Hey Prius owners: that’s over 50 mpg in a car that doesn’t make you look like a, well, a Prius owner. 200 HP, turbocharged, a big trunk, and it can go up hills!! Yes you can “save the world” with style. (Taken with instagram)
Welcome to Apple.
The website Cult of Mac posted a photo today of this note from Apple. Apparently every new employee at Apple gets this note on their first day. Who knows if its real. It certainly looks real, and it sounds like something they would say. It even resonates as something that Steve Jobs probably wrote himself.
It’s basically a very poetic way to say “Don’t complain when you have to work weekends, because we’re creating something pretty amazing here and it’s going to be worth it.”
I remember receiving something kind of similar on the first day of my current job. It said “You don’t deserve to be here. You deserve death. This isn’t a job, it’s a war.”
It’s the same mentality - work hard and work on something amazing. Except the note I received was a paraphrase of Paul the Apostle, not Steve the Apostle. In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul talks about how he used to persecute the church, and by the grace of God he was later given a job to lead churches and write half of the Bible. He didn’t deserve the job, and he was the least qualified of his peers, but it was a job that God called him to, so he worked harder than anyone else to do the best job that he could.
We shouldn’t work hard so that Jesus will love us, or give us favor and riches. We are free to work hard because Jesus loves us.
I may not be working on the next iPad. And I’m definitely not the most qualified for what I do, but through God I’m able to do some pretty amazing work. Sometimes that means I have to sacrifice a weekend. Sometimes I have to sacrifice a meal. But I didn’t come here to play it safe - Jesus didn’t give me this job so I could be safe or wade in the shallow water. No, in fact He threw me head first into the deep end. He appointed me as a soldier in a very real war, and he’s asked me to fight. And fight hard I will.
The grace of God makes you someone you’re not so you can do something you normally can’t. And by His grace I’ve seen people meet Jesus, and lives and hearts changed.
What has He appointed you to do? And are you doing it well? Here’s a hint: if you don’t know - do well with what you have now and see where He leads you.
Smart.
You’re five years old. You have a choice between supermarket milk or Monster Milk. Which do you choose? Parent’s everywhere give a collective sigh.
Monster milk, a fun identity designed for kids
It’s about time. I’ve always said that milk would sell a lot better if they just redesigned the packaging. Why does every milk manufacturer (er, farm?) opt for the ugly big old plastic container?
Source: kristinaberry
Best Craig’s List car ad ever!
(via 1995 Pontiac Grand AM)
Source: seattle.craigslist.org
Call Me ‘Captain Awesome’
About a month ago, there was a Tippr sale for a Custom Nickname. Tippr is one of those services like GroupOn that sell special one-day deals for 50 to 70% off. This one was $15 for a custom nickname from… who else?… customnickname.com
I thought what the hell, it’s worth $15 to play this out. So I purchased one, and today I finally got my custom nickname.
When filling out their questionnaire to tell them about myself, I told them that I do a lot of freelance marketing work and it would be pretty neat if I had a cool brandable nickname that I could use.
Here is what they sent back…
Dear Justin,
Congratulations on your custom nickname, although if you’re using this for a trademark or brand, we feel that we should have charged a higher rate. Standard freelance prices for such services are $50 per hour, but we congratulate you for pulling a fast one on us. Very frugal of you.
With a name like Justin Dean, you probably should have headed for Hollywood instead of marketing, but a cool, memorable name gives you a boost no matter what career you’re in, except for bank fraud. You probably got called JD, Justin Credible, or Justin Time in the past. And if not, then that’s probably for the best. We found it tempting to do some play on Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sausage, but figured that you might not appreciate it. 50% of our staff said they would love the name Justin Dean—Superior Sausage, but the other half thought that was silly. The 50% who liked it are crass, rude, and are rarely allowed out in public.
Here are some ideas for brands or a trademarkable name:
Justin Dean of Marketing
The Dean of Marketing
Mac of All Trades
Sleepless Marketing (This tells your clients you never rest while working on their projects, even though it really means you have two kids that don’t allow you to sleep.)
Chupacabra Creative
Saved Marketing
Now onto the nickname… We liked Butterbean, because it kind of rhymes with your name and we’re a sucker for nicknames based on legumes. Unfortunately, it doesn’t suit you. Daddy Mac was a possibility, but we felt we could do better. We mined your website for ideas, were pleased to find you had just one wife but two kids—Custom Nickname is opposed to polygamy (it’s in our mission statement). Your ninja-like skills are impressive, especially if you can defeat your foes using only advertising and public relations. No throwing stars necessary. But in the end, we thought “awesome” was the word we wanted to focus on.
So we decided on Captain Awesome. What do you think? Say it out loud a couple of times. Let it sink in. Ask a few friends to call you it. The next time the phone rings, answer it with, “Hello, this is Captain Awesome, how may I direct your call?” It has a nice ring to it. You could make a little cape out of a pillow case and embroider “Captain Awesome” on it. You could put it on a business card in big, bold letters and say underneath it, “Crime Fighter—Brand Defender—Marketing Solutions Provider—All Around Swell Guy.”
Yes, I just paid $15 for someone to call me “Captain Awesome.” And I don’t regret it. Get your own custom nickname at CustomNickName.com.
A Confession
When I was about 9 or 10 years old me and my brothers spent a lot of time hanging out in our pool. During the summer we’d always blast music on the stereo, and I remember being introduced to a lot of new bands.
I was only in fifth grade, so my musical taste was just beginning to develop. In other words, I liked whatever my brothers liked. This was the early 90s, so we’d have anything playing from the Counting Crows, to Nirvana or even Blind Melon.
The only time I got to listen to this stuff was when we’d all be in the pool and my brothers would play their CDs. I tried to “borrow” my brother’s CDs from time to time, but I got in big trouble for that. One time I borrowed my brother Brad’s Ugly Kid Joe CD and scratched it. He hasn’t talked to me since.
Desperate to have some music of my own to listen to, I jumped on my bike one day and rode to the music store. The day before my brother Brandon was listening to a CD that I really enjoyed. I took a look at the album cover, and went off to the music store to buy my own copy.
At the music store I looked through all the albums and found the one that I wanted to buy. I picked up Nirvana’s Nevermind. You know, the one with the baby on the cover swimming around naked?
The girl working in the music store even said to me, “Wow you’ve got really good taste in music for someone so young.” I thought I was so cool, buying my first album.
Until I got home. I showed my brothers what CD I bought and they were shocked that I even liked it. My dad wasn’t pleased with the cover and rolled his eyes. I was confused because I didn’t think the music we listened to the day before was all that bad.
Then I played it and realized it wasn’t the band that we were listening to the day before. As it turned out, we were listening to Eddie Brickell and the New Bohemians. That’s the CD I had wanted to buy.
Nirvana was very much different. For years I played it off like I really liked Nirvana. I didn’t dislike them, but they certainly weren’t my favorite. People thought it was cool that my first album was Nirvana, purchased when I was only nine, with my own money… so I went with it.
I look back now and realize this was God’s providence. Nobody buys Eddie Brickell as their first album and goes on to live a good and normal life. I really dodged a bullet.
Open Letter to Salespeople
Dear salespeople,
If I contact you via email, feel free to reply to me via email. Since that is the method I used to contact you, you can assume that it is the method I prefer. Unless of course I end the email with “call me.”
It is annoying to talk to you on the phone for every little question you have, and it’s extremely annoying to have to talk to you on the phone just for you to tell me that you received my email.
I realize that you probably have a boss who keeps telling you to pick up the phone more. But please tell that boss that customers are changing, communication methods are changing, and they need to let you do your job.
I also realize that you may be in your 50’s and you’ve been doing this for the last 30 years, before email and text messaging and Facebook where the preferred methods to contact people. I forgive you for being old. But I do not forgive you for being too lazy to learn how to communicate in the modern world.
If you call me instead of e-mailing me and I don’t respond, please don’t panic. Modern day phones have incredibly sophisticated technology that lets me know when you have called. Your five-minute voicemail message also makes it incredibly obvious that you have called me. So please do not call back every single day. Instead, figure out that I prefer email and send me your question that way. I will respond, usually immediately, at any time of the day. It’s much more efficient than a phone call and is a much better use of my very precious and valuable time.
I know, email is not as friendly as making a connection with me over the phone. That’s why if you’d like to have a relationship with me you should take me to lunch or swing by with donuts.
Sincerely,
Justin Dean
Creativity takes no excuses.
Creativity means you are actively creating. No excuse – how tired you are, or how you feel stuck, or the fact that you don’t know where to start – will do if you want to succeed.
Click for a larger version. Be sure to share with your friends, family, and co-workers.
Source: creativesomething
Conviction is so hot right now.
What does the bible say about sarcasm?
That’s what I found myself Googling earlier today as I sat contemplating the conviction I have recently felt about being a sarcastic little jerk.
What it comes down to, for me, is fear of man. I turn to sarcasm and jokes because I want people to like me. Not only like me, but I want them to think higher of me than that of anyone around me. So I make jokes, and say things that cross the line, sometimes at the expense of whoever is around, in an effort to get people to laugh. Which in turn makes me feel like they like me.
The reality is, while people sometimes laugh, they walk away feeling pity for me. They know I’m not as cool as I think I am or try to be. They clearly see my weaknesses, especially as I trip all over them.
Sometimes I even find myself wrestling in my head: “Do I say something encouraging and uplifting, or do I say this really funny joke that just popped in my head?” Oh how selfish I can be when I ignore the holy spirit! More often than not, I choose to say the joke in order to bring attention and praise to myself, and pass up the opportunity to uplift another. It often always backfires, and I’ll play it off with a “Ah, I’m just kidding… I really am sorry your grandpa died.” But by then it’s too late.
I’m not even sure why I have any friends at all. I think most people put up with me because I have an amazing wife and ridiculously cute kids. That’s called grace.
Here are some of the passages from the bible that have helped me realize I’m an idiot:
Matthew 5:37
Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.
Proverbs 26:16
The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly.
Ephesians 5:4
Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.
Proverbs 18:21
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
So, to you - my friend - I am sorry. I’m growing. It’s a work in progress. And I appreciate your patience.
I’ve opened up the comments if you have any other scripture you’d like to share, or if you’d just like to publicly chew me out for being an idiot.
It’s hard always being one step ahead
Most companies will focus on a problem and develop a product that simply solves that problem. Every once in awhile a company will look beyond the problem, beyond the simple solution, and will create something completely new. People will say “It solves a problem I never even knew I had.” Those are the companies that lead the way, the companies that everyone else tries to catch up to.
Apple did this by taking music, movies, and TV shows digital, allowing you to download them on demand without ever having to leave your house. While everyone was switching from DVD to Blu-ray, and switching from Blockbuster to Redbox, those of us paying attention skipped straight to digital.
Square is doing this now with point of sale payments. They looked one step beyond the rest of the companies trying to solve the problems of credit card payments.
Starbucks first implemented a solution to this problem, but they didn’t look far enough into the future. While they implemented an awesome new payment system that allows you to pay by swiping your iphone, the second they released it it was obsolete. Paying for coffee with just the wave of your iPhone is definitely brilliant, and extremely convenient. But Square looked even one more step ahead and said: Why do we have to take our phones or our wallets out at all? They developed a payment system that is secure, fast and easy to use that doesn’t require you to even take your phone out of your pocket. And it works brilliantly.
This is the future. The problem here is people and their inability to embrace new technology quick enough. And large corporations not creative enough to look far enough ahead, or too scared to try something new. Even Google is trying to solve this problem by forcing phone developers to put chips in our devices so that we can scan them like a credit card. These are band-aid solutions.
I know so many people who are still running out to Red Box in the rain to rent movies. Yes they’re only a dollar (although they’ll still end up paying three bucks for the movie when they return in three days later). Someone even told me the other day that they are finally going out and buying a Blu-ray player, for which they paid $250. And they’ll easily pay $25-$45 for every new movie that they purchase going forward. Movies that they’ll either have to buy online and get shipped to them, or that they’ll have to buy at Target or Walmart. For $99, half the price of the average Blu-ray player, you can get an Apple TV and start downloading music, TV shows, and movies to rent or buy on demand. All digital, all served from the cloud. And in great HD quality.
But Apple TV and Square aren’t mainstream yet. Blu-ray, Red Box and the Starbucks Card Mobile Apps are mainstream. What is most annoying is that when the mainstream finally picks up on the better products, they’ll be old and obsolete and we’ll have already moved on to the next thing.
