Nike Courage Commercial | I've Got Soul, But I'm Not a Soldier

I was thinking of this commercial and the song below from The Killers...2 seconds later I see "I've got soul, but I'm not a solider" on Luke Shepard's status message on Facebook.  So, Luke, this one's for you :)

Wordplay | Speaking with Conviction

Typography from Ronnie Bruce on Vimeo.

Visually Speaking | Carrying the Torch Through the Forest

Trying to advance a big idea, dream or passion while carrying the importance of the world under challenging conditions can be a lonely endeavor, as I've learned from personal experience.  At first, most people may think you are crazy or can't see what you can see.  You see the horizon, they see a forest.  Eventually, when it becomes clear, there's a crowd of people all wanting to carry the torch and some may even want to alter the destination, when or how you get there.

Successful ideas often rely on the contributions of many to execute into reality, but one lesson from my experience of pursuing the Chicago Olympic Bid when it was just me and my torch for years before while it's tough at times to do things alone, you also have flexibility, speed and creativity to think out-of-the-box and choose your best path.

Whatever your big idea, dream or passion, there will be a point, sooner or later, when everyone jumps on board, but when you are alone, don't necessarily consider it an obstacle, but instead an opportunity.

Note:  Photo above is from the Vancouver 2010 Torch Relay

Cool Technology | Holographic Video That Creates Touch Screens Anywhere

For those familiar with those ultra cool touch-screen surface tables that allow a horizontal computer display, the main downside (aside from the cost) is those tables are restricted to their specific location, but this company, Light Blue Optics, appears to have solved that problem by creating a projector-like device that puts images onto any surface that can still be used as a touch-screen.

This may not be for everyone, but there are many possible applications that come to mind, from construction, engineering, healthcare and almost anything where collaboration or discussion is necessary.

Note:  Their product was just featured at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas and they are going to offer the products through OEM's, who will then sell to consumers, so don't go looking for this quite yet at your electronics retailer.

The Checklist Manifesto By Atul Gwande | Review By Malcolm Gladwell

The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right

One of the things I miss the most about my Dad, who will always be one my hero and who impacted so many people's lives, is how incredibly organized he was while juggling so many complex issues.

Among the tools he used were checklists for very complex situations.  He would create simple checklists for others and himself on how to deal with a specific situation, from business to how to take care of his beloved vegetable garden.

Atul Gawande, a combination of a surgeon, writer, thiner and policy changer, has written a book on using checklists in a variety of ways.

Here's an excerpt of Malcolm Gladwell's review:

Over the past decade, through his writing in The New Yorker magazine and his books Complications and Better, Atul Gawande has made a name for himself as a writer of exquisitely crafted meditations on the problems and challenges of modern medicine. His latest book, The Checklist Manifesto, begins on familiar ground, with his experiences as a surgeon. But before long it becomes clear that he is really interested in a problem that afflicts virtually every aspect of the modern world–and that is how professionals deal with the increasing complexity of their responsibilities. It has been years since I read a book so powerful and so thought-provoking.

Gawande begins by making a distinction between errors of ignorance (mistakes we make because we don’t know enough), and errors of ineptitude (mistakes we made because we don’t make proper use of what we know). Failure in the modern world, he writes, is really about the second of these errors, and he walks us through a series of examples from medicine showing how the routine tasks of surgeons have now become so incredibly complicated that mistakes of one kind or another are virtually inevitable: it’s just too easy for an otherwise competent doctor to miss a step, or forget to ask a key question or, in the stress and pressure of the moment, to fail to plan properly for every eventuality. Gawande then visits with pilots and the people who build skyscrapers and comes back with a solution. Experts need checklists–literally–written guides that walk them through the key steps in any complex procedure. In the last section of the book, Gawande shows how his research team has taken this idea, developed a safe surgery checklist, and applied it around the world, with staggering success.

The danger, in a review as short as this, is that it makes Gawande’s book seem narrow in focus or prosaic in its conclusions. It is neither. Gawande is a gorgeous writer and storyteller, and the aims of this book are ambitious. Gawande thinks that the modern world requires us to revisit what we mean by expertise: that experts need help, and that progress depends on experts having the humility to concede that they need help.

Add The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right from Amazon to your checklist for further consideration.

While you are at it, also see Malcolm Gladwell's books such as Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference and Outliers: The Story of Success.

World's Tallest Building Burj Khalifa Opens in Dubai with Fireworks, Water and Light Show

Burj Khalifa (aka "Burj Dubai"), world's tallest building ever opened on Monday to fireworks, water and light show. The 828m skyscraper was designed in Chicago by SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill)

See above for the full opening ceremony and see below for a view from the top of the spire a few days earlier.

Let's hope the Burj will inspire future creative skyscraper design and skyline innovations around the world.

Game Winning Shots | Kobe Bryant Hits the Three

Not sure if I will ever get tired of watching game-winning shots in basketball with a three-pointer at the end.  In this case, it was Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers nailing it against Sacremento in a come-from-behind victory after being down by 20.

Switzerland's Healthcare System, Could It Work in the United States?

Technology Could Save Old Media After All As Apple Tablet Hype Increases | Protoype of Digital Magazine

As rumors fly at hyperspeed about a tablet device from Apple, is it possible that devices between a phone and laptop may actually save old media and give it a chance for a digital transformation?  See below for a prototype for a digital magazine experience:

Mag+ from Bonnier on Vimeo.

From their blog:

The concept aims to capture the essence of magazine reading, which people have been enjoying for decades: an engaging and unique reading experience in which high-quality writing and stunning imagery build up immersive stories.

The concept uses the power of digital media to create a rich and meaningful experience, while maintaining the relaxed and curated features of printed magazines. It has been designed for a world in which interactivity, abundant information and unlimited options could be perceived as intrusive and overwhelming.

The purpose of publishing this concept video is first and foremost to spark a discussion around the digital reading experience in general, and digital reading platforms in particular. Thus, we would be more than happy to hear what you have to say regarding the concept and ideas expressed in the video: the magazine reading experience, digital browsing, text versus images, as well as hear about your own digital reading experiences and thoughts.

Change for the U.S. Legal System | Right to Counsel in Civil Litigation and Limited-Scope Representation

A recent Op-Ed in the New York Times by New Hampshire Chief Justice John Broderick and California Chief Justice Ronald George makes the case for CHANGE in the civil legal system in the United States to give litigants the "right to counsel" and the ability to hire attorneys for "limited-scope representation."

Statutes and the court system varies by each state, but some are finally recognizing that change is necessary and allowing legal services to be unbundled and making other solutions available.

"Forty-one states, including California and New Hampshire, have adopted a model rule drafted by the American Bar Association, or similar provisions, which allow lawyers to unbundle their services and take only part of a case, a cost-saving practice known as “limited-scope representation” that, with proper ethical safeguards, is responsive to new realities."

Civil cases in Illinois could benefit from this.  Too often, a person cannot obtain competent legal counsel because of the expense, but many attorneys also choose not to take a case as well because they feel they are only able to help with a certain part of the case, but not necessarily can for the entire case.

From a change of the rules to better use of technology and making the legal system open and accessible, perhaps it can shift a step toward a justice system, not just a legal system.

Full New York Times Op-Ed by New Hampshire Chief Justice John Broderick and California Chief Justice Ronald George

Happy New Year + Decade 2.0 of the 21st Century