Sacha Finkelsztayn for a Yiddish Gastronomic Wonder

I ran across legendary Sacha Finkelsztayn in Paris earlier this month. On a mission to find dark chocolate, my tastebuds found taramasalata, mini baguette-like pastries with poppy seeds and some wondrous looking dumpling instead.

Imagine trying to get a shot of the place without 6,000 people coming in and out of its regularly visited door on a Saturday afternoon close to Christmas. As I stood there with frozen fingers trying to shoot -- and waiting to shoot -- more than one Parisian shouted the word "Impossible" at me.

Progress at last.

The area is old, so this incredibly quaint and adorable shop along Rue Des Rosiers isn't your only surprise, but it's so memorable that it had me longing for another visit days later.

Taglined La Gastronomie Yiddish D'Europe Centrale et Russie, it's a Yiddish gastronomic wonderland.

They have their own beautiful description: "On y retrouve les saveurs et les senteurs qui ont charmé l'enfance de Chagall, Soutine, Freud, ou Woody Allen. On y entend tous les accents des langues d'Europe de l'Est, des Balkans aux pays Baltes, et l'on y croise bien des célébrités du spectacle ou des Arts et Lettres."

It's been standing tall through three generations of Finkelsztajn. The colors, its heritage and the smells bring you in.

The collective experience, including the people who show up -- and stay -- are what keep you there.

It was far too busy to shoot video or do an interview despite the urge to do so. Instead, I hung out in the corner and observed for a long time, while sampling one thing after another.

And, each and every time, I was greeted by this man at the end of the shop who took my money and grinned, because clearly I was a newbie.....clearly I wasn't a local. It was not just the camera that gave it away. The must would have been my awe-stricken face in the corner oohing and aahhing after every bite and then again before the next one.

It's shocking to me that I had never entered its walls, despite my countless visits to Paris over the years, which often included a stroll up and down Rue Des Rosiers. All I can think of is that my priorities must have been different in the past. It's like trying to see the color green on shop signs when you are only looking for blue.

After more than a decade living back in the states, where food is not honored and worshipped as it is in Europe, particularly Paris, I now seek out the best of the best on every trip with a goal of having a gastronomic breakthrough each time. Indeed, a fabulous find.

Action Shots from Traveling Geeks Paris & LeWeb

A number of memorable moments from the Traveling Geeks tour to Paris....below in trains, at meet-ups, tweet-ups, incubators, startups, dinners, and LeWeb.

Beth Blecherman

Jerome Tranie

The Pearltrees team at their Paris' offices

Robin Wauters

Meeting with Orange

David Spark

Eliane Fiolet and Beth Blecherman

Traveling Geeks at Orange offices

In the Paris Metro

Olivier Ezratty

Geeks at the Metro - taken by Scoble

Dancers perform at LeWeb dinner

David Spark, Eliane Fiolet and Dell's Richard Binhammer

Laura Fitton in Green

Parrot's CEO Henri Seydoux paints a colorful picture

Eliane Shoots

Kim-Mai Cutler

Matthew Buckland

Julien Wallen of Pearltrees

Tom Foremski

Rodrigo Sepúlveda Schulz and Sky Schuyler

Chris Pirillo at LeWeb Speaker Dinner

Ewan Spence

Paul Richardet from La Cantine

Loic and Geraldine LeMeur kick off LeWeb conference at Speaker Dinner

Renee Blodgett at Pearltrees -- okay, so I loved the lights

Kevin Marks

Amazing Dance Performance at LeWeb Dinner

Ben Metcalfe at dinner

Jean-Xtophe Ordonneau in Le Marais

Tara Hunt

Robin Wauters at La Cantine

Violet Blue

Answers.com Bob Rosenschein

Frederic Lardinois in the Paris Metro

Stribe's Kamel Zeroual

Jerome Tranie at Parrot

Chad Hurley on LeWeb stage

Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordanr

Robert Scoble

Amanda Rose at Reception Hosted by Paris Mayor at City Hall

Imei Hsu and Chris Pirillo on the steps of Paris City Hall

The Traveling Geeks at Paris City Hall

Kim-Mai Cutler and Matthew Buckland

Vibrant Colors at LeWeb Speaker Dinner

Parrot demo: Sky, Nicolas and Rodrigo look on

Bob Rosenschein, Amanda Coolong and Sky Schuyler in Microsoft BizSpark booth at LeWeb

Consultants Can't Be Media Influencers Can They?

If you generate high quality content or a substantial amount of it, but consult, then you're clearly not a media influencer. If you have an audience and a voice that people listen to, but consult, then you're clearly not a media influencer.

That's how some view the world. After re-reading David Spark's recent post about an incident that prohibits him from generating content, I thought about how many times this has been an issue over the past several years -- for me and for others who wear both hats.

This isn't just about this one CES event; it's about old and new editorial voices and more importantly, it's about how to deal with influencers and manage content creators in a converging world. The landscape has changed so much that conference and event organizers need to throw a policy, any policy that has a black and white rulebook about whether you're an influencer who matters or not, out the window.

He was apparently sent an 11 year old 'rule book.' Rule books are designed for followers and structured entities, not visionaries. Egads, even if it's an 11 month old policy, it likely needs re-visiting. If anyone hasn't noticed, things have changed DRAMATICALLY in 11 years AND in 11 months.

11 years ago, media influencers included smaller vertical market niche publications that had a readership a quarter the size of my blog but oh yeah, I'm a consultant.

11 months ago, the third wave of full time journalists were laid off, more newspapers closed their doors and glossy magazines with once large entertainment budgets and hefty publisher salaries no longer have revenue or a brand. Crikey, Steve Wildstrom was even let go - and it's not because he isn't an amazing writer or thought leader. Know how many other award-winning editorial superstars are out of work?

Of the laundry list of do's and don'ts, I particularly resonated with this one: "don’t negate journalists that wear other hats - your sponsors are looking for quality people that represent media outlets they want to appear in. That should be your deciding factor. Not whether that person makes all their money from journalism and nothing else."

I'd extend this statement even further. Isn't it more interesting if journalists and bloggers ARE doing something else? It means they have another platform in which to tell a story. Who knows, maybe within those walls, a new deal may happen? A new voice unveiled?

Industry analysts have always been 'treated' as press in the context of which he writes, some of which were NOT part of a renown brand that wore Gartner Group or IDC on its door. They consult. They have clients and want to recruit new ones. And, while we're at it, don't publishers and editor-in-chiefs who attend a media event also want to nurture existing advertisers and recruit new ones? I would if I were in their shoes.

A separate agenda? Sure. I hope so - visionaries and leaders -- editorial or advisor, often have multiple agendas. They're thinking about and working on a number of different issues, topics and gigs. If you're a specific beat reporter with a list of who and what you can cover or not, your range is a lot more limited than an independent, freelancer, blogger or columnist who can write whatever they want, whenever they want.

And, a few more things from a consultant who generates a helluva lot of content... I have sometimes spent 90% of my time reporting and covering an event I've attended and paid for and told by some that it was the more interesting content they read of the event. Some of the traditional full time journalists at the same event didn't write a thing.

I'm not suggesting they should or are required to write. My point is that there are lots of important voices out there who are not full time journalists with traditional credentials. Whether they consult or not is irrelevant as long as there's full disclosure.

I've seen hybrid folks on media lists and not others. Who decides who is 'worthy' and has a more valuable audience than another?

Isn't it time we looked at the consultant/content creator/journalist relationship in a different way?

Isn't it time we rewrote the rules?

And she said....."understanding is a two-way street." --Eleanor Roosevelt

Nicolas Steeghann from Stupeflix Gives GREAT Demo #tg09

I'm looking forward to doing a custom project with the guys at Stupeflix. The Traveling Geeks met with them in London over the summer; I learned about new features and functionality from him in Paris earlier this month at one of the five incubators housing start-ups in the city.

Urbi on Robotics

Another innovation we saw during the Traveling Geeks tour to Paris was Urbi, robotics software platform and operating system from Gostai, that makes all robots compatible.

Urbi is already compatible with numerous robots on the market, including Nao, Aibo, Spykee or Bioloid, and advanced consumer applications based on Urbi have been demonstrated on the Spykee robot in partnership with mobile phone operators: home surveillance, entertainment for kids, or remote presence.

Gostai's project is to provide a standard environment for robotic applications development and to contribute to the growth of a new industry: service and consumer robotics.

Urbi plans to go open source in May 2010 because there is a clear need and strong trends that calls for an open source OS for robots today.

The Beijing of Possibilities

I finally finished reading The Beijing of Possibilities which literally showed up on my doorstep one day - no note.

It's a collection of dreamlike short stories out of the lives of Beijing's residents, from crime-fighting, gorilla-costumed messengers to thieves, buskers and composers. The stories form an impression of Beijing on the eve of the 2008 Olympics, weaving in the culture, history and present reality of a city undergoing rapid change.

Each surreal-like story had me engaged, particularly because of its visual energy throughout. For example: "A busker plays the happiest of sad tunes on his erhu, and the sweet-potato seller has sweet potatoes for everyone. Glorious cars glide past, a flock of brilliant bicycles, buses filled with contented souls. Thousands of fascinating conversations cross each other in the chill air...."

And then, "vehicles nose forward. Everyone on foot waits by the curb, as at the starting line of a race. And now, the lights change. From north and south, east and west, pedestrians advance."

Later on, another favorite in the last short story of the book: The Most Beautiful Woman in China, "she contemplated him tucking into the goose head and the duck feet and the frog with peppers and the blood tofu and a stir-fry of chicken with potato and the braised cauliflower. He ate as if he would never eat again; and she quietly drank a little soup and dipped her chopsticks in several dishes, taking just enough as not to seem ungrateful."

Alas, a taste of Jonathan Tel's style. In addition to writing short stories, he has worked as a physicist and an opera librettist.

Parrot's Henri Seydoux Paints a Picture of His Vision #tg09

At their offices in Paris earlier this month. We started with what is current but also had a peak of what's coming in Q1 under embargo. No phones. No cameras. No video. And yes, there was a back channel joke about the deep dark secret unveiling and the NDA.

To Taste Paris is to Know Paris

The French have always taken food seriously. They still do. My most recent trip to Paris continued to surprise, amaze and remind me that we still have a lot to learn about presentation and timing. About originality and flavor. About ambience and style. About taste that lasts. Lingers. Fulfills. Adds.

J'Go near the Odeon, which also has a great selection of wine

Fish soup at a restaurant in the Marais on a cold December night

At a pub in Montmartre

Lamb at Les Editeurs on Carrefour

Le Christine on 1 Rue Christine

Le Pre Grill on 17 Rue Saint-Severin

Les Fous De Lile on 33 Rue Des Deux Ponts

Even the most basic catering performs

Les Bougresses in the Marais

Loss Always Provides An Opening Somehow

Today, Christmas Day, I received sad news from an old childhood friend about the passing of another old childhood friend. After spending a chunk of time in Paris this month and knowing that I'm heading to Vegas soon for CES like I do ever year, the memories from an era and part of the world that seem so incredibly far away, are chilling but also bitter sweet.

You see, hearing about the loss of Jimmy Green (only 53) brings up countless vivid memories from a very simple life that would be hard to recapture in my life today unless I moved to a rural New Zealand village next to a lake, with no bandwidth or any hopes of getting it. And why go back? The future is the future and that's where we live our lives.

Yet, like a great old novel, there's nothing like an old childhood memory that brings up every taste, every sight, every sound, especially when it's so damn vivid that you can reach out and touch and feel its very core. You're so present with the moment that it becomes your current reality even if only for a flashing moment. Like being able to see and hear Jimmy Green's voice again (he had a great laugh), and saying "you were a great contribution to this planet."

But life moves on. In and around us, it moves, constantly surprising us with miracles and sad, shocking news, like this. Today, I also heard of another friend who just had a triple bypass, which came out of nowhere. Healthy, young, fit, but an awkward bout of heartburn suddenly had him in surgery. And then? Well, he's still with us, but other old friends are not so lucky, like Marc Orchant, who I continue to think of often.

What Jimmy's death did in addition to making me think of him and the best of childhood, was to reflect and sit still.

As I was making blueberry pancakes yesterday, this statement literally came out of mouth -- into the wide open space called air, with no one to hear it but my own ears. "I don't have time to be interesting anymore." I almost laughed out loud it sounded so absurd and yet......it felt more true than any other loud or quiet outburst of late.

It takes time to be present. It takes time to reflect. It takes time to sit. It takes time to hear. And only with presence, reflection, a voice, an ear and time, can you grow. When you're in a growth process, you ARE interesting.

It is in this place that you constantly ask questions, yearn for more, push boundaries and move beyond your comfort zone. Ahhhh, that comfort zone. It's a miracle every time you leave it, isn't it? Sometimes we just need reminding.

Christmas is intense for so many people because it brings up the best, the worst, the happiest moments in our lives and the saddest ones. The times we were closest to our families and the times we couldn't have been more misaligned. It brings up birth, rebirth and it brings up loss - all the people we may not see because they now live on the other side of the world or are no longer living.

Jimmy was part of my earliest memories. We lived on a lake in the Adirondacks, the other side of heaven as people who have visited may have to acknowledge if they spent enough time there.

Thanks for the memory Jimmy and to you for all that you brought to this world in your 53 years. Remember the old boat? I know you're seeing this wherever you are.

You will be missed.

New Stuff from Goal For It

Goalforit, the free online resource to help people set, manage and achieve their goals, came out with two new features recently.

The biggest change is the Habits & Daily Goals Chart, a great way to help you maintain your focus on setting and achieving goals. You can create interactive graphs that showcase your step-by-step progress on practicing the daily habits that help you achieve your goals. You can also set up a points-based reward system to provide additional motivation.

A few of the features include:

• To Do List (new): Users can easily create and keep track of all types of lists, daily tasks and routines so they can get organized, manage priorities and get things done.

• The Chore Chart (for children 4-12). With the Chore Chart, parents can create a custom behavior charts that reward children for doing chores and good behavior. Given the epidemic of childhood obesity; it also makes a great tool for parents that want to create a structured way to make sure their kids are consistently getting more exercise and eating healthier.

• Goal Tracker: A simple to use application that allows users to set specific goals and action plan steps. Great for tracking New Year’s Resolutions.

• Community: Members can share their personal experiences and knowledge and create personal networks consisting of family and/or friends to provide mutual support, motivation, and the opportunity to work together in overcoming challenges and celebrating achievements. All tools on Goalforit can be set to private if the user chooses.