It’s nice to see gender roles reinforced, isn’t it? Even though Condoleezza Rice is arguably the most powerful woman in the world, she’s still picking fluff off George W’s jacket.
Failure IS an option
Hugh MacLeod has written a great little piece pointing out that bravado about “Failure is not an option” is just stupid. I also like some of the comments from readers:
- “Failure is not an option” people are invariably the ones least willing to deliver the intellectual and physical juice to lessen the probability of failure.
- “Failure is not an option” people are invariably the same people who said, two paragraphs earlier, that they want bold, risk-taking approaches.
Failure is always an option, which of course you want to avoid, But if failure is inevitable, then fail fast — and then adapt.
Oven crashes: technology gone mad
Last night I had to re-boot the oven because it had crashed. I only wanted to grill a couple of tomatoes for our dinner. Does it really require that amount of computational complexity?
Stabbed, kept masturbating
A stab victim kept on masturbating, even though knifed twice in the shoulder. The Brisbane man, Daniel Peter Blair, took amphetamines and… well… read the story for yourself! (Hat tip to the Snarky Platypus.)
How will you mark the Winter Solstice?
Tomorrow, 21 June, is the Winter Solstice here in the southern hemisphere — traditionally a time for new beginnings. What will you be doing for the Solstice?
Last year I wrote a personal rant. But this year I’m spending the day with my office manager, my partner and a colleague who knows about creative business strategies, trying to figure out how best to re-shape what I’m doing.
We’ve booked a meeting room overlooking Sydney Harbour, so I’m expecting to be inspired — one way or another. At the very least I should get some decent photos.
[Update 21 June: Actually, the Solstice is 22 June here in Sydney this year. Details in the comments.]
Disconnected from Nature
I sometimes wonder whether the major cause of stress is the simple fact that us urban humans are too disconnected from Nature. We are mammals, after all. Like every other living thing on the planet, we must be connected to the natural rhythms of seasons and tides, storms and sunny days.
Last weekend we experienced a massive storm and I took a photo of a broken umbrella. Then over the subsequent days I started to notice how the world responded…