Raising Money

There are few things so inherently demeaning as raising money. Oh, it's one thing when times are good (OK, like they are now) and you have a great story to tell (I thought we did). Then it's shooting ducks on the pond, as we used to say. But generally the process of fund-raising is a relentless task, filled with endless rejections and excruciating frustration.

One annoying reality is that most people with money to invest think they are brilliant. They made their money because they were smarter than the other guys. And now, in 45 minutes, they can drill down to the very essence of your business and understand the secrets which have eluded the principals for the five years they have labored long and hard to build it. Their reasons for investing in A or rejecting B often can't stand up to any scrutiny but their own. But frankly, they are absolutely entitled to their opinion. It's their money, and how they evaluate investments is their inalienable right.

We have been out pounding on doors now for over a month. We are doubling our volume organically, have a major retail account in hand for 2007 (that will give us another 600% growth), very good momentum, no more legal entanglements and a management team that has, by most accounts, pulled off the seemingly impossible. And we haven't been able to put the cash together to fund the retail expansion.

Admittedly it's not all glitter and fairy dust. Our balance sheet suffered from litigation expenses and we have very tight timing on the raise. (I'm convinced that if we didn't need the money now, we could put together a very nice VC round in March or April.) We're stuck as a "tweener." We don't have time to raise an institutional round, but we need more money than private investors are typically comfortable with.

This is a long sob story, recorded for posterity perhaps. But it is what it is. I have become an organ grinder, playing my heart out on the busy streets of commerce, but my monkey keeps returning with an empty cup.

If we can't fund this retail deal it will blow up in our faces. Our reputation will be shot. And all that we have fought and sacrificed for will be lost. Our success will be our failure. Life is full of ironies, both comic and tragic. But this is only money, and not funny enough to tell at parties, or tragic enough for sympathy cards. Maybe if I could teach the monkey to dance ...

Football Rivalry

BYU beat the University of Utah football team 33-31 yesterday at Rice-Eccles stadium. It was the culmination of a magical season for BYU, and especially senior quarterback John Beck. And it ended another annual "Rivalry Week" between the two schools, which got too heated, too personal, too vituperative, venemous and vindictive.

Angelica and I went to the game and we were fortunate to sit amongst BYU fans, and a few Ute backers that were very nice. In contrast, the line to the men's room (which was interminably long) was over-populated by Ute fans who drank too much beer during the first two quarters, leaving them with full bladders and empty heads.

The Utah fans in front of me also said that last year at BYU they were treated very rudely, so it goes both ways.

We ought to somehow rise above these primitive instincts. We are no longer warrior-tribes that must rise to a feverish pitch for battle; or nomadic hunters who require courage to fill the bellies of our women and children. No, we are a pampered society with too much time on our hands, and too little good sense to know how to use it. So we dress in red and blue and gratify ourselves by cheering the home team to victory, or wallowing in its defeat.

Next year I am going to the game in Provo. I am going to wear blue, and I am going to make it a point to do something nice for Utah fans.

Thankfully

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I like that it doesn't require a lot of preparation, other than cooking for the day. I like that it's always a four-day holiday weekend--the only one of the year. I like the big traditional meal. I like that it involves football. And I especially like the simple and unappreciated idea of remembering all the things we have to be thankful for.

Maybe it's because of these reasons that Thanksgiving has become a major event in our home. Because I like the holiday so much, we try to share it with family and friends. This year we played our traditional Turkey Bowl in our new ward. Rodger Pickett and his daughters were in town, spent Wednesday night with us and played football Thursday morning. Then the customary big dinner with family and friends from Park City and Salt Lake. Followed by lots of games, including something of a Settlers of Cataan marathon. And of course football. And then, as has become another tradition, officially starting the Christmas season by watching the movie Mixed Nuts.

None of these activities are particularly meaningful by themselves. But over time, they become important traditions for our family, anchors to our past that help define us, that give us something to look forward to, that give relevance to our gathering together.

I'm thankful for these traditions. I'm thankful for Thanksgiving. And I'm thankful for family and friends that make them enjoyable and meaningful.

Viva la County!

In 2005 I served on an advisory committee for Summit County to consider a change in our form of government. The seven of us met approximately twice a month for a year, in addition to various public hearings, research interviews and the like. After a year, we recommended a substantial change to our government structure, going from a three-person commission to a five-person council, and hiring a County Manager to assume all executive responsibilities, reporting to the Council.

The current County Commission approved the measure for the ballot this year, and on election day, despite strong opposition from current county employees, voters narrowly passed the recommendation. How narrow? The difference was only 236 votes out of nearly 11,000 cast.

I've always been attracted to politics, and even though I am no longer a Summit County citizen I was asked to serve on the Summit Steps Forward committee to help get the measure passed. I wrote numerous letters to the editor (from myself, and for others), manned a booth at the Farmers Market, did a radio interview and call-in, wrote emails, helped with publicity, etc.

And here's the gratifying thing--what I did mattered. Not just serving on the committee, which anyone could have done. But rather, getting actively involved in the political process. Volunteering. Serving. In fact, the vote was so close, that I suspect that there were hundreds of people who did something in support of the measure that turned out to make a crucial difference.

It's very easy in elections to assume that your efforts are lost in the tidal wave of the majority. And perhaps that is often the case, although I'm sure that someone's contribution is pivotal. But in this case, everyone who raised his or her voice may have provided the deciding call.

We throw our pebbles in the water and hope that in a sea of calm the ripples dance to distant shores.

In Memory of Laurence Lyon

I attended Laurence Lyons' funeral on Tuesday. It was one of the more interesting funerals I have been to. Laurence was a devoted husband and father, a talented musician and composer, and a well-versed LDS scholar. And I learned that his family called him "Laury," which I found surprising because he seemed so formal to me.

There was a lot of music, including several pieces that he had written. We sang one of his hymns. And there was a duet, and a string ensemble and a recording of a choir. It was all very appropriate, given the role music played in his life and heritage.

Sam and I have been home teaching Laurence and Donna for six months. He had been in and out of the hospital quite a bit over the past six weeks. We were by there about a month ago and I sensed a real change in him. He had softened (not that he was ever nasty, just a bit stiff, and perhaps judgmental). But I saw in his demeanor that he had experienced a change, and it occured to me that he was now seeing life from an eternal perspective. As we left the house, I commented that he was acting like a man who didn't have long to live. It was the same when Sam and I visited with them again a week later. He was positively chatty, which was unusual. (When I set up my first appointment, he said he'd like a 20-minute visit, with a lesson, and not much "chit-chat.")

I will remember him mostly by his impish grin, which came from the inside out, and genuinely reflected the pure delight of something he found clever or amusing. It was a boyish smile, and I delighted to see it. At the funeral, his brother described his sense of humor as "Puckish," and hearing that, the pieces fit together.

A great quote from the funeral, from his daughter. She said that as her father got older, he found household fix-it projects to take much more time and energy than previously. As a result, he had resolved to: "Never do anything for the first time." I wish I had said that.

I like funerals. There is such a sweet outpouring of emotions. And what a wonderful cultural tradition to gather together to learn of the best of people and to reflect on our fondest memories. It was good to know Laurence in life, and good as well to know him in death.

Stranger than Fiction

If you've seen the trailers, you know that in Stranger than Fiction, Harold Crick suddenly hears a narrative voice describing the occasional scenes he encounters in life. While one might naturally expect this to be troubling, the urgency to understand this curious phenomenon increases when the narrator drops the off-handed line that Harold's death is imminent. A shallow and boring IRS auditor, he seeks help first from a psychiatrist, then a literature professor (Dustin Hoffman), falls in love with an auditee (Maggie Gyllenhaal), and eventually discovers the author who is trying to finish Harold's story (Emma Thompson).

Maybe they should have called it Eternal Despair in an Author's Mind. Yes, this seemed a lot like the Charlie Kaufman movie that is one of my all-time favorites. And there are too many similarities to be accidental. Fiction is a surreal dramedy about a socially maladroit guy in his 30's (played by a wildly succesful comedic actor trying to make a transition)who has an unlikely romance with a wild and beautiful yet sensitive young woman. And both have a surprise ending.

Stranger than Fiction has a better supporting cast, including Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman and Queen Latifah, which adds some heft, but still doesn't make it as good as Eternal Sunshine because, frankly, it isn't written nearly as well. Fiction is also a funnier movie (particularly Hoffman), although most of the audience at my showing didn't recognize the humor. But in the end, Stranger than Fiction is a cool idea searching for a William Goldman to come in and make it a great movie.

Even more disappointing, Will Ferrell is miscast and turns in a woeful performance, either that or he's been watching too many Wes Anderson movies. And both Emma Thompson and Queen Latifah are workmanlike at best. But Maggie Gyllenhaal once again proves her mettle, and Dustin Hoffman (the greatest actor of his generation) further demonstrates his comedic range and extraordinary ability to make every role his own, unique creation. Without him, Stranger than Fiction would be tiresome, although even Hoffman can't overcome an uneven script.

This could have been a great movie. Instead, it is a singularly interesting idea of the interwoven realities of art and life that manages to mildly entertain as it meanders its way to the final chapter.

Crossing Arizona

I don't like propoganda films, especially documentaries.

Monday night we went to the Public Library for a showing of Crossing
Arizona, a documentary about illegal immigration from Mexico over the Arizona border. Producer Danny DeVivo (no, not Devito!) was there to talk about the movie, which purported to show all sides of a sticky and complex issue. But to me, it looked about as fair and balanced as Bill O'Reilly discussing Hillary Clinton.

Nevertheless, the movie had no obvious premise, glossed over the problems and offered no meaningful solutions or insights, except perhaps that George Bush and the conservatives are mean-spirited idiots. How else will the director get invited to the cool Sundance parties?

Tragically, over 3000 people have died on the Arizona border in the past 10 years, wheras prior to that none had. The cinematic finger keeps wanting to point to NAFTA as the cause, suggesting that subsidized U.S. produce flooding into Mexico has crippled the market for competing Mexican goods. Well, maybe that's part of it, but ... even the movie acknowledges that stiffened border policies in California and Texas in the 90's had a siphoning effect, leading more illegals to attempt the more dangerous Arizona route across the deserts. And while U.S. agricultural subsidies make an easy villain, the low prices probably have more to do with the same large-farm production efficiencies that have put most domestic small farmers out of business. And why didn't we learn why Mexico signed NAFTA in the first place? After all, at its conception it was supposed to benefit the Mexican economy. But unfortunately, even with the elimination of tarriffs, the Mexicans can't compete with the Chinese economic juggernaut fueled by ultra-cheap labor.

But somehow the filmmakers made this all look like George Bush's fault, even though Clinton signed NAFTA. I thought Bush was the guy that was at least floating solutions, while ost politicians preferred to ignore the problem as a no-win issue.

But what reallly bothered me was the emotional manipulation to sell a point of view. I didn't like the selective portrayal of the "Minutemen," the armed volunteer border patrol, who came across as racist zealots, hunting Mexicans like so many bucks and does. And I resented the lingering and sensational footage of the dead, pregnant Mexican woman. It's so easy on film to create good guys and bad guys. Give me a camera and a limited budget and I can make you love or hate almost anyone.

Crossing Arizona was at its best when showing the many selfless volunteers that place water along the routes to help save lives. These people aren't for or against illegal immigration. They are humanitarians. And above all, it was these individuals that I found most compelling.

There are no easy political solutions. Afterwards, DeVivo talked about the failed U.S. immigration policy, but without offering up alternatives. He has every right to make a political documentary if he wants, even a manipulative one that feigns impartiality. And I guess the audience had every right to react with anger and indignation, truth and reality notwithstanding. Welcome to America.

For People Who Talk

We often underestimate the importance of our words. Many people will rationalize their words with the explanation that they weren’t intended to be mean (or nasty, disrespectful, critical, etc.) but they were misinterpreted. The fact is, we are continually judged based on what others hear us say. If we’re misinterpreted, it’s our problem. Others can’t read our minds. And besides, almost every time I’ve heard these rationalizations, it occurs to me that they are exactly that—feeble attempts to logically justify poor judgment or thoughtless behavior.

Beyond their preeminent importance as a communication tool, words can be used to shape how we feel and think, to drive the subconscious in directions we would like it to go. It's not what goes in, but what comes out of the mouth that defiles us.

So here are my Ten Principles for People Who Talk, for your consideration:

1. Think before you speak. If I mastered this one principle, I would silence a fourth of my words and change another fourth.

2. The less “I’s” the better. So many of us want to talk about ourselves, not recognizing that the listener is politely bored. How about a few questions?

3. Quit complaining. Complaints are the static in life's radio. Everyone wants to change the channel.

4. Quit making excuses. Your friends don't need them and the rest won't believe them.

5. Don’t criticize. Didn't your mama teach you that if you don't have anything nice to say about someone ...?

6. Graciously give and receive compliments. This takes surprisingly little practice to master. Mainly sincerity. And if you don't immediately see something worth complimenting, look more closely.

7. Resist the urge to correct. Most egregious is that you might be wrong. But really, is it that important? Probably not.

8. Be an active listener. Don't do this to feign interest. Do it to enhance understanding and appreciation.

9. Be honest. It's easier, and usually more fun. And it's one less thing to worry about.

10. Overcome the desire to win. It's always a hollow victory. And in the same vein, only play "I can beat that" at frat parties.

11. Never pretend to know more than you do. 'Cause you don't, OK?

12. Remind yourself to Shut Up! Much better than waiting for someone else to remind you.

Imperfectly Perfect

I have become a fan of imperfection.

Not too much, mind you. But I have discovered that a couple of flaws here or there is preferable to the elusive ideal of exquisite perfection.

I discovered this paradox when we moved to our current house, which is older and smaller than other houses we have had in the past 20 years. The inconveniences became immediately apparent: There is no air conditioning on the main floor and we sometimes need fans in the summer. The living room is cold in the winter. My shower sprays water like a bad radiator hose. Our closet is small, and the door is so narrow you have to walk just right to get through with a laundry basket. There is no fan in the downstairs bathroom. There's not enough cupboard space anywhere. The refrigerator is small. There is a cellar that is accessed from outside the house. And the list goes on.

Day One I started noticing these things, but for some strange reason never really considered them as negatives. They instantly became part of the charm of the house, and I have mostly gotten used to them. But more importantly, I have grown comfortable with the realization the that the house is never going to be perfect. So I'm more relaxed. I don't feel the urge to pick up stuff all the time. I'm OK leaving my laptop on the counter, or a book lying near the fireplace. The old couch and the frayed rugs don't bother me as much in their new context. And I don't feel guilty about the little things that would be quickly attended to by someone more conscientous than myself.

Here's an example--our yard has several different kinds of grass (one of them is "crab"), a couple of bare spots around the edges, and the occasional mushroom patch in wet shady parts. It's the perfect yard to play in, and when Sam and his friends etch home plate into the lawn it's not such a big deal.

I think this is a good strategy for relationships, and probably for self-analysis as well. None of us is perfect, and the sooner we get used to that the happier we will be with our spouses, our children, our family, friends and co-workers, and ourselves.

I like our house. And I appreciate its charming imperfections. In fact, I wouldn't have it any other way. Except maybe the bathroom fan.

My Generations

A simple yet profound thought came to me today.

I suddenly realized that whether I want to or not, I will have a significant influence on dozens, or hundreds, or maybe thousands of lives. This will happen not as a result of my roles in business, or politics, or church or community. Rather, it is an inexorable function of being a father.

If years ago you would have asked me if I had some influence on how my children turned out, I suppose I would have answered in the affirmative. But now I have the privilege of observing living specimens; of seeing my children as fully grown adults. And only now am I beginning to appreciate how much is passed like a dowry from generation to generation--cultures, attitudes, values, interests, tastes, traditions and habits, to name a few. Some of these stick, and will be passed on to my children's children. And some will undoubtedly survive a generation or two beyond that. And in some small yet important way, I suspect that some threads of our parental influence will be woven into the lives of our descendants for many generations to come.

If I have raised my children mostly right, maybe they will be smart enough to eradicate most of the deficient parts of their inheritance. Maybe they will be more patient, will give gifts on time, will have family service activities and sing together. But just as well, I hope that somewhere down the line a child who has only known me by genealogy will nonetheless learn a poem that his father taught him, or camp in remote backcountry with her mother, or read philosophy or play touch football or have big Thanksgiving get-togethers or practice good table manners or have in his or her young life at least one baton that I once held and that had been passed from mother and father to daughter and son.

I will be more careful now with what I am leaving behind. I wish I had thought of this earlier.

Cardinals Win!

I love the World Series.

The St. Louis Cardinals just defeated the Detroit Tigers to win the Series in five games. TV ratings were down again, as Americans turned to Dancing with the Stars instead, and sportswriters grumbled about the small-town teams that lacked star-power and weren't scoring runs. But personally, I found the Cards' victory extremely satisfying.

Jeff Weaver pitched two outstanding victories. This is a guy who the Angels dumped mid-season. Same story with Preston Wilson, who was a mid-season pick-up from waivers and started in the outfield.

Tony LaRussa is a class act as a manager. He's got a brilliant baseball mind, he's a terrific leader and he's got great instincts.

I love Albert Pujols, who is the best player in the game even though he didn't have a great Series. And it was nice to see Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen come through under the spotlight.

And little David Eckstein was the MVP, with timely hits and a .367 average. He's 5' 7" of scrappy, competitive hustle that is distinguished by his irrepressible will to win. If you're a baseball fan, you can't help but admire David Eckstein, who was cut from his college team. LaRussa says he's the toughest player he's ever managed.

I feel badly for Jim Leyland, who is another great, great manager. But what he's done with the Tigers is not diminished at all by the loss.

I remember watching the Tigers and Cards play the 1968 World Series, with stars such as Bob Gibson, Curt Flood, Roger Maris, Lou Brock, Orlando Cepeda, Al Kaline, Denny McLain and Mickey Lolich. Back then there were day games during the week, but my sixth-grade teacher Mrs. Rudaseal was a baseball fan and had a television wheeled to our rooms where we watched the games. It made the whole thing seem so ... important, like a foreign invasion or presidential election. I can still recall the entire line-ups from both teams. Tiger sluggers Al Kaline and Norm Cash carried Detroit offensively. But Lou Brock had an amazing Series, with 13 hits and 7 stolen bases. He just dominated the attention in every game.

Still, the real storyline was the picthing. Denny McLain won 31 games that year and was the Game 1 starter, losing to Gibson, who had perhaps the finest year ever for a starting pitcher, with a 1.12 ERA. But it was Mickey Lolich (aka The Fat Guy), who won three games to lead the Tigers, beating Bob Gibson 4-1 in Game 7. He also hit the only home run of his career in Game 2, and was the World Series MVP. Both Gibson and Lolich pitched 27 innings and had identical ERA's of 1.67!

It was one of the greatest World Series of all time and I watched every minute of every game and it was that October of my 11th year that I became a baseball fan for life.

Ala Carte Fantasy Football

Business Idea the 3rd

Fantasy Football has become extremely popular in the past few years. According to one research firm, 36 million participate during the pro season. But its strength is also it's weakness--you sign up for a season and slog your way through 16 games, assuming you are fortunate enough to make the playoffs.

So why not have the option to play on a one-week basis? There are a number of ways you could do this, but perhaps the simplest is to pick players against their projections for the week. So basically, can you outsmart the experts. If Peyton Manning is projected to throw for 250 yards and 2 TD's and you think it will be a lot more than that, you pick Peyton as your quarterback.

The beauty of this is you can start anew every week, without paying the price all season long for a weak pre-season draft. You could have season-long leagues, monthly tournaments or simply weekly match-ups.

You could even theme these, maybe picking one team against another, or picking from one conference or division, or even one position, or any QB/WR combo, or whatever.

And of course, the idea could just as easily be expanded to other sports. The software is the toughest part. Then, a little marketing and some momentum and position yourself to be bought.

See Rebecca, I told you that playing fantasy footbal league was good for something.

Honey-Baked Spam

Last night I turned on the computer and read the following email:

hi Karina i hope this is your e-mail.
I was happy to see you the other day. I expect you was excited about New York.
So much so much happening all the time, lots of great opportunities.
And speaking of opportunities, the deal I was speaking you about day before involves a company known as Tex-Homa (TXHE).
It's already growing up, but the big info isn't even out yet, so there's still time. I have got this shares already and made 2000. I recommend you to do the same today.

Hope this helps you out. I'll see you this weekend.
Yours Karina Sterling

The existence of this type of advertising is a function of two things--an exceptionally low distribution cost, and the gullibility of a few very naive individuals. And maybe there's a third factor to consider. Some woman (or some guy) has a unique creative talent to dream up this stuff. Living in some foreign country, comparatively fluent in English, she collects a paycheck every two weeks and takes the train home at 5:00 p.m., puts her kids to bed and watches television as she falls asleep on the couch. And one day she woke up with a new idea, though never intended for me, that greeted me in my mailbox: hi Karina ...

Not only that, but there were three versions of the same, each with different names, and mailed to two of my different accounts. And judging by my sample of one, she'd found a rich vein: She made it through the spam filters and into my inbox. And she got me to open it up and read it. But what are the chances of me actually buying some shares of Tex-Homa? Exactly Zero.

It's hard to go broke underestimating the American male, but he won't buy stocks from an imaginary Asian woman who goes by Karina and sends him emails she has written to herself even when she does promise to see him over the weekend.

I know it's not my idea of a hot tip.

Old Friends

Saturday night we went to dinner at Zinn's Bistro, which is owned and managed by Linda Taylor, a friend of ours from Park City. Linda runs the restaurant with her children and does a consistently terrific job. Saturday we had the chance to visit with Linda, and also with her husband Jim, who came by to pick her up. It was so nice to see them again, and we had a warm reunion.

The importance of friendships increases as I grow older. I remember George Bush (the elder) saying, after he was no longer president, that he now realized that the things that were truly important in life were faith, friends and family.

I wish that I had spent more time in my life cultivating friendships. Like all good things, it takes a little work. And I suppose when time got short it was one of the things that was overlooked. I didn't see the value in it. But retrospect is a devilish prism, and things always look different over time.

I wish all my friends had restaurants.

On the Climb

Yesterday Angelica and I joined Dave and Albert Jarvi for a little climbing trip up Ferguson Canyon, just about 10 minutes from our house. It was a cool, crisp morning and we found a rock face which was perfect for us beginners, about a 5.7. I've only climbed a couple of times before, and not for many years, and Angelica has never climbed at all, so I was a little apprehensive. But no surprise, both Angelica and I really enjoyed it.

Climbing is cool. It's you against the rock, and if it gets too easy, you can dial up the difficulty in a myriad of ways. And the stuff we were doing felt very safe, with a belay there to catch you when you slip, or just need a rest. Still, I am attracted to the feeling of adventure, even though I realize that with a little common sense, there is not much danger. (I'd say canyoneering is a much greater risk than a simple climb.)

It's one of the great joys of my life to try new things, particularly those that involve the outdoors and some physical challenge. It keeps me young, although I fear that I am too old to start anything new and get very good at it. This is all very consistent with the life mission I wrote when I was about 30, to have a life filled with many new and interesting experiences. I have never tired of pursuing this mission. Please bury me when I do.

Video Booths

Business Idea the 2nd:

I think that all those little photo booths that you sit in and get your picture taken with a friend are fast becoming an anachronism with the proliferation of camera phones. So what if you purchased them cheap, left them in their high-traffic locations, and converted them to video booths. You could select music or sound effects and perhaps even different visual backgrounds (put on digitally). You could even add a character that you speak to.

With one push of the button you could have it downloaded to YouTube, registered at that particular booth. Just for fun, you could go to YouTube and look at people who had been in your booth--your neighbors, in a way.

You could receive a copy burned onto a CD or capture one on a USB stick or flash card that you brought with you. Or you could even have it emailed to you, or to a friend.

I'm a little concerned that phones that capture video may do some of the same things, but I think the special effects, higher quality, easy capture and direct to YouTube would make it worthwhile.

Business Idea the First

Guy Kawasaki, the founder of Garage.com, once said that if you had a good business idea you should share it with as many people as possible. Most budding entrepreneurs tend to be very secretive, believing that their idea is so good that if it gets into the wrong hands it is sure to be snatched up and taken to market. (That's Hubris talking, and his evil cousin Delusion.) But the fact is, there are a lot more ideas out there than people willing to act on them. And almost every idea can benefit by the feedback, opinions, criticism and encouragement of others.

So since I've been having a lot of "what if" discussions lately, I thought I'd blog-out some of my ideas and see if anyone wants to comment. Here's the first, and this is mostly Brad's idea, but I like it so much that I've been tinkering with it some.

Mass Predictions (maybe a dumb name, but I just thought of it)

In his book "The Wisdom of Crowds," James Surowiecki outlines how a compilation of mass opinions tends to be far more accurate than betting on any given expert. He cites countless examples of this.

So what if there was a website where we could go to give and get people's predictive opinions on any number of topics, such as political races, wars, the housing market, sports, the stock market, the success of certain products, movies or types of entertainment, etc. etc. etc. Not just opinions, but your best guess as to what will happen.

You can vote as often as you want. But if you want to see the data on any given subject, you have to vote first.

Students would cite the results in papers. Publications would quote you like crazy. You could acknowledge voters who were particularly accurate, and they could use that recognition in their careers (I was in the top 5% of stock predictors, so I'm your best broker!).

You could get local information, national or worldwide. You could just get local voters. Or expert voters. Or recent voters (like for politics--which way it is leaning). You can create your own sample.

A few websites are doing this, but none very well, and none have gotten much traction.

Money would be made in advertising, which could easily be targeted by topic or by user information, such as geography. Companies could pay to have questions added. There might be the possibility of having a higher-level paid service, perhaps diagnostics, cross-tabs, etc. But it should maintain the open-for-the-public, free information, Web 2.0 feel.

I think the key would be to come out of the gates with tremendous credibility and something that captures the public imagination. Maybe you do a $1 million challenge (to charity, or something nice) to some experts. This is all stream-of-consciousness. Tell me what you think, either in the comment box on this blog, or by email privately.

Thanks.

Once on This Island

Last night we all went to Sam's performance of Once on this Island, at Kingsbury Hall. This is a reprise of the same cast and play that was staged about a dozen times this summer at the Babcock Theatre--a significantly smaller venue. But the Kingsbury ambience, staging and sound system made it all feel very big-time.

And I don't know whether it was Kingsbury, the time off over the summer, or the added maturity of the mainly teen-age cast, but the play was really terrific--much better than in June. Sam had a solo which he belted out on-key and with confidence. And the rest of the cast had improved as well, with minor exceptions.

Here's the thing--being in a production of this quality takes a lot of time and effort. I estimate Sam had at least 40 rehearsals at the University of Utah, many of which he took the bus out and back. Like all good things, it required effort and sacrifice. Yet what a wonderful way to develop his skills, and exercise his passion and interest. He does the same with the piano, guitar, history and baseball.

More than any of my children before him, Sam is developing talents in areas that he has chosen and because of his personal interest. I have never been concerned with what talents my kids develop, only that they actively pursue something of value, and that they find joy in the process. I think it's one of the secrets to happiness.

The ClearPlay Reality Show

I've had a couple of experiences in the last few days which have been purifying. Times have been tough at ClearPlay, and while we have some good prospects, we've been scraping our bellies doing the cash crawl. Yesterday we had a meeting with one of our investors, who is a prince of a man. He wasn't expecting us to ask him for more money, but when we were finished I walked him to his car and laid it on the line. I told him that I'd long ago gotten past two things. First, I can ask for money without embarassment, because I know it's my job. And second, if someone refuses me I'm fine with that.

And I completely believed what I was saying. If he would have turned me down, I would not have thought less of him, and I wouldn't have taken it personally. But as it was, he went to his car and wrote the company a check that will help us immensely. Pretty cool.

Today we had a conference call with a group of guys that just took their company public, raising over $100 million in cash. They have been interested in acquiring us for quite a while, and now that they are past their IPO they asked to reignite the discussion. Four of us sat in the room, all a little envious of their success. But we told our story without pretention or embellishment. We didn't hide a thing, and I'm guessing we surprised them with our brutal honesty. It might not have been the best salesmanship, but it felt right. We may not have money, but we have our dignity and our integrity, and we're fearless. If an acquisition is the right move for them, we'll lay our cards on the table and they can play their hand. And if it's not, then let's tip our hats and mosey out of town.

Like Popeye said: "I y'am what I y'am." Unfortunately, sometimes I feel more like his buddy Wimpy, continually trying to buy hamburgers on credit.

Whoa Zion

Sam and I just got back from two days in Zion National Park, accompanied by Dan and Scott Eldredge and Lee, Jonathan and Michael Jarman. We did Birch Hollow/Orderville Canyon one day, and Subway the next. Both are long days, and somewhat challenging, but richly rewarding.

For most of the group, it was the first time they had ever been canyoneering, and Birch Hollow was an exciting experience. And Orderville is, in my opinion, one of the best-kept secrets in Utah outdoors. It is a stunning canyon and makes for an interesting hike, with jumps into pools and challenging downclimbs (for novices like me).

Subway was beautiful, but the water above "The Subway" was chilling, numbing, paralyzingly cold. After Keystone Falls, it took most of us over an hour to stop shivering. On the last semi-technical downclimb, Scott slipped at the bottom and twisted his knee. It could have been disastrous. But we made him a crutch and helped him walk a mile or two and by the end he was doing pretty well.

I enjoy taking people to some of these outdoor wonders. But all the while I am hoping that they enjoy it as much as I do. I am embarassed that I keep repeating such inane questions as "Isn't this beautiful?" I should learn never to ask teenagers about aesthetics. Their standard response is "Yeah."