jonnygoldstein.com

The video shows my before and after voting experience. It was the most emotional experience I have ever had voting. There were about 20 people in front of me, but the line moved quickly.

It’s time to roll out the coveted Jonny Goldstein endorsement for President.

I support (surprise, surprise) Barack Obama for President of the USA.

Basically, I am way to the left of Barack Obama on a lot of stuff (health care: I think we should have a system more like Canada’s, he wants to band-aid the current expensive and wasteful system), and way more libertarian on some other stuff (I opposed Obama’s vote on the 2008 FISA Ammendments Act which gave telecommunications companies immunity after helping the Bush Administration illegally wiretap).

But I certainly am more in sync with Obama’s positions on range of other issues than with McCain (tax policy, womens’ health, education, Iraq war, and on and on).

A huge consideration: temperament and competence. Look at the way McCain has managed his campaign, now look at the way Obama has managed his effort. I do not want a country managed the way McCain has run his campaign.

And all things being equal, I would like to have a president who knows how to surf the web and send email. This may seem trivial, but technology is such a huge part of our society, and it’s only going to increase. We need somebody who gets it in a direct, visceral way.

I will be knocking on doors tomorrow morning reminding Obama supporters to get out and vote. Whoever you vote for, I wish you well. I’m voting for Barack Obama.

Who are you voting for, and why?

Emcee Apple Pi

Originally uploaded by jonny goldstein

I’m the Circumference
You’re just the radius
I was made for this
You’re obtuse, got a short hypotenuse
It’s time to put the scare in ya
Before I square your area
My crust is sweet and flaky
I’m round and proud like they bake me
From Venice Beach to Bed Stuy
I’m the guy, rely on me
Don’t cry don’t fight
It’s going down tonight
I’ll break your fetters
taste even finer with cheddar
I’m round but sweet
Taking you to the Chapel
Pray to the Emcee Apple
Pi

Some snippets of chaos as I walked around South Philly and Broad Street after the Phillies triumph over the Rays in the 2008 World Series.

Not caught on camera: right after the winning out, a sixty year old chain smoking lady lifted her shirt to show everyone in the bar her (quite well preserved) assets! Go Phillies!

I have decided to stop hiding my passion for visual facilitation under a rock—That’s why I have started VisualFacilitator.com. My definition of visual facilitation: helping solve problems in real time through drawing pictures.

I have been interested in visual facilitation way before I even heard the term. I got deep into Mind Mapping in the late nineties, going so far as traveling to London, England, to compete in the Mind Mapping Competition at the 1999 Mind Sports Olympiad. I won the silver medal (which I take out of the drawer every now and then to gaze at lovingly).

Every now and then I would, out of friendship, or for pay, do a visual facilitation session for people. A couple of examples: 1) helping a friend figure out her dating strategy
2) assisting a CEO clarify the next steps for his company
3) aiding an MD in his presentation to the Centers for Disease Control

I love doing this kind of work. As I started seeing more and more people doing visual facilitation over the last year a little bee started buzzing in my brain. I enjoy doing visual facilitation so much, why don’t I embrace it and see if I can do more? So that’s part of what this new blog is about—to paraphrase Andrew Hyde, one of the first steps to building a successful startup is to become a total nerd on your given niche. And what better way to nerd out about something then to blog about it?

So if you want to nerd out with me about the power of solving problems with pictures, head over to VisualFacilitator.com. If you read the diagram above, you will see that it goes to eleven.

Over at Indy Hall I sit next to the lead developer for the Mac application RipIt, a program which provides you a brain-dead easy way to back up and play your dvd’s at full quality on your computer. It’s nice to see them getting some recognition at blogs like The Unofficial Apple Weblog and Smoking Apples. It’s inspiring to be around people who are putting blood, sweat, and tears into a project and who are starting to get noticed.

After having spent several days in Pittsburgh, hosted by VisitPittsburgh and Podcamp Pittsburgh, I thought I’d list my favorite 24 things about the town and let you fill in the 25th. What is your favorite thing about Pittsburgh?

1. 3 rivers
2. 944 Bridges
3. Primanti’s
4. Andy Warhol Museum
5. Mattress Factory
6. Festival of Firsts
7. Pittsburghese dialect: yinz know what I mean?
8. Carnegie Mellon Entertainment Technology Center
9. Professor Seth Goldstein’s Claytronics project (Yes, he’s my cousin)
10. Downtown architecture
11. The Strip District
12. Dramatic slopes
13. Art in warehouses
14. The Cathedral of Learning
15. Dozens of neighborhoods, each one with its own flavor
16. Randyland
17. Playing with your salami. No it’s not what you think! Shame on you.
18. Beer in Church
19. View from Mt. Washinton
20. Affordable, beautiful, houses
21. Podcamp Pittsburgh
22. Urban hiking
23. Fall colors
24. Hometown pride
25. ??????? Put your favorite thing about Pittsburgh in the comments!

Look, it’s not what you think. Just check out this video, shot in the Strip District of Pittsburgh.

Video Credit: Grace Piper

One of the reasons I love producing video: I get to meet all kinds of cool people and go to interesting places. A few days ago, I shot this video of Chris Parandian at the National Press Club in DC. He was interviewing Michelle Mayorga from Rock the Vote. She explained how Rock the Vote is working with WWE superstars to get fans involved in the electoral process using their mobile phones. Folks at WWE events can text in their election related messages and see them on the jumbotron! Michelle was part of a panel organized by Mobile Future discussing the interplay between mobile tech and politics.

Between the art, the architecture, the bridges, hills, and rivers, Pittsburgh is a visual feast. Bon appetit.