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The DUX Bed made by Swedish bedmaker extraordinaire, Duxiana, is the Cadillac of beds. I have only slept on one once and it was fantastic- no lumps or ditches, firm where it needs to be, soft where it should be, no bizarrely kinked necks or shoulders in the morning. Ihave friends who have a DUX and they totally swear by it. Though they are expensive ($7K for a bed!), I have come to realize the value of a good night's sleep and think that for the amount of time I spend asleep, investing in a great mattress is a great ROI. If you live an intense lifestyle and need to be well-rested, good sleep is a must.

I hate my current mattress and am thinking about treating myself either to a new car or a DUX Bed for my upcoming birthday. Not sure which way I will go just yet: porsche or a Dux.....

Updated Sep 12, 2007

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BatPhone

First to recommend

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The Dark Knight (aka Batman) is one of the most bad-ass superheroes out there. And what better way to get a a hold of Batman (as well as unleash you own inner Dark Knight) than to talk to the world on your very own Batphone.

Every call is, by definition, super-important when talking on the Batphone. Whether it is Commissioner Gordon looking to have Gotham saved (again!) or your spouse telling you to pick up the kids, life takes on a heroic- if campy- feel when chatting on such stylish comm gear.

Now if only we could get a Bat iPhone

Updated Aug 28, 2007

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James Clavell - Tai-Pan: a Novel of Hong Kong (Unabridged)

First to recommend

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Tai-Pan is an amazing book, I think Clavell's best. Tai Pan takes place at the birth of Hong Kong in the 19th century and focuses on Scotsman Dirk Struan, Tai Pain (supreme boss) of the Noble House (ie the biggest opium/tea trader). The cast of characters is vast and vaired and includes one of my all time favorite characters ever, Mai Mai, the concubine of the Tai Pan. Mai Mai is smart, super-savvy, speaks in a "fantastical good" pidgin English, and is hilarious, hey-yah!.

Tai Pan is the right mix of adventure, history, and fine, insightful writing about the human condition that makes this a must read bordering on fine literature (w/out all the pomp and tedium that often goes along w/that classification).

I have read Tai Pan and am now listening to this audio version. In general, I like audiobooks and the recording of Tai Pain is one of the best I have ever heard. The narrator does an absolutely superb job of capturing the different voices, accents, and personalities of the characters throughout the 25(!) hour recording. I wish I could deliver and read aloud half as well as this guy.

If you run a company, have to evaluate and judge people in high pressure circumstances, and want to see a portrait of how a fictional master entrepreneur conducts himself, do yourself a huge favor and read Tai Pan. I promise you that you will not be bored

Updated Aug 19, 2007

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ALCiS - pain relief cream

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4 people recommended this item

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Alcis rocks! I was highly skeptical about the claims made about this stuff when I first heard what tey have had to say. As an avid amateur athlete, I have had my fair share of sports-injuries and have tried myriad unguents, potions, ointments, gels, and mentholated concoctions over the years. So far, I had not found anything that works better than Advil (though arnica is good too) for pain relief.

Then, yesterday, I crash landed on my shoulders while bouldering and totally worked my neck in the process, so much so that I have been walking around w/ice-packs and had a hell of a time sleeping. My friend, Nicole, recommended I try the Alcis and you know what, it really worked. I wish I had remembered to bring some home w/me last night as it would have made sleeping a lot easier w/out a throbbing neck

Updated May 9, 2007

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The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey

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River of Doubt is a fantastic bit of history and partial biography of Teddy Roosevelt, the US president whom I think I most admire as a man (but not his policies). Roosevelt was a true adventurer, naturalist, and bon vivant who lived an outsized life. River of Doubt tells the story of his trip to the Amazon Basin where he set off to descend the River of Doubt, one of the Amazon's unexplored, nearly thousand mile long tributaries.

River of Doubt is a harrowing tale of adventure, misadventure, leadership, exploration, the ecology of the Amazon, and the politics of that day. It reads like a thriller but also does a good job of putting the story in historical context w/out overloading on the minutae that often overwhelm history books. IOW, it is good popular history, not the footnote-laden slog you might have read in school.

I think that being on the trip would have been one hell of a time, certainly historic, and no doubt very trying- definitely the kind of experience that is character-building!!!!

Updated Apr 22, 2007

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SleepEase by sprayology

First to recommend

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I LOVE Sprayology's SleepEase homeopathic sleep aid. I have never been a fan of sleeping pills and think making a pot of chamomille before bed is a hassle. But I totally dig SleepEase.

Made w/valerian and chamomille and other herbal goodness, just spray a couple of bursts under your tongue and you will start to chill out pretty quickly. There is no high w/SleepEase but there is a nice mellow/relaxed feeling that you get from it. And it seems to induce the most awesome, occasionally lucid (ie where you can control the action) dreams in me, which I totally love. So not only can I get a restful night of sleep (I am usually a very light sleeper), I often get the benefit of some pretty wild adventures into the subconscious.

Highly recommended

Updated Apr 10, 2007

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stm – backpacks – medium evolution backpack

First to recommend

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Finally, a laptop bag that does not suck or make me walk around all slump-shouldered. I love my new STM Evolution backpack as it securely holds my 15" macbook, has lots of other slots and pockets, is comfortable, and looks cool. STM really thinks thru their products- the zips are waterproof and there is a built in rainshell (not that I really need that living in LA but I still appreciate their thoroughness in designing the product).

I am never going back to messenger bags. Why did I forsake backpacks for so long- they are the new Net Warrior briefcase.

Updated Mar 28, 2007

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Gladiator - Extended Cut (Three-Disc Special Edition)

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2 people recommended this item

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Gladiator is absolutely one of the best big budget movies ever. I know indie film snobs turn up their noses at this sort of content but I think Russell Crowe does a simply superb job of portraying a military commander who possesses both great charisma and great competence.

While the battle scenes are, of course, incredibly well done, it is really the Crowe's character study of a Maximus, the Roman general and Joaquin Phoenix's sniveling emperor that makes the movie gripping.

I also loved watching how Maximus gets psyched up to go into battle and into the gladiator's arena: the mental psych, the rubbing the hands w/sand ritual, the no fear/plunge right in approach. Stud. Great to think about before doing a big business pitch, getting ready to pull down on a hard pitch, or take off on a big bomb of a wave.

Updated Feb 27, 2007

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Battlestar Galactica - Season 2.0 (Episodes 1-10)

5 people recommended this item

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Battlestar Galactica just keeps getting better and better. Season 2 is a fascinating character study of how people respond when being hunted, hunting, and trying to rebuild. The Cylon/Human battles are great to watch but the real action is in seeing how Adama, Roslin, Apollo, Starbuck, and the rest of the crew cope and lead in such harsh conditions.

While obviously fiction, there are some great case management/leadership case studies in how to lead and deal under crisis situations: mutiny, treachery, collapse of will, resource constraints.

In the same way that some video games can teach a lot about resource planning and strategy, BSG 2.0 can teach a lot about how to deal w/people under adverse scenarios.

Updated Feb 23, 2007

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The Adversity Advantage: Turning Everyday Struggles into Everyday Greatness

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Nietzsche said, "that which does not kill you, makes you stronger" (I think the governator also said something similar in Conan: The Movie). And that aphorism is the core of The Adversity Advantage. Co-written by Erik Weihenmeyer (the blind dude who has climbed the Seven Summits and paraglides!), the Adversity Advantage is a book of personal and organizational philosophy that gives the reader tools to identity, understand, and embrace adversity. "Turning into the storm" is how facing adversity is described in the book.

I love to climb and I run a start-up (ie ThisNext) so I am familiar with adversity in both my sports and my work. But I had not thought about how to connect those two passions until recently. And, when you think about it, success-drivers in a start-up and success-drivers in an expedition are not so dissimilar: assuming weather or market conditions don't totally shut you down, your success is really contingent upon how well your team deals w/uncertainty, risk, discomfort, resource constraints, and other forms of adversity.

If you climb or if you just believe in the notion that learning to suffer well can build a lot of character, I highly recommend this book. Great for personal and organizational perspective. Be forewarned: this attitude is clearly not for everyone. The faint-hearted, the entitled, and/or the comfort-obsessed will not like this POV at all.

Updated Feb 23, 2007

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gordon

I am the CEO and co-founder of ThisNext. I am a serial net entrepreneur and have all the baggage that goes along...

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