Runner
Streams His Marathon Online
February 28, 2011
It is remarkable enough anytime someone completes a marathon. It is a
long 26.2 miles. Believe me, I know from personal experience, having
run two marathons myself. I wrote
about my first one in Phoenix in 2007.
(Joseph Tame completed a marathon while streaming it online, photo from CNN)
Just a few days ago Joseph Tame completed a marathon in Tokyo. He
didn't set any records for speed - it took him over six hours. However,
he wired himself to stream it for people on the Internet. About 3,000
people followed his iPhone stream. Tame works in social networking, so
this was an ambitious challenge that fit well with his endeavors to
communicate a challenging life experience to the online world. You can
check out the story by Kyung Lah of CNN here.
And
The Oscar Goes to the...Best Life Story?
February 25, 2011
The Motion Picture Academy Awards ceremony, complete with all its
glitz, glam and posing, takes place this Sunday (February 27) and there
are 10 nominated films for Best Picture. The Oscars
traditionally had
nominated five pictures each year, but they've expanded the category.
Like most people, I have not seen all the nominees. But I eventually
will see most or all of them. Despite the mostly egocentric nature of
the film industry and many who work in it I still love movies and I
look for how films can teach us about life and our own stories. This
year there are a number of nominees that are powerful in that regard,
but perhaps the one that most resonates with our childhood
and touches the hearts of children and adults is Toy Story 3. An
animated film has never won Oscar's Best Picture. Maybe this year it
will. The story is heartwarming and full of intrigue and overcoming
challenge. There is plenty of reminiscing about our own upbringings and
favorite toys (especially for us Boomers). And, gosh darn it, how
refreshing it would be to have a movie like this win (see the movie's official site).
Biographies
on Musicians and Getting the Interview
February 17, 2011
Because I spent so many years working in the radio broadcasting
business, playing music and interviewing artists, I have a hunger to
know what inspires musicians. I find their life stories to be
fascinating. Usually they have many challenges, rejections
and so on to relate. A lot of tough living can happen before a band
gets signed to a record deal. And it is even
more difficult to sell records, get airplay and achieve some commercial
success. On top of that, life on the road, dealing with big egos,
struggling to make money while staying dedicated to your dream - it is
a hard business to succeed in.
I've shifted careers and this past year I've been back in school to get
certified to teach. Currently I am student teaching at a middle school
to 7th graders and an assignment they've all been working on is writing
a short biography on a music artist or band of their choice. I've
taught them how to conduct research, create an outline, find
interesting and important facts and write a compelling bio that is in
their own words (not "cut and paste" from some online article).
Imagine my delight when I discovered a couple of days ago the story
about Annie Reed, an 8th grader in a school near Detroit, who had a
similar assignment. Only her teacher pushed her to do something a bit
more challenging. He asked her to try to get an interview with the
artist. That's intimidating, especially when the artist she was writing
about is Eminem, the very popular and reclusive rapper from Detroit.
Annie didn't shy away from the challenge and pursued the interview and
against great odds was granted a once in a lifetime opportunity. The
article by B.J. Hammerstein of the Detroit
Free Press, details how she
did it and is a heartwarming story that has been picked up by other
media, including USA
Today (here). As you might imagine, we
used this article
in the class I am teaching and it was fun and inspiring. It shows that
when you do personal history work it can sometimes lead to great
things. Annie will always have this powerful experience in her life to
recall and share. And it grew out of an assignment to write a bio on
someone else. Stories, interviewing and writing all matter a great
deal. Go for it.
A
Bio About You
February 14, 2011
Many people encounter the need to have a short biography written about
themselves. Typically this is for professional reasons. Perhaps you are
being profiled in a magazine or trade publication. Maybe you are
running for some sort of elected position. Or you might be a writer who
needs exposure. There are many reasons for a biographical profile.
If you are crafting a bio like this it should be written in a third
person point of view. This presents you in a professional way. The bio
should be succinct and highlight your background and experience, but it
also should give an insight into you as a person, as this article on eHow states.
I've found it can be difficult to write this yourself, even if you are
a good writer. It can help to have a professional who has some
emotional detachment from your life interview you and put something
together. I've done it many times for others and at a very affordable
rate. You can find out more
here.
Real
Lasting Love
February 12, 2011
With Valentine's Day just around the corner I
wanted to once again remind you about Your Legacy
of Love - the wonderful book by Gemini Adams. If you want
to give a lasting gift, give this book. And then start planning how you
will pass on your values and wishes, your "Gift in Goodbye".
This book is being offered for a special
50% discount to my readers, but the offer has been
available for over a month and will discontinue after Monday, Fabruary
14 (Valentine's Day). So, check out the special offer now by visiting
our Highlight Site
special feature on Your Legacy
of Love.
Super
Bowl Advertising Through the Years
February 7, 2011
Super Bowl XLV is history and the Green Bay Packers are the victors.
But the game is not the only thing viewers tune in for. Every year
advertisers hope their millions spent on marketing will have a lasting
effect. It seems to me that many of the television ads are
dissapointing, too often going for the lowest common denominator.
However, there are a few that manage to become memorable. People
certainly love to watch and talk about the ads.
The one I most enjoyed this year was the little Darth Vader with the
"force" to start up his Dad's new Volkswagen. It was a nice mix of
family "ahh" cuteness and nostalgia for the Star Wars generation. These
days the Internet (especially YouTube)
allows for multiple viewings, but I think the superbowl-ads.com
site is compelling as a site that helps us put Super Bowl ads through
the years in some sort of context and commentary.
Living
to 114...and more
February 4, 2011
Recently Eunice Sanborn passed away at
the age of 114. Think about that
- 114 years old! According to the Gerontology Research Group she was
born July 20, 1886 in Lake Charles, Louisianna. They base her birth on
census records from that time. She outlived three husbands and
apparently joked about finding a fourth. She had one child, a daughter
who died in 1995 at the age of 90.
Think about the history this woman experienced. She was 7 when the
Wright Brothers made their historic flight and 21 when the United
States entered World War I. She lived through the Great Depression,
other wars, the babyboom, the spread of automobiles, television, space
exploration and computers. See the story on CNN
International for more.
There must be something to this age of 114 as Walter Breuning
reportedly hit that milestone this past September 21. He's still alive
and pretty sharp! You can find some videos of him at YouTube.
We need to honor our elders and remember they are eye-witnesses to our
history.
The
Constant Information Flow of the Internet Stream
February 2, 2011
The
constant flow of information across the
Internet is a stream that we can jump in or watch from the riverbank.
Our world is connected like never before.
This
evident each time something major happens in
the world. News now travels at “real time” speed.
We see it especially with social media like Twitter and Facebook. Currently
the world is watching the unrest in Egypt as people are protesting the
regime of Hasni Mubarak and hoping for a new freedom and democracy.
This view into global happenings can exert pressure in many ways, such
as on governments, businesses, education and the very lives of people
everywhere who are exposed to the Internet stream. In the United States
there is debate about whether our country should continue to give
support to Egypt, a country that benefits from a great deal of
financial aid, or call for Mubarak to step down (see this article from
the Christian
Science Monitor).
The incredible and always current flow of
information can dramatically impact our life stories and personal
history. Look at how many people are commenting about it through social
media, blogs and other “virtual water cooler”
places.
Read more in the current
issue of our newsletter.
