★

This is great news for you, but what does it mean really? I read the brief background above and I checked a video on youtube about it. But it all sounds more like just plain advertising. What does it mean really?

1. Is it like the Technology Innovation Center they over at UTech but…on steroids?
2. And what does it take to enter and be accepted?

 

The amazing thing about the Branson Centre is that they don’t take a cookie cutter approach to anything, it’s also an approach I’m taking with EduFocal. So understandably it’s going to pose a challenge to really articulate what the Branson Centre is. They’re non-profit, but that doesn’t make them a charity–that’s the first distinction that I think needs to be made. They’re also not a bank. Entrepreneurs have very similar challenges, but they also have very different challenges so the one solution to fix all problems will not work ( This is the premise behind taking only 20 entrepreneurs into the centre, they only have so much resources) Now all 20 of us have very similar and at the same time very different needs.

Some require more capital, some need guidance, some want to network etc. The Branson centre facilitates all these needs and then some, on an individual basis, and the operative word is facilitate, because that’s what they do, so yes, you could say it’s like the TIC in some ways, but also very different from it. My business will not live at the Branson Centre. Now I’ve only been to the Branson Centre once for assessment day and it was amazing. Just being in the company of so many other entrepreneurs helps so much. Also, being in regular company of one of the world’s richest men isn’t so shabby either.

My expectation from the Branson Centre is to network, grow as an entrepreneur, and get good advice that will help me to take my company in the right direction. At the end of it, I want to be in a position to be able to do the same thing for other aspiring entrepreneurs.

You asked me what it takes to get accepted, also a good question. Nobody really knows. I imagine first you have to have a solid business ( or business idea), a great personality and the drive to leave the world in a better place than you found it because it really is about much more than money.

The word “Jamaipanese” is a portmanteau; a combination of Jamaica and Japan. Kirk is a Jamaica ( He’s Jamaican) and Japan ( more so Japan) enthusiast, he’s been an enthusiast of the latter for a while, but didn’t get to visit the country until recently–that’s the interesting part.

Kirk had everything he needed to go to Japan, but money. But that wasn’t going to deter him from going. Most people wouldn’t have bothered, but Kirk did and I admire him for that. His story is interesting and I think it should be highlighted.

Picture courtesy of Taylor’s Photography

On January 18, 2010 Kirk wrote a detailed blog post explaining how he’d acquire the funds to go to Japan, where he’d stay and what his expenses would be. You can read the blog post here. It’s titled “Operation Visit Japan”. What I find particularly interesting is how he managed to raise about 40% of the funds through his blog via donations (I’m pretty sure many told him not to bother because people would not donate, but he did anyway). I donated and encouraged him as I’m sure many others did. As a result he received  over $1,000 USD in donations from people all over the world. This is an example of how useful the internet can be to anyone, wherever you are, it just takes effort and dedication.

Kirk  even managed to snag sponsorship from a Japanese company for wireless internet connectivity while he was there and even stayed with a Japanese reggae singer who he met through his blog. There is still much more to be told, but I definitely can’t tell it like he can. He has  organized all his posts re: his trip to Japan he in a category that you can read here

Kirk is a good writer, consistent blogger and a great friend. I’m very happy for  him and I’m glad he finally got the opportunity to visit a place he’s so crazy about.

Ode to Jamaipanese.com, my blog of the year!

The title of the post was “Risk Aversion”

I’ve found that for the most part, the older you get the more risk averse you become. It’s probably caused by awareness, realities of the world, obligations or even maturity[?].

Back when Advance-Gamers.com (Article) was in its prime I contacted many well known video game publishers because I wanted to review their games…well I primarily just wanted to play them. But hey, I didn’t think about it much, I just sent out emails. Imagine, a 15 year old with bad English emailing PR at some of the largest gaming publishers in America.

Well, it worked, I got a ton load of games sent to me for review ( I also got to keep them) and made some good contacts in the industry. I didn’t think much about what I was doing then…heck, I didn’t think, I just did. But, now I’m older and more self-conscious. At 20 I would think long hard about sending out those emails. What if they don’t respond? What if they say no, what if they say my website is too small or not popular enough?

Release your inhibitions.

If you can…do it while you’re young. Whatever “it” is.

You can watch Dr.Randall Pinket’s talk here.The other talks are here

An official Diplomat of Jamaica subsequently responded to this tweet disagreeing with me. You would think that an official representative of our country would know this, but alas.  I will not include the name or  twitter handle of this diplomat, if only for his sake.

If you’re not familiar with the structure of the Jamaican Government please go here, here or here.

Feel free to follow me on twitter: @gordonswaby

N.B His name is replaced with “Guy” in the discussion:

So, without further ado…the Winners are:

Sir. Michael, His Comment: “People say I’m addicted to my Blackberry but I’m not, I’m addicted to the people in connects me to and thats why I love it.”

Tonian Lindo, Her Comment: “I love my Blackberry because it keeps me connected on the go to friends and family anywhere in the world through RIM’s native BlackBerry Messenger at a set cost per month.”

Jovan, His Comment: “ I love my Blackberry because it makes me seem like the most efficient civil servant Barbados has ever seen.”

Tonaya, Her Comment: “I love my blackberry because it is cute, trendy, and up to date, yet it is functional, efficient, and easy to use I save A LOT of money buying phonecards, almost all of my friends have a blackberry so i jus PING PING PING ”

Marcus Bird, His Comment: “????????????????????(^_^)”

Kasense, Her Comment: “ Easy to use, fastest and cheapest way to communicate plus allows me to organize and store important files for school or work and that’s why i love my blackberry ”

I will be contacting all of you for some information soon.

Thanks to everyone who entered, What will I give away next? We’ll see!

In 2010 i started to take my blog and writing more seriously. A lot happened, alas my memory sucks so i won’t try and remember the finer details. World Cup was in 2010 right? or was it 2009? Anyway, i guess i’ll add that to my 2011 resolution. Document, everything. Evernote i’m looking in your direction.

In order of highest traffic to least:

#1 Digicel and its indifference to Customers:

Digicel; that cool Irish telecommunications operator that rescued Jamaicans from the clutches of the Monopoly at the time Cable and Wireless Jamaica, circa 2001 ( Now LIME Jamaica) , has apparently grown tremendously over a short period of time and is supposedly too big to value one disgruntled customer (disgruntled, for good reason).

#2 Online resources to keep abreast of situation in Jamaica ( Dudus):

At no point in time has Jamaica been able to utilize Social Media as it is now. People are exchanging information via Twitter, Facebook and other social utilities to quickly and effectively disseminate information to each other where conventional media has clearly fallen short.

#3 Digicel Jamaica, Doing with the Internet what they did with Mobile

The only reason this post has this title is because i had it in my drafts and i couldn’t be bothered to change it. Let’s say if i didn’t start writing this post already while fully knowing about the hell I’d have to go through this morning; the title may have been “Digicel’s Failed 4G Launch”, but anyway; i digress.

#4 The 10 Day Challenge.

On March 3,2010 @ 7:21 PM I disabled both my Facebook and twitter account. Why? no other reason but to challenge myself. Challenge myself by taking away things that provide solace for me.

#5 Jamaica’s first “Bloggers Meetup” by the Jamaica Tourist Board, Day 1

Over 20+ bloggers/writers from the United States converged on Jamaican soil yesterday afternoon to “Experience Jamaica” for the next 5 days; a first for the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB). To make this experience even more memorable a team of Jamaican bloggers were invited by the JTB to compliment the assembly of bloggers/writers to ensure the Jamaican experience was as authentic as possible.

#6 So, you want to be an Entrepreneur? Or Maybe Not

We’re in a time (In Jamaica and around the world) where economies are begging for entrepreneurs, risk-takers or “Linch-Pins” as the great Seth Godin calls them, just turn on your TV, it’s the new buzz word, entrepreneur, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship.

#7 Blackberry Go Bye-Bye

Now, i have my reservations about the Bible, but that one verse was pretty potent. My Blackberry was my right hand and it was causing me great pain ( Way to take the Lord’s word literally eh?) . Crappy battery life, non functional keys, and a plethora of other issues. Now, I can’t recall it leaving my hand and making contact with the wall, but it happened and it happened fast, Jesus guided my hand maybe?

#8 I’m an analytics monkey, get Clicky!

I’m not writing this post because Clicky Web Analytics is providing monetary incentive–because to be honest it’s really not much. I’m writing this because i actually love them.

#9 Common Sense Foursquare Tips

And all the other Location based apps…I apologize for the title in advance, because if it was common sense i really wouldn’t need to be writing this post now would i? Many Jamaicans seem to be catching on to foursquare, but many do not realize how unsafe it can be. Here’s a few tips that I’m sure will be beneficial to and your friends:

#10 JTB Bloggers Meetup Post Roundup

It has been approximately 2 weeks since the Bloggers Meetup in Montego Bay and the euphoria from being on the trip has just about died. Though many (hint: Stunner) found it hard to “integrate” themselves back into so-called real life, it was inevitable ; now it’s no longer euphoria, but instead, nostalgia; nostalgic about experiencing such an amazing meet up and becoming acquainted with so many cool people.

An ode to my Mother:

Taking care of yourself is very hard, I started to realize that fact after moving to Kingston; after finally figuring that out, I think I started to appreciate you and your role as a Mother more. Being a successful entrepreneur, a fearless mother and a model wife, well that’s something…not something many women can pull off.  How you manage to raise three children is beyond me, especially me; I know fully well that I am more than a handful to raise. You’re a Queen among women Mom and I love you.

An ode to my Father:

Dear ol’ Dad, if you were not a stubborn man you would have probably given up on me, but you didn’t and as a result you had me saying “I hate you” a lot growing up, but you knew better. I never took school seriously, I remember the teachers always writing on my report: “Gordon has potential” that’s  teacher euphemism for “There’s no hope for this guy”.

I recall constantly getting into fights and you always bailing me out, I also remember you always taking those knives that I felt the need to buy and walk around with, which could have possibly landed me into bigger problems. I could go on and on about the great deal of headaches I caused you, but alas! Without you I would have been a totally different person in a totally different place, or maybe even dead.

Thank you for guiding me through my rebellious childhood phase Daddy, love you!

Everything I am, and everything I will become I owe to my parents, they complement each other and they complete me. They were brought together for a reason, because no one person could handle raising me.

I am grateful that my parents decided to live and work in rural Jamaica because through that I’ve experienced things city dwellers don’t usually get the opportunity to experience.  On the 18th of November i would have completed the teenage leg of my life and though I’m not extremely happy with my accomplishments thus far, i am content and I’m working hard to see my goals through. Now, growing up in the country was a wonderful experience for me ( Christiana, Jamaica), and i never really appreciated it until i moved to Kingston, though that’s a given as you’ll never feel nostalgic about something until you don’t have it anymore. There was  barely any crime (apart from the occasional larceny), plenty of yard space ( and i mean acres), and an overabundance of food and a pretty big house to grow up in.

Life in the city is a far cry from what life is like in the country…I’m not sure if I’m the only one who finds it weird for a child to grow up on an apartment complex ( I wonder what that does to them, but i guess it doesn’t bother them because that’s the norm). It’s not often that you find people my age leaving Urban Jamaica and going to rural Jamaica seeking opportunities or for schooling. I remember coming into Kingston with my dad as a youngster for whatever reason; for me everywhere felt like one big maze then ( and in some ways it sort of still does).

There’s absolutely nothing like the “Country come a town” experience, it has helped me to grow and everyday i learn more.  If you think about it though, many never have that opportunity.  For them, everything happens in the city–you’re born in the city, you grow up in the city, you go to school in the city and for many they end up living and working in the city post school life. Most of which happens while living with their next of kin. Post secondary school life is a different ball game for rural dwellers though; it’s where you leave the comfort of home in the country and move to the city to persue  tertiary levels studies. That’s what I’m really happy for. I was forced to grow, think, be responsible and  inevitably expedite the process of me becoming a man.

I’ll never forget the first night living on my own…It was now my responsibility  to cook ( cooking was second nature to me as i was always in the kitchen with my mother honing my culinary skills), clean, wash, find my way to school and everything else in between. Now imagine a privileged country boy who did not know life without a helper in it moving to Kingston with the responsibility of taking care of himself full-time? ( scary thought).  The first day out the door was the worst for me as i had no idea how to find school or how to use the transportation system in Kingston, but thankfully i asked around and figured it out. Now contrast that to a first year student starting University like me that day but has lived in Kingston all his/her life? Only difference for them is the exciting opportunities that university presents.

Fast forward a year later I’m in my second year of University, I’m no longer on foot, I’m more acquainted  with the city, I’ve grown both physically and mentally, I’m more mature, I’ve acquired new skills, I’m (still)  young, I’m ambitious and I’m ready to take on the world.

Now, i have my reservations about the Bible, but that one verse was pretty potent.  My Blackberry was my right hand and it was causing me great pain ( Way to take the Lord’s word literally eh?) . Crappy battery life, non functional keys, and a plethora of other issues.  Now, I can’t recall it leaving my hand and making contact with the wall, but it happened and it happened fast, Jesus guided my hand maybe?

Make no mistake i love(ed) my blackberry. It made me a little more productive, but also caused me to be a little less productive.  Even though it’s sitting in a garbage bin nearby i will miss it dearly and have already started to miss it. I’ve been hearing Blackberry Messenger notifications all day and I’ve been seeing flashing LED lights on things that aren’t supposed to be flashing (like my macbook…call me crazy).  I’ve also been reaching for it to make phone calls only to realize it’s not there ( not to mention I’m without a mobile phone now).

But that’s fine, life is all about change and sometimes we become so caught up with vanity that we forget to pay attention to the finer things in life. Maybe I’ll pay more attention in my lectures  and actually listen to my friends when they’re speaking to me. If i could, i would do it again. Make no mistake i value my gadgets, but if any of them ( even my macbook) start causing me great distress then I’ll smash it too.

Financially, I’m not in a position to buy a new smartphone, but that’s cool. This smartphone sabbatical will be good for me, it will also give me some time to actually think about my next smartphone purchase. Whether it be an android, an iPhone or even another Blackberry.

The Blackberry Bold 9000 in Queston

]]> http://gordonswaby.com/2010/09/blackberry-go-bye-bye/feed/ 15