Homeless, but not hopeless
Homeless and hopeless
Hint: It's about marketing.
Yes, even at this level, the basics of marketing still work.
What is your impression of the first guy? The second guy?
What is the second guys message?
A bit hard to see, but it' s not the angle. He holds up a blank piece of cardboard.
See?
P.S. These photos prepared in anticipation of Becky's TED Talk. Her Video just went live.
While it deeply saddens me when I learn technology advances bring harm to people (and environment), this is a price we agree to pay as a society for our curiosity, experimentation, and progress. Looking over the fence may reveal workable solutions.
Motorcycles have had this for decades. Waterbikes and snowmobiles have a wrist strap that pulls a pin to cut the engine ignition and slow down the vehicle immediately.
On cars that have no ignition key and need a 3-second press of the start button to stop the engine, an instant kill switch should be mandatory.
@externalaw tweeted about his summary in this law student forum. Thanks, I find it very clear and readable.
May none of the tragic accidents be taken as a silent acceptance
(shift happens), but as a wake-up call. We can fail faster, find more
and better alternatives earlier, true to the time-tested adage of
necessity being the mother of invention. Now I use the emotional impact
(our family drives this Toyota) to join the discussion and hope to foster innovative thinking.
Were I in the situation of the accelerator getting stuck - anyway more likely now with the electronic gas pedals - I would simply turn the ignition switch (my Toyota still has one), careful not to engage the steering lock. Actually the key mechanism prevents locking the steering accidentally.
Second, I could also step on the brake, fast and hard. Brake power is more than double the engine power, but not for long when the car is moving fast - the brakes would soon overheat.
Flipping the automatic gear to neutral or pressing the clutch of a manual is the third safety option, but then you need to shut down the engine real quick to prevent mechanical damage or after a few minutes, fire hazard.
Not in driving school, but in books like Zen and the Art of Motorcycling, they teach you to always be watchful for an emergency exit from the road, just in case you need to save your life by hopping off the lane, because someone in oncoming traffic has not seen you and is overtaking. So, option four - still much better than risking a a crash with running traffic or running over innocent bystanders - would be to run your unruly car into the dirt, or at sharp angle against a guard rail or a solid wall. Scrap the metal and save lives.
The root cause seems to lie deeper. Three seconds to stop an engine! Reminds me of the Ctrl-Alt-Del keypress to start Windows. Hence I ask for the kill switch if there is no ignition key with an "OFF" position.
How far away is your emergency? What would you do? What would you propose?
Image credit: Yoppy on flickr
These elegant visual business modeling tools reflect more than the work of two accomplished authors. They came to life by applying an innovative business model and production process. Alexander Osterwalder and Ives Pigneur wrote the book on Business Model Generation together with 470 co-creators (hey, I am one, p.5, 4th name). The book is a brilliant work of art and the making of... is a fine case study all by itself.
Definition:
A business model describes the rationale of how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value
Find answers and straightforward visual thinking tools on questions like:
What value do we deliver to the customer?
Which one of our customer’s problems are we helping to solve?
Which customer needs are we satisfying?
What bundles of products and services are we offering to each Customer Segment?
Or definitions like:
A Value Proposition creates value for a Customer Segment through a distinct mix of elements catering to that segment’s needs. Values may be quantitative (e.g. price, speed of service) or qualitative (e.g. design, customer experience).
Elements from the following non-exhaustive list can contribute to customer value creation. ...
Could that be working for you? Teaching that lasts?
But wait, the complete toolset will be available on 2009-09-26. Or don't wait: Special Pre-Order Pricing. Need more info? Preview now. Free.
Disclosure: As a cocreator I donated some time and a few ideas. I am obviously biased. I declare no conflict of interest as I receive no compensation other than a copy of the book.
The value is all yours and in what you create for a business dear to you. Get one of the tools right now, the Business Model Canvas, with kind permission from the authors. And if you like it, spread the idea and share your successes.
Vacation, sometimes called "holidays", has been part of labor laws and work contracts for more than a century. With the 19th century industrialization, Germany (my home country) has become a forerunner in social achievements and includes generous paid vacation in its statutory framework. People in other nations have initiated their own specific cultural and legal agreements. (Are you ready to be an initiator?)
Since 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights reflects the understanding that
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay. (Article 24)
The UDHR sets a framework of rights and duties without specifying details, like how many days paid vacation employees are entitled to. That is up to each nation's legal framework and labor contracts and negotiations.
This summer vacation I went to the USA with the family. Over there, one of the places I enjoyed was a public tour of UN headquarters in New York City. I feel I understood more of what this organization set out to do and feel sorry it is sometimes regarded as slow and bureaucratic. But then, so are other large organizations trying to accommodate many stakeholder's interests.
One of the permanent exhibits in the main building touched me. On display are articles from Hiroshima, 1945. It reminds visitors of the need to end the military-industrial threat of war, especially nuclear war. If you go there, take a look and notice what you feel.
Are you ready to be an initiator?
Could the deadline for peace be a reason for you?
Off the tour, I recommend a visit to the UN bookstore. Earth: The Sequel The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming by Fred Krupp and Miriam Horn caught my eye viscerally, so I bough it on the spot. In the first few chapters they describe technology and economic basics related to solar energy photovoltaic and heating.
Still reading...
Words inspired by author Matthew E. May's collaborative blog post. He invites you to take your vacation days, too. If it helps you, it may help the company.
On our break, we met family friends (no photos here) and internet penpals I first met virtually on a social network. Turned strangers into friends.
Call it a social achievement through technology.
Now I am back to work with new understanding and refreshed enthusiasm for our company's role in society. How about your vacation?
Triiibes with three small "i"? Yes. It is not about one, not about me, maybe about you. Mainly it is about "we". Learning together what that subtitle means on the bestselling book "Tribes -We Need You to Lead Us".
Triiibes.com is a special tribe - it is one special social network - not for everyone.
Thanks to Seth Godin for giving thousands a safe space to grow their marketing mettle and publishing prowess. Or just turn strangers into friends and have a heaven of a time with them.
But wait. Would you rather watch professional videos of Seth Godin's? He and Tom Peters say it quite clearly why learning to blog is a good idea. Or social networking and how to use it in business.
OK, you decided. Thanks for staying here.
By video, first and only take. Spontaneous, raw and unedited.
In blog style, the latest movie appears on top.
Minneapolis
Chicago
New York City
Philadelphia
near Washington, D.C.
Do you wish to know what I got out of it for the time I put in? Starting this blog is one example. And Seth Godin was among the first to comment. Making simple video is another example.
Do you qualify?
Here is more to find out. Or better, books first for you?
Let's celebrate this day.
Prior post - Triiibes Anniversary Blog ring - Next post
There may be more on the triiibes anniversary blog ring. (May be taken down soon.)
Dr. Paul Ray from Wisdom University wrote in 2008 a piece quoteworthy, if we want to make the deadline for world peace:
A radically new way of understanding politics and building winning coalitions.
On why the authors chose purple (hey, that's my color, too) for that I can only speculate. Probably the subtractive mixing of red and blue.
Following their thought leadership, I found more about New Progressives and Cultural Creatives. And these give us...
THE REASON WE CAN SUCCEED
What is as hopeful as the gravity of the crisis is the fact that a growing global population has emerged comprised of Cultural Creatives -- a group that only began to emerge in world culture fifty years ago but which now constitutes fully one third of the public in Europe, Japan and the United States. The implications of this emerging cultural and political force are as profound as the consequences of global warming are imminent. Cultural Creatives are having a profound influence in the marketplace and form a new voter constituency that is shifting the center of gravity for politics from center right to the center left and north. They are at the heart of the movement that just elected Obama.
So, you have two choices (at least)
Seth offers two ways to act professionally if you're in a meeting with smart people and they start discussing a term or concept you don't understand. Ask constructively or take a note for later.
Here is a third, techie way. This may not work everywhere. Go on-line and look it up immediately. Not always polite in professional life, some participants frown on using laptops or personal assistant devices and smartphones during their meeting.
Because your thinking apparatus is prone to get all fogged up trying to make progress while hanging at a word or concept not understood, the two more immediate ways are likely to be the most productive. Does it compute?
Prove me wrong.
Today's poetry
The potential for discovery is infinite.
Everything new to you
could be remarkable to you
until it gets old to you
and then you focus on the next new thing
to prevent eternal boredom to you.
(i) inspired by Hugh MacLeod, and Bonnie, triggered by Becky .
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