btazzi

Yep ...

2011-06-02T13:19:00.001-07:00

Been there, done that.

I love my new IPad ...

2010-05-04T12:52:00.000-07:00

... and if it had a real keyboard and a screen at a 90 degree angle, it would be perfect.

autotune and science guys .. bi'atches

2009-10-10T07:11:00.000-07:00

Sagan and Hawking with the flow ...

The Cowboy Mix

2009-08-13T07:30:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite mixes ever, was received from my friend and personal DJ @true .. inspired by the movie Brokeback Mountain and a host of other big-time thoughts I'm sure.

1. The Wings -- Gustavo Santaolalla
2. Sweet Jane -- Cowboy Junkies
3. Evening Sun -- The Strokes
4. Teenie Weenie Boppie -- Free Kitten
5. Stevie -- Royal Trux
6. Early In the Morning -- The Gories
7. Mississippi Goddam -- Nina Simone (live)
8. Isadora Duncan -- Vic Chesnutt
9. New Slang -- The Shins
10. Life on Mars? -- Seu Jorge
11. 21 Questions -- 50 Cent
12. My Michelle -- Guns N' Roses
13. Strange Loop -- Liz Phair
14. Curly Locks -- Sinéad O'Connor
15. Coffee and TV -- Blur
16. 9th & Hennepin -- Tom Waits
17. Can Our Love... -- Tindersticks
18. Pack Yr Romantic Mind -- Stereolab
19. Lebanese Blonde -- Thievery Corporation
20. Light My Fire (Live) -- Massive Attack

My Suggested User List

2009-07-03T12:08:00.000-07:00

A few posts ago I wrote why I think Twitter should build a #followfriday feature into the site in the form of a personalized Suggested User List and drop the Favorites feature. I mentioned that I was going to build My Own Suggested User List which would be updated regularly and then refer people to it. So I better get started ..

(* denotes recently added)

Varied and interesting ...
@common_squirrel Run, Eat, Stare, Sleep
@arjunbasu Perfect Short Stories, One Tweet at a Time
@ecoblips Green Super Heroine
@drOid Director, Editor, Geek, Day Dreamer, Make Believer
@jessicareeder Eco-Travel Blogger Extraordanaire
@realitysandwich WebZine for the Far Out There
@newyorkology What's happening in NYC
@true Writer, DJ, Philosopher & creator of FTW Shirts
@warhol_diaries Andy Warhol's diaries
@JQAdams_MHS John Quincy Adams' diaries
@thekelliejane Best thing in Nevada, even better than Vegas.
@bobbybobbybobby He's typing.
@theloveartist Because love is an art.

The Family & Friends Plan
@ktazzi
@justazzi
@mygrl29
@true

@pissyrabbit

Work peeps ...
@feker
@schang76
@apkat
@atlantic
@Ciaranb52
@rvans
@lorh
@sclevine
@07thking
@rahsaankhalid

@kzut
@dkim1386
@garalog

Tech related ...
@mashable
@scobleizer
@davewiner
@jeffpulver

Politics, Non-profits and Philanthropy ...
@p2173
@craignewmark
@kanter
@nerdette
@ukprogressive
@tactphil
@cashel
@pourmecoffee
@rootwork

Celebrities (both big and small)...
@the_real_shaq
@yokoono
@greatdismal
@unclerush
@diplo
@patkiernan
@danny_devito

More to come another time ..

Why would MJ thank a baseball player?

2009-07-01T19:47:00.001-07:00

Here is my obligatory Michael Jackson post.

I remember watching MJ accept all those awards back in the early '80s on the American Music Awards and as I watched he thanked, "Jackie Wilson" -- who I mistook for Jackie Robinson.

I thought to myself, that's odd, what does the first black baseball player have to do with the king of pop, but figured I just didn't get it (maybe it was a black thing).

Then by chance I came across a street cd salesman on the 34th st and 8th avenue a few weeks later and noticed a "Jackie Wilson's Greatest Hits" cd -- made the connection and purchased it. I listened to it and fell in love with Jackie's voice and understood Michael's musical roots.

"My" Suggested User List - Part I

2009-06-25T18:01:00.000-07:00

I've noticed that each time I convert a person into a brand new tweeter I often end up sending them an email with a small group of people to follow for starters -- my own "suggested user list" if you will.

This is not an uncommon happening for many I am sure, since that is the first complaint for those who "don't get it". They join Twitter, follow me and then say something like, "I don't get it."

So two things happened recently.

Firstly, a few family members have joined the twitterverse (see above link) and secondly, I saw the on-going debate between tech superstars @scobleizer , @davewiner and @timoreilly with regards to the Official Twitter Suggested User List.

So, the first thing made me think to myself -- I will write a blog post with my very own suggested user list that I would keep up to date, and then refer new friends/family/colleagues to as they came online.

But then the debate I mentioned above made me think -- why doesn't Twitter have this feature. Instead of the Favorites, which no one uses -- why not be able to flag a certain number of people as your Favorites (or suggested) and even have a small line of text (maybe 140 characters) where you can describe why they are suggested -- kind of a permanent #followfriday.

If this info was then hosted on Twitter -- Twitter could even aggregate and basically crowdsource that info into a second type of Official Users Suggested User List.

Does anyone know if they are planning a feature like this?

Enough for now .. part II will actually be my list ...

2009-05-14T21:08:00.001-07:00

no longer frozen like a statue, and it feels good.

the next cisco fatty?

2009-04-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

It’s hard not to write a Twitter post these days.

But this isn’t so much about Twitter as it is about the blurring of the use of social media in one’s personal and professional life. I started using Twitter back in 2007; personally, at a friend’s request who thought it was cool and maybe the next big thing (it would seem she was right). I tweeted, anonymously, and purely for fun, just to check it out at that time – it grew on me much more than blogging or other social forums ever had.

In the fall of 2008 I came out of my self-imposed “Twitter closet” and connected it a little further to myself, both personally and professionally. I had a vision of getting 20 or so of my peers on Twitter, all from very similar organizations, as well as their teams. I thought this would eliminate the need for me to reach out to my peers and then them to their teams and vice versa – cutting out the middle man(ager) so to speak and increasing the learning and collaborations across our organizations. Being technical people, as we all work in IT for these orgs, I imagined it would be an easy sell and then serve as a good model for how other colleagues within our orgs could easily self-organize across boundaries to share and learn.

I was wrong. :(

Not about the value in doing this, I still believe in that, but in the ease of which I could convince my colleagues of its usefulness. Particularly because until you actually use Twitter it can be hard to see the value. This challenge withstanding, evangelize I did and continue to do so. (follow me @btazzi)

But unlike other times I have praised or sold the use of a technology or communication medium this one feels different. Mainly because it puts people “out there” in public, in ways they may not have done before, nor understand or be comfortable with. Some of it might be generational, but not in the expected sense. For instance, a Gen-X-Y’er might be very comfortable with social networking - having already used Facebook or MySpace, but they were doing that specifically with their friends and not for any professional purpose – but now, were being asked to do so for business reasons. Where as a boomer who joined in might be looking for the business payoff right away, without seeing the nuanced social nature of these tools.

I’ve been thinking about this recently after one of my colleagues forwarded me the story of Cisco Fatty, the new Cisco-hire (NOT). He was warning me, half-jokingly, about the risks of my Tweeting. Interestingly, one of his first tweets when he finally signed up (another convert) was a “virtual ogle” of the “hot blonde” seated next to him. I hope it was his wife! :)

I’ve watched my colleagues use of it, noticing one very openly questioning a decision our company had made, which is a good thing in my opinion, but wondered if that same amount of candor would have happened face to face or how out of context that statement could be taken and never debated further; possibly leaving a wrong conclusion about the person’s thinking.

I’ve talked with my team about their use of it, some who have taken to it like ducks in water and others who were already using Facebook or Myspace, but for very social purposes and would probably rather it stay that way.

I’ve watched my 14 year old son’s latest YouTube video (he is a budding film-maker), running around without a shirt (can you say sexting?) to show off the faux six-pack he had drawn on his stomach with magic marker and using phrases he shouldn’t have. The six-pack was funny and he already seemed aware of the sexting issue in the news, but I did ask him what opinions people who didn’t know him would draw from some of the things he said. Will that video be around 4 years from now, when he’s applying for college? 4 more years when looking for a job?

I’ve watched a CEO’s “personal blog” get quoted in “professional” news sources and the lines just keep blurring.

So other than forwarding on links like this one on "Twitter Tips: Safely Blend Personal and Professional"

What I wonder about personally (professionally) is how much training/coaching/mentoring/warning do I owe people who I evangelize the use of this world to, personally (professionally)?

I would hate to think I am helping to create the next Cisco Fatty.

"IT" in South Africa

2009-03-07T12:30:00.001-08:00

Ok, so maybe the title is misleading. You might think I am going to write about the IT landscape in South Africa, as compared to say, .. the recent trip I made with @feker to South Africa. Maybe the title should be "Two IT guys" in South Africa.

But stay with me anyway, I'm sure we'll get there.

I am just back from a week in Johannesburg, after not visiting for more than several years (way too long). A portion of the trip included the regular site work I've come to expect, but the majority and most interesting elements for me were the IT focused visits to organizations we are funding, as well as a few other moments, where I was truly inspired by the place and its people.

Our excellent colleagues, and hosts, organized several meetings with passionate and dedicated people from organizations that are working on building up the public health infrastructure in SA, particularly with regards to human capital - nurses, HIV clinicians and doctors, all of which are so important and needed, particularly in the poorer rural areas.

All of the organizations were interested in the use of mobile cell-phone technology as a solution to SA's lacking internet infrastructure, so they could communicate, organize and network their people. One was also beginning to think about the use of social media to recruit young doctors from western, developed countries for stints working in rural Africa; a very exciting opportunity exists there I think!

On the Human Rights front, where our work is also focused -- the moments were less about organizations and systems, and more about people. We visited the Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg where thousands of Zimbabwean refugees live after fleeing the crumbling society that is their homeland. I was awed by the story of this church and how it has opened its doors to these people, in the truest Christian fashion.

Finally, the trip; which began with organizations, infrastructure and systems; then moved to society, human suffering and kindness on a mass scale, concluded with a face to face visit at our offices with one Ugandan refugee whom had an IT background. He had finished his ICT degree and had a few years of entry level work in Uganda when he had to flee the country. He was now living in the camps and looking for opportunities in South Africa. An internship? An introduction? A foot in the door? A job? An opportunity.

synchronicity - a kindle review?

2009-03-01T10:06:00.000-08:00

With seventeen-plus hours of flying ahead of me, one thing I was going to make sure I didn't run out of was something to read or the "power" to read something, since I was taking the Kindle 2 on its first long road-trip.

I downloaded a book I had wanted to read ever since the authors gave a talk at our offices last year and which Beth Kanter had reminded me of a few weeks ago on Twitter. So I purchased "Working Across Generations - Defining the Future of NonProfit Leadership" and downloaded it onto the Kindle, sweet.

I also wanted to get a book that my brother had recommended on strategic planning, The Art of the Long View, which unfortunately (fortunately?) wasn't available for the Kindle. This wasn't such a bad thing as I figured a paper based book would give me a backup plan in case the Kindle didn't cut it. One problem, Barnes and Noble didn't have it in stock.

This is where the synchronicities come in. My friend has been talking a lot about them lately and I was with her on Saturday, with her stacks of "real" paper based books lining her apartment and asked her to lend me one for the trip. She picked a book of short stories by David Foster Wallace whom I had never read and she suggested I start with the story Lyndon.

I read Lyndon, it was a fictionalized, sometimes historic account of the inner workings of LBJ, from Senator to Presidency. It was also excellent, very creative and very interesting. The synchronicities (or syncs as my friend calls them) occurred to me though as I began to read Working Across Generations. I noticed the connected themes and historic moments that these two unconnected products had. One, fictional and in short story form; the other an industry-management study. I also noticed I was reading one on a digital book reader (which will be the way we all read "books" someday) and the other was a paper copy, cherished and valued by my friend.

I thought about the words, probably fictionalized, that Foster Wallace has LBJ saying as the war protesters (many of whom go on to create the non-profit organizations that Working Across Generations talks about) burn barn-fires outside the White House , "I believe I am out of touch with the youth of America. I believe that they cannot be touched by me or by what's right."

Oh, and the Kindle -- yes, I love it -- but I'm sure there are real reviews out there to tell you why.

time to produce

2009-02-25T20:08:00.001-08:00

I used to blog a bit, annonymously, privately, for my own sanity.

I found it a good outlet for "saying" things out loud, virtually, which couldn't be said -- but needed to be.

One part online therapy, one part repressed artist. Then one day, in the past few years, I no longer needed "that" blog, so it was laid to rest -- to be filed away in the past.

"That" blog is not "this" blog.

This blog is more transparent, more honest and more real.

It will be a place I can focus and write in a longer form than my tweets allow, on subjects unknown to me at this point. It is not a work blog, though thoughts about work might spill over into it as they do in real life -- the same way your cranberry sauce sneaks over to your mashed potatoes on your plate.

time

2009-02-24T14:57:00.000-08:00

there's a time to consume and a time to produce.