CONTEMPORARY EXPLORER

I always cleaned my desk off on Friday. Hoping they would say I did a good job. I guess they did, because on Monday they  Always brought new files and folders. All filled with problems no one wanted. I had been with the company so long.  I no longer remembered all the changes. Just how to solve the problems, That happened every day. It became my portfolio.  The cases no one wanted. Others who sought only easy ones, Always quickly gone with the downturns. I still had my work though. My chair, my desk and dignity. When there was a problem, They still knew my name. David Young

“I disliked numbers, and they did not think much of me either…”  R. J. Anderson, Ultraviolet Numbers define us, guide us and defy us. They are unfeeling and always there. They don’t lie. They can surround you with rational and irrational ones. There are the trio of complex, prime and natural ones. Integers, even, odd. Computable and non standard ones. All vying for your attention. They conspire to make our story. Only to file it away with the others. Numbers lead you to places, but also let others find you.  Some say they have cultural and mystical powers. Numerologists dwell on the purity of One (the potential of new beginnings), the searching of Seven (a spiritual awaking) and the satisfaction of Nine (the world will want to share the wisdom of your journey).  If you want love roll a Six or money an Eight. But roll a Zero and your out, left to dwell on if it’s a number at all. Numbers are only important because we let them be. They seem con...

Websites are key to success. They reinforce the presence of your business and build customer confidence. However, websites are just static creatures. On their own they can’t  sing and dance  to attract new clicks and customers. That’s the role of social media marketing. A blog is one tool to do this. It’s easy to be tempted to establish one. You have special knowledge and product insights you want to share. You want to stay in touch and build your client base. Great examples of this abound such as Eric Kim Photography. His blog over time has turned into his website. With the help of his blog, he has become not only a photographer but also a sought-after product reviewer, street philosopher, seller of camera accessories and giver of seminars around the world. A very profitable enterprise. Blogs have the advantage of being easy to launch and update. They are great “calls for action” platforms and can be shared on other social media sights such as FlipBoard, Link...

I dreamed of a bird That flew to me. What could it mean? My days were a mess, A world without Things that made sense. But there was this quiet bird. I dreamed again of the bird That flew to me And learned it was enough To just be… dty                       '17

MEAN WIDTH RATIO It used to be so easy. You went with your raw courage of conviction to calculate the right path. The winning game.  Learning more about life, you got more counsel on things from both sides of an issue. Lucky you were if you could see the middle ground of each and combine them for a solution. Aristotle understood this wisdom calling it the Golden Ratio, also known as the Mean Ratio.  Through the ages the concept has been applied to large systems and unique situations in architecture, nature, business and art to find a way forward. Today, the sides are so much farther apart on the important questions of our times. The world far more complex, the calculation of solutions so much harder.  Still there is the art and beauty of trying to find solutions and the satisfaction of the wisdom learned along the way… David Young

“Any work is more honorable than idleness. I continue to dig with the hope of something better.”    Chong Sung, displaced Chinese businessman Despite the soaring business success of the new Sharing Economy (SE), there are inherent risks for the participants, business and society. There is also the question of what the SE is really reflective of. The SE has its roots in the Great Recession of 2008 when many workers were forced out of traditional jobs. Today nearly 40% of workers are Self-employed, temporary or freelancers. Long before the term SE came into existence, the principles of this economic model were practiced among the low income. They survive through skills that might be called “improvised self-sufficiency” or better known as the underground economy. Here people share housing, food, clothing, use government programs, barter, borrow money from peers, share transportation and services from non-traditional venders. They also often had their ow...

“Mannequin: A dummy used to display clothes in a store window. An artists, tailors or dressmaker’s lay figure. A form representing the human figure used especially for displaying clothes or fashion.” - Webster’s Dictionary There is a certain art to mannequins, especially where you sometimes find them. Some people have problems with mannequins and find it easy to feel uneasy around them. There seems to be many reasons for this. Part may be due to horror movies such as “The Mannequin” that always seem to bring mannequins to life. Or “Abe” where a mannequin becomes a robot who seeks meaning and love with horrible results.  People find them creepy for other reasons. The discomfort of seeing a human face that is not human. Phycologists call this syndrome the “Uncanny Valley.” Something that looks almost but not quite right, it sets off our thinking to the feeling it’s wrong, eerie or even revulsive. When it looks human but is not, we distrust it. This syndrome is deep...

There were movies made here. Big movies with  Stars  and all that. They came to town, a caravan of people, props, cameras and crews. Taking over the limelight and commerce. Locals worship at the altar of near fame and stardom. Some played extras or carried cameras. Gala openings were held. Programs handed out. People dressed and showed their best. Sometimes catching a glimpse of themselves on silver film.  All gone now, only stage sets and empty storefronts remain. The movie theater now closed. The box office empty.  Still they wait in the alley, ghosts of those opening nights huddled near theater and backstage doors. Hoping someday the  Stars  and fame will return… David Young