Things that Make Me Go Hmm, Ha, and Huh?

As a part of making my blog more consistently readable, I thought I better come up with a weekly (or maybe even twice weekly column) highlighting some of my favorites from around the web.  I'm sure I will expand this and become more sophisticated as I learn a bit more about what I can do with my blog, but for now I hope this is a good start.

I was always okay at math, but I was terrible at showing my work.  I was not this clever.  

Favorite Articles:

Change not quite as fast as we think?  - This link is an article by Jeff Jarvis (do yourself a favor and follow him on twitter - @jeffjarvis - and while you're at it if you're reading this, follow me on twitter - @inpress83).  Jarvis is the author of What Would Google Do, which I recently finished...
and highly recommend to anyone looking to get a better grip on all things digital - and hear some unique insight on what the future might hold for some very traditional industries that we don't always think of as changing.  I'm looking forward to reading Public Parts (another Jarvis book that is getting good reviews) soon, but need to get through a few others.


Anyway, Jarvis marries a couple of my interests in this article - history and technology - to make some very interesting hypotheses about the rate of change we are experiencing today.  While we tend to think of the internet changing things quickly, this article challenges us to look at it similar to the printing industry, which took nearly 100 years to develop after Gutenberg's initial invention.  Thinking of the changes brought about by technology in recent years in this way makes me feel less like "everything has already been invented" and gives me hope that I have something in me that could still make me the next Jobs, Gates or Zuckerberg.

Generation Flux - Another article (a long one, so be sure you have a good 30 minutes or so to give it a solid read) that makes me feel far more hopeful that despite the fact that I feel behind in jumping completely on board the internet train, I can still make something of myself.  There are a couple sections in this one that I'd also like to print out and put directly on some coworkers' desks at my workplace.  One of my favorite quotes, in the section "Nuke Nostalgia" - "Trying to replicate what worked yesterday only leaves you vulnerable."  It isn't particularly deep and it certainly didn't take a genius to figure that out, but it is incredible how many people I encounter on a daily basis that can't seem to get past "how we have always done things."

How Does this Happen Today? - From our local paper here in northwest Indiana - a 3 train collision.  That's right, somehow 3 trains managed to collide and cause some pretty crazy wreckage not more than 20 miles from my house.  Someone in the railroad industry needs to read What Would Google Do.  There HAS to be a way to avoid these types of disasters.

Tweet of the Week:

From @adtothebone - "The webinar is the waterboarding of the business world."  I'm guessing we have more than a few franchisees who would argue that the webinar is worse.  It was a great technology before there were 3 a week.  Some are great and I think truly beneficial to those tuning in - unfortunately the ones in between that seem to exist so that people can hear themselves talk take away from the important ones.

Video of the Week

Brutally Honest James Bond Theme Song - One day I hope to be able to contribute some of my own personal content to the web, until then I will just listen to awesome songs like this that I'm pretty sure are the reason the internet was invented.  Don't watch this in the presence of bosses, HR directors, young children or your pastor (as a pastor's kid, I should know).

Sports Item of the Week

My Cincinnati Bengals lost in the first round of the playoffs, officially extending their playoff win drought to 21 years.  I keep trying to tell myself that it's a good thing that our young guys got the experience, but the fact that Peter King chose Mike Brown as his executive of the year concerns me for the future of this franchise.  Mike Brown fell in to a fantastic trade with Oakland and rode an easy schedule to a playoff berth which the team subsequently blew, nothing more.  We'll see what happens next year.

Update of the Week

For those that read My Entertainment Dilemma, I have two updates.  One - we bought a PlayStation 3 and are seeing what we can do with the added Blu-Ray benefits.  Plus it came just in time for my brother-in-law to buy me Madden 12 for my birthday, so win win.  Also, keep an eye on my blog and that of my friend Anub for updates on Personal Technology Consulting.