The Ultimate Elevator "Peach" (Pitch)

Elevator "Peach" (Elevator Pitch)

Farts are smells that we all recognize at a distance, yet tend not to discuss in public. Though even with this taboo subject, everyone has at least one good fart story. I remember entering an elevator just as some guy, grinning from nostril to nostril, exited. I strolled in, the door closed, and I was suddenly enveloped by the bacterial processing of his last six meals. Talk about leaving your mark!

This story remained in my distant memory until last year. Last year at Kinnernet, one of the Vardis talked about the importance of the elevator pitch, but with the Israeli accent it sounded like "elevator Peach". It took me about half a year to put two and two together, and then, using the play on words, I came out with the ultimate elevator 'peach'.

I then enlisted a new friend, Danniel Fishler, to produce a cartoon for this year's Kinnernet, with the help of Rotem Omri, who drew the characters. Together with Dror Gill, we asked Ithamar Eshpar (and his amazing talents) to handle the sound, and we recorded the following script. Have a look at the entire cartoon Elevator Peach

ELEVATOR PEACH

Mel Rosenberg

All rights reserved 2009

For the written script please email me at melros@post.tau.ac.il

The Un-iversity

The Un-iversity

Once in a while, my dream of starting an un-iversity comes back to "haunt" me. After over thirty years at a regular university (Tel Aviv University), I am aware of the shortcomings of ordinary academia.

1. The students are degree-oriented. The want to take a course, get a y average, to get a degree in z.

2. Teaching is mostly mediocre. This is because the teachers are paid primarily to do research and don't care that much about giving inspiring lectures. Often they give the same lecture over and over again for decades.

3. The university usually discourages lateral thinking among faculty. This is because universities are arranged according to disciplines, faculties and departments. You become a professor in a specific area (microbiology in my case) and are pigeonholed to teach and research in that field your whole career. Focusing, on the other hand, is highly encouraged.

4. Many of the most intelligent and successful people on the planet never finished university, let alone completed a Ph.D. No matter how motivating, enlightening, and innovative they are, they would never get a research or teaching appointment at a good school.

5. University courses are structured. They have predetermined programs, specific curricula, have course outlines, etc.

6. Universities often prize and teach so-called "knowledge", rather than the paths and processes of mental development.

7. Universities tend to elect officers who believe in routine and resist change

8. Universities tend to accept students who do well in routine examinations under routine conditions.

So, what would an un-iversity be? I am not sure, but we could share a few thoughts.

1. It would prize innovation and lateral thinking.

2. The emphasis would not be on obtaining marks or a degree.

3. The faculty would me more interested in sharing thoughts and enthusiasm than making a salary.

4. Innovation, creativity, curiosity are words that would be commonly used.

5. The students would make a difference.

6. Not all the teachers would be required to have advanced degrees, though some of their students might.

In my next blog:things I would like to learn that no one is teaching.

Save Your Breath - A general book on how to solve bad breath

Save your Breath

"Save Your Breath" is a book on bad breath that I have written for the general public. I wish me luck! I have already sold over 120 books and it isn't even published yet. This book is very valuable because it's an easy read and yet extremely informative and explanatory. I hope it will better many the many people l around the globe who suffer from issues of bad breath on a daily basis. "Save Your Breath" is being copy edited and should be available in August via my website www.smellwell.com

It's hard for me to believe, but I started writing this book in 1989, on an old Wang word processor (those don't exist anymore, nor does the Wang Laboratories). So why did it take me two decades to write this book?

During the last twenty years I have done a lot of research, published many papers (including one in Scientific America), consulted thousands of individuals in Canada, England and Israel, and lectured around the world. And yet, I have found that one of the most difficult challenges that continues to face me and other professionals in this field is dealing with the emotional concerns surrounding the problem. I have addressed these at length in the book, together with my best tips for keeping breath fresh and good.

My colleague and soul mate Dr. Chris McCullock (whom I spent quality time with on my recent visit to Toronto)wrote a splendid Foreword for the book. It's much to kind, I but I can live with "kind".

My First Start-Up

Us kids at the house, 1963

My First Start-Up: Still going strong at fifty!

I have been back to my home in Ottawa only a few times over the past forty years. So when I met Nicole, a scientist from Ottawa at the recent American Society for Microbiology (ASM) meeting in Philadelphia, I implored her to take a few photos of my old home.

So here is the picture of the place we grew up in fifty years ago. The house is much the same as it was them, except that the lawn is fairer, the trees are much larger, and the window frames have been replaced. When I looked at the picture, my eyes clouded. 616 Chadburn. I wonder who lives there today.

I also asked Nicole to take a picture of the apartment building across the street. I wanted to see whether "Scully's mark" was still there after almost fifty years. As a child, I had a friend named Scully who was the first entrepreneur that I ever met. Scully always had new ideas, many about making money. Once he suggested that we go down to Industrial Avenue and cut some bulrushes, and then sell them as decoration from door to door. We went and slew a bunch of bulrushes, but alas, neighbours (I am using the Canadian spelling here) were hesitant to purchase them in their natural brown condition.

"No problem", said Scully. We'll paint them gold and black, that way we can charge more money and they'll be irresistible". We bought some paint and dipped our first bulrush into the black can. It came out black indeed, but the bulrush had sopped up quite a bit of paint and refused to dry, even after an hour on the pavement. "No problem", said Scully. "What we need is to whip the bulrush around our head, the paint will fly off from the centrifugal (centripetal?) force. He proceeded to take the moist, black bulrush and whip it around his head, much the same way that David prepared his slingshot for Goliath. And indeed, when Scully loosened his grip, the bulrush flew into the air.

Unlike David, however, his shot did not hit Goliath's forehead, but rather flew into the brick apartment building across the road, leaving a noticeable, ugly black mark. Scully's mark. For years, we hid the fact that our start-up was responsible for this scar on the neighboring building. But with time, it became one of my favorite tales.

So here, you see it still. Fifty years on. My first start-up left its indelible mark. Thanks for the memories, Nicole!! And yes, we did sell a few painted bulrushes.