Dragging My Feet and as such, Time Will Tell.

It’s kind of interesting the extreme lengths that we are willing to go in order to procrastinate.  Take, for instance, writing in this blog.  I generally have used it as an outlet for various academic pieces or my own meanderings about life.  I don’t think anyone reads or even views this document.  Yet, despite that fact, I still continue to try and post at least once a week.  Though, back to the procrastination bit, I decided to put off doing this for a bit too.  However, tonight, I resolved myself to post.  Thus my little bit about procrastination. 

Anyway, I’m currently working on a piece relating to the obligations of the first responder in mass causality/fatality incidents. This piece is going to center upon the philosophical ramifications and “obligations” of the responder and it will be contextualized within a modern legal framework.  I’m on draft two and working with a colleague of mine (a lawyer) on refining this further.  We’ll see how it all turns out. I am excited about the paper and I hope, whoever reads it, will be too.

They call me "Solo"...

Well, when I was born, my mother considered giving me up for adoption several times. My father wasn't really around and she figured I'd end up alone one way or another. 

I think that's really fitting for the very despondent tone that's settled in with me over the course of the weekend.  I've had weird dreams about my family (the ones who have been passed for several years), had horrible realizations about them (seeing something on the History Channel) and just being alone.  I've made mistakes in my life, hurt people, been hurt, loved, longed, yearned and strived to ascertain meaning from all the current sum of my experiences.

I know my own experiences at the moment, even at their worst would be their best... it's all relative, I understand that logically.  However it doesn't mean things don't hurt as much inside nor does it minimize either of our experiences.

They say it can only get better...when you stop looking you'll find it.  Well... have at it then.

The Joy of Article Revision

It's funny how an article begins to blur itself. The longer you work on a piece the more difficult it is to spot what needs to be changed/adapted.  You can read over something 10,000 times and just miss that one word that could change everything or how a different phrasing of something could solidify your argument perfectly.  I've been looking at this piece for a few days now and it's at that point where it's all the same.  I'm hoping to submit the piece for publication though, at present, it still needs some work. I think I'm going to walk away from it for a bit or see if I can find another set of eyes to read over this piece. 

Oh and what's with the weather being 9,001 degrees? Geesh :)

Arthouse BS

It is amazing what people will argue and the lengths people will go to justify their methods or purpose.  I recently sat through a presentation relating to design methodology. The point of this lecture was to discuss the design process and to bridge the gap with the business operations process.  I sat there through these pieces and it became clear to me that the ideas they were espousing were and are a walking contradiction. 

"Design doesn't want to be in commodities"

"The market rejects a design or concept because it "isn't read for it" [professor referred to this as MAYA principle].

This went on for over two hours and gradually degraded into art house crap in that they ended up showing a coffee pot that bent over to give you your coffee. 

Now, I'm a pragmatic realist.  I sat through this and realized I was listening to verbal diarrhea.  I also recognized it was a ploy to sell someone on their "end products" - like the tea pot. 

Inherently, these developments recognize and seize upon market related needs and wants.  However, the creation of and recognition of opportunity/value creation is a team based effort within the Timmon's model.  Thus, the professor was arguing for the designer as the be all end all force of the value chain when in reality they are a part of and receiver model plan.  They create the prototype and this goes through a refinement process which yields and end result.

Everything is a team orientation and the recognition of creating value from the opportunity is what counts.  The model of a for profit business isn't going to be for a tea pot that bows, that's a novelty and art house shit.  What will generate profits is the creation of a service or feature set that is constantly evolving.  The heart of design is creation, the heart of a business is creation, the value derived from both is relativistic.  A good firm can make something both pretty and functional.  This can reach a broader market.  The tea pot, well that was shit.  The combined resources of quantitatively oriented individuals with artistic individuals, now that can lead to something very interesting.

If you're selling me art house shit, I'm going to call it what it is, shit.  If you're selling me a concept that is marketable and has a product line intertwined with it, then we're talking (or services).

The Power of Words

It's very interesting when you think about the power of words and the tone of the context those words create/provide.  Take for instance the concept of capitalism and the model of the entrepreneur.  The constructs utilized in our in course discussions have centered upon recognizing opportunity and "exploiting" it.  Now exploit is a loaded term in and unto itself.  I think it could be argued that this has a negative connotation.  Mind you I am a capitalist and understand what is trying to be conveyed here.  However, I wonder if there is a better way to unify the concepts of capitalizing on an opportunity while, at the same time, generating a profit.  This can be done without exploitation. In the recognition of the "opportunity" one can go forward and create value in a way that benefits one's self and one's stakeholders.

In short, words have a powerful connotation that can subconsciously define or outline behavior.  One can only wonder if groups like Enron instead of exploiting opportunity actually maneuvered to create value from that recognition.  

To conclude I would argue that capitalism can be ethical and mutually beneficial to all parties involved.  It is a matter of behaving in a way to maximize the benefits to all parties involved.  If this is done, everyone can come out ahead.