Camping trip

Family_Camping-20091114

Last week’s rainy weather had all of us itching to get out of the house. In spite of the dreary rainy week I knew the forecast promised a nice weekend: with clear skies and mid-70s temperatures it promised to be perhaps the best weather of any weekend until spring. I decided it would be a good time for us to finally take the kids on the camping trip we’d been talking about the whole year.

It had been four years since we’d camped anywhere. Travis was then just a baby and woke up wailing. It was high time we tried again. I was considering both Jordan Lake and Umstead State Park but chose Umstead this time around. After a few minutes of booking online, we were all set to go.
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Google acquires Gizmo5

Gizmo5-Google-mm

Word came out today that Google acquired the VoIP company Gizmo5. Gizmo5 offers VoIP calling similar to Skype only Gizmo5 uses open standards.

Gizmo5’s service was tightly integrated with GrandCentral, the web-based phone organizer, so that Gizmo5 was the only way to turn an incoming call to a GrandCentral number into an incoming VoIP call to Asterisk or another SIP device. Once Google bought GrandCentral and rebranded it Google Voice it was really no surprise that Google might soon snatch up Gizmo5.

This is the second big payout for Gizmo5 CEO Michael Robertson. Robertson made a fortune early on when he parlayed his MP3.COM domain name into a business he later sold to Vivendi Universal for $372 million. Congrats, Michael!

Update 13 Nov 2009: Oh, and one other important point. Continue reading →

Ida takes her time

IDA

IDA

This is day three of torrential rain from Tropical Storm Ida. Ida never actually made it out of Florida but its presence was still felt. The storm’s low pressure spawned a Nor’easter. The rain almost literally hasn’t stopped in 72 hours.

When I feel like complaining about the rain I think back to the winter of 2007 when we faced a severe drought. Rain becomes monotonous and unpleasant. It causes all kinds of accidents for idiot drivers who can only passably drive when it’s not raining. It can also be depressing not seeing the sun … but, it still isn’t as scary as potentially running out of drinking water.

The really good news is the rain will all be gone in time for the weekend, which should be gorgeous.

One year later

It was one year ago today that I lost my job at AddressDoctor. While at times I wished that job might have lived up to its potential, I certainly don’t miss the headaches involved with the way I was managed. It’s in the past now and as always I landed on my feet. Should I ever again interview for a position I will insist on having only one boss to whom I’m responsible. Anything else is a recipe for disaster.

I don’t even need clearly defined responsibilities, though that certainly does help. I am flexible to change along with my job. In fact, I excel at entering new situations and figuring out my way around. When it comes to setting my priorities I need to hear from one person only.

Tuesday was also the one year anniversary of my totaling the minivan and barely avoiding causing serious injury to Travis. I’m so lucky things weren’t worse.

Yes, in one week alone I crashed our car and lost my job. Things have gotten considerably better since then!

Cheap thoughts: The Good Samaritan policy

Whenever I start my next company (with actual employees this time) I’m going to create a policy for the employees: the Good Samaritan policy. This will excuse any employee from being late if that employee stopped to help someone who was stranded on the side of the road, helped anyone involved in an accident, or helped anyone else who needed assistance.

Too many times I’ve driven by a disabled vehicle and not stopped simply because it would make me late for work. Some things should be more important than punching a clock.

Veteran’s Day

American Flag and Cross in Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial

Today is Veteran’s Day here in America. Like my fellow vet Ken Thomas, I’m never sure how to respond when people thank me for my service.

So here’s an idea: if you feel the need to thank me and the millions of other veterans for their service, the best way to thank us is to find a way to serve yourself. You don’t have to join the military, of course: there are many, many other ways to serve.

Read books to young kids at a school. Work on a project to improve your neighborhood. Visit with the elderly and make them feel welcome. Coach a youth sports team. Contribute your time and energy to a good cause – one right in your own backyard. Everyone can offer something.

Heroes aren’t found only on the battlefield: they are all around us. Every day. Become one in your community.

It’s the best way to honor service.

Where I’ve worked: Sing-A-Song Recording Studios

The year was 1985. I had worked at my very first job for only weeks and already I was angling for the next one (sound familiar?). One day during my off time at Carowinds I wandered into one of its arcades to play video games (Commando, Paperboy, and Karate Champ were favorites). There was a new store at the end of this barn-like arcade building, full of bright spotlights, new carpeting, and three glass booths that resembled changing rooms. Curious and out of quarters for the moment, I wandered over and struck up a conversation with the owner.
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Right Here, Right Now

I’ll always associate this song with the Revolutions of the late 1980s.

Right Here, Right Now [YouTube]
Jesus Jones

A woman on the radio talked about revolution
when it’s already passed her by
Bob Dylan didn’t have this to sing about you
you know it feels good to be alive

I was alive and I waited, waited
I was alive and I waited for this
Right here, right now
there is no other place I want to be
Right here, right now
watching the world wake up from history
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Raleigh’s untamed greenway: Walnut Creek Trail

Walnut Creek Greenway

The beautiful morning and the promise of a sunny afternoon in the mid 70s got us itching to go for another family bike ride. After considering a trip out to Durham’s American Tobacco Trail greenway, we opted instead to explore one greenway we’d never tried before, Southeast Raleigh’s Walnut Creek Trail.

Our goal was to start at the easternmost point possible and go as far west as we could. Worthdale Community Center seemed to be the trail’s official starting point but after reviewing the maps I decided the 8/10ths of a mile from there through the surrounding neighborhood to the paved greenway was not worth riding. I know what homes and sidewalks look like: I wans the trail!

We thus drove to the end of Little John Road and parked at its dead end. The residents of the house next to us gave us long looks through the storm door, making me think that they didn’t see many greenway users parking here. Though I felt the neighborhood was completely safe I decided that parking on the narrow neighborhood street was being too disruptive to the neighborhood. Next time I’ll look for a lot at one of the nearby community centers.
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