The Colbert Rapport

Perhaps you've heard about amazon's new drone delivery system. Okay, it's not here yet and there may be some bugs to work out, but perhaps in 5 years you can have that item you just must have now delivered in 30 minutes. Some people have concerns, even amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, about such things as a drone landing on somebody's head. I wonder about the container it's delivered in. Do you just throw that yellow pod away? What if your cat pounces on the drone and destroys it? Do you have to pay for a new drone? Will it wait on the front step while you try on the sweater or bathing suit to see if it fits and immediately take it back if it's the wrong size?

Stephen came up with an idea that is much better. He told us all to close our eyes and imagine, but for those of us who couldn't resist the temptation to peek, he did have photos and graphics. His wonderful system would give shoppers instant gratification. He would have Spending Habit Opportunity Places strategically located near where people live and work. They would then go in these buildings, see the actual item they desire on a shelf, put it in a container called a cart, pay for it and it's theirs to keep, instantly. He would call it amazon live and it could be up and running by 2025.

It's December and you know what that means, it's War on Christmastime! Perhaps I'll write more about this in a later post, but if you want any information, just keep your ears and eyes open. It's everywhere.

Stephen's guest last night was Daniel Goleman. His newest book is Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence. The two of them talked about focus, when Stephen was paying attention, and also about empathy. Daniel Goleman said that perhaps the ability to pay attention could be a great predictor of later success. He mentioned Bill Gates and the Pope and their work with the poor of the world and how empathy enters in to that type of charity and caring.

The discussion between the two explored many avenues of intelligence or awareness. For example, Stephen brought up instances of how, at certain times, cavemen would be likely to be extremely focused. When Stephen asked about varying levels of focusing, Daniel Goleman brought up an example of when people are likely to be most focused. To prove he was actually paying attention, Stephen suggested a scenario where someone might combine maximum focus and minimum focus. According to Daniel Goleman, that would probably average out to 50% focus.

I think we can all agree that while Stephen might come across as somewhat self-focused, he does possess quite a bit of empathy and rapport if you get to know him well.