Infinite Permutation | brandon hoe's blog

  I went  to a local pop-up shop to do some last-minute Christmas shopping a couple of weeks ago, and while I was there, became engaged in a conversation with one of the proprietors of the store. J, as I'll refer to him as from here onwards, shared a few interesting stories about himself. A couple of the things that really stood out to me about our conversation were 1. That he didn't think that everyone should blog. 2. That he really enjoyed storytelling and stories. In the Read more [...]

I will forever be indebted to Tan Sri Ani Arope, the man whose generosity and sense of fairness completely changed my life. I first met Tan Sri when I was 18 or 19 years old. The leader of one of the largest companies in Malaysia at the time graciously spared 30+ minutes of his time to listen to my story, learn about my dreams and ambitions, and find a way to help. How did I find myself there? To explain, I must first relate the story that preceded that encounter. I come from a lower middle Read more [...]

I decided to write this post because I've seen a trend in business of bringing creative teams in-house. The motivations are primarily cost and control-related, given the competitive landscape and the need for financial prudence. One thing that I've also noticed is that many of these creative teams are managed by non-creatives, who've never dealt with this breed of employee before. While non-creative managers may not have a shared experience with their team members, there are some simple things you Read more [...]

This great video from Toy Story 3's screenwriter, Michael Arndt, gives you a step-by-step view of what it takes to set up a story properly. To summarize the steps, setting up Act 1 of a story requires you to: Establish the character Establish the world they live in Establish the grand passion that they're defined by Establish their hidden flaw, which is a byproduct of their grand passion Create the situation where the storm clouds are looming in the distance Create the "bolt from the Read more [...]

I just left a client meeting, where I used very basic block drawings to illustrate a point. 4 simple boxes was all it took to bring clarity to a point I was trying to make, and to cement understanding of a concept that words could not adequately convey. Our brains process visuals 60,000 times faster than text. With line, curve, color and space, we can represent ideas and data in an almost infinite number of ways. Why don't we use pictures more often? Why do we continue to struggle with words? Read more [...]

The latest trend in marketing has been about big data and analytics. Not too long ago, the trend in marketing was about localization and personalization. At some point before that, it was about something else. Somewhere among these trends, one truth remains: marketing is about people. It's about understanding who they are as human beings, knowing what motivates them and figuring out why they behave the way they do. If we always focus on that simple truth and provide experiences that elicit emotion, Read more [...]

My brother and I have been on the same continent just 6 times in the last 18 years. Across that span, the combined amount of time we've spent with each other has probably been around 3 weeks. When I found out that he was going to be in Vegas for a conference a couple of weeks ago, I didn't hesitate in planning to fly there to visit him and spend some time with him. We had a great time, doing things that brothers just do – driving around aimlessly, attending a concert, having drinks and talking Read more [...]

“If you get, give. If you learn, teach.” This quote was my introduction to the incredible force known as Maya Angelou. I discovered these words within the pages of a copy of Southern Living magazine, cleverly nestled between garden plans and travel destinations in the South. Ostensibly, it is a simple request to share and be altruistic, but hidden within its simplicity is a magical formula for finding happiness. These words, along with her oft-quoted observation “People will forget what Read more [...]

I learned about a new productivity tool today that's grounded in a very simple technique. Focus Booster, which is available on both Windows as well as Mac OS X, is a free timer app that performs a very simple task - it counts down from 25 minutes, rings an alarm, then counts down from 5 minutes, and rings the alarm again. This reflects the 25 minute block of work + 5 minute block of break that's prescribed by the "Pomodoro technique". This time management technique was invented in the 1980s by Francesco Read more [...]

Mike Rowe was the host of “Dirty Jobs”, a great TV show that explored some of the physically dirtiest jobs in the United States. Mike is definitely a practical, blue-collar type of guy, and provides some great life advice to someone who asked him how to find happiness in his career. The advice Mike doles out is definitely worth a read, regardless of what profession you’re in.

http://www.lifebuzz.com/mike-rowe/

 

Photo taken from Mike Rowe’s Facebook page.