Making Stuff More Efficient

In a previous post I wrote, "Simple living is reducing the clutter of life and space down to the essentials of what is important; allowing what remains to stand out and bring value." And from there I moved on to ways to simplify the physical life. But simplifying our lives starts in our mind, an idea that beyond the physical clutter is a life that is better. It is the answer to the question, "What is my life about?"
flickr/cc - Robert Scoble
The media attention goes to those who sell all possessions and live on 100 things or drop out from CEO life and donate time and money to a charity(not that there is anything wrong with those). For the average person, the steps to a simpler life are smaller and quite often starts with the realization that they don't want to spend all their waking hours working to acquire and pay off stuff.

For the essentials to standout we need to set up some rules:
1. Set limitations - We would like to think we don't like limitations. But it is those limitations that empower us the most. Children must get a lot of rest to grow and function properly, yet as we get older we think we limitations don't apply to us until a scientific study comes out that says we need to get more sleep, drink in moderation and get exercise to grow and function.

Now we need to apply these standards to ourselves. If writing a 140 character tweet to get my point across, than a 1400 word paper must be better. Not always. There is only so much we can convey to someone before it is redundant.

This limitation in word allows us to take that information and make it more powerful in a smaller package. I remember reading about political and religious prisoners who would try to get information out to family and friends in their letters, they would write their short letters with as much information as possible and try to convey a double meaning in what they said. A powerful punch within their confined limitations.

2. Maximize time and energy - Efficiency is the the word for this idea. However, we seem to try to do the opposite, how can I cram as much into my day to be most productive. But there is a bit of a bell curve. The more we put into our day the less they seem to pay off.

It is about a two item to do list, giving yourself the time and energy to properly put into something that will be more rewarding; instead of working on a page of to-do list items in the hopes that you just complete them, who cares how decent they turn out.

With these two rules in mind, we want to choose those things that gives us the best long term reward; the most impact.

How do we determine those things with the most impact and reward? Look at your to-do list and your goals and ask yourself:

  • Will buying this have an impact beyond a week, month or year? 
  • Can this decision bring a positive benefit to my future?
  • How will my actions on this further my goals?
We have many distractions in life so forcing ourselves to a limitation requires us to do things more thoroughly and efficiently. We have gotten out of habit and just moved along with the status quo that this type of change will take time. And each day will bring new teachable moments to ourselves. As Thomas Edison is quoted to have said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10000 ways that won't work."


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/IpRp/~3/a9U88U582UE/making-stuff-more-efficient.html

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Fish Where the Developers Are (2011 Digital Trends Part I)

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Note: This is the first in a series of posts on some of Edelman Digital's eleven trends to watch for 2011. David Armano and I will release the full deck later this week.

One of the oft-repeated maxims in digital and social media circles is to fish where the fish are. Jeremiah Owyang gets due credit here for coining the phrase in this context. In 2011, this doesn't change. But as it gets harder to place bets, a smart play is to also fish where the developers are. 

If you need a starting point, follow developer API trends - and how they're being adopted. According to Programmable Web, the top five types of APIs in 2010: social, Internet, mapping, search and mobile. Some of these are overlooked. Also notice the appearance of Sears on the graphic below. That's a sign of things to come. Marketers will start building their own APIs this year and also more actively courting developers.

The logic is simple. Time and again we've seen that the most successful digital businesses are those that have become platforms - part of the Internet fabric. Consider these examples...

Facebook isn't just a social network, but also a platform that conceivably can make every web site hyper personalized and social. Similarly, Twitter isn't just a web site but an entirely new platform for information that has spawned a tremendous ecosystem of applications and services. The trend is broader, however. Dropbox, Evernote, Bump and Instapaper are becoming essential services that mobile developers across platforms are adding to their apps. PayPal, in much the same way, is becoming the Bank of the Web. (PayPal is part of eBay, an Edelman client.)

Marketers typically don't try to become platforms or court developers, but that's all about to change. An ever-changing array of platforms will erode our fascination with single venues and get us thinking about how we can hedge our bets by helping developers succeed across a portfolio of them.

Our recommendation here is to dedicate some resources (and it can be small) to working with programmers - particularly those in the mobile and social space. Get in early while you can.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/steverubel/~3/f4DW4G460RM/fish-where-the-developers-are-2011-digital-tr

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Minecraft dispensers rigged to exchange cake for death

Need some inspiration for exciting applications of Minecraft's recently added Dispenser block? Why not use it to distribute delicious cakes to hungry adventurers? Also, why not hook up that cake machine to a ten-story-tall wall of flaming arrow cannons? Watch the video below for a deadly demo.

Continue reading Minecraft dispensers rigged to exchange cake for death

JoystiqMinecraft dispensers rigged to exchange cake for death originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 16 Jan 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/16/minecraft-dispensers-rigged-to-exchange-cake-for-death/

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Guest Post: The Commissioner of Tailgating shares his tips for throwing the best end-of-season football party

When the two best pro teams square off at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas on February 6th, football fans in parking lots and homes across the US will be looking to their hosts to put on the ultimate football party. Last year’s Saints vs. Colts matchup broke ratings records with 106 million viewers so this year’s big game is bound to be quite a show.

But watching the game is only part of the fun. It’s the food, the camaraderie and fun that needs to measure up. With that in mind, we invited Joe “The Commish” Cahn- the nationally recognized “Commissioner of Tailgating”- to share his top football party planning tips for the big game.

Joe who draws on 14 years on the road, tailgating with football fans across the country, took a break from preparations for the Bing National Tailgating Championship (www.bingfootball.com) happening in Fort Worth, Texas on February 3rd to impart the essentials for a championship-worthy party.

Never too early to start planning for the “big game”

Well, we are getting closer to the big day in Arlington, Texas -- the finals of the Bing National Tailgating Championship.

Oh, and there is another big game going on that week as well.

Yes, there is still one last week in the regular season and the playoff picture isn’t quite settled (Seattle possibly getting in at 7-9?) -- but it is never too early to start thinking about planning for the biggest game of the year.

We’ll share more tips with you along the way, but consider this your first list of things to think about when you take the tailgate to your home and throw your Super Bowl Party.

1. Decorate in your favorite team colors. This seems pretty obvious. However, if your team didn’t make it to the big dance, consider decorating in your team colors - a foreshadowing of next season -- when you know they’ll go to the championship.

Another option here is to decorate in the colors of the conference you align with. If you’re pulling for the AFC, for example, go to our local fabric store and do it up with simple tablecloths in those team colors.

2. Your party is going to be an all-day event. So make sure that you create a menu that allows people to graze throughout the day. Don’t plan anything formal or “sit-down.” People will be milling about from pre-game, to game-time, to post-game -- so keep ‘em moving and keep ‘em fed.

3. Make sure that you have plenty of ice and water on hand. Yes, water is an “adult” beverage and should be readily available to your guests to keep them going.

4. This is a non-negotiable from The Commish -- always, ALWAYS designate a driver. If you are planning on drinking, make sure that you have a safe way to get home. If you can’t find a designated driver, schedule cab rides to and from your destination. Enough said there.

5. This is one the people don’t often think of -- keeping the food in a separate room from the TV. No one wants people walking in front of the screen when that second half onside kick happens.

Also, having the food in another room allows people who may not want to watch the game (what?) to have a place to congregate and socialize. It’s also nice to have a space to go if your team, ahem, ends up on the wrong end of a blowout.

6. If you are a guest, communicate with the other guests and buy an official NFL game ball. Grab a couple of Sharpies and have everyone sign it. Then, present it to your host as a “Most Valuable Party Thrower” award. They will appreciate it greatly and have something to remember the day.

7. Take plenty of pictures. Bring your digital camera. Or, have disposable cameras around and encourage people to take photos of the day. Then, share them with your friends online.

8. You may also want to create a menu that people can take home with them to remind them of the great food prepared. Break it up into quarters (what was served 1st quarter, 2nd quarter, etc.) and leave some room for people to jot notes. Be creative and make it feel like a game program and something that your guests will enjoy looking at long after the game is over.

We’ll share more tips as we get closer to the final round of the Bing National Tailgating Championship and the championship -- but this is a great place to start.

Happy Tailgating -- and I’ll see you down the road.

- Joe “The Commish” Cahn

Source: http://www.bing.com/community/Site_Blogs/b/search/archive/2011/01/13/guest-post-the-commissioner-of-tailgating-shares-his-tips-for-throwing-the-best-end-of-season-football-party.aspx

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It's the End of the Web as We Know It

The following essay is also my AdAge column this week.

Wither the web? It's hard to believe but soon, if not already, the web is going to become a lot less interesting to consumers -- and just as it approaches its 20th birthday.
 
According to Morgan Stanley, within five years global internet consumption on mobile devices will surpass the same activity on PCs. This sounds like good news. It's natural to think that browsers on the third screen (phones) and the fourth screen (tablets) will simply replace time spent in front of the same on a PC. That's not the case.
 
Mobile devices, by their nature, force users to become more mission-oriented. As more internet consumption shifts to gadgets, it's increasingly becoming an app world and we just live in it. Innovation, fun, simplicity and single-purpose utility will rule while grandiose design and complexity will fall by the wayside.
 
It won't be enough just to build branded mobile applications that repurpose content across all of the different platforms. That's like newspapers taking the print experience and replicating it on the web as they tried back in the 1990s. Rather, we will need to rethink, remix and repackage information for an entirely different modality than platforms of yore.
 
First, let's look at the trends.
 
1) The canvas. The iPad has been deemed by some a blank slate. When you use any mobile device, you're really only able to do one thing at a time. This means that we become entirely engrossed in whatever we have on the screen. Companies will need to up the ante if they hope to keep users in their fold longer. Development costs will go up, and the economics of content and experiences will look more like Hollywood -- where a few hits deliver enough profit to pay for the dogs -- than Madison Avenue.
 
2) Content snacking. How often do you consume media meals -- e.g. engage with a unit of media like a newspaper, magazine or film from start to finish in one sitting? My guess is that you do this less than you did 10 years ago. Content snacking rules today. Popular digital metrics, such as time spent, may soon be useless.
 
3) Infinite choice. It never ceases to amaze me what a single mobile device can hold. Every time I turn on my phone, my finger needs to decide what's more important to me at that time -- friends, work, entertainment, etc. Choice will scale, human attention is finite, and mobile devices put all of this in our pockets. Time is your competition.
 
To succeed, here are three new behaviors we need to consider:
 
1) Adoption. Marketing and media has long been about invention. We like to control our own destiny by bringing to bear the best content and experiences we can muster. However, in an app world it's easier to seek out those who have been successful and partner or acquire them. That's the road chosen by Disney with its purchase of Tapulous, and eBay (an Edelman client) with its acquisition of Red Laser.
 
2) Collaboration. In the mobile world, there's strength in numbers. To fight shrinking attention spans, companies will need to increasingly create partnerships to cut through the noise. Look for applications to pop up that are co-branded and curate content in high-interest verticals.
 
3) Context. When it comes to mobile, one size doesn't always fit all. Content producers will need to rethink how they package up information and chunk it down. ESPN, for example, is rolling out mobile applications that cater to local markets, in addition to wider offerings that are all things to all people.
 
Marketers and media companies must adapt to this new construct -- and fast -- or they will get left behind.
 
Photo credit: #53/365 BlackBerry Apps by Tatsuhiko+ (RIM is an Edelman client)

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MicroBot review: Biohazardous waste

Developers love to hear that their gameplay is "fluid." Extensive amounts of time are spent polishing and tweaking in order to find that perfect motion that gives their game that oh-so-sweet liquidity. And when they pull it off, it's great ... except in the case of twin-stick shooter MicroBot, where it's somehow detrimental.

MicroBot takes fluidity too far. The player takes control of a tiny robot searching a human body for other (infected) robots in order to destroy them. Of course, that means you'll spend your time floating around with the more molecular parts of the human body, so be prepared for some appropriately, well, floaty controls.

Gallery: Microbot

Continue reading MicroBot review: Biohazardous waste

JoystiqMicroBot review: Biohazardous waste originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/14/microbot-review/

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It's the End of the Web as We Know It

The following essay is also my AdAge column this week.

Wither the web? It's hard to believe but soon, if not already, the web is going to become a lot less interesting to consumers -- and just as it approaches its 20th birthday.
 
According to Morgan Stanley, within five years global internet consumption on mobile devices will surpass the same activity on PCs. This sounds like good news. It's natural to think that browsers on the third screen (phones) and the fourth screen (tablets) will simply replace time spent in front of the same on a PC. That's not the case.
 
Mobile devices, by their nature, force users to become more mission-oriented. As more internet consumption shifts to gadgets, it's increasingly becoming an app world and we just live in it. Innovation, fun, simplicity and single-purpose utility will rule while grandiose design and complexity will fall by the wayside.
 
It won't be enough just to build branded mobile applications that repurpose content across all of the different platforms. That's like newspapers taking the print experience and replicating it on the web as they tried back in the 1990s. Rather, we will need to rethink, remix and repackage information for an entirely different modality than platforms of yore.
 
First, let's look at the trends.
 
1) The canvas. The iPad has been deemed by some a blank slate. When you use any mobile device, you're really only able to do one thing at a time. This means that we become entirely engrossed in whatever we have on the screen. Companies will need to up the ante if they hope to keep users in their fold longer. Development costs will go up, and the economics of content and experiences will look more like Hollywood -- where a few hits deliver enough profit to pay for the dogs -- than Madison Avenue.
 
2) Content snacking. How often do you consume media meals -- e.g. engage with a unit of media like a newspaper, magazine or film from start to finish in one sitting? My guess is that you do this less than you did 10 years ago. Content snacking rules today. Popular digital metrics, such as time spent, may soon be useless.
 
3) Infinite choice. It never ceases to amaze me what a single mobile device can hold. Every time I turn on my phone, my finger needs to decide what's more important to me at that time -- friends, work, entertainment, etc. Choice will scale, human attention is finite, and mobile devices put all of this in our pockets. Time is your competition.
 
To succeed, here are three new behaviors we need to consider:
 
1) Adoption. Marketing and media has long been about invention. We like to control our own destiny by bringing to bear the best content and experiences we can muster. However, in an app world it's easier to seek out those who have been successful and partner or acquire them. That's the road chosen by Disney with its purchase of Tapulous, and eBay (an Edelman client) with its acquisition of Red Laser.
 
2) Collaboration. In the mobile world, there's strength in numbers. To fight shrinking attention spans, companies will need to increasingly create partnerships to cut through the noise. Look for applications to pop up that are co-branded and curate content in high-interest verticals.
 
3) Context. When it comes to mobile, one size doesn't always fit all. Content producers will need to rethink how they package up information and chunk it down. ESPN, for example, is rolling out mobile applications that cater to local markets, in addition to wider offerings that are all things to all people.
 
Marketers and media companies must adapt to this new construct -- and fast -- or they will get left behind.
 
Photo credit: #53/365 BlackBerry Apps by Tatsuhiko+ (RIM is an Edelman client)

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/steverubel/~3/obSi4cIqrzQ/its-the-end-of-the-web-as-we-know-it

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Holiday Gifts: Handmade, Local and Re-gifts

For the holidays I received some new eau de toilette and realized that the ones sitting on my dresser had been there for over 3 years and I hadn't worn them in awhile. They smelled pretty good still and they still had over 25% of it left over (all the more reason to buy half an ounce at a time).
And by the way, it is suggested that you keep your eau de toilettes out of the bathroom and put it someplace that keeps at room temperature.
Flickr/CC - morenoandres
A new perfume/cologne, but how to use the old one?
? Use as a room deodorizer (bathroom, bedroom, automobile)
? Spray into a new vacuum bag or emptied container
? Ward off animals around your garden - Spray strips of material and hang around garden
? Hold onto them for a selling at a yard sale (keep them out of the sun though)
? Spray onto your light bulbs - instead of paying $10 a piece, also spray when they are turned off.
? Spritz into the TP roll when changing - save $$ on scented rolls from Charmin
? Use in the drawer, closet or gym bag - spray a cotton ball and put a couple in the corners
? Take it to work and keep handy against those lunch smells

Homemade/Local Made
Let me start off by stating that store bought items are wonderful and I love to receive them. Now I will also say there is a special place in my heart for those items that have had extra sweat poured into them. (Not counting all the cool items handed down through the family)

I still have the king sized peach colored quilt my grandmother stitched for me in 1992. She was unsure how I would use it, and gave me a way to hang it up with a rod as well as sewing information about  the quilt, such as when it was made, by whom and who designed the patterns for it (my great grandmother and great, great grandmother).
Other items around the house that hold a special place in my heart:
? A melted bottle spoon holder
? Bottles of spices made from herb garden
? Many ceramic dishes and housewares made by a family member
? Jars of jelly, cookies and homemade breads
? Locally made organic Zkano socks (won a pair- no rule against being free)
? 8mm home movies put onto a dvd
? Homemade soaps that smell yummy

Organizing the Re-Gifts
This year I only re-gifted one item that I had been holding onto for a few months, it is my goal to re-gift at least one item a year and maybe more; but it isn't something I have control over.

There are just some gifts that don't work with our personality or interests. It is at those times you smile big (include the crinkle at your eyes for a genuine smile) and say "thank you very much!" Then you set the item aside and when you are alone, put a post-it note on the item with the name of the person who gave it to you so you don't accidentally give it back.

Keep a box or an easily accessible corner in the closet to put it away for that upcoming birthday or holiday where you can pull it out and wrap it for another person who will appreciate it more, thus saving yourself money and not wasting the money of the giver.

Flickr/cc - tornatore
6 Words of Wisdom on Re-gifting:
? It's a Secret - Don't let the giver or the receiver know, unless you are certain they are ok with the idea of re-gifting.
? Clean and Update it - Make sure the dust is cleaned off and any old wrapping is removed. Clean the past off and give it a new future.
? Stay Away from Hand-me-downs - If I've seen you wear it around and I said I liked it, I really don't want it as a gift. Re-gifts should look like new. There are the occasional special situations, such as the family heirloom. But the bamboo cutting board should look new, not like you used it for last night's stir fry.
? Keep Track - Like I said above, find a way to keep track of who the giver was, so that you don't give it back to them or their circle of friends and they recognize it again.
? Sell it off - When you have no idea who to re-gift the item to, then sell it off to someone new and use the money towards your gift buying. Or even better, give it away to a charity and get a tax write-off receipt for it.
? Re-gifting White Elephants - These are the same items you give back and forth to the same people over and over again. This is something that is mutually agreed upon. This would be a used book, or a bad brick of bread and so on.

What are some items you would NEVER re-gift?


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/IpRp/~3/U6zg2r1G0Hk/holiday-gifts-handmade-local-and-re.html

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