On a daily basis, and several times a day, as I traverse downtown Chicago on business, I am posed with the same questions. "Do you have a minute for the environment?" "Do you have a moment to help the children?" These questions are asked by young people with binders and clipboards who want me to donate money to organizations they work for or represent who in turn support those causes. In actuality they should be asking me if I want to support (insert name of organization) but their questions are more of a hook. I simply nod no and continue on my journey until I encounter the next person with a question on the next block.

If I were a weaker person I would feel bad that I have no time for the world or its children. In the past I have stopped to hear their pitch. Even if I was convinced to donate to them, I have an issue with handing over cash or my credit card number to a complete stranger standing on LaSalle Street.

I do care about the environment and the world, and I support other causes that are important to me, like the American Liver Foundation. I also have several pro bono clients for whom I donate services and my time to present themselves online. Where they have a legal right to be there and promote their cause, do they have to continually get in my walking path to try to stop me? And I have no idea if this is even a successful endeavor - maybe some of the marketing folks who visit could comment to that?

When I head out today on my daily trek, rather than simply saying "no" maybe I should instead ask them if they are taking good care of their liver.

Diversions • (3) Comments • Permalink

Do you have a MyBlogLog account? It wasn’t until shortly after I started this blog that I created one. For me, MyBlogLog is a community and a way of connecting myself to bloggers – learning of others and informing others of my own. Others I am sure have other definitions, but the increased traffic to my site as I traverse MyBlogLog proves my point.

I was unable to make the SOBcon conference this past weekend here in Chicago due to a prior commitment, but there have been plenty written on it. One announcement came from the new community manager of MyBlogLog, which is now owned by Yahoo! Fellow Chicago blogger and Internet analyst David Dalka was at SOBcon and reported that MyBlogLog will be rebranding, getting a redesign and other features which will seek to expand its market. Yahoo! is also seeking input and suggestions, which is also welcome to hear.

Technology • (5) Comments • Permalink

A very heartfelt (albeit belated) Happy Mother’s Day to all of the Moms out there and to those who are regarded as a Mom to someone. I especially extend this to my Aunt/Godmother and to my own Mother-in-Law, the latter with whom we spent some nice time with this past weekend.

It is also yet another day that I remember my own Mom, whom I lost 6 years ago. She was an amazing woman, and I could fill pages of posts about how truly wonderful she was. Not only was she the one who taught me about sports, but she did all she could to make sure both of her kids went to college, and encouraged me all the way with computers from when I got my first one in junior high. Though it may be cliché, I would not be here today if it wasn’t for her love and sacrifices.

This picture is my favorite of me and my Mom, taken at the old Foxboro Stadium during a Patriots game in 1999. Some say it is ironic that the Patriots won the Super Bowl and I got married, both within a year of her passing – but I know better that there were some special "forces" involved!

Diversions • (0) Comments • Permalink

Have you purchased your Forever Stamps yet? With next week’s postal increase, the post office came up with what I think is its best idea in years – a first-class postage stamp that once you buy it, you can use it at any time, even after the next postage increase. Where on the surface this may not make sense, factor in inflation, interest and the cost of distributing 2-cent stamps, and it is a wise move.

With all of the problems that the post office has in its customer service and mail delivery, especially in Chicago, I have decided to focus on the things that I do like about the postal service here in the US. In addition to the Forever Stamps, my other favorites include:

• Automated Postal Center (APC) kiosks at many post offices allow you to weigh and ship packages without waiting in line, as well as purchasing books of stamps. In many post offices when there is a line at the windows, there is no line at the APC.
• USPS.com allows you to track shipments and buy stamps with only a $1 surcharge, which is more efficient than waiting in line for either.

Come to think about it, what I like about the post office is related to new thinking and services that require little human intervention.

Business • (0) Comments • Permalink

I just got word that the next likemind will be on Friday, May 18. In Chicago, it will be at Intelligentsia Coffee, 53 E. Randolph, at the corner of Wabash.

What is likemind? It started with two people who decided to meet for coffee and invited others. There are now 22 likemind locations around the world... amazing!

Business • (9) Comments • Permalink