My frist chapter

My frist chapter, that is ahcem, first chapter will be about power symbols.

Let's start with the most obvious, that of law enforcement. Many little men have discovered the power of enforcement of the law. The sherriff's badge, which I happen to have as a belt buckle today (you see I have a thing for power symbols), is a clear power symbol, one of authority and the right to do bad stuff on you. This symbol is made more powerful in today's culture by the cut jaw of Mr. Eastwood and the swaggery squinty Mr. Wayne. These badges come in more shapes and sizes than the good trusty tin pin-on five-point, but most people get the hint.

On a digressive note, I can't get over the news items, and there seeem to be more than a few lately, where people have taken the badge and uniform and paraded as cops in order to get their way, the worst case being the man who kidnapped people with it.

Still on the topic of law enforcement we have the Crown Victoria, made by the not-for-long standing Ford Motor Company, as a symbol of getting your sorry speeding shalopy pulled over and you paying money in the form of fines and increased car insurance. Hit someone in the pocket book and sure enough they jump, or in this case they jump on the brake pedal.

Speaking of catching speeders, I enjoyed the tid bit in the free ad+news paper yesterday, here (uhm, I can't find a link, don't even know if one exists... if I find it I'll come back and make the appropriate edits), and speaking of cameras, I found this tidbit.

Now back to power symbols:
I wonder if power colors should be their own chapter? I don't think so since it's been pretty well covered, and there's not much more to say other than red and black are power colors and here's some examples. (i.e. the cover of Devil's Advocate with Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino)

Now back to power symbols:
I can't really think of any more at the moment, except maybe weapons? Guns, knives, bombs, and vehicles are generally symbols of power. Yes vehicles in the 21st century are weapons, just ask NYC. I also would say the vehicle is a weapon any time someone is run over by a car, espeically if that person is in a crosswalk. Someone with a vehicle around them is clearly less vulnerable than someone without.

What else shall I include in this first chapter? Maybe tech as a symbol of power? I tend to prefer the understood and understated minimalist displays of power as effective, whereas some people prefer the macrodisplay. I think when a technology is in its infancy it tends to be gregarious and engaging, whereas when it matures it tends to become more sophisticated. I'm better at sweeping statements like that more than I am at backing up such, but I think most people would agree with me (when I can't support I just get the support of 'most people'). At any rate this is an idea for thought food and one worth exploring. If not by me, by someone at least, I'm already on to the next whim.

Till next time.

Moo

Right now, reading The Big Moo, a better book than most of the self help books I've read, just because it's so easy to read, and easy to apply quickly. On the other hand, I can't completely discount other books, penned by the likes of Napoleon Hill, Thomas Stanley, Stephen Covey, or those folks who write Crucial Conversations for that matter, which by the way is a great book. I haven't read the first book by Seth Godin, Purple Cow, but I plan to. I'm probably reading them backwards, but that's alright.

One thing I thought about after reading a little of the Big Moo is the name of a business. Words like Yahoo, Napster, Google, iPod all had little to no meaning just a decade ago. Maybe not a decade any more, I'm getting old, but let me think... at least 12 years ago. Granted these are internet objects, but even so. I wonder if the name for my wife's company is really the right one, or the best one. I think we're going forward with it anyway.

Also, while I was reading the book, I started thinking about something I really enjoy, that is information at my fingertips. I love the internet for that reason. Sometimes however, I don't much like Google, because I get lots and LOTs of results that I don't want. At the same time, it the result I do want doesn't even show up within the first two pages of results. How does that happen? I generally just work around it without much thought, and try different strings until I get what I want or close enough to it. The fact of the matter is that search engines really have their work cut out for them because there are so many exceptions to the rules one would like to make regarding the information superdump that is the web.

Google: garbage out, or, garbage left everywhere. a weak play on google, but I was also thinking of the GIGO principle and how the government, to whom I am contracted, could be so much more effective if the information was organized, centralized, and readily available. Not that everyone doesn't want to get to that point, but why is it so difficult.

I also fantasized about being the go-to person for information. I could get there, I think. Provided I have the time and energy and I don't get swept into my next big plan.

My other book, which I'm only part-way through and which I have to wait to be mailed to me is The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene. Well written to say the least, it's easy to see why it's a classic. I have to add though that I'll be glad when it's over, I don't overly care for the main character, or I should say I don't overly care about the main dude, he's hapless and helpless and representative of all of us in some way I'm sure, but in the final result there's not enough, at least not enough for me. There are some great moments though. I'll have to get the book back before I can write out a blockquote but there's a bit about being a saint I like, and there was some stuff earlier about whether or not to be an atheist, something about making your will match God's which in turn implies that you actually wish your misfortunes on yourself and others' misfortunes on them, which I think would be hard to swallow, if that's what it takes to believe in Him. I'll add my .02 and say that it doesn't have to be all or nothing like that, I'm taught that evil happens without the help of God, he simply decides when to put his foot down. I wonder if that means He wills it because He doesn't stop it? Some would say, "yes."

Confusing as Cricket

Saw this on Yahoo.au within an article about Australia winning something called a 4th Ashes Test.

In the first session today, Glenn McGrath, playing his last Test in Melbourne before his retirement, was the last man out for a duck. McGrath was caught in the gully by Ian Bell to give seamer Sajid Mahmood his fourth wicket of the innings.

Also I discovered how to do a blockquote, which was something I wanted for some of my book quotes previously. Now if I can manipulate the blockquote to something neat-o, that would be swell.

Anyway, I'd hate to be the one out for a duck caught in a gully by anyone.

I'm not even entirely sure they were talking about cricket, but there was batting and bowling in the same game.

Eagles

Right now I'm listening to the Eagles, and they're really good! I had a bookmark for radioblogclub.com, and randomly went back to it. I think I must have been perusing an audio clip at the time I made the bookmark, and the audio list had Eagles in it.
Hotel California
Tequila Sunrise
Peaceful Easy Feeling
just great songs. I like blues, some misc electronic, and of course almost all my old stuff, REM, Toad, Indigo Girls, etc, but you know it's nice to listen to a little of everything (unless it's about bitches and hoes in the hood).

Get Rich Immediately and Easily!

Today I completely avoided my book, there's only a little left to read and I don't have a replacement lined up.

Instead I read the free "news" and stared into space at occasional intervals. This guy had taken out a full page ad to get people to take his get rich quick workshop. He almost had me convinced. I realized that this guy isn't getting rich off of real estate any more, although I'm sure he has some good income from that, but another big chunk of income is from his books and workshops, and I wouldn't be surprised if he was getting more dollars on the hour from that effort. I'll say for myself that I don't have the instinct for the jugular required to really make it in real estate.

That's all I have right now.
This gives me an idea for a book. Do I write it here? Will anyone see it?
My other fear is that there will be a rash of books in the same vein.

Renaissance

The title of this little post isn't fitting, that is unless you count that Michelangelo was somewhere in that time period.

You see, I saw someone on the train last week, and instantly decided to write about her and haven't done so until now. She instantly made me think of a Michelangelo, or DaVinci painting, with her rounded forehead, hair falling flat from the crown, and then soft curls starting near the temples, falling to her shoulders. She had reddish hair. I'll add that I was surprised how short she was when she stood to get out at the same stop I did.

This morning tying my tie, I noticed a small pull about halfway down. I'd known it was there, but felt sad and annoyed all over again. This feeling didn't make me take my tie off.

I'm reading The Plague still, and nearing the end. I'll have to find another book. I had intended to read The Stranger by the same author. The book has such wonderful moments when characters express themselves or events occurr and the author explains in a certain way. Last week there were quite a number of passages I wanted to put down here, but alas I can't be bothered to make up for my sloth.

How can I expect myself to write a book, dedicate time to it each day, add pages to it, if I can't even consistently add to this little web log. Still I think it a good start, similar to my start into the monogamous life. I didn't do well at first, but gradually weaned myself from the thrill of omnogamy. Now only my eyes and some part of my mind, a secluded and very small data store periodically archived and deleted, posess all.

Just now I wonder what else I didn't do well but eventually got the hang of... Painting walls, perhaps? I'm still not brilliant, but I think I have improved some, with patience and practice.

Phrase of the day, which I came up with while talking with my co-worker: "you can't have 'atmosphere' without 'fear'". Naturally it doesn't work on paper, but phonically it's amusing. Now having had that thought, how about a meaningless addendum: " you can't have 'atmosphere' without' sphere'".