As the internet landscape has evolved at a blistering pace, universities have been left behind and often teaching skills and concepts that are years out of date. I was excited to read about The University of Colorado’s Boulder Digital Work program. Their stated mission is, “developing today and tomorrow’s digital leaders and entrepreneurs.”

This sounds like a very forward thinking program and hopefully it will produce a lot of local talent with a much better understanding of the digital realm than most schools offer today. Courses include Interaction Design, Experience Design, Digital Branding, Social Networks, and Software Development.

I hope this program is successful and that it will help to continue the growth of Boulder as a hub for innovation.

Ok, I know the world is inundated with Michael Jackson news right now, but I am quite ok jumping on the bandwagon. Although you can bring up all the controversy that surrounded his life, I don’t think anyone can discount the amazing talent in this guy. He is a legend the world will likely never see again.

The artists influenced by MJ can’t even be counted. He was by far one of my favorite musicians and dancers. Although he lost it in his late years, there are still several hits that are popular for all generations living today. In fact, some of my friends and I still have a pretty rockin’ Billie Jean dance on tape somewhere.

He will be missed, and I hope everyone remembers and realizes what a true genius Michael was. My thoughts are with family, friends, and fans right now.

Obviously, this was a difficult week for many celebrities and their families. I would also like to express my condolences to Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon, and Billy Mays.

What would you saaay. . .you do here?
I make sure the TPS reports have covers on them. Aside from that important job, I am also a Project Manager. I have all the day-to-day contact with clients. They tell me what they need, and I make sure it gets done on time and within the budget. I task out all of the work to my glorious team. In short, I stack bomb.

What is your most embarrassing moment?
Oh boy. Do I only get to chose one? Alright, as a college Freshman, I was playing in a soccer game. My teammate, Kealy, got very badly hacked in the ankle, but kept playing and limping around. In soccer, in order to stop for injury time, you have to sit on the ground, the ref blows the whistle, and the person can leave. Well, everyone was telling Kealy to sit down, and she wouldn’t. She was playing defense and I was in the midfield. My coach yelled, “Hoffman, drop for her!” Well, I assumed he meant “drop to the ground to stop play” rather than drop back to defense to give her a break. Well, like the dutiful minion I was, I plopped on the ground. The ref, my teammates, and the entire sideline were laughing at the blonde dumbass sitting in the middle of the field. I, unfortunately, was the one who had to leave the field, since I was the one sitting. Yep. Good times. Idiot. Never lived that one down all 4 years of college soccer.

If money were no object, what would you do with your life?
I’d be a stand-up comedian. I’d probably dance, play soccer daily, and travel the world while telling my jokes.

Dogs or Cats?
Daawwwwggggss!!! I have puppy fever. Bad.

What is the funniest thing a client has ever said to you?
At my old company, we put together a postcard mailer design. We presented the design with Lorum Ipsem in the copy as a text place holder to show the overall concept (like we had done 50 other times for this client). He said he really liked the design, but was concerned that most of his audience wouldn’t be able to understand Latin. Oh boy.

So we’re all jealous of your trip to Europe. What was the best part?
There were so many amazing parts. I loved my day in Toledo. Amalfi was the most beautiful town too. Pompeii was just unbelievable. I have to say my favorite was probably Rome. The architecture, art, and history are just so amazing. Our hotel was in the perfect location to walk to all of the amazing sites: The Pantheon, The Coliseum, and The Sistine Chapel. Doesn’t get much better than that!

What Office character are you?
I don’t actually watch the show. I would say Pam is a safe bet, but I am certainly not as shy or awkward (I hope). Unfortunately, I think I may just be the crazy one…

Creed Bratton
The most eccentric office employee, Creed keeps a blog called Creed Thoughts filled with musings like “If I ever go[t] the chance, I’d take a bath in a giant fondue pot. No lie.”
http://television.aol.com/insidetv/2007/09/21/the-office-character-guide/

What is your favorite movie of all time?
Boy, this is tough to narrow down without a specific category. I prefer comedy, so that’s what you shall get.

I think I’m going with Office Space. Although, Wedding Crashers and Van Wilder are both up there. I’m also going to put Singing in the Rain and The Little Mermaid out there, too. Yep.

Eagles or Broncos?
Yes.

Who would you most like to meet?
Well, you’ll probably mock me for this, but I would have loved to have met Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter. I have never seen someone get so much joy out of everything he did and truly live his life to the fullest every day. I would think 5 minutes in a room with him, and you’d have a totally different appreciation for everything big and small.

However, I assume this question refers to the living, so I would have to go with Ronaldinho. I can’t imagine I’d have a whole lot to say to him, but it’d be the coolest thing ever to stand 10 feet away from him with a soccer ball. Now, there’s a guy who’s loving life and is awesome at what he does.

If you could have a super power, what would it be?
I think I’d fly because then I could travel anywhere I wanted to for free.

Of course, if I had ESP, I could guess what clients wanted before they even asked for it. Talk about best Project Manager ever.

What website can you not live without?
I’m going to be an ass and say Google. I was going to say The Denver Egotist, Digg, or Fark, but really I couldn’t survive without Google. I’d be like a lost little puppy.

Best “That’s what she said” heard at Imulus.
Mario: “I used to have massive forearms from stick handling.” #TWSS
Taylor: “When it’s early in the morning and I want to grab a pair.” #TWSS
Steph: “Can you just fake it for the time-being to get it done quickly on the site?”
Mario: “I can fake anything.” (PS That was on a client call) #TWSS

If you live in Colorado odds are you’ve heard the term “fracking” on the news at least once in the last 7 years. Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing is the technique used to force oil & gas out of the ground by injecting water, sand and chemicals deep into the bedrock. Industry officials claim the the technique is environmentally safe and doesn’t effect drinking water. Yet, in 2005 Dick Cheney and colleagues exempt the practice of fracking from the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Fortunately, producer Josh Fox has created a documentary about fracking and he’s hoping it will help increase mainstream awareness of the practice. Especially before oil & gas companies start drilling in the Delaware River Basin and contaminating the water supplies to Philadelphia, Baltimore an D.C.

Spread the awareness!

RAGE OF NATURE TRAILER from JOSHFOX on Vimeo.

Last week we were recognized as the 20th Fastest Growing Small Business (sub $2 mil in revenue) by the Mercury 100 for Boulder & Broomfield Counties here in Colorado. On the surface this might seem like a great accomplishment, however it’s a false measure of success, and I’ll tell you why.

• The Mercury 100 just looks at Boulder / Broomfield County. Not Denver or the rest of the state. Colorado is loaded with great startup companies. Sure, Boulder & Broomfield are a hotbed of entrepreneurial activity, yet sizing yourself up against a small group isn’t a true validation of efforts.
• You have to apply to be in the Mercury 100. Who knows for certain how many small business out there have not submitted their information. Clearly if you’ve found wild success in a business model why, other then selling the business or gaining investor dollars, would you feel the need to tell others?
• The growth is skewed as a startup. It’s not difficult to show 500% growth when your first year consisted of the 3 months in ‘06 followed by a ramp up in ‘07 and sustained business in ‘08.
• Revenue growth doesn’t equal profitability. While our revenue has grown over the last few years our most profitable year was ‘06. Arguably we’ve become less efficient as a business, and that is certainly not a measure of success.

So why are we rewarding pure revenue growth?

Don’t get me wrong, I like the recognition we receive for things like this. I just want to stress to other business owners that measuring success by pure revenue growth clearly isn’t the best option.