Business, Life and Learning by B Gillet

Apple's iPad - What's It Good For?

noreply@blogger.com (bgillet) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:58:00 +0000

Apple iPad - I watched the keynote last night. I tried to avoid the news of the device until I could sit and watch Steve and company present it in their own words. Then I cruised through the headlines on Techmeme and Digg and read what I expected would be the media reaction - "It's just a big iPhone."

Now, I don't buy the media explanation, nor will I buy the iPad when it comes out. It did further solidify my decision to buy the next generation of iPhone because the iPad announcement was a sign that Apple is hyper focused on innovating the computing experience in a direction that makes computing more about what you are trying to view or consume rather than being concerned with how you will do it. I saw a similar comment on John Gruber's post: Various and Assorted Thoughts and Observations Regarding the Just-Announced iPad. Good post by the way - excellent auto/manual transmission analogy.

In my view, the Apple iPad will be great for people that want to sit back and consume content in a visual way that the iPhone, laptop, netbook or iPod could not provide. As I watched the keynote speech for the iPad I kept on wondering what's next for the AppleTV product - could I interact with MLB.com on my iPad while watching the game on my AppleTV? What if I want to go from reading about the history of the financial meltdown to watching a Frontline special on my AppleTV/TV? For publishers this should open up doors of connectivity that were never available. When the NYTimes was showing off their native app for the iPad the presenter said something very profound that was not emphasized in articles I reviewed. She was showing an article and decided to save it for later so that she could read it on her "iPhone" later. I don't know if she slipped up stating the iPhone or if that is a preview of what's to come for developers - wireless sync between iPad and iPhone apps.

An area very close to my interest outside of work is how this device can reshape the learning industry. There's been a lot of content created for students, but I have yet to find a truly interactive learning experience that can be contained within one device. I think publishers could become the next university. Teachers will go to work for the textbook publishers recording and mixing in text, videos, presentations, interactive tests and graphics that allow for an experience that engages the student and reduces our reliance on the classroom. Saying that gives me goose bumps because I enjoy the classroom environment, but I do realize that its an expensive infrastructure to keep supporting. We shall see.

Rainy day - Day of Rest

noreply@blogger.com (bgillet) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:16:00 +0000

Taking jogging and exercising a day at a time now. No big hairy audacious goals to post here, like I accidentally did a month ago stating that I want to run a half marathon this year. In my lifetime, yes; this year, probably not. I've learned to keep most of my goals to myself as a result of that post and a recent article.

I read an interesting article last month that simply stated, if you announce your goals your are less likely to fulfill them. I don't buy into this 100%, but I can see part of the point - you almost feel as though stating your goal is more than half the battle.

Mum is the word for now in terms of my jogging and exercise aspirations.

Good week - starting to feel the rhythm

noreply@blogger.com (bgillet) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:58:00 +0000

This week was not a perfect week, but I did get a fair amount of road time in and I am starting to chart a path to more consistent jogging. Also, I want to start logging a bit more distance each week. I wanted to run a half marathon a couple of years ago, but did not reach my goal for weekend long runs. I'm going to go after this goal again and try a slower pace and less aggressive training plan.

Here's what I did got accomplished this week:

Thursday:
Thirty minutes - jogging

Friday:
Thirty minutes - jogging

Saturday:
Thirty minutes - walking (1/5) and jogging (4/5)

Sunday:
Ten minutes - walking
Thirty minutes - jogging [lap 1: 11:39, lap 2: 11:50, lap 3 (shorter lap): 8:30]

Have a great week! Go! Go! Go!

Thinking about retirement

noreply@blogger.com (bgillet) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 14:25:00 +0000

"What happens if 401k matching goes away? How will that impact our retirement model?"

That was the question that I could not shake out of my head this week. I asked my financial adviser to think about that question a couple weeks ago. I realize it's too early to call the match a foregone conclusion, but I have a hunch that we are going to be financing our retirement sans match in the future. Check out this list (not comprehensive) of companies that have dropped their 401k match over the last year. It will probably continue to grow.

I was listening to NPR Monday (6/1/09). The interviewer asked the same question that kept rattling around in my head, "Will companies that stopped their 401k match plans reinstate them when the economy improves?" Here's a link to the story online and a key quote from the story:

"The Pension Rights Center, a consumer advocacy group in Washington, D.C., keeps track of the companies that have cut or suspended their 401(k) contributions.

Spokeswoman Nancy Hwa says the center is keeping the list to try to keep the companies accountable, in hopes they'll restore the contributions when the economy improves. But she's not optimistic.

"I call it the slippery slope of retirement insecurity," Hwa says. She sees this as the latest step in a 30-year trend of employers using the promise of free, matching 401(k) contributions to shift workers away from traditional pensions.

"It's like the siren song of free money," Hwa says. "But what's happening is that it's becoming the swan song of employers contributing to their employees' retirement.""

After hearing this I thought to myself, "We are going to have to work much longer," but there are ways to work with this situation. We'll call it "worktire."

I remembered a post from Brad Feld. The post was titled, The Variable in Work Life Balance. Brad recalled a discussion he had with a colleague of his about a generational shift happening. To paraphrase, we have to come to grips with the fact that the length of our life is variable, not constant. Therefore, why do we spend so much time planning for retirement as if we all know the age we can retire and the length of time that we will be retired? Instead, why not carve out a portion of our regular week, month or year that we spend in retirement instead of waiting until a set date?

I realize that my views are in no way representative of the entire population and there is a chance that 401k matching will make a big comeback as employers vie for the best talent down the road, but I keep on thinking that the old ways of planning for retirement are going to change. Maybe now is the best time to start doing some rethinking. What will retirement plans looks like 10, 20 or 30 years from now? Will we become a generation of independent contractors funding our own healthcare and retirement savings?

Staying on track is not easy

noreply@blogger.com (bgillet) — Sun, 31 May 2009 15:05:00 +0000

What a beautiful day - thank goodness for days without rain. I'm not at that point where I will sprint out the door and go for a jog rain, sleet or snow. Earlier this week there was quite a bit of rain and therefore not a lot of walking and jogging.

Here's what I did get accomplished this week:

Saturday:
Thirty minutes - walking (1/5) and jogging (4/5)

Sunday:
Ten minutes - walking
Thirty minutes - jogging
[While I was jogging I crossed paths with a runner out for a 14 mile run - Go! Go! Go! That's where I want to be by the fall.]

The last couple of days I have been witnessing a bit of a transformation in our neighborhood. It appears that they are planting prairie grass seed on the empty lots in the area. Why they are doing this escapes me, but I am in favor of them covering up the dirt lots with some wild foliage. I hope this means that we'll have some nice flowers to look at in a year or so instead of seeing dirt.

Thank you for the memories

noreply@blogger.com (bgillet) — Tue, 26 May 2009 03:04:00 +0000

Wow, what a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! First, thank you to all of the unsung heroes that have served our country to uphold our pursuit of life, liberty and happiness.

Memorial Day weekend brings back many memories for me, but the one place that comes up the most frequently in memory is the Indianapolis Speedway. I spent many days during the month of May going to time trials and then as I grew older I got to attend the big race day event. It still keeps making memories for me.

It had been quite a few years since my last chance to attend the race. This year I got to go with my father and two of his friends and their sons. It was filled with tradition and new memories. There were the B-52 Bombers hovering over head as the final words of our National Anthem were sung and the sound of the cars warming up during the pace laps.

The most memorable part of the race was the moment after Helio Castroneves crossed the yard of bricks and he started his victory lap. Everyone started packing up, but my Dad and I knew we were going to witness something special. Dad asked our group to wait just a few more minutes. We paused and watched the giant video screen in front of us as Helio got up and out of his car after the victory lap and proceeded to do his emotional fence climb. You don't get to see someone that passionate about what they do that much these days. Thank you Dad for a day at the track that I will remember. It was great to unwind a bit and spend time with family and friends this past week - it's been a busy year so far.

Finally, I need to catch up on my exercise posts. Here's a quick rundown of Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I took Sunday and Monday off, although there was lots of bleacher climbing and walking on Sunday at the race.

Thursday, Friday:
Thirty minutes - walking (1/4) and jogging (3/4)

Saturday:
Thirty minutes - walking, with my Dad

Day Two of My Return to the Trail

noreply@blogger.com (bgillet) — Wed, 20 May 2009 22:07:00 +0000

Looking at my subject line one might think I am running for office - implying the campaign trail. Sorry to disappoint, but that is not going to happen. I see myself as more of a teacher, which has a certain degree of leadership included in the profile, but not to the degree of being a politician.

On to today's run. Another beautiful day in the Midwest as I noted earlier today on Twitter. Same as yesterday, my main focus for this week and next is to get out and do some walking and jogging every day. The geese were out right on schedule to watch me jog by. They did not put up a chase today; they must be waiting until I get some of my speed back.

I spent most of today's exercise time thinking about areas I need to improve. Exercise is one area, but a larger common theme amongst a series of items was relationship building. I see relationship building as the core item for improvement, which entails quite a few different off-shoots that I can work on to ultimately improve my relationships in life. First up, follow through and exercise.

Today's exercise:
Thirty minutes - walking (1/3) and jogging (2/3)
Paved road - although getting a little loose in some areas

I Think They Learned Something

noreply@blogger.com (bgillet) — Tue, 19 May 2009 21:12:00 +0000

Being a teacher is a long-term goal of mine. Not something that I want to take on full-time right now, but further down the road when I have experienced more of life. I find that it's important to bring to the classroom two things: life experiences and business principles. There is a third thing to bring or more so to possess and that is the ability to interlace life experiences and business principles. I don't want to see a class turn into an entire semester of lessons learned. Lessons learned are good, but it's important to teach and help students learn how to apply the lessons learned and principles of marketing strategy (my forte).

I had the chance to teach a single class during the Spring 2009 semester. It was a Marketing Strategy course for graduating college seniors. At the end of the semester I delivered the last lecture, which I put together using quotes and comments from my peers at work and mentors. The class gave a nice round of applause and I was happy to pass along the positive reaction to those that contributed to my lecture.

Now as I reflect back on the semester I wonder, what worked and what did not work in the class? There were no multiple choice question tests to judge their retention throughout the semester. They wrote several papers applying the subject matter, which was one gauge, but looking longer-term I hope to hear that members of my class set goals and get to achieve or exceed them in life down the road. That would be one long-term test of success in teaching.

Back on the Trail

noreply@blogger.com (bgillet) — Tue, 19 May 2009 21:04:00 +0000

This morning was not unlike many of the days precluding it, except for one thing. I was back on the road early in the morning trying to get back into shape. It was a mix of walking and jogging. I'm not counting miles yet, just minutes spent on the road. As I wandered around the neighborhood I was greeted by a fleet of geese and their goslings - and quickly reminded not to get too close by the hissing from the adults.

During the entire run I was thinking about what the future of neighborhoods will bring. Will we see the same crammed designs for neighborhoods used going forward after the housing boom we just experienced? Or will we see neighborhood developers and towns move towards offering more park, forest and gardening spaces? Nothing stuck in my mind, but I believe developers will have to think differently going forward.

Thirty minutes
Paved road - although getting a little loose in some areas

Teaching Telecommuting

noreply@blogger.com (bgillet) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:37:00 +0000

Looking at Google Trends this week, there has been a steady three month increase in the number of search requests and news references for the words "telecommute" and "telecommuting." Following this thread I flipped over to Google News and saw a stream of articles outlining the benefits of a 4-day work week or employing telecommuting to cut back on the miles driven to work and the dollars spent on fuel.

I am lucky to be a part of a company that has offered most of its employees the opportunity to work from home on a regular basis. I prefer to work from an office most of the time because driving there helps me turn my focus towards the work at hand. Also, working in an office helps when I have an idea to discuss with my coworkers there. I work in a small office that is 30 minutes away from my house. I usually end up working from home one or two days a week to keep my driving at an acceptable level.

I remember a couple years ago I started working from home five days a week. Working from home has its pros and cons as many of the articles penned recently will illustrate, but I'm not about to build upon this list that pops up every time gas prices trend upward. No, you see when I started telecommuting I had lots of coworkers to learn the ins and outs of the home working arrangement. I received some sage advice from one of my coworkers in New York who put it very simply. He said, "Brian, to work from home you have to be disciplined." That's it. I had to ponder this advice for some time and even struggled with it as I transitioned from driving 30 minutes to work to walking a few steps to work. I was lucky to have coworkers with experience working from home or else my transition would not have gone as well as it did.

I regularly read one website that may help newly minted telecommuters, aptly named Web Worker Daily. It's geared more towards people working in the technology and creative industries from home, but there are some useful tips and tools that they list throughout their daily posts. I've also read numerous articles about Sun Microsystems embracing telecommuting arrangements for over 50% of its employees (helps Sun save money on operating costs and facilities maintenance). Whatever your reasons for telecommuting, make sure you don't loose the benefit of face to face contact, whether it is with your coworkers or folks in your business network.

To all of the new telecommuters, how will your organization teach you to telecommute? Are there organizations that can help a company make a smooth telecommuting transition? What lessons have been learned and what technologies or processes work best to maintain the benefits of working in an office?

Bicycles

noreply@blogger.com (bgillet) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:32:00 +0000

Reading the news this week it's starting to look like the fuel price increases are forcing change in human transportation habits:

Surging petrol prices puts breaks on driving

Taiwan's economics minister, Yiing Chii-ming said, "People will need to adjust their lifestyles"

Peak season driving being curbed...

Keeping on the theme of bicycles, more attention is being paid to bicycling by large corporations. Check out Puma's site that highlights cyclist in New York here. There's a cool movie about Matthew McGuiness and his work refreshing old abandoned bikes. The movie highlights Matthew's work and offers a link to Recycle-A-Bicycle in New York. I enjoy seeing someone take someone's trash and making it into someone else's treasure.

If you're in the Midwest, more specifically Chicago, and you want to donate a bike you're not using or help rebuild donated bicycles check out this site: The Recyclery.

Bottom line here, I really think that we are going to have to part ways with our dependence on automobiles. Long live the bicycle! While I save for a new bicycle I'll opt for running or walking as much as I can. Ring, ring!

May 2008 Mobile Ad Metrics - AdMob

noreply@blogger.com (bgillet) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 02:53:00 +0000

I stumbled across AdMob's monthly mobile ad serving stats one evening after JupiterResearch's analyst Julie Ask linked to AdMob's May 2008 report. Thank you Julie.

The interesting data point for me that was highlighted by AdMob is the mention that "US requests grew 1% May over April which was slower than network growth." Could this be a data point to add to the recession bag of data points? I do believe we are falling on hard economic times in the US and globally due to a plethora of reasons - global food consumption, natural disasters, fuel demand and lending standards - to name a few.

What could be made of this one single data point from a mobile advertising network provider? Think of the possibilities...maybe everyone with iPhones turned their iPhone 1.0 off and is trying to sell it on eBay so they can afford the 3G iPhone. Maybe US workers are working more hours and spending less time on their mobile browsers due to the economy. Or, is there some other factor impacting the US ad requests served by AdMob?

Shifts in the Landscape

noreply@blogger.com (bgillet) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 02:36:00 +0000

It's time to pick up the blog again. For those following my blog last year, I apologize for dropping off the face of the earth. To anyone just coming across this blog I am delighted to know you stopped by. I am going to start posting again next week, once a week. Until next week I hope you have a great week -- here in the Midwest we are rejoicing that the weather this week is sunny with a high of 75.

Hedge Funds Looking Complex Like Microsoft?

noreply@blogger.com (bgillet) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 23:16:00 +0000

Quite a lot of volatility has entered the U.S. capital markets system over the past month and there are many opinions on what is to blame. I have heard a few people point the finger at the mortgage industry, including Bear Stearns and Countrywide Financial. I do believe they over extended themselves and offered loans to people who were not credit worthy, but that's not why I am writing today.

The purpose of this post is to ponder where the hedge fund industry is heading. Will the routing of the markets clean out over half of the hedge funds and at least one major bank like Jeremy Grantham, money manager and chairman at Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo & Co. LLC, hypothesized last week? Will funds caught in the credit squeeze turn over their assets to larger funds like Sowood did last week? Will consolidation of the hedge fund industry compress returns in the industry as the surviving funds turn their attention to increasing assets under management as opposed to exceeding benchmarks? Will hedge funds become less risky, forgo alpha (innovation) and focus on growing assets under management?

I would point your attention to the software industry for some historical perspective on this matter. Why software? I have spent the last ten years studying the industry in graduate school and work.

Software applications started out simple and they drastically improved productivity out of the gates for a select number of companies able to afford the software (1970's and 1980's). After a while though, more people were able to afford software (1990's). Software companies started tailoring their wares for the masses instead of staying focused on their niches that created their wealth. Software applications became larger, more complex and cumbersome to manage (2000), which was highlighted recently by Sadagopan.

Software companies wrapped their customers into an endless cycle of upgrades and long maintenance contracts. The bigger the software company, the safer IT purchasers were buying their wares, but the efficiency return on the software deployment was bogged down by the size and scope of the large software companies' legacies. Smaller, more nimble software companies were able to focus on current business needs and built software that worked. They provided most IT purchasers willing to take a calculated risk an efficiency return that surpassed the legacy deployments.

Microsoft used to make innovative products that helped increase productivity and provided companies with a sizable return on investment. Now, Microsoft makes most of their money off of maintenance fees from legacy products. Microsoft is not turning out market leading innovations in the software industry, because they don't need to anymore. They have a steady stream of cash coming in due to their maintenance agreements for Office and Windows, which is fine. This could be a similar scenario for very large hedge funds that might continue to collect 2% management fees on billions of assets under management. Consolidation in the industry would help increase the management fee pool, decrease competition for assets and draw funds' attention away from innovation. Microsoft makes sure its technology portfolio does not chase the latest and greatest technology by waiting until the market validates a certain technology, such as the iPod.

The question that lingers in my head is: Will investors continue to accept hedge fund fee structures if funds' focus turns towards assets under management preservation instead of alpha generation? Microsoft was happy to wait a few years after the iPod came out to release the Zune. I hope the hedge fund industry fares better than the Zune.

Corn Fields for Sale? - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (bgillet) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 23:20:00 +0000

Thanks to Monica Davey over at the NYTimes for an excellent article today exploring the rising price of farmland in the Midwest. Ms. Davey's article focuses on the costs of farmland and how that is impacting the next generation of farmers, making it costly for them to expand operations. With the consumer real estate market in a funk and commercial looking overvalued, the dollars of investors are turning to the fields of green. Here's one data point from the NYTimes article that illustrates the trend in farmland pricing:

"While much of the nation worries about a slumping real estate market, people in Midwestern farm country are experiencing exactly the opposite. Take, for instance, the farm here — nearly 80 acres of corn and soybeans off a gravel road in a universe of corn and soybeans — that sold for $10,000 an acre at auction this spring, a price that astonished even the auctioneer.

“If they had seen that day, they would have never believed it,” Penny Layman said of her sister and brother-in-law, who paid $32,000 for the entire spread in 1962 and whose deaths led to the sale."

That's a 2400% increase in price for 80 acres of land. Based upon 2006 figures posted by the University of Illinois, corn fields should yield roughly 183 bushels per acre. Corn's per bushel price of $3.095 on 8/7/07 puts the per acre revenue close to $566. That makes the $10,000 per acre auction price seem extremely overvalued, but as I stated before I am not that in the know on farmland prices and operations, just an observer. Here's what the experts are saying in Ms. Davey's article:

"In central Illinois, prime farmland is selling for about $5,000 an acre on average, up from just over $3,000 an acre five years ago, a study showed. In Nebraska, meanwhile, land values rose 17 percent in the first quarter of this year over the same time last year, the swiftest such gain in more than a quarter century, said Jason R. Henderson, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank in Kansas City.

A federal-government analysis of farm real estate values released Friday showed record average-per-acre values across the country. The analysis said property prices averaged $2,160 an acre at the start of 2007, up 14 percent from a year earlier.

“For everyone who owns an acre of land, we love this,” said Dale E. Aupperle, a professional farm manager and real estate consultant in Decatur, Ill., who said the rising land values were being driven by rising commodity prices (though corn has dropped some since June) and the prospect of increased demand for ethanol."

All of these figures make it sound like farming is headed for its own bubble. On the bright side, it's still a deal when you consider that east of DeKalb in Naperville an acre of land can cost over $250,000 according to Realestate.com (a truly unfair comparison since that's for residential land). Will changes in ethanol demand cause these racing prices to slow down or will global demand for grain fuel a long term farmland price increase? Maybe, check out David Frum's commentary from today's Marketplace Morning report:

"When you hear about the worldwide commodities boom, don't just think oil. Think fertilizer, wood, cocoa — the ingredients for the basic necessities and little luxuries that people start buying when their incomes rise above subsistence.

Asia today is looking like Europe and America in 1900 — and the commodity price charts of 2007 look a lot like those of a century ago."

I guess we'll have to wait to see what happens with farmland prices, for now I will keep on counting for-sale signs on my drive to and from work.

Thanks to Abnormal Returns and Techdirt for the heads up on the NYTimes article.

Running Log 7/23/07-8/6/07

noreply@blogger.com (bgillet) — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 02:50:00 +0000

Total 7/23-8/6/2007
Terrain: Paved roads, concrete sidewalks and crushed limestone
Gear: Brooks Adrenaline GTS, Asics GT-2120 and Nike+ armband with Apple iPod Nano 1st Generation 2GB
Mileage: 34 miles, 7 days of running, 8 days of rest
Time: 270:00
Perceived effort (1=All out; 5=Light): 2.5
Warm up: 5 minutes stretching
Cool down: 15 minutes walking and stretching
Comments: I can't believe how quickly summer is passing by and that the Bix 7 has already come and gone. I had a blast running the course this year after a two year hiatus. There were 15,002 participants in this year's race with over 5/8 of them running the race. The Davenport community does an amazing job supporting the racers. Every bit of the course is filled with spectators, volunteers and musicians helping make sure that we runners have an enjoyable race. My hats of to the community and the race director for this year's Bix was awesome!

Now that the Bix is over, I reached the proverbial fork in the road for the running season for me. Do I keep adding miles to my long run or top out at 7 miles and enjoy the rest of the summer? I have decided to keep upping the miles and go for my first half marathon. I'm really looking forward to getting some longer runs in over the next few weeks, which will be a challenge due to upcoming travels. I'll keep posting the logs and by this time next month, I will be telling stories of weekend long runs of 12-14 miles.

For now, I wanted to congratulate Marshal for his PR at this year's Bix; thank you for plotting and challenging me on weekend runs. And congratulations to Nick Hird who had an amazing run at the Bix, which was highlighted in the QC Times. Nick works at the Naperville Running Company and helped me pick out my new Asics that will take me on my next couple hundred miles of running. Go! Go! Go!

Here's the stats:

Monday 8/6 day of rest
Sunday 8/5 85:00, 9 miles - this was a hot and muggy run, but extremely fun run up and down the Fox River in Illinois. I can't wait for longer runs to explore more areas along the river.
Saturday 8/4 32:40, 4 miles

Friday 8/3 day of rest
Thursday 8/2 33 minutes 4 miles
Wednesday 8/1 day of rest
Tuesday 7/31 34 minutes 4 miles
Monday 7/30 early round of golf
Sunday 7/29 day of rest, relaxed at home and caught up on some reading
Saturday 7/28 ran the Bix 7 miles at a time of 59:21, which is a PR for my three runs there so far
Friday 7/27 traveled back to the Quad Cities
Thursday 7/26 21 minutes 3.0 miles
Wednesday 7/25 day of rest
Tuesday 7/24 23 minutes 3.0 miles
Monday 7/23 day of rest

Corn Fields for Sale?

noreply@blogger.com (bgillet) — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 02:12:00 +0000

On several occasions driving home from work this summer I have marveled at the number of acres of farm land for sale in DeKalb and Kane counties in Illinois. I believe the number of acres of farm land for sale this year has increased significantly yy. I don't have the statistics to back up this observation yet, just my own frame of reference. The same roads have led me from home to work for the last six years. I admit to being out of touch with the farm land real estate market, but it's obvious to me based upon the increased number of signs that something is afoot.

Does this mean land owners are selling high? Or, are we on the verge of farm land price boom, similar to the housing price boom experienced over the last 10 years or so?

Hate your iPhone? Give it away, to me.

noreply@blogger.com (bgillet) — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 18:03:00 +0000

The one month later reviews of the iPhone hit the Internet last week (here's a positive iPhone review by Scoble) and I am sure there are some unhappy iPhone owners out there. I welcome all the negative reviews of the iPhone because this creates an opportunity. For all of you famous bloggers, amateur bloggers and journalists out there panning the iPhone, how about giving yours to me?

Really, I am serious. I don't have the funds available to buy one now, but I was happy as a kid in a candy store when I got a chance to play with an iPhone at the Apple store. Fellow iPhone haters, you said you were not impressed with the interface and felt the device was not worthy of your enterprise needs, so why not purge yourself of an inferior piece of technology by giving it to me.

Here's my official offer: I will happily take anyone's iPhone that still works and that they are unhappy with but unwilling or unable to return it. On top of that I am willing to pay for the shipping of the iPhone to my house. Post a comment if you are interested in my offer with your name and email address. Please no crazy hoop jumping, this is a simple request for a real iPhone, I am not looking for any scams.

Spotty Running

noreply@blogger.com (bgillet) — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 02:45:00 +0000

Total 7/8-7/22/2007
Terrain: Paved roads and concrete sidewalks
Gear: Brooks Adrenaline GTS and Nike+ armband with Apple iPod Nano 1st Generation 2GB
Frequency: 2x week
Mileage: 30.3 miles
Time: 270:00
Perceived effort (1=All out; 5=Light): 3.5
Warm up: 5 minutes stretching
Cool down: 15 minutes walking and stretching
Comments: Lots of changes took place recently, which threw off my schedule and my running regiment. I am happily back on schedule and running again. This coming weekend is the Bix 7, which I am fully ready to run. I can't wait to feel the rush of lining up with thousands of people facing the long beginning hill climb. I am feeling a bit nervous for the race since its been a while since I have run it, but that's a good thing. All-in-all, I am going to finish the race, enjoy my Twinkie at the end and then start gearing up for the Chicago Half Marathon in September.

I bought some new shoes, which I will comment on next time around after I break them in and can give a more thorough review here. I picked them up over the weekend at the Naperville Running Company, which is my favorite place to pick up shoes. They staff the store with knowledgeable and friendly runners who live and race in the area. The staff will consult with you on how much you are running per week, whether you are training for any specific distance race, what shoes you have worn in the past and watch how your foot moves as you walk to allow them to suggest a few shoes to try on. They bring the shoes out and tell you to pay attention to the fit of the shoe, not how the shoe looks. I am a huge fan of their consultative approach they take. I feel completely at ease in the store and always learn about a new shoe technology or race in the area. The young man that helped me grew up in Rock Island and was now living in Naperville. He will be back in the Quad Cities for the Bix 7 running this weekend. Have a great race and enjoy the after party! Go! Go! Go!

As a side note to my Naperville Running Company experience. I found out that they sponsor some of their workers. The sponsorship covers their living expenses and then some. In return they work at the store, run in area races wearing Naperville Running Company gear and help out at any store sponsored races. This is a great opportunity for someone who loves running and wants to stay involved in the community while helping others enjoy running. Keep up the great work there, I would be lost in a sea of shoes if it were not for you.

Here's the data:
Sunday 7/22 22 minutes 3.0 miles
Saturday 7/21 76 minutes 8.4 miles
Friday 7/20 no running
Thursday 7/19 no running
Wednesday 7/18 no running
Tuesday 7/17 no running
Monday 7/16 day of rest
Sunday 7/15 76 minutes 8.4 miles
Saturday 7/14 OK, excuses are getting bad
Friday 7/13 I thought I was stronger than I was yesterday
Thursday 7/12 moving day at the office
Wednesday 7/11 38 minutes 4.5 miles
Tuesday 7/10 day of rest
Monday 7/9 day of rest
Sunday 7/8 58 minutes 6 miles smoking hot out on the trail and windy...tried to go 7, but temps topping out around 90 and high humidity caused me to check out early to avoid over doing it

How does the Pearl work?

noreply@blogger.com (bgillet) — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 16:11:00 +0000

I recently professed my rationale for not purchasing an iPhone, which got me thinking more about why I continue to pine for the device. The main reason is it's simple hardware design and smart software running the show. Now, I don't want to short change the simplistic nature of my BlackBerry Pearl. Think about the advances made in technology with this device.

First, the device has fewer keys than a QWERTY keyboard BlackBerry. This is a marriage of hardware and software working together to make a smaller device that acts like a full-scale QWERTY device. The keyboard has two letters per key, which took some getting used to, probably a month or so. The software is the brains behind the operation predicting what you are trying to type based upon patterns. Sentences are very structured in nature and are held to a series of rules that we learned going through school. Sometimes these rules are broken, but the BlackBerry can adapt to changes in the rules.

For example, I prefer to not use the word "are" and am more likely to use the word "see" in my communications, for reasons unknown to me. Both words use the same keys on the Pearl and at first the software would conclude I wanted the word "are" to appear in my sentence instead of "see." After a dozen or so times correcting the software's logical suggestion it began inserting "see" when the button pattern was entered. This borders on AI and has predecessor devices using the same software along with competing devices, but it just dawned on me how the combination of this software with the device allowed for a smaller form factor and less choices for key strokes. All boiled down this leads to me typing faster sometimes on my Pearl than on a regular QWERTY keyboard due to the AI guessing my next phrase.

Second, the BlackBerry Pearl is in its second iteration, which has worked some of the bugs out from the 7100 series, pared down the size and increased the download speed a little through the addition of an EDGE radio. The 7100 was and always will be a brick. The sound quality was sub-par and don't get me started on the Internet connection. It did one thing well and that was e-mail as long as you were in an area with exceptional wireless signal. Thank goodness the folks at RIM decided to improve upon the brick.

Where is the Pearl headed next? How will RIM one up this second iteration smartphone and steal the consumers' attention from the iPhone?

Should I Buy an iPhone?

noreply@blogger.com (bgillet) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 21:00:00 +0000

I have come to grips with the fact that I am a tech geek this week. Monday I had two unrelated conversations with my brother and friend, Brett, who both asked whether the iPhone is going to end up in my arsenal of technology buys. The simple answer to the question is no.

The long answer to the question is no because I am very happy with my Blackberry Pearl, which I got as a birthday present in March. Second, I will not move my wireless service to AT&T. I have been a happy T-Mobile/Voicestream customer for seven years and use that as leverage every time an issue arises with my service. If I moved to AT&T customer loyalty leverage is out the door. Finally, I want a MacBook more than an iPhone.

I had a few more reasons for my brother not to buy one. Mainly, he is on the road a lot and whipping out an iPhone in some of the cities he travels to might make his phone an object of affection for bystanders, which is sad to say. He recently had a laptop, digital camera and iPod stolen from his truck in a parking lot.

There you have it. I feel left out not carrying around the latest and greatest technology, but on the flip-side I have enjoyed hearing purchasers' impressions. I really like how Robert Scoble is asking everyone he interviews if they are carrying an iPhone. Check out all the iPhones on the Adobe AIR bus tour crew by watching the video Scoble assembled. I am sure one day I will get an iPhone, but that day will have to be when the carrier is right or Apple offers an iPhone sans cellular radio at a lower price than now.

Running the week of July 1, 2007

noreply@blogger.com (bgillet) — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 21:04:00 +0000

Total 7/1-7/7/2007
Terrain: Paved roads and concrete sidewalks
Gear: Brooks Adrenaline GTS and Nike+ armband with Apple iPod Nano 1st Generation 2GB
Frequency: 5x this week
Mileage: 26.5 miles
Time: 229:00
Perceived effort (1=All out; 5=Light): 2.5
Warm up: 5 minutes stretching
Cool down: 15 minutes walking and stretching
Comments: Long runs are starting to feel much better, especially the day after. Looking back a couple of weeks, if I would have ran 6 miles one day I would have used a day of rest the following day. Now, I'm feeling more confident in my long run endurance.
The weather was great this past week with lots of sun and cool temperatures in the AM. This was my optimal running condition, but we all know nothing in the world can be perfect. On Saturday the summer heater started to kick in and produced a warm challenging run. In a weird way I am happy that "the heat is on" now because it is allowing me to train in adverse conditions.
One of my good running buddies commented to me this morning that he'll take a hot day anytime. I was puzzled by his comment. He elaborated and said, "training in the heat exposes you to adverse conditions. If a race presents the same hot conditions we'll be prepared, but if race temperatures are lower our performance will be better." I could not agree more and he then went on to apply the same concept to life situations. What a thoughtful run! You'll see the miles next week.
Go! Go! Go!

Here's the run down for the week:
Saturday 7/7 36 minutes 4 miles
Friday 7/6 52 minutes 6 miles
Thursday 7/5 day of rest
Wednesday 7/4 32 minutes 4 miles St Charles Race
Tuesday 7/3 45 minutes 4 large laps 5.5 miles
Monday 7/2 day of rest
Sunday 7/1 64 minutes 7 miles on paved path with some small hills in Des Moines, IA

iPhone application certification?

noreply@blogger.com (bgillet) — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 22:43:00 +0000

I'll spare you the obligatory, "I said I was not going to write about iPhone" lines and cut to the chase here. The simple design of the iPhone has caught my eye along with hundreds of thousands of Americans this past week. There are enough applications to keep everyone happy with their purchase and learning how to use the virtual keyboard for a month or so. After that, what applications will iPhone users seek to add to their device?

More importantly, will Apple require developers to certify iPhone apps in order to uphold the aire of simplicity that the device exudes? Every Apple hardware product to hit the market is simple in design, but it's the software that keeps everyone coming back, in my opinion. iPods to date have been a somewhat closed device. If Apple allows developers to employ a fastest to market approach instead of a quality design, will the iPhone's image tarnish?

Running the week of June 24, 2007

noreply@blogger.com (bgillet) — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 15:25:00 +0000

Terrain: Paved roads and concrete sidewalks
Gear: Brooks Adrenaline GTS and Nike+ armband with Apple iPod Nano 1st Generation 2GB
Frequency: 4x this week
Mileage: 20.2 miles
Time: 169:30
Perceived effort (1=All out; 5=Light): 2.5
Warm up: 5 minutes stretching
Cool down: 15 minutes walking and stretching
Comments: I am going to start including a run down of my daily runs for all of my logs going forward. I'm starting to get excited for this year's Bix as my 7 mile runs feel really good. The week of running was hot and humid; even early in the morning, but it was a welcome challenge after reviewing last year's Bix race temperatures. I have noticed that after a mile and a half I get into my stride and feel really good. I am going to try and build in a warm up for any races going forward so I don't start them cold.

Here's the run down for the week:
Saturday 6/30 day of rest, road trip to Des Moines
Friday 6/29 37 minutes 3.5 large laps 4.8 miles
Thursday 6/28 day of rest
Wednesday 6/27 33.5 minutes 3 large laps 4.2 miles
Tuesday 6/26 34 minutes 3 large laps 4.2 miles, humid! 90%+
Monday 6/25 day of rest, muscles were tight in AM after Sunday's run, but not too bad
Sunday 6/24 65 minutes 7 miles with Marshal, trail and sidewalks

Business Metrics

noreply@blogger.com (bgillet) — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 12:03:00 +0000

I have been working my way through several articles and a few books that focus on developing and applying business metrics to gauge progress within a business. My main idea is to highlight books and articles that illustrate the importance of business metrics while also discussing whether the use of business metrics is improving or deteriorating businesses' bottom line.

Here's a run down of some of the recent articles and books that I am taking into consideration when looking at this topic:

1. The John Deere Way by David Magee
2. Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis
3. Measuring Up by Scott Leibs for CFO Magazine
4. Blame CMO Turnover on Metrics Mania (subscription req.) by Llyod Trufelman for Advertising Age magazine

After reading these books and articles I have come to question whether tracking future performance based upon historical calculations will guarantee accurate measuring of future success. Based upon my readings to date, most metrics that a business tracks are derived from historical data and then applied to future outcomes.

Will these metrics take into account a change in the company's addressable market or beyond? How can the tracking of business metrics take on a more dynamic application? Lots of questions and more reading to do, but hopefully this will lead to some good discussions on the definition and application of business metrics.

Have a great week and let me know if you have come across any articles about this subject that will help guide this discussion.