With the start of a new year last month we all talked a lot about making changes.  A simple one that we discussed was to make small adjustments to our habits as a way of keeping the brain fresh and avoiding things like Alzheimer’s Disease.

I’m in favor of that so since the start of the year I started mixing up how I walk to work in the morning.  I have 2 choices of routes from my house to the subway in Cambridge and only 1 route on the subway, but when I get off the green line at Arlington Station my options for diversity in paths to the office unfold before me.  If I take into account different sides of the street  and 2 routes through buildings (which are handy on days like last week’s gales) I see about 21 routes from the subway to the office.  I don’t make any decisions about my route and let the traffic signals lead my way.  I follow walk signs or empty streets until I can’t keep going straight then turn at the signal.  Yes it’s a little bit OCD, but it works.

Now I’ve started to worry about this rule being too strict and that rather than it being a tool helping me to stay fresh it actually has become an impediment to that end.  Clearly I think too much.  But I can’t wait until Spring when the weather is better and the Public Garden and Boston Common beckon with even more options for routes to and from work and staying fresh.

What are you doing to mix it up? Let me know in the comments.

Staying Fresh By Mixing It Up is a post from: Trumblog

This week I came across a picture of the Niketown in Tokyo’s Harajuku district, designed by architect Masamichi Katayama and his team at Wonderwall and couldn’t help but notice it’s similarity to the new Cambridge public library designed by William Rawn Associates of Boston, with Ann Beha Architects, also of Boston that opened this fall.  You be the judge.

Nike Town in Tokyo's Harajuku district

Cambridge Public Library in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Photo Credits: Nike Harajuku by naoyafujii.  Cambridge Public Library by Mazarine

Cambridge Public Library Lookalike is a post from: Trumblog

Years ago we lauded a departing director of the digital department with having implemented a wireless network thereby “faciliting web surfing during pointless meetings.” It was a joke, but of course it was true. Thanks to him that company and the companies that it subsequently morphed into had a culture of laptop open meetings.

In contrast, Jack Morton’s corporate culture is to have “topless” meetings, meaning no laptops unless requiredto support the meeting, run a PowerPoint, take notes on, etc. There is rampant BlackBerry and iPhone checking, we are human after all. When I started here it took some time for me to adjust to this difference. I brought my laptop to my first meeting or two and I was shocked that people actually locked their laptops to their desks (I’d never before been separated from my laptop at work long enough for it to be stolen).

I’m not sure which is a better system, or even if there is a better one. On the one hand I can’t multitask at a long meeting, but people also don’t have to repeat themselves because someone was covertly checking Facebook. I think that meetings are shorter without laptops, but the causality may be in the other direction. An existing culture of short meetings may have made laptops less of a temptation.

What made me think about this was a sister agency using one of our conference rooms for the last two days. The table was full of laptops, an incongruous site here at Jack Morton. Would it look normal at your office? What about your corporate culture drives topless meetings or makes them impossible? If you could change would you? Let me know in the comments.

Photo Credit: Speaker Selection Process – 1 by nep

Multitasking Meetings or Concentrated Conferencing? is a post from: Trumblog

This weekend I was in LA to see The Pee-Wee Herman Show. Yes, Pee-Wee is back along with Ms. Yvonne, Cowboy Curtis, Chairry, Conky, Pterri, and the rest of Puppet Land playing nightly at the Club Nokia.

Friday night Pee-Wee announced was the one year anniversary of his signing with his manager, Kelly Bush of Vie Entertainment. One year ago he had been dropped by his management company, had no work and was directionless. She helped Pee-Wee turn that completely around. Now his show is back, he was on the last week of Conan, he’s contemplating taking the show on the road or to Broadway, and he has his sights set on producing another movie or two.

Some people are struck by lighting and achieve success from nowhere. Others seem to have the same thing happen, but it’s the result of years of effort. Pee-Wee worked incredibly hard to get from that low in 2009 to be back in 2010. What a year of effort that must have been. How many of us can say that we work that hard, set some goals and tap into our relationships and fans to get it done? Like Pee-Wee or not he and his manager are an insipartion for the effort and drive to achieve results.

Pee-Wee’s 1 Year Adventure is a post from: Trumblog

I’d forgotten all about the Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special, but luckily Pee-Wee’s resurgence this year led to his posting it on his website in all it’s glory including a cavalcade of stars including Annette Funicello, Frankie Avalon, Charo,  Del Rubio Triplets, Whoopi Goldberg, Magic Johnson, Grace Jones, K.D. Lang, Little Richard, Joan Rivers, Dinah Shore, Oprah Winfry and Zsa Zsa Gabor.  All that above and beyond regular Playhouse visitors like Cowboy Curtis (Laurence Fishburne), Miss Evonne (Lynne Marie Stewart), Ricardo (Vic Trevino), Mrs. Renee (Suzanne Kent), The King of Cartoons (William H. Marshall), Reba the Mail Lady (S. Epatha Merkerson), and Jambi (John Paragon).

On his site you can also create Christmas cards with you playing Santa (yup, that’s my knee that Pee-Wee is sitting on) to send to your friends.

Here’s the open to the Christmas special, but I suggest that you watch the full thing on his website.  Enjoy,

Pee-Wee Herman Christmas is a post from: Trumblog

Once again this year Santa is being tracked by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) as he makes his way around the globe.  You can keep an eye on his progress at the NORAD site or, when you are out and about picking up those last minute gifts, with Google maps on your BlackBerry, Droid and iPhone.   Just search for “Santa” in Google maps and you’ll get a look at his location.  A nice way to show off your geek cred to the young ones.

He moves quickly though, when I took the screen shot for this post a few minutes ago he was in Micronesia.  He’s already in Khabarovsk, Russia.

Track Santa With Google Maps is a post from: Trumblog

The gifts from Google keep coming this holiday season.  First there is the free airport wifi and now free holiday postcards.  Pick one of the following cards, fill out a message and address  and Google will send it to a recipient of your choice for free.  Just one card per person so send it to someone really special.

Free Holiday Postcards From Google is a post from: Trumblog

Charter For Compassion is a post from: Trumblog

It’s Halloween.  Put on your costume, have a box of Jujyfruits, enjoy the smell of dead leaves and relish some childhood memories; sounds of Disney’s Haunted Mansion and The Great Pumpkin.

mp3s of the album are available for download from RebuiltTrannyRecords.com Disneyland Record – Chilling, Thrilling Sounds Of The Haunted House (1964)

Happy Halloween: Haunted Mansion Sounds and The Great Pumpkin is a post from: Trumblog

What are you up to this weekend? How about joining me for a little activism around climate change for one of the most online marketing savvy campaigns that I know of, 350?

Scientists agree that the safe upper limit for the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is 350 parts per million.  Currently CO2 concentrations are at 390 parts per million.  This is causing fiercer weather, warmer global temperatures and the melting of polar ice caps which are now projected to completely thaw in the summer months.

This combined impact will result in higher sea levels and extensive flooding.  Only a small rise in sea levels will result in significant coastal flooding, which will have an enormous impact for cities like Boston and New York.  CO2 concentrations are projected to increase by an additional 2 parts per year meaning that we’ll hit 400 parts per million in just 5 years.

The goal of the 350 campaign is to unite people in finding a solution to our climate crisis.

As part of the 350 campaign, on October 24 people around the world will be gathering to show our concern about the impact of global warming and ask out elected representatives to agree to a climate treaty that will have real impact on our environment when they meet this December in Copenhagen.

I’ll be at the Boston event and I hope that you will join me to show that you care about this. Tweet me @TPapi when you get there to let me know that you are around for a little 350Tweetup.

Boston Under Water 350 Festival –

A regional tongue-in-cheek creative event

3:00 – 5:30 pm, Saturday, October 24, 2009 Photo at 3:50 pm
RAIN OR SHINE! (Water would just make it that much more realistic & we’ve got to be ready!)

Christopher Columbus Park downtown Boston (Aquarium T stop or Walk from Park Street on Red Line)

Please join me or find a location near you.

View Actions at 350.org

Boston Under Water 350 Festival Saturday, October 24, 2009 3:00-5:30PM is a post from: Trumblog