This Blog was created for the random musings of a fledgling entrepreneur. We will have different features every week including:
- entrepreneurial advice
- helpful entrepreneurial links
- business book reviews
- advice for a better and successful life
- fashion links for people who are interested in European/Asian fashion
So I watched Wall-E like a couple of weeks ago and, to my surprise, it was much more than just another cute CGI movie that make you feel good at the end and say "awww". Wall-E, compared to Toy Story or Kung Fu Panda, makes a good statement on modern society. It addresses many of our environmental concerns today and even the question of artificial intelligence. Moreover, it addresses the fact that many Americans are suffering from obesity and inactivity. Well, I don't want to give too much away, so all I will say is that, no matter your age, if you keep an open mind, you will definately enjoy Pixar's newest animated feature, and maybe even learn something from it.
Who knows, Wall-E might be closer to real life than you think.
I still remember when the movie "Independence Day" starring Will Smith came out around the time when I was still in middle school. I remember seeing that movie and thinking about what it meant to live in an independent country. Does it mean being the strongest country in the world and having the ability to fight off an alien invasion? Does it mean capitalism and free market trumps all? Does it mean freedom of speech? What about security? What about equality?
"Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." That is what independence is all about here in America. We are lucky to be given that freedom. Many people across the world have no idea what independence means or feels like. However, even in America, certain groups of people in society are left behind in the pursuit of independence. Many avenues of society are still left unjust and distribution of freedom is unequal.
For example, why is it that the top 10% of the richest familes in America own about 75-80% of the wealth in America. How did they accumulate that wealth? Was it capitalism? Benjamin Franklin
One of the fouding fathers of this nation was one of the earliest entrepreneurs of our country. He wrote a book full of aphorisms that we have internalized and come to value in our society. America is one of the hardest working societies in the world. Many of us unconsciously follow Franklin's ideas of "time is money" and "a penny saved is a penny earned."
But, the fact is that this nation has become greedy through those values. Look at the recent subprime bubble and the last internet bubble. Everyone is out to make a quick buck. Meanwhile, the richest people are trying everything to accumulate even more wealth, increasing the wage gap between the richest people and the poorest people in this country.
Independence Day. We should all think about our own pursuits of happiness and make sure that those do not take away from others' ability for the same opportunities. Instead of looking for the next cash cow, we should think about whether the product or service we are offering provides a value to the whole of society. Business is not just all about making money. It's about doing what you love, because here in America you have that freedom.
I found this video a while ago that speaks to the ongoing Web 2.0 craze. You might think you know all that the internet has to offer; however, in past months, I've been "actively surfing" the internet. What do I mean by "actively surfing"? I mean that I have been going out of my way to search for new websites that offer non-traditional or unique services.
In the past, I was constricted to familiar websites: sites such as WSJ.com, Facebook, ign.com, Google, Amazon and Wikipedia. However, as I dug deeper into the entangled webs of the internet, I came across more non-traditional sites such as del.icio.us, Flux, and Twitter.
The days where a website offered one kind of service is gone. That was the Web 1.0 phase. Nowadays, the real tech-savvy are looking for websites that incorporate "social networking" into everything they do, whether it's social bookmarking, social photo-sharing (Flickr comes to mind), or all the different kinds of networks that exist out there that market themselves to a certain niche.
The internet has become more complex than people think. There are so many resources out there, so many websites that cater to specific needs, and so many wells of information that it is staggering and challenging to keep up with it all. So many people are trying to use new codes and programs that are making the web more dynamic and useful. So many websites out there are challenging our practices of use online. They are challenging the way we think about the internet and what it has to offer. That is Web 2.0.
I challenge you to step away from your Bookmarks and actually spend some time on Google or Yahoo! and try to search for some websites that might interest you. Start and do some "Active surfing," and actually pay attention to some of the new sites that you may come across. You will be pleasantly surprised on all the information that appears in your browser and start to wonder which technically impaired rock you've been living under. Trust me!
Some websites to check out: http://twitter.com/ www.like.com http://del.icio.us/ http://technorati.com/ http://izearanks.com/
Leave a comment with either your views or interesting sites you may have come across!
Technology is moving at a lighting fast pace. OK, you don't have to be a genius to know that, but I feel like many people take it for granted that we live in an age where new technologies emerge faster than a teenager with keys to a souped-up Toyota Supra. Back in 1439, Johann Gutenberg assembled the first models of his printing press that truly made a breakthrough in mass-communication. The press had a considerable impact on the way new knowledge, and even old knowledge, was disseminated, changing Western Society. It brought about the first issues on copyright infringement and started the conversation on what we call "intellectual property" today.
It took more than 500 years until we saw computers turning up in every household. That is a considerably long time in the evolution of technology from the printing press where people only wanted to consume the knowledge that was being printed, to people today who use personal computers and the internet to edit and author their own information, uploading it to the internet.
Consider these numbers: In 1977, 48 thousand computers were assembled and shipped; however, in 2001, as many as 120 million computers were sold and shipped. Before Microsoft Office and the PC came along, you could mail letters or be a book author to disperse your ideas. Now, all it takes is the click of a button and, voila, your ideas show up on your Blogger for all the world to see. Thomas Friedman pointed out very accurately in his book, "The World is Flat" that the internet and the practice of "uploading" were factors that helped flatten our complicated world.
But, enough of the boring history lessons and rambling. I wanted to show you guys the new HP:
In my opinion, the HP TouchSmart signifies the onslaught of a new revolution. The revolution that was brought and refined by Apple's iPod Touch. People want to be able to interact with media content in a new way. "Touching" makes sense. Imagine scrolling through your images with the flick of your finger just like on your iPod. Think about using a pen to actually draw out easily what you want on your screen in Photoshop.
Though the HP TouchSmart seems to be somewhat limited, it is indeed the first step forward into a new direction.
It is amazing how the "science fiction" of yesterday can become the reality of today in our age. Apple revolutionized the media industry when it brought us the iPod a mere 7 years ago. And, it made every sci-fi geek's dream come true when it made the touch feature much more user-friendly and simple to understand.
I heard that Apple had patents for "touch keyboards" that they were developing in their super secret labs on Infinite Loop back in Silicon Valley. (see story here) Instead of being bound to a defined set of keys on your traditional keyboard, imagine assigning and creating custom buttons for every one of your different applications.
The question that remains will be, of course, will this new way of interacting with media prevail? We are still quite a ways away from digitizing everything. For example, many people still refuse to conform to digitized books. Maybe the Amazon Kindle will be able to change it.
But, who knows? One thing for sure is that we will likely witness a revolution soon on how we interact with media content. Apple will likely come out with more high tech gadgets that use touch technology, while competitors will follow suit.
I, presonally, would love to see what the next couple of years will have in store in terms of touch enabled gadgets. Will we really see a Microsoft Surface in every club or restaurant a couple of years down the line? Only time will tell.
What do you think about touch-enabled keyboards and HP's new touch desktop? Leave a comment!
Just because you have an old and decrepit cow, it does not mean that you can't exchange five magical beans for it and grow yourself a beanstalk. Sure, when you're facing a Giant who wants to cook you in a stew, things might seem a little bleak. But, you know what? You can cut that beanstalk down. Giant and all.
Trying to make nothing into something might be hard, but there are opportunities out there everywhere. Instead of looking for that one grand moment of "aha", sometimes it's also wise to go with the unpredictable. That gut-feeling. The feeling that, hey, maybe a giant beanstalk that will reach into the clouds will actually grow from five measly beans.
We are all climbing that beanstalk.
I am starting this blog for all you beancounters out there who are looking for the same thing I am: that hen that can lay gold eggs.
Only, many of us find ourselves ending up working for the Giant not realizing that all we have to do is swing the axe.
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