Traditional 2D

The old faithful; the 2D movie. It may seem passé in the modern word but 2D actually has many advantages that still keep it as the preferred method of viewing for the majority of audiences. Some people have trouble viewing 3D images and some people can see 3D images just fine but they will cause headaches after long exposure. But 2D has another advantage that most filmmakers and studio heads don’t really want to admit. 2D is still the best method for drawing audiences into the story and only the story. As I watched “The Avengers” in 2D, I was focused on all the intricacies of the story and only the story. Being a film buff, I also was watching for technical things like composition, lighting and editing. Even with that, the story was the absolute paramount thing at the forefront of my mind. And just so we’re clear, this was not the first way I saw the movie. I actually viewed it in IMAX 3D the first time but even so, I was more engaged in the story of the movie the second time I saw it, in 2D. So how was my first viewing of “The Avengers” in IMAX 3D?

IMAX 3D

I have to clear up two issues with this type of exhibition as it pertains to “The Avengers”. First, the theater I saw it in was an IMAX Digital screen and not a traditional giant IMAX screen. These screens were built to fit in any current theater without the huge expense of building a full-sized IMAX screen. It’s a cool experience still, but kind of a ripoff for consumers since they still charge the same price as a full-sized IMAX screen. “The Avengers” didn’t have an IMAX film print made so they were not showing it in full-sized IMAX screens. So you can kind of forget the IMAX part of this exhibition. As for the 3D, “The Avengers” was shot in 2D and converted after the fact in post production. I myself have worked with both 3D and 2D converted content recently and I can tell you it makes an enormous difference if you are working with material shot in 3D. The reason is that when you shoot in 3D you record information from two different lenses or cameras. These cameras simulate both eyes and they capture subtle curvature and other information that creates depth. When you’re dealing with 2D images you don’t have that information and so you’re faking it. That being said, “The Avengers” is an above average conversion. It’s nothing like “Avatar” which was shot and composited in 3D, but it’s still a very good conversion and the folks that worked on it should be commended.

As for how 3D enhances the story, it introduces a new element that you have to focus on. Rather than just looking at the basic composition of a shot you are now introducing the element of depth. This is something you have to get used to and it takes a little while. Luckily it doesn’t take that long if you’ve gotten used to looking at 3D images like I have. Admittedly though, I was finding my mind drifting away from the story and basic composition of image a few times and focusing on the 3D effect itself. This isn’t completely preferable in all cases but in a spectacle movie like “The Avengers” it isn’t really a bad thing. I will say that truly 3D footage bothers me a lot less than converted footage because my brain isn’t filling in the gaps caused by the lack of true depth. But there’s another sensory dimension to consider when watching movies these days; the sense of touch.

D-BOX

This is the newest form of exhibition in the theatrical world and it definitely packs a punch. D-BOX motion seats are sort of like theme park simulator ride seats but I find them a lot more advanced. Most theme park rides move left, right, forward and back. The D-BOX seats move every direction imaginable on every axis of motion. They also provide kicks during scenes of impact and subtle movements that barely register like simulating the click-clack of a train or floating on a plane. It’s very cool but does it enhance the story or just get in the way? This was the third time I saw “The Avengers” so perhaps my mind was drifting off the story naturally since I was well aware of what was going to happen and pretty much could quote every line. That being said, I would argue that D-BOX is the most distracting form of theatrical exhibition and comes the closest to being described as a gimmick. Even having said that, I wholly endorse D-BOX as something that should exist because there are moments in the film that were truly enhanced by these motion seats. When the Hulk smashes something, the smash is much…smashier when you actually feel the smash. But even small story moments like a jolt when Dr. Banner tries to get a rise out of Black Widow by throwing his hands on the table. It was the third time I’d seen the movie but I genuinely got a shock when the seat kicked at this point and I felt a sense of nervous energy that fit Natasha Romanov’s point of view in the scene. That’s right, D-BOX actually improved the scene for me in this instance. That isn’t always the case however. Sometimes the motion simulates camera movements or other random gestures in the film and most of the time I find this cool but distracting to the story.

Conclusion

So what is my overall recommendation? Ultimately it comes down to personal preference. If you have medical reasons related to your vision that prevent you from enjoying 3D then you obviously should avoid that. As for D-BOX, I can imagine many people would be turned off by that and I have to say that I think it’s better as a way to see a movie for a second time rather than your first viewing. The only time I can see that not being the case is if you’re going to see a movie for fun and you aren’t looking for anything special from the story. If this is the case, by all means check out the D-BOX seats if you have some in your area because they really are a pretty fun experience.

There is another option that I sort of discussed above and it’s one that sadly didn’t apply to “The Avengers” and I view it as the ultimate movie experience. That is…drumroll…traditional 2D giant screen IMAX. The giant screen IMAX presentation enhances pretty much every movie and gives it a level of immersion and focus on story as well as spectacle that can’t be matched. There are some narrative films that actually shoot with IMAX cameras for some scenes and the result is a degree of detail that is breathtaking. Last year I had one of my all time favorite moments in a cinema when I went to see “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol” in giant screen IMAX. There is a scene in that film where Tom Cruise scales the world’s tallest building in Dubai and it was shot with IMAX cameras. It was probably the most thrilling and heart-stopping action sequence I’ve ever seen and I attribute a large part of that to the IMAX presentation. If “The Avengers” was presented this way, you can be sure that it would be my preferred method of seeing it.

So in the end I don’t view any of these formats as gimmicky but it’s all in how the filmmakers use them. Filmmakers and engineers should be commended for bringing these formats into a level of sophistication where they are viable options for enjoying a movie. But the viewer should be aware that some of them can get in the way of the story to a degree and whether you care about that is up to you. My recommendation would be if a movie is shot 3D you should see it in 3D unless you have health concerns. If it was shot 2D then you should see it giant screen IMAX 2D if possible especially if portions of the movie were shot IMAX. The upcoming “The Dark Knight Rises” is one such film and I absolutely think IMAX is the only way to see it. As for D-BOX, if it’s more of a fun time at the movies with a silly action or horror flick rather than a story you want to get caught up in than I say go for it. It’s a hell of a lot of fun. Whatever you do, just go to the movies. It still beats the crap out of watching stuff at home assuming people aren’t creeps at the theater. But that’s another issue altogether.

Everyone has a success story and a failure story. Which is in your mind when you’re making a big decision?

Each of us has a life story. In fact, we have several stories. We have a ”success story.” This is a story that we normally tell in job interviews, sales pitches or describe in our biography or resume. It’s the story that our family tells to brag about us. It’s a narrative that describes about our accomplishments, triumphs and terrific qualities.

We also have another story. This one doesn’t get told very often, if at all. It is a ”failure story.” This one is also frequently present in our heads. It is the story we fear people might be telling about us. It’s a story that begins with, “I’m not good at x, y or z. I can’t do x, y or z. I always fail at x, y or z.” It is usually based on life experiences where we failed, were rejected, got fired or simply screwed up. It could relate to a childhood experience when you felt awkward or even abandoned, were embarrassed in front of classmates or told you weren’t good enough by a parent or a teacher.

I am not trying to play psychiatrist, but you know that these narratives are lurking in your mind. I bring them up because they can profoundly impact your leadership.

You need to be aware of them. You can start to increase your awareness by writing them down– first, your success narrative then your self-doubt narrative. Most people don’t fully realize the extent to which these narratives are influencing them until they push themselves to write them down.

The next step is to think about which narrative is present when you are making a critical decision, or are under severe pressure or stress. Think about how your failure narrative may be holding you back from making important decisions, improving your leadership style, delegating responsibilities and generally being a better leader.

I recently spoke with an executive who was struggling to coach his subordinates. He quietly stewed about their failings. This repressed annoyance manifested itself in his moods and limited his ability to build his team. “I just hate direct confrontation,” he explained. Why? He thought about this for several weeks and realized that every time he was going to give constructive feedback, he thought about a time in his youth when he was embarrassed by a public chewing out he received from his football coach. It made him shy away from coaching others.

Over the years, he convinced himself that, “I’m lousy at confronting subordinates and giving them constructive coaching.” He decided to face this self-doubt narrative by pushing himself to give more constructive coaching and feedback to subordinates. He reported months later that, to his surprise, he was actually pretty good at it! He believed that the development of this skill helped him feel less frustrated, delegate more effectively and improve his ability to build his leadership team. He became a much better executive by facing this issue.

Most of us are not fully aware of our failure narratives–until we push ourselves to write them down. You can’t simply ignore these stories but you CAN make sure you don’t become a prisoner of them. Start by becoming more aware of the stories rattling around in your head and the impact they might be having on your actions as a leader.

Click HERE to read the article from the Inc. website, click HERE to learn more about our philosophy on stories, including why stories are so powerful, and click HERE to listen to StoryAnalytics Master Rick Stone on The Importance of Narrative Assets in Your Company.

The Northwest Pennsylvania STEM Steering Committee will host a full day conference on the “Strategy of Technology and Innovation for PA” with technology forecaster and venture accelerator, Jim Brazell of VentureRAMP.com and IDEAS. STEM is an acronym meaning the aggregation of science, technology, engineering and mathematics tools, processes and knowledge to solve problems.

According to Ken Borland, “The workshop was made possible in part by a generous in-kind contribution of Jim’s time in the name of Philadelphia’s Dr. Francis X. Kane (Col, USAF, retired).” According to a U.S. Air Force web site: Dr. Kane is the 50th inductee to the US Air Force Space and Missile Hall of Fame for contributions to the design of the Global Positioning System (GPS).

The day’s activities involving Jim Brazell include: (1) A keynote address to set the tone of the conference. (2) A workshop involving thirty professionals designed to advance STEM in NW PA. (3) A concluding address to report the preliminary findings of the workshop.

In the past week, Jim has announced selection as keynote speaker for Fall 2012 conferences including the STEMtech, League for Innovation in the Community College, the Electronics Technology Association and Spring 2012 keynotes include Tennessee State STEM Transformation Conference, Arizona Leading Change Conference, and the 84th Annual Michigan Industrial and Technology Education Society convention.

“We are we are proud of the historical achievements of Dr. Kane and we are pleased to have IDEAS Orlando’s Jim Brazell help us achieve our STEM transformation goals through planning and design,” explains Dr. Carol Adukaitis.

“Strategy of Technology is Dr. Kane’s contribution to the field of technology forecasting, strategy and thinking,” says Brazell. “We wanted to find several initiatives in Pennsylvania focused on transformative education. We decided to support the work of Dr. Ken Borland and Dr. Carol Adukaitis with resources including a workshop on strategy of technology and concluding report.”

MEDIA CONTACT: Dr. Ken Borland, Executive Director, NW PA STEM Initiative, Cell (814) 449-6477 Email (borlandken@roadrunner.com )

Great Product? That’s just the start.

Boost customer loyalty, create marketing opportunities, and shorten the sales cycle–without spending much doing it. Here’s how. One of the most difficult challenges for businesses, from start-up mode to mature entity, is creating “relevancy” with customers. Being relevant does not stop with having a great product—that’s often just the first part of the equation. Real relevance happens when you find ways to add value to your customers’ lives—before, during, and after a sale. Relevance makes customers choose your company over a competitor, it generates customer satisfaction during their interaction with your company, and it keeps them bringing their business back to you time and again. Make your business relevant in three easy steps.

1. Offer extra insight. 

When customers are deciding who will win their business, they are often faced with multiple offers, which, at first glance, can appear similar to each other. Set your business apart by not only showing customers the value of your product, but also the expertise that comes with it. If you own a real estate company, for example, don’t just send postcards with a picture of your latest listing—include a tip on a nearby neighborhood restaurant and maybe even a recipe from that eatery. This will give your customers insight into their potential new neighborhood and inspire them to imagine living there—from cooking in their new kitchen to dining out near their new home. As an added bonus, reach out to the restaurant and get them to pick up the cost of the mailing in exchange for the free PR.

2. Make your company an information hub.

Customers’ time is valuable. Make your business relevant to them by acting as a sieve through which the information they need to make their buying decision passes. Simplifying industry research or giving expert advice on purchasing makes it easy for customers to buy through your business. When a customer recently called to say her state was changing the laws governing licensing for piercers, we knew all of our customers in the same state would need to make changes quickly in order to be in compliance, and we made it easy for them by putting details about the changes in legislation on our website. We were sure to extract the relevant data which relate to the products we sell. We even added a “tell a friend” link to the page so readers could let other stores in their area know where to go to get clarity.

3. Protect your customers–even after they buy.

Customers like to spend money where they feel safe. One of the best ways to remain relevant is to continue to protect your customers after they purchase with you. If your company is a travel agency, for example, don’t let the interaction end when the airplane ticket is purchased. Keep yourself on the top of your customers’ minds by sending them a checklist of important travel information a week before departure. Remind them about carry-on liquid rules, health and safety concerns at their destination, or important items to pack for international travel.  This lets them know you are as invested in their vacation as they are in your business. If you highlight a particular product in this process, contact the company that sells it and ask to send your checklist to their email list too (with a link back to your travel site). You just might gain new business.

Relevance is a powerful tool both in growing your business and in safeguarding your standing in the marketplace. Efforts to remain relevant can boost customer loyalty, create marketing opportunities, and shorten the sales cycle—all for very little money.

Click HERE to read the article from the Inc. website.

New Ernst & Young LLP report discusses studies of state film tax credits and different approaches used to evaluate the effectiveness of film credit programs.

A study released by Ernst & Young LLP outlines the economic benefits of film production tax incentives for states and analyzes the most effective framework for evaluating the economic success of film incentive programs. The study examines the objectives of film credit programs, explains the methodologies used to estimate the economic benefits of film credit programs and discusses the approaches used to analyze the film credits in a number of recent state studies of the effectiveness of film credits. Film credits are currently in use in 37 states.

“The primary benefits of film credits to state residents are increased employment and higher incomes generated by film production activities,” said Robert Cline, Ernst & Young LLP’s National Director of State and Local Tax Policy Economics. “However, the economic benefits to residents extend beyond the production activities themselves and include increased activity by suppliers to the film industry and increased consumer spending from higher incomes.”

The Ernst & Young LLP report discusses film credit studies in various states that differ significantly in methodology, comprehensiveness in measuring economic benefits and in the measures used to evaluate the effectiveness of film credits in generating jobs and incomes. The most comprehensive studies measure the economic impacts from credit-assisted film productions, increased tourism, development of a sustainable film industry infrastructure and additional film productions not eligible for the credits. The comprehensive studies also include estimates of the additional state and local taxes from increased jobs and incomes.

As state tax shortfalls have grown and budgets have been cut, legislators have been forced to weigh expenditures on film credits with those on other types of economic development programs and more general state spending. The Ernst & Young LLP report discusses the framework for evaluating the effectiveness of film credit programs. The primary objective of the programs is to increase private-sector economic activity. This is a broader perspective for evaluating a film credit’s effectiveness than simply asking if a credit “pays for itself” by generating additional state taxes that exceed the state cost of the credit.

“The main focus of the evaluations of film credits to-date has been whether or not the credits ‘pay for themselves’ through higher state and local tax collections,” said Cline. “But the more important issue for policy makers to focus on as they evaluate state film credits is the effectiveness of film credits compared to other state economic development programs in terms of jobs and economic development.”

The study was co-authored by Andrew Phillips and Robert Cline of the Quantitative Economics and Statistics Practice (QUEST) of Ernst & Young LLP and William Fox of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Tennessee on behalf of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). A copy of the complete report is available HERE.

About QUEST: QUEST is a group of economists, statisticians and tax policy researchers within Ernst & Young’s LLP’s National Tax Practice, located in Washington, DC. QUEST provides quantitative advisory services and products to private and public sector clients that enhance business processes, support regulatory compliance, and analyze policy issues.

About Ernst & Young: Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 152,000 people are united by our shared values and an unwavering commitment to quality. We make a difference by helping our people, our clients and our wider communities achieve their potential.

For more information, please visit www.ey.com. Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young LLP, a US client-serving member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited.

About the MPAA: The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. serves as the voice and advocate of the American motion picture, home video and television industries, domestically and, through our subsidiaries and affiliates, internationally. It champions a healthy, thriving film and television industry by engaging in a variety of legislative, policy, education, technology and law enforcement initiatives. These efforts range from safeguarding intellectual property rights to using technology to expand consumer entertainment choices, to championing fair trade agreements and a secure future for artistic freedom of expression.

SOURCE Ernst & Young LLP

Click HERE to read the article from the MarketWatch website.

Games have shown great promise for learning, but it’s not always easy to figure out the logistics of how to use them in class. Every student and teacher’s experience is unique and it takes time to calibrate and tinker to get the best out of the experience. What’s more, using games might lead to something neither students or teacher anticipated — more work.

When it came to using the game Operation Lapis to learn Latin, the experience proved to be a mixed bag for students and teachers. In the game, students play the role of Romans in a reconstruction of ancient Pompeii (or ancient Rome) and have to learn to think, act, create and write like a Roman in order to win the game. Those are the same goals of any introductory Latin course.

After Kevin Ballestrini launched the game in his own class, ten other interested teachers decided to take a stab at using it in their classes. The prevailing conclusion? Students’ successes represent the environment and instructor as much as the game itself. The teachers shared similar joys and frustrations with the challenges, whether it was an over-designed aspect of the game or the benefit of creating active learners. And without exception, they all said they spent more time reviewing students’ writing and were impeded by lack of technology access in the classroom.

Karen Zook, a Ph.D. student working under professor Roger Travis, one of the co-creators of the game, says students struggled with the new game when she first started using it in her college Latin class.

“The first week or two is always a little rough,” Zook says. “Trying to form the students into long-term groups is hard when it isn’t clear who’s going to be in the course for the first few weeks.”

Students were also skeptical when they learned their homework was going to take the form of a game. After that initial adjustment period, though, they came to appreciate Lapis, she said.

“It forces engagement, and provides for a less-frustrating classroom experience, since it compels students to prepare for class in a way that’s [different] in a more traditional setting,” she said.

This “forcing” of student engagement was a common thread among teachers who tried the game.

“There are a portion of students who refused to buy into the system and they have since failed out of the class,” said Matthew Bennet, a high school Latin teacher and co-creator of the game. “The issue with those particular students is that [the game] requires students to take an active role in learning, rather than passively allow them to have the learning done to them. So, for students who do not do any sort of work, Lapis provides an insurmountable problem because they cannot simply skid by not doing anything. Lapis is constructed in such a way that not doing anything is impossible.”

The students weren’t the only ones adjusting to this type of class. Most teachers also found using the game to require a more active role than traditional classes. Matt Ramsby, who started using Lapis in January, enjoys the experience overall but says he’s spending much more time on this class than in other Latin classes he’s taught.

“The biggest downside I’ve found so far is the amount of time it takes me to check on their daily inputs into the interface, which I find tedious and sometimes difficult to manage,” Ramsby said. As a result, he hasn’t used several key parts of the program, like the cards, the LPs, for instance, because he hasn’t had time.

Bennet agrees. “It takes a tremendous amount of time and energy as a teacher to keep up with 60 students writing so much Latin 3 times a week,” he said.

Clearly, there are positive and negative effects of the rigor of the course. Ballestrini said it took him similar amounts of time as the other teachers, but he spent it monitoring students’ progress rather than grading homework after it was turned in. But not everyone has that time in the evening to spend, Zook points out.  Especially at the college level when students might be working at less traditional times, like pounding out a paper at 4 a.m.

All except for one teacher interviewed who implemented the game said students learned as much as a normal class, or more. The one teacher who stopped using the game within the first few weeks claimed his students started out with more knowledge than the game anticipated. Other teachers simply skipped some sections of it. As game-based learning becomes more common, best practices and techniques will continue to develop. Perhaps a year from now each of these teachers will know exactly how to best implement Lapis in their courses and be singing its praises.

Ramsby is still very hopeful. “I think it the game represents a legitimate alternative to traditional curriculum models in the teaching of Latin,” he says.  “I’m not really finding much success with it yet in that sense, since I’m using with students who’ve already had at least one year of Latin, so most of the material seems basic to them. But I like the idea, and I like it a lot, of having an electronic role-playing textbook such as this. And to be honest, I am probably the limiting factor in my students’ enjoyment and full appreciation of it.”

Click HERE to read the entire article from the KQED website.

There is no doubt that Spaceport America is well on its way to delivering on the promises made to the state taxpayers. I’m happy to report that 99 percent of the spaceport’s Phase One construction is complete, and we should be receiving a certificate of occupancy on the Gateway to Space building and the Spaceport Operations Center shortly. More than 1,000 New Mexicans have worked on the project so far, and more than $12 million in GRT has come back to the state and local counties since the beginning of construction. In addition, more than $5 million has gone to spaceport-related education since 2009 and we have achieved global media coverage promoting the state of New Mexico valued at over $40 million since the facility’s groundbreaking.

Virgin Galactic has moved into an office in Las Cruces and will begin paying lease fees to the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) this summer on the Gateway building. So far we’ve hosted 15 other launches from four other customers, seven of which have occurred on my watch in the last year. We have been busy! Furthermore, due to shrewd management and a favorable bid climate, the NMSA has actually been able to add to the original scope of the spaceport over the course of the project’s development, in order to accommodate new requirements such as: a southern access road; expanded facilities in our vertical launch area; extended safety zones on the main runway; and most significantly, a substantially enhanced public tourism effort, called the spaceport’s “Visitor Experience.”

As originally planned and promised to voters several years ago, the Visitor Experience consisted of two facilities along I-25 known as Welcome Centers, one in Hatch and one in Sierra County. The centers would be venues for tourists to learn about Spaceport America and the surrounding areas, as well as the official point of entry for all visitors to the spaceport itself.

The plan envisioned that Welcome Centers could be a catalyst for local tourism and economic development if done properly, and to that end, the NMSA committed $500,000 toward the effort in each community. However, we discovered that $500,000 per Welcome Center was insufficient to design, construct and fit-out two facilities. We all seemed to focus more on where the centers would be located rather than whether or not they would actually be worth visiting.

Since that time, the NMSA has learned a great deal about what it takes to succeed in the tourism business, and the Visitor Experience plan has grown into something I believe will better serve our communities. Recent comments in the press might lead the casual observer to conclude that the NMSA is robbing the planned Visitor Experience budget to accommodate competing funding objectives and thereby compromising its quality.

This is not the case. Each Welcome Center’s budget is more than three times larger than originally proposed. In fact, the budget for the Visitor Experience is now more than 10 times larger than it was at the outset. When you count our strategy to leverage state dollars with private sector investment (per the governor’s call for public-private partnerships), the total investment doubles to nearly $20 million – and we did this while staying within the original $209 million spaceport budget. In the end, this budget enhancement means that we can build an experience that attracts more guests from around the world; an experience that more strongly showcases our communities; an experience that engages students of all ages with more excitement; an experience we can be proud of.

We now have, for the first time, a credible, exciting Visitor Experience plan developed by world-class experts in the field, that I believe will attract hundreds of thousands of paying guests into our communities. We are now moving forward with implementing that plan. I appreciate the support of so many in moving this project forward, and together, we will ensure that Spaceport America is the big success we all want it to be in terms of economic development for our State, inspiration for our visitors, and educational motivation for our students.

Christine Anderson is the executive director of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority.

Click HERE to read the article from the Silver City Sun-News website and click HERE for more about our work on the Spaceport America Visitor Experience.

“This is a monumental step forward for us when it comes to quality, efficiency, and client service. Previously we had two PC-based Avid systems and our current Final Cut Pro system,” John Lux, President of IDEAS, remarked. “Upgrading the two Avids to MAC-based systems allows us to add Final Cut Pro X and the DaVinci color correction software to our workflow. This will give us the flexibility and efficiency that few facilities have. It will allow us to offer a superior product, faster, which makes for a better experience for our clients and allows us to exceed expectations. Whether it’s a television series, independent film, corporate communication piece, or government training video, anytime we can deliver a better product faster, our clients are happy.”

Avid Media Composer 6 is the most versatile tool for professional video editing with native 64-bit operation, increased performance, is able to manage and edit stereoscopic 3D projects, includes an easier and more efficient new user interface, and a more integrated ProRes workflow. The Avid ISIS 5000 sets the benchmark for real time, media-optimized shared storage with Avid’s high standards for real time editorial workflow support and stable operation. Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve is the world’s most advanced color grading system combining powerful features and real time performance. Finally, Final Cut Pro X features faster editing, enhanced media organization, and better file-based workflows with the ability to support image sizes from SD to 4K.

Click HERE for our recent blog post about the upgrade including pictures of the install process.

All work and no play? You may be missing an opportunity to tap into your true genius. For America to maintain its place as a leading world economy, we need to get back to our broad-based entrepreneurial roots. Creativity can be considered a numbers game: When more of us are generating creative ideas, better ideas are discovered, and we need our best ideas now more than ever.

Duke University professor and author Carl Nordgren says that a creatively entrepreneurial revolution has been brewing for years. Even corporate leadership is calling for this revolution, as is evident by the results of a study of 1,500 CEOs by IBM. It found the No. 1 employee-trait they valued to successfully navigate an increasing complex world is creativity.

“It’s basic to the human condition to be creatively entrepreneurial, to see problems as opportunities, and to see those opportunities as a chance to make things better,” says Nordgren. “If you spend 30 minutes with a four-year-old you will be reminded of how natural it is to use imagination and creativity to navigate this world. There is all kinds of research that shows how inherently creative we are.”

Studies show 98% of us are born to this world as creative geniuses at divergent thinking, but that only 3% of us score as creative geniuses at divergent thinking by the time we are 23 years old.

“We’ve been deceiving ourselves for centuries in believing that creativity is a gift to the common few,” says Nordgren. “Too many of us allow those qualities to lie dormant, but we are born creatively entrepreneurial beings.”

In his quest to bring America back to its entrepreneurial roots, Nordgren has been participating in this creatively entrepreneurial revolution for years now and has recently offered it a name: Creative Populism. The Creative Populist movement is about each and every one of us cultivating our ability to be creatively entrepreneurial.

For the CEO, it means nurturing a culture where the age-old battle of the creatives vs. the suits comes to an end so that developing creatively entrepreneurial talent throughout the organization becomes a top priority. For the individual, it means intentionally developing the qualities we all need to identify opportunity and build value and create change from the bottom up.

Nordgren has been helping individuals and businesses get back to their entrepreneurial roots through his business advisory services as well as through TEDx talks and guest lecturers at universities and businesses throughout the nation. He has also written Welcome to the Creative Populist Revolution, which serves as a guide book for those determined to build their creatively entrepreneurial abilities.

Click HERE to read the entire article from the Inc. website by Marla Tabaka.