Brewed Fresh Daily

"In constructive living, we don't work on 'relationships.' Such an amorphous,abstract concept evades our effort for improvement." - David Reynolds

Last week, I interviewed Mark Solon of Highway 12 Ventures.  I was struck by how conscious Mark is of his firm's role in building bridges among the nascent entrepreneurial technology community in Boise, Idaho, the Intermountain West region, and the rest of the country.  The bridges are grounded in an understanding of (a) the lifestyle that attracts and holds area entrepreneurs and (b) the challenges growing companies face in the region...

The PRIESTS are a quartet based in Rochester, NY that believes in the myths of rock and roll whole-heartedly. The larger-than-life imagery and dark, sexual, seedy characters that embody a rock and roll show are what the PRIESTS come to expect. Their music reflects their beliefs. It�s primitive and has it�s roots in r&b, punk and garage. Inspirations are usually derived from bad relationships, bad movies and bad drugs. While none of the PRIESTS are virtuosos in their own right, the band as a whole really shines when together and their onstage performances are full of a weird kind of energy that is both offensive and attractive.

"I'm in a position where I now speak almost daily to small-biz entrepreneurs, and I can tell you that a dismaying number of them have no training in how to run a business or how to do things online. Which basically means they're floating along... I honestly believe that reading is the thing. Read blogs, web sites, magazines, books, everything and anything you can get your hands on about how businesses succeed. Take notes, remind yourself, and know that no matter how much you know, you still have a long way to go. In my opinion, that's the only way to not stand still - to succeed."

"Exactly what economic development goal would it serve for the city to subsidize the location of one or more Wal-Marts (or Targets, which run their business pretty much the same way) in Cleveland?... If most of the spending in the new retail cluster goes to a multinational company that sends its profits out of town, and pays lousy wages while displacing other local job opportunities -- and turns the neighborhood into a never-ending traffic jam -- who is "capturing" whom? So why even think about chasing and subsidizing this kind of business in city locations? Who -- except for some real estate developers and maybe a couple of trash haulers and landscaping companies -- stands to gain? With all the talk about smarter economic development, it would be nice if somebody -- maybe one of her foundation travel funders -- would ask Mayor Campbell this question before she boards the plane to another retailers' convention.

I am on the CITE Board at Akron University. I am serving as a reader/sponsor of a project for graduate student Ryan Marimon. Dr. Kahai is the faculty advisor. The project is to conduct an online survey of small and midsize businesses about their WiFi usage. They have asked my help to get the survey in front of small businesses. I have invited Ryan to attend Entrepreneur Friday at Caf� Ah Roma on June 4th, after our lunch meeting. I thought Ryan would find it very valuable to talk with your �crew� there, all the while seeing first-hand a number of small business owners using WiFi in an entrepreneurial environment. I wanted to give you a heads up � and also give you some information in advance: They want to give the survey to Northeast Ohio small and midsize businesses. 100 completed surveys is the target. It will be an online survey. The University licenses a survey tool and will be putting together a survey to be administered sometime at the end of June. One of the things they need help with, in addition to general background information, is access to email addresses of small businesses to take the survey. Barring something unforeseen, Ryan is planning to be [at Cafe AhRoma] on the 4th.

"Constantly talking isn't necessarily communicating." - Jim Carrey

Ohio's Office of Energy Efficiency is involved with a multi-state collaboration to add electric and alternative fuel connections to truck stops. The first effort is focusing on major highway arteries like the industry corridor that runs from Toledo to Cincinnati, I think it's I-75. It's generally referred to as the truck stop electrification project and would reduce the diesel emissions from truck stop idling but it's also increasing the conversation about alternative fuels like compressed natural gas, biodiesel and hydrogen within the trucking industry. Here in Northeast Ohio there are a few fleets voluntarily using alt fuels, FedEx is supposed to begin using shortly, if not already, cleaner engine technology in their local fleet and Earth Day Coalition's Clean Fuels Program is constantly working to engage the industry further.

Let's face it. Our computing devices are going faster year after year. But our laptop batteries don't show the same performance improvement. They still work only for a few hours, just a little bit more than ten years ago. Several companies want to change this, according to this UPI report, "Nanotechnology improving energy options." For example, mPhase Technologies plans to introduce smart batteries based on millions of silicon nanotube electrodes. These nanobatteries, to be introduced before the end of 2005, will last longer than traditional ones -- and be "greener" too.

I'm sitting in on some sessions with large vendors at my current client. We are primarily looking at content management systems, but when asked about "the future of KM" one of them talked about syndication and another talked about weblogs as a new directions in corporate KM.

Over the past twenty years, Wal-Mart has received over $1 billion in subsidies from economic development organizations. According to the report, the largest numbers of deals were in Missouri, Illinois, Texas, California and Mississippi.

Sutainable development,collective awareness and ostensibly collaboration on a global scale was the topic of Peter Senge's presentation on ASTD 2004, held in Washington DC this week. For Senge collaboration is a necessity in order to confront problems which have grown too large and too complex for any one actor (nation, corporation, etc.) to handle alone. The problem that Senge focused on here was global climate change. This and more conference impressions are blogged on e-Clippings.

VOIP Phones, Wi-fi access, cyber caf�. Events have changed dramatically since the rubber chicken circuit of yor.

It appears that Akamai got hit with some sort of denial of service attack this morning, which knocked their servers offline for about an hour and a half. This, in turn, took a number of major websites that use Akamai offline as well, including eBay, Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft. This, of course, is going to raise a bunch of questions about Akamai being a single point of failure that can take down so many sites. Considering Akamai's entire point is that they distribute the content to many different remote servers, you would think that there would be something in place to handle this. It's also worth noting that, for all of Google's talk of managing their 100,000 or whatever servers, this report indicates that Google apparently relies pretty heavily on Akamai as well (which might throw some cold water on the idea that the two companies are competing). Either way, expect a debate to start about how to prevent such single-point-of-failure problems for so much online content.

While Chris Sepher uses the 10 point evaluation scale, I prefer what is known as the fifth digit assessment method: George Nemeth's Open Space: thumbs up Frank Ghery's meeting space: thumbs down

Life's 2 options: a) try to control b) contribute

"Don't just stand around the kitchen yakin', either get cookin' or start eatin'" - J. Ricchiuto

Your notion that thoughts arise Leads to a notion that you Must prevent them From arising. These conflicting ideas Are both wrong. Look well at the source Beyond mental activity. - Daito (1282-1334)

cavil � \KAV-il\ � verb *1 intransitive sense : to raise trivial and frivolous objection 2 transitive sense : to raise trivial objections to

"Truck drivers in the US and Canada are increasingly using Wi-Fi to stay connected while on the road. According to the Associated Press (AP), 70% of truck drivers own computers and two-thirds have broadband access at home. At truck stops, truckers pay for Wi-Fi by the hour or on a yearly basis for unlimited access."

"Today was the big regional Making Change conference here with a critical mass of community leaders strutting their passion, chatting from their strengths. There was diversity and talk of sustainability, and the first actual public celebration here of accidental conversations as prime media and metaphor for community built on freedom in our connectivity. Very inspiring."

"Today was the big regional Making Change conference here with a critical mass of community leaders strutting their passion, chatting from their strengths. There was diversity and talk of sustainability, and the first actual public celebration here of accidental conversations as prime media and metaphor for community built on freedom in our connectivity. Very inspiring."

swiftly down a newly paved road, the moon on a rim of haze -Debi Bender

Cleveland-area Ryzers, members of the online business networking site, are trying an experiment in �Open Space Networking,� a takeoff on Open Space Technology, in which �participants create and manage their own agenda of parallel working sessions around a central theme of strategic importance.� Participants should bring themselves, an idea and a willingness to participate in discussions that come up. The Ryze meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Peter B. Lewis Building on the Case Western Reserve University campus, 11119 Bellflower Road. Ryze Gold members pay $12, regular Ryzers who have RSVP�d pay $15 and everyone else pays $20.

Bill Callahan's blog is a jewel. He writes frequently and well, not only about Cleveland politics but economics. And he does so with an independent point of view.

It can be tough to keep up all your online activities while you�re on the road, especially if you don�t have high-speed internet access in your hotel. Fortunately, you can now easily check that out in advance: Geektools keeps a list of hotels around the world with high-speed internet access.

There are two kinds of business books, said Seth Godin, the author of five books himself, and founder of the direct-marketing firm Yoyodyne, which was acquired by Yahoo in 1998 for $250 million. The first category is manuals, "books with the word 'dummies' in the titles," he said. The second are the ones that can "open horizons for people, books that announce 'I'm going to say something to you that when you hear it, you realize it makes perfect sense. You don't have to trust who I am or what I've done. You will feel the confidence to do that thing,' '' he said. The book that gave him that confidence is "The Republic of Tea," by Mel and Patricia Ziegler (Currency, 1994), about the creation of the tea business they started with Bill Rosenzweig. Mr. Godin read the book in one sitting, saying it taught him what all good business books teach: the importance of "guts."

Researchers have discovered that small, frequent doses of caffeine keep you awake better than one large cup of java in the morning. "I hate to say it, but most of the population is using caffeine the wrong way by drinking a few mugs of coffee or tea in the morning, or three cups from their Starbucks grande on the way to work," says study leader James Wyatt of Rush. "This means that caffeine levels in the brain will be falling as the day goes on. Unfortunately, the physiological process they need to counteract is not a major player until the latter half of the day."

"Nothing Will Change without First Changing Our Thinking." Einstein New capacities in business and community are advanced first and foremost through fundamental shifts of mind. This requires that we look at our region, our businesses, not as victims of circumstance, but as key catalysts in creating new realities and new circumstances. Join us for the fourth annual ThinkTEC Innovation Summit, where we will spotlight the catalysts contributing to regional advancement in knowledge-based industry growth, and collectively develop the roadmap that will shape our region in the decades to come.

In addition to embedding a notifier within the lower-right portion of the browser window, the toolkit adds a number of additional options to the right-click context menu. Right click on a web page, and you will have the option to subscribe to it within Bloglines or find references to that page. Highlight text within a web page, and the context menu will offer the option to search Bloglines for that text. Right click on a link, and the context menu will have additional options to view the references to the link and to subscribe to the link.

Life is an adventure, in big ways and small. Try as we may to arm ourselves with sturdy schedules and resolves, some days contain more uncertainty than certainty. When our lives change radically and old landscapes start to vanish, we can feel a terrible sense of disorientation.This period feels like the very definition of chaos. We feel a lack of control that we may have thought we had up to this point. We begin to question our basic sense of self. Who are we without the familiar routines, rituals, and people that comprised the context in which we felt "at home"? Who are we during the liminal period after a relationship has ended and before we understand ourselves as truly single? Who are we after we have lost a job and before we find another? How do we live with this sense of chaos? First of all, it is essential to remember that chaos is an indispensable part of the creative, birthing process. We're not crazy when the elements of change swirl about us--we're just changing. Secondly, it is important to hold what seem like warring realities in a gentle, respectful embrace.

Come to Cafe Ah Roma on Friday afternoons to see how new business is done by Cleveland entrepreneurs. In fact visit any coffee house, with free WIFI, any day of the week and you will see the new office work of the 21st century! My office? A 5lb aluminum laptop w/Bluetooth and WIFI!

To Civic Entrepreneurs in Northeast Ohio: Last November, many of you attended a Making Change event at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Sponsored by the Center for Regional Economic Issues at Case, this meeting kicked off a process to strengthen our civic networks and develop a new approach to regional economic development in Northeast Ohio. We invite you to a follow-up meeting next Monday, May 17th, from 8:30AM to 1:00PM. You'll get a lot more insight into our evolving networks of civic entrepreneurs in Northeast Ohio. You'll also see how our colleges and universities are coming together to accelerate the regional economic transformation that is well underway. Most important: You'll meet some really interesting people. We've planned an exciting program, and here is what will happen: * You'll see how we are using our Innovation Road Map to define new directions for our region's economic transformation. * We'll give you an update on the emerging collaborations among our colleges and universities in the region. * You'll hear a briefing on what it will take to create our own Google. * You'll also get a briefing on how competition with China is shifting our manufacturing base. * You'll hear from over a dozen civic entrepreneurs on what they are doing to build a new economy in Northeast Ohio. * We'll get some valuable insights into how social network analysis is helping us build a new "open source" model for economic transformation. This model is built on the power of networks and promotes knowledge sharing, not knowledge hoarding. * You'll get a digital fact book on our regional economy. All of this work is sponsored by the SBC Foundation. We invite you to join us. To register, visit https://www.123signup.com/event?id=hzrr. We look forward to seeing you. Ed Morrison Center for Regional Economic Issues Time and cost Monday, May 17, 2003 8:30AM to 1:00 PM $25.00 per person Valet parking included Location Ritz Carlton Cleveland 1515 West Third Street Cleveland, OH 44113

"What I want most on this day, or on my birthday or anniversary or Christmas�or any day�is simply not to be taken for granted. To know that my presence in this world is somehow valued, appreciated, cherished even. In relationships we so often slide into a certain ease, thinking all is well simply because we're together. Well I'm here to tell you it takes a little more effort than that. It takes constant work and communication. It takes giving each other what we need together�and what we need individually. And if that means time to read a book or take a walk or sit on the beach alone, than that's what a loving partner will readily give."

Anyone who has watched the antics at City Hall over the last few years won�t be surprised by the recent Forbes ranking that sticks Cleveland in lowly 125th place in its annual Best Places For Business survey. Cleveland�s lack of job growth and the high cost of doing business here (those two couldn�t be related, could they?) made sure the city was at the back of the pack. Columbus was the highest-ranking Ohio city at 35. Akron came in at 89th place. Madison, Wis., one of the most liberal, progressive towns in America, earned the top spot. A very interesting choice and one that shows Midwestern cities with a pro-union outlook can also be pro-business. Is anyone at City Hall paying attention?

"Prominent security analyst John Pescatore has put a new twist on the Windows cost of ownership debate with a call for enterprises to add the expense of managed intrusion prevention software to the price of Microsoft's (Quote, Chart) operating systems. Pescatore, a vice president and research fellow at Gartner, said companies must recognize that the expense of configuring systems to deal with critical security vulnerabilities must be included in the total cost of ownership when alternatives to Windows servers and PCs are being evaluated."

Assets, networks, culture and the community quality of life are critical ingredients for regional innovation. As a result, regional leaders can and must take action to create a better regional environment for innovation and entrepreneurship. Outside investors can only contribute so much -- such as federal funds for enhancing university R&D assets. Regional leaders must attend to not only the assets but the networks and culture of innovation that translate assets into economic benefits. They must ensure that community quality of life is attractive and stimulating to the people who drive innovation. Regional leaders can come from business, government, education, private foundations and other segments of the community. In short, regional leaders make the difference. Innovative regions do not just happen because of outside forces; they are shaped by the actions of their regional leaders to connect their assets through collaborative initiatives. Many examples exist of regions that have successfully promoted innovation and transformed their economies and communities rapidly. Others places are falling behind either because they do not understand the imperative to innovate or cannot work together to make the changes necessary to create a more innovative region. In the end, regional leaders can change the underlying mindsets and regional environment that shape economic growth. If it is true that "it's the recipe, not the ingredients," then we can help support the chefs of the innovative economy -- those who create better environments for translating new ideas into powerful results for their communities.

We live in villages of our own making. Our village is the space of people we choose to spend the most time with. My village is a wonderful space of people of courage and hope.

To Sleep and Forget by Daniel Thompson To sleep and forget The evening sky The promises of the city I lie, fallen roses Round my bed White flowers drawn From my sick breath By hand, though No sleight of hand Can take away the pain Take heart, I say And the heart is taken Its sleight of breath Extends the poetry of flesh Returns love to the earth Where the hand Again dreaming Writes in the dust

Formal learning learning as defined by a Dept. of Labor study, is planned in advance and has a structured format and defined curriculum. Informal learning is unstructured, unplanned and easily adapted to situations and individuals, or alternately, "any learning in which the learning process isn't determined or designed by the organization." How do you suppose business partners first meet? Company founders come across the idea for their companies? Products are invented? A song is written? Friends are made? Soul mates come together? Maybe some by formal structure, but mainly informally. It also makes for a better story.

"As a anthropologist at Intel, Genevieve Bell has been traveling the world to understand how different cultures consume technology. In turn, she has been challenging Western assumptions, most notably in areas concerning ubiquitous computing."

"I realized something about myself last night. I realized that I play games the same way I manage my business... Interesting way to look at things. It will have me thinking for quite some time. Makes me wish I could play Master of Magic with my competitors. What a great way to quickly determine how my competitors do business. Is this why 'good old boys' play golf? "

"Innovation Requires: PEOPLE using new knowledge and understanding to experiment with new possibilities in order to implement new concepts that create new value."

"Ideas are made to be copied. I have enough ideas to sell them on. I prefer that they are stolen so that i don't have to actually use them myself." - Salvador Dali

While many people think of the sun-and the Sunbelt-as synonymous with economic growth, the fact of the matter is that most studies have found that neither sunnier weather nor warmer climates are systematically linked to regional growth. University of Chicago sociologist Terry Clark found that "natural amenities," including sun and temperature, are not associated with the location decisions of high-human capital individuals. Such people are much more likely to be drawn to cities that offer what Clark calls "constructed amenities," from arts and culture to high-quality restaurants.

The most successful regions welcome all kinds of people. They offer a range of living choices, from nice suburbs with single-family housing to hip urban districts for the "unattached."

My book is no paean for more government spending. It unequivocally states that large, top-down government development projects, like stadium-building efforts and massive downtown revitalization plans, are a major part of the problem. Like Jane Jacobs, I argue that real economic development is people-oriented, organic, and community-based.

"The broad consensus among serious urban economists is that tax rates have at best a minor effect and that real growth stems from the improved productivity and higher rates of innovation produced by concentrations of skilled human capital."

Once the city of Cleveland peaked in prestige, size, and growth potential � in the 1920s � it began a long, slow march toward decline. The underlying problem, it�s been suggested, is that instead of incorporating the rapidly growing suburbs, city government resolutely remained convinced it was the nexus of power, making decisions to, among other things, supply water and sewer service to the suburbs as basic commodities. The idea must have been that a prosperous, powerful Cleveland would benefit from the revenues. But when the Van Sweringen brothers� empire collapsed in the Depression era, setting off a chain reaction that, believe it or not, still affects the City today, the suburbs grew in size and clout, draining the City of vital resources. Over a span of nearly three decades roughly spanning the early 1920s to early �50s, the idea of regionalism was proposed several times in different guises, usually involving the incorporation of Cuyahoga County as one metropolis. Sound familiar?

This is not the age of information. This is not the age of information. Forget the news, and the radio, and the blurred screen. This is the time of loaves and fishes. People are hungry, and one good word is bread for a thousand. - David Whyte "Loaves and Fishes" from The House of Belonging

Not surprisingly, [Richard Florida's] work has garnered criticism from the suburban, industrial-age, squelchers* that are resistant to change. Finally, here's his response, which I'll refer to as Rise of the Creative Class II, as good as a brief modern economic impact analysis can be. The biggest criticism was that the creative class was nothing more than a dot com boom gone bust. The post-dot-com graph above should put that to rest (unless you're one of Florida's staunch critics.) *My hero (Richard's as well), Jane Jacobs, defines squelchers as "those political, business, and civic leaders that divert human creative energy by posing roadblocks and saying "no" to new ideas."

"If you don't align the civic passion with individual passion, it fizzles. Passion on the civic level begins fundamentally with personal transformation." - Ed Morrison of REI@Weatherhead

"If you spend all your time beating the ocean's waves trying to make them flat, all you get is tired"