Age:
43
Residence
Houston, Texas (native Texan)
Occupation
I am a manager with a technology background for a large cancer hospital. I work on projects ranging from the design of large web systems that connect physicians and institutions to patient data, identification and implementation of operational process improvements related to patient and physician access, strategic planning, and the evaluation of new technologies.
I was the webmaster for the Space Shuttle Program office secure global extranet before moving to Anderson in 1999. I also worked in the small Shuttle Training Aircraft program which trained shuttle pilots. Along the way I’ve designed and implemented social media and public relations projects for auto makers, government customers, and others as an independent consultant. In 2000 I co-founded a company that created software that allowed for the first wireless handheld control of a satellite for Lockheed-Martin and NASA.
Connect
Email: johnwlittle -AT- gmail.com
Twitter: johnwlittle
Facebook: John Little
SummitPost: Profile
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/johnwlittle
Interests
Travel, history, technology, national security/international affairs, photography, coffee, hiking, music, and of course mountains.
Fitness Goals
Between May and November of 2008 I lost 80 pounds. I started with walking 15 minutes a day, everyday, and progressed to interval training, stair climbing (up to 102 stories per workout), and 10+ mile day hikes. I workout 6 days per week, sometimes twice per day. While this is all good, I still have a lot of work to do. I plan to increase my weight and upper body training starting in November 2008 while adding more structure to my overall fitness plan. I don’t have an end weight or goal in mind. I’m just going to keep pushing.
Climbing Goals
I’m not just focusing on summits. In short, I want to acquire the skills needed to climb 8,000m peaks competently, that is, without complete reliance on a commercial outfit. While I’d like to formally announce something cool like an attempt on the seven summits it would be a bit of a stretch at this point. I have a lot of fitness goals to achieve and a lot of learning to do before I could make a legitimate attempt at a project of that scale. What I am doing right now is working 20-30 hours a week to put myself in position to set goals like that.
Gear
The list continues to grow.
Memberships
American Alpine Club
National Security and International Affairs
My blog about national security issues, Blogs of War (background here), is widely followed in global media and government circles. My assorted writings on these topics are available on Amazon.
John In the News
I occasionally make the news with various technology & communications projects. Here’s a brief sampling of relevant media mentions and interviews:
Fast Company: Massive Egyptian Protests Powered by YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Twitpic. Mention of my Egyptian revolution crowdsourcing project which delivered updates on the unfolding #Jan25 protests in Egypt weeks ahead of the mainstream media.
Vos Iz Neias: Egypt – Government Blocks Twitter and Facebook as Upheaval Rages On. Another mention of the Twitter aggregation work I did during the Egyptian revolution.
Social Catalyst: I was recently interviewed about blogger outreach strategies for PR professionals.
American Opinion: Twitter is revolutionising the world, much to the annoyance of its critics. This piece includes Blogs of War in its ten best.
SpaceRef: Lockheed Martin CSOC Demonstrates New OpStar Technology (I co-founded the company that created the wireless software that allow NASA to control satellites via the first wireless PDA)
CNN: Soldier ‘bloggers’ report from war
TIME Magazine: Tech: Best Of The War Blogs
Online Journalism Review: What’s Next for Post-Iraq War Blogs?
The Atlantic Wire: The Case for Corporate Intelligence Contractors
Library of Congress: My updates were archived as part of the library’s permanent collection on the 2003 war in Iraq.
Slate: The Other Google Bomb (referencing my former blog at the Houston Chronicle)
MD Anderson 2010 Annual Report: Outreach to the Virtual Neighborhood
Texas Hospital Association: Building Physician Community. I wrote this physician community best practice for a social media guide that was distributed to several state hospital associations.
Oncology Times: How Twitter Is Transforming the Cancer Care Community
Oncology Times: Nonprofit Organizations Outpace Businesses in Use of Social Media
Oncology Times: Oncologists Using Twitter to Advance Cancer Knowledge
Google: Books referencing Blogs of War
Google: Journals and academic publications citing Blogs of War
