Entries from December 2009

Big Ups to Lenovo

December 24, 2009 · Leave a Comment

I’ve been asked to play around with a Lenovo IdeaPad S12 and give feedback as to whether this netbook would meet a sales person’s needs. I’ve had this little baby for a few weeks and I wrote a tidy list of how I feel about it, in case any of you out there are evaluating a netbook for your own use.

To sum up: I love it.

Pros

·        Size & weight make it easy to carry to meetings, take notes electronically

·        No issue connecting to the wireless network setup behind the firewall

·        Full size keyboard, so no hand cramping (just like typing on any standard 15.4″ notebook)

·        Changed resolution to make icons bigger – no issue with screen size as a result (12.1″ display)

·        The charger is tiny; take up no space when travelling

·        Built in video camera means I can Skype with clients; make better (read realer) client connections

Cons

·        Resetting the resolution to create bigger icons/font on the netbook means the display on the monitor can look a bit distorted and Comic Sans-like. I hate Comic Sans!

·        The Video cable has 2 screws to hold the cable firmly to the video port (for the monitor) but the netbook doesn’t have the feminine parts to bolt on; this means you have to be extra careful and not jostle the video cable.

·        Mouse pad is tiny.

·        Only 160 GBs on the netbook, so external desktop hard drive is recommended (especially for music and videos)

·        Lots of stuff to plug in vs. docking station (mouse, speakers, keyboard, monitor, e tc.) which only leaves one spare USB port available

Breakin’ it down . . . some serious specs:

  • Display: 12.1 WXGA (1280 X 800) LED 200 nit, 250g
  • Processor: Intel Atom N270
  • Graphics: Intel integrated GMA 950, Nvidia ION
  • Memory: Up to 1GB DDR2 533 MHz
  • Hard Drive: Up to 160 GB SATA (160, 250, 320)
  • Battery Life: 3 hours with 3-cell, 6 hours with 6-cell
  • Weight: 1.4kg with 3 cell, 1.55kg with 6 cell
  • Dimensions: 292 X 216 X 22-28.9mm
  • Connectivity: 10/100m Ethernet, Broadcom 578M, Intel WiFi Link 5150 1X2 AGN, Intel WiFi Link 5100 1X2 AGN, Non-Intel wireless b/g, Non-Intel wireless b/g/n, Bluetooth
  • Other: 3 USB, 1 Expresscard slot (Intel and VIA platforms), 4-in-1 card reader, VGA, RJA45, HDMI
  • Software: XP Home SP3 (32 bit)

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How to Properly Mug Someone

December 9, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Just had the cool experience of being interviewed by Kaitlin Pike, the Web 2.0 Expo Community Manager. She asked some pointed questions about my Ignite presentation and I wanted to share an excerpt (my favorite part):

In response to her experience, Paige created “A New Way to Mug” for robbers to follow:

  1. State the other person’s behavior: “She has a laptop, and she’s just walking around with it.”
  2. State your emotional response: “That pisses me off. I want that laptop.”
  3. State choices to the other person as a result of your emotional response: “If you don’t give me that laptop I’m going to get violent.”

Although the example for these three steps involves muggers, Paige believes they should be applied much more broadly. “This can be used in any situation requiring negotiation,” she said.

For instance, imagine your boss gives you a deadline for a project you know needs more time. 1) State the other person’s behavior: “The boss has given me a deadline that isn’t realistic if we want a quality product.” 2) State how that makes you feel. “This makes me anxious.” 3) State choices to the other person as a result of your emotional response. “Boss, I am anxious this deadline as it stands will force us to cut back on important features. If you give me 4 more days I can deliver a much higher quality product.”

The important thing to remember, Paige said, is that the person cannot “make” you feel anything—your response to your boss could have been ambivalence; “It’s not my fault the product will suck. Oh well.”

Paige did not make the mugger feel angry—that was simply her response to Paige’s behavior.  When in a negotiation or conflict, say things such as “While you were doing this, this is how I felt.” People aren’t mind readers, and if you want to resolve issues with them you need to be straightforward with your feelings and what you want out of the discussion.

Thanks Kaitlin, for not asking if you minded if you unzip your pants, and for making me sound smart :)

Full interview can be found here.

Categories: Conferences
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Dear Mugger, It Could Have Been Different

December 6, 2009 · Leave a Comment

I’ve moved from anxiety to eager anticipation. My Ignite talk is coming up on Tuesday, and I’m feeling good about my presentation. 

After much debate about what I wanted to say, I’m confident I’ve honed in on the right topic. But having a great idea doesn’t necessarily translate to good execution. Many drafts and conversations later, my process has evolved into something (I hope) the audience will find compelling, entertaining and still relates back to the evening’s Women Innovators theme.

The tile of my talk is ‘Dear Mugger, It Could Have Been Different.’

Bam!

True story: I was physically assaulted on October 13, 2008 whilst strolling home in the Mission here in SF, CA. A woman ran up behind me and started raining down on me with fists, pulling my hair out, punching me in the face – just generally kicking my ass. I had no idea what was going on. She did not at any point tell me that she was after my laptop (a conclusion I later drew post-attack), so I held on to my stuff out of sheer shock. Eventually she gave up and ran away. 

She was pretty amateur. By all accounts, this mug was one epic fail. She did not succeed in taking my stuff. However, if she had just made a simple request of me, I would have gladly given up my IBM ThinkPad and the $8 in my wallet if the alternative was getting beat up. No brainer.   

In telling this story and the subsequent conclusions I’ve drawn looking back on the attack, the intention of my Ignite talk is to illustrate that effective (in this case, verbal) communication is essential in getting what you want. This translates into business, friendships, romance , mugging – all relationships. 

At the very least, it’s been a hugely cathartic experience for me in putting together this deck. Thanks Ignite :)

Practice might not always make perfct, but it definitely builds confidence. A big thank you to my clever, compassionate friends who allowed me sit them down with my .ppt and and show them my slides, continually asking them:

Is this boring?

Am I funny?

Do you get what I’m trying to say, with this one?

And all sorts of other annoying questions. Bring on Tuesday!

Categories: Conferences
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