Monthly Archives: January 2014

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Story shard – wrinkled time

January 11, 2014 6:40 AM , Leave a Comment ,

It seemed like such a good idea.

The concept had been sound.  Grab various important figures from all parts of history, ask them questions, and clarify so many questions and quandaries that had bedeviled historians for so long.

Carl looked round at the roomful of squabbling historical figures and wondered how it all went wrong.  Washington was yelling at Kennedy, Lincoln was being badgered by Jackson and Grant, A possible knock down, drag out, fight seemed to be more and more probable between Franklin and Roosevelt (teddy).

Apart from the start of the project, it had all gone wrong.

From a young age Carl had a keen interest in history.  To him the facts, figures, personalities, and events were more than just mere words on a page.  They weren’t just dull, lifeless, two-dimensional characters.  They lived and breathed and spoke to him and he so wanted to know more about them.  He devoured everything he could find about his favorite historical figures but the sources he could find were limiting and he yearned for more.

As he matured he found he had a talent for theoretical physics and pursued twin improbable degrees in history and physics.  As he did his post-graduate work alongside some of the leading physicists in time and space research a ludicrous idea popped into his head.

His mentor, Dr. Hideyoshi, had proposed that everything in the universe was at its core just energy.  All matter, energy, space, and time were just expressions of energy.  That energy all had a particular address in a complicated matrix of time and space coordinates.  If someone wanted to travel time or to bring an object through time to the present all they would need do is to figure out the particular address and then manipulate the energy to move it to another time and space coordinate.

Dr. Hideyoshi had spent decades doing the theoretical work and now with a team of assistants he was putting together what he called his dimensional manipulator.  A high energy machine that could bend and twist time and space to move objects from the past to the present.  Carl had definite ideas as to what it should be used for.

Posted in: Story Shard

Time thieves and time sinks

January 9, 2014 7:21 AM , Leave a Comment ,

I’ve written before about how important time is to me.

One of my relatives asked me this Christmas what I wanted and without a second thought I said “time”.  Don’t give me sweaters or boxes of chocolate, or whatever just give me more time to do what I need to do.

Of course no one can give us more time.  All we can do is organize what we have and use it as best as we can, exploiting it for all it’s worth.

My tablet computer updated some applications the other day and I noticed one of the updates was for a big time thief.  Oddly enough it’s a game about time management.  The game “plants vs zombies” is nothing more than a time management and decision-making game.  You have to organize your time as best as possible and use your resources wisely or else suffer the consequences.  Ironic as the game itself prevents people from organizing and using their time to the best of their abilities.

The thing is that even though it’s a simple-minded game and doesn’t take much effort it takes up time and you really can’t do anything else while playing it.  You can’t do work, you can’t think, you can’t read.  You’re stuck in a single activity and it’s not a particularly productive activity.

Some time sinks you can’t avoid.  Work, sleeping, exercise.  These are fixed in my life and I can’t avoid them.  These activities require some concentration and I can’t really multitask while doing them but I don’t really mind as they are beneficial to me in some other way.

But other time thieves I can avoid or sort in such a way that they don’t harm my everyday activities and long-term goals.

  • Social media.  I keep this minimized and off to the side as possible and I am also trying to reduce my time on it and use it sparingly in my off time.
  • Movies, play, sports events.  I don’t plan to cut these out but I am being much more selective as to which of these events I go to.
  • Books, art work, this blog.  Only on my off time and on scheduled times.
  • Games and television.  For the most part I am past these, especially television.  Games I still enjoy but I have less and less time for them.

Apart from this I am also evaluating all my daily activities to see which I can take advantage of and turn into multitasking opportunities.  Every second is going to count from now on.

Which reminds me I need to delete that little time thief off my tablet.

Posted in: habits, schedules, time

On top of your game

January 7, 2014 6:25 AM , Leave a Comment ,

People say that failure is a great teacher.  No doubt about that as long as you survive that failure and then learn from it so you won’t repeat it again.

I can honestly say that I’ve had many lessons taught to me in this way and for most of my life I seem to have achieved many goals in this manner.  I never really have those moments where everything goes perfect or according to plan.  Some little thing goes wrong and suddenly it’s not a great but only a good victory or some medium-sized thing goes wrong and I’m left scrambling trying to keep things from going to hell at the last second.  In its own way it’s satisfying to strive mightily and win out.  You truly earn that victory when that happens.

But then every once in a while…

Whether it’s by repetition and practice or circumstance and timing everything seems to align for you.

The client comes in with a big order, the project is something that you can handle, the process goes smoothly, the outcome is predictable and done on or before the deadline.  No hang ups, no delays, no difficulties.

Everyone is working at peak efficiency and there seems to be a glow or air of infallibility to the whole office.  You go from strength to strength without a single misstep.

How?  How do you get that to happen each time and every time?  Why does it seem as if some organizations seem to have a magical glow about them as if they can do no wrong?  Are they really that good or are they just better at hiding the bad days and promoting the good days?

I’m all for working hard and earning what I get but some days, some days I still yearn for that easy win.

Posted in: business, goals

Now what?

January 5, 2014 7:00 AM , Leave a Comment ,
“You know, a town with money’s a little like the mule with a spinning wheel. No one knows how he got it, and danged if he knows how to use it!”
―Lyle Lanley from “The Simpsons”

A few weeks back everyone was getting excited about one of the big lotteries.  The sum total had climbed over $600 million and people were in a state of hysteria buying up more and more tickets.

Inevitably on the news channels came the man on the street interviews asking people what they would do with all that money and the answers ranged from “not working ever again” or buying some expensive item or paying off bills.

Good enough for a thirty-second news piece but really have these folks pondered what they would really do with all of that money?  Let’s imagine a winner that gets a modest jackpot of 50 million.

Pay debts – An investing website in September reported that the average American was about a quarter of a million dollars in debt.  A good chunk of this is of course mortgage debt.  That’s all gone with a few strokes of the pen.  bye-bye debts and bye-bye $250,000

Buy things – So of course the average person is going to go on a spending spree and of course hold some parties for his family and friends.  He will no doubt purchase cars, televisions, furniture, clothes, and most certainly one or more properties.  So there goes another 3 to 4 million.

Travel – Jet set around the world and see those places and things you’ve heard about all of your life.  Another million or so.

Invest – So now that you’ve slaked all the urges you can think of, someone (usually a friend or family member) suggests that you invest in something and they usually have a good idea of where to invest and oddly enough it involves them.  So here goes another 5 to 10 million or more.

(A side note, in researching this I found that 44% of all lottery winners spend all their winnings in 5 years or less.  Where does it all go?!?!)

But now what?  You’ve done it all and seen it all but that’s about as far as most people get.  If even that far.  We look at the short-term prize and say to ourselves “wouldn’t that be great if we had that?”  But most people never stop to think and then what?

I think it’s a telling difference between people who earn their money and those that win or inherit their money that the people who earn their money through hard work and planning are able to answer this question.

They’ve obsessed, planned, and strived for their dreams for so long that they know exactly what they need to do next.  Those that suddenly have good fortune dropped on their laps don’t.

But it’s not just money.  Some people dream about being celebrities, some dream about being athletes, some about marrying some attractive person or some other seemingly impossible dream.  But these people never stop and consider or plan on how they get from here to there.

I’m not saying that it’s impossible.  What I am saying though is rather than just dream or lust after some unattainable goal, why not plan and work for it?  And then consider what you will do after you get it.

Posted in: culture, goals, plans, thought

brand loyalty

January 3, 2014 7:24 AM , Leave a Comment ,

 

Style rarely comes into play when I consider making everyday purchases and is rarely a factor when making major purchases.  I tend to favor the durability and utility of an item before style or branding.  But I have to admit that it does come into play over the long haul.

This is probably not the best example, but back in the day when I used to be a Coca Cola addict I would appreciate every aspect of Coca Cola.  From the slightly citrusy taste, to the sugar levels, to the logo design and even the particular shade of red that they use.  All other soft drinks were poor copies at best.

Now to be clear I don’t think you should drink any sort of sugary soft drinks.  Considering the amount of Coca Cola that I used to drink, I am extremely surprised that I did not become a diabetic.  But I have to admit that every aspect of the Coca Cola experience was extremely well done and all the packaging that went into it made it distinct and encouraged customers to seek it out in the stores.

They have a great product and great marketing to make sure that it stays at the top of the soft drink market.  A good brand will come to symbolize satisfaction in the consumer’s mind but a great brand will get associated in that person’s mind with “feeling right”

In computers, I’ve been with the Windows operating system for so long that I get an odd feeling when I have to use a computer that uses the Apple or LINUX operating system or even when they revamped the look of the operating system like they did with Windows 8.  I wanted to reset the look of the system to the “classic” Windows style just because I like the way it worked.

It’s not just that things are done in a different way in these operating systems it’s that I don’t feel that they are doing things in a proper way.  Other options may be perfectly fine but when the consumer gets “hooked” into a particular brand then no amount of persuasion will change his mind.

When you not only deliver a good solid product but also give it a particular style all its own and you associate that style in the consumer’s mind you can own that person’s loyalty.  Even though your quality may slip from time to time, that brand loyalty will keep that customer coming back again until you fix your quality issues.

Posted in: consumerism, motivation

The barren landscape

January 1, 2014 12:01 AM , 1 Comment ,

I stand on a desolate windswept shore.  Life hasn’t had a chance to change or alter this place.  As I look from horizon to horizon I see nothing but a dull grey panorama.  Not even the sky looks that much different as it matches the land in color and somber attitude.  Behind me the sea is dark and unwelcoming.  I cannot go back.

I take a step and I alter this land permanently, my feet scratching the ground and sending up a small cloud of dust.  The alteration having a ripple effect as I move across this alien expanse.

Little mounds of dust piling up, then dunes and hills.  Seeds borne on the wind settling into the new shelters for life and setting up shop.  Green sprouting as my heavy thread continues changing the topography.

A panoply of colors as flowers bloom.  The din of noise as bees and other insects are drawn to the new life.  Birds chirp in the branches of the leafy tall trees that have recently taken root.  Foxes, rabbits, and other animals shyly watching me from the dark undergrowth.

I continue down what appears to be a country lane and top a hill to see a shining city in the horizon.

Life has come to this alien world and it is due to my efforts and my imagination.  My personality, my ideas, my spirit will populate this place.

We have to remember this when we think of the future.  This new year that is coming up, it is our barren landscape.  Or perhaps it’s a blank canvas calling for us to fill it.  However you choose to think of it, please remember that you are the architect of your future and yours will be the decision and the responsibility as to how it turns out.

Make it the future that you want it to be.

Posted in: life in general, motivation, prose