Leave It Behind > Brian Bailey

Google on Gmail

eWEEK: Google's Brin Talks on Gmail Future. Great interview on the how and why of Google's latest offering.

Willow Wonka 3: The Return

The return flight was ideal; quiet, uneventful and empty! I experienced the joys of passing a flight with a DVD, watching all of U2's Slane Castle concert. There were only a few surprises waiting for us on our return, as well as a couple of meetings.

The best part about returning was as soon as I got home, Ben and I left for a Ranger game, our first of the season. Our seats were a bit better than normal and we had a wonderful time watching the game, one in which they beat the Mariners 10-8. The most eventful moment was a 30-minute rain delay. It was the first time Ben had ever been at a ballpark during a rain delay and it was great to watch the grounds crew work their magic. We left near the end of the game, making it to the car moments before the second rain delay, only a little wet from the experience.

Willow Wonka 2: Total Access

We spent sun up 'til sun down with the IT Director at Willow Creek in Chicago, a true pleasure and privilege. Through the course of the day we were able to ask endless questions, see much of the behind-the-scenes operation, meet much of the IT staff, and tour the existing campus, as well as the magnificent new 7,200+ seat auditorium due to open in the fall. The time was immensely helpful as we compared, contrasted, questioned, and learned from one of the truly great churches in America.

Willow Wonka: Launch

I followed a morning of meetings, some better than others, with a late morning trip to the airport, followed by a surprisingly long day of travel. With my fellow IT manager with me, we arrived in Chicago a bit late and didn't make it to Willow Creek until 5:30. We were invited to Willow Creek Community Church (WCCC, as it is known here) to bounce unending questions off of their talented IT staff. We met briefly on our arrival, then went to dinner, followed by the hotel and Master & Commander. I'm fairly tired, but definitely looking forward to tomorrow.

Miracle Mac

The most elegant piece of computer hardware I have ever seen arrived this morning, the recently improved Apple 12" Powerbook! Having spent nearly all of my time in the land of Windows over the past 10 years, I can honestly say there is nothing to fully prepare you for the Mac experience. The number of subtle (battery charge indication within the power cord) and not-so-subtle (drop-dead gorgeous looks and perfect balance between form and function) elements is staggering.

I ran out to the Apple store to find something worthy of this to carry it around. I found a decent bag, but it looks like I will have to return it as it's just a bit too small.

I spent the evening packing for my trip tomorrow and sharing the Powerbook with Ben, who was suitably impressed.

Framework Upgrade

We upgraded our 2 .NET-based websites to the 1.1 Framework today after a lenghty delay and a great deal of research. I'm sure no one will be surprised to learn that it didn't go as well as hoped, but the conversion is now complete and everything is stable. The most significant thing we missed (and should have remembered from past experience) is the new machine.config file that is created when a new framework is installed. Once we duplicated the previous machine.config, everything fell into place.

At Last

Apple finally updated the full line of iBooks and Powerbooks! I was actually able to place an order for a new 12" Powerbook this morning and, unbelievably, CDW has already shipped the machine. It is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow! I am so thrilled.

Saturday Together

With Lori leaving for her weekend shopping trip, Ben and I were able to spend an entire day together. It's hard to believe how rare that is for us. He had an early baseball game, which just happened to include team pictures as well. Unfortunately, they lost their first game of the season, but it was a very close game.

We watched a terrific PBS documentary called Small Ball together. We both loved it. The movie follows a California Little League all the way to the Little Leage World Series. Though the kids were older, and the level of play much higher, we were still struck by the many similarities with his team today, from the players to the parents to the coaches. Highly recommended.

Next, we went to church, which included the launch of our brand new series; Forgiveness - The Real F Word. It was a well-done, enthusiastic service. We also volunteered for the first time with the Jr. High Ministry, delivering signs to the homes of first-time visitors. Ben loves it for a lot of reasons, but especially the name, Strike Force!

And finally, we visited a Honda dealership to compare the CRV and the Element. We left with little doubt that the Element is the vehicle for us, especially when I saw the smile on Ben's face after I mentioned the possibility of going on a camping trip and sleeping in the Element!

Good Jobs

Robert Cringely writes an excellent, short profile of Steve Jobs. He captures Job's unyielding pursuit of excellence, particularly in design decisions where most would choose good enough over insanely great.

I can't help but see many similarities with Fellowship. Does this approach challenge you each and every exhausting day? Yes. Is it worth it? Absolutely.

Lost

The day was quickly lost to a series of meetings and interviews, some more worthwhile than others. The evening was spent with Lost in Translation, a truly hypnotic film that continues to play out in your mind long after it is over. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson are both wonderful.

And as a bonus, the web site is very well done and gorgeous to look at.