A new home!

After talking about it for a few months, I've finally built my new house. I'm changing to a new blog, a new life.

I started Em duas línguas on August 13, 2004 with the post "Getting started". Phronesis begins on September 4, 2006 with the post "Refresh". The underlying principlies are the same. The practice has moved on.

Always interested in process, this is how I got there:

Year: 2006

1. January, 17. Thinking about my identity and who I am in relation to my blog in "Feeling who I am".

2. March, 23. Pissed off at blogger not having categories in "Clicking on home".

3. July 2. Worrying about being forced to categorise by the technology in "Intellecutal hygiene v. messy methods".

4. July 6. Realise that I am outgrowing this blog in "I've got it. I've got the answer".

5. July 19. Consider using Drupal in "Thinking of Drupal".

6. August 19. Contemplate using Blogger in beta while "Getting ready for the next phase".

7. August 22. Think about "Este modus em rebus" as the name for the new blog in "Name of new blog - looking for inspiration".

8. August 26. Reach the name Phronesis in "Strong opinions weakly held". Nancy likes it too!

Resumindo e concluindo, my new blog is called Phronesis and is in Typepad. I feel kind of anxious about moving, although I think it's the right thing to do. I had fun making a a poll (sondagem) so you can tell me if you think the new blog is better or not - see the right hand column.

So here's the link to my new blog Phronesis. And here's a link to the blog's feed.

Here's to a new phase!

I'm not busy.

Two weeks ago I started my anti-procrastination strategy and bought a diary to record where I was spending my time.

Now I've done the accounts and these were my suprises:

Excercise (cross-country cycling + walking dog) = 10 hours/week;
MSN with family/friends = 8 hours/week;
Dinner out with friends = twice/week.

No matter that the rest of the time was spend working on projects and I am on holiday - it was more time off than I thought.

Shawn over at Anecdote refers to "the busy-ness meme", which I recognise that I subscribe to:

"Hi. How's it going?"
"Soooo busy."

He wonders what would happen if we said: “I have a bit of free time at the moment. It’s just the way I like it.”

And I wonder how much I make myself a prisoner of time by constantly talking about the lack of it. I certainly make myself bored by talking about it!

So I've made my decision. I am not going to refer any more to my busy-ness; I'm going to develop alternative language that refer to pleasure and time off. Here are some of the alternatives for my new repertoire:

> Hi. How's it going:

1. Fine thanks. And you?
2. Wonderful thanks. I had a great cycle ride this morning.
3. It's going very well. I've had some time for reflection this week.
4. I'm fine thank you. The Serra is looking beautiful at the moment. All the flowers are out.
5. Very well. I've been enjoying the varanda lately.
6. I'm well, and you? Very busy? Pity ... I've been enjoying some wonderfully relaxing moments.

After all, I have all the tools, a fast computer with high-speed connection to the Internet, and applications that help me do things quicker than ever before. Therefore I must have more time!!

Tags: anti-procrastination

Howard Rheingold - collaboration and technology

A great interview with Howard Rheingold by Robin Good, where he finishes with these words:

We have to spend part of our days retooling and if you don't do that you're not able to take advantage of the opportunities that are available out there.

It's not just going to come in a package on your desk. It's something you need to do with your mind.

Harold Rheingold, for who doesn't know, is worth listening to as he is one of the orginal and currently leading thinkers on the cultural, social and political implciation of modern communications media.

One of the things he says in the interview is:

It's the social part of the technology that I think is the tricky part. You can buy a manual and figure out how to make the machine work but the human communication the human working together part that involves a lot of other things that aren't in the manual.

Oh yes! "Technology" is such a concrete thing for people to get their minds round. You know how to use it or you don't. It is a unit that has a price. It has a shape and takes up space.

It's much easier to grasp "the technology" or the "how to ... " of the technology than it is to make sense of people just talking.