I recently returned from a 10-day trip to Amsterdam. What a lovely city! I mainly went there for work – to check out the design influences, understand their impressive city rebranding campaign, talk to a robotics company and a variety of other business-related pursuits. I saw Banksy and Icy & Sot at Moco, their modern art museum, and Fukase at Foam, their main photography museum. And I saw the big “I Amsterdam” sign (more on that later) in front of the famous Rijksmuseum. [ Read More ]
Thoughts
Are You Smarter than a Chimpanzee on Basic World Facts?
I recently finished reading a great book called Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World--and Why Things Are Better Than You Think written by the late Hans Rosling. I knew it would be good when Bill Gates called it one of his favorite books of 2018 and “one of the most important” he has ever read. It is all about our perceptions of the world, how wrong they are and why our instincts are so off. The book is also strangely uplifting. [ Read More ]
My Take on the Lip-Syncing Police Videos
The U.S. police videos with the men and women in uniform lip-syncing and dancing to famous songs, including this gem from the Seattle Police Department, are an awesome idea. Not only do they help the internal morale of these police stations, they help humanize the police in their communities. Suddenly, police forces across the nation are going from “one of them” to “one of us.” [ Read More ]
Fabulous Portugal, Disappointing Airlines
One of many gorgeous beaches near the southwest corner of Portugal. So many people have been asking about my recent Portugal trip, I decided to write about the highlights as well as some travel issues I encountered so you might learn from them. Portugal itself was lovely, but the journey was a lesson in resilience. As someone who has been to more than 40 countries and traveled more than 99.9% of the people I meet, I can say with some authority that customer service levels of the airlines and rental car companies (in this case Icelandair, TAP Air Portugal and Hertz) have gone way down. [ Read More ]
From World Travel to Nuance in Communications
I am an avid world traveler, 40 plus countries and counting. All of it for fun. I was reading some of my travel journals recently and came across a gem that I wrote. More on that in a bit, but first some context. [ Read More ]
Dear Oceans, Thank You
Our oceans are precious. And today, on World Oceans Day, we celebrate them. We all need to pause today and thank the oceans for the food that we eat; oxygen we breathe; medicines they provide (both discovered and undiscovered); the marvelous marine life that delights us; recreation in the form of surfing, diving and sailing; and their stunning, breathtaking beauty. [ Read More ]
Seattle: A Passionate Place
Seattle makes me proud. The people are top-notch, the scenery is breathtakingly spectacular and the businesses are stellar. Some of the most amazing, often world-changing, companies started here, including Microsoft Corporation, Boeing, Amazon, Expedia, Starbucks, Alaska Airlines and REI. I have used products and services from each of them, many times. Other impressive ones have, at some point, moved their headquarters here, such as Holland America Line. And new businesses are following in their footsteps—companies that focus on space, robotics, exploration and virtual reality. [ Read More ]
Space and Sea, What is to Be?
Many companies are evolving to explore space. What an exciting world we live in with endless possibilities! The lure of space is sexy and fun, glamorized by fabulous movies such as “The Martian.” Who can resist following all the news about rockets, satellite launchers and possible tourist trips into space? It is a frontier that entrepreneurial spirits are going after with gusto. And who can blame them? They are all pushing our [ Read More ]