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Archive for January, 2007

Europe’s DLD Conference

I recently learned about a fabulous event in Europe called DLD Conference, which was held in the last couple of weeks in Munich Germany. O’Reilly’s blog has a good recap about one one of the more interesting discussions on-site. Dale Dougherty writes: “One of the most amazing riffs I’ve ever heard at a conference was created by Martin Varsavksy, the Argentinian-born, Madrid-based entreprenuer behind FON, who was moderater of a panel titled “How To Be Good?” at the DLD Conference in Munich Germany last week. What’s more, the riff led to an even more fascinating exchange with Nicholas Negroponte, founder of the MIT Media Lab, who pontificated on the One Laptop Per Child.” In addition to a whole new wave of Europeans and others from around the world who are innovating across multiple industry sectors, the event drew many of the well known technology movers and shakers I often seen at top-tier events in the states, including John Markoff, Arianna Huffington, Steven Levy, Nicholas Negroponte, Walt Mossberg, Linda Stone, Caterina Fake, Tim Brown, Esther Dyson, Dan Gillmor, Craig Newmark, Jeff Pulver, and Ann Winblad to name a…

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Spirit is Like the Wind

I’ve yet to meet Steve Chandler, who has been gracious enough to send me a number of his books over the past several months. I’m eventually making my way through them; he always seems to capture something at its core just when you’re not expecting it. I’ve written about him before and continue to find him engaging. In Ten Commitments to Your Success, he talks about Spirit: “Spirit is like the wind. Because the wind can be a ruthless tornado, or it can be light as a breeze. You know it’s there. You just can’t see it. You know it by the effect it has. You can feel it.” He also captures an interesting analogy about happiness worth sharing. Steve references Deepak Chopra who said in Return of the Rishi, that the only truly happy people he knows in life are meditators. I’m not sure that I buy that, but I do agree that a person’s happiest state is often found when they are in a quiet state, an in-the-moment and present state. When their mind is calm. This applies to me and numerous others in my life. But what he says about meditation is valid:…

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On Silicon Valley Male Fashion

ValleyWag today talks about Fashion No No’s for Valley guys. Its about time we talked about this. It’s not just that they don’t dress the part, but they don’t care about ever dressing the part. Paul Boutin gives us five pointers. Are you kidding? There should be at least twenty and I could keep writing. And I’m not sure I agree with their logic: Their List:
1. Dyed hair -I think this depends on how you wear it frankly. It’s not an either or……have it done right and it can work wonders, just like it does with women — or not. 2. Wrong shirt – which is to say, almost any shirt. They say to stick to polos and oxfords. When in doubt, stay within the first ten pages of the L.L. Bean catalog. YAWN – New England-like and boring. Step above the crowd, wear colors and wear them proudly and hell, be creative. L.L. Bean catelog, c’mon. Its so 1980s. 3. Faded pants. They say no, that a worn seat is the classic old boy’s blind spot and that out here, it says you haven’t recovered from the dot-com crash. Los Angeles money would not agree –…

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MIT Forum on Vlogging

MIT Forum Cambridge in Boston held a meet-up last night where apparently several people I know attended. Steve Garfield spoke on vlogging and whether video blogging is right for “you” and your business. Peter Marx was also a speaker, who is the former host of award-winning television show “Business Insight.” Also check another upcoming event on February 7th – the Brave New Web — their Winter Conference — also at MIT.

Podcast on Davos Blog Activity

Listen to the Economist podcast on Davos this year. They talk about blogging hype at Davos and that this year, “they’re pushing its demographics in a doubful direction.” The world economic forum is promoting a blog fest for the big wigs. Is blogging a suitable activity for a company boss? and should chief executies blog?” he asks, “especially with 24 heads of state or government, a smattering of royalty and celebrities present?” They weave in references and insight from Seth Godin, Jeff Jarvis and Arianna Huffington. The podcast host is clearly reporting from a place of fear and old school thinking, as if blogging is still about people at home in their pajamas.

Fashion Gone Right, Fashion Gone Wrong

On Go Fug Yourself, which I don’t regularly read but love to dive in and out of, there are always pages full of fashion gone right and fashion gone wrong. In the past week or so, online coverage includes an example of what I’d consider a mistake and a success. In other words, one draws you in, the other pushes you away. Can you tell which is which?

Political Chic Fashion

While we’re on a roll with female politicians, check out speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s outward-facing wardrobe. Says the NY Times recently, “she brings her new position a sense of style that is admired on both sides of the aisle as well as in other departments in Washington.”
Reminds the Times, “lauding someone for their style on Capitol Hill is a lot like celebrating the best surfer on Florida’s Gulf Coast — it’s all relative, and some would argue irrelevant. Washington has never embraced fashion (nor, for that matter, has the fashion world embraced Washington). In political circles, fashion is a loaded term, smacking of frivolity and vanity.” Hog wash. Go Nancy, change Washington. Lady Di brought a glorious feminine energy to the Royal Family at a time when we were forced to live with British politicians and business women parading around in pastel and navy blue striped conservative suits. YAY for Di, YAY for Nancy. We need to remind women in the White House and beyond that they need not be fashion agnostic, nor do they have to live their professional lives in red power ties, multicolored scarves and lacquered hair.

Beyonce in Feminine Glory

This is a wonderful modern glamour shot if I ever saw one. Listen to her new song Irreplaceable. Beyonce: such a fabulous name and it works so well with her flowing feminine style. That feminine style in all its glory is incredibly engaging in her new video. Click play and click up the volume baby.

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