#makeitcount

A couple of guys take a tour around the world in 10 days to illustrate what it means to “Make It Count.”

According to Zoe Fox of Mashable:

“Casey Neistat tricked Nike.

The sporting giant hired the film director and editor Max Joseph to create a commercial for the Nike FuelBand featuring the slogan “Make It Count.” But at the last minute, the duo strayed from the agreed-upon spot, and set off on a journey around the world using Nike’s money and advice to “Make It Count.”

“The ‘Make It Count’ film was the third film I was to make for Nike and at the last minute I thought, ‘If I could do anything in the world and make it count what would I do?’” Neistat told CNN.

It took 10 days to use up Nike’s cash. Neistat and Joseph traveled 34,000 miles, visiting 16 cities in 13 countries on three continents. The result is a four-and-a-half-minute film, which still features Nike’s “Make It Count” branding.

Neistat says they shot enough footage for 10 feature films. He also uploaded an album of still shots to Facebook.

The film has been viewed more than one and a half million times on YouTube in less than three days.

Nike, needless to say, has been pleasantly surprised with the film’s viral reach.”

I’m inspired. Anyone want to come with me?

Foreign Currency Transactions and Hedging Foreign Exchange Risk

Terms such as derivatives, hedges, forwards, and options are enough to instill a little bit of fear in even the savvy and formally trained finance and accounting professionals. To the layman, these are complex finance terms that deserve little respect, but to many of my peers these terms are the source of high anxiety and sleepless nights—particularly before an Advanced Financial Accounting (CSUSM ACCT 422) or CPA exam.

Fortunately, the folks at Investopedia have produced a great series of videos that help de-mystify some of the topics with an easy-to-understand info-graph format. Sometimes it helps to put down the textbook, step back, and evaluate these advanced concepts with a fresh, grass-roots perspective. I’ve included a couple of videos below:

How Do Futures Contracts Work?:

Introduction To Hedge Funds:
 

Foreign Exchange Market Basics:
 

Understanding Foreign Exchange Quotes:
 

Mr. Porter's Packing Tips for the Well-Traveled Man (or Woman)

Excellent advice for all of you Jetsetters. Happy travels!

Inside The New York Times' Graphics Department

The Power of Words

Street Art With Packing Tape

A new form of street art developed in the streets of Amsterdam that utilizes packing tape and a scalpel.

Microsoft: Productivity Future Vision (2011)

Watch how future technology will help people make better use of their time, focus their attention, and strengthen relationships while getting things done at work, home, and on the go. (Release: 2011)

I love the liberal use of Avenir, one of my favorite fonts.

Life Expectancy

According to figures from the latest comprehensive life-expectancy tables, released by the National Center for Health Statistics, I have an average remaining life of 48.765 years with a 0.141% probability of death before my next birthday. Swell.

Life expectancy for newborn Americans is 77.7 years.