The Best Places In San Diego!

Rancho Bernardo High School’s Cole Hamels, a 2002 graduate, will be the starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies’ in Monday night’s Game 5 of the World Series. Should the Phillies win the game, they will be the winner of the World Series. (I’ll be cheering for them since they’re my old hometown team!)

Cole Hamels is a 24 year-old left hander who won the MVP of the National League Championship when the Phillies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers to reach the World Series. Cheer him on tonight as he seeks to win his fifth game in this post season. The Phillies are odds-on favorites to win due to the strength of their #1 pitcher, who won Game 1 of the World Series.

Hamels is not the only major leaguer from Rancho Bernardo High School. All-Star Hank Blalock of the Texas Rangers is a 1999 graduate. They are just two of the 33 major league baseball players from San Diego who played in 2008.

Let’s cheer on San Diego’s own Cole Hamels as he seeks to secure the Phillies’ first World Series since 1980. Who knows, he may just secure the MVP of the World Series as well. The game will be at 5PM on FOX5.

Read more about Cole Hamels from the Philadelphia Phillies web site.

If you think it was life on our beaches or camping in our mountains that got featured as good stress reliever on the CBS Evening News a few days ago, you are not even close.

Think of something more drastic.  Something more smashing.  The newest business venture to help people relieve stress comes from the Smash Shack in downtown San Diego.

If you ever wadded up a piece of paper and threw it against a wall to vent your frustration and then started to pick up something heavier like a plate or drinking glass and felt like doing the same, the Smash Shack is just the place for you.

Have at it!  Bust those plates! Shatter those glasses! You can even obliterate your old cell phone. Day or night, the Smash Shack will get you properly geared up and provide you with the amo and the wall to let it all out.  For some ideas, here is the Smash Shack Menu of items.

So, if something ticks you off at work or if you need to get over your date from hell, just head over to the Smash Shack near the Gaslamp and have a smashing good time.

If it is still hard to fathom that someone made this simple concept into a great business, just watch this video from CBS Evening News.

Whether or not you like his point of view, former San Diego Mayor and current Radio Talk Show Host, Roger Hedgecock, will be heard nationwide every weekday night from 6PM - 9PM Eastern Time starting January 5th.

In recent years, Roger Hedgecock became a more popular figure nationally as a guest on nationally syndicated conservative talk shows and as a fill-in for Rush Limbaugh.  Hedgecock will now have his own show broadcast nationwide from San Diego.  He will be replacing the time slot currently held by Michael Reagan, the adopted son of former President Ronald Reagan.

To learn more, read the Radio America press release and visit Roger Hedgecock’s web site.

In previous posts I’ve mentioned how the San Diego designed and built, unmanned drones assisted in wildfire fighting efforts and performed environmental research.  As was noted in those articles, the unmanned drones were originally built for use in the military.

Last week’s episode of 60 Minutes provided the closest look yet at the military uses of the unmanned drone.  More specifically, the feature story notes how the Predator won the Battle for Sadr City and set the stage for the current success of the U.S. Military Surge in Iraq.

If you missed the episode, here’s the video.

60 Minutes has a separate video that provides more background information about the Predator.

To learn more about the Predator and the Global Hawk unmanned drones and their connection to San Diego, visit the previous posts noted at the top of this article.

Congratulations go out to ATA Engineering in Carmel Valley.  They made this year’s Wall Street Journal list for Top Small Workplaces.  Only 10 companies nationwide earned the honor.

ATA Engineering, founded in 2000 and now employing 84 personnel, solves complex mechanical and aerospace engineering challenges.  Their work includes help in the development of the International Space Station to assistance on the design of amusement park rides.

So, what does ATA Engineering do that makes it a Top Workplace? The Wall Street Journal cited 100% Employee Ownership, managers and executives being paid on the same payscale as engineering staff, all employees earning the same percentage of their salary for bonuses, and allowing many employees at all levels to be a part of company decisions from hiring new employees to determining where the offices should be located.

So, congratulations go out to ATA Engineering for setting an example for small companies across the country.  Visit the ATA Engineering web site to learn more about the company and view their engineering opportunities. Maybe you can become a member of one of the Top Workplaces in America.

San Diego native Tony Hawk became the sports cover boy in the 1980s as the #1 Skateboarder in the World.  He pushed skateboarding into the mainstream by setting a new standard with his death-defying tricks.  Becoming one of the first self-made rich kids, he was able to buy a home in Del Mar by the age of 17.  In the ensuing years, he won 73 out of 103 pro contests and finished in the top two in 92 of those contests.

The 1980’s sports cover boy is today’s business cover man.  Just this month, he is on the cover of Success Magazine and the first athlete-turned-businessman to be featured in Portfolio Magazine.

After tough years during the 1990s when Hawk was forced to refinance his home and eat with only $5 a day, he turned a once fledgling skateboard company into a business powerhouse. Tony’s business success in the areas of skateboarding, clothing, video games, national tours, and a New York Times Best-Seller has enabled him to create the Tony Hawk Foundation, which has assisted in the development of several hundred skateboard parks across the country. Both Tony Hawk, Inc and the Tony Hawk Foundation are based in Vista.

Learn more about our fellow San Diegan who is now gracing the covers of business magazines. You can read about the life of Tony Hawk and get his business tips in the Success Magazine article and then get more business strategy advice by reading his profile and watching several three minute video clips of an interview he did with Portfolio Magazine.

For his New York Times Best-Seller, Hawk: Occupation: Skateboarder, you can read more about that on Amazon.

Imagine you are enjoying a nice afternoon on San Diego Bay. A friend has invited you out on their sailboat where you close your eyes to capture the full essence of breathing in the fresh air from light breezes and bask in the warm glow of the sun.

You open up your eyes for a brief moment to enjoy the views of our beautiful city skyline when all of a sudden you see something that reminds you of a B-2 Stealth Bomber. Except, this thing is cruising along San Diego Bay. It’s got a wide body without much vertical height and is full of sharp angles. As you stare at it, you wonder what future civilization it came. It comes whizzing past you at 50 knots (58 mph) and you expect to be capsized in its wake but then realize there is no wake at all.

If you’ve had this experience or plan to be out on the San Diego Bay anytime soon, let me introduce you to the Stiletto.

Stiletto Boat photo from M Ship Company

Designed by the M Ship Company of San Diego, the Stiletto is making waves around the world figuratively, but not literally. The boat uses a revolutionary design called an M Hull, named for the way it looks. Outer skirts capture the wake caused by the main hull and use it to its advantage for speed and balance.

As a prototype in 2006, Time Magazine named it one of the best inventions of the year. Built out of carbon fiber, this sturdy craft can basically fly across water and turn on a dime.

Just last month, the Department of Defense used the Stiletto as a demonstration unit during a drug interdiction deployment in the Atlantic Ocean. This was unfortunate for a few drug smugglers seen on a go-fast boat off of the Florida Coast. Used to outspeeding the authorities, these drug smuggler were in for a little surprise. Take a look at the imposing picture of the Stiletto above and imagine it chasing you down in a cigarette for two hours. The smugglers thought they finally reached safety in shallow waters where they thought the imposing Stiletto would not be able to navigate. Again, fortune was not on their side. The Stiletto’s hull only extends 2.5 feet below the surface of the water and was able to maintain pursuit.

Fortunately for us, those drug smugglers are now behind bars.

So, keep your eyes out on San Diego Bay for this state-of-the-art, stealth-looking boat. Not only are they designed and built in San Diego but you will also see the Navy Seals using them for their missions.

Here is a profile of the Stiletto. You can also check out pictures and videos on the web page for the Stiletto.

Do you remember the days in school when you would hit up the Coke machine for a cool, refreshing drink (or to keep yourself awake in class) and then the snack machine for a Twinkie or a box of mini-chocolate donuts (especially when the cafeteria options that day stunk)?  Snacking on junk food and sugary drinks didn’t seem to matter all that much to our health or physical looks.  We were lucky not to have the internet or 200 channels of TV.  Instead, we were outside running around until we could barely see the end of our nose and our parents were yelling for the umpteenth time that it was time to get inside and wash up.  All of that excercise kept us in great shape.

Boy how times have changed.  Kids nowawdays sit inside a lot more than we did.  They flip through hundreds of TV channels, chat online, play video games, and even watch the gardener take care of the yard, and the maid clean up the bathroom.  (Whatever happened to chores; another activity that always kept us active?)

Our new sedate lifestyles can no longer cover up the effects of sugary drinks, Twinkies, and donuts.  The government and other organizations have been encouraging kids to become more active like we were in our school days but it just isn’t happening.  There are just too many distractions that keep kids from playing outside until mom or dad pulled them by the collar into the house.

The lastest effort to combat poor health and obesity is through a better diet.  Out go the Coke machines and the junk food vending options and in come the flavored waters and vegetable chips.

If you been reading this blog, it’s no surprise that a San Diego company is once again leading the way on creating a healthier America.

YoNaturals, a Solana Beach company, has taken the lead to bring healthy food vending machines to schools across America.  The company has been in business for two years and the accolades from school administrators are already pouring in.

YoNaturals has now launched a new program with its web site called schoolhealthyvending.com.  The new program makes it easy for schools to use the healthy vending machines as fundraisers. I can tell you from personal experience that this is a great idea.  I was in charge of running the Coke machines in school as a class president.  It was such an awesome money maker that I started peddling Otis Spunkmeyer Cookies for the school business club. Yes, I’m guilty of pushing junk food but you’ll have to admit, it was during a time when it didn’t seem to matter since we were so active as kids and burned off all the calories.

If you take a look at the YoNaturals snack and drink choices for their vending machines, I think you’ll agree with me that healthier snacking will become attractive to kids.  If I were still in school, I would certainly push these healthier options. I’m confident they would bring in just as much money and with what we know now, I wouldn’t feel as guilty pushing them.

Will these healthy snack options finally tackle the problem of childhood obesity?  I think they are something that will put us in the right direction but there’s nothing better than running around and staying active like in the good-ole-days.

The explosion of information available online has resulted in a struggle to protect privacy rights of individuals.  New technology is introduced each day that allows government, business, organizations, and even other individuals to explore a person’s history and track personal habits.

Generally, the intentions are good.  For example, companies want to learn the demographics of their customers so they can better identify what type of person is attracted to their product.  This knowledge allows them to adjust their marketing campaign to reach only the types of people who will be most interested in their product.  In another example, web sites want to learn which pages people are visiting on their site so they can figure out which article topics are popular and which are not. This knowledge allows them to provide more relevant articles to their readers.

With anything ‘good’, there is always a ‘bad side’ that comes with it.  Those without good intentions could use technology to pry too much into people’s lives.  In addition, there is the argument of where the line should be drawn on what personal information being collected is reasonable and what is not.

The people who create the new technologies are most interested in pushing their skills to create the next cool capability.  Many who use the technology are most interested in improving the marketing of their product or service.  Neither of these groups is focused on determining the appropriate line for what’s a reasonable gathering of personal information.  Each company, government agency, or organization using the technology will have a different definition on what is appropriate.

This is where the nonprofit, consumer information and advocacy organization Privacy Rights Clearinghouse steps in.  They focus on individual privacy.  They are the ones who will push back when a new technology or the use of a technology appears to have gone too far.  They are the ones who help balance the line of what is reasonable and what is not.

The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse based near Balboa Park has developed a national reputation for representing consumer privacy rights.  They testify before legislators and government agencies.  You will see the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse quoted on nearly a daily basis both online, in print, and on TV across the country.

The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse provides great resources for consumers, including fact sheets on such topics as dealing with credit scores, junk mail, medical records, and identity theft.

You can read more about the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse and its San Diego founder Beth Givens.

Do you remember watching Chicken of the Sea commercials when growing up?  If your memory is starting to fail you, maybe you can jog it by listening to their catchy jingle. Its lyrics “Ask any mermaid you happen to see, what’s the best tuna? Chicken of the Sea!” and its mermaid logo have made Chicken of the Sea one of the most recognized brands in America.

The purveyor of tuna fish and other seafood has been based in University City and then Mira Mesa in recent years. The company made headlines a couple years back when Jessica Simpson got confused during a taping of her reality TV show wondering if there was chicken or tuna in a can of Chicken of the Sea.  As part of the resulting hoopla, she ended up making her way down to a Carmel Valley hotel to meet company employees and sing the famous jingle.

Chicken of the Sea just announced they are hosting a contest to see who can come up with the best new rendition of their famous lyrics.  If you are one of the first 100 to respond with a 30 - 90 second jingle, you’ll receive an iPod Shuffle.  The Grand Prize Winner will receive a behind-the-scenes tour, celebrity style, of Hollywood and a truckload of seafood for their local Second Harvest food bank. Get all of the details at the Mermaid Jingle Jam.

So, San Diegans, can you come up with the best jingle as part of a local company’s national contest?