We need to learn quickly to keep up with the massive change around us so we don't get run over. We need to outrun change.
I previously mentioned 2 worlds explored that I’ll never enter.
One of those worlds has been closed until further notice.
The alleged mastermind behind the website Silk Road is now in federal custody. The person known publicly as Dread Pirate Roberts was arrested last week. His site is alleged to be the vehicle for sales of large amounts of illegal drugs.
Continue reading “Followup on one of the worlds I’ll never visit”
There are two Forbes articles this year that are quite fascinating because they take me into worlds I’ll never see which are far away in a solar system that I’ll never approach.
Orbital Sciences is the second private company to design and launch a rocket that can resupply the international space station.
Very cool. The space frontier is open again.
The 40-meter tall Antares rocket lifted off with the company’s Cyngus cargo capsule Wednesday and will rendezvous with the space station Sunday.
Cargo capacity is 680 kg, or about 1,500 pounds.
Continue reading “Second private company launches resupply capsule to space station”
I really don’t know what to make of the Washington state regulatory rules for selling pot, which is illegal under federal law. I hesitate to mention it on this blog, but it is a useful exercise in stretching my understanding of the world around me.
William Barrett describes the new regs in his post, New pot rules for Seattle are a riot-for now, at New to Seattle.
Here’s just a few of the rules: Continue reading “Regulation for state-legal sales of federally-illegal product”
The rules for work have radically changed. The work world that existed when you started college, even if you graduated this spring, is gone. (Cross-post from my other blog, Attestation Update.)
If you are working, you need to take charge of your career and your reputation. This applies to brand new staff, experienced audit seniors, and especially partners. People at every level of employment need to absorb that lesson.
Jenna Goudreau summarizes 14 Rules of the New Marketplace That Millennials Need to Master at Business Insider. My only disagreement with her is that these rules apply to everyone at every level, not just millennials.
That is the question posted by Joy Pullman in her post of that title at Values & Capitalism.
She explains:
In “The Wealth of Nations,” Smith points out that the number of people under your command is a measure of power and wealth. Continue reading ““How Many Servants Do You Have?””
That is a classic quote from Epictetus pondered in a post by the same title from Philosiblog.
The simpler cousin of that comment is the concept that if you receive criticism, you ought to evaluate which parts are correct and make the appropriate changes. You are free to ignore those parts of the criticism which are invalid.
When the comment about you involves lies, the above quote suggests you evaluate whether there is any truth in the comments. If so, then you have some work to do.
The difficult part is when the evil spoken of you is a lie.
Philosiblog discusses that idea in a post of the same name.
It took me many years of struggling with the concept before I understood the idea that each of us is responsible for our own attitude.
The comment above illustrates the idea.
Philosiblog says:
Misery, like happiness, comes from within. If you choose to be miserable, you will be. If you choose to be happy, you will be. Yes, sometimes it is easier to be miserable than happy, but you can be happy, if you put forth the effort.
Continue reading ““A man’s as miserable as he thinks he is.””
(Cross-post from my other blog, Nonprofit Update.)
Recent news reports indicate federal intelligence agencies are gathering up a lot more information than we knew. That data is available to undisclosed lists of unknown people and will be retained for a very long time.
So what?
Here’s just a few circumstances in which you might not want access to your data by a long list of unidentified persons from various federal, state, or local agencies who were granted access to various unidentified parts of the various databases: Continue reading “12 situations when it might matter to you that the Feds are tracking everything you text or email and making note of everywhere you go.”
(Cross-post from my other blog, Nonprofit Update.)
Update: The Old Reader back up at end of work day Thursday – that makes 1 1/2 days of the weekend and 4 workdays it was down.
Update 2: Shortly after coming back up, Old Reader went down again. After coming back up, they announced the move to a ‘private model’, meaning anyone who signed up after the Google announcement would get dropped. I understand – this has been a hobby for them and free to users. Then they said ‘never mind’, everyone could stay. They have been down a few times since then while migrating to new hardware. Um, that sort of proves the point of this post.
Your tech provider may go off-line for an indefinite time. Another reason not to let your technology hold you captive.
The Old Reader went down around lunchtime on Saturday, 7-20, and isn’t back up just before lunch on Wednesday, 7-24. That’s four days – most of the weekend and one-half of a work-week. No public estimate when it will return.
Don’t be held captive by your technology.
That comment is pondered by Philosiblog on a post of the same name.
As an accountant by attitude and training, I have to be intentional on applying ‘soft’ skills. Like not arguing. And listening.
Crunching numbers is so easy. Soft skills? Well … that’s why I enjoy Philosiblog. The discussions there get a person thinkin’.
The above discussion reminds us in an argument there’s not a lot of information sharing or learning going on. Odds on changing another person’s opinion or perspective are nil.
Here are just a few thoughts from the post on why a discussion is better than an argument: Continue reading ““Discussion is an exchange of knowledge; argument is an exchange of ignorance””
That is a quote from Arnold Glasgow discussed at Philosiblog in a post of the same name.
The concept is that you won’t become a success at what you want to do (get so hot you are ‘on fire) by accident or luck (spontaneous combustion) but only by very hard work (setting yourself on fire).
Philosiblog expands that idea in a post of the same name.
Using the analogy of riding a river shows we have a major role to play in our future. We can even create our future.
Think of two people in a river. One is just floating on a raft, unable to predict what is coming, because they aren’t looking around and aren’t doing anything to move or steer. The other person is in a kayak, looking for the path they want, and actively steering and moving themselves to that point. Continue reading ““The best way to predict the future is to create it””
Philosiblog expands on that comment by Johnathan Winters.
How long will you wait for the perfect opportunity to kick in the door and drag you into the future?
Sometimes you have to take a so-so opportunity and make it work. Continue reading ““If your ship doesn’t come in, swim out to it!””
The quote is from Tom Lehrer. Yes, that guy, the funny one. The quote is discussed by Philosoblog at a post of the same name.
The point of the quote, and the discussion at Philosoblog, is that native skill counts on playing the piano, but long practice, focused effort, and doing the boring stuff, like finger drills and scales will pay off tremendously. There’s studying, practicing, and other dreary stuff in your field. You know what it is.
Are you willing to do the drills and hard work to thrive and get a lot more out of life?
Update 6/24/15: I recently bought a couple of Tom Lehrer’s albums. The actual line is a bit more earthly, but the point still stands.
The comment he attributed to a philosopher friend, right before he was taken away to the Massachusetts state home for the bewildered, was:
Life is like a sewer. What you get out of it depends on what you put into it.
