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Monday, September 22, 2014
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Just a quick thought
A old english professor of mine once said, "you'll find that sometimes you will feel that everything you write is amazingly brilliant, and other times it's utter crap. But the truth is, most of the time it's somewhere in between".
The writing session I had at lunch felt like utter crap. Hopefully it's somewhere in between. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
The writing session I had at lunch felt like utter crap. Hopefully it's somewhere in between. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Saturday, September 6, 2014
The Supernova Dream
by Douglas Clark
I wish there was a way to make my dreams come true. I mean an easy way. Doesn't it just seem like everything we want is always hard, involves tons of work, discipline, and determination, and takes so damned long, it makes you wonder why the hell you tried in the first place. When someone says "If it were easy, everyone would do it" or "Nothing worth doing is easy", why is that true?
I think the answer, in a word is Imagination. Life is the way it is. Nothing more, nothing less. But a human's ability to daydream, imagine the 'what ifs' and yearn for something more makes reality that much harder to simply accept. We know that things can be different, we understand that through our decisions, actions, efforts, and aspirations, we can make a difference.
Without the recognition that we can change the world, we'd all just be worker ants, drones, the type of zombified shadows that drudge through life merely existing and not living. Without ambition and imagination, we would accomplish nothing new, and when we expired, no trace of our uniqueness would remain.
Power, greatness, immortality, these elements make for great motivators, not just in stories, but in life. We can't have it all, and as mortal beings, we know this. But as imaginative creatures we yearn for that thing just out of reach, just over the horizon, barely possible, so that we can leave our mark on existence.
Dreams are hard because they are up against the cold harsh truth that in our reality, so very little of us remains once we are gone. And while we are here, so very much else drowns out our fragile individuality.
Our dreams give glimpses of who we are, what we long for, and what we long to leave behind. Like mini supernovas, a dream realized is still a brief flash in the universe that nudges attention toward it, for just a moment. When you realize a dream, you tell the universe, I was here and I mattered. And it listens.
Go nudge the universe.
Thanks for reading.
Questions and comments are welcome.
I wish there was a way to make my dreams come true. I mean an easy way. Doesn't it just seem like everything we want is always hard, involves tons of work, discipline, and determination, and takes so damned long, it makes you wonder why the hell you tried in the first place. When someone says "If it were easy, everyone would do it" or "Nothing worth doing is easy", why is that true?
I think the answer, in a word is Imagination. Life is the way it is. Nothing more, nothing less. But a human's ability to daydream, imagine the 'what ifs' and yearn for something more makes reality that much harder to simply accept. We know that things can be different, we understand that through our decisions, actions, efforts, and aspirations, we can make a difference.
Without the recognition that we can change the world, we'd all just be worker ants, drones, the type of zombified shadows that drudge through life merely existing and not living. Without ambition and imagination, we would accomplish nothing new, and when we expired, no trace of our uniqueness would remain.
Power, greatness, immortality, these elements make for great motivators, not just in stories, but in life. We can't have it all, and as mortal beings, we know this. But as imaginative creatures we yearn for that thing just out of reach, just over the horizon, barely possible, so that we can leave our mark on existence.
Dreams are hard because they are up against the cold harsh truth that in our reality, so very little of us remains once we are gone. And while we are here, so very much else drowns out our fragile individuality.
Our dreams give glimpses of who we are, what we long for, and what we long to leave behind. Like mini supernovas, a dream realized is still a brief flash in the universe that nudges attention toward it, for just a moment. When you realize a dream, you tell the universe, I was here and I mattered. And it listens.
Go nudge the universe.
Thanks for reading.
Questions and comments are welcome.
Thursday, June 5, 2014
The Inspiration Engine Book Review
- By
Douglas Clark
A Universe from
Nothing by Lawrence
M. Krauss
Lawrence M. Krauss is a physicist
and university professor with a long distinguished career. Holding a Ph.D. in
physics from MIT he currently is the Director of the Origins Project at Arizona
State University. He has authored multiple books and been recognized by his
peers with awards such as the American association for the Advancement of
Science, the Presidential Investigator Award, and the Gravity Research
Foundation award, to name a few. http://krauss.faculty.asu.edu/biography/
Brief Description
Lawrence Krauss takes the reader through
a detailed view of the universe as we understand it today. By providing concise
explanations of how we came to this knowledge and what it means, Krauss beings
to expose the nature of the universe to the layman. With a strong foundation
and clearly reasoned belief in the Scientific Method, Krauss makes his case
that the data we have explaining the universe provides a reasonable and factual
model of how it began, evolved and ultimately will end.
Memorable quotes
“Our universe is
so vast that, as I have emphasized, something that is not impossible is virtual
guaranteed to occur somewhere within it. Rare events happen all the time. “
"Empty space can
have a non-zero energy associated with it, even in the absence of any matter or
radiation.”
“At the heart of
quantum mechanics is a rule that sometimes governs politicians, or CEOs -- as
long as no one is watching, anything goes.”
What makes this
book Unique or special…
Krauss employs an epigraph at the
beginning of each chapter to help focus the reader and put them in a mindset
that will frame the discussion.
The inclusion of graphics, charts, and
photographs help when some of the data needs a visual representation to clear
things up.
Krauss doesn’t dumb down the narrative.
His explanations are straightforward and concise, but sometimes you’ll actually
have to think to completely grasp his meaning.
As a bonus, Richard Dawkins provides an
Afterwords. Admittedly, there’s just a bit of pandering to Krauss on Dawkins
part, however, the point is made that Krauss provides his explanations and
reasonings by way of scientific fact and empirical data, not faith or revealed
knowledge from divinity. Combating theologian derision is something which
Dawkins has a bit of experience combating.
Readability
Throughout most of the book, Krauss
keeps the scientific jargon to a minimum and explains the analysis of data in a
reasonably understandable fashion. There are, however, spots where the
conceptual explanations become complicated and demands that the reader fully
pay attention. This happens mostly in the latter chapters, such as when he
explains how empty space actually contains energy and contributes to the
expansion of the universe. Chapters 8 and 9 contain the densest of material so
paying attention is critical.
Final Thoughts
Overall, A Universe from
Nothing is a pretty good read. Krauss stays on topic and supplies
just enough data and history to keep it interesting without bogging down the
narrative. It’s very clear Krauss knows what he’s talking about and wants you
to understand his meaning. He is earnest in his attempts to impart a bit of
scientific knowledge to his readers. If you’re looking for a deeper
understanding of how the universe works, read this book.
Thanks for reading.
Questions and comments are welcome.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
What a Disappointing Turn of Events
By Douglas Clark
About a year ago I applied for a job and had an interview
that went great. I related very well to my potential new boss and his team, the
work seemed interesting and the prospects of advancing appeared good.
Everything looked like a good fit. After leaving the interview, I not only
expected a job offer, I knew they would extend one.
What I didn’t anticipate
was the lackluster benefits package they would ultimately offer. Now don’t get
me wrong, I didn’t expect a silver platter full of gold. What I got, however,
amounted to only about one thousand dollars more than I made at the time, only
at the new position I would be doing twice the work. Also, the healthcare and
retirement package was almost nonexistent.
Needless to say, I felt a bit
perplexed. It’s a major thing to uproot yourself from a long standing position.
One needs at least a bit of enticement to make such a switch. Obviously, I
didn’t take the job. It led me to realize though, there’s nothing more
deflating and de-motivational than getting socked with the knowledge that all
your efforts resulted in something less than favorable or desired.
So how do you handle disappointment? It doesn’t have to be a
job offer. It can be a sporting event, a diet goal, a physical challenge,
pretty much anything. If you put effort, time, money, and devotion into
something and the result falls woefully short of your expectations, what do you
do? For me, I just kept trying to find a new position that fit my expectations,
skill set, and professional needs. I just kept trying.
Now it’s kind of hard to just keep at something if you
continually fail. So in that regard it’s necessary to reexamine your goals,
your approach and your reasoning for pursuing that dream in the first place.
This is where it gets unpleasant. You see, you might find that the dream and
goal you work so hard for will never come to fruition. Certain obstacles might
just be too big. That’s a hard pill to swallow. And believe me, I’ve given up
on a few things in my life, like being six foot tall, running a mile in less
than eight minutes, playing basketball, for example. Now everyone has
limitation and difficulties, but the hard part is realizing they might be
getting in the way of you achieving that goal you set out for yourself. That
hurts.
However, we all have skills and abilities that set us apart
from others. Many of these skills and abilities may lay dormant simply because
you don’t explore them. Clearing away old and tired, unsuccessful habits can
open up possibilities never imagined beforehand. If you reexamine your goals and approach you
might realize something else can take your old pursuit’s place and still
provide a meaningful return.
There will always be sorrow and lingering doubt
when/if you stop pursuing a dream. Thoughts like, “If I just gave it a bit more
time, I might have made it”, or some such. If you turn that around and say
something more positive like, “I’m free to pursue something new and exciting
with a real possibility of success now”, you might just find new motivation and
energy that you thought you lost, or didn’t know you possessed in the first
place.
Remember, every end can be a new beginning.
Thanks for reading.
Questions and comments are welcome.
DouglasHClark.com
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Happy Birthday!!!
By Douglas Clark
It's my Birthday today! I hope you all have a great day!
Thanks for reading.
DouglasHClark.com
It's my Birthday today! I hope you all have a great day!
Thanks for reading.
DouglasHClark.com
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