Month: August 2022

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S2 E44 — Celebrating Emma the Baroness Tribal Quarantine Style

I couldn’t bring myself to deleting her phone number from my contacts app. Nor could I turn off those pesky reminders to call her every Sunday.  I just couldn’t … Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

“The Tau of Steves: What You Don’t Know Could Fill a Book”

“5”  Steve Greene, 34; Steve Guttenberg, 61; Stephen King, 72: “When you’re around easygoing people, their attitude rubs off on you.  This is true even virtually.  If your social media feeds are not filled with like minds, now is the time to change that.”  Virgo

Hi and welcome to Sunday’s Episode 44 in Season 2 of  “My Pandemic Year Experiment” on this tenth day of May in the spring of 2020.  

Season 1 and 2 are a two-year examination of how bits of wisdom changed during the “normal” pre-pandemic and then in this unfolding pandemic year.

Previously in Season Two, the Pandemic Year

S2 E43 — See What You’ve Been Missing …; S2 E42 — It Was Short and Sweet, but Heart-Felt; S2 E41 — A Pandemic End to Real Estate and Consulting? 

Related from Season One, the Normal Year

S1 E44 — Google Me Some Chopped Liver; S1 E43 — Desperation on Such a Summer’s Day; S1 E42 — Love on the Run; S1 E41 — The Dream Was Over, Long Live the Dream

Context

The current, local members of the tribe gathered in our back patio to celebrate Emma the Baroness’ Mother Day’s — self-quarantine style: 

SLO Girl and Shaggy recounted how asparagus grows and how you keep cutting it back once the root ball develops and how that’s what you want to buy for planting.  

They recalled part of their trip to Vista during the COVID-19 scare when Shaggy phoned Eric the Red and Lady M as part of his contact tracing false alarm. 

I brought up working remotely and what will happen next.  Jazzy and Delta Girl might consider moving to Idaho for closeness to snowboarding.  

“Won’t you miss surfing?” Shaggy asked.  

Jazzy smirked and said he fly back inferring in August sometime Delta Girl would return to Delta, but now she’s making more money on furlough. 

I spun stories about the challenge one of my former clients and recruited mentor had us address when Prudential Real Estate and Relocation forced sales operations to work remotely having clawed their way to “Mahogany Row” with executive assistants shielding them from unwanted interruptions and cover for their indiscretions. They weren’t pleased.

The Sam Harris podcast came up.  “Automattic is the parent of WordPress” Shaggy said. He read to us from his iPhone to prove it.

“Automattic Inc. is an American global distributed company which was founded in August 2005 and is most notable for WordPress.com, as well as its contributions to WordPress. The company’s name is a play on founder Matt Mullenweg’s first name.”

Next topic settled by Siri felt sad to me.  

SLO Girl worked at the Ocean Institute educating kids about marine life, until they closed down to a skeleton crew, another victim of the pandemic.  

In the Dana Point Harbor, moored to the institute’s wooden dock, the Pilgrim sank — a replica of Richard Henry Dana’s ship upon which he drew experiences included in his “Two Years Before the Mast.”  

He described Shaggy and SLO Girl’s home,  San Juan Capistrano, as “the only romantic spot on the coast”.

But the loss of the tall-ship made me wonder out loud.  One that even SLO Girl had never heard.  

“When Emma the Baroness and I were hopelessly in love co-workers, we took the clandestine way to our home in Corona del Mar, right dear?”

And on our way through Costa Mesa neighborhood streets we noticed this backyard vessel being built and wondered what was this guy doing and what was he going to do with it when he finished it.

“Oh, yeah I remember that.”

“I figured he’d never finish, because it took so long.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Over the years we’d pause as we drove by to check in on his progress.  It seemed he was always replacing older sections of his hull with wood that might have been rotting in the open air of his tiny back yard.

“He even built a door into the hull so he could enter when he worked on the interior,” Emma the Baroness recalled.

“And this kept on until one day it vanished.  Was he evicted I wondered? And, if so how in the hell did the landlord get rid of the tall ship?”

“What happened to it?” Shaggy asked. 

It was one of those dead at night stories.  To truck it to the ocean he was supposed to get permits.  He needed both Costa Mesa and Newport Beach permissions to prop up power lines for clearance as he moved it slowly down Harbor Blvd into Newport Blvd and then to where he could launch it before anyone was any wiser.

“I guess he was willing to pay any fine they wanted to stick him with after all those years.”

But, he kept his fingers crossed hoping once it floated, the wooden planks would expand keeping it mostly above the harbor’s surface.

“Really?  Wow, I didn’t know that.” SLO Girl said, But, she wasn’t convinced it was the Pilgrim.

Shaggy checked Siri and confirmed her suspicion. “ The Pilgrim was built in Europe with authentic wood for the time and sailed to San Francisco first.”

Emma the Baroness and I exchanged are-we-crazy looks.  

Shaggy said, “Wait, there’s more.  Another tall ship named The Spirit moored near by was build in Costa Mesa.”

We thought how ironic that the backyard built tall ship outlasted the exact replica, when I was so certain the Spirit wouldn’t even survive sailing it south from Newport Harbor to Dana Harbor.

The back patio bonding, though socially distant, felt normal, but the pandemic was still in the back of our minds.

Questions were also fresh in my mind  — like these from a survey or newspaper article I read earlier in the morning, but just can’t source right now. 

      • How do you think our economy and our daily lives, should look as the stay-at-home orders are lifted and we try to return to work? 
      • We want to hear about your experiences, your hopes for the future and what you want to see changed.  
      • What is the most important thing you want to see changed about life in California after the pandemic?  
      • What is the most important issue you feel the pandemic highlighted that should be addressed immediately? 
      • What would a more fair economy look like to you?  
      • If you lost your job, lost hours, took a pay cut or have trouble paying your rent of your mortgage, please tell us about what.  
      • What would a more robust healthcare system look like to you?  
      • If you made use of the healthcare system for testing or treatment during the pandemic, please tell us about that.  What worries you most as you think about returning to work or school?

Evidence

“5”  Steve Zahn, 51: “There are those who can be trusted to spread the word quickly.  Instead of thinking of them as gossips, consider them your broadcasters and give them the information you want everyone to know.” Scorpio

You know when I first discovered this scheme?  Right after I transferred journal notes when I was between jobs into Hypercard Stacks — the Swiss Army knife of searchable, linkable, electronic “3X5 cards”.  

I created contact cards for everyone in my network as I navigated from one to three of my requested referrals and then to three more from each of the three I interviewed.  

Soon enough you sensed when synchronicity was at play and you could easily seed the network-as-an-audience to cultivate opportunities and offers that a decision-maker would want me to fill.

Random ones that make me want change my sign.

“3”  Steve McQueen (1930 – 1980): “If you can make yourself do a thing, you can inspire others to do the same thing.  Work on you first.” Aries

Not you usual parent admonition of do as I say, not as I do.  Real leaders model the behavior and the talent culture they want to nurture.  Even in a hybrid restructuring organically taking place now.

“4’’  Steve Smith, 30; Stevie Nicks, 72: “You live for things other than money and fun, which is why you still have a firm footing in life when those things aren’t in flowing supply.” Gemini

I always wanted to live by my wits.  It didn’t always work out well with variable income, so I get what’s it’s like when money isn’t flowing — it’s not fun.  

“5”  Steve Carrell, 57; Steve Martin, 74; Steve Wozniak, 69: “Remind yourself about what’s within your influence these days.  It’s a lot, but it’s maybe not what you’re focusing on.” Leo

Like everyone else I’d rather take the low road, point the finger and complain.  Okay, now that’s off my chest, I should focus on the piddly amount of things still within my control.

“5”  Steve Greene, 34; Steve Guttenberg, 61; Stephen King, 72: “When you’re around easygoing people, their attitude rubs off on you.  This is true even virtually.  If your social media feeds are not filled with like minds, now is the time to change that.”  Virgo

Done!

What’s Going On …

Literally Bottled and Set Adrift from KnowWhere Atoll 

    • @knowlabs followers of one or more of my 35 digital magazines grew from 2,170 to 2300.

Foresight

Quality-of-Life 

Long-Form

    • Just picked up “Bob Dylan In America” by Sean Wilentz.  Maybe because of the subliminal messaging like the times are a changing and the answer is blowing in the wind, but I kinda like Sean’s fanboy becomes music critic becomes historian surrounding Dylan’s life and times. 
    • Saw the movie, didn’t realize that one of my favorite authors, Michael Connelly — his detective Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch book series and Amazon Prime series — also wrote, “The Lincoln Lawyer” which I just finished. Gotta tell you I can’t not see his lead character (Mickey Haller, Bosch’s half brother) as anyone else but Matthew McConaughey. 

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Inspired by: Holiday Mathis – Creators Syndicate

CENTER FOR KNOWLEDGE CREATION AND INNOVATION

The Knowledge Path | Know Laboratories | Knowledge Banking | Knowledge ATMs | Western Skies and Island Currents | Best West Road Trip

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S2 E51 — Let’s Agree to Make Things Worse, Shall We?

For making sense of our future we began with 19 uncertainties and then narrowed the focus to 5 yesterday, but today let’s see what the team said about the most critical. The two critical uncertainties driving the overall impact of COVID-19 are the severity and levels of collaboration.

“The Tau of Steves: What You Don’t Know Could Fill a Book”

“5”  Steve Carell, 57; Steve Martin, 74; Steve Wozniak, 69: “You’re looking for an answer that feels right and actionable to you. You’ve followed lines of logic, but none of them satisfied. So try switching off your head and letting your inner guidance system have a go at this.” Leo

Hi and welcome to Saturday’s Episode 51 in Season 2 of  “My Pandemic Year Experiment” on this 23rd day of May in the spring of 2020.  

Season 1 and 2 are a two-year examination of how bits of wisdom changed during the “normal” pre-pandemic and then in this unfolding pandemic year.

Previously in Season Two, the Pandemic Year

S2 E50 — 5 Fundamental Uncertainties; S2 E49 — Navigating Waves of Disruption When You’ve Lost Your Bearings; S2 E48 — Tracking Millennials from One Resort to Another

Related from Season One, the Normal Year

S1 E51 — Brief, Broad, Fast, Wow and Delight; S1 E50 — The Bias Brothers or Just Plain Losers?; S1 E49 — Magnetize the Version You Imagine; S1 E48 — Holiday TauBit Trumps Funk

Context

Without throwing anything away we’re zeroing in on the key dynamics identified in Deloitte and Salesforce’s “The world remade by COVID-19 Scenarios for resilient leaders | 3-5 years.”

For making sense of our future we began with 19 uncertainties and then narrowed the focus to 5 yesterday, but today let’s see what the team said about the most critical.

The two critical uncertainties driving the overall impact of COVID-19 are the severity and levels of collaboration.

From lower impact (what we want) to higher impact (waves grow in intensity)

    • Rapid peak — the virus’s spread peaks out rapidly but quickly declines
    • Self-dampening — eventual heard immunity is reached by rapid exposure
    • Gradual progression — the virus grows gradually and lasts longer
    • Roller-coaster — Decreasing degrees of severity though seasonal waves reoccur 
    • Second-act — Growing in strength a second wave emerges

How do we respond? Will it be a significantly coordinated effort or will it be weak and divided?

Coordinated response could take actions like:

    • Nations ‘think big and act fast’.  Coordinated strategies and shared best practices “(mandated quarantines and testing)”
    • Agreements to reduce mobility of people are coordinated and slow transmission
    • Public institutions take measures now with a strategy of preventing future spreads

Or uncoordinated actions waste precious resources and response times:

    • Lack of coordination among governments jeopardize already limited resources and medical supplies
    • Little accountability and information trigger communication breakdowns
    • Disease carriers are free to travel and spread the virus to others

Evidence

“3”  Steve Zahn, 51: “Your best idea will come as a joke. So you have nothing to lose from thinking in funny terms and letting humor, playfulness and creativity run rampant in your mind.” Scorpio

Having facilitated scenario sessions to tease out for stories about the future, I’ve relied heavily on creative, playful activities.  I’m just wired that way, trying to find the funny even in dire situations.  Haha.

Random ones that make me want change my sign.

“3”  Steve McQueen (1930 – 1980): “You’re different from the others, so it naturally follows that you’ll ask different questions and have novel interactions. You’re memorable and will be adored for this.” Aries

Yuppers, as Sis would say.  This might be one of my defining qualities that I bring to advisory sessions.  One can only hope to be memorable and adored.

“5”  Steve Carell, 57; Steve Martin, 74; Steve Wozniak, 69: “You’re looking for an answer that feels right and actionable to you. You’ve followed lines of logic, but none of them satisfied. So try switching off your head and letting your inner guidance system have a go at this.” Leo

Which if you follow the scenario exploration approach to strategic decision-making is the fun next step, we’ll take up tomorrow as illustrated by Deloitte and Salesforce.

“4”  Steve Greene, 34; Steve Guttenberg, 61; Stephen King, 72: “It’s said that every big problem was once a minor disturbance. That’s why you like to handle things when they are small, and you’re very sensitive to all red flags, even the itty-bitty ones!” Virgo

Boy, did the red flags and air horns go off when President Trump denied land access to those poor vacationers who caught COVID-19 on a cruise ship, because the numbers would make him look bad.

“4”  Steve Kerr, 54: “It shouldn’t be too hard to be good. And if it feels that way, maybe it’s the rules or environment that needs changing, not you. The river needs no special devotion, goodness or willpower to flow effortlessly home to the sea.” Libra

I forget you played for Phil Jackson in Chicago — this sounds so zen-like and right.

“5”  Steve Aoki, 41: “Though you can’t change the past, you can always change the way you see it. Perhaps you’ve been harsh, not assessing the bigger picture. How else could you frame the story?” Sagittarius

And, for this reason, I wanted to layout a vital example of how you can assess the bigger picture to better frame the story.

“4”  Steve Jobs, (1955 – 2011): “Being stuck is a function of having too much, not too little. Let go of an idea or item and then see if you don’t have a little more wiggle room. Jettison enough baggage and you can walk right out.” Pisces

We introverts are especially guilty.  If you’re also an idea packager like me too much data and following seemingly interrelated concepts only create analysis-paralysis.  Point taken.

What’s Going On …

Literally Bottled and Set Adrift from KnowWhere Atoll 

    • @knowlabs followers of one or more of my 35 digital magazines grew from 2663 to 2839.

Foresight

Quality-of-Life  

Long-Form

    • Saw the movie, didn’t realize that one of my favorite authors, Michael Connelly — his detective Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch book series and Amazon Prime series — also wrote, “The Lincoln Lawyer” which I just finished. Gotta tell you I can’t not see his lead character (Mickey Haller, Bosch’s half brother) as anyone else but Matthew McConaughey. 

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Inspired by: Holiday Mathis – Creators Syndicate

CENTER FOR KNOWLEDGE CREATION AND INNOVATION

The Knowledge Path | Know Laboratories | Knowledge Banking | Knowledge ATMs | Western Skies and Island Currents | Best West Road Trip

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S2 E43 — See What You’ve Been Missing …

Patreon’s limited editing capabilities suck.  Their format choices totally changes how each of my publications originally appear in my WordPress blogs.  

“The Tau of Steves: What You Don’t Know Could Fill a Book”

“5”  Steve Jobs, (1955 – 2011): “There’s no easier way, no shortcut available, no hack or guide that will provide the answer. You just have to find it as you go along. Luckily, this hard way is also the fun way.” Pisces 

Hi and welcome to Saturday’s Episode 43 in Season 2 of  “My Pandemic Year Experiment” on this ninth day of May in the spring of 2020.  

Season 1 and 2 are a two-year examination of how bits of wisdom changed during the “normal” pre-pandemic and then in this unfolding pandemic year.

Previously in Season Two, the Pandemic Year

S2 E42 — It Was Short and Sweet, but Heart-Felt; S2 E41 — A Pandemic End to Real Estate and Consulting?; S2 E40 — The Profound Impact of the Pandemic on Nouns

Related from Season One, the Normal Year

S1 E43 — Desperation on Such a Summer’s Day; S1 E42 — Love on the Run; S1 E41 — The Dream Was Over, Long Live the Dream; S1 E40 — Nothing to See Here, Keep Moving On

Context

My new end of the week publication habit works.  Here’s what my early experimental attempt for Patreon became:

The Coming Millennial Migration — Will Remote Work Set You Free? 

“More sunsets are caught than sunrises because a greater number of people are awake in the evening than are watching for the break of dawn. Get on an early tract. There’s something spectacular in it for you.”

Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.

Los Angeles Times, Catharine Hamm, Photo: Yang Lu

The Tau: Week Ending 5/9/20

New horizons. Grab some bucket list ideas to go — for deferred itineraries and remote-enabled resort towns. Curated from stories about local communities stretching along Pacific Coast Highway, in mountain resorts and on lakes, islands and in the great outdoors. 

But, here on the Atoll,  we don’t expect or encourage you to go check them out immediately. Instead we hope our articles inspire your future adventures!

See what you’ve been missing. 

Check out this week’s headlines pulled from our daily “Top 30 Digest” delivered, “Fresh from the Labs. Literally bottled and set adrift from KnowWhere Atoll.”

Where … ?

PCH Regions

          • “San Diego mayor: Compliance with new beach rules bodes well for state business reopening”
          • ”Pismo Beach: Where To Eat, Stay, And Play”
          • ”Whale that washed ashore in Ventura County towed out to sea”
          • ”Wineries Sue Over Cannabis Operation”
          • ”The Malibu Beach Inn Is Offering a Unique Social Distance Dining Experience for Mother’s Day”
          • ”Video captures coyote going for a morning stroll by Levi’s Plaza in SF during shelter-in-place order”

Islands and Currents

          • “Hawaii’s Proposals To Safely Reopen Travel…”
          • “I Was Stranded in Hawaii by Coronavirus — and the Magical Islands Completely Stole My Heart”
          • ”Hawaii wants to ensure a sustainable relationship with tourism post-COVID19”
          • ”Hawaii arresting rogue tourists for violating mandatory quarantine”
          • ”30 Best Bucket List Trips For Your Lifetime: Sailing The Hidden Caribbean”
          • ”Here’s how Sandals plans to re-open its Caribbean resorts to guests”
          • ”I’m Quarantined on a Yacht in the Caribbean. It’s Not What You Think”
          • ”Squid are back in abundance along Central California coast”
          • ”On Catalina Island, Unemployment Is 90%. A Local Food Pantry is Making Sure No One Goes Hungry”

Mountains and Lakes

          • ”Why whitewater rafting could be the safest way to a family vacation this summer”
          • ”Prediction tool shows how forest thinning may increase Sierra Nevada snowpack” 
          • “9 Things To Know About The North Lake Tahoe Ale Trail”
          • ”Cute Video: Mama bear rescues cubs, swimming them to safety one-by-one in South Lake Tahoe “
          • ”Introducing The Mountaineers Statement on Climate Change”

Pristine Treks

          • ”Outerbike cancels Deer Valley mountain bike demo event”
          • ”How To Spend A Weekend In Historic Truckee, California”
          • ”This Colorado Doggo Has Hit More Than 5,000 Summits“
          • ”California Snowpack Already Nearly Bare As Drought Worsens”

Deserts, Slopes and Ranges

          • “Western Slope Farmers Forge On Despite Losing 90 Percent of Peach Crop”
          • ”An Ace Hotel Gift Card Is a Win-Win Purchase“
          • ”Live out your Santorini dreams in this Palm Springs house asking $3M”
          • ”Take a Peek Inside Walt Disney’s Former Technicolor Dream House”

The Tau 12 Months Ago 

“You’ve been happy with your choices, but now you’re starting to notice that there are new options on the horizon.”

Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.

Tags : COVID-19, climate, deserts, horizons, islands, lakes, migration, Millennials, mountains, Pacific Coast Highway, rafting, ranges, regions, rivers, remote, road trips, slopes, sunrises

Evidence

“4”  Steve Zahn, 51: “Pain is a signal. It is possible to feel pain and not be hurt by it. For example, endurance sports enthusiasts may experience this as they push through a workout. Pain is part of the process. Hurt is a judgment.” Scorpio

I’m guessing that pain means frustration on my part.  If so then, yes, it definitely part of the process.  I get that.  There are no short cuts, there is only doing.

Random ones that make me want change my sign.

“4”  Steve Aoki, 41: “You know your limits and your triggers, which makes you more powerful, not less. But take into account that things like that change. You get stronger and braver. Test and push yourself today.” Sagittarius

I detect a theme.  Quit bitching if you’re so powerful.  Push through today.  OK. Got it.

“4”  Steve Winwood, 71; Stevie Wonder, 69: “Your confidence comes from a wellspring of integrity. You know what you’ve done, what you have and who you are. You don’t require constant reminders of your greatness or tons of reinforcement to feel good.”  Taurus

Don’t be so sure for this career reincarnation. Some reminders of greatness would be nice.  Or maybe just 500 pounds of reinforcement.

“5”  Steve Nash, 45: “You think about things in a certain way that you may not even be aware of until you express what you’re thinking to a friend. The act of articulating yourself brings about new insights.”  Aquarius

Not only for me, but I noticed this early on in my one-on-one advisory career with “C-Suite” executives.  I put on a brave face before each engagement fearing my lack of answers for someone operating at the top tier of an organization.  Until, that fateful day when I simply asked a VP what she had been doing already about the problem or challenge she faced.  Then, my natural instincts and intuition kicked in.  Get them to tell you and in the telling their answers reveal themselves.

“5”  Steve Jobs, (1955 – 2011): “There’s no easier way, no shortcut available, no hack or guide that will provide the answer. You just have to find it as you go along. Luckily, this hard way is also the fun way.” Pisces

Theory is one thing.  Explanations and instructions are just that.  Until you take all the teachings and advice and apply them is when the true knowledge is revealed.  No hacks or shortcuts to building your own experience into wisdom.

What’s Going On …

Literally Bottled and Set Adrift from KnowWhere Atoll 

    • @knowlabs followers of one or more of my 35 digital magazines grew from 2,170 to 2300.

Foresight

Quality-of-Life  

Long-Form

    • Just picked up “Bob Dylan In America” by Sean Wilentz.  Maybe because of the subliminal messaging like the times are a changing and the answer is blowing in the wind, but I kinda like Sean’s fanboy becomes music critic becomes historian surrounding Dylan’s life and times. 
    • Saw the movie, didn’t realize that one of my favorite authors, Michael Connelly — his detective Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch book series and Amazon Prime series — also wrote, “The Lincoln Lawyer” which I just finished. Gotta tell you I can’t not see his lead character (Mickey Haller, Bosch’s half brother) as anyone else but Matthew McConaughey. 

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Inspired by: Holiday Mathis – Creators Syndicate

CENTER FOR KNOWLEDGE CREATION AND INNOVATION

The Knowledge Path | Know Laboratories | Knowledge Banking | Knowledge ATMs | Western Skies and Island Currents | Best West Road Trip

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S4 E18 — Hopelessly Naive or Too Numb to Know Any Better?

When will it end? We’re coming up on just 3 weeks into this 4th season and dipping back and forth among episodes in roughly the same time frames starting with the “Normal Year” which feels hopelessly naive …

“The Tau of Steves: What You Don’t Know Could Fill a Book”

“5”  Steve Smith, 30, Stevie Nicks, 72: “You might think that people who are a little like you will follow the same lines of thought, but they won’t. Your mind is more unique than you know. No one is you; don’t forget it.” Gemini

Hi and welcome to Friday’s 18th Episode in Season 4 of  “Our Disruptively Resilient Year” on this 1st day of April in the spring of 2022.

We concluded the three-year examination of how bits of wisdom changed — during the “normal” pre-pandemic year compared to the pandemic year, and more recently to the paradoxically normal year. 

Season Four continues now within domestic and global chaos.

Previously in Season Four, The Disruptively Resilient Year

S4 E17 — We Regret to Inform You …; S4 E16 — The Collateral Damage Triggered by the Reflexive Control Playbook; S4 E15 — So Maybe Ulysses S. Grant Wasn’t Wrong After All 

Related from Season Three, the Paradoxically Normal Year

S3 E18 — My Teacher is Sending You to Detention!; S3 E17 — Guess What? You’re on a Treadmill Just Now Picking Up Speed; S3 E16 — Quid Pro Quo the Awesome Kind; S3 E15 — Behaving Badly, Why Big Sur made “Fodor’s Travel NO List”

Related from Season Two, the Pandemic Year

S2 E18 — What is the Truth and How Can You Tell?; S2 E17 — Shutting Mountain Resorts Down, Closing Boutiques, Kicking Tourists Out; S2 E16 — Scroll to the Bottom for Foresight and Quality-of-Life, Right Leo?; S2 E15 — Behaving Badly, Why Big Sur made “Fodor’s Travel NO List”;

Related from Season One, the Normal Year

S1 E18 — Day 18 of My 1-Year Experiment; S1 E17 — Day 17 of My 1-Year Experiment; S1 E16 — Day 16 of My 1-Year Experiment; S1 E15 — Day 15 of My 1-Year Experiment

Context

When will it end? We’re coming up on just 3 weeks into this 4th season and dipping back and forth among episodes at roughly the same time frames from the “Normal Year” which feels hopelessly naive. 

I thought my work wold be done until the final weeks began bleeding into the “Pandemic Year.” Weren’t we holding out hope for some semblance of a return to normal?

And then something about blew all that out the window with the “Paradoxically Normal Year” which seemed to end in the beginning February.  

But then, Putin’s invasion of Ukraine makes me afraid for our future and especially anxious about our fragile democracy given how bad actors have faced no accountability in this, “Our Disruptively Resilient Year.”

S4 E1 — Shell Shocked into the 4th Season:  Oligarchs hiding paintings off shore

S4 E2 — Suffering Through Little Big Lies Insurrection Season: Quick paragraph summaries of previous seasons 

S4 E3 — Rocky-like Struggle Against Evil Touching Us All:  Vindmen’s talking points that turned into Quid Pro Quo call instead

S4 E4 —  Wedding window after Pandemic, but before Ukraine Invasion

S4 E5 —  Comparisons from 3 Seasons

S4 E6 —  Putin, Ukraine seen through Vindmen’s eyes

S4 E7 —  Russian Oligarchs, Money Laundering, Deutsch Bank

S4 E8 —  Deutsch Bank cuts off Trump

S4 E9 — Rosemary Vrablic’s Deutsch Bank group point person

S4 E10 — Deutsch Bank’s internal compliance: Kushners, Epstein and Trump

S4 E11 — How Deutsch laundered mirror Russian funds

S4 E12 — Mueller’s Volume II subpoenaed some Deutsche  records

S4 E13 — Trump’s admin emboldens Putin to invade Ukraine again

S4 E14 — Lost Cause explanation for extreme Trump authoritarians

S4 E15 —  Dictator, Trump and insurrectionists; Michigan rehearsal

S4 E16 — 1st impeachment Giuliani’s freelancing Ukraine role, 2020 election

S4 E17 — Profs from Chapman University and UCI Paul Merage School of Business

Any lessons for today from which we can build more resilience?

Evidence

“3”  Steve Zahn, 51: “You’re sensitive to the energetic reality around you. You feel the shadows and either do something to lighten them or avoid them altogether. Be spiritually generous, but also know your limits.” Scorpio

If I’m tuned to energetic reality I’m certainly not conscious of it.  Or is that the message? What limits would they be?  How will I know if I cross spiritual boundaries? Maybe this is an April Fool’s prank?

Random ones that make me want change my sign.

Today’s Holiday Birthday: 

You give yourself more space and more grace this year. You let yourself have plenty of time to do what you want. You are kind to yourself inside your head, allowing for the mistakes that are a natural part of being human. A seemingly counterintuitive approach will solve a problem.

Wasn’t there an old sitcom named “Grace and Space”?  Or was I just tripping in the studio of my mind?  But, there might be hope for you because of a counterintuitive solution to one of your problems — and — basically because this today ain’t my birthday.

“5”  Steve Smith, 30, Stevie Nicks, 72: “You might think that people who are a little like you will follow the same lines of thought, but they won’t. Your mind is more unique than you know. No one is you; don’t forget it.” Gemini

And my position hasn’t really changed much from yesterday.  Here’s my same answer. You won’t get an argument from me — with only 3 to 5% of introverts and extroverts with like minds I appeal to a narrow audience.  But does it matter today?

“4”  Steve Aoki, 41; Steven Spielberg, 74: “Negativity can be literally cleared away as you clean the environment. You’ll be amazed at how much better you feel when everything is in its place and the surfaces are cleaned.” Sagittarius

I know this to be true in real life — but, is that why I chose to list all of the shifts in context that influenced me and you over the past three years?  Is that part of cleaning my environment or trying to put things in place to feel better?  I’m venturing a guess — at least for me — the literal cleaning of our democracy will only be achieved through accountability for bad actors.

“5”  Steve Harvey, 62; Stephan Patis, 53;  Stephen Hawking (1943 – 2018): “Just as the wind moves stagnant energy outside, new influences move the stagnant energy of the mind. Reading, conversation and intellectual experiences are key to optimal health.” Capricorn

Who better to swipe this TauBit of Wisdom from than super smart Stephen Hawking?  Maybe his work should be added to my Kindle Long Form reads.

What’s Going On …

Literally Bottled and Set Adrift from KnowWhere Atoll

    • @KnowLabs suite of 36 digital magazines, according to my analytics, grew from 12344 this week to 12458 organically grown followers.
    • Orange County Beach Towns 196 viewers stopped by the week before.

Foresight

Quality-of-Life

Long-Form

    • “Here, Right Matters: An American Story” by Alexander Vindman. “We’d long been confused by the president’s policy of accommodation and appeasement of Russia, the United States’ most pressing major adversary. Russia’s president Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, seizing the Crimean Peninsula, attacking its industrial heartland, the Donbass, from the capital, Kyiv. By 2019, little had changed, Russian military and security forces and their proxy separatists continued to occupy the Donbass. The biggest change was to Ukraine’s importance as a bulwark against Russian aggression weeks earlier, the White House had abruptly put a hold on nearly four hundred million dollars.” 
    • David Enrich begins his book with a suicide in “Deutsche Bank Dark Towers: Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump, and an Epic Trail of Destruction” and then meticulously details the bank’s Russian money laundering operations. Deutsche’s Russian business surged after revenues had fallen 50% due to the 2008 financial crisis. Putin’s Russia, poured in to Deutsche from deals it did with VTB Bank, linked to the Kremlin’s intelligence apparatus. Deutsche positioned itself as a crucial cog in “The Laundromat” by doing what couldn’t be done — processing cross-border transactions for banks that were too small  and didn’t have offices outside their home countries.
    • “Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy” by Jamie Raskin recalls one tragedy no parent should endure — the suicide of his son — and then a second tragedy at almost the same time — the insurrection on January 6th 2021, that terrified he and his congressional peers who were tasked by the Constitution to routinely oversee the orderly transfer of power from one former president to the duly elected new President. 
    • “A Warning” by Anonymous (Miles Taylor) written prior to the January 6th Insurrection as an insider’s account documenting how frequently the former President’s behavior and rage without any “guard rails” showed just how far he would go to win the next election at any cost while spinning lies and misinformation on top of each other.  

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Inspired by Holiday Mathis – Creators Syndicate

CENTER FOR KNOWLEDGE CREATION AND INNOVATION

The Knowledge Path | Know Laboratories | Knowledge Banking | Knowledge ATMs | Western Skies and Island Currents | Best West Road Trip

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S3 E26 — Following Alice Down the Rabbit Hole

People often ask me, how did you arrive at the final selection of Steves from whom you steal their “TauBits of Wisdom”?  So I look both of them directly in the eye and say …

“The Tau of Steves: What You Don’t Know Could Fill a Book”

“5”  Steve Zahn, 51: “Good questions get direct answers. Write and rewrite your question until it rings with truth and then ask your heart for answers and write down what it says. Move your hand across the page unthinkingly; the words will come.” Scorpio

Hi and welcome to Saturday’s Episode 22 in Season 3 of  “My Paradoxically Normal Year” on this 10th day of April in the spring of 2021 — which is a three-year examination of how bits of wisdom changed during the “normal” pre-pandemic year and then in the pandemic year, and now months after.

Previously from Season Three, the Paradoxically Normal Year

S3 E25 — Art Lives Upon Discussion, Upon Experiment, Upon Curiosity …; S3 E24—Reunion on the Edge of the Pacific Ocean near Legoland? Hell Yeah! ;  S3 E23— Free from the Pile of Rubble in Your Brain

Related from Season Two, The Pandemic Year

S2 E26 — Rethinking the N-Word; S2 E25— Are You an Innie or Outie Thinker?; S2 E24— Working Remote from KnowWhere Atoll; S2 E23 — Gaping Loss No Amount of Mourning Will Heal

Related from Season One, The Normal Year

S1 E26 — Day 26  of My 1-Year Experiment; S1 E25— Day 25 of My 1-Year Experiment; S1 E24 — Day 24 of My 1-Year Experiment; S1 E23 — Day 23 of My 1-Year Experiment

Context

Talk about coincidences piling up, their question is precisely the one I’m writing for next  section of the 1-Year Experiment Report.  So here it goes, enjoy!

Turning to my Knowledge Bank, aka Pinboard, let me set the stage.  

In September, 2019 there were 406,129 people in the U.S. with the first name Steve, statistically the 153rd most popular first name. More than 99.9 percent of people with the first name Steve are male. 

“Wow, is that a lot?” I wondered.  

Which is why I followed Alice down the rabbit hole (which for some unforeseen reason I’m not shooting any longer when they graze on my front lawn with the jet nozzle set to full  force on my hose (rabbits not Alice)) having Googled “Steve”.

Nope. It’s like Steve is on an endangered list.

But, believe it or leave it on the web I found a hell of a lot of lists.  Lists of famous people.  Lists about ranking the best, worst, most interesting, and most surprising names of real people, normal and famous.

And a famous Steves quiz — Quick, how many celebrities named Steven can you think of?  Close your eyes, no fair peaking!

The famous Steves below have many different professions, as this list includes notable actors named Steven, athletes named Steve, and even political figures named Steven. Steve Martin was one of the original Saturday Night Live cast members. He’s also been in movies such as Roxanne and The Three Amigos. He also is a playwright and an avid art collector. Steve Carrell hasn’t been on SNL, but he used to star on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He really made his way into everyone’s hearts as his starring role on The Office. He then transitioned into films, including Crazy, Stupid Love and Anchorman. Steve Irwin was also on television, but he wasn’t cracking too many jokes. He was an Australian native who hosted the show The Crocodile Hunter. He infamously passed away when he was stung by a sting ray.

And, so on. 

Until I felt I hit the jackpot. Was this synchronicity?  

Something in my little Leo da V brain chimed like someone named Steve ringing my doorbell. Can you believe the Amazon driver’s name was Steve?

One of the famous birthdays sites listed the top 10 Steves organized by horoscope which when you do the math = 120!

    • Scorpios: Steve Zahn, 51; Steve Peacocke, 37; Steve Ditko, (1927 – 2018); Steve Kazee, 43; Steve Valentine, 52; Steve Caballero, 54; Steve Atwater, 52; Steve Edge, 46; Steve Gonsalves, 43; Steve Bould, 56
    • Aquarius:  Steve Nash, 45; Steve Perry, 70; Steve Yeager, 38; Steve McNair (1973 – 2009); Steve Prefontaine (1951 – 1975); Steve Terada, 35; Steve Roberts, 37; Steve Reeves (1926 – 2000); Steve Wynn, 77; Steve Hackett, 69 
    • Capricorns: Steve Harvey, 62; Steve Harwell, 52; Steve Hardynal, 29; Steve Earle, 64; Steve Lund, 30; Steve Jordan, 62; Steve Bruce, 58; Steve Allen (1921 – 2000); Steve Williams, 55; Steve Wariner, 64; Steve Garvey, 70 
    • Sagittarius: Steve Aoki, 41; Steve Buscemi, 61; Steve Cook, 34; Steve Harris, 53; Steve Angello, 36; Steve Moses, 26; Steve Spangler, 52; Steve Biko (1946 – 1977); Steve Taylor, 61; Steve Stamp, 34 
    • Virgos: Steve Greene, 34; Steve Guttenberg, 61; Steve Jones, 64; Steve Garrigan, 31; Steve Pemberton, 52; Steve Schirripa, 62; Steve Oram, 46; Steve Milatos, 27; Steve Park, 52; Steve Hofmeyr, 55 
    • Cancers: Steve Howey, 42; Steve Perez, 23; Steve Burton, 49; Steve Little, 47; Steve Booker, 31; Steve Downes, 58; Steve Lawrence, 84; Steve Thomas, 56; Steve Albini, 57; Steve Byrne, 45 
    • Leos: Steve Carrell, 57; Steve Martin, 74; Steve Wozniak, 69; Steve Lacy (1934 – 2004); Steve Hawkins, 57; Steve Ronin, 27; Steve Chen, 41; Steve Higgins, 56; Steve Talley, 38; Steve Davis, 52 
    • Geminis: Steve Smith, 30, Steve Lacy, 21, Steve Zaragoza, 37, Steve Vai, 59, Steve Cardenas, 45, Steve Rizzo, 20, Steve Mason, 31, Steve Novak, 36, Steve Savoca, 22; Steve Willis, 43 
    • Taurus: Steve Backshall, 46; Steve Smith, 40; Steve Winwood, 71; Steve Yzerman, 54; Steve Stevens, 60; Steve Clark, (1960 – 1991); Steve Spurrier, 74; Steve McCurry, 69; Steve Arienta, 41; Steve Hansen, 60 
    • Aries: Steve McQueen (1930 – 1980); Steve Redgrave, 57; Steve Mandanda, 34; Steve Ballmer, 63; Steve James, 21; Steve Pearce, 36; Steve Howe, 72; Steve Augustine, 42; Steve Bull, 54; Steve Halliwell, 65 
    • Libras: Steve Kerr, 54; Steve Burns, 46; Steve Terreberry, 32; Steve Young, 58; Steve Coogan, 53; Steve Miller, 76; Steve Whitmire, 60; Steve Largent, 65; Steve McQueen, 50; Steve Lukather, 61 
    • Pisces: Steve Jobs, (1955 – 2011); Steve Irwin, (1962 – 2006); Steve Wilkos, 55; Steve McFadden, 60; Steve Harris, 63; Steve Gold, 34; Steve Grand, 29; Steve Francis, 42; Steve Evans, 40; Steve Price, 45

That’s 115 more famous Steves than I could name in 2019.

Need I remind you, the purpose of living life like an artist in a natural experiment wasn’t to sing the praises of 120 Steves, but only to separate them from their TauBits of Wisdom — legitimately or illegitimately.  

Evidence

Let’s start legit — which Zahn, the Fonze, Emma the Baroness and I can claim as our birthright, right?

Except for the part about my unthinking hands grazing across the page, I’m in solidarity with your Holiday Tau today, Zahnny.

“5”  Steve Zahn, 51: “Good questions get direct answers. Write and rewrite your question until it rings with truth and then ask your heart for answers and write down what it says. Move your hand across the page unthinkingly; the words will come.” Scorpio

Random ones that make me want change my sign.

Ready or not, here’s the illegitimate part … I like glowing, magic in the summer and a financial lift (but is that like a heist or an elevator)?

Today’s Holiday Birthday: 

You don’t feel courageous, but you are. At first you get things done regardless of whether you believe you can or not. Then you start a streak. The more wins you rack up, the more confidence you gain. You’ll go public with your idea and glow in the spotlight. Summer brings magical connections and a financial lift, too.

Did you notice the addition of Stevie Nicks to “the 99.9 percent of people with the first name Steve are male”?  If I hadn’t added her would the Holiday Tau include lifting weights and feathers? Or what about leather and lace?

“3”  Steve Smith, 30, Stevie Nicks, 72: “Some things are worth doing even though they might be difficult, and some things are worth doing because they’re sure to be difficult. No one ever got strong lifting feathers.” Gemini

What, Howey, don’t leave us in suspense.  What does excitement lead to?

“3”  Steve Howey, 42: “An ambitious mood strikes. Ambition requires you to take risks, and risks come with fear, and fear feeds into thrills, which can be addictive. This is only the start of the excitement.” Cancer

So, if I interpret your Holiday Tau correctly Coach Kerr, Leo’s ping, which normally distracts me like a squirrel does a Golden Retriever away from writing my other manuscripts, may end better than I can imagine?  Money? Attention? Props? Someone keeps calling telling me I better act fast because my Honda CRV warranty is about to expire?  Not that kind of calling? 

“5”  Steve Kerr, 54: “A tangent will turn into a main focus, mainly because you keep getting attention, money and props for it. This is actually starting to feel like a calling, if not an obsession.” Libra

What’s Going On …

Literally Bottled and Set Adrift from KnowWhere Atoll 

    • @KnowLabs suite of digital magazines jumps from 7816 to 7925 organically grown followers

Foresight

Quality-of-Life 

Long-Form

    • “Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge” by E.O. Wilson, an entomologist who studied colonies of ants for their insights.  But didn’t stop there, according to The Wall Street Journal, “A dazzling journey across the sciences and humanities in search of deep laws to unite them.” 
    • “True Believers,” the novel by Kurt Andersen (which seems to precede Fantasyland)? I like how he goes back and forth from now to the ‘60s in which the main character is writing a memoir, but needs “Okays” from her friends who had been hiding a secret for 40+ years that could ruin their careers?  Like, what’s my equivalent? “Disappearing Through the Skylight” by O.B. Hardison, Jr. which proceeded “Consilience” by a decade.  Hardison’s been described as a polymathic renaissance man who wrote, “… Nature has slipped, perhaps finally beyond our field of vision.”  What does it mean for “… science, history, art and architecture, music, language, ultimately, for humanity”? This one provides missing chunks of understanding where we came from and where we’re going.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Inspired by: Holiday Mathis – Creators Syndicate

CENTER FOR KNOWLEDGE CREATION AND INNOVATION

The Knowledge Path | Know Laboratories | Knowledge Banking | Knowledge ATMs | Western Skies and Island Currents | Best West Road Trips

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S2 E42 — It Was Short and Sweet, but Heart-Felt

“My pastor was talking about the ‘old normal‘ and how maybe there were parts of our lives that weren’t working … that weren’t all that great.   And now is the time to create a new normal for ourselves.”

“The Tau of Steves: What You Don’t Know Could Fill a Book”

“5”  Steve Winwood, 71; Stevie Wonder, 69: “Being able to take a long view of things will save you from future discomfort. There are a lot of things you could take on. Consider what it would mean for your next few days and far beyond.”  Taurus

Hi and welcome to Friday’s Episode 42 in Season 2 of  “My Pandemic Year Experiment” on this eighth day of May in the spring of 2020.  

Season 1 and 2 are a two-year examination of how bits of wisdom changed during the “normal” pre-pandemic and then in this unfolding pandemic year.

Previously in Season Two, the Pandemic Year

S2 E41 — A Pandemic End to Real Estate and Consulting?; S2 E40 — The Profound Impact of the Pandemic on Nouns; S2 E39 — The Best Tau for the Pandemic Year, Don’t You Agree?

Related from Season One, the Normal Year

S1 E42 — Love on the Run; S1 E41 — The Dream Was Over, Long Live the Dream; S1 E40 — Nothing to See Here, Keep Moving On; S1 E39 — What’s Up with Facebook?;

Context

Some of my close friends, past co-workers, recruited mentors, former executive MBA students and people just like you are weighing in with their experiences:

Hi Steve, Great to hear from you. Do you remember me from your Right Management days? I ran the McDermott + Bull Executive Network then.

I appreciate your email. It got me thinking of a church service I listened to from 3 weeks ago…

My pastor was talking about the “old normal” and how maybe there were parts of our lives that weren’t working..that weren’t all that great. 

And now is the time to create a new normal for ourselves. 

It really hit home for me..even though I miss A LOT of components of my old normal I have really taken stock of the things that I don’t want to creep back in once we resume “normal” life.

It was short and sweet, but heart-felt.  I’d forgotten that she had moved to Golden Colorado and was curious how her clients and neighbors were adapting to the new normal.

I felt what you were able to accomplish with the Executive Network was so awesome.  In fact over the last 10 years when I ran the UCI Executive MBA mentor program I borrowed  monthly breakfast meeting ideas from you and recruited mentors from the network itself.

I love the “new normal” habit analysis and choosing what to keep and what not to, or at least improve on.  Keeping the “creeping back inners” away will be the challenge for me.  Although, given that the Sierra snowpack all but disappeared I’m glad I’ve made and sustained water conservation habits.

What’s the market in Golden like for executives?  Are you seeing any differences over the last few weeks (which feel like months and years 😎)?

Are you running a similar + Bull Executive Network there?

Since I reached out to “Friends of Steves” I gotten back really great responses and I’m considering how to summarize and share.

Evidence

“3”  Steve Zahn, 51: “You often have to comply to the authority in a situation, which is what makes opportunities like yours today special. You’ll call the game and make the rules.” Scorpio

Wait, is this about wearing a mask or something?  Got no problem with that.  It’s so little to ask from me to do my part in this pandemic, right?

Random ones that make me want change my sign.

“5”  Steve Winwood, 71; Stevie Wonder, 69: “Being able to take a long view of things will save you from future discomfort. There are a lot of things you could take on. Consider what it would mean for your next few days and far beyond.”  Taurus

I’m such a scenario and strategic exploration freak, there has to be reports or papers published that that the long view of things, right?

“3”  Steve Smith, 30: “Once you decide that you are going to devote yourself to making progress, you’ll stick to an endeavor until you get where you want to go. The game has started. To delay is to lose any advantage you might have.”  Gemini

Well, yes of course.  I’m fighting off a case of the blahs.  This TauBit should boost my persistence, but frankly it doesn’t.

“4”  Steve Howey, 42: “Consider that your most powerful asset is your reputation. So anything that lifts it will probably be worth the attention, effort and money that goes into the process.” Cancer

Sure, but this just reminds me of unfinished work describing what “Brand-as-Experts” do, in which organization type is the best fit for them.

“5”  Steve Carrell, 57; Steve Martin, 74; Steve Wozniak, 69: “You’ll have a strong first impression to a situation. Note it — even formally with an actual note — but don’t act on it. There is more to learn here, and you’re playing a long game.” Leo

I’m finding it very difficult not to judge those anti-vaccine and anti-mask people.  My knee jerk reaction is the saying, “There is no cure for stupid.”

“4”  Steve Greene, 34; Steve Guttenberg, 61: “Success will be simple when you recognize what is and is not under your control, and then apply yourself only to the first group of circumstances. Applying yourself to the second group brings nothing but frustration.” Virgo

So, I’m not so sure anymore.  What is in our control?  

“5”  Steve Aoki, 41: “In days of old, the black sheep was shunned by the herd. Now the black sheep goes on the internet and finds a virtual herd with numbers so strong, the black sheep are actually the majority.” Sagittarius

Scary, but true. Or at least it seems that way.  If you equate black sheep with anti-vax, anti-mask true believers.  

“3”  Steve Harvey, 62: “Your choices do not have to be dictated by things like age, race, gender or even by how much money you have in your pocket. Waste no time accounting for limits. Go straight to the workaround.”  Capricorn

Yeah, good to know, but hard to figure out, right?

“5”  Steve Jobs, (1955 – 2011): “The issues that come up today are the sort you don’t have to reason your way through. Give your logical mind a break. Meditate, shower, drive, walk or sleep on it instead.” Pisces

Now, we’re talking.  The media onslaught is unyielding.  Maybe I can reset.

What’s Going On …

Literally Bottled and Set Adrift from KnowWhere Atoll 

    • @knowlabs followers of one or more of my 35 digital magazines grew from 2,170 to 2,300.

Foresight

Quality-of-Life  

Long-Form

    • Just picked up “Bob Dylan In America” by Sean Wilentz.  Maybe because of the subliminal messaging like the times are a changing and the answer is blowing in the wind, but I kinda like Sean’s fanboy becomes music critic becomes historian surrounding Dylan’s life and times. 
    • Saw the movie, didn’t realize that one of my favorite authors, Michael Connelly — his detective Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch book series and Amazon Prime series — also wrote, “The Lincoln Lawyer” which I just finished. Gotta tell you I can’t not see his lead character (Mickey Haller, Bosch’s half brother) as anyone else but Matthew McConaughey. 

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Inspired by: Holiday Mathis – Creators Syndicate

CENTER FOR KNOWLEDGE CREATION AND INNOVATION

The Knowledge Path | Know Laboratories | Knowledge Banking | Knowledge ATMs | Western Skies and Island Currents | Best West Road Trip

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S2 E41 — A Pandemic End to Real Estate and Consulting?

“Did they sell too soon? It’s not like they were going anywhere.”  Their realtor barely planted the “For Sale” sign and swarms of Hondas and Toyotas and 4-Runners paused to consider.  And, then it ended.

“The Tau of Steves: What You Don’t Know Could Fill a Book”

“5”  Steve Zahn, 51:“Prioritizing becomes a challenge when everything coming your way seems to be a high priority. You’ll have to ask more questions to learn the truth and decide what to participate in and what to skip.” Scorpio

Hi and welcome to Thursday’s Episode 41 in Season 2 of  “My Pandemic Year Experiment” on this seventh day of May in the spring of 2020.  

Season One and Two are a two-year examination of how bits of wisdom changed during the “normal” pre-pandemic and then in this unfolding pandemic year.

Previously in Season Two, the Pandemic Year

S2 E40 — The Profound Impact of the Pandemic on Nouns; S2 E39 — The Best Tau for the Pandemic Year, Don’t You Agree?; S2 E38 — What Should You Do If You Stumble Across Loaded Information?

Related from Season One, the Normal Year

S1 E41 — The Dream Was Over, Long Live the Dream; S1 E40 — Nothing to See Here, Keep Moving On; S1 E39 — What’s Up with Facebook?; S1 E38 — 38 of My 1-Year Experiment

Context

George and Joanne rented a U-Haul to take a couch and some furniture to their temporary apartment in Quail Ridge almost directly across from one of those mirrored glass sky scrapers where she works.  

Pandemic Real Estate Market

Mentor Dave and I Zoomed.

We considered the state of the residential market.  I told him they both worked in the business.  He had just accepted a package — a layoff.  She worked for one of those high priced consulting firms.  

I told Dave, “They’re leaving for Nashville, like so many other rumored locals.”

“But they’re renting for how long?” he asked.

“Yeah, for at least 6 months while the place they’re building is finished.  But, you know how that goes.”

“Well, it does seem to be so early in the normal real estate cycle,” he said, “but, with COVID spreading it’s going to be harder to hold open houses and maybe they just want to take their money now instead of getting caught in a downdraft in sales.”

“George told me Joanne had tried and tried to get permission to work remotely for the last few months to no avail.  Then COVID hit and the company encouraged she and her co-workers to work remotely.”

“Yeah, even the non-technology companies seem to be softening now.”

“And, she’s negotiated her remote working relationship even when they move, and get this, at the same salary level even though the cost of living has to be dramatically lower, right?”

 “Good for them,” Dave said.

Consulting Business Disruptions

“And, now what about you and your business?” I asked. “Are you in Maui now?’ 

“What, oh … no, that’s my Zoom background. What day is this, yeah we were supposed to be on the Rhine on a river cruise but we cancelled.” 

He and his wife and travel friends cancelled several trips they looked forward to. It was just as well he said because he broke his toe a day before the last vacation, but didn’t cancel.  

“I wound up out of alignment with his back stenosis, so that my nerves don’t flow smoothly through the back of my spine.”

Like J.D. another mentor I recruited, Dave is working through what his business looks like on zoom.

“I cancelled a business trip to New York,” he said.  He and his two partners used to book 7 straight hours with a client — just the executive alone without any direct reports.  No team building.  Just one-on-one intensive sessions. 

“Seven hours?” I asked perplexed, “All on the same day?”

“That includes time us all to huddle when something isn’t working as well,  decide what to do. But, we can’t do that now.  So, we’re taking our own advice and reimagining how we’ll zoom with the New York global business executive.”

“But, Zoom … isn’t there something about privacy issues using their platform,” I asked.

“Yeah, tomorrow we’re having to learn WebEx.  The company trusts Cisco WebEx for security reasons. And, we don’t record any video.  Normally we each take our own notes, so there isn’t any reason to worry about sensitive documents generated from the day long session.”  

Each morning now, he checks the paper for number of cases of COVID-19.

It turns out we shares the same view of Bill Gates.

How we like his concurrent scaling and manufacturing processes for 6 potential COVID vaccination solutions, discarding all but one bet and then accelerate the one remaining without having to start linearly with the most promising.

Mentoring During the Pandemic

Oh, as an update he told me he still sees one of his proteges I matched him with who wanted to become a consultant in 10 years.  He walked me through his advice to him.  

Within Kaiser, the Healthcare Executive MBA student should apply what he’s been learning in his coursework, circulate papers, build case stories, speak, write and become a trusted advisor. 

Evidence

“5”  Steve Zahn, 51:“Prioritizing becomes a challenge when everything coming your way seems to be a high priority. You’ll have to ask more questions to learn the truth and decide what to participate in and what to skip.” Scorpio

Random ones that make me want change my sign.

Today’s Holiday Birthday:  

“Inspiration and insight strike. Through effort and care, you’ll start moving like you couldn’t before, your physical self invigorating other systems in your life. It will be a win for your group in August followed by a lucrative personal victory. What a relief in September, when a complicated arrangement finally gets hammered out.”

Wow! That’s just what I need, only it still ain’t my birthday.  Mind if I check back in August and September to see how it went for you?

“4”  Steve McQueen (1930 – 1980): “Without a jovial touch, people get bored and touchy. That’s where you come in. You possess an unusual talent, which you will use to help, amuse and delight others.” Aries

I have to admit when George moves from next door I only hope our next neighbors share a sense of humor too.

“4”  Steve Winwood, 71; Stevie Wonder, 69; Stephen Colbert, 56: “While it is possible to be anything you want to be, it generally takes time. Meanwhile, you can dabble in whatever tone, feeling or mood you want to take on in an instant if you know the mental route to the place.”  Taurus

While Dave delivers his consulting advice and mentoring suggestions with more intensity, this Holiday Tau fits just as well in his life too.

“3”  Steve Smith, 30: “More sunsets are caught than sunrises because a greater number of people are awake in the evening than are watching for the break of dawn. Get on an early tract. There’s something spectacular in it for you.” Gemini

Haha, the older you get the easier it is to heed the call of nature at sunrise.

“3”  Steve Howey, 42: “Relationships will have a feeling that is greater than the sum of their parts. Just as there’s a certain dynamic present in togetherness, there’s also a dynamic present in apartness.”  Cancer

Boy, as this pandemic plays out, this TauBit of Wisdom may help us cherish being together and apart.

“4”  Steve Carell, 57; Steve Martin, 74; Steve Wozniak, 69: “Goal setting doesn’t always work for everyone or every situation. Right now it’s enough to be on a certain kind of path. Your motivation and momentum are slowly picking up. Trust the journey.” Leo

It may be too early to really tell if trusting my journey picks up my motivation and momentum or not.

What’s Going On …

Literally Bottled and Set Adrift from KnowWhere Atoll 

    • @knowlabs followers of one or more of my 35 digital magazines grew from 1760 to 2,170.

Foresight

Quality-of-Life 

Long-Form

    • Just picked up “Bob Dylan In America” by Sean Wilentz.  Maybe because of the subliminal messaging like the times are a changing and the answer is blowing in the wind, but I kinda like Sean’s fanboy becomes music critic becomes historian surrounding Dylan’s life and times.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Inspired by: Holiday Mathis – Creators Syndicate

CENTER FOR KNOWLEDGE CREATION AND INNOVATION

The Knowledge Path | Know Laboratories | Knowledge Banking | Knowledge ATMs | Western Skies and Island Currents | Best West Road Trip

Posted on

S2 E40 — The Profound Impact of the Pandemic on Nouns

What do you mean when you say you curate nouns? That’s just plain weird.  What’s the point? It’s how they are interdependent that interests me.  How one, two or three react together in a positive or negative spiral.

“The Tau of Steves: What You Don’t Know Could Fill a Book”

“5”  Steve Howey, 42: “Change is necessary, and you feel driven to break up the monotony but only to a certain degree. Too much novelty is destabilizing, so you’ll seek just the right amount of excitement.” Cancer

Hi and welcome to Sunday’s Episode 40 in Season 2 of  “My Pandemic Year Experiment” on this 3rd day of May in the spring of 2020. 

Season One and Two are a two-year examination of how bits of wisdom changed during the “normal” pre-pandemic and then in this unfolding pandemic year.

Previously in Season Two, the Pandemic Year

S2 E39 — The Best Tau for the Pandemic Year, Don’t You Agree?; S2 E38 — What Should You Do If You Stumble Across Loaded Information?; S2 E37 — How Deep is the Chasm? What Do We Do? 

Related from Season One, the Normal Year

S1 E40 — Nothing to See Here, Keep Moving On; S1 E39 — What’s Up with Facebook?; S1 E38 — 38 of My 1-Year Experiment; S1 E37 — Day 37 of My 1-Year Experiment

Context

Today, in response to the unfolding pandemic and the consequences we face I’m revisiting content I want to cover.

Introduction

“Yeah, I should say nouns come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, but I’m only interested in tying people, places, things, ideas, information and trends together in new and original ways.”

It’s how they are interdependent that interests me.  How one, two or three react together in a positive or negative spiral.  

People.  

What do people do?  They live. They love. They work. They play. They invest. They leave a legacy. They navigate  their own lifecycle:  birth, childhood, adolescence, marriage, career, retirement, death.

Places. 

They evolve slowly.  They come in urban and rural geographies and densities.  

Organizations. 

Navigating stages: Start up, Emerging Growth, Rapid Growth, Sustained Growth, Maturity, Decline and Reinvention. 

Things. 

They come in too many variations. And, at an ever accelerating pace.

Ideas. 

They are received and shared through bubbles, bias and rampant gullibility.

Information. 

Noise and Data. Wisdom and Transformations. Ecosystem of conspiracies filled with misinformation, disinformation and useless information.

Trends. 

Fads explode and then fade. Generations latch on to some. Technology drives others.  Influencers sneeze and infect fads and fashions. Paradigms usher in sets of trends at unconscious levels.

Evidence

Holiday Forecast for the Week Ahead:  

Social influence happens every moment of every day whether you’re with people or not. 

Even if you’re alone and not consuming mainstream media or social media, the social influence is still present — in language, the design of a living space, the items around you that were made by others, the way you get your food. 

It’s inescapable. On a day-to-day basis, we operate largely unaware of the extent of our wider social bonds and roles.

This is what makes it absolutely essential to notice our participation in the hive mind and wake up to our individual thought processes to whatever extent we can.

“4”  Steve Zahn: “You’ll be in the grip of conflicting tensions, and though this is a little uncomfortable, there’s something terribly interesting, creative and romantic about it, too.” Scorpio

Yeah, I have so much content.  Too much.  Just wrangling it into something digestible for readers and followers requires time and energy and concentration to pull off.  And then it becomes OBE — overtaken by events.  This damn coronavirus.

Random ones that make me want change my sign.

“3”  Steve McQueen (1930 – 1980): “Success won’t come from doing anything too grand. It just comes from doing what you say you’re going to do. Promise small and deliver on it, and you’ll win the day.” Aries

Boy was this a hard lesson to learn.  I always tended to underestimate how long tasks would take on a project plan while working with organization clients.  I ended up eating a lot of my fees, because I over promised and barely made deadlines.  

“4”  Steve Winwood, 71; Stevie Wonder, 69: “You’ll get specific about what you want and need, because the typical answers are so ubiquitous that they no longer mean anything to you. What would be good for you is different from what would be good for someone else.”  Taurus

Oh, and I’m easily distractible flying off into seductive curiosities like a dog picking up the scent of a squirrel and ripping the leash out of a dog walker’s hand to give chase.  As an INTP (Myers-Briggs Temperament Indicator) I realize there only about 3 to 5% of us — so yes, we are different and crave unique nuts to squirrel away. 

“3”  Steve Smith, 30: “Imperfection and flaws are part of the deal. The better you are at living with things you don’t like without giving them too much of your attention, the more time you’ll have to do something great.”Gemini

Isn’t that the Zen principle of detachment?  Let those imperfections and flaws flow through your consciousness to let go of them.  You don’t want to become a victim of how we described some engineers 

“5”  Steve Howey, 42: “Change is necessary, and you feel driven to break up the monotony but only to a certain degree. Too much novelty is destabilizing, so you’ll seek just the right amount of excitement.” Cancer

The key is to define “certain degree” and most often the you know it when you feel it.  We only have so much energy we can expend towards disruptive change thrown at us. But, like exercise, controlling the novelty you seek helps create the stamina and resilience required to thrive.

“4”  Steve Carrell, 57; Steve Martin, 74; Steve Wozniak, 69: “The significance of committing to one thing is that you are also giving up your option of doing the other things. What comes without sacrifice quickly becomes worthless.” Leo

But what about all those other squirrel projects?  Isn’t that called concurrent program management or at least multi-tasking?  

“4”  Steve Greene, 34; Steve Guttenberg, 61: “Committing to your own growth will mean doing things that don’t necessarily come easily to you, but that doesn’t mean they have to be very hard, either. Small changes will add up.” Virgo

That’s what I’m talking about.  The compound interest strengthens our resilience — the capacity to adapt or adopt new changes in our habits.

“4”  Steve Aoki, 41: “Your ability to compartmentalize will allow you to do incredible things. There are times when you take your ability to focus on the task at hand for as long as it takes to accomplish it as a given.” Sagittarius

And, I’d say that time is just about up.

What’s Going On …

Literally Bottled and Set Adrift from KnowWhere Atoll 

    • @knowlabs followers of one or more of my 35 digital magazines grew from 1760 to 2,170.

Foresight

Quality-of-Life

Long-Form

    • Just picked up “Bob Dylan In America” by Sean Wilentz.  Maybe because of the subliminal messaging like the times are a changing and the answer is blowing in the wind, but I kinda like Sean’s fanboy becomes music critic becomes historian surrounding Dylan’s life and times.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Inspired by: Holiday Mathis – Creators Syndicate

CENTER FOR KNOWLEDGE CREATION AND INNOVATION

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S4 E17 — We Regret to Inform You …

Wow, what in the world is going on?  No, yeah, I know Putin invaded Ukraine and for a moment — which is probably over by now — Trump’s Republicans and Classic Republicans agreed with Democrats to condemn Russia’s move on Ukraine.

“The Tau of Steves: What You Don’t Know Could Fill a Book”

“5” Steve Nash, 45: “You’re a learner, motivated by the sheer pleasure of knowing, understanding and doing more. External factors such as remuneration or recognition will hardly factor into your decisions.” Aquarius

Hi and welcome to Thursday’s 17th Episode in Season 4 of  “Our Disruptively Resilient Year” on this 31st day of March in the spring of 2022.

We concluded the three-year examination of how bits of wisdom changed — during the “normal” pre-pandemic year compared to the pandemic year, and more recently to the paradoxically normal year. 

Season Four continues now within domestic and global chaos.

Previously in Season Four, The Disruptively Resilient Year

S4 E16 — The Collateral Damage Triggered by the Reflexive Control Playbook; S4 E15 — So Maybe Ulysses S. Grant Wasn’t Wrong After All; S4 E14 — Lies and Lost Causes and Repeat and Repeat

 

Related from Season Three, the Paradoxically Normal Year

S3 E17 — Guess What? You’re on a Treadmill Just Now Picking Up Speed; S3 E16 — Quid Pro Quo the Awesome Kind; S3 E15 — Behaving Badly, Why Big Sur made “Fodor’s Travel NO List”; S3 E14 —How!; 

Related from Season Two, the Pandemic Year

S2 E17 — Shutting Mountain Resorts Down, Closing Boutiques, Kicking Tourists Out; S2 E16 — Scroll to the Bottom for Foresight and Quality-of-Life, Right Leo?; S2 E15 — Behaving Badly, Why Big Sur made “Fodor’s Travel NO List”; S2 E14 — Reading Tea Leaves Bottled and Set Adrift

Related from Season One, the Normal Year

S1 E17 — Day 17 of My 1-Year Experiment; S1 E16 — Day 16 of My 1-Year Experiment; S1 E15 — Day 15 of My 1-Year Experiment; S1 E14 — Day 14 of My 1-Year Experiment

Context

Wow, what in the world is going on?  No, right I know Putin invaded Ukraine and for a moment — which is probably over by now — Trump’s Republicans and Classic Republicans agreed with Democrats to condemn Russia’s move on Ukraine.  

Nobody fell for the lies and misdirection — promising to ceasefire and not harm citizens — and then doing just that. 

But just this week as if in Season Four we entered reruns, Trump leaned on his relationship with Putin and asked him to provide dirty election-timed political stories supposedly  millions from the wife of a mayor in Russia?  Say, what?

Great minds think alike?  Isn’t this the common Putin-Trump playbook?

Do they think we are dogs? Do we eternally fall for Trump’s pointing to trees yelling “Squirrel” as a distraction while he flushes documents down his Florida estate?

Oh, and just two days ago here in Orange County we awoke to the headline, “Was the fuse for the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill Riot lit from OC’s Chapman University?” 

And, yet the writer missed the second co-conspirator, a professor from neighboring academic institution, Dr. Peter Navarro who left the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California in Irvine to join Trump’s administration. 

Before he left, he requested resume assistance for his wife and I volunteered, not knowing what was in the works as they moved to Washington, DC.

Fast forward all these years and the two former professors have thumbed their noses at the requests from Congressional Committee investigating the January 6th Insurrection to be interviewed.

How will the game work out, since Navarro’s “Green Bay Sweep” failed?

Evidence

How do my curated celebrity TauBits of Wisdom rate for relevancy?

Random ones that make me want change my sign.

“5”  Steve Winwood, 71; Stevie Wonder, 69; Stephen Colbert, 56: “The person inside an experience is the only one who really knows what it’s like. You get the most out of life by living fully in your own situation. You’ll resist the temptation to spend too much time thinking about what others are doing.” Taurus 

So, this is inhabiting the Experiencing Self — living life as an art form.  Turning off the roof-brain chatter and just doing.  Last night I finally viewed a recorded PBS show highlighting the long career of Aldwyth who personifies living life as an artist who actually works and lives in her studio on stilts in North Carolina near the beach.  Her day begins by photographing sunrises, sending them to her children and grandchildren.  And then works.  Sure, she says, she has bouts of self-doubt and self-talk, but it’s all about jumping into her work, into that zone, crafting art that speaks to her.

“4”  Steve Carell, 57; Steve Martin, 74; Steve Wozniak, 69: “Problems happen on one plane and get solved on another. The difference in vantage is crucial. Fortune favors you as you step out of the familiar zone and move to an uncomfortable place to see the problem from a new angle.” Leo

I can’t tell you how frequently flying on a real plane shifted my perspective unconsciously as I looked out the window to solve tactical and strategic roadblocks.  Oops, I guess I did, but I’m keeping the numbers secret.

“3”  Steve Greene, 34; Steve Guttenberg, 61; Stephen King, 72: “Whether or not things go to plan doesn’t matter in the least to you because, bottom line, it’s fun to be you. And when you’re around good people, the joy you take in just being yourself isn’t something you have to hide.” Virgo

You know, that’s one of the takeaways I took to bed with me about “being” Aldwyth who received so many “We regret to inform you …” rejections in her struggling days, but turned all of them into an art piece.  Yeah, it’s fun to be me and I’m inspired by her.

“3”  Steve Aoki, 41; Steven Spielberg, 74: “Don’t be too quick to eliminate tension — not until you know its source, cause, effect and nature. Tension may be holding the whole thing up. Energy is stored in the cord. Cutting could be dangerous.” Sagittarius

I’m sure this is wise, but the only reason I selected it today is for the turn of phrase — “Energy is stored in the cord. Cutting could be dangerous.” I like the set up part inspecting the source, cause, effect and nature of tension, but just not for today.

“3”  Steve Harvey, 62; Stephan Patis, 53;  Stephen Hawking (1943 – 2018): “Keep looking for like minds. You need a few more to bravely move out of your element. You’re bigger than the situation and you’re just the one to break the ice.” Capricorn

You won’t get an argument from me — with only 3 to 5% of introverts and extroverts with like minds I appeal to a narrow audience.  But does it matter today?

“5” Steve Nash, 45: “You’re a learner, motivated by the sheer pleasure of knowing, understanding and doing more. External factors such as remuneration or recognition will hardly factor into your decisions.” Aquarius

Guilt by association.  Maybe this is what I really resonated with in the story about Aldwyth — she soldiered (artisted) on despite not fitting into a gallery definition of art making it much more difficult to earn a living as compared to more commercial artists who kept the buying audience for their work foremost in mind.

Today’s Holiday Theme: 

… has us in the dark about our warrior spirit, and maybe that’s a good thing. There’s much worth fighting for, but there’s far more we humans end up fighting over that’s not worth it at all. This is an opportunity to reassess whether the hills we stand on are really the ones we want to die on.

What’s Going On …

Literally Bottled and Set Adrift from KnowWhere Atoll

    • @KnowLabs suite of 36 digital magazines, according to my analytics, grew from 12344 this week to 12458 organically grown followers.
    • Orange County Beach Towns 196 viewers stopped by the week before.

Foresight

Quality-of-Life

Long-Form

    • “Here, Right Matters: An American Story” by Alexander Vindman. “We’d long been confused by the president’s policy of accommodation and appeasement of Russia, the United States’ most pressing major adversary. Russia’s president Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, seizing the Crimean Peninsula, attacking its industrial heartland, the Donbass, from the capital, Kyiv. By 2019, little had changed, Russian military and security forces and their proxy separatists continued to occupy the Donbass. The biggest change was to Ukraine’s importance as a bulwark against Russian aggression weeks earlier, the White House had abruptly put a hold on nearly four hundred million dollars.” 
    • David Enrich begins his book with a suicide in “Deutsche Bank Dark Towers: Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump, and an Epic Trail of Destruction” and then meticulously details the bank’s Russian money laundering operations. Deutsche’s Russian business surged after revenues had fallen 50% due to the 2008 financial crisis. Putin’s Russia, poured in to Deutsche from deals it did with VTB Bank, linked to the Kremlin’s intelligence apparatus. Deutsche positioned itself as a crucial cog in “The Laundromat” by doing what couldn’t be done — processing cross-border transactions for banks that were too small  and didn’t have offices outside their home countries.
    • “Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy” by Jamie Raskin recalls one tragedy no parent should endure — the suicide of his son — and then a second tragedy at almost the same time — the insurrection on January 6th 2021, that terrified he and his congressional peers who were tasked by the Constitution to routinely oversee the orderly transfer of power from one former president to the duly elected new President. 
    • “A Warning” by Anonymous (Miles Taylor) written prior to the January 6th Insurrection as an insider’s account documenting how frequently the former President’s behavior and rage without any “guard rails” showed just how far he would go to win the next election at any cost while spinning lies and misinformation on top of each other.  

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Inspired by Holiday Mathis – Creators Syndicate

CENTER FOR KNOWLEDGE CREATION AND INNOVATION

The Knowledge Path | Know Laboratories | Knowledge Banking | Knowledge ATMs | Western Skies and Island Currents | Best West Road Trip

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S3 E25 — Art Lives Upon Discussion, Upon Experiment, Upon Curiosity …

And why wouldn’t you feel happy, it’s Friday, after all.  You might have missed the outline for writing up my 1-year natural experiment last Friday.  Today the squirrels come home to roost, as Leo da V whispers to my inner ear, as if I’m a dog on the scent of drafting the report.

“The Tau of Steves: What You Don’t Know Could Fill a Book”

“5”  Steve Winwood, 71; Stevie Wonder, 69; Stephen Colbert, 56: “Treat your mind by feeding it the stories and equations, art and movement that gets the mental wheels whirring. Your receptive synapses will spark with brilliant ideas.”  Taurus

Hi and welcome to Friday’s Episode 25 in Season 3 of  “My Paradoxically Normal Year” on this 9th day of April in the spring of 2021 — which is a three-year examination of how bits of wisdom changed during the “normal” pre-pandemic year and then in the pandemic year, and now months after.

Previously from Season Three, the Paradoxically Normal Year

S3 E24—Reunion on the Edge of the Pacific Ocean near Legoland? Hell Yeah!; S3 E23— Free from the Pile of Rubble in Your Brain; S3 E22 — What’s the Experiment Got To Do with the Exodus from Barb’s Bunny Ranch?

Related from Season Two, The Pandemic Year

S2 E25— Are You an Innie or Outie Thinker?; S2 E24— Working Remote from KnowWhere Atoll; S2 E23 — Gaping Loss No Amount of Mourning Will Heal; S2 E22 —Paranoid Rose Review and Traffic-Copped Check Out Lines

Related from Season One, The Normal Year

S1 E25— Day 25 of My 1-Year Experiment; S1 E24 — Day 24 of My 1-Year Experiment; S1 E23 — Day 23 of My 1-Year Experiment; S1 E22 — Day 22 of My 1-Year Experiment

Context

Oh, and as a muse Leo’s not providing any answers, just endless questions attacking my self-confidence like wondering: 

Which came first the report or the Daily TauBits for the Taking?  

Does it appear at some point in the stream flowing towards wisdom?  After? 

Or is it described each day warts and all, or only the “5’s” included in the body of the report? 

Is the report a knowledge product offered as a separate manuscript?  Separate from the process now of going back and publishing the beginning days?  

Or will that process reveal the answer to Leo’s questions?   

I mean from a year timeline you can’t have a report until the experiment is finished, right?

Shut up Leo.  I’m sniffing out my introduction.

As a life-story writer I’m intrigued with living life as an art form in a natural experiment. About how we navigate through every day life weighing facts, yet making actual decisions based on our best intuition and logic.  How our brains work.  And finally passing TauBits of Wisdom on to others who find me but, mostly to my heirs who neglect my freely given advice. 

And, as a vehicle for returning to my first career. After earning a Masters Degree in experimental and clinical psychology and when I left off researching how two hemispheres of the brain inform our different selves — now that I’ve completed other careers. 

All of my careers shared a common theme tying people, places, things, ideas, information and trends together in new and original ways. You know, the real work of an idea packager steeped in teasing out patterns from trends or forecasts from data-driven or non-linear sources.

Art lives upon discussion, upon experiment, upon curiosity, upon variety of attempts, upon the exchange of views and the comparison of standpoints.— Henry James

I’m documenting my natural experiments in a way that could be repeated in a pre-pandemic, pandemic and post-pandemic world.

It’s a start.

Evidence

However comma, Emma the Baroness and I feel disappointed that our legitimate Holiday Tau just didn’t measure up today.

Random ones that make me want change my sign.

That just means we’ll shop around until we find something more suitable.  Don’t you wish today is your birthday and you get all those animated balloons flying up up and away in your iPhone from well-wishing text-ers?  Me neither.  However comma we should check back in time for summer money and each of the seven milestones.

Today’s Holiday Birthday: 

As for the long-term goal you’re devoted to, you’ll reach seven important milestones within the year. You will thrive in a community that assembles around you as you share what you love. There’s a method you’ll follow to money in the summer. Perfect the system and make it your own.

Patron Saint Time …  Hmm …  Your Holiday Tau certainly weighs in with a lot of sense.  Something to consider as the pandemic restrictions lift and we can grab a Starbucks at a table and just catch up.

“4”  Steve McQueen (1930 – 1980): “You’ll hit it off with new people. Don’t be afraid to be the first to call and establish a relationship beyond the original circumstance that brought you together.” Aries 

So it’t not just because of the variations in how you refer to yourself — Steve, Stevie, and Stephen — all names attached to me over my life so far, I resonate more deeply with your TauBit of Wisdom for today’s passion project.  Ruff, Ruff …

“5”  Steve Winwood, 71; Stevie Wonder, 69; Stephen Colbert, 56: “Treat your mind by feeding it the stories and equations, art and movement that gets the mental wheels whirring. Your receptive synapses will spark with brilliant ideas.”  Taurus

Hey Aoki, are you in conspiracy with Leo da V? This is a project with steps I’m taking and tasks I’m executing and self-imposed deadlines I’m meeting, so there’s no time for beauty or birdsong or spring flowers blooming … or squirrels taunting me.

“4”  Steve Aoki, 41: “You’ve a gift for seeing the potential in things and getting excited about their development. It’s not that you want them to be otherwise though. Every stage has beauty in it. Don’t push or rush to results.” Sagittarius

Here’s my ask:  since you both exist on a plane somewhere in quantum cosmic time and Walter Isaacson wrote books about both of you exploring your life and genius ways can you do something to shut Leo da V up for me?  Wait. What? Yeah I’ve seen him interviewed on Stephen Colbert the other night about it too.  I’m number 10 on my library’s 1 Kindle copy of the “Code Breaker.” Damn it Leo!

“5”  Steve Jobs, (1955 – 2011): “You become quite aware of the energy flow — who adds to it, who sucks from it, and how things tend to unfold depending on who gets involved. Think of this as good data. Collect it and refrain from judgment.” Pisces

What’s Going On …

Literally Bottled and Set Adrift from KnowWhere Atoll 

    • @KnowLabs suite of 36 digital magazines jumps from  7650 to 7742 this week organically grown followers

Foresight

Quality-of-Life 

Long-Form

    • “Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge” by E.O. Wilson, an entomologist who studied colonies of ants for their insights.  But didn’t stop there, according to The Wall Street Journal, “A dazzling journey across the sciences and humanities in search of deep laws to unite them.” 
    • “True Believers,” the novel by Kurt Andersen (which seems to precede Fantasyland)? I like how he goes back and forth from now to the ‘60s in which the main character is writing a memoir, but needs “Okays” from her friends who had been hiding a secret for 40+ years that could ruin their careers?  Like, what’s my equivalent? “Disappearing Through the Skylight” by O.B. Hardison, Jr. which proceeded “Consilience” by a decade.  Hardison’s been described as a polymathic renaissance man who wrote, “… Nature has slipped, perhaps finally beyond our field of vision.”  What does it mean for “… science, history, art and architecture, music, language, ultimately, for humanity”? This one provides missing chunks of understanding where we came from and where we’re going.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Inspired by: Holiday Mathis – Creators Syndicate

CENTER FOR KNOWLEDGE CREATION AND INNOVATION

The Knowledge Path | Know Laboratories | Knowledge Banking | Knowledge ATMs | Western Skies and Island Currents | Best West Road Trips

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