Came across this on Lifehacker, Use an AeroPress for Small Servings of Coffee, and realized it had been awhile since I had posted anything coffee related. The AeroPress looks interesting and should make a good cup. They claim it is the world’s smoothest brew. Cannot comment on that, but it does look intriguing.
Nice little post by Andy Sernovitz: BtoB vs BtoC: Don’t gouge me at work and expect me to buy at home.
I have had similar experiences with other online merchants. Since signing up for Amazon Prime, I always check them first. Great selection for office and home. Need expensive Gillette Mach 5 razors? Check Amazon. Need DVD+R DL discs at prices better than Staples and Office Max? Check Amazon. Our neighborhood is one of the few in the Seattle area that is open to Amazon Fresh, a Peapod like concept service that is being tested. Amazon is competing for your dollar everywhere. Online merchants that do not adjust to this reality will not win.
Yes, my wife does work at Amazon, but even she is not one of my 2 readers…
Picnik is a great online photo editing tool. It is dead simple. Think Adobe Photoshop Elements on the web. For free. The company is a darling of the Seattle startup scene and has won many recent awards. It works on Flickr, PhotoWorks, Facebook, MySpace, Picasa Web Albums, Photobucket, Webshots, Lexmark and Box.net as well as I few I likely missed.
The company has done 3 very interesting things in the cloud. Picnik is using social media to generate word of mouth, using the utility nature of the cloud for raw computing power and using an API to open its services even further. The company’s has successfully leveraged the Facebook platform and builds great word of mouth. Also Picnik is very active on Twitter. Picnik has taken that next technological step moving a very resource intensive application to the cloud. Photo editing is not easy on the CPU. Think about how long Photoshop takes to load. Lots of number crunching. A great cloud problem to solve. Finally the company has an API and nurtures a development community to build add-on and other Picnik based services. In a nutshell, Picnik is leveraging the cloud better than most. The model is interesting.
Keep an eye on Picnik.
I have noticed a common thread in some distinct readings. This common thread relates to positive habits and how to build them. Fitness, personal or professional habits can be shaped if you, “Grease the groove.”
Russian Kettlebell guru, Pavel Tsatouline coined the term. He uses it to describe synaptic facilitation — that is specific exercise plus frequent practice will equal success. He preaches that good, small habits can lead to big gains. Granted he is usually talking about pull-ups, but “grease the groove” can be applied to all aspects of life.
Grease the Groove for Strength by Pavel Tsatsouline
I found the same “grease the groove” concept in the writings of Paulo Coelho. Coelho, the international bestselling author, blogs and even pirates his own novels. I have enjoyed many of his books and given away many copies of The Alchemist
Favorite Quote: By changing the way you do routine things you allow a new person to grow inside you.
Paulo Coelho’s Blog
The same “grease the groove” concept can be found in The Magic Lamp: Goal Setting for People Who Hate Setting Goals
Interview questions. Your resume. That start up idea. Music lessons. A cooking class. Pull-ups. That half-marathon. “Grease the groove” and make it happen!
Interesting read over at Ars Technica: Canonical developers aim to make Android apps run on Ubuntu.
As computers get smaller and phones become more functional, it seems to be a natural step to run the same applications on multiple devices. Interesting that this would start in the Linux domain given Microsoft’s huge head start and Apple’s closed environment advantage. This trend would be great for developers as the article points out.
Some levity for this short week. I came across Svenska Dansband months ago and it always brings a smile to my face. A friend from Sweden tells me that this these bands a huge in rural Sweden and are akin to country & western bands mixed with a dash of wedding singer. The classic ’70s outfits and hair crack me up. Always. These guys know how to party. And then there is the van…
Enjoy.
Interesting read over the weekend at NY Times. Plugging In $40 Computers goes into the world of mini-servers about the size of a large DC Charger. With 512 MB Flash, 512 MB RAM, USB and Gigabit Ethernet, these computers have some chops. No video though.
Obvious uses around the house would be file and print servers. It will not be too long before these type of devices are running wi-fi and dedicated applications. Home security, appliance monitoring and digital media management clearly have value. I could see other applications for remote monitoring in hard to reach places such as agriculture, undersea or a volcano as these devices have cell and additional power added.
Another interesting article on the Plug that is referenced in the NY Times article and is worth a look: Hackers Weigh In: 8 Big Things to Do with a Mini Server.
Enterprise applications could include clustering, intelligent scanning and other logistics applications. Need to think on that some more. The size and price point to many of the arguments raised by Nicholas Carr’s Big Switch.
Check PlugComputer.org for the details. Interesting stuff.
I came across the MyPressi TWIST a few weeks ago. Initially, I was excited that I could have a new toy and doppio espresso wherever and whenever. My take: Over engineered and very expensive.
Better option for coffee on the go is French (or Freedom) Press and a JoeMo travel mug. Keeps the java hot for hours. Seriously. I would skip the colored JoeMo. Inevitably you will put it in the dishwasher and the color wrap will crack and peel. Not very fun. The silver “colorless” ones do not have that issue. Available at Amazon and other fine stores…
Happy Caffeination!
A friend recently returned from a business trip to NYC. It got me thinking of some of my favorite restaurants down in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan. Next time I hit the Big Apple, you will find me at one of these places.
Balthazar would be my first choice. There is great bar seating and awesome bakery for the AM pastry/cafe au lait. Traditional French bistro fare.
Balthazar Restaurant & Bakery
www.balthazarny.com
80 Spring St
NY, NY 10012
(212) 941-0364
Lobster rolls are foreign in Seattle. Ed’s are awesome. I enjoy the bar seating and the clean hole-in-the-wall feel.
Ed’s Lobster Bar
www.lobsterbarnyc.com
222 Lafayette Street
NY, NY 10012
(212) 343-3236
Originally read about this one in Forbes. Stands for “French Orgine”. French and North Africa influences which take me back to my wild trip to Morocco back in ’99.
Frog Restaurant
www.frognyc.com
71 Spring St
New York, NY 10012
(212) 966-5050
Have a great Memorial Day weekend!
One of the admirable qualities of P&G is that they know their strengths. Check out P&G’s leadership machine to learn more about how P&G builds leaders. I have been following A.G. Lafley’s career for some time since we both are alumni of Fenwick High School.
One of the best books I have ever read on leadership is The Radical Leap: A Personal Lesson in Extreme Leadership
Weekend shout out to the class of ’90!
