Arjun Singh...

Robert Scoble, please tell us how you choose...

I can't remember how this came up exactly but we were discussing, at Northern Voice, the process of choosing items to post about on a blog. At least a couple of time during the day, I had heard Robert Scoble say he reads 1200 blogs (or maybe post) and culls all that stuff to 80 or so items that are interesting to him.

A bit frustrated by the term "interesting", I think I may have made the comment that Scoble should tell us how he chooses. He replied brusquely - he does not know how he chooses.

But I still think it would be very helpful if blogs published little "mission statements".  With tens of thousands of quality blogs, perhaps many more, I personally need help trying to figure which ones I should regularly visit. I don't want to have to spend time reading stuff that I have little interest.

Obviously, preferences sometime change - these mission statements could be updated from time to time.

*Note to self: where the heck is your mission statement?

New Friends from Northern Voice...

I rented this stupid car to travel down to Northern Voice this year. I missed the available buses.  As some know, I have tried to hold myself to a pretty strict emissions diet.

But, it turned out to be a real blessing. At the wonderful communal free feast kicking off the conference, I searched for people to whom I could provide rides. I drove Eric Eggertson, Jeffrey Keefer, and Robin Yap to their respective accommodations.

All three very accomplished, interesting people. I would run into Eric on and off during the conference, but as Jeffrey and Robin were staying closer to where I was staying, we actually spent some more drive time and table time (great Vancouver Indian and Italian restaurants) together. Really enjoyed this, and will avidly follow their blogs.

Northern Voice was really about meeting a lot of interesting, very diverse people. A friendly cacophony of voices (I thought that was a relatively little used term, but 55 000 google results tells me different)

The stars do show up, but Northern Voice was ultimately about a lot of really innovative people using technology in interesting ways.

Heard at Northern Voice - user generated activism

Jason Mogus (paraphrased)

Its not about giving someone a fish, or even teaching someone to fish. Its about changing how fishing is done

5:17pm at Northern Voice 2007...

I have been more than half out of the Moosecamp sessions today, and a little more into my laptop: emails to people at home, northern voice blog posts, and northern voice flickr photos.

I am thankful that all the sessions will be turned into podcasts.

At Northern Voice 2007

Third time at Northern Voice blogging conference. I know have a purple xxxl tshirt, in addition to my blue one (xl) and my green one (xxl).

I love this conference. One of the organizers told me she was "suprised to see me" this year, but I would not have missed it for the world (almost).

For a personal historical perspective, here my blog posts from 2005 and 2006:

2005

• Big Time Conference Speaker Me (i find this header kind of embarrassing today)
• Great Energy at Northern Voice Conference
• Blog Beginners at Northern Voice
• Personal Blogging Panel (photo)

2006

• Netsquared North
• Netsquared North - Building Communities
• Nancy White Rocks
• Julie Leung: Why Stories are Essential to Blogging
• Questions Asked to Dave Sifry
• Colin Brumelle on Music on the Web
• Northern Voice - Initial Afterthought

Right now, in 2007, Tod Maffin is getting input from a packed room on CBC web efforts. Tod is amazing, which he is really good at being.

I Heart Kathy Sierra (who I have never met)

It's hard to believe that I have been blogging for almost 4 years. Over this time, I have read a looooot of different blogs. One blog that constantly inspires, entertains, and illuminates is "Creating Passionate Users" written mainly by a lady named Kathy Sierra. This post is not just for programmers, not just for authors, not just for business people - it actually conveys fundamental thoughts that I think would be useful for just about anybody.

A Great Way to Celebrate a Birthday....

My friend, Michelle Milley, just celebrated a birthday. We had a great party. Great people, lots of interesting food, and a lot of musical instruments, individual performances and group sing a longs. It could been a little hokey, except that we had an abundance of hyper creative people and very accomplished musicians in attendance.

Lovely.

Personal Budgets...

I am trying to manage my money a lot more effectively. Looking around for an online service that might help (I want something online), I found Wesabe. Looks promising...just signed up. Time will tell.