Photoshop CS3
I was able to break away for a few minutes tonight to download Adobe Photoshop beta CS3. I wanted to test it out and most of the time I find that an actual project produces a much better review of…
Wallhogs.com: My New Project
After spending some time in Kansas working for my parent's real estate company, I've moved on to my next project: Wallhogs.com. I found the co-founder of Wallhogs via his blog. I reached out and a few weeks later, it's off…
Business Week: Technology and You
In a previous post, I discussed my observation that cell phone technology is better, and more widely accepted, in Europe and Germany than in America. Today, I was able to catch up on some of my backlogged podcasts and I…
What Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Borat (take 2).
I’ve been a fan of Sacha Baron Cohen for some time now. I enjoyed his HBO show. His primary character Ali G was well executed and I was excited for his recently released movie Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. I blogged about the movie a few weeks before its release.
Today, I came across a post entitled “What Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Borat.â€
The post has three primary points:
Take risks, without fear.
Audacious, yet credible.
Never stop selling.
I agree with this analysis and wanted to expand on a few other points. What really makes this “sellâ€, is how well it is delivered. This only comes with practice. Many of these same jokes have been tweaked and practiced numerous times on a variety of subjects. Even in the movie, Sacha Baron Cohen includes small clips of his previous work. My primary point is that a good entrepreneur has done it before and learned from his/her mistakes. It is almost certain that Sacha’s jokes, and impeccable timing, came through numerous failed attempts at solid delivery. Practice, practice, practice… never give up.
There was a grassroots, viral, marketing campaign that leveraged technology. Beyond the classic myspace campaign, Sacha also stirred up lots of free press by irritating the Kazakhstani government. He registered www.borat.kz, which, once they discovered it, created lots of press when the country revoked it. Following his appearance on MTV Europe’s Music Award show, the country of Kazakhstan spoke out publicly against Sacha Cohen.
8 Differences Between Germany and the US
After two weeks in Germany and Austria, I was somewhat excited to get back to the States. Please don’t misunderstand, like always, I had an absolute blast seeing my family and taking in the sights and sounds of a foreign country. I strongly support an extended visit, if not fully living in another country. But as Quentin Tarrantino so eloquently put it in his hit movie Pulp Fiction, “it’s just there it’s a little different.”
Vincent: But you know what the funniest thing about Europe is?
Jules: What?
Vincent: It’s the little differences. I mean they got the same [stuff] over there that they got here, but it’s just – it’s just there it’s a little different.
Jules: Examples?
So here, in no particular order, is my list of 8 interesting differences between Germany and the United States. For this discussion, I am excluding extremely obvious differences such as language, the metric system, government types, etc.
1.) Speed Limit
2.) Beer
3.) Coins
4.) Sex & Nudity
5.) Cars
6.) Cell Phones
7.) Smoking
8.) Casinos
#1 Speed Limit
I love the way Germans drive. They have a way of respecting each other on the road and are much more conscious about moving into the right lane after passing. How many times can you recall driving down an American Interstate to see some person creating a bottleneck in the left lane because of no better reason than they prefer that side of the road? The autobahn, and the lack of a speed limit in some areas, is successful because Germans know that the left lane is for going fast and passing and the right lane is for slower traffic. It is as simple as that. I believe that if more Americans would embrace the idea (and in some cases the un-enforced law) of “Drive Right, Pass Left,” we would all be much better off, regardless of the speed limit.
Two Degrees of Milton Friedman
When I was a sophomore at Villanova, I was able to sneak away for a few days to visit my parents in Bachelor Gulch, Colorado. At the time, my mother was quite excited with her purchase of a new dining…
The Audacity of Hope
Coming back home from Germany, I was stuck with a four hour layover in Chicago. I picked up Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope. I cannot yet speak to his politics, but I can assure you that he has a…