Steve Jobs

Yesterday Steve Jobs announced that he would be stepping down as CEO of Apple Inc. As predicted a lot of people are wondering if Apple can retain it's magic when he is not at the helm. If you look at the company results over the past three years and how often he has been away, I think they will do just fine.

Here's the thing. Apple knows how to make consumer electronics that people want to buy. There are several reasons people want to buy them. I'm sure some of it fashion. I'm sure some of it is rabid loyalty to a brand. The detractors to Apple always say you can't fix it yourself, you can't upgrade it, it is way overpriced, or Apple wasn't the first to do it. At the end of the day Apple products are so popular because they work and they are easy to interact with.

It doesn't matter what you get from Apple it works. It works on it's own or in concert with other devices. You don't have to sit and fiddle with it, look for a new driver or reload the software. You plug it in, let it do it's thing and it starts working. Apple did a smart thing, they made their devices work just as well on a Windows machine. So you didn't have tom plunge pinhead first, you could dip your toe in with an iPod, go a little further with an iPad or an iPhone and then plunge in with a Mac of some type.

Apple has spent a lot of time trying to figure out how we interact with machines and have applied it to their products. The simplest example is the spaced, concave keys on a MacBook Pro. With this simple design feature, typing speeds are significantly increased. As you touch type you can feel if your fingers are moving off-centre and correct automatically, just like on a full size keyboard. Apple has also discovered how to make a touchpad useful. I have used touch pads on many laptop computers and been frustrated with them all but The touchpad on the MacBook Pro was so good and so intuitive I was convinced in less than an hour this was a good thing.

There is a subset of the population that want to be constantly tinkering with their computer. A Mac may not be the product for them. It just works. There really isn't much you can do to it to make it it run everything 2% faster. Microsoft has that corner of the market sewn up. However, most people use their computer as a tool to do something else. They use it to organize, write, calculate, or create. If you owned a hammer that had to be constantly tweaked or the head came loose on a regular basis you would probably get a new hammer that did the job. If your car took as much maintenance as a Windows PC, you would call it a lemon and get a new one. The same should be for your computer. It's a tool to get a job done, not a item to be used for the sake of using it. There are very few people who just want to sit at their computer because it's a computer.

Considering the size of Apple and the number of smart people required to be that successful I'm sure there is what it takes to move forward with success.

In 1976, two guys named Steve started a computer company in their garage. I doubt they ever imagined I would be typing about them on one of their touchscreen devices while sitting on an airplane, but if they did, they deserve to be seen as geniuses because that is a huge leap.

Jack

I have to admit that I didn't share his political views. I feel it's important to say that. There is a lot of things I did admire about him.

Jack Layton passed away early this morning. When I heard the news I was saddened. I'm not going to say he would have made a great Prime Minister. He may have but we will never know. He was taken from us too early.

It doesn't matter what you believe about how a nation should be run, it was clear that Jack Layton was trying to do what he believed would make Canada better. It was clear that he worked to make others lives better. He clearly wanted to help.

Jack was a very educated man. He had the knowledge to back up his ideas. That's not what made him good at what he does. He knew how to communicate. He knew how to take the idea and make the voters understand his point. He connected well with young voters. He spoke their language. He motivated them to vote.

Jack Layton invigorated the New Democratic Party. In some ways he turned it into the Jack Layton Party. People liked him and would vote for his party, regardless of what the party was trying to do. His big smile and clear, simple explanations mixed with direct questions made him very popular.

Back in June I saw Jack Layton walking through Terminal 1 at the Toronto Airport. It was just him, going about his business without an entourage. He was the man he portrayed himself to be.

I think our national political scene has lost a key ingredient. Not because I agree with what he wants to do but because he would ask straightforward questions looking for straightforward answers. I think that's what I admired the most about Jack Layton.

Thank-you for your service to our great nation.

Friends of Lansdowne

I would really like it if the Friends of Lansdowne would just give up.  Today CBC is reporting that the community group known as Friends of Lansdowne appealing the recent court decision that says the City of Ottawa can go ahead and redevelop Lansdowne Park.


Before I go any further I want to make it perfectly clear. I want this redevelopment to happen so a CFL team can start playing in Ottawa. I am a huge football fan and I want to watch some live football.


I am not against this group from having their opinion but once you have been ruled against four times, I think it may be better to call it a day. It may not be how you want Lansdowne Park redeveloped but Ottawa is a rather diverse and amazing city. It already has a lot to offer. There is green space everywhere. If you want to live in a dense walkable urban centre, you can. If you want to live in the suburbs where your kids can safely ride their bikes down the street, you can. It has something for everyone, except a good outdoor sports venue. If the stadium was brought up to speed then it could be used for many sports activities, not just football, and concerts.


As it looks now, the Friends of Lansdowne are grasping at any last hope to block this development. Sometimes you don't get what you want. Sometimes someone else's option is taken. The idea of developing an area that is turning into an eyesore is great. I know that The Glebe is working hard to keep its character and I don't believe this redevelopment will damage it. It may update it but The Glebe is what it is and it would take a massive explosion or fire to change it.


I know its not what you want to hear but Friends of Lansdowne, please go away.

Provincial Driving

On Saturday I drove in four different provinces. In that I noted there are some distinct differences depending on what license plate is on the back of your car. There were two very distinct behaviors I saw from neighboring provinces.

In New Brunswick drivers will not pass you on the right. If you are in the left lane they will come racing up to you in the right lane, match your speed, and wait for you to move to the right before going around you.

I have never seen this behavior before.

I haven't researched if this is the law in that province but I know in Ontario you can pass on the right of a multi-lane road and people do all the time. It may not be perfectly correct but to reduce the number of lane changes I often drive in the left lane. This is especially true if I'm driving a long distance. However, as I drove through the entire province, this happened numerous times.

Once I crossed into Quebec people would pass you on all sides, drive wherever they wanted, disregard the lines on the road, and never use their signals. All that being said, everyone knows Quebec drivers are a bit different than most of the rest of the country.

The big point is you need to know how people drive around you to drive safely. If you know what to expect you can watch for it and react early and safely.

There is definitely variations in how Canadians drive but maybe part of that diversity is a good thing.

Home Cooking

When you are travelling for work for an extended period of time its surprising what becomes important to you. People often want to go home to see friends and family but I find I miss the little things a lot. I have not been home for nearly seven weeks and there are some things I am noticing I haven't been around and would like to be.


I miss my couch. It seems a bit funny and maybe a bit obvious but stretching out on the couch to watch a football game or a movie is near heaven to me. I eat most of my meals on my couch which brings us to the next point.


I miss home cooked food. I enjoy restaurant food. If I'm eating in a cafeteria for an extended period of time I'm ok with it. I'll eat nearly anything when I'm hungry but I like a meal prepared the way I like it, in the amount I want, when I want. I have to do all the cooking and the clean up at home and there I times I can't be bothered but when you haven't had a home cooked meal in 7 weeks you start to really miss it.


I miss having my own washroom. Having to put shoes and pants on at 3 am to take a leak just plain sucks. Having to share toilets, sinks, and showers with others is not ideal. Having to carry your supplies down the hall the get cleaned up is just annoying.


I miss having comfortable, private space. I can close the door to my room but its small and if I have to go pee I am in a semi-public place. As social as I can be, there are times when I want to be alone.


I miss air that circulates.  There is no forced air ventilation system in my room so all day, while I'm working, the air in the room remains stagnant and can get musty.


I'm a very lucky person to be able to go a lot of different places and do a lot of different things but from time to time I miss my home. I head back to Ottawa on Saturday, it may be Sunday before I arrive and  am excited for all the things I just have not had in my life for the last seven weeks.

Go With What You Know

I haven't walked to work in six weeks. I have been away from my usual work location and its about 25km from where I stay to where I work. I am feeling the effects of not walking an hour every day. It is compounded by not being able to get to the gym as often as I would like. I will admit, sometimes its my own fault I don't get a work-out in and sometimes it just won't fit into the schedule.


It had been a few days since I had been to the gym. I had also not been eating the healthiest meals. I admit it but I sure felt like a bloated slug. I just finished at the gym. I worked out hard and I feel much better. It was a bit of a struggle to get going but by the end, I felt as good as I have in a week.


Often in playoff sports they say you have to go with what got you there. It's usually a good idea. It is also a good idea in life. When you are not feeling yourself, you need to see what is missing and get at it. It may take an effort to get there but you will be happy when you do.


As I get older I find I want exercise to be a bigger part of my life. The more time I take for my fitness the more I enjoy my day to day life. I'm not saying there aren't days where I have to slug through a workout but I never regret it at the end. The endorphin rush is worth the effort. It isn't even a comparison.


I haven't been the happiest person this summer but the hours following a workout always seem to be really good. I have to go with what I know.

Results

Life tends to be results based. There is no denying this, nor should there be. If you don't have results then there is no basis for reward. I've believed this for a long time. I also believe that since we are results based how you get the results is less important. Of course, there are moral and legal guidelines you must follow but beyond that, it's open season.


Recently I have forgotten this. I have been trying to do things other people's way. I need to get back to my way.


A lot of people who know me tend to say I'm quite optimistic. I hope this this true. I also like to help people. So to get the required result I find that if I take a positive and helpful approach I get what is wanted.


It's important for people to use the approach they want. No approach is perfect and all will garner results. The quality and quantity of the results will vary.


I try to maintain my belief that most people are inherently good. I like to believe that they want to do a good job and most people who do not do a good job do so because they don't understand what is expected or they don't know how to deliver the expected result. If you work with the person who is experiencing difficulty and find out where they are falling down, from there you can figure out how to get them on track.


For me to make things better I need to do a lot of listening. I need to hear what people believe to be the difficulties. I may ask some questions to further understand the situation or the person's perception of the situation. I try to make it look like the person fixes the problem themselves. Many will know that I helped them but some will not. It doesn't matter because I have got the results I am responsible for.


I'm not perfect. I don't always follow my own advice but when I do I seem to be really effective and I truly believe that nothing is beyond my abilities. When I'm in that zone, my world is a better place.