Dave Keune

via davekeune.com

I’d love to be able to build this.

before you click through, can you figure out what it is?

Code Name Ginger – An Excellent Read.

“Code Name Ginger – The story behind SEGWAY and Dean Kamen‘s quest to invent a new world” by Steve Kemper.

I found it to be an excellent read. Its product development and adventure in one. Covering engineering, leadership, finance, people – Its got the lot. A “Lord of the Rings” for business.

And for Gandalf, we have Dean Kamen, the absolute stereotype of Inventor and Innovator – Genius, but hard to live with. But the hero of the story for me, the Frodo, the man doing the unglamourous miles, was Doug Field – The man who led the engineering team and produced the Segway. The inventor may get the credit when a prototype is wheeled out, but its the likes of Doug who convert the idea into a mass-produced reality. Signs on, Doug is currently VP of Product Design at Apple.

Photo owned by nichol alexander (cc)

The book was originally written around the time the Segway was released in 2003.  Many people might wonder why such an insignificant product deserves much attention, but prior to launch, everyone who saw and rode the Segway thought it would change the world, with the result that Dean Kamen was turning down offers of money from the likes of Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos.

Lucky for me, there is now a Segway agency in Ireland. And more importantly, as they can be expensive, they run Segway tours of Dublin. Woo! I am going to try this first chance I get, if you want to join me, leave a comment, and we can get organised.

Thanks to Jackie Danicki for the original lead on this book.

2009 – Time to be good to myself.

I don’t usually do new years resolutions. Usually I spend the first week of every year drugged and sneezing. This year was no different. Now that the whole fuss about the new year has cleared, I can put down my own marker for myself.

I want to be good to myself.

I am no Mother Theresa, but I put others before me way too much – Family, Friends, Businesses.  I also suffer from the ridiculous habit of putting off current comforts for the promise of greater future comforts.

I want to change that this year. I want to treat myself. ( – In a wholesome way).

I do not intend to neglect my family, friends or businesses. But if I don’t change my attitude, I’ll be a bitter old bastard in no time. (Some might say bitter-er!)

I have a measurement for this new self-indulgence.  – No point in setting a task for myself unless I can measure its success or failure in someway. So I have picked an object that I would never normally allow myself to have. I have decided that I do, in fact, want it, and so I shall, in fact, have it.

Its the Linley Aston Chair.

Its just an armchair. But its a beautiful armchair. I already have an armchair, two in fact, at home – But I have wanted this since I first saw it in 2003.

If I can afford the two thousand odd that it costs and I can bring myself to spend that money on something I don’t need – That will be the mark of a great 2009.Looking forward from the first week in January, there is every reason to believe that this won’t be the year that I can afford to start treating myself. But that doesn’t mean I can’t try.