Business Lessons from sucessful entrepreneurs and business leaders: LunchLearning.com

Reading time: 4 - 6 minutes

Total Video Time: 34 minutes 35 seconds and 44 minutes 29 seconds

Wrapping up this week with a return to technological changes, we’re looking at a movement that has steadily gained momentum over the last few years. Open source software, or publicly developed software, is something that is having a degree of impact on today’s computing that has not been seen yet. Programs like Firefox, the second most commonly used web browser, and the operating systems on many netbooks are open source. This subject is also particularly timely as yesterday heralded a rather significant milestone: the official release of Windows 7.

Robert S. Sutor, the vice-president of Open Source and Linux at IBM and is speaking on innovations, impact, and the sheer importance of the concept of open.
. Sutor has also been named one of Open Source’s VIPs by Computer Business Review for working with people to explain the values of open source and spur adoption in business environments.

The first conflict has its roots in ideology, but has a very real impact on the way any project is managed and developed: and that is simply: what is “open?” Sutor proposes that for something to be truly open, it must be developed transparently and with unrestricted participation from the public. Even more fundamentally, is the question of who is leading the project, and for what reasons are they an authoritative figure? While these might seem like fundamentals obvious in a business environment, with open source projects, they are vital to consider.

In addition to Robert Sutor, we’ll also be taking a look at a panel from LinuxCon 2009 (@linuxfoundation on Twitter) involving a number of specialists in the field including, Noah Broadwater, Anthony Roby, David Buckholtz (@dbuckho on Twitter) and Jeffery Hammond (@jhammond on Twitter) who discuss the impact of open source in business. For those of you short on time and more interested in open source as a part of business strategy, skip directly to the second video.

It is also worth noting that mature open source is not merely a stand-in for a commercial solution. In many cases, such as with Apache HTTP Server, it has become the de facto standard. To illustrate this, the panel discusses how, in many cases, open source is like much like our perception of a Honda vehicle:while it may lack the fancy features of a Cadillac, it’s just as reliable — and far cheaper. The advantages of open source are not just in ideology, but in how they benefit business — particularly small and medium businesses. I hope this was an enjoyable, educational and thought-provoking week! Remember to always think about what the world was like and there things are headed since you’re going to be living in that upcoming world very shortly—and your actions today, will determine your success then.

Think of the past, envision the future!

Thanks for joining LunchLearning.com today! Enjoy your Lunch!

Reading time: 3 - 4 minutes

Total Video Time: 39 minutes 29 seconds

Escape is a fantasy that the vast majority of people share. Virtual worlds have, to a limited extent, allowed that dream to come true. frog design’s Chief Creative Officer, Mark Rolston, speaks on the future of technology with the blurring of reality and virtual environments. Even today, we’re already feeling the effects of an increased virtual presence, but augmented reality is yet to come.

Rolston’s talk at eComm, the Emerging Communications Conference, centers on the rapidly increasing value of the individual’s “second life”. A term largely inspired by the virtual world Second Life, its grown to encompass the virtual persona that every person online develops. While, today, the worlds are fairly distinct, the lines are being crossed.

Shrinking devices with increased capabilities are allowing individuals to experience both worlds simultaneously in ways that could hardly be imagined even several years ago. Phones can create public records of our daily lives that can be played back at will, forming a communal memory. But even more than just an abstract layer above our real lives, Rolston shows how they can be incorporated into a part of our daily lives.

In one vivid example, on the border of what is possible today, he shows an individual with a portable computer, projector, camera, and various minor sensors taking photographs with a movement of his hand and receiving book reviews simply by studying its cover. All of this, he is careful to note, is well within the boundaries of what can be done today.

Individuals, as well as companies, are free to leave their mark in these meta-worlds that cross boundaries. People like to leave their mark and, if Google Maps is any indication, people will tag places with ideas or comments wherever they go. However, this is a world that is still in its infancy and whether or not it becomes a turning point
depends on how readily people will accept and utilize its capabilities.

Think of the past, envision the future!

Reading time: 4 - 6 minutes

Total Video Time: 29 minutes 26 seconds

Dr. Werner Vogels (@Werner on Twitter) is the Chief Technology Officer of Amazon.com and one of the key drivers of innovation within the company. As a result of his experience developing Amazon’s systems, he is regarded as one of the world’s foremost experts on scalable systems. With the natural expansion of these systems being “Cloud Computing,” it’s no wonder Dr. Vogels is an expert in this area as well.

What is “cloud computing” though? The term is still being defined, yet one doesn’t have to look too far from scalable systems to see the common elements. For example, instead of having immense databases and records administered locally, cloud computing seeks to shift everything you’ll allow it to, to a distant server maintained by another party—”the cloud.” Systems no longer have to be designed for peak capacity or go obsolete in several years time. Many of the limitations that were once inherent in operating computers are lifted. It is the transformation from computer capacity being a finite commodity to an infinitely available utility.

Vogels begins with a brief exploration of what cloud computing is to him and Amazon and what is capable within the cloud, moving on to note that the true beauty of the cloud infrastructure is that the people using the systems, not the designers, are the ones pushing the limit and developing new and innovative uses.

The wonder of cloud computing is that it has the potential to transform many industries not only from within, but by outside influence as well. OnLive (@OnLiveGames on Twitter) is a recently established company founded by Steve Perlman to allow entry-level computers to run the latest games at top quality. The secret is in utilizing processing power elsewhere and simply streaming the resultant video to your computer. Taken to the extreme, this results in the ultimate thin clients: computers that do nothing but go online, accessing content elsewhere.

No new technology is not without its drawbacks though! Frank Gillett, vice-president and principal analyst of Forrester Research cautions us that due to the incredible potential of cloud computing, the hype is overblown right now. The changes that will be brought about are very real, but it is important to view things with a judicial eye and not be drawn in by the new buzzword.

Think of the past, envision the future!

Reading time: 3 - 4 minutes

Video Time: 24 minutes 55 seconds

Hello, my name is Alan Chang and if you’ve followed us before, you’ll know that we here at LunchLearning explore a different theme every week and if you haven’t—we do. This week, we’ll be looking at paradigm shifts that have transformed entire industries as well as newborn technologies and platforms that have the potential to bring about change yet haven’t quite matured and reached their full potential yet.

Nikesh Arora (@nikesharora on Twitter), one of the presidents of Google and responsible for strengthening their core business, discusses the gap in technology usage between generations. In addition to giving Google the focus they had lost when they grew, he was a critical piece of the puzzle for a number of other businesses, such as T-Mobile, whose industries had changed dramatically through the years.

Changes in the market are obvious in hindsight, but the secret to their importance, and success in their utilization, is to understand what is a revolutionary product and what isn’t. Mobile phones were once considered an elite product, with only the richest and most important people owning them. Similarly, until recently, as Brandon Shook explored last week, games were considered best for targeting children. Things have changed.

Social networks are rapidly increasing in prominence, visibility as well as importance. However, knowing that something is going to become the standard is not enough. Being able to determine exactly who the winner will be even a few years in advance can make a tremendous difference. Just as the landscape of the internet was different ten years ago, it will be something entirely different in ten more years. Taking steps to capitalize on these changes will strengthen your position.

Within this video, Nikesh Arora briefly considers a variety of areas ranging from viral marketing and interacting with customers to company reach and market research. All of these things, and more, have changed throughout the years and will continue to. Equally important, each of these can be directly attributed to the success of failure of a company. Somebody has to succeed, so why not you?

Think of the past, envision the future!

Reading time: 2 - 4 minutes

Video Time: 19 minutes 30 seconds

Well this is it for me, its been great sharing with you this week. I want to end my series with a look towards the FUTURE. In today’s video Jane McGonigal (@avantgame on Twitter), and a researcher at the Institute for the Future, talks about how the social aspects of online gaming can be transposed onto the real world. She believes that the social networks in online games which allow players to effectively communicate to one another will eventually become the foundation for how we will use technology in the future. As an example Jane’s social game World Without Oil shows how people can effectively create multiple solutions to a large problem in a short period of time. Her game also demonstrates how people can use new technology to creatively solve problems when given the right means to achieve a goal.

New technology helps create better products and helps small businesses advertise in inexpensive ways. Technology like Google, Facebook and Twitter give entrepreneurs the resources to target specific consumers and streamline marketing. What might sound silly now, like making the real world mirror video games, might be as normal as checking an e-mail in the future. Technology and business go hand and hand and the partnership between these two economic giants help drive change. I picked this video to remind you that technology is your friend so play nice. I hope you enjoy it!

Happy Learning and Game On!

Reading time: 4 - 6 minutes

Total Video Time: 28 minutes 20 seconds

Today I want to switch things up a bit and present a person who used savvy business skills to turn her dream into a reality. That person is Felicia Day and If you’ve ever played an online RPG or if you know which color kryptonite makes Superman go crazy then you probably already know who I’m talking about. If you you’re asking, “What do rocket propelled grenades have to do with video games?” or “There’s more than one color of kryptonite?” that’s OK, let me explain my point. Felicia has done a fantastic job of marketing her popular web series The Guild to a niche group of…well, for a lack of a better term, nerds. The Guild is a show about six online gamers who must band together online and offline to help keep each other out of trouble. Whether she knows it or not, Felicia used smart business sense to create a show that caters to the needs of her niche. Here are just a few ways Felicia turned her zeal for online games into a successful business venture.

1. Passion - This is the most important part of making a business successful. As you watch as she explains the origins of The Guild, it’s easy to see that Felicia truly loves her craft.
2. Customer Service (the fans) - Felicia knows who her fan base is and knows what they want. In the video she describes how using a web series format was perfect for reaching her target audience. Even the interview at BlizzCon, a huge gaming convention, shows that she knows which events are important for circulating information to her fans.
3. Realistic - She works within her budget and doesn’t try to spread her self too thin when it comes to costs. In the interview, she discusses how she filmed in her house to minimize the overhead.
4. Growth - Felicia has a successful show on her hands and she knows that if she wants to grow her brand she needs to expand her footprint. Her cross platform content like The Guild comic book and The Guild music video insures that her brand will stay fresh and appealing to her current fans and attract new ones.

For those of you not familiar with how the gaming industry works some of the video’s content might be hard to understand. Don’t focus so much on the specifics, but focus on the big ideas; like the energy and drive it took to create a show from scratch or how Felicia answers every question with enthusiasm indicating her love for the subject matter. I hope this video will inspire new entrepreneurs and perhaps invigorate old ones to follow their passions.

Happy learning and Game On!

Reading time: 3 - 5 minutes

Video Time: 38 minutes 6 seconds

Today, I want to focus on Sid Meier, the Director of Creative Development for Firaxis Games. Sid realized the potential video games have for teaching and capitalized on it. In the video Sid presents Civilization, a game he helped create, as an example of how games can be used to educate. In Civilization the player jumps into the role of all powerful leader and gets to decide how he or she wants to build a society. You start the game as a small settler town, but by the end of the game you could be colonizing space. As your society grows throughout the ages, you begin to compete for resources from neighboring nations. How you choose to interact with these nations determines whether you’re an enlightened pacifist society, a war mongering nation, or anything in between. The game essentially becomes a giant economic and history lesson that lets you see if you have what it takes to create an empire that can withstand the test of time.

Sid presents how he took his video games from just being pure entertainment to a rewarding learning experience. He begins his lecture by stating that people don’t like to be taught, but they like learning. Sounds like a contradiction, right? Well, he’s right in the sense that people are not always receptive to being told what to do or how to do it. Sometimes the best way to learn is to do it for yourself and video games give the player the opportunity to do just that. When something, like history, can’t tangibly be manipulated video games can be an excellent learning tool. Sid talks about the importance of choice when it comes to cultivating a desire to learn. Everyone learns differently and Sid shows how presenting information in various ways allows people find a learning style best suited for them. He also believes that to engage an audience, the mode in which the information is presented should be entertaining. No one is going to learn anything if they’re not paying attention.

So how is this relevant to the business world and not just students? It’s easy if you think of it in terms of on the job training. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had my fair share of training meetings where the trainer droned on and on about a topic and the only thing I learned was that I could draw a really cool fire breathing dinosaur. The techniques Sid uses to create a more rewarding educational experience for his gaming audience can be applied to creating more effective and dynamic training sessions.

Training doesn’t necessarily have to involve a video game. Training can take the fundamental aspects of learning that Sid mentions and use them to present the information in a way that is appealing to the audience, creates an interactive environment, and allows the trainees to learn at their own pace. I hope you enjoy the presentation.

Happy learning and Game On!

Reading time: 4 - 6 minutes

Video Time: 45 minutes 27 seconds

NOTE: To watch the full program, you’ve got to unfortunately click on “View Full Program” to the right of the volume control in the video. It seems like they’ve got their codes mixed up a bit.

It’s my turn to take control of the entrepreneurship stories for a week and I’m going to talk about what’s near and dear to my heart and that is video games. Now you might be thinking, “Video games? Those things are for kids.” Yes, some video games are geared towards kids, but researchers at Pew Internet & American Life Project report in their study, Adults and Video Games that a whopping 53% of adults and 97% of teens play video games. Combine that data with the increasing popularity of video games in today’s pop culture and it’s easy to see that video games, if done correctly, can be an effective tool for entrepreneurs. In my series entitled, Gaming to Success, I will highlight how video games can inspire individuals to reach their life’s goal.

We kick things off with a look at video game journalists and the struggles they face when reporting the news. The journalists on this panel consist of N’Gai Croal (@ncroal on Twitter), General Editor of Newsweek; Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley on Twitter), executive producer of GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley; Seth Schiesel, reporter for the New York Times; Mike Snider (@MikeSnider on Twitter) reporter for USA Today; and Ted Price, President and CEO of Insomniac Games, as moderator. Now the reason I listed off their names with their positions was to make a point. These guys aren’t sweaty pimply nerds living in the basement of their parent’s homes wasting their lives away. No, these are prominent figures in their respective fields of gaming and journalism.

One of the main topics that bounced around during their session was the stereotyping of people who play video games. Seth made a great point when he said people who play video games are labeled as gamers, but people who watch TV are just regular people, they’re not called TV watchers. The idea that people who play games are somehow different or need to be set apart from mainstream culture is what perpetuates the negative connotation of gaming. Up until I watched this video, I called myself a gamer and now I feel kind of stupid knowing that every time I used that term I helped perpetuate aspects of the stereotype.

The panel agreed that an increasing number of people want more information about video games. Their readers want to know what to expect when they buy a game or want to know how the gaming industry affects today’s culture. I could talk on and on about the subject, but I’m going let the video talk for itself. Here are some key points that I found most interesting or relevant to entrepreneurs:

1. Defining the role of a video game journalist, do they just review games or can they do more?
2. The stigma surrounding gaming and redefining the term gaming.
3. The interaction between gaming culture with mainstream culture.
4. How the Internet is changing the face of journalism.
5. Job stability in a constantly changing job field.
6. Video games as its own separate media
7. The surprising popularity of video games.
8. Lessons in marketing, market penetration and word-of-mouth-marketing

Hope you enjoy this weeks series. Happy learning and Game On!

Reading time: 3 - 4 minutes

Video Time: 20 minutes 17 seconds

Today’s video is continuing off yesterday’s theme with Burt Rutan, a distinguished aerospace engineer. He is maybe best known for designing the Rutan Voyager, which was the first aircraft to fly nonstop around the world, co-piloted by Jeana Yeager and mr. Rutan. He was also the winner of the Ansari X Prize in 2004. If you missed yesterday’s video, the X Prize Foundation is a nonprofit institution that organizes competitions which aim to promote innovation and entrepreneurship. The Ansari X Prize offered $10,000,000 for the first private organization that could create a spacecraft able to be launched into space twice in two weeks.

In this intelligent and intriguing video, Rutan asserts that we’ve let ourselves slide backwards in space travel development. He passionately argues that we once again need to make innovations in space flight a top priority, and that this needs to happen in the private sector. Rutan discusses the renaissance of aviation that started with the Wright brothers in 1908. All done through trial and error and continuous attempts over many years, we were eventually able to make flying safe and efficient. Rutan points out that we haven’t done this in space flying; it has not been researched in this manner at all.

Rutan wants to see private business become involved in space flying, in fact, he believes that it’s necessary for space flight innovation. He wants to have what he calls a “capitalist space race.” Rutan explains how there is already investment around the world in private space flight industries, and he believes that space flight will flourish without the help of tax dollars. He continually asserts throughout the lecture the importance of innovation coming from private businesses, and sincerely believes that the business world cannot only develop this industry, but can do it the right way. He encourages entrepreneurs and business people across the nation to embrace the space flight industry.

So, enjoy this quick but intelligent talk, and just imagine the possibilities!

To read more about space exploration and the X-Prize, you can read our other lunch learning post about Peter Diamandis and the X Prize Foundation.

Reading time: 4 - 6 minutes

Video Time: 55 minutes 17 seconds

Peter Diamandis (@PeterDiamandis on Twitter) is the founder and chairman of the X Prize Foundation, which is a nonprofit institution that organizes public competitions aimed at promoting innovation and entrepreneurship. In this lecture, Diamandis speaks at MIT about technological change and the power that we have to enact that change. One of the most prevalent themes of the lecture is space exploration, and Diamandis asserts it is something we need to make a priority if we want to see scientific progress. As Diamandis touches on the history of space exploration and our first attempt to the moon, he declares that the reason we were able to achieve this goal was due to the belief that anything is possible. He states enthusiastically throughout the lecture that this belief is absolutely necessary for invention.
Diamandis explains in detail the Ansari X Prize, which was a competition that offered $10,000,000 to the first private organization that could build a reusable spacecraft and launch it twice in two weeks. The prize was won in 2004 by the team Tier One, with a spacecraft designed by Burt Rutan (Link is to a TEDtalk) called SpaceShipOne. Diamandis plays a video for the audience that highlights the journey of those involved in the Ansari X Prize. It’s incredibly inspirational, and depicts all the work, thought, and innovation that was stimulated by the project across the globe.
Diamandis explains the foundation’s new efforts towards promoting business and technology, and the goals of the foundation to continue to spur radical discoveries and breakthroughs in science. Diamindis explains that the X Prize Foundation is about inspiring humankind and “creating heroes.” He states that by putting a prize out there, it encourages people to believe that a solution or an invention is possible.
Diamandis describes how new prizes are being offered by both his foundation and by NASA, and that these could bring about “private races to the moon.” He continually emphasizes the importance of creating new industries, and discusses future X Prize possibilities in things like genetics, environment, energy, and education. He urges us to challenge ourselves and to take on “crazy ideas,” and calls on entrepreneurs to take those risks that are necessary for breakthroughs and radical change. He stresses the importance of promoting people to compete, and using this competition to make the world a better place. At on point in the lecture Diamandis asks the audience who thinks that in their lifetime they will have the chance to go to space, pretty much everyone raises their hands, and Diamandis declares that this is what’s most important; the belief is what makes things happen.
In 2007, the X Prize Foundation organized the Google Lunar Prize (@glxp on Twitter), which is still up for grabs. It’s another space exploration competition, and the goal is for a private organization to travel to, land on, and explore the surface of the moon. For more information on the X Prize Foundation, check out their website at www.xprize.org.
Enjoy, and happy learning!