It’s Monday and here’s the thoughts about the week.

• Having rescoped/rescheduled our largest project, we’re out for fieldwork this week. I’m flying to Boston today while Tamara flies to Wichita. Clients are joining us in those cities from Connecticut, Dallas, and Chicago. This is most activity we’ve had in the field on this project in a couple of months!.
• I’ve got the first few book chapters back from the editors. Desperately looking for time to plow through all the great comments and challenges.
• Today is supposedly the “any day” finally here for the IxD13 Student Design Challenge announcement. Of course, I’m traveling today, so…
• Two fun presentations this week, talking about improv with Shwab’s “Brain Circus” and about user research at General Assembly.
• Also trying to get stuff sorted out for upcoming presentations – next week Chicago and two weeks after that with three presentations in Ottawa!
• Ten years gone: From September 2002 – A tour operator from Myanmar likes to cowork with you.
• What we’re consuming: Leopold’s Gasthaus, Platinum Blonde, Cambridge’s foodie scene

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It’s the beginning of a new week and here’s the overview

• I got back from Australia late last week. Jetlag has been minimal but I certainly feel out of sorts from the time away. It was a really wonderful trip; look for pictures coming soon.
• No fieldwork this week, but a rescoping conversation is imminent since we’ve been on hold or semi-hold for about 2 months, waiting for hear about getting the interviews scheduled. Delays create anxieties and shift expectations, so I’m hoping a conversation will help us all realign.
• I’m dealing with the contract for a new project that should start in a few weeks. We’ve agreed on the plan and now need to get the documents finalized. The project is with a very creative and engaged team and deals with a topic we’ve thought about a lot (and devoted time in our workshops to exploring) but haven’t explored in a consulting situation before.
• Meetings galore: connecting with new contacts, reconnecting with folks who have changed jobs, discussing capabilities with prospective new clients, and on it goes. Assuming that good conversations are ahead.
• My editors have been working on my book manuscript for more than two months; in the next few days they’ll be passing their latest revision back to me – and telling me what my next steps are!
• I’ve been told that we should be able to announce the IxD13 Student Design Challenge any day. Of course, I’ve been told that a few times and continue to wait for whatever contractual stuff is going on behind-the-scenes to be resolved.
• Ten years gone: From September 2002 – This couldn’t possibly go wrong, School-uniform reverse trend.
• What we’re consuming: Tim Tams, Web Therapy, 99% Invisible.

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Here’s the news from a short week:

• I’m having a great time in Oz: Sydney, Brisbane, and now Melbourne. Lots of pictures so far.
• Tamara heads to Dallas to meet up with our clients for additional fieldwork.
• Ten years gone: From September 2002 – What is an etrog?, Sacagawea promotional fail.
• What we’re consuming: ACDC lane, James Squire Amber Ale, Cocktaoo Island Biennale.

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Just a quick update for the week:

• I’ve been in Sydney for the past few days, exploring, socializing, taking pictures and adjusting to the jet lag; tomorrow I head to Brisbane for my workshop at UX Australia. I’m looking forward to the Monday pub night where I’ll see a few local folks (and a few fellow travelers).
• Check out my SXSW proposal for The Power of Bad Ideas. It’d be a tremendous help for me if you’d vote yes and add your comments, too!
• Ten years gone: From August 2002 – a new story for SUV owners, kids and art.
• What we’re consuming: Spice I Am, Circular Quay, PIE.

What’s going on this week:

• Fieldwork! This morning I’m in Salem, OR with the client talking to users about their businesses. I’m flying home tonight, hopefully with a stop in Portland for something delicious. More interviews in Phoenix the rest of this week.
• Sadly, a project I was bidding on, with a really great group, didn’t come through because that team’s timeline didn’t line up with our availability. But as always, doors close and others open. We’re talking with another organization about a fascinating project with a talented team and I’m keep fingers crossed that timing won’t be a deal breaker for them as well.
• I leave on Wednesday for Sydney. There will be a meetup next Monday at The Beresford. Get in touch for details. Then it’s UX Australia in Brisbane and Service Design Melbourne after that.
• Coming very soon – details for the IxD13 Student Design Challenge.
• Check out my SXSW proposal for The Power of Bad Ideas. Please vote yes and add your comments.
• Ten years gone: From August 2002 – Fresh Meat #15, Rashomon: 1, 2, 3, 4
• What we’re consuming: NTSF:SD:SUV:, Voodoo Doughnut, Paul Calf, Salt & Straw.

Here’s the story for this week:

• Our largest client has been working pretty hard to line up some fieldwork sites and finally we hit the road for the first few next week, which means this week is about finalizing stimuli, prepping everyone for their roles, working out travel logistics and so on.
• I’m having some meetings about the next set of projects, one in an area I’ve long been fascinated in but haven’t worked in, another with a team that I’m really growing to like in a really innovative category. Fingers crossed!
• I’m thinking about of my talks, after UX Australia and Service Design Melbourne, including UXCamp Ottawa University of Wisconsin-Madison.
• Along those lines, my proposed talk for SXSW is here. I’d really appreciate it if you’d give it a thumbs up, tweet it, pass it along to friends, and add some comments!
• Last week we had four new War Stories. Submit your story here!
• If all goes well, we’ll be ready to send out the details of the IxD13 Student Design Challenge this week.
• Ten years gone: From August 2002 – dream dialogue, Clippy takes the stage.
• What we’re consuming: Off the Grid, Cindy Sherman, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia.

Here’s the deal for this week:

• We’ve developed a fieldwork plan for our latest study, and are thinking about how that will vary for all the different user types we’ll me meeting with. We’re waiting for news from our client about setting up the customer site visits. In the meantime, we’re diving into the software tools that these customers are using so we can get a glimmer of understanding about how they are currently working, and we’re co-developing some sketches of future designs to help provoke conversation once we’re in the field.
• UX Australia is coming up soon, so it’s time for me to get my materials in order, figure out the agenda, line up the handouts, and start sending out the homework assignments for my workshop. Plus, some logistics for my travel to Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne.
• Latest War Stories are from Susan and Gavin. I’ve got one more in hand to post tomorrow, and promises for quite a few more in the next few weeks. If you’ve got a great story to share, you should do so here.
• What we’re consuming: 99 River Street, Jablow’s Meats, Marvin Gardens.

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Here’s what we’ve got going on this week:

• After last week’s intensive immersion with our team in Dallas, we’re now beginning to plan fieldwork. We’ll be reviewing our first pass at a fieldwork plan (though how we’re going to cover all the stuff we all want to know in the time we have is something we’ll need to figure out) and are looking to hear how our clients are faring in rounding up their customers.
• Share your War Stories with us!
• All my pictures from Barcelona are now up on Flickr.
• Locally, look for Steve in attendance at the John Meada/Don Norman session at PARC (circularly titled Innovation: Design — Is ‘design’ innovation??)
• Ten years gone: From July 2002 – sesame existentialism, odd upsells.
• What we’re consuming: The Ben Stiller show, How To Work A Locker Room, Broken Record, Sultans of Swing, ad ininitum

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And the scoopage for this week is as follows:

• We’re off to Dallas for a couple of days for an in-depth immersion with our new client and their extended, distributed team. What is their business? What are their products? Who are the users? What changes to the product do they plan to make? What do we need to learn? Etc. Plus, there will be barbecue!
• I’ll be finishing my final column for interactions; due to the editors imminently but not coming out in print until November!
• I hope we’ll get some more War Stories this week. Do you have one for us?
• I’m planning out speaking gigs – and potential speaking gigs – through the end of the year and into next year, even. Some fun ones coming up!
• Ten years gone: In July 2002, we blogged about classic logos, an early Core77 article being published, a nice place to stay in Monterey.
• What we’re consuming: pizza and ice cream, People Like Us, Diary of a Fire Lookout.

Here we go with this week’s update

• I’m writing this in Newark Airport, halfway or so on my journey back to San Francisco from Barcelona. Great city, great conference, great time with friends and colleagues, old and new. I’ll post photos in the next few days (and some are already up on Flickr)
• For the past several weeks, when I’ve put together this anticipatory summary, I’ve referred to the large project we’re just about to start. And so once again, it’s Monday and I’m almost embarrassed to say it again. The sales cycle for this project will exceed the duration of the project itself, at this point.And we’re good to go! Hooray!
• I’ll be playing catch-up with a dozen or so phone or face-to-face networking meetings that were pushed out until after my return, which is essentially tomorrow.
• I just posted Diane’s War Story, and will have another one later this week, perhaps as early as tomorrow. Meanwhile, submit yours here!
• While the ink is barely dry on the Barcelona experience, I’m thinking ahead this week to UX Australia and even next year’s SXSW.
• Ten Years Gone: in July 2002, I blogged about IDSA 2002, Hippo Hardware, and discarding digital media.
• What we’re consuming: pintxos, Gaudi, VINCON.