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Silly Goose!
By admin | May 24, 2009
It’s been an interesting couple of months 
The first version of the project I was working on in the Gates Foundation was released a couple months ago. The feedback so far is almost universal disapproval. It’s humorous that this response is better than what I expected.
- The problems that have been identified are fixable
- The conversations to improve the system have finally taken off
- Leadership has stayed committed to the goals that were defined
I may have skipped out on an MBA for this opportunity, but there are no classes in the world that could have given me a better business education. What an incredible experience!
I’m adopting a kitten. My girlfriend and I named him “Silly Goose” months ago and now we finally have him in our hands. Well… I will have him in my hands soon. Megan is on a two month stint as a nurse with Project HOPE in South America. Silly Goose and I are looking forward to welcoming her home.
In my short time as a pseudo-bachelor, I’ve run through an amazing assortment of gadgets:
- Sold my 17″ Macbook Pro and got an HP 2140 – I love Apple and its eBay resale value. Surprisingly, I sold the Macbook Pro for $50 more than what I purchased it for six months ago. The tiny HP 2140 netbook has proven itself to be a ridiculously cheap and effective replacement.
- Bought and sold a Viliv S5 – I worked with a tiny OQO machine for over an year and loved it. However, computers that small are not really for productivity. The company is now out of business. I purchased a Viliv S5 from Hong Kong to see what the buzz was about and sold it one day later. I couldn’t justify keeping it.
- Bought a Slacker G2 Radio – I’m very impressed with the Slacker Radio Service. I don’t like purchasing music and I no longer have a regular radio. Slacker provides customized music stations and artist discovery for a very reasonable price. You either hate or love the music it plays and it customizes the playlist accordingly.
- Purchased a Advanced Frames Inflatable kayak – I knew I wanted a kayak but I never thought I would get an inflatable. The Advanced Frames kayak weighs as much as a regular kayak but is infinitely more portable. I take it down to a launching point on Lake Union and inflate it. This is a purchase you can’t justify by dividing the cost of a kayak by the number of weekend kayak rental trips. I simply kayak much more often because I own one.
- Bought a Kindle 2 eBook Reader – Another purchase that can’t be justified by simple math. With an eBook reader, I just read a lot more books than I would than at a library or through a brick and mortar book store. It’s wonderful!
There are a ton of cool gadgets coming out soon. I’m sure I’ll be checking a few of them out.
- Palm Pre – I predict that Palm will resurrect itself with this awesome phone and finally give the iPhone some competition. I don’t I’ll get it because I’m not interested in a two year contract with Sprint
- New Generation Apple Devices – I know a new iPhone is coming. What else could Apple pull out this year? What else will I initially dismiss but eventually buy?
- Larger Kindle DX – Finally, a full page eBook reader that I can print my work documents to. Who needs a 6″ screen when you can have 9.7″?
- Nokia N97 – Unfortunately, I’ve pre-ordered this device despite knowing it won’t be a good fit. For $200 off the retail price plus a bluetooth headset, I’m sure it will eBay well.
I’ve also caught up on a ridiculous number of TV Shows:
- First Season of Fringe – This looks like a cross between the X-Files and Alias. Its one of the best new shows I’ve seen in a while. With all the good shows ending over the past couple of years – the Wire, Shield, Heroes (I like to pretend that ended after the first season), Sarah Conner Chronicles, Battlestar Galactica - it’s nice to have a new show to enjoy.
- Seventh Season of 24 – Almost too predictable after 7 seasons. It’s still fun to watch, but its novelty is gone. Jack Bauer needs to retire.
- Dollhouse – It’s been renewed for another season, but I’m not sure if I like this show yet. I’ll give it time.
- Season 5 of Lost – This is definitely my favorite show of all time. The season finale was another game changer. It’s too bad that there is only one season left.
I’ve had visits from my friends in other states and countries, and I’ve taken a few trips on my own. Life is good. I will be launching another workoutrageous competition. I’m looking into twitter integration…
Topics: Hobbies, Personal, Professional, Tech | No Comments »
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