Of Stores and Stories

A cruise through "downtown funk" this afternoon revealed a landscape of color and character, stores with untold stories of days gone by. This happens to be Mytown, Canada but as I drove I imagined this could be Anytown, Anywhere today.

Remember when shopping was a walk down the block to the store? When a night out was over to the local Italian, Chinese restaurant or diner, and when everyone from the neighborhood knew everyone from the neighborhood? Okay, perhaps not. We've evolved swiftly.

Disappearing are the days when shopkeepers would sweep their sidewalks, serve their community and bring home gossip to tell their family. Now we tell tales of new big box stores, bulk savings and internet shopping. We don't walk down the block (or the hallway for that matter) to speak to one another anymore. We text, we tweet and we facebook.

Should we miss these stories of local color and character; tales of days gone by? Perhaps we should listen to the well tread sidewalks and fading storefronts for the whispers of distant, simpler days... now passing into the shadows.

If the end is near, I will only say this: I had an old dog once. I suspected her time was coming to a close and so did she. I continued to take her for walks and towards the end I let her take me where she wanted to go and tell me when to go home. We relished each other's company to the end.

Perhaps we can do the same for local small businesses before they too are gone.

Nothing Is Dangerous And Everything Is

Introducing the All-New CPS

Wouldn't it be nice to have a device, similar to a GPS, that could tell you when you were going off on a tangent, treading up a road of inefficiency leading to nowhere but frustration and cognitive failure, or spending valuable time worrying about something you have no control over? Wouldn't it be great to have a simple device that would tell you in advance that you're going to walk into a room and wonder what you came in for?

Well, you lucky people, we are glad to introduce the new CPS, the all new Cranial Positioning System, guaranteed to stop you before you walk into a wall of indecision and fruitless thought. Now, you can be sure that the valuable time you spend thinking is fully mappable and monitored. This new and exciting mind mapping device allows you to fully customize your thought patterns to arrive at your preferred state of mind in the most efficient manner. Imagine, no brain cramps, no awkward delays in decision making and no ending up lost in the static that others of nefarious agendas want you to consider!

Never get lost in your own brain again! For three small payments of $600,000.00 US ($599,999.00 Canadian) you too can benefit from this latest technology. Don't delay! Contact us now and begin maximizing your travel time from question to answer!

The Condensed Story of Smug and Ugh...

One day, oh... about 6,000 years ago (give an ice age or two) two friends, Smug and Ugh, were out hunting. Together they stalked a Woolly Mammoth for hours and Smug finally brought it down. Smug claimed the kill and, against whatever tradition had accumulated at that time, refused to share his spoils with Ugh.

Enter an interesting dynamic to the human psyche. The birth of opposing philosophical viewpoints, each with their own self-interest.

Since that day Smugs have proliferated; the rich and powerful who look at life for what they can obtain and keep for themselves. Funnily enough whatever they seem to get, it never seems to be enough.

Ughs (no slouches either) have also evolved; living a simpler life and continuing to wish Smugs would share with those less fortunate. Funnily enough, whatever they seem to pry from the coffers of the Smugs, it also never seems to be enough.

Since the day of the Mammoth to this, it seems that neither Smugs nor Ughs are happy nor any closer to finding common ground. The insatiable appetites of both survive. All of which makes me think that of the three participants in the hunt that day long ago, perhaps the Mammoth turned out to be the fortunate one (lol)...

"... the things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling, are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest, are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second."
- John Steinbeck, American writer. Nobel Prize for Literature, 1962.

Will Computers Dream?

As the human race advances we have transitioned from one discovery to another. We've advanced from rudimentary tools to the "gears" of industry to computers the size of your living room to the slick technology of personal computers.

But in the not-so-distant future be prepared for another leap. Biocomputers. That's right, computers based not on traditional silicon-based computer technologies but on biologically derived molecules, such as DNA and proteins, to perform computational calculations involving storing, retrieving, and processing data.

Pretty cool, eh?

Evidence of the true potential of the computing capabilities of biocomputers exists in the most powerful, complex computational machine known to currently exist: the biocomputer that is the human brain. And it's only a matter of time that scientists are able replicate this capability into functional, superior computing.

Nanobiotechnology provides scientists with the ability to engineer biomolecular systems specifically so that they interact in a fashion that can ultimately result in the computational functionality of a computer.

Perhaps the question for the future will be: When we put our computers to sleep, will they dream?

The Important Part

MVP (Most Viewed Post) For 2010

This blog has been an experiment.

Before setting it up in October '09, I decided not to be just another wacko dude posting items talking about favorite bands, cookie recipes, movie star gossip, fun fashion tips or quirky things to do with everyday household items. Instead, I decided to be just another wacko dude posting some work and thoughts.

Back in August the "Figurative Backbone" concept was posted and since then it has been viewed more than any other post here at Rand's Place in 2010.

I don't have a lot of ego in the site's popularity (the total all-time pageviews here probably equals what some other sites get in, oh, six-and-a-half minutes) but I must admit that having views from 76 different countries (places like India, Brazil, Japan and Russia) is quite astonishing. I am thankful for comments I've received here and elsewhere and for those brave souls who chose to become followers. The fact that there are enough pageviews to select a MVP is, in itself, quite remarkable.

Thanks to all who have tuned in. Have a happy and prosperous New Year.

The Cow of Turin

Isn't it great that we give ourselves the gift of faith in so many miraculous ways? Some miracles come dressed in religious garb, some in everyday clothes and others to suit purely private tastes.

The Shroud of Turin and the debate surrounding its authenticity notwithstanding (no disrespect intended in the visual above), religious images have been reported in varied media as cloud photos, Marmite, chapatis, shadows, Cheetos, tortillas, trees, dental x-rays, cooking utensils, windows, rocks and stone, painted and plastered walls, pancakes, tree bark, and toast.

Images have been recorded in the glass façade of a finance building in Clearwater, Florida, a fence in Coogee, Australia, a hospital in Milton, Massachusetts, and a felled tree in Passaic, New Jersey.

Images of the Virgin have also been reported on a rock in Ghana, an underpass in Chicago, a lump of firewood in Janesville, Wisconsin; a chocolate factory in Fountain Valley, California; and a pizza pan in Houston, Texas. A grilled cheese sandwich, a pretzel and a pebble said to resemble images of the Virgin Mary have been offered for sale on internet auction sites.

All this may appear silly to some but it seems to me, that whatever one's beliefs, wherever or whenever our imaginings lead us to solace, it is a wonderful place to be.

Happy times to all for the New Year. Peace. Rand

Illustration for Invite

Caption on the inside: "What happens at the Christmas Party stays at the Christmas Party."

I'm not quite sure if it totally worked but I heard no slanderous gossip, and there was nothing about any sudden divorces. Darn...

What? You expect pearls of wisdom with every post? LOL!

In Defense of The Humble Bubble

Lately, it's been quite trendy to see the bubble as a passing entity not worthy of consideration. After all, its only function is to ultimately burst.

The world of commerce and politics has relegated the simple bubble to a status of pure evil: the antithesis to what experts would like to sell us as "long term solutions". Media reports of real estate bubbles, the .com bubble, and sad souls living life in a bubble all seemingly support the modern redefinition of the term "bubble" as an entity not worthy of consideration and something to be readily shunned. Bubbles are transitory, not permanent and therefore untrustworthy and fleeting. Bubbles are bad. Bad, bad, bad.

In defense of the humble bubble, I offer this: Since childhood we've blown bubbles, made bubbles, watched bubbles rise and witnessed them pop. We've taken glee in bubble baths, taken comfort with a refreshing carbonated beverage on a hot day, soothed ourselves by the side of a bubbling brook, and even bubbled over ourselves at times.

Truth is, life is an effervescence with a limitless supply of bubbles. And the act of a bubble bursting is a quite wonderful passing of energy from one sphere of existence to another... and that when one pops it makes room for others to follow. May you have a never-ending supply of thoughts bubbling to the surface... Cheers, Rand

Wish!

Can wishes come true? An age-old question.

Making a wish on a wishbone is a tradition here in North America from my childhood. For those reading this post from other cultures, the wishbone is the "furcula" ("little fork" in Latin); a forked bone found in the breast of the holiday turkey and dried to become brittle. The practice holds that when two people hold the two sides of the wishbone in their little fingers and pull it apart, the one who gets the larger part will have their wish granted. Note: it doesn't work when one person holds both sides of the wishbone in opposite hands and pulls, as the two sides cancel each other out.

In folklore, opportunities for making a wish are many: throwing a coin into a wishing well, blowing the candles out from a birthday cake, or seeing a shooting star in the sky are a few. (Feel free to share your own wish opportunities here – but not your wishes as generally you have to keep wishes secret in order for them to come true.)

These days it seems there are so many good things to wish for. It's difficult to make a decision about what's most important. But I'm here to let you in on a little secret – there are no limits to wish-making.

Go ahead. Wish away... It can't hurt.

And may your wishes come true. :o)

Happy holidays. Rand

Empirical Evidence of the Passage of Time

I've been somewhat worried about the passage of time lately. I've honestly thought at times that it just isn't happening.

Why? Progress on issues (many of them of global import) seemed to be at a standstill. If you close your eyes you can almost hear the crickets chirping, even in December.

So I set out to do a simple experiment over the last month to give myself (and you folks) some assurance that time is indeed passing. But I didn't want to do it haphazardly. I wanted to be able to validate...

In scientific terms, "empirical" refers to the gathering of data using only evidence that is observable by the senses or in some cases using calibrated scientific instruments. I took this approach because if I were to just tell you about my experience, it would then become anecdotal evidence (not good). So I set up the camera to record my observations.

So, here is my report (above). And I'm pleased to announce that the passage of time is still happening, although sometimes we have to look in strange places to see it happening.

It gives me some hope...

Turning On To Turning Off

Rough icon and theme line for a new initiative. The tricky part here was to attempt a fresh perspective on a often over-saturated conservation/energy reduction theme. No leaves here. No recycling symbols and no tired stereotypical imagery...

The "power button" is an easily recognizable symbol, especially to a young and tech-savvy target audience. The addition of a downwards arrowhead customizes the symbol and allows it speak to the meaning behind the icon.

Including a "call to action" (at the bottom) means the members of this project initiative can use this as a signature on emails, a visual for posters, web site and reports, and other communications collateral.

Sunday iPhone Playtime

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A cold, bright, sunny day brings an incredible light to the table.

Question

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On the Explosion of Well-Meaning Advice

I'm normally a happy guy. I love people. I laugh a lot. 

Perhaps it's my advancing decrepitude that prevails when it comes to explaining my grumpiness about certain things in life. Maybe I'm just getting happy about bitching. But truth is I am becoming increasingly, effervescently, joyously pissed about stuff. 

Top of my list has always included the tongue-wagging, well-meaning comments that begin with the words "you should" or "try to"...

Well-meaning advice has always been all around us in form of friends and relatives ("Dear Abby" always seemed to be very sufficient when things needed to be aired out of the community) and up to now we've learned to deal with this type of information with kindness and politeness (if not the occasional gnashing of teeth).

But now the web is rampant with advice. Oh joy. We now have self-professed life coaches, business consultants, health experts, attitude adjustment therapists, coach coaches and gurus galore.

Thanks to the internet, we don't have to depend on mere family, community friends and wide variety of news services for well-meaning personal advice. We now have access to a myriad of so-called 'experts' on various topics including: parenting, divorcing, business dealings, web SEO, web site optimization, sexual competency, social media, what to eat, what not to eat, what causes cancer, what didn't cause cancer in the past but now does, how to slim down, how to bulk up, how to reduce debt, handle debt, get out of debt, build a nest egg, how to Feng Shui your home, what facets to buy for your bathroom, how to interview someone, how to prepare for an interview, how to prepare a résumé to get an interview. We know, through these learned sites and blogs: what exercises to do, what exercises not to do, how to act, how not to act, what wine to drink with whatever you're eating, what movies you should watch, what people to watch, what food to eat, what food to watch, how to 'properly' handle bereavement, how to deal with homesickness or possible alcohol, psoriasis, relationship, insomnia, anger, or procrastination problems... I'm just touching the tip of the iceberg here.

I could go on.

But then I'd be giving advice.

Rant over...

Through The Observing Glass

"When you read Alice in Wonderland, you will find yourself trying to make sense of an illogical story. Alice, the key character, also experiences similar frustrations. But in the end, she emerges wiser with the learning involved in each situation. Everyone faces absurd choices in life. If you shrug off these choices as anomalies to your perfect life, you gain nothing. But if you try to learn from these absurdities, you will gain a lot of wisdom." Simran Khurana

Been doing a lot of thinking, researching and back-and-forth chit-chat recently about the effectiveness of stories: the age old method of learning, predating even Aristotle's discovery of logic. Wisdom, legend and truths mired in fables have been passed down from generation to generation even before the written word.

Today, modern cognitive scientists and behaviorists are finding a new effectiveness in a very old communication technique.

Neuroscience has concluded that the human mind works much, much better when a subject is broached through a story. They are apt to identify with the main character, get wrapped up in the overall subject matter and ultimately come to their own conclusions.

As cognitive scientist Mark Turner puts it, "Story is a basic principle of mind. Most of our experience, our knowledge and our thinking is organized as stories."

Minimizing inhibitions to communication. An age old issue. Whether it be in a formal presentation, writing an ad or a casual conversation, we all might take a clue to this age-old technique of erasing the confrontational nature of discussion by simply engaging our recipient, telling a story and giving our correspondents the ability to come to their own conclusions.

The Duchess: You're thinking about something, my dear, and that makes you forget to talk. I can't tell you just now what the moral of that is, but I shall remember it in a bit.
Alice: Perhaps it hasn't one.
The Duchess: Tut, tut, child! Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it.

The Weekend Mystery of the Missing Socks

The age old phenomena. Missing socks syndrome. We search laundry baskets, closets, around the washer and dryer, in the fridge, under the dog's bed... Many have tried to solve or explain the quandary. No one seems to have the definitive answer but some have some views.

Survivalists contend that socks are the 84th thing to go missing after the world as we know it ends (1st are generators). Interesting certainly, but I think that's a topic for a whole new post.

Missing "single" socks. Gone after an innocent exercise in washing. There are those who claim that the dryer is a harvester of alien intelligence, that aliens are amongst us and are curious as to the use of such objects and take samples in order to study them. Being superior beings (without sock knowledge) they are selective in their sampling and that would explain why the remaining sock is always the left one.

Moralists would explain that socks become dirty over time and because they are trapped in a life of sin and depravity, devoid of morals, they deserve to 'disappear'.

And, my favourite, that there is a Sock Ring, a criminal entity who captivate wayward socks for nefarious purposes. Perhaps to make them do their evil deeds.

Finally, we have those who propose that there is a quantum mechanics reason behind it all:

"The first modern attempt to explain the fundamental questions of laundry involved the decay theory. The decay theory states that the quantity of socks in a load can be expressed as a decreasing exponential function of time which is analogous to radioactive decay (see equation 1).

N_t =N₀*exp(-pt) ⁽¹⁾"

I don't get that one but maybe you will. If so please explain to me. You have my email...

A Rebranding Process... Back To Business

My life for the past while has largely been taken up in this rebranding project. What an adventure! The above is where the client started off (their old identity) and below is where things are heading...

A ton of research and many details have led to where we're at now. Let me give you an overview of the story.

The challenge is to position this community credit union in the marketplace as a state-of-the-art alternative, supporting it's traditional client base while positioning itself for new business. In examining alternative banking experiences, the major differentiation was clear that this client is a local entity, centered on the community and, as a credit union is a caring banking experience where the members are the owners. In short, this is a beneficial banking experience (without a head office in a distant city) where people know you by name and not just as an account number: with competitive rates and superior customer service.


Above are preliminary layouts for a full page ad, web home page and web banner. These are used to demonstrate how the new identity can be portrayed in concept layouts and how the benefits can be incorporated into a call to action.

Additional collateral for the presentation include stationery, signage and billboard/bus shelter advertising. But this will give you an idea as to direction.

Corporate rebranding is a long, involved process that takes into account not only a logo and tag line but a look at how the total communications package strategically focuses on benefits - consistently across all media over the long term... and it takes months if not years to fully integrate itself into the public consciousness. This is just a start.

Would love to hear your feedback on the approach!

The Pie Story

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I'm Sorry, What Was The Question?

Questions enable us to make changes in life, to devise new and better answers. They carve into what has been conventional wisdom in order to come up with answers that allow us to move ahead with greater wisdom and fewer problems. 

But have you ever gotten yourself into a quandary regarding an issue and found yourself mired in indecision? Yeah, me too.

Perhaps looking at the original question, redefining it and framing the query with a fresh perspective might lend to an easier answer...

"The scientific mind does not so much provide the right answers as ask the right questions."

(Claude Lévi-Strauss)

The exercise of design and communication is a lesson in problem solving. Simplifying, redefining and giving the original problem can often lead to easier, clearer and more understandable solutions... any intelligent person who gives themselves permission to do so, can. 

We're not often told that, are we?

Have you the determination, courage and ability to change the question?

Scary Thought 2

Happy Halloween everyone, with my yearly celebration of how even Mr. Potato Head can turn evil...

Mixed media on canvas, 24" X 24"

Leadership Group Graphic

A project group identifier for a leadership course I'm taking...

I can't remember the exact rationale behind the name, but I believe it to be derived from an exercise that involved an item about shoe size.

Nevermind... the important thing is that the group is comprised of six women (all vastly more intelligent than I) and myself... (I'm the fella)!

Sunday Dance

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"Dancing in all its forms cannot be excluded from the curriculum of all noble education; dancing with the feet, with ideas, with words, and, need I add that one must also be able to dance with the pen?"  ~Friedrich Nietzsche

One reason I don't own a cat....