Countdown

Move day is fast approaching.  Packers are here on the 25th, movers here on the 26th, and they promise to deliver to the temporary residence in Wimberley between the 30th and the 3rd.  That gives us about 12 days to be ready to go.  Fortunately, we’ve been anticipating this move for quite a while.

The biggest challenge, in the short term, is going to be space.  Because we’re moving into a temporary place, until our house sells, we’re going from 6,100 square feet to about 1,400.  We’re taking about 15% of our “stuff”, so it’s a game right now to try to pick what stays and what goes.  This couch, that chair – not that table – and so on.  It’s maddening – but in the end, I hope it’s cathartic, and I hope that we end up not needing more than we brought.  In fact, when it comes time to empty the Atlanta house, I’d love to be able to not move 50% of the rest of the 85%.

Should be an interesting experiment in family dynamics.  Stay tuned.

Good discussions

This morning, I had a set of meetings with the Managing Director on whose team I work.  Following those meetings, we went to a nice restaurant and had lunch.  I had a set of topics, he had a set of topics, and we got down to ticking through the agenda.  Somewhere between finishing our trout and a cup of coffee, and interesting thing happened.  We both realized that we were having one of the best conversations we’ve had since we started working together.  We were on track and synchronous on most, if not all, of the items on our respective agendas, we had general agreement on the strategy for the account, and we were saying the same things about the progress my team has been making. 

I know that might not sound like a huge accomplishment, but we haven’t been working directly together for very long, and we’re playing on a rather huge field – so mutual agreement is a wonderful thing.  Further, my “aha” moment came when I acknowledged the mutual respect we have for one another, and what that means for our ability to work independently, secure in the knowledge that we’re pursuing complimentary goals that support one another’s objectives.

The best part of the conversation came when we both stopped working from our agenda, and just talked.  The outline was good, to frame the conversation, but when we both “just talked”, we got the most out of the conversation.  Often, in dealing with customers, colleagues, and employees, find myself talking to a purpose, rather than just talking.  I appreciate so much those times when I can just talk.  I think I’ll try to recognize and appreciate those times, when they’re happening.

Today was a good day.

The Software and the Business Model

So – now, the era of iPhone 2.0 is upon us.  Beginning July 11th, we’ll all be able to get the new 3G hardware.  Today’s WWDC keynote gave a very good overview of the new hardware features – but it was as much what wasn’t said that echoed louder than what was.  The hardware, itself, hardly seems worthy of the anticipation.  A better chip, a better battery, audio quality, and tapered edges.  No front-facing camera for video chats.  No fingerprint reader for security.  No mention of video capture, or the basics of cut-and-paste and MMS. 

What will it take for continued breakaway success?  Not solely the hardware.  What with the SE Xperia, the Instinct, the Bravia and others, it may not be the slickest hardware out there, by the end of the year.  It’s not the software alone, as the recent Android demonstration clearly illustrates that great software is possible – and it’s not solely a subsidization model, which has been around since the start of the US wireless industry. 

It was the software that stole today’s show.  More specifically, it was the strength of the SDK and the flexibility of the previously-unforgiving, draconian business model.  The hardware innovation that  was iPhone 1.0 is now improved, but not transformed.  What remains, then, is whether Apple will be able to capitalize on the headstart its gotten, in an effort to capture more than the sub 1% of market share it’s received thus far.  The slingshot factor will be the software and the business model.  Cheers to Apple, for their realization and their action.  I look forward to July 11th, for my chance to experience the new applications in a new way.  I hope that’s worth the anticipation.

Retirement

My father retired last week.  He’s 68, and he’s never really not worked.  He left Oracle, after being with them for about 20 years.  Before that, he was a mechanical engineer with a 25 year career.  He made the shift when I was in grad school.  I’m looking forward to more time with him, and having long talks well into the night – the kind that the reality of a 9-to-5 job and a trip back to Detroit prevent.

Piano Recitals

Yesterday was the final piano recital for our kids in Georgia.  They’ve had a good run, with a good instructor.  We went through a couple of bad instructors to get to Dustin – it’ll be hard to find a new one with as much “connection” to the kids (he was really broken up that we were moving). 

Piano has been such a great thing for the kids.  It’s so wonderful to see their progress.  When we were at the recital, I watched about a 7 year-old kid climb on to the stool and play his “Yankee Doodle” for mom, dad, and the grandparents.  It reminded me so much of Kendall and his first recital – and now he’s the older kid, playing at the end of the recital, providing that “goal” for all of the little kids…   They’re both doing so well at it – we have folks at every recital come up to the kids and congratulate them on their talent, and on their presence.  Both of them exude this confident, self-assured attitude while sitting at the bench.  In confidence, Kendall told me he was nervous – but I assured him that he was the only one who could tell he wasn’t thoroughly overjoyed to be in front of all those people…  He felt better.  I could also see that Kiana was taking so much from the overall situation – she knows nothing different from “just doing it” – I hope that balances, even slightly, all of the coming teenage angst and awkwardness of a girl’s early teen years.

So good to watch them.  I hope that music remains a part of their lives.

Quick Trip to Texas

We’re headed out to the San Antonio/Austin area for a couple of days, to finalize a rental house.  Our house in Atlanta hasn’t yet sold, and we need to be in Texas, so we’re going to rent.  We have a few choices – a two-building cabin setup, on the river; a three-bedroom house on the fringe of a horse farm; a big house sort of on the two-lane highway across from the high school; a two-bedroom house with a detached loft apartment.  None of these places are very big, and none are what we ultimately want – we just need a place to be, and we need to get going.  We’ve got pictures of some of these places, but we’re not comfortable making this choice from the Internet – so we’re headed out to look at the places, have dinner with the inlaws, write a lease, and get an address.  

I’ll probably take my PC, the blackberry, and a personal cell phone.  Wonder how long it’ll be before I can get away with a two-day trip without the PC?  Email – check.  Reading attachments – check.  Getting to a number of IBM websites – check.  Creating/Editing quick Powerpoint charts and Excel spreadsheets seem to be my downfall.  Even if I had something like the Tilt or Centro, I’m not sure I could really get what I need done.  Seems a shame.  Wonder if the iPhone SDK will address my issue?

New Cell Phone Numbers

So we all got new cell phone numbers, because we’re moving.  I don’t know how it was for you (if you’ve ever had to change), and I can only speak for AT&T Mobility – but, “What a pain.”  They couldn’t just switch my numbers – they had to create a whole new account.  They couldn’t just copy my old account information over – they had to hand-enter all of my information into the system again.  They couldn’t transfer over the services I had from my old account – they had to sign me up for all new services.  They couldn’t get any information about my devices over the network – I had to give them things like IMEI numbers, etc.  All of this over the phone (had to be between 7am and 7pm CT on a weekday) – I was on for two hours.

But I got them changed.  It’s a little cathartic – feels like starting over, in a way.  I get to choose who gets the new number to my personal cell (everyone else gets the work number) – so now I know that when the personal cell phone rings, it’s someone I want to talk to – at least for a little bit…

The new iPhone releases in a week – guess I’ll get another chance to interact with the customer care team, very soon…

Weather the Storm

Several experts are predicting darkness before the dawn.  By most accounts, we’re in for a bit of tough time in the general economy.   Here in the tech and telco sector, the good news is – we’ve been there / done that. 

What did you do to make it through 2000 – 2001?  One of the writers at GigaOm did a recent interview with Scott Rafer one of the veterans of the sector, and a serial entrepreneur.  He outlines a number of strategies for weathering the coming storm.  Interesting, but I also recall a folks working out  strategies at IBM at that time.  Essentially, there were two:  A) hunker down, and try to avoid trouble – or B) be bold, create new strategies, new services, new offerings, and new ways of thinking.  I know several folks who survived.  Some had strategy A.  They’re still around (some of them) - many of them are in essentially the same jobs now they were then.  Strategy B folks – there were fewer of them – if they’re still here, they have better jobs, more interesting jobs, and they’re generally happier. 

There is something coming.  It won’t be easy.  Our customers will be trying to do more with less.  We may think there’s less to invest, making it harder to create – but that’s not so.  It’s time to push ahead.  It’s time to point the bow straight at the waves, and take them on.