Honestly, I love technology...

I was fortunate to visit the offices of Attivio this week for a reception party where they announced the launch of their search platform. They had many interesting applications of the underlying technology to demonstrate their capabilities which you can explore in their web site (which my company built!)

The boy in me was most fascinated by the RFID located in my name tag. While they singed us into the party they asked some simple questions. In my case, where I had lived, went to school and worked in the past. As I wondered around the office space the RFID in my name tag was tracked by receivers strategically placed near large, flat monitors mounted on the wall. If I wandered within 10-15' of a monitor it would register my presence and the presence of those around me. Using their underlying database technology it generated tag clouds weighting items I had in common with the people around me more heavily.

Very interesting.

Google Groups for Collaboration

I have used Google's group application as a collaboration site on three very large scale software projects in the last 6 months. It works really well!! There is a simple file sharing repository, page creation and user administration with varying levels of access and update.

The coolest feature is the messaging component. When users reply to notes through the system it tracks responses and keeps a record of the dialog. Giving stakeholders the ability to communicate this way is very beneficial. One feature which seems very obvious but is missing is integration with Google documents, another favorite application.

Using the file sharing application makes it so incredibly easy to keep the client on track with the project deliverables and milestones. All the revisions and notes are stored in a central, accessible location which greatly serves to reduce time wasted on explaining why things happen the way they happen. When the progression of the project is right there for everyone to see everyone benefits.

Setting up a Group is about as easy as setting up a Google email account. Once you have Gmail check out the groups here!

Time to make the donuts...

The professional sports league and teams CMS web portal I am working on is coming together on a time line so accelerated and rigid I am being forced to rethink everything I know about managing projects. Although this pace would not be possible to sustain year round there are definitely some things to be learned from being able to focus all of ones attention on a single project for 4 weeks of 14 hour days. Hopefully soon I will be able to write a proper blog entry which discusses some of the things I have learned...but for now...time to make the donuts.

January 15 is the 1.0 release date.

My Brother is amazing...

My brother Max is back in the news again...

This time for the #1 best new restaurant of 2007 in the San Francisco/Bay Area!!!

Consider: Max and his business partners; Rich and Rebekah Wood opened the Wood Tavern in one of the most popular food markets in the entire world...check out the articles!!

SF Examiner Article

Two weeks ago they were named in the top 10 best overall in the Bay Area:

SF Gate Article