This post isn't about me but I will start by saying how astute I am to have recognized Linda Skrocki's greatness many months before a major industry magazine did the same. You might remember I recommended her blog last May as a good tool for staying digitally literate.
Well last Friday Skrocki was recognized by ReadWriteWeb as one of the "New Robert Scobles", meaning she's one of the leading corporate social media evangelists of our time. Kudos Skrocki! Twitter on! :)
There's an intriguing article in Forbes today about a guy named Gordon Knox who tries to pair artists with high-tech companies for short-term projects. He says when brilliant artists meet brilliant engineers, "so many opportunities right in your face are suddenly possible."
An engineer from my team named Jim Jiang is going to host a Sun University World Tour event at Hefei University next Sunday. If you live in that area please join him. If you know someone who lives in that area please encourage them to attend. There will be swag!
DATE: March 30
TIME: 13:30 - 17:30
LOCATION: 合肥工业大学学术活动中心一楼报告厅
AGENDA:
- The latest in Java technology
- Sun and Open Source
- Cool Features for NetBeans IDE
- Java Puzzle
For more details you can see Jim's blog.
Here are some questions I've asked at work in the past few days:
- Is there anything I can do to help you?
- Did you find out what our options are?
- Do others in the team have that same impression?
And here's a classic one from my home life:
- Were you born in a barn?
You know what the problem is with all these questions? They're all closed questions. And damn, that was another one. Closed questions can be answered with "yes" or "no". I've got to start expressing myself with open questions. All the management books and classes will tell you this. Open questions invite the other person to engage in a discussion with you and they don't presuppose what the correct answer is, which some of my closed questions do. Closed questions make it all too easy for you and the other person to escape from a perhaps tense conversation without ever getting to the heart of the issue. But asking open questions isn't as easy as it might seem.
Here's what I should have said:
- What can I do to help?
- What are our options?
- What do the others in the team think about this?
- What will happen if we leave the front door open here in the middle of winter, Precious?
Does anyone else out there struggle with this? OMG, there I go again.
Hey Chengdu! We're sending three of our best and brightest engineers to your city to host the *first* official Chengdu OpenSolaris User Group event! Please join Rachel, Jacky and Serena if you want to learn about OpenSolaris, meet some of Sun's employees, and be a part of the newest open source user group in ChengDu. Here are the meeting details.
DATE: Saturday March 1
TIME: 2:30-6:00pm
LOCATION: 电子科技大学沙河校区二教 307 (UESTC (University of Electronic Science and Technology of China), Second Classroom Building, Room 307
AGENDA:
(Chinese)
OpenSolaris 社区简介及 Zones, Dtrace, zfs介绍
OpenSolaris 用户组介绍
Open HA Cluster 揭秘
开源软件翻译项目与工具
(English)
Introduction to OpenSolaris community, and OpenSolaris New Features
Proposal for Participating in OpenSolaris User Group
Open HA Cluster
Open Source Translation Projects and Recommended Tools
This morning I went on a little detour as I was browsing the news and it turned out to be the most interesting part of the journey. Detours are usually like that, aren't they?
I started off reading Amanda McPherson's take on Sun's open source strategy. Let's just say she's a little critical and I'll leave it at that.
Then I read what Dana Blankenhorn had to say about McPherson's posting. The article is titled "Leave Jonathan Schwartz alone!" Right about this time I was starting to get bored, and then I noticed this picture in Blankenhorn's blog. 
And I thought "Who the heck is that? And what does that picture have to do with this article?"
That's where the detour started.
Blankenhorn mentioned in his article that this was Chris Crocker, whom I googled and finally found my way to this video, which explains it all, even the title of Blankenhorn's posting. Crocker apparently does a lot of humorous vlogs but this one is supposed to be his true sentiment. I had no idea Britney Spears was a gay icon. You've got to check out the youtube video. It's kinda funny and scary and sad at the same time. But mostly funny.
Who knew that reading blogs about technology would eventually lead you to a transgender teen in Tennessee, who is most famous for defending Britney Spears when the critics were being so tough on her? That's what I love about blogs, you just never know where they're going to take you.
We know, it's hard for you guys in Chongqing to make it to Beijing so we're sending a couple of our best and brightest engineers to talk to you about Sun's open source technologies. Sandy Cheng and Jacky Cao will be at Chongqing University on Thursday, Feb. 28 from 2:30-4:30pm. The venue is: Classroom 213, main building of Area A, ChongQing University (重庆大学A校区主教213教室). They'll talk to you about OpenSolaris (including DTrace, Zones and ZFS) and Java, and you can ask them questions about anything you want.
If you live in Chongqing please stop by the event. If you know someone who is there please forward this announcement to them. See you there!
Let's say you're 8 years old and you have the choice between these 2 computers:
, 
Which one do you pick? For me the choice was easy.
Seriously, I was lucky enough to get my hands on an XO at the last OpenSolaris Beijing User Group meeting, where I met Fred Muller, President of the Beijing Linux User's Group. I was talking to him about the XO since it runs Linux and Fred goes, "Yeah, I have an XO in my backpack here." It was so cool. I spent the rest of the meeting in the back of the conference room playing with it. Here's what I thought of it:
1) It doesn't have the wind-up crank that many of us think it has. Instead it has this pull-string thingy that I never saw but apparently has the same effect as the crank. The wind-up crank was apparently something of a media play to help people understand that it can run without electricity if needed. And it looks like that message got out because as soon as people picked up the XO they all said, "Where's that crank thingy?"
2) The interface wasn't intuitive for me. They say that's common for people who have used computers before and are used to a Windows or Unix desktop. The XO is supposed to be intuitive for kids who have never used computers before. But I wonder what happens to the kids when they leave the XO world and go into mainstream computing environments, which hopefully they will one day.
3) It was darn hard to get the thing connected to the world wide web. I spent ages (30 seconds) trying and didn't succeed. The XO is set up to let kids network with other kids in their classroom and is apparently not so good at letting them network with the rest of the world. I think networking with the world is more important than networking with each other in a classroom. But maybe I just caught the XO on a bad wireless day or something.
4) The XO has lots of features that let kids play with the computer and with each other. This has got to be more appealing for them than your average computer. The screen rotates so people sitting across from you can see your display. The XO's speakers look like ears when they're fully extended. The whole thing is very durable and rugged. I imagine even my 4-year-old son would have a hard time breaking this thing. I like the fact that the XO is made not only for the developing world but specifically for kids in the developing world.
Overall, I'm a big fan of OLPC and the XO and I want to see this underdog win. However I'm concerned about the fact that the leadership at OLPC can't seem to forge and maintain the right partnerships in the industry. Maybe that's a mission impossible, given all the other tech titans who see the developing world as one of their final frontiers, and they don't want anyone else going in to get the spoils before they do.
These are my impressions after playing with the XO for a few minutes. If any of you readers have additional information, insights or clarifications please leave a comment.
It's really disappointing that Intel and One Laptop per Child can't work together better to get a laptop into the hands of the world's poorest children. The story of their recent break-up is here.
Meanwhile AMD and Linux are inside and OLPC is alive and kicking.
Have you ever noticed that when people say, "I'm sorry but...", they aren't sorry about what they're about to say?
And when they say, "I hate to say this but...", really they don't hate to say it?
Update: Here's a good one that came in via the comments section from Madhan - whatever comes after "IMHO" is usually not a humble opinion.
The Shanghai Tech Days event is October 23-25. Beijing Tech Days is November 1-3.
These events are a great opportunity to get your hands on the latest Sun technologies, get Solaris installed on your laptop (even though it's insanely easy now, we're going to have an Installfest anyway), hear from some of our brightest folks what we're up to, and share your opinions with us. Registration is still open for both events, just visit our website.
In case you want to plan your trip so that you can meet yours truly, you'll want to attend the Beijing event. I'll be there, at the Globalization booth. Please stop by and say hi. :)
This morning 8:29am: I log on at work in Beijing, see a posting on Twitter that something is going on at Sun's Santa Clara campus. Someone mentions the campus being "under siege". I have 4 employees visiting that campus this week and am worried about them.
8:34am: Send a query to ThinGuy via Twitter, asking what's going on in Santa Clara.
8:36am: I send an email to my employees, asking if they're all OK.
8:38am: Thin Guy tells me via Twitter it's not a big deal, someone robbed a liquor store close to the Santa Clara campus, and the police were searching the area around the Santa Clara campus.
8:42am: One of my employees responds to my mail: "We are ok. We are all together. We are still waiting for the message that it is ok for us to leave. No colleagues here know what is happening... I will drop you a message when we leave office."
8:45am: I respond via email, telling my folks what I learned from Thin Guy on Twitter. At least now they know why they're stuck in the building.
9:00am: My folks confirm that they've been cleared to leave the building.
10 hours later: I'm still in awe of the fact that I was sitting halfway around the globe and yet it was possible for me to know more about what was going on in the Santa Clara parking lot than people who were inside the building. That's the power of the web ... and Twitter ... and ThinGuy ... Amazing.
I blogged recently that my team moved to a Work From Home program. It's a wonderful program that allows people to work for Sun regardless of where they live, it lets people be home for a really special moment that they would have missed if they'd been working in the office, it lets them take a picture of the wildlife that passes outside the window of their home office, and of course it lets them take conference calls while wearing their pajamas.
The problem was, I hated it.
I gave it 2 months and with each passing day I hated it more.
I missed the face-to-face contact with other people. I missed the bright lights and the big whiteboards and even the office coffee machine.
And I'm an introvert. I was supposed to be OK at home, drawing energy from within and all.
So a couple of weeks ago I moved back to a regular Sun office.
And that's the cool thing about Sun as an employer - we're flexible. If you want to work at home, we'll make that possible. And if you want to drink the office coffee under harsh lighting like me, we can make that happen too.
I love the Open Office logo. I think it's the cloud-like swirls at the top. Seriously now, look at it, doesn't it just make you feel good?
Yes I know, I'm weird. Don't waste your comments telling me what I already know. ;)
You all know that I adore Boston Globe columnist and blogger Penelope Trunk, so you can imagine when she (personally, yes!) asked me to read a galley copy of her new book Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success I had to make time for it.
The book has two parts: "Relish the Path from Starter Job to Dream Job" and "How to Get What You Want From the People You Work With". Based on where I am in my career and my life, Part One was a little too elementary for me. The book is targeted at 18-40-year-olds but I bet even the 18-year-olds already know most of Part One, which gives basic advice about job hunting, resumes, interviewing, etc. Penelope recommends, for example, that after writing a cover letter you set it aside for a few hours and then come back to it to look for typos that you missed the first time around. Now if you're 40 years old and haven't figured out that sort of thing, this book isn't going to be able to save you.
But thank goodness I didn't write the book off during Part One because Part Two is its saving grace. Here Penelope leaves behind the basic job-searching advice and shares what she learned from some very intense
years in Corporate America. She is the big sister I wish I had had when I first started my career - she could have spared me some painful first-hand lessons, or at least I would have learned them a whole lot
quicker. (I should pause to say I do have a wonderful big sister but she's on a totally different career track in a different industry.) Take for example the chapter "There are no bad bosses, only whiny employees." If you've ever thought of your boss as a hurdle or a stumbling block or a bottleneck, you need to read this chapter. It will teach you how to manage your relationship with your manager so that you both come out shining.
In Part Two Penelope does more than re-affirm the lessons I've already learned. She also confirms things that seem logical to me but are seldom articulated like "Mud-slinging means you're losing ground" or "Show a genuine interest in the people around you at work". In fact if you observe the behavior of many executives today, I'd say they're giving you a very different message about how to get ahead. Penelope's one of the few voices out there encouraging people to just be nice to each other, and she reassures you that nice guys can finish first.
Finally, there were perspectives in Penelope's book that were completely new to me even though I've been working for many years. The best example is the chapter called "Use sexual harassment to boost your career". I know, the title might make you want to throw the book down but you really have to read it to appreciate it. And whether you agree with her or not, Penelope will give you some new perspectives on sexual harassment in the office, and on many other topics.
Whether Penelope's career advice is fresh for you or old hat, there's one thing that will make you love her book - it's the humor. She is one of the funniest people I know. The book is packed with witty one-liners and hilarious antics from her past. Penelope's the kind of person I wish I had as a co-worker because she would rejoice with you in the good times, talk you through the rough times, and make you laugh through it all. Since we live on different sides of the globe Penelope and I can't be office mates but I will keep her book on my office bookshelf and will flip through it whenever I need a good laugh and some encouragement.
Sun has a Work from Home program called OpenWork and about 80% of my team started participating this week. I've gotten a lot of questions from people here in China, where Working from Home is still a novelty among R&D teams.
Q: Did you give up your Sun office for this? I mean did you take down all your pictures from the wall and clear out your desk drawers?
A: Yes.
Q: So how do you get an office on the days when you do come in to the office?
A: I have to reserve a flex office.
Q: Aren't you worried your team's productivity will go down because of this?
A: Not at all. If people's productivity was high only because their managers and I were staring over their shoulder at the office all day that would be a sign of a bigger problem. I'm more worried about them working longer and harder because it's so easy now that we're all set up to work from home. And besides if their productivity did go down it would be obvious right away and in that case we could move someone back to the office.
Q: Are you worried people will lose their sense of affiliation to the team?
A: That is one of the biggest risks since we don't see each other every day now. To mitigate this, we talk a lot via phone, IM, and email when we're working from home. And everyone is required to come in to the office on Thursdays, where we get a lot of quality face time with each other.
Q: What kinds of equipment did Sun give you for your home office?
A: A laptop, printer, desk, chair. And Sun will pay for my home internet connection and office supplies that I use.
Q: How do you work with your kids running around you all day?
A: Clearly you've met my children and know that this would be impossible. They're at school all day while I'm working at home. And I work some before they get up and after they go to bed so it's quiet then.
Q: Do you go to the kitchen every half hour for a snack, since it's so close and convenient?
A: Not yet, but so many people are suggesting that this could be a problem that I'm sure it will become one for me. Thanks for that!
Q:Do you work in your pajamas?
A: I made an agreement with myself that I would get up every morning, shower, get dressed and brush my teeth, just as if I were going in to work. Somehow that gets me into work mode. But these are early days for me working from home. I understand from longer-term OpenWorkers like Linda and Pam that over time your standards for personal grooming might go downhill in a frightening way change.
BTW here's a picture of my home office. I promise to post a better one when I get it more organized and my husband brings home the good camera.
When I was working at Sun's Tokyo office last month I had to explore the contents of the "Rescue Bag" that hangs at each workspace:
It contains: a hard hat, gloves, a towel, a mask, a flashlight, batteries and a bag that you can hold over your head to get fresh air for a few minutes (someone please leave me a comment and tell me what it's really called - I don't think it's a 'smoke shut' as the katakana on the package would imply).
This is one of the things I love about Japan: the devotion to details, to perfection, to the corner cases. The things you don't care about most of the time but when you do care, you REALLY REALLY care about them.
BTW I have to give you a close-up of the picture on the front of the bag-that-you-can-hold-over-your-head-to-get-fresh-air-for-a-few-minutes. I think all things considered this woman is holding up pretty well, don't you?
After much deliberation I finally selected a venue for my team's Leadership Training course. We ended up at a hotel on the outskirts of Beijing close to the Summer Palace called ChongXueShanZhuang Hotel. It was very reasonable (about $65 for a half-day) and the scenery was gorgeous. We felt like we were very far away from the office - here's the view we had from the training room:
Chris Barclay of Gingko led the training for us (here's a link to his company's website but if you want to know who he really is I recommend this site instead). It was a nice treat for me to be a participant and not a leader. We did exercises to decide if we were foxes, St. Bernards or lions, and we talked about bridging communication and cultural gaps. The training was very much worth the time we invested. Chris is a fantastic trainer, I highly recommend him.
I am still reeling from something I learned in the training - that I am apparently unstructured and can be over-powering when surrounded by a group of introverts. I say reeling. "In denial" is probably a better term.
"Sorry, I'm going to be a few minutes late for our appointment" and the person responded "ack", would you assume:
A) They're surprised and disappointed (a la Bloom County)
B) They're sending you a snippet of networking code that means "acknowledged"
A), right? Totally. Me too. I sent back a message saying, "I'm so sorry! We can re-schedule".
Turns out it was actually B in this case.
OK, maybe I'm stretching the definition of open-sourcing a little bit... This blog lets you into the minds of the Geezers (three experienced managers at Sun) and how they handle situations that people managers face every day.
The Geezers take a question that was sent in via the blog, and then each one answers it without seeing the others' answers. The result? Their answers can be very different. It's proof that when it comes to people management there is seldom a right or wrong answer.
I love the fact that these managers are willing to have their thoughts posted on a blog, where people both within and outside Sun can benefit from it. This willingness to be open and transparent is one of the things I love most about Sun.
![[RSS Newsfeed]](/themes/sotto/images/valid-rss.png)
