An answer for Shubber Ali – The Tipping Point of Space Tourism (it’s not Snark 1.0)

Like many of those who have been eagerly reading Anousheh Ansari‘s Space Blog, I am disappointed that some have chosen her blog as a place to vent their own issues, without adding anything to the global conversation.

Here’s an answer for you Shubber Ali:
Anousheh Ansari engaged many people around the world by sharing her experience as a female Iranian space tourist in a blog in more than one language, with photos and video. No, Anousheh is not the first space tourist. No, Anousheh is not the first blogger. No, Anousheh is not the first person to blog in two languages. Yes, Anousheh is a woman. Yes, Anousheh is from Iran. Yes, Anousheh is the first person to blog from space. Yes, this is something very new.

Shubber Ali mentions that Anousheh is fourth and is not therefore new. This completely misses the point as newness is not why Anousheh is popular, her ability to engage is.

There have been three space tourists previously, but they did not contribute like this to the global conversation, they did not connect with the global community. For every Neil Armstrong there is also a Michael Collins. No one is disparaging the visits of the other three, they just didn’t have this level of engagement with the global community.

Alan Bean was the fourth person on the moon, for those of you playing at home. But what exactly does that have to do with Anousheh, other than give you a chance to prove how “old school” you are (real subtle).

Anousheh Ansari has shared thoughts in a blog, shared photos on Flickr, published her vacation videos for the world to see, told us what it’s like to wash hair in space and generally brought a little bit of space to everyone, not just the “old school” people who don’t want to share, not just the adults, not just the rich, not just the science geeks, and not just the men from America.

Some people say if you scratch a cynic, you’ll find a disappointed idealist underneath. If there’s any idealism left Shubber, I think I’d rather hear some of that, or even what has disappointed you.

So far, most of Shubber’s blogging has dissappointingly been of the shallow, snarky, substanceless sort of name-calling and insult hurling that is all-to-common these days in the blogosphere.

At this point in time, I’d rather read Anousheh’s blog over yours, any day of the week. It’s not a matter of perspective, it’s not about fan clubs or what’s cool. It’s about engagement and conversation.

You don’t know how to engage your fellow man online Shubber Ali, have a think about it. Snark is not a conversation, it’s just rude.

Passion, Inspiration and Getting Things Done

Never underestimate what passion will accomplish. The pyramids didn’t get built by people aimlessly piling rocks.

Some people have a dream. Some dream big, others dream small. The dreams themselves are what is important, not their size.

Dreams are what stop us from being put off by the buts:

• it’s too hard
• it’s never been done
• it’s not how we do things
• people won’t like it
• the cost is too great

SO BLOODY WHAT!
At the end of the day, every invention, every innovation, every idea at some point did not exist. People work really hard, they try a lot of stuff (a lot of it didn’t work), always learning, never giving up. Every failed effort is one more lesson learned. They try more stuff, some of which works!

We can learn better ways to do things every day, we should also be learning from our past mistakes.

In the movie Medicine Man, a man dreams of curing cancer. Not for money, not for love but an aching need to change his current reality, to move forward as a civilisation and shed the shackles of the human race’s past misfortunes.

At the end of the movie Medicine Man, all Dr. Campbell was left with was his passion and his dream. That was enough, he had just one open loop, curing cancer. That loop was enough for him to keep trying, completing each next action as it becomes available.
Herculean tasks require big dreams, but they also need to Get Things Done. Corporations are getting the idea.

Google’s Mission to organise the world’s information while making it universally accessible and useful, certainly fits the bill. This is a task Google may never complete (given the rate we produce information), but changing society is no small thing.
What inspires you?
Do one task today to contribute towards that dream.

Dream big, do big things.

A special note for Cameron Reilly: don’t take The Podcast Network overseas, that’s exactly what makes Australia a technology backwater! Sell some private shares, have an IPO, call Richard Branson.
A note to Aussie (and overseas) VCs – throw money at The Podcast Network, this is the future of media and you’re going to be kicking yourselves when all the people have stopped listening/reading to MSM and your media brands are worth squat to the new generation (just like those great telegraph brands).