Author: Owen Friedrich

How I work: My Gear and Productivity Tips

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Lifehacker has a great series called “How I work” where they interview well known experts to learn more about their day to day shortcuts, productivity tools and gear.  Today, it’s my turn to share my favorite tricks and tips to get things done.  Only this time,  I will be interviewing myself.  Enjoy!

Location: West Chester, PA
Current Gig: Product Manager, iPipeline
One word that best describes how you work: German-organized
Current mobile device: iPhone 5s
Current computer: Old lenovo with Win10 (home) and whatever work gives me (HP maybe?)

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Becoming Pitch Perfect

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Book Review: Pitch Perfect: How to Say it Right the First Time, Every Time

If you have ever seen a Steve Jobs presentation than you know what it means to be “Pitch Perfect”.  From the moment the first words come out of his month he has your attention (See iPhone launch).  You also can’t help but believe him when he says “This changes everything” as he describes the next iGadget that you really didn’t think you needed until now.

My latest read, Pitch Perfect: How to Say it Right the First Time, Every Time shares techniques on how to get to Steve’s level.  Renowned media Coach Bill McGowan demonstrates the importance of delivering the right message, to the right person and in the right tone to get heard and respected at work and home.

“If you can’t explain it simply, you can’t explain it at all” -Albert Einstein

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Think Big like Elon Musk

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Book review: Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future

I have always been fascinated with entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs (Apple), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Bill Gates (Microsoft) and Larry Page (Google) to name a few.  They seemingly could see the future before anyone else and executed their vision into the most iconic businesses in the world today.

For many, their stories are the epitome of the American dream and represent the opportunity to go from an idea in your garage to a billion dollar company before your 30th birthday.  For Elon Musk, the story is right out of the Silicon Valley playbook.  With big payouts from successful exits at Zip2, X.com and Paypal, Elon could do whatever he wanted with the remainder of his life.

What would you do if you had millions of dollars in the bank and 3/4 of your life ahead of you?  Retire on the beach? Help people share baby photos in your latest app?

How about save the human race from self-imposed or accidental annihilation?  Too big?  You need to think more like Elon Musk.

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How to use Amazon Fire TV and IFTTT to control your Honeywell Wifi Thermostat

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I am a sucker for a good Amazon Black Friday deal and this past week was no exception.  After a brief moment of weakness and a single click on the “Buy Now” button, a brand new Amazon Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote was sitting on my front porch – all within 48 hours.  Thanks Amazon Prime!

This would be my first time using Amazons voice recognition technology – Alexa.  Similar to Siri on the iPhone, Google Now on Android or Cortana on Windows, personal assistants were supposed to change all our lives for the better.  But would it?  What better way to find out then to make Alexa do my dirty work.  In this case, turning up my heat when I am laying on the couch using an IFTTT recipe.  A perfect combination of technology and first world problems!

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