Ma Bell's Grave Marker
Showing posts with label telecom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label telecom. Show all posts
12/6/11
7/17/11
6/28/11
Arizona Landscape
It's All Over Now Baby Bell...
Mountain Bell > US WEST Communications > Qwest > CenturyLink
Mountain Bell > US WEST Communications > Qwest > CenturyLink
3/1/11
Thinking Out Loud
Too late for Blackberry...
Blackberry sent me a promotional email today. I should tell them they're wasting their time. After years of using Blackberry, then being burned by the Storm, I gave mine up today for an Android phone. I stuck with the same carrier, Verizon Wireless, although I was very close to switching to Sprint. It took awhile but I decided on going with a DroidX, the original version with larger memory, not the new one they're selling with lower memory and price. Yes, it's 3G but I don't really need 4G and my VZW Storm 1 was EVDO, so 3G is an upgrade for me.
I'm not an Apple person, I still think of their products as computers for kids and students, although I do use iTunes and have an iPod Touch. An iPhone was out of the question, I don't like walled gardens. For all of the noise about Google and privacy, I'm still a Google fan.
It mystifies me how Blackberry could blow the advantage they had in the smartphone market by not upgrading their browser experience. I recognize they're technically a more secure device but that's still not enough for the user who wants a richer mobile phone experience without hauling around even a tablet.
My laptop has basically been a desktop PC for awhile now, I don't haul it along when I travel around, an Android device obviates that for certain. Even so, as tablets get better, I will probably consider one within a year or so. I'm still a sucker for wireless technology, being a former Bellhead after all.
Blackberry sent me a promotional email today. I should tell them they're wasting their time. After years of using Blackberry, then being burned by the Storm, I gave mine up today for an Android phone. I stuck with the same carrier, Verizon Wireless, although I was very close to switching to Sprint. It took awhile but I decided on going with a DroidX, the original version with larger memory, not the new one they're selling with lower memory and price. Yes, it's 3G but I don't really need 4G and my VZW Storm 1 was EVDO, so 3G is an upgrade for me.
I'm not an Apple person, I still think of their products as computers for kids and students, although I do use iTunes and have an iPod Touch. An iPhone was out of the question, I don't like walled gardens. For all of the noise about Google and privacy, I'm still a Google fan.
It mystifies me how Blackberry could blow the advantage they had in the smartphone market by not upgrading their browser experience. I recognize they're technically a more secure device but that's still not enough for the user who wants a richer mobile phone experience without hauling around even a tablet.
My laptop has basically been a desktop PC for awhile now, I don't haul it along when I travel around, an Android device obviates that for certain. Even so, as tablets get better, I will probably consider one within a year or so. I'm still a sucker for wireless technology, being a former Bellhead after all.
1/4/11
5/16/10
End of the Line
Hanging up on the wireline telephone network...
There is No Dial Tone
Vandals Delight: they don't even bury it any more, just lay it on the ground for a 200 yards.
4/30/10
Wireline's Declining Market
End of the line...
CenturyTel recently announced it's acquisition of Qwest Communications to be rebranded as CenturyLink. CenturyTel is the descendant of an old Independent Telephone Company and Qwest, a Baby Bell, previously US WEST, which in turn was a descendant of Mountain Bell, Pacific Northwestern Bell, Malheur Bell and Northwest Bell. They operate on the Public Service Switched Network (PSTN) providing basic wireline service to residences and businesses based on a network model that dates back to the late 1940s. It is a declining market.
These are photographs of what has become of once was The Phone Company.
CenturyTel recently announced it's acquisition of Qwest Communications to be rebranded as CenturyLink. CenturyTel is the descendant of an old Independent Telephone Company and Qwest, a Baby Bell, previously US WEST, which in turn was a descendant of Mountain Bell, Pacific Northwestern Bell, Malheur Bell and Northwest Bell. They operate on the Public Service Switched Network (PSTN) providing basic wireline service to residences and businesses based on a network model that dates back to the late 1940s. It is a declining market.
These are photographs of what has become of once was The Phone Company.
3/24/10
How many times have you driven by this statue and wondered about it?
Navajo WWII Code Talkers Tribute:
Arizona Communications History...
Tribute To Navajo Code Talkers statue
This statute by Doug Hyde is on the northeast corner of Thomas Road and Central Avenue in Phoenix and was placed in 1989 as a tribute to the Navajo Code Talkers. The statue was commissioned through the Heard Museum by Best West Properties Inc. (investor real estate owned by US WEST Inc.) and the Koll Companies, developers of the plaza project. The intention was to represent communications history in Arizona and the commission was due to the location becoming the new state headquarters of US WEST Communications (now Qwest).
At the time there was still some sentiment among corporations in the US to honor the heritage and influence of their industries on the communities they served. This was especially prevalent in telephone companies who had strong traditions and sense of their history and heritage. This specific example is particularly remarkable in that it recognizes the forgotten contributions of the Navajo (and other Native American) Code Talkers of WWII, the connection between historical communications of a group once considered inferior to western US civilization and modern communications. The intent was also to recognize the diversity of the employees and customers the company served.
The inscription on the plaque reads:
Official website of the Navajo Code Talkers: http://www.navajocodetalkers.org/
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Arizona Communications History...
Qwest Tower 20 E Thomas Rd Phoenix AZ
This statute by Doug Hyde is on the northeast corner of Thomas Road and Central Avenue in Phoenix and was placed in 1989 as a tribute to the Navajo Code Talkers. The statue was commissioned through the Heard Museum by Best West Properties Inc. (investor real estate owned by US WEST Inc.) and the Koll Companies, developers of the plaza project. The intention was to represent communications history in Arizona and the commission was due to the location becoming the new state headquarters of US WEST Communications (now Qwest).
At the time there was still some sentiment among corporations in the US to honor the heritage and influence of their industries on the communities they served. This was especially prevalent in telephone companies who had strong traditions and sense of their history and heritage. This specific example is particularly remarkable in that it recognizes the forgotten contributions of the Navajo (and other Native American) Code Talkers of WWII, the connection between historical communications of a group once considered inferior to western US civilization and modern communications. The intent was also to recognize the diversity of the employees and customers the company served.
The inscription on the plaque reads:
This tribute represents the spirit of the Navajo Code Talkers, a group of more than 400 U.S. Marines who bravely served their country during World War II.
Their mission: to utilize the Navajo language in the creation of an unbreakable secret code. Between 1942 and 1945, the Navajo Code Talkers used this code, and their skills as radio operators, to provide a secure method of communications vital to America's Victory.
Among many Native Americans, the flute is a communications tool used to signal the end of confrontation and the coming of peace. This tribute represents the advancement of peace for all future generations.
This is the first permanent tribute to honor the Navajo Code Talkers.
Official website of the Navajo Code Talkers: http://www.navajocodetalkers.org/
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3/22/10
Analog Social Web
How Rosie the Riveter became the First Social Web Guru...
Dallas Bryan Street Toll Office
In the period after World War II telephones and dial service became a priority for the nation as the telephone system became the primary way to connect people for social networking. The building of new, more efficient switches and Operator Service centers became a priority for the Bell System and Independent Telcos to accommodate the rapidly escalating demand for service. A primary way of rebuilding the social, economic and political fabric of the country was by way of connecting people through communications as rapidly and effectively as possible. The United States was emerging from a long era of economic downturn and war.
"Hello Operator? I'd like to make a call."
The role of telephone operators interlacing the analog social web known as the telephone system cannot be underestimated. Without them, many connections could not be made and the call for those connections was skyrocketing. In order to handle the traffic volume, it became necessary to develop standardized methods and procedures for call handling consistency and calculated scheduling techniques, to meet the demands of service. It was a matter of efficiently accomplishing tasks in an analog, mechanical world operated by humans for customer satisfaction at a reasonable cost.
The original customer service contact centers that we know today originated in telephone company operator service centers with methods continuously developed after WWII and institutionalized in the 1950s when Operator Toll Dialing was rolled out nationwide. Operator Toll Dialing was the original implementation of the 10-digit telephone area code and number system we use today. The telephone company Operator Toll Centers set the precedence for call routing to centralized locations and the attendant discipline within operations, required to treat common call situations consistently and staff at peak and trough times, and now the core of call centers today. Regimented operating practices were instituted for the most common types of calls handled and scrupulously monitored, to speed up call handling. This led to the widespread institution of what is now known as "Average Call Handling Time", Available Time" and "Actual Work Time," to shave milliseconds off each call to improve the overall financial performance of what are cost centers.
Diagram of original AT&T Traffic Operator Position System (TSPS) keyshelf
With the onset of computerization and operator systems such as Traffic Service Position System (TSPS) and Traffic Operator Position System (TOPS) more data could be gathered to automate processes. The principles of centralization and standardization were replicated outside the phone companies, creating the call center industry. With each switchboard advance, computerized mechanization and automation of routine tasks, the groundwork was laid for contemporary call center operations.
Edit.jpg)
Dallas Bryan Street Toll Office
"Hello Operator? I'd like to make a call."
The role of telephone operators interlacing the analog social web known as the telephone system cannot be underestimated. Without them, many connections could not be made and the call for those connections was skyrocketing. In order to handle the traffic volume, it became necessary to develop standardized methods and procedures for call handling consistency and calculated scheduling techniques, to meet the demands of service. It was a matter of efficiently accomplishing tasks in an analog, mechanical world operated by humans for customer satisfaction at a reasonable cost.
Albuquerque NM Toll and Assistance Cord Switchboard ca 1970
The original customer service contact centers that we know today originated in telephone company operator service centers with methods continuously developed after WWII and institutionalized in the 1950s when Operator Toll Dialing was rolled out nationwide. Operator Toll Dialing was the original implementation of the 10-digit telephone area code and number system we use today. The telephone company Operator Toll Centers set the precedence for call routing to centralized locations and the attendant discipline within operations, required to treat common call situations consistently and staff at peak and trough times, and now the core of call centers today. Regimented operating practices were instituted for the most common types of calls handled and scrupulously monitored, to speed up call handling. This led to the widespread institution of what is now known as "Average Call Handling Time", Available Time" and "Actual Work Time," to shave milliseconds off each call to improve the overall financial performance of what are cost centers.
Diagram of original AT&T Traffic Operator Position System (TSPS) keyshelf
Northern Electric Original Toll Operator Position System (TOPS)
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Bell System TV ad introducing "Computer Assisted Phone Operator" (TSPS) to United States
If you enjoyed this article you may also be interested in my post from two days ago "On Social Web Platforms: Bringing It All Back Home..." http://bit.ly/cok7Ur OR from March 2009 "POTUS LBJ and Obama: Early Adopters of Communications Tools" http://bit.ly/co2TRi
3/20/10
On Social Web Platforms
Bringing The Digital Life All Back Home...
Recently I've being spending less time on the social web and when I am on my preferred platforms, I'm using them for different reasons. Although I like Facebook (it's a pleasant walled garden) it has always seemed a bit like high school and the applications and games don't appeal to me. Twitter, where I've spent most of my time the past few years, started for me as simply a note-taking service for brief thoughts that occurred to me. It morphed into something pleasantly unexpected, a replacement for the interaction I once had on the community that existed on YouTube during 2006-2007, as well as meeting new online friends. After trying Google Buzz it is still a non-starter for me, social web celebs raves aside, currently it just seems more of the same.
It is natural these platforms progress and evolve and for me they have come to feel more like communications tools than hubs for social interaction and community. I embrace that, I find myself more interested in using them to discover new things to read, do, gather information and make contact with people for more extended interaction. My perception is the social web is narrowing down to a connection point for more personal, in-depth conversation, than can be conducted on limited space open social web forums.
Foursquare, Gowalla, Google Latitude, Yelp and other Location Based Services along with smartphones are making inroads I believe because people are looking for more depth in their online connections and want to bring the social closer to home as well as offline. A more personal web, where the platform becomes the communications tool that bridges the community people create online, to more intimate levels for deeper relationships. The internet is the replacement for the old social network, the telephone system, so it is no surprise it is making connections in the same way. Fundamentally human social networking remains the same, regardless of the tools used.
Recently I've being spending less time on the social web and when I am on my preferred platforms, I'm using them for different reasons. Although I like Facebook (it's a pleasant walled garden) it has always seemed a bit like high school and the applications and games don't appeal to me. Twitter, where I've spent most of my time the past few years, started for me as simply a note-taking service for brief thoughts that occurred to me. It morphed into something pleasantly unexpected, a replacement for the interaction I once had on the community that existed on YouTube during 2006-2007, as well as meeting new online friends. After trying Google Buzz it is still a non-starter for me, social web celebs raves aside, currently it just seems more of the same.
It is natural these platforms progress and evolve and for me they have come to feel more like communications tools than hubs for social interaction and community. I embrace that, I find myself more interested in using them to discover new things to read, do, gather information and make contact with people for more extended interaction. My perception is the social web is narrowing down to a connection point for more personal, in-depth conversation, than can be conducted on limited space open social web forums.
Foursquare, Gowalla, Google Latitude, Yelp and other Location Based Services along with smartphones are making inroads I believe because people are looking for more depth in their online connections and want to bring the social closer to home as well as offline. A more personal web, where the platform becomes the communications tool that bridges the community people create online, to more intimate levels for deeper relationships. The internet is the replacement for the old social network, the telephone system, so it is no surprise it is making connections in the same way. Fundamentally human social networking remains the same, regardless of the tools used.
3/16/10
411: What City Please?
Men Broke Barriers Too...
In early 1973 I was one of the first male telephone company switchboard operators hired by the Bell System (and Independent Companies) in the US in over 75 years. I was crossed-trained as a Directory Assistance operator (we worked with large paper directories) and as a Toll and Assistance operator on a manual cord switchboard built in 1948. I later worked as an overseas operator on old circuits in an International Operator Center. Some of my anecdotal operator stories, as well as operator history articles are on the website Privateline.
Telephone history still interests me and look forward on this blog for photographs of original switchboards we used "back in the day."
This is a short video I did a few years ago telling a comedic story about one of my experiences in those days.
411: For What City Please? from JR Snyder Jr on Vimeo.
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In early 1973 I was one of the first male telephone company switchboard operators hired by the Bell System (and Independent Companies) in the US in over 75 years. I was crossed-trained as a Directory Assistance operator (we worked with large paper directories) and as a Toll and Assistance operator on a manual cord switchboard built in 1948. I later worked as an overseas operator on old circuits in an International Operator Center. Some of my anecdotal operator stories, as well as operator history articles are on the website Privateline.Telephone history still interests me and look forward on this blog for photographs of original switchboards we used "back in the day."
This is a short video I did a few years ago telling a comedic story about one of my experiences in those days.
411: For What City Please? from JR Snyder Jr on Vimeo.
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9/14/09
Phoenx South Mountain Communications Towers
Twenty Towers Top South Mountain
Over the years I've wondered about the vulnerability of the towers on South Mountain. Usually decades ago when lightning protection was not what it is today, the concern was lightning strikes. That also sparks another concern, wildfires from the brush that covers the mountain, which could be started by lightning.
After September 11, 2001 the security of locations like this all over the US was reconsidered. The Bush Administration quietly spent millions of dollars in securing all kinds of locations. Among other things 911 emergency communication systems were upgraded both in locations like this and correspondingly in 911 centers.
This video blog was taken on South Mountain where the communications towers are located.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8obFpg_MTYk
http://www.youtube.com/jrsnyderjr
3/17/09
POTUS LBJ and Obama: Early Adopters of Communications Tools
...Presidential Electronic Trendsetters in footsteps of Lincoln.
"President Johnson believed in using the telephone, and his staff saw to it that he was never more than two minutes from one no matter where he was."
LBJ on phone in Oval Office.
Notice the large PBX console,
speakerphone box and
thick cable connecting the console.
President Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) was an early adopter of complex telecommunications to stay in constant communication wherever he went. Through this method he was able to keep tabs on a volatile social political environment he wanted to control. He advanced the use of telecommunications in the Office of the President and the White House, paving the way for a 21st century President Obama to use a Blackberry device.
When he was elected Vice President in 1960 LBJ's "telephone mania" was kicked into high gear and he required even more telephone equipment at the LBJ Ranch . The ranch was served by the Independent Telco Southwestern States Telephone and the high level communication needs in ranch country required a complex arrangement between them and the nearby local Bell System company, Southwestern Bell in Austin.
The assassination of President Kennedy meant an immediate increased demand for instant communications at the ranch by the "always on" new President. On Privateline.com in Telephones at the LBJ Ranch the story of how sudden communications needs were met at the LBJ Ranch, during that national emergency, is recounted from the out of print Good Connections: A Century of Service by the Men and Women of Southwestern Bell by David Park Jr. It is a study in how the regulated wireline telecommunications infrastructure stepped up to meet the needs of a President demanding instant communications in a manner that gives every indication he would make use of wireless devices and the internet today. Also in that section is Don Kimberlin's brush with LBJ's telephone mania and experience with POTUS setup for President Richard M. Nixon.
Going Mobile
LBJ's console
underdesk pullout
Air Force One
President Johnson pushed the envelop of available telecommunications for instant messaging through electronic communications in the 1960s and that included personal involvement in the conducting of a war. A century earlier, President Abraham Lincoln pressed boundaries of available electronic technology by extensive use of the telegraph for instant messaging.
President Abraham Lincoln is a hero of President Barack Obama and Mr. Lincoln's T-Mails: How Abraham Lincoln Used the Telegraph to Win the Civil War by Tom Wheeler (2006) is a friendly read on how President Lincoln combined his skill as a writer with use of the telegraph for effective immediate electronic communication to win the Civil War. Tom Wheeler plays a role and is influential in President Obama's telecommunications policy. It is helpful in understanding how electronic communications that advance in one President's administration permanently changes social communication in the Office of the President .
President Obama's Air Force One Phone
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"Oh Doctor please, some more of these, outside the door..."
JFK 1963 Phone Call requesting "a little extra medication" sent up
____________________________________________________________
White House Operators 1970
"President Johnson believed in using the telephone, and his staff saw to it that he was never more than two minutes from one no matter where he was."
From The Heritage of Time: The People and Times of GTE Southwest 1876-1988, by Larry Johnson. (1990)
LBJ on phone in Oval Office.
Notice the large PBX console,
speakerphone box and
thick cable connecting the console.
President Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) was an early adopter of complex telecommunications to stay in constant communication wherever he went. Through this method he was able to keep tabs on a volatile social political environment he wanted to control. He advanced the use of telecommunications in the Office of the President and the White House, paving the way for a 21st century President Obama to use a Blackberry device.
When he was elected Vice President in 1960 LBJ's "telephone mania" was kicked into high gear and he required even more telephone equipment at the LBJ Ranch . The ranch was served by the Independent Telco Southwestern States Telephone and the high level communication needs in ranch country required a complex arrangement between them and the nearby local Bell System company, Southwestern Bell in Austin.The assassination of President Kennedy meant an immediate increased demand for instant communications at the ranch by the "always on" new President. On Privateline.com in Telephones at the LBJ Ranch the story of how sudden communications needs were met at the LBJ Ranch, during that national emergency, is recounted from the out of print Good Connections: A Century of Service by the Men and Women of Southwestern Bell by David Park Jr. It is a study in how the regulated wireline telecommunications infrastructure stepped up to meet the needs of a President demanding instant communications in a manner that gives every indication he would make use of wireless devices and the internet today. Also in that section is Don Kimberlin's brush with LBJ's telephone mania and experience with POTUS setup for President Richard M. Nixon.
Going Mobile
LBJ's console
underdesk pullout
Air Force One
President Johnson pushed the envelop of available telecommunications for instant messaging through electronic communications in the 1960s and that included personal involvement in the conducting of a war. A century earlier, President Abraham Lincoln pressed boundaries of available electronic technology by extensive use of the telegraph for instant messaging.
President Abraham Lincoln is a hero of President Barack Obama and Mr. Lincoln's T-Mails: How Abraham Lincoln Used the Telegraph to Win the Civil War by Tom Wheeler (2006) is a friendly read on how President Lincoln combined his skill as a writer with use of the telegraph for effective immediate electronic communication to win the Civil War. Tom Wheeler plays a role and is influential in President Obama's telecommunications policy. It is helpful in understanding how electronic communications that advance in one President's administration permanently changes social communication in the Office of the President .
Blackberry President
President Obama's Air Force One Phone
____________________________________________________________"Oh Doctor please, some more of these, outside the door..."
JFK 1963 Phone Call requesting "a little extra medication" sent up
____________________________________________________________
White House Operators 1970
3/12/09
Another Google Fail? Gary Busey on Business! GotVMail?
Longtime GrandCentral users unable to upgrade to Google Voice
I started using GrandCentral before they were bought by Google and they put it into beta. Actually I ended up with two numbers, one from an invitation sent to me after Google took over.
How I solved my "one-number" problem, a different way a long time ago, is another story. There is some over-complicated reinvention of the wheel with these web dashboard VoIP virtual phone services for solving an old problem. Considering that for most people who call me, these days area code is irrelevant, as are long distance charges. I live in a 10 digit dialing mandated city and also in mind. There are a lot of people who live and work here with out of state or oustate area codes and it's become irrelevant for voice. If I'm somewhere else it becomes more irrelevant. Cell phones with national plans and plenty of minutes but data plans that are a killer. Skype is also a viable option, with webcam and especially for international calls.
My main purpose for using GrandCentral is that it provides a phone number in another city, where I have a lot of contacts, to easily reach me. I like having control over programming the direction of calls, messages, announcements, blocking. Additionally I can also control these features other than on GrandCentral's web page by a widget on a web page or through my phone.
London Faraday International Control Centre
(Overseas Operators) cord switchboard ca 1977
(Overseas Operators) cord switchboard ca 1977
This morning I logged into GrandCentral and was excited to see the message offering me the chance upgrade to Google Voice as was ballyhooed announced. My plan was to blog today about how the upgrade went and the new features. Now I'll leave that to the bloggers who were able to continue with the upgrade.
My plans changed when my welcome page with the upgrade notification suddenly became "Your account is not yet ready to be upgraded. Please check back shortly." While the Twitterverse is fluttering madly over Google Voice or some decrying the same fate as myself, I'm instead blogging now about why that gave me pause to re-think why am I using GrandCentral at all or upgrading to Google Voice. Just pondering while waiting...
Do I really want to use another Google service? Do I want all my stuff on their cloud? I recognize that data collection in the cloud is largely unavoidable but I'll split mine up amongst clouds. I'm thinking of diversified financial investing as a concept for web services, although the choices are narrowing for diversity.
The new Google Voice Features, even the voicemail transcriptions, are not unique. The question is how great is the assembly and do they actually reliably function? I don't know yet.
Larry Majid of CNET gushes "Google Voice: Flawed but still awesome." TelephonyOnline's Rich Karpinski writes a good "Analysis: Google Voice versus...everybody?"
RingCentral and Ribbit from BT, GotVMail, OneBox and others provide similar services and don't count telcos and cable providers out yet. Then there's the re-invention of the home phone sparked off by the Verizon Wireless Hub, a tempting alternative for growing microbusinesses to downshifting home office professionals and entrepreneurs. Google still doesn't seem sure what to do with YouTube after major missteps and then there's Gmail...
Amazon is in the cloud, Paypal and Skype are still alive and Twitter is underestimated for it's capabilities beyond 140 character messages. Yahoo isn't dead and there's Mozilla...
Google's Eric Schmidt thinks Twitter is a "poor man's email" while in the same interview conceding the economy is "pretty dire." So how many people will be buying into rich man's email (Gmail?) in an extended recession? Google Voice as a rich man's...phone service?
Inside the Entrepreneutrial Mind of the Inimitable Gary Busey
GotVMail is like a Mullet or Mohawk, by Gary Busey
Subscribe to garybuseyonbusiness on YouTube. Get the embed code to put the "Gary on Business" video on your site by going to Gary Busey on Business on the GotVMail site!
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Interesting...
The revoked upgrade caused me to think about what I had been putting off, how to better simplify and integrate the few phone numbers I'm now down to, with better messaging. The GrandCentral platform number works reasonably well and when they do eventually offer Google Voice to me, I'll upgrade and use one number as long as it's free.
Realistically, if "Google is going to revolutionize the telecom business" it can't remain free to customers forever, much less in our lifetime. Charging is inevitable, after the teaser, because advertising alone cannot support the type of network and traffic it will take to "revolutionize telecom", even with billions in your pocket, eventually you must turn a profit. Customers will have "one number for life" if they pay for it in addition to being tracked by Google.
There's a fundamental shift here: the person using a service like Google Voice is a "user" and not a "customer" in the sense a telco or cable provider views it.
I can accomplish what Google Voice does much simpler, for less cost and trouble in the long run, another way right now. In the near future I see a need for some of the services of web based VoIP service with feature control and will now start looking in advance at the options, to be prepared for when the time is right. Who knows what else may develop by then?
Does anyone want to purchase a GrandCentral 602 Phoenix Arizona number?
3/2/09
Evan Williams on social networking and Twitter.com
Evan Williams on social networking
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Evan Williams on Twitter.com
"twitter is an asynchronous relationship model"
"Twitter is over capacity"
This is the status of Twitter at this moment...
the site has been slow to respond all day.
_____________________________________________________________
Twitter is over capacity.
_____________________________________________________________Too many tweets! Please wait a moment and try again.
I've only been using it a few weeks and already I miss it when it's down!
2/27/09
Twitter and me so far...
developing...
Since Twitter is enjoying yet another resurgence in popularity, my entry now is onto a more evolved site and coinciding with a flurry of other newcomers. For several reasons I'm evaluating a number of web tools and Twitter was inevitable in my life, even if only for a short time, so on Twitter I am.
So now I'm a tweeter, albeit a awkward and not prolific or clever one, I get the point, the vision and now it seems obvious. It is the ubiquitous version of the way a few close friends (all I grew up with) and I have juggled instant messaging, text messaging, cell calls for years to be accessible with the technology we had. We still use good old msn messenger as the start of every day as a link to what we are doing and where we are or what our opinion/mood is at the moment. I might send an IM at 7:30 am and at 10:15 pm my friend sends a reply back by text message and...that goes on back and forth all day, you get the idea. I've known for awhile we were using modified tools from the late 90s, Web 2.0 updated, to accomplish a social connection through the day that seemed outmoded. I will say that for 5 people it's very functional and works but that is it's limit.
Twitter accomplishes what we do among other things on a larger scale. As the early adopter among my little crowd, I've learned to wait for the question "what is this Twitter thing you're doing all about?"
So now I'm a tweeter, albeit a awkward and not prolific or clever one, I get the point, the vision and now it seems obvious. It is the ubiquitous version of the way a few close friends (all I grew up with) and I have juggled instant messaging, text messaging, cell calls for years to be accessible with the technology we had. We still use good old msn messenger as the start of every day as a link to what we are doing and where we are or what our opinion/mood is at the moment. I might send an IM at 7:30 am and at 10:15 pm my friend sends a reply back by text message and...that goes on back and forth all day, you get the idea. I've known for awhile we were using modified tools from the late 90s, Web 2.0 updated, to accomplish a social connection through the day that seemed outmoded. I will say that for 5 people it's very functional and works but that is it's limit.
Twitter accomplishes what we do among other things on a larger scale. As the early adopter among my little crowd, I've learned to wait for the question "what is this Twitter thing you're doing all about?"
to be continued...
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"Evan Williams on what's behind Twitter's explosive growth"
In this TED Conference ten minute video with Evan Williams, he talks about the concept of the side project of Twitter and how it evolved to where it is today.
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"Evan Williams on what's behind Twitter's explosive growth"
In this TED Conference ten minute video with Evan Williams, he talks about the concept of the side project of Twitter and how it evolved to where it is today.
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tip of the hat to our national space
2/25/09
Helen of Many Glacier Hotel 1925
This 1925 photo is fascinating to me. Helen, the switchboard operator, is dignified photographed at this crudely built switchboard for the Many Glacier Hotel in Montana.
2/24/09
Get Yer True Grit Out America!
we interrupt usual programming for a patriotic jingoistic rant...
____________________________________________________________
A little over 40 years ago, when I was a freshman in high school, I moved to the United States with my parents, my sister, aunt, uncle and my cousin. I'm proud and fortunate to have been able to come to the United States and live my American Dream.
Through the decades I've come across all kinds of people working and living their American Dream. The American Dream is a journey that never really ends since as you travel you discover that is the real destination. For those people who have the character traits that are likely to seek the American Dream, the quest to achieve is never satisfied and with each achievement, their nature is to move on to another quest. How the rewards of successful quest results are utilized is as unique as the individuals who achieve them.
We are in an economic crisis and era of social and political change that matches any other in history and a lot of hard work needs to be done...
In the mean time what are we doing to ourselves? Too much mainstream media, government commentary, wall street prognosticators, politicians, all with an overemphasis on the mentality of failure talking. Has everyone lost their senses and their guts and vision? Personally I don't think so. The self-fulfilling prophecy model can happen if more people don't realize that life is not as we knew it but not nearly as bad as we make it and get their mojo back real soon. I believe many already are and will. America was founded on Self-Reliance, Individualism, True Grit, Innovation, Invention and Reinvention...history is on our side, now let's get on with making it.
This is going to be a tough haul and the best thing Americans can do individually is the necessary work to reinvent the way we live to build back a better country.
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Some books are timeless and 26 years ago when an odd unintentional medical event sidelined me for a period, I read many books to help me rise above the temporary but difficult immediate situation I was in. One recommended to me by a doctor stands out as still relevant, "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl. Although first published in 1946 it remains one of ten most influential books in the US. It is most worthwhile reading for gaining a healthy non-monetary perspective on our current dilemma.
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