TV Zombies at 2

Worried about the future? The new Nielsen ratings out today gives us plenty of reason to be concerned. TV use by 2-11 year olds is at an 8-year high. Kids 2-5 now spend 32 hours a week on average in front of a TV screen. Check it out at http://bit.ly/11ibO6.

Outdoor time is becoming an endangered species, followed closely behind by a declining appreciate for nature. No appreciation, no passion to protect it. That's a big problem for the future of conservation. Nature deficit isn't just a clever term -- it's an epidemic. Do something today to get a kid outside. It'll be good for you too.

from the bookshelf

As mentioned in previous post, Cowboy Up, I'll be pulling at random from the bookshelf -- tonight its Thomas Merton's Echoing Silence:

"I would say that there is one basic idea that should be kept in mind in all the changes we make in life, whether career or anything else. We should decide not in view of better pay, higher rank, "getting ahead." But in view of becoming more real, entering more authentically into direct contact with life, living more as a free and mature human person, able to give myself more to others, able to understand myself and the world better."

"... entering more authentically into direct contact with life... "

Today my direct contact with life was a talk across the fence with neighbor and son as the setting sun illuminated the golden glow of hickory tree leaves surrounding us.

What was yours?

Facebook Ignores The Golden Rule

At this point there’s likely 2 million facebook users joined in an uprising against the changes facebook made to the live feed. Posted my own comment there last night – “facebook ignored the golden rule: thou shalt always be user-friendly.” Every blink of my eyes saw a half a dozen more comments coming in rapid fire. Clearly there was mutiny in our midst.

I suddenly had a flashback of reading Jerry Mander’s In the Absence of the Sacred, The Failure of Technology and the Survival of the Indian Nations, in the early 90s.

Mander is an anti-technology activist (also wrote Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television), and while I certainly don’t agree with his premise that the technological evolution has little or no value, I do agree with his radical premise that not all new technology is necessarily “good” technology, or technology that will serve us. And yet, most of us assume that all new technology is needed and can’t come soon enough.

The overwhelming theme of all the “I hate the new live feed” postings is: “change it back.”

The opportunity available to all of us in the social media playing field is nothing less than staggering. Most importantly from my perspective, it has fundamentally changed the way we organize, agitate and participate in our political process. Among social media’s greatest promise is the notion of an equal playing field and community identity. Yet in the end, we see that even in the wide and egalitarian space of facebook, we are beholden to decisions made by a few that failed to adhere to basic communication principles around inclusion and information-sharing.

Change it back.

Feedback

Wondering how many leaders you've known take the approach to feedback like Carol Bartz, CEO of Yahoo who wants to hear the answers to "How am I doing?" "What should I be doing differently?" In an inspiring interview in the New York Times, Bartz admits that "At first, people are shocked when you ask them that..." She goes on to say, "you have to keep probing and make it safe." Check out the interview at http://bit.ly/3weEbu. How many leaders are really willing to ask the questions and really listen?

What's Your Footprint?

After my husband told me tonight that our average electricity bill is $52 a month, didn't know if that was good or not so good. So I went searching and tripped up on http://www.footprintnetwork.org/. A bit of a shock to find out that it takes 21.1 global acres of the Earth's productive areas to support my lifestyle (take the quiz and go for "more data" for more of the real deal). The site also calculates nature's budget -- as of Oct. 16 the world has used up 108% of nature's budget. Not so good. And about that average monthly? I found this question during my search -- "I'm going to be graduating from college ... and getting an apartment. What is the average monthly electric bill? And more importantly, how much would it be if I had 4 computers running 24/7? " Hmmm... more than 52 bucks I'd guess...
What's your average monthly bill?

Cowboy Up

In college I had my own radio show, WKNH, the Sound Alternative. Was the News Director too -- actually pulled stories off the AP wire machine we had in the office. Every show I had a Random Play section, albums (yes, before CDs!) pulled randomly from the music library. Resurrecting that... sort of... I'll be doing an occassional bookshelf pull and musing on what I find... today, it's from Cowboy Ethics, What Wall Street Can Learn from the Code of the West, by James P. Owen. Interesting he first wrote the book in 2004 - -it's now in its 8th edition. Outstanding photography by David. R. Stoeckline (http://www.drsphoto.net/). Here's a quote to give you a sense of the book: " Let's face it -- these last few years haven't the easiest of times. But on days when things seem especially rough, I think about what it must have been like on the open range in the middle of a blizzard, and I tell myself, "Cowboy up."

Here's the code:

1. Live each day with courage.

2. Take pride in your work.

3. Always finish what you start.
4. Do what has to be done.
5. Be tough, but fair.
6. When you make a promise, keep it.
7. Ride for the brand.
8. Talk less and say more.
9. Remember that some things aren't for sale.
10. Know where to draw the line.

A favorite? Probably #8. What's yours?

Musings in the Moment

"All life resides in the narrow margin and the broad expanse of the moment" -- Kobi Yamada

... indeed the moments ... they save me. Like moments shared with the family I met at the end of the trail. We shared stories (a dog story from them, and trail story from me). As I rode off, the young girl did a series of cartwheels. Back at the cabin, I start the first wood stove fire of the season and listen to the silence of the woods. Moments are in short supply in this bad rush of a world we live in...