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.
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.
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.
--> 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
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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
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