A little while back, someone, via Facebook, asked me to write 25 things about me, so I wrote 25 random things, well, more 25 things in a stream of though. This not only tells specifics about me, but can give you, as the reader, a good feel how my mind works. It's a bit unconventional. 

1) I flew to New York to see Madeline Peyroux because I missed her when she was in Louisville, my home town. The regret of not seeing her amplified in my mind, until I broke down and went to see her. http://www.madeleinepeyroux.com/
2) While in New York for a Madeline Peyroux show, I saw a 400% Evil Devil Robots kubrick be@rbrick at Toy Tokyo. It was one of the most impressive things I've seen. 
3) The regret of not buying that Devil Robot amplified in my mind until I ordered it online, along with two to-fu bobble heads. 
4) When I got the Devil Robot, I put in on a shelf in my dining room next to my autographed Mr Potato Head. Yes, I have an autographed Mr Potato Head. It's Way Cool.
5) I got the Potato Head from a dear friend, we came close to dating, she was my first relationship after my divorce. 
6) My divorce was the hardest thing I've ever been through. It tore me up, and completely changed my life. 
7) After the divorce, I owned a bakery. I even baked a gluten free cake for a friend's son. 
8) I was in a stay-at-home dad group with the gluten-fee kid and his dad, the Louisville Lads. 
9) While doing dad stuff with my kids, we threw our jack-o-lanterns off the Second Street Bridge in Louisville (very close to the the same spot Muhammad Ali threw his gold metal off the bridge after not being served in a Louisville Restaurant). 
10) My boys and I built a 1 foot tall trebuchet out of legos, and wanted to build a larger one to launch pumpkins into the river. 
11) The best theme park I've been to was Legoland in San Diego. 
12) My two sons and I have had season passes to Holiday World, in Santa Clause, Indiana.
13) While in college at University of Evansville, my Japanese girlfriend persuaded me to drive her to Santa Clause, IN so her Christmas Cards could be postmarked from Santa Clause. 
14) I was the founding president of Japan Club at Ball State University. 
15) I was president of the Amnesty International Chapter at Ball State University.
16) While at Ball State I locked my bike to a small tree before a night class, and the lock froze up in the freezing rain. So, I happened to have a swiss army knife that had a saw on it; yes, I sawed down the tree in order to ride my bike home. 
17) I rode UP steps on my mountain bike in a feeble attempt to impress a girl. The steps in front of the library on the Ball State Campus. I didn't wreck that time.
18) While in a riding class in college, I was drafting, and the guy in front stopped pedaling to get a drink of water, and then he hit a pothole, then I hit his back wheel, then I went down and broke my helmet into five pieces. It's the only time I've broke a helmet. 
19) During Thunder Over Louisville, Bobby K. and a few other people went riding along the river. About ten miles from home, we took a break. I decided to ride through some water, so I got up as much speed as I could, and hit the water. It was then that I found out it was silt, I slid about thirty feet in mud. I was covered in mud at points an inch thick for the ride home. Thus, a new nick name,  'Dirty Bear.'
20) Bobby K. and I would rage sometimes, and stay up 'till morning drinking and having a great time. We would usher in the sunrise at the cemetery with benignes 
21) When Bobby K. went away to Law School, I threw her a huge party. The Bobby Falk Group came and played in the street; it was one of the best times I've had on the block. 
22) When I'm away from Louisville I miss the music scene: Relic Bluegrass, Say Darling, Say, Ben Sollee, Bobby Falk, but not Harry Pickens. Relic was playing at the Rudyard Kipling on the night I was there with a new girl friend. I was so scared one of my ex-girlfriends were going to show up. 
23) Dating is tuff sometimes, but fun. A bad series of dates ended with out first kiss, and she's know as the 'bad kisser'. Ask me in person, maybe over a beer, and I'll tell you about it. 
24) My first kiss, in seventh grade, was with Lia, and it was after a movie, Purple Rain. My first kiss after my marriage was with Susan, a lesbian, in front of Bobby K's house. 
25) In seventh grade, I transferred from a private Baptist school to a public school, and it was one of the most liberating times of my life.

Today I got a twitter about a great new map at http://www.mindmeister.com/24358308/entrepreneurship-scene - it illustrates the Austin Entrepreneurship
Scene, and I decided to take a deviation from my MindJet to use MindMeister.

It's a typical bare necessities software, and that's nice to get work done quickly. I've shared the map, and emailed it off to the CMO. Let's see how it goes in the IA meeting.

Here's the new Smoothstone IA map:

Click here to download:

Wax Fang.mp3 (3445 KB)

Click here to download:

The Picket Line.mp3 (2684 KB)

The Picket Line:
Band Members :Thomas A. Minor-Guitfiddle and Vocals, Drumstick-Guitfiddle and Vocals, The String Mizer-Fiddle and Vocals, Pig Iron-Mandolin and Yelling, Pork Chop-Outta-tune Banjo, Cleetus Redundementia- Bassfiddle
Influences: coal miners, farmers, guns, alcohol, the holler, people with little feet that like to walk a lot, alcohol (again), the american worker, and things with strings, thank you

Wax Fang:
Band Members: SCOTT CARNEY- GUITAR, THEREMIN, VOX
JAKE HEUSTIS- BASS, KEYS
KEVIN RATTERMAN- DRUMS, SCISSORS, SIRENS

Links:
http://www.myspace.com/waxfang
http://www.myspace.com/thomasaminorandthepickinline
http://www.speedmuseum.org/membership.html

The responsiveness of the enterprise employee has been a pain point for a long time; everyone has a horror story of a long hold time only to be connected to the wrong resource or worse the call dropped. Unified Communications (UC) allow employees ways to connect and remain responsive. UC increases productivity through timely communications and it reduces operational costs by merging the most common communication channels – a win for both the customer, employee and enterprise.

Mobile services are essential in the growth orientated enterprise in order that it remain competitive and effective in the modern business climate. As a result, mobile expenses are increasing rapidly in today’s enterprise businesses. Not all users have the same needs – sales professionals and mobile executives have quite different requirements than those users in the corporate campus.

The employee will benefit from:

• One phone number
• One voice mail
• Internal PBX extension dialing
• Ability to use newest communications technology including the iPhone and Droid

Smoothstone incorporates these benefits to create a transparent communication platform for the responsive and mobile employee, and allow them to become more mobile by integrating both work and life communications.

At one time people were isolated from enterprise communications services; they would come in to work and check their personal life at the door. Now, work and life blur, and it’s essential that enterprise communications tools change with those changing cultural norms. The new mobile employee can now benefit from a unified communications approach with their mobile handheld sets including features such as unified voice mail, conferencing and a single number.

The employee’s company can benefit by reducing total monthly charges, having a central call detail of all mobile phone activity and using more of the company’s IT infrastructure (corporate voice mail services and international calling plans).

In specific the company will benefit from:

• Central Call Detail Recording (CDR)
• Common enterprise dialing plan
• Policy enforcement
• Toll avoidance

Mobile Unified Communications offers an outstanding opportunity to change business processes and empower employees to be more responsive while reducing the operational bottom line. As UC matures employees will become more responsive, and allow the enterprise to operate with the urgency of a emerging company, thus providing a win for the customer, the employee and the company.