I am sitting here in Dulles, stuck, thanks to this awesome weather (and being reminded, again, why I live where I do.)

I thought I’d take this opportunity to wish y’all – with words and a photo – a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Saturnalia, Yule, Kwanzaa, and Boxing Day.

Enjoy, everyone.  Have fun and stay safe out there.

After his return home, Tom and I would not get another chance to speak. We traded a couple of e-mails as they struggled to diagnose his condition, but that would be all.

I met Tom about ten years ago when he became a member of the PopTech working group. He would ultimately succeed me as PopTech’s president and became the organization’s first CEO. He brought a level of polish and professionalism to the conference that helped it reach a new level and more fully realize its promise. His ability to so deftly manage all of us – a spicy mix of egos, personalities, and so on – qualifies him as a diplomat of the highest order.

He was generous with his sharp entrepreneurial mind, selflessly serving as a guiding force and sounding board to me through several business and other challenges, and he became a good friend.

I once teased Tom that when I first met him, I didn’t like him – but after working with him and getting to know him, I changed my mind. He replied, “that’s funny – because for me, you were the opposite.” Tom had a wonderful sense of humor – even in the most challenging of times – and I’m sure it helped carry him through these tough few weeks.

Tom was blessed to spend those weeks at home, supported and surrounded by his loving family.

Tom died last night.

He was a proud husband and dad. He is survived by – and lives on through – his wife Valerie, daughter Chloe, and son Remy.

Tom loved the outdoors and knew how to take advantage of Maine summers that are glorious, unpredictable, and often way too short. Life can be that way, too.

Ride on, Tom. You will be missed.

Apparently he’s hosting SNL this weekend.  I immediately thought of his “Rainbow Head” skit – from many years ago – because it installed an expression into my friends’ vernacular.  (“Is there a pot of gold at the end of Rainbow Head’s rainbow?” and his wry response, “I don’t think so.“)

So, I was trying to dig up the video somewhere and had no success.  Anyone?

Psychedelic Santa, Raptured.

I’m a year late at a true update. So, as 2007 comes to a close, it’s high time for a general update on my new scene – especially since I’ve not sent out holiday cards. Some of you have been following along here (thanks!), but most of you haven’t had the time, so here’s an abbreviation.

I exited fama PR last spring and spent the summer of ’06 in Boston enjoying sweet drinks, Atlantic sushi, the Big Dig and sunshine. I then went to Maine (home sweet home) for PopTech in October, and shipped all my stuff to California on a hunch. Then I wandered around Europe for a while: London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Budapest, Vienna, Bratislava, Paris… then, home to Maine again for holiday time with family and old friends (hard to believe it’s that time again). Then, I took the only material possession I had remaining on the east coast – my little Audi S4 monster – and spent a few months driving it around the lower 48, taking pictures and getting speeding tickets. I made extended stops in places like Austin and Tucson.

When bored, you can peek at some pictures I made along the way.

This past April, I landed in coastal Los Angeles – in Venice – a part of the world I really love. I signed a one-year lease on a neat loft space (which you can also see in the pictures above). Venice is funky and eclectic – showing scars from a much more difficult past and offering quite a neat mix: crack shacks, art galleries, celebrity homes and everything in between. My place is just a few blocks from the ocean and legendary Abbot Kinney Boulevard. The exterior design around here is bold and vibrant, and the architecture gracefully blends Gaia, humankind, lifestyle and technology. Venice has a zeitgeist of unapologetic live-and-let-live individuality – just the right blend of artists, old hippies, good food, music, young babes, technology, culture and creative expression. Besides, don’t you just have to love a place with street names like Zeno, Horizon, Ozone, Breeze and Clubhouse?

Yanks with the wrong idea of Los Angeles: you’ve got the wrong idea. I have hummingbirds, crisp clean air, and palm and citrus trees. I never deal with traffic unless I get the strange idea to drive into the city. I’m treated to hours of afternoon sun that coats everything with gold. The sunsets seem to linger all evening, and are so warm and comforting they could be baked into pies. They’re often followed by cool Pacific breezes that wrap around you like a sheet as you doze off to sleep. I already find myself hoping our fragile economy might be good enough to me that I could someday call both coasts home.

I have my own lemon tree inside. It will make striped lemons that are pink inside. They’ll probably make the best lemon drop cocktails within 100 miles.

I’ve already bought two bikes (one of which was stolen in Santa Monica last week; good story) and am biking a great deal. In Venice, it’s either a bike or a dog and I’m too selfish to want the latter. I can bike almost anywhere I need to go, and have access to dozens of miles of oceanfront bike trails that run from Torrance Beach north to the foot of Temescal Canyon.

I have a good batch of friends here – some from years past and some newly made – and am working on more. I’ve found some great restaurants, museums, hiding places, hiking trails, and miscellaneous other places that keep me discovering and feeling alive.

When I first did this – moved out here, that is – I felt pretty frightened. I’m a big risk taker but this nonetheless felt really scary. I spent a month or two with my head down making house and home and as things began to fall into place the fear subsided. I am so glad I did this – I feel really lucky and happy and alive.

I’ve been writing a lot, commentating, and making pictures. Professionally, I’ve been playing in the space where innovation and communication intersect and have also invested in a couple of young companies. I recently helped a friend with the public launch of an exciting company called EdgeCast. I plan to continue helping them, and will launch my own consultancy in the coming months to give me a corporate umbrella under which to operate all this stuff. At that point I’ll tell you about some of the other ideas brewing.

I’ve been volunteering as a mentor at the USC Stevens Institute for Innovation, helping young entrepreneurs move their ideas from dream stage to reality.

This will be my second winter outside New England, and I’ve acclimated (or de-acclimated) quite quickly. The cool, early-winter evenings here feel cold to me although they pale in comparison to a New England winter night. While I don’t miss the cold, I do miss the rich, light-painted sky of those New England nights. Even this far from the city, there’s still too much light pollution for me to get the gorgeous sky I’d see at home or out in the desert.

To all you east coasters – if you need a break from winter, I have a nice big guest room here that’s open for visitors (but booking fast!)

I hope you all had an enriching 2007. My best to you and yours for the holidays and 2008. I hope that if you haven’t been in touch, you will be soon.

Love and light
-a

First of all – the facts. While it varies wildly depending on the topic and how you set things up (e.g. are you asking your readers a question, or just ranting like me?), my research has shown that you can generally expect about a 0.4% participation rate. That is, for every thousand readers of a particular piece, an average of four will take some kind of action (either e-mail you or leave a comment.) It’ll be higher (often much higher) for something particularly incendiary or with a call-to-action, of course – and lower for something as simple as a link to someplace else. Jakob Nielsen explored this in much greater detail last year with his 90-9-1 rule.

Simply put, no matter what folks tell ya, blogging is just not a conversational medium. There are technical reasons (its linear model) and social reasons (most people are passive) for this. Beginning bloggers can let this discourage them, and I can understand that.

Probably the most important reason for this phenomenon is that most blog readers see it as a voyeuristic activity and are loath to make their presence known. Plus, participating takes much more time and effort than just reading. I’ve finally come to understand and appreciate this. Add to that the fact that those who do engage tend to be wingnuts, and it’s all good.

So, kids: blog away. Watch your stats so that you have a good idea of who is coming and from where (try something like Google Analytics – it rocks and it’s free) – and don’t let it bother you that they quietly sneak in and out the back door. It’s what they do.

As many of you know, I have departed fama PR, the high-tech PR agency I helped start over four years ago. I learned a ton, worked with excellent people, served some exciting clients, and helped build an excellent business that I am proud of. However, as an entrepreneur with a short attention span, the time had come for me to start the head-clearing process and consider what might be next. I have found that a break between ventures is very good for the soul; I realize people have economic realities, but I’ve never understood how people can jump from one thing to another with any sense of clarity or direction. The time in between – for inner exploration and reflection – is precious and well worth the cost.

I’ve kicked off some rich self-analysis – cracking open such classics as Dick Bolles’ “What Color Is Your Parachute” and identifying and prioritizing my passions, values and skills in a way I never have before. I think if you’d asked me six months ago what my top skills were, I’d have done pretty well in telling you. However, if you’d asked what my second-favorite skill is or my top three personal values, I might have come up short. This sounds hokey, but I encourage those of you who have never engaged in these types of exercises to give them a shot. I’m learning a lot.

One of my many objectives for this new life stage is to do more writing and get some work published. This is not as easy as it sounds; I’ve been writing for ages, yet am just learning how to structure my day and thinking in such a way that I can turn out thoughtful copy regularly. My deal with BlogBurst requires one quality piece per week, and that has been serving well as a motivation tool and a deadline.

Another objective for the summer is geographic exploration – both for the mind-expanding reward of seeing places and experiencing international cultures I never have before, and also to figure out where “home” will be. I am committed to Boston through Labor Day, and then all bets are off. At the top of the list are Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York (in that order.)

Yet another objective is to be a better photographer – especially with regard to fashion photography – and continue expanding my portfolio. I’ve found that creative process to be very enriching and a fun way to show others what the world looks like to me.  Not as a new career, but as a revived creative outlet.  Although it would be extremely difficult (impossible) to grow into being a fashion photographer while here, even as an avocational pursuit.

I also will push myself to be even more engaged socially and politically. I’m a cultural and political loudmouth and (hopefully) it’s going to get louder. The stunned silence in this nation is bummin’ me out. My personal challenge is to be louder without sounding too angry or bitter. In particular: I love America, yet am so disillusioned with Americans and our apathy that I often find my empathy in short supply. I am seriously working on that.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.