Two Days to Go!

It has been a long three month process - one which culminates with the launch of new products and a new store on Wednesday. At least that is the plan and, since sleep is highly over-rated, I'm sure we'll make it. :)

Whatever the result, however the new products are received, the process has been well worth the head scratching, pacing, muttering and hair pulling. Not just because of the slow crawl up the learning curve. The best part, of course, was the people who helped me make this project actually proceed and (with any luck) succeed. I want to take this opportunity to say a few things before the big launch announcement.

First of all, thank you to Dale Innis who said "this looks like a career" and made me really think about the size of the project and what it was going to take to make it work.

Thank you also to Wrath Paine and Jon Ree who both said "This looks really great! But what do I know.". They are both such "guys" and I love them for it. :)

Thank you to Crap Mariner who did not "crap" all over the newborn idea. That meant a lot!

Thank you to Raul Crimson who helped me solve a problem I was having giving something a name. Seriously, HTPM will remain an acronym in my vocabulary for the rest of my life!

A huge thank you to Peter Stindberg and Babel Translation (currently celebrating their second anniversary)! This is a highly interactive product and it made no sense for it to only work in English. Peter and his team have made it possible for the items to work in French, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portugese, Russian and Japanese.

When you need a translator you are at their mercy - you have to just assume that they know what they're doing. All of the feedback I've gotten, from those who have seen bits and pieces, is that the work of the Babel translators is superb. I am thrilled that they had my back on this! Any errors, ommissions or mistakes are mine alone.

A dozen x dozen thank you's go to Cris Lefavre. When I started this project I had two scripters in mind. One was too busy to even contemplate the size of the workload. The other chose that precise time to realize that real life really required some attention if he was actually going to finish his degree. sigh

One day I was building one of the items and Cris called - I invited him over to see what I was doing. Not only did he "get" it, he loved it. And, although I didn't realize it until that moment, he scripts.

Working with Cris on these items has been a joy. It's not been the traditional "you give me detailed specs and that's what I'll build" working process. It has been a truly collaborative effort - and many of the best things about these products were his idea and his creation. (He also translated everything into Norwegian so the new product works in a total of 10 languages!) The fact that he has the patience to deal with #*&$#%&* script is just one of his amazing qualities. Of course, putting up with my im's starting with the phrase "I've had this idea" is another one. :) I think Cris and I make a great team and I've enjoyed every minute working with him and I look forward to us exploring all the ideas we haven't had time for yet! Once we get some sleep! :) any errors, ommissions or mistakes in the items are mine.

Finally, I want to thank Ahuva Heliosense. She was there at the beginning when I got the idea for this marathon and she was there all of the way through. Everybody needs a cheerleader - I certainly do - and she is the best! The fact that I made it through the past three months is due in large part to her encouragement and enthusiasm!

Watch this space on Wednesday July 1 for the big launch announcement. But in the meantime put that date in your calendar. To celebrate the fact that we got it done, the brilliant blues man Von Johin will be giving two concerts on Taylor Bay. The first from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm SLT so that my friends in Europe can attend. The second from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm which might be a better time for many others.

And even if you think the new products are a complete yawn, or that the fact that I spent 3 months trying to get this done is uninteresting, well July 1st is Canada Day. And that's the only reason anybody needs to party! See you then! :)