Friday, March 28, 2008

Maybe this could have saved Abe


But, we'll never know.

Recently the Lincoln Museum in Fort Wayne announced they were closing. Anthony Juliano wrote about it on his blog.

This story is from the Guardian and includes an Indiana connection:
By Sue Zeidler
SAN FRANCISCO, March 27 (Reuters) - Paintings and sculptures long stored away are finding a new audience as museums strive for mass appeal with high-tech Web sites packed with video, podcasts and interactive elements.
Moreover, these institutions are finding that rather than diminishing the number of museum visits, the Web is actually boosting in-person attendance.
"All museums, especially art museums, realize the Internet is a way to drive visits," said Ford Bell, chief executive officer of the 6,500-member American Association of Museums.
"Some museums now let people go online and download tours ahead of time on their iPods," he said.
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art offers a podcast series (http://www.sfmoma.org/education/edu_podcasts.html) that includes audio and video interviews with artists, curators and visitors as they explain or react to works on display there.
Visitors can also save $2 on admission if they present their MP3 player loaded with the current podcast of Scottish video artist Douglas Gordon describing how he filmed an elephant in the middle of the night for his work "Play Dead: Real Time," which was recently featured at the museum.
The Chicago History Museum allows visitors to download three tours, including two of permanent exhibits and one of a special exhibition.
A recent national survey by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) found that Web site visitors were inclined to more than double their frequency of museum visits. "Internet users visit museums in person 2.6 times more often than non-Internet users," said Mamie Bittner, deputy director for the IMLS.
"Of the adults interviewed, 45 percent visited both in-person and remotely, while 5 percent visited only remotely and 50 percent visited only in-person," she said.
The number of in-person visits by adults reached 701 million in 2006, the first year the Institute tracked national museum attendance, while 524 million adult remote visits were logged.
In total, there were 1.2 billion visits to museums.
Following two years of market research and hours upon hours of manpower, the Indianapolis Museum of Art last fall launched a fully loaded Web site featuring links to Flickr, YouTube and Facebook. The site puts around 65,000 pieces of its collection online for public access.
"We'd done a good job historically of using the Web to tell people where we are and where to park. But now we're focusing on being a content resource," said Robert Stein, chief information officer of the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
"There's a whole new realm of social networking and interaction online and we'd like to engage people in this kind of sharing related to art," he said.
Stein also noted that the Web site allows people who otherwise may not be able to visit the museum to still see its treasures. "People who may never come to Indianapolis can experience some of the works of art we have here," he said.
Additionally, it is a great way for people to see art that is not readily viewable at the museum.
"There are about 65,000 objects in our collection but only a small percentage of those are displayed at any time. The Web is a great way for people to see what we have to experience," he said.
(Reporting by Sue Zeidler; editing by Gunna Dickson)

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Help staying organized


No, that is not my office.

However...

When I worked in Detroit, I worked with 10 to 30 clients at the most at any one time.

These days I need to manage 300 to 500 leads, prospects, clients and contacts.

In Detroit, I used a very simple "Week-at-a-Glance" appointment book and a couple of lists.

These days I have moved to internet and computer based planners and programs.

If you go to my home page at WWW.ScLoHo.Net, there are links to a bunch of stuff.

There's a link to online office helpers that I use,

And there's a link to more online office helpers that I are currently not using, but they may be what you are looking for.

And if you want more options, Kim Komando has a list for you to check out:

Free tools help you manage your life (Click here) We all wish we had more time to spend with family and friends. I can’t add more hours to the day. But I can help you make the most of the time that you do have. My recent column will tell you about great free software that will help you manage your time.

Living in a land of Absolutes


This week I have observed and slightly participated in a discussion at a local coffee shop, where the topic of choice came up and was argued to the absurd extreme.

There was a new guy that asked to be a part of the conversation and he held his ground without being overly aggressive. Meanwhile the college professor, the financial planner, the retired man and the business owner had various forms of agreement and disagreement and at times the volume has very loud.

The overall conflict came when words such as everyone, always, and similar absolutes. Discussions such as Blacks don't have the same life choices as whites where argued.

There are very few absolutes in this world, and eventually the few absolutes will be disproved. But when people stick to absolutes regarding race, poverty, wealth and the choices people have in various circumstances relating to the above; that's when negative stereotypes and prejudices flourish.

For nearly every arguement showing limited choices, we can find an exception. And be cause there are exceptions, that pokes a hole in the absolute.

Would you like a bottle of water that is absolutely pure? Yes.

If that bottle had 1% cyanide in it would you still call it absolutely pure? No.

Try drinking that....

Your comments are always welcome.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Expand your Knowledge (not your waistline)


Seth Godin writes good stuff on his blog daily. He also writes books like, The Dip and The Purple Cow which I have read and recommend. Here's a posting from his blog today:

Things you don't understand

Could you make a list? A list of things that you probably could understand if you put your mind to it, but don't.

Things like:

  • How the Federal Reserve works
  • Why things from China are so inexpensive
  • How Google Analytics works
  • Why kids like using FaceBook
  • How the guys in the factory make the widgets you sell
  • Six ways to make your web browser work better
  • How to make a great spaghetti sauce
  • Editing a wikipedia entry
  • Selling stuff on eBay

Has there ever been a better time to learn what you don't know? It's faster, easier and cheaper now than ever before (and, of course, there's way more stuff now that we don't understand). If I don't learn it now, when will I?

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Inspirational Wisdom from Prav's World

A couple years ago I came across Prav's World on Yahoo. I recently resubscribed to it and every few days they send an inspirationally saying and photo like this one that came today:

Monday, March 24, 2008

Say Hello to Another Local BlogSite


The Picture above is from www.abeautifulcity.org and is filled with some great art, commentary and is maintained by John McGauley and Kevin Whaley. Both are residents of Fort Wayne, are graduates from Ball State University, and enjoy amateur photography as a hobby.

Currently they have some pictures taken at the Ardmore Quarry. Check them out!

Thanks to Kevin for leaving a comment on a previous posting on this blog, that's how I discovered their home on the web and now they're on my list of local bloggers!

Mr Slowhand

My wife has Eric Clapton's latest book, I bought her the DVD that was featured this past winter, and now here's a clip of Eric on stage to chase away the chilly weather we are still experiencing in Indiana:

A Peek inside Scott Bushnell's book

Thanks to Fort Wayne Observed for posting back in September this video presentation of Historic Photos of Fort Wayne that I reviewed Sunday:

Find more videos like this on Book Marketing Network

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Catching up on my Blog reading


On the Right side of this page, I have a couple of Blog Rolls of local bloggers.

Some I like, Some are annoying, some are funny, some are sad. I appreciate the folks that take the time to write regularly. (There's a couple that are on my list that haven't updated in quite awhile and may get deleted, but I'm holding out hope).

I also noticed several sick bloggers, as in the flu.

And some are more political than I previously thought, so one day they'll get moved to the political blog roll.

Right now, I'm also looking for suggestions for blogs that I don't have listed. Just add a comment and I'll check it out this week.

Oh and if you want to see ALL MY BLOGS, just go to www.ScLoHo.net which I redesigned this weekend.

Your Money, Your Credit, Your Life


A couple weeks ago I was the guest host on one of the Saturday morning Talk Shows on WGL dealing with Real Estate. Not being a real estate agent or in the banking or mortgage business, I wanted to offer a different viewpoint. That viewpoint was basically, that no matter what the housing market is going through, each of us need to look at our own personal situation and plan accordingly.

I also took time today to write about money and lifestyle on one of my other blogs which you can read by clicking here.

And finally, I want to encourage you to check your credit regularly. There is a service called FreeCreditReport.com. Don't go there. There is a hook.

Instead go to www.AnnualCreditReport.com
. You can get reports from all three credit reporting agencies. If you are really organized, then space it out so you get a new report from a different agency every 4 months. And thanks to Kim Komando and my friend Jonathon Koester of BlueWater Mortgage for this tip and reminder.

A Collectors Item for your Coffee Table


UPDATE: TAKE A PEEK INSIDE THE BOOK BY CLICKING HERE.
Last week I received an email from Rachel Joyner of Turner Publishing, "I’m going around to all the Fort Wayne bloggers/freelancers to let them know about our new book, the Historic Photos of Fort Wayne by Scott Bushnell... The title is done in a large format, 10x10 and all images used are culled from several archives that represent rare or never before seen photos of Fort Wayne. We’re trying to get the word out to local folks, so I hope you don’t mind me dropping you a line to let you know about our book!

He has two upcoming signings: Coldwater Road Barnes & Noble on June 7th from 1-3pm and the next week, the day before Father's Day, at Hyde Brothers Booksellers on June 14th at 6pm."



I read the book cover to cover Saturday in a couple of sittings and it will be showcased in our home except for when the weather warms up. This summer, I'll be taking this book downtown with me and comparing our current downtown landscape with the photos in this book from years ago.

As someone who came here in the mid 1960's and then left a couple times, but came back to stay 10 years ago, I appreciate this collection of photos and the stories behind them. It's an excellent narrative for history buffs and a volume that contains pictures that were previously unavailable in one place.

Also, I don't believe that Rachel was aware of this but I know Scott Bushnell and his son Sean and their families from our association with the Fort Wayne Central Lions club where I have served as a Vice-President and on their Board of Directors.

Scott also had a book signing last year for his book, Hard News, Heartfelt Opinions: A History of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.