tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157139342011-11-14T03:02:59.628-06:00Insights from Randy Lawrence, aka randelawRandy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.comBlogger581100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-51683906850067831042011-02-07T08:38:00.003-06:002011-02-07T11:36:13.211-06:00

Here are my reviews of the ads shown on Super Bowl 45. This is a 5-star rating system that I use on my Twitter feed to quickly review the ads after I have viewed them in real time. The '5' stars category is ranked, while the remaining categories are listed in reverse-viewing order (1Q ads are at the bottom.)5 Stars: Unforgettable/Distinguishes BrandCareerBuilder "Caught Between"Chrysler "Made

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-82948935134993217542010-10-25T09:00:00.001-05:002010-10-25T09:26:36.449-05:00

I led a panel discussion at the 2010 Detroit 140 Conference (#140Conf) last week. The panel was on the book FEED, by M.T. Anderson. This book is this year's Community Read at Cranbrook-Kingswood Upper School. The panelists are students from Cranbrook, who volunteered to part of the panel; they will also help lead a similar discussion next March at school.

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-59665697957305035232010-08-10T10:45:00.000-05:002010-08-10T10:56:46.554-05:00

The sermon I preached at Barrington United Methodist Church on Sunday, August 8, 2010.The scripture passage is Matthew 6:25-34. The total length is 22:30.

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-1593504450892148552010-08-04T07:00:00.004-05:002010-08-04T18:06:41.751-05:00

Visit: Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN (photos here)Formal presentation by Admissions CounselorInfo Session6800 undergraduate studentsTN most represent state, mostly SE US, 4% intl studentsNashville - Music City USA. All music represented on campus. Rites of Spring 2 day event before finals week1-1/2 mi from downtownMidtown is local neighborhood Commons is first yr housing area (10 dorms &

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-72042104449595298822010-08-02T21:22:00.007-05:002010-08-04T09:04:04.724-05:00

Visit: Davidson College, Davidson, NC (Photos here)This visit began with a Tour, and then the Info Session followed. (This was pretty weird after having every other college visit work in the opposite manner.)TourDeclare your major start of Jr yr. Interdisciplinary degree requires proposal and advisors from multiple depts - should be declared sooner.Students go to Charlotte - cars all 4 yrs.

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-86633007217016740092010-08-01T20:30:00.002-05:002010-08-01T20:55:30.868-05:00

It's a Sunday - another no-school-tour day. Ten days on the road, and hotels and restaurant food are catching up with us. We opted for a movie to pass the time. Anna had not seen Inception, so we found an AMC theatre on the way to our next college (Davidson). We both enjoyed the movie (my second viewing), and analyzed it over lunch at Panera. This is a the great thing about watching your child

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-2847091571041295492010-08-01T08:15:00.001-05:002010-08-01T09:05:57.924-05:00

It's a Saturday - no school tours available. Anna slept in today, and I had a work conference call. The weather called for rain in the afternoon, we we headed out to CaroWinds, an amusement and water park. We were primarily interested in the water park, with two wave pools, five water slides, one tube river ride, and three kiddie areas. My favorite was the tube river ride - which I could have

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-12464916908744353472010-07-31T21:45:00.002-05:002010-08-04T09:03:26.390-05:00

Visit: University of Richmond, Richmond, VAFormal presentation by a rising Senior (very polished) - Photos hereFounded as Baptist seminary in 1830, became Richmond College in 1840. In 1970s merged with girls college (Westhampton college)3,000 undergrad23% of colorAvg class size 168:1 student to teacher ratioAll profs teach, 98% have terminal degree5 colleges (Undergrads can take classes at Law

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-75649516760077797442010-07-29T20:00:00.001-05:002010-08-04T09:02:55.298-05:00

Visit: George Washington University, Washington D.C. (Photos Here)Informal presentation by: Admissions Advisor and a rising sophomore9500 undergrad students6 colleges/90 majors All classes taught by professorsProfessors: mix of FT teachers & working professionals in DC areaFocus on "why and how it's applied"Avg class size of 28, 25% under 20Best of small and large schools33% self-identified "of

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-55946150366511038382010-07-29T17:00:00.000-05:002010-07-29T17:53:06.813-05:00

A day to see the our national government buildings and memorials! Our hotel was right by a Metro subway stop, so it was our primary means of transportation. Clean and convenient (most of the time), we learned to ride the subway like regulars after a couple of trips. First stop: Capitol South, dropping us off 2 blocks from the US Capitol. We had not reserved tickets for a tour of the building, so

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-50494267574210543412010-07-28T21:30:00.003-05:002010-08-04T09:01:51.975-05:00

Visit: Vassar College, (Poughkeepsie, NY)Presentation by Director of Admissions (Photos here)2,500 undergrads Faculty advisor until you declare a major34 units to grad11 units needed for a major (declare in soph yr)1000 classes to choose from Psych, English, PolSci, Bio, Econ top majorsDbl major or maj/min52 majors - many are multidisciplinary Small classes avg is 17. Major undergrad courses avg

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-25140993955389152552010-07-27T06:18:00.007-05:002010-08-04T09:01:28.382-05:00

My new definition of "overwhelming": Two college tours and one college visit in one day...Visit: Brandeis University, Waltham, MAPresentation by Admissions Advisor and a rising senior, followed by a tour by a rising sophomore. (Photos here)Brandeis was founded in 1948 by a group including Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, Abraham Maslov and Leonard Bernstein.Named after Supreme Court Justice

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-56031870075479033842010-07-26T07:27:00.002-05:002010-07-26T07:51:21.764-05:00

Boston, MA! Birthplace of independence, and home to some of the worse drivers in the USA. (I lived here for 1-1/2 years, I have lots of experience with them...)We were tourists today. We drove in from Springfield and landed in downtown Boston at 10AM. We headed for the Commons and parked the car and started to walk - the Freedom Trail. This pedestrian "red line" weaves throughout Boston

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-52813569653481147362010-07-25T06:00:00.000-05:002010-07-25T06:30:15.226-05:00

This was a dedicated travel day. We took the southern New York route along I86/NY17. This is a very rural part of NY, very reminiscent of Tennessee or Kentucky. Along the way we passed the following:Zippo Lighter/Case Knife MuseumSoaring MuseumCorning Glass MuseumSoccer Hall of FameBaseball Hall of FameIroquois MuseumWe didn't stop at any of these, but I was simply amazed at the rather

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-32962693095721512922010-07-24T07:08:00.006-05:002010-08-04T09:00:20.168-05:00

Visit: Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH (photos here)No formal presentation: Q&A with Admissions Advisor, a Conserv student, a transfer student, a Chemistry professor and Financial Aid Advisor9:9:9 credit hours in three different areas (math/science, social sciences, humanities) and 2 diff depts within each area. AP courses with a 5 on the test will apply to these requirements.Academic advisor. Meet

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-82660868721328742912010-02-08T09:00:00.000-06:002010-02-08T09:20:24.169-06:00

Here are my reviews of the ads shown on Super Bowl 44. This is a 5-star rating system that I use on my Twitter feed to quickly review the ads after I have viewed them in real time. The '5' stars category is ranked, while the remaining categories are listed in reverse-viewing order (1Q ads are at the bottom.)5 Stars: Unforgettable/Distinguishes BrandGoogle "Paris" VW "Color Game" Denny's "Scream"

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-7104345224659054232009-05-21T14:17:00.002-05:002009-05-21T14:33:45.179-05:00

Charity depends on the vicissitudes of whim and personal wealth; justice depends on commitment instead of circumstance. Faith-based charity provides crumbs from the table; faith-based justice offers a place at the table. - Bill Moyers This quote by Bill Moyers challenges the White House idea (still in place in the Obama Administration) that having a "faith-based" initiative will somehow improve

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-11665562888089423222009-03-22T00:00:00.002-05:002010-08-27T16:57:33.573-05:00

I recently completed my four-year term as an elected school board member in Cary, IL. I was elected in 2005, and decided not to run for re-election. At the last full board meeting I attended, I gave the following "farewell" comments.First, and foremost, thanks and appreciation to my wife, Dolores for her support and understanding for the past 4 years of least 166 evenings and 3 weekends away from

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-45048177903788962522009-02-02T13:55:00.000-06:002009-02-02T15:03:23.059-06:00

While watching Super Bowl 43, I rated the ads I saw on a quick 5 star rating system using my Twitter account. Here is the basis for my ratings:0 stars – No clear message or embarrassing to the brand1 stars – Retread of brand/message2 stars – Consistent with brand, but nothing special3 stars – Solid ad performance or brand expansion4 stars – Great implementation, but not breakthrough5 stars –

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-50633448400861858082009-01-15T11:13:00.003-06:002009-01-15T11:26:16.786-06:00

I just visited the True North web site and saw this on the rotating 'new releases' section. Unfortunately there is no additional album information at this time. The brucecockburn.com web site is "Under Construction" (do people still say that?) Looks like Bruce hits the tour road in conjunction with the album release.

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-21713666574323323852009-01-05T09:00:00.003-06:002009-01-05T09:58:58.484-06:00

As a parent, you hope you're doing your best when raising your child. As a father, you want to prepare them for the world - and sometimes you think it might be too much. Well, my HS daughter let me know how I was doing in the birthday card she gave me this year:Yes, it brought tears to my eyes.I love you too.

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-59374905143750658442009-01-03T15:00:00.001-06:002009-01-05T17:14:56.126-06:00

There are a lot of people writing about what a 'brand' is, and how branding is critical to the success of any business. This post is about my personal relationship with a brand, and how simple, little things like details go a long way in impacting that relationship.Macy's is a retail icon - or so it is proclaimed. Macy's has been one of the survivors of the retail industry, buying and rebranding

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-87485048209159657372008-12-10T09:51:00.001-06:002008-12-10T09:54:25.810-06:00

I have served as an elected official for our local school board for the last three and a half years. During this time the public has mostly ignored me, doing my job month after month to govern our district to (hopefully) improve student achievement. I am occasionally hated and praised in just about equal measure – depending upon what the board did or didn’t do at its last meeting.Anyone goes into

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-36958788936932822442008-12-03T10:45:00.001-06:002008-12-03T11:56:49.225-06:00

The 18th century composer Antonio Salieri was made infamous in the 20th century movie “Amadeus.” In the movie Salieri is ridiculed as a second rate musical act compared to Mozart’s musical genius and puerile pranks. While history has proven Mozart’s place in the pantheon of classical music, Salieri should not be overlooked for his mastery of music.During the mid 18th century, Salieri was a

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-49806224319106066292008-11-25T12:33:00.003-06:002008-11-25T12:48:39.179-06:00

I recently watched the movie ‘Groundhog Day’ on DVD. The premise of the story is that Phil Connors, a TV weatherman, is sent to cover the story of Punxsutawney Phil, the famous Groundhog, to determine what the future holds. Connors ends up in an infinite loop, reliving February 2nd over and over again, until he discovers the truth about living and loving.While watching this, I was especially

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-70225245206092693242008-05-28T08:00:00.001-05:002008-05-28T09:09:57.462-05:00

In his Information Week blog, Alexander Wolfe has updated the BBC "Desert Island Discs" format to the digital era. In it he lists the 10 Albums he would want on his MP3 player, were he stranded on a desert island. (You know the one with electricity, but that is unknown by map makers...)Inspired by this list, here is my list of top 10 albums I would want on my never-will-lose-battery-power MP3

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-49286416157637269252007-11-29T13:26:00.000-06:002007-11-29T13:32:49.686-06:00

Yes it's a horrible sentence, but the answer you can find out from this test is amazing:What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-91839633725665289972007-08-31T16:00:00.000-05:002007-08-31T16:50:36.457-05:00

Five blogs focused on education/teaching using the internet and technology based communication tools.Classroom 2.0http://classroom20.ning.comTeachers 2.0http://teachers20.ning.comTeaching for the Futurehttp://www.teachingforthefuture.com/EdTech Talkhttp://edtechtalk.com/Ypulsehttp://ypulse.com/Visit the BlogDay Web Site

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-64064032530968907572007-08-02T02:00:00.000-05:002007-08-02T16:11:08.894-05:00

It's hard to imagine, but summer is is waning. Hard to imagine with temps in the 90s, but as the meteorologists point out, a lot of factors come together to make it warmer, even as the days grow shorter.As for my goal of being outside everyday this summer, while I haven't reported in much, it's because I've been outside more! I even took to reading one of the three morning papers on the front

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-63681611736724833172007-06-15T23:00:00.000-05:002007-06-17T23:17:21.946-05:00

We were supposed to run/jog today, but the daughter pleaded to rollerblade instead. Being the kind-hearted dad, and not wanting to faint away in the early morning 80+ degree (already!), I caved. Exercise is exercise, and it was good to get those muscles that blading had stretched the day before back into use, before my legs ceased up. It was another 90+ day, so we managed to stay inside (AC on 78

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-20890012231026736032007-06-14T22:00:00.000-05:002007-06-17T23:08:15.586-05:00

The first of a string of 90+ degree days to come. While I really like summer in the Midwest, I would like to arrive in a reasonable fashion, not like a mid-December blizzard! We need to pace ourselves, and having late July temps and mid-June makes me wonder what the rest of the summer will be like!Got the roller blades out (last use: October 2006) and managed a mile and a half without falling

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-20960683962212044952007-06-13T22:00:00.000-05:002007-06-17T23:08:56.558-05:00

Short post:Water yard (6-9am)Morning run (8/10 mile)Lunch on porchLots of work (business/home) and warm temps keep me insideTotal time outside: 45 minutes

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-92096983803389850182007-06-12T22:30:00.000-05:002007-06-17T22:58:55.872-05:00

It's starting to get "summer hot." Those temperatures where clothing gets skimpier and (for some people) patience grows thinner. We road our bikes this morning for about 4 miles, with the comment from my daughter, "Too bad we didn't bring money to stop by Dunkin Donuts" (the apple don't fall far from the tree!) It was approaching 80 degrees by the time we got home and into the cool house. The

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-17752766182605960142007-06-11T22:45:00.000-05:002007-06-17T22:51:56.500-05:00

Today begins a summer exercise program suggested by my daughter. We will go out every morning and alternate between jogging, roller blading and bike riding. The goal is about 30 minutes of exercise, where we are exercising at least 1/2 of that at an elevated heart rate. This is supposed to improve your aerobic capacity. So today was an easy start of 8/10's of a mile. Easy, right?Ha! It's been a

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-5677585942842777102007-06-10T18:00:00.000-05:002007-06-13T17:56:22.803-05:00

It's the last day of the church choir season and time to celebrate. We had a picnic at the home of one of our sopranos. It was your typical summer fare: chicken, cole slaw, backed beans, rolls, pasta salad, fruit salad, soda and dessert. The weather was perfect! We ate inside and them went out for more socializing and sharing summer vacation plans. I got more sun on my already pink arms and face,

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-22644741355810720232007-06-09T20:00:00.000-05:002007-06-13T17:50:46.084-05:00

Ouch. How come you never notice you're getting sunburned until its too late? This was another marathon garden day, and I was so focused on getting the garden under control, I didn't think twice about the radiant sun. I'm trying to get control back in my herb garden. Seems that the mint, lemon balm, pennyroyal, lavender, and hyssop all decided to get out of control. Problem was I spend too much

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-49224194288743597812007-06-08T22:00:00.000-05:002007-06-13T17:44:25.864-05:00

Tonight was 8th grade graduation. Not a lot of quality time outside, unless you count standing around the school waiting to get in or dragging your child away from her friends! Dinner at hibatchi restaurant, graduation event, dessert at home with family, all makes for a memorable blur until the photos get uploaded and added to the scrapbook.Total time outside: 15 minutes

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-10492294126660308182007-06-07T23:30:00.000-05:002007-06-13T17:38:03.240-05:00

It's the big 8th grade 'graduation' dance, and I was the dutiful father, snapping photos of my daughter and her friends. It was a 'red carpet' themed event, and all the boys and girls were in their party finest. For the boys, black shirts/pants and a white tie was the preferred look. The girls - everything from the 'little black dress' to near prom regalia. It was interesting watching the awkward

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-69821189027499880012007-06-06T21:30:00.000-05:002007-06-07T18:27:28.642-05:00

Well at least it wasn't my lawn... but it wasn't much. Work pretty much kept me in the house or in the car most all day. I did manage to leave choir practice and then walk down to the Woodstock town square, where I walked across the lawn while the community band played. The town and square is where they filmed the Bill Murray classic, Groundhog Day. It was a beautiful night, and it was a perfect

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-8373454957797334722007-06-05T20:00:00.000-05:002007-06-07T17:31:07.028-05:00

B-ball, roundball (US not Aussie), hoops, whatever you call - now we've got it! We got a portable backboard and ball for our daughter's birthday (a little early) to provide some incentive and reason for all of us to get out of the house this summer. It was quite the challenge to put this together - the loading of the 365 lbs. of sand was the killer. I didn't realize how much effort holding 50 lb

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-30604042515851237792007-06-04T23:11:00.000-05:002007-06-04T23:19:06.456-05:00

Mondays. You either ease your way into them, or they come crashing down around you. This was a crashing Monday. I didn't get outside in the morning (the daily papers were already in), ate lunch at my desk (too much going on) and almost missed seeing any sun at all. Thank goodness I could spend some time strolling around the Lowe's Garden Center (covered outside space) after dinner. Not much, but

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-37560182070719490772007-06-03T20:07:00.000-05:002007-06-04T23:10:46.391-05:00

OK - 7 hours of yard work for a person who sites in front of a computer most of the day is over-doing it. It's Sunday - the day of rest. I'm resting. Sometimes inside the house, sometimes outside the house. I stopped and picked up some annual herbs: basil, savory, parsley, rosemary. They'll get planted this week. Not today. Time to rest.Total time outside: Let's call it an hour.

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-13952550128113532822007-06-02T23:00:00.000-05:002007-06-04T23:06:44.098-05:00

The great thing about June rains is that they make plants explode - grass grows, flowers blossom, shrubs expand - you get the idea. But it also makes for more effort when you haven't been disciplined in your yard maintenance. So, it's another Saturday yard marathon. I'll soon be able to spend a minimal amount of time weeding and dead-heading plants, and the occasional grass cutting - making my

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-4800296197992070812007-06-01T22:55:00.000-05:002007-06-04T22:51:07.681-05:00

As today is Friday, why not start the weekend off with a nice thunderstorm? This provided a great opportunity to go for a leisurely drive in the country. It's easy to stop on a 2-lane county road to try and capture a fleeting rainbow or the sun streaming through clouds. Our final stop was to one of the dams on the Fox River, which provided a nice reflection of the setting sun, and some fun,

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-15380341578448768422007-05-31T22:15:00.000-05:002007-06-01T09:51:47.646-05:00

Overcast day that turned into much needed rain in the afternoon. I spent time in the early morning in the yard, primarily watering plants and the lawn. It started to rain while the sprinkler was on (I like to think I was priming the atmosphere ;-). I really enjoy being out in the rain - it's refreshing/rejeuvenating/renewing. Maybe that's why baptisms use water...Went bike riding around the

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-27726438075279454552007-05-30T22:58:00.000-05:002007-05-31T09:32:52.075-05:00

Well, I almost didn't make it. The light was fading faster than my resolve, but I got outside - officially. Even though I drove to Woodstock and back with the windows down on a lovely May evening, it didn't count. So when I got home, I got outside. It had been quite sometime since I did any night photography, so I thought I'd give it a try.Some things in life aren't that easy to pick up after

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-23124739997344315202007-05-29T22:53:00.000-05:002007-05-31T09:32:22.060-05:00

This 98 days of being outdoors in the summer is going to be a challenge. I realized that I don't leave the house for 2-3 days some weeks. Working out of a home office is a wonderful thing. not having to commute every-single-day is something I don't miss. The wonders of technology like iChat, AIM, Twitter, and Conference Calls Unlimited make staying in touch with co-workers, clients and vendors a

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-37874613036147321282007-05-28T17:00:00.000-05:002007-05-28T17:25:28.029-05:00

The summer 'season' is typically defined as those days between Memorial Day and Labor Day. This year there are 98 days that are included in that time period. This time period also coincides with that wonderful period known by schoolchildren as "Summer Vacation." It's a time when the air is warm, the days are long, and having fun is one of the key objectives. After a winter of being cooped up

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-18541955707711390452007-03-12T23:00:00.000-05:002007-03-13T08:12:34.405-05:00

This presentation focused on the idea that interface design needs to consider the science of cognetics (the ergonomics of the mind) to more adequately create experiences that are beneficial to a user. Two scientific studies were noted: GOM modeling and Information efficiency. The presented gave this definition of an interface: the way you accomplish with a product - what you do and how it

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-51095894993650134582007-03-12T22:30:00.000-05:002007-03-13T08:12:01.100-05:00

This presentation was led by the principles of ariesnet.com. They started as a web development firm in 1997, and had the cool downtown office, games, meals etc. for their 25 employees. In 2001 (Web 1.0 bust) they made the decision to go to the virtual business/team model. They gave an interesting definition of this: Working across time and space connected by technology and networks.While

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-29808786459842152092007-03-12T22:00:00.000-05:002007-03-13T08:09:58.456-05:00

This presentation was moved from the 3rd floor of the Convention Center to a larger room on the main (4th floor.) Because of this I missed the first part of the session. It was fairly technical in nature, with code snippets on the screen, but these were interspersed with the actual application, so it was easier to understand.AJAX, or Asynchronous JavaScript is what is driving the application-like

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-71920750466673246412007-03-12T21:45:00.000-05:002007-03-13T08:09:03.740-05:00

This was a promising topic - so promising that it was booked in the largest room. Lots of people attended. But it turned out to be yet another panel discussion by designers to talk about their challenges in the development process. Once this was discovered by the attendees, the crowd started to thin, but since it was one of the first panels of the day, there were enough people who came in late to

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-36977018671640509312007-03-12T21:30:00.000-05:002007-03-13T08:08:27.268-05:00

This presentation was given by the head of a start-up call SlideShare (www.slideshare.net). In developing this online service, the development team ended up using both tools for what they do best. His presentation is available on his site: http://www.slideshare.net/jboutelle/ajax-vs-flash-whats-right-for-you/

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-81776315223367607562007-03-12T21:00:00.000-05:002007-03-13T08:07:54.388-05:00

The focus on this panel was on understanding how creating sites for multiple cultures impact web design. The first topic was localization. Most people think of this as getting the text translated, but it is much more. The process should include thinking through the experience from a specific point of view, and then make the appropriate changes. An example of doing this correctly was Nokia cell

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-32291503876404755232007-03-11T16:45:00.000-05:002007-03-12T21:30:57.534-05:00

This interesting presentation was buy a guy who has started and sold a number of web companies. His presentation mostly displayed photos of life in middle asia (he must of written off a vacation with this speech;-)Here are the 10 points he presented:(I'll fill them in later)Be NomadicExpose Yourself to Harsh ConditionsLoot EfficientlySay No to InfantryGet People TalkingDo Not Fight By the Enemies

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-67707667734284684072007-03-11T13:00:00.000-05:002007-03-12T08:48:25.589-05:00

This panel was advertised as "how great designers work their magic." What it really was is an excuse for 4 designers to talk about what they have in common. This was mainly the following:poor/short attention spansmusic used while doing different tasksbilling/invoicing is a necessary chorehaving fun as a work distractionlove/hate relationship with IMThe biggest insight was that web designers today

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-5991023863914654702007-03-11T11:30:00.000-05:002007-03-12T08:27:45.315-05:00

This panel discussion was on the use of RSS (Real Simple Syndication) technology for marketing. The conversation tried to move away from the technology to the application, but it was never more than a balance between the two. The benefits of RSS noted by the panel in selling the use of this are in the speed of delivery, wide distribution potential and efficiency in communication. The big

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15713934.post-1124817982246422892005-08-23T12:15:00.000-05:002007-03-12T08:56:25.223-05:00

The United States should buy Mexico.I've spoken to enough people about this by now, that I figure I should probably have some kind of 'copyrighted' document that can be tracked to a specific date and time - hence this blog.Why not? A recent poll indicated that 46% of Mexicans polled indicated that they would emigrate to the US, and there is a growing resistance to the thousands of Mexicans that

Randy Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499136215206027758noreply@blogger.com1