Christopher S. Penn – Marketing AI Keynote Speaker

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  • Awaken YOUR Superhero Powers : Power 3 of 10 – Patience

    Awaken YOUR Superhero Powers : Power 3 of 10 – Patience

    Ninniku
    Kshanti Paramita
    Patience

    As part of my every thought, word, and action, I am inspired by the heroic ideal of tolerant patience. I do not take opposition personally!

    The musician Munk has a striking lyric in one of his songs – for every light that shines, a shadow falls. The world is full of people who aren’t ready to be heroes yet, and may actually resent the idea that others are trying to go past our human frailties towards a life of meaning.

    As you awaken your superhero powers, there will be people who will think differently, speak harshly, and perhaps even act contrary to your and their own best interests. What may appear at first to be an enemy may simply be a call for help twisted beyond recognition. Rather than engage them in battle, just remember that every storm must pass. True, there are times when you will need to take a stand against legitimate supervillains, but those are few and far between.

    Commit today and every day to being mentally bulletproof by enduring and patiently waiting out battles that you don’t have to fight with focused thoughts, words, and actions.

    Thought: Take a moment today and every day when you feel an instinct to lash back at someone to ask yourself: is this a battle I need to fight, or can I just wait this out?

    Word: In a conversation today and every day, when you feel the need to react to someone else’s words, ask yourself how you can ignore, redirect, or even create confusion in the conversation rather than deliver a heated reply.

    Action: As you move through your daily life today and every day, practice taking a deep, satisfying, long breath with your eyes closed or partially shaded when you feel the physical effects of stress beginning to take hold of you.

    Endnote: The powers themselves are translated by Senior Master Instructor Stephen K. Hayes from the Enlightened Warrior Gyoja Practitioner Recitation Handbook, published by the Kinryuzan Golden Dragon Mountain Kasumi-An Dojo.

  • Awaken YOUR Superhero Powers : Power 2 of 10 – Discipline

    Awaken YOUR Superhero Powers : Power 2 of 10 – Discipline

    Jo Kai
    Shila Paramita
    Discipline

    As part of my every thought, word, and action, I am inspired by the heroic ideal of ethical discipline. I live my principles!

    Ever wonder why Superman doesn’t just do whatever he wants? After all, he’s invulnerable to just about everything, can fly, shoot fire from his eyes and countless other powers. Why doesn’t he just conquer the world?

    It comes down to principles. The character of Superman has principles that are as invulnerable as he is. You have them, too, superhero. You have things you believe in, you know right from wrong, and more importantly, you know when you cross that line, when you stray off the path.

    Likewise, you know what a fantastic feeling it is when you and what you believe in are perfectly aligned. Those are the days when everything just works, when you feel like you can accomplish anything, inspire anyone, and are on top of the world.

    Commit today and every day to live your beliefs with a focused thought, word, and action.

    Thought: Take a moment today and every day to find a principle, ethic, or belief in yourself that, privately, you know needs firming up, and find an emotionally satisfying reason to uphold that belief.

    Word: In a conversation you have today and every day, find a moment to reaffirm with a friend or to the world the things you believe in – not to evangelize, but to remind yourself of what’s important to you.

    Action: During an activity today and every day in which you know you compromise your beliefs – maybe it’s a cigarette you sneak at lunch – recharge your belief that you are WORTH your commitments to yourself, and shut down the little voice that wants you to compromise.

    Endnote: The powers themselves are translated by Senior Master Instructor Stephen K. Hayes from the Enlightened Warrior Gyoja Practitioner Recitation Handbook, published by the Kinryuzan Golden Dragon Mountain Kasumi-An Dojo.

  • New iPod is on the way!

    Shipping from Kunshan!

    Fedex iPod shipment

  • Cover Music on the Podsafe Music Network

    There was a great discussion on Twitter today about cover songs and the Podsafe Music Network. Disclosure: I am not a lawyer. My understanding of copyright and intellectual property law is based solely on all the stuff I’ve read to be in compliance with the law and what ASCAP/BMI sent me when I applied for licenses for my show, the Financial Aid Podcast.

    There are three basic rights when a song is created by a musician:

    1. Composition rights. This is the sheet music, the notes themselves.
    2. Performance rights. This is the expression of the music out loud.
    3. Mechanical rights. This is the recording of the music. Sometimes called reproduction rights.

    In the United States, performance rights and mechanical rights are often lumped together, while composition rights are kept separate, thus necessitating clearinghouses like ASCAP and BMI for composition rights, and labels and Harry Fox Agency for mechanical rights. As I learned at Podcasters Across Borders this summer, Canada separates all three and has three distinct licensing agencies to deal with the varying rights.

    When it comes to cover music on the Podsafe Music Network, an artist who uploads a cover has rights only to the performance and the mechanical; the MP3 file is both performance and recording in one. The artist does NOT have rights to the composition itself, and uploading a cover to the PMN is a violation of the terms of service, because they’re essentially misrepresenting someone else’s composition rights as their own. This also means the composer is NOT getting paid for use of their work.

    When it comes to playing music on your podcast, play it safe. Only play original podsafe music uploaded by the artists or their legal representation (labels), unless you have an ASCAP/BMI license. If you’re not sure whether a song is original or not, Google the title and a lyric or two, and you’ll soon find out.

  • Awaken YOUR Superhero Powers : Power 1 of 10 – Generosity

    Awaken YOUR Superhero Powers : Power 1 of 10 – Generosity

    Fu Sei
    Dana Paramita
    Generosity

    As part of my every thought, word, and action, I am inspired by the heroic ideal of generously caring for others. I want to make the world a better place!

    The foundation of your superhero powers rests on your desire to make the world around you, from distant cities to your neighborhood, a better place. Even something as simple as picking up a piece of litter makes a change for the better.

    Even more powerfully, you can turn what are normally human weaknesses into strengths. Selfishness can be twisted into enlightened self interest, where you work for solutions that benefit you AND benefit the people you work with. Find ways to help everyone win, and in doing so you’ll gain the benefits for yourself as well. The more you can give, the more you can share, the more you’ll earn and grow. Some people call this the Golden Rule, others call it Giver’s Game, but at each opportunity to score a win for both the home team and the visiting team, do so.

    Commit today and every day to make the world a better place with a focused thought, word, and action.

    Thought: In a situation today and every day when you’re inclined to view a situation as win/lose, find a way to twist the situation to everyone’s advantage.

    Word: In a conversation you have today and every day, find a moment to turn harsh words into constructive ones, free of venom but helpful.

    Action: In a place today and every day, find a moment to clean up a piece of litter, turn off a leaky faucet, or another small but meaningful gesture that helps make the world a better place immediately.

    Endnote: The powers themselves are translated by Senior Master Instructor Stephen K. Hayes from the Enlightened Warrior Gyoja Practitioner Recitation Handbook, published by the Kinryuzan Golden Dragon Mountain Kasumi-An Dojo.

  • Awaken YOUR Superhero Powers : Introduction

    Awaken YOUR Superhero Powers : Introduction

    We live in an age starved for heroes. The resurgence of hero movies, hero TV shows, hero stories, and the willingness by the media to label anyone with an ounce of initiative a hero shows how badly we need to find heroes in our society.

    But… what if you could have more? What if, instead of fictional characters in tights and capes on a screen, you could find a hero inside yourself? What if you could LIVE the powers of a superhero, brought to life inside your own heart and mind? Would you?

    I’m going to publish a series of 10 blog posts on the topic – the 10 qualities of a superhero. The powers themselves are translated by Senior Master Instructor Stephen K. Hayes from the Enlightened Warrior Gyoja Practitioner Recitation Handbook, published by the Kinryuzan Golden Dragon Mountain Kasumi-An Dojo. These have very, very old roots, and the commentary on them is mine alone.

    The ten qualities of a superhero aren’t a means to obtain superpowers, because you already have those. Today, from a device the size of a candy bar, you have access to the bulk of humanity’s knowledge. Today, from a telephone in a pocket, you can instantly communicate with the other side of the planet. Today, from any broadband computer with a Web browser, you can see and affect events in far away lands. The abilities technology gives us would have been labeled magical a hundred years ago, and sorcery three hundred years ago. You already have the powers; the qualities of a superhero are to help guide you and put them to use.

    Shikin haramitsu daikomyo. Every day could be the day when it all comes together, when everything WORKS, and we begin to bring our potential to life. Get ready to awaken your superhero.

  • Is PodCamp Too Corporate? or, Welcome New Folks!

    Is PodCamp Too Corporate? or, Welcome New Folks!

    Bill Weye on his blog asks a great question – has PodCamp Boston, in effect, sold out, with its huge list of attendees from corporations?

    Gosh, I hope so. But not in the sense he’s thinking. In terms of sponsors and vendors, there are so far three – VON, Blue Sky Factory, and Jay Berkowitz. You’ve heard VON’s commercial pitch – attend Video on the Net for 200 instead of1,695. Blue Sky Factory hasn’t gotten their sponsorcast stuff to us yet, but they’re a mailing list service, the one that powers PodCamp Boston‘s outreach efforts.

    Here’s my thinking about all the corporations, venture capitalists, media, and marketers coming to PodCamp Boston:

    Welcome! Please go meet some new media people, and learn all about new media.

    In the year that’s passed since PodCamp Boston 1, there have been a number of success stories about new media folks being able to make a living doing what they love to do most. At the same time, there are orders of magnitude more stories about people wanting to get connected to resources (money, media, marketing) to share their work who haven’t been able to. At PodCamp Philly, Brian Conley from Alive in Baghdad mentioned very publicly that AIB is desperately looking for donors/sponsors. He and his organization are doing great, very important work telling stories that the mainstream media aren’t.

    It’s my hope as one of the organizers of PodCamp Boston that if we put folks like Brian and AIB in the same room as producers and directors from media buyers, venture capitalists like Openview and Masthead Venture Partners, that new media experts with legitimate, great content can get connected with resource partners. It’s not about selling stuff to PodCamp attendees at all, but rather connecting new people and new media together to make exciting partnerships and friendships.

    If PodCamp Boston didn’t invite people with resources to the new media community, we’d be doing the community a disservice. As Bill Weye pointed out, people come to PodCamp to collaborate and meet others doing exciting things. I hope that idea and feeling extends to new people who want to know more about new media, and isn’t just reserved for people already in the community.

    Finally, I’ll remind EVERYONE of this: the Law of Two Feet – meaning you walk away from what doesn’t interest you – doesn’t just apply to sessions. In every interaction at PodCamp, you have the right to walk away, and should do so immediately. With so many people of so many different backgrounds, you can find plenty of people of similar mind if you choose to do so. I hope you don’t. Corporate or evangelist, early adopter or conservative, I hope you meet some new friends and find ways to help each other in whatever best suits your needs in new media.

  • So about those podcasting associations…

    So about those podcasting associations…

    … with Tim Bourquin’s Podcast Expo coming up, I’ve gotten no less than six emails in the past week (names withheld to protect the guilty) asking me either what I thought of the ADM and APOMP, ADM vs. APOMP, etc., both as a podcaster and as that PodCamp guy along with Mr. Brogan.

    Short version: I’m waiting to see. Until I get a chance to study what these two organizations are doing, I can’t offer a valid opinion. I do think podcasting needs standards, but I also think podcasting needs to move away from the pageviews/downloads mindset and towards metrics that count – funded student loans for me, maybe speaking gigs for Mitch Joel, maybe Webinar opportunities for Bryan Person, etc. At the end of the day, whose name will be on the paycheck or accounts receivables?

    Ultimately, if podcasting is to be a valid vehicle for business, it needs to have more than just eyeballs as a metric. The last time folks tried that was 1999, and we all know how that ended.

  • Decor change

    Got tired of WuCoco, so I changed up the decor around here along with a new mission statement: Awaken Your Superhero. When I thought about it, the moments in my life that have been the most powerful and moving are those when a friend or loved one suddenly stepped outside their comfort zone, stepped up, and became something – someone – greater. I hope to be able to bring that experience to as many people as possible in my lifetime, starting with PodCamps. PodCamp won’t make you a superhero, but it will give you the venue and time to help you find it within yourself.

  • Frankly, I worry when you don't search my luggage

    Adam Curry had an interesting post on his travel experiences recently, especially with his TSA experience. I’ve had some interesting experiences with the TSA, and I generally assume I’ll take half an hour to get through security these days.

    Frankly, I really worry when the TSA doesn’t pull me aside and search all my belongings. If I were a TSA employee and saw the stuff I carry when I travel, I’d probably request a background check and fingerprints.

    On my most recent trip to PodCamp Philly, my luggage contained:

    • A 750 GB external hard drive plus firewire cables and AC adapter
    • A Logitech MM50 media player plus cabling, case, and remote
    • Two sets of headphones, one noise cancelling, plus battery chargers for them
    • A Nikon D40 plus USB cables and battery charger
    • A Sanyo VPC CG65 plus cables and battery charger
    • A MacBook Pro plus cabling
    • A 5 GB iPod plus dock cable, AC adapter, and USB
    • An M-Audio Microtrack plus adapter and charger
    • An Audio Technica PRO/24 condenser mic plus cabling and batteries
    • A Samson C01U large diaphragm condenser mic plus cabling
    • An Airport Express wireless access point plus Ethernet cable
    • Several Ethernet cables
    • Lots of USB to mini-USB cables
    • A Nokia N91 phone plus data cable, car charger, and desktop charger
    • Two USB card readers plus cabling
    • A Plantronic bluetooth headset plus charger

    I worry when security looks at all of that in the X-Ray (because I don’t check the luggage – it’s all a carry-on) machine and doesn’t wonder what the heck I’m doing. And all of that, by the way, weighs only 38 pounds.

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