Category Archives: General

Family, General, Tech

“Meet the new boss, Same as the old boss”

4 Comments

[1]: http://www.kpmartin.com/2007/01/07/digital-cyclone-gets-bought-out/
[2]: http://www.garmin.com/
[3]: http://www.simplyretailinc.com/
[4]: http://web.archive.org/web/20070516170048/http://www.simplyretailinc.com/bios/ken.martin.php
[5]: http://www.digitalcyclone.com/

**Big news!**

**Today was my first day at a new job!** Two weeks ago I resigned my position as VP of Production and Technology at Simply Retail, where I’d been for over two years. I hadn’t been actively looking for a new job, but one day about a month ago I got an email from a friend and former co-worker saying “we find ourselves continuously saying ‘we want to find someone like Ken Martin.'” (It’s nice to hear you’ve left a reasonably nice impression.)

Well, we had lunch and talked and it turned out they had what seemed like a nice possibility. We continued through the process, and voila, it turned out to be a very nice opportunity. And I said yes.

**So I’m back at [Digital Cyclone][5]!** I wrote about them a few months ago [noting][1] that they’d been bought out by [Garmin][2]. I’m now a Garmin employee, as Digital Cyclone is a Garmin subsidiary.

My job title is Web Application Developer. Why would I go from a [VP position][4] to a developer position? Well, there are a few reasons, but the basic summary is that I’ll have better compensation in a familiar company, in an industry I find interesting, with people I enjoy, in a technically challenging environment. I will miss interacting daily with the folks at Simply Retail, and there are parts of my leadership role that I will miss, but I plan to apply what I’ve learned in that role and blow the socks off folks at DCI. :)

What a blessing it was to be presented with the kinds of challenges I saw as VP, and to find that, previously unbeknownst to me, I could meet those challenges. That’s probably the biggest thing I’m taking away from Simply Retail.

[Simply Retail][3] has been wonderful in many ways. They, too, are in an interesting industry (healthcare retail), and I worked with fantastic people there whom I will miss. It was nice to leave on pleasant terms, and it’s likely I’ll be doing a little freelance work here and there for them. And it will be great to watch from afar as they continue to grow.

So there you have it! See, there really was a reason I’ve not posted much lately. :)

Pedantic note: Though the Who allusion was kind of a fun post title, in the song it’s a sad reflection that once the “revolution” came, nothing really changed. That’s *not* how this change feels. Web technology, mobile apps, weather, aviation, and now GPS… this geek is going to have fun. No negative reflection on either company intended. :)

General

Nice Hairs

1 Comment

That’s what Anna told me about my new haircut. Not “nice hair.” “Nice hairs.”

And one of my co-workers put this plant on my windowsill thinking it might inspire something.

Think my life is easy? :)

General, I Crack Me Up

2007 – The Year of No

1 Comment

I’ve declared 2007 *The Year of No* for myself. It’s going to be a year of finishing, not starting.

I like too much. I’m interested in too much. I empathize too much. And so I say “sure I can do that” or “I should try this…”

No more. No.

I need to hit reset. To clear projects – perennially lingering projects – off my plate, and be more purposeful about what I choose to do. Why? Because I want to have more peaceful days. I don’t mind busy days, but I want more peaceful days. And because I want to do things better; find out how *well* I can do things, not simply how *many* things I can do.

We’ll see how it goes. :)

General, Politics

The City Pages and the Maplewood City Council hullabaloo

Leave a comment

[1]: http://citypages.com/databank/28/1371/article15218.asp
[2]: http://www.kpmartin.com/index.php?s=maplewood

Local weekly newspaper *City Pages* has [an article about the Maplewood City Council][1] happenings. It’s a nice summary of the view of some. It’s not terribly balanced, but that doesn’t make for as easily interesting writing. It’s good to have the topic brought up, though. And I hope concerned Maplewood citizens study up on what’s going on. The City Pages’ article basically falls in line with the other media outlets I’ve noted in my commentary – Lillie Press and KSTP-TV – and with the the active critics of the “Gang of Three” manifest in places like savemaplewood.com and “What’s Left of Maplewood”.

Sidenote: Even writing the phrase “Gang of Three” is terribly funny to me. The above noted critics and media are simply an echo chamber of their own snappy moniker, and now “[the current Maplewood City Council majority have] effectively become a ruling troika, in the process earning the nickname.”

**Anyway, welcome visitors!** I don’t live in Maplewood. I don’t know any of the folks on the city council other than what you see here in the comments, and a couple of email exchanges concerning my posts. I simply saw one little article in a local weekly newspaper which seemed obviously slanted and [I commented on it](http://www.kpmartin.com/2006/04/20/a-tiny-peek-at-local-politics/).

Over the following months it became terribly interesting to me and I posted a lot. I’m a pretty conservative guy, which might not sit well with some visitors coming via *City Pages*, but I think that if you’re interested enough to look, you’ll see my commentary isn’t necessarily putting forward a conservative agenda. I think it’s pretty fair, and it’s commentary and (neophyte) reporting that you won’t have seen elsewhere. My interest is not necessarily in current majority of the city council, but the way reporting happens, research is done, and how we don’t really get very balanced information from our local media.

You can find my posts on this topic [here][2]. Enjoy. Comment. Then go enjoy this beautiful day.

**UPDATE:** Had a nice email conversation with the article’s author. Seems like a nice guy. :)

General

“I’d rather see than be one.”

Leave a comment

Helen and I laughed and laughed over *You Bet Your Life* announcer George Fenneman’s expression delivering the above line to Groucho Marx in this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YH6CrMR1eg).

[This one](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ9J4M5xN3k) is good, too. “Nola Contendere… I knew her well…”

Dozens of free *You Bet Your Life* radio programs are available [here](http://www.archive.org/details/YouBetYourLifeKIBM). It’s really pretty fun stuff. The kids love it, believe it or not.

General

Digital Cyclone gets bought out!

2 Comments

[1]: http://www.digitalcyclone.com
[2]: http://www.my-cast.com/
[3]: http://www.startribune.com/535/story/919086.html
[4]: http://digitalcyclone.com/news.and.pr/garmin.php

I worked with [Digital Cyclone][1] from 2000 to 2002 as Internet Programmer. We built [My-Cast.com][2], a popular website providing free, very localized weather forecasts. The business model relied heavily on web advertising revenues. As the dot-com bust drew near, we had a number of layoffs until, finally, they had to pare the company down from dozens to only four employees, and so finally it was time for me to move on. It was gratifying to have been useful for so long, but sad to have to go. I learned *so* much being there. They’d pulled together an amazing team, and it was heart-wrenching each time a layoff came through.

I continued to work with them off and on after leaving, doing occasional freelance work on their web site as they refocussed the company on mobile technology – weather on mobile phones.

Their move worked. Brilliantly. They got past that really rough period and built up a very compelling set of mobile products. And last week they were [bought out by Garmin for $45 million][3]! (Press release [here][4].)

It’s a fantastic success story, and the people who pulled it off are really top notch folks. It’s inspiring to have had my small glimpse into how they did it.

Congratulations Paul, Craig, Peter, Ray, Jan, David, Tony and Adam! I hope I didn’t miss anyone. :)

General

Tip: Stay healthy. Gargle.

Leave a comment

We had strep sweep through the family a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t get it. So far, I’m crediting gargling. 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, about a half cup warm water. A few times a day.

I’m going out on a limb, since it looks like another round of something is going to pass through the household. We’ll see if soaking my throat’s lintel and doorposts will allow these bugs to pass over.

General

Commas, rules, and me.

1 Comment

I’ve always liked using the comma before the “and” in a list in a sentence. Turns out my rebellion against the AP Stylebook isn’t entirely unwarranted. According to [this fellow](http://wordwise.typepad.com/blog/2006/12/comma_comma_com.html), anyway.