Idea Sandbox Blog

Idea Sandbox Blog Migration

Sun, 25 May 2008 13:37:41 -0500

We're switching platforms for our blog. While we don't anticipate any problems... We thought we'd let you know, just in case.

Change the Way You See Yourself

Fri, 23 May 2008 09:05:24 -0500

Change the Way You See Yourself: Through Asset-Based Thinking is the name of the latest book by Kathy Cramer and Hank Wasiak with "asset-based thinking" at the core (or ABT for short). ABT is about leveraging your assets (what you've got) versus dwelling on your deficits (what you may be lacking).

Their first book was called Change the Way You See Everything and introduced the topic of ABT. The new book helps you to use ABT to help you tap into your own personal source of power, how to influence and figure out your own "Mighty Cause."

Change the Way You See Yourself is the featured title as part of the Post2Post Virtual Book Tour that kicks off on this site on Monday, May 26th.

Below are two things... (1) The tour schedule with links and (2) a survey to help you figure out how strong of an asset-based thinker YOU are!

The good news... if you score lower, the book provides you with what it takes to be an asset-based thinker and figure out your Mighty Cause!

Enjoy.

Tour Schedule

Learn about the book by reading posts on the following websites next week.

Change the Way You See Yourself

by Kathryn Cramer & Hank Wasiak
Author Site | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Site	Date
Idea Sandbox by Paul Williams	Mon, May 26
Livin' Venti by Scott Hodge	Tue, May 27
Sui Generis by Derrick Kwa	Wed, May 28
Personal Branding Blog by Dan Schwabel	Thur, May 29
Make It Great with Phil Gerbyshak	Fri, May 30

Asset-Based Thinker Survey

Read the statements below. For each statement a check the column that best describes how often the statement reflects the way you see yourself.

Question	Almost Never True	Rarely True	Sometimes True	Often True	Almost Always True
(1) I know my unique set of skills, talents, and capabilities.
	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
(2) I am proud of being who I am.
	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
(3) What I do and say makes a difference.
	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
(4) I am clear about what I am "born to do."
	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
(5) I tell people what I admire and appreciate about them.
	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
(6) People are eager to join forces with me.
	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
(7) People look to me for honest, constructive feedback.
	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
(8) I can devote my full attention to my priorities.
	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
(9) I go the extra mile and feel energized in the process.
	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
(10) My priorities receive my full attention.
	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]

Bonus Questions

Question	True	False
(1) I measure my success in terms of benefits to others as well as myself.
	[ ]	[ ]
(2) I give myself credit for my accomplishments instead of dwelling on what hasn't goten'
	[ ]	[ ]
(3) I give myself ample reflection time.
	[ ]	[ ]
(4) I solve problems better and faster than most people.
	[ ]	[ ]
(5) I focus on people's strengths more than their shortcomings..
	[ ]	[ ]

Scoring

Give yourself the following points.
1 point - Almost Never True
2 points - Rarely True
3 points - Sometimes True
4 points - Often True
5 points - Almost Always True

Bonus Questions:
Give yourself 5 points for every TRUE answer.

If you scored below 39 points.
You are at a great starting point to become an Asset-Based Thinker

If you scored between 40 and 49:
You are ready to make great leaps forward toward becoming an Asset-Based Thinker.

If you scored between 50 and 59:
Way to go! You are ahead of the game as an Asset-Based Thinker.

If you scored between 60 and 69:
You get an "A" in Asset-Based Thinking.

If you scored 70 points or more:
You are an amazing Asset-Based Thinker.

Learn more at AssetBasedThinking.com

"How to Solve Problems" 1947-style

Mon, 19 May 2008 17:13:23 -0500

I recently discovered this 8th grade arithmetic book from 1947 on the bookshelves at my parents' house. It's got a great collection of images that match the mid-century art style of Idea Sandbox. In addition to the images, I found this piece on page 304 providing suggestions for students on problem solving.

[click for larger view]

HOW TO SOLVE PROBLEMS
Before you try to work any problem, read it carefully to be sure you understand it; then follow this plan:

Find what the problem tells.

Find what the problem asks for.

Decide what process or processes should be used and in what order.

Estimate about what the answer should be.

Solve the problem.

Check your work to be sure you made no mistakes.

Check your answer with your estimate and see if it is reasonable.

You can stop reading at this point if you'd like. But I want to go on a bit further and dig a little deeper. How may these math rules apply to everyday problem solving.

1. Find what the problem tells.

In investigating your problem, what do you know about it? What facts do you have? What can you be sure of? What are you perhaps taking as a given or an assumption that may not actually hold true. Gather the facts.

2. Find what the problem asks for.

What is missing? What are you solving for? In math you have an 'eventual' solution, for example you know you're looking for the value of x. Business problems aren't necessarily that straight forward. So, instead of an 'eventual' solution, what are your 'potential' solutions? What customers our groups do you need to consider?

3. Decide what process or processes should be used and in what order.

What marketing tools do you already have in place that may help solve your problem? What additional tools should you consider. In business, as in math... If you try to solve a problem using the wrong method you won't end up with the intended (or correct) result.

4. Estimate about what the answer should be.

I like this step. Before you do any work, think about your intended outcome. An estimate will do two things for you (a) it helps you play out the situation as a dress rehearsal in your mind. (b) It allows you to estimate the outcome. To predict - based on what you know, and where you want to go - what your result will be.

5. Solve the problem.

Ah, working it out. I see this step as crafting your plan. Create the approach. Not launching something at this stage. First build the plan that answers what the problem asks, from step 2, using information, including what you know from step 1.

6. Check your work to be sure you made no mistakes.

Now make that plan bullet proof... weave it out of Kevlar. Did you account for all the things the problem is asking for? Have conditions or assumptions changed since you started building the solution?

7. Check your answer with your estimate and see if it is reasonable.

That makes perfect sense in math, but we don't necessarily do that every time in business, do we? I like this step. Take the picture of the outcome you painted in step 4 and see if what you have come up with matches that expectation. Nice.

In the end, I see this list as a project management flow. These are key steps that help you ensure you're not forgetting something important, and proceed with clear expectations in mind. I like it.

What is your reaction?

A Cup Of Joe (Williams): Discussions & Debating

Fri, 16 May 2008 11:07:24 -0500

Know your subject as well as your mind is capable of.
Believe in what you say.
Tell it in your own words, just as you see it. Paint a word picture.
If you disagree with the issue, don't insult the other point of view. (They may be just as sincere as you are).
Through it all, realize that the other person may be better educated, smarter, better looking, more talented, etc. But he's just as much human and a jerk as you are, and makes just as many (or more) mistakes.

"A Cup of Joe (Williams)" represents advice I received in letters from my grandfather back in the 80s. I didn't appreciate the advice at the time (what kid does?), but see now the life (and business) lessons he shared. I hope to share more in the future

"Change the Way You See Yourself" Post2Post Virtual Book Tour Participants Announced

Wed, 14 May 2008 09:59:46 -0500

"You will never look at yourself the same way again!" declares the Asset-Based Thinking website of authors Kathy Cramer and Hank Wasiak.

Idea Sandbox is pleased to announce that their book, Change the Way You See Yourself: Though Asset-Based Thinking," is the selection for the May '08 Post2Post Virtual Book Tour.

This is Kathy and Hank's second book featuring the philosophy of asset-based thinking... (Their first was Change the Way You See Everything).

The tour launches on Monday May 26 right here at Idea Sandbox and continues for the week following the schedule below.

Change the Way You See Yourself

by Kathryn Cramer & Hank Wasiak
Author Site | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Site	Date
Idea Sandbox by Paul Williams	Mon, May 26
Livin' Venti by Scott Hodge	Tue, May 27
Sui Generis by Derrick Kwa	Wed, May 28
Personal Branding Blog by Dan Schwabel	Thur, May 29
Make It Great with Phil Gerbyshak	Fri, May 30

I hope you'll join us for this tour!

Throw Away Words, Marketing Claims, Steve Martin

Tue, 13 May 2008 11:36:55 -0500

We use words so repeatedly, in marketing, they lose their meaning.

The word unique is worthless because it's been overused. New and improved... what does that mean? It can mean the label was changed on the package, not that significant improvement has been made to the product itself.

This reminds me of one of my favorite scenes, from one of my favorite movies, the 1987 film, Roxanne by Steve Martin. Movie Trailer

The plot (per IMDB): "Based on the play "Cyrano de Bergerac", large nosed C.D. Bales (played by Steve Martin) falls for the beautiful Roxanne (Daryl Hannah) while she falls for his personality but another man's looks."

In this scene the character C.D. is expressing his love for Roxanne, but faces the challenge of coming up with the right words, because all of the superlatives have been used up and "wasted on shampoo commercials and the ads and the flavorings."

The very first part is where C.D. expresses his conundrum at the loss of the meaningful words... and the rest, is just romantic. Enjoy!

"Outside Her Window"
Scene from Roxanne,
By Steve Martin

In this scene CHRIS (Rick Rossovich), who has the hots for ROXANNE, but lacks the words to tell her, is helped in wooing ROXANNE by eloquent C.D. (Steve Martin).

C.D. is secretly in love with ROXANNE but because of his appearance (his large nose) feels he’d be rejected. CHRIS and C.D. are standing outside of ROXANNE’S house speaking to her above in her second story window

In shadow, half-hidden by a tree branch, C.D. speaks up to ROXANNE. His voice is conveniently distorted by the breeze.

You may also enjoy listening to the clip of this dialogue.
(The copy below picks up around the 120-second mark)

C.D.
...Words! They’re all used up. They're hard to say. They’ve all been wasted on shampoo commercials and the ads and the flavorings. All those beautiful words. I mean, how can you love a floor wax? How can you love a diaper? How can I use the same words about you that someone else uses about a stuffing?

I’m exploding with love for you and I can’t use the word.

ROXANNE
I can't hear you.

C.D.
It’s because my words have to rise up and they're having trouble finding you.

ROXANNE
You're not having trouble hearing me.

C.D.
Your voice floats down. But be careful. One hard word from you at that height kills me.

ROXANNE
Your voice sounds different.

C.D.
Of course it's different! I don't have to be careful anymore. I'm protected by the night. I can be myself, Roxanne. Oh…God, your name is a knife.

ROXANNE
Stand where I can see you.

C.D.
My voice. Only my voice. You don't need to see me. Just listen to me. I know I only have a minute here to talk to you. I was just wondering if what I wrote to you touched you...

ROXANNE
It did. It was eloquent.

C.D.
Oh no, not eloquent. Just honest. You see, I am in orbit around you. I'm suspended weightless over you like the blue man in the Chagall, just hovering, hanging over you in a delirious kiss.

Yesterday, on the street, I swore I heard your name. I swore I heard someone say it. And I turned and there was nobody there, just five birds, rising off the ground. And when their wings hit the air, I heard your name again. And just for that second, I was one of them, pounding out your name. Roxanne. Roxanne. The word of two syllables, locked inside my head.

You see, I am, and I will always be, the one who loved you without limits.

CHRIS
What are you talking about? It’s too much!

ROXANNE
Go on...

CHRIS
It's working. Go on. Go on.

C.D.
This is my whole life right now, standing here, talking to you like this, saying things I've wanted to say but couldn't.

ROXANNE
Why couldn't you talk to me?

C.D.
Because I was afraid of having you laugh at me.

ROXANNE
That's so silly.

C.D.
No. No. No. Not if you knew. When you're reaching for a star, there's a long way to fall.

I almost never let this moment happen. And now I feel sorry for people for whom it never comes.

I love you, I have breathed you in, and I am suffocating, I am crazy! I can't go on; this is all too much!

ROXANNE
I'm starting to feel a little dizzy.

C.D.
And I’m starting to feel a little drunk. Because I have made you tremble. And you are trembling, aren’t you?

ROXANNE
Like a leaf on a tree.

CHRIS (shouting)
I want to make love to you!

C.D.
Shut up, Chris!

ROXANNE
What?

C.D.
I’m telling myself to shut up; because this time I've gone too far.

ROXANNE
I'll tell you when you've gone too far.

CHRIS
She wants us. Lookit CD, it’s okay. Sooner or later. You can do it. Come on. Come on.

C.D. realizes he's right.

C.D. Roxanne. Don’t think I don’t know you. Don’t think I haven’t felt you beneath me. I know you’ve imagined it. You have, haven’t you, lying back in your bed with me?

ROXANNE
I have.

C.D.
There will never be another tonight, Roxanne. Why should we sip from a teacup when we can drink from the river?

There is a tiny word. It’s not a noun. It’s not a verb. It’s not an adjective. I don’t know what it is. But if you said it to me tonight, all this blackness would go away, and you and I would be connected by a tunnel of light.

ROXANNE
What is the word, Chris?

C.D.
Yes. Yes, Roxanne. Yes.

ROXANNE
Yes. Yes, Chris.

Creative Problem Solving: Invention of the Ice Cream Cone

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:22:02 -0500

The weather is warming up here in Amsterdam... We've had a week of sun and temperatures in the mid-70s.

It's ice cream weather, which brings to mind creative problem solving and the invention of the ice cream cone.

In September 1904 at the St. Louis World's Fair an ice cream vendor ran out of dishes for serving his ice cream. He was going to have to close for the day until he acquired more dishes. However, his neighboring vendor, Ernest Hamwi, was selling fresh waffles and saw an opportunity. Hamwi rolled his waffles and offered it as a way to contain the ice cream - and the ice cream cone was born.

How are you 'running out of dishes' and what are potential solutions?

Keep Digging for Ideas

Wed, 07 May 2008 09:23:24 -0500

Italian Roulette

Tue, 06 May 2008 12:04:51 -0500

I've just returned from my first visit to Venice, Italy or Venezia as it's called locally.

Ah... Venice... The beautiful city built on water...

[required establishing shot here]

While I the entire trip was terrific, I was especially impressed with this advertising tactic used at the Venice airport (Aeroporto Marco Polo) by the company Casino di Venezia. (The Casino of Venice)

[click image for larger version]

[click image for larger version]

I found this clever, eye catching, and memorable. What a great greeting for those heading to the casino. While I'm not a gambler, this 'interactive' ad let me know, in a remarkable way, that Venice has a place to gamble.

Casino di Venezia was built in 1638 and is the oldest gaming house in the world. In fact, Venice was once the Las Vegas of Europe.

Fire Near Idea Sandbox: Amsterdam

Mon, 05 May 2008 20:01:38 -0500

There was a fire today across the street from my office.

I was sitting working... looked out the window and saw flames erupting from the top floor of the building across the street.

I called 112 (the 911 of the Netherlands) and a few minutes later there was an explosion powerful enough to blow-out the windows of the floor above my office. Firefighters arrived swiftly and contained the flames before they spread.

Nobody was hurt, but the building is a mess. Demolition guys are out there now (10 pm) tearing down the loose, dangerous chunks of building.

[Here's a shot during the fire.]

[And here's what it looks like after demolition workers took down the dangerous and charred pieces.]

[Here's what the roof looked like before the fire.
This is a compilation of a few images I had.]

Coincidentally, my street is named Jan van der Heijden - a famous Dutch Baroque Era painter and innovator who in 1672 invented the fire hose and improved pumps used for firefighting.

Here's one of his sketches called "A Comparison of Old and New Firefighting Methods" I found (with caption) on the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam website.

Van der Heyden compared traditional firefighting methods with his new fire-hose. on the left in the foreground is an old fashioned pump: a large barrel filled with buckets of water. A fixed nozzle is attached to the pump to project water. On the right stands Van der Heyden's invention, which pumps the water directly. The long hose enabled firemen to penetrate deep into the burning building. The insert shows two combined pumps.

Luckily no one was injured today, just property damage and a few people who had to spend the night in a hotel.

Discovery (and Innovation)

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:38:50 -0500

Prioritizer Receives Rave Reviews

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:23:14 -0500

I'm pleased to share with you that Idea Sandbox Prioritizer, officially launched on Wednesday, April 23 has garnered its own fan mail.
Take a look at these comments...

Reader Reactions

"Prioritizer is a cool piece of work, congratulations! I’m one of those guys that always has a handwritten bullet to-do list on my desk. This is much better."

- Robert

"Prioritizer is AWESOME. Extremely useful! Especially for my slightly autistic, hyperactive mind!"

- Becky

"The thing I liked most about your tool was it's ease of use and simplicity, and my partner, a director of engineering at agreed. We both played with Prioritizer and liked the UI and overall design, and the existing functionality allows for quick and easy prioritization of tasks. I can see where folks might look for other features like checklist capability, schedules and "to do" list type stuff, but that might detract from your intention of a quick and dirty prioritizing tool."

- Raven

"Brilliant love it, new prioritizer quick and easy to use. Very Good for procrastinators a helpful tool all round! All good."

- Isabella

"Very useful idea!"

- Sarah

"This is very cool and fun! Most importantly it made me realize how many things I need to do between now and 2:30! Thanks!"

- Sara

Saving Your Prioritized List

If you want to save your Prioritizer results, here are the recommended steps:
If you're using a PC:
(1) Click on "Print It" when your list is presented to you.
(2) Internet Explorer or Firefox - Save the file as a TEXT file.
If you're using a Mac
(1) Click on "Print It" when your list is presented to you.
(2a) Save As PDF - Choose PRINT from the FILE menu and select SAVE AS PDF from the PDF pull down.
or...
(2b) Safari/Firefox - Choose SAVE AS from the FILE menu and save it in the WEB ARCHIVE format.

Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback!

Get Yourself In Order, Idea Sandbox Prioritizer :: Inbox Sand - April '08

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 08:12:08 -0500

It's one thing to list all the tasks, projects, and errands you need to accomplish... But it's a whole 'nother thing to try to organize that list, putting the most important things first... to prioritize.

As a professional problem solver, I felt it my responsibility to help solve this challenge...

I'm proud to present to you...

Idea Sandbox Prioritizer

The free, web-based tool to help you get yourself in order!

It's a wicked simple tool to use and will help you prioritize ANY list of items.

http://prioritizer.idea-sandbox.com

Give it a try now... Bookmark it for later! (you'll thank me!)

Prioritizer already has a testimonial!

As a PM [project manager] I deal with prioritizing almost constantly and enjoyed giving your new tool, Idea Sandbox Prioritizer, a test drive. I used it for my errands today and, by golly, if it didn't help me clarify which order to execute the steps! What a cool tool for use in meetings or other settings to get down to what really matters. Bottom line - I love it!
Raven

Quick Instructions

Visit http://prioritizer.idea-sandbox.com

Enter into Prioritizer: tasks, projects, errands... anything you need to accomplish.
When you've finished entering, select NEXT STEP at the bottom of the page.
Prioritizer pairs items on your list. Click the item that is more important, or that needs to be done first.

When you have run through all the items on your list, Prioritizer presents you with an ordered, numbered list!

That's all there is to it!

Once you're finished, Prioritizer offers you the convenience to...
Print It - creates a snazzy format to print or save as PDF.
Change It - add, subtract, or re-word tasks on the existing list, or
Start Over - start from scratch

Prioritizer is perfect whenever you have three or more items that need to be prioritized!

The beauty of Prioritizer is its simplicity. By viewing and making a decision between only two items at a time, it's much easier for your mind to manage than simultaneously juggling a list of 5 or 25 (or more) items.

Consider Prioritzer to...

...sort work or personal projects.
...prioritize your Netflix queue.
...pick your Summer vacation destination
...select a baby name.
...select a presidential candidate.

...and many more!

How will you use Prioritizer? Let me know, share your reactions.

By the way, subscribers to our eNewsletter "Sand for Your Inbox" learned about this tool first... and had the information delivered directly to their Inbox! You can be the first to learn about wicked cool tools like this too! Click... Subscribe for free, now.

Idea Sandbox Logo Judged Best of Marketing/PR Blogs on the Interweb

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 08:06:19 -0500

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Idea Sandbox Logo Judged Best
of Marketing/PR Blogs on the Interweb

Contact: Paul Williams
www.idea-sandbox.com

THE INTERWEB - April 18 2008: The Idea Sandbox logo has been chosen as best Marketing/PR blog logo in the Logo Design Love Awards.

Founder of Idea Sandbox, Paul Williams rejoiced, "Wow! With nearly 190 million blogs on the interweb - over 112 million of them English-language... That makes most blogs a needle in a haystack. For Idea Sandbox to be selected in an honor, and to win... a thrill! Thank you judges! And thank you to my clever designer Jennifer from Principle!"

For the past ten weeks the site, Logo Design Love, has been hosting a competition to judge the best blog logos.

The aim was to uncover the most effective blog logos, and to raise awareness of lesser-known logo designers. A distinguished panel of judges were brought on board, with more than a century of collective design experience.

Logos were nominated from ten blog categories...

Business,
Design and photography,
Entertainment,
Environmental,
Health and self-development,
Marketing and PR,
Personal,
Political,
Technology, and
Miscellaneous

The judges selected their favorite three logos from all ten of those categories, as well as a best of category. Idea Sandbox won best of category.

Readers were able to offer their votes via comments on the site. It was a close race between three marketing and PR sites: Idea Sandbox, Hubspot, and Holy Cow. Readers selected Hubspot as their favorite in close competition. Nice work, Hubspot.

Reader Comments

Here are some of the comments left by readers about the Idea Sandbox logo.

Idea Sandbox is best, warmest, most colorful
Idea Sandbox’s logo is great
I love the warm and fuzzy feeling of bygone days that it evokes!
Automatically opens your mind for thinking
Idea Sandbox (the metaphor and design)
Idea Sandbox - for originality in design & illustration
Not only is the idea sandbox a great logo… greatest of the great… but the blog site is very informative and forces you to reflect.
(I think that may have been my Dad's comment)
I dig this one the most. Haha.
Idea Sandbox gets my vote. It is inviting, creative and has energy. It stands alone in that it is descriptive without being prescriptive.

Be sure to check out the judge's comments on their award for overall best logo, Joe Urban.

Suite of Sandbox Logos

While the blog starburst logo was submitted to the contest, Idea Sandbox also features additional logo treatments, used based on the context and vehicle.

The award-winning starburst logo... used on the website.

There's the simple "Idea Sandbox Script." I use this in my email auto-signature.

I have a suite of horizontal tags in various colors...

And, this treatment is featured on my business card...

Thanks a million for the nomination, for the votes, and for judging our logo as one of the best!

###

Confusion and the Fool

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:02:52 -0500

Idea Sandbox Blog

Idea Sandbox Blog Migration

Change the Way You See Yourself

Tour Schedule

Asset-Based Thinker Survey

Bonus Questions

Scoring

"How to Solve Problems" 1947-style

HOW TO SOLVE PROBLEMS

A Cup Of Joe (Williams): Discussions & Debating

"Change the Way You See Yourself" Post2Post Virtual Book Tour Participants Announced

Change the Way You See Yourself

Throw Away Words, Marketing Claims, Steve Martin

Creative Problem Solving: Invention of the Ice Cream Cone

Keep Digging for Ideas

Italian Roulette

Fire Near Idea Sandbox: Amsterdam

Discovery (and Innovation)

Prioritizer Receives Rave Reviews

Reader Reactions

Saving Your Prioritized List

If you're using a PC:

If you're using a Mac

Get Yourself In Order, Idea Sandbox Prioritizer :: Inbox Sand - April '08

Idea Sandbox Prioritizer

Idea Sandbox Logo Judged Best of Marketing/PR Blogs on the Interweb

Idea Sandbox Logo Judged Bestof Marketing/PR Blogs on the Interweb

Confusion and the Fool

Idea Sandbox Logo Judged Best
of Marketing/PR Blogs on the Interweb