Archive for May, 2007
Spout got written up in TechCrunch!
Busy day for Spout as we got some review love from both TechCrunch and Download Squad.
Interested in giving us some love too? Give us a Digg.
Perhaps changes are in order?
The latest news regarding the re-accreditation process for adoption agencies in Russia as well as a few other people following the same process:
News
- Adoption Delays Tied to Rising Political Tensions
- Russia, China Tighten Restrictions on Adoptions
- Rules on Adopting Children from Other Countries are Changing
Blogs
David Kelley
I’ve been thinking about David Kelley these days and what he and team have been able to accomplish at IDEO. You know who David is, right?…and IDEO? Phew…I thought you would. If not, check out these links and educate yourself:
- IDEO
- David’s bio at the Stanford d.school
- Business Week article from 2004
- interview with some of his students at iinovate
- a Fast Company profile
- and a Wikipedia entry: IDEO
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life) Project Launched
An announcement came today that E O Wilson’s wish from the TED prize was just funded and the project launched – The Encyclopedia of Life (EOL). The shear scale of this project (to catalog ALL life on Earth), not to mention its impact on how we conceive of the world around us, both confounds and exhilarates me. What follows is Chris Anderson’s announcement and a link to the EOL site.
Oh…and please, as Chris suggests, watch the video…it left me with goose bumps.
—–
Dear TEDizens,
Those of us in Monterey this year watched in awe as E O Wilson unveiled his inspiring TED Prize wish to create an Encyclopedia of Life. (If you weren’t there, you can see it here.)
In Washington DC this morning, the first big step in that dream came true. Five major scientific institutions, backed by a $50m funding commitment led by the MacArthur Foundation, announced the launch of a global effort to launch the Encyclopedia. Ed Wilson described today’s announcement as a dream come true.
As Ed hinted in his speech back in March, a broad-based effort to plan the launch was already underway at the time he made his TED Prize wish. But he called on us to assist the effort, I am proud to tell you that members of the TED community played a key role in realizing what happened today.
In particular I’d like to salute the effort of Avenue A-Razorfish who in three short weeks were able to visualize a stunning design for the Encyclopedia and incorporate it in a video that is the centerpiece of the newly launched website. Please take two minutes (and it is literally two minutes) right now to watch this video. It does a spectacular job of explaining the purpose and vision behind the Encylopedia. It is here at www.eol.org. This work was done entirely pro bono, and is a wonderful example of the TED Prize at work. Everyone at the launch today was blown away by it.
The video includes spectacular photography, some of it contributed by TEDster Frans Lanting. And the website address itself was contributed by an individual inspired by Ed’s wish. Programmer Ray Ratelis owned eol.org, a valuable web address which he freely contributed to the project.
Many more TEDsters are meeting next month to assist the project in brainstorming its architecture, technology and design. It’s proving an exhilarating example of the power of collaboration.
There are already many stories up online about the Encylopedia. Here’s the official announcement.
Huge kudos and thanks to Ed and to Avenue A-Razorfish and to everyone else embarking on this journey.
My best,
- Chris Anderson, TED Curator
New Pew Internet report out
Link: Pew Internet: Pew Internet ICT Typology.
A new report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project just came out and was (formidably) entitled, "A Typology of Information and Communication Technology User." Basically, the folks at Pew underwent a study to sort Americans "into 10 distinct groups of users of information and communication technology." Click on the image to see what those group are along with a description.
The study also concluded that "half of all American adults are only occasional users of modern
information gadgetry, while 8% are avid participants in all that
digital life has to offer." Only half? I would have guessed that number to be higher, especially considering cell phone usage across the US…and the fact that my 70+ year old mother uses a cell, is on the internet multiple times a day and even uses a webcam to chat with her grand-daughter in Mexico.
By the way, I’m clearly an Omnivore. Check out the pdf of the report to see where you fall.
I apparently went global
Link: gVisit.com.
So, I added a service to this blog a few days ago. It’s called gVisit and it tracks where visitors to your site are coming from. Simple, straightforward to add…and kinda cool too. According to today’s map, looks like I went global.
Joost invitations: get em here!
Link: Joost™.
If you are interested in Joost and what the online TV service has to offer, add a comment to this post. I’ll send you an invite as I apparently have plenty now.
Who gives you your real career breaks?
Our local business journal had a nice little article this week profiling Herman Miller CEO Brian Walker. What I found most interesting was the story of his first big career break. One of the then leads of Herman Miller’s international efforts, Bill Mitchell, took Walker under his wing because he could see potential in him. Within a couple of days of being hired, Mitchell invited Walker on a trip to Tokyo and got a real sense for who Walker was, where his strength lied and how his mind worked. Mitchell became Walker’s mentor.
Although the article was about Walker’s leadership style, I am much more impressed by Mitchell’s impact on it. Where do guys like Mitchell come from – people who actively seek out talent and personally cultivate it? I say actively because I have experiences it. I met Bill Mitchell around 2000 while trying to sell Herman Miller’s e-commerce tools/strategies to Sony. We hit it off almost immediately and I felt like Bill took me under his wing – we exchanged ideas and had many a long discussion over lunch. Although I never reported to him, he probably had the biggest impact on my career…and not just the 7 years at Herman Miller.
The ability to serve as a mentor to another is a really amazing gift and I’m not so sure it is within everyone’s capacity. I think there are some people for whom it is a natural talent. That perhaps being the case, what do you do when you find talent-in-the-rough? Although I don’t think I’m personally a good mentor-type myself, my experiences have led me to these simple conclusions:
- trust them and speak openly – it is amazing what sharing "inside" information can do to spark confidence in another
- listen – it is all about them, not you
- treat them like a peer – goes hand-in-hand with listening
- promote them to others – if you believe in their talents, tell other about them
- and don’t ever feel like you can mentor everyone…the right chemistry needs to exist first
Simple things really, but the payoff can be immense. This is why I believe the best leadership does not necessarily come from
the top of the org chart.
By the way, if you have or had a mentor, tell them how much the relationship has meant to you. I’m going to write an email to Bill right now.
Did You Know?
Link: The Fischbowl: Did You Know?.
A friend/colleague passed this video along to me today. The data in the presentation is powerful, although not unexpected (which is why I’m surprised I haven’t seen it until today). I guess have assumed (and now had confirmed) for some time that the US will shortly be in a tough spot on the world stage when it comes to education. The real question is less "What does this all mean?" but more "What can we all do." By the way, the music (appropriately) is from the film The Last of the Mohicans (1992).
