In my last post, I mentioned that technology is increasing exponentially. Not only do the devices change, so does the software and services behind publishing. When I started this website in 1995, it was written using Notepad and some basic HTML tags. Then I used programs like Homesite and Dreamweaver to build more complex sites.

A few years ago, I migrated to WordPress to focus on content generation rather than coding. I installed the Thesis theme to quickly build the layout. Just a few days ago, Thesis 2.0 was released. It was a complete change from the original structure. There were no more forms to fill out. Everything became boxes, containers, packages. Even though it was a “visual editor,” it was pretty much coding using boxes. Not only was the learning curve steep, there was no documentation to get started. After a few hours of tinkering, experimenting, and testing, I think I finally got the basic concepts.

The entire layout of my site is all modular. I can create “containers” and put in dynamic elements or static content. I’m just starting to tap the top of the iceberg.

That said, change is tough. Change causes fear, frustrations, and hopelessness. At one point, I tried to revert back to the old theme. It was just too much change.

This coming Friday, we’ll see similar learning curves when Microsoft releases Windows 8 to the general population.

Technology is amazing. The speed of which technology iterates is getting exponentially faster. Today, Apple announced a handful (actually quite a bit more) of new product releases including new MacBook, iMac, Mac Mini, iPad, and iPad Mini. In just months since The New iPad (iPad version 3) was release, a newer iteration came out with an even faster processor.

As competition increases among the industry players, we’ll see companies innovate faster and more connected products. We’ll see the Apple ecosystem grow even more, a strong Android ecosystem grow with a more diverse set of devices, and the household name Microsoft reinvent itself with its new Windows 8 ecosystem. Unfortunately, these ecosystems don’t really play well with one another. You’re more or less committed to one, or multiple if you like buying the same apps in different systems.

We’re seeing an ever increasing data infrastructure in place including home broadband, wifi hotspots, and 4G cellular networks. Couple fast communications with an exponentially growing set of hardware and services and we have a recipe for innovative applications.

All the excitement aside, it’s also going to be a lot harder to keep up with the change. More to come soon.

The stairway up to the attic space was painted a dark brown color. It looked dark and uninviting. The first step was to remove the friction strips and rough sand the surface. I didn’t remove the paint completely, just enough so the primer would adhere well. I counter sunk the nails and filled in the holes.

I applied two coats of Kilz primer and caulked the gaps between the steps. An unintended consequence, or rather benefit, was eliminating the creeks each time we went up. It’s now nearly silent.

One big lesson learned was to check the paint before doing all of it. I painted the first coat carefully, cutting in the edges and sealing all the gaps. Unfortunately, the yellow we had matched turned out almost neon. It glowed, in a bad way.

We tried another yellow we had in stock and had to put two more coats to cover up the neon yellow.

Our next plan is to find a carpet runner to complete the stairs. The old stairs were really steep. Painting it didn’t change the dimensions of the stairway, but it did create a more welcoming walkway up to our attic bedroom.

I love communicating visually. Think Ikea instructions, universal in readability.

Building a Global Visual Language from The Noun Project on Vimeo.

This goes out to my Pepperdine School of Public Policy readers:

“Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” – Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005

Today, I start in a new position at Point B, a management consulting firm. This opportunity opened up as I look back and connect the dots.

About a year ago, I joined Hitachi Consulting in their Organization and Transformation Solutions practice in Seattle. I brought along with me my book of experiences. I had experience in performing risk assessments, evaluating programs, and implementing a change management program for an ERP implementation. While at Hitachi Consulting, I had experiences working at a large healthcare organization, a uniform rental services organization, and a consumer products organization. Hitachi Consulting was a large company, 4000 employees globally when I left. It gave me insights into how large companies operate and systems that are needed to run such a company.

Rewind further, I spent nearly four years at IntelliBridge Partners, previously known as Macias Consulting Group. The last year and a half, I spent doing projects in the Seattle/Olympia area. This dot, was my accelerator dot. In that short period of time, I accumulated a large book of work, stretched myself beyond my comfort zone, and pushed myself further than ever before. The company was small, about six in the consulting group and 200+ in the parent company. I gained footing into the company through my previous experiences but also from the first time I came to an interview with a portfolio of work. I had prepared a binder of my past experiences and how they could be applicable to my future projects.

Step back, I worked at the California Bureau of State Audits, my first and only experiencing in working for a public agency. My wife was accepted into UC Davis for a graduate program in BioMedical Engineering. I called up the recruiter that presented while I was at Pepperdine and became a state worker.

Before that, I worked for a boutique consulting firm in Bellevue, WA developing IT strategic plans for cities and counties. I submitted several job applications coming out of graduate school. My resume was originally rejected but a follow up call moved it back onto the interview pile. The rest is history.

Again, looking back, each step opened the door to the next step.

I don’t know where the next dot will be but as Steve said, as long as you believe that the next dot will somehow connect, things will be all right.

Barcelona is an amazing city. Here is the view from our apartment rooftop. We rented this apartment with only 258 square feet. There was a clip on some of the home design shows.

Of course, I had to visit the new Barcelona Apple store.

We visited much of the architectural buildings by Gaudi. I loved the use of organic styles that mimic nature. In this case, it feels like walking through the ribcage of a whale.

Here is the Sacra Familia basilica. The columns extend forever up into the sky. I can’t imagine how they lifted these columns.

One thing I noticed is that people in Barcelona don’t cram their faces into a four inch screen. People are reading, or talking to one another. You rarely see someone on their phones in public.

We had an eight hour layover in Rome and left the airport to do a quick walking tour of the city. Way too little time but we saw quite a bit.

Here is the colosseum, a site that would normally take at least an hour or more to visit, we did in about 10 minutes. It was spectacular to see up close in person.

My obsession with cats continues in Rome with another sighting.

Rome is an amazing city. The food was incredible. We stopped at a farmer’s market to have lunch. The tomatoes were so flavorful. Food just taste so much better when a lot of labor and love is put into the production.