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E-Books bound to fail?

On April 27th, at ComputerWorld.com, there was an article entitled, "Why E-Books are bound to fail - Electronic books pack bleeding-edge technology, too bad they'll never catch on." This article is practically laughable. He discusses how technology companies have spent millions of dollars developing these electronic book readers and that it is all a waste of time. I am almost in awe of this writers complete inability to open his mind up to the possibility (read: inevitability) of this option! He actually kills his own argument in the 2nd paragraph: "Another huge barrier to the growth of the e-book market is that everyone already has alternatives. You can read written content on your PC -- in fact, you're doing it right now -- on tablet PCs, laptops, cell phones and PDAs." Apparently, he is arguing that because people are accustomed to reading e-material they will choose NOT to read more e-material. Am I taking crazy pills or does that make no sense? He is failing to realize so much by arguing, "people love paper books and the experience, cozying up to the fire, blah blah blah..." He is not taking into account what people will be doing in 10 or 20 years. These companies aren't building these products to win over Danielle Steele paperback readers of today. They are building these products to win over children that aren't even born yet. They are building the technology now for the future! The author is correct in saying that my habits will probably deter me from making the switch. But to laugh off a serious technological advancement because he has great personal childhood memories of reading the Hardy Boys Books with a flashlight is a joke... He assumes that a child who does not have 20 years of "Paper book reading" under his belt will choose a paper book vs. an ebook when presented with the 2 equally accessible options? Does the writer honestly think this kid will get his info from the computer, communicate with his friends by text messages (or who knows what by that time), email his homework in, and then relax by picking up a paperback book for kicks? The writer even goes on to say that one of the reason that this technology will fail is that because it is expensive... Of course it is! So were computers and for that matter, so were calculators! New technology is always expensive. But then the price decreases as technology improves and it becomes more commonplace. Is this point of technological acceptance and commercial success 15 years down the road? Probably. And I predict that it WILL most likely be a huge industry based on a portion of the population who will accept it. And all of these major electronics companies will be thanking their lucky stars that they started 15 years ago. The TV didn't kill the cinema. We have managed to live with both and they BOTH make a lot of money. We can (and will) live with both paper and electronic copies of reading material. This guy (who strangely enough is published by Computer World) needs to go get a job at Kodak where back in the day they decided that digital photography wasn't going to be that huge of a deal.

Community

This morning, as I was standing in line at Starbucks, a strange thing happened. Comical as it was, a man and a woman were each ordering at separate cash registers and in the same moment, ordered "the last doughnut". They turned to look at each other. The two baristas turned to look at each other. And I started laughing. What next? Then out of nowhere, the man says, "Want to split it? I shouldn't eat the whole thing anyway." She smiled and responded, "I shouldn't' eat the whole thing either." The baristas, exclaiming this was the first time they had ever seen this happen, then proceeded to cut the pastry in half and the man paid for the whole thing. Complete strangers sharing breakfast. I love it. Yes, they are little things but they make me smile.

Just so good...

Check out this track from Brazilian artist,  Gui Boratto.  Put it on repeat and turn it up. After listening to this song, it is indeed a Beautiful life.

And we've come full circle...

Tap water is the new evian.... Didn't you know? Check out this article from Slate.com. This is incredible. You had to figure this day would come sooner or later. We have come full circle. Advertisers around the world are scrambling how to deal with this possible trend.

Shake Well

The other day I woke up and walked to the kitchen, as I do everyday.  The first thing I do everyday is take 2 multi-vitamins with a glass of water or juice.  I am pretty sure that I have to eat something as well, but I don't.  I may need to edit this habit to include toast.  Nevertheless, in my morning haze, I look down at the juice bottle and just just below the cap it says.  "Shake Well, settling is natural".

My world pretty much got rocked at this moment... by a juice bottle.  Sometimes I wonder why I don't see more exciting and new things happening in my life.  It's because I settle.  When I don't invite any 'shakes' into my life, I start returning to default.  And you know what?  It's natural.  It's entirely natural for the human body/brain to find the path of least resistance when given the opportunity.  Doing something great will always require a great deal of focus and discipline. Some people aren't interested in that, which is unfortunate.

Are you interested? Do you shake it up or do you find yourself naturally settling?  If you are settling, go find a juice bottle at the grocery store that says, "Shake Well" on the cap.  Have a glass every morning while you take your multivitamins (with toast) and think about how you are going to shake it up today.  Then be focused and disciplined enough to actually do it.

Life change guaranteed.

Apples and Apple Flavored Oranges

Car Commercials. When I think of how many car commercials I come across and how much money is poured into these things, it nearly makes me cringe.  But, we live in America and the car is the epitome of who you are, so we need to make sure  you are expressing yourself correctly, No?  I've started paying close attention to the themes of car commercials and what emotions they are playing/preying on. Recently, 2 commercials have caught my eye.  It's the "compare our car to a car in a COMPLETELY different category" commercial.  By comparing a basic car to a high-end car, our basic car will feel more high-end.  I personally have NOTHING against any of these cars, but it just seems interesting to be advertising in this way. #1:  The Hyundai Tuscon is more agile than the Land Rover LR3.  So you are telling me that this luxury vehicle the size of a small African nation can't out maneuver a low-profile SUV, which is only slightly larger than most cross-overs?  Unfathomable!! I can't possibly imagine someone sitting there thinking.  Well, I have the money and was going to buy the status symbol and luxury of a Land Rover which could set me apart from the majority of SUV owners everywhere... but ya know?  That Tuscon sure does handle those cones well.  This commercial is preying upon those who may not be able to afford Land Rover in the first place, and makes them feel better about it.  Everyone is tired of listening to comparisons between the Tucson and a Suzuki, Honda, Ford, Chevy or anyone else in their class.  You know what honor they give the LR 3 at the end of the commercial?  They snidely remark it has more cup-holders.   I dare you to ask ANY car salesman which question they get more often.  "How agile is this car?" or "How many cup-holders does it have?"  One of the biggest car complaints revolves around cup-holders.  It SHOULD be a big deal to car manufacturers because it's a big deal to consumers.  Remember... this IS indeed America and we need somewhere to put our grande, no-fat, double, yadda yadda... you get it. #2:  The Ford Edge is faster than the BMW X5.  Awesome.  Once again, a lightweight cross-over SUV which pales in comparison on so many levels to a LUXURY SUV...  where is the comparison?  Show me someone who is debating an X5 or a Edge and just can't make up their mind.  I will gladly give respect to the Ford Edge, but this factor is a non-issue in comparisons.  I assume there are a lot of cars faster than an X5, but that isn't why anyone buys (or doesn't buy) this car. These commercials are comparing apples and oranges to make the apples look MORE Orange.  Genius, but sad. Here's a few more to consider: The Timex watch is better than a IWC because it keeps better time due to a battery.  Forget the fact that this watch doesn't need you to change the date for the next 500 years. Felipe Lopez is a better shortstop than Derek Jeter because he is more cost-efficient. Felipe still stops a LOT of the balls hit at him and look at all the money we're saving! Kraft American Singles is a better cheese than Tillamook cheddar because you don't have to slice anything.

Great Interview

Here is a great interview with Guy Kawasaki and Seth Godin. Definitely worth checking out. It includes Microsoft, Apple, MP3 Players, Violins & Iraq.

Internet As Water

Speaking with my genius friend Jason the other day, we ventured down the rabbit hole of what the future of information will look like. As we were talking about buzz words such as web 2.0, we started wondering what web 7.0 or 9.0 would look like. Something interesting that came up was the fact that we still have to truly seek out the internet. It is NOT entirely common knowledge on how to use it properly. We are not all fluent in Internet. I liken it to water. For thousands of years, water was a really serious issue. People spent a lot of time planning, fighting, or traveling to make sure water consumption was possible. In fact, they would live their lives BASED around where they knew they could obtain clean resources such as water for survival. It was a period of history where water was 'scarcity based'. Now before I go one step further I want to take a minute to admit that I realize this still goes on in the world today. There are many people who do not have access to clean drinking water. If you are interested in helping this situation, contact Water Aid. Today, for the most part, we don't think about water based on scarcity. When you wake up in the morning, are you concerned about water? No. You don't worry about about where you'll find it or if there will be enough of it (you may sometimes hope that someone else hasn't jacked all the hot water, but the water is present nonetheless). This is where we will see information headed in the future. We are STILL planning, learning or "traveling" to get information from the internet. Granted the 80/20 rule applies. 20% of the population, if that, is creating and digesting the majority (80%) of the information on the net in a "web 2.0" manner. What will happen when a LARGE % of the population truly knows how to use the internet correctly? Imagine what the future will be like when information is like water. What happens when we no longer have be concerned with where we will find that information or how we will get connected to that company or how we will track the inventory or finish our homework? The amount of brain space we wasted in the past concerned with locating, documenting, downloading, etc... can now be spent innovating different things. Think how much time was wasted as every single 'baby boomer' and 'Generation Y' person has had to learn about the internet from step 1. Kids these days are clicking mouses practically before they're talking. When they don't have to waste time learning the computer language, their brain space will be concerned with other things, namely progress and innovation.

Seth Godin continues to Boggle...

Who is this man, Seth Godin? I shake my fist at his genius! Over the past year, I have been following Seth and I am so impressed with his thinking. His new book, The Dip recently came out. On the first page he proceeds to undercut one of the greatest motivational sports figures ever, Vince Lombardi. Vince's most famous line was of course, "Quitters never win and winners never quit." How many times has this pop-phrase been thrown around sports teams, classrooms, sales meetings, boy scout campfires, etc... Everywhere you go, there is an homage to Vince and his Green Bay grit. Seth's opinion? Bad advice. And it makes complete sense... I've quit. Yeah, I've quit and I've come out better. If I took Vince's advice I would probably be in Med School right now. And trust me, for your sake and mine, I have no business being in med school, LET ALONE practicing medicine. As Seth puts it: "Winners do quit, they quit all the time, it’s just that they pick the right moment and the right place to quit, so that they can concentrate their fire on an area where winning is a much more likely (and indeed more profitable) outcome." Another quote: “Extraordinary benefits accrue to the tiny majority of people who are able to push just a tiny bit longer than most. Extraordinary benefits also accrue to the tiny majority with the guts to quit early and refocus their efforts on something new.” Now that... that is good advice.

Plague Hits America

Driving home from work today, a very well-dressed man stood on the street corner holding a fake newspaper. On the cover it read, "Plague Hits America". Thought #1: I am so jaded by Advertising. I wasn't even curious what was inside. Thought #2: I am still thinking about that newspaper. Who won?