SPHERES OF INFLUENCE

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4 finanCe inVesTinG in YOuR kiDs’ sTuff By Jennifer openshaw | 3/31/09 | Blogher.com tpburl.com/hcxk51 Where do investment ideas come from? Something you read in the paper? Something your broker, or maybe a friend, recommended? Here’s a thought: What about trying to get some tips from your kids? It can happen. Any parent who drives children around all day has an all-access pass to a special world — the world of young consumers. If you listen, you’ll hear what they want, what they are buying, and — of course — what they want you to buy them. Pay attention to what’s happening in their world, and you might come up with some good investment ideas of your own (for more on this, read Rogers Park Montessori School: New Kids on the Stock). Smells like teen spirit: “Axe — I smell it everywhere,” the mother of a 14-year-old boy told me. “Axe body spray, Axe body wash, Axe deodorant, Axe hair gel… you get the idea. They make everything. And every teenaged boy wears that scent.” Axe is everywhere, but where does it come from? It’s one of the myriad of products made by Dutch consumer products giant Unilever (UL), traded in the U.S. as an ADR. You know Unilever — they’re the same folks who bring you your SlimFast. They wear it well: Under Armour’s (UA) aggressive marketing campaign has apparently caught on with young boys on the field. Under Armour makes “performance apparel” for sports like basketball, football, and soccer, and kids wear it with pride. The company recently entered the running-shoe arena, setting its sights on Nike. Will it succeed? School of Roxy: The girls who are watching the guys who smell like Axe and wear tight Under Armour t-shirts are wearing Roxy t-shirts. Sounds like an eighties band, I know, but it’s one of the many skate/snow board apparel labels owned by surf pioneer Quiksilver (ZQK). Teenaged girls love Roxy’s tiny t-shirts and hoodies. Betwixt and Be Tween: Aeropostale (ARO) is a mall store that mothers of tween girls know all too well. The mother of three young girls told me recently that she’s there so often she’s memorized the layout of the store near them. So the next time you get dragged to the store by your children, think of it as research. Who knows, your next great investment idea might just pop out of one of those shopping bags. It’s a great example of investing in what you know. Profile THe wORlD is full Of inTeResTinG PeOPle. fOR eACH issue we PiCk A uniQue PeRsOn TO PROfile. sHARe YOuR iDeAs ABOuT sOMeOne TO PROfile BY wRiTinG PROfile@THePRinTeDBlOG.COM. www.weseed.com www.themillionairezone.com a passionate advocate for working americans, Jennifer openshaw is cofounder of stock education site weseed (www.weseed.com), author of a new book, The millionaire Zone, and a seasoned expert in finance and investing. she appears regularly on oprah, good morning america and Cnn and has been featured in the new york Times, usa Today and Business week. Jennifer has lived her own “rags to riches” story, getting her first job as a maid in a motel when she was 14 years old to help support her family. from these humble but determined beginnings, she launched and propelled her career in financial services, with an mBa from uCla and a job as press secretary for California’s state Treasurer. Jennifer has since worked as vice president at Bank of america, senior vice president of corporate marketing at Bank one, head of marketing for investment firm wilshire associates, and chief executive of family financial network. she has gone on to start several successful ventures. in 1999, Jennifer founded women’s financial network, a financial services company created for women. she now serves as president of weseed, designed to help people use their passions and professions to make better investment decisions. Jennifer also is host of aBC radio’s “winning advice,” aol’s family financial editor and a member of the young entrepreneurs organization. The governor of California has appointed her to the prestigious Commission on California state government organization and economy. as a proven entrepreneur and powerful voice for “the little guy,” Jennifer knows that ordinary people often have limited resources but unlimited aspirations. her life’s mission is to share her secrets of how successful people get ahead and empower middle-income americans to reach their financial dreams. PoliTiCs jennifeR OPensHAw GOOGle’s CeO GeTs An OffiCiAl seAT AT PResiDenT OBAMA’s TABle By adam ostrow | 4/27/09 | mashable tpburl.com/8zc3js The close ties between Google CEO Eric Schmidt and President Barack Obama are welldocumented. Schmidt endorsed Obama’s Presidential campaign, and in the months since he has taken office, the leader of the world’s most popular search engine has also been a guest at the White House to discuss policy alongside some of the country’s top economists and financiers. Although Schmidt quickly took his name out of the running to become CTO of the USA after Obama was elected, today, he’s been officially named to a new role: that of a member of President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. That group, according to a statement issued today by The White House, will advise the President on “[formulating] policy in the many areas where understanding of science, technology, and innovation is key to strengthening our economy and forming policy that works for the American people.” It’s worth noting that Craig Mundie, Chief Research and Strategy Officer at Microsoft, is also on the list of advisers, so fear of Google getting unfair sway with the nation’s Chief Executive are probably a bit unfounded. Nonetheless, it probably doesn’t sit well with those that think Google already has just a bit too much power that the company’s CEO will now have a seat at the President’s table in a role that will clearly help define tech policy going forward. kATie COuRiC AnD CBs news GeT CReATiVe wiTH fACeBOOk PAGes By Jennifer van grove | 4/22/09 | mashable tpburl.com/43ymbn Hi there, Facebookers! Katie Couric has a video challenge for you. The CBS Evening News anchor is putting the upgraded Facebook Pages to good use. In a 48 second video clip posted to her page, Couric explains that she’s going to be taking stock of President Barack Obama’s first 100 days in office, and she needs your help (and Facebook juice) to do it. The challenge, should you choose to accept, is to create a 20 second video on what Obama’s done wrong or right while in office, and post it to her Facebook Page. The best videos will be included in a live broadcast from CBSNews.com on April 29 at 7pm EST. Even though Couric acknowledges that she’s crossing into trendier territories by stating “my daughters think it’s really funny I have a Facebook Page…funny weird,” we still think that she’s doing a fantastic job combining her star power with social media savvy to raise her profile on Facebook and grow the CBS audience through potentially viral channels. The power of massive comments, likes, and user-created Facebook videos, is that the CBS message gets dispersed to new audiences (friends of friends) with every act of sharing. Oddly enough, we’re unable to share the video with you here due to Facebook’s archaic video sharing limitations (you can only share videos with your Facebook network on Facebook). But, should you be interested in participating in the challenge, you can watch the video and participate here. She’s already hip to YouTube and Digg, now Facebook, so what’s next Couric? A 140 character Twitter challenge (she’s already tweeting as @katiecouric) perhaps? That sounds fun. PhoTos reCession gaming: Two hyPer-addiCTive free games By danielle riendeau | 4/16/09 | gamertell tpburl.com/3n48vx There’s nothing sweeter than finding fun on the cheap - or better - for free, especially when it comes to videogames. Now that everyone is weary about spending (yes, the economy is ruining everything, and no one is immune), finding good, free web-based games has become a hobby for many. I’m here to point you in the direction of two that are particularly compelling - for entirely different reasons. The first, I have to admit, is something I stumbled on while reading Kotaku. ScaryGirl, as it’s called is a robust, gorgeous platformer/ adventure game that looks and plays as if Psychonauts had a baby with Super Mario Brothers and the old Beetlejuice cartoon was somehow involved. It’s as full-featured (and beautifully animated) as a good full-priced game, so the fact that you can play it for free - and in your browser - is pretty fantastic. On the other end of the spectrum is the juvenile, hilarious Don’t Sh*t Your Pants, which is a text-based adventure game (though the creators have dubbed it “survival horror”). It centers on a very simple - and nasty - premise (don’t do number two in your pants) and stars a crudely drawn dude who looks like he started out life in MS Paint, but no matter - the fact that there are about nine “achievements” to earn will have you playing until you figure them all out. I seriously could not stop playing this last night - though I’m not sure what that says about me. I dare you to try these games and not feel gratified - and if you hate them, well, it didn’t cost you a penny. The PrinTed Blog is PrinTed By John s. swifT Co., inC. www.JohnswifTPrinT.Com (847) 465-3300 TeCh i do noT undersTand These words By michelle woo | 4/23/09 | michelle woo tpburl.com/4195x3 J. Cook photography | tpburl.com/f67ngz
PhoTos CulTure THe wAll PROjeCT By Joshua karp | 4/30/09 | The Printed Blog tpburl.com/bp3w29 It’s no secret that communication technologies are bridging geographical and cultural gaps. With a little creativity, they are also proving they have the power to do much more. In the Phillipines, for example, large-scale demonstrations organized via cell phones and SMS helped force President Joseph Estrada’s resignation, thus bringing about major political change without violence. At the Northwood School in London, students use video conferencing technology to interact with pupils at primary schools in the U.S. and China. The children are quickly able to develop more intimate levels of cultural appreciation as a result, learning about Thanksgiving from children in Texas, and practicing Tai Chi with children in Hong Kong. The service Videoletters.net captures video messages from former neighbors and friends throughout the war-torn countries of the Former Yugoslavia, broadcasting them via public access channels so those who lost contact during conflict can reconnect. While remarkable and inspiring, these innovative examples lack the power and appeal of firsthand, personal experience. We do not live in a world of avatars. Our facial expressions are not emoticons. Existing interfaces for navigating the virtual world continue to evolve, but they are no substitute for real world interaction. But what if technology could be harnessed to bend the rules? What if there was an innovative communications solution that could blur the line between virtual and real world interaction? What if there was a way to enable large-scale, face-to-face interactions between citizens all over the world…in real-time? It would be like opening a window into another part of the world. Well, that window exists. And that window is a wall. The Wall is a groundbreaking new project that aims to tear down geographic and cultural barriers like never before via the construction of monumental “smart” walls in locations around the globe. Designed to serve as audio-visual gateways, citizens of the world will be able to see, hear, and interact with their international ‘neighbors’ in an open forum that promotes empathy, dialogue, and unprecedented human collaboration. Sound like a lofty goal? The Wall’s inspiring and ambitious mission is founded upon concrete, achievable pillars set forth by Joshua Karp – entrepreneur, optimist and founder of The Printed Blog. Joshua believes that the greatest opportunities to change the world start with one person, a single idea, and the belief that anything is possible. In 50 cities around the world, 50 interactive video walls will be constructed in large, open and accessible urban hubs. The walls will be approximately 1000 feet long by 50 feet tall by 15 feet thick. They will be built using high definition monitors, video cameras, speakers, and microphones. They will be constructed to be impervious to weather and vandalism, and designed with respect to each individual city’s unique heritage and urban plan. How will these walls work? They will interface in tandem with sister walls in other cities according to a rotation of eight-hour intervals, with schedules made public through a predetermined schedule. A man in Chicago will meet face-to-face and interact in real-time with a woman in New Delhi. A boy in Mosul will play rock, paper, scissors with a girl in Amsterdam. Speeches, lectures, rallies, protests, discussions, concerts, classes, field trips, commerce, games, love affairs, arguments and more will occur across the wall…and across the world. The Wall will inevitably bear witness to horrors and atrocities as well. Thus, it will ensure we do not turn a blind eye to murder, theft, persecution and injustice. Imagine how much faster violence would end and peace would come if people stopped averting their eyes. The Wall presents an opportunity to dissolve barriers between cultures and create an environment of global discourse on an unprecedented scale. A strong global community begins with citizens capable of facing realities honestly – and those realities can only be fully understood through real world interaction. Where the Internet has facilitated virtual world interaction on a global scale, the Wall will encourage real world interaction on the same scale. Something remarkable and inspiring, indeed. hire me THis jusT in: THe CuRRenT jOB MARkeT is Awful. we CAn HelP YOu finD YOuR wAY OuT Of YOuR BATHROBe AnD inTO A GReAT new jOB. senD A COuPle senTenCes ABOuT YOuRself, YOuR linkeDin PROfile, AnD A PiCTuRe TO HiReMe@THePRinTeDBlOG.COM. noTe To readers Tim yuen / Copywriter Went to new york to look for a job as a copywriter, came back to Chicago a few months later due to the economic recession. now working out thanks to my p90x routine but would rather write copy for advertising agency. Check out my work/ resume at www.timyuenportfolio.com http://www.linkedin.com/in/timyuen Bob Johnson / photographer My photography and writing has been published in the new york times, Star magazine, newsday, timeout/ny, the new york Resident, playbill.com and more. My photos also have been featured on aBC’s the View and tMZ. i am seeking a position that will combine my photography, writing and video skills so that i can continue to follow my passions in life. http://www.linkedin.com/in/bittenbyazebra Cover photo Correction the printed Blog mislabeled the cover photograph credit in the Chicago loop edition of Vol1 no13. the correct photographer’s name is Michal Czerwonka. We regret the error. tagline Credit “like the internet, only flammable.” this tagline was submitted by Marc Muszynski, a runner-up in our tagline contest. VieWS expReSSed in Content do not neCeSSaRily ReFleCt the VieWS oF the puBliSheR oR the pRinted Blog inC. 5
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