Archives: May, 2009

The problem these days is that people expect to be given answers, or at least led to them, instead of finding or developing them. 

The problem these days is that people accept the answer, blindly.

The problem these days is that people expect an answer to exist. Period. 

The problem these days is that kids have

to move on to the next grade for social reasons, for economic reasons, for pure capacity reasons. So, we teach to the test. We give answers.

The problem these days is that people are accustomed to instantaneous gratification. They expect a path of least resistance and expect said resistance to have been mitigated by others before they get there.

The problem these days is that too many people want the because

without taking the time to ask the why .

The problem these days is that too many people think design is only creative and only aesthetic.

The problem these days is that the phrase ‘problem solving’ is too often associated only with mathematics.

I propose the White Wall Test:

7ft high, 7ft wide, 2 inch thick white free-standing drywall stands in a space. Space above, space on either side. Anchored to the floor/ground.

Well…

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[addition 1.7.2009 @ 10:55 EST - Not referring only to "kids these days" as many people have mentioned in response. There are plenty of 30+ cubicle cowboys out there to whom I'd be interested in administering the test]

So today President Obama is visiting Columbus to recognize 25 new officers graduating from the police academy. It’s great news for the city…the 25 jobs that is

. The jobs were made possible through federal stimulus money and in a state with 8+ % unemployment and rising, people with income are a good thing. (from what I’ve heard, by the way, unfortunately this job growth is not sustainable as the academy won’t have a class next year due to budget constraints)

What’s not good news for the city is the fact that we (Columbus – a city operating at a deficit and making cuts) have to foot the bill for logistics and security for this visit. And Oh, by the way, the president of the United States has one of the biggest carbon footprints on the planet. Any time he moves, he’s got an entourage to move. Any time he flies, he flies an Airliner. Any time he rides in a car, add 10+ because it’s a motorcade.

This president is championing change. He’s also got one helluva situation relating to the economy and a society/culture with a spending/lack-of-saving problem and entitlement complex.

He’s missing a HUGE opportunity today

. You want to champion change?  Lead by example. Take advantage of technology and visit Columbus via teleconference! Hell, visit 4 cities today. Interact with the reporters, answer questions, give your speech uniquely to the audience, but do it remotely. Make a point of the fact that you are paying specific attention to the city and it’s residents, but that you are doing so through innovative technology and you’re saving money in the process

. You’re not incurring security costs. You’re not fueling AF1 and the accompanying fighter escorts.

Create efficiencies, Mr. President. Show the American public that you’re not just leaning on businesses to rethink the way they do things, but that you are really changing the way DC does things. Take a half day to do this a couple of times with the cities who are being positively impacted by stimulus money, and then get some work done on Penn Ave. Then, do it again next week.

I understand politics are politics, but if we really REALLY want to change things, we can’t keep telling people that everything will be OK and continue to do things the way we’ve done them.

i said something a while ago that i thought had some value. so, i put it up on my .

we live in an economy where the currencies of attention and network often need to be spent before the currency of cold hard cash is.

i repeated this idea in an article that i recently submitted to to be published in one of their upcoming newsletters (not sure exactly when it’s coming out).

we’ve experienced a redefinition of value and a realignment of the engagement cycle. value comes in education and legitimization and engagement starts far before purchase, at least for those who are winning meaningful work and building sustainable relationships.

an educated buyer dictates engagement and has more access than ever before. a value transaction must begin immediately as your targets assemble profiles and self-educate, removing a portion of your previous contact [in-person opportunity] with them.

i know i refer to seth’s blog a lot, but validated my position on all of this. i echo his sentiment when he says that we need to begin building trust and permission before we can ask for money.

digital is one (very important) medium when it comes to a) this broader continuum of engagement and b) the marketplace in which these newly important currencies are spent.

i use twitter primarily for consumption. im not one to thank those following me. per my model, i assume im somehow adding value as they are consuming what im tweeting.

that said, i wanted to take a little time to thank all of those who im following. i really and truly enjoy diving into (my new desktop twitter client of choice) and feeding on my twitter stream. i primarily follow industry (web) folk, VCs and angels, economists, journalists, and media. i also follow some friends around the country and some colleagues, friends and acquaintances in town (columbus, ohio).

i depend on my stream to a)

provide great links to things im interested in: web, technology, economics, politics and current events

. the stream ive built does this phenomenally. they are people who want to be on top of things, who NEED to be on top of things, who truly believe in horizontal sharing of information and the incredible results of realtime sharing and conversation. b)

provide a diverse perspective . my stream is composed of some incredible people in different walks of life, in different parts of the country and world, working on and interested in myriad things. the information and topics im exposed to because of them allow me to be a more balanced and learned person. [ *** IMPORTANT NOTE - 2 key realities of the twitter-dynamic surface here 1) the access to people that twitter provides - i can consume (even if im not interacting with) thought, conversation and information from people i otherwise would not have access too and 2) the nature of twitter and the BIY stream actually creates a push model (to me) so that i can access tons of info without digging through what i now (i didnt used to) consider a smothering volume in a RSS reader ] c)

just be flat out interesting.

seriously. the people i follow are observant, curious, innovative. links and important information aside… i love reading witty, insightful, hilarious tweets. they remind me that people are thinking, that life is happening to everyone, that there is a human condition (as fractured as it may be) and that people do notice the things that i do.

twitter isnt for everyone (individual or company), but its definitely for me.

so, thanks, people i follow, for being interesting and deciding to share.