Make Mine Whole Wheat with Extra Mayo

My favorite way to order a deli sandwich are those places where they provide a check list and I can tell them exactly what I want.

Imagine how ridiculous this would be if the check list was in reverse - "tell us everything you don't want."

During our devotional time at PubU, I'll explore what I think are some important lessons on the way God wants us to lead our individual kingdoms.

For a clue on where I'm going with this one, read Ephesians 5:10.

Oxymorons and Devotions

I love those little word combos that make sense until you stop and think about them -



Government Intelligence
Jumbo Shrimp
Guest Host

During our short devotional times at PubU, we'll take a look at the reality of Constant Change and briefly explore what I hope will be some different ways of looking at the way you guide your organization into the future.

I'm looking forward to sharing some ideas with you and I'll be available during PubU to chat one-on-one with folks who need a different perspective on specific challenges in their organizations.

Read Lamentations 3: 23-24 and think about the balance between God's steadfast love and the mercies that are new every morning.

DEADLINE FAST APPROACHING!

The deadline to lock in our rate for a hotel room at the Westin Lombard is Friday, the 12th of October. The rate is only $108/night, which is a steal for Chicago at any hotel and any time of year, this is a brand new Westin! After that date, you are not guaranteed that rate. Make your reservations now!

Keeping Track - Technology

Have you seen Ocean's Eleven? Do you remember the part where they all synchronize their watches prior to the big hiest? Ever wonder what would have happened if they weren't working on exact timing? It's a near certainty that they wouldn't meet with the success that they ultimately did. One of the challenges I have noticed since taking my post (in my "Information" capacity) is that data synchronization is a near oxymoron in the world of books and publishing. Don't get me wrong, we have come a long way by adopting and implementing standards such as ISBN-13, BISAC, and ONIX, however we are still a long way from everyone working from the same sheet of music. Ultimately, this means that the information we all need to rely upon for business intelligence only provides us with a partial image of the way things really are, and in some instances that may not give us the most accurate image.

In other industries (e.g. hard goods), this type of data synchronization effort has been adopted by even the largest of players (can you say Wal-Mart?). In fact, read this quote from Rollin Ford, CIO for Wal-Mart:

"Data synchronization is a top priority at Wal-Mart. Many of the key strategic initiatives with our suppliers, such as Radio Frequency Identification and Advanced Shipment Notification, are enabled with accurate item data synchronization via the Global Data synchronization Network (GDSN). Trading partners need to get involved by selecting 1SYNC or any of the GDSN-certified Data Pools within the network. Working collaboratively, trading partners will benefit from data synchronization while better serving their customers."

So, how do we get there? Well, our most recent addition to the Technology Track, David Wilkinson of 1Sync, will be present to round out this track with a look at the benefits of data synchronization through the supply chain and some solutions that exist for making this simpler. Personally, I am excited to learn more about this topic and am hopeful that this can be the beginning of moving toward some solutions that will benefit everyone from manufacturer to consumer (with the publishers there in the middle of course:-).