Talking with my grandfather always brings the biggest smile to my face. At times I've gotten a little carried away with his '-isms', but when he's just so awesome, it's hard not to. In our conversation just now he shared:

If you're going to race with me, and I don't win,

you're going to break the record.

That's coming from a genuine sense he's giving his efforts the most, and he always does it gracefully. I am working on both the former and the latter. I should be so lucky to get where he is, when I catch up to his age fifty-six years from now.

My recent trip to India was intense. Our NYU ISIS project was not successful. We told our client ultimately that our engagement had failed, and we are re-evaluating future deliverables. Beyond that the internet at my hotel went down 2-6+ times per day, and I had a hard time keeping up with everything going on back in New York. Resigning myself to circumstances that couldn't be successfully mitigated, I focused on enjoying Bangalore and my classmates. It was a very different India than when I had traveled without an agenda back in 2003. Youtube Videos & Picasa Album. What follows is a post-trip evaluation for the coursework.

Specifically, what did you like most about your overall experience in India (including your overall time in India and immersion in the culture, interaction with partners and their stakeholders, team members, site visits, etc)?
The most enjoyable component of our visit hands down was our discussions with the three Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB) professors, and by far and away professor Sourav Mukherji was the most enlightening. It was fascinating to hear how social enterprise is attaining a foothold in India. His research and colleagues are focused on the central problems of social change enhanced through entrepreneurial endeavors.
During our consultation with our client we heard very little emphasis about the work’s positive social value. Our client was focused on the engineering and entrepreneurial components of the work. Understandably, they were not in a place to focus on the social aspect because they didn’t, yet, have a successful business model. Perhaps that will come in time.

On the other hand, what did you like least?
Our team struggled with our client since nearly the time we had been assigned in November. Communication was probably the biggest shortcoming of the engagement. We did not have a sustained rhythm at any point; prior to the onsite component, at one point, our team had agreed to request to be re-assigned to another entrepreneur; coincidentally, at that exact moment, one of our better communication intervals began, which led to some hope on our part that we were turning a corner. Not only had we failed to turn a corner, we were in for an even bigger challenge, which was lack of focus. We failed establish and maintain a cohesive scope for the duration. In fact the scope of the engagement changed nearly six times in the period leading up to and during the two-week onsite visit. Ultimately, we had to quit our client because it was not a valuable use of our time switching from broad strategic problems with thoroughly uncorroborated information to last minute problems such as tactical business model development.

In what ways did the experiential project-based work augment your previous knowledge, education, and experience?
From the outset our project was appealing to learn more about energy production; our client’s focus on biomethanol gas and fertilizer production was completely new to me, and the prospect of converting waste, generating power, and providing fertilizer to create more food is an elegant closed-loop system. Much of our first week onsite was spent pouring over material on how this process works, learning about the engineering principles of the biogas plant itself, and then trying to understand the Indian context and how this might work as a business concept. Interestingly, most people we people we spoke with in India regarding this concept not least our entrepreneurs were focused on whether it was a sustainable business model. Social enterprise is by no means pervasive in India, more specifically Bangalore, more specifically the people we interacted with. Only about 5% (or an actual 1 in 20 outside of those involved with ISIS) had a similar appreciation for the possibilities social enterprise could offer for the booming growth India is currently undergoing.
To a certain degree I became further aware of the opportunities and challenges Bangalore is facing. With my sick time I read quite a lot of newspapers and there were several features reviewing the city’s shortcomings to fuel unlimited growth. Infrastructure is amongst the biggest challenges, as anyone that has sat in gridlock traffic would know. Ideally, the impending the open of the first metro tracks within six months will aid in alleviating some of the burden. Hopefully, that will not be a signal to all that have been holding off on an automotive purchase to dive in. If I recall correctly the city had several million two-wheelers as it is. Coincidentally, when I was in Delhi back in 2003-4, they were closing in on the launch of the subway there as well. Had it been open, I would have gladly ridden as mass transportation is one my favorite modes of travel; I appreciate the efficiency and loathe sitting on the road breathing exhaust.

What were the major challenges you faced in India and in working with your India partner? How did you address those challenges?
Traction was definitely our biggest challenge. We found developing a consistent story in our project to be exceptionally challenging, and our questioning often prompted changes in direction. The other significant challenge we found with our partner was accessibility. Unfortunately, the direction we chose to pursue relied on a single point of contact that was not regularly available to impart substantial background and context. Given the circumstances we made determinations, which were disregarded after some considerable time or effort had been expended. Following several of these changes in direction during our two-week onsite, we ultimately concluded the engagement with our client. It was by no means the desired outcome; however, at a point it was overly frustrating to establish a foothold in the project. Our team deliberated thoroughly and landed on a decided course of action with all of us aligned.

How did the overall experience in India differ from what you originally thought it would be?
There was far more interruption than I had anticipated. I have often remarked to my colleagues at my software development firm in New York concerning consultants, “I wish I had two weeks to focus on nothing but…” With that time dedicated in this instance, it was totally stop-and-go the entire time. I genuinely wish it had not been that way. As we explained during our last conversation with the client, four MBAs dedicated entirely to their needs for six months with two weeks onsite to do nothing but serve them, and we couldn’t establish a basic project – that was unfortunate.
I didn’t go into the engagement with high expectations; it was not a business environment I knew very much about, so it was hard to say that I was going to do this that or the other. Again, doing this, that, and the other and the other was the challenge. Our team was tasked with creating a Letter of Agreement to state the purpose of the engagement, a defined scope. Perhaps had we completed that exercise we would have stayed the course better than we ultimately managed in the moment, or perhaps it would have just been the stick in the sand that we ran away from the entire time.

There's a great new product that we have at the Park Slope Food COOP. It's a chocolate called Madécasse. It has an awesome history, whereby one of my fellow NYU MBA alumni brought an idea to fruition. There's an annual Social Entrepreneurship competition at school, called the Satter Family Prize, and he and the co-founders have really helped revolutionize chocolate production for an increasing number of villagers in Madagascar. A snippet from the NYU site is below. I was moved by their story, and I'm extremely excited to see their products in the COOP. Additionally, NYU's focus on Social Entrepreneurship and helping incubate ideas such as this one continues to be inspiring.
From: http://w4.stern.nyu.edu/berkley/bpc.cfm?doc_id=100263

Founders: Brian McCollum (MBA '07) and co-founders Brett Beach and Tim McCollum

Madécasse imports specialty food products grown and manufactured in Madagascar. Focused primarily on goods made from locally grown cocoa and vanilla beans, the group aims to bridge the gap between poverty and potential in emerging markets using Equitrade. A model that builds upon the Fair Trade concept, Equitrade requires both the farming and the manufacturing of products to be completed within the country of origin. Based on market trends showing that consumers are increasingly interested in a product origin and in purchasing goods from ethical and sustainable enterprises, Madécasse distributes their premium chocolate bars and other food products to retail outlets across the US.

Incredibly excited for the new logo. We're working hard on the Photos for Change launch, and everything is coming together. Jay and Jennifer have been a joy to work with over the past several months. It's nice to have taken an idea from the ground up, again. Having been here several years ago with Jenky Productions, this is a very different experience. It's nice having the background that business school has helped inform over the past several years. The purpose of the business and our goals are a lot clearer. As we look to the business plan competition quarter-final announcements tomorrow, it will be a good indication that there's merit in our idea, and that we're expressing ourselves well.

It's been a lot of fun pursuing the MBA over the past couple years. The time commitment is intense on top of a full day at work, but the effort has introduced me to wonderful classmates and incredible business content.

Since the middle of the summer I have been teamed up with a couple Sternies on Photos for Change. We have been working from the business plan drawn up in Professor Kickul's Foundations of Social Entrepreneurship, and tapping others to help pull together what's going to be a strong run for the Satter Entrepreneurship prize in April.

With each week we're getting more and more of the foundation laid. This weekend was website refinement, picking collateral and design elements as well as preparing our upcoming commercial. More to follow!

An extra big thanks to Catherine from Global Goods Partners and Sara for sharing their Sunday afternoon with us!

In Macro Economics class we studied how Bogota's Rapid Transit System is drastically changing their future. It is helping move tremendous numbers of citizens, and converting commuting congestion into productivity. This isn't always the language used to describe the frustration and challenges of being stuck in rush hour; instead terms like road rage or anger are the ascribed sentiments. While it may not necessarily be a direct translation into productivity, even additional leisure time in the evening after work would be greatly appreciated. New York transit has been mired with budget challenges, increased ridership, and a seeming never ending attempt at Subway expansion. I for one was sad to see the congestion pricing fail for cars entering lower Manhattan. As an ardent proponent for public transportation, this plan would have been immensely successful in moving more people more quickly. Nevertheless, NY is getting its act together presently and adding new Select Bus Service routes. The initial results have been increased ridership and a whopping 98% satisfaction with the offering. NY Magazine has a really nice write-up on the upcoming enhancements.

With some regularity, we, meaning my company and I, have been discussing diction. Good words are not hard to come by, although, using them appropriately can be a challenge. Bequeath for example is not merely to pass along possessions, rather it only applies in posthumous circumstances. Entitled carries many different meanings; however, there is some debate that a thing is actually entitled -- whereas it is in fact titled. A former colleague was recently sharing how my generation has a vocabulary somewhere in the range of 12-18K words on average, whereas those before us are north of 20K and potentially as high as 30K. Bearing that in mind, I asked how one could go about testing one's diction, and she suggested simply reading. The New Yorker is always good for a challenge as can the Economist.

Today being Independence Day, there are a lot of articles circulating about the Declaration of Independence. It's been a while since I have read it, and perusing it (an often misused word in and of itself), I was pleased to see such words as usurpations, inestimable, and consanguinity. Where would one go to test their diction for breadth?

Just finished a talk by Paul Herman, CEO of HIP Investor -- Human Impact + Profit. They've got a really great methodology for evaluating the following three questions:

• What human problem does this solve?


• How do you design for both Human Impact + Profit?


• What management practices are in place to be HIP?

There's a good write-up of his trip to Kenan Flagler business school at the University of North Carolina on the energy collective.

Not surprisingly many companies in the S&P 100 do not rank too highly, and there were some ringers near the top of the list which I would not have suspected. I look forward to getting into the book, HIP Investor: Make Bigger Profits by Building a Better World.

Green Spaces threw a fantastic party Friday night bringing SalonEco to life. Nice running into some familiar faces as well as meet some new ambitious folks. I met some fellow NYU students and learned of a great new social venture they've started. Love Kitchen Bakery is bringing baked goods directly to you with a social mission: "It is not just about the cakes. It is about giving someone a second chance."

Really nice to hear undergraduates debating the egoism versus altruism merits of working in non-profits. It brings me back to very familiar territory. Ultimately, doing good takes first billing and our motivations and experience of it come next. Does the primacy therefore gloss it as altruism?

Thanks again Rachel for the article on Goldman and bubble creation. Our discussion of non-profits versus banking then focusing on charitable works took a different direction after citing this article. When thinking about 'cashing in' it's important to consider where the money comes from and the 'externalities' of those efforts. A paycheck and stuffed bank account is not sufficient to excuse immoral outcomes.

I'm still up in the air on Twitter. It was enjoyable at times using it during presentations at Edustat; although, listening and twittering was a bit overwhelming for actually absorbing higher level ideas. It was sound byte capture and recording provocations. My brother is using it for some entertaining bits like shouting out into the vast void of major stardom, which come off entertaining and occasionally rant-like. Still Pam continues to put the rest of us to shame with myriad daily updates. I for one am not going to sleep less and try to keep up with her.

As heard while buying a coffee roll this morning

Kart Vendor: How tall are you?

Me: six foot six

Kart Vendor: Hm, how much is that in meters?

Me: two meters

Kart Vendor: Wow, you should be playing basketball.
Me: Nah, I play chess.
Kart Vendor: Kasparov. You know like Kasparov.
Me: Yea, he's a pretty good politician.
Kart Vendor and friend in kart: He's crazy. Money. He should be playing for money.

What a delightful Fall day in Charlottesville. I have wrestled my statistics book for part of the morning, and it calls to me this afternoon as well. The homework was split this afternoon by a delightful visit downtown with my friend and colleague, Melissa. We sought delicious South African fare at Shebeen, followed by a tour of the grounds at 'the University' (UVA for the uninitiated. The university is declarative as there are no other universities within proximity). We saw the world re-known lawn. As well, we made our way past the buildings housing the McIntire School of Commerce's excellent programs. Melissa is three quarters of the way through her M.S. Management of Information Technology, and we compared notes of our programs. Many folks pursuing their M.S. along with her have already achieved their MBAs. Her program, or one similar, is of interest after finishing my current degree at Langone. Some point in the near future I will need to further develop my technology background in pursuit of a CIO role.

It was nice to walk a campus ('the grounds'), an enjoyment taken when possible. Definitely a welcome excursion given the holiday meal schedule.

Wired knows Mang:

Don't you see the resemblance:

I stayed home sick infrequently when I was younger. At first it was exciting because when I was home sick my grandmother would always call, and she would ask what I needed to get better. What a fantastic predicament? Getting sick meant presents! After some time I realized there was a difference between want and need. I wanted a gift more than needed it. It was so wonderful that she always asked; she was always so giving. At some point the offers stopped, but the lesson had been learned. I, too, want to give in my lifetime.
Generally considering others’ needs alongside my own, it was a natural fit to find myself working in the non-profit sector following my undergraduate studies. While at American Jewish World Service (AJWS) I had a chance to develop technical skills while furthering the organization’s mission to rid the world of inequality and instilling dignity in those needing it most. As a company we each contributed through vital roles: fundraising proactively, advocating domestically, and grant making internationally. Our efforts were successful, and in my part to support the internal operations I too was making a difference in the world.
Buckminister Fuller’s geodesic dome symbolizes mutual cooperation; both become proportionally stronger as they increase in size. I revere this form and want to apply it to our global society. As an individual, I intend to contribute towards the global good through my talents in technology and business dealings, much like the results at AJWS. I want a comprehensive understanding of the systems underlying the world’s economics, and I want to be help expand successful endeavors like the Grameen bank’s microlending program. Amidst ever diminishing international barriers there is an opportunity to empower the needy alongside the successful. In a mutually cooperative world, individual success means benefit for all. That’s a world I want to aid.
The question is not what I need to feel better anymore; the question is “what is necessary to fulfill my ambition?” I am passionate about technology, and my current employment is helping nurture that passion; we are transforming enterprise applications into platforms only to further develop them into network products. I have a strong executive team leading the organization, and they are resolved to accomplish their stated vision. Whether contributing to the education industry with SchoolNet or social entrepreneurship through another company, I need a broader business framework to assist those executives and eventually become one. I want to study and enable myself to make a substantive contribution.
I am not currently equipped to accomplish what I intend to achieve; I want to promote a socially responsible agenda on a massive scale. As a businessman I want to take stock of the world in full motion, find my place amongst the global dynamism, and reinforce our collective success.

Prince Edward Island, Travelogue, September 2007

Friday, September 7th, 2007:
It was slow going driving out of Brooklyn. Not such an original idea to drive out of the city on a Friday afternoon. At about Orange, CT after the Merritt (CT 15) turns into the Wilbur we were cruisin' on into Boston. We hooked up with Bev and Max in Boston somewhere off of Cambridge St. I don't know the are too well; however, we took a short walk to J.P. Licks where the memorable events were the Noddle Kuggle ice cream, the Sheryl Ann's Challah for our time in PEI, and the conversation with Max. He's taking a very noble path in life and has found himself at City Year working to develop a leadership program. Out of limited knowledge I won't expand on that too much; however, everything I heard was quite interesting, and it's awesome that's he contributing to the year of service effort in the US. At Taft they told us, "Not to be served, but to serve." And at times it was more slogan than action. It's funny that IBM has this 'Do' campaign, but really it's nice to see something beyond procrastination. Doing could be a theme for this trip as a whole being that its genesis is steeped in it. Marla was a Anne of Green Gables fun long since, and she's wanted to visit the story's setting. Deciding was easy when considering how to spend our time off. Why talk about always wanting to do something when it's within your means? So, at the end of the first day we enjoyed a nice desert with good friends, and slept well before another day.

Saturday, September 8th:
Driving. more driving. more driving. We were in the car for about 13 hours. We made the better than 750 miles in good time driving along empty roads enjoying along the way a tax free liquor shop in New Hampshire, thick accents in Bangor, Maine, our first lobster rolls, ever, deluxe fries, and the surprise that PEI is actually a big island. After all that, we found our house for the upcoming week, A Bed by the Ocean, to be quaint, welcoming, and ready to have us sleep til we were ready to wake up.

Sunday, September 9:
A combined stroke of brilliance and luck was for us to bring our bikes, thanks to Marla's ideation, and a last minute upgrade to a slightly larger car, a Kia Rondo. Leisurely rising and realizing that we truly have a fabulous view extending out from a nice long yard we got to enjoy that first cup of, 'you've arrived', vacation coffee. That's a great feeling! Worth the price of admission alone. We gathered ourselves late in the morning and put our bikes to the road. We visited the east end lighthouse at the eastern most tip of island, then made our way slightly down the southern roads before looping back along the confederated trail to Elmira. At Elmira we explored the island's train history, which is quite fascinating. The island has had more than 100 train stations over the last 130 years, and it's coincidentally it's the reason PEI is part of Canada. Issuing bonds for the railroad, the island nation faulted on it's ability to repay the creditors, and it bankrupted and joined the confederated states of Canada. We enjoyed Federer's victory at the U.S. Open, cooked some dinner, and took it easy.

Monday, September 10:
Monday was relaxing heading over to Basin Head, which is known for it's singing sands. The beach has a high silica content and as your feet press the sand together it emits a grinding or more romantic reading -- singing sound. Beside the beach is the Fisheries museum housing a nice history of the island's fisheries and fisher persons. There is a lovely collection of dioramas including ice, coastal, river, and deep sea fishing. Being an island with an interior bay and ocean exposure provides a nice assortment of opportunities for fishing. I often think to myself how fortunate it is to have all of our modern conveniences and comforts for daily living. Fishing in 19th century PEI did not have it as easy. They specialized and were able to help build up the island. Inspired by our tour of the museum and a general love of aquatic creatures we headed off to the fish market. Sadly, it was closed and contrary to the recommendation of the tourist office we headed to the local supermarket for some not as fresh (up to 3 days is still pretty good) Hake. It was the first time either of us had that fish, and we both enjoyed it immensely. To end a lovely exploring day we headed down to the red beach out front of our 'Bed by the Ocean' and made a fire as the sun set. Thankfully parting ways with the mosquitoes as the sun completely disappeared for the night we were able to enjoy the waves, moon, and accompanying firelight.

Tuesday, September 11:
To quote my extremely wise grandfather, Sam Beatty, "it ain't easy be lazy." Despite this and any obstacle at all, we successfully managed to laze about for the entirety of Tuesday. It was our worst weather day in PEI. There were some sprinklings of rain throughout the gray and windy day. But that was no match for our coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon, catching up on Law and Order, continuing to read Bound for Glory and continuing what was to become a daily ritual, the nap. Since we decided that we were making the trip to PEI, Marla and I convinced ourselves we were going to be eating lobster all the way from the time we left Brooklyn until we returned. Conscientious consumers that we are, we did not eat lobster at every meal; however, we did on this Tuesday night make our way to St. Margarets for their famed (and highly advertised) lobster supper.

Wednesday, September 12:
Marla had been inspired to head to PEI for some time having enjoyed the Anne of Green Gables tales, and we both agreed to steer far away from any schlocky touristy traps. Thankfully, the National Park which includes the famed home where Anne was based extends further to the East away from throngs of snap happy folks exclaiming, "Look, isn't just as you imagined?". The quieter woods were perfectly lovely for us to roam as though they were the 'haunted woods' of the stories. Along the way there were some lovely lookouts for provocative and enriching if not heated discussion along with delicious sandwiches. Throughout the trip, we did a really nice job of blending our park slope coop groceries with local additions. Post lunch and still in the woods we came upon the bubbling springs beginning to the expanse of water we had enjoyed during our lunch and other parts of the walk. I am still yet to see a geyser, and this was far from a spectacle, rather it was a nice gurgling debut to the surface for the water passing on perpendicularly. The afternoon concluding like several others with us in search of fish; this night it would be freshly caught Halibut. Added to that bounty were some delicious local oysters, which we proceeded to shuck down at the water's edge while nursing some delicious local brews.

Thursday, September 13:
Today was not quite as lazy as Tuesday, but a blanket strewn upon the singing sand reading our books and listening to waves sure is a nice continued change of pace. This was a very low key day to end with an exquiste meal. Like so many vacation destinations there are some true gem dining experiences. We were elated at what awaited us a the Inn at Fortune Bay. We had jicama and grapefruit salad. There were mussels in a divine wine sauce. There was amazing elk steak to be had, and I feasted on a divine piece of skate wing. To top it all off we had great coffee creme brulee. Everything went down easily with a nice local Seyval Blanc from Rossignol Winery.


Friday, September 14:
It was disheartening to find after waiting all week for the 4H show, that it was only limited to the judges on Friday. Knowing our drive was to begin early Saturday morning, it will require a special trip back to PEI for the annual affair. The sour note was redeemed in part by lunch at Bluefin. This was not exquisite New York Sushi, rather, we found ourselves enjoying a delightful helping of softshell crab and chips. To top off the recovered day, we ventured back to our awesome seafood shop for a cryopack of Scallops. Yea, a healthy portion with pasta for dinner that night made for a sweet wrap to the week. Seafood and beaches: it's kinda like an Excel circular reference you can never quite get enough of either. We were elated.

Saturday, September 15:
Packed and instantly nostalgic, we drove off from our bed by the sea and headed out on a rainy Saturday. The drive was pleasant and uneventful. We took a slightly different route with the intention of remaining a bit more coastal through Maine; however, rain enduring throughout the day and the prospect of landing up in Bar Harbor at night and exhausted had us divert earlier in the afternoon for an easier route. We hauled to Augusta, Maine, which I would not have been able to tell you prior is the capital, and we landed up at a fabulous hotel. Despite the week of beaching sunning and walking, there was no swimming to speak of in PEI. It was Kold water while we were there. On the other hand, the Senator Inn Best Western had a fantastic pool there in Augusta, ME. We enjoyed our salads, some swimming, and a low key evening. Well, not entirely low-key. HBO offered up some scintillating viewing, Inside Deep Throat. Dad had told me about it. He, his sister, and his mom had seen the controversial film when it originally came out, but I hadn't really understood what it was about. This only further confirmed what I already knew, I had the greatest grandmother there ever was.


Sunday, September 16, 2007:
We roused and hit the road at a reasonable hour. We brunched streetside in beautiful Portland, ME. I would certainly return there for an extended visit. The roads were a hint wearisome returning to New York, but such is the weekend experience. To indulge our parking karma a touch more, there was parking in front of the house making it easy to return home and conclude a delightful trip.

Postscript:
Lots of friends have looked slightly bewildered about voluntarily spending time in PEI. "Aren't you about 30 years younger than everyone else there?" Perhaps only physically. It suited Marla and myself, just fine.

"There's no can't in I" ~Jason Stein (pre-coffee, this morning)

I love the "Ninja" aspect of this technique:

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Simply brillant. Pulling out the cardboard from underneath the bed already...

realestate.com.au put technology into their business practices to create a comprehensive look at the property prospective buyers were considering. A google maps mash-up, taking advantage of the satellite component straight off as well as being able to add in preferences such as neighborhood, price, and more, they have the incentive for users to return to their site. Add to that RSS feeds based on preference, akin to Netflix's Recommendations RSS feed, and you have regular repeat visit.

When my father worked with Real Estate in New York we discussed ideas like this; the challenge is technically adding on layers of user's desired preference surrounding the property their considering. How many different categories of information make a property that much more appealing? And, then could you go a step further by providing a rating of a property's profile matched to a user's profile derived by survey with a high degree of accuracy. Could you imagine, the city's flower district being a direct hit?

People can't be bosses who don't just listen.

It came out accidentally, but I like it.