Savile Row: Britain's Silk Road

     This is somewhat of a sequel to a previous post about the components of a perfect suit. Savile Row is arguably one of the most well-known roads in Britain, if not all of Europe. Located in central London, the road is steeped in centuries of tradition and style. Customers from all over the world travel  to visit the bespoke tailors and take advantage of their absolutely uncompromising standards of style.

     As you will see there is a certain amount of competition and rivalry between the tailors, each with their own idiosyncrasies and pedigree. The competition seems friendly though, and it's fantastic to see them all come together for the general interest of the Row. The emergence of a competing business on the Row is not uncommon to them, but the nature of the competing product is. Abercrombie and Fitch could very arguably be the antithesis of the image the bespoke tailors represent and how they envision Savile Row. I think that heritage and history go a long way towards cementing one's credibility in today's world, so I do feel compassion for these small shops in the face of a global corporate giant. While Abercrombie and Fitch may not last on Savile Row, you can be certain bespoke tailoring will live and breathe for years to come.

Part 2   Part 3   Part 4   Part 5   Part 6   Part 7

BASE Jumping the Tallest Building in the World

     Pretty incredible story about two BASE jumpers who set their sights on the virgin jump off of the Burj Dubai while it was still under construction. Not only were these two men meticulous and thorough with their planning but they were also creative and patient with their execution.

     Notice how the jumpers swing their arms back towards their feet during the jump, a tactic called tracking. Tracking alters their body position, and thus, the airflow as they fall towards the ground. It allows jumpers to cover more distance horizontally and "track" away from objects. The Burj Dubai steadily grows wider at its base, making tracking a necessary component of the jump in order to adequately separate themselves and their canopies from any hazards during the deployment of their main chutes.

A Tribute to a Driving Legend

     Jenson Button and his McLaren team won this past weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix. His victory was overshadowed by Sebastian Vettel's six place finish, a finish that rewarded him with a historic third consecutive Formula One World Championship. The only man who challenged Vettel for the crown was the Spaniard Fernando Alonso, driving for Ferrari. The two were in close enough proximity during the entire race that the championship would be awarded as a direct result of their finish. This made for a hair-raising race as they battled back and forth, up and down the grid. In the end Alonso finished second, finishing just three points behind Vettel in the championship.

     The race was spectacular, and ever more so because it was the Brazilian Grand Prix. Brazil has produced an extraordinary caliber of drivers over the years and none more so than Ayrton Senna. Before his life was taken during a high speed crash while leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, Senna was defined for hair-raising driving much like what was seen this past weekend at his home Grand Prix. While he only won three world championships, and others might make a statistical argument that others were better, there seems to be some sort of magic about Senna's driving that leads many to believe that he was the greatest of all time.

     If you enjoyed Top Gear's expose on Ayrton Senna, you might want to check out the 2010 documentary Senna, which offers a much more thorough look into the incredible man and his achievements.

Contrary to Popular Belief, The NHL Did Something Productive Recently

     Despite the fact that negotiations between the NHL and NHLPA have gone nowhere recently, it does appear that for at least one NHL team, the love of the game lives on. It's feel-good stories like this that make fans like me realize that there is a much bigger picture than not being able to watch hockey during the winter and being subjected the reality TV show that is the NBA. Lots of times during our lives we will lose perspective of what really matters and I think that it all starts with the love of the game and making a difference for a younger generation. A thank you to the Nashville Predators organization for making a difference in these kid's lives and for reminding the rest of us that hockey is about so much more than hating Gary Bettman

TED Talks: Listen, Learn.....Then Lead

     For those of you who are not familiar with TED Talks, they are an insightful series of speakers who present on a variety of topics that are meant to be inspiring and stimulating. I've included my favorite one below, conducted by Stanley McCrystal, a former four-star general in the United States military and previous Commander of the International Security Assistance Force and of all U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

     McCrystal was the unfortunate subject of a well publicized fall from grace. A 2010 Rolling Stone article revealed off color remarks made by McCrystal's staff that criticized the Obama administration, high ranking national security officials and Vice President Joe Biden. Despite never being directly quoted, McCrystal immediately tendered his resignation, which was then accepted by President Obama.

     Despite this, I think McCrystal was an incredible leader and did an extraordinary job as the leader of U.S. and Allied forces in Afghanistan. He is also credited with being extremely influential within the Special Operations community for the way he pushed to expand their capabilities and increase their utilization, something that was misunderstood for many years. Following his departure from the military McCrystal went to Yale University where he taught a graduate seminar on modern leadership. There is no question that he has a wealth of knowledge and experience regarding effective leadership. Tune in to see what he has to say:

Genius Advertising: JetBlue's "Don't Take it in the Air" Campaign

In his journal on August 5th, 1851, Henry David Thoreau wrote "The question is not what you look at, but what you see". This sentiment can be used to interpret literally anything and everything in the world we live in. Perspective is the key difference between any two people in a given situation. It can also have quite a motivating effect on people based on how they see things. Our very country was founded on principles that differed from England due to how each side saw things. 

I love this marketing campaign because it's all about perspective; it perfectly illustrates the idiosyncrasies that come with flying commercially. While many of us patiently put up with these frustrating situations when flying, JetBlue has very cleverly used their unappealing nature to promote their airline and convey to the consumer that this issues won't present themselves to you on their flights. 

It's all in the perspective of the individual. The advertisement is simple, enjoyable, even funny (at the expense of the unassuming participants). I appreciate the use of unknowing participants in commercials like this because their reactions are not scripted and very accurately highlight the issues that the average person would also identify. The same type of tactic can be used to convey a positive reaction, such as in recent Febreeze marketing campaigns.  Check out these three examples and appreciate JetBlue's creativity:

Amazing Street Performers: Dub FX

Every now and then I run into someone who is inspiring because they have found what they truly enjoy and are incredibly skilled at whatever that is. In this case a relatively unassuming street performer has constructed music that makes me believe that true musicians are not a dying breed; an industry drowning in a sea of auto-tune and seemingly incoherent lyrics.

Dub FX is a musician that has gained popularity on the internet for his incredible street performances across Europe. He constructs the melodies, backgrounds, and harmonies of his music using his voice and a clever recording device that allows him to loop recordings. His approach to music and his passion are both unparalleled to anything I've seen before.