Three Cheers!!! for the pessimists

I’m having a good time re-reading Seth Godin’s Free Prize Inside and had to chuckle at the twist he uses to define those people in every organization who will never support a new idea. Seth says these folks must be optimists because they think things just can’t get any better than they already are.

These

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Setting up a Syndication Link

Popular demand is calling me to set-up the FoolsBox with a syndication link so others can distribute the content.

The FoolsBox should support RSS and ATOM feeds. Let me know if you have trouble. I use NetNewsWire and it seems to work fine.

Some RSS readers will work fine with the basic URL – http://foolsbox.blogspot.com

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TiVO Beats the F-Fwd Button

“We’re trying to allow viewers to get the best out of their viewing experience,” said David Courtney as he announced a new feature on TiVO that will display an advertiser’s brand on the screen as viewers fast-forward through the commercials.

The new feature will also allow viewers to press a button that takes

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Daddy, Can we get a Penguin?

Here we go.

Get ready for a rash of copy-cat efforts looking to play “me too” with the success of Warner Independent’s March of the Penguins.

For those hoping to cash in on penguin-madness, keep in mind this film is not about penguins. It’s a LOVE STORY, wonderfully shot and delightfully told by Morgan

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Can fools build bridges?

My brother John reminded me of the infamous character from San Francisco history known as Emperor Norton. This guy was a dreamer and probably a bit crazy, but he’s widely credited with some great ideas that shaped San Francisco into the uniquely wonderful city it is today.

One of his most noted bits

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Stuck by their own sword

I was visiting with a client this morning and came across a great example of “death by success.”

This company is a category killer in their industry with about 80% market share and incredible brand awareness. Problem is – they are SO successful at what they do, that no one will allow them

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Atkins Empire on the Rocks

News item – Atkins Nutritionals, the food products company spawned by Robert Atkins low-card diet revolution, has filed bankruptcy. Seems as though popularity of the nothing-but-meat-cheese-and-eggs regimen has diminished dramatically in recent months.

What happened? How might the people at Atkins better positioned their company to ride this out? Were they victims of their

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Re-inventing TV

Read past the story on Al Gore (yawn) and take a look at the future of TV.

link to NY Times

Practicing VS Predicting the Future

Here’s a true statement: The more precise you are in predicting the future, the greater chance you have of being wrong.

Whether you believe the future is crashing through your front door, or that you are zooming headfirst into the future, the reality of the opening statement remains. You cannot know with certainty what the

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What is your Future Perspective?

The way you plan for the future is influenced by how you perceive the future’s advent on your present.

Think about this: Is the future crashing in on you? Or, are you crashing into the future?

Put another way: Do you (or your organization) control what happens in the future with your actions today? Or,

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