Dear Paul, Melanie, Bridget, Rob, Ben and Sarah, Sara, Heather and Nate Pace, Audrey, Rachel, and Matt,
cc: file, Grandma Hafen via Tony Hafen, Pauline Nelson via mail,
Sara and Des Penny, Claude and Katherine Warner, Lloyd and Luana
Warner. and Diane Cluff.
Welcome to "Thoughtlets." This is a weekly review of an idea,
belief, thought, or words that will hopefully be of some benefit
to you, my children, with an electronic copy to on-line extended
family members. Any of you can ask me not to clutter your mail
box at any time.
"Unfortunately I was quoted by a reporter at abcnews.com this week:
<![CDATA[ `Texaco's adoption of the visualization technology is hardly typical
for the company. "Texaco has traditionally been the most backward
company in the industry for decades," says Roice Nelson of Continuum
Resources, which provides multi-sensory modeling for exploring
multi-dimensional datasets in both customer visualization centers and
its own centers in Houston, London and Perth. "[Zeitlin] is truly a
unique individual to be able to accomplish what he did inside Texaco,"
Nelson adds.']]>
Jeff Hume was absolutely furious. I don't agree with all he had to say
as a result of the article, and I can understand his anger. The reporter,
Gazelle Smith, had called and asked for some background on immersive
visualization. In the return call I learned she was going to be visiting
the Texaco center. During the conversation she said she would like to
have some questions to ask Mike Zeitlin. I prepared the following, read
and explained each question to her, and sent an internal e-mail which said:
<![CDATA[ `24 August 1999
Team,
Giselle Smith of ABC News.com, an on-line news agency, is visiting the
center for a demonstration and to ask some questions. She will be brining
an A/V person with her and I promised her we would provide her with a CD
describing our company with some avi files on it. She is coming to Houston
to visit the Texaco Center on Briar Park. I asked if she would like me to
provide her with some questions she might want to ask. She said yes, and
I thought you might find these useful at some time in the future:
- How long has immersive technology been used in the oil & gas industry?
- How much has Texaco invested in the technology?
- What savings has Texaco realized from the investment?
- Where have the savings been realized?
- Does your technology give Texaco a proprietary advantage?
- How much longer?
- Who are the principal industry visionaries?
- Which oil companies are doing something similar?
- Do you see taking the technology downstream to a Texaco refinery?
- Do you plan to take the technology outside the oil & gas industry?
- What contractors are working with these technologies?
- How does Texaco work with or compete with these contractors?
- Does this technology work on the desk top?
- What is the functionality vs. cost spectrum?
- How do you handle large data volumes?
- Can you display and work with 20 offshore blocks of pre-stack seismic data?
- Is there anyone else who can do this?
- Can you collaborate between Texaco centers?
- Is there anyone else doing remote collaboration?
- Does Texaco plan to commercialize their technology?
- If so, what is the commercial model?
- Why do you use a curved screen?
- Why is peripheral vision important?
- Why is stereo important?
- Does curvature distort stereo?
- How compute intensive is correcting stereo for curvature?
- How many interpreters get up and interact with the data?
- How do you avoid shadows?
- Do you integrate software applications?
- Do you integrate different data types?
- Can partner projects be integrated into the environment?
- What are the steps to bring projects from various other interpretation
systems into the environment?
- Do you plan to upgrade your environment?
- If you could make changes today, what would you do?
- Do you build subsurface earth models?
- What sort of models do you build?
- What data are you using to build models?
- How does one see the results of the model building?
- How do customers improve asset management just by visualizing data?
Best Regards,
Roice']]>
Then there was a follow up e-mail with the reporter and my response:
<![CDATA[ `10 Sep 99
Giselle,
Thanks for keeping me informed. Responses interspersed below.
Hope it helps. Please send me your final report.
Best Regards,
Roice
-----Original Message-----
From: giselle smith [mailto:giselle@oz.net]
Sent: Thursday, September 09, 1999 7:05 PM
To: rnelson@continuum-corp.com
Subject: ABCNews.com article
Roice,
Thanks very much for taking the time to meet with Stefan and I when we were
in Houston. I've been working on the article and need to verify a couple of
facts with you:
1) You said that Texaco's adoption of the visualization technology is not
typical for the company, right?
Texaco has changed more than any other oil company in the industry. They
were slow, bureaucratic, ultra conservative, etc. prior to losing the
Penzoil lawsuit. The implementation of visualization technology is a
tribute to Mike Zeitlin, and to Texaco Senior Management who drive and
use the technology. There are many end-users in Texaco who still see the
technology as unproven, and who use it because management wants them to.
I consider these folks the hold overs from the old regime.
2) Shall I quote you as "Roice Nelson" or "H. Roice Nelson, Jr." as appears
on your business card?
Either. Prefer if H. is used to balance it with Jr.
3) Would it be accurate to say that Continuum Resources is "an oil service
company that operates its own visualization centers in Houston,
London and Perth, Australia"?
Sort of. My preference would be "Continuum Resources provides
muliti-sensory modeling for exploring multi-dimensional datasets in both
customer visualization centers and its own centers in Houston, London,
and Perth."
4) Is it true that about 40 visualizations centers have been built around
the world in the last two years, some with flat walls, others with
rear-projection systems?
Yes, with the slight modification that some have flat walls, both front and
rear projection, and some have curved walls with only front projection.
5) Do you know where Arco's 3D visualization "cave" -- a room with three
joined flat screens onto which a 3D image is rear projected -- is located?
It is in Plano, TX north of Dallas. It has four walls, counting the floor
which is "front" (top) projected. They have just upgraded their center to
allow it to be switched from a "cave" (trademarked name by Pyramid Systems
and Pyramid did not build the Arco facility, MechDyne did) to a theater like
ours. We call this configuration CoReFlex, and you might want to use the
words "a flexible visualization center, which can switch from theater style
to an enclosed work room (similar to the Pyramid CAVE(tm))."
6) Is it accurate to say that "Although almost all the centers use Silicon
Graphics computers, 3D visualization does not yet have an industry standard
for software"?
No. "Most of the current centers use high end SGI computers, and there are
some centers being built using NT platforms with high performance graphics.
Software standards have not yet emerged, and Continuum Resources believes
their CoRe Explorer will become the standard data integrating tool for
immersive environment in many displines with complex spatial and temporal
data."
7) How about this: "Texaco's competitive advantage will dwindle as other
firms develop similar software and systems."?
Great.
8) Is Continuum Resources' software called "Explorer"?
"CoRe Explorer (tm)"
9) Do you know how far apart survey lines were taken for early seismic
surveys? (Here's the sentence I'm trying to complete: Early surveys might
have collected data lines '125' METERS apart; today, ten times as many
survey lines 'are routinely collected' (can be taken) in the same area.)
Thanks very much for your help.
Giselle Smith
206-783-1137']]>
How the three hours I spent with the reporter on three separate phone calls
and a private demonstration in our center could be reduced to the above
quote is beyond me. I guess it is obvious their report was to be about
Texaco's Visualization Center. Following the chewing out by Jeff, I wrote
and received the following:
<![CDATA[ `15 Sep 1999
Giselle,
I was just informed about the only quote you used from me in your article.
For your information, this quote is currently believed to have caused
considerable damage to Continuum Resources. I would appreciate a copy
of what you wrote, so I have a context for the words which were just said
to me.
Thanks and Best Regards,
Roice']]>
The reporter responded almost immediately:
<![CDATA[ `Roice,
Here's the URL for the article on ABCNews.com at:]]>
http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/business/WorkingWiser/texaco990910.html
<![CDATA[ I hope the full article helps clarify the context for you. The article
mentions that Continuum is doing similar work with the technology, which
seems like it would be good for your company.
You are welcome to contact my editor, Richard Martin, directly (I've cc'd
him on this messate) if you have questions about how the piece was edited.
Thanks,
Giselle Smith']]>
So it was the editor? One would think that after all of my years of
talking with reporters I would know they always mess up, or should I say
they always choose to report what will get a reaction from their readers.
I remember my first serious experience. I had worked for Mobil Oil for
several years, and had taken an assignment in Field Operations. John
Noble Wilford, a famous science reporter for The New York Times, wanted
to visit a Mobil seismic crew. I was assigned to fly to Mesquite, Nevada
and to be his host. I was to explain geophysics, and to be a good
representative of the company. Little did I know that all of the bosses
recognized this was a time bomb waiting to happen, and that they were
just protecting themselves and their jobs by sending a lamb to the lion.
So I get to Mesquite. The photographer with him was a Playboy photographer
from Las Vegas. He had lots to say, and just looking at his face one could
see years of choices. The reporter was an older dignified gentleman, who
was about ready to retire. Mobil was shooting seismic to the north of
Mesquite, had helicopters, donkeys, and 30 field hands to place and pick-up
geophones, drill holes, shoot dynamite, record the seismic records, and all
the other stuff that goes on in a seismic crew. The crew was probably
working 30 miles north of Mesquite. This is pretty desolate country. We
had our four-wheel drive crew cab, and had been driving for an hour up
old stream beds to get to the recording crew when we saw another pickup.
We stopped, and talking through the open pickup windows explained we were
with the Mobil seismic crew, and asked who he was. He was from Mesquite,
and I asked if he happened to know Paul Hafen. He had worked with Grandpa
for years when Grandpa was herding cattle in this part of the country. We
had a great conversation, and the reporter was just lapping it all up. He
could not believe I had flown in from Dallas, he had flown in from New York,
we had driven way out in the desert, and in the only truck we saw was a
close personal friend and co-worker of my Grandpa Hafen.
I don't remember what the reporter wrote in his full page spread in The
New York Times. I dimly recall it was inaccurate. I know I didn't get
in any trouble over what he wrote, and so it can't have been that bad.
I expect the article is one of the pieces of paper in one of the 100 or
so boxes in the garage. I do recall that he used this series of articles
to write a book called `The Mapmakers' and that he quoted me as one of
his references. My name was written `Boyce Nelson' as is shown on the
photo mosaic at http://www.walden3d.com/thoughtlets/gifs/Mapmakers.jpg
I mentioned last week that we had a C.E.S. conference call on Saturday
morning. One of the topics of that phone call was the work of a reporter
with The Wall Street Journal. It shows how reporters can be used to
help justify a business plan, if you know how to feed them information
in a way that meets their objectives. This is one section of what our
friend, who just got his MBA from the Sloan Institute at M.I.T. and who
was with us in San Francisco, got written in The Journal:
<![CDATA[ `Collapse of Oil Prices Last Year
Mr. Rocca has pursued his goal in some adverse circumstances. The
collapse of oil prices last year was responsible for thinning the
number of exploration rigs in operation around the globe from about
2,200 at the end of 1997 to 1,300 by April of this year. That, in
turn, badly hurt sales and prices of seamless pipe. Those pressures
and recent oil-company mergers have driven Nippon Steel Co., Sumitomo
Metals Co. and Kawasaki Steel Co. of Japan to end a longstanding
rivalry. Last month, they said they were considering forming a
joint venture for their seamless-pipe operations that would include
pinching off some capacity.
"This is no longer just a manufacturing business," said Mr. Rocca,
46 years old. "It is a service business with a high premium on good
logistics and good information systems. Over the next three or four
years, we want to have a logistics system equal to that of Boeing or
the U.S. Army."
Wall Street analysts mostly like what Techint is doing with its three
main pipe-manufacturing units. These are collectively known as Grupo
DST, of which Mr. Rocca is chairman. The three units -- Tubos de Acero
de Mexico SA, or Tamsa, Siderca SA of Argentina and Dalmine SpA of
Italy -- experienced a big drop in their share prices last year as
world oil prices stumbled.']]>
As I struggle to find words, which I hope will prove to be useful to
my children and stepchildren, whom I love dearly, I feel like a reporter
who too often get's stuff out of context. So I'll give a brief report
on the week, and hit the sack.
Monday we had professors from The University of Louisiana at Lafayette
(formerly University of Southwestern Lousiana, which is where we did
the HyperMedia prototype software development) and Southern Methodist
University (where I got my M.B.A.) come to talk to us about doing some
research with the use of sound for us. I am very excited about the
opportunity. It will be interesting to see if anything comes of it.
We didn't have Family Home Evening because Andrea and I went to Rachel's
Back to School Night at Taylor High School. Tuesday I reviewed the
parameter options on a coherency cube for demonstrating in our theater.
I have also been writing a paper (The Upcoming Obsolescence of Maps) and
preparing a one day seminar for $325 (Maps, Models, Immersion, and
Collaboration). So for those days it sounds like I don't do much, I
really do keep very busy. I took Matt to soccer practice because Andrea
had Relief Society. The memories of Roice, Ben, and Paul at the Katy
Soccer Fields was strong. I wish a reporter's insightful words would
come to my mind or fingers to describe the flood of emotions.
Wednesday morning I had breakfast with David Kessler at the Marriott.
We were suspose to meet with another friend and he did not make it.
However, Gordon Jones from Salt Lake City was in town for an audit,
and was seated next to us. He and his companion joined us, and David
was able to present his business plan anyway. There was a very good
demonstration and discussion in the theater at 9:00. This was black
Wednesday at Continuum Resources. There were 8 folks fired, including
two of my friends, and one of whom I had recruited. It was hard on
everyone. This was the circumstance when Jeff discovered the article
at abcnews.com and came in and grilled me. I won't go into all of the
words he used, partly because I don't believe I am as morally corrupt
as he said I am, and partly because I want to hold on to whatever
shreads of dignity remain for my kids to remember me by. It was tough,
and I admit I got mad. Didn't say anything, and did a real good job of
keeping it inside and just working. My goal was to be like an
uninvolved reporter. In the evening I had the Priest age Venturing Crew
I work with over to the house and taught them a little bit about the web.
We edited the pages I referred to last week and took some photos
(http://www.walden3d.com/nvc). Thursday was the big demo to the Chevron
Visualization Team, as follow-up to the San Francisco meeting. It went
well. I missed soccer practice in the evening because we had a 3 1/2
hour C.E.S. phone call. It was particularly good. There are times at
work, at home, and at church I wish I could see the future. This was one.
Friday started with the sales conference call from 7:30-9:00. Then
there was the Developer's meeting from 9:00-10:00. Fairfield Geophysical
came in in the morning. Looks like there is a big opportunity here. In
the afternoon there were some oil finders. Not sure there is such an
opportunity here, and yet there was genuine interest. Gary Crouse gave
the CoRe Exchange talk. It was the first non-Continuum speaker. His
talk was spiced with words like `I realize there are not very many in
the audience who are as old as Roice, but back in the days when seismic
interpretation was done with paper pencils and big sheets of paper ...'
or `I've always worried about a profession based on colored pencils and
explosives.' As I think about it, I think Gary would make an excellent
reporter. At least he is funny. Saturday we went for a run/walk around
the block at 6:30, I had church vollyball at 9:00 and 12:00, Matt needed
to be to the Katy Fields for his soccer game at 1:30, and we mowed and
trimmed the lawn in the morning. Andrea and I chaperoned a Katy Stake
Dance in the evening. We were wiped out and slept in this morning.
Today, I had the Venturing Crew over for a spaghetti planning meeting,
homemade bread, garlic bread, a salad from Brother Peterson, and cobbler
and ice cream. It was fun, and reminded me of days past.
I continue to hope and pray the words I write, as I strive to be a reporter,
objectively and accurately writing about my life, will prove valuable to
each of you at a time when you have a need for them. In the meantime, be
careful what you say to reporters, for they can take things out of context
to meet their own hidden agendas."
I'm interested in sharing weekly a "thoughtlet" (little statements
of big thoughts which mean a lot to me) with you because I know how
important the written word can be. I am concerned about how easy
it is to drift and forget our roots and our potential among all of
distractions of daily life. To download any of these thoughtlets
go to http://www.walden3d.com/thoughtlets or e-mail me at
rnelson@walden3d.com.
With all my love,
Dad
(H. Roice Nelson, Jr.)
