Carl Setzer

Well, zombies have pushed themselves solidly into pop culture. Their heyday was really a year or two back, but they're still significant.Why? What is attractive about this mythological archetype?  I wonder about such things. They have immorality and near invincibility. Zombies are relentless and immune from most injury. In one way, they are perpetual motion machines. They don't need fuel to continue effort. The consuming drive is about converting all, not about gaining energy. Perhaps we feel something of kinship. The mindless exertion, so akin to much of our lives. Mundane, rote effort with its dehumanizing outcome; we're much like zombies. Free from thought, they simply react. They are free of pain. Yet, the most powerful element: they've escaped death. In one way, they've conquered our greatest fear. That, I believe, encompasses their attraction. And why, I expect, they'll be with us for some time to come.

This haiku particularly pleased me. Light drifting through trees Dancing wildly through the leaves Springtime calls my dreams http://wp.me/p1CDF-6L

This morning I popped onto my computer to get some work done. After a bit of work (some email, updating social media, zap out a few blog posts) I'm struck the fact that nothing on my computer is open safe Chrome. I also have my task manager open, and a document for my son (for school). My browser has really become the center piece of my computing. I've noticed this coming for some time. Yet, today, it gives me deeper pause: how will this affect us going forward? One obvious piece: tablets & phones. The more tools available via browsers (at least those optimized for HTML 5), the more effective and powerful these devices become. More and more of my work gets done on my tablet. I expect this will drive us more into the world of such tools as Chromebooks as well. Hard-drive space will become less critical for the average user. I expect the demand for laptops will whither, much like desktops have. Don't get me wrong: there will always be demand for laptops and desktops, bu...

Today, walking by my house, I see a young woman (twenty-something) standing on her back patio, cigarette in hand. I've noticed more and more young folks smoking, and it disturbs me. Watching my mother die of cancer plays a piece, and that deep inner desire for no one to ever self-inflict that horror. But there's another piece at play. Entirely anecdoteal observations on my part show a great up-tick in smokers. Now, my generation saw great deceases in the rate of smokers. The next seems to be growing. What's at play here? Our knowledge of health-risks has only increased, no it's not any kind of decrease in awareness of them. Actually, my wife presented me with an idea that makes sense: they're rebelling against us. We grew up with socially acceptable smoking parents. Perhaps part of our turning away from cigarettes was our own rebellion. Anyway, there is a communications piece at play: the social message against smoking has waned. To our detriment, as a society...

“Enjoy present pleasures in such a way as not to injure future ones.” — Seneca This tidbit is perhaps more relevant than ever. As we come up against our planet's ability to support, this rings louder than ever. What does a sustainable society look like? Where each person has enough, greed is eliminated. Without greed, we remove exploitation. A society built upon mutual respect and love. Where we each feel inspired to give our very best for each other. Love. We develop a healthy relationship with our food. Love. How do we get to a world with no poverty? Dreaming in daylight.  Seeking suffering's ending.  Our primary force: love.

Stare into their souls Nurture to magnificence Grasping their true being. I seek to grow those I love, helping them move into their fullest potential. Real inspiration, not the fluffy, empty bull that passes for motivation. My goal: take the time to know them deeply , grasp their deepest passions, their richest talents, and connect them with opportunities for pursuit. Even if I only reach a few, this is amazing work for which I'll count myself blessed.