Just About Sane

Content Strategy

2012-01-26T10:49:00.005Z

I started reading Content Strategy for the Web by Kristina Halvorson this week. I thought it would be a good refresher course.

I'm still on Chapter one.

I was a bit surprised to find that it only dealt with web content. Having started my career in print and then quickly moved on to both print and digital and most recentely mobile-only content, I find it hard to imagine a world where you can have a content strategy for only web content.

I'll continue reading as many folks have recommended the book. I'll post a review afterward and see whether I change my mind about it.

I think I really like this one.

2012-01-25T00:29:00.001Z

Getting good at this

2012-01-24T00:31:00.000Z

Reflective

2012-01-21T20:15:00.001Z

Playing with new iPad app pixelomatic

2012-01-21T15:00:00.001Z

This is what I call Self Portrait, the shadow years.

Portrait of an artist through a lens

2012-01-19T12:34:00.001Z

pacific coast highway 1

2012-01-19T12:26:00.001Z

Big Sur Memories - Pfeiffer beach

2012-01-19T12:21:00.001Z

Testing Social Camera

2011-12-12T15:46:00.001Z

My great grandparents

2011-12-12T14:28:00.001Z

Yet another experiment to see how this template works. please bare with me.

270 Movies from 2010 in 6 minutes - a must see

2010-12-14T18:43:00.002Z

Love song by hands

2010-12-01T10:43:00.001Z

Very cool video. Watch it.

Ryan Reynolds, Superb :)

2010-11-17T13:47:00.000Z

Flash Mob by Tom Scott

2010-11-13T12:18:00.002Z

The Flip-Flop Challenge

2010-04-22T17:36:00.000+01:00

Devotchka it's been a while

2010-04-20T20:23:00.001+01:00

Great song for a relaxing Tuesday... or any day really.

iPad or Resident Evil in 3D... what excites you more?

2010-04-05T18:07:00.001+01:00

Resident Evil Afterlife!!! Can't wait.

Design Thinking Evolves with iPad

2010-04-03T18:23:00.002+01:00

Just watched this at Core77, a site for designers. Some basic but good solid thinking.

Mag+ live with Popular Science+ from Bonnier on Vimeo.

Trailer Alert: SALT

2010-04-01T19:10:00.003+01:00

This actually looks kinda good, a Bourne meets Croft action flick. It's too bad they still can't figure out how to make wigs look natural. It's incredibly distracting I think.

The Future of Publishing from DK

2010-03-17T20:16:00.001Z

I thought I would post this for those of you who still haven't seen it. I am quite impressed with DK. Great job.

Digital Publishing: The Teenage Years

2010-03-11T18:32:00.001Z

Today, I attended Plugg and got to present on digital publishing. Here's what I said.

Publishing: The Teenage Years from Plugg Conference on Vimeo.

New Book: Rework

2010-03-08T19:27:00.004Z

Plus check out Tim Ferriss' review of the book here.

Austin, Texas - What to do and how to do it at SXSW

2010-03-02T16:14:00.006Z

In a little over a week I will be headed to Austin, TX for the first time to attend SXSW. Issuu is a finalist for the SXSW Classic Award and I'm thrilled to be able to go.

As a virgin SXSW attendee and new to Austin, I've reached out to some friends for recommendations and advice. Here are some great places recommended by one of my good friends from Austin. Although you might not know him, I've kept his personal insights because, well, I enjoyed them.

Coffee:
Sit outside in the sun at the Spyder House -- a classic Austin coffee shop near campus and Guadalupe street (maybe near 29th street?). Super Austin hipster scene.

Another great coffee/breakfast place is Austin Java Company on Lamar in downtown close to the original Whole Foods and the newer Whole Foods uber complex.

Finally, a place that I loved was the old Ruta Maya coffee (the new Ruta Maya is in South Congress across the river) that is now something called Halcyon. It is a great place to sit in the "warehouse district" downtown and have a coffee.

Did I mention I like coffee?

Food:
Eastside Cafe is an Austin institution. They have there own vegetable/herb garden and the food is pretty good. It also has a place in my heart since one of my college girlfriends was a waitress there.

Fonda San Miguel -- used to be THE place in town for interior Mexican food, but maybe has gone downhill over the years? I haven't been in a while.

My favorite all-time for breakfast tacos is Tamale House on airport, but maybe too out of the way. But tacos are like $1.

Kerbey Lane Cafe (the original -- it has since sprouted 3 or 4 other versions) used to be the place for brunch or late-night migas. I think they are all open 24 hours.

A competitor to Kerbey Lane is Magnolia Cafe on South Congress. Good for brunch as well and maybe open 24hrs too.

The Salt Lick BBQ -- if you have time and a car, this is an absolute must for the Texas Hill Country BBQ experience. BYOB, so buy a six-pack on the way out of town. It is a drive to Dripping Springs, but worth it (if you like BBQ).

There's a whole string of places on Barton Springs road across from Zilker park (Shady Grove, Chuy's, Romeo's) that can be good. Chuy's is the mexican restaurant where one of the Bush girls got busted with a fake ID or something...

Other people like Threadgill's, though I never got into it -- homestyle southern food.

Drink:
My favorite bar downtown that still exists is Club DeVille on Red River and ninth. Far enough away from Sixth street to be manageable, but still in downtown. If the weather is good, a great place to sit outside and have a few drinks.

Trudy's Lone Star close to Spyder House is another must stop when I go to Austin. Many an undergrad night was spent here drinking top shelf Mexican martinis (Herradura Silver + Cointreau) after hours with aforementioned girlfriend and here waitstaff crew. Another place to grab some typical Tex-Mex. Probably will get super-crowded with undergrads, but still an experience.

Another downtown pub is the Ginger Man. Away from sixth street and big enough to deal with crowds.

Close to UT campus is another classic -- the Crown and Anchor. Many days to evenings were spent by me playing pool, drinking pitchers of Celis Pale Bock or Shiner Bock, and eating greasy burgers. This is where I hooked up with my post-undergrad girlfriend and also had a HUGE crush on a red-headed Austin chick that worked at the bar. I still get updates from friends about her, but now she's married. But maybe it won''t last. Good times.

Music:
Many of the old standbys have closed, but I think Emo's is still there on 6th, as is Stubb's BBQ. The other austin landmark is the Continental Club on South Congress.

Other things to do:
If it is warm, go for a swim in Barton springs pool. Or drive out to Mt. Bonnel for a view of Austin (now total sprawl), the hill country, and Lake Travis. If I were there with you I could show you how to climb down to a secret spot for a more private view...

Ok, I think that is it for now. Have a great time. SXSW can be a zoo -- most places will be ridiculously crowded. But is should still be fun.

Speaking of being sensitive...

2010-02-25T17:30:00.002Z

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

New Poll

2010-02-25T14:21:00.003Z

Skimlink's Alicia Navarro and why Silicon Valley isn't the be all and end all of the world...

2010-02-24T17:44:00.002Z

Round-up from MWC - Part I

2010-02-22T13:23:00.011Z

Last week I attended the largest mobile conference in the world, the Mobile World Congress hosted by GSMA in Barcelona. It was a bit hectic and overwhelming not to mention wet as it rained almost the entire time. But I did get to see some cool new apps.

Here are a couple of my favorites:

Taxipal
Many of my friends know that I'm a little obsessed with transportation and for some time have been ranting about how to improve the taxi situation in London and across the world. Well, sometimes dreams can come true. Along comes Taxipal to make everything right again. It is a free mobile app that lets you find taxi's around the world. It gives you a list of cab services in your city and lets users rate the service. It even has a service called quick order (a lot like Amazon's one click purchase), unfortunately for now, it is not available in London. Try it now.

Endomondo
Endomondo is a web platform with a free app that lets you track your running escapades. Now, I know there are a ton of these out there but I liked this one not only because its ui was simple and elegant but also because it maps out potential routes you can take. This is great when you travel and have no idea in which direction to head for. The downside is that you have to run with your phone. I guess I should suck it up and see the extra weight as a good thing. Try it now.

Mobile World Congress here I come!

2010-02-14T14:43:00.003Z

Tomorrow I head back to one of my favorite cities, Barcelona (as if two years of living there was ever going to be enough). I'm thrilled to go back to attend my first ever Mobile World Congress, the largest mobile industry conference in the world. Just to give you an idea, they are expecting over 50,000 people! That's a lot of business cards.

This year they have added a new focus called App Planet. Companies and developers will get a chance to showcase their apps and lead discussions on the best development platforms. Google is having their very own Android session and there are parties, dinners, awards every night this week. I will be attending the Premier Awards Dinner Monday night, the GoMo News Blender Tuesday night, about 3 dinners on Wednesday, and hopefully a catch-up on Thursday.

If you are there, pls drop my a line on twitter (@mars123) and let's have some tapas. Mmmm, hungry just thinking about it.

Note: Image is the famous Torre Agbar designed by French architect Jean Nouvel.

Do NOT Read

2010-02-06T17:27:00.001Z

This seemed appropriate given what I do. Enjoy.

Check out other great works from Cyanide and Happiness here.

The 4 Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss

2010-02-03T17:04:00.002Z

This is what I'm reading. Will post a review when I'm done.

Otaku Magazine - Amazing or Just Plain Scary?

2010-02-03T15:13:00.001Z

Otaku Magazine vol.6: The End of the World from Otaku Entertainment on Vimeo.

Just watched this video and was absolutely enraptured but not sure if it was because of the visuals, the music, or the paralyzing fear I was experiencing. Enjoy.

Clash of the Titans!!!

2010-02-02T19:56:00.002Z

More Clash of the Titans (2010) Videos

So very excited to see this movie. I've been playing playstation's God of War for the past three months and just finally made it to the end.

The cast in this movie is also quite impressive!

Success is within reach, if only...

2010-01-31T14:15:00.006Z

A review of Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Over the past 6 months a number of friends have recommended that I read Outliers, the latest book by Malcolm Gladwell. After some resignation, I finally went ahead and purchased the book this month and read it.

Although I’ve always enjoyed Gladwell’s writing skills, I’ve never quite agreed with his arguments that seem to be shy of solid examples and filled with discrepancies. Or maybe I just don’t like his premises and therefore conclusions.

Either way, I was excited to learn more about “The Story of Success,” as his subtitle explains. The book starts out explaining the Matthew Effect, the concept of the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Gladwell slowly reveals the intricacies of why the Matthew Effect takes place and how our environment plays a crucial role in our own success.

I think most of us would agree that to be the case. But Gladwell goes further to point out that it doesn’t just apply to us normal folk but also those we consider above par. The geniuses of the world. The success stories of the world. I.e. Bill Gates or Steve Jobs.

Apparently, these people not only have great talent and put forth great effort but they also needed to be lucky enough to be raised in the right environment at the right time. That is why they ultimately succeed according to Gladwell. The argument is that many others with similar talent and effort did not achieve great success due to something as simple as being born at the wrong time of the year.

Simple enough, right? Problem is I’m not sure what to do with this information. There are things we can control and things we really can’t. Should I give up on dreams because all the data points that people born in July very rarely if ever achieve success in the dream I am pursuing?

As I finished Outliers, I realized that once again Gladwell had added a layer of complexity to something I thought was fairly straight forward, which as a norm I tend to actually appreciate.

But then I realized that the added layer of complexity that Gladwell introduced didn’t help me understand success any more than the simple truth that luck plays a huge role in all our lives no matter how hard we work or how talented we are.

Overall, it was a good read but not one that will transform the way you think or live.

The world we live in....

2010-01-30T15:01:00.000Z

Explosm. Just because it's sunny outside.

iPad, u-Pad, wii-all-Pad for.... what exactly?

2010-01-28T15:30:00.005Z

The new iPad has arrived. It is bigger than an iphone, smaller than the macbook, but more powerful than a netbook. Some might call it juuusst right.

Or is it? Everybody and their mothers have commented on this new gadget, some with praise others with harsh criticism and most wishing they already had a real one to play with.

My first reaction was negative. It won't replace my laptop, which means I might still have to buy a netbook. It simultaneously runs apps and a web browser. So, I'm confused. Do I use the Facebook app or go to the Facebook website? And no camera? No skype calling with video? No more recording videos of myself working? I guess I have my new ipod nano with video camera for that (even though I haven't figured out how to download the videos yet).

But after almost one full day since the announcement, I'm not feeling soo negative. It looks like a great toy, which if I wasn't in my own personal recession, I would buy right away. I can envision myself reading digital publications with this device much more than with any other. It will be interesting to see how Amazon's new kindle will compete. I don't think pricing of books will influence that decision too much. People are used to paying a premium for Apple products. But the Kindle already has years of experience of dealing with publishers, copyright, and international rights. And lets not forget a much longer battery life for reading on the go. Who doesn't hate the mess of cables we pack into our purses everywhere we go.

So, what's my point? I think much like the iPhone, I have a feeling I would grow to love using the iPad, which means I will have to get one to find out.

Apple iTablet Dreams

2010-01-26T16:18:00.002Z

In a little over 25 hours Apple is set to announce their new Tablet device or at least that is what all the apple enthusiasts and journalists are hoping for.

I have to admit this is the first time I've actually been excited about an Apple announcement. If the tablet is anything like what I imagine then I will most definitely love it.

For a number of years now I've been waiting for the perfect netbook to appear. Sadly I haven't had much luck. But now, if my dreams come true, Apple will announce a new device. A tablet as pretty as the iphone, as small as the netbooks, and as powerful as my PC. That is my ideal world. This tablet would replace my home and work computer (I would buy a large screen to attach it to when working in an office) but then could travel around with this small, light easy-to-use tablet. Ah, the perfect world...

In any case, if you want to read all about what people are predicting just go to Engadget's Apple Rumor Rounduop here http://bit.ly/4DUqu9.

*Image taken from Engadget site.

Exactly What We Need!!!!

2010-01-18T13:35:00.003Z

As we start the new year many peeps decide to reflect on their lives and what if anything might be missing.

I knew exactly what I was missing but lucky for me, and for you, the Sundance Channel has answered our prayers with its latest show, "Be Good, Johnny Weir."

Not many people know that I grew up figure skating and actually competed a little. But there weren't many career options in the sport. It was Olympics, Champions on Ice and teaching. That's about it. If only I could have predicted that TV stations would be interested in making individual shows about figure skaters....

I can picture it now. Me, front and center, dancing to Lady Gaga, maybe appearing as a guest host of America's Next Top Model (luv ya Tyra) or better yet Project Runway. The possibilities are endless. Alas, my dreams will remain just dreams but for Johnny Weir it's just the beginning. Good luck!

2010 is going to be even better than this!

2010-01-09T19:42:00.000Z

Check out more of Tyler's work at http://www.tylershields.com/

Loving Tim Ferriss

2010-01-07T14:44:00.001Z

This just made me smile. Thanks

Forever Young

2009-12-22T20:07:00.003Z

I know I've been posting a lot of videos and not really writing much, but stay tuned for my Top 2009 list. In the meantime, enjoy this video. As one year comes to an end and another begins, let's remember we are all young at heart.

Android e-reader App Available NOW!

2009-12-18T11:10:00.001Z

Rory Sutherland: Life lessons from an ad man

2009-12-15T13:27:00.002Z

By far one of the best speakers I've had the privilege to hear live. Rory has a way with images and words that epitomizes the ideal communicator. Not only likable and friendly on stage but also powerful and persuasive. Enjoy.

Issuu Mobile Coming Soon - Enjoy

2009-12-07T19:48:00.002Z

I spent Thanksgiving making this video. I hope you like it. And stay tuned because it is now a finalist for the App Star Award. Winner to be announced Dec. 9th!

Shelf by Issuu is now out!! Check it.

2009-11-11T17:24:00.002Z

XKCD - New webcomic book now available

2009-11-05T08:50:00.003Z

As some of you might know I am a big fan of webcomics. Well, one of my favorites, XKCD, now has a print book out just in time for the holidays. The creator, Randall Munroe, has been getting some very good media including this article in the LA Times.

This is a great example of how web and print complement each other. He has already sold his first print run of 10K.

Go check it out if you can: XKCD.

Kiva - $100 million in microloans!

2009-11-02T13:31:00.002Z

According to Techcrunch, Kiva has now reached $100 million in microloans. This is quite an amazing feat. A special congratulations goes out to Jessica Jackley, the world-traveling, dynamic speaker and original founder of Kiva.

I had the privilege of meeting Jessica last year when she kindly accepted to participate in a panel I put together at IESE's annual Doing Good Doing Well conference. The topic was social entrepreneurs and how they do what they do. Jessica's raw enthusiasm was contagious while her practical, down-to-earth advice was incredibly useful. Since then, she has traveled the world and back again. If you ever get a chance to hear her speak or to grab a glass a wine with her, I truly recommend it.

Christopher Walken perform's Lady Gaga's Poker Face - BBC One

2009-11-01T16:51:00.001Z

Harvard: How to make money in news

2009-10-29T14:20:00.002Z

Just a little hint...

2009-10-29T13:32:00.001Z

Image taken from storms.typepad.com/.../11/i_got_posted_19.html

The Future of Book Publishing

2009-10-11T14:38:00.003+01:00

I attended a very cool panel discussion last week at London Business School on the future of book publishing. The panel members were a good mix of old and new publishing folks including peeps from Sony, HarperCollins, Google, and Elsevier. The majority of the time the level of discussion was high but of course there are always good quotes to take out of context to add some humor to reality. So here are my two favorites:

"The problem is the editors" referring to overly optimistic advances and publishing too much bad content. As a former editor I got a good giggle from this one. I do like the idea of being considered an "optimisitic reader."

"Do you fear these people?" referring to people that pirate content online, aka, anyone who shares a pdf that they aren't supposed to. This was followed by a good discussion of DRM but the question alone stuck in my head for a while. As per usual, my mind wandered to Zombies attacking our digital content somehow. We should fear zombies but readers? Not convinced.

iPhone humor

2009-10-04T12:20:00.001+01:00

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

Thought this was appropriate after my iPhone disaster. After 3 weeks with the iPhone, I find it a bit disappointing. I'm having problems with the touch screen as I expected and I seem to accidentally call people all the time (sorry about that). It is not as user-friendly or intuitive as I imagined and the battery doesn't seem to last too long, though that might be because I use it as my personal gps guide all around London and since I get lost a lot I might be eating through the battery much faster than most users. Frankly, that's the one thing I do really like but I believe I can find that in just about all the other phones nowadays.

There must be much better phones out there with even better technology but mass behavior (hysteria) seems to be pushing this one along which means if you don't jump on board your friends will point and laugh at you. Don't let that happen. It's not pretty.

Google Wave - Join the party

2009-10-04T11:53:00.000+01:00

Google Wave is hitting users on an invitation-only basis. From this description it sounds a lot like Basecamp, though if that's only a small % of what it can really do, I'm curious to learn more. My main concern is that it turns everything into google docs, which frankly I really don't like. I'm also not too happy if they start inserting ads into everything whenever they want to make some money like they are now doing with the iphone maps.
I do agree it's time to rethink email as it has become an outdated form of communication (to a really small group of people in the world). In the meantime, if anyone has an invitation or even a different tool out there, let me know.

BTW--I found this video incredibly useful and entertaining.

The Medici Summit

2009-09-14T16:06:00.001+01:00

The Medici Summit from The Medici Group on Vimeo.

To learn more: http://themediciexperience.com/

(Disclaimer - I was lucky enough to work with Frans on his book, The Medici Effect: Breakthrough Insights at the Intersection of Ideas, Concepts, and Cultures)

New Iphone 3GS...

2009-09-14T11:35:00.000+01:00

After 4 trips to the Regents Street Apple store here in London, I finally got to take home my new iphone. So far the worst part of my iphone experience has been actually purchasing the phone. O2 requires a credit check and proof of address (and sadly they do not accept an actual rental contract agreement as proof of address) and even with perfect credit, they still demand a 100 pound deposit. After 3 hours of paper work and credit worthiness, I was finally able to leave. I doubt Apple realizes it takes that long to buy one phone. I would guesstimate that about 50% of every client that walks in to buy a phone leaves disappointed when they get sent away because of O2 demands.

I have to say though that the Apple employees are very well trained. They have their speech down without missing a beat (probably because they must repeat it 100 times a day). "Sorry, please come back when you have the correct proof of address" "sorry no, it has to be dated at least within the last 6 weeks" "Sorry, but O2 demands it, there is nothing we can do about it"

Although the entire experience had much to be desired, I did enjoy having my own personal shopper guy. I signed up ahead of time, which then allows me to ask every single question I could ever imagine without being rushed or made to feel dumb. And here I am when I finally got the phone. My PS (personal shopper) guy was kind enough to take the pic with my new iphone. (btw - I used the flash app to give the pic more light since the phones do not have flash)

Velocity Inflight Magazine Interview for Issuu

2009-09-14T11:17:00.001+01:00

A little over a month ago I was asked to comment on the future of digital publishing by Velocity magazine, the London City Airport in-flight magazine. The article is now out in the September/October issue.

You can check it out here: http://vlmmagazine.com/2009/09/01/comment-12/

Love to hear what you think.

Issuu is on TIME's Top 50 Websites

2009-08-24T13:23:00.000+01:00

Today TIME announced their 2009 Top 50 Websites and Issuu was one of them. We are all very happy here at the office today. Plus, it was great to see some of our favorites on the list as well such as Spotify and Kiva. (congrats Jessica!)

To see the announcement, go to: http://is.gd/2wkyC

Look at what I learned!

2009-08-06T16:27:00.000+01:00

I know, you can't believe it. But yes, I've learned to ride a bike. Just take a look at this video I recorded of myself this week. (btw-I got a fantastic boy haircut this week... so yes it is me.)

CPH High Cycling

2009-08-01T14:31:00.000+01:00

As the Tour de France was merrily happening last month, I too was overwhelmed with the need to cycle across the land. To view the world in a slow moving, slightly unbalanced and definitely menace-to-pedestrian way. Alas, thanks to a good friend Philip (aka Pip) who was patient enough to gear me in the right direction no bloodshed occurred. He was also kind enough to volunteer his photography expertise and snap this pic as proof that gravity can sometimes be overcome.

It's my birthday....

2009-07-28T16:39:00.000+01:00

On this joyous occasion I have decided to celebrate the birth of what has become, well, me by doing some of my favorite things. So here it is:

7am - Woke up and ate some chocolate chip muffins (not the mini-muffins nor the large ones but the just-right delights)

10am - Had my first white peach nestea of the day. I now have a 3 to 4-a-day habit.

Noon - Went to the local store and bought 5 pounds worth of chocolates and a mini pizza. Yummy. The woman behind the counter asked me if they were a present to wrap, and I said, yes a present to myself, thank you.

2pm - Invited my colleagues to chocolate in hopes I wouldn't eat it all.

5pm - petit ecolier (milk chocolate) yum--meeeeee

Which brings me to right now where I shall soon leave in search of my favorite ben&jerrys ice cream for dinner.

Did I mention how much I luuuuvve birthdays.

BTW--thanks everyone for the birthday wishes.

V60 Fall Preview on Issuu

2009-07-24T11:37:00.000+01:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More v magazine

Great magazine.

LBS is LBS no longer

2009-07-13T13:19:00.000+01:00

In my mind LBS will always stand for London Business School but now I realize that there's an even bigger movement than the British school. It's location-based services (lbs). In a new article published by PC World titled "Mobile Mapping Services Hit Big Time," Matt Hamblen reveals some of the latest Gartner research showing that lbs associated revenues will more than double this year reaching $2.2 bn by the end of the year. This is quite impressive and according to the article just the beginning as more and more users have GPS on their phones.

This article reminded me of my MBA team from last year. We won a class competition for best new start-up idea. I fondly call it the whereyouat app, integrating a social network like FB or Bebo and combining it with real time locators like google maps as well as other groups like doppler. It's second life come to real life.

To see the article, go to http://bit.ly/xnNYD

Ryan Reynolds is Green

2009-07-12T14:23:00.000+01:00

Ryan Reynolds, the new Green Lantern... Nice. Sadly though the movie doesn't come out till 2011. In the meantime, there's Buried and something called Deadpool to look forward to in the next few years.

My favorite new blurb

2009-06-29T14:49:00.000+01:00

From The New Yorker
A review by Malcolm Gladwell of FREE

"For Anderson, YouTube illustrates the principle that Free removes the necessity of aesthetic judgment. (As he puts it, YouTube proves that “crap is in the eye of the beholder.”) But, in order to make money, YouTube has been obliged to pay for programs that aren’t crap. To recap: YouTube is a great example of Free, except that Free technology ends up not being Free because of the way consumers respond to Free, fatally compromising YouTube’s ability to make money around Free, and forcing it to retreat from the “abundance thinking” that lies at the heart of Free."

For full review, go to http://bit.ly/6MAlh

Night out with the boys

2009-06-21T12:20:00.000+01:00

Friday night Thomas took me out with some of his local friends, Anders and Philip. We started the evening at Salon 39. A very hip restaurant/cocktail bar. After that we ended up at Ruby's (or at least that's where I think we were). It was formerly a bank/apartment turned bar. It even had a vault room in the basement. Very cool. Here's a pic of the boys at dinner.

DGDW 2009 Nominated for Team MBA Award by GMAC

2009-06-15T16:32:00.000+01:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More sustainability

NY, NY

2009-06-10T15:53:00.000+01:00

Just got back from a 4-day trip to New York. Met with our new US team, which reminded me of how much I enjoy the work that I do. We had some great discussions on the future of publishing and what it will look like and how we plan to influence its development. This is an exciting time for anyone working with new technology and media products. Users are becoming more and more sophisticated while widgets are easier to use. This convergence offers a great opportunity. I'll have a lot more to say on this subject in the next few months.

It was also great to be in NY. Saw some very good friends and enjoyed some great cocktails. Here's a pic of us at the Thor Hotel restaurant. The food was overly pricey but the cocktails were to die for.

Elliot, Issuu, and Copenhagen

2009-06-04T09:56:00.000+01:00

The MBA has come and gone and now I am back to reality. I started my new job this week at Issuu--a very cool start-up and with a great team. It is surprisingly easy to transition back into the work environment after the past two years as a student. I suppose in many ways I never truly stopped working. Or maybe I never truly stop being a student?? hmmm

Either way, I'm now in Copenhagen, a beautiful city that I plan to explore over the next 3 months.

But the biggest news by far is the birth of my cute little nephew Elliot!!!! He is absolutely adorable and I can't wait to meet him in person.

The Count Down--Day 20

2009-03-11T14:25:00.000Z

Only three more weeks left of my MBA adventure. With classes coming to an end and Barcelona weather shining bright, I have very few complaints. Sure it's the worst time ever (and by ever I really mean ever) to graduate from an MBA. Those that have jobs will probably lose them and those that don't, well there's always a PhD, right?

In my opinion, it's a great time to be creative and experiment. If not now, when? For the next few weeks I will try to publish some interesting quotes to hopefully inspire you into action. Any action.

So, here's todays:

"When you can go, you go."

Happy Dance

2009-03-11T14:19:00.001Z

Roma!!!!

2008-11-16T23:32:00.001Z

Last weekend I went to Rome and hung out with my good friend Sandra and her family and friends. This was my first visit to Rome and I loved it. The food was spectacular and the sites unbelievable. Here I am at the collusium. It doesn't even look real but I swear I was there.

"Here Comes Another Bubble"

2008-10-22T20:27:00.001+01:00

The Original Todd

2008-10-11T13:35:00.000+01:00

Last night I had a wonderful dinner with an old friend from Boston. We had a chance to reminisce about past times and wonder a little bit about future expectations. It was refreshing to hear how one year changes everything and yet familiarity stays fairly constant.

After dinner, I rushed over to Bank to meet up at the BOM (IESE's alumni bar of the month event). I hung out with some 2008s and met some 2010s. We then headed to the opposite side of London, near Edgware Road for my second dinner of the night. BBQ wings. Yummy.

Twilight

2008-10-10T16:53:00.001+01:00

Blurb of the day

2008-10-08T18:20:00.000+01:00

"The book, a "tribute," will be 96 pages, soft cover, have 450,000 copies printed, cost $12, and be available for purchase beginning Oct. 11. And in true un-Newman fashion, its proceeds will not benefit any charities. Which is sort of okay, because this year, the print industry basically is a charity."

From Jossip

How to Kill a Zombie

2008-10-05T21:47:00.000+01:00

Brought to you by splitreason.com

Out with LBS birthdays...

2008-10-05T14:15:00.001+01:00

Finally made it out last night to celebrate some LBS folks birthday. We were very late in arriving but it still turned out to be quite fun and I don't feel too horribly sick today. So, all in all a good night.

London Eye

2008-10-02T11:50:00.001+01:00

Yesterday the exchange students at LBS took a ride on the London Eye. It is a very slow moving Ferris wheel that allows you to see the entire city of London. Unfortunately, I didn't really know what most of the buildings were but it was a beautifully windy day so you could see for miles on end. It is worth the 20 pounds to experience but it's even better when it's free.

Once again, Palin

2008-09-28T20:59:00.000+01:00

BOOK REVIEW: The New Paradigm for Financial Markets: The Credit Crisis of 2008 and What It Means

2008-09-21T21:15:00.000+01:00

Check out my latest book review at Volans.

Oh, Palin

2008-09-20T16:35:00.000+01:00

This is too funny.

My new roommate and my new home...

2008-09-20T16:15:00.001+01:00

Before I left on vacation I moved into a new apartment across the street from LBS. I can actually hear the crowds of students that gather at the Windsor from my room. Because my new roomy, Ilse, and I haven't had much of a chance to really move in due to traveling, I thought I would show you what our living room looks like right now. In addition to both our stuff, we are also storing suitcases and clothes for a number of other students that are either traveling or do not have homes yet. Our little apartment is definitely working overtime. Here's Ilse looking a little overwhelmed.

El Puerto de Santa Maria

2008-09-20T15:58:00.001+01:00

So, I'm back in London after spending the last 15 days in the south of Spain in a place called El Puerto de Santa Maria. We had fabulous weather the entire time and I recuperated some of my lost tan from 10 years ago. The picture is of the sun setting over the ocean on the beach we went to everyday.

We also took some day trips to Cadiz and a number of other beaches down the coast. Overall, a perfect vacation. Now it's back to reality. My first London Business School class starts this Monday and I have cases to read already. The good news is that the past two days in London have been sunny, warm, and beautiful, so I've been able to avoid the post-vacation depression so far... let's hope it lasts.

Brought

2008-08-31T13:54:00.001+01:00

New Sophis

2008-08-31T11:52:00.001+01:00

Check out my new serious and sophisticated look. I'm trying very hard not to smile in this picture.

Justin and Red Shoes

2008-08-31T11:45:00.001+01:00

This week I rediscovered the joy of listening to JT and buying a new pair of red boots. It can rain everyday, I'm ready.

Today is Zombie day

2008-08-25T19:41:00.001+01:00

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

This is me

2008-08-25T13:54:00.001+01:00

This is my friend Carlos. And today, his picture embodies how I feel. Where in the world is Carlos today??

Kike

2008-08-24T10:46:00.001+01:00

Mi amigo Kike. Todavia no sabemos exactamente que le ha pasado...
Pobrecito.

You Are So Gay

2008-08-24T10:31:00.000+01:00

The Highest of Pot Psychology from Pot Psychology on Vimeo.

Paris with Kevin

2008-08-18T20:03:00.001+01:00

I spent the weekend in Paris visiting Kevin. I went to every major landmark and then some. We ate wonderfully yummy food and had a great time.

The highlight was sitting in the Latin Quarter having a cafe and being serenaded by what looked like a drunk French sailor in his 50s. Oddly enough, after a while, we began to like his music.

Running in the Rain

2008-08-10T21:11:00.000+01:00

The highlight of the day was running through Regents Park in the rain and wind. I also had the pleasure of meeting a large black poodle that ran with me for a good five minutes before returning to its owner. Luckily, since I'm in London, I have a feeling I will get to experience wet runs many more times.

Le Mercury

2008-08-09T15:10:00.000+01:00

My new favorite restaurant is called Le Mercury over by Angel on Upper Street. The food is wonderful and the ambiance magnificent. Jacob and I went last night and ended up closing the restaurant down. Although we had to wait a good twenty minutes to get our table, even though we had a reservation, it was well worth the wait.

A Day in the Park with Chaps

2008-07-13T13:37:00.000+01:00

Yesterday Ercan and I attended the Chap Olympics in Hampstead Heath, a large park north of London. There were about 100 chaps that gathered and we got to watch events such as the Pipe Smoking Relay and the Lobster Match.

We meandered for hours with "how do you do's" and "good afternoon's", tipping the hat and smiling politely. It was quite entertaining and by far the most British event I have ever been to.

Visit from Kevin

2008-07-06T19:54:00.000+01:00

Kevin came from Paris to visit for the weekend. Here we are on Saturday at the Tate Modern after seeing a photography exhibition on Street Pics. We were lucky enough to have one day of nice weather.

Today we visited Camden Town and barely avoided the rain. It felt more like winter than July, but we did get to enjoy some great crepes in a local restaurant.

Que viva Espana!!!!

2008-06-29T23:01:00.001+01:00

Hemos ganado!!!

Aqui estamos Beatriz y yo en Piccadilly Circus!

Fumi in Soho

2008-06-29T12:03:00.000+01:00

This Friday I got to hang out with Fumi in Soho. After some yummy food at Ping Pong we ended up in a cool joint with couches. Here we are trying to pose for the camera.

Historic Futbol Game at 93 ft East on Bricklane

2008-06-23T21:18:00.000+01:00

Volans Ventures and the World Cup

2008-06-23T13:42:00.000+01:00

This entry is a much needed update.

I have been living in London for one full week now. I finished my first year as an MBA student at IESE and am now interning at Volans Ventures (to learn more check out our website at www.volans.com) It is a new company and we are a small yet impressive team, my favorite combination. The "business of social innovation" is just taking off and it's a privilege to be working with the team that is leading the way.

Another sign that the times they - are - a - changing, Spain beat Italy last night in the quarter finals! The first time in 88 years if you can believe that. Spain plays Russia next in the semi-finals...

Is there something in the air? Or has it always been there and my sinuses are clearing? Either way, there's change happening and I plan to be a part of it.

One last bit of news, I will be attending LBS this fall as an exhange student, so I won't be back to IESE until the new year...

There will be blood.....

2008-01-26T15:14:00.000Z

I don't tend to do movie reviews ever but today I saw There Will Be Blood staring Daniel Day Lewis and for a movie about oil and religion, it is outstanding and I recommend everyone see it. Of course it's not a comedy or a thriller, so you have to be in the right mood to see it but you won't be disappointed with Lewis' rendition of an oil prospector.

I found myself completely captivated by his character quickly forgetting the actor behind the person. If any of you go out and see it, let me know what you think.

December recap

2008-01-09T09:42:00.000Z

Due to the high demand for my blog, I'm back in 2008 with a vengeance. But before I can start I need to do a quick December 2007 recap. Here is my backwarded life:

Twelve grapes, eleven grapes, ten grapes, New Years in Hollywood;
Jazz in Lincoln center, Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, Christmas in New York.
Heathrow sightseeing.

More writing, writing.
Black wig dancing with plastic pasta salad dinner;
Final, writing, final, studying, final, final.
Studying, studying;
Fever gone, fever starts, paper dropped on time.

Old friends leave, a visit from Madrid.
Class, class, holiday. Holiday.