Week of October 27, 2008

Hey everyone, here we go. . . . . .

 

IN OUR WORLD

 

What a week!   First off to Little Rock, AR to conduct my first offering of our newly revised teambuilding retreat with new ideas, exercises and content flow.  The group was fantastic, full of participation and excitement.  The program provided strong action points giving them new ways to view their team dynamics.  I would love to work with them again in the future.

 

Then back to Dallas for a series of meetings and a huge charity presentation where I was the headliner!  I did a TED-like 20-25 minute version of They Shook The World, our program on the power of individual and organizational belief structures.  What a fantastic evening, at a gorgeous home with a full house.

 

Oh, and sneak a Jackson Browne concert in.  What a great show by one of my favorite singer/songwriters of all time.

 

Then catch a 8 AM flight today to Harlingen TX as I head down to South Padre Island for strategic planning.

 

Wow, I love being busy!

 

 

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

 

 

Here is a grab bag of new ideas:

 

• Motorola has a new tracking system to make sure your luggage does not get lost during air travel.  A small electronic chip is placed in the luggage tag (a passive RFID) .  Electronic readers throughout the system pick up the chip allowing your bag to say; “here I am”.  The read rate is 99.5% as compared to 80%-90% for current optical readers.  This is a huge advantage since over 34 million bags were lost or mishandled world wide.  Sounds big, huh.  But consider that the Las Vegas airport handles 70,000 pieces of luggage a day!
• Staying in the airport, Emily McHugh’s bag design company, Casauri, has created bags for your computer that eliminate the need to remove the computer from your regular travel bad during security screening.  Why a big deal you ask?  More than 12,000 computers disappear from American airports every week!  If you don’t get one of these bags, here is a hint, always put your laptop through the machine LAST, that way you can keep an eye on it as you wait to be waved through.
• Check out Burton’s new snowboard binding the CO2.  Its revolutionary design was inspired by the Aeron office chair.  Burton adapted the key features to provide for what many are hailing as the best binding ever!

 

Just a nibble of some new ideas. 

 

If you like these kinds of things I recommend you subscribe to Fast Company and Wired magazines!

 

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

 

MOVIES:  The Changeling:   This is the latest from one of my favorite filmmakers, Clint Eastwood.  Go see it!  Clint is getting up there in years and may not have that many left, so don’t miss it!

 

NetFlix Fans:  Mystery Science Theater 3000 –   Most of you has no idea what this show is or was, but I used to laugh out loud every time I watched it.  It is a silly idea of a guy and his two robots trapped in space with only the old “B” sci-fi movies to watch.  They would then do what guys do, watch the movie making smart-ass remarks that will crack you up.  Sounds weird, but this series has a cult following of people who like to laugh.

 

TV:    USA Network has moved one of the countless Law and Order sub-series from a 2008 fall release to a 2009 released.  This is the Criminal Intent version.  They were going to break it up into two, nine week runs, but decided to give it a straight 16 episode run next year.  I got into this series as it is run constantly on USA, TNT and WGN, so while sitting in hotel rooms I became a fan.

 

BOOKS:  Night of Thunder by Stephen Hunter.  This is my fiction fix for my trip to the island.  It is the latest in the Bob Lee Swagger series, one of my favorite fictional tough guys.  If you have never read about Bob Lee, start with Point of Impact.

 

MUSIC:   Since I spent Wednesday night with my lovely bride, Jackson Browne and about 8,000 other people that somehow got invited, I thought I would post his great song, The Pretender.  The place went wild when he hit the first few bars on the keyboard.

 

 

WEB SITES:   Looking for a tough book to find?  Look no further.

 

 

http://www.bookfinder.com/

 

 

 

SOUTH OF NORMAL

Here are some interesting movie facts you might find a little odd:

• Of the 10 all-time box office leaders, eight were rated PG-13.  Titanic still holds the #1 spot.
• The 1970’s spawned 679 G rated movies, while the 1990’s shrunk the number to 142.
• Adjusted for inflation, Gone with the Wind is the #1 domestic earner of all time (rated G).
• 23% of all Americans see an X-rated film in a typical year.

Just a few weird facts.

 

Out into the cool of the evening strolls The Pretender,

Who started out so young and strong

Only to surrender.

Jackson Browne

 

Drop me a note with your comments at steve@creativeventures.com

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and until next time, Adios and Aloha.