Robert Saric's Blog

Why Microsoft will never win against an open-source platform like Firefox?

rob@robertsaric.com — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0100

I'm a big believer in MS Windows 7 - I really think the company is taking the right direction with its OS. However, Microsoft recently just launched a "'Get the facts' campaign", in an attempt to promote Internet Explorer 8 (which in my opinion is not a usable browser). It contains a chart that compares IE8 to Firefox and Chrome. Needless to say, IE8 comes out as the clear winner (SERIOUSLY .. haha), with MS suggesting it is the only browser to provide features like 'privacy,' [...]

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Psychotechnologies - Enhancing Our Repertoire of Abilities

rob@robertsaric.com — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0100

I came across this really interesting article on mulitstate cognitive enhancement on maps.org about Dr. Thomas Roberts, from Northern Illinois University. This Prof actually had to do LSD to strengthen his cognitive processes so he could produce the logic/schema for the algorithms he needed to program code.. then he would program it when he was in normal state .. and whenever he couldn't solve a problem he would switch states by doing LSD again... actual, real life example of thriving in multistate psychotechnologies. You can read the article here - http://www.maps.org/news-letters/v18n1/v18n1-MAPS_26,31-35.pdf

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How to Be Happy and Live Life � What Works for Me

rob@robertsaric.com — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0100

I'm usually not an emotional sap, but during this particular morning when I was vigorously scrapping the ice from my driver-side window - a sense of raw joy consumed me. Why in this bitter cold when most people are cursing their existence am I smiling and thinking that life is "Pretty Good. Prettaaaaay, Prettaaaaay, Pretty Good " (my attempt at imitating Larry David)! Where does my excitement come from and how do I savor the moment? What I've realized is that the psychology of human nature is focused far more on negative emotions such as depression, anger, and anxiety than on positive emotions such as happi [...]

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What does leadership mean to you? The 5 challenges faced by women in technology leadership.

rob@robertsaric.com — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Is it fair to say that one of the main reasons that our societies today are at once so palpably unsustainable and socially unjust, is that we have fallen into the trap of traditional "old boys club" masculine behaviour and values? Is this true? Well, I certainly to think so. So, that means one of the highest priority tasks of the sustainability movement is to bring in many more women into leadership positions. However, women today face several challenges that tend diminish their natural leadership abilities in order climb the corporate ladder, so to speak. Below is an article my sister put together for her Wo [...]

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Economic Crisis is an Opportunity to Take Stock of What Really Matters

rob@robertsaric.com — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 01:00:00 +0100

With the eminent collapse of our economy, it's becoming more and more evident that we need to learn some lessons that will guide us as we go forward. Now, one of my worries is that many of us will learn the wrong lessons - specifically as it relates to risk-aversion, fear of creativity and innovation and the rise of our ever-present internal beast, known as individualism. Andrew Oswald, a professor of economics at the University of Warwick, has a more poetic way of making the same point. Oswald is a pioneer of a field that might be called "happiness economics"--the study of the interplay between money and [...]

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12 Ways to Bring Happiness Right Next to You!

rob@robertsaric.com — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:00:00 +0100

I HATE arguments – I really do. To me, most arguments are ultimately pointless, meaningless, and conducted over small matters that have little to no real meaning in life. By choosing to argue, rather than choosing to be happy, you are setting your own course. The two are mutually exclusive; I've never met two people who were truly happy when arguing. Choose happiness over being right! So, the next time you're searching for happiness at your work, your relationship or even at ho [...]

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SETTING EXPECTATIONS � 5 Things to Remember for Maintaining Your Professional Credibility

rob@robertsaric.com — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:00:00 +0100

It has been about a week since my last post, so I thought it would be appropriate to write about the importance of setting the right expectations. But what is the right expectation? Different people certainly have different expectations in different situations. I find that many of us are guilty of OVERPROMISING and UNDERDELIVERING, let's be honest here, even though we are told to ensure the contrary. Some of us may not think so, but it is very easy to overpromise. Shading the truth a little bit or even cutting corners to save a few bucks on your bottom line. Without setting clear expectations, even your most succe [...]

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Does Your Business or Idea Make Meaning?

rob@robertsaric.com — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 01:00:00 +0100

I really enjoy writing this blog for one reason, to INSPIRE the people that read it. That's my passion. All of my posts may not be inspirational per say, but for the most part, I really try to add an element of meaning to everything I do. Guy Kawasaki, founder and Managing Director of Garage Technology Ventures, believes that those companies who set out to make a positive change in the world are the companies that will ultimately be the most successful. I happen to agree with Guy on this point. According to Guy, "meaning is not about money, power or prestige. It's not even about creating a fun place to wor [...]

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Where Do You Find Your Professional Inspiration?

rob@robertsaric.com — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Over the past 10 years, I have had the opportunity to meet and come to know several people, from many cultures and walks of life and with the economy and society ever evolving, I am always interested not only in what "drives" them, but also, what "inspires" them. So! This post is purely from a professional perspective and I'm asking all of YOU!! What is your source of inspiration -- in your job, your business or your career? What drives you [...]

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The Four Main Life Lessons That We Can Learn From Bill Murray.

rob@robertsaric.com — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Bill Murray is famous for his deadpan acting and impenetrable cool. With a phenomenal level of consistent greatness, Murray is one of the most enduring comedic actors in movie history. Murray received an Oscar nomination for his role in "Lost in Translation." His screen credits also include the "Ghostbusters" movies, "Caddyshack", “Stripes” and "Groundhog Day." During a recent red carpet celebration a posse [...]

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Question of the Day - Should I Ever Provide Free Services to Earn New Business?

rob@robertsaric.com — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 01:00:00 +0100

The general answer to that question is no. I highly recommend arriving at an agreement to pay agencies for their pitches whenever possible if they're going to be providing consultations, storyboards, mock ups, etc. However, if a client is basing their choice simply on your portfolio then I don't see the need but if there are new ideas coming to the table, they should be compensated for the effort assuming you've agreed on the process beforehand. The core issue here is respect. When you have respect and open communication between client and agency it leads to better work in my experience. Quite sim [...]

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What Tools Do You Currently Use to Monitor Your Online Reputation?

rob@robertsaric.com — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 01:00:00 +0100

While effective monitoring of your online reputation may be a fairly new concept to some brands that’s still never an excuse. Every company should develop a practical approach to prevent their brands from facing an online threat. A good reputation strengthens market position, reduces the price of capital expenditure, increases corporate value, protects the brand, enables organizations to charge higher prices, helps to attract top talent, protects organizations from unwelcome takeover bids, arms them for merger and acqu [...]

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What Are Your Five Credos of Success?

rob@robertsaric.com — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Today’s post is my personal moment of Zen to you. I am a strong believer in motivational reminders, these are words that I put somewhere in my office where I can see them several times per day. These are my personal credos of success and they include affirmations that push me even harder to succeed, encourage me to perform at my peak and to never [ever] quit! Your personal/professional credo is more of a statement of your beliefs and promises as to how you will live your life and/or conduct your business.
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What Are Three GREAT Common Habits Of Successful Entrepreneurs?

rob@robertsaric.com — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 01:00:00 +0100
This question was posted on LinkedIn by Zale Tabakman a few months back and I thought I would give you some of my own insights and include a few of the more interesting responses from various LinkedIn members. In my life I’ve had the opportunity to meet several entrepreneurs and I can easily say that, for the most part, there are numerous habits necessary for a successful entrepreneur - but for the sake of simplicity I will limit my response to three. [...]

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SlideRocket the Next Generation Tool for Online Presentations

rob@robertsaric.com — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 01:00:00 +0100
Look at this post from Jacob Morgan, a CMO focused on the social media space in the bay area. He discusses at length “why he loves SlideRocket” a new company that looks to catapult collaborative online presentations to the next level. SlideRocket is a flex-based presentation application. That at first glance looks like just another flash-based presentation app that recreates PowerPoints. However, after taking some time to create, manage, and share present [...]

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Recent Rogers iPhone Launch in Canada a True Disgrace to Consumer Intelligence!

rob@robertsaric.com — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 01:00:00 +0100
I guess the iPhone was never really destined for Canada. From the first launch of the iPhone, Rogers Communications was chosen as the "exclusive" iPhone carrier in Canada, but unfortunately decided to provide an extremely unpopular voice-and-data price plan for the 3G iPhone. There is no question that this will steer consumers to alternative devices and RIM can breathe a sigh of relief for now. As a traditional Blackberry user with a certain amount of national pride, since RIM is a Canadian company, it will be interesting to see if they can handle this type of pressure from Apple.
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Ottawa�s Homeless Poet a Fixture of Creativity, Inspiration and Hope!

rob@robertsaric.com — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 01:00:00 +0100
Yesterday, I had lunch in Bells Corners at a Vietnamese "Pho" restaurant with one of my good colleagues. I had asked him if he had ever seen "that homeless guy" who writes poetry on the corner of Sussex Drive and George Street. A majority of the time I get the same reply, "Yes, I've seen that guy before". A fixture on the same corner for more than two years, Dave Dessler or Crazzy Dave as he prefers to be called, may be homeless [...]

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The Most Important Web 2.0 PR Marketing Tip � �You Are What You Publish!�

rob@robertsaric.com — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 01:00:00 +0100
During my morning routine, somewhere in between my endless TwitterFox TechCrunch messages and RSS feeds, I discovered a real commonality in the way PR firms are transforming their traditional "behind the curtains" outreach. It seems that PR, now more than ever, is much more capable and influential than simply writing drivel press releases to contacts generated by media databases. No, it can't be true can it? Are PR firms putting the "public" back into public relations?&nb [...]

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We Should All Learn to Live in The Moment!

rob@robertsaric.com — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 01:00:00 +0100
"As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death." - Leonardo da Vinci Italian engineer, painter, & sculptor (1452 - 1519) I, of all people, usually never watch Oprah, but my girlfriend kindly insisted that I watch yesterday's episode (I think it was a repeat). The topic was about two people that have incurable life threatening illnesses and how they now look at life from a different perspective. These two incredibly inspiring people will never take no for an answer. This article in its profoundest sense is about realizing that life is a terminal condition, we are all going to die eventua [...]

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7 of the Most Extraordinary People You Probably Don�t Know but Should!

rob@robertsaric.com — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 01:00:00 +0100
For all intensive intents and purposes the general theme of my blog is to inspire collaborative creativity. To help people realize the vital importance of working together to not only achieve business success but also social betterment. This article focuses on the "exceptional people" that have created the infrastructure necessary to inspire change, make a difference and improve a life besides their own! These individuals are the silent champions that are not credited in mainstream media, yet their efforts are far more glamorous, courageous and valuable than a majority of Hollywood's finest faux social advocates. Networks should [...]

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