Ted Tuesday: My simple invention, designed to keep my grandfather safe

What level of college do you need to be to be an inventor and win scholarships, awards and seed money? How about Kindergarten!

Good Morning Folks,

Every day our success at FSO comes from identifying problems customers are facing and bringing together a productive mix of People + Solutions + Technology to solve them. Today's guest works much the same way.

Kenneth Shinozuka designs smart products ... He's been doing so since he was in kindergarten.

When he was six years old, a family friend of Kenneth Shinozuka fell down in the bathroom. The friend was ok -- but the incident inspired him to design a motion detection system that could be embedded in bathroom tiles. He never actually made one in real life (remember, he was only six) ... but he was hooked on both the promise of invention and the potential of technology.

Since then, Shinozuka has designed smart devices for his grandfather, who has Alzheimer's disease. One invention that caught the eye of both the media and awards programs such as the Google Science Fair: a pair of smart socks, designed to send an alert to a caregiver if a patient gets out of bed. In 2014, he won the $50,000 Scientific American Science in Action Award, while he was also a 2014 Davidson Fellow.

Today's talk is about the device he created for his grandfather. Sixty percent of people with dementia wander off, an issue that can prove hugely stressful for both patients and caregivers. In this charming talk, hear how teen inventor Kenneth Shinozuka came up with a novel solution to help his night-wandering grandfather and the aunt who looks after him ... and how he hopes to help others with Alzheimer's. Have a look...


TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more.

Boy, after watching that I'm embarrassed at what I thought was a productive day for me. How it should make you feel is that anything is possible here in the greatest country on Earth and my goal is to provide all of our employees an opportunity to realize their own true human potential right here at FSO.

Thanks to you for listening.

Have a GREAT Day,



Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE.  

About FSO Onsite Outsourcing
Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest growing companies for the third consecutive year, and lead by industry pioneer, Mitch Weiner, FSO's growth and success can be attributed to making a positive and powerful impact on their clients' bottom lines, as well as their employees' careers and lives.

Ted Tuesday: How Do Dogs See With Their Noses - Alexandra Horowitz

Is this the reason why dogs sniff other dogs' butts?  (They have sent glands on their butts that tell them who individuals are and about their emotion/mood and health.)

Good Morning Folks,

Welcome to Ted Tuesdays where we inform and delight sharing my favorite inspirational talks from Ted. Ted is one of the best things that's been made possible by the Internet that was never possible before. It's opened up a world of knowledge delivered to your desktop that enhances life's experience.

I have dozens of Ted talks bookmarked to share with you. But this weekend I came across a just released one that I thought it was super interesting! If you've ever wondered why dogs have to sniff every single thing they come across then this will probably shed some light!  I would gladly trade our "better" sense of sight for a canine-like sense of smell! It's crazy the amount of things you can pick up on and has made the world of dogs much more interesting to me! 

You may have heard the expression that dogs ‘see with their noses.’ But these creature’s amazing nasal architecture actually reveals a whole world beyond what we can see. Alexandra Horowitz illustrates how the dog’s nose can smell the past, the future and even things that can’t be seen at all.

Their sense of smell is 100 million times more sensitive than humans'. They can read minds -- sensing emotions through smell. They can see the past, by sensing lingering odors of people and creatures that have moved on. And they can see the future, smelling oncoming people and creatures before they arrive. 

Also, they can sense what direction a smell is coming from, and the direction it's going. 

Lets us learn How do dogs see with their noses - Alexandra Horowitz (HD)
I haver been told that when dogs go the dog park the attraction is to "read the newspaper" sniffing out who else was there when and with how,

Well I just learned a thing or two about our own dogs. Who says an old dog like me can't learn some new tricks? j How about you?

Thanks for listening.

Have a GREAT Day,



Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE.  

About FSO Onsite Outsourcing
Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest growing companies for the third consecutive year, and lead by industry pioneer, Mitch Weiner, FSO's growth and success can be attributed to making a positive and powerful impact on their clients' bottom lines, as well as their employees' careers and lives.

Ted Tuesday: Brené Brown: The Power of Vulnerability

“You’re imperfect, and you’re wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.” Brené Brown studies vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame.

Good Morning Folks.

Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent the past decade studying vulnerability, courage, worthiness, and shame.

Her 2010 TEDx Houston talk on the power of vulnerability is one of the most watched talks on TED.com, with over 18 million views. She gave the closing talk, Listening to Shame,  at the 2012 TED Conference in Long Beach.

Brené is the author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead (2012). She is also the author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller The Gifts of Imperfection (2010), and I Thought It Was Just Me (2007).

Brené is also the founder and CEO of The Daring Way – a teaching and certification program for helping professionals who want to facilitate her work on vulnerability, courage, shame, and worthiness.

Brené Brown studies human connection — our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity. A talk to share.

Here’s the thing: Brown: A few years ago she had a nervous breakdown and started to see a therapist. 'The therapist said to me, “You have to embrace your vulnerability,” and I was like, “Screw that.”’

In her new book she writes, 'We are hardwired to connect with others, it’s what gives purpose and meaning to our lives… Before I knew it, I had been hijacked by my research participants who, when asked to talk about their most important relationships and experiences of connection, kept telling me about heartbreak, betrayal and shame – the fear of not being worthy of real connection.’

As part of her work she tried first to understand why a handful of people believe in their own worthiness; she calls these people 'Wholehearted’. She loses me a bit here. Is Wholehearted another word for happy, I ask her? 'No,’ she says adamantly. 'In fact I think our capacity for Wholeheartedness can never be greater than our willingness to be broken-hearted. It means engaging with the world from a place of vulnerability and worthiness. It’s about being all in, saying, “I’m here and I’m going to love you fully and if you cheat on me you’re going to devastate me and break my heart, but I’m not holding back because this is short.”’

Tears spring to her eyes as she says this. In fact, it was her realization that she herself fell far short of Wholehearted that tipped her over the edge.

Have a look at Brené Brown: The power of vulnerability:

Brené Brown is an absolute legend. This is groundbreaking - not in terms of peoples awareness of these subjects and what they mean... But in these messages enhanced communication made accessible to a wider audience on this level. Really awesome stuff.

Thanks to The Telegraph for inspiring me to watch this talk, and to you for listening.

Have a GREAT Day,



Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE.  

About FSO Onsite Outsourcing
Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest growing companies for the third consecutive year, and lead by industry pioneer, Mitch Weiner, FSO's growth and success can be attributed to making a positive and powerful impact on their clients' bottom lines, as well as their employees' careers and lives.

About TEDx 

x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

Ted Tuesday: Choose Yourself— The One Secret For Doing A TED Talk (Or Any Talk)

“If you don’t make the choices in your own life, then someone else is going to end up making them for you, and it won’t be good.”

Good Morning Folks,

Today a must watch of James Altucher, an amazing writer at TED talk! James has helped me CHOOSE MYSELF in the past year through his books, blogs and Podcasts.

James is a successful entrepreneur, chess master, investor and writer. He is the author of the WSJ and Amazon Best-Sellers “Choose Yourself” and “The Power Of No” as well as ten other books. He has started and run more than 20 companies, and sold several of those businesses for large exits and failed miserably at all the rest. His book “Choose Yourself” explains how he rose from repeated failure to find success. He has also run venture capital funds, hedge funds, is an active angel investor, and currently sits on the boards of several companies.

Says James, "Giving a talk is the worst thing you can do to your body. First off, you want to pee, crap, and puke right before you go on stage. In other words, your body thinks it's about to die."

His secret: "I've already written that before I give a talk I listen to standup comedy. It triggers the mirror neurons in my brain and helps me to relax, and maybe mimic how they work their voices and bodies, and helps me to connect better with the audience."

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. James Altucher is now considered to be a renowned author and serial entrepreneur, but in this brutally honest talk, injected with outrageous humor, he reveals how at one point failure led him to consider suicide, and how he turned his life around by following five key practices.

Improve your physical health (focus on exercise and diet), improve your emotional health (be around people that you love and trust), improve you spiritual health (always expressing gratitude), capture your brilliance (write down ten ideas every day), and finally, give without expectation (give your ideas away).

“If you don’t make the choices in your own life, then someone else is going to end up making them for you, and it won’t be good.” Have a look:

EXCELLENT job, James. I love the honesty, the vulnerability, the humor, & teachings. Well done. :)

Have a GREAT Day,



Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE.  

About FSO Onsite Outsourcing
Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest growing companies for the third consecutive year, and lead by industry pioneer, Mitch Weiner, FSO's growth and success can be attributed to making a positive and powerful impact on their clients' bottom lines, as well as their employees' careers and lives.

About TEDx 

x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

Ted Tuesday: Panti Bliss, (aka Rory O'Neill)-- "All The Little Things"

"This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Ireland's foremost "gender discombobulist", Panti, shares her experience of the little, everyday things that can have a huge impact on the well being of gay people. Panti expresses her thoughts on navigating a world in which the simple act of holding hands can be a political statement in itself."

Good Morning Folks,

While captivating an audience is a skill that takes years to develop, there are some simple ways to instantly improve your speaking and presentation skills. In this awesome TED Talk; not only can you see a great speaker in action… tackling a subject we're all a little uncomfortable with... and you can broaden your knowledge too! 

So just how did a Ballinrobe altar boy grow up to become one of Ireland's most powerful and glamorous women? That's the mystery solved by in today's installment of Ted Tuesday.

Panti Bliss, (aka Rory O'Neill) who made international headlines last February after an impassioned speech against homophobia on stage in Dublin went viral, was invited to do a TED talk on September 12 and the speech, which showcases Panti's wit and speaking talents spectacularly, was posted to YouTube yesterday.

The speech, titled "All The Little Things", concerns the homophobia in society which chips away at a gay person's self worth and well-being:

Bliss: "Everyday I am jealous of straight people because that tiny intimate expression of affection has never once been mine...I am jealous of that because gay people do not get to hold hands in public without first considering the risk...We look around to see where are we, who’s around, what kind of place is it…are there bunches of lads outside a pub? ... I’m 45 years old and I have never once casually, comfortably, carelessly held hands with a partner in public... I’m 45 and I’m fed up of putting up so I’m not anymore. I’m 45 years old and I’m not putting up anymore because I don’t have the energy anymore. Putting up is exhausting. I’m 45 years old and I’m not putting up anymore because I don’t have the patience anymore. I was born 6 months before the Stonewall riots and you have had 45 years to work out that despite appearances, I am just as ordinary, just as unremarkable, and just as human as you are. I’m 45 years old and I’m not asking anymore. I am just being…human being."

Poignant, intimate, and powerful,here's Panti Bliss getting a standing ovation for an unforgettable Ted talk on homophobia: 

I love and hate seeing things like this. I love them because I love to see people talking and standing up for who they are. Panti Bliss is right! It is the small things, and they begin to add up. As a straight man I am very lucky to do those little things carelessly. I'm looking forward to the day everyone cannot do so without a second thought. 

For all those who can't yet feel safe or comfortable, you have my full support and love.

Have a GREAT Day,



Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE.  

About FSO Onsite Outsourcing
Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest growing companies for the third consecutive year, and lead by industry pioneer, Mitch Weiner, FSO's growth and success can be attributed to making a positive and powerful impact on their clients' bottom lines, as well as their employees' careers and lives.

Ted Tuesday: John Wooden— The Difference Between Winning And Succeeding

"This charming talk is like listening to your favorite grandfather give you life advice in the living room"

Good Morning Folks,

With profound simplicity, Coach John Wooden redefines success and urges us all to pursue the best in ourselves.

John Wooden, affectionately known as Coach, led UCLA to record wins that are still unmatched in the world of basketball. Throughout his long life, he shared the values and life lessons he passed to his players, emphasizing success that’s about much more than winning.

Born in 1910, Coach John Wooden was the first person to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame both as a player and coach, while ESPN ranks him as the greatest coach of all time, across all sports. In his 40 years at UCLA, he mentored legends such as Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He has created a model, the Pyramid of Success, and authored several books to impart his insight on achievement to others.

Coach wanted his players to be victors in life and not just on the court, so he treated them as an extended family and emphasized that winning was more than scoring. Indeed, most of his inspiring theories were born from conversations with his father, as a boy on their farm in Indiana. One that sums up his ideology quite well is his often-quoted definition of success: "Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best that you are capable of becoming."

In this inspiring TED talk, John Wooden, considered by many to be the greatest basketball coach of all time, gives a definition for success that you can apply to your family or working life to reach happiness. He also clarifies the difference between winning and succeeding.

The great surprise about John Wooden’s definition of success is the humility in it. It is astounding for someone who didn’t lose a game for 3 straight years in UCLA’s famous 88 game win streak and may be the greatest coach of any team in any sport of all time. Maybe he knew about the importance of humility in success.

Much of this video also reminds me that if you truly believe that something will happen, not just say it or hope it will, you will naturally start to do the things necessary to make it happen.

Sometimes when you get there, there’s almost a letdown. But there’s getting there that’s the fun.

Some inspiring quotes from the Coach:

"If you make effort to do the best you can regularly, the results will be about what they should be." 

Wooden’s Definition of Success:
"Peace of mind attained only through self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you’re capable."

The Difference Between Winning and Succeeding:
"I believe that we must have faith. I believe that we must believe, truly believe. Not just give it word service; believe that things will work out as they should, providing we do what we should." 

"I say to you, in whatever you’re doing, you must be patient." 

"Don’t whine. Don’t complain. Don’t make excuses. Just get out there, and whatever you’re doing, do it to the best of your ability. And no one can do more than that." 

"Never mention winning. My idea is that you can lose when you outscore somebody in a game. And you can win when you’re outscored."

John Wooden wanted to “abolish the dunk,” he hated “the one and done rule,” he supposedly was “disgusted” by Allen Iverson and pretty much disliked everything else I liked about basketball. With that said, I have all the respect in the world for the “Wizards of Westwood” – he also hated that nickname.

Here’s a great video of him on the always entertaining and thought provoking TED Talk series.



Coach Wooden is a humble, private man who has selflessly given up his life to make other people’s lives better ... John Wooden gave us the necessary tools to overcome the adversity and obstacles that he knew from the beginning would always be in our way. He taught us to find a source of motivation to inspire us to ever higher levels of preparation and work.

Have a GREAT Day,



Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE.  

About FSO Onsite Outsourcing
Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest growing companies for the third consecutive year, and lead by industry pioneer, Mitch Weiner, FSO's growth and success can be attributed to making a positive and powerful impact on their clients' bottom lines, as well as their employees' careers and lives.

Sadik-Khan has served as commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation since 2007. Previously she was senior vice president at the engineering firm Parsons Brinckerhoff and served as deputy administrator of the Federal Transit Administration in Washington.

Ted Tuesday: How To Learn A New Language: 7 Secrets From TED Translators

While I enjoy some holiday time out today, I'll let you screen a few interesting Ted Talks and let ME know which YOU would recommend to feature on a 2015 Tuesday. 

Enjoy!

Originally posted on TED Blog:

By Krystian Aparta

They say that children learn languages the best. But that doesn’t mean that adults should give up. We asked some of the polyglots in TED’s Open Translation Project to share their secrets to mastering a foreign language. Their best strategies distill into seven basic principles:

1. Get real. Decide on a simple, attainable goal to start with so that you don’t feel overwhelmed. German translator Judith Matz suggests: “Pick up 50 words of a language and start using them on people — and then slowly start picking up grammar.”
   .
2. Make language-learning a lifestyle change. Elisabeth Buffard, who in her 27 years of teaching English has always seen consistency as what separates the most successful students from the rest. Find a language habit that you can follow even when you’re tired, sick or madly in love.
   .
3. Play house with the language. The more you invite…

4. Let technology help you out. Dmitrochenkova has a great idea: “A funny thing like resetting the language on your phone can help you learn new words right away,” she says. Ditto for changing the language on your browser. Or you can seek out more structured learning opportunities online. Dutch translator Els De Keyser recommends Duolinguo for its gamified approach to grammar, and Anki for memorizing vocabulary with its “intelligent” flashcards.

Continued.... on Ted Blog.

Have a GREAT Day,

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE.  

About FSO Onsite Outsourcing
Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest growing companies for the third consecutive year, and lead by industry pioneer, Mitch Weiner, FSO's growth and success can be attributed to making a positive and powerful impact on their clients' bottom lines, as well as their employees' careers and lives.

Ted Tuesday: Janette Sadik-Khan: New York's streets? Not so mean any more

"We’re looking at our streets as valuable public places, and we need to make it easier and safer for people to walk around and bike."

Good Morning Folks,

TED talks have become an integral forum in airing ideas about tomorrow's world, and how the likes of transport and energy will be revolutionized in the future.

Today's selection for a Ted Talk to share is strikes a personal chord. Ms. Sadik-Khan's work in the Bloomberg administration was deeply felt for the better in the immediate area surrounding our New York headquarters and in many of our daily commutes.

Janette Sadik-Khan demonstrates how paint, lawn chairs and a bit of imagination can quickly transform city streets, creating immediate public and commercial vitality. Sadik-Khan, listed as one of Business Insider’s “50 Women Who Are Changing the World,” is responsible for re-purposing 26 acres of dense New York City car lanes into pedestrian-friendly space. “More people on foot is better for business,” she says. Despite commanding a two billion dollar budget, her economical approach as commissioner of NYC’s Department of Transportation are testaments to her design sensitivity, relying on rapid-testing and regular iteration to expand the city’s public domain.

The work of a transport commissioner isn't just about stop signs and traffic signals," explains Janette Sadik-Khan, who was appointed to that role in New York City in 2007. In this funny and thought-provoking talk, she details the thinking behind successful initiatives to reshape street life in the 5 boroughs, including the addition of pedestrian zones in Times Square and the arrival of Citi Bikes. (Watch for the special cameo at the end of the talk.)


"Street design is a crucial element of living in today's "urban age." Her work, under the guidance of then-mayor Michael Bloomberg, turned tourist-magnet Times Square into a two-and-a-half-acre pedestrian-friendly zone, simultaneously cutting down traffic and making the environment a safer space.

“One of our greatest innovations is our ability to move quickly. The normal capital construction program takes about five years. But we’ve been able to transform city streets virtually overnight. You can literally paint the city you want to see. You can do it with two traffic cones, a can of paint, and stone planters. And we’re able to show the results.”

There goes the neighborhood. At FSO' doorstep. Photo: NYC Dot2

“Design can tell you to take your business elsewhere, or it can tell you this is a vital, active retail space. When we pedestrianized 42nd to 47th Street, we saw an 11 percent increase in foot traffic. Now Times Square is one of the top 10 retail locations on the planet, which wasn’t the case before we made that intervention. Good streets are good business.”

Her goal is to transform the city streets, and reinvent New York City as a livable, green place.

Envious as I am of her $2 billion budget, the only thing better than New York during these holiday times, is a cleaner, greener, New York. Ms. Sadik-Khan all of us at FSO are grateful to you for that indeed.

Have a GREAT Day,



Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE.  

About FSO Onsite Outsourcing
Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest growing companies for the third consecutive year, and lead by industry pioneer, Mitch Weiner, FSO's growth and success can be attributed to making a positive and powerful impact on their clients' bottom lines, as well as their employees' careers and lives.

Sadik-Khan has served as commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation since 2007. Previously she was senior vice president at the engineering firm Parsons Brinckerhoff and served as deputy administrator of the Federal Transit Administration in Washington.

Ted Tuesday: This Adorable Kid Just Might Be The Next Steve Jobs

"Thomas Suarez is a 12 year old who taught himself to build iphone apps.The New York Times cited Suarez's TED talk as a reason for parents to rethink their hard and fast stance on "screen time" limitations, asking "Isn't three or four hours a week spent on using an app to create a stop motion movie a much different prospect than two hours of decorating a virtual room?"

Good Morning Folks,

With this compelling Ted Talk with over 6 million views between YouTube and Ted, 3 published apps in the app stores and in addition to completing the sixth grade, launching CarrotCorp, his first company, all under his belt, meet wunderkind Thomas Suarez of South Bay in the USA, who was just twelve when he delivered this inspirational talk at the TEDxManhattanBeach conference in October 2011.

Most 12-year-olds love playing videogames — Thomas Suarez taught himself how to create them. After developing iPhone apps like "Bustin Jeiber," a whack-a-mole game, he is now using his skills to help other kids become developers.

Thomas rightly highlights how difficult it was for kids his age to get help if they want to develop software and build apps.

“For soccer, you could go to a soccer team. For violin, you could get lessons for a violin,” he explained. “But what if you want to make an app?”

Thomas hits on the topics of tech integration in education, app access for all children, and how teachers could best use the classroom’s greatest resource — the students themselves.

Thomas Suarez’s interest in technology and programming led him to learn Python, Java, and C programming languages in his preteens.

After convincing his parents to pay the $99 fee to register with the Apple App Store, he published his first app, “Earth Fortune,” a fortune teller that colours the earth according to what your fortune is.

His second and most popular creation is “Bustin Jieber,” a whac-a-mole game app that replaces the mole with a photo of Justin Bieber’s head. The smartphone game allows people to pretend to whack the pop star to make him scream and it all happens to the Benny Hill theme song. The 99 cent app is Thomas’s “favorite and most successful app”, he said.

Thomas believes it’s a mistake that his school in Manhattan Beach and other California public schools do not offer more technology courses.

“A lot of kids these days like to play games, but now they want to make them… And it’s difficult because not many kids know where to go to find out how to make a program…and not many parents have written apps.”

To fill the gap, he started an app club with some like-minded friends so they can help each other create games and build new apps. Thomas highlights the club is also a resource for teachers and any other educators who want to experiment with tech education in the classroom.

While in sixth grade Thomas set-up his own company, “CarrotCorp.” Since then he has been coding news apps for smartphones or Google Glass. He has also worked on a patent-pending 3D printer which, he says, will work 10 times faster than the MakerBot model he uses at home. Following his TED Talk it’s not surprising Thomas is now a popular speaker at technology conferences.

His inspiration for all this? Steve Jobs. Have a look:


Boy, after watching that I'm embarrassed at what i thought was a productive day for me. How it should make you feel is that anything is possible here in the greatest country on Earth and my goal is to provide all of our employees an opportunity to realize their own true human potential right here at FSO,

Thanks to the Huffington Post, The CollegeByKids Blog and the InternetJar Blog for leading me to Thomas and to you for listening.

Have a GREAT Day,



Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE.  

About FSO Onsite Outsourcing
Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest growing companies for the third consecutive year, and lead by industry pioneer, Mitch Weiner, FSO's growth and success can be attributed to making a positive and powerful impact on their clients' bottom lines, as well as their employees' careers and lives.

Ted Tuesday: Matt Killingsworth Want To Be Happier? Stay In The Moment.

'People want a lot of things out of life, but I think, more than anything else, they want happiness. Aristotle called happiness "the chief good," the end towards which all other things aim. According to this view, the reason we want a big house or a nice car or a good job isn't that these things are intrinsically valuable. It's that we expect them to bring us happiness."

Good Morning Folk,

Today I’ve decided to share a TED that is relevant to what I want this blog to be, and my role in life as the Chief Happiness Officer. This talk hasn't broken the Internet, nor has the popularity of the Grump Cat, but with over 3 million views in its own right, its worth a look.

Everyone on this planet deserves to be happy, nobody deserves sadness. You and you alone have the power to change your thoughts, feelings, actions and everything else about yourself that you want to change. If you want to be happy, the only thing stopping you is you.

I watched an amazing TED Talk a while ago titled Want to be happier? Stay in the moment by a guy called Matt Killingsworth. According to Matt:

"It’s an important question but one that science has yet to fully answer. Yes, people are generally happier if they make more money rather than less, or are married instead of single, but the differences are quite modest." 

My research is driven by the idea that happiness may have more to do with the contents of our moment-to-moment experiences than with the major conditions of our lives. I

A few years ago, I came up with a way to study people’s moment-to-moment happiness in daily life on a massive scale, all over the world, something we’d never been able to do before. This took the form of trackyourhappiness.org, which uses iPhones to monitor people’s happiness in real time. 

My results suggest that happiness is indeed highly sensitive to the contents of our moment-to-moment experience. And one of the most powerful predictors of happiness is something we often do without even realizing it: mind-wandering. 

Among the surprising results: We're often happiest when we're lost in the moment. And the flip side: The more our mind wanders, the less happy we can be. 

Now in the last 50 years, we Americans have gotten a lot of the things that we want. We're richer. We live longer. We have access to technology that would have seemed like science fiction just a few years ago. The paradox of happiness is that even though the objective conditions of our lives have improved dramatically, we haven't actually gotten any happier 

As it turns out, people are substantially less happy when their minds are wandering than when they're not. Now you might look at this result and say, okay, sure, on average people are less happy when they're mind-wandering, but surely when their minds are straying away from something that wasn't very enjoyable to begin with, at least then mind-wandering should be doing something good for us. Nope. As it turns out, people are less happy when they're mind-wandering no matter what they're doing. For example, people don't really like commuting to work very much. It's one of their least enjoyable activities, and yet they are substantially happier when they're focused only on their commute than when their mind is going off to something else. It's amazing.

So how could this be happening? I think part of the reason, a big part of the reason, is that when our minds wander, we often think about unpleasant things, and they are enormously less happy when they do that, our worries, our anxieties, our regrets, and yet even when people are thinking about something neutral, they're still considerably less happy than when they're not mind-wandering at all. Even when they're thinking about something they would describe as pleasant, they're actually just slightly less happy than when they aren't mind-wandering. If mind-wandering were a slot machine, it would be like having the chance to lose 50 dollars, 20 dollars or one dollar. Right? You'd never want to play. 

My hope is that over time, by tracking people's moment-to-moment happiness and their experiences in daily life, we'll be able to uncover a lot of important causes of happiness, and then in the end, a scientific understanding of happiness will help us create a future that's not only richer and healthier, but happier as well."

The lesson here isn’t that we should stop mind-wandering entirely—after all, our capacity to revisit the past and imagine the future is immensely useful, and some degree of mind-wandering is probably unavoidable. But these results do suggest that mind-wandering less often could substantially improve the quality of our lives. If we learn to fully engage in the present, we may be able to cope more effectively with the bad moments and draw even more enjoyment from the good ones.

So.... stop worrying about your future, what will happen will happen and you have little control over it until the moment arrives. Stop dwelling on the past, the past is the past and it’s now over. There is no need to dwell on it because you cannot change it now. Live in the present moment. You won’t regret it.

I want fanatical happiness to be way that YOU can make yourself happier. 

Have a GREAT Day,



Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE.  

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