Self-DNA Testing a Reality

A personal genetics company based in Silicon Valley, 23andMe, sells kits to allow you to test your own DNA. For $99 plus postage, the results promise to tell you all about your ancestry, inherited traits, and any possible congenital risks. All of this is part of the service 23andMe provides, but the recent announcement of [...]

23andme genetic testing

Will You Need a Driver’s License in 2040?

Self-driving cars are rapidly making the transition from “pie in the sky” to real life experiments.  (Check out my other post: Self-Driving Cars Will Change Auto Insurance.) GM’s Cadillac division expects to produce partially autonomous cars at a large scale by 2015. They predict fully autonomous cars will be available by the end of the [...]

Google Toyota Prius hybrids

Is Risky the New Safe?

Sometimes you have to break things. Shake it up. Bust it up. ‘Cause that’s where the breakthroughs live. –Randy Gage, author, Risky is the New Safe Over the past few years it has been intriguing to watch the decline of well-known brands and companies: Blockbuster, Nokia, BlackBerry, Best Buy, Borders, and Kodak. These are just [...]

Risky is the New Safe Randy Gage

The Virtual Agent: Transforming the Traditional Agency Model

Applied Systems
April 19, 2013

What an agency looks like today is changing. I am seeing more examples of virtual agencies being formed. Is this model right for your organization? I don’t know, but this webinar will help you understand some of the benefits and some of the issues.

I participated with Brenda Johnson of Low & Johnson Agency. This is a 10 year old agency that has always been virtual. Brenda provides some great information on how they have made the virtual model work.

Signup required. Sponsored by Applied Systems.

Agent Influence Google+ Hangout

Agent's Influence
April 24, 2013

I recently participated in my first Google+ Hangout with Jason Cass and friends. It was an interesting experience and contained some great information. Also on the hangout were Rick Morgan, Vance Stine, Brian Appleton, and Jim Armitage.

It’s worth watching for some insights on the impact of technology on insurance agents.

Some Types of Multitasking Are More Dangerous Than Others

People are better at juggling some types of multitasking than they are at others, according to a new study that has implications for distracted drivers. Trying to do two visual tasks at once hurt performance in both tasks significantly more than combining a visual and an audio task, the research found. Alarmingly, though, people who [...]

multitasking can be dangerous

I had an opportunity to attend a LinkedIn Influencer event in Austin during South by Southwest (SXSW) in April. I was asked to record some quick comments on how to survive a conference. I do attend a lot of different conferences, both as a speaker and as a participant. They can be a waste of time — or a great place to expand your knowldedge, recharge and connect or reconnect with others. To get the most out of any conference you should think about why you are going and plan your trip well.

Digital Disruption: How Will You Respond?

Many of you may know that I live in the Nashville area. Nashville is known for music and we have many friends in the business. As you might suspect, music piracy is taken very seriously here. That’s why I was interested to read a comprehensive study from The American Assembly, a non-partisan public affairs forum [...]

sources of music collections in the US