It’s about pointing out risks, shining a light on organizational denial, overcoming resistance, and facilitating constructive discussions about change. . . . We’re facing a stark choice right now: keep whining or start leading. . . . You might be thinking: “There’s no way I can do this. I’m a designer, developer, or copywriter, not an organizational change maker!” But we can do it, and we should. Because nobody else will do it for us, and if nobody deals with the problem, we won’t be able to do great work. — Jonathan Kahn, “Web Governance: Becoming an Agent of Change” Read more →
August 2011
Japanese and Korean Are the Same Thing
My son and I are driving through the neighborhood . . . an Asian kid about 12 years old rides by on a scooter. He lives across the street from us but I almost didn’t recognize him because he’s got his hair lightened and highlighted. “Typical Japanese,” my son says. “Japanese kids like to highlight their hair?” “Yeah,” he says, like it’s an obvious question. “That kid is Korean, isn’t he?” “Same thing.” Read more →
Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
Pregnant Woman Mauled to Death by Pug
Ha ha, just kidding . . . it was a pit bull — again. Reports: Pet pit bull mauls pregnant Calif. woman to death — msnbc.com Her dad said, “She lived her own life, no matter what anyone else said.” Probably everyone said that pit bulls are dangerous so she decided to get one. How’s that working out for you? If you own a pit bull, you also need to have a pug to keep the pit bull in line. — Lightning Read more →
A Half-Assed Job of Anything
It’s enough to make you cry to see how bad most people are at their jobs. If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you’re a one-eyed man in the kingdom of the blind. — Kurt Vonnegut, Player Piano Read more →
Drink Recipe
This is a great drink to beat the heat and smooth out market volatility. Pour some rum over ice and top it off with cola. Garnish with a lime wedge (optional). I need to think of a name for this . . . Read more →
A Long and Short Explanation of Why Borders Books Went Out of Business
Borders, unable to find a buyer willing to get it out of bankruptcy, plans to close its remaining 399 stores and go out of business by the end of September. — msnbc.com “When Borders started up 40 years ago,” I explain to my son, “there was a certain percentage of the American public that bought books and read them. “It wasn’t nearly as large as the percentage who preferred to sit on their fat asses and watch television but it was there. There was a profit to be made from it. “Today, if I tell someone about a book I’m reading, they look at me like I’m confessing a perversion. Reading a book?! “Not only does no one read books but if anyone does get a notion in their head to read one, they’re likely to buy it online and/or download it onto a device. “The market for people who… Read more →
A Story from the Aztec People of Mexico
It is said by our Grandparents that a long time ago there was a great fire in the forests that covered our Earth. People and animals started to run, trying to escape from the fire. Our brother owl, Tecolotl, was running away when he noticed a small bird hurrying back and forth between the nearest river and the fire. He headed toward this small bird. He noticed it was our brother the Quetzal bird, Quetzaltototl, running to the river, picking up small drops of water in his beak, then returning to the fire to throw that tiny bit of water on the flame. Owl approached Quetzal bird and yelled at him: “What are you doing brother? You are not going to achieve anything by doing this. You must run for your life!” Quetzal bird stopped for a moment and looked at owl, and then answered: “I am doing the best… Read more →
Work-Life Balance Doesn’t Exist
Look, we know the baby boomers failed at work-life balance. We know it doesn’t exist. So let’s just start talking about things that are real. . . . You can have kid-centered days or you can have career-centered days. You can’t have both. Let’s just stop lying to ourselves because it’s not helping anyone. — Penelope Trunk Read more →
The Common Good
Therefore the Master says: I let go of the law, and people become honest. I let go of economics, and people become prosperous. I let go of religion, and people become serene. I let go all desire for the common good, and the good becomes common as grass. — Tao Te Ching Read more →
A Man with a Grievance
I wanted to be unhappy by myself. I wanted to grieve for Papa. That man suffered a lot. Even more than my poor mother who had to watch him suffer. For she had seven children to worry about as well, and children are a duty. Whereas a broken-hearted man with a grievance is only a liability, a nuisance. And he knows it too. — Joyce Cary, Read more →
Aside
Scott Adams on the Benefits of Boredom – WSJ.com
Travels With Charlie
My owner and I were out for a walk when we heard Charlie the Basset Hound behind us. He was howling and he was all by himself. “Hey Charlie,” my owner said, “what are you doing out here by yourself?” Then he said to me, “We’ve got to take Charlie home.” We don’t know where Charlie lives but we know what direction he lives in and it wasn’t the direction he was going, so my owner got him turned in the right direction and then said, “Come on Charlie, let’s go for a walk.” At first, he walked behind us and kept howling but then he stopped howling and started walking faster and went ahead of us. After we went a couple of streets, he turned and walked up to a front porch and started howling again. The lady who answered the door was sure surprised to see Charlie on… Read more →
People I Thought Were Dead
John Astin – actor Bill Dana – actor Fats Domino – rock and roll pioneer Don Larsen – baseball player, NY Yankees Bill Macy – actor Roger Mudd – TV journalist Della Reese – singer, actress Dale Robertson – actor Mickey Rooney – actor Jerry Van Dyke – actor Bill Virdon – baseball manager Earl Weaver – baseball manager, Baltimore Orioles Updates Bill Dana – died 6/15/2017, age 92 Fats Domino – died 10/25/2017, age 89 Don_Larsen – died 1/1/2020, age 90 Bill Macy – died 10/17/2019, age 97 Roger Mudd – died 3/9/2021, age 93 Della Reese – died 11/19/2017, age 86 Dale Robertson – died 2/26/2013, age 89 Mickey Rooney – died 4/6/2014, age 93 Jerry Van Dyke – died 1/5/2018, age 86 Earl Weaver – died 1/18/2013, age 82 Read more →
The Meaning of Life
LUCY: You know what your trouble is, Charlie Brown? The whole trouble with you is you don’t understand the meaning of life. CHARLIE BROWN: Do you understand the meaning of life? LUCY: We’re not talking about me, we’re talking about you. — Charles Schulz Read more →