The following post represents my views, and doesn’t necessarily represent the views of the Education and Outreach Committee of the NASA Advisory Council, of which I’m proud to be a member. “The Future doesn’t belong to the faint-hearted, it belongs to the brave.” -President Ronald Reagan On Friday, we say goodbye to a technological achievement beyond compare, a machine so far ahead of it’s time when it first arrived, and a conveyance that to this day, inspires awe in all who see it. We say goodbye to 30 years of solid work, of countless successes, and two dark and tragic failures. We draw the final curtain on a conveyance that carried more than 355 people from 16 nations from our planet into [...]

It happens to all of us. We’re up against a deadline, and have zero creativity. It’s just gone. No idea why. And finding it again, under pressure, is a bitch. This is another post in the series of How To Be Taken Seriously. Because, face it – If you become the guy known for having creativity whenever it’s needed, you’ll be the go-to guy (or girl) for almost everyone in your company. And being indispensable kinda rocks. Ever notice how some things are really easy to find? “Now where did I put my car keys? Ah yes, in my coat pocket.” “Honey, where’s the dog?” “He’s in the backyard!” Other things, as well! “Officer, can you tell me how to [...]

By now, most of you know that I’m a super-early riser. If you do some homework on the subject, you’ll find that many successful CEOs are, as well. It’s simply ingrained into us – If we want to be successful, we need to be working when others are not. It’s like the classic running quote: “Somewhere, right now, someone is training while you are not. When you race him, he will win.” So I get up early because I believe it’s worth it. Here’s some of the benefits you can get from doing it, and as a bonus, here’s how to actually do it! Top ten reasons to get up early every day: 10) Learn! You can browse seven websites [...]

Remember my post back in August about how it’s time to say goodbye to free WI-Fi in coffeehouses, in airports, etc? I have never been more sure of something in my life – Today, I’ll prove it. I’m on the 6:20am Amtrak from NYC to Boston right now. For a brief moment, I switched off my Sprint EVO 4G, and am using Amtrak’s free WiFi to prove a point. I also installed a little Add-on to Firefox (I usually use Chrome, I switched to Firefox for this experiment,) called Firesheep. If you haven’t heard of Firesheep, prepare to be really, really frightened. I’m not a true tech geek, so please forgive me if I don’t totally speak Geek. Essentially, FireSheep [...]

Talk about a fun day! I was offered a chance to drive the new Chevy Volt, an electric car with a battery range of 50 miles and a gas range of upwards of 400 miles, from Los Angeles to San Diego, a gorgeous drive down the Pacific Coast Highway (when it’s not pouring) thanks to the awesome people at General Motors. I jumped at the chance – When else would I get a chance to drive a car before it hits the market? I was also fortunate enough to drive with a gentleman I met today for the first time and with whom I immediately became best friends – Ed Ugel, author of the new book “I’m With Fatty,” a [...]