Audible.com is so painfully slow. Nonetheless, it is the cheapest way to get audiobooks and I love me some audiobooks. Currently, I’m reading the classic “Stranger in a Strange Land” a recommendation from my buddy Darin R. McClure. I don’t usually read fiction, but this has been pretty good so far.

In addition to “Stranger in a Strange Land” I have on my iPhone:

• “Spark” by John J. Ratey, which was recommended by @MiikoMentz
• “John Adams” by David McCullough

I recently read “Guns, Germs and Steel“, which I thought was fantastic. For more information on books I’m reading or those that I have read recently look me up at www.Shelfari.com (I’m Roebot as usual). An interesting note about Shelfari, large parts of this site is actually built on MindTouch. 🙂

This is so funny! I release my Flickr photos under Creative Commons Attribution. Many of my photos have been picked up by various reputable publications including the Wall Street Journal. My new favorite is Building, a publication based out of the UK. The article: “World’s tallest tower to have ‘gravity free’ terrace” used a photo of me from my Flickr stream.

Note the text:

Visitors – or astronauts as the backers of the scheme hope to label them – will need to wear special protective suits

As if this outfit I’m wearing, a child’s NASA costume, were this “protective suit”. LOL. By the way, This is an April 1 article.

Four Noble Truths

1. Suffering exists
2. Suffering arises from attachment to desires
3. Suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases
4. Freedom from suffering is possible by practicing the Eightfold Path

Three Characteristics of Existence

1. Transiency (anicca)
2. Sorrow (dukkha)
3. Selflessness (anatta)

Hindrances

1. Sensuous lust
2. Aversion and ill will
3. Sloth and torpor
4. Restlessness and worry
5. Skeptical doubt


Factors of Enlightenment

1. Mindfulness
2. Investigation
3. Energy
4. Rapture
5. Tranquillity
6. Concentration
7. Equanimity

Well, we technically won this last year, but somehow we did not take home the prize. Feel free to vote again this year:

Mashable Open Web Awards

Thanks! 🙂

I have not posted in a long while and in an effort to stalk sheppy some more:

Man, Irene did an awesome job on this. Yes, that’s Eric “Sheppy” Shepherd.

MindTouch recently attended the OSCON open source software conference in Portland. Steve and I presented a session on open collaboration that was very well attended. MindTouch also celebrated the two year birthday of MindTouch Deki (since product release).

Here’s some video of Ted and I having fun at the Sun/MySQL/Zend party. Ted is great.

Unfortunately, I can’t find any video of me attacking the Sumo wrestlers in the full bunny suit, kicking their asses, and then stealig a tricycle from some guy. I’m still hoping video or photos will surface.

Here’s an interview of me from Linux.com. As usual it takes me the first few minutes to lighten up and be myself (about half way into the interview 😦 ).

Also of note, resulting from OSCON, a lot of press for MindTouch. And my new tattoo (no, not my first) courtesy of SourceForge.net:

A few people have commented on the commitment to MindTouch this represents…euh…no shit. To those of you who do not know this. I started the company with Steve back in 2005 and gestated the idea with him in late 2004. He and I helped create the design of the logo (Chris, wherever you are–great work). No the logo doesn’t have cross bones; this was my addition. Arrrg. MindTouch has absorbed an enormous amount of my time and energy in the last three years. It will undoubtedly continue to do so for a few more years. Hell yah I’ll ink that on my leg. Now I don’t have to wear stickers. 🙂

Long time no post. I’ve been very heads down with a new MindTouch.com site relaunch, building a sales team and cementing some great new partners and customers. Recently I spoke about collaboration and Free Knowledge at UCSD. Here’s the short snippet of my talk. This portion is about MindTouch Deki.

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Here I discuss the broader topic of collaboration for research and scientists at the same conference. I cover some common collaborative technologies and relate them to Science, Research and Publishing.

I think I might be blogging too much about Mozilla and  Firefox recently, but I’m just so much in love with this demo of Firefox Mobile. Check it out.

 

Help Mozilla set a World Record.

Are you planning on attending or hosting a party to celebrate the Firefox 3 launch, Mozilla’s 30th Anniversary, or the World Record download day?

I’ve been thinking how odd it is that I’m one of the very few 3rd generation Californians I know. My Great grand parents were Okies that came to California during the dust bowl and lived in the tent cities initially upon their arrival. So, when Sam Lawrence tweeted about Shorpy it was timely.

Here are some choice dust bowl photos.

November 1936. Arvin migratory farm workers’ camp in Kern County, California. “Tom Collins, manager of Kern migrant camp, with drought refugee family.”

“Children of Oklahoma drought refugee in migratory camp in California.” November 1936

“Destitute pea pickers living in tent in migrant camp. Mother of seven children. Age thirty-two.” Nipomo, California. February 1936. Photograph by Dorothea Lange. The anonymous subject of this famous Depression-era portrait known as “Migrant Mother” came forward in the late 1970s and was revealed to be Florence Owens Thompson (interview). She died in 1983. Read more here.

Fantastic site. Thanks Sam!