We've previously mentioned that you can make your own screen protector on the cheap with adhesive vinyl. Although it's a simple process to understand in theory, it helps to actually see it in practice. This video from Household Hacker demonstrates how to make a vinyl screen protector and apply it to your device in just a few minutes. More »
Selected by brandonmeves
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Most Topular Stories
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Make Your Own Screen Protector Quickly and Cheaply with Adhesive Vinyl and an Xacto Knife
Lifehacker: Iphone8 Feb 2012 | 12:30 pm -
Champagne Glass Shape Affects Gas Level
Scientific American8 Feb 2012 | 4:17 pmChampagne. Do you drink it out of a narrow flute or the broader, more shallow coupe? [More] -
Fracking’s Toll on Pets, Livestock Chills Farmers: Commentary
BusinessWeek.com -- Innovation8 Feb 2012 | 1:56 pmSmelling gas one morning, a southern Pennsylvania farmer almost passed out when he went outside to check on his bellowing cows. -
5 Myths Haunting Your Healthy Foods
Dumb Little Man - Tips for Life3 Feb 2012 | 8:03 amThese days, eating healthy has become a curiously difficult task. Despite the fact that the canons of healthy eating have not changed in centuries, the proliferation of health food products has continued unabated for years. It’s become a crisis of abundance.However, just because a product occupies shelf space in a boutique food store doesn’t mean it’s any better for you than its generic counterpart. Advertisers are very aware of the powers of “mood affiliation”, which is the tendency to associate familiar claims with one another. For example, consumers are very likely to believe a… -
States Negotiate $25 Billion Deal for Homeowners
NYT > Home Page8 Feb 2012 | 7:37 pmMore than two million Americans could benefit from mortgage relief from the nation’s biggest banks, as part of a broad government settlement to be announced as early as Thursday.
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Lifehacker: Iphone
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Make Your Own Screen Protector Quickly and Cheaply with Adhesive Vinyl and an Xacto Knife
8 Feb 2012 | 12:30 pmWe've previously mentioned that you can make your own screen protector on the cheap with adhesive vinyl. Although it's a simple process to understand in theory, it helps to actually see it in practice. This video from Household Hacker demonstrates how to make a vinyl screen protector and apply it to your device in just a few minutes. More » -
The Best Virtual Assistant for iPhone
8 Feb 2012 | 10:30 am -
Black SMS Encrypts and Decrypts Your Text Messages
7 Feb 2012 | 12:00 pmiOS: Anyone can pick up your phone and read your text messages. It's also not that difficult for someone to install spy software or for the U.S. government to acquire your messages from your carrier. If you want to keep your text messages private, Black SMS is an app that provides a very simple method for doing so. You simply type in the message, set a password, and send it over to iMessage. The recipient can then use their copy of Black SMS to decrypt the message using the password you set by simply pasting the message into the app and entering the password. (Watch the video above for a… -
Get the Most Out of Your iPhone's Notification Center, from Beginner to Jailbreaker
7 Feb 2012 | 6:00 amMore » -
Organize Your Apps by Action Instead of Category for a More Intuitive Find-and-Launch System
6 Feb 2012 | 1:00 pmMore »
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Scientific American
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Champagne Glass Shape Affects Gas Level
8 Feb 2012 | 4:17 pmChampagne. Do you drink it out of a narrow flute or the broader, more shallow coupe? [More] -
Tiny, Tree-Dwelling Primate Called Tarsier Sends and Receives Ultrasonic Calls
8 Feb 2012 | 4:00 pmThe Philippine tarsier (Tarsius syrichta) makes ultrasonic calls. (Credit: Nathaniel Dominy, Dartmouth) Let’s be honest: tarsiers look odd. Among the smallest of all primates, most species of tarsier would fit easily in the palm of your hand. They have long, slender, largely hairless tails and elongated fingers with knobby knuckles and mushroom-cap finger pads. [More] -
Y Chromosome Can Raise Heart Disease Risk by 50 Percent
8 Feb 2012 | 3:30 pmImage courtesy of iStockphoto/luckyraccoon Men tend to get coronary artery disease much earlier than do women. For some men, the reason for that might be in part because of their fathers and their father’s father according to a new study , published online Wednesday in The Lancet . [More] -
Gonorrhea Could Join Growing List of Untreatable Diseases
8 Feb 2012 | 2:10 pmGonorrhea under a microscope. Image: courtesy of CDC/Susan Lindsley The arms race between humanity and disease-causing bacteria is drawing to a close and the bacteria are winning. The latest evidence: gonorrhea is becoming resistant to all standard antibiotic treatment. [More] -
Land and See: Infrared and 3-D Vision Systems Combine to Help Pilots Avoid Crash Landings [Video]
8 Feb 2012 | 1:15 pmWhen large airliners approach an airport for a landing, a combination of radio signals and high-intensity lighting shows the pilot exactly where the runway is, even at night or in fog. But millions of people a year fly on smaller commercial planes, many private, that do not have such technology. The pilots of those craft must rely on less sophisticated instruments, along with their cockpit window view during landing, a situation that can be fatal in bad weather. In 2011 alone four such commercial jets crashed into terrain or an obstacle, killing 140 passengers and crew, according to…
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BusinessWeek.com -- Innovation
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Fracking’s Toll on Pets, Livestock Chills Farmers: Commentary
8 Feb 2012 | 1:56 pmSmelling gas one morning, a southern Pennsylvania farmer almost passed out when he went outside to check on his bellowing cows. -
Construction Rises as Architects Signal Nonresidential Rebound
8 Feb 2012 | 10:13 amPrivate nonresidential construction may pick up this year, as demand grows for new U.S. projects. -
London Landlords Facing Rents of Zero Turn Offices to Condos
8 Feb 2012 | 7:38 amMore people will be making their homes among the banks and insurance companies of central London as a shrinking financial industry and the prospect of leasing out buildings for free prompts landlords to convert offices into luxury apartments. -
Clara Shih's Hearsay Social
2 Feb 2012 | 3:00 pmHer startup helps large companies control how workers interact with customers on Facebook and other social media outlets -
Las Vegas: Startup City
2 Feb 2012 | 3:00 pmZappos CEO Tony Hsieh is spending $350 million of his own to make Sin City a startup hub
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Dumb Little Man - Tips for Life
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5 Myths Haunting Your Healthy Foods
3 Feb 2012 | 8:03 amThese days, eating healthy has become a curiously difficult task. Despite the fact that the canons of healthy eating have not changed in centuries, the proliferation of health food products has continued unabated for years. It’s become a crisis of abundance.However, just because a product occupies shelf space in a boutique food store doesn’t mean it’s any better for you than its generic counterpart. Advertisers are very aware of the powers of “mood affiliation”, which is the tendency to associate familiar claims with one another. For example, consumers are very likely to believe a… -
Four Steps To Rescue Stray New Year Resolutions
2 Feb 2012 | 6:55 amLooks like it is that time of year when many New Year resolutions that people set have already strayed. Attempts to kick a smoking habit for example, might have seemed successful for a few weeks but once the realities and stresses of coming back from the holidays have resurfaced, some people may have caved into the nicotine again.Of course there is the usual health promises that get broken too. According to the fitness industry, a lot of gym memberships are sold from December to February but gym attendance significantly drops shortly afterwards when people realize that working out involves a… -
Finding the Courage to Stay the Course
30 Jan 2012 | 10:06 amAnytime you decide on the pursuit of an important goal, you’ll be faced with a series of challenges. Peaks, valleys and plateaus are par for the the course. But the thing that separates the people who make it from the ones that don’t is the courage to stay the course.At the start of any new endeavor most of us look forward to every single day with a child like excitement. We see infinite possibilities and the future appears bright. It seems as though there is absolutely nothing that can get in our way. We feel almost invincible and the possibility of failure doesn’t even occur to us. We… -
How to Deal with Difficult People and Have Constructive Conflict
28 Jan 2012 | 8:32 amLife and relationships aren't always perfect. Take a minute to think of some difficult people you have to deal with in your life? These may be people you work with, the in-laws that come to town throughout the year, or your neighbor who can’t seem to take a hint. For whatever reason, you're just not jiving with these people.Do you flee? Or, do you get flexible and learn to interact?When we encounter these extreme personalities it can feel like they are trying to make our life miserable, but more often than not, it’s simply learning about these peoples’ tendencies and how to interact in… -
7 Habits of Highly Excellent People
27 Jan 2012 | 2:16 amAre you driven in life? Do you love to excel? I believe all of us do. We are born to be the best we can be and to make the best out of our lives.When I was in high school, I wasn't exactly the kind of student teachers would like. I was truant, didn't do my homework and did badly on my examinations. I was lazy and unmotivated in school. However, after a while I realized that this wasn't who I wanted to be. This wasn't the life I saw myself leading. People around me were judging and negative, and I had enough of all of that crap. I had enough of being discriminated against and I decided to turn…
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NYT > Home Page
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States Negotiate $25 Billion Deal for Homeowners
8 Feb 2012 | 7:37 pmMore than two million Americans could benefit from mortgage relief from the nation’s biggest banks, as part of a broad government settlement to be announced as early as Thursday. -
Austerity Measure Talks Are Stalled in Greece
8 Feb 2012 | 7:26 pmPrime Minister Lucas Papademos and leaders in his government pledged to resume talks to reach an agreement on measures required for a bailout. -
Knicks 107, Wizards 93: Jeremy Lin Leads Knicks Again, 107-93, Over Wizards
8 Feb 2012 | 7:22 pmThe Knicks got another strong game from guard Jeremy Lin, who scored 23 points and had 10 assists as they beat Washington. -
Drilling Reaches Lake Vostok, Long Trapped Under Antarctic Ice Sheet
8 Feb 2012 | 7:20 pmScientists said Wednesday they had reached the waters of a lake that has been sealed off for millions of years. -
Foster Friess, a Santorum Supporter With Deep Pockets
8 Feb 2012 | 7:18 pmFew people played a more pivotal role in Rick Santorum’s victories in Minnesota, Missouri and Colorado than Foster Friess, a wealthy donor to conservative causes.
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chrisbrogan.com
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Throw Away the Maps
6 Feb 2012 | 1:30 amPeople judge us by the path they’ve seen us walk before. They can’t anticipate our future steps. We, ourselves, look to how things have been, what seems to be the lay of the land, without realizing that the maps are not the territory. Want to succeed at work? Then don’t try to do your job. Instead, work towards something larger, more meaningful, and something that blends your convictions internally with your best ability to help others externally. Want to create something new? Then throw away the old, or maybe join two disparate old things together into something new. The… -
The Next Social Networks
5 Feb 2012 | 1:30 amThe rage in social networks right now is Pinterest, partly because it’s probably the first social network that has a much higher adoption rate by females than males, and partly because it’s an interesting concept: somewhere between visual social bookmarking and scrapbooking. What also might not be immediately obvious is that it’s just “easier” to interact there. In that way, Pinterest has something in common with Instagram, which is community around photos. What I’m interested in, though, is Gentlemint, which I keep calling “Pinterest for… -
Learn From Adele – Build Your Platform
3 Feb 2012 | 1:30 amJacq and I just watched Adele Live At The Royal Albert Hall (amazon affiliate link), and though every song was just wonderfully done, I found myself fascinated by what Adele was doing in between each song. Because even though most people would be interested in hearing her belt out her amazing repertoire of hits, what I took away from the performance was Adele’s real magical ability: the ability to resonate with her audience. What Adele Could Teach You About Impact I’m writing something about this right now for my upcoming book with Julien Smith, but I had to share some of the… -
Rob Gokee is a Musical Wizard
2 Feb 2012 | 8:05 amI had such a great experience working with award winning musical composer Rob Gokee. We did some musical work together, and the process was so amazing. Rob helped me create my theme song for Shhh! The Secret Show. So anyhow, he and I sat down to do an interview, and it’s a bit long, but it’s totally worth it. We talk about what collaboration feels like at a distance, what it takes to get music like this made for your own show, and a lot more. Rob’s a hero to me, and has been part of the community for a while. I was so fortunate to have worked with him. Can’t see the… -
Build Your Platform – Start
30 Jan 2012 | 1:30 amThe following is part ONE of a series called Build Your Platform. If you find it interesting, please consider subscribing for free to get the rest of the series. This post is long. You might want to bookmark it for later. The age of social media oversaturation is upon us. People are declaring Twitter bankruptcy to go along with their email bankruptcy. They cite not wanting to start on yet another social network as their reason for not getting more involved with Google+. And just as soon as you start getting into Pinterest, you hear about Path, but wait: there’s Gentlemint, which is…
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Entrepreneur Update
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Seven Ways to Kill Your Meetings and Unleash Productivity
8 Feb 2012 | 12:08 pmDespite studies showing that meetings are a colossal waste of time, they remain common. Here's how to collaborate while cutting back on meetings. -
The Danger of Being Franchisee No. 1
8 Feb 2012 | 10:00 amSure, it's a thrill to get in on the ground floor of a hot new concept. But it's risky to invest in an unproven business model. Here are questions to ask. -
How the White House Became a Social-Media Powerhouse
8 Feb 2012 | 7:00 amMacon Phillips, the White House's director of New Media, describes how the administration is using social media in unique ways -- and how your business can too. -
No-Cost Ways to Increase Your Sales This Year
8 Feb 2012 | 5:02 amYou don't need to spend a lot to win a lot of sales in 2012. -
The Battle Against SOPA Is Far From Over
8 Feb 2012 | 4:00 amEven though the anti-piracy bill has been sidelined, other proposed legislation still exist that pose equal threats to online businesses.
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NYT > Most E-Mailed
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Drilling Reaches Lake Vostok, Long Trapped Under Antarctic Ice Sheet
8 Feb 2012 | 7:20 pmScientists said Wednesday they had reached the waters of a lake that has been sealed off for millions of years. -
Op-Ed Contributor: The Zuckerberg Tax
8 Feb 2012 | 5:41 pmTo fix a flaw in our tax system, mark-to-market taxation would require the superwealthy to pay at least a little income tax on their unsold stock shares. -
Wonder Dog: A Golden Retriever Reaches a Raging Boy
8 Feb 2012 | 2:37 pmA golden retriever was the only thing that could reach a raging, disconnected boy. -
Florence Green, Last World War I Veteran, Dies at 110
8 Feb 2012 | 2:27 pmMrs. Green, a teenage officers’ mess waitress, signed up in the last months of the war and recalled the officers’ courtly behavior. -
Jeremy Lin Has Burst From N.B.A. Novelty Act to Knicks Star
8 Feb 2012 | 2:13 pmJeremy Lin, an Asian-American Harvard graduate, couldn’t find a role in the league. Then he scored 53 points in two games for the Knicks.
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Neuromarketing
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Super Bowl Ads: “Second Payoff” Pays Off
8 Feb 2012 | 11:11 amThe Super Bowl is the biggest day of the year for football fans, and just about as important for neuromarketing companies. The first results of neuromarketing studies from the big game are trickling out, and Innerscope Research observed a strategy employed by multiple advertisers: a “second payoff” at the end of the ad, after the [...] -
Neuromarketing Fun: Add Your Caption
7 Feb 2012 | 5:32 amWant to win a signed copy of my new book, Brainfluence: 100 Ways to Persuade and Convince Consumers with Neuromarketing? I thought we could have a little fun while we’re waiting for the results of the Super Bowl neuromarketing studies to roll in. Read on… Neuromarketing scares some people, even though the techniques used by [...] -
NeuroBowl: Neuromarketing and Super Bowl 2012
3 Feb 2012 | 5:51 amThe Super Bowl may be the biggest sports event of the year and the biggest advertising event of the year, but it’s also the biggest event of the year for neuromarketing companies. With $3 million being spent on every 30 second spot, you can be sure that lots of advertisers rang up their favorite neuromarketing [...] -
Social Personalization and the Doppelganger Effect
1 Feb 2012 | 5:18 amAre you overlooking a way to personalize your ads that goes far beyond the usual “Dear Roger” salutation? In my recent article, Put Your Customer in the Ad, I mentioned that LinkedIn was using profile pictures for targeted ads. Since then, I’ve been able to capture a couple of examples. The first one surprised me [...] -
Time Warner Opens NYC Neuromarketing Lab
26 Jan 2012 | 5:42 amTime Warner Inc. is opening their new “Medialab” at its New York City headquarters. The media giant expects to “generate valuable insights into consumer behavior, evolving media habits and industry trends across all of Time Warner’s businesses, brands and advertising partners.” The lab sounds like one of the more diverse facilities dedicated to this kind [...]
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Mashable!
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Twitter Comedy: How to Be Funny in 140 Characters
8 Feb 2012 | 7:37 pmComedy is king on Twitter. Professional humorists and armchair standups alike have amassed legions of followers that hang on every 140-character quip. Twitter humor is a brand-builder, a great writing exercise, and if you’re really good, it might even land you a job (but probably not, so settle down). So, what does it take to get laughs at this 24/7 digital cocktail party? We asked some of the funniest tweeters around for their tips on cracking wise in the one-liner Renaissance. 1. Start by Being Funny in the First Place Bill Corbett knows a thing or two about landing short quips. He's… -
Check in at Walgreens and Receive Tweet Deal Coupons [VIDEO]
8 Feb 2012 | 7:22 pmWalgreens is tweeting mobile coupons to customers who check in on mobile apps including Foursquare, Yelp and Facebook — letting customers in on deals while they shop. The retailer is taking advantage of knowing who is in one of its 8,000 national locations. It is one of 40 companies currently using LocalResponse technology, which aggregates more than 1 billion checkins per month. January check-in tweet deals at Walgreens included discounts on Halls cough drops coupon, flu shots and Energizer batteries, according to AdAge. LocalResponse is a check-in aggregator that collects publicly… -
‘Walk Off the Earth’ Gets 50 Million YouTube Views in a Month [VIDEO]
8 Feb 2012 | 7:02 pmMeet Walk off the Earth, the ultra-talented quintet that turned its version of a sleeper hit into a viral phenomenon on YouTube and earned itself a record deal. The Canadian indie band posted a video covering Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” last month, and it has since been viewed on YouTube nearly 50 million times. The clip shows the band playing on a single guitar. One strums the guitar while the others tap and pluck along. Now the band — which has been together for nearly six years — has earned itself a record deal with Columbia Records. The captivating… -
DKNY Takes Top Honors at Fashion 2.0 Awards
8 Feb 2012 | 6:41 pmAfter nabbing four of the eight awards handed out at last year’s Fashion 2.0 Awards, apparel brand DKNY was once again recognized for its use of digital media, taking home awards for Best Twitter and Best Blog by a Fashion Brand. The honors are well deserved. DKNY’s Twitter account and Tumblr blog, both of which are run by Donna Karan International SVP of Global Communciations Aliza Licht, are entertaining, informative and exceptionally on-brand. The Twitter account features, among other things, live blogs of CW show Gossip Girl each week, and frequently engages in conversations… -
Connected Cars: How to Accelerate Mainstream Adoption
8 Feb 2012 | 6:20 pmSteve Tengler is a user experience (UX) director at Altia, Inc. He spent over 20 years in automotive design at OnStar, Nissan and Ford. Every so often, the media tells us about an automotive manufacturer on the cusp of delivering wireless, cooperative systems. The reader immediately thinks of Knight Rider, and wanders through a fantasy of connected car heaven. However, this type of news is often miles from accurate; connected car offerings in the near-to-distant future are a different reality. This article examines the delays behind that “nearly done” automotive technology, and analyzes…
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@ProBlogger
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How to Succinctly Report a Blog Issue to Tech Support
8 Feb 2012 | 6:07 amThis guest post is by Matthew Setter of Malt Blue. How often do you find it happening to you? You discover an issue with your site, or one of your community members emails you to tell you about it, and soon you start to see tweets about it too. Maybe it’s as simple as an error message that detracts from the professional appearance of your site. Perhaps the contact form doesn’t send messages to your contact email address. Or is it that the whole site just displays as a blank page, otherwise known as the white page of death? You’re not a programmer, a software engineer or a seasoned… -
Make Your Blog Load Faster than ProBlogger: Part 2
7 Feb 2012 | 12:05 pmThis guest post is by Devesh of WP Kube. A few months ago, I wrote a guest post here called How to Make Your Blog Load Faster than ProBlogger. Today, I’ll go into some more detailed advice to help you speed up your site even more. If you’re a blogger, you already know about the importance of blog loading speed, and the role it plays in search engine rank and marketing your blog. But if this is new territory for you, here are three quick reasons why you need to speed up your blog: Google includes website loading speed as an important metric in their ranking algorithm. If you want… -
How I Beat my Best Month Ever by Doing Something Good, Better [Case Study]
7 Feb 2012 | 6:04 amMid-December 2010: on my photography site, we launched a new campaign—our first ever 12 Days of Christmas promotion. The result was my biggest month of earnings ever up to that point. The idea was simple: offer discounts on 12 products over the 12 days leading up to Christmas. I used a mix of my own ebooks and products from other photography sites with affiliate commissions. The result was massive. Not only did we see some great revenue generated, it created some lovely buzz on the site. Due to the success of the 2010 campaign, in mid-December 2011 we launched our second 12 Days of… -
Six Steps to Make Sure Your Site Is Ready to Go Viral
6 Feb 2012 | 6:00 amThis guest post is by Nancy Sathre-Vogel of Family on Bikes. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Surely Google Analytics was confusing my site with another, way more popular site. There was no way my visitor numbers could be so high! And yet they were. One of my posts had taken off and was spreading like wildfire. Those viral post phenomena that happen to others were now happening to me. The first day, 17,000 visitors came to my website. The next day we topped out at 56,000. Readers were coming in droves. It was exciting. It was exhilarating. My site, viral! Wow! And then I took a… -
How to Handle Criticism: a Practical Guide
5 Feb 2012 | 12:03 pmImage by Stuart RichardsAs bloggers, each of us has to deal with criticism. Blogging is a very public activity—almost all of us has the goal of gaining readers to our blogs—and the more people you reach, the more likely it is that you’ll hear criticisms. “You’re wrong…” “How can you say that? You don’t know what you’re talking about.” “I couldn’t disagree more…” “This is the last time I read this blog!” These are just some of the criticisms bloggers regularly face—I’ve received versions of…
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The Heart of Innovation
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Consultant Outsources Sleep!
7 Feb 2012 | 9:30 pmIn an extraordinary move, destined to be emulated by forward thinking business leaders everywhere, I've just outsourced all my sleep to a guy named Namdev in New Delhi. Yes, it's true. I no longer need to sleep. Namdev does it for me. It's astounding how much more productive I've been this week. And, as if my sleep breakthrough wasn't enough, I've also outsourced all my exercise to a guy named Sung Lee in Malaysia. God bless Sung Lee! He's been on the Stairmaster three hours today and will be working on our delts and pecs tomorrow. Needless to say, I'm feeling totally buff at the moment. -
Creative Thinking Technique #5
7 Feb 2012 | 7:54 pmTHE THIRD EYE OF THE STORM At the center of every storm is total stillness. No matter how much swirling, flooding, and high winds are happening on the periphery, at the core of every storm is complete quiet. The same holds true for the creative process. At the edges of your Big Idea, there is a great swirling: bills to pay, ovens to clean, cars to repair -- the kind of stuff that can easily occupy all your time and attention. That is, if you let it. A true innovator will find a way to deal with the high winds and still have enough time to hatch their big idea. And they will do so in a way… -
A Message for Dads Who Travel
5 Feb 2012 | 8:49 pmThirteen years ago I found myself standing in my closet, madly searching for clean clothes in a last minute attempt to pack before yet another business trip, when I noticed my 4-year old son standing at the entrance. In one hand, he held a small blue wand, in the other -- a plastic bottle of soapy water. "Dada," he said, looking up at me. "Do you have time to catch my bubbles?" Time? It stopped. And so did I. -
The Top 10 Reasons Why The 10 Top Reasons Don't Matter
3 Feb 2012 | 8:01 pm1. If you need more data to prove your point, you'll never have enough data to prove your point. 2. Being unreasonable is often an innovator's biggest advantage. 3. Analysis paralysis. 4. You already know what to do. 5. You're going to follow your gut, anyway. 6. "Not everything that counts can be counted; and not everything that can be counted counts." (Einstein) -
Creative Thinking Technique #4
2 Feb 2012 | 6:54 pmIDEA BRAHMACHARYA In India, spiritual adepts who give up sex to pursue God are known as "brahmacharyas." They believe that their vital power (i.e. kundalini) needs to be completely intact in order for them to have the ultimate experience. They celebrate by being celibate. What does this have to do with you, oh sexually active seeker of the Big Idea? Plenty -- especially when you consider that one of the main reasons why many new ideas never see the light of day is because their originators have a tendency to "prematurely articulate." Indeed, the act of talking about one's idea often takes the…
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Fast Company
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3 Ways To Deal With A No-Win Situation
8 Feb 2012 | 12:41 pmIf you're a Star Trek aficionado, then not only have you heard of the "Kobayashi Maru Scenario" but you can recount it easily to others. For those of you who may not be familiar with it, the Kobayashi Maru Scenario is a no-win situation cadets encounter at the series' Starfleet Academy. In it, the cadet is in command of the Federation ship, responsible for rescuing another Federation vessel (the Kobayashi Maru) from attacking Klingon Warbirds. If the cadet chooses not to save the ship in distress, it will be destroyed with all hands. However, if he goes to the ship's aid, he will precipitate… -
Amazon Inks Deal With Viacom, Sprint Announces iPhone-led Q4 Highs And Lows, Japan Targets 30% Cut In Rare Earth Use
8 Feb 2012 | 12:41 pmBreaking news from your editors at Fast Company, with updates all day.Amazon Inks Deal With Viacom For Video Streaming. Amazon has plumped up its Prime Instant video streaming catalog with a pile new TV shows, courtesy of its new agreement with entertainment hub Viacom. The deal brings up its video count to over 15,000, putting it in a stronger position to compete against the recently formed Redbox/Verizon double act and traditional TV destroyer Netflix. --NS --Updated 9:50 a.m. ESTSprint's Q4 Sees iPhone Led Highs And Lows. Sprint is announcing results coming off its first… -
How To Find Your Next $140 Million
8 Feb 2012 | 11:26 amI recently spent the day with author Andrea Kates, who was challenged to connect the relevance of the working philosophy found in her best-selling book, Find Your Next, with real solutions that can help move businesses forward. Working with the executive team of a national restaurant chain on this particular day, Kates asked herself, "Which single metric could they focus on to yield the most growth for the company?" Her conclusion was that of all the metrics and contributing factors, it all boiled down to a dogged pursuit of increasing guest frequency. She learned that an increase of one… -
New Details On Redbox-Verizon Streaming Service, Netflix Competitor
8 Feb 2012 | 8:33 amYesterday Coinstar, the parent company of Redbox, the 35,400-kiosk-strong movie-rental service, announced a joint venture with Verizon to provide a subscription-based streaming video service, thus positioning the companies in direct competition with Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. Coinstar also announced that it would acquire NCR's entertainment business, which includes its former rival Blockbuster Express, adding more than 9,000 kiosks to Redbox's roster around the country. Now new details about the combined companies' plans have emerged. First, it's clear the companies are adamant about bringing… -
Why Facebook's Daily Active Users Is Not The Number That Matters
8 Feb 2012 | 7:25 amA fracas emerges over the fact that not all daily Facebook users visit the company's website. Advertisers tell us why that's missing the point. More Facebook Coverage Be sure to read about the Facebook investors poised to make billions from the social network's impending IPO. And take a deep dive into our earlier profile of Mark Zuckerberg: Hacker. Dropout. CEO. Then compare the Zuck of yesterday with the Zuck who just penned a letter to investors. Plus, dig into all of the revenues and user numbers. Check back here for more to come in the days ahead. In the new world, however, brand…
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How to Change the World
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Raising Money: What Not to Say and What Not to Believe #OfficeandGuyK
20 Jan 2012 | 10:46 amOver the past two weeks via my partnership with Microsoft and Office Web Apps, I’ve provided templates of models for you to create enchanting PowerPoint pitches, Word business plans, and Excel financial models. They are all available for you to download from my SkyDrive account. I hope these documents and blog posts help you save a boatload of time and increase the quality of your efforts.I leave you with two sets of top ten lies: one of entrepreneurs and one of investors so that you know what not to say and what not to believe. Top Ten Lies of Entrepreneurs “Our projections are… -
Design a Sam Adams beer
20 Jan 2012 | 8:24 amNow this is a fun project. I’m helping Sam Adams “tap” the knowledge of beer drinkers and crowd source its next brew. Join the party by getting the app and designing your beer: The final brew will be released in Austin in the first week of March. #sponsored -
How to Create an Enchanting Financial Forecast #OfficeandGuyK
17 Jan 2012 | 1:52 pmThis is the third post in my Microsoft partnership, and it’s all about numbers. The topic is crafting your financial forecast to include in your pitch. Bill Reichert, my partner at Garage Technology Ventures, created an Excel model and wrote this blog post. There’s a lesson in this too: Get the best person for the job. His grasp of financial models and how to present them exceeds mine by two orders of magnitude. The Purpose of Financial Projections When it comes to financial projections, there are two types of entrepreneurs: first, the “visionary entrepreneur” who… -
How to Create an Enchanting Business Plan #OfficeandGuyK
12 Jan 2012 | 8:16 amHere is the second post in my series about planning, pitching, and launching a new business venture. In partnership with Microsoft and Office Web Apps, I’ve created a Word document that outlines a good business plan. It’s saved to my SkyDrive folder here. Feel free to download it and use it as inspiration. And if you’re working with a partner, you can use the free Word Web App to stay in sync. I provided the PowerPoint document before the Word document because a good business plan is an elaboration of a good pitch as opposed to a good pitch being a distillation of good business plan. -
How to Create an Enchanting Pitch #OfficeandGuyK
9 Jan 2012 | 8:01 amWelcome to the first in a series of blog posts I’ll be doing as part of a partnership with Microsoft and Office Web Apps. Over the next two weeks, I’ll cover everything a budding entrepreneur needs to turn an idea into an enchanting investment opportunity—from the perfect pitch to a killer business plan to financial forecasts. I’m going to start with a little dissertation on creating effective PowerPoint pitches for your company. I embedded the sample deck for you to click through by using the PowerPoint Web App. When you’re ready to get started, you can download the…
