The Elf on the Shelf™ Interactive North Pole Website, created for CCA and B, LLC., of Kennesaw, Georgia, won a Stevie Award for Best Web Animation in the 2009 American Business Awards.

What book are you currently reading? 
The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.

What was the last movie you saw, and would you recommend it?
This weekend I saw The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3. The acting is excellent—for that reason I would recommend it.

What is your favorite sport or hobby?
Football—I love it!  I’m passionate about both the NCAA and NFL.  Go Falcons.
           
Who is your favorite historical figure?
Eleanor Roosevelt.  She was a brilliant woman.

Who is your favorite living person?
My father, Bob Aebersold.

If you could choose another profession, what would it be?
I would be a college professor.

What quality or qualities do you most value in your business associates?
While there are many qualities I admire, the two I most value are integrity and wisdom.

What do you think is the worst bad habit to have at work?
Over-talking.  I always appreciate people who really take the time to listen.  Learning to listen is an art and when you speak people are more likely to hear you.

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To end the year, we look at a Stevie Award winner from 2009 likely to impact the environment in 2010.

Crossbow Technology of San Jose, California, won a Stevie Award for Best New Product in the 2009 International Business Awards.  With world leaders debating climate control in Copenhagen, their eKo™ Pro product is already providing a smart solution.

Crossbow Technology has been at the vanguard of smart sensor technology for more than a decade, having shipped hundreds of thousands of smart sensors to more than 5000 customers worldwide. A leading supplier of wireless sensor technology and inertial sensors for navigation and control, this dynamic Silicon Valley company is revolutionizing the connection between the physical world and the digital world through its wireless sensor networks.

Crossbow Technology recently launched the eKo™ Pro Series, an outdoor wireless sensing system. This miniaturized solar-powered platform brings the reality of the smart environment to farmers and environmentalists alike. eKo™ enables customers to deploy a wireless sensor network and collect vital real-time data.

eKo™ represents the next generation in crop monitoring and precision agriculture, employing a mesh network of wireless sensors that provide vital live data about crop health, vigor, and growth progress via a simple Internet browser. eKo™ Pro Series drives increased profits and competitive advantage by enabling lower input costs, mitigating crop-loss risks, increasing per-acre yields, and delivering higher quality crops with greater consistency.

Farmers and growers can view details about the health, vigor, and progress of their crops via a standard Internet browser from anywhere in the world. Environmentalists and conservationists can use eKo™ to create smart water grids, detect pollutants, and conserve natural resources. Used for precision
agriculture, microclimate studies, and environmental research, the eKo™ system has revolutionized the idea of outdoor wireless monitoring, enabling users to take
nature's pulse and gain a competitive advantage in a resource-constrained world.

Blogs, or web logs, are all the rage these days. Each month in this space we'll point you to several blogs and web sites that we think might be of interest to you.

Gizmodo: A technology blog packed with useful info on consumer electronics.
Passive Aggressive Notes: Interesting and hilarious way to see what kind of notes are being posed in shared spaces around the world.
What Matters Now : Catch up on the latest info on next generation web (web 2.0) and social software.
In Pursuit of Elegance : Author Matthew E. May's blog about the search for creative ideas and innovative solutions that areelegant, because they have the elusive combination of unusual simplicity and surprising power.