If you’re going to raffle anything off, or have a contest of some sort, when you’re running it, there will be temptation to give it to your best customer, or someone you know will sing your praises to the rooftop. Whether you’re trying to cement a long-term contract or are […]
Category: culture building
Traditions
Traditions can be nice. They can build connections to our past, bridge generations, and give us the feeling that we’re part of something bigger. Traditions can also be oppressive. They can celebrate outdated morals, sanitized histories, and social structures that don’t fit us. Traditions can be nice for some, and […]
Autopilot
Autopilot, cruise control, automated scripts – these are all technological solutions to having to do things that don’t really require much nuance or thought. If you commit to driving 65 mph and you have open road in front of you, why think about how much pressure you need to put […]
Frank’s Gonna Frank
I have a dove that lands in my backyard occasionally, and just walks around pecking at my brick patio. I think it’s pecking seeds, or bits of flower, or ants maybe? I’m not a dove expert, but I have named this dove Frank. Frank sometimes comes in the afternoon. Sometimes, […]
Myth of the Genius
We tend to still believe in the lone genius – someone who does it effortlessly and quickly, without the help of other people. If anything, we may not believe in it, but we desperately hope that it might be us. That if we only found that one thing that was […]
Common Inadvertent Aggressions
When in a setting where people get to share how they want to show up in terms of their identities, if they don’t share it, don’t point it out or really make a big deal about it unless they share it. “You use ‘they’ pronouns, so you’re trans, right?” “Your […]
Wearing Other People’s Underwear
When talking about empathizing with people, we often talk about wearing someone else’s shoes. For such a key skill like empathy, which unlocks understanding the worldview of whomever you need to enroll to make change happen, I feel this is insufficient. We need to step into their shirts and pants, […]
Hedgehog Cafes
I was visiting Japan for the first time, so I went to a hedgehog cafe. If you’re unfamiliar with this, Japan has a bunch of themed cafes with live animals in it that you can hang out with while you drink coffee and snack on crepes. We bought about 30 […]
Halloween
I love Halloween not for the fact that I get to dress up and watch horror films. I love Halloween for the fact that this is the time of year that allows everyone else to celebrate the same things that I celebrate year-round. What I’m saying is that Halloween is […]
The Thing
John Carpenter’s The Thing is terrifying for a lot of reasons. Besides the awesome practical effects and horrific creature design, the film centers on an alien entity that basically can assimilate any creature and take its form. It’s the ultimate predatory shapeshifter. And ignoring the fact that it eats people, […]