I know I touched on Driving Efficiently, but here’s a quick, simple tip on how to drive safely. It applies to both drivers and pedestrians:

Make Eye Contact with Other Drivers

Whenever I’m driving and come upon an intersection, whether I’m required to stop or not, and there is a car waiting, I strive to make eye contact with the car’s driver.

I often notice many drivers usually do not attempt to make eye contact, but rather they look only at the other car. However, only Autobots drive themselves, so it’s more important make sure that the other driver sees you, otherwise the odds of an accident increases.

This especially applies even when you’re a pedestrian. In fact, even more so, as your very life can be on the line.

I recall being one of three passengers in a car driven by a friend who was a fairly new driver. Upon making a right turn, she braked, and then looked left for oncoming traffic, unaware that on the right a mother and her child were about to cross the street. Our friend proceeded to turn, and almost ran them over! We were horrified, but luckily no one was hurt.

For me, there were two lessons to be learned:

1. My friend was in the wrong — she failed to look right to make sure it was safe to turn.
2. The mother did not look at my friend — she only noticed the car was stopped (momentarily while my friend looked for oncoming traffic). Had she tried to make eye contact, she would have noticed that my friend had not seen her. She should have then waited until either saw that my friend saw her, or until the car had made its (rude) turn.

To this day, I am especially careful crossing the street (even when the light is green). When it comes to Human vs Auto — Auto wins. Every time.

Be safe!

Why Being Punctual is Important in Our Society

Here in the U.S., being on time to appointments, dates, work, meetings, etc., is important. Unlike some cultures where tardiness is routine, or even expected, we’ve developed the expectation of punctuality because we live in a fast-paced society. With automobiles being as popular as they are (see how many on the road have only one driver), and cities full of things to do, places to go, etc., it becomes important to schedule events and tasks. Being late to something early in the day can have a domino effect on the rest of the day, resulting in frayed nerves and ill-feelings.

What Happens When We’re Late

• Resentment – A person being late will generate at least a modicum of resentment in the person that was waiting, unless it’s become such a habit that the other person EXPECTS the tardiness, which in case…
• Unreliability – A person who is late gains the reputation of being unreliable. This dependability issue may come into play when a person is being considered for a job or a promotion or even a pay raise or bonus, since…
• Uncaring – A person who is late will come to be thought of as uncaring. I would say that the uncaring borders on arrogance, as it seems as if the person has no regard to the feelings, needs and deserved respect of the person waiting.

Tips to Ensure Habitual Punctuality

So, if by now, you think as I do, that being punctual is important, I’ve put together a few pointers to aid in that endeavor:

• Acknowledge the Importance of Punctuality – Like ending any bad habits (e.g. smoking), the first thing to do is the acknowledge the problem, and develop the desire to do something about it. Without this important first step, it’s an uphill battle.
• Be a Time Realist, not a Time Optimist – Realize that we live in a space-time continuum where time flows non-stop whether we do something or nothing. So, be mindful of the little things we do: brushing teeth – 3-5 minutes; reading and responding to an email – 5-10 minutes; putting on make-up – 10-15 minutes, whatever, and know that doing a bunch of them will add up to a large chunk of time.
• Pad Your Appointments – Allow for things like travel and breaks, and even some “breathing room” when planning appointments if possible. Say you have two one-hour meetings. If possible, put in a 15 or 30 minute “break” between them to allow for things like having the first meeting run over a few minutes (because someone else was late), or so you have time to gather material and prepare for the second meeting without being rushed, etc.
• Have the Correct Time on all Clocks – I think it’s a better idea to have all your clocks and watches be set to the correct time, rather than setting them 5 or 10 minutes fast. By setting them fast, you subconsciously know you have an extra 5 or 10 minutes, and what usually happens is procrastination. To set the correct time is very easy these days — some clocks have built-in radio communication that automatically sets the time, and for all the other devices, use your computer or cell-phone as a reference point.
• Prepare the Night Before – Using the divide and conquer principle, figure what tasks can be done the night before, if being somewhere on time in the morning is your goal: getting clothes out, making lunch, etc. If you have kids like I do, getting their clothes out is a good strategy, as is making sure their schoolwork is already packed up in their backpacks.
• Work Backwards from Desired Appointment – Here is what I feel is the main key to punctuality. All the previous tips are supporting blocks to this one. Since life is filled with uncertainties, we allow for some time for little “hiccups” to occur. So, for a job interview, the target time to arrive would be 15-20 minutes before the appointment. For a regular job, the target time would be 8-10 minutes before the official start time. Once the target arrival time is determined, work backwards to arrive at a realistic time to leave. Use experience to determine a realistic amount of travel time, and from that derive your departure time. From that, continue working backwards to allow time to eat, satisfy bathroom needs, groom and get dressed, etc., to arrive at a realistic wake-up time. Then use an alarm to wake up at that time. If you have trouble waking up, then it’s obvious an earlier bed time is in order.

Being on Time is a Desire

In the end, being on time is as much a desire as it is a coordination of logistics.

If you have any thoughts on this, I’d love to hear them.

In the “Beginning”, We Were Farmers

The United States started out as 13 colonies, where one of main focuses was farming, since everyone had to eat. Households had farms that provided most of their needs, and any excess can be used for barter, trading, etc. Only with adequate food could there have been development of trade, much less the Revolutionary War. I’d say farming was king.

Unparalleled Growth In the Intervening Years

Over the ensuing decades, social, economic, and technological development resulted in increased populations, and mass production of foodstuff. Industrialization resulted in a multitude of products. Cars and planes brought helped make the world a bit smaller. We got a couple of World Wars, the Baby Boom, the Golden Age of Television, the Age of Information. During these times, most of our foods came from giant corporate farms who supplied massive factories, fast-food chains, etc. They still do now.

Coming Full Circle In Recent Years

But now, we are learning to shop local farmers’ markets, end the use of chemical fertilizers, go organic, reuse, recycle and compost (I’m all for that).

Wanting to escape from the modern “rat race”, some families even move out of the big cities, onto their own land.

To farm.

“Many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own points of view.” — Obi Wan Kenobi

I love this Star Wars quote, one of many, actually.

Universal Truth about Points of View

But in this case, it really struck me as a universal truth. As author Dale Carnegie explains in How to Win Friends and Influence People, people do not normally do things because they think they are wrong, but rather because they think they are in the right because, from their point of view, they are.

We know that a cup with liquid taking up half the volume can be viewed as half-full, or half-empty — we often use that phrase to illustrate optimism versus pessimism. However, if we just analyze the phrase for its inherent logic, we can see that both statements ARE true, but only from a certain point of view.

A cup can be half-full of liquid, from the frame of reference of how much “content” we have. At the same time, a half-filled cup is also a half-empty, from the frame of reference of the total cup volume.

How I Apply the Points of View Principle

• Personal and Professional – When I hear a complaint from either a client, or even my honey, I bite my tongue from wanting to respond right away. Instead, I take the stance that they are right, from their point of view. And from there, I try to arrive at a resolution that will be satisfactory for all parties involved.
• Parenting – When the kids are voicing their wants, I listen and I think of why they feel so strongly about whatever it is they want, and how I can leverage that to guide them to, and teach them things I feel is important.
• World/Current Events – When I listen to politicians on the news, be it the local city supervisors, or the U.S. President, or foreign powers, I take into account their points of view. As such, I can understand why foreign terrorists feel the need to do what they do — I don’t condone it, but I understand, but I also know there has to be a better way to peace. On a local level, I can understand why we have developers versus environmentalists, renters versus landlords, etc.

Important Component to Critical Thinking

Anyway, I just wanted to point out that understanding points of view is an important, critical component to critical thinking.

I hope you see my point.

If you’ve been in a memorable situation where you’ve seen valid points of view, I’d love to hear them.

I recall there was talk about the paperless society when the internet started becoming popular, and predictions were made about the demise of the brick-and-mortar bookstore.

New Reader Technologies

Indeed, with recent technologies such as the Apple iPhone and Amazon Kindle, we may soon be at the point where we will have something like the PADD from Star Trek The Next Generation — multitouch screen technology, innovative, energy efficient, highly-readable displays, ubiquitous information access, etc. We would get tremendous amount of data storage, search features and convenience — who wouldn’t want one, right?

I think people would want one, as much as many want the iPhone. And there is no doubt that the ultimate electronic reader will soon come into existence. Perhaps there will be a rental fee for it, with the ability to borrow an online book for as long as we want to read it, a la the Netflix model. It’s coming, I can feel it.

But Books Will Never Die

At least for the foreseeable future. I’m sure there will be a Tipping Point when books start to decline, but just as film and photography has not seen the disappearance of painting and drawing, these new technologies will most likely play alongside Gutenberg’s legacy format for some time.

Reasons Books Still Remain Popular

The way I see it, there are (at least) 5 reasons why people still love books:

1. Books Appeal to the Human Senses – There’s nothing quite like lifting and feeling the heft of a well-made book: the leather binding of an old classic, with its roughly-cut edges, and its lightly-textured pages, or the smooth pages of a coffee table picture book, with its colorful images, or even simply the worn-out, dog-eared pages of a favorite paperback novel. A book appeals to our sense of sight, touch, and even smell.
2. Books Offer Convenience – While the new technology offers unparalleled ease-of-use, the book already meets a certain minimum standards of convenience that makes the media popular. A book is always “on”, ready to be read at a moment’s notice — no recharging or wireless network is ever needed to read a book.
3. Books are Visual Reminders – To completely read a typical book usually requires more than one sitting, and the book physical form allows it to simply be placed anywhere, sure, but usually in a spot where it serves as a visual reminder to “read me”: desk, beside table, even the toilet tank top .
4. Books Create Social Impressions – What happens when I visit a friend or even go to a party is that I am often drawn to their bookshelves (if they have one) for a couple of reasons. One is to see if they had a book I would think is interesting — and this can become a point of conversation — and the other reason is I get a better picture of what kind of person they are: how well-read (if they have more classics), or how well-rounded (if they have a variety), or how well-versed (if they have a large number of say…cookbooks). I wouldn’t be able to be so “nosy” if all they had was a handheld reader (that’s probably password protected, or contain a metrics access function like thumbprint verification).
5. Books have the Ah! Factor – Dog-eared pages, notes scribbled on the side, flipping through pages randomly or going straight to the index if it has one, a book sets up the stage for satisfaction of my need to continue learning, whether it’s through a nonfiction reference book or a trilogy of fiction novels. There’s a great feeling to finally reach the end of a book, when all of the weighty tome has shifted its mass from right to left. And, if it’s a great book or a great story, the feeling is even more powerful.

Books are a concrete way of sending information into the future, and for those of us on the receiving end, I would say reading a book is one of life’s simple pleasures.

If you like this post, you might like my post on

• My Favorite Childhood Books

One of the best recent books I’ve read that perfectly illustrates critical thinking skills is Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies.

In it, Mr. Diamond espouses on a number of theories that help explain how early human societies throughout the world developed, evolved and eventually wound up with today’s nation-states.

It’s amazing how he is able to illustrate in detail a broad picture of the development of human societies — in many ways, the “story” almost resembles one of those world conquering video-games like Age of Empires, or Civilization and their ilk. For instance, mankind in the beginning had to contend with simply finding (gathering) enough food to eat. But with the introduction of new “technology” like hunting, more food became available to support a larger community beyond a family. Thus, began tribes, villages, and eventually cities, kingdoms, etc. (I wouldn’t be surprised if some of those game creators had read the book for research).

It really is a fascinating look at the reasons why and how various societies developed, who was able to succeed, why others failed, and especially why current national powers exist where they are. Factors such as geography, natural wildlife, plant species, and luck are all examined in detail. And of course, later on in the book, we find out more about the influence of “guns, germs and steel”.

It’s an eye-opening book.

At Busy Warehouse Stores or Supermarkets

When I was writing my post on The Best Times to Think, it occurred to me a there was a quick thinking example I can share — an example that was not about quick thinking, but rather a thinking example that I can explain quickly. Here goes:

Look Beyond Just the Number of Shoppers in a Line

When I pick which line to wait in at say, Costco, I don’t make my decision just by looking at the length of each line (e.g. how many people are queued up in each line), I also take into account the fullness of their shopping carts.

A slightly longer line with half-empty carts will take less time to process than a shorter line whose carts overflowing with STUFF.

The Simple Math to Choosing a Line

Obviously, I want the line where the number of shoppers times the number of items is smallest overall. (Sometimes I’ll also glance at the cashier to gauge his or her level of competence).

Hope that helps.

I love that phrase.

It has such…power, and yet simplicity with its monosyllabic words.

And for me, it means so much.

Comic Book “Origins”

I first heard that phrase in a Fantastic Four comic book by writer/artist John Byrne. It introduced the concept of someone who has the determination and persistence to will something to be — that someone was a alien character reminiscent of rival DC Comic’s Superman. The protagonists are unable to overcome this alien, until they figure out how to instill a slight sense of doubt in him. That doubt provided the opening they needed to literally knock him out.

Interestingly enough, I do remember that years later, when Byrne was working on Superman, he used the same concept to explain how the Man of Steel can lift a cruise ship, and basically not have it collapse under its own weight. Or even how he can fly. To paraphrase, Superman’s “superness” is his sheer force of will.

Well, that’s fantasy — real life is different, right?

Real Life Will Power

A lot of things that are worth doing in real life is hard. Just think:

• Getting in shape
• Getting a college degree
• Writing a great blog that has tens of thousands of subscribers
• Having a great relationship/marriage
• Running a business

Notice that everything requires effort, time, and commitment in order for it to succeed? The get-quick-rich schemes, pyramid schemes, and other so-called short-cuts to success that we see on late night infomercials are all telling us it’s easy. We need to be smart and realize that it’s not, lest we be taken by contemporary Jedi mind tricks.

In Our Culture and History

I know sometimes I get caught up in my own little world of hardships, and there are times when I am just plain tired. That’s when I need a dose of inspiration. When I need inspiration, I think of others that have succeeded — the achievement, the inventions, the stories that are all part of our culture. And then it’s very easy to see what I need to do. Some simple examples are:

• Sports – How often have we seen sports athletes who play through pain, or how against all odds, an player on a team is able to “carry his team on his back” by sheer determination.
• Flying – Would we have our global “village” today if the Wright Brothers (and other inventors) had given up on the “silly” idea of flying that had teased the imaginations of people throughout history?
• Going to the Moon – How did the scientists, researchers and engineers able to step up to the challenge presented by President John F. Kennedy when he told everyone of our goal to land on the moon (first)?
• Miracle Recovery – I have heard stories where a hospital patient is all but left to die by his/her doctors and even loved ones, who’ve lost all hope. But somehow, some way, the patient is able to heal, much to the surprise of everyone. I have to think a part of it may have been the patient’s own sheer desire to live (either that or the doctors made a misdiagnoses — in any case, it makes a great story).

I marvel at these and other examples, using them as inspiration for my own aspirations.

Desire Only Leads the Way

Of course, even with determination and persistence, we usually won’t get anywhere without a proper foundation: education, talented people to help, financial, emotional or moral support, etc. So, yeah, we still have to be realistic.

Our desire leads the way, but we still need to have the smarts, the acumen to set up a plan, a road map that will help us reach these goals in manageable steps. Whether it’s shooting a thousand free throws in practice every day, or cutting out all junk food, or diligently studying for school, keeping in mind the larger picture, and using others’ success as inspiration, we need to know what to do to make it.

We may still fail, even while we keep trying — and history is filled with inventors who died penniless, etc. But it is that attitude to keep going, to get up after falling down, to keep going despite all the naysayers, that more often than not, see us to fruition.

I haven’t been able to find the source, but I really like this quote:

“Persistence Prevails When All Else Fails.”

I’ve been slowly exploring the excellent blog, Zen Habits — one of the inspirations for this blog — and author Leo Bautista has a wonderful post entitled Best All-Time Children’s Books. It’s an extensive list, and I agree with his choices, at least for the ones I happened to have read.

I thought I’d write my own little post on books that I recall first borrowing from the library:

• Henry Huggins – by Beverly Cleary. I distinctly remember reading this book in 4th grade, when I first got my very own library card. It was great fun to imagine the seemingly ordinary life of young Henry Huggins, where nothing happens until the day he comes home with a stray dog. The various situations he gets in are fun, yet filled with the kind of lessons every child should learn. I believe these were the first books where I became fully immersed in the world of the characters, feeling what they were feeling, and experiencing their challenges and how they overcame them. I read many of the other books in the series (such as the Mouse and the Motorcyle, and really became aware of how to find books by author. Zen Habits recommends the Ramona series, which I have not read, but it seems anything by Cleary is good. I noticed that many of Cleary’s books have been recently reprinted with new illustrations. I’m partial to the original, but still, I would highly recommend any of her books.
• The Mad Scientists’ Club – by Bertrand R. Brinley. I was enthralled with books that really emphasized independence from adults. It was a chance to escape into a different world, into a kid’s world, and to see things from their perspective. Since I WAS a kid at the time, it was easy, and appealing. And in this book and others in the series, I got to do that. It really helps that the title was really enticing: mad scientists as in bwah-ha-ha-ha, and a exclusive club — how much more of an invitation does a kid need? In this series, a band of kids often uses science as a way to pass the time but sometimes achieving something more. Whether it’s pranks or something heroic like rescuing, the series is truly entertaining. If you’re really interested in learning more, there are a couple of websites worth checking out:
  • www.MadScientistsClub.com – looks like the official website by the author’s son, Sheridan Brinley
  • www.PurpleHousePress.com – a site dedicated to bringing back great children’s books from years past
• Danny Dunn and the Anti-Gravity Paint – by Jay Williams and Raymond Abrashkin. Here was another series of books that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on: Danny Dunn. With young Danny always being headstrong — his strongest trait — and always rushing into things, his friends Joe and (later in the series) Irene who help him, and Professor Bullfinch the absent-minded scientist who’s usually the raison d’etre for the invention or “MacGuffin” in each story, each book presented a fun adventure replete with scientific premises and what-not. It was really, really hard for me to put any of those books down.
  

It’s a short list for now, but I would say these stories are great for ages 9 through 13 or so. I think the key feature for all of them was how engaging the stories were, how each world drew me in. There are a lot of great books today, but of course these were the ones I actually read as a child.

I actually remember getting my own library card in the 4th grade, and always wanting to visit my local branch every week or so — one might be hard pressed to find kids like that in today’s world of high-speed internet and Nintendo and Playstations.

I happened to drop by my old neighborhood recently and popped into the library on a whim, and everything is so different now: computer terminals everywhere, and it’s quite a bit more noisy than in the ol’ days.

Anyway, I feel these books really helped shaped and developed my appreciation for fun, involving stories, and set the stage for my my burgeoning childhoold curiosity of science.

If you have some favorite childhood books, I’d love to hear about them.

I hope to continue writing about them as periodic topics in the future.

I lead a busy life being a self-employed professional, and we live in such a fast-paced, media-dense society that we often let others make decisions for us. A maelstrom of messages — radio, print and television ads, social websites, packaging, etc. — all tell us what to buy, what to wear, what to eat, what to watch, etc., but sometimes following those messages is not really to our benefit.

The Need to Think

I think it’s very important to think for ourselves lest we get taken advantage of by others. Think of your email spam — why is there so much of it, unless…somehow…it works?

I’m guessing somewhere, somehow, despite what common sense says, someone is being taken by a spam because they did not take the time to think, or even follow the simple mantra: If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.

When we stop thinking for ourselves, that’s when we can become manipulated, both on an individual level, like a spam victim, and on a collective level — ever hear of the mob mentality?

I live in a society with “freedom of speech” and “freedom of the press”, but if we choose not to make decisions on our own, then why should this country’s forefathers have fought for its freedom?

Practice To Keep Sharp

In order to start thinking for ourselves — to employ the practices of critical thinking — I think it’s just as important to exercise our brain’s mental acuity as much as it is to exercise our bodies for physical health. Only then can we make the proper decisions to put us on the path positive living.

As such, here are my ideas for when to flex our mental muscles:

• Driving – I practice driving efficiently, so I often find my driving times to be perfect opportunities to think. To do this, though, I leave the radio or tape deck (people still have those? yeah, I do) off. It also helps to not have kids in the car the same time you want to do your thinking.
• Showering – I still try to keep my showers short, in order to conserve water (and money), but every once in a while I’ll let myself go and enjoy a longer shower. Instead of singing the latest teen hit (not that I know any), I use that time to think.
• Lying in bed at 4am in the morning awake – This may actually be the worst time, as I am actually depriving myself of much needed sleep — so this suggestion is with a caveat. But in any case, sometimes it’s actually the best time as it’s dark and quiet, that is, if your bedmate exhibits a low-snoring quotient.
• Walking – This one is one of those Two Birds with One Stone bits: a little cardiovascular exercise while thinking of the things I need to do.
• Waiting in line at the grocer’s – Do I pick the longest line to wait in, so that I have more time to think? Nah, but still, instead of being distracted by tabloids or candies, I use that time to ponder.

By continually practicing critical thinking: analyzing, conceptualizing, forecasting, etc., we gain a better understanding of everything around us: TV commercials and infomercials, product packaging, politicians, even bosses and clients.

Most importantly, we gain a better understanding of ourselves.