Sorcinelli.net

I just received word that today’s Eagle-Tribune has an article covering the candidates running for the Salem Town Charter Commission. It is great to see what I hope will be more coverage of both the candidates and the issues surrounding the election. I also was delighted to see a reference to this web site in the article! I hope to see more folks visiting and engaging in the discussion. Thanks go to the Eagle Tribune and reporter Jarret Bencks for the coverage.

I strongly encourage other candidates to consider this website approach to the election. This level of transparency is vital to voters who have a limited amount of time to get to know all of us better and to ask questions. It is this approach that will garner confidence come election day. That confidence, in turn, will be essential for the commission’s acceptance by the community in the long run.

In running for a seat on the Salem NH Town Charter Commission, I have been adamant in stating that the commission members open a maintain a dialog with those who will be most impacted by the commission – the citizens. With a resident population approaching 30,000 and numerous others who have a stake in the process, how do you have such a dialog?

I believe the Town Meeting form of government is in many ways the purest demonstrations of democracy – in spirit. It allows for all eligible members of a community to come together for discussion and debate and directly participate in the decision-making process of a community. This still works well for small communities, where dozens or hundreds of residents makes up the total population. However, how does the traditional Town Meeting format work as numbers grow to thousands, or tens of thousands? This is one of the difficult questions the Town Charter Commission will have to address after the May 19th special election. For Salem, an audience of 600 participants at a Town Meeting only represents a small fraction of the total resident base. When this occurs, the Town Meeting format runs the risk of being a less representative form of government than other structures, if for no other reason than there is no accountability for those voting. Think about it for a moment – those attending the meeting were not elected and are not bound by any legal rule to represent any constituency. If only 100 attend a Town Meeting and all agree on warrant articles that benefit themselves to the detriment of all others (regardless of intent), there is no recourse for the community as a whole. At least with elected officials, there are methods and means of accountability. But I digress…

We live in an age where technology provides us with ample means to communicate, participate and join the discussion. The Internet now provides us with so many ways to engage our friends, relatives and co-workers. There is even the concept of the “online community”, where people of common interest gather to discuss those things that matter. Those discussions can happen both in real time (using instant messaging, web conferencing or Voice over IP) and static forms (email and forums). Most recently, there has been the emergence of “Social Media”; basically, tools that effectively combine technologies to make for a friendlier and effective communication experience.

Recently, a great deal of media coverage has been given to tools like Twitter, MySpace and Facebook. All 3 represent the emergence of social media to the general population. If you do not use one of these tools, ask around. I am certain it would not take long for you to find a relative, friend or co-worker who uses these tools to be a part of the discussion. If these tools and online communities can be used for personal discussions, then why can’t they be used for town discussions as well?

I believe the only way that I or any other candidate for the Salem Town Charter Commission can work towards solutions that meet our communities collective needs is communicate with its citizens. What better way to do this than to take the discussion online? This is why I, from Day One, have asked people to join me here. I want people to get to know me as a candidate, to ask me questions, and to tell me what they think and believe. I want the discussion to be just that – a dialog that is a true reflection of the community and its desires. I want you, the voter, to be able to look at my name on the May 19th ballot and recognize it not only for the unique spelling (not many Sorcinellis in New Hampshire, mind you); I want you to feel that you know me, where I come from and where I stand.

In the coming days and weeks, I will continue to write here regarding the election, the issues and the challenges. I will also encourage you to take part as well. You can make comments to any posting I make simply by clicking on the “Comment” link under the title. You can email me. You can follow me on Twitter if that is your preference. Please do not hesitate to suggest other ways for us to continue the dialog – I am always open to suggestion. And most importantly – feel free to ask questions.

Let’s make this election and subsequent commission the opportunity to take the Town Meeting concept into the 21st century. Let’s communicate in order to better understand our true collective needs. Let’s have a discussion of historic proportions.

How can the Salem Town Charter Commission achieve success? I personally believe it boils down to 3 criteria I like to refer to as “The 3D’s”…

• Diversity.
  Salem, NH has as very diverse population of close to 30.000 residents. There are also commercial interests to consider. The Town Charter Commission will have to make recommendations and/or take actions that will impact some or all of these constituents. If the commission is to be remotely successful, it’s representation should be as diverse as the community itself.
  My greatest concern with the current candidate pool is the potential to be “loaded” with one type of experience base, interest or belief. This type of makeup will only cause preconceived skepticism by the voter base, limiting even the best of intentioned commission members. It also runs the risk of limiting the discussion of ideas and thoughts around our town charter.
  As a voter, you should take time on May 19th (election day) when selecting your candidates. Not only should you look at individuals; you should step back and look at your selections as a whole and ask -
  
  “Will these selections make up a group of people who best reflects all of the interests of our community?”
  
• Decision-Making.
  Without a doubt, the Town Charter Commission will have to make decisions that will not be accepted by all. As the old saying goes, “You can’t please all of the people all of the time.” The members of the Charter Commission will not only have to commit to due diligence and research; they may have to make decisions and come to conclusions that will likely not be popular with all. Even more important is the fact that they may have to come to conclusions that they themselves may not like, but are the best thing for Salem as a whole.
  I entered this race looking to represent the entire resident base of Salem. There are those that I agree with and those that I disagree with. I view my role in this commission to do the research, listen to the discussion and debate and vote for what works best for  the community-at-large. This commission is too important to be used to promote personal gain or the gain of a small group.
  As a voter, I encourage you to look at each candidate, their views and background and ask yourself the question -
  
  “Will this candidate represent my interests? The interests of my neighborhood? The interests of all of Salem?” 
  
• Discussion.
  I have stated before and will continue to state – The issues around the Town Charter require as broad a discussion as is possible. This discussion should occur within the commission, but should also occur outside of the commission. You cannot represent the issues and beliefs of a community if you have not taken the time to hear them. To take this one step further (and quite bluntly) – the discussions of a group of friends or a small group does not equate to the community as a whole.
  
  I was a bit distressed to hear some of my fellow candidates discuss their viewpoints in the first-person and state that this was the reason for running. How can you hope to serve the community when your mindset starts and ends with a community of one?
  
  I will continue to encourage this all-important discussion regarding the town charter to be as inclusive as possible. I want to be a part of this discussion as a resident of Salem. I need to be a participant of this discussion if I am to best represent the interests of Salem as a whole. I challenge all other candidates to be part of this discussion as well. I offer this web site as but one possible forum for a dialog. I am also willing to take the conversation wherever else it needs to go, so long as it is a healthy discussion and is inclusive.
  
  When deciding who you should elect to the Salem Town Charter Commission, I urge you to ask -
  
  “Is this candidate willing to listen to and talk to myself and others in the community with a stake in our future?”

Our special election is less than one month away. Now is the time to think about your choices for the Salem Town Charter. I hope the “3D’s” approach will help you to determine who best represents our town.

Last night, I had the privilege of participating in a live forum introducing the candidates for the Salem Town Charter Commission seats. I would like to thank the Salem Chamber of Commerce for sponsoring the event, as well as Salem Community Television for airing it. Some quick thoughts -

• It was wonderful to get a chance to meet so many of the other candidates, even if only briefly. We sometimes look past the “smaller things” in any given moment. Regardless of what happens for me moving forward, I appreciate the opportunity to get to know more of the people in our community. The chance to meet a group of people who, regardless of their beliefs, are willing to step forward for those beliefs and to help the community is always something to remember.
• It was good to see some diversity in backgrounds and experience from the pool of candidates. I believe this same diversity should also be reflected in the final 9 members of the Town Charter Commission. It is only through this type of diversity that the true interests of all residents and citizens of Salem will be addressed.
• Three minutes of speaking time is never sufficient for delivering a message. This is one of the reasons why I encouraged all listeners to visit this web site. I intended this site to provide the community with a way to get to know me better, and (more importantly) to communicate with me.

I really am looking forward to the dialog surrounding the Town Charter Commission in the coming days and weeks.

Before I decided to run for a seat on the Salem, NH Town Charter Commission (for more information, please refer to some of my other related posts), I had to ask myself a simple yet important question -

“What makes you think you are worthy of a position on this commission?”

After some personal reflection, I came up with some reasons I would like to share. All of these reasons brought me to the conclusion that I should, at the least, present myself as a candidate for a commission seat in the hopes that others town residents might agree and want me to sit on the commission as well. 

• Reason #1: I am passionate about our town and it’s citizens.
  Anyone who knows me knows I tend to be a - well,  “passionate” – person about those things I believe in. When my wife Melissa and I moved to Salem from Andover, MA back in October of 2004, it is because we believed in this community. We believed that it would provide a good foundation for our lives, as well as the lives of our two children.
  Over the course of the last four and a half years, I have not wavered in that belief. I still believe in this town, and I am committed to doing all that I can to help make it better.
  
  Mind you, there are times when I have not agree with our decisions or direction as a community. I would expect that of any other individual, however (if we all agreed on everything, why would we need any political system to represent our beliefs?). This has not taken away from overall belief in the great potential our community has to be a great place for all, be it residents or businesses, children or adults, elected officials or citizens. It is this passion that helped drive me to run for the Town Charter Commission seat, and it is this passion that will also help in representing the interests of Salem as a whole when serving on the commission.
  
• Reason #2: I have some unique perspectives.
  As I have frequently stated in the past, I think that a commission such as the Town Charter Commission should have a makeup that represents the diversity of interests within the community. Representatives of current government, resident base, business interests, etc should all play a role in determining the future of our town government. That being said, I believe I provide some unique perspectives that would serve the interests of the commission and our town -
  
  - While I am a resident of our town, I am not a lifelong resident. I have had the great opportunity to live in several places in my lifetime. Those residences exposed me as both a citizen and a businessman to differing types of town and city government. My time in Florida exposed me to a “Strong Mayor” system and powerful county governments. My time in New England has exposed me to a “Town Meeting” structure. In both cases, I have personally witnessed and been affected by the pros and cons of each form of government, and it is these life experiences that can serve to aid in providing some perspective to the decision-making process.
  - I have had the opportunity to travel extensively for business purposes throughout our country.While this might seem like much for adding perspective, I have had the opportunity to be able come to understand the impacts of town and city government on businesses and individuals where I have no vested interest. As a consultant, I often must spend a great deal of time with my clients and understanding how they do business. These relationships have helped to understand the impacts of government on their professional and personal lives.
  
• Reason #3: My professional skills serve well outside of my profession.
  My career in software development has often been valuable to me outside of workplace. No more relevant example of can be found at the start of any software development project. Commonly known as the “Requirements Phase”, this aspect of software development focuses on gathering all of the requirements for the creation of software from those who will use or be affected by it.
  
  As a software developer, there is no more important rule than the following…
  
  ”Unless you are creating software for you and you alone, you are NOT the user. You are the simply the creator of software meeting the needs of the users.”
  
  As part of the Requirements Phase, it is essential to listen and to document the needs of the user base, be it business requirements, technical requirements or personal preferences. If this is not done, the resulting software (no matter how good it is) runs the risk of meeting the needs of its audience.
  
  If the goal of any government, organization or body is to work effectively for a constituency, it is vital that those who make up that group have the ability to listen to, document and understand the needs of those affected. These skills are obviously not exclusive to any one person, nor should they automatically be presumed to exist in an individual simply because of their job title. If those skills did not exist for me, though, rest assured – there would be no way I could have survived in any successful fashion in my chosen field. I believe that these skills will be essential for this commission if it is to truly achieve its goals.
  
• Reason #4: I believe in “transparency”.
  An oft-used phrase in conjunction with recent politics, I believe that “transparency” in any process is essential in order for the building in confidence of those affected by the process. In an age where technology allows us to provide access to information in so many forms, it is considered a given that those who ask the public for trust and faith will, in turn, provide that same public with access to information in support of that trust. I write to you today from my personal blog, an example of just such a form of transparency.
  
  I have long believed in tools like blogs and other emerging social media tools (Twitter and  Facebook are but two examples) as a way to provide insight into what individuals are thinking. What easier way to get to know anyone who you are imparting trust in than to learn about them using these tools? I also believe these same tools provide a way to provide a dialog rather than just a monologue. Take a look at this web site. You will see that you have the ability to comment on any individual post I make. You also have the ability to contact me from a Contact page. What better way to ask questions of me in helping you to determine whether or not I am the right candidate for the Town Charter Commission.
  
  I have been living in this world of transparency for quite some time now. My commitment is to continue to do it, both leading up to the May town elections and beyond. I cannot think of a better way to have an ongoing conversation about the Town Charter and what matters most to the community.

I am certain that I could come up with even more reasons as to why I think I am qualified for the Town Charter Commission. I will leave that for another day and another posting, however. IN the meantime, please feel free to contact me. I’ll be waiting… :-)

So, I mentioned in a recent blog posting that I was, for the first time, entering my name as a candidate in a political race. Well, a semi-political race really; I am running for a position on a town commission that will be reviewing the town charter and possibly recommending to change the form of government currently used. The question I have already been asked is “why?” The short answer to the question is - “Now seems like as good a time as any.” Of course, there is much more to it than that. The reasons -

• I believe our town is at a critical juncture in it’s history.
  While the current state of the economy tends to be first and foremost on so many peoples’ minds, I think that Salem, NH has other issues to consider. Salem has been and continues to grow in many ways. Whether it is resident population, commerce or position/perception from a regional or state level, Salem is changing at a rapid pace. During such times, it is important to assess all aspects of a community to ensure that infrastructure can effectively meet this change. The town government itself should be among the items under review.
  The outcomes of the Town Charter Commission may result in and of itself in historic change for Salem. As a result, the makeup of the commission should be such that the recommendations are reflective of all of the factors in hand. This leads me to my second, and perhaps more important, reason for running…
• I believe that this commission requires a diversity in it’s makeup.
  After the March local elections, I was surprised to find out that the criteria for running for the Town Charter Commission was, in essence, wide open. What this meant was that even currently elected officials could run for a seat on the commission. This raised serious concerns in my mind.
  Before I proceed further, let me state clearly that I do not necessarily think it is wrong for elected officials to run for the commission. However, a commission made up largely of elected officials run the risk of recommendations made from a limited point of view and frame of reference. A commission of this nature should have representation from all perspectives.
  The ideal makeup of this commission should include people with business interests and residences without bias or preconceived notions based upon local government experience. I also believe that, ideally, representation should include both those that have been lifelong residents of Salem as well as those who have lived in other communities and experienced the positive and negative effects of various types of government. 
• If not myself, then who?
  Finally, I realized that based upon my concerns I could either -
  
  - Hope that someone else would step up and run for the commission, or;
  - Step up myself.
  
  As someone who believes that all members of the community should try whenever possible to help in bettering the community in whatever ways they possibly can, I realized that perhaps it was time for me to take this “next step” as a resident of our town. I sincerely believe that I could provide great value to the Town Charter Commission and represent the citizenry well. In addition, I believe the commitment needed to participate on this commission is a small and manageable task, especially when compared to the potential significance this commission may play in the future of our town.

I hope this helps to explain a bit more why I chose on April 1 to take the time to add my name to the ballot. As always, I invite feedback. You can click on the Comment link (to the right, under the title of this post), or you can reach me  via the Contact page.

Add me to the long list of people who have been won over by the Pure Digital Flip Ultra camcorder. Not for a long list of features, mind you, but just the opposite. Simplicity of use is key here.

As a longtime camcorder owner, I have to admit I do not take much video. The reasons -

• Size.
  While camcorders have gotten smaller, they are still a pain to lug around during all-day excursions (especially when everyone is active). Example – our family’s last vacation at Disney World. One more bulky item to carry around the parks when traveling light is essential.
• Durability.
  Let’s face it – most camcorders are something you tend to treat with kid gloves. Only the most daring will take along an expensive camcorder on an outing where the risk of drops or bumps can occur.
• Usability.
  I always say that I am born to operate a camcorder for two reasons – big hands and long fingers. With many camcorders I have tried or used regularly over the years, even the simplest of operations (like starting and stopping recording) required two hands to complete. And don’t get me started on advanced features; try to change settings on some camcorders while shooting and not destroy the video.
  I also have found too many camcorders require you to become an expert on the hardware in order to perform anything other than the most basic of operations. The result – you see me in very few family videos. I am always the “video technician”.
• Time to operate.
  Most camcorders take time to power up and start shooting video. When you want an “in the moment” shot, you either have to be always ready or run the risk of missing out.
• Video transfer/edit.
  To be honest, most camcorders still make this a difficult process. Whether it is the additional cabling, proprietary drivers or proprietary hardware, nothing ever seems to go as planned. Example – our current family camcorder. Between drivers that won’t work properly under Windows Vista and software that is just outright buggy, the process of moving video to the PC for editing requires both patience and expert knowledge.

I had heard quite a few positive things about the Flip Ultra from people I know. Importantly, I heard good things from people who were not “tech savvy”. When a deal good good to pass up showed up one day at woot.com, I decided to take the plunge. Folks – it was well worth it.

Anyone who knows me or has read by reviews over the years knows I am a huge fan of Sling Media’s Slingbox. From Day One, my major argument for the product being a success was the design emphasis on simplicity. The hardware and software just works, without the need for deep technical knowledge. Until now, I found no other product that provided so much with so little technical effort. The Flip Ultra becomes the second product to achieve that distinction.

What makes the Flip Ultra so successful? Well, let’s look back at my criteria -

• Size.
  At just over 2 inches width by 4 inches height, and weighing in at a svelte 5.2 ounces, this is one “pocketable” device. I love being able to just drop the Flip Ultra into my pocket and go.
• Durability.
  Simplicity often results in a certain amount of durability. Such is the case with the Flip Ultra. Not a lot of moving parts to break here. Combine that with solid casing, and I immediately have a level of comfort with the device. Heck – I’m even willing to hand over my Flip Ultra to my sons (ages 8 and 4), which is really saying something.
• Usability.
  Any device that requires less than a minute of explanation to describe operation is a winner in my book. Add to that the ability to explain that to a child and for them to get it, and you have a HUGE winner. Let’s be clear – the Flip Ultra is not a high-end, feature-rich camcorder and it never should be. That is the beauty of the device; ease of use.
• Time to operate.
  From a complete power down state to recording is less than 2 seconds. A power button on the side brings the device to a ready state almost instantly (the true beauty of flash memory and good industrial design). One button push and recording starts.
  
  
  Power switch on the upper-right. Red button to
  record/stop. Simple enough, right?
  
• Video Transfer/Edit.
  It’s all about designing for usability, folks. A USB adapter is built into the Flip Ultra. Pop it out and plug it in to your PC to start the transfer process. The flash memory is configured to detect it Pure Digital’s FlipShare software is already installed. If not, you can install it – directly from the Flip Ultra itself. Once installed, the software runs and even checks for updates (the software on my device required an update; easy enough to do and only took a couple of minutes).
  FlipShare is designed for – you guessed it – ease of use. Drag and drop to transfer files from the device to your PC. You have a multitude of options here, including sharing files via email, uploading to popular services like MySpace and YouTube, creating movies or burning DVDs.
  
  
  Lots of options within FlipShare
  
  All of FlipShare’s options are wizard-based, making the process simple and usable for just about anyone.
  
   
  The Movie-Making Wizard in action
  
  For the Flip Ultra and FlipShare, video is captured, stored and saved in MPEG-4 AVI format. If you wish to convert to other formats, there are any of a number of freeware and pay-for converters available (including higher-end video editing tools). If you choose not to install the FlipShare software, that’s OK as well. You see, the device also presents itself as a USB Mass Storage device when connected to your PC.
  
  
  It’s a camcorder! It’s a storage device!
  
  A note here – if you do have the FlipShare software installed and wish to explore the device from File Explorer, you need to right click on the “drive” and say open. The default association set up on the device makes a double-click prompt for software install.
  
  
  Flip Ultra in File Explorer view.
  
  All in all, the video transfer and basic editing/upload process is made almost trivial by the Flip Ultra and FlipShare. That in and of itself is quite a statement when coming from a camcorder world that is just the opposite.

The Flip Ultra is capable of storing 1 hour of video. This may in fact be the only downside to the device that I can personally see. I have enjoyed using it so much in such a brief period of time that I may find myself needing to download frequently. The Flip Video (the Flip Ultra’s sibling) is only capable of 30 minutes of recording. There is also the slightly more expensive but slightly smaller Flip Mino at 60 minutes of recording, and the new Flip MinoHD (capable of 1 hour of recording in high definition). You can see and compare the specifications at the Pure Digital web site.

I cannot speak highly enough of the Pure Digital Flip Ultra. I really believe that Pure Digital has finally brought the end-to-end experience of basic video recording to the masses. 

Last month, our town of Salem, NH had local elections. In addition to wife wife Melissa running and winning the post of Trustee of Town Trusts, a ballot item included the question of whether to form a commission to consider changing the current town charter. The question passed, and it was announced that a special election would be held in May to select 9 members to this commission.

I was a bit surprised to learn that town resident could run for a seat on this commission, including currently elected town officials. This Town Charter Commission will be asked to make recommendations that could fundamentally change the government structure of Salem (we currently are a “Town Meeting” form of government), and that could impact the roles of many current town officials. With even best efforts, I could not help but feel that it would be difficult for any elected official to remain completely objective through this process. As a result of this, I decided to do something I never really considered up until that moment.

On April 1st, I entered my name as a candidate for the Town Charter Commission. I did not take this decision or the role of the commission lightly. As a resident of Salem, NH, what could come from this commission could eventually have a profound impact on the future of our community for years to come. I also felt that I could provide value to the commission in some rather unique ways based upon past professional and personal experience. Most importantly, however, I felt strongly that it was necessary for the commission to have members who are both interested in the best for the community and are not encumbered by their current town office. While I sincerely believe in our elected officials and their ability to reach objective conclusions/decisions/recommendations, I also believe that there should be some form of “check and balance” in place for this process and that I can bring that ability to the commission.

I will be posting more on this in the coming days and weeks. Stay tuned.

It’s that time again! The next meeting of the Boston/New England Windows Mobile User/Developer Group will be held this Wednesday, April 15, starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th floor).

A special note: This meeting will be held in the Rhode Island Room (in the back of the offices, near the kitchenette area). Our normal meeting space is being used for training all week.

Our featured topic this month - “Windows Mobile Tweaks, Tips and Tricks”
Have you ever wondered how to improve your Windows Mobile device’s performance? Customize functionality or appearance? Automate common tasks? This month’s focus will cover the various ways you can enhance your device using registry settings, tools and applications.

As always, we will have lots of goodies for giveaway at the conclusion of the meeting.

Hope to see you there!

Anyone who knows me knows I have been a longtime fan of Sprite Software and their products. Some of their offerings (Sprite Clone, for example) were way ahead of their time. Now, Sprite Software once again provides a solution leveraging the power of the Internet in Virtual Mobile.

Virtual Mobile is an online service allowing you to backup and control your whole mobile life. It allows you to securely remote control your mobile device and its data from any computer with an Internet connection. Virtual Mobile is a combination of all our award winning software. Secure your mobile device online with our new integrated Backup, Device Management and Security solution.

Virtual Mobile can back up:

• Contacts
• SMS
• Photos
• Calendar
• Call History

You can also remotely lock or wipe your device, and can even remote control your device!

Virtual Mobile is currently in beta, and is free for the beta period (no word yet on release or pricing). To learn more or to sign up, visit the Virtual Mobile page.

In an aside: It will be interesting to see how Virtual Mobile (and other similar products) will fare and compete with Microsoft’s MyPhone offering, scheduled for release in conjunction with Windows Mobile 6.5.