Dance Energizes Inner Rhythms

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance...

Do you enjoy moving to music – ballet, disco, rock, folk, country line, Latin line, ballroom, ballet, break dance…? Dances harmonize with music, and joy follows when you step out to dance your inner rhythms.

Do you experience similar inner rhythm in your work? Dance is one activity that rejuvenates your life overall and helps improve sleep and cognition at the same time it helps bust stress. And, there're dances to match the your inner rhythms...

Rhythmns and approaches differ. Unlike me, my husband loves country music, twang and all. A smooth country line dancer, he vines, stomps, pivots, hitches, struts and reggaes. His enjoyment comes from improvisation, and nothing pleases him more than to catch others unaware with an opposite spin or twist. But, there's more to this...


Country line dance, not as easy as it appears, faces four walls - and before a dance is complete you look to each one. Shift to your wall, when you should have shuffled, and you can easily lose a beat, with your feet flying out of sync.

Not all dances take equal talent. Serious upper-body strength is needed to perform a break-dance, for instance. Just try a hollow-back — a handstand in which you bend your legs toward your back, and see what I mean.

I prefer the flow of a waltz. In China recently, guides from our University faculty took Ellen Weber and me to a large square where people danced to music broadcast over loudspeakers.

Suddenly, Edelweiss filled the air, and Liu Jinli asked me to dance with him. I followed his highly challenging twists and whirls with absolute flow and I sensed the summits of China’s Huangshan Mountain! Ellen later described my experience as an intellectual dance.

Are you aware that dances of all kinds boost your mood, energy, and strength? All you need is a favorite tune and two feet that move. Your mind and body work together to help perform the rest. To dance is both a physical and cognitive challenge. In fact research shows how a dance can benefit your mind, all because dance …

1. According to Benloucif and Zee’s research at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, improves sleep and cognition.

2. Opens new worlds that help beat loneliness blues.

3. Helps relieve stress. Music moves your brain waves and floods your brain with serotonin, a hormone for well-being.

4. Can ward off osteoporosis, a degenerative bone disease.

5. Stirs hope to bust barriers when sickness strikes. A committed dancer can experience superhuman perseverance when cancer or a broken foot prevents participation.

For example, my husband experienced incredible restoration after a humungous tree trunk landed on his foot last winter. As a result he had four surgeries and fought infection week after week. Incredibly, when Carl slowly began to dance again, and envisioned his dance steps, his foot took a fast turn for the better. Dancing, you could say pushed Carl’s mind hard to heal his foot.

In similar ways, if work seems overwheming, consider dance as a way to establish a new inner rhythm.

May you never take one single breath for granted…Never settle for the path of least resistance…I hope you dance... I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack

Flash Lite to rock on mobile

Mobile youtubisation *blink*

Flash Lite 2 is a nice way to go and focus efforts in mobile development.
Developer.com, focused web site, awarded Flash Lite 2 with the title Product of the Year 2006.

New and exciting opportunities and challenges are ahead.
Adobe will present next month some of the flash beauty at 3GSM in Barcelona.

Scott Janousek reports a list of firms that will make live presentation.
I am aware that Alen Alebic, croatian developer, is much praised in the Flash Lite community.

Sumner Redston is smart businessman and he already made a deal with Adobe about Flashcast, so Viacom could distribute multimedia content over the ''pipe'' but with Flash Lite as the presentation layer.

Tongue Talk

Chat with her clitoris

Sexual human being as I am, I like sex.
My girl offers me sometimes to ''talk'' with her clitoris :)
No need to tell me twice !

- I'm coming dear !
- Would you like to talk with my clitoris ?
- My pleasure.

And then we go on with ''communication''.
Long time ago I read a small tip by some ''oral expert'' about spelling words when touching clitoris with lips.

- A, B, C, D.....S, R, R, R....B, B... ( splash )
- Oh, yes, mwoowoo ( moaning )

It's naturaly we develope full dialog during this act.
That's good communication :)
After her orgasm, I proposed.

- I wanna launch MVNO company called '' Tongue Mobile''. Are you in ?
- I am over and out.

Me too :))

Influencing your party jukebox

Save the last SMS dance for me

PartyStrands is interactive music service for bars, clubs and private parties.
Business model is interesting :

PartyStrands’ business model makes it easy for venues to take part. There is no cost for bar or club owners, but they must have a digital music system in order for the music selection to work. Partygoers pay a USD 0.50 or EUR 0.30 surcharge per SMS sent to the partyStrands system. The Ericsson Internet Payment eXchange (IPX) charging system distributes the revenues between myStrands, the venue, an affiliate when relevant, and Ericsson.

Still, it incurs charges. I wonder could such a service be made to support bluetooth.
In that case, you wouldn't have any business model at all for service.
Power to the partygoers, repeal those evil DJ ;))
Spanish Belchica Bar offers beers and SMS dances.

Softbank's fixed/mobile infrastructure

Fixed/mobile convergence with little help from croatian friends.

Softbank Mobile from Japan was, most certain, helped by croatian engineers when they have been launching IMS network over 3G ( first in the world ).
Croatian chapter of Ericsson Nikola Tesla is is one of the most important Ericsson centers for planning, design, implementation and system integration of IMS solutions and experts from this company have participated in more than 10 IMS projects across the world.

Dive in into Ericsson Mobility World.

The Art of Stirring Your Words

A few lines from Ronald Wallace, will bring chuckles as you think about just the right words for today's writing...

The adjectives all ganged up on the nouns,
insistent, loud, demanding, inexact,
their Latinate constructions flashing. The pronouns
lost their referents: They were dangling, lacked
the stamina to follow the prepositions' lead
in, on into, to, toward, for, or from.
They were beset by passive voices and dead
metaphors, conjunctions shouting But! or And!

The active verbs were all routinely modified
by adverbs, that endlessly and colorlessly ran
into trouble with the participles sitting
on the margins knitting their brows like gerunds
(dangling was their problem, too). The author
was nowhere to be seen: was off somewhere.

from "The Student Theme" in Poetry 180

*Link to Flickr Cartoon

Ever Ask -- So What?

A powerful way to tune-up a project, business, or career is to ask -- So what?

This question jolts because your gut answer's often opposite to what you might expect.

But, best part is, So What? can lead to significant change. You can go somewhere if you...

Reflect -- See what's wrong. Keep asking questions and sleep on them if the answer's not there with immediacy.

Adjust -- Figure out how to drill out the rust. If a solution's not clear, ask around -- do some research.

Change -- Do it. Once you see what to do, set up a plan and start on it today.

Actually, I learned the beauty of using So What? the hard way. Earlier in my career I worked in PR. When I finished a piece I thought was great, my boss asked, So What?. It pushed me get to the heart of the matter - pronto! And the redo was entirely different.

A simple question like "So What" can make us exclaim Ouch! at first. But I've discovered it brings results.

Try asking So What? and see what happens... Be sure to tell us about it...

Short advice to PR guy

Blues with 35 thesis for blog PR or PR blog or whatever.

During my drive home from Djurdjevac, come to my mind few thoughts.
Microcontent is described long time ago.

If we only think about small chunk of the content on the web ( blog posts, forum entries, CMS news, picturephoning etc ) like another microformat ( similar as these people define it ) , it has metadata.
We know Google thinks in terms of ''keywords''. Professionals ( journalists, copywriters ) who write for Web should fully understand metadata concept of microcontent and behave accordingly.

Google will add more metadata search later on, I am sure on that. Tim Berners Lee looked into this matter long time ago and name it semantic web. Who has a time for semantic, valid question.

PR guy the other day asked me about this, and it was main reason I wrote short guide for croatian PR guy, why he should care about blogs .

I replied that he should for the same reasons he spreads the message in traditional media and among audiences he chooses ( target public/audience ) , but this time you can envelope your message with metadata and the message is almost like microformat ( microcontent ) which gives more access to your data and it is ''automatic'' ( crawled with machines, and attributess of the message are extracted ) so you get speed, global spread, human response, word of the mouth, stickiness and pretty exact meassure of success
( Technorati, Nielsen BuzzMetrics , Google Analytics ).

Don't forget clean web links made by blog tools which brings you Google traffic.
Then I went further and compiled ( in croatian ) 35, as I call them ''thesis'', of how PR manager should respond to today's internet and which tactics to use.
I am not PR professional, but I am informed internet user and creator about the subject ( digital publishing, media, blogs ) so I am not afraid to speak out. Know a bit about PR, though ;)

Maybe my most radical idea to some ears would be, for God sake, don't follow Cluetrain manifesto. Forget it to oblivion.
Micro- this and micro-that wasn't mentioned in the paper :)
Microsoft for that :))

Let's get back to professionals who write for the web. Take digital news desks ( newspapers, TV stations, online magazines ) or columnist.
You are lucky media owner if you mandate your job applicants fluency and skills for metadata and microformats ( and hyperlinking articles ) .

Every article in the digital newspaper should have ''inside'' compiled metadata ( about author, time, topic, label, issue, edition, keywords, picture tagged, location etc.) , even though it should not be displayed to readers fully and all the time, but it should be available in the ''open'' web waters for free machine retrival ( RDF schema ) .

It brings traffic and gives visibility. I know it's illusion that every columnist and writer should care about semantic web but software can help you if common sense and lack of time doesn't : )

For PR guy I had a just one more advice at the end of my expose. Don't forget about flash banners.
Yes, flashy and obtrusive flash banners.

I was at first ( few years back ) against them , but I think if they give you value ( make you more informed, engaged with the brand itself ) , give them to your audience but be modest , just like in everything. Flash is now standard for marketing people, you should still stick to the text, but make combination is better.

Don't forget your message needs audience, and web properties you are interested in( brought to you by web barons ) should not be demonstration of ''digital maoism'' , but advertising funded ventures ;)

UPDATE:
I become aware of The Great PR Blog Flop ( MS Vista and Edelman agency ).
Technorati and press releases is the way to go.

Jazz Stirs Creative Flow

If you enjoy unpredictability as I do – you likely enjoy that quirk or twist in a story...Or the topsy-turvy painting or a melody that freezes and suddenly returns with altered syncopation and new strong accents. And, listening to jazz, chock full of improvisation, can enhance creativity as you work on most any project. Here's how...

Jazz’s irregularity and impulsiveness may seem chaotic initially, but listen further and you’ll pick up distinctive syncopation that tickles your mind. It works this way... People have four distinct brain waves, beta, alpha, theta and delta.

Dee Coulter, specialist in musical patterning and neurological development finds that the jazz of Miles Davis, John Coltrane and John Cage can lift the listener into theta consciousness. Theta waves, considered the most highly creative brain waves, according to Coulter, give birth to artistic and spiritual insight. See colored theta waves below.

Theta waves are slower compared to the more active beta and relaxed alpha waves. In deeper theta consciousness, people reach slowed activity, where highly creative states occur. While in theta, people’s brains shuffle down information and reshuffle it in new directions. During such flow states, people can experience sudden intuitions providing ready-made insights and new solutions to unresolved problems (Eureka moments).

“Jazz,” Coulter says, “is neither driven nor relaxing.” She thinks jazz is a lot like life since, “jazz takes attention in the midst of community and being able to respond without knowing what’s coming next.”

Intriguingly, Wynton Marsalis, the virtuoso trumpet player and artistic director of jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, explains, “Playing jazz means learning how to reconcile differences, even when they’re opposites…Jazz teaches you how to have a dialogue with integrity.

And, Don Campbell, author of The Mozart Effect, points out that jazz takes us out of the world at large and helps us come back again, “in an orchestrated phrasing that prevents us from getting too neurotic.” Do you agree?

For more creativity or to wrestle gritty problems that do not lend themselves to linear solutions, Dee Coulter recommends jazz. She says, “You have to hold the beat to meander off it. Jazz’s level of cognitive complexity stuns me. Its sense of timing, jokes, repartee, attentiveness, respect and listening is fascinating.”

Smooth sounds of Wynton Marsalis or Miles Davis can move your brain waves into theta synchrony that opens your mind to a new idea or thought today. Jazz adds flow as I write. Let me know what works for you...

Create...It Changes You

Create a building and the building creates you...

Not sure the quote’s exactly right ‘cause I heard it early this morning on NPR... It’s fascinating because it’s so open-ended. Substitute almost anything that’s really important to you in place of the word, building...See where it takes you.

Here’s one...business

or friendship...

or blog...

or painting...

or...

As we give ourselves to the doing we become...

We can’t just have good intentions...

We can’t plan to do it tomorrow...

And we can’t have someone “give it to us.”

We do it in our own unique way.

What's your take?

Google's playground

Sergey and Larry should be checking SearchMash from time to time.
Searchmesh.com is Google's playground for improving search on the internet.
It's not branded effort so not too many people ( ? ) know this fact so it helps them go undistracted and get decent feedback.
I guess.

Miscommunication with Twitter

San Francisco discovered SMS and short code but at the end...it's all Web

Wrapped my thoughts today about Twitter.
It's unusual social web and mobile service coming from the Evan's garage. Not pure web play, not pure mobile play, not pure IM play. It tries to be ''something'' . For many, it's pointless and useless.
But is it so ? Internet fad comes to my mind.

I had a ''second coming'' effect, just today. But my negative attitude prevailed, although I tried to be positive .

Currently, it's low profile and simple service, but way too simple service that doesn't solve much of people's communication problems.
The buzz is around, even BBC jumped on the board.
It looks like Apple ''hive mind'' is hunting this web app along with such high profiled members from SF web community participating on Twitter.

IMHO, it is niche and it is another internet fad.
Why ?
It doesn't solve communication problems. Mobile communications and Web are not married.
This service can be global only on the web and not on mobile phones, and that's what I am interested at this moment.

So, I come up with my own solution ( concept ) , but it's strictly for my eyes ;))
Effective discussion is not possible with Twitter, it's not straightforward chat tool, it's not effective group organising tool etc.
Only networking and microformatting feature is straightforward, but I'm bit tired of so many ''friends'' ( favorites ) I have never met face-to-face ;))

Yahoo already launched service that pretends to be something similar and it's called MixD.
I didn't try it out.

Currently, I can's see much metadata about location, age, interest.
When you become twitter, you feel somehow isolated and banal, and don't find it much fun either.

How many people think and are curios to find out what I am doing now or what I have done during a day ?
Maybe few, but to find out that on Twitter.... There must be some other solution for that and the one that's more mobile friendly and accessible.
The above mentioned problem should be solved with mobile web in mind and not with SMS, IMHO.
Twitter will be my ongoing research. Hope to post more in the future .

Enhance Your Visual Mind Map

Do you think in pictures more than words? I do.

In visiting Drew McClellan: The Marketing Minute, I discovered Visual Thesaurus's great new spatial tool to enhance your writing. Just the right word helps your customers see an idea with more clarity. And it makes the difference in how your business is perceived.

All you need to do is put a word in the search key of the Visual Thesaurus to find synonyms presented in related groups. Since brain is one of the words I use often and don't want to overwork, it was fascinating to see the array of choices presented below.

Next, you can expand on the words you see by clicking on them. I clicked on mastermind.

It's not free, but very reasonably priced and in my mind is well worth the bucks. How might this help today's writing?

Check it out at Visual Thesaurus and let me know...

FOX News audio feed on the phone

After my reverend's speech, it's time for Fox News in the sunday morning.


It's no secret among my friends and ''club experts'' that I think ''podcasting/audioblogging for the average user'' ( shall we say, audio voice for distribution on the web and mobile ) is in the combination of mobile phone, dedicated call numbers, blog account and co-branding of mobile operator and blog service provider ( Dial-in Mobilecasting ) .

I am aware it's not for iPod and Mp3 freaks, but for different type of users. Those that prefere making web sites with Blogger or Blog.hr and not with PHP Fusion and other shiny CMSs.
FOX News in the US ( I found out today ) thinks similar. Reuters reports very briefly.

Fox News has rolled out a new service that will let anyone with a cell phone access an audio feed of the cable channel.

I stick to these concept even if I know many ridicule my approach on daily basis looking what's catch and who would use it.
I already wrote about Podlinez service in US and express my opinion for combining web and mobile with good old phone calling ( no data plan needed ).

It is working, it's simple, it's more or less cheap, and people could be using it for short audio clips distributed over the net, but heard on every mobile in the country.
This should be first phase for the rollout mobilecasting in a way Melodeo does.
But it'll take time for mp3 downloads on the phones.

Mobile internet for TELE2 subsribers in Croatia

Tele2 Croatia online

The youngest croatian mobile operator Tele2 is finally preparing data plan for their subsribers.
Somehow I digg it up ( it's not official yet ) on their website.

MobileInternet 555 is the name of the data plan and it's combined with USB modem for desktop or laptop PC with 18 month contract.
General monthly rate for the Plan is 185,00 kunas.
It's 555 MB included in the Plan and above that user pays 0,35 kunas for 1 MB.
At first, UMTS signal is only available in Zagreb, but GPRS signal should be decent throughout the country.

I understand Tele2 hesitated for a long time to start such a service because of their agreement with VIPnet.

8 Intelligences Shine across the Blogosphere

My first round of spotting bloggers's eight intelligences at peak performance resonated with readers, so it spurred me on for a second round. Now, 8 Intelligences across the Blogosphere will be a regular weekend feature at Brain Based Biz.

Verbal-Linguistic Bill Wren at Write Life --

Bill tells us straightforwardly what writing goals work and what don't!

They [clients, bosses, whoever's calling the shots] were caught up in the process of creating marketing material and utterly failing in making the connection between what was being written and the result they were hoping for. Had they paid attention to what the goal was (getting attention, selling whatever they were selling, engaging people), they might have had some different writing done, or even forgone the words entirely.

If you ain’t got a thing worth saying, for the love of Mike, don’t say anything!

Spatial – Sandy Renshaw at Purple Wren shares a great way to take a creative break – with Mr. Picassohead . If you want to build expertise in graphics, stop by Purple Wren or check Sandy's weekly tips at Successful and Outstanding Bloggers.

Sandy's blogs are chock-full of tips and she shares from a deep well of expertise!

Interpersonal and Musical – Mike Wager at Own Your Brand tells a story of a suggestion he made to Bruce Houghton of Skyline Music to check out his postings on Johnny Cash. The result...Bruce took Mike's work and crafted three postings that energized Mike's original content. Mike notes that

In our networked marketplace whatever you put in front of the world (a brand, a product, a service) can change and morph into a “new – new – thing.” Get used to it because it’s going to be happening more and more.

Mike and Bruce, your stories show that when we do things alone, we are limited to our own gifts, but when others take what we have done and use their gifts to craft it anew, it’s amazing what happens. That’s interpersonal intelligence tapping great rhythm!

Naturalistic – Matt, at The Copywriter's Crucible, tells an incredible story about How the Internet Can Sell Snow and a Good Story.” It’s hard to believe anyone would want to buy snow, let alone that anyone could sell it on Ebay. Matt gives details of a Colorado woman who sold three bags of snow to a family in Connecticut for $102.00. Check this out – it’s a fun read.

Intrapersonal – Galba Bright's, a new blogger who's off to a good start since his launch at the end of 2006. Galba provides strategies to improve your emotional intelligence at Tune up Your EQ.

Galba, a gifted young man, spent over a year studying other folks’ blogs and commenting often. Galba's learning curve was high and his own EQ was tested in the process. Check out Why a High IQ Can Be Bad for Your Health to see what's on his mind.

Bodily-Kinesthetic Valerie Cerami at The Final Sprint advises us to dance to kickstart both mind and body! Dance is a fun way to perk up your life and Valerie inspires us to consider it!

Logical-Mathematical – Ben Yoskovitz at Instigator Blog, shares several possibilities for blog promotion that help build both community and stats. I'll be experimenting with new strategies Ben lists below...

Mini Blog Carnivals

Contests

Theme Days

Blog Jolts (Use this as an example)

TheGoodBlogs communities [This new tool must work fairly well because when I visited another site today, I noted Ben’s Instigator Blog listed in a sidebar box titled TheGood Blogs. What’s your final take on this, Ben?]

Thanks Ben, for providing the links that show us how!

Whew! The learning curve’s high as I saw so many smarts on parade in the blogosphere. Stay tuned next Saturday for another edition.

Energize Voice and Mind with Rap!

More and more, folks realize to keep their brain operating at optimum it needs to be primed, much like the country pump. To push their minds many take on Brain Age, Sodoku, or crosswords. My suggestion to help energize yet different parts of your noodle...is to chant and tap rap. Rap draws from your wellspring of intelligences. Here's a snapshot of how it works and why it makes a difference...

During Save The Last Dance, the male lead said, Rap gives you voice...And the female lead found that improvising new steps in rap took her beyond ballets' boundaries. Could you use the "I am here" confidence or presence of mind, rap helps develop, to walk into the midst of a hectic and sometimes hostile office environment to begin your day? Don Campbell, author of The Mozart Effect shows how this works...

While commuting to and from work, imagine putting your thoughts into rhythm. Begin to tap with your hand in groups of four beats, accenting the first, and talk as you tap. Within a few minutes, you may notice how easy it is to speak to the beat--in other words, rap! Unwrap your thoughts, then let them be spoken in rhythm. For example:

TODAY I WAS TIRED.
TODAY I WAS BORED.
TODAY I WAS STUCK
AND FEELING LIKE MUCK.
I STARTED TO RAP
I STARTED TO MOVE
IN ONLY FIVE SECONDS
I WAS IN A NEW GROOVE.

To start, just talk and babble. If you aren't sure what to say simply use nonsense words but let your heart and tongue express what you're feeling. Rap cleanses the mental palate, and you don't need to blare your sub-woofer in the process!

Why does chanting your own rap energize your brain? You draw from several intelligences as you create--intrapersonal, musical-rhythmical, logical-mathematical and verbal-linguistic. Recent research shows the brain needs challenges to be vibrant. You'll be building new dendrite brain cells, especially on the right or creative side of your brain. And at the same time you fire up the left side as it talks to your body, especially the deeper systems that govern instinctual response and survival.

Ready to rap on your commute? Rap'll prime your pump!

Let us know about your experiment...

*Link to Right Brain, Left Brain Flickr image.

[Caution: if you cannot focus on driving, try rapping at other convenient places!]

Oops...A Tale in Six Words and Pictures

There's a fun challenge to write a whole story in six words at Robert Hruzek's Middle Zone Musings. Well, Robert has my dendrites popping so here goes...

Sirloins, Spuds, Sundaes, Shakes, Oops, S P R E A D!!!!!!!!

I love graphics and I've often said a picture tells a thousand words, so here's my tale in images:



The Contest is now officially open, and Robert Hruzek will be accepting entries through Sunday, January 21. Here’s all you have to do:

1. Read (if you like) the stories in Wired article to get a feel for how it’s done.
2. Write a six-word story! In fact, write a bunch - the more the merrier. (There are really only two rules to this contest: a) use exactly six words, and b) because this is for general consumption, Robert would appreciate it if you would please keep them G-rated!)
3. For those of you with blogs, post your entries on your blog, be sure to mention Middle Zone Musings, and place this hyperlink somewhere in your post (very important!) . Then, send me an email to let Robert know.
4. For those of you without blogs (and why haven’t you started one yet?), you can enter your submissions via the comments on this post. No need to email me in this case.
5. In return, Robert will link back to your post (or mention you by name, if you don't have a blog) several times during the week, and once more in the archive post.

Inner Voice of the Orchestra

Our intrapersonal intelligence’s an inner voice.. sort of a running commentary playing in our head throughout the day. Like the viola section in an orchestra – “inner voice” is quietly there. Yet it “plays a key role in the texture and feel of the music” that sings through our daily activities. What kind of music is your inner voice playing?

Cynthia Phelps, principal violist at the New York Philharmonic Orchestra makes fun links between a viola section and Inner Voice. Cynthia's insightful comments help us picture how the Intrapersonal Intelligence operates...

It's subtle but it's exciting, and it's the kind of thing that is great about being an inner voice, she says. You have a lot of control over how you allow the tune to be played.

The intrapersonal intelligence is the well of a person’s life and we’re the conductors of – experience, emotion, intellect.. . People move their bow in sync with selections or myriad thoughts processed during the course of a day.

Cynthia said, Often times, a conductor will just lean down and mutter something while he's in the middle of traffic-copping everything else, and it's up to me to translate it to the very back stand to make sure they heard it.

Translating is akin to creating. We create who we are, whether that be brassy, blaring, blushing, bumbling, bombastic, burdensome...you get the picture.

She add...A lot of what I have to say has to do with how our rhythm is fitting into the texture of the group.

From the intrapersonal, we decide to be competitive, condescending, cooperative, contentious, conforming, crabby, consoling...

In Cynthia's words...I try and create a balanced middle ground, Phelps added. It really resonates with the way I am as an individual.

As leader of her section, Phelps plays the role of a mediator of sorts. What you think about and do daily shapes who you are until you become the person others see in you. How's your leadership shaping up today?

It Takes Art to Create Diversity that Works

Diversity in the workplace not only helps companies stay in tune with customers, but stirs ideas and positively influences workers’ attitudes according to Washington Post columnist, Shankar Vedantam. On the other hand, it takes real art to create a truly diverse environment where people respect and value each other. What makes the difference?

Interestingly, Margaret Neale of Standford’s Graduate School of Business, disentangled 50 years of research on diversity to see:

diversity across dimensions, such as functional expertise, education, or personality, can increase performance by enhancing creativity or group problem-solving. In contrast, more visible diversity, such as race, gender, or age, can have negative effects on a group -- at least initially.

Surprisingly, teams more alike, who get along well, are less likely to find innovations that work because they share similar perspectives and get stuck in ruts. In fact, they perform lower on group problem solving tasks.

So where to begin...

Focus on commonalities first. Recent research on the brain reveals that “one way to reduce prejudice is to emphasize how alike different groups are.”

Try assigning roles and then switching them. Roles might be devil’s advocate, cheerleader, inventor, organizer and social chair. Team members can suggest roles and change them.

Create opportunities to tap peoples’ brainpower. To counter peoples’ views that “Diversity Training Stinks,” Ellen Weber asks, “Where could a community go when we tap into more people’s brilliant minds for answers?”

The art of putting all this together makes the difference...One problem groups encounter, is that a groups’ goals and values can lead to contentions and conflicts. Paradoxically, this can lead to better performance if managed effectively. "Managers simply must get team members to be in agreement,” Margaret Neale maintains, “about what the task is and the values that drive its pursuit." The tone managers set initially in meetings to establish a group's mission and values helps bridge diversity along both visible and invisible lines.

What's the difference? Recent findings show diversity pays since, “Customers and employees want to shop and work in environments which reflect their local communities,” Lesley Strathie, Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus concludes. And, by enlarging the scope of their recruitment base, employers can plug skills gaps, improve retention and increase productivity.

The art of creating diversity well reaps rich dividends. Diverse workforces lead to better business! Ready to change your approaches?

MyBlogLog Community Meme

Andy Beard has a great idea in building awareness in the community and social aspect of blogging with a MyBlogLog meme.

The rules are simple:

1. You should be a member of the community you recommend.
2. You should subscribe to their feed.

Mike Sansone was kind enough to list Brain Based Biz on the MyBlogLog meme. So, I'm passing the baton to two other MyBlogLog community members I found. It makes a lot of sense to sign up for the feeds of communities you enjoy.

The process is also simple: Two links: First link to the blog site, Second to the community page.

Starting with Andy and his choices, then I'll add mine at the end:

Andy Beard Andy Beard's Community
Andy Beal Marketing Pilgrim Community
Graywolf’s SEO Blog Graywolfs SEO Community
A VC Fred’s A VC Community
Converstations Mike Sansone’s Community
The RSS Blog The RSS Blog and KBCafe
Black in Business Jim Walton's Community
Social Caster Bruce Prokopet's Community
Shared NeedLes Jamie Parks' Community
Brain Based Biz Robyn McMaster's Community Thanks so much, Mike!
Branding Strategy Insider Derrick Daye's Community

Here's two I'm adding:

Word Sell Brad Shorr's Community
Successful and Outstanding Bloggers Liz Strauss's Community

As Mike suggested, it would be great to see MyBlogLog come up with a way to grab a single feed for my communities. Thanks for starting the ball, Andy and to Mike for keeping it rolling.

Insights from 8 Intelligences around the Blogosphere

Bloggers eight intelligences're bursting this week with great tips and insights from experts in many fields. Check these out...

Interpersonal: Each week something new's launched to enhance blogging, and sometimes it takes awhile to be sure it's kosher. Last week I noticed a graphic at Converstations that puts a face on recent visitors. Mike Sansone told me to click "View Reader Community" to join MyBlogLog. Thanks Eric for devising a way to find great sites and build community in a space easy to access. Best part is the whole concept is graphically oriented so that you see your community.

Logical-Mathematical: Mike Sansone suggests keeping a calendar with routines to develop weekly rhythm and pace as a blogger. Mike's post extends insights on Pace Wires Performance and shows patterns that work well for him. And, it's a great way to vary your posts each week!

Verbal-Linguistic: Brad Shorr at Word Sell shows how to spice up your writing by using verbs with more punch. And, Brad carries this off with pizzazz you'd enjoy.

Intrapersonal: Ellen Weber says "People who laugh at themselves have the last laugh." Are you scowling more at work than finding fun there? Ellen offers tips for you to "grow" your skill to bring humor to work.

Spatial: C.B. Whittemore reminds us that we can capture consumers with an engaging store window.
C.B. offers insights on how to pull that off. Don't miss this post chock-full of information and strategies from experts in the field.

Naturalistic: At Writelife, Bill shares virtues in deciding to move from Edmonton, Alberta to Moncton, New Bruswick since he avoided the "chilly wrath of icy gods." Take care though, Bill, before making a statement of this sort since winter is not over in January. And in 2005, folks were stranded at the airport there! I wish you well for the rest of the year.

Bodily-kinesthetic: Shandy King introduced uWink, a new design restaurant with runners and no waiters. Amazingly, there's an interactive panel display at each table where you can order great appetizing food. Folks can use Apple laptops, headphones and ipods and tagged images from Flickr on the walls added zest to the already busy atmosphere. Uwink is the brainchild of entrepreneur Nolan Bushnell, former CEO of Atari and Chuck E Cheese.

Musical: YouTube's a great place to go to find great music. Since jazz moves my brain waves in ways that enhance writing, check out Wynton Marsalis's Cherokee and try some music as you write. You may have to adjust what works best for you.

OK.. on to another week and without doubt I'll locate even more great nuggets!

LG concept, but Apple rule

Brother's out of law

iPhone seems to be having twin. Engadget reports about LG KE850.
LG is a company that sells a lot more mobile phones than Apple does, but it has a rock star and brand name CEO :))

Pace Wires Performance

Ever think of your pace as an art? At least it seemed that way on the golf course last week. Because January's warmer than usual, a few avid players showed up on the course. Not only did our game move faster than normal, but I saw connections that pros such as Tiger Woods speak of – to improve a game. Pace and focus enhance the art of the game.

It wasn’t just me either. The faster, uninterrupted pace meant longer, straighter shots to the green - balls that surprised our foursome. It’s a timing thing and the brain can act like a metronome on the golf course when the pace is right.

For example, Richard Coop speaks of, “a shot clock in a golfer’s mind,” and shows how, “the penalty for poor time-keeping is poor shots.” Cook clocked pros and discovered that most take between 18 and 22 seconds at the tee. Consistency in time and procedure counts in golf, as rhythm counts to an orchestra, or a marketing campaign for a new line.

Tiger Woods put it this way, “Most amateurs don't go out with a plan, and they aren't in rhythm when they get to the first tee. The result is a nervous, tentative opening shot that sets the wrong tone. By the time they find that feel--if they find it at all--it's too late. The round is shot.” Have you noticed that?

Makes me wonder if I’d have played even better out there, if I’d keyed in Wood’s reminder to, “maintain the same pace and tempo.”

Pros like Woods, “Never play a shot before you're ready. That's why a consistent pre-shot routine is essential to good tempo and rhythm.”

What’s the difference, then, between a pro and the rest of us? “The tendency is to speed up mentally and physically under pressure. Your natural rhythm is broken, and you start making mistakes. And, here's the key. "My pre-shot routine,” Woods asserts, “has a calming influence on my nerves and helps me stay in rhythm.”

He simply walks to the ball at a steady pace, which offers him time to think about his shot and “balance his emotions.” For Woods, it’s a matter of playing “within yourself,” where you pace in ways that allow your natural rhythm to kick in.

You could say, it all boils down to a few straightforward strategies that link art to mind for a few more winning shots to the green…

1. Hit the first tee with a game plan to win
2. Move down each fairway at a steady pace - start to finish
3. Swing faster at each tee – without losing focus or engaging emotions
4. Plan shots ahead– and select your next club in your mind, long before you reach for it
5. Avoid time scratching for lost balls in the rough – drop a new ball - take your penalty – and swing.

Check out this new IMAX documentary of Wired to Win for another snapshot of art and mind as it improves performance.

Searching SMS history

Find me an old quote of that woman ( horny, horny )

If messaging ( SMS in particular ) is the killer app, I wanna search function for all my text messages I have EVER sent.
Let's presume ( fiction to-be ) I'll be able to login and search my messaging history just like today I can search all my mail with Gmail.
Am I asking too much ? Oh, and ''print'' function would be neat ;)
This type of intelligence lacks and could be improved.

Apple's phone

Attack without batak

Phone, a mobile phone like no other mobile phone. Phone with charisma , multi-touch and enormous multimedia capabilities.
iPhone from Apple.
@ Anno Domini 2007.
Now, where's my cell operator and fast wireless line ?
We'll see. It's still fresh to say anything about iPhone.

P.S
Apple is ahead of time. Design is revoulutionary, but I'm not getting who's here targeted customer ?
The mobile ecosystem is tough to crack.
This phone will need decent data rate plan. Oh, battery too.

I think implementation of iPhone by Apple will fail ( no significant market share ) but it will push design and network matters on the table for Nokias , Motorolas, Vodafones of the world.
iPhone is a ''tablet'', I've read in one review. It could be true.

But look at these, Apple fans made a blog with many pictures / concepts of iPhone out of their imaginations.
It is truly amazing and potential good scouting for Nokia, Motorola and Samsung executives ;)

We all forget to look about texting capabilities of iPhone. Tomi Ahonen has an open letter for Steve.

I like particulary this one:

So please, Apple, make sure your SMS text messaging ability is as good as the current crop of top-end phones. Recognize that SMS is used by busy executives who carry a laptop briefcase in one hand and operate their phone in the other hand as they hussle from the elevator to the cab; and by college students who send secret messages to their friends in class, with the phone out of view. Your iPhone will need texting ability that can be used single-handed, and without looking at the phone.

Do they in US acctually know something about SMS ? It could be mystery to them :)

Robert Parker III, Dentist with a Difference

I used to dread trips to the dentist. The photo on the right says it all. But since I found Dr. Robert E. Parker III, that picture changed. He's amazing because he's able to trick my mind so that I don't fear hypodermic needles, full of novocaine, as I did in past. And he also brings more art to his practice.

Here's how Dr. Parker...

Applies new knowledge about the brain. He capitalizes on the brain's ability to be tricked when focus is diverted. So, just before he inserts the needle, he rubs your gums really hard with his finger. As you concentrate on this sensation, the needle's in and out before you know it. Visits are happier, not full of angst. And, no longer do I avoid making appointments as I did in past.

Stays upbeat. I can visualize him singing in an opera, though I know he doesn't. He smiles as he talks you through each procedure with pleasant tone.

Asks personal questions. He really knows patients. He focuses on you in conversations...you matter...you're more than a number.

Fits in emergencies. Since I had a front tooth filling break, he made room for me next day.

Treats assistants well. Dr. Parker's assistant, Sue said, from the moment she wakens, she looks forward to work. Sue has assisted Dr. Parker for about twenty years. And, he includes Sue socially, too. Dr. Parker and his wife consistently invite Sue to join them to go downhill skiing.

Serves community. He's an active member of Rotary and he participates in projects to help others.

I have a whole new perspective about dentist visits since a friend recommended Dr. Parker. He brings more art and mind to dental practice. Result -- less fear -- more well-being.

Publishing better global news online

Online publishing on high heels and with The Cover.

The BBC and The New York Times for digital/internet age and 21st century is here:

DAYLIFE . Yes, DAYLIFE.COM

It's amazing news service that tooks concept of digital news aggregation as it allways should be done.
That's exactly what BBC and New York Times can't do because of its culture and business model or some start-up ( Newsvine ).
I might be overly enthusiastic, but I think Daylife has a concept for global internet news that is here to stay ( Google News, Topix, Newsvine and others were pioneers, but...) .

Look, they brought the concept of ''cover'' again as something really important. The main features are , Covers, Top Stories and My World.
That's transformation I havent's seen executed well in the internet before.
The global news industry is getting better ;))

Now, they need just to make PEOPLE ( editors, writers, producers, photographs ) and mobile phones somehow more involved into this project and they have winning position and become BBCs or CNNs of 21st century ;))
Without people it's only machine and it's not so relevant and if they don't do, FOX will do :))

I understand Craig Newmark and Jeff Jarvis are behind Daylife, and expectations are set high . The ''execution'' is the key ( no lazy people involved, please ) .
The founders should look at opportunities to mix up edited and user generated content. It's crucial to adopt philosophy of co-existence with ''old'' media .

Emerging wireless players for 2007.

Emerging wireless players to watch in 2007. , according to IDC.
Document at a glance.

Lady ninja

Kunoichi are around us, and maybe I have something in common with the term ;))
I've learned about Kunoichi last week .
They were lady ninjas in ancient Japan. I meant for real life and not video games.
Maybe Kunoichi escaped Japan or were in a mission in China or Mongolia ( it's something I talk on purpose ).

Call Japan and US for more info

*
Japan calling
Daniel Scuka from Wireless Watch Japan compiled Japan's Mobile Year (2006) in Review.
I would like to learn more about: naked mobile news, W950i Walkman, DoCoMo and Redmond tie-up,

*
Mobile phone sales in US
Red Herring has a top ten mobile handsets in 2006. ( US cell phone sales ). US market is unusual phone market, what gets chosen in the U.S. doesn’t necessarily reflect the rest of the world.

Dial for podcasts

Call me, call me, hear the latest from me about fishing in cold water.

Podcasting and practice of amateur internet audio shows is around for some time, but as a concept it never scaled much into non-techie and elderly community.
Well, solution for the opposite is at hand and it is calling Podlinez - podcasts on every phone.
Every podcaster can link their RSS feed to dedicated number and start to grow their audience with phone calls ( it's only US right now ).
I've seen many complaints from techies that this is pretty pointeless service. Well, I think it's not.
Matthew Kaufman is the founder of Podlinez and I found his logical explanation :

I’m the founder of Podlinez and I’d agree that — as someone with a computer, an Internet connection, and an iPod — at first glance it seems pretty pointless.

But there’s two good use cases that we’re getting a lot of positive comments on… one is the person who has a cellphone, free minutes, free long distance, handsfree via bluetooth, and a few minutes to kill while sitting in traffic. They can listen to today’s stock market closing report or this weekend’s fishing report even though they didn’t sync up their iPod with the latest episode while at work.

And then there’s the computer-illiterate elderly and the infirm who couldn’t make it to church last Sunday, listening to their church’s latest sermon podcast on their home phone for the first time ever.

I have yet to meet a podcaster who doesn’t want the size of their potential audience to expand. But I agree, when I first thought of the idea my first reaction was “who’d want to do that, when there’s much better technical solutions?”

Here's comparison with similar service in US called FonPods. They are similar but different.
Phone companies ( in every country, the cost of call is important so I'm not talking about global service ) that are smart and know that their killer app is still voice, could arrange smart audio services and connect amateur produceres with audience just like some preacher Tony in US does with The Bible CallCast.
Who cares about iTunes and iPod. I certanly don't ;))
Like many ordinary phone users who do not care if people call this practice podcasting or something else.
Yes, I am aware of Melodeo but it's different pair of shoes.

Vikendi.net to locate your weekends in Croatia

Find me escape I just might need, you portal :)

Before I go on weekend, few quick infos to add about Vikendi.net
Vikendi.net is a new croatian tourism site that immediatly appealed to me.
It is a nice user-generated portal for tourism providers ( users ) and related fields, still in its infancy.
The beuaty is in short distance traveling and the site provides infos for recreation, places and tourism offers. I think the audience will come and the base will grow ( if properly executed ).
The service Vikendi.net is very simple and works fast.

I can see it's done with PHP and has great SEO structure of links which will make them high with search engines.
The catalogue of information is structured naturally, and information are vertically and horizontally alligned ( geo information, type of service, offers ).
Yes, Google Maps is mashed up as well.

Finally something creative ( solves the problem ) on croatian web and decent idea for web site.
If I'm venture capitalist, you know what my words would be... ;))
To add my two cents, if possible, make it in english as well. There's huge expat community in Croatia and looks for weekends as well.

Peer talk with Fring

Fring is in beta.
It's the 3G mobile application that allows you to make free ( peer-to-peer ) mobile calls and send instant messages (chat) to other fring users and PC based VoIP services such as Skype and Google Talk at no extra cost beyond your existing data plan.
My mobile is currently not supported but I'll keep an eye on them via their blog.

Sada Rusei ?

Who's or what's sada rusei ? Is it name or is it some act ? Someone is looking for sada rusei video . The hit came from Brazil , according to my logs.
Maybe new Ronaldo or Ronaldinho ;))

Color Makes Powerful Difference to Consumers

"Color is so amazingly powerful," according to psychologist Joerg Bose, "that it is no surprise people throughout centuries have sought to connect it with something meaningful beyond the experience, itself." Color is often the primary factor in peoples' decision to purchase one product over another. Savvy leaders build on art and science to choose colors for products, decor, packaging and attire.

A recent study, "Consumer Color Preferences," points out color factors in most for 86% of folks buying clothes, 76% of people purchasing a car or motorcycle and 72% for people choosing home appliances according to BuzzBack Market Research and Pantone. Interestingly, out of 44 colors tested, only six received 48% of all votes. And, bright white, along with shades of brown and gray failed to receive votes.

When both men and women responded to a Women's Wear Daily question, "What is your favorite color to wear?" here's what their survey revealed:
Other factors enter in. For instance, women prefer soft colors, pastels, bright pinks and purples. Men selected dark colors. Interestingly, youth (13-20) choose pinks, while more mature folks (55-64) are more likely to pick corals. Latinos opt for black more often than do other cultural groups. And, when it comes to personal care items, white's the favorite according to an article in Research Alert, "Product Colors Influence Consumer Purchase Decisions."

Overall, more than half of teens and adults or 54% "feel most confident with red, considered an attention grabber; black slimming, and blue experienced as ego gratifying according to the BuzzBack and Pantone research.

Amazingly, a 2006 DuPont national poll shows "as many as 40 percent of consumers willing to switch brands for a specific color." Keep in mind that color trends change over time as well./

Kathryn Young, in "Colours of the Mind," Montreal's The Gazzette, lists ways color connects to feelings:

Blue gives a sense of calm
Greens cool
Greys and blues help people unwind
Red stirs life and stimulates both the appetite and brain
Yellow adds warmth and happiness.
Orange makes us feel energized - hence the number of fast-food restaurants that use it in their decor.

However, Young adds that vibrant, bright yellows can be agitating in a baby's room and make it cry more. And if a yellow contains too much green, it can become nauseating - not to be used in a hospital. Any color that's perceived to be muddy, drab or dull can dampen spirits.

Research and psychology pave the way for leaders to select from a broad spectrum of color. Have you considered how the art and science of color can distinguish your products and attract customers!

Building from Questions and Curiosity

Since I determined to visit new blogs and listen more, I'm already richer. And, a great way to connect more to other bloggers is to ask two-footed questions. Here's how it works...



Start with something in the blog that intrigues or rouses your curiosity. Ask that blogger a question that requires him to speak from personal experience in relation to the topic. Ellen Weber explains more about two-footed questions.

For instance, when I checked out Sweska's blog, I found that she lives in Singapore, is 20 something, and attends college. Sweska took time to scan family photos and arrange them for her family to "squeeze in" and share. She said family members pointed out photos and recalled events. I pictured this in my mind's eye as Sweska shared the details from Old Gold Pics.

I wondered what advice an older, 60-year-old Sweska might give to young, 20-something Swezka. So I asked. And Sweska replied that she reflected much. Here's two wonderful gems from her list of five:

1. Keep working and loving what you do...there's no such thing as retirement!
2. Continue learning new things and new skills...maybe a type of dancing!

Wow. I like the focus!

Chris Cree of Success Creeations is currently taking a break by traveling North by car with his wife,Gorgeous. Chris hopes for more one-on-one time with her during the extensive trip since he would be away from distrations for a log duration. When I asked Chris how this was working out, he responded, "I'm coping ok through the withdrawal." Love the next line, "At least the twitching has moderated somewhat!" Hope you're still laughing Chris!

And there's great wisdom to glean from Elizabeth Perry's journey in art at Woolgathering. Liz says to "give ourselves permission to sit still, look around and fool around." I want to draw. Since Liz began two years ago with no prior experience, I know I can. In the do-ing, it happens. I'm buying a sketch pad today to start. According to Liz, art shapes itself.

At Servant of Chaos, Sharon Sarmiento, commented that "community is the heartbeat of the blogosphere." And Gavin Heaton, at Servant of Chaos, really shows that. When I inquired if he had tips to build great community Gavin provided a link to Mike Sansone's Converstations, http://www.converstations.com/2007/01/building_reader.html. Just goes to show that bloggers go out of their way to help each other.

OK, my working memory is overflowing... That's the portion of your mind which processes new information and it only holds a limited amount before it spills over. Somehow, my cup is overflowing with great nuggets from the blogging community. Thanks, Swezka, Liz, Chris, Mike and Gavin!