Graham Glass, etc.

Upcoming Changes to my Blogging

In my last job I had to be careful not to blog about topics that might affect business, such as religion, dating, sex, and politics.

For example, I spent a couple of hours writing an entry about stem cell research, only to discard it because some employees or customers might be offended by my beliefs and conclusions.

Now that I'm working on a new startup, I've decided to be a bit more liberal in my blogging and will start writing about topics that I previously avoided. I'm looking forward to it!

Email Address Change

I recently decided to change my email address from an ISP-dependent address ([email protected]) to an ISP-independent address ([email protected]). I'm using many different methods to alert people of the change, this blog entry being one of them! For a while, email sent to the old address will be automatically forwarded to the new one.

Who's Your Famous Blogger Twin?

I just tried out a fun quiz based on a link from Blankbaby. Apparently my famous blogger twin Wil Wheaton, who perhaps-not-coincidentally I admire. There is a great Slashdot interview with him here.

Your Famous Blogger Twin is Wil Wheaton

You're a friendly, funny guy (or girl) next door With more than a touch of geekiness

Who's Your Famous Blogger Twin?

Welcome Ben!

I'd like to welcome my friend and collegue Ben Booth to the blogosphere. His blog, Table or Booth, is written in a clever and amusing story-telling style. Ben is particularly well known at webMethods for his stylish selection of shirts.

Blogging from a Phone

Today I tried out Flickr, which provides a free Internet service for storing and displaying photos. Photos can be uploaded from most devices including cellphones. A handy feature allows uploaded pictures to automatically be copied to your blog. I took this picture of a Japanese figurine using my Motorola RAZR, added a comment, and then uploaded it to this blog directly from the phone. On-the-road, laptop-less blogging is now a reality.

International Blogging

When viewing my visitor statistics, I noticed a few hits from a blog site of a journalist called Olivier Rafal who works for Le Monde Informatique in France. When I visited the blog, I noticed that the current entry has a link to my own blog. I translated the entry using the Altavista Babelfish, and got the following:

"In the series let us "voyons to see this qu'on could find well as utility with a blog of journalist develop l'interactivité", I propose an experiment to you: I must meet Graham Glass soon, for l'interviewer. Regularly, an oil d'un American editor programs a voyage to Paris, even a round in the European capitals, and charges l'agence of relation presses local to find a journalist to him with whom to cause, history to justify its displacement (not easy, the d'attaché job of press...). With us to make the sorting: does it come just because his wife must ABSOLUTELY make the balances at Dior, or is this really quelqu'un d'intéressant for us? There, whatever the reason of its displacement (pélerinage on the spot of the last episode of Sex and the city?), j'incline to think that l'entrevue should be interesting. Graham Glass is the kind even of the guy irritating, covered by diplomas and price in any kind, founder and architect as a chief of The Mind Electric, editor specialized in the implementation of the Web services and directed architectures service (SOA). Company which was repurchased in 2003 by WebMethods, editor d'outils d integration d'applications, whose GG ensures aujourd'hui the technical direction. In short, it should leave something it well. However, being myself a large consumer of newspapers, I plague often in front of such interview where the journalist n'a not put the question (one would have always made better than l'Autre, c'est well-known). I suppose that I am not only. Then let us benefit from this space: use the comments, put your questions, make this interview together!"

Although the translation itself is a little rough, the essence is clear; he is asking for interview questions from his audience that he will then pose to me. I'm not quite sure what he means by "guy irritating" or his mention of my wife (I'm not married), but it's all good, clean fun! This kind of linkage between blogs is one of the reasons that I enjoy communicating using this online medium.

2005: Predictions

For fun, here are some predictions I have for 2005:

• The Semantic Web replaces Web Services as the most talked-about topic in the world of software, with emphasis on RDF and metadata.
• Google releases "Google Forms", a way for people to share structured documents with each other. This could be used to share contact information, resumes, matchmaking information, medical records, etc. and would include security permissions so that users could restrict information to, say, their current doctor or to their friends.
• Lance Armstrong announces that he will compete in the 2005 Tour de France, hoping to raise the barrier even further against anyone who wishes to beat his record in the future.
• Apple announces a cell phone, iPhone, that includes integrated iPod technology, seamless integration with iTunes, and Bluetooth support. It would be particularly cool if the software ran on an embedded version of OS/X.
• America announces serious plans for a permanent manned moonbase, primarily as a preemptive move against the Chinese who have similar ambitions. Imagine how an American would feel if they wandered outside one night, looked up at the moon, and knew that a country other than the USA was living there. The USA is just not going to let that happen.
• IBM announces a new open source language, intended as a successor to Java, that runs on existing JVMs and CLRs. This seems like a natural extension of their existing open-source strategy, and would allow such a language to evolve quicker than through the current means.
• A cure is found for AIDS. The virus is becoming better understood every day, and I've read several articles recently that indicate another breakthrough is imminent.
• A quick-sobriety drug is announced that transforms anyone from being a little drunk to sober in just 30 minutes. This resonates with a recent article in New Scientist about chemicals that induce altered states. The author encourages ways to allow people to enjoy the positive effects of altered states whilst minimizing the negative effects.

I'm going update this entry a few times over the next week with any other predictions I can come up with.

2004: Retrospective

2004 is coming to an end, so I decided to jot down some of my more memorable moments, both good and bad. Here's the list I came up with:

• Spent most of the year living in a loft apartment in Adams Morgan.
• Moved to Georgetown in November.
• Served my first full year as CTO of webMethods.
• Traveled to ten countries including Japan, Australia, and Finland.
• Did plenty of public speaking.
• Thought a lot about the Semantic Web and Model Driven Design.
• Made several new friends in the DC area.
• My 14-year old cat died.
• Won the Ace of Diamonds in the Who's Who in Enterprise Java awards.
• Had a great vacation in San Diego at the Hotel del Coronado.
• Gained a godson.
• Created an investment portfolio.
• Endured a Kidney Stone while traveling through Europe.
• Worked out and ran consistently.
• Bought a new wardrobe, with an emphasis on Thomas Pink.
• Partied twice in New York, one in Atlantic City, four times in Dallas.
• Lost my friend Rocky Stewart in a plane accident.
• Watched the whole of Sex and the City twice.
• Bought a new car.
• Had a great vacation with my brother in Cairnes, Australia.
• Started a 401K account.
• Read a lot of books, including several series of Japanese Manga.

It will be interesting to see what 2005 has in store.

Welcome Jodi!

I'd like to welcome my good friend Jodi Williams to the blogsphere! She is a vibrant, high-energy Californian girl with a great sense of humor and a quirky mind. If you enjoy pondering questions that you would rarely think of yourself, I recommend visiting her site. Warning: attempting to answer the first four questions on her first post might take you several hours!

Welcome Pilar!

I'd like to welcome my friend Pilar Rivera to the Blogosphere! She's a dynamic, multi-lingual entrepreneur who has creative views on an amazing range of topics. I'm looking forward to reading her blog regularly.