Month: January 2005

It seems there was a mistake in a shipment of Doris Day DVD’s. The BBC reported, Sex movie mix-up shocks couple.

Now here’s the kicker.

The couple, regular attendees at their local Baptist church, settled down with a cup of tea to watch the 1957 musical… “My wife and I were very shocked but we watched it until the end because we couldn’t believe what we were seeing.”

When people are in shock they’ll watch just about anything! This was a mistake, but just turn the T.V. on and you’ll see this kind of stuff happening intentionally.

Not only do companies have problems with translating things into foreign languages. But now slang is the problem too. Ha Ha, McDonalds! Takes their recent catch phrase “I’m lovin’ it!” to a whole new and disturbing level. Did I say Ha Ha?

Well, I’m still looking for finding ways to extract event data. If you’ve got any suggestions or sites to read, send them my way. At the same time, I’m now working on building out the advertising portion of the database and UI. This of course is needed if I want to make money, and well…I do need money to make the business go.

…speeding cheetah? Here he comes to save the day!

Update: There was a link. I removed it because it was a 404 and not even Wayback Machine has it

This past week my Company of Friends Group was discussing aspects and thoughts towards Networking. Stewart Marshall has learned some great lessons and shared them with us, and the conversations that ensued were interesting and eye opening for me.

The best aspect I took from our conversations was the misplaced negative stereo-type people have created over the years about networking. I’m not exactly sure how and when this happened but I know I had this idea until this conversation. the term “Networking” for me conjured images of fake smiles and fake hand shakes. Giving your card out to thousands of people and knowing only 1% might actually keep it. I found myself surprised that concepts and principles in networking are the exact same I use to make friends. It all comes down to meeting new people, however we’ve found that we can do that, use it.

So as a learning and growing project, and being an internet person, I’ve decided to start linking in through various networking sites and to give them a try. I’ll be adding the Networking sub-category to my Business Category, and as I learn about these sites and explore, I’ll definitely be keeping everyone in the loop.

Side Note:: This also keeps in line with this new concept of chaos theory. New People = Unexpected = Chaos.

I’ve seen a couple of instalments of The Hour and so far it’s a refreshing take to news. Previously, I stopped watching news or caring about news because quite frankly it sucks. All of it, the news; the people. Well, welcome George Stroumboulopoulos and welcome back caring about news! I love this new take. Congrats not just to George, but to the CBC for allowing this on the air. He started his interview “Hey Man, what’s happening”. Who does that?

I had intended on writing maybe a witty, and maybe and interesting post today. I wasn’t exactly sure as to what or how or why. No topic had come to mind. I woke up, relaxed and made my morning Postum. As I sat on my couch and started to drink I realized by butt was wet. Matter of fact, there was an odd smell. Oh crap! My cat had pissed on my couch yet again! I have been trying to figure out why he was doing it. I thought I was on the verge of figuring it out. It’s not his food, it’s not his water, it’s not his litter, it’s not the living room. It’s not anything! Oh, and I’ve tried everything to clean the stuff up with. I’ve tried all sorts of brands. Cleansers with chemical, enzymatic cleaners, natural cleaners. I still haven’t found anything. I found a reference somewhere to a new product which has a remote possibility to maybe get rid of the hidden smells we humans can’t pick up on. So with that minor chance of a whim, I’ve just had to order online. I’m starting to go mad. My friend vanessa say’s to get rid of the couch…i just spent $600 on the couch a couple of years ago. I’m not throwing it out. I tried to look how much it would cost for new cushions. Guess … no just guess. $80 each. That $160, I don’t have that money. Especially when I’ve quit my job to start this enterprise of my own.

Funny thing, is that just yesterday I was having a talk with my Dad about this my new lessons about the chaos theory. I’ve come to the conclusion that everything, regardless of whether I know it or not has a root cause. My Dad on the other hand believes that some things don’t have any reason. They just happen. So we debated on this for a little bit. In my new idea, to really fix a problem you need to know the root cause. If not, then you are just masking the problem. But what about moments like this where nothing is evident. You can’t figure out the root problem. Do you give up on trying to figure what the root is? We don’t always have the time to find the root cause. But I guess figuring out our own answers is part of the process. How we handle and learn from the unexpected is how we can define our success or failure.

The title of my post might be a bit confusing, but let me explain. I started this post with the hopes of creating an idea about how companies can really become a society. By becoming a city, there could be so many positives. But as I though and compared I noticed a potential comparison for another social order. For some it could be scary, and for others it might not be. But take a read and let me know your thoughts.

Are corporations the biggest cross border communists? There seems to be this social statement “booing” and shunning communism: Russia, Cuba, Iraq. So why is it that we allow corporations to act the same? Lets take a look at just one definition of communism.

A system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single, often authoritarian party holds power, claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people.

• defined on dictionary.com

“A system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy…”

You look at a company and tell me it doesn’t do this. When a company opens, its basic design is to make money. To make money you need to control or at least plan to control you economic corner of the world, regardless of what corner that is.

And as an employee who’s not in the “government” or, should I say “management”, did you plan this control? Did you really have a say in it? Management can take your advice and suggestions but they are the real ones who are creating the plan, regardless of how you feel.

“…a single, often authoritarian party holds power…”

Who hires your CEO? Who hires the President of your company? Was there an election? If there was, then wow! Chance are, I’m thinking a small group or “party” made the decision. If not, it was just a single person who said “I am the President”. Even take a look at your management team. Did you put them there or was it their bosses? Power is an interesting conversation. Sure, some could argue that really the employees hold the power, but who do those people allow to use it? I’ve herd people who “had” to stay at the office late because of something their “boss” assigned them. People “having” to do a task which they don’t like. But still waking up in the morning and doing it. No one should have that kind of power. But it happens in corporate culture every day.

“…claiming to make progress toward a higher social order…”

There are lots of programs and incentives and tools that companies use to calm their masses. Improvement Teams, An annual review, 360 feedback, they are constantly coming up and devising new and “improved” methods for making the company “flow” better. Terms like “synergy” evolve and Managers and Directors grab onto it like a moth to a flame. Hoping to be able to use this term to maybe claim that they have a form of higher social order. After all, they have “synergy”. Companies need to constantly “claim” to be making improvement in how they “perform”. After all. The better a company performs is a reflection on how organized or ordered their society is…right?

“…which all goods are equally shared by the people.”

That should be amended by “proportionate to how valued your contribution”. Take a look at any dictator. They don’t live in a shack. This is really where the downfall of communism lies. Greed corrupts and eventually the dictator redefines this principle to base it off of who “contributes” better; who they “like” most.

But in the terms of companies, they down right define it at the onset. The value of your contribution is given a dollar amount. Managers or Directors make more because they have a more values contribution. In a sense this dollar value is your share into the “goods” of the company. How many people get Bonus, or Commission. Again, a defined principle to “share” with you the goods that you have help obtain.

Conclusion

Now, I’m sure there are gaps in logic, faults in analysis. But, before you approve or disapprove all I ask is that you look at the commonalities for a moment. This thought was a complete accident. Chances are it might have been a thought or theory introduced somewhere else, and if so, I haven’t read it. I was trying to form something else, something better, yet there it was. Staring me in the face and I had to admit, it’s an interesting thought.

A few years ago, my friend, V and I went to an interesting seminar given by Krystyna Laycraft. She has an interesting theory relating chaos theory with creativity. Her equation looks simple yet has great applications, Chaos = Creativity. And since we came out of her little 1 hour seminar, I’ve been able devise insights into some of my dilemma’s; insights into my psyche; and insights into business, all using this new paradigm shift. All I can say is “Wow!”.

Background

The reason for going was V had heard about this seminar and ask if it sounded interesting. I thought, “hey why not.” Next thing I knew, tickets where purchased and we where sitting in a small room of about 30 people and Krystyna started explaining chaos theory.

As a creative individual, I was hoping to use this to be able to re-open and kick start a small creative hump I’ve been having. But as I listened, and as V and I continued to discuss afterward through the night, some pretty interesting and powerful Ah-ha moments ensued.

It was a lot to take in. I wasn’t taking notes, so some of my information can have a few gaps, but this is my rendition and learnings from the seminar. I suggest, if you get the opportunity to go to the seminar yourself.

Why Chaos Theory?

The best an most recent example of chaos theory is the traumatic tsunami that just occurred. The tsunami is a perfect example of chaos theory in action. A particular moment, in contact with another unknown element, caused a particle in the water to go left instead of right . This caused a chain reaction causing more particles to change there motions which lead to more and more alterations. The ultimate result is that of a massive wave of tremendous proportions. This incredible moment was caused by a single moment it time and space. Imagining the powerful outcome of the tsunami being put to use in terms of creative energy or moments. Gravity, Electricity, Penicillin, Sticky Notes, Velcro: these are all tremendous achievements and inventions that where made possible with a single accidental moment. Something unknown, cause a trickle effect leading to a surprising and life altering outcome.

A Quick Lesson in Chaos
( by someone regurgitating new lessons )

Chaos has several different stages but tonight Krystyna focused on 2, the “bifurcate” and “attractors”.

The bifurcate – is the moment of divergence of a particular element or particle. Essentially it is that moment of left or right. It is that moment where a path must be chosen. Hence the definition.

The attractor – from how I understand it, is the reason that has attracted the moment of bifurcation. It is also the predictability of the outcome of the bifurcation. There are 4 of these attractors (“outcomes”)

1. Point – this is a single definite moment. A definitive point. It’s a 1 dimensional element. The outcome is always known and predictable. An example, would be death. It is a finite single point that we know will happen to all living things. When it happens is uncertain, but it will happen.
2. Circle – this is a 2 dimensional cyclical pattern. It isn’t a point, but is a predictable cycle. Every point in the circle will be reached, and once the cycle is complete the outcome will happen the exact same way as it did the last. It again is a predictable moment, yet, only through seeing the entire cycle can the prediction become accurate. I personally am having difficulty finding an explanation or occurrence of this pattern. I think is would be a repetitive cycle. The outcome is a completely predictable once the full cycle is known.
3. Torus – this is a 3 dimensional pattern. Picture it like a hollow donut. And in that donut is a single moment flailing and spiralling through the donut in a particular direction, i.e. clockwise. Now this type of moment isn’t predictable, but a general understanding can be gained. That moment will eventually end up back at approximately the same place but the precise position/outcome will be unknown. The example are the seasons of weather. We all know that it will go from spring to summer to fall to winter. But how long that will take, or how calm or severe is completely unpredictable. We know that there is a general pattern, but cannot predict its exact outcome.
4. Strange – This is where the fun comes into play. Strange is a 4 dimensional outcome. Meaning that the outcome can be completely anything. Anything in 3 dimensional space, plus any instant of time, could impact the result. These are those complete spontaneous moments where something impacts our path causing the bifurcation. And example would be, if I’m walking down the street and all of a sudden a pebble comes tumbling down a hill and into my path. All of a sudden, I trip on a pebble and I stumble and fall. The moment is completely unpredicted and may never happen ever again.

My Ah-Ha Moment

Now, after explaining the fundamentals of chaos, Krystyna continued to help explain the creative cycle and how it comes into play. I’m not going to give the whole seminar away, after all, she is the expert and it’s her theory so, you should listen to it for yourself to be able to draw your own epiphanies and conclusions. But, for me, it’s all about the strange attractors. These are the key. Essentially, within the creative process there is a moment of “walking away” from the problem or the endeavor. It’s a moment when you get away to take a break. You might not even know you’ve walked away from something to begin with. In every good ( or ah-ha ) outcome, there is a “my best ideas come when I’m in the shower” or “I always know the answers right when I wake up in the morning” kind of moment. It’s these spontaneous insights into solutions, or ideas for new creations, that only through something unknown, and spontaneous, could the resulting outcome happen. Essentially my epiphany is this, you have to drive yourself in head first into unknown moments. Force yourself to be in unknown situations and unknown places doing unknown things. By maximizing and increasing bifurcating moments in your life, will you increase the chances of interacting with that single small moment which could ripple into the next big thing.

Conclusions and Applications

Psyche – Now this theory is known and applied by psychologists to solve psychological issues. I’m not going to go into too much detail, as it’s more personal of nature, but by tracking back issues in times of those decisions, and looking for those moments, can you really see the root cause. And, from my years of trouble-shooting and problem solving, only after determining the root cause can a solution be devised.

Creativity – Creativity in nature is spontaneous. When we get creative, and how to tap into that creativity is one of great conversation. Causing conflict, trying new things, Asking strange questions, all of these can be techniques into the next thing. I once heard that by playing a little word game during a brainstorming session, a major phone company increased its revenues from pay phones by increasing the weight of the phone receiver. Odd solution, but studies proved it worked. The heavier the receive the more tiered the arm was holding it. Causing conversations to be shorter, causing more available time for more people, meaning more quarters.

Business – in any business a single moment can make or break a business. It’s the skill of wave riding that really determines the successful versus the detrimental. In everyday there are always solutions needed to problems. So, the possibility to increase the “ah-ha” or positive solutions is to increase the unknown elements or moments. Conflict is proven to be effective in the workplace. Here is a great explanation why. Conflict=Chaos.

What the ….?

Update: Regardless of the reason, I still stand with my original statement. What the…?

Update 2: Switched to the youtube version. No one has flash anymore.