Jason Toney

The Amazing Workout Playlist

Hero (F/ Keri Hilson) by Nas  
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Hero (f_ Keri Hilson).mp3 (5090 KB)

1. Lollipop (remix f. Kanye West) by Lil' Wayne
2. 'Till I Collapse by Eminem
3. My President (feat. Nas) by Young Jeezy
4. Ms. Jackson by Outkast
5. Kick Push by Lupe Fiasco
6. Amazing by Kanye West
7. What's Your Fantasy (featuring Shawna) by Ludacris
8. Overnight Celebrity by Twista
9. Hero (f/ Keri Hilson) by Nas

Bonus: Dey Know (remix) by Shawty Lo

40 minutes of Tae Bo Advanced with a workout playlist featuring several tracks that were on yesterday's docket. I'm not mad at it, though. Hero and 'Till I Collapse are my adrenaline pushers right now. Today was all about de-cluttering. I spent nearly the entire day organizing my desk, clearing my inbox, and getting rady for the next phase.

Often my Mondays are about reversals of fortune. Today's was about renewal. More of those, please.

Young Jeezy says, "That n*gga crazy, girl. Don't say nothin' to 'em."

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The Laws of Simplicity (29)

Cover via Amazon

The Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda (The MIT Press, 2006). I keep mis-titling this book "The Art of Simplicity" but maybe it is a faux pas that isn't really. Simplicity is beautiful. Maeda opens each chapter with a piece of computer art from his early days at MIT and there's a beauty to his economy of words, his love for acronyms, and his passion for simplifying the world.

Amazon had recommended this book to me because it can tell from my recent book selections and ratings that my fields of interest have changed a bit. I'm increasingly tasked with helping figure out human-computer interactions and better guest/user experiences. I work in an organization that seems to delight in complexity. There's layer upon layer of complex infrastructure, process, problems, and politics. There's a desire to do more with more. For things to get bigger, broader, and, ultimately, bloated. Right now, my job is to try to cut through all that.

To simplify. To find efficiencies. To champion consistency. And to communicate why we're doing that effectively. Maeda's ten laws and three keys are a great reminder of what that really means. I took one key piece from the book to impact my work life immediately.

BASICS are the beginning.

REPEAT yourself often.

AVOID creating desperation.

INSPIRE with examples.

NEVER forget to repeat yourself.

That's Maeda's holistic approach to teaching. It's my holistic approach to business communication. As you'll hopefully note, the acronym spells BRAIN.

I like stuff like that.

I also liked the dedication at the beginning of the book. Before I even read a word of the main text, I got some insight into who the person is that seeks to help me make sense of these complex problems we're trying to solve. It's a short sentence -- a promise:

For Kris

I promise to love you more—and never less.

How simple. How beautiful.

I'm taken by the art of it.

Recommended.

JLA: Earth 2 (28)

Cover of JLA: Earth 2

JLA: Earth 2 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (DC Comics, 2000). I picked up Earth 2 after it was featured in The Year of Great Comic Book Moments. It's a short read filled with some spectacular art from Quitely featuring some pretty great Batman and Owlman moments on their opposite earths and one of the few times in recent years where Aquaman and The Martian Manhunter have been written as the bad ass mofos they should be.

This isn't an event story. It's just a well woven tale about good and evil and the nature of it all.

Recommended for the cinematic quality of Quitely's art and Morrison's ability to to get at the heart and true motivations of the characters.

Song for Sunday: Outra Vida by Les Gammas

Outra Vida Remixes_Les Gammas _2_Outra Vida

"Did you live your life like you imagined?"

I'm sure I've written about this song before but as I get ready to enjoy this Sunday in full—the morning has been internet and chores, the afternoon, after yoga, will be books and sunshine and such—I feel inspired by this question.

This was a long week. I commented to the Martini last night that I felt like I had three Wednesdays. I couldn't remember what we had done just last weekend. My sleep schedule had been completely thrown off by some middle of the night inspiration—which led to one of the best presentations I've ever given—and I've been mentally exhausted. Work has been especially challenging since the turn of our fiscal year (October) and I've had to learn and grow and adapt to all the new things being thrown my way.

I'm loving it.

I listened briefly to The Herd on ESPN Radio the morning after the Yankees won the World Series and Colin said one thing that has stuck with me ever since. To paraphrase, regardless of how you may feel about the Yankees (or the Celtics or The Lakers), one thing cannot be denied: they place a premium on passion.

A premium on passion.

Seth Godin remarks today that if there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do the work that matters, this is it.

Exactly.

I love what I'm doing right now. I catch myself in the middle of meetings getting animated, my voice rising, the synapses in my brain firing. I start sweating. My hand motions get more deliberate. I might stand up. I might run to the white board and scribble something. My brow might furrow and my arms might cross as I consider a new problem or wrinkle.

But, if you're paying attention, you'll also catch me smiling. Laughing loudly.

Happy.

I'm passionate about what I'm doing. I like finding solutions to problems. I like that most of my job right now is about communication and translation. It might not be in the traditional sense of what we think of as telling stories in the House of Mouse but I'm a storyteller, too.

It just comes out as powerpoint presentations and use cases and wireframes. In the end, though, it's about telling the right story to the right audience so that I can help make tools that will help them tell stories better online.

As a kid, I wanted to be a writer. To be honest, I wanted to be Stephen King.

Today, I'm not him so, no, I'm not living the life that I imagined.

But, then again, yes, I am.

Outra Vida.

The 2 Pounds 2 Many Workout Playlist

18 'Till I Collapse

1. Touch the Sky (featuring Lupe Fiasco) by Kanye West
2. Ms. Jackson by Outkast
3. Daydreamin' by Lupe Fiasco
4. I Get Money (1,2,3 Remix) by 50 Cent
5. Overnight Celebrity by Twista
6. Wouldn't Get Far (f/ Kanye West) by The Game
7. 'Till I Collapse by Eminem
8. Gin and Juice by Snoop Doggy Dogg
9. Get By (rmx) by Talib Kweli
10. Izzo (H.O.V.A) by Jay-Z
11. Pimpin' All Over the World by Ludacris

Bonus: Hero by Nas

Being two pounds heavier than when I weighed myself last (two weeks ago) brought on 45 minutes of Tae Bo Advanced. My cardio has definitely taken a hit with my sporadic aerobic workouts over the past month but there have been some great benefits to yoga on the daily. My shoulders have been weak my entire life. They have always presented with pain during workouts and athletic games well before my heart and lungs did. Not today, though. I had strength and control and, best of all, no nagging pain.

So big ups to 22 minutes of yoga five times a week.

Nas says, "I want to make more green so I can be more clean as I grow yearly. I can see things more clearly. That's why they fear me."

The Back on The Hustle Workout Playlist

1. Sincerely Yours by Little Brother
2. The Pressure by Mick Boogie and Little Brother
3. Hustle Hustle by The Foreign Exchange
4. My Mind (featuring O-Dash & Darien Brockington) by Rapper Big Pooh
5. In Remembrance of Me by Blu & Exile
6. Delusional feat. Little Brother by Oddisee
7. Dreamchasers by Murs
8. Way to Go by Skyzoo
9. Special (feat. Thesis) by Strange Fruit Project

Bonus: He Comes (feat. Ghostface) by De La Soul

A little over 30 minutes of Hip Hop Abs Fat Burning Cardio Level 2 with a playlist featuring an overwhelming amount of 9th Wonder production. I didn't make it to the end of the workout which shouldn't be surprising. My cardio workouts have been sporadic at best over the last 3 weeks. I'm hardcore on my yoga, getting in 30 minutes 4-5 days a week but I need to get back on the aerobic trek.

I've got a grind date with it on the daily.

Posdnuous says, "Sorry to disappoint but this joint's mine."

What Will I Celebrate?

"I've got a commentary without much to say." - Boingo, Hey!

I've been thinking about this since leaving Disneyland last weekend. Sure we made fun of the slogan -- what will I celebrate? Coffee! Elvis! Not smacking you upside the head! -- but I do have lots to be thankful for. What I've kept coming back to, though, is this place I live in.

I'm celebrating California.

I live and work in a place where I can go to the beach and snow-capped mountains in the same day. I can spend a day at the happiest place on earth in a t-shirt and shorts in October. I live in a place where we take our burgers and our sushi seriously, where, everyday, I talk to at least one person who is a true believer, a dreamer, someone passionate about possibility.

The sun shines on my face nearly every day. Ultimately, my job is to figure out ways to make it easier for people to tell stories online and easier ways for people to get engaged with those stories.

And even with our upcoming non-tax tax increase and the traffic and the obvious minuses of Hollywood and our screwy political system, my world is filled with people who laugh. A lot. Who think differently. And, who, more often than not, know the secret.

The world is what we make it.

This is our time. It's our time, down here.

Happy Halloween.

The Breathe In Breathe Out Workout Playlist

1. Bring Me Down (feat. Brandy) by Kanye West
2. Dreams by The Game
3. Still Dreaming (f/ Kanye West) by Nas
4. Let The Beat Build by Lil' Wayne
5. Sunshine by Lupe Fiasco
6. The People by Common
7. Breathe in Breathe out by Kanye West
8. Get By (w/ Jay-Z & Busta Rhymes (rmx) by Talib Kweli
9. Xxplosive (w/ Hittman, Kurupt, Nate Dogg & Six-Two) by Dr. Dre

Bonus: My 1st Song (DJ Dangermouse Mix) by Jay-Z

35 minutes of Hip Hop Abs Fat Burning Cardio after nearly two weeks of not doing cardio (but I have been heavy into the morning yoga). Is it wrong that this was the first disc I put into my brand spankin' new Playstation 3?

Jay-Z says, "This song that I sing to you is my everything."

Song of the Week: We've Got A Good Thing Going

We've Got A Good Thing Going by Michael Jackson  
Download now or listen on posterous

07 We've Got A Good Thing Going.mp3 (3127 KB)

We've Got A Good Thing Going by Michael Jackson

In Wanda Sykes's recent HBO special I'ma Be Me she talks a lot about getting older and how she knows she's aging. One of those canaries in the coal mine was the death of Michael Jackson. That's the same for me. When your childhood icons start dying, you know you've been on the planet more than a little while. I still think of MJ as 80s Michael. Thriller Michael. Annie are you okay, Michael. So, I've spent much of the time since his passing getting familiar with Michael from other eras. 90s Michael shows signs of the incredible songwriter even if it is never able to overcome the melodrama of his life at the time. It's 70s Michael, however, that is a revelation.

I know the Jackson Five, of course. The hits are iconic. They had a cartoon for goodness sake. I've got the Christmas album and everything but I hadn't been intimate with the entire collection of songs and albums until recently and, apparently, I still am not at the bottom of this rabbit hole. This track, a beautiful stripped down mix of a flirty love song, showcases what was spectacular about Michael Jackson. His voice is impeccable and feels authentic and wise. Here with just minor instrument accompaniment, he's just like his life in the Jackson five. He's out front. His brothers play the background. The music plays the background. Michael is the star and he makes me believe.

We do got a good thing going. That girl and me. And she don't have to ask cuz she knows it's gonna last...eternally.

Sing it Michael! But like Wanda said, they didn't have thongs in the 70s so watch out for them big lady drawers getting thrown on stage.

The Top Songs of Last Week

1. Michael Jackson – We've Got A Good Thing Going
2. Hepcat – No Worries
3. Derrick Morgan – Greatest Thing (I'm A Blackhead Again)
4. Hepcat – Pharoah's Dreams
5. Drake – Lets Call It Off (feat. Peter Bjorn & John)
6. Drake – Outro
7. Hepcat – The Secret
8. Hi-Five – Quality Time
9. Midnight Star – Midas Touch
10. The Pharcyde – Somethin' That Means Somethin'

As you can see, I was a little obsessed with Hepcat and Drake. Here's some explanation why.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Michael Jackson's 'This Is It' Single Debuts Online (mtv.com)
• ArtsBeat: Discussion of the New Jackson Single (artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com)
• New Michael Jackson Song of the Day (drunkenstepfather.com)
• Rip Empson: HuffPost Review: Wanda Sykes's 'I'ma Be Me' (VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)

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Project Managers Use Too Much Paper

Image via Wikipedia

"I acted like I could care less while my thumb was pressed to the paper." - Little Dragon, Scribbled Paper

Visio diagrams. Schedules. Gantt Charts. Dashboards. Project Summaries. Notes. Notes on notes. Calendars. Calendars with charts. It never stops. As I spent a good 30 minutes just going through the mounds of paper strewn across my desk, I couldn't help but think, "we've got to do better than this."

I'm a culprit, too. For me, it's the PowerPoint Deck. I make decks all the time. I fill them with pretty pictures and fancy transitions and I like making them and so I want to see them in print. I want others to print them. I want folks to refer to them in meetings so they become these physical goods that, for most, are immediately disposable and I should really be ashamed about my lack of green thinking in this regard.

I am.

So, I'm making this commitment to myself -- I'm going to limit the print-outs. For meetings, I'm going to try my darnedest to get things up on a screen. I'll send out digital copies after the fact. With notes and everything. In the event of lack of A/V materials in a room, I'll bring my laptop and we can crowd around a small screen. Maybe you'll have to squint and get close to your neighbor but that's better than all this wasted paper, innit?

I'm also going to start looking for PM collaboration tools that allow us to get better as a group. Maybe it's just as simple as an edict -- More PDFs, Less pretty print-outs. Because SharePoint right now doesn't seem to be doing the job.

Suggestions?