Rob Storey's Blog

Technology Collision

rstorey — Thu, 06 May 2010 23:02:11 +0000

Yesterday I stood outside on a soccer field watching something odd. An 18 yr old kid dressed in a sweater vest and shorts, listening to an ipod while texting (and here comes the challenge) was mowing the lawn. I use the term “mowing” very loosely. I realize that those much more proficient than I in texting need not actually see the screen, but operating machinery than can severe limbs struck me as pushing the limits. As he would begin to push the mower through the thick grass he would receive a text, look at the screen and respond, struggle to keep the mower running (afterall the mower is designed to force the use of two hands). As this struggle continued, his progress on the yard was painfully slow. Finally he appeared exhausted, went inside and returned with a beverage. I so wanted to see the triangulation of beverage, phone and mower.

Those in the know

rstorey — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:41:45 +0000

Several months ago my next door neighbor was shot by his brother-in-law. Several months ago my next door neighbor was gunned down by his brother-in-law. Two headlines, very different meaning. To the outside, uninformed audience, either of these headlines may be perfectly suitable for the recount of the event. But they do not know. Being an insider, I had access to lots of information, details really that put the tragedy in perspective, wrapped some meaning around it. Although certainly there is more press coverage than ever in the history of the world, there are details that are simply just not available. These details are the fabric of truth and balance. In a press saturated world, we jump readily to conclusions and form opinions often with very little. Just say’in.

What we expect

rstorey — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:37:56 +0000

Some things change, while others stay the same. Profound,huh?Take Harley Davidson buyers. As the price of a new Hog pushed into $20k+ the demographic changed. The once tough, leather-clad, drink-you-under-the-table riders were replaced with well heeled orthodontists. Yes, that group of ominous bikers spread out in your lane, coming up quick in your rear view will be of great help in case of a medical emergency or abscessed tooth. But some things stay the same. When you visit your accountant with your shoe box full receipts, you expect well…an accountant. Not necessarily a slight, mustached man with a visor feverishly pulling the handle of an old fashioned comptometer or a Kratchet-esque man scribbling in a ledger as Scrooge fetters away Christmas eve, or…you get the picture. But you expect your accountant to be dressed and act a certain way. Polished. After all if he or she is going to be entrusted managing your sacred funds they should look the part. Unfortunately even in the line at the Golden Corral, they should look the part. They do not get the luxury of dressing hip and cool, like their clients. Occasionally a square peg will attempt a squeeze into a round hole telling themselves that their clients like the laid back attitude or edgy dress, but we are all programmed to expect something.

Short little bursts of cat heaven

rstorey — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:57:39 +0000

I would not consider myself a crazy cat person. My cat has a name and a cool “flower bed” to sleep in (it is actually shaped like a flower, bought it during the Ikea madness.) It does not have clothes, excessive amounts of toys, a scratching village or the myriad of other accoutrements vital to sustaining a mega pet warehouse store. However, I admit to turning on the faucet in the morning for a little drink and enjoying her climbing on my chest in the morning and scratching her neck. You see I am a pet lover in well…short bursts. Unlike a dog that will let you pet it until you have carpel tunnel, or follow you around waiting for a treat like some fat kid tracking a pizza. Cat heaven comes in short little bursts. Five minutes of scratching and rubbing annnnnnd done. Georgette is done and I am done. She really needs nothing from me. Because in her little cat mind she is saying, much like the dread pirate Roberts, “I will likely kill you in the morning.” Yes, like a wounded wildebeest on the Serengeti, she can take you down. Just to make her point, she has short bursts of stalking. Around corners, under beds, just keeping an eye on you. If you get out of line, she will give you one of those “clamp her teeth on you” kind of demi-bites, again letting you know that if you poke her with your foot as you walk by again, she will kill you. But that would require a fair amount of energy and she really just prefers laying by the air vent.

I like dashboards

rstorey — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 06:39:29 +0000

not as much as surfboards or wakeboards, but the value of a good, well-designed dashboard chocked full of information gets a big foam finger from me. Being able to quickly view information and formulate decisions is cool. At More or Less, Inc. we are starting to design a good dashboard for our JumpStart presentations. Mainly for impact, but also for practicality. Still struggling with the categorization of this blog. Still random, and still original. Lady Liberty is out on the corner, must be tax time.

Repetition makes perfection

rstorey — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 05:45:06 +0000

A few weeks ago we moved into a new home. It is a little smaller, but very nice. The problem is taking 5000 s/f of stuff into 3400. I lobbied strenuously for a large DI donation, but alas the stuff was pulled out at the last minute. Stuff like the first plastic guitar, or little broken wooden rocking chair, 10 years worth of Ensign magazines. Now I have been guilty of throwing away other’s prized possessions, in fact the default position for lost items is, “Dad threw it away.” But you are supposed to do that when you move. Anyway, we needed shelving and I mean lots of shelving. Which means IKEA and I mean multiple trips. After completing 1000 linear feet of shelving, you get pretty good at it. And pretty quick. I can get one of those Besta shelf units out of the package and together in less than 8 minutes. With a plate of Swedish meatballs…about 9.

Speed Sensitive Steering

rstorey — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 04:34:32 +0000

The modern car has a litany of gadgets designed under the auspiciouses of giving the driver more control. Control to find his or her way, control to make the cabin more comfortable and control the level of the stereo during acceleration. Probably a few of you are shaking your head about now saying something like this while rolling your eyes, “really…you can’t reach the steering wheel audio controls and adjust the volume of the stereo? That’s correct. But it is sooo cool. I discovered this feature laregely by accident while driving Darryl’s 2006 Audi S4. It drives like a dream, handling every corner and acceleration to spare. While testing said acceleration, I became aware the level of the music in the cabin began to rise. I kept my foot in it and it got louder yet. I guess Darryl won’t get to enjoy the feeling of cruising on the freeway,a favorite song comes on the radio (like AC/DC Shook me all night long) for example, and your foot instinctively gets heavier and you reach for the volume knob. But not high enough that you can’t hear yourself belting out off key lyrics.

Driving in a truck with no brakes

rstorey — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:40:47 +0000

la, la,lalala, la
There is a big difference between discovering your car has no brakes and knowing that it doesn’t. The level of advanced planning is staggering. Just after high school a work friend named Troy Wynn and I would occasionally drive around in his yellow Chevy Luv truck that indeed had no brakes. Well…that isn’t completely true, it had an emergency brake. Since every stop with no actual brakes is an emergency, I’m glad it worked well. I remember cruising to the 7-11 or some convenience store (usually thirst or hunger would motivate us sufficiently to take out the Luv truck) wailing as we navigated stop lights, screaming at people in other lanes that we had no brakes. Once stopping became a necessity, I (as the wingman) would grab the emergency brake. Believe me, as I write this I am completely aware of the stupidity of this maneuver. I guess that feeling of invincibility fleets with age.

There is a reason 3M is a Fortune 500 company

rstorey — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:02:08 +0000

It is because of tape. Plain and simple. This lesson was taught to me once again has I grabbed the roll of masking tape to seal a cardboard moving box. Let’s recap. I grabbed a roll of masking tape to seal a cardboard moving box. Ok, by definition masking tape is designed to not be too sticky so it won’t ruin your painting project (it masks things). Packing tape on the other hand is designed to be incredibly sticky so it actually can hold greater weights. Why this fact escaped me as the bottom of my box of text books fell to my feet, I am not sure. Convenience over using the right tool. As a marketeer I am always looking for new ways to reach out to customers, hungry to buy new products or try new services. Picking the right tape for the job is worth spending a little time.

How to catalog a million Post-It notes

rstorey — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:38:31 +0000

The trouble with an endless smorgasboard of drivel is finishing up with those pesky tags. Like what tag would I use for this post? I have no clue. Perhaps this is why my email boxes have hundreds of messages, all read but few filed. 3:37 am is not the time to begin filing project.