White Wedding - Feb. 21, 2009

Mark the date!

Saturday, the 21st of February 2009 Britta Joy and Charles Ryan Weydert were married at Batavia Covenant Church in snow covered Batavia, Illinois.

What a great weekend with the family... =D

The Bengtsons and the Weyderts coming from all over the globe, convened on a frigid day in the small town just north of Chicago. We were there to witness two, beautiful and inspiring people choose to dedicate the rest of their lives to one another. A true Celebration. I was overjoyed for my sister, Britta, who was not only a breathtaking bride but has been my best friend from the day I was born. She deserves all the happiness in the world and look forward to being closer, geographically, again soon. I am honored and excited to have Ryan as a brother, sincerely, a dignified and caring man. We welcome him and his family into ours- I feel I speak for the whole family in describing how magical of a weekend it truly was.

Pictures coming soon...

Cheers!

The World is Flat

So, I am utterly captivated by the aforementioned book by NY Times best selling author Thomas Friedman. His most recent version (3.0) of the work titled, “The World is Flat” addresses the “flattening” phenomenon that has been occurring over the past twenty years.

By saying “The World is Flat,” Freidman means that now anyone, anywhere, using something that can fit in their palm can plug, play, connect and compete with anyone else in the world instantly. This proposes some interesting dynamics, situations and problems for all of us.

He has 10 factors/events/trends or technologies that have made the world “flat,” they are-

#1) 11/9/89- The fall of the Berlin Wall
#2) 8/9/95- The day that Netscape went public
#3) Work Flow Software
#4) Uploading
#5) Outsourcing
#6) Offshoring
#7) Supply-Chaining
#8) Insourcing
#9) In-forming
#10) The Steroids- technological innovations.

“The convergence of the ten ‘flattners’ had created a… global, web-enabled platform for multiple forms of collaboration. This platform now operates without regard to geography, distance, time and even language... (it) enables individuals, groups, companies and universities anywhere in the world to collaborate- for the purposes of innovation, production, education research, entertainment, and, alas, war-making- like no other platform ever before…more people in more places now have the power to access the flat-world platform- to connect, compete, collaborate, and, unfortunately, destroy- that ever before.”

None of this would have been at all possible without the advances we have made in technology over the past two decades- he calls these “The Steroids.” Essentially, they boost, amplify and enhance the other flattners of the world by speeding up the interconnectivity of entities around the globe. All of this stems from the advancement of the world wide web.

Perhaps the most important steroid, or the one that I feel has the most impact on our daily lives and has the potential to consume us, is the wireless revolution. Now, with the advances in wireless technology we are fully mobile. We can send email, pictures, videos, from anywhere to anyone at any time. We can trade stock in Hong Kong while sitting in a coffee shop in Iowa. We can chat, in real time with friends from across the globe and virtually talk “face-to-face.” Truly there are no limits when you are wireless. Workers can now “telecommute,” are completely free from the walls of the working environment and are literally “de-linked” from the office.

Having spent the last couple of months working for a company whose broad customer base spans the globe I have witnessed this on a professional level. I was communicating with clients from Russia, France, Italy, Japan, Spain, Germany, etc without any barrier. Their emails, often sent from their cell phone, came through translated into English to my laptop. Depending on the time difference, the exchanges were instantaneous.

Conference calls take place from anywhere and everywhere- seven C-level executives gather in a board room in China to hear comments about the industry from our managing director in Boston while a researcher listened in from an airport in Germany. Product demos were available on the spot for our sales guys visiting Korea. With little to no notification, our product manager can hop on a call from anywhere with any number of people, demonstrating the usability of a database product in an online meeting where the clients can watch whats happening on your laptop screen- Incredible. My manager went to florida for two weeks for a “vacation.” She was online all day and through the wee hours of the night. Linked in either by her laptop or iPhone- seamless communication and direction were given for projects underway at the office.

The erosion of the former barriers to communication and business poses an interesting question and an underlying problem: Is there such thing as a true vacation? With the ability to access anyone, anywhere, at any time on their laptop, iPhone, Blackberry or pda can you really vaca? Sure, this provides an opportunity for more businesses to increase production and offers a 711 strategy (always open for business) but does that eventually eliminate your personal space and turn you into a work-a-holic? Does shutting off your Blackberry for a week mean you are totally free or does that make you even more of a slave to it?

This movement towards increased production and instant communication will engulf our generation- if it hasn’t already. I see people everyday surfing the web on their iPhone or typing away an email on their ‘Berry. Basically working on their way to work. Can you even account for the number of hours in a day that you spend working anymore? Is there such thing as normal business hours? Fundamentally, do these technological innovations set us free or do they shackle us to our job?

More discussion is on the way…

A Great Day of Sport

A beautiful day here in Boston almost 60 degrees!
I spent most of the day outside @ a park reading Thomas Friedman's "The World is Flat" and will be blogging more later...

But for now, an amazing day of sports has begun...

Basketball-
Georgia Tech at VA Tech
UNC at Duke

Soccer -
Argentina vs. France (2-0 Arg)
USA vs. Mexico

Happy Birthday L!

A-Roid

Yesterday was historic because it was the inaugural day of “GB’s World.”
More importantly the date, February 9th, will be infamous for the game of baseball…

In an exclusive interview with Peter Gammons of ESPN, Alex Rodriguez admitted to steroid use from 2001-2003 while playing for the Texas Rangers. Rodriguez was baseball’s “golden boy”- their great hope. He is projected to overtake Barry * Bonds as the game’s all time Home Run King. He was proclaimed by the league and media to be the honorable, all-natural savior of Major League Baseball. Rodriguez would restore the legitimacy of the Home Run King title- the games preeminent record.

A-Roid's admission comes at a time when the current home run king is on trial, arguably the all-time greatest pitcher facing a federal investigation and a govrnment list of 104 names that tested positive for performance enhancing drugs exists somewhere. February 9th could very well be one of the darkest days in baseball history.

The interview was a joke- A-Roid claimed that he was “young,” “ignorant,” and “naïve.” The man was 25 years old. To say that he had no idea of what was putting into his body or had no clue of what was going on in the game around him is ludicrous! It was a blatant lie, similar to the ones he told Katie Couric in a 60 minutes interview in 2007.

Like Tony Kornheiser, I wonder why he didn’t take the “good kind of steroids that gets you hits after the 7th inning.” This takes a lot for me to admit but A-Roid used to be one of my favorite players growing up. When the rumors of him coming to play in Boston were spreading, all the Fenway faithful were ecstatic. When he signed with the Yankees for only incremental more money in his contract I, along with the rest of Red Sox nation, was devastated. Man, I guess hindsight truly is 20-20... thankfully this is not Boston's problem.

A-Roid is a pre-madonna who is arrogant and only cares about himself. His inconsistent performance on the field is only magnified by his antics off the field. He clearly loves the attention and celebrity but seems to struggle with this identity in NY- there have been multiple counts of his envy of teammate Derek Jeter, Mr. Yankee.

Rodriguez recently divorced his wife and has been seen romancing with the ageless wonder, Madonna. Instead of spending Thanksgiving with his kids in Miami, he decided stay in NYC with the 50 year-old pop star and her kids. Go ahead and put that “Father of the Year” trophy award right night to your Performance Enhanced MVPs and other awards, A-Fraud.

I was sick to my stomach to hear the way ESPN spun the story this morning. It seems as if they are trying to paint him as a sympathetic figure because he didn’t cop out like McGwire, didn’t say he didn’t know he took ‘em like Bonds, didn’t say he doesn’t speak English like Sosa or straight up lie like Palmeiro or Clemens. A-Roid probably went to Gammons, since they are friends, saying that he wanted to come across as conscientious- like this has been weighing on him for the past 6 YEARS! He lied on 60 minutes, he lied to his fans, he lied to his teammates, but most importantly he lied and cheated the game of baseball. A-Fraud’s excuses for not admitting sooner were that...
a) he “didn’t know what (he) was ingesting,”
b) because he has had his “best years since” he stopped using and
c) that he “wasn’t being truthful with (himself).”

He will continue to garner sympathy with a national audience as long as ESPN continues to portray him as less corrupt than the roided-up players that preceded him. According to ESPN because he admitted to using P.E.D’s, his transgression is not as bad even though it was 6 years and multiple lies later?

You gotta love our impartial media coverage. I just wonder how much of his 275 million dollar contract A-Roid had to give ESPN in order spin the story in his favor…

About the Author

I follow my heart...
And will continue to do so until the day I die. Typically, it is the best advice I give because the heart is the only unimpressionable beacon you can follow in life. Living and dying by the decisions made by your heart is the ONLY way to actually l i v e. I’ll admit, following your head, gut or some other body part in situations may be more practical or make more sense but really- what’s in a decision if your heart is not?

The Old World-
My journey has been long and arduous. I have experienced some of the highest highs you can achieve in 23 years accompanied by the lowest of lows. I have stood behind podiums accepting accolades just the same as I have stood behind them to hear a conviction...
I was raised to “never show weakness” and if you’re hurt- “rub a little dirt on it.” Virtually programmed to think this way, some athletes (like me) struggle to find a place in the world after the games end. Those of us having the hardest time are the ones who feel that the game was taken away from them by injury, incident, a coach, etc.

That being said…
I stand to be the model of resiliency. No matter what- nothing will break my unwavering spirit or fundamental toughness.

In a few words- I am confident, honest and outspoken but mainly a huge goofball who loves to make people laugh. I have a golden retriever (Quincy) that is probably the smartest dog you’ll ever meet and she loves meeting new people as much as I do. I grew up the son of a career Navy Officer so I have traveled extensively and actively seek out new experiences everyday.

More Recently-
I was laid off from my first “grown-up job” at a solar consulting firm. I thought Boston was the city for me. I thought working with friends was an ideal environment. I thought helping advertise and market our high priced services & research was my part in an effort to save the world…
Financials and logistics aside- the separation was a blessing. A 10-13 hr work day, everyday is no way to live and I should be thankful that things didn’t work out.

Not sure where I head next. Unclear what job I am best suited for. No idea what I wanna do or how to re-invent myself, again. I have no clue what the upcoming months have in store but I do know that it will be exciting to see where my heart leads me this time around. If my past is any indication of my future then stay tuned to “GB’s World”… you will not be disappointed.

Foreword

“What are you going to blog about and who’s going to read your blog anyway?”
-gf

In response to my girlfriend’s question, I first laughed- as that has got to be the world’s WORST response to someone declaring that they are starting a blog. After the laughter and insecurity subsided, I thought about it…
What do I really want to blog about?

I addressed this question first because; well, quite frankly I couldn’t give two shits if 1 or 1 million people read my blog. Not really in it for the audience although I do love the attention! At its core, a blog is essentially an online journal or a specific kind of site that delivers up to date news on a particular subject. A blog is current and informative but in a playful, forum style format.

I regret to inform you that my only area of any sort of expertise is in the world of sports. Sure, some days sport may dominate the headlines in “GB’s World” but there will certainly be diverse enough content here for everyone- if not, ask and ye shall receive.

The use of this blog is to provide me with a platform to voice my writings, riffs, thoughts, concerns and observations about today’s world. Maybe it’s an iGeneration thing to think that everyone can have their 2 cents thrown in or perhaps it’s just a way to pass the time until the next thing comes along. Anyway, I have always enjoyed writing about many different things and now I have the time and creative freedom to do as I please.

If you’re reading this… Welcome! Please feel free to engage & contribute your thoughts as you see fit or you can sit back, relax and prepare to be entertained by my shenaniganz. Either way- this blog should be used as fodder for further discussion.

Cheers,
gb