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Archive for the ‘baby boomers’ Category

Earlier today I was interviewed about augmented reality on Bob Cudmore’s radio show which is simulcast on radio in the Amsterdam, NY area on Lite 104.7FM and 1570AM and which is also streamed at www.1570WVTL.com

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, John C. Havens first made me aware of augmented reality this summer on his BlogTalkRadio series. Since then, BusinessWeek’s Stephen H. Wildstrom has been following the trend while Esquire magazine, John Mayer’s new album and the new book about Michael Jackson have actually employed the technology.

To clarify, with virtual reality the environment is totally computer-generated and the user becomes immersed in that computer-generated world where nothing is real. (Think The Simms and Grand Theft Auto). With augmented reality, computer-generated applications
(apps) are imposed onto the real world using the web camera on your computer or SmartPhone to provide additional information or to enhance your real-life experience.

Zugara’s Webcam Social Shopper lets you try on clothes (virtually) then take pictures to send to your Facebook friends to get their opinions:

Baby Boomers might watch this video about Microsoft’s Xbox Project Natal and think it’s just about games but the last part of the video shows some very practical applications for augmented reality technology:

In an earlier posting, I’ve talked about some new iPhone apps which Baby Boomers might find useful.

At one point, a lot of us thought that GPS units were a little frivolous. If you have a GPS unit now, you probably think of it as essential.

I’d be interested in whether or not you can foresee augmented reality becoming an integral part of your lifestyle.

I tend to be a bit too analytical and so focused on a goal. Unfortunately, when I’ve finally done everything necessary to achieve that goal, my reaction will be more, “OK, that’s done. What now?” rather than one of joy. I get so wrapped up in the details of the work that I forget to celebrate the accomplishment. That’s not a good quality-of-life strategy.

So, I was moved by a recent Harvey Mackay column which reflected on holiday season celebrations and observed: “I often wonder why we limit our celebrations the rest of the year.”

In his book, “A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule The Future”, Daniel H. Pink notes that Henry Ford fired assembly line workers for laughing or even smiling while on the job. Ford felt that workers who were having fun were a danger to efficient production. Fortunately, that kind of thinking is as outdated as the Model T.

Harvey Mackay feels that work should be done “in a place where we can be excited, enthusiastic and passionate about what we do.” So here are some suggestions he makes:

1) Celebrate often
2) Big celebrations are great but get-togethers to celebrate small
successes are good, too.
3) Be creative in your celebrations. The basics are food, fellowship
& fun. Build on that base.
4) Share the responsibility of creating a celebration. A fresh
perspective can create unexpected positive results.
5) It doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s the intention of the
celebration that’s important.

You can read Harvey’s entire column here: http://bit.ly/Mackay

So, what should we celebrate next ?!

Augmented reality is the overlaying of digital data on the real world. In a world where pretty soon that mobile device most of us use to make phone calls will also replace your laptop, your GPS, your radio and who-knows-what-else the concept of augmented reality is not as outlandish as it initially seems.

In a recent article, Mashable listed what the editors deemed “10 Amazing Augmented Reality iPhone Apps”. These were the ones that seemed the most practical for Baby Boomers like me:

WorkSnug

This app identifies Wi-Fi hotspots and potential workplaces like coffee shops, bookstores, libraries,etc. and provides user reviews. Right now, it’s only available in London but versions for Manhattan, San Francisco, Berlin and Madrid are due to be released soon.

AugMeasure

With this app, you can use your iPhone to gauge short distances up to a foot (30 centimeters) and, using the built-in camera, shows an overlay onto the live image on your phone’s screen which changes as you move the phone.

Car Finder

And when was the last time you forgot where you parked? Once your car’s location is set, Car Finder creates a visible marker that shows the car, how far away from it you are and tells you in what direction to head.

Do you think you’d use these apps? What apps would you like to see developed which aren’t yet available?

You can check out the other apps that Mashable recommends at http://bit.ly/iPhone_app

Ever wonder “Why the bathtubs?” in those Cialis ads? New York Times advertising expert, Stuart Elliot offers this explanation:

“The tubs are symbols of relaxing, taking your time, not hurrying, in that a bath is more relaxing than a shower. They reflected that from the start, Cialis advertising was warmer and gentler than ads for Viagra — more feminine, as it were. Other cues included a color scheme of yellow and pastel green and the name, pronounced ‘See-Alice.’

The differences are meant to underline a basic difference between Cialis and its rivals: while Viagra and Levitra provide a four-hour window during which a man can get and keep an erection, Cialis opens that window to 36 hours.

The continuous presence of women in Cialis ads is a subtle signal that the drug can help them set the pace with their partners, in contrast to the primarily male-driven imagery for Levitra and Viagra. For that reason, Europeans have called Cialis ‘le weekend’ drug. “

See more about advertising at http://tinyurl.com/nmecnl

Whether you’re out of work, putting in extra hours to keep your job, dealing with financial issues, taking care of an elderly parent, or just trying to cope with information overload, it’s difficult to escape the negative physical and psychological effects of stress.

Natalie Angier wrote this article in last week’s New York Times about how your brain can actually reinforce your tendency towards self-defeating behaviors and how you can reverse the damage: http://tinyurl.com/stress-loop

In the July issue of Scientific American, Karen Schrock talks about how music can help your physical and emotional well-being: http://tinyurl.com/l64rrp

Have you had any real-life experiences that either prove or disprove these notions?

How do your peers, supervisors, employees, friends, and family members see you? What do they think are your strengths, weaknesses and most valuable skills? What is your personal brand? Does their assessment correlate with yours?

If you’re like me, it’s probably a lot easier for you to develop a strong sense about the value that other people bring to the table but your self-evaluation is a little fuzzy.

The folks at Reach Branding Consulting (www.reachcc.com) offer a FREE analysis tool named 360 Reach(tm) which allows people who know you to anonymously provide feedback and help provide focus. Over the past month, I took advantage of it and I thought you might find the results instructive.

I felt pretty good that the response rate for my personal 360 Reach assessment tool was 10% higher than the average response rate of all people who have used the tool so I’m grateful to everyone who took the time to participate and to share their opinions with me. Here’s a summary of the assessments of my personal brand by colleagues, peers, managers/supervisors, employees, friends: (71% of those who participated were colleagues & peers, 12% of those who participated were either former managers/supervisors or employees):

My Top 5 Brand Personas:

1. Expert
2. Rock (reliable; I do what I say I will)
3. Truth-Teller (honest, trustworthy)
4. Structurer (organized, methodical)
5. Visionary (I see the Big Picture)

My Top 5 Leadership Competencies:

1. Relating (meeting/connecting with colleagues, employees, customers; build trust & respect)
2. Expressing (clear & consistent 2-way communication)
3. Inspiring (nuturing, empowering, developing others)
4. Visioning (developing & executing strategy)
5. Developing (personal development, growing professionally; staying fresh, adopting new & relevant habits)

All the people who participated in this survey were also asked to describe my strengths and weaknesses in their own words. Here’s what the had to say:

My Strengths (verbatims):

-Ability to manage
-Ability to cover chaos with calm
-Being methodical
-Business knowledge
-Community-mindedness
-Forward thinking
-Intelligence (2 mentions)
-Seeing the big picture, managing any situation, always has a goal in mind
-Speaking
-Vast knowledge & experience
-Wisdom
-Analyzing (2 mentions)
-Caring professional and encouraging to others
-Experience (2 mentions)
-Market knowledge
-Imagining what needs to be done and getting the job done
-Knowledge
-Knowledge of industry
-Likeability
-Media smart
-Problem solving
-Strategic planning

My Weaknesses (verbatims):

-Being methodical
-Difficulty selling himself
-Occasionally opinionated
-Probably overqualified for a lot of available jobs in the area
-Talking over people who are already talking
-Too nice
-Delegating
-Irritating people
-Making quick decisions
-Not following through
-Organization
-People skills
-Speed of learning or change
-Stubborn
-Too fast to respond. Needs to listen more.
-Too formal.

Being human, I immediately focused on the weaknesses and felt a little hurt or dismayed by some of the comments but I’m still grateful for the honest evaluations. It’s also interesting to see how some people perceive me as having weaknesses in certain areas while others see me as having strengths in the same areas.

You might want to try this yourself. The initial analysis is free although you can get more granular by upgrading with paid options. Find the 360 Reach Personal Branding Analysis at www.reachcc.com

I’m one of those Boomer males who took a long time to marry and settle down. Consequently, my perspective and level of appreciation for the blessings I’ve had tend to be different than they would for a younger man.

The day 15 years ago when our daughter was born was the day I really learned the meaning of the word “commitment”.

I just put her on a flight to Denver and I have to admit that my emotions were a mixture of pride and trepidation; proud that she has the intelligence and maturity to travel on her own and to navigate the obstacles of BWI, Denver International and LAX; anxious for her safety and her ever-increasing loss of innocence.

I’m old enough to remember when people actually dressed up to travel by plane like they did for church when they used to go to church. My first flight occurred when I was in my mid-20s. Our daughter’s when she was just an infant.

So, as I watched the Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 leave the tarmac and climb into the cloudless blue summer sky, my eyes felt moist and I said a little prayer, “Bon voyage. Come home safe.”

My First Video Podcast

Last weekend, I was one of more than 300 people who attended Podcamp Boston 4 at the University of Massachusetts campus near the John F. Kennedy Library along Dorchester Bay.

The original Podcamps were specifically focused on the creation of audio and video podcasts but these events have evolved to encompass a wider range of new media tools. For a Baby Boomer
like me, all this youthful energy, intelligence and enthusiasm can be daunting but I also find this collection of people sharing their insights and knowledge to be inspiring and invigorating.

Of course,like any even of this type, Podcamp Boston had it’s share of interesting characters…

And there was some nice scenery, too…

One of the challenges I heard presented over the weekend was to describe your purpose in two “tweets” or less. If you’re new to Twitter, a “tweet” consists of 140 characters including the spaces between words. Here’s what I came up with:

Buzz4Boomers’ goal is to help Baby Boomer adults adapt to today’s rapid changes in information flow and media options by sharing the knowledge and insights I learn from people I meet in new media and experiences I encounter.

By my count, that’s 230 characters, 50 under the maximum allotted 280 tweets.

One piece of advice which I heard frequently at Podcamp Boston was that the most important thing a person can do when they’re planning to create a podcast is to just do it. So I decided to take their advice and create my first video podcast using my Flip Ultra camcorder. You can tell that my camera work needs a lot more practice but in the New Media spirit of “authenticity”, here’s the first Buzz4Boomers video podcast:

http://buzz4boomers.blip.tv/

Well, the way I see it things can only improve.

“Don’t tell me you’re one of those people who get their news from the Daily Show!” exclaimed an acquaintance I saw at a BBQ this weekend.

Yes, I admit it. I get a lot of my information about what’s going on in the world from Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert along with Google News, daily email updates from our local Hearst Corp. newspaper, a weekly business-focused paper and CNN, our local Time-Warner Cable all-news channel, the local NPR affiliate, Don Imus’ morning show on WABC-AM, New York (online) and the CBS Sunday Morning show. Rarely, if ever, do I watch a national or local TV newscast. To be honest, they’re not even on my radar.

I also read the local Hearst newspaper on a daily basis, TIME magazine, Business Week, The New Yorker, U.S. News & World Report and Esquire.

I like that on Jon Stewart’s show nothing’s sacred. He mocks all hypocrites whether or not he’s on their side. Stewart will also engage in intelligent discussions with guests with whom he disagrees politically. William Kristol, Bill O’Reilly and John Bolton immediately come to mind.

I get concerned when people tell me that they only watch Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow on MSNBC, read The New York Times and listen exclusively to NPR or folks who only watch Fox News and Bill O’Reilly and who listen exclusively to Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity on the radio. Rather than developing a broader perspective,
these people intentionally limit their input to reinforce one political viewpoint and that can be dangerous in a democracy.

It’s an interesting paradox that when there were fewer media outlets and less choice, we were exposed to many different ideas which we considered irrelevant or with which we disagreed. Now, in this age of virtually unlimited information sources, we can narrowly control the information to which we are exposed and which can reinforce our prejudices.

You can subscribe to my blog at http://buzz4boomers.blogspot.com

Today marks the start of the 2009 Saratoga Season which is a major cultural event for those of us who live in New York State’s Capital Region equidistant between New York City, Boston and Montreal. Unlike at most race tracks in America, thoroughbred horse racing at the historic Saratoga Race Course is a family affair where moms, dads and kids outnumber the cigar-chomping Oscar Madison-type old men and picnic near the paddock

Tim Wilkin, who’s a sports columnist for Hearst’s Albany Times Union, listed some of the questions and concerns regarding this year’s Saratoga Season in today’s paper:

• Super filly Rachel Alexandra working out in the morning at the
Oklahoma Track.

• Can trainer Todd Pletcher recapture the magic?: Pletcher tries to
reclaim perch as dominant Spa trainer.

• Rain: The spring and early summer has had lousy weather. Can
Saratoga catch a break?

• Bird is the word: Could have Derby winner Mine That Bird and
Belmont winner Summer Bird in Travers. And Rachel Alexandra…?

• The house: If all three come to the Travers, how many people are
going to come watch?

• Great 2-year-olds have run at the Spa in the past. Perhaps the 2010
Derby winner is in the house.

• One for the old man: 8-year-old Commentator goes for his third
Whitney win.

• Twilight racing: Two cards this year. More people like it than don’t.

• No clear cut choice to win jockey riding title: Alan Garcia, Johnny V.,
Edgar Prado just three who could take it all.

Read more about this year’s Saratoga Season at www.timesunion.com/sports/