Google’s new artist themes rock! What if the Beastie Boys designed iGoogle’s home page? Or Dale Chihuly, or any number of artists around the world … well, now you know …it’s awesome! If you don’t already have an iGoogle account, just go to google.com and sign up. It’s free, it’s takes about a minute, and it’s like walking into a room of easy to use applications, interesting people and beautiful art. What could be better?
I saw Jane Goodall speak recently. She greeted the audience with chimpanzee vocalizations and took us through the adventures of her life. Her message, however, was not about chimps or Africa, it was about peace. Achieving peace is central to stopping the environmental degradation that is destroying native species and polluting our planet.
In 2005 I left a cubicle in corporate America to work for myself. I had no idea if I’d make it but I needed to do meaningful work. I wanted to feel like I was part of the solution instead of the problem. Now I find myself serving nonprofit organizations. Back in 2004 I didn’t know where I was going, but it seems that I’ve arrived!
And, I’m not alone. When I look at the dozen nonprofits I work with and their hundreds of volunteers and staff serving thousands of people I KNOW that we are all part of a wave of change. Now, that change has inspired a documentary:
The winner — if you can call it winning — of the Wired News saddest-cubicles contest is David Gunnells, an IT guy at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His desk is penned in by heavily used filing cabinets in a windowless conference room, near a poorly ventilated bathroom and a microwave. But the saddest, I think, is the desk right by the door…in Minnesota. Brrrr! Plus this poor person has no privacy. The cones add an industrial touch too.
In June of 2007, a mobile phone salesman with over $30,000 in debt flipped a coin and decided to enter “Britain’s Got Talent”, the UK’s version of American Idol. This humble man who was terribly self concious of his bad teeth strode out onto the stage and did this:
IF you made it through that clip without goosebumps and tears, see what his appearance in Round Two was like:
What did it mean to win? In the scant two months since his appearance on tv, Paul Potts has:
Paid off his debt (which was due to several illnesses)
Has been scheduled to sing for the Queen of England
Recorded and released THE TOP SELLING ALBUM in Britain
Travelled to the US, Australia, New Zealand, and all over europe
But, more importantly than these amazing achievements, Potts has forever changed the world of opera. At a time when the stage is darkened as Pavarotti faces pancreatic cancer, Potts burst on the scene bringing freshness and vitality to this music. Wearing a $35 suit on a pop music show, Potts introduced opera to a new generation and upended the notion of opera being the exclusive domain of the rich. With a scant few months of formal training, Potts is now being compared to the greatest tenors of all time. His wife Julie Ann puts it simply “I was always trying to get him to believe in himself”.
It’s a lesson to all of us: Believe in the beauty of your dreams.
You are currently browsing the archives for the Best of the Web category.
Greetings!
Welcome to the Pixel Lava Blog, the companion mag to pixellava.com. Here you'll find everything from info to help run your site to goofy videos to waste your lunch break. Enjoy!
No Comments » | 
Best of the Web, Inspiration | 
Permalink
Posted by pixellava
