Too many times, a brainstorming session to figure-out how to do something turns into a discussion about how or why it can't be done.
Here's to getting it done anyway!
Sometimes a little extra is all it takes.
It's the extra degree of effort that often separates the good from the great.
For example, at 211°, water is hot. At 212°, it boils.
The one extra degree makes the difference. It's that extra degree that can power a locomotive.
This simple analogy reflects the ultimate definition of excellence. Because it's the one extra degree of effort, in business and life, that can separate the good from the great.
It is from Mac Anderson's Simple Truths. I'm a fan of their work, which takes a simple idea and presents it in a memorable way ... with lots of great quotes and stories to illustrate the concept even better.
It's your life ... You are responsible for your results. It's time to turn up the heat! Are you content with just being pretty good? Or are you ready to go the extra degree?
Inspiring and Fun! Seems appropriate for the start of the Holiday Season.
Beware, these three short videos may encourage you to travel, learn something new, move your body, or create something.
3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and almost a terabyte of footage… all to turn 3 ambitious linear concepts based on movement, learning and food.
While eating dinner a few nights ago, I heard a 3-year-old scream "iPad, iPad, iPad" until her parents handed one over. Was it just a child's tantrum ... or does it mark another step in our journey to the post-pc age?
To imagine the future of technology, sometimes it helps to look back. Here's a clever way to appreciate how much technology has changed the things we love to do.
And we are now moving beyond even that.
I just spent a week in Asia, and didn't bring a laptop ... relying, instead, on just an iPad and an iPhone 4S.
In 2009, Microsoft released a Productivity Future Vision. Watch how future technology will help people make better use of their time, focus their attention, and strengthen relationships while getting things done at work, home, and on the go.
Here is a version of "The Crazy Ones" that has Steve Jobs narrating. It is a 'classic' even though the ad never aired in this format.
Here is the text.
Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.
The next vide is interesting because it is unrehearsed and unpolished. Ironically, Steve Jobs was known as the consummate showman and presenter. Here is glimpse at the man behind the curtain. This video shows his first television interview.
NPR solicited the input of its listeners to rank the top science fiction and fantasy books of all time. Over 60,000 people voted for the top picks which were then compiled into a list by their panel of experts.
The result? A list of 100 books with a wide range of styles, little context, and not much help for you to actually choose something to read from it.
The folks at SF Signal have, once again, come to the rescue. This flowchart is designed to help you follow your tastes, provide context, and guide you to the right book for you.
I went to see the newest Harry Potter movie this weekend. Apparently a bunch of other people went too, because it conjured up box office records.
The movie was great. But what left me in wonder was thinking about how it came to be. The scope and scale of the series is literally amazing.
Even just for this movie, the number of people listed on the credits was astounding.
Yet, think about how many people were involved in producing the movies, books, and merchandising. And that's not including the theme parks, promotion, and the eco-system that forms to support a project of this magnitude.
When did it become real ?
Was it when the first book came out?
Perhaps it was when J.K. Rowling got a contract to have the book published?
Even earlier ... how about when she finished writing the book ... or
It is arguable that it became real when she started thinking about it.
On some level, Rowling probably agrees. Here is a quote she wrote from Dumbledore, in response to Harry asking whether something was real or happening in his head.
"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry; but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"
The real magic of creation happens in the mind.
In a very real sense, there is "infinite possibility" ... because in every moment there are an infinite number of possibilities. To a great extent, though, our automatic habits preclude seeing them. This may seem to make it is easier to focus on the path taken; but it unconsciously limits the future.
What would have happened if, back in the early 1990s, J.K. Rowling had the idea for Harry Potter ... but thought she couldn't write a book (or even if she did, who would read it?). Her "new world" didn't exist yet, while her "old world" didn't have a path from there-to-here.
Einstein spoke to this. He said:
“You cannot solve a problem from the same consciousness that created it. You must learn to see the world anew.”
There's magic in choosing a path that energizes you. Reality is what you bring to it, and what you hold in awareness.
As traders watch the market, they are looking for clues. And when they are in-phase with what happens, they think the market speaks to them. Is it in-depth knowledge ... or nonsense?
Here is video of twin toddlers 'talking'. Is it an in-depth conversation ... or nonsense? You be the judge.
Imagine what was going on in the minds of the initial 50 Japanese workers who stayed behind (while everyone else was evacuated ) to try and fix things at the nuclear reactor after the earthquake ...
Were they going to die, or become disabled from the exposure?
