Bblop's Weblog

Things I set out to do …

bblop — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:49:14 +0000

… and get to do now at Mozilla.

When recent construction worked forced me to go through my office “stuff”, I came across career goals I had written down about 10 years ago. The exercise asked for the things I would be looking for in a job.

Just checked my job at Mozilla against this old list:

- work on strategy: check

- build networks / connect people: check

- contribute to public debate / drive change: check

- use languages and travel: check

- continue to learn: check

- teach and consult: check

Not all things in life work as planned, but some do!

Re-Reading the Mozilla Manifesto

bblop — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 09:30:33 +0000

When I worked at eBay, every employee had a copy of the believes the eBay founder had defined on their badge. It sometimes looked a bit odd – like you were part of a cult running around with a piece of plastic saying: People are basically good. It might only be in my memory, but I do think having those principles visible made a difference in decision-making and interacting with community.

Why am I mentioning this? Because sometimes it is inspiring to look back to those basic principles that were powerful enough to inspire a hand full of people to create something amazing. Something that changed an industry and more. Thus, time to re-read the Mozilla Manifesto. Working on some new projects, I was looking for that one phrase to help me define my goals.

And I found it: “We invite others to join Mozilla and make the Internet an even better place for everyone”. Add a bit of influencing to the equation and this is my mantra for the next few months.

Not the shortest vision statement. Maybe has a bit too much pathos for some. (Author is a very rational German after all). But I warned you. This blog is personal and bias. And this is how I feel right now. This is how I want to make a difference in 2012.

And, I just put a flag in my calender for July – will be interesting to see if my goals and vision have changed.

My 2012 challenge: My year with Mozilla documented

bblop — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 08:30:45 +0000

New year. New challenge.

Hard to tell from my blogging history here, but I actually like to blog. And sometimes it takes a challenge to do the things one likes. Thus: I challenge myself to post a short “something” every day about Mozilla this year: thoughts, event news, pictures, trivia, stories about the people I meet.

Totally bias: yes!

Totally boring: maybe. We will see.

Right now all an idea under construction.

The small things shape memories

bblop — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 11:10:20 +0000

Then kinds of things people displayed at the Mozilla Summit World Expo

It has been a little over a week since I left Whistler after the Mozilla Summit 2010. A week that was filled with a lot of meetings and conversations and international travel that kept me busy – too busy to blog about my first Mozilla Summit. But maybe that was good. Had I written about the summit earlier, this blog might have been more generally about the impressive group of people, the professional organization or the fun party on the last evening. A week later – and I am sure this process will continue – the small things and the personal moments that made this gathering of 600 Mozillian’s so special for me are starting to dominate my memories. Moments like these:

Feeling the energy in the room rise during the keynotes with their impressive demos. And at the same time, being taught, once more, the impact of technology on the individual. When watching my blind colleague Marco follow the demo that made the browser “speak”, all the possibilities this piece of software might entail were visible in his huge smile.

Connecting with a contributor from Jordan while holding up a sign for the “dine about”. We had a ton of fun without speaking a word - and created a memory we shared though out the summit.

Seeing the same long row of monitors and tables showcasing impressive demos and the widths of the Mozilla project transformed only hours later into a world expo that made the international impact of Mozilla very tangible (and palatable!).

Finding a different card on my pillow every evening that made me smile, think or dream big!

And then the countless small moments, that are only important to me, but make all the difference in turning an interesting event into a great experience: being asked to sit down and share a meal at a table full of stangers people I had not met yet, laughing with folks I see a few times a year at Mozilla events, dancing foolishly at 6000 feet with friends I get to see too rarely, and endless short but memorable conversations in elevators, the food line or at the bar.

Writing this, I start suffering from post-summit-blues again. Beware! Mozilla events are addictive.

short Auckland visit

bblop — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 07:54:12 +0000

Seems like the North Island does not agree with my travel focus on the South … While it was beautiful and sunny when I left Queenstown this morning, it is pouring rain since I landed in Auckland. Luckily my hotel is nice, I have a great view of the harbor, just had really nice room service food and will continue to play with my pictures. Such a difference seeing the pics on a big screen and not just on the small camera display!

Did pick up my laptop at the Auckland office today and downloaded a bit over 1000 emails. I will definitely not get bored on the flight to San Fransisco tomorrow. So far I have mostly looked at the coverage around 5 years of Firefox. Am a bit in awe how great it was and really proud of my PR agencies in Europe! But back to this trip …

Doubtful Sound view

The weather gods where on my side when I took the tour to Doubtful Sound yesterday. The ocean was calm, the sky was blue and we got to see rare penguins, seals and a group of dolphins put on a show for us that made me wonder if I had ended up at Sea World.

school of penguins

dolphin show in the wild

The view from the plane was also great. Definitely a view that make me want to come back and climb a few more mountains!

Queenstown to Christchurch

Note: nice hotel BUT in the party area of Auckland … and it is Friday night. Might be first time I will need my earplugs on this trip!

tramping over – and my feet are happy about it!

bblop — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:31:30 +0000

Tramping is nothing else but hiking – but they have their own word for it here in New Zealand. And I am done with tramping now. My last hike, one of the Great Hikes in New Zealand was the Routeburn Track – and it was great. Ok, the weather could have been a bit nicer, but we did not get soaking wet … The views were great, the group nice enough to hang out with for meals and in the evenings. The group was also small enough for me to manage to walk alone most of the time. It is so much easier to enjoy nature and its sounds if no one is talking next to you!

mountain views

lake + red jacket

And since I was walking alone no one saw me falling … This last hike was an assortment of “firsts”: my first fall (I saved the camera, but my knee is pretty blue), my first blisters (after 3 weeks in the hiking boots my feet seem to go on strike) and my first kiwi guides (was glad to find out that now only Germans and British work in this country!).

But it is also good when someone is around to take your picture!

Another first: catch your desert. Last night we had pancakes for desert – but you had to catch yours with a plate. The guides threw them. When Neil landed my pancake on the ceiling they had mercy and I got mine with any further throwing activity …

It was definately a delux version of a hike. Three guides for 17 hikers. Hot tea and toilets (!) along the way. And the “huts” we stayed in are full grown lodges, but build well into nature. This was my bed last night:

lodge bed with a view

We got a three course meal every night. We could buy wine and beer, had hot showers and a drying room for wet clothes. The generator went off at 10 pm and on again at 7:30 am. If you did not want to read with your torch light … you got a lot of sleep!

And this was not a bushfire but the sunset two nights ago. Guess you only see lights like this when you are miles away from the next city!

sunset kiwi style (always a little bigger!)

And now I am back in civilization. They even warn you at the end of the track:

back in the real world

Am a bit worried that I will hate the very touristy bus / boat trip to Doubtful Sound tomorrow. Hope my ipod will save the day for me!

just one of the many waterfalls

Met a Kiwi today

bblop — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:46:18 +0000

Today was the one day I could have slept in on this long vacation – and then the fire alarm goes off at 8 am in the bed &breakfast … so much for sleeping in! Had a leisurely breakfast, handed over my laundry to the B&B for washing, strolled through a park into Queenstown – supposedly the adrenalin capitol of the world. I did not opt for bungee jumping, jet boating or the likes though, but went and got a massage. What a treat after three weeks of walking with a backpack! Then I had the pre-hike briefing for my last hike: the Routeburn Track. Looks like I will be walking it with a group of about 20 – all couples … No Russians as far as I could tell.

The day in Queenstown was sunny and really warm. But we were warned that there is plenty of snow up where we will be hiking. Only last week were the first hikers able do the full length of the trip – before people had to be helicoptered over the snowed-in areas (for fear of avalanches). Am really hoping for some clear weather. The views are supposed to be spectacular. So stay tuned for pictures of either stunning alpine views or … fog. Will be back in civilization on Wednesday night. Off to Doubtful Sound for a day cruise on Thursday and then back to Auckland on Friday. I had a great time … but why did it go by so fast?

My Russian friends filmed most of our tours and promised me a DVD. They are actually planing to show part of their material on Russian television – too bad I did not have a Firefox jacket or backpack! Will be fun to see it though. They will dub my version with music only though – they are afraid I might find someone that will do the translation for me.

Ahh – almost forgot: Crossed one more item off the to do list today. I went to see a Kiwi. They are really rare, shy and only out at night … thus I had to go to a bird house. I got a deal because it was late in the day and only half an hour until they closed. The good thing about it: I was the only person in the Kiwi house. No pictures though – they did not allow that. My summary: Kiwi’s are pretty big and look really … funny. Most of the time their long beak is in the ground looking for food and to me they look like a feathery soccer ball on two legs … the size is about right. The Kiwi lady I was watching lay and egg four days a ago. The egg is huge! Compared to a human it would be like giving birth to a two year old!!!

Will hike back up the hill to my B&B now, pack for the track and go to bed early. Need to be at the meeting point at 7 am. More soon …

sleet, sandflies, scenery and speed

bblop — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 09:47:10 +0000

New Zealand weather in the spring is about as changeable as you can imagine. We flew into the Siberia Valley via helicopter yesterday morning in great sunshine. After claiming a bed in the hut with throwing a sleeping bag on it we headed out to Lake Crucible. After an hour nice walk along the valley … with only a few river crossings and thus wet boots (once more!) we started to go up. Our guide had not told me that we were up for a 600 to 700 meter hike up hill (and down again). It was really steep and slippery since it had started to rain. Luckily my Russian co-travelers are real gentlemen and offered to take my backpack – s0 nice!

giant buttercup - with hikeing pole to give a perspective!

We saw some giant buttercups on the way – the largest in the world. (Taking pics is always a nice excuse for a break).Well we went up for about 4 hours with a short lunch stop in the rain to finally reach a lake of snow.

snowy lake crucible

I guess we all had expected a bit of impressive blue clear water and not a mass of avalanche dirty snow – and not the sleet that was blowing with force into our faces once we started the decend …

Inspired by what I call the “Putin”-pose by the Russians, I managed a little peak pose though.

We had a fun evening in the hut and woke up to sunshine and a visit of the biggest New Zealand pest of all: Sandflies. This little back flies bite and those bites itch and hurt like hell. And they like my blood! The tale is that the Maori had such a good and easy life in New Zealand that God introduced the sandfly to prevent them from getting lazy and sitting around all day. If you move, they supposedly do not bite. Does not work for me though! Neither do the various types of insect repellent that I have tried …

view from Siberia hut in the morning

Over breakfast the Russians told me that they have a very good influence on peoples lives and that I should expect to soon find a husband. (Guess they can”t cope with a single woman not in desperate search for a man that provides for them

jet boat fun

After a two hour hike we reached the jet boat pick up point. It was fun – even though I got really wet again.

jet boat view

But I just learned to accept that being wet (or at least to have wet boots) is part of my New Zealand adventure! The day continues to be beautiful.

lunch spot (not pictured, the sandflies!)

We had lunch at a great view point on lake Wanaka. Drove along a few other lakes (where I had a short stunt as photo model for the Russians) and finally made it to Queenstown. We had a farewell beer and the Russians are a bit disappointed I do not plan to go bungee jumping with them tomorrow … No worries! I will not!

model for a minute

along the road ... impressive scenery

if you have a plan, change it!

bblop — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:51:58 +0000

Hardly anything on this adventure tour is going as described in the plan – but we are still having fun. Kayaking had to be canceled due to heavy wind yesterday and we also chose not to do the traditional hangi (food cooked in pit on beach Mauri style) since we would have swallowed mostly sand. Nice walk up to a trig (measurement point) and a walk on the beach were a great plan B. This is the view of the mountains we are now in from the trig point:

Mount Cook (and friends)

Today we started our daily work out at 6:30 in the morning with a sunrise walk around a lake.

early morning lake views

Had the weather gods been really kind, we could have seen the entire mountain range mirrored in the lake … we at least got to see the foothills!

After breakfast we headed to the glacier and walked up more than 800!!! steps before reaching the ice. 3 hours hiking to be on the ice for 45 minutes … Got to earn your photo opportunities in this country!

Barbara on Fox glacier in the new red jacket and happy that I remembered to pack gloves and hat that morning

Fox glacier impression

Not sure when I will be able to access the internet again – most likely not until Sunday in Queenstown. Hope the weather will stay “friendly”.

PS: updated previous post with some pictures including river crossings

wet is the new dry and traveling with russians

bblop — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:20:11 +0000

Ok – this week is very different from last week. Guess the change could not be more extreme. From 4 girls with one guide I am now the only girl traveling with an English guide and three Russians on a male outing. And the weather at the west coast is a bit more “moody” than in the north. But so far I only got wet while crossing rivers.

Our first night was at Arthurs Pass on the mountains dividing the east from the west coast. We ate at a place called the Wobbly Kea and just before dinner a Kea actually showed up. Kea are the mountain parrots that can do great damage to cars because they like to pick out the rubber lining around the windows. When I read about them, I was thinking small parrot. They are huge! More the size of a large cat. Quite impressive.

river crossings

Yesterday I was convinced by Nick – our guide – that I can do the 7 hour / 50 river crossings hike. And to be honest, I really enjoyed it. Glad I listened to him! Once you are wet up to your hip you do not mind about getting in the water and it is actually fun crossing rivers – it was sunny and not to cold. Admit that did help! And wet boots really are ok to walk in. There are pictures to prove this … but I am again at an internet cafe that does not allow uploads. (Updated with pictures)

more river crossings!

My fellow Russian travelers were very surprised that I did the river tour without complaining … I am now fully accepted. They used to travel as a group of four but one of their close friends died in an accident this summer. This morning over breakfast I received a huge compliment from them: they feel like there is a bit of their friend traveling with them embodied in me … Learning a lot a about the Russia soul and some hard facts: did not know that is a nine hour flight from Vladivostok, where they live, to Moscow. Traveling does educate!

My new companions for the week. Guide Nick taking a pic of Dima, Rust and Igor. (Very typical situation these days!)

It is overcast today but we did a fun walk / climb along the cost. Glad I have four strong and fearless men with me that do help me up and down a few of the slippery steep bids. Again more pictures (@ Ralf: including ones with red jacket!) soon.

Accommodation has been great all along this trip. At the moment we are staying in a huge holiday home where we will cook our own dinner tonight. Tomorrow we will drive further down the west coast, will do some kayaking and eat on the beach before heading to Fox Glacier. Really looking forward to the helicopter flight up the glacier. Time really flies here, but I am enjoying every minute of this trip. Live is good and I am happy!