Last week a young reporter from Florida wrote me looking for some advice.  He wanted to know what to do when you are at a deposition and your software stops working.  He had a bad experience that turned from bad to worse.  I won’t go into the details.  As we all know, the more out of control the deposition gets or if something stops working, the more your fingers start shaking, you start sweating, and then things really start to go bad – unless you take control. 

I had shaking fingers and was convinced my license was going to be taken away from me because of a deposition I was reporting about ten years ago.  My client spoke with an English accent, the witness was an Australian scientist, and they were talking about the sequencing of the human genome.  Both sides were hooked in.  At one point one of the attorneys asked for me to read back an answer that was all “science talk.”  I read it back with a semi-Australian accent because I was writing everything out phonetically.  I wasn’t trying to be funny or cute or pretend I had an Australian accent.  Everyone at the table started laughing at me.  I was able to keep up with the speed, but had no clue what I was writing.  I started feeling sorry for myself.

During the lunch break I called my husband all shook up.  His words to me were so perfect.  He said, “Stop it.  You are a professional.  You get right back in there and be the court reporter.  I don’t want to hear another word about losing your license or any of that other nonsense.  Call me when you’re done.”  First I got mad at him a little bit, but then I realized he was right.  I told myself to knock it off and just bear down and write.  There was no room for excuses or having a pity party.  It was a tough depo, period.

As a new reporter, never forget your responsibility is the record.  When your fingers are shaking, go off the record if you need to. Go to the restroom, slap cold water on your face, and tell yourself to knock it off.  Pull yourself together mentally.  Force yourself to focus.  If you are in over your head, stop the deposition.  Call the agency owner.  Tell the attorneys.  Be honest. 

If you notice your machine or computer is malfunctioning, ask to stop the deposition.  Don’t be shy.  You can say, “I am having a technical difficulty.  May we go off the record?”  Be confident. 

One thing I know from all of my years as a reporter, the attorneys know when a deposition is difficult because of speed, accents, or subject matter.  If they see you working hard, they will give you a chance and help you slow things down.  Some attorneys or witnesses don’t care and prefer the messed-up record.  Don’t let those people shake you up or ruin your reputation.  Take responsibility.  I promise you they will respect you in the long run and might even request you to be their reporter.

By the way, the attorney who I was working for the day that I did the double hook-in about sequencing of the human genome, thinking I would lose my license, started calling our firm asking me to be his reporter for not only his San Diego court reporting work, but all national court reporting work as well.

rosalie@kramm.com

@rosaliekramm (Twitter)

Yesterday I received a Tweet from a court reporting student, “As a student, what is more important?  Speed or accuracy?”

My friend @stenoknight believes in accuracy.  She wrote an excellent, detailed article about how she got out of school.  I highly recommend it to court reporting students and young court reporters who want to improve their writing.  http://bit.ly/7rOL8a

I have a different philosophy about getting out of school.  I lean on the side of speed.

Both Stenoknight and I got out of school in less than two years, and I don’t believe either one of us is right or wrong.  I would suggest court reporting students choose the method that makes sense to you.  Take a bit of both philosophies if you wish.

I was intense in court reporting school.  I would go to class every day, never missed school.  During breaks or lunchtime, I would sit in the classroom with my machine and be constantly writing.  At night I would write the news, which was way too fast for me, or Frank Sinatra songs.  (I love singing along with Frank, and I could with all of the words in front of me on my paper notes.)  That may sound silly, but I believe all of the writing, writing, writing kept me focused. 

Learn briefs.  They will save you so many strokes and make your writing more accurate. 

I still push for speed.  I want to write super fast.  I have clients who talk up to 350 words per minute.  I love the crazy spurts, because it gives me a chance to clear my mind and really write and to be in the proverbial “zone.” 

I believe practicing with speeds that are too fast teaches you not to think.  You are forced to clear your mind, let go, and just write. 

In focusing on accuracy, you are constantly thinking.  Of course, accuracy is the name of the game in the long run. 

My advice:  Learn briefs, practice all of the time, and constantly push yourself with speeds faster than you can write.  If you are in a 90-120 class, write at 130-140, 150 speeds, and then slow down again to 90-120.  Your brain is going to get tired.  At some point, your brain is going to stop thinking, and that is when you will be in the zone and writing effortlessly. 

In answering the question, speed or accuracy in school, I vote for speed.  I love to write fast!  It is exciting to me.  Learn your briefs and then GO FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

rosalie@kramm.com

@rosaliekramm (Twitter)

(By guest blogger Linda Pool, CSR, CCRR – @lindakpool (Twitter)

          This morning I accompanied my parents to the hospital where my father had a fairly routine surgical

procedure.  He was checked in, through pre-op, out of surgery, out of recovery, and into his own room by

 10:00 a.m.

          Shortly after arriving in his private room — complete with a breathtaking view of Torrey Pines Golf

Course and the beautiful, glistening Pacific Ocean — his nurse arrived and began charting.

                 “How old are you, Norman?”

                 “81.”    

                 “Can you walk on your own?”

          I snickered out loud, eliciting a look from the nurse.

                 “Yes, I can.”

                 “Can you feed yourself?”

                 Now I laughed out loud. 

                “Yes, I can feed myself.”

                “Are you incontinent?”

 I groaned.

                 “No, I am not.”

            It occurred to me these are routine questions asked every patient of a certain age.  While my father’s

physical age is easily 20 years younger than his biological age, the nurse could not make any assumptions and had

 to ask every question on her list.

           I began to think of my dad and his fitness.  He goes to yoga twice a week, works out at the gym three

mornings a week, and never misses an opportunity to go for a walk or quick bike ride through his neighborhood in

the afternoons. 

             The light bulb went on, and I made the connection between our physical fitness and our professional

fitness.  You may work on your physical fitness regularly to keep in shape, but how often do you work on your

professional fitness? 

            If you had to answer a list of questions regarding your professional fitness, how would you score? 

Would you be able to answer “yes” to the following questions?

           Do you attend seminars regularly?  Do you surround yourself with smart, forward-thinking colleagues

who support you and keep pushing the envelope towards greatness?  Do you understand how your office works and

 the job of each person on staff?  Do you keep apprised technology and what is new and exciting?  Have you mastered

your CAT software?  If there is something you don’t know, do you know the resource to give you an answer or point

you in the right direction?

                               Clearly, my dad would win a presidential level fitness award, deservedly so.  At the age of 81, he

understands physical fitness is something to be maintained, and he doesn’t take his excellent health for granted.  He

has worked hard to get where he is today.

           What would your PROFESSIONAL fitness level be?   Would you score in the presidential level, or would you fall

 short? 

            I hope you aspire to hold a presidential level of professional fitness, feeling the hunger to be a

 better court reporter, never satisfied, always looking for areas of improvement.

            Let’s make 2010 the year we improve our professional fitness.  What will your professional workouts

 consist of to get you to the next level?  Is this the year you will write realtime?  Master medical malpractice? 

 Patent law?  Technology cases?  Is this the year you learn the Windows device manager settings so YOU are in

control of a successful realtime connection rather than crossing your fingers and holding your breath, praying that it

works?  Is this the year you replace those old realtime cables for a StenoCast wireless system?  Is this the year you

finally resolve those same conflicts you edit through in each and every job?  Is this the year you test for a particular

certification you wish you had?  RPR?  CRR?  CCRR?  RMR? 

                              I could go on forever, but I think I’ve made my point.  Let’s reinvent ourselves in 2010.  Let’s begin

our workouts to take our professional fitness to the PRESIDENTIAL level.  There will be challenges.  It will be

hard.  But as Tom Hanks’ character, Jimmy Dugan, says in one of my all-time favorite movies, A League Of Their Own,

“It’s supposed to be hard.  If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it.  The hard is what makes it great.”

Everyone would agree that court reporters are fascinating people.  Ask anyone on the street.  If you tell a person that you are a court reporter, right away their eyebrows go up, their eyes get big, and the inevitable question comes out, “How do you do it?”  People want to hear our stories and try to figure out how we can write so fast.

The question becomes, how can we be even more interesting than we already are?  I believe stepping outside of one’s comfort zone and shifting is the key.  I wrote a blog last year about change.  “Do people want an interesting, exciting life?”  I know I do.  Here are the steps I plan to take to have the most interesting life ever.

Step #1:  Meet more people.  People give energy.  I can’t wait to see who I get to meet in 2010 and look forward to meeting people who have nothing to do with court reporting.   One of the best parts of our jobs is hearing stories from all walks of life and meeting people from all professions.   I love meeting Rotarians, athletes, business people, and “who knows”?  Sit at a new table the next time you go to a meeting, not with the same people.  (Caution:  Stay away from energy sucks.)

Step #2:  Be spontaneous.  This is one of my favorite steps.  If someone calls and asks you to do something “right now” that sounds fun, go for it. 

Step #3:  Get out of your safety zone.  Try things that you might be a little shy to do.  Take baby steps and keep moving forward.  Don’t beat yourself up if things don’t go as well as you thought they might.  You never know where you might end up – it could be something spectacular.

Step #4:  Help other people.  Doing charity work, talking to a lonely person, or playing with a child shifts my energy.  I tend to be a worrywart.  One of the reasons I chose joy to be my goal in 2010, giving joy to others, is because if I concentrate on helping someone else, I forget about my worries and fears, and things seem to be much better than I ever realized.

Step #5:  Try something new.  I like to play “change your fate.”  If I go to a Chinese restaurant and am presented with fortune cookies along with the people I am dining with, I will grab a cookie that is in front of someone else and “change my fate” getting someone else’s fortune.  I know that is a silly example, but I use this mindset for all kinds of choices.  Instead of doing the same thing over and over because it is safe and familiar, do something different.  Make an unusual choice.

Step #6:  Have fun and don’t take yourself too seriously.  Linda Pool, a reporter in my office, decided to start skipping while she walks her dog in the park.  She is a grown woman skipping around.  Her dog, Walter, was a little confused at first, but decided to go with it.  Linda is one of the most interesting people I have ever met.

As court reporters, sometimes we work, work, work or practice, practice, practice, and forget to look up.  Treat yourself to some fun.  It will make you a better court reporter and ensure a more interesting, exciting life.

rosalie@kramm.com

twitter:  @rosaliekramm

I have been asked by a couple of my Twitter friends to opine on the future of court reporting, particularly as it relates to technology and voice recognition, tape recorders, electronic recording, et cetera.

In my opinion, stenographic reporters have an amazing future, BUT only if the reporters are willing to step up to the plate ready to hit home runs.    

In ’79, ’80 many people were worried about tape recorders taking over our industry.  When I decided to drop out of SDSU after my second semester to go to court reporting school, quite a few relatives and friends were worried for me.  They had heard that tape recorders were becoming very sophisticated and would be replacing court reporters in court.  They heard about this new science of voice recognition that IBM was going to push.    I was a little worried, but decided to gamble anyway because I was so attracted to the field of court reporting.  My single goal at that time was mastering the stenograph machine and passing the California CSR examination.

Now it is 2010, 30 years later.  I still hear the same rumblings from people.  It has been proven over and over again that having a live court reporter taking down any proceeding will win out over a machine when it comes to accuracy, efficiency, and dependability.  So why has ER (electronic recording) taken over in different states around the country?  I believe it is part of the “commoditization” of our industry and the “it’s good enough” attitude that is prevalent in our society. 

Standards have been set lower by administrators and legislators. 

To survive as an industry, I believe that court reporters unequivocally must not let their standards go down and must continue to strive to be better, faster, and cleaner writers. 

As an agency owner, I have seen some of the mediocrity that is out there in our field.  I have written in past blogs about broken-down steno machines, reporters who refuse to join state associations, national, who never take even one continuing education class after they get their license.  These reporters, in my opinion, don’t care about their future or court reporting.

I have also worked with court reporters that I am in awe of, so proud of, who blow me away with their greatness.  These reporters have solid writers, the latest version of their CAT systems, are able to get out a “clean” rough draft hours after a deposition, hearing, or arbitration.  The most talented CART providers, captioners, and realtime reporters will never lose their jobs.    

If someone is worried about the future and court reporting, I would suggest that person meet a talented realtime reporter, CART provider and/or captioner.  I know of no technology on earth that can compete with us and create a written record of any proceedings at 225 – 350 words per minute, a record with punctuation and speaker identification, a record of people who speak in all kinds of accents, and this record is created SIMULTANEOUS TO WHEN THE WORDS ARE SPOKEN.   

If you are a talented writer, scared of realtime, you are going to need to get over yourself.  For those who are in court reporting school, never settle for being “good enough to get out.”  Be great.  Support your court reporting associations.  They are on your team and will help you obtain goals with continuing education and testing.    You are our future.

Court reporters that are ready and able to hit a home run will always be in demand.  Bench warmers are going to be going home.

rosalie@kramm.com

Twitter:  @rosaliekramm

I have decided that my focus in 2010 is going to be joy.  I want to live joy and give joy.  For every decision I make personally and professionally, I am going to consider joy as a factor.  I believe I have the greatest job on earth being a court reporter.  My clients are wonderful.  I have so much respect for the court reporters who work my calendar and my staff. 

The associations and clubs I belong to, Deposition Reporters Association of California (www.caldra.org), the National Court Reporters Association (www.ncraonline.org), Society for the Technological Advancement of Reporting (www.staronline.org), San Diego Downtown Breakfast Rotary Club (www.sdrotary.org), San Diego Legal Secretaries Association (www.sdlsa.org), Lawyers Club of San Diego (www.lawyersclubsandiego.com), and San Diego Paralegals Association (www.sdparalegals.org) all give me energy and joy.  It is where I can find like-minded people to share experiences and information.

I am blessed with many national and international friends and advisors I have met via Twitter and social media, businesspersons, reporters, CART providers, and captioners that are “best in class” in their respective fields.  I use the word “met” in the sense of only knowing these individuals online.  If you told me in 2008 I would have “web friends” and “web advisors,” I would tell you that you are crazy.  “I am not that kind of a person.”  Thank goodness I believe in new ideas and change, or I wouldn’t have these friends.

Because of this blog, I have received emails from “strangers” all over the country.  I have heard from wonderful court reporting students, people trying to decide if they should go to court reporting school and change their career paths.  Schools, state associations, and other court reporting firms have contacted me asking if they can post different blog posts in their newsletters or on web sites.  I consider all of the “strangers” who contact me because of this blog my friends.  I take all queries and questions seriously and am happy to answer anyone.

I look forward to 2010, a new year and the beginning of a new decade.  All of the people in my life, the people I described in the last four paragraphs, give me joy.  My plan is to give joy right back.  

Let’s make up our minds to really go for it in 2010 and be the best we can be.  I can hardly wait!

rosalie@kramm.com

Twitter:  @rosaliekramm

www.kramm.com

January 1, 2000, 12:00 a.m., seems like a long time ago.  As a working court reporter and firm owner I have felt the highs and lows that our industry has experienced.  I remember vividly the days before the millennium backing up everything on all of our computers.  We were backing up on floppy disks and weird little drives in anticipation of the great Y2K disaster.  No one knew if our computers would be able to handle the year 2000. 

In the early part of our decade, large “national” court reporting firms were being born.  As the decade passed, many small-to-medium-size court reporting firms became “national” creating relationships and affiliations with other firms in different territories.  “Networking” has become a common phrase.   With the ease of emailing transcripts, scanning exhibits, and video conferencing, reporting firms are able to cover jobs for each other and keep the client happy working with their local firm.

With the suffering economy in California has come a slow-down in my areas of litigation.  Business disputes are expensive to litigate.  I have read dozens of articles about law firms downsizing in attorneys, staff, and space.  Court reporters in California state courts have the monthly furlough now which means they work one less day a month and take a cut in their salary.  The freelance court reporters have had a very tough year up and down the state. 

My belief is in the spring of 2010 things are going to start popping.  I am a layperson, but I have been studying market trends, analyzing the banking crises and stimulus package, and I am of the belief things are going to be shifting drastically.  I hope my fellow reporters are going to be ready.  I don’t want to hear of any old, crummy machines being out there or DOS-based software.  I cannot emphasize enough the necessity of being on the top of your game for your future. 

This decade is almost gone.  Let’s thrive on the positive shifts our industry has gone through and flourish in 2010 – 2020.  Each court reporter as an individual makes up the profession as a whole.  We all need to work together.  Join your state associations and national.  They are on your side and are working for your future. 

rosalie@kramm.com

@rosaliekramm (Twitter) 

“I don’t want to fly to Cleveland for a two-hour deposition.  What are my options?”  Clark, our calendar coordinator, was asked this question last week by one of our clients.  As travel becomes more stressful, expensive, and time consuming, attorneys are looking for technology solutions to allow them to depose clients nationally and/or internationally without leaving their city.  The question is:  what are your options?

1.      Traditional Video Conferencing:  Many of the large law firms are buying video conference equipment and have the equipment in-house.   If a law firm does not have the equipment, typically the firm will call their court reporter and ask the firm to set up a video conference.  Many court reporting firms have in-house video conference equipment and offer it as a service.  The court reporting firm will find a public room in the location where the deponent is and coordinate the event. 

Tips for Traditional VC to attorneys:

a.      Make your notice very clear where deponent will be and the time including the time zone.

b.     It is best to have a videographer and reporter with the witness.  A notary needs to swear in the witness.

c.      Exhibits:  As much as possible, anticipate what exhibit(s) you will want to show the witness.  Have the exhibits shipped to the deposition site.  If you want the court reporter to present the exhibit(s) to the witness, please give her/him a chance to get the document(s) out.  She/he cannot write testimony and hand out documents at the same time.

d.     Be conscious of time.  The public rooms and line charges will be billed on an hourly basis.

e.     If your law firm has in-house equipment, be clear with your court reporting firm whether you want to use IP or ISDN.   If you are using your in-house VC equipment and are using IP protocol, you will want IP on the other end.  A bridge can be brought in so the IP speaks to the ISDN, but it adds a cost to the event.

f.       Expect your court reporting firm or VC provider to do a test the day before the event.

2.      Skype:  Clients are calling in requesting Skype.  Skype is free software.  When Skype was first put into the market it was meant to be an audio application and the video was added later.  The coordinator of the Skype deposition needs to have a good camera and be in a location where DSL or T1 technology is available via a CT5 connection.

Beware of Skype:  I have heard from many IT people it is easy to hack into a Skype event.  I just Googled Skype and hack and found numerous sites that sell software that allows a person to hack into a Skype feed.  No one would ever want testimony out in the public domain.

General tips for Court Reporters and Videographers: 

1.      If you are assigned to a VC deposition, be organized.  You are going to need to get the names of everyone participating, including the people at the remote location for your appearance page. 

2.     If you are asked to help coordinate the exhibits, have them readily available to you and away from the witness.  Take charge in a nice way.  Don’t let attorney(s) talk while you are finding a document and handing it to the witness.

3.     Many times you will be alone with the witness, and everyone else will be at a remote location.  If the witness wants to start chatting about the case or why he/she is there, quickly and firmly interrupt the witness, change the subject or say something such as, “I am only here to take down the testimony.  I can’t talk about the case.”  I can easily imagine a scenario in which the first question by the attorney taking the deposition is, “Did you discuss your deposition with anyone?”  And the witness answers, “Yes, with the court reporter.”

I hope this helps answer some of the questions about the use of video conferencing.  Our firm finds it to be extremely valuable for our clients.  Please contact me if you would like more information.

rosalie@kramm.com

twitter:  @rosaliekramm 

I learned my steno theory in 1979.  The idea of realtime court reporting was not on the horizon yet.  My theory consisted of learning only to write phonetically and for my eyes only.  I did not pick up a lot of briefs because I went through school fast.  I am to this day a pounder.  The faster they talk, the faster I pound on the steno keys.

Thanks to NCRA, I am now a proficient Certified Realtime Reporter.  The reason I give the National Court Reporters Association credit is they put together seminars in the late 1980s that focused on a new theory and the concept of writing for other people’s eyes, cleaning up conflicts and using abbreviations in a smarter, more efficient way.  I have written in a previous blog my painful shift to “conflict free” writing.  My pride pushed me to pass the CRR.

Now with modern CAT (computer-aided transcription) systems with artificial intelligence, being a realtime writer is easier than ever.  My software makes suggestions on new briefs, reminds me of old briefs I have used in the past for a word or phrase, and tries to figure out if I am writing Sandy (the name) or sandy (as in a type of dirt). 

I am surprised by the amount of “older” reporters who are too frightened to become realtime reporters and write for other people’s eyes.  I know reporters who have been working in the freelance field for decades, and they refuse to hook up because of fear.  Most of these reporters are baby boomers or generation Xers. 

I wonder, is it a generational thing?    The reason I ask that is I hear of new reporters, not even two months out of school, ordering their cables and putting on their resume they are realtime ready and want to do realtime jobs.  I understand they have had “conflict free” theories, and perhaps that gives them no fear.  They were told from the moment they entered school that they would be able to write realtime by the time they graduated or they wouldn’t get out of school.   

In the past, as a firm owner, I have insisted that a reporter have five years under her/his belt before she/he hooks up.  If I were mentoring a new reporter today, perhaps I would suggest two or three years.  I cannot imagine putting a reporter on a realtime job with only a couple of months of experience.  For the first year of a court reporter’s life there is a huge learning curve.  The dictionary needs to be built.  Dealing with overlapping talking, fast colloquy, and angry people takes finesse that only comes with experience. 

My advice to older reporters – get over it.  Face your fears.  If you are a clean writer, move forward and challenge yourself to the next step.  No one is perfect.  Attorneys understand.  Take my word for it.  I am not perfect when I write.  To test your ability, give a sample of a raw transcript with no edits to someone you respect and ask, “Is this good enough?” 

My advice to younger reporters – be careful not to hook in too soon.  Your reputation and credibility is important.  I am not going to say you have to wait a prescribed amount of time before you hook in.  Give yourself a chance to build up your dictionary and become comfortable with every type of job, not just workers’ comp or personal injury.  Those types of depositions rarely call for realtime.  The realtime jobs are going to be the more sophisticated, complex type litigation. 

I love doing realtime jobs.  To me it is a game I get to play, “How perfect can I be today?”  I know the secret “tricks” of the trade when I misstroke or even worse (too secret to write in a blog). 

All of this experience obviously comes with time.  Court reporters out there, let’s all become better reporters, faster, cleaner, and more confident.  It is so much fun.

rosalie@kramm.com

twitter:  @rosaliekramm

Guest Blogger, Linda Pool - Court Reporter

                        I am a fan of the CBS show 60 Minutes.  I love the simplicity of the ticking stopwatch in place of a catchy tune that opens and closes each episode.  I love the informative journalism.  Each week I learn something new and have my eyes opened to goings-on around the globe I may not otherwise be aware of. 

                                    Although some weeks I am discouraged by the stories, some weeks sad, last night I was absolutely inspired.  The story about American Bob Ballard, undersea explorer, fascinated me.  Bob Ballard is a man who never gives up.  He does not let others shut him down, and he finds new and innovative ways to solve old problems.

                        For 73 years the massive cruiseliner Titanic rested undiscovered on the ocean’s gigantic floor in pitch black water, eluding the world’s most relevant and successful undersea explorers.  Before Ballard, the searches for Titanic were done in exactly the same way, using the traditional sonar approach.  Many had tried; all had failed.

                                    Then Ballard came along.  Ballard found his success by thinking outside the box.  Referring to the method of sonar exploration to locate Titanic, Ballard said, “Well, clearly that’s not working.” 

                                    Ballard expanded his search area.  Rather than use sonar to comb every inch of the ocean floor as others had done, he used cameras on a remote-controlled vehicle to hunt visually, spacing his search lines almost one mile apart.  By using this approach, Ballard was able to pick up the trail of debris left behind when Titanic was carried north by the ocean’s strong currents and left her in her final resting place, her bow buried 60 feet into the bottom of the ocean’s floor.  Ballard followed the trail and walked right into Titanic, arguably the most successful, relevant, and famous undersea discovery in history.

                                    Ballard found his success by thinking outside the box.  When asked how other explorers could not find Titanic before, Ballard said, “They were in the, ‘this is the way you do it’.  I live outside the box.  I’m always outside the box.”

                                    Officials in court are forbidden to use paperless writers or wireless realtime connections to hook their judges, despite the recurring issue of realtime freezing each and every day.  Can you even buy a new writer that produces paper notes?  I have no idea.  I don’t care to know.  That method of storing notes is circa 19- something.  1920 perhaps?

                                    Court administrators are like the explorers who came before Ballard.  They are locked inside the dark, dreary box, afraid to even peek outside their air-tight seal to see what possibilities lie outside.  They believe things are done one way and one way only, because that’s the way it’s always been done.  To innovation and the latest technology, they say no, no, no.  (I just broke into a sweat and started itching as I typed this last paragraph.)

                                    Imagine if Bob Ballard had acquiesced to the restrictive opinions of those who came before him.  Where would undersea discovery be today?  To court reporters everywhere I say this:  Get out of the box.  Let’s all follow Ballard’s example and think of new ways to solve old problems.  Let’s invite change, try new things, share our knowledge, and see where it takes us.

                                    Though it is unlikely we will discover ancient mysteries of the sea, where will we end up?  We will never know until we pack our box with all those old paper notes, USB to serial cables, outdated versions of software, floppy disks, and discard it once and for all in a land far, far away.

Twitter:  @lindakpool