Long Blog Essay #2. "Acumen Fund"

In the acumen fund video, “Seth Godin Wants You to Decide,” there are key points that are brought up in how people should go about helping others in poor countries. The speaker Seth Godin, is talking to student leaders about becoming a future entrepreneur and what they could do with this skill. Godin then tells of the goals of the acumen fund. They are to raise money to patient capital, invest in entrepreneurs to make stuff to sell to the poor, and change the world. In expanding on these points Godin gives an example of a person that makes $2 a day and a person that is selling soap for that same price. When a transaction is made both parties win, and make a profit. The seller gets money so they could expand business while the buyer is cleaner hence healthier, so they can spend more time getting an education rather than being sick. I felt that this point was very interesting and it is a good way to think of helping people.
Godin made various points that I felt could really better the economy and provide opportunities for those in need. I feel that people starting up business in poor countries can help them as well as educate them in the long run boosting up the economy of the country your are helping. I also feel that people could really prosper from these adventures since they will be gaining experience in the business world enabling them to recieve jobs in the future.
Godin also brings up the point that the more people selling merchandise from door to door in Tanzania, the easier it would be to build up a culture of commerce that benefits people on both sides. These points are innovative, due to the fact that it brings people to view service in another way as well as open up the door for people to build up more business and expand in their areas of expertise rather than joining in on another company. It is also mentioned that acumen needs good competition so that more people can benefit from their mission. I would not have looked at that in this way, but it makes much sense. The more people competing to become entrepreneurs, sell their merchandise, and build up commerce in poor countries, the more these countries will learn to build up for themselves changing the world for the better.
I think that this organization can really assist people and provide them with opportunities in future organizations. I believe that this will assist the economy in increasing supply and demand as well as the output of several products. I think that there are many ways to boost up economies and this is a good way of doing so. I think this is an indirect way of helping people and it will cause them to prosper in the future. For those that are unsure as to whether to help or not and feel that that others should help themselves, they must also notice some points. If people are unable to help themselves due to a lack of resources such as technology, education, e.t.c. then there is a need of service, and to provide them with those resources that they may be able to learn how to prosper. Direct service should be offering those resources that the disadvantaged need, and then teaching them how to use those resources, so they can live on their own, and learn how to create a stable sustainable environment for themselves.

Long Blog Essay #1. "Google &Searching Google"

In class we were asked to search Google and find out what they are about. When I Google searched Goggle, I found that Google enables users to search the web, use net, and images. Features included page rank, caching, translation of results, and an option to find similar pages. There was also a link to show a stock quote for Google. The search also brought up links to the services that Google provides, such as Google reader, maps, videos, etc. It seems that Google has many services to offer and they try to accommodate everybody.
Their philosophy consists of ten things. To focus on the user and what else follows, focused on providing the best user experience possible, and focusing on serving the consumer. It's best to do one thing really, really well. Fast is better than slow. Democracy on the web works. You don't need to be at your desk to need an answer. You can make money without doing evil. There's always more information out there. The need for information crosses all borders. You can be serious without a suit. Great just isn't good enough. Google tries to anticipate the needs of their not yet articulated global audience and introduce them with products and services that set new standards. An example of this was them launching Gmail, which had more space than any email service available. These are the type of changes they are interested in making and they want to achieve these goals.
I think that all these goals that Google has for their audience is very good. It seems to be things that would make searching on the web easier as well as introduce new technology to people. They want to be able to interact with their audience and they want to make sure that they are the best that they can be. This will help the company in the end since many people would feel like the company actually cares and wants to know them. With this promotion technique the company will prosper in the long run.
We were also asked to Google search what will happen with consuming habits in the next ten years. When I searched this I found an article, “In Ten Years Your Life Will Be Terrible,” by Mark R. Crovelli, that predicted that the American economy is deteriorating and will continue to do so as the years the pass. He also states in his article that the value of the dollar is going down and people will soon have to pay continuous increasing prices for the factors of production that go into one’s products. At the same time one will find it difficult to obtain credit to finance these increasing costs. So, I think it’s fair to say that consuming habits will soon decrease, since people won’t have enough to by the extra luxuries that they would normally buy in the future. People will probably buy less expensive goods as well as think more about the need for the product that they are purchasing.
I think that in the next ten years consuming habits would pretty much remain the same. Although the American economy would be deteriorating there will still be people that are very wealthy and will still consume as much as they can. For people that are less wealthy, consuming habits would probably decrease if they really care about what is happening. When you look at some people I find it interesting that they could be living in a trailer yet driving around in a hummer or a luxury car. It all depends on where their priorities lie.
I also think that even if the American economy was deteriorating outside help would be available. The government would have to receive money from other countries depending on if they are at peace with the country. I do think the economy can only deteriorate to a certain extent. The country is now in a recession and only some people have changed their consuming habits. At the same time if the economy was in that much trouble, the government should know ways to bring the economy back up. At that point we would have to depend on the government rectifying that situation and hope that they are well equipped to handle the situation.

Who do you interact with and why?

When I look around I notice that I like to interact with positive people. I don’t really like negativity around me and I try to make sure I’m surrounded by optimistic people that try to look at the bright side of life. When people are very pessimistic they tend to bring me down and make you feel depressed in life. I think that if you surround yourself with these types of people this can also affect your health. Studies do show that optimistic people are healthier. I think this is due to the fact that when one is depressed their body doesn’t fully operate to its max, so these type of people tend to be unhealthy or not as healthy as they could be. So being around positive people will generally make life more entertaining and fun. I like to enjoy life and don’t like it when people are constantly pessimistic, it makes life boring.

Styrofoam cups vs. regular ceramic mugs

In this class we were asked about our thoughts on using Styrofoam cups to regular mugs. Honestly, I would prefer a Styrofoam cup to a regular mug, sometimes you just want to carry a cup on the go, and you can just throw it away once you reach your destination rather than having to worry about trying to clean your mug. At the same time I know that Styrofoam isn’t biodegradable, so I would opt for paper cups over the Styrofoam. With regular mugs it would be harder to clean it on the go, and sometimes they’re a hassle to carry around. It would be best for the environment as well since you would be reusing the same cup.
I do think that buying paper cups that are biodegradable would be better than the Styrofoam cups and it could also save the amount of water one would waste rewashing the same mugs day after day. I think that biodegradable cups would be better than Styrofoam and regular ceramic mugs when dealing with the environment, but overtime it would be more expensive than just buying Styrofoam cups or ceramic mugs.

48hr Media Log

In class we were asked to write down the hours of media we were exposed to in 48hrs. For my log I found that I was exposed to about 5hrs of media over the course of two days. The days I recorded my media use was Thursday and Friday. I think that the reason my media exposure was low was due to the fact that I had a lot of school work and I had a lot of engagements to go to. I think that it is very easy to get distracted and end up turning to media and watching a program on TV.
I would find myself watching a show on my computer while I was supposed to be looking up information online. During this log I found that I could spend 2hrs easily watching a shows on my computer each day, and about an hour on facebook. I think that I didn’t use a lot of media, but if I didn’t really have that much school work, I do know that I probably would have used a lot more. It was interesting to see how little media I was exposed to when there tend to be advertisements and other media everywhere.

Packaging & Brands

I have never really thought of myself as a brand person. Some people only wear or buy expensive brands such as Coach, Gucci, and Versace. As I examined my life I’ve realized that I am a brand person, although I’m not addicted to buying expensive fashion brands, I do buy brand name products over non name brands. In the grocery store when I want to buy cereal I tend to go for the Honey Nut Cheerios by General Mills rather than the non-name brands.
Even with dealing with items such as paper cups , plates or plastic knives and forks, I go for the Dixie brand over the brand that just says paper plates. I know that there probably isn’t much of a difference but I like having my name brands. Even packaging has an effect on me, the more appealing the package the more likely I’ll buy that brand over another. There are some products that just look like they’ll last longer or are better over brands that don’t have good packaging. Things in better packaging look like they are of better quality. I do see that it shouldn’t matter the brand but that is what I am used to and enjoy buying.

Spirituality & Food

An event in which food was somewhat spiritual and meant something to me was over Christmas time. During that time I get to see family I haven’t seen in a while and people have time to just relax and spend time together. One Christmas my extended family from England came over and the dinner we had was wonderful. As I looked around the table, all I could see were the people I loved and I was so glad that they were all there and that I could spend some time with them. The food seemed tasted exceptional and it was just so much better heating it with my family. I thought this to be a time in which food really meant something to me as to the spiritual aspect, I was grateful for the food and it did seem like I was viewing/ having a piece of paradise. I really enjoyed myself and the memory stayed with me. I think that it’s so important to spend time with family and I was glad that my family was alive and well. I enjoyed that Christmas very much and it still brings a smile to my face when I remember that day.

Google Searching Google and Consumption

In class we were asked to search Google and find out what they are about. When I Google searched Goggle, I found that Google enables users to search the web, use net, and images. Features included page rank, caching, translation of results, and an option to find similar pages. There was also a link to show a stock quote for Google. The search also brought up links to the services that Google provides, such as Google reader, maps, videos, etc.
Their philosophy consists of ten things. To focus on the user and what else follows, focused on providing the best user experience possible, and focusing on serving the consumer. It's best to do one thing really, really well. Fast is better than slow. Democracy on the web works. You don't need to be at your desk to need an answer. You can make money without doing evil. There's always more information out there. The need for information crosses all borders. You can be serious without a suit. Great just isn't good enough. Google tries to anticipate the needs of their not yet articulated global audience and introduce them with products and services that set new standards. An example of this was them launching Gmail, which had more space than any email service available. These are the type of changes they are interested in making.
We were also asked to Google what will happen with consuming habits in the next ten years. When I searched this I found an article, “In Ten Years Your Life Will Be Terrible,” by Mark R. Crovelli, that predicted that the American economy is deteriorating and will continue to do so as the years the pass. He also states in his article that the value of the dollar is going down and people will soon have to pay continuous increasing prices for the factors of production that go into one’s products. At the same time one will find it difficult to obtain credit to finance these increasing costs. So, I think it’s fair to say that consuming habits will soon decrease, since people won’t have enough to by the extra luxuries that they would normally buy in the future. People will probably but less expensive goods as well as think more about the need for the product that they are purchasing.

Acumen Fund

In the acumen fund video, “Seth Godin Wants You to Decide,” there are key point that are brought up in how people should go about helping others in poor countries. The speaker Seth Godin, is talking to student leaders about becoming a future entrepreneur and what they could do with this skill. Godin then tells of the goals of the acumen fund. They are to raise money to patient capital, invest in entrepreneurs to make stuff to sell to the poor, and change the world. In expanding on these points Godin gives an example of a person that makes $2 a day and a person that is selling soap for that same price. When a transaction is made both parties win, and make a profit. The seller gets money so they could expand business while the buyer is cleaner hence healthier, so they can spend more time getting an education rather than being sick. I felt that this point was very interesting and it is a good way to think of helping people.
Godin also brings up the point that the more people selling merchandise from door to door in Tanzania, the easier it would be to build up a culture of commerce that benefits people on both sides. These points are innovative, due to the fact that it brings people to view service in another way as well as open up the door for people to build up more business and expand in their areas of expertise rather than joining in on another company. It is also mentioned that acumen needs good competition so that more people can benefit from their mission. I would not have looked at that in this way, but it makes much sense. The more people competing to become entrepreneurs, sell their merchandise, and build up commerce in poor countries, the more these countries will learn to build up for themselves changing the world for the better.

“Why aren’t they doing that?”

In class we were told to observe our lives and see what could be improved and how it could be improved, and think of why whatever you do in your life is done that way. I think something that would be useful and many people aren’t really doing is having voice activated lights, many times the lights in various rooms would be left on since many people forget to turn them off. So why don’t we have lights that are motion sensory or voice activated. It will probably help with the conservation of energy, since many including my self would leave the room, forgetting the light was left on. Turning off the lights when no one is in the room can help to save energy which in turn will contribute some to reducing the amount of energy that is wasted daily. With having a motion sensory activated light, they will automatically turn on when one walked into the room, the only problem with that would be how to turn them off while one is still in the room. It would probably have to be improved by having various settings so that one can turn off the lights while they’re still in the room. I think the voice activated lights would be more probable. One can just say lights off when leaving the room or set it to a certain word they can say easily as they leave the room that will turn the lights off and on when entering the room. This could have some good effects in that it might be easier for people to just say it as they’re leaving the room. There are clapper lights but some people forget to even clap, so maybe saying something would be easier and it can contribute to a more sustainable environment in that there is less energy lost.