On Personal Triumphs

Every year in a small town called Sheffield Mills, Nova Scotia, is a four-day event called The Eagle Watch festival. Sheffield Mills is a small town (population 414) where visitors to the official festival website are prominently warned that the shoulders of the road are not as wide as they appear and are advised to park half-on and half-off the road to avoid snow camouflaged ditches. Down-east folks are thoughtful like that. (And they never think to charge for parking.)

Farmers, who once killed the eagles as pests, now lay out a huge breakfast for the raptors and are nice enough to invite those interested to stop by for their own seven-dollar breakfast and to share in the beauty of the largest colony of wintering eagles in eastern North America. Over 2,000 attend from all over. It's a celebration.

Eagles here had once dwindled to pretty well nothing. Now their population is close to 500. It struck me when I saw the photos taken last weekend by my niece Dawna just how able the human race is – to scratch up enough determination to rebound from a situation of almost total destruction and to find meaning and exaltation in the beauty of what transpires from the result.

And it's not just the human race as a whole. This reflects back on us all in small personal triumphs – when we allow ourselves the 'air' to turn what once were dire problems into cause for celebration. Because after all, hey, it's never too late until it is.

Thanks Dawna, for inspiring me to remember that we all have the ability to take ourselves, our communities and our planet, as John Milton once stated, "Where the deep transported mind may soar."

Art In Reflection

When we focus our eyes a bit differently; when we open up our minds to new directions... a window becomes not only something to look into but a refection of the culture that surrounds us.

Consider the possibility that the gift of creativity is inherent all of us who learn to pause in our busy day to be observant and find expression in obtuse things – even accidental imagery in a computer screen.

The act of 'noticing' gives us the opportunity to lose ourselves in the only alternative universe readily available to us all. It is a quality of vision that people normally find intrusive and ignore. But choosing to enter this universe allows a coffee pot to be infused with a dynamic once unnoticed.

Reflected back to us, the world becomes somehow much less threatening and perhaps a bit wonderfully reversed. 

And what was just a car window becomes blue skies, visible while looking down... and not up.

"Happiness resides in imaginative reflection and judgment." George Santayana (1863 – 1952. Spanish philosopher, essayist, poet and novelist) 

Old Site/New Site

You may already know that we've been busy working on a rebrand for the McMaster Savings and Credit Union (loved by but not officially affiliated with the University) and one of the largest components of the exercise (after the logo itself) is the redesign of their web site and other collateral. Thanks to the talents of co-workers Steve (the Great) and Simon (the Supreme), we've cobbled together a striking but simple site that combines functionality and highlights benefits in an uncluttered and striking manner. (The top image, if you haven't figured it out by now, is the old site.)

The large visual on the home page, now showing a key message from the brand strategy, will be used over time as a billboard of sorts. This image and the message below will be changed to reflect ongoing marketing activities in order to add a consistency of messaging across all media (print and broadcast ads, brochures, bus shelters, direct mail, etc.) and build brand equity.

Amazing Cure for the Common Vending Machine!

I confess. I have had many tender, loving moments with vending machines in waiting rooms, college campuses, airports, bus stations, food courts, hallways, stadiums, subways and malls. When all was shut tight these monoliths of light – these providers of lifesaving sustenance were there for me. I cannot count how many times they have given me solace when no other would. Just thinking about our times together brings a tear to my weary eye.

All this time I didn't realize they were ill. 

Sadly, modern science has identified a fatal condition. These purveyors of crunchy treats and refreshing libations are carrying a hereditary genetic condition called a "Parasitic Load" (pictured above). It's an invisible, dastardly creature which has been passed on unknowingly from generation to generation – one who just loves to insatiably suck power when it is not necessary. 

Luckily there is a cure! Vending machines who used to be enslaved and forced to run 24/7 in order to feed this parasite are now being vaccinated with small computer chips programmed to mercifully shut them down when their services are not needed (with timers to revive them when they are). The results from clinical studies are amazing, according to reports in leading medical journals. They not only cure energy loss but save folks tens of thousands a year in associated costs. 

Thank heaven for modern medicine!

Robert Burns - A Story of Poetry and Prolific Love

On January 25th of each year, Scottish descendants celebrate "Robbie Burns Day." Today, his 252nd birthday, will be celebrated by the serving of a dish called Haggis; made from the organs of a sheep, boiled in a bag made from the sheep's stomach. I hear a "wee dram" of whiskey helps it all go down. 

You may know of Robert Burns, Scottish Poet. Chances are you've sung "Auld Lang Syne" on New Years Eve. "A Red, Red Rose" has been turned into a song by Carly Simon. Bob Dylan selected the same Burns' poem as having the biggest effect on his life. And John Steinbeck who wrote 'The Grapes of Wrath' took a title from the Burns' poem 'To a Mouse', which read: "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley". "Man Was Made to Mourn" was referenced in speeches by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and, subsequently, by Barack Obama.

He is also heralded in some circles as the Casanova of Scotland. According to casual research Robert Burns' love life was prolific. In the same year as he achieved his first fame as a poet, Jean Armour (later, his wife) produced twins while he swayed between her and Mary Campbell (Highland Mary). During this time he also fathered a child to a servant girl called May Cameron. On his next visit to Edinburgh the same thing happened with another servant girl. Simultaneously, he was in a passionate relationship with the respectable Agnes M’Lehose. His great song of parting "Ae fond kiss and then we sever" was written for her. Shortly after, Jean Armour, back in Ayrshire, produced another set of twins by him. He eventually married Jean and settled in the town of Dumfries in the south of Scotland where he died in 1796 at the age of 37 of a heart condition. He had nine children with Jean in total (only three survived infancy) but managed another with the niece of the landlady of the Globe Inn in Dumfries.

All of which goes to lend new meaning to his quote, "Fear no labor." :o)

Jack Frost Art

For those of you from warmer climates, who may not have witnessed this remarkable event, this is a picture of frost patterns on one of my windows this morning. British Isles folklore attribute this phenomena to an elfish character named Jack Frost.

Well, with the temperature at a bone chilling -22 degrees C, Jack Frost appeared to be the only one outside having fun...

You can tell by this photo where the name "fern frost" came from.

Ain't nature grand?

Deep Freeze Birdhouse

Minus double digit temps and an outing with the dog prompted this shot of an old birdhouse I'd bought several years ago from a locally well-known craftsman in rural Nova Scotia.

Have been playing with a free app for the iPhone called Instagram which allows you to take a photo, apply one of several filters and post it to the Instagram site to share (and at the same time post them to your social media sites).

Here are two examples of the filters available... trés neat!

The Upgrade Equation

The Upgrade Equation. It's a mathematical quotient: How many times do "you" go into "upgrades" to equal "success?" Answer: constantly. But how?

Popular culture leads us to think we need to measure personal upgrades in two ways: 1) Purchase state-of-the-art technology... and 2) Learn how to use it – take classes, bug friends, get tips from colleagues and sweat over online tutorials. It's all good.

We buy. And we learn. Then a month later, enter that guy on the corner, online or at the computer store – Pssst! – the guy who has the ultimate upgrades just for you. It's the elastic nature of commerce. And we're lead to believe it's exactly what we need to equal success in whatever we do.

But friends, I humbly submit, there is a third essential and totally necessary upgrade that we're not always taught; because it's free. It's the ability our supercomputer (read brain) gives us to constantly upgrade our thought processes, knowledge and skills in art, intuition, poetry, process, wisdom, empathy, concepts, emotions and passion. Apart from being free, there's a reason this isn't highlighted on websites, stores and brochures. It entails making technology work for us instead of the other way around.

If we rely only on each new technology upgrade for our measure of success, are we not becoming more and more dependent on technological solutions (and its artificial support) for our definition of personal success?

If so, maybe we are really just trading canes for wheelchairs.

Rant over. :o)

See and Say

I see what people are saying for the most part.

Seeing what people are saying is not just listening, but you knew that. Gathering meaning from people's words is not just a matter of hearing but it's a cognitive experience; inserting wisdom, intuition and interpretation behind the words and therefore attributing value to what otherwise is a mere string of words.

When we're lucky, words become not just words. Strung together in a magical manner they become visions, concepts, ideas – with bonus thoughts sprouting and growing new, fresh experiences.

Great leaders inspire with words. Friends console, validate and invigorate with them. Wonderful personalities around us help us give shape and meaning to our lives, prompting us to do more; daring us to stretch ourselves and become something more than we ever possibly could have without them.

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

(click to enlarge)

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

Question

(click on image to enlarge)

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...