Grumpy Cat the internet fenomena

I Met Grumpy Cat, and Now My Life Is Complete!

Grumpy Cat was the perfect host: sleepy, laid-back, and not at all impressed with her fans.

Amy Vernon  |  Mar 27th 2013  |   16 Contributions

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On the first official day of SXSW Interactive Festival, I was ready to go home. That’s because I had the good fortune of getting in early to see Grumpy Cat (and also Scumbag Steve, but this is Catster, so we’re focusing on the kitty here). I've attended the festival four years now, to catch up on the latest and greatest in technology and meeting friends from around the country.

Grumpy Cat!

I’m not usually one to namedrop “I know people at Mashable and stuff and am important and need to see the cat” -- but this was GRUMPY CAT, the most famous cat in the world since Keyboard Cat (whom I also met -- sorta -- by meeting Brad O’Farrell, who turned Keyboard Cat into a phenomenon). Mashable, one of the biggest social media/tech websites, celebrated memes including Grumpy Cat and Nyan Cat during the annual festival. 

Anyway, it was raining, the line to get into the Mashable House (where Grumpy was appearing) was around the block, and there were Friends of Mashable going in. Aww, to heck with it. I strode up, said who I was, and asked for a couple of Mashable folks I know to be told I was there. 

Grumpy Cat arrives. She isn't really giving us the evil eye.

Next thing I knew, I was inside. But where was the cat? Tardar Sauce, as she is known in her “real” life (what is real life anymore, after you’re Internet Famous?), was behind curtains in a cordoned-off little area of the tent/house.

She was brought out a few times before the crowds were let in. Each time she was carried from her quiet comfort zone, an entourage to rival that of Entourage's Vince Chase's trailed behind. A dozen or more cellphone and full-size cameras popped out, silently taking the kitty’s picture.

Prepping Grumpy Cat for her closeup in the spotlight.

She crawled out of her doughnut bed. Looked around, unimpressed. Climbed back in. One or two people were allowed to hold her, then she’d go back to her quiet zone for a bit. She needed to be ready for her adoring crowds.

At one point, Pete Cashmore, the founder and face of Mashable, arrived. Virtually no one noticed, as all eyes were on Tardar Sauce. Pete whipped out his phone to take his own photo of Grumpy Cat. He knows when he’s in the presence of true celebrity.

I've heard some rumblings on the interwebs about Grumpy Cat’s appearance at SXSW being akin to animal abuse, but I’ve known and had cats for a significant part of my life (excepting the last 10 years or so). You know when a cat is upset -- or tranquilized -- and this cat was neither.  

Amy Vernon and Amanda Quraishi trying to outdo Grumpy Cat's sourpuss face.

Tardar was neither Grumpy nor Sleepy. She didn’t shy from people or hiss or try to get away. She was, perhaps, the most laid-back cat I’ve seen. 

Some cats, like some people, don’t mind crowds. Obviously, Grumpy is one of those cats. And everyone involved was making sure that the cat wasn’t stressed, allowing her to be seen by the crowds for only an hour at a time, a couple times a day.

I tried to pet her and was quickly admonished; those waiting in line to have their photos taken with her were told in no uncertain terms not to touch the kitty. 

Amy and Grumpy Cat. Can you tell the difference?

I was happy to have met Grumpy Cat. This tiny cat has amused so many people, no matter if that’s rational. We encounter so many memes and jokes on the Internet, and they’re all kind of abstract. But we know the value of having pets, so why shouldn’t meeting animals you know from the Internet have any less value? And my hand did graze Grumpy Cat’s fur before I was told off. Just so you know, she’s super soft and cuddly.

Amy is a writer, speaker, and bacon queen who lives in New Jersey with her husband, sons, and Siberian Husky. She works for NYC tech startup Internet Media Labs and has written for a variety of sites, including VentureBeat, Tech Cocktail, Network World, and TV Tyrant. Her last cats were two black kitties from the same litter, named Frankie & Teddy.

Read more about famous Internet cats:

• Grumpy Cat Speaks! 
• We Talk to Famed Internet Cat Lil Bub and Her Humble Owner
• 6 Ways to Make a Grumpy Cat Fashion Statement
• Which Famous Internet Cat Are You? Take the Quiz
• Catster Interviews Colonel Meow -- and Emerges Unscathed

CONSCIOUS CAPITALISM

Here’s a company with a big heart and purse strings to match – ‘Conscious Capitalism’ in action

Atlassian is an Australian software company that lives, works and plays by its noble cause and values. The people at Atlassian exist not only to provide quality software to corporate Australia and the rest of the world but also to help companies share information, be more collaborative and help people all over the world to live better, more purposeful lives with deeper and richer relationships. They are certainly on track to doing just that.

I would like to thank my colleague Anita Kropacsy of Leaders of Distinction who shared this wonderful story with me about Atlassian, a young and vibrant company that deserves highlighting for all of the right reasons. Together, in our work, Anita and I seek to showcase forward thinking organisations that add a huge dose of social awareness and action as a key part of their business model. We call it R.O.I. + I. (Return on Investment and Integrity). Not only are they great employers and successful businesses, but also their social consciousness is front and centre of their strategy, not an ‘add on.’ They and many other youthful companies like them are the new breed of business leaders of this new millennium who bring with them a wider global view than just the fortunes of their own company. Here’s their story.

Since 2010 Atlassian has donated more than $2.5 million to help women in developing countries to gain access to education through donating 100% of all income from a software tool that supports start-up businesses and not-for-profits (which they give licences to use the software for a mere $10). Talk about a win-win-win-win.  They have been heard to say that they try to aim for a ‘win’ to the power of six!

They have one of the most innovative teams around, and that doesn’t happen by accident.  Everything in their business exudes absolute transparency. Regardless of whether it is practical or impractical, all information both internal and external is made public.  They are not afraid of being honest with themselves; with their staff; with their customers and with the community at large.

It’s not just the transparency that helps to create an atmosphere of innovation and productivity though – they have structures and systems and they invest heavily into believing in their team’s ability to be creative.

Every quarter they have what they call ‘Shipit’ days, where everyone in the company is invited to come up with an idea and work on whatever they want to work on as long as it fits within Atlassian’s business scope. They back this up even further and offer the staff 20% time where anyone who wins backing from the team from their ‘Shipit’ presentation can spend 20% of their work week (and pick whomever they want on their team) to turn their idea into reality.  This has also helped them to develop some fantastic project management and collaboration software.  They have also just run their first ‘Shipit’ day for their customers who might have some great ideas on how to improve their products and services.  That’s smart!

Atlassian builds its business with heart and with balance.  While the company works incredibly hard at producing outstanding software that improves the lives of the people using it (making their life easier and less stressful/more free and transparent), each person within the 600 strong team situated over three continents volunteers five days per year to their favourite charity, supported by Atlassian. The company also runs programmes such as ‘matching donation month’ where it matches the donations that staff put into their charities out of their own pockets. Atlassian is always looking for ways that it can give back to the wider community in which it operates.

The leaders support their stakeholders in any way that they can – including engaging them in major company decisions; putting their large orders in to their suppliers where ever possible in the suppliers quiet periods; generally considering absolutely anyone whose life could be impacted in any way by their company with absolute compassion; and with everyone’s best interest at heart.

It’s not all just hard (yet fun and engaging) work at Atlassian either.  They have computer games, music, pool tables, Wii carts… they are even supplied with tricycles with which to ride around the office, fully equipped with a stubby cooler on the front and a basket on the back ready for 4pm Friday drinks.

The architecture at the Atlassian building hasn’t happened by accident either.  It is light, bright, spacious… all of the things that have been scientifically proven to enhance creative activity in the brain.  They are on to everything here.

Atlassian is one of the fastest growing companies in Australia and has been acknowledged as being amongst the top ten best employers in Australia for the last three years running. Its founders are recognised by the BRW young rich list as being the two wealthiest individuals in Australia under the age of 40. In a recent interview, they were asked what is it that makes their company so successful. Their answer was that they have meaningful core values, they work hard to get the right people on board and they implement world best practices and business systems that support their core values and innovation (and they have also happen to have attracted the attention of industry greats such as Gary Hamel and Dan Pink).

Atlassian are a key driver in a new business concept called ‘Conscious Capitalism.’ Chances are we are going to hear a whole lot more about this in our world over the next few years, as more and more business leaders discover that there are more fulfilling ways to achieve business success where profitability, sustainability and ‘making a difference’ go hand in hand.

What are your thoughts on ‘Conscious Capitalism’? I’d love to read them.

Drop me an email to brian@precisionprofiling.com.au if you would like to discuss further how to create the environment that attracts and retains the young leaders of the future for your organisation.

Until then… Let’s seek to understand more and judge less. Have a great week – Brian

Precision Profiling – What Makes You Tick? Through ‘Motivational Fingerprinting’ we uncover what you do, how you do it and why you do it, and most importantly, the hidden patterns that lead to your success, and that of your team.

Filed Under: Company Culture, People Tagged With: Atlassian, Authenticity, Company Culture, Culture, Gen Y, Inspiration, Team Dynamics, Values and Behaviours

About Brian Clark

Brian Clark is the principal director of Precision Profiling®.

He is a renowned practitioner, writer and speaker on building total customer cultures; values driven leadership and world best practice strategy and implementation.

He has been a guest lecturer on world best practice for the executive management programme at Monash University’s business college (Mt Eliza campus); an adviser to and key note speaker for the Singapore Productivity Association and a consultant to many major Australian and overseas corporations and government departments.

- See more at: http://precisionprofiling.com.au/heres-a-company-with-a-big-heart-and-purse-strings-to-match-conscious-capitalism-in-action/?goback=%2Egde_1034457_member_277203233#%21

Finding Happiness

Happiness

Finding Happiness

1. Be strong and optimistic. Don’t let negative circumstances and sadness creep into or ruin your life. Whenever you are sad, try to keep your head high. You should tell yourself that life is full of hopes, challenges and unexpected twists and turns of surprises.
   
   • Look for the silver linings in life. Often something in life will happen which we interpret as being bad. When we look at it, however, it turns out to have some good aspects to it. Those are called silver linings. For example:
     • Your partner dumped you. The silver lining? There are so many different people out there that you can meet. Having the opportunity to get to know someone, to be let into their heart and soul, is a powerful thing.
     • You lost your job. Maybe you didn’t like your job all too much. The silver lining? You now have a chance to find a better, more meaningful, higher-paying position.
     • You failed at something when you thought you’d succeed. Life is funny that way, isn’t it? The silver lining? You learn just as much, if not more, from failing at something than you do from getting it right the first time.
2. Keep yourself busy. You know what they say about idle hands, right? Research has consistently found that people who stay busy are happier than people who stand idle.[1][2]Not only is too much free time a little depressing, it can also be unproductive. Think of all the things you could be doing, like joining clubs, visiting places, hearing lectures, and then think of how little time you are given in life to do just that.
   
3. Give yourself reasons to smile. Scientists have found that the act of smiling may actually made you happier.[3] That’s right: just smiling. Give it a try. Find any one of the following reasons to smile and give it a go:
   • A stranger passed you and smiled.
   • Someone else did a nice thing for a random stranger.
     
   • Something unexpected happened that caused you to think about how vast and strange the world is.
   • You saw something beautiful in the world.
4. Follow your instincts. People who stick with their gut instincts can be happier than people who labor over their decisions. This is why: if you stick with your gut, you’re less likely to question what the other options might have been like, tasted like, etc; if you labor over the decision, you’re more likely to wonder if you made a mistake in picking one thing over the other.
   
5. Be generous and compassionate. You might feel smart for thinking that winning a lottery ticket could make you happy, but you’d be wrong. Money increases happiness only up to a certain level, where your basic needs are met.[4] After that, money makes you no happier than other people. What does make you happy, however, is compassion.
   
   • One study has found that people who look at others giving money to charity makes us just as happy as receiving money ourselves![5] That means you should find ways to be compassionate if you can. Give back to charity, volunteer at your local food bank, help a team of second-graders with their homework, etc.
6. Learn how to forgive others. Forgiving others is the act of letting bygones be bygones. If you can find it in your heart to forgive other people, even ones who don’t deserve it or aren’t willing to forgive you, studies say that you’ll be a happier person.
   
   • Forgiving other people may make you a happier person by reducing blood pressure, lowering overall stress levels, and slowing down heart rate.[6]
7. Whatever you do, and whoever you are, exercise. Research has established a pretty firm link between exercise and overall happiness.[7] Exercise can increase endorphins in your body, lowering your overall stress levels and giving you that blissed-out feeling.[8]
   
8. Do the things that make you happy. Don’t do what you think should make you happy, or what makes other people happy; do what makes you happy. Throw away preconceived notions about what you’re supposed to do and go after what you know you can get.
   
9. Listen to inspirational messages. Whether it’s reading books, skimming the internet for quotes, or attending interesting lectures, the world is full of inspirational messages if you know where to look. Here are a few inspirational quotes that may get you motivated to go out into the world and find things that make you happy:
   
   • “Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” - Joshua J. Marine
   • “The best revenge is massive success.” – Frank Sinatra
   • “Nobody ever wrote down a plan to be broke, fat, lazy, or stupid. Those things are what happen when you don’t have a plan.” – Larry Winget
   • “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” - George Eliot
    Finding Happiness Through Other People

1. Join clubs or organizations that expresses your personality and mirrors your interests. Whether that interest is bowling, knitting, debating, experimenting, cooking, flying, sporting, or gaming, getting involved with a community of like-minded people will make a huge difference.
   
   • When you get there for the first time, introduce yourself. Try not to act shy. Maintain eye contact; try to stay relaxed. Remind yourself that other people are likely to be just as nervous as you are.
2. Ask other people for help. Don’t be afraid to ask your friends for help. When you do, be appreciative. As mentioned earlier, people get satisfaction out of helping others out; it makes them feel useful and accomplished. Guess what? Useful and accomplished people are generally happy and fun to get along with. That means that you’ll have an easier time socializing and just being yourself around them.
   
   • Ask for help on your homework
   • Ask for directions when you’re lost
   • Ask for help on a project
   • Ask for advice on a problem you’re dealing with
3. Don’t be afraid to open up about your feelings to other people. Holding it all in can be a tricky thing: you can feel stifled, like you have no one to open up to. For these reasons, it’s best to trust in other people and tell people you trust about what you’re going through. Talking about your problems, with a friend or a professional, can help you reach catharsis, which is a word for the cleansing of emotions.
   
4. Keep other people’s secrets. If someone trusts you enough to let you in on their secret, be good enough to keep it. That means no gossip, no accidentally letting it slip, and no playing sides against one another. Imagine what would happen if you told someone your secret and they let it accidentally “slip” to a group of other people? You’d be hurt and feel betrayed. Don’t make the other person feel the same way. Finding happiness is all about keeping your friends close and giving them good reason to trust you.
   
5. Keep your promises. Along the same message: if you say you’re going to do something, follow through with it. Words are only words until they’re made true by actions. Understand that your friends depend on you; keeping your promises will help reassure them that you’re a man or woman of your word.
   
   • What does happiness have to do with keeping promises? Following through on your promises is all about teaching trust. You teach your friends to trust you. If you constantly promise things that you can’t deliver, your friends will stop trusting you. If your friends stop trusting you, you’ll find that your friends aren’t as close.
6. Lean on your friends in a time of need. When you’re down and need someone to cheer you up, call a friend or two. Find a productive, fun way to keep your mind off of what’s bothering you. Your friends believe in you. They’re your friends because they want to see you happy, and because they enjoy spending time with you. Hopefully, they would do as much for you as you would do for them. Lean on them when you need to.
   
7. Lean on your family when you need to. Your family loves you unconditionally, even if they might not show it in the clearest of ways. Your family care, first and foremost, about your safety and well being. Next, they want to see you succeed and live a fulfilling life. Even just talking with your family about problems you may be having can feel really good.
   • Try not to worry about your family judging you; ultimately, what they want is for you to be able to find happiness on your own. If you’re afraid of telling your parents something, find a friend or another family member to open up to.
   • You don’t have to have a “problem” in order to talk or hang out with your family. If you can talk with your family about normal, everyday things, that might bring a lot of happiness to you. Opening up to your family about everyday things is a huge step you can begin to take in your relationship with them.
     
8. Have deep conversations with people. One study has found that people who engage in deep conversations experience more happiness than people who chitchat about small, trifling things.[9] So next time you find yourself gossiping about the weather or what Rihanna wore to the Grammys, resist the temptation to talk about life’s emptier subjects and reach for something big and bold. You won’t regret it!
   

Chile trata de convertirse en el imán de los emprendedores de América Latina

Cómo Chile trata de convertirse en el imán de los emprendedores de América Latina

Publicado por: CEO IDaccion 27 septiembre, 2013 en Actualidad, Latinoamérica 1 comentario

“Nos llamó mucho la atención el gran incentivo al emprendimiento que estaba sucediendo en Chile.Presentamos nuestra idea y nos ganamos un fondo para expandir el negocio. En Perú era imposible hacer algo así”. El testimonio es de Alfredo Ramírez, fundador y CEO de la empresa peruanaComparabien.com

Según el Startup Ecosystem Report, desarrollado por StartUp Genome, Santiago es la ciudad N°20 del mundo entre las mejores como escenario para el emprendimiento, . El informe mide ocho criterios: producción de start-ups, financiamiento, desempeño, mentalidad emprendedora, creación de tendencias, apoyo, talento y diferenciación.

Según el informe del Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), liderado por la Universidad del Desarrollo, Chile tiene la tasa de emprendimiento más alta del mundo. La investigación detalla que los chilenos de entre 18 y 64 años que poseen un negocio que no supera los 3,5 años, representan el 23,4% de la población económicamente activa. Eso triplica los niveles promedio de los países de la OCDE.

La cifras son un signo más de un ecosistema que se ha ido generando hace varios años. El objetivo delgobierno, el sector privado, organizaciones y universidades es convertir a Chile en un verdadero foco del emprendimiento en Latinoamérica.

Pero, ¿cuáles son los pasos que está dando nuestro país para lograrlo?

En primer lugar no se puede dejar de lado uno de los apalancadores más importantes: el programaStart-Up Chile de Corfo. A la fecha, se han efectuado ocho llamados, con postulaciones de 8.565 emprendedores, provenientes de 112 países, de los cuales se han seleccionado 663 proyectos de 63 naciones. La iniciativa ya logró atraer más de 1.300 emprendedores al programa (21% son chilenos) y está aportas de cumplir la meta de 1.000 proyectos en 2014.

“Chile está hoy en una encrucijada histórica. Tenemos un ingreso per-cápita bordeando los US$20 mil y un sueño de superar la pobreza. Si miramos a los países que alguna vez estuvieron en nuestra posición, lograron convertirse en desarrollados haciendo que las ganancias de su productividad fueran el motor de crecimiento, alimentadas por un espíritu de innovación y emprendimiento”, indica Hernán Cheyre, vicepresidente ejecutivo de Corfo.

En cuanto al origen de los emprendedores, el 39% son de América del Sur y el 28% de América del Norte.

Pero mirando desde una perspectiva histórica, las primeras entidades que comenzaron a visualizar el emprendimiento en Chile fueron las universidades, mediante la creación de incubadoras, cuyo financiamiento proviene en gran parte de Corfo.

“Hemos logrado crear un verdadero modelo que no existe en otro país de América Latina. Y en ese aspecto las universidades hemos sido grandes actores”, comenta Jaime Arnaiz, gerente general delInstituto 3IE, dependiente de la Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María.

Grandes multinacionales como 3M y Google han decidido invertir en instalaciones de clase mundial en Chile. “Hay un excelente marco para emprender en Chile y un cambio de actitud al respecto. Esto se suma a las condiciones económicas favorables y a las certezas de una institucionalidad creíble. Cosas que parecen obvias, pero que en la mayoría de la región no lo son”, comenta Jim Ballantine, gerente de desarrollo de negocios de Google de Cono Sur. La empresa californiana está construyendo un grandatacenter en la comuna de Quilicura.

“Cuando un inversionista quiere entrar a Asia, mira a China. Pero para llegar a ella, parte por un país más pequeño que le sirva de plataforma, como Singapur. Cuando mira a América Latina, quiere llegar a Brasil o México. Y la idea es que Chile sea el país plataforma para entrar a la región. Debemos ser el Singapur de Latinoamérica”, agrega Cheyre.

Los problemas

Sin embargo, lo peor en esta etapa es caer en un optimismo ciego. Aún falta bastante para asomarnos a lo que han logrado regiones como Silicon Valley. Y según los expertos, la principal razón es laeducación.

Hace unas semanas, el Consejo Nacional de la Innovación para la Competitividad (CNIC) entregó al Presidente Sebastián Piñera un informe de más de 100 páginas titulado “Orientaciones Estratégicas para la Innovación. Surfeando hacia el futuro: Chile en el horizonte 2025“. Según el texto, para lograr fomentar la innovación, los chilenos tienen un desafío cultural, ya que somos “apegados a las certezas y reticentes a los cambios”.

Y uno de los consejos de esta entidad es mejorar la educación. “El mundo en el que están inmersos nuestros jóvenes va en una dirección, mientras la enseñanza va en otra. Porque mientras vivimos en un mundo en permanente cambio que requiere estar preparados para la aventura, la enseñanza sigue encerrada en la ilusión del control y la predicción basadas en el conocimiento.”

Si bien el informe del CNIC es más que nada una carta de navegación para reflexionar, el tema formativo es la espina que le duele a todos los que piensan en Chile como país hub del emprendimiento.

“Faltan una serie de especialidades en Chile, principalmente ingenieros. También hay una carencia en la formación de habilidades blandas y gestión de negocios. Nos falta más masa crítica de profesionalespreparados para una nueva realidad”, comenta Arnaiz, de la USM.

De hecho, según Informe de Competitividad Mundial 2013-2014 elaborado por el Foro Económico Mundial y entregado esta semana, Chile sigue siendo líder en América Latina. Pero su gran punto negroes la calidad del sistema educacional (puesto N°74), especialmente en matemáticas (N°107)

Por otro lado, el otro gran desafío como país es lograr atraer a grandes capitales y fondos de inversión. “Estamos realizando esfuerzos importantes para lograr atraer a capitales mayores.  El 2013 aprobamos 6 nuevos fondos de inversión. Tres de ellos traen inversionistas extranjeros, lo cual no ocurría antes”, comenta el vicepresidente ejecutivo de Corfo.

“Se ha trabajado mucho para traer capitales de riesgo, pero aún estamos débiles en ése aspecto.  Ése es el próximo cambio paradigmático que debemos hacer. Incluso, hay grandes capitales en Chile, pero aún se ve a las start-ups como algo riesgoso. Como empresarios aficionados” agrega el gerente general de Instituto 3IE.

Y justamente casos como el de la empresa peruana Comparabien.com van en el camino hacia este segundo tipo de inversores. “Haber participado de los programas chilenos nos abrió una gran red mundial. De hecho, logramos conseguir cerrar una ronda de inversión de medio millón de dólares con capitales en Inglaterra. Ahora estamos en cuatro países y estamos a punto de abrir en México”, dice Alfredo Ramírez, fundador y CEO de la empresa peruana Comparabien.com.

Artículo de Daniel Fajardo, periodista, académico, y editor de suplementos diario Pulso