Carpool as Parental Milestone…

Image via Wikipedia

Drove my first “official” carpool ever the other day.

I quizzed the 8 year old in the car about her expectations regarding what makes a good (or bad) carpool driver.

What I found.

She doesn’t really care.

You can talk on the phone…or not.

Sometimes she wants to talk with you, sometimes she doesn’t.

If you’re late, it' doesn’t bother her (since she’s late a lot).

I guess parents and kids take things differently, eh?

 

Family Relations in the Facebook Era…

So, I long on to Facebook this morning and this is the first item I see in the status update.

I think, “oh, how nice. A mutual friend is writing on my brother’s Facebook wall.”

Now, I know full well, at this point, that my sister-in-law is pregnant and due any moment, but I would have expected an email from my mom or my brother to the immediate family saying “she’s in labor, we’re going to the hospital,” or something like that.

I hadn’t received it, so it didn’t click.

Then, I scroll down further and see a note from one cousin.

Hard to believe, but it still hasn’t dawned on me…"maybe she has a new cousin on her other side” (especially since I didn’t know that my brother and his wife had picked out a name yet.)

FINALLY (and this is at the bottom of the page), I see:

I’m a lot slower than I realized.

Mazal Tov and welcome to the newest member of the Epstein Team!

(and no phone call or email yet…which I suppose I, of all people, need to be ok with).

The gravestone of the future...

Image via Wikipedia

Somehow the NFO and I got on the subject of what should be listed on my gravestone. It was my idea, I'm sure, and clearly something I've thought about before.

It was Father's Day and maybe I was thinking about my legacy, I don't know.

We were laughing about it and Tonka asked us what we were discussing.

We are very upfront with our kids about death and dying...we don't want to scare them, of course, but we want them to know that it's a part of life. After all, parenting is really planned obsolescence, right?

Eventually, the kids got into it...yes, this sounds crazy, I know.

We used to have a contest where I would say "Tonka (or Paco)..." , they would respond "Yes?" and I'd say "I love you!!" and then "I won."

Soon, it evolved into them saying "I love you!" instead of "Yes?"

Eventually, we agreed that no matter who said it first, it was a tie.

So, we said, "hey, what if the gravestone said, 'I love you! Tie!'

That got a big laugh.

Of course, we realized that gravestones of the future would be very different than those of today.

A few items on the wish list

1. GPS chip, so people can easily find it and not have to wander around a cemetery looking at old maps
2. a digital, ticker like sign so you can have multiple messages "Father, Husband, 'I love you! Tie!', etc.
3. maybe even sports, weather, and stock information
4. personalized messages based on the RFID tags in the phones of those visiting you "hey Tonka, good to see you." or "Paco...please call your mother."

When I suggested a webcam, however, the NFO shut down the conversation.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Bonus Points and Avoiding Sibling Rivalry (jer979.blogspot.com)
• Parenting as Planned Obsolesence (jer979.blogspot.com)
• Transformations of a Weekend... (jer979.blogspot.com)

The Wear and Tear of the Big City...

Was back in NYC last week and presented at the Twitter 140Conf. Some good reaction to that, some not so flattering.

But this post is about New York, where I lived for 4 years.

I still think it is the most dynamic, intense place on earth, but each time I get back there I am more and more satisfied that, at this time in my life, I don't live there.

I see the toll it takes on most people over time. There's a wear and tear that you don't necessarily pick up on your radar when you live there.

Just some thoughts there. Happy Father's Day.

Taking 15 Friends to a Baseball Game…

Image of Todd Sherbacow

Thanks to Todd Sherbacow, I had the chance to see the Red Sox play the Washington Nationals the other night in what ended up being a record-setting attendance in DC.

While at the game, I took out my phone to update my Facebook status and Todd’s wife said, “I hate those things.”

Moments later, I showed her how my status update had become a “social” experience which I shared with 15 people who added their thoughts to my initial questions of

“going to see nats v bosox, wearing a red sox hat, am i a dc traitor?”

What’s more, Andy Williford, who I had not seen personally in 5 years or so, commented that he, too, was at the game, and gave me his seat location.

As luck would have it, we were in the same section.

We reconnected, did a little business (both making introductions to other network members as a result), and I got to meet his mom and dad!

It’s easy to say, “who cares about the trivial stuff like going to a baseball game?” but it is in those short moments of humanity and sharing that connections are made…and in-person relationships can be renewed.

 

 

Related articles by Zemanta

• Red Sox Nation Owns Washington, Right Down to the Bar Bet Trivia (usnews.com)

Reality Show Non-Reality...

Not surprisingly, I appreciate reality shows that are about people pursuing their passions.  Shows like the Apprentice and Top Chef and So, You Think You Can Dance.

Those are where it's regular peoplw who love to do whatever are given a chance to compete.

Survivor never really did it for me...that's competition and all, but it's not about passion so much for me.

But, when those shows get a bit tired, the "jump the shark" moment is when the producers decide to make it "Celebrity Apprentice" or "Top Chef Masters."

That's when I lose interest.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Top Chef 5 New York: Hosea is Top Chef (realityexploits.com)
• Top Chef 5 New York: Finale Sneak Peek (realityexploits.com)
• Why Japanese Television Rules (themoderatevoice.com)

Very Smart Elevators

Had the privilege of visiting the NY Times HQ in NYC the other day and while it was inspiring to be there, my favorite part was the "smart elevator system."

My video attempt didn't do it much justice, but you push a button for your desired floor and it tells you which of the elevators you should take...and they are managed so that you spend the least amount of time in them.

Apologies to Loren for putting him on the spot, but he's a good sport about it. The new blog for the NY Times is http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/

Inspirational Bar Mitzvah...

This blog post is long overdue.

I think I procrastinated because I didn't know how to accurately sum up my feelings.

A few months ago, we were invited to the Bar Mitzvah of the son of our good friends, Matt and Dina Levitt.

In and of itself, that's a noteworthy event, but what made this one so remarkable was that the Bar Mitzvah Boy, Uriel, has Down Syndrome.

It is rewarding to attend these lifecycle events because you feel some degree of confidence that the values that are important to you and your community are being passed on, but it isn't too often that you feel inspired at the deepest level by the mere activity of the day.

What Uriel demonstrated by participating and leading the services, speaking, dancing, and more was a spirit of undeniable optimism and a desire to affect the world for positive change.

You see what he has accomplished and you look at your own life.

Then you ask yourself, "Have I really made the most out of what I've been given?"  "Do I  inspire others the way Uriel does?"

I just felt fortunate to be a witness and a participant in an event that clearly showed the divine beauty of every single person.

One Way to Manage the Facebook News Feed Overflow…

A few weeks ago, a close friend of mine said “do you know what is going on with me?”

I didn’t.

Turns out he had had back surgery and though he had posted updates to Facebook, because of the number of people with whom I had friends (and thus the large number of updates in my ‘news feed,’) I had missed it.

This troubled me.

There are levels of friends and relationships and, let’s be honest, certain people I care more about than others. Nothing wrong with that.

The flip side, however, is that there are often “weak links/ties” with people that over time grow into deeper friendships…or just stay as acquaintanceships (is that a word?)

And I don’t want to give up on that.

For a while, I didn’t know what to do.

Then, it dawned on me, so obvious.

Every time I friend someone, I add them to a Category. “FOJ” for personal friends. “Biz/Marketing” for business friends. “Japan” for people who I know from Japan or are interested in that subject.

I had intended to use it for sharing information, but now I use it to help filter which information I consume.

Just thought I’d share it.

Father's Day Book Recommendation

If you haven't picked something up for the fathers in your life, here's your chance.

Josh Greene was kind enough to send me a cop y of Michael Lewis' new book, "Home Game." An out of the blue gesture that I really appreciated based b/c, as Josh said, "I've enjoyed some of your posts on fatherhood."

Well, from the moment I began reading Lewis' writing (which I knew well from Blind Side (review), Moneyball (my review), Liar's Poker, and The New New Thing) I literally began laughing out loud.

What Lewis does is put to words many of the feelings and thoughts that fathers have...but are afraid to tell their wives.

And he does it in a straightforward, unapologetic way that is so real, it's refreshing, and, as the book cover says "it's amazing that his wife let him publish the book."

There are a ton of great anecdotes in this one, but here's one I really enjoyed.

"From the point of view of the woamn, "labor" is well named; from the point of view of the man, it really should be called "waiting." Your wife goes into labor; you go into waiting.


A woman in labor needs to believe, however much evidence she has to the contrary, that the man in waiting beside her bed is directing every ounce of his concern toward her. This is of course impossible; and so the trick is for the man in waiting to disguise his private interest. He learns to camouflage trips to the john as grape-juice-feching missions. 

When he is hungry he waits until his wife dozes off, then nips furtively down to the hospital vending machines for his supper of Ring Dings and Nacho Cheese Doritos. At some point in his private ordeal one of the hospital staff will turn to ask sweetly, "And how is Dad doing?" 

He must understand that no one actually cares how Dad is doing. His fatigue, his worries, his tedium, his disappointment at the contents of the hospital vending machines-these are better unmentioned. Abov all, he must know that if his mask of perfect selflessness slips for even a moment he will be nabbed."

 Of course, my wife understands much of this, which is why she told me to go home and get my laptop...which resulted in the liveblogging of child #3's birth.

Anyway, a great read. The dads in your life will thank you for it.

Happy Father's Day!

Don't leave the gate area...

Image by jmiguel.rodriguez via Flickr

I know it's basic, but I made the mistake.

I arrived at the gate in O'hare at 4.15pm to be told that the flight was delayed until 8pm.

I went off in search of an outlet for my laptop (they need more in that airport) and some internet connection.

I refreshed the "flight status" page every 5 mins and saw that it was leaving at 7pm.

At 6.40pm, I arrive at the gate...plane was gone.

"We called it multiple times. Everyone boarded but you."

Such a bummer.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Is this the Economy Crisis Affecting the Airlines Reliability (teabreak.pk)
• Why you don't stand near the jet engine on the tarmac (gadling.com)

Bad Parent Alert...

Of all the things that I've done as a parent, the things that make me feel the worst are when I make mistakes that directly harm my kids.

The other day, Tonka was diagnosed with strep throat.

The doctor prescribed Amoxicillin.

Thing in, she's allergic to it.

Either I never knew that or forgot it.

A few days later, she broke out in a terrible rash.

Preventable.

It's the worst feeling.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Antibiotics for strep throat? (medrants.com)

The Day The Media Died…

This is just classic. Remarkable and accurate all in one place. And a musical explanation of why I think there’s some demand for Community Driven Marketing now.
HT to Mitch Joel.

Re-fi Comes Down to the Wire (literally)

After a 5 month ordeal, we were finally able to close on the re-fi of our mortgage. The last 24 hours, however, were an “epic” tale of the situation “coming down to the wire” (literally.)

 

Here’s the note I sent to the senior executive team at Etrade…. Enjoy.

 

 

There is good news and bad news in this Etrade customer satisfaction tale.

 

THE GOOD NEWS

The good news is that thanks to the heroic sense of devotion to customer service by Heather, Dionne, and Tondra (will someone please copy her and her manager), the re-financing of my home mortgage was able to close by the required deadline.

 

At approx. $400/month savings, that’s some real money, so I appreciate it.

 

Heather, Dionne, and Tondra have a standing invitation to my home for drinks or coffee (your choice!)

 

THE BAD NEWS

The bad news is that I had no direct interface to the Wire Transfer department to obtain the help I needed at the moment when I needed it, I have ZERO confidence in the “relationship manager” who has been assigned to me, and that (and this is my fault), I made an assumption that because I have such high expectations of E*Trade, when it comes to money, pretty much anything is possible.

 

THE BACKGROUND

I am a 12 year E*Trade customer. My wife, kids, and I have a combined 18 accounts with you (they used to be worth a lot more, but we’re not unique in that sense).

 

I have sung your praises many times on both of my blogs.  In fact, I even sent in an unsolicited proposal based on my passion as a customer for how to “social media-ify” the experience.

 

When I am happy, I tell everyone.

 

When I am dissatisfied, I express it and state my expectations that you should be at the cutting-edge of online banking/brokerage.

 

THE CONTEXT

To complete the re-financing of my mortgage, I needed to wire funds from my E*trade account to the settlement attorney’s trust account.  On Wed. night at 11pm (when we signed the documents), we both said, “oh, it’s E*trade, no question I can do that.”

 

Well, by Thursday afternoon, I had become intimately familiar with the requirements and if I told you the amount of logistical challenges that were overcome so that both my wife and I could sign the document and have it notarized, you’d think you were watching Seinfeld. It was insane.

 

Per the direction of the first rep with whom I spoke, I sent the LOA via fax to the wire transfer group and begged, pleaded that it’s receipt be acknowledged and, since I was a customer of longstanding, would they please expedite it?

 

Nothing.

 

Time was ticking, so I called back and spoke with Tondra, who took ownership of the situation, but was only able to email them. She assured me she’d follow up the next day.

 

Nothing.

 

Friday morning rolls around and I’m getting nervous that I’m about to lose the re-fi on my mortgage. I trust Tondra, but it’s a single point of failure. What if she got sick? I can’t take that chance.

 

I don’t know what else to do, so I hit my personal E*Trade customer satisfaction Panic Button.

 

In my notes in Outlook, I had Heather’s name and phone number because THREE YEARS AGO, she had intervened on another high priority issue and solved it for me.

 

It was my only hope. I didn’t even know if she still worked there, but I called.

 

Got her VM, but fortunately, she left her cell number.

 

I felt bad, but faced with the alternative of losing the re-fi, I had no choice.

 

Once I explained that she was my “nuclear option,” she took ownership (while driving no less).

 

Moments later, Dionne called. She immediately picked up the baton (and after coordinating w/Tondra who called on my other line at that moment) began to jump over hurdle after hurdle (and there were many) on the way to completing the process.

 

Dionne continuously kept me in the loop, made me feel confident (and calm, since my blood pressure was skyrocketing), and at 1.58pm called to tell me that “it was done.”

 

THE WRAP-UP

It is, of course, wonderful that people like Tondra, Dionne, and Heather feel the customer’s pain and do all they can to solve the problem.

 

What’s not great is that we had this problem in the first place.

 

I’m sure there’s a reason for not being able to wire money wherever I want. I’m just curious what it is.

 

Regardless, if I send an “expedited fax” request to a department that can’t be reached by phone, the LEAST someone can do is call me back to say “we got it, we’re on it” or “here’s what we need.”

 

And if I didn’t have Heather’s number as my “ace in the hole,” well, I guess I would have been out of luck, which is not a feeling I want with my bank/brokerage.

 

It’s quite possible that my feelings are not grounded in a legitimate foundation.

 

Perhaps I should have checked the website to make sure that in fact I could wire to a 3^rd party. Those are fair points, but the E*Trade brand means, in my mind, “a way to move and deploy money as flexibly as you want.” That’s the brand promise to me.

 

Anyway, it’s fortunate that this story has a happy ending and that Heather, Dionne, and Tondra are such rockstars.

 

 I hope you will recognize their contributions.

Unexpected Emotion

Last Thursday was Tonka's graduation from nursery school (which I shared via Facebook--and no, nothing is sacred, Robin).

Initially, I was focused on the logistics of the day and then on the mechanics of getting enough pictures to sufficiently commemorate the day.

But, at some point, I put the camera down and saw the NFO standing and watching the scene.

I walked over to her and put my arm around her and had a flashback to a day 5.5 years ago when our first child was born.

And I thought, "THIS is one of those lifecycle moments in which you mark time." I just looked at the girl on the stage, singing, dancing, getting her diploma and remembered when I held her in my arms for the first time, sobbing uncontrollably.

And I began to tear up and get choked up.

It wasn't the blink of an eye, that's for sure, but in hindsight, it is pretty remarkable how fast things seem to go.

Summer of Transition...

If all goes accordingly to plan (and it never does), by the end of the summer, the Tonka should be able to swim with some degree of confidence, know how to ride a bike (with training wheels, but with confidence), have some proficiency in reading and writing.

That's a lot of learning in a short period of time and it makes you really think about the rate of acquisition of knowledge at a young age of life skills, particularly vis a vis the rate of acquisition of skills/knowledge at our later stages.

Good and Bad Carpool Parents...

With the Tonka's imminent graduation from nursery school, we are about to enter the world of kindergarten carpools.

A few weeks ago, the topic came up at a birthday party of a friend and I was introduced to the fact that "not all carpool parents are created equal."

It hadn't even occured to me, but I learned that some people maintain a "never will carpool with that person list."

The offenses range, of course, but include:

• last minute cancellations for non-emergency reasons
• unreasonable expectations of the other parents
• elaborate justifications for why a given "pick-up" is outside of his/her responsibility
• lack of flexibility (i.e. "we can never do mornings")
• poor communication

What I learned was "how to be a good team player."

What I wish I had: a list of the parents that were put on the "never will carpool with them" roster. (Could be a neat Facebook application, right? As in, "your friends said they would never carpool with so-and-so and thought you wanted to know.")

It'll happen.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Seeing it for the last time... (jer979.blogspot.com)
• Zimride: A Carpooling Startup That Actually Makes Money (techcrunch.com)

More on the organizational model...

Image by PeterForret via Flickr

When Gianni was born, we had a little party for her and at the party, we had a number of "activity stations."

These included coloring for the kids, making a blanket for homeless shelters, making cards, and Sunshine kits.

We recruited volunteers to staff the stations and gave them specific guidelines and timeframes for helping our guests in completing their tasks.

Then, we left them alone.

The NFO gave them the supplies/tools that they needed and the "station managers" were ultimately empowered to facilitate the experience of the guests...and, in many cases, they improvised as they did.

So, I'm wondering if that can be the model for an organization going forward?

Maybe, through the power of technical/social networking, we're really headed towards a Free Agent Nation?

Networked Organizations...part 1 of what will be many...

While attending the interview between Dan Pink and Alan Webber about his new book, "Rules of Thumb: 52 principles for winning at business without losing yourself," I asked Alan about his views on what an 'organization' would look like in the networked economy.

The hierarchical organizational chart that you've seen many times over seems to be to be represented for an industrial era model when communication had to flow "down the line" since cost-effective 1:many or many:many communication wasn't possible.

Of course, that's not the situation anymore and, as they say, "networks subvert hierarchies," so in building out Never Stop Marketing, I am really struggling with the question of "how to scale" while maintaining quality of service.

One option, of course, is to scale by raising prices.

Another is through having more junior people follow a process (at least in the traditional way.)

I'm wondering if there is a third, however.

Regardless, there is a serious need for direction and discipline (as in we have to meet a client deadline). That can't be ignored.

I tell people that the world of social media is like a dinner party in terms of participation, but a dinner party has a host who can exert "friendly control" on the overall experience to edit/curate it in a general direction.

I think there may be something there and I'll continue this stream of consciousness in a future post.

Quantum of Solace: A non-sequitur sequel

Cover of Quantum of Solace [Blu-ray]

Full disclosure: I am a huge James Bond fan.
2nd disclosure: I really wanted to LOVE Quantum of Solace.
3rd disclosure: I didn't.

I was really very excited when it came via Netflix that I started watching it that night (a rarity).

It didn't feel Bond-like to me and somewhere along the lines, I realized that the movie picked up where Casino Royale had left off.

Thing is, I saw Casino Royale back in Sept. 2007 and since I've had another child, started a company, and seen an African-American elected President, let's just say that a lot of water has passed under the bridge.

I barely remember what I did on Sunday so stringing together the pieces from 2 years ago was a non-starter.

This affected, seriously, my enjoyment of the movie since I kept trying to remember what it was I was supposed to remember in order to understand one of the key plots of the movie.

Now, I know there have been sequels forever, but many of them that continued (and were successful at it), were designed to do so...from the beginning. Star Wars, Godfather, etc.

Bond has never been like that (unless I am forgetting something) and could be watched as independent entities.

Maybe I'm being harsh here, but I felt let down.

Related articles by Zemanta

• DVD Review- Quantum of Solace (table4five.net)
• Quantum of Solace - Movie Review - Bond Bails Out On Being Bond (areyouscreening.com)

The 90 Second Rule: Let 'em Know You Care

Saw this on Andy Nulman's blog and it really moved me.

I'm committing to the 90 second rule from now on.

Rules of Thumb (for business…and more)

Networking events for the sake of networking are generally lame, in my experience.

Networking events that surround some meaningful content are not.

So, I jumped at the chance to attend the Greater Washington Board of Trade’s breakfast event that was an interview of Alan Webber, the author of Rules of Thumb (52 truths for winning at business without losing yourself).

Webber is also the co-founder of Fast Company Magazine and his interviewer was none other than my client, Dan Pink.

While I haven’t read the book yet (Alan inscribed to me with the mantra “Never Stop Navigating”- a play on my title [Marketing Navigator] and the company name, Never Stop Marketing), I am very excited to begin digesting it.

Dan described it as “52 shots of espresso. You should really only have one or 2 a day.”

I walked away with some great nuggets of advice:

1. “What is the point of the exercise?”
   Alan said we need to “ask the last question, first” so that we know why we are doing what we are doing. Hint: the answer isn’t “maximize shareholder value.”
   
2. Keep 2 lists
   On one list, “what gets me up in the morning?” (or what are you most passionate about?)
   On the other, “what keeps me up at night?” (what are your concerns?)
   Those should be your guideposts each day.
   
3. What is your “definition of victory?”
   When starting a business, people often look at the mechanics first and don’t take a moment to say…what will it look like when I’ve succeeded? After all, that’s the only way you’ll know you’ve “made it.”
   
4. The financial crisis means we need a “reset button not just on the economy, but on management.”
   Webber thinks the CEO concept is outdated and that the way managers are taught in B-schools is part of the reason we are in this mess today.

I’ll have a lot more on this in the days to come as he helped me think about the nature of the business organization going forward.

 

500 Years of Western Female Art...in 3 minutes

My mom was an Art History major. She made me take an Art History class in college and I'm glad she did. It was one of the best.

Now, if your mom didn't make you, you can make it up in 3 minutes. Enjoy (HT: Gretchen Rubin)
500 Years Of Female Portraits In Western Art - Watch a funny movie here

Organizational Model for a Networked Economy

Image via Wikipedia

One of the business challenges I am grappling with is the question of how to build an "organization" that is designed for a network-economy.

What I do know is that I don't want a traditional hierarchical structure. That model, in my opinion, is an evolution of the Industrial age and worked well in it.

Now, however, as networks and networks of networks come to the fore, where you can easily communicate, collaborate, and share with a colleague in a different division on the other side of the world, I think we are coming upon a new world of work where a new organizational model will be required.

Thing is, I don't know what that is yet.

I do know that I don't want employees in the traditional sense. I like have a network of people that I call on as contractors who can be assembled for a specific job, do it, and then move on. It's flexible and it's efficient.

I don't want to move into a "management" role as that will take me away from the stuff I love doing: working with clients and innovating on the front lines.

Of course, in a traditional "command and control" consulting model, the senior people make profit margin off of the time of the junior people.

That would be lost, so the challenge of how to scale (profitably) remains. And, what type of "relationship" I should have with my contractors?  Should I ask for (or even expect) a referral fee? Or, should I just say, I'm going to have confidence that this will pay off...and then see if it does?

Somehow, having a contract w/referral fees (at least in my experience) actually makes it more difficult to do business and build a true, long-term relationship (I'm talking about partners, of course, not clients).

Anyway, this topic is far from exhausted, but I am putting it out there for starters. I'm open to ideas, of course, and will be revisiting this as a I continue to flush it out in my own mind.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Building a Collaborative Workplace (downes.ca)
• There is No Lack of Business Model Innovation Ideas (futurelab.net)

No Pro Bono…More Thoughts on Starting a Business

Image by Ed Yourdon via Flickr

It’s exciting to hear from so many friends that they are using this recession as a good time to start a business. I think that’s great.

Whether they were downsized or just see the opportunity, good for you!

You’ll remember my series of posts on “thoughts on starting a business,” well to that, I am going to add one, actually two, more.

First, don’t work pro bono.

Maybe lawyers have some sort of justice-based reason for doing that (good for them), but otherwise, it’s a bad idea.

You’re not running a charity.

Clients, no matter how much they pay, expect service. If you tell someone “well, I’ll do it for free for you because you are a friend,” you are setting yourself up for problems down the road.

On top of that, resist the urge to give “friends and family” discounts.

I know, it sounds harsh, but it will just weaken your value proposition, your profitability (that’s the reason you’re in business, right?), and your ability to deliver superior quality across the board.

Now, I’m not saying that everyone has to pay retail, but if you do change the cash component of your agreement, identify some other non-cash component that makes the transaction worthwhile for you.

Stick to your guns. You are worth it.

 

Related articles by Zemanta

• "Big Law Firm Model Is Broken" (usnews.com)
• Considering Cutting Your Price? Think Carefully Before You Do. (myventurepad.com)
• More Evidence That Recession Is Bad for Patients and Doctors (casesblog.blogspot.com)

Babel

Image via Wikipedia

I am a huge fan of movies that start off with widely disparate stories and then bring them together in unique, expected ways. In that respect,Babel hits the mark.

Plus, having lived in two foreign lands, I can relate to the challenges of communication and language, which, to some extent, is at the core of this movie.

How do you survive in an environment where the code, mores, and environment are totally foreign to you? 

Some great cinematography and a great job and creating a connection to the characters.

I have NO idea how it got on my Netflix queue (I really wish they would add a section when you put it on the queue to say "got this recommendation from Jon" or whatever)...you know, make it a bit more social, but hey.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Netflix: Two Billion DVDs Served (gigaom.com)

"What's a Pipe?"

Image by AFP/Getty Images via Daylife

It's incredible how much about the way the world works that we take for granted.

Was walking both kids to school and we talked to some men working on the sewer repair/maintenance in our neighborhood.

I began to explain sewers and used the word "pipes."

Tonka said, "what's a pipe?"

Which began a discussion that led to "what's metal?" and "what is grass made of?"

I loved their curiosity and desire for knowledge.

A few weeks ago, while reading Dan Pink's blog, he mentioned a new show on PBS called "Sid, the Science Kid."

I started DVR'ing it and now, it's one of their favorites. They've taken the inquisitiveness to heart.




----------------
Now playing: Curtis Mayfield - Superfly
via FoxyTunes