LOVE ANGELES

300,000 iPads Sold on Saturday?

Source: PC World - Not too Shabby, But…Let's take a look at the fineprint of Apple's impressive 300,000 iPad sales claim over this past weekend.

Apple said Monday that it had sold over 300,000 iPads on Saturday, which could be taken as a good sign of the device's potential success. One big wildcard here - these sales also include pre-orders and deliveries to the company's retail partners as well. That said, the true number of these devices sold is probably a good deal less than what the company would like you to believe.

Apple's new book store did well too, with a quarter million books downloaded on Saturday, and CEO Steve Jobs said in a statement that new iPad owners were downloading an average of about one book and three applications within hours of unpacking the device. All in all, iPad's launch numbers were very similar to the launch of the initial iPhone.

Some analysts had gone way overboard in their predictions, with Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster being the most overly aggressive with projected sales of 650,000+ in the first 24 hours. Much of this probably had to do with the overwhelming hype surrounding the device, which arguably was unwarranted in most cases. Lines for the iPad, as described by our own Harry McCracken, were in most cases much smaller than that for the iPhone.

The real test for the viability of this device remains in these weeks following the launch. Will the device continue to sell after the initial flurry of activity? Will we see another spike in purchasing when the WiFi+3G model releases late this month? It's hard to say. Price will likely play a large part in how this does, and the company has not been shy to say publicly it will tweak prices to meet its sales goals.

The answer will come when we get a better look at the demographics of its buyers. If its just the techie/Apple faithful/Gotta-have-it crowd, its going to be Apple's next iCube. However, if Ma and Pa begin snagging their own iPads, then we know Apple's onto something.

As much as I can't wait to get one myself, I'm still undecided here on how I think it will do. It's a big gamble for Apple, one I'm sure they'll hope will pay off.

NY Cab Driver Returns $21,000 to Visitor

Source: Yahoo – A New York City cab driver is being praised for returning over $21,000 lost by a visitor from Italy.

Felicia Lettieri, who's 72, left her purse in a Manhattan taxi on Christmas Eve. It contained traveling money for her and six relatives.

Police told them not to get their hopes up about finding it.

The cabbie drove about 50 miles, to a Long Island address he'd found in the purse. No one was home, so he left his phone number, and later returned with the money.

Lettieri's daughter, Maria Rosaria Falonga, told Newsday from Pompei, Italy that the cabbie also left a note.

He told her: "Don't worry, Felicia. ... I'll keep it safe."

The driver, Mukul Asaduzzaman, could not be reached for comment.

He refused a reward.

Love Angeles: Volume 1

A couple months after the birth of Love Angeles, I bumped into a very interesting man visiting from North Carolina at West Hollywood's Urth Cafe named Jerry Lee Davis. That day, I was truly aware of the impression he had left upon me (I even wrote an entry about it.) In dialogue, Jerry mentioned that he was a published author, filmmaker and businessman which, I admit, although it was inspiring to me, was not the source of my being impressed. I had the sense that Jerry was making a difference on the planet everywhere he went, simply by being the humble, caring and charismatic person he is. I immediately knew that I would be working with Jerry in many capacities for the bettermant of humanity and specifically through the upliftment of entertainment media. Last June, he packed his car and relocated to LA. We got to work immediately.

Shortly after, we formed a production company known as Done Media Group with a mission to use the power of the media in all its many forms to promote necessary and positive change in the world. We co-created and developed a variety of television shows, docu-series and documentaries which are either currently in pre-production or waiting to be picked up. This is a very exciting time for the company and I assure you that updates will be following very soon.

Ok, now that we got you caught up with all of that good news, I can tell you a little about the vision I have for a musical compilation entitled, you guessed it - Love Angeles! Well to be specific, the working title is actually Love Angeles: Volume 1 Love.

Much like the successful Cafe Del Mar compilation series, I envision an annual album celebrating the spirit of creative dreamers by the artists of "dream city." There is a movement happening in the world right now and each city will begin molding and reflecting her energy in its own unique ways. Love Angeles: Volume 1 Love will be one of these reflections born out of the world's most influential city. Now that the intention has been called forth, we look forward to selecting the music which finds its way to the track list. If you or someone you know has created music and would like to be considered for selection on the first volume, email forrest@donemediagroup.com.

Oh yes, I almost forgot. A few weeks ago, during a sunset meditation overlooking the sands of Santa Monica, I caught a glimpse or two of the first album cover. The visual for the album cover depicted the magnificent brightness of our Sun blocking out everything else in the background. I went home and came up with roughly 30 sample images that told my experience. I decided that I would share a few of the possible prints with the community above. (FYI - those are real pictures of our Sun)   

The Hundredth Monkey Effect

According to Wikipedia, The Hundredth Monkey Effect generally describes the instant, paranormal spreading of an idea or ability to the remainder of a population once a certain portion of that population has heard of the new idea or learned the new ability. However, for those of you that don't know the origin of this phenomenal Effect, you're not only going to get excited you're going to instantly re-realize how freaking similar we are, as today's modern civilization, to this wonderfully wild species.

The year was 1952. The setting was an island somewhere in the south seas. A few anthropologists were studying the behavior of the macaques, a Japanese Monkey native to the islands with a diet consisting primarily of sweet potatoes. By routine, the monkeys would dig up a potato, break it in half and eat only from the center in order to avoid the potato's sandy coat, discarding the rest. After one potato, the monkey would go back to dig another. One insightful afternoon, a pioneering monkey decided to rinse his potato, allowing him to eat it whole, and dig for fewer potatoes. Consequently, he not only began enjoying a cleaner habit, he instantly created more free time to enjoy the things he loved to do. Was he praised immediately? Just the opposite. His family and friends just couldn't understand why he was doing something so different! Despite this, some of the onlooking monkeys became privy to the transition and began washing their potatoes too. Slowly but surely, many more of the surrounding monkeys shared in the innovation.  Hundreds of monkeys continued to hold fast to their comfortable method even though they began to notice the abundance the other monkeys were enjoying at the beach. Now, supposedly when the hundredth monkey took the leap of faith, all the rest followed. Most remarkably and due to an evident mass consciousness, the paradigm immediately shifted amongst the monkeys inhabiting the neighboring islands too!

How does this apply to our modern business world? By opening up to healthier methods of living and working, you will effectively create more time and space to enjoy life, including relaxation, hobbies, service, family, etc. Not to mention the fact that just like that courageous monkey, you will inspire others to do the same.

Oh yeah, when it comes to your career, listen to your heart as opposed to the others around you - especially take caution with the ones "who love you the most." Your friends and family never want to see you let down, or for heaven's sake, fail. Remember, that's their stuff, not yours. Don't fret, your heart will bring you what you need and take you where you need to go!

Obama Experiences China's Great Wall

LA Times - "Reporting from Beijing -  When it came to China, President Obama's famous powers of persuasion failed to persuade.

He came bearing a long shopping list, including Chinese support for tougher sanctions on Iran and more flexibility by Beijing on currency exchange rates, but Obama was met with polite, yet stony, silences.

Only one more key meeting was scheduled for today before Obama's departure, a working lunch with Premier Wen Jiabao. Before flying to South Korea, the president will tour the Great Wall -- the famous symbol of Chinese tenacity and an appropriate backdrop for a visit in which China again showed its resistance to U.S. entreaties.

Not only is the U.S. president coming away without any definable concessions, but the Chinese appeared to be digging in their heels.

On Tuesday, just hours after Obama stood with President Hu Jintao in the Great Hall of the People, praising China's commitment to "move toward a more market-oriented exchange rate over time," a senior Chinese official called a news conference across town to issue a rebuttal.

"We maintained a stable yuan during the financial crisis, which not only helped the global economy but also the stability of the world's financial markets," He Yafei, deputy foreign minister, said, adding that it was too soon since the worldwide financial crisis to talk about a change of strategy.

The Chinese official also slapped down Obama's call for more Internet freedom, saying that "we need to ensure that online communications do not affect our national security."

Perhaps most disappointing was China's failure to budge in its opposition to tougher sanctions on Iran. With their extensive oil interests influencing their policies toward Tehran, the Chinese are increasingly seen as an obstacle to reining in Iran's nuclear ambitions.

But Obama had hoped that China would at least fall into step with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who publicly criticized Iran's intransigence during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit over the weekend in Singapore.

"I would not say that we got an answer today from the Chinese, nor did we expect one," said Jeffrey Bader, director of Asian affairs at the National Security Council, briefing U.S. journalists after the meeting between the presidents. He acknowledged that the Chinese were less worried about Iran's nuclear program than about North Korea's.

During the news conference at the Great Hall of the People, where the presidents each read 15-minute statements outlining the highlights of the meetings as they perceived them, Hu conspicuously omitted mention of sanctions against Iran, saying only that there were differences on some issues.

After the ritual handshake and posing for photographs, the leaders left the podium -- refusing to answer questions from reporters, which is unusual for a news conference, even in China.

It was in keeping with the character of a presidential visit notable for its formality and lack of spontaneity. Every aspect of Obama's visit was carefully scripted, with the Chinese government taking pains to make sure nothing was left to chance. Obama did not meet with Chinese journalists, lawyers, human rights advocates, environmentalists or any ordinary Chinese, and an expected meeting with Hu Shuli, who recently resigned as editor of China's leading business magazine, did not materialize.

During Obama's "town hall" meeting in Shanghai on Monday, the 50 students selected to question him were mostly officers of the Communist Youth League. Wary that Obama might say something provocative, the Chinese government refused White House requests that the event be broadcast live on nationwide television. Instead, it was broadcast only on Shanghai television.

Coverage of Obama's visit was also subdued, with noticeably fewer stories in the Chinese newspapers and shorter television reports than during other presidential visits.

Obama's limited results in part reflect the profound shift in Sino-U.S. relations and global politics, with China's rapid rise and America's weakened position, especially in the wake of the financial crisis.

"It used to be the U.S. could go around and say 'Do this and do that' because they had so much leverage," said Dali Yang, director of the Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Chicago. "Today, the U.S. can't do that." Read more at LATimes.com