iSawToday – The Coolest Thing I Saw Today on the Web

The coolest shoes ever!

Since acquiring my Five Fingers several months ago I keep hearing how ugly and strange they are.  While I can’t say the attention bothers me I thought I’d post up a great article I came across today about the benefits and concept behind these ’shoes’:

Barefoot Running and Sports – Why it’s better

And here’s why they rock:

1. Running in them feels fantastic, I feel like a weight was lifted.

2. They keep my feet just as warm as slippers but I don’t have to take them off to run to the store.

3. They are a great conversation starter or “third object”

Cheers!

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Since the first time my parents let me watch Temple of Doom I’ve wanted to be Indiana Jones.  At the age of 8 that meant jumping from couch to La-Z-Boy, at 10 it meant fixing a ridiculous frayed rope to the ceiling of the basement, and at 29 it meant going on adventurous trips to Africa, Cambodia, and elsewhere.

Was this all because instead of monsters in my closet I saw Nazi’s, poised to divulge my secrets of the Holy Grail?   Although, I did dream of Nazi’s in the closet (thanks Mom&Dad), I think Indy embodies the things that many people will never do but sit around and wish they could/would.  So if that’s you -time to take action. Head over to WIRED and read this awesome article on how to grab things with a bullwhip Indiana Jones-style.

Grag things with a bullwhip Indiana Jones style

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The 2010 Winter Olympics are just over a month away and I can’t help wonder what role online video will play in this years broadcast.  I did a quick scan hoping to find mention of NBC’s digital plan but came up with very little.  So I’d like to take the liberty of recommending NBC give CBS and IBM a call and ask them to make the olympics as amazing to watch online as the 2009 U.S. Open Tennis Tournament was.

For those of you that aren’t tennis fans or didn’t make it to the U.S. Open website this year.  Every match that wasn’t on network TV was accessible LIVE via online streaming -with  your computer plugged into a TV you could watch matches, quickly switch between courts, pull up live statistics via overlay, and view live picture in picture.

Far and away the most amazing live video experience I’ve had to date.  How awesome would it be to have full live access to the 2010 olympics with those features? Imagine traveling around a map of Vancouver to the various event destinations, being able to watch full coverage of any event.

I’d work from home the entire two weeks if I could have bobsled and luge on 12/14!  Has anyone gotten word of what NBC’s planning?

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The holiday season is full of opportunities to network and meet/greet people so I decided to throw together a list of my top 5 small talk tactics:

1. Show up early – I did this by accident several weeks ago and had nothing to do but talk to the event organizers and help them rearrange the tables.  In return these two ladies made introductions for me throughout the evening.
2. Use an exciting opening phrase – Rather than the traditional “How are you?” greeting, incorporate a phrase such as “What are you working on that’s new and exciting?”  or “What’s new and exciting?”  I’ve used this at tradeshows for several years now and it’s a great way of getting other people to open up.
3. Give descriptive answers – Rather than answer the inevitable question “What do you do?” with “work for a software company”.   Try giving a more specific answer such as “I  sell and market data mining software to insurance companies.” Even though my example is tech-y I’ve given given my bogey the option of connecting on several fronts: software, sales & marketing,  and insurance.
4. Prepare – Formulate interesting answers to common questions that you know you will be asked. (apply #3)
5. Recommend & Refer – As you begin to meet people throughout the evening make recommendations and introductions between your new acquaintances.

What’s your favorite small talk tactic?

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A recent conversation has led to a revisited appreciation for the ORIGINAL ending credits from Return of the Jedi, -you know the “Yub-Yub” Ewoks song.

Give this clip a listen and then write George Lucas a letter and tell him to stop screwing with his already great movies.

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If you’re looking for a way to get video from the Internet; Hulu, Amazon, Netflix, or torrent downloads to your TV.  There’s a HUGE crop of inexpensive devices popping up to help you out.

I’ve owned one of the earliest versions of what is now called a ‘media player device’ for 3 years now and still use it almost everyday to play mp3’s and movies through my home theater system.

I was doing a bit of research today on where these devices are today and found this awesome site that does a month-month review of all of the media players in the market.  The winner for Nov. The Western Digital TV Live (or WDTV Live for short) has be about ready to visit Best Buy after work to commence the upgrade.

Check it out!

iboum.com : Future Entertainment Technology : Home.

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I know it’s not quite morning yet but this great comic gives you some coffee pot fodder for Thursday morning.  Your friends will be amazed when you tell them that coffee makes goats frisky!

Check it out!

15 Things Worth Knowing About Coffee – The Oatmeal

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I was discussing Neil Patrick Harris this morning and the topic of his Dr. Horrible Musical came up.  I got to thinking that I never added this to Isawtoday and felt it deserved even a latent inclusion.

The link

Has anyone done a mini-musical like this before?  This is fantastic!

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Many of you may have noticed that there was a significant gap in activity from May through August.  During this time I took a trip to Africa to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and safari out in the Ngorongoro crater.  I live blogged much of my climb to my kilimanjaro climb blog at www.andyonthemountain.com.  Since being back I’ve finally organized the trip and plugged in some amazing videos and pictures of the experience.  Also, I can’t say enough about the outfitter that I chose for my Kilimanjaro Climb . Erika and Lema from Serengeti Pride Safaris were amazing and made this 21 day trip awesome!

Now back to finding cool things to share with you all!

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I was reading through LinkedIn this morning and saw the following post:Is technology killing chivarlry?

A great commentary as I’m into the whole Fred Astaire, Jimmy Stewart style of being these days.

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