Two other companies with strong IP positions that are benefitting from my Always On, Always Connected PowerTrend with the launch of 4G LTE and mobile moving beyond basic mobile phones are Qualcomm (QCOM) and InterDigital (IDCC).

FORBES: Move up http://i.forbesimg.com t Move down

The transition from one generation of consoles to the next is always painful, though this time around the launch of new portable game devices by Sony and Nintendo has helped to prop up software sales and mask the decline in sales of games for fixed consoles.

ECONOMIST: The video-games industry

Furthermore, those retail figures do not include Apple stores, where droves of customers flock to purchase their iPods, and more importantly, because that's launch week and any new device (especially one so hyped as the Zune) will almost always set its sales records during its week of launch.

ENGADGET: Zune takes #2 spot in retail launch week

When playing soccer, I always thought you had to be nuts to launch yourself into the air and head the ball.

WSJ: Urban Gardner: Lacrosse, the Sport of Scholarships

Some smartly time this with the launch cycle of their favorite brands, but of course this isn't always realistic.

ENGADGET: This is the Modem World: You Use THAT?

Race launch director Clive Bailey said although the balloons were "very safe" there was always a risk.

BBC: Gordon Bennett balloon race competitors lift off

Always-on DRM has been the subject of much discussion after the mess that was the Diablo 3 launch.

FORBES: Is Ubisoft Backing Away from the DRM Abyss?

But I must have taken this critical insight for granted, because when I ventured out on my own to launch my business, my desire for speed clouded my judgment and I forgot what I always knew: The Team is what matters first and foremost.

FORBES: Surround Yourself With Great People - Building The Team