No man can serve two masters

The withering rejoinder

The Media Futures conference I went to the other week, reminded me of a little phrase that a planner I used to work with (Abe) said was invaluable. The basic idea is that whenever anyone makes some claim or tries to peddle you a message, the immediate response to this should be 'so what'.

This 'withering rejoinder' as Dr Brian Winston put it, is the acid test for whether any innovation really is likely to change the society it goes into. It is also the thing that every person asks themselves whenever they see your marketing hyperbole.

Use the 'so what?' test next time. You will see it works.

The definite article?

 

Once Zhuangzi dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn't know he was Zhuangzi. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Zhuangzi. But he didn't know if he was Zhuangzi who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Zhuangzi.

The Butterfly Dream

Homemade rollercoaster insanity

"I think what hooked me on rollercoaters was the thrill, I just love to be scared"

"I hate to go to the park and stand in line for two hours for a thirty second ride"

"I know how to weld, I worked with metal for a long time, and I just built it by the seat of my pants"

The practical alternative to work

The stonecutters

Three stone cutters were asked about their jobs. The first said he was paid to cut stones. The second replied that he used special techniques to shape stones in an exceptional way, and proceeded to demonstrate his skills. The third stone cutter just smiled and said, "I build cathedrals."

From Ricardo Semler's Maverick

Squid fishing

DSC_0353, originally uploaded by happykibo.

We went squid fishing a couple of weeks back in Ha Long bay, Vietnam. Just dangle the lure off the side of the boat in the dark, beneath a bright sodium bulb. The squid are attracted to the light, think your lure is a injured fish and try to grab and eat it. They then meet their doom, after squirting a load of ink as you haul them in.

Which pub tonight?

UT Loop

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Dare vs. Grand Union: art of football

Dare vs. Grand Union: art of football, originally uploaded by mattyboomboom.

Norman Mailer's lego city of the future

With thanks to greg.org