Gregory Canyon Morning

In the woods I feel like a philosopher, all perspective, wily and grizzled. There are no cannons or fortifications of flesh and bone. The universe' missive is clear and cold and comforting. "we perish each alone" she says through the brook pounding it's way down the canyon, through the million solitary pines who brush each other in the breeze, but never speak. In this stoic house I watch and weep, ponder and rejoice, at the beautiful tragedy each day brings.

pogoplug

I was visiting with Brad Feld a couple of weeks ago talking startups, techstars, and summer in Boulder and ended with a brief discussion of some of his more recent portfolio companies. One of them is PogoPlug. While I'm not sure about the name (pogoplug, really?), it offers one hell of a service for $99.

So what DOES a pogoplug do, you ask? It makes your files accessible over the internet. Copy the files you would like to make available onto a USB drive, power up your pogoplug, connect it to your router via ethernet, plug in your usb drive, and sign up for the service online. voila. Remote file heaven. Want to share your MP3's, or photos of that last trip abroad. Throw them on the pogoplug and share them. It even has a handy piece of software that makes it look like it's a local drive. This is soooo much more flexible than using Google Docs because you can share files of any type and size. Note - I haven't tried out the iphone integration yet. I'll try to get out another post once I've checked out that feature.

Installation was a breeze, the user experience was straight forward and intuitive, the packaging slick and simple.

The only thing I would add is offline synchronization, specifically itunes and iphoto, but easily applied to anything (folder, file, etc). I have a Mac Air. It is storage challenged so the pogoplug has been a great addition. My biggest hassle has been with itunes though. I want to store my entire music collection (about 50GB) on the pogoplug and keep about 15GB locally stored on my Mac (for use on airplanes, trains, and automobiles). When I buy new music I want it to automatically sync (library, files, and all) over to the pogoplug when I show back up online. Ok, maybe the software asks first, because, who knows, I may be sitting in an airport or coffee shop with a slow connection. But after asking, it just syncs whatever it needs to to make sure the pogoplug maintains the superset. Same could be said for files. I'm working on a big presentation. I've shared it with a couple of people. I make abundant changes while working offline and then come back online. Ask first, then sync, and finally send email to the people I've shared the file with (asking first whether to send update email). That would be beyond awesome and happily worth an extra $39.95 for the device.

Also, Wired brought up that there may be security holes, so you may want to dig more before making sensitive material available. I looked into it on the support site and their claims seem fairly solid though I haven't tested (see below).

Pogoplug is tied to your email address and protected by a password that you assign. We always try to create a direct connection between your computer and the Pogoplug (fully encrypted), but even when we do have to relay through our service it is done using an encrypted tunnel. Pogoplug effectively creates a vpn into your hard drive that is very secure. Web access is over ssl, including initial email address/password authentication.

Well done Cloud Engine and Brad and Ross, thanks for sharing.

SXSW (music) in a Nutshell

Yep, that's right, I was there. And I didn't even arrive early for the interactive part of the festival. This was pure unabashed vacation time to check out the biggest music festival for music industry insiders in the USA. Epic. Carnival-like. Night of the Living Dead. These were all phrases used to describe the event by the local press. The music got started by 11am every day and worked it's way through multiple crescendos at different venues through out the day and ended with thousands of zombie-like fans, bands, and entourage looking for the last party around 3am (usually RedBull).

Strategy and preparation are key. Without benefit of an event pass you must RSVP to multiple shows each day and prioritize your route through the chaos to try to catch the bands most worth seeing. And that may change mid-event as buzz erupts around how brilliant or authentic or ordained this or that band is, based solely upon the performance a group of people in your social media circle witnessed the night before. Bragging rights are around unbelievable performances (such as the reportedly off the charts performance by Jane's Addiction at the Playboy party) or new discoveries ("hey did you catch that show by Pains of Being Pure at Heart"?).

Twitter was a fairly big connection point and I have to believe much bigger than at last year's event, further emphasizing it's rising role in social nets as the real time bondo. I hear FourSquare (for you disgruntled dodgeball fans) was also big at the interactive portion of sxsw but didn't really see many people using it during music. All in all, great time. I came back with what was labeled as sxsw sars (really bad chest cold which turned into bronchitis) and a lot less money than when I left so would say from my financial and health deficits that it added up to one hell of an experience. ... and yes, I bought the tee shirt at the airport on the way out of town.


Overall experience top 14 list:

1. plus ones FTW!
2. twitter
   
3. bloody mary's as breakfast
4. waffles in the shape of texas (everything in the shape of texas)
5. non aggro doormen
6. sunshine
7. random connections
8. dual stage venues
9. blackout curtains in the hotel room
   
10. lines suck
11. rsvp lists on delicious (thanks go to Tessa @ DriveAFasterCar)
    
12. bands who twitter
13. VIP lounges with food
14. brisket

And my tops list of bands:

• Grizzly Bear - similar to Fleet Foxes, intricate melodies and orchestrated sound. Try "Knife" from the Yellow House album.
  
• The Whip - Not sure how to categorize, somewhere in between NiN and Crystal Method with some Basement Jaxx thrown in? And they don't just use a drum track. They have a kick ass female drummer and awesome bass player. They had the entire club dancing at the British Embassy party. High energy. Try "Fire" and "Trash"
  
• Crystal Antlers - straight up blues rock. wall of sound.
• The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Maybe the best of the week. Awesome 90's throwback sound. Definitely try these guys out. Here's a link to them on Hype Machine. Give "Young Adult Friction" a listen.
• The Republic Tigers - something like Bloc Party.
  
• Vivian Girls - three piece garage girl band. a much better version of Hole
• The Black Lips - Atlanta band, been around for a while and just breaking through. Headlined one show. Sound kind of country Rolling Stones
• Voxtrot - Jangly guitar pop
• We Were Promised Jetpacks - great fucking name. Scottish band. Actually didn't see them but meant to and downloaded the one free song available from Amazon.
  
• Cursive - didn't see them but they were getting some hype, so downloaded and listened. good stuff. Try out "From the Hips"
  
• Wave Machines - a lot of falsetto, mix of dance and rock, very tight set. They wear masks of themselves. Kind of strange I know, and I don't think they necessarily need the extra bit in the act. They sound a little like MGMT. Ok, you might not think so if you're a huge MGMT fan, but popularity breeds comparison.
  
• Blitzen Trapper - also didn't get in to see them but very much worth the listen! Try the title track on the Furr album.
• Chairlift - I've seen them before and saw them twice on this trip! Great band. Reportedly the inspiration for them was to make music for haunted houses and got their start around the same time as MGMT in New York (even remixing "Evident Utensil" by MGMT as one of their first releases). What's up with Caroline's leg tats? Following up Chairlift at Red7 was Telepathic, another rising avant-pop band composed of two women drums, sample track, and dancers. Also, worth checking out.

that's it. so long southwest.

Social Media Panel

Get Social Media? from JohnstonWells Public Relations on Vimeo.


I participated in this panel back in November hosted by the PR firm Johnston-Wells of Denver. These guys are at the forefront of helping companies figure out the new world of social media and "the why and how" of effectively participating in this powerful distributed world of consumer influence.

The event was well attended by local companies in the Denver front range community and highlighted the range of emotional embrace organizations have for social media, from outright fear to competitive advantage.

Splash

My mom just found one of the poems I wrote back in 1994 stuffed in a closet in an old notebook and sent it to me. Certainly a sign that it wanted to be published...

SPLASH
Animal hunger cessation
The stone stops
in mid flight
Looks up for instructions
then plummets
Through the evening sky
Through dusk
Through eternity
Curtsy and
SPLASH!!
The waves ripple
slowly towards shore
Overpowering current,
Nature disrupted in an instant
The stone, unaware and uncaring now
of its effect on the surface
lilts lazily from side to side
On its own path,
Its own luxurious ride
To the sandy deep.

Written November 25, 1994

copyright 2009 Tim Wolters

Salvation

In blank spaces
in between the trees
where I've walked
with the secrets
of stones and creeks and grasses
only given to
insouciant passers by
on their way to death
with no time for anything but truth
with the trilling sound of worms
rising
in chorus to meet each new day
filled with echos of laughter
we used to bring with us
in back packs and school lunch boxes
when we missed our mothers and fathers
long gone on roads of their own choosing
with blame
and convalescence just a phone call away
that never gets made
because we're so fucking wise to god's ways
and how the puzzles get played
into the darkness we'll go
amazed, amazed at how little we see
on these back roads, these side roads
so sure of salvation
and knowing
one beautiful day she'll come

copyright 2009 Tim Wolters

iGloves and ski runs

Just saw this posting today on ArsTechnica. I suppose the world needs an iGlove. After all there are huge numbers of iphone users living above 40 degrees latitude that need to keep their hands warm while texting or using the iFart application. Really? I was just having a conversation with a friend of mine about the comforts of heated steering wheels, so this doesn't seem outside of the realm of necessity at this particular moment. Perhaps the screen can be heated as well to provide further comfort for when that moment of co-dependent connectivity strikes in the bitter cold.

I guess I sort of feel like we've lost our way a little bit and become too attached to this virtual world and less cognizant of the immediate physical world floating near our sedate and corpulent lifestyles. I am so guilty. Yesterday I had a wonderful time skiing with a friend. No time for texting, twittering, friending, or following when careening down a black slope, edges committed to avoiding trees, bumps, other skiers and the occasional bare rock. I was waiting for a response from a request I had made and for the first two runs felt anxious and wanting to check my phone. This quickly melted away with the afternoon snow and later felt grateful for the physicality and leaving the digital behind if only for a time.

Now I'm back, online, and blogging away, and better, more clear headed from my digital respite. This new hyper-connectedness is great, but it's also great to take a break.

Boulder Twits

Just became aware of the BoulderTwits site. This is kind of a fun analysis of twitter interconnections in the Boulder area. There are a few people that I don't know listed here but not many! I will certainly remedy that.



credits:
I'm sorry Brad, I think Amy brought this to my attention before you did, but only because I missed your blog entry :(

Passport

Passport

just once yearling
rise above these eaves
escaping gravity
and soar through the heavens
grown deeper than imagination
to that place that never sleeps
and always plays
some song or other
on the wind
where laughter never fades
but sits in that moment
without care
alive and being

copyright 2009 Tim Wolters

New Year's Resolutions

I was checking out tweetstats today and realized that it's a fairly good indicator of things I've focused on over the last year and perhaps I could use this as a mirror to reflect on what I might do differently in 2009. I've included the Wordle for 2008 along with a litany of words I would like to appear more/less in 2009.

(deep breath), here goes...

2009 resolution words:

• fun - while I had a lot of fun in 2008 I apparently didn't tweet enough about them. Next year the fun will be more celebrated.
• socialmedia - at the core of my business. This was actually fairly big so really trying to continue the trend. I hope to tweet or retweet what's going down in this area.
• run, swim, bike - all words that will symbolize (my obvious ;) preparedness for some tbd tri event in 2009.
• metrics - collective intellect is an analytics company. I want to start pushing out some of the more interesting and curious metrics we uncover in the social media landscape
• meeting - these are fairly mandatory, but hopefully can do with less of them in 2009 and more action
• blog - retweets of great found blog posts and especially more of my own blog posts
• writing - ahem, yeah, I need to do more of this overall. not just blogs, but poetry and more (sort of a teaser, I know).
• music - love finding new artists to listen to. Let's ramp this up a bit ... with a little help from my friends.
• sucks - seeking balance. post more on the useless, inane, amateur, unfriendly, buzzkill encounters with life. honesty and transparency with humor.
• yoga - I think I'm destined for this one. I've had a few people wanting to get me into some yoga moves. Do I not look flexible enough??

See you in 2009!