Photo by ChuckScott.com taken Fall of 2009 on Western side of Main Street looking South - circa the Aldrich Museum around 5PM on Friday October 30th

If you saw me talking to myself and laughing on Main Street yesterday afternoon, let me explain.

I tend to be a bit of a space junky and love my own space unfettered by the vibrations and habits of others. This is one of the reasons I never sought corporate - in part because the idea of cubicles rubs against my grain.

Since 1995, I’ve been blessed to have my own studio - free of overhead and grumpy coworkers - thus am accustomed to spending a fair amount of time working solo.

So yes, I’ve since developed a tendency to talk to myself on occasion during work hours - especially when coding as it helps me think through some of the steps I’m working on.

Ditto for when editing, which is more of a reading aloud, voice-over, proof-of-concept thing vs. self-talk thing, but still vocal.

Self-talk is also applicable when it comes to spiritual thoughts - e.g., personal enjoyment via silent communion with God and His Management Team (note: I recently read that is important to verbalize our praises so to add volume and express gratitude out loud).

And yes, self-talk also includes talking to animals - e.g., with Kasha when street walking as it is important to reaffirm commands and confidence as we proceed - e.g., “Leave it” when it comes to other dogs and sometimes irresistible sniffs; “Good Girl” when it comes to proceeding through a cross walk with confidence with her in the lead, with her head up and a happy tail.

So yesterday while Kasha and I were out strolling along Ridgefield’s beautiful Main Street circa 3PM, I found myself conversing out-loud on all three levels.

The conversation and laughter started right after I started thinking about how to compute the number of stars in our Universe and was reflecting on a client’s recent blog post about the Second Sunday of Lent - see link here.

The client’s blog post started with: FIRST READING: Genesis 15: 5-12; 17-18. The Lord took Abram outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

Somewhere else I had read about accounts of God conversing with Abraham and/or others akin to saying, “And where were you when I created the Universe ..??.. And go ahead, count the stars and tell me how many there are ..??..”

So this counting of stars got me to reflecting on the magnitude of our Universal Father.

This thinking was also inspired by this past Sunday’s workshop experience with Rev. Patrick Devine and his The Urantia Study Group at The Oaks on Long Island Sound in New Rochelle New York.

In an effort to help me get up to speed with my first data point with The Urantia Book, Rev. Patrick Devine took time to explain several beautiful works of art in the room that showed and referenced relations of the various Celestial Universes that Jesus presides over, ours included.

When I said “I get it,” many of the seasoned attendees were a bit taken back with body language that suggested, “Chuck, do you really get it?” and while I did not reply directly, my sense was “Yes - I kind of get it - e.g., God is awesome. God is expansive. God is unlimited. God is in control of billions of billions and way beyond billions of billions. God is love. God’s love is eternal. God is endless.”

So to my simple way of thinking what I think I get is this -> homeboy can’t truly fathom how much He truly manages but tip my hat 100% to His greatness and His mathematical awesomeness when it comes to counting stars (e.g., not counting His powers of love, creation, universal management, etc.).

Accordingly, I get that He is way beyond my comprehension, but I’m totally cool with that and respective of the fact that I don’t need to come up with a finite number of stars but an understanding that there are more stars than I could ever mathematically account for, works.

Thus for now, the fact that I get He is beyond my gettingness is okay with me and that as I evolve, I have faith that He will reveal and make known to me that which I’m able to process and/or be able to understand, according to His Will, His Wisdom, His Timetable, His Grace - yippee and aren’t we lucky to be on the receiving end of His Goodness!

So there I was walking along thinking a bunch of loose thoughts and saying thank you for all that was in my world but also pondering that He is aware of every car that drove by, past, present and future, and how incredible His everlasting awareness is when I just so happened to blurt out when thinking about His math skills in being able to account for et al., “God you are good!”

Then it dawned on me how funny my statement was in particular the word “good”. Something about Him creating the world in seven days and then stepping back and saying “that’s good”.

So there I was with pun-in-cheek kind of thinking, laughing and saluting His goodness, when it dawned on me that people driving by might wonder what was that guy doing hence this post.

His email merely had a link to the video below and a one-liner “Well, sort of. He’s not very good at it.”

I’m more of a dog person so didn’t rush to see the video, but my wife was working home and laughing so loud that I had to inquire about the source of her laughter.

“This email from Ethan about this psychic cat is so funny - haven’t you seen it?”

“No I haven’t but will add it to my to do list to check out.”

A couple days later, and now even four months after that original email, Katie and I find ourselves periodically saying to each other things like, “Mouse. Treat. Silence.”

Accordingly, this two minute video has become a family classic and the spirit of humor portrayed now permeates our family history - enjoy!

From the Great Pyramids, to the perfect stone fittings of Machu Picchu, to the pillars of Stonehenge.

Below is a six minute video clip that goes a long way in explaining how Stonehenge might have been built. You don’t have to be an engineer to appreciate how this one man, Wally Wallington, shows how he can move Stonehenge-like pillars weighing 22,000 lbs and move a barn over 300 ft. - all by himself, using only gravity and his ingenuity - enjoy!.

The documentary was exceedingly well produced and Craig’s candid final steps with his reflections and family and filmed death-bed scene in Switzerland under the supervision of Dignitas’s director, Ludwig Minelli, was truly remarkable. I think the scene of Craig sipping his death prescription, followed by pleas for an apple juice chaser, while his wife rubbed his sock covered feet protruding at the end of his death-bed, really gave new meaning to the term last straw.

Seeing this actual death on my TV screen was a bit surreal and on some level I couldn’t help think that it was all staged, that he was an actor, would pop out of bed when the scene was over and months later be on stage accepting a film award for best actor.

But no, it was real death. And the humility of seeing his wife leave their rented Swiss apartment, have the bell man put Craig’s empty folded wheelchair in the trunk of the black Mercedes limo to escort Mary to the airport, was indeed humbling.

The documentary was so real that I could feel Craig’s suffering - from his ventilator to his wheelchair and helpless dependence on others.

About seven years ago around this time, I awoke in a hospital bed after having spent six plus hours trapped in my car in seven degree winter weather, only to be miraculously extradited and airlifted to a local hospital. When I gained consciousness, I had tubes everywhere, was strapped into the bed complete with nonmoving neck brace.

My first thoughts were, “Yippee I’m still alive. There is hope. I didn’t die on the side of a lone winter road in vain. I have a chance.” But these thoughts were quickly dispelled when the doctors said that I had broken my neck (along with many other bones) and might be paralyzed.

The fear of being trapped in my body was horrifying. I was already trapped in that hospital bed and all the noises from the tubes, the discomfort, the sorrow in my fiancé and family’s eyes, was more painful than the physical agony that permeated my physical body. Yet the fear that this state of being would be permanent was, well, something I would never wish on anybody.

Three months of hospital care and approx. a year later with great physical therapists, and now I can get out of bed on my own and type my thoughts like I am doing now.

Yet the experience of being a prisoner to one’s body is a legacy that still haunts me. To this day I can not wear a necktie, nor a turtleneck or even a t-shirt with stitched neck collar that rises too far above my collar bones. The memory of other nursing home patients crying out in the middle of the night for help because they could not breathe and the ventilator alarms going off in their rooms and in the alarms in the nursing stations, still brings me back to the times when my ventilators went down and alarms went off and my feelings of drowning from lack of breath - all of which still bring chills to my soul.

So when I watched Craig and Mary Ewert’s story, I knew I couldn’t change the channel and I encourage everybody to do the same - you can see it free online here.

And you can read more about the Ewert family’s thoughts three and half years later at this link.

In the end, the Ewert’s story is a love story. A love for life, a love for each other, a love for family, a love for decency and a love for individual freedoms - especially a love for choice, in this case end of life choice.

In one part on the PBS web site Mary is quoted, “My challenge moving forward will be continued activism on issues involving what we do with our bodies. One important question is whether the state or church have a right to demand suffering at the end of life.”

She goes on and says “… our society places an inordinate emphasis on the emotional aspect of dying, urging patients to fight death, to be brave warriors in the face of death. The decision to quietly, gracefully accept and welcome death is at odds with the emotional battle against death. Both are ways of dealing with death, one is not better than the other. However, both approaches should be respected. I fear that acceptance of death is still viewed as somehow bizarre and frightening, something to be forbidden.”

Human suffering stinks and it boggles my mind to think how cruel and inhuman our supposedly technologically advanced, forward thinking society is when we treat elder dying pets with more compassion than we do humans.

I’ve never met the Ewerts but salute them for their sharing and leadership in advancing sensible end of life options. If only our global government leaders can tap similar sensibilities but I digress!

Long story short, here is my comment I sent to Monty when I signed his petition just now:

allowing Oracle to control MySQL is akin to allowing Oracle to take over the English Alphabet’s 26 letters … the alphabet is free and no society can grow unless there are communal commons of communications that nobody owns but all of us are free to use and build upon … SHAME on ORACLE … pray the EU sees and endorses societal wisdom in keeping MySQL the free, open source, rich LAMP cornerstone it is today … THINK “eminent domain” … to that level, forward thinking EU Leaders should exercise eminent domain on WinXP SP2 … Oracle and M.Soft are companies that are out-dated akin to out-dated principles like Human Slavery … Long Live the Best of Open Source … Viva MySQL … cordially, chuck scott, ridgefield connecticut, www.chuckingit.com …

Accordingly, please follow the links in Monty’s email to learn about the evil doings where the Sun does not shine (literally).

Happy New Year and here is hoping 2010 brings about more love, joy, success and positive growth for all and our planet.

Email from Monty - Creator of MySQL

Hi!

I am contacting you because you have in the past shown interest in
MySQL and from that I assume you are interested in the future
well-being of MySQL.

Now you have a unique opportunity to make a difference. By signing
the petition at http://www.helpmysql.org you can help affect the
future of MySQL as an Open Source database.

You can find more information of this on my latest blog post at:
http://monty-says.blogspot.com/2009/12/help-keep-internet-free.html

Help us spread the world about this petition!
http://www.helpmysql.org is available in 18 languages and every vote
is important, independent of from where in the world it comes!
If you know people that are using MySQL, please contact them and
ensure they also sign the petition!

Regards,
Monty
Creator of MySQL

PS: If you already have signed the petition or know about it, sorry for
reminding you about this! Because of the importance of this issue,
I am trying to contact every person that I have ever communicated
with regarding MySQL.

- fin -

The Van Speaketh of Evil Winds

Much of life can be distilled to binomial elements that somehow seem opposite yet also somehow seem necessary to hold them together.

We speak of these common binomial elements in everyday life like: good and evil; right and wrong; love and hate; black and white; north and south; east and west; up and down; etc.

Yet many people misunderstand the true nature of these binomial opposites - e.g., the true opposite of love is not hate - it is not caring - after all, when one loves somebody or hates somebody, they spend a lot of time thinking about what they want to do to that other person, how they want to make that person feel, consumed with planning their next moves, etc. - so hate is not the opposite of love; not caring at all about that other person is the true opposite of loving that person.

In following up to my previous post about loving guide dogs vs killer Nazi concentration camp attack dogs, I was pondering the concept of evil while reflecting on some email threads with various circles of friends about the current health care debate in Washington.

I suspect many people tend to think of evil as big, bad, scary, demonic, savage, ruthless people, critters and spirits. But this understanding of evil is a mistake and akin to thinking the opposite of love is hate.

At it’s simplest, I propose that evil can be defined as an absence - in particular, an absence of God, an absence of Divine, an absence of Love, an absence of respect for Universal connectedness to all things. Perhaps even defined further as a fullness of ego, a fullness of self-centeredness “I’ll get mine and the world be damned” kind of mentality.

Thus when somebody does something or says something that does not contain a basis of love, then it is fair to say that person is evil. Not that they have to appear as big, bad, scary ogres with flames, just to say that their basis for doing and speaking is void of Love, void of Divine, void of Universal Truth.

Below are two videos that confirm there is a great evil brewing in Congress and the satanic poster boy for this evil health care wind is Obama.

The proof of this evil comes in the most basic form - e.g., why is Obama, Congress, Senators, and their families exempt from the very health care reform they are trying to push on us?

Accordingly, here is another binomial pair of opposites but in this case it is very real - them (our elected representatives) vs us (everyday people who pay their salaries and benefits).

Below are two videos that were part of the email circles with friends. They are both short, circa 4 minutes each, and feature Congressman Mike Rogers (Michigan) as he spotlights the evil of Obama’s intent in the second video while squaring off with the Democratic Chair in the first video.

The Van Speaketh of Evil Winds Continues

If you watch both of these videos, you can see that Representative Rogers is coming from a basis of Love, while Obama is absolutely coming from an evil basis. Now don’t get me wrong, as I’ve never met Obama and have every reason to believe he thinks he is a good person, but as the saying goes, “The Road to Hell is Paved with Good intentions”.

But Obama is not, nor never has been, a business man and as Mike Rogers recounts in the 2nd video with Fox News about conversations with Michigan employers per the incentives and facts in the proposed health care bill, well you can see Obama is coming from a basis of evil. Okay sure, they might have good intentions, yet the international statistics and first hand experience presented by Rogers are truly coming from a basis of love and one cannot say the same for the other camp.

In the end, name calling or saying one is good or evil doesn’t move the ball for reform in either direction. Certainly, I’m all for some kind of reform that helps bring health care to affordable quality levels but I’m also not a fan of most consumer-related things government generated (e.g., consider declining public school student satisfaction and customer service at the DMV).

I’m also reminded of a recent conversation I had with a newly minted nurse.

This nurse, a retired self-made businessman and multimillionaire going on his third or fourth career, went back to school to study nursing because of the passion for caring in his heart and soul. As he was finishing his second year in nursing school, he told me the story about how an illegal alien (no green card, no passport, no insurance) suffered from a collapse lung and received over $70,000 worth of surgery and medical care from a Fairfield County Connecticut hospital. This patient paid no deductible and would have been left for dead in his own country.

My nursing friend stated it clearly when he said “Paying for the uninsured? Shoot, we’re paying for them already. That $70,000 uncollected fee shows up in everybody else’s insurance premiums.”

So, if there is going to be any health care reform whatsoever, I propose the first thing is that there is no binomial division between our representatives and us.

In other words, they have to eat the same dog food and go with the same plans as the rest of us, otherwise they are just plane evil and not coming from a basis of love, let alone true Universal respect for et al.

First Video:

Second Video:

Thus it is always interesting for me to be at dinner table on the nights she comes home from those monthly presentations.

“Who is in this class ..??.. what kind of backgrounds ..??.. any interesting reactions to Kasha (our released dog and GEB ambassador dog) ..??.. any funny jokes or comments ..??..”

And even though I’ve raised six pups, attended and filmed numerous graduations, sometimes Katie tells stories that blow me away, like this one of Mr. Max Edelman who’s tale was featured in this GEB newsletter (pdf file) and I’ve included the text here:

Max Edelman’s story was featured in the July 29, 2009 issue of USA Today.

“I was blinded in a Nazi concentration camp at the age of 21, and arrived in America with my late wife in 1951. We worked and raised two sons, and now, at 86, I have five grandchildren. For most of those years, I depended on a white cane. My problem, although I was reluctant to admit it, was that I had a fear of getting too close to dogs.

But the day I retired, I decided to apply for a guide dog at Guiding Eyes for the Blind. I so much wanted the freedom a dog could give me; I had to make the attempt.

Charlie, our class supervisor, had a few cheerful welcoming words for the twelve of us that arrived in Yorktown Heights in May 1990. But afterwards, I took Charlie aside and said, ‘I would like to have a guide dog. But because of my negative experiences with dogs, I am not sure I could ever bond with one.’ Charlie asked to hear my story.

‘I am a Holocaust survivor,’ I said. ‘In one of the Nazi concentration camps I was in, the commandant had a big, vicious German Shepherd. Sometimes, when he entertained guests and wanted to show how cruel he could be, or how vicious his dog was (or both), he told a guard to bring a group of inmates into his courtyard. Once, before I was blinded, I was in that group. I watched as he chose one of us to stand apart. Then he gave the dog the command, ‘Fass!’ meaning ‘Fetch!’ With one leap, the dog grabbed the victim by the throat. The man died in just a few minutes, and the dog returned to his master for his reward. More than four decades later, nightmares about this still torment me,’ I confided to Charlie.

After a moment of reflection, Charlie said, ‘No human being is born evil; some become evil. No dog is born vicious; some are trained to be vicious. Give us a chance to prove to you that our dogs will guide you safely, love you, and protect you.’

His words strengthened my resolve. I was determined, I told Charlie, to give myself a chance. Should I fail - it wouldn’t be for lack of trying. Charlie decided Calvin, an 80-pound chocolate Lab, would be the right match for me. When I returned home with him after our four-week training period, I found myself struggling to fully relax and forge a bond.

Often, I recalled Charlie’s words, ‘No human being is born evil, and no dog is born vicious …’

Slowly, Calvin and I began to break down the invisible barrier between us. Finally, after about six months I began to trust Calvin. Any lingering doubts I had about Calvin were dispelled one day as we stood at a busy intersection, waiting to cross the street. When we stepped off the curb, a motorist unexpectedly made a sharp right turn, directly in front of us. Calvin stopped on a dime. Realizing that he had saved us both from serious injury, I stepped back onto the sidewalk, gave Calvin a hug around the neck, and praised him for a job well done.

It was the turning point in our life together. After that, the love between us flowed freely and Calvin Blossomed.

Calvin retired in 1999, after more than nine years of giving the best he had and then some. He was succeeded by Silas, a 78-pound yellow Lab, that was his mirror image.

And today, nineteen years after I began my Guiding Eyes journey, I have been blessed with Tobin, my third guide dog.

Yes, Charlie. You were right. ‘Give us a chance,’ you said, ‘Your dog will guide you, love you, and protect you.’ ”

Be sure to checkout this GEB Sept Newsletter for more stories and the picture on page four of Max and Tobin - Woof On!

Since I’ve bought and sold many domains over the years, I thought I’d post this Yahoo thread here as it ends with my response which may be of value to those who are thinking of buying and/or selling domains.

The Yahoo thread started simply when one member reached out to the group and said:

I was contacted last week by an attorney who wanted to know if I was interested in selling a domain that I own funpoints.com

I have never used the name and have held onto it thinking that the right project would come along. Anyway, he later offered $1000.00 for the domain. Before I just blow him off, I thought I would ask the group if I am over valuing the domain name. By the way, he specializes in the Entertainment Industry and Trademarks.

I always thought it would be a great name for a rewards points program for one of the airlines or card issuing banks.

The first reply to his question was this:

I feel you have legitimate reason to hold out for more. That’s actually a really good domain name. Just come up with a counter offer of $7,500 and then he’ll meet you at 5,000.

And the second reply was this:

you might want to start the negotiations by letting him think you are not that interested in selling (instead of throwing a number out there right away). you will then find out how interested he is in buying. That is usually the best starting point.

And the third reply was from me - enjoy!

i happen to have some decent experience buying and selling domains for self and clients and your situation reminds me of one of my early 5 figure sales … so here are a couple rambles for whatever it’s worth dept …

a) values … there are a number of sites out there that will give you a valuation … some are bogus, some are legit … in the end, domain values are a lot like antiques - sure your Picasso might be worth $10 million but the bigger question is not the value but finding a buyer who is willing to pony up the $10 million at a time when you are looking to cash in … thus there is an opportunity cost vs a valuation … ultimately, it is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it …

b) domain values are also a lot like diamond valuations in that there are several characters that determine value (e.g., cut, clarity, carrots, etc.) … ditto for domains (e.g., shorter = better, dot com = better, phonetic one-way spelling = better) … consider one of my domains, cooltea.com … this is short, a dot com, but if you say it aloud or heard it on a radio station, one could spell it as KoolTee, CoolT, etc … vs a longer domain like DiscoverNewEngland.com but can only be spelled the way it sounds … thus on some level the second domain could be argued to be more valuable than the shorter one ..

now this concept of values does not take into account any revenue generation from ppc (pay per click) or ecommerce you might be doing (all of which would add to the domain value)

c) selling yourself short … i got similar out of the blue offer for a real estate domain i had in my portfolio (without naming names, lets call this domain “SomeStateRealestate.com” … the guy offered $2k in his initial email thus i knew he wasn’t a tire kicker … so we picked up phone and spoke … ultimately i settled for $12k by financing the domain … e.g., i modified the name servers to point to his network so he could use domain while he then paid monthly payments … when paid in full, i transferred domain and was done … the legal contract i had to produce was a bit of a head scratcher as i didn’t want to be liable for anything while he was using the domain during the finance period but i digress … later, i learned of a related domain, NewYorkRealEstate.com, which sold for $100k … thus i knew i undersold but that is part of the learning and at the time i was happy to get the money and break into the five figure sales …

d) another scenario … a couple years back i had been contacted by large travel web site that hired former Microsoft brand strategists to negotiate for one of my domains, LuxuryForLess.com … the company had a brand issue in that they were known as “CheapTravel” or something like that and their suppliers (e.g., the Marriots, Hyatts, Hiltons, etc.) did not want to be associated with “cheap” anything … the MS guys went and got a domain evaluation from independent group that came back with valuation under $5k … i laughed at him because around the same time i found high end domain brokers in Boston who had a minimum $20k commission (yes, twenty thousand) and confirmed that my domain was a minimal 6 figure, possibly 7 figure valuation …

morale of the story = domains are the brand in today’s global wired economy … who cares if you have a trademark for McDonalds - as long as you own mcdonalds.com … besides, there are common law trademarks and the legal eagles will tell us that when it comes to law, possession is 9/10ths of the game … ditto for domain brands …

thus my feeling is your domain, funpoints.com, is a minimum $20k domain … and possibly $50-60k for the right buyer … e.g., i know of a company locally that purchased patio.com for $100k and built their analog stores around said domain name … thus funpoints.com for a Mastercard or Discovercard kind of player (or even Las Vegas types) would have no problem ponying up fair market value … and besides, they aren’t making any more dot coms so the price will only increase with time …

accordingly, here is hoping you get what you are entitled to :>) cordially, chuck scott

And fyi, here is a PS that was not part of Yahoo thread …

Earlier this year we were approached by a group in the UK with a phone offer to buy DiscoverNewEngland.com for $5k … I didn’t inquire if that was in Euros or Greenbacks but promptly declined that offer and wouldn’t even consider unless it had another zero attached … thus beware of those low ballers out there … this is also another reason I don’t advocate domain auction sites like Sedo … the only real buyers and prospects at domain auction sites tend to be bottom feeders looking for basement bargain prices knowing they can flip the domain at a future point to a real brand at a hefty profit … i also have real concerns about ethics of firms like Sedo as they have stolen PPC money from us and their featured domain service produced not one inquiry but I’ll post that account separately …

I have had several domains stolen from me in the early years (circa 1995-1996) but the lack of federal laws forced me to make a business decision and thus not pursue the courts for remedies.

The first time it happened it was an inside job and a break in fiduciary duty per the then president of The Avanti Group, Inc. This man was registering domains for Avanti and Avanti customers through Network Solutions. I paid the domain invoices and signed the checks. I’ll skip the story about questionable ethics and cut to the chase.

Ultimately I bought-out this turkey and took over full control of The Avanti Group, Inc. Even renewed some of the domains and paid for those with Avanti checks as well. But when I went to transfer some of those domains from Network Solutions* to a new domain registrar, I was horrified to learn that the legal owner of the domains (per Network Solutions and ICANN terms) was the person listed as the domain’s admin contact.

Even though I had signed legal papers where the former president relinquished any and all claims to Avanti Intellectual Properties (including domain names), Network Solutions refused to honor Avanti as the legal owner - despite the notarized facsimiles sent from our legal team and copies of the canceled checks.

The next domain name theft happened around the same time when one of Avanti’s early Internet Service Provider (ISP) tanked and held hostage a couple domains as this ISP also registered our domains and listed themselves as the Admin Contact.

Fortunately, the domains stolen were minor in that they were project domains on deck and not client or active domains in use, so I decided not to pay the $20,000 in legal advances and dropped the issue. I also immediately audited all our domains to make sure the admin contacts were correct and then invested in our own DNS and Name Servers. Even today, all our domains are locked down by our registrar but I digress.

Now for the inspiration part of the eBay theft.

A month ago we parted ways with Sedo.com as their domain parking and PPC (pay per click) service is highly questionable but I’ll save that story for another post. So here I was moving 100-plus parked domains to Google’s awesome ad sense domain parking program when I read about the p2p.com theft and eBay sale for $100,000.

I’ve bought and sold five-figure domains for many clients and for Avanti’s portfolio but have never used eBay. So I dusted off our three-letter dot com, Pj2.com, and last night put it on eBay.

I’ll let you know how it goes with eBay as I certainly would never recommend most of the domain name auction sites, like Sedo.com, which I’ll explain later!

To be continued …

PS - here is a link to the original article in the LA Times about Donald Gonclave who was arrested for selling the stolen P2p.com domain to L.A. Clippers forward Mark Madsen on eBay for $110,000

*Network Solutions was no angel either and played dirty pool too on a separate occasion - in that when we put in the transfer request to move our domains, they promptly changed the name servers to point to a foreign network thus effectively shut down our web sites (and email) so we were out of business for almost a week before the transfer to the new register took place. Sure, we heard many stories like this from others about Network Solutions’ tactics and stooping to being unethical. After all, they were charging $100 per domain for years until we found a new domain registrar in Canada who only charged us $15/domain, so one could understand Network Solutions’ anger and being checkmated by more agile competitors.

Even years later when this new registrar was purchased by Network Solutions, I promptly instructed our team to find a new registrar and immediately transfer all our domains. After all, the expression goes something like - “First time shame on you, second time shame on me.” So when it comes to Network Solutions, it will forever be “shame on them.”

Apparently Joseph Stalin (the infamous dictator) was purported to have said, “There are people and there are problems. When you get rid of the people, you get rid of the problems.” which would explain why he had no problem in killing 20 million plus people but as history has shown, he didn’t solve the problems.

As a creative consultant I love problems because I know that problems are merely the flip side of solutions. Thus every problem is really an opportunity in disguise - kind of like creative tension in that without minor chords music would be dull and flat.

And we humans are very creative in so many ways - e.g., some are gifted with numbers, others are gifted with their hands, others are gifted with their sense of compassion and of course there are those who are gifted in the arts and sciences.*

So while individual creative gifts might be awesome, such as the individual works of masters like Pablo Picasso, it is team creativity that really makes our human race awesome. The lone inventor is cool but the organization that can send people safely to the moon and back, well - this is a feat beyond the power of one.

The video clip below is a great example of the power of many when operating to the beat of harmonic cooperation for a goal that is greater than that of each of the individual contributions.

It is a video of Perpetuum Jazzile - an a cappella jazz choir from Slovenia. I’m not certain how many people are on stage but it is all voice, no instruments and they do an amazing rendition of “Africa” - the song originally made famous in the 1980s by the rock band Toto.

The musicianship of how creatively this Slovenian group start out the piece by mimicking the sounds of rain and thunder is very creative (i.e., they simulate an African thunderstorm with their hands and feet). The beat box voicing is awesome as is all the other voices - truly inspiring!

I’ve never been to Slovenia but the harmonic beauty and creativity expressed in this video reminds me of the inner beauty, common love for music, art, creativity and science that we humans share universally.

It also reminds of the power in numbers and the magic we can accomplish together when harmonically aligned - enjoy!

*Setting up all those mics and getting balanced levels is more electrical science than artistic musical creativity but ask any audio engineer or producer and they will tell you that their mic’ing science is also an art!