Category: Personal Reflections

Lessons learned about life; pearls of wisdom I’ve gleaned through pain, failure and honest reflection

Thoughts on the Start of the Week

Carl Setzer

  • Briefly looking back, I’m pleased that I got my inbox back under control. At the start of the day, I was well over 300 emails.
  • I highly recommend you start reading Project 562. Matika’s a fantastic photographer, and this project explores the Native American experience. As a member of the Tulalip Tribes, her insights into last week’s school shooting in Marysville are worth the read. 
  • As for my own writing, I’ve been pleased with the engagement I’ve received at my poetry blog: Asking, Exploring, Seeking. It’s where I’ve been focusing more of that energy, though the busy-ness of this early autumn has impacted that work as well. I’m trying to get back to posting daily. 
  • I’ve been taking CIS 241, Web Development 1 at Edmonds Community College. Yeah, I know a fair amount about html, and a bit about CSS. I’m mostly self-taught, though, and have long wanted a deeper understanding. Getting up-to-speed with the changes wrought by html 5 have been really cool. 
There’s the brief run-down of this week’s highlights in review. 

Weariness

Carl Setzer

Inspiration dry.
Exhaustion creeping throughout.
Gray skies crushing me.

Leadership and the next step forward from Karmagate

Carl Setzer
I’m a little behind in my reading, so just got to this GeekWire piece: Internal Memo: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella sets new diversity plan after ‘humbling’ experience. I am very pleased to see Mr. Nadella grow as a leader after Karmagate. It’s very easy, in this society, for a leader to hide behind PR until any particular kerfuffle blows over. And I was worried that’s what would happen this time, too. I’m pleased to be wrong. His plans going forward match very well to my advice, which, I must say, also pleases me greatly.
It takes wisdom and humility to learn from criticism, and move FORWARD. This memo demonstrates something very unique, something very visionary. To risk, learn from failures and change, then adapt is critical to a vibrant culture. Microsoft might just be at the edge of something amazing. I’m eagerly watching.

Minecraft

Carl Setzer

My son requested I download Minecraft at some point in history; I’m not sure when. The months (years perhaps) of watching him engage the game impressed me. This game engages creativity in a deep and significant way, in ways no shooter one can. With his current creation, he’s taking into account architectural details like work and room flow (currently building a bakery). Then when I mentioned to him about how Boeing camouflaged their Seattle plant during World War II (built a fake neighborhood above), he announced that he was building his own Boeing factory.

It delights me to see his brain working like this. And the standard gaming side-benefits (most noticeably better hand-eye coordination and dexterity) are nice, I love the creativity. His right brain is getting brilliantly stimulated. For that, I’m grateful.

Minecraft

Carl Setzer

My son requested I download Minecraft at some point in history; I’m not sure when. The months (years perhaps) of watching him engage the game impressed me. This game engages creativity in a deep and significant way, in ways no shooter one can. With his current creation, he’s taking into account architectural details like work and room flow (currently building a bakery). Then when I mentioned to him about how Boeing camouflaged their Seattle plant during World War II (built a fake neighborhood above), he announced that he was building his own Boeing factory.

It delights me to see his brain working like this. And the standard gaming side-benefits (most noticeably better hand-eye coordination and dexterity) are nice, I love the creativity. His right brain is getting brilliantly stimulated. For that, I’m grateful.

Economic Cost

Carl Setzer
We don’t see that what we pay directly influences how well others live. By driving to pay less, always less, we drive down the quality of life for others; this lust for advantage. Now I understand that we expect that the lowered costs come from the horded wealth of the exploiters. Yet, really, that cost is born by the most vulnerable.
Where is the sweet spot: customer maximizes their lives, seller theirs? It’s truly impossible to know without transparency. Which won’t be fully realized without trust.
Finding this place of trust, where we can believe, fully, that each party is seeking “win-win”, this is the great challenge for humanity. To move past seeking advantage, from exploitation to relationship and respect. To seek out a world where we all grow, all benefit and no one is crushed by inequality. This is my dream, at least.

Winter’s Breath

Carl Setzer

Air flows calmly down.
Teeth of winter’s brutal bite
Tranquil snows falling.

Annoyance shouldn’t equate to rage

Carl Setzer

We need to be able to experience annoyance about the descending into judgmental rage. Far too often, people burst into a rage at the mildest of provocations. The all too familiar “Road Rage” is, perhaps, the most common variation.

My perception: we have developed a lack of ability to process modern life’s nuisances. Perhaps it’s the speed, or expected speed of today’s life. Anything that impacts our speeding at maximum perhaps frightens too much.

Finding that place of tranquility; tis a serious challenge. Not something we teach much. Our ability to collaborate gets compromised. And collaboration is our economic future. Socially corrosive, this is.

Is Elon Musk The Automotive Market’s Steve Jobs?

Carl Setzer

I heard a great deal about Mr. Musk today, what with all the buzz about The Big D. A few thoughts really strike me:

  1. When was the last time that an automotive announcement created such buzz? 
  2. How many CEOs (in any industry) can say, publicly, that they’re colonizing Mars and not be laughed off the internet?
Both of these got me thinking about Mr. Musk, the leader. Clearly, the greater world is invigorated by his style. He generates “buzz”, and gets people talking. And audiences wait, eagerly, to eat up his words. 
Additionally, he inspires confidence, to the point that disbelief is suspended. Outlandish claims, dreams, aspirations are considered with a level of seriousness I’ve not seen since Mr. Jobs. And this delights me. People inspired, innovation held up as wonderful; these are great things for us, for our culture. Things that bring our gaze upwards, cause us to think bigger are critical. Birthing happiness within me. 

Marketing and Business Expertise

Carl Setzer

Saw a flyer earlier today for a Business Planning Clinic which amused me. I support thoughtful business planning, however, this flyer failed to impress me. First, it presented me with a whole page of information, including such things as the presenter’s marital status, but didn’t have date, location or price. In other words, a marketing “fail”. Really, none of the key “Ws” were communicated besides “who”.

So, would I take business planning advice from someone who fails a basic flyer, their critical chance to get me engaged? Perhaps a rhetorical question, but I’ll leave that analysis up to you.