Taking a few days off...

We have been wanting to do a road trip up the West Coast for a VERY long time: we will visit Portland, Seattle, Vancouver and back. We decided to give it a shot starting today.

We will come back next weekend. The idea is to travel, eat and sleep on the cheap. :)

Luckily we can connect from anywhere to keep up the work, though the plan is to try to take this as the vacation we haven't had in a very long time. More updates to come. I will keep my facebook status updated for sure.

Pray for people in the path of Gustav... that Hurricane looks nasty. :(

Ubiquity Extension for Firefox: Making life on the web intuitive...

Just watch this video...


Ubiquity for Firefox from Aza Raskin on Vimeo.

Francisco de Miranda murió en...

Mejor que no lo vean en el trabajo: no respondo... :D

Monday morning Dilbert... Funny!

Do you have diabetes? You are not alone..

Help us get to the Top 25 Members Projects!

"Our Blood Sugars: live a healthy diabetic life" is a Members Project contestant and we need your help through your nomination, so we can make it to the final 25 projects. You can learn more about the project through this video.

nominate us | digg story

Designing for the Social Web

A great book for people needing to get their sites caught up with the social web
Joshua Porter pours his knowledge about user interface design in social media in this title. While the AOF method (Activities, Objects and Features) he presents early in the book gets a bit confusing when you first read about it, very quickly you get his point.

The design framework he presents is aimed at taking new users of a social site through the steps that make up the usage lifecycle: not being aware of the site > becoming interested in it > using the site for the first time > becoming a regular user > becoming a passionate user.

I see a practical application of Joshua's design philosophy in the way Ning (a platform for you to create your own social network) is put together: it is easy for a new member to sign up and create/manage a profile page, interact with other members and sharing with others inside or outside the network so as to make more people aware of the network.

The main downside I found to the book was that, in an attempt to be more comprehensive, it went into certain topics that had little to do with design, such as the case with the chapter on "Authentic Conversations" (why they are the most important thing you can do for your social web site) and the closing chapter on "Funnel Analysis" which seemed a bit rushed and disconnected from the rest. Still, the chapter on authentic conversations was useful and even the one on metrics carried weight and useful tips, just not as much as the rest of the book.

Overall, "Designing For the Social Web" is a very good reference for folks needing to catch up with the social web in the sites they manage.

Facebook Error

I couldn't believe this when I saw it... but it happens to FB too.

El De Los Tres Telegramas: Buen Chiste

How to improve our blood sugars?

Answer: as a team!

Help this project make it to the Top 25 contenders for Members Project: Nominate Us.

Vote for Hasan!

I used to work with him @ Ning. He is SO funny! Vote for him!

Andreina at Palo Alto Show, Aug. 23 and 24

If you are around the Bay area next weekend, make sure to come to downtown Palo Alto. Andreina will be exhibiting her work (selling prints and originals) in a booth at the Palo Alto Festival of the Arts.

The fun will go on from 10 am until 6 pm both days, next weekend. She will be located (we will be with her) in the corner of University and Ramona.

If you cannot make it, make sure to visit her web site: you can also take a look at her work (and buy it, if you want) @ EvolveArtStudio.com.

En Univision, con Fernando Arau

Con Fernando Arau
Originally uploaded by Manny Hernandez

Hoy tuve el inmenso honor de pasar casi todo el dia en las oficinas de Univision, en Miami. Filmamos dos segmentos que van a salir al aire el 27 de Agosto, durante el programa "Don Francisco Presenta" y el 6 de Septiembre, durante "Sabado Gigante". Aunque no tuve la oportunidad de conocer a Don Francisco en persona (el habia filmado ayer), si me tope con unas cuantas figuras que quiero y admiro mucho.

Entre ellos estuvieron Jorge Ramos (con quien no pude tomarme foto por falta de "pilas" mias), Raul Gonzalez (ex-Chamokropolis) y el co-anfitrion de "Despierta America," junto con el, Fernando Arau.

Todos fueron super-cheveres en persona. Aqui les incluyo una foto que pude tomarme con Fernando.

What do you do without GMail?

Tell me... it's not a rhetorical question. I just got this message... :(


I know what!! You use Twitter, along with your Facebook and TuDiabetes accounts to message others. :D

Amazing animation of human faces

This demo was made by the company where Camila (my sister-in-law) is interning in, Pendulum.

EsTuDiabetes cumple 1 año!

A continuación, el comunicado de prensa que publicamos con motivo del primer aniversario de EsTuDiabetes.com.

Estaremos celebrando con un video-chat esta noche, a las 6 pm Hora Pacifico. Pueden unirse a la sesion en:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/aniversario-estudiabetes.com

--
Comunidad para Hispanos con Diabetes Celebra Un Año de Crecimiento


PALO ALTO, CA: 6 de Agosto, 2008 – EsTuDiabetes.com, una comunidad en Internet para personas de habla hispana afectadas por la diabetes, celebra su primer aniversario con más de 900 miembros.

EsTuDiabetes.com fue lanzada en agosto del 2007 por el ingeniero venezolano Manuel Hernández. Durante Julio del 2008, la comunidad creció casi un 30%, con más de 75 mil páginas vistas por miembros procedentes de México, Venezuela, España, Argentina, Estados Unidos, Perú, Colombia y Chile, entre otros países.

“La comunidad nos mantiene unidos a pesar de las distancias geográficas,” comentó Hernández. “El apoyo que los miembros se brindan mutuamente es una de las cosas más importantes que EsTuDiabetes ofrece a quienes vivimos afectados por diabetes.”

Unirse a EsTuDiabetes.com es gratis. Los miembros de la comunidad pueden agregar una foto y compartir su historia individual en su página personal de manera sencilla. Cada miembro puede participar en discusiones sobre diabetes en el Foro, escribir en su blog personal, compartir fotos y videos y entrar en contacto con otras personas con quienes comparten algo en común: otros padres de niños con diabetes, mexicanos con diabetes o personas interesadas en organizar actividades para el Día Mundial de la Diabetes, por citar tres ejemplos.

Gladys de Chacín, quien vive con diabetes tipo 2 desde el año 2001, se unió a EsTuDiabetes en Mayo del 2008. Desde Venezuela compartió: “Esta página forma parte de la vida de cada uno de los miembros… Es la primera visita que hago al abrir la computadora en las mañanas.”

Antes de la creación de EsTuDiabetes.com, en marzo de 2007 fue creada la comunidad hermana en inglés, TuDiabetes.com. En la actualidad cuenta con cerca de 4,000 miembros.

EsTuDiabetes.com ha atraído la atención de diversos medios y publicaciones, entre ellos Noticias 22 de Los Angeles, la página de la Oficina de Salud de las Minorías de EE.UU., la revista Yo con Diabetes en México, los diarios Panorama, El Universal y Ultimas Noticias en Venezuela y MiZonaHispana.com en New York.

“La necesidad es muy grande. Con cada nuevo miembro que se une a la comunidad, nos acercamos a la meta,” agregó Manuel Hernández. “Tenemos un gran reto por delante, pero el compromiso es más grande aún: algún día no habrá personas con diabetes viviendo su condición sin conocer a otros diabéticos.”

Acerca de EsTuDiabetes.com
EsTuDiabetes.com es una comunidad “online” para personas afectadas por la diabetes. Lanzada en agosto de 2007. EsTuDiabetes.com fue fundada por Manuel Hernández, un ingeniero venezolano residenciado en California, quien fue diagnosticado con diabetes a fines del año 2002.

EsTuDiabetes.com es una comunidad operada por la Diabetes Hands Foundation (DHF). La DHF es una fundación sin fines de lucro creada para ofrecer un espacio abierto que permita a las personas afectadas por la diabetes conectarse con otros, con miras a vivir una vida más saludable por medio de apoyo mutuo, acceso a información y expresión creativa.

Nuestras comunidades han sido designadas “Amigas del Día Mundial de la Diabetes” por la International Diabetes Federation.

Para mayor información sobre EsTuDiabetes.com, visite: www.EsTuDiabetes.com.

Para mayor información sobre la fundación, visite: www.DiabetesHandsFoundation.org.

###

Not going back to the old Facebook...

I am digging the new layout of Facebook. As somebody who has worked on Web Product Management for many years, I can say I am very impressed with the work they've done to make the site more usable! Plus things seem to have lots more room to "breathe" on your page.

Once You're Lucky, Twice You're Good: The Review

Since John Battelle's "The Search," I haven't had such a good read about people that make web technologies happen. But his book was very focused on a single technology, while Sarah Lacy has chosen to deal with a whole period in Silicon Valley's history: the emergence and glory days of Web 2.0 (arguably those days are not over yet).

Sarah has a provocative style, she knows what she is talking about and she knows the folks that play the game. Her writing flows like the words in her columns, which she has been writing for nearly ten years now. In the course of the book, she carefully weaves a tale that lets the reader see where all the pieces fall: where each Web 2.0 entrepreneur (or "nontrepreneur" as she refers to Blogger's and Twitter's Evan Williams) connects with the next one and where did he get the inspiration (or the funding) from to pursue the next big thing.

Throughout the book's eleven chapters, I found myself referring back to a very useful diagram that she included in the beginning, which shows at a very top level companies and people, showing who was founder, investor and employee of which.

You do not need to be a geek to enjoy the book, but you will if you are. You certainly do not have to live in Silicon Valley to know what she is talking about, but you will get a kick out of local references if you live or work in the stretch of 101 between San Francisco and San Jose. You do not need to be a web entrepreneur to want to devour the book, but if you are, you will find yourself flipping through the pages in search of yet more interesting and passionate anecdotes from the people that made Web 2.0 what it is today.

Sarah Lacy's book is a must read for anyone using the social web today: in case you didn't realize it, that means every one of us! Get your copy of "Once You're Lucky, Twice You're Good" quick.

The Dears is not over

Got this message about the upcoming album by The Dears... They are one of my favorite bands, so I am glad to hear their next album is around the corner!

--
This could have been a message saying that The Dears is over.

Instead:

Almost 10 years ago, The Dears made a ghetto little record called "End of A Hollywood Bedtime Story." We were a four piece back then until two dudes split right after we finished making it, leaving just me and Natalia. I called up a few people and within a month we were resurrected as a six piece. We were brand new, with a new record in hand that the others adopted as their own. We went on to make two more records, a couple of EPs and tour the world many times. Plenty of laughs. We had a couple of exits in that time but the last four years saw the same line up.

I'm not going to lie to you kids: The new Dears album has been completed since April. It is called MISSILES. We have been wandering around the music industry wilderness the whole time, trying to secure a release date for the Fall. It's getting pretty f***ed out there. We thought very seriously about doing it ourselves. But that just wasn't realistic at all. Not in the least. And our relationships with Bella Union and Arts & Crafts had run their course. So at the 11th hour, in walked Dangerbird. Our beloved MapleMusic Recordings is still there for us and will release the record in Canada while Dangerbird Records will release it everywhere else. Should be an interesting/entertaining journey.

We want to bring you this record whole and still warm. It's beautiful; that is the only way to describe it. A blues album, essentially. It's also long and kind of paced for love making, because that really makes everything better. 58 minutes, 16 seconds, 10 songs. One song is over 11 minutes, just like the old days. Come October, we encourage you to seek it out; it is worth every penny and all the dough just goes back into making more records, not buying solid gold houses. Thanks, in advance.

We had quite an experience making it and by the end, only Natalia and I were left. The band line up as you've known has come to a close and now it's just as it was when we began: Natalia and I, looking after every aspect ourselves. Trust us when we say it is for the best. The music, philosophy -- the art has been preserved with fervency. The Dears not are but is. In our mind it always has been that way, the sum of parts to create one vision. Or something like that. Personally, we feel fortunate to have a role in the birthing of every tune, in its arrival from the cosmos.

Anyway, there is a little nugget on our website, one of our faves, a soul-crushing classic: http://www.thedears.org

We are moving to organize some live concerts for October with an almost completely new line up, as a seven piece. We've been rehearsing a couple times a week. It's a bit weird, to be honest, looking around at all the new faces. But it's incredibly exciting to hear the sounds come alive again, and for all the right reasons with all the right intentions. Be excited. It is a new beginning.

Eternal Love,

Murray + Natalia P/K/A THE DEARS

How to Reach out to the Networked Public

Mobilizing Generation 2.0: A Practical Guide to Using Web2.0 Technologies to Recruit, Organize and Engage Youth

There are books you enjoy because they are entertaining and there are books you enjoy because they make you think. This title is a part of the latter group. Ben Rigby clearly knows Web 2.0 and he also knows nonprofits. This combination make him excellent to convey to others in the nonprofit space how to better take advantage of social media tools to raise awareness, do fundraising and become more effective change agents.

All the chapters are structured similarly, with an opening section devoted to the understanding of the different technologies (blogging, social networking, video/photo sharing, mobile phones, etc.) and how they are being used by nonprofits and the public sector. Following comes a part that walks the reader through the basics of getting setup and running. Strategic considerations and possible challenges wrap up the chapter's core. As a prologue to each chapter there are two outside authors offering their "big picture" view to complement the topic.

Granted that the book goes well beyond Web 2.0, covering mobile technology and Second Life, one should not get too hung up on this subtlety. Mobilizing Generation 2.0 is a must-read for anyone working in a nonprofit or the public sector, wanting to connect to that ironically elusive "networked public," as described by Danah Boyd in one of the "big picture" essays.

What do you Knol?

Thanks to my friend Landileigh, I payed close attention to Knol today. It's Google's attempt to take over Wikipedia, but then again it's a little more.

It offers a simple to use and great-looking publishing platform (blogs?) that makes me think more: they are offering a wiki platform and letting people go crazy showcasing what they know about. Of course this will sadly turn eventually into yet another outlet for spammers. But such is the reality of all things in the web.

The important thing is that it will also empower people to collaborate to create fantastic articles in ways that are not constrained by the rules of an organization, but rather by how you as the author of a Knol (that's how they call the articles) choose to let people collaborate with you (or not).

I took a stab at it, writing my first Knol on the topic of (surprise, surprise!) Social networks and diabetes

LinkedIn en Español

Fascinating! I thought it was particularly interesting how the Spanish-speaking folks in the video referred to LinkedIn calling it differently that it is called in English, basically pronouncing the brand name in Spanish. You will notice...

These guys GET it!

He would have turned 80 today

Papa en su cumpleannos 75, en el 2003
Originally uploaded by Manny Hernandez

Today is August 1. Every year today meant we'd celebrate as it was my dad's birthday.

It's been 3 and a half years since he left us. Today he would have turned 80 if he were around. Liver cancer took him from us before we could even realize what was going on.

I believe he is in a better place and from there he is watching over us as loving a full of peace as he always was while he was alive.

We miss you, viejo... Te echamos de menos...