I must admit: my GTD routine was a bit low the last month. In fact that is rather strange. Because last month was rather busy. You would say that a strict GTD-routine should have helped to overcome such a periode. But this is proof for me, that my intentions with GTD were just that: intentions (the best of them!) The routine didn’t sink in deep enough to make it second nature. And this is what Ben Tiggelaar is writing/talking/ranting about in his latest publications: to actually change one’s behaviour a lot of very consious and hard work need to be done. After that is all is simple… Because you drilled yourself in a way that the new behaviour became second nature.
Well, my earlier GTD-efforts learned me a lot however. Lessons I can apply now I’m getting back on the train again. The main reason for this – apart from a nagging frustration because I knew things weren’t on track – was the introduction to ThinkingRock (www.thinkingrock.com.au). An Australian (JAVA)applications that runs on my Mac as well as on my PC. It follows the GTD-workflow rather strict and helps me in gathering all things ”IN” in a better, more natural way.
Because this I found to be the hardest in learning and developing GTD-techniques: how to get to a solid, unique and always and everywhere working “INBOX”? How did you fellow GTD-ers manage that?
Minister Maxime Verhagen toont aan dat hij de toenemende wens van burgers naar een transparanter overheid goed begrepen. Zou hij als meest ‘uithuizige’ minister als testcase fungeren? Benieuwd of de rest binnenkort volgt.
Sinds kort zijn alle bewegingen en activiteiten van Neerlands regeringsrepresentant op een eigen website te volgen. Handig ook voor terroristen: www.hierisministerverhagen.nl Of zou daar over nagedacht zijn? Mooi voorbeeld hoe het dilemma tussen transparantie en wijsheid ontstaat.
It happened: my Macbook Pro is broken. The screen that is. Never had any problems with carrying laptops in my old and trusted ASUS-briefcase. But the Macbook Pro showed up with a broken screen yesterday… Kind of fragile stuff. Today I visited a official Apple Service Center in Rotterdam in my lunchbreak. They told me that this is not covered by warranty. The price to fix this? A stunning 758 euros without 19% VAT. The repair will last al least 10 working days. But more likely 15.
I left the shop astonished and determined to solve it in another way, To make a long story short: I ordered a new screen via Ebay. Price: 256,98 Canadian dollars. Including shipment. That is 161,01 euros. The manual that tells in a step-by-step way how to replace the display was downloaded via Powerbookmedic.com This includes details photos on how to do the job. I guess it will take me a maximum of 3 hours, probably less. I’ll keep you all posted on how this story ends. But I guess I’m in for a very satisfying solution (fingers crossed!)
UPDATE – FRIDAY AUGUST 8TH, 2008
The screen arrived! That is rather rapid: ordered Tuesday and delivered Friday from www.screencountry.com in Canada! This evening I am invited to fly with the Dutch Airforce – in a balloon. But otherwise I would have rebuild the MacBook Pro this evening. I’ll do that tomorrow. When all works out, I am done for a bit more than 160 euros. Within a week! Via the official channels the situation would differ quite a bit: at least 750 euros and a waiting time of two – probably three – working weeks…
FINAL UPDATE:
Did it. Just a day after receiving the screen from Canada, I took the thing apart and fixed the screen. Geeting it back together was probably harder than taking it apart… Nice!
Yesterday I visited the first SST on crowdsourcing. The organisors (Sogeti’s VINT and CreativeCrowds) lined up two speakers: Menno Douwes (director legislation of the Ministry of Justice) and Jeff Howe (author of the book and ‘inventor’ of the term crowdsourcing). While Douwes’ talk was rather boring in form, the content was rather interesting. The Dutch government is going to crowdsource all it’s future legislation. To be clear: the normal procedures in which a new law is formed will not be altered. But in the consuling phase, crowdsourcing already proofed to be a welcome addition to other form of consulting.
Jeff Howe was the typical American keynote: relaxed, jetlagged and a good storyteller. One of the insights I gathered from his speech is one of the important things in crowdsourcing: the diversity of the individual members in the crowd. Also, his answer to a question was interesting: while asked if crowdsourcing was about finding the five needles in the haystack, Howe answered: “It is more a thing of not knowing wether or not you need a needle to solve a problem. Then looking at what kind of needles show up in the process.”
Compliment to the people who organised this meeting. Please read on at the appropiate places:
MeetUp
SocialStrategyTalk (Dutch)
After a test in a local supermarket (Super de Boer Roosendaal), the Dutch company HEM is going to roll out it’s age-verification-system nationwide with C1000-supermarkets. The system works like this: two webcams are located at a special kiosk. When a product with an age-limit (like cigarettes) is scanned, one of the cams looks at the client. An operator of HEM will check the client’s face for age characteristics. When the operator is in doubt, the second cam is activated. The client needs to show his/her ID to this cam, so the operator can verify the age of the client.
HEM says that this is a fool-proof system, fair to everyone. No longer can under aged friends of the counter personnel have an advantage. Also, supermarket-owners say that this system – called Plaaaza – will let counter personnel do their actual work. Instead of checking a client’s age, they can scan the shoppings. What do you think? Is this one bridge too far when privacy is concerned?
In fact it is strange to blog about something that’s supposed to be ‘normal’. But I was aware of a very positive feeling after getting in touch with Autotaalglas. The reason was less pleasant: a stone jumped on my windscreen and created a large crack in it. After a phonecall to the insurer, I found out that I could have it repaired with any associated company. One of them: Autotaalglas. So I checked out their website and learned that they had a form online that could be used to bring in my case. Normally I do not expect much of these forms. But now, within 15 minutes, I was called and a transfer to my local Autotaalglas was made! The appointment is coming Friday 08.00 sharp. This was because the windshield needs to be ordered. When they would have it in stock, I could come along right away…
It’s the next big thing nowadays: Crowdsourcing. Al lot of specialised agencies pop up to ride this bandwagon (Creative Crowds, The Crowds, Favela Fabric to name a few) or either developing it. And all the media are talking about it. Lately also Dutch radioprogramme Radio Online (TROS) was broadcasting an issue on crowdsourcing. And even presenter Peter de Bie (normally very sceptical) was enthousiastic. Well, the blogs are buzzing, and congress/seminar organizers have a topic again to fill the rooms with. Do I sound negative? That’s not my intention. Because I do believe in the principles behind crowdsourcing. What I do not believe in however – let’s say that I doubt the effect in the long run – is the way many corporations are using crowdsourcing nowadays.
There is simply no true dialogue going on. When a company like KLM is asking clients in their BlueLab-initiative to bring up ideas to better their product, this could be defined as advanced and sensible market research. When KLM implements one of those idease and makes 30 million euro with it, then I start doubting. Because KLM – in this example – is using Open Source techniques to gather ideas, but KLM did not transform it’s business model to Open Source-principles. In the end their performance is measured on the stock exchange: their shareholders are profiting from the ideas clients generate. Those clients ‘only’ profit because they see their ideas implemented and get the attention and recognition.
Apperantely that’s enough for current customers. More than happy that they are to have at least some way to talk back to companies that rested in ivory towers in relation to their clients. I believe that this way of using crowdsourcing (please do read the disclaimer at Dell’s IdeaStorm-website!) will work. But not for long. When companies one sided exploit ideas from crowds, these crowds someday will aks for their fair share. Or they switch to a competitor that does deliver on the dialogue. Other initiatives – like Sellaband – do share the profits with their crowd. In fact: it’s part of their business model. So: be Open Source when using Open Source principles. Or just pay for ideas that you can’t come up with yourself.
Recently I found out about Nozbe. I think it was via the fine website of Frank Meeuwsen. Nozbe is now my favorite GTD-collection tool. Because it sits in my iGoogle start screen, I can easily and on-the-fly (crucial!) input things to remember. It also has an iPhone specific web application than can be checked everywhere. To keep it short: I’m a fan.
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