Dreamin' Steven

Defending the Vandenberg

2012-01-20T12:46:00.000-08:00

Last October, we took OceanGate's sub to Monterey, CA, for a month of ocean exploration and education outreach. During that time, we connected with film-maker Bob Talbot, who was shooting a short film for the new visitor center for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Santa Cruz. The star of Bob's film was Kirk Krack, a freediving coach who also founded Performance Freediving. We shot several scenes with Kirk, including him climbing around the sub while it was sitting on the bottom at 50+ feet. He is an incredible talent and a genuinely "good guy", so our whole team enjoyed spending time with him and the rest of Bob's team.

This is an absolutely amazing video that features Kirk and some of his colleagues:

Defending The Vandenberg from Ren Chapman on Vimeo.

River of Dreams

2012-01-15T04:47:00.000-08:00

As I do during the last week of every December, I recently conducted a personal self-analysis, reviewed the prior year, and set goals for the next. This year in particular has been especially significant because we are in the process of relocating our business--and therefore my family--from Seattle to South Florida. This helps mark a much deeper personal transition from one phase of life to another, so I have been unusually introspective.

To help my efforts, I have been spending a lot of time with one of my favorite songs of all time, River of Dreams by Billy Joel. Like many others who have listened to this song, I find the lyrics to be extremely powerful and inspirational:

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
From the mountains of faith
To the river so deep
I must be lookin' for something
Something sacred I lost
But the river is wide
And it's too hard to cross
Even though I know the river is wide
I walk down every evening and stand on the shore
I try to cross to the opposite side
So I can finally find what I've been looking for

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the valley of fear
To a river so deep
I've been searching for something
Taken out of my soul
Something I'd never lose
Something somebody stole
I don't know why I go walking at night
But now I'm tired and I don't want to walk anymore
I hope it doesn't take the rest of my life
Until I find what it is I've been looking for

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the jungle of doubt
To the river so deep
I know I'm searching for something
Something so undefined
That it can only be seen
By the eyes of the blind
In the middle of the night

I’m not sure about a life after this
God knows I've never been a spiritual man
Baptized by the fire, I wade into the river
That is runnin' through the promised land

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the desert of truth
To the river so deep
We all end in the ocean
We all start in the streams
We're all carried along
By the river of dreams
In the middle of the night

Man Reaching for a Star

2012-01-11T03:57:00.000-08:00

For years I have been thinking about getting a tattoo, and lately my 13-year-old daughter has been pushing me to get one. Unfortunately, I just have not been able to find anything that I felt would look good on an 85-year-old man (after all, tattoos are *permanent*). However, if I ever get one, it would probably be the image below ... over my heart.

Many years ago, a close friend gave me a greeting card by Richard Stine which had this image on it. It really spoke to me on a number of different levels. A while later I was amazed to find a sweatshirt with the same image on the front, so I bought it and I have since used it regularly during my morning workouts. I find it so inspirational ... and so do my three kids. Perhaps someday soon I may take the plunge and get that tattoo. Who knows?

Robert Frost's "Road Not Taken"

2012-01-08T14:21:00.000-08:00

The previous post came as a result of a conversation that started with my friend quoting Robert Frost's Road Not Taken ... another personal favorite:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Macbeth Soliloquy

2012-01-08T10:06:00.000-08:00

A close friend recently reminded me of a soliloquy I once had to memorize back in 6th grade. Amazingly, I still remember this powerful passage from William Shakespeare's Macbeth:

To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing.

— Macbeth (Act 5, Scene 5, lines 17-28)

Cave Diving in the Bahamas

2012-01-08T09:19:00.000-08:00

Over the past year I had the pleasure of connecting with Kenny Broad, a University of Miami ocean researcher who was also named 2010 National Geographic Explorer of the Year. His work exploring underwater caves in the Bahamas resulted in some breath-taking images captured by award-winning photographer Wes C. Skiles, who shared the Nat Geo honor with Kenny. Sadly, Wes died in a diving incident shortly before his photo below graced the cover of Nat Geo Magazine. For more stunning photos, check out this gallery.

click for larger image

Wes C. Skiles

Crazy Soccer Goal

2012-01-05T16:03:00.000-08:00

I played soccer competitively for ~25 years. I loved playing in all sorts of weather conditions: sun, heat, rain, snow, whatever. The only condition I did not like for soccer was wind. Here's a great example of why wind and soccer don't mix very well:

Earth-Moon Desktop Image

2012-01-02T18:22:00.001-08:00

For the past few weeks, I've been using the image below as my desktop background. Many people insist that it is Photoshopped. In fact, the photo was taken by NASA astronaut Ron Garan (@Astro_Ron on Twitter) from the International Space Station on October 21, 2011. I just think it's way cool.

Do Humans Matter?

2012-01-02T17:59:00.000-08:00

Over the years, I've seen many different graphical representations of the history of human existence in the context of the history of the earth (or the universe). This recent one using a 24-hour clock image was not necessarily unique, but the title generated some interesting debates in the comments.

AC-DC on Howard Stern

2012-01-01T09:34:00.001-08:00

It seems like I'm kicking off the new year with a focus on music, so ... here is one of my favorite "unplugged" tunes: Brian Johnson, Angus Young, and Malcom Young of AC-DC playing You Shook Me All Night Long on an episode of Howard Stern:

Favorite Mashup: All Summer Long

2011-12-31T23:57:00.002-08:00

Last summer I was trying to explain to my kids the idea of a music mashup. They (and I) ended up loving Kid Rock's All Summer Long, which combined Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon and Sweet Home, Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd into a unique third song that is vintage Kid Rock.

Update: Kristine Elezaj

2011-12-31T23:52:00.000-08:00

Over four years ago, I wrote about fellow Bullrunner Kristine Elezaj. Since then, her career has really taken off. Here is one of her latest videos:

Orianthi Panagaris

2011-12-31T21:43:00.000-08:00

I have to end 2011 with a posting I've been meaning to write all year: one of my favorite new musicians in a long time is Aussie guitarist Orianthi Panagaris. Listening to her play reminds me of the first time I ever heard Eddie Van Halen on Eruption. Or some of her idols and mentors, such as Joe Satriani, Carlos Santana, and the man who discovered her at the age of 15, Steve Vai. Here she is playing an instrumental duet with Vai. Enjoy!

About Time: Innovating our Calendar System

2011-12-31T21:32:00.000-08:00

Every now and then, someone comes up with an innovation that seems like "D'oh! That makes sense!" ... *after* they bring it up. As we celebrate the dawn of the new year, it is only fitting that Steve H. Hanke and Richard Conn Henry have now devised a new twist on our old Gregorian calendar. Their proposed system would ensure consistent days/dates every year, with 30-day months, a 31-day month every third month, and an additional week in December every 5-6 years to replace our quadrennial leap year day. Sounds cool to me ... now, they just need to convince the world to make the switch!

Update: Danny MacAskill

2011-12-31T21:23:00.004-08:00

A couple of years ago, I was blown away by the street trials skills of Scotsman Danny MacAskill. That was when his first online video went viral. Now he's gone professional and grown to become one of NatGeo's 2012 Explorers of the Year. And he's released another video of insane urban bike riding stunts. Enjoy!

Danny Macaskill: Industrial Revolutions from Cut Media on Vimeo.

Stop-Action Chess Game

2011-03-17T07:07:00.005-07:00

Perhaps because I am not overly creative myself, I am constantly amazed by the work of people with highly creative skills. My two sons love playing chess and watching stop-action videos, so this one in particular appealed to all three of us:

Jedi Church ... Why Not?

2009-04-26T18:25:00.004-07:00

It turns out that there is now an official "Jedi Church" ... and why not?

Sure, you have to get past the obvious tongue-in-cheek Star Wars movie tie-ins. But otherwise ... if you think about it, the underlying philosophical principles of the Jedi are not so completely out of whack with our current society. Given the political, economic, and sociological turbulence surrounding us across the globe, it seems to me that people are craving something new and refreshing to believe in. Perhaps a "religion" whose core tenets include beliefs that "there is one all powerful force that binds all things in the universe together" and "there is an innate sense of morality inside every one of us" is just the cure for what ails many people today. Folks tend to find solace wherever they feel most comfortable.

Hey, then again, as a disillusioned Catholic who married a Jewish woman and spent most of last year in Islamic countries, perhaps I'm not the best judge of religious doctrines?! After the latest Star Trek movie comes out in a few weeks, I might switch my affiliation to either "Vulcan" or "Klingon" (I don't think I'd fit in as well as a "Romulan"). ;-)

"Living the Map"

2009-04-26T18:11:00.002-07:00

I love it when people intentionally take unique turns with their lives. For example, one of my best friends from high school is finishing up a 5-year sail around the world ... with her husband and two young sons!

I recently came across another individual living an interesting life. A 26-year-old guy named Daniel Seddiqui came up with a unique approach to figuring out "what he wants to be when he grows up": he's trying to work 50 different jobs in 50 weeks ... in 50 different states! Talk about a terrific job-searching and soul-searching experience! He's calling it "Living the Map", and he's currently 31 weeks into the project. As you can imagine, he's garnered lots of media attention, too.

BTW ... those of you who know me very well may notice something interesting at the bottom of Daniel's home page. He organized his photo gallery by state and used photos of each stateline sign as the home page icon linking to each state's photos. A number of years ago, I started collecting photos of stateline signs during my travels. I'm up to 43 (including Alaska and Hawaii!), but I've been stuck for a while. I need to make a return trip to the Pacific Northwest (I was in Oregon and Washington BEFORE I started collecting snapshots) and a doubtful swing through the northern Midwest (Minnesota, Michigan, etc.). The novelty of the project wore off a long time ago, so now it's just a matter of my not wanting to give up without crossing the finish line. We'll see!

Death and Taxes

2009-04-26T18:04:00.004-07:00

A while back I was looking for a breakdown of the U.S. Federal budget, just so I could figure out where NASA's budget fit into the big scheme of things. I came across this incredibly useful visualization.

click for larger image
or here for more interactive version

Talent = Hard Work + Luck

2009-04-26T17:53:00.004-07:00

Even if you haven't read Malcolm Gladwell's latest book, Outliers, you probably heard about one of his key concepts: the "10,000 hour rule". Essentially, Gladwell studied the backgrounds of many truly exceptional people to find out what made them stand out from the rest of us "normal" people. One thing he found is that most of these "outliers" became truly exceptional only after spending at least 10,000 working in their particular field. This roughly equates to ~10 years.

Since this July will mark my 10-year anniversary working with entrepreneurs and startup ventures, I keep telling my wife that our gravy train is just now getting ready to leave the station. Ha! At least Kirby Ferguson made me laugh with this video take on Gladwell and others:

Absolutely INSANE Bicycle Riding!!!

2009-04-26T17:38:00.004-07:00

I previously wrote about "Parkour" (or "free running") and how amazing it is to watch these guys do what they do in an urban setting. Well, here comes "Parkour for Bikes" ...

My youngest child is just about ready to ditch the training wheels on his bike, and my second oldest is just starting to try some small tricks (e.g., riding with no hands, wheelie, bunny hop, ramp jumps, etc.). However, you can imagine how blown away they were by this video of what Danny MacAskill can do on a bicycle. Of course, I had to remind them that he must practice A LOT to get this good. ;-)

Danny Macaskill : Next level street trials from brainchild-films on Vimeo.

Innovative (If Not Workable) Concept Airplanes

2009-04-26T17:24:00.002-07:00

This recent article does a great job of compiling and describing a slew of cool-looking airplane prototypes and concepts. Here is a sampling:

Ideo Lab's "Rube Goldberg Machine

2009-04-26T17:15:00.002-07:00

For years I've been continually impressed with the high-caliber creative thinking that seems to roll out of Ideo Labs on an almost routine basis. So it did not surprise me too much when one of their corporate "team building" exercise became an instant Web sensation a few months ago. For those of you who missed it, you can read about this project and watch the video on their blog. Essentially, they spent two weeks devising a ultra-complex "Rube Goldberg machine" that would in effect connect all of its worldwide offices. Talk about a great way to build group unity, foster a fun work environment, AND inspire creative thinking among your team!

Speaking of Interesting Photos ...

2009-04-26T16:59:00.008-07:00

Here's one that falls into the category of "it's GOT to be fake!" (even though it is a genuine photo from NASA's archives): the Space Shuttle Discovery is on the launch pad in Florida when replicas of Christopher Columbus' original exploration vehicles passed by. Talk about a passing of the torch!

click image to view original at TwitPic

Photos Taken at Unusual Angles

2009-04-26T16:49:00.002-07:00

Just about everyone I know has taken the funny photos of themselves picking a President's nose in front of Mt. Rushmore or pushing over the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We love to have fun with how unusual angles can make for amusing images. This site collected a bunch of creative shots ... here's a sample that I call "Jet-Powered Bird":

Guy Kawasaki's "10/20/30 Rule"

2009-02-28T20:00:00.004-08:00

I can't believe I haven't already posted this before, but regardless here is Guy Kawasaki presenting his classic "10/20/30 Rule" blog post:

Common Craft

2009-02-28T19:34:00.007-08:00

Since I'm such a visual person, I'm always impressed by people who are creative enough to visually explain complex concepts. The folks at Common Craft are exceptionally adept at this, as evidenced by this sample video:

Hitching a Ride

2009-02-01T09:51:00.004-08:00

In a post entitled, "Beauty Captured in a Split Second," the blog Animal Talk posted a number of compelling animal photos, including one of my favorites:

Obama and the Inauguration: Parting Shots

2009-02-01T07:56:00.004-08:00

I can't believe it's been less than 2 weeks since the inauguration ... it seems like ages ago! Here are a couple of final items from all of the images that bombarded us on that day:

First, check out this ingenious mosaic of Obama created from images of front pages from all over the world.

Second, the Denver Post's photoblog, Captured, posted a number of terrific inauguration images, including two of my favorites (click for larger images):

In Memoriam ...

2009-02-01T07:46:00.003-08:00

This past week marked the anniversaries of three tragic losses in the American manned space program: January 27 (Apollo 1 in 1967); January 28 (Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986); and February 1 (Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003). This is certainly a time for remembrance and also a time for looking ahead to make their sacrifices meaningful. Please visit this site to commemorate these three crews, as well as other cosmonauts and pilots who lost their lives in pursuit of our space-borne efforts.

To the stars through adversity - always exploring

Create Your Own Original Star Trek Story

2009-02-01T07:40:00.004-08:00

If you're a fan of Star Trek, I'm sure you'll find this piece from the folks at io9 to be hilarious:

click for larger image

GeoEye's Inauguration Satellite Image

2009-01-22T18:49:00.003-08:00

Our friends at GeoEye released this now-famous satellite image of the Obama inauguration. Their site has many more close-up shots, and it is simply amazing to see the tremendous number of people ... even hours before the ceremonies began (and the crowds got REALLY big!).

click for larger image

Clayton Christensen on Curiosity

2009-01-22T18:41:00.005-08:00

Christensen has an interesting take on what early family dynamics lead children to develop innate curiosity.

I watched this video and thought of my father, who was very much like the father Christensen describes. Ironically, I ended up being the exact opposite. However, even though I did not develop the same kind of mechanical or technical curiosity for which my father was an excellent role model, I *did* develop an intense curiosity about how everything else works: interpersonal relationships, religions, political/economic/legal systems, nature, science, etc., etc.

I just hope that I can be as good a role model for my three young kids!

Terrific Quick Story

2009-01-22T18:29:00.004-08:00

What an excellent commentary on the impact of technology on our social relationships ... as told through an entertaining medium:

Robot Power!

2009-01-22T18:23:00.003-08:00

The world is quickly being overrun by robots! Well, perhaps not quite. However, the point of this IEEE Spectrum piece remains: humans are increasingly relying on mechanical assistants to help with a large number of tasks.

For Star Wars Fans - Part 2 of 2

2009-01-22T17:55:00.004-08:00

My 8-year-old son spends HOURS designing, creating, building, and re-building all varieties of Star Wars ships and vehicles out of LEGOs. However, even he was impressed and inspired by the work of Mark Borlase, who built this 5' x 10' Hoth base diorama using 55,000-60,000 pieces of LEGO. Apparently, it took him 4 years to finish and cost over $3,000. Now that's a fan(atic)!

For more photos, please visit here.

For Star Wars Fans - Part 1 of 2

2009-01-22T17:50:00.003-08:00

Here is a fairly detailed map of the entire Star Wars galaxy. Nice!

click for larger image

Sweet Computer Setup

2009-01-22T17:39:00.005-08:00

My wife always makes fun of me because I have two 21" monitors for my desktop, as well as my laptop open in front of me (not to mention the small TV off to the side so I can watch sports events while working!). However, I got a little envious when I saw the setup that Scott Jones, CEO of ChaCha, has in his home office: 8 screens PLUS stationary bike pedals to exercise while he works! Check it out:

Very Cool Cloud Formations

2009-01-05T17:50:00.005-08:00

Someone recently forwarded me a link to a gallery of very cool photos of lenticular clouds. Here are a couple of my favorites:

(image credit: Valuca)

(image credit: Jane English)

Exploring Undersea "Space" Resorts

2009-01-05T17:25:00.005-08:00

World-renowned submersible designer Graham Hawkes is the founder and Chief Engineer of Hawkes Ocean Technologies and Ocean Galactic. As he is fond of telling his aerospace colleagues, "you've got your rockets pointed in the wrong direction!" Spending time with Graham at last fall's Space Angels Network Aerospace Venture Forum, I became increasingly intrigued by the notion of focusing on exploring Earth's oceans as a precursor to exploring outer space.

I've been finding a number of interesting projects around the world, but unfortunately I'm just not sure how viable each of these will be. I'm still holding out hope! Supposedly, there are plans for a 7-story underwater hotel in Istanbul. However, the most prominent such projects include:

Poseidon Resorts in Fiji

Hydropolis in Dubai

There are other projects around the world, each in varying stages of development. I certainly hope that I'll be visiting one of them soon!

Parkour: Free Running

2009-01-04T09:07:00.002-08:00

I was recently reminded of how blown away I was a couple of years ago when I saw the following scene in Casino Royale:

Besides the refreshing throw-back to the older Bond movies where REAL stuntmen performed REAL breath-taking stunts (no CGI here!), I was amazed by the running style used during the chase sequence. It led me to research this a little, and I discovered "Parkour" or "free running." I was especially intrigued by Sebastian Foucan, the man Daniel Craig is chasing in the Casino Royale clip and one of the founders of free running.

Unfortunately, I'm way too out of shape and past my prime to be able to enjoy this new sport myself, but man is it cool to watch!

Geological Time Spiral

2009-01-04T09:02:00.003-08:00

Speaking of teaching my kids ... I recently came across the following image while trying to figure out the best way to show them a relative time-scale of human existence versus the dinosaurs versus planet Earth versus the universe. This is an interesting visual depiction.

click for larger image

Rap: CERN's Large Hadron Collider

2009-01-04T08:58:00.002-08:00

This was one of my favorite videos from last year, since I was also able to use it to entertain/teach my kids about particle physics (ha!):

The Decline of the American Empire

2008-12-31T09:48:00.003-08:00

As my wife will readily attest, I've been predicting the decline (if not outright collapse) of the United States (aka "the American Empire" or "the Great Experiment") by the year 2020. Depending on other world events (and on the precise definition of "decline" or "collapse"), I believe that this could happen much sooner but regardless no later than 2030. This position has been variously supported--either directly or indirectly--by many others, including Warren Buffett, John Sculley, and ... Igor Panarin, a Russian academic who made news recently by predicting the collapse of the U.S. by 2010.

My thoughts have been primarily focused on basic private concerns like, "if the U.S. is indeed collapsing, where should I raise my kids in order to position them (and their kids) for success in the new world order?" However, Panarin understandably takes a much more academic approach, and he even predicts how the U.S. will ultimately be divided among the remaining world powers.

click on the image for a larger view

Given the fundamental economic breakdown in the U.S., the renewed (ongoing/heighened) tensions in the Middle East and India/Pakistan, and a rookie administration about to take over the White House, who knows what the next couple of years will bring? I often wonder what it would've been like to live in Rome (or in the outskirts of the Roman Empire) in the middle of the 5th century.

Western Spaghetti

2008-12-31T09:44:00.000-08:00

Here's one of the most viral videos of 2008:

Windy Field Goal Attempt

2008-12-31T06:35:00.001-08:00

As a sportswriter later commented, I have *never* seen a field goal kicker miss an attempt wide left and wide right ... on the same kick! 55mph gusty winds will do that, I guess.

All-Star Performance: "Money for Nothing"

2008-12-28T09:17:00.002-08:00

For rock fans, it doesn't get too much better than this: Mark Knopler, Eric Clapton, Sting, and Phil Collins ... all on one stage playing Dire Straits' Money for Nothing. Sweet!

I.M. Pei Designs New Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar

2008-12-28T09:08:00.004-08:00

Last month, I visited Doha, Qatar, just a week before the grand opening of its Museum of Islamic Art. The building itself was designed by 91-year-old I.M. Pei, who was lured out of retirement speficially for this project. The New York Times wrote an interesting piece commemorating the event, along with a photo gallery much better than my own photos. I hope to visit the Museum during my next trip to Qatar!

Video Showing Every Flight on Earth

2008-12-28T09:01:00.004-08:00

Just a fascinating video to watch:

Can Humans Avoid Death by Old Age?

2008-12-28T08:31:00.004-08:00

I can't remember when I first heard of Aubrey de Grey or his theories on anti-aging research or his Methuselah Foundation or his book on Ending Aging. However, I do know that thinking about his work has had a profound effect on me and led to some extremely philosophical discussions with a number of family members, friends, and colleagues. Here is an interesting talk he gave as part of the renowned TED Conference:

2008 Olympic Moments: Very Very Close and ... Not So Much

2008-12-28T08:06:00.009-08:00

As I look back on this year's tremendous moments in sports, I think the juxtaposition of these two photos show the absolute dominance of Michael Phelps (swimming) and Usain Bolt (track).

Both photos were taken at the finish line of their respective gold medal races in 100m sprints. At this level of intense international competition, these short races are normally decided by hundredths of seconds separating 1st from 2nd from 3rd and from the rest of the pack.

PHELPS DEFEATS CAVIC

At this point, Michael Phelps was just getting warmed up on the way to his historic string of 8 gold medals. However, he ran straight into a buzz-saw of a world-class swimmer in Serb Milorad Cavic, who was outspoken in his desire to derail Phelps' hopes. Phelps (left) held on to win by 1-one-thousandth of a second, relying on the same recipe that would lead to his being crowned "The Greatest Olympian of All Time": incredible natural talent, superb training regimen, and an intense desire to win at all costs.

BOLT DEFEATS THE WORLD

On the other end of the results spectrum, Jamaican Usain Bolt simply obliterated the field--and the world record--by a truly incredible margin. Amazingly, he was almost out of the frame for this photograph, making the rest of the world-class finalists look like no more than decent high school sprinters. Tall and lanky, with a long stride more suitable for the middle sprints (200m and 400m), Bolt literally "bolt-ed" to Olympic gold and into the record books, taking both the 100m and the 200m in world record times.

I have enjoyed watching the Olympics since I was a little kid, but this year's Summer Games were truly memorable.

Lockheed Martin's MKV: Cool or Boring?

2008-12-13T14:34:00.004-08:00

Putting aside for a second the primary purpose of this vehicle ("MKV" = "Multiple Kill Vehicle"), I found this video to be so cool from the perspective of advanced technologies. Unfortunately, my kids--who are so jaded by Star Wars special effects and video games--were totally bored by this "reality" ship. So sad.

Building the Space Shuttle

2008-12-13T14:16:00.002-08:00

I always feel so inadequate watching really creative people "do their thing" ... check this out!

Animation: Building the ISS

2008-12-13T14:13:00.002-08:00

Someone sent me this informative animation showing how the International Space Station has come together over the past 10 years (and hopefully how it will be completed). Enjoy!

Extreme Space Tourism

2008-12-13T14:07:00.003-08:00

I could see skydivers (quite literally) jumping at the opportunity to "space dive" ... I'm just not sure about the ride UP!

Qatar's Sheikah Mozah

2008-08-09T10:54:00.005-07:00

During a recent consulting engagement, I had to opportunity to learn more about Qatar, a Middle Eastern country about which I had previously known very little. As impressed as I've been with the accomplishments of the current Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, I must say that I've been even more impressed by those of one of his wives, Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Missned.

She has been a powerful force for social and economic change in her country. She spearheaded efforts to give Qatari women the right to vote, to hold public office, and to dress as they please. She has been at the forefront of Qatar's push to become a global center for education, innovation, and media. She has been recognized as one of the most powerful women in the world and as one of the most influential business leaders in the Middle East. All of this would be impressive on its own, but taken in the context of Qatar's adherence to traditional Muslim notions on the role of women, it is that much more impressive.

Here are a couple of interesting pieces on Her Highness:

Google Doodle for NASA's 50th Birthday

2008-07-30T10:08:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately, I missed this yesterday, but a friend sent along this Google Doodle in honor of NASA's 50th birthday:

Hey, Leno: Here's One for You!!!

2008-07-25T12:49:00.006-07:00

My wife--a lawyer--found this quite amusing when she went to use our hot-glue gun to fix one of the kids' broken toys.

click for a larger image

In case you can't read it, the warning label says: "Nozzle & glue will burn. Unplug after suing."

You just can't make up stuff like this!!!

Excellent Video: Making Money Online

2008-07-22T03:23:00.003-07:00

A while back, someone sent me this excellent video of a talk by David Heinemeier Hansson, the creator of Ruby on Rails and a partner at 37 Signals. Although he focuses on Web-based businesses, there are some terrific lessons learned for all entrepreneurs.

Truly "Global" Perspective

2008-07-21T02:55:00.001-07:00

I realize that this is only an illustration, but nevertheless it is a truly powerful image.

Surviving a Plane Crash

2008-07-13T04:40:00.003-07:00

I'm not sure why they bother with the statistical analysis of "front seat v. rear seat" or "window v. aisle," when the color coding says it all: if you want to survive a plane crash, you should sit in an exit row. I guess if you put it all together, you should always fly in the aisle seat of the first-class exit row. Hmmmm ...

click image for a larger version in a new window

Wordle

2008-07-09T16:45:00.000-07:00

Check out this cool Web site for creating interesting word maps.

"We'll See" State of Mind

2008-07-09T16:36:00.003-07:00

After listening to all of the recent turmoil in my life, a good friend of mine sent me this gem:

There is a Taoist story of an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit.

"Such bad luck," they said sympathetically.

"We'll see," the farmer replied.

The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses.

"How wonderful," the neighbors exclaimed.

"We'll see," replied the old man.

The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune.

"We'll see," answered the farmer.

The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son's leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out.

"We'll see," said the farmer.

Virtual Collaboration on "Hotel California"

2008-06-16T07:43:00.003-07:00

Last year, I wrote a post about how virtual worlds are increasingly becoming just as "real" as our physical world. In fact, I mentioned then how I managed to co-author my first academic article with two gentlemen who I never met because we all lived in various corners of the globe. Well, I recently came across this incredible video:

Never mind that The Eagles are one of my all-time favorite bands or that "Hotel California" is one of my all-time favorite songs. Also, disregard whether you think this is a good cover of the original song or whether you like the videography.

What makes this project so interesting is that the two performers--Jimmy Gelhaar and Bastiaan Zijlstra--managed to produce the music and video WITHOUT EVER MEETING IN PERSON. Jimmy lives in the United States (Denver) and Bastiaan lives in the Netherlands (Drachten), so they relied on Web-enabled technologies to collaborate ... and never boarded an international flight to do it.

Gotta love the power of technology!

Volcano and Lightning Storm

2008-06-08T09:22:00.004-07:00

This is an absolutely incredible photo taken for a story in National Geographic News.

However, almost as intriguing as this photo is the online debate that raged on a discussion board that reposted it with an apparently technically incorrect title. The National Geographic title was "Chile Volcano Erupts With Ash and Lightning," and the discussion board's title was "Volcano Erupts During Lightning Storm." Apparently, the volcano eruption caused the lightning storm (a fairly common occurrence); the volcano did not erupt during the lightning storm (a fairly UNcommon occurrence).

I certainly acknowledge the need to ensure scientific integrity, especially for a discussion board whose tag line is "Truth, Justice, & Humar for All!" (emphasize added). However, why can't we just appreciate the skill of the photographer and--more important--the awesome power of Mother Nature?!?!

Bjorn Borg -- In Perspective

2008-06-08T09:01:00.005-07:00

I just watched Bjorn Borg present the champion's trophy to Rafael Nadal for winning this year's French Open. This was Nadal's 4th consecutive victory at Roland Garros, an achievement last accomplished by ... Bjorn Borg in 1978-1981.

Last year, I watched Bjorn Borg present the champion's trophy to Roger Federer for winning Wimbledon for the 5th consecutive time, an achievement last accomplished by ... Bjorn Borg in 1976-1980.

It seems to me like these recent accomplishments by two of our current eras best tennis players only serve to highlight even more the phenomenal level of dominance that Borg exhibited in his prime. After all, it has taken TWO players to pull off what he accomplished by himself.

I fully realize that Federer has also won four consecutive U.S. Open championships, which no one else has achieved during the Open era. However, I believe that the slow red clay of Paris followed just a few weeks later by the fast green grass of England makes Borg's 1-2 punch just that much more incredible.

Driving the Speed Limit

2008-06-05T07:36:00.002-07:00

During one 45-day stretch last fall, I received 3 citations for traffic violations: 2 speeding and 1 illegal U-turn. A few months ago, I received an official notice from the Virginia DMV informing me that if I got one more citation within 12 months then I would lose my driving privileges for 30-90 days. Since then, I have been driving like an absolute saint, consciously obeying every single traffic law (especially speed limits).

I have never felt more dangerous and vulnerable on the road.

Apparently, I'm not alone. This is a terrific video that shows what happens when a team of college students decides to drive 4 cars on a highway at 55mph ... side by side. Enjoy!

Knowing What to Quit When ... and Doing It!

2008-05-04T17:25:00.001-07:00

Last year I read through a cool little book (80 small pages with large type) by Seth Godin entitled The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick). While it self-admittedly contained little original ideas, the way in which common sense views were presented made it an extremely valuable read. Below is one of my favorite lessons learned.

While we must each seek out to become "best in the world" (according to whatever definition we choose), there are "Seven Reasons You Might Fail to Become the Best in the World" (p. 33-34):

(1) You run out of time (and quit).
(2) You run out of money (and quit).
(3) You get scared (and quit).
(4) You're not serious about it (and quit).
(5) You lose interest or enthusiasm or settle for being mediocre (and quit).
(6) You focus on the short term instead of the long (and quit when the short term gets too hard).
(7) You pick the wrong thing at which to be the best in the world (because you don't have the talent).

The most interesting part about this list is that for many (if not all) of them, you can plan ahead. With some forward thinking and insight, we can avoid either the wasted time of having to quit an endeavor into which we have already invested significant time/money/effort or the complete disaster of languishing in "The Dip" and failing completely.

Twitter Life Cycle

2008-04-30T03:39:00.003-07:00

I can't remember where I found this image, but I thought it was SO spot-on! Also, it led me to find a really terrific (old) site by Kathy Sierra called "Creating Passionate Users." There is some really good stuff in there.

Anyway ... for those who have yet to experience Twitter, it is a simple application based on answering one single question: "What are you doing right now?" A true example of minimalism (to accommodate SMS updates, posts are limited to 140 characters) and viral community-building (you can subscribe to "follow" other people's "Tweets"), this micro-blogging phenomenon has simply exploded worldwide. If you'd like, you can even follow me.

Ice Hotel

2008-04-29T04:17:00.005-07:00

I came across this phenomenon a while back and thought it was really cool (literally!): ice hotels!

The original seems to be in Sweden, but they can now be found all over the world. Essentially, each winter they build a new hotel completely out of ice. As my son likes to say, "Cool!"

A Chance Encounter in Row 25

2008-04-13T07:52:00.007-07:00

As a general rule, I don't strike up conversations with fellow passengers on any of my business trips, because I'm usually working during the flight. However, during my last trip from Virginia to San Francisco, a chance encounter in row 25 of Virgin America flight #468 had a significant impact on my life.

Upon taking my seat near the back of the aircraft, I said "hi" to the young woman already settled into the seat next to me. By the time we took off, she had already revealed that she was 23 years old, recently single out of an oppressive relationship, and on a one-way ticket to California to "find herself" and start a new life. Two of her friends had recently moved to San Francisco, and they would help her get back on her feet.

There was something intriguing about Amanda. She was certainly bright, lively, creative, and full of life, but there was something else. Perhaps her journey seeking self-discovery reminded me of my own trip to Mexico when I was 26 and about to start law school? Perhaps I now wanted to live vicariously through her since I knew that my various obligations would make another such journey impossible for me? Or perhaps I felt like I was glimpsing into my own future, since my daughter is already "9 going on 16"?

Whatever it was, we spent the entire flight "hanging out." We talked. We played video games on the Virgin America seat-back entertainment system. We even had a couple of drinks when we passed Chicago, since she had never been further West.

After a five-hour flight we began our descent into SFO, and she was glued to the window taking in every view. When our wheels skidded on the tarmac, I whispered to her, "Amanda, welcome to your new life." Almost immediately, she was sobbing, "You're right. This IS my new life." I think that the enormity of the moment finally caught up her, and she was overcome by the joy of her new-found freedom and by the dread of her unknown future.

Since it was on my way to the rental car pickup, I walked her to the baggage claim and wished her luck when we said our good-byes. As we parted ways I knew that I would never see her again. However, I also knew that from that day forward every time I sat down next to someone on an airplane I would think of her and wonder how her life turned out. In my own personal version of VH1's "What Ever Happened To ... ?", I will continue to wish her well.

Project Virgle

2008-04-04T20:58:00.003-07:00

If it weren't for the fact that Google is notorious for its April Fool's Day shenanigans, I don't know if many folks would've put it beyond them and Virgin to be completely serious about Project Virgle, a mock project to colonize Mars. Both companies (and their founders) have the financial resources to take on such an endeavor and have also demonstrated the desire to reach for space (Google with the Google Lunar X PRIZE and Virgin with Virgin Galactic).

Perhaps in a few more years?!

"Research" v. "Innovation"

2008-03-28T05:35:00.002-07:00

Recently I was at an event where I heard this terrific quote from Dr. Dimitrios Niarchos, Director and Chairman of the National Center for Scientific Research ("Demokritos") in Athens, Greece. It's probably an oldie, but it was new to me:

"Research" is the transformation of money into knowledge.

"Innovation" is the transformation of knowledge into money.

Well said.

Bullrun 2007 on "Jay Leno's Garage"

2008-03-21T06:05:00.005-07:00

Last year, I was fortunate enough to join some high school buddies to participate in a cross-country car rally called Bullrun. The event featured almost 75 teams of exotic/luxury cars traveling from Montreal to Key West over 7 days.

One of the more interesting moments occurred before the rally even started. At the starting line in Montreal, two of the teams were discussing the 30-year old record for driving cross-country (from NYC to LA): 32 hours, 51 minutes. This was done in the 1970's during the Cannonball Run craze. One team bet the other $50K that they couldn't break the record, and the race was on. The two-man team drove from Montreal to NYC, launched on their record-setting effort to LA, and then managed to fly back to meet the rest of the Bullrunners to finish out the rally to Key West.

Yes, they broke the record with a time of 31 hours, 59 minutes. And yes, that means they averaged 87mph the entire way across the country (top speed of 160mph). Uh, no they somehow managed to avoid ALL COPS. (Why can't I do that?)

Anyway ... here's a recent interview they did with Jay Leno on his car enthusiast site.

Steve Jurvetson's Twin Loves: Photography and Rocketry

2008-03-21T05:59:00.001-07:00

Here is a phenomenal venture capitalist and public speaker talking about his two favorite hobbies: photography and rocketry. Enjoy!

Did You Know 2.0

2008-03-19T17:36:00.002-07:00

This is an updated version of the powerful conversation-starter presentation making its way around the Web. [I've been a huge XPLANE fan for years, so I'm partial to this version!]

When you're done watching, join the conversation.

Cool Image: Earth's Water and Air

2008-03-11T13:01:00.006-07:00

I'm not even going to try taking credit for this image, the caption, or the accuracy of each. However, it seems like everything is accurate. Cool!

Left: All the water in the world (1.4087 billion cubic kilometres of it) including sea water, ice, lakes, rivers, ground water, clouds, etc. Right: All the air in the atmosphere (5140 trillion tonnes of it) gathered into a ball at sea-level density. Shown on the same scale as the Earth.

Dems v. GOP

2008-03-02T08:08:00.000-08:00

At dinner a few weeks ago, one of my close friends mentioned something about the size of each party’s convention delegations corresponding to the relative size of each party’s voter registrations. I thought it was an excellent point, so I dug up the numbers. I actually found that she was not entirely correct, but in the process I found something else that I thought was interesting.

As of the 2004 elections, there were roughly 72M registered Democrats and 55M registered Republicans. She was right: the Democratic Party *is* bigger than the GOP.

However, the 2008 conventions will consist of 4,049 Democratic delegates and 2,380 Republican delegates. While the Democratic Party had only 31% more registered voters in 2004, it will bring 70% more delegates to its convention in 2008. Therefore, the larger convention size does NOT seem to correlate directly to the larger base of registered voters.

That being said … I think that these numbers show something much more fundamental about the Democratic Party. They don’t just believe in “Big Government” (as the GOP would have us think), but they believe in more “directly representative” government. Why do I say that? Well, according to these numbers, the Democrats will bring one convention delegate for every 18,000 registered Democratic voters while the Republicans will bring one convention delegate for every 23,000 registered Republican voters. One could interpret these numbers as supporting the notion that Democrats are 22% more “directly representative” in their convention than the Republicans.

I just love statistics … you can manipulate them to support just about any notion! ;-)

The 27th Amendment: What a Long, Strange Trip it Was!

2008-03-02T08:03:00.000-08:00

Most Americans know that the "Bill of Rights" consists of the first 10 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Some may even know that there have subsequently been 17 additional Amendments approved by Congress and ratified by the States. Unfortunately, very few people actually know the connection between this last Amendment (the 27th) and the original Bill of Rights. However, I find it to be a fascinating story, both of from the perspective of political history but also from the perspective of how the American system of government was created and operates.

When the U.S. Constitution was originally adopted in 1789, there was significant concern that the newly created central (Federal) government would become too powerful if left completely unchecked. Therefore, twelve amendments were proposed specifically to create limitations and safeguards to protect individual citizens. Yes, that's right: 12. Ultimately, only the last 10 were ratified by the States during that early part of our country's history and became what we know today as the "Bill of Rights." The first two proposed Amendments were not ratified ... at least not then.

The first proposed Amendment pertained to the apportionment of the House of Representatives after each decennial census. Even though it was never ratified by the States, it is still technically pending ratification.

The second proposed Amendment pertained to the delay in effecting pay raises for Congress, providing that changes in salaries could only take effect after the next general election. Even though it was not ratified along with the rest of the Bill of Rights, it ultimately DID get ratified as what we now know as the 27th Amendment. As you can imagine, it was a very long (202 years!) strange trip.

Initially, the Amendment was ratified by only 6 States, which left it short of the 11 needed to be included in the Bill of Rights. Except for fluke ratifications by Ohio in 1873 and Wyoming in 1978, the proposed Amendment lay in a state of pending ratification until it was discovered by a Texas legislative aide named Gregory Watson. He made this the subject of an academic paper at the University of Texas at Austin (his professor gave him a "C"!), and then he later began a letter-writing campaign to get the Amendment ratified. When Alabama became the 38th State to vote for ratification on May 5, 1992, the Constitution gained its 27th Amendment. Subsequently, seven other States ratified the Amendment.

Yes, this could be seen as further evidence of how convoluted and bureaucratic the U.S. system of government can be. However, it also shows how flexible it can be and how much influence a single "common citizen" can have in shaping our democratic system.

Unbelievable "Battleship" Coincidence!

2008-02-19T16:25:00.004-08:00

During the course of my life, I must've played hundreds of games of the board game "Battleship" -- first with my siblings as a child and now with my own children as a parent. In all of those times, I have *never* had this happen to me!

Last night, I played a game with my 9-year-old daughter, and I knew about mid-way through that something freaky was going on (yes, it was a full moon!). We confirmed it when the game ended and had to document it with this photo:

In case you can't see the coincidence, here's the breakdown:

Battleship: columns identical, rows identical
Carrier: columns identical, rows off by 1
Destroyer: columns identical, rows off by 1
Submarine: columns identical, rows off by 3
PT Boat: columns off by 1, rows off by 1, rotation inverted

I'm absolutely certain that we'll never get closer to independently setting up identical boards!

Sports Photos

2008-02-15T07:02:00.002-08:00

My friend Pallavi Shah is a budding sports photographer. She's getting pretty good while shadowing some seasoned pros. Check out her growing portfolio.

China in Space

2008-01-24T19:00:00.000-08:00

Today I attended an all-day conference on "Doing Business in China" and it put me in the right mindset to share this pic. I think it's hilarious ... in a sad-but-true kinda way.

The Life Cycle ... in Reverse!

2007-12-20T13:41:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite ditties goes a little like this:

"The life cycle is all backwards. You should die first, and get it out of the way. Then you live for 20 years in an old-age home and get kicked out when you are too young. You get a gold watch and then you go to work. You work for 40 years until you are young enough to enjoy your retirement. You go to college and party until you are ready for high school. Then you go to grade school, you become a little kid, you play, you have no responsibilities, you become a baby, and you go back into the womb. You spend the last 9 months floating, and you finish off as a gleam in somebody's eye."

"Open" Presidential Elections -- Part II

2007-12-13T08:18:00.000-08:00

Following up from the last question in my prior post, how critical (really) are "open" elections--where neither the sitting President nor the sitting Vice President runs as a candidate?

Another way to look at this issue to examine the effects of the only 4 "open" elections since 1900:

In 1908, William Howard Taft, the sitting Secretary of War, defeated William Jennings Bryan, a former Representative from Nebraska. Since Taft was former President Theodore Roosevelt's hand-picked successor, his election did not lead to any immediate changes in policy. However, his later turning against Roosevelt's prior initiatives led to the former President running as a third party against his old friend in 1912, splitting the vote and effectively allowing Woodrow Wilson, the sitting Governor of New Jersey, to quash Taft's re-election bid.

In 1920, Warren Harding, a sitting Senator from Ohio, defeated James Cox, the sitting Governor of Ohio, in an all-Buckeye election that made Harding one of only two legislators since 1900 to be elected President (the other was Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy in 1960). Given the immense unpopularity of his predecessor's involving the U.S. in World War I, Harding stormed into office on a promise of "return to normalcy." However, he is generally considered one of the most ineffective Presidents, and he died of a heart attack half-way into his term.

In 1928, Herbert Hoover, the sitting Secretary of Commerce, defeated Al Smith, the former Governor of New York. A former businessman with little charisma or political skills, his single term was defined primarily by the Stock Market Crash of 1929, the advent of The Great Depression, and public backlash against Prohibition.

In 1952, Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of NATO, defeated Adlai Stevenson, the former Governor of Illinois. Eisenhower served two terms as President, but his election marked a number of significant milestones: he helped Republicans re-gain the White House after 20 years of Democratic control; he was the first general to be elected President since Ulysses S. Grant in 1868 (and the only one since); and he was the first President subject to the term limits imposed by the 22nd Amendment. He served a full two terms providing steady leadership, and is generally well-regarded by historians (despite a temporary reputational setback during the liberal activism of the 1960's and 1970's).

So, let's see ... since 1900 we've had 4 "open" elections, which have led to: the dismantling of Theodore Roosevelt's environmental policies and the eventual election of the man who pulled the U.S. into WWI; the election of a man generally regarded as one of the worst Presidents in U.S. history; and the election of a man who oversaw one of the greatest economic collapses in U.S. history. Granted, Eisenhower's victory in 1952 and his two-term Presidency were probably the exact right solution for a nation weary of WWII, the Korean War, and the Cold War. However, that still leaves "open" elections with a dismal 25% success rating.

I guess only time will tell how the 2008 "open" election will ultimately affect this country, but if recent history is any indication the outlook is not too promising.

"Open" Presidential Elections

2007-12-13T05:29:00.001-08:00

Much has been made of the fact that the 2008 U.S. Presidential election will be the first one in recent memory to be completely "open"--meaning that a sitting President or Vice President will not be one of the candidates. So it naturally begs some questions ...

How rare are "open" elections?

Since 1900, there have been 27 Presidential elections, and only 4 have been "open." The 2008 election (the 5th of 28) will be the first one in 56 years, since Dwight D. Eisenhower defeated Adlai Stevenson in the 1952 "open" election.

What causes an "open" election?

The 2008 election will be "open" because the sitting President (George W. Bush) is precluded from running for a third term by the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the sitting Vice President (Dick Cheney) is sticking to his vow from early in his first term that he would not seek the Presidency. The prior 4 "open" elections were caused by a variety of issues:

In 1952, President Harry S. Truman withdrew his re-election bid after losing the New Hampshire primary (he was eligible for a third term because he was grandfathered into the 22nd Amendment), and the Democratic Party considered the Vice President (Alben Barkley) too old at the age of 74.

In 1928, President Calvin Coolidge decided to retire and not seek re-election, and the Vice President (Charles Dawes) had a long-standing feud with Coolidge which caused the President to block his bid for the Republican nomination.

In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson was unable to seek re-election due to being incapacitated by a stroke, but it is not entirely clear why his two-term Vice President (Thomas Marshall) did not seek the Presidency himself. Perhaps it was since the Wilson Presidency had become immensely unpopular over the United States' involvement in World War I.

In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt decided to retire, and the Vice President (Charles Fairbanks) was surprisingly overlooked by Roosevelt, who instead supported his friend and Secretary of War, William Howard Taft, as his successor Republican nominee.

How critical are "open" elections anyway?

It has been suggested that incumbent Presidents and Vice Presidents have unfair advantages heading into election years, so that "open" elections tend to "level the playing field" a bit. I guess one way to gauge whether an "open" election is critical at all would be to look at all of the elections that have NOT been "open."

In the 23 Presidential elections since 1900 where a sitting President or Vice President has been a candidate, the incumbents have won 15 times, which seems to suggest an impressive 65% winning percentage and a definite advantage. However, this is a little misleading, since 13 of those victories were re-election bids by sitting Presidents (and 3 of those were by Franklin D. Roosevelt alone and led to the passage of the 22nd Amendment). While this does suggest that unseating an incumbent President is difficult, it does not necessarily follow that ALL incumbents have unfair advantages in an election that is not "open."

Since 1900, there have been 5 elections in which the incumbent candidate was the sitting Vice President, and only 2 have been able to gain the Presidency: in 1924, Vice President Calvin Coolidge succeeded President Warren Harding; and in 1988, Vice President George H.W. Bush succeeded President Ronald Reagan. Otherwise, incumbent Vice Presidents actually have a not-so-great 40% winning percentage and therefore not really a distinct advantage.

So, what's the lesson learned here? I guess we can see that there's a BIG difference between a non-"open" election where the incumbent candidate is a sitting President and a non-"open" election where the incumbent candidate is a sitting Vice President. Therefore, the issue is not really whether an election is "open" or "not open" but rather whether an election includes a re-election bid or not, since it seems like the incumbent President (and not the incumbent Vice President) may have distinct advantages in election years.

Clinton in 2008: "Executives" v. "Legislators" in U.S. Presidential Elections

2007-12-13T04:03:00.000-08:00

As we gear up for the party primaries heading into the 2008 elections--the first fully contested Presidential election in recent memory--I'm struck by how many U.S. Senators are jumping into the campaign fray on both sides of the aisle. Especially since all of the buzz surrounds the possibility of Sen. Hillary Clinton potentially becoming the first female U.S. President, it got me thinking about whether--gender, experience, political issues, and her husband's prior record aside--the U.S. is ready to elect a legislator to its highest executive office.

After all, the executive branch--by definition--is one based on decision-making, accountability, and the ability to execute ... in other words: leadership. On the other hand, the legislative branch--by definition and organizational structure--is one based on consensus-building, politicking, and the ability to legislate ... in other words: compromise.

Would American voters elect a legislator to its highest executive office?

Reviewing all of the Presidential elections since 1900 provides some interesting insights:

Since 1900, there have been 27 U.S. Presidential elections.

Of the 27 winners, only 2 were legislators (Warren Harding won the 1920 election as a sitting Senator from Ohio, and John F. Kennedy won the 1960 election as a sitting Senator from Massachusetts). The rest were executives of some sort: 13 sitting Presidents, 3 sitting/former Vice Presidents, 6 sitting/former Governors, and 3 others (William Taft won the 1908 election as the sitting Secretary of War, Herbert Hoover won the 1928 election as the sitting Secretary of Commerce, and Dwight D. Eisenhower won the 1952 election as the sitting Supreme Commander of NATO).

Of the 27 losers (major parties), only 6 were legislators. However, 4 of those 6 losses came in the 11 elections since Kennedy's win in 1960: Barry Goldwater lost the 1964 election as a sitting Senator from Arizona, George McGovern lost the 1972 election as a sitting Senator from South Dakota, Bob Dole lost the 1996 election as a former Senator from Kansas, and John Kerry lost the 2004 election as a sitting Senator from Massachusetts.

I'm not sure why it's so difficult for a legislator to become U.S. President. I would like to believe that the system works so well and American voters are so savvy that they recognize true leadership and always match the best candidate for the job. I've heard theories that focus on the track records of various candidates: executives tend to have records of bold decision-making while legislators have records of waffling and compromise. I've also heard theories related to career cost-benefit analysis: once you've been a Governor, Vice President, or President, there's nowhere else to go so you'll fight like hell to get the job, whereas a legislator (especially a U.S. Senator) could have employment for life so why take the risks of potentially getting a job with a term limit?

As for the recent trend of the major parties running more legislators (in a losing cause), perhaps the advent of television and the Internet since Kennedy's 1960 victory have contributed to Senators being able to command a national following with relatively little effort? I don't know.

However, here's an interesting observation that bodes well for Sen. Clinton: most of the talk surrounding her has focused more on two intangibles (her gender and her husband) than on pure experience, capabilities, or political issues, but the exact same was true of the only 2 legislators to win Presidential elections since 1900. Warren Harding has drawn continual criticism for winning elections based on his "Presidential" looks (he hardly even campaigned for his successful Presidential bid), and John F. Kennedy was more popular for his youth, good looks, and pedigree than for anything else.

Regardless of whether American voters are ready to elect a legislator to the country's top executive post, perhaps history, human nature, and the power of technology will run in favor Sen. Clinton next year? Only time will tell.

BASE Jumping with a Wingsuit

2007-12-09T04:33:00.000-08:00

I know that many folks will call these guys crazy, but sometimes I'm just amazed at the extremes to which humans will push their physical, emotional, and psychological limits. Check out this cool video:

Downstream Effects of Moore's Law

2007-10-29T02:55:00.000-07:00

Those of you familiar with Moore's Law know that basically it states that computing power will double every 2 years. Occasionally, it's so interesting to experience a real-life effect of such a frantic pace of technological advancement.

In early 2006, a trade association I helped create made a strategic decision to launch a new online community in the form of a "niche" social network. We gathered 8-10 of our senior Advisors and planned our project. We estimated that our custom development project would cost the equivalent of $75K and take up to 6 months for a team of specialized developers to complete. Since we did not have that kind of extra cash in our budget, we would have to rely on donated services. Needless to say, the project never really got off the ground.

In early 2007, we identified a relatively new open source content management platform (Drupal) as a potential alternative solution. Drupal essentially provided an affordable set of hosted modules that could be assembled into a relatively customized online community. Suddenly, our "development" project from a year prior transformed into an "integration" project, which we figured would cost $15K and take 2 months for a team of general integrators to complete. Much better.

However, before we could really get THAT project off the ground, we discovered a company called Ning, a venture co-founded by Marc Andreesen, the technological co-founder of Netscape and one of the "Fathers of the World Wide Web." Essentially, Ning offered an online platform that made it easy to create, host, and manage social networks. In late October 2007, it literally took me 15 minutes to launch our group's social network. Granted, it will take us a bit longer to fully customize it and get the look/feel just right, but the basic components were live on the Web in 15 minutes. Oh, and did I mention that the basic Ning service is FREE (the premium services that our group will have to purchase still come to less than $50/month!)?!

So ... imagine this:
- In early 2006, our "development" project was estimated at $75K and 6 months of a specialized team of developers.
- In early 2007, our "integration" project was estimated at $15K and 2 months of a generalized team of integrators.
- In late 2007, our "activation" project was completed for FREE ($50/mo max) in 15 minutes by 1 non-technical person.

This is truly the power of Moore's Law in action on the business end of computing power!

The Power of Networking

2007-10-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

In December 2001, when I first moved to the DC area from San Francisco, I knew very little about networking ... social, professional, or otherwise. However, I knew that I would have to build up a new "network," since I only had 3 contacts in this new sandbox I'd jumped into. I was told that I should check out a local group called Netpreneur, which put on events to connect/educate tech entrepreneurs.

At the first Netpreneur event I attended in January 2002, I met a guy named Joe Walsh, who was about 2 weeks away from starting a new job at a VA-funded non-profit called the Center for Innovative Technology. He has since moved on to greener pastures, but in the meantime he became my friend and made some terrific introductions for me.

Perhaps most important, we learned about the power of networking, which really hit home this week when I returned from a terrific business trip to Los Angeles.

So, check out this cool chain of relationships:

Link #1: From Joe to Mary (2002)

Joe introduced me to Mary MacPherson, the multi-talented professional running Netpreneur. When the group decided to sunset its offerings a few years ago, Mary went on to head up marketing for Blackboard and she's currently building up her own consulting practice.

Link #2: From Mary to Andy (2003)

Mary introduced me to a guy named Andy Forbes, who is a fixture on the local DC area tech startup circuit. Andy and I have also become friends, co-networkers, and even co-workers for a while at NuRide (Joe introduced me to the Founder/CEO, too!).

Link #3: From Andy to Ben (April 2007)

Andy is a LinkedIn power user, so it was only natural that through LinkedIn he met Ben Cianciaruso, a local tech entrepreneur. Ben had recently sold his last company and was looking for a new opportunity. So, Andy introduced me to Ben.

Link #4: From Ben to Evan (June 2007)

I introduced Ben to John May, a guru on angel investing, Chairman of the Angel Capital Association, and founder of New Vantage Group. Ben attended one of John's monthly deal screening meetings. At that meeting, Ben briefly met Evan Loomis, who had recently taken over operations for The Wedgwood Circle, a national angel investor network focused on the arts (film, tv, music, theatre, publishing, etc.). Since I was in the process of trying to find funding for a friend's slate of three feature films, Ben introduced me to Evan.

Link #5: From Evan to Dane (July 2007)

Evan introduced me to Dane West, a local DC area former tech entrepreneur who had been working in the entertainment industry for a few years. He was co-chairman of a group called the Independent Producers' Alliance, which had just closed a $60M film production fund.

Link #6: From Dane to Marcia (October 2007)

Dane introduced me to Marcia Allen, his LA-based i-banker who helped him negotiate his IPA fund deal. This is who I met with last Monday. She's a wonderful woman with an incredible professional track record.

Link #7: From Marcia to ... ?

If all goes well, we will likely retain Marcia's firm to introduce us to her friends on Wall Street, and hopefully we can strike a deal with them. If not them, then I'm sure that Marcia can help us find other partners. If not her, then I'm sure that we'll eventually find what we need/want through continued networking.

There you have it! A multi-link networking chain that crossed the country and included both virtual and physical meetings. Yes, I may have known very little about networking six years ago, but I'm really starting to see the importance of it now!

Entrepreneurs Are "Risk Aware"

2007-07-16T02:41:00.000-07:00

When I relocated from Silicon Valley to the DC area in December 2001, I was thrust into a wild period of "culture shock," going from one extreme on the entrepreneurship scale almost to the other. The experience--coupled with my ongoing travels and work with entrepreneurs from around the world--has helped me appreciate more some of the intricacies of this unique but critical sliver of an economy's machinery. Most specifically, I have been intrigued by the gap between non-entrepreneurs' perception of entrepreneurs and the actual reality, especially on one critical point: risk.

The "conventional wisdom" -- at least outside the world of entrepreneurs -- is that entrepreneurs are "risk lovers" or at the very least have a high tolerance for risk. However, my own experience has been that almost every successful entrepreneur I have met is more concerned with managing, mitigating, or timing risk, and only embraces risk as an essential component of an ongoing "risk-reward" analysis.

Yes, entrepreneurs have the genetic make-up to work with risk on a daily basis--not everyone has the stomach for that in their own lives. However, to say that this translates into being a "risk lover" or taking crazy/unnecessary risks is a bit of a jump. Instead, I would propose that entrepreneurs are simply more "risk aware" than most non-entrepreneurs.

For more on this topic, check out this interesting discussion.

Man v. Woman

2007-07-13T12:25:00.001-07:00

Web 2.0: Whatever Happened to Web 1.0?

2007-07-13T05:29:00.000-07:00

"Just Do It" (original)

2007-07-13T04:12:00.000-07:00

Nike may have encapsulated the essence in a three-word tagline, but Theodore Roosevelt said it much more passionately and eloquently:

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."

Life Lessons: Cal v. Stanford 1982 (aka "The Play")

2007-07-13T02:24:00.001-07:00

I've always said that sports are terrific ways to teach (and learn) about life's most important lessons. As a Cal Bear, I have to appreciate the lessons from the wild finish to our 1982 Big Game with arch-rival Stanford:

(1) Don't ever give up on anything ... no matter how dire the situation may look.

(2) Don't ever take anything for granted ... even the surest things can disappear in seconds.

(3) You'll be amazed at what you can accomplish with teamwork, innovation, effort, and creative problem-solving.

and, most important of all ...

(4) If you're a trombone player, don't ever, ever, EVER walk onto a football field until you're absolutely certain that the football players are finished playing football!

One more lesson I've learned: the older you get, the more perspective you get. While many folks are familiar with this famous kick-off return, what's been lost to history is the way that the Stanford team had just seconds before pulled off what THEY thought was a miracle last-minute come-from-behind victory.

To emphasize these points, please enjoy the first [longer] video for proper context (and to give Stanford its proper due), as well as the second [enhanced] video (to see exactly what the heck actually happened on the field).

Enjoy these classic sports moments!

New 7 Wonders of the World

2007-07-09T03:43:00.000-07:00

For those of you following this online voting, here are the results announced over the weekend (in no particular order):

• The Great Wall of China

• Petra in Jordan

• Brazil's statue of Christ the Redeemer

• Peru's Machu Picchu

• Mexico's Chichen Itza pyramid

• The Colosseum in Rome

• India's Taj Mahal

In case you're curious, here are the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (again, in no particular order):

• Great Pyramids of Giza

• Hanging Gardens of Babylon

• Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

• Statue of Zeus at Olympia

• Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus

• Colossus of Rhodes

• Lighthouse of Alexandria

Only Pessimists are Truly Happy People

2007-07-09T03:30:00.001-07:00

I've been using this George F. Will quote since I was in high school:

"The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised."

Wet Oatmeal Kisses

2007-07-09T02:57:00.000-07:00

I just spent the past week (4th of July holiday) on the road with my family, including my 3 wonderful kids. It made me appreciate even more this old column from Ann Landers:

WET OATMEAL KISSES

The baby is teething. The children are fighting. Your husband just called and said, "Eat dinner without me." One of these days you'll explode and shout to the kids, "Why don't you grow up and act your age?" And they will.

Or: "You guys get outside and find yourselves something to do. And don't slam the door!" And they don't.

You'll straighten their bedrooms all neat and tidy, toys displayed on the shelf, hangers in the closet, animals caged. You'll yell, "Now I want it to stay this way!" And it will.

You will prepare a perfect dinner with a salad that hasn't had all the olives picked out and a cake with no finger traces in the icing and you'll say: "Now THIS is a meal for company." And you will eat it alone.

You'll yell, "I want complete privacy on the phone. No screaming. Do you hear me?" And no one will answer.

No more plastic tablecloths stained with spaghetti. No more dandelion bouquets. No more iron-on patches. No more wet, knotted shoelaces, muddy boots, or rubber bands for ponytails.

Imagine. A lipstick with a point. No baby-sitter for New Year's Eve, washing clothes only once a week, no PTA meetings or silly school plays where your child is a tree. No carpools, blaring stereos, or forgotten lunch money. No more Christmas presents made of library paste and toothpicks. No wet oatmeal kisses. No more tooth fairy. No more giggles in the dark, scraped knees to kiss or sticky fingers to clean.

Only a voice asking: "Why don't you grow up?" And the silence echoes: "I did."

Sales Process

2007-06-27T03:21:00.000-07:00

I can't remember where I first got this diagram of "The Sales Process" (so I could give credit where credit is due), but everyone who's ever seen it has asked me for a copy. So ... here it is.

Who's On First? Then and Now

2007-06-27T03:03:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like the original (below), but when you're ready check out this very clever parody starring President Bush and Condi Rice, as well as this version set in a movie rental store.

Juggler Piano

2007-06-26T04:02:00.000-07:00

Here's one of my all-time favorites!