Capitalogix

Some Links for Your Weekend Reading

Squeak, I am your father.  Disney just bought LucasFilms for $4 Billion.

 

 

Here are some of the posts that caught my eye. Hope you find something interesting.

 

Lighter Links:

• The Timeless Strategic Value of Unrealistic Goals. (Harvard Business Review)
• Jeff Bezos: Smart People Change Their Minds. (TechCrunch)
• A Real-Time CyberAttack Map. Scary. (Honeynet)
• Getting At Least 7 Hours Sleep a Night As Important As Exercise In Losing Weight. (360)
• Apple to Samsung: Sorry We Called Your iPad Copy a Copy. Yet transforms court-ordered apology into a rival-skewering piece of advertising. (Allthingsd)

 

Trading Links:

• Ohio Has 50-50 Chance of Deciding Election. (FiveThirtyEight)
• Best and Worst Presidents For GDP Growth. (BusinessInsider)
• Central Banks' New Economic Indicator Might Be Google. Interesting. (Businessweek)
• Why Windows 8 Sales Will Be Slow. (CNN Money)
• New Innovations in HFT. It takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place. (HFTReview)

How Many Times Have You Heard "Gangnam Style"?

There is no escaping "Gangnam Style," the meteoric dance craze performed by South Korean rapper Psy.

 

 

 

OK, it has a catchy tune and fun dance moves ... but how do you explain the incredible global response to "Gangnam Style," a song that's almost entirely in Korean?

 

Related articles

• Filipino prisoners take on PSY's Gangnam Style (telegraph.co.uk)
• Gangnam Style Goes North as 'Kim Jong Style' (mashable.com)
• The Unstoppable Mega Super Stardom of Psy's "Gangnam Style" in Seoul South Korea: Concert Video (hollywoodpopcandy.wordpress.com)

Have You Seen the Hula Hoop Video From Burning Man Yet?

Someone put a camera on a Hula Hoop and decided to call it a Hula Cam. 

They let a bunch of people at the Burning Man event try it ... 

  

Basically, a bunch of women at Burning Man are shown hula hooping from the hoop’s point of view.

Needless to say the video went viral.

It is a little bit "trippy" ... but somehow strangely interesting.

 

The Spoof of the iPhone 5 Video is Hilarious

I was watching some of our team chat about the new iPhone 5.  They shared the link for the video and said things like "Wow, dude ... I want one so bad!"

Here is a link to Apple's official iPhone 5 promotional video.

 

 

There is also a spoof of the video.  It is very funny ... worth watching for a laugh and some perspective on how "big" the Apple brand promise has become.

 

 

 

In many ways, the spoof made me want the phone even more.

As a side-note, wouldn't it be great to design a product that was spoof-worthy?

 

As you think about what a spoof of your product or service would be, perhaps the bit of "truth" in the humor points at the real competitive advantage ... or at least towards the roadmap that leads towards creating one?

 

Related Articles

• Samsung to iPhone 5 Fans: You're Idiots! [VIDEO] (mashable.com)
• Conan O'Brien Tries to Get His Hands on the iPhone 5 (mashable.com)
• Apple Delays iPhone 5 Pre-Order Shipments Nearly a Month (mashable.com)
• Jimmy Kimmel Proves: Apple's Magic Is In The Brainwash (techcrunch.com)

Gotye's "Somebodies" YouTube Orchestra Remix - Open Sourced Artistry

Imagine being a performing artist who has a song what's on the top of the charts. Now imagine how much time and effort you put in to getting that song "just perfect." The perfect phrasing; when to breathe just a little bit deeper in order to hit that note; the gestures and dance steps to make it even that much more special ...

Now imagine the other side of artistry ... The fact that it's "perfect" means that it's no longer challenging. How do you convey something special if it's no longer special to you?

It's just as true for business person is it is for a performing artist; there's always something new  -- and there is always a possibility of something more.

Below is a music video put together by the artist called Gotye. You probably know him from his “Somebody That I Used To Know” video, which has now been played more than 300 million times.

 

 

The version below isn't the music video that made him famous.  Instead, he put this video together solely from clips that he found on the Internet of people either imitating, innovating, or parodying his original work of art.

Watch Gotye's "Somebodies" ... In some ways, it may be better than the original.

 

 

 

What a great reminder that you can always find "just a little bit more" if you're committed to searching for it hard enough.

Related articles

• 'Obama That I Used to Know' Parodies Gotye With Political Twist (mashable.com)
• The Gotye Parody to End All Gotye Parodies: 'Some Music That I Used to Love' [VIDEO] (mashable.com)

212° - The Extra Degree (a motivational video)

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.

Here is a video.

 

212: The Extra Degree.

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.

Yes, they have an iPhone/iPad app.

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?

Related articles

• Executive Coach's Tip: Problems ... What Problems? (careersuccess.typepad.com)
• TGIF ~ Another Superb Inspirational Movie (rainsoftottawa.wordpress.com)

Check-Out This Official Notice of Formal Apology

As a public service, I am sharing this Formal Apology from the Bureau of Communication.

 

 

 

 

Failure to use it has consequences.

For example, have you seen this video of what an angry father can do to his daughter's laptop?

 

 

 

Do you applaud the standard he is trying to teach her ... or are you tempted to call Child Protective Services?

If she had just used the apology form ...

 

Related articles

• Police visit Facebook dad who shot daughter's laptop (news.cnet.com)
• Dad Who Shot Daughter's Laptop, Gets Visit from Child Protective Services (blippitt.com)
• Dad draws raves, reprimands for answering daughter's Facebook rant with nine .45 rounds in her laptop (mercurynews.com)

People Are Awesome [Video]

Start the New Year with a Wow! This will give you a different perspective on what's possible.

 

Worthy of full-screen mode viewing.

How committed do you believe these people were to to pursue and master such amazing ventures?

What could you do if you were willing to commit that fully?

Around the World in 3 Minutes - Watch the Move, Learn, and Eat Videos

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.

Click to Watch.

 

MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

 

 

LEARN from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

 

 

EAT from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

 

A Must See Peek At the Future of Technology and Productivity

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.

 

 

 

They just released a updated view into their Productivity Future Vision. It is worth watching.

 

 

 

And here is a behind scenes look at how Microsoft Envisioning Labs conceived and made the Future Vision videos.

 

 

 

Amazing!

Related articles

• Why Microsoft's Vision of the Future Will Really Happen (pcworld.com)
• Microsoft's Says Future Technology Works Today (techie-buzz.com)