Kelly Abbott, creator of Dandelife, just brought my attention, in a comment here, that he has some new features at Dandelife and he’s open sourced some of his work. I’ve spoken previously about Dandelife here. Strangley enough, I previously stumbled across this SIMILE project, which is what he’s open sourced, but I didn’t know it was Kelly’s. That’s awesome Kelly! Free knowledge! As previously mentioned, Dandelife is cool. I have to recommend Tabulas (it is Roy’s), then Dandelife if you’re interested in a hosted blogging platform with social features. I would advise using either platform over blogger or other hosted blogging applications. Both are perfectly mainstream and feature rich. Ok, I’m sorry Roy, but I think Dandelife is a tad cooler with the timeline and subtle styling, but only because Roy spends all his time on his full time job. 🙂 However, Tabulas does have a much much larger membership than Dandelife does, so if you’re in it for the community…The only mark against Dandelife is the company Kelly keeps. I defer to my previous comments about self-proclaimed experts on software who aren’t engineers. I guess I generally don’t like trendy hipster doofuses. Now, don’t think this is why I dropped my Dandelife because this didn’t come to my attention until afterward. Anyway, kudos Kelly for open sourcing some of your wonderful application. I’m sure you will continue to grow and be successful. I hope in a couple weeks when I move to your town we’ll go out for coffee or beer. Everyone else who’s reading this, drop your blogger and typepad accounts and migrate to Dandelife. You won’t regret it. Unless you’re a family member of mine because I’m going to launch WordPress MU for us.

I guess I’ve misinformed everyone. Kelly has actually implemented a view of SIMILE and not actually contributed any development to the project. I guess I misunderstood his assertion.

I just saw that the Washington Post ran a story about the NSA “assisting” in securing Windows Vista. Cool, the agency tasked with domestic spying is securing the operating system with 90% market dominance. Good idea. Everyone should install Vista immediately! We should give it away free in China, Korea, and the Middle East. Perhaps Microsoft could get a no-bid contract to do so.

I’m overdue for a family update. First, turns out Tara is 50% Wonder Woman and 55% Hulk (see comments), BrwaaAAAaaa! Last weekend we headed north for our last visit to Duluth before our move. Tara had a chance to spend some time with her mother and I stopped by Scenic Cafe for coffee and a couple Guinness (in that order). Tara was happy to see the in-laws and their undead rat dog. On the topic of Scenic Cafe, if you are looking for dining on the North Shore of Lake Superior this is the place to go. Disclosure: my buddy Scott owns it. Scott is an amazing chef. The place is funky and fun. The menu is eclectic. It has great beer, wine, and coffee, and the food is even better. Plus it is on Lake Superior (between Duluth and Two Harbors).

Ashby is really diggin’ her forts. We set up a blanket and pillow fort in the family room and she goes crazy with excitement! Evidence below. The only other event of significance to report is that we’ve sold the Accord. It’s great to be down to one car. I really looking forward to the office being two blocks from home as it will be in San Diego. I won’t have to drive, less waste! Work has been a tad painful as my office in MN winds down and the office in CA winds up. With all the odds and ends Tara and I have been managing I’m especially out of touch of with work. Living downtown San Diego is going to be different. I know Tara and Ashby are going to love it. Take today for example. It is butt ass cold and snowing outside. Tara and Ashby are trapped in the house all day. Something as simple as going to the store is a huge undertaking and, at best, a two hour ordeal. In San Diego it’s 50-something F. There is a play ground a few blocks away. They can go a couple blocks away for coffee. Walk along the harbor. Go to the zoo. Head out to the beach. Catch a donkey show in TJ, you know whatever. 🙂

I was planning a going-away party for myself last week. Pathetic, I know. As I sifted through my address book it occurred to me that I’ve pissed off a lot of people in this state. Sure some were people I had to fire, or instilled with a desire to quit. Then there was a raft of contractors that I had the misfortune of working with. From the incompetent to the criminal. My favorite contractor in Minnesota was definitely the graphic design firm that incorporated another company’s trademarked logo into the design they sold us. At first they claimed it wasn’t a trademarked logo, but instead a generic graphic. Then they asserted that it was our fault because it was just a place holder image in the design and they never intended for it to be part of the design. That was awesome. And then of course there were droves of people in technology organizations that I suppose I offended by being very vocal and maybe occasionally rude. So, I’m opinionated and I don’t suffer fools lightly. Is that bad? At least you know what I think. Most of my offenses come from me being very candid. I do not like to waste time on prancing about issues and I tend to be pretty direct with my opinions. Don’t get me wrong. I always respect others’ opinions. I appreciate hearing them in fact. Indeed, I find it difficult to deal with people who obfuscate their emotions or are unwilling to candidly share their opinions. It’s painfully frustrating for me. I think this is why I’ve always loved Italy. Southern Italy especially. They scream, they yell. You know what they think even if you don’t speak their language. I like that. As for work, I’ll admit I’m pretty demanding. I know Pete’s woman said something to him when he decided to come work with me along the lines of: are you sure, you know Aaron is impossibly demanding…or something like that. I know I can be difficult to work with, or be married to (for different reasons though I believe). I think it’s because I’m passionate about what I do and I tend to demand a lot of commitment. If you’re not fully committed to something, why do it? Just to collect a paycheck? I don’t want to share my life with people like that. Just going through the motions.

Maybe I’m being too harsh. Most people do just work for the paycheck and have no real interest in their jobs beyond that. Maybe those people are really passionate about side hobbies. Cool, go get paid doing that. You’ll probably be happier. I’m not saying these people are less worthy, I just don’t want to work with them. If you’re not all in, don’t bother, and don’t waste my time.

Ok, my curiosity got the better of me. I’m somewhat embarrassed for participating in this because it’s so dumb and especially trendy. If you know me, you know I hate trendy shit. I can’t help myself, but when a band gets popular, I usually stop listening to them. In fact, I recently started to listen to Nirvana again after more than a decade of black listing them. Damn they kicked ass. Anyway, I took that ridiculous Superhero quiz that’s been floating about the blogosphere for a few weeks now. Turns out, I’m the Hulk.

Your results:
You are Hulk

Hulk 80% Iron Man 65% Spider-Man 60% Superman 55% Green Lantern 50% Batman 50% Robin 42% Wonder Woman 40% Catwoman 40% Supergirl 40% The Flash 35%

You are a wanderer with amazing strength.

Click here to take the “Which Superhero are you?” quiz…

Graeme is heralding a meet-up at the University of Minnesota McNamara Alumni Center at 11:30 am this Friday, January 19th. Later this day we’ll be having the MN is Aaron-Free Celebration (otherwise known as the ding-dong-that-prick-is-gone), more on this in a moment. Anyhow, let’s get the Guy Kawasaki talk early and, as Graeme puts it: schmooooze!!! He’s blogged earlier about this event (It starts at 1:00 pm), but the event is sold-out. Just for shits and giggles I’m going to crash it. Read more about this at Graeme’s blog. Anyone up for crashing the place in a mob of MindTouch tshirts? Spread the word to your lists and communities!

So, right. I’m gone. Tara, Ashby, and I are moving to San Diego, CA in less than two weeks. MindTouch is centralizing our offices. I’m sure you all know this by now. We’re having a small gathering for drinks and maybe appetizers after the Guy Kawasaki thing (4-ish). The location TBD. Somewhere near campus or dowtown though. Spread the word.

I was listening to On the Media on the way back from Duluth this morning. It mentioned the incident last year where Bill O’Reilly threatened a caller to his radio program with FOX Security and asserted that he was a “gone guy”. Here is an excerpt:

Mike is a gone guy. We have your phone numbers, by the way, so if you’re listening, Mike, we have your phone number, and we’re going to turn it over to FOX Security, and you’ll be getting a little visit. . . . When you call us, ladies and gentlemen, just so you know, we do have your phone number, and if you say anything untoward, obscene, or anything like that, FOX Security then will contact the local authorities, and you will be held accountable. . . . Believe it. — Bill O’Reilly

I had forgotten about this. Then this evening I saw on memeorandum that Tucker Carlson has behaved similarly recently when he allegedly threatened some lowly video rental clerk who was then promptly terminated from his employer as a result of legal threats from Carlson’s lawyer. Read the whole story here. You know Tucker Carlson, he is that bow-tie wearing chump that gets paid to be witty and quick on his feet, but managed to get verbally lashed by John Stewart on that silly show of his that was canceled (Crossfire). If you haven’t seen this, you really must, it’s hysterical:

And then Stewart’s recap later:

Have you watched the CNN podcast In Case You Missed It? You need to check this out if you haven’t. It’s obscenely B-A-D. I guess this is CNN’s attempt to be cool and hip. They’ve got video with a crappy techno-beat layered over it and minimal commentary. Then each transition has one of those brilliant swish noises. Maybe this works with the under 25 demographic. I watched one episode, was awed by how bad it was, and watched parts of a couple other episodes just to see if maybe it was some sick joke. Turns out they actually produce that crap.

On the opposite end of the spectrum you have Democracy Now!, which offers audio and video podcasts. This is without a doubt the best news source I’ve found. I recommend it highly. Another personal favorite is On the Media, which is a weekly program.

I bumped into GrandCentral back at DEMOFall, but I didn’t check them out until recently. I registered a phone number a couple weeks ago and just now got back to it. It’s a really cool product. You register a phone number, people call this number, all the phones you setup ring. Cool and useful. There is also several features such as voicemails can be emailed to you, call forwarding, etc. Oh, and you can change the ring people hear when the call you. You can even add an MP3 for your ring.

Why would you want this? One number is easier to remember than three (or more). All your voicemails can be in one place. You can forward, reply, download, etc. You can configure it so each caller is treated differently. Add greetings, music, phones, etc…And lastly, you can keep your real numbers to yourself.

Here are a couple things that are a tad lame. First: I wanted to setup an account for Tara too. This way I would never again have to dial home, then her mobile. However, for some strange reason you can only have a phone number set up in one account. So, I couldn’t use my home phone in my account and her account. Why? Secondly, everyone knows I’m usually up until 1 or 2 AM, but Tara is in bed early and if they want to ring me they can call me on my mobile because this won’t wake Tara or Ashby. With GrandCentral I can configure my new number so my home is rung during work hours, but I can’t configure it so my home phone isn’t rung late. This would be really useful. They should give me an interface I can tweak when specific phone numbers are rung.

Anyhow, give me a call at my new number: (619) 931-2314, dig the ringer.

Stop Big Media – Tell the FCC to Stop Big Media
The FCC wants to lift media ownership rules and open the floodgates to wholesale consolidation of local newspaper, radio and television outlets. The FCC needs to hear from you before they hand over local media to concentrated giants like News Corp., General Electric and Clear Channel. Big Media’s drive to control local outlets stifles the competition and diversity that are the lifeblood of a democratic media system.

The FCC under the present administration, more so than ever before, has been facilitating the consolidation of media under the umbrella of only a handful of large corporations. This kind of monopoly is detrimental to our democracy. Local media outlets are quickly fading away. Aside from this stifling democracy, do you really want to hear the same friggin’ Daniel Powter song about his bad day over and over, even as you travel 2500 miles across county?!

Speaking out about this will take you two minutes. Click the link above, complete the form, VOILA! You’ll have been heard by the FCC. Do this immediately, Comments are due January 16

I have been reading about microlenders for a while now. I’ve thought a couple times: man, I wish I could help these lenders, or better yet, be a microlender and finance entrepreneurs myself. I just found Kiva, which allows me to exactly this. It’s amazing. Become a loaner now! You can donate as little as $25 and you select the entrepreneurs you wish to lend to. Tara and I have just lent to two entrepreneurs. The details follow.

Vasil Mindov

Location: Bourgas, Bulgaria
Activity: Food Production and Sales
Loan Use: To buy a packing machine
Loan Repayment Term Range: 14-18 months

Vasil Mindov has special engineering education but he was not able to find an engineering job so after his graduation he started to work as a restaurant manager. In 1990 he decided to start an own business and opened one of the first grocery stores in the city. Later when the big food chain stores opened their stores in Bourgas Vasil had to close his grocery. Then two years ago he opened a small manufacture for cereal and cornflakes. He has no serious competition and the products he makes are very attractive. Now Vasil Mindov needs a packing machine for his manufacture. The loan amount is $ 2000.

Maria de los Angeles Castellon
Hamburguesas Mary

Location: Nuevo Laredo, Mexico
Activity: Restaurant
Loan Use: Buy ingredients and equipment
Loan Repayment Term Range: 12-18 months

Maria Castellón began her business a year ago; she has a Snack store in which she sells hamburgers, hot dogs, quesadillas, and sodas. She has great season which has allowed her to stay in the market and get more clients, that is why she has planned to buy more ingredients and equipment for her commercial space, so she is soliciting a loan of $1,500.00 that she expects to pay in 1 year.

So, you may think: yah right, you’re never getting this money back! Actually, Kiva to data has a 94% repayment rate. Also, from what I’ve read about microlenders the repayment is typically in the 90 percentile. For the recipients of these loans this could mean entry to middle class and could potentially benefit their families for generations to come.

The following explanation is taken from Kiva’s one-pager explaining itself.

What is Kiva.org?

Kiva’s mission is to connect people through loans for the sake of alleviating global poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions (MFIs), Kiva lets you lend as little as $25 to help fund small businesses run by low-income entrepreneurs around the world.

How does it work?

Kiva’s model is similar to eBay. Microfinance institutions around the world post up profiles of qualified local entrepreneurs online. Lenders can then browse and choose an entrepreneur they wish to fund. Kiva aggregates loan capital from individual lenders and transfers it to MFI partners to disburse and administer. As loan repayments are made by the entrepreneur, the MFI remits funds back to Kiva. Once the loan is fully repaid, Kiva lenders can withdraw their principal or re-loan it to another entrepreneur.

Social Impact

Most of the poor in the developing world are self employed entrepreneurs. A small amount of affordable capital can dramatically change the life of an entrepreneur and their family. Despite
the fact that over 10,000 MFIs exist worldwide, less than 10% of the global poor have access to affordable capital. Kiva connects MFIs to a new source of low cost, flexible capital – individuals. This additional capital helps MFIs reach more clients in their local community.

Early Progress

Since concluding an initial beta round in Uganda in October 2005, Kiva has expanded to MFI partners 11 countries (see map). Kiva has also established key relationships with PayPal (free transactions) and Microsoft (research grant to enhance Kiva’s web interface with MFIs). Kiva has also received significant early coverage in the blogosphere and press. Kiva is on track to raise over $1M from +10,000 internet lenders and expand to 25 countries by the end of 2006.

: I have to point out I discovered Kiva through Mike’s Blog. Also, Mike has offered to match lending for each person that notifies him. He kindly matched my lending for Vasil and Maria. I’ve mentioned Mike here previously, a wonderful fellow.