I run several blogs, one of them being Origin of Cool. It is gathering momentum fast so in order to expand, I have reached out to people around the world to become contributors. The idea is that we will cover ‘the birth of cool in locations around the world’.

On the homepage of Origin of Cool, I wrote a call for action. The most recent one read:

“Origin of Cool is a glorious network of 7 trend spotters from around the world. Do you think you have what it takes to become ‘Number 8‘?”

I get an email last night from a graphic designer we are following on twitter called Ben Schuster. Here it is:

What I loved about this email was not just the compliment but the way he used his imagination to find a way of being Number 8. He could have said “I want to be your Number 8 because I am passionate, enthusiastic and loyal.” All of things would probably have been true. But he did something which totally blew me away and made me say yes without even really knowing him.

This kind of reminded me of the CV pile analogy where you always hear people telling you that when you write a CV, you have to stand out. I think in this competitive economy, and with Britain’s youth unemployment numbers over 1 million, it is vital that graduates adopt the Ben Schuster technique in order to get noticed.

From Seth Godin’s blog:

Are you trying to build profit or equity? A business that builds a brand, a footprint, a standard and an audience might end up being worth millions (witness Tumblr, which has many millions of value but zero profitability). On the other hand, a business with no exit value at all might spin off plenty of profit (consider the local doctor’s office). It would be great if you could simultaneously maximize both the value of your company and the profit it produces (in the short run), but that’s unlikely.

Besides design, take a look at yourself.

What’s your role? Do you want to be a freelancer, an entrepreneur or a business owner? A business owner is the boss, but it’s a job, a place that is stable and profitable. An entrepreneur is an artist of sorts, throwing herself into impossible situations and seeking out problems that require heart and guts to solve. Both are fine, but choose.

Here is a list of the top 10 free online games:

Farmville
An addictive Facebook game, Farmville allows you to play farmer, harvesting crops and raising livestock. Going up various levels, allows you to unlock more features to the game and Facebook friends are your neighbours, helping you through the process.

Mafia Wars
Tap into your inner-gangsta with Mafia Wars, another free online game that found its beginnings on Facebook and is increasingly popular amongst users. A crime game that allows you to set up your own Mafia gang (look out Al Pacino), selecting from your friends crime partners, together with which you’ll fight mafia wars in this game of harrowing survival. Fight other players online, complete tasks, and collect rewards as you expand your crime empire.

Sims
A cleverly designed game, Sims allows you to create, manage and control the lives of tiny computerized peeps that live in a small suburb just outside SimCity. Cool effects and music, cutesy characters and tremendous freedom to do with these lives whatever takes your fancy make this a fan favourite online game to play.

2ndLife
Once you visit this virtual world you’ll never want to leave. Building a second life in this virtual haven, from creating a customized avatar to purchasing land and building a home, it is a game for sophisticated virtual citizens that are committed to creating a better place.

Cafe World
For those budding culinary masters, Cafe World allows you to run a restaurant of your own. Everything from picking the menu, preparing dishes and cooking and baking, you work your way up in the fast-paced, high-pressure culinary world. Your Cafe gets rated as well by guests.

Gear Quest
Moving away from the cutesy stuff, Gear Quest takes you in the dark underworld where you must uncover ancient weaponry, gear and magic to fight for survival and truth.

Online Bingo
Free online bingo is one of the best ways to learn how to play bingo if you are a newbie and fantastic fun for seasoned veterans of the game with absolutely no risk of losing any money.  Nowadays, bingo is one of the most easily accessible online games, providing the same amiable bingo hall atmosphere with chat rooms where people can enjoy a friendly chinwag or talk strategy and tips.

Video Games
The range of video games available online is simply staggering. There is something for everyone –kid-friendly to teenage-trendy and adult games (including women-focused).  Unlike home game consoles, with virtual online games you have the ability (if you so choose to) to connect with random, like-minded people and pit your skills against theirs.

Board Games
All manner of familiar traditional board games such as Monopoly can be found online. A great, simple game it is a fun way to spend a few hours of the day and a popular alternative for those that aren’t into mainstream casino games.

Brain Teasers
Playing games online doesn’t just involve dabbling into long-established casino games. It can be an educational experience as well, with a whole slew of brain-challenging games like Sudoku and the like. Those that are looking for something a bit more intellectual and challenging can find such alternatives a great to keep their minds sharp.
Obviously, gaming has reached a golden era, set to reach new heights as innovation, new business models, and unprecedented growth continue to push boundaries and open new avenues in gaming. And starting out with free online games is the best way to go about learning how to play any game and discover which sites offer the best quality and safety in gaming. Of course, if you want to get in on real money action you will need to begin playing for real money.

Jobs was a visionary, a leader and an entrepreneur and took Apple to the forefront of the computer, mobile phone and music industries. He is the reason a lot of technology entrepreneurs launched their websites or mobile apps and will be missed.

There are many recent speeches about Apple products that people may have seen but possibly the most powerful speech he ever delivered was back in 2005, when he spoke at Stanford University.

Drawing from some of the most pivotal points in his life, Steve Jobs urged graduates to pursue their dreams and see the opportunities in life’s setbacks — including death itself — at the university’s 114th Commencement on June 12, 2005

Also see a blog post from August which looked at how Steve Jobs got respect in the business world. Check it out here

RIP Steve Jobs…

Clooney’s character Ryan Bingham is the guy sent around the US to fire people without making them feel instantly suicidal. His technique involves asking them about their dreams and finding out what they really wanted to do before they signed up for 20 years of corporate mediocrity.

It is a great film, maybe not artistically, but because it highlights the way that so many people bury their dreams and instead settle for less (like working for an answering service when you want to be an astronaut). Perhaps this comes from being told on a daily basis at school that you need to get a job to pay the mortgage and support your wife and 2.4 children. With that pressure and reliance on credit, people have to keep their job otherwise the house of cards falls down.

How many times do you ask people how they got into their line of work and they respond, “I just fell into it” or “it pays the mortgage”? There’s a depressing sense of resignation in these people and clear evidence they have given up on what they really wanted to do.

Think back to when you were a kid and someone asked you the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Most of us would have replied, “An astronaut” or “President” or “in a band”. But at some point, those ambitions fade away.

Up In The Air provides a new take on this by making you think about how much you are being paid to do something other than your dream job/career. It makes you suddenly think, I should be paid a lot more to give up that much.

So in signing off, I ask you to think about the question, “How much has your company paid you to give up on your dreams?”

A quote from the article really struck a chord with me. It is from Man and Superman by George Bernard Shaw and I think perfectly reflects the pioneers and entrepreneurs who strive for change:

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”

So when you are starting your journey as an entrepreneur or following one you admire, bear this quote in mind.

I would love to hear about your experiences of working with reasonable/unreasonable people.
Which do you prefer?

It is a fact that the space we work in dictates the way we act. If this is the case, why do so many people still work in offices and sit in the same position in front of monitors for approximately 7 hours a day. I work in London and I see a lot of miserable people. Is this perhaps why?

Here is an office for an invention company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Wouldn’t you prefer this to a colourless room with poor lighting and cheap chairs?

For the traditionalists out there who say this is impossible, take a look at the photos again and repeat after me: “IT IS POSSIBLE!” Here are a few other examples of one of the coolest offices in the world:

Tree House Office

Race Track Office

With the introduction of mobile technology, we can work anywhere. There are coffee shops in Shoreditch, London and Austin, Texas that have specific areas that can only be used by workers. If you think about it, this also makes financial sense for a business. Why pay exorbitant rents for a below average office, when you can pay for a few coffees and work in a cool coffee shop with great music. High speed broadband, wi-fi and tablets mean that you can take your presentations with you wherever you go. No more being glued to the desk/chair/monitor.

There are also the health implications. Below is an awesome infographic that looks at how sitting for too long is not only bad for us, it can kill us!

Is anybody trying to break away from the typical office environment?

What are you doing? (Please send me photos and the best ones will be published in a follow-up post)

What are your thoughts on mobile technology?

How are you using it to change the way you work?

Apparently, LinkedIn has recently done us the "favor" of having a default setting whereby our names and photos can be used for third-party advertising. A friend forwarded me this alert (from a friend, from a friend…) this morning. Devious. And I expect that you, like me, don't want to participate. This graphic shows you how to Uncheck The Box (click to biggify): 1. Click on your name on your LinkedIn homepage (upper right corner). On the drop-d … Read More

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