• East Lansing, MI
• Asheville, NC
• Seattle, WA *
• Springfield, IL
• Baltimore, MD *
• Houston, TX *
• New York, NY
• Minneapolis, MN *
• Nags Head, NC
• Marion, NC
• Baltimore, MD
• Atlanta, GA
• Lake Hyco, NC *

R1 – Record (These are more official sorts of writings, no real brainstorming or thought, public record stuff.)

R2 – Recipes (Mostly to mitigate taking computer into kitchen, but also for reference.)

N1 – Notes (Notes are small things I want to remember and did not write myself.)

T1 – Thoughts (Thoughts are small, uncompleted things that I wrote myself.)

T2 – To Do Lists (Generally created and managed in TaskPaper application.)

W1 – Writings (General, these differ from T1 in that they are longer, more thoughtful, intended to be completed, edited.)

W2 – This category is available for future note classification needs.

W3 – Writings for Presentations

W4 – Writings for Proposals

W5 – Correspondence (e.g. Letters of Support and Recommendations)

Tools

1. Processing
2. OmniGraphSketcher
3. Sketching Tools
4. Protovis: A Graphical Toolkit for Visualization

Reading List

1. Show Me The Numbers: Designing Tables and Graphs to Enlighten by Stephen Few
2. Marks and Meaning by Dave Gray
3. The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life by Twyla Tharp
4. Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Edward Tufte
5. Learning Processing: A Beginner’s Guide to Programming Images, Animation, and Interaction by Daniel Shiffman

Workshops & Conferences

1. Presenting Data and Information: A One-Day Course Taught by Edward Tufte
2. Information: Design, Experience and Access (IDEA) Conference

• Asheville, NC
• Denver, CO *
• Springfield, IL *
• Los Angeles, CA *
• San Francisco, CA
• Charlotte, NC
• Nags Head, NC *
• Chicago, IL
• Siler City, NC *
• Austin, TX *

• Philadelphia, PA
• Asheville, NC
• Fort Worth, TX *
• Indianapolis, IN *
• Washington, DC
• Charlotte, NC

At any given time I’m a researcher, a web designer, a project manager, an evaluator, an exhibit developer, a cataloger, a curator… but first and foremost I consider myself a knowledge worker. I strongly identify with other knowledge workers (regardless of field), their work patterns, productivity strategies and struggles.

Knowledge work is a creative and confusing endeavor. My schooling didn’t prepare me for it and despite efforts to document and archive my work so that I can visualize my productivity, I still struggle at times with feeling unproductive and uncreative and questionably useful to my museum.

My institution values me on faith. What does a “Director for Innovation and Digital Engagement” do? This extends to my friends and family, too. There is little context for my work: something to do with the web, Twitter, a science museum, and something called “The Pinhook.”

For those of us “succeeding in the information age,” we’re making it up as we go along.

Breaking it down, here are the core competencies of my knowledge work:

Exceptional comfort in my machine/operating system.
My laptop is a toolbox filled with tools that are sharp in the right places and worn in the right ways. I rarely need my mouse, which slows me down. I have admin rights to install and repurpose software to my needs. I have the freedom to use unstandardized tools and software to accomplish what I need. I have more than enough processing power. I can take my machine anywhere.

Visual thinking and writing skills. Without sketches and words on screen, much of my work would exist in thoughts and conversations. I sketch (on paper, whiteboard, iPad) everyday, every meeting. I scan those sketches into Evernote so that I can search them (on my laptop and phone) because they’re part of my memory now. I also write using a fairly complex system of software (WriteRoom, Notational Velocity, SimpleText, Dropbox) and file naming so that my typed ideas also travel with me (on laptop, on phone). They, too, need to be searchable and referenced on the go.

Communication.
Much of the value I provide to my institution is in the realm of communicating ideas. I use Gmail and my personal email account to accomplish this, even though my institution uses an entirely different system. If I had to use a system like Outlook or Apple Mail, my productivity would suffer considerably. I collect, store and search far more than the standard to: and from: of business communication. I process to zero messages everyday and close my email for several hours after to give me a feeling that I have some control over the constantly building information stream.

Search.
I treat Google, Gmail and Twitter search boxes like a command line. I search them using fairly sophisticated operators to find what I’m looking for quickly and comprehensively. The dataset I need to reference grows on a daily basis, making my ability to find and re-find information critical to my work.

Passion.
It’s been my experience that knowledge work is impossible to compartmentalize. My life is work and my work is (for as much as I can make it so) play. I couldn’t not do what I do. I want my tools with me everywhere I go. I even look to my dreams for insight into my cognitive processing. I have outlets that feel removed from work (racquetball, golf, cooking), but oftentimes those include devices, my note-taking systems, and co-workers who are friends. I’ve merged my professional and personal out of necessity… or maybe reality.

Note: This list was last updated on February 27, 2010.

Here are my suggestions for things to see/eat/do in Durham. It doesn’t include Raleigh or Chapel Hill/Carrboro.  If you’re going to venture to either, I suggest the latter (and be sure you go to Weaver St. and Carrburritos).  Whatever you do, stay away from Cary. [Google the places] (http://maps.google.com/) to get directions.

In alphabetical order…

Al Buehler Trail
Duke Forest, on Academy/751 near the Washington Duke Inn. 5k trail through the woods, nice walk… there are lots of trails in Duke Forest that I recommend. My favorite is on Mt. Sinai right across from Mt. Sinai Baptist Church.

The American Tobacco Trail/ATT
6.5 mile long biking/walking trail from downtown to South Durham. If you have/rent bikes, have a ride. It’s slated to be extended to go all the way to Raleigh.

Cosmic Cantina
Burrito joint, super cheap and tasty, right off ninth st.

Durham Bulls
Take in a game if there’s one while you’re here.

Durham Farmers Market
Have a visit if you’re here on a Saturday morning (open 8-12 in the summer; 10-12 in the winter) or Wednesday afternoon (open 3:30-6:30 in the summer).

The Federal
My favorite burger in Durham, if you like burgers. On the way downtown, in Brightleaf, on Main. Also for the vegetarians they have great veggie sliders.

Francesca’s
My most frequented afternoon coffee shop, on Ninth

The Green Room
Pool hall on Broad St. Another great place to get a real feel for the variety of folks we have in Durham. Beer, but no food or liquor. Also home to a slightly dilapidated foosball machine. Make sure you play the shuffle board, it’s free.

Guglhupf
Germany bakery and restaurant.  On Saturday mornings they have berliners, get there early. If you like Duck confit salads, they’ve got a great one.

Joe Van Gogh
My most frequented morning coffee shop, on Broad

Locopops (Warning: website auto-plays music)
A local chain of popsicle stores, there are several.  The original location is on Markham, which turns into Hillsborough. The creamy flavors are my favorite.

Museum of Life and Science
Go on a nice day and keep outdoors. See the dinosaurs, the wetlands, the bears/wolves/lemurs and play in Catch the Wind. On your way back to the main museum, stop by the Butterfly House and Insectarium. If you have any energy left, go inside to Soundspace, Keva (build something!) and Contraptions. North-ish Durham, off Duke Street.

Parker & Otis
Candy and tasty sandwich/foodie things. My favorite thing to do here is buy a bottle of wine in the store and drink it with friends out on the deck.  Cheap, scenic-ish and perfect if the weather’s not too hot.

The Pinhook
Great place to have a beer and get a flavor of the folks in Durham, no food, cash only. Downtown on Main St.

The Regulator
My favorite Durham book store, locally owned. On Ninth St.  Good magazine selection and they sell McSweeney’s. Also see Nice Price Books for a sampling of the used variety. It’s just a couple blocks away on Broad.

Revolution
My fav foodie spot Durham -pricey. Expect $100-$150 with wine and dessert, both of which I recommend. Also nice for a fancy drink.

Rue Cler
If you eat meat, you must go here and have a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich for breakfast.  You won’t regret it. If you don’t eat meat, have an omelet. You won’t regret it. Make sure to order some beignets. Service can leave a little to be desired, but the food is worth it.  Also downtown.

The Scrap Exchange
A store that collects donated scraps from all over and resells them as art supplies. A Durham establishment. Central Park area, on Foster St.

Stone Brothers & Byrd
Where you’ll go to get your gardening supplies and garden seeds.

Tacos
We’re known for our tacos, so you should go to at least one taquaria.  I recommend either Taquaria La Vaquita on Chapel Hill Rd. (big cow on the roof) or Super Taquaria on N. Roxboro for authentic and Chubby’s Tacos on Ninth St. for Cali style.

Toast
A great Italian Sandwich shop downtown. Try whatever soup they’ve made, you can’t go wrong. The three cheese is my favorite, but if you’re with a friend, go halfsies with either the kale or local farm egg.

Wine Authorities
Local wine shop, owners Seth and Craig are awesome. Stop in to get a feel for where you would get your juice if you lived here.

1. 00:20:00 – Dude makes a White Russian in his home while listening to his answering machine and drinks it while talking with Monty about his dance quintet.
2. 00:45:10 – Dude prepares himself a White Russian in Maude’s art studio while she plays Logjammin’ on the television.
3. 00:47:58 – Dude drinks a White Russian in the limo ride from Maude’s place back to his home.  He has the same drink (“Fuck man! There’s a beverage here!”) to Lebowski’s limo where he is handed the toe.
4. 00:57:19 – Dude finishes a White Russian in the bowling alley while talking with Walter and Donny.
5. 00:59:27 – Dude orders “another Caucasian” at the bowling alley bar after Walter and Donny leave and meets the Stranger.
6. 01:02:05 – Dude makes a White Russian at Maude’s studio while he waits for her to arrive.  Instead of half and half, he uses powdered non-dairy creamer.
7. 01:15:38 -  Dude tells Jackie Treehorn that a “White Russian, thanks” is his drink and drinks one made by Treehorn while they talk about the money.
8. 01:18:30 – Jackie Treehorn asks Dude if he’d like a refill and he replies “Does the Pope shit in the woods?”  This is the White Russian that Dude spills on the floor because he has been drugged.
9. 01:29:17 -  Dude makes a White Russian after he and Maude have sex.  The physical act of love.  Coitus.

One of my favorite parts is when Katherine says “I think the whole human race is petrified. I’m a good cover-upper.”  I also loved, “Cold sober I find myself absolutely fascinating.”

I don’t know all that much about Hepburn, more now than yesterday, but I found her undeniably inspiring.  I appreciate her perspectives on productivity, focus, fear, success and reality.  She talks of luck, but defines it as folks seem to be lately  (as a result of of dedication and circumstance).  Specifically requiring:

1. An intelligent mother and father.
2. A basic freedom from fear.
3. A basic belief in yourself to carry you through uncertainty.