There is beauty in a pristine chickens egg. The lightly bumpy texture of the shell. The perfection of the oblong shape. The varying shades of white and brown.
I think there is a lesson here. Only once the egg is cracked is the potential of the egg unleashed. The beauty and perfection must be broken, destroyed in order for the chick to hatch, the cake to be baked, the meringue to be whipped.
In the end, nothing will remain of the original beautiful egg. But it will be replaced by something far superior in usefulness and complexity. Something with a new beauty.
Don’t we all have elements of our lives which are eggs, waiting to be torn apart and remade into something better?
Just a random thought.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Why we ask questions
Bonus Post: I already know you're an American.
In my occupation as a researcher, one of the more frustrating things to see are people who answer a demographic question asking their ethnicity indicating that they are "Other: American." I think these people feel they are being clever or making some kind of social statement about racism or nationalism. However, the analyst in me wants to give these individuals a good Homer-to-Bart style throttling.
From a general social position I agree that the capabilities of individuals, despite their ethnicity or nationality, are largely the same. There are stupid and smart people regardless of color or creed. I think some overlook, perhaps in fear of racism, that there remain for many ethnic groups cultural differences which affect how these people view the world. As a researcher, these differences often provide significant and valuable insights for our clients.
==========================================================
Why we ask questions.
I think every company, however small, ought to be conducting research. I am shocked by how few small companies leverage the information they could gain by asking their customers ANYTHING.
I think many people who have a small company feel that research is too expensive or time consuming. This is an understandable criticism because professionally conducted research campaigns can be extremely expensive. That said, there are some very simple ways to collect information which don't cost much.
Probably the easiest way to get some information is simply to call or email a handful of customers and ask some very open ended questions about their experiences. When people respond combine responses and look for patterns. The more information you can collect the better, but a couple dozen responses will start to point you in the right direction.
If there are significant changes you need to make to your company, and these changes are likely to affect your customers invite some customers to meet with you. Bring 5-6 people to your office, serve a simple lunch or dinner and present the ideas for the company. When selecting people, try to find people who are strong communicators, but who are willing to stick to a directed discussion.
A few additional pieces of advice:
Don't just collect information once and stop: Keep asking over time. I personally work on two surveys which have been running for over two years and it is surprising the insightful information we collect each month.
Don't be defensive: Being willing to accept critical feedback about your organization is critical. If your customers feel you are doing something wrong, you may be able to increase the business you take in if you fix that problem.
Think about the information you already have: Do you keep records of customer complaints and how they were resolved? Do you track your customer's purchases with your company? Many companies are sitting on gold mines of information about their customers and never look.
If you or someone you know would be interested in some ideas for how they could start collecting information for their company, let me know. I would be happy to help.
In my occupation as a researcher, one of the more frustrating things to see are people who answer a demographic question asking their ethnicity indicating that they are "Other: American." I think these people feel they are being clever or making some kind of social statement about racism or nationalism. However, the analyst in me wants to give these individuals a good Homer-to-Bart style throttling.
From a general social position I agree that the capabilities of individuals, despite their ethnicity or nationality, are largely the same. There are stupid and smart people regardless of color or creed. I think some overlook, perhaps in fear of racism, that there remain for many ethnic groups cultural differences which affect how these people view the world. As a researcher, these differences often provide significant and valuable insights for our clients.
==========================================================
Why we ask questions.
I think every company, however small, ought to be conducting research. I am shocked by how few small companies leverage the information they could gain by asking their customers ANYTHING.
I think many people who have a small company feel that research is too expensive or time consuming. This is an understandable criticism because professionally conducted research campaigns can be extremely expensive. That said, there are some very simple ways to collect information which don't cost much.
Probably the easiest way to get some information is simply to call or email a handful of customers and ask some very open ended questions about their experiences. When people respond combine responses and look for patterns. The more information you can collect the better, but a couple dozen responses will start to point you in the right direction.
If there are significant changes you need to make to your company, and these changes are likely to affect your customers invite some customers to meet with you. Bring 5-6 people to your office, serve a simple lunch or dinner and present the ideas for the company. When selecting people, try to find people who are strong communicators, but who are willing to stick to a directed discussion.
A few additional pieces of advice:
Don't just collect information once and stop: Keep asking over time. I personally work on two surveys which have been running for over two years and it is surprising the insightful information we collect each month.
Don't be defensive: Being willing to accept critical feedback about your organization is critical. If your customers feel you are doing something wrong, you may be able to increase the business you take in if you fix that problem.
Think about the information you already have: Do you keep records of customer complaints and how they were resolved? Do you track your customer's purchases with your company? Many companies are sitting on gold mines of information about their customers and never look.
If you or someone you know would be interested in some ideas for how they could start collecting information for their company, let me know. I would be happy to help.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
The Unusual Christmas
I was definitely not what Mia's brothers would have picked out husbandwise. Let me discribe my brothers-in-law and you will understand.
Chris, the oldest is an Army MP. Spend 18 months in Iraq. The first time we met he had hand-cuffs out and wanted to "cuff me" and "talk" to me about my intentions with his sister (He did not like that a guy older than he was was dating his little sister).
Justin, is the second-oldest and was a Marine. He manned a 50calibur machine gun on a hum-vee in Operation Iraqui Freedom. Justin likes to make hand-made knives and has dreams of becoming a gun-smith.
Brandon, is Mia's younger brother. Brandon works for a company which fixes up cars for some of the local auctions.
Between the three brothers and my father-in-law the family owns enough firearms to support a small-medium sized militia.
Now there's me. When I met Mia I didn't know how to change my own oil (I do now). I had never gone hunting. I did not own any fire-arms. I weighed about 140 and liked reading, drawing, and video-games.
Fast forward to our second Christmas after we got married. Chris and his new wife Angel were visiting from Kentucky and on Christmas Eve Mia got a call. Chris wanted to know if I wanted to go hunting with her brothers on Christmas day. Mia had to work all day Christmas so she didn't mind me being gone, but she was worried. She felt like her brothers could be a little careless, but she decided that since her had was going I'd be okay. I figured I'd better go so that I could improve my reputation with her brothers.
At 5 am Mia and I got up and had a quick Christmas morning together. I was at her parent's house at 6:30 in my camo and boots(recent presents from Chris and my father-in-law) and most of the cold weather gear I owned. We loaded up into Chris' Ford Explorer and drove to the northern border of Utah listening to Johnny Cash. We finally stopped in a little driveway next to an old abandoned barn. It was probably 25 degrees outside but thankfully there was plenty of sunshine and no wind.
We got out and moved to the back of the Explorer to "lock and load." My eyes got wider and wider as I realized the arsenal that we had been carrying. There were two AR15's (the AR15 is essentially the civilian issue M16), an AR4, 3 shotguns, one .22 rifle, one .357 Magnum revolver (Chris' Christmas present), one .45 automatic pistol (Chris' sidearm), and one .22 semi-auto pistol (Justin's sidearm). There may have been more, but those are what I remember. I also distinctly remember Chris remarking that we could hold of local law enforcement for "awhile" with the amount of ammo they had brought.
My father-in-law pulled me aside and asked me, "What do you want to shoot with?" I blinked at him for a while not knowing how to answer. We where going "bunny blasting" aka hunting jack rabbits in the sagebrush. Somewhat selfishly I opted to shoot my father-in-law's new AR15. He handed me a few 30 round bannanna clips and showed me how to aim with the holographic laser sight. Next thing I knew we were in a line trudging through the brush and snow, shooting at anything that moved.
I don't know that we made that much of a dent in the local rabbit population, but we made a lot of noise and had a good time. After lunch we did some skeet shooting and I was able to hold my own with several far more experience shooters.
I don't know that the trip was all that memorable for anyone else, but for me it was a turning point in my relationship with my in-laws. Something of a right of passage. I'm still a bit of an odd-duck around that family, but since Mia is their vegetarian little sister who always told them their guns were stupid, the brothers have taken me in as an ally.
About a week after the hunt Mia and I went up to see Chris and Angel before they went back to Kentucky. As we were leaving Chris walked out and handed me the shotgun he had been shooting with. I was stunned.
It now sits in my very own gun safe in my garage.
Chris, the oldest is an Army MP. Spend 18 months in Iraq. The first time we met he had hand-cuffs out and wanted to "cuff me" and "talk" to me about my intentions with his sister (He did not like that a guy older than he was was dating his little sister).
Justin, is the second-oldest and was a Marine. He manned a 50calibur machine gun on a hum-vee in Operation Iraqui Freedom. Justin likes to make hand-made knives and has dreams of becoming a gun-smith.
Brandon, is Mia's younger brother. Brandon works for a company which fixes up cars for some of the local auctions.
Between the three brothers and my father-in-law the family owns enough firearms to support a small-medium sized militia.
Now there's me. When I met Mia I didn't know how to change my own oil (I do now). I had never gone hunting. I did not own any fire-arms. I weighed about 140 and liked reading, drawing, and video-games.
Fast forward to our second Christmas after we got married. Chris and his new wife Angel were visiting from Kentucky and on Christmas Eve Mia got a call. Chris wanted to know if I wanted to go hunting with her brothers on Christmas day. Mia had to work all day Christmas so she didn't mind me being gone, but she was worried. She felt like her brothers could be a little careless, but she decided that since her had was going I'd be okay. I figured I'd better go so that I could improve my reputation with her brothers.
At 5 am Mia and I got up and had a quick Christmas morning together. I was at her parent's house at 6:30 in my camo and boots(recent presents from Chris and my father-in-law) and most of the cold weather gear I owned. We loaded up into Chris' Ford Explorer and drove to the northern border of Utah listening to Johnny Cash. We finally stopped in a little driveway next to an old abandoned barn. It was probably 25 degrees outside but thankfully there was plenty of sunshine and no wind.
We got out and moved to the back of the Explorer to "lock and load." My eyes got wider and wider as I realized the arsenal that we had been carrying. There were two AR15's (the AR15 is essentially the civilian issue M16), an AR4, 3 shotguns, one .22 rifle, one .357 Magnum revolver (Chris' Christmas present), one .45 automatic pistol (Chris' sidearm), and one .22 semi-auto pistol (Justin's sidearm). There may have been more, but those are what I remember. I also distinctly remember Chris remarking that we could hold of local law enforcement for "awhile" with the amount of ammo they had brought.
My father-in-law pulled me aside and asked me, "What do you want to shoot with?" I blinked at him for a while not knowing how to answer. We where going "bunny blasting" aka hunting jack rabbits in the sagebrush. Somewhat selfishly I opted to shoot my father-in-law's new AR15. He handed me a few 30 round bannanna clips and showed me how to aim with the holographic laser sight. Next thing I knew we were in a line trudging through the brush and snow, shooting at anything that moved.
I don't know that we made that much of a dent in the local rabbit population, but we made a lot of noise and had a good time. After lunch we did some skeet shooting and I was able to hold my own with several far more experience shooters.
I don't know that the trip was all that memorable for anyone else, but for me it was a turning point in my relationship with my in-laws. Something of a right of passage. I'm still a bit of an odd-duck around that family, but since Mia is their vegetarian little sister who always told them their guns were stupid, the brothers have taken me in as an ally.
About a week after the hunt Mia and I went up to see Chris and Angel before they went back to Kentucky. As we were leaving Chris walked out and handed me the shotgun he had been shooting with. I was stunned.
It now sits in my very own gun safe in my garage.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
The Hundred Acre Whodunnit.
Disclaimer: I love Winnie the Pooh . I have very fond memories of watching the original Disney cartoons and I have even read a few of the stories these cartoons are based on. If you at any time start to feel that I am defaming or ruining a fond classic, please stop reading and come back next weekend.
Several weeks ago I listened to a podcast on writing. The writing prompt was, "Winnie the Pooh has been murdered. Who did it?" Initially I blew it off as stupid, but I found myself thinking about the question. While driving home I decided to really think it through. What if this is an episode of CSI: Disney? Who within the hundred acre wood might have the temperament, the motive, etc. I really tried to rationally think of what would be plausible.
Suspect #1: Rabbit
Not only was Rabbit the first character that I thought of, but when I asked Mia what who she thought was the most likely, Rabbit was who she chose as well.
Temperament wise I see Rabbit as regularly irritated by Pooh. Rabbit likes peace and quiet and Pooh regularly disrupts that quiet. At some point Pooh takes a step too far and Rabbit snaps.
Suspect #2: Tigger
Tigger is difficult. Not because it is hard to imagine him being the culprit. The hard part is deciding, if in fact Tigger did it, whether it was an accident or intentional. I personally lean toward accidental death. Tigger simply pounces a little too hard. He's a predatory wild animal. It's more surprising that it didn't happen sooner.
Suspect #3: Christopher Robin
Christopher is the overseer, protector within this fantasy world and it is important to keep in mind that these characters are, in the end, this child's imagination. Anyone who has spent time playing with little boys would find Christopher Robin's behavior abnormally mellow. In my imagination Christopher is playing and decides to play a rougher game and Pooh is the unfortunate victim of that game.
Suspect #4: Piglet
I like the idea of Piglet being the killer (please don't hate me). I think Piglet shows some potential signs of the killer. He's undersized and may develop some psychosis because of that. He stutters which I understand is a sign of high intelligence. He also has some grit. I keep imagining the scene in "The Blustery Day" where Piglet is out in front of his house sweeping/being blown away. He knows how small he is. He must sense the danger of the wind, yet he is determined to clean his front yard. That is internal fortitude. From a storytellers perspective, I think the story where Piglet slowly hunts down each of the characters would be FREAKY.
I do not include Eeyore or Owl in the list of suspects. They are off the hook for totally different reasons, but I don't see either of these characters as potential killers. Yes Eeyore is depressed and glum, but there's no fire. No intensity to drive the kind of feelings and emotions which would be necessary for the story to hold together. Owl on the other hand is too obscure. He doesn't make sense becuase he's too aloof and disconnected from the other characters. It's like he's a part of another world and just occasionally visits the wood.
If you read this, I would love to hear who you think "did it" and why.
Several weeks ago I listened to a podcast on writing. The writing prompt was, "Winnie the Pooh has been murdered. Who did it?" Initially I blew it off as stupid, but I found myself thinking about the question. While driving home I decided to really think it through. What if this is an episode of CSI: Disney? Who within the hundred acre wood might have the temperament, the motive, etc. I really tried to rationally think of what would be plausible.
Suspect #1: Rabbit
Not only was Rabbit the first character that I thought of, but when I asked Mia what who she thought was the most likely, Rabbit was who she chose as well.
Temperament wise I see Rabbit as regularly irritated by Pooh. Rabbit likes peace and quiet and Pooh regularly disrupts that quiet. At some point Pooh takes a step too far and Rabbit snaps.
Suspect #2: Tigger
Tigger is difficult. Not because it is hard to imagine him being the culprit. The hard part is deciding, if in fact Tigger did it, whether it was an accident or intentional. I personally lean toward accidental death. Tigger simply pounces a little too hard. He's a predatory wild animal. It's more surprising that it didn't happen sooner.
Suspect #3: Christopher Robin
Christopher is the overseer, protector within this fantasy world and it is important to keep in mind that these characters are, in the end, this child's imagination. Anyone who has spent time playing with little boys would find Christopher Robin's behavior abnormally mellow. In my imagination Christopher is playing and decides to play a rougher game and Pooh is the unfortunate victim of that game.
Suspect #4: Piglet
I like the idea of Piglet being the killer (please don't hate me). I think Piglet shows some potential signs of the killer. He's undersized and may develop some psychosis because of that. He stutters which I understand is a sign of high intelligence. He also has some grit. I keep imagining the scene in "The Blustery Day" where Piglet is out in front of his house sweeping/being blown away. He knows how small he is. He must sense the danger of the wind, yet he is determined to clean his front yard. That is internal fortitude. From a storytellers perspective, I think the story where Piglet slowly hunts down each of the characters would be FREAKY.
I do not include Eeyore or Owl in the list of suspects. They are off the hook for totally different reasons, but I don't see either of these characters as potential killers. Yes Eeyore is depressed and glum, but there's no fire. No intensity to drive the kind of feelings and emotions which would be necessary for the story to hold together. Owl on the other hand is too obscure. He doesn't make sense becuase he's too aloof and disconnected from the other characters. It's like he's a part of another world and just occasionally visits the wood.
If you read this, I would love to hear who you think "did it" and why.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Adventures of a New Dad:
Teaching a 1yr Old to say, "nose."
Saturday Evening in January:
"Eye?"
She looks me in the eye and I return the look trying to feel confident. We've been at this for months and the result is always the same. I'm feeling positive. Tying anyway. All babies figure this stuff out ventually. Right?
"Yaaay. That's right. That is your eye. Oops! Don't point at it quite so hard sweetheart. That's better."
Gently pinching her ear, I give it a little waggle.
"Now, this is your ear. Can you say ear?"
"Eeeh?"
She reaches up, giving her ear a less gentle yank and blinks at me.
Almost.
"Eee-urh. Can you say eee-urh?"
"Eeeh?"
I sigh, but now is the time for courage. This isn't even the hard part. Game on.
"That's right! Good job. You're such a smarty baby. Aren't you."
Picking her up off my lap I rub my hair into her tummy. She giggles and squeals. I set her back down and once I have eye contact I go for it.
"Now, where's your nose? Can you show me your nose?"
She pauses. She's pointing at her nose! She never points at her nose! This is it. She's got it. Months of repetition and she can find her nose!
"Eye?"
"What was that?"
"Eye?"
Her pointing is slowly morphing into exploratory probing.
"Silly baby. That's your nose. Nnnnoohzzuh."
"Eye?"
"NOSE!"
She senses that she's missing something and moves to surer territory.
"Eeeh?"
"Very good. That's your ear. Where is your nose?"
She gives one of her little, bottomless, beautiful, innocent blue eyes annother uncomfortably sharp poke.
"Eye?"
"That is your eye."
she pokes one of my trying-so-hard-to-encourage-but-loosing-ground-to-impatience green eyes.
"Eye?"
"Yes. That is daddy's eye."
She climbs up, reaching out with one little hand.
"Eeeh?"
"That's daddy's ear. Very good."
I give up. She wins.
I pick her up and rub my hair into her tummy again. As I set her down she leans over to me and pats my chest.
"Daddy!"
That's sweet. She's done that since she was 6 months old and it still feels awesome. (Mia is sooo jealous because she won't say, "mommy," any more than she'll say, "nose." Heh.
Completing the ritual i pat her on the chest.
"Baby!"
She giggles.
"Mmmmmm...."
She draws her lips into a tight line and gives me a damp kiss. Then burrows into my chest and makes her, I'm snuggling this now, sound.
"Awwwww."
Maybe I win too.
"Eye?"
She looks me in the eye and I return the look trying to feel confident. We've been at this for months and the result is always the same. I'm feeling positive. Tying anyway. All babies figure this stuff out ventually. Right?
"Yaaay. That's right. That is your eye. Oops! Don't point at it quite so hard sweetheart. That's better."
Gently pinching her ear, I give it a little waggle.
"Now, this is your ear. Can you say ear?"
"Eeeh?"
She reaches up, giving her ear a less gentle yank and blinks at me.
Almost.
"Eee-urh. Can you say eee-urh?"
"Eeeh?"
I sigh, but now is the time for courage. This isn't even the hard part. Game on.
"That's right! Good job. You're such a smarty baby. Aren't you."
Picking her up off my lap I rub my hair into her tummy. She giggles and squeals. I set her back down and once I have eye contact I go for it.
"Now, where's your nose? Can you show me your nose?"
She pauses. She's pointing at her nose! She never points at her nose! This is it. She's got it. Months of repetition and she can find her nose!
"Eye?"
"What was that?"
"Eye?"
Her pointing is slowly morphing into exploratory probing.
"Silly baby. That's your nose. Nnnnoohzzuh."
"Eye?"
"NOSE!"
She senses that she's missing something and moves to surer territory.
"Eeeh?"
"Very good. That's your ear. Where is your nose?"
She gives one of her little, bottomless, beautiful, innocent blue eyes annother uncomfortably sharp poke.
"Eye?"
"That is your eye."
she pokes one of my trying-so-hard-to-encourage-but-loosing-ground-to-impatience green eyes.
"Eye?"
"Yes. That is daddy's eye."
She climbs up, reaching out with one little hand.
"Eeeh?"
"That's daddy's ear. Very good."
I give up. She wins.
I pick her up and rub my hair into her tummy again. As I set her down she leans over to me and pats my chest.
"Daddy!"
That's sweet. She's done that since she was 6 months old and it still feels awesome. (Mia is sooo jealous because she won't say, "mommy," any more than she'll say, "nose." Heh.
Completing the ritual i pat her on the chest.
"Baby!"
She giggles.
"Mmmmmm...."
She draws her lips into a tight line and gives me a damp kiss. Then burrows into my chest and makes her, I'm snuggling this now, sound.
"Awwwww."
Maybe I win too.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Prologue: "Let it begin" -Rhino
I have never blogged before but I have been looking for an outlet for some of my thoughts and a way to practice my writing. Plus I have found my friend's blogs to be an enjoyable way to keep in touch with them and my hope is that my friends will feel similarly.
Hope you enjoy!
Mark
Hope you enjoy!
Mark
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