adam.benjaminbloom.net » cool

happy independence day to my family and friends

adam — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 15:44:32 +0000

Independence has been a significant theme for me this year in many ways. So, I wanted to share a wish for all of you on Independence day…July 4, 2010.

More than anything, I wish you “mindful independence.” I wish you choose to pursue life, liberty, and happiness with vigor and resilience and patience…that this pursuit is your way of being. Cliche? Yes, of course. But think again…there is a reason people say, “think outside the box.” It isn’t a physical box…where is this box? It is the box in your head.

photo credit: qthomasbower

We are all oppressed in some way, shape, or form. If you’ve ever spoken with someone who has lived in a state of oppression where their “human rights” were materially or physically constricted, they value freedom unlike others. They value being able to wake up in the morning…every morning…in a free country…with the ability to do whatever they want to create their future…to work to serve their fellow man and make a profit from that service…they value the ability to pursue their goals and desires without limit…they value being able to love whomever they want and practice their beliefs without walls. The sense of this freedom is sacred…knowing this sense is sacred.

What I’ve learned this year is that independence starts inside your head. I’ve spoken to several people in 2010 who have chosen to put themselves in a cage inside their mind…because of their “situation” or what others are doing to them. When they put themselves in this state of thought, they oppress themselves by building these walls, chains, locks, and cages inside their head…they become their own pharoah…their own vader…their own “the man.”

For example, we all have the freedom to learn to ride a bicycle, but, as children, we get scared. We protect ourselves and say, “it’s not for me” or “I can’t do it” or “what if I hurt myself?” This self-imposed limit is a protection mechamism…and protection is a good thing…but sometimes we protect ourselves too much…we limit ourselves and our self growth. As adults, we do this…we oppress ourselves in our work and personal lives…and tell ourselves things that impose limits…tell ourselves that a relationship, or a job, or an abilitiy to learn is NOT there…and then tell ourselves “you cannot overcome it.” These are only lies we make our own truths.

So, on July 4, 2010, I wish you mindful independence. Know that you are free and that anything is a possibility…that your oppressors are largely inside your mind. These thoughts are not who you are…they are just thoughts. Thoughts could be focused on promoting the well-being of our fellow humans…as an essential element to the “pursuit of our own happiness.” Remember, your own well-being comes first…think independently…avoid oppressing yourself.

Be well. Free your mind. Enjoy the journey. To independence!!!

chop wood, carry water

adam — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 03:08:18 +0000

When life throws challenges at you…just keep going. Keep opening doors and walking through them. Keep your balance of positive in the face of difficulty and negative.

That is how businesses launch and ideas come to be introduced to the marketplace.

Betalkaboutable is a brand I came up with some time ago…and now the “business” (really just me right now ) has actually launched. It’s a milestone in my life…and I am very thankful. Special and sincere thanks to all the mentors listed here and many more!!!

As Bob says, “chop wood, carry water.” Good point…thanks Bob…hope you are well…though I kinda like “chop water, carry wood” better…go figure!

photo credit: woodleywonderworks

photo credit: geoftheref

a story i am proud to share

adam — Sun, 16 May 2010 13:59:47 +0000

If you haven’t been exposed to it, this was an inspiring event in my life. I have been fortunate to share it with a few folks who appreciated it. Just search “zen surfing benjamin bloom” and it will show up. (Actually, it doesn’t any more, so here is a link http://www.benjaminbloom.net/zenandtheartofsurfingandworking.htm)

photo credit: joiseyshowaa

photo credit: Bryce Bradford

photo credit: ?serendipity

photo credit: eschipul

photo credit: nosha

photo credit: kimdokhac

behavioral systems

adam — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:03:25 +0000

Further below is a really interesting and insightful thought about “neuro-linguistic programming” from this site about psychology and business.

While this applies in many contexts, I think the most profound is the overall human relationship context and how people interact in general. A great manager I met from Microsoft once put it this way, “people don’t remember what you said, but they remember how they felt.” NLP reinforces how important this is in human dynamics.

From the link: “Control in human systems refers to the ability to influence the quality of a person’s own and other people’s experience in the moment and through time.

The person with the greatest flexibility of behaviour – that is, the number of ways of interacting – will control the system. Choice is always preferable to no choice, and more choice is always preferable to less choice. This also relates to the third general principle of NLP, mentioned previously. This principle is that a person needs to vary their behaviour until they get their desired outcome. If what you are doing is not working, vary the behaviour and do something else. Anything else is better than continuing with what doesn’t work. Keep varying your behaviour until you find something that works.”

very cool to come across this today – kinzan and scoble

adam — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 23:37:48 +0000

what was cool is this post (not related to the pic below…but the pic is bad-ass too). see an excerpt of the post below between garland and robert scoble. as background, i worked with garland (and many other bright, talented people) at kinzan…I left and went to Siebel Systems before this dialogue happened…and had no idea that the dialogue occurred.

Excerpt from Scoble’s post: “But, I had to admit it was cool. I’d never seen a coding environment that was like this. Just plop a component down on the screen. Draw a line to connect it into the system. No code.

Then the shocker. He closed down Eclipse, opened up Visual Studio and did the same thing. Only this time his system used Visio inside of Visual Studio. He showed me the code it wrote. Showed me the XML file it created. And how it enabled a new kind of development team.

‘Is this interesting?’ he asked.

[expletive] Yes!!”

nice, simple, marketing…and fun too

adam — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:06:49 +0000

haiku and ascii…hahaha! aha!

Akin Arikan is THA MAN! (web analytics expert)

adam — Fri, 22 May 2009 18:15:34 +0000

Unica’s Akin Arikan presented in one of the eMetrics Marketing Labs session with Michelle Rutan of National Instruments where they provided a jaw dropping showcase of the power of the NetInsights product.

nice info on culture, entreprenurial environments, and product development

adam — Thu, 21 May 2009 23:07:04 +0000

thanks @waynesutton for capturing and posting this social media interview

adam — Wed, 20 May 2009 04:31:50 +0000

enjoyed the mashable atlanta mixer last week…met a lot of cool folks.
thanks to wayne for capturing and posting this!

thanks to leland

adam — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:25:28 +0000

It’s great when people help you as part of marketing to you – this IS the future of marketing. Leland @ Themelab posted a great article – clear, concise, good pictures, etc. Honestly, it was one search to get just the solution I needed (and frankly should have started with…but I did get a WP upgrade for my efforts looking into other ways to solve the problem).

As a marketer, I am now in the “awareness” category for Themelab.
Thanks Leland!
Up, up, and away!

good wiring

adam — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 19:50:02 +0000

After complaining about idiots for just a minute or two earlier today, I’ve decided to just be thankful for the human brain across the board…I shouldn’t complain, sometimes I am also an idiot. If you have human brain, you are an amazing creature…other humans just urge you to use it more often than not .

wondering what f-book fn does with this

adam — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 18:59:08 +0000

nice jazz mix

adam — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:37:07 +0000

yummy dinner plan for cabernet sauvignon

adam — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 05:24:01 +0000

- 18 Month Aged Sharp Cheddar, Dutch Gouda, Pecorino Romano, and Traditional English Farmhouse served with Organic Crackers
- Mango Ginger Chutney and Cream Cheese on Classic Water Crackers
- Wine Marinated Figs paired with Blue Stilton Cheese and wrapped in Prosciutto
- Mediterranean Olive Tapenade on French Baguette
- Frico Wafers (Parmesan, Basil, and Lemon)
- Sweet Chili Meatballs (just like Schweaty Balls from SNL, but better…well hopefully)
- Variety of Grilled Mushrooms drizzled with Hazelnut Gremolata
- Pizzettes of Fontina, Tomato, Basil and Prosciutto
- Piggly Wiggly Tartletts
- Dark Chocolate with Strawberries

firefox add-ins

adam — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:17:15 +0000

Firebug, Colorzilla, MeasureIt, Fireshot, KGen, SEO Quake, Meta-Tags Sidebar, Tabbed Thumbnails, Video Download

new year’s 2009 wish for you

adam — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 03:39:14 +0000

To All My Family, Friends, and Colleagues,

At some point in our lives, we all experience a time of disbelief. For 2009, I wish you belief.

In 2008, there were many people who believed in me, and, in both small and big ways, the belief changed my life. As well, I learned that my belief in others had helped them and changed their life. These two types of belief are what I wish for you in 2009.

Sometimes that the little voice inside your head tells you that you don’t believe you are able to do something. It could be learning something new, passing a test, or finding true love. It could also be the belief in accomplishing career goals at the right job, knowing you can recover from losing a large sum of money, or even having a strong belief that you can survive a major injury or disease. For 2009, I wish you all the belief that you need to overcome the fear, unknown, and doubt that can creep into our head at times.

Belief can also be passed from person to person. Those who accomplish successes in life have often done so because someone believed in them. Parents believe their child can learn to ride a bike, mentors inspire future entreprenuers to start businesses, and artists show us how to view the world or feel an emotion in a whole new way. For 2009, I wish that you fully experience the joy of believing in someone else who needs you to believe in them.

Happy 2009 – I wish you belief.

wicked beatbox

adam — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 01:57:55 +0000

dave’s demo

adam — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 19:12:01 +0000

This is a demo for dave.

writing equals emotion

adam — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:25:00 +0000

Recently, I’ve become more fascinated by writing than I may have ever been in my life…maybe I should say “communications” which includes writing as well. The quote below caught my mind and the related picture caught my eye.

From this article:

“Everyone ultimately buys for emotional reasons and then makes every attempt to justify it with logic. It’s simple…

Everyone wants to be right. No one likes being wrong, or being perceived as being wrong.

If you want to accomplish this feat you must appeal to emotions. Fear, greed, anger, flattery, exclusiveness, salvation, lust, desire for love.”

Hello World!

adam — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 13:47:29 +0000

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Yay! I like hello world…tis always fun!