Gratitude... you turkey!

So it is thanksgiving - i'm sitting in bed next to my sleeping son (nap time!) and think about all the things i'm grateful for. well pretty much everything. oh i don't mean to brag - but my life is sooooo blessed and it would be very shameful of me to think anything otherwise. I have a wonderful family - my wife and 3 great kids. Yes we have our struggles (and most of which are my fault) but alas - we have a very good life. I have a great job - one that provides me means for a comfortable life and one that allows me to be true to the things that are important in my life. I'm grateful for the team i work with -- fantastic people -- each with struggles and activities that try them - I pray they know that people care about them and recognize the good around them.

My wife would politely remind me that i let too many of the little things bother me -- unfortunately especially with my family. i want so much for life to be wonderful for them... so i have something big to work on... the little things to let go.

Here is the shot of the gang from this summer -- already have grown so much....



Happy thoughts to all of you on this thanksgiving -- may we be grateful for all that we have -- and find ways to give back.

eBook -- will it stick this time?

Amazon announced the "Kindle" today - a wireless, eBook reader. I'm pretty impressed without even touching one. It uses eInk technology so the screen is extremely readable. you can download books for $10 a hit and it does it using the mobile (EVDO) network from Sprint -- but you don't even see the technology - made very simple. you can subscribe to newspapers for $10/month (wonder about those of us that get wsj.com already). you can add your own docs (think about technical documentation on here) and yet you can also surf wikipedia.

now the platform is relatively closed, but i believe this is to ensure a good customer experience (and more coin for Amazon). hopefully they'll expand the option to surf websites and chat (Amazon a computer maker? ;-). Either way -- this holds big promise. I hope it takes off. I certainly will buy one -- if my wife actually uses it for reading -- then i'm convinced it will be a winner. This just proves the importance of a FULL solution being delivered to the customer -- the device, the content, the simple process, all on the network -- all packaged together.

I think we are seeing the start of something very big....

RTW - Round the World

So i've been home less the 24 hours -- having completed my first (maybe last) Round The World trip (RTW). On the last leg of the trip - London (LHR) to San Francisco (SFO) I pulled out United's Hemisphere's magazine to find an article about a guy's RTW trip (18 days). He flew business class the ENTIRE trip, I flew COACH/Economy the ENTIRE trip -- difference? oh yeah....

So my stats:
- flight miles = 28, 380
- flight time = 61 hours and 51 minutes (doesn't include circling in Mumbai and London)
- number of legs = 10
- number of countries touched = 8 (not including US)
- number of countries visited (entered) = 5
- getting home to see the family = priceless

What an experience this has been. We did training for 8-9 hours in each of the five cities - so only 45 hours of training and probably 100 hours of travel (flight time, plus trains, automobiles and waiting). Man - am i using telepresence or WebEx next time (see Beam Me Up Scotty post).

But yet - the personal touch was amazing -- and the excitement i feel about the global economy - growing. We (humanity) have such opportunity to do great things that will transform the world -- yes i'm drinking the kool aid....

The explosion of growth in China, India and Vietnam are amazing... yet the impact on the environment is huge. In India, the air was thick with sulfer -- my description is being in a valley where the hills around it are engufled in forest fires -- clouding the sky with a layer of smoke -- yet there were no fires. The world has the opportunity to stand up and do both right - grow AND protect the environment.

In the end -- i think what i learned most was that no matter where we live, what we speak or what we eat -- most of us want the same in life - happiness, success (whatever that definition is) and peace. Not a bad thing.

Around the World...

I'm sitting in the airport lounge in Mumbai, India -- i've been on the road for almost 2 weeks. Haven't traveled like this in a long time. I miss my family terribly. While the trip has been full of experiences - i would have rather done it with my family. I'll complete an around the world trip in the next 24 hours. SF to Sydney to Hong Kong to Beijing to Ho Chi Minh to Mumbai to London to SF. My first (and hopefully last) time doing that. I obviously am whinning and i shouldn't -- i've seen some pretty nasty poverty and third world conditions (i believe we call them "emerging" economies now).

I look forward to the day that i can use telepresence to never have to travel again (unless i want to -- which i do for leisure with my wife and kids).

Today i had quite a ride -- i traveled in this "taxi" over to the office from our hotel -- i guess you don't need lanes or lights if you have will and a horn - yikes!

The world is a changing place - i'm amazed at the hard life many lead -- and how good i have it. I really have it good. My beautiful wife, wonderful kids, a nice home and really all the luxuries one could imagine. Very blessed indeed - yet i felt this trip was "hard". Boy, sometimes perspective is interesting... I will count my many blessings and look forward to being home -- in a day.

China...

Great experience -- we got to visit the Forbidden City and the Great Wall -- all very awesome. Some photos. thoughts to come later.

Beam Me Up Scotty!

OK -- so yeah -- i work for Cisco -- i'm sitting in a hotel in Hong Kong right now -- our stock has dropped over 10% because we beat estimates yet had a cautious tone for the next quarter (dang US economy ;-). Now this is amazing... this is why i work for Cisco -- we are doing it -- i won't have to fly to meet in person. this is the next gen of telepresence... amazing stuff...

this is why i'm not worried about what the market did today -- we are truly taking the network to the next level

check it out...