Conference Blogging Fall Behind.

Had a programme of trying to invite friends and then blog about every conference or meetup gone to. But things have simply fallen behind.

Events about - embedded systems, data science, Internet of Things, chemistry, mathematics, virtualization, VR, robotics, toys, communications networks, energy, renewables, climate, big data and cloud computing, model railroads, marketting, fashion, food, beverage, investment, futurism, law, community action and support, blogging, team building, spirituality.

They have all been great. Find that the best things come from the most unexpected (off) topics. It is always a surprise how things and concepts are connected to each other.

Staying on Track Blogging.

Stay on Track Blogging 2015 by thoughtlight, LLC, Thursday, February 5, 2015 from 6 to 8 PM.

Great group, presentation and ideas. At 50 Milk Street at new(ish) CIC Boston. Visit to the space worthwhile. Takeaways:
- schedule regular blogging
- images always worthwhile (even a little relevance is fine).
- okay to curate or review.

So as a part of the scheduling "exercise": Editorial calendar : (and maybe this has some tongue in cheek spirit *grin*):

Thousand blogs by end of main career (next two decades). Smoothed average: four to five blogs a month.

Current feature: IoT. Ongoing emphasis: Energy and metrology. With a mix of hobbies, book reviews, sociology, robotics, manufacturing, design, toys, transportation, travel, science, engineering and so on.

Postscapes IoT Awards 2014.

Had mentioned search for best IoT Blog. Postscapes just announced 2014 awards for lots of different categories of IoT. And here are the Postscapes awards for 2013. PTC Thingworx seemed very happy with taking about a third of the awards.

O'Reilly Blog and Internet of Things.

Glaring omission in my recent tale of seeking best Internet of Things blogs. O'Reilly should be therein. Found this recent article on Internet of Things problems facinating. Great O'Reilly Blog. Really want to try to get to one of their Solid conferences. Always have been a fan of Make and their events and blogs.

Best Internet of Things IoT Blogs.

Went looking for a list (even if just opinion) of the best blogs for Internet of Things, IoT. Had criteria that it be reasonably outward looking, agnostic and current. Did not exactly find what sought. But some related things...

Best IoT Twitter accounts from Link Labs. Postscapes seems to come up often. Some general trend watchers have some good IoT materials like PSFK. There are some personal opinions, which sometimes lead back to trend watchers and consultants like McKinsey. Big companies, of course, come up on search for best IoT blogs - Microsoft, Intel, IBM, Cisco, Bosch, PTC, and so on. Some smaller entities come out too like Stephenson (local in Massachusetts), Adafruit (prototyping supplier).

Away from Blogging

Have been away from the blog for awhile.
Still intend to come back to entries on distributed approaches.
Have been many changes lately...
company - move, reorganization, website, and another move.
family - expansion, and potential move.
And there are sundry items like taxes, health, and bills.
It is hard to imagine how, given the trends in bureacracy, one will have mental capacity to handle it all when one reaches old age.

Elements for Small Business Success

Elements for Small Business Success:

1. Own space, assets.
2. Procure supplies and utilities on terms.
3. Hire good people.
4. Market.
5. Understand your industry.
6. See yourself as a professional service.

Own the longterm/permanent assets, and seek low cost rental/finance on short term assets/supplies, with a clear understanding of depreciation.

Own or have free the space/location for the business. Own the key tools of the business, even if they are computers, but be careful not to pay too much (buy trailing edge technology?). Rental on longterm assets is a leech. And for what? By definition 'longterm' assets have little or no maintanence costs.

Utilities, communication and supplies should be bought on terms. Be as self sufficient and efficient as you can and do not get locked into longterm contracts. Be Green and engender a spirit of eco-social-friendliness in employees.

Hire good pepole. If you cannot find good people, then WAIT. Reward your people financially and socially. Nothing is worse for morale and efficiency than human resource thrash. If you are running a sweat shop, or cattle farm, then one is not speaking to your business (you have other problems).

Establish a web (or media de jour) presence to get the word out - quickly.

Stick to knowledge-based, professional, relationship, special product/service business. Large scale commodity/services businesses are just that - large scale. One might grow to be that someday, but start with quality, attention and efficiency. Get to know others in your business and their stories of successes and failures. Attend industry meetings when you can. Get your people involved in the industry. Get to know the business zeitgeist.

Process improvements and innovation are for after you get established, but in the longterm can be the difference of whether you merely survive or thrive/grow.