RJ's Blogtastic Universe

Recently I’ve been giving Google Wave  try. I am a Google fan, so do take that into consideration. That said, my overall impression is that eventually, it will be huge. At the moment, however, it is a little too technical.

There were a lot of things that I loved about it. My professor and I tried it out at one of our meetings. We met at a coffee shop and attempted to simulate an online conversation. One of the main strengths behind the idea of Google Wave is that it is designed to “mirror” the way  a real conversation works. Most online exchanges today are accomplished through email. I say this, you respond, I respond to that, and so on. The longer the email chain gets, the harder it becomes to keep track of the different topics discussed. If you want to refer to something that was said a few emails ago, you have to search for it. Sometimes this can be quite an effort.

Google Wave simplifies this a little bit. First of all, it treats the entire conversation as one document, rather than several single documents attached together. It’s easier to find your way around, especially if you want to go back to an earlier topic. Google Wave allows you to indent and add on to the former conversation.

I think this is a good feature because while emails give us a linear, chronological way to record our conversations, my mind doesn’t necessarily work in a linear, chronological way. My mind bounces around like a pinball machine, mostly – especially if I’m creating something. Which is what I do most of the time.

There is a feature that I am excited about, but it looks as if it’s not quite working yet. I have read in many articles about Google Wave that they are going to add “robots” that take certain actions or insert information into the Wave automatically. This is exciting to me for many reasons, but I also have some questions. What kind of actions will it be able to do? What kind of triggers can I put in there? At the moment, Google Wave has a limited number of extensions available, some pretty solid offerings that allow people who are part of the Wave to vote on things, video conference, check the weather for certain places, etc. These are all good, but I would like to see much more in this area for the future.

The pitfalls of Google Wave are that it is still a bit clunky at this time. It takes too many clicks to add things, it is not always evident where certain features are located, and so on. That said, those are pretty easy things to fix. Over time, much of this will be resolved as Google gets feedback from the users. Also, the extensions will be added to over time. Not only will Google add to them, but they have extended this opportunity to users as well. Some of the more geeky types will get into this, I am sure.

It’s the “anti-Microsoft” version of product release. Microsoft’s way – and the way we are used to receiving new technology products – is to develop an idea that is the property of a few people. These few people gather around a whiteboard and brainstorm something that they think will be valuable for users. They develop and release it, usually with a moderate amount of bugs. Users get frustrated, but most assume that the situation is unchangeable.

The realm of product release has changed a bit, however. Much of this transformation is due to the rapid pace of changing technology. It just takes too long to develop the perfect piece of technology. Also, instead of a few people being the chief architects of the technology, many are moving to a more user centered structure. User feedback that used to take weeks to collect and process now takes minutes, and many companies are poised to take advantage of that. Users know what they want and need, and technology companies that are willing to be adaptive will certainly benefit.

In short, Google Wave is good, and it’s going to get better. I expect both the user friendliness and the availability of valuable gadgets to improve in the coming months. If you’re a tech head like me, you might enjoy it in its present state. If you are easily frustrated by an interface that is a bit clunky, wait a few months. I have seven invitations left – if you want to try it out, just drop me a line.

This page is filled with musings about the new technologies that I work with every day. I love to experiment with technology, so here are all my thoughts about the new tools that are coming our way.

This blog is all about  – you guessed it – weight loss. I’ve been at this for a year and a half now, and I’m about halfway toward my goal. I’m a regular person, I’m not on any fad diets, I don’t work out for three hours a day. This blog is really about changing what is between my ears first, and changing my body by small measures along the way. So here it is – everything I’m learning about food and exercise, along with my random thoughts from the treadmill. i’m also letting the world know my stats – i think it’s a good way to keep me accountable. Enjoy!

Our Arizona reunion story actually begins with another story – the tale of my 35th birthday.

Last summer, I took a class called Research Methods. It sounded like it was going to be a class about using Google, but it was certainly not as easy as that. In fact, it’s all about statistics (math, in other words). For those of you that don’t know, math is not exactly my strong suit. I knew it was going to be difficult, and at first I had the old attitude. You know, the voice in the back of your head that says – don’t do it!! You’ll never make it!! Quit before you make a fool of yourself!!

I’d been coming to a crossroads with this way of thinking for a long time. It has never served me well, but it’s always the first thing I think when I’m in a tough situation. The default setting, one might say. I decided to try another way, for a while. I decided that no matter what, I was going to tell myself that I could do it, that I would find a way to make the class work.

It worked. I ended up with an A+ in the class, and as I was looking at the grade, I remember wondering what the rest of my life would look like if I applied that single idea. I began to think about my 35th birthday, and how I really hadn’t celebrated my birthday in a long time. I decided that this would be the year that I would do something that I had previously thought I couldn’t do, something that I was afraid of. I considered different possibilities, including jumping out of an airplane. However, it’s just too cold to do that in November, and I am horrifically afraid of heights. No matter what I considered, it just didn’t seem like it fit. I ended up taking an Economics test on my birthday, which may be one of the least fun ways to celebrate. I decided I would put off the celebration until I could find something I really wanted to do.

Fast forward to to spring 2009. Facebook is fabulous, and through it, Brandy found me first. I was a little hesitant to write her initially. I honestly don’t remember too much about my personality when I was in the seventh grade, but I do remember that I didn’t like myself too much. I wondered if I had anything I needed to make amends for, actually. We met up soon after the first contact, and it turned out I had been afraid for nothing. See past editions of the blog for the story about that event – it was momentous.

I found Shawna on Brandy’s friend list. There were three of us that hung pretty tightly in those days, and these girls were my two best friends. We passed notes in class, and did things regular seventh graders do. I had some bad stuff going on at home, but I really loved school (still do) and seeing the two of them always made things seem better. Then, through a series of awful circumstances, we were split up. We kept contact for a while through letters. I really looked forward to the letters, and I kept every one of them in a trunk that I’ve carried with me all these years.

I never thought I’d find them again, but it happened. And I found a way to celebrate my birthday after all – by kidnapping Brandy and getting on a jet plane to see our Shawna. I think all three of us were a little scared, at first. Not that we wouldn’t get along, but that after @#$# years (that was for you, Brandy) we wouldn’t be able to relate to each other any more. What if our lives were so different that all we had in common was the past?

It was on my mind when Brandy and I were walking out of the gate. Then I caught a glimpse of a woman in a business suit, standing just beyond a column – and then she was coming toward us, as fast as her high heels could carry her. @#$# years vanished in about a minute. There was the usual hugging you’d expect, and I did get a little bit moist around the eyeballs. Another feeling came up at this point: gratitude. I was finally reunited with women to whom I never really got to say goodbye.

We left the airport and ran off to enjoy a fabulous couple of days. Shawna and Steve really know how to show people a good time. We got to meet new friends, catch a boat ride, hunt for rocks, and listen to the chronicles of Lake Havasu, as told by Shawna. We spent time with Shawna’s son, Shay, who was fun to be with. We also had the opportunity to catch up a bit, and look through the letters that I had saved. It was interesting, looking at life through the eyes of our teenage selves. My favorite part of the trip was late Thursday night, sitting in the jacuzzi, talking about our lives.

All of us are doing tremendous things, in our own way. Brandy’s raising a wonderful family, Shawna’s busy with a son, a Steve and the beginnings of a career in politics, and I’m on my way to following my dream to be an IT consultant. All three of us are surrounded by people who love us.

In the end, I didn’t have to jump out of an airplane to prove that I was fearless. All I had to do was be willing to risk a little bit, and it’s really all I have ever had to do. It’s funny, isn’t it? The things we think we have to do to prove to people that we are worth their time. The people in our lives that really matter are the people we never have to rehearse for, people that love us as we are.

This is the part of the chick flick where someone usually goes off the end of a cliff – but not this time! Our visit seemed to be about putting away some of the past. Next time (next June!) we’ll get to focus on the future, I’m sure. No matter what is ahead of us, it’s better when we face it together.

Thanks again to everyone – it was the most fabulous birthday present ever.

This fabulous post is made possible by my dear friend Brandy. I visited Brandy and Co. last night for dinner. She found me a couple of weeks ago through Facebook, and it’s been a pleasure to reconnect with a wonderful friend. (I almost said an old friend, but I took it back at the last minute – I felt that the statement might have repercussions.) I haven’t seen Brandy for a number of years (have been asked not to mention how many), but with some people, it always seems that time is irrelevant. I got to meet all of the family members, including some extended family that were there for dinner. Cheeseburger soup is excellent, by the way… Chelle also made a lemon chiffon cake that was entirely scrumptious. It’s unusual for me to eat cake at all, let alone eat it and like it!

I arrived late, of course. The house is a bit remote for a city girl, and on top of needing to turn around for my forgotten cell phone, I might have missed a few turns along the way. This all adds to my case for the new GPS that I feel I should purchase. (Who do I think I am building a case for, anyway? It’s just me – unless you count the voices. Which they insist that I do.) At any rate, the snowy country roads reminded me of the way to Mom’s house. I remember that when I lived in Missouri Valley, it was like an intersection in the middle of a corn field. There is a stop light – and a Kum n Go (we had other names for that convenient store, as highschoolers). The small town atmosphere is just not for me, much to my grandmother’s chagrin, but it turns out it’s OK to visit.

The tour of the house did not reveal any Baghdad areas (I did look, Shawna). They certainly have done a lot of work to the place, as the before and after photos revealed. The kids are awesome. 411 made me a picture on the computer. The following is the same picture, now up on my Refrigerator Gallery:

Another masterpiece. I look forward to more… I do have room!

The kids played the Wii, and we caught up. Then the kids fell asleep watching a movie, and we caught up some more. They were still sleeping when we poison tested the chocolate truffle cheesecake at 4:30 in the morning. Poisonless, if you were wondering. I headed home at five am, complete with the new piece of art and a number of emotional attachments.

If you know Brandy, then you know this. It is no wonder that the life she has made is so beautiful. Some people are born to greatness, and some people make it with their own two hands. I still look up to her, after all these years, and I’m grateful that she found me.

Mike may regret his invitation to visit anytime – particularly during camping season. Which just has to begin soon – right?? Last year I went camping in April because I just couldn’t wait. But I won’t do that again, because I still can’t quite feel my pinky toes…

I must also mention that there was an empty chair – belonging to Shawna, of course. My best memories of my time in Iowa are all memories of the three of us, and Shawna was certainly missed.

Enough mush! Actually, it is quite therapuetic to write these. That must be why so many people do it. I actually had a bit of a tough day, and it really helped to reconnect with good stuff before I fell asleep. I look forward to posting more – possibly less sentimental, but I can’t promise.