Chicago Tech Report

Executives' Club of Chicago Conference: Interview with Rob Bernard

As I mentioned in my last post, after the insightful and inspirational morning panels at the Executives' Club of Chicago Conference, I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Rob Bernard, Chief Environmental Strategist for Microsoft Corporation. What does the Chief Environmental Strategist do? Rob works with both internal and external constituents to help reduce their overall impact on the environment, whether it's software, hardware, or business processes. Here's a quick Q&A Rob was able to provide in between the morning panels and a client meeting he had to run off to.

1. So Rob, how did you get into this position and what were you doing prior to this position?
   I've been working at Microsoft for 11 years. I was working on a project called Project 2 Degrees at Microsoft before they created this position. Now, I work on an environmental sustainability team, which is a virtual working team across several different groups, totaling 100 people across the company.
   
   
2. Are you working with any hardware vendors to improve energy consumption?
   In terms of hardware, currently, we're working with the XBOX team to reduce energy consumption. Current generations of the XBOX use half as much power as previous generations. We're also working with waste companies to help recoup materials after they have reached the end of their life cycle even though a typical XBOX has a fairly long shelf life.
   

Chicago Journalism Town Hall Brings Old and New Media Luminaries Together

Chicago's old and new media camps converged this past Sunday for a panel discussion in front of a packed audience of over 300 on the future of the journalism profession and newspaper industry. Representing the old guard were stalwarts like John Calloway and Carol Marin from WTTW and Eric Zorn from the Chicago Tribune. From the new media side were Geoff Dougherty from ChiTown Daily News and Andrew Huff from Gapers Block.

A lively three hour discussion ensued, covering issues like funding of newsroom operations, new business models to support investigative journalism, viability of online advertising, micropayments, and the role of community foundations in bridging the gap. No easy answers were formulated by the end of the day, but it was heartening to see a conversation beginning to form between experienced professional journalists and the young hotshot bloggers and technologists in the audience. There are several other interesting startups in the journalism space here in Chicago to watch that will help inform the future, whatever it may be, of media in this city.

For those who could not attend the event, WBEZ will be posting an audio recording of the event, and there will be a video rebroadcast on public access CAN-TV. Also see another take on this event.

Blogwell Chicago - Learn how big companies use social media

Some exciting news in the world of social media. Chicago's own GasPedal is hosting a one day seminar entitled BlogWell on January 22nd from 1-5. It's going to be social media focused featuring 8 case studies from some big brands such as: Allstate, P&G, Walmart, Sharpie, and the Home Depot to name a few. If you have some time free and $200, it sounds like a solid way to spend a winter afternoon. Here's a video from a previous BlogWell session showing the Home Depot case study:

If it sounds good, you can sign up here. If you're headed there, let me know. I'll be there reporting.

Chicago Tribune's Social Media Strategy: Huffington Post Chicago Meets the Colonel

Kudos to the team at the Chicago Tribune for getting written up in the Huffington Post Chicago.  Their Social Media strategy is taking off!

See you the Colonel Tweetup Tonight!

Speaking of Huffington Post Chicago, it just launched today. Thoughts?

Lunch with TimeOutChicago.comA Reminder That Chicago Media 'Sticks' Together

I headed over to my local South Loop Panera to meet TimeOut Chicago's Web Editor,  Scott.  It's always good to meet up with other local web/tech/start-up types,  but even better to ask a few choice questions and get a sense of how they 'tick'.

With quite a bit of activity happening in the world of entertainment reporting, events lists, etc, I always wondered, 'Does everyone get along'? According to Scott, yes. Do I believe him? Yep, I do. Here's why.

In Chicago, competition will always be around - when it comes to companies. I've been in the space for years and ran into a bevy of ideas, people, etc. that competed with the given brand I was working on, but at the end of the day, I'd gladly meet them for a brewski.  There is a unique spirit to Chicago that separates the person from the company. We're known to be one of the largest small towns in the country - and we pride ourselves with this distinction.  If you are a new start-up, agency, or media whiz, you best get to know your neighbors. It's not about a secret 'group' or class of people. It's about knowing your business neighbor and being aware of who's around. It's also about taking the time to get to know these people, understand what they do and see what they are about.

It's one thing to get the scoop, but it's another thing to ignore your peers. For all you Chicagoland media planners, buyers, and sales people, I'm sure you'd agree.

Thanks for meeting up, Scott!

Chicago Bloggers Invited to Tour Chicago Tribune Headquarters

It was a treat, indeed. Our friends at the Chicago Tribune, led by the infamous @ColonelTribune, invited local Chicago bloggers and media types to tour the structure that is known as the Tribune Building.

Our morning started off with observing the ChicagoTribune.com's 9 am meeting. From there, we toured the editorial suite, RedEye HQ and the newly constructed interactive space, which was carved out of the Trib's basement.

The building is massive, with many offices left unused. Sam Zell deployed a series of firms to provide proposals for how the space can be utilized, which would hopefully turn a profit. With the recent layoffs over at the Trib, I'm sure they can use the extra revenue source.

Big thanks to Dan for hanging with us while the Colonel was busy. Also, Charlie was a terrific tour guide!

Pictures From Chicago 'TweetUp' Thanks to ColonelTribune!

For those of you on Twitter (you can follow me @BlahGeeTsa), @ColonelTribune and the Chicago Tribune Family hosted a Tweetup last Thursday at Clark Street Ale House. Check out the Flickr photos. A good time was had by all (yes, we all wore those hats in the photos).

Kudos to the Trib' for embracing social media and what it REALLY means to connect!

Apple Store Michigan Avenue Comes Through - Again

I've had the worst tech luck in quite some time - and it happened to me in a matter of a few weeks.

First, my iPhone froze - followed by the Apple Store replacing it within minutes.
Today, my iMac's hard drive fried. I woke up this morning to a screen showing me a blank file folder with a question mark. Within minutes, I sent my woes to Twitter and had a few responses back - things didn't look good. Between my online research and Twitter responses, I had a good idea that my hard drive was toast.

My instincts told me to abandon the DIY route and schedule a Genius appointment at the Apple Store. Could luck strike twice? Could my iMac be salvaged the way my iPhone was last week?

Today's noon appointment resulted in learning that yes, my iMac's hard drive is fried. The appointment also confirmed that my anal behavior of backing up my data to an external hard drive saved my precious work. I also became thankful that yes, Chicago has its own Apple store with a staff that is prompt, efficient and courteous. Yes, I actually used the word 'courteous'.

My iMac will be fixed within 4-5 days, free of charge, thanks to the 3-year Apple Care plan I had. Below is the quick video I took for the readers of my other site, Gals' Guide. Women tend to NOT back up their data and I hope today's lesson changes their non backing-up ways.