That Look On Their Face

So I love that look on people’s face when I say something that just startles them or takes them back a little. 

The other day when I got a haircut, the barber lady was talking to me (BTW, she’s a very nice person).

At one point, she says something about my hair being a little different on each side. 

So I blurt out something like:

“Well, that’s because my brains are pushing it out!”

I got the funniest look from her…yes, it was priceless.

First, she’s like right, of course, your brains are pushing out your hair!

Then, she looks at me, and I start smirking, and she gives me the big eyes and raised eyebrows, like a combination of that’s funny and now don’t be such a wise guy. 

Then, we both started laughing. 

I love that. 

I love doing that with people. 

Being alive. 

Getting a reaction. 

Making them wonder for a second. 

Getting them to smile and laugh. 

Maybe my brains are pushing my hair out!  😉

(Source Art: Sean M., 8th Grade Montgomery County and Photo by Andy Blumenthal)

I Couldn’t Do It

No this isn’t my car, but it’s definitely old. 

So we were going to go sell one of our older cars tonight. 

One of the warning lights recently went on and when we took it to the dealer he told us it would be thousands to service it. 

After agonizing about it, we resigned ourselves to just getting rid of it and not investing anymore $$$ in an old car.

We went to the car to empty it and get it ready.

As I watched Dossy cleaning it out, all these memories started racing through my head–seeing Dossy behind the wheel as well the kids. 

Remembering all the good times we had driving here and there together. 

But this was Dossy’s car and it was special to her and I knew it. 

I looked again at her and said, “I can’t do it–let’s just keep it.”

She looked at me–and gave me the biggest smile. 

When we went back inside, she said to me, “You love me!”

And I said, “Of course, I do.”

Now, we get the car fixed–some things you can’t put a price on. 

P.S. Last week, she threatened to move out if I didn’t agree to fix it. 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Time, Our Most Precious Asset

Albert Einstein taught us how this world is governed by space and time. 

Before we are born and once we are gone, space and time no longer apply–we are in G-d’s realm.

Time is so important and precious, that even space is constrained by time–i.e. we cannot be in two places at the same time.

When it comes to time, we can never have enough and this pervades every aspect of our lives.

Here is a short list of how we are bound by time:

What Time Is It?

What Time Are We…?

Do You Have Time?

Can You Spare Some Time?

Who’s Got Time?

How Many Times?

How Much Time?

Do You Remember The Time That…?

Where Has The Time Gone?

Time Is Precious

This Time is Different

Only Time Will Tell

If Only There Was Time

Wish I Had More Time

Time is Too Short

It is Time

Time is Ticking

Time Flies

One Step At a Time

Maximize The Time You Have

Stop Wasting Time

Decision Time

Time To Change

Timeless

Timeline

Time Bound

Time Heals

Time is Money

In No Time

From The Beginning of Time

Once Upon A Time

There Was A Time

Now’s Not The Time

A Long Time Ago

Time To Getaway

Awesome Time

Great Time

Good Times

Bad Times

Marvelous Time

Excellent Time

Meaningful Time

Hopeful Time

Horrible Time

Depressed Times

Manic Times

Next Time

Time of My Life

Makeup Time

Time Out

It’s About Time

The First Time

This is The Last Time

There Is No Time Like The Present

Between The Time

About That Time

Same Time

Different Time

Parallel Time

Past Time

Make Time

Use Time

Spend Time

Save Time

Best Use of Your Time

Take Your Time

Short of Time

Losing Time

Taking Time

Stealing Time

Don’t Have Time

Some Time

No Time

Anytime

All of the Time

Every Time

Numerous Times

Exact Time

All The Time

At The Same Time

For The Time Being

Keep Time

Out of Time

Long Time

Short Time

Right Time

Wrong Time

Before It’s Time

Now is The Time

Past Time

Present Time

Future Time

Spacetime ContinuumTime Travel

(Not) Enough Time

Most of The Time

It’s The Only Time

Need More Time

Time is of The Essence

Tell Time

Local Time

World Time

Time Zones

Timetable

Timekeeper

Timekeeping

Time and Attendance

Overtime

Comp Time

Part Time

Full Time

Old Times

Modern Times

Wartime

Peacetime

Summertime

Wintertime

Springtime (wonder why there is no falltime?)

Setup Time

Time is on Your Side

Time of Redemption

Time of Mashiach (Messiah)

Time to Forgive

Time to Avenge

Judgement Time

Time Unfolds

End of Times

Confusing Times

Work Time

Busy Time

Down Time

Quiet Time

Meal Time

Bed Time

Nap Time

Starting Time

Ending Time

Almost Time

Happy Times

Sad Times

Holiday Time

Hopeful Times

Solemn Times

Special Time

Important Times

Tough Times

Structured Time

Lawless Times

Time of Doubt

Time of Birth

Time of Death

Time to Work

Time to Retire

Time Alone

Time Apart

Time Together

Me Time

My Time

Our Time

Family Time

Play Time

Party Time

Happy Hour Time

Game Time

Show Time

Movie Time

Real Time

Dinner Time

Lunch Time (no real breakfast time!)

Private Time

Time Stamp

Time Magazine

Thank You For Your Time 😉

With special appreciation To Rebecca Blumenthal for brainstorming this with me–it was a fun time! 

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Got To Be A Caveman

So this was an awesome caveman experience.

We had seen a sign a number of weeks ago from the highway for Crystal Grottoes Caverns.

Today, we decided to try it out, and made the trip to Boonsboro!

I wasn’t expecting much, since I had heard a lot about Luray Caverns in Virginia, but never anything about this one in Maryland. 

Well we were really pleasantly surprised.

Half an hour tour underground through a literal maze of caves filled with the densest formation of stalactites (hanging from the ceiling) and stalagmites (springing from the floor). 

These things grow only like a centimeter every 150 years, so when we saw literally countless that were meters long, we were really looking at thousands of years history. 

Incredibly, these beautiful mineral rock formations come into being from water seeping through the limestone a drop at a time, and we saw rocks sparkling with crystals, and in shapes ranging from hands to turtles and much more. 

The guide even showed us a special place (almost like a chamber) where a number of couples had gotten married down there…sort of an appropriate place to tie the knot ever so tight in those caves. 

It was also nice that we had our own tour guide for this thing, and that made this all the more interesting to ask questions and really get to see everything. 

At one point, the guide suddenly shut the electricity in the caves, and we were left in complete and utter darkness…it was so surreal and sort of scary, but peaceful to be in a complete void. 

The guide explained that if you were down in the blackness for 6 or 7 months, you would actually go blind from not using your eyes whatsoever. 

Overall, it’s sort of a oxymoron, but we just felt so alive down there…breathing this super pure and clean oxygen (no real carbon dioxide down there, because basically nothing grows there) and the cave is this marvelous perfect 54 degrees all year round.

The owner is third generation and you can tell that he truly loves owning this precious jewel of a cavern, and he meticulously cares for it and continues to expand and improve the spectacle. 

However, from a business perspective, I definitely don’t think he has took advantage or capitalized on this priceless property.

There were basically no concessions (except that you could buy some samples of the rock from a single display case under the front counter), and there was no cross-selling of t-shirts, pins, posters, hay rides, animal petting, hiking, boating, or food stands!

We took some (as in like 20) brochures from the owner on the way out to give out at Rebecca’s school (especially, since she is taking Environmental Science this year), but this guy otherwise doesn’t seem to even advertise. 

This place was a hidden underground gem…50 feet down underground, but no Starbucks. 😉

Designer Bobigner

While Microsoft seemed to lead for many years especially in terms of “business acumen,” in the end,Apple built the “more valuable company”–Jobs was the design extraordinare and his imagination for user-centric product designs like the iPhone, iPad, iMac and more touched people in ways that no “other business leader of our time could possibly match.”

I have found that not everyone overtly appreciates the importance of design–and in fact, some people make fun of it, almost like children chanting “designer bobigner”–whether because they value function over design or they simply don’t have “taste and style” like Steve Jobs complained about his rival.

In either case, I think people who seem or act oblivious to the importance of design are missing the incredible power of those who can develop products with an eye towards beauty, novelty, and functionality combined. A computer is a magnificent thinking machine, but an Apple is generally a work of art.

Think about how people neurotically cover their Apple devices with all sorts of protective cases as if it were a precious jewel instead of a just a phone or computer.

Art is treated as priceless, but a computer is often just a commodity. However, Steve Jobs knew how to combine the functional power of a computer with the design of a master.

While “Big Box” retailers like Wal-Mart and Costco continue to grow and expand, our world seems smaller because of it–their shelves and aisles are stocked high with rows and rows of commodity, look-a-like goods of toothpaste, sweat pants, and TVs; it is easy to forget that those products that are really valuable to us, usually aren’t just good to use, but great to hold, feel, and look at.

In this light, I found two product designs that I thought were pretty cool to share.

The first is the white milk container that says Milk and the other is a box of tea bags, each bag with its own hanger for display and use of the side of a cup. The ideas are so simple, yet somehow so creative and appetizing. Two age-old commodities like milk and tea can be made new and special by how we package and meld with it in our environment.

Like the Chinese concept of feng shui, there are brilliant ways to develop our surroundings that energize and inspire, and great design is a magical element in a commodity world and what was not so long ago dominated by the one color black Ford Model-T.

Thank you Steve Jobs and the many other great design minds out there–keep the special things coming that make us say, “I want one!”

(Source Photos: here)

The Irreplaceables

Traditionally, people like to invest in things that they feel are “irreplaceable” (or priceless to them)…that unique outfit, that piece of Jewelry (gold is in vogue again at $1900 an ounce), that one-of-a-kind art work, that special home-sweet-home (i.e. not cookie-cutter), and most importantly that special relationship (i.e. people are truly irreplaceable and they are an investment not of money, but of our heart and soul!).

In fact, when we spend our hard-earned money, only to see something break down after a relatively short period of time, we feel upset, angry, almost betrayed–like we got taken by the salesperson or manufacturer.

Years ago, engineers actually made things with “planned obsolescence”–that is built to break down after a certain period of time (i.e. “designed for the dump”)–usually coinciding with the end of the period of warranty, so that consumers would be forced to open their wallets again and feed the giant sales apparatus, called our economy.

Yet, in the age of information technology and consumer electronics, while we don’t want to see things break down, we do want a fast replacement cycle on them–since the technology and features are changing so quickly.

The Atlantic (September 2011) has an interesting article about this called Replacement Therapy–describing the trend of consumers of technology who actually cheer on the death of their gadgets, so that they don’t feel so guilty and wasteful buying the newest models with the latest features every 18 months or so.

According to the author, many of us have “turned into serial replacers” of technology–so that the twist is that it’s no longer “our devices that wear thin, [but rather] it’s our patience with them.”

This is Moore’s Law at it’s extreme–where the speed of technological progress make our most recent IT purchase practically obsolete by the time we plug it in.

I have to admit that I too don’t mind replacing yesterdays tech toys, today–because the newest functionality and design make it worth it to me.

Relatively speaking the computing power and connectivity we are getting is so cheap for what it is–which is life-changing.

I rely on the technology all the time (probably way too much–cyber security beware!) and for a few hundred or a few thousand dollars, you can be at the top of your game.

To me it’s not the gadget that is irreplaceable anymore, but it’s the capability we are bringing to people.

Our life experiences are so much enhanced–because of the technology, we can share information, communicate, collaborate, transact, and entertain ourselves and each other like never before in history–those experiences are truly irreplaceable for each and every one of us–and that is more than any money can buy.

(Source Photo: here)