Got a Passion for Project Management?

Scott Berkun, the famed author of Art of Project Management (now known as Making Things Happen) is looking for someone to bring his PM-Clinic distribution list into the 21st century. 

What is PM-Clinic and what is Scott looking for?  As Scott describes it;

Five years ago I started a simple little discussion list called pmclinic. The idea was simple: e-mail out a real world management situation on Monday, discuss it all week, write a summary on Friday.

Unlike most discussion lists, the idea created a surprisingly high signal to noise ratio. As the months went by, without any PR or much of a web presence, the list grew. Today the list has over 1000 members. We’ve covered hundreds of situations, and the list is still going strong.

There are dozens of things that need to be done, from making the list archives public, to getting the list out of the technology dark ages. And the best way for that to happen is to hand the reigns over to someone new.

This opportunity could be great for either a veteran who’s looking for something fun and different to work on with big networking opportunities, or even a rock star intern, college student, or journeyman who’s looking for experience and to build a reputation.

For more information, check out Scott’s website at http://www.scottberkun.com/blog/2008/im-hiring-job-opening-for-pmclinic/

I am a HUGE Scott Berkun fan.  If it was not for a lack of time on my part, I would be all over this opportunity.  …or better stated, I would be begging Scott to be part of this.  I would encourage YOU to give this opportunity a look. 

My experience is that passionate GTD’ers, make for passionate project managers.   I am thinking that a passion for project management is what Scott needs to take PM-Clinic to the next level. 

I am confident that Scott and the right person can make some great things happen with PM-Clinic.  Do you have what it takes to be part of something great?

I vacationed in Cancun Mexico for ~ $500!

  …and you can too! 

Earlier this year my wife and I traveled to Cancun Mexico for a 4 day vacation at an all inclusive resort.  That is, put away the check book, all the food, drink and fun is free.  We did this for right around $500 US per person.  The $500 included airfare and 3 nights + 4 days at a 4 star hotel.  We spent a few dollars on the shuttle from the airport, tips and gifts, but that amounted to less than $100.  We had a fantastic time!

We are thinking about doing it again.  Here are some tips to use to get a great deal on your next vacation.

1. Be flexible.  My wife and I are pretty lucky that we both have relatively flexible schedules.  The kids are getting older (i.e. they can be counted on to be self sufficient at home or travel with us) and our jobs don’t demand a lengthy lead time for taking vacation time.
2. Don’t be too picky.  If your ideal vacation is a week in London, don’t plan on getting away cheap.  It seems that these days, the best deals from the US for your money are in Central America and the Caribbean (leave of comment if you know of other inexpensive destinations!)
3. Don’t be afraid of last minute deals.  When buying tickets from sites like Expedia or Travelocity you can get quite inexpensive last minute deals.  Be sure to read and understand the fine print, but don’t be scared off by not getting tickets in the mail or via a face-to-face travel agent. 
4. Subscribe to a few of the best travel deal websites.  I have e-mail subscriptions to Expedia, Travelocity, Booking Buddy, and Cheap Caribbean.  Each week I see a deal or two that interests me.

That’s about it.  That’s my vacation planning process in a nutshell.  If you have any tips or know of great new regions to vacation in (inexpensively, please), leave a comment or drop me an e-mail.

Stuff I Found Elsewhere

 

Today, I added a new blog feature called “Stuff I Found Elsewhere”.  This list will be frequently updated with items that I found interesting around the web and shared via Google Reader.  The list contains the latest ten entries.  At the bottom of the list is a “Read more...” link that will take you to my list of all the items I have shared via Google Reader. 

If you are interested in more information about sharing your favorite web articles via Google’s Reader, click here.  Google Reader is my favorite fast and flexible RSS reader.  For those Bloggers out there, Google Reader offers an easy to use option to add the same widget to your blog.

For more information, read;

• Sharing Stuff with Google Reader
• Getting Started with Google Reader
• Google Reader for Bloggers

Let me tell you about my iPod Touch

This is not a story about how cool the iPod Touch is.  This is a story about how I acquired my iPod Touch and how I will try to acquire electronic gadgets in the future.

For those who do not know, an iPod Touch is basically an iPhone without the phone.  The iPod Touch has all the same software applications as the iPhone and allows you to surf the Internet via any standard wi-fi connection.  My iPod Touch allow me to check my e-mail, read my RSS Feeds and is perhaps the best small-form-factor mobile Internet browser available.  Safari (the iPod Touch Internet Browser), does an incredible job making the Internet readable on such a small device.

…the iPod Touch is cool.  And that is why I did not want to buy one.  I hate getting sucked into buying “cool” products only to find out that they are useless.  I’d rather be productive than cool.  I have an aversion to cool products because;

1. They are typically outrageously priced.
2. The functionality does not live up to the media hype and my expectations.
3. The “cool factor” wears off after a couple of days.

So this time I did things a little different.  Rather than put out $300 for a brand new un-me-tested iPod Touch, I waited.  I waited for my son to get one!  And he did.  He got one for his birthday.  Turns out that after a few weeks, the “cool factor” wore off and he used his iPod Touch to only listen to music.  Heck, you could get a $50 iPod Shuffle for that!

So I made a deal with the boy.  I get to use his iPod Touch for 2 weeks and if I like it, I give him $150 bucks to purchase a different iPod model to listen to his music.  It turns out that the 2 week try-before-you-buy time is exactly what I needed.   I found that I used it every day.  I found that it has a great Internet browser.  I found that it interfaces nicely with Gmail.  I found that it syncs my calendar and contacts with Microsoft Outlook.  I found that I love it!

So, I made the purchase from my son.  Next time I want something “cool”, I hope to do a 2 week try-before-you-buy to ensure I “need” that cool new product.  Anyone looking to unload a MacBook Air?

Do You RSS?

Are you using an RSS Reader to read your favorite blogs and web sites?  If not, you should be!  RSS is the most efficient way to weed through hundreds (or thousands) of web articles quickly and easily.  An RSS reader will allow you to take in the stories of interest to you and skip through all the clutter.

If you are new to RSS, read my article titled A Simple Guide to RSS.  Have questions about RSS?  Leave a comment and I’ll do my best to answer.

Here is a little bit about my RSS setup:

Reader: Google Reader

Preferred Hardware:  My Apple IPOD Touch.  Google has a great interface for the iTouch/iPhone! 

Here is a sample of some of my favorite RSS Feeds:

• Digital Photography School
• Lifehacker
• Scott Berkun dot com
• This Garden is Illegal