Tortilla Chip Wisdom

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You can consume your favorite Internet content in a variety of ways just be sure what you hear or see rings true

The choices by which you have to consume content online are multitudinous. That’s a ten dollar word for “many.” You can watch it, you can read it, you can hear it, you can see it, you can even interact with it in 3-D!

The question is, which way do you like to consume Internet content? I find them all interesting.

My only gripe with reading, or watching, or listening to advice spewn by so-called experts, is that once in awhile their wisdom is questionable.

Experience has taught us that when someone says, for example, “You can’t make a living as a poet,” or “You can’t make a hit movie on $7 grand,” or you better not do this or that,  the fact is, someone else has done or is doing what the experts say is impossible!

In short, consume your favorite content in any flavor or style you like, just remember to take some things like you take your tortillas, with a grain of salt!

Problems and passions

wp-1457538422474.jpgYou have your problems, I have mine. You have your passions, I have mine. The key to finding out what makes us feel free is deciding what direction we should go. Do we want to be led, or must we be pushed? Are we being led by pain or by passion? Whatever we decide or do not decide to do today about our future, we know there is a measure of the outcome we can control.
Mainly, the possibilities found in establishing good habits is a great way to get the ball rolling. We can be happy by focusing on what matters. Health, home, relationships, relaxing and traveling are part of what enhances our lives. Central to a great life is our career. Work is the place to start and work rewards are many.
Problems and passions co-mingle at times, but the power of habit can help to keep us on the right track to where we want to go.

Musically yours, Amy Zents

The Beer Revolution

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I went to a beer tasting class this weekend. I learned a lot about beer making and it’s primary ingredients water, barley, hops and yeast. A good beer is made up of a few simple components, and a bunch of scientific processes. The cult of craft beers has taken beer-making into another realm.
I found out that in our town, there will soon be a new tap room that only serves sour beer. Sour beer is a cross between champagne, wine and beer. In pushing the boundaries of beer, the beer-makers use fresh fruits such as, lemons, apricots, gooseberries, raspberries and other fruits to make a variety of this puckery, bubbly concoction.
We think of the future of beer-making and we ask ourselves how can they improve on beer? Just pass one over here. Whether or not you like sour beer, lager or good old-fashioned ale, the beer revolution is on. In the science of beer-making the brewmaster is a scientist and an artist. Both roles are valuable to him. When it comes to yeast culture in the beer, the brewmaster can be happy to exclaim: “It’s Alive!”

Musically yours, Amy Zents

Future communities

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Your tribe is out there

So are you afraid of the future?
Some prognosticators imagine that in about 75 years all drudge work will be automated. Already, a lot of jobs have been lost to computers, automation and oblivion. So if you hate your job, wherever you are on the totem pole, there’s a big chance your job will be taken over or eradicated, eventually. It will most likely be taken over by a robot. Robots have a lot of assets we humans do not. We are building smarter robots, and we are relying on them more and more.
However, the Internet has created a bridge that is conducive to human connection, communication and creativity. When you go online you are able to address a much bigger audience then at the local town hall. Are you on the edge of society? Is there a niche you are drawn to? Whether you love cribbage, history or physics, know there is a tribe just for you. It is possible that your online community will help you embrace the future and earn your keep. Seek and you shall find. Your community is out there.

Musically yours, Amy Zents

The future of feedback

 

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If the glass is half empty or half full you should be able to say it without signing your name to it

Sometimes it hurts you to be criticized and sometimes it helps. But more often it is the critic who gets punished. People don’t like you when you speak the truth. In the future, I think people will be able to express their opinion in a way that is helpful without compromising their personal security. I found in smaller cities and towns you cannot write an editorial to be published in a newspaper without revealing your name. If your identity has to be put on the line, how can you express the truth? Granted some people have less than noble motives for criticizing the system or others, but nevertheless, I don’t think a person who puts forth an idea or a valid argument should be punished for it or have to reveal their name.

Musically yours, Amy Zents

Once every 4 years

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The dog can’t fiddle so he sleeps instead.

Procrastination is pandemic. We tend to put things off that we find hard to get started, or things that we dislike. A little snowball turns into an avalanche. For want of a nail the horse was lost. Little things mean a lot. Don’t put your future on the back burner.

If we can jump like the frog-hopper, that’s a great big leap for humankind!

Hop to it now and happy leap year!

Musically yours, Amy Zents

There are educators everywhere

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You have to jump puddles at your own speed

I wasn’t going to blog on Saturdays, but since I have time today I will. Today I was thinking about simplicity in education. So much of knowledge is free for you in our time. You don’t have to buy any books or any informational secrets. There are no secrets. It’s all out there for you. And it’s free. I predict in the future, all book-based education will be free, and all skills-based education will be as it was in the past, based on apprenticeship, counsels, guilds, or networks. I believe professional organizations will definitely continue to exist.
Show me, tell me, let me learn. Academic learning has it’s place, but I do not believe that it is the highest form of learning for every field. The Ivy Leaguers admit that their tuition is higher, but that is no guarantee of any future prosperity or occupational success. What it takes is up to the individual. Once you get into your profession, you are responsible only for yourself, and whether you rise or fall will be based on your capabilities of listening, understanding, and performing to the best of your ability. “Follow your heart,” means you need to get a good education that is applicable to what you aspire to, and then trust your gut. You will be taught well: either by someone else, a book, or yourself!

Musically yours, Amy Zents