Tech Thursday - Winklevoss Twins, Space and Bitcoin

This article on CNN yesterday struck me as interesting.

In essence, the Winklevi are paying Virgin Galactic in Bitcoin to go to space. Richard Branson's company has been accepting it for payment, which further supports the virtual currency's place in our future. The Winklevoss Twins are also invested in Bitcoin and promoting their own capitol group, which should come as no surprise that they would enjoy the media attention around their "unique" purchase with a futuristic payment method.

Austin, Texas has announced that Bitcoin ATMs will be coming in the near future with one already established in a bar. My guess is that they are capitalizing on upcoming SXSW which drives music lovers and techies to blog, tweet, post and video all the new offerings. In my opinion, this is great PR for Bitcoin ... and free media and branding.

Even mainstream television has picked up on the Bitcoin movement. Shows like "Almost Human", which is set in the near future, make frequent reference to the untraceable currency.




Bitcoin is in it's infancy; or perhaps more correctly, its formative years. The value is volatile and still fluctuates, though it is becoming more steady as society begins to adopt it as an alternative to cash and credit. It is worth paying attention to during these growing pains. And yes, investing in a Bitcoin or two now could be a great investment in the long run.

Frito-Lay Submission - Do Us A Flavor

My suggestion for a new Frito-Lay flavor isn't getting any traction or votes. 

I wonder why?

I thought it was better than this one...

Though technically, they might be the same thing?

But come on! NOW you're just being silly.

Music Monday - "A Little Respect" by Erasure

True story.

I was a freshman in high school, only 14 years old, and had a crush on our marching band's 2nd Drum Major*, Kurt Aufderheide. He was blonde, blue-eyed, tall and Mormon. (Now that I think about it, I had a thing for blondes in high school.)  I do not think that I ever had a real conversation with Kurt; he was a senior like my brother and ate lunch on the upper quad, whereas I was with all the other freshmen by our lockers, too scared to leave the safety of a mass group.

One afternoon, I called our local pop radio station, Star 100.7, and requested that they play a song.  The conversation went something like this:

DJ: Star 100.7! Who is this?
Me: Ummm. Glynis?
DJ: Hey Gwyneth, what's going on?
Me: Uhhh, can you play a song for me? A Little Respect by Erasure?
DJ: Sure thing, who do you want to dedicate this too?
Me: (not expecting this) Oh, um? Kurt Aufderhide? *stunned that this came out of my mouth*
DJ: Ooo! Is this your boyfriend?
Me: NO!!!
DJ: Well does he have your number?
Me: I'm sure he can figure out where to get it.
DJ: Alright then! Here's Erasure with "A Little Respect" going out to Kurt Aufderheide from Gwyneth!



Even though the DJ called me Gwyneth, everyone knew it was me. Didn't matter though because I taped it onto a cassette (did you know they record those conversations during the commercials, not live?) and planed to give that tape to Kurt.

The next day at school, I got up the nerve to take the tape to Kurt (I think my phone number was written on the outside.) He was surrounded by a bunch of girls and somehow I got the nerve to break in and give him the tape, say a squeeky "Hi!" and run away.

He never called.

And I think he got a Mormon girlfriend a few weeks later. She was blonde, blue-eyed and played the trumpet. AND A FRESHMAN!

Where's Kurt today?

In Baghdad. Being awesome. Getting awards. And political stuff. Working on labor issues and probably solving world hunger.

Me?
Jets for the 0.01%.
Living the dream!

We won Tournament of Champions that year. 1992 Field Show. And if you don't believe how awesome marching band can be, you gotta check out this video... of us... THE EMERALD BRIGADE!



*The 2nd Drum Major is at the back of the field, so that when you march facing away from the front, you can still keep in time. 

And a Disco Ball... Proportionately Sized

When designing your new workspace, or "Career Stations" one must think of all the items you would want to have if the sky was the limit.

Career Station Space
- Table that can seat 8, hardwood, smooth surface
o To be used within the career stations as a collaboration zone for proofing mechanicals, going over workflow, creative brain-storming… so that if we need to answer our phone or get to computer, it’s easier than locking ourselves in the control room

- Touchscreen with internet connectivity on the enclosed wall space
- Paper Recycling station!!!
- Digital color printer / scanner
- New leather office chairs that are ergonomically built for our career station
- Selection of plants (at least one per person)
o Because oxygen and color and living things are good

- Marketing only smallish refrigerator – that can hold OUR food not to mention back up insulin – this is huge because we can’t trust our meds to the common room fridge
- Mini bar that we could have a cocktail on Friday evenings or a glass of wine
- If they remove the file cabinets along the walls, we need our own file cabinets – in a BIG way


Common area
- Three cushy sofas and/or chairs plus a low coffee table
- Hi-definition SMART television, with cable, with internet access
o To access Bloomberg TV and CNN

- Remote keyboard and mouse system
- Magazine rack and a newspaper rack to hold our advertising materials
- Pop up – like what we take to events to display collateral
- Three Floor lamps, strategically placed so that we can turn off the overhead lights
- Three floor pillows
- Multipanel screen that can be placed across a gap for added privacy – note: not permanent, but like a Shoji screen
- XBOX 360 w/Kinect - for team building, letting off stress
- Wii gaming system, along with an assortment of team building games like Wii Sports
- Dartboard
- Disco ball – proportionate to the space
- Plastic plants and Festivus pole
- 40-gallon Aquarium with live fish
- Assortment of games like Pictionary (along with standup easel that is whiteboard), CLUE, RISK, Stratego, Battleship, Scrabble

I don't think that's too much to ask.

You can thank me. Less yucky stamps.

I helped in the invention of self adhesive stamps.
Yes, I know, the Internet might make handwritten letters obsolete. But I helped.
One might say that I was the catalyst.

When I was young, my Father would pay bills on Saturday.
He would listen to opera on the classical radio station and sort bills.
I would lay on the floor of his office, conducting the orchestra and awaiting for Dad's call.
"Okay Glynie, you're up."
I would then get up from the shag carpet and start to lick all the stamps and apply them to the bills.
"Blech. daddy this taste awful."
"I agree, that is why you are licking the stamps. I am outsourcing this important duty to you."

So I wrote a letter to the Postmaster General.
I asked him to make chocolate flavored stamps so that my Saturday chore would be less cumbersome.
And he replied.
His response was that he couldn't make chocolate flavored stamps because some might like strawberry or vanilla. So, dear Glynis, I'm sorry you have to lick stamps, but I cannot help you at this time.

One year later... Self adhesive stamps.
I'm just saying...

Peaches, Ikea and Cubes... OH MY!

Learned quite a bit this week. And let's face it, if you aren't learning something new, then you aren't living, you're just surviving. And what fun is that?

According to NPR, the Peach business is going to boom this year. Due to rain and good seasonal weather, the word of the day is PEACH. Now how to make that payoff in your daily business, since I don't think Peach Farmers are on the NASDAQ... with the exception of baking up some nom nom noms Peach Cobbler, perhaps the overarching point is that The South is going to be profitable. And we're all going to be enjoying the fruits of their labor (pun intended).

Moving right along, I had a head-smack moment on my commute home. Driving by the Ikea on the 121, I noticed that the building was in blue and yellow. Sweden's flag's colors. Was this a DUH moment or what? Did you know it was founded by a 17 year old Swede? I knew it was Scandinavian, but didn't connect the dots. It was almost like the day I realized that Kay Jewelers tagline "Every kiss begins with Kay" was a double entendre for the letter K in kiss and the brand Kay. Why it didn't hit me until recently? I am embarrassed.

Speaking of driving, I have finally found my new car replacement for Gus the Wonder Bug. After test-driving a few this weekend, I've happily decided to purchase a Nissan Cube. No, I don't think it's homely or boxy. I dig it. It's a fun ride and has an intelligence chip. Being able to cruise around DFW, getting 30+ mpg, blue tooth and iPod downloads into the stereo's memory are freaking awesome. Not to mention, it's just fun to drive. (Insert Hitchhiker's Guide quote here.)

Alright peeps... make it a great day!

Something New

If you haven't checked out reveries.com put it in your daily feeds to check. Cool News of the Day is full of innovation, ideas and general insights that come in short thought-starter snippets. If you like to learn something new everyday, this is the place to do it.

They have four legs, don't they?

A beautiful Thursday afternoon, sun is shining, birds are chirping and there is a light breeze... granted this will all go away soon when the 100 degree summer + humidity rolls right on in, but for the meantime, I'm outside as much as I can.

As I type this, my cruiser is patiently waiting for me to hop on and go for a meandering ride through the Greenbelt. The only problem is Chris, the MacGuyver of the day, who is determined that the pugs are going with us on a ride.

The boopins, fat chubby little doggies who when walking more than 250 feet and sit on their butt in protest... how are they to go on this ride? A child bike stroller. I. Kid. You. Not. You've seen them, the mothers out on their bikes trailing the toddlers behind in a canvas-style cart? Yup, that's what Chris is currently creating in the garage. A pug bike cart.

More to come on this ingenuity and innovation... and the result of dogs on a bike ride later.