Opposable Planets - Latest Comments

Re: Real Time = More Time

Orland Park Locksmith — Sun, 06 Oct 2013 23:47:56 -0000

For me, the more time I have the better the decision I make.

Re: Why I Don’t Check Voicemail or Set Away Messages in Email

Wheeling Locksmith Service — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 02:18:10 -0000

I like your survival tactic. I think you made the right choice of just ignoring the voice mail. I am sure it won't affect what you are doing and people you know will be more disciplined in communicating with you.

Re: Election 2012 and the “Mischiefs of Party Spirit”

Brickell Locksmith — Fri, 16 Aug 2013 00:36:09 -0000

I think Simon Schama's 3 part History of Britain is best defined as a populist history. It is definitely unpretentious. The 1 volume guides us through to the end of the Tudor dynasty and explains all the Kings, Queens, and other popular historical figures that we would expect. The simple writing style makes it a highly accessible book and is a must-read for anyone who have a passing interest in British history.

Re: Why I Don’t Check Voicemail or Set Away Messages in Email

Ted Herman — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 07:14:22 -0000

A tragedy in business life is valuing presence/attention over results. Too often, the worker much valued is the one who is always there, compared say to one that is infrequently around but delivers good solutions. Similarly, someone who is at your beck and call, responding in near real-time to your texts, calls and emails, becomes your valued amanuensis or teammate, dependable and true, even if the net result isn't particularly helpful. Think about it, you're standing in line at the post office, not feeling happy with waiting, waiting. When you get to the head of the queue and the postal clerk starts working on your case, perhaps leaving and going into some back room, you feel happy, because someone is working for you, acceding to your request, even though you are still waiting. I doubt this is what is meant by the "attention economy", though related.

Re: Social Profiling – The Terms of Employment

Olha - — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 07:14:42 -0000

In a relevant conversation, I've recently been asked whether I have a LinkedIn account. When I proudly confessed not having one, the lady looked at me pitifully and said (I quote): "Oh, so you have no network". I fell speechless at the point of conversation, but I wish I could refer to your post then.

P.S. I checked afterwards - she had <50 connections on LinkedIn.

Re: The Bicycle as Transformative Agent

Paulmrandle — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 17:50:59 -0000

I'm a bit late getting to this post Josh and whilst I agree with everything you say, for me you miss the key benefit / motivator for me getting my arse out on a bike every morning. I'm not talking the health benefits here, or any perverse enjoyment from being seen in public in tights, rather the extremely selfish ability of the bike to disengage me from the melee.

If I drive my commute typically takes me an hour. If I cycle its 45mins, or less if the heart and legs are up to; alternatively its a lot more if the heart and legs fancy a more roundabout trip home. The point is that it's my decision or my energy that gets me home. In the car I'm at the mercy of others and sheer volume and I'm powerless to change it. The bike puts me on the same roads but releases me from the soul destroying drag of the jam and the only thing that stops me getting home is me. Of course you get the occasional idiots hell bent on wiping out cyclists, but one of the other luxuries of the bike is the expectation that you are fluid in a full range of verbal and gesture based abuse.

Ohh and the final benefit of cycling. You get to spend lots of money on kit made from things like carbon fibre and titanium! Yummy :)

Re: Election 2012 and the “Mischiefs of Party Spirit”

joshuamross — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 17:30:17 -0000

I agree Ted. The revelation I had in sitting with Addison's essay was this: The way we choose to make our arguments defines our own character. Even before we try to change the big picture, we can change the nature and tone of our own discussion... Not sure I am always capable of living up to such a standard.... but I did find it illuminating.

Re: Election 2012 and the “Mischiefs of Party Spirit”

Ted Herman — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 17:18:15 -0000

The wisdom is undeniable. However the path away from this, the specific small steps that lead us to reason, that remains unclear.

Re: Social Profiling – The Terms of Employment

joshuamross — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 07:22:55 -0000

Thanks Thomas - especially coming from someone I consider a thoughtful (and popular!) participant in social media.
I share the same concern with the recent LinkedIn endorsement system. In their desire to own a very nebulous thing like reputation they continually lower the cost of user contribution (from actually writing a thoughtful recommendation to their new one-click endorsement system). This in turn makes the results extremely questionable since the rewards of such a system accrue to those who simply endorse everyone in their network in the hopes of reciprocity.

Re: Social Profiling – The Terms of Employment

Thomas Marzano — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 06:57:49 -0000

Great post Josh!
And I fully support your arguments here. I opted out of Klout a while ago for this specific reason. Developments like the LinkedIn skill endorsements also make me concerned that the industry is staring at too many metrics that actually dont say much... other than... "you are very active in social media" .. and use this metrics to assess suitability for business.
Thanks for the write up!! I am sure this gives you some Klout! :P
ciao

Thomas

Re: The Bicycle as Transformative Agent

joshuamross — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 02:18:20 -0000

Giorgos.... As you know, the Shiver is an exclusive maneuver which I have developed in the strictest secrecy. It requires deft maneuvering of a very heavy Dutch bike and is likely to cause injury among the uninitiated. You are one of the few to have witnessed its glory. Cherish the memory.

Re: The Bicycle as Transformative Agent

joshuamross — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 02:13:49 -0000

Hi Bronwynn,
Glad to be corrected! I have been away from SF for a few years.

Re: The Bicycle as Transformative Agent

Bronwyn Ximm — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 00:19:59 -0000

Great post! Amsterdam is certainly a bicycle paradise. But I have to disagree that one rarely catches a glimpse of bike commuters in San Francisco. In fact, commuting to and from a contract gig recently, I often experienced congestion in the bike lane. SF recently issued its Five Year State of Cycling Report; here are some tidbits that are interesting:

-The number of people biking in San Francisco has increased a
dramatic 71% in the last five years, with some neighborhoods seeing
growths of more than 120%. -San Francisco is third in the nation for ridership, behind
Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. San Francisco currently
has 3.5% of trips by bicycle, compared to the 2.1% five years ago.
(This data is from the ACS, which is actually believed to
undercount the number of people biking, as it only counts commute
trips.) -Bicycle ridership is growing because of public outreach,
bicycle education programs, and key infrastructure advances, like
the new separated bikeways on JFK Drive, Cargo Way and Cesar Chavez
Street. -In the last five years, more than 25 miles of bike lanes have been added, bringing the citywide total to 65 miles.

To be sure, SF is no Amsterdam (though we now have a shop selling Amsterdam-style bikes capable of hauling a LOT of groceries), but as a cyclist, I feel pretty supported here.

Re: The Bicycle as Transformative Agent

Chris Meyer — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 12:52:59 -0000

What you describe is what makes touring on a bike equally unique

Re: The Bicycle as Transformative Agent

Giorgos — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 11:22:46 -0000

Can you please post a video with you performing the "shiver"

Re: The Other Side of Social Media – Part Three – The Digital Panopticon

Charlie Hilton — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 10:06:35 -0000

Great quote: "We are doing this in exchange for small conveniences (finding local sushi more quickly, gaining “ambient intimacy”) without ever considering the bargain that we are striking."

Re: You Know When You Know

Hastings Hart — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 00:10:47 -0000

What a synchronistic post. Three days ago, I made one of the most important business decisions I've made in the last two months based purely on intuition. My intellect and emotions were going full speed ahead one direction, but this tiny, barely perceptible voice said to go the other direction. For once I heeded it. The next day, something happened to change the situation 180 degrees. Because of the decision I had made, I was in a far stronger position to achieve what I really want out of the situation.

P.S. Go with the alternate title because cats are the superior life form.

Re: When Engaging in Social Media – Focus on Which Needs You Satisfy

mode für mollige — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 01:13:36 -0000

Your size should not be a limitation. Enjoy the shopping process ladies!

Re: When Engaging in Social Media – Focus on Which Needs You Satisfy

Mokena Locksmiths — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 20:45:04 -0000

Access control is everywhere - be it the locks on your house or store,
your vehicle, parkade or gated community. Locksmith technicians operate in many
forms and often take on a specialized roles in the industry.

Re: YouTube – TheRoyalChannel_s Channel

Master of Ceremonies Singapore — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 00:49:31 -0000

I am damn sure that the media rights would be sold on record prices.

Re: The Widow – Coming to terms with the Social Media Mystery House

social media strategy — Fri, 25 May 2012 02:38:39 -0000

Social media includes web-based and mobile based technologies which are used to turn
communication into interactive dialogue between organizations, communities, and
individuals. Social media is
ubiquitously accessible, and enabled by scalable communication techniques.

Re: Journalism Needs Subsidy

John Lundin, PhD — Tue, 01 May 2012 11:12:28 -0000

Seems that both of our discussions question the institution ability to change in both a timely and effective manner... almost to the extent that part of the definition of 'institution' is its inability to effectively change...

Re: Journalism Needs Subsidy

joshuamross — Tue, 01 May 2012 09:13:16 -0000

@John Lundin, PhD - Thanks so much for this, - and pass along my best to Jeff.
Indeed the topic of how to fix news carries on unabated (and I am no exception). At its highwater mark in 2009 I wrote this: http://radar.oreilly.com/20... - paraphrased here for brevity:Speculation about the demise of the news business and advice about what they should do about it is everywhere. It makes for great, self-congratulatory sport but it won’t help the news industry.

Why?

Because the news industry doesn’t suffer from a shortage of ideas or possible revenue models, it suffers from a different but more acute malady: being an institution during a time of disruptive change. The failure of newspapers is not a failure of imagination or foresight nor is it a failure of individuals. This kind of failure is the hallmark of all institutions in the face of tectonic disruption. Institutions are a set of agreements that perpetuate a social order beyond individual intention or tenure. Changing those agreements is costly and time-consuming. So when the rate of change accelerates beyond the institution’s adaptive capacity - extinction follows.

The question is not “what should newspapers do?” but “how can a large institution effectively organize in response to disruptive change?” Taken thus, it is not only the fundamental question to ask of newspapers - but to ask of ourselves in relation to a host of big-ticket game-changers such as peak oil, environmental collapse and climate change that simultaneously require and defy our capacity for institutional response.

Re: On the Power of Clarity, Specificity and Persistence

joshuamross — Tue, 01 May 2012 09:02:20 -0000

@Ted Herman as a Chinese Studies major you struck a chord with Wu Wei (though your link was bollixed by the gods of the Internet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

I think the distinction here is that I am not suggesting waiting until one has a clear picture of the world outside as much as I am suggesting that having clarity of purpose from within that helps you take action despite a turbid and confusing world.

That said, I know how difficult this can be in the context of modern business. I am under no illusions also that this is far simpler for the single author of large, research-based book than it is for large teams of people operating within an institution that demands results - even if those results are more optical than substantive.

Re: Journalism Needs Subsidy

John Lundin, PhD — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:30:44 -0000

Greetings Joshua-Michele, Jeff Gaines pointed me to you after I emailed him Jimmy Kimmel's zinger at the Correspondents' Dinner in Washington last weekend...

"Some people say journalism is in decline, they say you've become too politicized, too focused on sensationalism, they say you no longer honor your duty to inform America but instead actively divide us so that your corporate overlord can rake in the profits," Kimmel said. "I don't have a joke for this, it's just what some people say."

My thought is that the media should use technology to move one step closer to the actual reader in the news supply chain and start mediating content for each individual... Here are some comments from a couple of years back... http://askdrjohn.wordpress....

...revolutionary times call for revolutionary measures...

One of my favorite examples is Guy Kawasaki's example of the generations of the delivery of ice to the home: how the first generation cut ice from the frozen lakes, how the second generation put the first generation out of business by freezing large blocks of ice closer to the uses of ice, and how the third generation put the second generation out of business by putting the icemaker in the home/business...

Well the news print business put the town crier out of business and the internet is putting newsprint out of business... but this does neither criticize the journalistic quality of the vessel nor suggest the lessening of demand for quality journalistic content...In this age of virtually $0 distribution cost, good journalism is in greater demand than ever before especially when there is sooooo much garbage out there (as an electrical engineer, we would suggest that the 'signal to noise' ratio is decreasing... not because there is less signal but because there is much more noise)... My suggestion is that the news organization help me filter out the noise and give me increased depth in areas where I have an interest... I would pay for that.