As I am reminded every morning, I was reminded today by the permanent ink on my left shoulder that today would have been my grandfather's 82nd birthday. Fondly referred to as "Papa" by my entire family, I have continued to feel his presence with me every day since his passing in the summer of 1999. Rather than try to sum it up into words again, I figured I'd share an essay I wrote in high school about the leadership and courage of my grandfather, which I used to successfully land some local scholar-athlete scholarships heading into college. I later decided to submit the piece to "Chivalry Today" (I guess I've always been a fan of sharing with the world what a remarkable and influential man my grandfather was, acknowledging the importance of internalizing what you learned from your role models and sharing those lessons - that love and kindness - with the world around you). This piece commemorates the life of my grandfather, who will forever be the most signifanct role model to impact my life.

Below is simply an excerpt from the essay, but I think it sums up my feelings quite well. Please enjoy.

I love you, Papa. Happy birthday.

Zachary 

Grandfather's Love and Courage

http://chivalrytoday.com/grandfather%E2%80%99s-love-and-courage/

Throughout my life, I have tried to adopt numerous qualities from heroes that I have looked up to in sports, school and in my family. These individuals have had both a powerful and positive influence on my character. This has helped me to mature into a confident, responsible individual. I would describe myself as outgoing, motivated and honest. The heroes that have meant most to me have represented the highest degree of courage, nobility and generosity. It is their influence that has led me to develop such strong morals.

What intrigues me most about heroes and leaders is their ability to influence and teach others. I enjoy helping younger soccer players try to perfect moves I once struggled with. I realize that I have the responsibility of being a positive role model. I have accepted this challenge with open arms. In the role of scholar-athlete, it has been my intent to set the best possible example for young athletes. I would like future seniors at Methuen High School to keep the integrity of the school alive through leadership and excellence.

The world faces new and unique tribulations everyday. I have grown fond of the way a select few of my family, friends and teachers have been able to overcome many obstacles.

It is my grandfather who I have chosen as my modern-day knight in shining armor. He possessed an unbelievable sense of hope. After suffering his second stroke and being told he only had months to live, he managed to smile and tell my cousins and I he loved us each and every time we visited.

The last time I saw him he was particularly sick, leaving us with only a mere image of what he had once looked like. I remember him telling me he loved me and to take care of my grandmother. To me, this was the ultimate act of courage. At a time when he could have been dwelling upon his misfortune, he made it clear that to us that he wanted his wife and family taken care of. I have never met anyone who loved his family so much.

— Zach Servideo, Massachusetts

Hello, everyone.

My buddy Robert Cusumano (@robertcusumano), Compliance & Product Director at Continuity Control, is helping organize the upcoming ProductCamp Boston, a collaborative, user-organized “unconference,” focused on product management and product marketing.

ProductCamp is a day of learning, schmoozing, networking, etc. The event is going down in Kendall Square, Cambridge at the Microsoft New England Research & Development (NERD) Center located at 1 Memorial Drive. The event takes place Saturday, April 2 from 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM.

Sign up for the event here: http://pcampboston.eventbrite.com/

FYI – There is a $10 credit card charge that gets fully refunded if you show up.

Drop me a line with any questions. 

Z

P.S. I’m told by Rob that they’re giving away free beer at 4pm, for those of you beer guzzlers out there like me... :-) 

Are you looking for a local politician worth paying attention to? Remember this name: Mike Ross. He's only going to get more popular the more he continues to deliver results for the city of Boston. Mike is a good, transparent dude who consistently listens to his constituents and continuously finds innovative solutions for improving the lives of Bostonians from all walks of life.

If you have time, click on the link below to visit Mike's website. His most recent blog post shares details of his recently completed project - along with Boston Mayor Menino, MHSA, Boston Public Health Commission, Boston Medical Center and Citizens Bank - to support the homeless in the city -- a move which will curb the spike in Medicaid spending caused by excessive hospital visits by the homeless. Check it out:

http://www.mikerossboston.com/?l=rossreport&id=114

Hope you're having a great day.

Zach   

Good afternoon, everyone -

My colleague, Whitney Carbone, just flagged to us folks at fama PR an interesting back and forth going on between Marshall Kirkpatrick (RWW, @marshallk) and MG Seigler (TechCrunch, @parislemon) on Twitter regarding embargos. I've pasted the conversation below (in order) - it’s interesting to get RWW’s take on TC’s embargo/editorial style and the subsequent banter which has resulted. Enjoy.

•    @marshallk: TC just wrote up Ditto not because they found it 1st, but because their God-like importance entitles them to 30 min lead times on embargoes

•    @marshallk: I like @parislemon as a person and dislike TC's editorial policies & sometimes tone

•    @parislemon:  @marshallk in this case, i think that's unfair. i met with jyri, he knows i get it and the space, and i've been using it a while

•    @marshallk:  @parislemon what's that got to do with your posting at 11:30 on news under embargo for noon?

•    @parislemon:  @marshallk dunno. but we in no way bullied anyone for a jump. i simply gave a time that i would publish today

•    @marshallk:  @parislemon lol, yeah? Jyri: "embargo=noon" TC: "we'll post at 11:30, no bullying" jyri: [i guess it's TC, close enuff]

•    @parislemon: @marshallk to be honest. i had no idea the story was being pitched to anyone else. And are we really arguing about embargos? You know my feeling on them

•    @marshallk:  @parislemon yeah, i'm just telling you how I feel about your feelings about them. now I'm going to go write a better article. ;)

Thoughts?

Zach

My co-worker just flagged this to me (Thanks, Liz - you know me too well). I mean, way to know your market and cater directly to it - there's now a new iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad app for single dudes to utilize Foursquare to find where all the single girls are at in a given area. I think they had Zach Servideo in mind when they came up with this new app. Now, I just have to wait for it to expand out of the San Francisco area where it's currently being tested. 

The full story from MediaPost is embedded below. Enjoy.

Z  

New App Tells You "Where the Ladies At"

By Erik Sass

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=14...

"Where the Ladies At" is a clever app for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, aggregating location-based data from female Foursquare users to tell users (who I will stereotype as amorous, single males on the prowl) the thing they most want to know, namely, where the ladies at. This information is presented in an easily-understood graphic format, with a compass needle pointing users to where the ladies at. Currently limited to San Francisco, the app ranks venues by the number of ladies at them, limiting the count to ladies who checked in during the last half hour.

On the plus side, "Where the Ladies At" doesn't provide any specific identifying information about the ladies; on the minus side, it is a tad sleazy. No question, social media is all about utility, and "Where the Ladies At" provides actionable information to its users: where the ladies at. But social media success is also a balancing act, as individuals may reduce their engagement or even quit if they feel exploited or endangered. In short, what if the ladies don't want some third-party app developer telling everyone where they at?

Sure, I imagine there are plenty of ladies who have no problem with "Where the Ladies At" -- but it could deter others from checking in on Foursquare in the first place. It's worth noting that personal safety is often cited as one of the main concerns inhibiting ladies from using location-based social media services like Foursquare; an app broadcasting their whereabouts to horny guys on the make probably won't do much to allay these concerns.

It might be better if there were a way for female Foursquare users to opt out of being aggregated into the target pool, but I see no evidence of such an option: if you are a lady who checks into Foursquare, you're going to be counted (the app also uses contextual clues to deduce gender identity, even when it isn't explicitly stated).

So, a company I work with is visiting New Zealand and Australia, and they inquired as to whether we could arrange some meetings for them in Sydney with PR/media/marketing agencies. I jumped at the opportunity to help as I had spent a semester in Sydney (Spring '06) in which I worked at the Australian Rugby Union and built a solid professional network in the city which will be forever endeared in my heart.

Well, just a couple days since I made some initial outreach to my network and, subsequently, some of my network's network, I'm extremely pleased to have heard back from more than a half dozen friends offering to help. I'm glad that even after a few years removed from Sydney my network in Australia is still just as strong as ever.

Thanks to everyone for getting back to me over the weekend. All of your help is appreciated. Sending positive vibes back your way.

The world gets a little smaller each day...

Z

Hello, all.

Authenticity is at the core of all good ideas and, more importantly, at the core of all good people. I can think of hundreds of examples in both business and life where this rings true...

Authenticity is a philosophy. Live by it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authenticity_%28philosophy%29

Agree? Disagree? Care to share your own examples? 

Be true to yourselves, people. Find peace. Live free.

-Zachary

Details:

• What? BostInnovation 2.0 Launch Party
  

• When? Thursday, January 27, 2011 from 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM (ET)

• Where? Ned Devines, Boston, MA

Who's coming with me?

http://bostinno2launch.eventbrite.com/#m_1_500

Z

This, my friends, is original content from my boy Ken and the team at LoveMoney - www.lovemoneyclothing.com - who officially launched their new 2011 winter line today. Check out their story below. Then, check out their gear - it's legit. -z$

LoveMoney Winter 2010-2011 Now Available

Originally posted here: http://allwhitekicks.com/lovemoney-winter-collection/

There’s something to be said for perseverance, that dogged insistence on vaulting over any obstacles that might thwart the vision you’ve staked out on the horizon. Over a year ago, three guys who’ve always had a love for streetwear decided that it was time to start developing a way to join the ranks of those clothing brands whom they will always hold in high regard (HUF, Diamond Supply Co., Stussy, RAW, Black Scale, Acapulco Gold, Supreme, and Penfield, just to name a few). Without being just another “t-shirt” company in a sea of pretenders, they wanted to form their own identity while delivering a message that was still presented in a clean and fresh way. They combined thier knowledge of streetwear with sheer determination and patience, giving birth to LoveMoney — and with it a story to which our futures will always be linked.

Though all abuzz with ideas of how to move forward, holding court at this coffee shop in Cambridge that was home to our initial meetings, we were still rookies to the game and unclear of exactly which direction to take. At the urging of a friend, we approached Soldier Design, a renowned branding firm based in Harvard Square (the minds behind the architectural design of both The Tannery and Concepts). They took us under their wing, schooling us on the finer points of branding and identity.

We always knew that our company’s mission was the idea that a genuine love for life, and a commitment to your passions, will see the money come. LoveMoney latched unto an identity birthed from that core philosophy. An appreciation of life and what you have to offer is the most rewarding avenue — in the minds of our team — for those seeking true prosperity.

“Follow what you Love and the Money will follow you” is our motto.

LoveMoney launched in July of 2010, eventually earning a spot at several well-known boutiques, with our black “Heart/Dollar” shirt selling out in quick fashion at the legendary Bodega. But that was just the beginning, the first shot fired from our creative synapses. Since then, the focus has turned to a Winter release that consists of three sweatshirts, all of which featuring designs that are decidedly retro in look but consistent with how we view the world through the LoveMoney lens. Like the releases before it, our Winter stuff is spartan with its message, minimally articulated by our creative vision. – Ken, Founder of LoveMoney

Not a day goes by when the team is not grinding away with LoveMoney in thier thoughts. More important, they want to make sure that they never stop delivering sharp designs to those who join the LoveMoney movement. With the cold weather upon us, and warmer days on the horizon, they promise to continue giving fresh ideas while remaining true to their company’s
message.

Say what you will of the man, but Sitch is an entrepreneur:

http://www.tvsquad.com/2011/01/13/the-situation-gets-entrepreneurial-on-the-v...

I'm getting me a GTL laundry/garment bag. 

Z