microCHUNK.TV

We get a number of visits from the search terms “drawings of ninjas” and “Ninja Tattoos and Drawings”, and that’s part of what we do. Misty claims that she has forgotten how to draw, but I don’t think so. Maybe there will be more time for drawing in 2007, but in any case, you be the judge if she can draw.

I’ve never really been much on making New Year’s Resolutions. They have always seemed a bit goofy to me for a few reasons:

1. If you wanted to make a change and were committed to making the change you would not have waited for the New Year to do it

2. It seems like setting yourself up for failure

3. My impression is that people deceive themselves into thinking because it is a New Year that it is somehow magical and things will be different. The truth is that nothing much changes from one day to the next, but rather by working on things for an extended period of time

This year Bill and I decided to repurpose New Year’s Resolutions. We thought instead of New Year’s Resolutions we would just use the last day of the year as a time to come together and discuss things we have accomplished in the last year and directions we would like to go in the New Year. We covered all areas: business, family, and marriage. It felt good, like a time to reflect on the past year and then focus on adventures ahead. Happy New Year to everyone!

Yes, he told me I have a quota, and he will be watching to make sure I live up to the quota. I’m required to make at least two blog posts per day. He said it could be either on Design Ninjas or Kid Quotes. I can’t believe he would give me a quota, I can’t believe this could happen to me. I told him it’s not everyday I can post on Kid Quotes, I don’t find the kids amusing everyday. Usually I can make a post on Design Ninjas, but what if I’m feeling rather dull and not like saying something inspirational to the whole world? What then, do I just do a ramble post? Maybe I could just trade him a post for something else, I could be creative. Good thing the he in this story is my husband, that means I don’t technically have to follow what he says, it’s more just like guidelines, not rules.

Congratulations to all who have made it through 2006, and Best Wishes to all in 2007! The launch of Design Ninjas has gone very well indeed, and we look to further expansion in the New Year. Our family has grown up some too. And we look forward to the Pacific Ocean. See you on the other side!

The Original Carl Douglas is great, the Bus Stop Mashup is better, and the Kung Fu Hustle ReMashup above is the best! Fred Wilson posts on the Future of Media:

1 – Microchunk it – Reduce the content to its simplest form. Thanks Umair.
2 – Free it – Put it out there without walls around it or strings on it. Thanks Stewart.
3 – Syndicate it – Let anyone take it and run with it. Thanks Dave.
4 – Monetize it – Put the monetization and tracking systems into the microchunk. Thanks Feedburner.

We want to do more of this, and help others do more of this, as we look into the future.

This year we’ve traveled from the Top o’ the Ozarks to the Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea (OK, just to the shoreline, but we’re still Bad to the Bone), so it’s time to take a look around and see where we are.

This year we have shifted from Computer Repair and Network Support towards Design — Logo, Sign, Web, Brand, Process Design. We have become Ninjas by closing an Office that tied us down, setting up a functional Garage, and going Mobile 2.0.

We connect to People through a growing Web of Profiles, Pictures, Videos, Sites, Blogs, and Analytics. But as the man said, “You ain’t heard nothin’ yet!”

When I was a boy growing up in Houston, TX on St. Lo Road, next door to us lived Walter and Dorothy Lane. Walter was Dorothy’s second husband, her first had been lost in the Galveston Hurricane of 1900. This seemed to me like old news after over 50 years, and even older after 100 years, but now it seems like this past week.

When Misty and I got to Galveston on Monday, and for the next several days, I kept asking myself “What makes this town work, where’s the money from.” It was obvious that it was a tourist destination, that cruise ships came and went from the harbor, that trains carried loads of concrete and rock.

Just now in this Wikipedia article, I see that before the hurricane, Galveston was the center of trade for Texas and the largest cotton port in the country, and the Strand was “the Wall Street of the South.” After the storm, the construction of the Houston Ship Channel took away its natural advantage, and it never recovered its position of power.

What could have been different? Building the Seawall before the hurricane rather than after. Diversifying shipping to other products and services. Building tourism while in their hayday rather than after. What did Chicago do after the Fire, what did San Francisco do after the Quake?

Looks like TV is coming to the Gas Pumps, it’s called Gas Station TV. We took this picture last night in Galveston, TX while getting gas at the local Wal-Mart. As some of you may know, Bill and I are often offended by advertisements, but this wasn’t bad. It was news, weather, sports, and an advertising spot. It filled up the dead space while waiting for the tank to fill up. Overall it seemed like a good process design because they added value to a time that otherwise had no use. What will they think of next?

Last night Bill and I drove around Galveston, TX and took pictures of old buildings. We came up to a stop light and noticed a Red Bull car sitting there. We had to get a picture of it to add to our growing collection of branded vehicles.

Why I Love Mobile 2.0

1. Because you can sit next to the ocean and receive a phone call

2. Because you can sit next to the ocean and check your email

3. Because you can sit next to the ocean and WebEx into a someone’s computer to help them with a support issue

4. Because you can sit next to the ocean and do a Google search of fun things to do that night

5. Because you can sit next to the ocean and stay connected to the whole wide world