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Clint Eastwood for President.

Every time election cycles role around I begin to feel very left out. I feel like I haven’t had a candidate that represents my beliefs, or the attitude that I feel we should project as Americans. Some people say that not voting is a waste of a vote, and I used to have that mentality. To me, not voting for any candidate says a lot too. I am tired of giving my vote to the lesser of evils. From this point on a candidate has to completely earn my vote, or I will simply not vote. Not voting is my one way to stand up to politicians. If you are not worthy of my vote, you will not get it.

Now that brings me to what I really started this post wanting to say. America used to have a unique feeling about it. It was adventurous, thriving, innovative, warm hearted & proud. We are losing that feeling. I was thinking about hollywood icons that embodied things I would like to see in a President and it occurred to me that Clint Eastwood was the right match for me. Now I have no idea what his political beliefs are, I am basing this purely off a gut feeling and overall attitude that he has projected through the years.

I did a little bit of research to find out some things about him, and was surprised by what I found.

We all knew it, but he is tough.

As a baby he weighed in 11lbs 6 oz and was nicknamed “Samson” by the nurses.

In 1951 he was on a Douglas AD bomber which ran out of fuel and crashed into the ocean; he swam 3 miles to shore to survive.

He keeps a regular schedule of exercise and healthy eating to keep him self in shape, even at 80.

He is artistic.

We all know the countless wonderful movies he has starred in, directed, and produced.

He is supportive and active in helping maintain films schools and theaters all over the world.

He is a life long music nerd. He is loves jazz and is a pianist and composer.

He is a businessman

Not only has his film career been highly successful, but he has also opened several small businesses of his own. He was elected mayor of his town in California, and has been a strong figurehead in fighting for the small businesses in that area.

I don’t believe he has any political aspirations to become President, but I could just imagine someone telling him no; I see him just slapping them across the face and saying something like “did you get the message or do I need to deliver it more personally”. This probably isn’t the greatest of solutions but at least he would take a stance and show real leadership, which is something so desperately missing with the current administration. He has countlessly portrayed in movies his willingness to act when called upon, and has been sincere and honest in his apologies when his actions were to rash. I can respect that, and I wish there was more of that in the world. He embodies the feeling that I feel like America should have, after all, we are adventurous, thriving, innovative, warm hearted & proud people. It is time for a leader to reflect those qualities again.

Saturn is amazing

This is a clip from an IMAX movie called “Outside In”. It also happens to be one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. No 3D CGI to create these clips. This is Saturn as it should be seen. I feel so lucky to be able to see things like this. If you would like to make a donation to help fund the film you can check out their website here.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did, it really is amazing.

5.6k Saturn Cassini Photographic Animation from stephen v2 on Vimeo.

Delectable Collectables

Radiohead has been crafting music that I love for a number of years now. They recently announced their newest record “The King of Limbs” and they did it the usual Radiohead way. They broke the social norms of releasing to iTunes and stores again. They broke away from the pay what you want model of “In Rainbows” and are trying yet another new release idea….Newspaper Albums accompanied by digital downloads. At first glance you look down and see $53.00 for the top end album pack. I talked to a few people (non-Radiohead fans) since the word went out and everyone was in shock at the price tag I was willing to pay for the record. For me it wasn’t even something I had to think about, it was released and I had to have it.

That brings me to today which started pretty normal; I woke up and flipped open my laptop to find that they had released the digital download an entire day early. How fantastic! I jumped over to the website and started my digital download and had it playing as soon as it was humanly possible. As I was listening to their always evolving newest sound I thought about why I was wanted this record so bad, and why so many of my friends felt the same way. It dawned on me; their releases are like a collection to me. For years they have been crafting each piece of my collection and I eagerly await each new piece. It’s not a traditional collection like coins or cards but they have somehow managed to be just as important as some rare heirlooms. I’m not sure when I stopped buying Radiohead’s albums for the sole purpose of enjoying the music but that hasn’t made me love what they make one iota less.

I think there are a lot of opportunities for musicians or companies in general to think about this type of thing and connect. I hope I find more artists to collect and cherish.

If you have never really given them a chance, you should go check out their new release for yourself. You can get it at http://thekingoflimbs.com

Ernest Hemingway would have been a Steelers fan

My dad is really smart and he wrote this and I really wanted to share this with everyone.

Ernest Hemingway would have been a Steelers Fan
By: Tim Chilcott Sr.

After a few days of celebration and time to listen to all of the experts I have finally come to my own conclusion about last weeks AFC Championship game. As an avid fisherman I have often found life tends to mimic the struggles found in that pursuit. Hemingway has already described this best, so my offering is only a humble tribute to the master. The simple truth is that the Jets were the fish and the Steelers were the fishermen. One is the predator and one is the prey. Big fish only get that way by being cautious and smart when the fisherman is around. They lurk in dark pools and strike without warning often catching the fisherman by surprise. But this was not the nature of the Jets. They came into the waters of the Three Rivers riding high on a wave of boastfulness and bravado. They swam in the daylight and splashed around daring the fisherman to begin the fight. The old fisherman was happy to oblige. The Steelers readied their gear, carefully laid out the best tackle and bait for the fish. They strapped themselves in for what was sure to be a battle and then let the lure fly. The fish saw the bait land and immediately went in for a look. The Steelers methodically reeled in their flashing steel jig teasing the Jets ever closer to the boat. THis fish was hungry. This fish had no fear. “Fish On!” cried the fisherman. The Jets were on the line and the Steelers wasted no time in setting the hook. During the first half of the fight the Steelers drug the Jets thru the water at will. The fish was stunned and managed barely a fight up against the fisherman’s brute strength. The bend of the pole, the tautness of the line and the sharpness of the hook all left this once proud beast nearly drained. Now every fisherman knows that hooking the fish is just the beginning and that actually landing it is where the real art comes in. If the fisherman lowers his guard for an instant or lets the line go slack the fish can escape his capture. At halftime the Steelers tightened their belt and set their feet firmly in the fighting chairs footrest for they knew what was coming next. The Jets however had something completely different going through their minds. They now knew they had been caught. It’s the panic that sets into all animals when the doom of being captured is realized. They must now fight or die! From the beginning of the third quarter the Jets struggled to pull themselves away from the Steelers boat. They thrashed and twisted and managed to go deep. They were back in the fight. The fisherman held on…applying just enough pressure to try and slow the monster down. The fish saw hope, if he could just drag the boat towards his island. It may just make it. The clock was ticking and once again the fisherman stiffened his back and the fish was denied. The fisherman now knew that the fish was dying. It had given its all and anything more would only be the final steps of a dance to the end. THe fisherman reeled in with new enthusiasm and this time as the fish came up to the surface it slowly rolled over and slid in next to the boat. With the gaff in hand the captain lifted the prize from the waters for all to see. Now unbuckled, the fisherman lowered the catch into the boats hold. The Steelers had caught themselves a Jet and it would go down nicely with the Raven from the week’s prior catch.

As the boat heads south for warmer waters the fisherman readies himself for the next battle. A fish that is cunning and strong. It’s a fish that the fisherman respects as an equal. However the fisherman knows one thing and it is that one thing that all fishermen have known since the beginning of time. It’s better to be the fisherman that the fish, the hunter than the hunted. Go Steelers!!! “Fish On!”

Scientists & Sheep

I would rather examine life and figure out why things are the way they are than be a sheep. Ive always been the scientist in some sense and I don’t think I can ever just be content pretending like things don’t matter. I will probably use this as an excuse to keep testing people to find the answers I am looking for. In life you are either looking for answers or being tested for them. What category do you fall into? Are you searching for reasons, trends, and understanding, or are you the one being studied? Like I said I’m no sheep. The more you test the boundaries of what is possible, the more boundaries of possibility you will break.

Falling Leaves

Every day for the past month I have walked past the tree above. I’ve watched the fiery red leaves fall off gradually over this period of time, every day waiting for the last one to be gone. Today was that day. I get subtle wake up calls every so often to how amazing nature really is.

Every year this tree sheds what it doesn’t need in order to survive through the long winters. It sends a chemical message to all the leaves basically letting them know its time to leave.

Think about this process applied to your life or your business. Are you forcing the dying pieces of what you are doing to leave when its naturally time, or are you cutting off entire dead limbs later to compensate? How can you setup your own natural fall season?

To see the big picture, start looking at it

Recently we had the Leonid meteor shower pass over North America and Asia. Being a bit of an astronomy nerd, things like this have always fascinated me. Most of the time its hard to find friends that want to drive off to the middle of nowhere in the early hours of the morning to see some shooting stars.

This year I’m in NYC and the light pollution here is horrible. I’ve barely seen a star here.
Some new friends and I decide to go out and at least try and look for something. After a while I started noticing one here, one there. No one else there was seeing anything.

At this point I asked them where they were looking. They all started pointing up as if I was stupid for asking. I told them to be specific about where they were looking. I got responses like “by that bright star” or “next to the moon”.

From years of doing it wrong in the past I knew what the problem was. They weren’t allowing their eyes to adjust to the light. They were looking at the brightest objects causing them to miss the dimly lit shooting stars. I had them all refocus and look at the sky as a whole. I told them to focus on the darkness. One by one they all started noticing one here, one there.

A lot of times people want to see the big picture but they remain so focussed on the bright details that it blinds them from seeing whats going on at large.

Ask For What You Want

Every waking moment that I am outside of my apartment in NYC, I am constantly asked at every corner, subway stop, and on every train for some change. I normally don’t carry any cash or change so its very easy to avoid any awkwardness.

I’ve lived here for just over a month and every day the same thing, “change?” over and over again. That is until a few days ago. An obviously homeless man walked up and asked me for twenty dollars. I was shocked but instantly compelled to pull out my wallet and give him my only twenty.

In an instant this man had done something to me that led me down that path. He stood out from the crowd by asking for what he really wanted. He started an internal dialogue inside of me “should I do it? twenty bucks is a lot of money! but I’ve had those times when twenty bucks would seemingly fix almost anything”.

I handed over the cash and he said “thank you kindly” and then he walked over to the a deli and ordered a sandwich.

In reality the story at hand isn’t about him or me for that matter. It’s about you. How many times have you asked for less than you really wanted and gotten exactly that. As a designer under bidding a project, or for a birthday asking for a sweater when you really want a pony. Chances are if you ask for a sweater you won’t be getting a pony so why set yourself up for failure. Ask for a pony and you never know what may happen.

Glider Pilots

It’s amazing to me the number of ideas I dream up which stem from a “meaningless” tweet. A few short weeks ago I tweeted out “if you are doing it right it isn’t a grind, its a glide“. It took about five minutes before the gears started turning and I was in full thinking mode.

I started thinking a lot about glider pilots, and how much I really wanted to be one. I thought about the similarities between great business people and these pilots, and was blown away.

Glider pilots are risk takers, but they are the right kind of risk takers : calculated risk takers. They step into the cockpit with full knowledge that they are going to be falling back to earth with no engine, but have trained themselves to best handle any situation which may occur, therefore maximizing potential and minimizing risk.

When problems do occur or they start to veer off course, they fix these problems by making minor corrections. They realize that the slightest turn of the stick can correct a tremendous amount over a long distance. Large sporadic movements cause you to lose elevation and become unstable.

They are also journeyman, or people who are more focussed on the fun they have flying than on their final destination. They live the moment which allows them to enjoy and react faster and more precisely.

Glider pilots also do something very unique. They take advantage of updrafts to gain altitude which allows them to travel longer distances. It’s a reactionary tactic which allows you to capitalize on opportunity.

Above all I think glider pilots are innovators. They have taken the dream of many; to fly, and turned it into something that almost feels organic. They have managed to suspend themselves in a self created heaven with just enough time to enjoy the ride without dying.

For my money there isn’t a cooler job. But here is what I want to know. What’s your job title, what do you do, and what sounds like the coolest job in the world to you?

I think we can bridge the gap. I’m now a glider pilot. What are you?

Clutter

They say a cluttered desk is a cluttered mind, and I definitely think there is some truth to that. I know that I have a huge problem with keeping my desk area clean and it definitely get’s distracting to me. As soon as I notice the clutter becoming a distraction I tend to try and knock out the problem then. It usually only takes about 10 minutes to get tidy but it saves me hours in the long run allowing me to be more efficient with my time.