Making Ripples: post-corporate adventures in Floyd County Virginia

An infinity of blog posts...

Stumbleupon.com might be the inspiration you need

With Stumbleupon.com, you will never run out of interesting topics to write about again. It is a free service that enables you to find pages you are not looking for. You don't search for them in the conventional sense, you stumble upon them.

StumbleUpon uses ratings to form collaborative opinions on website quality. When you "stumble", you will only see pages which friends and like–minded stumblers have liked.

No description will give you the reality that 10 minutes of stumbling will do. I find that it exposes me to sites that I could never have found otherwise. It is so fascinating, and addictive, that I have to limit my use of it in order to get my work done. My current strategy is to stop after a completely satisfying discovery.

Here is a discovery I made only moments ago:

Stumbling upon the Art of Philip Straub

Philip Straub is a concept artist, illustrator, author and art director. He is quite prolific. He does everything from oil paintings to digital art to children's books and home decor products.

I could fill up pages, but these images speak for themselves. They cover the range from surreal fantasy to cartoon-like simplicity.

You can check out his website which contains digital paintings, illustrations, and Fine Art Limited Edition Archival Prints. You might also want to Check out his 3D textures.

Here is a photo of the artist himself. 

Country life has a lot to recommend it

You get to hear friends perform

Bernie Coveney entertained us Friday night at the Over The Moon Cafe and Gallery in Floyd. It was a great combination of gourmet food, good wines and wonderful guitar music.

Bernie is an extremely competent guitar player, equally at home playing soft rock, bluegrass, or jazz. This evening he entertained us with Beatles and bluegrass.

We shared a table with Doug and Amy Thompson. A good time was had by all. Next time, we may be able to get some other local bloggers to join us.

You get to play with serious toys

It is very satisfying to reduce a fallen tree to firewood without a lot of effort. A chainsaw and an electric log splitter do the hard work and i just lift and carry the final product, properly-sized firewood.

I use a Husqvarna 455 Rancher Chain Saw with a 20in Bar which makes short work of the largest logs on my property. This 455 Rancher is lighter and more powerful than other saws I have used. Safety glasses and noise-cancelling headphones are a must.

This 6-Ton electric wood splitter from DR Power slices through logs up to 16” thick.

I took this log splitter right out of the box and split enough wood for a week in about an hour. It's a no-brainer to use it. You put a log on top of the splitter, step around to the back end and control the ram with a single lever. You advance the ram to the log at high speed and drop to the lower speed to split the log.

The entire cycle takes only seconds. The pieces fall away and you put a new log on the splitter and repeat the cycle.

The instruction manual for the log splitter had more warnings than the instructions for my table saw! The manufacturer really wants you to exercise care while using this machine. The ram does not move very fast, so there must be users who are working overtime to operate this splitter in a dangerous manner.

For example, using this splitter is a one man operation, The manufacturer makes the point that two man operation is a big no-no, because it is too easy to lose a hand in the splitter. One man operation means that you have to get out of harms way in order to operate the splitter.

I had considered smaller electric splitters, but I have too many logs that are almost 15 inches in diameter. I don't need a more powerful gas splitter because I can't lift logs any larger than these.

I am able to use this splitter with a fifty foot cord which has 10 guage conductors. If I need to split logs at a greater distance from the house, I will need to drag my portable generator along.

You get to spend quiet time with your family

After a hard day working outside, Gretchen sat down to read the latest edition of Country Living. Buffy immediately took up a position where she could see the pictures and keep and eye on the rest of the house. Gretchen said that Buffy was purring up a storm. All must be right in her furry little world.

I hope the same is true for all of you. Have a great weekend!

Why Ripples?

I have been writing this weblog with the non-intuitive title of Ripples for 2 1/2 years and am finally able to articulate the reason I chose the name. It all has to do with change, the persistence of ideas, and the fact that every change telegraphs its arrival by creating ripples.

All one has to do is to watch for ripples of a certain kind and one will see social tsunamis coming while they are still far over the visible horizon.

Change is continuous and turbulent, sometimes fast and sometimes slow. The one constant about change is that there is no rest point, only nodes of relative inactivity.

My observation has also led me to believe that change is never a step function. It is always preceded by lesser changes of similar character. These changes can be observed easily in hindsight even when they are exceedingly minute. I happen to think that even the minutest changes can be observed while they are happening if one cares to look for them.

Ideas seem to have a life of their own. One might almost posit that ideas are immortal, much like spirits. They certainly seem to have some of the same characteristics. Nothing significant happens, whether good or evil, unless there is an idea behind it, or a spiritual being driving it.

Perhaps we tap into the Force, as Luke Skywalker did, or there may be an infinity of ideas floating around, waiting for a receptive mind to pick them up and execute them. Whatever the mechanism, there is certainly some indication that ideas propagate spontaneously, because too many people come up with the same idea, even complex inventions, with no prior connection.

I have spent a lifetime observing events and looking for reasons. I don't pretend to have all the answers, but I have observed that there are precursors for every social change. I think of these precursors as ripples in the fabric of life. All you have to do is to observe an interesting ripple and keep an eye on it from time to time, and the next thing you know you are in the midst of a sweeping change that alters the course of your life.

If you see these ripples and do nothing about them, you feel stupid when the change takes away your livelihood or your comfortable way of life.

If you see these ripples and tell no one what you observe, you are committing a harmful act which will rebound against you in the end.

If you notice ripples, tell people about them and they throw stones or bray hysterically about your lunacy, you have the satisfaction of knowing that you did what mattered and your integrity is intact.

If you see ripples and use all of your social and communication skills to let people know what they mean, you are actually starting ripples of your own. If you are skillful enough and choose the right audience, you may even influence enough people to make a difference in their lives and in your own.

There are ripples all around us every day. Some led to a better and saner civilization, some lead in the other direction. Some of the ripples I have my attention on currently, in no particular order:

Home schooling
Mainstream media degeneration
Blogging as a power tool
Micro-businesses
A growing inability to confront terrorism
Citizen publishing
Trends in business and in marketing
post-corporate living
Internet-enabled lifestyles

I write about country life, of course, because we worked hard to get here and it represents a lifestyle that has a lot to recommend it. I also write about the good things I see and the good people I meet, because life is to be grasped with both hands and enjoyed to the fullest every day.

You might say that I observe and blog about country life as it happens because that provides the background against which ripples stand out in marked contrast.

Ripples lead everywhere, which is why my posts cover a wide range of topics. You are free to ignore the ones that disturb you or don't interest you. There are plenty of others which lead in directions you may wish to pursue. I don't necessarily follow these topics to completion either. My interest is in pointing them out to those who may have need of the information.

If you are seeing ripples in the fabric of life and no one is paying attention to you, please feel free to send me an email or leave comments as the mood strikes you. You may be on to a paradigm shift that no one else has noticed yet.

Let's exchange notes...

Another reason why mainstream media is losing readers

A Failure of the Press

When we were attacked on Sept. 11, we knew the main reason for the attack was that Islamists hated our way of life, our virtues, our freedoms. What we never imagined was that the free press -- an institution at the heart of those virtues and freedoms -- would be among the first to surrender.

This provocative quote from a Washington Post article titled  A Failure of the Press by William J. Bennett and Alan M. Dershowitz represents another indication that people across the political spectrum are beginning to realize that the press has betrayed not only its duties but its responsibilities.

It has gone so far that the bias of the media is no longer an issue. The real question now is where will this abdication of responsibility end?

Reporting opinion as news has given way to outright support of organizations and causes which seek to destroy our American way of life. We really don't need more enemies when the Fourth Estate is acting like a Fifth Column or is cowed by threats. See When fear cows the media By Jeff Jacoby, Globe Columnist,  February 19, 2006.

To counter this spreading of disinformation and opinion as reality, we should refer to original sources before passing on inflammatory information as gospel. Otherwise we are like those clueless people who pass on bogus spam warnings or those people who absolutely believe that 9-11 was an inside job.

This isn't a matter of political leanings. It is a necessity that we have a free and open press which expresses opinions and presents news. When opinion masquerades as news, there is a natural reaction in the physical universe and we see blogs supplanting MSM media when this occurs.

What is the future?

I think there is still a bright future for mainstream media, but it will have to clean house first. Today's news is suspect and like the old story of finding too much rat shit in the coffee grounds, we are looking for other suppliers of news.

If I read the Daily Kos, I know in advance what the agenda is and can sift fact from opinion. If I read Instapundit, I know I am reading a Libertarian viewpoint. If I read Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler or Capitol Hill Blue, I know within seconds where the writer's sympathies lie and can evaluate whether to believe the information presented. In addition, I can follow the links to see if they lead to actual source material or merely to others who have similar opinions and no facts.

I think the smaller independent newspapers get this already and have enlisted bloggers to help them stay balanced and still keep the costs down.

What news media do you trust?

Tag: mainstream media

A new Carnival of Homeschooling is up - week 8

Whether you homeshool or not, this is a movement that is beginning to have a significant impact on the future of education.

This is just another one of the "ripples" that I find myself tracking because it heralds a paradigm shift in the way our grandchildren will be educated.

Perceptive parents are continuing to migrate to homeshooling - and that worries the teachers unions! These unions are increasing efforts to control home schooling and convert it into public schooling done at home. I don't think these unions have the student's education in mind, because homeschooled children routinely outperform public-schooled children in tests.

See posts by some homeshool bloggers on this latest Carnival of Homeschooling.

For a sobering view of the state of education in South Carolina, you might want to read Thank God for Mississippi!  and other comments from citizens of South Carolina. Then go on to read What Our Children Need on the same South Carolina State Department of Education website. It makes me wonder how citizens of other states rate their schools and what the states are doing about it.

I know there are a number of people in Floyd who homeschool their children. I would like to hear their views and read their blogs.

Jesse WhiteCrow - Just passing through

I was sitting in the Cafe Del Sol today and I struck up a conversation with Jesse WhiteCrow, an intriguing 42-year-old who is walking solo across America - on a journey to discover himself. 

Jesse is a well-organized traveler with top-of-the-line hiking gear and a base camp back in Sheffield, Mass.  He even has a gear list on his website. Every detail of his equipment was unique. I was fascinated by his hand-inscribed titanium drinking cup.

He is an artist and a blogger and writes a compelling story of his trek. According to his business card (I said he was well-equipped) he has a book in progress.

He seems to attract bloggers, or perhaps it's the other way around. Sean, the Tech Monk, came out of temporary retirement to blog about his recent meeting with Jesse.

I don't know if Jesse will find himself through this journey, but I find his writing compelling and hope to read his book when it comes out. For a sample of his work, you should check out this account of his stay in Floyd.

Jesse keeps a journal in his Moleskine notebook. This is a sketch of the place in Floyd where Jesse spent one night with hospitable strangers:

It will be interesting to follow his further adventures on his web site.

I wish him well, but I am happy I chose a different route for self-discovery when I was 42 years old. There must be something about the early forties that makes us suddenly jump the tracks and seek new horizons. Jesse gave up home and family to seek out his destiny. I did much the same and so did others I know.

Have any of you experienced this need to rewrite the orderly program of your life? Did it happen when you were in your early forties?

 

Incredible audacity and success

Marketing guru Seth Godin  says, "You're either remarkable or invisible. Make your choice."

There are a lot of examples that come to mind, but Hugh McLeod is an outstanding example of someone who knows the marketing game so well that he can fearlessly break the rules when it suits his purpose.

Hugh's irreverent attitude toward conventional wisdom in advertising and PR has never flagged. He continues to skewer Big Media, ad agencies, and stuffed shirts with equal enthusiasm. His unique combination of unflinching candor, outrageous ideas, and profane humor has made gapingvoid.com one of the most popular marketing blogs.

First, Hugh persuades Thomas McMahon, bespoke Savile Row tailor, to begin a blog, English Cut, about the finer details of bespoke tailoring and the industry in and around Saville Row that operates at this elevated level. Then Hugh blogs about $4000 suits which, of course, is far off the radar for any sensible blogger, let alone one who started out with cartoons on the back of business cards.

Now, with English Cut and Gaping Void generating so much tailoring business that Thomas could be forced to expand, Hugh and Thomas are considering reinventing the game for English Cut. The idea is basically limiting output to 100 suits a year. According to Hugh, that's roughly 2 suits a week- less than what they're making at the moment, but not by a wide margin.

His rationale is quite sound:

"They only make 100 suits a year" is a good meme. Creating the idea of "scarcity" in the customer's mind is probably the best marketing move you can do, if you can get away with it. People want what they can't have.

I think the idea will fly and will end up being another one of Hugh's remarkable campaigns. In my opinion, the winning elements that will make this successful are:

1. The scarcity is real. Only so many suits can be made to Thomas Mahon's exacting standards.

2. The vast group of people who might want and can afford such suits are continually kept informed of their scarcity by Hugh and people who read his blog.

3. This approach to doing business is so foreign to the "bigger is better" mantra of modern business that business media types will continually revisit the English Cut story in an effort to find the flaws or to provide their own slant on the REAL reasons for English Cut's success.

Once again, Hugh and Thomas have pushed the envelope in another direction. This unlikely combination of masterful craftsmanship, full frontal Internet exposure, and limited quantities available are an irresistible combination.

My feeling is that his audacity will be suitably rewarded.

What do you think? Have you ever heard of output being limited successfully?

Have you ever considered how you might change your own business proposition to make it remarkable, instead of merely "sensibly" profitable?

Sky King - a surprising role model

I wrote an earlier post, Meanwhile, back at the ranch,  about the Sky King radio show and its secret decoder rings.

I recently discovered that there is much more to the Sky King saga. Many baby boomers became pilots because of the lasting influence of Sky King and his Cessna named Songbird.

It probably isn't so surprising because the flying rancher and his team fought crime in high-tech style. He flew a twin-engine plane and used two-way radio equipment to outwit and overcome the bad guys. He was a western hero of the future in many respects and this captured the imagination of his youthful audience.

There were four radio Sky Kings including Jack Lester and the announcer was a fellow named Mike Wallace, who went on to become famous in his own right.

The TV version of Sky King starred Kirby Grant as Sky with Gloria Winters as Penny.

There is a treasure trove of Sky King material on Kent Volgamore's Kay Vee's place including DVDs and pictures. The pictures shown here are just a preview of those on Kent's site.

Be sure and check out the testimonials from the men and women who became military, commercial, and private pilots as result of listening to Sky King and Penny on the radio or watching them on TV.

This poem by Jim Dilly captures the spirit of what Sky King meant to these people.

SKY KING
by Jim Dilly

My heroes have always been cowboys and they all carried guns-
and they all rode horses-that is all but one.

When he went to the rescue he flew a Cessna plane.
His ranch was called the "Flying Crown" and "Sky King" was his name.

Like all cowboys of his time he always fought for right,
and watching him there on TV lead many of us to flight.

Every Saturday morning our hero would arrive with a pair of roaring engines
out of the clear blue western skies.
Many lives were touched by this TV man
and many of the pilots today are pilots because of him.

We need a hero like him more now than we did then,
but unfortunately they quit making heroes like him.

What a splendid legacy! I am sure there are more examples like this. Can any of you readers recall being inspired to embark on a career because of a radio or TV series?

Tag: Sky King

The world is getting smaller by the day

The house next door was listed for sale a few weeks ago. I found out this morning that it was snapped up yesterday by a guy from Southern California - and he is someone who you have met on these pages!

I was backing my van out of the driveway to make room for another wave of contractors when I saw this trim-looking guy ambling down the neighboring driveway with a friendly smile on his face.

He introduced himself as Tom King, my new neighbor. When I introduced myself, his jaw dropped and he asked, "Are you David St Lawrence, the blogger?"

When I owned up to being myself, he started to laugh.

"I know all about you! I wondered why your house is so familiar. I've seen it on your blog!"

Tom King is the reader who commented on my blog in reference to lack of support from Smart Move. He has also commented on several other local blogs.

It is a strange experience to meet a reader of your weblog for the first time. You start to describe something and you quickly realize this person knows your pets, your friends, and your likes and dislikes. It cuts through the normal introductions because the person really knows a lot about you and if they are standing there smiling, it's because you are already friends.

I brought Tom to the house and introduced him to Gretchen by saying, "This is Tom King, our new neighbor, and he has left comments on my blog."

Gretchen knew immediately who he was and all about his experiences with Smart Move. Within moments we were chatting like old friends and welcoming him to Floyd. We were discussing introducing him around until we realized he knows the Floyd bloggers almost as well as we do.

He even knows about Loki, Doug Thompson's ailing kitten. Like I said at the outset, the world is getting smaller and we have a new old friend.

Tom is not a blogger yet, he says, but he is a ham radio enthusiast. I don't think he realizes that ham radio was an earlier form of the communication we enjoy as bloggers. Blogging also lets you reach out and touch others, but it offers the additional factor of persistence. As a ham operator what you say is lost once you are off the air.

I believe Tom is staying in the Radford area until he can move in next door. In the meantime, if you meet him at the Blue Ridge Restaurant, Cafe Del Sol or at Oddfellas, give him a big hello.

Selling yourself is a life-time job

You have a Computer Science degree. Now what?

I was doing my weekly shopping in Home Depot and I was helped by Carl, who is a recent graduate  of Radford University's College of Information Science and Technology.

He had a degree in Computer Science, but had been unable to find work in his chosen field, so he was working at Home Depot. A few minutes of conversation showed me that he was not only personable, but he knew his field well enough that he would be a useful addition to any company looking for a System Administrator or any number of entry level jobs requiring technical knowledge and a good manner with customers.

Why was this fellow not employed?

He had attended a school which has the stated goal to equip students with the skills, knowledge and abilities needed to build successful careers in a 21st century global information economy.

According to the Radford University website, the College of Information Science and Technology curriculum provides the theoretical foundation necessary for a career in information technology while grounding that theory with hand-on use of current tools. From databases to routers, our students have the opportunity to link theory and application. Their mission statement covers this in greater detail.

I asked Carl if he was networking and he thought I meant building computer networks. He had no concept of the value of personal networking as a source of job referrals. He had submitted his resume to several regional employment lists, but had done no personal selling effort.

I gave him my 60 second elevator pitch about personal referrals accounting for 85% of all job placements and stressed that he had to tell everyone he knew about his job search.

He got it immediately.

I told that my book, Danger Quicksand - Have A Nice Day, has a lot of vital job-finding tactics and was still available as a free download. That brought in a smile and he said he wanted to read my book.

He asked me for the URL and immediately wrote it down. I think he will be out of Home Depot sooner than he expects.

An opportunity for colleges and universities

What intrigued me most was that this new graduate had all of the tools and skills to be a productive member of many different companies, but he did not have the tools he needs to land a job.

If there are many more graduates like Carl, there is a counseling opportunity for people who actually know the ropes of handling interviews and networking for employment opportunities. I consider it to be a waste of valuable resources when new graduates are not trained as competent networkers.

Without this skill, it is almost like a graduate is an unfinished product. They may have all sorts of capabilities but are not able to market themselves effectively.

What do you think?

Tag: getting hired