Clarity of communication versus niche terminology...

 

...it sure is a work in progress.

I was in a meeting the other day with the group representing a particular subset of the disabled population and as the various discussions progressed I noticed a lot of niche terminology being used consistently. This group was verily big and a diverse in age as well so I found it amazing that the people using the terminology didn't check in with everyone to make sure that the definitions for the words were all clearly understood. I can't remember the exact phrase which really stood out to me, and I wish I could right now, because I would write the presenter of the meeting a letter asking "What the heck were you talking about?" Again it was in a very trendy context. Sometimes I do wish that people would speak directly especially when dealing with the larger public. If they are in a group of professionals that I can understand because specialized terminology can make things more efficient when you know your audience. It was even more surprising therefore when no one in the crowd asked for definitions or clarification. We all sat there rather quietly, not wanting to show our ignorance. But I'm telling you that is not a good thing to do. I'm a little mad at myself upon reflecting on this incident. I should've stood up and articulated my thoughts.

This is obviously going to be an opinion piece. But I really do think that as a society tries on one hand to be more inclusive and understanding of their fellow human being. it is on the other neglecting clarity and true communication. I wonder then, if this is just an indication that we are attempting to hide our own biases and prejudices. We use ambiguous words and acronyms to gaslight ourselves into thinking we are more open. But I'm not supposed we are more open now days… Society seems to be on the whole easier to offend and now days that outrage gets broadcast awfully quickly,and not necessarily dealt with just reacted to. So in some cases we are not really dealing with the issues at hand. An analogy would be, scratching an itch but not considering why one is itching in the first place. While short-term relief is achieved the underlying issues just fester away and as they get buried farther and farther down the problem gets more abstract.

My goodness this all sounds rather pessimistic and that is not like me. But on the other hand this issue has bothered me for a while and it was at this meeting that it really became obvious. How to move forward is the question: How does humanity finally begin to resolve some of these behaviours which can cloud clear communication?  if it were me, I would just speak directly deliberately avoiding all trendy terminology because my goal would be to convey information and encourage communication and understanding.

My hypothesis therefore moving forward would be that an over reliance on niche terminology or other unclear language is to hide something so that the speaker doesn't have to deal with it directly. This could be almost anything from a deliberate, act to subconscious motivations. -- Who among us, really knows themselves?  --   It is at best a journey of discovery for each of us.

 Let me know what you think.  Have a great day and take care.
Patrick

Keeping your Website Expectations in Balance

  When it comes to websites, simpler is often better.

Over the last few years when I've gone into repair a website I am often struck by how many unnecessary features owners have bought. Frequently they by the top-of-the-line plan from their host and the end up with a great many add-ons and complexities they don't need.

There is one site in particular that I'm thinking of which could've actually been done on a service very similar to the one that runs this blog, which if you haven't guessed is "Blogger". Of which the most expensive part is the domain and it really isn't expensive at all.

One of the issues I see over and over again with people shopping for a website is that they neglect to look at what is called the "back end". This is the part of the website where you actually enter articles and interact with design elements. Before you purchase a website package always make sure you look at this aspect of the site. If it seems to foreign then consider, choosing another host or a different website platform. Yes not all website back ends are created equal.

If you are choosing to have the website designed by a professional ensure that you have at least a passing understanding of how to remove and add content as well as doing basic upkeep. Because if the designer is on a short term contract or there is a disagreement down the road it is you the owner of the website that will be stuck in the lurch.

The other issue to remember is that modern websites are not static, in that like all other software they need updates, and what works today may not work tomorrow. So approach a new website as something that involves and changes over time. I am frankly surprised that good old Blogger is still around and that the backend has essentially remain the same. Now for me I'm not too worried I know I can adapt quite easily. But I have seen websites which have been around long enough that they reach a point in order to work with the modern Internet they must be completely redesigned on occasions. It's a little more than a facelift, let me tell you. But she must build in expectations and contingencies for just this kind of thing.

Also do a fair bit of planning before hand spend a few months really researching what you want to do with the website. Once a name and its respective domain name become established it can be very difficult to change over. Not impossible but very challenging in some cases. You may have to start all over in regards to getting good rankings on search engines for example because of the old name was successful you may be in on situation of having to "beat your self".

The reason I'm writing this little article today is in the last two weeks there has been an incident involving separate companies which could've been resolved had they done planning in the past. In both cases it would've saved them a great deal of time and money.

There are several other articles on the blog dealing with various aspects of website creation and upkeep. You can simply click this link to see the most current list of documents, or at any time, use the search box on the site to search for the keyword "website" or just click here to automate the search.

Take care Patrick

The Truly Creative Thought Process.

 Creativity is "Sparks of Light!"

I have noticed that people who are considered by their friends and acquaintances as creative all share a number of attributes. But one of these characteristics seems to be almost essential to the entire creative process. That is:

They all to a larger degree like a challenge. Some may be rather specific about it in that it has to relate to whatever their particularly creative with. But overall they enjoy working through a process of understanding and discovery. Some people I have found once they start digging into something have a hard time stopping. Indeed, and I include myself in that group, given the choice of working out a problem or creating something and having dinner, well let's just say dinner will have to wait.

Last night was no exception to this rule. I found it personally annoying while I was fixing a little bit of code that I had to stop because they were serving dinner at my assistant living residence. "How dare they interrupt my train of thought." was the thought immediately made its presence known in my head.-That not so little voice. The really amazing part was that I truly meant it. There are few things more joyous than when one can feel a problem being understood and in the process of resolving.

However, once a problem is resolved, or the answer is discovered, I always feel a little let down. Because the fun is gone. I guess I don't look for the destination in life. It is the trip, the space between the end points, that counts.

I truly now understand my father who love to do his own little research on Sunday. The commandment he would issue was: "Don't disturb the old man while my books are on the dining room table and open. Lest ye, face of fate worse than death. [English translation: Our allowance for the week was on the line.]

There is  also that truly wonderful feeling of being completely immersed in an idea. It can be the emotional equivalent of romantic sex or sometimes even better, and that's saying a lot as to how important the creative process is. When the time and environment are correct, it can feel like it's almost the definition of the perfection of human life. That our job as thinking beings has been fulfilled.

But in order for this synergy to happen there must be the right environment:

• There must be uninterrupted space, physical, emotional and intellectual. Where you know you won't be distracted by someone coming through the door and you can focus your energies exclusively to the task at hand.
  
  
• That period of time has to be of sufficient length, for myself it must be over two hours minimum, so I can really let my hair down and get into the task at hand exclusively. During this time nothing else really matters.
  
  
• The task is often viewed as a mystery one is unraveling, there may be interruptions in the trail but there is also a sense of excitement because it is not too easy.
  
  
• Therefore in the creative process there must be challenge. Something that encourages you to bring in all your mental assets as well as the emotional ones. All departments in your brain must be turned on.

If everything is working correctly there is also a letting go of perceived restraints. A sense of true freedom. This process shares a lot of attributes I spoke about in another article on this blog recently "Nurturing the Creative Soul" which is about recognizing the creative people and friends around. And most importantly allowing these individuals to be themselves.

I Truly Love the Creative Process😁, Complete with its challenges and even the frustrations. It makes the end goal so much more fulfilling.

Have a great day and of course feel free to comment.

Patrick.

Don't Overwhelm Yourself - "Human load balancing"

  Human load balancing

Now that's a very fancy 21st-century term, that in reality simply means "Don't Overwhelm Yourself." This can happen very easily especially if you are creative and like (dare I say love) to assist people in what you see as productive or positive outcomes.

I am a prime example, I have a habit in the last few years of saying "Sure, I would love to be on that committee" or "I can fix that for you.". Things can get a little bit crazy because if you follow through with those good intentions, your happy patrons will spread the word and the next thing you know "the weekend" has turned into an abstract concept. Now I'm not saying you shouldn't do those things, I am saying that there needs to be timing and a limit involved. What I have discovered is a lot of people will leave you alone on the weekdays because they don't want to disrupt your work but come the weekend, usually around 3 PM Friday, text messages start appearing or there's a knock at the door.

If you observe carefully though, you will notice something… Some wise people seem to have a mystical power to at least outwardly manage all this activity. Is it a potion, or some agreement they have with an arcane thousand-year-old society?… Nope. It's common sense these people are using. When they take a holiday they really disconnect. And frequently the holiday or "space" if you prefer the term, is of considerable length. I have a friend who just took a month off. They let all the clients know it and they just went. They also don't answer business calls under any circumstances. If there is something mission-critical they preassigned some individual ahead of time.

The rest of us mortals can learn something here.

1. Enforce your holidays as sacred events. Make sure the people you are providing a service for, Know ahead of time that this is how you run your affairs.
   
   
2. Make sure someone else can step in if need be, and select them ahead of time.

Now, "Are We Listening Patrick?"

Yes this idea is beginning to sink in, slowly but surely we will all get better at this.

Take care Patrick

Seize the moment! Act on the idea.

So many great ideas are lost forever because people don't take action on them immediately. I don't mean that you can go out and rule the world right now or that you even have to, but it is so critical to make some movement toward the goal. Even if that's only writing down a few notes because of the way we move now days literally billions of thoughts are lost to the ether if you don't take some precautionary measures.

Indeed this happened with this very blog post  you're reading. Often times I've been zipping around Vancouver or Surrey and something that has inspired me, one of those "Great Thoughts" or at least the beginning idea of something very cool. Now days I almost automatically recorded in my phone.

It's such a simple thing to do that is why a moment ago I stop work for a few minutes because that's how this very article occurred. It just popped into my head while I was doing something else completely unrelated. So instead of a coffee break I'm having a "Quick write that down now moment." So this article won't be very long and as a matter of fact we might've reached the end for, now anyway . But before I go  and return to the real world. Please remember to take action and next time something inspirational occurs to you.

I promise not only will you be surprised you may be astounded where the idea takes you.

Continue to have a great day!

 Patrick

Dealing with the challenges of procrastination... If you ever get around to it.

Much has been written over the years about procrastination. It is something everyone can relate to at some point or with some aspect of their life.

For me personally it has reared its ugly head in the form of one issue. My God it has been challenging to overcome but, I think I've made some inroads. This may be an article that gets longer and longer as I proceed.

• The first thing I did was acknowledge that part of me really doesn't want to deal with the issue at hand.
  
  
• That was followed by a promise to myself not to ride the old "Guilt Train".
  
  
• The third thing I did was, instead of taking on the entire issue and becoming all knowledgeable about the topic and the individuals involved, I gave myself permission to deal with smaller aspects and acknowledge when any movement toward a solution had been found.

These three steps have personally improved the situation. Now it seems to be the smarter you and are the more aware you are, the more creative forms of procrastinations you can dream up.

Anyway this is just being a micro article. Scarcely more than a thought... For now and will have to see how things progress. But it is nice to know that they are progressing.

Take care Patrick

Resistance to change.

 

 

We, the human race, are an unusual lot...

On one hand we are curious, but we are also, often at the same moment resistant to change. There is a tendency to be a creature of habit, a lover of routine. Talk about a contradiction!

I'm about to have a conversation with someone who is very resistant to change. They are incredibly intelligent but I get the sense they have a fixed way of seeing the world and all the parts therein and those parts are organized, if not hardcoded. In previous interactions with this person the same patterns keep being reinforced. And I've been pondering how to deal with this for a long time because the situation they have an effect on is in my opinion inhibiting growth.

It is very interesting that as children because we know nothing about experience we indulge in change, that old so marvellous feeling of finding something new. Then as teenagers we actively rebelled against it. Something happens though in our late 30s or early 40s. We begin to get comfortable about our surroundings and I wonder if we see our own existence as a bit of an empire that we built. Kind of like, "this is my Castle design and no one is going to alter it". I find myself wondering if this is by design. Maybe evolution literally turns off the desire to find new stuff so that the new generation has less to compete with. Maybe it's a built-in obsolescence, mentally speaking.

Well don't count me, Patrick Clark to be part of that group. Or at least that's what I find myself yelling at the top of my lungs when this thought occurred to me a moment to go :-). I am not so sure I like being comfortable. I like a bit of the unknown on a daily basis. A little bit of out-of-control goes a long way to keep you alert.

Just an interesting thought.
Have a great day everyone. And thank you for dropping by. As we get near the weekend I shall try to write more in-depth articles. Perhaps a video. There won't be too many videos though although they take no time to shoot. It's the postproduction that takes all the work.

Technology is great, but getting to the details of that technology still takes a lot of commitment and effort. Thank goodness. I wonder how artificial intelligence and chat GPT will alter my workflow in the future. I'm pretty sure I will have one but I bet it will be quite different.

And now before I ramble on ....see you tomorrow and have a great day!

Take care Patrick

Why Do People Get Bored?

 

In the place where I live there quite a number of people who always say something like "I'm bored" actually I hear quite a bit, to be clear it's not everyone but a fairly good number. Yet when I say "Why don't you do this… Or that?" They come back with "No. I don't want to do that" this dialogue goes around and around for a while and both parties get nowhere.

It has become clear to me that actually what is going on in most cases is that the individual who's doing the complaining really just wants to be entertained or to be more specific they want to offload the responsibility of fixing their boring situation on to someone else. To get out of this rut, that is to say to become "un-board" they must put some effort into it. Solutions don't just appear out of nowhere.

This could become quite a lengthy article and I think the best way to describe it is for me to do a video. You will find a brand-new one right below. It details not so much the steps in becoming "un-board" but a different way to look at things. Which can be boiled down to:

1. If there is something you cannot change, then accepted it and move on.
   
   
2. Don't seek perfection in becoming "un-bored", except an imperfect solution. It will get you farther down the road in the long run.
   
   
3. Be prepared to put some effort into changing your situation or point of view. Life is not a free ride, but if you put some work into it, boy can it be fun😀.

Below is a full 10 minute video. At this time it can only be seen on this website, until I can go through the appropriate steps to get it fully indexed properly. Like all the things even YouTube takes some practice. It will probably be discoverable on YouTube within the week depending upon how much time I have.

Until then, to get the direct link to this this particular article , click on its title and then bookmark it or send it to a friend. Or you can just come back to this website 😀. You can also search on Google of course.

Here's the video it is about 10 minutes long. If you enjoyed please let me know and I will do more as time permits.

Take care Patrick

A Life after Gathering Stuff

 

As I've mentioned in other articles on this blog, I live in an assisted living building which means that we have staff available to us 24 hours a day. The building is 14 years old now and so they've decided to replace the carpet with vinyl flooring. This is good, the original carpet was beginning to look a little frayed. This has meant that a lot of material items, which we will henceforth call "Stuff", in honour of the late comedian George Carlin, has been pulled out and rearranged to make room for the work crew. It is amazing how much stuff there is. It seems to have come out of nowhere and yet I know that it is been there all along. 

George Carlin's classic standup routine "Your Stuff"

Of that huge mountain of stuff how much do we really need? Why are we so attached to gathering as many belongings as possible around us? I mean when you think about it only a small fraction of that stuff adds to your life in the long run. Works of art are marvellous items of stuff and that lends them some merit in hanging around for a long time. But we all have that dear friend who's apartment or house it's just overflowing with stuff which we all know they don't need. Yet they cannot seem to get rid of it. What in human nature is being met here? What is the urge that is being satisfied or is it an insecurity.

When I looked into this building I made a conscious choice to minimize the gathering of stuff because I just moved out of the apartment building where it spent 34 years gathering stuff and most of it was utterly useless and just the pain to get rid of. But some people in my building and friends I know can't get enough stuff. They are constantly on Amazon or Best Buy or Walmart paying good money for more, and more stuff. I have seen suites that are crammed full of it. Bringing me to my ultimate conclusion of the assuming that they must get an adrenaline hit when they gather or pay for stuff.

When I saw the number chairs downstairs I thought "My God! We must have a billion seats." The human race just keeps cranking more stuff out.

For me when I finally did move and got rid of 90% of my stuff. After the shock wore off I found it quite liberating. Yes, there can be "A Life after Gathering Stuff ".

Have a great day. This is been a random thought which just evolved into a short blurb.
Patrick

Finding psychological limiting boundaries and brainstorming

 When was the last time you did something truly outside of your boundaries of experience?

This doesn't have to be extreme, think about it for a moment though. Sometimes it's even hard to figure out initially where those boundaries are. Most people need a little push, something which takes them somewhere unexpected for a moment and then their minds start to explore.

However, with all the things going on in everyone's life now days, and from my perception it seems to be an ever-growing list, we often forget to slow down so we can contemplate things like brainstorming and boundaries. So that I think is the first step, to slow down, pause for a moment and pay attention to what ever comes to mind. Those quiet little thoughts are the gateways to opening up new avenues of ideas if you only listen.

As so often happens in my life now days I was talking with a friend this morning and then shortly later speaking with someone else and it occurred to me these for two people with tremendously different ways of interacting with their world and environment. Both of these people are very creative but wow in a different way. One is artistic, musical, and incredibly curious. While the other is incredibly curious but only when they can manipulate something to their advantage and they have a habit of going down a very dark path. They do become stuck in a "mood" on occasion and everyone else around them knows leave them be on those days. In other words one of these people uses their insights and creativity to expand their world and while the other tends to use the same talents to restrict their world. I suspect you couldn't talk either of them out of their own modes of operation either.

How this relates to brainstorming and finding psychological limits is as follows:

The first person brainstorms automatically all the time and they can come up with the most ridiculously wonderful ideas out of the blue. Now that I think about it I've never seen this person really stuck on an issue or problem. What they will do in such a situation is immediately asked someone else their opinion. The two of them will chat and sooner or later an avenue presents itself. That boundary has been expanded a little bit 😀.

The second person, our darker minded friend, if given the same insights would take them and restrict their world in some respect. They will attempt to validate their current psychological boundaries in the process rather than going outside of them. This is particularly true when it comes to politics for them. So maybe, just maybe, the initial steps in brainstorming and finding your psychological boundaries are simply a willingness to:

1. Break your own rules of expectation including what you might perceive as right and wrong. In other words don't judge anything. Give yourself permission to let any thought float in.
   
   
2. Consider your current state of mind. Are you waiting for something to happen passively or are you engaged in putting energy into the process.
   
   
3. Even with brainstorming which is usually just bringing in random thoughts to get a creative streak going you should have some reason and motivation. If you don't and that very situation becomes something to consider. It literally becomes the first brainstorming thought. If we are stuck on how to start ask yourself why. The answer you get back might just start a dialogue with yourself and that just might kick the whole thing off.

So today's goal if you want one is to see what brainstorming and boundary busting you can get up to. Once again you are changing the world. One thought at a time. As a practical example as I started this little article I wasn't sure how to really approach it. Well one thought led to another, which led to another, which led to another which ultimately led to momentum. Again it was going outside of boundaries and finding them.

I started with two very different friends as an example and then began to apply the same considerations to the greater surroundings. I broke my own boundary! This behaviour could become a little addictive, what a wonderful way to start the weekend.

Now that I think about it this reminds me of another article I wrote a while ago called "Challenge The Brick Wall" which is on this blog as well. It's fascinating how the mind and people work with the world… Isn't it!


Take care Patrick