I love coffee. There’s nothing like starting the day with a cup of fresh hot coffee cut with a little milk. Ok, make it several cups and don’t limit it to the morning. And sure, the caffeine is more than an added bonus. But I enjoy the flavors from a cup of coffee derived from freshly ground beans in concert with filtered water.

This wasn’t always the case. I didn’t start drinking coffee until I was out of college and at my first job. Coca-Cola was my chosen caffeine delivery vehicle before that time. It was the free coffee at my first job as a COBOL programmer computer consultant in the Berkshires that converted me. At first I didn’t own a coffee maker, so my first coffee at home was instant coffee from a red can with Folgers on the side. Yes, instant. That didn’t last long, as I learn to appreciate – and brew – my own coffee and I never looked back.

I thought about this as I prepared to taste my sample of Starbucks Via, the coffeehouse chain’s newly released instant coffee, which has been launched in 3 cities including Chicago. Like many people, I asked why? But as I tried it, it started to come clear to me.

The sample I had was of their Via Columbia blend. There is also an Italian Roast, and other blends are supposed to be forthcoming. It comes in a short, slender sealed poly tube, and one tube is good for exactly an 8-ounch cup of coffee. I emphasize exactly 8-ounces as I was told this specifically by the barista who gave me the sample.

So I heated a cup of exactly 8-ounces of water in one of few remaining Dunkirk Systems, LLC coffee mugs, added the coffee and stirred. It had a slight (for lack of a better word) "film" on top which reminded me of the Folgers I drank long ago. I then added some skim milk and took a sip. It had a good robust taste, which was not too far from what I would expect from a brewed cup of coffee with freshly ground beans. As I finished the cup, it kept its taste and was a fulfilling taste of coffee.

So would I buy this? Yes, but not all the time. As I have stated here on The Hot Iron before, I tend to buy coffee in large quantities. The packaging is too wasteful for typical day-to-day coffee consumption. I will buy it for when I travel, as many of the friends I visit are not coffee drinkers, plus hotels never have enough coffee in-room. Well, not enough for my liking.

I will bring Starbucks Via on my next journey and will experiment with their other blends. Apparently this has been in the works for over 20 years, which interestingly is around the time I discovered coffee. I doubt this is a coincidence!

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Over the weekend it came to me – there is a need for collaboration and networking space in Chicago. Two things came into my field of vision to that were unexpected and probably coincidental, but led me to this conclusion. Let me explain, and tell me if you agree.

The Need for a New likemind Location

As my family was walking home from brunch at Lou Mitchell’s, we walked by The Spa Cafe on Monroe Street, where just a few days earlier on Friday was the monthly likemind meetup. There were people coming in and out of there though it is closed on Sunday. Then I noticed The Spa Cafe is no longer; the signage now read Lunch Rolls. The restaurant and cafe changed its concept over the weekend, as well as its hours, and opens at 10 am, which is about the time likemind ends. Of course I wish this locally-owned business all the success in the city.

Now we need a new place to meet once a month for likemind. The ideal location would be in the Loop or close-by, and a space where about a dozen or so people can meet and talk… and of course have a cup of coffee. The Spa Cafe was ideal as it was in the Loop and a locally-owned business, but we can be flexible. Any suggestions are encouraged and very welcome.

The Need for Space Beyond a Monthly Coffee

As I was catching up on reading blogs this weekend, I saw this one from Micki Krimmel about seeking a space to work and collaborate with others, calling it Operation Nerd Immersion. Then it hit me, we need this here in Chicago as well as they do in LA. Where networking events are awesome, it is the time in between them where the real activity – dare I say magic – happens.

There’s no shortage of available space in Chicago, as seen by signs all around the city. But in the traditional model, you make a long-term commitment to X amount of space for yourself or your company. Sure there are virtual offices where you can rent much smaller spaces, but again, it is with some consistency. What about a scenario where it is almost ad hoc, where you go to your collaboration space a few times a week, or whenever it is best appropriate, to either work alone and feed off others or to collaborate with colleagues?

Think about this for a bit. For myself, I could use such a space once or twice a week at most. For others who are traveling through Chicago, it could be their office away from their office. Some may even decide to be there every day. And I am not talking for free. People can pay by the day or month. As for the space itself, it could be anything from an empty office to a large conference room in an existing office. What company couldn’t use a few grand a month for unused space?

So I put this out there to the tech and creative community of Chicago. Perhaps the folks at the Chicago Tech Report or WindyBits could pass this along to others? Maybe folks like Jeff Pulver and Justin Chen who are in Chicago on occasion have a thought as to if this would work? Or maybe people who are more connected than me like Liz Strauss, Jason Jacobsohn, Daniel Honigman or even Ron May could chime in? Am I onto something here, or is this just a half-baked thought?

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It was 6 months ago today that I, along with about 35 others, arrived in Helsinki, Finland for the very first Nokia OpenLab. This 3-day event was a gathering of people from around the world - from musicians to nuclear scientists to photographers to, well, me – who had a passion and interest in how mobile technology can have a positive impact on the future.

If you are a regular reader of The Hot Iron, you will know I have written about OpenLab many times before. It truly was a unique event and I am proud to have attended it. The following video is the official video produced by Nokia of the event, which us attendees first viewed at OpenLab’s conclusion. If you can’t see it in this post you can view the Nokia OpenLab video here.

So what’s happened since? For myself, the biggest change is I have shed my frustration with the Palm brand and am now a loyal Nokia owner, touting the E70 while I determine which model I am going to buy next. The biggest impact for me has been conversations with other attendees. Some are just in passing, following their blogs and tweets. Others I have engaged in more direct conversations, some who I spent a lot of time with when I was there and others who I didn’t, but have made up for it since I left. Even though there were only about 50 people (including Nokia people) it was hard to spend time with everyone. I also had the good fortune to see Steve Lawson and his lovely wife Lobelia when they performed in a house concert in Chicago last December.

In the hectic pace of how our days go, it’s nice to reflect on great experiences. Now back to strategizing and building that future.

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Business • Mobile Technology • Technology • (14) Comments • Permalink

The next likemind will be Friday, March 20, 2009 in dozens of cities around the world.

In Chicago, it will be at Spa Cafe, 112 W. Monroe, between Clark and LaSalle Streets in the Loop at 8:00 am. Check out the Spa Cafe Web site for more information, and you can find your way with a Google Map to Spa Cafe here.

I call likemind a gathering of creative-minded people, from various disciplines including Internet, advertising, art, social media, et. al. For more information on likemind, you can read this great article on likemind from the New York Times.

No RSVP is required. You are also welcome to join the likemind Chicago Facebook group.

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By its definition, a URL – or uniform resource locator – directs you to the exact location of content on a Web site. Depending on the domain name, structure and naming standards of a Web site, a Web page URL can be short or extremely long. Maybe even too long to be useful?

The photo below is of an ad I saw recently on a Chicago subway car, featuring a URL for the Women’s Sports Foundation’s GoGirlGo! Chicago program.

Where I normally would feel bad for calling out something for a non-profit organization, it appears to be well-funded and founded by tennis legend Billie Jean King, so I feel it is my duty to talk about it.

Now close your eyes and see if you remember the Web site. Well? Did you get it verbatim? Now imagine bouncing around on an Orange Line car on the way to Midway airport, and see if you can remember it any easier!

This is a perfect example of acquiring an additional domain name and use it on the advertising, where it would point directly to the desired page. Now close your eyes and see if you can think of some short, catchy and easy-to-remember domain names? Probably a little easier than remembering the printed URL, whether you’re on the Orange Line or not.

Where your main Web site URL can be whatever you choose, keep in mind how you will be using it, and if it doesn’t work well in a certain medium – whether printed in the newspaper or a poster or spoken on the radio or TV – the small cost of an additional domain name can do wonders for driving traffic from the offline world.

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Domain Names • Technology • (2) Comments • Permalink