Judith Burton

Is Radio Dying?

judithburton — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:11:39 +0000

A few minutes ago I saw this comment on twitter;

“I’m doing the new cool iPhone thing: listening to pandora & last.fm in my car on my iPhone, is radio dying?”

This is my response.

Radio isn’t dying. Remember when the popular theory was that books and paper would go away? (Are you old enough to remember that?) Technology just made it easier to generate more paper and books more efficiently.

It is curious to me how phases or waves of technology are perceived. I remember when there was only one telephone in the office for about 20 employees to share. (Yeah, I know, that was a very long time ago). And, how very ironic—it was an AT&T office. The AT&T philosophy/company policy was; not everyone needs a private phone on their desk to do their work. HAH! I knew as soon as I used a phone that I needed my own phone everywhere I went. I petitioned like crazy until all employees had a private phone. I was the first mobile phone owner in Utah valley when we were at Novell. Remember the phones that were like bricks? WOW!

In society it takes years, sometimes generations for an old way to disappear—even if it’s not the most efficient way to get the job done. Quite often I observe a new technology being employed while the old methodology is still being used causing double work and gumming up the flow of energy.

It doesn’t always happen this way. Quite often, the new and old can operate on parallel tracks and not interfere with each other. TV didn’t make movies go away. Ipods and Iphones won’t make radio go away. Just like computing will not make books go away. Something new doesn’t always replace the old way. The old is not actually replaced but complimented.

If there is something about the old method that serves a need, it will remain in place right beside the new innovative technology. As humans, we have many different styles of absorbing and sharing information. One technology doesn’t always serve every need. I like the feel of the paper and the printed words when I read a book—a laptop or palmtop just doesn’t have the same feeling. Some of our grand children like to listen to books on their Shuffles, while, some of the others would rather watch the story on a screen.

The remark at the top of this post may have been serious or a joke. That doesn’t matter, it inspired me to share. What do you think???

There are some things I just don’t care about…

judithburton — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 00:57:43 +0000

Do we really care that Edwards had an affair? What does it really matter? Wouldn’t the money have been better spent on rescuing the daughters in the Darfur or other refugee camps? I would rather read a headline like; “Edwards donates $500,000 to the Darfur refugees,” instead of to his PR campaign.

What is really important? Every day mothers in the Darfur camps must choose the daughters that will go to gather firewood knowing that they will be raped and beaten along their way.

And then, today Russia invades Georgia! Horrible, yes! The UN calls emergency meetings, Rice and McCain are all over it in the first hours of the invasion! Great!!! Why did it take years before these political powers could even spell Darfur? Money, of course…

Its always about money and power. And, how do you spell power, oh yeah, M O N E Y.

I tried to ignore this all day, to no avail. I simply had to add my rant to the noise.

The Progression of Summer 2008

judithburton — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 01:31:40 +0000

This is one of my favorite summer’s so far. Even though we are working hard everyday, we are having so much fun, especially with the grandchildren. The fun began for this summer when I decided—with Craig’s encouragement—to dive deeper, into some software programs; Photoshop Elements, Premiere, WordPress, LiveWriter, LightRoom, and others. We have about eight on the list to learn. It has been tutorial central in our neck of the woods. I especially like experimenting with Essentials 2 for Photoshop Elements.

I’m getting through the tutorials at what I think is a pretty good pace. My grand daughter then gets into it and starts the tutorials. I’m still working through the first one, when I get a text message, “Grama, I’m all done, what’s next!?” Now, I’m the novice.

While I was learning, I realized I needed a couple of projects to practice on—I learn better when I have a practical application. So, we have been pulling out all of the old family videos and photos and combining those with current projects into a nice mix of activities.

The family gatherings have been centering around the old tapes and photo catalogues. The 2008 version of the Burton family photo album is now the laptop instead of the traditional hard book style, with the constant maintenance of keeping the aging photos from falling out, ripping, and fading. I’m holding over 20,000 photos in the palm of my hand. Can you imagine the bulk if this were all hard copies?

Instead of the traditional request for copies of favorite photos, it’s now, “Will you put this all on DVD, so I can have access and work on it myself?”

It’s gratifying to see that all of this technology is so accepted and expected by the children we were holding on our laps at the computers only a few years ago. When they still needed help crawling up into a chair at our house, they were encouraged to use the computers. When they first started, I would put something entertaining on the screen and give them a disconnected keyboard. I know, that tapping keys to create an outcome contributes in some way to some very important brain development, somewhere deep in their little heads.

They simply imitated us and were very happy when they hit the keys and something would coincidentally happen on the monitor. For them, it seemed to be more entertaining than most of the other toys or TV. They were involved and engaged and having great fun! It didn’t take any of them very long to figure out the keyboard was disconnected from the action on the screen. There was a very short learning curve as each one began the educational games phase. Now, each child over eight in our family has their own workstation or laptop, while the younger ones are still at the disconnected keyboard stage progressing toward fun educational programs. (The all time favorites for the young toddlers have been and remain, the “Little Critter” series and “Mr. Potato Head!”)

Not only do they have their own ipods, cells and computers, they are at various stages of generating videos, learning how to be safe on-line, and making their own blogs. They have progressed from the technology of finger paints to that of Painter v10 on their laptops. Cool! I love it when a plan comes together.

I love how learning even the simplest technology gives each individual child such empowering experiences. I recall, how out of shear desperation twenty years ago, I began teaching each grand child in turn, how to use the TV remote control. It was one thing that was “off limits” and such a coveted toy with all of its colorful buttons. Their little fingers barely able to hold onto the remote, they could so precisely control one of their favorite activities. The look that came over their faces when they realized they held the power of their world in their own hands, was truly thrilling. Instead of wanting to play with the remote, they actually used it. It went from desirable button toy to essential tool in a matter of seconds. Next, of course, was learning the delicate procedures of using laser disks and DVDs. Today, I watch those same delicate fingers in a blur speeding across the keypads as they constantly text on their cells.

Whenever I conquer some new technology, I am thrilled at my accomplishments and amazed at how all kinds of technologies make our lives so much easier allowing us to communicate anything effortlessly. When an event happens, it is being twittered within seconds around the world.

I strongly feel, we have an ethical obligation as sentient beings to learn, invent, share and provide technologies to the younger generations to increase their opportunities for education and self-expression. And, that by this practice, our culture will move at an accelerated pace into a future of maximum health and well-being for humans, other species and the earth.

So goes the progression of summer 2008 at the Burton camp.

The Lovely Potato

judithburton — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 23:01:53 +0000

Today, I am celebrating the lovely potato –MmMm! Finally, even the United Nations loves the potato. The whole world celebrates this wonderful “fruit of the gods.”

I have allowed potatoes to flourish in my garden in the past and will definitely welcome them in the future. All that is necessary is to cut up an untreated potato and drop it in fertilized dirt.

Water it from time to time (depending on your climate). Simple!

Check on the size of the tubers/roots/potatoes once in a while and begin harvesting as soon as you see something of edible size. You will have potatoes, potatoes, and more potatoes.

And, they come in all shapes and sizes and they are good for you, too!

Any garden spot or type of container will work–I’ve re-purposed an old five gallon plastic bucket with a few holes poked in the bottom. I contain them, otherwise they sprawl over the underbelly of the garden. And, unless you want potatoes for all of your friends and relatives, I suggest the bucket.

I love potatoes. In just about any form. I have been disappointed in the past to learn that raw potatoes are not that good for us, because of the starch. But, otherwise, ENJOY!!!

In Any Endeavor…

judithburton — Mon, 12 May 2008 03:57:55 +0000

In taking on any project, I must ask my self, “am I good at getting the job or good at getting the job done?”

Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.
Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
English humorist & science fiction novelist (1952 - 2001)

Hotel Sans Whiteboard

judithburton — Sat, 10 May 2008 23:59:15 +0000

We are in between lifestyles. En route to Utah, we are living in a hotel sans whiteboard. The penthouse view of the gardens is outstanding.

For more photos of penthouse suite

Craig cannot be stopped. Every morning in our discussion, he is compelled to illustrate his ideas on his makeshift whiteboard—a small sketch pad. We discuss a variety of topics—our joint projects, individual projects, new ideas, industry news, current events, dinner plans, etc. Most importantly, Craig speaks his critical ideas. Invariably, from these topics new whiteboard sketches are generated.

These discussions help me tremendously to understand what he is talking about—one rule is that he must speak in English. The geek-speak must be interpreted and understood before we can move forward. During this process, we define and develop lexicon for educating our audiences. We generate distinctions for misinformation. We explore metaphors to help explain, and we repeat it until it all begins to make sense. Along with the explanations, comes an outflow of his sketches.

Yesterday’s Abstraction Layer drawing was particularly helpful for a few of our current project discussions. This same drawing has been on the boards a myriad of times. In yesterday’s discussion, it was new all over again. Check it out…

Craig’s Whiteboard Talk 05/09/08

Generating Distinctions the Burtonian Way

judithburton — Fri, 02 May 2008 05:33:25 +0000

Craig’s whiteboard talks have always inspired enthusiasm and understanding. His Marketing Matrix is a result of many years of his sought after “white board talks.” Craig has many friends and followers who seek out an opportunity to participate in one of these inspired moments. It is widely known that he is often at his best when on his feet at the board, marker in-hand, in a fever over some new aspect of repositioning a technology concept. He gets so excited flashing ideas onto the board, not being able to draw fast enough to keep up with himself. It’s so fun to see others as they each, in turn, “get it.” This is why they come, to be there in that moment of inspiration—that flash of clarity. And, to see from his perspective, how their own technology can be positioned and how they can play a leadership role in the industry.

Early in the life of LAN technology, we could see how the entire industry was being confused by non-clarified use of terms. Industry leaders would often use contradictory terms to describe how their technology worked or at times used the same word to describe different things. It was frustrating to both of us. It seemed there were no words to describe what our technology did because others were using the words to describe something different. So, we spent a lot of time clarifying distinctions and making up new terms. An important part of events and documents was always the Glossary or Lexicon as a way to explain exactly what we were saying. We came to accept that others were bound to misuse words; we simply wanted to ensure that our audiences understood what we meant when we were communicating a concept.

The matrix developed over twenty years as a way to explain the distinctions of “open,” “closed,” proprietary,” and “public domain.” Recently, Craig has been using the term “intentional innovation” and has added this to the “Marketing Matrix.”

The latest version of the diagram is hot off the drawing board, literally, and will probably change a little, as I use Illustrator^TM to prepare it for use.

And, each time he draws it on a white board, it will be tweaked just a little.

I want to be there to see their faces light up when they get it.

The Burtonian Technology Matrix

I Finally Found Something I Can Do That Craig Can’t…

judithburton — Fri, 02 May 2008 05:08:09 +0000

It’s order from Pizza Hut online. It’s such a crappy site that he can’t even use it. It’s a problem when he knows how a site is supposed to work. I don’t know so I just muddle through it all until I get to what works. I still couldn’t make the part work to order soda pop. Each time I clicked on ordering soda, it went right to the final order page with no drinks listed. Bummer. I even called the drinks in - but they never made it onto the order either. So, maybe its not just the site. Maybe its the company in general.