(clockwise) Seth Hosko, Sam Carpenter, David Walsh (and Max). 2-7-2010 Bend, Oregon

Our new friends David Walsh and Seth Hosko visited us here in Bend over the weekend, staying at our house. Experts at the tools and practicalities of lifestyle-design (they like to call it, “ultra-mobility”), we recorded a series of videos and spent much time discussing the science of becoming free and wealthy while having a Hell of a time doing it. These guys are just 24 years old yet have an astounding grasp of, well…how the world works. Find them at Muselife.  Here’s Seth’s blog:  Brand=Experience.  The videos will be published on Muselife soon (and also on my own site). I’ll join Seth at Whistler in a couple of weeks to catch the Olympic Men’s Slalom. As I post this, David is in-route to Bangkok for a few months of that mobile-lifestyle-thing. Seth joins him there next month. I’ll be joint-venturing with these guys so they can pick up some of the slack of the consulting work I haven’t taken (because I don’t take consulting work). We’ll look at some entrepreneurial/VC efforts, too. (As well as a couple of other ventures, including David’s book Source Control, they have an intriguing iPhone ap in production). Here’s the front page for the Dangerous Ambition web site. (That’s all there is, so far. It’s a brand new venture.)

It’s all mechanics: Jill Bolte Taylor’s Stroke of Insight. Don’t think about it. Trust me. Just find 18 minutes and 42 seconds of uninterrupted quiet time and watch this video. I found this at Ted. Thanks to my friend Brennan Morrow of Bend for directing me to this site. I didn’t know about it.

More BF Skinner. Here’s another article about this iconic American psychologist, author, inventor, and advocate for social reform. This is a fascinating glimpse into his personal life. Thanks Jeff Bennett for sending me this.

First come/first serve: I’ll send a signed hard copy edition of Work the System to the first ten readers who post an Amazon Book Review. I only ask that you have actually read the book! Do the review here, and then tell me you did it by emailing me at info@workthesystem.com (I will need your mailing address!). We will immediately let you know if you are among the first ten. Will we send you a copy if you live outside the United States? YES. 

Dogs and kids: In life, more is better. (Children's Zoo. Seattle. Stan Boreson, entertainer. No-Mo, his dog. Children & Photographer unknown. Seattle, June 9, 1967)

My friend (and Work the System advocate) Paul Akers is running for US Senate in Washington State. A naturally gifted speaker, and incredibly energetic, Paul has built, step-by-incremental-step, a terrific business and an inspiring life, paying close attention to the every-day details while always working toward simplicity. Here are his Operating Principles. He made his mark on his own and says that “Work the System” confirms and enhances what he’s believed all along. He has a weekly radio show entitled American Innovator. Here’s an in-studio interview I did with Paul last month.

Linda is in Las Vegas but will return home to Bend on Wednesday in time to catch Greg Mortenson’s presentation Thursday. In the meantime I’ve been catching some steep-and-deep at Mt. Bachelor with my slightly crazed slalom-through-the-mountain-hemlocks friend, Jim Petersen.

BTW Greg Mortenson HAS been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Awesome.

Join me on Facebook and/or Twitter? I promise not to bore you.

In my book, I go into depth about Centratel. Here’s a photo of our management staff, all of whom are mentioned in the book. These are teriffic people:

Centratel Management Staff

Centratel Management Staff. (from left to right, back row): Andi Freeman, Chief Operations Officer and Sales Specialist; Pattie Casner, Quality Manager and Work the System Administrative Assistant; Denise Jones, Assistant Answering Service Manager; Shannon Walker, Automated Services Manager and Receivables Manager. Front row: Hollee Wilson, Answering Service Manager; Linda Carpenter, Chief Financial Officer; Dan Blomquist, IT Manager and Webmaster. Not in photo: Me and my business partner and great friend Sam Kirkaldie, Customer Service Specialist, owner. (Our photos, and short bios, can be found here.

Maybe my favorite album of all time. My brother Steve describes it as “new age hip-hop.” I agree. Pilgrimage: 9 Songs of Ecstasy. Perfect for chilling out, it’s smooth and beautiful and I never get tired of listening to it.

I am compiling a “Special Friends” email listing for those of you I know personally or anyone who passionately gets the systems mindset vision. I will occasionally send a special message to the folks on this list. To be put on the list, just Email me and say you want to be on it. Of course, I will never share your information with anyone.

One of my local partners-in-crime, Dennis Hanson, sent me this note in response to a comment I made in the last newsletter: He said, “My kindergarten report card (which I still have) noted that ‘Dennis is too handy with his fists.’ Not sure whether I was learning to play better by the second grade or not….”  Thanks Dennis. My guess is, “not.”

Just finishing Game Change by John Heilemann and Marl Halperin . It’s a tabloid expose of the 2008 elections. It’s #1 in the Amazon and New York Times rankings. I can’t put it down.

I’m anxious to begin Hundred Percenters by Mark Murphy.

Also just finished Say Everything by Scott Rosenberg. Superb history of blogging although one must endure the obligatory Bush-bashing thread. Nonetheless, if you blog it’s an excellent book and a mandatory read.

I will also soon begin the Clint Eastwood biography, American Rebel by Marc Elliot. An indelible memory was planted in our heads when Linda and I watched him drive by on a golf cart when we were in the Warner Brothers Studio lot in Burbank a couple of years ago. He had a friendly yet sly little smile on his face, knowing we would be shocked to see him pass by. We were.

“Dogs and kids” photo via Flickr, used under a creative commons license and courtesy of Seattle Municipal Archives Photograph Collection. Other photos, Sam Carpenter.

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