Happy Birthday, Samantha
May 24, 2008 Personal
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I’ve mentioned Samantha in my Thanks page. She’s one of the best friends I’ve ever had, and it’s her birthday today, so I thought I’d dedicate this post to her.
So, to Samantha:
Thanks for all your encouragement. Thanks for standing by me throughout the years, and being there for me no matter what. I really appreciate all you’ve done. I know you may not think of it as much, but it means a lot to me. Just the simple things like you asking how I’m doing, knowing that you still do think of me at times and all, it means a lot to me. So thank you. You’ve made a huge difference in my life, through the simple gestures and the little things that you’ve done for me.
You’ve already changed my life, and I’m sure you’ve touched and changed the lives of many others as well. You truly have the potential for greatness, and I hope (rather, I believe), that as you grow you’ll continue to develop and realize that potential. I’m sure you’ll go on to touch many more lives.
Thank you for all you’ve done, you’re an awesome person and it’s a huge honor to have you as my friend. Happy Birthday.
[?]Squidoo Lenses
May 24, 2008 Announcements
I’ve created my first few lenses on Squidoo. I’d love to get your opinions on them, so if you’ve got the time check them out and let me know what you think? Thanks.
Here are the 3 lenses:
5 Google Tools Businesses Should be Using
First Steps to Building Your Personal Brand
Google Analytics for Non-Geeks
[?]Tags: analytics, business, google, lens, personal branding, squidoo, tools
David Cook: American Idol
It’s been about 17 hours since David Cook was announced as the American Idol. I don’t normally blog about entertainment news, but I’ve got to say, I’m really pleased he won. I’ll be the first to admit that his performances during the finals weren’t his best, but I still think he deserves to win, on the strength of the whole season. This isn’t meant as a put down of Archuleta, he’s got a great voice, but I don’t think he’s ready yet.
There are two main things that set David Cook apart from Archuleta, in my opinion. And they are things we can all learn and gain from, even if we aren’t in the entertainment business.
The first thing that David Cook has over Archuleta is stage presence. He’s got more confidence on stage, and carries himself better. Archuleta’s movements on stage still seem very awkward. David Cook, on the other hand, looks right at home on stage. He looks really comfortable there.
Secondly, and more importantly, David Cook is original. His originality set him apart from every other contestant this season. If you need proof, just check out his version of Mariah Carey’s “Always be my baby“, and compare that to the original. He heard things in songs that nobody else heard. He re-arranged songs in ways nobody else did. And to me, that’s what sealed it for him.
Two lessons that can be applied in all walks of life. Your presence - your confidence in yourself, how comfortable you are wherever you may be - makes a difference. And more importantly, originality has great value.
[?]Tags: american idol, confidence, david archuleta, david cook, originality, presence
Do we really care about safety?
May 19, 2008 life
Image by nimboo via Flickr
Those of you not in Singapore might not have heard of the Mas Selamat incident. Basically, Mas Selamat was allegedly the head of the Singapore branch of Jemaah Islamiah, and he escaped from the detention center a few months ago.
When the incident first happened, there was a lot of press about it. Everyone was talking about it, it was a huge concern. Someone even started a Facebook account for it, stirring questions about whether people - especially youths - were treating the issue too lightly.
The thing is, there has been no word about the issue for a while now. All the press has died down. The posters are almost completely ignored. Is the threat gone? No, because he’s still out there (as far as we know). But yet nobody seems to bother anymore.
Which leads me to wonder - is it really safety that people are worried about? Or is it a worry about the unexpected? Because if it is really about safety, there’s no reason that the worry has died down. People aren’t really worried about safety breaches. People are worried about unexpected safety breaches. When it comes to public perception, it’s not truly a matter of how serious or important the breach is. It’s how unexpected it is.
The unexpected is what really stirs people up and gets them talking. Once you’re no longer new and fresh - once you’re no longer unexpected - you’ll get ignored, no matter how important you really are.
How do you ensure you don’t become borign and get ignored? How do you stay ‘fresh’?
Tags: ignored, importance, Mas Selamat, Mas Selamat bin Kastari, singapore, unexpected
Sound Isolation
May 18, 2008 music
Image by murilocardoso via Flickr
I’ve been using the Westone UM2 Earphones for quite a while now, and it’s been awesome. But this post isn’t (just) meant as a plug. There’s been a trend towards sound isolation earphones in recent years. That’s the first step any audiophile will recommend if you’re looking to improve the sound quality.
The better listening experience isn’t just because of better sound quality. It’s mainly (at least in my opinion) because the sound is isolated - the unwanted noise of the outside world is blocked out.
There’s an important point in this - adding value is not necessarily about adding more quality. Sometimes it’s about removing the noise. Especially in today’s world, where information is coming at us from every angle, at every time.
How are you filtering out noise to provide value for those around you?
Tags: experience, filter, focus, sound, value
It’s not (just) about providing good content
May 16, 2008 People
Image via Wikipedia
I haven’t done these short posts - that mainly reiterate what someone else has said - in a while. But I figured, this was a really important point worth making (Mitch, hope you don’t mind me ‘hijacking’ your post).
Mitch Joel (who you really should be reading, if you aren’t already) recently wrote about Seth Godin. It’s a really good post, worth reading. In it, he writes about Seth Godin’s speaking style.
After Seth’s keynote this morning, I reviewed the notes that I was taking (which, for the record, I do on my BlackBerry) and I had a huge realization. The notes had nothing to do with what he was saying and everything to do with a fistful of creative sparks that were inspired by what he was saying. Stuff I need to get doing… now.
That’s a great lesson.
It’s not just about providing good content - in your blogs, speeches, whatever. It’s about how you inspire people, what ideas you give.
How are you inspiring people through your conversations?
Tags: conversations, inspiration, mitch joel, seth godin, speeches
Friend Connect for Blogs?
May 15, 2008 Technology, blogging
You might have read about Google’s new Friend Connect service. There’s definitely been no shortage of news coverage about it.
I haven’t seen that much of it so far, other than the examples on the web site. I’m looking forward to watching the campfire videos over the next few days. But I have to say, I am very interested and intrigued by the service. So, I’ve signed up for the preview release.
Lots of bloggers, myself included, want our blogs to be about community. We want our blogs to be not just a place where we can be heard, but a place where people can connect, and have their say as well. We want it to be a conversation, a community.
As such, I’m sure there’s got to be a use for a service such as Friend Connect. In trying to build a community, an easy, one-click way to add social features has got to be useful.
That said, I don’t have any concrete ideas yet. I’ll definitely be thinking about it, especially as more demos and videos come out. But I thought I’d throw it out to you guys as well. Lots of you are smarter than I am.
So, what do you guys think of Friend Connect? Useful? Any ideas already on how you’re going to use it?
[?]Tags: blog, community, Conversation, Friend connect, google, social, web 2.0
