CarusoBlog

Which Movie First Gave You Nightmares?

People evolve based on their life experiences, including the books they read and the movies they watch.

I attribute my first nightmare to The Omega Man.  Of course, the movie seems dated as I watched it again this evening, nearly forty years after the first viewing. 

After all, the soundtrack to the 1971 flick was recorded before the first generation of Moog synthesizers.  So much of the music we recognize as "spooky" is not played on conventional instruments.  It's hard to make a ride cymbal sound scary.

The opening theme music is the breezy Summer Place, which immediately lulls the viewer into a false sense of security.  The orchestral strings become a stark contrast to the cackle of machine gun fire.  Dr. Robert Neville, played by Charlton Heston,  stops his red convertible to spray bullets at shadows in a window. 

The Omega Man plot is quite thought-provoking.  As a "last man standing" film, TOM is in good standing with Cast Away (starring Tom Hanks), the fantastic Children of Men (with Clive  Owen) and even Heston's Planet of the Apes.    

The film is based on Richard Matheson's I Am Legend novel, which was finally made into a movie a couple years ago.

It's late and I'm now thinking about hooded mutants that only come out at night, the  usually eternal Charlton Heston dying in a literal blood bath and the end of the world.

I'm going to bed.  I hope I don't have nightmares.

Tomorrow, I have to go to work.  I teach people how to get along. 

Here's Who Attended My Vegas Conference on How to Be a Speaker/Author/Consultant

Composed in Las Vegas, Nevada--

I'm here to help folks become speakers, authors and consultants.  Northwest Airlines smiled or maybe  grimaced when I brought my portable recording studio through the security line. 

I'm recording the sessions so people who can't attend can have access to this valuable information.

An impressive group has assembled for this event!

We have a husband and wife couple who are each working on books.  She's almost finished writing a children's book and he's got a fiction book going.

One of the attendees works at a public radio station.  She's a natural for producing audio books and other types of recording because of her on-air experience.

A retail executive is here to develop his consulting skills.  He loves helping people and may decide that he's worth more than what the boss is paying for his services.

Also in attendance, a former Naval officer who became a prisoner of war when the USS Pueblo was captured by the North Koreans in 1968.  Eddie Murphy has already been published, but he wants to update his story and republish or re-purpose the content. 

Everyone is listening when this American hero speaks.  Even the Canadian in attendance, which makes my conference an international event!

I'm going to help them all. 

How to Read 39 Books a Year

Posted from Royal Oak, Michigan--

I'm a consultant and it's important for people in my position to be well-read.  This works out because I love to read.  Reading has even made me a better writer.  Primarily, I read non-fiction books such as self-help, business books and autobiographies.  Fiction is entertaining, but novels don't help my clients much.

My secret is to always have two books going at once.  I always have an audio book playing in my Sebring convertible and rental vehicles.  I also make it a habit to always have a real book with me.  By reading a little bit each day, I can generally read about 35 books in a year.

Here's a list of the 39 books I read in 2007, along with a short description of each.  You can read a more complete listing at the EdisonHouse Web site.
 

39. Hard Call by John McCain and Mark Salter
McCain is a fan of history.

38. Super Crunchers by Ian Ayers
The information game is changing. Try to keep up. 

37. Love It—Don’t Leave It: 26 Ways to Get What You Want At Work by Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans
The grass, as you know, isn’t always greener.

36. The Photographer’s Guide to Puget Sound - Where to Find Perfect Shots and How to Take Them
by Rod Barbee
The author is passionate about the great Northwest.

35. God Is Not Great—How Religion Poisons Everything* by Christopher Hitchens
British, snobby and brilliant, it’s almost natural for Hitchens to go against the grain. 

34. Heroes of History: A Brief History of Civilization from Ancient Times to the Dawn of the Modern Age by Will Durant
Will Durant was such a prolific writer that this book came out after he was dead. 

33. Life Is Good: Simple Words From Jake and Rocket by Bert and John Jacobs
Fun advice from a hipster named Jake and his equally hip dog Rocket. 

32. Who’s Your Caddy?*  by Rick Reilly
You don’t have to be a golfer to enjoy this book, but you should have a sense of humor. 

31. I Quit, But I Forgot to Tell You by Terri Kabachnick
All employees leave. Try to get give them lots of reasons to stay. 

30. The Real Deal---My Life in Business and Philanthropy by Sandy Weill and Judah S. Kraushaar
Business savvy from perhaps the most successful business man of our time. 

29. Houdini—America's First Superhero by William Kalush and Larry Sloman
A fascinating book about the master of self-promotion. 

28. The Missions of of California by Melba Levick and Stanley Young
Franciscan priest Junipero Serra founded a string of missions over 500 years ago. 

27. The Power of Outrageous Marketing by Joe Vitale
Lots of ideas on how to think differently, so you can market differently. 

26. Confessions of a Video Vixen by Karrine Steffans
Fluff fun from a female player.

25.  How to Say It To Seniors by David Solie
This book is for anyone who ever had a mom or dad. 

24. Passionate Action—5 Steps to Creating Extraordinary Success in Life and Work by Doug Gray
An effective mix of text and interactive segments. 

23. The Wal-Mart Effect*  by Charles Fishman
A fascinating profile on the world’s largest corporation. 

22. You Don’t Need a Title To Be a Leader by Mark Sanborn
We’re all leaders in our own way, whether we have a leadership title or not. 

21. Arrogance by Bernard Goldberg
Angry rhetoric accusing the media of having a leftist slant to news reporting. 

20. I Rant, Therefore I Am by Dennis Miller
High-brow, fast-paced humor. 

19. Moneyball--The Art of Winning an Unfair Game*  by Michael Lewis
Actually the biography of Billy Beane and how numbers have changed the game. 

18. Alice Cooper, Golf Monster—A Rock ‘n’ Roller’s 12 Steps to Becoming a Golf Addict by Alice Cooper with Keith and Kent Zimmerman
How Alice got started in music, stopped by alcohol and started in golf. 

17. Folks Upset by the Capital Karma—A Shock and Awe Campaign for Political Reform
Heavy-handed political rhetoric with R-rated overtones. 

16. I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This by Bob Newhart
Newhart was so popular, he had the #1 and 2 albums in the country at the same time. 

15. 700 Sundays by Billy Crystal
Charming and funny, just like the author. 

14. You: The Owners Manual: An Insider’s Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet Oz
Dr. Oz is on Oprah all the time; don’t be surprised if she gets him his own show. 

13. How To Write a Book Proposal by Michael Larsen
The best feature of Larsen’s book is the section of sample proposals. 

12. How Doctors Think* by Jerome Groopman, M.D.
A fascinating look at how doctors and the rest of us process information. 

11. Frank Talk on Our Rotary Foundation by Frank Devlyn
Written in the popular “novel with a moral” format. 

10. Made To Stick—Why Some Ideas Survive and Some Die*
Audio book by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
An eye-opening treat for anyone who needs to be creative.

9. The Secret
Audio book by Rhonda Byrne
I’ve known “the secret” for a long time. The secret is the law of attraction. 

8. Change Or Die—The Three Keys to Change at Work and in Life*
Audio book by Alan Deutschmann
Change is a fascinating look at human potential.

7. How To Talk To Anyone—92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships
by Leil Lowndes
People are your greatest resource. It pays to know how to talk to them. 

6. The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More*
Audiobook by Chris Anderson
As an information marketer, this book really captured my imagination.

5. Changing Minds
By Howard Gardner
Want to change other peoples’ minds? “Listen with charisma.” 

4. Influence—How and Why People Do Things
By Robert B. Cialdini
Highly recommended for sales people, managers and parents who want to be better. 

3. Five Regions of the Future—Preparing Your Business For Tomorrow’s Technology Revolution
By Joel A. Barker and Scott W. Erickson
Five scenarios for what comes next after what comes next. 

2. The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2002
Audio book adapted by Dave Eggers
This is the first issue of the eclectic series. 

1. Areas of My Expertise
Audio book by John Hodgeman
John Hodgeman has had success with his brief comic bits on The Jon Stewart Show. 

* Highly recommended 

Note:  Some of the books I read in 2007 are audio books but nearly all of the above titles can be found in digital and non-digital formats. 

My goal is to process at least 30 books a year. I’m in the self-improvement business so I favor non-fiction including biographies and psychology books. My annual reading lists are available at www.EdisonHouse.com.

Perfect and Getting Better Every Day, Part 2

Posted from Royal Oak, Michigan--

Perfectionism is overrated.  Do you know a perfectionist?

A week after a sad performance at the Super Bowl, the New England Patriots are hopefully okay with their near perfect season and are getting on with life.  Being perfect isn't what it's cracked up to be.

It used to be that the word "perfect" meant whole or complete and everyone was, well, perfect.  Now Merriam-Webster defines as flawless so "nobody's perfect" has become a societal catch phrase.

Self-proclaimed perfectionists, however, not only ignore such sayings, they seem rather proud of their quest to be flawless.  This usually results in a push-pull personality that is out of balance with life.  Take the Pat's sad sack coach, Bill Bellichick, for example.  Perfectionists can't help but impose their unrealistic standards on others.

The perfect interview is perfect because the interviewer cheats.  I'm a fan of National Public Radio (NPR) and I admire how longtime Fresh Air host, Terry Gross seems to always conduct perfect interviews.  She's great at conversing with her guests and digging deep into complicated issues.   

But anyone who has read her book, All I Did Was Ask: Conversations With Writers, Actors, Musicians and Artists knows that Ms. Gross's program is hardly the live, uninterrupted conversation it seems to be.  Turns out that the interviews are heavily edited.  Guests are even allowed to re-answer questions, if they would like to.

El Al is Israel's official airline and perhaps the perfect airline when it comes to preventing terrorism.  But the company is dealing with more than one lawsuit alleging what amounts to customer profiling.

Perhaps the best way to go is to claim perfection while simultaneously relishing that there is still room for improvement.  I often use the phrase, "Perfect and getting better every day as in "'The New England Patriots are perfect and getting better every day.'"

It's the perfect compliment.

Politicians Lie--How We Know For Sure

Composed in Green Bay, Wisconsin--

Before elections, they say, "I'm not running."  Then, they run.

During their campaigns, they say, "I'm not quitting."  Then, they quit.

In the last ten days, John Edwards, Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney terminated their bids for the Presidency after insisting they were in it to win.  More politicos will do the same as we near the primaries.

Is it any wonder the citizenry doesn't trust politicians?

The title character on my favorite TV show is Dr. Gregory House.  Dr. House often remind us, "Everyone lies."  If this is true, maybe we should be more forgiving of politicians.

What do you think?  Does everyone lie?

Perfect and Getting Better Every Day, Part 1

Posted from Royal Oak, Michigan--

Observations from SuperBowl XLII:

It was one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport.  The 2008 version of the Superbowl was in fact, a perfect game that ended just the way it was meant to end.  In case you can't tell, I also thought The Sopranos' finale was perfect. 

Eli Manning and the New York Giants surprised Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, 17-14.  Surprise is certainly the best word to describe the first play.  The Giants, on defense, blitzed Brady and gave him a scare that seemed to affect his rhythm the duration of the game.  It didn't help that the Pats were running some sort of Barnum and Bailey circus play on the first snap after kickoff.

Adapting a signature phrase from my keynote speeches across the fruited plain:  The New England Patriots, 18-1 on the regular season, are perfect and getting better every day.

The Pats may have lost the biggest game of the year, but they still had a perfect year.  Perfect and getting better every day. Their coach, Bill Belichick was not the best loser.  He left the field before the game was finished. 

His post-game interview consisted of bitter one-word answers and visible anger.  He reacted to the loss the way a father might react if his daughter was killed in a car crash.  Lighten up, Billy.

The National Football League (NFL) staged a near-perfect half-time show.  Tom Petty rocked the house, although he's probably the least tele-genic of any guest musician in Superbowl history.   I read later that the fans who rushed the stage as he began his first song were not from the stands.

CNN.com reported that the throng was assembled outside the stadium and released onto the field just for the half-time show. 

Confusion reigned, however, when the band finished playing.  The stadium lights went dark for the stage to be disassembled and Petty fans wandered the field aimlessly until the security team could broom them all out. 

More on perfection in my next posting.