Wild flowers - sharing

wild flowers - Cuba Meadow Originally uploaded by shersteve. From Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass: I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journeywork of the stars, And the pismire is equally perfect, and a grain of sand, and the egg of a wren, And the tree-toad is a chef-d'oeuvre for the highest, And the running blackberry would adorn the parlors of heaven, And the narrowest hinge in my hand puts scorn to all machinery And the cow munching with depress'd head surpasses any statue, and a mouse is miracle enough to stagger sextillions of infidels. Against such a view of nature, we must appreciate and value the differences amongst us. In such differences, we can find each others strength, and in those strengths find something to learn. Be willing to learn. Be willing to share. Commencement begins today!

Collaboration - Real-time

Via Stowe Boyd found this cool tool to share freely a desktop view with others on a conference call. Realtime collaboration enabled without any software to install as it is all browser based.   I have only viewed the demos and love the promise. Will need to actually try it out to see if it delivers. If it does, it will definitely be a new tool in my toolkit.   Check it out. What do you think?     Technorati Tags : vyew, collaboration, synergy, teamwork, sharing, desktop Powered By Qumana

Basic business skills needed

From TechCareers.com via the InformationWeek Daily Newsletter comes this advice: He recommends that today's mid-level IT professionals start by taking some accounting courses and other business classes that teach skills such as cost justification. On the communications side job seekers should seriously consider Dale Carnegie communication courses or engaging a personal coach to sharpen speaking and personal interaction skills. "It's really a very good investment for those who want to move up the ladder. There is still a 'geek' label on tech people and you have to present yourself as a technology business person. As I tell job candidates, career advancement is all about sales-being able to sell yourself to the hiring manager requires good communication." I agree. In my career, the basic business skills (good communications, listening and understanding the needs of the customer, writing and presentations) have done more for me to advance that any technical expertise I have acquired along the way. For the full article read here. Technorati Tags : skill, business, accounting, cost, training, tertiary+education

Foot prints in the sand

Walking barefoot along the Lake Michigan shore on Saturday. The sun was shining brightly. The waves rolling up to the shore. My footprints did not last long. What kind of mark do you make upon this world? Are your footprints disappearing in the sand like mine?

Revs Halftime

Revs Halftime Originally uploaded by shersteve. The step dance troupe's performance was good but since they were performing at the other end of the stadium, this big screen view was about the best we could get. The music was a little more techno than celtic and certainly up beat. Music is a good part of education. Starting young as these dancers is a good help. The discipline of practice is something that bears good fruit in most aspects of life. Getting with the rhythm is also important. I started to take piano lessons in my mid-twenties and if time permits would consider resuming it. I have to restrict my music efforts to appreciation. My attempts at singing draw family comments to stifle it. I must admit that I can not carry a note too far very well. What music do you include in your life? Have you considered playing an instrument? What types of music do you like? I look forward to seeing your answers to all of these. I have partially answered the second question here. I will address the other questions over time myself. Technorati Tags : education, music, discipline, training

Connections - is it viral?

When I was checking out Google News this week, I caught an article in the online version of the Daily Mail with a story on how a man with a special computer implant is now able to control his robotic arm with his mind. Talk about mind control. He needed to learn to control the robotic arm. But he was able to do so. The story actually comes out of research being done with the man from MA. He received the implant at Rhode Island Hospital and then the sessions took place "down the road" at New England Sinai Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre. interesting to note that the events happening locally were brought to my attention by a newspaper outside the area. Another sign of the times? The power of the mind is absolutely amazing! Yes, you can do it. Of course, you need to think of it and then believe it, but if you believe it and persist, it can happen. This story is a case in point of the kind of success that can be achieved. Success is available to all of us. For example, Phil has a great life because he chooses to make it great! This month at the blog Synergy, he has started the topic of unleashing the power of we to achieve your goals. By publishing his goals to his community, he has drawn them into helping keep him on track to reach the goals. Troy chimed in with a posting on this topic and referencing Phil's post from March on accountability circles. I have a post from February on Circle Recognition, which gets at the same point of defining where your circle of influence lies and within which you have control. If you try control items outside your circle of influence, you will have less success as you have less control. I guess that is why we are together as part of team Synergy! So do you have goals? Have you shared them with someone? If not, it might be a good idea to do so. Enlist the power of your committment to those you have told to help make your goals. Technorati Tags : robotic+arm, mind+control, synergy, power+of+we, circles Powered By Qumana

Readability Results - what they say to me

I posted the summary of the Readability results for each of my personal blogs. I do write on blog Synergy and 100Bloggers but both of these are group blogs. The results of these 5 tests would be more instructive for my own writing.   Here is what I think they say: Gunning-Fog index, which is a rough measure of how many years of schooling it would take someone to understand the content. The lower the number, the more understandable the content will be to your visitors. Results over seventeen are reported as seventeen, where seventeen is considered post-graduate level. I have a high score of 8.67 (P4GCE) with TE close at 8.61 and a low score of 7.42 (PR). I average 8.25. My work and education related writing tends to be more formal. My running writing tends to be the least formal. Overall I write for an 8th grade level. Flesch Reading Ease is an index number that rates the text on a 100-point scale. The higher the score, the easier it is to understand the document. Authors are encouraged to aim for a score of approximately 60 to 70. With the target at 60-70, and only two of mine below 70, I would say most of my writing is just a bit high on the scale but not far off. Like the Gunning-Fog index, Flesch-Kincaid Grade is a rough measure of how many years of schooling it would take someone to understand the content. I have a low score of 4.81 for PR and the others are all within 0.05 of each other. A real tight range. This says I write for a 5th grade level.   So what does this say for the bottom line? I think it says to keep on what I am doing.   You, of course as my readers, have the final say.   Do I need to change anything in how I write?   I look to you to be bold and provide your suggestions and comments either directly on the blog, or via email. You can reach me at shersteve at gmail dot com.   We are in this together. As much as I write for myself, I write for it to be read.   I welcome your advice.         Powered By Qumana

Douglas MacArthur

Douglas MacArthur Originally uploaded by shersteve. Surrounding this statue of General Douglas MacArthur are engraved sections of text from his farewell address to West Point. I took pictures of each of the sections but instead of posting multiple pictures, I was able to find the full text of the Thayer Acceptence Address, May 12, 1962. What is engraved in each section surrouding the status follows: Duty, Honor, Country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying points: to build courage when courage seems to fail; to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith; to create hope when hope becomes forlorn. You are the leaven which binds together the entire fabric of our national system of defense. From your ranks come the great captains who hold the nation's destiny in their hands the moment the war tocsin sounds. The Long Gray Line has never failed us. Were you to do so, a million ghosts in olive drab, in brown khaki, in blue and gray, would rise from their white crosses thundering those magic words: Duty, Honor, Country. The shadows are lengthening for me. The twilight is here. My days of old have vanished, tone and tint. They have gone glimmering through the dreams of things that were. Their memory is one of wondrous beauty, watered by tears, and coaxed and caressed by the smiles of yesterday. I listen vainly, but with thirsty ears, for the witching melody of faint bugles blowing reveille, of far drums beating the long roll. In my dreams I hear again the crash of guns, the rattle of musketry, the strange, mournful mutter of the battlefield. Always there echoes and re-echoes: Duty, Honor, Country. I encourage you to take the time to read the full text. It is quite good. An American classic.

Mark Twain and Synergy

Did you know: Synergy - the bonus that is achieved when things work together harmoniously. - Mark Twain How about that? One of my favorite authors and he knew about synergy way back then! Thanks to Phil you can find out more about synergy here. Technorati Tags : synergy, Mark+Twain, Power+of+We

Book Alert - 10 Ways to Make it Great!

10 Ways to Make It Great has just been published by Phil Gerbyshak.   Check out the line up of endorsements for the book on Phil's website! Quite impressive.   I have ordered my copy of the book. Consider ordering one for yourself.       Technorati Tags : synergy, make+it+great, books   Powered By Qumana

Traffic on the Hudson

Traffic on the Hudson Originally uploaded by shersteve. This is a photo taken from Eisenhower Hall overlooking the Hudson at West Point on Sunday July 2nd. One of the reasons West Point exists is due to its prime location on the Hudson. The river bends here. The river narrows here. The Point is positioned well for defense with both some flat area and hill overlooks. One of the defense mechanisms in the early days was a chain strung across the Hudson to prevent boats from passing. Now, think back to those early days. It was quite an effort to string the chain across the river. They did not have the automated and powerful machinery available to us today. They used their heads and what brute force they could leverage to accomplish what they did. Go into survival mode for a day. Or at least consider, survival mode. How would you get through the day without the automation and efficiencies that we take for granted: running water flush toilets refrigerators freezers telephones television internet computers the list could go on, and on, and on... You get the point... now think about how you would manage? What could you least live without? Technorati Tags : West+Point, survival, defense, tertiary+education

Intense Game

Intense Game Originally uploaded by shersteve. One of my favorite summer time games. It requires patience. A cool hand with the mallet. Some skill reading the lay of the land. It also requires some luck. During the heat of the afternoon, it doesn't require as much effort as volleyball or badmitten. What is your favorite summer game?

Weikert Cabins - 4th of July

Weikert Cabins Originally uploaded by shersteve. The picture was taken on the 4th of July. The flag deliberately framed between the trees. The two cabins are owned by our friends. These were originally hunting cabins. Inside one is a map on the wall with markings as to where in the nearby woods bear were caught. The wooden cross piece was set into the trees to hang the deer kill. Kind of a gruesome history for such a fun family place these days. While there may not have been deer hanging from the bar recently, it has held the two trees together. The trees are linked. This particular angle does not show it very well but there are good size steel bands holding the cross piece to each tree. The folks that put the bar up meant for it to stay in place. It needed to be strong to hold the deer that they would hunt and return with. Is there a bar to help support you? Have you reached out and shared a dream or goal with a good friend recently? If you have, they can be that bar for you. They can help support you. Check out the blog Synergy this month of July. The topic underway there is "Unleash the Power of We to Achieve your Goals." You'll be glad you did if it helps you to find someone to be that strong bar for you! Technorati Tags : synergy, Power+of+We, team, learning, encouragement