Explicitly and without apology a marketing vehicle MaryMaryQuiteContrary

As executive director of the Sun Microsystems Foundation, one of the best things about my job is that I get to work with an absolutely incredible advisory board. 

Sun execs on the advisory board of the Sun Foundation are:

Dave Douglas

David Harris

Joe Hartley

Karen Rohde

Jonathan Schwartz

Hal Stern

Ingrid Van Den Hoogen

So naturally, any time one of them call me, my blood pressure goes up.

(just kidding.)

(not really.)

:-) 

Here's what I love most... the way in which they actively invest in the success of the work that we're driving.

I'm in constant dialogue with most of these guys... I talk to most of them at least once a week, if not more. Five of them are my friends on Facebook.... I keep tabs on them; they keep tabs on me... I've always got stuff going on with them... .. bouncing ideas back and forth... you get the idea.

It's AWESOME.

So we have board meetings about every couple of months or so, but there's this ongoing dialogue that happens outside of those. That's where the real work gets done.

Today, David Harris called me on my cell phone.

David is Senior Vice President of Global Business Services here at Sun.

He's also president of CoreNet Global's board of directors. (in his spare time :-)

CoreNet Global is the world's leading professional association for corporate real estate and workplace executives. More than 7,000 members manage over $1.2-trillion in real estate and workplace assets in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and North America.

And he's "in charge" over there for the next year. Call it his extra-curricular activity. Among many other boards and professional associations... you get the idea...

(They're all like that, you know... the demands on all of their time is so great... yet they still make time for me... and for the stuff we're trying to drive... )

Anyway, he just called me on my cell phone.

He had an idea.

(can't say. yet.)

I can tell you this: I think it's a really good idea.

I'm going to try to help flesh it out.

And that's all we'll say about that.

For now.

:-)

Mary

That's right, people. 

It's still October. The stores are full of Christmas decorations.

That must mean it's time to submit ideas for papers for the 2008 JavaOne conference, which happens in May of next year.

(Making the JavaOne call for papers process almost as long as human gestation.)

I'm cranky today. Can you tell?

Let's start over.

--------------------------------------------------

Calling all (established and aspiring) hot-shot technocelbs!

Carpe Dieum.

The JavaOne Call for Papers is open.

You know what to do.

--------------------------------------------------- 

Much better.

This whole MMQC brand re-fresh has got me a little discombobulated. Cranky is not a brand attribute.

Note to self: keep that in check.

:-) 

Mary

I'm embarking on a great big face-lift on the MaryMaryQuiteContrary front.

It's what we like to call a "brand refresh" in the biz.

It's SOOOOO long overdue.

<Aside>

It might interest you to know that I got some (free) advice from a hot shot over at Booz Allen about it. Part of a little tit-for-tat action that some have characterized as one of my "signature moves."  He gave me EXCELLENT feedback. How's that for a free testimonial on free advice?

</Aside> 

Anyway. We digress.

I'm thinking about it. (the MaryMaryQuiteContary brand re-fresh)

And about the video I just posted as part of my video diary series for the Friends of the Sun Microsystems Foundation group in Facebook.

And about the whole Web 2.0 thang.

And it occurs to me...

(pause button) 

Pop Quiz!

Q: What's the first thing you do when you get on Second Life?

A: Make your avatar look like you (or what you wished you look like).

(Heavens knows I spent countless hours on my hair in SL.) 

Pop Quiz!

Q: What's the first thing you do when you get Facebook?

A: Customize your profile to have it reflect you (or what you wish you were). Not just factoids and pictures... apps, interactions that reflect who you are, how you communicate, what you're interested in.

What about when you start using LinkedIn?

When you start blogging?

This whole expression of identity, perspective, community the network...

It all comes down to the first person, doesn't it?

We need to customize.

Generic isn't good enough.

And when the template is not sufficiently flexible. So we iterate it. And evolve it. And innovate on top of it.

And then (those sufficiently forward thinking among us) put it out there under an open source licensing model, like the one Jim Grazanzio uses in his blog template.

I love it.

This whole space... I love, love, love it.

I love thinking about it and understanding the motivations behind it, and the disciplines you have to embrace to be "good" at it.

Anyway.

That's what's on my mind as I do this whole refresh on the blog front today.

Now.... back to figuring out how to add a page view counter...

:-) 

Mary

From Green Wombat/Business2.0

Back in August, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ordered public companies to make most proxy materials available online and notify investors they could access those documents at corporate websites. For Sun Microsystems, the rule has been a boon for the environment and the bottom line. More than 90 percent of Sun's (JAVA) investors preferred to view the docs online, according to the Silicon Valley computer and software company. That meant Sun was able to slash the number of printed copies of proxy materials for its 2007 annual shareholders meeting from 800,000 to 75,000.  Printing nearly 100 million fewer  pages translates to saving 11,964 carbon-absorbing trees, according to the Environmental Defense Paper Calculator.

Makes you want to do a swivel-swivel-double-snap, doesn't it?

That's 11,964 more reasons for why I'm so proud to work here.

(not that we're counting)

:-)

Mary

The place to be for entrepreneurs looking to be the next big start up is in New York at Startup Camp 3, which begins on Monday.

Startup Camp 3 is an un-conference style event for entrepreneurs to network and discuss strategies and technologies with other entrepreneurs.

As an un-conference, attendees set the agenda to drive discussions around topics of interest to them.

It's a great opportunity to learn what others are doing, meet entrepreneurs, VCs, partners, and vendors, and even enter the best startup contest to win prizes.

Lots of great things come from startups.

Sun got its CEO from one.

:-)

Mary

Check out the inargural java.sun.com Java Champions interview which features Dr. Heinz Kabutz, Java Champion and creator of the Java Specialists' Newsletter. 

In the interview he discusses the importance of design patterns and unit testing, the “Ten Laws of Java Concurrency,” and life as a developer on the Island of Crete.

Crete. 

You regular readers know why that puts a great big smile on my face. 

:-)

Mary

Here's a picture of me and colleagues from Sun with Nobel Peace Prize Winner Al Gore. 

I was lead on work Sun Microsystems did with Current TV, which was founded by Al Gore and Joel Hyatt.

Congratulations Al!

Mary

Mary

p.s. Nicole is a hot-shot techno celeb in Sun Labs and a close personal friend (not to brag; I know that gets annoying).  Many moons ago, she and I shared had drinks after work at that Asian restaurant right next door to the Burlingotn Campus. We've been soul sisters ever since. :-)

Big news day.

There's a launch event featuring a live webcast beginning at 10:30 a.m. US Pacific today.

John Fowler and Andy Bechtolsheim unveil Sun's next-generation CoolThreads servers and blades — designed for virtualization, Web-scale performance, and energy efficiency.

You won't want to miss that!

Big, big day.

:-) 

Mary

p.s. on another (more subdued note), I'm hosting the monthly Friends of the Sun Microsystems Foundation community meeting today.  Details on that in the Sun Foundation Blog and in our Friends of the Sun Microsystems Foundation Group in Facebook.

I've got CEC envy.

It's the place to be.

And I don't get to go.

The good news is I can participate via Second Life and Facebook and get word-on-the-street visiblity via blogs.sun.com.

But any way you cut it, it's just not the same.

Rubbing elbows w/the company's hot-shot-techno-celebs is one of my #1 all time favorite past-times around here. 

Alas, it's not in the cards for me this year.

:-(

The good news is that I'm in California this week.

And I saw James Gosling eating lunch in the MPK cafeteria today!

So that turned my frown upside down real fast.

:-) 

Mary 

p.s. I promise, promise, promise myself that next time I see him I'm going to work up the nerve to speak to him. And this time I really, really, truly mean it.