Fake Quote of theDay
I don't like too much brass in the morning.
Count Basie
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September 26, 2007
September 20, 2007
Them Duke Boys
The later years.
September 19, 2007
Lowering Expectations
Under-Promise and Over-Deliver. Amazon does a world class job of fudging the calendar in such a way that I'm a happy camper every time I purchase from them. To the extent that they've spoiled me, apparently. If a business tells me my package will arrive in a week, I expect it in three days.
Apple's doing their part to set me straight, though. They Under-Promise on the delivery date and then keep that promise.
Tough love.
September 18, 2007
Cleveland's Former Tech Czar Speaks Frankly
Michael DeAloia recently resigned from his role as Cleveland's Tech Czar and spoke to a group about his experiences while they were still fresh on his mind. "Fresh" as in he hadn't even received his final paycheck at the time of this recording.
It provides the sort of insider snapshot of the state of the regional tech union that we'll never get from the newspapers. Not because they self-censor, but because they don't get the 'pre-press release' insight Michael had.
Full MP3 audio of Michael DeAloia enlightening a room full of people at the Midtown Brews gathering.
Good stuff. Thanks to Vince Frantz for communicating its significance.
September 11, 2007
Powerful Forces
The fact that the pending arrival of a child into a family causes dramatic change in the mother is common knowledge with most people, including myself. I'm not talking about the obvious physical changes, rather the forceful drive and sense of purpose that radiate outward from a woman who is about to have a baby.
My wife, for example, successfully completed more projects in the last three months of her pregnancy than most people get done in a year. If she wasn't physically able to do it herself, she recruited me or some other available person.
If the beginning of the story was: Colleen decided _________ needed to be _________.
then the guaranteed ending to the story was: And it became so.
She did it all with a smile on her face, too.
What I didn't know about until recently, however, was that the arrival of children can also be a catalyst for powerful change within the father as well. Simply put: They experience a sudden and rapid growth of their inner-cajones.
Sometimes the changes are subtle: Polite and non-confrontational becomes assertive, sofa time gets replaced with sweat time, and BS tolerance plummets.
And sometimes they're conspicuous: Unquestioning loyalty to anyone outside of the family unit is displaced by a spirit of mutually beneficial collaboration and the employee transforms into the entrepreneur.
A percentage of new fathers experience inner-cajone shrinkage and bail out. Fortunately my family and peer group is full of examples of the former rather than the latter.
September 07, 2007
Nature Report: Beaver Felled Tree
Breaking news from Armington Pond:
Some time in the early morning of Thursday, Sept. 6, a large beaver successfully felled the auxilliary trunk of a maple tree measuring 9" in diameter. The large trunk narrowly missed a large, highly populated ant hill.
It was obvious to this reporter that the beaver knew exactly what it was doing. The tree fell parallel to the beaver's path and downhill toward the pond, thus reducing the number of paces required to excavate the fallen lumber and move it to the water.
It is believed that the beaver will use the limb for construction material to augment its hut.
September 05, 2007
One panel
Inspired by a chat conversation with Brad Deilman:
bdielman: Eric. What's shakin'?
bdielman is online.
bdielman: Does anyone say that anymore? ;)
Eric: siesmologists
bdielman: Ha!
Creative Outlets
I just made a connection with a guy I know only from stories. His name is Josh Hara. He's a graphic designer and cartoonist from Cleveland. He and I share a mutual friend and have heard about one another for 15 years or so without ever having met. Hopefully we can get together soon.
The actual point of this post is to share his cartoons with you.
