daunting. Every insurmountable achievement is made up of a bunch of tiny things that are a lot easier. The accomplishment is in finishing something and doing it well.

Okay – so I can rant on things all day. What’s this post about? Well, people who haven’t gone to Big Omaha ask, “What’s the conference about?” Even the description on the Big Omaha site doesn’t really make it clear. Here’s what I say, though: It’s about ideas. The ideas you have that you want to do something with. Ideas are powerful.

And that’s HUGE.

So many great things start with a simple idea, and it takes huge effort to make an idea happen. Maybe not even huge effort, but huge determination. Huge follow-through. Huge focus. It’s EASY to come up with an idea. It’s HARD to do something about it. And that’s where Big Omaha comes in. We heard stories from people who took and idea and made it happen. We also heard about some of the challenges, inspirations, failures, and other things that happened along the way.

Plan on attending Big Omaha next year. Watch for recaps and other posts online about this year’s conference. Start working on the ideas you have and seek inspiration. The speakers from this and last year’s Big Omaha conference should help you get going. But the key thing is, do something about it. The ball is in your court and you have the power to make things happen.