In this video it features three students who attend Baghdad University as they go through the problems they face, the same every student does. What to do after University, what kind of job you want to get into, when next to see friends and family etc. However these students have to put up with friends being killed in bomb attacks, Dean of the school being assassinated, and general fear of attack from extremists. These “war students” from Baghdad really show us that no matter what problems you think you may have, think about how unlucky some others have it. There is always a worse off situation, and these people still have hope for the future of rebuilding their country, whilst others look to leave then come back.
Amazing video insight into what everyday young Iraqi’s want out of life, and how similar we all are.
Most people know Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple. You are probably either in the camp of Windows or Mac (excluding the hardcore in Linux, although saying that I use Ubuntu and I’m not hardcore). From these choices you probably have a view on Steve Jobs as did I.
However I got pointed to this amazing speech by him. In it he goes into his early life, as well as his recent battle with cancer. Its nice to hear him speak openly about goals, and how he has overcome being sacked from the company he founded, then rehired. Steve Jobs has been through a lot and come through it all, and whether you like Macs or PC’s, I hope you will find this speech as interesting and inspiring as I did.
Its was done in 2005 by Steve at the Stanford University Commencement Address in California. His talk is aimed at inspiring people to pursue their dreams and never settle. “Stay Hungry, and Stay Foolish” – Steve Jobs
Rolf Potts is the Author of the book Vagabonding and is a great promoter of the idea of travelling better rather than more. This week he is starting a trip around the world using NO baggage. Think you travel light with that 35 litre back pack? Rolf Potts takes this to a new level of travel lightly.
Rolf is doing this to “field-test for a more philosophical idea — that what we experience in life is more important than what we bring with us.” By having no bag it means he cannot use his cameraman to carry things for him, no “man bags”, and no borrowing items from his cameraman.
Rolf Potts runs a successful blog and being a writer he needs internet access across the globe while doing this, so he is using an iPhone and a small foldable bluetooth keyboard to help solve the laptop problem. With some clever apps he can scan documents, and have airline tickets on hand without having to carry them. His key travel item though, is his amazing jacket. A special travel jacket called ScotteVest it is ultra light weight, sleeves can come off and the whole jacket even folds into itself for carrying. However the key is its massive amount of discreet pockets. They are designed for multiple items of different sizes and dont bulk like most jackets. Surely a must for any traveller.
More Information on the ScotteVest Tropical Jacket
For more information about Rolf Potts and his way of thinking, and what he has done, check out his Do Lecture below:
Rolf Potts has reported from more than fifty countries for the likes of National Geographic Traveler, the New York Times
Magazine, Slate.com, Conde Nast Traveler, Outside, The Believer, The Guardian (U.K.), National Public Radio, and the Travel Channel.
This is a short inspirational video. Its a talk, again by Alastair Humphreys about how to find adventure wherever you are, and why you should and do it. I love the comparisons in the video between the “worldly” images of Monks etc. to some guy off Junction 14 on the M25. Great short video
This is one of the best hours of your life you will ever experience. Randy Pausch was a lecturer who died of cancer recently and gave his “last lecture”, normally given at the end of a year for students, this actually was his last lecture.
Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch (Oct. 23, 1960 – July 25, 2008) gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before a packed McConomy Auditorium. In his moving presentation, “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals.
There are so many great inspirational concepts in this video. I love this ideas about brick walls. “Brick walls are there to show you how much you want something”. Such a great man, and an incredible lecture. He gives such great information into his life and how he came about his views. Its an amazing video and one of the most inspirational and motivational videos you will ever see.
R.I.P. Randy Pausch (Oct. 23, 1960 – July 25, 2008)
This speech / video came out in 1999. I was 15/16, and did not really get its meaning. I always liked the music though, and I remembered it when I stumbled across it recently. Wear Sunscreen or the Sunscreen Speech are the common names of an essay actually called “Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young” written by Mary Schmich and published in the Chicago Tribune as a column in 1997.
The most popular and well-known form of the essay is the successful music single released in 1999, credited to Baz Luhrmann. Its a great speech about living right, and living well. I’m sure a lot of us can see things in this that are very relevant.
Alastair Humphreys coined the idea of a “microadventure”, which is talks about in his Do Lecture. Its the idea of while you can’t always trek through Bhutan, you can have great adventures and good times with friends ANY weekend wherever you are in the world. This video shows what appears to be a great way of life. Very inspirational in the way its about just going and making the most of what you have. The video shows a very idealistic day paddling up the Pembrokeshire coast in search of a secluded beach to camp. Watching seals and dolphins, catching fish and crabs, cooking on a campfire and sleeping on the beach.
Music: Restless Feet – Danny and the Champions of the World
I first came across Alastair Humphreys from stumbling across the Do Lectures. The Do Lectures are basically a load of amazing people talking about great things they have done and what inspired them to do as such. This one by Alastair, who biked around the world for 4 years. He has also done many great, what he calls, “microadventures” like walking around the M25, and more recently Sea kayaking in Pembrokeshire. We both have met him, and he is a great guy. He has also completed the marathon des sables which my friend Will and his twin Jim are doing in 2012. I really like his ideas on taking a picture everyday, as it means you did something that was worth remembering. Also the idea of “when was the last time you did something new”.
Alastair has raced a yacht across the Atlantic Ocean and canoed 500 miles down the Yukon River as well as walking the length of the holy Kaveri river in India.
Alastair has published three books, with one more due by the end of 2009. (He has also written chapters for Lonely Planet’s ‘Flightless’ anthology, the Adventure Cycling Handbook, Stanorama and The Traveller’s Handbook. He ran the Marathon des Sables, finishing as one of the ten fastest Brits despite breaking his foot during the race. To fight off the wanderlust Alastair managed a sub-3-hour marathon, had a miserable time during the Original Mountain Marathon, the Devizes to Westminster 120-mile canoe marathon and another one during Tough Guy. Travelling round the World Cup in a camper van was much more fun.
After spending a year teaching 10-year-old boys in a school’s Special Needs department, Alastair is now training for the Bob Graham Round and preparing for SOUTH, the first unsupported return journey to the South Pole and the longest unsupported polar journey in history. In February 2009 he rowed to France with Major Phil Packer, a soldier paralysed in Iraq, as part of Phil’s attempt to raise £1million for Help for Heroes.
