This past semester I had an interesting revelation connecting two different stories I had heard to our life in the People of Praise.

Glen Taylor spoke at the Part-Time MBA lecture series here at school. In the hour long lecture, he had one real key bit of information to pass on. He attributed almost all his success with surrounding himself with “good, capable people who share his vision.” He went on to say that 35% of startup business fail not because of unsuccessful ideas but rather because of bad leadership.

This triggered my memory of an excellent article I had read in the New York Times talking about the original group who started paypal. After Ebay bought paypal for $1.5 billion, different employees began to start on different projects. Four got together and started You Tube which as we all know was bought by Google for 1.65 Billion without turning a single dime in real revenue. Others worked together and started Yelp (online guide to shops), Slide (creating web sideshows),Clarium (Hedgefund with more than 2.3 billion in assests), SpaceX (manufactures small rockets) and Room 9 Entertainment (which produced the movie Thank You for Smoking) However, in all of this success and splintering of companies, this original paypal group has remained extremely close due to their strong bond formed through their struggles and successes at PayPal. Now, this is one of the groups that is changing the face of the internet and communication. If any new ideas are proposed there are investors there to provide the funds.

To me they were successful because of the same things that Glen Taylor was talking about. They were a group of folks working on a common project all with the same dedication and goal in mind. At that time and as they continue to grow they are pioneering how to do business. All of this is based on their friendship.

Now, enter One:Ten Communications. Paypal’s goal was to connect consumers or businesses securely, easily, and quickly across the internet. One:Ten’s mission is to “Unite all things in Christ” Paypal had “Talented engineers and entrepreneurs with innovative ideas and a love of the start-up life; experienced managers who can turn ideas into businesses; and financiers.” One Ten (although they presently may be a little dis-advantaged in terms of financiers) has all of these components and one most important element, the Lord. Whose to say that we can’t be even more successful?

Praise God for our work!

Dalydepictions.com is going through some revamping and should be to its new improved glory shortly. I am presently learning about wordpress (the framework for this site) and gallery2 (a photo management database far superior to its predecessor, pixelost, which it is replacing) from Dan Ficker whose gift of patience and time has been invaluable as I ask enumerable questions about how things fit together. Thanks again Dan! Check back shortly.

Opportunity Cost. Ever since my days in freshman econ this idea has stuck with me. As a refresher, opportunity cost is the price of the next best option. For example, that matine movie is not $6.50 but rather $6.50 + all other options (e.g. working for 2 hours and making $18). Applied more broadly, the scope of this principle is almost infinite. Everyday, as we make decisions about what we should do we are constantly comparing and quantifying our options (Should I study for this midterm or get 2 more hours of sleep: What are the costs and benefits?) However, where does this leave us? For one thing, it sets the stage well for America’s business culture and the invisible hand. Companies weigh the opportunity costs of doing business and decide to maximizing their ROI and shareholder’s value. Individuals do this as they decide where to live and what to spend their time doing. It looks pretty much like, well.. the American Way. Love it or hate it Locke’s individual self-preservation comes back once again. However, let’s rewind this situation and paint a different picture.

Is this it? What about this: What about if we looked at these situations in terms of needs? By this, its not a matter of what we giving up for x or y but rather what do we need to get done? How are we going to change the world today? What would society look like then? Fundamentally, cost/benefit analyses will only take you as far as the invisible hand. There’s work to be done and its our job to do it. So, am I going to go to that movie? Maybe, we’ll see where I’m called.

“What should young people do with their lives today? Many things,
obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in
which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.”
~ Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., American writer 1922




“A world community can only exist with world communication, which means
something more than extensive software facilities scattered about he globe.
It means common understanding, a common tradition, common idea’s and common
ideals.”
~ Robert M. Hutchins, American writer 1899

Compliments to Julie Johnson

Whatever. Who cares. Just do it. These are the archetypal phrases embodying the character of American society in the 21st century. From low voter turnout to just a general apathetic attitude towards society, these thoughts permeate the social consciousness of Americans today. One might ask, so how did this happen? What happed to the legendary democracies of Greece where people voted and were actively engaged in discourse at the public forum? Is not America supposed to be the premier example of what democracy is? Surprisingly, Plato and the other philosophers of ancient Greece would argue that Americans are merely fulfilling their democratic institution. To Plato, it is from this very system that American apathy grows. Furthermore, this apathy continues to fester until it is a self-created tyranny. So is America doomed to tyranny? Fortunately, the answer is a resounding NO! Plato’s progression of democracy into tyranny underestimates man’s desire for stability. In order to investigate this progression, let us look at the future state of the world according to Neuromancer by William Gibson. (more…)