Peter Diamandis: Brew Master of the Kool-Aid

Michael Laine -- president of the LiftPort Group -- recently set aside his space elevator-building duties to attend International Space University (ISU). The rest of his adventures in Barcelona, Spain are chronicled here.

I like and professionally admire Peter Diamandis. I think his body of work warrants serious applause. (Never heard of Diamandis before? Here's a decent place to start.)

Diamandis came to talk "formally" at the opening ceremonies of the International Space University, but we got to see a more personal side of him.

He said the kinds of things you would expect the founder of a 20-year-old school to say to students that he thinks of as his legacy. He said things intended to inspire and provide hope in the dark economic times we presently live in. He said things about believing in your dreams, and working toward them. He said work together -- interpersonally and internationally.

But he also said things about American toga parties, Canadians with canoes full of beer, and French cross-dressing "cultural nights"... of years past.

So Diamandis gets up there on his soapbox and talks. We ask questions about him, ISU, X PRIZE, and some "failures" he's had along the way.

Now when I hear Peter talk, I get a little serious. I react to it. His message resonates with me. I have heard him talk many times, and his "Space "Kool-Aid Speech" is great.

However, what made this one different:

(By the way: If you missed my last blog post, click here, and for more on what led me to attend ISU, click here.)

1. He was impassioned, perhaps more than I've ever seen him, because he was speaking to one of his great loves -- ISU students -- about the possibilities they are about to embark upon.
2. I was impassioned because I'm in "re-set mode" and soaking up all the good vibes and advice that I can get. (Have you ever noticed that when you are open to it, the universe will send all sorts of signals your direction -- bible verses, songs on the radio, the right books, the right people and the right environments? I am open to it, and it happens to me all of the time!)

Either in spite of -- or because of -- the Kool-Aid speech, I could really hear Peter. I was listening.

Below are some of his paraphrased quotes. Forgive me, because they're not exact quotes -- I couldn't keep all of it in my head, so these are the notes of the things I think he said. Any mistakes in interpretation are mine.

Lungfish analogy: "Our civilization is at the same place as the first lungfish, the one that crawled out of the oceans and on to dry land... this an evolutionary step we are taking -- right now -- and the actions we take in the next decade or two will transform not just our civilization, but our species." (Alright, I embellished this a bit. But the analogy is clearly his.)

Personal goals: "My personal goal: to go to space, and take everyone with me. It will take every learned discipline, every nation, to reach this goal."

Risk: "Don't be boring"; "Take a risk"; "Try something different"; "Be radical." (I smiled every time he said something like this!)

Inventing: "Every new and novel idea, every invention, was a ‘crazy idea' the day before it was a breakthrough..." (I've heard him use this line before. I agreed then and I agree now.)

Passion: "There is a currency of passion"; "Passion allows you to keep going, overcome failures, and attach resources -- people, capital, technology." (This one was profound, and new to me. Months later, I am still thinking about this.)

Destiny: "The past has nothing to do with the future. The future is absolutely changeable ..." (Earlier he said that he was "sick of talking about the past." He was referencing NASA at the time, but that made me think of the future. So I asked ‘where does he see ISU going, say 20 years from now?')

ISU future: "ISU will have a campus at the outermost reaches of humanity. First, in orbit, then the moon, then Mars, then wherever we go after that."

Laptop computing: "Once for-profit companies got involved, it got a billion times faster for one billionth of the cost. Space could have -- will have -- the same revolution.

Fundraising: "You have to A.S.K. to G.E.T." (Actually, I learned that in a sales and marketing class a long time ago, but he said something similar, so I wrote it down this way.)

Wealth: "There are 1,100 to 1,500 Billionaires on the planet. One of them could fund -- privately -- a mission/colonization/habitat in space. We just have to find the right one, or better yet, get a couple to band together."

Determination: "Anything that you want to do, anything that matters -- especially in space -- is hard ... and when it gets hard, remember why we are doing this." (Personal note: this one kind of got to me...)

Breakthroughs: "If you are not allowed to fail, you cannot have a breakthrough ... which means, that to have a breakthrough, you must take risks." (I've said something very similar recently. Greg Reid is filming a project that I am guest on, and my quote is making it into his movie.)

Alaska Analogy: Diamandis talked about Seward's Folly and how American's were pissed at "...wasting $7 million on buying a desolate environment where you needed special clothing and equipment to survive in. They said it was too far away to be useful ... Then gold, oil, timber and fishing were developed. Now it is a place where you take your honeymoon cruise to. Space is a lot like that."

And we drank it up.

Now typically, I am not one for cheerleading and "rah rah" sorts of events. But I pleased when I walked through the line to shake his hand, and the hand of the President of ISU, Michael Simpson. I was proud when he handed me my ISU pin.

Brew master Diamandis, keep pouring! I will keep drinking.

In the meantime, there is a lot of hard work ahead. I support your goals, and will do what I can to move them forward. It will take "every discipline, every nation." It takes dedication. There will be failures along the way, because the risks are many and the risks are great.

But it is worth the risk. It is worth the effort.

Michael Laine is the president of LiftPort Group, the Elevator to Space Companies. You can follow him on Twitter and Lifestreaming, read his blog and check out his company's YouTube page here.

Photo: Peter Diamandis. Credit: AP

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