Dennis Deery

[Eternal Sunset](http://www.eternalsunset.net/) View live sunsets from around the world via webcam. (tags: [sunset](http://del.icio.us/ddeery/sunset) [webcam](http://del.icio.us/ddeery/webcam) [photography](http://del.icio.us/ddeery/photography)) [Lemelson Center](http://invention.smithsonian.org/home/) Read the stories behind some of the world's most famous (or not) inventions. (tags: [inventions](http://del.icio.us/ddeery/inventions) [innovation](http://del.icio.us/ddeery/innovation)) [Against Depression - dervala.net](http://dervala.net/2006/12/17/against-depression/) A beautifully-crafted firsthand account of depression. (tags: [health](http://del.icio.us/ddeery/health) [depression](http://del.icio.us/ddeery/depression)) [MapMSG.com - Statetris](http://www.mapmsg.com/games/statetris/usa/) Play Tetris on a map of the United States. (tags: [games](http://del.icio.us/ddeery/games) [geography](http://del.icio.us/ddeery/geography))

[Bill Gates' Harvard Commencement Address](http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2007/06.14/99-gates.html) Harvard's most famous dropout returns 30 years later to get an honorary degree and deliver the commencement address. (tags: [gates](http://del.icio.us/ddeery/gates) [harvard](http://del.icio.us/ddeery/harvard)) [Social Explorer](http://socialexplorer.com/pub/home/home.aspx) An interactive mapping site based on U.S. Census data. Easy to use and produces good looking maps. Data geeks rejoice! (tags: [maps](http://del.icio.us/ddeery/maps) [demographics](http://del.icio.us/ddeery/demographics)) [PhotoshopCafe](http://www.photoshopcafe.com/index.htm) A collection of resources and tutorials for Photoshop users. (tags: [photoshop](http://del.icio.us/ddeery/photoshop) [Tutorials](http://del.icio.us/ddeery/Tutorials) [graphics](http://del.icio.us/ddeery/graphics)) [Springwise](http://www.springwise.com/) Springwise highlights new business ideas for entrepreneurs.

Neocons on a Cruise A reporter’s account of the National Review cruise to Mexico. An unvarnished look at the kind of people that got us into Iraq. Worth a read, if your stomach is strong. (tags: Conservatism Politics)

[Monty Python Video Wall](http://monty.python.videowall.sytes.org/) A page of Python - guaranteed to fill your workday with laugher. (tags: [video](http://del.icio.us/ddeery/video) [montypython](http://del.icio.us/ddeery/montypython)) [64squar.es](http://64squar.es/) Online chess, realtime or correspondence. Wanna play? Challenge me - dennis@irose.com. (tags: [chess](http://del.icio.us/ddeery/chess))

The 37signals Manifesto 37signals is a company producing some of the best web apps out there. Read their manifesto and you’ll see why. They’ve got their focus in the right place. Some items are web-specific, others could be applied to any company. (tags: manifesto 37signals philosophy)

I made my way to Limerick yesterday for the biweekly geek gathering that is OpenCoffee Limerick. OpenCoffee is a worldwide movement that encourages entrepreneurs, tech people and investors to gather in an informal manner for networking. There are a couple of vibrant groups here in Ireland, in Limerick and Cork. I’ve been following some of the online discussions resulting from these gatherings, but hadn’t made the effort to attend in person.

[Tasty Data Goodies - Swivel](http://www.swivel.com/) Upload data and create your own graphs, or view graphs created by others. (tags: [data](http://del.icio.us/ddeery/data) [statistics](http://del.icio.us/ddeery/statistics) [graphs](http://del.icio.us/ddeery/graphs) [visualization](http://del.icio.us/ddeery/visualization)) [mkmap.com: create and explore maps!](http://mkmap.com/) Create your own maps. This site got it's start as a Dublin bus map put together by a Dublin City University grad student. Great example of what's possible with the Google Maps API. (tags: [maps](http://del.icio.us/ddeery/maps)) [Iconize Me!](http://www.iconizeme.com/index.html) Get your own caricature in electronic form for only $50.

Conor O’Neill of Argolon has a great post on his blog discussing a method of jump-starting tech startup companies in Ireland. I think his ideas are right on the money, and relatively easy to put into action anywhere. The idea centers around creating a summer “hothouse” to help college students get rolling with ideas for new products. To his list of ideas, I would add just a couple of suggestions:

Anyone who’s spent any time watching CSPAN lately knows that public policy debates in the U.S. often center on dramatic stories. Opposing sides compete to see who can bring the most tearful witnesses to the table, who can show the most heart-wrenching photos, or who can present the most dramatic anger. That’s a natural tactic. Policy discussions, like most debates, are a sales job, and good salesmen are those who are able to make emotional connections.

Growing up in southwest Wisconsin, tornado watches and warnings were a constant feature of summer life. As a little kid, I can remember trips to the basement to wait out the storm, and when I got a little older I got to join Dad on tornado watch for the local volunteer fire department. I can still vividly remember the night the tornado hit Barneveld, Wisconsin, and the phone rang in the middle of the night calling for ambulance volunteers.

Social media is big in the tech business these days. Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, del.icio.us, Flickr, and Twitter are just some of the companies at the forefront of using the web to connect us. Blogs count too. Just what is it? According to Wikipedia, “Social media describes the online technologies and practices that people use to share opinions, insights, experiences, and perspectives.” Got that? Don’t worry, nobody else does either. Assemble 10 tech consultants in a room and ask for their definition and you’ll be presented with 15 different explanations.

Dyson, the company famed for a very expensive vacuum cleaner, has a new product called the Dyson Airblade. They aim to revolutionize the hand-dryer market. It’s hard to believe there’s room for innovation in a market like that, isn’t it? And yet, they’ve done it. I recently used one of their dryers in a public bathroom at a convention center in Dublin. It works, and we all know that’s unusual for a forced-air hand-dryer.

Wonder where your federal tax dollars go? A freelance graphic designer by the name of Jess Bachman has designed a poster that shows in simple form the breakdown of the federal budget. It’s a great example of graphic design being well-used to present a ton of information, and it’s a simple way to envision what the federal government is spending your money on. Check it out.

The University of Wisconsin has created an online digital collection displaying all Blue Books since the the very first in 1853. The Blue Book is the almanac of Wisconsin state government. This is a great resource for history buffs, and includes many old maps and photographs. It’s also a fine demonstration of the power of the internet to make public resources more available to people. State of Wisconsin Blue Book Collection

Have you got all your important phone numbers stored in your cellphone? Have you forgotten every phone number you ever knew because it’s programmed into your cellphone? Do you have those numbers backed up someplace? Probably not. If you lose your cellphone, or you run it through the washing machine, or it dies some other horrible death, you’re going to lose those numbers. We had a close call with that recently in the Deery household, so I was happy to learn about a new cellphone backup service from a company called ZYB.

A company called Meeting Tomorrow is offering the service of delivering projectors and other audio-visual equipment for use in meetings and presentations. They can do same-day delivery for many locations. When you’re done with the equipment, pack it up and FedEx returns it for you. Having struggled with less-than-ideal AV setups for presentations all over the country, I think this service is going to be a big hit.

A company called Moixa is offering batteries with a built-in USB connector for charging. They’re not cheap, but given that you don’t need to carry a separate charger, they’re a great solution for people who travel with a digital camera and a laptop. Check them out.

Forbes.com has a great collection of articles where some of today’s best thinkers discuss the role that networks - both electronic and otherwise - play in our lives. Definitely worth reading! Special Report - Networks: Breakthroughs

Just have to take a moment to brag a bit. The Greater Menomonie Area Chamber of Commerce, working with DBD International, has put together a new branding campaign for the Menomonie area. It launched this evening in a special event at the Chamber office in Menomonie. I was glad to be tapped to help with implementing the new web sites to go with the campaign, using the stunning design work done by David Brier and his staff at DBD.

Yesterday I presented a 1-hour session at the Wisconsin Community Leadership Summit on “Tech Tools for Leaders”. You can find the complete materials for the session here.