Sun Communicators' Group Blog

Tuesday Jul 31, 2007

A New Medium for Old Tricks

Do you wish you had your very own well-trained dog to blog about? (not surprisingly, if you can find a site featuring "Cats in Sinks", you can also find a site to type commands for a little dog to sit, fetch, roll over and even dance!)

Check out the cute little virtual dog that will do any number of tricks that you request!

It's fun, it's cute and it's a great marketing vehicle. (one of those, "why didn't I think of that?" sites!)

Someone sent me the site (www.idodogtricks.com) via an email this morning. I couldn't help but open it. Who would have guessed that it is actually an ad for a well-known heartworm medicine for dogs, cats and other furry critters?!?!

I thought that our 'dogblog' readers (and their kids! ) would get a kick out this today!

Posted at 08:58AM Jul 31, 2007 by sandyb in Humor | Comments[0]

Friday Jun 01, 2007

No Pets, No Plants

No pets!* No plants!**

This is how my friend Deb describes me to people who wonder how as a single parent I work full-time and raise two children without the help of 1) a significant other or 2) my birth parents. What Deb doesn't mention is that Sun is a great place to work and as a Sun employee I'm provided with a great benefits package and a flexible environment which enables me to do both.

I've taken advantage of Sun's:
Adoption Assistance Plan
Child Care Benefits (including a 10% discount on community tuition rates!)

And on top of the list is Sun's Open Work environment and the ability to work anywhere, anytime!

I sometimes wonder how many employees fully utilize our benefits package.

Did you know Sun is part of Bright Horizons Network Access Program which features free back-up childcare, primarily at its centers in Cupertino, Burlington and Broomfield (Boulder)? When I was a mother of one, my eldest daughter Xiaoya would occasionally accompany me on non-customer facing business trips to the Broomfield campus. I'd simply buy her an airplane ticket, pay for the cost of renting a car seat from Avis and of course her meals, and she'd attend the Boulder Journey School while I was at work in Broomfield -- and I didn't pay a dime for her to attend daycare in Boulder as she was already a student at one of Bright Horizons' centers in suburban Chicago. Now six and a recent kindergarten graduate, Xiaoya still asks to go back to "the school in the mountains."

And as part of my ongoing professional development at Sun, I recently participated in Ragan's Corporate Communicators Conference in Chicago to help get me up-to-speed on the whole social media thing--so here I am writing my first blog entry.

*Since I have no pets, I thought I needed an appropriate engagement into dogblog.

**I must confess, I just bowed to kid pressure on a recent trip to IKEA and I bought some bamboo; we've read too many stories about bamboo-eating pandas who share the native homeland of the People's Republic of China with my kids.

Posted at 02:38PM Jun 01, 2007 by leslieh in Humor | Comments[0]

Wednesday May 09, 2007

Am I agile enough?

I'm usually pretty risk averse and fairly traditional when it comes to communications approaches and tools. But the buzz about social media is ear-splitting! It's fun, cool and hip! And who doesn't want to be fun, cool and hip? Everyone is trying stuff out. Some of us more aggressively and more succesfully than others, but we're all giving it a try. I have to admit that it's a really big leap for me and I'm not really sure if I'm as agile as some of my colleagues-however, it occurred to me that I could learn a lesson from my cat, Maui. (No, he's not a dog, but it's relevant so stay with me)

Maui is 19 years old. I think he's still pretty cute and although he's not the fierce hunter, loner or acrobat that he once was, he's still full of spunk- teasing and delighting me with his feline tricks and foibles. Lately, I noticed that although he's still willing to explore and try new things, he can't do everything the way he used to-he's slower and much more cautious. Case in point, in the past he'd take a running leap to jump to the top of our fence. Now, he's figured out a way to carefully climb up. The end result is the same. He's on top of the fence, king of the yard and in charge! Hmm! That's what I would call "adaptive agility". I'm going to have to get me some!

Posted at 03:39PM May 09, 2007 by italiana in Humor | Comments[3]

Wednesday Apr 04, 2007

Sun Ray Dog is Apparently on Strike Today!

Something is missing from my home office this morning...

Where is my Sun Ray Dog?

So I grabbed my camera, pushed back my chair and looked (zoomed) down the hallway...

Here's what I found:

Grace went back to bed! (If that doesn't define Lazy Bones, I don't know what does?!?)

Who can blame her? It's a dreary day in so. NH and we're expecting snow (again!)

Since she's apparently 'on strike' today - I may as well go work in Sun's local flex office.

Maybe someone there will appreciate my presence?!? (It's obviously taken for granted around here today!)

Posted at 07:03AM Apr 04, 2007 by sandyb in Humor | Comments[0]

Thursday Mar 29, 2007

Adventures in Blogland

"Wow, I had a great time!" Those who know me know that I'm not much for exclamation points. But at the end of my life, that's the thought I want to exclaim. "Wow, I had a great time!" I'm generally a live-in-the-moment kind of gal, and rarely give much thought to such topics as what I hope to be thinking on my deathbed. Sure, I want to be a good parent. I want to do good work. Help others. Finally understand how radio works. But that epiphany -- wow-I-had-a-great-time -- provided clarity. Suddenly, I knew I was on the right path.

When I first started hearing terms like Web 2.0, social media, Wiki, etc., I considered staking out a spot under the radar. My apprehension about participating in social media was similar to how I felt when correcting typewriters were being replaced by word processors. But then I remembered that I like an adventure as much as the next person. I can do this. I can step out of my comfort zone of emails and Web sites (although I still think that Second Life sounds like a cult that's based somewhere in Northeastern Idaho).

So I'm test driving the dogblog as a first step. Next, I'll explore the world o' Wikis. Who knows? Maybe I'll even shave my head, give up haircolor and pedicures and join Second Life. I won't be scared. It'll be an adventure. After all, last week I went skiing for the first time since the Reagan Administration -- and I lived to blog about it. I'm thinking that diving into the social media pool will enhance my career and make me appear cooler to my two teenage boys.

Look kids, I'm blogging. And I had a great time!

Posted at 10:06AM Mar 29, 2007 by caramela in Humor | Comments[2]

Blog Differences: Dogs and Cats

This cartoon about dogs and the Internet from the New Yorker a few years ago still makes me laugh.
I guess we'd call this Web 1.0 humor?!?

Here's a new one about dogs (and cats!) for the Web 2.0 time we're living in (and why I don't let my dog access my computer!)

Excerpts from a Dog's Blog
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

Excerpts from a Cat's Blog
Day 983 of my captivity.
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.
They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am.

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released -and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded. The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now...

HOW DO YOU BLOG? ARE YOU A DOG OR A CAT?

Posted at 08:00AM Mar 29, 2007 by sandyb in Humor | Comments[4]