Category: inspirational

Posted on

Imagine Peace Tower

Yoko Ono is about to unveil the Imagine Peace Tower in Videy Island, Reykjavik, Iceland on October 9th 2007, John Lennon’s birthday. The tower will exist in the form of light shooting into the sky and symbolizes love, peace, and harmony.

Despite what some may criticize as a new age, hippie, pipe dream—I think it’s pretty nice.

The IMAGINE PEACE TOWER is an artwork conceived by Yoko Ono in memory of John Lennon.

It is dedicated to peace and bears the inscription IMAGINE PEACE in 24 languages.

Its construction and installation is a collaboration between Yoko Ono, the City of Reykjavik, Reykjavik Art Museum and Reykjavik Energy.

The work is in the form of a wishing well from which a very strong and tall tower of light emerges. The strength, intensity and brilliance of the light tower continually changes as the particles in the air fluctuate with the prevailing weather and atmospheric conditions unique to Iceland.

Every year it will light up between October 9th (Lennon’s birthday) and December 8th (the day of his death).

In addition the IMAGINE PEACE TOWER will be lit on New Year’s Eve, during the first week of spring and on some rare special occasions agreed between the City and Yoko Ono.

Posted on

Buzz Marketing Interview with Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell at World Innovation Forum

Paul Dunay, of Buzz Marketing for Technology has a recap of Malcolm Gladwell’s recent speech at the World Innovation Forum about, what else, innovation.

Paul found an opportunity to speak with Gladwell during the conference and recorded his interview.

Gladwell illustrates some of his points from his book, The Tipping Point, and what I found to be quite interesting, how the “last mile problem of marketing” is still trouble for marketers.

“The last mile in word of mouth marketing is personal relationships. At the end of the day I’m most powerfully influenced by those I know, respect and love,” explains Gladwell. The most complicated marketing scheme in the world won’t have a very strong affect on any given individual if the people that that individual trusts aren’t moved by the product.

Gladwell also talks a little bit about his new book. He says it’s about exceptional performers and high achievers, how they got there, and what we can learn from them.

Listen to the “Buzz Marketing for Technology’s” interview with Malcolm Gladwell.

Posted on

Genius: 2012

Gladwell at New Yorker TalkCultural phenomenon Malcolm Gladwell gave a talk at the New Yorker Conference 2012: Stories From the Near Future. His talk Genius: 2012 illustrates the importance of stubbornness and collaboration in problem-solving.

Posted on

“Life is Better than Worrying About a Leg”

New York bike courier, Dexter Benjamin, says that in 20 years of riding around the city, he’s never seen anyone else with only one leg riding a bike.

From YouTube:

Coming around this corner I saw a ball crossing and I saw this kid running across the street for the ball. I saw my truck was coming so I dab my buddy off the bike push the kid out of the way and my leg burst as he rode by me.

Posted on

If the Earth Were a Sandwich

I’ve been watching ZeFrank’s The Show for a couple of months now. I think he’s a brilliantly witty guy and I’m amazed at what appears to be the very little effort he seems to exert in coming up with clever and humorous shows on a daily basis.

A couple of weeks ago he discussed the possibility of “making the earth a sandwich” by placing two pieces of bread simultaneously directly opposite each other on the globe. I didn’t even bother investigating the “find the opposite tool” because (I thought) I knew that from here it was all just ocean on the other side of the world.

Now for the good news.

It turns out that near the small town of Manyberries, AB (just a short drive from Lethbridge) there is an area of land that is situated exactly tangent from a small island on the other side of the globe that google has labelled as French Southern & Antarctic Lands.

Do you know what this means?!!! Ladies and gentlemen there is a good chance that I’ll be able to help in MAKING THE EARTH A SANDWICH! I just need to discover who in French Southern & Antarctic Lands reads my website, and then see if they would be willing to lay a piece of bread on the ground at these coordinates: 49.34843 by 69.4363? Both pieces of bread need to be sitting there simultaneously for the sandwich to exist so one of us might have to go out in the dark, which I’m totally willing to do.

Earth Sandwich - Many Berries and French Southern & Antarctic Lands

Is there anybody out there on French Southern & Antarctic Lands? Hello? Anybody?

Posted on

What Will You Do with the Mad in You?

Mr. Rogers before Senator Hearing

In 1969 the US senate held a hearing about funding for the newly developed Corporation for Public Broadcasting. A $20 million endowment was proposed, however President Nixon wanted it cut in half because of the huge amount of spending going on in the Vietnam War. Fred Rogers pleads the case on behalf of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting—thanks to the Internet we can see what happened (required watching):

From the description:

“This is an video clip of the exchange between Mr. Rogers and Senator Pastore, head of the hearing. Senator Pastore starts out very abrasive and by the time Mr. Rogers is done talking, Senator Pastore’s inner child has heard Mr. Rogers and agreed with him. Enjoy.”

Mr. Rogers before a 1969 senator hearing: