Ravenweb Blog

I was very busy in 2013 launching Date on Purpose, and unfortunately did not read as much as in past years. Still, even though I read less, I enjoyed a lot of what I read from this past year. Notable titles included Daring Greatly by Brene Brown (go watch her TED talks right now if you are unfamiliar with her), Tina Fey's Bossypants (hilarious), and  The Four-Hour Work Week  by Timothy Ferriss (an inspiring, get off your ass book). I also reread The Hunger Games trilogy and enjoyed them just as much the second time around. Happy Holidays and happy reading! Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others by Daniel H. Pink The Impact Equation: Are You Making Things Happen or Just Making Noise? by Chris Brogan and Juliet Stanwell Smith State of Wonder by Ann Patchett A Working Theory of Love by Scott Hutchins Bossypants by Tina Fey The Shift by Wayne W. Dyer Garbology: Our Dir...

I haven't blogged much this year, but not because I haven't had thoughts and ideas. I've been away for a number of reasons, but mostly because I spent a lot of my excess time this year working to launch Date on Purpose . If you haven't heard of Date on Purpose yet, this is a sustainable business that gives away half its profits to charity. To do this, Date on Purpose has brought the traditional bachelor/bachelorette auction online and provides a platform allowing users to bid on dates with eligible bachelors and bachelorettes for charity. Date on Purpose launched in my home city of Buffalo, NY. Our first online auction went live in September 2013 and the dates for that auction and launch party took place on October 18, 2013. With no major sponsors or outside investment, we were able to raise and donate $2,500 to Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo. Date on Purpose news and press Date on Purpose launch event photos My thanks to an amazing startup te...

My fellow firefighter Dan Frontera, a Veterans Service Coordinator, regularly runs in WNY races to remember those soldiers from WNY who lost their life in Iraq and Afghanistan and raise funds for a WNY Iraq / Afghanistan memorial. Thanks to Dan's efforts, the memorial is going to be a reality, and there will be a fundraiser in September. Below are the event details WNY Iraq / Afghanistan Memorial (IAM) Fundraiser September 21, 2013 3pm-9pm Harvey Morin VFW Post 965 Center Road, West Seneca, NY 14224 $25 donation per ticket For tickets, access http://www.wnyiam.org/ .

On Saturday, June 8, I participated in the Western New York (WNY) Hero Rush Obstacle Run . This is an event designed by firefighters that breaks up a traditional 4-5K race with firefighter-themed obstacles that require lifting, crawling, climbing, and more. The WNY Hero Rush course was at Chestnut Ridge Park this year and I participated with members of my fire company, Reserve Hose . Our team ran in the 343 Charity Wave, a heat dedicated to firefighters lost on 9/11, with each runner wearing a commemorative racer bib listing the name of a firefighter who lost his life. The race itself was incredibly fun -- it was muddy, messy, and tough, but a real blast and adrenalin high to run and work through all the obstacles. Beyond the athletic enjoyment, I also enjoyed the opportunity to run with my fellow firefighters. As volunteers, we don't always get to see one another that often, and it was great camaraderie to be able to participate with them. I was particularly honored to be ...

Check out my guest post about branding on 12 Most: 12 Most Critical Prerequisites of a Brand Refresh http://12most.com/2013/05/16/prerequisites-of-a-brand-refresh/

“Go to where the puck is going.” It was Sonny Ganguly ( @sonnyg ), one of the What’s Next DC speakers leading off day two and quoting hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. Sonny was extending the Great One's maxim to marketing technology in the all things digital era. Those who can best make sense of the rapid changes we’re seeing in technology and position themselves as early adopters and influencers will find themselves with the puck and a one-on-one opportunity to beat the goalie. Fortunately, for those of us in attendance at What’s Next DC and the many following along on social media, nearly all of the conference speakers shared their insight about not only current trends in digital but what's on the horizon. From Responsive Design to Responsive Content Many of the speakers commented on the continued growth of mobile and responsive design. George Alafoginis ( @GAlafoginis ) informed us that Facebook is now a “mobile-first” company, while Sami Hassanyeh ( @Hassanyeh ) of AA...

I received my advance copy of Ancient New yesterday. This is the anthology that will include my speculative fiction story "The Anachronism" -- about one of the few remaining human football players in a sport that has become dominated by stronger and faster robot players. I'm so excited that I wanted to share some images from the advance copy until the book goes on sale in a few weeks.

I really enjoyed the recent Book Riot post Guess These Famous Novels By Their Second Lines . As an SF fan, it made me wonder about famous second lines in speculative fiction. And first lines. Some searches revealed many posts of famous first lines in SF, but as I browsed I noticed many of my favorite first sentences from SF novels weren't well represented. So I decided to compile my own list as a quiz, in sincere imitation of the Book Riot quiz that inspired this effort. Like the Book Riot quiz, answers are in hidden (white) text next to the ANSWER label. Good luck! 1. The Deliverator belongs to an elite order, a hallowed sub-category. ANSWER: Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson 2. "I always get the shakes before a drop." ANSWER : Starship Trooper by Robert A. Heinlein 3. His name was Gaal Dornick and he was just a country boy who had never seen Trantor before. ANSWER: Foundation by Isaac Asimov 4. The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned...

Check out my guest post in the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle . The piece focuses on the back-story behind a business services company's brand refresh. Nextperts: Stand out from the crowd http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20130403/BUSINESS/304030009/Nextperts-Stand-out-from-crowd?nclick_check=1

I read some great books in 2012, including the hilarious Sh*t My Dad Says , Vertical (the sequel to Sideways ), two books by Sarah Vowell, the inspiring Start Something That Matters, Factotum by Charles Bukowski, The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker, the elegantly crafted Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, and the brilliantly articulated Drift by Rachel Maddow. Happy New Year and here's to more great books in 2013. Full List of Books Read in 2012 Feed by Mira Grant Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein The Brand Gap: Expanded Edition by Marty Neumeier Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern One Day by David Nicholls In the Plex by Steven Levy The House of Tomorrow by Peter Bognanni The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur by Mike Michalowicz The Blind Side by Michael Lewis How Full Is Your Bucket? by Tom Rath Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings The Coming Jobs War by Jim Clifton Unpossible and Other Stories by Dary...

On Saturday, December 1, 2012, ten women gathered in the auditorium in the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library to tell stories to over a hundred invited guests, mostly prominent women from Buffalo and Western New York. The event was TEDxBuffaloWomen , the first TEDxWomen event to be held in Buffalo and the third TEDx Buffalo event overall. I've had the amazing, good fortune to attend all three TEDx Buffalo events, and I can confidently say that the inaugural TEDxBuffaloWomen event was as good as any TEDxBuffalo event. The event was memorable because of the quality and diversity of the speakers. The women who spoke at TEDxBuffaloWomen had quite different stories, perspectives, and delivery styles, yet all were interesting and wove in the event theme of "the space between". My purpose with this post is to provide brief summaries of all the talks and links to additional information, when available. I know many people in Buffalo were very excited about this event...

I always appreciate Thanksgiving and the opportunity to give thanks for what I have in my life. This year, my list emerged differently, as I reflected on the people in my life who on the surface have negatively impacted me but ultimately made me a stronger and better person. I am thankful ... For everyone who doubted me and motivated me to double my efforts and prove them wrong For those friends who faded away and helped me realize that you always need to make new friends For those who broke my heart and showed me it's important to feel and love rather than play it safe and never take a chance For those who took without giving in return, for teaching me that true generosity means giving of yourself without expecting anything back For those who put me down, and who made me realize that -- in this world -- self-awareness and self-worth is what really matters For those organizations and groups that didn't accept me, for teaching me the importance of perseverance For thos...

I tend to think and remember through metaphor. Whenever I meet someone or hear a talk, I form comparisons, usually to books, movies, or music. I don’t do this in every case, but enough so that I’m comfortable processing information in this way. At BIF-8, it was books. For most of the storytellers, I associated their talks with novels and memoirs I’ve read. When I returned home from BIF and went through my notes, I thought the comparisons might make an interesting or at least atypical BIF-8 recap. If not, I hope they at least provide introductions to some good books and authors that are new to you. Caveat: I favor speculative fiction and the genre is well represented in the list. Carne Ross = The Mirage by Matt Ruff Carne Ross led off by BIF-8 by describing himself as a diplomat turned anarchist and expressing that he lost faith in governments to manage affairs because "the world is not a chess board - it is a Jackson Pollock painting." His story brought to mind Matt ...

Check out my guest post on Business Insider. This piece is about the technology kids who are entering kindergarten today will be using when they graduate. Here's How My Daughter Will Be Using Tech To Manage Her Career In 2025 http://www.businessinsider.com/tech-and-careers-in-2025-2012-9

Dear Kevin, You don't know me or my family, but our lives are intertwined. You see, five years ago -- on September 9, 2007 -- while you sustained a horrific neck injury in the Buffalo Bills opener against the Denver Broncos, I was sitting in a hospital room awaiting the arrival of my first child. My wife went into labor early that Sunday morning and we settled into a hospital delivery room just before the Bills game started. Though I was more excited than anything to welcome my baby into the world, I was still a devoted Bills fan and kept peeking at the game on the TV monitor in-between my wife's contractions. We muted the volume, but I was able to follow the action and noticed immediately when you went down to the turf. The swarm of medical personnel and the stretcher indicated the seriousness of your injury. You lying there motionless was in surreal contrast to the activity going on in front of me, with my wife's heavy breathing, contractions, and the baby's con...

Check out my guest post on Business Insider. The piece was inspired by the film Sideways and is about maximizing network contacts. 10 Tips For Building Strong Professional Relationships http://www.businessinsider.com/10-tips-for-appreciating-your-network-contacts-2012-8

It’s 2012, and in the United States we’re fast approaching another presidential election cycle. Different issues drive elections, but with a jobless recovery and a flat unemployment rate (8% officially but probably over 11% once you adjust for the millions who have dropped out of the job market or are underemployed), it’s very likely that jobs and unemployment will figure prominently in the upcoming November election. There are many good articles and posts that provide explanations and opinions about the jobs picture. Many point out that companies today are banking their profits or making investments instead of creating new jobs, while other point to a  skills gap and shortage of available talent. Among the best analysis I've recently read is Wharton professor Peter Cappelli’s text Why Good People Can’t Get Jobs . Here the author offers fresh perspective and insight about the topic and challenges whether we really have a skills gap and the effectiveness of automa...

As a culture, we strive for personal transformation. Whether it's eating better and getting fit, redefining our professional value proposition through training and education, or simply trying to be kinder and gentler, we're constantly reinventing who we are and what we can do. We may not be successful all the time, or achieve breakthroughs like those featured on The Biggest Loser or facilitated by Tony Robbins , but millions of people successfully transform and reinvent themselves every year. Unfortunately, the very organizations where we work generally do not do the same. As Saul Kaplan elaborates in The Business Model Innovation Factory , most organizations struggle to transform from their core, initial business models and tend to become stagnant and vulnerable to disruptive competitors. The example Kaplan leads with is Blockbuster, which for a time owned the brick and mortar video and DVD rental space, until they were "netflixed" by a disruptive competitor (...

In a December post, I mentioned how a local sports team brightened the burden of a boy with a degenerative liver condition . Unfortunately, while the gift made a big difference, the boy's medical problems have worsened and he now awaits a new liver. At this time, I would like to introduce you to the boy. His name is Mitchell Simon, and he is an 11 year old who resides just outside of Buffalo, NY. Mitchell was born with  Biliary Atresia -- a congenital liver disease -- and the disease has progressed rapidly over the past year such that a transplant is necessary. Because medical and related expenses for a liver transplant recipient typically exceed $100,000, the family is accepting donations and a fundraiser benefit will be held on June 2, 2012 to help defer costs for the transplant. DONATIONS You may send donations to the address below or donate online at  http://cota.donorpages.com/PatientOnlineDonation/COTAforMitchellS/ . Miracle for M...

We live in an era of sweeping change and uncertainty. There's economic nervousness and under-employment, climate change and wild weather, concern over peak oil and the future of energy, globalism and a flat world, and a dizzying array of social networking tools for connecting like never before. Such a mix creates both strain in the system and new opportunities to connect, and this has led to a dramatic rise in cultural movements, including the recent Arab Spring and Occupy movement. In Uprising: How to Build a Brand--and Change the World--By Sparking Cultural Movements , author Scott Goodson looks at movements from a marketing perspective and offers a fascinating survey of recent movements as well as an elaboration of how marketing and business are beginning to add value and collaborate with movements, without co-opting them. Goodson terms this new marketing "movement marketing" and cites several examples, including the Pepsi Refresh project, the InnoCentive move...