Andrew
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Homepage: http://www.andrewrains.com
Posts by Andrew
Nike Football: Write the Future OR The Best Thing I’ve Ever Seen!
May 21st
A 3 minute epic that shows how a single moment can change the fortunes of a player or country. Just amazing.
New Day, New Job
Mar 16th
I haven’t posted lately because I haven’t had the chance to settle down and focus. I’ve had a month with a lot of change. For at least the past 6 months I’ve known that my time working in Financial Services needed to come to an end. Nothing wrong with it, per se, just that it’s not the best fit for my interests. Knowing that, I forced myself to figure out what it was that I wanted to do…
There were some things from my work that I did enjoy – a people focused job with a component of helping others with concepts that they don’t necessarily understand. I wanted to keep those aspects when I chose a new career. But I needed, this time, to make sure that the industry suited me as much as I could suit it.
I’ve always been into technology and it struck me that I was going home at the end of the day and reading sites like Gizmodo, Mashable, TechCrunch, and Digg in the entirety of the day’s updates. I’m constantly scanning Twitter and Facebook, throughout the day on my phone and computer. And if I had such an interest, why wasn’t I thinking about working in that industry?
Take off the suit and tie, pick up the laptop, smartphone, and Wired you idiot!
I’ve met a lot of great people while networking to enter this sphere. There’s a lot of creativity, ingenuity, and intelligence that’s hard not to be impressed by. And, overwhelmingly, all signs were pointing me in the direction of one company: Syncapse.
Happily for me, I’ve been given the opportunity to join their team and will be working on helping companies manage their social presence in an effective and measureable way, using the SocialTALK platform. I think it’s a great product that addresses the concerns that you frequently hear from companies entering into Social Media – efficiency, governance of the workflow, and understanding the impact of their activities. SocialTALK will be my worklife for the next while, but I’m excited about it:
I’ll try not to pump the company tires too much on this blog going forward, but I’m excited about the change and what it’ll mean for my being able to enjoy tech and Social Media more from now on!
Thoughts from a sleep deprived mind…
Jan 16th
I really should be taking advantage of these years. At work, I’m the youngest in my office, which gives me a rather unique lifestyle that isn’t shared by the majority of coworkers. One of the things that, at least in theory, I cherish, is the sense that outside of work hours, I’m my own man.
A spouse and/or children, seem to be the triggers that have made everyone else in the office better people – less selfish with their time, more thoughtful of others in scheduling their lives, etc. I, on the other hand, proudly tout my ability to live almost purely for myself outside the office – I shun plans lest they encroach upon “me time.” And I take pride in the times I’m able to get more than 8 hrs of sleep, knowing so few of those older than I are able to. I haven’t yet reached that point where I can honestly say that I’d be happy to give up my selfish ways for another but I know that this happens to most people at some point, so I’m embracing it while I can. But, like I said earlier, this is just theory lately because while I’d love to sleep away my “me time” I’ve been robbed of the ability.
I can’t fall asleep quickly anymore and, what’s worse, is that I’m scared that this whole “less than 8 hrs” trend is going to persist. There are few thoughts that leave me feeling more empty inside than that my best nights of sleep are behind me. I wake earlier and earlier on the weekends lately – feeling a desire to get up and be productive – which has cut, at least, 2 to 3 hours off my Saturday and Sunday sleep-ins. And during the week I’m waking earlier and falling asleep later, losing probably another 2 hours per night. So far, I’m losing anywhere from 14 to 16 hours of quality sleep a week that I’m at a loss as to how to reclaim them because, the cruel nature of this affliction is that I’m not even napping anymore. With these types of core sleep hour losses, it would be irresponsible and dangerous to risk a nap further interfering with my sleep cycle. Taking a nap or two out of my week, and suddenly I’m sleeping 18 hrs, or more that TWO full nights, less per week. A travesty, to be sure.
Some people out there – the kind that love the double-shot of espresso coffees and sharing their life-betterment tips without solicitation – will undoubtedly argue that I’m reclaiming productivity hours for my day. They’re right. And maybe having kids makes those hours of sleep truly worth losing.
But, as I don’t plan on that happening anytime soon and will cheerfully continue my selfish, “me time” centric lifestyle, I’m going to use those hours to be cranky and despise myself for the time wasted awake. I may be more productive and attentive to others in my life, but I don’t have to be happy about it. Yet.
The whole World sings All You Need is Love
Jan 3rd
Well, I missed this when it came out but I’m truly happy I’ve come across it now. Anyone that knows me knows I absolutely LOVE the Beatles – and so whenever I see their name or a song out on context, say on Gizmodo, I get very excited.
This is a video where performers from 156 countries recorded All You Need is Love simultaneously, at the same tempo, and then joined the recordings to make one track. The cause was to raise awareness for the (RED) initiative and the result is just amazing.
And, if you are worried…
Dec 15th
Gawker has posted a comprehensive and updated guide to Facebook‘s new privacy settings.
It’ll walk you through locking down all your information, if that’s your thing, so take a look – especially if you have no idea how much information you’re sharing with the world.
Nanny Andrew worrying too much
Dec 15th
Once upon a time, not so long ago, the name of the of the design game was to go big. The idea seemed to be to cram as much into bloated software or websites as possible – whether it be services, advertising, code, graphics – it was overkill more often than not. Part of making the web a more social, interactive experience, was to focus on the experience of the user and a lot of good has come of so doing. Recently, the breeding ground for innovation has been platforms; whether we’re talking about mobile apps, those new services in gaming consoles, or those on Facebook, the name of the app game seems to be integration into the platforms.
Today I got a call from a friend, in a panic, saying Facebook had made a big change – according to him, FB was allowing you to see who was checking out your profile the most. Needless to say, the implications would be huge – FB Creeping being exposed would forever change how the site is used. My assumption, walking up Yonge at the time, was that he’d installed an app at some point that monitored his interactions with Friends.
I was right – and not at all shocked – upon getting home to discover he’d installed My Top Fans (certainly not recommending it.) Afterall, FB needs to keep users on the site, thereby increasing pageviews for them to make money. Discouraging users by outing their most private actions would therefore be a terrible idea, and I know I would personally question each successive photo album click. So, FB not being an evil tattle tale, the issue then becomes that users are installing apps in auto-pilot, taking no note of the Terms of Use, the implications for their privacy, and whether the service is native or added by a third party.
The savvy web user won’t be fooled often, but for everyone else we’re already seeing the implications of integration. The better integrated, the less the average user will notice, the more confusion. What’s the solution then? Compartmentalization? Disintegration? These words seem all wrong given the current trends. But are they necessary?
The Reluctant Big Person’s Christmas List
Dec 11th
I haven’t been good to the kid in me lately – in fact, I’ve been downright negligent to him. And, really, if you can’t be good to your inner-child around Christmas, when can you expect to be? In previous years, I’ve been adamant that little Andrew be heard – when it comes to Christmas Lists I’ve ask for iPods and Nintendo Wii, gadgets and gizmos that will allow me to tinker and play come Christmas morning. I’ve delighted in the fact that, in my mid-twenties, I still had the joy of unwrapping that one, last, present that sat under the tree as the pinnacle of Christmas-morning joy.
So, this year, when it came time to provide a list to those that are unfailingly generous to me all year round, my mind started racing with possibilities:
A PS3? Nope, I have a Wii and though the PS3 has Blueray, it’s not something that I have to have.
A new Apple gadget? Nope, I have an iPhone that has left 3 previous iPods collecting dust. And I’m still waiting for the mythical Tablet/E-book Reader/life changer to be released.
Something else for my home theatre, then? For the amount of time I actually get to sit and watch TV or movies, it’d be a waste of money to add to it. So, nope.
Little, inner Andrew isn’t happy. Big Andrew learned, somewhere along the line, the difference between Wants and Needs, and though Christmas is surely a time when Wants should be indulged, sometime Needs need to come first. With that in mind, and today being so discouragingly cold…
Big Andrew needs a new winter jacket. Though it won’t keep him busy playing on Christmas morning, it’ll keep him warm in the months that follow. I’m disappointed to let the little guy down, if I’m honest, but though he throws tantrums and fits, he has always moved on after some pouting. My mom, I’m sure, is exceedingly happy that I’m asking for something she’ll actually approve of for is practicality and sensibleness. She hates the coats I choose for light weight over warmth and will likely delight in the knowledge that as I trample through the snow, I’m as well bundled as she had me in the snowsuits of the 80s made famous by Thomas. After all, she’s just wants her (always) little Andrew to be looked after.
