Figuring out SMS lingo

SMS is huge in Asia. If you're having trouble understanding your messages, TransL8it might be able to help. It's fun to play around with and it helps you learn to speak SMS. Thanks for the link, Jenny. 

9:41:10 AM     

categories: Expat Tech, Indonesia

Kuro5hin ad

I just bought an add on Kuro5hin's website. I figure it is an interesting experiment and a way to support them. I'm not a regular reader and I've never posted, but I'm all for what Rusty's trying to do. Viva la K5!

9:08:49 AM     

categories: Virtual Communities

Kuro5hin is broke

It is always sad when a web community hits the skids. In this case, it is "simply" money problems. Hopefully it won't bring K5 down.

9:08:30 AM     

categories: Virtual Communities

Circuit City drops VHS movies

The non-stop march of DVD's success continues. VHS, which never caught on here in Indonesia, will be gone soon. The VCD format will hang on for a bit in Indonesia. The players are cheaper, but the cost for VCD disks vs DVD disks (copied, of course) are not that far a part and the DVD prices will be falling.

8:54:10 AM     

categories: Movies

Deap Throat exposed, not

Just bought John Dean's new Unmasking Deep Throat ebook. It is in PDF format, which is cool, because I can print it out and read it like a real book (I can also loan it to my friends). Wish it was also in MS Reader format so I could read it on my Pocket PC. BTW, according to ZDnet, it doesn't actually unmask deep throat, just reduces the likely suspects.

8:49:43 AM     

categories: Books

Remote tips

"If I had any advice to give to remote employees it would be this:
* Open as many channels of communication with as many people as possible. Connect with people however you can. Make efficient use of the phone, email, instant messaging.
* When you're talking with someone you don't see on a regular basis, make an attempt to connect personally with them. It's not just about getting business done, it's about building a friendship. As a remote employee, you cannot have enough friends on the inside.
* Disagreements magnify over email. Be extremely careful of your word choice. Don't assume that everyone on the copy to list will understand the context of a statement or an objection. Keep the copy to list small. Realize that email while email is essential to the remote employees existence, for regular employees it tends to be a distraction so they read it as little as possible. I've found that email is an extremely inefficient tool to accomplish anything. Pick up the phone." [ Snell's Blog ]

You know, most of us are work "remotely" in some way. In other words, people we need for our success work at a different location. Key people I work with live in other parts of Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, and the good old US of A.

7:20:17 AM     

categories: Program Managment Course

Self interest or Self Sacrifice

Are your goals different than your co-workers?  Do you have a limited attention span for items that are not related to your goals? If so, then the first thing to recognize when dealing with others - be it co-workers, competitors, or people you are presenting to is:

• The people you interact with have different goals than you do.
• They have a limited attention span for items not related to their goals as they perceive them at the moment.

So, for starters, be as self reliant as possible.  But as most of the time you need to work with people, recognize that you are generally asking them to do somehting that you are unable or unwilling to do yourself, and ack [sic] accordingly. [Sam Ruby]

Good insight. I don't necessarily agree with the "be as self reliant as possible" bit, however.  I think the key to success is slowly changing your own character. People become more interested in your goals, when you're interested in theirs.  Maybe that is what Sam was really suggesting?

6:24:51 AM     

categories: Program Managment Course