The Epstein Top 5 (or 10) Tips for Just About Everything

As part of my 40th birthday celebrations, the NFO asked my family to submit their TOP 5 OR 10 LIST for various things they either experienced with me, learned from me, taught me, or just had for me.  Herewith, the amassed knowledge of the Epstein family.
ASHER
Jeremy’s Rule for Entrepreneurs

1. 1. Never stop marketing
2. 2. Never forget rule number 1
3. 3. Leave it all on the field everyday
4. 4. Be remarkable (positive when possible)
5. 5. Nurture the network

BARAK
Language:

1. 1) Immerse yourself in the culture.
2. 2) Talk to anyone, at anytime, about anything.
3. 3) Study.
4. 4) Believe that you can do it. This is a test of will.
5. 5) Love the process.

Lessons from Living with Jeremy:
1) Passion is key. If it is not present, manufacture it.
2) Adventure exists in the mind.
3) Never give up.
4) You will always win the game if you make the rules.
5) If you are not in a position to make the rules, charm the hell out of your adversaries.
6) If you cannot charm your adversaries, give up and move on, or change.
7) If you cannot change, find someone who will make you.
8) If you cannot find such a person, find an offbeat adventure to re-energize yourself.
9) Never give up.
10) Even if you live life with unusual seriousness, be the guy who laughs loudest at the dumbest, most sophomoric movies around.



DINA

Top 5 ways to make a lasting, unique and positive impression

1. 1. Every interaction is a chance to make a positive impression. Take the extra few minutes to draft a vivid, detail-filled email, note, or speech and use imagery in your language to help people remember you and your message ("there I was, standing in the rain, teeth chattering and mascara dripping down my face when I came up with the idea to invent the umbrella" is much more memorable than "Rainy days are wet. That's why I invented the umbrella.").
2. Don't be afraid to add some of your own personality to interactions. Related to this: If you don't have any personality, try to get some pronto.
3. Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses. Being genuine builds trust and goes farther than being "impressive" but phony. For example, I can't drive stick shift but I'm great at parallel parking.
4. Visualize your best, most confident, most relaxed self before entering any new situation; use that energy to help you make a positive first impression. In other words, imagine what you would do if you were Joe Biden, not Woody Allen.
5. Never ask a woman when the baby is due.

KIRA

1. 1. Trust that you are working on their behalf and confidence you can do it
2. 2. Knowledge about the market/their needs/their wants and even those they don't think about (if they are pregnant they don't want a walk up, but may not occur to them. Point it out, but they may not care.)
3. 3. Referral from a friend they trust
4. 4. Respond to all emails and calls in a timely fashion
5. 5. Make the feel like they are the only client you have and arent too busy for them, but casually let them know you have others without bragging.

Top 10 Travel Tips
David Epstein
March 2013

1. “Norway of the Mind.” The phrase I invented while in Oslo and traveling with an adult child to express the concept that what you know about the history and culture of your destination country is a key to understanding what you will see and the people with whom you will talk. Therefore, read books, e.g., history, literature, fiction written by indigenous authors about their society, and ask questions of its inhabitants initially extending on what you are learning by reading. Focus your reading throughout the trip on where you are, not elsewhere.
2. Have one or several broad themes for your trip, e.g., Italy, the Roman Empire or the Renaissance; Australia, European colonization and interaction with Aboriginals; Soviet Union and the late, unlamented German Democratic Republic, totalitarian societies and those based on individual freedom; South Africa, new South Africa after the collapse of apartheid; Hong Kong, for the handover from the United Kingdom to China in 1997; Northern Ireland for its post-agreement elections in 1998.
3. Let the trip unfold so you are flexible as to where you go and when. If you arrive at a capital city, stay overnight at a pre-reserved hotel, and then immediately leave the capital city to travel around the country, making choices as to what to visit and where you stay as you travel, saving your exploration of the capital city to the end. Use organized package tours only where conditions require.

1. Do not have expectations or a long list of “must see,” so that you will not be disappointed. On the other hand, do not say, “I will avoid that site because that is where the tourists go.” There is a reason the site attracts visitors.

1. Do not obsess about minor setbacks, e.g., lost luggage, bad meals, closed museums, or being overcharged.

1. If traveling with an adolescent child, make visits to museum no longer than an hour or so. You are teaching curiosity, not overwhelming the child with content.

1. If traveling with an employed adult child, he or she pays for the airfare to the destination. Thus, the adult child has a financial investment in the trip and is also discouraged from hoarding frequent flyer points. Parent can pay for ground expenses, defined as those expenses directly related to food, lodging, attraction tickets, guides, most but not all internal travel. This view will lead to delicious discussions in setting the boundaries.

1. In a new city, first take a bus tour for the overview. Hire a good personal guide at an important site who knows the subject matter and does not tell lame jokes.

1. All family travel is good, but your choices will be challenged within the group, as different interests are expressed. One-on-one travel for a parent with a teen age or adult child is the best, as you are then companions facing the challenges and joys of travel without the need to referee disputes.

1. Use the trip as the opportunity for long and searching conversations. Have an ongoing dialogue with your traveling companion (s) both on what you are learning as well as on any other topic, personal or general.

ELLEN EPSTEIN
5. Never do ONE thing when you can do three or four things simultaneously.
4. Remember the acronym F.A.T: FILE It; ACT on it; TRASH it. Only touch a piece of paper once.
3. Label your cables: (Jeremy knows all of this already)
Organize, store and buy computer cables wisely
by David Caolo on Jan 24, 2013
Step one: know your cables

1. USB to mini USB You’ll notice one end is a flat rectangle shape and the other is a small trapezoid shape. These are often used with digital cameras and often short, in the 1–3 foot range.
2. FireWire 800 These feature a squared-off end with a plastic“bit” in the center. FireWire 800 cables are typically used on high-end external hard drives and some video equipment. They transfer large files between machines and drives quickly.
3. Standard USB One end features a flat rectangle and the other a square with once side slightly rounded. Many printers uses these cables, as well as some external hard drives.
4. FireWire 400 Which, is also called “1394 cable” in some circles. Also used for storage peripherals like hard drives and some older video cameras. Transfer speed is slightly slower than that of its sibling FireWire 800.
5. DVI These cables end with a wide terminator with many pins and two screws to hold it in place. You’ll find that many computer monitors and projectors use these. Length can vary greatly, but most are around 3 feet long.
2. Get rid of Paper (Jeremy is almost Paperless!)
The latest model in the ScanSnap desktop line is the iX500 and it’s an impressive machine. I’ve been test driving one the past two weeks (thank you, ScanSnap!) and it’s amazing — it doesn’t require a desktop computer to launch, it will scan straight to a mobile device or an online storage location over Wifi (so I can save straight to Dropbox), it’s noticeably faster than the S1500M model we own, and I’ve been able to customize it to send scans automatically to whatever program I want, so items like photographs now import straight into iPhoto. I won’t upgrade permanently from the S1500M we already have, but if we didn’t have a scanner I would save up for this one. If you’re in the market for one, the list price is $495. They’re expensive, but they’re really nice. (Full iX500 product details.)
As far as shredders go, I’d recommend the Fellowes PowerShred 79Ci now. The thing is a monster at chewing up stuff you want to shred. And, as I referenced earlier, it’s on wheels, which makes it convenient to use and store. It’s also expensive, but the thing will last you a decade or more if you treat it well. OurPowerShred PS-77Cs is still rocking after seven years of service, and we use it daily. Unlike less expensive shredders, the PowerShred line is built to last.
The list of things to shred and not to shred is still accurate, though a lot of people greatly dislike my advice to destroy old passports. I probably should have written more clearly about waiting to shred the old passport until after you get a new one. Submitting your old one does speed up the renewal process. However, once you get the old one back, if you don’t need it for any legal reason, it’s safe to shred (just be sure to pop out the RFID chip first). My last passport, though used many times, didn’t even have a single stamp in it because so many countries have stopped stamping and my old visa had to be relinquished when I left the country that required me to have the visa. If you want to keep old passports, especially if they have stamps in them, do it but please keep it in a safe or safe-deposit box so it doesn’t end up in the hands of identity thieves.
Even with all of these products and systems, paper continues to be something we have to deal with daily in our home. We’ve unsubscribed from as much junk mail as possible, yet we still get some from businesses and services we use. The shredder, trash can, and recycling bin by our main entrance are essential in dealing with the junk immediately and not letting it come deep inside the house. But, the stuff we let in voluntarily —the bank statements, the receipts, the pay stubs, the contracts — still feels overwhelming at times. We’ve gone so far as to unsubscribe from all print magazines and now subscribe to these publications digitally over Zinio. The only way we’ve been able to keep from being overwhelmed by paper is to clear our desks each day as part of our end-of-day work routines. All papers filed, junk shred, receipts reconciled, documents scanned, etc. It only takes five or ten minutes, but it’s still a chore. I’m looking forward to the day when I only have to spend five or ten minutes a week (or less) dealing with paper clutter.
1. Hair is clutter (Jeremy also knows this!)
Eschew the trappings of our vain and materialistic culture by shaving your head. Did you know that you can replace the following items with a single razor and a can of shaving cream?

1. 1. Combs
2. 2. Brushes
3. 3. Shampoo
4. 4. Conditioner
5. 5. “Product” (Gels, Mousses, Waxes)
6. 6. Scrunchies (N/A to Jeremy!)
7. 7. Barrettes (Ditto!)
8. 8. Hairdryer

It’s a practical and stylish approach that is surprising versatile–it works whether you look like Natalie Portman or Telly Savalas. And with all the money you save on haircuts you’ll be able to buy cool white clothing lifestyle that most minimalists only dream of.
Here are my tips that got lost. Please enjoy them!!
Love, MOM

Fleeting Moments

The other day, our youngest (aka Nadia), went for her "interview" at kindergarten.

Normally, the two older ones (Tonka & Paco) leave at 7.30 and Nadia leaves around 9.  That extra 90 minutes is sometimes easy, but often times filled with drama as we fight w/Nadia about what clothes she is going to wear.  It's usually my least favorite part of the day.

Some days, she's great and it's no big deal, but some days, I wish it was over.

So, when she left at 7.30 for her "interview," I got a taste of what it would be like when it was over. The house was quest at 7.40am...the NFO had driven carpool...and I took a moment to recognize that, as my mom accurately says, "the days are long, but the years are short."

Indeed they are.

Just like that, our littlest girl is going to be a kindergartner.

Sunrise, sunset.

Is a 529 Plan Worth It?

I’ve had this discussion recently with 3 people.

And not about “oh, is it a good investment” kind of discussion, but a different chat that goes at the fundamental underlying assumption:

Is COLLEGE really worth it anymore? In its current incarnation, that is.

That’s not to say that education and credentials aren’t worth it, they certainly are, but are colleges actually preparing our kids for the future?

I don’t believe they are and, right now, I am in the minority, but it is growing.

At least, I am starting to see more and more smart people start to ask the right/tough questions.

Here is one of my favorite VC’s (Fred Wilson) talking about it. Worth the watch about the potential future of online higher education.

40 Years Old: Getting ready for the 2nd half...

Not looking to grab any birthday wishes, but today I turn 40 years old.  

I am not dreading it or anything. In fact, I'm embracing it.  My theme for the past 2-3 months has been "Getting Ready for the 2nd Half."

Now, no one knows the time of his birth or death, so this may be wishful thinking, but it's more slogan than fact.

The pending birthday provided a catalyst for focusing on 

• health (staying the course on exercise, after all, prepping for Tough Mudder II)
• wellness (Lasik-video here + dental surgery)
• career (what exactly do I want to be when I grow up?)
• friends (am I being a good friend?)
• and, most importantly, family (am I the kind of husband/father I want to be?)

It's not like I went to a sweat lodge or anything (though I think that would be fun--unless I died of dehydration, which would not be), but I have been contemplating these questions a lot more.

Frankly, I've enjoyed it.

Jewish tradition says that at 40 years of age, people achieve wisdom. I'm not sure I'm there yet (late bloomer?), but I know that often times, the 2nd half can be even more exciting than the first.

Thank you for being part of the game of life with me.

Must Read Book: How to Crush Your Bad Habits

My newest “Must Read” Book is Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.

It’s been out for a while but I finally got around to reading it recently and all I can say is that I am sorry that it took me this long.

We all have habits. Habits are what make us, in many ways. Some good, some bad.

I’m not telling you anything you don’t know, but what Charles Duhigg tells us ARE things we don’t know. I love books that help you think about how you think and that’s exactly what happens in this one.

Duhigg identifies that each of us possess a “Habit Loop” consisting of

1. a Cue—something that triggers an action
2. a Routine-how we respond to that due
3. a Reward-how we feel as a result

The key to changing habits is to break it down into those three elements and then work to consciously replace one routine with another.

So, if your cue is “I get stressed out at work” and your routine is “I get a cookie or a sugary snack,” so that I get a reward of “I feel better,” and the consequence is weight gain…you need to be able to remove “sugary snack” for “go for a walk.”

The critical element, however, is recognizing the parts of the loop since for many of us, they are intertwined to the point that we don’t see the pieces.

One of the things that I’ve used is the food journal…just keeping track of caloric intake, to help identify cues, routines, and rewards.

We have these habits all over our lives and willpower isn’t enough.

The Power of Habit provides you the background and the roadmap for helping you build/establish the kind of habits you want.

Meet Shoulder Bursitis…

In my never-ending quest to provide high-quality personal medical entertainment, herewith is a recent sonogram of my injured rotator cuff muscle.

For the non-physicians, it’s pretty neat…you get to see bursitis up close and personal.

Unfortunately, I can’t mention when it got injured (hem, hem), but suffice it to say, it hasn’t knocked me out.

3 Coolest Technologies recently...

My friend asked me the other day “what are the 3 coolest technologies you’ve seen recently?”

Number 1, far and away for me, is Google Wallet. More on that here. Mostly because it’s cool and ridiculously useful.

Number 2, for mega-coolness, is Aurasma. It allows you to connect digital content to physical items to create an augmented reality. I learned about it via this TED talk.

Number 3, Wunderlist.
If you are a list person, you’ll love this. It’s like Evernote or Dropbox for lists. You can make a to-do list by category (home, work, shopping, etc.) and then have it sync across devices (Android, iOS, web, etc.). You can even share lists with others. So, for example, I now have created lists for my kids which I share to the iPad that they use. It says “practice piano” and “do homework.”  Now, I don’t have to ask them if they did it. When they finish it, the check it off on the iPad/Wunderlist and it syncs to mine. I get a notification (if I want it) so I know they did it. You can set up recurring tasks (clean room every Sunday morning, for example) as well. Oh yeah, free.

On the mobile payment front, I did try out Square Wallet the other day at Starbucks. It was easy, but not as good as G Wallet. On Square, you have one credit card. On Google, you can pick any number of them. Also, you get a receipt, which you can forward (good for expense reporting).

Are you a fox, hedgehog, or turkey? On Resilience.

I value people and situations that help me think about how I think.

One of my all-time favorite people (and perhaps the smartest guy I know period) is Venkatesh Rao.

He gave an informative talk at LIFT this year which is 18 minutes long, worth it, and will help you think about how you approach the world.

It’s all about Resilience. I call it “leave it all on the field,” but same idea.

Enjoy.

Soccer and the Meta-Game of Fatherhood

I took Paco to his indoor soccer game the other day.

We have one motto when it comes to soccer, basketball, or any other sport for that matter.

“Leave it all on the field.”

I’ve told him (and I mean it), “I don’t care how many goals you score. I care that you give it your all on every play.”

And while I do offer him suggestions on his play, I’m not sure he fully appreciates that the real game he is playing (and for which he is preparing) is the Game of Life.

As his coach, I know that persistence and perseverance are often the skills and traits that separate success from failure, regardless of talent or even training (well, those are important, of course, but you know what I mean.)

So, when I stand on the sidelines, I’m actually watching the meta-game as much as the actual game.

When mom goes out of town...

The NFO was out of town for a few days and I was 1 on 3.

Now, admittedly, the NFO (that's my wife) set us up for success by preparing a lot of food before she left, stocking the fridge and the pantry and a number of other things.

That, plus in the afternoon, we have a nanny who helps out, so it's not like I was doomed, but I still had some work to do to keep the kids moving along.

What astounded me (and please don't tell the NFO this) is that I found that I actually did less work at home than normal.

Why? For some reason (maybe the kids took pity on me), the kids really raised their game.

In the morning, they were cooperative and well-paced before going to school.

At night, the three of them gave each other baths, made sure that everyone had brushed and flossed, and Paco and Tonka even read books to Nadia.

Then, when they came to me and said, "is it ok if we play now?" (it was still early), there was no reason for me to say no.

I found myself relaxed and focused, but also grateful that we have such wonderful children.

I can't quite figure out why (I like to think it's the "credible threat" that I bring to the table), but I'll take it.

Great Networkers Follow Up

The more I do it, the more I realize that 1st-class networkers are simply masters of follow-up.
Here's the advice I gave my cousin the other day.
She had met the CEO of an organization at which she would like to work, but won't be in that city for 6 months or so. She knew she needed to keep in touch, but didn't know how.
Here's what I would do:

1. send a short note, saying thanks, etc. and asking for permission to send a VERY brief periodic update (every 6 weeks or so) just to keep in touch. She'll most likely say yes.
2. FOLLOW THROUGH RELIGIOUSLY
3. keep it brief. explain how what you are doing/learning will be beneficial to her or someone she knows. 5 -8 lines. TIGHT. edit and edit and edit.  The goal is to now only have her see that you follow through (execution) but that you are thinking about this issue all the time.  
4. Then, as you get closer, lock down a date to meet her in person and ask her for advice about what to do.

See step 2. If you don't do this, nothing else matters.

She sent the note, the CEO gave the OK.

We'll see if she delivers.

Early Adopter Rush—Thank you, Google Wallet

Choosing to be an early adopter of technology means a trade-off.

On the one hand, you spend a lot of time fiddling with gadgets, trying to get them to work, dealing with the frustration that they don’t always work, and often times, accepting the fact that you’ve thrown away some money.

All of this is offset by the occasional “home run” when you get to do something (and then show it off) to people who say “WOW! I’ve never never seen that before.”

Well, recently, I’ve hit the jackpot in the form of Google Wallet on my lovable Nexus 4.

Basically, what it allows me to do is to just tap my phone to the credit card payment terminal and (with a  pre-selected card—I have 4 loaded in) pay for whatever it is. No physical card required.

The receipt shows up on my phone (and I get an email later as well). That’s very cool, but what’s REALLY cool is the reaction I get from people.

I imagine (or so I tell myself) that it’s similar to the way people must have reacted when they saw a plane or a car for the first time many years ago.

Jaws drop and they routinely say “What is that?! How did you do that?”

And, for a slight moment, I get to feel like I  am visiting from the future.

It happened at BWI rail station recently and I got the guy (Mike) on video describing it.

Pretty soon, this will be commonplace, but for now, I get to ride the wave and get payback for all of those nights when stuff just didn’t work.

Pre-adolescence thanks to Kelly Clarkson

I've been saying for a while that we're in a beautiful "in-between" state of parenting.

On the one hand, I don't have to watch my kids every moment. We have to be in the house with them, of course, but we can leave them to their own devices to play, etc.

At the same time, they still listen to me and think I know what I am talking about.

I also know that this period of time isn't going to last forever.

The other day, Nadia (age 5) received a CD as a party favor at a birthday party and one of the songs was called "Stronger" by Kelly Clarkson. Not that I had ever heard it before, but Tonka (age 9) had.

Turns out, it's the popular song among the 3rd grade set and, pretty soon, we had heard the song about 100 times. Later on, I discovered the 3 of them dancing around the den listening to the song, but that wasn't the moment that I realized that Tonka was on the verge.

Instead, I saw her looking into the TV (it was off) and staring at her reflection as she lip synced the words and danced to the music. It just seemed like something a teenager would do.

I stood there admiring it, but at the same time, it was a harbinger of another era on the horizon.

At least the song has a good, Nietzsche-inspired message, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger," so if she has to repeat a mantra 100 times, that's as good a lesson as any.

The Value of a Great Technologist

People often ask me the “secret” to some of the things I do, particularly when it comes to information management.

I’ve blogged before on the technologies I use (see here), but today I want to talk about the value of having a great technologist at your disposal.

And, I’m not talking about a friend you can call…I am talking about someone you hire, even for your personal life, but definitely for your professional life.

You pay for a trainer at the gym, a doctor or a therapist, but having a great technologist at your disposal can help you save a ton of time and probably advance your career.

Today, I want to talk about Ron Braatz from LiftOff.

I’ve known Ron from my Microsoft days, but recently he showed me the value of a great technologist by helping me migrate an Exchange server installation to Microsoft Online.

What that is…doesn’t matter. What it does is save me $450/year in fees, increase my speed and reliability, and make me even more productive.

I could have done it myself, but what Ron showed is that even in “self-serve” technology, you need a guiding hand, someone who can advise you and save you time.

It’s no surprise that he’s one of the top-ranked “cloud” providers of all Microsoft services.

If you have a business-of any size-and you want to understand how to use your technology better, give Ron a call.

Either way, find a great technologist and pay him/her to help you get better.

I don’t need to tell you that it’s a competitive advantage…so don’t skimp.

Brilliant Resume...

Here's a guy who really knows how to stand out.

Free Bandwidth-Sort Of

In my fearless effort to discover new ways to exploit technology, I bought a device from a company called Karma.

The basic idea is this:

1. buy our device for $79 and get 1 GB of mobile high-speed data
2. for each friend/person who connects to your mobile hot spot, each of you earn 100MB of data
3. it’s cumulative and doesn’t expire

Sounds like a good deal and it could be.

The coverage and connection speed (provided by Clearwire) are adequate. The trick is that it’s an MLM for bandwidth.

I don’t have too many occasions when I am surrounded by people who are hungry for bandwidth who might connect to my open “Jeremy-Karma” network, but I figured the Amtrak Acela from DC to NYC was a great opportunity.

It’s full of businesspeople and wi-fi on Amtrak is, well, horrid.

I left the hotspot on the entire trip (deliberately sat in the middle of the car) and got all of ZERO sign-ups.

Hmmm…

After you use your 1GB of data, then it’s $14 for each additional 1GB.

Not the end of the world and I like being out of contract with no monthly, but I will admit that I was hoping for tons of free data due to sign ups. Oh well.

It is possible that I picked the wrong market for this test…a lot of ppl have their own mobile hotspots on Acela or maybe ppl just don’t look for/trust open networks.

I’ll keep trying and let you know.

LIVE Lasik Surgery-Recap

Well, no longer live, as it’s done, but thanks to Dr. Sonny Goel (twitter/FB), I’m now at 20/15 vision and on the road to full recovery. Sonny has, I’m told, performed more Lasik operations than anyone in the entire US…but until now, none of them had been livestreamed!

At one point, we had (I’m told) 35 people watching the livestream of the actual surgery. We also made it a social event, but enabling comments and even fielding questions from the virtual audience.

To get right to the meat of the video, see here. For the full effect, you can watch below or here.

Highly recommend Lasik Plus in Columbia, MD.

 

Savoring this Age...

Our kids are at a unique juncture in their development and I am savoring every moment of it.

They are old enough that I don't need to watch them like a hawk at every turn, but they are young enough that they still think I know what I am talking about.

They still want to hug, kiss, and snug and they still love hanging out with me.

It's not always easy to keep in front and center that this moment is fleeting, but I find myself thinking about it more and more.

Perspective. Unexpected.

My buddy, Derek Coburn, sent me a holiday CD.
I’m not a big music person, so it was all new to me.
One of the songs was a semi-hard core rap (I guess that’s the genre) called “Daughters” by a guy named “Nas.”
It was all about how you have to treat daughters with love and TLC so they go down the right path.
Pretty powerful stuff.
Here are the lyrics.

Why I Love My Nexus 4

Ok, so let’s leave aside the fact that it comes unlocked, thereby allowing me to save close to $1k a year in cell phone service charges. That’s the easy part.

Now, here’s why the Nexus 4 is the best phone I’ve ever owned and why it just may be the best phone on the market.

1. Speed-talk about ludicrous speed. I finally have a phone that is as fast as I am. Switching, responsive. Beautiful.
2. Battery life—I was worried about this coming in, having had a number of devices that give you 6 or 8 hours. Now, I routinely get 13, 14, even 17 hours on one charge. Yep, insane. Sure, I’ll turn off GPS, Bluetooth, etc., and I do switch to wi-fi when I’m in the house instead of cellular data, but whatever…that’s a ton of time.
3. Google Wallet—I actually used my phone to buy a coffee the other day at the train station. Automatically charged my credit card and receipt is stored on the phone. Wicked cool.
4. The camera…you can do all the usual stuff. Panoramas, take snapshots while doing a video, but now they have this 360 degree view (they call it Photo Sphere) and you can take huge vista shots (sample, sort of, below)
5. Voice recognition/search…it just works really well.
6. Google integration…obvious, but critical for Google Docs, Google Voice for me.
7. Facial recognition security. You just look at the camera and it recognizes your face to unlock the phone (ok, so this doesn’t work all the time, but it’s still neat).
8. Data speed—people were complaining about no 4G LTE support. Frankly, I think it’s all marketing hooey. I have an HSPA+ connection and its plenty fast.
9. Oh, and it’s unlocked, so I can make the phone a hot spot for my other devices.
10. Ease of use and intuitive. Just across the board.
11. Top of the line OS—straight from Google with no extra stuff layered on by a cell phone provider or service company.
12. Wireless charging…ok, I haven’t used this, but I’m on the lookout.
13. Integration with, well, everything…including Exchange. Finally, Android is mega-ready for primetime.

Now, I’m no Apple-hater, I have 2 iPads, but the flexibility and horsepower of this device…I’ll take it head to head on an iPhone 5 any day.

I joke with my kids that I can’t decide if I love them or the phone more. (Don’t tell them it’s a joke please).

It took a lot of effort to get this phone, but it was worth it.

Insane Contortionist...

Mesmerizing...

Any lapel pins that need a home?

Every now and then, it’s worth it to put it out there..

If you have a lapel pin that is sitting in a drawer somewhere and you want it enshrined forever, let me know.

One of my hobbies (here how it all began) is lapel pin collecting.  I have over 800 of them and each is logged in a spreadsheet with location/date of acquisition and notes.

You and your pin will be immortalized.

Harry Potter Rediscovered

I missed most of the Harry Potter craze.
Back in 1999 or so, I read the first one. Liked it, but never got around to reading any of the others.
Recently, though, Paco has gotten turned on to the books and rapidly put down the first 5.
Yep, he read over 2000 pages…and he did it in about 3 weeks (or so it seemed). Maybe less.
Anyway, he basically started taunting me that I hadn’t read them and wouldn’t catch up with him.
That didn’t motivate me so much as the obvious desire he had to discuss the books with me and tell me about them.
Now, I am in the midst of number 5 and I am really enjoying it. Plus, it gave us a chance to bond over Lord Voldemort, Hagrid, Siris Black, and the Heir of Slytherin.
I definitely would not have predicted this turn of events when I picked up the title of “Dad.”

Cookies for Sandy Relief

A friend of mind has come up with a very innovative and caring way to help her Hurricane Sandy-affected friend.
She's selling GINORMOUS cookies and shipping them all over the US.
I bought some for my office.
Great gifts...for a worthy cause.

Check out the site.

Watching the Girl Grow Up…

It’s dawned on me recently that Tonka (9 years old) is in a transformational stage.

She’s not quite little girl and she’s not quite pre-teen/pre-adolescent.

Sometimes she displays a maturity well beyond her years. You can have full-on conversations with her about important and real concepts such as responsibility, death, decisions and their consequences and much more.

On the other hand, sometimes she reverts back to behavior that would be more typical of a much younger child.

It’s served as a wake-up call for me to re-think how I deal with her and how I relate to her. What’s the best parenting approach for her?

It’s a reminder as well that change is a constant and adapting to that change is a key to survival in every aspect of life, particularly parenting.

That aside, it’s a joy to see her growing up.

Interesting Way to Market Funerals

Jewish organizations will often send out calendars because the Jewish calendar differs from the secular calendar.

It’s helpful for planning holidays, etc.

It’s also typical for the organization to choose Jewish or Israel-themed pictures for the calendar.

I was particularly struck by the choice that Danzansky-Goldberg Memorial Chapels made this year when their theme was “The Dead Sea.”

Not sure this would have been my first choice, but there’s no doubt that it’s probably the strongest Israel-themed idea which directly connects to their brand and core business.

Fort Sumter-The Shot That Began It All…Maybe

My general philosophy when traveling with kids is to have one goal for the day. Accomplish that and the rest is bonus.

Day 2 of our family winter vacation was about Fort Sumter and digging a bit deeper into the causes of the Civil War.

As many of you remember, it was at Fort Sumter in April 1861 that the first shot of the Civil War was fired (or so we all thought—more on that later).

As is the case with most National Parks, in my experience at least, the rangers are extremely knowledgeable and really enrich the visit. This one was no exception and, in particular, they did a fantastic job of engaging the kids…there are now National Park trading cards for them to collect at locations all over the country.

Sumter was a man-made island, placed strategically in the middle of the entrance to Charleston harbor, designed to protect the city and the port from would-be foreign invaders such as British, French, etc. However, after South Carolina became the first state to secede in December 1860, it became an irritating reminder of the Federal presence on South Carolina soil.

The stand-off ensued after South Carolina demanded that the Federal garrison be removed. The Feds refusal prompted a siege and while supplies were running low, Lincoln sent a supply ship in January to help the troops. The “Star of the West” arrived in Charleston in early January, 1861, but never made it to the Fort because it was fired upon by cadets from the Citadel (which we found out later) and had to turn back.

Eventually, an ultimatum was given to Maj. Anderson by Gen. Beauregard to evacuate the fort. Again, Anderson refused and at 4.30am on April 12, 1861, the first shot was fired.

The bombardment lasted for 36 hours and remarkably, there were no casualties…until the time shen Anderson agreed to surrender and, because his troops had fought so valiantly, they were given the right to fire a 100 gun salute. After the 43rd shot, a Private Downey was killed when his cannon shot prematurely.

His was the first of the 750,000 fatalities of the war.

The 30 minute boat ride to and from was relaxing and we had the bonus of seeing some dolphins in the harbor as well.

Needless to say, the kids loved the boat ride probably more than the Ranger talk, but they definitely got something out of it…and we had a chance to show them, on the following day, how different perspectives impact a view.

So, on Day 3, 2e visited the Citadel, aka the Military College of South Carolina, which was established before the Civil War and while I didn’t re-enact the Lords of Discipline for them, we did get a chance to walk the grounds.

As we did, we came upon a stone monument that celebrates the “Best Drilled Cadet” of each class, listing his name and year. (It was all men. You may recall that it wasn’t until 1996 that the Citadel became co-ed. Now, 7% of the class are women. Interestingly enough, the top TWO graduates in 2012 were women- a first.)

What was fascinating was that the award for the best cadet is called the “Star of the West,” after the Union ship that attempted to resupply Fort Sumter, but not for that reason.

It is because, as the inscription says (click on photo to enlarge it), it was on Jan. 9, 1861 that the first shot in the “War Between the States” was fired when Citadel cadets  and the monument was erected to commemorate this “great event in American history” when the defense of the South became real and for those who have fought and died with honor in defense of their ideals.

One thing you get in Charleston…in droves…is a sense of history. In some respect, you feel like this is a city that peaked over 150 years ago and is still coasting on that.

The tall statue in one of the main squares downtown is to John Calhoun…who had a wealth of experience in government, including most notably being Vice President—all before 1850.

Still, what Charleston has, besides history, is charm…a ton of it. It is mega-relaxing with a ton of waterways, kind people, and some absolutely stunning architecture and views.

Southern Road Trip: A Study of Slavery

For this winter’s road trip, we decided to give our kids a small taste of the South.

After an overnight in Fayetteville, NC (which I found out was named for General LaFayette and was set up by merchants in Wilmington, NC as a defensive measure against the port of Charleston), we drove down to the Palmetto state.

Our first stop was Magnolia Plantation where we placed the emphasis on teaching the kids about the history of American slavery. We covered topics ranging from human rights to economics to agriculture and more.

The NFO did a phenomenal job of making the story of slavery personal by connecting it to the story of the Exodus, with which the kids are familiar, of course.

We had a nice Southern moment when we went to buy our tickets. Paco had to use the bathroom desperately and, without batting an eye, the woman at the cash register willingly let us in so he could use it and then return afterwards to buy our tickets. Sure, we didn’t have our stickers indicating we had paid, but I could see many scenarios where people would not have let this happen.

The bulk of our time/tour was in the former Slave cabins on the plantation and it was just tough to imagine having 6, 9, or 12 people in one of those homes. It was about 45 degrees when we were there and I imagined how unpleasant it must have been to have winter days and nights in this rickety house with no insulation warmed only by a small fire.

From there, the conversation (by a first-rate guide) took us through 570 years of history in about 25 minutes. While the kids may not have gotten everything, they understood that having 600 people crammed into the hold of a cargo ship, lying horizontal for 7-10 days at a time when it was built for 450 (not that that was a good situation either) would be miserable.

In short, I think they felt a bit of empathy…which was the ultimate point.

Aside from that, the grounds were glorious. The gardens had a great deal of attention paid to them and the kids enjoyed the garden maze.  You really felt a sense of relaxation, away from it all, surrounded by nature’s beauty.

It’s like keeping two ideas in your head at the same time…the beauty of the grounds, but built on the injustice that was slavery.

But, we take these trips to confront these dilemmas and the cognitive dissonance.

Our travels continue tomorrow as we go to Fort Sumter…the site of the beginning of the Civil War.

How I Saved $900 on My Cell Phone Bill…and Stuck it to the Man

If you’re sick of feeling like you are overpaying for cell service and don’t like being beholden to wireless carriers, then this post is for you.

My 2 year Sprint contract ended last July and I was determined to not go under contract with anybody again..

I wanted flexibility in my plan. I wanted cutting-edge technology. And I didn’t want to spend through the nose for it.

Here’s how I managed to pull it off.

• Bought an unlocked Google Nexus 4 for $300.
• Signed up for a Straight Talk all-you-can-eat plan for $45 per month. It’s unlimited text/talk/data.

The Pros

1. Cost Savings--I was paying $120 per month and now I’m paying $45
2. Cutting-edge technology- Top of the line Google phone. ‘Nuff said.
3. No contract. Total flexibility.

On the other points that you are sure to ask…

Call Quality
Straight Talk is an AT&T reseller and, so far, I have to say that the call/coverage quality has been fine. In fact, I used it all the way down/back to South Carolina and there was only a period of about 4 minutes the whole way when I didn’t have coverage.

Data
So, Straight Talk says they are “unlimited” data. Some research on line says that IF you go above 2GB, they will throttle you. Personally, I think I’ve gone over 2GB in one month maybe once in the past 3 years, so I am not super concerned about that. I do monitor usage and I do tend to switch off mobile data and turn on wi-fi when I am in the house.

Customer Service/Number Portability
Moving the number was very easy. Ridiculously easy. I did have a customer service issue and though I did have to wait about 10 mins, I found the agent to be extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful.  She was in Guatemala. Issue resovled.

The Cons

There really aren’t too many. You can get your phone from StraightTalk, if you want, but if you bring your own, you have a DIY solution which means that the Operating System, the phone manufacturer, and the carrier are all divorced from each other.

Frankly, I think phones are pretty much at the maturation point where that doesn’t really matter, but some people may want a place to go (like a Verizon store) for service and questions.

Bottom Line

Do the math….if you are out of contract, you are better off buying an unlocked phone on eBay and getting a pre-paid plan than paying through the nose (and being locked in) to a wireless carrier. And, now, what Google has done, in my opinion, is going to open the floodgates in terms of having access to lower cost, top of the line phones.

And when you’ve saved all that money, you can feel free to make a donation to my coffee fund

Turning Old Gadgets to Cash

Note: This a Public Service Announcement with a cash incentive for both of us.

Many of you probably obtained new gadgets (phones, iPads, Kindles, etc.) over the past few weeks and months.

And now, you probably have your previous device sitting somewhere, unloved, on a table or in a desk and doing nothing for you.

Well, thanks to a friend of mine, I discovered a site called TechPayout.com (use promo code “NeverStop” for a $5 bonus if you visit) where you can sell your old devices quickly and easily and have the money sent as a check or PayPal.

I’ve sold plenty of stuff on eBay and while I was a bit reluctant to try out this site, I did anyway and I was blown away by how simple, fast, and easy it was.

1. You search for the device you want to sell, fill out a few questions, and get an estimate.
2. If you want to sell, you print out a pre-paid shipping label.
3. You send the device and a few days later, voila, money in your account.

Whole thing probably took less than 5 minutes.

I sold my 2 year old EVO 4G for $41 (which was about $35 more than I thought I could ever get) and even if it is a few dollars less than you could get elsewhere, the simplicity of it all makes it worthwhile.

And I figure that cash is better than having old devices lying around your house unused..

So, if you do visit TechPayout.com (please use promo code “NeverStop” for your $5 bonus. Disclosure: I am an affiliate now, so will make some money on this as well).

When Work Helps Your Life…

One of the artificial lines that has long troubled me is the “work/personal” line.

The idea that the two worlds were-and should remain-separate.

Last week, I read a post by one of my favorite bloggers, Mitch Joel, as he advocated the idea that creating content for your audiences was akin to creating a ticket of discovery for your potential customers.

Then, he took a turn and talked about the need to inspire curiosity and amazement in our kids and that one of the best ways to do this is through travel.

I’ve long loved to travel and hope to inspire my kids in this respect as well, so I took Mitch’s idea to heart (he had been inspired by the train tracks in Montreal where he lives) and set out on an adventure on the DC Metro with my kids-to nowhere.

Our plan was just to get on the train and go. See what happened. The kids, who don’t ride the Metro very often were thrilled. Throw in the fact that we got to take a bus, ride some elevators and escalators and use some fare cards, as well as meet some interesting folks and we had ourselves a fun, exciting, and cost-effective morning outing.

Seeing their eyes wide open, listening to them make observations about the passing scenery, and answering their questions, I felt lucky that the work/personal line had been crossed.

The Power of Branding…as taught by my 7 year old

I’ve managed to successfully turn my 7 year old son into a rabid football fan.

Now, I get to watch the games with him and the “father-son” bonding air cover is all I need when my wife says “too much football.”

While I do my best to mute commercials, I am starting to see the power of marketing make its impact on the young boy’s mind.

Here’s but one example (we’ll leave out the fact that he now says ‘hey, there’s a Chevy Silverado!” while we are driving-something he only knows because of football games or that he and his friends now sing “Every Kiss begins with Kay!”):

Let’s talk about the halftime show…

“Hey, let’s see the halftime show,” I’ll say.

“You mean, the ‘VISA halftime show,” he will correct me.

“Son, it’s actually a halftime show. Visa just pays to have their name there.”

“I don’t care, I like the ‘Visa Halftime Show.”

He’ll repeat this for the Toyota and Verizon halftime shows.

Interestingly enough, he is developing brand preference because of the quality of the programming/highlights associated with it.

So, in his mind, Visa is the best. Toyota is the 2nd best. Verizon is the 3rd best.

Lesson: When you attach your brand to a partner, makes sure it’s a high quality partner. Otherwise, even a 7 year old can tell that your brand is not the best.

Stanley Kubrick in LA

I graduated college in 3.5 years, but decided that I would spend the last semester doing a number of things that I wouldn’t otherwise have done.

If a friend told me that s/he had an interesting class, I would sit in on it.

If there was a guest lecturer somewhere, I would go. A concert, I was in.

One of the best classes that my friend and roommate, Eric Kesselman suggested was “Films of Stanley Kubrick.”

So, it was with great excitement when I headed out to LA recently and was looking for a way to fulfill my business travel policy of “do something interesting in the city, if only for 1 hour” when my colleague said, “there’s a Stanley Kubrick exhibit at the LA County Modern Art museum.”

So, that’s what we did.

Kubrick was intense, to say the least. So many iconic movies…2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, A Clockwork Orange.

I thought the exhibit did a great job of getting you into his head…the man was a control freak, perfectionist, and into his dark view of the world.

But that’s not even the point…I was just glad to get out there and open my mind a bit, taking advantage of what travel is meant to be.

Helping 1000 people in one year to build a business…

I’ve long believed that one of the best ways to build your brand (be it personal or corporate) is to focus on the needs of others.
If you do that, you earn trust…which is an asset that comes back to you.
Fact is, you can even be open about the fact that your motive is yourself long-term, but you know the strategy is about serving others.
Here’s an example…and something to think about as we move into 2013.
Robby Slaughter of Indianapolis set himself a goal at the beginning of 2012.
To help 1000 people.
He called in 1000in2012
Even built a website to track it all.
You know, if you are reaching out to Robby, he’s going to help you.
And I know that when he actually does—even if he is doing it for the reason that he thinks it will help him in the long-term, and I’m not saying he is—you’re going to trust him more.
That will, in some cases, lead to opportunities for him to do business with you.

Connections Drive Creativity: LA Edition

One of my absolute favorite things to do is connect friends of mine-who don’t know each other-with one another.

When I travel somewhere, I do my best to coordinate a central meet-up for folks in that city.

In LA, we had a great turnout and I felt so blessed to connect:

• William Francke (and his wife Kim) whom I know from my Snickelways era with
• Shira Shimoni from my Upper West Side days with
• Amy Detrick, my world-class designer for the past 3 years (and whom I had never met in person before that night) with
• Angie Aldape, a co-worker at Sprinklr with
• Josh David, my cousin, to
• Mike Bonifer, another person I had never met before that night in person.

What makes a gathering like this work, in my opinion, is that you give people a chance to get out of their normal circles and get exposed to others with new ideas.

For example:

• William works at a company called Vigilent, which has a hi-tech way to reduce cooling costs in data centers.
• Shira works at an e-commerce company called Magento which was acquired by eBay
• Amy is a freelance designer
• Angie is on the front lines of the social business revolution at Sprinklr.
• Josh is a writer for E!
• Mike is an improv teacher for businesses.

Doing so builds connections which drives creativity. This, in my opinion, is the secret to innovation.

And on top of it all, I walk away feeling all the more inspired and connected.

A Boss Reunion-Thanking The Teachers

I think it’s important, much like a college reunion, to periodically reflect on how your professional career has unfolded and to express gratitude for those who helped shape it.

There's no way I would have achieved any of my own success without the input and impact of those who hired me into my various roles.

I’ve been fortunate. I have always had a great relationship with bosses who hired me (not always with those who inherited me, but I digress).

One of these days, I’m going to get them all together in a room. For now, I’ll just introduce them all to you and to each other.

Todd Newfield, who gave me my first job doing Internet Marketing in Tokyo, Japan at FACT Communications. Even today, I can’t believe the amount of exposure and opportunity I had to do some great stuff. I certainly didn’t appreciate it all then. His two pieces of career advice still linger with me.

• “Only do business with people you like.”
• “Never believe your own bullshit.”

You want intensity? That’s Todd. He truly Never Stops Marketing.

Paul Cimino gave me my first sales job at Snickelways and introduced me to the world of doing business-and doing it well-in New York City. He’s a great salesman and showed how relationships and networks matter so much in building, well, anything. I had been dedicated to my network before then, but Paul supercharged that focus.  He taught me the value of strong negotiations (using that skill on me once or twice) and persistence.

Tom Begley made the call to hire me at Microsoft. He knew I lacked some professional polish (some would argue that I still do), but he saw potential and passion and believed that my love of technology and how it could possibly impact people would come through. Tom is a Zen Master (well, you know what I mean) of Emotional Intelligence, among many things, and taught me many of the nuances of navigating large organizations, the politics of it, and how to listen to a room and “know your audience.” 

Christine Zmuda hired me onto a different Microsoft team. Not only is she a great listener, teacher, and friend, but she’s a world-class planner and execution fiend.  She raised the bar in terms of my expectations and possibilities and showed me how to put it all together from a marketing perspective, giving me responsibility for my own piece of business—and accountability for it as well.  The operational and data side of marketing is where she truly excelled-and where I benefited.

And, Ragy Thomas, hired me into Sprinklr and, well, the jury is still out on him   Just kidding…he’s a great teacher, but we don’t write the history until the chapter is over.

Born To Run…

Yes, Bruce Springsteen was as well, but I’m actually talking about YOU.

Yes, YOU.

The person who says “I can’t run a mile without getting winded.”

Turns out, that’s exactly what you were originally built to do…and more.

This is just part of what I learned in a fantastic book called Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen.

I re-discovered a love and appreciation for running as I began my Tough Mudder training. I had run in high school and then, in my mid-20’s, developed shin splints and never really got back into it.

With training required, I had to rededicate myself, but went with the barefoot style via Merrell and they worked wonders for me. See the shoes here

As I ran more and more, I found that I started to appreciate it, the energy that came from it, and my friend Yak suggested the book to me.

It made me feel better about my speed (or lack thereof..I do about 8.5 minute miles) and proud of my endurance—which I have a fair amount of.

It introduced me to the idea that running was, in fact, the competitive advantage that humans originally had over both animals and Neanderthals.

Not because of speed, but because we are the only ones who can release heat (via sweat) while we are running and breathe simultaneously. Essentially what this means is that we can outrun a deer or an antelope…not by speed, but by dogged pursuit, because eventually, they will just have to give up because they overheat.

It’s called persistence hunting and the idea was fascinating.

The book is based upon a tribe of Mexican Indians known as the Tarahumara who can run obscene distances in extreme heat and uses them as the basis for what Man originally was supposed to be. Our modern lifestyle has destroyed much of that and because we don’t run, many of the diseases with which we are now familiar, exist in abundance.

AS the book says, “we don’t stop running because we get old, we get old because we stop running.”

If you are a runner, you must read this book. Odds are, you have.

If you want to get healthy, read this book.

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen.

It’s inspiring, well-written, and entertaining…and it may just improve your life.

And my favorite quote about the Tarahumara:

“The Tarahumara aren’t great runners…they’re great athletes, and those two things are very different.”

Runners are assembly-line workers; they become good at one thing-moving straight ahead at a steady speed-and repeat that motion until overuse fritzes out the machinery.

Athletes are Tarzans. Tarzan swims and wrestles and jumps and swings on vines. He’s strong and explosive. You never know what Tarzan will do next, which is why he never gets hurt.

Your body needs to be shocked to become resilient…Follow the same daily routine, and y our musculoskeletal system quickly figures out how to adapt and go on autopilot. But surprise it with new challenge-leap over a creek, commando-crawl under a log, sprint till your lungs are busting-and scores of nerves and ancillary muscle are suddenly electrified into action.”

(Not withstanding that Tarzan is fake, of course. And now you know why I dig the Tough Mudder. Still a good point.)

When losing a negotiation feels great…

Paco has become quite the ferocious and passionate Monopoly player recently.
He’s always asking anyone who will listen, if they will play with him.
Mind you, I don’t let him win. Ever.
But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t absolutely CRUSHED me a few times. He has.
What’s more, in addition to his burgeoning real estate tycoon skills, he’s become quite the negotiator, even outside of the game.
The other day, we were walking home together.
He wanted to play Monopoly.
I wanted to take a nap.
We agreed that if he completely read a new book he had just received, he could wake me up from the nap and we would play.
I thought the book was about 200 pages, so I was confident I would get in at least 2 hours. (He is a fast reader).
When we got home, I noticed the book was about 90 pages and immediately realized I was in trouble.
Paco recognized the same thing and as I attempted to renegotiate the deal, he knew he had me over a barrel.
What he managed to do in the next 4 minutes, without backing down, was extract a series of concessions from me to enable a 2 hour nap.
The details aren’t important. What’s notable is how he saw the opportunity and leveraged his position.
Yes, I was proud…even in defeat.

Halftime in the Game of Fatherhood (sort of)

The other day we celebrated Tonka’s 9th birthday. It was a great party, orchestrated in a meaningful way by the NFO.

In fact, the event was hosted at the Hebrew Home for the Aged and the event consisted of singing Hannukah songs for the residents and then having the kids do projects with them to make blankets for disadvantaged kids and paint vases for sick children.

And, yes, there was cake.

The kids had a great time.

What struck me, however, was that I had hit a ‘halftime’ of sorts, as Tonka was, in theory, halfway to being out of the house.

Sure, parenting will never be done, but if she leaves at 18, well, then I’m 50% of the way there.

Just like that.

I feel like a cliché when I say that it seems like only yesterday when she was born and I was crying my eyes out (and thanks to the web, it’s only a click away)

In this moment, however, I am acutely aware of the passage of time and how precious it is to be with my kids as they grow up.

Get ready to cry...

This guy has heart...
HT Adam for sharing

Are You Honest or Dishonest?

Most likely, you are dishonest.

Here’s why…in a great 11 minute video by Dan Ariely (his previous book reviewed here).

Good news..you can do something about it for yourself…and to protect yourself from others.

HT to David Berkowitz

Is College Really Worth It?

Long time readers of this blog know that I’ve been wrestling with the idea that college is the sacrosanct ticket to middle-class success that it has been in the past.

This stems from my beliefs around the fundamentally changing nature of work, the skills required for economic success in a flat/globalized/connected world, and the rising costs/debt challenge associated with technology.

Along these lines are two fascinating articles, one by one of my favorite thinkers about the Internet, Clay Shirky, where he uses the Recording industry as the example of how Education could be overhauled. The real kicker isn’t even about that, it’s about how most of us don’t see the big changes that are coming until it’s too late.

I think this may be one of them.

Then, is a 2nd article from the New York Times about, at least on the cutting-edge, in some circles, not going to college is viewed as a positive thing.

As a note, I enrolled in Sebastian Thrun’s class (described in Shirky’s article) and though I didn’t complete it, I saw the power and potential in it.

I also have a recording of Thiel’s 20 under 20 on my DVR which I haven’t watched yet, but will soon.

It’s going to be tough for many of us (myself included) to arrive at the conclusion that the model of college (not higher education, mind you) might be outdated, but if the changes wrought by the Internet are as big as I think they will be (and I think we are only at the beginning), we may have to do just that.

How to Quickly Identify (and stop) Junk Mail

This is so darn smart, I'm just upset I didn't think of it first.

My friend and fellow JHU Blue Jay, Ray Wang of Constellation Research, has a brilliant system for identifying which companies sell his name to others.

He uses the "Address 2" line to identify the company to which he is giving his info.
So, for example, he'll write "United Airlines-Spam" or "Verizon-Spam"

The Address 2 line is not subject to mail verification, so it always works.

Then, when he sees a piece of mail coming with that on the address, he knows who sold it.

Before he throws it away, he can call the company and give them a choice:

"Take me off your list or get sued. Your call."

Love it.

Clean Water and Clean Style

Do you own a Brita filter? 

We do and one of the things that drives me crazy is the little pieces of carbon that float around.

Then, there are the times when I forget to change the filter.  Or, and this is my responsibility, I don't clean out the top and, well, it doesn't look so nice.

Which is why I was particularly excited to hear about this new project my friend and former client (Yes To Carrots), Ido Leffler.

It's a a beautiful glass carafe cand a 100% compostable water filter that is delivered on a regular basis via subscription service. So, it's not just stylish (it is), but it's potentially more environmentally responsible (save carbon footprint of shipping) and also healthier (if filtered water is your thing.)
One thing I know about Ido (aside from the fact that he makes really smart hiring decisions about hiring marketing consultants) is that he is passionate, committed, and dedicated to healthy living.
Ok, that's 3 things, but you see what I mean.
Anyway, his kickstarter campaign is under way and I'd suggest you check it out.

Must Use Tool for Password Management

I cannot recommend this tool highly enough.

It's called LastPass and it plugs right into your browser, syncs across multiple devices, and most importantly, makes it ridiculously easy to securely save all of your passwords.

What's more, you can share your password with friends without actually giving them the password.

Say, I want to let you log in to some site that I use (maybe register my kid for camp, I don't know).

Instead of emailing you the password (not so good), I "LastPass" it to you. You accept it and can log in...but you never actually know the password.

What's more, it's allowed me to get more secure in choosing my passwords and remember the various iterations I use or must (1 cap, 1 number, 1 symbol or whatever).

Seriously, I love it.

Sushi and Mastering Your Life’s Passion

Find your passion and then commit fully to it.

That’s one of the key messages of a fantastic movie that I watched recently (with my kids as well) called “Jiro Dreams of Sushi.”

You learn the story of the 85 year old who is regarded as the world’s greatest sushi chef and his lifelong dedication to his craft.

Plus, you get a pretty clear picture of what it takes to become (and stay) the best in your field.

The movie isn’t about sushi. It’s about, well, a lot of things, but it’s a blueprint for mastery.

Most of us don’t achieve that level and Jiro’s dedication shows us why and why it’s so rare. And, I suppose, it helps us appreciate Mastery when we see it.

Why God Sends Rain to Latin America & Not to the Middle East...

Before you judge me, let me tell you this.
I got this in email…from my mother.

ANY  QUESTIONS? Didn't think so.