Monthly Archives: June 2008

Thursday night – still in Africa

Well.. I’m still in Africa.. i made the decision  last night to stay one more night so I could see a little bit of this place. It turned out to be a good call. We worked from 7:30 AM till about 8:30 pm (including dinner). it was a full and productive day.
   We spent most of the day in our own meetings. Today started with my friend Joanne coming over and showing me this picture on her camera.. It’s a picture of the house that Diane and I lived in in Winchester England from 1984-86. It looks exactly the same as it did them.. Joanne took the picture a few days ago on her way through England on her way here.. I’d given her our old address.. very cool to have this.

Once again , we broke a few times in the day to spend times with the folks here in South Africa during their big RTLE group meeting. I really love meeting and listening to these folks who are from my same company.. but are worlds apart in day to day experience, business, expertise, cafeterias, bathrooms, soft drinks, finger food, hairstyles and just about everything else..

My friend Hugh gave a talk on IBM’s ‘green ‘ initiatives and asked for me to come along to help.   I decided to use one of my standard tricks.. the glowing  pickle to drive home the point about saving power and being ‘green’ . The site folks quickly scrounged up a pickle.. or gherkin. as they’re called here. 2 forks and a line cord  could destroy..   (note the SamStone in the background)

I must say that this demo is MUCH more impressive at 220 volts !!!!!  You could read by this thing !

The day ended too quickly.. We said good by to our hosts including the wonderful and super efficient Debbie who’d helped us set up our visit.. here’s Debbie, Bill (who just told us he’s retiring next month !) and Satsumi-san.

We were all pretty beat when we got back to the hotel. i worked for a few hours.. then met up with friends and walked to a restaurant.. It’s really a nice city as long( as you stay in well lit places… )

Speaking of well lit.. there are massive utility problems here.. despite the ultra modern buildings and roads, the power infrastructure is stressed past peak.. there are frequent power outages.. many stores sport signs like this :

We found a nice and very reasonable Thai place and had a great dinner. These last night dinners are always a little sad.. it’s always hard saying good bye to these guys.. our next meeting isn’t until September !.

Well.. I need to gt some sleep.. I’m feeling a little jetlagged..   Tomorrow I’m going to try and see some animals !..  Lala khale (Good night in Zulu) my friends..  Lala khale family..  Lala khale Sam !

ps. Before I go.. I wanted to share the following brain test . Carorlyn sent it to us today..

RIGHT AND LEFT HAND BRAIN ACTIVITY
 
Which way is the lady in the picture below turning for you?

If the lady is turning clockwise for you, you are using your right brain.
If you see it the other way, you are using its left half.  
 
Some people can see both ways, but most can only see one.
 
See if you can make her go one way and then the other by shifting the brain’s current.
 
BOTH DIRECTIONS ARE POSSIBLE.
 
Experimentation has shown that the two different sides or hemispheres of the brain are responsible for different manners of thinking. The following table illustrates the differences between left-brain and right-brain activities:
                    

  Left Brain                         Right Brain

     Logical                                 Random
     Sequential                            Intuitive
     Rational                                Holistic
     Analytical                              Synthesizing
     Objective                              Subjective
     Looks at parts                       Looks at wholes
 
Most people have a distinct preference for one of these styles of thinking. Some, however, are more whole-brained and equally adept at both modes. In general, schools tend to favour left-brain modes of thinking, while downplaying the right-brain ones. Left-brain scholastic subjects focus on logical thinking, analysis, and accuracy. Right-brained subjects, on the other hand, focus on aesthetics, feeling, and creativity.
 
www.raysofwisdom.com

Wednesday night – J’berg

I managed to get a great night’s sleep on the plane last night.. I woke up about an hour from landing in Johannesburg. .. It’s a big sprawling city.. looks liek just about anywhere from this height .

A driver (great guy) was there waiting for me when I got through customs.. He whisked me directly to the meeting on the outskirts of town. We had a great conversation about politics here and in the US.   He talked to me about the unrest that’s going on here. It’s mostly about jobs.. the locals are angry because folks form other countries are coming in and working for lower wages.. It’s a sad story that gets played out all over the world.   Here’s the township of Alexandra where some of the violence is centered.


  He told me about th black and white issues and what it’s like to live here. (He’s originally from Zaire).. He even taught me a few words in Zulu.. It’s such a cool sounding language.. We also talked  about our families.. He told me about his kids.. and I told him about mine.. and I gave him a SamStone..

I got to the meeting facility about an hour after hte meeting started. We’d timed our meeting here to coincide with a local Technical Leaders conference. We spent half of today in our meetings.. and half of the day speaking at their meetings. It was a great crowd..

We had a good panel discussion where we heard about the fun and challenges about workign for IBM in South Africa. It was  a great group of people.. very driven and optimistic about the future. I really liked speaking with them

We broke for lunch and a few more meetings …

THen back for more talks.. Here’s my friend Hugh giving his great career advice talk.. Honestly I pick up stuff every time I here him do this.. (Listen twice as much as you talk.. that’s why we have 2 ears and only one mouth.. i’d do well to remember that one. )

At the end of the day there was a reception with live music . I got to talk to a bunch of the senior leaders here.. not only is it fun and interesting from a career mentoring perspective.. but I always pick up stuff I can use for my day job.. I get so much out of thee visits.

Like the chance to try South African dry cider.. Yum.. !

At about 7 our den mother, Carolyn herded us all into the bus to go get dinner.

Luckily there’s ‘s no sound track on this.. it’s some of IBM’s most senior technical leaders singing the theme songs from Gilligan’s island, , the Flintstones and the Beverly hillbilly’s.. and keep in mind that  I think only three of us on the bus were American.   (great what we export culturally .. no ? )

I checked into the hotel .. which is very pretty.. here’s the view out my door down into the lobby

.. and walked across to the mall across th street for dinner.. The mall is called Nelson Mandela Square..

.. and I must say.. it’s not the Africa that you read about in books..

A great stature of Mandela sits in the square..

.. AND NOW HE BETTER NOT STEP BACKWARDS.. BECAUSE THERE’S SOMETHING UNDER HIS FOOT !

We had dinner in a nice Italian place on the square.. We had fun.. and talked work at the same time.. Lots of our business gets done this way..

Then walked back to the hotel

OK.. I’m beat now.. Time for bed.. More of Africa tomorrow. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to see a little more.. Good night my friends.. Good night my family.. I miss you guys.. Good night Sam

-me

Tuesday evening – en route (delayed post)

Tuesday Night – in the air        

Folks.. sorry this post is a bit late.. I haven’t been able to get connectivity since I left VT last night. I’m on my way to South Africa for an Academy meeting.. The meeting stared today, but I didn’t want to leave town on Gabe’s birthday. We had a great day.. After I wrote yesterday Gabe and Max went out to the canoe access and hunted each other with paintball guns.. as soon as they got home. We went to Sakura’s for Sushi// Gabe’s birthday choice. !.. This time we had plenty of time to eat..

then we went over to see IronMan at the Majestic. I absolutely loved that movie… but it was so fake .I think all of the technology stuff was pretty believable, but come on..  no one that looks like Gweneth Paltrow would ever date someone who had gone to MIT.   By the way, Starks friend the the Col. in the movie (Rider ? Ridly)  was wearing a big fat ugly MIT Ring (a ‘brass rat’ as we call it) in every scene.. Nice touch. !

 

   After the movie,  the family took me to the airport to pick up a rental  car.  I kissed them all good night.. including my brand new 13 year old and headed south to NYC.. it was about 10 PM.

Actually it wasn’t quite that smooth.. I’d left my phone charger in the Prius.. so Diane, Max and Gabe had to wait for me in the Shaw’s parking lot before I headed down..   The drive down to NYC was fun. Quiet and smooth. I spent a few hours on the phone with folks. Which helped me stay awake.. (thanks., Mom. Jim. Curry) .. The drive to JFK tool almost exactly 5 hours.. about 2 hours less than during the day.. I got to the airport around 3:30 for a 7:30 flight.. so I just sat there and worked..

 

By the time I got on my flight to London I was pretty sleepy.. I slept about half the way there… The flight as empty so I was able to lay down across 5 seats.. sweet !


Kinda worried me when my tv panel started showing linux error codes, though

The 6 and a half hours went by in a flash.. I tell you, time passes SO differently for me now.. I’m starting to really love long  drives, flights, any long  spell like that.. I listen to music.. think.. and mostly.. don’t  think.. I just sit and space out. I tell you .. John Cohn 1.0 could simply  not do that.. Long periods of  quiet time like that used to drive me nuts.. now I crave it..

 

Anyway.. We gt to Heathrow about 7:30PM .. and my flight to Johannesburg was supposed to board at 7:15..   eeeeek !.. The airline folks said that they should never have issued me this connection.. Anyway I ran close to a mile (it seemed) to make this flight.  I slid into the plane just as they were closing the cabin door. I had only enough time before boarding to drop a sam stone in the waiting room..

 

It was fun looking down on the English countryside.. This isn’t veryfar from where Diane and I lived from 1984-86

Now I’m about an hour and a half into the ten  and a half hour flight to J’burg.. I think I’m going to try and get some  sleep now. I ‘ll try to post this from  the meeting when I get there.  

 

G’nite folks from somewhere over the Congo (I think)   G’nite Sam

-me

Monday afternoon – happy 13th birthday Gabe !

Gabe turned 13 years old today.. that just blows my mind !. Our baby is a teenager !  … and a very cool person …

Here he is as a pre-teen yesterday… look at that boyish grin..

And here he is less than 24 hours later.. already deep in thought as a proto-grown -up

Seriously, I’m so proud of this kid.. ..  he works hard and does a great job at everything he takes on.. he’s so together. I love watching him grow..

We all got together around 4ish today to do the birthday thing..  We stuck Gabe on the birthday thrown and he opened his loot..

Hannah and Dave gave him this awesome new Talent shirt.

He got a new hoody.. perfect for a 90 degree day like today…

Max found the perfect hat for Gabe in NYC…   Gabe has such a great style !  He does color like noone else does color !

Then it was time for cake.. we lit the candle and welcomed Sam into the party..

Then lit the candles for Gabe.. The mouse cake was getting the consistency of  ice cream when it’s at that perfect slurping temperature..

Then came the song !… look at all those candles !

Gabe and Max are now out shooting each other with paintballs. I a little while we’re all going out for Sushi and then a movie (Ironman !)..   After that I drive to NYC overnight to catch a 7am plane to south africa.. but that’s another story

Happy birthday my beautiful Gabriel.. I’m so proud of you…

TTYL everyone.. TTYL sam.
-me