Happy 83d Birthday to Robert M. Pirsig!

Image credit: David Levine

"The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there."  --Robert M. Pirsig, b. Sept 6, 1928

I truly grok that quote. I like the idea that improving the world begins with self-improvement. This is similar to Ghandi's "be the change you seek" idea. I especially the sequence of Heart, Head, and Hands. The values come first, then plans, and then finally, action. There is much wisdom in that. Ready, Aim, Fire. No other sequence makes sense.

To Mr. Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and father of the Metaphysics of Quality:

Many blessings on this anniversary of your birth. Thank you for writing about the struggles which shaped you. You were almost 40 when you set out on that 17-day rolling Chautauqua. It took you four years to write your first book about that journey and two more years to get that work published. Your persistence was rewarded and now 5 million readers have followed your path from Minneapolis to San Francisco, at least once, in our dog-eared and annotated copies of ZAMM. You have inspired many adventurous seekers to ride their motorcycles over the same route you described to possibly gain for themselves the insights you described. I am grateful for the many amazing gifts you have given the world though your written words.

I wish you the inner prosperity of health, peace, and joy now and always.

Sincerely,

An admirer

Robert Scoble's 13 Tips for Avoiding Followers

Robert Scoble, aka the Scobleizer, may be the most connected person on the planet. He's a techie / gadget guy who's all over the social media (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, etc.). He's the first person I decided to "Follow" with Google+.


Now before recommending the snippet below, I highlight that Scoble's a numbers geek. He is very clear about his passion: Searching for world-changing technology for Rackspace, the world's largest web hosting company. With this caveat in mind, please read and glean what you will. Yes, there will be a quiz at the end. 

Robert Scoble's 13 Tips for Avoiding Followers

OK, I'm going through all the 5,000 people I'm following one-by-one. I'm on "F" right now and I'm already seeing some patterns. Some of you are making a lot of mistakes. At least if you want people to follow you. So, if you don't want followers, here's what to do:

1. Don't be clear on your bio what drives you. Look at my bio. https://profiles.google.com/scobleizer I'm very clar what I want and what turns me on: "world changing technology." Yet many of you don't have bios, or, worse yet, are wishy washy about what you want.

2. You don't have good public posts that match your bio. If you say you are a photographer in your bio, don't be writing essays, post some photos! If you are a scientist, post something about science! If you say you are the world's best plumber, post something about how I should upgrade my bathroom, don't be posting only stuff about the new Android apps you found.

3A. No video. Video helps me know who you are. Especially if you are in it. OK, you might not think this is important, but it is. Google+ has video affordance. What does that mean? It LIKES video! So, if you aren't thinking about it you are messing up.

3B. No photos. Google+ likes photos better than any other service. If you haven't loaded any photos you really are missing out. Make sure you load them directly into Google+. Make them match your bio, even better!

4. Not enough posts. If you aren't posting a few times a week you won't be visible enough to get a lot of followers.

5. Too many posts! If you are posting more often than I am you'll lose followers (a good rule is more than four per day is probably too many unless you are hanging out with Barack Obama or +Trey Ratcliff and even then it's probably too many). Heck, I know I've lost followers because I've posted too often so don't try to post more often if you care about followers.

6. You post more kid or pet photos than anything else. Listen, I know your kids or pets are cuter than +Louis Gray's kids, but, really, we don't care. Post once in a while, but if every post you make is about your dog or your kids then you probably won't get many followers.

7. You can't write. Now this one is a subtle one, but some of you just can't write very clearly. Look at the top users here, they are using a few tricks. If you can't write, put everything into a list (look at what I'm doing here). Write short, punchy sentences. Pick a fun headline that will get people to read your posts. Etc etc etc. If this is your problem, ask for help, I'd love to help people write better if the rest of it is there.

8. Post a lameass image of yourself, or, worse, don't post an image at all. Lots of you could really use an upgrade on your image. Hang out with one of the photographers I'm following and beg them to make you a better photo. Mine? It was done by professional +kris krüg while an intern for pro photographer +Chase Jarvis held a $2,000 flash. There's a reason I use it everywhere. It's a cool photo, shot in Seattle.

9. Don't tell us where you work, or what you do. Yeah, I do look at your bio. I try to follow people who are real, and who really have jobs. If you don't have a job, make up what you really want to do at your future job. That will help us help you.

10. Only repost other people's stuff. Yeah, I want to follow people who repost +Chris Pirillo's videos and nothing else. Really, I do! Not. I already follow him. So, write something original! Or, better yet, post a video, a photo, or at least brag that you have a better high score in Angry Birds than I do.

11. Be a racist or, um, post some hot Victoria Secrets' models. I've already seen several jerks, that's easy, but unless you personally photographed the Victoria Secrets' models, like my friend+William Storage did (his blog is at http://blog.theeyegame.com/author/bstorage/ and he really did have them naked in his kitchen which made me jealous forever) then don't be trying to post that stuff and get followers.

12. Don't be interesting. Oh, really? You have a job working as a garbage man? You think that's not interesting? I bet your job is more interesting than most other people. I bet that even an accountant could find something interesting in their daily lives to share. It might take some work, but, heck, if you teach me a cool trick about Excel every day I'll follow you.

13. You aren't following interesting or active people. When deciding to follow someone I look at who you are following. If you are following all dead accounts I know you haven't put much care into this. So I won't follow you. You are defined by who you are following. If you follow better people your output will be better. So, follow better people!

Also, pay attention to your Klout Score. If you say that anyone who cares about Klout is a douchebag then you probably aren't worth following either (every single person who has said that has been a real bore and never has many followers). http://klout.com (they will soon be watching Google+, so don't worry if your score is low right now, they will catch up to your value here).

Any other tips? 

What did you gain from reading this advice?  Are you motivated and uplifted? Or, do you perhaps despair at the sorry state of civil society? Is Scoble an admirable person? Does the fact that he has 200,000 Twitter followers delight, bemuse, terrify, or disgust you? Fellow techies felt he was spot-on, while comments from the humanities majors decried his shallow Hal approach to relationships. 200,000 followers can't be wrong, can they?


What I got out of this: 

• Scoble never claimed to be the guru for deep relationships or powerful writing, so for those subjects I look elsewhere and everyone is happy. Criticizing Scoble for being shallow is like criticizing a rose for having thorns. Consider the nature of the beast.
• Scoble drops names and flouts connections as if social media and networking were proxies for character development and happiness. Who dies with the most toys wins? Which comes first, self-actualization, or self-esteem? Contrary to what Maslow taught, I think a person can be fully actualized and still deeply unhappy. 
• Scoble has a nerdy sense of humor. I don't know how long I would want to sit with him at a bar. I am convinced he couldn't care less about my sentiments in that regard. I am just one person out of 6.8 Billion potential followers.
• My purpose in using Social Media (Facebook, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, this blog, etc.) is not to run up the numbers of followers. On the other hand, we all have limited time and lots of choices as to how to spend it. At a certain point, numbers of followers can be a good indicator of the value people place on one's contribution.   
• People like Scoble (smart, tech savvy, connected, slightly awkward, aloof) are taking over the world 50,000 Tweets at a time. Contemplative people who quietly and humbly work to better themselves and their immediate surroundings are in danger of being overlooked as irrelevant. This victory of quantity over quality is troubling, but I do not want to end up on the wrong side of the digital divide. 
• I am not about amassing followers, but I do not desire to run them off, either!  

What do you think? Place your quiz response in the comments below. (I told you there would be a quiz!)

Humor, Part 4: deMItri mARTin

Demetri Martin "Today's drawing"

A Brief Illustrated History of the Harley-Davidson Road King FLHR

I am proud of my 2008 Road King, which I custom-ordered from the factory in York, PA while deployed to Iraq. My cycle was waiting for me at Patriot Harley-Davidson in Fairfax, VA, when I returned from Baghdad.

The Road King, aka FLHR, is a popular model with a proud history. Introduced in 1994, the Road King has roots going all the way back to the first FL model in 1941.

The very first Harley-Davidsons crafted in 1903 resemble motorized bicycles. As the Motor Company developed larger engines, designers built specialized frames for track racing, off-road racing, climbing, or hauling. The modern Road King is a highly refined touring machine that evolved from the big frame bikes that hogged the American roads in the 1940s.

Since its inception in 1994, the Road King has come in different variants, including the Classic, the Special, and the CVO. Each variant has its own unique model code, such as FLHR, FLHRC, FLHRS. FLHRSE6, and so on. We'll explore the variants as well.


Following is an illustrated history of the undisputed "King of the Road"--Harley-Davidson's Road King.

Year	Event
1940	Big frame bikes included EL, U, UL, UH, and ULH
1941	FL is introduced with 74 cu in Knucklehead, the same frame as EL, U, and UL. FL replaced UH and ULH.
1948	FL gets a 74 cu in Panhead. U and UL with Flathead discontinued, leaving FL and EL as the only two large-frame bikes.
1949	FL gets new front suspension, hydraulically damped telescopic forks, and  a new name, "Hydra-Glide." The "Glide" name was applied to other bikes,  leading to some confusion.
1952	FL gets a new transmission (hand clutch and foot shift). The EL with its old  trans and 61 cu in Panhead is discontinued, leaving the FL as the only large-frame bike.
1955	FLH gets a high compression, highly tuned engine and the 3d letter, 'H'.
1958	FLH gets a new frame with a rear swingarm with coil-over-shock suspension  and a new name, "Duo-Glide."
1965	FLH gets an electric starter and a new name: "Electra-Glide."
1966 1969-'81	FLH gets the Shovelhead and a removable, fork-mounted Batwing fairing. Later, when the instruments were moved to the fairing it became permanent. Note: AMF (American Machinery and Foundry) bought Harley-Davidson in 1969, rescuing it from bankruptcy, and sold it in 1981 to a group of thirteen investors led by Vaughn Beals and Willie G. Davidson for $80 million. The AMF years coincided with a difficult period in American manufacturing owing in part to the Oil Embargo impacts.
1972	FLs (H & T) get front disc brakes.
1977	An unfaired FLH is available called FLHS Electra-Glide Sport. Discontinued in 1982.
1978	An optional 80 cu. in. engine is offered; becomes standard in 1981.
1983	FLH gets a new frame. FLHT is an Electra Glide on the larger FLT Tour Glide  frame. Comes with Batwing fairing instead of the Tour Glide's frame-mounted Sharknose fairing.
1984	All FLs get the rubber-mounted Evolution engine and 5-speed transmission
1987	After a 5-year hiatus, an unfaired FLHT is offered under the revised FLHS Electra-Glide Sport name.
1994 1995-2007	The new FLHR Road King replaces the twice-discontinued FLHS. Starting in 1995, the company introduced Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) as an option for the 30th anniversary edition Electra Glide. The following year it was an option on all touring models. Harley-Davidson offered both the FLHR and FLHRI, the “I” indicating fuel injection. They continued using the problematic Magnetti-Marelli system up until 2001, when they switched to Delphi. FI became an option on all models except Sporties. With the introduction of the 2007 product line, EFI came standard on all Harley-Davidson motorcycles, including Sportsters.
1999 2002 2003	FLHR gets the Twin Cam 88. Harley-Davidson launched the Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) line in 1999. Each year since its inception the Motor Company has selected a couple lucky models for a factory custom make-over. It was the Road King's turn in 2002 and the result: FLHRSEI, or FLHR + Screaming Eagle (as in racing parts) + I (as in fuel injection, to distinguish from carbureted bikes). For the second year in a row, the Motor Company selected the Road King for factory-installed upgrades in the CVO program. This is the FLHRSE2, which was also briefly known as FLHRSEI^2. In the early 2000's the letter 'I' was used to distinguish fuel-injected bikes from carbureted ones. As the motor company adopted fuel injection across the fleet, they dropped the unnecessary 'I'.
2007 2007	FLHR gets the Twin Cam 96. FLHRSE3 comes with a Twin Cam 110 cubic inch (1800cc) black and chrome engine, 6-speed Cruise Drive transmission, a new 18-inch x 3.5-inch chrome Road Winder forged aluminum front wheel, a new 17-inch x 4.5-inch chrome Road Winder forged aluminum rear wheel, and radial tires 130mm x 18-inch front and 170mm x 17-inch rear.
2008 2008	FLHR gets a new, longer frame, a 6-gallon fuel tank, a 6-speed transmission, antilock brakes, and throttle-by-wire. The picture shown is a poster I made to celebrate the joy of riding my Road King. The 4th CVO Road King FLHRSE4 is a beauty!
2009	FLHR gets a new chassis
2010	FLHR gets a new helical-cut 5th gear for improved transmission sound (this gear noise is one of the biggest complaints I have about my 2008).
2011	FLHR gets a new security package option including factory-installed  Harley-Davidson® Smart Security System with hands-free fob and Anti-lock  Braking System (ABS).
2012	FLHR gets a new rubber-mounted Twin Cam 103™ V-Twin engine with Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI),  with heated O2 sensors  and Electronic Throttle Control (ETC), new tubeless chrome aluminum  profile laced wheel option, and new paint color options.
2013 2013	The standard FLHR is essentially unchanged from the previous year's model, but H-D's 110th Anniversary edition (shown) features a new tank badge and bronze & black paint scheme. The popular Classic edition returns with leather bags and wide white walls. The fifth CVO Road King edition (FLHRSE5) features these Road King firsts: factory-installed audio, fairing lowers, and a split windscreen.
2014 2014	The 20th Anniversary of the FLHR Road King passed with little fanfare. Media attention was directed to the roll-out of Project RUSHMORE, the Motor Company's top-secret remodeling effort--a response to customer feedback and market pressure from competitors like Indian and Victory.  Pressure makes diamonds. Enhanced by Project RUSHMORE, the 2014 Harley-Davidson Road King includes the more powerful High Output Twin Cam 103, brighter Dual Halogen headlamp and halogen fog lamps, new Impeller wheels, restyled hard saddlebags and a new easier-to-read speedometer. Reflex™ Linked Brakes with ABS are a new option for the Road King.  Behold the beautiful FLHRSE6, the sixth CVO Road King, and one of the most beautiful machines I have ever laid eyes on! The lines are gorgeous. The split screen introduced with the SE5 is still the boss, but this model's blacked-out engine guard and racing air filter enhance the smooth, elegant, powerful look of the SE6. Thank you for reading and sharing your comments. In this post, we covered the mighty Road King FLHR, from its predecessor big-framed bikes through the first 20 years of this iconic model's production (1994-2014). What does Milwaukee have in store for Road King fans? I can hardly wait!

(We)b-Log B(ack-)Log

I wish I could type as fast as good ideas come to me. Alas, I have a back-log of web-log ideas.  I solicit reader feedback in the comments. Just name the one post from the following list of draft posts you'd most like to see me post next. Base your vote on the one post you are most likely to read and comment on.

1. Classical Economics and Its Religious Underpinnings      [Votes: Julie]
2. Robert Scoble's 13 Tips for Avoiding Followers          [Votes: Dave] (Published)    
3. Life Lessons My Cats Taught Me      [Votes: Q of T]
4. Twitter Digest No. 3     [Votes: 0] Published Mar 12
5. Twitter Digest No. 4     [Votes: 0] Published Sep 12
6. Twitter Digest No. 5     [Votes: 0]
7. Who are your Role Models? Part 2: Michelangelo     [Votes: 0]
8. Who are your Role Models? Part 3: Thomas Jefferson     [Votes: 0]
9. Who are your Role Models? Part 4: C.S. Lewis      [Votes: Julie]
10. Who are your Role Models? Part 5: Maxwell R. Thurman     [Votes: 0]
11. Who are your Role Models? Part 6: Fr Ted Hesburgh     [Votes: 0]
12. Who are your Role Models? Part 7: David H. Petraeus     [Votes: 0] WITHDRAWN 9 Nov 2012
13. 24 Season Two     [Votes: 0]
14. 24 Season Three     [Votes: 0]
15. 24 Season Four     [Votes: 0]
16. 24 Season Five     [Votes: 0]
17. 24 Season Six     [Votes: 0]
18. 24 Season Redemption and Season Seven     [Votes: 0]
19. 24 Season Eight     [Votes: 0]
20. Data-Driven Decision-Making      [Votes: 0]
21. Three: A reflection on the Christian doctrine of the Trinity     [Votes: 0] Published Jun 2012
22. L.I.N.K.S. that Lure, Intrigue, Nurture, Kindle, o or Stimulate, Part 5, [Votes: 0] 
23. L.I.N.K.S. that Lure, Intrigue, Nurture, Kindle, o or Stimulate, Part 6, [Votes: 0] 
24. L.I.N.K.S. that Lure, Intrigue, Nurture, Kindle, o or Stimulate, Part 7, [Votes: 0]
25. The Logic of My Belief in G_D     [Votes: 0]
26. The Tao of Dave     [Votes: 0] This should be a BOOK, not a POST
27. Love Languages      [Votes: Julie]
28. The case for classifying sake as beer, not wine      [Votes: 0]
29. A concept for a non-profit foundation     [Votes: 0]
30. Hacked and / or Scammed AGAIN! [Added 14 Sep]     [Votes: 0]
31. Angels of the Hours [Added 14 Sep]     [Votes: 0]
32. Spark People [Added 14 Sep]     [Votes: 0] Published on Do a 180 with Dr Dave
33. New(?) Zodiac [Added 14 Sep]     [Votes: 0]
34. Why I Would Go to Afghanistan [Added 14 Sep]     [Votes: 0]
35. How to Talk to Your Teen-aged Daughter about Technology [Added 14 Sep]     [Votes: 0]
36. Morality of Righteous Riots [Added 14 Sep]     [Votes: 0]
37. Small is Beautiful  [Added 14 Sep]     [Votes: 0] Published Jun 2011
38. 24 Philosophies, 24 Theologies, and 24 Geo-political Entities [Added 14 Sep]     [Votes: 0]
39. 10 Architects, 10 Climes, and 10 Styles [Added 14 Sep]     [Votes: 0]
40. Metaphysics of Quality Brain Map [Added 14 Sep]     [Votes: 0]
41. The Great Discovery Exposed [Added 14 Sep]     [Votes: 0]
42. Google+ Circles [Added 14 Sep]     [Votes: 0]
43. MAGNET Investing: Kimmel's Stock Selection Process [Added 14 Sep]     [Votes: 0]
44. Humor
45. Humor
46. Other (offer your suggestions)     [Suggestors: 0]

Thanks in advance for your input!