A Great Idea vs. A Good Ideas Network
Having “The Great Idea”—and then implementing it—is a wonderful thing, and I think it is, in theory, the best way to achieve huge success. The downside, of course, is that truly great ideas are rare, and the ability to implement them is even rarer. Therefore, as a...
Risk Aversion and 100% Risk Reduction Rules
I don’t drink and drive. Ever. And I go to extreme lengths not to do so. For example, if I am going to the symphony and I think I may want to have a single glass of white wine at intermission, I will either: Arrange for a town carTake a taxi or Uber (both ways)Spend...
Is Personal Pivoting A Good Thing?
Here’s a link to some high-tech pivot success stories, including Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest: What is a Pivot? Top 10 Best Tech Startup Pivots Case Study. Certainly these were successful pivots. And certainly within high-tech there are many more undocumented pivot...
Blogging In My Car
Here’s one of my favorite places to blog: in my car, waiting for my wife as she runs an errand. Granted, my car isn’t a great place for experiencing the deep creativity I need for writing fiction or the focused organization I need for writing non-fiction or the...
Editing Out Color, Editing Out Words
In my photography journey, I mostly create black and white photographs. My editing approach for these photographs is as follows: Take the initial photograph in color at the highest pixel densityDo a rough cropConvert to black and white using an auto settingPlay with...
My Writing Software Dealbreaker
When I try new writing software, I have one dealbreaker: fussiness with backing things up. If I can’t be certain my work product can backed up, then it’s not the software for me. I need to be able to clearly identify the relevant file(s) and manually copy it to a USB...
What is a Pivot?
What does pivot mean in reference to your career or to your ikigai? Here’s the definition of the verb "to pivot," taken from the Oxford English Dictionary: Intransitive. To turn on, or as if on, a pivot; (Military) to swing round a central point during a manoeuvre....
The Tools Are Not The Craft
It’s necessary to be knowledgable and interested about the tools of your craft. But, if your interest in the tools of your craft exceed your interest in the craft itself, you may have a problem. (In my case, I need to be careful I don’t become too interested in the...
Big Data & Information or Creativity & Connection?
Many people think we are in the thick of the Information Age, where Big Data and AI rule, and Creativity and Connection serve them. But I believe the near future will be just the opposite. I believe we are in the early stages of the Creativity and Connection Age, and...
Clinging to My Physician Persona?
In Buddhism there is a Sanskrit term, Upādāna, which can be defined as attachment, grasping, or clinging. In its various forms, it’s one of the principle causes of human suffering. In reference to clinging, at the end of this year, I have an important career decision...