random thoughts – Page 2

PSFK Goes Home to the Future

It seems oddly fitting that I am writing about the home of tomorrow from a home of the past. Roughly 50 miles from PSFK’s Future of Home Living Experience, I am spending a few nights in a tent pondering the home of the future as well as the massive transformations that have shaped the home of the present. The 100 degree temperature, soupy humidity and bloodthirsty mosquitoes have me yearning (possibly begging) for the basics we take for granted – windows, indoor plumbing, air conditioning and electricity.

PSFK has taken on the challenge of defining the trends in furniture, gadgets, electronics, apps and design that will shape and define The Future of Home Living. In an airy 5,000 square foot space at the corner of Sixth Avenue and 15th Street in New York, PSFK has created an interactive exhibit showcasing dozens of remarkable products and experiences.

I had an opportunity to attend a preview walk though in the space. While they were still putting the final touches on the exhibit (which opens on Monday 7/23 and runs through Friday 8/16), the space is bright, open and inviting. It is loosely divided into areas dedicated to each part of an apartment or house. Living room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and more, showcasing the interconnected, environmentally friendly, super-convenient house of the future. PSFK’s founder Piers Fawkes and Director of Consulting Scott Lachut gave an energetic in-depth tour and thoughtfully answered questions about the gleaming products on display.

The three broad themes running throughout the exhibit are Adaptive, On-Demand and Equilibrium.

The Thin Bike solves bike storage for the apartment dweller

Adaptive focuses on customizable solutions for multiple uses in small spaces. The Thin Bike, Peg Furniture System and ZIG Sofa are three examples of products that can work in tighter living spaces providing maximum flexibility.

WunWun crowdsources personal tasks and odd jobs

On-Demand centers on the networked home and the ability to outsource chores and errands. GetUpArt Service, WunWun and Hello Fresh Delivery are ultra-convenient services that maximize leisure time.

Aquafarm brings fish and fresh herbs to your countertop

Equilibrium is all about balance in a chaotic world. The Dezibel Floor Screen, Aquafarm and HAPIfork are all products that help us lead a quieter, more environmentally-friendly and healthier life.

Oru Kayak folds up for the urban kayaker

From the hydroponic plant system in the window to the folding kayak and wireless/3D everything, the exhibit only disappoints in its focus on gadgets rather than the big-picture thinking for which PSFK is known. Their report on The Future of Work was revelatory. It showed how we will communicate, collaborate and innovate in the future. PSFK provided not only a blueprint for the the workspace of the future, but a clear road map for how we will get there.

I wanted the same depth and immersive thought applied to the hows and whys of home living in the future. What will be the transformative technologies and forces that redefine our living spaces? However, the Future of Home Living Experience is still a fascinating look at some incredible technology and services that will make our lives better, healthier and more balanced.

If you are interested you can sign up for the exhibit here. And please, let me know what you think.

Delete, Delete, Delete

Recently I passed on an iPhone 4 to my son. He’s 10 years old and he was absolutely dying for a phone. Like all my gadgets it was crammed with apps, pictures, music, videos and more.

Almost immediately he was out of memory. He wanted to have more space and i said you need to delete some apps. Watching him was a beautiful thing.

He went through his deck like a madman. Boring. Delete. Don’t want it. Delete. Why do I have this? Delete. I hate this game. Delete. Outgrown. Delete. Delete. Delete Delete.

It was amazing. In just a few minutes he had effortlessly and ruthlessly deleted 2GB of apps. No sentiment. No wavering. Just business.

I painstakingly debate whether to trash apps and anything else that is overloading my phone. With hundreds of games, services, social networks and utilities all mostly losing the battle for my attention, why is it so easy to add more stuff and so hard to lose it?

)Yes, I downloaded an app while writing this, but I deleted one as well, so that’s something.)

It’s just stuff, but the emotional and intellectual attachment is strong. Do I need more memory or just the execution-style app killing skills of my son? Maybe I can implement his process to clean up my iPhone, my iPad and maybe a few junk drawers as well.

In these days of app, email, text, music, video and information overload and the push to unplug and unclutter we can learn a powerful lesson from a 10 year old.

Delete. Delete. Delete.

But we don’t even watch TV anymore

It started as a debate over where to put the Christmas tree. I wanted it in the corner of the living room where it would cause the least impact. My kids had other plans. They wanted it in the window so you could see it from the street. I countered that it would block the TV. Their response:

“But we don’t even watch TV anymore!”

In unison, they shot down my argument. What was once the centerpiece of the living room was now just another piece of furniture they didn’t care about. The fears of advertisers and television programmers were embodied in those seven words.

I’ve written about my kids and their decreasing use of screen #1 before, but it bears repeating. They never watch TV. Maybe a bit of wii here and there or a family movie, but when it comes to watching video, the iPad, iPhone and desktop computer rule at our house.

My son is rooted in front of the computer playing Minecraft and watching countless YouTube fan videos and mod walkthroughs. Yes, he skips ads like a master. His current goal is to create his own YouTube channel. My daughter hides behind furniture or in her room with an iPad exhausting the Tween shows on Netflix. Sorry television, it’s not them, it’s you.

The future of media isn’t the second screen or third screen or some new manifestation of broadcast and cable. The future of media probably isn’t technology at all, it is users redefining a new unbundled experience that is personal, mobile and immediate. The future of media is sitting on my couch. Or more likely hunched over the desktop or squirreled away in a bedroom with an iPad. The future of media wants great content, but they won’t wait, so we’d better hurry.

Swallowing the Ocean – The Case for Information Overload

One of my favorite books as a kid was The Five Chinese Brothers. I loved the story of five identical siblings who escaped a wrongful conviction and death sentence through smarts and special skills. However, my favorite part and the bit forever burned in my memory was the first brother who could swallow the sea. The thought of uncovering hidden treasure, pirate skeletons, shipwrecks, exotic fish and the unknown, unseen bottom of the sea was irresistible to a curious kid.

Today I am just as curious if not more. I want new information, hidden knowledge, the practical and the ephemeral. Every day I want to swallow not just the sea, but the ocean. Scouring websites, twitter, email newsletters, rss feeds and countless other sources, I strip mine for the remarkable, the random and the wonderful. Deploying apps and search engines, I connect the infinite dot-to-dot of our world. My desktop, iPhone and iPad are gateways to the curated and serendipitous discovery of knowledge, both useful and useless.

Ten Steps to a Successful Brand Portfolio Strategy. Read it. Peter Saville’s inspiration for the cover art on Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures. Watched it. A new book about the Mars Attacks trading cards. Ordered it.

My meme driven life can be a daunting task. There is so much ocean and I can only devour so much. When I finally end my day and reluctanly put my phone on the bedside table for the last time, I recount what I learned and try to synthesize and make connections. Like the first brother I must release the ocean and start again the next day.

Last week I heard a terrific Creative Mornings lecture from designer Simon Collison who advised us all to clear away the distractions. Ignore the endless twitter stream, avoid email, turn off your devices and focus on the task at hand. Be productive. Design. Build. Make. If the information is important enough, it will find you.

I agree that we need to step away from distraction to focus and finish the job, but there is too much to learn, see and experience. Too many great ideas. Too much remarkable brilliance to fit into such a short day. I am on information overload and it’s a good thing. The hunting and gathering energizes and drives me forward. It’s what I do. Excuse me, but the tide is rising and I’ve got an ocean to swallow.

Believe in the product, then believe in the vision

Every day many of us find inspiration in the words and ideas of Seth Godin, Gaping Void, Guy Kawasaki and many others. Great minds make it sound so easy. With a little confidence, a strong vision and some connections you will be drowning in VC money and prepping for the big payday. Your product, company or service will change lives and your customers will follow you anywhere. If only it were that simple.

Vision is a powerful thing. It’s alluring, seductive and captivating. We attribute great vision to the leaders and builders who have created amazing things. Working with people who truly possess vision and can deliver on big dreams is a thrilling experience. But few really have the gift of vision and even fewer can execute on it.

Yes, we don’t all get to follow our bliss or do what we love. We can’t all change the world. Our bliss needs to be something people want and will pay for or our bliss won’t pay the bills. We need to be the best at doing what we love or someone else will get to do it. I don’t mean to discount the power of vision, but dreams without a great product won’t cut it in the real world.

I have worked for true visionaries who built amazing companies and incredible products. Through foresight, tenacity, force of will and luck, they were able to deliver on their promises. This success demanded a willingness to disrupt, transform, iterate and invest time, money and resources.

But I’ve also worked with a company whose leader had an incredible vision for where he wanted to take the organization. It was bold and daring. He wanted to create a best in category product that seemed revolutionary. I was hooked. Sign me up and let’s make it happen!

However, there was already a clear, well-resourced leader in the category. Plus, there was little willingness to devote the time, creativity and resources crucial to challenging the leader. You can insist to your staff at a conference table that your product is the best all you want, but until you are willing to execute on your dream you’ve got nothing but an empty vision and a crappy product.

In the end people don’t buy vision, they buy awesome products, they use remarkable services and they love extraordinary companies. Vision may add marketing power and strength to the brand, but it’s all about the end results. Deliver on your vision and your customers will reward you. If not, they will go somewhere else. What do you think?

Belonging – Past, Present and Future

Today I visited the Hoboken Historical Museum for their excellent new exhibit I Belong: A History of Civic and Social Clubs in Hoboken. What was truly remarkable was how strong the need to belong to a group has been throughout the history of Hoboken.

More than 250 groups have bonded together in the Mile Square City going back to The Turtle Club, an organization dating back to 1796 initially dedicated to eating all the turtles on the west side of the Hudson. Freemasons, Elks, Oddfellows, theater groups, singing organizations and the ubiquitous social clubs all followed. Today, the Elks and many of the social clubs are still around as well as new groups dedicated to running, motorcycles, parenting, skiing, theater and more.

I had an interesting conversation with the curator, Bob Foster, about the impact of social media on Hoboken’s groups and organizations and on the museum itself. I introduced him to Fourstalgia and solved the mystery that had brought me to the museum in the first place.

Fourstalgia kept surfacing a vintage picture of the Quartett-Club whenever I checked in on Foursquare in uptown Hoboken. Where was this striking building and what was this club? It turns out that the club was a German American singing organization formed in the latter half of the 19th century and their hall was right next to the present day Elks Club on Washington between 10th and 11th. It became the Gayety Theater early in the 20th century and was unfortunately torn down in the twenties.

Throughout the exhibit the photos, stories, programs and memorabilia told a fascinating narrative of proud people uniting around common interests and fulfilling that strong basic need of belonging. We marvel at the power Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram to attract millions of users, but sometimes forget how people have always come together to share stories, laughter, causes, passions and fellowship. Maybe we just have better tools today.

I love the power of social media and the ability to find my people, but wonder if gathering online adds or subtracts from our capacity to come together in the real world. What do you think?

Rainbow in the Fountain

Stick Your Head in the Fountain

My kids and I have a finely developed routine when we visit the doctor. Doctor appointment. Pet store. Chipotle. Cookies. It has been scientifically tested and approved over the last several years by our sub-committee of three.

A few weeks back we went in for annual physicals. Despite some pre-doctor trepidation concerning the possibility of shots (possibly fueled by dad), my two offspring were well behaved and looking forward to our post-appointment ritual. Both kids were determined by the pediatrician to be tall, skinny and healthy. Plus, there would be no shots this year.

We hastened on our way to the pet store to begin the no-shots celebration. Since I can remember we have visited the puppies in the window of a Sixth Avenue shop. Horror of horrors! The shop is closed and the puppies are gone. This threw our schedule off balance and our well-knit team began to unravel.

What started as sniping and teasing in Chipotle had become guerrilla warfare as we headed east on 8th Street to Insomnia Cookies. My son and daughter had turned against one another and both angry words and threats of violence passed between them.

With frowns and cookies we wandered into Washington Square Park. Our usually blissful meandering afternoon in the city had become a nasty forced march. By the fountain I sat down to negotiate a peace between the warring parties. The 90 degree plus heat and humidity wasn’t helping. One faction was sulking, while the other was exercising his vocabulary of borderline curse words.

Then something happened. The little one stuck her toes in the water. The older one kicked off his Crocs and stepped right in as well. Despite signs declaring the fountain off limits a few other kids had dared defy the law and were cooling their heels as well. Leave it to my kids to up the stakes and dash into the jets, soaking their clothes and encouraging cheers from the dozens around the edge of the water. Several other kids dashed in. I feebly protested, but the huge grins on my kids’ faces and the ensuing free-for-all silenced my inner hall monitor.

Shortly the recent enemies emerged from the mayhem they instigated, dripping, laughing and best friends once again.

My kids provide me with great lessons sometimes. It’s my job to teach them right from wrong, but they show me that occasionally you have to break the rules and be a kid to really enjoy life.

Lately when I get off the PATH train in Hoboken on a hot day I almost always head straight to Pier A Park and wet my face and head in the cold spray of the fountain. Yes, my shirt (and sometimes my bag, pants and shoes) gets wet and all the adults stare at the guy soaking his head in the water, but the joy, freedom and refreshment make it all worthwhile.

Go ahead. Stick your head in the fountain.

A Tale of Two Restaurants

Right across the street from a place I used to work there was a restaurant. Bright. Airy. Convenient. With a beautiful corner location in a great neighborhood and plenty of foot traffic it seemed like a slam dunk for success.

Down a nearby side street in a cramped basement there was another restaurant. Small. Hidden. Dark. Tough to find and tucked away from passersby, it had hard sell written all over it. You could walk right by and not even notice it.

However, the first restaurant was always out of everything. On my first visit I ordered 4 times before they actually had what I wanted. While the menu suggested amazing, the food was generally just above average. The service was curt and even rude at times. A pleasant case of cookies and desserts at the counter promised so much more than the actual mediocre treats delivered. Normally, I wouldn’t have returned, but the location was ultra convenient so I visited several times before finally giving up.

On the other hand, the hidden place was always packed. People lined up in the crowded basement to get delicious soups, salads, sandwiches and desserts. The staff was enthusiastic and offered plenty of free samples and generous advice on the best dishes of the day. It wasn’t cheap, but I never ate anything that was less than amazing. Great food. Great customer service. Truly remarkable. So remarkable that everyone at work talked about how great it was and always recommended it to new employees. Word of mouth in action.

I walked through that neighborhood yesterday and the corner joint was shuttered. Not sure why they closed, but the crappy customer experience couldn’t have helped.

The basement place was jumping. There was a huge line of people patiently waiting for great food and great service.

No matter what you do, a great experience will keep your customers coming back and telling their friends. They will seek you out and reward you with repeat business. Location can help, but nothing beats the power of awesome.

What do you think?

My Desperate Quest For Power

I burst into the coffee shop with two goals in mind. Power and coffee. Power, first, then coffee, then wi-fi if I am lucky. I scan the walls, peek under tables, look behind chairs. Other patrons eye me suspiciously. There it is! An outlet. I grab one of the two phone jacks always in my bag. Inserting one end into my phone, I plug the other into the outlet. A momentary pause, then the familiar buzz from my phone indicating that electricity is now surging into its depleted battery.

Give me 10 minutes and I feel a little more comfortable. 20 or 30 and I am close to full power. After an hour it is definitely 100%.

It’s amazing how a guy who didn’t even have a home phone in college could be so completely lost without his phone. And that phone requires power. When the the battery percentage drops to 80 it makes me nervous. 50% makes me down downright edgy. At 30% I’m in a panic. Must. Find. Power.

I spend most my days in the city going from meeting to meeting, appointment to appointment. Like most consultants, freelancers and/or job seekers. the one thing that I don’t always have is a place to charge my phone and laptop. Even more than wi-fi, my primary requirement is a free source of power. I know the coffee shops, restaurants and libraries that offer power, wi-fi and a clean place to sit. I check Foursquare tips and keep a list of the best spots all around town. Throw in some good coffee and tasty snacks and you’ve got my dedicated business. I will come back again and again and schedule meetings there with friends and spend money because these are the places that offer a great customer experience.

If you are a consultant, freelancer or job seeker, what are some tips for getting your job done on the go?

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