Kevin Costner... and his Field of Reality

It has often been said, "This is impossible... There is no such technology and plenty of solutions to fix this problem".  Ah Ha, but there is.  Kudos to Kevin Costner, his brother and to the efforts of his company.  Mr. Costner was invited to present his oil from water extraction technology as a viable solution to clean up the mess BP has created in the Gulf of Mexico.  In his own words... 90% of the Valdeze problem would have been resolved within one week of the disaster if his technology was deployed.  Imagine!  Why then are we still playing these games of cat and mouse.  If this is the case and his technology can do what they say it can, imagine what we could have done to prevent the "billions" of dollars in loss of life, health, business, habitate and more? lg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xYeNUNhkgo&feature=related

It's the Gear Ratio Stupid

Awe... the infamous HEMI.  I need more horsepower.  Ok, let's get right to it.  The speed limit on most highways is 65/70 miles an hour.  Even the State of Montana changed their highway speeds a number of years ago.  So folks, why are we still talking about horsepower and higher speeds?  The focus of this blog is to give you an alternative.  With so many governments and police cracking down on speeders, careless and aggressive driving... I'd be willing to give up higher speeds for greater fuel efficiency and quicker acceleration.  And guess what?  We can do this.  By changing the gear ratios in our vehicles, its a simple set up that would in fact improve our gas mileage and give us some really sweet acceleration.  The trade off would be a max speed of 80-90 miles per hour.  Are you in?  Besides, I don't think I could handle a top speed of 120/130 miles per hour.  However, a super quick jump off the line, I think that would get my rocks off.  By making this simple change in gear ratios, would feed my need, be good for carbon foot print, and be better on my pocket book.

Hot Wheels... Gear Down My Ride!

Today's Blog was inspired by my neighbour.  Everyone loves the automobile.  So let's focus on the efficiency of the combustion engine.  Did you know that only about 19% of the energy created by the engine is converted into power to move the vehicle?  Did you know that an electric engine is 90%+ efficient in transferring energy into power?  What gives?  We have the technology, the brains, and the capability, but like so much in our lives... we have no will to Make It Better!  Instead, we cry helpless "What could one little old consumer do?  Call you friends and let's make one voice even louder and more powerful.  With this, we have made so many advancements in science, technology and with the materials we use to make everything on the planet, except for the automobile.  I think Saturn was onto something.  If we take the fibreglass body panels they used on their automobiles, and replaced that bulky, crappy steel with a high grade composite or aluminum (yes... it does exists... have you ever seen a jet in the sky?) and then re-geared the transmission, we could dramatically increase the efficiency of the combustion  and significantly reduce the amount of fuel, the number of parts and overall repair costs to make the automobile the means of transportation it should be.  Now how's that for a small foot print.  So next time you get into your car, just pause for a second and ask yourself; "It's time we make these improvements to Make It (the automobile) Better.  I'm sure Mr. Ford would appreciate this so he can stop rolling over in his grave. 

Oil vs the Sun

Ok... since it is 40 degrees outside today, I thought this would be an opportune time to talk about the production and consumption of oil vs the unlimited energy potential created by the sun.  Look up.... waaaaaay up... (as the Green Giant used to say) and you seen this massive sized, extremely hot light bulb spreading huge amounts of heat and daylight for everyone to enjoy.  When you compare the practicality of capturing this heat and energy vs the staggering costs to capture, refine and distribute oil, shame on us for creating and maintaining such a narrowed dependence.  For a society that has achieved so much, it's hard to believe companies like TCP are going to pipe oil from the Oil Sands of Northern Alberta all the way through the heart of the US to Houston to be processed and to feed the US oil addiction.  On the other side... we all have access to the Sun and now there is technology to "capture" the suns heat and energy so that it may be stored and used when needed at a later time.  This technology comes in the form of Liquid Batteries and if we'd put as much time and energy and support into this technology as we have done with other out of date and extremely wasteful practices, image where we'd be today.  Folks, is it too much to ask for us to use our gifts, intelligence and our common sense to force change, progress and a new way to create, develop and distribute energy?  Please make me believe it is possible.  I know what the whale sharks in the Gulf of Mexico would say if they had a choice. 

OH My God.... My PC crashed and I lost everything!

Has this every happened to you?  Well, I have a very simple design solution that could save you plenty of grief and the loss of your important files, pictures and documents when your PC crashes.  We have all heard of the famous memory stick and how we can save files on a back up basis externally, but how many of us still save everything to the C: drive on our computers?  It's a simple step, granted, but it requires a change in our behaviour to ensure our stuff is kept safe in the event bad things happen to our PC.  What if instead of us having to insert a memory stick into a usb port on our pc or laptop to save our files, PC manufacturers designed an internal "backup" memory stick inside our computer.  Just like that of the cd rom, if something goes wrong, ie our computer crashes, then all we'd have to do is push a little button on the side of our pc or laptop and voila, a memory stick pops out and all of our pictures, files and personal documents are backed up and safe in our hands.  Imagine... talk about Making It Better.  Is this so difficult or is there a real problem with those people who design, produce and sell pc's and laptops.  Remember..., YOU heard it here first.

Oil vs Will

When I decided to write this blog, I did so with the idea that it would give me an outlet to express myself and to create a channel for us to believe it can be changed, it can be done differently, and more importantly, it can be made better.  To actually MIB... there needs to be WILL in order to produce any kind of results or to have an impact on whatever your cause is and it is will this blog, I shall work to help you find yours.

For many days we've been reading about the Great Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  What is truly sad about this entire disaster is the lack of world engagement and participation to fix the situation.  Instead... World Cup fever has taken the main stage while inaction on all of our parts runs rampid.  So, I'll keep this entry short and to the point.  On July 1st, Canada Day, I ask all of you to boycott the purchase of any kind of fuel on that day.  Gas up the night before, walk, bus or even rent an electric car and send a message that we do have the will to "Make It Better".  Hey... I'm not that naive, but this will truly send the message we are all capable of delivering.  Worse case, think of the impact and impression you will have on each other and our children.

What me... Make I T Personal?

In a world where society is trying it hardest to get closer and closer to each other without admitting it, along comes weMiP aka we Make I T Personal.  Let's just cut to the chase and put our objectives in the forefront so we are clear of our intentions and how we value ones trust and relationship.  When weMiP, we are sending a clear message of transparency and honesty with conviction.  That's what I value the most.  There are no flashy brochures, sweet little gimmick tag lines or stuff to muddy the water.  All we have is a commitment to treat each other with the utmost respect while engaging in a relationship far stronger than ever before or imagined with the ability and flexibility to balance your relationships professionally, personally, and with the highest of integrity.  That's what we humans value and that's why weMiP is set to establish a whole new level of relationship and connectivity in our lives.  Stay tuned... this is only going to get better.

The Art of Human Behaviour Re-thunk

What if we had the will to shift the way and how we do things in life and our first priority would be to make it simple?  Would this mean an end to our economy and the creation of wealth as we know it?  Or would this spawn entirely new markets, opportunities, products, and wealth creation like never seen before?  Let's start with the computer.  What if I told you that 99% of your computer problems could be solved with just a reboot?  Impressed?  Curious?  Interested?  And on top of that, I'll even make anti-virus software optional.  Now how can you get your hands on this new behavioural change and how we view technology?  Well, it's called OOPS Certified and the above I just mentioned is now available for firms, corporations and even the little ole individual pc user.  The company that created OOPS Certified is now offering compete data and email recovery if your pc goes down.  Impressed yet?   What ever you've been told about technology by the big guys, it really doesn't have to be.  We've created an entire economy based on controlling technology so that you have to rely on some techny guy (or girl) to fix your pc when it goes down leaving you in a sorry state of enormous anxiety.  So today, I want to empower you so that you can be completely at ease to know your IT behavioural experience has just been re-thunk.  Visit http://www.wemip.com/ to get OOPS Certified.

weMiP... The New "Get Connected" Frontiere.

What started out as just a simple idea is quickly taking root in the way we manage our lives and relations with each other.  weMiP is starting to take on a new life of its own as something people can more intimately relate to and easily connect with.  Do you MiP?  aka Do you Make It Personal?  Most definitely.  We all do.  That's what makes each of us who we are and how we interact as human beings.  weMiP is the act of Making It Personal.  When we MiP, we are sending a strong message that we are committed, we are engaged, we really do care.  For some reason, we've always believed or felt when we make it personal, it was not the right thing to do or the polite way to be.  However, to MiP is catching on and we are quickly realizing the positive impact and real meaningful potential of Making It Personal can have in our everyday life.  It's the new frontier in relationships and it has the power and the ability to connect people like never before.  Do you MiP... of course you do.  You've just never looked at it this way before.  So let's getting MiP'n and you'll soon experience life, relationships and opportunity in an entirely new light and with a completely different attitude.  Send us your MiP message loud and clear to IMiP@weMiP.com as well as to that special someone you think should start MiP'n.

MiP My PC

Ok, we all have our very own nightmare technology story.  Come on...  Feel free to send me your worse tech story at http://www.wemip.com/ and Take the MiP Challenge.  You could win a brand new laptop.

The startup company, weMiP has launched a new process and computer application that guarantees 99%+ repair upon rebooting your computer.  Imagine, if you had this on your computer what that would mean to your peace of mind, the cost of repair and over loss of time when it goes down.  The funny thing here is weMiP stands for "Make i t Personal".  That's right.  They're not your average computer repair and maintenance company that just fixes "the problem".  They actually care about your company and how to make you the best you can be at what you do for your clients and customers.  Check it out and remember... MiP it Good!

Do you MiP?

In a world where we don't want to Make it Personal, I've decided to take a different approach and spin it 180 degrees.  In my mind, it's all about Making it Personal.  Look around... when you trust someone or give of yourself, volunteer, celebrate, share, or even dance, you're always making it personal.  That's right!  What do you think Facebook and social networking is?  Make it Personal  or "MiP" is just that.  So, the next time you "do something", remember to MiP... Make it Personal and MiP if Good!

Is ALL starts by being true to YOU

Ok... I admit it.  I watched Opera today.  And I'm really glad I did.  Ellen D was Opara's guest and I think there's a "bigger" reason why I chose to watch the show today of all days.  Prior to Ellen's success, she was having a difficult time in life.  One thing that Ellen said that really hit home (when asked the question: When did it start turning around for you Ellen?) was; "When I started being honest with myself."  I guess this is the gateway for all of us.  And at the age of 40, for some reason it hit me like a brick that stopped me in my brain tracks.  It's not like I haven't heard this before, but for some reason the true message was like the separating of the dead sea.  I can see!  When something like this happens, it's one thing to say that your eyes are open and it's another to actually be able to see.  Well now's my chance to MIP and be honest to myself first so I can spread it around in everything I do in life.  I guess I have some work to do.  Time to get busy!

LG

In The Spirit of Sport

Today is a big day in the eyes of so many Canadians. It's hockey day in Canada and we need to win and continue to do so if we want to win Gold in hockey at the Winter Olympics. A little over a week into the Olympics, they continue to create big buzz across Canada and around the world. For their efforts, our Canadian Athletes have achieved 10 medals, 5 of which are gold. Very impressive. What makes you proud? What gets you excited. Even if you're not a sports fan, you can't deny yourself the sense of pride that comes with success and achieving greatness in life or whatever you do. Unfortunately, not all of us are willing to put ourselves "out there" to ever sniff greatness in life. I'd have to say this is a result of most of us not wanting to fail or be disappointed with our performance so we choose to do what's easy and what we're most sure of. I think we put so much pressure on each other to gauge success by the accumulation of "stuff" that we often prevent ourselves from truly finding our moment, our time that defines who we really are. If you do, great, if you haven't, don't wait till it's too late. My Mom and Dad had eight children and their priority was always to ensure they gave us everything we needed to succeed in our lives. Never once did they ask for anything in return. So whether it's sports or just doing what you do in life, do it well. Now that I'm 40, I suddenly find myself reflecting on where I've been and where I now want my life to go. So, I strongly urge you to test yourself, push yourself with the goal to always Make It Better! Life's too short... Live It, Love It, Long for It. GO CANADA!

PS Thanks Mom and Dad.
G

What's Your Cause? Get Cause!

Curious? Regardless of what it is, find your passion and making money will come. Before I make the official announcement, I need to bring some clarity to my own mind in how things are going to be launched to provide me with the opportunity I think this can really be. Cause has always had a big place in my mind, my heart and my very soul. So it makes complete sense for me to start taking measures to live my passion and to leave my Legacy in Life. Coming Soon.

G

Reflect on Life... You Must Like What You See In The Mirror

I've always said, "Life must be fun or it's not worth living." However, there are actually many different definitions of what life is and means to people. Maybe it's a married with no children thing (and believe me... it's not always a blessing, kids really do serve a purpose in one's sense of place) or maybe it's a result of how seriously I take having fun. I'm not talking about Patrick Kane fun (back of limo in the news), but rather being able to smile on demand, laugh or move with a jump in your step. It's not about being content, but rather being driven, fulfilled, and feeling a sense of purpose in who we are and what we are doing with what you've been given. Hmmm. Because as a good friend of mine once said, "Life is not a race." So when the next time you pause, reflect or just sit in silence, make sure the person you seen in the mirror is truly the person you want to be. Now go forth and prosper. Live Life Large! and remember.... Make It Better!

G

More Than Just A New Year

Happy New Year! Today is not only the 1st day of 2010, but a chance for all of us to "launch" forward to new heights to Make It Better. I would like to put forth a friendly challenge to each and everyone of you to take a piece from Nike's playbook and "Just Do It". With this, I'd like to invite you to "Get Connected" by emailing joinmib@gmail.com so we can create a new friendship of like minded individuals inspired to Make It Better. To kick start my own new year, I'm working on the launch of a new publication that will showcase those individuals, groups, and companies who are executing great acts of "Make It Better" in their personal and professional lives. So watch for the new MIB Publication and media network coming later this month Cheers!

Leslie S. Gagne and I MIB.