text:
- greg dahlen
- Glendale, CA
- United States
Alumnus, academy of achievement
This conversation is closed.
Do you like your job? What do you like or dislike about it?
Maria was cutting my hair, and I asked if she liked her job. She said very much, quite exciting to cut hair. Asked what she liked about it, she said she enjoys working with the different textures of hair, fine, medium, and thick. Unexpected and interesting answer.
I hope she was being straight with me, if she actually dislikes cutting hair possibly she would not want to say it to someone whose hair she is now cutting?
Also interested in how you feel about jobs you've had in the past.
If you don't like your job, is there anything you could do to make it better?
David Burns
Dec 17 2013: JOB? ... do you like your JOB? ... the word alone in this question brings out a feeling of something I hate. A JOB is something one HAS to do but dislikes doing. Yes, that is a personal opinion and you are free to feel otherwise. I have not had a job for near twenty years, my income, however, has risen and may continue to well past the assumed norm of retirement age. I love the old saying, "it's only WORK (or a JOB) if you would rather be doing something else."
- +3
I am happy to say that I do something I love and apparently others love what I do. Perfect symbiosis! I cannot suggest too strongly to ask yourself this question: "what, if I could chose, would I be doing right now"? ... think carefully and answer honestly ... then figure out how to make a living doing it ... that opens a door for many good and bad jokes ... take the closest off ramp from that road and get serious ... do what you love, love what you do and others will feel the passion and support it in ways you cannot imagine!
My path is creating art ... choose yours ... love life!
Dec 18 2013: that's excellent, David, I hope it will encourage any who might read you. Why is it that we have to say what you are saying, this strategy of asking yourself what you would do if you could choose, shouldn't it be easily evident to everybody? Prior to 20 years ago, were you less happy? How did you change, or what prompted the change?
Apparently you love copper? What is it about the material? You must love pennies?
What are some of aspects of being a professional artist that people who have never been one might not know about?
Dec 18 2013: I was not doing things prior to 20 years ago that I hated, but they did not sustain my creative curiosity like my copper work has done for me. Funny, is it not, I have returned nearly to the Bronze Age and feel right at home. Of course I have the option to dip toes into the 21st Century at will ... best of all worlds!
Yes I love pennies, real ones that is. Have a stash but doubt it is a wise way to hold value. Periodically they are shifted to other metals ... too weighty, matey.
As a professional artist (can hardly believe that title is applied to me) is the greatest thing I can imagine. I work at home (often do not leave the property for days) do something I love and people give me money. Can you find a problem here? I love where I live, how I live, who I live with (one great wife and one fine dog) and accolades are adequate to massage my ego regularly.
You have to have a controlled ego to do this. Meaning this; if you don't have some level of egoistic thinking, you probably won't be comfortable taking your work to town, shows, clients, etc. If you apply too much ego inappropriately, you will be sorely disappointed. The beauty of art is that we do not agree on what art pleased our own sensibilities. I cannot, therefore, expect everybody to love my work. It is up to me to find those who do ... The best part is that I get to do what I love and fortunately, many, or at least enough, also like what I do. Good questions and I hope to encourage others to consider this life path. Find what you love, live where you love, love who you are with and life is very, very sweet!
Don't do it because it is easy, it is not easy, just fun and fulfilling. Thanks for the questions.
Dec 19 2013: Your work is beautiful.Dec 19 2013: you're a good writer, David. Do you keep any journal of your experiences, perhaps you could write a book, or published essays, or a newspaper column?
Those are good facets I hadn't thought of, a lot of artists probably do work at home. I wonder why some jobs require that you go to a central location to work, for example, if you made clothing you might go in most cases to a factory to make it, but in theory you could have the equipment at home to make it? Maybe it just takes too much equipment and most can't afford to buy the equipment?
Yes, you would have to have belief in your work to sell it. Can you say how an artist looks at his or her work and judges it worthy, that's kind of hard to put into words, isn't it? It's a beauty of form, or a novelty in the idea? You do both originals and commissioneds? Can you say where you get the ideas for originals?
If it's not easy, what would you say are the difficulties?Dec 19 2013: David,
I share your sentiments regarding "job", and I call my life adventures "work/play". I do what I love and/or love what I'm doing. I have, for 60+ years, figured out how to make a living by genuinely having a life and loving it all.
In my humble perception and experience, there is ALWAYS something interesting, intriguing, beautiful, enjoyable, etc., about an action/interaction, and there is certainly ALWAYS the opportunity to learn something new:>)
I agree with Fritzie.....your work is very lovely:>)Dec 19 2013: You pose intriguing questions and they are fun to "TRY" to answer. Any artist who believes he or she HAS the answer may not be completely in touch with my reality. I cannot condemn others sense of reality - I cannot know what that is. I can tell you that copper has a level of permanence which appeals to my intention to "leave something good when you go" - something which will last. An epiphany moment in Rome many years ago, sitting in front of the Pantheon one beautiful evening, I noted that the durability of that amazing building ... over 2,000 years old. My carpentry expertise back in California at that moment will not be discoverable in a few hundred years, perhaps a lot less.
Walkng the streets of Rome the next day, passing buildings with copper features of many types, it was clear that most were old to ancient. It was a feeling I could not shake ... that's the short version ... the rest may come out in that book you suggest.
I would love to write and many have suggested it. I believe that there is a vast difference between a decent blog posting, a witty email and writing a book. The same level of passion I put into my copper is required to do justice in a book project. It is a heavy project and it would compete with copper. So far, copper is winning.
Inspiration comes from every source imaginable. From walking down the street to catching a glimpse of something on the Telly. One of my firm beliefs is that the main difference between the artist and everybody else is that the artist sees things differently. Could expand, but my word allotment is waning.
I never "KNOW" what others will like and as arrogant as it may sound, I don't care. I have to create for me, then find those who see it similarly. At first going to shows was like standing in a crowd having left your clothing at home. Not everyone will like what they see. Some did ... Whew!!!
Getting exposure is the hard part. Passion breeds luck. Luck favors the prepared. Follow ur heart!
Dec 20 2013: Is it fair to say that the reason copper will last is because it is "hard," David? But is there something alienating about hardness and metal materials, as a general rule we don't like hard and cold, we like soft and warm, don't we? But I may be misperceiving?Dec 19 2013: You might like the acronym I've heard:
JOB - Just Over Broke.
Dec 19 2013: hahahaha.... interesting wisecrack!Dec 19 2013: seems a little bitter, Arkady, I want to get rich, not just over broke.
Dec 19 2013: The acronym comes from people like David who believe that one can never get rich working for others.
By the way, why would you want to get rich? What's in it? There is a multitude of conversations on TED talking about how "rich" have to "pay their share", social justice, equality, etc. Do you want to be despised, frowned upon, taxed, and feel guilty that you are "more fortunate" than others? (Just kidding.)
But seriously, just getting rich does not sound like a worthy goal. I think, one has better chances getting rich pursuing other goals like David.Dec 20 2013: I suppose when someone is rich, it means they are doing whatever they are doing with excellence. So I want to do excellently? But I don't think you can put out high quality if you don't have high quality coming in, or am I wrong?
Fritzie -
Dec 16 2013: When I was about nineteen, I decided to make a life of working toward solutions to important problems, particularly those connected to poverty and restricted opportunities. Across a range of jobs, both formal and volunteer, over a long career, I have always known what I was working for and been grateful for the opportunity to apply my energy and whatever talent I had to it.
- +3
This does not mean every effort succeeded, but when problems are hard and lots of people are working on them, one has to be ready to try some things and see them not work as intended, then get back in the saddle and try something else.
Dec 16 2013: What specific jobs did you do?
Dec 16 2013: I have done both teaching and policy work, each in multiple settings. I am particularly invested in meeting the needs of people who are typically underserved in normal schooling.
And you? What have you been involved in principally?
Dec 16 2013: do you mean that you did ordinary teaching but deliberately chose poor communities to do it in? Or.....? It sounds rather noble, did it feel noble?
F, I would assume you enjoy TED conversations. What do you enjoy about it?
I have done many jobs. I have reviewed books for a half million readers. Driven taxi. Picked grapes. Motion picture-TV extra. Part of the reason I've done so many is that I've been fired from many, always for the same reason, being bad at office politics, or lacking "common sense." I would suppose the criticism has been fair.
As life went on, I got most interested in dairy and more of a self-sufficient lifestyle that would be based around owning cows and living off the milk. It's hard for me to get into this lifestyle because I lack a wife, having so far been unsuccessful at romance. I have the impression that you really need a spouse to do self-sufficiency, although so far I can't articulate why. Maybe it's a demanding life and you need someone to help with the challenges? Do you think my feeling is correct, that you need a spouse to live that more self-sufficient life?Dec 16 2013: I have taught across the spectrum of the population, from the highly diverse urban classroom with many languages spoken, to programs specifically for homeless youth, to students at elite universities, to high school drop-outs returning to community college as adults, to recent refugees illiterate in their own native tongues, to gifted kids, in online settings and courses, and at central locations drawing young people from the region... I am committed to sharing what I am, what I have, and what I can do, and teaching in various contexts is a life's work that allows me to give continuously in this way.
In answer to your question about your self-sufficiency, I do not know whether being a diary farmer is a life that required a spouse, but I am sure self-sufficiency does not. Robert Winner lives a rural life, I believe, with his family and might have better insight.
In terms of self-sufficiency, we probably all know people who are unmarried and lead a self-sufficient life. I know, for example, a handyman/jack-of-all-trades of sixty years of age who lives alone in a rural setting, can build or fix anything, rides his motorbike, plays gigs with bands, is on the board of a food coop, brews his own beer, is a gourmet cook, and so forth.
While Colleen was married, for, I believe, twenty-four years, she is no longer and leads a self-sufficient life in part by exchanging things she can do for things she needs from others, like wood for her woodstove. While I have heard no mention of a cow, that she grows most of her own food to me qualifies as farming.
Dec 16 2013: what subject, or subjects, have you taught?
Well, a cow or a goat. A friend couple lived in Colorado and wanted to produce their own milk. They bought a cow, but it produced too much milk. They sold the cow, bought a goat, and that was okay.
One concern as a single person having a goat is having to leave the goat alone to go do other things. One fears goat rustlers, around here Latin families sometimes kill a goat for celebrations, so they might grab it.
Do you raise any food of your own, that might be exciting to get your hands into the soil?
I will ask Colleen. Once she mentioned a dream meal of salmon, wine, and veggies, but of those I think she might only produce the veg.Dec 16 2013: Hello Greg and Fritzie.....I heard my name!!! LOL:>)
Getting our hands in the soil is VERY exciting.....gardeners know the best dirt! LOL
You are correct Greg....I only produce the veggies.....never made wine.....and have certainly tasted quite a bit of it....joyfully:>) I have a couple fishermen friends who generously give me salmon and other fish, and if their catch is not good, I find salmon and other varieties of fish at the supermarket:>)Dec 16 2013: I have taught math, microeconomics, public policy analysis, research methods, science, psychology, and problem-solving generically.
I don't grow food.
Dec 17 2013: Pardon me for jumping in. I wanted to share that I'm jumping feet first into an Aquaponics project.....growing fish which directly feed your veggies. I've a good friend who is tutoring me through the project. Fresh fish. Fresh veggies. Look into it if you've a chance. :-)Dec 18 2013: Fritzie, what are the aspects of teaching that people who haven't taught might not know about?
Do you think most people are happy in their job, or do you feel qualified to say? If we found that most people are unhappy, that would be rather depressing, wouldn't it?Dec 30 2013: care to say which of those was your favorite subject to teach, and why? I think of all those I would most enjoy psychology because it involves one's dealings with people.Dec 17 2013: Scott, do you have some sort of allotment (you are in the UK, right?) where you can locate this?Dec 17 2013: Greg, For a guy with a BA from Stanford your job success is rather checkered. Since your employers have been honest or at least up front with you and told you the reasons they let you go ... an you agree ... do you have any interest in working to resolve those issues. It has been my experience that employers who care about you as a person are more honest and concerned .... they saw your potential but also saw what is preventing you from achieving that potential.
I am not so sure that having a wife is the key to success. Getting married to have someone to share chores does not sound overly romantic. To share a life with, love, respect, and make memories to be shared in a continuing and growing relationship sounds better.
There may be a connection between your job success and your romantic success ... You may (or may not) want to examine what is missing or could use adjustment to bring them both in alignment. There is no 50% - 50% in a relationship ... it takes work and 100% from both of you.
Hope that you accept this the way I intend ... but sometimes it take a professional to help you overcome these issues what ever they may be.
Good luck ... and I wish you well.
Dec 18 2013: yes, getting fired is traumatizing, but I always gave my best on every job so it's not that bad. Hopefully I learn and do better, I haven't been fired for a while.
Mmm, well, of course one wants to love one's spouse. I'm thinking that one can get love from one's friends and friendly acquaintances, an awfully big part of marriage is working together, isn't it?
In terms of my overall career arc, I'm okay with it, Robert. And I keep seeking romance, I suppose all one can do is seek, is there ever a guarantee one will find?
I've had about 500 sessions of psychotherapy. I do believe it has helped me and would recommend it to others. I probably don't feel the need for it now, and I believe my therapists would concur.Dec 18 2013: I think you could do an internet search about job satisfaction to get a more reliable picture of how people feel about their work. The answer will be different in a snapshot taken now than if you took such a snapshot ten years ago and may be different depending on where people live.
I would expect most people find their jobs to have some pluses and some minuses. Further, depending on a person's temperament, some see the positive aspects in their lives more vividly and others focus on the negative.
I think people who do not teach a classroom of kids full-time who are different from their own kids do not have a sense of what a teacher needs to do to meet the diverse needs before her. It is much easier to teach one on one or to teach a small group of your kids' friends a fun subject than it is to teach, say, a full-sized urban classroom in a neighborhood affected significantly by poverty and crime.
Many people, I believe, think they would make great teachers, who would probably fare poorly in a real classroom full-time, because they actually do not have the skills or patience for helping students learn the fundamental content of a course of study. While respecting kids and doing fun activities is an obvious part of the job, there is more to effective teaching than that.
Also kids vary surprisingly in how well they retain material, even if one is working with them one-on-one and supervising lots of hands on experience with the idea.Dec 30 2013: I taught each subject to different cohorts of people, and the experience was as much connected to the subject as to the students and where they wanted to take the learning from the course into their own lives. I have no favorite among them for the contexts in which I taught them, except that I moved away from teaching science. I taught a lab course for one year at the secondary level and was too worried always about kids' burning themselves and so forth.
Jan 11 2014: I wonder why you would be worried about kids burning themselves but other teachers aren't.
Fritz, this conversation is nearing its end. In my separate websurfing, I stumbled upon a talk that made me really think of you. It is the commencement address by Laurie Anderson at her own alma mater, School of the Visual Arts. She does talk about her own college teaching experiences, plus some general observations on the artist's life. So I include the link here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zthU59YvuqY I did look to see if Laurie has ever given a TED talk, and I couldn't seem to find one, surprising?Jan 11 2014: Thank you for the link. While her speech would have been too long for TED and perhaps a bit low key for the format, what she offers, as many speakers do, is a point of view. Another speaker on another day might have a different point of view, and her not truly taking a posture of persuasion but more of sharing reflects the possibility of other angles that might fit as well, depending on the artist's temperament.
I happen to be reading Miro's letters, and while any actually creative person will live a life of exploration and experiment, one can see Miro had too much intensity to walk the path she walks and yet for him, his process and attitude was a more liberating creative fit.
People too are creatures of their time and place.
Amy Tan's TED talk presents a creative view and process that is different and unusual.
Jan 11 2014: what was his process and attitude?
You're saying miro's wildness was a product of his time and place? And laurie's mildness a product of hers? How so?Jan 11 2014: Not his "wildness." He was, in fact, a very disciplined, extremely hard working person.
He was deeply influenced by his being a Catalan at the time of the Spanish Civil War and often was in exile. There is a strong sense of urgency and rebellion underlying his work. As an example, he exhibited next to Guernica at the 1937 International Exposition.Dec 20 2013: Which job you mean Greg? Do you mean the job I am paid for or the job that brings me recognition or the jobs I do for others?
If you mean the job I do for a pay, I'd say I like the way I love and hate it at the same time. This is the job I never thought I'd do but am doing now anyway and have become good at it and may be I'd do the same job after I am officially retired.
My job is to predict how a river will behave in short and long term when someone intervenes with it. Depending on the intervention my organization may spend from millions to billions. My predictions are about 60% correct now, and in my job that is considered good enough. But many times I was happy when my predictions went wrong.
I love my job because it lets me be intimate with rivers. I see rivers as live, beautiful and wild beauties that I can hardly fancy at this age. I hate when I need to predict ways to tame, cut or shore them up.
And rivers taught me to do jobs that I can always do without having to be paid. Those jobs involve lives, stories, laughter and cry of many many people and I wish I keep doing those jobs till I die.
Dec 20 2013: well I was thinking of the job we get paid for or devote most of our time to and have the most expertise in. What point are you trying to make, Pabitra, that we have many jobs besides what we get paid for? But in a certain way you do get paid for everything you do, don't you?
Sounds like mostly a beautiful job. Is it really so disappointing when you have to tame them or shore them up, after all taming them leads to a lot of good things for a lot of people? Truthfully I don't know if I've ever been to a wild river, is there really such a thing? What do you see when you look at a wild one?
The last paragraph sounds very interesting but I'm afraid I don't immediately see how rivers taught you about lives, stories, and so on. Do you mean by being exposed to the people who lived by the river? Can you share some of their stories? I have heard that the Chinese government is rather cavalier about forcing people to move when they need to alter the natural landscape, how about the Indian government?
How is your conversation on humor going? I think sometimes how the word "humor" is like "humid," having to do with being wet? So maybe it's no accident that the river expert is funny? Do you find other people in your field have an exceptional sense of humor?
I would have guessed you did some less nature-connected job, this job is exciting enough that I'm surprised you haven't mentioned it before? Do you like to talk about it? Maybe people start peppering you with questions like I'm doing? But it's fun to answer questions, or it gets annoying? Are you actually going to the rivers, or are you in the office mostly? If you're going to the rivers, you're traveling all over India? To other countries?
Dec 20 2013: Oh, so many question, my friend ! :) But I like your asking me, you appear to be uninhibited :D
You are right that I get paid for all the jobs I do, the money is the least of the pay backs.
The river that I work in is part of one of the largest estuarine delta system in the world and it is known as Hooghly. Here is the place.
If you zoom into the dolphin shaped accretion island named Nayachar in the middle of the river where she started to funnel out to the sea you may see the dark beak of the dolphin. That's the area where I planted roughly 45000 mangrove saplings in 1992 to 1994 that are now 40 feet tall and proudly waving in the sea air. In the late eighties I walked into the island, then just a mudflat, a 28 year old civil engineer from a city and hardly knowing from this place I shall embark on a journey in a strange river country spending almost 10 years in wilderness and see life unfolding in way I never imagined.
Oh rivers can be very wild you know and at least twice she almost made me drown in wild love :) But she also took me to places and showed me people who are the most wonderful, proud and profoundly sad.
I was trained to dam her up, stop, bend and make her behave the way civilization demands. I tried and failed. It was in one part because you can never chain her free spirit and in other part because I saw the complete futility of working against such a magnificent nature.
My masters in environmental sciences never taught me to feel the loss when parts of such beauty dies in harness, it also never taught me to deal with the pain and anguish of the people who live off her with a strange sense of transience.
I sure have many stories, of my adventures into rivers and forest, of my Muslim crew of the vessel I 'captained', their selfless love for me and attempts to feed me beef (bless my Hinduism!) and of my beard and straw hat that I sported for years. :)
Dec 21 2013: Thank you, Pabitra. What do you like most about a river, is it the water, the vegetation, the animals, the humans who live around it? Are the people living by a river different in some way, can you put your finger on it? Do you live by a river, if not why not, surely you could have moved to one?
I see beauty in water, it captures my imagination. These days if I go swimming in the ocean and some salt water gets in my mouth I allow myself to drink it, that is different from my younger days when I would spit it out.
Now wait a second, you're saying you only worked on one project in your whole career, and that you failed to accomplish that project? How did you keep your job?
David Burns
Dec 19 2013: An interesting and positive conversation here. Thanks to all who have traded thoughts with me. Colleen, most recently, made my heart sing. I love your attitude Colleen! We know of the awful things surrounding us, the media throws it in our face by the second. Few headlines read, "Artist Is Having A Great Life" ... those few of us who would gravitate to that story immediately do not sustain the talking heads.
- +2
Yes, keep finding those learning moments in everything you see and touch... it's there and it is not only the artist mind which, as I said earlier, sees things differently, it is there for everybody who is willing to remove all blinders. If you look for trouble it will find you, look for peace, beauty and joy ... it too will find you.
This is a great way to approach the coming happy days no matter ones beliefs or leanings.
With nearly a month to go on this thread, I will be looking for more to love. All boats rise with this tide.
Dec 20 2013: Thank you David,
When your heart sings, it causes my heart to sing more....I love your attitude as well David, and I think it is contagious:>)
Yes...."stuff" gets thrown at us, and it is all part of the life adventure. Check out this other conversation and see what our young wise friend Mingkun Wan has to say about this. Hope you don't mind Mingkun:>)
I wholeheartedly agree....if we focus on and look for trouble/problems, that is exactly what we will find. When we focus on beauty, joy and peace.....it too will find us.....well said David:>)
All boats rise with the tide........reminds me....
"The winds of Grace are blowing all the time, it is up to us to raise our sails"
(Ramakrishna)Dec 20 2013: David, I appreciate your expressions of happiness. You must be an optimist, are you optimistic about the world in general or just optimistic about your own life?
Would you mind saying more about the artistic mind and how it sees, I believe you didn't fill us in on that previously because your words were low. I believe some reading this would enjoy knowing how to see more artistically because they could use that in their own lives. But perhaps you don't want to reveal your secrets?Dec 15 2013: musician - life is sweet.
took me a long time to get here though.
i like the nervous energy i get leading into a gig. the immediate and unique communication that happens between performer and audience is addictive and cannot be reproduced in any other way.
no white-board meetings, no pointless paperwork, i'm my own boss and i love singing.
Dec 16 2013: Thank you, Scott. Any idea why some people are reasonably comfortable performing on stage and others are inhibited?
Where have you gotten an impression of pointless paperwork? I would think businesses cannot survive unless they are fairly stripped down and doing relevant paperwork.
Dec 16 2013: it's partly an ego thing - doing your thing in public.
part of the instant kind of communication i mentioned - people applaud your work (if you're any good). i always like to imagine a plumber getting a standing ovation after fixing a broken toilet and other such jobs that are worked everyday to no applause.
the dynamic between a performer and audience can be highly energised. i've played some pretty intense (in a good way) gigs with my band and the buzz from that situation is massive and, like i say, difficult to reproduce anywhere else.
all the paperwork i have been involved with is largely pointless and time-wasting but i have really only worked in teaching which is very different to private business, i imagine.
plus, in New Zealand, there is bureaucratic overkill for some reason (i think this is a growing issue around many countries).
but i never use contracts or anything but i do deal with invoices and receipts and that stuff but i like to keep it to a minimum :)
Dec 16 2013: well, plumbers do get a lot of appreciation and thanks, but it's true, they don't work in front of a crowd. But it's curious, while I appreciate and enjoy musicians, could we say that what a plumber does is more crucial, or can you rank those, Scott? Or maybe musical performance is more important than plumbing, maybe musicians inspire a lot of creativity out of their audiences? (I'm just asking myself why some musicians are better paid than plumbers.) Any musical performance is more intense than plumbing in the sense of being brief and the musician doesn't perform 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year.
Can you put your finger on what makes one rock singer better than another? Because rock singers aren't necessarily gods of technique? Maybe it's just a feeling that's hard to put into words?
Yes, I've heard that is intense. What would you say that dynamic is that is different from singing alone at home?
Can you say more about time-wasting paperwork? I've worked many different jobs, both public and private, and generally the paperwork seemed pretty reasonable.
I have worked as an extra in TV and movies, and that's a pretty nice buzz. Maybe it is that performance, high-visibility thing. It's very tiring, you get home and you're exhausted although mostly you sat around that day.Dec 16 2013: 'performing' in public increases the nervous energy and I guess for some people that's closer to anxiety than for others.
i chose the example of plumber because i do think the trades are generally more necessary than entertainment, although you can argue that entertainment is very important in it's own way.
plus, there are memes doing the rounds on facebook, etc, about musicians being worth more than a few free beers, etc. one of the common ones i have seen is a letter to a bar owner who expressed shock at the price for a 5 piece band - the response is for the bar-owner to ask 5 plumbers to come in and work "after-hours" and see how much they charge - a terrible and inaccurate analogy but typical of the "musicians are worth more" memes out there.
i think there are some musicians making big coin but that is directly related to their exposure and popularity. as a band who has not "made it", we certainly struggle to get paid 'big' money but for me, it's a lifestyle thing and not really a fast road to riches. if i wanted loads of cash, i would have gotten into corporate banking.
it's hard to say what makes one singer better than another because it's pretty subjective. to me, it's about performance of the song, the songwriting and FEEL. Neil Young, Dylan, The Band, The Kinks are all huge influences for me. these guys write brilliantly and perform equally well without being ironed flat through over-used production techniques or dressed up to appropriately 'fit' an audience's perception of the genre.
Neil Young is well-known for doing whatever he wants and to hell with the record company. Geffen rejected his album "Old Way"s" for being too country and told him to do something rock n roll. Neil recorded "Everybody's Rockin" with a band called the Shocking Pinks. He took Geffen literally and created an old-style shoo-wop rock 'n roll album as a "f-you". it's quite hilarious. Geffen then tried to sue Neil for not being Neil Young enough. Neil wonDec 16 2013: singing at home is enjoyable - i do it a lot to keep the rust away and learn new songs but there is a strange dynamic between an attentive audience and performer (if the audience ain't listening then it's the performer's job to make them).
there is communication of a sort - not usually spoken but often visual - facial expressions, dancing, clapping, stamping, smiling, yelling and whistling. this can go both ways - silence at the end of a dismal performance, booing (very rare).
and then, in the middle is heckling which can be positive or negative or neither, just an interaction. i enjoy this because it helps you to develop a rapport with an audience by responding in an entertaining manner, it means the audience is engaged one way or other and is never scripted or planned - part of the attraction of live performance.
but what i like the most is the immediacy of the "feedback". you know, before the song is even finished, whether it's going down well or not. when it's not going well, it often gives me a rush and the desire to pick it up which often leads to taking it "to the next level" as people say.
as for paperwork, i've been subjected to unnecessary paperwork, double handling and so on but i frequently find it too far removed from the real job (in my case teaching). in NZ, a teacher seems to be judged more on their planning than their ability to communicate effectively with their students.
it's frustrating because, even though there is a digital revolution happening in schools, it never seems to be utilised to streamline the bureaucratic side of things. in fact, in my last teaching job, we had to enter and handle data both digitally and on paper - this double-handling increased the workload for no reason other than ye olde tradition and did my head in. sorry about the verbose response :)Dec 16 2013: oh, forgot to mention:
dress code - you can wear what you want - tatty shoes and jeans to formal functions; ridiculous trousers; ostentatious shirts; sunglasses inside; over the top hairdos (if you have hair), etc.
drinking on the job - it's not only expected but encouraged and one universal perk of being in a band seems to be free drinks and often meals.
outspokenness - you are often allowed to be a little more crass than in other walks of life. also, you aren't required have any religious or political affiliations although you can if you want.
girls - this is like money. there isn't really any until you're famous but it can make it easier to break the ice if a girl you want to strike up a conversation with has been watching you all night on the stage.
Dec 17 2013: thanks, Scott. Well, I think I was starstruck, I was thinking of the famous musicians who make a lot such as Jagger and McCartney. When I look around on the web, it looks like the average musician is making about as much as the average plumber. It's kind of interesting, when you think of a famous musician, it would seem no individual fan spends much more on one in a year than the fan spends on plumbers. For example, if I go to see the Rolling Stones once in a year, and buy one Rolling Stones record, I might spend $100 that year on the Rolling Stones. And I might spend $100 that year to plumbers. But apparently what the Stones do is unique enough, fulfilling enough, that scads of people spend that $100 on them, so they make a lot.
Appreciate the description of how it feels to sing. So what would you say is being communicated, or what is the dialogue, is it only a dialogue of emotion, is there an intellectual dialogue? Would you say it fulfills a different part of you than TED conversations, which is primarily intellectual?, or are TED and rock singing somehow related?
I have heard that belly dancers are also afforded a particular freedom to speak in the countries where they are common. Wonder why musicians and dancers get this leeway?
Do you dance as well as sing?
You had to enter what sort of data both on paper and digitally? The same data twice? This was due to what tradition?Dec 17 2013: i think the big, famous musicians have an advantage in that what they produce has strong emotional bonds for their fans. they also have the advantage of being able to garner a huge audience so they can command huge profits - if they are well-known enough.
the communication thing is hard to explain but i guess it's partly to do with the way people seem to enjoy being part of a big crowd.
for the wild dancers, it's physical and emotional and possibly a release of sorts.
there are those that sit back and watch intently - often because of the lyric so i guess that could be intellectual.
there's also a shared love of music which is evident - i have had many guys come up quietly after a gig to say how much they liked one of the covers and they turn out to be huge fans of that particular musician. this usually leads to long discussions about music and bands.
I often select cover songs that have some meaning to me - sometimes they are songs that are slightly subversive or roll a bit against the grain. often, they are just clever use of words or a wry and insightful observation on people or life. so it's definitely an intellectual thing for me. in fact, i would say that i am a writer and performer, not a musician as i am not highly technical or knowledgeable about music or the guitar.
i'm not sure if you could say that rock singing and TED are related but i think there are elements to rock n roll that most people can relate to.
i think musicians and poets have always been allowed to get away with breaking social boundaries - i suppose it could be like lancing social boils in some ways - giving people an outlet in an appropriate setting. some one said to me once that they enjoy conversing with musicians as they tend to be more clued up as to what is going on. i'm not sure that's true.
i do not dance but it's only because i can't.
the paperwork thing is due to the changeover between hard copy and digital and will get better.
Dec 18 2013: well, Scott, would you say you have intellectual interests? Do they coalesce around any certain topic, or topics, or are they all over the place? When you taught, what were you teaching?
How is it that someone can't dance, you aren't paralyzed? Maybe you should take a dance class? Dancing is a lot of fun.
I'm wondering if musicians are allowed to be more crass. Maybe we allow anyone to be crass if what they're saying holds water? Can you give some examples of where you were crass, and what you think the connection was to your being a musician?Dec 19 2013: definitely intellectual but also emotional and physical. the combination of these things is a heady mix.
i like the pop song because it strikes me as being the perfect way to communicate an idea or a thought or a sentiment.
it's poetry but better than traditional poetry - that's why i write songs rather than poems.
i like the 'ruggedness' of rock - that i can be a bit looser than in other situations because it's an appropriate setting. people kind of respond to it - if no one is dancing, i will often remind guys that dancing counts as foreplay in an attempt to entice people onto the dancefloor. it often sparks a bit of debate too when a guy yells out "yeah" in response and his girlfriend whacks him and says "no it doesn't!".
my main interest is popular music - bands and generally the 60's era of music.
i can dance but don't often do it. i swing my elbows and knock my knees together a bit when i'm singing and playing guitar but not really dancing. i jump up and down a lot too. maybe shuffle around while the other guy plays a lead. it is fun. but you probably won't find me on a dancefloor.
swearing a bit on the microphone is not unusual but we tend to keep it to a minimum and limit it to certain situations - otherwise it loses effect and lowers the tone.
come to think of it, we're not often blatantly rude but oblique and make use of the double entendre. like i say, humour helps loosen up a crowd. you also learn to do it mostly because the guitarist is tuning up or the drummer is taking off his skivvy or something else is going on and you need to fill the silence (which is deafening if you're on the stage).
but there's also the idea of the saturnalia - that time when social norms were stood on their heads and more liberal speech and action was allowed for a short period. i think we all need to step out of our regular shoes and cut loose every now and then. this is my job, hence my thankfulness for being able to do it
Dec 19 2013: thanks, Scott. You know, you're an excellent writer. Are you keeping a journal of your musician experiences, perhaps you could write published essays or a book or a newspaper column.
You know, you're right, a song definitely has an idea aspect. It has never occurred to me to discuss with anyone the ideas I was hearing in songs, but I'm going to look for opportunities to do it. But one weakness I see of using songs for intellectual nourishment is that often one is drawn to hear the same songs over and over, but really doesn't one get the ideas in the song the first time one hears it, it doesn't continually provide new ideas the way, say, talking on TED does?
What ideas are you putting in songs, or emphasizing? Are you a 'cause' writer, do you find causes you'd like people to get behind, like no nukes, and try to write a song to persuade them?
Well, I mostly like dance for the exercise, I think it's a way to exercise that feels very good. I find I can dance anywhere, for example, as I type these words I can roll my belly in the chair in a belly dancing type motion. I like to dance (mildly, keeping the feet in one place) whilst waiting in line at the grocery, waiting on the corner for the light to turn green, and so on. It's an idea I'm trying to popularize, that you can dance anywhere, any time, with or without music, but it may be a losing battle. Most people seem to feel like life is a little more boxed up, like there are situations where you dance, at a nightclub at 9PM with a band, and there are situations where you don't, in line at a minimart at 10AM.
One hopes in general a performer likes his audience and is not too inclined to be rude. Sometimes there is a way to be rude that positively advances the situation. I would say people accept rudeness from anyone if the rudeness is appropriate to the situation. It could be that performers can make a better judgement as to when to apply rudeness because they have.....Dec 19 2013: these intense communicative experiences as you say.
The idea of dancing anywhere is somewhat covered in Sara Bareilles's video "Brave." Have you seen this video, what do you think? http://www.vevo.com/watch/sara-bareilles/brave/USSM21301304Dec 19 2013: i'm a fairly uptight guy which is why i don't dance but is probably the same reason i have been drawn to performing in a band as an outlet.
i rely on the "muse" thing when writing - i feel as though ideas and thoughts bubble away for some time and eventually manifest as a song. it's a strange process because sometimes, it does feel as though the songs come from nowhere.
i have an idea, often a title or a good line and then build the song around that, so most songs are idea driven - they start with an idea anyway and once you're started, the rest is relatively easy.
i don't write too many love songs or if i do, it's not really a love song, it's just disguised as one. mostly i write about things i see around me and try to put my spin on it.
songwriting keeps you sharp because you cannot dither and drivel on too long.
i always like my audience - by rude, I mean risque; a little blue not offensive or ill-mannered. most audiences that i've come across are generous with their attention and response. but at times, a belligerent audience is good because it forces you to utilise all your stage-craft to win them over.
it's simple really - let yourself go and give it all and people respond because they can see you are being quite straight with them - as opposed to striking poses and living out cliches.
as for dancing, i can see how it would be a great release for people and i agree, it should be done more often and in less 'expected' situations - the world would be a better place if everyone sang and danced more often.
my band will be making a music video soon for a song called Pagan Games. it's really about this idea of forgetting everyone else's expectations and just let yourself go. we're going to be dancing and frolicking for the camera so I guess I'm going to have to learn some moves.
Dec 20 2013: Scott, do you care to talk about what it is to be fairly uptight?
I wonder how some musicians rise to the top? I'm thinking they may be more demanding. I have read the Beatles were very demanding in the studio, they weren't satisfied to be just good enough, they kept going til they got what they really wanted. Would you be comfortable that way, being demanding and really going until you got exactly what you wanted? Or do you settle for good enough?
It's hard to think someone could attract an audience if they disliked their audience. Most people want to be liked. But people might like it if you placed a demand on them sometimes too?
One thing that depresses me is people who can only loosen up via a narcotic such as alcohol. Scott you said you like being able to drink, is it something you have to have, or can you forego it?Dec 19 2013: cool video.Dec 21 2013: too self-conscious to dance with others around.
as for musicians rising to the top, there should be good music (but this is not a requisite) but there needs to be a management/marketing team that knows what they are doing. it is a very rare thing for a musician to make it to the top solely on the strength of their music - sad but true.
the Beatles stand apart from other bands because of their sheer talent as well as the effect they had on popular music. their songwriting is brilliant and their vocals very, very tight - you can hear some amazing vocal-only recordings on youtube. they are a great example of feel over technique (though McCartney probably covers both) - neither Ringo nor John were virtuoso players on their instruments but that doesn't matter - it's that rock thing again.
i don't think any performer actually dislikes their audience - although you see with people like Kurt Cobain, the fake side of the industry - all the idol worship and myth that springs up around the great bands - can be what they hate.
popular music can be art or business - it's rarely both. when it is, that's when you get Beatles, Rolling Stones, etc.
audiences can be like bands - good and bad. there are music lovers and music consumers. music consumers are a recent phenomenon and they are a result of the internet's effect on music dissemination. these are the people that think a band is like an iPod and demand the song they want to hear and expect it now. they also often expect bands to be able to play anything and everything. rather than enjoying the listening experience. i don' t give those sorts of audience much regard.
i don't need alcohol to 'relax' but it is one of the perks/dangers of the job. it can be an artificial lift to help boost your energy - this can be helpful when you're playing a song for the millionth time - and it can easily become a habit. if i'm honest, that's all part of the attraction that performing with a band has for me.
Dec 21 2013: Scott, is it just luck when a band gets a good management team? But surely there's something you can do to increase your chances of getting good management, research various firms or ask other bands?
I wonder how the Beatles got good vocal tone? I'm sitting here trying to emulate them and it seems when I push my lips forward and form a tightly pursed hole to sing through, it does sound more like them, but I lose the ability to pronounce words as clearly. Maybe with practice I could pronounce clearly.
Never quite got why people wouldn't want to be idolized.
popular music can be art or business--you mean it can be art or it can sell a lot and make a lot of money? Can you say at all what makes something art, Scott, I know it's a hard question?Dec 21 2013: in New Zealand (population 4.5 million) there aren't enough management groups and there just isn't a big enough market - it's DIY until you crack it but it takes a set of skills that musicians often lack.
many managers groom young performers and mold them into a marketable product. that's how Lorde made it to the top - she has been groomed since age 13 and very obviously targets an american audience.
for a band, you can hope to get someone with management skills who likes the band and foresees a great future - these people, like bands, probably have to work for peanuts to begin with until the band has achieved some kind of popularity - these people are rare.
In The Beatles early years in Hamburg, they were playing 6 days a week playing for 8 hours at a time. that kind of practice leads to perfection. McCartney and Lennon also had fantastic voices that complimented each other just as much as their songwriting.
enunciation and mike technique count for a lot - it takes a bit of practice to get comfy on a microphone. My biggest struggle vocally is to not sing in an american accent - this is very easy to do as most of the pop music we hear is sung this way because the roots of rock n roll are based in the States.
The lyric has always been the main attraction for me but also the way the words are sung - vocalists I like are David Gilmour/Roger Waters (Pink Floyd), Neil Young, Damon Albarn (Blur), Ray Davies (The Kinks) and pretty much anything by The Band (Levon Helm, Rick Danko and Richard Manuel are incredible in my opinion).
Neil Young is a good example of not liking fame - here he is talking about fame:
songwriting is an art when it's done with the focus on the song and the music and not necessarily meant for an audience to hear.
music is a business when a market is targeted and a group is groomed to appeal to that market. this is why we get so much fluff and paint-by-numbers pop music in the mainstream charts.
Dec 24 2013: well, how would you feel about being famous, Scott, is it something you would like?
Yoka Feng
Jan 12 2014: Yes, I watched a mother breastfeed her baby. So mother's breastfeeding is the best for the baby not the cow's milk, that's why we can't say if we like mother's, we should like a cow's milk, do you understand ? And because parents can decide how to raise the baby, when they decide to feed the baby with milk, the baby cries but can do nothing only to adapt to drinking cow's milk!
- +1
Chinese have different food traditions and habits. We have different demands of food's and drink's taste from yours. We eat rice and you eat bread. When I eat bread, I want to drink some milk.
Jan 13 2014: well, Yoka, I haven't gotten to taste human breastmilk while I've been an adult and I can't remember what it tasted like when I drank it as a baby. But doesn't it seem that of all the foods in the world after you go off your mother's breast, the closest thing to human breastmilk is going to be animal mother's milk? Therefore, if you agree that drinking human breastmilk is a good experience, and the closest you can get to it after you stop being a baby is drinking animal milk, I would think animal milk is the closest you will get to enjoying your food like you did as a baby. I actually can't believe animal milk is too different from human milk, in both cases it is the mother's body trying to prepare a delicious, healthy meal for her baby.
Also, it's hard for me to believe cow's milk tastes bad because in some countries it sells very well, if you visit a market in the states you will see much cow's milk for sale, so people must like it and buy it. Just not sure why China is different.
I have heard that Chinese might not drink cow's milk because of Buddhist influence, Buddhism might teach that it is wrong to take away the baby cow's milk. But do Chinese eat a lot of beef, because if they are eating beef it shows they are not so sympathetic to cow, if they are willing to kill the cow to get the beef what is the difference to taking the milk, in both cases you are hurting the cow.
If you like to reply, conversation closes in two days.
Jan 13 2014: Since you don't remember the taste of breast milk either, I'd like to tell you that in China, some people in north also drink horse milk and some people never drank it can't get used to its taste(Why don't American drink horse milk or pig milk or other animal's milk?). So different breast milk have different tastes. It's just as that some people like blue , some people like red and some like white. It's not bad or good.
Humans are cruel because they like to eat all kinds of meat to get nutritions or satisfy their tastes. You have the choice to drink milk living without eating beef.
Does your friend have any evidence to show buddhism is discouraging people to drink milk? Why is cow's milk?
Jan 13 2014: well, here people mostly drink cow milk, plus a little goat's milk. I don't know why they don't drink the milk of other animals. But to me, Yoka, an animal's milk is the closest you can get to human milk after you stop being a baby, so I say animal milk is the best of all the food for people past the age of being a baby, from being a toddler all the way to old age.
No, when I look online, it seems that Buddhism discourages eating meat, but milk is okay. So I guess that doesn't explain why Chinese don't drink much milk.
So far I don't believe we have explained why Chinese don't drink much animal milk. I had a Korean friend here who said he considered milk "weak" food, but I don't know what he meant, and now I have lost touch with him. If the topic interests you, you can ask your family and friends why the Chinese don't drink much animal milk, or perhaps you can find a food scholar who knows the answer. I'm going to keep asking myself.Jan 14 2014: "So far I don't believe we have explained why Chinese don't drink much animal milk."
Yes, you should ask yourself , others' answers are just for fun and reference. Believing yourself is important sometimes~!
Take care~!
Jan 14 2014: Thanks, Yoka. When I said I'll keep asking myself, what I meant is maybe you will ask other people, and I definitely will ask other people. No, I've already asked myself, but I haven't got the answer. I think it could have something to do with certain countries trying to fight against the people getting obese. For example, with the people in China, maybe they think if the people eat both meat and milk like they do in the u.s., they will get fat like we are here in the U.S. So they only eat meat. But the country could go the other way, if they're going to cut out either meat or milk, they could cut out meat and just drink milk.
Could it have something to do with sex? Maybe people think if you eat flesh you will understand flesh better and be better at sex. But I think milk could be good for sex, maybe the sex would not be as animalistic, more cultured?
Well, if you get an answer and you care to share it, let me know through my profile.Dec 20 2013: So far I like it that's why I am with it.
Dec 21 2013: So what do you do, Salim, is it something you've done a while?
Dec 22 2013: Hi Greg
Yes I am quite long with it. For long I am in a job where I need to get things done by influencing people. It's all about managing people, understanding them as person, also learning the drivers of motivational factors people. It also exposes me continuously to ever changing dynamics of technology , economics as well as how these shaping up our desires. Moreover it has been opening up continuously, opportunity to learn.
That's why I am yet to be bored with it :)
Well downside of it is , at times it is challenging to allocate enough time to my family.
Dec 23 2013: Salim, I'd like to ask you some more questions, I see from your profile that you're in marketing, but I'm still not sure exactly what you do. Do you write ads? Do you survey customers to find out their needs and wants? Or something else?
When I know more about what you do, I would like to ask why the job provides continuous learning, and if you think that makes it different from other jobs. And also what it is that makes for long hours.Dec 23 2013: Hi Greg
Thanks for your interest in me and for taking the trouble of checking my profile to know me :)
Though since last 4 years I have moved to a "Jack of all trade" kinda role but before that for long I had been a marketer, which really still, I am passionate about.
Look , by certification I was not a marketer rather accidentally I became marketer as I entered into the job market after completing my university studies. So far as I am aware of myself , I feel I am a "Love it or leave it " kinda person if I can't leave it, try to fall in love into it. As I was exposed to marketer I fell in love into it , so need to think to leave it.
Reason of loving it was , it's a journey of continuously fathoming people psyche which evolves with social , economical and technological reason. It's a matter of continuous learning to remain successful. As individual marketer working in team I did what you already mentioned and more, from understanding needs/wants/motives of customer/consumers to short and long term plan for my concepts to satisfy customer/consumer needs creating a win win situation. Later as I moved be the leader of my marketing team , I had to influence my team to do the same. Moreover this also exposed me to different market, in different geography , culture and economy so always I need to learn. I any great innovation fails to reach people if it marketers fail.
As I am still passionate about my job it makes me to spend long hours. Last not least , it's individual choice whether one will be happy or unhappy with her/his job or not. My feeling is , as we spent most of our time with our job related activity one need to love it otherwise most of her/his time of life will be a boring one.
Have a good day :)
Dec 30 2013: so as a marketeer how do you come to understand needs/wants/motives of customer and consumers?Dec 30 2013: Keeping my own and teams' curiosity & learning agility alive and up.
Jan 11 2014: so what motivates you to market a product, Salim? Do you really believe in the products you are marketing, do you think they will make people's lives better? What do you do when you don't believe in a product but you still have to market it?Dec 19 2013: No, No, No, just "staying busy" is a ticket to a doomed life. For instance and for the most part, except for massive agribusiness, farmers love what they are doing and they work at home. I know that is a depleting commodity, but the essence remains true. I know that some will not break into the world I have enjoyed, but I will never stop telling people to find what they love and make a living doing it. Is that possible for everyone? Probably not ... on the other hand, I know people who passionately love their JOB. It is not up to me to pass judgment on that choice and good for them for feeling that way.
I don't see this as a zero sum game. What I do believe is that many more than currently exist, can do what they love, be in a world that they are comfortable in and flourish. Look at auto racing. I once drove race cars and had a blast doing it. Family and others discouraged that life. What a pack of morons! Look at the tens of thousands now making a fine living in auto sports of all types. From mechanics, to suppliers of specialty bits and pieces, engineers, drivers, body men and women, and on to infinity. TV has a few dozen car shows now and that isn't because cars are dumb ... nope, they are objects of passion for a huge number of people and I applaud each who have made a life with cars. It makes the selfish side of me want to grab everyone who tried to discourage me and shout, "SEE"!!! I don't ... it won't fix anything, but when a kid tells me he loves cars, I tell him, "just do it" ... sorry Nike.
It is the fear of failure which has to be overcome. Failure is a step toward success. Fail and learn. I fear that many take on too much responsibility too early in life and are forced into a "fear of failure mode" which inhibits their ability to take a chance ... no one ever got rich without taking a chance. BTW, "rich" in money is not the goal, Wealth of life style and happiness is - for me at least.
Thanks for inspiring me ... copper calls!
Dec 20 2013: but are there really people who are just staying busy, David? I prefer to think everybody is trying to do something they consider worthwhile, am I naive? Even cleaning bathrooms can be quite fulfilling if you do it with care and love. Martin Luther King said if you're going to be a streetsweeper, be the best streetsweeper you can be, sweep streets so that all heaven will rejoice in the quality of your sweep.
Dec 20 2013: I love naivete', it keeps a glow in one's heart when reality might dash us against the rocks. Yes, I do think there is something naive about your desire to want to think that everybody is trying to do something they consider worthwhile, but that judgement can only come from my own point of view. I cannot get into their heads to know if that is truly their emotion or just a projection of it based on a will to believe that everyone is happy.
The number of violent actions we see and hear about on a continual basis makes me think that a lot of people are truly not happy or comfortable in their own skin. I cannot support that with evidence, it is purely my opinion.
When I ask people my favorite question, "what would you be doing if you could be doing it right now", one in a hundred say, "I love being at work". Then I revert to another favorite, "It's only WORK if you would rather be doing something else. Now, let's be serious, it may be my own naivete' to suggest that EVERYBODY can be making a living doing something they absolutely love, but it is the direction I want to urge everybody to point toward.
MLK was not wrong, however, you must consider his position in the world and those to whom he was primarily speaking at that moment. That should not diminish the impact of his words, but it may temper them in some applications.
As to copper and durability ... it is a very soft metal, it survives due to the natural reaction which turns it green and many other colors. That layer of corrosion which we deem "beautiful" is actually a natural protection from further deterioration. Beauty and self preservation in one ... sweet!
I teach copper forming in my shop and one of the things a student first learns is about the perils of fabricating things from metal that anneals (softens) with heat. The second lesson is how it hardens with work (hammering). At the end, they learn how to accelerate the color using safe (when handled correctly) chemicals.
What's not to love
Dec 21 2013: Thank you, David. Well you're right but the number of people who do violence are still a distinct minority? For example we have 300 million people in the U.S., and three million in jail or prison.
For some it might be a necessary and somewhat good experience to go to jail. For instance I was talking to a fellow who went to jail for hitting his girlfriend, he said he deserved to go to jail and it was somewhat good for him in that he learned some discipline, being in jail was like being in the military he had to get up at six AM, shower and dress, and get on with his day. Although, come to think of it, what was his day, just sitting around watching TV? Still, he felt something good came from it?
Well could we say that most people would rather sit and stroke a kitten than a piece of copper? So the texture of copper may be a little alienating, but perhaps I'm wrong?
Well, if I could do anything right now I'd be having sex, so perhaps I should be a gigolo?Dec 19 2013: I love it, in fact it almost got me started on a longer rant than is proper for this venue. The really short version is in telling you of my belief that, in ways too complex to summarize here, there is a concerted effort in the econosphere (my made word) which says, "Keep 'em Busy, Broke and Entertained" ... Subtitled, "You Got 'em Where You Want 'em" ... Actually I have been "Just Over Broke" and sometimes a ''SAP" (Super Awful Poor) ... still, I would not get a JOB for any reason I can think of just now. Thanks for the chuckle ... it put a smile on my kisser.
Dec 19 2013: Yeah, but the fact is, David, for everybody to have enough to eat, clothes to wear, roofs over their head, an awful lot of people have to stay busy, don't they? Farmers keep growing food not because someone is manipulating them, but because people need food?Dec 15 2013: Design engineer. I like parts of my job. I like being able to create and provide solutions to problems.
Dec 16 2013: Care to share some creations and solutions you've come up with?
Dec 18 2013: Patent 6,579,136
Dec 20 2013: is this about cooling a boat engine, Robert? What is your interest, are you a boater?Dec 15 2013: I'm retired so now I work full time passing on what I am in the process of learning. It is really the same as what I have been doing all my life I just have a little more time to do it. I love my job, I have always loved my job.
"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life"- Confucius
As soon as I finished 12 years of useless public education and finished my term as a Mormon slave, I entered computer programming school for two years where I did more teaching than learning. I was kicked out of class twice for correcting the professor and then asked if I would teach. (I found that humorous as I was already teaching the best students on break, at night and on weekends - but I had higher aspirations) What I like about computers is they are limitless only bound by our imagination. The same fascination I found with the mind, my mistress. "My mind is my mistress"- Keith W Henline
Bob Dylan said "What's money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do."
By that definition I am a success.
Dec 16 2013: Hi Keith!
Good quote by Confucius. Apparently my mother was on the same page, because she always used to say....do what you love, and/or love what you're doing:>)
She also encouraged really exploring life with gratitude and joy, with intention to learn and grow, so I have followed her advice throughout my life adventure. She also sang this song a LOT...
Look for the silver lining, whenever clouds appear in the blue
Remember somewhere, the sun is shining, and so the right thing to do, is make it shine for you.
A heart full, of joy and gladness, will always banish sadness and strife
So always look for the silver lining, and try to find, the sunny side of life.
Computers are bound by our imagination, just like everything else in the life adventure....in my humble perception and experience. That being said, I have loved every "job" in the life adventure:>)
Dec 16 2013: Nice song Colleen I am sure your mom was a very wise woman, "by there fruits shall ye know them". "Computers are bound by our imagination" since our imagination has no bounds that would mean computers have no bounds either, wouldn't you say? Opps, you just did and I agree.
The part most people have trouble with is input devices like eyes and ears and movement... all of that is coming sooner than we think. As for imagination and cognitive reasoning well how do you think Watson and other computers are already beating the pants off our best and fastest thinkers. The next sixty-five years are going to be exciting and I plan on being around for most of it.
I will be moving this week to an apartment one block from a college and I will be exploring what they have to offer, I may even do some more lecturing. It is a great spot one block to my bank, college, library, park, Home Depot, Walmart, lone sharks, Albertsons and Mexican food. I'm in heaven...
Dec 19 2013: Yeah Keith.....I like the song too....it seems so simple and clear:>)
I agree....we are only limited by what we perceive to be limitations:>)
Enjoy your new heaven Keith.....actually, based on your comment, it sounds like you are already enjoying it with your imagination:>)Dec 19 2013: how do you learn, Keith, is it the typical ways, reading, talking to people? Are there any atypical ways to learn?
One thing I like to do is call in to talk radio shows and talk on the air with the host and guests. I think you learn something by calling in and participating that you don't learn if you just listen to the show. Have you appeared in media in any capacity?
I'm a smart person, but I have such a block on what quantum mechanics and the theory of relativity are, which I notice you've spoken to. I wonder why people block on one topic that way?
Dec 19 2013: Well Greg I also had the block you mentioned about Quantum mechanics but I was curiosity and I have never been afraid to learn new things. I think the foremost reason was wikipedia and the way you can just ask any question in a search now and get a pretty good answer. It was not always that way. Anyway I just started reading first about the terms and then about general theories. Youtube is also a valuable source of knowledge because people make so many videos that explain and show you at the same time how to do things or how things work. I don't know if you read my profile or not but there are not many things I have not dabbled with. The information is there and it is free so I just do it. The best way to get me to do something is to tell me I cannot do it. There is no substitution for hard work so I study constantly. My latest adventure was quadcopters and after some research I went down a got one for $50. I kept learning and crashing and studying some more until I figured out where I wanted to go with them. I can't afford the equipment I want yet but I do know about what it will cost and where to get it so I am looking forward to that. Meanwhile I wanted to test the limits on the one I had so I just put the petal to the metal and flew it straight up until I could barely see it at which point it was out of my transmitter range. It then started heading north and I never saw it again. It was a beautiful sight, like setting a captive bird lose, it just flew away into the wild blue yonder, worth every penny of the $50 I spent.
By the way here is a 15 video I remixed to explain Quantum mechanics without all the BS just basics:
Dec 20 2013: and why did you want to know about quantum mechanics despite the block?Dec 19 2013: To get more to your point of learning I am a autodidact. My two most important resources are research mostly through the internet and experience, I just do it. Some of the most profound things I learn come from the sub-conscience which is always working in the background and when it has the answer it get's my attention and lays the knowledge out like a dinner meal. Lot's of times this occurs at night while I am sleeping so it wake's me up and I go write it down or start working on laying out the solution on my computer while the full impact is clear. It is not uncommon to see my lights on at any time of night and it is not uncommon for me to get one of these inspirations and then work for two or more days straight until I am exhausted. I submit problems to my sub-conscience and then wait for an answer. I submitted one particularly hard question about why the world had gone nuts way back in 1967 and finally the answer came in 2010, forty-three years later but the answer was worth the wait.
Dec 20 2013: but don't you get impatient?Dec 20 2013: Lose patience? In the case of "Why is everyone in the world crazy?" it is a very very difficult problem that many of our brightest minds have tried to answer, unsuccessfully, for centuries including Einstein who referred to it here: "A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?". Some people think it is a joke, it is not. As difficult as the problem is the solution is simple and even a child understands the answer.
As to Quantum Mechanics it was curiosity and my stubborn insistence that there is no problem that can not be solved. Curiosity is the gift that keeps most of us going against all odds to overcome even the most difficult of problems.


text:
Main Content
This item ships within two business days.
Watching the big race? Make sure everyone knows you are pulling for Carl Edwards by sipping from this 2014 Shot glass from WinCraft. No one will question your loyalty when you're drinking from this glass with #99 printed on the front. Toast Edwards and his victories with this glass!
- Hand wash only
- Holds approximately 2 ounces
- Made in the USA
- Made of glass
- Officially licensed
- Printed graphics
- Square glass
Special event items are produced by manufacturers only after the outcome of a game or event. These are advanced sale items and will ship immediately after they are received in our warehouse.
Manufacturer direct items are shipped directly from the manufacturer. These items are not available for international or expedited shipping.
Customized items can be personalized with options such as your name, your favorite number, and/or designs. Some options may be limited by league rules.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Winner of the St. Louis Arch Renovation Competition Unveiled
MVVA, who was also responsible for the redesign of Pennsylvania Avenue at the White House, and the design of Brooklyn Bridge Park, has considerable experience in designing urban landscapes. Their plan for the redesign of the area of the national monument fully integrates each the waterfront, the Illinois bank, the immediate surrounding streetscape, and downtown St. Louis area. Within their submission, MVVA proposes a series of new parks, squares, restaurants and recreational activity space all landscaped according to the ecology of the locality and river, which utilizes organic landscaping practices.
Some of the highlights of the proposed plan include lowering the I-70 as it runs downtown and creating a rooftop park that will connect the memorial to both the downtown area and the Old Courthouse. Moreover a larger "Underpass Park" will be created below I-64 as it crosses the river into downtown. The Museum of Westward Expansion will also find a new location at the base of the Arch, beneath ground, and crowned with green space atop.
Related Posts
Read Inhabitat
Search Categories
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Browse by Keyword


text:
Kosher Meat
|Corn Beef Hash with Poached Egg
By June Hersh
The next day bonus of last night's corned beef dinner is undoubtedly waking up to a steaming skillet of freshly slung hash. You don't need to be a short order cook to prepare this simple, satisfying, hardy breakfast. While your local coffee shop might top the hash with a fried egg, a perfectly poached egg adds a beautiful element to the dish and is a true upscale way to serve the hash.
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the potatoes until fork tender, about 15 to 20 minutes, drain, dice and reserve. If using leftover potatoes, skip to the next step.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a 12-inch skillet. Cook and stir the onions and garlic for about 3 minutes, then add the diced potatoes, and peppers, if using. Let the potatoes cook, over medium - high heat until they begin to develop a crust, about 5 to 7 minutes, don't over stir, let them sit and brown.
When the potatoes are crusty, add the corned beef and cook and stir until the ingredients are well combined and the beef has picked up some nice color. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve as a side dish or topped with a fried or poached egg (recipes follows)
About 4 servings
Directions - Poached Egg
There are a few tricks to assuring a perfectly poached egg. It might take a practice run or two, that's why they put a dozen eggs in the crate.
Bring a wide shallow pot of water to a strong simmer, filling the pot two-thirds fill. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the water. If you have a poaching tool, it works best. If not, crack your egg into a ladle. This method will allow you to crack the egg in the same vessel you'll use to lower it into the water. If you can't manage the holding the ladle and the cracking, place the round portion of the ladle in the mouth of a drinking glass, resting the handle against something solid. This will free your hands. Now, crack the egg into the free- standing ladle. If you break the yolk, reserve that egg for a scramble, and start again.
When bubbles fill the bottom of the pot, it is time to lower the egg into the water. Take a wooden spoon and swirl the water to create a whirlpool effect. Lower the ladle with the egg into the water. Set your timer as directed above. Remove the egg with a slotted spoon and drain on a waiting paper towel. Dab the top of the egg so it is not watery. Place on top of the prepared hash.
Recipe: Kosher, meat, breakfast, brunch


text:
Brazilian veteran Rubens Barrichello is back for his record 16th Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park – but the Williams driver almost didn't make it to Melbourne
by Matthew Clayton
Veteran Brazilian Rubens Barrichello is the only man on the 2011 grid to have competed in all 15 previous Australian Grands Prix at Albert Park, but getting to Melbourne for his 16th race proved to be harder than he could have ever imagined.
A problem at the airport in Buenos Aires on Monday saw Barrichello's arrival in Australia delayed by 24 hours – and at times the Williams driver wondered if he would ever get here at all. The 38-year-old flew from home in Brazil in his private jet to Argentina to take a commercial flight to Australia when the problems started.
"I was inside the plane and had my pyjamas on already when they said after three hours that we were going to have to jump out because of a radio control tower problem," he said.
"I heard someone say that it would be a minimum 12-hour delay, maybe much longer. My first thought was 'this is a nightmare'. I called everyone who could help – I actually called Mark (Webber) to see if he could help me with Qantas somehow."
Barrichello was so desperate to find an alternate way to Melbourne that he used social networking site Twitter to ask for suggestions – and considered a radical plan that involved a boat journey and a flight through two countries.
"At one stage I was going from Buenos Aires to Uruguay by boat for three-and-a half hours, then take a flight from there to Santiago, and then come from Chile to here. I went to the harbour to ask about it, but went back to the airport – and I was waiting there for 15 hours. (Waiting at the airport) was like what you see on the TV – and this time it was me!
"When I finally got on the plane, 24 hours after we were supposed to go, I slept 13 hours straight and got here last night. There was never a chance I was going to miss the race – even if I had to swim over here ..."
Barrichello will start his record 19th Formula One season this weekend, and is optimistic he can improve on his 10th place in last year's championship in his first season with Williams. He's looking forward to seeing how the pace of the FW33 compares to the rest of the field after some encouraging signs in pre-season testing.
"I know that my car is competitive over one lap, and we've been working on the long-distance (runs) to see what is there," he said.
"I also didn't use KERS on my fastest lap in Barcelona, which is worth three to four-tenths over one lap. I think we are here to surprise ourselves, but how much, I don't know."
The return of Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) and the introduction of the new adjustable rear wing will give drivers more tasks to juggle in the cockpit than ever before in 2011, and Barrichello says the extra workload in today's F1 cars shows just how long he's been in the sport.
"I don't have problems with how much you have to do now – it's how much you have to take your eyes off the road. That's more of the worry," he said.
"I actually still have my very first steering wheel (from 1993) – it had a radio button, and that's it. My steering wheel now has 26...".


text:
Now we're email buddies!
You have chosen to receive our #NAMED_LISTS# newsletters at #EMAIL_ADDRESS#. You will receive an e-mail shortly confirming your subscription. So excited to have you!
Refinery 29
Please upgrade your browser for the best Refinery29 experience. Read more.
We're on an endless quest for the next miracle beauty product – that's a given. And, although it seems like a new breakthrough formula is constantly threatening to replace last week's beauty phenomenon (we're looking at you, plasma injections!), there are some tried-and-true formulas that we keep coming back to. Case in point: mud masks.
We know you've heard of them and, chances are, you tried one out during a teenage slumber party, at some point. So, what exactly is the point of smearing deep-sea residue all over your T-zone? Annet King, director of global education for The International Dermal Institute and Dermalogica, says mud and clay masks are the perfect antidote for oily, congested skin: "They deeply clean the skin by removing blockages from pores, which helps to refine them and keep them clear. They also soak up excess oil to give your skin a clean, clear, and matte appearance."
Sounds like sound reasoning to us! King also recommends using mud masks – which often contain bentonite (a clay that balances by removing toxins), silt (an absorbent soil deposit), or charcoal (to clean out pores) – one or two times a week, or before a long day when you'll need your makeup to last.
We scoured our go-to troves for
the most effective T-zone tacklers out there, so settle in with your Netflix queue (a glass of wine is optional!) and get to slathering.
Photo: Courtesy of Formula 10.0.6


text:
Gallery: Bala Park Island Cabin is an Eco-Efficient Seasonal Home on La...
The Bala Park Island cabin is a 3 bedroom, 2,200 sq ft seasonal home near Lake Muskoka in Ontario, Canada. Altius Architecture handled the design and construction management of the home. The site played a major role in the design of the home, which is separated into two sides – a public and open kitchen, dining and living area and a side with private bedrooms. A simple roof line rises up to clerestory windows with views of the nearby ridge. Exposed Douglas Fir roof joists provide a continuous rhythm across the entire ground floor ceiling and echo the forest surrounding the home.
Orientation and passive solar design were the first strategies put in place to reduce energy use. As it is a seasonal dwelling not used during the winter months, the goal was to keep the building cool in the summer and provide an economical and sustainable means of providing enough heat during the early spring and late fall. Large roof overhangs and natural ventilation keeps the home cool. For heating, the home uses a Contraflow Masonry Heater, an advanced wood heating system that burn at over 90% efficiency and provides radiant heat on demand. The home also makes use of renewable materials and finishes, non-toxic materials, low energy lighting, a solar hot water system, and water-efficient fixtures and appliances.
Via Arthitectural
Images ©Altius Architecture