When class moms go bad

 

Jeff Wilson
The One with the Class Picture Day Kids
22″x30″
Digital Woodcut
Printed on Arches Rives BFK
(Facebook Album)

My kids’ elementary school had an auction at a local hotspot last night. Food, drinks, dancing. Wouldn’t call it “swanky”, but for an old school, Austin landmark honky-tonk, it was a plenty, darn-tootin’ sweet time.

I helped my 1st grader’s class put together a piece to donate. I gave each kid an index card to draw a self portrait. I combined the pictures, normalized the sizes, arranged them as equally as I could, and “woodcut-icized” it like my typical work.
(My Facebook Gallery)

Didn’t take too long before some friendly out-bidding began. Turns out after a bidding skirmish, some moms all decided to cap it at the current price, $300, and just make copies for all of them…

Hmm, and they told me? Um, glad you liked the piece?

Alas, it’s for a good cause…

A story of persistance

Plop

10 years ago, a little fruit fell from a tree behind a cute little bungalow. She sprouted, two leaves wide open in a bright and happy new world.

Birth

Carefully, she and 403 of her sisters were plucked from the lawn and placed in cozy, little 4 inch pots, swaddled in soft and safe beds. Sadly, they were soon forgotten and left on their own. Over the years, some grew a little, some moved away, some simply passed on.

Burbs

Like many families, it was time to move to a larger home off in the suburbs. While they waited patiently for their new home with dreams of growing and thriving, they struggled, abandoned in an alley with little to eat and exposed. Many carried on, but more did not.

Failure

They were given slightly larger pots, but, when the new home was ready, the promise of land and space never materialized, relegated to the driveway, a concrete, sterile wasteland. They did not complain but more gave up their struggle.

Dismay

One dark night, a ravenous invader reduced the family to six small and scared siblings still by each other’s side. As time passed, the little fruit lost her remaining sisters, called to the Great Orchard in the Sky. It was their time. No one knows why; No one asked; But it wasn’t hers.

Reality

Brought closer in, she was still far from taken care of. All alone and waiting.

Somehow, on her own, she made it through the snowstorms, the droughts, heat waves and freezes, year after year. Hardened and persistent, at some point, like so many other strong woman, she took on her own fate, no longer waiting for someone to care for her.

She stood up straight.
She found tiny cracks in the container that confined her all these years.
She grew and tore those cracks wide open and she found her own way, not to riches, not to vast fertile ground, but to what she needed.

And she used what she found to thrive.

Strength

Many years later, now mature and healthy, and only just a few weeks ago, she began starting on her own family – still wearing the same container like a hand-me-down reminder around her neck of where she came from.

Respect

I’m not sure what the actual day is, but happy birthday little fruit. I’m proud of you. Despite how you’ve been treated, trust me, you’re in a family that appreciates women like you.

Next Generation Sharing

In my first project at frog some 2 years back, we were hired to develop a strategy for a “socially” based intranet and pitch it to a major pharmaceutical’s executive steering committee. One of our key points was the idea of “social as an ingredient” – opposed to the typical, full-on “let’s re-create Facebook” requests we often get.

We focused on what defines the “nature of social” boiling it down to simply engaging and fostering a community. An implementation of that might be a Facebook-like experience but that’s simply “one implementation” – and an over-done, massive attempt at that.

The Recommendation and the Platform

In the end, the recommendation was less about creating a “platform” and more about adding richer engagement to existing interactions. This has come up time and again, project after project. It’s about bringing back some of that old face time that company’s have strayed away from in this new digital era.

For an enterprise, understanding where and how to focus efforts is crucial. It’s far too easy to simple throw massive resources at ultimately futile efforts. That said, an enterprise also has a distinct advantage over other businesses (no, not money). Companies that we common folk have the most interaction with happen to be those very same enterprises.

We interact when we pay bills, search plans, use their devices, consume their products. Where Facebook and Twitter type social organizations need to “invent purpose” to get us to show up and make use of their platform, we’re already at the enterprise living our lives. That’s the “platform” – it just might be missing the socialness we are coming to expect everywhere.

What is Social

To fully understand where focus effort on, it’s important to distill down what being social actually implies.

Any means that allows an individual to share “something” and consume someone else’s “something” “in a meaningful way” is social.

The most low-brow form of first generation sharing typically has been implemented as:

1. textually describing something (status, comments, even conversational forums) or
2. using some easily snagged media (photos and video)

Some now mature common offshoots (but still technically the same thing with different manifestations) include ratings, likes, etc.

Social Broken Down

Defining social is only the first step. Before being able to translate that into specific engagements, it worth a moment to distill the definition down to itemized qualities.

A successful social engagement has a few common characteristics:

1. It willingly comes from a user
2. It may be curated by an administrator but the more “raw” it appears to other users, the more genuine it feels (curated not only means monitored and perhaps scrubbed but also systematically enhanced or repurposed including use in recommendations, pattern analysis, trending – something more than an open mic)
3. It is easy and natural to add content
4. It is easy and natural to consume content
5. It is meaningful to other users
6. It is attached to “something” (comments/ratings on a product, likes of a status, questions on a given topic, even statuses are insight to a person – there is clear and obvious categorization)
7. (from the business side) it is quantifiable, raw data that can be analyzed and utilized in many ways (not locked to its initial intent)

What It Looks Like

What the next round of social interactions look like are anybodies guess but there are some likely paths to explore.

Discovery: Simpleton sharing is pretty easy to get. Posting a tweet or snapshot is pretty straightforward but if follow-ons require adding complexity for added value, it makes it more challenging to discover specific tools as the few common use case applications begin to branch out. It’s a necessity to leverage the known experiences of today adding minimal functionality opposed to dramatic innovation. Baby steps are OK.

Integrated: Starting with the interactions enterprise customers already expect (paying bills, consuming services) allows one to feel they are getting more from their relationship. They’ve signed up for a specific service. They’re there for that purpose, that product, or that service. The difference is offering an additional product or enhancing the product they came for. There’s more of a guess in the former but few customers wouldn’t appreciate an improved existing experience.

The No-Community Community: Social fatigue is clear. Few want yet another full-scale community. And without droves, it fails – NOBODY wants a community of a few barely connected individuals. A digital community that avoids looking too burdensome is key. Don’t act like the neighborhood that boasts weekly block parties, carpools, and holiday yard decorating contests. Err on the side of the pleasant head nod when dragging the garbage to the curb. Pleasantries, not parties.

Natural: An extension to the burdensome reference – be easy. A quick “Like” or even posting a mobile snapshot gain popularity because it has clear value and doesn’t ask much of the user. Want to add some form of social goodness to paying a bill? Don’t make one linger in “bill-pay” mode longer than necessary. I admit it – I pay my wireless bill late every month. It’s the only bill I ever pay late. But when I’m late, I get a text that takes me to my bill and within a couple taps, I’m done. Why pay on time if it’s harder?

It’s all about the interaction. Customers already have interactions with the enterprises in their lives. Build social into those interactions.

Next-Gen Social and the Enterprise

The next generation of social is NOT more of the same Facebook and Twitter engagements though they might be “part” of the story.

The next big press will be on companies that are “maturing” social not just “doing” social. Users don’t want a new place to add statuses but are more than excited to find new ways to utilize them.

Looking abstractly about what social is at its core and finding ways to “nestle” little experiences that meet those requirements is what an enterprise needs to focus on.

Building a social platform is a distraction from their core business objectives. But making their core business experiences more “social” is a semantic though important difference.

I’ll likely never index my kids’ first day of school snap because I chose to Facebook it like a dumbass.  My witty remarks that perfectly capture the iconic moments that seem to define me are lost to history a short 6 hours after I post it.

Ironically, the items that once felt so unattainable because they ended up in a shoebox in a closet are the same ones that my kids flip through on rainy weekend afternoons uncategorized but yet still available. Those same shoeboxes are next to the same fundamentally untagged, uncateragized shoeboxes of my grandparents, with photos, love letters, and initially uninteresting reciepts for the same antiques throughout my house.

How, my friend, are their kids to repeat if my life record is trapped in some random social network (sometimes unfortunately) permanantly stored but virtually unattainable except in the case of evil marketers or the odd chance I run for president?

How, my friend will they find them if that site closes next month? Where does it go?

The fact is, no where. More specifically, no where I can use.

But why?

The answer is 2 parts and obvious.

1.) Who cares? I’m not asking for it, so why invest in figuring it out.

2.) Innovation is lazy and reacts primarily to immediate need. The immediate need is that I want to SHARE not PERSIST.

To #1, this may change. Ney, will change.

To #2, see response to #1.

In my extensive research on the matter, which may be better described as nil, it seems Google is the only significant player who has even moderately attempted to rectify this with their Data Liberation Front initiative. Unfortunately this process is limited to Google assets and doesn’t go beyond getting the data.

While the data will end up in a virtual shoebox like some old snaps and love notes, it’s not really the same. I hardly expect some future 6 year old to parse ancient XML nuggets on rainy afternoons.

Why isn’t there a focus on post sunset data persistence?

Why does GoWalla get away with a heartfelt “Sorry dudes. Chin up. It’s all about future vision and your interesting life didn’t make it” letter with no more than a “Ah, nuts.” flutter of tweets.

Perhaps GoWalla is just that unimportant to our lives. Full disclosure, I never got it.  But I sure can appreciate those who did. And, even more, I sure as hell appreciate the social impact such systems have integrated in our lives.

I predict some solution here. Something HAS to surface once the masses start to realize the void left to the ultimately folding areas of the preverbal cloud. If not, drop me a few mil and I’ll put it together.

Blending modernity and the historical

Truth be told, I’ve put little effort into managing my growing archive of artwork since finishing art school 16 some-odd years back.

If I have any excuse, it may be the result of working (talking actual job-like work) outside of the “fine” art world ever since. From that perspective, maturing my “asset management” process from wadded up, oversized portfolios, to stacking said portfolios in closets, to building a bigger house with more closets seemed to do just fine.

However, the time has finally arrived.

A New Time

Over the past wee bit, I’ve invested a few more brain cells and hell of a lot more “prior-to-getting-the-kids-ready-for-school” hours in revitalizing what has become more of a hobby than a profession. And now, I find myself in the awkward position of substantially increasing my archive – with a Mrs. who’s grown more protective of closet space.

It should also be noted that, over 16 some-odd years, I, myself, have matured and have a more pragmatic view of my work, my art, and the industry it feeds. An artist, while perhaps expressive, is still, ultimately, a factory. R&D, manufacturing, marketing, and distribution processes all bundled into one. By the way, those 16 some-odd years? They were spent building enterprise systems for such purposes.

It strikes me that there might be some transferrable skills somewhere in there.

A New Tool

Yesterday I dropped off a piece for an art show celebrating the life and work of Nikola Tesla – you know, the ball and sparky guy. (check it out: http://theteslaproject.wordpress.com)

It seems fitting in this celebration of the inventive spirit to formally roll out something I’ve recently been working on casually:

The QR code signature stamp

…a delightful blend of modernity and the historical (a less-than-subtle reinterpretation of a Chinese signature stamp: http://goo.gl/dv10m).

A New Experience

I’ve spent my career immersed technology and innovation. Art often follows technical advances influenced by the engineering and resulting social impact.

The technical advances of the current day are “interconnected systems”. Whether you’re talking about enterprise distribution systems, social graphs, or even local, personal devices, the biggest innovations today blend environments. Finding ways to reflect that in ways one experiences a work of art is likely to follow suit.

Bundling much more information than it’s older Chinese “just-my-name” cousin, my vision bridges a wider environment for interacting with art – what I’d call a multi-modal viewing experience where part is on the wall and part is mobile, portable, or interactive.

A New Process

In this case, a backend system surfaces information on the meaning and intent of the piece but additionally ties the piece to a larger collection of my work. In future enhancements, you may see a splitting of the core experience across modalities, exhibitions, or versions – all linked by a little, red, digital thread.

It’s taken me a while to come up with the right schema for the embedded data but along with identifying me, it includes the medium, distribution intent, piece ID, and room for variants, studies, and schema identifier for future extensibility.

I view this as providing both deeper, vertical understanding of an individual piece but also a horizontal perspective of it’s context across the greater body of my work. Im looking to provide a fuller experience than it might provide simply hanging on the wall.

An Old Objective

(…and, of course, there may be a wee bit of subtle marketing shenanigans going on here as well.)

Old forms of saying ‘hi’ (and stuff…)

full disclosure: from a facebook thread…

“I believe that text messaging is killing off true, meaningful, intimate conversation. The funny part is you use a device meant for true, meaningful, intimate conversations to send text messages. I so enjoy the irony!”

I tend to disagree.

Communication is inherently complex and multi-modal including all sorts of cues from facial expressions, body language, touch, intonation, context, and so on. Digital expressions can be no less meaningful.

If face-to-face communication was the gold standard then phone calls would be a degradation as would televised political debates, newspapers, and blind or deaf people.

You can say the transport mechanism is ultimately irrelevant. I may be equally moved by a quick from my sweetie as I am from a spontaneous snap of my girls at the park sent over MMS as I am the occasional FB “Like”.

Rather, I’d say the digital experience opens up more ways to communicate and connects us more fluidly with more areas of my life with more people I care about. If, on the way home from work, I stop at the store and I get a short “wine?” text, I get the picture. Expression is expression.

Communication is raw, blind data transport. If the expression is meaningful, it gets across no matter the mechanism.

I Grew ‘Em

Now I’m gonna drink ‘em

Figs, peppers, apples, and blackberries. Grown out back. Now stocking the bar (well, in a few weeks at least).

Yum for me. None for you.

Toodles and stay out of my drinks, my friend,
Jeff

Yum Dem Bones

Good for your heart; good for your teeth; good for your complexion

Whatever. It might be.

OK, if you don’t know what this is all about, it comes down to these 3 things:

1. primarily, dissolving the fat, marrow, and bones themselves (if done long enough) for the resulting rich, soothingly viscous texture
2. softening (if not melting) the meat into meaty dollops of meaty delight and
3. ooohhhhh, smelling up the house like only some sultry slow stewing can…

At $.89/lbs., its probably the ooo-mommiest secret ingredient you can slip into a dish (get it? “ooo mommy”? no? umami? really? fuck dude. read a cookbook…)

So here’s the trick. Sear them real good first; char them real hot-like. Get those good burnt, leathery bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Don’t use any oil. You’re looking for the char flavor to ride through to the end but you don’t want to actually cook much of the meat so keep it hot-hot to start but only for a short bit. If the meat cooks now, it’ll be strings in the end. You want the meat to slowly dissolve away to oblivion.

Next, add some water and do the rest adding more water as needed. Keep it really low barely boiling at all if you can keep it there. Keep it lidded but askew so it won’t evaporate quickly but doesn’t do more than simmer. Do it for hours. It’ll be fine. Pour a few glasses of wine. Don’t fret.

Making a pasta sauce? In the last couple hours or so, add a couple cans of stewed tomatoes. Diced, whole, whatever. I don’t care. I’m not eating your batch. It’ll mostly dissolve into the most velvety rich sauce – though you might need to adjust salt or tomato paste to thicken. At that point, you’re just adjusting to taste. The real work is done.

Just making some stew or soup? Toss in what you want. Carrots. A whole onion. Whatever. As I said. I don’t care.

Just doing a stock? Whatever. Stick it in the fridge but don’t forget to pick out the bones if they haven’t completely dissolved.

Toodles and happy meating,
Jeff

Chicken; lime juice; chili paste; sesame oil; green curry; red bell pepper; summer squash; broccoli; coconut milk; udon noodles; salt; pepper; heat; eat.

How I Complained About Turning 40 Without Really Trying

A love story

Those that know me well understand that I have, arguably, always been a winkle-bit crotchety. Part of my charm, as they say. Well, as I say, at least. On Friday, however, I got my official whiner license. I turned 40.

I don’t really have any issue with turning 40, actually. Funny thing, it was only a couple months ago that my mom informed me that I wasn’t 38. I had to do the math on my phone since I honestly had no idea and couldn’t wrap my brain around loosing a year of my life over a glass of wine.

I’ll spare you what has become known as “my list” but waiting on my rut-like Grande Americano that morning, I thought it would be fun to do a little real-time, in the trenches, documenting what turning 40 felt like for me – you know, for historical purposes.

1. Woke up this morning. Turned 40. Back hurts.
2. Making breakfast for my little girls at 6:15am with a stack of presents on the counter and all I could think about was the business development deck I had to finish by 9am
3. Opening presents at 6:25am with my little girls and all I could think about were my little girls
4. Still dealing with the drama of leaving the house 13 minutes late, somebody else’s little girl working the register at Starbucks called me “sir”
5. I realized that I should now be allowed – if not expected – to make a list of everything that makes me crotchety at 40; and that makes me a little happy
6. I really like the flow of #1 but I can’t stop looking back to the trailing “.”
7. People who end bulleted list items with periods should be spanked and given a haircut
8. Dammit! Can’t figure out Facebook privacy settings – for me, this’ll become the blinky-VCR-clock analogy from my parent’s generation
9. Reithmeyers Auto-Repair, who just took $3,620.05 for my wife’s minivan transmission, just popped up as a potential friend on Facebook – for clarity, Reithmeyers Auto-Repair is NOT the hot, lead cheerleader from high school, nor the rock-star industry lead I should know, nor the investor counting the piles of money I should have – it’s the dude who doesn’t know “auto repair” isn’t hyphenated and fixes my wife’s minivan
10. Again, I am reminded that my wife drives a minivan
11. While I get up early to starch and press my shirts, I am now realizing it only makes “more crispy” wrinkles when I fold my arms in disgust during meetings
12. At turning 30, those guys seemed idealistic; now that I am 40, they’re officially young and clueless
13. 11:15am – hungry
14. Perhaps Texas Chili Parlor for lunch was a bad idea
15. Discussion of Bike To Work Day today and took me at least 3 minutes to realize there were, in fact, no Vikings in downtown Austin today (that we know of), that made me a little embarrassed and a little sad
16. People who call me at 2pm on my birthday – yeah, that’s right, I’m talking to you – expecting me to be making cocktails in coconuts with umbrellas and sparkers instead of being at work STILL trying to finish that business development deck that had the freaking’ format changed on me – again – wait, what was I talking about?
17. Drinks with the Mrs. and friends – no complains noted (except that I got rained on because I HAD to retrieve my wife’s car because we HAD to leave during the 5 minutes it rained this month)
18. Holy crap! Seated at El Arbol at a really good table without asking twice to be reseated – happy birthday to me!
19. Midnight: oh yeah, Habanero Chili for lunch was, ironically, not a hot idea
20. Randomly wake at 3am on a Saturday morning; I’ve completed the transformation