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."