New cloud computing for developers virtual event

Part of my new role at IBM involves evangelizing about cloud computing: increasing global skills and adoption of IBM cloud technology. Registration is now open for the second in a series of events on cloud computing, this time focusing on partner solutions.

Cloud Computing for Developers: Solutions for application development, a virtual event on June 23rd, 2010, will offer 4 sessions that are prescriptive in nature — outlining specific technical challenges in the cloud and the technologies and techniques to address them.

Finding the perfect gift…

My son Ellis turned 4 today. He’s not really into toys, so finding the perfect gifts is always challenging. He does like activities and he loves to read. So this year, I decided to write him a book for his birthday. Nothing too grand… just a short story about all the things he loves, and filled with pictures that both he and I drew and colored. This simple idea was only possible because I used Lulu, the online self-publishing site.

At first, Lulu was not the easiest site to navigate and the process wasn’t always clear, especially because instead of using the standard Word template (which is very limiting), I used Quark for the layout before creating a pdf for Lulu to review and publish. But now that I’ve done it once, I will certainly use Lulu again and again. It was most definitely worth it– a custom hard cover edition of my first book AND the perfect gift for my son, all for just $20! And you can make it available for purchase on the site, along with the option to make it available on Amazon.

My daughter Sienna is only 9 months, but I’m already thinking up story ideas for her…

31 places to go in 2010

The 31 places to go in 2010 according to the New York Times… glad to see Sri Lanka at No. 1 and Los Angeles at No. 11.

Sneaker wars: Adidas and Puma

Yes, there really was a sneaker war. I’ve always found this story interesting — the feud between German brothers, Adi and Rudolf Dassler who dissolved their shoe-making business many years ago to set up rival sneaker businesses Adidas and Puma (I’m partial to the later). Both successful businesses and popular brands are now coming together, many years after the founders went to their graves mid-feud. Though the reason for their rivalry is still unknown, the book about their story, Sneaker Wars might be a good read. Here’s more on the story in the New York Times.

The joy of less (min for the max)

A great piece by Pico Iyer, The Joy of Less, in the New York Times, in which he captures the essence of my personal philosophy — Minimum for the Maximum (minformax) — though he says it all much better….

The baobab goes global

Growing up in Africa, I never gave much thought to the baobab tree even though it was pretty familiar to me. But now the baobab is about to hit the big time as experts have discovered the varied and healthful uses of the tree, which is “rich in antioxidants, potassium and phosphorus, and has six times as much vitamin C as oranges and twice as much calcium as milk.”

Africans have long used parts of the baobab to heal everything from malaria to toothaches. But if the essence of the tree becomes popular in the Western world, there are potential consequences for the supply in Africa and the few other parts of the world where it grows.

I’ll have to check out how it ends up being packaged and marketed to us next time I’m at Whole Foods, but in the meantime, here’s the New York Times look at What Will Happen When the Baobab Goes Global?

Profiting from our digital relationships

Mining our digital relationships for insights that could lead to lucrative revenue streams — MIT, IBM and every company rushing to find a successful social media business model is looking into this. BusinessWeek takes a look at how companies are Learning, and Profiting, from Online Friendships.

International man of misery: Jeffrey Sachs

This month on Portfolio.com, an interesting in-depth profile of philanthropist and poverty’s chief public intellectual Jeffrey Sachs: International Man of Misery.

A festival of electronica: Short Circuit

I wish I was in London for this one … Short Circuit: A Festival of Electronica, held at the Roundhouse, May 14-17th. But fortunately, there’s a live broadcast of the whole thing, a chronology of noteworthy artists in electronica over the decades.

The impressive lineup features producers, labels, artists and influencers from Germany, Barcelona and the UK. Sounds like a great primer for those into elecronic music.

Thinking of Sri Lanka

Given the recent onslaught of turmoil in Sri Lanka, I wonder when I’ll manage to return for a visit to the place where I was born. The stories are abundant of the killing, the homelessness and suffering. It has been at least two decades since I was last in Colombo with my family, and it’s taken me many years of growing up to grow into my culture and truly appreciate it.

The New York Time’s bureau chief in India, Somini Sengupta, captured for the Times her return to her birth place of Calcutta and I read her account, which is filled with great tips for travelers, pondering what my own return to Sri Lanka might be like.