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01.06.2025 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Function vs. Behavior….. search YouTube on Home Office setups and you will see a ton of products to buy. There will be a lot of cool stuff there, but, how much of the stuff (items) necessary? Other than looking cool, do all the stuff have more than an aesthetic purpose. Aesthetics matter as well. I am not discounting form from the function. Maximalist need to buy! Function is related to productivity. It is the root and framework of productivity. For remote work, the focus is on the productivity side of things. Once that part is there, the aesthetics can put the cherry on the Sunday. What we are avoiding is getting too into the home office setup and. then sit there thinking what now? We humans tend to get over into the setup aesthetics (and the cool stuff) and hoping that will create the productivity and direction. Great we have a toolbox to hold pens and a wall unit to hang cords, now what? This is where some minimalist mid sets are needed. The productivity side of this is good for applying minimalistic focus to do the objects help make us productive, and the aesthetics making the home office space comfortable and appealing. It is good to divide things this way.
01.04.2025 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
There is a new form of quiet quitting, but not regarding working (most people have already given up on work being beneficial for both employer and employee). The new quitting is from general society. With extreme views being the norm and general meanness, more and more people react by disengaging from things. It is when they encounter a person or persons, an organization, of company, that represents behavior they are uncomfortable with they just stop any associations. They choose to not spent time with that person (including family members). They stop shopping with companies that support the extreme points of view. For those engaging in the extreme points of views a lot of the appeal was another side to attack. That was their sugar delivery system. That was the high they got. Getting reactions. For those quiet quitting social interactions, it is not a tactic. It is just no longer wanting to engage. It is more a burnout thing where they need to withdraw from the extreme things. It will be interesting how this plays out. When those who were getting their emotional highs from extreme behavior, are no longer getting it, how will they react. In the short term the extreme action people are attacking each other (dysfunctional behaviors want to be fed). Then there are those folks who use tactics to gain power and expect life to go back to normal after they get what they want, after multiple times doing, still are surprised normal has not come back. It is kind of like a marriage, once there is damage, few recover and keep doing. Generally when relationship blow up and people walk away, they stay away.
12.27.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
They always said that common sense is not very common. Maybe that can be said for common ground. One of the reasons things are so crazy is there. are so many points of view specific to a small set of people, but each things is universal. These days we project our special thinking onto elected leaders. We think the leader shares our point of view and values, when the elected guy does not care about it. Agreements are so hard to reach because everyone thinks their point is the one true point, but it is a limited one. The idea of trading where we each get something has been replaced by I win and everyone else must die (figuratively speaking of course). It is a human condition to over believe what is in our own head. I have worked with people so bad with that they did not communicate, thinking what they were thinking was clear to all. These days that is nuclear powered. Fueled by social media we all think it is my way or the highway. Maybe our common ground is a small realization nobody things the same to agreements take that into account.
12.26.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Self interested and the true wants. In the past election some voters who say they have/had high moral standing, voted for one person because they say that person told them what they wanted to hear. In truth, they voted for the person who showed up by them. It did not matter that same person had a more against standing from a prior election. The voters in this case were more interested in their emotional wants to be “listened to”, and the moral standing of their position. The person running has always been clear how they think. The actions and policies the voters who for are not inline with the person that voted for, so we will see how that goes. And again. the person who was voted for was clear what they think. But it was more important for the vote to punish the other persion running that their moral standing was. Or so it seems.
12.25.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Rage against the Commercial …… there is a rage against commercials trying to sell us things from the perspective your life will be grand buying our shit. But, the disconnect is companies are overcharging for poorly built things and poor service. That and real wages for workers has not kept up with the basic cost of living. More and more people cannot afford to buy the over priced goods and services put out there. Companies have a disconnect between workers and customers, thinking the two things are so seperate that what they do to one does not affect the other. Workers not earning enough money cannot in turn buy goods and services. People have been having growing feels of anger with that. And now that anger is spilling out into a rage and causing people to act. The commercial is growing into a trigger. Companies bury us in commercials. They are everywhere. They are on social media feeds, videos online (where a two minute video can have 3 minutes of commercials), NFL games can take three hours to complete (1:45 of the three hours just for commercials), etc. Now, commercials are reminding people that they cannot afford to buy. They are, pointing to the huge profits that companies make and the huge compensation CEOs get, and how 10,000 employees of company XYZ just got laid off. Commercials are a trigger to a growing rage, and that rage is getting personal. People don’t just have an abstract rage toward some company. It is now being personalized to actual individuals. The killing of that health company CEO is a warning sign that the matter is serious. It is a warning that CEOs and boards need to see the link between workers and customers. And cut back on the commercials and the fake magic it sells.
12.14.2024 The Art of things by the Modern Blue Geezer
These days everyone is wanting to be the subject and center of attention in what they share into the world. Different social media apps are full of pictures of just us. Here is be posing 1000 different ways in the same picture, over and over. There is another use of posting and that is capturing your personal experiences. This is different than here is me in my experience. It is not pay attention to be having an experience. It is something that will stick in you years later. It is something you experienced and shared that. There is a difference between sharing an experience and wanting attention.
12.11.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
344 to one…. that is the real math why so many people in the US are so mad. It is why so many people were glad the healthcare CEO was killed. As the senior teams have become richer and richer, the average work has lost ground financially, in real wage terms. When someone is raking in the cash two things happen, they want more, and we are not their problem. And it is not just the money. It is how the seniors teams of companies got the money. United Healthcare claim denials increased from the industry 16% to over 33%. Then when they knew United Healthcare was going to be investigated and before that was announced , the CEO who got killed sold 51% of his stock netting $16 million+. If you look a little it will be easy to find other behaviors by management teams in all industries. Between 2018 and 2022 these behaviors sky rocketed. And interestingly, a record number of CEO’s have quit in the last two years. Taook their money and ran perhaps. As an investor who wants dividend income for years to come, these short term actions are not welcome.
12.10.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
You would think it would be a simple calculation to figure out if the costs of a good or services is X and your general customer earns Y, how big your market is, and what prices it would bare? But, we are now getting to where companies are out pricing their markets. This gets overlooked because short term gains outweigh long term company health. In recent history car companies have scaled back car models with less profit of a few high-end ones with bigger profits. They lose sales but were still making 20% profits. That works for a few years until raising those car prices (to keep getting a 20% profits) starts to lose more customers. The less sales but 20% profits has been embraced by a lot of industries. When we look at that in the long term, that does not seem a wise path. But, if we look at if from the view of a lot of wealth for a few people now, it is a reason. So these people do see the simple math, it is just, another set of values driving them.
12.07.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Gin …… I am a fan of a good Gin. I like Bourbon, Rye, and Scotch as well, but those spirits have a specific flavor range, and I got tired of that. And, trying to chase unicorn bottles of bourbon. Gin on the other hand has a wide range of flavor profiles. Mainly because Gin starts out as more or less a vodka type clear spirit, and different ingredients are added to flavor it. Those flavoring turn the clear spirit into Gin. Most people know the London Dry Gin. That is the one that tastes of juniper (pine). But there are different types of Gin like Old Tom which is sweeter, The German and Dutch gins are different. Just this weekend I tried a bottle of Gin from Mexico. The fun part of Gins being produced all over the place is the makers use ingredients locally, so those Gins stake on a flavor profile to where the gin is produced. And that is great for anyone who does not like the London Dry Gin. Try Malfy an Italian Gin that is citric forward. Maybe Monkey 47 from Germany with flavors from the Black Forest. That is just to name a few of them. There are many options. Some are subtle Gins from Japan, that are good for a martini but get overwhelmed in a Negroni. That is just to name a few of them. There are many options. Explore and enjoy.
12.06.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Today a lot of women call men toxic, and back in the day men said women were not engineers, because women were not as smart as men. To me, at least, I think it is a control tactic to make either statement. Both groups want to me the privileged group (kind of a Highlander there can only be one thing). And just like political parties say the other side is pure evil, that is really just to mask their own shitty behavior. For if you can say the other side is evil and/or toxic, than that just leaves everyone as an asshole.
12.01.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
It is my perception about this, but nonetheless I will tell. The younger generations tend to see things in terms of their personal experiences. How I feel and think about a situation matters a lot. On the other hand older generations value safety and security. I put those two things together from reading about perceptions of issues expressed by younger folks and older people becoming expats. In one case a woman in her early 20’s had a bad experience with the ending of a relationship, and she made life (up to now, add 40 years and check in) choices based on that one experience. The whats and hows don’t matter. Her feelings about the experience is all that matters. A Lot of what drives older people is a lifetime of ups and downs, and times of less than ideal things, brings longings of a safe place and situation. In the older persons case, their wants are based on 30-50 years of experiences. With someone in their early 20’s a bad event is the worse they have experienced at that point. It is reasonable to see how they would react so strongly. But as the British says goes “Be calm and Carry On”, there expresses the reality that less than good things will come and go. There will be wars, economic down turns, etc. Older people have had a lifetime of that. And as the be calm statements suggests, you have to learn to be prepared and ready to handle the hard times. And, also, plan and save for the later parts of life. If it sucks to not have all you want at 25, just wait until you are 65 and have less good options. Plus, no culture or political preference is going to help much. As the Tears for Fears song said, Welcome to your life, there’s no turning back.
11.24.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
I saw part of a news conference by the incoming “border Cazar” , visiting Texas to speak to his plans for “Mass Deportation”. I was struck how personal he seems to be taking something that is basically not personal. That is an odd behavior we do as humans, take non-personal things personally. In too many case we turn that disconnect into a critical, almos, end of the world status. Borders and who each nation lets in is a serious question, and in many cases problem. But, as a problem, it can be solved with relational and critical thinking. Many businesses in the US rely on they want to deport. Just as not everyone can fit into the same space. There is a workable solution (not perfect but practical) in between the extreme and do nothing. But some problems have more value as a political advantage. Then of course, most people we care about the price of eggs, butter, and milk, than much else. In any case it begs the question why we take things personally but do not ever solve the problem past blowing up the house because of a leaking faucet. When we react to non-personal things, personally, there is generally something else that has our panties in a bunch. The problem we are pissed off about is just the prop we use to strike out with.
11.26.2024 The Ar of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Tariffs… sometimes things are not what they mean. In the pure economic sense, tariffs have specific defined meanings. But, sometimes a thing has a different purpose. Such as I will loved you in the morning is you fuck me tonight. With Tariffs there are granted exceptions from the tariffs. Most of the US cars and parts are made in Canada and Mexico. Technically we will have to pay 25% more for a Ford or Tesla, once the tariffs are in place. However, companies will apply to be excluded from the tariffs. Who is often awarded these exclusions, is not a function of merit, but rather, a function of other reasons. One can look to the tariffs applied back in past and what companies were granted an exclusion were more who was willing to play the game. The rules of the game are the point and not the tariffs. Some companies are okay with that. It is just business. And a function of control. Much of history is like that. We were soiled in the US with an idea of fairness. In some countries if you want someone to come fix your sink, you have to slip the service guy $100. It always has been that way. We are just new to the game that will have to be played.
11.21.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Always look at the bagage…. we basically react to things from each of our own little worlds. If we don’t like the prices of eggs, the next election we vote for the other guy. But the truth is both people running for office have other things they care about. And they tell us what those things are. We don’t really pay much attention to what those who will run the show say they will do. We assume they see what pisses us off, and what pisses us off, will be the first things the replacement leader will do. They get right on our shit, nope. You should follow your own self interest, but look and listen if either person running speaks to it or not. If you always vote for one side hoping they will but still expect your shit will be addressed and your guy is not saying your concerns are their, that is on you.
11.20.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Atomic BBQ Party …… quietly, the number of nuclear power plants has risen. A recent article in Bloomberg News reported that there is a shortage of workers with experience working in a nuclear power plant. You think? More and more countries and big data center/AI centric companies are moving to nuclear power. In many cases this is the result of energy suppliers being tapped out with electrical power they can provide to data centers and AI. Most places do not have enough space close to where power is need for wind and solar. No one want cal fired electric in their backyards. So, nuclear power plants are the cheapest and cleanest options (so to speak). Some sort of non-toxic renewable energy, that is cheap to produce, would be welcomed. But the delay of such energy is it is costly to figure out how to create clean energy (as well as plastics and other products). And no one wants to pay the cost to solve clean energy. That leaves us with nuclear energy being the thing that gets used and grows in use. And for the record, green energy does not blow up the economy, it just shifts wealth around.
11.18.2024 The Art of Thing by the Modern Blue Geezer
For some it will come as no surprise that EDC I am minimalistic. First as a tech knowledge worker and an artist, I am in my home office and art studio most often. Generally, when I go out, it is for specific reasons and needs, and not an adventure or outing. I need eggs or whiskey. So it is to the store and back. Most commonly, I will have a small form wallet (that can fit into my front pocket, a habit from Europe where pickpocketing is more common. I will carry a pocket knife. And a watch. And depending where I will be decides the watch I wear. When I walk the dogs, I will use an Apple watch and not an Omega Seamaster. These days watches are a target object to be nicked. Then I do have to carry a phone for work reasons. But I would leave the phone at home in many case if I can. Like I said I am very minimalistic with EDC. I just don’t like carrying a lot of shit around. Don’t want to be a walking bug out bag.
11.16.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
The Full Zip Hoodie. Another item of clothing from my teenager years is the full zip hoodie. Today that item has a lot of meanings; both good and bad. I shoplifting event here in Coloradi was about three teenagers wearing hoodies. Back in my day a hoodie was just a cheap outer layer of clothing, as a poor kid I could afford. Kids with money had down vests and sherpa coats. Today hoodies are maybe more urban and tech nerb that when I was a teenager. It still has that 1970’s defiance. The hoodie has come a long way from being a sports clothing item. But like the thermal, henley, and flannel shirts, I still wear full zip hoodies (never went for the pullover versions).
11.15.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Some want to blow things up. They believe only good will come from that, that. The root of that comes from the human condition that thinks everything in linear. We think that we can abuse the systems and structures without ill effect. I once listened to two guys argue which guns they would need to carry to the Piggly Wiggly, when everything collapsed? You know the government and society. I asked if everything has in fact collapsed, how would the grocery stores and distribution networks still be functioning? Their answer, because we will need to shop! And they really believed both things could be true, collapse and functional systems. For everything to work, we need our systems and structures to be stable. Those things are never perfect. But, we need them to be stable. Your 401k’s, investment portfolios, interest rates, etc. When people said their number one issue is the economy, this is what they are really saying. Stable systems are good for prices. Disruptions are not (including the effects of a pandemic and price gouging). Tearing down and rebuilding can work. But not is 60 days. More like 60 years. The truth is, if you have money, keep things stable. If you want to make money keep things stable.
11.11.2024
Sometime we romanticize things we actually do not have any real experience with. We think we do, when we really don’t. Some guys want to go back to the 1950-1960’s because they think that traditional lifestyle would be so much better. Well they call that cycle of time “The Silent Generation. Why? Well because for the most part guys had to keep there mouth shut and go along with the program. My father and friends fathers all were IBM engineers. They had to only wear white button business shirts and dark suits at work. They all had the same hair cuts. Basically they were not allowed any individually. When the each retired they said it felt like getting out of prison. Those were the years of the 3 martini lunch and much heavier drinking overall. They had to self medicate to get through the times. Remember the Rolling Stones song Mother’s little helper; She goes running for the shelter of her mother's little helper. Pills man. Our mothers, those people you want to put back into the kitchen, all were popping pills to deal with it all. Something to chill and something to pep them up. Plus add the booze. And that is just a little bit of the paradise you think was so good. Sure kid, it was a real dream. I hope you never have to get there. Life in the trad life was no Brady Bunch man.
11.08.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
A lot of things these days is like iPhone Apps that are free to get but come with in-app purchases (if you want to use the app). There is where a company wants you to have their app on your phone with the “idea” to give discounts and rewards of some kind, where they want to collect your data and make money from that. What you get for what your pay for (or from choices you make), is not always clear. There are bait and switches. We are presented with something that will appear as value or something you want, just to get you into. Then once there they get what they wanted and really intended to do. Hey it is us you I th take issue with. If we all are dumb enough not to read the fine print or terms of use, that is on us. Everyone wants money and power, so when they offer you something, know it is to gain the giver power and wealth.
11.07.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
In a time when so many people are feeling a sense of loss and not getting everything they want, does standing and being different help or hurt you? When people feel a value and culture they have is being lost, they may seek birds of the same feather, and be less accepting of difference. Often a sense of loss is very fuzzy. Often people can feel very affected without being able to point to any certain cause source. But they feel it and that’s enough. And oddly with social media giving everyone a loud platform to prompt the self, there are a lot of sameness presented as special. Intragram is the PG13 of Fansonly (without the income). Point there is everyone thinks they are the tippy top of people, when we are average. Maybe there will be a return to the Silent Gen (say the 1960’s), where white men were engineers at an IBM, all wore white button dress shirts, and had to fit in. In those day self expression was a negative. If you followed the herb you got a pension (to the Gen X, that is where the company you worked for, for 40+ years, paid you a retirement benefit each year). men of my fathers gen retired and felt they got out of prison. There have been times when being different was okay, and others when that was dangerous. In the 10+ years which will we have?
11.04.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
A discover that businesses love, but may not last. Raising prices, losing customers, but making more money. How is that? Take car companies, they are selling less cars the last few years, but make bigger profits. The sales are going to higher end products that have bigger profits per unit. Same with American Airline where they had over demand for flights and had no plans to offer more. Same reason, they were making bigger profits with few flights. Can that tactic last? Likely not. Prices will be increased each year and sooner or later, they will price out the smaller number of buyers who can afford big price tags. As is the case for all markets, there are just so many people you can sell to. At the current price for an upper end SUV, they sell enough to make big profits. But, that number of buyers is a much smaller number, overall. If there is a 2% drop in buyers if upper end products, that is an overall bigger drop than was the case of lower end buyers. If they have already priced out the lower and middle tier buyers, and will start to have upper end shrink, where are the sales? As the saying goes, there is no free lunch. But, if some get a big bank accounts and bail rich, by getting paid now without being around when markets shrink and companies lose money, their going for that. The less sales and more money thing is like selling your internal organs, in a short time you will run out of them.
11.01.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
There is a question, is adopting a trend individual style? Is being a walking ad for a YouTube influencer channel, personal style? Because as with most fad or trends, people get bored with them, and that fad dies out. Henleys and Thermal shirts fit into Heritage and Workman fashion styles, but each shirt has been around since before I was a kid (and I am a Geezer now). I have been wearing Henleys and Thermal shirts since I was a teenager. These shirts are warm and comfortable. I liked they way they looked before there was Heritage and Workman as a style. I think these are example of traditional and basic clothes. From that we can have some clothes that we like from the fad styles, but not be a walking ad for the fad. For some people they want to be identified cool in the current thing. That is okay. It is your body and money. Another way is to have a foundation of classic and basic clothes, and add in and out things from the fad style. An aim is to have such clothes and have them fit you well. Then people will think of you are well dressed but not know why. And like the Henley shirts (and bell bottom pants - oddly enough) I have worn (the henleys not the bell bottoms) since I was 13.
10.31.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Boo!!!!!! Happy Halloween. All the ghost movies and books always focus on the haunting part of things. I have wondered, if you are such a good ghost, how did you get me? Did you not do well in ghost school. Did you piss of the ghost CEO or boss? And worse, did you get to pick and this was your choice? If you can choose, why pick Joe Plain Guy? Maybe a ghost just get stuck with a house and they can only hope they get a cool person like Tom Hanks, but get someone lame. Do the other ghosts make fun of the ghosts that gets a lame house or person? And last thought, when someone walks past a graveyard and whistles, do the ghosts groan and say, please pick another song already, and try and whistle in tune for crying out loud. Happy Halloween.
10.29.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Geezer
Somethings sound better than they maybe. Today if you buy a Japanese car, it will come from a factory in the US and an American car will be made in some other country (with lower labors wages). There are two reasons for this. The first is many years ago make their cars cheaper to buy in the US, Japan built factories in the US. This is one long term way to avoid tariffs and nationalism (per say). The second way is to offshore production to make goods cheaper to make and buy. So oddly tariffs will hurt Walmart more that Japanese car companies. That is why an American car will have tariff costs and a Japanese care will not. There is not a value judgement here. Economics is economics. The loopy part is offshoring by US companies will make them subject to the tariffs. Will US companies decide to shift factories back to the US? Time will tell.
10.27.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Mens fashion styles. On YouTube there are many women style influencers who will tell us what clothes men in their 40,50,and 60’s should not wear. What needs to be pointed out that more often than not the should not wear tends to be a fad-trend. Fad-trends then to be started and adopted by the 20-30’s crowd. It is their thing and for the 40’s+ tribes, most don’t pull off wearing the prevailing fad. In general, the smart money will say that men in general should stay in classic clothes rather than the fads. Say a classic blue blazer and other like fashions that don’t change years to year. Then add things like traditional rough and other styles. Almost like accessories. And the most important part is anything you wear should fit as well as possible. The fit of your clothes and good shoes goes a long way to looking good. When men tend to wear traditional styles most of the time, people then of then as well dressed, even if they can’t explain why.
10.26.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
A few years back the big fad was Minimalism. At that time it was more a fad than anything practical. The one thing anyone should take from minimalism is simply, we need less stuff than we think we do. I think of it as functional and practical minimalism. We each need things. A set of clothes, cook wear, and so on. What we don’t need is storage lockers of stuff we can fit into the house. Nor do we need a sparse empty apartment and one bowl to eat out of. There is a balance to what you need and should buy. We don’t need 100 watches or 100 guns. So people have that, but they don’t really need that many of an items. Some who did have 100+ guns asked if I thought they they were obsessive, I said no I think you have buying problem. They tended to buy a lot of a given thing, from coffee makers to whiskey. Past the fad part of this, the root of the stuff problem is the emotional need to buy stuff, to own stuff, and keep stuff. So if you have 100 flannel shirts, most you never wear, it may be time to look at why you have 100 flannel shirts. Look at it this way, if you wear white socks but don’t have enough run the washing machine, or, you end up with a dirty pile that takes two loads to wash them all, you may want to look at that.
10.23.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Car companies with huge recalls, computer security tools crashing computers, plane companies whose planes crash, contaminated foods killing us. What do those things have in common? Cost of production and testing. In other words getting the lowest production cost possible. Sounds more like it is easier to say are bad than prevention. As an investor, I see it as trying to get the highest equity value now versus long term growth and growing market share. The first helps merit pay, where the second way long term dividend payments (investment income). Playing the long game means. slow growth on investment income. But that cycle last longer and you get income from a stock longer. The short term is play for huge gains over a few years and then dump the stock. A good question is if someone who used the short term gain had to repay earned money if the stock tanked after then left the company, would they still do the short term dance?
10.22.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Points of view as small as grains of salt. There are many who are Christian who think they can change what the bible says because it no longer match current preferences. That struck me as so small and limited. If the christian god is all powerful and has always and will always be, then our life times are so brief and small. Our time would be so small as to be a blink of an eye. But in all belief systems humans have used things to make shitty behavior okay. Yeah we can be dicks, we just have to say the other sides. are worse. I have always liked the ones that stand up and own being assholes. Too many of us are assholes but need to have something that makes us okay. We don’t mind being bad, we just don’t want to be called out. So if something like a bible points out how we are being bad, change the book. And somehow believe it is the word of god.
10.16.2024 The of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
There was a joke from the Soviet Union days what is true happiness? The punchline was being woken up at 3 AM by the KGB saying Ivan Diniti you are under arrest for crime against the state, and being able to say Ivan Diniti lives next door! Truth was they would have arrested both people any way. Thus is the nature of authoritarian states, they can exercise power for its own sake. People tend to assume giving total control to some ruler means that ruler will only screw over the other side. History has shown us that authoritarian governments, once in power, work to ensure they stay in power. Go to the average authoritarian country, and see if you can post a critical remark or guy a gun? In the US many people are in favor of a one party rule, as long as it is their party, assuming that their party will uphold their values and culture. History shows that is not likely to happen. More likely the state will crack down on everyone and remove any means to overthrow the state. In an authoritarian state, someone can be arrested and spend 20 years in a Gulug, just because the KGB knocked on the wrong door. But like all things, it does not matter until it is you being thrown in a cell. Until then we don’t care.
10.10.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
That which is will always be, but maybe not. Humans we think of life a linear (meaning always moves forward) and progressive (meaning new and improved toothpaste, not political perspective). In real life that means we do not see pending changes to things. We think there is always the normal status of life we will return to if we take actions (like elect someone because for years ago we thought was better). But throughout history we have had major shifts in our social-politic structures. Realities before-now-future have and will be different. Reading what wall street and economics think will happen if either DEM/GPO candidate wins, in the “market”. The thoughts follow this linear view of life. Maybe this why so many changes happen from failed societies. We are just not built to see what we don’t want to see. We project what we want, often in pure denial of reality we face. The idea things could fail, the US could fail, we just don’t want to believe. We want to believe our life will just drift along as we want. Maybe we hope we will be like Star Trek and we will evolve to a grander world? B We may be Star Wars and we are all evil bastard star trooper. Free for all and not working together for any common good.
10.09.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
McDonald’s sues Tyson and three big beef packing companies, guilty of price fixing collusion. The beef pack/producers worked together to restrict the supply of beef in order to raise prices. JBL agreed to pay $52 Million in 2022 for a beef price fixing scheme. Tyson paid $221 million for price fixing for chicken in 2021. In the last year the US Dept of Justice won an anti-trust case against Google. We should be paying attention to what corporations are doing and be more mad at them. We should be engaging in party politics using the sins of business to win election. If party X wins and the producers of beef and chicken can fix prices making us pay more, what have you won. Culture? With that you can’t even cry on the way to the bank, because you will be broke (old reference for having a ton of money but feeling bad about the source). Of course McD’s is not crying in their milk shake over paying more for beef patties (though some of us wonder if fast food beef is really meat), they just happily pass on the cost to us. They now only are suing the beef producers because we all have stopped going to McD’s due to prices. If we did not stop buying fast food, no one would care. These things are not market economics. The market is not determining price when prices are fixed, or, when there are anti-trust behaviors. It is true there has never beed a pure market economy. We have always tried to twist things to our favor in order to get. rich. One of the roles of Government in the social contract is to regulate behaviors that break the market. Adam Smith’s invisible hand cannot work when we twist market factors. For each of us to have jobs and 401K’s and reasonable chances to make it, there has to be some efforts to make things somewhat balanced. When things get too far to the side of collusion, we kill the goose to get the golden eggs inside and lose.
10.08.2024 The Art of things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Blane prices on Sundar Pichai, well him and the other post founder CEO’s of big tech. Those guys became billionaires and most only increase equity value. But why blame them for high prices? Well, every other CEO saw what money Dundar got and wanted in on the action. Get their wealth while they could. So many, like certain fast food joints, and different other businesses, engaged in prices increases and even risky bets, just to boast their merit pay. They took short term risks vs long term interest in the business. And in many cases they failed, but, they still got multiple millions in merit pay for failing. They were making bets that would have given them hundreds of millions or even billions, had their action worked. Hell of a bet to make, I get 20+ million in performance pay if my plan fails and 100+ billion if it works. Who would not do that? A producer that makes french fries for fast food joints is laying off staff. Fast food meals had increased so much, people had to stop going there. So the suppliers are having to cut back and layoff workers. But, mind you, each CEO made millions in that whole thing. And I will bet money none of them has to give back any cash. Each will at some point be replaced with a new CEO, but the former CEO’s they will just hit the golf course, or it they got billions like Sundar, sail a yacht to the Greek islands or somewhere. Sweet work if you can get it.
10.07.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Being able to cook for myself and just in general, has always been a useful thing. And I am good at it. Good enough that going out to eat is too often disappointing. For some people it is just being seen out. The food is secondary. I am the opposite, the food matters more. And it is relaxing. Doing cyber security can be difficult, so cooking is a creative thing and relaxing. It is not that I will be opening up a bistro anytime soon. Cooking to scale and the 1000 other things you have to do for that, is another matter. But one should be able to make a simple red pasta sauce or roast a whole chicken. Learn that making pan cakes or pie crust, is not that hard. And it is a lot better to get ground sirloin, cheese and buns to make your own cheese burger (leave the McD’s alone). …….
10.03.2024 The Art of Things By the Modern Blue Geezer
I have said before that no one knows where too far is, but we all know when we get there. I think some of that is starting to happen with the way we have acted poorly. Calling everything fake news, saying false things, being mean, etc. At some point we will have taken such things past when it is useful and effective. An event happen where the person speaking could say person X will not attend the interview. Person X they said never said they would do the interview, any video of person X saying so, is fake news. Isn’t it time to just say person X will not do the interview? Is there any value in adding the denial and fake news thing, when we all know what is what? Is it really necessary? All things lose its effectiveness over time. Coaches that yell all the time. end up losing the locker room. All things are like that. Loud does not work forever. And at some point being mean makes you just mean.
10.0.2.2024 The Art of things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Ads and commercial everywhere. The success rate for search ad is 3.17% for display and ads .77% for display ads. The other types are not any better. For most good and services there is the reality where those people who are going to buy are already buying. And there is a good number that will never buy, no matter how many ads that are pushed at them. It begs the question why there are so many ads even with such poor conversion to sales rates. The average 3 minute YouT. be video can have up to 1 minute of ads. And they are just random ads to random videos. Videos and ads that have not link to each other. Taking all the factors together leads me to think it is a blasting attempt to hit everywhere hoping to get the 2% sales success. If anything so many ads everywhere is just numbing us. None of it breaks through . And in the age where companies and politicians just lie about everything, too many ads is a large negative. I have stop watching NFL games because there are so many commercials, the games loses its flow and feels disruptive. One game starting at 11 AM did not reach half time until 12:30, for 30 minutes of game time. Same thing with YouTube where there are so many commercials, I end up clicking away. In some cases a 2 minute video had 1 minute of ads. And taking into account that the ads do not match the topic, these are all ads for things I will not buy any way.
09.28.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
You know, I keep hearing a lot of younger folks stressing about what they don’t have and want. First of all, there are few situations where anyone in their early 20’s get great personal wealth. If you don’t come from fucking wealthy family, or win the lottery, star basket ball player, it takes time and effort to build wealth. And, that does not happen in 9-5 6-figures jobs either. The vast majority of people, going back a hundred years, built wealth over time and owned the business, and/or idea. If you stop to see how hard and how long Bezos, Gates, Jobs, Watson (IBM), etc worked, you will see it take a shit load of work for many, many, many years. Most of us want everything now. We behave like there is some magic thing that gives us wealth at 22 years old. Some young guys are voting for one person or another hoping they will get wealthy. Sure, you always get rich turning over power to us old white guys. We have your back. Really we do. In fact look in the mailbox, that 100 million dollar check should be waiting for you. Truth is it take time, effort, and ownership to get really rich.
09.24.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Your brand and its rep is everything. If you have a product that has the rep of being quality, you better protect that. Boars Head has learned that lesson. They let the quality control in one of their production plants which resulted in deaths of some of their customers. Crown Strike self inflected failures of their product-service causing major disruptions. There are other example, but you get the idea. The question is why is this happening so much more? It likely can be traced back to realize the lowest costs and highest bounces and equity value. There is a very human behavior here; get yours while you can. We tell our selves that once we get our money we will worry about others and the brand. But we don’t do that. Once we have ours, fuck everyone else. No longer our problem. It is not that we have to be a version of Jesus. It is just protect the brand. A lot of that likely means those getting huge wealth needs more direct skin in the game. If your plan blows up , there is a cost to you. If the brand goes into the toilet, you have to pay back money. The way things are now we don’t pay any cost to screwing up. But we should.
09.22.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Getting things right….there is the thing unforced errors. That includes the game chess, different forms of sports, and not spell check a document. The small details and over lapses that make us look bad, or even like an idiot.
09.22.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
We tend to think a lot more is stable and robust in our structures, and our selves. More is fragile than we think. Financial markets and economic frameworks, are in the fragile end of the pool. We cannot just upend things through popularism, and not have things fail. There is work, effort and thinking that does into how we maintain money and government.
09.21.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
If there is anything that age will teach you, is to live your life. Be less a watcher and more a doer. It is way more a gas to be the band. Being the thing others want to follow. The root of following is giving up your power and projecting control to the person or thing you are following. Not everyone can lead the band and be the one others follow. Fair enough. Just be sure to do your own things. Aim not to be the 9-5 person who ask to ask permission to take time off from work to see a band/artist. Again not for everyone. Some people need to be an employee and part of the audience. If that if your limitation , there is no shame in that. However, if you have an original thing or three in you and you are just being a 9-5 and audience, just don’t call your self high value or special. Following is just mailing in life.
09.20.2024 The Art of things by the Modern Blue Geezer
In March of 1979 there was a nuclear disaster at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, almost a super melt down. The plant has been shut down since. But, they are starting it back up. Why, you may ask? Well Microsoft needs the electrical power Three mile will generate. The owners of the plant agreed to sell all the power out-put to Microsoft. Electric power in the hidden scarce resource of the internet age. And standard power sources are tapped out. Both very fast Wifi speeds and AI require a lot of electric power. AI just for the sheer power needs to crunch AI learning (AI needs to learn to be AI) and to get lighting fast Wifi we need lots and lots and lost of data center close to everyone. Those data centers need so much power that power companies are tapped out. They cannot in a growing number of place, provide any more electric power. That has lead to coal fired plants staying in service and new nuclear plants being built (3 in GA alone) and older ones restarted. Anyone under 60 does not know of the nuclear scares of the 1960-1980’s. When we all thought we were going to die from a nuclear plant melt down. In the US we had the Three Mile Island thing and in the former Soviet state Ukraine Chernobyl (which was very serious). No one died in the Three mile, but a lot of people did from Chernobyl. Now this is not an anti-nuke post. It is more a reality to our lack of power. All through-out scifi power has been a topic to solve. Star Trek had dilithium crystals which fuel anti-matter engines. And there are many other examples. In the real world, we have a power problem. One that oil cannot solve and only kick the power problem down the road for a few more years. The two problems with green energy is it needs more space than we have and uses a lot of rare earth materials. That likely means we will start to have more and more nuclear power plants. We do know more how to do nuclear than we did in the 1980’s, but nuclear waste is hard to deal with. And it take just one private company cutting corners to have a Chernobyl. But everyone wants to stream shit so embrace the green glow of radiation.
09.18.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
At some point at some point a hammer is just a hammer, even if you add special colors and hand-grips. Things like iPhone have stopped being useful enough to cover the cost. The next gen of Apple phones are pushing $1500. It will not be more than a few years we are looking at $2000+ apple phones. Things like this become a want and will stop meeting a need. McDonold’s has seen sales go down because their price points out stripped customers available money. Real wages have not kept up with costs. Companies are looking to reduce staffing with AI. Let’s hope the robots working at call centers and making fast food need to buy iPhones and teslas. There will not be enough humans with enough money to buy iPhone 27 at $50,000.
09.16.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Taking a step back from behavior habits…. times and situations change. We get into the habit behaviors. So naturally what we do not do is reviewing if of behavior habits are still being helpful and productive. Sometimes we need to adjust things to be more effective and reach our goals. Just from gaining experience and wisdom from age, we need to see if our habits are not keeping up. Hey we get comfortable and the idea of self review seems un-necessary, but the value is using everything there for us to reach personal goals. If that gives you more wealth, why not do it?
09.14.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Willie Mays - Willie Mays to many was the greatest baseball player of all time or a GOAT.. He hit 660 home runs and had 3228 hits. But as good as he was by the time he was traded to the NY Mets in 1972, his better days were over. He play just 1.5 seasons after joining the Mets. All humans have their good and great seasons. But, age does catch up to all of us. Sooner or later that happens to everyone. The least not aging politicians. And specifically with the Office of the Presidency of the United States. In the time in history being the President of the US is not a real ball buster. The demands are so great that it is likely too much for a single person event a younger one, certainly the ones 79+ to 81+. Sure likeWillie Mays 1972-1973 season, we saw blurbs of GOAT days, but more over the hill days. Sometime we and they need to face reality and not pin our hopes on the old guys. And the old guys need to face reality and retire while we still hope for more.
09.12.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
In many of the form Soviet countries (including Ukraine), people don’t small in public. Spending a lot of time in Ukraine I had to learn the art of a neutral facial expression. Before that I would standout as an American. The question you should ask is why is that, the neutral facial expression? Simply, during the Soviet Union days these countries were under authoritarian rule. People could and were arrested and sent to a Gulag just for the wrong facial expression. The state had that much control. I can tell when someone in Ukraine says something wrong. No one rolls their eyes or gets a look on their face. No. Their faces kind of freeze. Their reaction is to try and not show any reaction. This is learned behavior from the authoritarian state days. And that is after almost 30 years of the Soviet Union being gone. That speaks to how brutal authoritarian rule is. Even now in the US we have people running for office who want to imprison people for slights to them. Some have some romantic idea if their side gets to be in control and rule, life will be great. But authoritarian rule come for everyone and rules everyone.
09.10.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
For different reasons, companies disconnect staff and customers. That is, they do not see cutting their own staffs as having any impact on market demands. Most treat staffing cuts as a free lunch with little direct cost to them. In a micro sense that is true, but not in the greater sense. As every company cuts staff and adopts tools that replace human workers with software and robots, that reduces customers. Economies work when there is a good balance of income to the average consumer vs cost. If customers do not have money to spend it does not matter what the next phone will do (when it starts costing $2000). All markets have a limit who can and will buy goods and services. Even if Apple could sell an iPhone to every 8 billion people, there are not unfound pockets of new customers. It was E Musk who stated that soon they will not need employees, but suggested governments provide “high” income to people, so they can keep buying his cars and shit. In a scifi book I read there were not a lot of cars on the roads because peoples income was from the government and people could not afford a car. like I said there is a disconnect between production and customers. The producers still need to sell but don’t want staff; but the money to buy has to come from somewhere?!
09.09.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
AI…solve less problems at this point than the hype. Why? companies are so quick to reduce cost (labor costs), that they apply AI to what has been done by most call centers. As someone who came up in tech the old school way of first working a help desk. Help desks have always been tiered where level techs field questions. Then depending on the question, the call got passed up to more experienced techs, level two and three. A couple weeks ago I got a phishing email about missing a payment from a service I use (which I have auto pay setup). I checked my online account and could see that very thing was okay. However, I wanted to verify that there was nothing floating out there, so I tried contacting the vendor. What I got was AI hell. The tools in place are ready to answer what is my balance or went is my payment due? But I can get that myself from the online interface. If I am calling you (the vendor) I have something more difficult to answer. The AI tools are little more that call tree software at this point. That meaning it still does not proved much real help. But, after companies have gutted their call center people there are too few real people who can help. Once I did get through to a person, they were helpful but rather rushed. The ugly truth is the remaining real people are fielding a lot of calls the AI tool is thought to handle. Management just sees lower staffing costs so a little customer ill will is an okay trade off. AI is really there for two reasons, save staffing costs and have something new to sell. But that is the dirty secret of technology, it is not invent to make life better. It is there to create markets.
09.09.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Sometimes we hold on to things when we should let go. It is hard to be honest with our selves and take chances instead of avoiding chance. Stoics teach everything is an opportunity. We learn from mistakes and changes. And when we build up our abilities and skills, changes and opportunities are welcomed gifts from the universe. When we are holding on for dear life to something, that is a sign we doubt ourselves.
09.06.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Peter Frampton sang show me the way. Is Texas showing us what an authoritarian American government will be like? They have suing to stop a rule that shields women’s medical records when a woman has reproductive health procedures in another state. That follows where the state attorney sued Travis county to block voter registrations, and other related voting. Texas does seem to be showing us the way to authoritarian way of life. No wonder Musk moved there, you know they guy who this Big T men should run everything. Seems like big government and Iranian style social control. Freedoms, not so much.
09.05.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
In economics there is the concept of private and public good. An example of a private good would be your car and a public one, a light house. These things do cross boundaries as your car can be used to be an Uber driver. The basic point is public goods are often left to the government to provide. Things we need but for which markets will for cannot provide. This leads to the prior post about insurance. Will the governments have to start providing insurance? We see in other countries with socialized health systems how that works (good or bad, like or not). And in my example I am not touting socialism, but rather has the realities of insurance made it have to be a public good. We see in Florida the state is already having to be the insurer of last resort (where no market provider will). In the social pack at the root of society and government, the governments are to provide that which society needs but the markets cannot. So yes, it is very possible that we will have insurance as a public good and some form of nationalized healthcare. And for those who don’t know the difference between national and socialized healthcare, national taxes pay for your healthcare and medical staffs/centers are for private, and socialized the government runs the whole thing.
09.04.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Things we may see and in some case are seeing. The taxi insurance company American Transit, who covers 60% of the NYC area market is insolvent with a $700 million dollar loss. This is a first sign of a greater problem in the insurance markets. We have already see national home owner insurance brands pulling out of coastal markets where huge storms are wiping out a lot of houses, cars and businesses. Too much to cover at the policy rate pricing. That, at the same time we the customers can’t afford the prices as they are. Cars are down so machine and computer complicated that simple damage is now costly. Just like with an iPhone, replacing a cracked screen is not just a new bit of glass. Whole tech parts are built into it. Same with your Tesla. This is a bigger problem that you may think at first. One that will not be solved by culture and ways of life voting. The industry may die. The same could be said for professional sports. Not enough people can go to enough games at a price they can pay, to support pro sports. Up to now TV and Ads have been covering the difference. But that is showing strains. May just be time changes things. Like milk being dropped at your door step, doctors doing house calls, or news papers, insurance and pro sports could go away. and since houses and cars require insurance to have, this will be interesting. Will banks provide a $500,000 mortgage for your Florida house that may be wiped out two weeks later? Likely not.
09.03.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
… a lot more ops! A cold cuts with a rep for quality lacks quality and sanitation controls. A major security app shuts down a lot of shit (no QA testing). A major US car company has millions of recalls and miss reads their markets. All that while realizing huge record profits. This is the age where short term profits out weights quality and long term market share. If you have a 401K and/or an equity portfolio (investment income), you may want to care about the lack of long term focus on quality and repeat customers. Having investments is not gambling where you hope for a big score and then sit on cask. Most wealth is grown and kept following long term habits. With holding your wealth and growing it over time in mind, we should start asking companies what their long term strategies are. It does not help us if XWZ CEO got $20 billion if the company is in the toilet five years after she/he have left to sail their boat around the mediterranean.
09.02.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
In this time frame, things are difficult for young men. It was not them that dominated life and were the privileged class. But they are paying the price none the less. First each age his its own shit and problems. And there is no perfect answer; there never has been. Many younger guys say they have no close friends. That is not an easy thing to deal with. And worse when so many girls call them toxic (being true or not). The first thing I would say to young men is use this time. Focus on handling being a independent guy. Work on your abilities and skills. Build personal wealth (note to everyone under 35, save money now, your 60+ self will thank you). The first step is learning to be cool doing your own thing. When you get that everything else is easier. Buddhism would say it as being happy inside your self and not seek your happiness outside your self. The street version is learn to handle your own shit and progress. Either expression is first learn to be cool on your own. Second build you skills and abilities. Then build personal wealth. Be forward looking. Today is just today and does not mean you cannot build what you want. Don’t be discouraged not having things now. Just work forward and build it step by step.
08.26.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Okay, many CEO’s are not paid super crazy well because they bring in business or produce the best products. No it is more the stock price. You can search for the 10 most product recalls and how much the CEO of the worse product recall makes, and you will want to cry. Most of the time these CEO’s make 1.5 to 4 million in salary, and then 10’s of million in performance and other categories. This is the case even when 8.6 million of one companies products were recalled in just 2022. The CEO of this unnamed company made over 20 million that year. For most of us even a single mistake gets us canned or at least no salary increases. But the person at the top can largely fail and still get paid millions. There is one product I have had five of (something that costs over $20,000), but I have held off purchasing from them because they have the most recalls in their industry. These are the same companies who want to use AI and robots to keep profits high and costs low. Nice. However, we are seeing more and more cases where the price of the good is too high to not lose market share, but the CEO gets record performance pay. As someone who invests in stocks for investment income, I want more attention to the quality of the goods and services of these companies. I need them to consider their performance over the next 20 years not short term things that boast performance pay.
08.21.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
The Public Subconscious…is a root cause of a lot of conflict. That is, sub-sub-sub-subconsious ‘s. The idea that there is a shared set of ideas and values breaks down because public subconscious drifts from geo-location to geo-location. Everyone who grew up in Texas or New York shares a sense of values (more or less). Those values makes sense to people in that geo-location. It does not match when people from Texas or NewYork go somewhere different. And the conflict part comes not from different geo-location public subconscious, but our inability to see different places have different perspectives. When all our neighbors see things as we do, that is proof of our universal values, though it is not. Just because everyone on your street likes tacos, does not mean everyone does (they should but okay).
08.15.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Necessity is the mother of invention. That is why some very smart people do shit with their lives. If nothing seems to be wrong and you are comfortable, why look for answers to no questions. Then there are problems that are the mother of inventions. After the Ukraine war, where Russia invaded another country, a lot of things will have come out of that which no one thought would happen for could happen. Like Ukraine forces making a bomb out of a Toyota Mirai Hydrogen car, a robot combat dog, or just invading Russia back. Necessity is the mother of invention. So don’t put some smart people into a spot they have to be creative to survive.
08.14.2024 the Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Beware of False Prophets and be careful what you wish for…
Projection of our personal beliefs into someone else is an all too common a behavior. We often do that with our favorite bands and actors, and people running for political leadership. We a line our own values and wants into them, even when they are no where even close to being those things. But, we can fool ourselves to see and believe anything. The question is what happens when the people we project into fail and their faults are displayed? More often than not we just pretend we never projected in the first place.
……wishing for something. The Taliban have been ruling Afghanistan for three years now, and the former fighters now have desk jobs. They spend 8+ hours a day filling out paper work and even attending, wait for it, staff meetings. All for a little less than $90 a week. Ending up with a low end desk job doing mind numbing paperwork, was not what they expected. Again, be careful what you wish for, what you get may not be all that wonderful.
08.13.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Pricing….. an example. I have some tree limbs from by cherry tree to cut up (broken off from a storm). It is not a lot of wood to cut. But it is bulky enough and big enough to need a chain saw. However, a basic chain saw is around $300 bucks, or more. Too much money for a task which will take 30 minutes. and then hang in the garage. And then be too excessive a tool for pruning needs in the garden. The real kicker is the $300-400+ chain saw are not stout enough if you need one every day for heavy use. These $300-400 range models are sort of cheap goods. Not good enough for heavy user, but not cheap in cost. There are mini chain saws which are okay for general pruning yard work, but I have tree limb with enough girth to make a mini pruning chain saw whimper. It is a guess but a good bet that 50% of the price is profit. Just like some laptops that cost $5000+ , it does not cost them or the chain saw maker more than 25% of the price to produce it. And the average life span of a $300+ chain saw is not years. Most will fail in 1-3 years forcing a repurchase. So the tree branches sit there waiting and waiting.
08.12.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Financial market analysts are now talking about people reacting to high prices by just not buying. And how that is taming inflation without (yet) causing recessions. At the same time we saw Cloud Strike security software maker cause a broad outage due to poor product quality control. There are two driving factors in corporations right now, have the lowest costs posable (which starts with having the fewest employees possible and paying them the least they can), and making every penny possible (which generally means both the compensation of senior managers is the highest they can get and equity return on investment is the biggest possible). Often high price is a function of scarcity, such as higher temps in Olive Oil producing area, have lower crop yields, with normal+ demands, has increased prices. However, higher prices have been more a function of profit than scarcity. When increasing pricing exceeds the actual demand, and everyone is jumping on that bad wagon, it depresses demand. People just stop buying. And when you have too few staff trying to do too many things, you start to get poor quality control. That leads to crappy products that no one can afford to buy. But still, now in the news, they talk about how people are cutting back spending because prices exceed their income. Kind of like going out walking in the rain and realizing you get wet. When they make products as cheap as the can, have the fewest employees the can, and pay the staff the least they can, that turns into, costumers stop buying. There is minimalism (a value of not over buying) and then there is you don’t have money to buy. E Musk not long ago stated that in the future they will not need employees so consumers will need to have a high income provided by the government. That translates to, we the product makers still want to have the fewest employees possible, but still sell as much as they can. That just puts a point on why prices are so high. The product producers are more focused on ROI and less so on their markets. Mr Musk sees that he still needs customers, but if all of them do not have employees, the money to buy must come from somewhere else. For now, we see a simpler result, buyers cannot buy at the current price levels with the income they have.
08.07.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Time brings change but time bring knowledge. Think back to summers of 2008, 2016, 2020, and 2024 (let alone 1976). In the summer of 1976 I worked at a Pizza Hut, which had a table top Pacman game. There were no cell phones or laptops. Hell, we did not have even desktop PC’s. AID’s was yet to come. Biden and Trump were about 30 years old. Coins were made of metal (thought in Biden/trumps case they may have traded sheep or something). Fast forward to today, we have Bit Coins, smart phone soon to have AI, and these days even Meta platforms have ads for drugs! Back in 1976 we had to drive or seedy parts of NYC for that. In 1976 everyone had guns, but no one shot anyone over being cut off in traffic or at school. In many ways 2024 is so much more a wild wild west than the 1960’s or 70’s. Back then, to be gay was not accepted. But there are good things now like modern medicine and girls can be more than teachers and nurses. Some people want to roll back individual rights we tried to give in the 1960’ and 70’s. 70’s clothes came back, bell bottoms and what have you, for what ever reason. And then there is still Pizza Huts and Pacman. Record players are back. So not everything has gone to hell.
The Art of Things - By the Modern Blue Geezer
There is a take of the old saying that your home is your castle. And I will add that Kingdom ends at the boundary of your property. Every other space out here is either someone else’s space or (More importantly ) Public space. The public spaces are the community. You don’t own it and your value system has to share it with every other value and cultural system. In public , in the community, we must live well with it (as the stoics say). A lot of conflict arises from thinking everywhere we go out preferences prevail. You may think everyone has to wear only white shirts like they did in IBM in the 1950-1960’s. But the preferences of people are so varied that most of them are a minority. And as much as you want to think your way is the one true way, it is not. Not even close. And surprise, there is no one true way. Do what you want in your own space, be cool in public, and distrust any government that wants to create a standard set of things.
07.23.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
When is it time to hang up the game and accept father time? Athletes and politicians seem to have the hardest time coming to grips with that. It is human nature to hold onto the game. Your memories still see your younger self in the mirror. We can see when athletes have lost a step or two. And at some points the teams just let you go. Not so much with politicians. That group tries to hold on. Maybe it is the power of political office and not love of the game. In the last few years we have seen more and more aging politicians struggle, but stay in office and others still run for office. Even when it is time to retire and hit the golf course or fish. Some people do get it. Eddie Murphy when making the latest Beverly Hills Cop, was asked to run down some stairs faster. Eddie being 64 replied, don’t ask the 64 year old Eddie to do anything would not ask Morgan Freeman to do. Somethings at some point becomes a young persons game. We don’t need 78 or 81 year old men running a government. And besides being too old to handle the work, values change. What was common at 24 or 34 has changed by 64 (let alone 78-82). Us older folks are still valuable and have roles, it is just time to pass the torch.
07.22.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
These days people like to refer to them selves as “High Value”. High value is like a book, you don’t know if it is any good until you read it, absorb it, and it meets the test of time. As much as many want to believe that the universe can just look at them and see all your merits, we can’t. Too often calling your self high value is just a way to justify poor behavior. You maybe high value and the full happy meal, but no one knows that without interacting with you. It is a negative human trait we think everyone can see what we think and feel. It is clear to us so everyone must see it too? But no, that is a human flaw. Hard to break too. Back in the day two people just liked each other and figured it out.
07.16.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Tech what I use the most.
I work in tech. In that world I use Mac, Linux and Windows. In the day job I use Windows mostly, though in other jobs I used all three. You can say I am a power user. And I do a mix of crearive and techie stuff. I use a MacBook Air mostly for creative things writing, video editing, things like that. For hard core security engineer things I use a Linux laptop. I have a Windows laptop for personal use, put I use it the least overall. In a job I use Windows, Microsoft office and collaboration apps and web apps. Personal writing I I use LibreOffice. Microsoft Word was a good app but now it is all cloud. I don’t want to connect to “The Cloud” every time I need to write something. That solution is just away to lock you into them. With LibreOffice I can just write without distractions. And it works on Linux and Mac. I use Linux laptops for security tech needs. It is just easier to install and use the many tools security engineer/sysadmin use. Linux can be loaded on most laptops and run well with less system resources. Cheaper to have and use. A Mac is too expensive for what it does (and I am a power user). With Linux and the tools I use operate in a specific focus. Not everything is integrated. It is a cleaner use model. Apple just works (mostly) but it works in prescribed ways. That works most of the time. I use a Mac basically for Final Cut Pro and Air Drop photos from an iPhone to the Mac desktop. But getting a simple tool like NMAP on Apple or Windows is a pain. In Linux a simple command line to install (most of the time). My System76 Linux laptop I just type a tool name and if it is not install it tells me it is not but here is the command to add it.
07.15.2024 The Art of Thing by the Modern Blue Geezer
What would you do to get financial security and power? Maybe better, what would be too far for you? Today CEO’s get paid even if their choices fail and really get paid when it works. Humans we will do a lot to get things and even more to hold onto it. We will find ways to excuse what we do for our own benefit, while judging ours. Be that king, judge, common person, or political leader. And for many once you have money, it is power that we crave. And power can be the worse drug of all.
06.24.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
It maybe true that we are at our root more devil than saint. We aim to be the special group that gets all the good stuff. We sure don’t believe in being equal. That special point in time when we embrace our truer self, like in Star Trek where everyone works to better than selves and the world. We are more Star Wars and Darth Vador wins man of the year. No one says we experienced xyz crimes so let us show you the higher self. No, they act to protect their selves and do equally bad shit to others. Even now there are those that want to re-write the bible because turn the other cheek does not line up with their political values (yet some how believe it is still their gods words, go figure). So yeah we are devils and not saints.
06.16.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Pockets..that is pockets on the left breast on a shirt. This was a common part of shirts (specifically dress shirts), for a long time. But this feature has started to fall out of favor in recent years. I still prefer them, and not just because I need one to put my reading glasses and a pen. Part of that is not wanting a lot of things in my pants pockets. Nor, do I carry enough things to need a backpack. I use a phone more for communication and a few other things. And I like watches to tell me the time the phone does give me the date). The truth is I like being as minimal as possible when I am out and about. Sure, there are a lot of people who want to sell us to carry and use their products and services on phones. Some of that to me is a means to program us to buy. None the less I still want shirts with pocket on the left side of the shirt. A personal like if you need.
05.19.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
There is one thing to keep in mind about technology, it’s not about solving a problem. It is mostly about making money. With the advent of the “Web” and Wifi, mobile devices, app this and that, there has been a race to be first into new spaces and/or finding a niche, and getting insanely rich. If you see the wealth many now big tech founders got, you would chase that pig too. The whole AI thing may or may not do as much good or bad as predicted, right now everyone is chasing the rabbit hoping to cash in on the next big thing. The one thing getting in the way of a new round of nimble start-ups is AI is hugely expense to train and run. Right now it cost over $100 million to train and AI model. It also requires huge processing power and CPU’s you can’t get from Radio Shack (Okay yes a throw back and yes they are out of business). Only the very big tech companies can do it. But, the dream of being the next Jeff Bezos or Musk, is a grand motivator. Yeah, you may thread the needle and be worth $100 Billion from you AI start-up ID. The true is the tech-cycle that started with the web and iPhones has run its course. There is no longer huge growth in all those things. Back in the day you could make millions creating an app, not so much now. So, everyone need the nest big thing to cash-in-on. That is the whole point of AI. It is not to solve anyones or the worlds problems.
05.07.2024
There two good things we should each have in our lives, personal space and community. Be it the stoics who said we need to focus what is important to us today, and live well in life. In that idea is responsibility by the individual to do both. It is being personally responsible for building yourself to add value. And seeing value in someone if a function of your deeds, behavior, and work. Then too, don’t be a sucker. Different people and situations will suck you dry if you let them. So show up, do well, but exit if the situation is not win-win.
05.01.2024
It is just a personal perspective, but the two bad things are Hamas and Netanyahu. They are the two forces preventing a moderation in the overall conflict. Both have self interest for there to be conflict. And it is about power and control. People just want a normal life where they can have coffee, go to a movie, and just normal life activities. The other thing is no one was really paying attention before the attack and reaction. No one was demanding anything really. Everyone just looked the other way. The other issue is what happens when we give power to someone(s) who want power. Netanyahu gained office by partnering with groups who wanted more settlements in the West Bank. It is his lust for power that drives the bus. The same can be said for Hamas and their leadership loving power. While basic people suffer the Hamas leadership wears nice suits and lives in nice hotels out of the Gaza Strip. Power corrupt. And power has but one value, protect power. yes, Geo-policical conflict is a bitch.
04.30.2024
There is nothing in human behavior that is set in stone. Yes, we have things baked into us over the ages, and we have generations that act as a community subconscious which effects us. We each can make choices to change most anything in behavior or cultural. People done that since before we boomer, next-gen, and gen-z. Humans can envision and act. The trick is to get information and the root of things close to correct. And that needs critical thinking and a mind that looks to understand all the inputs before emotional responses. Many of us just expect things go a way we want and rage against who we think is at fault. Through the ages those who won and got rich saw past the emotional want to the opportunity. And each gen as faced their own version of that. John Rockefeller started as a book keep at the age of 16 at a time of poor economy, and died one of the riches people who has lived. He just made it happen and keep calm as all times.
04.28.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
…Timing is everything, for it to be easier. If you were part of the Silent generation, everything was setup rather nicely for you. True individuality was not the most reward thing, but in terms of overall doing well, it was a golden era. Today, different generations, like Millennials, fear they will not be better off than their parents. That is both true and maybe not so much. Life is not so much linear and progressive as humans tend to view things, but rather things go in cycles. Because of that there is no written in stone that each generation will do better. Earlier cycles made us think that each age would keep doing better (as our human view that things are linear). There has been a bunch of this that has made it less for sure, like the pandemic. But, and a big but, this is a time when we have more resources to drive our own path to doing well. During the Silent generation, everything was setup to join and IBM and things went fine for them. They could not create their own company as easy as we can today. The kicker was you had to fit into the system back then. Today you can come up with the next cool than and make it big. We can’t, you can’t join xyz job and easy slow walk your self into all you want just having a job. Today we have to want to do our own thing. That is not for everyone. Sorry if that is you. Now you have to bring something you created. The good is you can do that if you try. Now you can go from nothing to big shit. Back in the IBM days you had to fit into the norm and keep you head down. No one got rich. They just had good income and lived like everyone else. That was enough. So ask your self, do you want okay and just put into your 40 hours? Few jobs at ant gen got super rich just working for someone and fitting in.
04.10.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
People need a thing. By that I mean a fad they can feel cool about doing. In London the latest thing is taking the classic martini and adding a twist (or so they say). But, mind you, it is not a martini. It is just a cocktail (in its essence). But why? If you have a bar and you make your own custom cocktail and it is based around gin/vodka and dry vermouth, and you alter that somehow or add additional things, no one will care, much. But if everyone says it is a classic martini with a twist, and it catches now, it is a thing and fad. A few people saying they are going to a cocktail bar to try a new signature cocktail, no big deal. But, to say, we are going out to have martinis with a twist as the fad thing, well we feel cool. Why we need such things is a good question. Why we need to exhibit an activity that others will get and thus belonging, as something to do with it. That stands in contrast to a sense of self and doing things you personally like. It is like everyone was hot into minimalism and then moved on to the next thing. Most largely missed minimalism being about behaviors (why we buy). It was a thing, for a while, until it was not, just like martinis with a twist, is now a thing, and it will be until, it will not be a thing. And where did I put my brandy bunch clothes I wore in the 1970’s?
04.08.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
You may not like it, but, social media neutered edgy. Why? Well, because it is everywhere online. It is hard to look bad and edgy when there are 10.000’s other people just like you. Being edgy use to work because we encountered such a person so rarely, it stood out. These days looking edgy, looks like you are trying. The authenticness of it is now buried in too many Instagram accounts. Just like with bikini and gym rat girls, they all look the same. There are just too many. It has dulled everyone’s sense. So much so, it is now just boring. It is eating lobster every day, day after day, after day. Get enough of them in a room and it would be, who is barbie again, who is Ken? Raise your hand you all look alike.
04.06.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
I saw said the blind man though he could not see….most people assume what they think in their heads is the way the whole world is. I know one guy who is always super pissed at everything because no one does what he things is right. So what is learning? The development of learning says we build a schema of knowledge and then build off that. Then the science method teaches we try something and observe the outcome. Good so far? Then why is the guy I know always missing the world does not follow what he thinks? Why do we each do super dumb shit somethings. And in some cases never learn it was wrong and bad? The first reason is objectivity is a learned skill. From being objective is to understand experiences are varied; we are not talking hard sciences but human behavior. It is starting with the understanding that we have bias behaviors (selection bias for one). Then there is what Carl Jung called collective subconscious, a share of common understands that are not universal, and are almost regional. These things make for a super varied set of ideas and understandings. But we assume we are right and take actions based on the assumption we are right. This is kind of what different political tribes get so mad at each other. The assume they see the true way and the other side is dumb or evil, and they think the same thing in reverse. Back to being objective. Being objective is a bitch. So few people actually do it that those of us who do are strange. If you are prone to believing what you think is reality, someone trying to be objective does not come across to well. But nonetheless more people becoming objective is the way to greater agreements and peace. A way to examine a permious and test it. Are we right? Objective looks at the question honestly.
03.20.2024 The Art of Thing by the Modern Blue Geezer
Would you buy a car or a rolex watch from someone who whines that people are being unfair to them? Maybe the same stuff from someone who makes shit up or lies. How about putting money into a bank that uses it for bank managers personal bills? Maybe a doctor who believes an unproven cure on you because they believe it? These days we see and hear people who are in leadership or management positions doing the whining and lying, and so on and so on. And the funny part is the average person will defend it all. That is if they share the same ideas, culture, and values (though projection is acceptable here. You only need to think they match you). With all the crazy shit we do now, it is amazing we don’t kill ourselves making toast. Some days the line seems that close.
03.18.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
We think we know things, really often we think we know when we do know really know. A person asked another person if they had heard something a politician had said that was kind of bad and nasty. I first person asked what was said to the other person told him. Oh no that politician did not say that, you have a phone show me. So the 2nd person di. Oh that is a statement taken out of context, show me the politician saying this in video! Well the first person would never accept the statement was true. Sometimes what we want to believe can be the strongest evidence. We want to believe something and we project our want into things, But such things is why internet scams work so well. Everyone wants to get rich quick and easy, and everyone wants to believe that super hot guy/girl is into them, we believe anything that supports our desires. And I am not making a moral argument. Being scammed on the internet is close to being dumb as a rock and blindly accepting believes is in the same pile. No one like to be fooled, though we don’t seem to mind fooling ourselves.
03.13.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
When we think of Green Things, such as cars, there is actually dirty side to Green (as in environment). There is a whole production side to the products and services that we use. The cell phone for example, to get the components has small as they are to fit, and computer chips that go into everything, use a huge amount of energy and water to produce. It is not that gas powered cars are okay either. There is a real cost to the production of green products and services. Most mobile devices cannot be repaired and marketing pushes us to buy a new phone every 18 months. The old old ends up trash somewhere (mostly). Going forward, we need to demand they use less resources and energy to produce things, and make more laptops, phones, and washing machines fixable.
03.11.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Want and achieve are very different things. I am sure that has always been the case. As has the perception that is was easier to reach the wants in the past. No one got the top jobs right away. Actually, most never did. If you started as an engineer at IBM in the 1950s, you stayed an engineer for 40 years. Those were the days many people worked their whole life at one company. True they received a pension (companies would pay you a benefit for service over 40+ years). But few climbed the ranks because no one left their job. Starting a company was a lot less common. To day you just need a laptop, cell phone, wifi, and a good idea, and you can make millions. That of course means taking a chance and hard work. I am told younger generations are less okay with risk. Ulike the Baby Boomers who are said to be more risk takers. Safety over risk. But my guess is the road to riches has always been about the hard work. We can want a job to pay us huge money for limited hours, but business is run by individuals who want huge money too. They hold the keys to the kingdom, so they get to win. So if you want things, getting them means taking the risk over the safety.
03.08.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
There are a few things that maybe broken and could go away, or at least be diminished. #1 Fast Food. Fast Food has been there because it was cheap. We tried good for fast and cheap. We never swung through the golden arches for the fine dining. How it can cost $15-22 bucks for a combo. #2 Professional sports. We are seeing NFL cutting key players because they cannot cover all the salaries (for different reasons). But, like the cost and price of many things, professional sports just may be starting to cost more than we can afford to pay. #3 Marriage. Our values have so swung to the me-me-me that few if anyone will ever reach their golden wedding anniversary. And everyone thinks they are high value and deserve something for it. #4 Apple products. They just cost too much. Who really needs a $7000 laptop? #5 Church. Many church goers cry there is a war on church, people just are not into the habit anymore. It is not that we hate you, were are just not interested. Many may disagree. Personal preferences are strong forces in many. But things change. Back in the 1970s we had roller rinks and game arcades, but both of those mostly died off. In the 1960s drive-ins. Things come and then go.
03.07.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
You may wonder why I never made it as a stand up comic…………………………?…………………….. timing. A lot of success can be because of timing and luck. If you put $10,000 in an S&P 500 index fund and never touched or added to it, you would have something like $1.2 million. If you could have purchase a house in metro Denver in 1992, you could have gotten a California Bungalow for $75,000. Most of us would like to think we were clever and smart. But a lot of doing well is time period you jumped in, and what family you were born into. Today if you want to buy a house and a full size truck, ya need a lot more cabbage than in 1992. Sorry those is the breaks. Times come and go. If you got a mortgage in the 1980’s the interest rates were around 15%+. People are shocked seeing 7% rates. But back then a cheese burger, fries, and soda did not cost $18-22 bucks. And as I point out there can be smart choices that take time to be something good. Most people want it all now. Good luck with that. And if you find yourself in a less than wonderful time, look forward. Look at where the possibilities will be. Don’t get caught up in the best life now. That means you are willing to settle for close when some time gets you more.
03.06.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
They say there has not been any new big rock bands since the 1990’s. The last big band were the Foo Fighters. Not counting individual acts (so it seems) there has not been rock bands that fill an arena since then. As Kiss, Rush, Aerosmith, Springsteen, U2 (the whole band , sorry old joke), Metallica, and so on. Why is that? One reason is there are less places to play music. Back in my teens through 20’s, there were a lot of bars with live bands on Friday and Saturday nights. In the 60s and 70s we all wanted to be in a band. So many 60-70s band started in a garage. Metallica did. The Rush guys were in multiple bands around their Canadian home town. Then they toured and toured and toured. Dave Grohl did a film about bands tour in a van when they started. Guys saw Clapton or the Beatles and wanted a guitar. And maybe a harder point to sell but, we don’t have the same value of partnerships. We are individuals first. We don’t think in terms of band chemistry. It is me first. That makes it hard to start a band, play in a garage, the a bunch of bars, and then tour in a van (to play for 8 people). And sadly, all the bands from the 60,70,80,90s are hanging it up. The Kiss guys are 70+. All the Rolling Stone, who seem to defy age.
03.05.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
I was thinking about arting, paintings specifically. I was thinking about what the perception of a modernist painting from the 1950’s would be today? Many people never thought of art as an expression of social commentary. Paintings were statements and it poked fingers into eyes of many viewers. Today many just see a painting as boring still thing hanging on a wall. A few see paintings in the form of skill. How easy or hard do they perceive it would be to paint it? Maybe like many things painting have seen its time in the spotlight and it can no longer poke any eyes. Maybe there are other forms of expression to reach others with a message. I hope not. For me painting is a difficult form of expression. That is if I want to communicate more than just my skills. Can I and other artist get through to you without being extreme? Can others pick up the quieter works of art? Maybe and maybe not. But, it is worth a try.
03.04.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
The is a book called the Fourth Tuning. It goes into mapping out how we have had 80-100 year cycles of time. Not like seasons of Spring, summer, fall, and winter, but more like an individual life span that has a beginning and an end. What I find interesting is humans tend to see time as a continuation of things. A sense of normal or off. We make choices not based on the tunings, the cycle of time. We make choice more what we think should be. Many will vote in coming elections and make a choice based on the price of say gas or some other good. Show our displeasure the normal was off target. What we do not see is maybe the current form of capitalism has run its course. We may be willing to give up rights to return to the hope for $2 gas. We may shift from thinking government is not there to protect us from the negatives. Not so much socialism, but rather, but should there be big government agencies. We we return to the idea of community and our role in that, and be less individualistic? Some want a dictator (though history shows those person care more about power and not someone’s values, and they likely will take your guns). Many would say, including the author of the referenced book, that we are at the end of a cycle. That fundamental chances will come. The philosophy see that as a abstract benefit. The rubber hitting the road likely will suck as things shift.
02.27.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Sorry but a good deal of the time our personal logic is fucking wrong. The simplest of things can be clouded in our judgements and values. We think things are cool, I got this. But mostly we are watching too many movies and TV shows where the hero has it all correct. The fundamentals learning suggest we learn as we go with trying something and having it go right or wrong, then building a. structure around it. It seems to make sense. If we stick our hands in a fire as a kid, we don’t often repeat that lesson. However, with more complex shit, all bets are off. Somewhere between the hand in the fire lesson and now, we learned to explain away results we do not like. There is some deeper set of factors that are breaking learning and boosting lying to ourselves. I am not sure who is studying this. More people think there are universal truths. but maybe not as much as we think. Humans are not easy.
02.20.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Micro-visions…. having a map thought out for where you want to get to maybe filled with smaller bits. The general road map is in your sight, but, there will be little side streets that come up in life. That is just the way life works. It changes and goes directions we cannot foresee. So just keep your eyes on greater map and make choices based on moving forward to it.
02.19.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
I just read the Scifi Novel I Robot. I started reading the original books that were made into movies, and I had seen the movie(s). The books are very often so every different that the movies. In some case there is just a hint or whisper of the novel in the movie. The I robot novel and the Will Smith movie version are not very close. But in many cases the novel as is may not be as interesting as a movie. I robot was a running history of the robots developing thinking over 100’s of years. Snippets of time and robots growing. That works in hours long writing but to detailed for a 90 minute film. And there was not a Will Smith character in the film. The original Frankenstein was fairly close. The book/movie War of the Worlds were different. The novel was in England and in the time cannons were hauled by horse. But germs killed the Martians in the end. I personally liked the 1950’s space age movie version. But like are subjective.
02.18.2024 The Art of things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Some are asking…why are there so many beeping commercials? Paid access to music and TV that was supposed to be ad free as part of the payment, are adding ads. Social media like YouTube, Meta, etc, blast us with ad after ad, and then even more of them. Some Youtube videos of less than two minutes, have a minute of ads. A reason for all the ads has its root in maxing profits now. That is more a both the individuals that gain from collecting profits now instead over a 5-10 cycle (which used to be the norm. Creating ads gives the decision maker. a feeling of control over gaining the large personal wealth. It is similar to RTO problem, in that, some of the leader motivation is having the feeling of control over the situation. With ads, creating and posting more and more gives the decision maker the feeling they are taking active actions to max wealth. This is the case even though a lot of the analytical data shows that blasting ads is a lot less effective than the posters realize. But the action of choosing to post a lot of ads, feels active and slower targeted strategies feels more passive. That and I want it all now not 10 years from now, drives the aggressive posture of flooding ads to sell to us more and more in a week, day, and hour, or, in a 2 minute video ad. But too many ads to often have the reverse effect. Humans start to tune them out. Stop consuming the platforms used to deliver the ads. And the few people who may have been who ads could connect to, is a random thing. I have had ads directed at me in a language I do not speak. I gets ads for versions of products, say a dishwasher, after I purchased a dishwasher already. It take more research and effort to discover who would buy something, and creating message for them and delivered too them. The common practice just blast ads out here multiple times an hour and hope it lands somewhere.
02.13.2024 The Art if Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
….Hey CEO of Home Depot, want some. cheese with that whine? The CEO of Home Depot was complaining in the press that lately everyone is starting to point out that companies are adding extra dollars to their goods and services, to make extra profit. Well slick Eddie (Decker) wants to blame labor cost for all the inflation. Ed remember your freshman economics, 3/4 of the economy is consumer spending. If you and your friends increase the price of things with wages staying flat (which they have for a long time), there is no one to buy what you are selling. It is all good and well, tell yourself, your market is safe from paying low wages and increasing prices. You guys have jumped the shark. You all have burned through years of prices. You all have exceeded the point where customers can buy enough from all the companies to keep you all in business. Auto loan defaults are at an all time high. No one can afford $100K trucks (not enough of us that is). Apple laptops can push $7000 bucks. A McD Big Mac in one store was $18. The average income in the US in 2023 was $67k. The average total compensation for CEOs in 2023 was $1.3 million. Sooner or later the math of it all has to sink in. As an investor, the lack of understanding by companies how their markets work, is disappointing. And when you complain in public you have to pay your staffs, I think, ahhh, maybe I don’t want to buy products where management and staff are fighting in public. I don’t what to by a truck from a CEO who won the battle and all his workers are pissed off. Yes sure your workers will whistle happy tunes on their way to work.
02.12.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
…someone asked what is the Art of Things and a Modern Blue Geezer? They are a mix of me and my realities and perspectives. The basic meaning of The Art of Things is mostly about our behaviors and thinking. Applied to Minimalism, it is less stuff but better things. It is not a belief system or 12 step program. It is just the general idea we need less stuff, and the more specific behaviors why we get or need things. And just why we behavior. The Modern Geezer is the pragmatic realist I am. Adding my creativity with the Blue. (plus I have blue hair) And, Geezer is I am not in my 20’s. And Modern is I have not stuck in the 1970’s. I use the new shit as it comes a long. As a fridge magnet I have says, I maybe old but I have seen all the cool stuff. Plus, I am not afraid of looking at things as they are; myself or situations. That is todays definition.
02.11.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
….Blowing up shit because you did not get your way.
Later today they will play the American football Super Bowl. In sports mostly there is one winner. In life we don’t always get what we want or our way. There are more people sucking air on this planet who disagree with our views. Partnerships of different types don’t do well when on half of the team has to always get their way. Nonetheless, many people take the thing to if I don’t get my way I will burn down the house. My cultural preferences don’t get special status, so we want to burn it all down. And we do that to the point of being unreasonable. We do that to the point we do actually do damage to the frameworks and structures that make regular life work. Nothing in life is forever. The things we rely on to keep things normal are way more fragile than we think. We think we can light the match and set things on fire (figuratively). History is full of post actions where everyone was wait, what, that’s not suppose happen…..
02.10.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
…Social Libertarianism and relating to personal freedoms, and governing communities. It is often the case that government on the local level targets specific people and things, because it is easy. In many US states and surprisingly the country of Mexico, will allow the sale of cigars but not smoking the cigars in a cigar shop/lounge. There is not generally a vote or public input on the local laws governing the ban. One may make the case that this anti-democratic. The other question is who is framing the rule and is that a person(s) appointed or elected? Social Libertarianism is about personal liberties and freedoms. It does not mean you can do whatever you want. It means you can freely engage in things like smoking cigars in a private business space, in a for profit business paying taxes. Some legal professionals have offered that there are lawsuits that would negate local laws that limit individual freedoms and referendums that would limit local governments from enacting laws removing individual liberties from targeted people; without being on a ballet in general local elections. Likely just needs someone to pay for the efforts. Limit local government abilities to pass laws limiting individual rights with votes, and these laws can only be proposed more directly by elected representatives. But some liberties have few people engaged in the right. That makes for an easy target and though the line of violation of rights are maybe being crossed, it takes the cash to stop it.
02.07.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Wait is edgy now? It use to be a lot of tattoos on a girl, blue hair (thy self be true), looking different. Now I dare say edgy has been so over done, thanks to the internet and social media. Most of the things we took on to be different and edgy are just plain common. Back in the days before the internet and social media, encountering an edgy looking person would mean you would have to see them in person. Which was not so common then. Now, believe it or not, the most effective why to standout is….wait for it….be your self with your own sense of style. If the actual you is different and you are not trying to have a specific look or look like something, you stand-out. To a degree. I mean there are common looks. I was at the local butcher shop, there were six other guys standing at the counter. A woman walked up and asked the other six guys if they were together. The guys looked shocked and they all said no. The woman said, oh, you’re all dressed the same. And sure enough they were. All had for example a bill cap backwards with sunglasses, etc. All thirty somethings, all dresses the same. So I guess that is another case for sense-of-self and your own style.
02.06.2024 The Art of Things by the Blue Modern Geezer
Price, price, price…. buried in price is profit margin. Businesses are fast to blame staff wages, supply chains, and other like factors. They will never say they will earn less profit but keep market share for the long term health of the business. A Big Mac meal has topped $17. For that price I will buy fresh grounded sirloin from the butcher shop, and make my own cheese burger. One part of economics is prices are sticky. That means if you increase prices just to make more short term profit, if consumers start to shift away from your product, failure of the business happens at a higher rate. These days CEO’s are taking chances and betting with the business money. If they roll a 7 they win big. If they roll snakes eyes the business losses, but the CEO does not. So with that system why not take the bet?
02.05.2024
I drive an old small truck. I have had it since 11/07. I love the thing. It has had few problems that needed repairs. It has long ago been paid for. My tax registration was like $100. The good old truck gets me to where I need to go. It is in good shape for a 16 year old truck. So why would I ever paid $100,000+ for a new full size truck? I surely am not concerned if you see me. I am not trying to impress anyone. The truck is a tool and not an asset. When it comes to prices now, too many companies have been too aggressive with prices of their goods and services. It has been 10+ years since I purchased a full size Mac. The little I use a Mac for the Mac Air is enough. In general a am a power user and I don’t need a $5000+ Apple computer. And the quality with them is not what they were. That can be said now for most things. Make it as cheap as you can and price things as high as you can. And have as small a staff as you can get away with. Now we are seeing the signs the markets of goods and services are weakening. People just cannot afford to by $100,000+ pickup trucks and $5000+ laptops, or $2000 phones. News casters wonder with the economy doing so well, why is everyone pissed? Prices. If basic staples at the grocery store top $100+ per trip, why does any producer thing we can keep buying. How much do I really need something, is a common question everyone is asking? And it is no longer a question on is it a practical purchase. Now it is we often just can’t buy even if it is necessary.
02.03.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
First of all advertising and monizing is from the 1920’s. The whole idea that businesses will get money to advertise on your platform, started with Radio in the 1920’s. It is that old even though the tech companies like to think it is their big idea. Hell we have the web search engine technology, but how do we make it “profitable”? But these tech companies have taken the too far into the monetizing. The ideas behind the apps was to do something on the web. There first purpose was connect people, share photos, and get answer to things. That first attracted us. But over time all the tech companies shifted away from building better and better search engine and sharing thing. Growing the company and improving the code, became selling to us, gaining data on us to sell to us. In recent examples some have shown that newer search options are performing better for information searches than Google. A search on a given topic, one example, what are the best boots? The other search engines gave information and Google links to buy boots. The other web apps that had to sell ads and personal data to make money, are no better. The making more profit has fallen center into the focus of tech companies, online, social media, and other. In search engines the technology it is not to provide the best information. The technology is built to sell to us. The whole ad thing has gotten out of hand. An NFL game on TV the actual game is one hour of play. However, the ad time is often more minutes than the whole game. Even now in Youtube more and more ads are in everything. And they are starting to be like football games where the length of ads in a youtube video is as long as the content. It is now all about selling to us. To the point we are tuning out the goods and services being pitched. It is like over watering a garden to the point the garden becomes a lake.
02.02.2014 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
A Friday article in Bloomberg news reports that META bolstered their stock price 340% as a result of cutting staff. That is kind of like being stranded on a spaceship with 3 other people and supplies for 4 for six months. Pushing the other three people out the door may give the last guy 2 years, but he is just as fucked, his day will just happen further down the road. As someone who also invests, I want long term minded companies. When companies act like META, it is so the CEO and biggest investors can get the biggest possible payout now. The I want to get as much as I can now, the future is its own problem. I have my billions bitch, talk to the hand. Nice. I am not Karl Marx. I want stable long term minded companies to invest in. As it is, most of the big tech companies have already saturated their markets to the point there is no more room for growth. This max it all now is more for self wealth than building long term healthy companies and economies. There is always a downside to everything.
01.31.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Coffee and tea are a part of simple life. They are symbols of it. drinking either in a social situation is a basic building block of social interaction. Coffee is also a morning routine. It eases us into the morning and into the day. To make life seem less crazy, breaking each think into these simple building blocks. But focus on it in a calm way. Just enjoy sipping the cup of coffee and relax, enjoy. And think pleasant and positive thoughts. You may see the world is not all on fire. No ways of life hang in the balance. Cultures are not crumbling. It starts with a cup of coffee or tea.
01.28.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
I am no social butterfly, so for me to think and say this, it maybe needed. Most of the things that I am good at are sole effort kind of things. That includes tech work, being an artist, etc. During covid lock down I was cool because I had more time to work on my things without having to drive to an office and shit. These days they are saying more and more of you all are acting more like me and seeing home space time as a good thing. But, I think we need to get back to where community in daily life matters. We need to move away from tribes and isolation things. Think Mayberry, think Northern Exposure. Think bowling leagues. It is more seeing each other as belonging in positive ways without the idea of an evil other side. Calm and tame shit down. Be less wild west when we leave the house, always ready for a gun fight. The first step is community is share space. Our values and preferences do not extend from our home space just because we go out into public. A community like Mayberry, everyone knows each other and have less conflict. In a Northern Exposure, we are just as quickly, wacking, and individuals, but still have a community. In a time when last year had more mass shooting in the year than there were days, some sense of community would not be a bad thing.
The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Bad behavior and getting caught in shit….Someone I know was expressing to me behavior from their manager,what we can say is abusive toward an employee. Afterwards as I was thinking about it, two thoughts came to mind. The first is why are we as humans so prone to shitty behaviors? It seems more natural for us to choose shitty behavior. Being constructive, choosing mistakes as teachable moments, and just choosing to be shitty. The second thought I had is, why do we let ourselves get stuck in situations at jobs where a manager behavior is. abusive or just bad? Specifically when we can leave that job and find another? Sure there are time when the job market is bad and you may have to tough it out. But, it is super common for people to stay put and absorb abuse behaviors, even when the job market is good. The intersection is we get use to things. If a manager is abusive and nothing happens to them, that makes it normal and okay to keep behaving badly. And same with people who get stuck in a situation wrong for them. They just got use to everything. It takes a objective and practical look at these things and deciding what to do. That includes any one who feels it is okay to be abusive in a work situation. This happens a lot. And it is an open question, why are we like this?
01.19.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Most people just want to live a normal like. Go on vacation/holidays, shop, paint their house, go to movies, etc. Much of the conflict comes from other sources who, though are a smaller sub group in number, pull us into disruption. If leaders of nations just managed their societies, and did not try to make their own visions the truth, we would all be better off. One should never forget that political leaders want power. They are no as interested normal life as their speeches would want you to believe. Having normal life does mean respecting the structures and systems. Though those things are and will always be imperfect, if let be just good enough. And having a normal life means nobody gets everything they want. Normal life blows up when we wig out over not getting what we want or when someone gets something they want, and you don’t like that. The structures and systems that give us normal life are not as resilient as we believe. bending the structures and systems will break them. And once gone, it is like putting toothpaste back into the tube, not impossible, just fucking hard as all hell.
01.18.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
In the age of social media and the need so many to appear they are living a grand life, we miss the basic and simple things. We will start with having a home space that is comfortable and allows you to recharge. Some want to show all the travel they do. At different times working I travelled every week. And I will tell you if you spend enough time waiting to board a plane, the sparkle wears off. Hell I have lived 1.5 years in Marriotts alone. And it does not matter how many stars you go, do it enough and it becomes common. These days I am good sitting under my cherry tree, by the rose bushes, with a glass of good wine, a book, and a cigar. I like my space and the quiet it gives. In fairness, enjoying the simple pleasures in life is a learned process for many. But learning to enjoy the simple things, like home, makes other things (like a London Pub) all the better.
01.17.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Humans perception of time and the speed of technology change….it is common for us to adjust to change. Most of the time we do not notice it. And because of that, in companies, business processes such as budget cycles and fiscal years, largely still operate like it does when everyone had desktop PC’s. The pace tech solutions change is so fast, that we are always behind the curve. And while technology changes at a fast rate, planning budgets operates as if it were still 1973. The answer to correcting this problem is still not clear. I do not think the overall issue is spoken about much? Part of the answer to the problem is everyone in the organization needs to respect the pace technology changes, and first by acknowledging that is a reality. We still sign 3 year deals for tech solutions. Part of how we have always done that. The other idea is to give hard looks at the impact of this. How much cost in dollars. and worker hours because the business cycles never change? Interesting idea, no?
01.16.2024 The Art of Things - By the Modern Blue Geezer
There is a thing now where we decide something is true, just because we think it as such. I have had HR staff complain to me that staff complained about someone. When the “event” was investigated, the complainer just decided the other person thought something. The guilty party had simply was reading some notes to present in the meeting. The complainer decided they were being cut out of something. These things happen a lot. I was watching a YouTube where two people were describing the time I would have been in my teens. The who people describing had not been born yet. But they were going into great interruption on how it was, back then. I was ahhh, ya are not even close. However, they honestly believed what they said. It fit their narrative. The shit and giggles of it all it with being able to use online search, they could have gotten better information. But selective bias may have helped things go off track.
It is better to get things right and be right in any case.
01.15.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
It was said that one of the highest things to achieve, is not to be fooled, and the easiest person to fool is ourselves. But we do fall victim to that a lot. For example, some feel the Bible New Testament needs to be rewritten and remove things like turn the other cheek or love thy neighbor, because those things don’t jive with current political preferences. Then after still treat the book as the words of god. We do that kind of things everywhere else in our lives, hell why not that? We tend to have biases that are highly selective that way. We believe our made up things. That comes easy to us. Make you cousin Vinny a judge to get you off from a rap and then really believe you are innocent. Our ability to lie to ourselves because something is unpleasant or not our preference, does come too easy to do. The reality is do this too often and we don’t make the changes we need to reach our goals. If we are condition to fool ourselves, we miss opportunities. We have to face what is real or we are doomed to cruelty of time and reality.
01.14.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Saying something out loud….you may watch the news programming of your choice talking about inflation. But there is one thing that cannot say out loud. They cannot event hint at it. The it would more plainly explain the cost of by shit is so expensive and we had inflation. We went from almost no inflation when they even wanted to muse, is inflation dead? But all of a sudden the price of things really jumped. And the rate of inflation went to almost 8%. Well the real factor was not what the last to administrations did or did not do, that accounted for some. Too much money sitting around and not enough good and services. And to a minor degree increased wages added something. But the think that cannot be spoke, said out loud, or hinted at is, companies jacked up prices to make more profit. Various CEOs in earning calls bragged how they added $3-5 buck per unit, just because the could. The part the new sources cannot say out loud is companies pay the news source money to run ads. New sources are not going to bitch the hand that feeds them (except ones like Bloomberg and other like paid sources). The new sources talked a lot about inflation, but never about the biggest factor, price padding. But at one point the term greedfation got out. Then we saw what they are calling a immaculate deflation. Normally inflation is sticky. It can linger many years; even 10+ years. But the minute the term greedflation got out and the how and whys, prices dropped and inflation dropped to under 4%. The gig was up. But the news sources acted what and why through the spike.
01.09.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
These days everyone thinks they can say anything they want, as if it were true. There was a state official who made claims. A reported ask the state guy, where evidence for that? There are a lot replies state guy. Such as ask the reporter. Stop interrupting me yelled the state guy. And the worse part is so few of us cares. We use to care if an elected person or a judge was not honest. Now it is a matter of whose side the speaker is on. Now we are all lounge lizards. Say what you have to to get the honey pot.
01.08.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Products…in the span of 17 years (give or take), the dynamic of businesses changed. In 2007 we got the iPhone. What this did that relates to inflation is, make a bunch of people very very very rich. Soon everyone that stepped into the CEO role started to have $$$$$$ signs fluttering in their heads. This lead to short term goals, having the fewest staff possible, pay them the least you could, and make products as cheap as possible. Specific laptop maker now has devices that can cost $6000 bucks or more. But, it does not cost thousands to make! These days it is hard to find products of quality. A lot of stuff costs a lot. But the built to last thing is lacking. One of the main reasons is the sugar plum $$$$$$$ fairy that dances in CEO’s heads. They see the founder of Amazon tooling around in his huge boat with his hot GF, and who does not want some of that (if you are a CEO?). And how does this relate to inflation you may ask? Companies are adding dollars to the price of things just to make even more profit. We started to get that, which caused inflation to drop back down. Normally real inflation is. sticky. It persists. In the 1980’s the mortgage rate was 15%+ for a good ten years. Don’t believe the padding of profit? Go listen to all the earning calls in 2022-23. Such data was disclosed.
01.07.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Simple-basic-structures-systems … I look at things like an art composition. In painting the aim (one of the aims) is to activate the page. There are two line one up and down and on across. Intersecting at a point on the page. The key is to off-set where that one it. In the point is dead center, the whole page tends not to be activate. I treat by garden and living space as it is a composition. I want the whole space to be active and flow together. So when you are in the space there is a flow to it. This intersect with minimalism. The aim is not to have a stark empty space. It is to put just enough things in the right places. When that is done well, the space is comfortable and flows together. It is a general things and feel. It is not intended to be perfect. it is to be happy with it and enjoy the space.
01.03.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Perhaps it is social media apps making everyone feel they are the center of the movie. Being the star in a real movie, affords the lead to expect special treatment. How may times have we see confrontations with “influencers” where they say, don’t you know who I am? Of course most of us don’t have a bloody clue who you are, actually. We even have CEOs of companies air their dirty laundry online, again like they are the star of some movie. And self focused business people should be a concern to stockholders and staff alike. There is one bottom line and and it has to do with financial numbers and not the number of likes the business person got. Me, I want to be useful and make a difference.
01.02.2024 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
What happens to us from our choices is often like an extra double cheeseburger; the effects don’t seem to show up right away. The results of choices take time to show ill effects. This is also very true with our reactions. Just like our waistline taking years to spread ( a lot of guys in their forties will say, the extra pounds just snuck up on me), the effects of choices takes time to show how negative they were. We too often fall into the feeling we will address results later. And there is the I will walk 20,000 steps on Monday, so eat more on Saturday. Buying on credit too often makes debt sneak up on us. Sneak extra fees into customers bills so this quarter results look better. No one will notice. A lot of these things are this way, delayed negative results. But you get the point.
12.26.23 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
These days there are a lot of people who like to think of themselves and call themselves, high value. The I know my worth. Okay of you want to think that way. The issue is in any partnership it is working together that makes things last. The 1970’s band Aerosmith after gaining some success, broke up. Why? Well the lead singer and guitar player both thought I am the shit and expect everyone else to treat them as the special one. They earned the nickname the Toxic Twins.Both said I don’t need him, I can do better. Does that ring a bell? But they figured out how to work together and be partners in a band that has lasted 50 years. It took effort and give and take. Both men are human after all. It took commitment and effort. And most of all not thinking the were high value, the prize. Just two people that wanted to make music together and made it happen.
12.24.23 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Though I try to take a positive though realist flavor in my message, I do see the negatives all too well. But we may be able to say humans shade towards the Dark-Side of the Force and not the light. And we are not pragmatic realists. Some 20+ years ago I thought that if we had equity for everyone, we would see profound changes in the world. What we got was self interested desires to be the ones in control. Less hey in the past of group had it the best, but now let’s move forward together. It is more I was harmed so pay me and we will get the elevated privileges. Fair or not, right or wrong, it is not equality. I was hoping for the Federation of Plants where everyone worked to better themselves and the world. Where everyone worked together. Where the world is about to blow up and we call call a meeting where everyone’s ideas are listened and respected, and when the correct plan to save the world is selected, no one walks away pissed their idea was not selected. What we have if more Dark-Side Starwars and evil rulers in control. I am just surprised the Stormtroopers wear white (maybe they are virgins and single). The truth is if we want to solve the hard problems and situations we face, we have to work together and be realist. We have to give and get at the same time. We can’t say my wants and values must be met or we blow everything up. We need to be more Star Trek and Less StarWars.
12.22.223 The Art of Things - By the Modern Blue Geezer
Jean-Paul Sartre stated in a lecture in Paris 10.29.45, production precedes essence. One thing that he defined (and I am paraphrasing), what we do is what is a result. It is what is real. We can think anything we want, but if we never take actual actions, what does it matter? We can take this further and say if we add what the Stoics said, focus on those things that really matter today. Not the next. And taken together, if the only thing you do is post on social media against something, say a geopolitical conflict, what have you really done? If you moved yourself to geopolitical conflict and helped the Red Cross, you have what Nissim Nicholas calls Skin-in-the-game. Just ripping down a poster mean shit. What matters are actions that produce some kind of result. Let’s say you start a side-business and that builds long-term financial well-being, that is production. The idea of something is essence of it. But you need to take real actions, today, and has skin in the game. Otherwise you may just be having no real impact or benefit.
12.09.23 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Call it an observation, an act against us in regards to retailations, has its limits in both the legal and acceptance senses. If someone does an attempted home invasion, and you stop it by shooting at them, and the split, and you leave it at that, you are generally good. If you follow them down the street and kill them, you may face charges. If a one country or group attacks you (you being a person, group or nation), you can fight back and purse them, to a point. Where we are getting to is harm to us, is not like agent 007, licence to kill. It is not if we are harmed we can do what and as much as we want to them. And I am speaking in first the legal senses. The personal, tribe, and social senses may differ, but we live in societies that have laws and definitions of hard, and whatnot. In the geo political sense, no one will question Ukraine fighting back, even striking targets in Russia. But, if either side drops a nuke on the others capital city, that would cross the perception line to wrong. So in taking counter actions take into account where a too far line maybe. And don’t think if the other guy struck first, you can do what you want. Again I am not speaking in the value sense but in legal and perception ones.
12.03.23 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
A sense-of-self and following - What make one person want to be start the band or follow the band? There are some people that are driven to be something specific to them, and a lot of people who like follow. We follow music acts, politiciations, religious leaders, and a long list. Often following (these days at least) a person or thing because we think they/it will protect us. Well a lot of that kind of says we are surrendering our own self and power. It is saying I cannot do for myself. I cannot not have what I want without someone or things providing it for me. The sense of self side is a more self active thing. It is I am this and I want that, and here is how I get it. The sense of self goes for what I want. It does not focus on what others are doing or promising, it has a sense of a goal. It focuses on reaching the goal, the want. The sense of self is not for the faint of heart. You have to be tougher and do better. You have to fail again and again, but, keep getting back up. You are never deterred from the goal. So, follow or be?
12.02.2013 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
There is a lot of data on the effectiveness of advertising, in that, it is not as productive as the seller wants to think. With wireless devices the market is broken up in to segments where people either always buy, never will buy, and an array of other parts. The actual purchase numbers do not seem to be a predictor of advertising. A lot of ads are like Power Point presentations, they blast as much information as they can and think they (like the PP Presenter) our job is done. Studies of PP’s shows that we humans have a small input capture abilities. We only pickup 20-30% (there about) of the information that is provided; and there is not good way to know what people remember. So companies blast ads everywhere they can. In YouTube videos, social medias, TV, even paid services where we signed up so we did not have to see or hear ads. An NFL game on TV is less watchable because the ads so disrupt the flow of the game many lose interest. There are so many that we are turning it all out. Everyone has made purchases where the seller promised the moon only to get general and ordinary products. So showing us more and more ads does not affect the real purchase and market numbers. The never purchase consumers will never change, no matter how cute your ad is. And the always buy segments will buy and keep buying if you never ran another ad. So many rethink your ad practice.
11.29.2023 The Art of Things - By the Modern Blue Geezer
The Stoics teach us that we never really know how much time we have left, so focus today on the most important things. Some people will pay a lot of attention things they don’t like, even when those things have no direct impact. Even when someone does not directly know a person who was born Susan, now goes by Steven, and identifies with a carrot, that still bugs them. It is not a value or moral question for me. I have so many things to do that benefits me, love to do, have a passion for, or just am interested in things, to spend time on things I don’t like. I do not like liver and onions, but I do not spend time on it. I don’t freak out on liver being for sale at the butcher shop down the street. But for some of us that matters a lot. And sorry I don’t get that nor care.
11.28.2023 The Art of Things- By the Modern Blue Geezer
Live long enough and things that are true become false. Back in the 1970’s and 1980’s it was gay men who were horny bunnies who were permisius. They switched partners faster than Apple’s M2 processor crunches ones and zeros. Now, in 2023 gay men marriages have the lowest divorce. It is now two married gay women who have the highest divorce rate. (with marriages between a straight woman and man somewhere in the middle). It is neither here nor there in profound meanings. It is just one of those things that we expected that totally flipped over time. I am sure social scientist are determining the whys. And I give all the credit to gay men for building good relationships. Maybe they will be able to be role models for the younger crowds where dating is a real mess, and too many end in divorce.
11.27.2023 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Having stable systems is what gives normal life. Stable is not always fair. But from stable can come reform. Sometimes we have to live with a little imperfection. I am sure there are a lot of people in Russia that would take fair and stable with some imperfection and imbalance. As an example right now the US Supreme Court has the lowest trust level we have seen. It is seen as biased towards conservatives. Once something like the legal system loses its stable standing, it is hard to regain it. Now no matter what the court does and says, it is not trusted. And stable will be commitment to it. This is why for so long our political system, however imbalanced, changed hands peacefully.
11.26.2023
I read the book Skin In The Game by Nassim Nicholas. The was one point-idea that I took from the book that applies to individuals, policy makers, and a range of such groups, that is, without skin in the game, our choices are very different. One may suggest that a big factor of the ongoing Middle East conflict is the effect of Geo-political policy makers and protesters with no skin in the game doing the policy-protest thing. When we are not impacted or harmed, when we do not pay any price for our actions, it is easy to decide a policy or be offended by something. It is another thing altogether when your policy or choice impacts you. This applies to banking, investing, business in general, etc, where actions, even risks are taken where if there are bad results the ones engaged in choice suffers no harm. And some actions are easy outs. You just have to show a good amount of indignation and stop paying attention go get a latte. And yet the 70+ year conflict moves on with not a single notice. And when we have no skin in the issue, at its root it is someone else’s problem. But since these issues don’t impact most of us, after a brief display of anger, we soon forget about it again, and let the issue roll along.
11.22.2023 The Art of T. ings by the Modern Blue Geezer
Somethings take time. And we can add the need for understanding. Knowledge and understandings best friend is experience and time. Take a rescue dog. Each one of them need different amounts of time to adjust. We have to learn to read situations and things. Forcing things does not generally work well.
11.15.2023 The Art of Things by the Modern Blue Geezer
Earlier this week a US Senator in a committee hearing tried to start a physical fight with someone appearing before the committee. There was a history where they were posting shit about each other in social media. But really. These are two grown ass men who have serious positions in society, acting like 12 year olds. These are men who have been entrusted to make serious decisions for us. They can’t even workout their differences with each other. How can they be trusted to handle issues which impact and effect 10,000’s of people? Everyone loses when we have elected people who cannot settle personal issues somewhere else. If they want to fight each other, go meet in a boxing or MMA place and go at it. I personally would rather have individuals who can conduct themselves as adults. It is equally true that neither men wanted to talk to each other and settle their differences. They snipped at each other online. No one wins with this stuff.
11.06.2023 The Art of Things by the Blue Modern Geezer
Knee-jerk — One can say that a good deal of us are reacting to things where the root of our reactions and behaviors, are unknown to us. Perhaps in our private subconscious we have a sense of what triggers us. But often we bury these things because the truth does not reflect well on us. We often see things will happen in simple places like a shop and on the international scale, and we react. We release a kind of a buried rage. Something trigger us. We react. The thing is, if we really cared about the thing we are reacting to with a rage trigger, where were we before? If our reaction is so much the just cause that allows us to rage now, by did we not take any action when reason and clear thinking could be applied? But before we are trigger we sipe our latte and don’t care about anything outside us. So maybe sometimes, it is not the thing that trigger our rage, we just want to rage and are using events out there as justification to rage.
11.01.2023 The Art of Things by the Modern Geezer
The writer Camus wrote that life is absurd, and humans create constructs to give life meaning. We humans have a strong need for things to have meaning. If Campus was correct and life has not meaning and life is absurd, where does that leave us? First, there are not two conditions good and bad. Everything we do is not to fix a bad state back to a good one. It is not a failure, it is just in like bad things happen and we just deal with it. It also mean we strive to live well. To create our happiness and enjoyment. It is not someone or other groups fault unpleasant things happen to us. Camus would likely say that the idea of our way of life and. values in a construction design to give us the sense of control and comfort. It is the case that if we accept the idea life has no real meaning and the stoics saying we build our own well being, that is harder to do than our normal standards. It is far easier to be the victim than the architect. Camus may be a bit much for some people, but the simple thing to accept is being the architect of a life gets more rewards than waiting for a construct to do it for us.
10.30.23 The Art of Things by the Modern Geezer - The Fall of The Roman Empire and the Price of Things
The Roman Empire lasted some 1000 years, but it failed in the end. That is the common outcome of what humans create. It would seem to be reasonable that the last 100 years the demise of the Roman Empire showed all kinds of signs of its pending doom. Did citizens politicians see what was happening? Was it the situation where they we so caught up in their statuses, that they pushed to keep things going according to their wants and cultural normal? Perhaps. Today full size pickup trucks cost more than the general market can afford. This can be said about somethings like Apple laptops and phones. I doubt we today are any more forward thinking than the Romans were. Companies are making goods and services past the ability of consumers to buy. It is a good question to ask why. To ask if they see the realities of the market? The simple answer is individuals now making decisions have their own interests as the key factor why they make the choices. Just as other people are fighting to preserve their way of life and protecting their values. We will worry about what comes next later. For now fight for want you want. So just like the end of the Romans, we could be seeding the fruit of our own collapse. Humans tend not to think on a macroeconomic level. We deal on a more micro level. Are we doomed, perhaps. Can we get past it, maybe. let’s hope so.
10.29.23 The Art of Things by the Modern Geezer
I have been reading Arnold Schwarzenegger’s book Be Useful, and one thing stands out and why (in one way) he wrote the book. A central point is having a goal or dream and knowing that you have to work really hard for to get there. Given what Arnold has achieved in his 75 year on this earth, and how he got there, is a good reason to read this book. Most of us want what we want and have it now (because we deserve it, right?). Arnold show goals and dreams. are a matter of how hard are you willing to work for it? And Arnold is not the only person who says and does this. People in all fields worked and worked and worked, again and again, to get better and reach a dream. We are too often prone to offer lame reasons why we are not advancing. Most of us want the best life now, but are. not willing to do the work to get there. We often settle of a knock off version of the dream or best life. Whatever that maybe. But Arnold writes to have a clear vision and then work like hell until you get the big dream and not a knock off version of it. Even Arnold would say he was crazy and extreme, but he reached his dreams where so many of us never do.
10.16.2023 The Art of Things by the Modern Geezer
In the many varieties of philosophic systems, a huge number of the, Walt Whitman, Jean-Paul Sartre, Adam Smith, the Stoics, etc, stress one specific this — live a virtuous life. So many life systems (including the one from Jesus), come to the conclusion we need to do that (that and live well with people). In the examination of these systems it strikes me as a pointed thing, we have to be told this. Most of the people exploring these systems came to the conclusion that we do not always do the right things. Even with economic philosophy of Admin Smith, everyone knows about his concept of the invisible hand in the marketplace. The idea that if markets are left alone they will function correctly. Well, one detail gets left out; if everyone is rational. Smith wrote another book Moral Sentiments, which goes into detail how we are not as naturally rational as we think. And as well, we are not as virtuous as we can be. Being virtuous is more a choice than a condition. And this is pointed out by so many life system people.
10.04.2023 The Art of Things by the Modern Geezer
The two best Linux distros, according to MakeUseofThings.com, are Ukuntu and PopOS. PopOS is a modified version of Ubuntu made by System76. System76 makes Linux computer hardware and puts PopOS on them as a default OS. A System76 computer is good for anyone to use. You don’t need a super technical ability to use them. Anyone who can use a Mac or Windows even an use one. There maybe limitations, such as not being able to use using MS Office, but you can use LibreaOffice and not be tied to a cloud solution. You can do most other things on one. For a power user, such as anyone that needs to use Kila Linux, this may not be the computer system for you. A system76 laptop with POPOS is easy to use. They keep the updates, up to date. And it does not have the bloat of Windows or the price tap of Apple. I would feel comfortable giving non-techie people in the organization one. I use one more for the security and avoid social media, Google, and other things that like to track my use and browsing the web.
10.02.2023 The Art of Things by the Modern Geezer
Sometime on the various social media platforms, I see a married couple who have been married and partners, for 60-70 years. They are saying goodbye as one for both are hours away from dying. That connection between two people, the bond, is so odd today. It took a lot of working together for a couple to spend a lifetime together like that. Today we are too self focused to have a small clue what it is like to build a 70 year life with someone else. It is easy to look for people to give what we want now. Be that sex or a short fix from boredom. We need to always get our way, have what we deserve, be high value, etc. Few if any of us, will experience saying goodbye to someone we have loved a lifetime, as we watch them pass away.
09.28.2023 The Art of Things by the Modern Geezer
These days everyone has a hair trigger. They are ready to go off at the smallest of slights; perceived or otherwise. The worst part is we think because our little snowflake world was treaded upon, that gives us the right to go off on someone. We want to feel we control it and others have to take it. However, these things comes out of the feelings of not being in control. People feel they are the ones being owed. So we look to political leaders to be in control for us. We get mad at the smallest thing. We get mad even if the other party has no idea what set you off. The blowup is to try and give ourselves the sense others knowingly knew they were violating us. Life can be hard and difficult. Being able to handle it shows who is strong and who is actually ……weak. Which are you?
09.25.2023 The Art of Things by the Modern Geezer
It is easy to get wrapped up in our problems of today. We do not tend to look long term. Maybe it is impatience? A need for gratification now? Now that I have a few extra years of this human experience, I think back to times and thing that seem so serious. There are times when everything is not rosy and perfect. There will be times of great risks. But doing at the British said “Stay calm and carry on”. A lot changes over 10,20, and 30 years. That thing today that seemed so heavy, often looks silly years later. The best we can do it improve ourselves, build skill and positive things, and time changes things. You will have the chance to create good things. expect problems and challenges. Just approach those times with the confidence it is an opportunity, and you can use it to achieve. And just take my word that it may rain today but not forever.
09.23.2023 The Art of Things by the Modern Geezer
Social interactions these days is treated by so many as a narrow defined thing. In a healthy society, there are a huge array of human interactions. Two people can encounter each other walking their dogs, online at the grocery store, doing a transaction at the bank. Any time we go into the community, we are very likely to encounter other people. These interactions will be varied and most are simple ones that we just need to be situationally polite. A hello as you pass another dog owner in the park, is just a hello. But some turn such things into the unwelcome and risks. Being a geezer now, I come from a time when being situationally polite was the expected social construct. That made it easier to identify situations where there were less than proper interactions. It is practical to be situationally polite and see the spaces outside our personal homes, as the community. A community where there will be thousands of other people. Saying I should not have to feel something, see something, be exposed to something we don’t like, is pure silly. We should assume that in public that well happen, and the world does not owe you special treatment. Go to store, go get coffee, do your own things, and get generally polite.
09.19.2023 The Art of Things by the Modern Geezer
Maybe it is just me. We humans selves, are the easiest people to fool. It just seems that so many businesses seem to not understand their customers or what they are in business to do. Some tech social media companies, laptop/phone makers, auto industry, etc, you name it, make odd choices. The first task of creating a good or service, is seeing it there is demand for it, and what price will customers buy at? It seems that many of them are engaged in wishful thinking. Sure there are millions and millions of people who can by a $6000 laptop or $90,000 truck. Build it and they will come. So far the answer is no we can’t. We may want to. But, in more and more cases, we just cannot afford it. Make in the early 1920’s Henry Ford realized his employees needed to be able to afford the cars they were making. And spend time with their families. Today the short term max profit drives the bus. Makers of goods and services are not focused on customers. They just assume there. will be a market, and the market will always bare the price increases. Now it seems maybe it cannot.
09.14.2023 The Art of Things
Experience is a hell of a thing. If you have none, you can’t do shit (though you think ya can. But the more you have, the more you over trust it. I have two pens. One from Ugmonk and the other from Groove Made. If you write with the Ugmonk pen, you would likely say it writes better than the Groove Mad. Both are well made and sturdy. But the Ugmonk just seems to write better. But does it? The thing and trick is all in the ink cartridge. The Ugmonk has a Montblanc ink cartridge (expensive) and the Groove Made a cheaper common brand. If I switch the ink cartridge into the Groove Made or a Montblanc one in both, the results change. The pen it self is not a real factor in how well the pen writes. It is the quality of the ink cartridge that determine the writing quality. We have all used a lot of different pens over the years. We think we know pens. But, it is common to not think of what ink cartridge is in the pen. A crappy one and the writing is less good. But we will say, oh I don’t like this or that pen. Much of experience is like that. Too little and we don’t know what we don’t know. Too much experience and we stop thinking about what we encounter. We decide this encounter is like all the others in the past, and just react as if it is the same experience; when it is not.
09.11.2023 The Art of Things - There are Limits
They say that Apple’s natural product market for is something like two billion iPhones (which they are at the last 20% of that). True there are 7+ billion people on earth and Apple could technically sell every human an iPhone. After that we have to do the whole Scifi things and go into space to find more creatures to sell to. Then there is a thing that becomes popular, such and minimalism. There days all the YouTuber minimalists are saying minimalism is dead and over. The concepts of owning less things and only things that you need, still has a lot of value. I like the teachings of the stoics, but I don’t get into the mysticism some say you have to follow to be a stoic. Minimalism is not dead. Youtubers making a living from it maybe less posible. Just like Apple Minimalist YouTubers did such a good job telling everyone about it, everyone knows the deal down. Now just like the social media tech companies, the influencers now have to find a new stick. That is just how it works. Sooner or later everyone gets bored with something and wants a new thing.
09.06.2023 The Art of Things - Making Sense
We should think by now that everyone one thinks differently. I mean, just the 517 people since Tuesday that disagreed with you would be a clue. But not so much. Despite daily first hand disagreements, people will think they are right and everyone knows it. We tell ourselves other are just dumb or on purpose being a dick not agreeing with you. I think a lot of wealth is gained by those who can see the differences. Not being able to see the holes in our own thinking holds us back. Mostly we give into telling ourselves we are right, and therefore there is no need to look. But, then we stay stuck in shit. That should be another clue no one thinks like me.
09.05.2023 The Art of Things - Unfulfilled Expectation
In the past, a lot of unhappiness was because of unfulfilled expectations. That is still true, but, unfulfilled. expectations travels with a friend often these days; short term expectations. The new kid short term expectations, looks to get the quick money and best life now trick. That extends in major tech. companies CEOs. It is the influencers and the fans-only folks. We do less to build for the long term. There are less people creating a body of work that will last ages. Picasso and Einstein, are names that created and built things we remember. Steve Job will be remembered for ages. The influencer of today makes their money (grab your slice while ya can), but are in time, forgotten. Most things are forgotten in a short time. Greatness is a long term things few of us ever become. But still, we chase the short term expectations and then move into unfulfilled expectations, and the drift away forgotten. Then there is the Rolling Stones in their 80’s still playing.
09.03.2023 The Art of Things
From what they say, dating is a fucking mess these days. That is for a large number of men. not happening. Many young men feel isolation and even a little lost. Such things at that age are difficult to deal with. Most young men have not developed their sense of self and learned what really matters to them. There are three things I will offer as things to help you develop a strong sense of self and grow to when you are in you later 30 and 40’s. The first is learn what your sense of spirituality is. The second is build your career and financial health. Do not be too quick to get into things not easily got out of. And third, focus today what is most important to do. Don’t see what you don’t have, but rather what you want to build to. Life is not easy, but you can shoulder on and get to where you want to be.
08.28.2023 The Art of Things - Assumptions
Our greatest mistake is we tend to think there are universal truths and realities. And, of course, the truths we have in our own heads has to be the one and only truth. And, because it makes so much sense to us, it must be equally clear to everyone else. So when, others do not act as we think they should, we think they are either fucking with us or plain dumb. I was thinking about how leaders in businesses keep saying that younger employees do know how to act (AKA like the boss who is 20 to 40 years older), the actual truth is there is no one true truth. These younger employees have no experience with the bosses sense of the world. And with the breakdown of community, churches, and the other instructions that helped give was a common culture, they are not going to understand you. But of course, by the time the do (understand you), you will be long gone, and they will be the new you, whining about the next gen.
08.22.2023 The Art of Things
I had an issue with one of my social media accounts. There were two bad things; one more disturbing than the other. The first which is a royal pain is the tech company offers (publicly) no way to recover the lost site. That part is painful, but not scary. The second bad thing, and what I. find scary, is, though my “account” was gone , they still had saved my credit card on file. When I recreated a new site, my payment option was still available. That is business. And of course when we are the product, help is limited. But the big daddy of the tech company has to be paid regardless.
08.21.2023 The Art of Things
I will never say I am perfect of have all the answers. I will say that I am always told that I have a strong sense of self and a refreshing point of view. I generally try to do two things, express myself and try and help others avoid the pitfalls of life. Doing that in this world often comes with negative reactions. But like the Buddha who boew to each person even when some strike him on the head, I keep trying.
08.17.2023 The Art of Things - Money for nothing and chicks for free
I have purchased dishwasher and over the range exhaust fan/light, neither came with an electric plug?! You would think when you buy a dishwasher or other home appliance the power cable to plug it in and use the fucking thing would be included. But no not these days. The first reason is the resellers want to tack on installation costs. Pad the earnings a little more. I guess I should be happy did not add fees and 40% tip when I ordered both items online. But what is next Burger King makes me flame broil my own Whopper? Most store now have two cashiers and 100 self service. So why not charge us to self checkout and tip the store as well. The CEO’s need extra wine storage on the Yacht, so everyone needs to do their part and pay more.
08.16.2023 The Art of Things - Relationships
Okay, yes, I am a tad dated. But back in my day things were different. Two people just sort of liked each other and went from there. Relationships have always taken effort on both sides. It was more a give and take. Not some golden age mid you. But we gave it a go, so to speak. To day any suggestion you may have to give a little to the person who is supposed to be somewhat important in your life, is treated like a much bigger deal. A, I deserve what I want, how I want, and when I want. Like you are ordering something from Amazon or a car. That does not work. relationships have to be win/win or don’t bother (as Steven Covey wrote). I mean by now it should be clear that only mega Billionaires get everything they want. In jobs, relationships, friendships, teams, etc, we have to work together. And everyone in our own way is an asshole. No one shit smells like roses. So the I deserve things is doomed to fail. Do what you want, just don’t blame anyone when you don’t always get your way. That’s like cupcake, deal with it.
08.15.2023 The Art of Things
Back in the day the more things cost, such as watches and cars, you knew there was direct value. Do day there are laptops by a popular company that are very expensive without a clear value for the price. Companies have figured out what they think we will pay for something. And more specifically, can they had a few bucks to the price, just because they can. There are a 100 different reasons that are thrown out there why from make up lost revenue in covid, current management staff want their payday now, etc. But the greater point is is something actually a good product just because it costs a lot? It seems harder to tell these days. I mean is the item I buy going to last a long time, or did I drop big money on something that will last only as long as a cheaper one? In some cases we are paying for the name. The best we can do is research products. We can look for what something cost now vs in 2018. Is that sofa now selling for $3000, was it $1100 in 2019? If we go by the earnings calls of public companies, they are adding profit to the price without improving the value. So, have reasons to buy and think twice if you need it.
08.14.2023 The Art of Things Blog
Okay, I am not a believer myself, but the direction of some Christians, seems odd. A number of pastors have come out saying that people in their churches have been saying love thy neighbor, turn the other cheek, and various other Gospels, are progressive talking points. I am sorry, I find that confusing. I mean the bible in its present form as been that way for some 2000 years. The new testament has been accepted as the teachings of Jesus for the whole time. Is it not the root of belief in Jesus? Like I said I am not a believer, but it seems the who message of being saved is a loving act, not eye for an eye. It is Jesus message, not Bernie Sanders. It is part of your faith, don’t give up on loving messages of Jesus.
08.08.2023 The Art of Things
Reactions. These days people are reacting to small things as grave things. Taking actions that will result in a long time in prison. I don’t know, I kind of like being home free as a bird. Come Friday night I can mix a cocktail, open a bottle of wine, and light a cigar. Hey if that small thing you wigged out on was work the 10-20, rock it in the yard. But really. The way people are acting is almost like they sense they have so little control, they are overreacting without seeing they are. And once confronted, they cannot emotionally back down. Other seem to know exactly what they are doing and don’t care. If you are upset, count to ten and think what the three things you will miss serving time is prison, and then think what your reaction should be.
08.07.2023 The Art of Things
Speaking of things, Summer reading lists seem to be loved by some and a lost art by many others. Personally I find reading to be a very useful activity. Reading gives me other points of view and perspectives. Easier to maintain an objective mind. In respects to a Summer reading list I had three books Thomas Jefferson The Art of Power by Jon Meachan, Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky, and Hemingway’s Key West by Stuart B Mciver. Each were very enjoyable books.Jon Meachan has a story teller style way for writing about history. The Children of Time is a clever Scifi book (if you are afraid of spiders watch out) . And we think of Hemingway is Paris and Spain, but his time in Key West were one of his most productive periods. Overall I was really happy with my choices of books. There are some books that are really good, but can be tough to get through. Each of these books were easy readers. Including the history book (which is to Jon’s credit as a writer). So here is a wink to the past time of the summer reading list.
08.06.2023
The Art of Things
Refresh the structures. One of my summer projects is refreshing my living-dining room. We can get very complacent with parts of our life. The trouble with that is we don’t always see everything and miss better directions open to us. This happens a lot with work and jobs. We get over focused on keeping things in order, we hold ourselves back. One good thing to do is redo our living spaces. Such an act jump starts how we see things. It may feel uncomfortable, but life is forever changing, and a refresh of our spaces and work, help us. I new look at where we are gets us into a better flow. When we do that has a habit, we are setup to take advantage of the opportunities that come our way.
08.01.2023
I hear all the time people say they deserve something. I am me therefore I deserve something, they seem to not have at that moment in time. Hmmm. Maybe that is the wrong perspective. Just maybe it all is not like a math problem where X=Y=Z. That way of thinking, I deserve, seems like losing control. Instead, achieve goals and things you want to do. What you end up with is yours. The other way is a good deal of the time a cover-up to dysfunctional behaviors we don’t want to face. Like something is hard and we feel it should be easy, because we deserve that. Achieving is self realization and action. I deserve is entitled and needing.
07.31.2023
Jumping the Shark Tank , when it is your market. At some point a producer of a good or service runs out of people to expand sells to. The thing they will do, until creating a new thing to sell, is increase the price per unit. Apple may have jumped the shark tank with the price of their laptops. It looks to me and the economics of it all, Apple has raised the prices of their laptops to the point of too high for the market. In other words, there are not enough people to be able to keep affording the prices, and for what you get. I am more in the power user zone and even I don’t need a $6500 laptop (the cost of the highers spec’d out laptop). Even their Mac Air is leaping into the high cost zone. Apple is not alone by any means. Car companies are seeing reduced sales because of high prices per unit (and the Fed’s gift to us all, high interest loan rates). Both Ford and Tesla have had to cut prices now. Some may say that this is what happens when short term choices drive business. There is less benefit to current leaderships to think long term. We act now telling ourselves we will turn things around later. Today get every penny we can.
07.27.2023
Scifi movies and books have always been. a road map to reality. By that I mean the creators if. the style needed to have a reason we headed into space. Sure there are some that has us being curious explopers (the brave new mission to boldly go we man has not gone before), but, much of it was based on running out of resources and places to expand. The we are running out of shit is central to the style. Easy for the writers of scifi to accept the scarcity of resources, it gave them a thing to build the plot. In daily life we like to think the earth is a never ending source of resources. The very suggestion of scarce resources is a far left progression, even commie plot. Sure the earth is a known specific size, damit, Oil and Copper grows on trees or there is a goose who shits it into the ground every night while we sleep. However, it there in never ending supplies. So don’t harm my 401K with chances (hint, there is only so much rare earth minerals to make batteries with). Of course, this is where Scifi comes back in. We are buying time switching to green things and before the stuff to make green energy runs out, Star trek will be real and Captain can say to me, beam me up Scottie!
07.24.23
There is a reality to the US economic, that being ¾ of it is consumer spending. One of the reasons that the US has not seen bigger productivity numbers (other than the 4% gain in 2020 when less people commuted to the office), is reductions in staff from offshoring and factory relocations overseas, off set the added profitability from the staff cuts. It is a basic thing. If 10% of companies reduce 10% of their staff, there is a bigger impact to the ¾ of consumer spending. Companies when they run their numbers, they assume there markets are static and growing. Reducing staff to reduce cost and boost profits, is, to them, a free play. Hidden in there is the impact to real spending by consumers. There are C suites who dream of cutting 90% of their staff only seeing the big number profit from that. But sadly they take the action, get their big computations, and then retire before the negatives kick in. And a bonus point is most companies think there will be a new next thing to drive demand. That is the big reason all the tech companies are jumping into the pool head first (hoping it is 20 feet deep and not 6 inches deep).
07.18.2023
Loud only will work for so long. With most everything, there is a limit to its usefulness. These days people are prone to extremes. The first set of users who succeed, breeds a next set of copycats, and so forth. And just like a comic who never adds or changes their jokes, we grow tired of the routine. Plus, you (we) have to deliver. It is not enough to play blame and wounded angel as a politician. It is like trying to just serve cake, sooner or later we need some BBQ or even pizza. Ya can’t just say the other side is evil. You need to actually do the job, make things actually work.
07.18.2023
The US Democracy started when there were kings and men of means and property decided most things. In the beginning, there were federalists who wanted a king or king like role and the men of means to decide things. Common men were not seen as able to govern themselves. But the other thought was the government of the people. thing. The government of the people more or less prevailed. But, we have always had an authoritarian streak hanging out there. Even in WWII there were Americans who favored the Fascists, and even aided Hitler. Better dead than Red. the commies were bad. However, fascists were more acceptable to some Americans. The need to control everything. There are now 19 states who have banned abortion who now want the legal right to get women’s medical records if they have travelled to a state where abortion is still legal. The world hating us for our freedoms dimmed a bit there. That should scare everyone. That there are those who simply want to control. And many people just don’t pay attention. That is how fascist government happen. One of the direct aims of the Constitution was to prevent government from trending on the rights of specific group of people. Not as much we get to do anything we want, more directly prevent limiting the rights if those we do not like, and in this case women’s rights.
07.17.2023
It is easy to get caught into way of being. Companies create policies and then are strangled around them in real life. They sounded good to the people creating them. Showed they knew what they were doing, or at least that’s what they wanted to believe. And it does not affect the policy creator later on. After a while, everyone gets used to following these policies. It become a habit. We follow them because they are there. Dare question them and suggest changing these policies, and there will be a long list of why they can’t be changed (mostly because no one wants to task and it takes extra effort to change the policies). This is even we all realize there is so little common sense. At least not a shared sense of what that maybe.
06.30.2023
Time is a funny creep. It fools you in so many ways. It first tries to convince you you have more time than you have. Then it, tricks you into thinking the presence will never change. One day it says we will get everything we want in the future, and then say things will never happen. As time marches forward, things change. It does not wait for you. The best thing to do is know what you want and be determined about and with that. And know somethings just takes time (no pun intended). And we can bind ourselves up with choices we make now. If you dream of moving to Paris and being a painter, don’t get married, buy a house, and have three kids. Start with what really maters to you and work towards that step by step. Such things are dependent on your own actions. When you do that time just flows along with you. Plus, start saving money as early in life as you can, that matters a lot when you start turning old and gray (believe me).
06.21.2023
For the record, as a tech worker who has had jobs in cluster cities like San Jose and San Francisco, I hate the commute. In some weeks it accounted for 20 hours of time. So, not commuting allowed me to learn and add more skills. Things I would not have been able to fit in before. And, technology and how and where we use it (Cloud and SAAS), has most engineers and leaders unable to stay up to date. Full week RTO situations do not generally have a means to bake in keeping up with technology. The average CIO, CTO, and CISO, are embracing as-a-service solutions, because the vendors promise a return to easier times. It is super difficult to keep up with all the changes and make big budget choices, in business cycles. That mean they are trading dollars for a promise the tech decision makers have an easy button to push. The promise and reality, do not always match. One of the negatives that come with the positives if “Cloud/As-a-service solution” is the first aim is to lock us into a system that is hard to get out of. So we race into it and later realize the pre-sales pitch was rosey because we want to believe it will get us a head of the game. I benefited by working remote because I used the time to learn. Not everyone will do that. Some feel everything they do has to fit into 3-4 days of 6 hours of work. But the more time I get to not commute and office socialize, the better engineer I will be.
06.19.2023
Less but better is a kind of minimalism that I follow. It is not a divine guidance or higher way of life, it is we just tend to need less shit than we have. It is a learned habit to collect too much stuff. As I decluttered my house, I purchased less stuff. As the pandemic cruised along, I purchased less stuff. With inflation and its hidden evil twin, greedation, I buy less stuff. However, the things I do buy are more useful to me. I am buying less stuff I never use, and only things that I do use. It became common to ask myself the question, do I need this? I have some good computers and a lot of books. I drive the same 2008 Ford Ranger I drove off the lot many moons ago. I have an expensive espresso maker, but I have spent a lot less buying coffee out. In my view, if things serve a purpose, it is okay to have. Minimalism, cannot be a guard to your behaviors. To get to only buying what you need and love, you have to unpack why you buy too much stuff. The other side of that is buying and having with purpose.
06.15.2023
Buckwheat is a flowering plant in the knotweed family, and is a seed, and not related to wheat (even with the name). It is not a carb. It rich in protein, fiber, vitamin B, etc. I first encountered buckwheat in Nikolaev Ukraine, where in is a staple of their diet, and they call it grechika (Nikolaev is part of the Russian speaking area of Ukraine). Some people mix it with warm milk as a breakfast food. And others boil it and mix other things with it for a salad, etc. Some will note that Soba noodles in Japan is made with buckwheat flour. As well as buckwheat Pancakes. So it is a good food to eat. Buckwheat can be harder to find in most US stores. I go to an Eastern European market near me. But, there are different online sources to buy some. If you want a healthy and filling food to eat, consider some grechika.
06.13.2023
Life is not a set of extremes. A lot of it is graduale steps and increases. But, maybe, humans are built to want everything now. The idea that most things take some time to build, seems like settling to many. It is not that. A good deal. of stuff just takes time. Someone can be super bright and smart, but it takes time to gain experience to use it. We can understand what things mean but creating and building something just pops the more experience you get.
06.12.2023
If one side tactically lies to achieve an object and counts on the other side(s) to be fair and honest, funny things happen. The thought behind lying is that once we win, we can return to normal and acceptable behavior. But, lying once only alerts everyone else not to trust you. And in some cases it shows the other sides that all bets are off, and they need to behave just like you. At some point, it is clear what you deal is. And it is those who lie who whine the loudest when they are lied to. Then they turn to the trick if you cannot get them to admit the lie, then it is not a lie. I think the bible kind of says not to lie (I seem to recall that). But even the most pious still think their sense of the greater good is free game to lie, cheat, and steal (or worse).
06.05.2023
Reactions to things. There are countries that were part of the Soviet block where people keep a neutral expression of their faces. On multiple visits to Ukraine learned to tell when a non-Ukrainian person, visiting the country, said something bad. The neutral facial express froze. It is a learned reaction from the Soviet days where you were at risk expressing yourself in the wrong way and at the wrong time. In the US we are over reacting to all kinds of situations. And we think we are entitled. And yet some want to go to a one political party rule. The part we do not get is once in a one party rule, reactions become a risky thing. The state (the Power) is the source of truth. The I am an American and can do XYZ, will be replaced by we the state can put you in prison just because they can. Try calling the Russian invasion a war instead of it is a special action, or, hold up a black sheet of paper next to a protest. Power has only one job, preserve power. The state in the case of one party rule is not try to “protect your way of life or values”, it is there to protect its power. When the state controls everything people learn to hide their expressions.
06.03.2023
There is a truth. One that most people don’t want to hear. This truth goes against a strong human emotion, the want to get rich quick and easy. Things like social media platforms that generate great wealth for a few, helps confused the truth, that most things take effort and determination. Simple things like putting money into an S&P 500 Index fund for 30-40 will really grow, does not present the answer of wealth and the best life now. A 25 year old guy ask the question how he could get enough passive income to never work, and je was disappointed to you have to do things to create the wealth to began with. Once you have an investment fund enough money invested, you can live off the dividends. Those social media videos that say by these 3 EFT’s and you will have 10K a month, are more magic beans than not. It is true that some equities pay more than 4%. But, most have higher risk, and many are scams. If someone promises you huge returns for small investments, look out. The money has to be generated some how. It is not magic. The companies in the DOW largely don’t payout more that 1-4% returns a year. Sometimes the higher returns are just to attract your money. That’s how Ponzi scans work. Nothing says you should not try to get rich quick. Just, be practical. And realize saving and investing over time and living within your means is a proven winner.
05.30.2023
They say managers hate staff that have side hustles. I will grant them people who work two full time jobs in the same hours. Frankly that shows a lack of imagination. That seem working harder and not smarter. Side hustles are best when it is doing your own thing. Something that can replace the day gig. So why do managers hate side work? My guess is they can’t control that, or us. Some of the materials about this even listed doing Uber and shit like that. Seems to me that we are to the point everyone needs to be a contractor/consultant with a statement of work or SOA (as we call it in consulting). In a SOA it list what work you are contracted to do and how much time you must do the work in. It also holds provisions for what is out of scope of the agreed work. A company can not add additional things to the work scope. But, it is up to the consultant to get the work done within the agreed times. In a consulting gigs sometimes we burned the candle to get everything done by the agreed end-date. In a perm job the agreement most of the time says you work 40 hours a week for 48-50 weeks a year. You are of course “salaried” and not hourly (which any engineer would gladly do, work hourly). In the tech world we had weekend deployments, after hour fixes, as well as lighter weeks. And for the prior 20 years everyone tried to balance that. If you had a tough upgrade and put in 30 hours that weekend, the managers would give you comp-time and the next Friday off without counting as PTO. Maybe we need to transition back to that. Staffs basically want a fair consistent arrangement. They want to be paid fairly (but that is another question).
05.24.2023
Maybe economics is broken. Economics is numbers, theory, and behavior. I hear companies speaking of staff stepping up so the organization can increase profits and lower cost. But, they also say they need to right size themselves. Plus, get all that right, only the resource owners share the rewards. With AI it looks like a golden goose. We can reduce headcount by 40%. Good on the surface, but if everyone cuts staffs by 40%, the market shirks as well. Most companies de-couple reduction of staff and markets being unaffected. But, if we are reducing staff to increase valuation and profit, when you are already profitable, and everyone does that, it will impact markets. There are just so many people Apple can sell an iphone to. If they increase unit price and reduce staff at the same time, sooner or later there are not enough people with the income to buy. It is the short term goals that drives that. get mine now and later is owned by someone else. One companies employee is another customer.
05.23.2023
Gerrymandering is a really pussy thing. Let’s demonstrate the strength of our ideas by creating voting districts you cannot lose. Let’s create the jigsaw puzzle districts to ensure victory. Kind of like the world cup football playing against St Mary’s school of the blind. And the truly sorry part is they really think they won honestly. And do not buy the nobility of the higher greater thing. It is just the want of power and knowing they cannot win in a straight up fight.
05.22.2023
Inter-outer personal spaces and self. It is tough out there now more so than ever. Just trying to work can be tough. Company valuation as a value leaves us two-thirds more likely to be RIF’d than last three years (though same companies want committed staff ready to go the extra 100 miles). This may be shocking to younger workers, but it is not new. What older workers learned a long time ago, is not to take the rhetoric to seriously, and do good work. That is so even knowing that no matter how well you work, your more than 60% likely to be RIF’D. The best way to handle this reality is first build your personal space (house, apartment, trailer, or other) so it helps recharge you. At the same time work to be the best version of yourself. Keep building skills and abilities. Third, know that life and things are tough and hard & bad shit will come your way. The one thing age teaches you is change will require you to reinvent yourself at different points along the way. Every 10 years or so, the rules will change. What worked at age 30 is long gone at age 56. But if you expect change and hard shit, and you do the three things, ya have a change to handle even the worse of things.
05.11.2023
We each are two things, an employee and a consumer (even if you work for yourself or run a company). That may apply to us that work for someone more, but the idea is the same. Companies, in these days, the US, tend to be very short termed in there thinking. The current valuation and equity price matters more than profitability. Microsoft just froze salaries not because they are losing money (they have huge cash amounts on hand and beat the streets expectations), but because they expect in the future there may be recessionary conditions which may reduce the bottomline. Companies tend to abstract what layoffs do to their markets. They tend to think what they do to their staffs does not impact their markets. But when everyone is cutting staff and are making large profits, lose sales. If everyone is laying off staff because of fear of future down turns, they create the down turn. The thing is they look past that and like anyone, down plays the negative and only see positives. Humans we too easily down play the bad stuff and convince ourselves only the good will happen. And of course who cares if you get paid and leave (as most CEO’s do), ya have to take care of yourself first.
04.27.2023
I keep seeing these new articles where someone says I am an X thing, and here a 10 things I learned about X thing! So, here is my tongue in cheek smart ass one.
I am a security engineer and here are the 10 things I learned I like… books and reading, cooking, urban gardening, cigars and whisky, wine, technology and computers, dachshunds, London UK, guitars-basses-tenor banjo, and coffee.
Just being silly
04.23.2023
Thinking and seeing past what you know
I think anyone who has kicked around the earth for a few 10’s of years, can point back to points in time, that applies. The kind of things where we go, I should have maybe gone a different direction.
Time seems to inch forward and we are more comfortable with that. But, I can look back and see where I maybe should have taken radically different path. At the time I just went with what seemed to be the practical flow of things. Now I see that I could have taken a path I just did not see. Perhaps it was not possible to have seen. Do we need time and a few dead-ends to see things differently? It could be learning to critically view shit. If things are bad we just want to get past it. If things are good, why change that? It takes a good deal of courage to act differently. Not to say a path everyone may think we are crazy to take.
I will say it is a skill and ability we can get to. After all time teaches. Why not train sooner?
04.21.2023
I have new hobby. I search for random products and services, and then mark them in Facebook as irrelevant. AI has created articles saying the an author wrote it who did not. Will AI someday target sell itself, and suggest products? Will smartphones go away because the robots don’t need them? Will AI and Robots bam books and prayer in school? I joke it’s Friday.
04.19.2023
Missing the Boat
With its business friendly and less regulatory structures, you would think Texas would welcome green energy business options? A lot of business in that sector and others (Tesla and others ), have moved and created operations there. And to the point of being the King of the of Clean Energy. But the current political culture wars and demistartive-acting, pushes the political leaders to attack green energy because of the perception that aids the other side. We humans do not often do things that are in our interest and help us. We opt for values and ways of life. Florida goes after its largest employer because some think their values are treated on. Maybe we Americans are so well off (relatively speaking) that we are like that phone carrier ad where some person wants to but the crown jewels of England, because she feels rich. Economics does have the concept that as we feel we have setup, shelter, food, and reproduction activities, we move up the larder of want. At some point we think we can attack sources of business and employment because our values matter more, and we think the first 3 things on the list are set. Personally I would want a cheaper source of energy in general. But fighting green energy helps will bigger elections and keeps our $$$ going to another energy sector.
04.17.2023
With all the AI things buzzing around, it hides one basic thing. The cycle of products and services that were drive by the birth iPhone, may have run its course. We have come up with everything that could be thought of. Smart light bulbs and every other thing that could be connected to WiFi, has been connected. Every app and service too. Tis why all the tech companies are going cuckoo for coco puffs, they need a new market to sell too. Markets work that way. They expand until there is no one left to sell to. And we buy into it. Why yes I. need a pair $90 ambiance light bulb! Internet led, to. Wifi-cell, that led smart phones, that led to app, which led to $45 mood light bulbs. Even before inflation the % of market remaining to sell to had started to be used up. Some will say, well they will do that, come up with a new market. Perhaps those virtual reality goggles, and then the virtual reality world like in Ready Player One book and movie.
03.30.23
It does seem harder, than before. The focus of people managing companies are self wealth focused. Humans, many of us are, get for me now and worry about other later if ever. Many CEO’s complain that younger workers need to come into the office for their own benefit (as well as the CEO’s). It seems more about the CEO’s benefit. As the older workers leave the workforce and with it prior habits, the next generation is and well be different. It always has been that way. Each herd that comes through is different that the last. It strikes me funny to hear so many persons of wealth complain the younger workers don’t know the true way of work life. After all, it is not like the ones complaining are going to be there too much longer any way. Maybe it is they don’t want to have a look in the mirror thing. See what their self interest really was?
03.26.2023
The new target is not that very pricy iPhone you. It is what they can get from you that you do on the phone, such as banking. There is an increased attack where someone will watch you enter your pin and then grab your phone. An iPhone is getting hard to fence now after it is reported stolen. But, once they have you phone and your pin number, they can do a hell of a lot to steal from you and hurt you. Most people do everything with their phone, including pay for everything using it, banking, etc. That is why people want to steal your phone. Once they have the phone and the pin they can do most everything (even if you have two-factor Authentication). And this is different from SIM Swapping and privacy. This is more stealing money. And just like when they as bank robbers why they rob banks, that is where the money is. It is an open question how much you want to protect yourself vs the ease of having a phone to do everything on. Security tech people will say a phone is best used in limited ways, such as don’t use banking and other financial apps on your phone. But that is up to you. Just realize phone stealing to get to your money is a thing.
03.21.2023
We are in a time when there is a bad mix of self interest and agencies with arms full of hammers. On the one hand individuals running companies are encouraged to maximize their pay and wealth in the short term. Then we have the Fed who is trying to use traditional fiscal and monetary in situations where the old tool box lacks modern tools. It is like the having the tools to fix a Model-T Ford from 1927 but are trying to fix a Ford F-150 Lighting. Instead of hooking a computer up to the electric truck they are pounding with a hammer. And in companies people are making short term choices knowing 10 years from now they will be wealthy and will not care their form job has tanked. Maybe SciFi will save us.
03.21.2023
A problem most billionaires have is needing more. But, to be fair, so do most people. In The Art of Things where it is less but better, getting to where you have enough is an aim. A lot ending up with stuff is the habit of more. It is a fundamental root behavior. The stuff we buy or acquire is not even being materialistic. It is the habitual behavior of more. A Warren Buffet can have billions of bucks, but still live in the same modest home. He does not have the behavior of more. The ones building spaceships are the ones who just need a more, a next thing. Most of us that have a lot of stuff, have the same habit. We just don’t all have billions of $20 bills to build spaceships. Nonetheless, we still more to fill the behavioral habits.
03.20.2023
The falsehood of the flawed starting permise. It is a common tactic where someone will start with a weak or incorrect premise, but, then several points assuming the starting point was true and/or a fact. What rarely happens is most people do not go back to and challenge it. We get caught trying to argue the later information. The best move is to go back and point out that we need to visit the original premise, and challenge that. Once we do that the following points are flat because they are only valid if the starting one is valid. I just last week try and present their preference as a fact and when I pointed this out the rest of their argument lost its steam.
03.15.2023
Okay…I don’t get it? In Florida US, the governor keeps going after and being hostile to businesses there? First they went after Disney taking over administering geo-location the business had done, thrus raising the taxes of the people who live there. Then they started to try and take the liquor licence from a major hotel brand there because they had a drag show. The one thing that keeps Florida from being a poor fuck state is tourism. The state government seems to be making Florida unfriendly to business. And who wants to take a vacation there if the hotels don’t server booze? And I am sure those of you that pay taxes there, are sending thank you cards the government for sticking it to Disney. You rule assuming a bigger tax bill to help do that.
03.13.2023
The mix of what we know and think we know. The Silicon Valley Bank last week failed. Post failure everyone speaks to the mistakes the banks leadership made. I am sure two weeks ago these guys thought they we crushing it, the knew their stuff. Why do people with all the tools and education still make major bone headed mistakes, get things wrong, and just do not see the bridge is out? Some of it is experience bias. Some of it is over trusting your past judgements and overconfidence. Add no critical judgement. There is some luck we pass as skill. And a whole lot of ego. Nothing (or few things) is built to last. Companies do not worry about if it will be around in 10 years (least the senior manager getting millions in compensation in the now). So they all sit around a conference room table and painted the rosiest of pictures for the plans they made. later the company fails and/or they layoff a lot of staff because they thought they knew what was going to happen. Clearly, they don’t know. But, it is also likely true they don’t care. Their own wealth is not tied to what happens next or later. They may care if later they have to give back the wealth they were paid when their past choices lose money. If paying back cash was part of the compensation package, I am just guessing but the choices they make could look different.
03.02.2023
Quiet but true. One of the issues with many tech companies like apple, is they have reached level of having sold an iPhone to everyone who can and will buy them. The next step after you have captured the market and need to keep building profits is raise prices. That works for a while. That is, until the price per unit is too high to sell enough units to equal the desired profit. Then the last option is to cut staff and expenses and try to find a new cash cow. We can see the numbers of units of cars/trucks and how the price per unit has lead to a reduction of sales. The same can be said for a Apple Macbook Pro. The cost of an apple pro level laptop can top $5000+ . I am a power user of laptops, and even the power of such a device is overkill. But, the unit price of a pro Mac device is in part the 2nd economic point where if you cannot grow more market share you raise unit price. In any case for this stage of economy where unit price grows to maintain stock value, producers are out stripping their markets ability to buy. People are already holding on to their cars longer than ever. Gloomy, I am sorry.
03.01.2023
There is the old saying that when you find yourself at the bottom of a pit, stop digging. In the last week drones (maybe from Ukraine) have attacked parts of Russia and in the same week, “belarusian partisans” using a drone, dropped explosives on a Russian spy plane in Belarus. With how poorly Russian military has performed in their attack on Ukraine, maybe they should quietly stop taking actions. Not say anything. Just stop their efforts and change their efforts to slowly withdraw forces. Just walk away and pretend it never happen. Russians and some billionaires are good at that. Pretending it never happened. VP just walk away. There’s your exit ramp golden boy.
02.27.2023
Bats in the bell tower. We have state governments fighting business that make up the tax base. Businesses fighting their employees and customers. Congress persons believing is Jewish space lasers. Leaders suggesting we drink bleach to fight covid. If you didn’t know better you would think I was making it up. Truth is stranger than fiction at times and this surely is one of those times. We have seen the UK vote to leave the European Union only to see the actual harm it did to their economy. We tend to think we can do anything from an emotion short term perspective, but that is flat wrong. We act like teenagers who still think nothing can kill them. Truth is the hold my beer thing does not generally go well. That is why it is a standing joke for what could go wrong. Why do we not have better reason? Maybe some of it is we leave rude commits online and get a rush and nothing bad happens to us. Plus we start to feel powerful from doing that. And we start to believe political parties are pure as snow and will transform the world making us rich and happy if only we had one party in control. Ask the average Russian soldier how the single leader party is going for them? Last I heard their average life span at the front is four hours.
Bats bell tower……
02.26.2023
The stoics teach us to live virtuous lives. The simple understand of that is we will all be better off if we did. A lot of it is a basic thing like if everyone drove the speed limit and followed the traffic laws, driving would be easier. It begs the question why we do not naturally float that way? If anything we look to take care of ourselves. Get your shit first. It is a good thing to pursue what you want. This is not can’t we all get along. It is more what is in our collective self interest. If everyone follows the rules and is honest we are all better off. If only some of us don’t, shit blows up. And if no one follows the rules, shit blows up there as well. These days people are more interested in owning the other side and lording over each other, than we are trying to live virtuous lives. And in the meantime nothing gets fixed or resolved. We all would be better off if they fixed bridges and kept trains from crashing. So maybe we do not need to go as far as living virtuous lives as the Stoics say, and just do the common sense shit that helps us all. Planes that are not canceled and leave on time is good for everyone. Owning the Dems or GOP’s does not help us with shit.
02.21.2023
Now I am neither into or against guns. I have as much interest in them as a I do knitting. Everyone is into something. As the Russian war against Ukraine (where Putin in a butt wipe), I have an ex-other half and a lot of friends who live in Ukraine. Someone I know posted a few pictures online social media of him and his GF outdoor somewhere shooting an array of guns. It hit me that we Americans play with guns. They are toys and playthings to us. None of us has to defend the US from those bad boy Canadians trying to take away our way of life. But we Americans do shoot each other a lot. Maybe it is a combination of too much first person shooter video games and posting troll things without direct harm to us individually. Maybe everyone’s mommy did not hug them enough. Who knows. But the US is the most dangerous place in the world that is not war torn or 3rd world. And again, we play with guns. We do not treat them seriously. We also do not seem to link shooting someone over a disagreement and being locked away in prison. Call me what you want, but, my reactions to things stops well before my reaction will end up with me in jail for an extended period of time. Others, they seem to take things to far and prison is result. It starts with, we play with guns.
02.20.2023
They say if you do not learn from history, you are doomed to repeat it. And, they also say common sense if not that common. The world right now is like not learning from history and not too common, had a drunken tequila weekend in Mexico, and gave birth to crazy. You would think we each would act in our best interests, but we don’t much do that. No matter how rich America is compared to the rest of the plant, we emotionally react like we have much less. The fact that we are so politically divided is more the fact we have such a high standard of living, we want to consume other things like value systems and political preferences. Everyone has started to act as if they do not get their preferences, the world as we know it (our way of life), the world will end. It is not even close to that (in terms of culture and political preferences. We go to extremes in our reactions to our perspectives. We tell ourselves they other side is so bad that justifies bad actions by us. And then the more poorly we act, the more evil we have to say the other side is. We need to do that to not be the assholes we are.
I do use some of Apple’s service such as iCloud, Amazon Kindle books, and MS Azure & AWS (professional reasons on the last ones)
02.16.2023
It is becoming time for more people to be honest. We have more individuals who have been elected because they lie about who and what they are. Just say the right buzz tribe words and people will elect road kill (which some of them smell about as bad - George). Meanwhile, we have problems to solve. Problems do not get resolved with political bull shit. We have to take shit like bridges and just fix them. That does not ever mean it will be easy. But, if we get off the need to own the other “side” and just solve everyday problems. I do find those folks under 30 do see life in terms of working together to solve things. And if anyone tells you everything is the other sides fault, run, they just want your money.
02.13.2023
Don’t follow the herd all the time
As you can tell I will write stuff. When I am at home I have my WiFi and I can use a cloud based tool set. But often I am not at home, nor, am I somewhere I can or want to connect to the cloud. I wrote this at a local coffee shop, and though my Air Mac several times prompted me to use my iPhone to connect to the cloud, I declined, not wanting the distraction. And, not wanting to share where and what I am doing to all the cloud and providers (who want to sell that information). But mostly I don’t need the distraction. That begs the question to me why I need to always be connected? Who does that really benefit? One part of the answer is the connected life is a created market to make money for someone else. It is something we kind of were lured into over time. Wow this smart phone is amazing I can find where to get a taco. Cool I can text and drive the car! Me some times I just want to write. And write without being connected to the cloud. That is why I am using LibreOffice and not MS Word. When I travel and am flying on a plane, being connect to the internet is not necessary or needed. I just want to write or edit video without being connected to a cloud service. I just got a lot of work done without checking anything or other activities I need to be connected for.
02.08.2023
Outside memory and good looks, which you cannot have enough of, most other things have limits to their enjoyments. Just like having pizza, nothing tastes better than that first slice. Maybe the 2nd comes close, but, each additional slice is not as wonderful. That is where less but better comes into focus. As much as like like watches I have only one good watch that I love to wear. Do I need more watches? No not really. I very much love wearing the one I have and am good with the one. More of them is to fill some other need more related to behaviors. And having less stuff does make life simpler and less cluttered (sorry).
02.06.2023
Trading seats on a plane. There is a travel hack families use. They first book the lowest fares for seats as they can to save money, and then ask others to trade seats with them so they can sit together. And play a guilt card you are not letting families sit together. Most airlines offer picking your seat, and generally there is a higher price for better seats. If I have paid extra for a class of seat, I am not going to switch seats with you. Fly Southwest if you want lower fares and sit together. You could have paid to sit together instead of buying 3-4 middle seats to save money. And one other thing. It is not generally the case that the switcher is asking others in economy seats. They always ask to switch with a better class seat. They could ask someone in economy seating to move up to the better seat, but they don’t do they!
02.06.2023
I wish I was making this up or joking, but, in the last two days there were news articles where representative Ms Green of GA (Ms. Jewish space lasers), and a Taliban leader, both have complained about working. The Taliban guy now has to work 9-5 (and commute to an office with traffic and all) and Ms Green now has to work 180 days (committee work is not all fun and games). Oh sure the day jobs look easy from the outside, but it is not all fun and games. We could say be careful for what we wish for, but neither thought winning would mean sitting at a desk all day. Oh the pain Will Robinson.
02.05.2023
Swing for the fences. There is a retired baseball player Dave Kingman. Dave retired having hit 442 home runs in his career in the major leagues. He also had 1,812 strikeouts and a career batting average of 236. Considering he had 6670 at bats, the ratio of successful outcomes were not great. The golfer Tom Kite was the first professional golfer to reach 6 million dollars in earning. He had only 19 tour wins. How did Tom reach 6 million first? He was super consistent player and most time finished the weekend in the top 10 scores. Always finishing in the money, as they say in golf. A lot of us and a lot of companies swing for home runs over steady results. Big money years over year after year profitability. If we are consistently saying and investing over time, that created solid wealth. If companies do not overreach to the short term and aim to always be profitable, they last. Many of want the gran results and want it how. Most CEOs want to take over an Apple, Google, or Microsoft, and become a billionaire in less than ten years. Investors want great returns now. Neither the CEOs or big investor tend to care what happens to the company 10 years from now. Staffs want consistency, and will stay the places they get it. Any for anyone if we are consistent with anything and everything, we do better, over time. Be that going to the gym, saving money, and learning skills.
02.02.2023
People tell me I have strong sense of self. Maybe that is true. I do know what I am and about. There are things that just stays with you even as we get older. I have a stereo that is just like the one I had as a teenager in the 1970’s. And a bunch of vinyl records. It struck me this morning how what I have in 2023, looks just like 1979. It is just what I like. And I do not care what anyone else thinks about this thing or anything else.
02.01.2023
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. That is until someone feels it violates their preferences. Perhaps it is the live and let live side of me, but, individual choice matters. There are limits and frankly common sense elements to the basic idea. There is a common good, such as, wearing a mask in the stores during a pandemic. I do not hunt. But if others want to, that is their choice. Just as women’s health choices should be their choice what they choose to do. And smoking cigars. Though I don’t think I should be able to smoke a cigar in a movie theater, and places like that (or yell move in a crowded firehouse - old joke sorry) . There is room for personal choices. But it is not a license to do anything we want any where or place, we want. If two guys named Steve or two women named Jane, want to be married, their choice. Life never promised we would always get our ways or we should be subject to someone else idea about right and wrong.
01.30.2023
I was reminded again today that success to some is getting others to address them emotionally. Kind of I need to hear you say what will make me feel getting, even though I screwed up. Sometime when people make choices and those choice don’t go as well as they hope, they push others to say what they want to hear. Plus, turn the fault into some else’s issue. Stoics will say that help others to be better people by being a better person yourself. Steven Covey sort of when a like place, but, also pointed sometimes that does not work. All relationships have to be win/win or things fail. Always a difficult choice.
01.29.2023
Some of you who have been been laid off from a job maybe shocked a little. It is like your first relationship break up. Some people may have completely bought into the we are a family here at companyX. Going forward people new to the reality of working will be tougher and smarter. Just think about one thing. This is a time when starting your own business/company, has never been easier. These days you just need a good idea, a laptop, cell phone, and WiFi. And the willingness to work hard at it. Someone once said I work 100 hours a week so I don’t have to work 40 AKA for someone. There are two things that will never make you rich, working for someone else and voting for any given political party. So if you had you first layoff great. Going forward you know the reality of working and what your options are. Do what is best for you.
01.25.2023
Why the extreme reactions and behaviors? At least in the US. There have been much worse time in our history and no one took out a gun because someone cut you off, or, forgot the pickles on your Whopper. Make in the late 1970’s NYC was almost a war zone and people were not as bad as now. There was still more a sense of community, Now we have a inflated sense of self importance that fuels our feeling of aggression. Feelings I have been violated and my zone of control (even in the restroom of public places) has been trespassed upon. I would wonder what some people think they see when they look at themselves in the mirror, but I may be scared for life. Maybe just have a cocktail and sit back and chill ya all.
01.24.2023
Nothing happens in a vacuum. Sometimes we get caught up in our own bubbles and act like there is not impact and no one sees our choices. This is true of individuals and companies. If big tech companies layoff a lot of staff and are still profitable, when times are better and they need more staff, will they be a welcomed option? There are companies that become so toxic and known for that, they become a job of last resort. There was one company in Denver that had to change its name because of that. If a company is net positive for profits, they may want to think twice about drastic actions. Some loss of stock price and a percentage of profit slightly lower, may not be worth the hit to their image. Once an action is taken people become shy about engaging you and/or buying from you. One mistake of an pizza order and we think twice about ordering from there ever again. Taking actions now may keep rich investors happy, but maybe not the people that you need to buy from you or work for you.
01.23.2023
There is a difference between how laid off staff are reacting to it by age group. Those of us that have been around since the 1980’s when layoffs became common with a just a down three months, or though the company was profitable, earnings were down a little. The older workers have been hearing for 40 years about do more with less, etc, and we all went through layoffs. We learned how to say. what managers needed to hear, keep heads down, and hoped the layoffs passed you by. The younger staff had never experienced this. They believed all the promises and thought they knew everything. What is different is covid make changing jobs less scary. Staff who before thought changing jobs was scary have a life change event. And, one other shift is that this age of things people can have a $$$$$ hot idea and go off any try realizing their idea. This has the effect of people saying, why would I work 80+ hours for you, just to keep a job, when they can work those hours building something where they get all the millions? In the 1980’s and 90’s we did not yet have the tools and options to start businesses the way we do now. Us older works had our hearts broke years ago. This is the first under 35 breakup. And they may transform this in ways we do not expect.
01.21.2023
What makes you think what you want is a group or tribe activity? It struck me that we often project things we individually want as a group value. Some people who spend a lot of time trying to groom us towards their specific political value system. Why. Well they want somethings are not getting it as an individual. And, since it takes effort, and is not often easy to get what we want, we pussy out an try promoting politics. Sometime the suggestion to act as a group-tribe, is to get us to do the work for them. Even more often we are just willing to fool ourselves that politics on its own with no other effort from us, will give us what we want. The root of getting what we want is basic hard work and keeping at it as an individual. So the next time you spout a political talking point ask yourself one question, did say it earn you even $1? If it is no, don’t waste your time. Get back to doing your own thing that makes you the dollars!
01-20.2023
Hello my friends
Humans, we wear masks. We do this in relationships, work, friendships, and all kinds of personal encounters. We are scared to say what we really want and feel. The why of that is even more scary. Sometimes it is ego. Other times mommy did not hugs us the right way. Who knows and every reason. In a relationship when this happens, they tends to fail. That does not seem to stop organizational leaders who put personal wants, needs, and egos a head of the benefit of the organization. They cannot say what they really mean, and nor can we. That is human in truth. The best we can do is not make the relationship adversarial. Though often we cannot help but put our own needs first and believe we will worry about others (or the business), later. We believe we are being honest. But, in reality it is a 68, blow me and I will owe you one.
01.18.2023
What was said about believing your own press? So many companies starting in 2020 ramped up their services for remote work. Now post (ish) covid they are saying they misread the market and that conditions were not permanent. One can only expect that demand will change at some point down the road and they will be back the other way. Kind of a puppy chasing its tail. But to be fair, most of the major layoffs are coming from profitable companies and the actions are a result of stock values (falling). It is part of the funding reality. Silicon Valley start-ups are pushed to gain growth for the IPO, and then, pushed to cut costs and staff to get a few cents more return years later as a public company. The bright side I guess is stock prices are likely to depress even more so we can buy their equities much cheaper. That is assuming a loaf of bread does not cost $10,000 by then.
01.16.2023
Balance of Purpose
….glad you stopped by. I am always happy to have you visit my blog.
Lately there is a lot of media buzz about the status of the workforce in the US and parts of the world. There are a lot of things that make that up. Different people all. with different motivations try to paint things in ways that push the thing towards their favor. The one part that I was thinking about is workforces have a mix of their own motivation and what they really want. And their motivations are not uniformed from A-Z. The older generations wanted a consistent and familiar structure. Give that group what they need and they stick around. The younger generations have no experience with that and want different things. Then you add most companies focus on the short term interests (Tim Cook either started Apple or took it public, but nonetheless will retire a millionaire). To solve the current labor situation we need to balance the needs of staff and the wants of management. No easy thing (all things are simple but few are easy). There is a core want from each group. We need to understand those needs and find ways to need them. That is where we can get the most good things and make it all work .
P.S. Thanks for stopping by and visit my more formal thoughts on this at
01.15.2023
Steven Covey wrote that all relationships should be win/win if not, then no deal. The quality of relationships matters. If one person takes too much or someone gives back too little, things lack balance. Somethings people, organizations, and jobs fall into this place, and have a unbalanced relationship set. Sometimes people use us for different reasons. They may may use people to make them feel better about themselves. Sometimes people want to us you to get ahead or get something they want. If we find ourselves with a toxic person or company in our life, we should ask if we should say no deal.
01.13.2023
There is something great or very wrong with a Friday 13th in January. Just saying. What is ever really normal. I keep thinking right now is so bad and things were better before. But, that may only be the perception of time and selective memory. Everyone is having kittens over 7% mortgage rates. In the late 1980’s I believe it was like 17% — All things are relative. We forget what we had for lunch three fridays ago, but think we have everything figured out. Mostly we tell ourselves all kinds of shit that makes us feel better. Just be the best version of our self and add value and make money.
01.12.2023
I don’t know. Though I am a pragmatic realist when it comes to political labels, I found the far right GOP to be like a married couple in the final stage of marriage before the divorce. They know the thing is fucked and toast, but they just cannot help getting in a few more barbs. Just cannot help themselves. The far left can be like a hurt feelings person who just cannot understand why no one else finds their ideas brilliant. Both and either are very proud of themselves.
01.11.2023
Some days I wonder how we have not blown the world up? We do so much crazy shit. The everyone is up tight and quick to overreact. Maybe the earth is sending out vibes it is going to blow up so we are reacting to something. Maybe we need more pub and cafe culture? Places where we just sit and converse over beverages. I would vote for a cafe in a warm place where I could smoke a cigar sipping a whiskey. Or something like. that depending what you like. The greater point is simple socializing. Getting together without it being hyper-serious. Can that happen? I hope so. We do tend to as bird flock together in our preferences. Then meeting up becomes just something to re-enforce shit we want to believe. That is not socializing and communicating. In any case, I still would like a cafe in a warm place I can smoke cigars and sip whiskey.
01.05.2023
Jumping the shark…..I have said before that no one knows what is going too far, but everyone knows once you get there. And so many people going too far. It is very much an abstract. Products are priced thinking there are armies of buyers hiding out there. Political discourse is too crass. We over apply meaning to a slew of things. Laying it on too thick. Adding too much pepper. Too loud music volume. Just look down and wave at Jaws as you jump the tank.
01.04.2023
The office is not the center of the universe, it is the technology, communication, and collaboration platforms that are. There is a limit of 150 people we can effectively have active interactions with. In a smaller organization it is easier to collaborate in-person. It is much hard when you have a larger group of people, and the work in divided into parts. Just being in the same space is not enough to make collaboration work. Good team work needs the good set of tools, and a clear purpose and direction. Plus humans don’t like change. technology, communication, and collaboration solutions need a commitment by everyone to be effective. I have worked in roles where I travelled to the client most of the team. I was rarely in the office and maybe in person saw my managers. It worked because we had the tools and a commitment to make the business reality work. The managers had learned how to keep a remote team going in that business model. Some businesses can operate all in person together and some cannot. The mix of them need the tools to communicate and collaborate remote or in person.
01-02-2023
As the new year begins I am thinking how most things are simple, but, few things as easy. Individual things are simple. Adding multiple things together and the collect stops being so simple. The level of complexity becomes mind numbing. We struggle with helping each other because we are focus on ourselves and expect the other person to mirror us in our needs. On the other side the person there to help us helps all of us and catches a lot of simple problems each specific to us individually. Keeping things simple means being aware of the communication we need to do to convey our need. There is more reward in being focused on getting your problem fixed and need met, than, the other person getting what we want out of the blue. How often have you said, I should not have to do that? The comes from an expectation more than anything. Flip it around and think what do I need to do to communicate my need/problem in order to have that taken care of. For simple needs to stay simple, seek to communicate before expectation.
12.28.22
Someone’s Cheers….. most of the time I am not really looking for a place where everyone knows my name. Colorado has a 40% tax on cigars, so I mostly order them online. I started a cigar hobby during the pandemic (long story). Because of the tax and that I buy cigars from out of state, I had not hung out in a cigar shop. So I visited several. For me I was just looking for a relaxed casual place to sit and have a cigar. One thing that stuck me is places like a cigar lounge will be someone’s Cheers. It is a place that in a sense of belonging, a place that is an important spot of a social network. And most of them are going to be men in them. The culture will follow these things. Some places will have a specific political preference and the tribe will talk along the lines of their politics. Some shops may have more guest visitors and be less tribal. Other to be a regular, you may have to be part of the herd. But most of all, some guys that go there it is their Cheers, so respect that.
12.27.2022
What is for show? Some people want others to think they are the shit. They are crushing it. But why? Why do we want others to think we are rushing it? Perhaps it is wired into us and I missed the message to get in line for caring what you think. The better I do the less I want you to know. I keep driving the same 15 year old truck (though I love it). What I drive is a tool to get me to places I want to go. And no one care what I drive. And most people do not know it is me in any case. However, more people such things matters to them. I am just odd being different.
12.26.2022
As we get ready to roll into 2023 I am reminded how much Covid is still impacting us. China again is having a spike of cases. We will hope that is not signalling a 2nd round of global impact? We surely don’t need more hostility being directed towards Asian folks and nurses. So many people had trouble seeing covid as a health issue vs a political one. We sure could do better seeing things that directly impact us vs. seeing things as perception of values being violated. Just understanding that life minute to minute is about change and not thinking our sense of normal is being threatened. Change is reality and though we do our fucking best to deny it, we could learn to use change as an opportunity. But what we are better at is once in a hole, we keep digging.
12.24.22
This is more my observation than a statement of fact. I have been going some Saturday afternoons to cigar shops with a seating area. What I have noticed is how guys into act. M. general week is working in technology and professional settings. Because of covid and working remote the last two years, I had not been going to social setting much. The benefit of that was to let me see how guys interact and communicate with each other. One shop had a more Jr High school gym class vibe to it where ragging on each other was the norm. When we were each in Jr High there was not much that would teach us how to communicate differently that insult each other. Overall I would say that there was not much that helped guys develop good communication skills or better ways to express ourselves. After all so much of daily life is matching an accepted set of norms, and anyone different is not accepted as nicely. When we now have differences we don’t have the best of tools to work with. And it is mostly true that a good deal of guys don’t want to develop new skills, lest they be different. It is just easier to go along with the herd. My point of view is be an effective human. Build your world and wealth by being creative, effective, and adding to the overall society. In a word an individual. Maybe a base of of things that make you good at things. And to do that guys need better communication skills and expressions ones.
12.21.22
Attention bias, selective attention, circle logic… these are things it is hard not to do. We will think we have everything understood and our thinking is spot on, but for most, it is not. Being objective is a discipline and a skill we have to build. And we have blind spots. We at times feel free to be ugly in what we say. Given all that, communication is an art. It is something that we have to want to reach. Most times we want to be heard more than. we want to communicate. And a good deal of the time, wanting to be heard is the result of being our values (which is the one true value) was stepped on. Avoiding that trap will start with being virtuous and living that like of life.
12.19.2022
Things we put out there and never realize. Communication can be a bitch of a thing. We too often think we are saying one things and never realized thought something else. Often we say shit because we are trying to mask what we really think and feel. Then other times we just think we mask communication. I have been to Ukraine a lot. I can tell when an American says something off, because Ukrainians will have this pokerface. Their facial expressions become as neutral as possible, out of fear of others picking up their emotional reactions (Soviet days leftover). The tell (as they say in poker), is the sudden control of the Ukrainian facial expressions. They say that poker players when they try to bluff, do the same thing. The answer, just be honest and pleasant whenever possible. And have your meanings be as close to real as you can.
12.14.2022
Sometimes there are things that everyone is screaming about that makes me go huh? Now that the GOP has the majority in the House of Representatives they want to investigate Dr Fauci. That seems like now the brightest choice. Why you may ask. Well, Dr Fauci’s title was Chief Medical Adviser to the President. That makes him a civil servant and employee of the government. And, who was the President at the end of 2019 through 2020 (when the lock down and mask wearing happened), Mr. Trump. I can imagine questioning of Dr Fauci going something like this. Dr Fakie (they will need to get his name wrong as a dig, good one Ms. Green), why did you say we all had to wear masks in public? Dr Fauci replies, I served at the pleasure of the President, I need to defer to President Trump on matters of his policies during his administration. As an employee of the government I only followed policy of the President, not make it. And so on. There is a reason so many other “advisors to the former President did not want to testify to congress, they would have to answer questions about the former President. I doubt Dr Fauci will feel constrained from answering questions about his time serving under former President Trump. The investigation may not go as nicely as the GOP thinks. Just saying.
12.12.2022
Is it really necessary? That may be a line in a movie. In any case, we do a lot of things each day that are not really necessary. Somethings may be even be a negative. I visited a cigar shop near me. The staff were complaining about the shop not attracting new customers (me being new seemed to have slipped past them). You may expect that they were discussing things they could do to increase sales - but ya would be wrong. What they did talk about over and over and over was political preferences. It would make sense if they were talking that a 40% tax on cigars was unfair and we all need to write our state rep! If you thought that happened you would be wrong again. The things they could act on they left on the floor. Their energy went to things they had no control over. Not the things that were necessary and would benefit them.
10.10.2022
Long time / short time, but not what you think. A big issue we have relates to short term outcomes vs long terms ones. The general senior manager at a company thinks in terms of the short term/time because they individually benefit from those behaviors and choices. However, there are many books, articles, and podcasts which speak to and promote a good situation and company, in the long term. The books and podcasts make sense and are fundamentally correct. You would think and expect that the long term would be the thing we strive for? But we normally don’t. It is the short term rewards of the managers/leaders of the companies that short circuit long term. Understandable, really. If you can make 10’s 100’s plus millions of dollars in 5-10 years, what would you can what happens in year 6 or 11? Human we think I need to take care of me before I can worry about you. Put you own air mask on before assisting the person next to you. The case of the overall best common good should says we must fix that. Moral issue or not. Or the puppy gets sick and dies. The basic point is we need to talk about what systems we have and what should replace it or not.
12.08.2022
The future is now as they say. Really? Speaking to the ideas of a virtual office and Meta, these things may not be meeting a need or solving a problem. They are more about creating a market that they call sell into. They want to realize as economics defines as, renting a market. In short, like with the different cloud services we can buy, once there they kind of own us. It is very difficult to move life and organization out of these solutions once you are in them. The old advise was buyer beware. That holds even more true today. And don’t forget that the lounge lizards wanting to take you home from the bar, promise the world to you. Do you think the sellers of virtual office or Meta will actually love you in the next morning?
12.07.2022
News…back in the day, long long long ago, or the 1960’s. News was thought of as a public good. Networks did not expect to make any profit. New shows were a cost to them and a service to us. Along came the show 60 minutes which started to make a profit and changed everything. Today we get 24X7 programming. Different networks have 4-1,000 different people with an hour show each (well maybe not 1000). In the 1960’s there were three major networks that had a one hour news program. These programs were not entertainment, they were news. And we trusted the news anchors presenting the news. Everyone watched one of the three network news programs and read the morning paper. That level of news was a better product. It was just the information and you decided what you thought about it all for yourself.
For the record I pay for the online digital New York Times, Bloomberg News, and buy copies of the Economist magazine. Ya get what you pay for.
12.06.2022
The answers to many things….is personal to you. Not all things fits every person. I have never been a good sleeper and have trouble with that since I was a little lad. Surprisingly two things helps me fall and sleep, stay asleep, and get back to sleep. The first is sleeping on a cruise ship. The rocking of the ship helped me sleep when I took a cruise. Some may point out that is like rocking the cradle. I just need someone to gently rock my bed. The second solution I found is playing audio books of books I know well. That seems to let my mind focus on the person reading and if I wake up I know where in the book the story is and my brain zones in on that and I fall back to sleep. The greater point is neither of the solutions are common and anyone would think of. Some personal problems are like that, there is not a pat answer. We have to find what works for us as individuals. And the greater point is we have to seek what is right for each of us as an individual. And that is an internal not external thing.
12.05.2022
When companies state publicly they want to do more with less, and their investors want them to reduce staff levels to create a few more pennies of profit, I become adverse to the product, good, or service. Not because they greedy bastards (they maybe for all I know, but rather, because I am guessing the best things available are not going into the product, good, or, service. After all they just got done telling me they don’t have the money to pay their staffs, and their investors want more return. Along with reducing staffing costs, and driving up profit, they are trying to push down the not labor costs as well. The lowering the cost of those parts that go into that mobile device (which was already offshored to a low cost labor country), has to come from somewhere? They will push for lower prices by the producers of the parts, who will lower their labor cost and buy cheaper materials to maintain their profits. When I hear do more with else I think twice about buying anything from these companies. What they may do to lower all their costs does not sound like that tablet will be made with the best parts money can buy.
12.04.2022
Tools… there are almost unlimited tools to build your income. Back in the day starting your own business (do your own thing) would mean a brick and mortar building and some sort of product, maybe a service. In this age we have internet, software, laptops, smartphone, and to tons and tons and tons of information online. There is huge resources to learn something and come up with an idea. We can quit the day gig and start your own thing at your kitchen table, a coffee shop, or Paris. If all the tools and resources allow us to work different, why, work 9-5 for someone, and in an office? The days when working only means working for someone, and in a cubicle, is no longer the only gig. Use all the tools available to us and do your own thing.
12.03.2022
Frank Sinatra sang in his song life - Each time I find myself flat on my face, I pick myself up and get back in the race. It speaks to the ups and downs that we each face in life. At times we are a pawn and a king. Ryan Holiday speaks to this in his book The Obstacle is the Way. There is no forever normal. Life is as frank sang a series of ever change fortunes of life. What Ryan points out the obstacles are the thing which gives us the chance to move forward and win things we want. Along the way don’t let the ups and downs stop you. Use them each is a lesson if nothing else. So first expect the ups and downs, and second, use everything as a opportunity.
11.29.2022
In the Art of Things where less but better and the minimalist thinking, holiday spending is a little like abusing substances. People fall back into the thing thinking, I can handle one purchase. I can have one purchase! That Kindle is $100 off, so it is a good deal. This is when we have to ask ourselves if we really need the thing or not. It is OK to buy things. It is better when you need the thing and the thing adds to your life. I actually purchase a tortilla press. I thought I can make my own pie crusts so why not my own tortilla’s? Making anything fresh that does not have shit added to it so the “food” can stay on the shelf longer, is a good thing. And who does not like tacos? And there is a difference between buying because it is a thrill and buying something you can use. Just resist falling into the thrill part during the black Fridays and Cyber Mondays!
11.27.2022
Rantings…#1 don’t disbelieve how if the right set of conditions are there we will be evil and cruel. Just look to Putin and the Ukraine (Russian targeting sources of heat and electricity). #2 In the name of short term rewards for senior managers, we have automated call trees and browser key word chats, there to answer enough questions, they don’t have to pay people to help you (the few who will be there barely can address much - including Elon’s first company). #3 There is a difference with trying to create a level, fair, and honest play field and one where everything each group-tribe, get their specific wants provided (generally first). #4 with all the books to help companies build a good organizations, most managers running them don’t really care. And everyone is just doing what is required, expected — towing the line. Never has been a movement of grand design thing. #5 Live with less, don’t waste. # reinvent commercials and targeted ads. Blasting us over and over and in every possible places is not working. It turns us on and we buy less (which is a better thing). # we all want to be paid a lot and pay nothing.
11.25.2022
It starts with emotions. That is the root of life. From there our communication will be sound or noise. Every problem we respond to is rooted in our emotional responses. From there people will sell us on what they think we will react and respond to. Sometimes, with political message, we get more noise than sound. Scare us. Offer us things that will appear to give us good emotions. Noise does not really help us. It is like empty calories. Like eating cake when we are hungry. But that is why businesses and political parties rarely fix problems, noise works better for them, and often us too. Perfect sounds brings harmony. At our core we want the harmony, but we settle for the noise.
11.22.2022
With working in tech I go back a lot longer than I wish. There was a time when we worked jobs where the server room was on perm, servers were physical machines, and we all had desktops (pre-laptop, VPN, WiFi days). With the current questions about work remote and the sub-set of work remote from home, anywhere, hybrid, out there, I have been thinking back to what was the stated motivation to create laptops, cell phones, wifi, VPN’s, virtual servers, the internet, etc. The rallying cry was change the way we work! It turns out that creating these tools, echnologies, and services was not to change how we work or where we work, but to create a market to sell and buy. These days when staff wants to work remote and managers want us to be in the office, it is funny to think back to the change the way we work sales pitches. If the only acceptable option for managers is RTO just take away laptops, smartphones, WiFi, and VPN’s (for laptops and portable computing). Instead give staff desktops (including at home), use only desk phones (remember them?). Why did we need all those mobility options if not to be mobile LOL? Just give us desktop computers. Nothing will tie us down to RTO and WFO more than a desktop computer. Those suckers are much cheaper. as well And I am sure if you dig around in that IT storage area there are sure to be boxes of Cisco IP phones collecting dust. The true control for managers starts with the devices you give us to work with. So dump all those mobile devices and all will be well.
11.20.2022
When your situation is not ideal and it seems a hug gap to get to the ideal, you need goals and take action. The first part of the action is to realize not to overly focus on your perception of the situation. The current time is where you will be taking steps. It is making progress and knowing most things are improved over time. The most critical thing is to have realistic plans and focus. The second best thing is to make good decisions. Don’t add more roadblocks. Be clear what it will take to reach your goal. Equally, be clear what things will step you back. And most of all, don’t wait. Don’t hope things will change on its own. A political party or a person is not going to change things for you. It is only you who can do that. And last, sometimes things take time. That realization is one of the biggest reasons people don’t act. It can seem too difficult and takes too much effort on our part to do. So we sit back and bitch and blame.
11.19.2022
The curse of Steve Jobs, Apollo Missions, and the Unicorn Startup…..at some point work becomes ordinary. The rewards of profit go to the senior managers and equity owners. Though the current winds of work is individuals who get the rewards wants the work from those who don’t get a share of the rewards to work as if an asteroid is going to blow up the earth and we have 365 days to build a spaceship which will only carry the senior managers to safety. When there is not a grand thing like landing people onto the moon or an IPO that staff is included, where is the incentive? When Apple was becoming Apple and Steve Jobs was driving the bus, we had the sense of creating something — roughly like the race to space. Over time that sense of things in a tech or general company has kind of flatten out. Staffs learned that they would not be include in a payout (or seat on the spaceship), and they likely would just get cut. Mr Musk issued a stern message to Twitter staff sign up for a bitch of a work life or we will cut you. Oh and you have until Friday to decide and if you tap out, and here is three months pay. Somehow, everyone (other than the twitter staff who said bye bye) were surprised when 1200 people choose to walk. It is easy to demand for devotion of 300% to your job when your salary is 60 billion dollars. When you are on the side of we will get some pay and wake up 55 years old, out of work, broke, and a lot of life missed, the demand is hollow. Many will toe the line just because they have to and hope they will find better options later on. Most of us care about our jobs, but, know we are a disposable resource and do not have any actual security, even if we say yes Mr Musk, sign me up.
11.16.2022
It is so too easy to be focused on what we see as the future, instead of work on things now. We as humans look down the road in our minds. That often makes us apprehensive and worried. We fret about what may not have happened for us long before it has time to do anything. It is hard to just focus on what matters now. To take just the simple steps of today. And not be distracted on a perception of the future we want. Funny thing is if we work today and step by step, we get there from that.
11.15.2022
The Stoics said that external is something that we cannot control. For the things we can control it is choosing between good and bad. The trick is our perceptions. Do we see what we can have an effect on and put every effort into that, the things we can control. Ryan Holiday in his book The Obstacle is the Way wrote “ In its own way, the most harmful dragon we chase is the one that makes us think we can change things that are simply not ours to change”. When it comes to the things other people do that we don’t like, we are chasing dragons trying to change them. If we focus on the things we can change (our solves for starts), we will have the greatest effect. And that works best when we are working on our goals and the things that the things we love doing. Building personal wealth we can have positive effect. Needing to show others we are crushing it on social media is not.
11.13.2022
No one can be anything but impressed what the Ukrainians have done defending their country against the Russians. That does not stop some members of the GOP to side with the Russians. Politics aside, Europe is safer because the Ukrainians have performed so well and the Russians so poorly. The threat of power turned into a false thing. The Russians military is not made up of military members being professional. People are required to serve. Unlike the US were people choose to serve in our military. That does beg the question why we do not pay military members better. What we get so much from them. Our sargents alone, are real asset. Such people are not in the Russian military. They Ukrainians are fighting for their country. They are fighting for each other. The Russians have to be there and fight a war then don’t want to fight.
11.09.2022
No one knows where going too far is, but we know when we got there. As soon as we past that line we know it (at least inside). The bulk of voters knew things had gone too far. The reasons will vary from person to person, but everyone felt it. The extremes of the right and left makeup 2/5ths of the voting population and the 3/5ths, left-center, center, and center-right, have shone over the 2020 and 2022 elections that they had enough. They do not want where the 2/5ths want to take us. Be that good, bad, or indifferent. Sadly, those running who are extreme do not realize they are extreme or that they were rejected. What better message for there to be but such a tied division of power? Who can say the election was stolen? Who can say one direction or the other is saving a way of life. Which way of life? The message is most of us want normal life and stable things. Hope everyone got that memo.
11.08.2022
Well voting in the United States. Here in Colorado there is little to no drama. Other states have so much drama we need to add the word queen in front. In the crazy that is American politics many would rather rule for 4 years in a nuclear wasteland than serve in 10,000 of heaven. So feel we could lose our democracy, and that can be divided between a sub-set-group’s perceptions and other actual ways of democracy. What we do not do much now is present our ideas and we get what we get. If you lose grow a pair and accept it.
11.07.2022
The radio starting roughly in the 1920’s and forward, really changed life. We tend to think that life started with the iPhone, but the radio was the think in those days. Because of the radio people across wider areas were linked by the programming that came into their homes. Boxing matches, the baseball world series, etc, reached everyone thanks to the radio. That was a good thing. What else the radio helped do is create national brands. Before the radio it was much harder for people in Colorado to know a product made in New york. Also a good thing, but, the start of consumerism and materialism (and there would still be decades before minimalism). There is one other think that the radio did. Something that social media companies life blood depends on. Something that Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and others think they discovered. In order to have things to play on the radio, someone had to pay for it. With a lovely drum roll please, advertising made its appearance into the social media of its day. All these technology social media companies owe the idea of invention and how to make us the product to the little old radio of the 1920’s. So, there you go!
11.06.2022
They lied to us…all the world is not a stage….it …is…a… Database! When we think about modern life we refer to online this and that, passwords, dital, smart phones, etc. But, at the root of all we do is a database. How much money you have in your checking account, available credit on your credit cards, and if you own your house; all in a database. That speaks to normal life and the place of actual things (unlike crypto and blockchain which is a whole other thing, more computers and software). The fact your life is ruled by database maybe a shock to many people, but it is true. Databases are the root of it all. It is how everything is recorded, storaged and queried. It is a process to check if you have paid your mortgage this month. It is update for every direct deposit of your paycheck. Everything. So the next time you dismiss the database admin in your company or friends at a party, remind yourself that they have access to everything about you and your money (or they know how to get it and some may also be hackers).
10.31.2022
Boo…. this is the age of adversarial relationships. Everyone from the CEO of Ford (in his case with his. employees?) to political tribes. Everyone emotionally needs a situation where they feel in total control. And this emotional needs seems to extend to every snowflake. The fact that so many people whine and are mad about it screams; I lack control. That being in the case of the Ford CEO (no control of his emotions - ideal trait for a corporation leader) or each person who. wants to limit voting rights to maintain political control. Where did this deep need come from? From a country that put humans on the moon to this shit. What is next do we decide a specific football, basketball, base ball, and hockey team will win every year. Change the rules to ensure the chosen team wins. States and other political tribes are trying to do that. How did we get to be so weak and soft? We are afraid of competition and to face problems together? How we build a strong country and workforce, clearly is not from the emotional things we are doing now. If a company handles their staff issues with threats, do you feel OK buying products from them? Those employees may not do more than cover their asses. Managers will spend all their time deciding if everyone is doing enough. Sounds like an ideal way to make products. And I am sure that Ford electric truck will work just fine.
10.27.2022
The good in the bad…. no one likes higher prices (though we don’t want to blame companies make the products). There is a lesson to be gained from higher prices and cheap money and credit hiding somewhere, that is, we felt ricker than we are (in real terms). The average wealth levels of middle class people, including home equity, was about $363,000. That was higher than before us current crowds (or clowns if you like). Just like the commercial where someone saved so much money on their cell phone bill they felt the could buy crowned jewels, it was more a false sense of wealth. A net worth of $350,000 is hardly easy street and lie on the beach the rest of your life. It was a false sense of well being and we often lived larger than the money we earned and the net worth we had. Having $350,000 in equities and cashing out 4% a year is only $14,000. Even if you had a million that nets you only $40,000 (on average). Knowing that what you earn. today is not making you as well off as you felt, should be a wake up call not to glide in life just yet. Keep earning until you have real wealth ($20,000,000 is about the level that money makes real money or so says the writers of the book Millionaire Next Door).
Peace Love Joy
10.24.2022
Most of the time we tell ourselves what things mean. 80% of the GOP and DEM’s say the world will come to an end if their side does not win. It matters not that so many say that. It matters what the reasons they say it. It is what they are telling themselves. Perspective is everything. And if you stop and objectively look at it, there are a hell lot of perspectives. Don’t just bunch the 80% together and think oh that is bad. Look close at what the groups with groups think our true American Way will come to an end. Some of the reasons are a little self interested and the individual’s thinking it would think it is unfair to judge them.
That does beg the question why you want to express things that are kind of shitty but your problem is being judged about it. Grow a pair.
10.23.22
Trial and error…the UK new PM has resigned after only 44 days. She put in-place some economic policies (some called rewarmed reaganomics). It went very badly. We seem to be in an age where people as individuals and tribes, believe they know what is what and if only we do their thing, we all all shoot rainbows out of our asses. Is this an over trust of our own thinking? Do we need a return to the scientific method of I think X but I need to show it works and try again if it does not? The circle logic our individual brains tells something we think is rock solid, fools us. Believing we can understand everything and believe without proof or testing. And like the UK PM, let’s just throw that shit out there it will work, I know, oh shit..ah..hmm…it failed? That bad! Ok, …sorry ;p
10.22.2022
Inflations is fake…the Jewish space lasers are monitoring when you leave the house. There are quick response teams and inflation actors who change the price tags at the Krogers and pretend to shop with you. Inflation is fake news. It is created by a world government lead by Bill Gates. Silly yes. The tactic has been used by some towards their agendas. There is an actual movement for birds are fake that is done to make fun of the people who say things like school shootings are fake and the kids and adults are crisis actors. To those folks, inflation is fake. We are staging it to fuck with you.
As a side note to inflation, in the US, it is 8%+. That is actually lower than most other countries. Inflation is a global problem caused by the pandemic, supply chain issues, tax cuts for the 1% and big corporation, pay increases due to labor shortages, product shortages, and too much money in the economy over the last 6+ years spanning two administrations. Some, for election reasons, want to say it is the fault the current US administration, but it is just a tactic to win elections. As with anything using an issue as a tactic does not solve the problem. Understanding an issue and making reasonable choices to fix it, does. If the side using the problem as a tactic without offering a solution, beware.
10.20.2022
It is always the fine print…..we make choices in the short term a good deal of the time. Kind of get out of the current problem and worry about later…..later. A classic case is the logic to buy a new car today rather than pay for a $1000 repair. The fact that you now have a monthly $900 payment for 60 months, gets put into later. It is one of the more practical things to do, consider what the later will be. Everything comes with negatives. The are no perfect solutions, only what problems you can live with. We will elect a nut job to congress, for a gas price $2 bucks cheaper. All the while that guy wants to make it illegal to change jobs or take away women’s right to vote (or other nutty shit). My truck is 15 years old and it is cheaper to fix than write a big check every month. Look at the long term results of a choice.
10.19.2022
Sunny days…Stoicism teaches that you never know how life will change and to never assume there will be a tomorrow. That means do things today that matter and are essential. It is easy to not be in that kind of habit. And that is different pleasure. No one should not enjoy life. Who wants to have a life that is gray? It does mean pursuing things that make life productive and not just habits when thinking life is long. You never know. And, never take the time you have for granted. It is being your best and do your best today. And it is specific to you. People who value time tend to reach their goals sooner. It is the us who think we are younger that 70 so there is time to put off things until the next day.
10.18.2022
Wondering…back during the pandemic so many people freaked out being told they had to wear a mask into a store. It was an infringement on their personal liberties. You may wonder if that taught anyone about how rights within a country or society are actually granted and stay in place? I would guess not given so many are trying to rig things so their tribes control shit. Many think if we fix it so our side wins, all will be good. Only the things we don’t like will be impacted. Those we put into power they can’t lose, will always look out for us good peoples values. Freedom actually comes from everyone buying into a system granting rights to everyone. That is in practice messy. Democracies were called an experiment when colonies fought the brits. The current social structures did not extend rights to everyone — let alone women (who could not have a credit card in their own name until something like 1970). Women could not vote. Some will say that our default behavior is control, better still complete and total control. Hopefully we will not descend into a Hand Mai’s Tale situation. History has shown we tend to just go along with authoritarians. They promise us shit — life will be better (for the authoritarian - they weren’t specific whose life will be better). So, if you did not like being told you had to wear a mask, try being in a real authoritarian situation. We can hope no one has to go but…I am an something… you cannot do that to me!
10.16.2022
The fun is in the ride…….there are boasts of best life now…..though mostly from not really there yet. That speaks of having something as a thing in itself. I will offer that building a life is the thing that is good. It is the actions and efforts of turning nothing into the something you want. That is something different from pursuing pleasant. It is a lifestyle and a depth of being. Most people have jobs and dream of being suddenly rich and sitting on a beach (or location of your choice). Most people have no idea what it would suddenly be like to have that. The dream of it is the drug that gives the sugar. Otherwise, we are more filling our time and doing the travel deal as we can. If on the other hand, you are building a life where those action build wealth and is substantial, every day is a best life. If you are saying this “job”, just pays the bills, my real dream is XYZ, it just means you likely have not committed to it.
10.0.15.2022
If age and wisdom have taught me anything, it is problems take time to fix. Our bodies and brains developed chemicals to help us respond to threats and fears, but, our modern day problems are not so easily fixed. The human reaction is fix it now (or run away, even self medicate), but, fixing something takes time and effort. And sometimes a lot of time and effort. If you are very much in debt, or 100 pounds overweight, or just need to learn the skills for the career or job you want, It likely will take a few years to turn things around and get there. No one wants to hear this. We want things to be fast, easy, and require no effort from us. Maybe someone will come along and drop $100 million in your bank account (I am still waiting, just saying). Not likely. It is equally likely your problem will not be fixed without an effort and commitment on your part. And on a positive note, as some point out, make small changes and make small efforts each day, and over time a lot will change and be fixed. It is the commitment to the effort to fix a problem (or reach a goal) which matters. Do'’t sit and complain and wait for someone else to help you. Start working on it today even if it takes a while to see a difference. In time it will if you put in the effort and commitment.
10.10.2022
Doing business or working…..there is the old saying do not shit where you work. I think it used to relate to not dating people you work with, here I am expanding that to not using your business or where you work to express your political/Cultural/Spiritual points of view. Specifically if you have a business, your first responsibility is to the business. Everything you do in respects to the business, social media postings on Facebook or YouTube, should be prompting the business, and not your personal points of view. It is your business and your business what you want to do; however, why limit your customer market by making references to your personal political preferences.? And as an employee we should not use company meetings as places to promote your personal views, and never, never, never in a client meeting (I have had that happen in a meeting with Microsoft where the rep asked if I liked football and when I said yes, used it to promote is political views). It is fine to have your views. I would just suggest that you keep you views out of your business shit or on the job. Use other media and places to express your personal views. Jobs and businesses are not tribes. One is how we make a living and the other is products and services we purchase. Making a sale limited by tribal membership limits the market reach you have. That would seem to be simple but it is not.
On a side note today’s Bloomberg online new site is an article that says someone expressing extreme political views (right/left) are on average 25% less likely to be hired.
10-09-2022
Both Simon Sinek and Ryan Holiday write about how humans are still built to react to perceived risks and threats. This is the case even though the old cave people days are long gone. The beasts of the land are less likely to eat us for food. But, our brains still reacts like that could happen and releases different chemicals to force the proper reactions. These days we feel. the threats in jobs, situations, and relationships. Now we form tribes for protection against the imagery wind beasts. The beasts of the land are things we have to create. We feel the risks. To make sense of feeling that way we invent our monsters. Our bodies are releasing the chemicals telling us to react at the same time telling us there is nothing there. In response to that we create the source of risks and threats. That is why so many people now act like their world is at risk, and they must act to prevent that. Our caveman. selves keep telling us there is trouble, as our reasonable selves say nothing is there chill out.
10.07.2022
Most people think there is a perfect state of living they can get to. That actually means life seems to move along and they don’t need to think about it. We value familiarity. We like our jobs to stay the same (but get paid more and more). We like prices we pay for things not to go up, the products we want to always be in the stores. The reality is things change and fluctuate by the minute. Just like gaining weight, we wake up realizing we are 50+ pound heavier, and wonder how that happened? It is because we get busy in daily life and look past such things. The value for things to stay the same is so strong we look past changes (even negative changes to ourselves). Even in jobs the social contract we form with the business is the business takes care of everything, so we don’t have to think about any of it, and we just work as you say ( the current breakdown is business don’t take care of us). It is tough to have to pay attention to shit. It is not that we have to notice every little thing, it is we have to be aware and handle stuff. There is no perfect state of being.
10.05.2022
101010101…. computers, has a user of laptops what we need in terms of using them, is the price against how long one will work, is a few years at least. With brands like Dell or HP, the range of basic laptop to workstation class, is fairly wide. Microsoft Surface laptops are middle ranges in price; but, the range of configuration choices, are a little less wide. Apple is one of the premium brands, but, because the Mac OS (Unix) can only run on Apple computers, they cost a lot. The Mac’s are powerhouses that can handle a lot of needs. And a Mac runs a lot longer than a Windows based computer. The issue with a Mac now (verse in the past) is Apple creates new features in the OS and you may have to get a new Mac sooner. Given the higher cost, that maybe a problem for some people. Then there are a few Linux OS specific laptops, such as System76 and Pursim (said the be the most security and privacy minded device), that, depending on the configurations, can cost as much as a Mac. Now, if you are a general user who does not need to crunch programming code or edit video, a basic Mac or a Windows based laptop on the lower price range will work for you. If you are in one of the power user modes, you will need a more costly laptop build. Which will depend what you are doing. YouTube creators may use Final Cut Pro and iPhones and be tied to a Mac. Many programmers will use a Linux system with a wide range of laptop level.
10-03-2022
My two dachshunds are furry faced little bastards, lol. Saturday and Sunday, they decide they want to get up at 5 AM (my week day time), but come Monday they want to sleep in. After they have to get up because I do, they pee, eat, and go back to sleep. Part of it is on the weekend I am not as tied to my desk I use for my day job. On the weekend they follow me wanting to be engaged in activities. That means less doggie naps. That makes Monday mornings when they catch up on their sleep. Like I said, little bastards. They could at least make and bring me coffee wink wink.
10.02.2022
It is said that people would rather be accepted in a tribe that is wrong than alone but right. Having a sense of self and being comfortable with that, is not small feat. It is hard to have a sense of self. That requires knowing yourself and facing your shit. Facing your shit is fucking hard. People do not respond too well to you when you do. There are many reasons to stay away from developing yourself. It is far easier to have money and other goals, and go along with your tribe. And in some tribes, even the slightest difference in view or value means you have flipped to the evil tribes (which/whatever tribe that many be), So, developing your sense of self will not be easy. The benefit (besides being your best self) is the people that changed the world and got really rich, have this self thing. Everyone one thought Jeff Bezos was nuts and batty as hell when he said we was going to be worth 100 billion from selling books online from his garage. But it takes a strong sense of self and determination to you dreams and idea, to get there. Everyone is more comfortable if you go along with the tribe and mimic their values, do be different with your own ideas.
10-01-2022
Happy Fall…balance is a critical part of normal. Everyone hates when life seems not to be normal. That can be having to wear a mask in the store, prices are higher, or products are not in stock. We want everything to just hum along. To have normal we first have to realize it is not a default condition of life. If we put aside our blind spots we use to view the world, normal is a middle of the road balance. We get that by not having huge gaps in pay be to wide between the CEO and average employee. We get that by not being extreme in politics or culture preferences. We get that by that by realizing our kingdoms stops at the end of our driveways and is not extended everywhere we go. We get that by being civil, honest, and helpful. Be get that being a community and knowing all things and people fit together. We never get normal thinking I must win first and then worry about the rest of the world. later. And we really do not get normal with extreme politics and tribe wars. So, if you want normal do your part to get there.
09-29-2022
Natural materials….the more the things I can buy don’t have plastic, the better it is. These days products are not made to last. Companies need us to rebuy things. Light bulbs are made to burn out sooner for that reason. Business growth is easier when the same past customers buy again, instead of finding new buyers. We get use to a brand, for the most part, and keep buying that same brand. No one buys Apple, then a Microsoft Surface, then a System76 Linux laptop (super good device), and then back to an Apple. We will buy a Ford truck again and again. So, this lets companies take short cuts and under build their products so the product wears out sooner. Then you have to replace. However, the more products are made with natural materials and hand made, the better they tend to be. Harder to find such things, but the fewer times we have to buy the same thing, the better that is.
09-26-2022
Expectations can ruin the actual experience…….it is a common human trait that we think that our preferences can be applied and only good will come out of that. The rest of life will stay the same and only what we see as negatives will be removed. Different states have talked about breaking away and be their own country, and they fall into this only the good things will happen and everything else will stay the same. Same with one party rule. To many that sounds like an ideal way to get rid of the other side and protect what we like. In practice the actual experience is different. The first thing power does is not to protect your values (even though you put power in charge), but rather, the first thing power must do is secure and protect power. Peoples values mean shit once power has power. And the first thing people like to bring up to counter my argument is, but we have a constitution! That is an example where we think we can change one thing to want we like and the rest will stay the same. We can go to a one party rule, limit rights and voting, but, still think the protections granted in the law still apply. And just like learning in a hyped movie that it sucks is in when you are in the super-plex watching the movie after you paid to see the it, once power has power, is when we learn opps, my bad! And gee this sucks.
09-25-2022
Profits…. there is a difference between a company being profitable overall and one that sets a quarterly/yearly goal of biggest earnings/profits possible. When a company aims to be profitable, and that is a structural value, they grow naturally. Those companies are profitable because their customers are fans of their products and services. This stuck me because so many companies are blasting the shit out of us with commercials. Ads on social media, such as Youtube, where a 120 second video starts with two 15 second ads. Companies are pushing hard to make as much short term profits as the can. They are padding prices using inflation to hide the added costs to their customers. They are not concerned with future sales. It is the companies that aim to have a structural profitability that are playing the long game. A lot of studies have shown that the overall advertising model does not really work. They show a bell curve where half of the target people will either never buy (until they have no choice), or will not buy until they see enough other people buying. But still, we get shit blasted ( and I do mean shit - which most commercials are) on anything with a screen we look at. Even many gas station gas pumps have screens playing ads. Shit blast, shit blast, shit blast. The best thing to do is support the companies whose products and service you love. And avoid the companies who are only pushing for short term profits (as well as products designed to break down soon so you have to buy again).
09-24-2022
What is smart and what is learning? We learn to do math. It starts with adding number and goes on to advanced math. There is a step by step process where each level builds on the prior type, and goes onto advanced understanding. This process is the same with most other skills we learn — from computer programming to being a doctor. This begs the question why life lessons are harder to learn? We take actions and get results that sometimes is bad. We believe things that are clearly wrong, but, we hold even stronger to it. It has always been interesting to me the difference between learning math and life lessons. What is the gap between building skills and learning life? These days many of us are believing some really wacky shit (JFK coming back to live is my favorite). But those same people can start to learn computer programming, and build their understanding. And in time be a professional programmer making a ton of cash. Well if JFK comes back to life, at least, he liked a good cigar LOL.
09-21-2022
Protection….within a company when staff does not feel safe and when they are out of the inner circle, they spend their time protecting themselves. In Simon Sinek’s book Leaders Eat Last, he goes into good detail how this works out. Leaders in companies want staff who are passionate for the business, but, this cannot happen if the staff does not feel safe? That does not tend to happen when people do not feel they have a voice and any control what they do. When people feel they have to watch their back and their job can be cut anytime, it is not hard to guess there is not much passion for the job. And most people have learned a long time ago how to operate without security and just how to tell managers what they want to hear.
09-19-2022
Truth…. Marcus Aurelius wrote in Meditations… by ignoring them (man) he is now incapable of distinguishing false from truth. In our extreme tribal values we often bury truth so that an action or behavior better fits the value we are fighting for. Back in the 1990’s political parties to win power started to use tactics to win elections. These tactics stretched truth. But the tribe value said/says we are fighting for a greater thing and winning now matter more. Post winning the election we can go back to normal behaviors. And we believed that pretty lie. Now, we cannot distinguish false from truth. This is mainly because we started to believe our own lies. I guess Marcus was right!
09-14-2022
Quiet Quitting? I have been working a long time and the way people talk how people are suddenly doing less at work, is just wrong. I my father’s day he worked for IBM. The employment for life and a pension when you retired. That gave way to no job for life and no pension. Jobs were defined as you do xyz and the boss if always right. We always did what we were supposed to do. We did what our job was defined as. But, suddenly,companies are talking like the level of work has changed. What happened is everyone learned that though a company wants 200% commitment from the staff, the company is not committed to the staff. Before the pandemic, people were not more committed, they just were afraid of change. The devil you know is better than an angel you don’t. What changed was during the pandemic companies scaled back staff and the ones that kept working, had to do more. And, people learned that they liked the freedoms that working remote gave them. It is so much easier to drive 5 minutes to the store at 5:15 PM, and get home 5:30, than having a 90 minute drive. What companies do not like is loss of control. What managers miss is staff being afraid to change jobs. When staffs are remote and productive, that takes away a lot of leaders identity, and a bit of ego boosting. The dynamic CEO needs a crowd to be part of the experience. Leading feels less great if no one is there to see it. We can have the most impacting Instagram posts, but if no one likes it, how do you feel? CEOs need staff to get the buzz of leading. We have not changed how we work, we just are not in the office. This was true even when we the staff had to come into the office M-F 8-5. We were agreeing with you just to keep the job. Now when they say people are quiet quitting, people are not doing less, they are just not there in the office. The commitment is the same. And thanks to Covid, they are not afraid to full quit and get a different job.
02-13-2022
There are two things to always pay attention to, your goals and things you like. A lot of the answers to what matters, comes from those two things. What you like tells you more than we somethings remember. So, on Thursday, stop and ask yourself what you like and when is the last time you spent time on that? If it has been a while, add doing/having it this weeked 🥰
09-11-2022
Shit will happen in life. Not everything will go wonderfully. The trick is not to expect too much help. If you think in the terms it is up to you to move forward, it is easier. The more skills and abilities that we develop, the more tools we will have to get a head. To date, no government has been able to create a perfect society were everyone’s need and wants are met. It is a function of government to handle the things the market cannot provide. But, that has its limits to want that is. To get to where you want, you need to take control of getting there yourself. That may mean we need to be tougher. Bumps in the road are going to happen, and everytime that happens, you need to handle it. It is true in some societies, the people there are much more prepared to handle things, because they have to. If you know no help will come, you must do it yourself. That changes what you do. Yes, that will never be easy, but, if we have the mind set that I must do for myself, you are in control. Maybe what you have to do is take small steps. And moving forward will take time (not what anyone wants to hear). Say, what do I want and what must I do to get there, and then do it. One step at a time.
09-09-2022
Slow Burn Viral… Pablo Picasso lived a lifetime and influences us even after his death. Everyone knows of him and his art work is spread throughout the world. His influence was created from his heart and mind. Picasso did not do this was Tik Tok or with short form video. Neither will have much of a shelf life, let alone a lifetime. For a song Facebook was the shit. Now it is little more than an advertising revenue system for the platform. The different social media platforms are like fashion fades that come and go. We get tired of some and other change from the original format and lose its place in our attention span. But people like Picasso, Metallica, Steve Jobs, Linus Torvalds (and others) were/are real creators and created original things with impact of us. They created things that came from them. They did not use a platform. they created shit that is solely theirs. doing that is not easy. Metallica started with James Hatfield learning guitar and playing. Linus Torvald created Linux and today most servers running use Linux (most of the internet). That is viral that no social media platform content creator can match. Most influencers and content creators start with wanting fame and fortune and want a quick path to get there. If that is your thing, go forth and be it. Being a Steve jobs is not so easy. Most of can never be a Steve Job or Picasso. Most of us just want easy money. Most of us cannot build much that spans past our life times. The YouTube with the most likes this week is forgotten next week. But, Picasso paintings hang in museums around the world. The iPhone changed the world. Your Instagram 30 second video of you walking towards the camera, not so much. I guess the thing is seek to be someone with something that endorse time and changes the world, or be forgotten in a heart beat.
09-08-2022
Identity….. In the conversation about remote working by staff and having staff return to the office, it is often stated that the return to the office is for reasons of collaboration and mentoring. In my experience, neither actually ever happens. Few managers like giving up authority for team input. It sounds nice, but there is another reason the decision makers want staff back in the office, their identity is based on having staff acknowledge them as senior leaders. Getting that in-person buzz I am the boss loses something in the remote situation. Individual managers have expressed to me that they always felt they were the special sauce that made things work. But, during the pandemic their staffs were even more productive and without the in office oversight. Some CEO’s accepted the higher productivity as a positive things. And, some even welcomed expanding the pool of new staff they could get by not having everyone be in the same city. A lot of which side of that a CEO falls relates to identity versus productivity. Many senior managers are uncomfortable losing some control over staff (or so is the perception). Their role is less clear and it is harder to show manager individual value if their staffs can work productively remotely, and without the in office supervision. In the tech field it is full of engineers who are adult and professional, who will, do the best work they can. Being a tech engineer by nature means you have to work at keeping current, and we do that regardless if we are in an office or not. The real trick is helping managers adjust to adding value and supervision in the remote models. In time, that will be a positive thing as we learn how to do things differently and be more productive. Mangers just need time to adjust their sense of identity.
09-07-2022
Social Media…..we tend to miss that these platforms (as well as online things like YouTube) are the revenue source for the platforms and not a tool for users. The biggest aim is to keep us engaged so there is reason for ad money to be paid to the platform. The changes to Instagram really center around that our list of followers are no longer needed to target ads (as was the old model). Now, they will send you content they hope will increase you view time and the number of followers no longer matter. Personally, I thought Instagram should leave the photo posting model in-place and create a new product for the short form video ( to mirror TicTok). For myself (not that anyone cares LOL) I have no interest in short form videos delivered in the Instagram format. A lot of meaningless and poor made crap is poured into it and I am not going to spend time scrolling through thousands of these short form videos. It is a preference of having a photo sharing / community collections and the long form video of YouTube. It is a lot about finding content I am interested in and not to be entertained. I use my images and verbiage to drive traffic to my website, LinkedIn, and YouTube (etc). But then my attention span is longer than 30-180 seconds.
09-05-2022
….how can anyone be deprived of what he does not possess? Marcus Aurelius - Meditations
Stoicism teaches there is only now and we need to do and take actions now and not think anything can come later. It speaks to a focus and mind set. Work on our goals now. Individually, that is our responsibility. So, worrying about outside things that we do not like, we have no control of. If there are wide and broad groups of people and we fret they have values and beliefs contrary to ours, is not something you possess. The differences are not a call to arms. Though Aurelius by seem high minded to some, the basic things is if you are not focused on your individual goals each day, you lose. There are no rewards for fighting against values and views different to yours. Culture is not something you possess. it is something that is. Culture shifts over time. It always has. Humans tend to think our views on culture is permanent and enduring. The true is life and culture is always shifting and changing. But, we think we possess it and fight to preserve point in time. Time, however, has already moved on and left you behind. Showing even more that we need to focus today on the things that added to our life and help us be the best version of ourselves.
09-04-2022
Streaming this and that. Countless sources of TV and music content. It is a micro set of cough cough choices. We have Apple TV, Amazon, on and on and on. True madness.I cannot consume this model. There are too many of them with their specific shows that are intended to pull me in. Oh, I have to see this one show. But, I will not have 20 different paid content source (most of it all is crap any way. I cannot help but think what we had before every media source started to create their own separate markets. It was easier and simple. TV came of a collective platform. There was Tower Records, iTune downloads, etc. It was far from perfect, but, it was easier. The glut of paid content streaming/online is too broad to pay attention to it. I look at it all and take a pass on it all, and do other personal interactions. Work on goals or build a kingdom. That seem better than watching. Because the whole point of all the streaming/online services , is to push ads at us. Get us to watch a lot and let companies sell to us. The glut of all this new media platforms is not to give us better content, it is to sell to us.
09-03-2022
Do the job. The root responsibility of government is to manage the basic things, such a keep bridges, utilities, and water supplies working. Too many of the individuals who want to be elected, push winning above all else and never actually do the job. Because we the people, put perceived values and culture, as the critical need, water supply infrastructure crumbles and fails. This is the case where ruling political parties (such as in Jackson MS and SF CA) focus the “value/culture” issues and leave everything else falling a part. What is winning and holding power (holding a seat in government), if things do not work? We need to start to treat individuals who want to be elected as responsible to take care of the things government is supposed to take care of. We have to live in our community and cites. Do we not want things to function. It is not good enough to think that the only thing that matters is our party won. It cannot be. well, I do not have running water, but at least our guy holds office. Because, if elected people are not taking care of things, life will suck.
09-01-2022
They say that companies are making 15-20% profits though there is a problem with inflation. This point has been getting out there and prices are coming down. Granted there are a lot of factors that make up the current situation (the least not being profits), covid, tax cuts for companies and individuals, a long period of no inflation and low interest rates, supply chain issues, too much sudden demand after production scale backs, and banked money because covid shut everything down and people want to spend. So, this is not a traditional inflationary period. Hopefully the federal reserve is adaptive and just will not think they have a hammer and the situation is a nail.
08-27-2022
In the Art of Things it is less but better, after fixing your behaviors. A lot of spending comes from our feelings. Eating at a steakhouse feels better than cheese burgers made at home. Most of us have images we use to decide if we should buy something. We overspend with cars because of the images in our feelings. Even feeling we are less a person if we drive an older mostest car. I have been driving the same 2008 Ford Ranger for the last 14 years. I love the thing. I like Ford Rangers. But I love not having a installment loan. My truck is just a tool that gets me around. I do not need to impress anyone with what I drive. It is nothing more than choosing where to use my income. But, I do understand many people put a lot of value in their car image. And it is a choice. And car prices are super high now. It requires a big part of our income. So, it is a place to understand our buying behavior and if we need to address that and avoid a large payment and loan payment.
08-28-2022
Not all things happen fast. Invest financially for the long term. Markets go up and down in current times. But, investments tend to grow in value over time. Warren Buffett did not get rich selling when price dipped.
08-21-22
It’s all in the outlook of the thing. Spending some time on a summer weekend reading is a pleasure when reading to learn, but making it relaxed with a summer cocktail and cigar. Reading and learning is a self expansion thing. It builds depth and creates sources of inspiration. All that and unplugging from the demands of life.
08-20-2022
I am the best looking guy in the room. Well, not really. But, if I keep saying that it is true because you have to prove me wrong. The reality is if we are selling shit, we see that (though for many not at first). And this does not include the people who need to see what the need to believe. Those people have deeper issues to fix. Now I am addressing people who want something, and may not be honest, and how quick do we see that? Individuals pitch all kinds of things to us. People wanting to be president, make us rich, or special. And the trick is not to become the person just sees what we want. But, what critical process do we follow to not be fooled by something (or fool ourselves)? That process assumes that we are sceptic about things. Knowing many want to fool us. So, we need to be looking for flaws in the pitch (everyone’s is saying, but not proving they are). And, not letting a weak point be built on (everyone says, without proof) is critical. There are many points that are built on weak or false things. Most times these points are a bridge to the pitch and few people want to challenge points at the start. So, again, I am the best looking guy in the room……….
08-19-2022
Tin Foil hat crazy does just not cover enough as a reference, these days. The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. Yet so many people chose to believe in nutty shit. All for a perceived greater good. We buy into the crazy shut and take actions that is some cases the person died. The guy believed what was put out there was honest. But those putting out the crazy are self interested. But we chose to believe what they say. Good question why? I put more critical effort into choosing stocks to buy than some do in their perceived need to save the world.
08-14-2022
In the book Atomic Habits, the writer makes a important point love the things we do. Why? The other way is beating the last activity. Your race times has to be better or it is failure. We push ourselves in these activities. But there is a limit to setting and reaching goals. At some point we run out of the next goal to reach. At that point feel lost. There has to be something next? But if you love doing something, it is not as much as reaching a personal best, it is, you just love the activity. I think that loving the things we do is closer to loving life. Then when you run the fastest 5 miles ever, it is even better. And you look forward to the next run.
08-13-2022
Folklore says that George Washington chopped down a cherry and later said that he could not lie and admitted to the act. Are we less honest now? We fib to cover our mistakes, even making things up. Then, whole scores of people support that lie. But, have we ever really been honest? It maybe that we just put our personal wants and expectations first. Values may never be a thing. After lying to get want we want speaking of values is more a cover. So abstract to be an oz of scotch in a gallon of soda. But, it begs the question? Why did he chop down the cherry tree in the first place? That seems to get lost. It is more how dare you point out I chopped down tree? The tree is lying on the ground, but that becomes secondary to lying about the act. Ok then. In time, too much lying harms us as individuals. To me do what you say you will do and are expected to do. Add value and don’t be a fool, and things will work out better for us as individuals.
08-08-2022
hmmm.. cannot say I find Meta’s direction to make Instagram short form video focused. For me, and this is a preference, I would rather they build a separate app for this. First, I am not going to spend time scrolling through thousands of videos having no idea what is there. If each video is 1 to 3 minutes long and I have only 10-15 minutes, I am not going to watch videos. That is what YouTube is for.. YouTube’s format is structured to display and search for a topic. Instagram being phone app based just is less practice. And another preference, I use video to learn things and information, and not to see you walk towards the camera for 8-10 seconds. But do Meta build a video focused app and leave Instagram to be photo based, Time will tell if people will put in the work to create great video content in this short form. The best channels have very high quality videos. Shout out to Tim Swanson of Cigars Daily and Jeremy Spiers of Man Shit as super high quality production.
And, try to think of something to film other than you walking towards the camera! Everyone is doing that and it is just noise.
08-02-2022
We tend to speak about corporations in the abstract sense. Company culture and company X wants staff to return to the office, post covid. But a company is not an abstract. A company is made up of the individuals managing the company. We do not tend to phrase things that way. Mostly because if an individual or set of them will expressing something, such as everyone needs to return to the office, it is more a personal communication and not the abstract company. It matters to think about a company as the actual people running and owning it, because they all have different biases, values, and feelings. Speaking in an abstract way loses sight of the things that make up the individuals running the show. Few CEOs will want to say when “I” come into the office and no one is here, I don’t like that. They are expressing that they prefer an office full of people for personal reasons. But they don’t want to say that. It is acceptable to say everyone in the office creates a dynamic and collaboration critical to the success of the business. But the point is there are personal relationships and not an abstract company. So when thinking about a company, think individuals and not a impersonal things.
08-01-2022
So many companies from delivery services to airlines, seem to be struggling with parts of their business models, these days. From online retailers delivering the wrong item ordered or airlines losing bags, this has not stopped them from taking advantage of inflation to increase profits, and aggressively advertise the hell out of us. Buy buy buy when when there is nothing to buy. An online retailer for cameras showed me that an item was in stock when it really was not and the status was changed to back orders with no ETA of shipping (once the payment was made). Many they are all trying to make up for 3 years of covid or are mad employees are quitting and asking for higher wages, who knows. But on many earnings calls CEO’s have been bragging they are able to pad the price several dollars on top of inflation. And god forbid we are critical of a company as they are ready to retaliate. Maybe everyone acts as things are an abstract. No one has to worry about a customer as there are always new ones and markets. And some were caught flat footed with increased demand after reducing staff in covid (such. as the airline - tough business). But for others it is a matter of focus. A lot of short term issues beating out long term plans.
07-30-2022
Trolls
Maybe in the Lord of The Rings Trolls are brave and do battle face to face. But trolls that leave voicemails and post crappy commits online are more pussy than brave. I watch a news interview with an elected congressman who was taking a stand that is not popular with his political party. People are leaving this man voice mails threatening to kill his six-month-old child, and another said she is calling on Jesus to strike him down (lady maybe pray to win the billion-dollar powerball). The thing is, do not put faith in people elected to government to do what they say and that they are looking out for you. Elected to government people are 2nd only to used car salesman in not delivering on a promise. People support them because it is easier to tell ourselves if a specific person is president all things will be good, than taking actions to improve our own shit. Most people want to believe they don’t need to do more to improve they lot in life than leave a voicemail or online commit. When things do not get better, they can blame the other political party. It boils down to who is going to fight for want you want, you or some self-interested congressperson/president?
07-26-2022
Productivity - time is a scarce resource. At points in life, time can feel abundant. This is a perception versus reality. We only perceive that there is time. This allows us to make choices and we can make up for that later, because we have so much time. The critical thing we need to get is we are applying a perception so we can have something we want. Ah, I have 30 years until I hit 60, live for today and buy the more expensive thing. There is nothing wrong with living life and enjoying things. Just know when we make a choice based on a perception, we are in a small way fooling ourselves, to have something we want.
07-24-22
They say it was the best of times and the worst of times. That seem fitting for now. On the one hand we have so many tools and resources to learn and do almost anything we want to try. But we have such strife and division and serious problems. The bastard Russia invade Ukraine. Political tribes are on inch from shooting each other over political preferences. Heat from global warming (and those who say that is fake news). But anyone who has a good idea can work hard and make billions. Buying stocks is easy. Publishing a book or music album take some work and software. Some 20 years ago there were not the resources to learn how to do things and there were not all these tools (squarespace, Final Cut Pro, Evernote, Iphones, etc). So, if we do not run out of water, blow ourselves up, we can turn a product into millions or even billions.
07-15-2022
IIn many job types the employee has now enjoyed a little more valve than maybe was seen before. There are two factors for this. The first is the pandemic removed the idea of changing jobs as the scariest thing. The idea of dying became much worse than a simple job change. But in the past companies took advantage of this. Many individual managers even let their egos tell them it was all about them. These days staff are asking themselves if what really matters to them, and are more willing to make job changes. The other factor is there are shortages of staff in different areas such as tech or airline pilots (as well as more basic jobs no one not wants). The first factor joined to the second one and we get many companies who are not all that pleased with having to pay more to hire new staff. In some case they have to pay new staff more only to lose current staff, because the new staff are paid more. And some companies have had to pay more to keep staff. None of this is too welcome at the C level. We are even seeing major CEO’s warning people better up their game if a recession hits (if you want to keep your gig with them).
But I want to offer that all companies have customers and making the organization profitable is the main goal. if we let ego get in the way we are missing this point. And if staffing resources are a key element to doing business, they are the cost of doing business. And everyone has a role in making the organization profitable. That includes CEO making X times the basic staff member. All staffing resources have to be paid for.
07-11-2022
Reading is almost an aggressive action these days. By that I mean people feel threatened by reading. And specifically reading books. To read a book is a behavior act. We have to hold the book and turn pages. It is easier on a phone to scroll past things we do not like. On our phones it is easier to use selection basis. But reading a book has the effect confronting what we think. And maybe part of it is we cannot leave a nasty commit to voice displeasure what we read. On social media we can be a troll, but not with a physical book. Reading a physical book is someone honking their car horn at us first. Most people hate that. So to people hate feeling uncomfortable by what they have read.
If you want to grow, we need to read.
07-10 2022
One of the stoic rules is seek challenges. This goes along with being a growth minded person who acts on that. This comes to mind because everyone talks about wanting things to return to a version of normal. I always have experienced that life always changes. Nothing stays in the same place. We perceive things staying the same, but, the changes are more quiet happening over time. The changes are so subtle we overlook them. Then one day we see there has been a big shift and are surprised. When we seek challenges we are growing. We are getting tougher and more ready to beat the challenge and win. When we complain that there are changes and we want to go back to normal, that is a form of admitting we cannot win the challenge. And change and the challenges brought by that happen every day.
07-03-2022
Feeling like the last humpback whale surrounded advertisements. Though there are shortages of different products, that has not stopped companies from aggressively adveritying the shit out of us. These days if you dare to try and watch a short 2 minute YouTube video, to do you will have to watch 30 seconds of commercials. I tried to watch a Sunday morning news program that seems to include 50-60% ads. This is the case even though ads are a lot less effective than you would expect. The latest iPhone does not generate new sales from new iPhone users. There are early adopters that will always buy, and a group of people that likely will never buy. But, lately companies are aggressive with their ads. Maybe they are trying to make up for the past 2+ years of the pandemic; replace lost sales in a short number of months. And, companies seem a little mad that staff wants better pay. Calling past staff to come back to work and having them say no, also does not seem to go over too well with companies. In any case, here we are with too much advertising and not enough products to buy. That is adding to inflation. Too much demand and not enough products could push the economy into a recession, and companies will have even less sales.
But when has the world ever been practical and forward thinking. I want it now and I should have/get what I want.
06-29-2022
Fooled?! How do you react when you have been fooled? What do you do? Do you admit it, get mad, or decide you were not actually fooled. The thing that fooled you did not happen. No one likes being fooled. No one wants to believe they can be fooled. It is not the best showing of our abilities. But many people are fooled. We even accept it, think boxes of cereal or bags of potato chips. The containers are always bigger than the content. So we are sort of conditioned to be fooled. After a while we accept it. And if the person fooling you is a leader of your tribe, nothing will change your mind and you accept being fooled.
Sometimes the hope of getting rich or a lot of money for little effort is a good way to get fooled.
Being fooled fits so well with denial, so wear it well.
06-27-2022
Things that endure. There are products that are made not to last. The logic is to make us buy a lot of those products. Light bulbs are such a product. They are make to fail after a shorter time than one could last; if they were concerned with a good product that will last. Then there are products that may not crap out, but we are conditioned to want to replace them for a newer version. This is where the next generation of cell phone comes in. Next there is the idea it is better to buy a new car every 3-5 because you don’t want to repair one (it is easy to overlook that making 60 payments is better than 1-2 repair payments). Then there are some products that do last, but people think should be cheap, like a good watch or leather shoes. A good watch is solid and endures. It becomes a part of you as a person. A good pair of leather shoes will last a lifetime, with only needing new soles added. So if you accept that minimalism and having less but better is a good life choice, then take different views on products you buy. Does a product last? Can you buy a better version of a product for more money, but have it 5-10 times longer? It is a personal choice. However, why buy the same product over and over just because it is cheap?
06-25-2022
What grants rights? And who gets to benefit from those rights? The special people do. And who are the special people? Mostly the ones that control the system or state (whichever comes first). The fight over rights tends to be between people who think rights are granted to all people equally and those that believe their tribe is the special, even chosen ones. Some will speak of god given rights. But some claim god choose their tribe over all the other tribes; so that this specially chosen tribes gets special rights over everyone else. The American model accepted that humans will want power or themselves, and use the system to ensure they get and keep power. The whole rights thing is a cover for gaining and keeping power. No one wants to say our European relatives stole American from the native people who lived here before us. No, we were chosen by god and give favored status as his chosen people (and a future specific political party nonetheless - forward planning I guess).
So rights are a function of control and control need polite cover so no one has to feel bad about what they did and are doing.
06-20-2022
That which I do not need. With prices going up and in some cases companies using inflation to recoup lost earnings over the pandemic, they are reinforcing less but better and minimalism. But, as well, businesses not understanding pricing. I was at a check out line and there was a magazine for plant based diets, that I notice. it looked interesting until I saw it would cost $17 dollars to buy it. That is too much money for an impulse purchase. My first thought was there is no information in this magazine I can not find online, and, at, $17+ bucks, there are books with better information and not ads, for not too much more money. If the magazine was $8 I would have been more tempted to buy. But at $17+ bucks they are helping to train me even more, what I do not need to buy.
06-09-2022
Take things as the come. Focused habits as in what Atomic Habits teaches us, is a good thing. But habits coming from behaviors that keep us from growing, is a negative thing. We should be looking for opportunities that flow into life each day. The overall trick is to have growth and productive habits to help us reach our goals and for self improvement. Also, be aware of the parts of life that flowing around you. We can become too focused on to-do-lists and getting things done that we do not breath and miss opportunities because our heads were down and focused on something.
06-07-2022
Stephen Covey wrote every relationship should win/win or be no deal. He does write a lot about being effective, but that does have limits. If both and all sides are working together in positive ways, then it works. But when those that you are involved with have other motives, we do more harm enabling them. And these things also depend on your values. Some people need and want to stay working for some company and never leave. Others are self growth minded and struggle staying in company or want to do their own things. I think there is no perfect answer, just degrees of differences. But I do think we need to improve ourselves. In whatever you do work to be the best you, just don’t be a turkey or a fool and let someone use you to get what they want. Covey is right all relationships need to be win-win. If not, change that.
06-01-2022 The Bad Effects of the 24X7 News Cycles
The TV news programs have a bitch of a time filling their 24X7 programming cycles. They have multiple hour long programs that need to have news contect each night to show. It is not like the old days when the three major networks had a news hour with an anchorman who told us the news of the day. And there were daily newspapers that came out each morning. But these days we have 24X7 news cycles where there are multiple shows and presenters, telling us the news. But the 24X7 news cycle is having an unintended effect. Whenever there is a mass shooting the news cycle shows all have to cover the story. It becomes an easy way to fill the time with content. The bad side effect is that is desensitizing us to the event. When we hear about the shooting hour after hour and for as many days as the news shows can use the shooting as content, the shooting becomes common, even normal to us. The need for filling the 24X7 news cycle is making the bad event less critical. We start to think this happens a lot and we adjust to it. And to some degree we stop paying attention. Without intending the new shows and the need for 24X7 content makes things worse and not better.
05-30-2022
How much of the technology that we use more a function of making money than solving a problem? Do I need a smart light bulb that I can turn on by a voice command to an Amazon Echo device? There are so many cool products that we can now use. The odd problem that that creates is making all the cool products work on WiFi, run from a mobile device, and run all together, has created a whole new set of ways for hackers to attack. As they say the cloud is software and software is bugs, and add to that bugs mean security holes. And if that is not bad enough, all our activity is a means to create, market, and sell more smart bulbs and apps to us. Sadly we are now down this rabbit hole. Our worlds will stay crazy complex and complicated because raced into using this new services and products that all can run from our phones.
05-18-2022
The Amazon Effect
It is an observation of mine, but, it seems we now expect national, world, and non-personal problems to be addressed like consumer problems. If there is a shortage of any kind, the government must act and even have prevented it to began with. We are applying the same expectation on this like we do when we buy something. If corporations to increase profits by shifted production to another country, if corporation price gouge, or, a corporation controls a product/service, we expect the government to solve that, now. That is odd because we want to be protected by the government. Many think the worst of things is a socialist type of government. Socialist government try to control and manage more of the economy than market economy democracies. Government protect me and protect me from government. Governments are not a consumer product. Corporations do create products and services and making profit is their first value. If things happen like a war, pandemic, or storms, and there are interruptions of delivery/access, and/or price increases, what do we want government to do? To do by the government means actionable policies to be in-place. This processes needs government to to directly be involved in the economy and markets. In truth there such involvement. It is a question how far or little do we want government involvement to be? Both sides of where government is on that scale come with things we don’t like. If you want government to stay out of business, than corporations can structure things to benefit them. If you want governments to make corporations be fair, you can’t complain government is more socialist than you want. Government is not an order from Amazon.
05-11-2022
Place your bets, on an amazon delivery! Right now for me Amazon has a two out of three chance a purchased item ever gets to me. No one is stealing a package, but rather, I get these messages that the package is late and if it does not arrive x date, put in for a refund. Interesting shift. It would be understanding if they just did not have the item to sell. But seemingly the item gets shipped and disappears in transit in Amazon’s possession. Things like this spikes my interest. When there are shifts in normal behavior.
Oh and as a side note, I do not need things in an hour. I can drive to a local store if I need something that fast. The ability to deliver very fast is a set of human efforts, not a machine. The way people have to work do have super fast delivery times does not sound so good for people working there. No alarms go off and every one scrambles, OMG Scott needs a can of Spam. When offered I bundle multiple items to be delivered together and not in an hour or day. Just me but it is too easy to forget about the people who have to kill themselves so Amazon can seem like the process is automated.
05-09-2022
Our system thinks you maybe a robot!? That is what browsing in Tor gets you lol. One of the things with using the Tor Browser is seeing what kinds of interaction different web sources show. Some do detect that I am coming from a funky source and many do not. In the learning part of if you are not earning you should be learning, I like to do technical research using my Linux laptop and the Tor Browser. And I d not search for places to order pizza from. I leave that to using a Mac and Chrome. Companies can track me from Chrome and inject product ads into Facebook. But in my professional career I do not want to advertise the technologies I am researching and learning.
Your browser and searches tells many organizations, government and businesses, most everything you do. Privacy and freedom are valuable and difficult things to have.
05-09-2022
Thought for the day - because you are already there is not a reason to stay. We like things to seem to make sense. One behavior that helps with that is familiarity. That makes life seem to make sense. Our minds can get very wired towards that and stop us from taking chances at better things for ourselves. Endoring is easier than active change (or so it seems). Taking action kind of goes against what our minds say is safe and OK. The best solution is to have a growth mindset for ourselves. When we have that and the habit of always improve ourselves, good and positive changes happen more easily. We will not fear a new thing and a change as we are engaged in a growth mindset.
05-07-2022
Basic life. At the root of things people want to live a basic life. Go on vacations and shop. The average 20 something in Ukraine and Russia want to just live life; certainly not fight and die in a war. Basic life and living an start with just being civil towards each other in public shared spaces. You can be the biggest asshole at home of you like, just put a lid on it out in public. None of us are kings and queens. We are all just people with our own likes and wants. We each can do our own thing. And that should be our focus, what we like. That is positive. negative is over focusing on what we don’t like, and overreacting to that in public. this is no we must transform ourselves to be angels. it is more just being practical. If everyone fights to have their way first, no one gets what they want. We just need to know where we can push what we want to do and where that becomes a negative. So be civil and focus on the things you enjoy.
05-01-22
Supply Chains and War
Globalization and supply chains spanning the planet was thought to create a shared self interest. Why attack and invade your customers? You would think that the Russians ( leaders who are raking in billions of personal wealth) would not piss on their cash cow? But they did and are doing that. They started a war with Ukraine and threaten other countries. Part, only part, of the problem is once individuals have high wealth, they start to wand and need other things. If you already have a house to living in, food to eat, someone to fuck, and money; what is next? We seem to need more. We seem less OK with just enjoying life and maintaining it? Putin as all kinds of money and no physical needs. So his next is dreaming of a grand vision of Russian speaker nation-state. And then he invaded Ukraine for no other real reason than his next need. Some billionaires turn to politics and some to space, and other to war. The one practical defense to staring wars because leaders need a next, is never to given total authority. There must be political systems with checks and balances, transfer of power after an election, and everyone votes. One party rule and one individual rule is not good for us getting the house, food, fuck, and cash. Individuals controlling power still need a next.
04-17-22 Means of Production
Wealth and Freedom are gained when you own the business that solved a problem a lot of people have. Most people need to work for someone because it is easier to do so. It takes a lot of effort to run a business. It is something else to make payroll every week. Not everyone is cut out for running a business. And specifically a small business. But everyone wants to make a lot of money and to feel like what they do as an employee matters (even when we do the same set of tasks in the same job year after year). Wealth comes from owning some or all of the equity in a business. Freedom and independence are realized when you do own equity and the business does well. Effort and drive and will to act are needed. but again, most people need to work for someone because that is easier.
04-13-22
There Can Be Only One?
As is laptops. For me that is a no. I do follow a minimalist lifestyle where less but better is my way. That is not when it comes to computers. I have currently three laptops, one Linux, one Windows, and one Mac. I am a technology professional to start with, for I earn money using computers and software. Some people will take the path of trying to have one laptop do everything from gaming to spread sheets, to music, to writing. A Linux device they tend not to be very good gaming computers. Windows has that spot. And Mac’s offer very good creative tools. Linux is security and backend computing (much of the cloud is Linux). So, I like to divide my computing needs between my three devices. And though my home office looks like a remote home office for NASA, I like working on Windows?linux/Mac all at the same time. But for the average user which of the three you will use depends what you do with a computer. Most people will be OK with a Windows laptop because they cover a lot of use ground. Macs are cool and sexy, but are not the best for gaming. They can do most everything else. And Linux is more for the techs and deeper knowledge (except for System76 that most people can use - it cannot from MS Office or much gaming).
Then in regards to minimalism and the Art of Things, 3 (and growing) laptops is a use and need value. I work with technology and using multiple computers just makes things simpler for me. Down the road when I can stop working this thing will change. The Art of Things with less but better also has as a value that you can have more of something if it has direct value/need (such and my tech career). The point of minimalism is things need to add value and add to your life. More stuff on its own does not do that. Even one of a thing needs to add value, let alone multiples of a thing or it becomes stuff.
For now there can not be only one, with computers. It is more a committee.
03-13-22
Loaded premises
People use loaded premises all the time hoping we will fall into a trap of proving them wrong. Someone liked something I posted in Instagram and they have a post with the question America or Ukraine? hoping that other people will respond and they could then attack you with their well prepared arguments. The first thing is what is the point of forming the question to began with? It is not to have conversation about a serious event that needs our attention. It was rather to serve some other self interest of that person’s political tribe. The second thing is just do not engage that shit. But if you do only force the other person to defend their beginning premise; which they cannot. The second you get upset and try to prove them wrong, the debate will quickly move away original premise and into points that have nothing to do with the original premise. The best thing is just not to give it life and air, ignore that Facebook or other social media post. Let other members of those tribes to self promote themselves in their echo chambers. Only speak positive messages and things you value, and hope a diverse set of tribes agree.
03-06-2022
IAMO You’re Not a Coder-girl!!!!!!
The other day I posted on Instagram content that was intended to support Ukraine. And as is my approach, added different hashtags. I try to be inclusive of many different tribes. But someone took a rather narrow view of who can follow who and be included in their tribe; pointing out I am not a girl who codes. True enough. And for the record I am not a professional chef, mixologist, barista, baker, tattoo artist, sommelier, airline pilot, etc, though I follow people who are these things. I am a technical person and an artist (and other things), but yes, I am not a coder girl. But that missed the point of the post. It missed the greater point of be inclusive and not bonded to only our own defined tribe. The world is divided enough as it is. We should be trying to communicate and interact with other tribes. Some want to exclude others not like us from the tribe, but still expect to be understood and respected. And too often these days we feel we can hate anyone outside our tribe, even do harm to them because they are not us. So I will always include other people who are different than me, believe different than me. Some I just think are cool people. And just be inclusive to bridge gaps is better to me, so I will keep doing that, even if I am not a coder girl or an everyday carry person.
December 23 2021
Where did 2021 go? the year just blinked by.
Lately I have gone deeper into using Linux. I have always used the different types of operating systems, Windows, MAC, Linux, etc. Form follows function and use. The reasons for the shift (and note I am writing this on my Air Mac) both for professional reasons and it is an out of the normal activity during the pandemic. I found in 2020 during the different lock downs, it helped to have something that was outside my normal habits. In 2020 though much of 2021, it was learning about cigars. Now at the end of 2021 and going into 2022, it is Linux.
I have always used Linux and knew it well enough to be functional in work.
But I want to have something different from my normal habits to focus on. That new thing can be anything that is new and different for you individually. The basic benefit is a new thing to get into is a break from the general of life. And during the pandemic, a break from days and weeks drifting together gets broken up with attention to this new activity. So you can knit, draw, learn French, make cookies, anything that is different from you normal habits and interests.
December 15 2021
Different ills of the world
First, it is hard to believe that March 2020 the pandemic caused a lockdown and we were in a panic. It is just two weeks or 16 days away from 2022! A lot of me has changed and will change at the start of 2022. But we will save those things for later.
The other scary event-situation is called Log4Save. Log4S is some computer code that accepts other code that can do all kinds of things (many bad); unintended at that. This is scary because more and more hackers are turning to finding code in applications to exploit. And this is worse, in that, these code security hole issues come from coding software and the programmer pulls in other (very normal) code rather than rewrite a new version (which takes much more time and is much more costly). So we are starting to get bugs within bugs within bugs. These are things we just never thought of. These are not like someone guesses your password or you click on something you should not have. These are respectable code we reuse.
More and more I get calls for software security engineer, which needs programming skills. The need is great because this shit is happening more and more.
November 23 2021
Without square and normal
From head to toe tattoos to 1% MC’s (motorcycle clubs) to being different to stand out, if there was not a square-normal, there could not be different. We tend to take the standard life, culture, and behaviors as a given. It is the society we feel different from. But from age to age what is normal just keeps changing. So it made me wonder how much of being different is really who we are? What if the rules changed over night so that your difference or other life choices just became choices. If there was no being different, and we were making choices who we are with a blank slate world, who would we be?
We think we have a normal that we compare ourselves to, but that is an ever changing thing.
November 11 2021
Shifting to stay in the mud
Sometimes, some people can act to stay in something familiar, and shift, do anything, to stay there. This is not the same thing as working for what we want. What we want is a very different thing. Getting what we want will mean adjusting what we do. Different attempts can fail meaning we have to adjust and try something else. But when being comfortable in the familiar becomes the greater valve and desire we stay stuck in the mud. The familiar is an addictive thing. It feels safe. It seems like knowledge. And outside the familiar comfort is the scary unknown.
And it begs two sides of a question; what will you do to stay or adjusting to move forward?
Perceptions 11/08/21
9-5 M-F the “normal work week. But that is assuming and one sided. There are different work shifts in many different types of work. But if we are 9-5 we think and act like that is what people who made it do. If you work 2nd or 3rd shift in a factory, you were not good enough to have a standard 9-5 job like real people do. Truth is only like 15% of people now have college degrees and many who got them are so in-debt from student loans they can’t buy shit. We have done much better when more people could make good money in jobs like working in a factory.
And if you have to work any schedule and ask for a day off, how special can you think of your self? I think doing your own thing and making a lot of money and setting your own hours is what to aim for.
Just don’t buy the idea you are special to work 9-5 M-F, that is a prison in its own way.
October 30 2010
Preferences are not a right, but what you want. Nothing entitles you to a preference. The sense of individual rights are these days over blown. We think we have more say than we do. We are not a collection of individual kings and queens. Some think they are. But, most people work for someone and when they want a day off, you have to ask for it. In the past such things were just crappy behavior, but lately far worse. In one case a guy shot and killed someone because their cat walked across the killers lawn. Really? Was his little personal universe so special he gave up his actual freedom, and now spend years in prison, over a cat crossing a lawn? How did we become so nuts?
October 18 2021
The Big Quit? => Shifting realization
They are calling the event of many people just quitting jobs, the big quit. We has people tend to fear change and the unknown. Before the pandemic many people did not like the work they were doing or different parts of that. The pandemic lock down, working from home, being laid off, etc, was suddenly everyone realizing what they use to fear that kept them at their jobs to been with. Once we experienced that the spell was broken. Many of us asked is this what I want? And why am I doing this? And as it seems to have turned out companies and people who run them, largely overlooked why people use to stay. Took it for granted that why people stayed put. It seems to have very much to have surprised employers people were not happy. But the plus side is this woke people up to better possibilities for themselves. This all is what happens when we do not fear change and the unknown. It showed us that we can purse what best suit each of us; be that a steady 9-5er, independent, or start a business.
The silver lining of it all is breaking the hold of fear of the unknown and change.
Sept 22 2021
What is simple? It is the beginning for things. We tend to make things too complicated. Just as happiness comes from within, the daily enjoyment comes from the simple things we enjoy. That is what keeps other things special.
Real Sit Sept 1 2021
There are floods, hurricanes, fires, pandemic, military conflicts, political and social ones too. Now is not the time for petty bullshit for life preferences. In the order of life needs, preferences need to come after the basic needs are met. Much of the unrest and crap is we think our wants are dire, they are not. The dire is all the other major stuff going on. Are you safe, not up to your ass in a flood or running from a fire, then be cool ok?
Life Constructs August 24 2021
No one is really free in the sense we like to think (though having billions of dollars comes close). We choose things to believe and follow. That removes the need to have to think about everything. Personal choice is a shield. It is a right we give up to have a drivers license or get a marriage license, but something we think is our personal choice, like not wearing a mask for shopping in a private business. Try not paying your property taxes just once and claim individual choice and see how that goes for ya.
Objective understanding Sept 7 2021
Nothing can hold us back then selective bias or any type of bias. It is much more helpful to think in terms of the most likely probability of an event. Much better than making choice based on what you want. It is important to pursue what we want, but we need to be realistic about is it is possible. Some situations we need to clearly look what are our real options. If that situation cannot give you what you want, move on and do not waste time and energy on low odds. Never stay in an unproductive situation.
Simple Things August 30 2021
Life can be sipping a cocktail or a cup of tea. It can be taking a few minutes to breath the morning air. We can get fixated on things always being grand. A picture that wows people on instagram. But this is like putting too much black pepper on food day after day, after a while we lose our sense of taste. So when we chase that next grand thing over time we lose the grandness. We get used to it and it stops being grand.
Absolutes August 19 2021
Relationships of the heart are the rarest to find. Most are a set of expectations in a list that once checked off, have no new place to go. The thinking and wants are so diverse and wants varied, that principles become constructs to provide meaning in each souls context. But connecting two ares is the most difficult of puzzles.
Respect August 18th 2021
Respect is a thing that is earned, never demanded. Obedience, can be demanded if you have power over people. If you manage or lead people and demand respect, it is not respect that you are after, more likely it is control. And when someone demands respect, that is weakness hiding the want of power but being afraid to show it.
And as they say managers are like dictators, you follow them not because you want to, but because you have too.
Changes August 12 2021
They say that most people do not like change. Well, due to life long situations, change has found me so often, it is now too easy for me. That does not mean that I have always like the changes. Many I did and many were just practical to do, and some necessary. There are times where I wished I did not have to go through changes but needed to. And now I am faced with a major one that is mixed in nature. Something that has to happen and for great reasons. But, my feeling are mixed. I have asked myself if the situation was different and I still could make the change, would?
….I think yes!?
From my side of things being about to accept change can be you can really grow and do very well. It is harder I think to stay put and find ways to advance ones self. Staying put can mean less options, less room to grow. There are times to stay put, But there are good things for those that can change.
Liberty August 10 2021
In the US people will speak of personal freedoms. It is likely/basically true that our basic design is not so much saying we have rights, as it is the government cannot create laws that take away rights. There is a basic difference there. Not so much we can do anything we want. There is still the idea of a social contract. In order to live in the US we agree to be part of that social contract. We agree to elect people to represent us in deciding what to do. And divide power. The original thinking was humans will seek to gain power and hold power. That was the problem the founders were trying to solve. How to prevent one group from gaining and keeping power. From that have the social contract and are free to pursue our own interests.
And the system tries to prevent government from passing laws that take rights away.
Somethings July 26 2021
Somethings are not political or cultural. Some fall into the trap of using tactics to get their way, only to then be trapped in it and then it controls you. As they say make your yeas be honest or the nays will be the monster you must carry on your shoulders.
Was Camus Right? July 25
A central concept in Camus’s thinking was life has no grand meaning and is absurd. And that we have created constructs to giving meaning to life; be that religion, social norms, etc. Perhaps in ways he has a point. We do tend to invent meanings for all kind of things and fight bitterly for them. But it is the suggestion to handling the Camus life with no real mean, we can live the best we can, enjoy life to the fullest. There is something to be said for that. It is not to be self centered and only my pleasures matter — not at all. But if we take away different norm and live the life we want to live we may live more now not wanting for things or the right times. It is that live now part that maybe we take from Camus.
So Close July 22 July
In the 1960’s there was the TV Show Get Smart and Maxwell Smart would say, “missed it by that much!”. We almost turned to corner on the pandemic. But social preference bite us in the ass.
Time Allowed July 19th
2020-2021 may have been scary and difficult for most of us, but it did give me the space for the noise of life to strip away and leave only the essentials. It was OK I have time, how do I want to use it? For me it was less a time of loss and more having the time eating things, like driving 2+ hours a day to and from an office. When those things were baked into the day and week, it created pressure to fit everything in; the need to do, have to do, and want to do. Always a race to get it all in and not waste any time. So not having to go anywhere and stopping to take a few breaths, the noise fell away and left the things that matter the most.
Sure I miss visiting London and Odessa Ukraine, but I will again later.
Judgement of Others July 16th 2021 Friday
Do not ever forget that there will be no shortage of people ready, willing, and able, to define you on their terms. Some mean well, while others are just mean. Be yourself and in your personal expressions be true to your visions and ideas. That comes with needing to face judgement and criticism. Not everyone will get your vibe or like it. Just do your thing and let all else go.
Be a Master July 14 2021
Recently, I encountered a situation that was changing for the many people involved. As is the case change is difficult and many of these people were worried. They were worried both for themselves and as a group. So most started to do things they thought would protect them until the changing time became familiar again. I thought about this. It seemed to be that the best course of action when things are changing is be a master what you do and in the best interest of the organization. I think if we do that the good behaviors will create good karmic benefits. It may not prevent the changes or your place in the current situation (though it may), but, it will always give you solid ground to operate on and a street rep that you are solid and good.
Bad Habits July 12 2021
In an organization some improper behaviors can grow (when unchecked). These behaviors can something spawn because people think they are under threat. Others because they over rate their own importance. Sometimes these behaviors can when self importance takes hold, your individual feelings matter more than the organization or group we are a part of. I have seen cases where some cause someone to fail, even though that harmed the organization and group. We have amazing ability to separate these things. We only see our revenge as mattering.
And it would be crazy to talk to each other like well adjusted emotionally mature humans!
July 6th
Technology use to be simple. Little things now even get me. Learned AirDrop does not work when the laptop I want to send videos and pictures too will fail if I have the VPN turned on. Minor thing and privacy on a computer matters more than ever. Everything is collected and even a vpn does not protect your privacy. VPN is a security thing and it is needed when you connect to the internet, at home and in public space.
But AirDrop and VPN do not mix!
Shifting Times - July 5th 2021
The world and its histories change and adjust over time. It has histories longer than there are memories. It is us humans that define a time frame (generally our own). We think history is our. short history, and what we think and feel always was and will always be. That I guess is a limit of our sense of time. And often our biases and preferences over rule actual history. Sometimes in countries and states perspectives change over time but current people think keep now as what it is. We have a hard time thinking what was before or what may come. Now is now for us.
War Zone
It use to be the technology, IT, was staff by individuals who were good with computers and learned the core of apps and hardware fairly quickly. It was the ability to learn, understand and fix computer things, that defined the job; and people working it. We tended to have our areas and we knew this error was things and fixed that way. It was a lot of routine and oh seen that before so do this and that.
Then came 2007 when the pace of new technology just exploded. We got mobile devices and app after app. And it was everywhere and always on. For the tech people it is a 100 yard dash that never stops.
Now we have cyber attacks and ransomware. The routine and feeling security because we know/knew tech shit, has become like remembering a good past vacation. Every day is now a risk. Have we covered everything, will we get hit, do we know enough?
The cyber wall now has to be guarded 24X7X365, there are no down moments, no down times.
Resources
There are times when all things are good and there is plenty of the things we need. Then there are times when resources can be scarce. Some of these times may be because we are not careful with resources, such as over spending or not keeping relationships health. But then there are times when scarcity can be because we are building up to some growth. These are the periods of time when life in order to help us grow, but make things difficult. If things are always good, there is little reason to grow. These are the universes little nudges towards improvement.
So, when resources in your life are scarce, first ask yourself, was I just dumb and not careful with things, or was there events that just seemed happen and make things difficult? The 2nd events maybe the universe nudging you to change.
Reintroduced into the Wild
Going back to March 2020, not only did the pandemic start, along with lock downs, mask wearing with 6 feet distancing, my marriage ended (but it took all the rest of the year). Adding to that was working at home. There was a lot of isolation. I coped. I am an artist, I write, cook, garden, and play music. Many of those things are not group activities, so being home actually afforded me time and less distractions. The time I got from not having to drive to an office and home again, saved so much time and I was more productive. But now things (at least in Colorado) have been opening up. Getting out of the house has been almost strange. It was 15 months that I was mostly in my personal space. It seemed like a year and a half of Tuesdays. Days, weeks, and months just seemed to melt together. So this weekend I forced by self to go out for lunch (twice ) and to a coffee shop. It felt so strange. Almost awkward. Like confused zombie from the movie Warm Bodies.
But the sad truth is six months from now I will be missing the un-interrupted time where I could not go anywhere ;)
The Land Does not Care
The land is older than memories. It was there before the oldest of buildings, political ideas and tribes. It was there through shifting idea systems and boundaries. As human made statehoods and countries, come and go, change and expand, the land is still just the land. It shows that the preferences of people are like dust in the wind. The land is a bigger history and our “Values” a passing day in time.
Have a cup of coffee and enjoy the day.
What is the Art of Things
In short it is less but better things and the behaviors of stuff vs. things. In my principles of this is it is behaviors that make us over buy, stuff. For some people it is making us feel better. It is for other holding up an image. But minimalism teaches that we can be much happier with less stuff. I take that a step further by saying that behaviors strongly influence buying and it helps to understand what that is for each person. However, behaviors can be for good. Does the things you do have make you happy; do you enjoy each thing. Knowing why you buy will reduce stuff and have less but better things.
Summer Gardens
The roses are in bloom (see on Instagram Bluecloudspaces), there are tomatoes are green on the vine, cucumbers have blooms, and cherries are starting to ripen. It becomes most pleasant to sit out in the garden under the cherry tree with the scents and smells of a summer garden. And it gives fresh food to eat. Dinner includes fresh lettuce and greens into a salad. Soon there will be tomatoes, beans, peas, and other vegetables. A garden does take effort to have. But that is not wasted energy.
There are more benefits than not. And you just cannot beat fresh fruit and vegetables.
Good Elements June 16th 2021
What are good elements? Things made with natural materials, that last. Being our best self we can, at this moment. Being honest and truthful, at least not stretching the truth to avoid fault or to win. Being gracious. Being your self. Enjoying what you in joy. Love who you do. Listen first and judge later. Eat heathy and fresh and natural (fit in fast food went right). Build a space you love being in. And be as original as you can be.
Odds and Ends
Sometimes situations stop working for you and a change is needed. You can find you are and odds with the rhythm, style and flow of a situation. Most of us try to hold onto things because it is comfortable and familiar. New is unknown. But it still points to needing to end. Holding on becomes the great sin. It can be hard to see the right time to move on, but if frustrations mount and you think about it a lot, time is ripe for change.
Connections and Roses
I have a few rose bushes. People may wonder why? I do not really grow other flowers. I do grow vegetables, but not flowers. The connection was from my fathers mother who always had a garden and grew roses. The flowers were in the front section of the garden, close to the house. As a kid I would often work in the garden to get money to go buy a model plane to build. But the connection was made. And years later I have my own garden that includes some rose bushes. In my Grandmothers past a garden was a practical thing. For me now, it is a thing that helps balance the rest of life; specifically, dealing with technology. But the vegetables and fruit are a nice reward.
Just a Thought
A return to dinner parties, BBQ’s, and general get togethers, at our homes. Why do I think that? One thing that has been a problem is people not wanting to return to restaurant jobs, because the pay tends to suck. At the same time we are so very divided. Divided to a point we think it is OK to harm others for not being US. But maybe if we start having dinners at home with other people instead of just going out, we will build personal interactions. be less divided. Right now we are very focused on what I went through and I am owed something. So who wants to deal with us for crap pay?
Spending a little cash does not give you Queenie rights. We have to be willing to pay for the services we received. We cannot pay pennies and get Billionaire service.
So maybe we need to just have dinner parties and have to interact. And when we do go out, be nice to the people helping us.
Both things makes our interaction a personal one.
Give it a rest
Hey, everyone is to up tight these days. From punching flight attendants, to shooting people for a lane change, etc. Sometimes we all lose our cool, but hell you do not want to go to jail for it. Go home and throw some books or pots and pans. Just do not do things that hurt ours (be that people or our pets). Until you are elected king or queen, whatever ticked you off, chill. Do not do something that is jail-able offense over it. Life is full of small slights when we are out in public. We have to learn how to deal with it.
Trust in your self
I have been in job situations where it looked like changes would happen for everyone. People react differently when a comfortable thing is threaten. Holding on is a common reaction. Most people do not like change. Having things stay familiar is comfortable. We can plan life with less worry is work stays the same. These days that sense of security is less a sure thing. Back in the day, you would work for an IBM or GM your whole life and retire with a pension. But those days are long gone. Now we need to not rely on a ourselves and what we can do. If we are good at what we do and always improve, the current job is just the current job. Your good skills will keep moving you forward, and change means you are making progress!
Plus as a side note, doing your own thing rather than working for someone is a good thing if you can handle that; many cannot.
Liking vs. Grand
It is often the case that we chase that next grand thing. Pictures on social media have to be more amazing from the last. We have bottle of wine and whiskey that are the next best thing. But that becomes like drugs, we need more and more and more, and we become numb to all else. Simple life is just the things we like. Basic domestic beer with a simple hot dog. A brand of bourbon we like that is never on the top list of the year. It is just knowing what you like and enjoying it. Not everything has to be OMG. We are not special because we visit a place and take a picture. When things have to be greater than the next that ruins everything else.
What we Need vs. What we like
In the minimalism art of things, less but better is a first principle. The very act of coming to see we need less stuff to be happy is a positive goal. There are small degrees of difference with that. There will be things that we like that add to life’s enjoyments and pleasures. First we have to address the behaviors of why we buy stuff, and then, we can understand what we each like. because in The Art of Things, it is about understanding the root of our behaviors and why we buy. If we each tackle that first, then the act of buying has a purpose. Though, we always have to ask why we buy, does it add value, and is not just a habit.
I was lucky enough to end up with several tenor banjos each built in the 1920’s. More banjos than I need but I not collecting more and I get great pleasure having the ones I have. And I play them!
A Brave New World
Zombie shoppers at the super market!
I am sure most of us have see many zombie movies? There is always one screen where a zombie has a moment of recognition, like holding a bowling ball and has a confuse moment. It knows the balling ball means something? Just not completely what. Earlier this evening I was in the super market. We all seemed to be shoveling along in a collective daze. It was like after a year of a pandemic we no longer know how to inter-act. We each sensed others, we just did not know what we are? At one point a man and a boy and I crossed paths and we both stopped wondering who should go first? And we seemed like zombies trying to figure out what the bowling ball was for? What? Wait! Speak!!!!! Please go sir. Thank you sir!?
It seemed so strange. But I guess we have to get use to interacting with each other again.
Simple Use
These days many companies have eco-systems that are designed to tie us into a reoccurring payment structure. This in most cases involves first buying a pricy mobile device. Once we have that device we use these eco-system structures to do logins on other systems, such as I did to log into Square Space. Easy of use that many of us like. It is both a positive and negative thing. One of the negatives is it cost a lot to have an eco-system. In most case the use of the eco-system is of no cost to the user. But, the producer needs to price the mobile device $$$$ and/or mine our use and behavior to cover the cost of the eco-system. And sell additional products. They will not just sell a laptop or phone/tablet. The devices will have a camera. We have become use to doing everything on a phone or tablet and the reoccurring payments are designed around this. We could have a basic Linux laptop and a real camera. That would be cheaper but require more efforts. With an iPhone we can take pictures and then use Air drop the images to an Apple laptop and use them vs connecting the camera with a cable to the laptop. One issue here is the maker of the devices have sold so many of them, there are less buyers to find. So that is wear the increasing cost of the device has become. The future is likely to be a model where we have to pay a subscription to use features. That may be the cost of ease of use.
The Past is the past – it is the future we are now building
There have been all kinds of crappy mean and nutty things we humans have done through the beginning of time. Things from the simple huh? To true evil. We have used all sorts of justifications, reasons, lies, half-truths, to full lies but prove it, or get me to admit it.
As much as we want to think we each are ok and have very good reasons for the less than good things we say and do, face it if anyone ever truly must stand and account for their behavior before something that is all knowing (for real), that will suck and not be all that pleasant.
The choice is how we will act today, the next day, and thousands of more days moving forward. They say if we change our things in many different areas by 1% at a time we will greatly improve. Our behaviors and results will little by little improve and we will grow.
Some things from the past must be answered for. But no settlement will change the future if we do not also improve each of ourselves individually. There is no real fixing the past. There is no being made right without change. The bad parts of our hearts and minds do not change without everyone trying to change.
We all have emotions that tend to cloud reality. We want what cannot really happen. And we hate how we must be responsible for our own feelings and self.
So, the best we can do is each try to improve things by 1% each day and forward.
The want to spend
It can be too easy to buy something. It is easy to think I am just buying this one thing; and it is does not cost much and I have the money.
I saw a Spyderco pocketknife with a brass handle. It is setup that I like, all metal and no plastic. But I already have a Benchmade all metal knife. I felt the pull to buy. I know I want it. However, want and need are two different things. We cannot buy everything. We should not buy everything.
It is a hard behavior to change wanting to buy things. It takes an effort to stop the impulse to buy. There are baked in learned behaviors to buy. It is like any habit that we want to change. It is a process of learning and building new habits to replace the old behaviors. It is not easy. There is a lifetime of internal logics!
· I have the money
· It does not cost that much
· I do not have one like this
· It has been a tough month
· I have been good reducing spending this month
The next think I know I would have 15 knives and be mad I fell into that.
But I will say that if collecting something like knives, and you are not excessive about it, I think that is OK. We just must be good about being selective with that. The line from a collection of things too stuff, is a small one.
And are we truly making a, once in a while purchase? Often, I fell into selectively filtering out that my occasional was happening so often it was not occasional. But if we have everything else in order adding another thing is OK.
Just remember that the place of things can turn into a mountain of stuff fast and the behaviors and habits we create are hard to undo.
What makes you think it was normal before?
It all begins with an idea.
Perception is a selective thing much of the time. We feel what is comfortable to us as what is normal. Some of that is habit, preference, and just a matter of personal taste. These things are OK most of the time. We do our individual stuff and feel comfortable.
So what happens when we get into a situation like the current pandemic? That event has really flipped over the table, dishes, and chairs for good measure. All our sense of normal have been flipped over with the chairs, and do we all feel frustrated by that. And it has been going on far longer that we like.
But perhaps thinking about it all as either normal and normal interrupted, we need to think of it as a singular event that defines what is normal and comfortable to us. We keep (in the US mostly I guess) want to open gums, schools, bars, etc. That may be an emotional need more than good ideas. It may be us not being able to separate ourselves from our human need to feel ok again.
A situation like the pandemic is more like a war. During a war like WWII everything we did was to the means of the war effort. We did not make many washing machines in favor of needing to make tanks, planes, ships, and the like. Everyone shared the basic sense that we had to win the war. People did not like the situation but knew it was necessary to alter normal life and put that on hold until the war was won.
Persistence
It all begins with an idea.
I have lettuce, parsley, and Kale, which sprung to life from last years garden. Each found their way to a new spot in the garden and just grew. So, I transplanted them to the raised beds.
I think when we practice good behaviors and karma we also grow naturally. Good life habits and choices have a cumulative effect. The more that we life well and cause no harm, that helps use grow naturally. These good habits create positive energy that builds on itself and does not waste effort or energy.
Bad behaviors and causes do the opposite, I think. Just as too much spending on a credit card when you do not already have the money causes us to fall behind financially, bad behaviors and karma choices causes use to lose ground financially. Other behaviors have the same effect. When we lie, we must expend energy and effort to get the lies up.
When we make good choices and act and behave well, it looks like we are getting places without a lot of effort. Part of that is the energy we are using to do things is not wasted. We gain ground instead or losing it with poor actions. People think he/she always have their shit together.
And I think we have more energy, feel better and look better.
No one is perfect and it can be hard to know good karma from bad from person to person. But, if we try to be positive, objective, and use good behaviors and make good karma causes, the good will overcome the bad, and we will be a head.
It all begins with an idea
It all begins with an idea.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.