So I find myself at LA Fitness tonight splitting my time between the treadmill, listening to Wayne Dyer's The Secrets of the Power of Intention, reading my RSS feeds via Bloglines on my Blackberry and watching the best bowl game ever as Texas upset USC. 

Loved every minute.  Oh, and I put Dyer and the Blackberry on hold and chatted with my folks for a half hour or so too. 

My only regret?  Giving up on the Longhorns when USC took a 12 point lead in the fourth quarter.  My lack of faith resulted in listening to thrilling conclusion Old School-style on the radio on the way home. 

Anyway, the only point to this is that I think a workout is an extra time to sneak in more productivity.  Or more mindfulness.  Just be conscious of what you're doing either way. :)

Great (as usual) Cuban blog post:

The Long Tail of Investing

I'll invest my money in LearnOutLoud and Zaadz thank you very much. :)

A movie about the 09/11 hijacking of Flight 93:

Flight 93

Will this be a celebration of the heroism of those onboard the flight or a shameless attempt by Hollywood to make money off of the tragedy?

I'm really hoping the former...and fearing that it will be the latter...

A cool personal development blog I came across recently:

Phil Gerbyshak Challenges You to Make It Great!

Nice work Phil! :)

Humorous tech-related predictions for 2006:

Ten Predictions for the New Year

My favorite?

In retaliation for Gore’s bold foray onto the Internet, George W. Bush will be the latest to come under fire for editing his own Wikipedia biography. Although Wikipedia will have implemented the most sophisticated algorithms to deter this kind of behavior, Bush will be caught because he will change all instances of “George” to “I”.

:)

I had the distinct privilege of being invited to attend an advance screening of the new movie Peaceful Warrior which is based on Dan Millman's book Way of The Peaceful Warrior.  The movie comes out in June and you'll definitely want to check it out.  It's both a touching story and very thought-provoking.  And I would highly recommend reading the book or listening to the audio book beforehand.  As with any movie a lot gets left out but I thought they did do a pretty good job in sticking to the theme of the book.

If you're interesting in catching a little of Dan's work for free you can take a listen to the Dan Millman Podcast which we host on LearnOutLoud.  We've only got one episode currently up but more will be on the way soon. 

Thanks to Dan for the invite and kudos to him and everyone at Lion's Gate for their work on the film.  It may or may not be the next Hollywood blockbuster but the inspiration it will provide for many will far outweigh any dollar figures.

Or perhaps the other ways around? :)

Your expanding customer base

Wow, 23% of Americans are obese?! If that isn't a health crisis I'm not sure what is...

I'm trending toward a vegan diet these days for a number of reasons and while I know the benefits, one of the tough things for me has always been coming up with enjoyable alternatives to the foods I've enjoyed in the past.  I've always liked food and feel that enjoyment of it is important.  One of the criticisms I've had in the past of dietary recommendations from people like Tony Robbins (in Living Health) and John Robbins (no relation) is that their diets seem way too restrictive.  If you don't really care about the sensual element of food and just see it was fuel that's fine.  But what about us food lovers?

Well if you're like me you may want to check out a wonderful cookbook called Vegan Planet.  I bought it a B & N last week and put together a few of the recipes over the weekend (Quick-as-Lightning Chili, Pesto Paglia e Fieno with Green and Yellow Squash, Maple-Pecan French Toast and Fusilli with Roasted Asparagus, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts). Mmm!!! :)  Needless to say that I'm fast learning that the words "vegan" and "enjoyable" are definitely not mutually exclusive.  It's fun too to discover new foods, spices, etc. that I probably wouldn't have used in my regular cooking. 

Order the book and see what you think.  The recipes are easy to prepare, the ones I've tried so far have been delicious and chances are that you probably won't even miss the fact that you're not eating meat or dairy.

You guys are the best! :)  I've been having a blast commenting on blogs and goals and posting a few of my own blog entries.  I'm incredibly amazed by how vibrant and positive this community is already and it's just getting going.  Nice...

Anyway, I wanted to give a little something back so I wanted to extend the offer of free audiobooks to some of you folks.  We just rolled out our audiobook store in November but we're up to about 2,000 titles already.  Here's the link:

LearnOutLoud.com Audiobook Store

There's a bunch of really good inspirational stuff in there range from Wanye Dyer to Tony Robbins to Marianne Williamson and more.  If you find something you like ping me here on Zaadz or at jon@learnoutloud.com and I'll send you a $15 GC (no minimum order so if you pick a cheapie you'll get it for free!).  No strings attached, just give me a bit o' feedback about how your order went.  I hope to hear from ya!

(Note: At this time we can only ship CDs and cassettes to the U.S.  Soon we'll have a lot of downloadable titles and when those are up I'll extend this same offer to all of the non-U.S. Zaadzsters!)

The fellas on the dev team (thanks Ryan!) changed my URL so I'm now jon.zaadz.com.  Audio Learner is a great title but it was a mouthful as a domain name.  All of the links and everything should work and this one will be a little easier to remember. :)

Interested link for those seeking to become more aware of what a diamond really means...

Ten Reasons Why You Should Never Accept a Diamond Ring from Anyone, Under Any Circumstances, Even If They Really Want to Give You One

Great blog post from Guy Kawasaki.

It's Martin Luther King Day today in the U.S. and for some reason this celebration of it means more to me than any previous one.  I think it's a few things.  First, it's no doubt had to do with the fact that we've put a good amount of time lately into our MLK Out Loud page on LearnOutLoud (a collection of Martin Luther King audio books, speeches, videos, etc.).  I also think it's a bit of equating King's quest for justice and equality in the U.S. in the 60s to the current struggle for justice and equality in Africa (something Bono has talked a lot about on the recent U2 tour).  And I think some of it has to do with looking to King's courage and audacity as inspiration while I get our business off the ground.  Finally it's no doubt been that I've spent some time recently listening to A Knock at Midnight, a fantastic collection of King's sermons. 

I know a lot of America will "sleepwalk" through the MLK holiday seeing it as nothing more than a good excuse not to have to show up to work on a Monday morning.  And I know that I've done exactly that in the past. 

And I'm glad, very glad, that I won't be doing that tomorrow.

I was going through some bookmarks tonight and came across this one.  It's from a while back but my guess is that many of you here haven't seen it before.  It might give you goosebumps.  It might make you cry.  It will make you think.

Sarah McLachlan's Video for "World on Fire"

There's so much to be done in this world.  Together we can make a difference.  Together we must make a difference.

Back to work...

This is perhaps one of the things that I'm most passionate about.  I've never been most optimistic about our ability to providing meaningful and lasting help to Africa and so much of it has to do with the potential for technology to bring Africans up on a more even footing economically than they've ever been.  This post is a great example of this:

Using Technology to Fight Poverty

I've blogged about this a couple of times before (here and here).  It's an issue very near and dear to my heart. 

My next vehicle will be a hybrid.  Came across this pretty sweet site tonight that I thought I'd share:

HybridCars.com

I love discovering new music and my recent obsession with Real Rhapsody has made this easier than ever.  Their recommendations are pretty good but it's always good to get some fresh new picks.  One service that's pretty cool for this is Pandora.  But I found another source of cool new tunes tonight...Zaadz. 

I was cruising through a bunch of profiles and realizing how music I've yet to listen to in my life.  Since this community is shaping up to be so incredibly cool I figured that the music choices of my fellow Zaadzsters might be worth checking out.  Well, I'm one recommendation in (Obi's props for the Motorcycle Diaries soundtrack) and I'm sold. 

So stock up your profiles boys and girls.  This fella is on a hunt for some new tunes!

Just saw some of the photos from the marathon I ran a week and a half ago.  They're pretty hilarious.  This one perfectly depicts how the first 18 miles or so went:

Joy

This one depicts the last 8 miles pretty well.

Pain

:)

This commercial pretty much sums up why we started LearnOutLoud.  To make this a reality for children around the world (and everyone else too). 

I think you should see this...

How incredibly cool is that?

I love my job.

An interesting thread here at Zaadz got me started on thinking about something and I wanted to jot it down before I lose it.  I'm on about my 20th hour of work today so this might not be entirely coherent but here goes...

In the future online companies will find themselves increasingly divided into one of four quadrants: Superior Open, Superior Closed, Inferior Closed and Inferior Open.  What do these mean?  Let's start with Superior Closed.

Superior Closed - This is a company that has kick-ass technology but tries to do everything that they can to get people to play in their sandbox and avoid everyone else's.  In the audio book space it's Audible.com.  I like Audible a lot but sometimes they frustrate me with the proprietary nature of their products.  For instance, they just launched a podcast application and are basing it all around their .aa file format rather than the much more open, flexible .mp3 file format.  That's the definition of being superior but also trying to hold all the cards rather than opening up and letting the cards fall where they may.

Inferior Closed - This is a company that has inferior technology but then tries to build "walled gardens" around its technology to force others not to leave.  The record companies have done a lot of this.  Back five years ago or so they didn't have the capability to allow people to easily and inexpensively download files.  So what did they do?  They tried to prevent people from sharing files online by shutting down Napster/Kazaa/Grokster/etc.  It can be a winning position, at least for a while, but I don't think it can ultimately succeed in the long run.

Inferior Open - This is the company that knows that its products or technology aren't as good as the competition's but makes up for it but opening its gates and allow other people to play.  A lot of Web 2.0 companies fall under this banner.  They might not be as on top of their game as the Googles and Yahoos of the world but their willingness to be open helps to make up for it.  The danger of being an inferior open company is that if you are too inferior people will just take their data/content/etc. and go elsewhere.  You have no lock-in.

Superior Open - Here's the sweet spot for companies.  Have incredibly kick-ass technology but at the same time allow a lot of openness.  After all, if you truly have superior technology you don't really need to worry about people leaving to go elsewhere . Eventually they'll be back.  Precious few companies end up in the superior open quadrant.  Google is to an extent (e.g., allowing mash-ups of Google Maps).  No doubt people can think of other examples.  But most companies feel that being too open will hurt their business.

Here's an example.  Let's say that a company like Amazon or Netflix allowed me to take my purchase/review/rating history with me to other sites.  For instance, I could export this data and bring it over to Barnes & Noble and B & N would know just as much about me as Amazon does.  Bad for Amazon right?

Wrong.

One of the reasons why I don't rate/review titles on Amazon is precisely because that data isn't portable.  The only time that this data is useful is if I'm on Amazon.  The data that Amazon has on me is entirely worthless if I'm on another book site.  But let's say that data portability was a reality.  Now I'm going to rate, review and ultimately purchase more titles because I know that that data will go with me if and when I decide to leave Amazon (permanently or temporarily). 

This is where Amazon has the advantage.  Let's say they are in a superior position (I'd argue that they are).  They have nothing to worry about...provided they maintain their superior position.  In fact, as long as they are the best online bookstore the value of their company increases because of all of the new data that I am now feeding the company.  And that increased data and its portability results in increased value for everyone.

So that's a start.  I've got more to say on this matter but it's late and I'm about to fall asleep face-down on my keyboard so it'll have to wait until later...

I was going to blog a couple of days ago about Dell because I've found dealing with them to be a royal PITA.  But it looks like Craig of Craig's List fame beat me to it:

Dell heck

I was on the phone with them for an hour or so earlier in the week trying to figure out something related to a business lease and it was one of the more painful experiences I've had recently (I guess in that regard I do live a fairly charmed life...). 

The bottom line is that businesses that make it painful for you to interact with them won't be dominant in the long run.  I'm going to work hard to avoid Dell in the future if I can because of this experience.  So while their quarterly earnings might be a bit higher because of some of the "cost-saving" measures they've taken they are risking losing the lifetime value of customers like me.

One of the most valuable things I've learned from Bri is that you vote with every dollar you spend.  If a company isn't handling a situation properly or doesn't represent your values then take your votes elsewhere.  If enough of us do this the companies that aren't living at their true potential will cease to exist.

Hey all.  Just wanted to let everybody know that we're giving away Siddhartha on audio as our Free Audiobook of the Month (technically it'll be free through February 28th).  It's professionally narrated and 100% free (no credit card required).  We're going to be doing one of these every month so stay tuned.  Here's the link:

Free Audio Version of Siddhartha

Enjoy!

Thought I'd pass these along for any SoCal Zaadzsters:

Hello ONE Campaign Supporters –

Thank you for your interest in hunger issues.  In recent months, you’ve probably noticed more attention in the media and in politics about poverty and hunger.  The ONE Campaign is taking hold, and at Bread for the World, we believe 2006 is a year of amazing possibilities.  Our 2006 letter writing campaign – ONE Spirit. ONE Will. Zero Poverty. – can move Congress to make real progress against extreme poverty around the world.

So what do we do? And, how do we do it?

Art Simon, founder and president emeritus of Bread for the World, will be in town February 15-18^th, 2006.  Please join us for a time to learn about issues of poverty, social action, and how you can get involved.  If we truly want to improve public policy and federal programs that help hungry people, if we want to end hunger outright one day, we need to take concerted steps forward in advocacy. 

• Wednesday, February 15th - 7 pm

“There is Hope: Some Solutions to End Hunger”
Featuring Art Simon of Bread for the World and
Jeff Dronkers of LA Regional Food Bank
*This talk is part of a 3 week series on global and local hunger.  If you would like information about the series, please send me an email.  I’d be happy to email you the flyer.

Holy Family Catholic Church
1527 Fremont Ave, South Pasadena- 626-403-6140
(accessible from the Gold Line Metro – Mission Metro Stop)

• Thursday, February 16^th - 7pm

“ONE to Overcome Hunger”
Featuring interactive dialogue and discussion with Art Simon

First United Methodist Church
1 East Olive Ave. Redlands, CA 92373

• Saturday, February 18^th - 9-11 am

Breakfast, Q&A with local activists and Art Simon

St. Joseph Center
1524 Fremont Ave., South Pasadena
(across the street from Holy Family Church)

Please let me know if you are planning on attending any of these events. 

Thank you,

David Gist                              Holly Hight
Bread for the World                     ONE Campaign
California Regional Organizer   Faith Outreach Organizer

Bread for the World - Western Regional Office
54 N. Oakland Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91101
p. 626-568-3233
toll free. 1-800-315-3BFW
f. 626-568-0433
www.bread.org/one

I live in Santa Monica, a city that is home to a very large homeless population.  One of the reasons for this is that the city has very generous assistance programs and I can't complain much about that.  Still I'm probably asked for money at least a half-dozen times a day as the Santa Monica Promenade is a panhandling haven and also conveniently located on the walk between my apartment and office. 

I'm not a big believer in giving money to homeless people.  I never know what they are going to do with it and the last thing I want to do is help support someone's drug or alcohol addiction.  But at the same time it's tough for me not to help.  So a while back I (sort of by accident) stumbled upon the perfect thing to give homeless people: Clif Bars. 

If someone is truly hungry and in need a Clif Bar will put a smile on their face and some nutritious food in their belly.  It's pretty convenient to throw a few of these in your bag and I also keep a box in my car to give to people at intersections who seem to be in need.  It's an inexpensive (Clif Bars go for 99 cents at Trader Joe's) way to boost the serotonin of the person you're helping as well as your own levels of serotonin and even those of the people who see you perform the kind act (more on that here and here).

So the next time you're at the grocery store pick up an extra box of Clif Bars and carry a few with you when you're in areas where there are homeless people.  It's a great way to be a ray of light in someone's life.

From Craig Newmark's (Founder of Craig's List) blog:

you decide for yourself:

ExxonMobil made $32 billion in 2005, despite sky-high gas prices and natural disasters that flattened many Americans. Yet the world's largest oil co. still refuses to invest even a fraction of its billions in safe, renewable energy like wind and solar. Nor will they pay the damages they still owe to Alaska fishermen and natives hurt by the '89 Exxon Valdez oil spill. So the ExxposeExxon.com Coalition created a cartoon lampooning this company that is all profits, no conscience. You can view here.

One of the cooler commercials I've ever seen.  It'll probably take you a little while to figure out what's going on but once the "A-ha!" happens you'll dig it.

http://www.honda.co.uk/civic/

Why can't all commercials be that much fun?

I just got back from seeing Bubble.  It was fun to be a part of history for this is the first time that a major film has ever been released simultaneously in the theatres, on DVD and on television (via HDNet Movies).  It represents the collapsing of the "release window" (the traditional and archaic delay between when a movie comes out in the theatres and when it's released for people to watch at home). 

Who's behind this?  Mr. Maverick himself Mark Cuban.  After selling Broadcast.com to Yahoo! for $5.7 billion in 1999 (awesome article about that here) and buying the Dallas Mavericks (what he's best known for), Cuban has now set his sights on revolutionizing the motion picture industry.  And there are some people who aren't very happy about that (to put it mildly).  Go read his recent blog post "Go See Bubble" for more details.

You see there are a lot of people out there who would prefer that the world didn't move forward.  They prefer stagnation to progress.  They're content to embrace the way things as they are rather than trying to figure out how much better they can be.  They'd rather lives of mediocrity and ennui (look that one up!) rather than brilliance and passion. 

And then there are the crazy ones. 

One day they're going to re-do that commercial for our generation.

Mark Cuban is going to be in it. (You just revolutionized the movie industry.)

Steve Jobs is going to be in it.  (You've got the hottest company on the planet and you just sold your other company (Pixar) to Disney for $7+ billion and are now Disney's largest shareholder?!!!  Wow...)

Kobe Bryant is going to be in it.  (You scored 81 points in a single basketball game...the 2nd most ever...and 55 of them in the second half alone...go watch that on Google Video!)

Not a bad week in human history huh?

See we're alive at an amazing time.

It's a time when a rock star is nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and writes the forward for a book on global poverty that begins with the sentence "Extreme poverty can be ended, not in the time of our grandchildren, but our time."

It's a time when the best guy on the golf course...just might not be a guy.  (BTW, here's the quote: "Her aim isn't just to be the greatest female golfer; it's to be the greatest golfer, period. Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson--that's who she views as the competition.)

It's a time when one of the most amazing authors out there is unable to speak or move and types using a stick strapped to his forehead.

All of these people are crazy enough to think they can change the world.

And because of that they do. 

But it's not just them.  We're not watching this game.  We're playing it.  Tomorrow when we get out of bed in the morning.  When we figure out what we're going to do after work.  With each conversation that we have.  And with every decision we make about what we're going to do with our own wild and precious lives.

You see each day is indeed history in the making.  Not just for Mark Cuban or Steve Jobs or Michelle Wie.  But for each and every one of us.  So here's the question then.

Did you make history today?

To bring TED to you.