Can we please stop referring to 20/20 vision as “perfect 20/20″  Vision known as 20/20 is AVERAGE. (Similar to how an IQ of 100 is average. Same idea.)

A micro-lesson

The first number is always 20. If you have great vision, say 20/15, you could read something from 20 feet that an average person could read at 15.  The first number is your distance, the second is the “normal” person’s distance.

If you have poor vision, say 20/30, you could read something at 20 feet that an average person could read at 30.  You would need to be 10 feet closer (or more generally, 33% closer).

Related: Babies, Blindness, and Hawks

• New babies have something like 20/80 vision
• 20/200 is the cutoff for legal blindness in the United States
• Hawks can have up to 20/2 vision

The next time someone claims “perfect 20/20 vision”, be sure to tell them you have a perfect IQ of 100.

I’m going to start using screen capture videos more frequently – mainly as a tool for making remote demonstrations to clients but also for sharing fun videos on this blog.  Alright, in this case “fun” might be a stretch… but bear with me loyal readers!

Even if you’re not familiar with graphic design, I hope this video is short and spicy enough to be interesting.  Enjoy!

I thought, ‘I haven’t been to the gym in weeks! I should go today. No, not today – I don’t have any chicken to cook at home. If I can’t eat healthy afterwards there’s no point in wasting energy at the gym, right? Yeah, I need to go grocery shopping first. Maybe I’ll go to the gym tomorrow…’

And JUST like that, I’ve talked myself out of doing something.

It’s so easy to talk ourselves out of doing valuable things. I catch myself doing it all the time.  In business, I talk myself out of calling project leads if there are unread emails in my inbox.  Obviously checking email doesn’t pay the bills… but it sure makes a convenient excuse for avoiding valuable (and potentially scary) work!

‘I can’t go for a run today – it’s too humid.’

‘I shouldn’t write any more blog posts until I redesign this site – right now it doesn’t even have categories or archives!’

Give me any task worth doing and I can fabricate some reason why it shouldn’t be done. It’s a bad habit that I’m trying to break.  Maybe you can relate?

I recently came across an excellent video that, in part, talks about the struggle between doing anything and doing nothing. It uses the example of LOLcats – cute pictures of cats with cute captions. Creative or pointless?

Let us stipulate that LOLcats are the stupidest possible creative act. But here’s the thing – the stupidest possible creative act is still a creative act. Someone who has done something like this, however mediocre or throwaway, has tried something. They have put something forward in public. And once they’ve done it they can do it again – and they can work on getting it better. The gap is between doing anything and doing nothing. And someone who makes a LOLcat has already crossed over that gap.

Cross that gap and create something!

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Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to make a LOLcat…

My question is: Would one “w” be sufficient?

Think of all the wasted syllables when people speak three w’s. That’s nine syllables!

Find us online at ‘double-u double-u double-u dot…’

Think of all the wasted keystrokes the world has spent entering those three w’s.

By my hilariously non-scientific estimate… between the wasted syllables and extra key strokes… those w’s are guilty of more than 6 billion hours of wasted time. (Not to mention how much time will be robbed from future generations.)

I don’t care if it stands for “World Wide Web”. Whoever decided, way back during the infancy of the Internet, to use three w’s should be arrested for epic time theft.

Whoever you are… I want my life back!

The next time someone says “wow, time flies” or “life is short” you can set them straight by saying “No, it’s just all those w’s…”

The past is a tricky thing to manage.  Over indulging in the past can cause one to lose focus on the present.  Yet forgetting the past altogether makes us feel hollow, anonymous, and unknown.  Where is the balance?  This video explains my solution.  My simple and very functional “mental framework”.

Let’s get to it.

Everyone has a past. Whether good or bad, how we think about our past effects us deeply.  For me, there always seemed to be a difficult balance between remembering and forgetting.  A balance between cherishing and moving forward in the present.

Recently I thought of a new way to imagine the past – and it works for me.  It makes me happy.  It simultaneously fills me up, energizes me, and centers my mind.  This video is my attempt to share this mental framework with you.

Thanks for visiting my blog!  My favorite part of blogging is hearing what you have to say – so if you feel inclined, take 5 seconds to let me know what you think of this post.

Also, thanks for all of the Facebook “likes” on my last video post.  It encourages me to keep posting!

If you’re new to my blog, you might want to read about my “famous” (term used very loosely here haha) sleep experiment – where I slept for 20 minutes every 4 hours around the clock for two weeks.  it. was. insane.

This video is a bit rough around the edges, but hey, I’m trying to get into the habit of sharing my creations despite their lack of perfection.

[In the beginning I reference "abandoning being normal".  That thought doesn't get explained in this video.  I'll save that for another day.  And the sunglasses? Yeah.  I got those in Hawaii.  They don't quite have the same effect in Indiana that they did on Sunset Beach, but hey, I wear them now in memory of those times ha]

What do you think of my office?  Isn’t it interesting how the “world of work” is changing these days?

I enjoy comments! Leave one below or, if you’re lazy, at least click the Facebook “like” button.  At least.

Thanks for visiting.  If you’re hardcore you’ll subscribe to receive future blog updates by email… but no need to force this relationship, right?

Well lucky for you I DID write this post.  That’s enough intro – let me get into it…

When I write a blog post, such as this one, I like to tell my friends about it.  I tell my friends on Facebook by posting it to my profile.  However, I also want to tell me friends on Twitter about it, so I’ll post a message on my Twitter account as well.  I’ll also post the blog on my Tumblr account so my Tumblr friends can see it.  See the problem?  I’m posting the same content to 4 different places. This WordPress blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr.  It’s kind of a pain.

But in May 2009 a solution came along!  A service called Posterous makes sharing content with friends across multiple platforms coloring-book easy.  I just send my content to Posterous once and it automatically posts it to my Posterous page, blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr.  One step to tell all my friends about a new blog post?  Awesome.

Posterous make the distribution of my content really easy – but that’s not what this blog post is about (tricked!).   This blog post is about what happens AFTER the content is posted and why it’s a broken system.

Sending out a post is just the beginging; It’s the first phase in the life of the content.  Next (if my content is good) people will begin responding with comments. Friends usually send me comments about a blog post on Twitter, leave a comment on Facebook, or comment right here on this blog.  Also, people occassionaly (okay, never) comment on my Tumblr.  Soon each platform starts to gather comments.  It looks like this:

Can you see the problem?  There are four separate conversations happening around the same content.  I find this extremely frustrating.  From the author’s point of view, I’m getting feedback on four separate platforms (often repeating myself) and have to bounce between several websites to keep up.  From the reader’s point of view, they are missing out on quality discussion happening on other platforms.  For example, readers on Facebook can’t see the discussion happening on Twitter.  On top of that, readers’ comments actually become less valuable because they aren’t reaching readers on other platforms!

Here’s my dream.  The graphic below shows the same number of comments at the one above (color coded — 3 on Twitter, 1 on Facebook, 2 on the WordPress blog, and 1 on Tumblr) but the comments are cross-platform… meaning that a comment left on Facebook is also displayed on the WordPress blog, where it is obviously also relevant and valuable.

The discussion is no longer fragmented.  All comments are visible on each platform.  For example, if someone replies to my post on Twitter, that reply also posts to my Facebook, blog, Twitter, and Tumblr accounts auto-magically.

The value of the user interaction goes up for eleven two reasons.  First, more people can enjoy each comment because each comment appears across multiple platforms.  Second, readers can enjoy (and respond to) everyone else’s comments – regardless of where it came from.  I’m no mathematician, but I think that quadruples the value of each comment (I made that up).

If the value of user interaction goes up, the value of the content goes up, and I’m happy.

What do YO U think?  Am I making sense?  Please take a second to leave a comment. Your feedback means a lot to me.

One way that I accomplish both of these is through my work as a website developer.  As most of you know, I develop website for a company I started in 2002 called Web Logic Now.  Over the past 8 years I have created many significant relationships with people I’ve met through my work.  Also, together with my awesome clients, I’ve helped accomplish significant tasks.

Some of the people I get to work with are people around the world whom I don’t have the luxury of sitting down face-to-face with.  To help people get a better feel for me and my work, my idea is to create a series of videos called a “virtual interview.”

In these virtual interview videos I will answer various questions that people may have about myself, my history, and my work.  My idea is to put these in a section of my website that will allow people to “ask” me various questions they may have.  The questions will be listed, they can select one, and the video will play with my “answer.”  Sure, it’s not perfect, but I think it will be fun! (and allow people to better meet me from around the world)

Here’s where I need your help today.

Can you help me brainstorm virtual interview questions?  Ask yourself, “If I were to hire a website developer, what questions would I ask?  What’s important to me?  Price?  History?  Timelines? Communication?  Plans for the future?  Security?”

I know you’re already eying the “back” button on your browser!  But don’t run away just yet.  Take a minute and help me out?  Thanks guys.

My glance lingered and she nodded. I turned back to the wooden palate sitting on the concrete, grit my teeth, and attacked – coughing splinters everywhere. I felt suspicious. We weren’t doing anything wrong, but it was so loud I figured someone would complain. The neighborhood kids circled the parking garage on their bikes. Patrolling.

A minute later I stopped, ears ringing, and wiped sweat from my forehead. I raised my eyebrows to Sara. She stood at a safe distance – arms crossed.  ”Tough little guys.”

“It looks like it.” She laughed. “Let me try.”

“Nope.”  I grit my teeth and attacked harder than ever. Mostly because she was watching.

After a dozen more gunshots I gathered up some splintered boards and tossed them into the back of the jeep.  Firewood.

If you aren’t familiar with Ignite, it’s a series of rapid-fire presentations by people with something to share. The catch? Each speaker prepares a 20 slide presentation and the slides automatically advance every 15 seconds. It’s stressful for the speaker, but the time restraint encourages concise, big-picture presentations about, well, anything. If you’ve got something to say and the guts to stand up in front of a crowd for five minutes, well, we’ll listen. It’s a blast. (more history on Ignite) (The format is nearly identical to PechaKucha – which also is one heck of a good time.)

Ignite is about experiencing a whirlwind of ideas while simultaneously meeting all kinds of interesting people in your city – from CEO’s to college students to bison farmers.

Ken Cristie, President, The 543 Group (photo cred. @NeluLazar)

The event was held at the Indy Fringe Theater right off of Massachusetts Ave. The venue wasn’t huge but offered a nice intimate feel; The perfect size for our first Ignite. The room had a very nice stage at the front, professional lighting and sound, and a cash bar in the back. I thought of taking photos but I wanted to focus on the people and the presentations (I spend too much time behind the lens already).

I have to commend each of the 12 speakers – each presentation was either entertaining, informative, or some combination of the two. I felt engaged during all 12 talks, and everyone applauded sincerely after each presentation. Bravo!

My favorite presentation was given by Daniel Poynter (a recent Purdue grad, like myself. Boiler up!). Daniel talked about a side project he has in the works called Six Degrees of Awesome – a series of interviews with an interesting twist. Here’s how it works:

First, he interviewed the most awesome person he knew. At the end of that interview he asked them, “Who is the most awesome person you know?” He then reached out to that person and interviewed them. Again, at the end of the interview he asked the same question, “Who is the most awesome person you know?”  And so the trail of interviews continues.

He’s following a trail of awesome people, collecting interviews and insights along the way. To stay updated on the project and get in on the awesomeness, check out sixdegreesofawesome.com.

Ideas for next year’s Ignite

I want to congratulate Pat Coyle on an impressively solid launch of what will hopefully be the first of many Ignite Indianapolis events. I had the chance to talk with Pat afterwards and it was exciting to hear his ideas for improving the next event.

Allow use of cell phones!

In the same breath that Pat said “welcome” he also said “please turn cell phones off.” This caught a lot of people (read as “everyone”) off guard. Something about the phones interfering with the wireless mics?

Don’t take my technology away from me. I get hostile.

This caused some thick tension right off the bat. Not the laid back, warm and fuzzy welcome I was hoping for. How are cell phones operating on the same frequency as wireless mics? Fail. I suspect this was a ploy to encourage us to stay focused on the speaker.

If you’ve ever been to a PechaKucha you know this is the polar opposite of the vibe there – where the speaker is guaranteed no attention unless they earn it and the tweets flow freely.

Wi-Fi

Not super important, but it would have been useful in the case that people can’t use cell phones.

Open attendance

The event was exclusive to members of the social networking site Smaller Indiana.  I talked with Pat about this and he gave me his perspective. He didn’t really know what to expect and wanted to make the first Ignite a bit smaller and more controlled experience before unleashing it 100%. I can understand that. It was a bit cumbersome to explain to my friends though… “No, you can’t attend unless you join this social networking site called Smaller Indiana.”

Pat said the next Ignite will have an open registration process through a web app such as Event Brite.

Don’t limit attendance

People missed out because the event was “booked.” There was even a waiting list.  Turns out there were empty seats.  I’d rather have people sitting in the aisles, standing in the back, and standing on their tippy toes in the doorway than have empty seats.

Music

Upbeat music playing before the show, between speakers, and during intermissions would have encouraged the vibe. Speaking of between speakers…

Give more time between speakers

I like to discuss each speaker with the people around me – if even for 2 minutes. Sometimes there was less than 30 seconds between speakers! I don’t want a full-on intermission between each presentation, but maybe at least time to send a tweet and talk more with the people around me.

Success

I had a great time and feel proud to be a part of the first Ignite Indianapolis. I want to thank all of the excellent speakers which included Ken Christie, Dustin Wortman, Ann Edwards, Joe Wikert, Stacie Porter-Bilger, Daniel Poynter, Jason Moriber, Kevin Makice, Bob Mattax, Brian Shafer, Dan Miller, and Doug Karr.  Bravo!

I also want to thank Pat for organizing the event and for being our emcee.

Pat mentioned organizing the next Ignite Indianapolis soon (this summer?) – maybe I’ll give a presentation next time around. Hmm…

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