Texas welcome

It's now been 2 months since we moved to Austin, Texas, after having spent the last 3 years in Ireland, and Norther California before that.
Between the move itself, ramping up on new role at work, back to school and all that, we haven't had much time to discover our new city. But we have had time to form an opinion, and so far we're delighted. Everyone we've run across here has been friendly, helpful, welcoming. The schools are great, make smart use of technology at the benefit of kids and parents, teachers and administrators alike are very approachable. The city itself is quite 'user friendly', striking a good balance between access and convenience with charm and personality. The 'Keep Austin Weird' mantra and surrounding quirkiness speaks for itself!

There is a vibrant cultural and dining scene here we want to start exploring more actively, as well as many opportunities for outdoor fun. All in all, early days still but so far we couldn't be happier.

Musings on a day out at Schlitterbahn's

I can't believe I'm going to be a dad to a teenage girl in 2 days. And yet it doesn't feel nearly as scary as I thought it might. Now high school and boys and all that, that's a different story. Maybe by the time it comes around it'll feel less scary. I guess we do a lot of growing up right alongside our kids

For right now, I'm enjoying beautiful Fall weather at the Schlitterbahn water park with our nearly teenager and 3 of her friends. This is what she wanted to do for her birthday, and I think that's great!

(Post emailed from Blackberry)

In memoriam

Today is a very sad day. Our family dog passed away. Those of you who have been fortunate to truly love a dog will know exactly how I feel. Others may not, and that's ok. It is often said your dog will be happy to see you even when nobody else is, will love you when no one else will, etc... But it's so much more than that. Your dog can be like your best friend, like your child, who looks after you and protects you, yet who is completely dependent on you and trusts you blindly to care for her.

Our dog Smokey was the kindest, most gentle soul I've ever known. She was imposing (70kgs or 155lbs) and very powerful, yet very docile and delicate. The ultimate teddy bear, who would truly return a good hug.



I will miss her more than I can say, and am not sure I still fully realize the depth of the void her departure has created. Every single person who ever met her instantly sensed how special she was. She touched many people, she had an unlimited amount of love and kindness to share.



Although never aggressive, Smokey was very protective of us, our true guardian... and now guardian angel.

I could go on and on, but will simply end by wishing with all my heart that we could be so lucky once again to have another dog as remarkable as Smokey was, and wishing to all of you to be touched by the kind of angel Smokey was for us.

You will always live in our hearts Smokey, and we miss you terribly already.

How to win (and lose) elections

It is often said that the top athletes aren't necessarily those with the most talent or ability, but rather those with the most commitment, discipline and focus.

Or that the most successful products aren't necessarily the best in their class, but those that are best positioned relative to their target market.

Many people still wonder how George W. Bush could get re-elected in 2004. As a marketer, I believe he was the lesser of 2 competing products (John Kerry was the other), but Bush benefited from a much smarter and more effective marketing campaign. And frankly the Democrats could have come up with a better product to start with, Kerry was less than inspiring.

As I watch the Democratic side play out their self-absorbed soap-opera in this campaign, I can't help but think we're going to watch history repeat itself. This time they have strong candidates, but they're busy being 'right', and exceedingly pleased at the sound of their own voices. In the meantime they are degrading the brand value of their product and failing to address the fundamental needs of their customers.

Whoever gets the Democratic nod for November is likely to win the 'blue' states John Kerry and Al Gore had already won in the last 2 elections. But to win the 'red' states and their electoral votes that got Bush re-elected in 2004, they're going to need focus and a motivated electorate. Two things that are less and less likely as long as they keep washing their dirty laundry in public...

Fuel costs and the cost of inaction

I read a provocative article on Slate entitled 'Four-dollar-per-gallon gas is cheap!'. The key argument is that the price of gas at the pump today is not exceedingly high compared to where it was on a inflation-adjusted basis decades ago, when it fact a finite supply and ever increasing demand should have pushed it higher already.

I think the argument that inflation-adjusted price should have gone up is overlooking the fact that many things we buy today have benefited from improvements in technology, productivity, distribution, etc... But I do find his comparison of fuel cost as a declining % of total cost of car ownership a good one.

Ross Perot many years ago had argued for a $0.50 per gallon gas tax. Unfortunately I am afraid not enough people in Washington would have the courage to see something like this through. But imagine if such a measure earmarked all its funds to modernize public transport systems and infrastructures nationwide: Urban light-rail, high-speed intercity trains, electric bus fleets...

It is often said that Americans are addicted to cheap oil. Very much like many Europeans are addicted to overly generous - and costly - social entitlements. In both cases, the question is who bears more responsibility: The addict, or the 'dealers' who created and are since feeding the addiction?

These 'dealers' oversaw decades of lack of urban planning, resulting in suburban sprawl, with no viable public transit options in most cases. Decades of subsidizing cheap gas while failing to challenge automakers to higher fuel efficiency (A Land-Rover Discovery in the US has a 4.4L V8 engine, the same car in Europe has a 2.7L V6 -- why not offer that in US?). And so on...

Whatever way forward is not simple or short-term. We need leaders with the integrity, conviction and resolve not to settle for less. And in the meantime many working class families, pushed to the outer edges of suburbia by high real-estate costs (we see this in Dublin as well), will bear the most pain as they see their disposable income significantly impacted by rising prices at the pump...

Watered down Eurovision

We watched the Eurovision song contest last night. An American colleague of mine who recently moved to Europe explained it to friends back in the US as a cross between Miss Universe, American Idol and the Olympics. Pretty accurate actually!

We were quite disappointed to see how many countries chose to sing in English. Eurovision is about showcasing your country and your culture, and it is really neat to hear how so many languages sound quite good when sung. But these were exceptions last night. Finland's metal act was great, Spain's quirky 'Baila Chiqui Chiqui' was among my favourites.

Even more disappointing frankly was to see larger countries sing in English, like France, Germany, Greece, Ukraine, Russia (the winner). The Greek singer (she was quite good) actually lives in New York! As my wife Beth pointed out, these acts are looking beyond the Eurovision and aiming to reach a broader commercial audience. And I'll concede that the best way to make money in the music business is not to sing in German or Russian or French.

So be it... It was a good time nonetheless, with the inevitable weird acts (Latvia's pirates, Azerbaijan's Devil and Angels) and downright freaky (what was up with the Swedish singer? Obvious case of plastic surgery gone awefully wrong, she should sue!).

On to next year in Moscow, for the first time in Eurovision's 56 year history.

Is what is taught in schools useful?

I'll start by saying it upfront, I am biased on this topic. Much of what has made me successful in my life, professionally and personally, I did not learn in an educational institution. I wonder if this is the case for most people.

In the great movie 'The Gods must be crazy', there's a fantastic line near the beginning of the movie when the narrator paints the contrast between the simple life of Bushmen in the Kalahari and 'civilized' people in the modern world. This is not literal, but the line goes something like: Men have made their modern lives so complex, their children need to spend the first 20 years of their lives learning how to survive in it.


What strikes me is that with all the time we invest in education, from primary school to secondary school to university and sometimes master's degrees and beyond, there's an awful lot of pretty important stuff we are clueless about when we start our adult lives.

I'm not talking meaning of life here, or even how to solve world hunger. I'm talking about much more practical things, like how to shop for insurance... or how a mortgage works and what different types exist... the risk and return of various ways to save for the future... why even save for the future, and when to start... How about the hows and whys of sustainable development, free trade and fair trade, corporate social responsibility and why seek to work for an employer who is serious about it... Also, what good employers really value and look for when hiring. Things like problem-solving abilities, self-reliance, creative thinking, ability to deal with ambiguity, and so on.

When I think back to my schooling, including my university studies (marketing major), much of the stuff I was taught was very academic, theoretical, conceptual. I've worked in marketing for the past 10+ years, and I can't recall even one instance when I thought: 'I learned this in college'.

I'm not saying kids shouldn't go to college. If they (or their parents) can pay for it, absolutely. It's a great buffer before having to go into the real world, and many employers will look for it on paper even if they don't necessarily expect a lot from it.

I've been volunteering an hour a week for the past few weeks in a class of 11 year-olds as part of Junior Achievement. I'm teaching a program called Our World, which is aimed at introducing under-privileged kids to the concepts of international business, how countries trade and why, etc... Very good program... Made me realize my kids don't know most of this stuff either. When I see how engaged these 11 year-olds get, how they quickly can relate the subject to events in their own lives, I wonder if we are making the best use of kids time when they're in school.

Maybe we should spend less time on ancient languages, or centuries-old literature, or science that will get covered in later years anyway, and spend more time better preparing the next generations. Preparing them to survive yes, but also to care, to want to make a difference. Teaching them not to accept the legacy of past generations (careless spending, budget deficits, bankrupt social systems, environment, inequality, poverty, ...) as a burden, but as a challenge that is theirs to solve.

Our future is truly in their hands. Their habits as consumers, their decisions as leaders, their choices with regards to fellow humans across the world, will have tremendous impact on the quality of life of future generations. Our world - their world - has changed enormously in the last 20 years. Educational systems and curiculums haven't. We must adapt what we teach and how we teach it to the world our children will live and evolve in. Are we ready to do that?