Blog Archives
Framing the Future
According to the informative and insightful History.com, on October 28, 1965, American innovation put down its tools and construction equipment to marvel at a visual marvel.
(PlanetWare)
With an elevator that lifts visitors to the top of this stunning arch, St. Louis has a unique platform to showcase its beauty. Moreover, this “gateway to the west” is a prime example of the American ingenuity that seems to have been exported to other countries that are designing and building wildly creative structures around the world. This arch is iconic and the 50th anniversary of its finished glory should be a reminder of how we should approach the next 50 years:
With imagination, determination and skill.
What gateway will be realized next in America?
Soaring Above the Rest
Fact: Carly Fiorina is winning.
Another fact: Americans love winners.
Whether at a campaign event, a Happy Hour gathering or standing at a podium for 3 hours in front of Air Force One in the library of President Ronald Reagan, former technology CEO Carly Fiorina is defining herself as knowledgeable, savvy and purposeful. The former is immensely important, but it’s the combination with the latter that may be what’s really separating Carly Fiorina from the dozen+ other candidates vying for the Republican nomination.
Quick note: All the immature bickering and name calling by a few of the candidates was unwelcome, especially in the presidential library of Ronald Reagan, a strong leader and a gentleman above all else. It was incredibly disrespectful and I have a feeling viewers noticed who said such things in the place built for the man whose conduct was antithetical to such juvenile behavior. Visually, a tipping point may have been reached for some.
Carly Fiorina is a political outsider in the sense she’s never held elected office. She ran for senate in the deeply blue California in 2010, but lost. She guided HP through the difficult tech bubble, but was ultimately fired by her board. However, as she mentioned last night, industry colleague Steve Jobs made sure to offer his condolences and shared experiences in that area.
That’s what we call a ‘mic drop.’
Mrs. Fiorina’s answers to questions during the past two debates demonstrate she is one of the best candidates in the presidential race, regardless of party. What’s more is it’s still early in the race and more opportunities will arrive to showcase skill and strength on each and every issue. And we haven’t even heard the questions and answers about specific economic policies, like tax reform, entitlement reform, healthcare, spending, etc.
It seems like (along with Marco Rubio) that Carly Fiorina has a purposeful reason for running for president of the United States of America. There’s a sense she has a grand vision of American exceptionalism that’s rooted in service to her fellow citizens. She recognizes that the country’s economic foundation is unmistakably shaky and that the foreign policy identity of the United States is lost when its power (soft and hard) and resolve is needed most. She’s offering clear, intelligent solutions so that the American people can succeed.
Equally important is there’s a genuine goodness and sincerity about Carly Fiorina.
Despite professional and political shortcomings and personally devastating hardships, including the tragic death of a child, she has an inspiring success story. In a condensed manner, she was secretary of a small real estate company and rose to become the CEO of a major technology company in an industry dominated by men and she led Hewlett-Packard to impressive results. And, above it all, she beat breast cancer.
Don’t dare question her personal strength and determination to make something life-changing and positive happen.
Not everybody excels at everything, not everybody succeeds at the time everyone thinks they should and not everybody is uniquely qualified to be president of the United States, but when each of us discovers our true path in life, it usually leads to a bottle with lightning in it that ignites into a remarkable sight for all who see it and experience its wonder. Throughout history, people look to individuals with this electricity in them, leaders they can have confidence in, for a story to connect with and a vision to follow.
Ronald Reagan offered eternal optimism and a sunny, opportunistic tomorrow.
Carly Fiorina is showing us what sparks in a bottle looks like.
Actually, that looks a bit more like lightning…
Our Attraction with the ‘Future’
First prize goes to Hendo Hover by Arx Pax.
Second place is awarded to SLIDE by Lexus.
While the interiors differ by way of a supercooling superconductor and the exterior designs differ in function versus luxury, the undeniable correlation between Arx Pax and Lexus is their dependent use of magnetism used to glide their respective hoverboard inches above the ground. Thus far, principles of physics have revealed magnets as the primary source of generating a hovering effect with a person riding a wheel-less skateboard above a metal/magnetic surface.
To create the illusion of a hoverboard Marty McFly might ride to perfect his riding and escaping skills, Lexus built a skate park in Barcelona, Spain with magnets underneath the surface and just below a sleek water strip. The promotional video for the company (which was devised to showcase its innovative prowess) will admittedly not lead to a hoverboard for purchase down the road (well, technically not for the “road”) or any further hovering parks. That’s a bummer.
Still, their finished product is pretty damn cool.
Arx Pax and Lexus clearly have the best taste in entertaining cinema and they also understand the wonderful power of dreaming big. We all wanted to travel to “2015” when we saw Back to the Future: Part II in movie theaters in 1989. Besides buying a pair of Nike power lace shoes (later this year!), wearing a power-drying jacket and getting our hands on “Grays Sports Almanac from 1950-2000,” we wanted a hoverboard. As our pop culture-driven scientists are in the alpha stage of developing an anywhere-anytime hoverboard, it’s exciting to be on any path that resides above the ground.
Every life-altering invention started somewhere stuck between limitation and doubt.
And then the future arrives…
The Beautiful Investment
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”
–Wayne Gretzky
Frank Lampard and Steve Gerrard are big signings for Major League Soccer (MLS). Make no mistake about that. However, the seismic shift that will catapult the still youthfully optimistic MLS (turning 20 years-old this year) is, quite literally, youth. This constitutes early 20-somethings born and raised in the United States and (equally and possibly more importantly) early 20-somethings from Europe. The latter are highly-talented players who are groomed in the reserve/youth teams of top clubs for future picking onto the grandest pitches in the world. One of the best at discovering and elevating players through a club’s system is Louis Van Gaal. Ever heard of Xavi Hernández and Andrés Iniesta? How about Thomas Müller and Bastian Schweinsteiger? Yeah, Van Gaal discovered them before they were household names/global stars/World Cup winners. And his track record will continue for years to come, as the aforementioned names are just a few of his stellar sightings. There’s not enough space to get into detail about his successful tenures with some of the top clubs and world-class players, but his instincts for future success is the focus in this post.
Then there’s the modern tactical genius Pep Guardiola. Bayern Munich announced last Friday that Pep had signed the fresh-faced, yet deeply talented 19 year-old German national Joshua Kimmich worth millions. He’s a defensive midfielder who some have reported could be positioned as the future of Bayern’s stout midfield. The point is that there is value in serious investment of youth that requires vision and patience. MLS team have youth teams, but not anywhere close to the level of Europe’s giants. Admittedly, there is a major cultural and financial difference between the U.S. and Europe when it comes to soccer/football. True. But still, until individual MLS teams partner with said European giants who have similar tactical dynamics that includes 1-3 year loans of their youngsters for non-reserve, competitive matches who are not-yet-ready for their first team, the obvious barriers will remain between the United States and its competition (so to speak) across the pond. Most clubs may predictably refrain from moving their players to a foreign country and system from their own, but this is just a suggestion. However, it seems to be the most practical for realistically earning the ear of at least a few future (and unknown) stars.
The next big, truly transformational moment for MLS will be the signing of future household names from here, but especially abroad. Lower the risk for European clubs in these partnerships with the profitable United States soccer market (see Bayern Munich for their insistence/establishment of an American headquarters in NYC) and increase the rewards for MLS teams, fans and investors alike. A majority of these investments will all but certainly be short-term, but it will undeniably take the league to the necessary next level for discovering, training and producing indisputable world-class talent. There is a genuine attraction to living in and playing in the United States. This country is a central piece in the future of global soccer, despite FIFA’s oblivious rejection of a future U.S-hosted World Cup. Plus, it’s clear that David Beckham came here for reasons beyond a substantial paycheck.
U.S. soccer doesn’t have a ceiling, which is an amazing asset to have. The excitement is palpable, particularly during the World Cup. Only time will tell if this hypothesis will ever come to fruition. And to the naysayers out there who openly laugh at this idea, I say why not? The best coaches and clubs view their youth as vitally important future investments. Why not MLS? Dream big for goodness sake! Note that some of these players could be current and/or future members of the USMNT.
If MLS can just get the next Arjen Robben (LOL, sorry about that) young stud (like Julian Green) to turn his head and attention towards the crashing waves of the U.S. for his league play for a couple years before returning back to Bayern Munich, it could be the first wave in something really big on the foreseeable horizon in the United States.
Don’t merely mind the gap…bridge the gap.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 