Life In The Weeds

Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

Just like most of his announcements while leading Apple over the years, Steve Jobs kept the details of his Pancreatic cancer very secretive.  When he handed over the reigns to Tim Cook, most of the public assumed it had to do with his sickness...no one could have imagined he would be dead in a month.

Jobs was a revolutionary for our generation...he created and lead a company that transformed the way generations communicate with one another...his impact on this earth was profound.

He quite literally, changed the world that we live in...it's not often that you live in a generation where that is possible.

mj

Generation (F)acebook

Like it or not, technology is here to stay...if you don't believe it, here are a few facts to enlighten you.

Close jaw now!

mj

How Big is Yours?

The first week of January always brings out the latest and greatest in electronics with the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.  The NY Post ran a great article on some of the BIG televisions that are on display (and sale) right now...

With the Super Bowl on the horizon, it might be time to get one of these:

* Mitsubishi 82-inch -- The SUV of TVs. It's two yards wide and suitable for a (gulp) 8,000-square-foot room. $3,200 (add another $1,000 for 3D)

* Mitsubishi 75-inch rear projection with laser -- Includes a service for streaming new movies. $7,000

* Mitsubishi 73-inch 3D -- The biggest bang for the buck. So popular, Amazon is sold out. $2,700

* LG 72-inch "Dynamic" 3D -- Darling of the upcoming electronics show. Not on the market yet and no price listed.

* Panasonic 65-inch, flat-panel Plasma -- Considered a professional-quality picture for gamers at a price few stoners can afford. $2,000

* Samsung 65-inch LED LCD -- The biggest and baddest out right now. It has its own WiFi, and they throw in a couple pairs of 3D glasses. $6,000

* Vizio 65-inch 3D -- The Chevy of big sets. A lot of 3D for the dough. $3,500

* Samsung 63-inch Plasma -- You can get high-quality plasma smaller, but then you'll always wonder what the bigger one is like. $2,000 ($3,000 with 3D)

Talk about an inferiority complex!

mj

Top Ten Overused Buzzword's on LinkedIn

I am a LinkedIn user.  I like it and think it is a valuable tool.  

Heading into 2011, the LinkedIn Analytics Team decided to take a crack at finding the most clichéd and overused phrases for the past year by trolling through over 85 million LinkedIn profiles.

Here they are:

Take a look at your profile.  Are you using using any of these to describe yourself?  How many? One...ten?

mj

US National Soccer Team...misses the mark!

The US National Soccer team arrived in Princeton with little, to no, fanfare.  Bob Bradley, the head coach, attended and coached at Princeton University...so bringing the National Team to the ridiculously, well appointed Princeton University soccer facilities made great sense.  The team held their last private practice session yesterday morning and I had the great pleasure of attending. PRIVATE, though, is the key word!

Getting "on the list" to see the National Team practice was akin to asking Obama if he's interested in a game horse!  It was locked down hard.  Granted, fans could watch through the fence from afar, but getting access to enter the facility was not easy.

So why make watching the team so UN-inviting?  Why not make it a huge, fan friendly experience? Soccer is indisputably the "world's game"...but not in the U.S. - so why not embrace the fan?

Why not: hold open practice sessions...allow fans to walk on the fields after practices...kick soccer balls into the crowd...have the big named players chat about their experiences...mic-up the coach or Landon Donovan to hear what they say...hold clinics for kids...etc, etc, etc!!

Unlike almost ALL other sports, soccer is strictly a players game.  There is absolutely no reason to CLOSE practice sessions for fear of the rest of the world knowing a "secret" play or strategy the US will unveil at the World Cup.  Once the whistle blows, the players take over and play!

This was a perfect opportunity for soccer to get some great PR and exposure...unfortunately, they missed the mark!

mj

Walmart goes Vudu

As reported here, months and months ago, Walmart is changing their image.  They continue to shift from "home of the redneck" to a hip and cool way to purchase all things inexpensively.

Now, they have upgraded their hipness and coolness with the purchase of Vudu, a streaming movie rental service.

Lookout Netflix?  Not sure, but if I were Netflix, I would be nervously looking in the rear view mirror at the Walmart guerrilla charging...

mj

Six months in the books!

Well, our little Blog experiment seems to have taken hold!

We have successfully been blogging for 6-months, or at least, we have been blogging for 6-months...who's to say if we have been successful.

How would you gage success in blogging?  Not sure you can...

Our goal was not to win "blogger of the year", rather, we wanted to put pen to paper and get some interesting thoughts and ideas out there in the blogosphere.

For that, we have succeeded.

Life In The Weeds is on the map!

mj

ROWE (results only work environment)

I listened to an interesting TED talk this morning by Dan Pink - http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation.html

It's worth a listen, especially if you are running your own business (or plan to) or leading a group of individuals and need to find ways to motivate.

The premise of his talk centers around the idea that traditional carrot and stick incentives, like money, ONLY work in tasks that require a narrow "mechanical" like focus.  In all other cases where creativity and free thinking are needed, carrot and stick incentives do not work!

I am a subscriber to this notion.  We are working in a world where blue suits and polished shoes are no longer needed.  Big offices with all the trimmings are a waste.  In my business, we hire freelancers often and they are hired based on the ROWE principal.  They are not measure by when they do their work (in regards to time of day) or where they do their work (usually at home)...they are measured by the results they produce.  They define the parameters to accomplish their tasks!

If people are given the autonomy to accomplish a certain goal, they will be inclined to work towards mastery of this goal because they will find purpose in what they are doing.

It's not a sweeter carrot or a sharper stick...

mj

What does it take to be a success?

I am no philosopher, but I suggest that you read this incredibly interesting take on the matter by the very plain speaking, yet incredibly insightful, Kevin Kelly. 

The synopsis: A creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author - in other words, anyone producing works of art - needs to acquire only 1,000 True Fans to make a living. 

O.D.O.o.O.D.B. 

Reply All

As the new self-appointed ruler of the electronic communication universe, I hereby outlaw the use of "Reply All", when there is more than two recipients. 

The use of Reply All has wasted more time than all the speeches made by politicians times 10. Don't you hate it? Don't you think a little less of people that use it ... especially when they send a note to 50 people to say, "Thanks" or "Okay". 

Really, shouldn't every software program include a popup window that says, "STOP - your about to look like an idiot to your co-workers & friends",  every time Reply All is clicked.

So, it's settled, no more Reply All.

On a serious note, I was told by an email efficiency expert that the best way to get less email (from co-workers and friends) is to send less emails yourself, and CC as few people as possible. He noted that if you send one email with a CC to 3 people, it is the equivalent of sending 4 separate emails because each person is likely to reply.  

O.D.O.o.O.D.B.