This video has been posted by Kathy Sierra on the 14 March 2010. Kathy loves horses and she loves teaching. She is what she calls “a passionate user”.
If you don’t know Kathy Sierra you can learn more about her philosophy on her blog Ceating passionate users to get a glimpse about this incredible “sacrée bonne femme! ”.

As if feeling tearful was one of our greatest emotion (it’s not but it’s a very strong one), Kathy Sierra in this video cut present a tremendous talent of showing us her story.
The effectiveness of her cut is simple because it doesn’t tell, it shows.
By giving us all the clues to identify ourselves with the protagonist journey, we can start having emotions.

The story doesn’t tell us how to solve the fact Kathy cannot control Vafi.
The second half could have shown tips, secrets, never seen before, etc.
Instead Kathy decide to show her and Vafi success (remember, there is two heroes here : Kathy and Vafi)
It only shows us it was possible because she did not give up.

And by extension: if we don’t give up, everything is possible.

Which is the real message of this video.

The fact the message is repeated at the end is a teacher skill: tell it once, show/prove and then repeat it again.

Anything else is left to discussion as Kathy’s reply to a comment proves it :

I think about you a lot, Susan. And even though the video says, “I did not give up”, the truth is… I came so close many times. I had to stop listening to the way everyone was telling me to do things (“get his respect!”) and start listening to what HE was telling me (“respect ME!”) and then faith and patience in the process. But with Vafi, it was always clear I was the problem. That’s not so with your Andi.. but it does seem like the same approach (no pressure / focus on joy) is working!

Those thoughts put into the film would have made her message much less effective (they are also much more harder to show).

But, to me, the real reason why this video is inspirational is the fact “her message is well delivered because of the experience she had and her surrounding passion”.
It’s a kind of work that just happen that way because there is no other way. And it turns out to be the best way.
It took one year to produce, maybe an hour to cut.
That, to me, is sharing.

Sidenote:

This video has been posted posted about a month after Kathy Sierra closed her twitter account.
It’s too bad we can go back the history of her tweets as Kathy have so much insights about creating passionate users and teaching in general.
But for some it’s not an issue because tweets are not deleted when you close your twitter account.

On the meantime, she still know how to tweet, note the description of the video:

My first ride without the bridle on Vafi. We were not partners at first — my fault, not his, and I had to learn to trust this fabulous horse.

Oh my! 142 characters

Thanks for reading,
Thibault

Frankly I always thought MontBlanc was a luxury fountain pens maker.
I’m not ashamed not knowing the Swiss merchant also excel in fine watchmaking. After all there is few chances that I’ll see one on somebody hand: each year it’s only few hundreds of their extraordinary timepieces that leave MontBlanc Le Locle and Villeret manufactures.

I have to admit the video MontBlanc presented for Le Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie 2010 at Genève is engaging at every level.

However I didn’t like the speech of the Metamorphosis designers. It look right to me to see them climbing on their watch. Looks childish for such luxury timepiece.
So I’ve made a “short cut” with only the mechanical parts and without them

Here the full version:

MontBlanc Timewriter 1 – Metapmorphosis watch

Timewriter 1 – Metapmorphosis 2010 with MBM16.29 calibre
18K white gold – 28 pieces
Price: something like €195,000 / $265,000 / £176,000

Designed by Franck Orny and Johnny Girardin at L’Institut Minerva de Recherche en Haute Horlogerie. The Metamorphosis is the most complex watch MontBlanc ever produced. You’re certainly not going to see a replica very soon

MontBlanc Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph

Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph 2010 with new calibre MBR120 (silicon escapement)
18K red gold – 25 pieces

Nicolas Rieussec invented the chronograph in 1822. A chronograph is not a chronometer. It needs to be certified by Le Controle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC) first.

MontBlanc Exotourbillon Chronograph

Exotourbillon Chronograph 2010 with new MBM16.60
18K white gold – 8 pieces

This watch belongs to the Minerva Villeret 1858 collection. The most exclusive brand of MontBlanc.

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Aurora laser concept watch

Designed by Jihun Yeom, this watch just rock more than anything else.
“It has a laser! Do you understand? A laser!!” said Rick very excited about it.

Credits: Harvey, bou.me and rick.

When you hear Stephen Fry on the radio, it always sounds like listening a friend.
Back in the 80s a young and successful company called Red Light District produced some of funniest ads on the UK radio land.
Stephen Fry and Robert Conway performed the scripts of Kip Calderara with a lot of fun at the Radio Tracks recording studio.
These radio adverts to promote Valentines day, Mothers day, Fathers day and Easter at Covent Garden General Store have been aired in 1987.
By the way if anybody got a picture of this very popular store during the 80’s that I could publish here…please shout!

I found those recording in my attic (litteraly) and have the permission to share them with you. A slight audio processing has been applied in order to recover the sound from the old K7.

Download links:
• Easter #1 {.m4a – AAC codec – 0:31 – 646 KB}
• Easter #2 {.m4a – AAC codec – 0:31 – 624 KB}
• Fathers day {.m4a – AAC codec – 0:31 – 623 KB}
• Mothers day #1 {.m4a – AAC codec – 0:31 – 638 KB}
• Mothers day #2 {.m4a – AAC codec – 0:30 – 610 KB}
• Mothers day #3 {.m4a – AAC codec – 0:31 – 617 KB}
• Valentines day #1 {.m4a – AAC codec – 0:31 – 648 KB}
• Valentines day #2 {.m4a – AAC codec – 0:32 – 628 KB}

Listen more radio adverts written by Kip Calderara at

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