Perspective -- We need more of it

Last night, a good friend sent me this quote from Bill Hicks:

“Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Here's Tom with the Weather.” 

My immediate thought and reply was that one need not get even so esoteric in one's thinking. This example instantly popped into my head:

A Star Trek replicator - coming to a desk near you!

The more I see of it, the more I am convinced 3D printing is THE game changer of the next decade.

Bubbles... tiny bubbles...

Are you experiencing the world? Or are you experiencing your world? With the increasing importance of the Web and Internet Search in our daily lives, it surprises me how many people still don't know...

Hush! We were never here…

When I read articles like this, they bring me to a simple conclusion. We need to evolve our institutions, education and morality at a much faster pace.

We are entering an era where time and the ability to prove someone was ever present are becoming uncertainties. Without careful consideration of what technologies individuals have a right to use in their own defense, we will face astounding challenges of predation.

Not-so-super man?

For those who don’t follow comics, the movie character Iron Man comes from a long tradition of comic stories about a billionaire playboy who moonlights as a superhero. This hedonist-with-a-heart has played well for some time. It is no surprise Iron Man enjoys high popularity in today’s society. But now publishers are altering other, even more iconic characters in order to “relate” to modern audiences. This is not a crisis. But does it really serve us and our social dialog, or does it just further promote our propensity to live in bubbles of isolation?

The Two-Team Fallacy and The Sports Centerization of Politics

Although I discuss politics very little (so far) in public forums, I have long opined to my friends about US politics being incorrectly cast in the framework of “home versus away”, “red versus blue”, and even “good versus evil”.  

Plan as though you'll live forever...

Many of us have seen the saying, "plan for tomorrow, but live for today."

After pondering what bothered me about that saying, I finally landed on a replacement thought...

"Plan as though you'll live forever. Live as if it is your first day on earth."

Modern Fashion?

In other news...

Police are still searching for the suspect or suspects who slaughtered the entire cast of My Little Pony and used the remnants to start a new line of clothing.

Quick, hide, or the Interstellar Cops will roust us!

We’ve finally arrived. Voyager I, the probe launched 35 years ago, has become the first man-made object to exit the solar system and enter “interstellar space”.

“Pioneering” versus “Wallowing in Risk”

I have difficulty faulting people who take risks that initially test the limits of what humans can do. However, people need to be honest with themselves. “Pioneering” is different from people who simply take outrageous personal risks.

Wherefore Art Thou, Counselors?

When I read the many articles like this floating around, my first question is no longer about the student loan bubble. My first question is no longer about the employment crisis. I’ve seen plenty of coverage on those topics. My first question is about the apparent career counseling crisis. This is an area in which we’ve invested relatively little and we’re now paying for it, in spades.

Moderation in (Most) Things

 “The further you stray from the natural, the more diligent you need to be about understanding the consequences.” That’s a useful personal maxim I arrived at over the years.

The reason: Nature has had eons to work through the mechanics of interaction. Nature uses its own slow mechanisms to weed out the dangerous, balanced against a universe of… well… everything. It’s not perfect. But it has a major leg up on humanity in this regard.

I’ve found it holds true in most matters of business modeling. I assert it holds doubly true in matters that are themselves more primal and central, such as nutrition. 

A Testament to the Age of No Excuses

My dear grandmother passed away earlier this month at the age of 94.

What strikes me is not how she died, but how long she simply didn’t find the time to die.

"I feel" does not cut it in today's complex world

Recent conversations remind me of a troubling point. We're in an age dominated by people who begin arguments on virtually every topic with, "Well, I feel..."

This poisonous phrase increasingly passes for valid critical thinking. Such thinking is especially true in America.

The Benevolence of the Aristocrats

People who cite history need to display at least a veneer of intellectual honesty when referencing historical arguments. This is particularly true in a modern America, where much of our population is ignorant of history beyond last week.