Throughout our busy work week — in the time between tasks — one of us will unearth something funny on the web and email it around to give the rest of us a chuckle. Please allow me to introduce our first installment of blogworthy links…

• Bicycle crash captured on Google maps
• Americans are unloading a lot of crap on Craiglist
• 18 Features Windows Should Have (but Doesn’t)
• Jersey High School Students Protest Anti-Bike Policy
• CSS Homer Simpson (Homer is drawn using precisely placed alphanumeric characters)
• Knock knock, 1984 just called (Another attempt to profit from the 80’s by incompetent hollywood writers)
• And finally, for those Battlestar Galactica fans out there:
  

A few months ago, Michael and I were brainstorming ideas on how we can aggregate our different interests into something that could benefit our community. Michael was interested in recycling our used computers. I was interested in helping out kids in our neighborhood. We both wanted to increase awareness about Ubuntu.

We settled on the idea of converting unused computers to Ubuntu desktops we could install at Cleveland Elementary school. Since its inception, we have installed seven desktops, and have 12 more being updated in my garage. We have also helped start a computer club on campus, which we attend once a month to instruct students. So far, the kids are loving it. It’s amazing how easily they gravitate toward the Ubuntu operating system, and how much they enjoy learning computers after school. I believe we have some future Linux Systems Administrators in the making.

If you are interested in contributing to our project, please contact jreeve@pelagodesign.com
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The computers being formatted in my garage

Our first computer club

Please meet Bozo, our new VP of Client Relations. We really like him, as Bozo is always there to listen to our frustrations. We can confide in him about late payments, conflicts, and difficult projects. And when things get heated, he takes a punch on the nose quite well. Gets right back up, not a scratch on him, ready for another. We hope Bozo will be with us for a while, however, turnover is high for this position. It’s difficult to stand up to that much pressure without completely deflating a week or two into the job.

Basecamp has dominated the realm of online project management, or has it? Basecamp invented a methodology for getting things done, hijacked the phrase ‘project management’, and unleashed their simplified solution onto the web. This was a brilliant move because there was a large population of people with basic needs. And there still are. However, it would be counter-productive to stop there and not look beyond Basecamp. Many people want to see it that way; they want a catchy phrase, like “Getting Things Done,” and a simple way to run their business. The reality is that many small businesses have complicated and diverse needs outside the abilities of Basecamp.

Collaboration is not the same as Project Management

First of all, Basecamp is not a project management service. It is a collaboration tool. There is a difference. A project management service should focus on predicting, tracking, and learning your business; refining your workflow. While collaboration is a subset of project management, a communication method for working together as a team. Small businesses need tools that can provide feedback for self improvement. This need for more — time tracking, reporting, scheduling, invoicing — is driving small businesses towards more comprehensive web-based project management services.

Project Management is not a Commodity

As much as we would like to have one way of doing things, reality will not allow it. Project management apps, like Intervals, have sometimes been compared to a commodity, like blogging. The comparison is flawed. The blog is a basic and young concept, and has been implemented almost identically in every corner of the web. Project management concepts have been around for decades, long before the Internet as we know it. Project management has evolved into many different ecosystems, each one unique with its own set of subscribers. It would be impossible to address everyone’s needs with one app. As part of this evolution, some small businesses are in a unique position to share their successes with others using web-based services as a medium. Intervals, and others, are built by businesses who have adapted their workflows to the web, for others to learn from and adapt if they’d like.

Opensource is not the Answer

As much as we advocate opensource, the project management arena will fair better by being privatized. Opensource is ideal for services that truly are a commodity; like blogging, programming languages, operating systems, and databases. These services are easily defined. There is little room for debate about which features should be included. Opensourcing a project management service would have to niche itself and require a clearly defined spec, which is difficult in community-driven development. The opensource model also requires that you install the software on your own server, a hassle, if not a showstopper, for any small business.

The great thing about Basecamp is they have created an economy of web-based tools for small business. They kickstarted the market. Now we have several other contenders in the project management space. More small businesses are finding their needs met by a web-based service. As more businesses adapt their workflow to an online model, this web-based economy will continue to evolve and succeed, with plenty of room for everyone.

Modern technology has enabled us to work in many new ways. Telecommuting allows us to work from home and avoid the rush hour commute. Web-based collaborative services enable a distributed team to work on the same project, unhindered by geographical location. These new technologies are good and have improved our work lives. However, there are older technologies we’ve abandoned for the promises of the new. For example, the bicycle; a simple machine that can restore balance to your home and work life. Here are some reasons why you should hop back on your two wheeler and pedal your way to the office.

1. Gas prices

Gas is getting expensive. Really expensive. Cut down on your gas bill and save your money by riding to work. The bicycle gets infinity miles per gallon.
Use this calculator to find out how much money you could save each year:
http://www.sierraclub.org/MPG/

2. Exercise

Ask people why they don’t exercise as much as they would like to and they will tell you they don’t have the time. Riding your bike to work not only gets you from point ‘a’ to point ‘b’, it gets you a good dose of cardiovascular exercise, which ultimately helps you live longer. And it’s a lot cheaper than the gym.

3. Mental buffer

Work can be stressful. A ride in the morning and the post-work evening gives your mind some time to slow down and switch gears. You’ll arrive at your destination mentally refreshed and ready for the next thing.

4. Cheap maintenance costs

Bicycles are low maintenance. Keep the chain lubed and air in the tires and you should have few problems on the road. Aside from the occasional flat tire, the only work your bike will need is an annual tuneup.

5. Learn some mechanical skills

Bicycles are simple machines and are relatively easy to maintain with a few tools. Learning how to change a tire or adjust your brakes is empowering. Working on your bike is a great way to get away from the computers and other gadgets that crowd our lives.

6. Reduce traffic

Our freeways are getting crowded and its taking people longer and longer to get to work. Do your part to lighten the load and free yourself from the concrete river.

7. Reduce emissions

Everyone is talking about the planet getting hotter. Everything is melting. Bicycles have zero emissions and are more practical and way cooler than hybrids or carbon credits.

8. Less road rage

Nothing is sweeter than pedaling up to the front of a long line of cars waiting at the light. Sure, there is the occasional car honking at you to get out of the way, but the ability to defy traffic is worth it.

9. Community support

More and more communities are embracing bicycling and making efforts to improve the commute. New bike lanes, bicycle workshops, and other incentives are being promoted to cyclists. There has never been a better time to ride.