SXSW – what do you want to hear?

Any one considering going to SXSW Interactive in Austin March 9-13, 2007? It is the most amazing web conference on the planet. I think of it as a great BIG IDEA conference. When explaining to others how to get the most out of SXSWi I have been known to say:

“SXSW is about the people. Go to the panels, go to the parties, introduce yourself to the person next to you. Seek out new people. Find out what treasures are overflowing in the brains all around you. Talk about your passions and then listen. I mean really LISTEN. Suspend judgement. Truly try on the perspective of the brilliant human being sitting next to you. Then let the magic potion of ideas, words and reality transform your thinking and open your eyes to new possibilities.”

Day 0

At this very moment, one of my dearest friends and collegues is receiving a bone marrow transplant at M.D. Anderson in Houston.

It’s Day 0—Tuesday. The nurse, Melissa, just came in and told us that the time for the transplant/transfusion has been set for 10:00 AM Central time. She said they’ll do the pre-medications, Bendadryl and Solumedrol, starting at 9:30 (about 10 minutes from now). We’re ready. I love you all. Thanks so much for all your love and your support and your prayers. More to come! – John Slatin

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A Celebration of Vinyl

Rick and DJ had been threatening to have a celebration of vinyl…and Saturday night they did just that. Rules o’ the game? Bring whatever vinyl you’d love to hear or if you didn’t have any records, you could wear vinyl.

Results? Hilarious! Just the act of digging out old albums was a blast to the past. Brushing aside the cobwebs on my collection, I realized I would be hard pressed to bring just one album. Do I bring my favorite one, or do I bring the cheesiest one? Heck, I’ll bring some of both!

Stop for a moment and ponder this…what album(s) would you bring to a Vinyl Celebration?

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Life Ain’t Always Beautiful

I got a gift over the radio this morning…

Life ain’t always beautiful
Sometimes it’s just plain hard
Life can knock you down, it can break your heart

Life ain’t always beautiful
You think you’re on your way
And it’s just a dead end road at the end of the day

But the struggle makes you stronger
And the changes make you wise
And happiness has it’s own way of takin’ it sweet time

Where the Women Bloggers Are

Last year, a brilliant blogger pointed out that my blogrole was 100% male. And while talented as those boys may be…where indeed were the women on my wizard list? Being a brand new blogger myself at that time, I realized that the people that originally inspired me to blog happened to be male. After much… Continue reading Where the Women Bloggers Are

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Digital Inclusion

A collegue is conducting research on the digital divide…if you happen to know of any efforts that fit the following description…could you please share?

I am currently conducting research into the digital divide and how this affects disadvantaged people including individuals with disabilities.

Specifically, I am interested in initiatives that have found ways to encourage disadvantaged people to use the Internet, particularly e-government services. Put differently, I’m looking for initiatives and projects (at any level) that have used creative and innovative ways of introducing the Internet to people who might not have had the opportunity of using it.

Feeling Groovy

Slow down, you move to fast.
You got to make the moment last. – Simon and Garfunkel

Ten years ago I bought a book entitled Slowing Down to the Speed of Life by Richard Carlson and Joseph Bailey. The fact that it took me ten years to finally read it is a hint about the speed at which I’ve been living. Or perhaps, I really needed to read it this year.

I do know the importance of being fully in the moment, and yet, somehow, I haven’t been living that way. I’ve experienced extended times where my thoughts, beliefs, values and actions are in synch. Like a well oiled machine, everything falls into place, work feels like play, and I feel like I’m living on purpose. Ahhhh, yes…those are the good days. And once you’ve tasted this way of life, it is hard to live without it.

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What’s on your bookshelf?

Oooooooo! Do you love books? A friend shared a new toy with me called LibraryThing. It is a place for you to catalogue the books you’ve read, tag them and rate them. But LibraryThing doesn’t stop there…it is oh so very Web 2.0 when it connects you to other people through recommendations, groups and friends.