Maui

A Closer Look …

with Anthony Newcombe

Let’s take a closer look … @How could Maui’s fires happen?

Wildfires: How could this happen?

If you believe in attempting to tackle”the unimaginable,” well, now is your time. Imagine a warm, welcoming people in an historic, fun-loving town. Now, bring in a spectrum of colors on the roadsides, along the skyline, and, of course, in the ocean encasing it all. Next, swirl-in a palette of all types of people, gathering from many places of the world. Don’t forget the sounds of the birds, the music, the palms swaying in the gentle trade winds.

Heaven turns to HELL

Now, if you’ll bear with me, the unfortunate “unimaginable.” A spark creates a flame which instantaneously generates a full-blown blast one can only describe as some sort of “apocalypse.” No sirens, no alarms, no whistles, nothing. Just the hellish, furious, roar of death and destruction. Those who are even somewhat “aware” of what is happening have no time to think, but rather are forced to flee for their lives – even if that includes jumping into the ocean – to escape the heat and smoke barreling towards them.

The end result

In a flicker of time, all has been reduced to ash and rubble. There is little time to process what has happened. There is no one available to question or to provide answers. An historic town dating back to the kingdom of Hawaii stands no more. We must do all we can to pitch-in to help rebuild this place and its people. And the people need answers … NOW!

PROFILE

Anthony Newcombe is a 4-time entrepreneur, published author & narrator, and full-stack web developer. He can be reached through our CONTACT PAGE.

**If you’d like to donate with us to Maui, simply scan our PayPal QR code … many thanks!**

How about an AI CEO?

A Closer Look …

with Anthony Newcombe

This month: Here’s an idea: let’s build an A.I. replacement for CEOs!!

You’ve heard it, I’ve heard, we’ve all heard it recently. “Artificial intelligence is going to replace me, and no one is going to be able to do anything about it!” Whether it’s Hollywood writers & actors, as well as other creators of duplicative content or services, it seems everyone is at risk of being replaced (substituted?) by AI.

WHY THIS MAKES SENSE

Call it alarmist, paranoid, or anything else you wish. The fact is that it’s coming – and FAST! I recall when I was very young going to the movies and seeing Westworld with Richard Benjamin and a very intimidating Yul Brenner. I might be too proud to say I was shaking in my boots, but let’s just settle on the fact that I NEVER forgot that movie. If only I’d known that it was simply a precursor …

Fast forward to today. It seems the only working people who are the most frightened by this concept are those whose decisions are being made on their behalf. Combine that with a general lack of trust for those in charge and BOOM – we are left with the anger, disbelief, and anxiety that is here.

CONTENT CREATOR P.O.V. VS. CEO P.O.V.

I think about things like this all the time. As a content creator, I understand fully the importance of “having a say over my creation(s).” Conversely, as a CEO, I understand the need to stay ahead of the business/technology curve and to keep costs in check, etc. However, in this situation, I’m going to side with the creators. I’m going to do this for the purposes of this blog entry simply BECAUSE-I-CAN!

THE WRAP UP

Finally, I’m going to propose that we embark on inventing a brand-new CEO in A.I. It won’t be overpaid, it won’t chastise and intimidate its workforce, and it won’t force others to (Return to Office or “RTO”) drive to the office every day should they prefer to work from home (WFH).

Pretty cool, huh? You’re welcome.

What do YOU think?

Hope your very hot summer is not so horrible.

Stay hydrated.

-A.N.

PROFILE

Anthony Newcombe is a 4-time entrepreneur, published author & narrator, and full-stack web developer. He can be reached for appearances via our CONTACT PAGE.

SUPER SUNDAY!

A Closer Look …

with Anthony Newcombe

This month: All the hub-bub concerning the Super Bowl halftime show

Everyone seems to be all in some type of tiff about the show. This year it’s Rihanna. Last year, it was concerning “honoring crime and criminals” with the Dr. Dre/ Snoop/ tribute to Compton. Some years back, it was Beyonce and all the stuff about militancy.

Let me tell you something. Look, Prince is no longer with us, Bruno Mars can’t do it every year, and we live in an era where no one is even considered if deemed a “has been.” I’ll go out on a limb and say, “just ENTERTAIN ME!” As long as the set is entertaining and everyone gets home safely, do we really give a sh*t?! Answer: we should not. Or, should we?

What do you think?

See you guys in the spring!

-A.N.

Profile

Anthony Newcombe is a 4-time entrepreneur, published author & narrator, and full-stack developer. In addition to this monthly blog, follow his 3 Questions with Anthony Newcombe on ANJET for luxury travel related topics and his book recommendations.

A Closer Look

with Anthony Newcombe

♘STATUES♘

Q: Do we need them for … EVERYTHING?!

First, there are the political and war heroes. Washington and Lincoln are pretty cool, Pat Tillman is amazing. We can argue the pros and cons of these choices all day long. Then, we have a smattering of the pure sports heroes: Bill Russell, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Franco Harris, and many others.*

However, when you think about it, some of these “erections,” (for lack of a better word) seem nothing more than some sort of wishful tribute to, well, his or their e—-

There a more than a few. Rocky Balboa, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the dudes from Breaking Bad and others. Actually, Arnold’s is in Austria, but you get my drift …

♘Why?♘

Why are these even built? I mean, as far as Rocky goes, there was guy named Joe Frazier who came from Philly who just had his statue approved over 30 years after Rocky’s. He actually gave his physical life to the sport of boxing. Why did they mount a statue of a fictional character who, as amazing as the character was, was just a movie character and nothing more.?!

As far as the Breaking Bad characters go, why would it be a good thing to aspire to be a meth dealer? How does that help the citizens of Albuquerque, New Mexico – let alone its visiting tourists? No offense, but is that the best they can come up with in the state? I don’t think so. What does it say to our kids? Just seems a bit thoughtless to me.

In my opinion, it diminishes the achievements of actual heroes. Remember, little kids visit these cities and come away thinking they saw something of historical value. Spoiler alert: they did not. Therefore, I believe we should be a bit more thoughtful about whom we memorialize for life. It gives the world a very shallow and disingenuous impression of us.

Okay, so the Statue of Liberty isn’t really a woman who lived and achieved anything in the U.S. You got me there. However, it is understood that she is a gift from France. And while she too is purely a “figurehead,” she does in fact symbolize freedom and the American dream for those who come to this country in search of real heroes.

What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Let’s argue it out!

See you in the fall … Yes, I said it: the FALL!

-A.N.

* See our memorabilia page while you’re on site >>> BAN Sports♘

Profile

Anthony Newcombe is a 4-time entrepreneur, author, narrator, and full-stack developer. He enjoys reading what other authors write and swimming when it gets over 110 degrees.

Winners take all

by Anand Giridharadas, pps. 263, (publ., 2018)

What I learned from this book

The author lays some eye-opening stats on us in the Prologue. It does as much to shed light on the financial anxiety most Americans are and have been feeling for quite some time – that contribute to much of the division and fear mongering that has become an American staple for others to ‘swoop in on’ and take full advantage of.

Giridharadas references a study that discovered:

“…middle and lower class Americans (born from 1984 on) now have merely a 35% chance of achieving a comparable lifestyle to their parents (down drastically from previous generations). He goes on to mention that the top tenth of earners income has doubled since 1980, the top 1% has tripled – and, if you’re in the top .001%, you earned 7x.” (paraphrased from Prologue, pg. 4)

The author tells us it is time to examine how income disparity numbers like this arose, and to take an honest look at how the crushing impact it has on the majority of us.

The author also suggests that the general population would be foolish to (think and hope) that it can sit back and allow the super wealthy and super influential to save us all from this situation. The reasons, as so carefully laid out in this book, are that many of the same individuals (and companies) who orchestrate, participate, fund, and preside on speaker panels are, in fact, the ones responsible for creating many of the global issues they claim to be solving.

This book is a very eye-opening exposé on what the author terms to be “a charade” that the rich and famous carefully play on the rest of us. It shows repeated demonstrations as to how and why some very important social problems are to be addressed (as outlined by the super-rich), but fail to ever be resolved. The author informs us that this all appears to be more by design than by circumstance. It is a harrowing thought– but one he insists is real and that we need to examine.

Fantasyland

by Kurt Andersen, pub. 2017, pp. 440

Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History

What I learned from this book

I learned that no matter what your political affiliation, your viewpoint on whether we, as Americans in 2018, are in a good place or a bad one, safe or dangerous – there is in fact a 500-year documented history that we can break down that may assist in explaining it all. Once we can divide it into smaller, more digestible pieces – perhaps we can then figure out the best way forward. Only time will tell.