Welcome to the future. There’s a lot of talk about “change” these days—isn’t there? But this time—this wave of change—is like never before. It’s a time when all of the domains of civilization are changing at the same time, from technology to politics to economics.
It's a turbo-charged period of change we call “compressional acceleration”—a pace of technological change that makes the last 10 years feel like the equivalent of the previous 100. Thus, it makes a single lifetime feel like an 800 year journey through time.
Imagine.
We’d get to meet King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette plus witness the inventions of the year 2,500—all before we find our mortal shells six feet under.
CC andrew abogado
What to do?
We can think more about how we think. Ironically, it's not about technology. Rather, it's about what technology has done to and is doing to us, and how we cope with and leverage it.
It's about our mindset. Industrial era operational mindsets no longer cut it. It’s a time to be smarter, more flexible and mobile. It’s a time for creativity, ideas, creation and innovation.
It's a good time to be... well, a bit of a Screwball.
Screwballs are good
The screwball pitch changed the game of baseball
Screwball comedies in the 1930′s effectively addressed social issues, and helped us navigate the emotions of the Great Depression
Screwballs are eccentric, eclectic and multi-talented
Screwballism should be spread
The world needs Screwball-ness
Who are some of the thinkers thinking about thinking different about the future?
But we see it all the time. We see it by way of what it can do—such as when it moves leaves on a tree.
We also "see" air when we feel it—like when the wind blows sand in our eyes and blurs our vision.
If all we saw was air being the stuff we breathe, Columbus would have never sailed his ship to the New World, we wouldn't build wind farms to produce energy—and we wouldn’t be able to burn fossil fuels (ironic, isn’t it?)
To continue to innovate, we need to be willing to see, think and feel differently—which takes work. In his fascinating HBR article, Tony McCaffrey refers to a concept called functional fixedness, where we often fixate on the common use of an object to the point where we miss innovation opportunities—ones right in front of our eyes.
To this point, Tony sites the story of the Titanic—coupled with some interesting facts from historic record:
The Titanic was maneuverable for a reasonable amount of time after striking the iceberg
The iceberg was 50 to 100 feet tall and had a surface area of 200 to 400 feet
The tragedy: Everyone saw the iceberg as a big huge thing that sinks ships. Nobody saw it as a lifeboat
Here's what could have happened: The Titanic could have maneuvered a “lean” into the iceberg and passengers could have climbed or jumped to the flat surfaces of the iceberg to wait for help to arrive
We all experience the "Titanic effect" without realizing it. For example, my partner (Sue) and I experienced a power outage one day early this spring. After a day without repair, we decided to drive to the store to purchase ice—so we could protect the food in the fridge. As we began driving down the driveway and venturing into the dark, we carefully maneuvered around the last few remnants of winter (the weather was warm, but a few snow piles remained).
Now wait a second:
Option 1:
Burn fuel
Drive in the dark
Risk our lives
Spend time getting to a store
Remove hard earned money from our pocket
Purchase water that has been frozen by someone else
Add more plastic to the recycling challenge
Or:
Option 2:
Walk outside with a container
Scoop-up some of the water frozen by God
Protect our food
We had a good laugh, got out of the car—and proceeded to execute Option 2.
Thinking better, together:
I found this object next to my golf ball on a golf course recently:
front back The mandarin symbols were intriguing to me and I slipped the thing into my pocket (I then proceeded to expertly miss my putt).
The next day, I asked Sue what she thought the object might be. I said, “I wonder if it’s part of an exotic cigarette or cigar container of some sort?” I figured that was a possibility since a golf course is such a great place for guys to practice their bad habits—such as telling dirty jokes, liberally uttering expletives—and of course, smoking cigars.
While we pondered, I typed “amurai” into Google on my iPhone (I was the lazy one). Instantly there were a number of hits for “Samurai”. Within moments, Sue said, “I got it!—It’s a piece of matchbook from the restaurant called Samurai ”. We rubbed our fingers on the paper and confirmed, “Yep, it’s a cardboard-like material consistent with a matchbook”. I Googled again—and sure enough—the logo and typeface matched that of Samurai restaurants.
By thinking together (and by tapping multiple senses and sources) we arrived at the conclusion within moments—versus me pondering the thing for a day. Why do I think we were able to arrive at a conclusion more effectively?
Two heads are always better than one
My reference to smoking might have helped Sue surface the notion of “matchbook” (Or, for all I know, maybe I originally and subconsciously "knew" the thing was a matchbook and therefore thought of smoking)
We collaborated with a computer (Google) which is the equivalent of consulting millions of humans (sort of)
We were better at “seeing” the object when we looked at it and touched it
Sue is smarter than me
So:
Sometimes things appear—and we can’t see them
Sometimes we see something—but it's not really there
Sometimes we see something—but it's different than what it appears to be
Sometimes we see just one single thing—and don't realize how many things it can be
We’re in an era like never before–a time during which we can overcome our collective challenges and realize our greatest dreams—if we work (and think) better together.
Toward this end, you’ll be seeing more from us on the topics of cognitive science, creative thinking and global collaboration. There will be writings, webinars, resources and ultimately some technologies—all geared toward helping us think better about thinking, together.
Sue and I have had the same wireless carrier for a zillion years (Okay, maybe not a zillion years—but a long time). Through the years, we’ve had all kinds of voice and data plans. Overall, we’ve been satisfied. However, there’s a thorn in our side recently; It’s something we like to call the “limited unlimited” data plan.
[Photo:Abdulla Al Muhairi - CC]
You see, the carrier no longer offers unlimited data plans for smartphones—but the unlimited plan we currently possess is grandfathered—and we like having it.
Here’s the rub: In recent months, we've been receiving warning notices informing us that if we continue at our current usage rate, performance will degrade (and it does). At first, these wrist-slapping messages occurred at 5GB. Now we receive them at 3GB. Obviously they’d like us to move to a plan that makes more sense for them.
Scarcity:
One can understand how this happens. If data and data networks were limitless and free everywhere—we wouldn’t be having this discussion. But they’re not free and limitless resources. And, after all, it’s this kind of supply-demand continuum that makes the world go ‘round—right? It keeps the economy humming. It allows wireless companies to be in business. The wireless companies provide people with jobs. Jobs allow people to pay for the things they want (such as data services on their smartphones) etc.
But is it possible that at times this dynamic causes an unnatural exchange of “value” between humans? Is it possible that the aforementioned value-trading dynamic is a function of scarcity—or at least a scarce mindset in our society?
Perhaps.
Consider a favorite restaurant—a place where you dine frequently. Imagine that when your patronage increases, food and service quality automatically decreases proportional to the rate of your increased patronage. Would that make sense?
Money:
Money has been around for thousands of years, so it's hard to imagine a world without it.
[Photo: 401K's Photostream - CC]
But a world without money did exist. In fact, modern humans have been around for about 50,000 years—much longer than money. So, as hard as it is to imagine, it’s safe to say that money has been not-around more than it has been around. Further, there are non-money systems in existence today, such as food-sharing systems within certain hunter-gatherer societies, there are “gift societies” and there is a reemergence of various barter systems.
But of course, all systems of any kind have their pros and cons. For example, Wikipedia will tell you, "Bartering has several problems; most notably that it requires a "coincidence of wants'". However, our amazing hyper-connectivity these days makes coincidences-of-wants more coincidental & connected than ever before—witness Collaborative Consumption.
It’s provocative to imagine for a moment that maybe these certain funny shaped tokens, paper with symbols, or sequences of bits on a computer screen (i.e., money) might represent an out-moded arcane mechanism that’s been necessary for several thousand years simply because we had no other practical alternative.
But maybe now we do.
Abundance:
Again consider the basics of our current system:
Some human (or humans) control one thing and keep that thing from others human(s) until said other human(s) pay for that thing. In turn, said other human(s) who just paid for the thing happen to control some other thing and keep that other thing from other other human(s)—until the other other human(s) cough up some hard cash for the other thing that the other human(s) control—and so on.
Scarcity.
Ironic. Popular language these days includes terms like “collaboration”, “community”, and “teamwork”. What meeting do you attend where you don’t hear those (or similar) words? Yet, just about everything we do in society comes down to keeping something from someone else until they pay for it, usually with money.
What would happen if things were more abundant (Or if we thought more abundantly)?
For example, the Sun is rather abundant, and generally speaking, humans don’t trade shares of sunbathing-units as a commodity traded on a stock exchange. Nor do we pay anyone for the experience of feeling the Sun on our face when we walk outdoors.
If food, data, or energy were limitless, maybe we wouldn't have our wrists slapped at 3GB. Maybe we wouldn’t have to pay for such things at all.
I know—unrealistic and idealistic—right?
Or is it?
Nikola Tesla
Consider this:
Over 100 years ago, Nikola Tesla had a viable strategy for producing perpetually available energy for everyone everywhere
Physics tells us that energy never “goes away”
The Sun showers the Earth with 5,000 times the energy we need every single day
Tesla couldn't fully bring his vision to fruition in large part because others wanted to make boat loads of money.
Regardless: Perhaps there are more alternatives available to us than we think. Or at least, perhaps, we need to start thinking a bit differently about how we think about these things.
This article includes a couple hints about iPad/iOS usage—but more so, it offers a hint or two about our own consciousness and awareness—of ourselves and of others.
I use both my iPhone and iPad a lot, and I think I'm rather proficient. However, one morning I learned a couple new tricks. When I share them with you, you might say to yourself, "Duh, I knew that". Likewise, there are probably a few new things you'll learn about the use of your iPad (or iPhone, Android, power drill, milk truck, whatever) and you'll say to yourself, "Wow! That's really cool—look what I discovered". But upon sharing your new brilliant discovery with someone else, they may say (or think) "Duh, I knew that".
What's the point?
1 - Sometimes We Can't See What's Right in Front of our Face. i.e., the good old forest-for-the-trees effect. What to do about it? We shouldn't be afraid to tinker outside of our comfort zones. We might just be surprised how easy it is to discover or invent something new. It's healthy to find some quiet time to experiment, play and be "un-perfect".
2 - They Might See What You Can't See: Ever meet someone and say to yourself, "Gosh, that guy should be a teacher" or "She should be on stage (or whatever)—It's so obvious!". I don't think we should chart certain directions in life because someone else thinks we should. Heck, we live for only ~650,000 hours—if we're lucky—so each of us should do exactly what we want to do in life. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't listen to others. Quite often they can see what's obvious whilst we're blinded by our biases, filters and tapes. So when people see something in you—give it a listen—they just might be right.
3 - Competence: Clay Shirky in Cognitive Surpluspoints out that the feeling of competence is often best engaged when working right at the the edge of one's abilities. The experience of "I conquered this thing and I figured it out" feels better than it feels to hire someone to do something "perfectly" for you. I'm not saying we shouldn't delegate or outsource in certain situations—but I am saying that it's important to push ourselves to our edge. It just might feel better than we think.
Lastly: It wouldn't be very nice of me if I didn't share the iOS tricks I learned:
The iCal Page-Turn: For the year I've owned an iPad, I've liked iCal, yet loathed iCal page-turning. It's cool and cute to swipe the corner of the page and witness it turn to the next just like "real" paper. But I found the gesture to be somewhat unreliable (at least for me). Sometimes it takes me 2 or 3 tries until the page actually advances. But I just discovered: Simply touch the corner of the page for a moment or so—and let go. The page turns without fail. Duh!
The in-Box Call-Up: When I'm viewing a single email in full-screen portrait mode, I find it a bit of a hassle to reach to the top/left to click the in-Box button each time I want to go back to my in-Box. Then, one day (by accident) I bumped/swiped the left side of the screen within the body of the displayed message. Voilà, my in-Box swoops-in instantly from the left. Duh!
Point 4: Sometimes we should point when we think we should swipe—and sometimes we should swipe when we think we should point.
It was an oddly compelling experience, and it makes mees thinks about human nature.
First: Whether out of necessity, or brilliance, Pinterest requires a Pinterest invitation-request in advance (at least at the time of this writing). After submitting a request - and waiting a day - I was invited.
Human Nature Lesson (Reminder): We want what we can't have.
Interest: Pinterest asks about your areas of interest, such as architecture, food, etc. After clicking categories, Pinterest suddenly presents to you new (and existing) friends who are interested in similar things. Insto-presto I felt "validated".
Human Nature Observation: We all want to be part of a tribe - and we all want to be accepted.
Imagery: There are many things that "move" human beings: The sound of music, a tender touch, or the taste of cinnamon. Then there are images. I'm reminded why the term "eye candy" exists. I found myself on an eye sugar-high.
I felt the reflection of humanity in an instant. Sure, in many cases, there were consumer products, pretty clothes and other images of "stuff". Not necessarily "humanity" one might say. Then again, we are what we put out there.
Then I realized that each image had a person attached to it. In essence, each of them was saying, "Hi, I'd like to share this with you".
Adage Confirmation: I heard it said, "Pinterest is Tumblr for people who can't write". Maybe. But I know this: A picture can indeed be worth a thousand words. I felt like I was able to get a "feel" for who people were in an instant - more than with any other social networking experience.
In one case, I think I even learned how to "see" in a certain way. I saw through the eyes of an architect. I didn't just see the designs this particular woman creates, but rather, I saw what she sees, and thus saw what inspires and informs her designs.
I found myself instantly compelled to "pin" or "re-pin" images. I was kid again, "Mommy, Mommy... Look, look! There's a tree. Look, look. It's a bird!".
Human Nature Observation #2: We're constantly hungry for discovery - and we're dying to share what we discover - with others.
It didn't take long for me to decide what categories interested me. Architecture, Tech, Science, Places and Design were a few that I clicked. In life, we tend agonize, "Who am I? - What am I about? - What am I meant to do?"
Likely Fact: Deep down, we probably know who we are. At least we "know" what interests us. We should listen to ourselves.
Wild fire: From nowhere, this image-bookmarking site goes from nobody to millions - in no time. In the U.S. alone, there were 18.7 million unique visitors in March, 2012. In spite of the millions, it still feels personal. The welcome letter remains in first-person: "I'm excited to invite you to join Pinterest, a social catalog. I can't wait to have you join our little community... - Ben & the Pinterest Team"
Observation: Things happen fast in the 21st Century. You too can make things happen quickly - and with scale.
I was reminded of the power of the era in which we live. Have an interest, product or project to change the world? No problem, you can go from "zero to 60" in four seconds.
Assertion: We can, in fact, change the world for the better, together - especially with the "cognitive surplus" we possess and the tools we now have at our fingertips. Clay Shirky's book "Cognitive Surplus - Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age" points to brain research showing that we're naturally more prone to share, connect and support each other than we are to acquire, consume and take from each other. More than we might think.
Interested in the sources of the images contained within this blog post?
Well then, join Pinterest, friend "CraigArtJames" (me) and see what my new friends have to share with you.
The definitions of how and where we live, and why - are on the fly.
When I grew up in suburban Cleveland during the 60's and 70's, life was ideal. Surreal ideal. I was an only child (still am). My earliest memories are of a new brick ranch style home - and then a modern split-level.
In my early teens, I tore-up the neighborhood on my banana bike or skateboard, and then graduated to a 10-speed. I had a hamster named Adam (survived by our sweet little dog who's name I won't divulge for self-centric masculinity reasons).
There were backyard fridge-box adventures (gosh, those were the best) and of course there were "my woods" - i.e., wild nature just down the street for my best friend Jeff and me to explore (until, of course, the trees came down so a K-Mart could go up). Heck, we can't all just run around in the woods - we have to buy stuff, right?
A remnant of "My Woods" - A piece of tree taken away - to make way - for K-Mart :-(
We had a TV that looked more like a French Provincial desk than a box of electronics. Outside of the weekly thrill of watching the trash being picked up, the real "main event" was the occasion when humans actually came to our house to fix the desk/TV unit.
Lucky for me, outside of watching a show or two, my Mom, Dad & I talked more than we watched.
Growing up, I learned about the twentieth century dream, which made perfect sense to everyone at that time: School--> More school--> Job --> Better Job --> House --> Bigger House --> Maybe even a Bigger-er house --> Retire.
If one used his/her head, and worked hard, it all worked out.
But not any more.
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Welcome to the 21st century
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As Richard Florida outlines in The Great Reset ...we're living midst an historic reset where the definitions of "work", "play", and "home" are changing forever.
In The Great Reset, Florida explains that we've been through similar economic "resets", and that each one of them have had a major impact on where we live and work. In the 1870's (The "Long Depression") the big shift was rural to urban. After the 1930's (The Great Depression) we experienced the big shift from urban to suburban.
Now, we're experiencing the "mega-regions", where small struggling cities & regions become integrated with larger multi city metropolises. One such mega-region, the so-called Bos-Wash (A corridor encompassing Boston, Philly, New York, Baltimore and Washington D.C.) is inhabited by 50 million people, and has the economic output twice that of Canada. These are complex and diverse regions characterized by human diversity, mixed-use development and a wide range of industries and creative sectors.
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Stepping Back
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The term "home" has various meanings. In the case of animals, it refers to their habitat. For humans, it can mean both "house" (physical dwelling) as well as the general idea we call "home" - i.e., an area or community where we find refuge, shelter, comfort and connection.
In recent years, comfort and connection come from all kinds of places and sources... from the people we know, to the places we go, to how we spend our time, to what we surf, to where we actually "live" and/or work.
Before the industrial revolution, the term "home" was basically synonymous with "house" - i.e., the physical place. It was likely the place we worked, too - i.e., the farm. But in the twentieth century, work became a completely different physical place - a place away from "home" - and away from your "house".
Today, work goes with you. The office is increasingly your home... and home is where you are.
In many ways, it's like a return to the nineteenth century, when work, home and house were all the same place. But this time, there is a very distinct difference: These various life-domains are not only combined - they are all increasingly mobile.
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It started with the mobile phone
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For anyone born after 1985, the idea of communication devices tied to a specific physical address is hard to imagine. A similar trend is happening with the home/house. It's becoming less a function of a specific place as it is becoming a function of where you are, at the time.
Some people are even asking the question, "How do we define where we are when we're there? The article, below, talks about how tablets such as iPads are becoming "extensions" of our bodies. These devices respond before we even give them a conscious command. In a way, they are extending our physical and mental "locations" beyond the place we're actually located.
The new "mobile home" is becoming increasingly like your mobile phone. Small, portable, modular & inexpensive.
One company making such homes is called Tumbleweed, "The Tiny House Company" Imagine your house on wheels wherever you go. New job? New gig? No problem: Have house, will travel. Your house, dog, hamster and you are on your way - in the lead-time of a day.
The Tata Nano House starts at $720 USD - built. (That's seven-hundred-and-twenty-dollars, not $720,000). Seven days to construct. At 1/1,000th the cost of some homes, sure, you'll weigh the purchase carefully - just like you'd weigh the purchase of an iPad - but an iPad purchase doesn't define your life for a 30 year period. Nor should a house.
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What if you need extra space?
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The pub (dare we return to the real "pub" a.k.a. the "public house"?) the coffee shop and other community spaces become your extended home - digitally interconnected and populated with other humans with whom to interact. Extra stuff to deal with or store? eBay, Craig's List: At your service.
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Share, Swap, Switch
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At Korman Communities you can opt for flexible "Apartment Homes" on a short-term rental full-service basis. Part home, part community, part hotel. If you nail a new job that takes you to a different city, no prob. Notify Korman and swap over to another similar Korman unit in that new city. No leases to break. No drama.
With airbnb.com your you can swap/rent homes, apartments, boats or villas across the world. Meanwhile, your place at "home" can be rented by others (also on airbnb.com).
With an average U.S. household spend of $16,000-$17,000 per year on housing (and its associated upkeep) (that's $50/day)... share/swap/rent looks pretty attractive.
And thanks to my friend Aron in Brno (formerly a fellow in Shaker Heights, OH) I now know about CouchSurf
No money is transferred. People share their dwellings with others within the non-profit CouchSurfing community. As they say, "Open your Mind, Open your Home... Open the World". Benefits include couch + connection.
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The net-net
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The house-building/owning patterns of the later half of the 20th century ultimately became unsustainable - as evidenced by the meltdown of '08/'09. The Great Reset points to studies showing that, ironically, regions with better home-ownership stats suffer in other ways, like unemployment. When people are trapped by their homes, they don't have the flexibility to go where their work and skills "work" best. As a result, the region and the collective suffer.
Our economy is increasingly one of ideas, knowledge and service that depend on flexibility and mobility.
We, too, need to be more flexible.
There's no one answer. For some, a farm makes sense. For others, it is a couch. And for many, it's a hybrid. Regardless, we're in an era when choice making becomes key - and choices, indeed, we can make.
The 21st Century is changing what these words mean. It's also changing the word "Entrepreneur".
Wikipedia says that an "Entrepreneur" is a person who makes money through taking risks and accepting full responsibility for outcomes. Okay, that accurately describes many entrepreneurs. But there is a new breed of "free agent" Entrepreneurs coming onto the scene whom I like to call "NEOpreneurs". They aren't just interested in money - and they take on more than financial risk. They risk their reputation - and former definitions of success. They work for what they believe - and not just for business achievement. As Jon Stein, founder of the firm Betterment states, "There’s a noticeable shift in what people value most in their careers. The New York Times studied key words in a sample of commencement speeches last year. The words 'world' and 'love' showed up far more often than 'money' and 'success'."
These observations are a byproduct of other shifts in our society
In the 20th Century, GDP was invented to measure output, growth, production and "more-ness". FDR and his administration invented it as a way to measure the economy after the Great Depression. But what made perfect sense 70 years ago doesn't necessarily make sense today.
GDP is being questioned by many. Most recently, the United Nations joined the conversation with a panel calling for “new ways to measure progress” in advance of the Rio+20 Global Transition 2012 Summit
"Work" - What is it?
I consider a round of golf "play". For Annika Sörenstam, it's serious business - and serious work. Today, more and more workers are redefining what "work" is. They are "black collar" workers (according to Philip Auerswald). They're hyper-connected and on the go - They think differently than workers of the past - They don't accept the historic roles of management and labor - They're innovative and independent - They work whenever and wherever they happen to be - And their office is their smartphone.
There's a whole new lot of them coming on-stream. Soon, three billion people who were formerly excluded from the advances and progress of the last five centuries now have a seat at the information-connected table. Auerswald asserts, "Prosperity in the 21st century won't be about life-long "employment" and ever increasing "consumption" as in the 20th century. Instead, it will be about connecting, creating, contributing, and collaborating in a rapidly evolving world. Intense localization will interact with all-pervasive globalization".
Stein recognizes that money and certain "rules" can motivate - to a point - but only to a point. He chooses to give his employees the freedom they desire to get the work done... when and where they want to get it done. Stein states, "In designing a working environment that would bring out the best qualities in our team, we had to come up with a model to satisfy the demands of a startup while balancing the needs of individuals. The No-Hour Workweek means our team is constantly in contact. Two-thirds of our team takes customer calls on weekends, and our development team frequently works into the wee hours of the morning. We monitor social media, catch up on emails, and work on projects at night and over the weekends, and we’re constantly attending industry and networking events. The No-Hour Workweek also means that our team members can come in at 8, 12, or not at all if they’d prefer to work remotely. It means they can work at the times they’re most productive, make family gatherings, attend to personal commitments, leave early for travel or yoga or drinks with friends."
We knew the 21st century would bring us change. Here it is.
Are you NEOpreneur?
Join NEOtropolis and "What's the Big Idea?" on April 3, 2012 to learn more.
The answer is up - way up... and certainly not "out".
Vertical farming is the idea -- and it can change the landscape of how we produce and consume food.
Regarding the photos, below... both depict Akron, Ohio. Urban is rural. Rural is urban. We can feed those in our respective communities, and we can do so across the world.
There's lots to think about. It takes 2500 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef and it takes 120 gallons of water to produce a single egg. Imagine.
There are all kinds of inefficiencies associated with what we do and how we do it, with respect to food.
But it doesn't have to be that way. There are better ways. The ideal idea is to grow food where people live (versus shipping it to them) and do so without wasting other precious resources. We can seed and feed to the sky - and grow plants without soil or water.
We can do these things. If we decide to do them - together.
NEOtropolis returns from its Spring Break and kicks-off its season "back nine" on March 27th. The show, titled "Taste and Place", explores the forces of technology affecting our production and consumption of food.
The "What's the Big Idea?" segment smacks you with some sobering facts: A billion people are still hungry... 40,000 kids die of starvation each and every day... and 50% of the food we produce is thrown out.
But once again... there is good news if we leverage technology, apply a collective will, and implement visionary ideas. Join NEOtropolis and "What's the Big Idea?" on Tuesday for one of those technology solutions.
Quiz: Which photo depicts Akron, Ohio?
Craig Arthur James 2012
The above are not necessarily the views of NEOtropolis Western Reserve PBS. Rather, the above article is the view of this author related to topics he may discuss as a contributor on NEOtropolis.
Sue and I are in "create-mode" right now. Writing, maturing certain concepts, and experimenting with technologies that we think can help change the world.
It's "so easy" these days to create and syndicate - through words, sounds, images and applications... and share those ideas and initiatives with the world. Even better, it's now possible to work and collaborate with the world on doing something great. Crowd-sourcing, Crowd-funding, Crowd-creating.
image by lorraine santana, creative commons
150 years ago - Not so easy. For example, it took 17 days for Lincoln's words to be transmitted across just few states (via Pony Express). It was a miraculous feat, and no one thought it was possible. Today: You-to-millions and millions-to-you... in an instant.
Yet, it's still difficult - i.e., to do the work - the work one is meant to do. Our society bombards us with an array of inputs and action-items that constantly grab our attention. Further, the Industrial Revolution set-up manufacturing and human systems that keep us on a treadmill of do-->produce-->consume--repeat. We're not even conscious of it.
Creative work (and create-ing) can at times feel like "cheating" or being selfish. However, the interesting thing is that when we dive into the purposeful work we love, we're more likely to have a positive impact on others in the process.
So be selfish - give yourself permission - be powered. Create something great.
The "What's the Big Idea?" (WTBI) segment raised awareness of the importance of energy in tackling other large issues that face the planet Earth. We also suggested that if we can be successful in creating and harnessing additional, and cleaner, energy - we will be able to solve many of the world's greatest challenges via a beautiful and elaborate 'domino cascade' of events.
Some of the Stats from the WTBI segment...
The sun showers on us 5000x the amount of energy we need - everyday
Currently only 1% of Earth's water is usable by humans
Water desalination is energy intensive
70% of current freshwater use is for agriculture
Additional clean water = more food
More Food = Less Famine, Poverty, Disease
Less Famine, Poverty, Disease = Less Conflict and War
All of this means... More time, energy & applied brain power
... This means we can apply those brilliant minds to other challenges ...
Cure cancer, Go to Mars, and stuff we can't imagine right now ...
Key = The Collective Will to Begin this Beautiful & Elaborate Domino Cascade
The Northeast Ohio Clean Cities Coalition, is a program of the Earth Day Coalition. Clean Cities is an initiative of the US Department of Energy promoting efficient vehicles, advanced vehicle technologies, alternative fuels, and alternative fuel vehicles. The goal of the program is to promote better air quality through improving transportation emissions.
If you're interested in a 'coffee chat' about the powerful content of Abundance - let us know, Craig and Sue
The Original Post...
How often do you use the term "energy"? You probably use it in a "traditional" fashion, referring to the energy moving your car, keeping you warm or powering your computer.
You probably also think of "energy" when you encounter people too - right? i.e., "He has great (or bad) energy". You know what you feel - but how do you "know"?
As I write this in a coffee shop, I gaze off to think. Then, lo and behold, I see this:
At that moment, I realize that "energy" involves everything - everyone - always - everywhere.
On Tuesday, February 28th on NEOtropolis we talk about energy and more: Turning junk into art, waste into fuel, up-cycle, recycle - The works.
During the "What's the Big Idea?" segment, we touch on the big-picture of energy and it's amazing impact on everything we know.
There's lots to think about: Numerous studies indicate that in the coming decades (if we stay on the current track) there simply won't be much of the stuff (energy, that is)left for us to use.
But it doesn't have to be doomsday. There are tremendous possibilities if we tap our collective brain-power and explore new aggressive solutions. For example, the Sun showers the Earth with 5,000 times the energy we need each and every day.
PS: What's informing some of the "What's the Big Idea?" thinking for the Episode? It's an Amazing book (and movement) about the tremendous possible future in front of all of us - if we change our thinking: "Abundance - The Book".
craig arthur james 2012
The above are not necessarily the views of NEOtropolis or Western Reserve PBS. Rather, the above article is the view of this author related to topics he may discuss as a contributor on NEOtropolis.
This post doesn't refer to some juicy scandal about a president - or even involve trashy talk about a president or presidential candidate (sorry ;-) No, I'm talking about actual trash.
You see, last night I didn't put the trash out because I didn't see the usual neighbor-trash on the curb. I figured no collection in the morning due to the holiday. That was that.
Then, as I left this morning - lo and behold - there was quite a bit of neighbor-trash out at the curb. I thought to myself, "Oh, OK, there must be trash collection after all".
Hummm...
How do we form our opinions and make decisions? Because of observations? Assumptions? Because someone else thinks or does something?
Today, we can make our own informed decisions like never before. We're armed with the information we need when we need it. I could have jumped on the city's website to know the answer instead of guessing or making a decision based on what the neighbors did.
Alert! Is this all I can think about on Presidents' Day? Trash?!
I took some of my own medicine and jumped on a keyboard. A few clicks reminded me about the origin of the holiday. It dates back to the 1880s, when George Washington's birthday was first celebrated as a federal holiday. "Washington's Birthday" was changed to "Presidents' Day" in 1971 - due, in part, to the proximity of Lincoln's birthday in February (Washington is February 22nd and Lincoln is February 12th) - not to mention the fact that retailers in the U.S. already named the holiday "Presidents' Day" for themselves anyway.
To think... I live in a country where I am fortunate enough to have my trash removed for me.
I also live in a country odd enough that the power of retail defines how we celebrate the legacy of our leaders.
Oh: The answer to the trash removal? I guess I'll find out when I get home.
On February 14, 2012 NEOtropolis covered "The Languages of Expression". The "What's the Big Idea?" segment talked about the power of music in the workplace - and beyond.
Usually we think of music as pleasant or entertaining. Well, it can be both of those things and much, much more. Like the power of the smile, expression through music transcends language. Science is telling us that music is essential to physical & cognitive health, and that it can be a useful tool in the workplace.
Below are the articles and resources mentioned during the segment.
("Bonus" - If you watched the show, you witnessed that technology daemons within an electronic keyboard robbed host Luke Frazier and contributor Craig James from their chance to play a masterpiece live on the show. At the bottom of this page is a rare opportunity to witness a "behind the scenes" green room prologue of the masterful (?) performance)
The above are not necessarily the views of NEOtropolis or Western Reserve PBS. Rather, the above post has been produced by and are the views of this author, related to topics he may discuss as a contributor on NEOtropolis. Further, the fabulous prologue video is not a production of Western Reserve PBS, but rather an impromptu video capture via iPhone courtesy Sea James.
--> Update: Post-show blog post including links to information on Music in the Workplace, Music & Health... and more. Find it HERE
Muse-ic. Do you know that the word "music" is derived from the the Greek word "mousike" meaning "Art of the Muses"? - Muses are those magic goddesses who inspire the creation of literature, art and lyrics.
You see, there are all kinds of expressions; visual, verbal and artistic. Spoken language has been around for a long time. But other types of expressions - the more mysterious and magical ones - are the ones that have been around even longer. They're the ones that tend to touch our soul and ignite our hearts.
Music might be considered one of the most magical and mysterious of all. There are no words to express the feelings music can emote. As my friend Pastor Joe says, "One can read and play notes - but jazz and improvisation can't be described or prescribed. Life is jazz".
He's right. Life is jazz - here in Northeast Ohio - and across the world. Maybe it's time to improvise.
Today's post is primarily verbal via the "audio-blog" you'll find immediately below. Through it, you'll meet a guitar-playing guy named Pat, and hear a few musings about music, big ideas, and expression.
Could music be a key (no pun intended) to making progress here in Northeast Ohio? Tune-in on February 14th to find out - and hear a few hints here about the "What's the Big Idea" segment of the Feb. 14th episode called, "The Languages of Expression":
By now if you're into music at all, you've probably already seen Walk off the Earth's 5-people-playing-a-guitar video. 53 million people have decided to watch it - and counting. Is music powerful?:
craig arthur james 2012
The above are not necessarily the views of NEOtropolis or Western Reserve PBS. Rather, the above post has been produced by and are the views of this author, related to topics he may discuss as a contributor on NEOtropolis
As I write this article on the eve of the NEOtropolis Episode "Phantom Borders", I can't help but reflect on the fact that today, February 6, 2012 the U.S. Embassy closed it's doors in Damascus, and our diplomats race back home to safety.
While Western powers push for a tough UN resolution against Syria - Russia and China veto the Resolution.
Russia, China, The U.S., Saudi Arabia and others... all in a debate over approach, principles and their own interests.
Meanwhile yesterday, 173 million people and 11 billion dollars spell, "Super Bowl".
So: This time, "What's the Big Idea?" isn't so much about a Big Idea as it's a Big (set of) Question(s).
On January 24, 2012 the "So What's the Big Idea?" segment of NEOtropolis dipped into the pool of information & news - to explore the Convergence of Information.
Just as technology has converged (you remember the Convergence of Technology - right?)... It looked something like:
Will likely refer further thought (and encourage comments) via our SmartSimpleMobile blog starting with the replication of this very message, there. In the meantime, I am once again compelled to clog your email in-box.
Separately, but related - a reminder of Umair Haque's HBR/blog. He begs similar questions.
Tweet: Craig Arthur James (@CjamesCatStrat) 1/22/12 8:41 AM:
[This article relates to Craig's appearance on the "What's the Big Idea?" segment of Western Reserve PBS's NEOtropolis, Tuesday 1-17-12 @ 9:00 PM @ NEOtropolis.org]
"Sustainability" is about green building, conservation, recycling, renewable energy and the environment - right?
Of course. But there's more.
"Sustainability" is also about our overall norms and habits as a society (I'm not just talking about recycling or conservation). One habit, the habit of "sharing" might, in fact, be one of the most important habits of all in our effort to ensure the health of our economy and to secure the future for our planet.
What?!? - Sharing?
How fluffy. How idealistic. How counter-culture to everything we know... At least it's going to be an inconvenient sacrifice - Right?
There are plenty of studies indicating that our current pace of ownership and consumption will "break" the planet. Our habits are simply not sustainable.
The rise and fall of the Roman Empire is an 'oft sited example (of many things) with multiple theories about how and why the Empire collapsed. No matter the debate, most historians agree that the prosperous self-indulgent Empire had a fundamentally unsustainable societal foundation - at least for the long term.
In our case now, if we don't change our habits we won't just see an "empire" fall, we'll see a planet and it's people become history (literally).
Doomsday? Dramatic? Maybe. Whether you think it's alarmist or not, let's say there's even a small chance that we cook everyone and everything - is that a risk worth taking? After all, it takes approximately 22 million years to get to the next nearest Earth-like planet, Kepler 22b. So, we would need to either:
A) Figure out how to live for 22 million years
B) Invent a faster way to travel in space
C) Change our habits
2 - The Upside Opportunity:
The good news is that in addition to green building, recycling, and all the great things we're beginning to do, we have a huge opportunity to do even more given the immense surplus and redundancy we still have in our society, from the stuff we buy, to the space we use (or the space we don't use in order to store the stuff we buy that we don't use).
The current ownership/consumption picture hasn't always been the picture. Outside of the Romans, the last few thousand years have been generally characterized by shared stuff and space. There were no hotels - we stayed at our friend's place. We didn't have our own separate garages full of stuff - we had a village.
About Stuff:
Do you know that by the time you leave this planet (i.e., die) you will have spent an entire year (of your life) looking for the things you've misplaced? A full year.
They take a good hard look at what we're consuming, using - or not. One of their favorite examples is the power drill. On average, each household uses its power drill about 10 minutes per year. That leaves our poor lonely little power drills sitting idle 525,590 minutes per year (99.999% of the time). [Correction/Update: A power drill is used for about 10 minutes, on average, during it's lifetime. Thus, a 20-year-old drill will be used for only 10 minutes and will be idle for 10 million minutes]. Yes, I did math. The power tool industry is 22 billion dollars. Why do we produce $22 billion worth of power tools each year and let them sit idle approximately 100% of the time? I'm not against the jobs that might exist for the guy or gal making drills, but maybe they'd rather be writers or artists or something other than power-drill-makers working only to race to retirement. And, perhaps if they didn't buy so many power tools and other stuff during their life, maybe they could afford to do the things they really love to do even if writing, painting or whatever doesn't pay as well.
But wait: Share a drill? Share my stuff? Share my car? What?! How? Does that mean I'd have to talk to somebody?
Until recently, sharing was difficult. But now, we can do so more easily with the smart use of technology. Witness ZipCar, RentCycle, and more.
Drive down a suburban neighborhood main-drag at 10:00 AM on a Wednesday and most of what you'll see are idle "things" and idle spaces. Those spaces are being heated, cooled and secured for someone to be somewhere else a good chunk of the day.
About Time & Space:
A typical office worker spends 70 to 90% of her awake time working at the office and/or getting ready for and commuting to/from that office. Net-net: We often spend the largest portion of our income on a structure in which we spend very little of our "free" time.
Has this time-space equation made sense? The mortgage crisis helps us answer the question.
There are new ways to look at space and place enabled by the 'Net and the tools we use on the 'Net. Examples include airbnb and CouchSurfing.org
[More about time-spending choices and the definition of "work" in a subsequent article]
3 - Sharing is Good for Us:
Recent studies have shown that our brains ooze more happy-juice and pleasure-stuff when we're in the act of giving & sharing than the pleasure experienced when we obtain, buy or own things.
What's more, as an aging population we're learning that our body parts will increasingly be "fixable" like car parts on a vintage model, but our memory and mental faculties will be our major stumbling block.
Reading and sharing ideas & stories are critical to Social IQ development and maintenance. Such Social IQ and empathy skills are essential to team problem solving in the workplace. For the aging, it's been discovered that social activity and sharing experiences with other humans might be amongst the most important activity to continue as we endeavour to keep our brains healthy.
In conclusion:
Next time we pull out our hard-earned cash to buy something, maybe we should ask ourselves:
Will I actually use this thing?
Do I have multiple uses for this thing?
Could I borrow one instead?
If I have one, could someone else use it too?
How much time did I have to work to earn the money to buy this thing? Was it worth it?
Lastly, the next time we're in room #5 of our home, it might be useful to realize that the roughly 200 square-feet of personal space awareness surrounding us is pretty much the same 200 square-feet of awareness surrounding us in room #1.
We can only be in one room at a time.
craig arthur james 2012
The above are not necessarily the views of NEOtropolis or Western Reserve PBS, but rather are the views of this author related to the topics he may have discussed on NEOtropolis as a contributor
Okay, it's probably unrealistic to suggest that we can make sense of it all - all in one shot. But, we can at least begin to try.
The all-new NEOtropolis kicked-off it's Season-3 by airing live on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 via Northeast Ohio's Western Reserve PBS. View the video archive of the show HERE. NEOtropolis is a half-hour series that helps Northeast Ohioans make sense of the forces of change surrounding them.
The new host for the show is Luke Frazier.
I'm your "What's the Big Idea?" contributor.
In the "What's the Big Idea?" segment, we tease your curiosity with mind-blowing concepts related to the show's overall theme of "Exploring how the forces of technology, globalization and diversity are shaping the ways Northeast Ohioans work, learn, live and play".
Reference materials and links regarding each episode's Big Idea segment are found via the "What's the Big Idea?" Blog.
A Facebook friend shared an old video with me recently. It was an archive of a local nightly news broadcast from a Cleveland television station circa ~ 1977.
The newsmen (yes, they were all men) were covering a snow storm. There were a couple guys in the studio, and one was on the scene:
"So, it's really snowing out there isn't it, Fred? Oh yeah, you got that right, it sure is, Jim... lots and lots of snow everywhere. Wow, so lots of snow then? Yeah, snow. Tons of snow. It's really something, the snow is - isn't it..."
The same basic exchange was repeated over and over for about 15 minutes. Did we really need those guys to tell us (over and over) that it was snowing while we were searching for our cars buried under a huge snow drift somewhere? (Not that I remember this point in history, of course ;-)
Our current 24-hour news cycle still seems to perpetuate this habit at times (but faster). My point is, those guys in '77 might have been so mesmerized by the medium (and impressed with themselves) that maybe they missed the whole story.
Fast forward: 2012 and the social web. Might we be so seduced by the mechanisms available to us that we don't quite know why or how to use them? Are we "talking snow" all over the place? We send a video here, tag a photo of a person eating dinner (in the snow) over there, or tweet random/redundant content everywhere. Why?
The amount of stuff that used to take 10,000 years to bounce 'round the world now is exchanged every single day.
Intuitively I think it's all a good thing. But imagine if we took more of this sometimes-random sometimes-redundant hyper-exchanged information, and targeted and tailored it just a wee bit better. For example, there are schools in Nepal that only have a few books (literally). The books are secured under lock and key because they are so scarce and valued.Thus ironically, the resources the kids desperately need aren't necessarily available to them.
I have a friend who's thinking through strategies for the electronic targeting and delivery of certain educational material to those very kids. Sure, there are numerous challenges beginning with the fact that many of the locations don't currently have computers and/or Internet access. But the concepts are relatively simple:
Who needs the info?
What exactly is the info they need?
How can we get them the info? and/or...
How can they find said info without "us"?
The technology we currently have (at most of our fingertips) is truly amazing. But, I think we can do even amazing-er things in this world if we're just a little less intrigued and/or limited by the medium itself, and a bit better at delivering the right content, to the right people, at the right time.
Sure, at times it feels as though we've "cracked the code" on using these technologies effectively - but I think we've only just begun.
Picture a meeting at your company/institution/school. Meetings are for getting things done: Solve a problem - Create something new - Make a decision. But often, meetings turn into arguments, power-plays, endless debate or inauthentic "discussion" for the purpose of getting the meeting "over with".
If the ideas served in meetings were beach balls, it may seem as though people are trying to shoot the ball with a gun... whack it down so nobody can play... or grab it and run home so the ball is just for them.
Recently, however, I've been reminded it doesn't have to be that way.
Curating ideas and developing solutions (in meetings or otherwise) isn't about ball-combat, but rather, it's about playing a game of catch.
You have to let go of the ball (idea) in order to throw it. You have to concentrate on the ball (idea) in order to catch it. Each toss to and fro is about:
Knowing where you are
Knowing where your playing partners are
Understanding their position
Throwing the ball back with the genuine intention of a reciprocal catch
It takes being open, fluid, mobile and participative. And yes, as trite as it might sound, it also takes chilling-out and having a little fun for cry'n out loud.
I continue to play serendipitous "intell-i-catch" with Ralph Solonitz. We haven't planned a thing. We don't even talk except for an occasional email. He thinks with images and art. I think with words. It's been a blast, and I owe it to him for starting the game.
This week I tossed out a ball regarding social media and etiquette. Ralph once again caught the ball and tossed it back. Heck, I didn't even realize that I wasn't talking about social media and etiquette.
Do you have a few words you constantly have a hard time spelling?
I do. One of mine is "etiquette". Some sort of mental block.
Spelling it is one thing, but having it, especially in Social Media - is another. With plentiful on-line tools and global conversations, how does one know the proper etiquette when say, communicating with someone from Japan or Spain? How does one properly edit a tweet to make it fit within 140 characters when re-tweeting? How should/shouldn't one alter the original tweet? Etiquette is indeed far more than using the right fork at dinner. It's a variable code of social conduct that morphs over time, differs by culture, and can be tricky in Social Media.
But the basics don't have to be that difficult.
Recently, I had a meeting with a colleague named Don. I haven't seen him for years.
He reminded me of some (perhaps not so "common") courtesies:
A couple days before the meeting, Don confirmed via Facebook. His mobile number was contained within the message, just in case I needed it the morning of the meeting.
I arrived three minutes early for the meeting. In other words, I was late. He was already there - all ready to go.
He selected the place and provided location details in advance. It was a great little neighborhood restaurant. $13.00 for breakfast for two.
He expertly weaved conversation with eating. He respected his food. Not a crumb was left on his plate.
He paid the tab. The server received a gracious 40% $5.00 gratuity (He wouldn't let me get that either).
After the meeting, I promptly received another Facebook message. It was Don thanking me for the meeting.
While outlining my follow-ups from the meeting, I realized I wasn't sure of Don's current email address. No worries, he highlighted the address within his thank-you note before I had the chance to inquire.
Considerate. Anticipatory. Thoughtful. Classy.
Nuances aside, the thing to remember is that etiquette is about deference - the other. The good old tried-and-true "do unto others" once again comes into play.
So, as we endeavor to communicate and relate effectively on-line (yet may be tempted to, or accidentally send, overly-brief, self-centric, maybe-even confrontational messages)... perhaps we should take a few extra moments to think about how things feel on the other end.
This Blog entry is the continuation of a conversation originated in email.
You're invited to join it.
Net-net, it's a discussion about America, the World and the Future... Trivial stuff like that.
Have we become complacent? Have we lost our way? What does the future hold?
SCENARIO:
Read the early portions of the book That Used To Be Us, by Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum
The opening tells a story of Escalat(ors) in the U.S. and Construct(tion) in China. We've fallen behind.
Sent an email to certain folks explaining how the story hit me
Numerous responses ensued via email
Migrated the conversation to this Blog
Responses, to-date, will become blog-post-comments within, if/as commenter(s) approve
Please add comments and share your thoughts
Between meetings and reading email responses, I had a few interesting serendipitous experiences. One of them is briefly described below. After that, you'll find the original message that started this whole thing. Below that, one finds articles by Umair Haque you might find interesting.
AN AMERICAN COFFEE SHOP - AN EXPERIENCE - CLEVELAND, OHIO:
After a couple days of productive and enjoyable meeting(s) with colleagues, I find myself alone (literally alone, as the only customer) in a pretty darn big and rather nice coffee shop, not far from downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It was the peak-peak of the (traditional) work-week (10:00 AM, Wednesday morning).
I'm not saying this represents every coffee shop in America - or even Cleveland. But it made me pause - and think.
I ordered a green tea and asked the young gent behind the register for a receipt. The register's printer wasn't functioning. The young gent asked the manager what to do. She instructed him to create a hand-written receipt. He searched for, and found, a receipt-pad... but discovered there were no receipt forms remaining within. He inquired with the manager, yet again.
...At this point, I said, "Don't worry about it".
I proceeded to settle in for some wireless.
The wireless was down.
Our gent from the register said, "Oh, yeah, I was supposed to bring in my laptop today to figure that out - but I forgot".
Meanwhile, the manager shuffles back and forth a couple times to pop outside for a smoke in a little alcove in front of the coffee shop. She gazes upon a boarded-up crumbling theater across the street.
Plumes of smoke ascended from her as if they originated from her pony-tail (an attempt at creative writing). By this time, another customer walks in, a middle-age woman. She sits by herself and begins work on a crossword puzzle. Shortly thereafter, four other people arrive. It's three older gents and a young woman. As they assemble together, the guys begin to berate the young woman for not having a job, and they expertly highlight her inability to secure one.
What's happening?
ORIGINAL EMAIL MESSAGE 12-19-11:
I'm reading Tom Friedman's & Michael Mandelbaum's "That Used To Be Us". In the first few pages, they share this: Meijiang Convention & Exposition Centre in Tianjin, China. Built from the ground-up in 32 weeks:
In Washington, the Washington Metro system had two (2) broken escalators (21 steps each). It took 24 weeks to repair those 42 steps --- i.e., about the same amount of time it took to build the entire Meijiang Convention Center Complex including countless huge escalators.
Meanwhile, back in DC, an outfit was paid $225K to study/assess the state of the Washington Metro system. (I'd do it for $224K: "Broke" ;-)
The Washington Post reported, "...people are getting used to it" (the condition of the system).
Wow.
Needless to say, this one gets a full read.
As we all have our own version(s) of day-to-day do's that need to "get done" I do wonder what the future holds, in a macro sense... and what we (still) can do about it.
...Just thought I'd help start your day with a headache :-)
Thanks for letting me indulge.
OTHER READING YOU MIGHT FIND RELATED / INTERESTING:
A couple articles ago, we talked about the HUGE world-changing ideas of Nikola Tesla. One article ago, we talked about how certain simple "little" ideas could have big impact.
In this article, we're talking not only about what's "in the box" (the message) and the things "outside of the box" (grand ideas) but the box itself (thanks, once again, to the inspiration of the smart-art of Ralph Solonitz).
175-ish years ago, it took an entire day to get the equivalent of one tweet to just one other person - It took a guy on a horse carrying a hand-written message.
With that time, effort, and risk, one had to think. Really think:
- Is our GuyHorse package strong enough?
- Will the message, "Hey, don't take the hill after all" get there?
- What if it gets there, but late, and we're already taking the hill?
- What if it gets there late, and the other guys are taking the hill?
- What if it gets there exactly on time, but the message can't be read because the rain washed it away?
Yes indeed, back then, you had to think carefully about both the message and the package.
Today, however, messaging and packaging are so easy that we barely think about the message-package combo at all.
We set our social account settings once. We then forget that when we do a blog post, it's simultaneously available for on-demand viewing, distributed via tweet, listed on a Facebook wall, entered into a LinkedIn update queue and set-up for auto-emailing at 6:00 AM... all with the press of a button. (Not to mention the people who can take our messages, put them in their own packages, and send them to the world.)
Chances are, the horse-riding messenger didn't deliver pictures of half-eaten plates of lasagna.
Should that be the first thing your next client sees from you when she checks Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn... or, or, or?
Recently, SmartSimple discussed Nikola Tesla and his amazing inventions. Inventions that changed the world. He was spooky-smart, worked day & night, and dreamt-up HUGE complex inventions that people couldn't comprehend (at the time).
Wouldn't it be something if all of us were Tesla?
Maybe.
But then again, maybe not. And maybe we shouldn't try to be.
Perhaps the biggest ideas are the painfully small simple ones - sitting there - right before our eyes.
The Tesla article may have partially inspired this cartoon by Ralph Solonitz. Well, his cartoon most certainly inspired this article.
Somewhere along the line, a zillion bajillion years ago (this article may not be historically accurate) someone said, "I know this sounds nuts, but maybe we should turn the spinning-block catapult plow dirt-moving thingie into, you know, a "spinning-wheel" with a round part? Call me crazy, but I think it might be better. Besides, I need one of those sharp edge pieces-parts to hunt for tonight's dinner."
World: Changed.
More recently:
Health-care Innovation: A hospital's development team worked day & night on a capital campaign to build a new $120M state-of-the-art cancer center. Meanwhile, one of the team members asked patients what they wanted. What was learned? People diagnosed with cancer wanted an appointment, fast. They didn't care about buildings. Solution: Revamp the appointment scheduling system for a fraction of $120M.
Paint Industry Reinvention. Scenario: "We've GOT to figure out how to make paint less messy. Let's hire a 1,000 top chemists, work day & night, and change the entire chemical composition of our paint... to make it the best paint ever everer." Potential better small big solution: Revisit how paint is poured.
Things you may be dealing with daily:
Problem: "Our company morale sucks. Everyone is fighting all the time. Let's either fire everyone, or get a team of expensive consultants in here, stat, to fix things." Potential smaller solution with bigger impact: New guidelines stating that if internal emails are conflict-oriented, the author should spend at least 2X time on that message (i.e., Sleep on it. Regroup. Then Send.) Better yet: At least one half of those email messages should be replaced by an honest, face-to-face conversation.
Wish: "I just wish my sales team and I were super-fantastic hyper-connected networkers. That's the key. It's time to invest big bucks in the magic sales-person-connection-CRM-networking killer app." Potential smaller idea with bigger impact: Show up at relevant events. Say, "Hi, my name is____, what do you need?" Follow-up.
Wish: "I wish I could start losing weight. I guess I should try the new sure-fire diet program and its accompanying 16 DVD set". Potential smaller/better idea: Skip the cola.
So: What small little (big) things are right in front of your eyes?
100-ish years ago, "Edison", "Westinghouse" & "Einstein" were the "Gates", "Jobs" and "Sagan" of their time. Those names still roll off our tongues, and big companies still bear their names.
Even though we depend on AC power, wireless communications and clean energy, we don't often think of Nikola Tesla. If it wasn't for him, the iPhone would be the "iHand-write-it, mail-it, and-wait".
Tesla understood and basically invented those technologies in the 19th century. But people thought he was a bit "insane". Not because he had a few personality quirks (today we might call it OCD) but because his ideas, experiments and inventions were so extreme. "Wireless communication?" "Clean energy?" "Impossible!". "The guy is absolutely out of his gourd." Buggy whips were the smarter, safer, practical investment.
But he changed the world.
How do you know if you're onto something so BIG that it might help change the world too?
You make no sense. Your friends and colleagues think you're wacky, unrealistic and "out there". They may even work hard to stop or block you. J.P. Morgan helped slow Tesla's advancing dream of "clean energy, everywhere, for everyone - for free". The Commodore would have none of that. Otherwise, how could there be a "monopoly"? How could the energy business be controlled by a small group of companies, including General Electric (which Morgan helped create through his merger magic). No Nikola, no! We'll have none of that.
You can't help yourself. Tesla was known to work for three days straight without sleep. He was so focused on doing his work that he tore-up a contract that he had with George Westinghouse. That contract would have made him (Tesla) one of the first billionaires on the planet. But he didn't care (about money). He cared about the work. He cared about changing the world.
Intuitive insight. Brain science tells us that the brain is imperfect - but efficient. Our brains have been "filling in the blanks" (inaccurately) for survival reasons, for thousands of years. If you bumped into a prehistoric guy at Starbucks and asked him, "Hey, prehistoric alive-guy, when I saw you running yesterday, was it a) a lion or b) a tiger that almost ate you?" He'd likely answer incorrectly. He may not remember "lion" or "tiger" but his brain knew that he had to run like hell, regardless. Our brains still "know" what to do in a sub-second. However, in our modern society, we've become a bit too prone to stop, plan and analyze. It's as if we stopped, opened our laptop and reviewed the strategic don't-get-eaten plan while a liontiger runs toward us. Chances are your first thoughts are the right ones: Go with it. Trust it. Run like hell!
Today, amazingly, the notion of "clean energy for all, everywhere - for free" is actually here for us. But the "energy" is the energy of ideas, knowledge, culture and information that we can now seek (or share) for almost-free - from anywhere - anytime.
Guessing you've experienced type-ahead correction on your smartphone. My iPhone does it with attitude: I type this - it promptly says, "Nope, I don't think so, bub - you actually mean that". It-she-he continues to "correct" the same word or phrase several times until he-she-it finally agrees with what I wanted to type.
More: My iPhone is rude and obnoxious (is that redundant?):
A while back, I drafted a note to send to the world about a friend. It sang his praises; "He's a great guy, and he knows EVERYBODY in town". Well, my smarter-than-me iPhone decided that "knows" should be a word that sounds like "knows" but begins with "bl".
Thankfully, I corrected that correction before it was sent.
More more: iPhone likes to take the phrase "and the thing is..." and makes "thing" a word that sounds like "song", but it begins with a "th", describing a certain undergarment.
Rude. Obnoxious. Alas, my iPhone's digital-mind is in the gutter.
But then:
I realized that iPhone might actually have some important insight midst it's ill-informed correction activities:
It takes "I'd love to..." and changes it to "I'd live to..." almost every time.
iPhone is smart. Smart indeed.
It knows that if I lived to be 100, that's still only one 50-millionth of Earth's lifespan (to-date). Further, it knows that if I wanted to travel to the recently-discovered next-closest Earth-like planet (Kepler-22-b) it would take 220,000 of my lifetimes to get there (22 million years).
iSuspect iPhone's been trying to tell me something.
Given the infinitely small amount of time we get to spend on this planet, we should "love what we live for" and "live for what we love".
I had coffee with a couple close friends recently. Surface conversation turned big issues, quickly: Technology, tech's impact on humanity - and more. And then, to my surprise, our conversation evolved even further: Into an Intervention, and I was the subject.
You see, earlier, I explained some writing plans - including a book that Sue (my partner) and I have in the works.
After some gracious listening, they issued some tough-love: "Yeah, yeah, yeah - we've heard it before - So when the heck are you going to actually ship something!?" They were right.
I had all kinds of explanations (a.k.a., excuses) for my delays. But I also shared some honest fears: Fear of judgement, fear of success, fear of failure, fear of putting my "real self" out there. I was concerned about the possible negative effects of personal writing, made public, and their impact on "business", family - and friends.
They continued:
"Uh huh… OK, whatever. So, again, when are going to ship something? We want some of what you've got. What's holding you back?"
Then I was asked to answer this: "If money was no object, what would you be doing? Describe it for us."
With a bit of defensiveness, I answered, "OK, fine. I'd be an anthropologist. I'd be a sociologist. I'd be a philosopher. I'd be an idea guy. I'd be observing, writing, and publicly speaking about the big questions of life. You know, stuff like; 'Why is it the way it is?' 'Why do we do what we do?' 'How can we make it better?' ...That kind of stuff".
I expected that I'd hear some practical advice and receive suggestions that would take me in a different direction. But that didn't happen.
They thought I was right-on-track. They said it was obvious to them that that's exactly the kind of stuff I do. That I'm an observer - a "new kind of anthropologist of the 21st Century"... and that I see the world differently, "just like a photographer who can see things that others can't", they said.
I was motivated. I was kicked in the butt. I was validated! I was inspired to write my next blog post right away. A day went by. There was a post. But it wasn't mine.
It was one of my coffee klatch mates who wrote about his anthropological questions & observations of the day.
But wait! That's what I do - right? I mean, sure, my preemptive blog-posting friend is a very thoughtful smart guy - I'll give him that - but heck, this is what they told me I'm destined to do. (Can you tell I'm an only child?!)
Then it dawned on me: 1) The work I'm meant to do is not "mine" alone, and 2) Sometimes we're doing some of our most important work without even realizing it.
The work I was to do that day was to demonstrate a willingness to be open, descriptive, and vulnerable about fears. I was to demonstrate the courage to be "big picture" and philosophical. I was to help a friend do his work, too.
So, in the end, I'm glad I procrastinated - and left the writing to a friend for that day.
Now I know I can't procrastinate any longer. Now I know that now is the time for me to write my next blog post, continue the work on that book... and keep doing the work I'm meant to do.
The last several days have been laced with thoughts of the meaning of two words, "thankfulness" and "gratitude".
This is Thanksgiving Day. A day which we in the United States set aside to "give thanks". It is important that we say, "Thank you" - to genuinely appreciate that which we have. Perhaps, however, it's better to have gratitude.
SeaJames iPhone 2011
He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has. ~ Epictetus
It is good to rejoice in appreciation, as Epictetus said. And this was a man who could have been bitter. He was born a Greek slave, about 55AD, in what is now Turkey. His name meant, "acquired" in Greek. Imagine that. "Hey, Acquired, bring me my robe." His master broke his leg; many believe deliberately. It would leave him disabled for the rest of his life. His Roman master did, however, permit him to study philosophy.
Epictetus would eventually gain his freedom; and then spend the rest of his life studying and teaching philosophy. Although he lived a very simple material life; he, indeed, rejoiced for what he did have . . . And eventually, a community developed.
Epictetus taught that there things that are outside the individual's control. Man should not try to control those things - for they would only control man. Rather, man should control the things he can - and basically - that was only himself. Perhaps a bit of an over simplification of his philosophy, but . . .
We control our expressions of appreciation and gratitude. And the more we express appreciation and gratitude, studies have shown, the happier we are with our lives.
As a church sign read: "If you're not happy with what you have; Why do you want more?"
As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~ John F. Kennedy
Gratitude is the manifestation of "thankfulness". If we are grateful for what we do have, then our actions will reflect it.
Acts of gratitude do not have to be grand. In fact, what appears to be "grand acts", while they may be generous; are often braggadocios. Gratitude is often small, deferential, and meaningful gestures.
Maybe we should try to ...
Look the person behind the register in the eye and ask about their day, with a smile. And then wait to hear their answer . . . rather than mumble, "Uh. Yah, you, too."
Share the feeling, and the inspiration, of an afternoon spent with a witty, intelligent, young man . . . rather than resenting his being taken from us sooner than we expected.
Have a morning cup of coffee on the steps of the museum of art . . . rather than being jealous of a friend for owning art.
Relish the italian sausage sandwich shared with a friend, while walking through the street fair . . . rather than envying the couple having dinner at the latest expensive restaurant.
Enjoy the memories of our grandmothers, while drinking out of their jelly jar glasses . . . rather than being embarrassed by the scratches and nicks.
Celebrate the differences and the new experiences of sharing cultures and traditions . . . rather than fearing what is "weird" about "them".
Give to others . . . rather than hoarding things by rationalizing, "but it's still good".
Care for our bodies, by eating, exercising, and sleeping well ... rather than taking our health for granted by eating that hamburger, french fries, pop, and pie; while watching athletes on the tv.
Think of the new bond with the person who found the lost necklace, but has no way of returning it . . . rather than thinking about how much it costs to replace it.
Reach out and ask, "Are you ok? You haven't been at the coffee shop. Can you use some help?" . . . rather than asking, "Where have you been? I was worried sick about you. I've actually lost sleep. You don't know how worried..."
To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven. ~ Johannes A. Gaertner
Hope your Thanksgiving was a wonderful day of reflection, appreciation, and love. Give Thanks. Live Gratitude.
. . . If you'd like to share your thoughts and/or example of gratitude - Please do . . .
OK, I admit it. The title of this post was designed to grab your attention.
But I mean it: What is the "worth" of "thank you", really?
I can agree that saying thank-you, or giving thanks, is a good thing. Maybe even a great thing. Further, I realize that saying "thank you" and "please" (and brushing your teeth) are right up there on any Mom's top-10 list. But when you think about it, saying "thanks" or "please" is often about the thank-er (and her or his needs).
If I'd say, "Would you please pass me the salt, thank you". I may (or may not) genuinely hope that you find pleasure in passing salt. For the most part, it's about me - and me getting my darn salt (I was going to say "damn salt" but that wouldn't be nice to type on Thanksgiving).
A pretty picture that has not much of anything to do with this post But hey, it's pretty. Gully Brook. Willoughby, OH. CAJ iPhone 2011
A quick story: The other night Sue (my partner) and I gave ourselves a rare treat. Actually, it was a medium-rare treat: Steak. We went to one of those popular chain steak restaurants. You know the kind: No fuss. Eat at the bar. Throw peanut shells on the floor. Wrestle for the salt, the pepper and the A1 Sauce.
We were just about to finish our meal when the couple next to us began eating theirs. I could tell the guy was Type-A1 (I can't tell you how I knew - I just knew). I cleaned off "our" A1 bottle, and plopped it down next to his plate. He didn't ask me, "Please pass the A1 Sauce", nor did he say, "Thank you" when I did. But he sure did demonstrate gratitude by saying, "Man, you must have been reading my mind!". He followed that with a great big smile. Sue & I ended up chatting with that couple all night long. As we parted, they said, "It's so nice to meet friendly people".
Was I being "Generous"?
Maybe. But not really. I mean, we were basically done - We didn't want more A1 Sauce - The aforementioned action took only 2-seconds. Besides, the A1 wasn't "mine" to give away anyway. Real generosity would have been passing him the only A1 bottle before we ate.
Well then, maybe I was "Gracious". That's it. After all, graciousness is marked by kindness and courtesy - right? But it's also associated with "good breeding and charm". So that certainly wasn't it.
Humm, let's see. Perhaps I was "Graceful".
The words "grace" and "graceful" often have powerful spiritual underpinnings (and/or they describe ballet moves). No, that wasn't it. Truly graceful would have been passing the only A1 bottle to the gent, before we ate - and doing so when neither he, nor the server, were looking. Not saying a word. Maybe we'd have the opportunity to witness the gent leaving a BIG tip.
Even graceful-er-ier might have been doing something anonymous plus not knowing the outcome. Trusting that such little actions (and big ones too) can make things happen.
But that wasn't it either. In fact, I don't know what it (I) was that night... but I do know what I want to be:
I want to demonstrate that I'm grateful (the gratitude grateful) by being Greatful (purposely misspelled). Great-full. Doing work that is important - even anonymous. Shipping-it (as Seth Godin would say) - Now. Contributing what I have to contribute to this world. More.
So this blog post is a symbolic (if not a substantive) "marker". A marker pointing to the launch that has been launched today, including my/our (renewed) writing.
Could you imagine saying "I invented the World Wide Web".
Well, this guy can - because he did:
Tim Berners-Lee
A guy who's only 55 already having such an amazing impact on the history of humanity. Imagine.
Ever wonder if you could come up with something as meaningful? His story begins with being frustrated ~ 20 years ago. Frustrated with having to go to different computers - having to use different software - and having to work in different data formats... to accomplish his work.
"Why not use the Internet?", he mused... "There's this huge un-locked potential out there"... "What if we could all share data and information all across the world?
But his idea didn't just stay an idea. First, Tim wrote a memo about it.
Eighteen months later, he received permission from his employer to work on the idea "off to the side as a play project". His imaginative play project resulted in an innovation now used by just about everyone in the world - impacting our lives in every possible way. He made it happen.
In his TED Talk, Tim suggests that the real impact of the Web has only just begun.
What could you do? What might be your WWW? Tim has a simple challenge for us, for starters.
Somehow it's 4 in the morning, again. There's something special about this time. It's quiet.
I also think that our brains have a special affinity for this time. They're rested a bit, but not so engaged in "activity", just yet. Thus, they're able to think deeply, reflect and dream-up ideas.
This evening/night/morning... I ponder. I ponder what it would be like to wake up at 4 in the morning - and be by one self. I'm not saying that self-ness is necessarily a bad thing. At times, I really need it.
Then there are other times. Times when experiencing loss of a family member, a dear friend's son, or other.
You look around your quiet house, condo, apartment, studio or cottage - - - and wonder. Wonder about what you're doing with your life - why you do it - and with whom.
Then, if you're lucky enough, you stumble up/down/over to your bedroom, where your partner or someone you love rests - and waits for you - anxiously.
I guess I'm just plain lucky today. Lucky, indeed.
I did a quick check on the weather report for tomorrow. There's a 100% chance of rain. 100%.
...What does that mean? Rain, 100% of every second of the day? 100% chance it will rain for at least one second? 100% chance that it will rain in at least X% of the area?
I've always wondered that.
Does someone you love... or someone you love, love someone... who has 100% chance of living another hour - another day... or more? Do you?
After a day consisting mostly of family health and aging issues, I plop down at my zen of "work" space: Another coffee shop. As I settle-in and get into business, the million-mile-per-hour storm they've been talking about - actually hit.
Rain flying sideways. People blown about like rag dolls.
As I key at my laptop, I recline in the satisfaction of my expert timing (i.e., to be in "here" versus out "there")
As I continue to watch the downpour, I see an old gent across the street. He's shuffling with a walker midst the rain and the wind. Headed somewhere. An umbrella was obviously not an option for him. Heck, when it takes two hands to hold the thing that keeps you from hitting pavement... I guess you get wet.
I ran to my car - grabbed an umbrella... and ran to join this gent for a walk to wherever he may be going.
Next, was a 15-block adventure. My mission: Hold the umbrella and keep us from being blown away. His mission: Walk without falling.
Each step he took was met with a labored gasp.
Most of our conversation consisted of me asking questions about him, where he lived... and sports. You see, he wore a blinding-orange Cleveland Browns cap - and I figured it might be a good topic.
Most of his responses were "yeah", but when we talked about the Browns, he lit-up for a moment. Poor guy - just his luck he meets a guy who knows SQUAT about sports. Quickly I learned that my (lack of) knowledge didn't matter at all.
After getting him safely to his destination - after saying my "goodbye" - and his saying his final "yeah"... I reversed course and hustled back to my "office", the coffee shop. The wind was blowing, the rain a bit less - but still pretty nasty.
By the time I arrived back at the coffee shop, I was a little out of breath - and my shins hurt from the hustle back. It felt good. I was grateful for it.
Before I dove back in to my work... I couldn't help stop and ponder:
What was this gent's life-vision?
What was he thinking when he was 47, walking an old man through the rain?
Bumped into a colleague at a coffee shop. Haven't seen her for a month or two. She asked what I was up to.
Being the occasional smart alec (OK, not just occasional) I said, "Fixing the World, you know... the usual". I further explained that I've been busy and haven't had the chance to type-up the plan and send it off to Obama - yet. We chuckled, did the small-talk thing... and went our separate ways. I continued my work & then checked email. This Time Magazine article was in my in-box:
I realized that my joke might not have been far off. I realized that we all have the challenge, the opportunity - and perhaps the responsibility to help reinvent our country - and the World.
Fareed Zakaria always has a way of getting one thinking in global terms, indeed. And with this most recent article, he hits you in the nose with provocative observations and imperatives:
Investment Vs. consumption
Investment in innovation
Investment in people
In the 50's, the U.S. was the only research lab in the World. No longer.
Protectionist economics? Not possible. People & companies will jump on the Net and conduct commerce wherever and with whomever they want.
"America needs radical change - but we have an 18th century system determined to check and balance the absolute power of a monarchy. It is designed for gridlock at a moment when quick and large-scale action is our only hope".
After you read his article, my guess is you'll have different answers to small-talk questions in a coffee shop. Then again, you may have the same answers - but I bet they'll have a different meaning.
It's funny how little decisions (even while lying in bed at 4:00 AM) can change the tone of a day. Or longer.
My decision this morning (a somewhat predictable one for me) was to grab my iPhone and find a TED Talk to watch. I've discovered such types of mental stimuli help me move from day-in-life Wish<->Worry thinking to bigger-picture Wonder-think.
Later in the morning, Sue & I enjoyed an early breakfast at a mom & pop neighborhood restaurant called Grumpy's
One of our favorite things about Grumpy's is that they use old recycled coffee mugs - - You never know what you're 'gunna get.
Timely. Today, ours were "Retirement is a Ball at the Mall" and "Great Lakes Travel, Inc." Basically; "Shop-'till-you-drop-and-take-a-vacation-too".
After you watch the video - you'll know why it's sort of uncanny that this was our mug-roulette outcome today.
While sipping our coffee, we solidified our geeky personas by (at times) playing with our iPhones. We obtained our daily fix of the Seth Godin Blog... and then went about our day.
Tim's TED Talk has us thinking about the (stuff) we consume. Seth Godin's Blog post today has us thinking about the (info) we consume.
After watching Tim & reading Seth you'll likely ask yourself:
What is prosperity? Really.
What is the objective of the social, consuming species called "human"?
Is it possible to achieve a society of meaningful prosperity & altruism?
What will our future look like if we stay on our current tracks of consumption?
In many ways, Tim argues that our "success" is our failure - and that our decisions related to our relationships with money, "stuff" and "place" are at the heart of the future.
Can we innovate at a rate faster than ever before in human history? It's not just a provocative question. Tim explains how we have no choice but to do so - in order to survive.
It's an interesting time indeed. If one ever wanted to "live history" while it's happening - I think we have our chance.
(For the record; this blog entry is not a solicitation for a tip).
SmartSimpleMobile Blog entries are intended to be amazingly brilliant insights on life-modalities. Okay, maybe not amazingly brilliant, but at least thought-provoking - i.e., ideas and insights, along with practical tips and tricks that can be applied to lives and/or organizations.
Other times however, you'll find that the entries are musings about, well, a number of things... usually inspired by a day-in-a-life. Today is one such day. It's a day that happens to be one month since our last blog entry (Recently, things have been a little "distracting" - in the writing category. I'll leave it at that).
So ironically, after a month of producing basically no "product" in this particular "work" category... we find a tip in our blog tip-jar. The tip was two part: monetary + words of encouragment. It reminded us that "this" is a product - and that people might actually want some of it.
A short story:
...This morning I stopped for gas in midtown Cleveland. There was a man on the premises with an elegant spirit and a big bold smile. He was selling his services; i.e., to clean windshield windows. I have no idea how this elegant authentic spirit ended up hawking window cleaning - basically on the street. But I do know this; he was smilin', singing... and very gracious. Actually, he appeared to be the happiest guy within a 10-mile radius.
He was sharp, too. He read the situation as we talked. He sensed that I wasn't providing "buying signals" and let me save face. He said, "Looks like you just did yours" (though I didn't)... He allowed me to ease away from the encounter without making me feel like I had to explain or apologize.
Another car pulled up. The gent begins to chat with the woman who was the driver. Apparently he was able to "close" her, for while she was inside paying for her gas, he was cleaning her windows.
By now I was back in my car, and about to pull away. I saw him one last time via a glance to my rear-view mirror. I stopped, got out of my car... and walked over to give him a little tip on the woman's behalf. Did I feel a little more tip-giving because I just happened to be a bit more tip-receiving recently? Maybe... I don't know. It was spontaneous.
In fact, I'm not sure who gave/received more. I exchanged a little piece of paper (that society says has "value") and in return, I received the energy of a human spirit. In fact, I stand corrected: I believe the energy received from this gent is without conditions of a tip.
So what's the point?
A friend's support, love, donation and/or words-of-encouragement are powerful. They become part of stories that touch lives in ways he or she might not imagine.
Doing one's work is powerful too. Work creates stories as well. I speak of "work" however one defines it; Transplanting a lung, selling software, running a skilled nursing center, planting flowers, teaching, thinking, taking photos, providing burial services to a family who loses their 23-year-old son, consulting, serving coffee, fixing the Hubble, writing a blog entry... or washing windshields. It all matters.
...I finish this muse as I grab a little bite at an even little-er restaurant.
It's time for me to go. Time to pay my bill. And time for me to calculate the tip for the women who is my server.
To think: She doesn't even know the name of a certain SmartSimpleMobile supporter.
Have you been wishing for certain things to happen (or not) in your life?... Have you been worrying about other things that might come to fruition (or not) with regard to your career, financially, or otherwise?
I wrote about the topic a couple months ago in a post called the "The Wish-Worry Continuum". It was about how we cope (or not) in our lives - and how we wish and worry about so much.
I'd say those writings were meaningful - even insightful. But recently, we found that our concept was missing a very important "W" word, thanks to a few advisors - all of whom are under the age of 10.
Who are these young advisors one might ask? - and how did we come upon them?
The picture is a typical one:
Sue and I spent an evening with another couple recently. Special friends. We visited their place; chatting, cooking, and sharing stories. One might say there was quite a bit of wisdom in the room. The conversation was thoughtful, even insightful. Sometimes we chatted about current events... reflected on 9/11... or discussed concepts of entrepreneurship & leadership.
But, little did we know, the greatest lessons (and wisdom) came from the 3, 7 and 9-year olds in the room. Our friend's children.
Through the night, we adults "solved" everything in the world - through our thoughtful conversation. We wished for a better world - worried about what it might become - and pondered our role(s) within it.
Meanwhile; the kids were playing in the rain, asked us questions about how "fire works" (in the endeavor to make smores) and marveled in the wonder of a magic trick or two. They laughed, jumped, giggled... and asked question after question.
They were, indeed, full of Wonder.
Later that evening, one of these young spirits (or maybe not so young) shared her prized possessions with us adults. It was a collection of snow globes, an electronic keyboard... and more.
One thing that struck me most was her latest possession-project; It was a wall of organization. Everything in its place - clearly labeled - cloth box after cloth box... all in a row.
This young lady opened only one of these cloth boxes for us. It was her "Things to be proud of!!" box (yes, complete with two explanation points). The box contained awards and medals - for performing certain things at school - or in sports.
Many would display such things on a wall - on a desk - or somewhere prominant for all to see. But our little leader placed such things in a special private box, neatly labeled - just for her - and on this special occasion - for us too.
There was one item in the box of which she seemed most proud. It wasn't an award approved by an institution or a medal provided by a school. It was something she created with her own two hands; an art-piece. A beautiful peacock.
Today I discovered a description of the symbolism of the peacock:
"The Peacock is representative of glory, immortality, royalty, and incorruptibility. It is a possessor of some of the most admired human characteristics, and is a symbol of integrity and the beauty that can be achieved when we endeavor to better ourselves and better our lives"
It makes me Wonder:
- How is it we lose the ability to be filled with Wonder - to be truly Wonderful?
- And: What do we see when we look into our boxes of "Things to be proud of"?
Labor Day is upon us. We reflect back on the Summer and take a pause before "hitting it" again on Tuesday. At least for some.
Many in the service trade work all weekend long. Blue Angels pilots are their busiest at the peak of the holiday. ER nurses are probably busy too, as car accidents don't get scheduled according to hospital staff holiday weekend plans.
But for the most part, the picture of Labor Day is festivity, celebration, cookouts... and maybe a mid-afternoon nap.
It's interesting to consider the history of Labor Day. The first one was September 5, 1882 in New York City. It became a federal holiday in 1894, the year of the Pullman Strike, when many workers were killed by U.S. military and Marshals.
Pullman Strike Chicago
President Cleveland made reconciliation with the labor movement a top priority, and the legislation for the holiday was rushed through Congress - unanimously - six days after the strike.
How things have changed. Years ago, the equation was rather simple: Management and owners called the shots, and the workers did the "doing". There's still plenty of that today, but more than ever before, there are free agents and virtual workers across the globe. There are thinkers, writers, designers and idea-people who create value, even if they don't make or sell a thing (per se).
Their office might be a laptop on a rooftop as they watch the sunset. She or he may be doing a proposal, a report or a blog post. "Doing" today is often synonymous with the sound of keyboards and "clickity click click". I wonder what the sound will be in another 100 years.
This pondering makes mees thinks even more; What is "doing" anyway? I looked it up:
As a freelance consultant, one might be doing while thinking, talking or designing. Some might consider that the most important work of all. Others might consider it doing nothing at all.
One thing is for sure - and that is that the definitions of "work", "doing" and "productivity" are changing - and people are increasingly able to call their own shots regarding how and where they spend their time. Many may feel they don't have that freedom - but maybe they do more than they know. We're in a unique era where we just might have the greatest opportunity in history to stop, think and decide exactly what we do and why. In fact, if we do so, when we look back on our lives and reflect on what we've done - we might still be doing it.
Bumped into a friend today. He's a contemporary of mine - and I won't explain what that means. Let's put it this way; he's done something hard for me to imagine doing at this stage of my life: He enrolled to be an Officer in the Air Force Reserves.
Enrolled. Graduated.
His career, to-date, has nothing to do with such an aspiration. When I asked him why he did what he did, he explained to me that he wanted to test himself, do something meaningful, do something new - and get acquainted with his will and discipline.
He then explained to me that his training was largely about mental endurance, emotional capacity, leadership... and followership.
We talked about the importance of knowing when to lead - and when to follow.
I never quite thought about it - - but how true it is. When does/should one challenge leadership? When should one follow? When should one lead?
People followed German "leaders" during World War II. Maybe they shouldn't have. Certain people lead others in Vietnam. Maybe they shouldn't have.
We "follow" people on Twitter. What are we doing when we "follow" them? Why do we? Who do we? When & why should we?
I don't know the answer at this moment, but I do know this:
Maybe we need to think about the times when "leaders" need to follow - and "followers" need to lead.
And, perhaps, the answer lies within ourselves - i.e., maybe we should follow our hearts - follow our intuition... and lead change - whether by title we're the "leader" or "follower".
Did you know that the oldest accounts of the bearing principle dates back to the Egyptians when they used tree trunks under sleds? The earliest example of a recovered bearing is a wooden bearing supporting a rotating table dating back to Roman times.
Leonardo da Vinci is often credited with drawing the first roller bearing around 1500 AD, and the first caged ball bearing was originally described by Galileo in the 1600's... But most of these innovations weren't used for practical purposes until the 1700's. Further, it wasn't until the late 19th century when the visionary innovator Henry Timken introduced modern industrial use of bearings.
Bottom-line; bearings are about reducing friction and increasing efficiency. They've been around for 5000 years, but put to mass use only in recent centuries.
We think the many definitions of the word "bearing" (in addition to the above) are great metaphors for living a conscious life - and are useful when asking oneself about one's direction, balance & meaning. Here's a few other Dictionary.com definitions of the word:
Amannerinwhichoneconductsorcarriesoneself,includingpostureandgestures; a manofdignifiedbearing
This little story is about my attendance at a forum for new County Executive in Cuyahoga County today (Cuyahoga County is found in Northeast Ohio). It's a story of leadership - in SmartSimple fashion.
The forum was for a rather small group of community leaders who have been meeting for several years around the topic of economic development. These leaders were there to hear from the candidates for County Executive, a new role midst a new governmental structure.
As it turns, I arrived late and had to leave early. I didn't hear all of the candidates. But what I did encounter is leadership - unexpected.
The picture: I arrive. I'm running toward an elevator as its doors are closing. I jump into the elevator just in time - and the doors bounce open. I hit the "close" button in characteristic multi-hit fashion (why do we do that?!)
As soon as I do, I hear someone doing the same thing (running toward the elevator). I scramble to hit the "open" button in even faster multi-hit fashion. A man and woman enter.
My memorable view at the Forum on 7-28-10
We had a 1-floor-ride together, the three of us.
Might we be going to the same place I wondered? No. I was heading to the forum - and they were heading to a book sale located on the same floor (the forum was held at the Cleveland Library).
It would have been easy to do the "silent ride" thing on that elevator - after all, it was just one floor. Instead, we chatted briefly. I asked how they were. The gent said "I am blessed". He said so with a penetrating authentic gaze deep into my eyes. His words were accompanied by a slight smile, which I somehow felt was strained by many years of life's challenges.
He didn't ask me for a thing. He wasn't selling a thing. He wasn't vying for a vote. He simply gave me a moment of reflection. A moment of gratitude. A moment of grace.
He prompted me at that moment to realize, yes! - I am blessed.
Before the door opened, I told him I liked his answer - a lot... and I copied it right back to him.
This little story is no complement nor slam to the candidates on stage today. In fact, it's probably unfair for me to mention them at all since I was there for such a short time.
All I know is this: I know the exact moment when I experienced leadership & inspiration at the forum today.
Leadership can be so Simple at times. A brief moment. Anywhere. Anyone.
I'd like to introduce you to a thing we call the "Wish<-->Worry Continuum"... a consciousness-creating tool to help manage one's dreams and desires in life.
We all tend to be at one point of this Continuum at any given time.
Consider this:
(No worries if you can't read the thought bubbles - they're repeated later in the post)
Let's say you're reevaluating your career, your financial situation and your future (probably most of us are).
We could stop in various boxes along the Continuum as we reevaluate our options, but it's easy to get stuck in the boxes on the ends - i.e., "Wish" or "Worry". Sometimes we do end-runs to/from Wish and Worry without stopping anywhere in between.
Definitions:
WISH: A dreamy unconstrained, almost "separate from self" thought. A "Wish" often acts like a noun even if we use it as a verb. It's a "picture". "I wish money grew on trees and time was endless". Heck, even if there's only a 0.0001% chance of that possibility, it's worth thinking about. At least you're aware of what you'd consider to be ideal.
DESIRE: Again noun-like and something that's "out there" - but it's a bit more personal and digestible. "My desire: To have the money I need and have control over all of my time too".
WANT: As we move down the continuum toward Want, we start using verb (versus noun) definitions of the word: "I want work or a job that also lets me have control over my time". Even more personal. It's Real. You can taste it.
NEED: Gut impulse. Very personal. Vivid. Brief. Not hard to understand. "I need work"... or "I need money".
PROBLEM: Often our Wishes, Desires, Wants and Needs are packaged with Problems (or so we perceive). Problems are usually matter-of-fact descriptions of barriers and obstacles. We often make Problems nasty monsters with irritating rigidity - They're "fact" (we believe): Example: "Work takes time - There's no way around that".
WORRY: Now that we've encountered the rigid monster of Problem, we easily fall victim to the monster's first-cousin; "Worry". Worry is even more insidious. It pulls you into self-centric dooms-day statements: "Oh no! I just can't find the work that lets me have control over my time too"... What am I going to do!?" We wring our hands, sometimes to the point where our Worry spins us all the way back to Wish. We bounce back and forth. Meanwhile - we're standing still.
When you dream, ponder, and wonder about your future... where are you on the Continuum - and why? Are there circumstances that make you more prone to be in one box or another? What's the "optimal" mix?
The answer likely lies in a combination of all of the above. Dream-crazy is good, as long as we tell ourselves "OK - I'm in Dream/Wish mode right now" - - It's useful in bringing clarity to our passions and dreams.
Even a dose of Worry isn't so bad. We all can use an increased sense of urgency here 'n there. But it, too, needs to be in its place. Know when you're there and put it to work. Worry shouldn't drive actions, but rather be a wake-up call, prompting one to know one's fears and providing the required courage to look those fears straight in the eye.
Regardless, we believe consciousness is one of the first steps in navigating the Wish-Worry waters. It's one of the keys to what we call "Adaptism" - the mode of choice & elegant adaptability.
SMART SIMPLE MOBILE
(consciousness) (clarity) (change-ability)
When we're conscious of what we're feeling and thinking, we're far more likely to come up with hybrid solutions - "And" solutions versus "Or" solutions. In the context of the work-time dilemma outlined in this post, perhaps there is work that *does* provide the desired control over time. Or how about this possibility: Finding work that is so aligned with your dreams that there's no longer worry about "control over time" because you're living your dream every single day. Why not!?
We'd be interested in your comments on how you might manage your Wish-Worry Continuum. What might be your "optimal" approaches?
Wishing you a great day - even if you worry it might not be one.
Social Networking. Social Media. Tweets. Facebook. Blogs. Microblogs. Foursquare.
...Terms, technology & communication-modes are converging at breakneck speed. How do businesses make sense of it all? Should they care? Where do they begin?
A meeting along this line today prompted me to post an article we wrote for Strategic Social Networking earlier this year. It's found embedded, below. It takes a look at why businesses do (or don't) use social media - and if they don't, why they should.
What's the "SmartSimple" moral of the story?
Just start. Keep it simple. A few baby steps.
As Guy Kawasaki says, 'If you're building a house, you need a plan before you do so. If you're hiking with a sleeping bag, you plop down your sleeping bag and sleep. If there's a snake, you move".
He's suggesting that Social Media is "sleeping-bag-territory". It's new. It's here. It's here to stay. The point is; it's changing so fast that one cannot "plan" in traditional terms. He argues that the best "strategy" is to start with tactics, i.e., get in - start - and build the plan along the way.
Our SSN article enumerates a thing or two that might help you & your business ponder your first steps:
I’m sipping coffee in a little coffee shop amidst Cleveland’s Little
Italy, pondering a colleague’s recent question: “Why has business
taken so long to see the value of social networking?” I look
around. The place is packed. Patrons are communicating feverishly – with
people located somewhere else. Texting. Talking on mobile
phones. Clicking on laptops. Our technology tools have become an
extension of our voice and ears, and social media has become part of our
language.
Businesses want to connect with, persuade and sell to people just
like you and me – right? Yet, so many companies fail to embrace the
communication modes so many of us prefer. Why?
1 – Fear (of losing power and control)
Consider the history of the U.S. Postal System. In the 1700s, the
British controlled the colonial postal system. By 1774, the colonists
viewed the royal post office with suspicion. Shortly thereafter, an
alternative mail service was established. The inter-colonial mail
service was the “social media”, the colonists were the “bloggers”… and
those in power (the British) didn’t like it.
2 – Social Media has a bad rep (for business)
Consider the origin of social media. It didn’t start with computers,
but it was born online… the phone line that is. It was known as
“phone phreaking.” Phone phreaks were techies tired of the telecom
monopoly extending sizable charges for long-distance calls. These early
explorers built phone-system tapping devices that allowed them to make
free calls and conduct virtual group discussions. More recent social
media ancestors include Limewire and Napster – through which music was shared.
A number of corporations, telephone companies and record labels look
back on this history often sighting a different word: Stolen.
3 – What’s in a name? Everything.
The very term “social media” conveys images of idle socializing,
gossip and misinformation. If it were referred to as “Critical
Business-Advancement Messaging Networks” businesses would consider it
more popular than the buzzword of the day. This is where NING and others have an upper hand.
Though the name may mean different things to different people; the
design of the solution resonates with business-types. Like Sun
Microsystems said back in the ’90s “the network is the solution.” That’s
what NING conveys: a solution providing user-controlled networks for
specific applications and communities of interest. It implies context
and purpose.
So why should you (and your company) leverage Social Media?
1 – The people you want to hire use it – a lot.
Smart businesses realize that value-creation depends on ideas,
creativity and collaboration. Social media is the mechanism of choice
for many of today’s talented creative innovators. Your company culture
should be friendly to social media (unless of course you don’t
want smart innovators on your team). Have you hired anyone lately
without looking at their LinkedIn profile? Do you know that the top
talent is likely evaluating your company’s social media presence as a
qualifier as to whether they want to work for you (or not)?
2 – The people you want to reach (your customers) use it.
Listen to them.
Angie’s List conducted a survey and found that 58 percent of their
respondents use social media. They consider it a strategic tool for
business development. Social media is a powerful listening system. Sure,
you can ask customers what they want, but they may or may not tell you
what they need. However, overhear them talking with each
other - well then, now you’re getting the straight skinny.
A report called Executive Insights into Enterprise Social Network
Strategy indicated that social media was critical to providing a
work-life balance for employees. Employees don’t operate 9 to 5. Rather,
they mix their personal and work lives. Sure, there’s the risk that
promoting social media could cause distraction during the work day, but
it also promotes work in the off hours. One of our clients learned this
lesson in at least one case. They proudly proclaimed that securing one
of their new clients was thanks to an employee trading Facebook
messages with a friend. Upon closure of that deal, management didn’t
care if the exchange happened during the day, at night, online, in
person, in a suit or in sweats.
- - - Here's another article, written by Money & Risk. It's a great primer:
On Thursday 7-15-10, when "doing" a Google... one would have found this:
So, what-the-heck is that?!
What does it represent?
(Click the image, above, to find out)
It's the celebration of the 125th birthday of Josef Frank (1885-1967).
Architect. Designer.
He created 200 beautiful patterns between 1909 and 1950.
My 125th birthday will be in the year 2088 (whether I'm there to see it or not)
So... when will your 125th birthday be?
If one were to Google, Schmoogle or Boogle (or whatever they'd call it on your 125th birthday)... how would you be represented if you were the search-engine icon of the day?
- What patterns are you leaving behind for future generations to ponder?
As I learn about writing - and practice the craft - I find that I strive for some unrealistic magical insight - depth - and meaning... each time I write.
Tonight, I don't strive - nor do I struggle... at all.
I just write.
Tonight, I write about a little starfish.
A bright young women filled with energy, wisdom, power & passion.
She remains anonymous.
But if she reads this - she knows who she is.
She is also all-too-aware of her recent losses. Her guiding lights - her stars - have moved on.
They are however - with her - forever.
She shall prevail - even stronger... She shall carry with her, her starfish - both of them - into eternity.
STARFISH - In Christian symbolism, the Starfish represents the Virgin Mary (Stella Maris which means Star of the Sea) who lovingly creates safe travel over troubled waters and is also seen as an emblem of salvation during trying times. The star as well as the Starfish are seen as celestial symbols and as such, they represent infinite divine love. In addition to love, the Starfish also holds characteristics such as guidance, vigilance, inspiration, brilliance and intuition.
Caught Terry Gross interviewing Colin Firth on NPR today - an archive from 2009.
Colin stars in this week's DVD release of the film "Single Man", by Tom Ford.
I was fascinated to learn of Colin's ability to act with passion without speaking a word.
What's more - I was intrigued by Colin's reference to his compulsion for what he
called "creative promiscuity". He shared that he pours himself into an acting project 110%, but then finds himself anxiously anticipating the "next thing", even though he has no idea what the "next thing" will be.
He's energized - Yet unsettled.
...It makes one ponder:
Do we seek routine, predictability & security? Or do we seek adventure, mystery, challenge & change?
FreshAir with Tom Ford @ first... and then Colin Firth.
Ponder this: Kindergarten kids are smarter than CEO's. Tom Wujec and his TED talk gets one thinking about smarter & and perhaps simpler ways of approaching problems - and working as a team.
Tom challenges our traditional
thinking surrounding planning, strategy and success.
The challenge: Build a structure with;
20 spaghetti sticks
One yard of tape
One yard of string
A Marshmallow
Get the marshmallow to sit atop your free-standing structure as tall as possible. You and your four-person team have a short time to do so.
The stats?
CEO's and MBA students score among the worst.
Kindergarten kids? You guessed it: Among the best.
Why?
CEO's & MBA's are busy with power struggles, jockeying & lying... Further, they have the compulsion to create the "perfect plan". Plan, plan, plan... before they really try anything at all. After creating their masterful shock-proof "perfect plan"... they discover they have merely a few precious moments to implement.
They leap to the climactic moment - scramble together their structure (based on their prefect plan) - place the marshmallow on top, and...
Their creation collapses.
Now what!? Mad-scramble. Panic. Crisis.
Ding! Time's up.
The Kindergarteners on the other hand: They've collapsed their tower multiple times - early in the process. In fact, they've already tried to stack the marshmallow on top of their creation way before they've planned anything at all. They begin with the end in mind.
They develop thick skin. They get used to multiple "failures" - They learn from each one - They adapt - Repeat. They try again and again until something works. Such an iterative approach is just one advantage the kids have over the big-guns. Tom's 7-minute video shares additional insights Re: group dynamics, extrinsic motivation... and more.
So - are you preparing the perfect plan? - - or are you trusting that perhaps a little "play" may go a long way.
It's the Fourth of July. A reflective holiday midst a care-free picture of shorts, flip-flops and cookouts.
Cleveland at night. Fireworks at Progressive Field. July 3, 2010 - by iPhone
As a member of the SmartSimple "team" (Craig, here) I'm feeling reflective about what this holiday represents - not just for our country and its history - but for Sue & me, personally. Our metal has been tested - It's been through some fire since July 4, 2009. We know we're not alone.
But "fire" does work. It makes one stronger.
1000 degree temperatures are used to cure metal coatings onto parts. The metal becomes stronger - it adapts to the part to which it is
adhered - and the resultant metal-part combo is stronger yet.
A group of guys 234 years ago had the courage to jump into a fire. They took pen to paper and wrote the King a little note.
That started a little firestorm all its own. They emerged not only stronger - but the strong-est.
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