Hello Everyone,

Happy Holidays! I hope 2010 has enabled you to flourish in happiness, reward and satisfaction. Through direct discourse, or eavesdropping on social media conversations, I feel safe to state that it has been an interesting year for most of us. Personally, through happenstances and deliberate architecture, it appears that regarding my own affairs this trend will continue through 2011. There are some specific challenges afoot, as well as some budding opportunities, all of which I am grateful for.

This quarter’s life experience was a trip to Athens, Greece, to compete in the 2500th anniversary of the “original” marathon. The historic course starts at the city of Marathon and follows the route Pheidippides purportedly took to Athens to carry news of the Greek victory over the Persians in 490 b.c. With the exception of the Antarctica Marathon, this course was probably the most challenging of the marathons I’ve competed, but ultimately will be one of the most memorable for reasons that lack the need of explanation.

Athens Marathon 2010 | Athens, Greece | Michael Rucker
Athens Marathon | Athens, Greece | 2010

I booked the trip through Marathon Tours and was lucky enough to get some time with company’s CEO Thom Gilligan who basically invented the endurance and adventure travel industry category. He is the former president of the Greater Boston Track Club and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Runner’s World, and made the cover of Travel Agent magazine. This quarter’s fitness interview with Thom Gilligan about destination marathons can be read here.

For this month’s business interview I connected with Matthew Szymczyk. Matt has turned his company Zugara into a successful employee owned Augmented Reality (AR) development studio over the last decade. Matt and his team create custom and propriety AR software along with providing other creative services to a growing list of clients that include Sony, Reebok, AT&T, Muscle Milk, and Nestle. Matt’s company is also a member of The AR Consortium and he has become a well cited expert, author and enthusiast of AR technology. My interview with Matt Szymczyk about Augmented Reality can be read here.

My social contribution this quarter came in the form of sponsoring two of my friends in their philanthropic athletic goals, and in the spirit of “thinking globally and acting locally” I made a charitable contribution to the Berkeley SPCA to help rebuild their facilities, which they lost due to fire this year.

I wish you the best with your worthy pursuits in 2011 and beyond!

Warm regards,
Michael

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