April 2009I found the following interview of Hartmut Esslinger by Guy Kawazaki about Design really great. I like Kawazaki's questions. They lead to good answers. Here are some some elements of Esslinger's answers I recognize in my daily work. Passion and Courage "Excellent products require more then just a good designer or a good design agency?they require humanistic and cultural vision, courage and discipline in execution" I had already noted this in one of my books on Strategy: "Passion and courage distinguish those who lead from those who manage" (The Art and Discipline of Strategic Leadership - Mike Freedman). And indeed, I have experienced that when I want to design an ambitious system, I need the support of a visionnary executive. My problem is : I always design ambitious systems. So most of the time people don't understand (no vision) or don't follow (no courage), which often creates me some frustration. Innovation "The professional task of innovation includes to balance technological advancements with social relevance and sustainability".At IBM we call it "innvovation that matters" and it's one of our 3 IBM values. So called "Innovation funnel" techniques can be also applied. It was the subject of my MBA Thesis applied to Software AG Belgium's Go-To-Market Strategy. Who is a designer ? ?Design? isn?t a clear-cut talent profession, but one of coordination and catalyst between human needs, science and technology, business and economy, as well as sociology and ecology. The artistic talent required is more of an enabler at the end of rational and emotional analysis as well as strategic conceptualization It makes me think about the definition of an Architect by Vitruvius and the numerous "Soft Skills" IBM Certified Architects need to demonstrate. Personal Conclusions... When I think about Passion, Innovation & Design I realize I'm probably indeed a good candidate for "Designer", or "Architect" (there is a difference between Architecture and Design but it's another story). Those elements are very close to my heart. My only "problem" is that design only doesn't satisfy me completely. I would like to see the impact of Ambitious Designs on the bottom line, this will eventually lead me on the path of Entrepreneurship and Business Development.  
(En Français à la fin) In November last year, I was looking for an association which could give a second life to 2 bicycles I don't use anymore. Via O2Bikers I found such an association : L'atelier vélo de VOOT.  So today I gave them 2 bikes : a GT Timberline (1993, I think)  and a Specialized Stumpjumper Comp (1996)  Let's hope Voot will allow them a few more rides. En Français: En Novembre l'année passée je cherchais une association qui pourrait donner une seconde vie à deux vélos que je n'utilisait plus. Via O2Bikers, J'ai trouvé une telle association : Les ateliers vélos de la rue Voot. Je leur ai donné les deux vélos ci-dessus. Espérons que mes deux vélos aient une belle deuxième vie !    En lisant cet article (Nos vies sur Internet, à perpète) que j'ai trouvé via un Twit de FrenchWeb, je me demandais si j'ai déjà été écarté par certaines personnes à cause de ce que j'ai blogué. C'est bien possible car depuis mon MBA je suis souvent très critique vis-à-vis du top management - voir par exemple, mon article sur la creative class. La crise financière conforte mes opinions, d'ailleurs. Faut-il arrêter de dire ce qu'on a envie au cas où ce qu'on blogge ne va pas plaire ? Faut-il avoir peur du qu'en dira t'on ? Je ne pense pas; Au contraire, je préfère m'associer avec des gens qui me connaissent vraiment et qui m'acceptent comme je suis. Comme disait un de mes amis surfeur à l'université: "I prefer to die on my feets than to live on my knees"  March 2009 On February 28th (2*14) 2009!  
"L'utilisation de logicels libres permet de réaliser des économies spectaculaires, sans sacrifier la qualité. Ainsi, un ordinateur fixe (tour) peut vous être proposé à partir de 239 euros, un ultra-portable à 269 euros, et un portable classique à partir de 449 euros." Voir http://www.pclibre.be/ 
 A l'Ecailler du Palais Royal, on boit au bar du champagne comme on boit ailleurs un café sur le zinc puis on passe à table pour du poisson et des crustacés les langoustes sont exposées le saumon est découpé les homards sont préparés comme si la mer était sur la place du sablon A l'Ecailler du Palais Royal, Les clients ne parlent pas de la crise il préferent parler de leurs vacances en Afrique du sud ou de leur investissements dans l'immobilier A l'Ecailler du Palais Royal le service est impeccable les garcons se pressent à satisfaire au plus vite avec le sourire les palais des clients qui n'ont pas l'habitude d'attendre leur poisson L'Ecailler du Palais Royal   Ce weekend, fur varié : 60 Km de vélo (40 samedi et 20 dimanche), un très bon diner à l' Ecailler du Palais Royal, un demi-pecha kucha, deux films à la TV et du shopping bien sur... Ce soir sera cool dans mon bain - probablement.   I was reading the Entreprise Architecture message board on Linked In when I bounced again on this definition of an Architect by Vitruvius: "The ideal architect should be a person of letters, a mathematician, familiar with historical studies, a diligent student of philosophy, acquainted with music, not ignorant of medicine, learned in the responses of jurisconsults, familiar with astronomy and astronomical calculations."?Vitruvius, circa 25 BC See the part on the education of the architect here: http://www.lih.gre.ac.uk/histhe/vitruvius.htm  peaceride is following me on Twitter. I don't know him but his website is a cool thing : The Colorado Peace Ride. I like the concept : "For avid cyclists and weekend enthusiasts, alike ? or simply for volunteers who want to make a difference in the world ? the Colorado Peace Ride provides an opportunity for all of us to contribute to world peace." Maybe something for the future. One of my dreams being to go around the world with my bicycle - planned in 2020 :-)  Another boring meeting
Yesterday I had an IBM course where we did a "lobby" session. The goal was to be able to get in contact with the key people of the project during a drink. This reminded me an article I have read on the Art of Schmoozing. The art of schmoozing consists of establishing a relationship before you need it... See here : The Art of Schmoozing  Voici une page pour ceux qui on fait la nuit B?douine avec nous. Vous trouverez ici les images : http://picasaweb.google.com/jfdeclercq/20090306BalladeDromadaire
Et voici un petit film... PS : Si vous trouvez que ces images sont une atteinte a votre vie privée, dites-le moi et je supprimerai les photos correspondantes. February 2009
Pas le temps de blogger. Il y a pourtant plusieurs sujets que je voudrais documenter : ORM, Salon des vacances, ILOG... Sur 20 services web2.0 que j'utilise, je me demande combien vont survivre...Cfr http://www.jfdeclercq.com/index.php?pagename=SocialNetworks
Last monday I was in Lagaude (near Nice, France) for a visit of the IBM SOA Center of Excellence. It was very interesting. It's also a very nice environment. The goal was to brief one of our customers on several SOA and Industry Solutions. At the end of the day, we also visited the Industry Solution Center which brings deep dive into most relevant business issues through scenario based demonstrations. For example, solutions in the Consumer Products Center are presented using a scenario which is customised for you. There is a Consumer Home, Retail Store, Manufacturer/ Retail DC and HQ Office so that solutions can be seen in their proper context.  You can have an overview of Lagaude it here : http://www-05.ibm.com/fr/ibmforum/lagaude/overview.html |
