MarketingInsideOut.com

This from Business 2.0:

For $424 a month – or one-sixth the cost of one of the firm’s human temps – Japanese companies can rent an electronic receptionist shaped like Hello Kitty.

Manufactured by Business Design Laboratory, also based in Nagoya, the 20-inch-tall Hello Kitty Robo can recognize as many as 10 faces, ask visitors to speak their names, and tell them when the person they have come to see is ready. With 20,000 stored conversation patterns, songs, and riddles, the robot is arguably more entertaining than many real attendants. Cheaper too.

Let’s hope this is one thing that doesn’t cross the cultural divide. 

…what were they thinking…

It was a gorgeous night.  One of those truly perfect evenings at the beginning of Spring where the air is warm, crisp and fresh.  As I sat on my deck watching the clouds clear to reveal a beautiful moon, I started thinking about the euphoric feeling I get each Spring — as my daffodils bloom; my tulips (at least those the rabbits haven’t mowed down) come up, the trees come back to life. 

There’s nothing like the green colors of Spring.  I love this time of year, when everything feels fresh and new.  There’s so much potential and so much yet to come.   It makes me feel like I think clearer and it definitely makes me more philosophical.

As I sat outside enjoying the night I starting thinking about a conversation I had earlier with my daughter who is going off to college next year.  She’s struggling with the big question:  what do I want to do when I grow up?  To her it’s both exciting and terrifying that there are so many options.  She’s heard so much advice from various factions like teachers, counselors and recruiters about high paying career options and things she needs to think about.  Tonight as we talked about it, my two cents was simple — “find something you love to do and focus on that, not on the money”. I tried to explain to her that she’s going to spend a lot of time working, and she’ll be happiest all around if she loves what she does first and foremost.  

When she asked me why I love my job, I told her that it’s because for me it’s like that feeling of Spring on an ongoing basis.  It’s fresh and new.  Every day is different.  Every day I get to learn new things.  Meet new people.  Create change.  There’s so much potential.  Occasionally there’s a gray day or a storm, but for the most part, it’s like Spring all year round.  Maybe I got lucky.  But yes, absolutely – I love what I do.  And I wish the same for my daughter.