Big Tony

Cool Shit Review from friend / friend.

http://www.salling.com/

http://www.salling.com. developed for macs initially but looks like they have a windows app now too. lots of cool little features and can download different shareware functions users have designed. My friend primarily use it to control iTunes on his computer while sitting in the backyard and to control power point or keynote (the mac version of power point) when giving presentations. also pulls up the contact in your address book on your computer when you get a call and can also log incoming/outgoing calls in your calendar. basic geek goodness…

as to wireless music in office and at home, pick up an "airport express" from apple. $119. a basic wifi node with the advantage of being the size of a bar of soap (therefore, take with me when going on trip so can get wireless in hotel, etc) and has an audio out plug. 
just plug into you stereo and iTunes will automatically recognize. 
therefore, can sit at my desk at the office and control the stereo across the studio. can also "bridge" them to create wireless in every room with only one being plugged into an adsl box. has the side advantage of then being able control music from one pc for multiple rooms in house or office. pretty slick.

Contributed by Grant Prigge

Not to be mistaken to be "making it about me".

So I am involved in this organization that helps me
build self awareness and help me to build my startup companies. It’s called YEO
or EO. One of the core elements of EO is the forum experience where Gestalt
language protocol is used for discussion in confidential forum groups of 8-10
ppl. Gestalt allows members to speak of only our own experiences which forces
members to look inward while in a group setting, share experience among 8-10
ppl, and allow discussion based on the experience sharing instead of advice
giving. This allows each person to perceive and take away from the information
what they will, and develop it into their own conclusions therefore fostering
self growth.

Obviously experience sharing among 8-10 seasoned
entrepreneurs in a structured environment on specific subjects will allow for
much insight so often lacking in stand alone entrepreneur’s lives.

It’s all a very deep, almost religious bonding
experience for entrepreneurs. So, no surprise that I have adopted experience
sharing and non-judging language communication patterns in my daily life.

So it was weird that watching Joey (2X15) (Joey as in
Tribbane from "Friends", sort of the Frasier to Cheers, type of TV
show) which is not known for it’s deep content, provided non too subtle prospective
on what others may think of all of this.

Prospective on what non-YEO forum members who have
never heard of Gestalt might think of the "I", story telling,
experience sharing type of communication.

In the episode:

Joey and her sister kept on ragging on their neighbor
about her propensity to "talk about herself by telling about her own
experience in less than 3 seconds of a conversation". Actually, Joey
referred to it as "making it about you". Which prompted me to
remember the one or 2 times,  I received weird looks from ppl, when I chimed in on conversations with my
experience sharing stories.

Most of the time, conversations are about emotional
pats, self masturbation, boosting, seeking approval, validation, making people
laugh, charming, all the while still giving each other updates and information
about each other.  All mixed in to satisfy informational and emotional exchange.

 
While in forum, we automatically go in to experience
sharing as the only way to communicate. But I am sure outside of forum many people are not
use to this, and actually may think story telling is a way to make it about
"yourself".

Especially on an emotional patting level. People who
want to talk about themselves actually resent listening about others. They
prefer the masturbation speech pattern.

Anyways, it strikes me as funny that a simple ha ha TV
comedy like Joey would actually give prospective about EO forum language
protocol in daily conversation. Nothing like peer pressure to give  prospective. Even if it was from Joey on TV.

Guess the solution, is to actually preface "story
telling" with a disclaimer of "take away from this what you will"
and give the “anecdote" while omitting I or me and focus on the event & case
study. 

 
Or just to listen to the ones who only want to discuss
about themselves and give them the 1 & 2 pats, they need. 

Anyways, can’t say I never learned nothing from Joey.

 
FYI: Below are excerpts from YEO forum training
documents to give more understanding of the EO forum experience.

YEO’s 

Mission

 is to support, educate and encourage young entrepreneurs to succeed in building companies and themselves.

Forum is a group of 8-10 peers who meet on a regular basis to discuss life’s issues in a structured and safe environment.

I
will speak from my own experience rather than give advice.

I
will use “I” statements and avoid
saying “one” or “you.”

I will not ask attacking questions.

When members share their experience
the resulting discussion battery of facts, truths and a database of qualified
experiences from which we can learn.

Babblings:

Usually by this time, APNC would be full of workaholic blood pissing coffee drinking drones by now. This year, all the original EAC folks have taken a step back to smell the roses. It’s a good thing for health and sanity of mind I am sure, but getting use to this relaxed lifestyle maybe a road down to addiction for chilling.

In good health, in good spirits, and fairly low stress.

Still need to get back on board for food, smokes, and spirits (the black and soda type), but all in all, not too bad.

It is time to get back to work tho. I can feel the wheels turning a bit faster, even tho we are all getting used to the relaxed lifestyle of only 7-8 hours a day.

I use to sniff @ home office, but really with my internet phone, msn messenger, email, ppt, websites, online collaboration office and 6 email address, I seem to spend a shit load of time in front of my laptop.

When the Dell got hit with a virus, my entire life came to a stand still.

I felt like Josh Lyman from West Wing season 7, when his assistant took his black berry away. electronic withdraw.

Chased by chain smoking, and bouts of KTV fits.

Finally, upon recovering my dell, and slowly but carefully re-installing all the software did I feel slightly recovered.

Birthdays, engagement parties, house warming, and kids being born. Turning 30 something is no joke. One can’t even pretend to be a young adult anymore, all the maturing around us drags us along like a rip tide. If you fight the wave, you will tumble in the surf. It’s much better to try to body surf gracefully for the beach. Afterall, ppl have been saying that 40 is now the new 30.

Tho I doubt they would mean that in a soothing fashion for those who are fighting aging and bolding. It is more of a commentary to increased cost of living, and higher marriage age. People are making families and buying houses later in life, because of the things depicted in Sex and the City and Friends. Typically, you don’t find your calling (second job) until early 30s unless you went to med/grad/mba. Even then, by the time, you get back out to the corporate working world after higher education, you are usually 28-29. By then, you are just starting to save up enough money for the downpayment to the first house, and the woman of your dreams is coming back down to reality and just starting to realize that Sex and the City is only a TV show.

Settling down in the early 30s is more of a result of increased time to reach financial stability, then it is about generation differences.

Buy lottery tickets, save money at Walmart, drive less, getting interest only mortgages, pool 2 incomes for one house, these are all results of increased cost of housing, and increased education time needed to reach income level for the increased cost of housing.

Because housing to male is the same as nesting to females.

Don’t even get me started on cost of wedding ring or wedding in this day and age.

So, like I said, time to get back to work, to make sure that 40s don’t feel like the 30s financially, and get healthier so that 40s do feel like the 30s physically.

…………………………………………………