Category: Twogs

  • 10 #problems I need your help in understanding better.

    Mike_s_Problems_and_Ideas___Trello

    I’d really welcome your help to validate some problems I see in various spaces and that I think I might have an idea to help solve. Whatever seems to have some promise will go into the next stage of me (with your help) trying to build something viable.

    To be honest the ideas came first and I had to retrace my steps to get to the original problem – it’s a habit I’m trying to break – because I might be better lingering on the problem first without really forming a solution just yet!

    Why Am I Sharing These?

    Because I need help and more importantly, I don’t want to waste my life solving problems no one cares about.

    Because I am not afraid of sharing any of this, on the contrary I welcome you to take from them as much as you want, be inspired and inspire others still.

    Because I invite collaboration – if you feel drawn to any particular problem and would like to be part of solving it, then let’s do it together.What a better story to tell the grandchildren (Mike and built this amazing thing vs I stole this idea from Mike and shafted him royally!)

    Because 100% of nothing is nothing.

    5 Things To Do Next

    1. Join  Trello, join Mike’s Problems and Ideas board (it looks just like the image above) – Sign up is free and super easy.
    2. Browse the problems in the ‘I want to fix…’ column and add comments. Tell me how might I better understand this problem, what am I missing. I would appreciate more of the problem and less of the solution 😉
    3. Vote for the problems you love using the ‘Vote’ button. The ones with the most votes will likely get built.
    4. Subscribe to the problems you want to keep updated on, just click on the ‘Subscribe’ button.Finding_great_music_based_on_music_that_I_love_the_sound_of._on_Mike_s_Problems_and_Ideas___Trello-11
    5. Share this – if you know anyone who would can add value to our understanding of the problems – invite them to join – the more the merrier.

    This is just the beginning – start your own Trello board of problems or let me know what ones you would like to add and we can make that happen too. Let’s fix as many as are worthy!

    Stay joyful!

     

     

  • @kevindewalt says passion is the fundamental key to #startup success and I agree

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    Kevin Dewalt – a really awesome startup investor and mentor and all round nice guy emailed me today about some of the lessons he has learned from offering his free advice service to over 150 founders.
    Having spoken with, and shared stories of success and failure with so many founders, Kevin surmised that passion about the space that your startup is operating in is the fundamental key to having a successful startup. Basically if you don’t care about the people in that space and care deeply about helping them solve their problems, you’re going to have a really tough time making it work.

    I absolutely agree with Kevin. I believe that passion is the fuel that sparks your curiosity and keeps you interested. It is the energy you call on when you are at your wits end. It is what makes you ask the questions others don’t. It is perhaps also what makes your failures hurt more deeply and hopefully what re-invigorates your recovery and success.

    So now I use a passion test to filter the many ideas that I am lucky to have. If I genuinely don’t feel passion for the people the idea is designed to help, I ditch the idea – instantly. Sure, some ideas tease me a little longer and I dig deeper to see if something ignites that passion. But they still get tested.

    What I am now seeing is that I actually have lots of excitement rather than a deep passion about many ideas and problems – a lot less passion than I thought I had. That’s the trouble with excitement – it passes very well for passion in the first few days of an idea. It’s kind of lust vs love!This is great insight because it also leads me to explore more deeply what I am truly passionate about.
    What are you passionate about? Whose problems do you want to help solve?

    BTW – if you are new to startups and need some really insightful and relevant knowledge, I can highly recommend Kevin’s blog and his free advice sessions. Tell him I said ‘Hi’.

  • Memo to me: Buying Paper and Pencil iPad gizmos won't make me draw or sketch like the cool kids.

    Screen capture from http://www.fiftythree.com/pencil. It's their copyrighted imagery!
    Screen capture from http://www.fiftythree.com/pencil. It’s their copyrighted imagery!

    I love FiftyThree.com.

    They are just the creative types that I’ve always aspired to. Whilst I am a creative thinker – in people solving mostly – I am not a natural drawer of attractive things. Stick figure drawing is more my style. Actually it is my only style and badly too.

    Yet when I see Paper and it’s natural accessory – Pencil, I am sorely tempted to indulge in the app, the accessory and a new iPad Air to do it all on. Tempted but I won’t, because I know this is all aspiration marketing. See the cool kids do it, think you can be cool – buy the gadget, try it at home, fail repeatedly, eat ice-cream for comfort, get fat, the End.

    Seriously though, if I were a drawer of attractive things I would actually buy this stuff, it looks like it was made with love and deep passion for the craft. When I first got my iPad 1, thought it would be cool to have a pencil shaped stylus – but there wasn’t one on the market and I was too busy to invent it. But that was many moons ago and I’ve come to terms with my inability to do the cool drawing thing on 3 iPads (and a token Android tablet too!).

    And…what an awesome product website! Totally love the way they decompose the pen.

    If you end up buying this stuff and it actually improves your drawing ability and revolutionises your ideation – please come back and share your story – I might change my mind.

    Stay joyful.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Why Sentiment Analysis is Promising But Currently A Waste of Time.

    I love you even though you beat me.

    Even though you don’t love me.

    Even though you shout at and deride my efforts.

    Even when you disagree with my existence.

    Even when you vilify me for the air that I breathe.

    I cherish you despite the cruel words with which you punish me.

    You cherish my destruction even when I detest that smallest of inconveniences to you.

    Even when the only thing that would satisfy you would be my death.

    My cruel killing at the hands of the most vicious destroyer.

    What do you think the above is about. Is it overwhelmingly negative or inherently positive?  What is its sentiment?

    Here is what one of the ‘leading sentiment analysis’ tools determined it was about:

    I had need to explore where Sentiment Analysis is today because I might have a future need to harness its ‘power’.  Well I was fairly disappointed.

    Scientists (in this case computer ones) will have you believe that sentiment analysis is so advanced and mature as to be reliable. Bullshit.

    They call it ‘Sentiment Analysis’ and this projects an illusion of precision, reliability and worse still they sell it as something you should base decisions on.

    It is no more than word counting and weighting.
    Fortunately it is simply a case of mislabelling. This is not ‘Sentiment Analysis’ it is Content Analysis. No more than looking in a basket of citrus fruits and counting lemons vs oranges vs limes. The trouble is when they sell it as a indication that the farmer has kidney stones!

    Sentiments deal with the emotional message the content is trying to communicate. Businesses deal with the emotive state of their customers and any indication of how a customer feels might provide competitve advantage and an opportunity to profit (in goodwill or stone cold cash).

    I say that Sentiment Analysis is promising because I believe that machines can learn to determine the emotional meaning of any content, but if this is the current approach then I fear that we are a long ways off.

    Currently the best way I know to understand sentiment is to have a conversation, to listen and be reasonably educated enough to understand what your co-communicators’ needs are. To look beyond the words used (they may be the wrong ones).  I wish that more businesses recognised this and invested accordingly instead of wasting time, energy and money on something that promises so much and delivers so little.

    BTW – using the same engine, this article scored -.107 and could be about renewable energy, hardware, technology or investing. Ouch!

  • Almost All Five Fingered

    wpid-5fingerswolrd.jpgA year ago I got my first pair of Vibram Five Fingers. Today I have 4.

    They have replaced almost all my shoes, as you can see the Converse All Star HiTops are still hanging in there – but not for too long.

    Vibram Five Fingers are, without a doubt, the most comfortable footwear I have ever worn – by a long way.  I don’t intend to wear any other type of footwear (aside fromflip flops on the beach).

    I’ve worn them to work, conferences,  a wedding (but not yet to a funeral). I have a pair that are extra thermal for the winter months too. Some days I have them onand forget about them until bed time!

  • My tweets on 2012-12-24

    • @forakin oh ok. Fair legislation is complex in Nigeria even if you had competent legislators. Imagine if you don't. in reply to forakin 14:27:26
    • @forakin just trying to understand the context of the 'legislative fascism' remark. in reply to forakin 14:28:15
    • @forakin yes please. Is it online? Please send link if it is. in reply to forakin 14:31:06
    • @forakin i find that most govt. are not very good at saying 'this is none of our business' for stuff that really isnt. in reply to forakin 14:33:11
    • @mattgumbley you're welcome and Merry Christmas. in reply to mattgumbley 14:35:19
    • @forakin there is legislation required IMO. It should be the same as opposite sex relationships based on the same reasoning. in reply to forakin 14:37:35
    • @forakin i take that back. I dont know what the reasoning is. I assume it is based on love and mutual commitment not narrow moralistic view in reply to forakin 14:39:47
    • @forakin thanks. Will read later and comment. in reply to forakin 14:41:44
    • Havng moralistic laws does not make a society moral. If we take morality out of the hands of govt, who is best to promote society's morals? 14:47:20
    • RT @wfaler: @mhsutton morality comes from upbringing, family and local community. Anyone who thinks it can be forced on people from abov … 14:54:37
    • @SaintSal @1ila i feel sure it will be thoroughly lovely. my wife's family are with us in Ireland before we sabatical in spain for 2013. in reply to SaintSal 15:55:16
    • @SaintSal i would like to collaborate more with you next year. Must create the opportunities. 🙂 Buon Natale! in reply to SaintSal 15:56:47
    • @richardbranson @HollyBranson @sambranson kids grow up in love because you surround them with it. Merry Christmas Bransons 🙂 in reply to richardbranson 16:00:40
    • @SaintSal about 4 hours from Barca. 20 mins from Granada in the lecrin valley. we'll practically be neighbours 🙂 in reply to SaintSal 16:02:23
    • I love the #Samaritans, its been ages since I last called them, but they were lovely. Might ring and see how they've been 🙂 16:04:04
    • #13Hacks coming soon. 17:30:03
    • I have a gift for you this Christmas and for life. Try @Trello – its changed how I organise, it's given me superpowers.http:/… 17:35:06
    • Welcome to #shannonAirport and happy #christmas. This band is jamming! http://t.co/lisjaHLz 19:50:31
    • i ditched #instagram, #streamzoo is cool (atleast until Facebook buy them). I really want something that I can post to my #wordpress blog. 21:27:03
    • RT @roxanamjones: The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebell … 23:14:17
  • Twittervations On 2012-12-23

    • @MollyJayne40 @TikkuMikku @RAtkinson1955 thanks. (i shall now brace myself for the torrent of RTs). in reply to MollyJayne40 12:38:08
    • It was so windy last night we had to cling film over the toilet. #noKidding. 12:40:56
    • Another thought I wrote down: Mounted Galway Hooker – its not what you think. http://t.co/KeGodjxd 16:14:44
    • @johnsnolan disaster and classic comedy averted. Just. in reply to johnsnolan 16:14:57
    • As you decide whether its a digital radio or cheese-inspired socks for your loved ones at #christmas. Remember #syria, #haiti #palestine. 20:02:13
    • @MollyJayne40 @ratkinson1955 wow. What is it that makes someone throw caustic insults at a total stranger?
      Please stop. in reply to MollyJayne40 21:56:08
    • RT @dcancel: “Successful people pursue hard things. Unsuccessful avoid them” – Greg Glassman 22:42:26
    • Very strange. Just noticed 2 screws missing from case of #MBP. #WTF. Where can I get replacements? 22:43:43
  • Mounted Galway Hooker – its not what you think.

    image

    A Galway Hooker is a traditional fishing vessel. It was typically used, and its design improved, by generations of fishing folk in Galway – a most beautiful city on the Atlantic coast of Ireland.

  • What I Said On Twitter On 2012-12-20

    • @JohnFMoore @barackobama @whitehouse @un phew – I was being intentionally controversial – thanks for the reassurance in reply to JohnFMoore 12:23:53
    • @JohnFMoore @barackobama @whitehouse @un What of the #ArabLeague? what can they do? in reply to JohnFMoore 12:24:39
    • @JohnFMoore totally agree. Military only needed cos we ignored all the earlier signs that might have needed small critical acts of diplomacy in reply to JohnFMoore 12:27:27
    • Dear @barackobama
      belated congratulations.
      I would love you to go all out with your vision in your final term. Be bold, be brave.
      kthxbye. 12:28:58
    • @JohnFMoore thanks – that said, I often think that some 'leaders' can only lead in a crisis and so things allowed to fester until BOOM! in reply to JohnFMoore 12:29:49
    • @ideally_world oh, now I see. Thanks!!! Absolutely in agreement. in reply to ideally_world 12:52:50
    • love that latest #vlc update is seasonal #christmas http://t.co/OICNxpsP 12:58:53
    • the bedrock of #politics is outsourcing. We (the people) outsource our rage, passion to these wordsmiths and emotioneers. 14:00:13
    • @JohnFMoore thank you for what i consider a huge compliment. 🙂 in reply to JohnFMoore 14:51:41
    • …and there I stood with bottle in my fist… #guysAndDolls #musicalThursday 15:04:59
    • we are in such a dangerous place,that we think govt. by politicians is to be trusted with both morality and taxes. That path lies folly. 16:04:03
    • I hope my tweets are not gloomy. They aspire to my perspective of reality. That we are beautiful, magnificent creatures who do dumb things. 17:35:12
    • @dnwiebe excellent observation. We don't only do dumb things. Just mostly. The rare not dumb things are magnificent enought to inspire hope. in reply to dnwiebe 19:04:10
    • To be fair, people kill people… With guns that are wayyy too easy to acquire in #america. 19:09:14
    • Saw the #hobbit. Not feeling as excited as i was with the first #lotr. Its like watching 1980 'Jason and the Argonauts'. 19:13:43
    • @WoodyZuill yes actually it was from the 60s. in reply to WoodyZuill 20:50:26
    • #AppInADayHackthon just started. I'll demonstrate how it goes in a little while. 21:27:09
    • @TikkuMikku or…I underestimated the maturity of his followers vs Justin Beiber's. perhaps the gap is not nearly as wide. in reply to TikkuMikku 22:29:06
    • @WoodyZuill Thank you for valuing my input enough to invite me to read and comment. Hope I made the sense I was intending. in reply to WoodyZuill 22:29:49