Last week I wrote about my thoughts on success and the benefits of rewards and punishment. Of course there had to be more.
As adults, it is tough to "punish" ourselves, and yet we do it mentally, financially and physically. Just not the way we would punish a child. This is exactly why a child should learn that life includes both the carrot and the stick.
Overspend on the credit card and the credit card company will punish you with high fees. Wreck your car and you will probably punish yourself with a deductible that you didn't budget for. Could you imagine coming home and saying "Honey, I yelled at my boss today, here is the breadboard, I think that is worth five pops."? (Pops are swats depending on where you live). Punishment as an adult exists, it is just different.
With kids, punishment and rewards are both critical for them to understand the true principles of life and success. Take away either one and you get problem kids that become problem adults.
Today we are making the rules so vague, I am not surprised at what I see. Letting boys in the girls bathroom because they are "more comfortable" is just plain ridiculous. Our physiological needs are different, your "orientation" doesn't change your physiological needs. Never mind the potential for sexual misconduct. If it is that important make individual water closets. This happened because some lazy adults decided not to punish the children who cause the issues and took the easy way out and let the kids have a free for all.
When you ignore the principles and change rules so they don't support the principles, bigger problems show up later. You don't need a crystal ball, just the ability to think.
Life is filled with rules. If you have really good principles, you don't have a need for rules. Since we aren't born with principles, we start by teaching rules.
So how does this all tie in with success and the activity - reward cycle?
Rules are created to help people build an understanding of principles. Until then, there is a boys room and a girls room.
Lets say you want to lose weight. The principle is simple, burn more calories than you intake. Because most people don't understand how to apply that principle, we have companies that create rules based approaches like Weight Watchers and the points system. The rules work.
You can't violate these rules in the name of rewarding yourself either, because violating the rules breaks the principles most of the time.
For example, if you are trying to lose weight and go for a 5 mile walk which burns 400 calories and reward yourself with an 1100 calorie shake, chances are good your reward will help you gain weight, not lose it.
Can you have an 1100 calorie shake, break the rules and still lose weight? Yes, because the principle of weight loss is eating less than you need. If the only thing you have that entire day is the milkshake, then you can still lose weight. You will likely violate several other principles of good health but you will lose weight. What are the chances of skipping breakfast, lunch and dinner though?
Let me give you another example of breaking a rule and not violating a principle. Speeding. If you are on the freeway in a well maintained car going 75 in a 65, are you violating the principle of the speed limit which is safety? The answer is "It depends". If everyone is going 45, and you are darting around at 75, then you have violated both the rule and are likely to get in an accident thereby violating the principle.
The opposite of course is true, if you go 45 and everyone else is going 75, you might end up getting hit, so technically following the rules and still violating the principles.
If everyone is going 75, the most likely safe course of action is to follow the principle of safety by following the average speed and breaking the rule. This doesn't mean speed limits aren't needed or useful, it just means the principle is more important.
If everyone starts going 90 or 100, then both the principle and the rules are being violated and a major accident is likely to happen. Why? Because the majority of drivers aren't trained to react safely at those speed nor are their cars designed to go that fast regularly in traffic.
Kids and adults alike need to understand the way life works and creating artificial shelters in bathroom usage or sports without winners or losers isn't teaching anyone to succeed. It is simply teaching them that they don't matter.
Make sure you matter, and make sure your kids know they matter.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Monday, September 9, 2013
What Is The "Paradise" You Are Seeking?
A few months back, my wife and I took a class from another coaching couple, a very nice husband and wife team. I take these classes two or three times a year and they can cost several thousand per class.
Sometimes I end up finding it a waste of money and other times picking up a tidbit that I didn't understand and can now use to help my own clients.
Over the years I have had several clients who clearly needed help that I didn't feel I could help, so I am always looking to improve my understanding so I can help more people do better.
The burning questions for me are: How come everyone doesn't want to be successful? How come everyone who wants to be successful isn't? How come some people make success look so easy?
Walking in to this class I wondered if it would help me understand more than any other? I always think this walking in the door. Attending two or three seminars every year, I get some good techniques about 50% of the time. Rarely do I gain any more understanding.
This class was different, the teachers gave me a huge question to answer. The class didn't give me any new understandings. What it gave me was a new way to ask my questions.
I agreed with 90% of everything the presenters said. It was the last 10% that got to me. Their premise was very much oriented in "Eastern Philosophy". Many traits of Buddhism were taught, but then he said something to the effect of, "Meditation is a waste of time". I just thought to myself "You are doing it wrong".
Many people meditate without knowing it. A very successful CEO I met once told me that no matter how bad things got at the office, he would jump on his Jet Ski, and go as fast as he could around the lake. When he got back he had all of the answers he needed and his world was right. He was meditating at 70 mph on water with no helmet. The front of your mind needs 100% of its focus to keep you alive, so it can't mess with the real thinking in the back. This was a great insight at the time.
My motorcycles did the same for me many years ago, today it is surfing.
The last day of the three days that was supposed to bring the class together is where it fell apart for me and several others who approached me afterwards.
The teachers tried to tell us that we were all seeking a "paradise" that doesn't exist any longer. That paradise was the perfect world we had from birth until we became aware we existed. The point where we stopped "being". They claimed paradise was lost forever and wan unobtainable and therefore why we were so unhappy.
In our infantile paradise, everything we wanted was taken care of my other people while we were "being". In the lead teachers words, being 100% cared for by others is "Paradise", and one that you can never achieve. You want food, it is right there, you want sleep, you just do it. A perfect world we can never get back.
The teachers tried to tell us that we were all seeking a "paradise" that doesn't exist any longer. That paradise was the perfect world we had from birth until we became aware we existed. The point where we stopped "being". They claimed paradise was lost forever and wan unobtainable and therefore why we were so unhappy.
In our infantile paradise, everything we wanted was taken care of my other people while we were "being". In the lead teachers words, being 100% cared for by others is "Paradise", and one that you can never achieve. You want food, it is right there, you want sleep, you just do it. A perfect world we can never get back.
Given the First Lady's staff, I think she is pretty darn close.
Actually I was still with him and so was the entire class, but then he leapt right over an area that I had been talking about for years and went straight into success techniques. The problem I had, and several people discussed afterwards was that chasm between being and success. If there is no "Paradise" what are we working so hard for? If we are just "being", then why are we suddenly talking about all this "getting and doing"? What is the connection? What is the reason? Why?
I have touched on this new set of questions a couple of times already, but I haven't had a clear answer I could communicate until now. It has been bothering me because there have been people that I couldn't help and I didn't know why. Now I think I do. I also understand very clearly my angst and frustration with my business and life in Texas. My wife calls it our "experiment" and she is right.
While I agree with the seminars coaches that the "paradise" of our infancy can never be revisited, I do think there is a paradise we can achieve in little bits. I also think that we can find a purpose for our journey through life other than simply "being" here.
It is the definition of "paradise" and how we were raised as children that makes the difference. His description of his childhood fits this pattern of having a limited view of paradise. I will use living in paradise interchangeably with living happily. Yes you are allowed to be happy most of the time.
It is the definition of "paradise" and how we were raised as children that makes the difference. His description of his childhood fits this pattern of having a limited view of paradise. I will use living in paradise interchangeably with living happily. Yes you are allowed to be happy most of the time.
Follow me on this one, because it begins to explain a lot.
A child who is raised with a lot of "responsibility" and "reward", has lots of little "paradises" to seek. Being the oldest boy in my household, I had the most of both. All of those little rewards are my "paradise", achieving things makes me happy. Seeing things not happening makes me stressed and unhappy. Think of it as a giant jig saw puzzle, and each reward is a piece that makes a picture of my paradise.
95% of my rewards revolved around life in Southern California. My mother was born here, my father was born here and his father too. Texas didn't work like I hoped because my "rewards" and therefore "paradise" weren't there, they were here in Southern California. Texas people were great, the lifestyle was fun, but it wasn't my "paradise". I couldn't do what I wanted to do, and things didn't get done in a way that made me happy. The old dog wasn't ready to learn new tricks.*
Each time I got a reward for doing good work, I added a new piece to my jig saw puzzle of paradise. For kids who didn't get that many rewards, they don't have a good picture to look at. I think this makes it harder for them to create purpose. For them "being" is an easier answer. This is where a real mentor or coach can make all of the difference in the world. A mentor can build rewards for adults that can become their paradise.
Of course we had punishment in my house too. It would make a great study to figure out the perfect number of rewards and the reward/punishment ratio that successful people grew up with.
The more business owners that I work with who see great change, the more I find they had this responsibility-reward cycle in their house as a child with a very stern, fair and seldom used punishment. My wife really didn't have much of either reward or punishment, so she is much more centered than I am. She is closer to "being" than I can ever be in the way the class was being taught.
One of the problems many business owners face in business is that the customers don't always reward like parents did. Do a great job, get a great check doesn't always happen. The trick that I have started teaching and using myself is finding little rewards along the way that build up to bigger ones as the person achieves greater success. Very smart companies have figured this out and reward employees well. Look at the millionaire list at Apple, Cisco and Microsoft. The success of the company created success for the employee.
I touched on this topic a little bit in the book "So, Now What?" and will do so in much greater depth in the next one. There is also a better version of "being" when you have a good understanding of your wants, don't wants and challenges.
The best rewards in my "Paradise Puzzle Picture" were the time and love of my parents. Get good grades, go flying with Dad. Mow the yard, get a Tastee-Freez with Mom. Keep your room up for a month go to Disneyland. Punch your brother, one good swat and no ski trip.
I realize now this is why I am a self starter. I have projects running all the time and at the end of each one is a little (or big) reward.
I may not live in "Paradise" every day all the time, but I have a life I want to live and look forward too every day. That sounds like happiness and paradise to me.
If you have kids, what can you do to help them build their "Paradise Puzzle Picture"?
If you want to improve your life, use the "Want, Don't Want and Challenges" white board exercise to help you find those puzzle pieces and eliminate the puzzle pieces that someone else gave you or you just don't want.
Finally, build your picture of paradise, and your list of little rewards, big rewards and goals. You will find that you get more done than you ever thought possible and you'll have fun and feel good about doing it.
*Another author recently said "Once you live at the beach, you can never not live at the beach".
Finally, build your picture of paradise, and your list of little rewards, big rewards and goals. You will find that you get more done than you ever thought possible and you'll have fun and feel good about doing it.
*Another author recently said "Once you live at the beach, you can never not live at the beach".
Living With The Chevy Volt - Is There Still Life After 4000 Miles
Four months into life with my Chevy Volt, and I am still learning about the Volt in every way. Learning about the XM radio, the best ways to charge, and wondering why they didn’t put nitrogen in the tires.
The biggest change this month is the addition of my home 240V charger. This addition has highlighted a flaw in the Onstar - Volt notification system.
Instead of the Volt Charger that offered a $200 discount from GM, I chose to upgrade and get a Bosch 30 Amp charger in case we wanted to get a battery only car like the Honda Fit. I also am hoping when my lease is up in three years that the new Volt might need more charging power available than the 15 AMP charger GM was offering through Bosch and have even more electric range. I bought it directly through Bosch for $500 less than the electrician wanted.
Instead of the Volt Charger that offered a $200 discount from GM, I chose to upgrade and get a Bosch 30 Amp charger in case we wanted to get a battery only car like the Honda Fit. I also am hoping when my lease is up in three years that the new Volt might need more charging power available than the 15 AMP charger GM was offering through Bosch and have even more electric range. I bought it directly through Bosch for $500 less than the electrician wanted.
The faster charging time really comes in handy, and I am using even less gas because of it. Now my average is over 224 miles for each gallon of gas used. 174 of those are pure electric and the remaining 50 miles are on gas. Yes, I am really getting 50 MPG on gas even though GM and the EPA say it only gets 38.
The trick is to manually manage the drive modes, which I understand are new to the 2013 Volt. When I know I can’t make an entire trip on electricity, or I know the destination charging fees are higher than the cost of using gas, I’ll run the gas on the highway as soon as I hit 40MPH until I’ve run gas for the number of miles that I was going to be short on battery range. I am sure the “hypermilers” are getting even better milage with their Volts than I am.
As a side note, my calculations figure that $1.00 per hour of commercial electric charging is about the same as $4.25 per gallon of gas. I am a tree hugger, but a thrifty one, so I will use whichever energy source costs less. Blink has this figured out, since they charge members $1.00 per charging hour everywhere. The trouble with Blink is if you can’t get back to unplug, the meter keeps running even though you don’t use any electricity.
When I pull into Chargers like Seal Beach that are $1.00 per KWH which equals $3.37 per charging hour, I don’t charge. Obviously when I find free charging like South Coast Plaza Offers, I jump in. Some free places though are so popular like the two chargers at Bella Terra, I quit trying.
The little glitch where the car stopped charging lasted two days is fixed. No one knows why, but we did “reboot” the car and it is back to it’s old self.
I also changed my home electric plan so I get really really cheap rates from midnight to 6 am. With the 120V portable charger, it takes over eight hours to charge so that plan was pretty useless. Now that the car knows to start charging at midnight, and is done between 3 AM and 4 AM every day, it is even easier on my wallet. This is also where the car is a bit annoying. It sends me a text and an email that it has "stopped charging due to an interruption". Well duh! I told it not to charge until midnight. It still does it every time I plug in.
So the glitch here is you have to temporarily override the charging schedule when you plug in at a commercial charger. I found out the hard way that Blink will still charge you $3.00 if you are plugged in for three hours even if you aren’t charging because you left it in “delay charge” mode.
I dropped the XM traffic subscription. More than once a freeway would be closed late at night and the XM would show it as the fastest route home. Even funnier, my wife beat me home a couple of times just sitting in traffic while I was detouring all over town taking the “faster” route. Now I leave the GPS route planning in Eco mode and it works perfectly.
The only other place I would change the programming logic is in the charger port alarm. If the car is fully charged and it is plugged in to 240V, the alarm shouldn't go off. The next person should be able to unplug your car and charge. As far as I can tell the only options are alarm on and alarm off. When the 110V is plugged in, I can see the charger alarm almost making sense, but does anyone really think that will stop somebody from taking your charger? I etched my license plate into the charger and still don't think that will do anything to deter a determined thief.
The only other place I would change the programming logic is in the charger port alarm. If the car is fully charged and it is plugged in to 240V, the alarm shouldn't go off. The next person should be able to unplug your car and charge. As far as I can tell the only options are alarm on and alarm off. When the 110V is plugged in, I can see the charger alarm almost making sense, but does anyone really think that will stop somebody from taking your charger? I etched my license plate into the charger and still don't think that will do anything to deter a determined thief.
So far, the Chevy Volt is still fun to drive and my wife is still taking it every chance she gets. The magic hasn’t worn off yet, I’ll let you know where we are at five months and 5000 miles.
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| 240V 30A Power Max |
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| 240V 15A Voltec Charger |
Thursday, September 5, 2013
A Little More About Going "Outside The Envelope"
If you read my last post, I spent a little time on "the envelope" that we use to determine an airplanes performance. At each of the four corners there is an absolute maximum performance intersection. It is the place where two variables must be exact in order to reach that corner.
If either of these variables exceeds the limit you leave the envelope. Let's say you want the minimum speed for the maximum weight. This situation is full throttle. Think of it like loading your car with the absolute most it will hold and go up a hill at the same time. If you have more weight than the engine will handle, you end up going backwards even though you have the pedal to the floor.
The same is true in flying, business and life.
In business it can work the same way with leverage (loans) and income. Too little income and you slide backwards on the loan. Too much loan and you don't have the income which leads to the same problem.
If you don't get enough of a loan, you might be "undercapitalized" and therefore not have enough products or people to earn enough income. Balance and respecting both minimum and maximum limits is critical.
More importantly, the edge of the envelope is maximum performance. The really great pilots and business owners can get right to the edge and sit there comfortably. They know it, respect it, and occasionally stick a hand across to see what it feels like on the other side.
In the airplane we have a list that tells us how to change the envelope when the airplane changes. If a part is missing, and yes we fly like that, we need to adjust because the edge has adjusted. Business is no different. Sitting on the edge doing nothing is dangerous in business because it always is changing. The greatest at sitting on the moving edge are the business founders we call visionary. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos come to mind.
Love em or hate em, they businesses they founded have all been to the edge and remained there more often than not.
Spins are the anomaly in flying. What appears to be a totally out of control venture that is way outside of the envelope of "normal flight" requires very specific inputs to perform and recover the airplane back to "normal flight". Spins teach us where the edge of the envelope might have changed. Sometimes spins are fatal, other times you re-enter the envelope, but always in a different place than you left it.
New Coke was a quick spin for the Coca-Cola company. They tried it and survived and it was a guidepost for the company as it re-entered its own envelope of business.
The trick to spins is to make sure you have the energy and altitude to recover safely. The trick in business is not to go all in. Coke had several other products and when they realized that "New" Coke wasn't going where they wanted it to, and was taking too much energy, they started a recovery with "Classic Coke" and then just brought it back as "Coke", eventually eliminating "New Coke".
Spins are simple, but they aren't easy until you practice them a lot. The same thing is true in business. Going outside the box is simple, making it profitable is the challenge.
If either of these variables exceeds the limit you leave the envelope. Let's say you want the minimum speed for the maximum weight. This situation is full throttle. Think of it like loading your car with the absolute most it will hold and go up a hill at the same time. If you have more weight than the engine will handle, you end up going backwards even though you have the pedal to the floor.
The same is true in flying, business and life.
In business it can work the same way with leverage (loans) and income. Too little income and you slide backwards on the loan. Too much loan and you don't have the income which leads to the same problem.
If you don't get enough of a loan, you might be "undercapitalized" and therefore not have enough products or people to earn enough income. Balance and respecting both minimum and maximum limits is critical.
More importantly, the edge of the envelope is maximum performance. The really great pilots and business owners can get right to the edge and sit there comfortably. They know it, respect it, and occasionally stick a hand across to see what it feels like on the other side.
In the airplane we have a list that tells us how to change the envelope when the airplane changes. If a part is missing, and yes we fly like that, we need to adjust because the edge has adjusted. Business is no different. Sitting on the edge doing nothing is dangerous in business because it always is changing. The greatest at sitting on the moving edge are the business founders we call visionary. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos come to mind.
Love em or hate em, they businesses they founded have all been to the edge and remained there more often than not.
Spins are the anomaly in flying. What appears to be a totally out of control venture that is way outside of the envelope of "normal flight" requires very specific inputs to perform and recover the airplane back to "normal flight". Spins teach us where the edge of the envelope might have changed. Sometimes spins are fatal, other times you re-enter the envelope, but always in a different place than you left it.
New Coke was a quick spin for the Coca-Cola company. They tried it and survived and it was a guidepost for the company as it re-entered its own envelope of business.
The trick to spins is to make sure you have the energy and altitude to recover safely. The trick in business is not to go all in. Coke had several other products and when they realized that "New" Coke wasn't going where they wanted it to, and was taking too much energy, they started a recovery with "Classic Coke" and then just brought it back as "Coke", eventually eliminating "New Coke".
Spins are simple, but they aren't easy until you practice them a lot. The same thing is true in business. Going outside the box is simple, making it profitable is the challenge.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
How Are The Best Pilots Made? Are They Really Fearless?
With the recent accidents in the aviation industry, a lot of my business clients and actor friends have been asking the same question, "How?". Occasionally I'll get "Why?". No one has ever asked what the key to success is when things go wrong as a pilot. The real keys of success are universal and simple.
Without being part of the accident investigation team, it is really tough to answer about any of these incidents directly with any authority. That said, there are some common threads in pilots, business owners, realtors and actors that can help identify the best among any of those groups.
One of the biggest debates in pilot circles is of course the military v. civilian trained pilots. At the end of the day it really depends on the kind of flying you want to do. There are military trained pilots who have never flown a single engine airplane who would be dangerous doing it and there are civilian pilots who have never been in a spin or supersonic or even upside down who would be equally dangerous doing any of those things.
Either of them could be trained to accomplish the tasks over time. Recently I went out for a flight review in a small airplane and the 20 year old flight instructor asked a great question. She said "Why do all of you airline guys fly like this?" referring to my quick adjustments to the flight profile.
The explanation I gave fits the Asiana Airlines accident at SFO. Think about it like comparing a bus to a skate board. When a bus gets moving it is very hard to stop. A skateboard is easy. When you are flying an airplane that is well north of 100,000 pounds at landing, and up to 1 Million pounds like the new Airbus 380, the same rules apply. If it begins to decend faster than you intend and you don't correct quickly, it builds momentum in a direction you don't want it to go. Imagine that bus now going down hill and you have to stop it. It needs a lot more brakes, and the faster it gets going the harder it is to stop. You can always jump in front of a skateboard and stop it with one foot.
And, oh by the way, brakes on the bus can fail, that is why there are "runaway truck ramps" along steep mountain roads.
You can always treat the skateboard like the bus by correcting quickly and aggressively. It might not be the most comfortable ride for people who aren't used to it, but is is safe. That is basically what I was doing. You can't ever treat the bus like a skateboard or it will simply run you over.
The other reason is that big jets don't just get power like a car or a bus. If you are fast and let off the gas, it takes several seconds for those big engines to slow down. On the flip side if you are slow, which is usually more dangerous that being fast and you need to add power, it may not happen for several seconds.
This also might explain a little bit about the Southwest Accident at La Guardia. We know they got off the path, and instead of acting quickly and decisively to stop the approach and try again they tried to "save it". That extra half second might have allowed enough momentum to build that the situation became unrecoverable.
So what is the common thread and who are better pilots?
What I have found in 30 years of flying both military and civilian is the exact same thing that I have found in business. The successful pilots (and business owners) have learned to push the envelope and even go outside of it a little and then live to tell about it. (If you don't know what it means to push the envelope, read the last paragraph and come back.)
More importantly when they live to tell about it, they gained some respect for that corner of the envelope, and they didn't become afraid of it. That is what separates the great from the good from the average from the marginally safe. The great took a risk, went over the limit and learned to respect the limit without becoming fearful. More importantly they keep doing it along different edges of the envelope and continue to build respect for the envelope. If you have respect you have understanding. Knowledge of the actual numbers isn't required when you have a true understanding.
If you leave the envelope and don't get understanding, you have to go do it again until you do or you learn to fear the edge instead of respecting the edge. Fear is a paralyzing emotion which is dangerous in flying and in business. Doing nothing when you go over the edge will almost always be catastrophic.
How does this apply to business?
The housing market is one of the greatest examples in business. How many people do you know that used to be "real estate investors"? If you talk about buying homes to create rentals, the fear mongers will crawl out of every corner in the room and call you on the phone at the same time.
They will tell you horror stories of bad tenants, crashing markets and the like. Instead of respecting the need to prescreen tenants, or do market research and buy right, they tell you to stay away from real estate investing and be afraid.
If you want to start a business, people will tell you about the countless hours you will have to work for free, they'll say things like "four out of five businesses fail in the first year". Again, fear has taken over their perspective.
When you learn to respect the rules of the game and not fear them, you will find success. I only said success was simple, I didn't say it was easy.
The Envelope -
The phrase "outside the envelope" comes from charts and graphs that engineers use to plot an aircrafts performance. Many times these charts look like an envelope back turned at an angle.
Flying the numbers "inside" the envelope will keep the airplane flying safely in 99.99% of all situations. Many people never even get close to the minimum or maximum capability any more. In Flying for example, when I learned to fly as a civilian and again in military pilot training, spins were required. Spins are outside of the envelope.
Without being part of the accident investigation team, it is really tough to answer about any of these incidents directly with any authority. That said, there are some common threads in pilots, business owners, realtors and actors that can help identify the best among any of those groups.
One of the biggest debates in pilot circles is of course the military v. civilian trained pilots. At the end of the day it really depends on the kind of flying you want to do. There are military trained pilots who have never flown a single engine airplane who would be dangerous doing it and there are civilian pilots who have never been in a spin or supersonic or even upside down who would be equally dangerous doing any of those things.
Either of them could be trained to accomplish the tasks over time. Recently I went out for a flight review in a small airplane and the 20 year old flight instructor asked a great question. She said "Why do all of you airline guys fly like this?" referring to my quick adjustments to the flight profile.
The explanation I gave fits the Asiana Airlines accident at SFO. Think about it like comparing a bus to a skate board. When a bus gets moving it is very hard to stop. A skateboard is easy. When you are flying an airplane that is well north of 100,000 pounds at landing, and up to 1 Million pounds like the new Airbus 380, the same rules apply. If it begins to decend faster than you intend and you don't correct quickly, it builds momentum in a direction you don't want it to go. Imagine that bus now going down hill and you have to stop it. It needs a lot more brakes, and the faster it gets going the harder it is to stop. You can always jump in front of a skateboard and stop it with one foot.
And, oh by the way, brakes on the bus can fail, that is why there are "runaway truck ramps" along steep mountain roads.
You can always treat the skateboard like the bus by correcting quickly and aggressively. It might not be the most comfortable ride for people who aren't used to it, but is is safe. That is basically what I was doing. You can't ever treat the bus like a skateboard or it will simply run you over.
The other reason is that big jets don't just get power like a car or a bus. If you are fast and let off the gas, it takes several seconds for those big engines to slow down. On the flip side if you are slow, which is usually more dangerous that being fast and you need to add power, it may not happen for several seconds.
This also might explain a little bit about the Southwest Accident at La Guardia. We know they got off the path, and instead of acting quickly and decisively to stop the approach and try again they tried to "save it". That extra half second might have allowed enough momentum to build that the situation became unrecoverable.
So what is the common thread and who are better pilots?
What I have found in 30 years of flying both military and civilian is the exact same thing that I have found in business. The successful pilots (and business owners) have learned to push the envelope and even go outside of it a little and then live to tell about it. (If you don't know what it means to push the envelope, read the last paragraph and come back.)
More importantly when they live to tell about it, they gained some respect for that corner of the envelope, and they didn't become afraid of it. That is what separates the great from the good from the average from the marginally safe. The great took a risk, went over the limit and learned to respect the limit without becoming fearful. More importantly they keep doing it along different edges of the envelope and continue to build respect for the envelope. If you have respect you have understanding. Knowledge of the actual numbers isn't required when you have a true understanding.
If you leave the envelope and don't get understanding, you have to go do it again until you do or you learn to fear the edge instead of respecting the edge. Fear is a paralyzing emotion which is dangerous in flying and in business. Doing nothing when you go over the edge will almost always be catastrophic.
How does this apply to business?
The housing market is one of the greatest examples in business. How many people do you know that used to be "real estate investors"? If you talk about buying homes to create rentals, the fear mongers will crawl out of every corner in the room and call you on the phone at the same time.
They will tell you horror stories of bad tenants, crashing markets and the like. Instead of respecting the need to prescreen tenants, or do market research and buy right, they tell you to stay away from real estate investing and be afraid.
If you want to start a business, people will tell you about the countless hours you will have to work for free, they'll say things like "four out of five businesses fail in the first year". Again, fear has taken over their perspective.
When you learn to respect the rules of the game and not fear them, you will find success. I only said success was simple, I didn't say it was easy.
The Envelope -
The phrase "outside the envelope" comes from charts and graphs that engineers use to plot an aircrafts performance. Many times these charts look like an envelope back turned at an angle.
Flying the numbers "inside" the envelope will keep the airplane flying safely in 99.99% of all situations. Many people never even get close to the minimum or maximum capability any more. In Flying for example, when I learned to fly as a civilian and again in military pilot training, spins were required. Spins are outside of the envelope.
How To Watch TV Anywhere With Place Shifting WiFi Boxes or Wireless Extenders - Updated
Can you really watch TV anywhere? Well, Dish Network offers "The Hopper" so you can watch TV in any room with just one room actually connected to your dish. AT&T has wireless receivers that allow you to go anywhere there is a plug. So why can't everyone do this no matter what service they choose?
Fo my current house I selected Verizon FiOS for the internet speed, TV was just a secondary consideration. My main TV is in my "Great Room" and I didn't want to run a wire all the way around my house. Where I placed the TV and where the wires went were very different places.
My house was built in the late 60's and remodeled in the late 80's. Sadly it is a victim of predatory practices in the satellite and cable business. The original cable TV wiring that is built into the house was cut so short in the box by a satellite installer, it is now useless without ripping up stucco. A subsequent re-installation of cable tv left wires stapled all along the garage.
The DirecTV installation which occurred most recently was the laziest of them all with wires stapled to the stucco. The staples are only about every 8 feet so the wires have a very happy droop to them. Best of all they are stapled in plain site. The installer must have forgot his ladder.
Don't let installers mislead you. 90% of the time your existing wiring is more than adequate for solid signal strength. There are two basic types of cable, the thinner RG59 and thicker RG-6. While the satellite companies prefer RG6, I have seen many installations work just fine with older RG59. Seeing the graveyard of wire at my house is just depressing. I just didn't want any more unnecessary wire and that is why I set off on this quest.
So is there a way to watch TV in a room without a wire? Better yet, without a big set top box?
Yes you can.
There are two ways to do it. One is a "Wireless Extender", the other is a "Place shifter". The funny thing is only Place Shifters are on the shelves in stores. Three different Big Box AV store technicians told me it couldn't be done and wanted to schedule wiring installation appointments. A local high end AV dealer said the same thing. Being a former high end AV dealer myself, I agree that when you can wiring is always better, but I also knew the technology was there, I just had to find it.
Place Shifting Boxes
The most common method is Place Shifting. This adds a box to your system like the Slingbox, Vulcano Monsoon or the Belkin @TV. I chose to try the Belkin @TV and use Mac Mini's since I didn't know anything about wireless extenders yet.
Using a Mac Mini and the @TV app which was free, I was able to watch and control the Verizon FiOS box in my bedroom quite nicely. It looked great on my iPad, and I opted to not pay for the iPhone version of the app. Watching TV on my Mac Mini though was another story. I have dual 32" screens and the video quality was maybe 480i at best. While it was smooth it was quite pixelated. Still this was better than wiring the house, and for $199 I could get older Mac Mini's for every TV in the house.
Wireless Extender
Not 100% satisfied with the video quality, I started researching the other two place shift boxes and only then did I stumble on a forum at Verizon that mentioned Wireless Extenders. I couldn't believe that I had over thought my search terms and never found this. More importantly I couldn't believe how many people claimed ignorance when asked about it. This is exactly what I was looking for. A small box at my set top box, and another behind my TV and Viola! I have HD in my living room on my giant flat panel.
Once I knew the difference in keywords for the search I found over a dozen wireless extenders with HDMI capability including the Belkin Screencast that allowed up to 4 HDMI inputs. This is great if you want to hide all of your gear in a closet and don't want to run all the wires to the TV.
There are several less expensive brands that the Belkin, many with only one or two HDMI inputs, some with less range according to reviews. I ended up returning the Belkin Screencast even though it is a nearly perfect solution. Why? Well I don't have a home theater any longer and I didn't need 4 HDMI inputs.
What I did end up with is the iOGear which allowed me to connect a TV in my bedroom where the box is and send the HDMI signal wirelessly to my Living Room TV. This makes a lot more sense for two people using two rooms with one box. The Belkin didn't have the pass through port.
Fo my current house I selected Verizon FiOS for the internet speed, TV was just a secondary consideration. My main TV is in my "Great Room" and I didn't want to run a wire all the way around my house. Where I placed the TV and where the wires went were very different places.
My house was built in the late 60's and remodeled in the late 80's. Sadly it is a victim of predatory practices in the satellite and cable business. The original cable TV wiring that is built into the house was cut so short in the box by a satellite installer, it is now useless without ripping up stucco. A subsequent re-installation of cable tv left wires stapled all along the garage.
The DirecTV installation which occurred most recently was the laziest of them all with wires stapled to the stucco. The staples are only about every 8 feet so the wires have a very happy droop to them. Best of all they are stapled in plain site. The installer must have forgot his ladder.
Don't let installers mislead you. 90% of the time your existing wiring is more than adequate for solid signal strength. There are two basic types of cable, the thinner RG59 and thicker RG-6. While the satellite companies prefer RG6, I have seen many installations work just fine with older RG59. Seeing the graveyard of wire at my house is just depressing. I just didn't want any more unnecessary wire and that is why I set off on this quest.
So is there a way to watch TV in a room without a wire? Better yet, without a big set top box?
Yes you can.
There are two ways to do it. One is a "Wireless Extender", the other is a "Place shifter". The funny thing is only Place Shifters are on the shelves in stores. Three different Big Box AV store technicians told me it couldn't be done and wanted to schedule wiring installation appointments. A local high end AV dealer said the same thing. Being a former high end AV dealer myself, I agree that when you can wiring is always better, but I also knew the technology was there, I just had to find it.
Place Shifting Boxes
The most common method is Place Shifting. This adds a box to your system like the Slingbox, Vulcano Monsoon or the Belkin @TV. I chose to try the Belkin @TV and use Mac Mini's since I didn't know anything about wireless extenders yet.
Using a Mac Mini and the @TV app which was free, I was able to watch and control the Verizon FiOS box in my bedroom quite nicely. It looked great on my iPad, and I opted to not pay for the iPhone version of the app. Watching TV on my Mac Mini though was another story. I have dual 32" screens and the video quality was maybe 480i at best. While it was smooth it was quite pixelated. Still this was better than wiring the house, and for $199 I could get older Mac Mini's for every TV in the house.
Wireless Extender
Not 100% satisfied with the video quality, I started researching the other two place shift boxes and only then did I stumble on a forum at Verizon that mentioned Wireless Extenders. I couldn't believe that I had over thought my search terms and never found this. More importantly I couldn't believe how many people claimed ignorance when asked about it. This is exactly what I was looking for. A small box at my set top box, and another behind my TV and Viola! I have HD in my living room on my giant flat panel.
Once I knew the difference in keywords for the search I found over a dozen wireless extenders with HDMI capability including the Belkin Screencast that allowed up to 4 HDMI inputs. This is great if you want to hide all of your gear in a closet and don't want to run all the wires to the TV.
There are several less expensive brands that the Belkin, many with only one or two HDMI inputs, some with less range according to reviews. I ended up returning the Belkin Screencast even though it is a nearly perfect solution. Why? Well I don't have a home theater any longer and I didn't need 4 HDMI inputs.
What I did end up with is the iOGear which allowed me to connect a TV in my bedroom where the box is and send the HDMI signal wirelessly to my Living Room TV. This makes a lot more sense for two people using two rooms with one box. The Belkin didn't have the pass through port.
Monday, September 2, 2013
4000 miles and My Chevy Volt Goes Stupid, Or at Least It Made Me Look Stupid
So here we are at month four in my life with my Chevy Volt Plug in car. I was on track to set a record month of zero gas usage. I had found electric charging everywhere I went for the month, and had hoped to post a picture of the dash reading 1000 miles 0.0 gal gas. No Dice.
It all began when I attempted to outsmart myself by installing a Level 2 240v charger. The faster charge rate of the Level 2 240v PEV charger allowed me to switch my electric plan to a plan with really cheap night rates for charging the car. Just .09 per KWH. Well below my lowest "Tier 1" rate on the old plan.
After programming the car with the rates and what time I depart my house, I put the car to bed and sure enough the next morning it was charged and ready to go. The display said it started at 12:00 am and was complete at 3:48. Charging at these hours cuts my charge cost in half at home. So far it was a great start.
Then like many days, I headed off to Wally Park at LAX. Normally the Valet's do a great job of parking the car, and using the portable charger in the car to plug it in. When I return the car is charged for the trip home, and I don't feel bad paying the extra money to valet park. When I got back this time, the car had a range of 8 miles. Exactly what it had when I dropped it off. The Valet's insisted they had it plugged in.
Arriving in my garage after getting 44 mpg on the way home using gas, I realized that the valet didn't know to change the mode from delay charge to instant charge. I felt pretty stupid for arguing with them about the car not charging.
Note to you Chevy Volt software guys-
Please add a line of code - If Location not equal "HOME", then Charge Instantly "YES".
This should be a no brainer, but I guess they didn't plan on me driving 30-40 miles each way.
The next day, I don't know what happened, no body does, not the Volt people, not OnStar, and maybe not even the Volt itself. I got home plugged it in and the little lights started blinking green, indicating that it was plugged in and not charging. This is what I expected since it was programmed to delay charge at 12:00 am.
Much to my surprise when I jumped in at 9:00 am, the car was not charged. It still had a range of zero since I had driven home from LAX on the gas generator. At midnight for whatever reason it didn't charge.
Last night I didn't quite trust it, so I went ahead and manually started it charging at 10:30 pm. Tonight I will try and let it charge on it's own again since I am not going anywhere on Tuesday that I am aware of.
I'll let you know how it goes. For now I am pulling the Volt out of its third place position on my list of my favorite cars for making me look stupid and being stupid all in the same week.
It all began when I attempted to outsmart myself by installing a Level 2 240v charger. The faster charge rate of the Level 2 240v PEV charger allowed me to switch my electric plan to a plan with really cheap night rates for charging the car. Just .09 per KWH. Well below my lowest "Tier 1" rate on the old plan.
After programming the car with the rates and what time I depart my house, I put the car to bed and sure enough the next morning it was charged and ready to go. The display said it started at 12:00 am and was complete at 3:48. Charging at these hours cuts my charge cost in half at home. So far it was a great start.
Then like many days, I headed off to Wally Park at LAX. Normally the Valet's do a great job of parking the car, and using the portable charger in the car to plug it in. When I return the car is charged for the trip home, and I don't feel bad paying the extra money to valet park. When I got back this time, the car had a range of 8 miles. Exactly what it had when I dropped it off. The Valet's insisted they had it plugged in.
Arriving in my garage after getting 44 mpg on the way home using gas, I realized that the valet didn't know to change the mode from delay charge to instant charge. I felt pretty stupid for arguing with them about the car not charging.
Note to you Chevy Volt software guys-
Please add a line of code - If Location not equal "HOME", then Charge Instantly "YES".
This should be a no brainer, but I guess they didn't plan on me driving 30-40 miles each way.
The next day, I don't know what happened, no body does, not the Volt people, not OnStar, and maybe not even the Volt itself. I got home plugged it in and the little lights started blinking green, indicating that it was plugged in and not charging. This is what I expected since it was programmed to delay charge at 12:00 am.
Much to my surprise when I jumped in at 9:00 am, the car was not charged. It still had a range of zero since I had driven home from LAX on the gas generator. At midnight for whatever reason it didn't charge.
Last night I didn't quite trust it, so I went ahead and manually started it charging at 10:30 pm. Tonight I will try and let it charge on it's own again since I am not going anywhere on Tuesday that I am aware of.
I'll let you know how it goes. For now I am pulling the Volt out of its third place position on my list of my favorite cars for making me look stupid and being stupid all in the same week.
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