Ten Ways Entrepreneurs May Optimize Their Software Experience

Original Expert Post for 4entrepreneur.net

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by Keith Johnson, M.S. Education

Today, software is an integral part of our lives – whether we are working on the web or on a school or business client-server environment that has all of the applications we must use. The following article features ten ways in which you can maximize your software experience, making order out of seeming chaos that can take place in the world of Information Technology:

1. Install the default version of the application. Unless you have special needs, the default version of the software application should have everything you need. Also, in the download or installation process, the vendor has considered the best way to install the application on your machine, which means better performance.

2. Install a Start Menu and Desktop Icon. There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to locate the program you just installed on your machine! I have seen a few applications get installed into a deep directory within Program Files, and unless there is a Start Menu or Desktop Shortcut Icon, it is practically impossible to find the basic executable file that runs the program.

3. Select an appropriate DPI on your monitor. Depending upon your particular needs, the DPI setting on your monitor will allow you see all of the options in the application you are running. Novice users usually prefer a smaller DPI, and expert IT personnel usually enjoy a larger DPI, making everything smaller, because then they can see all options in a program, even though the menus and GUI objects are smaller. If you read the documentation for your application, it should tell you the best DPI to select, allowing for best performance.

4. Register your software program. Whether you have purchased an on-the-shelf product or downloaded an open-source program, register! You will receive important updates and information about the product from the vendor and their efforts to fix any bugs or flaws and releases you can download directly to your computer that will enhance the application’s performance.

5. Skim the documentation and/or bookmark the help file. Nobody is omniscient when it comes to software! Even after having written documentation for over ten (10) years, I still am amazed at some of the designs I have seen by programmers – they all think in unique ways – computer science is NOT mathematics! You will most definitely need to, at some future point, consult the documentation or software’s help file. IT companies are always improving their documentation.

6. Don’t be afraid to ask! There are surely other people using the same application, so whether it is through a message board or user-group, you can find answers about the application that will help you to optimize your experience. As I mentioned before, programmers all think differently – so perhaps you can figure out some of their tricks and how that translates to application use, but in other situations, you will optimize your time by asking others who are farther down the rabbit hole.

7. Optimize your GUI interface. In some applications, there are different ways to configure the appearance on your screen so that you don’t have to waster your time clicking through things that you don’t use. In Microsoft Word and Open Office Writer there are different toolbars that can be selected and remain open, for example, so that needed buttons can be clicked. Don’t worry, your user needs will soon compel you to set this up as soon as possible – no need to pressure here.

8. Set up Auto-Save. There is nothing more frustrating than losing work! So, see where the application allows you to auto-save your work. I prefer, in Microsoft Word and Open Office Writer to autosave my work every five minutes. Don’t worry, the appearing mini-icon will not bother you, because you know that you are preventing yourself from losing future work!

9. Back-Up Files! I recommend you go out today and get yourself a flash drive of some kind. You may think “oh, I will never lose my work nor will I spill coffee on my laptop.” Remember - Murphy’s Law has no exceptions. Back-up your work on a regular basis and sleep at night knowing your work is safe.

10. Send Suggestions to the Software Vendor. If you can possibly do this, e-mail the software vendor of the product you are using to inform them of good and bad points as one of their users. You can praise them on some points and also criticize them on other user-aspects where you have not optimized your performance, or if you simply cannot do something you need to do. They will surely address this issue in some way either in the form of a patch or improved future release.

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Ten Reasons Entrepreneurs Should Learn Visio

Original post for 4entrepreneur.net

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By Keith Johnson

Ten Reasons Entrepreneurs Should Learn Visio

After almost fifteen (15) years in the Information Technology field, I have come to respect both out of the box ($$) and open-source programs. However, there is one product which goes unmatched by open-source competition, and that is Microsoft Visio. It is relatively cheap and easy to use and will boost your software efforts in all ways. Here are ten (10) reasons why you should start putting MS-Visio to work at your business or in your studies if you are a student:

1. Brainstorming. Visio has a powerful template that allows for simple brainstorming and the recording of ideas. Simply tremendous.

2. Block Diagramming. Visio has a powerful template that allows you to subdivide your ideas and represent them in “blocks”. Indeed, to divide is to conquer.

3. Business Processes. Visio has a great template that enables you to graphically illustrates all business processes that your company or project entail. INCREDIBLE.

4. Charts and Graphs. Visio allows you to further analyze your financial data that are best displayed via charts and graphs. This is a real decision-making helper.

5. Flowcharts. This Visio template allows you to create flowcharts for all internal and external processes you need to troubleshoot. I use this daily as a Technical Writer.

6. Organizational Charts. This Visio template is not only for business structures, but for any kind of hierarchical topology that must be defined.

7. Software. This Visio template allows you to recognize all software programs you use and how they relate to one another. Great for any overhaul project.

8. Networks. Do you need to detail your computer network and where virtual resources exist for your employees? If so, then this template is for you.

9. Project Scheduler. Are you a project manager? Are you a student juggling classes and commitments? If so, then this template is for you.

10. Web Diagramming. Are you building a website? Do you need to display its topology for any reason? If so, then this template is for you. (Kudos for this template.)

Keith Johnson, M.S. Education
Technical Writer & Author
South Florida, USA

http://www.greatdocuments.net
http://www.greataffirmations.com

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more on AME

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The Association of Multicultural Entrepreneurs is actively building a coalition of business leaders and independent innovators to create a more robust, diverse, socially conscious marketplace.
AME recognizes individuals and companies that include socially responsible policies and multi-cultural perspectives in their business models. We aim to celebrate businesses that are both profitable and virtuous.

The association is also creating a dynamic platform for entrepreneurs to collaborate, access resources and share information. Our web-log (4entrepreneur.net), which was launched in earnest several months ago, has already had over 15,000 independent hits, and, with advent of Entrepreneur TV, we will reach many more.

Finally, we at AME hope to raise awareness of social entrepreneurship. We believe that independent entrepreneurs, established business leaders, and multinational corporations can all benefit from new opportunities for profit-making ventures that significantly improve the lives of people around the world.

AME was founded on the principle that the problems of the marketplace and the individual businessperson can be solved through innovation, collaboration and decency. We want to help entrepreneurs succeed, and we need your help to do it.

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2008 World Social Entrepreneurship Forum

The 2008 Skoll World Forum has wrapped up, but you can still virtually attend this pivotal social entrepreneurship conference by visiting Social Edge. The site has tons of useful information for entrepreneurs who are wanting to learn about social entrepreneurship!

Here is the link!

Red Panda Network: Conservation in Action

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About The Red Panda Project

Red pandas are almost extinct in the western portion of Nepal. The Red Panda Project is working to stop the destruction of their habitat in Nepal and India. Help this organization continue their effort by adopting one of the beautiful red pandas found in the area.

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For $40 you will recieve:
 - Information on Sanju
- Desktop wallpaper featuring Sanju
- Personalized adoption certificate
- e-card of Sanju to send to your friends and family
- A one year subscription to the Red Panda Network Member Newsletter (4 issues)

To proceed, click here. Thank you for your support!

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Revenge of the Right Brain

Logical and precise, left-brain thinking gave us the Information Age. Now comes the Conceptual Age - ruled by artistry, empathy, and emotion

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By Daniel Pink

When I was a kid - growing up in a middle-class family, in the middle of America, in the middle of the 1970s - parents dished out a familiar plate of advice to their children: Get good grades, go to college, and pursue a profession that offers a decent standard of living and perhaps a dollop of prestige. If you were good at math and science, become a doctor. If you were better at English and history, become a lawyer. If blood grossed you out and your verbal skills needed work, become an accountant. Later, as computers appeared on desktops and CEOs on magazine covers, the youngsters who were really good at math and science chose high tech, while others flocked to business school, thinking that success was spelled MBA.

Tax attorneys. Radiologists. Financial analysts. Software engineers. Management guru Peter Drucker gave this cadre of professionals an enduring, if somewhat wonky, name: knowledge workers. These are, he wrote, “people who get paid for putting to work what one learns in school rather than for their physical strength or manual skill.” What distinguished members of this group and enabled them to reap society’s greatest rewards, was their “ability to acquire and to apply theoretical and analytic knowledge.” And any of us could join their ranks. All we had to do was study hard and play by the rules of the meritocratic regime. That was the path to professional success and personal fulfillment.

But a funny thing happened while we were pressing our noses to the grindstone: The world changed. The future no longer belongs to people who can reason with computer-like logic, speed, and precision. It belongs to a different kind of person with a different kind of mind. Today - amid the uncertainties of an economy that has gone from boom to bust to blah - there’s a metaphor that explains what’s going on. And it’s right inside our heads.

Scientists have long known that a neurological Mason-Dixon line cleaves our brains into two regions - the left and right hemispheres. But in the last 10 years, thanks in part to advances in functional magnetic resonance imaging, researchers have begun to identify more precisely how the two sides divide responsibilities. The left hemisphere handles sequence, literalness, and analysis. The right hemisphere, meanwhile, takes care of context, emotional expression, and synthesis. Of course, the human brain, with its 100 billion cells forging 1 quadrillion connections, is breathtakingly complex. The two hemispheres work in concert, and we enlist both sides for nearly everything we do. But the structure of our brains can help explain the contours of our times.

Until recently, the abilities that led to success in school, work, and business were characteristic of the left hemisphere. They were the sorts of linear, logical, analytical talents measured by SATs and deployed by CPAs. Today, those capabilities are still necessary. But they’re no longer sufficient. In a world upended by outsourcing, deluged with data, and choked with choices, the abilities that matter most are now closer in spirit to the specialties of the right hemisphere - artistry, empathy, seeing the big picture, and pursuing the transcendent.

Beneath the nervous clatter of our half-completed decade stirs a slow but seismic shift. The Information Age we all prepared for is ending. Rising in its place is what I call the Conceptual Age, an era in which mastery of abilities that we’ve often overlooked and undervalued marks the fault line between who gets ahead and who falls behind.

Read the full story

(as featured on WIRED, Issue 13.02 - Feb 2005 )

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Uncommon Heroes

Social Entrepreneurs Changing the World

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Association of Multicultural Entrepreneurs

ame_logonew1.jpgWe are formally launching an effort to start an association of multicultural entrepreneurs. The purpose of the Association of Multicultural Entrepreneurs (AME) is:

a. To honor outstanding and inspiring individuals and businesses for their contribution in including social and multi-cultural perspectives in their business models.

b. To create a dynamic platform for entrepreneurs of diverse backgrounds to come together and collaborate.

c. To raise a greater awareness about the need for aspiring as well as seasoned entrepreneurs and businesses to actively take part in social entrepreneurship.

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Turning your passion into a rewarding profession

The person that we are about to profile has truly turned her passion into a successful career as an entrereneur. Born in Columbia and currently based out of Miami, Ingrid Hoffmann is passionate about food and shares her talent and enthusiasm with diverse, international audience. Her shows are currently showcased in her Food Network series, Simply Delicioso. Ingrid hosts her Spanish language cooking and lifestyle show, Delicioso, on Galavision/Univision and recently came out with her cookbook, Simply Delicioso: A Collection of Everyday Recipes with a Latin Twist (Clarkson Potter/Random House). Over the years, she has also excelled as an entrepreneur pursuing different ventures. I recently met Ingrid when she was here in Los Angeles to appear on the Ellen Degeneres Show.

4entrepreneur: What motivated you to write a cookbook?

Ingrid Hoffman: My love of food was one of my main motivations, as well as the desire to show people how to bring bold, diverse, fresh and very easy flavors in to their life…and in such an easy way! I believe that cooking delicious should take minimal time, and that quick, appetizing food should not be boring.

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4entrepreneur: Can you share some of your entrepreneurial journey?

IH: Working on a multicultural brand has been an interesting challenge. I have to be the same person while still speaking to two different targets, demographics and tastes.

4entrepreneur: How were you discovered as an author and for your TV show on the Food Network?

IH: I started by creating my portfolio of work, contributing to magazines and participating in local cooking segments on TV, eventually making regular appearances on Univision’s Despierta America. Through these mediums, I was able to show people what I did firsthand and was inspired to develop the concept of my Spanish-language lifestyle show, Delicioso. The show was picked up in Latin America and aired by Hearst entertainment, Cosmopolitan Network. Then, it aired in the US on a private channel from Direct TV. In 2006, Delicioso launched on Galavision, the Univision sister station, which continues to air new episodes. Food Network executives saw my appearance on Martha Stewart’s show in early 2007 and contacted me. I launched Simply Delicioso in July 2007 and we’re currently airing new episodes.

4entrepreneur: What is your advice to fellow entrepreneurs who are pursuing careers similar to yours?

IH: Be focused, committed, passionate, hard-working, and most importantly find a niche that is unique and identifies you. Adapt to change and hone in on brand messages. Never be discouraged by closed doors - it’s more of a reason to fight to open them!

4entrepreneur: What do you like to do in your spare time?

IH: Cook, eat, travel, read, listen to music, and I love the outdoors.

4entrepreneur: What’s something that people might not know about you?

IH: That I am fluent in 5 languages!

4entrepreneur: What are some of your future plans? ( more books, TV shows? )

IH: Who knows what the future may bring? Right now I’m enjoying the two shows and I recently came out with my first cookbook, Simply Delicioso: A Collection of Everyday Recipes with a Latin Twist. I’d like to eventually come out with my own spice line since that’s such a big part of my cooking.

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4entrepreneur: 4entrepreneur members are diverse, dynamic entrepreneurs who are not afraid to dream big, pursue with passion, and make things happen. Any words of motivation or advice that you would like to offer to our readers?

IH: As I say on my show, “If I can do it, you can do it!” My motivation has always stemmed from looking at others who are succeeding and telling myself if they can do it I can do it also!

 

 

 

( 4 entrepreneur exclusive Interview: copyright 2008 4entrepreneur.net, Photo credit: Andrew Meade )

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Social Entrepreneurship and Hollywood

Social Entrepreneurship and Hollywood

In 2003, I co-created a television pilot with the eight time Emmy Award winning producer Mario Machado. During one of our regular meetings for the production, Mario invited me to meet his friend and a philanthropist Arthur Hiller - who also happened to be the legendary Oscar winning director of some of the great classics of the century. Many prominent actors, including Al Pacino, George Scott, and Peter Falk worked in his movies over the years. Hiller, who got his first break as a director from Kirk Douglas when he moved to Hollywood, shared some of the most inspirational stories with me. He talked to me at great lengths about his journey from Edmonton, Canada to the glitzy Tinseltown that he fondly called “Disneyland”.

What was even more inspiring was the fact that his background was not even in film. He did his Masters in Psychology and communications. Directing was the spur of the moment decision he made when he was looking for a career in communications. But, one thing that gave him an edge in directing was his communications and people skills.

He also actively participated in various charities over his career. He dedicated many years for the Anti-defamation League. He actively conducted workshops for the league around the world. He was awarded a rare Humanitarian Award at the 2002 Academy Awards ceremony in recognition of his humanitarian, charitable and philanthropic efforts.

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with actor Ryan O’Neal (L), and actress Ali Macgraw (R)

As a theme for this blog, I believe that rules of entrepreneurship also apply in the entertainment industry. And, social entrepreneurship in particular can work hand in hand with creative ventures. When the majority is thinking about only the creative aspect, as a creative social entrepreneur, you can separate yourself from the pack by tackling the issues from outside the box and also making difference to the humanity along the way.

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useful mobile tools for entrepreneurs: from 2008 CTIA Wireless

Here are few of the useful mobile tools for entrepreneurs launched at 2008 CTIA Wireless convention.

 

1. Send money using your cell phone! Obopay announced new functionality that lets people send money to and receive money from anyone using any mobile phone with existing bank accounts. Before, mobile payments were a pain because the money lived in a separate mobile account and moving it to a regular account was cumbersome. No more. The company claims that there’s no catch. It does cost 10 cents to send any money (regardless of amount). Compared to traditional money transfer services like Western Union or online ones, it is a huge bargain.

2. Good news for entrepreneurs in mobile transcription business! Voice Cloud Files for Industry’s First and Only Real-Time Voice and Audio Transcription Patents. Voice Cloud’s innovative new technology enables fast and efficient voice-to-text transcription service.

3. The Weather Network and Météo Média launched WeatherEye™ & TrafficEye™, two new free applications for mobile phone users. These tools provide 24/7 mobile access to weather and traffic information, adding to the services already offered by The Weather Network/MétéoMédia on television and online.

Other notable, innovative products:

4. Innovative idea for Diabetis patients. Sinovo and Red Five Labs, the companies based out of Frankfurt, Germany launched a Diabetes monitoring software to Nokia S60 mobile phones. By enabling accurate daily monitoring of key health metrics, both the patient and the healthcare professional can make the therapy more effective.

5. Play JEOPARDY live on your mobile phone! Sony Pictures announced the plans to develop a multiplayer mobile game for the popular game show Jeopardy! that will allow users to play along live with the contestants. The show is produced by Sony Pictures Television and distributed domestically and internationally by CBS Television Distribution, a unit of CBS Corp.

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Brighter Brains, Bored Minds and New School Design Education

by Ed Kuckelkorn

Do your really know what it takes to get into a good design college?

As a result of the analysis of twentieth century IQ test scores and voluminous supporting research, it is now a well-established fact that the current generation of young people are brighter than their parents, who are brighter than their parents, and so on, dating back to the early 1900s. This effect has been tracked by researchers in 30 different countries. Clearly, this is a profound development with broad implications for the global society of the 21st century. We can perceive that this is, in fact, the continuing dynamic evolution of human intelligence. And with 21st century challenges, and more than 75% of the U.S. workforce being designated as knowledge workers, we will need the brighter brains of the current generation. The fact that young people are smarter and can sustain the future is self-evident, provided that we can give them the kind of education they need and deserve.

Current education, public and private, is struggling with a perceived variety of dysfunctions plaguing students in the classroom. For many of these problems, boredom seems to be an underlying cause, as well as visible signs that the learning process is not progressing.

Boredom is often associated with emotional factors, personality traits, and the attention span of individual. The idea of boredom, originally studied in the 20th century as a response to industrial workers being bored on the job, has subsequently been studied in life and education. Through such research conducted over the last century, we have come to understand its causes and have developed strategies to overcome this condition. One of the early causes that were identified in response to factory workers was the routine nature of repetitive and fragmented tasks. Another cause that was later identified is the repression of personal drives and desires, which resulted in a loss of zeal for life and aimless instances of acting out.

In a study conducted on youths who had a history with the law, the most common response and conclusion was that they were bored. They exhibited the following behavioral symptoms: lack of meaning and purpose in life; no excitement or fun leading to depression, anger, aggressive behavior; and a breakdown of peer relations. Needless to say, they also exhibited poor performance in school. It was also noted that extroverts were more easily bored than introverts were, and creative people were less likely to get bored. A lack of external stimulation, not enough physical exercise, and poor nutrition are also major contributors to boredom. Finally, parents who do not understand and acknowledge these factors may inadvertently contribute and deepen the condition when they cut down on fun time.

Design and new school education is the path that holds the promise of engaging students in the educational process in a way that brings passion and fascination into the creative learning experience, stimulating and fully engaging in participation and active attention. Through new school education, students have the opportunity to develop skills that activate the mind, life, entertainment, and amusement to help overcome boredom. The brain seeks stimulation and over time, it craves more and more, and creative education is the positive track to providing and satisfying these sensations and stimulations.

Students tend to slip into a funk when they are not engaged in a positive desire based goal. One reason young people like video games are because they consist of clearly defined goals and provide immediate feedback. The positive alternative to video games is new school education; the goal is to envision the future rather than memorize the past, and design thinking, which provides creativity, innovative solutions and conceptual development, is a cure for boredom. With over 35 years of experience in education, I have repeatedly heard from parents that once their children became involved in design education, their academic performance significantly improved. As president of Montecito Fine Arts College of Design, I have to do more than just talk; I have prove what I say every day with real results.

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Ed Kuckelkorn is the President of Montecito Fine Arts College of Design in Monrovia, California. MFA College of Design has been providing new school design education since 1977, when Kuckelkorn founded the school. Today, MFA College of Design has enrollment of over 800 students .

Navigating through conceptual generation

by Jay Maharjan

I have been writing posts on conceptual economy, especially on how it will impact you - whether you are an entrepreneur, a start-up company, a thriving business, or an employee of a Multi national corporation. It is critical to understand where you stand, so that you can prepare yourself accordingly. As the legendary Management guru Peter Drucker often said, you can not manage change - you can only stay ahead of it.

I divide my approach and understanding into 8 segments - hopefully I will be able to pave a path and offer a simple guide for you to navigate and thrive in this innovative, resourceful, and conceptual generation.

Entrepreneurship in conceptual economy - endless creative entrepreneurial opportunities

Never before in the history that entrepreneurs had so much flexibility and tools at their disposal like they have now. With the technology advancement and globalization of high speed internet, entrepreneurs have power to do amazing things. This is a welcoming news for knowledge entrepreneurs. Knowledge workers often had to rely on their parent organization or company to make significant impact - making it very hard to make it on their own. These days, with the availability of modern tools, even college students can compete with large multi-nationals. If you look at the recent history of innovation, numerous multi-national companies were results of college experiments - google, facebook, myspace.. just to name a few. This is just the beginning. The types of success eBay and Google experienced were very few and far in between. The frequency of entrepreneural success of this type will exponentially grow in the future. Technologies are maturing, costs of technology are going down drastically due to healthy competition. Barrier to entry is going down. What dot com boom promised prematurely - it is becoming a reality right now. Virtual communities, portals and social networking sites are already offering previews of what can be expected on the horizon.

Sky is the limit for virtual entrepreneurs in conceptual economy. Entrepreneurs never liked to follow rules anyway. This time around, they will truly get to lead the way in coming up with unique, unthinkable yet surprisingly simple online business models. The model that works in one geographic location may not work in another. But, the beauty is that conceptual entrepreneurs will adopt - and they will adopt quick. Case in point - the way book publishing is taking place around the world is changing. A teenager in Japan wrote a whole novel using text messaging to her blog - and her fans downloaded portions at a time. The concept became so popular that when the hard copy of her novel came out, it was an instant best seller and she made over eight million dollars. Today, believe it or not - half of the top ten books sold in Japan are the results of mobile phone authors. Japan is usually one of the first countries to adopt to new mobile concepts. Usually, some concepts translates to other cultures and the others do not. Well, we may not see a cell phone novel on the New York Times list anytime soon.. but who knows..some variation of the concept may catch on in the US and Europe in the next decade. These are the changing times. Time magazine appropriately named you as the person of the year last year. You have tremendous amount of power to change the way you sustain as an entrepreneur or a consumer.

I consider Youtube generation as the first group to represent conceptual generation. Youtube generation is changing the way news is distributed. High traffic sites like TMZ.com and CNNs iReport already rely heavily on end-user generated content. Highly sophisticated cell phones have enabled regular people to capture live media footage and distribute to the world instantaneously. As conceptual economy matures, technology will also mature and truly open a platform for creativity and virtual entrepreneurship to flourish.

Beyond the more obvious virtual entrepreneurship opportunites, entrepreneurs will have tremendous capabilities to collaborate with resources from around the globe. Entrepreneurs will be leveraging on each other beyond outsourcing menial tasks but in a scale and scope unheard of ever before in the history.

One another concept that is catching on is the concept of replicating ideas that work in one country and taking it to other less developed markets. eBay became very popular early on in the US. Similar auction ideas mushroomed across the globe. Initially, local entrepreneurs started the wave and once the concept became successful locally - they got acquired by eBay for hefty sums. Indian version of eBay- Bazee.com was acquired in 2004 for whopping $ 50 million dollars. Similarly, eBay acquired iBazar, a French auction site and Tradera, Sweden’s leading online auction style marketplace.

In conceptual generation, we will see this trend growing in an exponential way. There are enough entrepreneurial ideas and concepts floating around the world that smart entrepreneurs can and will easily tap into and convert to viable ventures.

In factual note, America’s Gross National Product has grown over the years, but the actual, physical weight of the GNP has declined. Go figure. This clearly supports the emergence of the new economic model.

2. Political Implication - making of conceptual economy

If history is of any guide, government and legislatures have huge roles in building infrastructure to facilitate the new economic structure. It is often mistaken that the President or the federal government has direct power to fix economy. In fact, among very few measures that the highest level of the Federal government can take to influence the economy is to manupulate the federal interest rates. However, the areas the government can play a big role is in introducing new policies that encourage entrepreneurism.

The transportation act of 1920 and The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1944 led the way into a booming economy. Throughout the process, the government took a passive role and helped the private sector to grow. Both the transportation act of 1920 and the highway act of 1944 were not exactly Laissez-faire, but the private sectors got tremendous incentives and got to lead - at the end it worked out well in helping the economy. The 21st century faces larger challenges.

First off the bat, the government needs to acknowledge the arrival of the new economic model. Just like the way, silicon valley and companies like Hewlitt Packard and IBM played a big role in paving the IT revolution, this is the time that the government needs to increase incentive for research and development in the areas of nano-technology, bio technology and eco-friendly initiatives. These are some of the conceptual decisions that the governments can make appropriately and in a timely manner and pave path to maintain sustainable competitiveness in the 21st century.

The Global Computer, the Datasphere User, and Design Education

by Ed Kuckelkorn

As the size and use of the global web continues to expand, it is becoming evident that the personal computer is turning into a little more than a terminal feeding at the global datasphere. As the form and structure of this info knowledge bank develops, it is taking on its own unique characteristics and defining how we receive information from this new medium.

Marshall McLuhan, one of the greatest media minds to date, wrote a visionary book in the 1960s titled The Medium is the Message, predicting the eventual outcome of communication technology in the 20th century. Another one of his books, The Global Village, predicted the computer datasphere as well. Both exemplify not only the content of the information, but the medium in which it was sent through and how it shaped our minds and thoughts. That is to say, that if we were to passively rely on the messenger of this new medium without critical analysis, society would turn into a nightmare of the “unimind”, in which everyone thinks the same.

The global datasphere provides infinite information to anyone with an internet connection. It soon becomes glaringly obvious that traditional education, which is based on memorizing endless categories of fragmented, linear information and then regurgitating it, is obsolete. Clearly, the greatest information storage system and extension of human memory is computer technology, which has liberated the human mind from the enslavement of old school education.

The challenge of new school education in the 21st century is not to memorize the books from the past, but rather teach students what to do with the infinite volumes of information available in the global datasphere. New school education emphasizes skills for analyzing, evaluating, and qualifying information. The next step in the process is to form the elements of the information into a completely new body of knowledge that can be applied to real world solutions in any endeavor. This new school approach to education requires the use of the right side of the brain, the center of creativity, intuition and visualization. New school education should not be about memorizing the past; instead, it should be about envisioning the future, and that requires creatively thinking about the big picture.

Design education is the exemplary educational vehicle for teaching creative thinking. It involves structure, freedom, and a synthesis of art, science and philosophy. Design is a unique area of study in which students learn to apply a specific procedure of thought and process and leads both to a new unified manifestation of the parts and elements. In other words, design is not merely a skill; it is in fact a critical way of thinking and lends itself to any problem-solving task in any area of human endeavor.

So what does the global datasphere user have to do with design education? The critical thinking process for design is the exact creative skill set needed to enable the net user to utilize the information elements in new and holistic ways, putting the individual in charge of the process. It then allows those individuals in charge to contribute and input new knowledge, which in turn continually enhances the synergy of evolutionary growth for human enlightenment. The process is not only important to the individual, it is important to the entire planet, because the challenges facing humanity need the brightest and most creative force of knowledge workers now more than ever.

As traditional education continues to fail, and as governments try to legislate their way out of this dilemma, it is obvious that only new school design education can produce creative individuals and leaders that can lead humanity into the 21st century. It is the new school design education and the rise of the individual free spirit and genus that will create future possibilities for our global humanity. Equality is not about equal income, it is about equal freedom of the mind. And now that everyone has access to global information, it is necessary to elevate human consciousness through enlightened education. That is what equality really means; it’s not about everyone being indoctrinated with the same politically correct propaganda. The new renaissance generation will overturn all obsolete institutions and bring real freedom and prosperity to the world.

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Ed Kuckelkorn is the President of Montecito Fine Arts College of Design in Monrovia, California. MFA College of Design has been providing new school design education since 1977, when Kuckelkorn founded the school. Today, MFA College of Design has enrollment of over 800 students .

 

Patrick Goldstein on Hollywood entrepreneurs

Patrick Goldstein is a senior entertainment reporter for The LA Times. Here is his take on Hollywood entrepreneurs and owners. The story is little bit old. It was written when the writers strike was going on, but the content of the piece is still very much relevant. —

By Patrick Goldstein

Hollywood is a town awash in hyphenates. TV is loaded with writer-producers. The movie biz is full of writer-directors. There’s even a legion of actor-filmmakers like Clint Eastwood and George Clooney. But as the writers strike enters its third week, I think the future belongs to a tantalizing new hyphenate: the writer-entrepreneur.

Visiting a UCLA film class the other night, I was asked to name the most influential filmmakers of our era. The choices were pretty obvious: Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, John Lasseter, George Lucas. . . . As the names spilled out, I realized they all have something in common. They’re filmmaker-entrepreneurs, artists-turned-businessmen who helped start their own companies to further their work, became financially independent and created a world that operates under a radically different set of rules from the vacuous studio assembly lines. It’s telling that the current strike is about new media yet both sides seem to be following old-school models.

Writer Guild members, listen up. There is a lesson here. Just ask Tony Gilroy, the writer-director of “Michael Clayton,” a nervy thriller that’s won critical raves this fall. Gilroy had a script that was dead in the water until a total outsider — a Boston real estate developer named Steve Samuels — said if Gilroy could get a star and stick to a budget, he’d bankroll the film.

Gilroy didn’t see himself as an entrepreneur. He just had a script that was burning a hole in his pocket. “I’d say the experience was more about my wising up than becoming a visionary,” he explained the other day. “But the moment I started chasing private-equity money, it didn’t take me long before I’d realized that I’d short-circuited the formula for getting a greenlight. I didn’t need studio approval. All I needed was one guy who believed in the movie.”

Gilroy is now a convert. “The studios have got to be hoping that this idea about being entrepreneurs doesn’t sweep over the TV show runners, because once you start seeing really good production values on the Internet, I mean, what does Larry David really need HBO for? This is all everybody is talking about on the line. They’re not talking about healthcare. They’re going, ‘Wow, is there a different way to get our movies and TV shows made?’ ”

It’s the kind of talk that’s contagious. Scott Frank, who wrote hits like “Minority Report” before directing “The Woodsman” this year, has been speaking with Samuels about financing a new film. David Twohy, writer-director of “The Chronicles of Riddick,” has lined up financing for a new thriller, “A Perfect Getaway,” from Relativity chief Ryan Cavanaugh, who also bankrolled “3:10 to Yuma.”

Steve Zaillian, who wrote “American Gangster,” has a deal with Mandate Pictures to make under-$10 million character-driven films where he is a 50-50 partner in all the projects. Mandate has a similar partnership with writer-director Sam Raimi of “Spider-Man” fame. Mandate also has a writers program in which, in return for initially cutting their fee, writers can get 25% of the gross after a film goes into profit and have approval rights on hiring the movie’s cast and director.

“Writers who create something rare — a story with great, original characters that movie stars will cut their price to play — have a real value,” says Mandate production chief Nathan Kahane. “But that value doesn’t get unlocked in the studio system. If writers are willing to share our risk, then we’re willing to give them a lot of control and share in the profits too.”

This kind of entrepreneurial formula couldn’t have existed in the era when the studios had a stranglehold on every facet of the business, notably talent, money and distribution. But those days are gone. The stars became free agents long ago. In the last few years, with billions of private-equity dollars flooding the business, the studios have lost their lock on financing too.

All that’s left is marketing and distribution. It’s hard to equal the way studios launch their summer popcorn extravaganzas with a $40-million marketing blitz. But as more entertainment migrates to the Internet, where distribution is basically free to anyone with a computer, the studios will lose that monopoly as well. If the last couple of weeks are any indication, with clips from out-of-work comedy writers popping up every day, the Web could be littered with new must-see video sites by Christmas. Remember: After barely a year in existence, YouTube was bought by Google for $1.65 billion. On the Internet, good ideas travel fast.

“The world is about to change,” Frank says. “Anyone with an Apple computer can make a movie now — it’s never been a more democratic medium. The studios should be very afraid. Once the independent financiers start going directly to writers, things could change really fast. I ask myself every week — why aren’t we all working with them? Look at the movies they’ve made. They are the new Medicis.”

While the studios peddle dreary remakes and special-effects extravaganzas, the movies that really get people talking — such as “Crash,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “Michael Clayton” and the upcoming “Juno” — have been financed by outside investors. None of the films had a big budget, but fiscal discipline and artistic autonomy often fuels creativity. “Ten million dollars to $30 million is where ambiguity stays alive, where you can have complexity in storytelling,” Gilroy says. “When you get up to a certain budget number with studio films, the bad guys have to all wear black hats.”

The WGA is fighting the good fight. But the glory days of “Norma Rae” are gone. Real change in today’s world comes from the energy and ideas of entrepreneurs, not from labor negotiations. To take control of their work, writers have to cut out the middleman. Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick, who just struck a deal with NBC to air their “Quarterlife” Web-only dramatic series, will reap most of the rewards, since they own the show. Not every writer has the clout of that duo to attract outside investors. But as the Internet has proved time and again, game-changing ideas are more likely to come from an unknown 26-year-old newcomer than a fiftysomething veteran.

The models are everywhere today, especially in the music business, where economic upheaval has given birth to a new array of artist-entrepreneurs. Radiohead and Prince have both bypassed the soul-killing tangle of retailers and promotion people by releasing their latest records themselves (with Radiohead using the Internet as its distributor, even letting its fans set the price of the record themselves).

Being entrepreneurial isn’t for the faint of heart. If you want a sweet upfront paycheck, you may not have the stomach for it. But after seeing studios bowdlerize their scripts, many writers will swap a big payday for more control. Twohy says that after Relativity read his script, “They told me, ‘Script approved as-is.’ I’ve never heard a studio ever say that.”

This kind of creative freedom already exists in Silicon Valley, where the creators of product are its owners. Software entrepreneur Marc Andreessen, who helped found Netscape, makes an eloquent argument on his blog that a prolonged strike could undermine the studios’ control of production and distribution, ushering in a new showbiz model built in the image of Silicon Valley.

Even if the strike is settled soon, dramatic change is coming. As more outside money pours into Hollywood and as our computers begin to merge with our TV sets, the studios will have less control over content than ever. NBC’s Jeff Zucker can sneer at the paltry dollars to be made from selling TV shows on iTunes all he wants. But if old media keep pulling their product away, surely the day isn’t far away when Steve Jobs will bankroll his own programming to keep our iPods full of compelling entertainment. [He already did; it was called Pixar.]

Whoever enters the fray will still need writers to create this new content. So writers should keep their eyes on the prize. Getting a few more pennies of digital loot is just a beginning, not an end. The ultimate goal should be finding ways to own a piece of your own work.

“If I were someone like Les Moonves, I’d be scared,” Gilroy says. “You don’t want your employees thinking about opening their own store around the corner. We might be really tough competitors.”