January 23, 2014
From Memorization To Thinking
January 21, 2014
Care To Be Curious?
- Are we technologically safer? As we attempt to beef up IT security, we continue to be technologically insecure. Just this last week, BBC reported how a fridge was part of 100,000 devices used to send out 750,000 pieces of spam. Yes, a fridge, and there was also a television involved--sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, right? But this is our reality these days...Proofpoint, a cloud computing and security company said "Many of these devices are poorly protected at best, and consumers have virtually no way to detect or fix infections when they do occur."
- Is our economy healing or hurting? As unemployment fell from 7% to 6.7% last week--an impressive reduction--the overall labor force participation rate didn't rise, but rather sank to 62.8%--its lowest level in 35 years! And while, the Wall Street Journal explains that U.S. employment is simply not keeping up with population growth, the S&P 500 hit a new record high just last Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Fed continues to pour money into the economy, although at a slowing rate (expected to go down next week to only $65B a month), speculation is building whether we have another real bubble brewing, and this one of our own making, perhaps.
- Is this the lead up to peace or war with Iran? As we continue to seek a long-term deal with Iran on their dangerous nuclear weapons foray, we read from Bret Stephens that Iranian President Rouhani said during his presidential campaign, "Saying 'Death to America" is easy...We need to express 'Death to America' with action." If we are getting a good deal that can truly lead to WMD disarmament of Iran, why did Rouhani tweet, "In #Geneva agreement world powers surrendered to Iranian nation's will." Curious, whether this is for political consumption in Iran or whether he sees the deal as just a stalling tactic leading to a breakout capability in nuclear weapons as well as a way to get some goodies in terms of sanctions relief for his country in the meantime.
What does little kitty cat say about these? ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Care To Be Curious?
January 20, 2014
The Starbucks Playbook
This one was for the new Starbucks Caramel Flan which is a latte (coffee with a shot of expresso and frothy steamed milk) with whipped cream and generous topping of caramel.
In making the sign, the girl was nervous that she wouldn't do a good job because of her drawing skills, but she was actually doing pretty well.
I learned some interesting things from her that the big picture of the cup of coffee on the sign is actually a magnet--so that just snapped in place and was a big help.
Then as you can see on the left, she is a holding a playbook from Starbucks Corporate that has a miniature version of the sign that she is supposed to draw with instructions.
So this is her guide and the same used by all the other Starbucks putting up this promo this week.
From a marketing and branding perspective, this helps keep it tight in terms of the messaging, timing, and look and feel.
Starbucks leaves nothing to chance with their coffee sales and this methodology of having each store draw the promo by hand but from a playbook makes it both authentic and professional.
Nice job with the Caramel Flan sign! ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
The Starbucks Playbook
January 19, 2014
We Can Fly
Totally awesome viral video.
Looks like 3 flying people.
Really they are drones in the shape of human figures.
If only we could really fly that way--wow we! ;-)
We Can Fly
Gaming to Get More Bricks and Mortar
In office gamification, employees are treated like gamers--they are measured, given points, and recognized/rewarded for meeting objectives as if you are playing an arcade game or Angry Birds.
The problem is that this is really nothing new and also not very motivating to the workforce.
Already in the Bible the Egyptians oppressed the Israelites by giving them ever crushing quotas for gathering straw and building the great pyramids.
And if they didn't measure up, the Bible tells us that, "They made their lives bitter with harsh labor...the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly."(Deut. 1:14)
You see while measuring performance is a good and important part to managing and maturing processes and the workforce, tracking people in real life with plus ups for every good thing and minuses for every mistake or failure treats this whole thing as one big game, but it's not.
A mature adult workforce doesn't need points and bonus time for doing their jobs, and shouldn't be made to fear losing their jobs for not meeting their daily numbers.
Even Manjoo admits that he dreads working in a work environment where everything is measured and monitored to the nth-degree.
He says that even in a field like Journalism, he feels undue pressure to produce and that "every time I write a story that doesn't make the paper's most-popular list, I consider it a tiny failure. If I do that too many times in a row, I begin to wonder if I should look for a new line of work."
Now perhaps, many of you are saying, that if you can't perform at expectations, maybe you should be looking for another job, but the point is that performance measurement should be humane--working toward the long-term benefit of the company and the development of the employees--and not one miss and it's "Game Over!"
Gamification software, like Badgeville, that gives points for everything from creating a sales lead to responding to a lead and converting a lead to sales opportunities is nothing short of childish micromanagement.
Employees shouldn't treated like children working for points and prizes and titles like "Super Converter" or "Super Dealer" (like in the demo video), but rather should be treated as professionals, who work for the mission and based on an ethos of excellence, where they are committed to doing their best for the organization, and the organization is committed to developing them and making them a ever better and satisfied workforce--not making them feel like they are coming to a surveillance, tracking, and fear-inspired workplace.
Can gamification have a place in creating some healthy workplace competition and fun? Sure, but when it's masquerading as a serious tool to engineer people to do their jobs and have a meaningful career, then someone in the C-suite has been playing Farmville a little too long.
My father used to tell me, "You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar," and employees will be far more motivated if they know you are working with them as a team to "get to the next level" rather than infantilizing and prodding them with ridiculous amounts of workplace surveillance to force them to collect more straw and build more pyramids. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Gaming to Get More Bricks and Mortar
January 18, 2014
What Would MLK Say?
The price tag of this tower is $350M!
But not to worry because NASA caught in this muddle says they will maintain the tower in case it's needed in the future at a cost of just $840,000 more a year.
Why does this happen?
Pork barrel politics, where the the Congressmen and -women (in this case of Mississippi) don't want to lose out on the federal spending, so they make deals whereby they get what they want and others what they want for their home states--even if the taxpayers end up getting little to nothing.
Peggy Noonan writes in the Wall Street Journal that while public servants are "expected to be less selfish than the average Joe...they are [actually] the locus of selfishness."
She writes, "there isn't a staffer on the Hill who won't tell you 90% of members are driven by their own needs, wants, and interests, not America's."
Essentially what Noonan describes is a broken political system, where we elect individuals as politicians to represent us, but they take our vote of confidence and their elected office platform and instead use it to vote either for what they think should be done--not what their constituents think or want--or they work the system in order to make themselves look good and line up votes for their next run at office.
Either way, we don't get representation of the people, for the people, with big picture strategic decisions for the future of the nation, but rather we get narrow thinking and voting driven by self-centered thinking of what's in it for me (WIIFM).
Freedom is not free, especially when we make bad decisions to fund testing towers that are no longer needed or bridges to nowhere.
How we fix this is by having politicians with a genuine vision of where we need to go, anchored in the thinking of the people they represent and a foundation of integrity.
The leader can create a shared vision by explaining why, what, and how and building a genuine consensus around it.
Selfishness is not an inherent trait of politics--it can be replaced by selflessness when the greater good of the nation is placed above any one "I"--whether that be a person, party, state, or special interest.
(Source Photo: here)
What Would MLK Say?
January 17, 2014
China's Dangerous Socioeconomic Malaise
While we hear about China as the rising Asian economic powerhouse, we do not often contemplate the socioeconomic impact of what is occurring there on Chinese families.
As China rises to economic superpower status, more than 250 million migrant workers pour from the poor rural parts of China to the cities to supply the relatively cheap labor to keep manufacturing humming and the economy brimming with growth.
Those left behind are 61 million Chinese children, who are growing up without one or both parents.
One in five Chinese children haven't seen their parent(s) for at least 3 months.
But laws in China prevent children from coming to the cities with their parents in order to stem the flow of migration from rural areas.
Chinese parents are saying, "We'll go wherever we can get the highest pay,"
Children are saying, "What's the big deal of having no mother anyway? I can grow up without a mom."
So while smog and pollution is spoiling beautiful China cities and harming people's physical health, the greater concern is that children are missing out on the loving, bonding, caring, and guidance that comes with a regular parental presence and good sound parenting from them.
Understanding that strong parent-child relationships are critical to the formation of mental, emotional, and spiritual health of the children, the numbers and severity of Chinese children that are missing out on this is of great concern.
While some children may be okay under the care of able grandparents along with regular visits or calls by parents, many others children, who don't have this, could end up having serious mental and emotional problems.
Already "more than 70% of children in rural China show signs of mental health problems such as anxiety and depression."
And as is often the case, anxiety and depression turn into resentment and anger.
With tens of millions of left behind children being forced to fend for themselves and hundreds of millions of migrant parents living in "dormitories, tents, or bomb shelters" away from their families and homes, what we have here is a bonafide socioeconomic ticking time bomb.
Political pundits often point to the concern of China's power elite that the people will rise up against them and the Communist Party,
but I think the far bigger concern is to those outside of the system altogether.
In my mind, the destruction of the core family will ultimately result in a tsunami of frustration, anger, and a weakening of social values.
Moreover, this could very well spillover and lead to a dangerous rise of militancy, where people do not want to lash out against their political system or leadership, but rather against everyone else who took the goods that left them economically richer, but poorer in just about every other way. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
China's Dangerous Socioeconomic Malaise
January 15, 2014
Eulogy For My Beloved Mother, Gerda Blumenthal
Eulogy For My Beloved Mother, Gerda Blumenthal
January 12, 2014
On Friends and Enemies
1) The first was from Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal where she reminds us of a political rule that "Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate." Really this applies in all of life, a few real friends may last over an entire lifetime, but most others are transient, such as in school, at work, or in a community, but when you leave that place or circumstance, the friendships often do not persist. However, enemies seem to last forever, where people never forget when they feel they've been wronged and these people may actually seek each other out and even join forces to get their contemplated revenge. The fight is not always fair or just, but people's feelings when they think they've been wronged, hang in the air, like the stench of decaying carcasses. Something to beware of.
2) The second was from a martial arts movie called Ninja 2 where one of the characters says to a martial arts expert, whose wife was brutally murdered, "The man who seeks revenge should dig two graves." Upon which, the martial artist wittingly responds, "They'll need to dig a lot more than that," and in the movie, the Ninja exacted his revenge on the drug lord and his gang for the murder they committed.
My impressions are that we should try to be good people and have a broad positive influence in the world. With some people, we will find true friendship--and very often, there is an almost unexplainable chemistry to this, where it just clicks--and it's as if we've known this person not only in this lifetime, but in prior lifetimes as well. In other cases, the friendships are more temporal based on shared circumstance, camaraderie, or even an alliance or sorts, and these really are not sustained when one or both parties move on. And that's okay, not every friendship is deep and forever.
In terms of enemies, you know it when you have it. Again, chemistry may play a role or one person may have indeed wronged the other. Sometimes, people can learn from making a mistake, they can apologize, commit to do better in the future, and there can be forgiveness. In other circumstances, the blood between people is bad and won't get better, because there is scarcity, misunderstanding, bias, or even blind hatred. In these cases, it often seems as if no amount of communication, negotiation, or bending over backwards will resolve it. You can try--it's always worth a try--but be prepared to circle the wagons and defend yourself, if all else fails.
Finally, a wrongful act can be so brutal and egregious that at times it seems that only a "joust to the death" will do, but revenge in the end, does not bring anybody back or undue the harm done. Yes, when justice is done, the world seems somehow righted and the fallen can be released from their painful throes and go on in peace, and maybe the evil aggressor will be prevented from hurting others in the future. In the end, the smell of peace is the sweetest of all, when we can live and let live. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
On Friends and Enemies
January 11, 2014
Touch Free, Just Use Your Head
Israel Innovation News is reporting a very simple but cool new technology for the disabled.
It enables them to "read, play games, search the web, and make calls without the need for touch."
Sesame Reader, from the Google App Store, "tracks your face and allows you to turn [eReader] pages with the movement of your head."
You can also dial a number or type of a keyboard by using movement of the head to control the cursor movement and by hovering over a button to "click it."
This helps people to function in a digital world, when otherwise they couldn't.
Hence, the name Sesame from Ali Baba's magic phrase "Open Sesame."
Now people can read, write, and interact with others online--even when they don't have use of their limbs because of neurological, muscular, and other structural defect, or if they simply want hands-free use.
Touchscreens, keyboards, and keypads are now accessible to anyone with the simple turn of the head--up, down, left, and right is all all it takes to navigate, touchless. ;-)
Touch Free, Just Use Your Head
Work Life IMBALance
Yet, the financial services industry has been notorious for making people work unearthly hours, but also paying them unG-dly sums of money, especially in end-of-year bonuses.
I remember reading the other year that the average bonus at Goldman Sachs was something like $750,000!
The price people pay for this is work, work, and more work (and like in the film, Wall Street, often some very unscrupulous behavior as well).
Many people get apartments down by Wall Street, so when they stroll out of the office at 1 am (maybe that's a good night), they can get to their place and clock a few hours of sleep before it's back to the office--in record time.
Does the wealth accumulation and perhaps early retirement make it worth it--I guess to some people it does.
Today, the New York Times reported how financial firms like Bank of America (BOA) Merrill Lynch is perhaps seeing the ill effects of this misguided "human capital strategy."
Finally, they are now encouraging people to "take four days off a month" and we're taking about weekends.
That still leaves you with 6 days a week of work and typically 90 hours per week in the office!
Anyway, this is what they call being "committed to making the work experience better."
This is coming off the heels of a 21-year old intern at BOA that died last Summer in the office "after working three consecutive nights" even though they attributed the death to epilepsy.
Work is good and healthy, except when it's extreme and not. Work-a-holism is a disease and money is at the root cause.
It's great to be committed to the organization, mission, people and to doing your best, but it's another to sacrifice your soul, health, family and friends, and other interests that make you a well-rounded person.
Ambition is healthy, greed is deadly--and if you have to come up with three lemons to see that, then it may be too late. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Work Life IMBALance
January 10, 2014
Disability Rights - To Life Or Death
Let me start by saying that I have the greatest respect for Ms. Tada who is herself a quadriplegic and has overcome unbelievable challenges to become a huge successful author, radio show host, and advocate for disabled people.
Yet in the editorial, she rails against those with disabilities that choose death over life and the laws that would enable this.
She says, "first it was assisted suicide," and now it's unlawful birth suits after a child was born with severe disabilities that could have been genetically screened for, and an upcoming Belgium law that may "legalize euthanasia for children with incurable diseases--who, with the support of their parents or guardians, ask to die."
Ms. Tada calls these out as some sort of incredible "double standards" vis a vis the "freedom and dignity that the ADA [Americans With Disabilities Act] championed"--she says that "instead of helping the disabled live full lives, new laws seek to help them die."
While I appreciate her sentiments, I cannot agree with them--not everyone is Ms. Tada who decided she wanted to live and was able and fortunate to do what she has done.
This is a free country and people deserve the right to decide for themselves, making an informed and a well-thought out decision and with their loved ones, if they are too young, old, or otherwise unable to make the decision anymore for themselves.
Having seen the ravages of disability, especially with my own mother, who suffers from Parkinson's Disease and other ailments, I cannot believe that anyone would try to force life on someone who has endless pain and suffering and wishes only for their final peace.
Ms Tada asks, "What type of society do we want?" She goes on claiming that "if we are seeking a good society then we do well to defend the rights of the helpless-not nullify their rights," yet this is exactly what Tada is advocating by seeking to nullify their right to end their suffering.
If it amazing that people will "put down" a sick dying animal to relieve it of it's suffering when it is beyond cure, but we don't show the same mercy to fellow human beings when they are in the clutches of death and torment.
There is most certainly a time when it is enough pain, enough disability, when there is no more hope, and the most decent human thing we can do is free the person from their intolerable suffering.
Life is a wonderful thing if it can be lived, but if it is a living hell, then we should be merciful and let people go to their final resting place without the anguish that only they can ever really understand.
(Source Photo: here with attribution to GizM ()17)
Disability Rights - To Life Or Death
January 9, 2014
Watch Out For Organizational Psychopaths
The knives are flying and you're the target--where's the next one going, the heart of head?
Harvard Business Review has a telling blog about bosses at work that are borderline psychopaths.
Hard to spot because of their "chameleon-like qualities," they are:
- "Self-serving"--basically they have what I call the selfish disorder, they want power, money, and status but don't really care about the organization, mission or people, just themselves!
- "Manipulative personalities"--they hide their agendas, but work over others with charm, favors, even pretend friendship to get what they want.
- Domineering--corporate psychopaths are bullies, who assert themselves over others; they are insecure and endlessly competitive and abuse the people that work for them rather than recognize and reward them.
- Win-lose---they play corporate gamesmanship, appearing collegial enough, but really are always trying to get one up on their colleagues, staff, and even their bosses.
-"Unburdened by the pangs of conscience"--they don't care what it takes to get what they want for themselves: they will lie, cheat, steal, and try to get rid of the competition (even if that is everyone that works for them or around them).
Estimates are that "perhaps 3.9% of corporate professionals" have these psychopathic tendencies--With all the crazies out there, that seems on the low side. What do you think?
Thank G-d, however, that there are some good bosses out there--seek those people out who act like mensches, who elevate others and do not treat them like the enemy within--those people are true gems. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Watch Out For Organizational Psychopaths
January 8, 2014
Amazing Amazon
They are the best online retailer--love 'em!
SELECTION: Amazon has everything.
PRICE: Amazon is reasonably priced.
SPEED: Amazon Prime gets you your goodies delivered in under 48 hours.
RETURNS: Amazon takes returns easily; virtually no questions asked.
Amazon is so customer focused that you can even email Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO himself, at Jeff@Amazon.com.
Aside from their highly successful retail operation, they have the Kindle tablets, Amazon Web Services (AWS) for cloud computing, Kiva Robots for warehouse operations, and more.
So what's the secret of their success?
One thing, according to the Wall Street Journal, is their tough hiring practices.
Amazon has "several hundred" interviewers called "Bar Raisers" that give candidates extremely thorough interviews.
Bar Raisers typically have conducted "dozens or hundreds of interviews and gained a reputation for asking tough questions and identifying candidates who go on to become stars."
Typically, it "takes five or six employees at least two hours each" to evaluate and vet an applicant.
Amazon makes all this effort in recruiting to weed out people who are the wrong fit for the company.
They believe that it's better to invest in a sophisticated recruiting process than to make costly hiring mistakes.
While this certainly sounds like a well thought out and vigorous hiring process, the article makes little to no mention of performance measures showing that their hires really are better matches, have superior performance, or stay with the company longer.
The one anecdote given was of a Bar Raiser who found a candidate for a programming job that "didn't know much about the specific programming language."
Barring some real statistics though, either you could conclude that Amazon's hiring process is truly superior or perhaps question why it takes them 5 to 6 interviews to do what other successful companies do in 1 or 2.
Either way though, Amazon is a amazingly great company. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Amazing Amazon
January 7, 2014
Live Stress Free, Almost
There is a great little piece from CareerCast on the most and least stressful jobs out there in 2014.
From least stressful--audiologist.
To most stressful--enlisted military.
Anyway, to avoid stress--keep calm like the picture says, but also consider jobs with the following attributes:
- Desk job
- High growth potential
- Fewer strict deadlines
- Less travel
- Greater congeniality
- Non-hazardous
One question from the list of jobs...why be a taxi driver earning an average of almost $23,000 a year in one of the top 10 most stressful jobs, when you can be a hair stylist earning about the same and have the 2nd least stressful job out there?
So trade in your driver's license and learn to give a great hairdo! ;-)
(Source Photo: Dannielle Blumenthal)
Live Stress Free, Almost
In The Capital, Scary Cold
I don't ever remember it being this cold, ever!
Getting on the Metro this evening, this big guy came on wearing this scary hat.
But what was really unusual was that even while we were on the train for a while, he didn't take the scary hat off.
I didn't know whether this guy was just still cold or whether we was a murderer or terrorist in waiting.
After a while, I said to the guy, I have a blog and does he mind if I take a photo--and he was nice enough and said, "Go ahead."
So this is how he rode the Metro all the way home.
Today was a scary cold day--because of the temperature for sure, but also because of this unbelievable hat.
I was literally right in front of this guy--how do you think that felt? ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
In The Capital, Scary Cold
January 5, 2014
Struggle Against Nature and Nurture
If you haven't seen it, the show is a portrayal of a serial killer.
This criminal has a near cult like following of people who want to kill, like him, and they do.
It is a frightening portrayal of people who murder, gruesomely.
They do it almost nonchalantly, like second nature.
They have no remorse, quite the opposite, they are deeply committed to what they do (e.g. through stabbing, burning, choking, etc.)
And they connect with each other, and the main serial killer, in their brutal acts of murder.
The show is deeply troubling in that there seems to be so many people out there who savor this, and that the authorities struggle to try to stop them.
Last year, the Wall Street Journal explored the science behind violent criminals.
They found in more than 100 studies that "about half of the variance in aggressive and anti-social behavior can be attributed to genetics."
The study of this is called neurocriminology.
When this predisposition of genetics is combined with "early child abuse," an individual is more prone to commit violent acts.
This is the old, "nature and nurture," where our biological predisposition combined with our specific environmental factors, in a sense, make us who we are.
Understanding these contributors can help to both predict behavior and recidivism, and very importantly help with early treatment by "making it possible to get ahead of the problem" through therapy, medication, and so on.
People can be the worst type of animals, killing not only for food or because they are threatened, but actually for the joy of it.
The show is scary, but the reality is even more frightening as we battle heredity and environment.
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Struggle Against Nature and Nurture
January 4, 2014
10 Ways To Improve Federal Technology
In the Wall Street Journal today, the "health-site woes" are spurring a push for changes to federal technology, including the possibility of a "federal unit dedicated to big tech projects."
Whether or not we carve our a separate big tech project unit, we can do so much to improve success in all our agencies by valuing our people and motivating them to succeed.
As democracy and capitalism have taught us, we need people to be free to innovate and reward them appropriately.
While the grass may look greener in Silicon Valley, our challenge is to utilize all our resources in whatever part of the country they reside, whether they be government or private sector workers.
Ultimately, like most things, this is a human challenge, and not just a technology issue.
Hence, I developed the above comic strip to demonstrate 10 Ways to Improve Federal Technology, so we can all succeed together. ;-)
(Source Cartoon [click here to enlarge]: Andy Blumenthal)
10 Ways To Improve Federal Technology
January 3, 2014
The Happiness Meter
There are many explanations for this:
Of course, it could also be that just because you think something will make you happy, doesn't mean it will. Often, the fantasy does not live up to the reality, and so rather than achieve happiness, we end up disappointed.
Another explanation, from economics, is the law of diminishing marginal utility that tells us that more of a good thing, does not make us incrementally happier, rather the benefit and satisfaction that we receive from each additional unit of consumption is lower. Let's face it, the 5th mouthful of chocolate cream pie is not as satisfying at the first, second, or third. And at a certain point, you actually will want to puke!
The Wall Street Journal had a brilliant piece on this that explained this from an evolutionary perspective--fitter organisms are more likely to survive and reproduce, so every time we make a positive decision in our life, rather than find happiness, our "happiness meter" resets to zero, forcing us to make the next positive move in our life to make us better, if not necessarily happier. In other words, keeping us unhappy, forces us into perpetual striving.
So while happiness has been correlated with our genetic makeup, life events, and values (New York Times) or even exercise, altruism, and supportive relationships (CNN), real happiness comes from living a life of meaning, where we find satisfaction in the journey itself, and not rely only on the destination.
For example, Buddhists understand that life is suffering and that we need to escape the hamster wheel of jealousy, aimless external desire, and quenchless ambition and instead seek to do good and find inner contentment.
One colleague (ex-army) of mine used to say, "everyday that I am not in Iraq and Afghanistan is a good day" and perhaps we need to think in those terms too, as we all know things can always be worse, so we would do well to find happiness not just in what we have or achieve, but in thanksgiving for what we are spared as well. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
The Happiness Meter
January 2, 2014
Looking Forward, Backwards
His main argument is that "the smartphone and the tablet 'are' the next big things."
Manjoo tells us to "grow up" and calls us "spoiled children," because we are not satisfied with these and simple future enhancements of this.
He would have us accept that there won't be "anything as groundbreaking in a generation."
Well, looking back at past innovation and calling that as our current and future innovation is like looking back at our past successes and simply resting on our laurels as good enough.
Unfortunately, no business can rest on their past successes--they must constantly innovate to stay relevant in the marketplace and meet their growth targets for revenue, profit, market share, and customer satisfaction.
As they say in financial prospectuses, "past success is no guarantee of future success."
Similarly, as individuals we do not just settle for past success, but we strive everyday to make a contribution, to learn, and to grow as long as we have the strength to try.
When we stop striving, we may as well be heading downhill in the cycle of life, because as we all know, "if you are not moving forward, then you are moving backwards."
Life is not stagnant, and yesterdays innovations are not todays creative breakthroughs or tomorrows leaps forward.
The rate of innovation is no longer measured in generations in the 21st century--and for those who think it is, they would have us accept defeat in this highly global, competitive marketplace.
While we should not be greedy, why are we so ready to say good enough, instead of really critiquing ourselves (e.g. calling a dry spell, a dry spell) and continuing the tough journey into the future.
At least Manjoo cites incremental work in privacy, enterprise technologies such as cloud computing, and robotics as tech trends - so maybe there is still hope. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Looking Forward, Backwards
January 1, 2014
Ushering In 2014
I took this photo in the Bellagio Hotel in Vegas.
There was a huge advertisement hanging by the lobby, and it immediately caught my eye.
I like the different colored stones for each hour around the dial, as well as the overall white diamond ring around the face.
I found it at their website for $3,000 and it is an absolutely gorgeous timepiece when you first see it.
But it's interesting to me that while it catches my eye, the more I look it, I find that I start to tire of it, and it is not one of those truly timeless jewelry pieces.
Maybe an important lesson for the New Year is that we need to look closely and carefully to avoid expensive buyers remorse, because not everything that glitters is gold--in fact, this watch is stainless. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Ushering In 2014
December 31, 2013
Unjust Justice
"It's not your job to save the world. Do law, leave justice to Clint Eastwood."
What a notion he has--that it is not a judges job to mete out justice--how (oxy)moronic!
Instead, the judge says that is for vigilantes like Clint Eastwood's role in Dirty Harry (or perhaps Charles Bronson in Death Wish).
While I understand that the law is the law, you would think that a judge's role is to not only ensure that it is applied evenly, but also that it is meted out fairly.
As it says in the Torah/Bible (Deuteronomy 16:20), "Justice, Justice shall you pursue."
It is not enough for the "justice system" to enforce laws brainlessly, but the role of the judicial branch is to interrupt the law so that justice results.
What a contrast to even the bumbling inspector, Clouseau, in the movie, The Pink Panther, who knows "Yuri, the trainer who trains," but some of our judges don't seem to know that they are judges who sit in judgement.
So much for "jurisprudence"--but without any prudence!
Doing law, without pursuing justice is like dehydrated water in this picture--empty and good for nothing. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Unjust Justice
December 30, 2013
Up Up And Away
Had a wonderful time with Rebecca Blumenthal today.
We went air ballooning over Las Vegas.
I was surprised at how large the balloons were and how easy the ride was--didn't even feel it when we lifted off the ground and before I knew it, we were 4,000 feet above sea level.
I shot the video standing in the balloon as it was being inflated--never knew you could do that!
And I took the photo of the balloon with the Vegas Strip in the background--you can see the Stratosphere on the left along with the other fancy hotels and sites.
The view from above was beautiful, the air outside was cool, but under the burners of the balloon we were warm and toasty.
Sheldon Grauberger was a terrific aeronaut and guide today and you could see, completely, the total passion he had for this sport.
He told us how he actually trains others for free--he "pays it forward," since he was taught almost 20 years ago similarly.
The sky, mountains, city, breeze, and peace and quiet floating overhead was so amazing.
I sort of felt like the young boy, Pascal, in the movie, The Red Balloon.
He dreams of a better future and is carried off by the balloons into the wild blue yonder to live happily ever after, please G-d. ;-)
(Source Photo and Video: Andy Blumenthal)
Up Up And Away
December 29, 2013
Andy Blumenthal With Harry Basil From The Laugh Factory
His costumes, impersonations, and audience involvement in his act was well done.
In the course of about half an hour, Harry spanned the gamut from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Leonardo DiCaprio, Eminem to Michael Jackson, and from Batman to Superman.
He was very animated and played with the people in the audience--so quick, spontaneous, and always in control.
This morning, I took this photo with Harry Basil at Starbucks.
As we started to walk away down the hall, my wife (who is wont not to take the greatest photos) says "Oh, I don't think the picture came out, it was too close."
And as we were going to start bickering, it was so funny...Harry pops up right behind us, and goes "Was it too close--let's take it again."
Another thing that happened that was interesting at The Laugh Factory, was when we were about to be seated, I said sincerely to the host "How are you doing this evening? Happy holidays!"
He goes to me, "No one ever asks me that. You know what? I'm going to give you seats right up by the front," and he did.
It was a lesson for all of us about talking and treating people nicely--what goes around, comes around. ;-)
Andy Blumenthal With Harry Basil From The Laugh Factory
Fremont Street Light Show Las Vegas By Andy Blumenthal
Fremont Street has a cool free outdoor light show.
It is in the "downtown," which is actually at the north end of the Strip (go figure).
The high-tech light show of 2.1 million bulbs is on a canopy covering 5 street blocks.
The show lasts about 5 minutes and is beautiful.
I tried to combine the overhead show with some of the faces of the people walking down the street.
Enjoyed the experience - like an IMAX and very creative.
Interesting...on the way over, took a cab and talking with the driver, he told me how one of his colleagues found a box of chocolates in his cab this week.
When he opened the box, there was $300,000 inside!
Like Forrest Gump's mother told him, "Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you are going to get" - in Vegas and beyond. ;-)
(Source Video: Andy Blumenthal)
Fremont Street Light Show Las Vegas By Andy Blumenthal
December 28, 2013
Lessons Learned From My Family By Rebecca Blumenthal
This is a moving interview with Rebecca Blumenthal.
She came to me this afternoon, spontaneously, to tell me some meaningful lessons she had gathered from some of the special members of her family.
Immediately after I heard a few of the things she had to say, I asked her if she would mind me capturing these beautiful sentiments on this short video.
I was very moved by her sincerity and thoughtfulness, and it gave me pause in my own life to appreciate these things anew from the people who have been so important in my life as well.
(Source Video: Andy Blumenthal)
Lessons Learned From My Family By Rebecca Blumenthal
Rock The House
Alright, this Jewish kid from the Bronx is not the biggest club guy.
But, we had a special event at the Light Club in Vegas and it was pretty awesome.
The Great: the lights, dancers, special effects, and overall venue at the Mandalay.
The Okay: Prefer an even higher tempo and energy from the music for more of the time.
One amazing human element that I saw at The Light was someone in a wheelchair on the dance floor surrounded by his friends, all having a good time.
Overall, I am finding Vegas better than what they advertise...guys, for almost $10B in gambling revenue, you can certainly find a better marketing and branding firm.
As DC is to politics, Vegas is to entertainment, but DC gets all the news coverage (more often bad than good), and Vegas needs something more than Sin City. ;-)
(Source Video: Andy Blumenthal)
Rock The House
December 27, 2013
10 Vegas Fun Facts
7. The light from the top of the Pyramid at the Luxor Hotel can be seen from the moon.
6. A church on the way to the Grand Canyon from Vegas in painted in Mary Kay pink.
5. There are a pair of mountains called the Dolly Parton Mountains (at least that what our "wise-guy" tour guide called them)
4. A range of mountains looks like the face of Abraham Lincoln lying down.
3. The Hoover Dam, one of the largest government projects of the time was completed nearly two years early and a few million under budget (can you believe that?)
2. There are 600 Elvis impersonators, including a midget and a 450 pound man.
1. You can get married at the Say I Do Drive Thru for only $45!
And one for good luck...prostitution is illegal. ;-)
Last one...the Democrats and Republicans fought over naming the "Hoover Dam" after President Hoover, a Republican (what a surprise?).
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
10 Vegas Fun Facts
December 25, 2013
The Lie Of The Open Workspace
Often, they tell you what they want, either to save the company money or to make themselves look innovative, but either way it’s inevitably at your cost.
One of these lies is from chieftains that tell you’ll be better off working in an open workspace--i.e. thrown into a corporate bullpen.
Oh, by the way, vacate your office by Friday!
Sure there are a plethora of benefits to having common spaces to share ideas and open up communications—and these should be plentiful and stocked with comfy sofas, energy-inducing munchables, and ample white boards and tech gear to facilitate collaboration.
But when the pendulum swings all the way to the other side, and your personal office space become a hoteling situation, you know you are losing out to penny-pinching executives, who want to save on leasing office space, furniture, and the like in order to boost their personal bonuses at the end of the year.
Just ask yourself:
- Do people need privacy to handle sensitive personnel, budget, contracting, and strategic planning and execution issues (as well as occasional family or personal issues—we are all human)?
- Do you need time to close the door for some quiet time to think, innovate, and catch up on work?
- Is there a genuine human need to have a place to put your work and personal things to be productive and comfortable?
The truth is that people need and deserve a balanced work environment—one where people can move healthily between closed and open spaces, individual work and teamwork, privacy and sharing, creativity and productivity, individualism and conformity, comfort and cost-savings.
Anyone that tells you that people work better in a fully open environment where you have to book up a desk and computer is selling you on short-term organizational cost-savings at the expense of longer-term human capital satisfaction and productivity.
Next time, a “leader” tries to convince you of the merits of your not having a professional workspace, desk, computer, and so on—ask yourself whether you want to work in a Motel 6 every day or for a stable organization that values and invests in it people.
An appropriate blended environment of open and closed work spaces, where it shows that you are empowered and valued is a career, and not just a job;-)
(Source Photo: here with attribution to epochgraphics)
The Lie Of The Open Workspace