Thoughts For 2012
Hard to believe it’s been a year since my last post. But isn’t that what happens? We get busy with other projects and before you know it a year goes by? I remember wishing my uncle happy 65th not long ago and he said “Please stop reminding me… these birthdays are coming with increasing frequency”.
So – the question is simple this year… and more uplifting that last year’s post 
Here it is: What are you going to do that will make this year different and valuable? Admittedly it’s a broad and open ended question – but I ask it because rather than getting wrapped up in self proclamations of the usual stuff, I’m thinking of doing something different personally that is going to create a lot of value for others.
The idea isn’t fully hatched yet, but I can see rough edges of it becoming clearer.
How about you? Does the coming of January change the way you think about the passage of time, your accomplishments and how you feel about your contributions to your family, your company and your other commitments? Or is it just another month on the calendar when things are a little slower?
I look forward to your thoughts on this question. Happy 2012.
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New Years Resolution Or Dis-illusion?
So … Ok, I admit it…this isn’t exactly the most uplifting title for what is supposed to be a positive subject. But the reality is that too many people are talking about making commitments they can’t or won’t achieve.
Make no mistake, I am all for change and positive thinking. But when people I care about starting making big pronouncements about change they are going to bring about in 2011; it kinda makes me sad.
The psychology of a new year’s resolution in and of itself is a little broken in my humble opinion. Here’s why: It’s usually that the change we need as humans has to come from some kind of emotional affect that causes us to feel really good about something, or really bad.
Studies have shown repeatedly that we need to “feel” the end result and then keep feeling it to stay the course. This PLUS having a plan that you can work every day, is proven to be really helpful. In addition, it’s that emotional output that starts the whole process in the first place. And that’s EXACTLY why most resolutions fail. Because they are usually nothin’ more than a philosophical pronouncement…which just won’t do.
Dr.s’ Miller and Marlatt wrote a great study in 1998 called “How to Keep Up with Those New Year’s Resolutions: Researchers Find Commitment Is the Secret of Success” and found these are the 3 most common resolutions people make:
- 37% – Starting to exercise
- 13% – Eating better
- 7% – Reducing the consumption of alcohol, caffeine and other drugs, or quitting smoking
Any of these sound familiar?
And what about for business people? Why do all the resolutions have to be personal. I think that in the absence of any corporate direction businesses should have at least some re-affirmation of their direction. If your business doesn’t have any, I found this great list of business resolutions to consider, compliments of Enterpreneur Magazine.
Do I have any resolutions this year? Nope. I have some new goals however. In keeping with the three above, I thought I’d frame a few of them accordingly:
- Figure out how to exercise more productively and get MORE out of less time. (Martin Berkhan‘s blog has got my attention on this point recently)
- Eat MORE food that is just better. I like eating and I like good food. Some more red wine is included here too.
- I don’t plan to drink less caffeine, or less alcohol. My doc tells me that I’m healthy and both are fine in moderation. I enjoy them both.
Anyway, I was inspired to pen this quick post because my belief about resolutions is that if you can’t make change happen in your life that isn’t sustainable as a long term lifestyle choice, it’s never gonna’ last. You have to be able to live with it day in and day out.
What do you think?
You Can Afford To Advertise On TV
This has been a medium that I’ve been watching for a while. As a huge fan of web video, I think that we’re just scratching the surface in terms of how far web video is going to go.
Is the world of search marketing dead? No…but but the world of search engine optimization and search marketing in the traditional sense is dying, you can count on that. The era of 10 blue links on a page isn’t long for the online world… it won’t be around for as long as you think because people have sought out more trustworthy sources to supplement their information seeking needs.
Just last week Facebook surpassed Google in terms of absolute traffic and trusted news readers.
I use Google AdWords regularly for a number of online ventures and have found it to (still) be a great way for getting traffic. However, TV remains the king of big time advertising. The difference is that you can afford to advertise on TV now, through Google’s massive media purchases.
Google has figured out how to act as an aggregator for TV advertising, passing the benefits and accessibility on to you as the consumer, while taking another slice of the advertising spend – furthering Google’s income statement with 90+ % revenue coming from advertising.
Don’t believe me? Fine…watch this video:
Lessons From The Original Apprentice
You do remember the Apprentice, right? It’s hard to believe that it was seven years ago season one aired on NBC. I remember being there with Traci during the filming of season three and walking by the Trump tower – thinking about the show and what it meant to entrepreneurs all over.
As they say – time flies – It seems like yesterday I remember Donald Trump choosing Bill Rancic, an internet entrepreneur from Chicago, to be his right hand man for a year. It was the first time in a long time that I really got into prime time TV when The Apprentice aired. 
The Donald had seemingly leveraged his business acumen into show business, putting himself, his hair (is it real?) and the Trump organization into the homes of people all across America, if not the world.
Actually – truth be told, Mark Burnett, credited for creating the reality TV show genre and of Survivor fame, had approached the Donald to do the show at a party, and Trump agreed.
Season one was really the best season – and the recent stuff with Celebrity Apprentice isn’t worth watching.
However – I do remember watching Bill be selected on live TV and feeling the excitement of his opportunity.
Recently, I had the opportunity to meet with and speak to Bill Rancic at a private business function, where he was also the keynote speaker.
Bill’s talk was one of the best I’ve heard, so good in fact that I was compelled to take notes ( actually I think I was the only one taking notes!). His message was disguised as entertaining story after story about his unlikely path to fame and business success.
Here are some of the highlights of Bill’s message:
The first is to do what you fear – and the death of that fear is certain. In fact, he reminded the audience that humans are born with only two fears – the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises – all other fears we learned along the way.
Bill’s first assignment with Mr. Trump was joining him in Florida to help judge the Miss Universe contest, which of course was a staple in the Trump Organization entertainment division.
Tough job!
However, things got more serious quickly as Bill’s main job was to oversee a large construction project. He talked about how he faced his fears working in a domain that he knew little to nothing about, along side senior executives from HRH Construction – general contractors for the project in Chicago.
One of the notes that I thought was especially relevant to the managers in the audience from Bill’s construction experience with Trump, came from one of the HRH executives who intelligently coached Bill with the advice to “be the conductor”.
Of course this meant that Bill was to do his best managing what I call the “white space on the org chart”. The message was clearly to let the experts do their jobs – or help them play in harmony to continue the analogy; the architects, electricians, HVAC specialists, etc.
Good message – good analogy.
The talk then progressed to Bill sharing his assessment of dinners he’d shared with Ted Turner and Mark Cuban; both clearly different personalities – and minds I like. He talked about how his experience working with and getting to know about some of America’s business luminaries led him to three conclusions about their success in life, despite their radically different styles:
1. They are were good decision makers. Bill said that Trump said to him during his time with the Trump Organization, “Ill trust whatever decision you make, but I’ll fire you if you don’t make decisions. The message is to take action and be action oriented – even if you aren’t 100% sure.
2. Be creative and agile. Bill talked about how his first challenge on the show was selling lemonade at the proverbial 
lemonade stand in 95 degree heat on a hot summer day on 5th Avenue in New York – sporting a suit no less.
Simple enough – however, the tasks became progressively more challenging from there, requiring him to adjust his thinking and management style when project leader. Bill reconciled his ability to win the Apprentice because his competition had only their text books or singular business experiences to draw upon. Lesson: everything you do or learn matters someday.
3. Never give up and think like an owner. I especially liked this one because of it’s value in my own life – whether things are really great or really bad – I try not to get too excited or too down either way – but just keep working towards the goal. Bill reminded the group that Trump didn’t always have it easy – and came from one of the biggest comebacks in corporate history. Most people probably don’t know it, but Trump nearly lost it all in the late 80′s. Lesson: adversity+persistence gets you through.
Bill’s just finished shooting a reality show for the A&E Network called We Mean Business where he goes into businesses and fixes them – I think it’s kind of like Gordon Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares or Tabatha’s Salon Makeover.
That format is proven on TV, as is Bill – so it should be a good fit…provided Omarosa isn’t in it. Just kidding Omarosa.
No, actually, I’m not.
Anyway Bill included a lot of other great content for both young entrepreneurs – as well as more seasoned ones. From humble beginnings selling pancakes at five bucks a plate in his grandmothers house, to cigars online, to the Apprentice with Trump and now to expressing an attitude of gratitude on the speaking circuit – Bill has a good and worthwhile story to share.
What I also think makes Bill a good draw for the speaking circuit in addition to his new TV show is that he’s humble, funny, comfortable in his own skin and most importantly, has accumulated a wide range of experience in a number of key industries – therefore he’s got the breadth of expertise to speak to a wider audience, than say, someone who just hit it big with one play.
Oh – and let’s not forget that that he also has first hand evidence the Donald’s hair is real. That’s got to be worth something too, right?
Is Someone Selling Your Email Address?
Do you ever wonder if a website you’ve subscribed to has sold your email address? I do often. And even though email is being slowly replaced as a communication medium by Twitter, Facebook and other tools, recently I’ve been getting way more spam that usual.
So how do you track who is selling your precious email address?
You create a new email address for each site you opt into. I am NOT talking about going out there and creating a NEW account.
Sounds complicated right? Well, actually its not. Most email systems out there will let you use the “+” symbol as a separator between your name and the special email address identifier you create. Then you can type whatever after the “+” sign that to track that email.
For example, lets say your email was coolguy@gmail.com and you wanted to go get some free recipes from freerecipes.com.
Just create and an email of coolguy+freerecipes@gmail.com for the email you submit.
Gmail, and most other email providers, will ignore the + symbol and anything that comes after it and you still get the email. Try it out… its pretty cool.
I use this trick to:
1) Know if people are selling my email
2) If they are I can easily filter it out based on the address and send it straight to my spam folder.
This way you’ll know for sure if anyone you subscribe to has sold your email address AND you don’t have to go out and create a whole bunch of “alter egos” online to decrease the risk of spam.
Canadian Olympic Gold
There was no way that I couldn’t catch the last and maybe most important event of the 2010 Winter Olympics – hockey.
Living only 4 hours away from Vancouver by car, I just had to get down there and be a part of the energy and excitement. And what a party it was!
The element which stood out most for me the night before the final hockey game was just how much patriotism and Canadiana I saw.
I can’t remember a time in my life EVER when so many Canadians, both young and old were so committed to displaying their pride of being a Canadian. It was a really cool thing to see and be a part of.
And yes… I must say what has become the most cliche statement of all lately (but it’s true),
I AM PROUD TO BE CANADIAN.
The Olympic monuments that I saw were incredible and larger than I expected. The crowds were full of energy and very well behaved. Everyone was happy and loving the energy.
There was so much to see and do, it’s no wonder that people stayed out to 4 am on Sunday morning after the games were over!
Vancouver did a great job as the host city and I was so happy there was no problem with crowd control.
All told, this was a great event for Canada on so many levels. Here are a few pics from the 2010 Winter Olympics.
(Click to enlarge any of these if you wish)
Looking South On Granville Street
Looking East on Robson Street
Looking at the Vancouver Art Gallery Before the Final Light Show
Proud Canadians
BVN right before the light show
The 2010 Olympic Clock
Bill Good and Pamela Martin Between Segments in the Outdoor Broadcast Booth
Flag Waving Canadians
Enjoying the crowds
Looking South On Granville St. Thousands of Fans
You Gotta Be Here!
Hudson's Bay Downtown Vancouver 2010 Olympic Decorations
Vancouver BC Night Skyline with Olympic Rings
A Close Version of The 2010 Olympics Stone Mascot Ilanaaq, Which Means Friend in Inuit
2010 Olympic Skyline at Night
A Beautiful Shot Of False Creek, Vancouver, The Olympic Skyline
The Olympic Light Show With Spot Lights
The Colors in the Downtown Olympic Fireworks and Light Show
Olympic Fireworks and Light Show Downtown Vancouver
Another Shot of the Olympic Light Show Over Burrard Inlet
2010 Olympic Bears
At The 2010 Olympics Hockey Game Canada vs. USA
WE WON!!!! GOLD!
Snowshoeing In The Sun
This is one of those posts where the pictures really tell the whole story so much better than words can.
However, there are a few thoughts that I must share about last weekend’s snow shoeing at Crystal Mountain. First – there’s nothing like getting outdoors after a long week of staring at a computer monitor!
Second, it’s amazing how fast the time goes when you’re out there with mother nature wandering through the forest (ok – we really weren’t wandering…we did follow marked trails…but it felt like that because we only saw one other couple the entire 6km’s we were out).
Third and lastly – I can’t wait to do it again. Two hours of solid snow shoeing feels like about 20 minutes and was very invigorating. It’s the kind of outdoor activity that can be as hard or as easy as you want it to be.
Clearly you can see by the photos of us taking the chairlift to the top of the mountain – that we’re all about it not being too hard!
Avatar is a whole new category of movie
There’s no question in my mind that Avatar has changed the game in the film industry. As of this writing, the movie is something like the 4th largest grossing movie ever….and many are predicting that it will become THE largest grossing movie in history.
I would have to agree. What’s more is how much of James Cameron’s life went into making this movie. With the creation of his CGI company WETA, you can’t help but admire the man – I mean here’s a guy who started out with the concept in 1996 or 1998 – it doesn’t matter – and people were out there saying it couldn’t be done.
This past saturday I saw the movie and didn’t want it to end! It was so incredible. Most of these animation movies are coming of age type stories – you know: Finding Nemo, Toy Story, Schrek, etc.
But Avatar was entirely differently. It’s a love story, a good vs. evil story, a story about a new world and it left me wanting more. Visually the movie is so beautiful…and you will quickly forget that it is in 3d.
It is going to win every award possible this year.
if you haven’t seen it yet – go and watch it this weekend!
Here’s a trailer of the movie:
When Businesses Fix Themselves
It was just before Arnold was elected Governor that he said something about all the “expertise” in Sacramento government that existed, yet the state was still running in the red.
The point of what he was trying to say is that “experience” does not equal success. Obama used the same argument, Google has used it and so have others.
Starbucks argued that they had no experience with the instant coffee market, but have since entered it and are killin’ it!
I think its a good argument personally. Anyway, what I am very pleased about both as a shareholder, consumer and general fan of capitalism is what Starbucks has done recently with the introduction of the VIA “portable coffee” product.
Here’s the YTD stock price of SBUX, which I think clearly represents a favorable market response.
First of all, it’s REALLY good coffee for “instant” – probably the best I’ve ever had. Second – the marketing campaign makes good sense – rather than just being catchy.
Finally – it has been good for business as there’s plenty of times where you might want a good coffee, but can’t get one (not that Starbucks is the “best”, but it’s pretty good).
Here in Canada something like 30% of the coffee brewed at home gets thrown out – not to mention that few have the time to make and clean up drip coffee.
So for a quick hit of good coffee, a smart business decision to enter what some have said is a “saturated” market comes VIA from Starbucks.
I like it.
Now if GM can only follow through and do something about their brand! Maybe they should get better and smarter about building electric cars and becoming the best at it….
Need a Caricature?
I found this the other day…actually it found me. It’s a service called “get my caricature” put out by this guy Tracy Childers. I don’t know Tracy and am not sure how he got my email address.
Anyway, I like the idea because it appears to be a quality service that can really humanize people with a caricature. If their existing drawings are any indication of artist ability – then a good photo of you (or whomever you want the caricature of done), should be quite good.
What’s great about their service is that the image is 100% digital, so the finished product is very good. They are using the same technolgy as some of the ‘big boys’ out there such as Disney:
You can make it as big or as small as you want, depending on what you want do with it and the edges stay razor sharp, and the colors will stay bright and vibrant.
Even if you put your pictures on a 60 ft tall billboard, you’ll still have just as high resolution and just as sharp of an image as you would have if you would put your image on a mouse pad or a coffee cup. It’s called vector art.
Plus, digital art is great for web graphics and web designs, if you’re going to use your image on your website, and we highly recommend that you do. Then, you’ll definitely want to have a 100% digital cartoon or caricature.
The price as of this post is $97 for one caricature or $149 for three. It would be good for real estate agents, people getting married, going away t-shirts/ coffee mugs, etc. I am not affiliated with their business in any way – I just thought it was a cool service that appears to be well executed and could have many applications.
You can learn more about them here.
Kelowna Wildfires – Where Are The Mars Water Bombers?
They’re in California. On a contract. Which is fine – they’re almost always on a contract because they’re privately owned by Coulson Aviation. Coulson can do whatever they want with their assets.
But I think they should be home, here in B.C. during the summer months and we as British Columbians should be willing to pay the incremental cost of having them here to save our homes.
Three homes were lost this past weekend during the fires that broke out on in Glenrosa. That fire and the Rose Valley fire are now contained. I’m thankful as a British Columbian that we have the resources we do to fight fires.
The aircraft and ground personnel did a great job considering the circumstances – incredible temperatures and 90 km/ hr winds.
I was on a boat watching…speechless *(unusual for me) as the fire suppression effort took place.
However, I couldn’t help but think how much more effective things would have been had we had the Mars Water Bombers on hand to more effectively and quickly put out the fire.
This video covers the subject further:
[flashvideo file=http://bvnmedia.s3.amazonaws.com/kelownafires.flv /]
As of this writing, the Terrace Mountain fire continues to burn. This is British Columbia there are more trees than any other place on earth. They are a valued and precious resource. We should be doing everthing we can to protect that.
Photo Credit Kelly Hayes
I think the people in Victoria responsible for the fire protection budget should allocate some of it to ensure the Mars Bombers are in B.C. during the hot months.
There’s no good reason we should allow money to get in the way of saving life, natural resources and wildlife.
Surely those three families who lost their homes and the insurance companies that have to pay for them would agree… and what about the families that have been evacuated from Fintry?
We NEED those Mars Bombers here, in BC, in the Okanagan…now.
Do YOU agree?
The Blackberry is Better than the iPhone
Well, after much usage and frustration, I have actually gone BACK to the Blackberry. Yup – I found it to be a superior tool for my needs. The iPhone was fun and cool, but it was lame in key areas.
Back in January, I was all jacked up about the iPhone... grew more and more disappointed with it each passing day. I’m inspired to write about this experience because as an early adopter of all kinds of technology, I’m CERTAIN there are other people who’ve either experienced the same thing or would like to AVOID making the mistake that I did.
The Bottom line for me is that the Blackberry is a better business tool than the iPhone.
Period.
I think that Blackberries are better business tools .. awesome phones with good business features and excellent usability…
while the iPhone is really a multimedia iPod with mediocre phone features and lack of business tools, weak texting issues that include privacy concerns for many, no SMS support, it is too big and heavy in my opinion, had a poor speaker phone, no auto voice dial from a button (LOVE that feature when I’m driving), and of course is hard to use the touch screen.
I like the tactile feeling of buttons. Battery life doesn’t compare for me either – because the iPhone is running the Mac OS, it’s basically like having a small PC on all the time sucking up power, which is compounded by fueling the large capacitive touch screen with power.
Sure – there’s lots of cool apps out there to impress your friends with at a party, but the truth is, they wasted more of my precious time than I care to admit.
Add to that the Blackberry’s support for MicroSD, bluetooth sync, a swappable battery.. versus iPhone’s lack of those all together and iTunes dependency (which I hate on a PC)…
… and you can see why the Blackberries come out ahead in my book, which is really what I need.
Sorry iPhone lovers… the iPhone is a glorified ipod and the product of a wildly successful marketing campaing that failed to deliver what the corporate world needs.
I have gone back to the phone I loved – the Blackberry Pearl. In red. Bam!
(Just don’t tell anyone how much I love playing Bejeweled...in fact I may buy a used iPod touch just so I can play that game!!!)
A Visit to Silk Scarf Winery in Summerland
This is one of those wineries that you could drive by and miss if you weren’t paying attention. And if you did see it, you might not even stop because compared with some of the other wineries in the valley, it flies very low under the radar.
And if you did miss it, that would be a total shame because the wine is fantastic… and that’s only the beginning.
Speaking of flying – Silk Scarf Winery’s owner has roots in aviation. Roie (owner and patriarch) flew for many years in Israel, before returning to his family’s roots in wine making – except he wanted to do it on the other side of the world, in Canada. If you do get here – be sure to ask about the Silk Scarf story – I’m not going to tell it here because this post is about the experience at Silk Scarf and you should really hear it with your own ears.
After buying the winery sight-unseen (other than communication on the internet with the previous owner) Roie moved himself and his family clear around the world from the Middle East to the Okanagan and started what I feel is soon to be a very popular and well known winery. The fruit is still maintained with the same philosophy and farming practices of the prior owner who worked the land for the 20+ years before hand and is credited with teaching many of Summerland’s farming and winery owners with the know-how they still use today.
I think that the property is special because it clearly enjoys and benefits from a great micro-geography that delivers less wind and a few more hours of sun each day than other wineries in the region. When you see the property – you’ll understand what I mean.
Already served by many of Vancouver’s best restaurants such as Ouest, Bishops, Salmon House on the Hill, CinCin and The Blue Water Cafe among others, Silk Scarf’s wines are unbelievably good. If Gary Vaynerchuk had been there I’m sure he’d have produced a video.
And if the wines aren’t good enough – the Middle Eastern hospitality delivered by Roie’s son Eden, his partner (and wonder-chef Tara), mom Ruth must be experienced to be believed. The care and attention that goes into the food made from local ingredients make each dish a total culinary adventure. And I couldn’t forget the savvy, upscale urban touches added to the simple, but inviting wine shop designed by daughter Einat.
Food is only served on Saturday and Sunday. But don’t expect expect to show up and be seated. Tara only makes enough food for about 25 people and you can only get in if you have a reservation. Tara used to work in a restaurant in Israel that served new dishes EVERY day. The same philosophy of food delivery happens here. It’s totally cool. No two days are ever the same, although some dishes are often repeated, Tara will only produce what is available locally or brought over by other local farms.
Her cooking is incredible and the way it’s served is even more exciting. First of all, you don’t need to order from the daily menu. Instead, you order the wine first and then they’ll pair the food to whatever wine you chose. How cool is that?
However, because there were five of us and we each ordered almost every wine they make (yes – they are all THAT good), we wound up getting nearly everything on the menu.
Food is served tapas style in small bowls and serving plates. Each dish was delivered one at a time as it was prepared fresh in the kitchenette. Eden took the time to describe where the ingredients came from and what we could expect to taste as he carefully brought out each dish and placed it on our table.
One of our guest had food allergies, which were immediately and graciously accommodated.
You literally fall in love with these people and their passion for food and wine. I wanted to move in and just eat and drink with them. They made you feel like family, but not overwhelmingly so. Never did we feel smothered, yet the service was perfect.
These people care about everything to do with wine and food and it totally shows. Their philosophy is simple, produce less product but make it really good.
Our reservations were for 12:30pm, but we didn’t get there until 1:30pm due to highway construction closures on Highway 97. Once we arrived, we were welcomed and had a quick tasting before being seated on the outer deck, in the shade, but with a beautiful lake view.
I had a glass of the 2006 Pinot Noir (which recently won top marks at the Northwest Wine Competition – beating out world class Pinots from the Columbia River and Willamette Valley regions). I’ve yet to find a Pinot like this in Okanagan and I think I’ve had all of them. Maybe Tom DiBello’s Platinum Pinot from Cedar Creek – but other than that one, there’s nothing else as good.
Upon being seated we ordered wines and began an awesome afternoon. The first dish we were brought was grilled peppers and capers in red wine vinegar. Then Dolmathes with fresh, young grape leaves from the vineyard. This was followed up with fresh Tagiliatelle pasta with zucchini and fresh basil. The sauce was so good I just wanted to drink it. When I asked how the sauce was made – Tara said, “it is special – the sauce becomes itself in the pan”.
What do you say to that?
Then Eden brought us some pastries called burik made with 3 onions and parmesan. Then kalamata olives mixed with roasted fennel and citrus fresh herbs.
Don’t even get me started on the roasted lamb and beef kabbbs served on cinnamon sticks over olive oil and tahini. I could eat a plate of those myself. Did I mention the bulgur salad with dried cranberries, fresh mint, lima beans mixed with a pomegranate reduction? I didn’t think so.
How about the roasted beats and plums mixed with candied australian ginger and thyme vinagrette? Probably forgot to tell you about that too, right?
Smoked salmon with chilled horseradish? The colors alone are enough to get your heart rate up …
Serving the food this way was such a powerful, but simple method for showcasing the wines. Lunch was finished with complimentary chilled, Sonata cherries as big as plums and deep red as the merlot you must try.
I thought to myself how special the experience was and was inspired to blog about it while looking at the amazing lake view of this beautiful place where I live…only to be gently interrupted by a one hundred and forty three pound gentle-giant of a dog named Bruno. He is the family mascot that tends to the 10,000 some vines and 10 acres of grapes on his daily jaunts through the vineyards. Bruno is a rescued dog who clearly displays his gratitude with un-ending affection for what amounts to a serendipitous lifestyle afforded to him by Silk Scarf’s proprietors. On hot days he can be found in the creek cooling off.
When I die, I want to come back as Bruno at Silk Scarf.
To top off an already unusually special winery visit, we were presented with a bill of $17 per person (plus wine) and a very clear request that we DO NOT leave a tip.
Pardon?
That’s right – you do not tip at Silk Scarf: Knowing that you’ve enjoyed yourself and will come back is apparently enough for these savvy, kind and passionate business people.
There’s no question that if they continue to deliver the experience I enjoyed, that they will soon be over – run with demand. I am pleased to share this experience as it was so positive and memorable.
The Pinot Noir is killer. The chardonnay unoaked and delicious. The viognier is dynamite.
Silk Scarf is about half-way between Kelowna and Penticton (click for a Google Map), just off highway 97. If there’s ONE place you must stop – if only to try (and buy) some incredible wines, I highly recommend Silk Scarf – you won’t regret it.
Could This Be Game Changing Technology?
Made possible by combining some very simple technology in an effective way (location awarness, compass, and camera)… What’s next? Check out the video below and see what you think? There’s so many ideas that come to mind – I TOTALLY could have used this the last time in was in NYC.
I have some friends who could use this to get home from the bar!
It makes me think that Apple should consider a new business model for the iPhone because there are so many ways this could be licensed. Maybe the could even GIVE the iPhone away and monetize apps like this one: