Steve Jobs, 2005 Stanford Graduation Address.
Stay hungry, stay foolish.

My friend Mike, an MIT grad, sent me this about the talk next week by Prof Low (see yesterday's post, below)

THE GUYS FOR REAL. HE'S WRITTEN BOOKS ON HEDGE FUNDS. HI WEB IS:
http://web.mit.edu/alo/www/

Free Public Lecture on the role of mathematics in the U.S. financial crisis.
Andrew W. Low, MIT.
Next Wednesday, July 8, 6:15 p.m., Colorado Convention Center.
Part of the Society for Industrical and Applied Mathamatics Annual Meeting.
http://www.siam.org/meetings/an09/

Happy Mid-Year!

To: My family, friends, and associates.
(If you're not, and if you got this directly from me, return
this email with "cancel" and I'll take you off my list.)

From: John Wren

We're over the hump for 2009!

And I know the best is yet to come!

Here's how things have been going for me,
and what my intentions are for the next 6 months:
(click on any item for more information)

Denver IDEA Cafe:
We've had some great speakers & brainstorming sessions!

Attendance is good most weeks, since we're the oldest and one
of the largest meetup.com groups in Denver. Contact me if you'd
be willing to share your startup experience some Friday. We
now announce speakers for the week each Wednesday.


Denver Socrates Cafe:
We've added a talking stick to the format, has been a real
improvement. Good discussion each week. Lou, Walt, John,
Dmitri and others have shared the leadership role, a new group
has spun off recently, and the Friday night group continues.


Denver Speakers Corner:
Loyal core group including Barb, Keith, George, Sal, and a few
others show up each week, others drop in from time to time and
there are usually a few passers-by who join in each week. We
are going to start attending Denver City Council Meetings at
least once a month and encouraging their participation.

Franklin Circle Denver Open:
This is just getting started, it's a group with no commitment, to
give newcomers a sample of the Franklin Circle format. Join us
any Friday, right after the IDEA Cafe.


Franklin Circle Omega Group:
I'm calling this the Omega group because it is the last Franklin
Circle I will ever personally lead. This is a Franklin Circle of
Franklin Circle leaders, we intend to have 10 new groups of 10
going by 2010. Let me know if you might like to join this group
(we'll meet Thursdays for lunch) or if you might like to join one
of the 10 new free or tuition-based groups that will be forming.

Joining and/or starting a new Franklin Circle can be a great way for
you to find new clients/friends, maximize what you are learning from
your experience, and to have fun doing it! For an invitation to a
meeting, contact me via return email or at (303)861-1447.

I'm going to focus entirely on helping to start new Franklin Circles.

In 2010 it is my intention to take what we are doing here in Denver
to other states. If you'd be willing to help, I'd love to talk with you.

I cannot do this alone.

Together, I believe that we can have a real impact and strengthen
the grassroots in both business and politics.

Together let's make the rest of 2009 the best of 2009!

Contact me now, and let's set a time to talk about how we can
help each other over the next few months. Contact me via
return email or (303)861-1447.

I look forward to working with you.

John

John S. Wren, MBA+
Life's short, start now!
www.JohnWren.com
(303)861-1447

Chris Anderson’s new book, “Free: The Future of a Radical Price” (Hyperion; $26.99)...Anderson is the editor of Wired and the author of the 2006 best-seller “The Long Tail,” and “Free” is essentially an extended elaboration of Stewart Brand’s famous declaration that “information wants to be free.” The digital age, Anderson argues, is exerting an inexorable downward pressure on the prices of all things “made of ideas.” Anderson does not consider this a passing trend. Rather, he seems to think of it as an iron law: “In the digital realm you can try to keep Free at bay with laws and locks, but eventually the force of economic gravity will win.” To musicians who believe that their music is being pirated, Anderson is blunt. They should stop complaining, and capitalize on the added exposure that piracy provides by making money through touring, merchandise sales, and “yes, the sale of some of [their] music to people who still want CDs or prefer to buy their music online.” From Malcolm Gladwell's review in the current New Yorker magazine.

Eating breakfast at Pete's this morning I read this article:

Preparing kids for life-- Groups working to make sure kids ready for life after they graduate. http://www.thedenverdailynews.com/article.php?aID=4727

This article made it sound like they were accepting comments on a proposal to make changes in public education in Colorado. I'd just told my Optimist Club last week if we didn't start doing something that had a bigger impact with kids, I was quitting. So I felt compelled to attend.

No comments being collected now, that's all over. 6,000 were invited (I wasn't were you?) and about 1,000 showed up to voice their opinion at hearings held around the state.

Now every one was gathered to celebrate what a good job had been done to define what it means to have a good education.

It means that no remedial education has to be done when the graduate shows up for work or college.

OK.

Did we really need this study to figure that out?

More about it at http://highered.colorado.gov/Academics/cap4k/cap4k.html

I need the class about how to stay focused on my own work...

Comment about the new Franklin Circle Denver Open meeting Friday:

Barry Wolfman

“ I was curious walking in, with no expectations. My wife was with me as an observer originally...I'd asked her to come because she's a better judge of character than I am. (And if I chose to return, she'd know what it was about.) We will both be back, and have planned to do it every Friday (except 7/3). Nice dynamic in the room, considering no one had ever met. Mr. Wren did a great job of explaining while participating while involving us and keeping it moving & interesting all at th same time. We are looking forward to making this a regular event, and very curious to see where it goes and how it affects us. Thanks! ”

You can join us, more info and RSVP at http://meetup.com/Franklin-Circle-Denver-Open

If you have quesitons about this free group, or about starting or joining a tuition-based Franklin Circle, call me at (303)861-1447.