It finally happened! As some of you may recall, way back in September I was selected to be a part of NASA’s tweetup for the 39th and final launch of Discovery. Long story short, after 115 days, Discovery finally lifted off on her way to the International Space Station on February 24, 2011. We were fortunate enough to be invited back by NASA and their amazing staff to witness the launch from the press area. It’s about three miles from the launchpad and, from what I’ve been told, just about as close as you can safely be to a launch.

As the countdown clock ticked down, everyone was getting situated in their spots for the launch. The edge of the press site was lined with on-lookers both Tweetup and press related. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen so many DSLRs in one place before. I was armed only with my iPhone 4 camera and a desire to just soak it all in.

I still cannot quite find the words to describe the launch. It was an incredible experience to witness firsthand. I was lucky enough to share it with over 80 of my newest friends while we all stood cheering as Discovery soared into space. The launch wasn’t without its drama though. During the final minutes of the countdown, a Range Safety computer error threatened to delay the launch. The issue was resolved and Discover was able to launch with only two seconds left in its launch window.

The one thing I know I’ll never forget is the sound. The video I took below somewhat captures the feeling, but it was so powerful. The launch begins eerily silent as you see the SSME plume begin to build, quickly followed by the SRBs firing. Then, in quite possibly the brightest glow I’ve ever seen, the shuttle begins to move. Within seconds it’s cleared the tower and performs its roll maneuver. Then you can feel the sound begin to roll toward you. It’s like a thunderstorm of firecrackers and sparklers all tied together. Then it hits you. It’s loud. The crackly rumble is strong enough to induce a little shaking on my part as I feel my shirt move in the wake of the sound waves. After a little while, it fades slightly as the shuttle continues to climb. The plume continues to grow as the shuttle shrinks in the distance. After two minutes, the SRBs separate to another round of applause and the shuttle begins to appear as though it’s heading downward as it goes beyond the horizon.

And that’s it. Eight and a half minutes later the shuttle has reached orbit and we’re all there left in awe. In awe of the fact that we just saw six men and women go into space. We exchange hugs and already look back on what we just experienced. It’s a mix of elation and reflection. Some people are in tears while others shout – but it’s all in joy. This launch stood for more than just shooting people into space. It stood for the experiences that we, as a tweetup group, have shared together. It stood for the hard work of thousands of people through the course of the year to get her ready to fly. It stood for human ingenuity and resilience. It stood for our desire to reach beyond what we can see to learn more about this universe we’re a part of.

It’s a shame that there are only two more launches remaining. More people need to be excited about our exploration of space. I heard mumblings that an estimated 2 million people were in the area for the launch and that is exciting for me to see. I believe we need another “Apollo” to get Americans excited about space exploration again and I hope that these final launches are enough to fuel some enthusiasm. NASA has been doing a great job sharing the joy, and I truly hope it continues.

Oh, and if you’re interested, the Kennedy Space Center currently is allowing people to register for the opportunity to purchase STS-134 launch viewing tickets. Space that close is limited, so if you’re interested, I say go for it. You won’t be disappointed!

If you’re like me, you read a lot. You browse Twitter for the latest updates. You eagerly pull up a daily list of blogs, news, and reviews. Scavenging quickly for the main idea, you consume the latest articles with a voracious appetite. You are up-to-date. You are informed. At least for the next twenty minutes.

I recently read a controversial article in which the author makes an ironic point about a growing problem with our growing knowledge:

“We pay a price for all the information we consume these days – and it’s knowing less.”

At first, it doesn’t seem true. We are arguably the most informed generation ever to walk the earth. We have Google, smart phones, computers, and iPads: instant access to any tidbit of information out there. But the author contends that the problem isn’t in the breadth of information; it’s the depth. It isn’t that we don’t know how to find information, but that we might not know how to truly understand the information we already have. We consume twitter-sized snippets of knowledge and expect them to fit together to form a true understanding on a subject. Maybe comprehending something goes beyond reading. Perhaps it involves reflection, or better yet: involvement.

The author blames a lot of this on an obsession with digital devices. He says,

“To sit still and think without succumbing to an anxious reach for a machine has become almost impossible.”

I know that’s true in my life. A related article gets down to the nitty gritty on how our digital culture is creating a very distractible audience, unable to focus on a single topic for a length of time.

Whether or not this is true in our personal lives, I want to think about it in the context of our work. Here’s our normal process. A client presents a creative brief for a project. We read it, and to further prepare ourselves for the design stage, we research the market, the competition, the company culture. We ask some questions. We find some answers. We are ready.

But are we? Honestly, we haven’t even left our desk yet.

Part of research goes beyond consuming information. It involves reflection and participation. The best research is getting out of your seat and getting involved with the company or product with which you’re working. This all takes time and focus, two commodities that are becoming increasingly precious.

This article challenged me to take the time to do those things in order to make our work better. How do you put away the distractions and focus on your work? What ways do you sift through information to find what’s truly important? Let us know in the comments.

This past weekend I saw Michael Bublé live for the second time. It was an amazing concert full of talent and wonderful crowd interaction for such a large venue, the Allstate Arena. (Normally you’d think of Bublé in a more concert hall or jazz club type of place.) It definitely captured the heart of what a great performance should be through musicality and stage presence.

One of the highlights of the evening, outside of Bublé himself, was the opening act, Naturally 7. At first glance you might have thought this was a standard A Cappella group – seven guys standing on stage singing and wooing all the ladies – but then you realized that everything you were hearing was all them. What I mean by this is that sounds you would normally picture coming from a drum set or electric guitar were all coming out of those seven men. There were no physical instruments to be seen; there was no pre-recorded track playing in the background. They call it “vocal play,” and they’re using their voices as vocal instruments. What an incredibly refreshing change, when it seems like most new music coming out these days is full of auto-tune and electronic additions.

Their amazing talent and innovative approach had them featured on TED back in May of 2009 (as you know we’re big fans of TED here at Rule29 and posted their TED video back in June of 2009), and not to mention touring on Bublé’s ‘Crazy Love’ Tour around the world and many other gigs and performances.

Started in New York City back in 1999 the current band consists of Roger Thomas (musical director, arranger, first baritone, rap), Warren Thomas (percussion, guitar, clarinet, third tenor), Rod Eldridge (first tenor, scratching, trumpet), Jamal Reed (fourth tenor, electric guitar), Dwight Stewart (second baritone), Garfield Buckley (second tenor, harmonica) and “Hops” Hutton (bass).

On top of the musical skills, the band seems to be taking full advantage of social media integration in getting its name out. Back in 2009 I remember tweeting about seeing them perform, not even thinking they might be on twitter. It was the first time I had ever heard of them. Later that night I received a reply back from the band’s bass, @BassManHops a.k.a. Hops, thanking me for coming out to the show. This weekend I tweeted again and received a response not long after the group got off stage. It’s that type of interaction that shows a great respect for their fan base.

So if you’re looking for some new music, especially a new twist on some classic Christmas songs, be sure to check these guys out. And if you ever have the opportunity to see them perform, jump on it. It’s one thing to hear about it, and it’s another too see it.

As some of you may know, I was recently selected by NASA to attend the Tweetup surrounding the launch of STS-133. This launch is to be the final flight of the Shuttle Discovery, and one of the last flights before the shuttle program itself is put into retirement. Needless to say, I was a bit excited. The event was put on at the NASA press site, which is just a hair over three miles from the shuttle. We all gathered there to hear from NASA directors, astronauts, and technicians.

So I set out Saturday on my adventure…

To put the Tweetup in perspective, it was riddled with difficulties from the beginning. Technicians found a leak in some of the plumbing for the orbital maneuvering system (OMS) which almost caused a delay, but the repairs were made in time for a Monday (Nov 1) launch. Everything seemed good for launch, then while techs were pressurizing Discovery’s main propulsion and OMS, two leaks were found in the plumbing of the right-side OMS pod. This repair pushed Discovery back to Tuesday. Subsequently, all of the Tweetup events were pushed back one day as well. This actually worked out rather well, since it gave me an extra day to explore the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

The KSC Visitor Complex was an incredible experience. I highly recommend it for everyone out there. And especially to families in hopes of getting their kids excited about space exploration. There were exhibits that covered the gamut of the space program, from early rockets in the Rocket Garden to an exhibit covering the new Orion crew module. You can even check out the inside of a full size shuttle mock-up. Once I had my seven-hour fill of the complex, I hit up the gift store for a mission patch and some gifts then headed out to dinner with a bunch of my fellow Tweetup attendees.

Monday was the big day. We gathered in the tent and got the opportunity to learn so much about the shuttle program, and specifically Discovery’s last journey. A demo of Robonaut 2 was given to the group, as was a demo of the ACES suit the astronauts wear during launch and re-entry (the orange ones). It was great to see all of these people together in one place, collectively paying attention while burying themselves in their laptops and phones – tweeting the day away.

By Monday, we knew the launch had been delayed again, this time to Wednesday. So after a few logistic issues, we set out for an after-hours tour of the facilities. We headed to pad 39A first – Discovery’s home for the past month while it gets ready to fly. We snapped some photos – most all looking the same, but I felt compelled to keep taking photos. Then we headed to the Saturn V Center. By far my favorite experience of the trip. A full-size actual restored Saturn V rocket is on display in the main center. The sheer scale of this piece of engineering mastery had me in awe. I couldn’t even get a photo of the entire rocket.

Tuesday was a work day, then we headed out to the pad again to see the Rotating Service Structure be retracted (the structure covering the orbiter in my photo above). As we all gathered at the press site, it was announced that the shuttle wouldn’t be taking off on Wednesday either, due to an electrical issue that had been sending back abnormal numbers during tests. We still traveled to the launch pad, but it was bittersweet for me to see it for the last time, knowing that I wouldn’t get to see it fly.

While the launch itself may not have been a success for me, I believe it strengthens the fact that this event was about far, far more than Discovery’s final flight. It was about the ability that Twitter, and other ‘social media’ sites have to bring people together. I stayed in a house with 6 people I only knew through their tweets. Yet it was an absolutely amazing experience because we were there for a common purpose. NASA reached out to their followers and gave 150 people the best 3 days (or a week for those still there) that a space nerd could ask for. Without Twitter, none of us would have been there, and NASA itself would likely not be getting as much coverage for the launch. Twitter has provided 150 users with an unprecedented opportunity to connect with each other and the great space organization we know and love. And in turn, share that experience with the thousands of people that couldn’t be there. I realize that this isn’t the only instance of this happening. How has Twitter or other social media outlets helped you connect with others? Any great stories? I’d love to hear them.

Check back next week for the picture post from the trip!

Oh, and please forgive me next time I tweet about NASA. I’m hoping for another go at a launch.

I awoke a couple of days ago to the morning news anchor spouting off the day’s top stories. Usually the morning news is full of fluff that goes in one ear and out the other, but the last report I heard before leaving my house caught my attention.

The Internet is running out of addresses. [Gasp!]

Yes, it was always inevitable, I suppose, but in the story the anchor declared a time limit—one year. By the end of 2011 there will be no Internet addresses left. I laughed at first, but during my commute I couldn’t stop thinking about this foresight. Could it really be possible? Do we really only have a year before we all start scrambling for any address we can get our hands on? There have even been reports that an IP address black market will arise.

It turns out that with all the mobile devices and the growing number of Internet users in general is the primary cause for our imminent IPv4 (Internet Protocol version four) failure. First introduced in the 1980, IPv4 is what today’s Internet was built upon with its 32-bit addresses allow for approximately 4 billion IP addresses. Unfortunately, experts say we will use all these up by next September. So what’s the world to do? In the meantime, check out this countdown on Twitter to either induce an emotional collapse or perhaps just a laugh.

Good news is there is a solution: IPv6 (gold star to anyone who can explain the leap over IPv5). Without this 128-bit address protocol (that’s 340,282,366,920,938,463,463,374,607,431,768,211,456 addresses) Internet growth is slated to go downhill. The problem, like with most other global issues, is all about the benjamins—millions of devices need to be updated to be compatible with IPv6. Without the upgrade businesses could lose out on traffic from users connecting to the web on new IPv6 addresses.

So, will this make people go pre-Y2K crazy, or will it be more like the actual Y2K? Will we break the Internet? No, but either way I’m sure hilarious T-shirts and hysteric Facebook statuses are just around the corner.

Coco’s back…in Twitter form.

Many fans were shocked by the big NBC late night shake-up earlier this year, which left Conan O’Brien without a slot in the lineup. A lot of speculation followed on where Conan would go next, yet at the time it wasn’t a major network that snagged the star, but a social network. Sure, maybe he didn’t have the network tv fanbase that Leno does, but his move to Twitter proved that he indeed has a large audience.

His bio reads,

“I had a show. Then I had a different show. Now I have a Twitter account.”

With this statement and his first tweet,

“Today I interviewed a squirrel in my backyard and then threw to commercial. Somebody help me.”

he gained 270,000 followers in a single day. As of today, he has amassed 898,696 with this number growing by the day. Compared to Jay Leno’s Twitter account, which has less than 10,000 followers, Conan is apparently doing something right.

In fact, his success on Twitter has spawned a slew of spin-offs, including @CoCosBeard, @ConansSharpie, @CoCosATMCard, @ConansTaurus, @ConansMonkey, @ConansFreckles, and @ConansSquirrel.

It’s all about knowing your audience. Conan’s nuggets of wittiness were made for Twitter, and his trendy, younger audience hooked on social media outlets. He is currently on a nationwide tour (The Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour), which he is brilliantly promoting  in 40 characters or less throughout its run this Summer. We’ll all have to wait and see if he continue to tweet when his new late night talk show airs on TBS this November.

With Conan’s immense Internet popularity, other celebrities are taking note and building their brands via Twitter. Stars like Jim Carrey, Lady Gaga, Rev Run, and Ashton Kutcher have all famously created accounts, and all have garnered mega media attention. And in a business where popularity rules, gaining followers has become big business.

Social Media sites have become a major form of entertainment. Some may say that their voyeuristic qualities have made them the next phenomenon, much like “Reality TV” in the late 90′s and early 00′s. What do you think? Would you rather read up-to-the-minute status updates than watch a rerun of your favorite show? Is Twitter here to stay? We think so. Follow us here and here.

#68 Utilize your social media outlets for research. Ask your connections via LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter. Also, think about Twitter as a search engine.

For some of you this will be old news. Or perhaps you have thought about it, but have yet to utilize your networking resources in this new way, as a research tool. Let’s say you’ve built a small (or large) army of connections on various social networking sites. Use them! Ask them a question or throw out an idea to see what kind of response you get. Your network will hopefully give back some honest opinions, insights, and other thoughts to consider. To make the most of it though, remember: be honest with what you’re looking for, participate if someone else asks you, and don’t get carried away. (No one wants to be your personal opinion survey).

Also, consider Twitter’s search function as a powerful tool to find live trends on any key word. To search, go to search.twitter.com. Type in your word and get ready for real time thoughts of what the masses are thinking. For more on this concept, read this article from Tech Crunch.

For more great Twitter thoughts, check out our last post on Twitter here.

How are you participating in your social networks? How are you using them? New business? Research? Or what else?

I admit it. When first introduced to Twitter I quickly passed it up because it was hard for me to find value. I thought it was just another way to communicate your status like “just had pizza for lunch” …. and what is the value in that? However, after much debate, I forced myself to tweet, and use Twitter until I understood exactly what was happening. That was 2,000 tweets and about 600 followers ago… Now I get it. I can easily point out the value to coworkers, friends, and most importantly clients. In the past 3 months Twitter has seen incredible growth and it is not just because @Oprah joined. There is an incredible number of businesses, media outlets, brands and peers out there sharing much more than what they just ate for lunch and the coolest part it is in real-time. Let me share a great example:

While out at a very important meeting the other day I had an unfortunate accident. There I am sitting in the boardroom of a large financial institution as my favorite Sharpie Pen leaks all over my hand… I frantically try to start wiping it off on my Moleskine trying not to make a scene and interrupt the presentation. My hand turns black and my pants catch a bit of permanent ink but I manage to stay unnoticed. Shortly after the meeting I tweeted @sharpiesusan, the head of Social Media at Sanford, about my situation including a picture of the damage. WIthin 24 hours I had a response from her and a person from customer relations will be contacting me. WOW. All of this in the matter of a few hours. What a great way to control brand perception and create word of mouth advocates for your product, all through Twitter.

I have multiple other stories from a personal thank you from Tony Hsieh for ordering shoes through Zappos.com to interacting with the Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks).

If you have not started to tweet you should. Below are some tips for things you can tweet if you are new to Twitter.

@ / # – Twitter is a great way to participate in realtime conversations about current events, industry news, and everyday banter. You can reply to users with the (@) like – @DesignSobriety or follow conversations by using a hashtag (#) like #followfriday. Keeping your eye out for tweets to respond to and hashtags you can participate in will help grow your network. Most importantly you can start your own hashtag for conversations your would like to track. Check out the most popular hashtags here.

Pic – Showing off pictures from live events, interesting parts of your day, where you are will be interesting to your followers but also act as a chronicle of your events. It is fun to look back at past tweets & pictures.

Tip – Twitter is a great way to share some quick tips about something your doing, whether it is work related, or about a hobby people will find value all in 140 characters.

Links – Where do you find information? ideas? news stories? Share the links that you are reading.

Review – This might be a quick review of an article, a book or a news story. You could include a picture.

Thought – This can be anything – Like that pizza your eating for dinner.

Reading/Watching – Suggestions for your followers on what to read and watch – magazine articles, blogs, books, TV shows, movies, and TED Talks are a couple options.

Suggestion – This might be a great restaurant, vacation spot, or other consumer related decision.

More Links For Twitter Help:

Mashable Guides to Twitter

Twitter For Business