Tag Archives: tech

Mobile Lightning!

Interested in mobile technologies? Want to learn from leaders in Philadelphia? Join us on Tuesday, April 24th for fast-paced evening of lightning talks. These five minute talks will cover Android, iOS (iPhone/iPad), and mobile web topics.

This event is part of Philly Tech Week and hosted by the Android Alliance and PhillyCocoa. This event couldn’t happen without generous sponsorship from Chariot Solutions and Seed Philly. The event will provide dinner and drinks during and/or following the event.

Continue reading Mobile Lightning!

ETE Preview

I’ll be speaking at the Emerging Technology for the Enterprise conference about fragments, why you should be using them, and more importantly how to start today.

Here’s a good place to start if you will be unable to join me or want to read ahead.

Continue reading ETE Preview

Android 101: A Crash Course

Chariot Solutions, my new employer, has a nifty day of learning called Chariot Day. This Saturday, Charioteers will give 45 minute presentations on a broad spectrum of topics, including enterprise Java techniques, mobile, and Arduinos.

Originally I had planned to use it as practice for my Philly ETE talk, but instead I’m trying out material for my Skillshare class (which I can also use for my Android Girl Develop It class).

Continue reading Android 101: A Crash Course

Belated Event Report: Random Hacks of Kindness

I attended my first Random Hacks of Kindness event on June 4, 2011. I am very interested in the concept of hacking for the benefit of person-kind, but unfortunately I couldn’t commit to the entire weekend. I violated the spirit of the hackathon by mostly focusing on my own work tasks … but I did contribute my Python knowledge and project management skills. I worked on the reachability of Tor relays listed on the EFF’s relay challenge webpage. Watch the video roundup here.

Continue reading Belated Event Report: Random Hacks of Kindness

Living the Agile Way

Agile software development helps a team focus on the most important tasks to accomplish a shared goal. Jason and I both use the methodology at work and have adapted the process to our daily living. We’ve become much more productive at both work and home and have used the process outlined below to plan our wedding, two moves, and career goals!

We are the “business owners” who decide what the most important tasks are to accomplish at any given moment. The tasks are prioritized in order of importance, which is based on our values and short to mid-term goals. Each weekend “sprint” we pick a theme, or a set of “user stories” (e.g. unpack kitchen, improve financial process, prep food for the week, plan a camping trip).

Continue reading Living the Agile Way

Strategies for Cooking Every Meal

In the last few years my husband and I have made cooking our own meals a priority – typically from scratch. Being open and willing to try new foods, recipes, and techniques for prepping food will help you discover (or rediscover) the joy of cooking.

Here’s a our strategies for getting through the busy week and still eating healthy, local, and organic.

Sign up for a CSA

CSA’s are wonderful! Where else can you get fresh in-season food at a good price from a farmer that you know? Also, the volume of food that you recieve at once helps you plan the following week.

Continue reading Strategies for Cooking Every Meal

TED-ish @ Comcast

I attended Comcast’s inaugural Ted-like event today. It was organized to fit into a lunch hour and featured four talks at 10 minutes each (plus a few TED videos). I enjoyed the content and hope they organize another one soon!

How to Start a Movement

I throughly enjoyed this short video How to Start a Movement by Derek Sivers.

  • Leaders have the guts to stand out and look crazy, but leadership is over glorified. The first followers are key – they transform the lone nut into a leader.
  • Leaders – embrace and nurture the first few followers as equals. Followers – Have the courage to join someone you find doing something crazy. If you believe in it too, join!
  • The movement must be public.
  • Momentum transforms into a movement – becomes less risky to get involved.

Importance of Civic Involvement

“We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” -Thomas Jefferson

  • Your vote and opinion do matter!
  • All politics are local
  • No matter where you live you are a constituent
  • Get involved in your local community
  • Talk to your local, regional, and national representatives
  • Educate yourself on issues you are passionate about
  • Advocate for something you believe in

Designing Immersive Online Environments for Kids

The most important aspects of virtual worlds that are relevant to children (6-8) are identity, self-expression, and community. Use technology as a tool to cultivate creativity and other skills.

  • Identity – Give them lots of options (e.g. customizing an avatar); keep it simple, allow for frequent adjustment; encourage experimentation.
  • Self-expression – Create environments and objects to interact with; allow for permeant and sharable object creation; create opportunities for exploration; and make it a game.
  • Community – Complicated balancing act of privacy rights and safety; set broad rules that still encourage experimentation; balance collaboration and communication.

Other Points of Interest

  • Check out Build a tower, build a team by Tom Wujec.
  • Turn your vision into a mission statement. This statement gives you something to fall back on when times or situations get difficult.
  • The time to forge relationship is always now!
  • Getting it right for the customer: Even small percentages of your customer base can be hundreds or thousands of people – are you willing to jeopardize your campany’s reputation and ignore the needs of your customers? Is that really an acceptable risk?
  • Elicit feedback. Respond to negative comments by meeting the customer’s needs.