Driving on the Wrong Side of the Road

Driving on the left provides a unique set of challenges, especially if you are used to having wide lanes and a country that was built for the automobile. Unfortunately the UK was built on the village system, for horses, and the large people carriers of today don't exactly fit into those narrow streets. Driving at 50 miles an hour, head on into another vehicle, that is playing chicken, can make your heart miss a few beats every now and again. An alien looking from the outside in, would question the insanity of it all, but I think it deserves a closer look. Drivers, pedestrians, motorcyclists and horses have all figured out how to co-exist is a very small space. They have realized that if they don't give up their natural instinct and seed a little bit of what they want, the whole system will grind to a halt. Pedestrians have the right of way, because public transport, takes priority over all else. There would be no other way to move this many people in such a short space of time. Bus drivers and motorcyclist are a special breed, and deserve a medal every time they complete a journey. Nobody messes with the horses because drivers know if they get to too close the horse will kick the windows out! And as for the head on collisions at fifty miles an hour, it's just like the Texas Hold ems, most of the time they are just bluffing.......................

Three Imaginary Friends

The advent of technological breakthroughs mean in essence that we have three new friends that we now talk to, kid with, and cajole in to action. The laptop has become a staple in meetings, airports and hotel lobbies around the world. The tablet appears in kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms, it seems to have become the new Encyclopedia Britannica that every father used as an excuse, to commandeer the bathroom on a Sunday morning. And well,  the cell phone has just gone gangbusters to the point, if you ask someone to stop texting on the street or the train, and to watch where they are going, they give you a stare that would freeze an Eskimo on a summer's day in North Carolina. Don't get me wrong, I love the sense of freedom and ease with which most of these devices work but I think that the time has come, maybe, to develop some etiquette around your three imaginary friends. I think we should start with these...................

1. No texting while driving, especially at traffic lights, if you make me wait another cycle of lights I will impound your car.
2. Do not ask the person next to you to hold your laptop while they serve your food on the plane, you can put it away for 15 minutes.
3. Please use your headphones on all devices, turn the ringer off,  and do not have conversations in confined spaces, it's really annoying only hearing one half of the conversation.
4. Not all you tube videos are funny or interesting especially the ones that you made yourself.
5. Please do not text while I am speaking to you in person, you can not multi-task as well as you think.

One Eyed Dog

One of my favorite jokes is where the 3 legged dog walks into the saloon and says 'I have come for my Paw', just makes laugh the same now as the first time I heard it. So you could imagine my surprise this morning when I met a one eyed dog on the common, I was trying to think of a joke I had heard but nothing was coming to mind. He seemed to be happy as Larry, [ I don't know if Larry has one eye or not ] but what struck me was the dog played without reserve and adapted to it's surroundings without any fuss. I always forget how resilient nature is and people are. We seem to fit into places with ease and if we don't, we just move. Finding the place that makes you feel good it very important, fortunately I have two of those places now. Sometimes I look around those places and think some of these people should probably move. A one eyed dog walked into a bar and said.................

If You Ask The Question, You May Not Like The Answer

I learned a long time ago, that if someone asked do you like my hair or does this dress make me look fat, it is much better to lie, than face the wrath of the truth. This behavior is now a dance that goes on in many other facets of life and I am beginning to wonder if we are going to lose sight of the little bit of truth that makes us all better and more responsive. I notice this in particular when traveling between the US and the UK, where service levels can vary from fantastic, that's exactly what I paid you for, to you want me to do what? and of course with attitude! I think we are going a little too soft and things come remarkably easy with technology and automation. I often wonder how this new generation would cope with having to get up to change the TV channel over or heaven forbid rewind a cassette tape to hear their favorite song. I am looking forward to the day when my own personal robot will do my exercise for me and the pour me a cold beer, I will drink it myself.

The Death of An Icon

The first time I ever set my eyes on a Blackberry, I was excited. The first time I ever sent an email driving down 1-40 back before we knew emailing and driving was dangerous, it was amazing. Messages poured in like rainy day in London, beeping and ringing and oh how easy it was compared to my previous construction phone. Change was hard, but I took to it like a duck to water. Then came the android set up and well, there went my loyalty. It's been a couple of years now, since I have held the Blackberry in my hands, and every time I make a call or send a text, I wish I was still on one. I began thinking at what point did RIM start taking it's customers for granted? When did they decide to cash out and take the money out of development? It was probably quite gradual, then suddenly. History is littered with great ideas, great businesses that get too comfortable, be warned, the choices are vast, the information about competitors is fast and current, customers are loyal, but not foolish!

2G's / Wild World of Adventure

There is something very unique about watching a little boy's face sliding down a very steep decline, about 3/4's from the end. Perhaps instead of doing exercises Japanese style, everyone should start their day at a theme park, experience the thrill of having their stomach pulled every which way, the excitement that appears to be missing, from everyday life,  suddenly is real and tangible. I have never met anyone coming off a ride that is in a bad mood, not giddy with excitement and ready to go do it again. Apparently, 3/4's from the end, they want it to end but not really! Just enough excitement to make them want to do it again! Now if we could only set up the working day like that, boy what a world we would live in!

The Trying Side

After a difficult few weeks of work and travel, a few people I am close to asked me if I ever feel like giving up. I have thought about this over the last few days and the answer is no. I feel as if I am in a place of privilege where the good, far out ways the bad. I have a very good understanding of worry and of stress, mainly because I have done plenty of both. At the end of the day life is far easier than pushing an old rust bucket down the hill in the freezing cold, hoping that it would start, so I could get to work, oh the joy of the stick shift! When the network is down I don't feel disconnected from people because although I love technology I still like talking to people even if I don't like looking at them! And as trying as things can get on a personal level, it could not be worse than that of a close friend, who just lost her mother, that would be very trying indeed. Or trying to gather enough money on the streets of Chicago, Durham or London to cloth and feed yourself, that would be trying. So as trying as things get, I try to keep it in perspective, count my good fortune and keep on trying to make it better. I am not always successful, but just the act itself, success or failure, is exciting enough for me.

Raleigh NC

The thought of leaving a place after many years can be daunting. Familiar surroundings and a few friendly faces add to that comfort level. Sometimes you don't appreciate what you have until it's not there. Having moved to London a couple of months ago, I never thought I would miss the Carolinas as much as I did. Returning for a couple of weeks I get to see Raleigh as a tourist. Two things strike me immediately, everyone is just so darn helpful and friendly and it is really turning into a beautiful city. I think I will move back here after we are done in London, and maybe I will appreciate what a privilege it is to be welcomed in this city.

The Consequences of Inertia - The Dog Ate My Homework

I watched my German Shepard chewing on the last few pages of my Math book, I had for once, actually completed my homework. I think I had used up all of my excuses for my inability to do the things I knew I should be doing. I was young and very immature but I thought I knew everything, some people might say I have not changed much, except for the young part. The consequences were severe, 6 of the leather belt, and your hands and wrists swollen for days, unable to masturbate, that's how bad it was. Corporal Punishment [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporal_punishment ] was the flavor of the day. Brutal on it's face, but over in a matter of minutes. this has most certainly reinforced the idea that it is better to do something, because there are immediate consequences of inertia. As adults we fine people to make them responsible, take away their privileges, suspend them or put them in goal, this system is fairly brutal over a sustained period, the idea being that you will change your behavior or mature, whichever comes first. The work place is very different, we are all inter connected to each other in one way or another, we have joint responsibilities,  to satisfy the customer, satisfy our personal needs,  a common goal. If you openly torment a company's customers and employees alike, history is littered with them, did the dog eat your homework again? What are the consequences of inertia? I spoke to a guy the other night, who had won a Super Bowl, and I asked him when he knew the team was going to win a Super Bowl, he said on this specific day the year before it happened. He could feel it. Everything was falling into place. I asked when he knew he would never win another one and he gave me a specific day a few of years later. Lastly I asked him if he knew at the time or in hindsight. Winning he knew it was going to happen at the time, never winning again, it took him a few years to admit it.

Clean Clothes and Homemade Beer

It has been many years since I have seen the inside of a laundry but having ran out of clean clothes on my travels, I was directed to a place a few minutes walk from my hotel. I was shocked to find the place bustling with other people, apparently with the same needs as myself. A young Mexican man was trying to convince the Chinese owner to switch the TV to ESPN to watch the World Cup soccer qualifier between the US and Mexico. Neither had a strong command of the English language and a young mother looked on bemused by the hand signals and gesticulations. The cost of doing a load has well exceeded the $1.25 I was used to paying from my days in New York, where doing laundry there was as social as going to the pub. Speaking of going to the pub, how lucky was I to find a brew pub two doors down from the laundry? Could this be the reason that the laundry was so busy? The spouse is suddenly volunteering to do the laundry with gusto, I will be back in a couple of hours, dear, the laundry has to get done tonight, right around 8pm, coincidentally, the same time the game began, between the US and Mexico. I let the young Mexican man know that the game was on in the pub, bought him a beer, wished him well in qualifying [ they lost 2-0 ] and headed on back to my hotel. Who knew doing the laundry could be so much fun, perhaps I have to start making beer at home.

Print 13 and 2000 to 1000 Odds

I looked around the convention floor and was struck by the vibrancy generated by well thought out color schemes, designed to pull you in. There was some very exciting new technology, that will make everyone's job a little cleaner, safer and faster. The overall mood was upbeat and the average attendance was the biggest in 5 years. Happy days are here again. Or are they? After the show, we had dinner with a chap who tracks the print industry in a different way. What was interesting about the discussion, and I could not believe,  that there were over a thousand new companies starting up every year in the print industry, over 2000 going out of business, that is some kind of crazy right there! As I walk the floor today, I will be looking at it in a different light, trying to figure out which one of the people beside me are the real crazy ones, trying to get into a dying business, please go do something else and save yourself from the inevitable.

Viewed From A Different Angle

One of the things I really enjoy about flying is the fantastic views you get from 30 000 feet on a clear day. On the way to Chicago, looking down, I am in awe of just how big the US is, mile after mile of flat lands that has become the bread basket of America. You get a sense of  how big the frontier was, and I wonder what the pioneer's were thinking when they climbed a hill and saw this endless span of land. Did the say oh no, not another mile? Is the unknown a better place to be than if you know where you are going? When do you decide to stop? How hard can you push yourself to accomplish something or do you just run out of energy and decide enough is enough. I think it always helps to look at things from a different perspective and not let your mind play tricks on you. Or get lazy and stop seeking new stuff. I always enjoy viewing things from a different angle.

Brilliant Colors

If you have ever traveled to South America, you will be struck by how much color the average Brazilian manages to incorporate either on his / her person, car, or house. Vibrant yellows, blues and greens, loud, announcing, even, believe it or not on their tiny little thongs! The overall vibe seems to be life with intensity, not so serious, upbeat and a little outrageous. I have often wondered how color affects our thinking, does grey make you sad, all those neutral colors house sellers paint their houses, that never get changed, because they don't want to offend a buyer. Are they making millions of families really unhappy? There is nothing more depressing than 6 months of a very grey Scottish winter, where by March you are pleading for a glimpse of the sun........ Make your neighbor happy, find some colorful clothing, plant some bright flowers, paint a wall, perhaps some vibrant fruit on your desk, earrings, shoes, put a little color in your life, you might find a nicer, brighter person beside you tomorrow!

In Between Venus and Mars

I often wonder what our neighbors think looking over the fence and saying what's going on down there...... Thanks to the pioneers who took fantastic shots of the earth from space back in the 1960's it looks like a mighty fine and inviting place. I had a copy of a daily newspaper, which I rarely buy anymore even though I am in the print industry, I usually prefer my news on line, but please don't tell anyone! Earlier in the day, I was cleaning out an old office and came across a newspaper that was 5 years old, I compared the two headlines, No Chemical Weapons in Iraq, Chemical Weapons Found in Syria. I am not one for the conspiracy theories, or that history repeats, or a pacifist. I am a realist and there are some truly evil people in the world that we know of thanks to Reality TV and Mugshots.com. I have wondered why the world's trouble spots often occur in the parts known as our longest continuous civilization, does this mean that after we create our kinder, gentiler and more civilized world, we are destined to centuries of unspeakable acts? I hear that Mars is a kinda nice place this time of year.

Tuning Out

I spent a good 45 minutes getting through security at London Heathrow Airport. The sheep like line was moving at a snail's pace and folks in the line were starting to grumble at the amount of time it was taking. The airport security staff were very patient with the travelers, instructing them to remove ALL liquids and large electronic devices. As we got closer to the scanning devices you could see the amount of people still unsure of what they were supposed to be doing. Do I take this out of my bag? What about this? Then there were the ones who just left everything in their bags, slowing the process down further, drawing attention to themselves. It happens more frequently now as people are used to their own personal means of communication and their own perceived space. I would to suggest that the TSA embark on a campaign that will send travelers a text and post to their Facebook page, with explicit instructions and pictures and then, maybe then the rest of us who tune in, could move along a little quicker with those tuning out. Sometimes you just have to listen.