I’m tired of being depressed about the economy and the news.
I was reading my feeds and realized I love the Web. I learn so much, have so many cool apps (thanks Google for Google Earth on my iPhone). Am challenged so often (nine days of politics left). Meet so many cool people (last week 25 of them showed up at a Tweetup in Austin that we organized in just a few hours). Get access to so many cool things and experiences (I’m trying to plan our China trip out and am already overwhelmed with people wanting to take Rocky and me on tours and dinners and such).
This week I’m going to try to do something good every day for someone else. Hey, tomorrow Ford is lending me a car. Anyone want a ride somewhere? How about we work an afternoon in the food bank?
What in technology is making you happy? We need more happiness. Talking to executives about the economy is making me grumpy and I’ve learned that the only way out of this funk is to give of myself to causes bigger than myself.
Anyway, thank you to everyone who brings me an interesting item in Google Reader or Twitter or FriendFeed or Techmeme or here. Hopefully someday I’ll get to thank you personally for making my life more interesting and me more informed, more entertained, more connected.
Scobleizer 
Internet is my profession and hobby, FriendFeed is just what i needed to sum it all up, and remind myself why i love the web so much.
Following & interacting with interesting people, trusting them with my flow of info, that’s what web 2.0 is all about for me.
Thanks for sharing this feeling.
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Internet is my profession and hobby, FriendFeed is just what i needed to sum it all up, and remind myself why i love the web so much.
Following & interacting with interesting people, trusting them with my flow of info, that’s what web 2.0 is all about for me.
Thanks for sharing this feeling.
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A great post Robert. I’m only just starting to get back into blogging, social networking etc and realized after reading your post that we are all contributing to each others lives, knowledge and experiences. There is way to much negativity on the web too, but the positive stuff tends to bubble up…
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A great post Robert. I’m only just starting to get back into blogging, social networking etc and realized after reading your post that we are all contributing to each others lives, knowledge and experiences. There is way to much negativity on the web too, but the positive stuff tends to bubble up…
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What’s making me happy? That I’m lucky enough to be able to work online, at not one, but two of my passions, an area of technology and writing. If you think about it, those of us working for ourselves on the web are living the early 90s equivalent of what a millionaire’s lifestyle is supposed to be like.
We can work at times that are convenient to us, on projects we’re passionate about, and be paid for it. Plus we can go shopping Wednesday afternoons and to the movies during Monday matinees. And have friends all over the globe. Yay age of technology!
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What’s making me happy? That I’m lucky enough to be able to work online, at not one, but two of my passions, an area of technology and writing. If you think about it, those of us working for ourselves on the web are living the early 90s equivalent of what a millionaire’s lifestyle is supposed to be like.
We can work at times that are convenient to us, on projects we’re passionate about, and be paid for it. Plus we can go shopping Wednesday afternoons and to the movies during Monday matinees. And have friends all over the globe. Yay age of technology!
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The internet is my hobby. I love being able to click three times and maybe tap a few keys and start a conversation on Friendfeed, if I’m lucky enough to have found something warranting attention or watch a growing list of cool stuff on my tumblr.
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The internet is my hobby. I love being able to click three times and maybe tap a few keys and start a conversation on Friendfeed, if I’m lucky enough to have found something warranting attention or watch a growing list of cool stuff on my tumblr.
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Hey great post! I’m out of town much of the week, but if you wanna do something good together, Fri/Sat/Sun is cool with me!!
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Hey great post! I’m out of town much of the week, but if you wanna do something good together, Fri/Sat/Sun is cool with me!!
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You are in the right path. People tend to overestimate the amount of satisfaction they will get from material things and underestimate the satisfaction they derive from human connections. Giving is, most times, better than receiving.
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You are in the right path. People tend to overestimate the amount of satisfaction they will get from material things and underestimate the satisfaction they derive from human connections. Giving is, most times, better than receiving.
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I love it too. So many things to learn. New people to meet (virutally and in the reality). But it is fast, so fast. I’m wondering how long my brain will support this speed 😉
First I’m not in US, but in Europe, in Switzerland precisely. So I check how long it will take for the business to change regarding this crisis. My swiss bankers friends are pretty busy right now 😉
In the same time, I’m little bit out of this spiral. I’m not in a big city. And I think it is a good way to have an overview of what you guys are living now in US.
Web is a very attractive world. Mobile web will be even more with iPhone, Android and flat data rates. But this will be even faster, interactive.
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I love it too. So many things to learn. New people to meet (virutally and in the reality). But it is fast, so fast. I’m wondering how long my brain will support this speed 😉
First I’m not in US, but in Europe, in Switzerland precisely. So I check how long it will take for the business to change regarding this crisis. My swiss bankers friends are pretty busy right now 😉
In the same time, I’m little bit out of this spiral. I’m not in a big city. And I think it is a good way to have an overview of what you guys are living now in US.
Web is a very attractive world. Mobile web will be even more with iPhone, Android and flat data rates. But this will be even faster, interactive.
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Dear Robert: I too see alot of potential in the web… call it globalism for the rest of us, if you will. Much as computers are starting to disappear, I imagine the internet will in time be fairly ubiquitous as well. It’s still so young, to have had such an impact.
I for one was very touched by your “I’m not an American” post wherein you discussed your conversion to Islam, in order to marry Miryiam [sp]. Thanks for your generosity, for your sociability and for having a thick skin and a sense of humor. I’m definitely available for a shift at a food bank… but I think you should also bring a camera and do a few interviews, I’m sure they’d appreciate it.
Best Regards,
Richard Walker
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Dear Robert: I too see alot of potential in the web… call it globalism for the rest of us, if you will. Much as computers are starting to disappear, I imagine the internet will in time be fairly ubiquitous as well. It’s still so young, to have had such an impact.
I for one was very touched by your “I’m not an American” post wherein you discussed your conversion to Islam, in order to marry Miryiam [sp]. Thanks for your generosity, for your sociability and for having a thick skin and a sense of humor. I’m definitely available for a shift at a food bank… but I think you should also bring a camera and do a few interviews, I’m sure they’d appreciate it.
Best Regards,
Richard Walker
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You mean you’re finally listening to what people have been telling you for the past month or so? Good for you, Robert! I guess some people just have to learn the hard way. Now I only wish the negative impact you’ve already caused could be reversed…
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You mean you’re finally listening to what people have been telling you for the past month or so? Good for you, Robert! I guess some people just have to learn the hard way. Now I only wish the negative impact you’ve already caused could be reversed…
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Haha, I would like to thank you too. Well, pretty much thanks to all of you. Is that what we call collective intelligence?
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Haha, I would like to thank you too. Well, pretty much thanks to all of you. Is that what we call collective intelligence?
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In my eyes, the web is synonymous with a new burgeoning culture; an opportunity for people from all over the world to connect via favored art, music and literature as well as exposing each other to our unique beliefs, customs, practices, and social behaviors.
What I find ah-mazing and wonderful about the web is the potential to connect with people with whom it would have been impossible to ever meet back in the day when our communication was limited to smoke signals and wall carvings. But in a sense, we are still communicating cross-culturally with symbols…just a new set of tools.
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In my eyes, the web is synonymous with a new burgeoning culture; an opportunity for people from all over the world to connect via favored art, music and literature as well as exposing each other to our unique beliefs, customs, practices, and social behaviors.
What I find ah-mazing and wonderful about the web is the potential to connect with people with whom it would have been impossible to ever meet back in the day when our communication was limited to smoke signals and wall carvings. But in a sense, we are still communicating cross-culturally with symbols…just a new set of tools.
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Stop talking to execs about the economy… This is what I do when the media starts talking about the next depression. I get in my car and drive around to places I shop. Guess what? They are all busy. Last weekend we went to the mall, had to park in the back to get a spot. Good sign…. Had to wait 20 minutes at 3 in the afternoon to get a table for lunch at Cheesecake factory. Good sign… Went to home depot, Had to wait in line again, Grocery store packed… Costco packed, people with full shopping carts… So to me this slow down is sort of overblown at least for the time being. The problem is all of these execs are preparing for a slow down. So what do they do? Lay off 10-20% of their workforce. So all businesses do this and guess what? You have just created a depression. Now after 9/11 I drove around and did see real drops in purchasing. But currently I don’t see it.
Here is the fundamental problem. Severe income inequality… why should execs make 400 times what they pay their workers for doing something they love? Ultimately it is the cause of every problem we are experiencing. Credit crisis… the regular guy isn’t making enough to buy stuff. Real estate problem, poor regulation and income inequality. the top 1% with so much money they cause bubbles where there is no demand. Note to the execs… Pay your employees and take a freaking pay cut.
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Stop talking to execs about the economy… This is what I do when the media starts talking about the next depression. I get in my car and drive around to places I shop. Guess what? They are all busy. Last weekend we went to the mall, had to park in the back to get a spot. Good sign…. Had to wait 20 minutes at 3 in the afternoon to get a table for lunch at Cheesecake factory. Good sign… Went to home depot, Had to wait in line again, Grocery store packed… Costco packed, people with full shopping carts… So to me this slow down is sort of overblown at least for the time being. The problem is all of these execs are preparing for a slow down. So what do they do? Lay off 10-20% of their workforce. So all businesses do this and guess what? You have just created a depression. Now after 9/11 I drove around and did see real drops in purchasing. But currently I don’t see it.
Here is the fundamental problem. Severe income inequality… why should execs make 400 times what they pay their workers for doing something they love? Ultimately it is the cause of every problem we are experiencing. Credit crisis… the regular guy isn’t making enough to buy stuff. Real estate problem, poor regulation and income inequality. the top 1% with so much money they cause bubbles where there is no demand. Note to the execs… Pay your employees and take a freaking pay cut.
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Robert, and the rest,
Great to read an uplifting post that focusses on the fact that life is good. Nice to have a post without the word recession in too!
Refreshed! Thanks.
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I like the feeling that there is so much opportunity now. I thought I had missed the wave way back in 2000, but feel if you embrace the technologies happening now, there are so many possibilities.
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Robert, and the rest,
Great to read an uplifting post that focusses on the fact that life is good. Nice to have a post without the word recession in too!
Refreshed! Thanks.
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I like the feeling that there is so much opportunity now. I thought I had missed the wave way back in 2000, but feel if you embrace the technologies happening now, there are so many possibilities.
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Are you worry about the possible effects of transferring our data to big companies?. The BBC has a good point in this post (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/technology/2008/10/the_town_in_the_cloud.html).
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Are you worry about the possible effects of transferring our data to big companies?. The BBC has a good point in this post (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/technology/2008/10/the_town_in_the_cloud.html).
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I have to agree with a lot of the folks above. I love the people I’ve “met” on the internet, especially over the last year. I feel like I’ve got a friend in every city- support and fun in every corner.
To answer your question as to what in technology makes me happy- aside from the connections I’ve made, I must say that an ongoing stream of music is great. It’s decent sound quality, commercial free, and I can control it if I want to. I love that I can listen to my favorite songs for 12 hours straight, or the music service can suggest what I should try out. I’m all for trying new things- especially musically.
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I have to agree with a lot of the folks above. I love the people I’ve “met” on the internet, especially over the last year. I feel like I’ve got a friend in every city- support and fun in every corner.
To answer your question as to what in technology makes me happy- aside from the connections I’ve made, I must say that an ongoing stream of music is great. It’s decent sound quality, commercial free, and I can control it if I want to. I love that I can listen to my favorite songs for 12 hours straight, or the music service can suggest what I should try out. I’m all for trying new things- especially musically.
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Robert,
Thank you for getting this week started off with a note about serving others and finding happiness in meeting other people’s needs, that is great! Using Tweet-Ups to help underprivileged schools, foundations focused on the needs of kids from poor families and most important of all, helping orphans get an chance to have a decent life – all great uses of the Internet and in your position, something you could make happen. Bono told you to blog more, and I think he would be pleased with your using the Internet to reach out and lift the disadvantaged up, most of all children with no parents. May you make many lives richer from your thoughts posted today and the action it leads to!!!
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Robert,
Thank you for getting this week started off with a note about serving others and finding happiness in meeting other people’s needs, that is great! Using Tweet-Ups to help underprivileged schools, foundations focused on the needs of kids from poor families and most important of all, helping orphans get an chance to have a decent life – all great uses of the Internet and in your position, something you could make happen. Bono told you to blog more, and I think he would be pleased with your using the Internet to reach out and lift the disadvantaged up, most of all children with no parents. May you make many lives richer from your thoughts posted today and the action it leads to!!!
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Technology only makes me happy when it becomes personal. When it’s an extension of my identity or my friends’ identities. When it gets people closer together, rather than farther apart.
There’s so much that’s impersonal in the world right now, that if you’re not blogging or twittering or interacting in a personal way — a way that really reflects who you are and what you believe in, then you’re not contributing to an idea of community that extends way back before computers or technology in the modern sense. Community is what binds us and holds us together in times like this.
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Technology only makes me happy when it becomes personal. When it’s an extension of my identity or my friends’ identities. When it gets people closer together, rather than farther apart.
There’s so much that’s impersonal in the world right now, that if you’re not blogging or twittering or interacting in a personal way — a way that really reflects who you are and what you believe in, then you’re not contributing to an idea of community that extends way back before computers or technology in the modern sense. Community is what binds us and holds us together in times like this.
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Now we discover that whether you love the web or are addicted to it, you jolly well should be. A recent book, iBrain, shows that “those who become really good at technology will have a survival advantage”. So now we have another reason to understand why it feels like it does!
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Now we discover that whether you love the web or are addicted to it, you jolly well should be. A recent book, iBrain, shows that “those who become really good at technology will have a survival advantage”. So now we have another reason to understand why it feels like it does!
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I love being able to deliver real things…fast. My cousin’s wife bought a florist and wanted a new website. I was able to deliver her http://sylvaniaheightsflorist.com.au all using my web browser, using wordpress.org, google/apps, google/analytics, wufoo.com, google.com/local, truelocal.com, ubik.net, dreamhost.com, tppinternet, and a few others. all online.
The best thing. Having her own new website with her own email address made her finally feel the business was hers.
And on day 1 of launch it was bringing in real business. Real money.
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I love being able to deliver real things…fast. My cousin’s wife bought a florist and wanted a new website. I was able to deliver her http://sylvaniaheightsflorist.com.au all using my web browser, using wordpress.org, google/apps, google/analytics, wufoo.com, google.com/local, truelocal.com, ubik.net, dreamhost.com, tppinternet, and a few others. all online.
The best thing. Having her own new website with her own email address made her finally feel the business was hers.
And on day 1 of launch it was bringing in real business. Real money.
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You hit it on the head…Hearing the bad news all the time just ruins my day.
I decided last week not to watch any news on TV, listen to any on radio, or read any online…The only things I am going to read are the things in my google reader which are the things that make me happy!!!
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You hit it on the head…Hearing the bad news all the time just ruins my day.
I decided last week not to watch any news on TV, listen to any on radio, or read any online…The only things I am going to read are the things in my google reader which are the things that make me happy!!!
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This says it all re media bias
http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=6099188
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This says it all re media bias
http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=6099188
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Hey – Robert is back. Awesome.
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Hey – Robert is back. Awesome.
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I love the web too. Many of my friends here in Turkey do too. However, the Turkish courts have a habit of blocking whole websites including YouTube, GeoCities and now Blogger. It ruins our enjoyment of the web, restricts business, freedom of the press and the spread of knowledge and makes Turkey look stupid.
What happens is someone will complain about some content on a website. The courts apparently contact the website and if the offending content is not removed, the whole site is blocked. Turks are getting around the bans with proxy and tunnel connections but in a country that has freedom of the press, this banning should stop.
Join my friends in the Facebook cause to Stop Internet Censorship in Turkey! at http://apps.facebook.com/causes/111960?recruiter_id=13516199
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I love the web too. Many of my friends here in Turkey do too. However, the Turkish courts have a habit of blocking whole websites including YouTube, GeoCities and now Blogger. It ruins our enjoyment of the web, restricts business, freedom of the press and the spread of knowledge and makes Turkey look stupid.
What happens is someone will complain about some content on a website. The courts apparently contact the website and if the offending content is not removed, the whole site is blocked. Turks are getting around the bans with proxy and tunnel connections but in a country that has freedom of the press, this banning should stop.
Join my friends in the Facebook cause to Stop Internet Censorship in Turkey! at http://apps.facebook.com/causes/111960?recruiter_id=13516199
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More Elon Musk interviews…he’s a cause not even as “big” as himself. 😉
The “whatever happened to” version of Scobleizer, would be a hoot, big hype then, fail now. Seagate Scobleizer Results: $27.56 to $6.36
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More Elon Musk interviews…he’s a cause not even as “big” as himself. 😉
The “whatever happened to” version of Scobleizer, would be a hoot, big hype then, fail now. Seagate Scobleizer Results: $27.56 to $6.36
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Amen, brother, Amen.
Stay cool.
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Amen, brother, Amen.
Stay cool.
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