Wait, let me try that again… David Pogue is a Broadway-talented-piano-playing-ludicrously-singing-technology columnist. Caught your attention yet?

He makes technology fun.

“We’ll be telling our grandchildren, when I was a young man and I wanted Wireless Internet, I used to drive around town looking for a coffee shop!”

He makes sure we’re up on the coolest trends.

David not only shared with us useful tips like 800 2CHA CHA, the FREE service you can call to ask ANY question in the world, or the free 411 service 800 GOOG 411, but several fun tips as well, like:

Popularity Dialer. You can have this service call you at any time of the day, pretending to be your girlfriend or boss, etc. I’m sure you’ll come up with a reason to use this one day…

Midomi. Ever get a song caught in your head? But can’t remember the artist or title? With this iPhone app, you can now hum it to your phone and Midomi will pull it off the tip of your tongue!

Etch-A-Sketch. One of the coolest apps on the iPhone.. And guess how you erase your work of art? Yep! You shake it!

BUT, he makes sure they’re worth it first.

In a world where no one knows what is true and what isn’t, I think we should all admire how Pogue embraces his corky personality to teach the American people about new, useful technology.

Only about 17% of American consumers consider themselves “tech-savvy” (on the leading edge of technology). (ABIResearch.com)

So the OTHER 83% of consumers (of which I consider myself included) need the Patient Pogue to filter out all the crazy stuff ([tinyurl.com]) and confirm for us which technology will in fact dramatically impact our lives for the better.

Ironically, this quote from Gizmodo’s Joel Johnson sums up WHY Pogue is brilliant for writing to the 83% who aren’t Geoffrey Moore’s…

“The average Joe that makes up the market IS smarter than you saps. The market-at-large waits until a clear leader emerges, then takes a modest plunge. You may think you’re making up the “bleeding edge” of “gadget pimpatude” but you’re really just a loose confederation of marks the consumer electronics industry uses as free market research and easy money. “Give me the latest version,” you coo, hiking up your skirt another inch over your exposed wallet. “Point Oh One upgrades make me so hot.”" ([tinyurl.com])

The rash, ridiculous speed that the typical tech blogger dives in to the newest gadget-widget-thing is rather reflective of our country’s irresponsible consumer behaviors. Don’t you think?

So again, America needs the Patient Pogue… Lucky for us, he’s enlightening in a comically-entertaining easy-to-relate-to geek-humor kind of way. Whew!

Want to see for yourself?

After watching, I’m sure you’ll agree there’s not enough of the Pogueman to go around! ACTUALLY, there is! Check out the Pogue O’Matic, your own personal tech trends expert with a sense of humor, of course.

*Tip: Wait a couple minutes before choosing any of the buttons on the Pogue O’Matic and watch what happens …

Before I cover his entertaining musical interlude, here are several insights from his speech that caught my attention:

• “Entrepreneurs are heroes. Right now, we NEED heroes.”
• “After every bubble burst, there was a spike in innovation. Be ready for it.”
• “In 1423, if you were in Salem, MA, facing a wall and talking to yourself, you’d be burned at the stake. If you were at UC Berkeley in 1970, facing a wall and talking to yourself, you’d be considered stoned.  Nowadays, if you are facing a wall and talking to yourself, you’re probably on your cell phone.”

AND, this is where you should start paying attention! The future, according to Draper:

• Abundantly cheap water
• Non-invasive health devices
• Net zero energy homes
• Reigniting batteries
• Piloted electric cars
• Online education for the masses
• All computing from the cloud
• 3D on demand for entertainment
• Storable instant fresh meals (something, he said, he is greatly looking forward to :))
• Genetic disease prediction
• Cure for Cancer, AIDs, & Malaria
• 5cents/KWH electric fuel
• New life forms
• Cure for heart disease

After business is taken care of, Draper loosens up… and busts out the musical notes! It sure is refreshing to see such a well-respected and highly-regarded business leader poking fun at himself.

C’mon, guys, sing along! “He isss the rissskmmassstterrrr…..”

I got a sneak peek into where our professors get their information, initiative, research, and tips.

There were sessions on everything from “Developing Entrepreneurship Education” to “Hiring Entrepreneurial Students” to “Integration of Entrepreneurship Education & Clubs” to “Technology Commercialization @ Universities”

I infiltrated. I learned. I took away…

Most surprising key lesson:

For graduating seniors studying Entrepreneurship, there are some smart options to consider if you’re not ready for a start-up. a) You can work for a start-up, b) You can work with a company like ValPak or Tom James whose missions are to mentor, develop, and advance their employees, c) You can become a franchisee, or d) You can work in sales.

Sales? I know. Sounds crazy. But they almost sold me on this one.. no pun intended.  Being able to “sell” is such a critical piece of being an entrepreneur (from selling your idea to convincing others to work with you, etc), that sales very easily becomes a vital piece of the big picture.

Outstanding Keynotes:

Don Kuratko, “the Tony Robbins of Entrepreneurship” as put by a good friend of mine , told the shaking story of entrepreneurship education in the US:

“30 years ago there were only 6 universities that had recognized (entrepreneurship) programs. In the early 2000s, that number grew to 1,600. The initiative didn’t come from us. It came from the students. They CLAMORED for it! And we must not forget that.”

He went on to define entrepreneurship, in the context of the global economic state:

“… It is the most potent economic force the world has ever seen.”

His advice to the educators present?

1. “Be dedicated to entrepreneurship research - the creation of it, the respect for it, and the application of it.  Serve on editorial boards of journals, and to the criticizers, tell them - entrepreneurship is NOT magic. It’s a discipline, and like any discipline, it can be learned.“
2. “As entrepreneurship expands throughout your respective campuses, be careful not to lose its meaning!”
3. “If you sit and tell yourself how difficult campus administration is to convince, remember - Powerlessness is a state of mind.  If you THINK you’re powerless, then you ARE.”
4. “We have reached a point in time when the gap between what can be imagined and what can be accomplished has never been smaller.”
5. “The old order of things is crumbling and a new way is painfully trying to structure itself. Be a part of that.”

Tomorrow LIVE @ USASBE - Tim Draper of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, one of the world’s most legendary venture capitalists!

Your 10-STEP-to-CES Guidebook, while it’s fresh in my memory:

1. Recession? Normally = Bad, but Recession in Las Vegas during CES = Advantages (i.e. the hotel I stayed in - The Palazzo - should have cost 300+ per night during CES week. The damage? Only 130 / night. In addition, car rental was only 7 BUCKS / DAY! Did my whole blog just become unbelievable? Awesome!)

2. Stay near the conference. The “stress-saved” is worth a little extra cash. All of the keynotes are held in the Venetian meeting rooms. The Venetian is joined with 1) the Palazzo, 2) The Wynn, and 3) The Encore. The “Show Floor” (where all the companies display) is in the Sans Expo. A shuttle bus runs between the Venetian and the Sans all day long.

3. Ladies - skip the high heels. I speak from experience. 1.7 million net square feet of demo space. Enough said.

4. The “Lake of Dreams” is a MUST. Every 30 minutes, there is a (for lack of a better word) “dreamy” show put on in the lake outside the Wynn. See the famous “Singing Frog” show below… too funny!

5. Walk around the hotels. Think - actually think - about the effort and amount of detail that went into the design of these buildings. FYI - Encore cost 1.3 billion to build, with an overwhelming $50 million just for landscaping! Its brand new club, XS, is the largest club in North America. Why the name “XS”? Well, it’s excessive. Really!

6. Look out for celebrities and never forget your camera. You never know who might be around you. Paul Allen (Microsoft) was sitting a few rows ahead of me. Guess who forget her camera that day?

7. Bring your business cards! But don’t use PrintsMadeEasy.com. In a hurry to get a new shipment of cards for CES, I ordered 100 more and asked for them to be delivered to my hotel in Las Vegas. Instead, they sent them to my HOUSE In Connecticut!

8. Definitely take a walk down the strip. Definitely bring a friend.

9. Try the calamari @ the Woo in the Palazzo. You haven’t had calamari til you’ve tasted these. Yum.

10. Repeat after me. “MY. CELLPHONE. CAN. NEVER. BE. CHARGED. TOO. MUCH. AT. CES.” (IF. I. HAVE. AN. IPHONE. I. AM. S-O-L.)

So you know where to find me next January. Hope to see you all there, at the heart of the newest trends, technology, and event-extraordinaire!

“The future of technology will be 3 screens – the PC, the phone, and the TV.  There will eventually be one single platform for creating all connected experiences, and we are proud to know that Windows will be the FUTURE!”

“We have written the language that over 1 billion people speak.”

- Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO @ CES ‘09

Sony Keynote

The CEO of Sony, Sir Howard Stringer, brought on stage a plethora of celebrities. Finding myself among a sea of “tech geeks”, I was easily able to scramble to the front of the audience when USHER came out on stage!!!!!

…What?

I am a normal girl after all.

Sir Howard didn’t forget to bring out the rest of his friends: Tom Hanks and baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson also made appearances.

Uh… the new Sony Products? Ummm…..

Ford Keynote

Alan Mulally, CEO of Ford, mainly covered Sync, their new in-car communications and entertainment system forged from their Microsoft partnership. According to Mulally, there are nearly 1 million Ford cars on the road with Sync.  “Reviews have actually been great, too!” Their is hope for America’s car brand, after all?

Alan Mulally brings out Steve Ballmer to talk about their “new exciting partnership.”

Then, there’s me with Mulally! I waited patiently to talk to him. As I introduce myself, I hear his assistant proclaim, “It’s a Mulally LOVE-fest.”

I’ll tell you, though. Alan Mulally is a genuinely COOL person. Definitely on “the Factor” list. Not only did he hang around to talk to the audience members for 45 minutes, he took the time to sincerely talk to each one of them!

Verdict? Pencil It In Next Year! Jan 7-10, 2010

From the amazing 3-D Sound headphones to the world’s largest plasma flatscreen (150 inches!) to the thousands of interesting, smart people to the amazing keynotes to… Las Vegas - CES is a MUST for you in 2010!

“Half the WORLD goes to CES.”

Actually a very small percentage of the world goes to CES – only 150,000 out of the 6.7 billion humans there are on this planet. So, he was in fact, very wrong. However, if half of the world did go, which half would you be with?

Another friend commented:

“I don’t like zoos.”

There may be about 150,000 people at a large zoo in a city, on any given day. So in that respect I’ll concede.

But zoos are stinky, dirty, and ugly looking. I’ll let you decide for yourself, but judging by the picture of the Venetian to the right, I’d say if this is a zoo, it’s a zoo for the animals with Black Cards!

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO Keynote

Bill Gates has spoken at CES for the past 14 years, but 2009 called for a fresh outlook.  Considering, however, that having Microsoft open CES is a solid tradition, they didn’t stray too far away from the cradle. (strikingly representative of the world’s overall dependency on Microsoft!)  Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, will present tonight at 6:30pm PT.  Ballmer is known for continuing the legacy of Gates by building the current competitive culture of the corporation.

A very interesting research project would be to survey  the world’s PC users and ask them how many (regardless of if they actually will) want to make the terrifying Windows-to-Apple switch? Myself being one of them, I am sure the results would not favor Mister Softee. My point being… It’s an impactful year for Microsoft to show how innovative and user-friendly they really are, especially because of the economy. In fact, as I sit here, a dorky reporter asks a clueless girl:

Dorky Reporter: “So we are trying to discover what people here think Ballmer’s new product will be. What do you think?”

Girl: “uhhhh… I don’t really know anything about it.”

What do you think it will be? C’mon, no answer can be worse than the one I just had to painfully sit through.

Tune back in tonight in the am or tomorrow morning for CES coverage!

Me with: Matt Groening, Steve Wozniak, & Bello Nock

My life was turned upside down in Monterey, CA last weekend.  How did I get there? Why did I go? (especially with finals the following week!) What compelled me? The factor, of course! :)  I saw possibilities in Monterey and literally dropped everything, booked hotel and flight, without available funds, per se, and hoped my parents would be okay with it.

Never before have I been in a room with so many people with the factor before.  These individuals were energetic, inspiring, driven, creative, and entrepreneurial visionaries.  Some of the people I met and interviewed include Steve Wozniak, Matt Groening, Tim Ferriss, Amy Tan, Mike Rowe, and Peter Diamandis. The experience and inspirational advice from these people were out of this world.

So - I was blown away in Monterey for 4 main reasons:

1) The revolutionary ideas, breaking research, and global progress presented to us.

For example, one of my favorite talks was Dan Ariely’s on his research and book - “Predictably Irrational.” He has dissected human behavior and discovered some pretty wild results that are difficult to explain.  For example, “I give you a choice. A trip to Rome. Or a weekend in Paris. All expenses covered. And most choose Paris. But what if I added a fourth condition. You get a trip to Rome or Paris, all expenses paid. But no breakfast is included in Paris. You have to pay for the breakfast in Paris. Suddenly, Rome with breakfast becomes more desired than Rome without breakfast.”  So I ask - how are you irrational?

Another one was David MaCaulay, author of “How Do We Work?” One day, he decided that he wanted to understand — really understand — how everything inside of us works.  So he created illustrations of our insides using everyday items.

Bruce Shapiro.  The perfect example of an inquisitive and curious human mind.  He is a true inventor, and I was captivated by the creations he brought on stage.  For example, he discovered how to make bubbles shape into someone’s face.

David Gallo on his and Bill Lange’s unbelievable discoveries miles below the sea level.  Fish living in 200 degree celsius water in underwater lakes.  Someone from the audience joked, “hard to cook fish!”

Or Zahi Hawass, from the Discovery Channel, retelling his discover of King Tut!  (Zahi is one of the most passionate people I’ve ever seen present)

2) Main lesson: a truly simple idea can quickly evolve into something intense, powerful, popular, or captivating.

For example, check out speaker Matt Harding’s video on Youtube.  Simple, fun, exciting, compelling.  From a simple idea, Harding’s dances have become iconic and community-inspiring.

Or, for a powerful switch of gears, look at Miru Kim’s work.  Never in my life have I seen something like this.

3) It is critical to open your world up past your main interest and goal / ambition in life. For example, on a limited college budget, I try to only attend business-related conferences being a business / entrepreneurial-minded student.  However, after having been exposed to research, ideas, and breakthroughs in oceanography, photography, sustainability, space exploration, lifestyle design, and many others, I’ve realized that diversity of perspective is critical to becoming an interesting and well-cultured person that people want to not only work with, but converse with.

4) Quality & Creativity of the Event: Ever wonder how it feels to be wined and dined?? Not only amazing were the obvious extras, but the thought and creativity that came along with them.

For example, when the conference began, no one came to the stage and welcomed us verbally.  Instead, Greg Anderson and Elizabeth Joy Roe left us buzzing for more with their captivating piano duet. They got your blood flowing, your head buzzing, your eyes wide open, and your senses jazzing.  As an event-planner, I can’t imagine a better desired mood for your audience in opening seminar!

Also, when I got in line for registration (behind Amy Tan and Groening, by the way!) the registration staff handed me a deck of oversized playing cards, each one featuring a speaker.

There was a fun circus theme to everything, the idea of Michael Hawley, the EG’s Producer.  To signal the start of each seminar, they’d play loud circus music, which - I know - sounds absolutely looney, but it actually created a unique and exciting atmosphere.

I deeply thank all those who made this experience possible.  They know who they are.  My head is still swirling in inspiration and ideas, so I welcome anyone to reach out with questions or interest in any of the above topics.

I embarked on some research to prove this point beyond any reasonable doubt.  Do you doubt me yet? Good! A challenge is what I’m looking for.

I started out by connecting with legendary entrepreneurs who started young, currently young and successful entrepreneurs, or those who have had high interaction and experience with young entrepreneurs.

Below are some of their answers, when asked, “Why do you believe young people should act on their ideas now?”  In order of interview:

Cameron Johnson, famous young entrepreneur and author, “You Call the Shots”

“The hardest part of your question is keeping it short, I could probably list dozens of reasons (I call them advantages) for a college student to start a business.

Here are a few: better to fail early, your overhead will never be less, your connections will never be more plentiful (having access to a college community where every skill is available), there will never be a better time, you’re more likely to find help/recognition from others/media when you’re young. A job in exchange for a college degree is less and less common - large companies will continue to downsize and outsource and entrepreneurship/small job growth will flourish.”

Luke Skurman, CEO College Prowler:

“First, I’d rather bet on myself than anyone else.  There are so many external factors that I can’t control when I put my professional fate in somebody’s hands (call me a control freak!) but I don’t like that. I like betting on me.  It’s calculated good risk.  Secondly, if you go work for a “corporate” publicly traded company, yes, you’ll get a nice salary and benefits but the greatest single way to earn personal upside is through stock / options.”

Zach Kaplan, CEO Inventables.

“I’d say it is easier to start a company as a college student or immediately after graduation because you have less responsibility and commitments than later in life. In addition your monthly expenses are quite low and in some cases your parents might be helping out so if your venture fails you’ll have a pretty soft landing. Once you get started you’ll know pretty quickly if being an entrepreneur is for you.  Today most college students have access to 3 important tools for getting started: a phone, an internet connection, and a computer.”

Doug Imbruce, CEO TheU.com.

The only advice I can give is rather simple and based on a speech I once heard Jeff Bezos give. It’s all about the regret minimization factor: you don’t want to leave this world with any regrets… so one should always take the biggest risks, dream the wildest dreams, and seize the smallest and largest opportunities! There is no better time to do so when you are young and familial obligations are non-existent. Period.

Todd Masonis, Co-founder Plaxo.

“One of the hardest things about starting a company is to find other like minded people to start with, and a good university generally has good access to people in a similar situation. I’ve also found that students have much better access to VCs and advisers as most anyone will give advice to a student, but that gets harder once you graduate. There’s often also alumni or professor support, or access to free labor that also makes it an opportune time.”

Kevon Saber, CEO AllDorm, Inc.

“In addition to the reasons you mentioned, I would add that starting a real venture provides incredible context for classroom learning.”

Steve Wozniak, Co-founder Apple.

“Out here (Silicon Valley), failing is like a badge of honor.  Being able to say that you failed 3 or 4 times while you were young and then used this experience to finally build something GREAT is considered legendary. So yes, starting young is definitely the right idea.”

David Pogue, Tech Columnist NY Times.

“Young people nowadays have such incredible opportunities, living in the Internet Age.  Online, they can potentially impress and do business with someone 20 years older than them.”

Chad Moutray, Chief Economist SBA.

“While it looks bad now, there are definitely opportunities out there.  You just have to look a little harder.”

**FYI: “Entrepreneurship is key to growth in growth and job creation in America.  Entrepreneurship accounts for 50% of all GDP and 50% of all new job creation.” (MIT OpenCourseWare)

Check back soon for a recap of my interviews with Tim Ferriss (FourHourWorkWeek.com) and Peter Diamandis (www.Xprize.com).

To read more about CEO’s awards, visit this brief article link.

For more information on Bryant CEO or CEO Consulting, visit bryantceo.org