Today's Ann Arbor highlight

It's Saturday
There's a fresh 9 inches of snow on the ground
And it's -11C with a real feel temperature closer to -20c

And the highlight, starred, must do event in town?
A guided tour around a trash heap...




Holy sweet Jesus mother of Christ Allah Buddha Krishna get me the fuck outta here

Oh - just read the forecast....



Let me say that again

Holy sweet Jesus mother of Christ Allah Buddha Krishna get me the fuck outta here

Racing the snow

It's cold here today... and getting colder.

Storms are racing in from a shuttered Chicago.

We've been promised 12 inches overnight (I've been promised that before but under more chat room circumstances... didn't ever transpire; c'est la net)



The temperatures here are in Farenheit.... -20f is -33c

Itching to take some pics

Newport Beach Ferris Wheel
Originally uploaded by Thomas Hawk

I'm really itching to take some pictures at the moment.

But of course the weather isn't playing ball - and I'm a little short on inspiration at the moment -- there are only so many badly lit self portraits to be taken.

What I need is a trip. A photo trip. Somewhere nearby.

Anyone have any suggestions?

This is what I'm thinking about at the moment

ford fusion 2010
Originally uploaded by jalopnik

The 2010 Ford Fusion kicks ass. Seriously.

The hybrid gets 41mpg in the city (that's 49mpg for the UK folks) - a whopping 8mpg more than Toyota's same sized hybrid. It drives less like a slug too. And it's got a 390W stereo, an 8 inch navigation screen, voice recognition (even for your i-pod), a 6 speed box, blind spot monitoring, cross traffic alert and cup holders that light up in various colors. The last Fusion was America's most reliable car. Every review of the new one has it winning its tests by miles. And I haven't even started on the gauge system - which is very video game-y and really rather fabulous.

Should sell itself right?

Well nobody can get credit right now
And a lot of people are worried about losing jobs; so new cars are out
The auto industry has declined as a whole by about a 3rd vs this time last year
People believe that the big three make shoddy gas guzzlers
And that belief is almost unshakable.
The news is full of bailout stories
And Detroit seems to make people angry

So it's a case of excellence in the face of uncertainty, prejudice and anger.

Should be an interesting couple of months.

It really, genuinely does kick ass though

All aboard the start-up

siggi's
Originally uploaded by khoalaMA

2009 certainly is looking kinda scrappy and adventurous for the people that I know at the moment.

I have one friend finishing a book about magician's assistants
Another (less close friend) launching his own yogurt brand
Another has launched a gift exchange / gallery in London
A fourth is looking at a knowledge exchange idea
A smart cookie is looking at the Opportunity Identification market
Another has become a political commentator

Almost all come from advertising and are keeping the money rolling in via that channel. But they all have a better idea. And I like that.

I'm working on a couple of book thoughts that this year will actually get written - mainly because I too am looking to cut my 'working for the man' week by a fair bit. Not sure that they'll get published, but there you go.

I tell you - it's gonna be a year of scary messiness, tangled webs and (hopefully) beautiful model mutations.

2009 - the year of Frankenstein Fruit

2009 is shaping up to be the year of Frankenstein Fruit.

All of the smart people that I know (and I know more than I should I realize) are out looking for new ways of doing business. New models. New ideas. New ways of thinking. New ways of being paid.

It seems that there's a belief out there that the machine grown fat on the complacency of easy profit is suddenly awake and hungry again. Hungry to grow leaner, fitter, to get back some of its spark and energy.



Actually it's a lot like the heart attack victim who survives and heads for the gym mind full of thoughts of gratitude and promises of Iron Man Triathalons to come.

And all of the smart people are looking for ways to train him. Ways to break him of bad habits. Ways to make him fitter.

It won't be pretty - they're interested in ideas not in polish. And it might mean some unholy alliances between schools of thought but this Frankensteinion (?) new world might just lead to something better. And that has to be exciting - right?

Late resolutions

So the resolutions this year are pretty big but also pretty achievable I think



1. I want to throw myself at the job I'm in right now and get some great work out

2. I want my French to be good enough to venture out alone by the time we get to Montreal

3. I want to keep the fitness thing going so that I can recreate the photo here as our Xmas Card next year



4. I want to run in the Santa Speedo run in Philly





5. I want to see great work out in the world and feel smug rather than jealous