Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Lebron Parody is Good for the Soul
Steve Carell with a great parody of "The Debacle" (aka The Decision).
Love that he along with Great Lakes Brewery's "Quitness Beer" with it's bitter aftertaste along with Chili's President are all able to laugh and find something (ANYTHING) good about the terrible announcement of the decision.
Congrats to anyone who can capitalize on "The Mess", including Kobe Bryant, no longer the NBA's biggest villain.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Creativity in Decline
Newsweek has a disturbing article on America's creativity decline. This is not good on many levels. I spent an entire chapter on creativity in my book because I feel that creativity is so key in this diverse, changing culture. To read that we are in decline is the first sign of regress. We might have an economic recession now, but unless we recover creativity, we will see a recession of ideas which will lead to cultural decline.
Monday, June 14, 2010
No Regrets
Here is the start of a great editorial in Sunday's Chicago Tribune.
"Ron Wayne is 76, living on Social Security checks. He says he has no regrets about how things turned out in 1976.
Which is amazing. On April 1 of that year, Wayne helped found a tiny computer company in Cupertino, Calif.
Apple.
Wayne designed Apple's first logo, wrote the Apple I computer manual and drafted the company's partnership agreement. He owned a 10 percent stake in the company. Today, that would be worth more than $23 billion … if he had held it.
He didn't."
HERE is the rest of the article that is worth your 5 minutes.
"Ron Wayne is 76, living on Social Security checks. He says he has no regrets about how things turned out in 1976.
Which is amazing. On April 1 of that year, Wayne helped found a tiny computer company in Cupertino, Calif.
Apple.
Wayne designed Apple's first logo, wrote the Apple I computer manual and drafted the company's partnership agreement. He owned a 10 percent stake in the company. Today, that would be worth more than $23 billion … if he had held it.
He didn't."
HERE is the rest of the article that is worth your 5 minutes.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
TED and Minority Report
Amazing futuristic stuff that is right around the corner. I love this stuff. Skip ahead to 6:30.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Perspective
When Stacey and I were getting engaged, we had our photographer take a picture that was a perspective shot of me holding Stacey in my hands. I had no idea it was called Forced Perspective, I just called it "cool." Click HERE for some great forced perspective shots.
Thank you Dean for sharing this one.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
5 Reasons Your Social Media Strategy Will Fail
5 Reasons Your Social Media Strategy Will Fail
Adweek takes a look at social media strategies and why they don't often work. Some great thoughts.
Adweek takes a look at social media strategies and why they don't often work. Some great thoughts.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Apple is now Big Brother
It's finally happened. Apple is getting so HUGE and restrictive, it is now being deemed the new big brother. ABCnews has a great article (HERE) on what Apple needs to do to look less evil. I still remember the brilliant 1984 commercial taking aim at the threat of Big Brother. It really signaled the beginning of the "hate Microsoft and Bill Gates" era. But my have times changed. They had better reframe their story or it will only be a matter of time before another upstart takes a bite of of Apple.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Russia Halts U.S. Adoptions
This is a story from the LA Times (click here to read).
While I am obviously a huge proponent of international adoptions, here is an example of one of the risks- overreaction by a country. While there are some problems with international adoption as in the case of the mom who sent her son back, countries must be careful not to overreact. The ripple affect is horrendous- for the children waiting to go into the loving hands of loving parents- for the parents awaiting their children.
It really tears at me to hear these stories. I pray that they would be able to quickly investigate this and open their doors to adoption again. Otherwise it is the orphans who pay the price.
While I am obviously a huge proponent of international adoptions, here is an example of one of the risks- overreaction by a country. While there are some problems with international adoption as in the case of the mom who sent her son back, countries must be careful not to overreact. The ripple affect is horrendous- for the children waiting to go into the loving hands of loving parents- for the parents awaiting their children.
It really tears at me to hear these stories. I pray that they would be able to quickly investigate this and open their doors to adoption again. Otherwise it is the orphans who pay the price.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick
This was a sign on a bridge in St. Charles next to a very edgy Mother Goose.
Friday, April 09, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
International Adoption's Uncertain Future
The Christian Science Monitor has written a great piece that talks about big declines in international adoption. Looking at factors such as UNICEFs regulations and more countries like China and Russia adopting their own children, the article paints a picture of international adoption that is uncertain. On one hand, some of these declines are natural when you have a correction to arbitrary and sometimes out of control adoption policies, but the increasing regulations can also have a devastating affect on children who are caught in the legal crossfire. It is very hard right now to know if this is a good, corrective and healthy season for international adoption or the thing that shuts down momentum and goodwill. Time will tell.
Read for yourself by clicking HERE. Whatever the case, we must continue to do all that we can to see that those children who legitimately need a loving home are given one. Now is not a time to shrink back in frustration but continue to do all that we can on behalf of the orphan.
Read for yourself by clicking HERE. Whatever the case, we must continue to do all that we can to see that those children who legitimately need a loving home are given one. Now is not a time to shrink back in frustration but continue to do all that we can on behalf of the orphan.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
A God Question
Read this on a friends fb page- thought it was worth sharing.
"Sometimes I would like to ask God why he allows poverty, suffering, and injustice when he can do something about it."
"Well why don't you ask him?"
"Because I'm afraid he would ask me the same question."
"Sometimes I would like to ask God why he allows poverty, suffering, and injustice when he can do something about it."
"Well why don't you ask him?"
"Because I'm afraid he would ask me the same question."
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Gen Y's Rude Awakening
I know this has been out for a while but I saw it again this past week in the context of Gen Y and how the Peter Pan world of never growing up will catch up with them. Tim Elmore of Growing Leaders gave the talk and used this to illustrate a major issue for Gen Y
Laugh, cry, think...
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Living What We Believe
I came across this quote that made me think about why I act the way that I do-
In other words, if God is really dead/nonexistent, then why act in any way other than reckless and immoral.
Now flip that thought. What if the we believe the opposite? Do our actions align with what we believe. If we have the audacity to believe the absurd idea that Jesus is who he says he is, can we live even a remotely "normal" life?
In this Lenten season of the cross, food for thought...
Friedrich Nietzsche scorned all who agreed with him that “God is dead” and went on living exactly the same as before. He called such people “odious windbags of progressive optimism” who think it is possible to have Christian morality without Christian faith. He said “They are rid of a Christian God and now believe all the more firmly that they must cling to the Christian morality…When one gives up the Christian faith, one pulls the right to Christian morality out from under one’s feet.”
In other words, if God is really dead/nonexistent, then why act in any way other than reckless and immoral.
Now flip that thought. What if the we believe the opposite? Do our actions align with what we believe. If we have the audacity to believe the absurd idea that Jesus is who he says he is, can we live even a remotely "normal" life?
In this Lenten season of the cross, food for thought...
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Millennial Matrix
The Pew Research report is out on Millennials. This massive study sheds a giant spotlight on this generation.
Among other things, they are optimistic, want to marry and have children, lean liberal politically, are extremely wired and the largest generation yet not to affiliate with any particular religion.
The report also has a questionnaire on how millennial you are.
Click HERE for the report.
Among other things, they are optimistic, want to marry and have children, lean liberal politically, are extremely wired and the largest generation yet not to affiliate with any particular religion.
The report also has a questionnaire on how millennial you are.
Click HERE for the report.
The World is our Audience
Long on my to do list was to read the book The Call by Os Guinness. It hasn't disappointed. One chapter has the title of an oft repeated phrase "The Audience of One." The idea is that as a person of faith, we live our lives not out of selfish ambition or to please others but simple devotion to God.
This way of living has never been more difficult to live out. We are all living in a digital world where everyone is a publicist and everyone is part of the audience. We text, we twitter, we provide status updates of our every move. And some, like me, even blog out thoughts for the world to see.
There is a part of me that loves this new frontier of ultra-connectedness. It allows us to peer into the lives of our family and friends and share with one another. The internet has evolved and social networking will continue to develop and provide even greater access to our lives.
But is it possible that living our lives in such a publicized way might actually be working against a greater principle of the audience of one?
Jesus told us to pray in private. He insisted that our good deeds be done in secret with the knowledge and trust that God would reward them in heaven. And even the Proverbs remind us that we should let someone else praise us and not do it ourselves.
Os Guinness says,
I for one am not suggesting that we pitch technologies, swear off our social networks or definitely not return to the days of the Puritans. But we need to have some guiding parameters that help us to steer clear of temptations that prey on our need to be accepted by the rest of the world instead of living life for an audience of one.
This way of living has never been more difficult to live out. We are all living in a digital world where everyone is a publicist and everyone is part of the audience. We text, we twitter, we provide status updates of our every move. And some, like me, even blog out thoughts for the world to see.
There is a part of me that loves this new frontier of ultra-connectedness. It allows us to peer into the lives of our family and friends and share with one another. The internet has evolved and social networking will continue to develop and provide even greater access to our lives.
But is it possible that living our lives in such a publicized way might actually be working against a greater principle of the audience of one?
Jesus told us to pray in private. He insisted that our good deeds be done in secret with the knowledge and trust that God would reward them in heaven. And even the Proverbs remind us that we should let someone else praise us and not do it ourselves.
Os Guinness says,
"We have moved from the 'inner directed' world of the Puritans, in which calling acted as an inner compass, to the 'other directed' world of modern society, in which our contemporaries are our real guides- and a roving radar ranges to pick up their cues."
I for one am not suggesting that we pitch technologies, swear off our social networks or definitely not return to the days of the Puritans. But we need to have some guiding parameters that help us to steer clear of temptations that prey on our need to be accepted by the rest of the world instead of living life for an audience of one.
