New Florence. New Renaissance.

Technology and my Passion: Bill McNee on Birding, Photography and Nature

Every few years, I invite readers and colleagues to contribute guest columns in the series Technology and my Hobby/Passion. Over a hundred contributed in the last decade on their birding, charities, cooking, music, sports and every other passion, and how it keeps evolving with technology. Click here and scroll down to read them all.

This time it is Bill McNee, technology industry analyst and a former colleague of mine at Gartner. Bill writes about birding, photography, nature, and his travels near and far:

Thanks for the invite, Vinnie. I prefer to think of myself as both a “birder” and increasingly as a “naturalist.” I’m the son of two avid gardeners. Both mom and dad grew up on the farm during the 1920s and 30s prior to adopting a traditional urban / professional life after WWII. Dad became an economic / urban geographer, who was equally adept in geology as he was in his specialty of location theory analysis. I vividly remember “Professor Bob” teaching us about rock formations, topography and habitats during our many extended family camping trips – often lasting more than a month at a time.

In the mid-1960s, mom and dad were on the vanguard of the modern “environmental movement” – although they wouldn’t have called themselves “environmentalists.” They merely taught us the importance of nature, and the need to have kinship with it. As kids, we composted. We recycled. We would only eat fresh (or fresh-frozen) vegetables. Each fall, we would pick apples and peaches. Mom would organize an amazing canning operation that would supply us for the winter! It was fun learning from them – whether in the car on our many sojourns, or at the dinner table where dad would hold court.

What does this have to do with birding? Again, it traces back to my mother. She had these little 4”x6” Golden Field Guides strategically placed on key windowsills throughout the house to spot check who was visiting our feeders that day. We didn’t have spotting scopes or binoculars back then. It was pure old-fashioned backyard birding.

Fast forward to the late 1990s, and the dawn of digital photography. I was an early adopter, and still have some shots on my hard drive from 20 years ago! Over the years, my digital photography has evolved dramatically, especially as I began to focus on birding fifteen years ago. Luckily, my career allowed me to travel widely – although most of it since 2005 has been in the US and W. Europe. What I would give to have become more active with my birding photography 10 years earlier, when I was traveling extensively in S. America, S. Africa, Australia and Asia! But that’s just water under the bridge now.

I’ve had so many fun birding adventures over the years, whether it be at the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival (the largest of its kind), a visit to the Parc naturel régional de Camargue in Provence, the Yum Balam Reserve near Cancun, or Yellowstone National Park, to name just a few.

Luckily, my wife and I live right along the Atlantic Flyway – and we’re able to enjoy the seasonal migrations up and down the east coast. We split our time between Northeast Florida and Rhode Island – each of which has a terrific diversity of birdlife.

Locally in Florida, we have so many cool birds that visit our backyard birdfeeders and community, including a terrific array of Songbirds, Woodpeckers, Raptors, Shorebirds and Waders.
In early May, I created a new Facebook group called Birding in Ponte Vedra and Beyond that readers might enjoy checking out. I post fairly regularly – and encourage all to sign up regardless as to whether they’d like to add photos themselves, or just receive the feed. One of my recurring posts lately is called Birding on the Links, with action shots taken while playing golf with my wife, usually later in the afternoon. Here’s a fun shot of one of the dozens of Ospreys that nest in our community.

While there is a rich pallet of birding hotspots nearby, one of my favorite places to visit is the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, in Titusville, Florida – which is two hours south of us right near the NASA Kennedy Space Center. Within the MINWR is the Black Point Wildlife Drive, a special 7-mile route that is one of the best places in the world to see and photograph birds up close.  I encourage everyone to visit if they can. I also post to other Facebook birding and photography groups where you can see some amazing wildlife (Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Photography or Florida Birds and Wildlife).

We also have a diversity of birdlife near our house in Rhode Island. While I’m somewhat active with the local Audubon chapters in Florida, I am much more so with the Audubon Society of Rhode Island (ASRI). It is one of the oldest Audubon organizations in the US. I love going on the Wednesday morning bird walks run by Laura Carberry. I have learned so much from her – not only in better seeing birds but listening to them as they speak their special language of the woods. She has such a sophisticated ear – and regularly IDs birds by their calls 10 minutes before we ever see them on the trail. This has encouraged me to sign up for a Bird Song class through the Bird Academy at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. While they charge a small fee for the course, there are many other resources available for free.

One of my favorite spots is Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge. It has a wide range of habitat (among its 800 acres), including both fresh and saltwater ponds. Its southern boundary is a barrier beach with one of the few nesting sites remaining in RI for Least Tern and Piping Plover. I can’t wait for our planned trip to Block Island in late September to visit the Lewis-Dickens Farm Wildlife Refuge (managed by Audubon) during fall migration, when more than 70 species of migratory songbird can be seen as they fall out of the sky for a brief respite on the journey south.

Over the years, I’ve probably seen more than a thousand bird species. While my trusty Sibley Field Guide is always nearby, a couple of years ago I began using the excellent tools offered by Cornell Lab – including Merlin (bird ID app), the Macaulay Library (with recordings of 18,000+ bird calls) and eBird, which has fast become an online industry standard to track birds. Before that, I built spreadsheets based on hand-written notes! The Audubon app for iPhone is excellent as well. I also recommend using the ABA’s What’s this Bird? Facebook group when in doubt. It is truly amazing how technology has improved the experience and made it much more accessible for the broad public.

The cost of optics and photographic equipment has dropped significantly over the years, while quality has dramatically improved. We now have digital scopes, iPhone clip-ons, and lighter-weight telephoto lenses. My basic kit hasn’t changed much for a few years – so I’m probably due for an upgrade (LOL), specifically a more modern camera (as my Canon EOS 6D is nearly 10 years old).

The primary lens I use for birding is a Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary telephoto zoom (f/5-6.3) – purchased when it first came out 3-4 years ago. It is not only lighter than the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L zoom that many birders use, but it is a lot less expensive and has a longer focal length. To give the Sigma something to balance on, I often use my ultra-lightweight (< 1 lb) monopod from Manfrotto that collapses to only 16".

Technology is opening up all sorts of new avenues of discovery. The use of light-sensitive geolocators, as well as small GPS transmitters (combined with satellites) have brought breakthroughs in tracking bird migrations. We better understand how weather is impacting birds today, and how climate change will dramatically alter their migratory range and habitat tomorrow.

Going forward, we will continue to see major advances with our smart devices in bird identification (and conservation), as well as the advent of using Augmented Reality combined with Artificial Intelligence to deliver a much more powerful birding experience.

For those interested in getting additional information about the intersection of technology and birding, check out this excellent article published by the Cornell Lab. I also encourage readers to read the excellent pieces by Mary Keith and Jim Caldwell in this Passion guest series.

I don’t consider myself an “expert” birder or digital photographer – I still have a lot to learn (especially in the digital darkroom). Photo editing is so very different from the days I almost minored in photography back in the late ‘70s. Instead, I think of myself as an enthusiastic / advanced amateur. One of the things I love about birding is that it demands that you remain a lifetime learner. To me, it is less about tallying up huge life-lists and more about understanding birds in their natural environment. I’m especially excited to gain a better understanding of bird language. I’m fascinated by their mating rituals and migratory patterns and captivated by their beauty. I look forward to slowing down and becoming more aware and in-tune with nature. Two books I recommend are: How To Know The Birds (by Ted Floyd, Editor of Birding Magazine), and What the Robin Knows (by Jon Young).

In the coming months, I’d like to plug into one of the major conservation organizations, while I continue to work part-time with a handful of long-time clients at McNee Associates. Limiting the destruction of natural habitat and minimizing the impact of climate change is a legacy worth fighting for.

Photo Credits:

• Photo 1: Bill McNee
• Photo 2: Yellow-headed Blackbird, Yellowstone NP (June 2018)
• Photo 3: Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Harlingen, TX at the RGVBF (Nov 2017)
• Photo 4: Osprey, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (May 2020)
• Photo 5: Black-neck Stilt, Black Point Drive at Merritt Island NWR, Titusville, FL (May 2020)
• Photo 6: Eastern Bluebird, Trustom Pond NWR, Charlestown, RI (March 2018)
• Photo 7: Bill’s photography kit!

Photos courtesy of Bill McNee. All rights reserved.

Godspeed, Falcon 9

The SpaceX craft took off today on its way to the ISS. 

National Geographic describes some of the advances in spacecraft design since the days of the Space Shuttle

"Designed to ferry as many as seven people between Florida’s Atlantic coast and low-Earth orbit, the SpaceX capsule is a sleek, modern vehicle with windows, touch screen control panels, and a large storage compartment. While in orbit, 16 Draco thrusters orient the capsule in the vacuum of space.

Eight larger SuperDraco engines provide a way for Crew Dragon to abort, hurtling away from a malfunctioning rocket during an emergency. This in-flight abort capability is designed to avoid a catastrophe like the 1986 destruction of the space shuttle Challenger, which broke apart shortly after launch, killing all seven passengers."

Technology and my Passion: Nancy and Jim Richardson and Autistic adults

Every few years, I invite readers and colleagues to contribute guest columns in the series Technology and my Hobby/Passion. Over a hundred contributed in the last decade on their birding, charities, cooking, music, sports and every other passion, and how it keeps evolving with technology. Click here and scroll down to read them all.

This time it is Nancy and Jim Richardson who talk about their autistic son Michael and how the joy and challenge of raising him has led them to found Neuro Diverse Living. This nonprofit has focused on creating safe and secure housing, community, and job opportunities for autistic kids after they grow up. As Jim says "Adults with autism and other IDDs, (intellectual and developmental disabilities), is a demographic that is way overlooked. As a nonprofit, our singular mission is to provide safe and sustainable housing to families who are dealing with the very issue we've dealt with: What's going to happen to my child when we're gone?"

As career Fortune 1000 executives and serial entrepreneurs, Jim and Nancy Richardson have created vast network of connections that enable and support their life-long focus of leaving a legacy for their three children and four grandchildren. As active members of the Central Bucks Rotary, they also give back to the community that they have called home for the past 21 years. In their spare time, they love riding their motorcycles, spending time with family and close friends.

Stacey Fish of SAP introduced me to Jim and Nancy. This is what she has to say about them

"I have known Jim and Nancy for 30 years. I had the fortune of meeting them at work and actually saw their love blossom, attended their wedding, and have just been remarkably close friends for 30 years. In that time frame, I had the pleasure of watching them raise Michael along with the struggles of raising an autistic child.

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to babysit several times. I was there when Jim had serious back surgery and stayed with Michael so Nancy could take care of Jim. Again, hands-on, real-time seeing the struggles they were dealing with.

Although we don't live close to one another, we never lost touch and reconnect every time we see each other without skipping a beat. I've always stayed in touch, always wanted to learn what they're doing with Michael in as much that they pushed the boundaries of research and doing what's best for him and being his advocate.

I’m blessed to not have the struggles they do with schools and activities of daily living raising an autistic child. But watching and learning what they have had to overcome and do things on their own has been inspirational. When I heard about then building a nonprofit to address the lifetime needs of autistic adults for those like their now grown son, I was immediately and passionate about helping them."

Here's a young Michael and the wonderful adult he has grown to become

Here are notes from my conversation with Nancy and Jim

Nancy

"Michael has so many skills. He's got empathy and compassion for others that have just really shone through in his development over the years. We are just so thrilled to see his future unfold, which is why we developed Neuro Diverse Living as there are literally no options for these young individuals - a place for them to live, thrive, and develop as great contributors to a community and be in safe hands.

In the right environment, Michael can live independently but is not a great self-advocate and like many with autism, are vulnerable in ways that their neurotypical peers are not. This is a primary driver behind our goal of providing safe and sustainable housing for Michael and felt that if we could solve this for Michael, we could solve it for other families in the same situation. We see technology as an enabler to make independent living more successful.

We're taking this to the next level where not only can these individuals work at companies like SAP and around the state, but where can they live? They truly can grow as independent contributors to society. This is the component that we're focused on is helping these individuals, these unique, beautiful individuals live a happy and successful life."

Jim describes how technologies keep improving to support autistic kids as they grow older.

"Although Michael is my stepson, I've raised him since he was two. I got to see, from the very beginning, the challenges that parents with an autistic child face.

Getting a diagnosis of autism for your child changes everything about your life and you’re pretty much on your own trying to figure things out. We have always been "take charge" people and knew we had to take matters into our own hands.

There wasn't a lot known about autism 20 years ago. Diagnosis and early treatments have gotten much better. Michael is brilliant in his own way but has challenges interacting with others. He's come a long way from socially isolation to a point where he has blossomed into a kind and caring human being.

I believe that individuals with intellectual disabilities like autism have unique gifts. I think it's up to the family to find those gifts and pull them out.

The biggest fear for a parent with a special needs’ child is safety. We live in a world where people don't always have the best intentions and sadly prey on those that can be taken advantage of. Certainly, Michael falls into that category.

As we think about not only about how to ensure he is safe for the rest of his life, change is one of the things that really is not good for someone with autism. We’ve also decided the other issue we need to tackle is employment, because these ‘kids’ can be productive members of society if given the opportunity.

From a technology standpoint, a lot has changed in 26 years since Michael was initially diagnosed. Tools like smartphones that can help them communicate and interact in social environments. From a housing standpoint, having cameras, motion sensors, and instead of physical keys, having electronic key cards or devices so they can get in and out while ensuring people who shouldn't be in the home can’t get in.

The amount of technology that's available today is incredible. There are also technologies that will help autistic individuals who struggle with sound and bright light. I think we've just begun to scratch the surface of how we can introduce technology to ease the transition from life at home to a life with others who have similar traits and characteristics.

We are laser-focused on tackling this challenge head-on. How we accommodate each individual's uniqueness, their idiosyncrasies, their quirkiness, and certainly the issues that they deal with and struggle with on a daily basis is imperative.

Many with autism are non-verbal or they're not great communicators. Imagine having touchscreen technology as a way to communicate with the caregiver to take control of their day. And there’s benefit for the parent in the family home to be able to check-in and communicate with their son or daughter from a technology standpoint provides a sense of safety and comfort.

There’s also immersive technology. One of the things we’ve been looking at is Google Glass, a technology that can help people who don't have the level of empathy. Using technology like Google Glass to sense a person's facial expression - if they're happy, they're sad, they're angry, helps from a social interaction standpoint – an immersive reality.

It's incumbent upon us to figure out the appropriate technology that's going to work for Michael, as well as what’s going to work for Sally, Timmy, or Tommy, and then incorporate that in our personal care homes.

There are systems available today that would allow the parent or family members of the resident let us know in advance that they're stopping by or planning a visit.

There are massive regulations about how the ‘Smart Care Home’ needs to be run and managed, along with the records that we need to keep. Years ago, all those records were maintained manually, but now we can maintain them through systems. It will keep our level of compliance up to date so that when the state does pay an unplanned inspection, our systems and reporting are available so that we can stay in compliance. This also provides additional comfort for the parents as they consider having their son or daughter live in one of our community homes.

We also think that being a nonprofit will allow us to take advantage of leading-edge programs and new technologies and incorporate them into our homes.

We're making great strides and are very excited about opening up our first Neuro Diverse home this year here in Bucks County, PA. As a nonprofit, we will share our model so that others throughout the region, and hopefully, throughout the country can do something similar.  The autism tsunami is here and it’s only going to get more pervasive. The government is not going to figure this out, so it's up to parents like us and great friends like Stacey to make a lasting impact."

I encourage everyone to donate to the Neuro Diverse Living center here

Technology and my Passion: Minal Neuman and Elegant Table Settings

Every few years, I invite readers and colleagues to contribute guest columns in the series Technology and my Hobby/Passion. Over a hundred contributed in the last decade on their birding, charities, cooking, music, sports and every other passion, and how it keeps evolving with technology. Click here and scroll down to read them all.

This time it is Minal Neuman, banker by day, and an extremely generous host in evenings and weekends. Here she writes about one of her passions, table settings and the lengths she goes to in her quest for the best.

"For years I have enjoyed entertaining and I believe in what I call the 5Gs (no, not the network) that make for a successful gathering. They are good presentation/ambience, good food, good wine, good friends and good conversation!

My passion has always been the focus on good presentation and by that I mean creating the ambiance and presenting a great table setting! Its like fine dining, but at home! Call me old fashioned but someone once said when you make an effort to set the table you are not only making your guests feel welcome and feel special but its also showing them that they are respected.  When someone walks into your home everything should be warm, welcoming and charming!

I look at the table as a blank canvas ready to paint and I create as I go. No two table settings are ever alike! Over the years I have amassed a vast collection of dishes, silverware, glasses, tablecloths, runners, napkins, chargers, table mats, napkin rings, vases, candles, etc. And behind each find there is a story to tell!

I have traveled extensively over the years and have “stuff” from various parts of the world! I have lugged (or should I say husband Tom has) heavy terracotta, brass and stainless steel dishes, artifacts etc  as hand baggage all over the world for me! I never check in my precious cargo should it get lost or damaged!  

To give you an example, I went to India last November to visit family and spent an afternoon with my cousin Reena who had recently started dabbling in mandala art. She was showing me some of her canvases and I fell in love with her work. She showed me a stunning black and white square canvas board that she had painted. I asked her if she could repeat the same design and paint five more so I could use them as place mats. I remembered I had a set of clear glass plates that would work perfectly so that her artwork would be seen through the plates. In a few days she had not only place mats but matching coasters all ready for me!  Check out her website on Instagram. She is amazing and so talented. Some of her canvas boards I even use as runners! Makes for a great centerpiece.

Another‌ ‌time‌ ‌I‌ ‌visited‌ ‌an‌ ‌art‌ ‌festival‌ ‌in‌ ‌Stuart,‌ ‌FL‌ ‌and‌ ‌one‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌vendors‌ ‌had‌ ‌made‌ ‌these‌ ‌interesting‌ ‌ceramic‌ ‌vases‌ ‌with‌ ‌floral‌ ‌arrangements‌ ‌in‌ ‌them.‌ ‌That‌ ‌got‌ ‌me‌ ‌thinking‌ ‌why‌ ‌not‌ ‌bring‌ ‌some‌ ‌nature‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌dining‌ ‌table.‌ ‌I‌ ‌bought‌ ‌two‌ ‌vases‌ ‌and‌ ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌flowers‌ ‌and‌ ‌foliage‌ ‌in‌ ‌my‌ ‌garden,‌ ‌I‌ ‌use‌ ‌them‌ ‌to‌  ‌make‌ ‌Japanese‌ ‌ikebana‌ ‌arrangements!‌ 

On‌ ‌a‌ ‌trip‌ ‌to‌ ‌Goa,‌ ‌India‌ ‌I‌ ‌happened‌ ‌to‌ ‌visit‌ ‌the‌ ‌Saturday‌ ‌market‌ ‌and‌ ‌I‌ ‌bought‌ ‌two‌ ‌ethnic‌ ‌bed‌ ‌covers‌ ‌there‌ ‌that‌ ‌make‌ ‌great‌ ‌tablecloths‌ ‌and‌ ‌go‌ ‌with‌ ‌my‌ ‌“Indian”‌ ‌thali‌ ‌set‌ ‌(‌ ‌stainless‌ ‌steel‌ ‌grooved‌ ‌plates)‌ ‌that‌ ‌I‌ ‌bought‌ ‌in‌ ‌Pune‌,‌ ‌India‌ ‌on‌ ‌my‌ ‌previous‌ ‌trip‌ ‌there!

I‌ ‌remember‌ ‌once‌ ‌when‌ ‌my‌ ‌friend‌ ‌Linda,‌ ‌my‌ ‌partner‌ ‌in‌ ‌crime‌ ‌ended‌ ‌up‌ ‌at‌ ‌the‌ ‌Bonefish‌ ‌Grill‌ ‌restaurant‌ ‌after‌ ‌a‌ ‌junking‌ ‌trip ‌(‌ ‌visiting‌ ‌thrift‌ ‌stores).‌ ‌I‌ ‌noticed‌ ‌that‌ ‌their‌ ‌wine‌ ‌glasses‌ ‌had‌ ‌a‌ ‌fish‌ ‌etched‌ ‌on‌ ‌them.‌ ‌I‌ ‌talked‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌bartender‌ ‌and asked‌ ‌him‌ ‌if‌ ‌he‌ ‌would‌ ‌sell‌ ‌the‌ ‌wine‌ ‌glasses‌ ‌to‌ ‌me‌ ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌price‌, ‌of‌ ‌course.‌ ‌Needless‌ ‌to‌ ‌say‌ ‌I‌ ‌am‌ ‌now‌ ‌the‌ ‌proud‌ ‌owner‌ ‌of‌ ‌those‌ ‌wine‌ ‌glasses!‌ ‌You‌ ‌see, ‌I‌ ‌have‌ ‌a‌ ‌set‌ ‌of‌ ‌fish‌ ‌placemats‌ ‌that ‌ ‌I‌ ‌use‌ ‌with‌ ‌my‌ ‌clear‌ ‌plates.‌ 

On‌ ‌another‌ ‌occasion‌ ‌I‌ ‌was‌ ‌desperately‌ ‌in‌ ‌need‌ ‌of‌ ‌black‌ ‌cloth‌ ‌black‌ ‌serviettes‌ ‌and‌ ‌could‌ ‌not‌ ‌find‌ ‌any‌ ‌at‌ ‌the‌ ‌last‌ ‌minute‌ ‌to‌ ‌complete‌ ‌the‌ ‌look‌ ‌I‌ ‌was‌ ‌going‌ ‌in‌ ‌for‌ ‌and‌ ‌time‌ ‌was‌ ‌running‌ ‌out!‌ ‌Then‌ ‌I‌ ‌remembered‌ ‌Bonefish‌ ‌grill‌ ‌had‌ ‌black‌ ‌napkins‌ ‌and‌ ‌went‌ ‌back‌ ‌there.‌ ‌I‌ ‌ran‌ ‌in‌ ‌and‌ ‌introduced‌ ‌myself‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌manager,‌ ‌explained‌ ‌my‌ ‌dire‌ ‌situation ‌ ‌and‌ ‌showed‌ ‌him‌ ‌a‌ ‌picture‌ ‌of‌ ‌my‌ ‌table‌ ‌setting.‌ ‌I‌ ‌came‌ ‌home‌ ‌with‌ ‌6‌ ‌black‌ ‌napkins.‌ ‌Yes,‌ ‌I‌ ‌have‌ ‌no‌ ‌shame‌ ‌when‌ ‌it‌ ‌comes‌ ‌to‌ ‌my‌ ‌table!‌ ‌I‌ ‌will‌ ‌go‌ ‌to‌ ‌great‌ ‌lengths!‌ 

A‌ ‌few‌ ‌years‌ ‌ago‌ ‌we‌ ‌were‌ ‌in‌ ‌Sarasota,‌ ‌FL‌ ‌at‌ ‌a‌ ‌Greek‌ ‌Restaurant ‌‌called‌ ‌Blu‌ ‌Kouzina.‌ ‌Their‌ ‌tables‌ ‌had‌ ‌blue‌ ‌glass‌ ‌water‌ ‌bottles‌ ‌in‌ ‌little‌ ‌basket‌ ‌like‌ ‌containers.‌ ‌I‌ ‌knew‌ ‌I‌ ‌had‌ ‌two‌ ‌similar‌ ‌blue‌ ‌bottles‌ ‌at‌ ‌home‌ ‌that‌ ‌I‌ ‌had‌ ‌bought‌ ‌at‌ ‌Stein‌ ‌Mart‌ ‌so‌ ‌those‌ ‌would‌ ‌be‌ ‌perfect!‌ ‌This‌ ‌time‌ ‌I‌ ‌did‌ ‌not‌ ‌ask‌ ‌the‌ ‌waiter!‌ ‌Instead‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌way‌ ‌home,‌ ‌I‌ ‌had‌ ‌Tom‌ ‌stop‌ ‌at‌ ‌every‌ ‌store‌ ‌I‌ ‌could‌ ‌find‌ ‌to‌ ‌find‌ ‌the‌ ‌right‌ ‌pot‌ ‌to‌ ‌make‌ ‌my‌ ‌own‌. ‌Sure‌ ‌enough‌ ‌we‌ ‌found‌ ‌some‌ ‌at‌ ‌the‌ ‌local‌ ‌Goodwill!‌ ‌I‌ ‌got‌ ‌home‌ that‌ ‌‌night‌ ‌and‌ ‌stuck‌ ‌some‌ ‌burlap‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌pots‌ ‌and‌ ‌made‌ ‌my‌ ‌own‌ ‌version.‌ ‌A‌ ‌few‌ ‌months‌ ‌later‌ ‌I‌ ‌found‌ ‌identical‌ baskets‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌flower‌ ‌pot‌ ‌section‌ ‌at‌ ‌Walmart.‌ ‌Now‌ ‌I‌ ‌have‌ ‌two‌ ‌sets!‌

When I went to visit a friend in St. Thomas, we bought shells that I use to serve shrimp cocktail. You can also use them for baking seafood.

Needless to say I get really excited when I entertain because it brings out the creativity in me and I enjoy it! My husband Tom has supported my hobby over the years and even though he cringes every time I buy another dish or napkin, I know deep down he is proud of the artist in me!

Whenever I see something I like, I visualize my table and immediately my mind goes into overdrive as I think of all my dishes, table mats etc that would complement what I am about to buy and only then do I purchase it! I find my self frequently at stores plucking things from shelves and doing mini arrangements on various surfaces before I buy it so see how it looks! I am sure I look crazy on security cameras but I don’t care!!!

For‌ ‌accents‌ ‌I‌ ‌will‌ ‌sometimes‌ ‌create‌ ‌or‌ ‌copy‌ ‌an‌ ‌idea‌ ‌I‌ ‌have‌ ‌seen‌ ‌or‌ ‌have‌ ‌someone‌ ‌else‌ ‌make‌ ‌something‌ ‌for‌ ‌me‌ ‌if‌ ‌an‌ ‌idea‌ ‌pops‌ ‌into‌ ‌my‌ ‌head.‌ ‌That’s‌ ‌why‌ ‌Tom‌ ‌and‌ ‌I‌ ‌make‌ ‌a‌ ‌great‌ ‌team.‌ ‌I‌ ‌came‌ ‌up‌ ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌ideas‌ ‌and‌ ‌he‌ ‌makes‌ ‌them‌ ‌happen‌ ‌or‌ ‌in‌ ‌some‌ ‌cases‌ ‌has‌ ‌to‌ ‌make‌ ‌them!‌ 

A few ago when we lived in Dallas, TX I happened to go to a estate sale and saw a set of gold plated silverware. That was one of the few times Tom put his foot down. What do you need that for? Where are we going to keep them? So I relented and have regretted it ever since. This past Mothers Day he surprised me with a set of 8 gold plated silverware. And as he said it was because I never let him forget it. He knows better now! This man has built has three large closets in our garage for all my dishes and I hate to admit it but even that is not enough! Almost every corner of our house is full of dishes, glasses every aspect of table dressing you can imagine.

My friends too are aware of my passion and some of my collections have been gifts from them.

A‌ ‌dear‌ ‌friend‌ ‌in‌ ‌Germany,‌ ‌Uschi‌ ‌once‌ ‌gave‌ ‌me‌ ‌a‌ ‌Italian‌ ‌tablecloth‌ ‌with‌ ‌all‌ ‌the‌ ‌colors‌ ‌of‌ ‌my‌ ‌dishes,‌ ‌red,‌ ‌yellow‌ ‌and‌ ‌green.‌ ‌I‌ ‌even‌ ‌had‌ ‌napkin‌ ‌rings‌ ‌with‌ ‌olives‌ ‌to‌ ‌complete‌ ‌the‌ ‌look!‌ ‌And‌ ‌pasta‌ ‌dishes‌ ‌of course!‌ 

Several‌ ‌years‌ ‌ago‌ ‌I‌ ‌bought‌ ‌these‌ ‌cute‌ little ‌china‌ ‌appetizer‌ ‌plates‌ ‌at‌ ‌Crate‌ ‌and‌ ‌Barrel‌ ‌first‌ ‌given‌ ‌to‌ ‌me‌ ‌by‌ ‌another‌ ‌German‌ ‌friend,‌ ‌Heike‌ ‌with‌ matching‌ ‌cocktail‌ ‌napkins.‌ ‌I‌ ‌then‌ ‌bought‌ ‌an‌ ‌additional‌ ‌set‌ ‌along‌ ‌with‌ ‌matching‌ ‌coasters.‌ ‌I‌ ‌have‌ ‌used‌ ‌those‌ ‌for‌ ‌ever‌ ‌and‌ ‌still‌ ‌get‌ ‌compliments‌ ‌when‌ ‌I‌ ‌use ‌them!‌ ‌

‌‌My‌ ‌Italian‌ ‌friend, Joe (a‌ ‌great‌ ‌cook‌ ‌by‌ ‌the‌ ‌way!)‌ ‌gave‌ ‌me‌ ‌a‌ ‌fish‌ ‌net‌ ‌to‌ ‌use‌ ‌as‌ ‌a‌ ‌décor‌ ‌in‌ ‌my‌ ‌family‌ ‌room‌. ‌Instead‌ ‌I‌ ‌use‌ ‌it‌ ‌as‌ ‌a‌ ‌tablecloth.‌ ‌At‌ ‌Christmas‌ ‌it‌ ‌works‌ ‌as‌ ‌a‌ ‌tree‌ ‌skirt‌ ‌for‌ ‌my‌ ‌nautical‌ ‌Xmas‌ ‌tree!‌ ‌Joe‌ ‌has‌ ‌over‌ ‌the‌ ‌years also ‌given‌ ‌me‌ ‌dishes‌ ‌to‌ help ‌complete‌ ‌my‌ ‌sets.‌ ‌HomeGoods‌ ‌is‌ ‌one‌ ‌of‌ ‌his‌ ‌favorite‌ ‌stores‌ ‌as‌ ‌well‌ ‌and‌ ‌no‌ ‌visit‌ ‌to‌ ‌his‌ ‌house‌ ‌is‌ ‌ever‌ ‌complete‌ ‌without‌ ‌us‌ ‌paying‌ ‌homage‌ ‌to‌ ‌HomeGoods!‌ ‌Such‌ ‌are‌ ‌the‌ ‌effects‌ ‌of‌ ‌my‌ ‌passion!‌ ‌I ‌suspect‌ ‌he‌ ‌uses‌ ‌this‌ ‌as‌ ‌bait‌ ‌sometimes!!‌

Naturally‌ ‌I‌ ‌have‌ ‌dishes‌ ‌for‌ ‌my‌ ‌seafood‌ ‌theme.‌ ‌One‌ ‌time‌ ‌to‌ ‌create‌ ‌a‌ ‌centerpiece‌ ‌I‌ ‌painted‌ ‌old‌ ‌wine‌ ‌bottles‌ ‌and‌ ‌covered‌ ‌them‌ ‌partially‌ ‌with‌ ‌burlap‌ ‌and‌ ‌hot‌ ‌glued‌ ‌some‌ ‌shells.‌ ‌Added‌ ‌some‌ ‌foliage‌ ‌and‌ ‌it‌ ‌made‌ ‌a‌ ‌great‌ ‌centerpiece.‌ ‌I‌ ‌also‌ ‌used‌ ‌burlap‌ ‌to‌ ‌make‌ ‌napkin‌ ‌rings‌ ‌and‌ ‌stuck‌ ‌some‌ ‌shells‌ ‌on‌ ‌them

On‌ ‌another‌ ‌visit‌ ‌to‌ ‌Goa‌ ‌India‌ ‌we‌ ‌were‌ ‌dining‌ ‌at‌ ‌a‌ ‌local‌ ‌beach‌ ‌restaurant‌ ‌and‌ ‌they‌ ‌had‌ ‌these‌ ‌terracotta‌ ‌napkin‌ ‌holders‌ ‌made‌ ‌to‌ ‌look‌ ‌like‌ ‌a‌ ‌shell.‌ ‌Of‌ ‌course‌ ‌I‌ ‌had‌ ‌to‌ ‌have‌ ‌it‌ ‌to‌ ‌go‌ ‌with‌ ‌my‌ ‌seafood‌ ‌theme.‌ ‌Again‌ ‌I‌ ‌convinced‌ ‌the‌ ‌waiter‌ ‌to‌ ‌sell‌ ‌it‌ ‌to‌ ‌me‌ ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌price!‌ ‌By‌ ‌the‌ ‌way,‌ ‌just‌ ‌in‌ ‌case‌ ‌you‌ ‌are‌ ‌wondering,‌ ‌they‌ ‌always ‌check‌ ‌with‌ ‌management‌ ‌before‌ ‌they‌ ‌succumb‌ ‌to‌ ‌me!‌ 

On that same trip, I stayed at my cousin Vikram’s beautiful home in Pune, India. At a dinner party held for me one night, his wife Anjali served the meal in some ethnic terracotta dishes that she had bought several months before. I fell in the love with the dishes so she promised to find some for me. For months she searched to no avail. Years later when she came to visit me in Florida she brought me her the set of serving dishes as a gift from across the seas! She did not forget! I don’t know who I was more excited to see my family or the dishes!

On‌ ‌that‌ ‌same‌ ‌visit‌ ‌in‌ ‌Mumbai‌ ‌while dining‌ ‌at‌ ‌a‌ ‌restaurant‌ ‌called‌ ‌Copper‌ ‌Chimney,‌ ‌I‌ ‌liked‌ ‌the‌ ‌colors‌ ‌on‌ ‌their‌ ‌paper‌ ‌table‌ ‌mats.‌ ‌I‌ ‌knew‌ ‌I‌ ‌had‌ ‌the‌ ‌perfect‌ ‌set‌ ‌of‌ ‌dishes‌ ‌for‌ ‌them‌ ‌here‌ ‌in‌ ‌Florida.‌ ‌Tom‌ ‌said‌ ‌he‌ ‌would‌ ‌laminate‌ ‌them‌ ‌for‌ ‌me‌ ‌so‌ ‌again‌ ‌I‌ ‌asked‌ ‌the‌ ‌waiter‌ ‌and‌ ‌so‌ ‌it‌ ‌should  ‌be‌ ‌no‌ ‌surprise‌ ‌that‌ ‌we‌ ‌have‌ ‌a‌ ‌few!‌ 

If‌ ‌we‌ ‌have‌ ‌visitors‌ ‌stay‌ ‌over,‌ ‌you‌ ‌can‌ ‌rest‌ ‌assured‌ ‌every‌ ‌meal‌ ‌has‌ ‌a‌ ‌different‌ ‌table‌ ‌setting.‌ ‌For‌ ‌instance‌ ‌once‌ ‌dinner‌ ‌is‌ ‌over‌ ‌and‌ ‌everyone‌ ‌has‌ ‌gone‌ ‌to‌ ‌bed,‌ ‌I‌ ‌will‌ ‌typically‌ ‌stay‌ ‌up‌ ‌until‌ ‌the‌ ‌wee‌ ‌hours‌ ‌setting‌ ‌the‌ ‌table‌ ‌for‌ ‌breakfast!‌ ‌I‌ ‌know this‌ ‌sounds‌ ‌crazy‌ ‌but‌ ‌it‌ ‌is‌ ‌something‌ ‌I‌ ‌really‌ ‌enjoy.‌ ‌As‌ ‌I‌ ‌said‌ ‌before‌ ‌this‌ ‌gets‌ ‌my‌‌ creative‌ ‌juices‌ ‌going.‌ ‌I‌ ‌have‌ ‌an‌ ‌off‌ ‌white‌ ‌table‌ ‌dining‌ ‌table‌ ‌and‌ ‌there‌ ‌is‌ ‌a‌ ‌reason‌ ‌why‌ ‌I‌ ‌bought‌ ‌that!‌ ‌There‌ ‌is‌ ‌so‌ ‌much‌ ‌you‌ ‌can‌ ‌do‌ ‌with‌ ‌it!‌ ‌It’s‌ ‌a‌ ‌blank‌ ‌canvas‌ ‌just‌ ‌waiting‌ ‌for‌ ‌me!‌ ‌

I‌ ‌discovered‌ ‌Lowe's‌ ‌sells‌ ‌square‌ ‌pieces‌ ‌of‌ ‌mirrors‌ ‌and‌ ‌those‌ ‌have‌ ‌become‌ ‌another‌  ‌favorite‌ ‌of‌ ‌mine.‌ ‌I ‌ ‌use‌ ‌them‌ ‌as‌ ‌chargers‌ ‌and‌ ‌a‌  ‌runner‌ ‌sometimes.‌ ‌The‌ ‌centerpiece‌ ‌is‌ ‌reflected‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌mirrors‌ ‌giving‌ ‌it‌ ‌some‌ ‌depth.‌ 

I‌ ‌have‌ ‌shopped‌ ‌at‌ ‌flea‌ ‌markets,‌ ‌thrift‌ ‌stores‌ ‌and‌ ‌garage‌ ‌sales.‌ ‌But‌ ‌my‌ ‌favorite‌ ‌stomping‌ ‌grounds‌ ‌have‌ ‌been‌ ‌Pier‌ ‌One‌ ‌(‌ ‌am‌ ‌crushed‌ ‌they‌ ‌will‌ ‌not‌ ‌survive‌ ‌this‌ ‌COVID‌ ‌crisis),‌ ‌HomeGoods,‌ ‌TJ‌ ‌Maxx,‌ ‌Crate‌ ‌and‌ ‌Barrel,‌ ‌Pottery‌ ‌Barn,‌ ‌Marshalls,‌ ‌Bealls‌ ‌and‌ ‌Stein‌ ‌Mart.‌ ‌As‌ ‌I‌ ‌mentioned‌ ‌earlier‌ ‌my‌ ‌partner‌ ‌in‌ ‌crime‌ ‌Linda‌ ‌is‌ ‌a‌ ‌junking‌ ‌pro,‌ ‌knows‌ ‌about‌ ‌my‌ ‌obsession‌ ‌and‌ ‌she‌ ‌too‌ ‌has‌ ‌jumped‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ bandwagon.‌ ‌Whenever‌ ‌she‌ ‌is‌ ‌out‌ ‌junking‌ ‌and‌ ‌comes‌ ‌across‌ ‌a‌ ‌“find”‌ ‌she‌ ‌will‌ ‌pick‌ ‌it‌ ‌up‌ ‌for‌ ‌me‌ ‌much‌ ‌to‌ ‌Tom’s‌ ‌dismay!‌

What‌ ‌can‌ ‌I‌ ‌say‌ ‌except‌ ‌that‌ ‌I‌ ‌am‌ ‌a‌ ‌bit‌ ‌obsessed‌.‌ ‌But‌ ‌that‌ ‌my‌ ‌friends,‌ ‌is‌ ‌my‌ ‌passion.‌ ‌It's‌ ‌all‌ ‌about‌ ‌the‌ ‌presentation‌ ‌and‌ ‌of‌ ‌course‌ ‌good‌ ‌friends,‌ ‌good‌ ‌food,‌ ‌good‌ ‌wine‌ ‌and‌ ‌good‌ ‌conversations.‌ ‌I‌ ‌live‌ ‌for‌ ‌it!‌ ‌Now‌ ‌I‌ ‌just‌ ‌have‌ ‌to‌ ‌find‌ ‌a‌ ‌way‌ ‌to‌ turn‌ ‌my‌ ‌passion‌ ‌into‌ ‌a‌ ‌new‌ ‌career‌ ‌path‌ ‌perhaps‌ ‌in‌ ‌hospitality‌ ‌or‌ ‌interior‌ ‌designing. Who‌ ‌knows‌ ‌I‌ ‌might‌ ‌even‌ ‌start‌ ‌a‌ ‌new‌ ‌trend‌ ‌“Tables‌ ‌to‌ ‌Go”!‌ 

Technology and my Passion: Sophie Bean and Stupid Pet Tricks

Every few years, I invite readers and colleagues to contribute guest columns in the series Technology and my Hobby/Passion. Over a hundred contributed in the last decade on their birding, charities, cooking, music, sports and every other passion, and how it keeps evolving with technology. Click here and scroll down to read them all.

This time it is Sophie, the Lemon Beagle. Here she bays:

Hi, I am Sophie. My humans often call me Sophie Bean. Ask them why, I don't know - I am not very fond of beans to tell you the truth.  Let's get a few things straight. I know this series is for human contributors. But I have an inside track. One of my humans, Susanne (who is holding me in the photo. My BFF, Gracie is also there. Beth is missing.) wrote about Stained Glass a few weeks ago. And my walker, Vinnie told me his own dog, Peanuts wrote in this series a long time ago.

I would have liked to meet Peanuts - sounds like a very wise dog, especially in his viewpoint about nasty cats.

 

Vinnie told me I had to include some technology angles in this column. Yawn. Well, Einstein how do you think this was written? There is an undocumented feature in Amazon Alexa which understands Beagle talk. Then I used Google Translate to convert that to English. I next raided his iPhone and Susanne's Android phone for photos and videos.

There you go, now can I talk about my passion? I want to get on the David Letterman Stupid Pet Tricks show. I mean Gracie and I are so much better than the clowns they usually have on the show.

(Vinnie's comment - don't ruin it for Sophie that Letterman retired long ago)

I am going to talk about 3 tricks. Keep score - at the end I will ask you your favorite I should play for my appearance on Letterman

Trick # 1 - The Butterball

Vinnie lives 6 or 7 houses down from us ( I am not that good at math, so don't be picky). Every morning I eagerly await his arrival.

As soon as I see him approaching, I alert Gracie. Both of us get in about 50 barks to wake up our humans so they can put a leash on me.

I drag Vinnie half way down the street. Then he lets me the run the final 4 houses (or is it 3? I told you I am not good at math).

Why do I run? There's some turkey waiting for me in his garage. I have heard him say Boar's Head is better than the Costco version. I tell him - why not both? Heheh. Anyways, I inhale the turkey, then I run to the door and leap to try and open it. Man is he slow, takes him forever to catch up to me and open the door.

Then there is another sprint into his kitchen to get to the cat's butter. Cat, as in Shadow, who lives 2 doors (or is it 3?) away from Vinnie but seems to be always at his place when he is not lurking around the neighborhood

Shadow is one strange dude, but he has good taste in butter. The Irish grass-fed cow, premium kind. I finish off what he does not every morning. If I am lucky, Vinnie lets me also finish off what's left on the Kerrygold wrapper every few days.

Turkey + Butter = Butterball. Get it? That's Trick 1. Keep score.

Trick # 2 - The FitDog

Once I am fed, I am ready for a long walk. I am a FitDog champion. Here are my trophies.

OK, it is Vinnie's FitBit but with my 4 legs multiply his score by 4 (OK, OK by 2 but that is way more than what you can say about Shadow who somehow snuck into the photo below pretending he walks with us)

(Vinnie's note - don't want to bias reader voting but those badges were earned over 6 years. Sophie is only 2. Also Shadow does not walk much when there is light. At night, he likely outwalks Sophie. His owner has talked about putting a tracking device to see where he prowls but is afraid to find out)

Here's Google Maps with the neighborhood we walk every day. There you go -  more technology as Vinnie requested.

We have so much water around us I wish he would take me swimming, but he says we have alligators and sharks in our canals. Whatever.

You humans can be weird in other ways. Vinnie used to disappear every few days. I hear he flies a lot. He must be one big bird. Recently though his wings must have been clipped. He has been around a lot. The other thing I have noticed is humans are staying several feet apart. Some of them are even covering their noses and mouths with masks. I mean what's a world without smells? Like I said, humans are weird.

I doubt the Letterman studio will allow me to walk for miles. I will ask him for a treadmill. Now, let's move on to Trick 3

Trick # 3 - Circular Logic

You humans make fun of circles.

You guys have no idea how much fun they are. Here's me celebrating my dinner. EVERY NIGHT. I would like a human to try that without getting dizzy.

So, which one do you vote for - Trick 1, 2 or 3?

I really want to impress Letterman, though honestly the competition above is pretty underwhelming. Thanks for helping me out.

And anytime you want to compete with me around a crop circle, it's game on!

The democratization of the TV studio

I have interviewed over 25 C level executives in the last month about acrobatics during the COVID-19 crisis, WFH and re-open physical site protocols and the "new normal" in their industry.

Most have done these interviews from their home offices, and I have been fascinated with all the Zoom backgrounds they have been using. Lots of creativity. (The links allow you to watch the complete session with each)

Jeff Robertson, COO of Maxar Technologies, lives in the Denver area. I thought he had a view of the Rockies in his background. It's actually a picture from one of his earth observation satellites of Mt. Fitz Roy in Patagonia in S. America - "taken from the horizon thousands of miles away." BTW, I half expected his twins to Zoom bomb the session. Apparently, his staff have issued them Maxar badges:)

Aneel Bhusri, CEO of Workday, had a background with his favorite pizzeria in San Francisco and hopes it survives the dine-in restrictions most states have had on restaurants

Ray Lane, Managing Partner at the VC firm, GreatPoint Ventures, started his interview from his "man cave" with some of his trophies in Silicon Valley. He then moved to another part of his house with better wifi connectivity for the session.

Mike Ettling, CEO of Unit4 had his corporate green screen as background. He looks charming, but told me they are moving to a more neutral color for future recordings.

Mike Laven, CEO of Currency Cloud, tried to do his session from the balcony of his flat in London. It was unusually bright for London (imagine!) and he moved in for the recording.

Tara Gambill of MOD Pizza, Neeracha Taychakhoonavudh of Salesforce, Alex Shootman of Workfront and Jerry Foster of Plex, showed off their home offices in WA, CA, UT and MI, respectively.

The fact they are doing this from all over the country is so calming. It is so different from the doom and gloom in the media - nice to hear and see people on the ground.

Andre Blumberg of CLP Power has been the only interviewee so far to do the session from a corporate, not a home, office. He forgot there was a motion detector in the boardroom in Hong Kong. We had a momentary loss of lighting and you can see him wave his hands to trigger the sensor :)

My wife has set up several different backgrounds for me to use. The one I have mostly used is in the library as in the ASUG Virtual Summit where Tom Wailgum interviewed me. (For a change we used the ON24 platform, not Zoom.)

Eagle eyes will notice that only one small portion of the library has copies of my 7 books. Like I said it's Margaret's library. I am only allowed to periodically use it:)

The ASUG event was scheduled to be in-person in Orlando. I wanted to use my deck and dock as background to provide the Florida vibe. I realized, however, I would only annoy viewers who were watching while a freak May storm dumped snow in their yards.

I have found French Blue shirts show best on these videos so in case you are wondering how fresh they are, here's proof of plenty of reinforcements. My dry cleaner has been pleased to see me even as my travel needs have dropped. :)

Many more sessions coming up so I will likely have more interesting backgrounds to share. 

NASCAR's re-opening protocols

NASCAR is racing at Darlington, SC today, but under dramatically different protocols thanks to COVID-19 safety considerations.

Here are some of the changes:

• No fans in the stands
• Roughly 900 people have been approved to be inside the gates, all considered essential, most from the 40 racing teams. In their version of WFH, several team members are helping remotely
• The Fox Sports broadcast booth team of Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon is calling the race from the studios in another state - in Charlotte, NC. Fox Sports has half as many people as usual at the track and fewer cameras, but they are using a high-speed drone capable of reaching 90 mph to fill in the gaps.
• Every one entering has had temperate checks upon entering the stadium. They also have had health questionnaires filled out ahead.
• All are wearing masks at all times when not wearing a helmet that covers their faces.
• With no fans at the track and infields sitting empty, teams and haulers are being widely spread apart
• Teams have brought their own portable toilets
• Don't expect to see celebratory high-fives or hugs from the pit crew

 

Agile trumps Perfect

With the research I do for this innovation blog, I started to notice beginning in January governments and companies were performing acrobatics defending against COVID-19. Drones being used for disinfection, deliveries, thermal imaging and public information sharing.  Auto companies jumping into making ventilators. Last mile logistics getting turbocharged. Construction of pop-up hospitals. Accelerated clinical trials for vaccines.  Naturally, I started to blog about them and figured that innovations from the global battle would become the theme of my next book.

Books, however, take a while to publish. I like to include 30-50 case studies in each. Those take weeks to get approved. To polish a book with multiple edits, footnotes, indexes etc takes many more weeks of effort and a village of people who support me. Honestly, that would not reflect the warp speed at which these customers and governments have been moving. I mean after years of slow growth, it took a snap of POTUS fingers to waive HIPAA restrictions and for Medicare to pay for telemedicine and it has taken off. Zoom is generating 7 petabytes (million gigabytes) a day of video traffic as many of us work, learn, play from home. A day!

I said I need to capture the moment on film. I settled on Zoom video interviews with executives in various sectors and geographies. Here is a growing index of my daily interviews. 

I wasn't new to Zoom. I have been using the tool for most of my book and other interviews for a couple of years now. But I largely used it as a audio recording tool. Video is a whole lot different.

I got plenty of advice on technology, bandwidth, format of interviews, green screens - all valuable.  But try easily getting 1080p HD or 4K webcams in this market (took mine 2 weeks to arrive but the vendor kept me informed of progress. Big thanks) Try to get your ISP to send a crew to fix fiber which has been mangled (they sent 3 different crews over 5 days to do the job while we were all quarantined. Even bigger thanks)  Try to convince them to not throttle bandwidth when your entire neighborhood is at home (not much help there, but my Google WiFi pods allow me to prioritize a device for up to 4 hours and deliver most of the bandwidth there). I did ignore couple of pieces of advice - keep video length under 5 minutes. I am interviewing C level execs. They deserve the 20-25 minutes I am giving each. The other was about green screens. My wife has several excellent backgrounds for me -  her library, her Egyptian section, her Buddhist section, our deck overlooking the canal in our backyard.

All set? Guess again.

Some interviewees insisted I not use Zoom because of security concerns. So I had to adapt to MS Teams, Skype, ON24. Many vendors had moved their events to virtual delivery which meant exposure to even more tools. Even though most of my interviewees are C level executives, they don't often have the best lighting or bandwidth. Many use their laptop cams which tend to only support 720p resolution.

It hit me we are in the middle of a giant experiment. We are seeing the democratization of the TV studio. Like with many consumer grade technologies, we will live with "good enough" for a short while. Plenty of innovation will make this better.

In the meantime, the good news is all my interviewees have been talking about their agility and acrobatics. There is no script for a crisis this deep and wide. There is authenticity in their voice. These are not cowboys - when they talk about risks of bringing back to work, they are being extremely thoughtful. You may think certain sectors are dead - oil and gas, airlines, hotels. Listen to counter perspectives from execs who have a front row seat.

Here's the even better part - everyone talks about kids and pets Zoom bombing their meetings. I have not had those, but I am enjoying all the variety in backgrounds. One CEO had his favorite pizzeria he hopes survives this phase. One did it from his man cave. One had imagery from his company’s satellites. One did it from his London balcony. One went dark for a split second - his motion sensor did not detect enough activity and turned his light off. I wanted to do one overlooking our canal but that would have been cruel to viewers who had snow this week!

Yes, the videos are not perfect, but they are timely. They reflect the heroics we are seeing across industries. A decade of change in a few weeks. Call it Fail Fast or Good Enough. I call it Agile trumps Perfect.

No industry and geography untouched!

Over the last year I have been writing plenty about vertical and global applications. The recent COVID-19 crisis has resulted in acrobatics in various sectors, and also opened our eyes to massive changes in new concepts, new entrants, new regulations. A decade of change in two months and accelerating!

To capture the spirit of this unprecedented period of change in each sector, I have been running Zoom interviews with many CIOs, software executives, practitioners and investors to get their perspective on different industries and world regions. 

Each conversation below is in the form of a 20-30 minute Zoom interview. I also summarize their key points in each post if you don't want to spend as much time on the videos.

Aerospace - Jeff Robertson, Maxar Technologies

Agriculture - Sridhar Vembu, Zoho

Airlines - Rahul Samant, Delta Airlines

Auto - Dennis Hodges, Inteva

Auto - Paul Wright, Accuride

Auto - Evangelos Simoudis, Synapse Partners

Banking - Jack Barrett, First Citrus Bank

Banking - Sarvesh Mahesh, Tavant

Banking - Rob Enslin, Google

Banking - Mike Laven, Currency Cloud

Banking - Neeracha Taychakhoonavudh, Salesforce

Banking - Charles Phillips, Recognize

Biotech - Lou Von Thaer, Battelle

eCommerce - Bob Stutz, SAP

Enterprise Software - Greg Tomb, SAP

Field Service - Darren Roos, IFS

Food, wellness - Ray Lane, GreatPoint Ventures

Grocery - Bob Stutz, SAP

Healthcare - Lou Von Thaer, Battelle

Healthcare - Mark Galloway, SmartPad

Healthcare - Brad Feld, Foundry Group

Healthcare - David Watson, AMA's Health2047

Healthcare - Bill Shea, Cognizant

Healthcare - Aneel Bhusri, Workday

Healthcare - Sanjay Poonen, VMware

Healthcare - Rod Johnson, Infor

Healthcare - Sridhar Vembu, Zoho

Healthcare - Stephanie Lapierre, Tealbook

High Tech - Amit Shah, Excelitas Technologies

High Tech - Ray Wang, Constellation Research

Higher Education - Daniel Pullin, Neeley School of Business, TCU

Higher Education - Daniel Pullin, October session

Higher Education - Mike Ettling, Unit4

Higher Education - Eric Dirst, DeKonsultere, LLC

Industrie 4.0 - Marty Groover, C5MI

Life Sciences - Jason Blessing, Model N

Logistics - Jerome Dubois/Rylan Hamilton, 6 River Systems

Logistics - Tom Ryan, tkr Consulting Associates

Manufacturing - Bill Berutti/Jerry Foster, Plex Systems

Manufacturing - Tom Brennan/Dave Stephans, Rootstock Software

Manufacturing - Darren Roos, IFS

Mining - Brad Keywell, Uptake 

Oil and Gas, Phiroz Darukhanavala, formerly of BP

Private Equity - Tamas Hevizi, Automation Anywhere

Politics - Bruce Bond, Common Ground Committee

Outsourcing - Phil Fersht, HFS Research

Outsourcing - Emily McEvilly, Workday

Professional Services - Mike Ettling, Unit4

Professional Services - Sarvesh Mahesh, Tavant

Professional Services - Greg Tomb, SAP

Public Health - Lou Von Thaer, Battelle

Public Health - Doug Belden, Hillsborough County, FL

Public Health - David Watson, AMA's Health2047

Public Health - Ray Wang, Constellation Research

Public Health - Ed Abbo, C3.ai

Public Health - Peter Maier, SAP

Public Health - Neeracha Taychakhoonavudh, Salesforce

Public Health - Tom Brennan/Dave Stephans, Rootstock Software

Public Health - Rob Enslin, Google

Railroads - Brad Keywell, Uptake

Real Estate - Sarvesh Mahesh, Tavant

Retail - Rod Johnson, Infor

Retail - Ben Pring, Cognizant

Research & Development - Lou Von Thaer, Battelle

Restaurants - Tara Gambill, MOD Pizza 

Sports - Max Mueller/Chris Nilson, Daimani

Sports - Paul Greenberg, The 56 Group and Brent Leary, CRM Essentials

Sports - Jeremy Bloom, Integrate

State and Local Govt - Rich Karlgaard, Forbes Media

State and Local Govt - Doug Belden, Hillsborough County, FL

Supply Chains - Tom Ryan, tkr Consulting Associates

Telecoms - Jay Smith, TracFone Wireless

Transportation - Evangelos Simoudis, Synapse Partners

Travel - Joseph Rajadurai, Cognizant

Utilities - Andre Blumberg, CLP Power

Utilities - Ed Abbo, C3.ai

User Groups - Geoff Scott/Dave Wascom, ASUG

Venture Capital - Brad Feld, Foundry Group

Venture Capital - Ray Lane, Greatpoint Ventures

BTW, many of the guests touch on several other industries. Many also bring a global point of view about Europe and Asia/Pac and others touch on leadership and resilience in a crisis, future of work, workforce diversity, data explosion and other topics

They include

Asia Pac - Andre Blumberg, CLP Power

Asia Pac - Sridhar Vembu, Zoho

Asia Pac - Rob Enslin, Google, 

Asia Pac - Rich Karlgaard, Forbes Media

Asia Pac - M.R. Rangaswami, Sand Hill Group

Asia Pac - Phil Fersht, HFS Research

Customer Centricity - Sue Fellows, Workfront

Customer Centricity - Emily McEvilly, Workday

Data trends - Brett Hurt, Data.world

Diversity - Tony Prophet, Salesforce

Diversity - Charles Phillips, RECOGNIZE

Diversity - Stephanie Lapierre, Tealbook

EU - Mike Laven, Currency Cloud

EU - Mike Ettling, Unit4

EU - Peter Maier, SAP

EU - Darren Roos, IFS

EU - Phil Fersht, IFS

Future of Work - Ben Pring 

HCM - Brian Sommer, TechVentive

HCM - Josh Bersin, Josh Bersin Academy

Leadership - Alex Shootman, Workfront

Leadership - Ray Lane, Greatpoint Ventures

Leadership - Daniel Pullin, Neeley School of Business, TCU

Leadership - Sanjay Poonen, VMware

Leadership - Sridhar Vembu, Zoho

Leadership - Rob Enslin, Google

Leadership - Charles Phillips, RECOGNIZE

Leadership - Ray Wang, Constellation Research

Leadership - Jeremy Bloom, Integrate

Leadership - Dr. Patti Fletcher/Grant Beckett, Workhuman

Planning - Grant Halloran, Planful

Public Discourse - Bruce Bond, Common Ground Committee

Sustainability - M. R. Rangaswami, Sand Hill Group

Startups - Ton Dobbe, Value Inspiration 

Startups - Eric Dirst, DeKonsultere

Startups - Brett Hurt, Data.world

Third Party Support - Seth Ravin, Rimini Street

Several others coming ...

Opening up the economy - smartly and safely

I had an early dental appointment this morning and noticed even at 630am the traffic was busier than it has been the last several weeks. Our county is in Phase 1 of its gradual re-opening.

I have been doing Zoom interviews with many C level executives around the country. They are all talking about prudent opening of their facilities. They will continue with work from home wherever possible. Where physical locations need to be open ensure distancing, temperature checks, enhanced hygiene routines.

Ray Lane in one of those interviews said "..look if we are going up the open up our economy again the responsibility now transfers from the government to us...Get out ...get back to work... bring all of these great technologies that we have seen during the COVID crisis ..bring them forward. I think you can operate in the month of May being socially responsible but let's get the economy going again."

We have already seen early signs of changes in workplace routines and hygiene. I wrote about those at Costco 5 weeks ago here. As of today, they have had many other process changes including requiring customers and employees to wear masks in their stores.

Amazon has procured so far more than 31,000 thermometers and 1,115+ thermal cameras, 100 million masks, 48 million ounces of hand sanitizers among other protective measures for its workplaces.

OSHA has guidelines for re-opening manufacturing plants. In an interview last week, Plex executives told me they have been facilitating a number of customer conversations about shop floor level safety protocols.

Cushman and Wakefield has a concept called the "6 feet office" for when people return to physical offices from their work from home settings

The NYC subway is going to be much more sanitary in the future.

Similarly when we start flying again we will find most US airplanes require passengers to wear masks, will reconfigure seats, change boarding processes, disinfect planes early and often. International flights will likely need temperature checks and health certificates.  We may also see concepts like Glassafe that Aviointeriors has developed - a Plexiglass like screen to cocoon passengers, to separate them from their neighbors.

Designers like Yves Behar are thinking further ahead. "Providing a sanitary safe environment will become standard in office design, with surface materials that are anti-microbial, security robots like Cobalt (which we designed), daily deep cleans, non-touch gestural interfaces, and more personal space. Office design is always changing, and this is a new opportunity to design for maximum health: a physical and mental wellbeing approach of the most precious asset of any business—its people,"

Salesforce is offering a site called Work.com to allow for collaboration to help safely reopen your workplace.

A final request as we re-open the economy. Focus on your own community, not giving advice to others. I posted this rant in social media on behalf of my state last week

"No other state is more respectful of computer models than FL courtesy of the National Hurricane Center. I have written case studies about the satellites, buoy sensors, Hurricane Hunter flights and other data capture tech and the supercomputers used to create track models.

Floridians are pretty systematic about our evacuations. There are escape routes clearly marked in every town. Toll roads become free. Our utilities start moving equipment to likely where the landfall will happen. FEMA is on standby. Neighbors help each other - they will make sure the elderly are ok. People walk around with chainsaws to help with fallen tree limbs.

If anything, every state should have applied our script in reverse for their CV19 lockdown. We have very few panic attacks unlike the chaos we have seen around this.

Here's the irony. We were told we were fxxked because we were not listening to the IHME and other CV19 models. Now that those models say our peak passed over a week ago, we are being told ignore the models, stay shut down. As of now we are only at 52 CV19 fatalities per million - compare to the NY/NJ/CT area which is at over 2300!

But, wait we have Florida Man so we are country bumpkins - what do we know?"

End of rant :)

Re-open your communities smartly. We all have lots and lots of work to do in the next few months - let's mirror the many smart folks who are working feverishly on vaccines, antibody tests, contact tracing and other innovations which will gradually make us feel safer and safer.