Monthly Archives: August 2006

If the Pilgrims Had Landed in California, The East Coast Would Be Wilderness Still

Posted inLife4 Comments on If the Pilgrims Had Landed in California, The East Coast Would Be Wilderness Still

Yesterday I had coffee with a San Francisco-based VC who’s lived and studied in the Bay Area his whole life. “On the one hand I feel like I should explore the east coast a bit….” he said. I interjected: “Hey — it’s hard to leave!” We both grinned.

Two nights ago I met some school friends. One guy just got a tattoo on his arm with “Oro un Paz, Fierro en Guerra” (Gold in Peace, Iron in War) — the San Francisco motto. As we were talking I looked at my own clothes. Through sheer happenstance I was wearing a “The City” t-shirt, SF Giants authentic MLB fleece, and a “The City” hooded sweatshirt. Everyone in the Bay Area refers to San Francisco as The City. When I was in Europe and an American asked me where I was from, I’d always say “The City” and then have to quickly correct myself.

Three nights ago I went to a “Toast to the Bay – Celebrate the 415” barbecue at Crissy Field some college-aged friends organized, before they head off to their chilly locales around the country. Awesome setting near the Warming Hut overlooking the bay, Alcatraz, and the Palace of Fine Arts.

Last night I had a meeting at the San Francisco Chronicle. The VP of their online division noted how the Chron web site is much farther along than other newspaper web sites. One guy said, “For example, on our site when you register, the gender field has three options: male, female, and undecided.” That’s what I love about San Francisco.

I guess what makes me sad is that Chris Yeh‘s kids are going to have no city pride. I mean, who really wants wear 650 on their sleeve?

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Looking for Contacts and Resources in Japan, China, and India

Posted inTravel6 Comments on Looking for Contacts and Resources in Japan, China, and India

My worldwide adventures to explore globalization on the ground, meet cool people, and understand other cultures and my own better, continue this fall! In October I intend to travel to Japan, China, and India for six weeks. I am looking for:

1. Contacts — Do you know people in any or all of these countries? Do you live in one of those countries? I’m looking for shelter and/or good conversations.

2. Advice — If you have been to these countries and have tips, I’m all ears. I’m not particularly interested in, say, specific restaurants as much as more general guidance.

I have no firm plans in any of these countries. I will probably go to Tokyo/Kyoto in Japan, Beijing and some places in the west in China, and Mumbai/Bangalore in India, but it’s wide open. I’m particularly interested in meeting businesspeople, academics, journalists, educators, or young people in leadership positions. In addition, I’m interested in checking out offshore shops in China and India.

It’s harder being an English speaking American citizen in these countries than it is in Europe, which is why I’m hopeful I can connect with as many locals as possible.

For those who don’t know, I recently spent seven weeks in Europe and stayed with blog readers and friends of friends and everything worked out marvelously.

Please email me if you have any connections. Thank you very much!

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Is a Killer Instinct Necessary in Business and in Life?

Posted inEntrepreneurship10 Comments on Is a Killer Instinct Necessary in Business and in Life?

Must you hate your opponent?

In one of my all time favorite movies, Searching for Bobby Fisher, the prodigy chess player Josh Waitzkin talks with his coach about an upcoming match against a highly touted player.

"You have to hate your opponent, Josh, they hate you," coach Bruce Pandolfini says.

"But I don’t hate him," Josh responds.

"You have to hate him. Bobby Fischer hated his opponents," the coach says.

At the end of the movie Josh ultimately wins the crucial match, but not before offering a draw to his opponent (which is rejected).

I recently met a business executive who gave up chess as a hobby because it was "too brutal" — the glorification of destroying your opponent and seeing the blood as pieces go down. His favorite chess games are when he "isn’t playing chess" but when he’s "dancing on the board."

The executive extends this metaphor to business: cooperation is the answer, he says. Winning is important, but most effective in the spirit of cooperation.

Is a "killer instinct" necessary in business? Must you hate your opponents? I have to say I’ve been struck by my friend Chris Sacca’s (Google) frequent tip of the hat to Yahoo on his blog, or Jeff Nolan’s (SAP) occasional nod to Salesforce.com.

Everyone wants to win and kick the competition’s ass, the question is how this spirit should manifest into entrepreneurial truisms. Thoughts?

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The Big Drivers of the Next 10 Years

Posted inRandom2 Comments on The Big Drivers of the Next 10 Years

Several months ago blog reader Sean Ness of the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto invited me to one of their events. I couldn’t make it, but Sean encouraged me to stop in one of these days to learn more about their work. In-between meetings last week I spent an hour at the Institute for the Future and came away really impressed. In their own words…

The Institute for the Future (IFTF) is an independent nonprofit research group. We work with organizations of all kinds to help them make better, more informed decisions about the future. We provide the foresight to create insights that lead to action.

After giving me a tour of the facility, we sat down and Sean described some of the big trends they see developing over the next decade. Some of the themes that most intrigue me:

  • A "group economy" threads together past visions of emergence, new kinds of capital, collective action, grassroots economics, etc.
  • "Lightweight infrastructure" builds grassrootes economies into physical structures.
  • "Sensemaking" is about the importance of focal points and maps in an ever-less-bounded world. Physical context increases in importance.

After a good chat Sean handed me seven thick research books on everything from "The Future of Global E-Education" to "Cooperation in Business in the 21st Century." When I got home to my computer I had three emails from Sean — links to blogs that may interest me, additional reports not released to the public, and an introduction to someone I could find interesting.

That’s what I call professionalism! IFTF keeps a low profile since it does much of its work on a confidential basis with private sector clients, but it’s an organization worth keeping tabs on if you — like me — are trying to figure out what trends are going to converge in the future to shape the world we live in.

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Big Picture Observations, Random Notes, and Travel Tips on Two Months in Europe

Posted inGeneral/Misc.3 Comments on Big Picture Observations, Random Notes, and Travel Tips on Two Months in Europe

Big picture observations

1. America and Europe are more similar than different. The media likes to play up transatlantic rifts. Our similarities are so intense that any cultural contrasts become even more interesting.

2. Immense history in Europe. I saw countless buildings older than the age of my country.

3. Reform is critical to Europe’s long term relevance

4. No anti-Americanism from the locals against me. This is a myth invented by people who don’t travel.

5. A lot of really impressive people. Talent is indeed spread around.

Travel tips

1. Travel clothes do work — dry quicker, absort moisture. They’re not a rip-off.

2. A notebook and pen — I had no idea how critical this would be

3. Wi-fi locator keychain — good investment; didn’t have to take out laptop all the time

4. Save on airfare, splurge on other things — Ok, 30 hour flight to Ireland. In the end it was worth the $200 savings.

5. Simply can not eat food at major tourist destinations. Always find a back road or a residential hood.

6. Money belt — Mine was too small, so I didn’t use it regularly. I put key documents in a cargo pocket in my shorts that zipped closed with an extra velcro seal on top.

7. Buy water bottles at supermarkets and don’t expect many free fountains

8. Go to tourist sites. There’s a reason everyone goes to them. Just buy tickets in advance or get the timing right.

9. Manage photos on the road. I have over 700 photos and over 40 videos. Throughout the trip I uploaded to my computer, labeled, organized, etc. Upon my return I spent 30 minutes, organized into a slideshow, and burned CDs for people. Really easy.

10. Backup your computer on your iPod. Peace of mind.

Random notes

1. Europeans seemed skeptical of the need for such an intense response from Israel against Lebanon

2. Staying with locals gives about a 20x cultural experience than staying at a hotel, but it can also be constraining. I think it’s worth it.

3. It’s interesting how true certain stereotypes turned out to be. Italian drivers or hand gestures, Irish accent, British political debates, and so forth.

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