Originally posted – May 12, 2014
Isn’t the internet amazing?
Just think about it – from your computer or mobile device, you have the ability to explore the world and, along with it, a world of knowledge. It’s virtually limitless in terms of the subjects you can investigate.
What’s more, there are no “closed”signs on the internet. Cyberspace is open for business 24/7/365 – 366 during leap years.
Search engines such as Google and Yahoo have developed amazingly sophisticated algorithm technologies that enable you to immediately locate just about any subject imaginable.
“Imaginable”is the key word. Almost any subject or concept you can imagine is easily researched on the internet. You can even be “all thumbs”on a keyboard and simply use voice commands to initiate your searches.
If you have ever had a “conversation”with Siri on your iPhone, you know that when you ask her a question you’ll receive an intelligent answer immediately. The origination of Siri is interesting; technically, it’s an acronym for Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface.
But there’s more.
The etymological origins of Siri actually come from Norway. A smart fellow there named Dag Kittalaus is the Norwegian co-creator of the iPhone 4S virtual assistant, as well as the inventor of Siri technology.
He and his wife planned to name their daughter Siri, which in Norwegian means “beautiful woman who leads you to victory.” However, as it turned out, they had a son, so the name was shelved.
Steve Jobs heard about Kittalaus and flew him to his home in Cupertino, Calif., where, after some discussion, Jobs purchased the Siri name and technology from Kittalaus for $200 million. The rest is history – and today nearly 87 percent of all iPhone users indicate they use Siri every month.
Siri can provide up-to-the-minute sports scores and exact weather conditions anywhere in the world, offer suggestions on how to make a great two-topping pizza from scratch, and even clue you in as to what the universally dreaded car dashboard message “Check Engine”really means.
You can get the equivalent of a college education on the internet from anywhere you happen to be – and the tuition is free.
Wow! What a time we live in.
Any question you have that begins with the words “I wonder”can now be answered by the internet immediately, day or night. No waiting necessary. It’s great for insomniacs, the perpetually bored and those who are chronically curious.
For example, I’m one of those overly curious, easily bored types – and, as I wrote this article, for some reason I began to wonder how our rice cooker “knows”when the rice is done and automatically turns itself off. I quickly found the answer on the internet. The explanation is likely not what you think. Just for fun, check it out for yourself. The answer may surprise you.
And, with the aforementioned in mind, I’d like to suggest 10 very cool, sort of off-the-beaten-path websites for you, as a small-business owner, to visit.
Each is intellectually stimulating, informational, thought-provoking, amusing and unique, and they all will very likely add to your knowledge and creativity – making your business life more interesting and hopefully more successful. Here they are:
psfk.com
This site is advertised as “inspiring business creativity,” and it surely does. It has several topics and great visuals. This outstanding site will stimulate your intellect.
startupnation.com
This is another terrific site. It contains sections on starting a business, growing your business, funding your business and making connections. It’s very creative and worthy of your consistent attention.
inc.com
This site features a lot of diversified marketing information, as well as many ideas on creativity and personal business psychology. This is a great site that I suggest you visit often.
haiku.nytimes.com
This site contains “serendipitous poetry from the New York Times.” Just keep clicking on an individual phrase to learn more about its depth and meaning. It’s great for your creativity, and the information can be adapted to apply to your day-to-day business activities.
99u.com
This site is promoted as offering “insights on making ideas happen.” I loved one particular article entitled, “The Stoic: 9 Principles to Help Keep You Calm in Chaos.” Of course, there are many other articles on this site that are just as compelling. You’ll really enjoy this online experience.
allbusiness.com
This site’s tagline is: “Your Small Business Advantage.” It tackles many diversified subjects – all of them are quite interesting for small-business owners. This site will definitely stimulate your thinking.
brainyquote.com
This site has fabulous quotes from all sorts of people – from Walt Disney to William Shakespeare to Bruce Lee, and many others on all types of subjects. You can gain inspiration from people of all walks of life, which you can apply directly to the day-to-day owning and managing your self-service laundry business.
blog.asmartbear.com
This blog is very cool and equally clever. It’s labeled “Startups + Marketing + Geekery.” There is a wonderful selection of articles and even cartoons. “Stop Chopping Yourselves to Pieces”was an interesting article that caught my attention. There is a lot of great stuff here that will catch your attention, too.
ted.com
This site contains “over 1,700 visual talks to stir your curiosity.” These talks are presented by a wide range of well-spoken, highly knowledgeable experts on almost every subject imaginable.
This resource is not only extremely entertaining but also will spark your creativity and fill you with information and knowledge that no doubt will find its way into your business management style, as well as your personal life. This is a must-visit site.
amazon.com
I realize you likely are already quite aware of Amazon. However, I had to include it on this list, with a slight twist as to how you can best benefit from it.
Here’s how to use Amazon to really increase your knowledge: when you find yourself thinking a thought that starts with, “I wonder”- simple go to amazon.com, type in the subject and it will instantly display all of the books available on the subject. This site truly can and should be used as an online library.
With regard to Amazon and books, I’m excited to let you know that I’ve recently written a book entitled, “The Stephen Factor,” which contains 50 proven insights into the psychology of creative marketing learned from a career in the coin laundry industry that will also magnify your success in any business. It features 50 of my articles, which were originally published in this magazine over a four-year period – but in a handy, readable, 303-page reference book.
And (you guessed it) this new book can be ordered from amazon.com in paperback or on Kindle.
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