it can't be helped

So here I sit, surrounded by piles of paper. White paper, yellow paper, glossy paper with charts and illustrations, stiff dark blue paper encasing yet more white paper. Piles on my desks (I have 2-1/2 of them). Piles in and on top of the "organizer" units on top of my desks. Piles on the floor. More piles over there on that other 2 square feet of formerly empty floor. Bookshelves filled, not with books, but with piles of paper.

Houston, we have a problem.

Those of you who read my blog back in April 2008 (tinyurl.com/63jul8) will remember my initial excitement for David Allen's book, "Getting Things Done" and the (then free) software I found that implements his method. The book is still an excellent book, and the software, now available for a truly nominal fee, is still good and getting better with each new release. Here's the link: www.trgtd.com.au/

So where's the holdup? In a word, me. No plan works by itself. The best crafted methods are worth no more than the paper on which they're printed until someone (that would be me in this case) actually makes an effort to implement them.

David Allen's method obviously works. He's proven it hundreds of times with far more serious cases than mine. Following his GTD process empties your brain of everything you need to remember and lets you recall it at exactly the right time to get it done when it's supposed to be done. The catch is being consistent.

Just as with an exercise program or a diet or learning a language or a musical instrument or (fill in the blank with your long-term goal of choice), consistency is paramount. And with David's plan, you must get a roaring start. You must clear out EVERYTHING from ALL of your working areas (even the corner of your nightstand and the glove compartment of your car) and put them into the system. Then you must reference and use the system CONSTANTLY.

The key to success, then, is changing habits. I don't generally like changing my habits. Not too many folks do, I'll bet. But in order for this (or any similarly significant goal) to be achieved, habits have to change. Shikata ga nai (it can't be helped - there is no other way).

Tony Robbins reminds us that we respond best to the hope of pleasure and the fear of pain. Guess my next step will be to vividly imagine compelling examples of pleasure and pain.

"Honey, where did I put that tax rebate check we got last spring?" Oops - time to change habits …

We’ve Got to Get Out of This Place

In "From the Earth to the Moon,” the ground-breaking 1865 novel by Jules Verne, we read the story of a Frenchman and two well-to-do members of a post-American Civil War gun club who build an enormous sky-facing cannon and launch themselves in a projectile/spaceship from it to a Moon landing.

Ever since that novel was published, man’s dream of travelling to the planets and then to the stars has grown ever stronger. Science fiction novels and movies continue to spark the imagination of would-be astronauts, both the “real” variety and those who explore space from the comfort of their armchairs.

Such romantic visions of space exploration and conquest are slowly, quietly being supplanted by a more ominous motivation -- survival. Man’s chances of surviving as a species on this planet go down almost daily. Any elementary school student can give you the laundry list of reasons why this is so. (Read my thoughts on the subject here.)

Yes, Earth is home. It is where we were born, have lived and died for thousands of years. But given those reasons alluded to above, it’s likely the cycle will not continue too very much further into the future.

And now, the important part: if we’re going to establish a permanent human presence on another world, we must take action SOON. It may even be too late already.

Simply “exploring space” is not the same as colonizing other worlds – not by a long shot. Researching, planning, designing, funding, building and populating a viable colonization mission (preferably several simultaneous missions) could take many hundreds of years and thousands of trillions of today’s dollars. And for such a mind-bogglingly large undertaking, man’s resources may well be forever insufficient.

So why don’t we just forget about it and work harder on improving our chances of survival here on our home planet? Good question. Many people believe that’s the proper course of action, and those people have a good argument in their favor.

My argument is simple. What if those people are wrong?

(For a general discussion of this topic, start here with the Wikipedia article, "Space Colonization.")

It's Time for a Change! (again?)

We hear it during every election: "It's time for a change!" I can remember political campaigns from decades ago that were filled with the phrase. So, have we experienced change? The change we truly desire? Obviously not, or we wouldn't need to ask so often and so loudly.

Why do we ask for change at every opportunity? More importantly, are we asking the right people this question?

Certainly, change can be a good thing. In Toastmasters, as in many other such educational organizations, we regularly hear that "we always have room for improvement." Change, if properly planned and executed, can result in a positive improvement of our situation.

But we're asking the wrong people to effect change, or more accurately, allowing the wrong people to convince us they should be entrusted with effecting change.

How can government (city, county, state or national) possibly know what change would benefit us best as individuals? They can't. The levels of government rise far too high and contain far too much complexity to make such best decisions possible.

So who can we ask? The man (or woman) in the mirror.

We know ourselves best. We know what will make a positive difference in our lives and what will waste our time and resources. We know our own strengths and weaknesses and how we perceive our places in the world. We, above all others, have the power to create change - change that will stand the test of time.

Yes, it is time for a change. So, what are you waiting for?

me first

They don’t look before walking across your path.

Nevermind that you had to slam on your brakes and send your scalding hot coffee flying into the center console. Nevermind that parking spaces are at a premium, and that three other people had begun stalking the same one on which you’d cast your eyes before our oblivious pedestrian began their seemingly interminable trek. Nevermind that the crosswalk was clearly marked and certainly a safer route for folks on foot.

Nope. Nothing else matters. Nothing but my cell phone call, my iPod music, my trip to the convenience store for the latest copy of the Hollywood Scandal Daily.

What has happened to our society? When did it become OK (even expected) to put yourself first and others second, or, more typically, to remove others from your list completely?

It became OK when self-esteem and materialism became gods.

There was a time when folks were courteous, both to strangers and to those they knew. Now neither is true. Their happiness and convenience is more important than yours.

There was a time when a man would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. Now you’d be lucky if he even noticed you were in need.

Is it time for a change? I think it was time for a change long ago. Are we capable of making that change? Not likely. Until it becomes unfashionable to worship our selves and our stuff, no change will be possible. And who or what defines what is or is not fashionable? The people and media to which we pay all too much attention.

The recipe for change? Turn off the television and the computer, put away the cell phone, pack the family in the car and head for the forest. Have long talks and walks with your family. Get them to realize that the true meaning in life is found in meeting the needs of other people, rather than getting what you think (or are told) you deserve.

Robert Downey, Jr. IS Iron Man

I’m a fan of live-action movie interpretations of comic book characters. Well, I am as long as they’re finely-crafted. And in this case, I am definitely a fan.

It's difficult to imagine a better casting for the lead role of Tony Stark (aka, Iron Man) than Robert Downey, Jr. His real-life swagger, under-the-surface vulnerability and wry humor blend perfectly with the character he plays – a super-intelligent, flamboyant entrepreneur who’s corporation makes billions of dollars designing and supplying bleeding edge war toys to the good guys of the world. Downey keeps his character accurately grounded in the face of the disturbing revelation that his toys have fallen into the wrong hands.

Awesome special effects will always catch my attention, but you won’t hold that attention long if there’s no meat to the story. In this case, the story and the characters were more than sufficient to keep me riveted (be sure to stay all the way through the credits!). Downey’s performance is matched well by his supporting cast: Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane, Tony’s right-hand man; Terrence Howard as Lt. Col. James Rhodes, military liaison to Stark Industries and Tony’s best friend; and Gwyneth Paltrow as Virginia “Pepper” Potts, Tony’s trusted executive assistant.

If you enjoy movies with state-of-the-art special effects, borders-of-reality story points and lots of things blowing up real good, go see this movie (in a big theater with a big sound system) - Roger Ebert saw it (if that means anything to you), and he liked it (if that means anything to you). Even if you don’t like all these things, see the movie anyway, if for no other reason than to enjoy what may be an academy award-nominating performance by Iron Ma-- er, Robert Downey, Jr.

nuclear power -- is it safe to go back in the water again?

Thanks in part to the 1979 movie "The China Syndrome" and the accidents at Three Mile Island (also in 1979) and, most notably, Chernobyl (in 1986), most folks duck and cover when someone suggests a return to nuclear power generation. This was an understandable reaction for that day, since the designs of nuclear power plants were indeed dangerous (obviously).

Times (and designs) have changed. The new kid on the block is called PBR, which stand for Pebble Bed Reactor, also known as PBMR or Pebble Bed Modular Reactor. So what's the big deal? The links at the end of this entry will give you all the details, but ...

Safety, for one thing. Cost, for another. And a bonus (and badly needed) byproduct for yet another.

The pebbles (which contain the fuel) in a PBR are specifically designed (due to an effect called "doppler broadening") to shut down the nuclear reaction as they get hotter. So, there's no possibility of a runaway reaction.

The problems with liquid cooling (which in the old design accounted for a much larger amount of the reactor facility than the reactor itself) are gone. PBR reactors use an inert or semi-inert gas such as helium, nitrogen or carbon dioxide for cooling. Any leak (much less likely than in prior designs) would have a very low level of radioactivity since these gases do not readily absorb neutrons or other impurities.

PBRs are designed using small, self-contained modules, each roughly the size of half a football field. Need more power? Tack on a few more. No more need for sprawling complexes and ultra-complicated interconnecting hardware, software and people.

The valuable byproduct? Hydrogen. Lots of it. Our need for commercially available hydrogen will grow exponentially as the fuel cell industry moves forward from the testing environment into everyday use. PBRs will provide a ready source for our growing hydrogen gas appetite.

Of course, there are flaws in every design, and these systems are no different. What is different is that PBRs use fuel that is specifically designed to be self-limiting. The Germans, the South Africans and the Dutch (among others) are pursuing this technology. Let's not let past fears cloud our evaluation of new, promising technology that can free us from our addiction to oil.

Is it safe to go back in the water? I say so. Do your own research (starting with the links below) and see if it makes sense to you as well. If it does, voice your opinion to those who can make it happen.

Phillip Dunn: Safe Nuclear Power and Green Hydrogen Fuel

Wikipedia article on the Pebble Bed Reactor

not always as they seem

British film director Ken Russell ("Women in Love," "Tommy," "Altered States") developed a schoolboy crush on US actress Dorothy Lamour (13 years his senior) when he was only ten years old. Her exotic roles in the "road" pictures with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby fueled this youthful fire by adding the allure of the South Pacific as a backdrop to his fixation. As a young man, he joined the British Merchant Navy in hopes of traveling to the South Pacific and realizing his romantic dream.

What Russell found was water. Lots of water. No Pacific islands. No Dorothy Lamour. His early life obsession was permanently crushed upon the discovery that the closest Ms Lamour had been to the South Pacific was a water tank on the Paramount Studios back lot.

Mother Teresa began her lifelong service to God and the poor at age 18. She lived and worked tirelessly among the impoverished of India, and was instrumental in focusing world attention on the plight of the homeless and seriously ill. She was not an actress, pretending to be something she was not. She was the real deal, always ready to divert attention from herself and onto the desperate needs of those less fortunate than most.

How often do we succumb to the images of people who languish in the spotlight, waiting for their next close-up? And how many times do we quickly latch on to an attractive idea or pursuit without giving much thought to its foundation or to our reasons for being attracted to it?

"Things are not always what they seem to be." An old, familiar phrase to be sure. But never more relevant.

Before you pursue that dream, before you cast that vote, look below the surface and think.

simplifying your life

Sir Alfred Hitchcock, the famed Hollywood filmmaker and producer, wore the same thing almost every day -- a blue suit, white shirt, black socks. He wore no jewelry of any kind, not even a wrist watch. His reason was that being simply dressed helped him avoid unwanted distraction. Hitchcock was once quoted as saying,

"I'm full of fears and I do my best to avoid difficulties and any kind of complications. I like everything around me to be clear as crystal and completely calm."

Western society works hard every day to prevent us from simplifying our lives and to distract us from what we believe to be our important tasks. Television, radio, the Internet, magazines, store displays, families, friends and associations -- all compete for our attention and offer hundreds, even thousands of things on which they want us to focus. The challenge, then, is to first determine what our important tasks are (not as easy as it sounds), and then to do all we can to avoid being distracted from them.

Hitchcock was a master at his craft, most likely because he loved it so much. The secret for him, and I suspect most other wildly successful people, was passion. His passion gave him the courage and discipline to take whatever steps were necessary to simplify his existence to the exclusion of all except the attainment of his goal.

Simplifying your life is not just something you do to create calmness. Sure, that's the immediate payoff, but there's so much more. Once you're calm, you can dream without effort, and easily turn those dreams into goals and plans. Now you're reaching your human potential, and that's what it's really all about.

Blue suit, white shirt, black socks. Simple colors on the outside. A rainbow of possibilities on the inside.

Experts say we must explore space

I've written before about the need to explore space. That need remains, and now I add more fuel to the fire by referring to you the following list (compiled by author and space advocate Sylvia Engdahl) of books (and a video) by noted scientists and researchers.

Pick up one (or more) of them on your next trip to the bookstore. Give it a read and report your impressions to me. Let me know if your view has been changed or remains as it was before the read.

• The Survival Imperative: Using Space to Protect Earth by William E. Burrows


• The High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space: Apogee Books Space Series 12 (Apogee Books Space Series) by Gerard K. O'Neill


• The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must by Robert Zubrin


• Entering Space: Creating a Spacefaring Civilization by Robert Zubrin


• Return to the Moon: Exploration, Enterprise, and Energy in the Human Settlement of Space by Harrison H. Schmitt


• Return to the Moon (Apogee Books Space Series) by Rick N. Tumlinson


• Moonrush: Improving Life on Earth with the Moon's Resources: Apogee Books Space Series 43 (Apogee Books Space Series) by Dennis Wingo


• Mining The Sky: Untold Riches From The Asteroids, Comets, And Planets (Helix Book) by John S. Lewis


• The Millennial Project: Colonizing the Galaxy in Eight Easy Steps by Marshall T. Savage


• Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space by Carl Sagan


• RealSpace: The Fate of Physical Presence in the Digital Age, On and Off Planet by Paul Levinson


• The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution, Second Edition (Library of Flight Series) by Frank White


• Spacefaring: The Human Dimension by Albert A. Harrison


• Beyond Earth: The Future of Humans in Space (Apogee Books Space Series) by PhD, Bob Krone


• Disturbing The Universe (Sloan Foundation Science Series) by Freeman J. Dyson


• Out of the Cradle: Exploring the Frontiers Beyond Earth by William K. Hartmann


• Gaia Selene - Saving the Earth by Colonizing the Moon DVD video


• The Far Side of Evil by Sylvia Engdahl


• Journey Between Worlds by Sylvia Louise Engdahl


• The high road by Ben Bova


• The Space Enterprise by Harry G. Stine


• Doomsday has been cancelled by J. Peter Vajk


• Space Colonies (A Coevolution book) by Stewart Brand


• The fertile stars by Brian O'Leary


• Spaceships of the mind by Nigel Calder

empty your brain and get things done

I've been on a quest of late to find some tool that could help me manage my work, home and personal projects effectively. That search has led me to an excellent book and a useful (and free) software program.

The book is entitled “Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity” by David Allen ($9.00 at Amazon.com). It’s been around for the better part of a decade, and has been a hot seller all the while, for good reason.

David teaches the reader that stress is caused (mostly) by our brains being full of those things we need to do but haven’t done yet. As a result, our brains become overloaded and eventually completely ineffective.

His solution is to empty our brains of these things regularly into a trusted system that can remember and organize them for us. The keywords and phrases in that last sentence are: “regularly,” “trusted system” and “organize.” David describes such a system and gives us the motivation to implement it in whatever ways suit us best personally.

The software program I found to go along with this book is called “Thinking Rock” by Avente Pty Ltd, an Australian software company. Click here to go to their website. Besides being free, its appeal lies in the fact that it very closely follows David’s model, and that it’s available for MS Windows, Apple OS X and Linux.

Even if you don’t make use of the software (and if you use computers on a daily basis, you should), you’ll benefit tremendously by reading the book. I highly recommend it, and look forward to hearing success stories from those of you who have or will do so.

Empty your brain, buy the book, download the software and get it done.

Unlimited Possibilities

There's nothing new under the sun. So says the Bible, and in that context (an explanation of which is left for the reader to discover) I accept the statement. Fine.

But where does that leave the creative types and innovators? Are they doomed to simply repeat history, with no hope of every generating a new thought or design? Is there actually a dark, lonely truth at the end of the mental roadblock?

I submit for your consideration the following concept: as more ideas and designs are created, the possibility for new ones increases rather than decreases.

Increases? How can that be? There must be a limited number of thoughts we can think and gadgets we can invent, right? Won’t we soon run up against the limits of thought and technology?

On the surface this seems to be a logical conclusion. But let’s think outside the box for a moment. What would happen if you took a cell phone and a PDA (personal digital assistant), slathered some glue onto each one and stuck them together? You’d get (a mockup of) a Blackberry.

Or let’s say you took social networking concepts (thousands of years in the making) and implemented them with computer technology (barely a few generations old). The result? You’re looking at MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, … you get the idea.

My point should be obvious. Taking two things and somehow gluing them to each other can create a third thing. A successful result isn’t guaranteed every time, to be sure. But when it does occur, you’ve just increased the number of things in your parts box.

The next time you feel as if there’s no way to pull another creative thought from your tired brain, remember that your possibilities for success increase day by day. Just dig deep into your box of parts and get out the glue.