I’m just sitting here contemplating
The next steps worth takin’
You see, I can only feel this way so long
Before I feel like I don’t belong
- – -
On the other side of this world is a new life
An adventure without any strife
It’s like you keep on feeling a certain way
And all you want to know is how to make it go away
- – -
When you know in your heart that it’s over
It’s time to say goodbye
Because what you want to find in this world is love
You want that thing that has nothing above
“Designing a product is keeping five thousand things in your brain and fitting them all together in new and different ways to get what you want. And every day you discover something new that is a new problem or a new opportunity to fit these things together a little different.
And it’s that process that is the magic.”
-Steve Jobs
“All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once you grow up.”
- Pablo Picasso
“To find is the thing.”
- Pablo Picasso
“The journey is the reward.”
- Unknown
“Somewhere someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a seed long ago.”
- Warren Buffett
Why can’t we just do it for personal pleasure? Why can’t we just do something because it feels good, regardless of the result, or if people will applaud us for it?
Why can’t we just move along the journey that is life without thinking about status?
Why does so much of what we do depend on what others’ think of us?
I have several friends who love to boast about what they do, the car they bought (or really want), whom they hooked up with, or how rich they’re going to be.
Hearing this annoys me. Perhaps annoyed isn’t the right word.
To be honest, it just makes me sad.
There was once a time when I was driven by external expectations. I used to really care about what everyone thought of me. I needed everyone’s approval. But when I realized this was what was causing me to behave a certain way, I just let go.
Why? Because this led me to do things that I really didn’t enjoy doing. I was being driven by prestige. I was being driven by you. And it felt so unnatural.
When I realized this I felt a pure sense of joy. I still do.
I don’t think people should give credence to what most people will think of them.
I don’t mean you shouldn’t care for others. Or that no one’s opinion matters.
What I’m talking about is identity. I’m talking about family. I’m talking about community.
To find what and who will bring you happiness, you first have to find yourself.
And the only way you can find yourself is to be you. Live your life.
You’ll know when you’ve found them. Love is like that.
You’ll know because it’ll keep getting better. You’ll want it to go on forever.
You’ll realize the journey is the reward.
“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”
-Steve Jobs, 1955 – 2011
What if people stopped buying stuff they don’t need or want?
What if people are starting to tune out once-effective marketing campaigns?
The economy is fragile right now.
What if consumers are buying less, not just because they have less income, or no job, but because they realize they don’t need or want most of the stuff they’ve purchased in the pas?
What if consumers’ buying behavior is changing?
What if people are beginning to scrutinize how and where they spend their money, like a painter carefully chooses how and where to move their brush?
If I were a consumer products company — in any industry — I’d start thinking more carefully about why I’m making what I’m making.
I’d constantly be asking myself: “Do people really want what I’m making? Do I even really want what I’m making?”
Going forward, I think people will begin spending more and more of their income on experiences (and mostly offline ones) rather than products — like traveling, dining, sports, entertainment, etc.
I believe this is going to happen because I think this is what people want.
Many types of luxury consumer products like transportation, electronics, apparel, games, books, etc. will still be marketed well and consumed.
But I think it will be at a decreasing rate. That is, when the market delivers (making and distributing) what people actually want — new, good experiences, on a sustainable basis.
I think the one thing people want most, when it comes to leisure, is good cultural experiences.
This is a product of focusing on breadth and depth.
In the future, the most admired art won’t just be aesthetically pleasing or emotionally stimulating. Though it must also be that.
In the future, the thing that will separate good art from bad art will depend on how the artist decides to incorporate social interactivity. You won’t just see, and then feel.
You will also do. You will also touch.
I think a good life is experiencing wonderful art.
Whatever “art” is to you.
“I didn’t fail a thousand times, the light bulb was an invention with a thousand steps.”
-Thomas Edison
How to value a business:
There’s a lot going on in the world these days.
USA coming oh-so-close to winning the 2011 Women’s World Cup. News of the World phone hacking scandal. The death of Osama bin Laden. The economy. The release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.
Combine that with what people are doing and thinking about in their own lives.
Many are jobless. Many more have jobs and are working hard to become better. Or richer. Or to get more responsibility.
Maybe this isn’t you. Maybe you’re just concerned with getting food on the table. Maybe you’re just trying to figure out how to pay rent, or how to get hired.
Or maybe you have a job. You’re content. Nothing feels wrong, yet nothing feels great. It just is. And you’re fine with that, or not.
Regardless of who you most identify with, you’re doing something on a day-to-day basis, even if it’s “nothing”. And I’m guessing you spend a considerable amount of time doing it.
Like with everything, there’s always a cost.
I would just like to encourage you to spend more time enriching your relationships with others; especially those whom you care most about.
And I think doing that involves improving your face-to-face communication skills with these people.
Talk to them. Ask them what they’re feeling and why they’re feeling that way. Take time to really understand their problems. Actively listen to them. Encourage them. Make sure they know that they can come to you for anything. And then be there for them when they do. Challenge them. Delight them.
Just care deeply for them.
I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, nor is it going to work perfectly all of the time.
But I think at the end of the day, if the people you want to have love you, do love you, then you’ve got the most important thing in life that’s within your control.
As the adage goes: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is today.”
If you don’t know where to start, perhaps you could go give them a big hug. Or two.
The trick is to keep doing it.
Today, I took a hike in the woods
We crossed paths
I ran, you walked
You ran, I walked
We exchanged glances
You looked back at me
I looked back at you
It wasn’t just the grace with which she moved
It was the way she spoke
It was the way she listened
I’m not sure how to say this
Maybe we’ll just become good friends
Perhaps we already are
We finish each other’s sentences
We know what each other’s thinking
We debate
We challenge each other
When I’m with you clichés are the norm
I get weak in the knees
My heart skips a beat
You’re like a meadow of bliss
I’m nervous
I confide in you
You confide in me
There’s a moment of silence
You look up first
I can’t help but grin
The sun is rising
1. John Mayer 2011 Clinic (berklee-blogs.com)
Berklee was visited by celebrity and Grammy Award-winning alum, John Mayer. Similar to his 2008 clinic, John Mayer demonstrated his candor about the pitfalls of the music industry, his sarcastic humor, and, of course, his skill as a guitarist and songwriter. Most impressive, though, was the amount of time and energy Mayer gave to the Berklee student body, spending almost 3 hours imparting wisdom, performing several songs, including some new songs from his upcoming album, and staying afterward to sign autographs and pose for pictures. But John Mayer was perhaps most enthusiastic about encouraging students to avoid letting promotion, particularly of the social media variety, interfere with their artistry.
A Berkshire Hathaway B share can be worth at most 1/1500th of a Berkshire A share.
Because of that, there will always be arbitrage between the two to keep it that way.
For example, BRK-A closed on Friday, July 8th, 2011 at $115,050.00, while BRK-B closed at $76.90.
Given BRK-B’s closing price, you’d expect BRK-A to be $115,350 ($76.90 * 1,500). Given BRK-A’s closing price, you’d expect BRK-B to be $76.70 ($115,050 / 1,500).
So there’s an arbitrage opportunity, albeit a small one: BRK-A is undervalued and BRK-B is overvalued.
In other words, you could short BRK-B and buy BRK-A.
[Disclosure: I own BRK-B shares.]
I believe people are starting to think that experience matters most when it comes to non-technical domains.
Education is very important. But I get the sense that people (especially current students and recent graduates) are starting to think that going to school for a non-technical field isn’t necessarily as productive of a path as it used to be.
Because employers seem to want experience. They value experience more. The best type of education is experience.
If I were in middle or high school today I’d focus on getting as much real-world, hands-on experience in fields that interested me, as possible.
You might not get to work on the coolest thing at first.
But you’ll get something a lot of people want — experience.
Silicon Valley gets a lot of attention when it comes to venture capital.
While Seattle isn’t in the headlines a lot, it does have a presence.
Here’s a list* of Seattle-based VC firms:
| Alexander Hutton | Technology |
| Alliance of Angels | Connecting investors w/ early stage companies |
| ARCH Venture Partners | Life sciences, physical sciences, information technology |
| Atlas Venture | Technology, life sciences |
| Benaroya Capital | Diversified |
| Blue Point Capital Partners | Diversified |
| Cascadia Capital | Technology, sustainable industries, middle market |
| Cedar Grove Investments | Wireless and Internet |
| eFund | Communications and Internet |
| Fluke Venture Partners | Technology, healthcare, and consumer-oriented ventures |
| Frazier & Company | Healthcare, technology |
| Guide Ventures | New media, eFinancial services, electronic security, consumer branding, storage management |
| Ignition Partners | Communications, Internet, software, and services |
| Kirlan Venture Capital | Diversified |
| Lumira Capital Corp | Health and life sciences |
| Madrona Venture Group | Technology |
| Maveron | Consumer-oriented |
| Montlake Capital | Diversified |
| Northwest Capital Appreciation | Middle market |
| Northwest Venture Associates | Small and medium-sized businesses |
| Olympic Venture Partners | Cleantech, digital biology, and information technology |
| Pacific Horizon Ventures | Life science and healthcare |
| Polaris Venture Partners | Information technology and life sciences |
| Seapoint Ventures | Wireless, broadband, and network infrastructure |
| Second Avenue Partners | Emerging Internet |
| Staenberg Venture Partners | Technology, business social media, and consumer products |
| US Venture Partners | Information technology, cleantech, and healthcare |
| UV Partners | Technology |
| Vault Capital | Technology |
| Voyager Capital | Digital media, software, and wireless |
| Vulcan, Inc | Diversified |
| WRF Capital | Technology-based start-ups |
*source: http://www.vocationvillage.com/seattle-venture-capital/
I just read an article entitled, “7 life lessons from the very wealthy“. The author writes that in his day job he comes into “contact with very high-net-worth individuals” — people with hundreds of millions of dollars, and in some cases billions of dollars.
One of the lesson’s stuck out to me.
3. Memories are better than material objects.
You may be surprised to learn that among the monied set, expensive cars, yachts, houses, jewelry and watches come at the end of the list.
Their priorities? Memories and accomplishments. This was especially true when it came to family. Toys matter less than good times.
The rule of diminishing returns is a harsh mistress with luxury goods. Do you really think $100,000 audio speakers sound 20 times better than a pair of $5,000 speakers? (They don’t). Is a $250,000 sports car five times faster than a $50,000? (It is not). These days, you can buy quite a lovely home for $1,000,000 (and much less in the country’s interior). Those $10,000,000 manses are not 10 times roomier. Anyone who has owned a $10,000 Rolex will tell you that a $39 Casio keeps better time.
When discussing the benefits of wealth, I have heard again and again about amazing experiences, family get-togethers, vacations, shows, sporting events, weddings and other events as these people’s most important life experiences. While these things cost money, nearly every family can afford reasonable versions of them.
Currently, a substantial part of our economy relies on the exchange of material/tangible goods. I would imagine a significant portion of those are for necessities — food, clothing, shelter, transportation, communication, etc.
But there’s some portion of the pie that gets spent on luxury goods.
Over the next fifty years, I’d bet that the tangible luxury goods market shrinks.
The primary cause won’t be because of inflation, a poor economy, or some other related issue. It’ll be because people’s spending habits will change.
I think people will spend more of their income on luxury services — such as travel, recreation, leisure, entertainment, etc. — rather than on luxury goods, because everyone (wealthy or not) is beginning to realize that good (and new) experiences with people they care about are much more fulfilling.
So, naturally, that’s where people will begin spending more of their income.
I believe that if you find what you love to do you’ll never work a day in your life.
But as someone once said, finding it isn’t the only thing that matters. Someone has to pay you to make it a reality.
So who should you work for?
Well, what do you love to do?
I bet most aren’t yet sure what they love to do. I think answering that is difficult.
But, ok, you have bills to pay, so you need a job. How do you get one?
These days, I think employers are looking for people to have something extra. They want their employees to be intelligent, hard-working, and to possess integrity. But I think the trait that separates the good from the great is a thoughtful sense of passion.
There’s an oversupply of labor, especially entry-level labor (i.e. new college graduates).
If I was graduating from college and looking for a job I wouldn’t look in common areas (e.g. my school’s career center). I’d ask myself, who, or what organization do I really admire? I’d then spend an ample amount of time researching the people or organizations that I admired. Doing so would probably narrow my list to at most three.
My sole goal, then, would be to get interviews with these people/organizations.
If I was rejected, I would keep trying and trying.
If they kept saying no, I would either get a job with a “non-career” path so that I could keep applying at the place(s) I really wanted to be without feeling guilty. Or, I would take the next best option and see where it takes me.
I would probably only do the first option if I was absolutely sure I found what I wanted to do and where I wanted to do it. If I was confident in my dream.
But as John Lennon once said: “Life is what happens to you while you’re making other plans.” So I think the second option could lead you somewhere unexpected, but which still enabled you to discover what you love to do.
Just be honest with yourself.
Find out what (and who) excites you. And go bother them until they hire you.
Don’t give up. But keep your eyes open.
The best thing ever created was people.
It’ll probably always be that way.
Behind the Hunt for Bin Laden (nytimes.com)
For years, the agonizing search for Osama bin Laden kept coming up empty. Then last July, Pakistanis working for the Central Intelligence Agency drove up behind a white Suzuki navigating the bustling streets near Peshawar, Pakistan, and wrote down the car’s license plate.
Osama bin Laden Killed (boston.com/bigpicture)
“When you’re forced to be simple, you’re forced to face the real problem. When you can’t deliver ornament, you have to deliver substance.”
-Paul Graham
The gift/curse of the visionary is that they can see the future as clearly as they can see the present.
-Scott Dunlap
The elephant in the room is that people love people. People love doing things with people. They like being around them almost all of the time.
But just being in the presence of others isn’t enough. To really get what you want — love & happiness — you have to do things with those people (and keep doing things). So an engaging environment has to exist, which has constant activity, interaction, experience, or discovery.
With our increasing use of technology, along with an endless list of other things that are grabbing for our attention, I think we’re forgetting what we all really want.
Thankfully, I think we’ve known the answer all long. We’ve just lost sight of it recently.
The answer is people — constantly doing things (moving forward, getting better) and making new discoveries with them.
The rich get richer.
The productive will get more productive.
Productivity will be different than it is today.
Work will converge. It will be simpler.
If people work longer hours, it will be because they want to. It will be because they’re immersed in what they’re doing.
Gone will be the times when you’re just sitting in front of your computer surfing the web because you don’t need to get your work done. Because it bores you. Because procrastination works.
Productive managers will have a clear vision of what it is that they want to do and create. They’ll be able to effectively communicate this to anyone who has a hand in creating (“touching”) the product or service.
Productive managers will have a well-designed system for getting things done. (But it must flow naturally; it must be heartfelt.) And it won’t be to work 10 hour days on a 5 hour problem. It will be: “We believe ‘this’ will be an important part of the future. Here’s how we’re going to create it. Any questions? Ok, let’s go.”
On a day-to-day basis, work will become more focused and intense.
Gone will be the traditional 40 hour work weeks. Instead, work will be project-based.
An employee’s sole mission will be to finish their project. Productive managers will enable them to freely discover the best way to finish their project. And an employee’s performance will be based on their ability to get the project done correctly, as well as how good it works in its finished state.
It’s important to note that I don’t believe the entire world, or the entire US, will function like this in the foreseeable future.
This type of disruptive change takes time. The most productive people in society right now will drive this change. But I don’t see those efforts being widely noticed for 5 years (and I may be underestimating that).
Why do I think this is the future?
I think people are antsy. I think they’re tired of wasting time. I think they’re tired of doing unimportant work (whatever that is to them).
They want to work smarter and on better things. And I think society wants this too.
Society wants better things, faster.
And I think the only way to get that is through intense, properly applied, focus.
Thankfully, I think there are many people out there who want this, as well as have the skills and characteristics to do it.
Now, it’s just a matter of finding and empowering great leaders to enable people to do/make better faster.
Just remember: it’s not what you decide to do that matters, it’s what you decide not to do (which I think is the hardest part).
To find is the thing.
Status updates. News feeds. Tweets. Text messages. Email.
Knowledge worker.
On the surface, our world is increasingly becoming our minds.
I was at the grocery store not too long ago, browsing the bakery section. Of course, I ended up at the fresh baked goods — muffins, donuts, etc.
I sat there thinking about what I wanted for about a minute or two. Then I opened the door and grabbed a blueberry muffin and a sprinkled donut.
This whole ordeal probably lasted about 2 or 3 minutes. At first, this didn’t seem like a long time to me. But when I turned around to leave, I saw two people standing there waiting for me. And if felt like they were waiting to use an ATM, instead of getting some sweets.
I was surprised by this. I wasn’t taking up the entire area. These other people could have easily grabbed what they wanted at the same time. We could have “worked” simultaneously.
Maybe it’s just me, but I would have jumped right in and got what I wanted (perhaps “thinking as I go”), probably striking up a quick conversation along the way.
I’m not sure if this instance is evidence of a larger trend.
But I do think that we’re becoming consumed in our own thoughts, rather than actions.
Rather than doing.
And I think being consumed by your own thoughts is cause for concern.
IBM said “Think.”
Apple said “Think different.”
Facebook said: “What’s on your mind?”
I think thinking is very important. Many of the problems we face today could be solved by first thinking deeper about things, and then implementing those thoughts. But when thinking leads to overload, it can cause apathy and inaction, and no one wants that.
You can get so consumed in your mind: “I have to do this, this, then that, and then I have to go there…and on-and-on. And it’s already 11 in the morning. Arghhhhhh!”
Enter stress. Enter anxiety. Enter…nap.
I’ve thought like this before. And it’s paralyzing.
When you get like this, the default answer — the solution — is to do nothing. It’s the solution to not thinking about everything so much.
But it’s not the best solution because it doesn’t solve your actual problem. Your actual problem is not being able to control your thoughts. So the best solution is one that enables you to control your thoughts.
What thoughts? Well, in general, the ones that wear you out.
Nowadays, when I feel like I’m beginning to get consumed in my thoughts, I quickly ask myself (often times out loud): “What can I do right now that will be most productive?” And then I go do that. And when I’m in this state, I don’t think too much about the “most” part. I’m not trying to solve the bigger questions like: “What do I love to do?”. I’m trying to let go of the “fantasies” — the “future”. I’m trying to move as quickly as I can into action, rather than falling into inaction.
I’m trying to move to action because it (usually) provides me with very useful and immediate feedback. Which, overtime, I think leads to answering the bigger questions. The questions that are most important to me.
As more and more information becomes readily available to us than ever before, it’ll be easy to get consumed in thought.
But I think people should think carefully (and this is important to think deeply about) about what they choose to think about, and how they choose to think about it.
Pursue your dreams (that is, what’s important to you), but let go of the fantasies. Work on one thing at a time.
In general, on a day-to-day basis, do more and think less.
It’s okay to “fail”. When you fail, you learn something. You’re closer to finding the answer. This is a good thing.
Embrace failure.
Keep moving.
1. Exactly what problem will this solve? (value proposition)
2. For whom do we solve that problem? (target market)
3. How big is the opportunity? (market size)
4. What alternatives are out there? (competitive landscape)
5. Why are we best suited to pursue this? (our differentiator)
6. Why now? (market window)
7. How will we get this product to market? (go-to-market strategy)
8. How will we measure success/make money from this product? (metrics/revenue strategy)
9. What factors are critical to success? (solution requirements)
10. Given the above, what’s the recommendation? (go or no-go)
(via Marty Cagan)
Now, when coding, I try to think ‘How can I write this such that if people saw my code, they’d be amazed at how little there is and how little it does?’
-Anonymous
Design should be the top priority for every company, organization, product, or service.
Why? Because good design trumps all.
Good design wins.
I think stimulation is changing.
People worry about the (negative) affects of television, video games, etc. on our lives. That watching or doing these types of activities are an unproductive use of one’s time.
But I think things are changing.
What’s been interesting to me about this whole “social” movement has been the discovery that what stimulates us most isn’t the people on a television screen or interactions in a video game.
But that it’s people in our real-lives that interest us most. It’s real-people who stimulate us most.
If I were to bet on a trend over the next 20 years, I’d bet on offline social, as oppose to online social. Right now, it may not seem like a wise bet.
But I think it’s just a matter of time before people realize that their real-life social lives are far more important than their online ones.
Our offline social experiences are much richer. They’re much more engaging. In real-life, the things you touch, the things you sense, feel much deeper than any experience online (or via most technological things).
Going forward, I don’t think most people will experience tension when deciding to watch television or playing video games. I think the tension will lie in deciding whether to just “hang out” with your friends and the people you care most about, or doing something more “productive” — like working to end poverty.
Both of which will occur offline.
Empirical studies have repeatedly shown that the single most powerful predictor of eminence within any creative domain is the sheer number of influential products an individual has given the world.
-Dean Keith Simonton
I’ve realized that I see things differently than most people.
Sometimes, I also see different things.
Dear Yellow Tail,
Please create and distribute a cork that’s much easier to re-insert into your fine wine once it’s been opened.
Thanks,
A Pleased, But Not Satisfied Customer
Determine what people want. Give it to them. And keep it very simple (as few layers as possible).
Ship something people will actually care about.
“It’s not what you decide to do that matters most, it’s what you decide not to do.”
If you want to get somewhere you need to come up with great ideas, or something that is significantly better than the competition and execute on that.
-Markus Frind
As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.
-Seneca
Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.
-Abraham Lincoln
In business, I look for economic castles protected by unbreachable moats.
-Warren Buffett
1. What Good Is Wall Street? (newyorker.com)
During a period in which American companies have created iPhones, Home Depot, and Lipitor, the best place to work has been in an industry that doesn’t design, build, or sell a single tangible thing.
1. Design Without Designers (core77.com)
I will always remember my first introduction to the power of good product design. I was newly arrived at Apple, still learning the ways of business, when I was visited by a member of Apple’s Industrial Design team. He showed me a foam mockup of a proposed product. “Wow,” I said, “I want one! What is it?”
That experience brought home the power of design: I was excited and enthusiastic even before I knew what it was. This type of visceral “wow” response requires creative designers. It is subjective, personal. Uh oh, this is not what engineers like to hear. If you can’t put a number to it, it’s not important. As a result, there is a trend to eliminate designers. Who needs them when we can simply test our way to success? The excitement of powerful, captivating design is defined as irrelevant. Worse, the nature of design is in danger.
1. Chanos vs. China (fortune.cnn.com)
The scene is a cocktail party high above the Shanghai skyline on a summer night a few months ago. Our host is a Master of the Hedge Fund Universe, one who doesn’t want to be identified in the press. We’ll call him Pete. Pete comes to China at least twice a year to stay abreast of what’s happening in the world’s most dynamic economy. He has said, in fact, that if he didn’t have kids in school in the U.S., he would consider moving here, so bright is the future. In attendance are other hedge fund investors, venture capitalists, and fund managers, China bulls all. If there is one sure-fire way to ruin the atmosphere on such a pleasant evening, it is this: Ask the crowd what they think of the legendary short-seller James Chanos, CEO of Manhattan-based Kynikos Associates.
1. Pretty Good For Government Work (nytimes.com)
Dear Uncle Sam,
My mother told me to send thank-you notes promptly. I’ve been remiss.
Let me remind you why I’m writing. Just over two years ago, in September 2008, our country faced an economic meltdown. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the pillars that supported our mortgage system, had been forced into conservatorship. Several of our largest commercial banks were teetering. One of Wall Street’s giant investment banks had gone bankrupt, and the remaining three were poised to follow. A.I.G., the world’s most famous insurer, was at death’s door.
The problem with work these days is that all of the joyful feelings are gone. That is, if they were even there to begin with.
Same goes with life. When life ceases to exist, it’s because all of the joyful feelings are gone. But unlike work, I’m pretty sure many people’s lives once had them.
I think the solution for both is to inject them with deep, long-lasting feelings of joy. And then repeat that as often as possible.
What are feelings of joy? Quality, real life sensory experiences.
In today’s world, much of formal education is focused on subjects such as math, science, English, history, computer science, business & economics, engineering, among sub-disciplines and specializations within each.
I think peoples’ efforts to improve education in these fields are needed. I think these fields are important. But I think they’re no longer enough. And I think that they’re no longer what’s most important. In fact, I’d say much of our country’s future is dependent upon our ability to produce one thing.
Creativity.
Albert Einstein once said: “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
As one of the most well-regarded theoretical physicists to ever walk on this earth (a scientist!), I think that statement is quite profound.
And yet when it comes to education, most of today’s resources are allocated to accumulating knowledge around the aforementioned disciplines — to consume knowledge.
That strategy seems strange to me because much of this information and knowledge is readily available and accessible. We already know it.
I think it’s true that without having a deep understanding of the core elements of physics, math, and the physical world, Einstein wouldn’t have been able to do what he did. But for every advanced or professional theoretical physicist in this world, only some end up making truly ground-breaking discoveries.
And I think what separates the good from the great is, like Einstein said, not knowledge, but imagination — creativity.
In today’s world, it seems that many people are advocating for a reduction in art programs at schools. While I think that this is a mistake, I’m not really talking about whether or not they should exist.
I’m talking about a world where instead of focusing much of our time in art class on learning what perspective is that we should first just allow kids to draw — to create how they best see fit. They won’t know what they’re doing wrong, and I think that’s the point.
Stagnation is the result of an uncreative environment. And an uncreative environment is the result of rules, barriers, obstacles, egos, rejection, fear of humiliation or embarrassment, and being told “No.” Forcing kids to first learn perspective in a drawing class is one such example of an obstacle to creativity.
In drawing class, just let kids draw freely. Let them create. Then when they ask how to make something look “more real”, perhaps you could show them what perspective is.
Same holds true in band. In band class, you spend all of your time playing other people’s works over-and-over. You work to master the works of masters, instead of working to become one.
I think you learn very little by imitating. While you may not create a well-regarded piece of work the first time you create something, I think you’ll learn far more during the process of creating than from imitating.
I think one of society’s major problems today is its lack of support for being creative. Not working with other people’s creations or other people’s rules for creating. But actually creating things, however “wrong” or foolish they may seem.
That’s one of the amazing things I remember about my childhood. I was creating all of the time. On many occasions, it was just organizing people to go do an activity — sports, movies, a party, or just hanging out.
But it also consisted of pretty imaginative things as well. In high school, my friend and I created our own language. We thought it’d be cool to be able to talk to each other without anyone knowing what we were talking about.
It was a secret. It was a mystery. And we created it.
What’s funny looking back is that some people thought we were kind of weird for doing this, even though we were probably considered popular. They’d look at us strangely, thinking that would make us feel bad or something. But it really just confirmed that it was working.
The only thing that anyone could have done that would have meant anything to us is if they could crack the code — if they revealed to us that they knew what we were talking about. That our language wasn’t our language.
But that never happened. We designed it well. Since we had 2 classes (I think) together that year we had ample time to refine and use it. I’m not sure I’m able to convey how cool I thought this was at the time, but I was completely immersed in it.
Today, kids go to math, science, history, and English classes.
I ask, why aren’t they also going to “creative class”? A class that fosters creativity. I think kids would supply the energy and ideas. And I think the adults could just support them by, for the most part, staying out of their way. On occasion, good teachers in such a class could add value by helping steer kids toward creating something better. But I do worry that taking such action could do more harm than good in the long run. It could lead to the enforcement of rules, barriers, and obstacles. So I think it’d be much better if they did nothing at all, than do even a bit more than necessary.
Recently, some people I know have expressed their distaste for me leaving two good jobs. While I didn’t know it at the time, I left because they wanted me to sit, think, and produce in a box (but also because I felt they were disconnected from what was most important — the customer — and I want to be a part of something important, something special). I would get my work done in half the time most others would take, and then I’d want to work on a side project that, most of the time, was related to the company’s core business(es). But I was met with rejection, humiliation, embarrassment, and more often that not just plain “No.”
Some may not realize this yet, but I think that’s what takes the life out of people. People’s innate desire to be creative. Maybe these people have just accepted their life for what it is: “this is just how it’s going to be.”
Well, that’s just not me. And people’s negative remarks about what I’ve done don’t really bother me in the end because I think we’re on the same team.
In deciding what you do with your life, I hope you realize that at some point you’re going to die. Realizing that may enable you to stand up for yourself and do what you want in life — what’s important to you, whatever that may be.
I’m aware that business is a major component of society. At some point, a creation has to make money. And once it does, I’m okay with it not changing much (I think it’s prudent to protect and enhance your moat, based purely on financial motivations).
But I think fostering a separate, creative environment would benefit all businesses. Because such a department wouldn’t necessarily bring in a lot of profits up front, it could start off small.
But I think not focusing on creativity has grave consequences.
On the surface, creativity seems risky because it’s new and uncertain.
But that’s also what makes it important.
That is, if you think the future is.
For the past several months (perhaps even longer than that), there’s been an idea in my mind that I’ve been thinking about. But up until now, I haven’t been able to get to the essence of it.
What’s interesting to me is that most of the time I’m able to get at the essence of something rather quickly. I just see the one thing(s) that matter most. (The downside of this, on occasion, is tunnel vision.)
At the same time, however, I just felt like this was something that was important. So I’d go back to it once in awhile, trying to zero in on what exactly I was thinking. What “it” actually is.
What I’ve been trying to articulate in my mind is this concept of hits and niches.
The hits and niches phenomenon permeates most any market or industry — music, film, business, technology, science, etc.
First, I think it’s important to discuss the missing part of hits and niches — the middle.
The middle, in my opinion, is an undesirable place to occupy. It’s important to point out that I’m not talking about the “Middle Stages”. [1]
I’m talking about ambivalence.
While the middle stages can be difficult, it’s still well defined and focused. For instance, the middle stages of procreation are the roughly 9 months of pregnancy. If you decide you’re going to have children, you know full well that there will be a 9 month period of, well, challenges and triumphs. You’re willing to go through this because the reward at the end (we hope!) is well worth the challenges. The gift of life! Which I think is one of the most amazing things in life.
Likewise, if you decide to grow out your hair to a certain length, let’s say 5 inches, you’re completely aware that you have to pass 2 and 3 inches to get there. While it might not be fun, as I wrote about in the linked post above, I think, for the most part, you get to choose your attitude. You get to decide whether or not to view and experience the 2 and 3 inch phases with pessimism or optimism. So it actually can be fun, but that’s up to you.
Same goes with that 9 months of pregnancy. (But I encourage the men out there to still be supportive of your significant other’s emotional swings. Sometimes just listening will make all the difference. Empathize, even if you think she’s overreacting, being illogical, or should be more optimistic about things.)
What makes the middle of something undesirable is its lack of direction. The fact that it’s undefined. The fact that you don’t know if you should go left, right, up, down, sideways, forward, or backwards. That’s what being lost feels like and it’s a lonely, and dark, feeling.
But I think the middle is a real phenomenon. I just think that when you’re faced with being in the middle of something, you should move as fast as possible to get out of it. Pick a direction and go with it. It may not be the right answer or solution, but you’ll get feedback. You’ll be able to eliminate going down as an option.
For awhile, much of industry was focused on hits. And then Chris Anderson of Wired Magazine wrote an article in October 2004, called “The Long Tail”. [2]
From Wikipedia [2]:
The Long Tail refers to the statistical property that a larger share of population rests within the tail of a probability distribution than observed under a ‘normal’ or Gaussian distribution. The term has gained popularity in recent times as a retailing concept describing the niche strategy of selling a large number of unique items in relatively small quantities – usually in addition to selling fewer popular items in large quantities.
Chris then followed up that article with a book, The Long Tail: Why The Future Of Business Is Selling Less of More. [3]
Wired.com released an excerpt from the book before its release in July 2006. [4]
I haven’t read the book, but I have read both articles. I recommend reading them if you haven’t already.
But my interest in this topic was recently renewed by an article from The Economist — “Media: A World Of Hits”. [5]
Its headline states: “Ever-increasing choice was supposed to mean the end of the blockbuster. It has had the opposite effect”, and it goes on to explain just that — that the hits business is still big.
This morning, I re-read all of those articles and thought about some other things as well. And that’s when things clicked.
Ideally, I think the best world is one where there’s sustainable support and infrastructure for both hits and niches. Hits probably won’t ever have a problem with this because people will always allocate resources to them. The YouTube’s and Facebook’s of the world will probably work out just fine. They’re existence isn’t in jeopardy. They’ll always provide a favorable return — one that often times supports the non-hits.
But I think that’s partly what’s wrong with the structure of this type of market. While the hits are important, they’re not everything. It shouldn’t be about finding the hit to support the niche. It should be about finding ways for niches to be self-sustainable.
I think more resources and attention should be focused around creating sustainable niches. Niches, I think, can self-sustain if provided the right resources. They can provide a nice (and sustainable) return and income stream if they’re cultivated carefully.
And I think some will inevitably turn into hits, which is okay. (I think it’s actually wrong not to allow for niches to naturally turn into hits if that’s what the market desires– just keep things small (e.g. head count) and focused.)
But I think much of our attention needs to be focused around promising niches. Ones with a real, passionate, and loyal community.
Not every niche is probably worth pursuing. In fact, many probably aren’t. But there are probably more that show promise than are being supported.
What’s ironic about all of this is that even the hits are still niches. Because there are over 6.5 billion people in the world, most hits don’t appeal to or reach everyone. [6] As of now, the only real hit is oxygen. I hope it includes food, shelter, medicine, and peace at some point.
But the only way I see that happening is a passionate pursuit of niches.
I’m not going to lie, I would love to create a hit, something that is widely used and many find useful. But if I do, I’ll know where it came from. I’ll know what it really is.
I’ll know that at its core, it’s still just a niche.
That’s the way the universe works. Afterall, us earthlings are just part of a niche.
The hits will continue to rise to the top (as they should). But valuable niches might not even survive. And in the long-run, I think that’s bad for society.
But perhaps the most important thing about all of this is that it shouldn’t be hits versus niches. It shouldn’t be me against them.
It’s an us thing.
————
[1] Joon Report: “Middle Stages”
[2] Chris Anderson’s (and Wired’s) article: “The Long Tail” and the “Long Tail” Wikipedia entry
[3] Chris Anderson’s: The Long Tail (book via Amazon.com)
[4] Chris Anderson’s: The Long Tail (book excerpt via Wired.com)
[5] The Economist: “Media — A World Of Hits”
[6] World Population Statistic (via Google)
1. You Fix The Budget (nytimes.com)
Today, you’re in charge of the nation’s finances. Some of your options have more short-term savings and some have more long-term savings. When you have closed the budget gaps for both 2015 and 2030, you are done. Make your own plan, then share it online.
As you may know, I’ve always been interested in business.
The other day, I wrote a post called “Small Giants.”
To my surprise, there’s been a book written under the same name.
The author, Bo Burlingham, posted a comment on that post informing me of the book, as well as some other things. One of those things was a link to the Small Giants Community (SGC), which was a result of his book. Its motto is: “It’s not what we do. It’s who we are.”
From the SGC about page:
Becoming a Small giant is about more than just the business plan or the financials. It is the behaviors that allow us to be real and connected with our employees, our stakeholders and our community in a non-traditional sense. It’s about being more than a big company. It’s about the cultures of excellence, values, and businesses practices, that when comebined, make the workplace (and in turn, the lives of people) better.
Through the Community, members will share the resources, experiences, ideas and challenges that lead them to conduct business for more than just the bottom line.
You can find out more about the SGC here.
As I was browsing its website, I came across the first edition of its magazine — MojoMag. I found it to be quite interesting.
You can read the magazine here (pdf).
Thanks to Bo for stopping by JR and introducing me to the Small Giants Community.
In the media, people often talk about the U.S.’s shortage of engineers. As a result, they encourage kids and students to become engineers.
I think that’s good, but I don’t think it’s enough.
I think we also need to focus on design. The U.S. needs better designers. It needs better design.
Design should be one of the top priorities (perhaps the top priority) for all companies.
I really believe that the better design we have, the better society we’ll have.
It amazes me how much business there is in my neighborhood, let alone the U.S.
Small business. Big business. And everything in between small and big.
If you’re fortunate enough to stay in business that means you have revenue and that you’re making a profit.
I’ve always thought that being in business and making a profit is such a neat thing. It means you’re self-sustainable.
For every big business that gets national attention, my intuition tells me there’s hundreds, if not thousands of smaller ones that are making money, too.
When it comes to experience, I like things that are simple, easy-to-use, and are immediately sensory (I can touch it, feel it, see it, etc.) — I don’t like layers. That’s what I think good design is. How you get there, though, well that’s different. Ultimately, the challenge of this — when it comes to something like small business — is that you have to dig deep to find quality. For much of the time, small business isn’t the cover story. To uncover small business — especially the good ones — you have to work at it.
Thankfully, I enjoy this type of work. What intrigues me is total immersion and the thrill of the hunt.
Small business versus big business and everything in between has a lot to do with market size. There are some other secondary factors like strategy considerations (i.e. an owner may not want to grow big), but I think few decide to stay small when an opportunity to grow big presents itself.
But small business is really big business. It’s similar to the music industry. Popular artists get much of the spotlight, but there’s an even bigger story underneath. The story of the small, aspiring, independent, and growing artist. Like big business, for every rock star, there’s hundreds or thousands, or perhaps hundreds of thousands of independent artists. Some will become rock stars, many others will not. That’s just a fact of life.
Big things were once small. That’s the way things work. They might not have stayed small for very long, but they were small at some point. And many more stay small than get big. And that’s okay, because when it comes to small business and independent artists, many are still successful (and perhaps happier).
Don’t let the big discourage you. There’s worthwhile opportunity in focusing on being small.
Embrace it.
When it comes to quality versus quantity, I think you should first focus on making great things. You’re second focus should then be on market size. Just remember that if you’re great, you don’t have to be big. But if you want to be big, you’ll have to find a big market.
But if becoming big comes at the cost of being great, don’t do it. It’s not worth it.
UPDATE: Bo Burlingham has authored a book called “Small Giants”. It looks like an interesting read. You can find the book here.
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
-Mahatma Gandhi
Why do we do the things we do?
I run, move, and enjoy being active and outside because it feels good.
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”
-Eleanor Roosevelt
The best things in life aren’t genius.
They’re the most experiential, sensory, and intimate.
That could be interpreted as a statement or a question.
I could be saying: what matters is so and so…
Or, I could be asking: what matters?
For now, I’ll just leave it at: what matters
Paul Buchheit on serendipity:
Ego-Fear
“Fear that often keeps people from public speaking, talking to strangers, interviewing for jobs, etc. is typically driven by fear of embarrassment, humiliation, rejection, criticism, etc — that’s ego-fear.
It’s tempting to try and think your way out of ego-fear, but I suspect that only makes the problem worse by generating a more complex tangle of rationalizations for the fear. Fear is defeated by confrontation — avoidance only makes it stronger.
The program for eliminating ego-fear and unblocking serendipity is very simple: seek ego-fear. Hunt it down and soak in it. Steal its energy. This is, by definition, scary. That’s good.”
Other Plans
“Serendipity and luck are by their very nature unpredictable, and therefore not part of any good plan. When something unexpected happens, things are no longer “going according to plan”, and there is a tendency to view the unexpected event either as a distraction, or as a frustrating obstacle to success.
The difference between a life full of frustrating obstacles, and a life full of serendipity, is largely a matter of interpretation. It can be difficult, but the most beneficial response to unexpected events is a sense of gratitude. Even seemingly adverse events can lead to something great. Accept what is given. (see Yes Man for a cute caricature of this mindset)
The desire to have “a plan” can also cause “paralysis of analysis” — we put all of our energy into formulating the perfect plan, and consequently never actually do anything. The more effective approach is to simply pick a plan with the knowledge that it’s flawed, set the plan in action, and then adapt, revise, or switch plans as the world unfolds.
I suspect the desire to have a definite plan is also partially rooted in fear. Uncertainty can be scary, and having a plan helps create the illusion of predictability in a very unpredictable world. However, if we actually manage to reduce risk and unpredictability, then we are also reducing serendipity. This is one reason why large organizations often have trouble producing innovation — they want it to be planned and scheduled, but that just kills it.”
Some of the best things about kids are their insatiable curiosity, imagination, energy, and desire to be c0nstantly active and doing things.
Incidentally, these are some of the things that make life pleasurable to many others as well.
Curiosity, imagination, energy, and being active are things you should be very careful about giving up or trading in for something else.
If you must make a trade for love or health, it’s probably wise to do so. But I can’t think of much else.
When I’m driving in my car, I constantly switch radio stations trying to find something I like.
It didn’t occur to me until today that what I like finding is a nice surprise.
Today, the world is going to get a chance to see something special.
Many publications have written about the story in the past.
But I think it’s one of those stories that never gets old. It resonates with so many people, so deeply.
Tim Lincecum is scheduled to take the mound today for the San Francisco Giants in the first game of the 2010 World Series against the Texas Rangers.
I’ve heard people call Timmy a “freak”, “superfreak”, “genius”, among many other noteworthy names.
Do I think he’s a freak? Yeah.
I tend to think that everything in life converges on trust.
What’s weird to me is that it doesn’t seem like the word “trust” is used very often. Instead, words like quality, loyal(ty), great, love, and others are used more often.
If you focus and work hard (intelligently), that’s the best you can do on any given day.
The key is consistency.
Focus, work hard, and repeat. Focus, work hard, and repeat. Focus, work hard, and repeat.
More often than not, I’ve found that everything else takes care of itself.
Like winning.
Breadth versus depth. Which do you choose?
I’ll choose depth almost every time.
Focusing on depth provides you with the fastest and surest path toward greatness, toward love.
You may think that breadth is what matters most. At first, it seems this may be the case. If you have nothing, everything — breadth — looks attractive.
But if you go after everything, you’ll end up right back where you started, with nothing. Because you’ll lose your identity along the way.
I think you should be nice to almost everyone.
But when it comes to making or getting great things, pursuing everything, or everyone, is unwise.
Great things often seem like they’re focusing on both breadth and depth. But I think it’s just an illusion.
Great things want new participants. They want to increase their moat. They want growth. But not at the cost of being deep, of being great.
Growth is a second priority for great things. Its first priority is being great.
Every great thing displeases someone. Every great thing doesn’t do many things.
Great things started out by focusing on depth. And great things, ones that stand the test of time, are solely focused on depth.
If/when you lose that focus, you lose being great. You’ve now become good. For some, that’s enough. For others, it’s not.
It’s okay to be good. It’s okay to be great.
Just concentrate on being you.
And be nice to others.
I just compiled a list of my favorite JR posts thus far (it’s a “page” on the right sidebar).
I’ll be updating it periodically.
You can find it here.
When faced with such a situation, I’d rather be loved by few than liked by many.
Everybody lies.
That’s what we’re told at least.
I had a conversation with my cousin (and roommate) the other night about lying. I said that there’s got to be some couples out there that don’t lie to each other at all for a year. Not even little-white-lies.
He said no way. He said: “Everybody lies!”
I agree that “everybody lies” in their lifetime. But I just find it hard to believe that there aren’t any couples out there that don’t lie to each other for at least a year.
Neither of us were willing to move away from our positions. We disagree, and that’s fine with me.
There’s been a lot of discussion and debate lately about “open” and “closed” platforms with regards to Google and Apple.
During Apple’s latest conference call to discuss its quarterly earnings, Steve Jobs said some things in reference to the ongoing debate about this.
You can read the transcript of the call here.
But I just came across an interesting comment from someone about this whole thing, which I thought I’d share.
Danilocampos (via Hacker News):
It’s easy to look at this cynically but it’s not unreasonable to change the conversation. Google’s exploitation of “open” has been disingenuous at best. When you try to square their high ideals against reality, you end up in an uncomfortable spot.The fact is, Android’s openness does not make it to the end user. Its openness is exploited for the benefit of the carriers to load branded crapware onto the device, disable specific features and other nonsense. Don’t like this? Too bad. Android’s openness isn’t for you, now that carriers and manufacturers are getting wise to your hackery tricks. They’re going to make it as hard as possible to root your Android phone. So you’d better get used to that awesome Blockbuster app.
In the end, iOS and Android devices are on even footing in terms of big companies trying to control the final experience.
Which leaves us with one thing: motivations.
Carrier motivations are to fuck you out of as much money as humanly possible in the short term. In the past that meant disabling device features to force you into their ecosystem – I’m sure this will continue one way or another. They’ll load branded garbage onto your device. They’ll put specific marketplaces on your device, and maybe even remove Google’s if they want to. Their manufacturing partners will happily conspire with them on this, including the firmware fuse that prevents rooting your device so you can make it somewhat clean again.
Apple is no less ruthless with its control, but it exercises it for a different purpose: To deliver the most integrated, user-friendly, clean experience possible. (edit: and so, Apple’s play is the converse: to maximize your cheerful purchases of Apple gear in the long term – thanks, matwood)
If you’re a carrier, Android’s openness makes it much more valuable than iOS in the short term. In that, Google’s piety will ring true. If you’re an end user, the net gain of that openness is zero, and at times it’s even a loss.
I trust Apple infinitely more than I trust the carriers to make something I’ll enjoy using. And that’s the key to understand. With Apple, what I buy will always be clean. I’ll always instantly understand the tradeoffs. With Android, it’s going to be a gamble. How hard has my carrier boned this device? I’ll have to research if I’m a nerd or be surprised if I’m everyone else. And there goes the power of Android as a brand.
Android is no longer Google. Android is the carriers.
When was the last time you heard someone write those guys a love letter?
One of the things that I’ve been most surprised about as I’ve gotten older is the pace of things. How long it takes to do things, and the level of energy in people.
1. Jordan’s Moment [1998] (newyorker.com)
“The desolate neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago where the Bulls play their home games is very quiet these days. Their gleaming new arena, the United Center, is set down there as if on a moonscape. All twelve pre-Christmas home games have been cancelled, because of the labor dispute between the owners and the players, which was initiated by the owners in a lockout described as a struggle between short millionaires and tall millionaires, or between billionaires and millionaires. The National Basketball Association, which would have entered its fifty-second season this fall, seems to have fallen victim to its own dizzying success, one that has seen the player payroll increase by an estimated two thousand five hundred per cent in the last twenty years. The incident that probably triggered the lockout occurred about a year ago, when the Minnesota Timberwolves extended the contract of a gifted young player named Kevin Garnett, paying him a hundred and twenty-six million dollars over seven years. The Timberwolves’ general manager, the former Boston Celtic Kevin McHale, completed the deal; unhappy with the direction of the league and his own part in it, he later noted, ‘We have our hand on the neck of the golden goose and we’re squeezing hard.’”
1. The Empathy Deficit (boston.com)
“Young Americans today live in a world of endless connections and up-to-the-minute information on one another, constantly updating friends, loved ones, and total strangers — “Quiz tomorrow…gotta study!” — about the minutiae of their young, wired lives. And there are signs that Generation Wi-Fi is also interested in connecting with people, like, face-to-face, in person. The percentage of high school seniors who volunteer has been rising for two decades.”
“One of the hallmarks of the team [Apple's design team] I think is this sense of looking to be wrong. It’s the inquisitiveness, the sense of exploration. It’s about being excited to be wrong because then you’ve discovered something new.”
-Jonathan Ive
“A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
-Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Many people watch sports. All different kinds of sports. Popular sports, like football, baseball, basketball, and soccer. As well as less popular sports, like cycling, volleyball, and skateboarding.
Sports resonate with a lot of people because many have played them at one time or another in their lives. It brings back both good and bad (e.g. injuries) memories.
But I think, for the most part, people remember participating in sports as being a pleasurable time in their lives. At some point, they may have tried a sport that they didn’t end up liking — perhaps there was too much contact in football. Fortunately, there’s a seemingly endless list of sports to try and to play, so it’s just a matter of trial-and-error.
For me, the pleasure I get from physical activity is one of those things that’s hard to describe. What’s more, it’s rare when I sit down and watch an entire sporting event from start-to-finish. It’s hard for me because whenever I watch sports, I always get the itch to want to play instead. And often times, I’ll just end up going out and playing.
But as I watch sports, it immediately brings back many fond memories, feelings, and experiences that I’ve had while playing them. Many are socially-based. Just being with other people, seeing how happy they look, communicating with them, competing with them, provides me with ample enjoyment. But the personal feeling of joy that I experience when I’m playing, when I’m moving, when I’m in flow, is the cherry on top.
I love sports. And I especially love playing them.
I have this theory that men are becoming more emotional. At times, their emotions may seem different or even nonexistent.
I’m not sure why I think this, but I do.
I’m not saying that men are becoming as emotional as women. But I do think, in general, that men are becoming more emotional.
Sometimes it may not seem like they’re being emotional, but I think that’s more a lack of communication than it is of emotions.
I see it in sports. I see it in business executives. I see it in people on the evening news. I see it in people I randomly encounter when I’m out. I see it in someone who identifies himself as someone who’s unemotional — who just don’t feel anything in situations where most everyone else does. I see it in my Dad.
I think the main reason for this is because society has become much more social. And with social, comes emotions and sensations.
I think it used to be (baby boomers and before?) that if men showed emotions they were viewed as being incompetent. I now think society’s view is shifting to where a lack of emotions in men is a sign of incompetence.
I don’t fault people for obsessing over product design.
In some respect, I admire beautifully designed products. They are a pleasure to view, use, and deconstruct.
But I think peoples’ obsession with products is misguided.
1. John Sculley On Steve Jobs (cultofmac.com)
“Let me give you a framework. The time that I first met Jobs, which was over 25 years ago, he was putting together the same first principles that I call the Steve Jobs methodology of how to build great products.”
1. Shooting For The Sun (theatlantic.com)
“In March 2003, the independent inventor Lonnie Johnson faced a roomful of high-level military scientists at the Office of Naval Research in Arlington, Virginia. Johnson had traveled there from his home in Atlanta, seeking research funding for an advanced heat engine he calls the Johnson Thermoelectric Energy Converter, or JTEC (pronounced ‘jay-tek’). At the time, the JTEC was only a set of mathematical equations and the beginnings of a prototype, but Johnson had made the tantalizing claim that his device would be able to turn solar heat into electricity with twice the efficiency of a photovoltaic cell, and the Office of Naval Research wanted to hear more.”
I agree that the purpose of copy is to sell.
Good copy sells.
But that’s the destination. What’s the journey like?
I think good copy makes one feel. And the deeper one feels, and the longer one feels, the better it is. The more it sells.
This can done by incorporating triumph, tragedy, sports, humor, business, music, technology, among many other things, into copy.
Good copy is produced by focusing on the depth and durability of the feeling(s) it elicits.
Great copy feels the deepest and lasts the longest. And over the long run, the copy that feels the greatest sells the most.
If you’ve ever grown out your hair, you’ve probably encountered the dreaded middle stages.
My hair is currently coming out of the middle stages and it’s a relief. Though, I really don’t think much of it anyway. Because when it comes to hair, it’s just fashion, which to me, doesn’t really have much value.
But I’ve found that the middle stages of many things seem to cause people angst. The middle stages are when you’re wandering. You’re lost. You don’t know whether to go right, left, up, or down. You don’t have an intuitive sense for how something should be.
In short, you lack vision.
I long for the hunt. I live for those moments in life when you realize you’ve discovered something truly great.
1. How Tiny Tim Became A Pitching Giant [2008](sportsillustrated.com)
“As if peering around a corner, the Freak tilts his head slightly to the left as he begins his explosive, homemade pitching delivery. What lurks around that corner is either greatness or danger, which makes tiny Tim Lincecum, all 172 pounds of him, the most fascinating pitcher in baseball. Not since Mark (the Bird) Fidrych spoke to baseballs, manicured mounds and baffled hitters more than 30 years ago has a pitcher been this consistent and this captivating from the start of his career. Lincecum does not throw a baseball as much as he launches it, 98-mph rockets somehow expelled, with finely tuned kinetic energy, from a batboy’s body. He scares hitters and scouts alike.”
1. It Happens (espn.com)
“After racing nearly 140 miles, first through the ocean, then across the blackened lava fields of Kona, Hawaii, Julie Moss crested the final hill of the 1982 Ironman Triathlon alone in front, hovering near delirium. She was also about 45 seconds from becoming, as she remembers it, ‘the ultimate, giant, chocolate mess.’”
If I ever write a book, which I’m thinking about doing, it will be about “people”, “experience design”, the “creative process”, or some combination thereof.
It’s interesting to me that as people get older they seem to do less. They seem to move less. They seem to play less. They seem to have less fun.
Gone are the days where all your friends live near by. Where a simple phone call to them, or a knock on their door, almost always leads to doing something exciting together.
October 2nd, 2010 marked the 1 year anniversary of Joon Report! It’s been a fun year.
You can read the first post here.
I’m not sure what the next year has in store, but thanks for reading!
I’ve found that I can only really work/focus on three things at once. Just three things.
So, what are those three things?
For me, it’s people, earning a living doing something that’s meaningful, and sports/activity.
1. Patagonia, From The Ground Up (entrepreneur.com)
“Patagonia gear isn’t cheap or trendy (deliberately, anyway). Instead, the brand is thriving by maintaining its integrity, says Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst with NPD Group, a market research firm. ‘They’ve become the Rolls-Royce of their product category,’ he says. ‘When people were stepping back, and the industry became copycat, Chouinard didn’t sell out, lower prices and dilute the brand–because sometimes, the less you do, the more provocative and true of a leader you are.’”
Perhaps it’s what we don’t do that is the seed to making what we decide to do, great.
Celebrate what you don’t do. It’s feedback. It’s a step toward understanding what you must do.
1. The Plot Escapes Me (nytimes.com)
“Those were glorious days, the ones I spent reading ‘Perjury: The Hiss-Chambers Case,’ by Allen Weinstein. It is a book that I, having long had an interest in domestic Communist intrigues, had been meaning to read for years — decades — and I vividly remember that moment a couple of summers ago when, on my way to visit friends in New Hampshire, I found a hardcover copy in good condition at a restaurant-cum-used-book-store.”
“Intrinsic value can be defined simply: It is the discounted value of the cash that can be taken out of a business during its remaining life. The calculation of intrinsic value, though, is not so simple. As our definition suggests, intrinsic value is an estimate rather than a precise figure, and it is additionally an estimate that must be changed if interest rates move or forecasts of future cash flows are revised.”
“It’s far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price.”
-Warren Buffett
I admire what Paul Graham and company have accomplished already with Y Combinator (more info. here). It launched just five years ago in 2005.
I just came across an interesting piece that Paul wrote, titled “What Happens At Y Combinator”. In essence, it details “the life inside YC”.
I found it to be quite insightful. I’m fascinated by YC in general.
But I don’t have significant tech knowledge, so participating in YC isn’t realistic for me. And right now, I don’t have any interest in learning how to code. In fact, I want to spend less time in front of a computer, not more.
But that got me to thinking. Wouldn’t it be cool if there was a Y Combinator for the rest of us? A Y Combinator for non-technical ventures.
1. Small Change [Malcolm Gladwell] (newyorker.com)
“At four-thirty in the afternoon on Monday, February 1, 1960, four college students sat down at the lunch counter at the Woolworth’s in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina. They were freshmen at North Carolina A. & T., a black college a mile or so away.”
I have long admired Warren Buffett. Like many, I’m an ardent listener of what he has to say.
You can read some of his witty aphorisms here.
Lately, I’ve been writing about action, doing, and technology being or becoming harmful to society.
After reading some of my pieces, you may be saying to yourself: “there’s a lot he can be doing, away from technology.”
I agree, to an extent.
There are probably many organizations that are doing good things for society. And many are probably non-tech related.
But in my experiences so far, I’ve only come across ones that move slow. I want to move fast, I want to work hard. I want my work to be intense.
A working lifestyle that has recently appealed to me would be a combination of a president’s chief of staff — who’s tasked with higher order strategic and operational activities — with those working on the frontlines, in a “grassroots” like manner, grinding it out.
The thing is, though, I really don’t have an interest in joining organized politics as I think there’s too much bureacracy involved.
But if you know of anything that presents me with an opportunity to grow into a “chief of staff” type of role, by starting and working on the frontlines, please let me know.
My gut tells me that finding a good, non-tech related startup to join may be what I’m looking for.
On the other hand, I think I may just have to create this for myself. I may have to start my own startup.
I envision a world where the development of real-life, action-oriented networks and causes take precedence over online ones.
Recently, I was delighted to see such things when I watched By The People: The Election Of Barack Obama and Fight Club.
I was fascinated by the depth of the experiences in both films. While I don’t condone the violence portrayed in Fight Club, I realize that the use of violence and physical combat was used “for viewers to experience feeling in a society where they are otherwise numb.” We’re numb because we’re losing the feeling of life.
Like I’ve mentioned several times before, I think technology is here to stay. But I think its place and use in society is becoming excessive. I believe technology should only be used to distribute relevant information more efficiently and effectively, in order to enable people to do things, in order to take action, offline. But if doing this causes less real-life, face-to-face efforts and actions by people then I think technology’s value to society becomes harmful.
I believe we are meant to work closely together, in real-life, face-to-face. Not behind some computer screen, isolated from reality. Isolated from real community. Isolated from life.
Real-life action and community shouldn’t be built around technology. Technology should be built around them, if at all.
Anything that really means something in life happens offline, away from a screen.
Everyday, old and new things are built and distributed to us with the hopes of grabbing our attention. News is meant to be informative. Even though it usually doesn’t end up this way anymore — it seems to be more for entertainment purposes — I think the best news is “news you can use”. Like Consumer Reports. Perhaps like The Economist too (at least in its old form). Some may think that good news is insightful. I don’t disagree with that. But I think if it isn’t something that’s useful, then it’s of very little value.
It’s being reported today that Blockbuster has filed for bankruptcy protection.
In hearing this, I came across an interesting Slate piece from 2006 that discusses some of the decisions it made (or opportunities it failed to capitalize on) several years ago that most likely influenced today’s filing. Though, hindsight is always 20-20.
Anyway, you can read the Slate piece here.
I can only speak about my personal experiences, but some of my fondest memories of being a kid were the frequency, and intensity, of the things I did — of my experiences.
Growing up, I was constantly doing stuff. Sports, hanging out, walking or riding my bike to 7-Eleven, organizing events / activities for my friends and I, eating dinner with my family as often as possible, going to school functions, talking to friends about personal things, among other things.
Growing up, these experiences were really meaningful and constant. I think one of the main reasons why I enjoyed them so much was the speed in which they could happen. Everyone I wanted to hang out with was just a phone call or text message away (as they are now). But at the time, most people lived near by, so we could just walk, run, or ride our bikes to meet up — we didn’t rely on other people to make things happen. In fact, involving others slowed us down, so we, maybe just I, focused on us.
Perhaps you don’t know who you are. Perhaps you think about this non-stop. What am I going to do with my life? What am I good at? What do I love to do?
Who am I?
1. So You Wanna Be A Chef (ruhlman.com)
“I am frequently asked by aspiring chefs, dreamers young and old, attracted by the lure of slowly melting shallots and caramelizing pork belly, or delusions of Food Network stardom, if they should go to culinary school. I usually give a long, thoughtful, and qualified answer.”
I just came across an old (Feb. ’01) PBS Frontline program about the business of “cool”, in regards to youth culture.
“They spend their days sifting through reams of market research data. They conduct endless surveys and focus groups. They comb the streets, the schools, and the malls, hot on the trail of the “next big thing” that will snare the attention of their prey–a market segment worth an estimated $150 billion a year.”
You can watch the program here (it’s about an hour long).
You can read Malcolm Gladwell’s piece, The Coolhunt, here.
1. Washington, We Have A Problem (vantiyfair.com)
“How broken is Washington? Beyond repair? A day in the life of the president reveals that Barack Obama’s job would be almost unrecognizable to most of his predecessors—thanks to the enormous bureaucracy, congressional paralysis, systemic corruption (with lobbyists spending $3.5 billion last year), and disintegrating media.”
1. Are You Being Served? (newyorker.com)
“American workers are mad as hell, and they’re not going to take it anymore. That’s the clear message of flight attendant Steven Slater’s emergence as a “working-class hero,” after he threw his job away with a tirade against passengers and a slide down an exit chute. Slater’s fifteen minutes of fame may be winding down, but his heady time in the spotlight—he was the subject of numerous tribute songs and his Facebook fan page drew more than two hundred thousand people—suggested just how frustrated employees are with stagnant pay, stressful working conditions, and obnoxious customers.”
“Every one of us has talent; the great challenge in life is finding an outlet to express it.”
-Ed Witten
1. Regrets Of The Dying (inspirationandchai.com)
“For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives.”
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.”
-Aristotle
“The key to investing is not assessing how much an industry is going to affect society, or how much it will grow, but rather determining the competitive advantage of any given company and, above all, the durability of that advantage. The products or services that have wide, sustainable moats around them are the ones that deliver rewards to investors.”
-Warren Buffett
Like many words these days, “indie” has become a buzzword.
But to me, “indie” carries a lot of meaning. To me, pure “indie” culture is socially easy-going and friendly. But don’t mistake that for laziness, because indies are passionate people at heart. They get really excited by something — the unrestricted exploration process, discovery, and experience — of some particular field — maybe it’s music, science, social work, technology, fashion, food, or the outdoors. (Though some, perhaps many, may not have found their field yet.)
Indies don’t like to boast about their own accomplishments within their field. Whatever it is they love to do, nothing tops doing it, nothing tops the experience, nothing is better than discovering something new. Sure there may be a playful competition amongst close friends, which helps to stimulate constant progress. But that’s not why they do it.
For indies, true happiness comes from being able to engage in their field — to do what they do.
This pure sense of happiness can’t be faked. When you see someone in this state — someone who lives like this — it just brings a smile to your face. Like kids do; especially when they’re playing.
Indies are easy-going. But at their core, they’re also obsessive. What motivates them is the exploration process and discovery of new knowledge and experience. Stuff they can share with others to progress their field, in order to keep playing in their playground.
Indies are just older kids.
1. Inside The Secret World Of Trader Joe’s (money.cnn.com)
“Apple’s retail stores aren’t the only place where lines form these days. It’s 7:30 on a July morning, and already a crowd has gathered for the opening of Trader Joe’s newest outpost, in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. The waiting shoppers chat about their favorite Trader Joe’s foods, and a woman in line launches into a monologue comparing the retailer’s West Coast and East Coast locations. Another customer suggests that the chain will be good for Chelsea, even though the area is already brimming with places to buy groceries, including Whole Foods and several upscale food boutiques.”
Selected parts (I’ve taken what I think is most important) from Paul Graham’s “Taste For Makers”:
Good design is simple. When you’re forced to be simple, you’re forced to face the real problem. When you can’t deliver ornament, you have to deliver substance.
Good design is timeless. Aiming at timelessness is also a way to evade the grip of fashion. Fashions almost by definition change with time, so if you can make something that will still look good far into the future, then its appeal must derive more from merit and less from fashion.
Good design solves the right problem. The typical stove has four burners arranged in a square, and a dial to control each. How do you arrange the dials? The simplest answer is to put them in a row. But this is a simple answer to the wrong question. The dials are for humans to use, and if you put them in a row, the unlucky human will have to stop and think each time about which dial matches which burner. Better to arrange the dials in a square like the burners.
I’ve never been much interested in the past (which I think is different than “history”).
Regardless of whether your past was good or bad, if you live in it, you’ll most certainly become unhappy. Either unhappy because it was terrible, or unhappy because it was so great, and presumably, your life now doesn’t live up to that.
If your past was terrible, you should look ahead to the future.
If your past was great, you should look ahead to the future.
But I do think you can learn valuable lessons from your past which enables you to look ahead more effectively.
Just don’t live there.
My body lives joyously in the present, while my mind is immersed in discovering the future, the unknown, the next thing.
1. Don’t Send In The Clones (nytimes.com)
“For a time in college, I shared a dorm suite with three other girls.”
It’s actually more like the elephant in our universities career centers.
Prospective graduates don’t want to work a “desk job”. Sure, some pay nicely, and some may have to choose this route in order make ends meet. But in the long run, being rich isn’t what matters most to people.
Rather, loving your work is what matters most (at least “professionally” speaking).
And I tend to believe that finding the work you love is a simpler process than it’s made out to be. You may not think you know it, but I think you know who you are.
It really comes down to what’s in your heart. And thankfully, you know your heart better than anyone else. It’s been with you your whole life. It’ll stay with you your whole life. You know how it feels. You know what it finds most pleasurable. You know what it loves.
So follow your heart, even when it leads you down a different path, into the unknown, because that leads to discovery.
We spend too much of our time in front of computer screens these days. While more online community probably exists because of this, I think there’s much less offline community. Afterall, there’s always a tradeoff.
I’m aware that “online” is probably here to stay. But I just think the greatest benefit that technology can provide is in strengthening our offline relationships, communities, and pursuits — strengthening our offline lives.
But being online and using technology shouldn’t become life, and I’m concerned that it’s starting to. (Perhaps that’s a sign of an opportunity.)
In the long run, I think trading offline community for online community is a mistake. I think offline community is what matters most.
Life is created offline.
Like many, I dream of global peace.
But by peace, I don’t just mean freedom from disturbance. To me, global peace also consists of shared happiness, community, and love.
1. The Illustrated Guide To A Ph.D. (might.net)
“Every fall, I explain to a fresh batch of Ph.D. students what a Ph.D. is. It’s hard to describe it in words. So, I use pictures.”
In life, I believe we need action as much as we need oxygen.
But my experiences and observations suggest that as one ages, one’s experience with action changes. As one ages, one’s experience with action becomes more disconnected.
In order to resolve that, we have to reconnect one’s experience with action as one gets older. We have to change an aging person’s experience with action.
1. But Will It Make You Happy? (nytimes.com)
“Inspired by books and blog entries about living simply, Ms. Strobel and her husband, Logan Smith, both 31, began donating some of their belongings to charity. As the months passed, out went stacks of sweaters, shoes, books, pots and pans, even the television after a trial separation during which it was relegated to a closet. Eventually, they got rid of their cars, too. Emboldened by a Web site that challenges consumers to live with just 100 personal items, Ms. Strobel winnowed down her wardrobe and toiletries to precisely that number.”
1. Epic Confusion: The Narrative Of The Superathlete (nytimes.com)
“A great many of the highest moments in sports these days come with an aftertaste of ambiguity, a feeling of: Really glad that I witnessed that, but what am I to make of it? The notion of looking up to the sports hero was always dubious. Now? Forget it. The new definition of a sports hero is someone whom we don’t yet have enough information on.”
I’m beginning to think that true happiness comes from an environment that naturally encourages everyone to share and experience three things (in both one’s personal and professional lives).
Freedom.
Curiosity.
Love.
Perhaps I’ll elaborate someday.
1. The Graphing Calculator Story (nucalc.com)
“Pacific Tech’s Graphing Calculator has a long history. I began the work in 1985 while in school. That became Milo, and later became part of FrameMaker. Over the last twenty years, many people have contributed to it. Graphing Calculator 1.0, which Apple bundled with the original PowerPC computers, originated under unique circumstances.”
1. Letting Go (newyorker.com)
“Sara Thomas Monopoli was pregnant with her first child when her doctors learned that she was going to die. It started with a cough and a pain in her back. Then a chest X-ray showed that her left lung had collapsed, and her chest was filled with fluid. A sample of the fluid was drawn off with a long needle and sent for testing. Instead of an infection, as everyone had expected, it was lung cancer, and it had already spread to the lining of her chest. Her pregnancy was thirty-nine weeks along, and the obstetrician who had ordered the test broke the news to her as she sat with her husband and her parents. The obstetrician didn’t get into the prognosis—she would bring in an oncologist for that—but Sara was stunned. Her mother, who had lost her best friend to lung cancer, began crying.”
1. Depression-Era Color Photos (denverpost.com)
“These images, by photographers of the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information, are some of the only color photographs taken of the effects of the Depression on America’s rural and small town populations. The photographs are the property of the Library of Congress and were included in a 2006 exhibit Bound for Glory: America in Color.”
From The Giving Pledge’s About section:
“The Giving Pledge is an effort to invite the wealthiest individuals and families in America to commit to giving the majority of their wealth to the philanthropic causes and charitable organizations of their choice either during their lifetime or after their death.
Each person who chooses to pledge will make this statement publicly, along with a letter explaining their decision to pledge. At an annual event, those who take the pledge will come together to share ideas and learn from each other.
The Pledge is a moral commitment to give, not a legal contract. It does not involve pooling money or supporting a particular set of causes or organizations.
While the Giving Pledge is specifically focused on billionaires, the idea takes its inspiration from efforts in the past and at present that encourage and recognize givers of all financial means and backgrounds. We are inspired by the example set by millions of Americans who give generously (and often at great personal sacrifice) to make the world a better place.”
And according to this MSNBC article, 40 billionaires have pledged to give away at least half of their wealth to charity. That’s pretty cool.
Be sure to read Warren Buffett’s letter here (once there, scroll to and click on “WARREN BUFFETT”, and then click “VIEW FULL LETTER”), as he, along with Bill and Melinda Gates started this endeavor by being the first ones to pledge their wealth.
1. Peter Norvig On Being Wrong (slate.com)
“Peter Norvig, the director of research at Google, has been involved in this project since its toddlerhood. Norvig joined the company in 2001 and, from 2002 to 2005, served as its director of search quality — a position that put him in charge of the company’s core Web search algorithms. Below, he and I talk about (among other things) how engineers think about error, what’s good about failing fast, and why Google buys cheap computers.”
My most pleasurable days consist of me being active, where I’m engaged in focused and intriguing (and often times kinetic) activities.
On the other hand, I’m always up for exploring when something piques my interest. During these times, following a vision isn’t as important because my curiosity directs me.
1. Keep Calm, Carry On… (alexisohanian.com)
“Few people outside of friends & family knew about the following at the time it was going on; bringing it up now, long after I’ve left reddit, feels less self-serving and will hopefully be instructive. This came up briefly in a talk I gave at MIT, but this feels a lot more comfortable to write than to speak about. Steve and I spent every waking hour (and some dreaming, no doubt) after graduation with reddit somewhere on our minds. The time we spent working on it together only reinforced the marriage metaphor everyone uses about cofounders.”
1. Bootstrapped, Profitable, & Proud: GitHub (37signals.com)
“Q&A with Chris Wanstrath, CEO and Co-Founder of GitHub. This is part of our “Bootstrapped, Profitable, & Proud” series which profiles companies that have $1MM+ in revenues, didn’t take VC, and are profitable.”
1. Warren Buffett’s Mr. Fix-It (money.cnn.com)
“The day after Lehman collapsed in September 2008, David Sokol noticed that the stock of Constellation Energy, a Baltimore utility, was plummeting. He called his boss, Warren Buffett, and said, ‘I see an opportunity here.’ Buffett, who had noticed the same thing, replied after a brief discussion: ‘Let’s go after it.’”
I just came across an interesting collection of startup resources via Y Combinator.
You can check it out here.
It seems to me that’s what we all want. Even independent people. Even the none empathic. Perhaps especially independent and none empathic people.
Love.
We want to love, and be loved, in both our personal and professional lives. (I think we also hope for good health.)
Life may be that simple.
But how does one come to love another?
I just came across an interesting podcast series about entrepreneurship, entitled “Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders”, through Stanford University’s entrepreneurship site.
I haven’t listened to any of them yet, but it looks like a good list of speakers.
You can find out more about it here.
1. Afghanistan, July, 2010 (boston.com/bigpicture)
“This past month, much of the attention focused on Afghanistan centered on the release of thousands of classified documents from the war effort by WikiLeaks. While the consensus appears to be that nothing significantly new was revealed by the release, the picture painted by the documents remains rather bleak. NATO and the United States now have 143,000 troops in Afghanistan, set to peak at 150,000 in coming weeks as they take a counter-insurgency offensive into the insurgents’ southern strongholds. Taliban control remains difficult to dislodge, and once removed from an area, Taliban forces often return once larger forces leave a region, especially in rural areas where local government presence remains small. Collected here are images of the country and conflict over the past month, part of an ongoing monthly series on Afghanistan.”
“The good Lord gave you a body that can stand most anything. It’s your mind you have to convince.”
-Vince Lombardi
Online social networking. Online social gaming. Online search. Online video. Online advertising. Online applications. Online books. Online magazines. Online reading. Online mobile.
Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Farmville (Zynga). Google. Google. Google and most of Web 2.0 (and beyond?). Many old and new publishers. All media companies. Almost everybody. Apple.
I realize and accept the fact that technology and being online is here to stay. But I feel deeply that “being online” shouldn’t make up the majority of our lives. We should be spending much more of our time offline, than online.
As our world continues to move online, it’s weird to think how much of my childhood was spent offline. And as I look back, I’m remembering how enjoyable that time was.
Granted, I’m writing this post online. And while online is here to stay, it brings me great pleasure knowing that my stay will be brief.
1. The Pitchman (gladwell.com)
“The extraordinary story of the Ronco Showtime Rotisserie & BBQ begins with Nathan Morris, the son of the shoemaker and cantor Kidders Morris, who came over from the Old Country in the eighteen-eighties, and settled in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Nathan Morris was a pitchman. He worked the boardwalk and the five-and-dimes and county fairs up and down the Atlantic coast, selling kitchen gadgets made by Acme Metal, out of Newark. In the early forties, Nathan set up N. K. Morris Manufacturing–turning out the KwiKi-Pi and the Morris Metric Slicer–and perhaps because it was the Depression and job prospects were dim, or perhaps because Nathan Morris made such a compelling case for his new profession, one by one the members of his family followed him into the business. His sons Lester Morris and Arnold (the Knife) Morris became his pitchmen. He set up his brother-in-law Irving Rosenbloom, who was to make a fortune on Long Island in plastic goods, including a hand grater of such excellence that Nathan paid homage to it with his own Dutch Kitchen Shredder Grater. He partnered with his brother Al, whose own sons worked the boardwalk, alongside a gangly Irishman by the name of Ed McMahon. Then, one summer just before the war, Nathan took on as an apprentice his nephew Samuel Jacob Popeil. S.J., as he was known, was so inspired by his uncle Nathan that he went on to found Popeil Brothers, based in Chicago, and brought the world the Dial-O-Matic, the Chop-O-Matic, and the Veg-O-Matic. S. J. Popeil had two sons. The elder was Jerry, who died young. The younger is familiar to anyone who has ever watched an infomercial on late- night television. His name is Ron Popeil.”
“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift.”
-Steve Prefontaine
I was talking with someone a few days ago about whom we confide in. I realized that I confide in very few people. That may not be surprise a to many — perhaps your lists are very short as well — but I was actually surprised to realize that I don’t confide in many of my close friends.
During our conversation, I realized that I confide in only one of my closest friends and my family. That’s it.
This discovery made me ask: “Why? Why do I confide in so few people?” I thought about this at the time (and sometimes since) and I’ve realized that the people whom I confide in possess two qualities — loyalty and being a good listener.
For me, loyalty is trust. If I tell you something in confidence — almost anything — the expectation is that you’ll keep it to yourself.
When I want someone else’s perspective regarding an issue in my life — personal or professional — I inevitably go to the same people whom I confide in. While loyalty may play an important role here, I also really care about getting useful results. And I think someone who’s able to provide that has to be a good listener.
A good listener doesn’t tell you what to do. A good listener has a natural curiosity in exploring and hopefully discovering the best solution to your issue or problem, with you, not for you. They do this by actively listening to what you’re saying. They do this by asking intelligent questions. They do this by showing you the different paths to different doors, rather than telling you what door to open. They’re able (as much as humanely possible) to separate their own personal biases and opinions regarding your issue, in order to give your issue the individual attention, care, and objectivity that it needs.
In my experiences, loyal people who are also good listeners are rare.
Perhaps that’s why we confide in so few people.
I’m not sure if I’m able to emphasize how important prioritization has been in my life.
While saying “No” or “Not now” may seem harsh to some people, I think it’s important that you do.
I think much of life is about finding and experiencing great things. And in order to do that, I think you have to focus on what’s most important at any given time. Because what’s most important to you, is what’s most important in your life. And that’s where you should be spending your time.
But in practice, this is hard. It takes a good amount of focus, imagination, vision and clarity to live this kind of life.
Inevitably, you can’t do everything or help everyone (at least not right now). But you can do great things right now if you’re focused.
Throughout the day, weeks, months, and even years, I’m constantly telling myself to “Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize.” And I’m continually asking myself “What’s most important — now, next month, next year, two to five years away.” And I make sure I’m working on those things.
Everything else becomes secondary, for now at least.
I’m convinced that many people love experiencing things, especially new and deep things. Not everyone, but I believe many do. And I believe the number of people who do is only going to increase with time. I also think peoples’ love for experience will deepen with time as well.
I’m also convinced that people are willing to pay for experiences. Not all experiences, but perhaps many.
And I’m convinced that the current distribution model for experiences can be better. That something’s missing. That something’s needed.
I’m not sure how to define “experience” (I’m not sure if you even can, other than to say that it’s closely related to how one processes and feels during an active sensory encounter, which can be different for everyone), but you can read Wikipedia’s entry on it here.
What convinces me of this? Honestly, just my experiences, observations, and intuition.
That may sound unconvincing, but I’m pretty sure it’s correct. I feel strongly about this.
1. 2010 Tour De France — Part II (boston.com/bigpicture)
“The 2010 Tour de France cycling race is now over, with Spain’s Alberto Contador claiming his third win in Paris yesterday. Andy Schleck of Luxembourg finished 39 seconds back, and seven-time tour winner Lance Armstrong finished 23rd in his final Tour de France. This 97th running of the iconic race started in Rotterdam with 198 riders in 22 teams of nine, and finished yesterday, 3,642 km (2,263 mi) later in Paris, France on the Champs-Elysees. Collected here are a handful of images from the second half of the race – see part I for earlier photos.”
Creating something that you, and others love, is such beauty. It’s such a difficult thing to do, that when it happens, it’s just beautiful.
There are a lot of things in the world that people create — which they love — but others just like. To be loved by another, for a creation of your own, is something that’s incredibly special.
1. What I Did When I Couldn’t Find A Job (chronicle.com)
“It was a bit of a shock, losing all expectations. For years—all my life, really—parents, teachers, and guidance counselors had told me that if I went to a good college and did well, I would be able to find a job after graduation that would, with a little ladder-climbing, keep me comfortable and financially secure. After I graduated in May 2009, in political science, I moved back home to St. Louis to start my career, but there simply were no jobs to be found.”
(Originally written March 17, 2009)
On Sunday, my cousin John (who is visiting from Utah) and I drove into Seattle for the afternoon (actually, early evening). When we parked, I asked John if he had heard of EMP (Experience Music Project). He hadn’t. When I heard this, I knew it was something we should go see. John likes music a lot, so I thought this was a no-brainer.
In terms of deciding what to create, that’s what Paul Graham of Y Combinator suggests is most important to think about.
Make something people want.
To me, that seems more like the destination. Google, Facebook, Pandora, et al all made something people wanted. And perhaps it’s most important to keep your eye on the prize.
But what I’m curious to know is how each made something people wanted. [1] There’s surely a journey, a story, as to how that happened.
A story about the creation of original and useful things. But instead of telling me what they did (as many of the stories do), show me, using words. Allow me to fully experience it.
I’d be really interested in reading those stories, even about the non-Google’s, Facebook’s, and Pandora’s — the small successes.
[1] Perhaps people should just think about what they want.
I think you need both.
Many people usually include “hard-work” in their definition of success. I think hard-work can be broken down into two things – repetition and innovation.
Practice and innovate. And once you innovate, practice.
I think one can achieve great things by applying a lot of process — a lot of practice — with very little vision and innovation.
But to become an outlier, I think a significant amount of innovation and vision are necessary.
It’s so much easier to create things when you feel good.
Life is so much better when you feel good.
Feel. Just feel. Good.
I keep running, I keep moving
To the sound of the wind, to the smell of the sea
I keep running, I keep moving
Through the fields, and into the park
I keep running, I keep moving
To the beat of music, to the sight of green lights
I keep running, I keep moving
To the view of others’ smiles, to my smile
I keep running, I keep moving
To the hues of blue, and everything in between
I keep running, I keep moving
To the cadence of my stride, to the movement of my arms
I keep running, I keep moving
To those who don’t, to those who can’t
I keep running, I keep moving
To the sun shining down on me, to my dreams and ideals
I keep running, I keep moving
Because I love to
A few weeks go, I wrote about Experience’s Beauty.
If you haven’t read it, you may want to start there. And if you have read it, you may want to read it again.
While experiences (especially new ones with great people) are quite blissful for me, I do think there’s a catch.
Greatness is rare.
And I think in order to become great, you have to let go of good things. You have to say “No” to good things, at some point.
If you’ve ever organized an activity or event, you’ve undoubetedbly had someone (perhaps many) ask you: “Who’s all going?”
This question can be frustrating and annoying to the organizer.
I just came across a passage in Brewster Ghiselin’s The Creative Process, where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart discusses his creative process. (The passage is actually a selection from Life Of Mozart (audiobook), by Edward Holmes.)
Mozart writes:
The pleasure in resting is more a feeling of relief rather than excitement. After a long trip, lots of physical activity, or just a full day running errands, sitting or laying down may sound quite nice.
But it’s just part of the process toward recovery. It’s just a matter of re-energizing.
To move again.
Lately, I’ve been watching people in motion. At parks, malls, concerts, and on the streets. And I’ve noticed that when people are moving — when they’re active — they seem to be focused, directed, and often times joyful.
I’m not sure why this is. Maybe it’s because movement causes something special to happen in our brains?
Growing up, I was an incredibly active person. I was just never home for long. After a few minutes of inactivity, I was out the door onto the next thing.
And I’m coming to realize that I’m still like this. I just love being active. I’m coming to realize that being active is a significant part of who I am.
But I feel like I’m in a world that’s continually pushing me to sit still more often (and for longer periods) as I grow older — in front of computer monitors, television screens, and mobile devices.
Ya know, I pray for health. I seek happiness. But I was made to move.
I just want to be in motion.
1. Recent Scenes From Iraq (boston.com/bigpicture)
“Just over seven years since the start of the Iraq War, the scheduled withdrawal of American forces is now becoming more evident. Last year, Americans pulled out of Iraqi cities and are working toward the formal end of combat operations by September 1st, when the number of soldiers in Iraq is expected to go from 77,500 to 50,000, and the name of the operation will change from “Operation Iraqi Freedom” to “Operation New Dawn”. Iraq continues to face multiple challenges including home-grown problems and potential external threats. Political uncertainty and wrangling after elections in March has fostered greater instability throughout the country with fears of renewed sectarian violence breaking out as insurgents step up attacks in an attempt to exploit vulnerabilities. Collected here are some recent photographs from the Iraq conflict.”
1. Focus And Differentiation (speakhuman.com)
“First dates are weird. Each individual tries to present their best characteristics. In doing so they edit what they say, in order to hit the high points and not overwhelm the other. This is common sense, right? You just don’t share every tiny detail about your life during an introduction, do you? Well then… tell me why the majority of companies’ website home pages are cluttered with text and information that just doesn’t matter.”
1. 2010 Tour De France — Part I (boston.com/bigpicture)
“The first half of the 20-stage 2010 Tour de France cycling race is over, with the current overall leader being Andy Schleck of Luxembourg riding for Denmark’s Team Saxo Bank. This 97th running of the iconic race started in Rotterdam with 198 riders in 22 teams of nine, and will conclude 3,642 km (2,263 mi) later in Paris on the Champs-Elysees on July 25. Collected here are a handful of images from the race so far – another entry will follow after the final stage has been run.”
1. The Men Who Stare At Screens (nytimes.com)
“In 1982, researchers affiliated with the Cooper Institute in Dallas surveyed a large group of well-educated, affluent men. The researchers were interested in the men’s exercise habits, but they also asked, almost incidentally, about their indolence. Specifically, they inquired about how many hours each day the men spent watching television or sitting in a car. (This was before you could do both at once.) Over the years, the survey’s main results were used to reinforce a growing body of science about the health benefits of regular exercise.”
1. 2010 World Cup Comes To A Close (boston.com/bigpicture)
“After a month of matches, the 2010 FIFA World Cup Tournament is over, with Spain claiming its first ever trophy, the Netherlands placing second, and Germany taking third place. 32 teams came to South Africa last month, and the eyes of the world were upon them as television and online viewership broke records, and in many places productivity dropped sharply when matches were being played. Collected here are photos from the second half of the tournament (see earlier entries: 1, 2, 3), the action on the fields, and the reactions of those following the games in both South Africa and their home countries, as we bid farewell to the 2010 World Cup.”
Televisions, PCs, mobile phones, and tablets have shaped our culture. Generation Y (and those following) have grown up with many of these technologies readily available to them.
For many Gen Yers, it wasn’t a matter of if you’d get a mobile phone, it was a matter of when. And for many of the college bound ones, getting their first PC (whether it be a desktop or notebook) was also a matter of if, not when.
1. The Creativity Crisis (newsweek.com)
“Back in 1958, Ted Schwarzrock was an 8-year-old third grader when he became one of the “Torrance kids,” a group of nearly 400 Minneapolis children who completed a series of creativity tasks newly designed by professor E. Paul Torrance. Schwarzrock still vividly remembers the moment when a psychologist handed him a fire truck and asked, “How could you improve this toy to make it better and more fun to play with?” He recalls the psychologist being excited by his answers. In fact, the psychologist’s session notes indicate Schwarzrock rattled off 25 improvements, such as adding a removable ladder and springs to the wheels. That wasn’t the only time he impressed the scholars, who judged Schwarzrock to have “unusual visual perspective” and “an ability to synthesize diverse elements into meaningful products.””
1. Is It Futile To Pursue Happiness? (biopsychiatry.com)
“If Daniel Gilbert is right, then you are wrong. That is to say, if Daniel Gilbert is right, then you are wrong to believe that a new car will make you as happy as you imagine. You are wrong to believe that a new kitchen will make you happy for as long as you imagine. You are wrong to think that you will be more unhappy with a big single setback (a broken wrist, a broken heart) than with a lesser chronic one (a trick knee, a tense marriage). You are wrong to assume that job failure will be crushing. You are wrong to expect that a death in the family will leave you bereft for year upon year, forever and ever. You are even wrong to reckon that a cheeseburger you order in a restaurant — this week, next week, a year from now, it doesn’t really matter when — will definitely hit the spot. That’s because when it comes to predicting exactly how you will feel in the future, you are most likely wrong.”
I often ask myself that question.
And it can be time-consuming to find the answer(s) if I’m open to different destinations.
But I recently found a tool on Kayak.com’s site that provides a global view of prices for flights. Though it’s not perfect, you can try it out here.
1. Summer Is Here (boston.com/bigpicture)
“With the summer solstice now two weeks gone, the northern hemisphere is heating up. High temperatures in some places have made working difficult and have taxed power grids as usage of electricity neared record levels in the U.S. This past weekend, the United States celebrated its 234th birthday on July 4th, with fireworks, parades and many other outdoor activities. Collected here today are a handful of recent photographs of people (and animals) either trying to beat the heat, or just enjoying a sunny summer’s day.”
Lately, I’ve seen many guys walking around wearing a suit, with a Bluetooth in their ear.
Every once in awhile they actually seem to be having a conversation. But more often times than not it seems like they’re wearing them to try to look cool.
You know, you may have a lot of money. A big corporate job and all. You drive a Mercedes. Perhaps you even have a big house.
But now that you have all of that, I bet you wish your story was more compelling. I bet you wish you were an experience (rather than some derivative of a square). Because people truly love experiences.
The thing is, even if you upgrade to a Ferrari (you should actually downgrade), you’ll never be as cool as this guy.
If you turned on the news over the last couple of days, you couldn’t not hear about LeBron James’ big decision.
Some news outlets, publications, and journalists have criticized the handling of the situation — airing a special, nationally televised program on ESPN this evening. Others have just gone-with-the-flow and have taken it for what it’s worth.
But what has been interesting to me about this whole thing is story.
The other day, Patricia Sellers (of Fortune) wrote a piece that suggests Gen Yers lack a career oriented mind.
She says:
“While we Baby Boomers typically place high value on pay, benefits, stability and prestige, Gen Y cares most about fun, innovation, social responsibility, and time off.”
A little over two months ago, Paul Buchheit said, “Making it easier to have lightweight conversations is the future of communications on the web”
But I think conversation isn’t what really matters in the world (or on the Web). I think making it easier to take lightweight action on things that people are interested in is more important than just conversation. Making it easier to experience things — meaningful things.
I believe, at least in a “professional” sense, that the end goal for most people is to become fully immersed in something — to do, to experience, to achieve enlightenment — to “work on the most important problem you can help with” (last paragraph).
And in order to find that — in order to do that — I think we need to embrace failure.
We need to better enable people to take lightweight action on things in order to find the right answer for each individual.
The keys are in our hands to make the world a better place.
Use them.
Where having deep experiences are as common and accessible as clicking on a weblink, opening a webpage, going to a mall, movie theater, or sporting event.
I dream of a world where the majority of commerce doesn’t involve the consumption of clothes, shoes, and technology devices, but rather fulfilling, real-life experiences.
I dream of a world where deep experiences and relationships are “it.”
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the value of close relationships. I’m realizing how important, precious, and irreplaceable they are.
By themselves, new adventures and experiences are good and exciting.
But close relationships are special. The great ones are worth the wait and effort.
I need to be a part of something that’s intense, interesting, and meaningful.
1. The Sting Of Poverty (boston.com)
“Imagine getting a bee sting; then imagine getting six more. You are now in a position to think about what it means to be poor, according to Charles Karelis, a philosopher and former president of Colgate University.”
Screwing up is an essential part of making something good.
The key is to screw up as fast as possible.
The PS22 Chorus is an elementary school chorus from Public School 22 in Graniteville, Staten Island (New York). It is composed of 60-70 fifth-graders, and is directed by Gregg Breinberg. Students are assigned to the chorus after an annual auditioning process at the beginning of each school year. PS22 is the largest elementary school in Staten Island which pulls from a wide cross section of ethnic groups and socio-economic levels. The chorus meets twice a week during school hours to practice, and performs throughout the year at school functions, local events, and on special requests.[1]
1.^ a b Sharyn Alfonsi & Wonbo Woo “Music Class Is Hit With Kids, Online Viewers” ABC News Nightline 2009-06-10
————
Here it is performing Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida”
To me, experiences are incredibly special. It can be a simple trip to the grocery store to pick up dinner, a walk on the beach, running in preparation for an upcoming race, or even just sharing stories with a friend over ice cream.
1. The “Thriller” Diaries (vanityfair.com)
“Michael Jackson’s 1983 “Thriller” remains the most popular music video of all time: a 14-minute horror spoof that changed the business. Behind the scenes it gave its star a temporary home with director John Landis, sparked a near romance with actress Ola Ray, and revealed how damaged the young pop idol already was.”
Where are the crazies? The ones who do things their own way. Who resist conventional norms. The ones who aren’t fond of rules. The misfits. The rebels.
The crazies who also get stuff done.
Where are you? Because I’d like to hang with you…
1. The Best Vacation Ever (boston.com)
“Monday summer officially begins, and freed from the hunker-inducing cold, New Englanders’ imaginations have already turned to vacation: to idle afternoons and road trips, to the beach and the Berkshires. School is out, and the warm weekends stretch before us, waiting to be filled.”
It’s a bit late, but I wanted to write a short follow-up to my 30 days experiment.
In general, I did most of those things — I bought physical goods (books and clothes) and I went out.
But I also produced during that time as well. So that was a positive takeaway from the experience.
While I accomplished some things, I can do better. And I’m working on that everyday.
1. Curiosity (dilbert.com)
“Curiosity is one of the most underrated phenomena in the world. It’s ironic that people aren’t more curious about curiosity. It’s a powerful thing.”
1. The $600 Billion Challenge (fortune.cnn.com)
“Just over a year ago, in May 2009, word leaked to the press that the two richest men in America, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, had organized and presided over a confidential dinner meeting of billionaires in New York City. David Rockefeller was said to have been a host, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Oprah Winfrey to have been among those attending, and philanthropy to have been the main subject.”
1. Warren Buffett’s Philanthropic Pledge (money.cnn.com)
“In 2006, I made a commitment to gradually give all of my Berkshire Hathaway stock to philanthropic foundations. I couldn’t be happier with that decision.”
1. The Velluvial Matrix (newyorker.com)
“Atul Gawande gave the commencement speech at Stanford’s School of Medicine last week. Here is what he told the graduating class.”
1. “All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”
-Pablo Picasso
2. “Make things as simple as possible, but no simpler.”
-Albert Einstein
1. Opening Weekend — 2010 World Cup (boston.com/bigpicture)
“The 2010 FIFA World Cup opened last Friday in South Africa, after years of preparation, with an Opening Ceremony at Soccer City Stadium – the first matches taking place over the weekend. Thousands attended the opening concerts and matches in person, while tens of millions watched events unfold on screens large and small across the world. Collected here are some scenes from the opening ceremonies, the first several matches, and fans young and old around the world riding emotional rollercoasters while watching the 2010 World Cup.”
1. Ideas Having Sex (reason.com)
“How prosperity and innovation exceeded the expectations of John Stuart Mill and Adam Smith.”
1. The Perils Of Positive Thinking (unlimitedmagazine.com)
“It seems almost incomprehensible to me now, like waking up with the vague recollection of an unsettling dream, but I was actually looking forward to my thirtieth birthday. I approached the milestone with what I thought at the time was a commendably mature perspective, at peace with both the occasionally messy experiences of the decade that was about to pass and the more sophisticated pleasures that I presumed were to come. I promised myself that there would be no self-indulgent outbursts of those-were-the-days melancholy, nor any last-gasp partying to excess that attempted to relive them.”
1. How Did Sport Get So Big? (moreintelligentlife.com)
“On a long July afternoon in 1966, in north-west London, England’s footballers won the World Cup. By the time they beat West Germany, after extra time, with the help of a dubious goal, it was too late for the early editions of the Sunday papers. Only on the Monday was Fleet Street able to register the moment in its full glory. The Mirror, then the most popular daily ever published in Britain, with sales of 5m, knew a piece of history when it saw one. Its front-page splash proudly announced: A BOUNCING BABY GIRL FOR PRINCESS ALEX. Winning the World Cup was not as big as the birth of Marina Ogilvy, the Queen’s first cousin once removed.”
1. The Sure Thing (gladwell.com)
“In 1969, Ted Turner wanted to buy a television station. He was thirty years old. He had inherited a billboard business from his father, which was doing well. But he was bored, and television seemed exciting. “He knew absolutely nothing about it,” one of Turner’s many biographers, Christian Williams, writes in “Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way” (1981). ‘It would be fun to risk everything he had built, scare the hell out of everybody, and get back in the front seat of the roller coaster.’”
1. Playing For The World (vanityfair.com)
“Why football — please don’t call it soccer — is the most important sport in history: a lingua franca for 204 countries, an expression of national identity, and a powerful link between multi-millionaire athletes and the man on the street.”
1. The End Of Men (theatlantic.com)
“For years, women’s progress has been cast as a struggle for equality. But what if equality isn’t the end point? What if modern, postindustrial society is simply better suited to women?”
1. Attached To Technology And Paying A Price (nytimes.com)
“Scientists say juggling e-mail, phone calls and other incoming information can change how people think and behave. They say our ability to focus is being undermined by bursts of information.”
1. Caught In The Oil (boston.com/bigpicture)
“A short entry – AP Photographer Charlie Riedel just filed the following images of seabirds caught in the oil slick on a beach on Louisiana’s East Grand Terre Island. As BP engineers continue their efforts to cap the underwater flow of oil, landfall is becoming more frequent, and the effects more evident.”
1. The Value Of Ideas (dilbert.com)
“My Google Alert recently picked up a lot of chatter on the Internet about a rumored Dilbert movie in the works. The rumor is ahead of the reality, as the project hasn’t been funded, and there isn’t yet a director, writer, or actor signed on. But I was fascinated by the reactions of the many movie web sites that weighed in with their opinions on whether it was a good idea to create a Dilbert movie.”
1. The Pleasures Of Imagination (chronicle.com)
“How do Americans spend their leisure time? The answer might surprise you. The most common voluntary activity is not eating, drinking alcohol, or taking drugs. It is not socializing with friends, participating in sports, or relaxing with the family. While people sometimes describe sex as their most pleasurable act, time-management studies find that the average American adult devotes just four minutes per day to sex.”
Paul Buchheit wrote a piece the other day entitled, “What to do with your millions.”
After answering: “First, don’t lose the money!”, he goes onto explore a second question — in my opinion, the more significant (and much harder) one — “What do I do with my life?”
He writes:
“First, it’s important to understand that once you have the basics, happiness comes primarily from healthy social connections and a sense of purpose. If you quit your job and move to a new city where you don’t know anyone or have a clear purpose, there’s a good chance that you’ll end up depressed or even suicidal. So unless your current life is very broke, don’t do that. Take it slow.”
1. Methods Tried To Stop Leaking Oil — June 4, 2010 (nytimes.com)
“Since a fire engulfed the Deepwater horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, engineers have attempted a number of techniques to slow or stop the torrent of oil leaking from the wellhead 5,000 feet below the surface.”
2. Top Kill Fails To Plug Leak — May 29, 2010 (nytimes.com)
“In another serious setback in the effort to stem the flow of oil gushing from a well a mile beneath the Gulf of Mexico, BP engineers said Saturday that the “top kill” technique had failed and, after consultation with government officials, they had decided to move on to another strategy.”
3. Documents Show Early Worries About Safety Of Rig — May 29, 2010 (nytimes.com)
“Internal documents from BP show that there were serious problems and safety concerns with the Deepwater Horizon rig far earlier than those the company described to Congress last week.”
4. Our Fix-It-Faith And The Oil Spill — May 28, 210 (nytimes.com)
“‘IF we’ve learned anything so far about the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, it is that it contains surprises. And that means an operator needs depth — depth in terms of resources and expertise — to create the capability to respond to the unexpected.’
These prophetic words came from a 2005 presentation by David Eyton, who was then vice president for BP’s deepwater developments in the Gulf of Mexico. Reprinted that year in a journal of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, the speech acknowledged that oil companies “did somewhat underestimate the full nature of the challenges we were taking on in the deep waters of the gulf.”
5. Under The Waves, A Deep Unknown — May 28, 2010 (nytimes.com)
“STRANGE as it sounds, we know more about distant planets than we do about the deep sea.”
6. BP’s Photo Blockade Of The Gulf Oil Spill — June 1, 2010 (newsweek.com)
“As BP makes its latest attempt to plug its gushing oil well, news photographers are complaining that their efforts to document the slow-motion disaster in the Gulf of Mexico are being thwarted by local and federal officials—working with BP—who are blocking access to the sites where the effects of the spill are most visible. More than a month into the disaster, a host of anecdotal evidence is emerging from reporters, photographers, and TV crews in which BP and Coast Guard officials explicitly target members of the media, restricting and denying them access to oil-covered beaches, staging areas for clean-up efforts, and even flyovers.”
7. Oil Reaches Louisiana Shores — May 24, 2010 (boston.com)
“Over one month after the initial explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, crude oil continues to flow into the Gulf of Mexico, and oil slicks have slowly reached as far as 12 miles into Louisiana’s marshes. According to Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, more than 65 miles of Louisiana’s shoreline has now been oiled. BP said it will be at least Wednesday before they will try using heavy mud and cement to plug the leak, a maneuver called a “top kill” that represents their best hope of stopping the oil after several failed attempts. Based on low estimates, at least 6 million gallons of crude have spewed into the Gulf so far – though some scientists have said they believe the spill already surpasses the 11 million-gallon 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska as the worst in U.S. history.”
8. Disaster Unfolds Slowly In Gulf Of Mexico — May 12, 2010 (boston.com)
“In the three weeks since the April 20th explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, and the start of the subsequent massive (and ongoing) oil leak, many attempts have been made to contain and control the scale of the environmental disaster. Oil dispersants are being sprayed, containment booms erected, protective barriers built, controlled burns undertaken, and devices are being lowered to the sea floor to try and cap the leaks, with little success to date. While tracking the volume of the continued flow of oil is difficult, an estimated 5,000 barrels of oil (possibly much more) continues to pour into the gulf every day. While visible damage to shorelines has been minimal to date as the oil has spread slowly, the scene remains, in the words of President Obama, a ‘potentially unprecedented environmental disaster.’”
9. Animals In The News — May 10, 2010 (boston.com)
“With the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico still unfolding, concerns over threats to wildlife have brought animals into the news quite a bit lately. From the oil spill, to preservation efforts, to zoo developments, pampered pets, harsh environments, invasive fish, a surfing alpaca and more, collected here are a handful of recent photographs of animals and our interactions with them, as companions, caretakers, observers, and stewards.”
10. Oil Spill Approaches Louisiana Coast — April 30, 2010 (boston.com)
“Late on the night of April 20th, 50 miles from the shore of Louisiana, a fire broke out aboard the Transocean Deepwater Horizon oil rig under lease by BP, with 126 individuals on board. After a massive explosion, all but 11 of the crew managed to escape as the rig was consumed by fire, later collapsing and sinking into the Gulf. Safeguards set in place to automatically cap the oil well in case of catastrophe did not work as expected, and now an estimated 5,000 barrels (over 200,000 gallons) of crude oil is pouring into the Gulf of Mexico every day – and could possibly continue to do so for months as complicated efforts are made to stop the leak. Collected here are several recent photos of the developing situation along Louisiana’s Gulf Shore – one with the potential to eclipse the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in scope and damage.”
Steve Jobs on “Creativity” (5th paragraph)
“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things. And the reason they were able to do that was that they’ve had more experiences or they have thought more about their experiences than other people.
Unfortunately, that’s too rare a commodity. A lot of people in our industry haven’t had very diverse experiences. So they don’t have enough dots to connect, and they end up with very linear solutions without a broad perspective on the problem. The broader one’s understanding of the human experience, the better design we will have.”
1. Why Humans Triumphed (wsj.com)
“Human evolution presents a puzzle. Nothing seems to explain the sudden takeoff of the last 45,000 years—the conversion of just another rare predatory ape into a planet dominator with rapidly progressing technologies. Once “progress” started to produce new tools, different ways of life and burgeoning populations, it accelerated all over the world, culminating in agriculture, cities, literacy and all the rest. Yet all the ingredients of human success—tool making, big brains, culture, fire, even language—seem to have been in place half a million years before and nothing happened. Tools were made to the same monotonous design for hundreds of thousands of years and the ecological impact of people was minimal. Then suddenly—bang!—culture exploded, starting in Africa. Why then, why there?”
1. The Value Of Attention (dilbert.com)
“Most people enjoy getting attention. It’s one of our basic needs. Little kids go through a “Look at me!” stage that lasts years. I believe we never grow out of that. All we do is learn how to be more subtle in saying, “Look at me!
There are lots of strategies for getting attention. Perhaps you like to select clothing that will make people spend a bit more time looking at you. Maybe you excel at your job, or at a team sport, so people will notice you. I believe that personal attention is a big part of what makes you enjoy getting a massage or a haircut or a pedicure.”
1. Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule (paulgraham.com)
“One reason programmers dislike meetings so much is that they’re on a different type of schedule from other people. Meetings cost them more.
There are two types of schedule, which I’ll call the manager’s schedule and the maker’s schedule. The manager’s schedule is for bosses. It’s embodied in the traditional appointment book, with each day cut into one hour intervals. You can block off several hours for a single task if you need to, but by default you change what you’re doing every hour.”
1. 1,000 True Fans (kk.org)
“The long tail is famously good news for two classes of people; a few lucky aggregators, such as Amazon and Netflix, and 6 billion consumers. Of those two, I think consumers earn the greater reward from the wealth hidden in infinite niches.”
1. The No-Stats All-Star (nytimes.com)
“He had more or less admitted to me that this part of his job left him cold. ‘It’s the same thing every day,’ he said, as he struggled to explain how a man on the receiving end of the raging love of 18,557 people in a darkened arena could feel nothing. “If you had filet mignon every single night, you’d stop tasting it.”
1. How To Save The News (theatlantic.com)
“Everyone knows that Google is killing the news business. Few people know how hard Google is trying to bring it back to life, or why the company now considers journalism’s survival crucial to its own prospects.
Of course this overstates Google’s power to destroy, or create. The company’s chief economist, Hal Varian, likes to point out that perhaps the most important measure of the newspaper industry’s viability—the number of subscriptions per household—has headed straight down, not just since Google’s founding in the late 1990s but ever since World War II. In 1947, each 100 U.S. households bought an average of about 140 newspapers daily. Now they buy fewer than 50, and the number has fallen nonstop through those years. If Google had never been invented, changes in commuting patterns, the coming of 24-hour TV news and online information sites that make a newspaper’s information stale before it appears, the general busyness of life, and many other factors would have created major problems for newspapers. Moreover, “Google” is shorthand for an array of other Internet-based pressures on the news business, notably the draining of classified ads to the likes of Craigslist and eBay. On the other side of the balance, Google’s efforts to shore up news organizations are extensive and have recently become intense but are not guaranteed to succeed.”
1. The Crisis Comes Ashore by Al Gore (tnr.com)
“The continuing undersea gusher of oil 50 miles off the shores of Louisiana is not the only source of dangerous uncontrolled pollution spewing into the environment. Worldwide, the amount of man-made CO2 being spilled every three seconds into the thin shell of atmosphere surrounding the planet equals the highest current estimate of the amount of oil spilling from the Macondo well every day. Indeed, the average American coal-fired power generating plant gushes more than three times as much global-warming pollution into the atmosphere each day—and there are over 1,400 of them.”
1. The Whole Earth Catalog (wikipedia.org)
“The Whole Earth Catalog was an American counterculture catalog published by Stewart Brand between 1968 and 1972, and occasionally thereafter, until 1998. Although the WECs listed all sorts of products for sale (clothing, books, tools, machines, seeds — anything for a self-sustainable “hippie” lifestyle) the Whole Earth Catalogs themselves did not sell any of the products. Instead the vendors and their prices were listed right alongside with the items. This led to a need for the Catalogs to be frequently updated.”
P.S. This is the 200th post on JR!
1. How (And When) To Motivate Yourself (hbr.org)
“I woke up this morning to pouring rain and temperatures in the low 40s. I had planned on going for an early bike ride in Central Park but now I wasn’t so sure. I like to get some exercise every day and given my commitments for the rest of the day, this was my only opportunity. But did I really want to get so wet and cold?”
Lady Danville – Cars
Lady Danville is an acoustic folk pop trio from Los Angeles, California. With Michael Garner on keys, Matthew Frankel on the cajon, and Dan Chang on the guitar Lady Danville is most recognized for their well-crafted harmonies, thoughtful lyrics and refreshing dose of energy, wit and charm, evoking the sound of Simon and Garfunkel meets Death Cab for Cute.
The band’s Myspace page can be found here.
1. Organic Startup Ideas (paulgraham.com)
“The best way to come up with startup ideas is to ask yourself the question: what do yo wish someone would make for you?
There are two types of startup ideas: those that grow organically out of your own life, and those that you decide, from afar, are going to be necessary to some class of users other than you. Apple was the first type. Apple happened because Steve Wozniak wanted a computer. Unlike most people who wanted computers, he could design one, so he did. And since lots of other people wanted the same thing, Apple was able to sell enough of them to get the company rolling. They still rely on this principle today, incidentally. The iPhone is the phone Steve Jobs wants.”
One area of study that really interests me is Attention. A simple Google search for “Attention” will populate many results, but I usually favor Wikipedia’s content for a good overview of something. And this held true for this particular subject.
Wikipedia:
“Attention is the cognitive process of selectively concentrating on one aspect of the environment while ignoring other things. Attention has also been referred to as the allocation of processing resources.[1]
Examples include listening carefully to what someone is saying while ignoring other conversations in a room (the cocktail party effect) or listening to a cell phone conversation while driving a car.[2] Attention is one of the most intensely studied topics within psychology and cognitive neuroscience.
William James, in his textbook Principles of Psychology, remarked:
‘Everyone knows what attention is. It is the taking possession by the mind, in clear and vivid form, of one out of what seem several simultaneously possible objects or trains of thought. Focablization, concentration, of consciousness are of its essence. It implies withdrawal from some things in order to deal effecively with others and is a condition which has a real opposite in the confused, dazed, scatterbrained state which in Frech is called distraction, and Zerstreutheit in German.’
Attention remains a major area of investigation within education, psychology and neuroscience. Areas of active investigation involve determining the source of the signals that generate attention, the effects of these signals on the tuning properties of sensory neurons, and the relationship between attention and other cognitive processes like working memory. A relatively new body of research is investigating the phenomenon of traumatic brain injuries and their effects on attention.
You can read the full Wikipedia entry here.
Kanye West
“For most people it’s easier to just agree. For me the hardest thing is to ‘just’ agree and that is what sparks creativity, the feeling that something can be better, the feeling that something’s missing. The feeling that something’s needed.”
Since today is Berkshire Hathaway’s 2010 Annual Shareholder’s Meeting, I thought I’d share some Warren Buffett quotes with you.
“Great investment opportunities come around when excellent companies are surrounded by unusual circumstances that cause the stock to be misappraised.”
“Stock picking is like gambling: those who win well, seldom bet, but when they do, they bet heavily.”
“Stocks are simple. All you do is buy shares in a great business for less than the business is intrinsically worth, with managers of the highest integrity and ability, then you own those shares forever.”
1. What Should I Do With My Life? [2002] (fastcompany.com)
“It’s time to define the new era. Our faith has been shaken. We’ve lost confidence in our leaders and in our institutions. Our beliefs have been tested. We’ve discredited the notion that the Internet would change everything (and the stock market would buy us an exit strategy from the grind). Our expectations have been dashed. We’ve abandoned the idea that work should be a 24-hour-a-day rush and that careers should be a wild adventure. Yet we’re still holding on.”
An interesting quote (page 4, 3rd paragraph):
“In the past decade, the work world has become a battleground for the struggle between the boring and the stimulating. The emphasis on intensity has seeped into our value system. We still cling to the idea that work should not only be challenging and meaningful — but also invigorating and entertaining. But really, work should be like life: sometimes fun, sometimes moving, often frustrating, and defined by meaningful events. Those who have found their place don’t talk about how exciting and challenging and stimulating their work is. Their language invokes a different troika: meaningful, significant, fulfilling (emphasis mine). And they rarely ever talk about work without weaving in their personal history.”
1. Why Americans Are So Lonely (alternet.org)
“Community may suffer from overuse more sorely than any word in the dictionary. Politicians left and right sprinkle it through their remarks the way a bad Chinese restaurant uses MSG, to mask the lack of wholesome ingredients. But we need to rescue it; we need to make sure that community will become, on this tougher planet, one of the most prosaic terms in the lexicon, like hoe or bicycle or computer. Access to endless amounts of cheap energy made us rich, and wrecked our climate, and it also made us the first people on earth who had no practical need of our neighbors.”
1. The Next Empire (theatlantic.com)
“All across Africa, new tracks are being laid, highways built,ports deepened, commercial contracts signed—all on an unprecedented scale, and led by China, whose appetite for commodities seems insatiable. Do China’s grand designs promise the transformation,at last, of a star-crossed continent? Or merely its exploitation? The author travels deep into the heart of Africa, searching for answers.”
I just noticed my last four posts have been about Apple, or Apple related material.
For the record, I do admire Apple for several reasons. Apple is passionate and focused, yet creative and progressive as well. These are qualities that interest me most.
But this isn’t an Apple blog (for that, I recommend Daring Fireball).
So I’ll be focusing my coverage on other things that possess those qualities.
The Future is Bright!
It seems like this whole fiasco is indeed real, and serious.
Gizmodo published a post this afternoon that said the California’s Rapid Enforcement Allied Computer Team raided Jason Chen’s (editor of Gizmodo) residence and seized computers and other devices.
So much for my “Apple’s trying to deceive” theory.
I just came across an interesting post that answers the question: What if you had bought Apple stock instead of that iPod?
“Currently, Apple’s stock is at an all time high. A share today is worth over 40 times its value seven years ago. So, how much would you have today if you purchased stock instead of an Apple product? See for yourself in the table below. A huge thanks to everymac.com for the original prices and release dates. All values are calculated using Apple’s stock price of $270.38/share.”
You can read the post here.
Three reads about Apple.
1. The iPad, The Kindle, And The Future Of Books (newyorker.com)
“On the morning of January 27th—an aeon ago, in tech time—Steve Jobs was to appear at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, in downtown San Francisco, to unveil Apple’s new device, the iPad. Although speculation about the device had been intense, few in the audience knew yet what it was called or exactly what it would do, and there was a feeling of expectation in the room worthy of the line outside the grotto at Lourdes. Hundreds of journalists and invited guests, including Al Gore, Yo-Yo Ma, and Robert Iger, the C.E.O. of Disney, milled around the theatre, waiting for Jobs to appear. The sound system had been playing a medley of Bob Dylan songs; it went quiet as the lights came up onstage and Jobs walked out, to the crowd’s applause.”
2. Apple’s iPad, General Motors… (newyorker.com)
“Apple’s launch of the iPad next week is a gamble in more ways than one. To start with, it’s obviously a bet that there are millions of people looking for a new way to surf the Web, watch movies, and read magazines. But it’s also a more fundamental gamble; namely, that people will pay for quality. Starting at five hundred dollars, the iPad is significantly more expensive than its competitors. But Apple’s assumption is that, if the iPad is also significantly better, people will happily shell out for it (as they already do for iPods, iPhones, and Macs). That’s why when Steve Jobs first introduced the iPad he said that, if a product wasn’t “far better” than what was already out there, it had “no reason for being.”
3. The Guts Of A New Machine (nytimes.com)
“Two years ago this month, Apple Computer released a small, sleek-looking device it called the iPod. A digital music player, it weighed just 6.5 ounces and held about 1,000 songs. There were small MP3 players around at the time, and there were players that could hold a lot of music. But if the crucial equation is ”largest number of songs” divided by ”smallest physical space,” the iPod seemed untouchable. And yet the initial reaction was mixed: the thing cost $400, so much more than existing digital players that it prompted one online skeptic to suggest that the name might be an acronym for ”Idiots Price Our Devices.” This line of complaint called to mind the Newton, Apple’s pen-based personal organizer that was ahead of its time but carried a bloated price tag to its doom.”
1. Who Is Jonathan Ive? (businessweek.com)
“Last spring, an eclectic mix of designers thrilled an auditorium full of their peers at a conference called Radical Craft, put on by the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif. Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi told inspiring stories of his rise to fame. Artificial intelligence pioneer Danny Hillis showed off a topographical computer display that could render anything, even the Himalayas, in three dimensions. Dutch inventor Theo Jansen brought one of his VW-size “beach creatures” made of plastic PVC tubes that “walked” across the stage like some George Lucas-inspired interstellar crab.”
Ive on his team’s design process:
“One of the hallmarks of the team I think is this sense of looking to be wrong. It’s the inquisitiveness, the sense of exploration. It’s about being excited to be wrong because then you’ve discovered something new.”
Read the article here.
People often talk about people’s shorter attention spans these days. With unlimited choice in almost everything, I can understand why, on the surface, it seems like this may be true.
But I think it’s just an illusion. I think what seems like shorter attention spans is actually just people filtering through more stuff.
I think people, perhaps more so now than in the past, want to find their authentic focus. And since the number of people who haven’t yet found their authentic focus far exceeds the number who have, examining attention spans is one attempt at explaining what’s going on.
But I think focusing on attention span issues isn’t the problem. I think the problem is that finding one’s authentic focus is, pragmatically speaking, incredibly hard.
When people aren’t doing whatever their focus is, it may look like they have some attention deficit problems. But they’re really just going through trial-and-error — searching for their focus. (They may not know it, or their behavior may indicate otherwise, but they’re actually focused on finding their authentic focus.)
It’s just that for many, personal searching — “Finding Who You Are” — is an obscure and seemingly endless endeavor.
1. Geek Power: Steven Levy Revisits Tech Titans, Hackers, Idealists (wired.com)
“‘It’s funny in a way’, says Bill Gates, relaxing in an armchair in his office. ‘When I was young, I didn’t know any old people. When we did the microprocessor revolution, there was nobody old, nobody. It’s weird how old this industry has become.’ The Microsoft cofounder and I, a couple of fiftysomething codgers, are following up on an interview I had with a tousle-headed Gates more than a quarter century ago. I was trying to capture what I thought was the red-hot core of the then-burgeoning computer revolution — the scarily obsessive, absurdly brainy, and endlessly inventive people known as hackers. Back then, Gates had just pulled off a deal to supply his DOS operating system to IBM. His name was not yet a household word; even Word was not yet a household word. I would interview Gates many times over the years, but that first conversation was special. I saw his passion for computers as a matter of historic import. Gates himself saw my reverence as an intriguing novelty. But by then I was convinced that I was documenting a movement that would affect everybody.”
I’m not sure what it is, but it seems to me that high quality stuff is unfriendly. It’s almost as if you have to be isolated to create it because you’re really creating it for one person. In order to do that, you have to block out other influences and distractions.
I went running this evening at a park near by and when I got there I saw a big group of people — at least 20 — playing a Frisbee game on the grass.
The Internet is going crazy today over Gizmodo’s “This Is Apple’s Next iPhone” post.
As the story goes: “guy finds what looks like an iPhone 3GS in a protective case sitting on the floor of a bar in San Jose [which Gizmodo said late Monday was Gourmet Haus Staudt, a German specialty store and beer garden in Redwood City]. He pops the case off and, lo and behold, it’s not the iPhone 3GS at all, but a brand-stinkin’ new, unreleased iPhone. He sends some pictures to Engadget, and then sells the unit itself to Gizmodo for the aforementioned rumored price tag of $5,000. Giz [Gizmodo] then spends a few days attemption to prove that it’s real before posting it.”
My first thought after reading this story: “How convenient.”
Admittedly, I’m bad at staying in touch with people. Often times, I neglect my mobile, and by extension, the people who attempt to contact me through it. I do feel bad about this and I’m working to improve it.
Though, the best way to get in touch with me is to come over. If you come over, and I’m here, you’ll get my full attention.
But if you prefer using more traditional means, I respond much quicker to messages or requests that are clear, concise, and most importantly — actionable.
This is a clip from Objectified, which is a documentary by Gary Hustwit, about “our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them.”
The film is available for rent through either Apple’s iTunes, or Netflix. I thought it was wonderful.
I just wrote this entire piece out (part 1 can be found here); it was about 1500 words. And when I went to publish it, there was a glitch and it was deleted.
It took me about two hours to write. It was one of my most personally fulfilling posts to date. I was really satisfied with it, so naturally, I’m really disappointed this happened. (It doesn’t seem to have auto-saved anywhere. And I’m not even sure if this function exists.)
Unfortunately, I’m not going to re-write it right now, if ever.
After writing it, though, I came to terms with my struggle between choosing profit versus non-profit endeavors. I realized I was thinking about it incorrectly. I should be thinking about it over a lifetime. And over the long-run, it’s not a question of one or the other.
It’s a question of which one happens first. And I believe there isn’t a wrong answer.
Update: please see my comment below for some of the major points that were in my deleted piece.
Every now and then, I’ll slowly type “joon report” (letter-by-letter) into the search bar of my web browser to see if it comes up in the suggested search results. I’ll also do the same thing over at Google.com.
It’s never come up in either suggested searches before.
Until this morning!
I don’t normally name my posts before I write them, mainly because I want my imagination to be unrestricted.
But I started with the title for this post.
My friend and fellow contributor at JR, Everett, wrote a thought provoking post yesterday. As I read it for the first time, I found it to be quite profound. For me, it touches on two deep personal conflicts that I have, which I think about frequently.
I’ve had this idea brewing in my head for quite some time now. I’m not exactly sure what it is yet, but what I’d like to do is write some stories about people’s lives. About their experiences.
I know, novel, huh? Ha.
But it would be different. Because I’d like to write them in a way that’s both focused and inspired by “walk-and-talk” narrative.
I’d like to start with people I know. If you let me write about you, it wouldn’t be hard on your part at all. I only have two requests. One is that to figure out what I want to write about, I’ll have to hang out with you. So, we’ll just hang out like we normally do. The second request is that you let me write about whatever I want. (I do promise, however, to not write a story that’s condescending.)
Anyway, if you’re up for it, please let me know.
Since I’ve moved into my new place, I haven’t had a TV to watch. I scheduled to have only Internet installed about a week after I moved in to see if I would want cable by then — I knew I could always add it on.
But not watching television has freed up a significant amount of time in my life. Sure, I went to a bar to watch the NCAA championship basketball game, but other than that there hasn’t been much that I’ve missed. (The only show I used to watch somewhat religiously was House, and if I want, I can watch episodes on a delayed broadcast schedule on Hulu.com.)
I’m not sure how much TV I used to watch, maybe 1, or 2 hours at most, per day. But 2 hours out of an 8 hour day (assuming 8 hours are used up for sleeping and 8 for working) is a quarter of your time. That’s kind of a lot. But what I think has had a bigger impact on me so far is the lack of a passive or consuming mindset that watching television puts me in. Ironically, that’s the same way I feel about reading books.
Now, I think one can gain far more from reading than from watching television. But I also think you can only read so much. At some point, you have to do something.
I’m not sure how long I’ll go without television, but what I do know is that I’ve done much more by not having it.
Over the next 30 days, I’m not going to buy any “physical” goods — like books, clothes, technology gadgets, home furnishings, golf equipment, etc.
I’ll be consuming food and fluids as I normally do, but I will be cutting down on my consumption of services as well, such as “dining and nightlife activities”.
You may be asking why I’m doing this?
It’s because I want to have a singular focus on creating, making, and producing. I’m not too concerned with what I produce during this time — whether it’s writing a post, working on a project, going on runs, making food at home, stretching, etc. — as long as I’m effectively producing.
What other publications do the readers of JR read online — which blogs, websites, newspapers, etc.?
I visited a local Apple retail store yesterday to check out the iPad. I’ll be writing my thoughts on the device soon. But until then, I just wanted to show you what Joon Report looks like on the iPad:
I just moved into a new place and I have not gotten my Internet setup yet, so my posts this week will probably be short because I’ll be writing them from my iPhone.
In essence, it’ll be a “tweet week” for me, ha.
Thanks for continuing to read JR.
Tomorrow, the much anticipated (and hyped) iPad becomes available. Pre-orders started a few weeks ago, but you’ll be able to buy it in stores starting tomorrow — provided Apple and Best Buy have it in-stock.
First, I’d just like to say I’m a proud owner of Apple products. I own Macs, iPods, and an iPhone. People are entitled to their own opinion about what technology is better. They are entitled to support (by buying) whatever technology they want.
John Mayer performed at the Key Arena on Wednesday night.
You can see photographs from his show (Michael Franti & Spearhead opened for him) here.
It’s with both “sadness” and joy that I write this post.
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been in discussions with News Corp. about a potential acquisition.
And after giving it careful thought, I’ve decided to accept a formal acquisition offer from News Corp., effective today.
What does this mean? Well, the most significant difference is that I don’t own JR anymore, so News Corp. will have final say on all of the “big” decisions from now on, such as editorial decisions.
I will have more information very soon.
According to a blog post I just read, “about half of the population has hemorrhoids by age 50.” The author doesn’t cite a source, so I’m a bit skeptical. Nonetheless, I thought it was an insightful piece.
“Nobody wants to talk about the hemorrhoids because it’s embarrassing, but it will be a lot more embarrassing when you’ve got a nurse putting her hand up your butt. So read this post now to understand how, if you work on your computer everyday and have done so for a few years, you are in danger of getting hemorrhoids. About half of the population has hemorrhoids by age 50.”
You can read the post here.
A couple of weeks ago, TechCrunch featured a guest post by Ben Horowitz, co-founder of software company Opsware and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (Marc Andreessen’s blog post introduction), about leadership.
“At Andreessen Horowitz, we favor founders running the company. The reasons are many (and will be the topic of a future blog post). As a result, we spend a great deal of time thinking about the characteristics required to be a founding CEO. Perhaps the most important attribute required to be a successful founding CEO is leadership. So what is leadership and how do we think about it in the context of the CEO job? Are great leaders born or made?”
You can read the article here.
Peter Yanev, who has over 30 years of experience in earthquake and structural engineering and risk management, and serves as chairman to Risk Solutions International, wrote a piece for The New York Times yesterday and said, flatly:
“It is only a matter of time before a quake like the one in 1700 happens again in the Pacific Northwest — perhaps tomorrow, or not for 20, 50, 100 years. We do not know that precisely. But we do know that the earthquake will happen. Are we ready? No, we are not. Not in California, and definitely not in the Pacific Northwest.”
You can read the article here.
I just came across an interesting piece from Wired (August 2009), which discusses a phenomenon where entire markets are being transformed by products that give up power and features for accessibility and ease of use.
“ In 2001, Jonathan Kaplan and Ariel Braunstein noticed a quirk in the camera market. All the growth was in expensive digital cameras, but the best-selling units by far were still cheap, disposable film models. That year, a whopping 181 million disposables were sold in the US, compared with around 7 million digital cameras. Spotting an opportunity, Kaplan and Braunstein formed a company called Pure Digital Technologies and set out to see if they could mix the rich chocolate of digital imaging with the mass-market peanut butter of throwaway point-and-shoots. They called their brainchild the Single Use Digital Camera and cobranded it with retailers, mostly pharmacies like CVS.”
You can read the article here.
Here’s a ranking of the top ten Web properties in 1998, as compared to now (2010).
| Website | ’98 Rank | ’10 Rank |
| AOL.COM | 1 | 46 |
| YAHOO.COM | 2 | 3 |
| GEOCITIES.COM | 3 | 1778 |
| MSN.COM | 4 | 13 |
| NETSCAPE.COM | 5 | 3676 |
| EXCITE.COM | 6 | 726 |
| LYCOS.COM | 7 | 1335 |
| MICROSOFT.COM | 8 | 22 |
| BLUEMOUNTAINARTS.COM | 9 | 18,448,258 |
| INFOSEEK SITES | 10 | 663,973 |
Source: Geek System
I’ll admit it, I’m a Matt Damon fan. And I just came across an interesting GQ profile of the man from August 2007 by Lisa Depaulo.
“Our first meeting, in Madrid, was a bust. You could say it was a test of wills and Matt Damon won.
Perhaps we should have taken it as an omen when the very first thing he did, after showing up two hours late, was walk straight into the little bathroom in his prefabbed trailer and take an excruciatingly long and loud—like, racehorse long-and-loud—piss. We are telling you this not just because it’s precisely the kind of thing that ticks Matt Damon off (“editorializing” is on his list, and it’s a very long list, of peeves), or because it was the most interesting thing he did over the course of the three hours that followed. We are telling you this because it pretty much sums up how Matt Damon feels about doing interviews, particularly if the subject is his personal life.”
You can read the article here.
John Mayer recently had a candid conversation (interview) with Playboy Magazine.
““Given the type of news coverage he gets, it may surprise you to learn that John Mayer is also a musician. His major-label debut, Room for Squares, came out in 2001, and within two years he was rewarded with his first Grammy win, followed by praise from every corner of the music industry, from blues masters (B.B. King and Eric Clapton) to rap stars (Kanye West and Jay-Z) to Nashville standouts (the Dixie Chicks and Brad Paisley). His gentle voice and introspective lyrics looked back to 1970s songwriters like James Taylor, and his guitar playing was versatile and masterful.”
You can read the interview here.
Dyske Suematsu offers an interesting perspective on the music tastes of Americans. He parses the way Americans listen to music, as oppose to, say, the Japanese.
“The current market share of Jazz in America is mere 3 percent. That includes all the great ones like John Coltrane and the terrible ones like Kenny G (OK, this is just my own opinion). There are many organizations and individuals like Wynton Marsalis who are tirelessly trying to revive the genre, but it does not seem to be working. Why is this? Is there some sort of bad chemistry between the American culture and Jazz? As ironic as it may be, I happen to believe so.”
You can read his piece here.
Yahoo! Green recently published a piece about the turritopsis nutricula species of jellyfish, which may be the only immortal animal.
“Since it is capable of cycling from a mature adult stage to an immature polyp stage and back again, there may be no natural limit to its life span. Scientists say the hydrozoan jellyfish is the only known animal that can repeatedly turn back the hands of time and revert to its polyp state (its first stage of life).”
You can read the article here.
A new book is coming out at the end of this month (March 29, 2010) about the infamous investment bank, Lehman Brothers.
It’s called The Devil’s Casino, and it’s authored by contributing editor of Vanity Fair, Vicky Ward. And while several books have been written about the rise and fall of investment banks — many of which have focused on Lehman and its financial demise — this one provides a somewhat different perspective as it focuses on the lifestyle and culture of the Lehman “family.”
In July 2008, Fortune published a piece about the “most confidential advisor in Silicon Valley” — Bill Campbell.
Bill advises Google’s Eric Schmidt, Apple’s Steve Jobs, Kleiner Perkins’s John Doerr, and many other Silicon Valley leaders as well.
“At the old pro sports bar in Palo Alto, happy hour is in full swing. Stanford kids down pints while watching a game on TV; a birthday party is underway next to a wall filled with old Sports Illustrated covers. And in the middle of the room, gathered around a table with a brass plaque inscribed COACH’S CORNER, is a group of sixtysomething guys clinking beers and eating pizza. Holding forth is a man with twinkling eyes and a full head of gray hair who keeps wrapping his buddies in bear hugs or cussing them out or both. “You’re so f—ing full of s—!” he calls out in a gravelly rasp to one of his pals. Hoisting a Bud Light, unleashing a barrage of bad jokes and fake insults, Bill Campbell could be a saloon owner or a football coach.”
You can read the article here.
I enjoy reading Malcolm Gladwell’s work.
Here are three of his pieces from The New Yorker archive that you may find interesting:
Economically speaking, it’s been a decade that fits the definition of a paradox. On the one hand, it’s a decade everyone will want to forget. On the other hand, it’s one that should never be forgotten.
The Pacific Northwest magazine published an interesting article in its Sunday edition this weekend, entitled “The Digital Disconnect: In Relentless Pursuit Of ‘Connecting,’ We Miss Out On Each Other.”
“While communication and gaming gadgets have convenienced and connected us in ways never before possible, they may also be profoundly hurting our ability to be social, emphatic and involved with each other. The signs are everywhere — from the near collisions on city streets where drivers are too busy texting to pay attention to the virtual relationships on Facebook and the addiction to video games.”
You can read the article here.
The New York Times recently wrote an article about how Apple and Google have become rival competitors, after having started as nice friendship some time ago.
It references many company executives and others who were a part of, or close to, the pivotal conversations and events that have taken place.
“Three years ago, Eric E. Schmidt, the chief executive of Google, jogged onto a San Francisco stage to shake hands with Steven P. Jobs, Apple’s co-founder, to help him unveil a transformational wonder gadget — the iPhone — before throngs of journalists and adoring fans at the annual MacWorld Expo.”
You can read the article here.
I know, I know, Kanye West was a jerk for interrupting Taylor Swift’s 2009 MTV Video Music Award’s speech for Best Female Video (“You Belong With Me”).
But if you can’t separate the art from the artist, you won’t enjoy much.
With that said, Kanye recently penned a blog post which he entitled, “Creativity.” To me, that word comes with such baggage today as it’s being used carelessly and extended beyond its natural purpose.
But his words resonated with me as someone who shares in the joys and struggles of creation. (I’ve re-posted his words below because of the way it’s formatted on his site.)
As you may know, Joon Report also covers “the arts.” It’s an area that necessitates distinct, but careful, attention.
At times, there may just be photographs. Sometimes words and stories. And perhaps other times there will be something that’s different from photographs, words, and stories.
But today, this is what I have to share.
One of the articles (it’s actually a speech) I mentioned yesterday is by Charlie Munger.
Warren Buffett gets (deservedly) a lot of credit for Berkshire’s success over the years. But, I’d wager quite a bit that Warren wouldn’t trade his long-time business partner for anyone.
Charlie’s speech is a great read. It easily makes it in my top ten reads of all-time. Most likely my top five. And perhaps in my top three.
In the larger context of the business world (and in offering life lessons), Charlie Munger is very undervalued.
————
As previously posted, the speech I’m referring to can be found here.
Here are three reads you may find interesting:
1. Elementary Worldly Wisdom by Charles Munger [1994] (ycombinator.com)
“I’m going to play a minor trick on you today because the subject of my talk is the art of stock picking as a subdivision of the art of worldly wisdom. That enables me to start talking about worldly wisdom — a much broader topic that interests me because I think all too little of it is delivered by modern educational systems, at least in an effective way.”
2. How To Do What You Love (paulgraham.com)
“To do something well you have to like it. That idea is not exactly novel. We’ve got it down to four words: ‘Do what you love.’ But it’s not enough just to tell people that. Doing what you love is complicated.”
3. Late Bloomers (gladwell.com)
“Ben Fountain was an associate in the real-estate practice at the Dallas offices of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, just a few years out of law school, when he decided he wanted to write fiction. The only thing Fountain had ever published was a law-review article. His literary training consisted of a handful of creative-writing classes in college. He had tried to write when he came home at night from work, but usually he was too tired to do much. He decided to quit his job.”
The band, OK Go, creators of the “Dancing on Treadmills” video for its song, “Here It Goes Again,” have captured the minds of many with its latest performance.
The song is, “This Too Shall Pass,” off of its third (and latest) studio album, “Of the Blue Colour of the Sky.”
You can find out more about the band on its official website here and on its MySpace page here.
Last night I went out with a friend to a local bar. It’s known for its pool.
I wouldn’t consider myself a great pool player, but I’m not terrible, either.
The place actually offered a few other things as well. There was a restaurant/bar area where you could sit down and have a conversation or meal with someone. This area was probably the quietest in the place. There was also a bar and dance floor in the back.
Michael Lewis has a new book coming out on March 15, 2010, entitled, The Big Short: Inside The Doomsday Machine.
Synopsis:
“A brilliant account—character-rich and darkly humorous—of how the U.S. economy was driven over the cliff.”
You can read an excerpt from it here (it’s lengthy, but worthwhile).
Tonight, I went to a coffee shop to get away from my apartment. I wanted to work on some things, but I really just wanted to try out a different environment.
I haven’t been to one in awhile, but I was pleasantly surprised.
This particular one was rather active. There were many people.
Ryan Leslie is here. But you may not know who he is.
Back in 1992, at the age of 14, Ryan was attending public school in Stockton, California. But because his parents worked as Salvation Army officers they were required to move frequently. And they were expecting to move again soon. But Ryan didn’t want to this time so he decided he was going to enter college after his sophomore year.
Berkshire Hathaway released its 2009 annual report today.
I found the chairman’s (Warren Buffett) letter to be of particular interest this year as he mentions the company has “added at least 65,000 shareholders to the 500,000 or so already…” as a result of the recent acquisition of Burlington Northern Santa Fe.
In educating the newcomers about how Berkshire conducts business, Warren writes:
“In this letter we will also review some of the basics of our business, hoping to provide both a freshman orientation session for our BNSF newcomers and a refresher course for Berkshire veterans.”
For those interested in learning more about Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, and/or sound business and investing principles, I recommend reading this year’s report.
It can be found here.
————
Warren candidly discussing the BNSF acquisition back on November 3, 2009:
Here are three reads you may find interesting:
1. Awesome By Proxy (pixelpoppers.com)
2. Achievement Porn (petermichaud.com)
3. Laptop Battery Myths (marco.org)
Businessweek.com published its ranking yesterday of the top angel investors in tech.
In the words of Steve Jobs: “Stay hungry, stay foolish.”
Whenever possible, I drive at night when there’s the least amount of traffic. I love driving at a constant pace — be it 25, 35, 65, or 85.
I loathe traffic, especially start and stop traffic. It’s inconsistent. Maybe it’s a control issue. I don’t know.
I’m currently re-reading Beating The Street by Peter Lynch, and I must say that it’s still a great read the second (or third?) time through.
–noun
1. the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc.
2. development or improvement of the mind by education or training.
3. the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group: the youth culture; the drug culture.
People are lost in culture. On the surface, it seems like it’s a complicated subject.
Is is the music you listen to? Is the t.v. shows you watch? Is it the style or brand of your shoes? Is it the places you travel? Is it the food you eat? Is it the people you love? Is it your stance on climate change? Is it your view on EMT? Is it your favorite sports team? Is it the way you say “Hello”? Is it the way you wear your pants? Is it the look on your face — or the action you take — when you’re uncomfortable? Is it the way you move through a crowd? Is it what you don’t do? Is it your preferred method of communication? Is it your IQ score? Is it what’s tasteful to you? Is it the time you wake up? Is it what you want to be when you grow up? Is it the stocks you analyze? Is it the car you drive? Is it your lack of emotion? Is it where you work? Is it what you read? Is it what you feel? Is it what you experience?
To me, it isn’t any one of those things.
Authentic Culture is a paradox. It’s shared, yet independent.
Here are three reads you may find interesting:
1. Original Sin On Wall Street (theatlantic.com)
2. Roger Federer As Religious Experience (nytimes.com)
3. The Essential Man (esquire.com)
More Buffett:
“Forecasts usually tell us more about the forecaster than about the future.”
“I’ve never swung at a ball while it’s still in the pitcher’s glove.”
One thing in particular has been on my mind for the last several weeks, perhaps even months.
It’s actually a question: “What do people pay for (or buy)?”
As I awake, I can only think of one thing
A moment, this moment
In preparation up to this point
I’ve learned
I’ve failed
I’ve tried again
I first heard this phrase during my junior year of college from a professor.
To me, simplicity is such a beautiful thing.
A while back, I came across a fascinating story about Albert Einstein. I forgot to bookmark it back then so I was pleased to come across it again today. (Thanks to Akshar Smriti for re-posting the story in 2007.)
The story seems to have been originally published in Reader’s Digest’s November 1955 issue by Jerome Weidman.
I’ve re-re-posted it below because of the way it’s formatted on Akshar’s site.
Both are gliding through space now
They cross paths
Brush off each other
Smiling
Looking into each other’s eyes
Both not for too long, a few seconds at most
They talk, meet, and dance
Order a drink and keep moving
Over the course of the night
They’ll be away from each other
Sometimes long periods — perhaps an hour
At times, temptation may seem present
Though, it doesn’t really exist here
Because both know who they are
Both know what this is
There’s likely to be drama
There’s likely to be suspense
But that’s expected
That’s a part of the journey
In college, two of my favorite professors were often critical of students’ writing. They’d say, perhaps demand: “Get to the point. Explain why. Don’t drift.”
At the time, I thought this was great advice. I still do.
More Buffett:
“Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing.”
“For investors as a whole, returns decrease as motion increases.”
A user over at Reddit.com, who goes by Privatepyle82, submitted a question to Reddit’s “AskReddit” section.
Privatepyle82′s Question:
“Is it possible to be happy?”
I have too much stuff.
I probably have a lot less than most. But to me, it’s still too much.
I have a couple of electronic devices. And what comes with an electronic device? A manual.
In college, I earned a finance degree. During my four years there I was lectured and tested on many different types of investments, investment strategies, jargon, etc. To this day, I’m not sure how much of it I really understand. I didn’t agree with a lot of it, but perhaps that’s out of ignorance. Though, I’d argue it’s out of prudence!
Anyway, the most important thing I’ve learned about money didn’t come from a teacher at school. It came from my Dad at a very young age. He told me:
“Don’t spend more than you make or have. And saving is a good thing.”
A couple of Warren Buffett quotes:
“It’s no fun being a horse when the tractor comes along, or the blacksmith when the car comes along.”
“If you don’t make mistakes, you can’t make decisions.”
Here are three reads you may find interesting:
1. When No News Is Bad News (Theatlantic.com)
2. Microsoft’s Creative Destruction (Nytimes.com)
3.The Inner Besos [ca. 1999] (Wired.com)
Paul Buchheit, the creator of Google’s mantra “Don’t be evil”, its email service Gmail, and FriendFeed, wrote a blog post the other day entitled “If your product is Great, it doesn’t need to be Good.” His post is about product design.
I just came across an interesting article by The Atlantic from February 1982. It discusses the history of the diamond industry.
You can read it here.
If you were watching the commercials during the third quarter of the Super Bowl yesterday you may have noticed Google’s ad “Parisian Love,” where a user longs for love in Paris. The ad is a part of Google’s “Search Stories” campaign.
On Thursday (Feb. 4), Charlie Rose hosted a discussion about Apple’s iPad. It included Walt Mossberg (The Wall Street Journal), David Carr (The New York Times), and Michael Arrington (TechCrunch).
Today’s Super Bowl Sunday. The Big Game. The Grand Finale.
While kickoff isn’t scheduled to occur until 6:25 PM ET tonight, the Wire has been heavy with Super Bowl coverage and analysis over the last couple of weeks. From score predictions, to player, team, and coach analysis, to Super Bowl recipes.
Pursuing prestige is dangerous.
I used to want to be famous so bad. I’d watch all the award shows in awe.
I’d watch the Golden Globes and Oscars and get it in my head that I should move to Hollywood to become an actor. And not next week, month, or year, but the next day. I never physically packed up my car, but I did for hours and hours in my head. Every year, every awards show.
(Haiti From Space; Soichi Noguchi)
I just came across some beautiful images. They’re actually 9 Twitpic images from space via Japanese aeronautical engineer and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Soichi Noguchi.
You can view the images here.
The other day I wrote this post about the essence of real-world experience as oppose to formal education.
Well, I just stumbled across someone who jumped right into the real-world and has had great success. His name is Johnny Earle and he started a t-shirt company in 2001 — Johnny Cupcakes (or JC for short).
Dear Google News,
I thank you for incorporating Google Fast Flip into the bottom of Google News. And I would greatly appreciate it if you would include an option (a direct link) to the original source of your articles right from Fast Flip on Google News (instead of reaching Fast Flip first and then having to click through to the source.)
Thanks,
Joon Report
P.S. I also wouldn’t mind seeing Google Fast Flip moved to the top of Google News. But that’s just the cherry on top.
(realestatezebra.com)
Greg Mankiw, an economics professor at Harvard, received a cool email from Gordon Boronow, an assistant professor at Nyack College. In it, Gordon says that he tells his students “that in five years if all they remember about economics is the first chapter [from Greg's book, which I think is this one], then their efforts will not be wasted.” To help them remember the contents of the first chapter, he created an acrostic: ECONOMICS! (Ha.)
Greg republished the acrostic on his blog and I’ve re-republished the acrostic below:
Ten Key Principles in Economics
Everything has a cost. There is no free lunch. There is always a trade-off.
Cost is what you give up to get something. In particular, opportunity cost is cost of the tradeoff.
One More. Rational people make decisions on the basis of the cost of one more unit (of consumption, of investment, of labor hour, etc.).
iNcentives work. People respond to incentives.
Open for trade. Trade can make all parties better off.
Markets Rock! Usually, markets are the best way to allocate scarce resources between producers and consumers.
Intervention in free markets is sometimes needed. (But watch out for the law of unintended effects!)
Concentrate on productivity. A country’s standard of living depends on how productive its economy is.
Sloshing in money leads to higher prices. Inflation is caused by excessive money supply.
! Caution: In the short run, falling prices may lead to unemployment, and rising employment may lead to inflation.
—————————————–
Greg Mankiw’s blog and the post referenced above can be found here.
Gordon Boronow can be found here (scroll down to #23).
(iskouk.org)
Today, PBS released a documentary film called Digital Nation, which explores how the Internet and digital technology are changing the way people communicate, work, and learn.
It was broadcast over PBS’ television networks today and it’s also been made available online.
I thought it was an interesting film. You can watch it online here. (Note: There are 9 sections, which are navigable via the timeline above the video player. Also, it’s about 90 minutes long.)
(Diplomaplaquelaminators.com)
The MinnPost.com published a piece today that talks about Gen Y (which it defines as college-educated, 30 and younger) feeling left out of the job market.
I agree with most of the article’s contents.
The article’s author, Brad Allen, says that Simon Foster, a Minnesota based executive recruiter, worries that:
“Younger people are not getting the experience of ‘what the workforce is like’ and companies need to be careful ‘not to create a big issue in the future’ where a large number of young people lack real-world work experience.”
I wholeheartedly agree with this. Many Gen Yers that I know cannot find adequate work. As a result, many have moved back home with their parents.
But this is to be expected in a recession. A recession hurts most groups of people, employers, etc. I think Gen Yers understand that, even if it’s hard to swallow.
But what I think is more important to talk about is whether or not a college degree is as valuable as it used to be. Or in other words, asking, Why aren’t employers hiring Gen Yers? Well, I think it’s simple. College educated Gen Yers aren’t providing employers with what they want and value most: Experience.
Colleges, universities, and their stakeholders, have continued to market the enormous long-term benefits of earning a college degree. They say, using statistics, that one can expect so-much more income over one’s working life. If you Google around, you’ll find reports and studies saying these things.
I just don’t think a college degree is as important and necessary today, as it may have been before (excluding fields such as: science, engineering, teaching; there may be a couple others as well).
Why do I think this? Because employers keep asking Gen Y job candidates about their experience. (That’s assuming they’re willing to talk to Gen Yers in the first place.)
They’re not asking (excluding Ivy Leaguers): “Where were you educated?” They’re asking: “What experience do you have?” Or, “What experience do you have that would enable you to do so-and-so…” (And replying, “Well, I did all these book problems and group projects” doesn’t make a persuasive case for hiring you, in my opinion.)
And personally, I think it’s the right question to ask. Experience is doing real-work (practical, relevant, tangible, etc.) — be it customer service, managing people, analyzing real customer data, etc.
In short, employers want experience, but college graduates don’t have any.
My solution:
If an ambitious, prospective, college student asked me if I think they should go to college, I’d reply: “If you’re not interested in science, engineering, or teaching, spend your time and energy getting a job now. It will probably be difficult at first. But just be persistent and work really hard. If you do that, I think you’ll be better equipped — and more valuable — over the long-run.” (Note: I’m not saying getting a job now is a substitute for learning or acquiring knowledge. As the adage goes: “Knowledge is Power.” But I don’t think one (the ambitious person) needs to attend college to acquire knowledge, or to learn things. Because I believe the ambitious will always keep learning.)
(Image: Rollingstone.com)
I found another interview with Steve Jobs by Rollingstone.com. It’s from December 3, 2003.
Here are some of Steve’s comments that I found most interesting:
Interviewer: When is Apple going to start signing musicians — in effect, become a record label?
“Well, it would be very easy for us to sign up a musician. It would be very hard for us to sign up a young musician that was successful. Because that’s what the record companies do. Their value is in picking that 1 out of 5,000. We don’t do that.
We think there’s a lot of structural changes that are probably gonna happen in the record industry, though. We’ve talked to a large number of artists that really don’t like their record company, and I was curious about that. And the general reason they don’t like the record company is because they think they’ve been really successful, but they’ve only earned a little bit of money.”
Interviewer: They feel they’ve been ripped off.
“They feel. But then, again, the music companies aren’t making a lot of money right now … so where’s the money going? Is it inefficiency? Is somebody going to Argentina with suitcases full of hundred-dollar bills? What’s going on?And it turns out, after talking to a lot of people, this is my conclusion. A young artist gets signed, and they get a big advance — a million dollars, or more. And the theory is that the record company will earn back that advance as the artist is successful.
Except that even though they’re really good at picking, still, only one or two out of the ten that they pick is successful. And so, for most of the artists, they never earn back that advance — so they’re out that money. Well, who pays for the ones that are the losers?”
Interviewer: Kid Rock.
“The winners pay. The winners are paying for the losers, and the winners are not seeing rewards commensurate with their success. And so they get upset. So what’s the remedy? The remedy is to stop paying advances. The remedy is to go to a gross-revenues deal and to tell an artist: We’ll give you 20 cents on every dollar we get … but we’re not gonna give you an advance.The accounting will be simple: We’re gonna pay you not on profits — we’re gonna pay you off revenues. It’s very simple: The more successful you are, the more you’ll earn. But if you’re not successful, you will not earn a dime. We’ll go ahead and risk some marketing money on you, and we’ll be out. But if you’re not successful, you’ll make no money — but if you are, you’ll make a lot more. That’s the way out. That’s the way the rest of the world works.”
Interviewer: So you see the recording industry moving in that direction?
“No. I said: I think that’s the remedy. Will the patient swallow the medicine is another question.”
You can read the whole interview here.
(Image: Rollingstone.com; Riha Jr./WireImage)
Rollingstone.com recently republished an interview with Steve Jobs from June 16, 1994. It’s an interesting look into what he thought back then.
To me, the most interesting thing from the interview was how Steve characterized himself:
“I’m a tool builder. That’s how I think of myself. I want to build really good tools that I know in my gut and my heart will be valuable. And then whatever happens is… you can’t really predict exactly what will happen, but you can feel the direction that we’re going. And that’s about as close as you can get. Then you just stand back and get out of the way, and these things take on a life of their own.”
He continues:
“Technology is nothing. What’s important is that you have a faith in people, that they’re basically good and smart, and if you give them tools, they’ll do wonderful things with them. It’s not the tools that you have faith in — tools are just tools. They work, or they don’t work. It’s people you have faith in or not. Yeah, sure, I’m still optimistic I mean, I get pessimistic sometimes but not for long.”
You can read the whole interview here.
(Pbs.org)
(Apple Inc.; Baltimoresun.com)
I admire Apple for its imagination, design, passion, and determination.
But the thing is, I’m attracted to anything that possesses those qualities.
(Credit: Engadget.com)
This morning, Apple announced its “latest creation.”
It’s called the Apple iPad.
You can check it out over at Apple’s site here.
You can read Engadget.com’s coverage of the event here.
Some Steve Jobs quotes from the event (via Engadget.com):
“So all of us use laptops and smartphones. The question has arisen — is there room for something in the middle? We’ve wondered for years as well. In order to create that category, they have to be far better at doing some key tasks; better than the laptop, better than the smartphone.”
“What kind of tasks? Browsing the web. Doing email. Enjoying and sharing pics. Watching videos. Enjoying music. Playing games. Reading ebooks.”
“If there’s gonna be a third category, it has to be better at these tasks — otherwise it has no reason for being.”
“Now some people thought that was a netbook — the problem is that netbooks aren’t better than anything!”
“We think we’ve got something that is better. And we call it the iPad.”
“The iPad is the most advanced piece of tech that I’ve ever worked on at Apple.”
Update: Apple’s video of the iPad (via YouTube and apple.com/ipad)
Update 2: Apple has posted video of Steve Jobs’ keynote from today’s event here
The Christian Science Monitor reports on the recently released YouTubeCN.com site:
Li Senhe launched YouTubecn.com, a fake version of the Google-owned YouTube.com, on Jan. 15, just days after Google announced that it would consider pulling out of the Chinese market if it had to continue censoring its search engine results.
You can read The CSM’s article here.
You can check out YouTubeCN.com here.
I just came across a short domain name search application. It’s really easy to use and it produces good results. I found and bought a domain name while using it a minute or so ago.
It’s called NXdom.
From its About page:
NXdom is an interactive search engine for available short domain names. Its database contains millions of DNS results for expired and unused domain names. You can search by prefix and suffix, and sort the results by length, readability, and popularity.
NXdom was created by Johann C. Rocholl in about 2500 lines of Python and powered by Django 1.1 on Google App Engine. The full source code is available at github.com/jcrochol/nxdom under the MIT License.
You can try it out here.
Image credit: Politico.com
Thomas Friedman, of The New York Times, wrote an op-ed piece yesterday which discusses his desire (post-Massachusetts) to see President Obama make entrepreneurship and innovation his top priority in 2010.
You can read the piece here.
Economist.com: The Psychology Of Power — Absolutely
Wsj.com: The Quants — Formula For A Meltdown
Stanford.edu: David Heineimeier Hansson: Unlearn Your MBA [Audio -- approx. 1 hour long]
Charlierose.com: Charlie Rose With Jeff Zucker, President & CEO of NBC Universal [Video -- discussing the recent late-night television issues; approx. 30 min.]
Wallstreetjournal.com: John Bogle — Restoring Faith In Financial Markets
Image credit: cnet.com
Cnet.com and many other news outlets are reporting that Apple has announced a Jan. 27 event, by invitation only, to “…see our latest creation.”
You can read Cnet’s post on it here.
John Cassidy (pictured below), of The New Yorker, interviewed six Chicago Booth School of Business economists, and a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago — Richard Posner — who’s also a Senior Lecturer at Chicago Law School and has taken an interest in economics, in October 2009. The interviews have now been published online here.
Image credit: newyorker.com
The links to the interviews are below. (Note: after clicking on a each link, you will have to scroll up to get to the beginning of each interview. Reason: the links bring you to a middle section of the interviews.)
Image credit: jmls.edu
1. Interview with Richard Posner (pictured above) can be found here.
Image credit: cass.city.ac.uk
2. Interview with Eugene Fama (pictured above) can be found here.
Image credit: chronicle.uchicago.edu
3. Interview with John Cochrane (pictured above) can be found here.
Image credit: wordpress.com
4. Interview with Gary Becker (pictured above) can be found here.
Image credit: ciweb.org
5. Interview with James Heckman (pictured above) can be found here.
Image credit: law.uchicago.edu
6. Interview with Kevin Murphy (pictured above) can be found here.
Image credit: londonspeakerbureau.in
7. Interview with Raghuram Rajan (pictured above) can be found here.
Economist.com: Small business takes a hit
Economist.com: Banks and Small Businesses — For want of a loan
Economist.com: Asset markets: The danger of the bounce
Harpers.org: The Church Of Warren Buffett (via Scribd)
David’s talk from Startup School ’08:
The Superinvestors Of Graham-And-Doddsville was a talk that Warren Buffett gave in 1984 at Columbia University.
From tilsonfunds.com:
This article is an edited transcript of a talk given at Columbia University in 1984 commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Security Analysis, written by Benjamin Graham and David L. Dodd. This specialized volume first introduced the ideas later popularized in The Intelligent Investor. Buffett’s essay offers a fascinating study of how Graham’s disciples have used Graham’s value investing approach to realize phenomenal success in the stock market.
You can read the edited-transcript of the talk here.
Warren Buffett warned of the dangers of derivatives back in 2003.
To read what he said back then click here.
You can read Netflix’s official press release here.
Read John Gruber (of Daringfireball.net) on “The Apple Tablet” here.
If you’re interested in finding out more about startup incubators/accelerators, you should check out TechStars “The Founders” documentary series. The series covers teams from TechStars’ summer 2009 batch in Boulder, Colorado. There are fourteen episodes. Scroll down to the bottom to find the first one.
You can start watching it here.
David Einhorn, President of Greenlight Capital, gave a speech entitled, “The Curse of The Triple A” in May of this year.
You can read it here (pdf).
Is the Apple Tablet coming to market in 2010? Only a small group of people really know the answer to that. And even if it is, an even smaller group knows the whole story — what it’s really like.
Nonetheless, the wire is heating up its discussion about such a device.
Here are some links to things I’m reading about this unreleased device, ha:
I just came across an “old” (1997) article by Mary Schmich who writes for the Chicago Tribune.
It’s kind of like a “What would you tell your younger self? piece.
You can read it here.
In late 2007, Google’s stock reached a high of $740, but it subsequently dropped to about $300 by early 2009. Since about 85% of employees held options that were out-of-the-money, Google decided in March that it would allow nearly all of its employees to swap their stock options for new ones.
You can the New York Times article about it here.
“Quality always wins.”
-Anonymous
“I can hardly understand the importance given to the word research. In my opinion, to search means nothing in painting. To find is the thing. The several manners I have used in my art must not be considered as an evolution or as steps toward an unknown ideal of painting … I have never made trials or experiments.”
-Pablo Picasso
“I seek in painting.”
-Paul Cezanne
The Picasso and Cezanne quotes were pulled from a Malcolm Gladwell piece entitled, “Annals of Culture: Late Bloomers”, which you can read here.
Nasa.gov released a photo which shows what the east coast blizzard looks like from space. The photo is below, but you can read more about it here.
I just came across an interesting piece on high-frequency trading from Technologyreview.com (published by MIT).
You can read it here.
Joon Report may not be updated with content this weekend, starting tonight. I will be traveling internationally and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to post. But everything should be back to normal by Monday morning.
Thanks for continuing to read Joon Report.
Thedailybeast.com’s Charlie Gasparino wrote an article last night arguing that “the person who really turned around the economy wasn’t Ben Bernanke.”
Charlie’s piece is a response to Time magazine’s anointment of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke as its “Person of the Year.”
From the article:
“As he [Volcker] recently told The Wall Street Journal’s Alan Murry: ‘I have found very little evidence that vast amounts of innovation in financial markets in recent years have had a visible effect on the productivity of the economy. Maybe you can show me that I am wrong.” He continues, “All I know is that the economy was rising very nicely in the 1950s and 1960s, without all of these innovations. Indeed, it was quite good in the 1980s without credit-default swaps and without secularization and without CDOs.”
What does Volcker think the most important financial innovation has been in the last two decades? The ATM:
“The most important financial innovation that I have seen the past 20 years is the automatic teller machine … How many other innovations can you tell me that have been as important to the individual as the automatic teller machine, which is in fact more of a mechanical innovation than a financial one?”
You can read the piece here.
Pcmag.com is reporting that McDonald’s is going to be offering free Wi-Fi in its U.S. restaurants (11,000) and some of its Canada restaurants in January of 2010.
Some notes about it:
Today, Comcast announced the release of its “On Demand Online” service, Fancast XFINITY TV.
According to the press release, it’s “available nationally in beta at no additional cost to customers.”
From the release:
“[Fancast] gives customers an “anytime anywhere” entertainment experience – at home and on-the-go – and expands the video content customers can watch online by giving them quick and easy access to thousands of hours of cable TV shows, movies and independently produced content.”
It continues, “Both Comcast customers and non-Comcast customers across the nation currently have access to over 12,000 hours of great online content through Fancast.com – the company’s online TV site and a top TV destination on the web – for free. Now, as a benefit of their cable subscription, Comcast customers will enjoy even more access to thousands of titles from the cable channels in their subscription packages at no additional cost through Fancast XFINITY TV.”
You can read the official announcement here.
Yesterday, Plurk had an issue with the release of MSN China’s microblogging service, Juku. (Juku was developed by a Chinese vendor.) In short, that the developers of Juku had directly copied Plurk code.
Well, today, Microsoft released a statement acknowledging that some of the code was in fact copied:
“The vendor has now acknowledged that a portion of the code they provided was indeed copied. This was in clear violation of the vendor’s contract with the MSN China joint venture, and equally inconsistent with Microsoft’s policies respecting intellectual property.”
And it also apologized to Plurk:
“We are obviously very disappointed, but we assume responsibility for this situation. We apologize to Plurk and we will be reaching out to them directly to explain what happened and the steps we have taken to resolve the situation.”
Good job, Microsoft, for investigating and taking care of the issue quickly.
You can read the official statement here.
I’ve come across some interesting videos which display the vast intelligence of octopuses.
Here they are (note: they include commentary):
And a bonus video:
Update 1: The Seattle Times is reporting that the Dreamliner left the runway at 10:27 AM PST. I’m not sure if the live webcast (linked below) was up and running during the first flight.
The day is here, hopefully. After many delays, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is scheduled to take its first flight today.
I haven’t been able to confirm what time it’s scheduled to occur. Some reports say as early as 10 AM PST.
You can watch the live webcast here. You can see Fortune’s take on how the Dreamliner was made here (slideshow).
I haven’t come across anything especially interesting over the Web today. Though, a few stories caught my attention a bit, “Microsoft Rips Off Plurk” , “Why James Chartrand Wears Women’s Underpants” , “Creating Startup Office On Bootstrap Budget.”
Did you come across anything interesting today?
If so, please share. You can send an email with links to editor@joonreport.com.
TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington published a post today entitled, “The End Of Hand Crafted Content,” about the subsequent rise of “fast food content.”
He says:
“It’s [fast food content is] the rise of cheap, disposable content on a mass scale, force fed to us by the portals and search engines.”
You can read the post here.
The Wall Street Journal published an article yesterday entitled “In Year of Investing Dangerously, Buffett Looked ‘Into the Abyss.’”
It highlights Buffett’s past year (it actually starts with a March 15, 2008 call) — deals he was contacted about, offered, and subsequently passed on, among other things.
A quote from the article:
“I don’t think Buffett gets enough credit for all the pitches he doesn’t swing at,” says Paul Howard, an analyst at Janney Montgomery Scott. “And he gets a lot of pitches.”
You can read the article here. (Note: link may prompt subscription offer.)
Just came across a visualization of the Browser Wars. It’s pretty cool looking and can be found here.
Bonus: What does it look like? (Hint: related to browsers.)
Just came across an interesting piece by someone who started a business selling TV wall mounts online.
You can read it here.
The other day I went out to breakfast with some people. We talked about many things since I hadn’t seen them in at least 4 years.
But one conversation really interested me at the time and still does, which is why I’m writing now.
I was talking to Julie (an alias) and she was asking me whether or not I ever got into the video game craze. I told her I hadn’t. I played them occasionally when I was younger but I much preferred going outside and running around. When I was a kid, I loved being active. I still do. So video games didn’t really have a place in my life, nor do they now.
Julie was asking me this because her son (we’ll call him John, who was with us) really loves video games. And she can’t stand them! She thinks they’re horrible!
She’d rather her son be more active. She was telling me that she wants him to go outside and play with his friends but that it’s really hard to pull him away from his video games.
At the time, I just told her that I have friends who are the same way with video games. It just seems like they’re a part of them. They love playing them and, well, we’re just different in that way, which is okay with me.
As we were eating, John talked and talked about his games. It was easy to see how passionate he was about them. It seemed like we [this breakfast] were interrupting him in his religious exploration of the virtual world! Shame on us, I thought, ha!
Finding what or whom you love – whether it be in your professional and/or personal lives – is really hard.
So when you do find it, make sure you hold onto it, or to them, really, really, tight.
To John: Don’t let go!
Every now and then I’ll be listing some quotes I come across and like. Here are a couple to start off:
“Do, or do not. There’s no try.”
-Jedi Master Yoda
“If you think, you might. If you do, you are.”
-Anonymous
Society often encourages its members to pursue education. In fact, it encourages more of a continuous pursuit over one’s lifetime. And I’m all for education. Sure, my views on education may differ from others’, but I still strongly believe in education. Reading, writing, math, science, the arts — they’re all important.
But why, then, is the first question (maybe second or third) out of peoples’ mouths when you first meet them: What do you do?
Now, I don’t want to debate why we ask each other this all of the time.
But I do want to say that it seems to me people don’t really care about where you went to school, what your GPA or SAT score was. They may at first (e.g. in the first quarter of your life as your entering into the job market after you’ve received your undergraduate degree). But I think only at first.
* * *
It’s widely known that the Google Guys (Larry Page and Sergey Brin) left graduate school to work on a project: “Search.” And today, Google is one of the biggest companies in the world. Larry and Sergey have done really well for themselves — one guess says they’re each worth $12 billion.
And did you know that Apple Computer was near bankruptcy in the mid to late 90s (I believe that’s the correct time frame)? As the story goes, Steve Jobs took control of Apple as CEO when Apple bought his new technology company, NeXT, in 1997. He then led Apple out of bankruptcy by creating revolutionary products such as the iPod, iMac, and iPhone, among many others. (Fortune recently named him CEO of the Decade.)
* * *
So it seems to me that what’s really important (and what’s most revered by society) are things you do, or did. It’s not really about where you studied, or how well you studied.
So, as Nike says: “Just Do It!” — which means to me that if you’re studying music or engineering, or finance, or whatever, you should really be doing it.
Today, Facebook announced that it’s released “new tools to give you even greater control over the information you share.”
If you’re an active Web surfer, you’ve probably already read a lot about this. But I’d like to add some more.
Marshall Kirkpatrick of ReadwWriteWeb.com authored a post today, “The Day Has Come: Facebbook Pushes People To Go Public,” and near the end of it, he writes, “Facebook confirmed to us in a press call earlier this year that the company does in fact want users to post more publicly…”
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, has publicly stated (most recent occasion) his desire to make the world more “open and connected.” So, Facebook’s desire for users to post more publicly shouldn’t be a surprise.
Anyway, here are a couple of my thoughts on this:
The contents of Rupert Murdoch ‘s (chairman and CEO of News Corp., which owns Dow Jones & Company, which owns The Wall Street Journal and WSJ.com) Dec. 1st remarks before the Federal Trade Commission’s workshop on journalism and the Internet has been made available via WSJ.com.
You can read them here.
According to a study by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp., the low-cost movie rental kiosks may cost the entertainment industry $1 billion.
This is primarily due to four factors:
You can read the study here (pdf).
According to Fusion Garage’s Chandra Rathakrishnan, the CrunchPad has been renamed “JooJoo” and will be released on December 11 at midnight PST for $499.
An interesting piece by the Washington Post about former Treasury Department official Neel Kashkari.
You can read it here.
Just came across an interview with Jeff Bezos by the New York Times. It mainly focuses on the Kindle and digital literature.
You can read it here.
Today, AppJet announced that it’s being acquired by Google. AppJet is the maker of online collaboration tool, EtherPad.
The official announcement from AppJet and the Google PR Team says, “The EtherPad team will continue its work on real-time collaboration by joining the Google Wave team.”
Update: EtherPad announces that its service is back online until open sourced.
Yesterday, Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, authored a piece for the Wall Street Journal about how Google can help the newspapers.
You can read it here.
I just came across a demo from Time, Inc and The Wonderfactory. It shows what Sports Illustrated (SI) could look like on a Tablet device.
Is the Tablet for real? I have no idea, but I hope it is. Anyway, I’ll just get out of the way and let you see it for yourself. You can watch the demo here.
I just searched Google for a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article titled, “UPDATE: News Corp’s Murdoch: Journalism’s Future is Promising”
The search yielded this result (URL): http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20091201-709558.html
I clicked on it and it brought me to this (screenshot):
At first, I didn’t think this was even an article. But if you look closely, it is. The formatting just isn’t very good.
I then performed the same search (by copying and pasting my Google search) in Bing.
It yielded this result (URL): http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20091201-709558.html
(Note: Same URL in the Bing search as in the Google search.)
I clicked on it and it brought me to this (screenshot):
The formatting of the article’s contents via the Bing search is much more presentable. It’s how I normally experience WSJ online content through any search engine or through Wsj.com directly. This was the first time it was displayed different for me using different search engines.
As you may know, there’s been discussion around News Corp. blocking its content from Google. It’s also been reported that News Corp. has had discussions with Microsoft regarding potential payment for exclusive search rights for News Corp.’s online content. (News Corp. owns Dow Jones & Company which owns The Wall Street Journal.)
Anyway, I’m not sure if this is significant or anything, but it seemed weird to me.
Should also note that the article doesn’t even show up in a Yahoo! search (screenshot):
Tyler Perry, American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and author, is a great story. He might be best known for his first movie, Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2004), and television show Tyler Perry’s House of Payne (2006). But if you don’t know him yet, you’re likely to very soon. And not through Hollywood. Through his own production company — Tyler Perry Studios — out of Atlanta, Georgia.
Here are three interesting pieces about him:
Yesterday, Economist.com published a piece titled “Media: A World Of Hits.”
With much more choice for media consumers, the blockbuster was supposed to have been hurt. According to the article, it’s doing just fine.
You can read the article here.
I’m thankful for good health and great people.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
This morning, Google announced new search ad formats. It’s known for its text ads within search results, but that’s only one way of consuming information. In some cases, videos and pictures are more effective.
In the announcement, Google also talks about providing “richer types of information.” It provides an example, “If you’re looking to buy your mom a new handbag for the holidays,…you might want to see pictures, prices, the addresses of boutiques in your area and a map of how to get there — all within the ad.”
I’m excited to see how online advertising will evolve over the next few years. I’ll be updating this post with my thoughts on that in a little bit.
You can read the formal announcement over at the Official Google Blog, here.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Facebook Inc. has established a Class B stock, which carries ten times the voting power of Class A stock. All existing shareholders’ shares are being converted into the new Class B stock.
You can read the article, here.
Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice-president for worldwide product marketing, gave his first signifcant interview on the App Store approval process today.
Schiller’s comments from the businessweek.com article:
You can read the whole article, here.
Last Friday, Paul Graham (well known essayist, programmer, and co-founder of Viaweb) published an interesting piece that starts off by saying: “I don’t think Apple realizes how badly the App Store approval process is broken. Or rather, I don’t think they realize how much it matters that it’s broken.”
At first, I wanted to stay away from the report that Rupert Murdoch and News Corp. are discussing an exclusive search partnership with Microsoft (i.e. Bing). After all, it’s just announcing that they’re discussing. I discuss a lot of things with a lot of different people, while I actually end up doing only a few things.
But because the health and prosperity of online content creation is so near-and-dear to many people, I thought I’d chime in too. Though, disclaimer: I’m just a nobody.
What worries me about exclusive search partnerships for online content is the precedent it could set. If all (or many prominent ones) online content creators sign deals to have its content indexed exclusively, it’ll be a burden on the user/consumer. I don’t want to have to remember which search engines to use to search for certain content.
But of course, in order to create online content, there has to be some kind of business model for it to work.
Personally, I don’t think the subscriber model will work for most content creators. But for the big, powerful, brands and companies, it’s worked to some extent. In 2007, it’s been reported (very bottom of article) that WSJ.com earned $60 million from its online subscriptions.
But I think a major component of the business model for online content will be advertising, as it is now. It’ll just be different.
TheAtlantic.com just wrote up a piece on the exclusive search deal. Near the end of the article, the writer, Derek Thompson, writes, “As a coda, Jeff Jarvis thinks this idea [an exclusive search partnership] is suicide, and I think Jeff Jarvis is wrong. His critique of Google-blocking is all about traffic, and that’s crazy, because nobody in his right mind thinks that online traffic is going to save the new York Times…” He goes on to say, “He’s [Jeff Jarvis] not engaging with the central problem, which is that today’s online ad rates can’t save journalism.”
Derek’s article has a huge Louis Vuitton banner ad to the right side of it. The problem is, I’m not in the market for a Louis Vuitton handbag. There’s very little engagement with it for me.
I think we’ll start seeing the customization of ads for individual users. It may be years out before this is streamlined. On the other hand, it may not be. Google just acquired another ad company.
An aside, if you want read an interesting piece on publishing, read Paul Graham’s.
Zero Hedge, started by Dan Ivandjiiski (aka “Tyler Durden”), is a finance blog. I’m not a regular reader of the blog (yet?), but it seems like many in the finance industry are.
It has experienced an incredible rise in popularity since its (recent) inception on January 9, 2009. According to compete.com, it boasts 161,401 unique visitors and 740,057 total visits per month. Its compete rank is listed at 12,395, while its Alexa rank is a little lower, at 13,332.
And because public traffic metrics tend to underestimate traffic, I wouldn’t be surprised if Zero Hedge is doing far more than what Compete reports.
During this rise, there has been some interesting discussion about Zero Hedge over the last few months. Here are a few links:
Bloomberg is reporting that Facebook shares are selling for $21 on SecondMarket, up from $14.77 in July.
According to its site, SecondMarket is “The Secondary Market for Illiquid Assets.”
Possible reasons why share prices have spiked:
You can read the Bloomberg article, here.
Warren Buffett recently appeared on the Charlie Rose Show. Their talk focuses on Berkshire Hathaway’s recent acquisition of Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railway, the U.S. economy, China’s economy, the global economy, and even Warren’s thoughts on why he doesn’t own several houses or a bunch of cars.
To see the video you’ll have to navigate to charlierose.com and then on the right hand side there’s a box with videos (with tabs named “Last Night,” “Web Exclusive,” and “Recent Shows.”). The far right tab, “Recent Shows,” is the one you want to scroll through. The talk was on 11/13/09 — though the show might not have a date attached to it; it may just say “Warren Buffett.”
One author has candidly answered that question. To prove it, she’s posted her royalty statement.
The book is called Twilight Fall. The author is Lynn Viehl.
Here’s one quote from the article: “Speaking of comparisons, the publisher’s portion of sales on this book has grossed them around $453,839.68. I don’t have any hard figures on the publisher’s net, so I can’t give you the bottom line there. If I had to make a guess, I’d say they probably netted around $250K on this one.”
But the publisher makes more than the author. How much more? Well, you can read the article, here.
I just came across an interesting interview with Jeff Bezos.
It can be found, here.
I just came across this group of videos on the Web. Some notable ones include: Loopt, AdMob, Twitter, Dropbox, and Mint.
See the list and watch here.
First things first, I believe in execution.
But you have to execute something. And it starts with an idea.
I think when people are brainstorming “business ideas”, they’re really trying to find a great market first, but many probably don’t realize this. Often times, I’ll hear people say they’ve thought of the next best thing — it’s some product or service that they seem to know will change the world.
Of course, there are less extreme versions of this. Some may just say “Hey John, I’ve been thinking about so-and-so. What do you think?” But entrepreneurs are usually pretty optimistic people, so there’s usually at least of hint of excitement when someone thinks they’ve got a good idea.
Nowadays, the first thing I ask someone after they’ve pitched me an idea is “What’s the size of the market?”
In my opinion, the Idea Man, the person who loves thinking about and generating ideas, should really think about this question when they’re thinking about prospective products and services (i.e. businesses).
If you’re set on focusing your efforts on starting the “Next Big Thing,” well, by all means go for it. But just be honest with yourself. It’s okay not to, too.
Though, it may be best to just think in terms of a small market. That way you won’t give up immediately when you don’t have users and customers coming to you from every direction right from the beginning. It’ll allow you to focus your efforts on making your product or service really great for your small set of users and customers. And who knows, maybe it’ll be something a lot of others want, too.
As the saying goes, even the big guys were small at some point — even if it was only for a short time.
So, as you continue thinking about new product, service, and business ideas, be honest with yourself and analyze the size of the market for each. If you think you’ve got an idea with a large market, you’ll probably know pretty quickly if that’s true. But try not to get discouraged by small markets. Just don’t start by spending millions of dollars and hiring lots of people in them.
There’s a special on CNBC tonight at 9pm ET/6pm PT (which is right now) where Warren Buffett and Bill Gates will take part in a town-hall meeting at Columbia Business School. Topics include: economy, the future of capitalism, the American dream, and corporate social responsibility.
*Update*
In case you missed it and want to see highlights, go to the “Video Gallery”, here.
And the full video can be found, here.
This past week, Fortune featured the “CEO of the Decade” in its magazine and on its website. Who did it select as the CEO of the Decade?
Steve Jobs of Apple.
You can read the original article, here.
You can read other parts of the feature, such as: “Rarely seen Steve Jobs — Where it all began” , “8 stars speak out on Steve Jobs” , “Inside the Apple Ecosystem” , and “Music to Their Ears” here, here, here, and here.
I just came across an interesting interview by the Fool.com with Alice Schroder, author of the book The Snowball. The interview centers around the subject of her book, Warren Buffett.
You can read it, here.
Over the last couple days, there’s been some discussion about Internet marketing over the Web. Specifically, lead generation spam within social gaming networks. Two days ago, technology blog Techcrunch, stirred up the Web with this post.
And then yesterday, Dennis Yu, CEO of BlitzLocal, a privately held advertising agency in Denver, Colorado authored a guest post on Techcrunch, titled: “How To Spam Facebook Like A Pro: An Insider’s Confession.” You can read that article, here.
Many people are aware of spam being a problem with email, primarily because so many have experienced it. But, it also seems to be somewhat of a big issue with social networks. It will be interesting to see how social networks monetize its websites over the long-term. Will they tighten regulation, come up with a new model, or perhaps something completely different? I think it’ll be an interesting next couple of years for social networks.
Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, was recently interviewed at Gartner Symposium/ITxpo Orlando 2009, which is essentially a tech conference for CIO’s and IT directors. While there, he spoke about what he thinks the Web will look like in 5 years. Two comments that he made really stood out to me:
1. “We can index real-time info now – but how do we rank it?”
2. “It’s because of this fundamental shift towards user-generated information that people will listen more to other people than to traditional sources. Learning how to rank that is the great challenge of the age.”
To read technology blog ReadWriteWeb’s writeup of the interview, click here.
For the full interview (Video on YouTube), click here.
Buzz Bissinger argues that Michael Lewis’ famous book “Moneyball,” which scrutinizes MLB’s Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane’s unique way of finding and exploiting market inefficiencies, and buying this value at a discount, is wrong.
Bissinger points out that the four teams in this year’s AL and NL championship series’ had a combined payroll of $528,620,438.
While it may be true that this year the principles of “Moneyball” did not apply, one only needs to go back to last year when the Philadelphia Phillies (who will be making a repeat visit to the World Series this year) won the World Series and were ranked 13th in payroll, to find a counterexample.
And who was the Phillies’ opponent in the World Series last year? The Tampa Bay Rays, who were ranked second to last in payroll.
On the other hand, it seems plausible to argue that market inefficiencies would seize to exist, or at least be much harder to find and exploit, once a book is written about them.
Anyway, you can read the article, here.
And you can find the Wikipedia description of “Moneyball,” here. (I thought the book was great.)
Someone has re-posted the contents of Marc Andreessen’s blog (He deleted most of it awhile back.) One of my favorite posts is Pmarca’s Guide to Startups, part 4: The Only Thing That Matters.
You can find Marc’s recovered/re-posted blog (no guarantees it stays up and this link works in the future) here.
You can find the referenced post above here.
A little while ago, I was talking to someone about investing. We’ll call him Bob. Bob told me he had
been given a small (relatively speaking) sum of money. If I remember correctly, it was about
$20,000.
Bob is getting married soon (Summer of 2010) and this money was given to him (and to his
bride) by the bride’s family in order to pay for the wedding.
Since Bob majored in finance and his bride didn’t seem to have any interest in investing, it was
natural for him to want to have a hands-on-approach with respect to how the money would
be handled.
Well, one day Bob and I were out golfing and he asked me what I thought he should do with the
money. He made it clear that he wanted to invest it in something. He had about a year until he was
going to have to withdraw it in order to pay for the wedding.
I was surprised when Bob told me that he was hoping, perhaps expecting, to increase it to
$30,000 over that period of time – a 50% return.
At the time, I told him I didn’t know of an investment that would produce that kind of a
return – defining “investment” as: “An operation which, upon thorough analysis, promises safety
of principal and an adequate return. Operations not meeting these requirements are speculative.”
I think he was a bit surprised by my response. Maybe he thought I would tell him to invest in
so-and-so instruments, perhaps a low-cost mutual fund? Or maybe he thought I’d tell him of
a specific security that I had been studying? I’m not sure what he was thinking.
But he followed up his surprised look by telling me about a pharmaceutical company (I think)
that his friend’s Dad is an employee of. He was seriously considering investing in it. I hadn’t
heard of the company, which is what I told him.
When it seemed like I wasn’t offering him any “investment advice,” our conversation
transitioned back to golf.
But if I were to have that conversation back, I’d have told him something different. I would have
suggested to him that he might be better off having a wedding for $10,000 and saving the
other $10,000, than trying to earn a 50% return in one year, by speculating.
As the adage goes: “A penny saved, is a penny earned.”
I just came across an article, (it’s a bit dated — 2005), which highlights a speech given by Mr. Greenberg at Wharton. Almost immediately, his investment strategy reminded me of Warren Buffett’s of Berkshire Hathaway. In fact, I came across Greenberg’s name as I was reading his introduction to Part V of Security Analysis, by Benjamin Graham and David Dodd (Buffett’s longtime mentors).
Anyway, you can read the article, here.
In Warren Buffett’s 1999 article for Fortune Magazine, “Mr. Buffett on the Stock Market…,” with Carol Loomis, Warren discusses the term investing very early on in the piece: “Let’s start by defining ‘investing.’ The definition is simple but often forgotten: Investing is laying out money now to get more money back in the future–more money in real terms, after taking inflation into account.”
And on the very first page of Chapter 1 in my 1984 copy of The Intelligent Investor, the author, Benjamin Graham, sets out to define “Investment,” in contrast to “Speculation”; he states: “As far back as 1934, in our [Graham and David Dodd] textbook Security Analysis, we attempted a precise formulation of the difference between the two [Investment vs. Speculation], as follows: ‘An investment operation is one which, upon thorough analysis promises safety of principal and an adequate return. Operations not meeting these requirements are speculative.”
Now determining which securities are actual investments, at least by these definitions, requires work. But at least now we know what we’re looking for.
The article referenced above can be found, here.
Art of The Long View: Media Company of 2020 (video), which is a discussion between professor Jonathan Taplin, Peter Chernin (former President and COO of News Corp.), and Gordon Crawford (managing director of The Capital Group), is an excellent video. The description of the video on YouTube says: “This conversation will attempt to understand the long term effects of technological change on the American communications business.”
It’s a candid conversation that is worth watching for anyone interested in media, technology, business, or journalism.
I left the video feeling that this is an incredibly special time for the media industry. And while there’s likely to be change in the (perhaps very near) future, I’ll take the glass-is-half-full approach and say the media industry is ripe with opportunity.
You can watch the video here. (Note: it’s about an hour long.)
These three words (among others, such as, desire and determination) are often debated in terms of their relevance to success.
Here are some readings that I found particularly interesting (I plan on adding to the list periodically) on the subject of “success”:
-Fortune article: Why Talent is Overrated
-Boston.com article: The Truth About Grit
-Marc Andreessen on Productivity: The Pmarca Guide to Personal Productivity
