Founder Institute presentation

On January 8, 2014,I gave a 30-minute presentation to a group of local Atlanta tech entrepreneurs. This was part of the Founder Institute accelerator program, which is the largest of its kind in the world.

The topic was "Vision and Ideas", so I spoke primarily about aligning a new venture's vision with at least one of the entrepreneur's personal passions. I also worked through a simple tool for conducting a high-level analysis of new business ideas.

The camera work and audio are not perfect, but ... enjoy!

And the slides ...

Personal Dialect Map

Over the past week, my Facebook network has been buzzing with conversations about a new "personal dialect map". This is an online quiz that asks you 25 questions about how you use the English language (e.g., pronunciation, descriptive terms, idioms, etc.) and then uses your answers to create a personal map of what parts of the U.S. you're most similar to (and most unlike). The quiz seems to be incredibly accurate.

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the quiz determined that I speak most like someone from ... the San Francisco Bay Area.

My wife grew up in Northern New Jersey, and the quiz determined that she speaks most like someone from ... New Jersey.

The more interesting results came for my 14-year-old daughter and my 12- year-old son (we figured my 8-year-old son was too young to generate valid results). We've moved around a bit, and my kids have been raised in San Francisco, then Northern Virginia (near DC), then Seattle, then South Florida (near Miami), and then/now Atlanta. We were curious what the quiz would say about their dialects.

The quiz determined that Rebecca speaks most like someone from Seattle and that Daniel speaks most like someone from Miami. Interesting. Thinking about this further, we realized that Rebecca spent 5th-7th grades in Seattle and that Daniel spent 6th grade in South Florida. I realize this is only two data points, but ... could it be that Americans today tend to develop their dialects during middle school (i.e., their "tween" years)?

Hmmmmm ....

"It's Not About the Nail"

For anyone who is married--or even in any sort of long-term relationship--this video needs no introduction. Just watch, listen, and moan.

Fortune Cookie Fiasco

This past weekend I was cleaning out my home office, and I came across 5 fortunes from a dinner I had with my family at a Chinese restaurant over a year ago. My three kids (now 14, 12, and 8) love going to Chinese restaurants, and one of their favorite parts of the meal is the end ... when we get our fortune cookies.

On this particular night, they quickly grabbed their cookies, broke them apart, and read their fortunes out loud. I was really proud of how insightful they were, thinking deeply about the philosophical messages inscribed on the little pieces of paper from their cookies, as well as their mother's.

Then, in a scene straight out of a comedy movie or TV show, the table looked at me, got quiet to hear me read my fortune, and then burst into uncontrollable laughter. We all still talk about that moment every time we eat Chinese food.

Here are their fortunes:

"May your faith always exceed your fears"

"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin."

"'Should have' is a favorite phrase for those looking for excuses."

"Even the smallest candle burns brighter in the dark."

And mine:

"Never spit against the wind."

Overview Effect

Some of you may already be familiar with the "Overview Effect", which is "a cognitive shift in awareness reported by some astronauts and cosmonauts during spaceflight, often while viewing the Earth from orbit or from the lunar surface." It has been nurtured and promoted by The Overview Institute. Many astronauts, space enthusiasts, sociologists, and even politicians have espoused its virtues.

The video below is a terrific introduction to the power of this effect, in the words of astronauts who have actually experienced it firsthand.

Passion, Practice, Perseverance ... and Yo-Yo's

My kids tire of my always telling them that the best way to get good at ANYTHING is to practice, practice, practice. Regardless, they occasionally enjoy when I show them what others accomplish by combining a strong personal interest with countless hours of commitment. Enter BLACK, a Japanese yo-yo world champion.

The Start-Up of You

Last year, two people who I truly respect, Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha, published a book called The Start-Up of You. It is a terrific book laying out a new philosophical approach toward careers ... an approach that is entrepreneurial and wired for our global 21st century. I really hope I can pass along some of these innovative ideas to my children (currently 14, 12, and 10). Until then, I will enjoy this recently released summary:

Start-up of You, Visual Summary from Reid Hoffman

Will Smith -- Freestyle Philosophy

A few months ago, I stumbled across a YouTube video of Will Smith freestyling at a birthday party. I couldn't really make out much of what he was saying, but then he let loose with a quote that struck me between the eyes:

If you say you're gonna run three miles and run two, I don't never have to worry about losin' at nothin' to you.

I guess it's a rap version of "Quitters never win, and winners never quit." Regardless, I've been using it as inspiration just about every day when I work out. You can check it out yourself at ~2:03 of the video:

Five-Year Photo Project

I don't know how I feel about this recent CNN story about five friends who have gotten together every five years to re-take the same group picture they took during a teenage vacation 30 years ago.

On the one hand, it is really cool that their friendship has lasted this long and that they have kept alive this tradition [and, in fact, created a web site to share it!].

On the other hand, I was a teenager just like them in 1982, and watching the progression of the photos makes me feel, well, old. Not that the guys look shabby today; they have simply aged. Like all of us. Like me. I just don't like to be reminded that I'm turning 47 this year and that next year will be time for my 30-year high school reunion. Yikes!

Gary Vaynerchuk

In April 2011, I had the privilege of spending a few days with 1,000+ fellow entrepreneurs and "world changers" on a cruise ship during a unique experience called "Summit at Sea". It was a huge life-changing experience for me, and it gave me the courage to continue following my passions as a social entrepreneur. Not only did I meet some amazing people with incredible talents, but I also listened to several motivational--and entertaining--presentations by various awesome speakers.

One of the most hilarious talks was given by Gary Vaynerchuk, whose brazen delivery of heart-felt insights brought down the house. During the presentation shown below, delivered a couple of years before I saw him in person, he talks about one of the key messages I try passing on to every entrepreneur I meet (as well as my kids): to be happy in life, you have to pursue your passions. It is a valuable lesson to learn ... and apply.

Neil deGrasse Tyson Quote as Comic Strip

I recently discovered on the Web an extremely talented illustrator by the name of Gavin Aung Than. This guy is insanely good! I really like his Zen Pencils site, where he illustrates in comic book style some of the most famous quotes in history. My personal favorite is this one by Neil deGrasse Tyson.

TROY - opening quote

This is one of my favorite movie quotes of all time, and I play it on my iPad during every business trip. It makes me evaluate every day to make sure I am spending every minute on truly worthwhile activities. It keeps me focused on what is really important and allows me to let everything else slide by.


Men are haunted by the vastness of eternity.
And so we ask ourselves,
Will our actions echo across the centuries?
Will strangers hear our names long after we're gone and wonder who we were, how bravely we fought, how fiercely we loved?

- Odysseus

"Dreamin' Steven"

I've had several people ask me about the title of my blog, so here's the scoop ...

My high school years marked an especially creative time in my life, when I wrote a number of stories, poems, and songs that I still carry with me. One particular short story, written during my senior year, was a reflection of my life at the time, and in retrospect has become a reflection of my entire life.

Patterned after one of my favorite books, J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, it was the story of a young boy who was prone to excessive day-dreaming. One day, he awakened from a particularly vivid day-dream where he rescued his grade-school teacher from a burning building and became a local hero. However, to his shock, he discovered that he had not been dreaming at all. In fact, his "real life" had finally mirrored his "dream life".

For me, the story represented a critical lesson that I have abided by since I wrote the story 25 years ago: we should never stop dreaming, because it is the only way that we can accomplish great things in our lives.

Yes, the title of the story was Dreamin' Steven.

Balance in the Universe: Taijitu

For the past few weeks, I have spent a fair amount of time thinking about the concept of "balance" in the universe. Along the way, I have reviewed some of my earlier readings about Taoism generally and the idea of yin yang specifically.

While I continue honing my beliefs on this topic (likely a life-long effort), I thought posting the Taijitu here might promote ongoing reflection. Over the years, I have spent countless hours just staring at this symbol, and each time something new seems to grab me. I find it amazing that such a simple image can generate so much thought and analysis!

River of Dreams

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

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?

Do Humans Matter?

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.

About Time: Innovating our Calendar System

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!

"Living the Map"

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!

Surviving a Plane Crash

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 ...

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