People adopt disabled and neglected kids, but there was one blind child from India that nobody wanted. On this week’s Assignment America Steve Hartman shows us a child who was a perfect fit for his new family.
Tyler & I Waiting for Gary’s CRUSH IT Presentation
Gary Vaynerchuk’s CRUSH IT Book Tour
I got to meet Gary Vaynerchuk who is one of my idols at a book tour in Berkeley tonight. Tyler was really good for the first twenty minutes of his presentation but I decided to take him outside to play because I could tell I was pushing my luck. In Gary’s book (only a quarter of the way through it) he talks about making family first so I was living that tonight! Gary was extremely pleasant and very personable as one would expect. He signed my book and was even nice enough to take a picture of us together. I was able to get the entire presentation on video so I should have it up later tonight or first thing in the morning.
Help Us Internet Superheros
Dear Internet Superheros (from left: Gary Vaynerchuk, Kevin Rose, Tim Ferriss, Jason Calacanis, Leo Laporte, and Ashton Kutcher),
My name is Jeremy Person and like Gary Vaynerchuk (you are awesome) I have a last name which gets slaughtered (it is Person like a human). OK now that we have that out of the way I wanted to let you know that I’ve been watching you. No, not in a weird way, but rather in a heroic, idolizing sort of way. I’m a fan of yours but why I’m a fan might surprise you. I’m a fan because I love your passion, your knowledge, your ideas, your love to share knowledge and ideas, your passion to help, and your love to connect with others. I too share many of your same passions and want to thank you for all that you have done to share your ideas with the world.
Let me first say I love what you have been able to do in the technology space over the years and I appreciate everything you have done for us. I can’t speak for the rest of the world but I can speak for myself. I think the world needs Internet Superheros who will stand up for our digital rights. For instance look at what Jason Calacanis is doing for individuals looking for Angel Investment money. Calacanis has been threatened with legal action and what does he say? He says bring it on, even if it means selling his Tesla to do it. That is guts and I love it.
Internet Superheroes we’ve failed you because we aren’t asking you for help in the right areas in life. At the end of your life are you going to be more proud of making money with a company, or knowing that you helped change the world with your company or service? More than likely you’ll be more proud of the fact that you helped change the world. We need Internet Superheros who will support and promote open source. We need a radical shift in the way the world thinks and operates. The world is in such desperate need for help we need a Legion of Superheros to join forces because as great as you are, you aren’t powerful enough to fight proprietary companies and old school ways of digital thinking on your own. I could get into what powers you each posses but the key message is put together, you would be a force to be reckoned with. Yeah I guess I think about some really strange things don’t I?
I love social networks as much as the next person but what I don’t love is how we don’t own our own data. Facebook is 350 million users strong and has become a giant in the social media space. Open source has grown in popularity over the last 5 years and much of that is because of Firefox. However what many people don’t know is there are many other open source applications which are more secure, provide better performance, and offer much more functionality/extensibility.
Much of what makes open source great is also part of its downfall which is it doesn’t have a marketing machine behind it mostly because it isn’t nearly as profitable as proprietary software. For instance you aren’t going to see any Firefox commercials any time soon asking Internet Explorer users to make a switch to Firefox. The reason I’m telling you this is because I think this is where Internet Superheroes such as yourself come in. Since open source is largely a grassroots effort we need help from people with a large following to help show the world that open source is not only an option but in many instances, a superior option. Anything you can do to spread the word about open source software and services would be greatly appreciated. I know what you are thinking, I’m not an open source guy, I’m a “insert something here” guy. That is fine but look at what George Foreman was able to do with a grill right? Look at what Bono was able to do with his humanitarian efforts. As someone once told me “can’t never could until it tried”.
As you know, open source software comes in many forms. With the move from the client to the cloud, so do our applications and the most popular of those are social networks. As we ask our friends and relatives to join us on these social networks we are essentially asking them to give their experiences, digital assets, and knowledge to companies that don’t let us export our data from one platform to the next. Whether we are talking about YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, MySpace, Digg (still love you Kevin), Mahalo (Calacanis, still love you too and you are paying some contributors…yes I know) etc you are giving your content and time away to others and in many instances for free. It makes me think of the way the pyramids were built but instead of forced slavery it is voluntary which boggles my mind.
To me Facebook is like 350 million humans going to GM and saying I want my family, friends and relatives to ride in your car. Your car is going to allow us to see and share things but everything we take from those experiences has to stay in that car. When we grow tired of your car we won’t be able to transfer the things that we have taken from our experiences over the years, instead we will have to leave them in the car and with your company. Worse, if the company folds, so do all of our assets.
We love social networks don’t we? They are the modern day equivalent of a bar or a party and what I mean by that is we go there to meet and connect with people. I’m a blogger so I rely on many social networks to help drive traffic to my website so I can connect, learn from, and tell others what I am thinking. Essentially our social media platforms are like modern day parties. You meet people at the party and if you find them interesting you might exchange information to get to know one another better. We rely on these huge social networks to drive traffic to our sites. So us normal “folk” go to parties and we may meet people but we are in awe of you as you have most of the mind-share right?
With that said, search engines are modern day celebrities who we invite to our parties. Think about this, if you are a club owner and you get Paris Hilton to visit your club, I can guarantee you it will drive traffic and hype to your “site” in huge ways right? Well Google, Yahoo, and Bing are modern day celebrities with Google being the Paris Hilton of them all. We need open source search but nobody has done it yet. Relying on these companies is ultimately going to hurt us in the end as we rely on them for our traffic which doesn’t feel right to me. We are sick of Hollywood celebrities aren’t we? We say nasty things about them but the ironic thing is they have some strange spell over us. That strange spell is over millions and millions of people in the world and we need your help to stop it. We need an Internet celebrity to help us promote open web standards, open data standards, and give us freedom from our information jail cells.
Here is what we need from you:
- Develop open social media platforms (for example BuddyPress instead of Facebook, WordPress instead of Blogger)
- Let us export our data (not many platforms are doing that)
- Promote open source software and services (besides the Linux crowd we don’t have an advocate)
Help us Internet Superheroes because as Princess Leia said in Star Wars: you’re our only hope. Oh and if you are a superhero or if you know of a superhero, send them this request.
Joan’s Farm & Pumpkin Patch
We went to Joan’s Farm & Pumpkin Patch in Livermore this morning and I think we got some great pictures. The lady in the video is Joan, the owner of the pumpkin patch.
Ranged Up
I took this picture with my iPhone a while back on one of my last road trips.
Beware Of Your Gunless Friend!
Beware Of Your Gunless Friend!
The dangerous people are not the ones
Who hit you with clubs and rob you with guns!
The thief won’t attack your character traits
Or belittle your abilities to your face!
It likely will be a well-meaning friend
Who merely crushes your will to win.
No, he doesn’t rob you, at point of gun,
He simply says, “It can’t be done.”
When pointed to thousands who already are
He smiles and says, “They’re superior!”
Personality-wise, and abilities, too,
They’re way ahead of what others can do!”
It matters not that his words are untrue
For, you feel “others” must know you!
So, you’re robbed of your hopes, your dreams to succeed.
Robbed of the material blessing received,
Robbed of your faith that says, “I can.”
And robbed by an ignorant, gunless friend.
So, the deadliest of men is not he with a gun,
But the one who tells you “It can’t be done!”
For that taken by burglars can be gotten again.
But, what can replace your will to win?
~ Author Unknown ~
Ghost of Collegiate-Past
You Can If You Think You Can!
If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you like to win, but you think you can’t,
It is almost certain you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost,
For out in the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow’s will.
It’s all in the state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You’ve got to think high to rise,
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But soon or late the man who wins,
Is the man who thinks he can.
~ C. W. Longenecker ~
If You Know HTML This is Funny
Hint of what the <i>tag does</i>.
Uncovering Steve Jobs’ Presentation Secrets
Source: http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/oct2009/sb2009106_706829_page_2.htm (no longer available)
“The Apple Music event of Sept. 9, 2009, marked the return of the world’s greatest corporate storyteller. For more than three decades, Apple (AAPL) co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs has raised product launches to an art form. In my new book, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience, I reveal the techniques that Jobs uses to create and deliver mind-blowing keynote presentations.
Steve Jobs does not sell computers; he sells an experience. The same holds true for his presentations that are meant to inform, educate, and entertain. An Apple presentation has all the elements of a great theatrical production—a great script, heroes and villains, stage props, breathtaking visuals, and one moment that makes the price of admission well worth it. Here are the five elements of every Steve Jobs presentation. Incorporate these elements into your own presentations to sell your product or ideas the Steve Jobs way.
1. A headline. Steve Jobs positions every product with a headline that fits well within a 140-character Twitter post. For example, Jobs described the MacBook Air as “the world’s thinnest notebook.” That phrase appeared on his presentation slides, the Apple Website, and Apple’s press releases at the same time. What is the one thing you want people to know about your product? This headline must be consistent in all of your marketing and presentation material.
2. A villain. In every classic story, the hero fights the villain. In 1984, the villain, according to Apple, was IBM (IBM). Before Jobs introduced the famous 1984 television ad to the Apple sales team for the first time, he told a story of how IBM was bent on dominating the computer industry. “IBM wants it all and is aiming its guns on its last obstacle to industry control: Apple.” Today, the “villain” in Apple’s narrative is played by Microsoft (MSFT). One can argue that the popular “I’m a Mac” television ads are hero/villain vignettes. This idea of conquering a shared enemy is a powerful motivator and turns customers into evangelists.
3. A simple slide. Apple products are easy to use because of the elimination of clutter. The same approach applies to the slides in a Steve Jobs presentation. They are strikingly simple, visual, and yes, devoid of bullet points. Pictures are dominant. When Jobs introduced the MacBook Air, no words could replace a photo of a hand pulling the notebook computer out of an interoffice manila envelope. Think about it this way—the average PowerPoint slide has 40 words. In some presentations, Steve Jobs has a total of seven words in 10 slides. And why are you cluttering up your slides with too many words?
4. A demo. Neuroscientists have discovered that the brain gets bored easily. Steve Jobs doesn’t give you time to lose interest. Ten minutes into a presentation, he’s often demonstrating a new product or feature and having fun doing it. When he introduced the iPhone at Mac world 2007, Jobs demonstrated how Google Maps (GOOG) worked on the device. He pulled up a list of Starbucks (SBUX) stores in the local area and said, “Let’s call one.” When someone answered, Jobs said: “I’d like to order 4,000 lattes to go, please. No, just kidding.”
5. A holy smokes moment. Every Steve Jobs presentation has one moment that neuroscientists call an “emotionally charged event.” The emotionally charged event is the equivalent of a mental post-it note that tells the brain, remember this! For example, at Macworld 2007, Jobs could have opened the presentation by telling the audience that Apple was unveiling a new mobile phone that also played music, games, and video. Instead, he built up the drama. “Today, we are introducing three revolutionary products. The first one is a widescreen iPod with touch controls. The second is a revolutionary mobile phone. And the third is a breakthrough Internet communications device…an iPod, a phone, an Internet communicator…an iPod, a phone, are you getting it? These are not three devices. This is one device!” The audience erupted in cheers because it was so unexpected, and very entertaining. By the way, the holy smokes moment on Sept. 9 had nothing to do with a product. It was Steve Jobs himself appearing onstage for the first time after undergoing a liver transplant.
One more thing…sell dreams. Charismatic speakers like Steve Jobs are driven by a nearly messianic zeal to create new experiences. When he launched the iPod in 2001, Jobs said, “In our own small way we’re going to make the world a better place.” Where most people saw the iPod as a music player, Jobs recognized its potential as a tool to enrich people’s lives. Cultivate a sense of mission. Passion, emotion, and enthusiasm are grossly underestimated ingredients in professional business communications, and yet, passion and emotion will motivate others. Steve Jobs once said that his goal was not to die the richest man in the cemetery. It was to go to bed at night thinking that he and his team had done something wonderful. Do something wonderful. Make your brand stand for something meaningful.”