It's official - the Office 2.0 Podcast Jam Is On! Anne tossed out the idea recently (you really need to read the full comment thread on that fantastic post) and the idea has got legs. She called my bluff and I'm in, along with a bunch of other bloggers/writers/podcasters (far more interesting than I).
If BarCamp is the original unconference, then a podcast jam by non-participants is the new ununconference. I will be podcasting on Office 2.0 For The Enterprisey, and have some thoughts down already. Please share yours if you have something to contribute, or have questions I should address. Also, please followup with Anne (or me if you prefer, but she's the real brains behind this) if you are interested in contributing a podcast.
I previously mentioned that I'm a huge fan of the minutemen, and recently picked up we jam econo (which you are advised to purchase). I have only made it through part of disc 1 but it's fantastic. They have great live footage and interviews with other musicians (Flea, John Doe, Greg Ginn, etc.) spliced in with a recent in-car interview with Mike Watt as he conducts a driving tour of San Pedro. Very fun.
But imagine my surprise when my favorite writer/cartoonist/artist David Rees showed up with a raving endorsement! I discovered David through my new filing technique is unstoppable a few years back. I don't know what to make of the fact that I find his writing to be incredibly amusing and even deep and thought provoking. But I thought it was seriously cool to see him on we jam econo - another reason to like you, David!
Caution:Do not follow the link to David Rees' site if you are offended by seriously foul language, or if you are sensitive about people making fun of (what might be) your political beliefs. If you fall into one of those categories, you will be tremendously upset.
China. In a word: wow. I was only there a week, but I feel like my brain swelled with information and experience. It was stimulating from the word go - from my first ride to the airport to my last. I had a fairly empty slate going in, I really wasn't sure quite what to expect. I came away knowing just a little more, but with amazing expectations for what is yet to come.
China is amazing in many ways to me. For one thing, it's an incredibly pedestrian society. It's lightweight and limber at the lowest levels. Buildings are literally flying up all around Shanghai, and yet you see the bricks arrive on site via handcart and bicycle basket. I can't imagine the amount of goods in China that are hauled around by individuals rather than machines. Is that inefficient, or the product of a behind society? I don't think so. I think it's amazingly limber and responsive. The West is in the process of trying to discover or re-discover the swarm. China is the swarm.
China is tenacious and the pace of growth is unbelievable. While geotagging photos in flickr, I had trouble finding locations because where I visited a mall or a skatepark (note the construction in the background), the flickr map shows an empty field. Peeking out the window in Shanghai, you see yesterday's thoughts being erected all around you. I'm sure if and when I go back, it will be even bigger, more amazing, and more modern that it was last week - even if I'm back next week. It's an unbelievable pace and a place that is constantly re-inventing itself.
In Shanghai you don't exactly buy the place you live - you purchase a 70-year lease that cannot be handed down to your heirs. So if your kids want to live where they grew up, they need to re-buy it when the lease it up. But don't worry, say the locals, by that time they will have knocked it down and built something altogther new. Is there permance in Shanghai?
