linkerjpatrick

In case you haven’t noticed yet I am shifting things around a bit.  I removed some blog categories and for the time being have reverted to a simplier theme and also removed a few posts.  I may revert back to the theme I had been using after a few days but I want to make some adjustments. I definitely want to use this “personal blog” to share more of my “personal life” but I seriously leaning towards my passions of still photography, audio recording and video as ways share time with family, friends, explorations, business and creative ideas.

It’s my desire the use the “linker” part of my “name” as a way to show how we can preserve memories and make stronger connections in the present day with photography, audio and video.  Still fine tuning things but I think I have a firmer grasp on how to give this blog a better niche.

I’ve been meaning to do one of these for a while. Every morning I fire up my newsreader software, Newsfire, to see what web sites have been updated via RSS. It’s interested to see and occasionally monitor what headlines and first paragraph summary caught my eye to the point I wanted to click and read more. Here is a list of the tabs I currently have open in Firefox and afterwards a bit of observation of what these caught my eye.

• Developers Welcome Snow Leopard
• God Given Potential
• Trendspotting: Opportunity comes in very small windows
• Lindsey Graham: ‘I need to keep being me’
• Snow Leopard takes on Exchange, SharePoint
• World’s First Renewable Gasoline
• I’m Voting Republican (It’s a parody video)
• 6 Aging Rockers Who Look A Lot Like Grandmas

Two of the above linked article are about Apple next version of it’s operating system and I’m finding it interesting that it’s going to be less front end feature rich and more optimized and at the same time will play a lot more friendly with Microsoft technologies. I love Apple but I’m also a real world user who appreciates that they are trying to be more friendly and work in the business world.

The article on God Given Potential was written by a lady who is a friend of mine in a local business network. She recently lost her husband to cancer and has since then been written this encouraging Christian blog. My faith is important to me and her passion for both her faith and her new found interest in blogging is encouraging.

Another two links are politically based. One about our sometimes controversial U.S. senator and the other link is a parody video that says one thing but actually supports the democrats. I’m a very mixed person politically. I grew up in a very southern democratic family that despised Republicans (except for some rare exceptions) but when I was first able to vote during a presidential election I voted for Reagan and have been pretty conservative ever since. I never vote a straight ticket out of pure principle. I will consider anyone no matter what their party (within reason). I’m more of a libertarian by principle but I’m very strong on some conservative issues that some libertarians are not.

The Trendspotting article was written by a local person who has a great blog on branding and branding is one of my favorite topics to read about as my business does a lot of work helping clients have consistent branding. Another topic I am passionate about is innovation and the Renewable Gasoline article really caught my eye. Finally I love humor, sometimes dark and ironic humor. The article with photos about aging male rockers who look like grandmas really puts things into perspective as it pointed out the result of their goofy hair style choices and years of hard living.

Interesting how clicking on a few links can confirm a little more about the “deeper me” but through this blog I can communicate it to others as well. What links to you follow this morning through newsreaders, e-mails, etc? How do your interest in them reveal more about the deeper you?

Tags: ideas, technology

You know I am fascinated by and inspired by the ways we can be linked together as people through family, business networks, friends and technology. However recently my wife and I were effected by a broken link. My wife’s dad passed away this past week. As christians we believe he has literally gone to a better place free from suffering and full of joy but on this side of eternity the grief come from the broken link of not being about talk, visit, learn and be encouraged by him. This is the sadness we all feel when we loss a loved one and one who is a part of our life. Not only is it a link to that one person but their stories and other connections to others that sadly we often lose during their passing.

My wife’s uncle and her dad’s oldest brother also passed away earlier this year and during both funerals video presentations of their lives were shown on the screen in the church and we also heard stories from their lives from other families members we never heard before.

We will all have broken links at the passing of friends and family during our life time and we ourselves will be a broken link someday. While links may be broken for a time I highly encourage you to take photos, have conversations, talk to others about stories and ask ourselves what kind of memories we are leaving with others. What values, adventures and innovations will others link you to when you are remembered?

Almost every funeral I have been to I have been encouraged to carry the torch of the one who passed by doing those things they valued and added to the world in a positive way. Links may be broken but in memories what new links can you forge?

Tags: family, ideas

The video I mentioned I was putting together from my staff reunion is finished, well at least the first draft anyway. I may do a “special edition” later.

I had a great weekend at the Camp Old Indian Staff Reunion. I had actually been looking forward to this reunion for two years since the last reunion around the last part of March in 2006. We had a rather small and informal gathering during a Wed. during summer camp of of 2007 but in a lot of ways this years was better than the 2006 in a lot of ways; the weather was warmer, some people showed up who did not show at at the original one and the group of attendees stayed together in groups more to share stories, etc. I like to compare it the the original Star Wars trilogy in that nothing can surpass the experience of seeing the first Star Wars movie but the Empire Strikes Back was better in it’s story depth, effects and characters.

I was better prepared for this particular reunion was I was able to take better photos and made a point to compose them better than the previous time. Another project I attempted was to photograph the staff leathers in the dinning hall as a photographic attempt as preservation. I also took my video camera and I’m currently in the process of putting together a short video. I’m having fun with that but it may still be several days before it’s ready to be shared.

I was also happy to see two of my best friends and cabin mates from my days of working on camp staff and finally I got to see a waterfall that of course had always been there but during my time of going to summer camp and working on camp staff I never saw it because there was not good trail access as it was on the backside of an old lake which for all practical purposes is a swamp. right before I left I took a photo of the camp as the sun was setting and the day was coming to an end. I great weekend for connecting with friends and for perfecting my photography and video skills.

Tags: Carolina, friendship, mountains, photography, projects

This weekend I will be attended the second official Camp Old Indian Staff Reunion. The last large scale reunion was two years ago and was attended by people who worked at Camp Old Indian from the late 1960’s to the present day.

I worked on the staff of Camp Old Indian, a Boy Scout camp in Northern Greenville County, SC near the North Carolina border between 1983 and 1989 during my high school and college years.

I am looking forward to reconnecting with former co-workers, writing some drafts for my Camp Old Indian blog and doing a lot of photography, maybe some video as well as posting an audio to this blog via Utterz.

Tags: Camp Old Indian, friendship, mountains, photography