Tag: Google eBooks

Time to read

There is a time to listen and a time to read.

That time is now. At lunch or in line.

The WSJ runs a a picture of an “early adopter” (old lady wrapped herself in a good book, digital that is).

For her, what a lifetime that was: out of the house to go to work (with sandwich bread), maybe as a telephone dispatcher, then came home to TV dinners with a Chevy in the driveway. Meanwhile, the Maytag man took care of her laundry and her husband the lawn.

Now she has retired, reading a book which is resided in the cloud, while keeping in touch with relatives on Facebook.

(I should mention the Pill).

Reading time has always been hard to come by. It’s at the top of the pyramid of chores (shopping, cooking, cleaning etc…). Now, reading is readily available as the headline news you see everywhere (when I was hooked on “the girl with a dragon tatoo”, I wished I had a comparable service so I could access my bookmark anywhere).

It’s interesting to see if readership increases as a result of better access.

Or it’s more profitable just to sell picks and pans for another Gold Rush.

One thing is for sure. Those so-called Independent Book Stores will join the fate of Independent Telephone companies of last century i.e. giving ways to an oligarchy of heavy weights. Too bad Google ebooks couldn’t be renamed with an “A”, as in Apple, Amazon and ATT.

But by its colorful logo, we already got the idea that the company is into creativity, colorful-ness and cloud-orientation. At least, it got an A as in Algorithm which suggests your next book, even before the title becomes available. It’s an age of “cognitive surplus”.

Everything is just the tip of the iceberg. 1 per cent visible, 99 percent invisible.

Time for reflection. A time to die, a time to live.

 

All about finishing!

How would you like to keep up at third place, just to have your legs give in at the last-minute? That’s what happened to SF track star, who managed to crawl to the finishing line.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/injured-high-school-runner-crawls-finish-line-push/story?id=12298473

In the late 70’s, it’s all about running. Then we learned more about knee injuries. So we took up aerobics (complete with sweat bands and outer underwear). Now, it’s home gym, home office and home theater. When I grew up, the only thing I knew was homework. The rest was done outside of the house. Talking about in-sourcing.

On a more sober note. USA Today has an expose on “downshift” trends i.e. under-employment or stay-at-home Dad (9.8-15% if counted those who gave up looking).

What have you done lately?

Complementing my skill set with community college classes? Learning how to text, talk and chew gum?

Reading “An Inconvenient Truth“?

My parents were born a century ago, into a world of 1.8 Billion people (Happy Fathers Day).  We now live in a world of almost 7 Billion (BTW, Vietnam population just reached 92 Million). And the tallest building is now in Dubai (out in the desert, remember Ishtar?) while the largest cruise ship is Oasis.

Transformers are no longer content with being on-screen. It seeks to jump off it with warfare apps and special ops.

What does change have to do with “all about finishing?” It has everything to do with it. Technology and globalization is supposed to enhance life and not weigh it down. Many of us feel less joyful even in the midst of the holiday season. Then, a video clip lifts our spirit. I got inspired seeing the runner finish the race for her coach and team.

I understand reshuffling. But the assumption has been that we only have one deck of cards, and that we are all under the reign of Pharaoh (pyramid  w/ less room at the top).

When 7 Billion people all demand life-style change, that’s a lot of  opportunities for every one (remember the early prediction about computer – that the world could use a few of those mainframes).

Founders Collective now invests in early stages and in serial entrepreneurs

(because people of innovation won’t sit still after having sold their first business).

So much has been about “first impressions”. It’s time we zoom out to see the big picture. It’s all about finishing. It’s all about results.

The Happy Ending to our runner’s story took place inside the Emergency Van after the team photo-op.

Run Lola run.