SharedBook: On Demand

Risk Management and Cycling

"If you can't afford to take a risk, then you can't afford to compete." (Lee Iacocca, former Chrysler chairman)

If you want to succeed in the business world and be able to compete better, you have to go faster. This we all know. And if you want to go faster – you have to take risks. But you have to take risks cautiously; this is what is known as risk management. You go out and dare, and take the risk, only after making sure that if something goes wrong – you will be able to handle it.

If you’ve read some of my blog posts you probably know that I am hooked on cycling. I love the speed, the sense of freedom, the challenges, pushing you to the limit over and over again. And I also find great similarities between high tech management and cycling. Obviously, in cycling, if you want to compete better you have to go faster. Going faster on the bike requires strength and… you guessed it: taking risks. I learned this lesson last week.

We were doing another technique session. This time I learned how to brake properly on the bike. In order to be able to brake properly, without sliding and falling, you have to think about your body posture, apply your rear brake and front brake in perfect timing, and practice it over and over again, until you get it right.

Much to my surprise, the next time I had to go downhill, I went much faster than usual. Why? Because this time I dared taking the risk, after all, I knew that if something went wrong – I would be able to handle it. I would be able to brake real fast, without losing control of the bike.

Once again (you can read about my previous experience here: Want to Go Faster? Find Your Weakest Link), I discovered that the same rules apply to my favorite hobby and to the high tech world: Want to go faster? Do proper risk management.

And while I am playing with quotes, here is another one of my favorite quotes that applies to both bike races and high tech management:

"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly." (Robert F. Kennedy)

Think about this the next time you are about to take a risk. I sure will.

Another Year of the Snake

In a blog post earlier this year I posted about Python's growing popularity in 2007. Since then the following events have unfolded:

• Last month Sun announced that they were hiring two key Python developers -  Ted Leung, an Apache Software Foundation (ASF) member and long-time Python developer at the Open Source Applications Foundation (OSAF), and Frank Wierzbicki, lead implementer of the Jython project. This is a similar move to the one Sun made in 2006, hiring 2 key Ruby/JRuby developers. Jython is an implementation of the Python language on the Java Virtual machine (JVM), and it was announced that the two new hires will be working full-time on Jython and paying particular attention to developer tools.
• On April 8th Google announced the Google App Engine which lets you run your Web applications on Google's infrastructure. Although controversial, this ambitious new project offers a full-stack, hosted, automatically scalable Web application platform that is attracting a lot of attention in the market. And the first programming language that this environment supports is of course - Python.
• New alpha versions have been released of the next revolutionary Python language version - Python 3000 and there are plans to release a beta version sometime this year.

With all of this activity around the Python programming language, it seems to me that its popularity will continue to climb in 2008 as well. Here at SharedBook we are thrilled by this since we are investing a lot in Python (alongside Java) and developing some cool applications using it. Besides Blog2Print we are using Python for some of our partner integrations.

Learning Python is easy. So go ahead and give it a try - the official (and highly recommended) tutorial can be found here. If you are new to programming or even if you've never programmed before you can go to this page and find some useful resources to learn programming using Python.

SharedBook and Publishing 2020

Joe Wikert posted an interview with Caroline on his Publishing 2020 blog today. They covered a lot of topics and It's worth a look if you're interested in learning more about SharedBook and the technology we provide.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Bridget, the winner of this week's Blog2Print contest with fuelmyblog! As the winner, Bridget has the opportunity to turn her blog into a book, or select another SharedBook product.

More "If" ...

This is my third and final observation of the poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling. You can read my previous post here and the first here. I believe the poem holds many truths that can be applied to life overall, as well as that within a high-tech company.

"If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And-which is more-you'll be a Man, my son!"

A workplace, as home-like as it can be (SharedBook for example) inevitably involves human interaction. Add significant challenges to the equation that sometimes translate to tension and you get conflicts.

What if each one of us could take a few seconds before reacting toward our fellow man and think about the "right" reaction or what to say? Wouldn't we dissolve some of the conflicts before they occur?

Reading the poem made me take a few steps back and think about how I can improve my behavior in day to day situations.

I strongly recommend reading the entire poem. And if you do, I'd like to hear what you think.

The Goldilocks Principle

So I've always been curious about the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  It fascinates me that there is a story for children about a girl who breaks into a home, rummages through the family's possessions, and indulges herself in selecting "just the right one" of anything she wants.

The saying goes "beggars can't be choosers," but apparently intruders can do whatever they want.

Nonetheless, the story is quite enduring.  And it does appeal to me on a user experience level - the concept that everyone seeks the product that fits them "just right."  Unlike, say, clothes that are tailored to a hundred different sizes and shapes, the Goldilocks story divides everything into three manageable categories - the two extremes and the one right in the middle.

When it comes to designing Web sites, I try to follow a similar triage.

Say you are trying to build a design for a particular process.  There are probably hundreds of choices and different designs you can try.  How do you narrow the field?  I usually look at extremes. 

First, take the process and suppose you have a "surgical user" - one who knows exactly what he/she wants and will drill right to it.  What would be the fastest and most direct process?

Compare this with the "accidental tourist."  Someone who happened upon the site and is, for the moment, interested in seeing what you have to offer.  What would be the most engaging process?

Now apply the Goldilocks principle and aim toward the middle.

Next, apply the same principle to compare the "devoted reader of every footnote" versus the "60 mile-per-hour click demon."  How much text do you put in the page to satisfy the extremes?  Now - find the middle.

Next you could compare the "technically savvy" daily Web user versus the "Sunday driver."  How much do you try and impress with the latest rich media without intimidating?  Again - aim for the middle.

Depending on the specific application, the important "extremes" will vary.  But by applying this principle, eventually a design that balances everything will emerge.  It will likely blend the best and worst of everything and be the most generally appropriate site for your users.

Of course there is a down-side to applying this principle.  During the discovery process you become very aware that you can only hope to please most of the people most of the time. 

Thank You

We had a couple of nice surprises today. First Caroline noticed that Joe Wikert mentioned ProfessionalTravelGuide's Pocket Guidebook on his Publishing 2020 blog. We were expecting Joe to take a look when he could, but didn't realize he had gotten to it. Then, quite unexpectedly, I received a call from Pastor Wiley Drake of the Wiley Drake Radio Show regarding Your Daily Inspiring Word. Pastor Drake was LIVE, on the air, and gave us the opportunity to tell his listeners more about the new personalized daily prayer book! Thank you both.

If you would like to learn more about Your Daily Inspiring Word, today's announcement is available via Christian News Wire and PRWeb.

Your Daily Inspiring Word

How appropriate that today, on the day of the Pope’s visit to New York and on the eve of Passover, SharedBook has launched its first of many personalized products for the Christian marketplace. Your Daily Inspiring Word is the first personalized 365 day devotional.

Created for SharedBook by Paul McManus, author of The 7 Great Prayers, with scripture and devotions from Morning and Evening: Daily Readings by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Your Daily Inspiring Word allows users to add their name to the prayers and cover, and to use a photo of their choice to grace the back cover.

At $19.95, including shipping, Your Daily Inspiring Word opens an exciting marketplace for customized and personalized products and for SharedBook. We hope you’ll check it out for yourself, as well as for family and friends, and give us your feedback. Chag Sameach!

What If? contd.

Last week, I posted an observation in regards to the poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling. I believe the poem contains many truths in respect to life in general, as well as life in a high-tech company. I would like to share two more thoughts. This is the first.

“If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breath a word about your loss;"

Software Development – Hmm ...

How many times have you worked hard on a specific design, thinking that it was a pretty good one, even “state of the art,” and implemented it … only to find that a few months later or even a few days later, the focus of the product changes and your development becomes totally obsolete? It all goes to the trash can.

Sound familiar?

But here’s the deal, even if the work is thrown away and no one will ever utilize the development – it will never be in vain.

Ask yourself: did you gain technical knowledge that cannot be erased? Are you advancing towards being adaptable to changes (Agile, XP). Are you doing what's best for your company? Are you being professional?

And also, I find that in our case, the faster we start working on the next project, the sooner we are filled with enthusiasm and the sooner we continue contributing to the system.

Derby Guidebook

When I decided to create a sample of a Pocket Guidebook from ProfessionalTravelGuide.com today, I knew I could pull one together quickly for Louisville, KY.

Why Louisville? On the first Saturday in May (just about three weeks from now), it's the place to be for the Kentucky Derby.

Take a look ... this ended up being a fairly comprehensive guide, but the point is that you get to choose which online travel content (overview, hotel information, things to see & do, restaurants, etc.) you would like to include. You can then add your own notes, information and photographs if you like.