Seth Godin points to the shamelss trend among marketing pundits to predict the success or failure of the iPhone.  I am going to join them.

I agree with Seth that the iPhone is going to sell tremendously well in 07 and continue to get better. 

Anyone who thinks the iPhone is all hype, is perhaps underestimating the loyalty of the Cult of Mac, and is probably using a PC to write the post ;)

Unless AppleCo makes some serious turns in strategy, i will be a Mac user for the forseable future.  I paid extra for a Mac mouse when i couldve got by with a fully functional, wireless PC universal mouse.   I use my iPod nano all the time and never have a problem with it.

The thing you learn very quickly when using products from Apple is that they work.  they just work.  all the time. 

I pay a little extra for the lack of surprises and it is WELL worth it. 

I don't see why the iPhone would be any different.  If it is, well then Mac will have problems.

I just posted some great videos to the Full Strength zPro blog.  In these clips Shawn Phillips talks candidly about what went into making Full Strength and why it is different from the average supplement or meal replacement.  Check em out.

I am living proof that Full Strength can be a catalyst for personal transformation.  May 11th, one year ago I turned 30 years old.  After a life of sport and high performance, I had let pressures at work and stress pull me away from physical practice.  I was simply neglecting my physical body.

In my mid twenties I had been a mountain bike racer, averaged 85 days a year on the snowboard, ran the LA marathon with only 10 weeks training...I was used to being in top physical condition.  A few years in the rat race professionally, and a focus toward explicitly spiritual pursuits, contributed to a neglect of the body and an abandonment of the practices that kept me fit, that i took for granted.

For the first time in my life, i felt old.

I first heard about Shawn Phillips through Integral Naked.  Shawn was discussing his innovation in strength training practice he calls F.I.T. or Focus Intensity Training.  Shawn draws on meditative and martial arts wisdom, integrating it with his lifelong practice of strength training. 

I lifted some serious weight in high school, but outgrew the original self-conscious motivation i had for it when i got to college.  I had not done any serious strength training in ten years, but Shawn's descriptions of F.I.T. really resonated with me.  As a zen practitioner, I could see where the clarity of focus in my sitting, would be of obvious benefit to strength training.

Sometime last fall i decided to check out Shawn's new product Full Strength.  I had taken some supplement products in my weight lifting days, but never tried a high caliber meal replacement like this one.  It is really a support tool for a new way to think about nutrition...and a damn good one at that.

I talked Jason into going to the gym with me (or he talked me into it) and we joined the North Boulder Rec Center.

It hurt bad.  The frustration was daunting at first.  Having been a high performance athlete at one time, only gave me fond memories for unfavorable comparison to my current state.  Sitting with that alone is a profound practice.  Getting out of bed at 5:15 to train before work ain't no picnic either.  But we stayed with it.  Full Strength was a tangible reminder of our commitment to health and a nutritional rocket booster to get us going in the right direction.

After about 12 weeks, we we're moving.  We had developed the habits, developed the physical ability to train, and felt the pull of motivation rather that the resistance to change. 

About that time, synchronistically, I got the opportunity to use my professional talents to help Phillips Performance Nutrition with some marketing projects.  The zPro site is one of these efforts.  Working with Shawn, Rob, Tom and Jodi has been extremely inspiring.  I learn a new nutrition or training tip every single day.   This further fueled my drive to physical practice.

Fast forward to today.  My 31st birthday is Friday.  I feel 5 years younger.  My energy levels are through the roof.  I train 3 mornings a week and play Ultimate Frisbee and hike on nights and weekends.  I notice a greater capacity to handle the demands of daily life, and my spiritual practice had deepened profoundly. 

I am happy to be a walking testimonial.   I am happy to work for a company whose products inspire transformation.  It is easy to market something you believe in, we all do it every day.

Thanks for listenin,  I need a shake,

case

Rob and I love Full Strength, I mean in a borderline pathological way.  We love it.  We have taken the preparation of Full Strength to the highest art form.  We've gotten so good at making shakes, we started taking pictures of them, and now we want to see what you can do.

That's why we're challenging you to show us the best pic of Full Strength you can produce.  We'll leave the details to your creativity, but we are pretty sure you can't capture a Full Strength moment better that we can.  We're so confident (read: cocky) that if you do, we're gonna send you a box of shakes for free.

To enter, upload your photos to your profile and post the link to your shot in the comments of the Full Strength blog or in the Full Strength discussion group.  (We can help you do this.)

In three weeks we will let the community vote on the three best Full Strength pictures and the winner gets the prize.  This should be fun.  For now, feast your eyes on Frosty Love:


Never tried Full Strength?  Try it on us, click here!


Let the games begin,

Casey and Rob

The best picture of Full Strength, as decided by the community, will win a coveted FREE box of Full Strength from Rob and Casey.

Thaks to all who made the party Saturday.  It was truly exquisite.  If you missed it, here are some highlights:

I followed Graham's advice and got control of my desktop using 5 Steps to a Kinkless Desktop.

Talk about closing some loops!  I did not take a before picture, but here is the aftermath:

Notice the custom icons...Man i am geeky!

Guess what it is and i'll give you first swing at the Pinata at my next mountain party!

(Crossposted from CaseyCapshaw.com)

 

*Getting Things Done-David Allen's productivity system.

My biggest challenge in perfecting my GTD personal productivity system has been tracking information through transitions in context. Things that are perfectly organized on my Mac can be forgotten when I am offline. Items captured in analog format in my Moleskine notebook sometimes don't make it back to my office system. By far the biggest hurdle has been smooth integration of a Quicken based bookkeeping system,, so many receipts!

With the help of a little Moleskine hack, I have devised the perfect tool.

Materials Required:

Moleskine Memo Pocket

Moleskine Pocket Journals

3x5 index cards and small binder clip for Hipster PDA

x-acto Knife



The folks at Moleskine were crafty in devising the Memo Pocket. Its a perfect little pocket filing system, and it looks nice too.

Strangely, their Pocket Journals are too big to fit inside the pockets. Enter x-acto knife.

Setp One: Carefully slice off about 1/4 inch from the top of the Pocket Journal. This does not have to be perfect, but the straighter the better;) I tried to make it as big as would fit into the pocket, but the smaller you go the easier it is to get into the pockets.

Step Two: Slice about the same 1/4 inch off the outside edge(not the binder edge) of the pocket journal. Not only are the pockets too short, but they are also not deep enough.

Step Three: Clean up any loose bits and test for fit. You may have to trip a bit more depending on the fit of your gear. You have not completed the installation of the Pocket Journal Extension to the Mobile GTD Office.

Step Four: Hipster PDA integration. If you are not hip to the Hipster PDA, it is simply a cheap, easy and effective way to capture and organize thoughts, to-do's, and information while offline. It fits into your pocket easily and can be made from items found at most any office. Depending on your level of GTD geekiness, you can complexify your use of the Hipster PDA indefinitely. I pretty much just use it as an easy capture and task solution. The problem is, the note cards get really worn out all unprotected in my pants pockets.

So step four is simply, get a hipster PDA and stick it into the second pocket. It fits perfectly. Hipster PDA Extension installation complete.

Step Five: Quicken Expense Capture Module. If you are into the whole personal bookkeeping thing, you know those receipts can stack up quick. I tend to process my receipts weekly, which leads to a messy wallet inbox, that continually irritates me. The Mobile GTD Office can help with this. I reserve the back two pockets for the Quicken module, one for personal receipts and one for business receipts.



Step Six: GTD System Install. You now have all the resources necessary to mirror your office GTD system in your pocket. Extensive notes can be captured in the journal pages, temporary items or to-do's can go to the Hipster PDA and all other input can be filed accordingly. Since GTD is totally personal, i won't go into too many details as to how to use the remaining pockets in the Mobile GTD Office. I use one as an Inbox, where things go to be processed in the mobile context. I use another as an Outbox, for items that will need to go to another context such as, to my Mac GTD system. I then have a free pocket or two for stamps, credit cards or cash, effectively replacing my old wallet.

With this easy hack and system set-up, my mobile context just got a whole lot more streamlined, easy and effective. That is the goal of personal productivity right?

"If in the final issue all is well
I count complete good fortune." (tyche)(eutychein) (88-9)

You may have heard from Paul and Gwen that our house caught fire Tuesday night.

An intense way to be roused from deep, dreamless sleep to be sure.  No one was injured, only material possessions lost.  I consider this a blessing.

What I realize most about the experience is that, well, i thrive on adversity.  I mean real adversity.  I found the thing life affirming.

The intensity of the moments when lives were threatened brought about a diamond clarity in me and a rush that becomes fuel to action.

All this comes with the MAJOR disclaimer that in the end, i did not suffer a loss of material goods as my housemates all did.  That may have soured the experience for me in ways i cannot see from this perspective.  I am deeply sympathetic to their loss and know that this means unexpected hardship for them in the days and months ahead.

This also means that they are alive.  And this is the pervading gratefulness that washes over this entire event for me.  A few key misfortunes triggered this event in our paths and a few key favors kept it from being truly tragic. 

and life continues....