SPIDER and HFX50 Updates

November 29, 2011
AQR Ventures, SPIDER
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SPIDER

It is kind of fitting that the theme for the first issue of SPIDER is failure seeing as we failed royally to launch in October.

So many lessons learned.

Some delays were my fault:

  • waited too long to approach our cover story interviewee
  • and then first interview was postphoned

But the issue was well delayed before that all happened. We also lost a planned story that left us needing to fill some pages. The first issue when all is said and done won’t be huge, but it will be 30 odd pages of ad free content that hopefully gets you to think a bit and perhaps entertains you a bit to boot.

Who gets the cover for issue zero you may be wondering: Mitch Joel (@mitchjoel)
of Twist Image and Six Pixels of Seperation was kind enough to take the time to chat with me.

We’ll be seeking all the feedback we can get eitehr way once it is available.
We’ll also be putting the theme for the next issue out for vote when the first issue is live.

Want to be part of SPIDER:
That article that fell through lead to some slight changes in direction for certain apsect of the mag.
One includes a more open contribution apsect under the “Social” section – which in hindsight makes sense in more ways than one.

Thus, if you have a story about failure, lessons learned, a strong opinion on failure and business/creativity, thoughts about the perception of failure – please get in touch or feel free to submit something (even a favorite quote is welcome).

Contact me directly at rob@aquietrevolution.com if interested.
Article suggestions a la Unte Reader are welcome as well [we'll sort out the rights end of things].

HFX50
So SPIDER delayed the release of the first HFX50 list.
The list is complete, most of the folks on it have been contacted though not all.

We will have this live online and in SPIDER in January [exact date still TBD].

We also dropped the “+” from the title when more than one person said it made then think we were highlighting the 50+ age bracket of doers…. sure some made the list, but yeah not what that was all about.

For List #1, very happy with it. BUT – I know #2 can be even better so keep those that deserve a shout out in mind for the 2013 list. We’ll be taking nominations the day the 2012 list goes live.

Wednesday’s “Watch This”: Last Lecture

November 24, 2011
Lessons, Values, Videos
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Astute readers will note this is actually going live on Thursday.

Yesterday was spent dealing with a snow storm, attending a funeral and then spending the rest of the day with my daughter.

It was the first funeral I attended since becoming a dad. And accompanied an unfortunate realization that the majority of funerals I have attended have been for those under 25. So I instead of writing a blog post I came home and held my daughter.

I am fortunate to know what I want to do with the rest of my life. Even more fortunate to have the means to do so. The post below from Seth Godin today talks of the opportunities we all have (if you are reading this you are part of that we). yesterday’s funeral was the result of a car accident. No warning, no time to say good-bye, no expectation that there’d be no chance to say or do anything together again.

I almost wish there was a class in high schools teaching students how to be grateful. We have so much going for us. Even when all my plans backfire or blow up in my face, I shut down a business, money is tight – I still have little if anything worth complaining about.

And all that time complaining needs to be directed to important (to you) work. Because we have no idea when our chance to keep doing that work ends. It is Thanksgiving in the States now – but where ever you are reading this, I hope you take a moment to be grateful for all you/we have.

A great way to give thanks…for the privileges we’ve got is to do important work.

Your job, your internet access, your education, your role in a civilized society… all of them are a platform, a chance to do art, a way for you to give back and to honor those that enabled you to get to this point.

For every person reading this there are a thousand people (literally a thousand) in underprivileged nations and situations that would love to have your slot. Don’t waste it.
- Seth Godin

Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

Wednesday’s “Watch This”: So what’s your excuse again?

November 16, 2011
Videos
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This week it is actually a bit of a mix. Saw the first video this morning on the Signal vs. Noise blog.

Been toying with the idea of learning to program. Took a stab at a course before but quickly realized school was a bad way to learn (for me) and thus a waste of money.

Finally decided to jump in with Ruby. If kids can program, surely I can…right? Either way that kid is right on.

Thomas Suarez – iPhone Application Developer… and 6th Grader

Also: Last week I posted a link to PressPausePlay.
Below is a video featured in the film from Ólafur Arnalds. It came about via an unsolicited collaboration. Child programmers, artists connecting via the net to share works inspired by others works – all comes back to people doing what they want to, what they need to.

What is it you are doing? Or excuse for not doing it?

Wednesday’s “Watch This”: PressPausePlay – A FILM ABOUT HOPE, FEAR AND DIGITAL CULTURE.

November 9, 2011
Change, Interviews, New Ideas, Videos
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My friend Aaron Cooper suggested I check this out. And I owe him big thanks for doing so.
I just finally got around to watching this late last night and I thought it was great; entertaining, informative – an easy introduction to people not fully familar with the changes being brought about by digital culture.

The creative landscape is changing. Some talk about a revolution. Others talk about a natural evolution. These changes affect everything. From creation to distribution, from artist to consumer.

And in the spirit of the film’s topic, you can download the film for FREE from their website. (As Seth Godin says ideas that are free spread faster.)
Also have a look at the interactive version – that’s now on my to do list.

Description
The digital revolution of the last decade has unleashed creativity and talent in an unprecedented way, with unlimited opportunities. But does democratized culture mean better art or is true talent instead drowned out? This is the question addressed by PressPausePlay, a documentary film containing interviews with some of the world’s most influential creators of the digital era.

Wednesday’s” Watch This: Introducing the “Do Lectures”

November 2, 2011
Doers`Club, Videos
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One thing we plan to build out more in the coming months is the idea of a `Doers`Club`. A collection of people taking action that can inspire us. So when we stumbled across the Do Lectures we were quite excited. The following is from their site:

The idea is a simple one— that people who Do things can inspire the rest of us to go and Do things, too. So each year we invite a set of people down here to come and tell us what they Do. They can be small Do’s or big Do’s or just extraordinary Do’s. But when you listen to their stories, they light a fire in your belly to go and Do your thing, your passion, the thing that sits in the back of your head each day, just waiting, and waiting for you to follow your heart.

To go find your cause to fight, your company to start, your invention to invent, your book to write, your mountain to climb. The one thing the Doers of the world Do, apart from Do amazing things, is to inspire the rest of us to go and Do amazing things too. They are fire-starters.

David & Clare Hieatt
Co-founders of The Do Lectures

Here`s the first of many we`ll be sharing:

TIME = WEALTH by Rolf Potts – Author of ‘Vagabonding’

Wednesday’s “Watch This”: Work Life Balance is an Ongoing Battle

October 26, 2011
Values, Videos
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This is by far one of my favorite TedX Talks. I watched this talk for the first time one night while in the hospital with my newborn daughter trying to stay awake while caring for her. Now I will blame hormones, new dad-ness and lack of sleep but by the end of his son’s perfect day water works were on. My wife woke up wondering what was wrong and I replied an honest: nothing, everything is going to be great.

And it has been and will continue to be.

If you visit the How We Work section of our site you will see the following: Work/Life Balance. This clip played a (small) part in the focus on living.

It is not all about the billable hour to us, but simply filling your life with the things you want to do. Easier said than done.
But this clip shows why working towards that goal can be so important.

Enjoy!

Wednesday’s “Watch This” will be a weekly presentation we feel is worth your time to watch that either educates you related to services we offer, reflects our values or occasionally simply entertains and provides you with a break.

The Quotable “Seth Godin”

October 24, 2011
Change, Quotables
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This quote from his Form and Function blog post today, appatly sums up our goal in helping business deal with ever changing technologies:

The question that gets asked about technology, the one that is almost always precisely the wrong question is, “How does this advance help our business?”

The correct question is, “how does this advance undermine our business model and require us/enable us to build a new one?”

 

Big Changes are coming: The Cars vs. Phones Barometer

October 11, 2011
Change, New Ideas
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When you talk to managers in the Japanese automotive industry about their worst rival, it is often not another car manufacturer that is on their mind, but the mobile phone. Even before the 2008 world economic crisis, passenger car sales in Japan had been shrinking for years. According to an industry insider, one reason was because the vast majority of young men who used to spend significant sums of money on cars now prefer shelling out $ 100 or more per month for the voice and data services of their mobile companion.

This little anecdote shows that something quite extraordinary is going on in Japan. While physical mobility is taken for granted, the mobile phone is about to supersede the car as a symbol of freedom. The attraction is understandable. The car offered people in the analog age the dream of individual mobility — to go everywhere, whenever you liked. Whereas the mobile phone enables people of the digital age to communicate and to link with almost everything and everybody on this planet from anywhere anytime.

From: The six immutable laws of mobile business by Philip Sugai, Marco Koeder, Ludovico Ciferri.

That last sentence needs to be considered by everyone in business, working for a non-profit, artists – anyone that needs to connect with other people. There is a such a profound shift under way that many people may not even notice it happening. Entire countries that missed the PC revolution are coming online for the first time via mobiles.

And it is not just happening in Japan:

Young people today would rather have the latest smartphone than a flashy car. And the number of them who can drive is plummeting. Is Britain’s love-affair with the car really over?

“Car manufacturers are worried that younger people in particular don’t aspire to own cars like we used to in the 70s, 80s, or even the 90s. Designers commonly say that teenagers today aspire to own the latest smartphone more than a car. Even car enthusiasts realise we’ve reached a tipping point.” – Tim Pollard, associate editor at CAR magazine

The two above quotes come from a Guardian article that goes on to explore various alternative car-sharing models including Streetcar, Zipcar and Whipcar.

Improved, more environmentally friendly transportation systems built around access instead of ownership – all managed via your mobile – is just one scenario that will impact car manufacturers.

What industry are you in?

If mobile phones can take the place cars in the eyes of youth – what will mobiles do to your industry?

What can you do to embrace the opportunities pro-actively?

Steve Jobs

October 6, 2011
Values
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“Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to come with me and change the world?”
—

What Steve Jobs said to Pepsi executive John Sculley to lure him to Apple. Sculley mentions it in the documentary Bloomberg Game Changers: Steve Jobs.

 

And he did it.


He changed the way movies are made, the way music is sold, the way stories are told, the very way we interact with the world around us. He helped us work, and gave us new ways to play. He was a myth made man. – Gizmodo

I have yet to own an Apple product. But I will. Soon.

I am a fan all the same of Steve Jobs. Particularly his willingness in business to kill his darlings. He is a man who learned to control and be the cause of the social disruptions in his industry (and others). He did not rest on what he had done but focused on what he was going to do next.

 

Jobs constantly strove to be the force of disruptive change that would make the Steve Jobs of six months ago irrelevant. – Fast Company

 

Owner of Apple products or not; for anyone reading this, Steve Jobs has in some manner impacted your life.

 

It takes courage to make a product so simple that a child can use it. – Fast Company

 

Steve Jobs, 56, died peacefully today surrounded by his family.