David Pogue (the tech reviewer from the NYTimes) gave a short and funny TEDTalk. In it, he shares 10 simple, clever tips for computer, web, smartphone and camera users.
Sure, you may know a few of these already -- but there's probably at least one you don't.
I didn't know all of them.
Sometimes it pays not to be an early adopter.
Here is a Saturday Night Live parody of early Google Glass use.
or try this version (because the SNL link was down for a while).
The Google Glass Stare does not seem natural yet. Not sure how long it will take to get used to. For example, imagine having someone like this in a meeting dealing with sensitive data. A little creepy?
via White Men Wearing Google Glass.
Are you getting a pair?
Whether you think you can ... or you think you can't ... you're right.
~ Henry Ford
Slack-Lining is kind of like tight-rope walking (except the line isn't as taut ... so it moves and bounces around). The image to the right is of me trying it less than six inches off the ground.
It was harder than you might guess ... Perhaps fear of falling contributed to the heart racing and muscle tension that went along with it.
Josh Beaudoin (the guy trying to steady me) claims that slack-lining is not an adrenaline sport. It is about being composed in the moment. It is about finding the confidence to face your fear and the power to manage your emotions.
Listen to some wisdom as you watch an awesome video by Josh. It was shot in Rock Canyon near Provo, UT.
Imagine the experience of being up there ... and what we do down here doesn’t seem risky.
To see something else a little crazy. Check out this link about Fire-Walking.
There’s a lot of information about your neighborhood (or anyplace you choose). Drawing on publicly available information (such as the U.S. Census, Yelp!, and others), this app digs it up, divides it into categories (people, weather, history, housing, etc.), and serves it up in easy to digest graphics.
The results are interesting, even though an app like this just scratches the surface of what's possible with access to data.
Some of the data you'll learn about a location includes:
Sitegeist was created by the Sunlight Foundation in consultation with design firm IDEO. It is the third in a series of National Data Apps.
Bet you start seeing more apps like this.
Sometimes it makes sense to buy a little time ... other times you have to play to win.
Here are some of the posts that caught my eye. Hope you find something interesting.
Here is a clip of Jimmy Fallon and Christina Aguilera using office supplies and used them as instruments to perform Christina's "Your Body."
Here is the "Instrument" list:
stapler, iPhone keypad, coffee pots with pencil drumsticks, roll of sticky tape, water cooler jug, tissue box & elastic band guitar, spiral notebook (a.k.a. the "tear snare"), keyboard washboard, paper clip shaker, and scissors.
Innovative, talented, and pretty cool.
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?
Perhaps you heard, Apple sold a few new iPhones last week.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, this should tell quite a story.
The first picture shows the first hurdle ... just strong demand ... right?
At a little after 2am CST, the iPhone 5 seemed close. The upgrade process starts.
Clicking the button, however, resulted in no joy. The site was unavailable.
OK, lots of people must be hitting the site all at once. Let's try again ... and again ...
Progress; at least this is a new page. They must have fixed things?
It's after 3:30am and the next picture shows why pillows seem more likely than gadget love.
Give AT&T credit for good planning. How many ways can you anticipate failing?
I sleepily imagine my propeller beanie being taken away for failing to score ... my early adopter status is wavering as much as my sleep deprived body.
Oh, Apple's site probably sucks less than this ...
Alas, there's still a chance to wait in line this Friday.
Are you planning on getting the new iPhone?
Energy flows where focus goes … and questions are a great way to direct focus.
Planning is one thing, “real life” is another. So, how do you give stakeholders a clear picture of what’s happening, the relevant business terrain, and the best path for them to navigate given their daily challenges and objectives?
15Five is a
management tool that can help with those issues. It consists of a few simple questions that
each of your direct reports has an opportunity to fill out each week.
The name, “15Five”, comes from the concept that it should take someone 15 minutes to think about and fill out their answers to these questions; while it should take you about five minutes (per person) to review those answers and give feedback. These responses can be public or private, as you see fit.
The good news is that 15Five is simple and usable. You’ve probably heard the phrase “Garbage in, garbage out.” More importantly, though, “Nothing in, nothing out.” If people don’t use a tool, it is tough to benefit from it, regardless of how “good” it is.
So, How Did Our Team Respond to This New Tool?
Predictably, after a week or two of using it, several members of the team approached me to ask how long they'd have to do this. However, just a few weeks later, some of those same people shared how much they're enjoying the process.
Ultimately, they recognize that it's helping them raise their focus from the immediate to a chunk higher. They also recognize that it's a chance to have a one-on-one conversation with their boss about what they want to talk about … without taking time away from their work or interrupting their focus time.
The 15Five process also gives respondents a chance to think about and prepare worthy answers (rather than to feel tongue-tied or regretful that they failed to mention something when they had the chance). The result is something they are likely to be proud of – and something to build upon.
For the manager, it is a chance to give individual attention to each respondent. It also provides an easy way to comment (or ask for additional information) about specific ideas. Just click a button and write your note. The other party gets an email that they can respond to directly, or they can see it in the conversation thread for that week’s report.
Where Is Value Added?
15Five helps people think about the business (rather than simply working through their daily grind). It helps them recognize why what they are doing matters, and how what they are doing helps move things in the right direction. As a result, using the tool builds confidence and momentum. Ultimately, 15Five helps people steer themselves to take appropriate actions and make better decisions.
As a trader, I understand that price is the primary indicator of the market. However, to get a better understanding, many traders use secondary indicators (like sentiment, momentum, rate of change, or even the response to good or bad news). Beyond a direct communication tool, these are the types of insights that the 15Five feedback mechanism makes possible.
For example, don't just look at one week's set of responses in a vacuum. Instead, notice the tone and the amount of care that someone uses when they send you their information.
Coachable Moments.
Here is another example. If someone typically writes three or four sentences to respond to a particular question, but this week they only responded with three words, that might be an important thing to pay attention to and note.
Sometimes a non-answer is important. Last week one of the questions was “What challenges are you facing? How are you going to fix it, and where do you need help?” Someone answered that they were not facing any new challenges that week. Great, right? Or, is that really an opportunity for coaching?
In that situation, my response was: “There are always challenges. Sometimes they are easy to spot because they clearly present themselves as problems. Other times they can show up as opportunities or choices … Sometimes, however, they are harder to identify because they could stem from something as subtle as conflicting desires. Remember that the goal of the question to look above the day-to-day activities to focus on your higher level intent and purpose.”
The point is that 15Five gives you great opportunities to add value - and the time to notice coachable moments. Here are some examples:
From my perspective, the thought process and preparation may be more important than the answers themselves.
So, Is It Worth Paying For?
15Five helps avoid communication problems by creating and preserving appropriate context for decision-making. In addition, it is a tool you can use to effectively direct focus and “steer” the company.
It is also worth noting that 15Five feels like a separate tool. Because of that, I suspect people respond differently to it than they would to a simple email or a discussion thread on the corporation’s private intranet.
Ultimately, this
process is something that people like better and gain more value from as they
do it more and do it better.
Bottom Line: It
clearly adds value. Give it a try.
Energy flows where focus goes … and questions are a great way to direct focus.
Planning is one thing, “real life” is another. So, how do you give stakeholders a clear picture of what’s happening, the relevant business terrain, and the best path for them to navigate given their daily challenges and objectives?
15Five is a management tool that can help with those issues. It consists of a few simple questions that each of your direct reports has an opportunity to fill out each week.
The name, “15Five”, comes from the concept that it should take someone 15 minutes to think about and fill out their answers to these questions; while it should take you about five minutes (per person) to review those answers and give feedback. These responses can be public or private, as you see fit.
The good news is that 15Five is simple and usable. You’ve probably heard the phrase “Garbage in, garbage out.” More importantly, though, “Nothing in, nothing out.” If people don’t use a tool, it is tough to benefit from it, regardless of how “good” it is.
So, How Did Our Team Respond to This New Tool?
Predictably, after a week or two of using it, several members of the team approached me to ask how long they'd have to do this. However, just a few weeks later, some of those same people shared how much they're enjoying the process.
Ultimately, they recognize that it's helping them raise their focus from the immediate to a chunk higher. They also recognize that it's a chance to have a one-on-one conversation with their boss about what they want to talk about … without taking time away from their work or interrupting their focus time.
The 15Five process also gives respondents a chance to think about and prepare worthy answers (rather than to feel tongue-tied or regretful that they failed to mention something when they had the chance). The result is something they are likely to be proud of – and something to build upon.
For the manager, it is a chance to give individual attention to each respondent. It also provides an easy way to comment (or ask for additional information) about specific ideas. Just click a button and write your note. The other party gets an email that they can respond to directly, or they can see it in the conversation thread for that week’s report.
Where Is Value Added?
15Five helps people think about the business (rather than simply working through their daily grind). It helps them recognize why what they are doing matters, and how what they are doing helps move things in the right direction. As a result, using the tool builds confidence and momentum. Ultimately, 15Five helps people steer themselves to take appropriate actions and make better decisions.
As a trader, I understand that price is the primary indicator of the market. However, to get a better understanding, many traders use secondary indicators (like sentiment, momentum, rate of change, or even the response to good or bad news). Beyond a direct communication tool, these are the types of insights that the 15Five feedback mechanism makes possible.
For example, don't just look at one week's set of responses in a vacuum. Instead, notice the tone and the amount of care that someone uses when they send you their information.
Here is another example. If someone typically writes three or four sentences to respond to a particular question, but this week they only responded with three words, that might be an important thing to pay attention to and note.
Sometimes a non-answer is important. Last week one of the questions was “What challenges are you facing? How are you going to fix it, and where do you need help?” Someone answered that they were not facing any new challenges that week. Great, right? Or, is that really an opportunity for coaching?
In that situation, my response was: “There are always challenges. Sometimes they are easy to spot because they clearly present themselves as problems. Other times they can show up as opportunities or choices … Sometimes, however, they are harder to identify because they could stem from something as subtle as conflicting desires. Remember that the goal of the question to look above the day-to-day activities to focus on your higher level intent and purpose.”
The point is that 15Five gives you great opportunities to add value - and the time to notice coachable moments. Here are some examples:
From my perspective, the thought process and preparation may be more important than the answers themselves.
So, Is It Worth Paying For?
15Five helps avoid communication problems by creating and preserving appropriate context for decision-making. In addition, it is a tool you can use to effectively direct focus and “steer” the company.
It is also worth noting that 15Five feels like a separate tool. Because of that, I suspect people respond differently to it than they would to a simple email or a discussion thread on the corporation’s private intranet.
Ultimately, this process is something that people like better and gain more value from as they do it more and do it better.
Bottom Line: It clearly adds value. Give it a try.
Here Are Some Links for Your Weekend Reading
Perhaps you've seen the t-shirt before ...
Here are some of the posts that caught my eye. Hope you find something interesting.
Lighter Links:
Trading Links:
Posted at 01:50 PM in Business, Current Affairs, Gadgets, Healthy Lifestyle, Ideas, Just for Fun, Market Commentary, Trading, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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