So it’s a golden opportunity for that classic TV holiday special. You know, the one where production costs are virtually zero because it’s mostly reused clips and stuff shot on one big party set, and various people show up and say hi and we get to hear about what they’re doing now — and their favorite moments from the last year. “A chance to say hi to old friends — and maybe make some new ones????â€
— “A very special Ad Astra holiday” , December 2007
For those of you who have gotten to know me over the last few years, Ad Astra (Analysis and Development of Awesome STRAtegies) was a grassroots strategy/culture change project I led at Microsoft.  Our charter to pursue game-changing ideas, positive focus, and attention to diversity — along with a cool logo and hot pink posters and beanbag chairs — attracted some amazing people. So every year around this time I say hi.
For those who knew me then …
Hiiiiii! (waves)
What’s up?
jon
PS: I hope everybody has a great holiday season, a wonderful end to 2009, and an even better start to 2010! Â Where’s the eggnog?
jon | 17-Dec-09 at 9:03 am | Permalink
As for what’s up with me … Deborah and I are still mostly in the Bellevue area, with frequent trips to SF. Things are good, although as always I’m too busy.
Meanwhile with my civil liberties and activism hat on, I’m co-chairing the Computers, Freedom, and Privacy conference in San Jose, CA, in June 2010 along with Dorothy Glancy of Santa Clara University. Deborah chaired in 2005, and it’s a real treat to follow in her footsteps. From an activism perspective, I helped start up the #p2 “progressives on Twitter” hashtag along with Tracy Viselli, gave a very Ad Astra-y talk on Cognitive Evolution and Revolution at Politics Online, and continue to work with Get FISA Right. And of course I’ve been blogging, here, at The Seminal, and on Pam’s House Blend. My posts on diversity and Selected writings on activism give an idea of what I’m up to here.
From a research perspective, Sarah Blankinship and I gave a follow-on talk applying the computer science as a social science lens to computer security, and our paper (co-written with Tomas Osztwald) was finally published in Andrea Matwyshyn’s Harboring Data. Yay us! And with Lili Cheng’s promotion at Microsoft combined with danah boyd joining Jennifer Chayes’ lab, I’ve got to say that my 2005 manifesto/BillG thinkweek paper is holding up pretty well 🙂
Like I say, a lot going on … I haven’t been great about keeping in touch with everybody, for which I apologize
How about you?
jon
jon | 19-Dec-09 at 11:48 am | Permalink
Steven Levy | 21-Dec-09 at 4:25 pm | Permalink
In terms of catching up, my new book, Legal Project Management, should be out the first week in January; http://DayPackBooks.com. (There’s a couple of pages on effective meetings in there, too.) I’ve spent much of this year decompressing after 17 years at Microsoft and then writing the book; now it’s time to get reengaged in the legal consulting market. It’s good to hear from some of the old Ad Astrans. And congrats to Mykal on becoming CEO.
Best holiday wishes — and remember, after today, the days start getting longer!
Marc Mercuri | 22-Dec-09 at 6:03 pm | Permalink
In terms of catching up, I’ve moved back to the Platform Strategy team in DPE, and am focusing on incubation.
I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to get some external visibility for most of the projects I’ve been working on in H1, including LookingGlass(http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=LookingGlass+Microsoft&search_type=&aq=f), the Social Media Hub (http://www.windows.com/social) and a number of experiences built with NASA (http://beamartian.jpl.nasa.gov).
Great to hear from you and some of the other Ad Astrans. Some of those early sessions you had sponsored here at MS (like Asset Based thinking) were great – not just in the content but in the network and relationships they established.I continue to benefit from them daily.
Wishing all a happy holiday and a great 2010.