Are women dangerous? Is fire feminine? The Dyirbal tribe in the north of Australia has a category of seemingly random things. This category is called balan in their language. It includes women, fire and dangerous things. The tribe’s balan category…
Back in my advertising days, there were certain clients that were considered prize accounts. Every agency wanted their business. Agencies would do whatever they needed to win them. That usually meant cutting commissions, reducing fees and throwing in freebies. One…
Did you know that Steve Jobs learned to dance? He took dance lessons whilst studying at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. (Actually, he’d dropped out of formal study, but he hung around campus and attended classes that interested him.) He…
Dear Death, it’s time we talked. You’ve taken 3 people from me these past two months and I’m not happy. I know your response. I come for everyone, eventually. Enough! I’ve heard it a hundred times. Just keep quiet for…
Hussein Khaled Ahmad, teacher. Mo’ayyad al-A’raj, eye surgeon. Charlotte Bacon, sculptor. Daniel Barden, environmentalist. Mohammad Husam al-Breem, restaurateur. Omar Husam al-Breem, muralist. Hadi Hayel Abu Dahrouj, software developer. Abdullah Hayel Abu Dahrouj, app developer. Olivia Engel, veterinarian. Josephine Gay, actress….
How many of your workmates have a creative outlet? Do they play bass guitar in a country band? Or bass drum in a pipe band? Are they sculptors or woodworkers? Are they Irish dancers or Swiss yodellers? Are they in an…
At 5, you told people you were 5 and a quarter. You couldn’t wait to be 6. At 9, you couldn’t wait to get into double figures. As a boy, you couldn’t wait to start wearing long pants to school….
Steve Jobs said that creativity is just connecting things. He’s right. Every new idea is created by connecting two previously unconnected ideas (or pieces of information or experiences). Inside your brain ideas travel on neural highways at speeds up to…
Look at this blackboard. What do you see? Can you see the chalk dot? It’s not that difficult, is it? In fact, it’s blindingly obvious. Congratulations. Your sight is great. Do you also see the cigar butt? What about the…
The next time you stub your toe on a chair leg or crack your shin on a coffee table, I want you to consider something. Could you have avoided the pain if you’d closed your eyes? Think I’m being ridiculous?…