INVENTING A NEW TRAVEL STYLE--PART III

HOW TO ENGAGE----TO MATTER----TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE:
1. Become an audience;
2. Throw a party;
3. Give something away.

This morning we're marching our way to "church"

We pause briefly at the entrance to LOW road --showing signs to various organizations----LOW's (Loners on Wheels) ----Karma Kitchen and down at the bottom--(tiny red and black checkerboard thing) Our sign WINs (Wandering Individuals Network) The second lady in line is the Famous "Trish" Who leads caravans to wild and wonderful places--Alaska sometimes.  She is worth a separate entry.  

But I digress---We're on our way here.  My Co-host Joanne has arranged a group interview of the Pastor about life at the Slabs.

And here we are---It was a Wowser.  From a summer low population of about 50 to a winter high of about 500.  Most surprising revelation: He speculates that many come here to die--older--broken--men mostly who just want to die anonymously and fade from sight (on the county's nickle)--not wishing to trouble their kids or relatives.

He introduces Dave---His assistant---and a Bible Scholar. Don't be misled by his appearance--he carries himself with dignity---speaks intelligently.  The interview went so well that Joann declared on the spot that we would throw a party for all our new friends.  The date was set. 

Oh how I love to crank things up----so when I heard about a diminutive, mysterious, individual living in the bushes with a friendly mule, I resolved to find and invite them.  Maybe they will come to the party.  I find the place easily and approach warily.

And surprisingly---am received warmly--invited to photograph.  It is a tiny girl/woman?--who tells me she has lived at the Slabs for years---then drove to Montana in search of a small Mule/companion/pet.

She lets me pet APPLEJACK.  I introduce myself. She tells me she is known as "LITTLEBIT" or HALFPINT .  I tell her about our party and ask if she will make a surprise entrance to thrill everyone.

She says "OK".

The group bicycles around this unique square mile looking for other interesting folks to invite. 

The Day of the party.  We prepare a pot luck for our guest.

They come---and eat---and talk with us. Our guitarist entertain. We sit down to eat,  I have told them to expect a special guest.  They wonder who.  And Then---And then---

"She" appears out of nowhere---like the hero in a western movie.  She pauses for full effect----Cameras click---I grin---Perfect!

I welcome her invite her to come and dine.

And she does--Ambling through the silent awe her presence inspires --her chaps rustle with each step--spurs jangle--the hunting knife on her belt commands respect.  She knows she is a quiet  sensation. I sit and eat with her ---just a bit atwitter--trying not to say silly things.  was surprised at her gentleness and openness.

Then I performed.  Hard to resist a friendly audience.  Quoted my signature poem "The Magic of Motion."

Then persuaded Lois---the preacher's wife--to sing for us--a very touching moment for us all.  We learned that she has no friends in the conventional sense---her role as pastors wife isolates her.  But we gave her a golden moment---with applause and request for an encore.  She beamed with satisfaction and sang another----that she had written---about life at the slabs.  

Then Joann sprang our big surprise for the Preacher and his wife----presenting them with a few hundred dollars worth of food we purchased for them in town.  They promptly gave it away to needy families the next day.  What a great afternoon!

And to make good on my promise ---here's the famous walking cane that put really good shoes on a family of seven.  (good story---hope to tell it next time when I wrap up our Slabs experiment)

RANDY PHILOSOPHIZES:  Goal accomplished---We abandoned the spectator role---diving (carefully but clearly) into the lives of those around us.  The experiment went eeriely well---in this most challenging environment.  So satisfying--that I may just abandon bystander journalism altogether.  I want to get personal with everyone in my orbit.  (unless my "radar" beeps)

Already it's affected my approach to the guy living in a (literal) house of sticks. (an upcoming story)

Why Web OS Really Failed, and What it Means for the Rest of Us

The New York Times has an interesting article this week explaining why HP's adventure with Palm failed.  The latest explanation is that Web OS just wasn't ready for prime time, according to Paul Mercer, who was senior director of software at Palm (link).

Paul's an extremely bright software guy.  It's unusual for someone with his seniority to go on the record with criticisms of his former product, and I applaud him for it because it helps us all learn.  If Paul says Web OS was unready, I'm sure it was.  But respectfully, I don't think that's why Web OS failed. I think the company's business strategy was fundamentally flawed, in ways that would have almost certainly doomed Web OS no matter how it was built.

The point is important because other companies planning similar products might take away the wrong lesson from Palm's demise.  (For example, Information Week concludes that it's too hard for any startup to play in the mobile device market [link]; MIT Technology Review says the lesson is that you have to retain key employees [link].)  To explain what the right lesson is, I need to give you a little background on the dynamics of creating a new operating system.


New operating systems always suck

Sorry for my language, but sometimes it's best to be blunt.  An operating system is an incredibly complex piece of software, just about the most complex software you can write.  In the first version of an OS, the list of features you want to add is always much longer than what you can implement, there are always bugs you can't find, and performance is always a problem.  What's worse, there is a built-in tension between those three problems -- the more features you add, the more bugs you create.  The more time you spend fixing bugs, the less time you have to improve performance.  And so on.  As a result, every new operating system, without exception, is an embarrassing set of compromises that frustrates its creators and does not deliver on the full promise of its vision. 

Remember these beauties?

--The original Macintosh can't create a word processing document longer than 10 pages.

--The original version of Windows can't display overlapping windows.

--The original iPhone doesn't allow third-party native apps, and lacks 3G and MMS support.

The operating systems that succeed are the ones that survive long enough for their big flaws to be fixed.  That happens if the OS's supporter has a deep, multi-version commitment to it (Windows) or if the OS does something else so compelling that customers are willing to buy it despite its flaws (graphics on the Mac).  Your chances are best if you have both patience and differentiation.


Palm's problem: Lack of a compelling advantage

The Palm Pre and HP TouchPad had neither advantage.  Palm was not rich enough and HP was not patient enough to keep investing after the first versions showed a lot of flaws.  And more importantly, there was nothing compelling enough about either product to make people buy it despite those flaws.

Think about it, what was the one special thing Web OS devices could do that absolutely compelled you to go out and buy them?  And don't say "multitasking;" I'm talking about a genuine, easily explained benefit that would appeal to normal people, not technophiles.

I wrote about this problem back in 2010 when the Palm put itself up for sale (link).  To recap: you don't run TV ads featuring a Borg hive queen if you have something compelling to say about your product (link).

Hi, I'm here because the ad agency couldn't figure out anything concrete to say

Contrast those ads to Apple's current iPhone ads in the US, which are basically a 30-second demo of Siri (link).


The original Palm OS succeeded because it made a great appliance for managing your calendar and address book.  That jump-started the market, and all the additional stuff empowered by the OS came later.

iPhone succeeded, in my opinion, because it was the first device to make PC-style browsing work well on a smartphone.  That killer feature bought Apple the time and market credibility it needed to enable native apps, fix the phone's problems, and add a raft of additional features that fleshed out the product vision.

Android succeeded (in part) because Apple stupidly left a void in the marketplace that Google could fill.  In the wake of Steve Jobs' death, there has been a lot of well-deserved praise online for the brilliant decisions he made.  But I think one of Steve's biggest mistakes ever was the decision to wed Apple exclusively to AT&T in the US for multiple years.  That forced Verizon to find an iPhone competitor and market it aggressively.  Verizon's choices were Windows Mobile (unpopular with customers, and a vendor with a history of shafting its partners), Nokia/Symbian (unpopular in the US, and a vendor with a history of shafting operators), or Google (sexy web brand, believed at the time to be open and non-controlling).  People outside the US don't realize this, but in the US Verizon was the main marketing muscle behind the success of Android.  It forced the product into the market and kept pushing for a long time, giving Google the time it needed to improve Android and get it past the crucial first release.

The Pre and TouchPad had no patient sugar daddy.  And they had no breakthrough feature that would compel people to buy the first versions despite their inevitable flaws.  I think Palm's product strategy was broken, and so Web OS was probably doomed no matter how well it was implemented.


The lesson: Who's your daddy, and what's your killer feature?

Two companies are working on new mobile platforms scheduled to ship in 2012:  Nokia's next-generation Windows phones, and RIM's BlackBerry 10.  In both cases, the press has been focusing on their development schedules.  The schedules are very important, of course.  But the real questions to ask are:

1. Do they have the financial backing to complete versions 2 and 3, which will be needed to fix the inevitable flaws in version 1? and

2. Will the products do anything unique and compelling that will cause at least some customers to prefer them even if they have other drawbacks?

I think Nokia can probably say yes to question 1; RIM is in doubt.  And as far as I can tell, neither vendor has even started to address question 2.  If they don't, in a year or two we'll probably be doing more post-mortems.

INVENTING A NEW TRAVEL STYLE---PART II

For those who've not read part one: 30 friends and I are visiting the Infamous Slabs intent on a bold experiment:

VISITING WITH VIGOR-----MAKING THINGS HAPPEN (as well as) LETTING THINGS HAPPEN----PARTICIPATING SPECTATORS.

Effie leads this morning---cross country to the Northeastern edge of this square mile where Container Charlie lived and built his quirky museum.  A few months ago he dropped dead of a heart attack.  We want to know what happened to his art work.  His family had no interest in it we were told.

Luke (always out front) enters first.

Well this is something new---wasn't there last year---nor the "flash" car on the left.

And this is new---Charlie loved to half bury things

A mammoth made of tires---it's been tweaked a bit.

A bottle wall---that's new also.  Someone, it seems has taken up the mantle of quirk and is wearing it well.

Many of you will remember this buried bus---good story of a group on a mission---that ended right here. (too long to tell)

Someone moved into it and made it livable by constructing a level floor inside.

Remember this?  It's called XANADONT--a play on XANADU (Shelly poem)

Ah---we meet the new caretakers---Even a quirky museum abhors a vacuum.  Meet Penny--the new, cheerful docent who welcomes us---invites us into the inner sanctum.

Where we meet the entire caretaker community.  Meet "Kat" and company.

Of course you want a closer look at him---as I did.  Amazingly, he was undefensive (a trait I wildly admire) about his odd tattoos

Shows off one of the t-shirts that Charlie made to generate revenue.  He called his place "East Jesus".

Prepare yourself for the backside......

Now you get some sense of Charlie's ----Humor??

His kitchen---being put to good use---I presume.

When they learned that I had written Charlie's memorial poem---they offered to show us his remains.

We are led into an alter- like cove. 

They honor me with a baggie inverted over my hand---allowed to dip in and get a pinch of Charlie as a keepsake. (I will do something interesting with you charlie)

Now here's the spooky part.  As I left---on a whim---I turned and snapped a shot of him.  Do you see what I see?  That's not my reflection in the mirror----I swear to you it looks like Charlie---in the flesh.

Wait!----I'll go get a shot of him--so you can judge.

Charlie--adressing visitors 2 years ago.---See what I mean?

RANDY PHILOSOPHIZES:  Oh I'm not superstitious in the least.  If there were such things as ghosts--I would make it a point to enjoy them. When I noticed this surprising image I flashed on the strange lady I photographed peering into Lido's Ballroom in Tierra Amarillo: http://mobilecodgers.blogspot.com/2011/08/last-dance-at-litos-ballroom.html

I think what we've learned today is that our doings---our beings---have momentum.  Charlie's life and vision persist----and inspires.  And yours will too---for good or ill.  A Better legacy than fame or riches is to have set something in motion.

P.S. Haven't forgotten the "walking stick story"---it's up next.

INVENTING A NEW TRAVEL STYLE

ENOUGH WITH BYSTANDER JOURNALISM!  ENOUGH WITH "SPECTATORISM"----I WILL GO AND "DANCE" WITH THE LOCALS----I WILL GO AND "STIR" THE POT.  I INVITE 30 OF MY BOLDER FRIENDS TO GO WITH ME----TO THE INFAMOUS "SLABS". People here are a mite touchy about visitors who gawk and go---so I propose we dig in for a 10 day stay---stretch our imagination for ways to get up close and personal---to engage---learn---teach--appreciate.

We each arrive separately---having discovered the many disadvantages of caravaning.  Our advance man--George--has selected a suitable camping area and phoned its coordinates to us. Those not already acquainted with the slabs click here for a briefing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slab_City

A distance shot showing the barren nothingness that has become a world celebrated happening.

Early arrivers select an assembly spot and gather firewood. Behind my rig you can see rigs of another adventurous group --- the Boondockers and behind them is a mega club---the LOWs (Loners on Wheels) who camp at the Slabs all winter long.

We assemble---are entertained by two guitarist---then make plans to "get personal" with the locals.

We begin next morning with a new kind of hike--we will march in a line (greater visual effect) behind a "leader".  At each stop, the leader goes to the rear and the next person becomes leader and must choose a destination for us.  Sure enough---people noticed our "march" and out of curiosity (I suppose) were willing to engage us.

Leaving the famous "range" night club area---Trish leads us to our next stop.

And a great one it was---At another club called The Stage Door. (focuses on children)  This pretty lady told us all about their home schooling program and assorted ongoing projects such as movie night and a documentary on homelessness being filmed by their father.  Just days later her pretty face and story was featured on CBS nightly news.

Next, we are led to the Oasis club.

Where Linda invited us in for a 30 minute Q&A.  The takeaway for me was that really good, warm, community can be generated anywhere and a pretty good clubhouse can be built for about $500.

The spunky lady leading this nightime adventure is Joann---my co-host.  She is famous for her creative ideas.  This one we called a "spooky walk sing sing"----because we boldly marched into the spooky areas with candlelight---singing christmas carols to people living in bushes and other odd places.

We returned to the Stage door and serenaded these kids--who came bounding out of the bus they are living in.  Despite their circumstances, they seemed spirited and happy.  They too were featured on the CBS nightly news.

RANDY PHILOSOPHIZES: Oh sweet people--I've only begun to report this saga.  In part two I will report how we got seriously heart to heart with slab citizens. I will show you a remarkable walking stick that put really good shoes on all these kids.

A New Survey on Information Management

I'd like to interrupt the usual programming here to ask you a favor.

The startup I'm working on will ship its first product in 2012.  As part of our development, we'd like to get some data on how people are affected by information overload.  We hope our product will help with that problem, but we need to understand better how people feel about the problem and what they're doing about it today.  So we're doing a survey.

I think that you, the folks who read Mobile Opportunity, are a very good cross-section of technology users, so I'd like to ask you to take the survey.  I know you have much better things to do with your time than fill out a survey, but we could really use your help.  It'll take about ten minutes, and it's almost all multiple choice.  I'll share the results here, so you can learn more about your fellow readers and how you compare to them.

To go to the survey, click here.  Note: The survey is now closed.  You can read about the results here.

Once our company gets closer to launching, I will start up a separate weblog to talk about the product.  I'll also keep on writing Mobile Opportunity, with its current focus.

Thanks in advance for your help.  I really appreciate it.  And I'll have a new post for you next week.  It's a pretty long one that I've been working on for a while.

IS THIS A LIFE WELL LIVED?

I INTRODUCE TO YOU A REAL LIVE FOREST GUMP--A SIMPLE GENIUS.  I've known him for 20 years and the feelings I have for him are similar to the feelings I felt for the movie character. I don't think he would be offended by the comparison.  And, like Forest Gump, the effect my friend has had on the world is  way, way disproportionate to his intellect. In fact it is very likely you have seen him on the silver screen in the movie INTO THE WILD--produced by Sean Penn.  Royalty checks still come to him.

Meet leonard Knight---artist--Christian--a man with a message.

I took this picture one year ago.

He lives here!

He made this!  It is called Salvation Mountain--located 3 miles east of Niland,Ca.in a very un-scenic desert. 27 years of labor are represented. Tour busses bring the curious to view it.

Here are the most recently used-up paint cans.  An estimated 100,000 of them were used in the painted mud art work---all donated by well wishers. 

And here he is a few days ago---clearly Leonard is in decline.

Here's the full story: http://www.salvationmountain.us/bio.html

His spirits rise when I sing a song to him---he joins me: "Jesus loves me---this I know---for the Bible tells me so---If I love him when I die---he will take me home on high". I have interviewed him several times over the years. Once I ask him for his religious views.  He said I was the first person who had ever asked.  His theology is heartrendingly simple and childlike:  God loves us---wants us to repent and accept Jesus---and love each other. Little did I suspect that this very day would mark the end of his career----for in the night he was taken to the hospital---diagnosed as incapable of managing his life and will be sent to an El Cajon, Ca nursing home.  Word quickly spread through the Slabs and perhaps around the world.

I seize the opportunity to quiz his caretaker Kevin Eubank MSW who protected and befriended the ailing artist these last few years. He told me that Leonard has asperger syndrome--a mild form of autism with the downside of  diminished ability to read social cues (and the host of relational problems that entails) BUT with the upside of a super ability to FOCUS  and PERSIST.  Want to know more? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger_syndrome

I think you may be surprised at the famous people (allegedly) affected--for good and ill-- by it: 

                                            http://www.asperger-syndrome.me.uk/people.htm

 Leonard came to this spot 27 years ago bringing a giant home-made hot air balloon that he tediously pieced together from scraps-- thinking the desert environment would make inflating it easier--it didn't and eventually that years-long project was abandoned.  He lingered awhile-- long enough to generate another vision---paint his message---GOD IS LOVE-- on the nearby hill---and then plunged headlong into the task FOR THE NEXT 26 YEARS.

RANDY PHILOSOPHIZES:----Is this a life well spent? ---He seemed happy-- told me he was excited each day to work on the mountain----delighted by everyone's support: (people donated equipment, vehicles, paint)--- (the nearby restaurant gave him free meals) ---But he lived a lifetime without intimate friends---or lovers--pushed them away, Kevin said.  I find it interesting that larger minds--(-like Kevins'--- as well as writers, photographers) centered on him--gathered around him at various times for inspiration---just as they did around Forest Gump. Perhaps we are drawn to people not afraid to commit---to something--anything---people who by genetic defect are not troubled by the anxiety of meaninglessness.  We complicated, confused personalities (most of us) might sometimes envy those simple spirits who dive boldly into---anything.  They at least have the courage to dive.  I may well  have dabbled my life away as a dilettante.  I've been discussing the title question for a week now with my friends--I have answered no--- that life is a smorgasbord of infinite dishes and that Leonard stopped--tragically-- at the bread.  But in the end, they persuaded me that the answer is yes--by my own criterion of a good life: RESPONDING TO ONES FASCINATIONS-----WAKING UP ONES CREATIVITY-----SHARING ONES ADVENTURE.  Leonard did these three things and his brain seemingly glowed for a lifetime AND INCIDENTALLY , THE WORLD BEAT A PATH TO HIS DOOR.

UPDATE ON THE HUMAN TROLL

IF YOU DOUBT THAT HUMAN TROLLS EXIST-----check out this blog from last year: http://mobilecodgers.blogspot.com/2011/02/bates-motel-human-troll.html

I find myself in the same area and would like an update.  Here was a gentleman with a limited income but who wished to stay forever drunk.  And so he found this free place to live so that his income of $600 a month could be devoted to his passion.  Apparently a person can stay inebriated and even eat on $20 a day.

My readers may remember that I was probing about in this old abandoned Motel near the Salton Sea when I met him---bellowing out at me from one of the dark rooms.  My companion managed to soothe him and a good interview followed.  This day, the Motel seems unchanged--strewn with trash.

The gentleman is nowhere to be seen---but it appears he stills dens here.

Two couches have been added to the kitchen area.

And a couch graces his summer sleeping area. (It's about 118 degrees here most summer days) I have a suspicion where he may be---about a half mile away--I will go look for him.

Here is where I surmise he would hang out.   Wait---is that him I see there playing cards?

Yes it is----I Meet Mark again---he doesn't remember me till I mention my lady companion--then he brightens up.  What I really want to see is how staying drunk 365 days a year is affecting him.

To my amazement---he is doing fine---and as if to punctuate that conclusion, this lovely lady comes over to share the photograph.  I chat awhile to detect if he is again drunk----and yes he is.

RANDY PHILOSOPHIZES:  If anything, he seems more alive and alert than last year.  Maybe a person can stay drunk for years---with that as the only focus of their lives.  I see that he has at least 3 friends---two of them were drunk also.  They invited me to join their poker game. I speculate on his likely fate----screaming into the night--with the DT's ---and no one to hear---and to be found dead in his "motel room".  That is what happened to "Shorty" my childhood friend---we found him in his abandoned school bus/den in my hometown.