OK, the headline caught your attention, so you’re here. First note that i say “Hated” in the past tense, not “Hate” in the now.

I used to hate steve jobs, because he always seemed to promise much more than he delivered. I remember back in 1984 when my house mate bought a Mac that could display a full width page of text on screen and required him to swap out floppies everytime he tried to use any sort of function. It seemed to me it was an over priced and underpowered prototype, that wasn’t ready for prime time. Jobs continued to disappoint with the Lisa, Newton (though mr Pepsi - john sculley may be to blame on that). When Jobs left apple and formed Next, he once again promised a piece of hardware that he never delivered, specifically the lack of a rewritable CD. The Next venture was a financial failure, despite the fact that the OS, called nextstep was considered by many at the time, the best graphical software development platform, ever.

Nextstep was the first time i started feeling that mr. jobs was able to deliver what was promise, at least when it was software which didn’t depend on outside manufacturers. The point where Pixar released clips of disney’s Toy Story, was the moment that my steve jobs switch went from “doesn’t deliver” to “wow”. Since then he’s returned to apple to turn the MP3 player into the brand of iPod, the iphone and of course that mac that i laughed at 25 years ago.

Well when the mac moves to Intel, then os X, i was ready to consider the switchover. Everytime i ended up ready to buy, i ended up choosing a PC for 50-60% of the price of the mac. Well in june, my windows XP machine lost it’s mind and wasn’t usable and my hp laptop was running a broken install of Vista, which i hate. So after talking to a friend about how to use a Macbook with external keyboard and monitor, i took the leap. I paid the $2300 CAD, even settled for 250gb hard drive to get one in my hands immediately.

It’s now about two months on the Mac and it’s such a stable operating system that i rarely need to deal with a crash. The software updates seem to be smoother and take seconds, not the minutes that windows often does. I never thought i’d ever say I love my Mac, but i love my mac.

Did microsoft’s crappy OS drive to the Mac? Did John Hodgman’s “PC” character in the mac ads reminding me of all the BS over the years make me switch? Beats me, but Once You Go Mac, You’ll Never Go Bac!

That’s why I hated steve jobs, but now i’m over it. :>)

This man has such a way with words, facts and science generally:

The company Christmas Party, despite cutbacks this year, is still a widely shared cultural experience in the US, many people have Christmas Parties either at the office or at offsite location sponsored by the company. Many people refuse to attend, many look forward to the party all year long and some attend purely as a political display. As a small business, with a partner and a couple of employees, 3 different states, we don’t really gather for social occasions, we’re already friends or relatives and socialize outside of business.

I for one am happy to trade the Christmas party for working on my own schedule and agenda, but i understand those how like a job and being part of a bigger team.

I found this “christmas” party image, it’s pretty funny:

Toyota announce that they now expect a loss of over $1 billion for their current fiscal year. I’ve yet to hear calls from Richard Shelby that they fire their executives, bust their union or consider reorganization. Of course Toyota isn’t seeking a bailout since they’re sitting on $29 billion in cash, about 3 times the value of the “Big 3″.

My point: If you don’t think the current credit crisis and it’s fallout hasn’t created an extrordinary situation you need to sober up and great real.

Unfortunately i feel it necessary to correct the talking heads on US news shows, who continue to spread their misinformed opinions about the Detroit automakers. These include Mark Haines of CNBC, George Will and Aryana Huffington. The fact that these people continues to demand new executives for the Big 3, arguing that you need outsiders to fix the problem.

Well the outsiders are there at 2 of the 3 companies. The people who own and run Chrysler are vulture capital group Cerberus Capital, they’ve put Bob Nardelli, formerly of GE and Home Depot in charge. Whether you like Nardelli or not, he’s not a car guy nor is he from Detroit. Ford Motor Company CEO Alan Mulally, was brought to Detroit from Seattle, where he ran manufacturing for the largest exporter in the US, Boeing Aerospace. Mulally has been tasked with restructing the company, which generally means cutting manufacturing and operational costs. He’s solely responsible for reversing Ford’s biggest marketing mistake since the Edsel, the retiring of the Taurus brand name. So 2 of the 3 companies are led by outsiders, non-auto, non-detroit guys, yet we should fire them?

You may ask if 2 men can make a difference? Maybe, but there are more new hires that make a difference. Here is a list:

Chrysler -
Jim Press - President, vice chairman. Former COO of Toyota NA, a 37 year Toyota Veteran.
Sigmund Huber Supplier Relations, former General Manager Toyota Engineering and Manufacturing in North America.

Ford -
JC Mays - Divisional VP, former Audi Designer, vp at SHR perpetual management
James D. Farley - Group Vice President, Marketing and Communications. Was Group Vice President and General Manager of Lexus, before leading Lexus, group vice president of Toyota Division marketing.

GM -
Well this is not a company that has brought in outsiders to held turn the tide, they are the exception of the 3. The old guard at GM did put the guys in place who had succeeded in Europe and the ROW. Europe was one of the GM’s more successful and most competitive markets.

So why don’t the media and the US Congress seem to know this?

North America’s Auto Capital - Yes I’m writing you from the Windsor side of the Detroit/Windsor border, the auto capital’s of the US and Canada. So you know i have a vested interest in this. This doesn’t make me an expert on the auto industry, but it does apparently mean i know a lot more about the topic than Senator Richard Shelby and NY Times commentator Tom Friedman. After listening to the two of them slander the US auto industry generally and the UAW specifically, I wanted to set the facts straight and let you decide.

The UAW is not the problem here. Toyota, Honda, Mercedes, BMW, Hyundai, Renault, VW, etc. all have Unions in their home countries. The problem here is the US Auto Company’s management. Detroit’s managers have had to manage their unions, as have their competitors, if the union is the problem, then management has failed to manage that part of their business. In fact, since 2005 the UAW has agreed to 2 major concessions in their contract. The first concession established a 2 tier wage system that allows the Detroit 3 to pay new workers at levels matching foreign owned plants in the US, while the second removed medical pension liability from the auto companies to the Union. The effect of these will be to reduce GM’s cost differential with Toyota by 80%, by 2010.

Now that the blame is being placed at management’s feet, just how bad are they? The Detroit 3 still holds about 45% of the US market, while competing against world class competitors that include Toyota, Honda, Daimler Benz, BMW plus companies including VW, Fiat and Renault who are world class in the small car markets. The Detroit 3’s 45% share is larger than that of Toyota, Honda and all 3 German automakers combined. How is this a failure? Does either Coca Cola or Pepsi have a 45% market? The Detroit 3 control 45% of the market against at least 15 large international competitors.

Friedman and Shelby chastised the automakers for not building what people want. Forgive my ignorance here, but weren’t pickup trucks and SUV’s the most popular vehicles in the US, before Oil skyrocketed and gasoline rose from $2 to $5.25? If Friedman or Shelby were right, the current financial panic should not have affected the sales of world beater Toyota? Well Toyota’s sales were down 26% while the US 3 were down 33-45%, the difference is based on the US companies being more focused on trucks and SUVs. So Toyota is down 26% and Ford is down 33% so Toyota is great and Ford is sub par? Let’s get real, whatever the problems the US 3 have, the financial panic which has wiped out sales, has had the effect of accelerating the costs of the US 3’s huge restructuring.

Finally, there is the repeated claim that Detroit is behind the times on technology, which is historically untrue. The Detroit 3 first introduced engine computers, overhead cams, fuel injection, etc. For years Detroit has led the way in spread safety technologies such as Airbags and ABS to mass produced cars. Yes Detroit has fallen behind on hybrids, but it’s important to remember that much of the success of hybrids have been their marketing as being greener than traditional cars. The reality, according to Toyota’s own numbers is that each Toyota hybrid reduces an average of 4.5 tons of CO2 over it’s lifetime (Hybrid Hype), about $5 worth of CO2 at current market prices: www.theccx.com. GM has been launching their Hybrids, which have focused on improving the mileage of their most popular and least efficient products: SUVs and trucks. Management in Detroit may have be unable to compete in small cars, pay themselves too much and lack forward thinking vision, but the truth is their products are demonstrating they still have a major impact in marketplace.

OK, first of all, I get to be a Grateful Dead fan, no matter what you uptight Wall Street guys may think. If Roger McNamee (the link is the Rex Foundation), Gary Bettman and Al Gore can be Deadheads, any modern businessman/woman can too.

But seriously my trip to the Green Earth Expo in Orlando was a bit strange. First it was the first booth that i’ve worked at a show since AutoFact 1986. Second it was the first booth/show that was for my own company that i arranged myself. Finally i was heading to alternative energy, sustainable business show it turned out to be more alternative lifestyle and products with a large minority of green energy and recycled products exhibitors. So it wasn’t quite the trip i was thinking it would be.

The event was at the Orange County Convention Center (WARNING - The center’s internet service provider, tells you that their $1000 wireless service isn’t really as reliable as their $1500 service. They don’t tell you they sell a $24 a day wireless, that seems to work fine) which is very large place with a lot of one way roads and driveways. The driving was quite annoying until the second day of driving there. This was my first trip to Orlando as an adult and while i hate paying 2, 75 cent tolls to get from the airport to the tourist area, it was a good experience aside from the driveways.

Now, back to the show.
I’m not against alternative lifestyles and other movements that seek to change people’s behavior. I’m not against hippies either. I’m just not sure we’re going to make much of an impact on the folks who drive SUVs, Fly around the world for fun or business and run their A/C full out any day it hits 75, by linking green with alternative lifestyle. Hell, i’m a guy who meet’s 2 of the 3 criteria above, i think i have a more typical american lifestyle than the alternate sorts. I want to save the world, i try to reduce my usage, but i like to have fun and live well too. I’m in favor of sustainability, not against consumerism and that’s where I think linking alternative living with alternative/green technologies doesn’t work at attracting the vast majority of the Americans that need to be engaged.

Now i don’t want this to sound like an attack at Green Earth Expo, it’s not. My friend went to a show in Chicago, that same weekend and had the same observation. Today i was meeting in Toronto (i’m happy to be able to take a train there) and my counterpart was telling me something similar about some shows he’s been to. I guess in short i’m saying the ‘business’ of fighting global warming should focused on environmentally friendly products not on ways to adapt your life to a world with less. While there is plenty of room for both movements, they don’t seem well matched to share a show.

Here are a bunch of Saturday Night Live videos i’ve found funny.

The Disney Vault

Bush Cartoon

700 Club Gag

Well i’ve been told by about 10 people that the book is good, so i hope that anyone who actually buys it agrees.

My Book: A Little Green Book of Environmental Quotes and Comments is currently available at atlasbook.com

It is the first of a series of “A Little Green Book” titles. The second title, A Little Green Book of Organic Gardening Tips. is also available at lulu, until our first big printing run is available.

We have several more titles in the works. I’m hoping to make it something that can become sustaining to both myself and our authors. We’re looking to bring bloggers to print, on green focused “reference” books.

Well I’m off to my first “green” industry conference, this one in particular focuses on the carbon trading (carbon offset) markets and the industry that is building around. As CEO of www.4Offsets.com I’ll be attending sessions focusing on the offset industry. The “Carbon Forum America” will take place in San Francisco Feb. 26 and 27th, we are proud to be a sponsor.