FiberGeneration

FYI

Dear Readers :

I do apologize not being more productive on this blog over the last couple of weeks. Reworking on Testing 2.0, selling menswear suits - I've got to write more on this, because it's a so cool way to a) keep up with the salesman tips & tricks, and b) do networking ;-), finishing some kick-ass consulting missions with painful people... And preparing my next move to the only thing that matters today: Green Tech.

post-scriptum : I'll be playing the Pierre Cardin' luxury menswear salesman again this week-end. Shall I have an iPhone, I would twitter the best stories. Selling a 300 euros suit to a Chinese businessman is way more difficult than closing a $1M deal with an Egyptian telco !

To My Friend Abubakr

An Arab in an airport:

- Name?

- Abdul al-Rhazib.

- Sex?

- Three to five times a week.

- No, no. I mean male or female?

- Male, female, sometimes camel.

- Holy cow!

- Yes, cow, sheep, animals in general.

- But isn't that hostile?

- Horse style, doggy style, any style!

- Oh dear!

- No, no! Deer run too fast.

Just This (17.07)

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Linked-In 100

I've reached the One-Hundred connections level on Linkedin today. Among those 100 persons, there are only a handful who I never met face to face or discussed or worked with. Quite impressive, when you think about seriously.   

Just This (16.07)

   

See this post's geographical context.

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Always be nice with your former employer

My dear friend Ralf Stolte is an happy man today. His company, Adaptif Photonics GmbH, will be acquired by Agilent Technologies. Press release here.
The funny thing : Ralf has spent most of his career at HP/Agilent Technologies, before leaving during the downturn back in 2001. He's now back home, going to work with the very same people at the  Agilent' Photonic and Network Test Division in Böblingen, Germany, than 6 years ago.
Never say never again.

Shrinking Time on Skype

Last week, I've spent 30 minutes discussing through Skype with a French guy living in Ottawa, Canada.
" Okay, so what ? ", that's probably what you think now. Well, the fact is that we just got re-connected after... 30 years or so. He and I went to the same high school, somewhere in Paris, back in the mid 70's. Since 1979, no more contact, until last week. The strange thing here is that since then, he and I can call on each other by just clicking on a simple button. Even better, he and I can almost see when we're at our computer or not.
I knew Skype helps avoiding distances, I didn't know until last week it also helps shrinking time ;-)

Virtual Round The World

Analyzing FiberGeneration' visitors stats is always a delight to me. On top of the normal *readership feedback gathering* stuff, I travel the World On The Seven Seas in the blink of an eye, for free.

Here are the Sitemeter stats as of this afternoon 1:30PM CET, for the last 20 visitors. I have to admit that I do prefer the table version rather than the graphic (i.e. the map) one : discovering new cities, new countries, by reading the names is just a wonderful feeling. How about you ?

Just This (15.07)

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Just This (14.07)

   

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Just This (13.07)

 

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Just This (12.07)

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Fly Me To The Moon

The European Space Agency launched a competition, seeking the ideal playlist for astronauts flying around the Earth in the International Space Station. The good news ? The Automated Transfer Vehicle ATV will sport an iPod dock, like a Volvo, a Volkswagen or a Mercedes. Shall the Nautilus offer iPod-connectivity and Obiwan wear a Suffle in his shuttle, Apple will soon expand its reach toward the Whole Universe ;-)

As I'm not under 18, I can't compete. However, here's my Top-Ten Tunes For  Astronauts (that's the beauty of the Internet : I never thought I would be thinking about such a playlist before reading MacDailyNews last night...):

#10 Earth Song (Michaël Jackson)
# 9 Rhapsody In Blue (George Gerswhin)
# 8 Night Fever (Bee Gees)
# 7 Crazy (Gnarls Barkley)
powered by ODEO
#6 Walking On The Moon (The Police)
# 5 Men In Black (Will Smith)
# 4 I Say A Little Prayer (Aretha Franklin)
#3 All Night Long (Lionel Richie)
# 2 Come Fly With Me (Frank Sinatra)
#1 Fly Me To The Moon (Frank Sinatra)
powered by ODEO


Here is the official ESA press release :

Send your playlist to space with ATV!
25 April 2007

If you think you can come up with the ideal playlist for astronauts flying around the Earth in the International Space Station , ESA wants to hear from you.
Which songs do you play if you want to feel happy? What about if you’re feeling lonely or sad?

Everyone has a list of favourite tunes which they listen to when they want to be lively and noisy, or quiet and peaceful. But what if you were suddenly transported 400 km above the Earth, to a collection of cylinders in the sky known as the International Space Station (ISS)? What music would you take with you for entertainment as you floated around the world 16 times a day?

ESA is launching a competition to find a set of 10 tunes that is out of this world. All you have to do is write down a song selection that you think would be most suitable for the astronauts on the ISS to listen to. Before you decide, try to put yourself in the shoes of the men and women who live on the Station and put together a playlist that would cheer them up, inspire them, etc….

The winner’s playlist will be downloaded onto an iPod and sent to the ISS in ESA’s Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), which will be making its maiden flight later this year. The 20 tonne craft, named ‘Jules Verne’, after the famous French science fiction writer, will be delivering about seven tonnes of cargo to the astronauts living in the International Space Station.

Ten European countries are participating in the ATV programme: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Competition rules
The competition is only open to young people under 18 years of age.
Entries are only accepted from nationals of the following countries which are participating in the ATV programme: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.
The deadline for entries is 10 May 2007.
The winners will be announced in June 2007.
Relatives of ESA staff members are not allowed to take part in this competition.
The decision of the judges is final.

Prizes
The Grand Prize for the overall winner will be a trip to see the ATV launch in Kourou, French Guiana (South America) as well as having their playlist sent to space on board the ATV.
One prize for the best entry from each country. Each national winner will win a day trip to the European Astronaut Centre in Germany.

How to enter
Entries can be submitted via the entry form here.

Just This (11.07)

Kimse yok mu ? *

   
This is one of my favorite buildings in San Francisco, on  Bay St at Columbus Ave.

post-scriptum : I love the neighborhood. It's close to everything which makes the life in San Francisco so cool. Nob Hill, Russian Hill, the Marina, Columbus Avenue, North Beach...

* update Apr 12, 2007 5:24PM CET : " Kimse yok mu ? " is a turkish expression used  when one enters a place where he suspects nobody is present. English equivalent : " Hello, anyone ? ". I found it on this page : " A Mini Survey on Whether Soap-Opera-English Has Found Its Way into Turkish ", by Suzan Öniz of the METU Middle East Technical University, Ankara.

See this post's geographical context.

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i, CTO

Since last Friday, I officially work for the Paris-based video & TV production company 2T Productions, as Chief Technical Officer (and shareholder).

Created by Armelle De Thé, an executive woman since 20+ years with the French Medias industry, 2T Productions is aimed at delivering television programs via Internet. Unlike many startups such as Joost or vPod who provide new ways of watching TV and videos on the internet, 2T Productions is providing content specially tailored for the internet.
First TV channel to go live by the end of May - more info within the next two weeks (by then, nobody will be able to launch a competitor, due to the short notice  ;-)

Since 2T is developping its own tools for creating and broadcasting TV shows and videos, e.g. the video player, the video editing app, etc., my role is both technical and marketing (i.e. how to create a new business out of 2T' s tools). Funny enough, when I consider my career until today : I started 20+ years ago deploying fibers, then I've been testing fibers for some time, now I'm going to be among the new kind of optical bandwidth consumers !

What we want to achieve at 2T Productions is simply change the way people watch TV : from passive couch potatoes folks, we want  our customers to become proactive creators, producers, or directors of their own TV channels. Think of 2T' s channels as a Discovery Channel or a E! Entertainment or a MTV providing all the necessary resources to enable its viewers to be also directors : that is  the idea. Of course, 2T Productions' s TVs will offer high-quality, full-screen picture, plus all the  features that make the Web 2.0 so funny (and attractive) : chat, instant messaging, blogs, etc. We've got some secret features too, that I ain't talk about yet (hint : iPhone). Stay tuned.

Stevens Green Bl

I took this photo ten years ago or so, somewhere on Stevens Creek Boulevard, in between Santa Clara and Cupertino.
I wonder how it will look like in ten years from now, with the Automotive industry being forced to run on green energies. 

See this post's geographical context.

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Live Earth Concerts Announced

Live Earth just revealed the US and UK concerts. Here is the press release, with details on ticketing and programs of the New York and London events *.
All information at http://www.liveearth.msn.com/gettix070707

* The Police and Genesis reborn, for Earth Rebirth...

USA LIVE EARTH REVEALED

Tickets for the 7/7/07 Concert to Combat Global Warming Go On Sale 4/16

NEW YORK — Organizers today announced eighteen of the headliners who will perform at the U.S. leg of the 7-continent, 24-hour Live Earth concerts on 7/7/07. The concert will be held at Giants Stadium in New Jersey, Live Earth Founder and Executive Producer Kevin Wall said.
Tickets for the show go on sale Monday, April 16 at 10 a.m. EDT.

“Capping Live Earth with a blockbuster show like this will ensure we meet our challenge of building a mass audience to combat global warming,” Wall said. “Live Earth will be a monumental event both in terms of entertainment and in turning the tide against global warming.”

The global concert on 7/7/07 will begin in Sydney and continue across all 7 continents, concluding with the U.S. show.

“We hope the energy created by Live Earth will jump start a massive public education effort,” Live Earth Co-Chair Vice President Al Gore said. “Live Earth will help us reach a tipping point that’s needed to move corporations and governments to take decisive action to solve the climate crisis.”

The U.S. show will feature live on stage:
AFI
AKON
ALICIA KEYS
BON JOVI
DAVE MATTHEWS BAND
FALL OUT BOY
JOHN MAYER
KANYE WEST
KELLY CLARKSON
KT TUNSTALL
LUDACRIS
MELISSA ETHERIDGE
RIHANNA
ROGER WATERS
SHERYL CROW
SMASHING PUMPKINS
THE POLICE

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. EDT on Monday, April 16 and will be available at livenation.com/liveearth or by calling Ticketmaster at (212) 307-7171. All ticket information is available at LiveEarth.MSN.com. All proceeds will benefit the Alliance for Climate Protection and other international NGOs.

Live Earth is a monumental music event that will bring together more than 2 billion people to combat the climate crisis. Live Earth’s 24 hours of music across 7 continents will deliver a call to action and the solutions needed to answer the call. Live Earth marks the beginning of a multi-year campaign led by The Alliance for Climate Protection to move individuals, corporations and governments to take action.

Earlier today, Wall announced that the following artists will perform at the London leg of Live Earth at Wembley Stadium:

BEASTIE BOYS
BLACK EYED PEAS
BLOC PARTY
CORINNE BAILEY RAE
DAMIEN RICE
DAVID GRAY
DURAN DURAN
FOO FIGHTERS
GENESIS
JAMES BLUNT
JOHN LEGEND
KEANE
MADONNA
PAOLO NUTINI
RAZORLIGHT
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
SNOW PATROL

Exclusive online media partner MSN is helping Live Earth reach people in every corner of the globe. The concerts will be streamed live on 7/7/07 at LiveEarth.MSN.com. MSN’s 39 localized web portals worldwide attract 465 million monthly users. The concerts will be broadcast on the NBC in the U.S. and on more than 120 networks around the world.

Wall also announced that smart car, Stonyfield Farm and Pepsi have joined Live Earth as corporate partners. In addition to working with Live Earth to create corporate efforts to combat global warming, this growing list of partners will help ensure a mass audience for Live Earth is reached. These efforts will be detailed at a later date.

Wall also announced today that Live Earth will stage concerts at Sydney’s Aussie Stadium; Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach; Johannesburg’s Cradle of Human Kind; Tokyo’s Tokyo Stadium and in Shanghai, TBD.

Live Earth is produced by Control Room, of which Kevin Wall is the CEO. Control Room has produced and distributed more than 60 concerts since its founding in 2005 featuring Beyonce, Madonna, Green Day and the Rolling Stones, among others.

Just This (10.07)

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I don't want a computer anymore

I wish I could watch " The Late Show " every single night. Because Dave Letterman is just the best.

view this video directly on YouTube : here.

April What ?

I think CNET got me on this one...

Just This (09.07)

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Frenchies, it's time to think different

Signez le Pacte écologique! (french readers/voters only)

Chicken Shawarma

Once upon a time in the (South)West of Dubai, I discovered the chicken shawarma. It was during a beautiful night, back in the late 90's, at the Sheraton Jumeirah Beach hotel. Thanks to my friend Abubakr, this place quickly became my " house " when I was travelling in the region for business - at this time, Agilent Technologies' employees were still allowed to stay at five stars hotels ;-)
I've been a frequent guest for 8 years. I'm not sure I will stay there again. Here is why...


Sheraton Jumeirah, 1998.



Sheraton Jumeirah, 2006.

Chicken Shawarma recipe here.

*** update 03.29.07 : added GeoTags, thanks to BlockRocker.com ***

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Top-Ten : follow-up

Today I received a short message from Ms. Laurence Loewy, daugther of Raymond Loewy, regarding my recent post : Top-Ten Quotes by Raymond Loewy. I can't express how I feel : honored, impressed, surprised, all together. Thanks God (or The Force, you name it) for allowing us to live such of moments.

Just This (8.07)

The (short) Story of a (dead) project

During almost four months last year, I've been working quite hard with a friend of mine to setup a new venture, so-called Wahoom (okay, I know what you're saying : just another Web 2.0 crap thing). Wahoom was intended to be a Design & Decoration firm, aimed at selling high-priced luxury items to * rich people *. From porcelain hand-made furniture to fiber-optics-illuminated swimming pools, we were going to make big money with the big guys of Dubai, L.A., Moscow, and Miami.
Actually, Wahoom was my friend's idea. He wanted me to work with him as a partner, because of my ability to develop new business from scratch. Brainstorming the business plan was an interesting exercise, writing down the product plan was fun, and putting together the sales strategy was exciting (hey, I never thought I was going to sell something to a sex-shop in Castro ;-)
Also, I discovered a couple of new areas : 3D-modeling, resin-made over-sized objects, sculpture...
Nevertheless, I pulled off. Because, according to my experience and more, to my convictions, this project was a dead-end. Making money just for the pleasure to make money doesn't make sense to me. We were willing to sell upper-priced stuff to super-upper-class people : what's the point here ?... We couldn't succeed on the long run.

To understand why I terminated the Wahoom project, there is no better explanation than reading the slide, from the famous presentation on the real secrets of success by Richard St. John at TED'05.
I got all the points on John' s success factors'  scorecard but two of them :
Wahoom was no passion to me, and it didn't serve anyone for good.


To watch  this remarkable 3-minute slideshow, which is a star on YouTube and blogs, please click here or... stay there and click on the video right now ! Enjoy the ride.

Just This (7.07)

Thanks God, it's Monday !

Sometimes, there is no better way to kick-off the week than to receive a kick in the... you name it. Thanks to Guy Kawasaki, who posted the link on his blog yesterday Sunday, this sermon called “Jesus & Your Job” by Nancy Ortberg of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church made my day - and perhaps the rest of my week and the days to follow.
Beyond the core message of this sermon, which is about good leaders and the  value of people’s work, I see something else : a kind of reminder. It is time for all of us to think different. I wish the combat against Global Warming will force us Humans to unite. For once. For the sake of our children's children.

Think Areté

Do you think you can change The World ?

Thanks to Jonathan for the heads up ;-)

AMNH Science Bulletins

I just discovered the American Museum of Natural History website. The Science Bulletins section features amazing animations and videos on the Universe, Space, and Earth. It's worth bookmarking, sharing, and, of course, watching here.
In the Earth section, the following three presentations are mandatory :  Dead Zones on the Rise, Melting Glaciers: Clues to Climate Change, Arctic Sea Ice 1997-2006
Maybe those of you who are still skeptics about global warming will change their mind. Hopefully ;-)

Gore's Global Warming Doc Wins Oscar

 

Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio tell Hollywood how the Academy goes green. (photo : Reuters).

"An Inconvenient Truth", the documentary from used-to-be-the-next-president-of-the-United States of America Al Gore and  director Davis Guggenheim on global warming has won an Oscar last night in Los Angeles, CA.
In my humble opinion, the Academy' award is another strong sign that the combat against global warming is going mainstream in the US. An excellent news, that is a tremendous step forward to a complete overhaul of our way of life.
As I wrote some weeks ago : for the first time in the History of Humanity, we of the Western World (aka " Occident ") can reshape  Mother Earth for the sake of our children' children. And still make money out of it. Going Green (Tech) means make Green (Money - US dollars, get it ?)

post-scriptum : the original article by Associated Press claims"An Inconvenient Truth" to be a power-point presentation. Well, the author doesn't probably subscribe to "PresentationZen", otherwise she would have known that it was designed and created using Apple' Keynote presentation app !
Nevertheless, I understand the confusion : "An Inconvenient Truth" was not filmed at a conference' keynote speech ;-)

Just This (6.07)

I am a Business Designer !

A quick post from Brian Sooy of  "  Design Matters " here : ' 5 thoughts for designers '

Every day seems to bring new challenges, but some challenges remain constant:

1. You are being hired to solve problems, now solve them!
2. Don't use the level of "busyness" as a gauge for profitability.
3. It's your role to challenge assumptions.
4. You are never too busy for your best clients.
5. Resist the tyranny of the urgent and focus on your priorities.

Five quick things, but well worth remembering.

Now I understand who I am ;-)

Tesekkur Ederim

   

photo credit : HillenWeb

SOS-Live Earth: Al Gore interview

Al Gore talks about what the Live Earth campaign is all about and why it is important, and how the global concerts on 07.07.07 will play a role in that campaign. Watch the video here (WindowsMedia Player required).

S.O.S. Save Our Selves

Former Ex-Future US President Al Gore has launched a new initiative to help saving the planet, together with a group of environmental activists : LiveEarth is a worldwide event consisting of  live concerts in cities on seven continents, broadcasted on television, radio, online and  cell phones, to mobilize global action to face the climate crisis.
The international SOS Morse code : 3 dots, followed by 3 dashes, followed by 3 dots is used here as the acronym for "Save Our Selves". Says Al Gore, "The climate crisis will only be stopped by an unprecedented and sustained global movement".

More about LiveEarth on Bruno Giussiani' s blog Lunch Over IP
LiveEarth website : http://liveearth.org
LiveEarth Green Event Standard - a must read for all conferences' speakers and attendees - here
List of resources to take action - to bookmark, read, and/or apply right now - here

post-scriptum : this is the very first time in my whole life that I might  thank Mr. Bill Gates. The LiveEarth initiative is sponsored by MSN ;-)

Are You Windows or Mac ?

In case you're looking for a new computer... ETR *
(thanks French blogger Jeremy Fain for the heads up ;-)

* enjoy the ride

Just This (5.07)

Just This (4.07)

Dreams Made Real (tm ?)

    Over my twenty-something years long career, it happened that I have got the chance to work for two of those companies. Guess which one I would like to join now ? ;-)       
 

Al Gore: Silicon Valley can save Earth

When I discuss with friends, neighbors or colleagues, about Global Warming and the necessary changes in our way of living, I often hear the same reactions : it will cost us more money, it will force us to shut down hundreds of industries, it will create legions of jobless people, etc. I keep answering : "no". For me, the question is pretty simple : either we continue as in the past and we go right into the wall, either we all stand up together for a dramatic paradigm shift and we save the Planet, thanks to... Technology. New technologies coming out of R&D labs, old technologies used a different way, etc. : those will lead us to innovate and... create new tasks, new functions, new jobs.
Al Gore, speaking at the Silicon Valley Joint Venture event in San Jose, Calif., said there's still time to combat the expected effects of climate change.  He said the investment and innovation that built the high-tech and biotech industries is now needed for green tech. Watch the video posted on C|NET here.

It's about Evangelism

Nope, I am not referring to Guy Kawasaki this time ! Back in early 2006, former Vice-President and ex-future President Al Gore was the special guest at Dave Letterman 's Late Show. That was for the release of An Inconvenient Truth in America. Almost a year later, one can see how Gore keeps standing firm on the key message : it's up to us to save our children' s Planet Earth. That is Evangelism per se.

It's about Climate changes

The Toronto-based online newspaper globeandmail.com has issued a Special report: The new climate. It is an interesting complement of Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth, for you can save the html files for education purposes.

See the thrilling video here, about the World's most polluted city - Linfen, China. See some dramatic effects of Global Warming in the diaporama here. See also the beautiful illustrations describing how the planet is warming up, why Greenland will turn green land again soon, and how we can all make our house green.

Just This (3.07)

Eating Strawberries in January

Bruno Gussiani of Lunch Over IP posted a very interesting article on how the seasonality of the fruits & vegetables has been neutralized by air transport.

Reading this post, my early days with HP/Agilent came back to my mind. I was traveling all around Europe, Middle East, and Africa, I was three or four times a year in the US. No matter the place/country I was visiting, no matter the season, I could have the very same breakfast all over the Planet : tomatoes, berries, grapes, melons, whatever fruit and vegetable was available. I didn't realized that strange fact - how come you can eat strawberries in London in January - until a certain day in October 2000 (I was then almost 2 years with the company). I was coming back home for the week-end, and I saw the trees around : losing their leaves. It was autumn, and I never figured it out before. I didn't saw the whole year at all, except 3 weeks during summertime because of the Tour de France. I was working like crazy, I was traveling like hell (hey, 150+ boarding passes collected in Year 2K, that's flying at least twice a week ;-), and... I was eating the same things at breakfast all over the year. Something was wrong, right ?

My take is that going Carbon Neutral will force us to change our habits dramatically. Work at an office close to your home, travel less and compensate each flight, and eat only season' s fruits & vegetables. Looks like we're back to 1950 !!!

ps : another very interesting post on the same subject here, where Bruno describes how the concepts of "carbon footprint" and "carbon neutrality" and "carbon offsetting" have become mainstream in Britain.

Top-Ten Blogs

To continue with the Top-Ten series, which consists of ten lists of my top-ten stuff in different areas, here is my Top-Ten Favorite Blogs List.
Shall you be an entrepreneur willing to change the World, a marketeer in charge of the biggest new product introduction in High-Tech History, or a business developer focusing on your customers' s satisfaction, those weblogs may well be part of your RSS feeds on your Netvibes' homepage (please note that the list is in reverse order : #10 at last position, #1 at the top) :

I am Googled ;-)

I will never stop being amazed by the magic of the Internet. Do a Google search on "Fiber Optic Splice Technician training in u.a.e" *, and read the results : FiberGeneration is listed, and better, is listed on page 1 !

* don't ask me why - that is what the TypePad stats tell me today ;-)

Just This (2.07)

About Global Warming...

I am 46 since a couple of days. Thanks God, I'm not a victim of the Alzheimer's disease so far. That is why, when seeing temperatures here in France dropping from +15°C last Friday down to -15°C today, I do believe in the Global Warming phenomenon : I never saw such of abrupt climate changes in this part of Earth since my memory is 'on'. That is why Al Gore' s message is worth listening, again and again...