Last week’s idea:

There are professional networking sites. And then there’s 46 Seconds – a refreshing and unique way to connect with potential employers. All profiles are simple and standardized. Resume-based. Nothing too fancy. But the kicker is the video component. Each user can upload a video – no more than 46 seconds long – explaining why he or she is a rockstar candidate for a particular job. Ideally, career centers and companies would get involved, but I think this could work well at a grassroots level. Lots of potential for iteration.

Last week’s comments:

Nate thinks that this might be a good way to break into the online job market, because most sites like Monster, CareerBuilder and ResumeRabbit are overloaded with information.

Ari posted the link, www.videoresume.com. Thanks for the tip! I like how they categorize the videos into Employer Videos, Modeling/Acting, University Videos, etc. The site could use a design facelift, but I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for future development.

This week’s idea:

What about a fitness center that only uses infomercial-advertised equipment? The BowFlex, Body By Jake, ab equipment, etc? You could dedicate space for a TV with Taebo, Zumba or P90X workouts.

A wacky idea I guess, but who knows, I’ve certainly seen stranger! Just landed in Tbilisi, Georgia and will be here until Friday, when I triumphantly return to Boston. Due to excessive friend/family time in Kathmandu, I have managed to fall behind in my travel updates, so on Tuesday and Thursday expect posts from my last two city surveys of Dushanbe and Kathmandu. Hope everyone is doing well out there!

Last week’s idea:

Another book idea, one that I’ve been toying with for the last year – a book that explores the migration of Indian people around the world through food and restaurants. Think Anthony Bourdain’s A Cook’s Tour, but geared towards Indian restaurants. For example, how does an Indian restaurant end up in Wichita, Kansas? Kigali, Rwanda? Minsk, Belarus? Is it due to migration laws? Business opportunities? Sheer coincidence? The book would be written in case-study format, where each chapter explores a different city/region and it’s Indian population.

Last week’s comments:

Jonny suggested a title, “From Curry to Chicago.” I applaud your creative juices, Jonny. Keep ‘em coming.

John, a fellow appreciator of Indian cuisine currently living in Japan, thought that instead of a book, this might be an interesting web project. Maybe even a Google Maps mashup. Interesting.

Nate, thanks for the encouragement. I’ll keep you posted if this project ever gets underway.

This week’s idea:

There are professional networking sites. And then there’s 46 Seconds – a refreshing and unique way to connect with potential employers. All profiles are simple and standardized. Resume-based. Nothing too fancy. But the kicker is the video component. Each user can upload a video – no more than 46 seconds long – explaining why he or she is a rockstar candidate for a particular job. Ideally, career centers and companies would get involved, but I think this could work well at a grassroots level. Lots of potential for iteration.

Writing this from Kathmandu, Nepal! It has been almost 3 years since I was here last, and I have to say, it feels fantastic. I’ve seen my homestay family, old friends and have had a nice weekend getting to explore the city I once called home. Hoping to push through some long days this week to free up time before I leave next Saturday!

The next post will be a wrap-up of my week in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Talk soon.

What about a book that explores the training systems of various professional athletes? Can one draw parallels between Tiger Woods, Alex Rodriguez, Venus Williams, etc.? What about a professional bowler, surfer, or downhill skier? Themes that could be explored: the use of technology, day-to-day training, tapering before the event, coach assistance. I think a Malcolm Gladwell-esque style might work well for this one.

Last week’s comments:

Scott suggested I take a look at the Startup 100 list over at Startups.co.uk. Great resource, Scott!

Jonny thought that an appropriate title for this book might be “What The Competition Doesn’t Want You To Know.” I like it.

This week’s idea:

Another book idea, one that I’ve been toying with for the last year – a book that explores the migration of Indian people around the world through food and restaurants. Think Anthony Bourdain’s A Cook’s Tour, but geared towards Indian restaurants. For example, how does an Indian restaurant end up in Wichita, Kansas? Kigali, Rwanda? Minsk, Belarus? Is it due to migration laws? Business opportunities? Sheer coincidence? The book would be written in case-study format, where each chapter explores a different city/region and it’s Indian population.

Writing this from Dushanbe, Tajikistan, where my colleague and I enjoyed a relaxing weekend but will be back on the grind for the next three days. Talk soon!

First, I must say—how Sacha Baron Cohen came to choose Kazakhstan as the homeland of his Borat-personality is completely beyond me. Trust me when I say that Borat and Kazakhstan are about as similar as an ice axe and a potato.  Moving on.

Due to both language barriers and permission issues, I spent the majority of my week working; yet while my foray into Kazakh culture was short-lived, I managed to pick up a couple of information bytes you might find interesting:

• Astana is a relatively recent capital, having moved from Almaty in 1997. Behind Ulan Bator, Mongolia, it is the second coldest capital city in the world. I was fortunate enough to experience the first snow (and cold front) of the season. The formidable taste winter made it hard to get out of bed in the morning.
• Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country in the world, therefore I was a bit dubious when I heard Astana had an aquarium that boasts over 2000 different kinds of sea life. Yep, it’s true. Turns out that the aquarium also boasts the longest distance to an ocean of any aquarium at just over 3000km.

In an effort to transform Astana into a new and distinct beacon of Central Asia, the Kazakh government has raised the foreign investment floodgate and allowed a deluge of money to pour in. One manifestation of this transformation can be seen in the city’s changing architecture—unusually modern buildings that are trippy enough to make one wonder what hallucinogens the architects had access to at the time of blueprint sketching. A big egg. A saucer arena. Lights. Lots and lots of twinkly, sporadic lights.

The best building to start at (and the only one I had time for) is Bayterek, the chief symbol of Astana’s new status as capital. While many locals think it looks like a lollipop, Bayterek was actually built to resemble a poplar tree. Something about a Kazakh myth with a bird that lays an egg in a poplar tree. I think a snake tries to eat the egg, and a brave hero kills the snake, or something like that. Anyway, the building is tall and pretty and lights up at night.

Oh, and it has a really cool deck that, at 97m high, overlooks the entire city. A prime place for some urban shots of Astana. The viewing platform has a gilded hand print of the Republic of Kazakhstan’s first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev. They say that if you place your hand in the imprint and make a wish, it will come true.

My wish, you ask? I wished for a Russian transit visa. Which brings me to the most ridiculous part of my week in Astana.

An Escapade at the Russian Embassy

With 2 days left in Astana, my colleague, out of breath, knocked on my door and told me the news—apparently, we needed that Russian transit visa after all. Getting from Astana to Dushanbe, as you might imagine, is a tricky process. While our company originally told us that the transit visa was unnecessary, they didn’t know that in order to pick up our bags in Moscow, switch airline carriers and fly to another domestic airport, we needed a 3-day transit visa. Oops.

Now, assuming one’s paperwork is clean, a Russian visa usually takes 2-3 weeks to process; yet after speaking with the Russian Embassy in the U.S., we learned that we could purchase an emergency transit visa at the Russian Embassy in Astana. It would cost between $50 and $100 and could be issued in 1 day. Simple enough, right?

Wrong. To make a long story short, the bureaucratic-blackhole-process took most of the day. The Embassy visa official, or Mr. Stick-In-The-Butt as I’d like to call him, was not the most gregarious of characters. Not only did he (purposefully?) withhold information from us, but somehow the price of the visa went from 8,000 KTZ (around $50) before lunch to 48,000 KZT ($320) after lunch. At one point I thought about a bribe, but the translator didn’t think it would have been a good idea. Hey, it worked in Nigeria!

After I turned in my application, Mr. Stick-In-The-Butt sternly stated (insert Russian accent here), “I need to ask you some questions.” Sure. No problem. I got nothing to hide, my friend.

Are you currently taking drugs?

What?

Are you on drugs? Because item 27…it is very strange, what you did here.

Item 27 wasn’t even a drug-related question. It had asked me to list all the information for the last two places I had worked. Since this is my first post-college job, I wrote, “THIS IS MY FIRST JOB – N/A.” He made me cross it out. We spent the next couple of minutes politely discussing the finer points of my entry into the Russian Motherland, then I sat back down for another 2 hours before finally receiving my visa.

Giddy as a school boy, I skipped out of the Embassy with my colleague only to find that we were trapped in the compound because, wait for it, the damn door had frozen shut. Icing on the cake. Fast forward 30 seconds and the security guard attempts to pry it open with brute force….to no avail. Fast forward 20 minutes and he tries his might with a hammer…again, to no avail. Fast forward 45 minutes and he tries, this time more cunningly, to thaw the lock by a newspaper-fueled fire…to no avail (I thought it was quite a nifty idea, actually). Finally, just over an hour later, a third-party shows up with a tool kit to save the day. Really? An entire hour?

A comical end to an un-comical day, and an interesting end to an otherwise standard week of scuttling from supermarket to mall and back. Hope you enjoyed the update!

Until next time, where I will report from Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Nazdarovye (Cheers)!

Last week’s idea:

Inspiration: http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-000175.php

Idea: A restaurant or cafe that engages in market pricing. Set up a computer system that gauges consumer demand, and alter your prices every, say, 30 minutes or so to reflect demand. I envision this working better in a restaurant model that’s based on fewer menu items, like a burger or ice cream place.

Last week’s comments:

Randy mentioned that Bar FTSE in London had a similar model where prices would “crash” periodically throughout the night, triggering a mad consumer rush to the bar. Good stuff! He also commented that in order for such an idea to work, high order volume would be necessary. Randy, I think you’re absolutely right.

Kristin pointed out that market pricing might work better for a hamburger place than a seasonal ice cream place, but she wonders if burgers are the best example to use given America’s current issue with obesity. Kristin, I wholeheartedly concur.

Finally, Colin suggesting implementing a membership plan, giving members the lowest price of the day or some other kind of incentive to keep people involved. I think that’s a great addition, Colin!

This week’s idea:

What about a book that explores the training systems of various professional athletes? Can one draw parallels between Tiger Woods, Alex Rodriguez, Venus Williams, etc.? What about a professional bowler, surfer, or downhill skier? Themes that could be explored: the use of technology, day-to-day training, tapering before the event, coach assistance. I think a Malcolm Gladwell-esque style might work well for this one.

Hope everyone had a good week! I’m currently in Astana, Kazakhstan on the first of a four-leg tour of Central Asia. Hoping to explore the city a bit before jetting off to Tajikistan later this week! Right now I’m going to eat dinner at the only Indian restaurant in the city, East&West. Mhmm.

Welcome to a series of profiles on alternative lifestyles. If you think that you (or someone you know) would make for an interesting interview, then drop me a line. I know there are plenty of you out there Hope you enjoy!

Meet Nathaniel Olson, an avid traveler and certified teacher currently based in Busan, South Korea. Most people (that I know) who teach English abroad end up in places like Europe, Thailand and Japan, so when I connected with Nathaniel through Twitter (you can find him here), I was interested how he ended up in Busan. Did you know that South Korean schools typically have the highest pay rates for English teachers? Upwards of $2500/mo, a free round-trip plane ticket, free housing, and 50% medical? What a deal!

After college, Nathaniel found a job that took him to 48 U.S. states and 5 Canadian provinces. He eventually wound up in Busan after realizing that education was his true calling, likening the city to his hometown of Seattle. I’ll let him tell you the rest:

How did you end up with a Masters in Teaching?

Ever since I was growing up I had a feeling that some day I would become an educator.  Yet, the draw of making a ton of money sounded pretty nice coming out of High School…so I went the advertising route…after a year stint in Seattle, I realized that money really wasn’t that important to me and I needed to figure out what would make me happy.  After small jobs, I got a job with the Bureau of Education and Research.  The job allowed me to have close contact with many well known educators.  I eventually sat down with my sister and decided that is was time to go back to school to become an elementary teacher….

48 states and 5 provinces? Sounds like a lot of travel. What was the gig?

The gig was working for the Bureau of Education and Research.  I was a program manager, yet it’s easier to describe as a tour manager for educational presenters.  I traveled with a new presenter each week traveling the US and Canada…each day a new city.  It was tiring and fun at the same time.  I would have never gone to some of the places that I went without the job.  It also gave me the itch to go back overseas.

How did you end up teaching English in Busan over other world cities?

Actually, I didn’t know much about South Korea or even Busan before I seriously considered it.  I researched many job opportunities across the world.  What really attracted me was the opportunity to live in a port city, teach in a public school, financially be able to pay off my student loans, and a new experience.  I also liked how group oriented the society as a whole is.  I’ve loved every second of it.

Wait, Busan and Seattle are similar? In what sense?

They both are port cities with mountains in the background.  They have world famous fish markets, eco-friendly people, and are large cities, yet not the size of Seoul or Los Angeles.

What recreational activities do you amuse yourself with outside of school?

I love to go hiking, play soccer, relax on the beach, ride my bike, attend concerts/sporting events, fishing, snowboarding, and anything that gets me outside.

Any long-term plans? Think you’ll be hanging out in Busan for the next few years?

I’m done here in March 2010.  Then me and my girlfriend are backpacking around SE Asia for awhile, back to the Portland, OR area to look for a teaching job, then off to Africa for the world cup, and eventually living in Portland, OR by next fall.  Hopefully I’ll be teaching 5th or 6th grade in the public schools by then.

Best of luck, Nathaniel!

If you have any additional questions, feel free to ask in the comments and I’ll do my best to track him back down. He’s a busy guy, romping around Busan and all.

Remember, comment with your own idea and I’ll post it here every week. After combing through last week’s post, here’s what I’ve got:

1. Werner said: “What about a website that designs your apparel/accessories for you based on your tastes/likes that you feed into the program? Once designed, they will deliver the custom made items to your door?”

2. Colin and Kristin thought this series would be good in book form, something like “365 days of ideas.” Kristin even offered to “illustrate the bajeezus outta” it.

3. Jonny came up with the name, Sunday Sandbox. Thanks, man!

4. John added: “Maybe ‘Free Hugs’ is better than ‘Hugs are Free.’ You could play on those viral videos that circulated a few years ago. An apparel company is a big investment though. Maybe just start with a T-shirt and a website of positive messages. An alternate would be something obscene, which would probably catch on with a younger market.”

Thanks everyone for the comments!

Here’s idea number 2:

Inspiration: http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-000175.php

Idea: A restaurant or cafe that engages in market pricing. Set up a computer system that gauges consumer demand, and alter your prices every, say, 30 minutes or so to reflect demand. I envision this working better in a restaurant model that’s based on fewer menu items, like a burger or ice cream place.

Comment away. Heading to the airport in a few hours for a month-long excursion throughout Central Asia. First stop, Kazakhstan! I’ll check in with everyone soon.

Maroon Bells Wilderness, Colorado (summer 2006)

I could care less where you stand when it comes to climate change. You might think that certain scientific opinions are rubbish. You might find it skeptical when a country claims that by 2020, it will reduce its carbon footprint by a particular percentage. With such a controversial issue, there are a million different opinions and interpretations of causes, effects, solutions, etc.

What I can say with 100% certainty, though, is that our world is changing. The polar bears, the ice caps, the water levels, it doesn’t matter how it’s happening. It’s happening.

I was trying to think of a good way to contribute to Blog Action Day this year. Rather than talk about problems and solutions, I thought I’d keep it simple and write out some observations. Lucky for me, while scouring the Interwebs, I chanced upon a BBC report called “Climate Change Around the World.” It broadly describes the current and potential changes due to climate change in various regions of the world. As both an avid traveler and outdoorsman, it’s sad to think about the negative externalities we are now seeing with a warming world. As a general rule in life, I tend to air on the side of optimism, yet it’s difficult to think how slow progress has been and how long we have to go.

The text below comes from the aforementioned article and has been copied and reformatted:

North America

Warming in western mountains is very likely to reduce snowpack, bringing more floods in winter and reduced water supplies in summer.

Increases in problems with pests, diseases and forest fires are likely.

Cities with a history of heat waves are likely to experience many more, with potential health impacts, especially for the elderly.

Rising sea levels, severe weather and storm surges, combined with population growth in coastal areas, are very likely to increase economic losses.

Latin America

Increasing temperatures and decreases in soil water in the eastern Amazon region would lead to replacement of tropical forest by savannah. Species extinctions are likely.

Drier areas are likely to see salinisation and desertification of agricultural land, with falling crop yields and livestock productivity reducing food security. However, soybean yields are likely to increase in temperate zones.

Sea level rise is very likely to bring flooding to low-lying regions such as the coast of El Salvador, Guyana and the Rio de la Plata estuary. Increasing sea temperatures are likely to impact coral reefs and south-east Pacific fish stocks.

Changes in rainfall patterns and the disappearance of glaciers are projected to significantly affect water availability for human consumption, agriculture and energy generation.

Europe

Nearly all European regions are expected to be negatively affected by some future impacts of climate change.

Central and Eastern European countries could face less summer rainfall, causing higher water stress. Health risks due to heat waves are expected to increase. Forest productivity is expected to fall and the frequency of peatland fires to increase.

Southern European countries are very likely to see reduced water supplies, lower crop production, more wildfires and health impacts from increased heatwaves.

Northern countries are likely to benefit from increased crop yields, forest productivity, and food supplies from the North Atlantic. By 2020, most areas of Europe are likely to see an increased flood risk.

Africa

Some regions are likely to experience water shortages. Coupled with increasing demand, this is likely to result in large increases in the number of people at risk of water scarcity. It is likely to affect livelihoods, the report by the International Panel on Climate Change says.

Projected reductions in the area suitable for growing crops, and in the length of the growing season, are likely to produce an increased risk of hunger. In some countries, yields from rain-fed agriculture could be reduced by up to 50% by 2020.

Rising sea levels threaten large cities. Degradation of coral reefs and mangroves is likely, with impacts on local fisheries and tourism.

Rising temperatures, coupled with over-fishing, will decrease the supply of fish from large lakes, with important impacts on food supplies.

Asia

Glacier melting in the Himalayas is virtually certain to disrupt water supplies within the next 20 to 30 years. Floods and rock avalanches are virtually certain to increase. Heavily-populated coastal regions, including the deltas of rivers such as the Ganges and Mekong, are likely to be at risk of increased flooding.

Economic development is likely to be impacted by the combination of climatic change, urbanisation, and rapid economic and population growth.

Forecast changes in temperature and rainfall are likely to reduce crop yields overall, increasing the risk of hunger.

The presence of lethal diarrhoeal diseases associated with floods and droughts is expected to rise in East, South and Southeast Asia and rises in coastal water temperature could exacerbate cholera in South Asia.

Australia and New Zealand

Ongoing water shortages, notably in southern and eastern Australia, are likely to get worse by 2030.

Ecologically important regions such as the Great Barrier Reef and Kakadu National Park are likely to lose a significant part of their wildlife before then, by 2020.

Some coastal communities are very likely to see an increased risk of coastal storms and flooding.

Temperature rises of 1C-2C are likely to bring benefits to cooler areas, such as New Zealand, in the form of longer growing seasons and reduced energy demand. Greater warming is likely to bring a net negative impact – such as increased risk of drought and fire.

##

Get out there. Start small. Start fighting.

Every Sunday night—starting now—I will post an idea.

It might be a book. Or a business model. Maybe a research project. It might be a few words. It might be fifteen hundred. Who knows.

The point is to stimulate creative juices. To get us thinking. To keep our minds keen and sprightly and all kinds of healthy. If you have an idea of your own, comment below and it will get mentioned next Sunday. This cycle will continue each week.

Alright, here’s idea number one:

Create an apparel/accessories company called Hugs Are Free. Model it after Life is Good. Run ridiculously clever and viral marketing campaigns, and get people like this involved. Make it a philanthropic business model.

Alright. There’s something to ponder. Feel free to comment below or suggest an idea of your own!

This project was inspired by: Hamster Burial Kits & 998 Other Business Ideas

That you can find anything, almost anything online…for free?

A handful of years ago, I came home from high school one lazy afternoon, only to find my mom hunched over our downstairs toilet with the biggest wrench I had ever seen. “Mom. What the HELL are you doing?” Not only had she managed to strip the wallpaper and sponge paint the entire room, but she had also piped open our plumbing and installed a new sink. “Don’t worry, Alan…I looked this all up on Google.”

That’s right folks, there’s no excuse anymore. From bicycle maintenance, recipe search engines and watching guitar lessons on YouTube, you can learn just about any task on the Internet superhighway. It’s pretty wild.

While “distance learning” traditionally refers to academia, I’m expanding the definition with a list of my favorite self-education resources.

Our future learners (photo credit)

Do It Yourself (DIY) Projects

Instructables.com—launched in 2005, user-generated DIY projects with step-by-step picture instructions.
>> Check out: Tetris DVD Shelf, Invisible Book Shelf and the Marshmallow Gun

DoItYourself.com—leading DIY website with thousands of projects, mostly home repair-related.

DIYIdeas.com—best resource I’ve found for home and garden projects.
>> Check out: for home-foliage-enthusiasts, they have a great outdoor section

Academia

Academic Earth—launched in March 2009, a seriously amazing and comprehensive collection of free video lectures from top U.S. universities.
>> Check out: Entrepreneurship

MIT OpenCourseWare—around 2000 MIT undergraduate/graduate course notes online, some with complete video lectures and test banks.
>> Check out: Sloan School of Management for business courses, and for all you rocket scientists out there, Nuclear Science and Engineering

Google Scholar—if you’re looking for specific academic resources, this is a good place to start. JSTOR, for me at least, has been a traditionally better resource, but as a college-graduate I no longer have free access.

Other Resources

Lynda.com—great collection of (mostly free) software and coding training courses. Suggested to me by Sean and Colin on the LocationRebel forum. There’s also a great interview on Mixergy.com with Lynda Weinman, the founder of the site. I’ll probably use Lynda to beef up my HTML / CSS / PHP coding skills, as they are currently quite poor.

Design e2 (via Hulu.com)—18-part documentary-style series that explores sustainable living and green design. A fantastic resource if you’re interested in the world of sustainability.
>> Check out: one cool episode, China, From Red to Green?

TED.com—AMAZING collection of presentations (”ideas worth spreading”) delivered by the most talented people in the world. There’s really not much more to say.
>> Check out: Stroke of Insight, Brief Digression and Spaghetti Sauce

What sites do you use for self-learning?