Live @ Lotusphere 2012: Bill Ives On IBM’s Social Practicing Of What It Preaches

If you’re fortunate to make it to Lotusphere, or any of the other signature IBM events held around the globe every year, you get the opportunity to meet some of the most interesting people: everyone from fellow bloggers to other IBMers to customers to analysts…the list goes on and on.

Just last evening, I was introduced to a gentleman by the name of Bill Ives, an analyst and blogger with Merced Group who writes about knowledge management and social business, among other topics.  As we got to talking, I discovered that Bill had lived in the town I hail from and grew up in, Denton, Texas, once upon a time when he was a wee lad, and who also shares my passion for golf.

Bill has been producing some of his own fine coverage of Lotusphere 2012 and IBM Connect here in Orlando, and I wanted to share the link below to his post on some of IBM’s own social business endeavors.

Keep in touch, Bill, and keep those posts a comin’:

Lotusphere 2012 Notes: IBM as a Social Business

TurboTech: Technological Romance For Dummies

Scott Laningham and I, having entirely too much time to ourselves over the holidays to ponder all things technology, spent a good 26 minutes one late December day discussing likely future tech trends: Everything from the absurdity of code names for mobile operating systems to our having our own technology reality TV show someday — but one in which nobody could give Scott and I a rose.

That just simply wouldn’t be appropriate.

I also provide a shout out to the IBM Connections event, which starts a week from today in lovely Orlando, Florida.  It’s not too late to register for it, and for Lotusphere. Go here to learn more.

I’ll be arriving in Orlando early Sunday evening and plan on bringing all the blogging coverage my little Turbo hands can handle (And Scott assures me in the video below he’ll do some remote podcasting, since he won’t be there live and in person.  Make sure you provide some comments and try to hold him to it!)

The New Bachelor

I haven’t watched “The Bachelor” in a few years.  Of course, they don’t exactly have a stellar record when it comes to matchmaking.

Part of my interest derives from having studied documentary filmmaking for my graduate degree (I also helped co-produce a documentary), and also because this season’s bachelor is my childhood orthodontist’s son.

Jake Pavelka hails from my hometown of Denton, Texas, and currently works as an airline pilot for Atlantic Southeast Airlines (which supports Delta Connections).

He recently gave an interview about his experiences thus far to my hometown newspaper, The Denton Record-Chronicle.

I missed Pavelka’s stint on “The Bachelorette” (where he apparently made it to the Final Four before getting the boot), but the DVR is powered on for this go ’round.

My mom is trying to get some inside skinny from Jake’s father, Dr. Pavelka, but she’s had no success.  The doctor’s lips are sealed (or, in his case, perhaps his teeth are just plain wired shut).

I just hope when they do the family visit thing on this season’s show, that I don’t start having flashbacks to Dr. Pavelka tightening my braces or adjusting my head gear when I see the nice doctor on TV.

That man caused me a lot of pain as a small child (and I’m glad he did).

Of course, just because Jake has a nice smile doesn’t mean he’s not willing to play hardball when it comes to the competition.

On last season’s “The Bachelorette,” after getting booted by Jillian Harris he paid a visit anyway to inform her that one of her likely last round picks, Wes, had a girlfriend.  Jake plays some hardball!

Makes me wonder if his dad tightened Jake’s braces a little too tight as well.  Made him ornery!

Here’s the clip:

Dude, you are a better man than I to try and date 25 women at one time while everybody watches on national TV.

I wish you good luck in finding a bride and competing the marriage hat trick with your bros…but when you’re in the cockpit, please, keep an eye on the horizon!