Last week I was in Trinidad, just off the coast of South America. I was speaking at the BDC’s Innovation to Income conference and took a few extra days for fun.

It’s an interesting place - since most tourists head over to the quiet, beautiful neighboring island of Tobago, Trinidad itself isn’t an easy place to be a tourist. The capital city of Port of Spain is tough, crime is a problem, and there are few true tourist attractions, nor info centers or tourist desks that I could find. But that made it real travel - I had a most interesting time walking around the core downtown area (Indi Square). It was the first time in awhile I went somewhere impossible not to stand out as a foreigner (80+% of the population is of African or Indian decent, and I’m of neither), which was a thrill.

Here’s what I learned:

• A continent can look like an island if you are an idiot. From my hotel pool I asked one of the staff “what is that island in the distance” and was told “That? That’s south America”.
• The Hyatt Regency is a fantastic hotel with one the best pool I’ve ever seen. It’s outdoors on the 4th floor and is lined up so the pool horizon matches the actual horizon. Fantastic.
• Local lingo: Limin’ = to hang out. BamBam = your rear end. Boof = to insult or yell at someone.
• Fried shark is a delicacy. Up at the beautiful Maracas beach I tried what’s called Bake ‘n Shark, which is fried shark on a sandwich with various toppings like garlic sauce (yum).
• You can buy aged Rum - and it’s quite good. I had no idea Rum could be a premium alcohol (like Scotch), with 8, 10 and 15 year aged versions of premium brands.
• A roti is not just bread, as i assumed from having had it at Malay Satay in Seattle. Here the roti is the container for various stuffings. Roti shops are basically like us sandwich shops.
• KFC is extremely popular here. Vaguely like McDonald’s was in Moscow. Long lines.
• Obama has made the US popular again, at least here. Walking on the street at Independence square, total strangers asked me if I was American, and if I said yes, they’d happily yell Obama! and shake my hand

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One of the great coincidences of my life is that my girlfriend in college (now my wife) was a painter. I didn’t know it at the time, but by tagging along to events at the art department at CMU, and at times helping her with her work, I was unintentionally exposed to what the world of art is and what artists actually do. These are experiences I doubt I’d have had. My family and friends had no interest in art. And more to my work these days, few people in the computer science or business world get this kind of exposure, and I think it’s a shame (Paul Graham is a notable exception). Anyone who talks about creativity without talking at all about art is a poser - these are the folks with one of the longest creative traditions we have.

But more on the history of art and creativity some other time. I’m posting today to talk about the guy I now recognize as my favorite: Olafur Eliasson. Five years ago I stumbled into the Tate museum and was blown away by this, this thing, in the ten story Turbine hall. Frank and I spent more than an hour playing and dancing under this enormous simulated sun. We watched kids dance and play with the huge mirror hanging across the entire football field sized ceiling. It was, without hyperbole, sureal. I didn’t know what it was, or what it was for, and that, like much of the art I enjoy, made it accessible to me and everyone there.

Then last month, at the MOMA, I stumbled again into Eliasson’s work. Here the works are at at smaller scale, but like the Tate exhibit the works lend themselves to interaction. Rooms are filled with lights and mirrors that dared me to step inside the work (one eye on the security guard to make sure it was ok, which it was). Walls covered with distorted metal windows, or shifting patterns of light (reminiscent of Turrel’s skyspace), that make it impossible not to look. Or touch. Or stick around and wait to see what’s going on. It’s experience as art.

I’ll be in NYC this summer and hope to catch Eliasson’s latest exhibit, Waterfalls. The scale of this project looks to be more like Christo’s wrappings, interesting for their awesome scale, and interactive only in that they get people to stop and look. But I’ll go and hope to stumble again into another memorable experience.

Posted in Travel, creative thinking | 3 Comments »

One highlight of webstock 08 was the fantastic design of their handouts, badges and bags. Most conferences, including design conferences, spend little effort on crafting the things they give attendees. The bags, swag, and badges are typically afterthoughts, rarely made with love, and infrequently reflecting any of the values espoused at the conference itself. Webstock kicked ass on all counts: an example for other conferences to follow. Here are some notes:

The badge

• The schedule is upside down. Since the badge hangs on your neck, the schedule, one day per page, is printed upside down so you can read it. Nice (first saw this at GEL).
• Not made of plastic . Is it just me, or is there too much laminated plastic at conferences? These badges are made of cardstock and heavy paper, with a natural hand-made feel. It has soft edges and fits comfortably in a shirt or back pocket.
• Cord made of fabric for easy reuse. Most conference materials have limited reuse and don’t recycle well: those plastic lanyards aren’t good for much. But since the cord isn’t the standard plastic clip-on cable, but a nice length of fabric, I can use it for something else.
• The only major design ding is the name is hard to read. I’ve yet to see a badge that was truly easy to read from conversation distance: they’re always crammed with affiliations and job titles making them not only ugly, but worthless (Here’s a good example for reference (scroll down to second picture)).

The bag

• Looks like a high-end hipster bag. Nothing says inauthentic faster than a design conference that gives 500 people ugly, black, generic, ‘50-zillion compartment but none that fit the things you actually need when traveling’ conference bag, replete with a garish logo carelessly glued (yet impossible to remove) on the front cover. Well the webstock bag doesn’t look like a conference bag: it looked so good I had to ask twice to make sure it was the conference bag, and not some special prize.
• Is made of canvas! I’ve been to dozens of conferences, yet this is the first bag made of a sturdy, high-quality, non-synthetic material. It feels like a well made thing to hold and gives the vibe it’s meant to be used, not just a token gift to make you feel better about the fees you paid to get in.

The t-shirt

• Looks like something from threadless. The front has, I believe, some of the public art from the city of Wellington, with the words Webstock underneath. It’s a nice yellow on grey, soft tones, and looks good with a pair of jeans. Unlike the dozens of conference t-shirts I’ve given away to goodwill over the years, I’m keeping this one.
• Came in women’s and men’s versions. Why should I care as a man? Well, I confess: I like to look at women. Especially when they’re wearing clothes meant to fit their curvy figures. I always hear people complain about the low numbers of women at design and tech conferences. Well, maybe if they followed some of webstock’s ideas, more women would be interested in finding out about their conferences.

Other bits

• Did not dig the food. I’m a foodie, I cook for myself all the time, and the food here was a problem. I admit it was awesome to see an entire vegetarian table and other special diets accounted for, but the food I grazed at at the regular tables didn’t have me coming back for more. I didn’t see anyone else complaining and everyone seemed to be eating tons, so perhaps it was me. That said, I gave up on the conference food part way through as F Inc, just across the street from the venue in Wellington, was great. I had some of my best meals of my two weeks in the country here.
• An agenda that took risks. I missed most of the first day, but what I did at the conference included: powerpoint karaoke, where speakers had to talk for 5 minutes with someone else’s slides, and an 8×5 session, where 8 speakers had 5 minutes each. These things mix up the pace of a long conference, give people a different way to communicate, and make interesting mistakes possible. The social hours had awesome live music, craftstock was fun: it was clear, all over the place, that the organizers get what good experience design is all about.
• I didn’t use the conference program. You can see it in the photo above of the bag, but I didn’t refer to it much. I’d read the basic agenda online and had the badge program. I can’t say much about its design, though it certainly looked great. My only gripe was that it had a page per speaker, making the book quite big, yet I struggled to find the specific speaker I was looking to track down (Mark from the 8×5 session). Do we need these big program guides anymore? This one sure looked good, but I don’t think I saw a soul with one at the actual conference.

If you get a chance to speak at or attend Webstock, don’t miss it. You’ll feel the love if you go.

Posted in Design, On Tour, Teaching/Training, Travel | 6 Comments »

On my first trip to London in 1996, on a whim from a blurb in some guidebook, I checked out Speaker’s corner @ Hyde Park. I just could not believe the blurb: a place where anyone could stand up on a box, preach or rant to their hearts desire, and throngs of people would come to listen, all for free.

Inconceivable!

In NYC, we had a name for public speakers - crazies. We’d ignore them, or as a gang of kids, terrorize them. As adults, who has the time to stop and listen? The notion was absurd, and in my then fully charged American arrogance I figured if such a form of free speech were possible, surely I’d have seen it before in America.

So I went to see for myself - It was true and it blew me away.

1. It’s self-organized. Anyone can stand anywhere and start going.
2. People get interactive. There’s lots of yelling and heckling.
3. It’s mostly peaceful. No one is forced to speak or listen.
4. Some of the speakers are amazing. They own their crowds without microphones, podiums, powerpoint - just them and their voices.

Many speakers were political or religious, but many weren’t. Some were pros who seemed to be regulars at the corner, but many were just working people interested in debate. The experience redefined what a public speaker meant. It’s one thing to speak at a conference or in an office where there are rules of conduct, but entirely another to speak where no one has any obligation to even listen to you.

I can’t say what goes on at the corner is a good way to debate issues, but it sure is an experience and any thinking person can’t observe what goes on there without some kind of opinion.

I’ve been thinking more about speaker’s corner lately for two reasons. First I now make a living as a public speaker, but also because of the rise of informal presenting, from un-conferences, Pecha-Kucha, and 99 second or 60 second university talks.

Surprisingly youtube comes up short on capturing the experience. But here are a few to watch if you’re curious (which you should be):

• Speaker’s corner / mad world. The best video of the bunch. It takes a sad view of the corner, but it does the best job of capturing the variety of speakers, formats and confrontations.
• A debate about oil, no doubt a popular one these days. Watch the first speaker lose control to a better speaker in the crowd.
• Race, drugs and politics. An excellent speaker who has his crowd captivated, heckle-free, for nearly 10 minutes. Wow.

The question I’ll ask you is the same one I ask myself:

• Would you have the guts to speak at speaker’s corner? (I chickened out in ‘96)
• If yes, what would you speak about?

Posted in Teaching/Training, Travel | 2 Comments »

We’ve all had tough projects, but this one might just top them all, and it hits on three of my favorite topics: design, management, and film making. Here’s the rundown:

• It’s a feature length film shot on an independent film budget.
• It’s one continuous 90 minute shot.
• The film spans 33 rooms of the famed Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg.
• It has over 800 actors and performers.
• It has various plays, dances and orchestral performances, all performed live and in a scripted sequence.
• It took years to plan, write and develop the custom steady-cam technology.
• They only had budget/time for 4 tries, and got it on the 4th.

I’ve both seen the film, and have visited the Hermitage (prompting a 2nd viewing of the film). Understanding Russian history helps make the film more than a stunt, as the story can be hard to follow (It’s an abstract and art-y film, both figuratively and literally as it’s shot in an art museum). But even without it, the film is a visual delight and a project management wonder. If you’re a designer or a manager you’ll be in awe even if you only make it through half the film. Moreso, the DVD includes a making-of featurette that entirely blew my mind: it will put whatever is stressing you out right now into deep relief.

Trailer, netflix listing, and reviews.

Posted in Innovation, Management, Travel, movies | 5 Comments »

After speaking at MX-East Tuesday, in the quaint retreat at Normandy farms, I hopped in a cab for the 30 mile ride to my hotel in downtown Philly, the Windsor Suites by 9pm. I got lucky: it’s in a sweet spot for a tourist, near the train station, a few blocks from museums, full kitchens and on a quiet street for $169 a night.

Looking to maximize my remaining 29 hours, i dropped my bags and headed south from Logan square down to towards Rittenhouse square, seeking a fun place for a late dinner and stumbled onto Alfa, for some sliders (small burgers), crab mac and cheese, and a spinach salad. After a few beers in the high-style digs with a thin yet friendly Tues 10pm crowd, I walked the streets for fun and then got some rest.

Wed morning: My train to Villanova U. for a speaking gig left at 2pm, so I had to cram any museums or further food adventures into the morning. Woke up at 10am, further closing the window of fun. I scrambled east over to the Reading Terminal Market, and felt as if I was back home in Queens. The east coast food so impossible to find in the Northwest was here in droves and after my whitefish salad sandwich, spinach knish (5 times better than any knish in Seattle) and Dr. Browns Black cherry soda, I lingered in the halls, soaking up as much of the smells as i could.

We the people…watch movies. With about 2 hours before my train, I had a tough choice: which bit of history to explore? Everyone told me to check the liberty bell, but I know it’s patriotic trash - a poor relic, made famous by accident more than by right (The myths of Innovation explains more about this). Instead, in these difficult times to be an American, I went to the National Constitution Center, the largest museum in the U.S. about the Constitution, seeking much needed USA inspiration.

The unusual museum centers on a special movie theater: a mix of live narration and projected multimedia was surprisingly captivating, but also expectedly patriotic, with no mention of current constitutional issues in the USA. After the 15 minute flick, you exit on the 2nd level and enter a round hall with hi-tech and interactive exhibits about the constitution and the bill of rights.

The great comedy of my visit? They wouldn’t let me take pictures. That’s right - in the main exhibit hall about the freedoms of the constitution, no photographs are allowed. As an expression of resistance to tyrany, here are three photographs from inside:

Next, in part 2, talking at Villanova, plus my first east coast Chinese food experience in years.

Posted in On Tour, Travel, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Travel for the year is winding down - here’s what I have left:

• Philadeliphia, PA, MX-East, Oct 22nd
• Philadeliphia, PA, Villanova University, Oct 24th 3pm (public), Myths of Innovation (location details)
• Cambridge, MA, User Interface East, November 5-7th
• Boston, MA, Fidelity.com, November 8th

Let me know if you’re in the Boston or Philly area around this time - might be able to get a meetup together for a meal or drinks.

Posted in On Tour, Travel | No Comments »

Just got back from speaking on innovation at the Web Directions conference in Sydney, followed by two weeks of vacation there with my wife. It’s my second time to Australia and I have to say, it’s my favorite country on the planet to visit. Here’s why:

1. The people rock. I can’t recall anywhere I’ve been where it’s so easy to make jokes and small talk with people I didn’t know. And it’s not the chilly polite vibe I so often find in America (even in Seattle), it’s this totally warm, friendly, isn’t life funny, knowing vibe. When Australians say no worries, it’s pretty convincing that they believe it, and as a traveler it’s a delight.
2. The food is magical. I love to eat, and know where to go to find great food in most cities. But everywhere I’ve been in Australia it’s too easy. Food courts, those evil zones in American malls, are fantastic in Australia (at least in Sydney and Melbourne). It’s fast food, yes, but the quality of produce and the range of high quality ethnic foods is hard to match. (And what’s with the dairy products? Yogurt and cheese just taste amazing). I’m a health food guy, and the number of juice bars, vegetarian restaurants and healthy options is unmatched by most world cities (The Glebe neighborhood in Sydney has been a favorite haunt on both of my trips there. Had a great meal at Badde Manors).
3. Public transportation rocks. I’m a former new yorker, and I miss living in a city with real public transit (The Seattle metropolitan area, despite it’s enviro-self righteousness, is a public transportation disaster). In Sydney you can get from the airport to downtown in 20 minutes for $10: It took us 30 minutes, on foot, to get from our hotel to our air-line check-in. Melbourne has free tram service (like Portland) in the downtown core. It’s all smart, clean and fast. Very impressive. I wish more Americans could see what a city is like when the infrastructure is done right, so we can admit what a crime against mental health the sprawl-o-rama urban planning of cities like Phoenix and Los Angeles are.
4. The vibe is comfortably in-between England and America. Like the British, Australians have a sense of proper rules of order and how to run things well. But like Americans (and unlike the British), Australian’s seem naturally laid-back in their manner. Things run on time and there are standards, but there’s no snobbery about it. As an American, coming from perhaps the most casual country in the world (for better and worse), Australia feels like America+: it’s familiar, but things on average look, work and taste better.
5. Two hours to the wild. We took the train from Sydney to Katoomba, and spent a week in the Blue Mountains. Only 100km or so away, but enough to escape any trappings of the big city. Katoomba was my perfect country town: a half-dozen used bookstores, a health-food co-op, and an affordable cottage with a mountain view. We did the giant stairway hike (photo above), and I spent many hours with my feet up, reading and sleep all day.
6. I love Australian slang . I admit I do love Commonwealth accents (British and Australian makes American English sound flat and boring), but little Australian phrases and shorthand like “exy” for expensive and “brekky” for breakfast are just too fun not to use. I’m sure my friends back at home will think I’m a weirdo, but it will be hard not to keep using the bits of Aussie slang I’ve picked up.

Thanks to everyone I met on this trip, at Web Directions and elsewhere, especially John Allsop and Maxine Sherrin for inviting me to keynote their conference.

Posted in On Tour, Travel | 40 Comments »

I take 10-15 trips a year, which puts me in the mid-range of air-travelers. I’m not a platinum club guy with zillions of miles and a pocket full of first-class upgrades, but I’m out of town enough that little hacks and tricks make a big difference. Here’s my list:

1. Always take the aisle. On the great window vs. aisle debate, I’m a aislephile. Here’s the argument: on the aisle you can put your carry-on overhead and get to it whenever you want, freeing the space under the seat in front of you for total feet comfort. Yes, you have to get up to let people go to the restroom, but my legs are grateful for getting a chance to walk around. Bonus tip: always take your shoes off. Amazing how much more comfortable this is, just make sure you wear clean socks (and that your feet don’t stink).
2. Bring ear-plugs. These little guys change the travel experience. They cut the noise on planes, or in bad hotels, by more than half, making it possible to sleep in either place. They block more noise than any i-pod head-set will, and they’re way smaller than those Bose Noise canceling things. They’re also cheap: you buy 30 of them for a few bucks at any CVS or drug-store. Go for the soft foam ones, the others are like cramming rocks in your ear.
3. Ask hotel reception for a better room. When you check in there are always many different rooms they can give you. Want a view? Ask. Want a quiet room? Mention it. It takes 10 seconds to ask and at least 50% of the time I’m given some kind of choice that I would not have known I had.
4. Know your airplane. Most online reservation systems tell you the exact model of the airplane you’ll be on. This means you can use seatguru.com to get the details on specific seats you want to request. Be warned: requesting a seat from expedia or orbitz is not the same as the airline guaranteeing you those seats. If in doubt, call the airline, not your online travel service.
5. On business travel to cool places, ask for personal days. If your company sends you to Paris to attend a conference, ask for a couple of days personal time. They’re already paying your airfare, by far the most expensive part of most trips. Leverage it. Ask for them to cover the hotel for a couple of days, split costs or to simply not count those extra days as vacation. Even if you pay all the expenses for those extra days, it will still be vacation on the cheap.
6. DeStress: all you need is a credit card and a passport. There are a thousand things to worry about when traveling, but these days, unless you’re going to be backpacking in Guatemala, all you need is ID and a credit card. You can buy just about anything anywhere, certainly if it’s in the realm of clothes/gadgets/books/hygiene items. And worst case, for a price, any good hotel with a concierge can get you almost anything you need. So when I freak out, I just check to make sure I have my ID and a working credit card (always check your outstanding balance before you leave).
7. Pack in 3D: Roll your clothes. The secret of packing is thinking 3-d. If you roll your clothes, lay them flat, fold, and roll, they make better use of the 3-d space in any luggage. Also make sure to cram socks or underwear inside any shoes you’re packing.
8. Never eat plane or airport food. Only an idiot eats things simply because they are offered. It takes 10 minutes to stop at a good sandwich shop on the way to the airport and it’s worth the effort. Air travel is hard enough on your body, but the evil things they feed you on planes are worse. I always make sure to have a sandwich and an apple (travels well, protective outer coating, and has more fiber than most airplane meals).
9. Grab a business card from your hotel when you check-in. Put the card in your wallet as soon as you get it. This guarantees if ever you get lost or drunk, you can just hand the card to any cab, in any country, speaking none of the local language, and you’ll get home. If you are in a foreign country, ask the desk for a business card in the local language (sometimes it’s on the back of the same card). Also useful if you get lost: call the hotel, say you’re a guest, and they’ll help you out.
10. The Concierge is your friend. It was only a few years ago that I understood what these people are really for. They are basically paid to be your local friend, with advice, recommendations, and contacts waiting for your use. Need to find a restaurant? Ask. Need tickets? Directions? Advice on finding a gift for your spouse? It’s all a phone call away. One trick: they’re busiest at check-in time and pre-dinner so if you need advice best bet is to catch them at off times (and ahead of time). If you’re asking for more than a recommendation, or you know you’ll need their help more than once, give them a tip. They’re worth it.
11. International: have someone meet you at the airport. The most stressful thing for me when visiting foreign countries is figuring out airports. It’s too easy to get ripped off if you don’t know how much a cab should cost, where to change money for a fair price, or how to find out if there’s cheap public transit that you can use. Hiring a car service, which typically costs about as much as a cab, they’ll be waiting for you in baggage claim with a sign with your name on it, escorting you straight away to your hotel. This will drop your stress level by half. They can also give you local tips on where to eat and where to buy that thing you forgot. Search your network for friends of friends, or ask your client, and get someone to meet you there (Make sure to buy them dinner or bring them a gift in return).

Have some tricks of your own? Help me out on my next trip.

Posted in Travel | 21 Comments »

A few dates over the next few months:

• Jan 19th, Amazon developers conference, Seattle
• Feb 12/13 Adaptive Path’s MX Conference, SF: Talking about the myths of innovation.
• March 26-29 E-tech, San Diego: half-day tutorial on innovating on time.
• April 19/20, GEL ‘07, NYC: Running the sacred places architecture tour.

The book is still on track for April/May, so stay tuned for news of book tour dates.

Posted in On Tour, Travel | No Comments »

One thing I strive for is universal themes: finding points that connect different fields and backgrounds. So I’m psyched to be a speaker at the ASID (American Society for Interior Design) retreat this weekend (agenda / speakers PDF). Things like this force me to learn and find new themes, which I love.

I’ll be doing a 90 minute session on:

Cathedrals, papers clips and software: What do ordinary objects, like paper clips and Post-it® notes, have in common with grand design? What can be learned by comparing designed things from different fields? This talk uses examples from great designs in architecture, interior design, software, film, daily life and special places to explore the power of design, teaching us how we can make connections between disparate designs and designers, and learn from them.

I’ll report on what happens, and if I can, share the slides from the session.

Posted in On Tour, Travel | No Comments »

I’m bad at blogging while on vacation - the swich in my head for blogging goes off, which explains two weeks of zero posts.

However it’d be nice if I got the hang of explaining before I disapear - a note to self for next time.

Quick report:

• Australia rocks. We had a great time in Sydney, Melbourne & Carins. People were friendly, happy and clever and it was great fun talking, touring and eating great food (which was everywhere). The culture struck me as a mix of European attitudes and American culture: people get style, the arts, and respect the good life (values I associate with Europe) but Australians have less pretension and happier dispositions than most Western countries I’ve been to. At least that’s what I observed in my two weeks there.
• Averaged 20+ people per class. It wasn’t all vacation: taught a class on project management for a day in 3 different cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra) hosted by the good folks at Step two designs. Had good, interactive groups and I learned a few things myself. James, Kim, Cairo and Patrick from Step two were excellent hosts and took care of everything.
• Picked up some great lingo: breakky is breakfast, a dag is a funny person, “dogs balls” means obvious, and Woolys is Woolworths. (Why does American slang seem suddenly so dull?)

I have a few more speaking gigs this year, but my primary focus is wrapping up the book. More on the survey results, prize winners, and the book itself soon. Glad to be back!

Posted in Travel | 4 Comments »