Disqus - Latest Comments for benjamintwilcox

Re: Video: My TEDxCMU Speech (Career in the Age of the App)

benjamintwilcox — Sun, 22 May 2011 10:25:37 -0000

Jenny, your presentation for TEDxCMU was amazing and you seem to take losing the slides in stride. They should write a textbook on how to handle technical difficulties while giving a speech based on your performance. It was a great 20 minutes, thanks for sharing the video so those who weren't there could enjoy it too!

Re: Serendipity & The Art of Being Alone

benjamintwilcox — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 20:12:00 -0000

Being alone is something that I have been working on lately since moving to a new area of the country. I love the way you feel when exploring an area by yourself. My last trip to NYC was much like you described when I was navigating the subway on my own.

I love this idea, and as much as others have said this in the comments below, the chance meetings of friends/barristas/fellow travelers is exhilarating. I know that traveling with a few friends can also yield the same results. In Vegas, my buddy and I ran into a man who claimed to be Evil Knievel's manager with the 70s wallet photos to prove it!

Great to hear that you are out of your rut and taking the world by storm!

PS: Congrats on the book deal! :)

Re: http://twonine.dshan.me/post/691259860

benjamintwilcox — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 16:59:49 -0000

Love this song and this band. The sad thing is that much like Neutral Milk Hotel, I got into Dispatch long after they had broken up. Every time I am at a bar with some guy playing a guitar by himself, I offer him 10 bucks to play The General and I have only been taken up on that offer once. Damn shame. Great pick!

Re: Friday Linky Love – Giveaway Edition II

benjamintwilcox — Fri, 28 May 2010 19:20:57 -0000

It is so hard for me to pinpoint where my favorite travel destination is right now. I have really enjoyed Key West and San Diego for their amazing weather. My most recent trip was to NYC and I have much much more exploring to do in that amazing city!

Re: Have You Already Peaked?

benjamintwilcox — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 12:27:07 -0000

Honestly, who have you met that fits this stereotype of 'gen y I've made it' mentality? I don't want you to name names but I have never met someone that thinks they have made ioust our age other than lebron James. I feel like we are all fighting this invisible stereotypical person that doesn't actually exist. The people who would be reading this ESPECIALLY do not think they have made it because they are here sharing opinions and continually improving themselves through these discussions. I am a member of gen y, but constantly framing your perspective as a twenty something sets the standards lower for success. Compared to some people my age, I am a success if I didn't wake up with a hangover every Saturday and Sunday morning. We need to stop trying to fight how our generation is percieved and begin achieving success despite what generation our age may place us.

Re: How Much Do You Care About the Truth?

benjamintwilcox — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:15:26 -0000

I agree that we must strive for honestly in ourselves and in other outlets such as news, blogs, and twitter. But you can't tell me that there has been an increase in dishonesty because more people have a voice using the Internet. If your news gathering system involves any combination of Glenn beck, John Stewart or other television personalities, then it is flawed. Being able to detect biased reporting, hidden agendas and plain old BS is part of growing up. I am not saying that you are advocating blind trust with this post, but it should be understood that almost no reporting is unbiased, based on human error and the frame of reference that everyone has. I would argue that the Internet has not increased the amount of distruth being spread, only given us a way to more easily expose those who are spreading lies by getting a larger number of perspecitves on a given subject.

Re: SNL’s Creative Process

benjamintwilcox — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 11:53:30 -0000

Sydney,

I haved loved SNL all of my life, having literally worn out my VHS recording of 25 years of snl when I was little. The creative process of the show seems grueling and every actor after hosting the show says that it was the hardest they've ever worked in a week. But I have no doubt that is part of the reason snl has been on tv for so many years.

You have listed some great takeaways here, especially mentioning the need to try a bunch of ideas to see what sticks and not be afraid to suggest things simply because of inexperience.

A book that you might be interested in is by Jay Mohr, called Gasping For Airtime. It talks about the glory days of saturday night live and working with the greats: Farley, Sandler, chris rock, Mike Meyers and Dana Carvey.

Great stuff, thanks for sharing some tips from SXSW.

Re: Sometimes Life Sucks…But It Could Be Worse

benjamintwilcox — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:45:01 -0000

"I'm just a girl, in the world. That's they'll let me beeeeeeeeeeee." Haha sorry, had to throw in a No Doubt lyric for ya.

I do agree that a lot of life is perspective. It is really easy to get down on yourself and curse your situation. But it is hard to keep hustling, to keep pushing for something better. That is what we all need to strive for and remember, to both enjoy the moment and realize that things will eventually get better when they are bad.

Great post Sam, I really like your honesty with your posts lately.

Re: What Do Social Action, Muppets & Pro Football Players Have in Common?

benjamintwilcox — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 16:53:30 -0000

That is really cool that you were able to get so many different industries in your of internships. You obviously have a lot of different interests.

I interned and co-oped while going to school too, but mine were focused in the automotive industry. There is no doubt that I got each job because of the one that I held previously gave me the proper experience the next job was looking for. Great stuff!

Re: Empty Spaces (and Moving Past Loneliness)

benjamintwilcox — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 11:01:32 -0000

I love this post, Jenny! I agree with Elisa when she says you live the life of a super hero. :) It's refreshing in a way to hear that you feel overwhelmed sometimes, even with all that you accomplish in a given day. It makes me feel better about feeling overwhelmed in my own situation sometimes. It is great that you have allowed yourself to feel the lonely feeling and then moved forward from them, taking care of yourself as well as your goals!

I actually have been feeling the loneliness feeling every now and then, having moved to a new area where I don't know many people. Valentine's day weekend, when many single guys will go hit the bars with their buddies, I had neither a girlfriend or buddies. But, as you described, I took a deep breath, popped in the movie Casino (I think guy's equivalent of SATC) and enjoyed the time to myself. Most situations can be affected by how you frame them in your mind, and I have learned to frame my alone time in a positive light, even on a Friday or Saturday night. Awesome writing as always!

Re: The Power of People Who Are “Down”

benjamintwilcox — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:38:03 -0000

This is a post that I can definitely relate to. I sometimes find myself coming home from doing one thing to head right back out the door to do something else. This is also why, even though I love dogs, I can't bear to adopt one because I am never home. So, I would say that I have more of a down bucket than beaker. :)

When I was in college, I was that guy walking down the hall convincing everyone to see a midnight movie when they were studying on Friday night. I used to pride myself on my ability to pry people from their homework in order to do something fun. But kind of like you are saying in this post, I found that not everyone appreciated my 'distraction' as much as I thought. I was able to distinguish those who were always up for a random adventure and those who operated on a more rigid schedule (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Lately, I have started doing less since I am in a new area where I don't know as many people. I suspect that will change once I get to know some more people who are 'down'.

Great post Grace!

P.S. Did anyone else think of the Ice Cube song "Down For Whatever" when reading this post? No? Just me?

Re: Close to Home

benjamintwilcox — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:06:07 -0000

My move across country was pretty much a given. I had been out of work for a long time and this new job is better than the position I was laid off from. For me there really wasn't another option. Plus, all of the snow is making me feel at home. :) My parents still live in Cleveland where I grew up. While I love getting back to visit them, the job market there isn't great to say the least.

That being said, I text or talk with my folks almost every day and I still am very close with them. I really would like to live closer to them, especially for those impromptu lunches and so they can help in crisis. But in terms of engineering jobs right now, my best opportunities were in the east coast. It is tough sometimes for me here, but I have always had my family's support for moving to new places for my career. When I was in Detroit for my last job and Columbus for school, I was still about two and a half hours away from them, so being 6-7 hours away doesn't change much other than type of transportation. Let's just say that I have gotten very familiar with Southwest's ticket booking software. :)

I definitely agree that the fact your family lives in the New York area is amazing for you both personally and professionally. NYC is one of the places where people move to further their career (if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere) and it just so happens your family is there too! The most important thing in life is knowing what you want, need and can live without. I think by writing this post, you are confirming that you have made choices in your life that align well with those three things. Great stuff Sam!

Re: Guest Post: Testing The Waters: My First Online Friendship

benjamintwilcox — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:43:44 -0000

Sam was the first person that I met from the online community as well. I think she has set the bar pretty high for other people we meet in real life from now on! This is a great post and I agree with it 100%. The stats of how many Twitter followers you have or comments on your blog do not matter at all. What matters is the close connections you make with people online, the great friends with whom you have only met a few times and the internet helping to make the world that much smaller. Amazing stuff Beth!

Re: Long Days, Love & Gratitude

benjamintwilcox — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:33:56 -0000

Sam, I am so happy to hear that things with your mom are going well. This is a great post and I have to point out that it is obvious a lot of your mother's strength has been passed down to you from how you have handled the tough situations in your life during the last few years. I love how your focus on Appreciation keeps coming back as a theme of your posts. It really speaks to how timeless that idea is and how much we really need to remember to be appreciative of our loved ones, the little things and life in general. As always, great stuff Sam!

Re: An Awful Sunny Drive

benjamintwilcox — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:09:38 -0000

This post is amazing written. I really liked it. I, too, am a dog person but have not owned one since I moved away from home. My roommates right now have two, and I have grown very attached to them while being unemployed and in the house all day. I will definitely miss them because I have found a job in another city and will be moving out this weekend. Maybe that's why this post hit me so hard, I appreciate and share your love for man's best friend.

The overall structure and writing of this post is really, really good. I am jealous of how you were so effortlessly able to expand 'My dog and I went for a trip.' :) Really good stuff, I am looking forward to part two!

Re: If I Am Not For Myself, Who Will Be For Me?

benjamintwilcox — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:51:28 -0000

This is a great post and also a great thing to remember. I agree that our selfishness shouldn't be taken to the extreme of hurting or neglecting others, but it is important to provide for yourself while working towards your own goals. No one else can tell you what kind of life will make you happy, you need to figure that out for yourself.

Re: The Power of an Exclamation Point!

benjamintwilcox — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:20:21 -0000

I think it is a great thing to remember to be more expressive while chatting with people online. Exclamation points can make a big difference when trying to convey surprise or excitement. Cool stuff.

Re: Instant Gratification

benjamintwilcox — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:08:22 -0000

I think that's a good point you make in the last paragraph. What if some children have been promised another marshmallow and had their parents forget to give it to them? Maybe they were acting according to previous experiences.

Re: [Sam]antics: The Comeback Edition

benjamintwilcox — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:05:08 -0000

I really like how you highlight how gratitude has the word attitude inside of it. I think it is an important thing to remember that being grateful is an attitude, not just a task that you finish and then go back to taking things for granted. Good post!

Re: Swallow Your (My) Pride

benjamintwilcox — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:41:00 -0000

I love your hustle and tenacity. Just the fact that you are contemplating another job instead of living above your means sets you apart from some. Never be ashamed of making more money as long as it is an ethical way to do it. There's no shame in tending bar to make extra money, friendly bartenders make my day.

Re: Becoming the Best Version of Yourself Part I

benjamintwilcox — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:58:42 -0000

I really like this post, these bullet points make things a lot more simple when it comes to speaking and working the room with confidence. It is true that some people are born with that talent, but others need to work a bit in order to perfect their presence. I am in the latter group and have actively worked towards becoming more outgoing. Kudos on your own journey in this department, it is a great skill to have. I am sure from dealing with you online that you will excel with little practice.

Something you might enjoy reading, if you haven't already, is Making Friends and Influencing People by Dale Carnegie. A good read along the lines of the discussion here.

Re: Friday Linky Love

benjamintwilcox — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 13:43:50 -0000

Thanks for adding my post to Friday Linky Love! There are quality articles in your Linky Love this week as there are every week and I am honored to be a part of it!

Re: The Gratitude List: An Exercise to Exercise Appreciation in Your Life {Grace Boyle}

benjamintwilcox — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:55:25 -0000

I really liked the idea of a list as well. This is something that I try to do inside my head every day, but never physically write down. I will definitely be trying this tomorrow morning when I wake up. I agree with Carlos that you have brought a different perspective to this series and it has benefited by your contribution. Great article Grace and kudos to Sam for getting you to participate!

Re: Appreciation is About Finding the Silver Linings {Ben Wilcox}

benjamintwilcox — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:02:30 -0000

I do believe that I have been able to have my eyes opened to different ways of life because of the events of the past year. But there are so many others who are without a job right now with mortgage payments and children and many other burdens that I don't have to face. When Sam asked me to write for the Appreciation Revolution, I really connected with the message on a personal level. I do feel that I have much more to be appreciative for than others here in the United States and around the world. It is a privilege just to be alive, one that we don't realize enough in our daily lives. Thank you for your comment and for your support, I have no doubt in my mind that things will get better and I am working hard to get there every day.

Re: Is It Hard For You To Make Friends?

benjamintwilcox — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:48:50 -0000

I think the point about putting yourself out there is key. It is hard to make friends sometimes when you move to a new area, so being able to be more outgoing and take chances is important. Great post Grace, I think friendship can be much more difficult to develop than most people think.