R. Ethan Smith

Technology is for Moms.

Seriously. It is.

Web and consumer technology companies generally track users, customers, and activations as their metrics for success. Typical. I’m not sure users/customers/activations are all that indicative of mainstream success, though.  The best current measurement for mainstream success, I think, is the mom factor.

Think about it.  The most popular technology is largely used by, and is, arguably, made for moms.  Facebook? You’re mom is on it. My mom is on it. My mom’s mom and dad’s mom are on it. iPad? My dad’s mom has one. My friends are buying them for their moms. iPods and iPhones (and Kindles)? MOMS. Email? Moms run it. Current up and comer’s Twitter and Pinterest? Momfest 2012. Amazon, Etsy, and the rest of ecommerce? MOM MOM MOM.

Tech and moms are on a collision course. Nothing is sacred, no one is safe.

Currently Reading: The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith

In a world where people are quick to insert “in this economy” into any and every conversation, it seems that few people actually know how “the economy” works.  Having taken both micro- and macro-economics courses during my time at university, my understanding is probably just 0.75% more comprehensive than the average American with the surface level understanding that “good economy = more jobs and more money” and “bad economy = I lost my job, have less money, and things cost more…”.

Adam Smith is credited as being the father of capitalism and with constructing the foundation of what would become modern economics.  Reading his The Wealth of Nations should theoretically give me a deeper understanding of economics in general, as well as a closer look at capitalism (which is, like, important, because I have been known to be sympathetic to those championing the cause of capitalism).

Those concerned that my education is a bit narrow will be interested to know that Keynes and Marx are next on the list.

Occupy Nothing.

I am calling bull on the Occupy Wall Street “protests”.  This supposed progressive movement is at the least a slap in the face to the very real, meaningful, and risky protests taking place in Middle Eastern and African countries.  At the most, it is a laughable  and disjointed collection of people, each with different a different motive and reason for joining the protest.

From what I can tell, Occupy Wall Street is more about occupying things than it is a protest against corporate greed, government corruption, animal cruelty, unemployment, and “the media”.  Occupy Wall St. or whatever the general Occupy movement is calling itself now seems to be nothing more than a public complaint festival.  From New York to California and Wall St. to Main St., the disgruntled are gathering not in unison over a set of ideals, but because they are simply disgruntled.

How can the subjects toward which the occupy movement is directing their anger, much less American public, take these protesters seriously with meaningless chants of “All Day, All Week! Occupy Wall St!”. The slogan ranks among the emptiest rally cries ever uttered. It means nothing! And the pictures below (via Gawker) as well as the documented wierdos only lend support to the incredible emptiness, pointlessness, and general chaos of the demonstration.

Sick and Tired? Get off the streets, take some meds, go to bed. Problem solved.

Nice banner, bro. What does it even mean? Meh. Whatever it needs to mean, bro.

Nice helment, man! Now, you and I both will agree that Wall St. hates to pay for things, like taxes. So, let’s hike ‘em up! But wait. If we raise “Wall St.” taxes, they will still hate to pay for things, so they’ll pass the costs along to us.  So…

Civil disobedience, protests, etc. are extremely meaningful and necessary when people are actually having their inalienable rights violated. The civil rights movement, women’s rights movement, and the movement for marriage equality all demonstrate that.  What sets these movements apart from the Occupy movement is the unifying set of principles and deep socio-political implications. Unfortunately, Occupy Wall St. is little more than a collection of post-modernists, encouraging one another to protest their independent gripes, together. Occupy Wall St. is a movement born of entitlement and disgruntled Americans lamenting their under-realized American dreams.

Occupy nothing. Work harder. Make your life what you want it to be.

PopTrends 2011: Whistling

What do the Seven Dwarves have in common with Bruno Mars, Maroon 5, Brittney Spears, and One Republic? They all have an affinity for whistling while they work.

Extremely cheesy lead aside, whistling is in.  3 of this week’s Billboard Hot 100, and perhaps all 4 had I taken the opportunity to write this when I noticed it a few weeks ago, mix the carefully controlled flow of air through lips with carefully controlled vocal prowess, instrumentation, and production to create 3 second riff which begs the listener to participate.  Not conviced?  Watch/listen for yourself.

The Lazy Song - Bruno Mars
I Wanna Go - Britney Spears
Moves Like Jagger - Maroon5
Good Life - One Republic 

(This is where I would normally embed the music videos, so that you could listen/watch easily. Unfortunately, YouTube/Vevo/Record Labels don’t like their productions embedded. So with a the same “screw you” attitude displayed by the aforementioned parties, I will kindly tell you to find and watch ‘em yourself. Carry on.)

Currently Reading: Brewing Up a Business

Written by DogFish Head founder Sam Calagione, this book is best described as an unabriged version of Gary Vaynerchuk’s Crush It! BUAB digs a bit deeper into your motivation as an entrepreneur, knowing yourself and your company (DNA), and drops quite a few tips/tricks/knowledge bombs from his personal experience in building one of the (if not the largest?) craft breweries in the U.S. 

I wouldn’t say it’s a must read, but I am enjoying it and would highly recommend it to anyone looking to turn their hobbies/something they love into a viable business.