I picked this book up to give my system a jolt after pondering the economic challenges and opportunities as defined by AG. I currently have several ventures in play, and all can be defined as Stage One according to Masterson. The book is a quick read and hits home a very simple message – Just Do It. He says it in a number of different approaches and examples, but the end sum total is – Start. I enjoyed the middle to the end of the book the best and thought the beginning was a bit slow.

A very fast read, as he is very entertaining, but one less academic and practical than other books in this space. I would recommend it for most would-be entrepreneurs given its core messaging.

Best,

James

I received this book as a gift both as a joke and on a serious note.  As any entrepreneur and technologist can relate, I spend an abnormal amount of time away from home and tend to find myself in a Starbucks.  I generally enjoy their drinks, though I enjoyed them more when they had real espresso machines and not the mechanical ones, and love their atmosphere.  To the contrary of some people’s perceptions, I do not only go to Starbucks.  I will enjoy any coffee shop I find, and will certainly seek out authentic / regionally original coffee houses above starbucks any day.  So, I am both practical in that I enjoy Starbucks where ever they may be, but I am also biased towards “other” coffee houses that have real baristas that can pull great shots of espresso and make perfect foam.

So, how does the book fair?  It is a fun read.  Actually the first half is fun and inspiring as an entrepreneur.  The second half is more globalization the fall of culture.  I enjoyed the deep perspective on how they started the business, and how  coffee has become a success.  I would definitely recommend giving this book a read to those looking to fund startups – actually I would advise reading this book over “Founders at Work“.  That book was chock full of people gloating and not giving the meat of the deals and emotions.

For some deeper insight into the book check out – Brand Autopsy’s article.

In the end, if you have a long flight get the book and enjoy.  Otherwise drink that half-calf decaf fat free with whip beverage in eternal bliss.
James

Another interesting video from the Google folks.  A worthy video of anyone’s time who works in groups, but more so those who deal with rolling out projects.  Grab a cup of coffee, and enjoy… someday I will figure out how to download these (is that a contrary to these online video distribution sites?) videos so that I can watch them on the plane.  Maybe the functionality already exists, I shall have to look – if anyone knows of a way please add a comment.

Thanks to Josh Simons for pointing me to this video from his post.

- James

A teacher at AHS put together a neat presentation to communicate the shift of growth in both technology and the world population. The presentation is online and super fast to go through, but the data points are very surprising and he has provided sources to demonstrate their validity. Take a look. My favorite point is that “teachers today are teaching students to solve problems that do not exist using technology that has not been invented”.

The Old Presentation

The Main Site

Updated version for YouTube – a bit slower, but prettier:

James

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