We’re entering a very strange era of supranational power.

Dave

I just saw the headline, “Coca-Cola Calls for FIFA’s Sepp Blatter to Step Down Immediately.” The article mentions that Visa, InBev, McDonald’s and other huge, multifaceted, multinational organizations have joined the call for his ouster. “Love that word.”

Depending on how you look at it, FIFA is as big and powerful as a country. So are those corporations. Blatter’s power rivals that of many elected leaders of smaller countries, even if he doesn’t have an actual army under his control.

The older I get, the less I like dystopian visions. But at the same time, I also see more and more parallels to, for instance, the fiction of William Gibson and others who got started in the cyberpunk genre. One of them “can’t remember who” imagined a future where we are automatically sued for traffic infractions by connected bots built into passenger cars. The suits are settled by both sides’ computers, for a few dollars. In this novel it happens so often and quickly that it’s hardly more than an annoyance. Doesn’t sound too farfetched anymore, does it?

Neither does the idea that the leader of a global sports “read that “commerce”” conglomerate could behave like a tinpot dictator, only to be taken down by an alliance of corporate sponsors flexing their economic muscle to prevent the devaluation of the brand they’ve invested in with their advertising dollars. It’s just gonna get weirder.

Tech companies are basically paying prospects to listen to their pitches.

Dave

I’m no economist, but I’m not too worried about all the current “bubble” talk. Yes, valuations are high and there’s a lot of money around, but I also see a lot of companies — including a lot of the supposed “unicorns” “private companies with valuations over $1 billion” — that are building products that really do something.

Yes, there are a lot of dopey apps that do dumb stuff no one really needs, but as far as I can tell they aren’t dealing in big money. They come and go without too much impact other than on their employees.

Whether or not Uber is worth $50 billion is another story, and by that I mean, to use a high-finance term, WTF?

But regardless of whether or not the current crop of tech companies can provide lasting value to customers, employees and shareholders, VC money is causing some weird stuff. Real companies providing serious software to meet real business needs are getting big chunks of money to build and grow. Nothing wrong with that, but it also means companies are spending money in ways that previously only established companies would have tried. These days you can grow and scale and market yourself like a big shot on somebody else’s dime. And there are a lot of dimes around.

For instance…

One of my colleagues got a postcard before Dreamforce promising him an Apple Watch if he came to another tech company’s booth for a demo. Not a chance to win an Apple Watch. An actual watch, just for him, just for watching a demo. He went, he watched the demo, he got an Apple Watch. He didn’t misrepresent himself, his interest in their product or his role in the decision-making process.

I’ve also heard of another company at Dreamforce who made “wanted posters” with the names and photos of CMOs they wanted to meet. They handed them out at the CMOs’ company booths and promised the booth staff 50 bucks if they brought their CMO by, essentially offering a bounty. If the CMO came by of her own volition, they handed her a hundo.

I now work for a VC-funded tech startup, so I’m not pointing fingers or decrying, you know, anything. But I also work with seasoned business people. We seem to be keeping an eye on our money, which I appreciate. The big-money shenanigans seem strange and unreal to me, and they make me uncomfortable.

Bottom line, I’m just bitter I didn’t get an Apple Watch.

I like working.

Dave

I’m on BART heading to my first day at a new job. It’s been fun having time off, mostly because I spent a lot of time with Conrad. We went to Great America “twice”, spent a night in the city at the Mark Hopkins “he loves hotels”, and did some other exploring. And we talked a lot, about lots of stuff. He’s such a good guy. 

I had all kinds of projects planned for the time off, and I kind of did most of them. “Didn’t fix my broken blog, though.” I’m not feeling regretful that I didn’t do more, which is nice. Newish experience for me. 

I’m excited for my new job. As much as I think I like time off, I also like doing things, creating things and working with people. I underestimate how much I need a sense of purpose. 

I also love public transit. It’s always fascinating. Maybe because I like to take pictures. Or maybe that’s why I like to take pictures.  

We’re spending an unplugged week at the beach.

Dave

Right now I’m on a ferry heading to Ocracoke Island, NC. If you don’t know Ocracoke, you should. It’s a…

Look, just Google it. This isn’t Trip Advisor.

It’s been a stressful few months, and when I said I wanted to come here, Jean made it happen. She knows how much I needed it.

But it’s not just a week at the beach; it’s an unplugged week at the beach.

Well, sort of. The parameters aren’t ironclad. I think I hit on what I’m after when thinking about it this morning: you can use a device for creating, not consuming.

But we are going to watch one movie a day. And listen to music on the iPad.

Okay, basically we’re just not going to sit around all day staring at our respective screens. We’re going to get out, ride bikes, swim in the ocean. Pick… crabs, or something.

Basically I’m just going to try not to check email very often.

I’m learning to be more productive by watching videos of people who are learning to be more productive.

Dave

I’m getting interested in new productivity tools and looking at GTD, mind mapping and Chronodex. So far I’ve learned that YouTube videos posted by other people are not the best way to learn.

I just watched a “how to mind map” video in which the presenter created a map that apparently helps her remember she is a business owner, wife and mother who likes to jet ski.

I’m now watching a “how I use Chronodex” video posted, apparently, by a disembodied pair of Australian hands. The hands used Chronodex to record that they had waffles for breakfast and are planning to have spaghetti for dinner.

I’m doing all of this, mostly, because I’m always off on some harebrained scheme, and because in the last two weeks I’ve discovered fountain pens and the Traveler’s Notebook.* In about three days, if things go as they normally do, I’ll be selling handmade paper notebooks on Etsy.

But seriously, I’ve tried at least half a dozen different note taking and productivity apps and none of them has been nearly as satisfying, focusing and tactilely rewarding as writing on nice paper with a nice pen.

If you have any good resources for GTD, mind mapping or Chronodex, let me know.

The most efficient way, of course, would be to pay Christopher S. Penn to teach me how to do pretty much everything he does.

*I couldn’t just buy one, though. I had to get a handmade notebook from a leather crafter in Hong Kong. Because simplify.