A necessary evil of our digital content-distributing world is the much discussed Digital Rights Management that attempt to keep the content creators as happy as the content consumers. A tough balance to be sure, it’s often frustrating to both parties and while several content distributors continue to make embarrassing attempts at fair DRM, very few have gotten it right. With so many upsides and an equal number of negatives, it’s hard to be for or against DRM, the safe bet seems to evaluate it on a case by case basis. Here’s a downside though that surprised me but makes complete sense.

“Often forgotten are factors such as equalization, file size, file format, and yes, DRM all of which can decrease battery life. If a circuit is active, it’s using power. If the processing is more complex, as it would be in the case of DRM, the circuit uses more power. So how much power is lost to DRM? link

So along with many other horror stories DRM brings us, now we have millions of computers and portable music players using more power and in the end soaking up more natural resources, all to ensure they get their cut.

Next time someone accuses you of “acquiring” a few songs, tell ‘em you did it for rainforest.

In the continuing quest for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, a friend and I have an ongoing conversation about how your job, the thing you spend most of your life doing, should make you happy. The debate typically has two sides: you find work that makes your life enjoyable; or you work to make money so that the rest of your life is enjoyable. He emailed a recent experience that perfectly illustrates the idea.

The punch-line of their financial pictures was…impactful.

During a recent business trip I had the pleasure of meeting two Johns. I spent about 5 hours with each of them, but certainly had no more than 30 minutes of one on one conversation with either. Their reputation’s preceded both of them, and they both lived up to the hype. Two very smart guys, and we had a blast as we worked through the week. But now that I’m back in home, I realize there was a lesson to be learned.

John #1
At first glance, you’d think this first John was homeless. His age showed even more when he pulled back his long gray hair into a scruffy ponytail and revealed the lines age had carved in his face. Under his 4 layers of denim, I could tell he barely weighed a buck and a quarter. To call him a hippie would be right on the mark, although he may be more laid back than most hippies. After wandering around for his younger years, this John bought a pottery supply store in the 70’s and now runs it with his wife. He’s a potter by trade, and he sells clay to other potters. I was in awe of the mutual respect he had with the potters in the community, truly an important man to the industry. These days, someone else runs his store, and he networks with other potters.

A few years ago, a customer had questions on how to fire a 25 year old kiln, but had no money to bring in a consultant for help. John came to the rescue and he did it in style. He drove his fully restored 1969 Triumph Convertible across Texas, fired that kiln like it was a day old and didn’t charge the lady a dime.

At Thursday’s dinner John drew an amazing map of Texas during the first course to help us visually follow along with one of his more entertaining stories (involving a kiln, a dust storm and of course, his Triumph). The map, complete with a little sail boat in the Gulf and fires to the north, was done in pencil and ball point pen. When John stood up to go to the restroom, a fellow “artist” sitting nearby ran over and begged for the map, offering $50 on the spot. John let the map go for nothing, but this speaks volumes about his talent. In his spare time, he runs a charitable organization to raise money for the hungry and tries to share his knowledge with local students. He’s loving life more than ever right now, and the twinkle in his eye when he talks proves it.

John #2
Now, the other John graduated from a prominent university, passed the Bar Exam, and started practicing law before he was 25. This John might have ADD. First to talk, quick to laugh, and last one to tap out for the night. Most certainly near 40, he could be mistaken for a college frat boy slightly overdue for graduation.

A few years ago, his dad wanted to retire from the family business and with a little persuasion, this John became president of the a large manufacturer in the US. Now, in between supervising 50+ factory workers and various engineers, John also travels the country promoting his product. Of course, he’ll let you know about the over the top vacation he lives for every year. Like his African safari when he shot the wild boar that now graces the wall in his living room, or the fishing expedition for tuna off the coast of Costa Rica. And even though it finances his trips, he isn’t a big fan of the industry he’s in. He’s never even used his product for anything more than a customer demo. When he travels to network, he tends to drown his disdain for the industry in a beer…or twenty. Usually until he can’t walk back to his hotel room. On Tuesday night, at a local brewery, I’m fairly certain he succeeded in trying each of the 25 beers brewed on site.

At the end of the week, the second John couldn’t leave fast enough. Our meeting was over at 5:00 and his flight was 7:15. Meanwhile the first John was considering taking his wife dancing downtown. The gap between these fellas couldn’t have been wider.

Oh, I forgot to mention, both have a net worth over $10 million.

So as I flew home, I thought of these guys. Is one of the Johns happier than the other? Is the second suffering from contentment, afraid to leave the security of the family business? Is his dislike keeping him from bigger success? Is the first considered more successful because he is passionate?

Which John do I want to be and how do I get there?