February 2008 Archives
Feb28

A Definition of Entrepreneurship

Posted at 12:48 PM • View Comments

Tim Berry has a link to a great video about entrepreneurship. Here is the link to the video.

I love learning about languages and how they’re used. I have several books on the origins and meanings of words. I was fascinated by the three Latin classes I took at LSU. It kind of bothers me that I never bothered to look up entrepreneur. I had no idea it was French (although it makes sense now) and really doesn’t mean anything in English. Also, one root means to immerse one’s self into something. I bet many entrepreneurs are baffled a bit by this because we are usually idea people; so our minds are constantly wandering!!

Feb24

Send Paris Hilton to Hong Kong!!

Posted at 10:43 PM • View Comments

“I have failed as a role model.”

On taking time off to do community service, “I’ve decided to do this to give myself an opportunity to heal myself and to search my soul.”

Can you imagine if these words came out of the mouths of Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan, or how about the NFL’s Adam “Pacman” Jones?

These words came out of the mouth of Asian entertainer Edison Chen. Most people on this side of the world had no idea who he was until the story broke here late last week. I read it in the WSJ on Friday. He’s described by Westerners as a 27-year old Asian Eminem. Sex photos of him with various women were released and circulated. Things are much different in Hong Kong as the photos are being recouped and people are being arrested. Maybe we should send our bad celebrities to Hong Kong for a few months each time they mess up. Then, we should embrace the ones that are doing well because I bet there are many of those.

All of these entertainers are in Gen Y and all of them pay the price for having the spotlight on them. However, in America, a typical American Gen-Y is probably asking, “Why is Edison Chen taking responsibility for his actions and issuing self-imposed punishment? Why does a gang (the Triads) want to slice one of his hands from his arm?” On the contrary, I’m always curious why we don’t hold more of our celebrities accountable. Based on the standards set in Hong Kong, Paris Hilton would’ve been fed caned a long time ago. America is a great nation because it is always giving people a second chance, but we still don’t hold people accountable for their actions. I think my generation is a great one; and like all other previous up and coming generations, we are misunderstood by our predecessors. However, I feel like this is one area that we missed the boat.

Maybe it’s not just Gen Y though. I feel like there is something going on America. What is it? Most of us have a price to pay to get to where we want to go. Why is someone like Hilton not dismissed as irrelevant? The only thing she seems to be is pretty. I’m sure she’s nice; but I know at least ten women that look better and are doing much more with their lives. Does no one want to earn it anymore? To me, it seems like their used to be a pride in keeping one’s name good; but now, it seems like it’s acceptable to Band-Aid your name repeatedly. I feel like we have forgotten than there is more to this world than ourselves. How did we get here?

Feb21

Facebook and the CIA Coming to Get Ya!

Posted at 3:08 PM • View Comments

I found this video via Marketing Headhunter. It’s a look at how Facebook and the CIA are connected trying to mine all of our personal data. Yeah, it’s over the top; but it’s still fun and interesting to see…only about 3 minutes so check it out.

Feb18

Format Wars…errrr Battles

Posted at 1:14 PM • View Comments

Beta vs. VHS…Laser Disc vs. DVD…HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray…

Winners: Sony, Blu-ray Content Providers, Us (Consumers)

Losers: Toshiba, Apple Microsoft, Anyone Else Trying to Win the Living Room

These are some expensive battles that take place. Sony is always a high stakes player. I keep wondering when they’re going to learn their lesson; but after all their risk taking, it seems like they will finally win a battle. Even when they first introduced the Sony Vaio laptop computer line, they only allowed for Sony memory card to be accepted. They’re always trying to control mediums. It’s a risky game they play because they put all of their resources into the development of a standard, and they will have to endure years of loss because the only people buying Blu-ray anything are early adopters or people that don’t know any better. Combining both is a very small section of the market.

Last week, Netflix and Best Buy said they will go predominantly Blu-ray. Last month, Time Warner said it will make Blu-ray exclusive. Today, Toshiba has said to cede its place in the battle.

My initial thoughts are that Sony will be having a very good Christmas 2008. Sony has not only won a huge format battle, but they have taken a huge step in locking up the War of the Living Room. Apple is one loser in this situation. They have been largely successful with their iPod/iTunes creations, but they aren’t making much headway with Apple TV…for a variety of reasons. Aside from Toshiba, Microsoft is the biggest loser in this war. PS3 has been lagging behind XBOX 360, but sales are expected to either match or surpass those of the XBOX 360 this year. Nintendo Wii has been the most popular and biggest surprise, but the target market is different. The majority of their customers are not the coveted 18-34 year-old male but everyone else. That’s just fine with Nintendo, and they’ve done a fabulous job of targeting “everyone else.” A little unscientific proof…I’m friends with a 22-year old male and about a week before Christmas everyone in his sports club received the highly coveted Nintendo Wii as their prize for a tournament win (around 150 units!). The majority of the men tried to sell/auction them, so they could use the cash to buy an XBOX 360 or Sony PS3.

Before today, the main factor for the projected increase in sales was the price drop on PS3 and that more movie titles have opened up for the PS3. The XBOX 360 has an add-on HD-DVD player, and the PS3 is built with a Blu-ray player. Sony has just taken a huge leap in the War of the Living Room, and this will now be an even larger determining factor in the lead they take over Microsoft. The 18-34 year old market can go out to buy a PS3 for its video game capabilities and Blu-ray technology. This one system can now immediately quench the needs of the typical 18-34 year-old male. It offers a high-end gaming system, Blu-ray player and will finally allow users to buy Blu-ray discs with confidence enabling them to maximize the use of the LCD TVs they invested in last year. Savvy parents will also see the value in the system as well. They can buy a PS3 to meet their child’s video game and Disney Blu-ray needs.

I’m anxious to see Sony’s movement in 2008.