The man in the arena...

This piece in TechCrunch, attributed to Yossi Vardi, and Teddy Roosevelt's 1910 speech, caught my attention.

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

It's a timely emphasis / return to WHAT'S IMPORTANT, as we increasingly find the fate of companies, films and other works of creation (which are hard to start and even harder to grow) being dictated by the "pundits."

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Stream of Consciousness... (part deux!)

The stream of consciousness continues... it's kinda fun to allow for the extravagance once in a while. Here's Part II as promised:

- I'm liking the discipline to NEVER sell 1. what you don't have or 2. what your customer does not need. It's a small world. They're gonna come back and make life miserable (not to mention the bad karma) if they are either a) sold a bag of bad goods or b) told they need something they don't. Evaluating good fits with customers is a bit like figuring out if you want to be in a relationship with somebody...

- Enjoying what I do (like, a lot!) has been the only reason the crazy schedule has been worth it. This, plus working out makes me feel like I don't need a vacation anytime soon! :)

- I think and operate in lists. Very boring. Very neurotic. effective so far.

- Keep wondering why I feel Kubrick has 8 classics but lost something with Eyes Wide Shut. Nevertheless, it's arguably the best body of work ever created (due apologies to Hitchcock, Scorcese, Satyajit Ray...) - the genres he has touched are mind-boggling... horror (Shining), war drama (Full Metal Jacket), period (Spartacus, Barry Lyndon), satire (Dr.Strangelove), sci-fi (2001...), book adaptations (Lolita, A Clockwork...)...

- Getting a lot of emails from customers this year written (not responded to) on their BlackBerry. I like it! It's a sign that they are DOING BUSINESS wherever they are, instead of waiting to initiate things until they are back at their desk.

- LIVES OF OTHERS is going to one of those films we look back 20 years from now and call a classic. Do not miss the interview with director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck on DVD. It is an absolute labor of love.

- This quote from APJ Abdul Kalam (see earlier post) is worth sitting with:
“Where there is righteousness in the heart, there is beauty in the character;Where there is beauty in the character,there is harmony in the whole; Where there is harmony in the whole, there is justice in the nation;Where there is justice in the nation, there is peace in the world.”

- Reading the work of Dr. Mario Capecchi and others for the 2007 Nobel prize in genetics. Can't help wondering how similar bio-medicne today should be like programming assembly language. The notion of "designer mice" at some level sounds like programming a chip with bit-level instructions.

- Everyone I know is making a documentary. Wonder if global current affairs are causing more dissent and hence driving a need for expression. If we don't do something there's going to be a "documentary bubble"... on second thought, it's a great opportunity for HBO Films or PBS to showcase amazing original content that might otherwise never see the light of day.

- Losing my Virginity by Branson has to have one of the best written first chapters of a modern-day biography. Virgin America's Las Vegas launch is straight out of the playbook!

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Stream of Consciousness... from the past few weeks!

It's late and I am still up. Feel like there hasn't been much processing time in the past few weeks, so am glad I took a nap and am letting things sink in. Normally I'd not try to write these random thoughts down, but it seems like a good way to watch how things are evolving over time, so here goes....

- It's amazing to me how (western) classical music is as much a dying breed of music as anything else. Was at a Shostakovich concert this afternoon and the average audience age was like 55. Geniuses like Schubert, brahms and rachmaninoff would be amazing role models for our generation. If only someone found a way to make them "relevant" to us A.D.D. types!

- Wondering how key it is to be able to "hang out" with people you work with closely. I've heard in the past how you don't have to like the CEO (as long as they are delivering results) etc. Of course that applies to anyone. In today's world where opportunities are a dime a dozen for talent is that an option? I am feeling like it's NOT.

- Spending time jogging my memory on strategies that helped us win the college student president election in 1998. Learned a lot in so little time!

- Say anything to me (whether or not I will like it) in a Brit/Scottish Accent, and I am very likely to acquiesce! Crikey!

- I hope that I never forget this line from Jay-Z. (The key to staying, on top of things
is treat everything like it's your first project)

- Leo Caprio is a true "shape-changer"... pretty nice range of performances from Aviator, Gilbert Grape to Blood Diamond.

- I *have* to spend more time being in touch with folks I am not actively working with. It's always something I've been proud of, but am doing less and less of it. Also need to read more (Note to self: magazines do not count!).

- I am frankly a bit embarassed by "features" masquerading as products (esp. on Facebook). Do we have any patience for a bunch of wires, and no bridge? Then, why incomplete software? What embarasses me more are chatty/self-promoting founders behind these projects. The valley cannot live up to its reputation of changing the world with these reduced standards. Time to put the steak before the sizzle! (Disclosure: I helped build AskMeSomething!)
(UPDATED: This is going to be one, if not the major cause of the "Facebook backlash" whenever it ensues. You heard it here first!)

- Was great to re-read some of my favorite articles... my friend Ashvin's note on making indie films, Marc Andreessen's on the money advice on building an executive team, Walter Murch's piece on music in film (walter edited Godfather and Apocalypse Now amongst other films).

- Of course, random thoughts cannot end without The Godfather. Kept wondering if Godfather 3 is not the classic, after all? True that it did not have the writing or the performances of the others (don't even get me started on sofia coppola!)... but with classics like "Never hate your enemies, it affects your judgement" and "Finance is a gun; politics is knowing when to pull the trigger" - maybe it's time to reconsider?

- Read that Alexander's army had a unit that walked in stilts towards the enemy so it gave them the impression that army was "larger" than they really were. Was this the beginning of standing on the shoulders of a giant that is so critical for startups?

Alright, signing out for now but there is part II for sure... coming soon!

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