Random Mumblings

They're using our own satellites against us. And the clock is ticking.
-- David Levinson

Ryan Sholin says make today the day you declare your independence from the curmudgeon tribe.

Some days -- more of recently, actually --  I think a little Will Smith Independence Day action is what is needed to clear the field of the curmudgeons and those unable to move forward. Extreme, perhaps. But necessary to save the world.

So here's my take on Sholin's piece with a little help from Indepdendence Day.

So why are you waiting? Hmm? My Social Security will expire, you'll still be sitting there.
-- Julius Levison

If we're a tribe as Jay Rosen says, the current "Trail of Tears" will forever change us. Will those who survive be the ones willing to embrace change and possibilities, or those who hunkered down in grim, cynical determination?

EARTH Take a good look. It could be your last.

I'm beginning to think that the true value in reorganizations, revampings, retoolings, reinventions, transforming and whatever buzzword your organization is using for "doing things differently" lies not actually in the new plans or processes or seat chartings sweeping thorugh newsrooms.

They may not work substantially better (and may perform worse) than the rusted out battleship routines we have now.

Cpt. Jimmy Wilder: You scared, man?
Captain Steven Hiller: No. ... You?
Cpt. Jimmy Wilder: Nope. ... hold me!

The true value in these symbols of change is if they can affect a shift in the collective psyche of newsrooms into a more positive and creative force. A "let's give it a try," "we can make that work" and "we can win this thing" attitude even in the face of increased adversity over, at least, the short run.

Captain Jimmy Wilder: Check me out, Stevie. I'm gonna try something.
Captain Steven Hiller: Don't do nothin' stupid over there.
Captain Jimmy Wilder: You know me.
Captain Steven Hiller: That's what I'm talkin' about.

Through that willingness to try will come survival
 

WARNING! Your next stop may not be there.

I'm sure of only one thing: The future won't be like anything that's being envisioned today.

Captain Jimmy Wilder: Or, as the good Reverend would say, [Impersonating Rev. Jesse Jackson] Why we're on this particular mission, we'll never know. But I do know, here today, that the Black Knights will emerge victorious once again.
Unknown Pilot: Amen, man.
Captain Steven Hiller: Amen, Reverend.

At least on this Independence Day, I think we will have heroes step up to fight the fight. I think many journalists can adapt and newspapers as an institution will evolve and not die.

Cpt. Jimmy Wilder: Let's kick the tires and light the fires, big daddy!

Quotes from Wikiquote.

 

Consumer Products Safety Commission recalls fireworks product that "can produce a loud bang and unexpectedly scatter debris, posing an injury hazard to the user and bystanders."

I guess that's a problem?

Rightsizing sounds better to corp execs than "panicking," says Ken Doctor, writing about the announcement this week of deep cuts at the L.A. Times. He says a more descriptive term would be "frightsizing." He didn't coin the term, but he hangs it well on newspaper companies.

Doctor, however, does give my employer, E.W. Scripps, a "cut kudo" if there can be such a thing.

Certainly, the New York Times, the Washington Post, McClatchy, Scripps, Gannett and Belo come to mind as companies that are trying hard not to panic, not to frightsize. The cuts at all those companies are real, but you have the sense that there's an appreciation of retaining key assets.

It's a good read.

Charlene Li, who announced today she's leaving Forrester Resarch, says:

I was once asked what was the best career advice I ever received -- and it was to plan for job obsolescence every 18 months, because research showed that people typically master a job in that time period and fall into a routine.

Based on that I'm like a way overdue library book hiding under the old magazines. But, yeah, I have a new title, a redefined role, a new place to sit, and I'm into FACTS.

Ask me in 18 months if I have it down to a routine.

 This is pretty cute. (Stay with it until after the end.)

Should I make something of this fun with Google Analytics?

In the latter half of June, long-time leader "oral sex" was displaced as the top search engine query that brought visitors to this blog in a rolling 30-day period. It was displaced by "graduation message." Hmmm ...

The top 10 search terms resulting in visits to jacklail.com in the latest rolling 30 day period are:
     

1. graduation message
2. oral sex
3. jack lail
4. twitter aps
5. barbara bain
6. where do people get their news
7. random mumblings
8. find sex offenders in your neighborhood
9. family reunion blog
10. iphone sex

Coming back from a short vacation and not checking company email for four days, brought with it an inbox with over 675 new messages.

Now, many of them were "status" messages; new video available from AP, someone flagged a comment on knoxnews, please post a story. Easily deleted and no reply necessary, but still there were over 675 in just four days and two of those were light volume weekend days.

Luis Suarez of IBM says he cut his email load "by 80 percent in a single week" by various tactics from not sending emails to using other technologies like blogs and wikis.

Suarez, social computing evangelist at the computer giant, says  "E-mail can become extinct, if not repurposed altogether, even at big companies."

That wouldn't work for me in my current email-focused corporate culture. We struggle to get people to use Outlook's calendar and getting people on IM was met with unrepentant obstinance. I and my online team, however, use IM, Twitter, SMS, Facebook, blogs, and Google groups much as IBM's Suarez does. They improve communication greatly within and without work. But, alas, they haven't perceptibly cut email volume.

 I'm more like Daniela Barbosa, business development manager at Synaptica, who hasn't quite found any suitable replacement and remains "your e-mail slave."

The chart above (click on it to get a larger version) shows part of the picture, or problem. It's a graph showing average email by hour to my desktop Outlook program. Problem is I also read, reply and delete a lot of mail in the Web-based version of Outlook. And then there's Gmail (a couple accounts), Yahoo email, and, oh yes, Hotmail.

The chart was generated by the analytics in the Xobni Outlook add-in that has great email search and does these spiffy charts.

I may be hopelessly hooked without an email "patch," but could you delete the email habit? And how would you do it?

I'm a believer in sticking with fundamentals and keep an eye on your goals. Flavor of the day management just leads to zigzag results with up not an option. So I was particularly pleased to read what Scott Berkun, author of The Myths of Innovation, gleaned from the management  style that led the Boston Celtics to an NBA title.

I found some parallels between the Celtics, who had their own dark days and lean times, and the newspaper industry.

Berkun gives Boston General Manager Danny Ainge credit for risking it all and trusting his employees. Maybe one thing that's wrong with newspapers is there are not enough Danny Ainges to go around.

While Berkun didn't mention him, the management and work ethic espoused by his post reminded me of Celtic great Bill Russell, the center of the Boston dynasty in the glory years and a player renown for playing great defense and elevating the defensive play of his teammates rather than showboating dunks.

Berkun found five big themes in Boston's success that can be translated elsewhere, like say newspapers in the midst of a double-team by a sick economy and industry-wide structural change.

His starting five:

• Great managers hire great talent.
• Focus on the fundamentals.
• Reward team based behavior.
• Trust your people.
• Use the past as power.

Heard them before, I'm sure. But they are paritcularly appropriate, I believe, for newspaper companies.

Merlin Mann says he's met an astonishing number of people who can't bring themselves to take naps during the day.

He's never met me.

I don't need a guide and software is unnecessary. TV on, TV off; it doesn't matter. I try not to nap when I'm driving.

But I'm glad Mann's often evangelizing the "transformative power" of a quick nap. Makes me think I'm onto something instead of a slacker.

Wikipedia finds a difference between a power nap and a catnap. Seems to me you awake refreshed and recharged from either. Something to dream upon.

Despite feeling groggy around 2 every day, I don't get to nap -- power, cat or otherwise -- at work. But there are some famous people who regularly napped. I found this list:

* Winston Churchill - said he needed his afternoon nap to cope with his responsibilities.
* Thomas Edison attributed his tremendous amount of energy to sleeping whenever he wanted to.
* John D. Rockefeller took a nap every afternoon in his office.
* Eleanor Roosevelt was known to take a nap before a speaking engagement.
* William J. Clinton retired to his private quarters every afternoon at 3:00 for a 30-minute nap.
* Connie Mack took a nap before every game.
* Gene Autry used to take an hour nap in his dressing room between performances.
* Ronald Reagan has the ultimate napping reputation even though his wife denies that he had a napping habit.

And Mann point to a great infographic on Boston.com. Based on it, I'm a lark.

And Lifehacker says "You snooze, you gain."

Do you regularly nap?