Kimbro's science experiment.

Kimbro Staken's new science experiment, Syncato, is bubbling right along. I just used the new comments feature to post a comment to an item. In the comment, which is well-formed, I "transcluded" the result of an XPath query of Syncato's XML database. I also quoted Kimbro in the comment, and used my own blog's convention -- <blockquote cite="..."> -- to do so. Now watch:

Comments I've posted.

All blockquote elements.

All quotations of Kimbro.

Comments, written by me, that quote Kimbro.

XPath code fragments contained within comments where I quote Kimbro.

Awesomely cool. Kimbro writes:

In reality Syncato is much more then just a weblog system, it's an XML fragment management system. [Syncato]

Great description. And what a powerful concept!

[Jon's Radio]

Of course, knowing how and when to turn from learning to action is no easy task when these sorts of goodies keep flowing into your field of vision.

8:40:58 PM •  • comment  

Do Yourself a Favor and Stop Learning.

Do Yourself a Favor and Stop Learning: " I'm about to admit something odd, and perhaps career-threatening: I'm sick of learning."

[elearnspace blog]

Right next to Dave's pointer to Andrew Grumet in my aggregator. About the tantalizing trap of finding the perfect technology solution in the next new thing. Try this bit of advice from Deane at Gadgetopia; it applies to more than just technology:

Don't look out on the horizon and worry that a new language will render your app irrelevant.  Just write something.  Solve a problem.  Make an existing application better.  Re-work an interface to remove issues users have been complaining about.  Deliver some value to someone, somewhere.

8:37:20 PM •  • comment  

Andrew Grumet. Andrew Grumet: "Free your mind, and your weblog will follow."  [Scripting News]

All the evidence I'm familiar with says peak performance depends on "flow." So why is so much of the practice of management day to day about control? Some more from Andrew:

To really get into weblogs as a writer, try to keep moving to stay with the flow. The old advice to a budding jazz musicians applies: "If you make a mistake and hit a bad note, don't stop! Hit it again and keep going". Too much worrying will make a burden of posting, making work of what should be fun.

The promise of weblogs in the organization is that they help us get more accustomed to flow. The threat the pose is the same thing; they work against those who are more comfortable with control than with performance.

8:28:42 PM •  • comment