Brain… Don’t think of a purple giraffe (and what else not to say) 31 Jan 20154 Jul 2016 A company I admire allowed an employee to blog, "You probably don't want to come to our conference, but here's why I think you should." Really? I don't want to…
College… What’s Your Style? 30 Jul 201115 Apr 2012 This one is for those of you who already write in complete, yet not inexhaustible sentences, and wonder whether you have any style. Of course, you do--just as you have…
Blogging… Most Beautiful Words 5 Jul 20114 Jul 2011 A reposting of a list of 100 Most Beautiful Words in the English Language has me wondering what my own favorites would be. For example, bucolic doesn't make my list. Its meaning, in a…
Advertising… Friday Flick: Real Beauty 24 Jun 201125 Jun 2011 Even if you've seen this classic commercial, it's a great reminder that what we see in certain environments bears no resemblance to reality. It's also a reminder that some revisions…
Courage… Scheduling Improv 21 Jun 2011 Listening to Krista Tippetts' interview with musician Bobby McFerrin, it first surprised me that he ever considered joining a monastic order, and that the main attraction was the silence! He…
Change the World… In Case of Rejection 13 Apr 2011 As poet Wesley McNair braved rejections, his mentor Donald Hall comforted him with these observations: "These feelings simply do not end! Believe me I am sympathetic with your feelings, but…
Collaboration… Robo-Mottos 12 Apr 201112 Apr 2011 While witnessing my first FIRST Robotics competition this spring, I was initially impressed by the enthusiasm. It's a high school sport! Fans rock a basketball court while nerdish guys in…
Collaboration… Composing Language 11 Apr 20119 Apr 2011 Every time I see my composer son, he raves about and demonstrates some new tool in his repertoire: something about counterpoint, some chord he picked up from another composer, some…
Books… Friday Flick: Do Schools Kill Creativity? 8 Apr 20119 Apr 2011 Sir Ken Robinson, author of Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative, and The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, spoke at TED a few years ago about…
Blogging… Carved in Amethyst 7 Apr 2011 I didn't write today, and I wouldn't be here either except for this blogging commitment I made. But I did create! Last year a favorite necklace broke. Today I did…
Business… Firefox 4.0 Ain’t Ready 24 Mar 201124 Mar 2011 Some companies use their customers as beta testers. Microsoft springs to mind. I give them at least a year to figure things out before I give in to an upgrade.…
Brain… If You Build It, They Will See It 14 Mar 201114 Mar 2011 Some people go to all the trouble of designing and producing buildings, only to make them ugly. Why not hire an architect who understands proportions? Select beautiful colors for the…
