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Imagination is Ephemeral Because it Has to Be

I am a big fan of imagination even if I am clueless about the subject. Seeing others do things that are wildly beyond my skillset makes me wonder how they did it or, if that is also beyond me, at least why. Imagination is ephemeral because, once something has been done a few times, it […]

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by Haven Pell
Haven Pell

When does a challenge become an adventure? Seems like it relates, at least in part, to timing. Challenges feel forward looking, but so can adventures. The two begin to differ after the fact when challenges are no longer challenging but adventures are still adventures.

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Imagination is Ephemeral Because it Has to Be

I am a big fan of imagination even if I am clueless about the subject. Seeing others do things that are wildly beyond my skillset makes me wonder how they did it or, if that is also beyond me, at least why. Imagination is ephemeral because, once something has been done a few times, it […]

Besmirching the Escutcheon

The other day (well, that’s a lie right there; it was in 2005 when I wrote this), I walked out of the East Court in the New York Racquet Club and took a seat in the anteroom to recover. I don’t know whether I had won or lost but, given the venue and the quality […]

Seclusion Rules

There is a good chance we will get to peak email before we get to peak exposure to the coronavirus. People might go stir crazy after too much time sheltered in place, but they might also become homicidal toward those who overuse the send button. Here are a few thoughts that have been on my […]

Essential to Whom?

Thoughtful and well behaved though we ourselves might be, it appears that some might not be staying home in sufficient numbers. There seem to be some pretty broad definitions of “essential” in the phrase essential purposes. John Branch of the New York Times provided the launch pad for a podcast discussion of isolation practices between […]

Make Yourself Useful

“Make yourself useful” is one of those family phrases that has taken on a life of its own. I can’t even remember how it began for us. My father sarcastically reversed a well-known adage into “don’t just do something, stand there.” It was especially memorable when shouted at fellow motorists. There are many people having […]

The Epidemiologist from Eberlin’s

Epidemiologist is the kind of word that makes you grateful for spellcheck. I haven’t gotten it right yet. As it happens, I know one with a PhD and everything. If you had known him when you and he were teenagers and college students, you would not have expected the enormous contributions he has made to […]

Today’s Political Hall of Shame

Trigger warning: this story is quite judgmental. It is especially harsh because politicians are supposed to be good at managing their images. Yet sometimes they seem uniquely bad at an important skill in their line of work. They are also supposed to be leaders, especially when times are tough. A small part of what we […]

Pernicious Partisanship for Starters

Frazer Rice and I have been recording these podcasts for several months now and we think we have learned a few things along the way. Well, at least we sure hope so. We think beginning with an article and building our conversation from there works best. In today’s case, the launching pad was a story […]

Decision Making by Publicist

Years ago, Robert C. Townsend, once Chairman and President of Avis, wrote a book called Up the Organization: How to Stop the Corporation from Stifling People and Strangling Profits. There were probably lots of memorable lines in the book, but one has stuck in my mind for several decades. He said that the way to […]

Fear, Uncertainty and the Land of Math

According to a recent poll, 99% of Americans are aware of the coronavirus and Covid-19. This is pretty much the highest percentage of Americans that has ever been aware of anything, though 9/11 comes close. The poll result does not mean that all of the 99% is equally aware or that they are all having […]

That’s What Exponents Do

Much of my life has been devoted to advice giving. Though I think most of it was pretty good, I know that not all of it was followed. That can be a little disappointing, so I try at least to be respectful when I receive suggestions. Not too many days ago, I was in Winnemucca, […]

Do Fanboys and Haters Make Good Decisions?

In a new podcast, Frazer Rice and I discussed the impact of fanboys and haters on decision-making. Fanboys choose a side and support their team no matter what. Even the worst behavior by those they favor will not dissuade them. Haters are those who have chosen the other side and they oppose the fanboy’s team […]