Speakaboos

From Springwise Narrate-your-own storybook video

Speakaboos is a site that aims to bring classic children's stories into the digital world, primarily through storybook videos featuring celebrity narration, illustrations and original music. Stories including Arthur, Snow White and Aesop's Fables are available for free viewing on the site, accompanied by links to educational activities, games and contests. The stories can also be downloaded for USD 0.99 per title, and are available on iTunes.com and Rhapsody.com as well. Launched in October with more than 30 titles, New York-based Speakaboos just recently added a holiday collection.

Plan your funeral online

Mywonderfullife.com allows you to plan your funeral online.

Rhea says I Planned My Funeral and It Was Fun

I just had such a fun time this afternoon. I began planning my funeral. It feels odd to plan your funeral. Most people can’t stand the idea of dying. But MyWonderfulLife.com is a comprehensive funeral-planning site that’s free and extremely easy to use. So, why not? Once you open your free account, you can choose burial or cremation, fancy casket or not fancy, visitation or not, what kind of music will play, etc., etc. Mostly I said I want it to be party-like. No black clothes, only bright colors. I can’t wait!

PR Secrets for Startups

From Techcrunch comes guest author Brian Solis with his PR Secrets for Startups

Ten things Google has found to be true

Ten things Google has found to be true

1. Focus on the user and all else will follow.
2. It's best to do one thing really, really well.
3. Fast is better than slow.
4. Democracy on the web works.
5. You don't need to be at your desk to need an answer.
6. You can make money without doing evil.
7. There's always more information out there.
8. The need for information crosses all borders.
9. You can be serious without a suit.
10. Great just isn't good enough.

Brainstorm on your own

If you're planning a brainstorming session, know that there will be some bad ideas, someone who will try to hijack the session trying to prove everyone else wrong.

Someone finally took a look at all those brainstorming sessions and found that four people brainstorming on their own did much better than four people brainstorming together.

Brainstorming works best if people scramble for ideas on their own. (Wall St Journal)

The Neuroscience of Leadership

From Strategy & Business, comes The Neuroscience of Leadership.

David Rock and Jeffrey Schwartz write about breakthroughs in brain research explain how to make organizational transformation succeed.

These conclusions would have been considered counterintuitive or downright wrong only a few years ago. For example:

Change is pain. Organizational change is unexpectedly difficult because it provokes sensations of physiological discomfort.

Behaviorism doesn’t work. Change efforts based on incentive and threat (the carrot and the stick) rarely succeed in the long run.

Humanism is overrated. In practice, the conventional empathic approach of connection and persuasion doesn’t sufficiently engage people.

Focus is power. The act of paying attention creates chemical and physical changes in the brain.

Expectation shapes reality. People’s preconceptions have a significant impact on what they perceive.

Attention density shapes identity. Repeated, purposeful, and focused attention can lead to
long-lasting personal evolution.