We Are All Proactive Now

I think the term "proactive" should be taken off the list of buzzwords. I have heard that word so much lately I think we should just bite the bullet and make it an honorary member of our everyday lexicon.

I remember a time when the word was reserved for thinking outside the box, stepping out of the comfort zone, shifting the paradigm, or (more specifically) incompetent people trying to sound smart. Lately, though, with increasing productivity demands of the modern workplace, the word is being thrown rapid fire around every corner of the office. No longer a special case, proactiveness is now expected as an everyday proactivity. And it's become a freebie score in Buzzword Bingo.

I don't see why proactive is such a special concept anyway, it only means doing things actively. Can things be done any other way? Sure, I can be inactive or reactive or even surrealistically quasi-active, but when what you're after is good old fashioned get-r-done gumption-fueled tenacity, nothing beats being proactive.

Besides, when you think about it, proactive is really just a polite way of saying, "You know what to do, just get off your ass and do it!"

At my workplace, we are constantly reminding each other to be proactive.

The Pilot Collection Grows

I was down at Weird Stuff yesterday and they had a huge box of old PDAs. Now this is one focus of my collection, so sifted through those boxes until after closing time. I found a nice set of m-series devices and an original US Robotics cradle. Here you can see my newly expanded collection arranged on the coffee table.

Starting at the bottom left, going counter-clockwise: US Robotics Pilot 1000, the grand-daddy of them all; A Palm IIIe Special Edition (this one got me through the 90s in geek style); a Palm VII Wireless; Palm IIIc (their first color PDA), and finally the m-series: m100, m150, and m130.

A Delicious Beverage

Coupa Cafe in downtown Palo Alto likes to get fancy with their beverages. A latte like this plus the wi-fi makes it a good place to unwind after work.

King of Kong

Turns out the guy who wrote Donkey Kong for the Atari has blogged about it.

Classic Computers and Me

You may be wondering about the Donkey Kong.

Like many things, it started in the '90s. That's when I found myself in Silicon Valley surrounded by all these strange new "computers." Not traditional computers, but compu-gadgets. Things that go beep. Some fit in the palm of your hand and they were being invented all around me, I only had to reach out and grab them. Next thing I knew, I had a nice little collection of devices. Hey, my friend would say, if you like that you'll love this. Next thing I know I own Data General DG-1, fully loaded marvel of engineering and circa 1984, a miracle of rapid obsolescence. You can see where this is going. I began collecting anything interesting or unusual. I learned computer history, serial numbers, feature sets and options, prototypes. Study, tinker, hack. I signed up for volunteer work at the Computer History Museum where I learned how to properly handle, restore, and preserve them.


These are some classic touch-screen devices from the 1990s and the genesis of this hobby. On the left is an Apple eMate. They took a Newton and fit it into a laptop form for kids. This one is a prototype and was field tested by the 11 year old daughter of one of Apple's engineers. It still has a letter to mom and dad and some doodles in its flash memory. You can see an Apple promotional wristwatch next to it. In the middle is a 3Com Audrey, an "Internet Appliance" built in the Judy Jetson style. It has a wireless keyboard and when you have email, the clear stylus on top blinks like an antennae. To the right is the Palm IIIe Special Edition that got me through the dot com bubble with hip tech cred. I had the Star Trek communicator sound effects installed. I flipped it open and said beam me up Scotty way more than I should have. I have since found a US Robotics Pilot (the predecessor of them all!), a IIIc Color, and a Palm VII Wireless which has special sentimental value as I built the developer site for that puppy.



This Apple //c with the rare flat-panel display was just a good deal on eBay. I couldn't pass up the chance to own one! It's complete with the original software, manuals, carrying case, and a lapel pin.



Finally, my most funnest toy...

Have you played Atari today? That was their slogan. That's a 2600 and a 400 with a large collection of games and a 1979 color television, all on a rolling TV cart. Nothing in this picture was built after 1984. It's a period piece I put together for the vintage computer festival. Everything is there and it all works. I enjoy a game of Joust once in a while. Or Warlords if company is over.

You can see in the view from the top, it has the vintage switches on proud display. Even some Atari corporate swag. Now that's home computer history!

We Are All Architects Now

Computer Science legend Edsgar W. Dijkstra expounds on overuse of the term software engineer. Apparently at some point the job title of analyst/programmer didn't sound good enough so with a little help from HR, programmers became software engineers. Dijkstra's laments that engineer used to imply a master's degree and now it's a community college certificate. Nowadays even engineer doesn't carry the prestige it used to, and everyone is clamouring for the title software architect. You lose, Dijkstra!

SOFTWARE ENGINEERING AIN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE

Multitainment

Watching  TV on mute, playing music, browsing the web, and other fun activities together as one composite entertainment application. A home appliance mash-up.