AndrePope.com

I have always had a problem with people feeling as if the world owes them something. Sitting back expecting they should get some kind of handout because they were raised in a single family, their mother/father left, got laid off from work, etc. I see and hear about it everyday.

The world doesn't owe me shit.

I figure by working hard, setting goals and having a positive outlook I can pretty much accomplish anything. I know you have to have a few lucky breaks here and there to help you along your way, but I also feel as if you have to make luck come to you. My father instilled this work ethic in me and I am super appreciative to him for that.

Through my father's recent marriage, I now have a step-brother. He is one of the most head strong, good willed, positive kids you will ever met. He lives in Tennessee, is the starting quarterback for the high-school football team, and one of the most liked kids in his high school. By the way, did I mention he is also deaf? I don't ever look at things that really don't matter. Him being deaf doesn't matter that much to me, nor do I think it really matters that much to him, at least in the sense of us communicating back and forth to each other. He has what some people would call a disability, but to him more like a small communication barrier. He has found ways to overcome this and is moving on. College is next for him and I wish him luck. But then again I am sure he will make his own luck.

Now Google has made their own luck as well. Google is pushing along and becoming the most dominate force in the web today. But how did they get here? Was it all by chance? No! They had a game plan, worked hard at it, surrounded themselves with like minded individuals and had fun. With the recent purchase of YouTube, Google has set itself up to continue on the right path. Moving forward, working hard, pushing the limits of conventional thinking.

So what does this have to do with my step-brother, work ethics, Google, YouTube? A simple idea that stems by combining all of these things together. I would love to share the link that Paul sent to me with my step-brother. However, he will never get the full gist of it because of a communication barrier. Now I know that work ethics and ethical work are two different things, but Google has the power to help bridge the communication barrier that my step-brother, Google/YouTube and I have by creating closed captioning services for all of the YouTube videos. A simple API that would allow some individual or group of individuals (my step-brother's school, for instance) to type into, by using a translator, and translate all of YouTube's videos. Maybe even a notification of some sort that shows when a new approved YouTube video has been posted. In my mind this is pretty simple stuff. But I am not a programmer, so what do I know? Google could even partner with deaf schools all around the country for this service. It would help instill a good strong work ethic in the students, give them pride in what they were doing, help build a skill set for future work and be beneficial to Google/YouTube all in one.

Now does anyone have Google's phone number?