Links and videos that can inspire
It is hard to surf the web and sort out what is real and relevant versus what is garbage.
Let's face it, the internet has become a global electronic landfill of good ideas, viral videos, bazillions of websites, and superfluous minutia of epic proportions. The internet has truly become a labyrinth with valuable information becoming very hard to find.
Good links and inspirational websites are worth taking note of and saving. They can be just the ticket when you become bogged down by distraction and stuck in the "Mud-works" of managing.
Looking for what you need to knock you out of your funk, regardless of your search engine instantly becomes a quest that is not easily achieved. Why, search engines don't think like you as much as emulate your internet behavior or in some cases what the search engine wants you to see.
That's right, search engines emulate your past activity and connect you with their interpretation of what you are looking for. Engines can also use your GPS location to correlate information. That explains why some of your searches come back with the most disjointed stuff! Sound complicated? It is!
Back to inspiration
During my years of teaching, managing, searching, and researching I have found a number of links, websites and videos that have struck a chord with me and I have used them in my blogs, articles and classes. Also, I use these sites when I find myself being sucked into the mélange of mediocrity. Sometimes it is just the inspiration I need to escape! So here they are...
The Wombat Five (not a music group)
#1. WWW.TED.Com Ted stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. The site is collection of thoughts that are worth sharing and the videos posted are the best of the TED events that are sponsored all over the world. The best minds in the world have been invited to provide inspiration on just about any topic you can imagine. It is a great place to visit but watch out, you may be there for hours.
#2. Socialnomics is a link to a terrific video that includes some outstanding music in the background. Erik Qualman is a known expert on social-media who wrote a great book and produced a cool video. And, if the content doesn't get you, the music will.
#3. Animatronics This is a five part video of Walt Disney explaining his vision of how to animate static displays and improve the experience. The important aspect of this vision was it began back in the Fifties and came to fruition within Disneyland (1955) and The New York World's Fair in 1964. It is a fantastic retrospective of how technology can be used. Furthermore, Walt Disney was a genius and his vision continues to impact our lives today.
#4. PNC Christmas Price Index Each year PNC produces the PNC Christmas price index. In 2011 they combined the concept with a game challenging the internet participant to locate each one of the steps required in the game using the 12 days of Christmas. Last year's edition was a real success because math teachers all across the nation used this popular video to tie-in there classroom curriculum during the season. (Depending on your network speed and volume, this video can take several minutes to load.)
#5. Touch-Drag and Drop (Productivity) This video is a production of Microsoft, Boeing and HSBC and provides insight on the future, the office, collaboration and creativity not limited by traditional barriers. The exciting part of this concept is that smart coatings, touch interfaces, Wi-Fi, and GPS integration are all available-in pieces-today. It is only a matter of time that the pieces will be assembled together. When you take a look at some of the products being announced today, we are really not that far away. Couple this with increasing computing power and it is closer that you think!
What is the common thread?
From Disney to TED, PNC to HSBC all are using the video medium to convey the possible in a variety of forms. More than 50% of the traffic on the internet today is video and that is not going to decrease! Video has become synonymous with delivering a message, learning and communicating.
A picture is worth a thousand words. It creates a vision. A video can have an exponential impact on that concept. We are seeing today the evolution of that concept, right before our very eyes.
Creativity and inspiration are the new IQ when it comes to banking and technology. Take a walk with the Wombat Five and begin to see a new universe of possibilities!
What links and videos inspire you? Share them, below.
The Wombat!
About the Author
Dan Fisher is president and CEO of The Copper River Group, a consulting firm headquartered in Fargo, N. D., that focuses on technology and payment systems research and consulting for community financial institutions. For nearly 30 years, Fisher has worked in the financial industry using technology to improve the bottom line. He was CIO of Community First Bankshares (now part of BancWest), has served as a director of the Federal Reserve Board of Minneapolis, the chairman of the American Bankers Association Payment Systems Committee, and was a member of the Independent Community Bankers of America Payments Committee. Fisher has written numerous articles on banking technology and the payments system. He has authored or co-authored six books and recently published a book titled, "Capturing Your Customer! The New Technology of Remote Deposit." You can contact Fisher at
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. P.S. To understand Dan's nickname, check out "About the Wombat" on his website, www.copperrivergroup.com
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