NFL Star Jerry Rice
Whoo hoo! Really, although the planning for this event is to some extent, killing me...there are soooo many things going well and sooooo many exciting things in the works. As we started many moons ago, it's really a bit impossible to tell how much would have been done by this point and how much there is left to do. Believe me, that list even at this point - pretty ugly. Either way, in just 2 short weeks we will be there...Accelerate 2012 - bigger, bolder, better. I'm sure you already know about the agenda... workshops, breakout sessions, keynotes, big execs, and product-aplenty. But on to today's highlight - just a little extra perhaps to get those of you on the fence about going...over it. I wouldn't call it bragging, but we are a bit proud of our inclusion of a man who's been called by many the best NFL player to ever play football...American football as a distinction for some of you. If that doesn't say targeting the best...not sure what does. From Wikipedia: "The all-time leader in most major statistical categories for wide receivers and the all-time NFL leader in touchdowns scored with 208, Rice was selected to the Pro Bowl 13 times (1986–1996, 1998, 2002) and named All-Pro 12 times in his 20 NFL seasons. He won three Super Bowl rings playing for the San Francisco 49ers and an AFC Championship with the Oakland Raiders." He'll be there in Vegas for 2 days - on...
Continue reading “Are you kidding me? Jerry Rice?!”
_600_450_c1.jpg)
Experienced climber and guide Eric Remza is ascending Mount Everest and his trusty ThinkPad X220 is going along for the ride. Eric will be checking in from various points along the way as the adventure unfolds. #5: Progress in the Himalayas. Our data coverage at Everest Base has been less then adequate—the NCELL air cards we purchased for our computers have not been making the cut due to the high volume of users! Therefore, we need to be advantages when it comes to doing our updates. We spent two extra days at Everest Base. During this time we were able to partake in our Puja (a Buddhist ceremony to grant safe passage on the mountain) and some training in the ice fall for our upcoming acclimatization climb of Lobuche Peak. Our training consisted of fix line practice, rappelling, and descending the fixed lines with hand wraps. We use fixed lines on the glacier and steep snow slopes. The lines (or ropes) are adhered to the mountain with various forms of ice or snow protection and we ascend these with one-way traction devices that dig into the sheath of the rope to keep us safe. After our stay at Everest Base we descended to the lower elevations of Lobuche Base Camp. The thicker air, vegetation, and chirping birds are a homecoming to the stark landscape of rock and ice that encompasses the highest city on the planet, Everest Base. Our passage then led us again to the higher elevations of Lobuche high camp which stands at 17,000...
Continue reading “Climbing Everest: Dispatches 5-6”
Experienced climber and guide Eric Remza is ascending Mount Everest and his trusty ThinkPad X220 is going along for the ride. Eric will be checking in from various points along the way as the adventure unfolds. #2: The flight into Lukla. Flying into the Himalayan village of Lukla is a razor’s edge experience and is not for the faint of heart. After boarding our Canadian-built twin engine Otter aircraft in the early morning of March 31, we lifted off and navigated 45 minutes into the heart of the great Himalayan range. Landing an aircraft on the airstrip of Lukla is like an experience that a fighter pilot may have while on final approach on an aircraft carrier—it is a single runway angled at an ascending grade and positioned on the top of a plateau surrounded by jagged peaks. My first time taking this flight was in the Spring of 1998 and it was a dirt runway. Now it is paved—bonus! #3: Crossing the many bridges of the lower Khumbu Valley. Upon our arrival into the village of Lukla, our passage into the higher elevations has brought us to the village of Namche Bazaar. The trails that we tread are the superhighways that connect these villages together and are the main source of commerce of the local Sherpa people that inhabit these mountainous regions. As we make our way up the Khumbu Valley we have to cross many suspension bridges that span the raging river below. #4: Debuche and Pheriche. After spending three...
Continue reading “Climbing Everest: Dispatches #2-4”
Miral Kotb may be living the dream but she knows something about nightmares too. Long before she founded her dance team (and company) iLuminate, before she appeared on the wildly popular TV show “America’s Got Talent” and got to work with the Black Eyed Peas, she had to beat back cancer. We caught up with Kotb on the eve of iLuminate’s appearance at a Lenovo event in North Carolina to talk tech, dance and dreams. Our Lenovo campaign, “For Those Who Do,” is very much about inspiration and innovation. How does technology inspire you to do what you do? Technology inspires me to discover new ideas and encourages me to incorporate art into innovation. How would you describe iLuminate to someone who had never seen it before? Take us back and tell us about the moment when you first dreamed up the concept. iLuminate is about creating a world of illusions through the fusion of art and technology. The concept emerged while I was developing applications. I had a vision of dancers wearing costumes that illuminated wirelessly to compliment the music and choreography. I pursued my idea with help from some of the best hardware and software engineers in the business. Developing iLuminate was the perfect way for me to bring my focus back to dance and to shine the light on the performing artists. It allowed me to combine both of my passions, dance and technology. Did...
Continue reading “Electric Brilliance: A Chat with iLuminate Founder Miral Kotb”
Experienced mountain climber and guide Eric Remza is ascending Mount Everest and his trusty ThinkPad X220 is going along for the ride. Eric will be checking in from various points along the way as the adventure unfolds. So the journey has begun. I departed Seattle in the afternoon on March 25 and—after a series of airline connections covering 12 time zones—I have finally arrived here in Kathmandu. I have made this flight to Nepal for my 9th time now and it is always an adventure just getting here. The group I work for—International Mountain Guides (IMG)—is one of the largest operators on Mount Everest this year. We will also have climbers attempting Lhotse, which is the sister summit of Everest, and stands at 27,940 ft (8516 m). There will also be trekkers accompanying all of the expeditions this year to base camp. The IMG team is led by owner Eric Simonson, who has been leading expeditions with success over the last 25 years. Eric is also well-known in the mountaineering world to have led the expedition that found the remains of legendary Everest pioneer George Mallory. Also leading the team are veteran Everest guides Greg Vernovage, Mike Hamill, Justin Merle, Ang Jangbu, myself (Eric Remza), Max Bunce, Andy Polloczek, and Jenni Fogle. I will be guiding on IMG's Mount Everest Classic expedition and will be accompanied by Greg Vernovage and Max Bunce. The team has been...
