Jay Yoo

Cleveland: Cheap and Easy

Sun, 20 May 2012 11:43:00 -0400

Having some fun throwing together a video on this. Whether you like the idea or not, it’s honest.

From a call I made into WCPN last September:

Based on ease of transportation an low cost of living, it was suggested the marketing slogan could be, “Northeast Ohio: We’re Cheap and Easy.” Hey, why not?

The laugh of the day was provided by caller Jay in Lyndhurst who first suggested that one benefit to living in Northeast Ohio was that it’s “cheap and easy.” Wonder whether the folks at Positively Cleveland will jump on that one: “Come to Cleveland, We’re Cheap and Easy!”

He also noted, “One of the reasons I love living here is it’s close to Lake …Michigan.”

Don’t we have our own Great Lake?

“We can say we’ve got our own lake, but there’s a better one up there,” he replied.

You can lead a Clevelander to water, but you can’t make him appreciate it.

Hah!

Via Cleveland.com

MSNBC: 'Computer nerds and freaks:' Germany's Pirate Party rides wave of popularity

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:36:00 -0400

Der Spiegel’s article portrayed the Pirates as ”a party of computer nerds and freaks, a party of political neophytes, electrifying a large share of German citizens.”

I do not know everything the Pirate Party stands for, but their effort is rather refreshing.

Via MSNBC

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

Thu, 10 May 2012 23:42:47 -0400

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

Reminiscing working and jamming @beastieboys. Somewhere in...

Thu, 10 May 2012 23:35:38 -0400

Reminiscing working and jamming @beastieboys. Somewhere in Japan. Lunchtime fun. WTF - Who is that freaking Suit?

Central Park NYC

Thu, 03 May 2012 10:00:04 -0400

Central Park NYC

Trinity Wall Street NYC

Wed, 02 May 2012 21:51:26 -0400

Trinity Wall Street NYC

The Sphere: Battery Park NYC

Wed, 02 May 2012 20:10:24 -0400

The Sphere: Battery Park NYC

Strange, beautiful stainless steel object at American Natural...

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 09:49:00 -0400

Strange, beautiful stainless steel object at American Natural History Museum NYC. Taken with instagram

Flamingo Heaven

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:25:00 -0400

Flamingo Heaven

McLemore Consulting Associates Inc.: Odd Combinations?

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:11:34 -0400

McLemore Consulting Associates Inc.: Odd Combinations?:

mclemoreconsulting:

Odd combinations, unlikely groupings are always worth exploring. Yes, I said always. It is always worth looking beyond the typical groupings (ideas, people, products) to consider the “what ifs”. The dynamics of organizational and community life are so fluid that I believe we have to push beyond…

Toast with Avocado and Ginger: I love Japanese style breakfast...

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 01:59:00 -0400

Toast with Avocado and Ginger: I love Japanese style breakfast (tsukemono, salmon, rice and miso soup). Here is a simple dish to satisfy your craving for Japanese food in the morning if you are pressed for time.

Ingredients:

Toasted Bread (I used a Bauernbrot Natural Sour Dough)
1/2 an Avocado
Cream Cheese
Fresh Ginger and Soy Sauce.

Directions:

Toast bread.
Cut avocado into 1/4” slices.
Spread cream cheese on toast.
Add avocado.
Top with grated ginger and soy sauce to taste.

美味しいよ！

Cleveland, OH: Builders

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:19:00 -0400

Cleveland, OH: Builders

Educating the Next Steve Jobs. Seriously?

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 11:21:00 -0400

The WSJ is up to it again featuring articles on the institutionalization of innovation (and creativity).

In most high-school and college classes, failure is penalized. But without trial and error, there is no innovation.

I certainly applaud the effort being put forth by certain schools to try and teach kids innovation (learning via failure), but think these rudimentary mechanics can be easily picked up at any time in life. Schools should really stick to teaching fundamentals (math, reading, writing, health and the arts) rather than trying to educate the next “Steve Jobs.”

Creating some kind of quasi-Entrepreneur/Innovation program put together by people who they themselves have never started a business is crazy thinking. Besides, you cannot educate the next Steve Jobs; he/she needs to be curious enough to search and create beyond education.

Steve Jobs did not learn innovation in a school; he freely exposed himself to many diverse experiences (Zen Buddhism, Vegetarianism, The Whole Earth Catalog, Technology, The Arts, etc.) that were out of mainstream learning (counter culture). He did not accept the rules as they were written and brought culture (Humanities) into the geek world of technology. Steve Jobs was insanely curious about the world (had a beginner’s mind) and “had more dots to connect.” Being curious is one of the things that allowed him to be an innovator.

A lot of people in our industry haven’t had very diverse experiences. So they don’t have enough dots to connect, and they end up with very linear solutions without a broad perspective on the problem. The broader one’s understanding of the human experience, the better design we will have. - Steve Jobs

Ironically, the WSJ article does not mention curiosity once? This I find to be disturbing and fundamentally flawed in any attempt to try and teach innovation. Why do most kids start out being curious in kindergarden and go on to loose it as they progress through middle school, high school and college?

The endeavor of every school should be to keep kids curious and to figure out why they stop (asking questions), rather than trying to teach them innovation or how to be like Steve Jobs. Also, not every kid is going to be an innovator. This is a big and messy undertaking. Being an innovator means you have to be willing to break rules and not follow directions. Not every kid is wired like this so it is fruitless to push it on them. Isn’t being curious enough for building a good foundation from which some kids can eventually explore becoming innovators and for all of them to be positive, truth seeking contributors to society?

Sure the article stresses learning from failure and this is a good thing in concept. That said, I sure wish they would stress the importance of being curious by engaging them in many different experiences as opposed to trying to “measure their innovative skills.” I mean how do you measure curiosity and being a rule breaker?

What is most salient about the article is that it stresses the importance of parents being involved in the process of their kids becoming innovators:

…what the parents of future innovators do matters enormously. My interviews with parents of today’s innovators revealed some fascinating patterns. They valued having their children pursue a genuine passion above their getting straight As, and they talked about the importance of “giving back.” As their children matured, they also encouraged them to take risks and learn from mistakes. There is much that all of us stand to learn from them.

Honestly, the greatest example a parent can be to future innovators is for they themselves to simply be curious. Boy, wouldn’t this be great!

Schools, please stay focused on educating our kids and help them to simply be curious. Let them be themselves rather than being Steve Jobs. America will be waiting to forgive them for their great failures and flameouts and will certainly reward them for their breakthroughs!

What is the cost of failure in Silicon Valley? Go to 5:25.

Struggling to launch a new brand (Art vs. Business).

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 21:00:00 -0400

This is quite a conundrum. The brand name I want to launch, when read literally, can mean certain parts of the male and female anatomy. When used in a machine shop or with engineers, they are common industry terms for pieces and parts. The artist in ‘Jay’ wants to just go for it. It is a full expression of a particular ideal for the world I want for others (be Independent). Then there is this ironic pull back from the business side of ‘Jay’ that stems from learning to be cautious and pragmatic around doing something that could/should be accepted by the masses.

On this one, most everything checks off:

My wife is crazy about the idea!
When I show the logo to most young people (30 and under), they laugh and want to wear it (like on the front of a shirt blown up for the world).
You never (I mean never) will forget the name.
It’s original.

So I struggle. I struggle because, when I ask people if they would wear it to work, they say “only if no one else can see the logo.” Also, it is just too easy for it to be misinterpreted from the spoken word unless your are a mechanic, machinist or engineer. In other words, people could wear it for flare rather than what it really stands for (Independence). Lastly, it just might turn some current customer off.

Going with the gut on this one is complex: Art vs. Business. I am pretty tired of business as usual…

Jay

The more social an Entrepreneur is the more creative they are. I...

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:36:00 -0400

The more social an Entrepreneur is the more creative they are. I was not too crazy about Jonah’s article in the WSJ, but really like his points in this video.

©Jay Yoo All Rights Reserved

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 10:25:00 -0400

Cleveland RTA: Difficult, Rude and Weird: Okay, so as I was...

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 19:57:00 -0400

Cleveland RTA: Difficult, Rude and Weird:

Okay, so as I was entering my RTA ride home and asked why there are no signs on the train indicating it is the Green Line. I was met with immediate grumblings from a long time and proud Cleveland resident who was not at all shy about her dissatisfaction with RTA service.

In the spirit of the Cleveland International Film Festival, I only need a day doing a documentary on the RTA to show how dissatisfied many other customers are with the experience. Come on Cleveland, you can do better than this. Keep it easy.

Who really is bankrupting America?

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 22:17:10 -0400

I am watching Rubio on Hannity and am simply bewildered by their claim that Obama and his policies are going to bring America’s 100 year greatness streak to an end.

The one thing that immediately comes to mind is Al Sharpton’s “blueberry pie” commercial that runs on MSNBC. If you do not know it, Google it. The premise of the commercial suggests that anyone with blueberry on their face is guilty of getting this country in the mess it is in.

Republicans are the ones who ate the pie in Al’s opinion.

It all goes back to a 2004 conversation two passengers on a plane from San Francisco had next to me about George “W” Bush’s run for a second term.

One passenger (P1) was a trustee of Case Western Reserve University flying back for a board meeting. The other (P2) was a young man in his 20s, who maybe was in college? All I remember is that he was not on a career path and searching.

With two people so close, it was hard not to eves drop.

The conversation was spirited and P1 was really pressing the young man on who he was going to vote for. P2 did not know and was met with something
to the effect of:

“You can’t vote for someone who is waging a war your grand kids will have to pay for.”

That sums it all up for me. War is what made us an indebted nation. That’s what my kids will be paying for.

War.

The Art of War: There sure is some wisdom in there.

Blogged from my iPhone. Sorry for typos and no back links.

Spring is knocking.

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:23:18 -0400

Spring is knocking.

Be Creative vs. Doing Creative Things

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 12:06:00 -0400

How great it is that the business world is placing so much more importance on creativity and innovation, which have been creeping to the forefront of business priorities over the past decade (even more so since the passing of Steve Jobs).

At first I thought this was going to be a great article in the WSJ by Jonah Lehrer on “How to be Creative,” but never found the golden nugget. While it offers meaningful quotes from cultural icons like Einstein and Yo-Yo Ma, the cursory advice provided on how to connect ideas that manifest into “A-ha!” moments have been promoted by the likes of Tom Kelley, Guy Kawasaki and James Web Young for some time now. Unfortunately, I didn’t come away with any new insights on how to be creative:

Don’t rely on experts.
Relax (maybe have a beer).
Cross pollinate.
Have a beginner’s mind.
Etc.

It does sound a bit like Fast Company or Business 2.0 circa 2002. Perhaps I have been reading too much of this stuff over the years and this article is meant to be a bridge for creativity to go mainstream?

He hints at how hard pushing creativity and thinking differently can be with the inevitable and often times grueling process of trial and error (failure). It can feel like “wasted time” with no measurable progress being made.

As Einstein once declared, “Creativity is the residue of time wasted.”

This is where I think the article falls short on what it really means to “be creative.” Sure we all have access to it, but how do we pick ourselves up and keep being creative even in the face of failure, rejection and even sabotage?

I think some people are better at “being creative” than others. Maybe it’s because they honed their “instrument of creativity” over many years or they are just wired that way. Whichever it may be, they are able to access creativity at any time and understand that the “A-ha!” moment will eventually come if one connects enough dots. It becomes less of a surprise and more of an expectation. Importantly, it usually surfaces when meandering with reckless abandon (beginner’s mind) satisfies the subconscious and one forgets about it for a while. Then, like it fell from the sky, A-ha! It just takes a lot of practice and persistence.

Through the process of creativity, there is always the need to overcome the naysayers, frustration and personal apathy (do to rejection and failure). Ultimately it is the “quality of one’s being” that allows you to let go, ignore rejection and persevere for no logical reason. This is what differentiates “being creative” and “doing creative things;” what it takes to stick with it. Anyone can do creative things, but can they always tap into their creativity? The answer is yes, but it depends on their quality of being.

What I do like about the article is that the author promotes the fact that we all have access to creativity and he does a good job dispelling the myth that it is only for the “chosen ones.” However, being creative takes a lot of work in the world and on oneself, which is never investigated with as much fervor as the need to “do more creative things.”

What is the “quality of one’s being?” Perhaps being creative requires the same qualities as always being humble.