Sugarman Three

So I' m wondering around Rasputin Records on Powell St. when I hear this great "old school" r&b over the store sound system. Turns out it's a group called Sugarman Three, sax, hammond B-3, and drums... and added guitar on most cuts. R&b from the late 50's, early 60's, as well as classic Blue Note soul jazz (Lou Donaldson, Jimmy Smith, etc.). These guys are very good, much better than Soul Live and even better than New Mastersounds, both groups into this retro music. So check 'em out, highly recommended... or is it just that I'm over the hill and appreciate the great old music... or is "old school" genres making a comeback... 20 somethings tired of rap and current rock crap and looking for something with, well, soul?

Overheard Conversations #1

"It's hard to do an audit when there are no records..."

San Francisco

So sick and tired of work, and, with a few bucks in the travel budget, decided to put in for a conference in Frisco. The trip was approved, and here I am. Pleasant weather, great restaurants, a fun wine tasting last night, and, yes, even some conference time (actually quite a bit; my perspective on modern communications is undergoing a major paradigm shift).

Met with Matt and Molly, Becka and Wahid, the other night. They are the progeny and related spouses of my long time, and unfortunately deceased, friends Val and Teri Ness. Good to get caught up and close another chapter in the sad end of a great relationship with V & T. Thankfully, I suspect I'll always have some contact with the kids, so memories and connections will continue. Generations...

I'm having many generational issues. Young managers, youthful Internet driven communications (social networking methods), and all sorts of cultural change issues. Trying to sort it out. Yes, I'm older than dirt, and generally thankful to retreat into my own world, which is rich enough to satisfy me. But I'm also interested in the new. I want to keep at least a toe dipping into the present/future, keep up with things as well as I can. After all, I'm blogging, now, right! (blogging is sooooo 5 minutes ago!). I guess I should be twittering, or whatever. Anyway, at least a toe...

Actually had (3) IM sessions going simultaneously on my MBP the other day. Figured out how to get Jabber (XMLPP?) going in iChat. Then ran Gizmo for a SIP connection to Lacey in France. Now how to get SIP in iChat... Damn Apple, the more they innovate, the more they leave behind. iChat is cool, but needs more extensions. Wish there were a single standard for IM, but there isn't. AIM, Jabber, SIP... guess Novell has something as well (don't know what protocol). Adium is supposed to unify IM sessions, need to update and try it out (but I do like iChat as a client).

OK, so some of you reading this may think I've got this geek thing down. Believe me, I'm so far behind it's rediculous. But hopefully my toe dipping can keep me relevant at work so I can make some significant contributions before getting put out to pasture.

Color, Bluetooth, and GigE... requirements for the 20 something (milleniums?) workforce. Also, of course, all those social networking tools (Facebook, MySpace, Linked In, etc.). Some new world we are entering (the pool is already full!).