Is a 12 Year Old Smarter Than the World Economy?

Posted on May 17, 2012 by admin

It only takes this 12 year little girl from Canada about six minutes to explain why we (i.e. most of the world) are getting screwed by the government and big banks/business – i.e. The Man.

Kids never cease to amaze me, and this princess is clearly mature beyond her years, but should she really have a better grasp on economics than bankers, economists, politicians, voters…? I think you get my point.

When 12 year olds need to alert us to broken systems, it’s probably time to listen. Unfortunately, my guess is walls will need to crumble before we realize.

Great quote to end her speech…

Margaret Mead – “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Great job Ms. Victoria Grant:

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Practical Tips from a Burglar

Posted on May 15, 2012 by admin

The Dude has been burglarized on a few occasions; a few cars, a couple houses, and an array of locations. I recovered some goods, lost some, but overall none of the instances were earth-shattering. I did feel a bit unlucky – karma?…not sure for what.

While my life did roll on normally, I can say that it does leave a creepy, violated feeling that lingers for a while. However, I really don’t think of it much, and I don’t view the world as a negative place with thieves around every corner. Although, I do consciously lock my doors, and I have a baseball bat next to my bed – as a dad, these precautions just make practical sense.

These anomalies to my everyday life don’t come to mind too often, but I saw a neat post on swissmiss.com, and since I can relate, I figured it was worth sharing. Some common sense ideas that we should all have lodged in our mental space.

Tips from burglars. And after reading the list, I can say that if I followed these, I probably could have avoided some of the violations.

Worth a quick read…

13 Things a Burglar Won’t Tell You

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Sabotage for the Kids – RIP MCA

Posted on May 15, 2012 by admin

As we all probably know by now, one of the trifecta that make up the Beastie Boys passed away last week. I was tempted to scribble out a post memorializing MCA, but the interwebs were bursting at the seams with MCA-related posts; so I held off.

I mourned in my own way – I added a Beasties station to my Pandora (how did I not have a Beasties station?!) and cranked up the car stereo while cruising. I’m sure MCA can respect this.

Born in the late 70′s, the Dude is a product of the 80′s, and as a result, a product of the Beastie Boys. I can still recall sitting in my 4th grade class and seeing the Beasties cassette for the first time as a friend passed it around like illegal contraband.

Music was still rebellious at that point, and it doesn’t get much more rebellious than early Beastie Boys.

The Beasties will forever hold a special place in my musical heart. So, it’s sad to see a founding member move on – especially at the young age of 49. To be honest, it seemed like the Beasties would fade away a number of times, but they always found a way to stay relevant. With MCA gone, there is no way to make a full recovery, and with that, it feels like a piece of childhood for many gen x/y’ers is passing on as well. Hence all of the online memorializing.

I stayed out of the online memorializing for a week or so, but now I’ve been pulled back in. A great new video has brought the MCA memorial to the level of kids, and the Dude can relate to kids. So, I had to jump in.

Here’s a tribute to Adam Yauch – aka MCA – by James Winters and his family. James, the Dude digs. Nice work.

Hats off to Kottke.org for sharing the link.

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The World at Your Fingertips – MaKey MaKey

Posted on May 15, 2012 by admin

A few posts ago I linked to a Kickstarter campaign for slip-on shoes for everyone – i.e. hickies. A pretty neat idea, but sort of leaning to the goofy side of life. My next Kickstarter link seems to have a bit more potential.

Are you familiar with Kickstarter? It’s a relatively new (year or so?) way for ideas to get funded. Some lame, and some totally awesome. Basically, you put your idea online, ask for money, and if people dig it, they’ll give you money in exchange for some type of return – a free book when it comes out, acknowledgments in the credits, etc.

Giving more power to the people – i.e. a new way to take power from The Man. Rad.

Now on to the brilliance. These dudes from MIT have created a neat little device that will turn just about anything into a touchpad that will control your computer. The video below demonstrates some great – and goofy – examples, but picture controlling your computer with a banana or turning your stairs into the keys of a piano (Big anyone?).

I’m not sure where this technology will take us, but my guess is we’re just scratching the surface. Technology is insane!

You can find out more on the MaKey MaKey Kickstarter page.

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Hats off to Trent Walton for sharing the link. I’m easily following 100+  blogs at this point, so I’m not all that familiar with Trent, or where I came across him, but he seems pretty cool. Worth a look if you’re into the radness.

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Happy Mother’s Day!

Posted on May 13, 2012 by admin

From the Dudes to you, happy Mother’s Day. You are insanely important, immensely overworked, and incredibly under appreciated. You’re the glue that holds it all together.

Dad’s are pretty cool too…but Mom’s are the bomb. We love you!

Here are some quick highlights of the Dudes’ Mama’s Day festivities…

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Perception is Reality

Posted on May 13, 2012 by admin

I heard the saying “perception is reality” years ago, and it’s been lodged in the back of my noggin ever since. It’s not something I think of often, although, it will jump to the front of my thoughts from time to time.

From a big picture perspective, the Dude has come to understand this as the basic glass half full vs. glass half empty view of the world. And I believe this is true. I think at the most basic level, we have a choice between seeing all of the greatness in the world or focusing on all the bad juju.

Look at life either way, and you’re going to find what you’re looking for; good or bad. From the most broad perspective, that’s what “perception is reality” means to me.

But the below video has me digging a little deeper into this saying. Perhaps there is a much more granular way to look at perception. Maybe we can consciously study methods to leverage our behaviors and beliefs to capitalize on perception.

I’m sure companies with big marketing dollars are leveraging perception, and we probably fall into their traps on a regular basis. But maybe we can/should start to be more conscious about psychology and the way our realities are perceived on all levels.

Rory Sutherland’s “Perspective is Everything” talk at TEDx was definitely eye opening for the Dude.

A countdown at red lights or waiting for a train changes everything! Brilliant. Wifi on a train rather than billions spent for a shiny new train that gets you there 30 minutes faster?…duh! And these are just scratching the surface.

Perception truly is our reality. Maybe we should start to pay a bit more attention to it.

Now extrapolate that to economics, healthcare, taxes…you name it. Seems like a bunch of great uses for leveraging perception.

By the way, I was surprised when Sutherland mentioned Ludwig Von Mises. Since the world’s economic “issues” started around 2008, I’ve been following economic/political lines of thought a bit closer, and Ludwig Von Mises name has come up quite a bit. He is the big name behind “Austrian Economics,” and I’ve been pretty impressed with the thoughts I’ve come across. Interesting that Rory digs him too. Worth a little digging if this is the first time you’ve come across the name.

Great talk Rory…

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DIY for Little Dudes

Posted on May 9, 2012 by admin

Check out this website for the kiddos; www.DIY.org. Awesome!

I’m a believer that we’re all creative. We all have an artist, an inventor, a craftsman tucked away inside of us. We just need to have the self-motivation and inspiration to draw this creator out.

Be creative everyday is a good motto. Find reasons to create. Anything. Something. Everyday.

Writing, drawing, building, painting, playing. Anything. Just create. I love the idea of being creative. I wish I cultivated my creativity more over the years. Dude Knows Best is helping me with this creative itch now.

The good news is it is never too late to start. But the better news is that it’s never too early to start.

DIY.org is a site that is crafted to inspire kids to create and to share their creations. It is just getting off the ground, but I hope it grows by leaps and bounds. I hope it becomes the number one place for kids to turn to for inspiration, and more importantly to inspire others.

The world can never have enough inspiration and creativity, and I’m happy to see a new outlet directed at the youngin’s.

Based on their first week, DIY.org seems to be off to a great start. Here’s their first blog post – 2,730 projects uploaded! Awesome.

DIY.org

DIY.org

Ghost Town Marble Run by Redshoeman

Thanks to Swissmiss for passing on the creative goodness. :)

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Finish Strong

Posted on May 6, 2012 by admin

I’m a big fan of the story of this dude Nate Ebner.

I spent a large portion of my life living outside of Boston. And as a result, Boston sports have been ingrained in me.

Boston is a pretty crazy sports town. Die-hard fans of all sorts. I’ve had the luxury of cheering for some  amazing teams, but I am happy to say that now that I’m removed from the daily sports talk, it’s nice to be a casual fan rather than a die-hard. There are more important things in life to think about.

However, you can’t remove the fan altogether, and I’ve already started to brainwash the kiddos. Although, considering we don’t have TV, there’s really not much sports watching happening anyway.

So, what does all this Boston sports talk have to do with Nate Ebner? Nate is a new draft pick by the New England Patriots. He was a standout rugby player, and went on to play special teams at Ohio State as a walk-on.

Not all that impressive considering amazing NFL athletes, but Nate has the “intangibles.” He’s got a great attitude and an amazing work ethic. He may have spent most of this time on special teams for Ohio State, but his coach says that he was without a doubt the most valuable player on the team.

That’s the type of person you want on your team, and that’s the type of player Boston fans love to root for. Underdog with the heart of a lion.

So, I’m looking forward to seeing how Nate does in the NFL. But more than that, Nate’s story struck a chord with me.

I’ve carried a “finish strong” mantra with me since I was a kid. As I was playing sports, my Padre would remind me to finish strong. He helped me understand that this simple mindset is what makes someone a leader and pushes you above the pack.

It’s easy. You’re going to finish anyway. Just put in that last bit of effort to finish strong.

This mantra has stuck with me. I still say it to myself when I’m working on a challenging task, physical or mental, and now I’ve caught myself passing these sage words onto the kiddos.

It turns out that these are the same words that Nate lives by. Nate’s dad instilled these same words in him. Unfortunately, Nate’s dad has passed away, but “finish strong” has lived on in Nate, and he’s brought that message to all of his teammates as well.

It’s also great to see how much love and respect Nate has for his father. Great people finish strong, and they make other people great along the way.

Here’s a nice video about Nate. Looking forward to seeing you on the field Nate…when I visit someone that has TV. :)

Finish strong.

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Little Dude’s BMX Role Model

Posted on May 6, 2012 by admin

We have officially found Little Dude’s BMX role model; Jackson Goldstone.

This little man is killing it on a bike. And he’s only in kindergarten!

Looks like the Little Dude needs a BMX and a helmet for birthday numero dos.

By the way, love the no peddles. We took the peddles off Princess’ bike when she learned, and it was such an amazing difference.

Keep killing it Jackson. We can’t wait to see your next video!

Thanks to Mark’s Daily Apple for sharing the link.

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Love This Dude

Posted on May 3, 2012 by admin

I’m sure there’s another side to life on an island by yourself – water, food, medicine – but this dude and his turtles, trees, and birds seems pretty happy.

Posted on Kottke and TheKidShouldSeeThis; so you know it’s good.

My email exchange with Mrs. Dude when I shared the video sums it up pretty well…

Dude: Awesome. Email this dude and see if he’ll leave the island to us in his will. :)

Mrs. Dude: OMG LOVE this guy! What a great life!!!!

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