I love watches.  This is a fact known to anyone who has read my blog.  I have peppered these virtual pages with watches that I have wanted, admired or would sell my right hand for.  This watch may fit into the latter category.

Selling for a wallet draining $15,000, this watch is for those rich enough to have a person walk behind them telling the time.  None the less, even the filthy rich want to look good.

The watch is designed by French architect Marc Berthier. The watch has a very masculine square face, a titanium case and AR-coated sapphire crystal as well as a rear window to view the Swiss perfection.  It is resistance to 30 meters.

They say fashion should be aspirational.  I see this watch and totally understand that phrase.

A Simple Line -Winter's Frosting, copyright Stephen M. Frey, 2011

Is writing a blog post a good idea with an Apple iTouch, or a similar smart device? I think so. Here’s why.

Maybe it maximizes the reader’s experience of whatever I’m sharing and is respectful of their time. Writing from such a device ensures I say only so much as I am not fluent in typing on such a small screen, yet, or maybe never. So the device helps focus the writer’s attention on saying only what matters most.

The small size also means it’s portable, so it can go with me wherever I go. Perhaps having it around will make it easier to post more frequently about ideas, trends and people influencing my blog. The small, form factor shapes how you respond to the urge to write about something. What if you adopt this mentality using a laptop or when writing an email?

Over the last year I have steadily seen people write emails to me with more simple language. Usually they have only one or two ideas on which they’re focusing. Maybe I’m a little slow, but I figured out recently that they’re writing from a SmartPhone or texting from a cell phone. Detail is out; brevity is in. People don’t have a choice. The device drives the communication style.

They also might be using their intuition when they realize they’re writing something very detailed. They may recognize it’s better to cut to the chase and call someone or visit them face to face about what you’re writing or to what they’re responding. Try it, especially before you hit the send button. Life is too short. Look for easier communications of all types.

I included an image from last Winter in keeping with the spirit of this post. “A Simple Line.” That’s my mantra for 2012 and beyond.  What’s yours? Do you have any communication tips and suggestions balancing the needs of short and long form online media, paper media, especially as it relates to the design fields?  Please share!

The Costa Rica Global Association of REALTORS® (CRGAR) has signed an agreement with Realtor.com to provide International property listings from Costa Rica. Listings from users of the Costa Rica MLS should begin appearing on the Realtor.com International website by early next year.  Realtor.com is one of the world’s most recognized consumer property websites with over 17,000,000 unique visitors each month. “Realtor.com is happy to welcome CRGAR’s REALTORS® and their listings from the Costa Rica MLS. Adding the global dimension to Realtor.com has been under preparation for the past year, and we are proud to be associated with CRGAR’s, NAR-Member REALTORS®”, stated Bob Greenspan, Realtor.com Vice President for Industry Relations.

“CRGAR has worked hard to implement the Costa Rica MLS, and to assure users that the data for each listing is accurate, timely, and reliable”, added Alberto Triquell, CRGAR Vice President and Costa Rica MLS instructor. “We are pleased that Realtor.com will help offer our listings to global investors and real estate professionals.” CRGAR received recognition for its participation from NAR and Realtor.com during the opening sessions of the Global Alliance at the NAR Annual Convention in Anaheim, California earlier this month.

CRGAR has maintained a bi-lateral agreement with the National Association of Realtors (NAR) in the United States, and requires all of its REALTOR® members to become individual members of NAR, as well. By doing so, all CRGAR REALTORS® are subject to NAR’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Practice.

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The Costa Rica Global Association of REALTORS® (CRGAR), is affiliated with the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) in the United States, and is the only such association in Central America to require its members to become individual members of NAR, as well. CRGAR offers REALTOR® training classes, ethical enforcement, peer-licensing, international affiliations, special events, and access to the Costa Rica MLS. CRGAR will offer a full CIPS Institute in Tamarindo, Costa Rica, January 9-14, 2011. For information, email to info@crgar.com.

Marketing and advertising are illusions for many people. Their theory is to throw something against the wall and hope it will stick. Not so according to Alan Baker, President and Founder of Creative Marketing Concepts in Latham, New York. Alan, a guest on my radio show indysmallbiz.com, gave me the scoop on what it takes to make it work. (By the way, indysmallbiz.com provides information and tools for small business; look for blogs and podcasts by authors like me who work with small businesses.)

“Good marketing starts with good communication”, says Alan. “You must know who you are, what you do and why a client should do business with you if you want to make it work. After that, it takes a lot of persistence and focus. With business being soft, many companies start cutting expenses, and often the first to go is the marketing. Businesses should cut programs that don’t show results, but a good marketing program should be measurable. ”

Alan’s positive outlook shows in how he works with businesses. The key is to spread the word, so that people know who you are even if times are tough. There are still customers with money, and your job is to find them and entice them with your offers. A promotional piece is designed to provide added value to your customer and keep your business in the front of their mind. One of the things I found interesting is what Alan calls the “hobo pen.” I thought people bought pens, so they could give them out for their customers to use. Alan assures me that the pen’s job is to travel from business to business and eventually wind up in a buyer’s hand. His trick? Sign the restaurant check with their pen, and replace it with his pen!

Alan left us with three tips for using promotional materials that are worth noting. Check out the full article for more detals.

1. Promotional materials are good for all size companies.
2. Think about “spreading your name around” wherever you can.
3. Plan your promotions for the year.
4. Get involved in Small Business Saturday. This year, it’s all about the SATURDAY following Thanksgiving, when we continue to show our gratitude by supporting the lifeline of the American economy – our small businesses. You don’t have to make this one up. American Express is out there again waving the flag for small business and investing plenty of dollars on our behalf. According to the Small Business Saturday Consumer Spend Survey 2011, 61% of consumers plan to shop at locally-owned clothing and accessories stores on November 26. Check out Facebook for Shop Small on November 26th.  Here are some marketing tools and instore signage. You still have a little time left to get the “traveling pen” out there for Small Business Saturday.

       1.  How would you describe your personality?

                        a) I’m a minimalist — less is definitely more.

                        b) I’m refined and don’t like to follow trends.

                        c) I’m casual and relaxed.

                        d) I’m a risk taker. 

       2.  In my closet, you’ll find

                        a) anything by Alexander McQueen

                        b) a lot of twin sweater sets

                        c) faded jeans, cowboy boots and more denim

                        d) anything vintage mixed with the latest fad

       3.  What would be your fantasy home?

                        a) a sleek loft space

                        b) a Georgian home

                        c) a converted barn

                        d) a Spartan trailer 

       4.  What is your most coveted piece of furniture?

                        a) an Eames La Chaise chair

                        b) a Louis Seize oval-back chair

                        c) your grandmother’s old painted cupboard

                        d) a Ms. Pacman videogame cocktail table 

       5.  On my bedroom window sill you will find

                        a) a neatly stacked pile of art books

                        b) a Roman-style urn on each side of the window

                        c) a row of old jelly jars

                        d) vintage miniature toys 

       6.  If you could redesign your kitchen from scratch, it would have

                        a) industrial stainless steel countertops

                        b) wall-to-wall dark wood cabinets

                        c) open shelves so everything is within reach

                        d) a neon 1950’s diner sign

Answer Key

If you answered “a” most often, then your style is modern.

       •    Clean lines, geometric shapes 

       •    No clutter 

       •    Less is definitely more. 

       •    Stay away from patterns. 

       •    Materials: glass, wood, stone, plastics 

       •    Wood: dark or light, but little ornamentation 

       •    Metals: polished chrome, stainless steel

If you answered “b” most often, then your style is classic.

       •    Symmetry and balance 

       •    Pairs of things 

       •    Furniture with a European influence, formal not fancy 

       •    Bold, historical colors 

       •    Restrained formality 

       •    Dark woods with carved detail

If you answered “c” most often, then your style is country.

       •    Casual, relaxed and comfortable 

       •    Distressed furniture, painted finishes 

       •    Plaids, floral, stripes and prints 

       •    Pieces in leather and hide 

       •    Inexpensive accessories such as jars and books

If you answered “d” most often, then your style is eclectic

       •    Risk taker 

       •    Mix different periods of furniture. 

       •    Anything goes. 

       •    Find furniture in design stores, junk stores and flea markets. 

       •    Create cohesion with color and repetition. 

       •    Spirited, playful, artsy and trendy

If you had answers in several categories, you might have a combination style. I would describe my style as both classic and modern. Whichever design style you choose to furnish your home, don’t forget to have fun with colors, shape and texture!

iTwin – The iTwin allows secure remote access of your entire hard drive from any device with an internet connection and a USB port.

Wi3 – Using existing coaxial cable, light-switch sized, wall-mounted boxes deliver dependable, fast and full-strength hard-wired Ethernet connections anywhere you need them.

Biscotti – Providing user-friendly video calling on any HDTV, this tiny device only needs an HDMI input and a Wi-Fi connection.  Conferencing with either another Biscotti unit or any device with a webcam, the calls are free.

PowerBag – Each is equipped with a complete charging system including Apple connector, micro and mini USB connectors, an on-board USB port and battery (which should charge the average smartphone at least twice) providing backpacks, messenger bags and luggage for the technophile.

Each of the above innovations is far more than my tiny summary, so visit their websites for the details.  If there was any doubt, I am excited about my annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas.  Exhibiting at the Consumer Electronics Show?  If so, please contact me at.  I would like to talk to you now and at the show.

I live in a town where a great many talented and creative people have been displaced. Many struggle with the challenge of reinventing themselves. At the core of their being is the basic belief people have in the ability for these people to think outside the box and be creative, to look at opportunities and to see things in a way that shows the glass is half full. The world needs leaders who are optimistic. There needs to be faith shown in individuals, in mission, in achievable goals again. When it’s every man for himself, the problems of the world are simply too large to be conquered. Organize the troops, and take charge. Go. Fight. Win.

If you are a leader of a business, small or large, you have a greater responsibility than protecting yourself. You became a leader, and you’ve seen success because people believed in you. Are you squandering that trust? Was it deserved? Luck is usually not just serendipity. You made your breaks, and now you are on top. Don’t hide. Your business, your community, your family, your friends and the world at large needs your vision now more than ever.

Take a calculated risk. Start an initiative. Generate some energy. Be enthusiastic. Be smart, but take action. This is a great time to make a difference.

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Wes Morgan is founder and principal of Morgan Studio/East, a firm designed to help companies with planning and execution of effective marketing communications. For More Information Contact: Wesley A. Morgan, e-mail morganwes@aol.com or visit www.morganstudioeast.com

A peer recently brought something up to me which is a really important topic that I think is not adequately addressed.  It’s an area in which we can all strive to be better - achieving transparency and consistency in line item labeling and characterization with respect to whether line items are positive or negative values.  I agree with him completely in that transparency and consistency in line item labeling are critical, and that in an ideal world a line item will either be always treated as positive or always treated as negative regardless of where it shows up in a model.

The problem is that there are often so many ways of saying the same thing. For instance, for a Preferred Return Accrual, we could also call it Interest on Invested Capital or an Investor Accrual.  While all of these descriptions are “valid”, it can be mentally fatiguing and potentially confusing to try to reconcile each of these definitions with one another from tab to tab and model to model.  I think that part of the reason that there are so many ways of saying the same thing is that there is no standard body that gives official definition to terms as they exist in a pro-forma; it’s just convention over many years.  The other problem is that correcting for differences in sign (positive or negative) across a complex model can be a time consuming and potentially treacherous undertaking.

What do you think? How do you address these issues in your models?

While Sir Isaac Newton believed that “We build too many walls and not enough bridges,” he wasn’t focused on interior architecture. And, of course, Newton was being metaphorical. Literally, he wasn’t too off mark because, in many ways, bridges are walls, in the sense that they create a physical separation within space, while simultaneously connecting them.
 
Walls separate and unite. They help distinguish one space from another, and in so doing, create two spaces from one (if building a wall up to the ceiling), or one from two, (if one removes the wall). They unite spaces in bridging one to the other, creating an important relationship between adjoining and contiguous areas.
 
Walls can be straight or curved, tall or short, thin or thick. In addition, while we traditionally think of walls made of sheetrock, they can be fabricated out of glass, wood, fabric, metal, stone, light, even trees. There is no limit to the imaginative aspects of a wall. The brilliant thing about them is that they can be functional and beautiful, at the same time. They can evoke mood and feeling, surprise and delight, create an attractive backdrop, or simply be an aesthetic objet d’art unto itself.

The glass wall partitions designed by the French company, Fred & Fred, are one such example. While in France, I had the opportunity of seeing their beautiful work and how they transform the mundane into the sublime. No mere piece of sandblasted glass, their walls were made of different materials and different colors. This is architectural seduction at its best. It leads the viewer to its plane, and then, up close and personal, it becomes a camera obscura. This brilliant design is a bridge to the functional, aesthetic, and intellectual. The beauty of the glass block wall is its ability to transmit light. In this way, it acts as a bridge, a transmitter between wall and light source. The architect Pierre Chareau, whose Maison de Verre in Paris is a masterpiece of wall light, knew the advantages of using the material. Even in a New York City apartment, these walls are extremely effective in creating a light, airy feeling to two adjoining spaces. Cleverly used by the professional, glass block allows the light to be transmitted, while precluding a less attractive view, say an alley, beyond. In place of glass block, sandblasted glass serves a similar purpose. Dan Flavin’s light transforming plaster walls, from sources somewhat disguised, offer a more spiritual perspective. Here, the artist blends art with architecture in creating planes of radiating color. In this respect, Newton and the artist crossed paths in their thinking.

What interesting types of walls have you created in your space? Call me to discuss how to bring imagination to your interior walls, while enhancing the value of your home. For a complimentary article on “How to Maximize the Value of your Home” and the value of the design professional, email me at gegandco@gmail.com.
 
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WORD OF THE DAY: PINSTRIPED - Formal, conventional

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “There are a thousand thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till he takes up a pen to write.”   William Makepeace Thackeray
 
TRICKS OF THE TRADE:  Pocket Doors
Pocket doors create magic by disappearing into walls and economizing space. They are also very elegant, when outfitted with beautiful hardware.
 
COMPANY HIGHLIGHT:  URBAN-DELTA Upholstery, NYC, Custom Upholstery and Draperies Extraordinare NYC, Where the Bespoke becomes Art in its Perfection!

BON MARCHÉ: DEAL OF THE DAY - Why buy a copy when you can get an Original Le Corbusier for almost the same price?  Cassina sells the original at a fantastic price of $16,95. It comes in several colorful finishes, and, what a seminal Classic!

VISIONARY LANDSCAPES: Alexander James, Distil Ennui Studio, Butterfly

OBJET D’ART: ONE OF A KIND - Thomas Fechtner, Wiener Silber Manufactur WIEN

Losing weight is hard, working out is hard and doing both is even harder. What do you have to do to get what you want and be successful? Is it work hard? Maybe not. I think the first thing is you have to know what you really want. Like the woman on the bike, are you trying to go backwards and forwards at the same time? Like the “jumbo shrimp cocktail?”

How often do we say “I want to be healthy” while we’re eating another piece of cake? To be successful and get what you want, you must have a compelling personal commitment to something that is really important to you! When you’re engaged in “the thing,” you don’t worry about the time or what you’re doing. For me it’s being at the YMCA lifting weights. Why is that you ask? I have no idea, but when it’s “weight lift day” I can’t wait to get to the gym. Is it because I want to be healthy? Partly. The other reason is I like the feeling of getting stronger. Sometimes it’s hard to get out of bed at 6AM, but usually I do it. I’m just passionate about this part of my workout. I hold myself accountable by checking off the machines as I use them and carefully note the weight on each machine. Occasionally, for whatever reason, I miss a week, and I feel awful. I try to remind myself of the bigger picture and get back on the wagon. It is hard losing weight and working out; it’s even harder if you live across the street from Dunkin Donuts.

Success needs to be measured in your own terms. I have a friend who collects miniature tea pots, one who collects glass elephants and another business cards! Go figure. It gives them pleasure, and they will always show you their newest addition. I have another friend who collects baseball cards, and has them cataloged. Apparently this type of success, to do what you want, isn’t measured in money–not even for my friend with cabinets filled with baseball cards.

You must be willing to pay the price. You must be passionate. I would say if you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, move on! If you feel like you can’t move on, find something about the task that you really love, and put your heart and soul into it.