Yearning for human connection

three plugs entering an electrical outletI love blogs.

I’ve been blogging since 2005. (You can visit my first month of blogging if you like.) I still put up a blog post almost every week. And I enjoy reading blogs by other people. But there are few real blogs left. By “real,” I mean where someone shares what’s on their heart.

One friend who used to blog about life rarely blogs that way anymore. His blog has evolved into thoughtful reflections in his area of work.

Several friends just stopped altogether. Other friends only blog occasionally.

Don’t think I’m saying I am a “from the heart” blogger – most of my posts are just reflections on shiny bits of life. But I do like reading posts where people bare their souls – even if I don’t often write such posts.

Are there any blogs that you still enjoy visiting regularly? Share them with me and other Shiny Bits readers in the comments. Thanks.

FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

Change is not always better

mac interface screenshot, showing new typefaceI very much love Apple products. One of the thorns in my side is spending my 8-to-5 on a Windows 7-based laptop. It works fine, but I very much miss using a Mac. (And changing back to a Mac at home messes with my head.)

Like every forward-facing company, Apple is always changing things. The latest computer operating system, Yosemite, has some significant improvements. But the new system-wide typeface is harder for my non-assisted eyes to read. The Helvetica-like “6” looks too much like an “8.”

If we could pick and choose what gets changed in our lives, that would make us God. But we can’t, so I’m hoping the not-fun-changes will make us stronger.

Footnotes:

  1. There are some ways Windows is better. One good aspect is having both a delete key and a backspace key.
  2. If you have a minute, in the comments, share a change you experienced that provided both good and bad results.
  3. My Mac starts up much faster with Yosemite. (Your results may vary.)
FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

Emperor’s new clothes

Spark - © Graham, Creative Commons licensed, via LfickrMarketing these days seems to be in a rut. I am amazed at the ideas some companies use to represent their goods and services.

Lexus, for example, has a new crossover vehicle that they are trying to sell with the slogan, “Go Beyond Utility.”

Meh.

The closing line of their ad says, “”Once you go beyond utility, there’s no going back.”

What does that even mean?

Lest you think I am saying that I’m a creative genius, I don’t have a quick and easy suggestion for a better campaign to sell the new Lexus NX crossover. And I understand that true creativity is an art more than a science. Great ideas don’t come always quickly to even the most creative person.

Footnotes:

  1. The Emperor’s New Clothes is a wonderful story from 1837 that illustrates how the ruler of a large land is swindled into believing nothing is the best something ever.
  2. The sparks photo is courtesy of Graham on Flikr, and is used through a Creative Commons license.
  3. The new NX is a repackaged Toyota RAV. Car and Driver magazine gives it 3 out of 5 stars. Maybe that’s why the creatives had a hard time coming up with a good idea to sell the car.
FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

Love me, love my dog

Sparky dogMy dad used to say that. (He’s gone now, so I haven’t heard him say it for many years.)

“Love me, love my dog,” simply means we have to put up with things we may not appreciate about some of the people we know. This is such a fundamental idea that I too often forget.

We all expect perfection from others, at some level. The closer the person to us, the more we expect from them. (The opposite holds true too – we expect a lot from our governmental leaders, and we will probably never meet them.)

Annoying habits or choices can be huge roadblocks in any relationship. The sooner we get over being fixated on those things, the sooner we can enjoy that relationship.

And yes, that’s our little dog Sparky. She’s pretty easy to love, as she is very loving in return. But she loves to bark at squirrels and ghosts we can’t see. I hope you get to meet her someday.

FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail