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January 24th, 2007 by: Pete
This week has been quite a week. I’ve been overseas for quite some time, so I expected some catch up during my first week back…sorting through “a few” emails, checking in with my people, and, of course, getting used to my new chair. My new chair?
Before I left on vacation, the staff here at iD Tech Camps pulled their own money and bought me a new chair. You guys are awesome! They figured after 8 or 9 years, it was time. The funny thing is that when I walked into the office on Monday, they had wallpapered my “office” (I don’t believe in offices–everything is wide open where we work).
The wallpaper showed a number of employees taking turns breaking in my new chair while I was away. I think you’ll get a kick out of these photos. As I turned the corner to my desk at 7 AM on Monday, here’s what I saw:
Let’s zoom in a little bit on some of these pranksters doing their best to be goofy:
For all of you that did NOT sit in my chair, feel free–everyone else has. As you can tell, I am back, and I look forward to some heavier blogging in the weeks ahead. Until next time, nation!
-Pete
January 24th, 2007
Posted in: CEO's Blog
January 13th, 2007 by: Pete
I am very pleased to announce that our 2007 catalog is now available…two weeks ahead of schedule.
If you have requested a catalog previously, then you’ll be receiving one in the mail shortly. I tell my staff every year that one of the reasons we are successful is we re-write our business plan every single season. Our catalog, in essence, is our business plan. It is our promise to our clients. It incorporates locations, dates, pricing, course offerings, what’s new, etc. I also tell my staff that one of the hardest things to do in business is “to do what you said you were going to do.” It sounds simple, but that is the whole point–to make things seamless to our clients. The main thing our clients need to know is that we run the best summer technology camps in the country. The behind-the-scenes is the tough part, but we try to make it look easy.
Embracing technology and innovation is the cornerstone of what we do at iD. As a client, you might be interested to know that we develop the vast majority of our content and applications in-house. You’d probably expect that most camps, for instance, develop their own online registration system. This is not the case, but it is the case at iD. Here are some other examples of what we have created in-house for our clients. This is just a small indicator of our expertise in the computer camp industry:
IN-HOUSE CREATIONS:
Website
Camp Videos
Secure Online Registration
My Camp Account
Every season, we keep on top of the latest technology trends, and we often forecast what our clients want before they even know what they want. I was surfing the net last night and saw Steve Jobs’ keynote speech and introduction of the iPhone at MacWorld. OK, the iPhone is probably a little bit bigger of an announcement than our 2007 catalog…but the ideas are the same. Keep innovating. Stay ahead of the trends. Keep it simple and user-friendly. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the new iPhone, I strongly encourage you to check out Steve and the product demos. I was floored at the vision and the simplicity of the new iPhone. You don’t have to be a Mac-lover or a PC-lover to love the idea of cool technologies–you just have to have an interest in technology. I guarantee if you start watching Steve’s speech, you won’t be able to turn it off. http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/j47d52oo/event/
We live in crazy and exciting times. But, there is so much pessimism out there that it is beautiful to see the creation of such an incredibly revolutionary product. Hopefully is makes us all think that the possibilities are endless.
-Pete
January 13th, 2007
Posted in: Summer Camps
January 13th, 2007 by: Pete
As the trip wound down, we decided to get some hair cuts. What Mom did not know is that our idea of a haircut was a buzz cut. At camp, I am accustomed to doing crazy stuff and having a ton of fun with the kids. I have been slimed, dunked in water, painted…you name it.
This is the reaction of my wife when she walked into the barber shop…after the deed had been done, of course. He he he!!!
This is my eldest son getting a “trim.”
And, not to be outdone…
And, that’s all she wrote…
See a video of my boy dancing in the barber shop. He was pretty excited. He is the one clapping the whole time.
Here is a picture when we were all done…
After we got done, we headed to the beach. This particular beach is not at the ocean. It is high in the mountains of Cordoba, Argentina, and formed by a river, not the sea.
I crossed the river to take this picture of my wife with our boys and her mom and grandmother.
Then I looked upstream, and a bunch of cows started to cross the river. No joke.
I ran up to take a picture. Needless to say, I don’t think it was a good idea to be downstream after this.
Until next time!
-Pete
January 13th, 2007
Posted in: CEO's Blog
January 13th, 2007 by: Pete
Taking a few weeks off for vacation is so, so important. It changes my whole outlook on so many things. I start to see the world in vibrant colors again…not just muted colors. Vivid reds and greens and blues and oranges. Bold colors. We work so hard for so long and keep forging ahead–but without taking a step back, perspective gets torn away at the edges.
Before I head back to the states, I wanted to share some pictures of my trip and intermingle some thoughts and observations about how things relate to our business.
Lesson #1: Safety is job #1 at our summer camps…and also in the toy store. This is my two-year-old buckling up before driving off.
Lesson #2: Have eyes in the back of your head…kids can fit into places you cannot.
Lesson #3: Never go swimming unless a lifeguard is on duty. This is my 3-month-old taking a bath in the hotel sink.
Lesson #4: If you are going to go out on the town, make sure to look your best!
Lesson #5: If you go to the arcade, make sure you are tall enough.
If you are not tall enough, it can be disappointing…
Lesson #6: The food in the dining hall at camp is probably not like the Argentine food below:
$4 Argentine steak (I could only finish half).
Self-serve ice cream by the kilo…
…with lots of toppings
…and even more toppings:
Typical breakfast of cafe con leche, small croissants, orange juice and dulce de leche…
All the best from Argentina! If you ever have a chance to get down here, the exchange rate is 3:1…so when you spend $1 U.S. it is like you are really only spending about .33 cents. Your dollar goes very far down here. Lots of tourists are taking advantage of the favorable exchange rate and booking 4-star hotels for $75 U.S. a night and eating steaks like the one above for about $4. Breakfast like the one above costs about $1.5 U.S. and the ice cream with all the toppings costs under a dollar. Not bad!
Enjoy!
-Pete
January 13th, 2007
Posted in: CEO's Blog
January 13th, 2007 by: Pete
Hello iD Nation,
We sent a few representatives down to scout out the CES show in Las Vegas. We send our people down to continually keep an eye out for the latest trends in consumer electronics, gaming, etc. This is a really cool email we got from Boy Wonder down in Vegas. For those of you who are gamers, make sure to read this. For those of you who are not gamers, Ken is a funny guy. So, check it out.
Hello all…
Just wanted to send out a few pictures of one of our encounters in Vegas at CES – check out the picture and see if you recognize who I’m with:
That’s right – I played fatal1ty, the top championship pro-gamer in the world. We played 1vs1 in Quake 4 at CES on the Creative stage. It took me a few tries to get on stage since he didn’t want to call on an obviously-nearly-equal opponent, so we had to watch him embarrass two other cats before calling me on stage. Godfather encouraged me to really make a fool of myself in order to get picked, so I took the advice and used my magic. Eventually he knew he had to pick me – I was too much to ignore. I got a four minute match against him on stage and having watched him pound two other players I decided the only way to save face was with a little classic humor. Both Godfather and I have played much Quake, but playing the #1 rated player on his own branded equipment would be embarrassing for anyone. It would be like going to play basketball against Michael Jordan which would be embarrassing enough… but then he makes you put HIS shoes on to play him!
Back to the humor – when they called me up and did a little mini-interview I let the crowd know the stakes – I was the #3 bejeweled player in the world – not some average gamer to be trifled with. What an epic battle: the #3 bejeweled player in the world versus the #1 Quake3/Painkiller/Quake4/Doom3 player in the world. Then, before we began the match I did my stretches on the stage to make sure I didn’t pull a muscle… this level of play requires a player to be in peak condition. The match went about the same for me as the other players… he just played around with me at first until I managed to get the railgun (the most powerful weapon). After that I pretty much didn’t move more than 3 feet after spawning. Final score? Me: -5, Him: 25. It was even worse than when Pete plays our campers…(SIDE NOTE TO BOY WONDER FROM PETE…THAT’S REALLY NOT COOL).
Ok, that’s enough for now – I’m going to the bathroom to cry after having to rehash my humiliating loss. (SIDE NOTE #2 FROM PETE…BOY WONDER, I SUGGEST YOU ENROLL IN ONE OF OUR VIDEO GAME CAMPS TO HONE YOUR SKILLS. HA!)
-Boy Wonder
January 13th, 2007
Posted in: Summer Camps
January 2nd, 2007 by: Pete
This just in! In case you didn’t know, we inked a deal to use Guitar Hero 2 at all of our 50 locations for 2007. What does this mean? Well, of course, we have to test the product first and take it for a spin. Here are a couple good reviews from GameSpot.com. Click Hero Review.
Below is Captain Curry again. He’s always first to the scene. Nines is accompanying The Captain on bass…I think. These are the true heroes of iD…those that day in and day out test and retest all of the equipment before it goes out to camp. Nines, you are so serious. When I get back, I am lead vocals, I promise. That should cheer you up.
At the end of the day, we’re all just a bunch of grown up kids at iD. We love to work, but we love to play. OK, enough playing, let’s get back to work, people!
For those of you that are more traditional and don’t use cell phones or iPods, we just might look to send out ukeleles to each of our camps. Here’s my oldest son playing the ukelele. Is that a ukelele? He might be a leftie.
OK, my wife just called and told me my time was up, so I have to sign off. Until we meet again, Nation! Be safe.
-Pete
January 2nd, 2007
Posted in: CEO's Blog
January 2nd, 2007 by: Pete
Before I get started, I want to thank my IT Department for not replacing the keys on my computer. I can log on from anywhere in the world, work from any cafe, leave my computer sitting at any table, and nobody would think of stealing it. I have the CTRL button taped to my computer so I don’t lose it. The SHIFT key keeps falling off, and there are two other keys that have permanently jumped ship. If you find those two missing keys, please mail them to me. I don’t know if this all looks too good if you run a computer camp. Side note: I promise that this guy had nothing to do with the missing keys.
This blog finds me in a cafe in the middle of the country in Cordoba, Argentina. A few years ago, the idea of bringing my laptop to a cafe in Argentina and connecting painlessly via wireless would have been unthinkable. But, the internet is in full force down here, and I am proud to see the technology leaps that are underway.
Argentina is the land of the tango, the gaucho, the Patagonia region, the Mendoza wine region, the Andes Mountains, Iguazu Falls, and lots and lots of beef. My wife is from Cordoba which is a city of about 1.5 million. This colonial city lies in the heart of the country. After Buenos Aires, it is the 2nd biggest city in Argentina. It is summer down here and quite hot and humid, but amazing thunder storms appear every couple of days to cool things down. Here’s a picture of the Iguazu falls which is on the border between Argentina and Brazil.
The journey down to Cordoba consisted of 4 flights, and total travel time of 24 hours. A long trip. An even longer trip when you factor in flying with a 2-year-old and a 9-week-old. This is what my 2-year-old looked like after the 3rd flight. That pretty much says it all.
But, kids are resilient. After the flight, he was wide awake. Check out the dance party at 6 AM in the Santiago, Chile airport on You Tube. I think you’ll get a kick out of some of his moves. Click here.
Happy New Year!
I want to wish a Happy New Year to our employees and clients!
2006 was was a great year for iD. We continued to cement our position as the leading technology camp in the country (and the world). We invested heavily in our people, our camps, trainings, curriculum and our IT infrastructure–all of which enabled us to provide the best summer camps we have ever run. So, can we do it again in ’07, but do it even better? That is a question that we ask of our employees everyday at iD. “Are you up to the challenge?”
It is an amazing feeling to be on vacation for the holidays and to know that our full time employees are stepping up to the plate, making smart, tough decisions. It is the sign of a well-run company when service continues at a high level not only when the top cats are present, but more so when the top cats are away. I salute all of our employees on your fine work–and I can’t wait to see your lofty results in ’07.
My sister, Alexa (Co-Founder and CFO) and Mom (Kathryn, Co-Founder) may not say enough how much we appreciate our employees. But, the fact is, we respect and admire each of you. You are our family. We have said it before, but, without you, iD would be nothing. Nothing at all. You are the spirit and the energy and the determination that propels us to the top. You are the glue that keeps iD together. Our culture of long term, tight-knit relationships with our employees is, in fact, our most lucrative asset–and one that is not easily replicated. It is an intangible that is felt not only when you walk into our main office, but something you feel when you go to one of our camps. It is the iD spirit, and it is real. That’s why we say over and over again that we aren’t just a technology camp, but a people company. Our people are the company. This is the best business lesson I could give anybody. The people are the company. Have a safe and wonderful 2007, everyone.
Thinking of you from Argentina!
-Pete
January 2nd, 2007
Posted in: CEO's Blog
