Chase Jarvis this is all your fault!

A few months back a very good friend of mine upgraded his camera from a Nikon D60 to the brand new Nikon D90. He explained to me that he just had too much money and didn’t know what to do with it all. Immediately I was intrigued. I started doing some research and found every excuse in the book to upgrade my $250 entry level camera to a D40. I searched on Craigslist.com and eBay. My friend suggested I go to Henry’s, do some serious research, and talk to the professionals. I’ve been there about 4 times in the last few weeks. It’s incredible how I talk myself in to the best of the best. I also have the tendency to make sporadic decisions that aren’t the greatest and I always end up wishing I would have just saved a little bit longer and purchased exactly what I wanted. So that’s my plan.

In my world, purchasing a used kickass camera is completely out of the question. There are so many issues including warranty, knock offs, and my favourite… choosing a POS! And I know that if I spend the money I will take the time to learn about my new prized possession and incorporate it into my busy lifestyle. Furthermore, I have always had a huge interest in photography and I am sure the Nikon D90 is built to last. With this in mind I urge you to take 5 minutes and 39 seconds out of your busy day to check out the video that made me fall in love. Kevin thanks so much and I hate you… You will soon cost me an arm and a leg for something that I have always wanted but never really taken the time to learn about – until now… Also, Chase Jarvis if you ever read this… THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT…

Post Script: Check out www.chasejarvis.com – this guy is a master at his own domain – a true gem!

Find your passion.

Okay, so I’m at the stage in my life where I have to start selling myself. I also need to find my passion. Where the hell do you look for your passion? I’ve looked everywhere!

I spoke with a rather established gentleman who happens to be a colleague of mine and he told me that I just have to jump in to something and see what I think. If it sucks, move on. Life and work is all about experiencing things for yourself. I guess that’s what I have to do.

So, with that in mind, my advice to me is this:

- DO NOT listen to anyone else but yourself

- Do you homework. Everyone that has experienced something for themselves have their own opinions – both good and bad. Generate your own opinions based on your own research.

- Get started. Get on the phone, email people, get involved and ask lots of questions. But do it now, today, right now!

Before I go find my passion and start doing some research I will leave you with this video. A friend of mine sent it to me and I was blown away. This guy is awesome.

Time Travel: Einstein’s Big Idea

I had a discussion a few days ago with some friends about time travel. Although I am not too good with physics the conversation was very interesting and having the internet at our fingertips helped as well. I realize that the video may not be the best but take a look at it. If you take a second it totally makes sense.

Powered by YOU

 

I just finished reading another interesting article in the New York Times. There is a fitness center in Hong Kong called California Fitness and it is an Asian-based subsidiary of 24 Hour Fitness Worldwide. This fitness center is marginally different from most. At California Fitness the exercisers actually power the gym. The founders of the program “Powered by YOU” run an alternative-energy company in Hong Kong.

How does it work you ask? Well, when a member begins to exercise, the machine captures the energy (otherwise lost as heat) and converts it to electricity to run the light above the machine. A single person can produce 50 watts of electricity per hour working out at a moderate pace. “If you spend just an hour per day on a machine annually, you could generate 18.3 kilowatt-hours of electricity,” says one of the founders Lucien Gambarota. That’s the equivalent of powering a three-bedroom home in New Jersey for 14 hours. Since the program made its debut last year, 13 exercise machines have been hooked up; the chain plans to extend the project to its 24 other clubs throughout Asia. What an incredible idea!

Chris Bryant – Just Do It

 

Chris Bryant had a dream. He always wanted to be in a Nike commercial. Let me tell you, this guy has an interesting talent. At the age of eight he began jumping over things. I found a video that was sent in to The Ellen Degeneres Show where Bryant jumped over a car, trash can and chair at the same time. Ellen generously had Bryant on the show.

Not only did he get to be in a Nike commercial, but he also got to design his own Chris Bryant shoe to be sold online at www.NikeiD.com, he received a $5,000 gift certificate for Nike Town New York and Nike donated $10,000 to a charity of Bryant’s choice. This guys dreams came true all because of an interesting talent and someone taking a chance. Thats awesome. Check out the Nike ad…

Here’s to the Crazy Ones

 

A friend of mine sent me this video and it blew me away. I don’t know where he finds this stuff but he does. If you have a chance, check out his blog:

 

www.thekevblog.wordpress.com

 

Yep, you guessed it. My creativity has a source. This name is Kevin. Kev, you’re awesome! Thanks again for the ideas.

 

So he sent me this video and I watched it a few times. After seeing it, I realized there are others out there just like me. I believe we are called “The Crazy Ones.”

 

Growing up I was a bit of  “a trouble maker.” I didn’t really enjoy rules and often found intelligent ways around them. I was always thinking of more efficient ways of doing things, even if they were the simplest of tasks. I was often called lazy. I thought I was being smart.

 

Today, being done school and looking for employment, I can’t settle. I can’t settle to work for “the man”. I can’t sign up for something that I do not want to be apart of, something I am not passionate about. And I don’t want to get up in the morning and not love what I do.

 

After watching this short clip I had a sigh of relief. There has to be something out there for me, and others that feel the same.

 

 

 

Although I knew what the ad was about, it still surprised me. It’s plain and simple. I want one (I guess that’s what I’m supposed to think after seeing that).

 

I did some more searching and found one of the creative minds behind apple. His name is Steve Jobs. After he dropped out of college he suddenly had more time to attend the classes that interested him. Go figure! At the age of twenty an Apple fell from a tree. Along with his partner in crime Steve Wosniak, that Apple grew from guys in a garage to a $2 billion company with over 4,000 employees. Please, do yourself a favor and watch this video. It will all make sense.

 

This is Steve Jobs’ commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005.

 

Make It Right

In December of 2006 Brad Pitt met with a group of experts to discuss the possibility of building green affordable housing to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. Previously, Pitt had sponsored an architectural competition with the goal of generating the ideas on how to rebuild sustainability.

The project was to take place in the Lower 9^th Ward of New Orleans, one of the areas most devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Brad Pitt put together a team of local architects and the group set of goal of building 150 safe, affordable, sustainable, high design quality homes. Although 150 homes may not seem like a lot, it was one of the largest rebuilding projects in the city. Another very interesting goal the team had was to produce a system that could be easily replicated. Interesting…

The architects were asked to design a 1200-square-foot house that was five to eight feet off the ground with a front porch and three bedrooms. The houses had to cost around $150,000 and the donations to Make It Right would help cover the financing. Take a look at some of the designs

http://makeitrightnola.org/mir_SUB.php?section=mir&page=designs&mySub=main

In February of 2007 I was given an opportunity to travel to Biloxi, Mississippi and see first hand the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. I travelled with Habitat for Humanity and our goal for the week was to build as many homes as we could (a few of us saw Brad and Jennifer going into a hotel).

It had been almost a year and a half since the hurricane hit so I really did not know what to expect. I did some research online and after seeing pictures I thought to myself, there is no way it could still be that bad.

It was like nothing I could image! The streets of destruction were endless. Houses were nothing more then a pile of beat up old memories. There were boats on top of cars and garbage everywhere. Just horrifying.

I can remember the pain I felt in my shoulders as I carried yet another stack of shingles up the ladder. This pain did not even come close, not for a second, to what the people of New Orleans experienced.

We had the opportunity to go out to a few local pubs during the week. When you have the opportunity to hear some of the stories and meet some of the people first hand it changes your life. Everyone was so receptive. The questions never ended…

How long are you staying?

When are you coming back?

How many more people can you bring back the next time?

If you ever need a place to stay…

What an experience! There are so many people in the world that are less fortunate. I gave up a week of my time and it helped me realize how lucky I really am. It really put things in perspective and it was one week. I want the opportunity to do more…

Here is something interesting. The more we see celebrities on board with “The Green Movement” the more I see People Magazine and Entertainment Tonight Online covering the stories. Maybe we can get away from:

“Gossip: Is Cameron Diaz dating Diddy?”

“Attempted Murder for 50 Cent?”

Who really cares? Why don’t we become more educated as a society and take some time to contribute, Take some time to learn, and take some time to unlearn.

The Mystery Box

J.J. Abram worked on many films including Armageddon, Joy Ride and Mission Impossible III. Check out his presentation at TED in March of 2007.

Two very powerful statements in this presentation really stood out.

“Mystery is the catalyst for imagination.”

Take a second to think about your formal education. Think about all the things you were taught in the classroom. I was given the opportunity to attend post secondary school. In four years I can proudly say I learned how to learn. However, after seeing “The Mystery Box” I ask myself a few questions. Why in my post secondary education was I not given the opportunity to imagine? Sure, I got a science degree and memorized textbooks upon textbooks of concepts and theories but why didn’t I get an opportunity to write a paper about the future of science? Why wasn’t I doing research about how the world is changing and how I will work to collaborate with that change? Why didn’t we talk about global warming? Why wasn’t I prepared for the world I am entering?

Ken Robinson tells a story of a little girl in a drawing lesson and according to the teacher, the girl hardly ever paid attention. However in this particular drawing lesson she did. So the teacher wanders to the back of the classroom and asks the little girl what she’s drawing and the six year old responses by saying “I am drawing God.” The teacher claims that “no one knows what God looks like.” The little girl responds by saying “you will in a minute.”

Ken Robinson was right. Education does kill creativity.

“No community is best served when only the elite have control.”

We live in a world where there is so much more opportunity for the “not so elite” to create, collaborate, and imagine. Embrace and practice the ideas of Wikinomics. Take mass collaboration to the next level. Apply for a position above your qualifications. Dare to imagine. Do what Abram did and create. Go out and make your own movie. More often then not, luck seems to fall into the hands of those that are working just a little bit harder. Take time after work or after school to do what you enjoy.

And the next time you see a blank screen or a white piece of blank paper remember the mystery box. Look at that screen and think of the opportunity, think of the possibilities, imagine.