“How does somebody know what they want if they’ve never even seen it?”
Steve Jobs changed the world forever with his innovative products, released as if they were all continuously moving along an assembly line for him to pick up at his leisure. His business savvy has also been celebrated and assuredly studied by aspiring businessmen, businesswomen and big thinking dreamers in their basements and even parent’s garages. The iMac computer is not owned solely by Americans, but by adults and children all around the world. And not just this Apple product either. Terms like iPod, iPhone, iPad, iMac and Macbook Pro are household names. Techies and millions of fawning fans alike listened to his every word whenever he casually strolled onto that plain stage in northern California with a wall-sized projection screen behind, clothed in his trademarked look: blue jeans, New Balance sneakers and his low-key black turtleneck. In hand was his next big device to make its grand premiere, ready for an exhilarating public test run.
Rightly so, he is admired. In this age of increasing globalization, it was nice to say when he was alive that, ‘he’s one of ours….he’s an American innovator.’ It’s still nice to say. Walter Isaacson’s Behemoth of a book, “Steve Jobs,” details his life and includes just about any bit of information anyone would like to know about the man and technological icon. A movie is set to be adapted from this book by famed screenwriter Aaron Sorkin for a movie called, “Steve Jobs.” For those who are drawn to Jobs’ life and career, love dramatic stories as portrayed in cinema but can’t wait for this film to be released sometime down the road, they are in luck.
Lights. Camera. Genius.
“That ’70s Show,” “My Boss’s Daughter” and the cult classic “Dude, Where’s My Car?” offer a snapshot of the portfolio of the man chosen to fill the soles of some of the most famous New Balance shoes in history. Ashton Kutcher, the director, writers and cast are preparing to premiere the major motion picture, “jOBS” at the Sundance Film Festival tonight (Nationwide April 19th on Apple’s 37th Anniversary). Many may scoff at the idea of Michael Kelso portraying such a serious and beloved figure. However, before passing judgement, first take a look at a side-by-side comparison:
(www.sellcell.com)
Now come the vital questions that will surely be asked before and after the premiere: did director Joshua Michael Stern present the right details, milestones and key decisions to appropriately define the gigantic life of Steve Jobs through his multiple decades of leading Apple onto the top-shelf of the technological world? What overall theme and events did they decide to drive the story with? Is it accurate?
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak (“The Woz”) recently shared his reaction of the first released clip of “jOBS” as seen below to the website Gizmodo. “Not close…we never had such interaction and roles…I’m not even sure what it’s getting at…personalities are very wrong although mine is closer…don’t forget that my purpose was inspired by the values of the Homebrew Computer Club along with ideas of the value of such machines and Steve J. wasn’t around and didn’t attend the club so he was the one learning about such social impact of the future,” Wozniak said.
Here is the aforementioned clip:
One thing that can be agreed upon is that the final retort from Kutcher/Jobs excitedly foreshadows the empire the two of them would soon begin to build. It’s probably safe to say that this clip alone will generate a significant buzz of curiosity about the movie.
Interestingly, Alexis Kleinman of The Huffington Post recently noted something very insightful about the clip. “With the premiere of the Steve Jobs biopic “jOBS” quickly approaching this month, its creators are doing something Apple never would: Pumping up excitement by offering a sneak-peak.” It’s certainly something to ponder…
Without seeing this movie in its entirety, it’s impossible to declare whether or not the script is misleading throughout or simply taking a little bit of artistic licensing, which does happen in Hollywood, for better and for worse. This could be the only hiccup or it could be first drip in a waterfall of inaccuracies. Until the lights go down and the movie is premiered, no fan/critic will know. The question is with his true life so fascinating and inspiring, why has such a step been taken for this important one minute scene? A few fortunate people will likely discover that truth tonight.
I suppose that like any Apple product though, there will be the occasional bug. Maybe “jOBS” is just life imitating art?
Come April 19th, will you give it a Friday night?
Taking “This Room Comes with a View” to a New Level
The streets are packed. Bustling with men, women and children, street vendors each attempting to lure customers to their products/food with the branding, “The Best…” and that beautiful girl in between the commotion with a face that stops time like the circus tent scene in the movie “Big Fish.” Bodies are encapsulating me in the narrow space reserved for my family’s walk to our destination. Some of those going about their daily ‘dance of life’ are questioning my families’ very presence. Existing in their bubble of reality can sometimes require an escape in the literal sense (to be more incognito) as well as the metaphorical sense.
How will this chaos stop and change into a friendly place to mingle and get a little lost in? Most times it can be alleviated in just a few predetermined steps. In some cases though, it may require an athletic hop, skip and a jump (as was the case in downtown Cairo).
Whether enduring the camel two-step on the way to the awe-inspiring ancient Pyramids of Egypt or the economic metropolis of Hong Kong with its towering presence, each cannot be fully seen without a proper entrance. Sights of the mythical desert Sphinx, a pristine beach on the Seychelles Islands and the ceiling of a Norwegian barn were crisper, sounds of giant flies in the Australian Outback, crashing waves off the Sydney Harbour and the swoosh of snow while the snowmobile ahead of me is trying to avoid hitting an adult buffalo in Montana were heard with tremendously clear acoustics and smells of spices, fish and heat itself shocked my nose because of how and where I arrived at each of these various locations.
A reservation and simple entrance, made after an exhausted day of traveling in planes, trains and automobiles, can make all the difference in establishing a destiny of an exciting journey or tour bus boredom. It’s the contrast between television’s regular definition and high definition. Quite literally, there is no comparison.
Walking into the right hotel lobby in cities and countries all around the world has repeatedly solidified incredible enjoyment of countless vacations and trips (A quick shout-out and “Thank You” to my parents as I have been very blessed to travel and stay in the places I have). A busy European downtown, Swedish countryside or Canadian ski town can open up and reveal itself in ways so spectacular that they are nearly impossible to observe otherwise. You no longer feel like a visitor or tourist, but as one of the locals. You see small shops on the corner and quickly scurry in to take a gander at the delicious treats. Disguised restaurants down alleyways are discovered and result in being a wonderful adventure in more ways than one. You transform into an unrestrained explorer.
A grand, uniquely original, expensive and inexpensive hotel alike can take your trip and turn it 180 degrees into a once in a lifetime vacation.
My family’s vacation’s have taken me to: the original Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, a Stabbur in Norway, the unforgettable Club SA (Salvation Army) in Reykjavik, Iceland, a hotel next to a prison in Chiang-Rai, a gorgeous beach side resort in Bali, the stunning resort in the Seychelles off the east coast of Africa, a hotel in the jungles of Costa Rica, a hotel literally in the shape of a crocodile in Kakadu National Park in Australia, a hotel in Berlin, Germany where we, no joke, slept in the floor (each room was different & one had coffins…), a castle in Dublin, Ireland, an ultra-modern and high-tech tower of a hotel in Cardiff, Wales (best beds on the planet!), in the middle of the Wahiba Sands desert in Oman in a black and white tent with no electricity and in a room in the docked Queen Mary in Long Beach, California, to name only a few.
Goway Travel Experiences Ltd. online
Taber Holidays online
Condé Nast Traveler online
Rooms that are cramped with bunk beds are not viewed with a heavy sigh, but instead laughed at with amusement. A hidden and ‘experienced’ (code word for old) hotel in the less populated and less glamorous area of the old town can be viewed as a once in a lifetime moment off the beaten track of every other traveler (FYI-Old Dubai and New Dubai are correctly distinguished as such).
But now, I have a much wider view and appreciation of Dubai than most because of the unconventional choice made in regard to the hotel that night.
The decision to stay at a luxurious hotel for a night in Hamburg, Germany during the 2006 World Cup proved to be a sound decision. As luck would have it, the U.S. Men’s Soccer Team was staying at this hotel! It became clear on the drive up that there was something going on or somebody special was staying there because the surrounding area was blocked off with heavy security. Not only was it special to see the players casually walking around, but the room was magnificent. It is without question one of the moments from that trip I will never forget.
Those same jam-packed streets that are reminiscent of episodes of “The Amazing Race” were soon seen as a charming means of visually capturing the culture on the way to a museum with ancient artifacts and treasures. Hotels are vital to not only a night’s sleep, but is directly related to the experience and consequential memories that greatly define our perspectives. They are an important ‘first step’ during trips/vacations.
Perhaps most importantly, the right hotel will grant you a temporary resident’s visa with a uniquely special suspended outlook of the grand nature of a city, town or village. Your acclimation to your new surroundings gin up an adrenaline rush that is both exciting and full of curiosity. There is this freedom of knowing that you are just visiting and that there are very few (if any) consequences to your decisions while staying inside the boundaries of common decency and respect.
It sparks a renaissance within yourself about life and the world.
Even domestically, choosing a hotel is paramount. It was only a few months ago I was in a familiar city: New York. I picked the hotel for its surprisingly affordable price and because of its proximity to Central Park for a concert the next day. Hotel wise, I was staying in a new area and decided to take a stroll on that Friday in the early evening. As a result of the hotel I picked, I happened to walk past (& ultimately returned to) this gentleman on the street who I recognized standing in front of his hotel.
Once again, it was an amazing pleasure to meet you Dave Grohl.
“Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!”
Late morning inside a second story lounge at a printing company in Pittsburgh, three businessmen were spread out comfortably on separate couches. The older gentlemen were each playing with one of their favorite toys: an iPad. The younger fellow was slightly more formal with a Macbook Pro laptop.
Three people, wired-in to the wide world of seemingly everything, were content. Also know that the movie “21” was playing in the foreground and was thoroughly enjoyed.
The surfing of the web occurred during commercial breaks (& without the potential presence of a Great White Shark lurking nearby). Three and a half to four minutes does not seem like an ample amount of time to finish any kind of meaningful task, but aren’t we all just a little humbled to know it actually can be more than enough time.
One of the discussions between the three men was imagining what is going to come next after the iPad? The youngest declared with a high degree of supposed certainty about a much more grand ‘product’ for the future. This will remain confidential for now, but it correlates with the modern innovator’s mindset of believing in the notion, “why not?”
While the notion above is the mentality, the following is the subsequent process: When one domino falls, the rest will follow.
This thought rings true for children as much as it does for adults. The only differences are what the dominoes represent and how slowly or quickly they fall relative to time and perspective.
Technology is a permanently forward-looking concept. Humans have progressed from traveling by means of walking to riding horses to sitting in horse drawn carriages to relaxing on trains to driving automobiles to flying on airplanes. Yet this is only a brief history of transportation’s evolution within the last two hundred fifty years or so. Once person A figured out an easier way for people to travel, person B discovered a better way. Then persons C & D had new ideas and so on and so forth. It continues today and will continue evermore.
Want proof? Richard Branson is currently working on offering commercial flights to space…to space!
It was only about twenty years ago that someone figured out how to put lights in the heels of sneakers.
Convenience comes with costs though, with money and privacy as only two examples. This speed and access to information creates necessity to be up-to-date by the second. Not hours or minutes, but seconds.
Briefly reflect upon our own expectations for expectant e-mails and how quickly we demand it arrive in our inbox and how upset we become to be forced to wait even five-Mississippi’s. “What’s taking so long!”
The 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show took place in Las Vegas last week. This has become a premier showcase of what some of the brightest minds are willing to display to the public as the next great product. This year it included a new brand of high definition televisions known as “4K.” David Pogue of the New York Times wrote about its resolution: “It means more pixels — four times as many as HDTV.”
The cost is not even remotely serious when it comes to intrigued consumers and as Pogue noted, “There’s not a single cable TV show broadcast in 4K, and not a single movie available on disc in 4K.” While the world is literally not ready for “4K,” that has not prevented curious minds from innovating for the future. Just as Steve Jobs proved, it’s not always about the device you have right now, but it’s actually what comes after it that generates the real allure.
Currently, people can sit in a room and search an infinite number of websites, play games, watch videos and listen to music to their hearts delight on their computers, laptops, iPads, tablets and cell phones.
This is where we are right now, this second. But what’s coming in the next wave just on the horizon?
As individuals proved at CES 2013, the future of television will soon project unprecedented clarity. It’s a safe bet that an innovator or group of aspiring innovators have examined “4K’ and are already brainstorming about “5K” or a resolution even better, well before “4K’ has been formatted for the public.
There is a scene in “21” when newcomer Ben is playing his first round of team blackjack. It took him only a matter of minutes before he earned thousands of dollars with his disguised partner at a table in the Hard Rock Hotel’s casino in Las Vegas by using an encrypted system of counting cards with hand signals and code words.
Later in the movie, Ben foolishly charges full steam ahead with enormous bets while blinded by his own arrogance of entitled invincibility.
Incredibly, within minutes, tens of thousands of dollars were lost.
Afterwards, their professorial leader informed Ben that he was no longer counting, but instead gambling. This difference literally distinguished between winning and losing.
Every decision has weight and consequence. Speed and access of information comes with benefits and prices of various forms. It is dependent upon ourselves to be cognizant of this and prepare so that the right decisions are made at the right moments. Technology, society and business will continue to evolve in a myriad of ways and we need to be ready to adapt and react in this fast paced and ever-changing era of decision-making.
Otherwise, aren’t we just gambling?
Jimmy's Daily Planet 