Unique Diagonal

"Start-ups and underdogs have nothing to lose. Their fear of change pales in comparison to their fear..."

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:46:33 -0700

“Start-ups and underdogs have nothing to lose. Their fear of change pales in comparison to their fear of being killed, which is always right around the corner.”

- Scott Belsky, Co-founder of Behance

Goliath’s Best Chance of Survival

"This story, like all good stories, isn’t about getting to the ending. Good stories are about the..."

Mon, 13 May 2013 22:52:00 -0700

“This story, like all good stories, isn’t about getting to the ending. Good stories are about the hero becoming the person that the ending can happen to.”

- Donna Bowman, A.V. Club on the Journey of Ted Mosby

"Don’t find customers for your products, find products for your customers"

Sun, 12 May 2013 09:02:12 -0700

“Don’t find customers for your products, find products for your customers”

- Seth Godin

Entering the Arena Last week I hit a wall. Afraid of hearing the...

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:48:00 -0700

Entering the Arena

Last week I hit a wall.

Afraid of hearing the word “no” from a potential business partner, I preemptively shut down conversations by hiding behind the need to develop a perfect pitch. Of course, this only resulted in me sitting in front of my keyboard feeling deservedly frustrated and unaccomplished.

What I should have done is entered the metaphorical arena by couragously committing to my ideas and drafting a proposal thereby opening up the conversation, knowing full well that the only way to find the perfect pitch is by asking more question and allowing a co-created solution to emerge.

This realization hit me while listening to the TED Radio Hour Podcast on Making Mistakes, where Brene Brown explores if we can gain strength from recognizing shame and embracing vulnerability:

I know it’s seductive to stand outside the arena, because I think I did it my whole life, and think to myself, I’m going to go in there and kick some ass when I’m bulletproof and when I’m perfect. And that is seductive. But the truth is that never happens. And even if you got as perfect as you could and as bulletproof as you could possibly muster when you got in there, that’s not what we want to see. We want you to go in. We want to be with you and across from you. And we just want, for ourselves and the people we care about and the people we work with, to dare greatly.

Ultimately, the proposal that I sent today was no better than the proposal I would have sent last week. In fact, the delay probably did not help my case much. Moving forward, I guess I’ll just have to take a page out of Guetta’s book, don some titanium armor and join the fight.

I’m criticized, but all your bullets ricochet

You shoot me down, but I get up

I’m bulletproof, nothing to lose

Fire away, fire away

Watch the full TED talk here:

Sources

“Making Mistakes” - TED Radio Hour
“Listening to Shame” - Brene Brown | TED

2013 Resolution: Ask Better Questions

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 02:34:00 -0800

Want to seem more interesting this year? Start by being interested. Focus on making others feel intelligent, impressive and fascinating. Instead of focusing on yourself, shine the spotlight light back on them by asking better questions:

Social jiu-jitsu is easy. Just ask the right questions. Stay open-ended and allow room for description and introspection. Ask how, or why, or who.

As soon as you learn a little about someone, ask how they did it. Or why they did it. Or what they liked about it, or what they learned from it, or what you should do if you’re in a similar situation.

By asking for advice, you are demonstrating that you respect their opinion and in a way, are inviting them to be part of your future success.

Here is to a more charismatic 2013. Cheers!

Source

“6 Habits of Remarkably Likeable People” - Jeff Haden | Inc

New Year's Day: A Collective Legally Blonde Moment

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 04:17:00 -0800

It’s New Year’s Day.

Today, we wake up armed with a handful of fresh resolutions and a little resolve borrowed from the promise of a new year.

We head to the gym, take to the kitchen, curl up with a book and hunker down in front of a keyboard. We swear off the junk food, power down the TV and dream of a better, happier, healthier, more productive life. Waiting for that all important day when we walk out of the room as people whisper behind us:

Do you think she just woke up one morning and said, ‘I think I’ll go to law school today’?

That day however, is not today. Because achieving our resolutions are never quite as easy as waking up and making a grand proclamation. A better life requires life long changes. It’s about showing up to each battle, win, lose or draw, while not losing site of the overall war. Jeff Goins helps us to understand why most resolutions fail:

A resolution is something you make. Resolve is something you have. Call it semantics, but this is important. A lot of people will make resolutions this new year and immediately break them. Why? Because they’re not really resolving to do anything. They’re just wishing.

So where do we find resolve? Or better yet, how do you build resolve? Lifehacker recommends a scaffolding approach to structure your goals that involve the following steps:

Choose a concrete goal
Determine the next action
Make your resolution open ended
Seek out a support network
Be realistic and kind

At the end of the day, we all have 24 hours. Changing your life requires that you to rethink how to prioritize the time that we are all given.

Source

“Why You Shouldn’t Bother with Writing Resolutions this New Year” - Jeff Goins | Jeff Goins Writer
“Scaffold Your New Year’s Resolutions for Lasting Change” - Jason Fitzpatrick | Lifehacker

2012 Score Card Raw Score: 23/28 = 82% with bonus points 43/28...

Sun, 30 Dec 2012 17:32:00 -0800

2012 Score Card

Raw Score: 23/28 = 82%

with bonus points 43/28 = 154%

TRAVEL OFTEN

~~Modesto, California~~
~~Philadelphia, Pennsylvania~~
~~Washington D.C.~~
~~Indio, California (Coachella)~~
~~Minneapolis, Minnesota~~
~~Barcelona, Spain~~
~~Rome, Italy~~
~~Paris, France (Roland Garros)~~
~~London, England~~
~~Black Rock City, Nevada (Burning Man)~~
~~Portland, Oregon~~
~~Seattle, Washington~~

Bonus Travels and Repeat Locations

Florence, Italy
Venice, Italy
Milan, Italy
Lake Como, Italy
Madrid, Spain
Fountainbleau, France
San Bernardino Mountains, California
New York, New York
Denver, Colorado
Albuquerque, New Mexico (Hot Air Balloon Fiesta)
San Francisco, California
Honolulu, Hawaii

WHEN YOU EAT, APPRECIATE EVERY LAST BITE

~~Experiment with molecular gastronomy~~
~~Sculpt a cake~~
~~Participate in a flavor-tripping party~~
Experiment with vegetarianism

Bonus Adventures

Deep fry a turkey
Craft homemade ice creams
Adopt a paleo-esque lifestyle (25 lb lighter from the start of the year)

Memorable Meals

Pistachio and Rose Macaroons from Pierre Herme | Paris, France
ALL THE PIZZA from Pizza Bonci | Rome, Italy
The Reggie and McIsley from Pine State Biscuits | Portland, Oregon
ALL THE CHOCOLATE from Theo’s Chocolate Tour | Seattle, Washington
Sweet Corn Pancakes from Maria’s Cafe | Minneapolis, Minnesota

OPEN YOUR MIND, ARMS, AND HEART TO NEW THINGS

*Design, make and ~~sell something~~
*Travel by train across the US to either Chicago, Seattle or both
~~Attend a major festival (like Burning Man)~~
*Play tennis on real ~~clay courts~~
Take a class in free running at Tempest Academy

Bonus Adventures

*Sold my first ad campaign
*Traveled by train across Italy and from Paris to London
*Played tennis on American clay courts, real European clay is up next
Rode in a hot air ballon
Wake boarding with Captain Morgan
Hiked Diamond Head, Koko Head. Hawaii Loa Ridge, Griffith Park and the Boulder Basin
Completed a round of Insanity
Tried Crossfit

LIFE IS ABOUT THE PEOPLE YOU MEET, AND THE THINGS YOU CREATE WITH THEM

~~Simon Mainwaring - We First~~
~~Dave, Michael and Fabian - Holstee~~
~~Colin Wright - Exile Lifestyle~~
~~Chris Guillebeau - Art of Non-Conformity~~
Anyone - Virgin Unite Team

GETTING LOST WILL HELP YOU FIND YOURSELF

Travel Hacking
Blogging/Building a Personal Online Brand

Any suggestions for 2013?

"If I seem too passionate, it’s because I care. If I come on too strong, its because I feel strongly...."

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 08:00:00 -0800

“If I seem too passionate, it’s because I care. If I come on too strong, its because I feel strongly. And if I push too hard, it’s because things aren’t moving fast enough. This is my home, you are my family, and I promise you, I’m not going anywhere.”

- Leslie Knope. ”The Debate” - Parks and Recreation | Season 4, Episode 20

Battle cry. Let’s go.

Revisiting the White Desert Forest You know it’s close so...

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 13:31:00 -0800

Revisiting the White Desert Forest

You know it’s close so you keep pedaling.

Shrouded in swirling clouds of playa dust, the shadowed masses of deserted bikes come into focus. A white walled sanctuary stands strong in the distance, a welcome shelter from the sand, sun and sweat that coats every inch of exposed skin.

Bike parked. Lock secured. You slip between the walls and enter the white desert forest.

Behind you the bass filled beats of Robot Heart silently fade into the background and the soft rustling of a thousand plastic strips beckon you closer.

Remove your shoes first, then your socks. The rough sun warmed wood beneath your feet guides you along the perimeter of this plush furry wonderland.

A sudden breeze sends the delicate white leaves into flurried dance revealing a cuddled mass of people lying on the forest floor. The winds calm, the strips settle, and once again everything is shielded behind a shimmering wall of white.

With your first step, you sink into the padded foam floor. Soft white fur provides a welcome relief from the grainy layer of dust that covers your shoes, tent and just about every other surface that comes in contact with your feet. Careful to dodge the scattered assortment of limbs, you step over an arm here, a leg there until you discover a wide open spot to call your own.

Collapsing onto the ground, you slowly stretch out as the fine sea of white fibers gently tickles your bare back and neck as you begin borough deeper.

Staring up at the blue sky above you smile.

With their tips cut to barely graze the top of your skin, the strips scatter, caught in the rhythmic breath of the playa.

Here you lay.

You are happy. You are warm. You are loved.

Source

“The ‘Desert Forest’ Installation - Burning Man Art Decompression” - Paige | LOCZIdesign
“Burning Man 2012 - White Forest” - Starjuice | deviantART
“The Desert Forest at Burning Man 2012” - thehomertov | Youtube

Taking Note Writing a blog post is often a paralyzing...

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 08:00:09 -0800

Taking Note

Writing a blog post is often a paralyzing proposition.

Your breath grows shallow as you are transported back to school. Memories of all nighters and minimum page requirement leave your hands frozen on top of your keyboard as the clock in the back of your head continues to count down till class the next day. Scrambling for sources to weave together into a tight insightful masterpiece worthy of an A, your fingers finally fall into a rhythmic flow only to be broken by a single long silent press of the delete key. Sigh….

Even though I have left school behind, I have not been able to shake my rocky relationship with writing. Overwhelmed and exhausted before I even begin, I have failed to keep up with my resolution to blog more this year.

With only a month left, I have determined that a new medium requires a new mindset. Instead of approaching each post as a research paper, I want my blog to instead serve as a collection of notes. Martin Varsavsky, CEO of Fon, provides an enlightening insight into how he handles social media:

Sometimes people say: how do you get work done if you spend so much time on social media? But I use social media to take notes, like I have an idea for a business and I blog it, I share it, and I work collectively with people.

Here is hoping that a shift in mindset leads to an increase in consistency for my blogging. I guess we will all know in a month.

Source

“Time vs. Impact in the Lives of Entrepreneurs” - Martin Varsavsky | LinkedIn

The Playa Will Provide Since first writing down Black Rock...

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 09:51:45 -0700

The Playa Will Provide

Since first writing down Black Rock Desert on my list of places to visit in 2012, Burning Man and I have been playing an eight month game of chicken.

Well that game is about to come to a head as we drive off to the playa today taking everything that we’ll need to survive for a week of 100 degree plus days, 60 degree nights and 100 mph plus dust storms in between.

At this point many of you may be asking both “why?” and “you?”.

Why - To test my limits and remind myself of what I actually need in order to survive. Without television, iPhones and laptop to keep me connected to the outside world, I’ll be forced to embrace my surrounding and really focus on the brilliantly bizarre social experiment that is Burning Man.

You - Well, me with the gentle encouragement of my playa pod (Jeff, Chris and Skot) and utterly wonderful and chaotic energy coming from our 40 person strong Camp Polygraph.

So this is me, refusing to blink. Staring Burning Man in the face. See you all on the other side.

Ginger Banana Bread with Cardamom Crunch Topping Greeted by a...

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 18:34:00 -0700

Ginger Banana Bread with Cardamom Crunch Topping

Greeted by a bunch of bananas that were downright Warhol-ian, I knew that it was banana bread time.

Feeling a little adventurous, I turned to Gojee and found a recipe from 5 and Spice that featured both cardamom and ginger. After a quick trip down to a local Indian spice shop, I was ready to get baking.

Ginger Banana Bread with Cardamom Crunch Topping (makes one loaf)

2 cups all purpose flour (replace up to a cup with the equivalent amount of whole wheat flour, if you wish)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

½ cup chopped crystallized ginger

2 eggs

¾ cup sugar

3 1/2 very ripe bananas, mashed

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tbs. creme fraiche or sour cream

½ cup vegetable oil (preferably peanut oil or canola oil, you can even use a nice olive oil if you wish. I’ve done it. It’s great.)

1 ½ Tbs. coarse sugar (raw, demerrera, or muscavado. Regular sugar will work too if you don’t have any of those, though), for the topping

1 tsp. cardamom and a pinch of nutmeg, for the topping

Grease a standard loaf pan well, and preheat your oven to 350F. In a medium bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and crystallized ginger.

In another mixing bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar until thick and lightened in color, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the mashed banana, the vanilla, the creme fraiche, and finally the oil, until well combined.

Gently fold in the dry ingredients, just until everything is combined and there are no dry streaks left. DO NOT overmix! Seriously, don’t. There’s a delicate banana bread ecosystem going on here, and you don’t want to upset the balance because it will make the finished bread tough.

Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Mix together the 1 ½ Tbs. sugar with the cardamom and nutmeg. Sprinkle this evenly over the batter. Bake for 45-60 minutes (the actual time will depend totally on your oven), until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to loosen it, take the bread out of the pan, and put on a cooling rack to cool the rest of the way. The flavor is actually the best when the bread is fully cooled, but I know I can’t stop myself nabbing a thin slice while it’s still warm and eating it spread with butter, so I won’t blame you for doing so either.

Light and fluffy on the inside with satisfying crunch of the sugar and cardamom on top, I’ll definitely be adding this recipe to my repertoire. The only thing I would add for next time is an extra mashed banana to reinforce that fruity flavor.

Source

“Ginger Banana Bread with Cardamom Crunch Topping” - Emily Vikre | Five and Spice

CAREERS ARE NOT A LADDER – THEY’RE A JUNGLE GYM What do you get...

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 11:35:01 -0700

CAREERS ARE NOT A LADDER – THEY’RE A JUNGLE GYM

What do you get when you knock the traditional career ladder on it’s side?

JUNGLE GYMS!

That piece of career advice came straight from Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg in a speech to Harvard Business School’s latest graduates.

Laurie has a great metaphor for careers. She says they’re not a ladder; they’re a jungle gym. As you start your post-HBS career, look for opportunities, look for growth, look for impact, look for mission. Move sideways, move down, move on, move off. Build your skills, not your resume. Evaluate what you can do, not the title they’re going to give you. Do real work. Take a sales quota, a line role, an ops job, don’t plan too much, and don’t expect a direct climb. If I had mapped out my career when I was sitting where you are, I would have missed my career.

Among my favorites gems

Motivation comes from working on things we care about but it also comes from working with people we care about
If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat. Just get on.

You can find the rest of Sheryl’s commencement speech here.

Source

“If You’re Offered a Seat on a Rocket Ship, Just Get On: Sheryl Sandberg to Harvard’s 2012 Class” - Lauren Landry | BostInno

You Win This Round Minneapolis Minneapolis always seemed like an...

Wed, 09 May 2012 12:54:00 -0700

You Win This Round Minneapolis

Minneapolis always seemed like an all too familiar joke in my mind, an offhanded comment often exchanged between friends living in distant cities. “You should come and visit me,” one friend offers while the other replies “that sounds great,” both knowing full well that the chance of it happening is about as likely as you attending another high school prom.

After participating in this all too familiar ritual exchange of pleasantries this past winter break in Hawaii, I finally received a text about a day before Coachella asking if I was still planning on visiting Minnesota, which is my mind was probably the furthest thing from the raging desert oasis. However, after coming back from a mind blowing, body thumping, fist pumping Swedish House Mafia performance, I decided to book my tickets for the following month in a haze of euphoric delirium and worry about the consequences of what I had just committed myself to another night.

Leading up to Minneapolis, I didn’t really know what to expect. The first things that popped into my mind were visions of farmlands and generic scenes from That 70’s Show. What I found however far exceeded my expectations even pushing me to the point of saying I could see myself living here (with the qualification that it remain spring all year round).

Minneapolis and St. Paul, otherwise known as the Twin Cities, left me feeling more like I had stepped off a plane due west in the city of Portland instead of in the Midwest. My gracious tour guide, host and prom date Lauren informed me that similar to New York or LA, Minneapolis has become a hub for populations of Somali, Mung and Hispanic immigrants. The result of this diverse combination of cultures could be felt in my belly as I dined on spice filled Somali sambusas, savory corn pancakes and good ole deep fried cheese curds with a not so traditional blueberry ketchup.

Driving through Minneapolis, you can’t help but notice the lush green trees and clear blue waters that gently frame and shape the city. With public parkways surrounding many of their 10,000 lakes (don’t trust me? take it up with their license plate department), perhaps the best way to see the city is through their extensive citywide bike share program aptly titled Nice Bikes.

Walking will also suit you well, especially while exploring their wonderfully well-balanced and quirky modern art museum the Walker. In a place where nothing is quite right (literally zero 90 degree angles to be found in the entire structure of the joint), the Walker features an intriguing mix of contemporary art that included a magical box made of mirrors, really tiny working elevators, an utterly explicit 3D painting as well as an amusing digital display of a man scrubbing the White House directly off the dollar bill. You can also have a very cherry time walking around the sculpture garden while enjoying the flowers.

If you want less modern and more mill, flour mill to be exact, then the Stone Arch Bridge and the Mill City museum provide some of the greatest views of the city, in addition to the mighty Mississippi which used to power Minneapolis’s once thriving wheat processing industry.

Really when it comes down to it Minneapolis just feels down right cozy. With its Drinkin’ Spelling Bees and late night trips for macaroni and cheese pizza there was very little I found myself wanting for at the end of the week. I mean their mall, well America’s mall I suppose, has a roller coaster running through the middle of it, can your city boast that? Hell, I even found an authentic Nepali restaurant serving up momos and samsoa chat, right before buying a used bowling pin from the Ax-Man.

As I get ready to board my flight, I can’t help but wonder if the joke has been me this entire time for not visiting Minneapolis sooner. I will leave Minneapolis with new friends and fond memories, plans for a return trip that include camel burgers and a SPAM factory, and finally sans one bowling pin because the TSA agent said it could be used as a club and I didn’t want to pay $25 to check a $5 souvenir. Well played Minneapolis, well played indeed.

TRAVEL OFTEN Five months ago, I never thought that I would find...

Thu, 03 May 2012 14:54:00 -0700

TRAVEL OFTEN

Five months ago, I never thought that I would find myself suiting up for a high school prom. However, this Friday I will be doing just that when I jet off to Minneapolis, Minnesota to visit, coincidentally enough, my original senior prom date Lauren.

This year has been full of serendipitous surprises. Approaching life with a healthy dose of amusement, I’ve tried to fully embrace a jump first ask questions later attitude. Whether this meant pressing play and slogging through two straight months of Insanity workouts or frantically hunting down a mystical Coachella Zone 5 shuttle pass from 2,462 miles away with only four days left before the concert, I’ve emerged slimmer in build, 20 lbs to be exact, yet full of life in addition to a little bit of secondhand weed after standing 20 feet away from the stage in a permanent cloud of smoke while rocking out to Snoop and Dre.

Before I leave the country for the second time in my life and get my first taste of Europe, I thought now would be a good time to reflect back on where I’ve been on this year long quest for travel.

In addition to an extended 3 week food fueled rampage through New York, I’ve ventured to the majestic farmlands of Modesto, licked the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, toured the monuments and museums in Washington D.C. and lived young wild and free in the Polo Grounds of Indio at Coachella.

Up next are the aforementioned prom in Minneapolis and a month long trek through Spain, Italy and Paris culminating in a visit to the red clay of Roland Garros. After that is hopefully a road trip up north to the Shakespeare festival in Oregon and the lush forests of Seattle.

From there, I am still taking suggestions. On my short list are Joshua Tree, Miami, Vancouver or Toronto and possibly somewhere in South America. Let me know if you need a travel companion otherwise I’ll see you on the road.

~~Modesto, California~~
~~Philadelphia, Pennsylvania~~
~~Washington D.C.~~
~~Indio, California aka Coachella!!!~~
Minneapolis, Minnesota – May
Spain: Barcelona, Madrid – May
Italy: Rome, Venice, Florence, Como – May
Paris, France (Roland Garros) – May
Portland, Oregon - June
Seattle, Washington - June
TBD
TBD

“Good Artist Copy, Great Artist Steal”… The...

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 08:54:00 -0700

“Good Artist Copy, Great Artist Steal”… The Importance of Taking Ownership

It is kind of funny that a quote regarding stealing famously paired with Steve Jobs actually has origins tying it back to back to both Pablo Picasso and T.S. Eliot.

So what is the difference between copying and stealing? For me it can be summed up in one word: ownership.

When you copy something you can recreate its shape, its color, it feel, hell, even its scent; however, what your left with is a replica. A perfectly adequate substitute, but nothing the world hasn’t already seen before.

Stealing on the other hand requires taking ownership. A great artist will take the original idea and then build upon it, transforming it into a new entirely new piece. And while there may still be clear references to the original shape, color, feel or even scent, there is no denying that, when placed in this new context, these once borrowed ideas now take on a life of their own.

At this point, instead of providing the typical deep dive into Apple vs. Samsung patent litigation or the current girl on fire*, as it were, Pinterest fueled curation vs creation debates, instead I’ll zig into a personal guilty pleasure: mashups.

One of my favorite examples of great artists stealing is Mashup-Germany. If you’ve ever taken a ride in my car, you know that my love for mashups run deep. While good (or sometimes oh so very bad) mashup makers simply slap two songs together and sync their beats, great mashup artists like Mashup-Germany, are able to weave sounds and emotions from a number of artist across varying generations and generes in order to craft a new narrative. A song that while instantly recognizable, could never be confused as still belonging solely to the original artist. A new original.

And with that thought I’ll leave you with one of my favorite mashups “I Just Came to Say Hello”

*Sorry, couldn’t resist the Hunger Games pun, especially tied to Pinterest’s heavily female audience, +1 if you got it :)

Sources

Mashup-Germany – I just came to say hello from Mashup-Germany on Vimeo
“Good Artist Borrow, Great Artists Steal” - Shelley Esaak | About.com (Great example in comments featuring Romeo and Juliet vs Westside Story)
“Social Media Trend: The Art of Curation” - Vikram Alexei Kansara | Hall-Five

PUBLISHED!!! Crossing off another resolution, I completed my...

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 11:03:46 -0700

PUBLISHED!!!

Crossing off another resolution, I completed my first DailyBR!NK interview assignment featuring John Harthorne, CEO and Founder of MassChallenge, for their #fixyoungamerica series. Teaser below and for the full interview click on over to the DailyBR!NK.

A breakup is never easy, but sometimes some time apart can be the best thing to inspire change in a relationship. Perhaps it is time for entrepreneurs to take some time away from Corporate America to focus on themselves, find new ways to stand on their own two feet, and #FixYoungAmerica. When it’s time to get back out there and work towards their passions, John Harthorne and Akhil Nigam, co-founders of MassChallenge, are ready to serve as entrepreneurial wingmen, placing clients on an accelerated track to creating the jobs of their dreams. On a mission to “catalyze a startup renaissance,” these two have built MassChallenge into the world’s largest startup accelerator, helping over 111 entrepreneurs raise over $100M in outside funding and create approximately 500 new jobs in 2010 alone. Providing mentorship, funding, and office space to passionate entrepreneurs with high-impact ideas, MassChallenge is making it easier for young Americans to find work that they truly love. We spoke to John about it all.

The Science Behind A Good Cry Similar to those ever so...

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 08:00:06 -0800

The Science Behind A Good Cry

Similar to those ever so ominous, anxiety inducing opening chords from the Jaw’s theme song, you know you are trouble when Adele’s “Someone Like You” start playing in the background. Like a beautiful shark going straight for your tear ducts, Adele might have more than a bad breakup and a killer voice fueling her Grammy winning single. She has science.

The main culprit behind those wet eyes? Appoggiaturas.

An appoggiatura is a type of ornamental note that clashes with the melody just enough to create a dissonant sound. “This generates tension in the listener,” said Martin Guhn, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia who co-wrote a 2007 study on the subject. “When the notes return to the anticipated melody, the tension resolves, and it feels good.”

Other vocal weapons in Adele’s emotional arsenal include octave changes, a gentle timber and dramatic shifts in volume.

Michaeleen Doucleff from the Wall Street Journal does an excellent job breaking down the entire song, which you can read here.

As a bonus treat, I also included the infamous “Someone Like You” SNL skit below. So just hit play and treat yourself to a good cry (or laugh).

Shout out goes to Janet for finding this article!

Source

Anatomy of a Tear-Jerker - Michaeleen Doucleff | Wall Street Journal

Manifest-o Destiny The writing has literally been on...

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:43:00 -0800

Manifest-o Destiny

The writing has literally been on the wall since July. However, it wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I took a big first step and left my job. While I absolutely adored my co-workers, I had grown tired of the work itself. Finding comfort in routine, I had become complacent.

Drawing motivation from our fine friends over at Holstee and their ever inspiring manifesto, I gathered the courage to stop over analyzing and start living my dream. By stepping out of the daily office grind, I finally freed myself to start doing the things that I love.

2012 is the year I embrace my Manifest-o Destiny, starting with a few borrowed resolutions…

TRAVEL OFTEN

Just like the 19th century American pioneers emboldened by the idea of Manifest Destiny, I find myself with the overwhelming compulsion to expand not only across this country, but across the world. Only this time, instead of imposing my own ideology on the local people, I want expand my knowledge base by taking in everything these unique places have to offer. In 2012, I will visit 12 new cities in 12 months on a journey to make new friends, reconnect with old ones, try new foods, wander new streets and completely immerse myself in new cultures. Know any places I should visit or people I should meet along the way? Be sure to let me know!

Minneapolis, Minnesota
Portland, Oregon
Seattle, Washington
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Washington D.C.
London, England
Paris, France
Black Rock City, Nevada
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD

WHEN YOU EAT, APPRECIATE EVERY LAST BITE

I love my gadgets. That’s no secret. However, in 2012, I want to be able to put my phone in my pocket and appreciate every last bite of my meal and the company I find myself with. Be present. Whether I am eating or playing, working or sleeping, I want to be completely invested in the moment at hand, instead of trying to preserve everything from behind a glass screen. In terms of actual eating, this year I want to:

Experiment with molecular gastronomy
Participate in a flavor-tripping party
Sculpt a cake
Experiment with vegetarianism

OPEN YOUR MIND, ARMS, AND HEART TO NEW THINGS

Being open means being vulnerable. It means having the courage to walk up to the edge of the unfamiliar and take the leap. All the while, trusting that others will be waiting with similarly open minds, arms and hearts to catch you. In 2012, I want to push my boundaries, take more calculated risks and in the process expose myself to worlds of possibilities that I could have never imagined existed. Some situations I want to find myself in include

Design, make and sell something
Travel by train across the US to either Chicago, Seattle or both
Attend a major festival (like Burning Man or SXSW)
Play tennis on real clay courts
Take a class in free running at Tempest Academy

LIFE IS ABOUT THE PEOPLE YOU MEET, AND THE THINGS YOU CREATE WITH THEM

The longer I am in the professional world, the more I find truth in the classic adage that teamwork makes the dream work. The internet has been a wonderful portal into the lives and minds of many entrepreneurs that I have come to deeply admire. However, as great as the internet is for sharing ideas, I believe that to truly start creating nothing beats meeting IRL (in real life). As I continue to connect with new people and discover their passions, I hope to not only create new friendships, but also some insightful blog posts that I can share with all of you. On my short list of people to meet

Simon Mainwaring - We First
Dave, Michael and Fabian - Holstee
Colin Wright - Exile Lifestyle
Chris Guillebeau - Art of Non-Conformity
Anyone - Virgin Unite Team

GETTING LOST WILL HELP YOU FIND YOURSELF

Very few things in life ever go exactly to plan. This year the one thing I suppose I can plan on is to be surprised, to greet change and to be flexible enough to adapt to any challenge that presents itself. Aside from actually not knowing where I am or where I am going, I also am aiming to lose myself in some new hobbies. Some interests that I want to deep dive into this year include

Travel Hacking
Blogging/Building a Personal Online Brand

Finally, I believe often times people don’t realize what is actually important in their lives until it’s missing. While I don’t think I will ever be able to fully subscribe to a minimalist lifestyle, being on the road without many of the comforts I have come to rely on will force me to prioritize my time and money on people and things that really matter.

If I embrace my Manifest-o Destiny and remember these simple yet powerful principles, I think I am in for quite an exciting 2012.

A Photo A Day… For the first time ever, I have actually...

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:00:00 -0700

A Photo A Day…

For the first time ever, I have actually stuck to a New Year’s resolution: take a photo of something special everyday and share it with the world.

Armed with my trusty iPhone and a newly awakened eye for the absurd, the unusual, the delectable, the touching and the just plain awesomeness that each day holds, I have been documenting every day of 2011 on my other tumblr joshuawopad.

Aside from simply capturing memories, this project has actually compelled me on a number of occasions to go out of my way and actually create experiences for myself worth sharing with others.

Taking a photo a day, has really pushed me to not only make the most out of everyday, but also to stop, look around and really take the time to appreciate my surroundings. It is for this reason that I was absolutely thrilled when I first heard that the GOOD 30 Day Challenge for November is to document your life through photos!

So dust off your polaroids and point-and-shoots and fire up those DSLR and camera phones with the intention of capturing something that excites you each day for the next 30 days.

If your trigger finger isn’t itching by now, I’ll leave you with a TEDx talk from one of my favorite bloggers Colin Wright. While his project was a little more ambitious calling for a short piece of writing, a photograph and a drawing everyday for 365 days, it was really the photography assignment that resonated with him and changed his view on life.

“The photography aspect of it was what really changed my perspective. Because to take one photo a day, something that is interesting, something that is worth putting up on the web, you have to carry a camera with you everywhere you go and carrying a camera with you everywhere you go changes your perspective on life because you are walking through life looking at everything as a potential photograph. All of a sudden it’s a composition… You can find something interesting in anything”

I found Colin’s TEDx talk shortly after I embarked on my own photo project and his words perfectly captured so many of my own feelings on the experience. The rest of his talk on Extreme Lifestyle Experiments is also well worth a listen to figure out how to design a better future for yourself. You can view the original post on his blog Exile Lifestyle and check out the full video below.

So hopefully you already have your first photo in mind and will join me and GOOD this month in taking a picture everyday. Whether you are instagram-ing, flickring, tumbling, facebooking or tweeting, be sure to share those photos allowing other to gain a glimpse into your unique perspective on the world.

Sources

Photo A Day - Me
The GOOD 30-Day Challenge: Document Your Life - GOOD Blog
Extreme Lifestyle Experiments: My TEDEX Talk - Colin Wright | Exile Lifestyle