When I went free agent a few weeks ago, I solicited micro-sponsorships to help keep ribbonfarm free. Thanks to my first spike of generous sponsorships, I raised approximately $1100, which I used to buy a new laptop to replace the one I had to return to my former employer. Say hello to the new crowd-funded ribbonfarm laptop, a Lenovo Thinkpad T510 that I named Barbarian, to commemorate the circumstances of its purchase.
A big thank-you to everybody who signed up as a sponsor. I can think of nothing more appropriate than my primary creative tool being a gift from readers. If I were religious, I’d call this an auspicious start.
On a more practical note, you have no idea how much of a relief it is to get back to a machine that I am comfortable with. I’ve been getting things done using my aging Windows desktop and my wife’s Macbook for the last 3 weeks and I learned two things about myself: I can no longer work at a regular desk for more than a couple of hours without a coffee-shop break, and I will never be able to make the mental gear-shift necessary to become a Mac guy. I nearly went crazy for three weeks. Things are back to normal now, whew. Evil empire or not, I guess I am a Windows guy until Microsoft goes under.
Sponsorships are continuing to trickle in slowly after the initial spike. Check out the sponsors page if you’d like to support the next crowd-funded ribbonfarm capital investment.
In other news, Information Week just soft-launched a new site The Brain Yard. I will be posting there biweekly on Enterprise 2.0 topics. Check out my debut column, Hard and Soft Power in Enterprise 2.0.
Lots more brewing in the background, so stay tuned.