sacha chua :: living an awesome life

My research supervisor is chairing the ACM Hypertext conference that will be held in Toronto from June 13 to 16, 2010. The conference focuses on linking and interconnectivity, and will have sessions on Web 2.0, social computing, and the semantic web. Tracks:

• Social computing
• Adaptive hypermedia and applications
• Hypertext in education and communications

The deadline for paper submissions is February 14.

ACM Hypertext2010

Work

• [/] Revise wiki structure
• [X] Follow up on lessons learned
• Also: Coordinated regarding logo
• Explored archetype analysis spreadsheet – understand it better now
• Created archetype presentation for an upcoming workshop
• Created Idea Lab for another upcoming workshop
• Documented Idea Lab preparation
• Set up community for industry maestros
• Gave a new team member the overview of how information was organized; documented this for the team
• Posted follow-up/analysis of  backchannel conversation from microblogging talk
• Had fun documenting things right before people needed them
• Signed up for the Art of Marketing seminar

Relationships

• [X] Book wedding chambers
• [X] Try out restaurants – looked at 12 restaurants!
• [/] Book reception
• [/] Look for photographers / videographers – decided against wedding photography package, will go for family portraits instead
• [/] Look for cheongsam (there’s a nice one for $75, but it’s probably available for cheaper)  – may opt for simple red dress or brocade jacket
• [  ] Start collecting guest addresses – will go for small wedding instead
• [  ] Send care package
• [  ] Plan February tea party
• [  ] Send thank-you notes
• Also: Met up with Quinn while she was in town
• Helped J- with her homework
• Chatted with Jeff Widman about business, life, virtual assistance
• Ordered book for mom

Life

• [  ] Group Siargao pictures into a story
• [/] Plan crafts
• Also: Had regular eye checkup, ordered glasses
• Made orange marmalade
• Sewed a number of zippered pouches
• Made a little felt case for my iPod
• Bought two pairs of jeans (it’s about time…)
• Read lots of books
• Stocked up on zippers and cloth

The week went by so quickly. I postponed a number of items on my task list so that I didn’t go crazy trying to fit everything in. At work, I prioritized supporting upcoming engagements and improving our process documentation. One of our new team members was impressed by the way we’d written down lots of stuff – hooray. Outside work, I focused on planning the wedding and on exploring crafts.

PLANS FOR NEXT WEEK:

Work

• [  ] Support upcoming workshops by setting up Idea Labs and doing archetype presentations
• [  ] Braindump more of what I know at work
• [  ] Organize teleconference for people working in my neighborhood
• [  ] Give “Shy Connector” presentation to WITI audience

Relationships

• [  ] Try another restaurant
• [  ] Check out portrait photographers
• [  ] Hand-write invitations and include in care package

Life

• [  ] Sew more zippered pouches
• [  ] Sew wrap-around zippered pouch
• [  ] Work on Siargao scrapbook, really
• [  ] Send invitations for February tea party (end of month-ish?)

I gave a talk on microblogging to approximately 150 people at IBM. It was fantastic! There was so much energy and engagement, it was all I could do to keep up with the free-wheeling discussion.

What worked well:

• My entire presentation (excluding the title slide) consisted of a single-slide summary. That was really useful, as it meant that people knew the structure and what I was going to talk about right away.
• The chat conversation was lively. Really lively. =)
• Having someone else watch the conversation definitely helped. Also, treating it as a river of thoughts, or a jumping-off point for further discussions… It’s like a big brainstorming session!

What I’d like to improve further:

• My quick overview (plan: 5 minutes) ended up taking 20 minutes because I responded to people on the fly. Totally okay. I wonder if I can make the set-up presentation shorter so that I can open it up for Q&A even earlier.
• I’d planned to switch to screen sharing and go through things dynamically, but I went with the static image because I didn’t want  to interrupt the conversation with more moving parts. Maybe if I can get to the point of quickly doing visual notetaking in real life (like Minna does!), then I’ll be able to keep up with doing it virtually too.
• This presentation/interaction pattern is new and powerful. It can feel like a chaotic bazaar sometimes, though! I wonder how we can manage this better. I’d love to use a tool with a bigger chat box, for example. That would make the backchannel easier to see and read.

That was exhilarating!

The teapot beside me is white Corelle stoneware. Nothing fancy, just a teapot.

I bought it when I was a graduate student, along with a set of Corelle plates, bowls, and saucers. I had grown tired of mismatched plates handed down from roommate to roommate. Having my own settings made me feel more grown-up, while Corelle reminded me of my childhood. Old and young at the same time.

I smile when I see the familiar patterns in other people’s homes. Corelle Livingware Apricot Grove – that’s the style I remember most. It tickles me pink that W-‘s mom has the same style of mugs.

It’s funny how simple things evoke emotions.

One of my coworkers asked me for advice on shifting from a testing role to development. Inside IBM, cross-role experience can often be picked up within a project, on a BizTech opportunity, or by assignment to another role (if the project manager really, really believes in you). Here are some tips if you’re considering the shift yourself:

Although you can build your skill in steady increments, building expertise can be a long and frustrating process. You’ll make a lot of progress in the beginning, but you’ll probably hit a plateau. Don’t be frustrated.

Unless your project manager is okay with taking a risk on you, you probably won’t be able to immediately spend time developing those skills on the job. Here’s how you can free up some time to work on improving your skills:

1. Look for ways you can work more efficiently and effectively, so that you can save time.
2. Document those processes so that you understand them better and so that other people can take over your role when you leave.
3. Automate as much as you can, saving more time and enabling more people to do your work.

You want to be replaceable. You can’t spend time learning something else or move on to another project if that would leave a big gap in your previous team.

How can you learn more about development when you’re testing?

• You can improve your processes, learning more about available tools along the way.
• You can learn how to script while automating tasks.
• You can learn an in-demand skill and get pulled into projects that way.
• You can focus on providing additional value while testing. For example, if your project is okay with it, do whitebox testing in addition to blackbox testing. By reading the source code, you might be able to think of test cases that should be covered. You can try helping with problem identification, using tests to narrow down where the bug might be. Once you get good at that, you can try documenting your problem-identification process and commonly-encountered bugs. When you’ve got a good feel for the structure of the program and how things are generally fixed, you might even tentatively propose fixes.

What other advice would you give to people who want to move from testing to development?