Archive for the 'Ponderings' Category

Instruments of Mass Distribution

Published
by
Ehren
on June 9, 2008
in Mentions, Ponderings and Unthinkables
. 0 Comments

Okay so I’ve decided to run through instruments of mass distribution that I utilize on a daily basis both on a macro and micro level. You’re probably wondering why I am doing this — it’s rather simple — to analyze how I do things and find out how different facets of my life are influenced by these instruments of mass distribution. That is, tools that disseminate or facilitate the massive growth or movement of an idea, product, cause, belief, etc. in contrast to the number or size of the tool itself — not including ourselves or other human beings. Yes, we are neither tools nor instruments. This is out of the blue so forgive me if it doesn’t make much sense — because it just barely does to me.

First Comment - We the Robots by Chris Harding

Here’re mine on a pretty general basis on an average day:

The desk (yes…believe it or not)

Computer (go figure…)

Internet

Globe and Mail Newspaper

The Toronto Star Newspaper

The sidewalk (yep…don’t laugh it’s true!)

A Bridge

Toronto Transit Bus

Toronto Transit Subway

Escalator

Stairs

Laptop computer

Network

Blogs (so many many blogs)

Through RSS of course

del.icio.us bookmarks

twitter

Amazon

Email

Google Search

iPod/mp3 player

Grocery Store/Dominion

What about yourself? How many instruments of mass distribution have an impact on you? What happens when one fails to function? What happens when one instrument supersedes another? For the most part — we adapt as the instruments change and evolve but how often do we ask ourselves how dependent we are on this mesh of mass distributors whether it is an inanimate object or a system in place?

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Going Beyond The Product

Published
by
Ehren
on June 2, 2008
in Aspirations, Mentions, Ponderings, marketing, technology and work
. 0 Comments

Funky Monday.

Today I ran across and shared two recent articles from the Globe and Mail at work. One being that the Globe and Mail was opening up its business model, and the other being that the Metallica was endorsing a new way of doing business on the web (but really it’s not that new).

I was asked … what does this mean?

It’s just what I’ve been stating over and over again. Book publishers are no longer able to be purely book publishers. Technology has provided a way for different forms of media to converge — take a look at the iPod (and other new mp3 players) or even newer ultra portable laptops like the Asus EEE. This means that your product must be flexible and adaptable (mostly figuratively speaking, although literally would be nice too). This doesn’t mean you can’t have a printed book, but rather that any static product is pretty much obsolete.

Sadly enough, publishers actually have a choice to focus on their core business or diversify. Their core business is typically the reader that literally consumes books at an incredible rate. The funny thing about this market is that despite that consumption level, book publishers still pump out way too many books and overwhelm that market. We expect slower readers or occasional readers to pick up the slack but it just doesn’t happen. Why? I don’t think we really put enough thought into the value of the product — what the customer wants or desires. A customer doesn’t necessarily know what they want but customers are smart. They have and will find more ways to ensure they are getting the best value and experience for their money. If a book uses cheap paper, they know. If we don’t invest time into a book cover, they know.

Production values are interesting because they appear to me as very similar to school work (remember that?). When we don’t put in the time and thoughtfulness into a project, it really shows.

Movies and music are two types of products that have been forced to continually re-examine the way they sell their product. In the late 90s, movie cinemas began raising prices after creating bigger screens and sound systems in order to improve the customer experience. Did that bigger screen and bolder sound help the movie industry? Yes but not necessarily as good as it could have if it were introduced earlier because it coincided with the increase of movie rentals. But the cash kept flowing because people were still interested in seeing a movie on the bigger screen.

Fast forward to 2001 and the mass adoption of DVDs. The bigger screen is in decline. Why? Because the customer experience has changed. DVDs now provides greater value directly into the hands of the customer than a night at the cinema. That and the seven reasons that The Big Picture lists out in an old blog posting. Will the DVD sales decline? Potentially as legal and DRM-free digital downloads become prominent, while pirated DVDs continue to propagate. Toss into the mix far-reaching/long range cellular frequencies and an uncapped/unlimited wireless connection — the movie purchasing equation will be altered forever.

Despite the long and controversial existence of the mp3 file, the music industry has been very lucky in the sense that the mp3 itself and Apple’s iPod infused the customer with a sense of power and freedom that they had not felt before. Sure it caused chaos on the sales of CDs but what really has happened is the resurgence of interest in a wide-range of music regardless of time. Cut the waste (i.e. CDs and albums), focus on the music itself, give the customer the freedom to do what they please with the product sans the packaging, a lower price point for the work they do (i.e. pick and choose individual songs) and they will come back for more to do more. People want to be able to customize their own little jukebox full of music and they want to do it in their own way.

Now with books, add on the fact that Acrobat 9 is about to be released and as Mark puts it, it’s a game changer. The ability for rich media to be embedded within PDF files has arrived. Can’t figure out what that means?

What if you could be read a book and watch movie clips as part of the story? What if you could interact with the characters? What if we could draw our own animation — upload it to the book and share it with other readers? Or on a particular connection point over the internet where all other readers of a book could meet up? What if we could discuss an idea directly within a book with all other readers? Can you imagine what it will be like in the future? Take a look at the introduction of Disney’s Treasure Planet. These ideas aren’t taking away the essence of a book; they are enriching what’s within every book — far beyond the means of text on a page.

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Another Blog … Another Road Trip Plan

Published
by
Ehren
on May 27, 2008
in Aspirations, Interests, Ponderings and travel
. 0 Comments

This post came into mind because I had been speaking with a co-worker about my blog and we seemed to both come to the conclusion that everything that I talk about is connected to work. Sad. Sad. Sad. I know!

I could talk about other people and their lives, but honestly — that’s rather dull in my opinion. Can you already tell that I don’t read biographies? I like talking about ideas or actions. Ideas and actions that you, myself, and any other person can take on.

So let’s talk about road trips. I’m planning another road trip for this summer. The question is … where?

The funny thing about this trip is that it started off as a mere trip that would be about a week (okay, more like 10 days) but because it costs me just as much to rent a car for two weeks, I’m now re-thinking the road trip.

Road Trip in California by Ehren Cheung

Funny… I can’t remember taking this photo as I was entering San Francisco…

Last year, my friends and I went to New Hampshire hoping to hike across the White Mountains over a period of three days. Unfortunately stormy weather prevented us from getting to our destination for day 2 and we were forced to descend from the mountains. We however attempted an alternate trail — only to run into plenty of boulders and in my case — a hiking pole that snapped which resulted in me getting wedged between a tree and a rock. For your enjoyment, I’ve outlined our original plan (blue) and what really happened (red). Despite the setback, we went back the way we came and descended down the mountain. Of course, that was not before I decided to take another tumble down the rather steep hiking trail.


View Larger Map

So this year, I figure there are a couple of places in mind. I haven’t really discussed the ideas with friends that may want to come along yet, but perhaps someone out there may have a suggestion or two for me.

Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. A beautiful place — I haven’t been there since the late summer of 2000. Apparently the National Park Service even has a webcam of Old Faithful now. Spiffy. Ideally I’d like to visit the little town of Cody and along the way from Toronto, check out many other touristy and off-beat phenomenons as I refer to them.


View Larger Map

While I’ve visited a large number of different states, I have yet to visit the state of Colorado, home of the Quebec Nordiques, now the Colorado Avalanche (I know I will get flak for that…). Definitely would like to check out the US-550: the Million Dollar Highway and drop by the Royal Gorge.


View Larger Map

Ideally, I’d like to do some hiking in both states but I don’t mind just purely checking out a wide variety of must-see sites and some off-beat stuff that I stumble across.

IF not going down to travel around the United States, then I am pondering driving east to Newfoundland and Labrador, also referred to fondly as the “Rock” by many Newfoundlanders. It’s the only province in Canada I have yet to visit so I feel it’s somewhat of my duty as a Canadian to at least journey over there.

More details to come. In the meanwhile, feel free to fire suggestions my way in the comments. I’ll be one happy camper once I’m able to put together a list of recommendations from people who have been there, done that, and firmly believe that certain places are worth stopping for.

the curve by Ehren Cheung

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On the Open Road Trip

Published
by
Ehren
on May 17, 2008
in Aspirations, Mentions, Ponderings, marketing and travel
. 0 Comments

Thanks to Ellen Ewart who pointed out today’s article in the Toronto Star on road trips — I just wanted to make an official statement that was most likely very obvious:

I love road trips.

That was it. Of course … I have more to say.

Photography by Ehren Cheung

Almost everyone I know enjoys a road trip — but there are differences between those who merely enjoy the experience and those like myself who thrive. What type of road tripper are you? I’m the type who starts the engine, crank up the music (not to a deafening level), and I am one very content human being — then take my car on a road trip and I am bursting with energy, ready to seek out new and unexplored places — stuff unknown to me. Example: bouldering in New Hampshire (see short video from my trip last year)

I don’t necessarily care where I’m going — as long as I’m going in the right direction. What’s the right direction? Well I guess it can be anything! This can be a city that we really want to visit or a lemonade stand that we happen to stop off at along the way to the state of Oregon. Anything we consider as a positive influence or experience on ourselves.

Photograph by Ehren Cheung

Do you plan ahead or do you just like to hit the road with a goal in mind? The amusing thing is that I have a feeling that most people would love to just hit the road with a goal in mind and take in whatever hits them (figuratively speaking…) — only to be hindered by our own fears and limitations imposed by our own mind and lifestyle. When we travel with others, we add to that struggle with the fears and limitations imposed by those we decide to travel with. What do we do then? We impose a schedule, create an extraordinary itinerary, and make reservations at hotels and motels with the hope that this route or path will lead us to a higher level of satisfaction — or in other words, happiness!

But how do we become more satisfied? When we plan and plan and plan for all of our destinations and stop offs, do we really get the best experience? Is this making the best use of the tiny bit of time we can get from our vacation time? From my own journeys, I’ve enjoyed a tremendous amount of satisfaction by noting the goals (i.e. must-see points) but mainly enjoying the road as it is — stopping whenever I or someone I travel with wants to stop to check something out. It can be anything from a long-deserted drive-in theatre, dilapidated barn or rustic-looking shed to the flowers growing along the road, and in some cases some random billboard that has a brilliant message.

Photograph by Ehren Cheung

Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere. And sometimes, in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself.

So what am I really trying to say? The point is NOT that we need to go out there and find ourselves. I think the way we travel is a reflection on how we treat ourselves or take in new experiences. We can choose to place the utmost importance on the destination or we can choose to balance the importance of the destination or goal with what’s between point A and B. We could also even forget the destination and just merely keep a goal in mind and just go from there. Let’s flip this over to businesses, particularly those that are trying to increase their presence on the internet — the travel industry is a good one to keep an eye on as there are so many puzzle pieces to the big picture, small and large.

Similar to the travel, people are on the road and on the web, taking their own paths and weaving their own experiences in a manner of speaking. Along the way, people stop and take photos of anything they find really interesting which they then share — similarly people on the web share links to content and video that they find interesting. So let me pose a question — what are you doing for your business or website that makes it worth sharing? I’m not talking just about your product that needs to be what I refer to as share worthy — I am pointing to everything about you and your website/business.

So when I’m travelling down the road enjoying my experience towards my destination; between point A and B; or just wandering — what’s going to make me stop? Will it be you? Will it be someone you’re travelling with? Or will it be this magnificent tree?

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Time to Reduce Consumption

Published
by
Ehren
on May 6, 2008
in Aspirations, Ponderings, Uncategorized, Unthinkables, fun and marketing
. 0 Comments

I’ve been thinking about how we spend our money. Especially after listening to the complaints from many friends about the lack of money they have to buy the things they want. My dad also pointed out long ago when I got my first pay cheque from delivering flyers door-to-door in the neighbourhood, that as soon as you receive your pay cheque, everyone including the government is after your hard-earned dollar. It’s all in the marketing you see — everyone is trying to tell you that their product is worth your dollar.

Photo Courtesy of Toni Verdú Carbó

The reasoning that often follows is to weigh the things that we want against the things that we need. Sometimes the two get mixed together. This may be followed by the reasoning that poses the question — how frequent will we make use of this thing that we purchase?

I propose that we look at things this way. How many hours of work do we put in, just so that we can afford to buy [insert product]?

The question becomes … if we do not use a dollar value, how can we determine the true value of a product? How do we define value? Value can be in this case (without referring back to the crazy economic theories) the net worth of how much we desire a product that we are willing to exchange the hours of work from which we earn a wage.

The reason why I remove the dollar value from this perspective because the dollar bill itself has a tendency to eliminate (or make us temporarily forget) our ability to reference in our mind how much work we really put in for those hours of labour (skilled or unskilled). Don’t get me wrong now — the dollar bill itself becomes a reference for how much of it we are willing to spend but many of us tend to let go of how many hours went into that dollar bill itself.

By using time as a reference, we can then truly extract value from products worth extracting from. And when we extract value from products worth extracting from — we as citizens, customers, and stakeholders — impose a new value on all the products out there — time.

Time is a finite value for all of us (unless you are immortal I guess…) and as I point out to many businesses, time can never be recovered, but you can recover money (or even earn more) over time.

To Summarize

1. When thinking of purchasing something, think of how many hours of work you must go through in order to afford purchasing that something. How many hours of pointless meetings did I have to go through?

2. If deciding to purchase a product, ask yourself how many hours of [insert value: emotional, secular, spiritual, etc.] would be associated with the outcome of purchasing that product. Will I thoroughly use and enjoy this new DVD player? How often do I even watch DVDs?

3. Demand greater value from products. Businesses should be providing or injecting more value into and around their products. Really, if a business cannot think of ways of (or is unwilling to) injecting greater value into their product, then I would suggest that the product be cancelled. Think of the transition from VHS to DVDs — all those bonus features!

4. Impose the value of time on everything. Associate the hours you put in with values [i.e. obstacles, bosses, etc.] Were my hours of slaving away at work worth the $20 dollars spent on lunch? or that book? or that CD? that DVD?

5. Calculate your annual time budget. See how much you time you put into material products vs. activities.

*****

I am of course really simplifying this process but the point behind this action is for both businesses and customers to strive for waste reduction. This not only benefits everyone but also customers and businesses alike because customers would have a better idea of what they want and businesses would have a better idea of what they should produce.

Just like marketers often like to summarize consumer actions within a formula, by measuring our consumption by the hour — we have an opportunity to hone in on our own equation and define what we want — not what the marketer suggests to us.

Let’s put it this way. Calculate the value of a book in hours and then calculate the value of an iPod in hours. I’m in no way implying that one is more valuable than another — merely that it is extremely subjective. In that case, the calculation of hours can be a much better determination of value to a customer as opposed to a dollar amount.

*****

It’s rather funny. The value of time is often used for commuting, employment, business productivity, weekends, vacations, and travel — yet we rarely make use of this measurement on the products we purchase.

More on the value of time (Wikipedia).

And generalised cost.

Feel free to debunk this idea — it’s still whirling around my head … but I think it is still worthwhile to think about.

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How the Toronto Transit Union Failed their Customers

Published
by
Ehren
on April 26, 2008
in Mentions, Ponderings, marketing and politics
. 4 Comments

How ironic that I would post more about the TTC today — right after my post about subway seating. I was at a friend’s place yesterday and it was pretty amusing to me when our host informed us that the TTC had just declared a strike. It wasn’t the fact that amused me, in fact it was the shock and expressions on everyone’s faces around me that indicated to me how bad of a situation the Toronto Transit Union (ATU Local 113) had put themselves into.

By Jamie (jbcurio)

Davisville Entrance at First Hour of Strike - by jbcurio

Generally speaking, the Toronto Transit Union gets somewhat of a bad reputation right off the bat and work actions/strikes will rarely ever automatically get the support of the public who is the key customer of the service they provide. That all said and done, the Toronto Transit Union (ATU Local 113) doesn’t do much to reach out to their key stakeholder — their actual customers (Torontonians) — here is their website.  (Update:  Erin Balser pointed out that there is a new website albeit limited - WeMoveToronto.ca)

Why does the website look so poorly made (i.e. from the early 90s)? Why is there no blog? And why do I never hear the Toronto Transit Union say something to me — the customer? As soon as you take a look at the website, you will realize it was not meant for the customer or the public — it was meant for union members. Did they not think that the public may want to visit their website and hear what they want to say?

I may not be keen on supporting the Toronto Transit Union or the city for that matter because I find they that they like to play political games by using the public as a pawn, but I sure think that the union is lacking some major communication skills with the public. Let’s take a look at a series of events last night (technically this morning) from my perspective around 12:15am (April 26 2008):

1. Host comes out and tells everyone that the TTC is on strike.

2. People are silent as the shock settles in.

3. Anger replaces shock as they think about getting home or the plans they made for the next few days.

4. Flick on the television and tune into CP24 which confirms that the TTC is on strike.

5. The media continues to broadcast Mayor David Miller’s unedited announcement to the press.

6. The media continues to post or blog ttc strike-related news and encourage commuters and stranded TTC users to call in and tell their story.

Where is the Toronto Transit Union at this time? Sleeping already? Why aren’t they saying anything?

Right — they are going to hold a press conference sometime today.

My point is that by the time they get around to holding a press conference; the city, the public and the media have already thoroughly communicated with one another. This means the average citizen in Toronto and TTC user will have already formulated in their head, how they perceive TTC workers and their union (or at least the latest ‘version’ so to speak). In a world where communication is now almost a constant and instantaneous between an organization and their stakeholders, why isn’t the Toronto Transit Union reaching out and informing their customers with their side of the story?

I find that while the media and the city of Toronto continue to try and simplify the issues so that it is more easily consumable content via newspapers and the internet, I still only have a vague idea as to what the TTC workers want. Inform your customers — it will only help you gain support and at the very least, not make you seem arrogant.

The Kicker

It’s a funny thing about promises and a person’s word (or word of honour). You may not say that you guarantee it — you may not say that you promise it, but if you say that you will do something — you better do it and deliver. Otherwise, don’t say it. Surprise surprise! This applies to organizations as well.

The Toronto Transit Union had originally promised a 48-hour notice before any strike action took place. Granted, the TTC did do that over the past weekend and then declared that there would not be any strike on Monday as they were making progress over some tentative agreement — but fast forward to Friday April 26 2008 — there was no 48-hour notice. In fact, the transit union decided to leave people stranded in the middle of the city at midnight when plenty of people are still out and about. Wow — good job with the public relations (hello karma!).

The Consequences

There won’t be any visible consequence. A strike may happen, the government may interfere and recall them to work, or perhaps there will be an agreement made. People will move on in their daily lives. That said, Torontonians will hold yet another grudge against the Toronto Transit Union and lose respect for TTC workers for holding them hostage yet again. Why else can’t we ever get majority of people to commit to using only public transit (yes I am simplifying — I know there are other reasons)?

Customers don’t care about how a service works — they just want it to work. That said, they will care about the people and organizations who serve them well but as always, communication is key — particularly when it comes to accountability and transparency. Is this how ATU Local 113 (Toronto Transit Union) markets themselves? Probably not.

Some may point out that there are legal issues that can’t be discussed publicly — ok. fine. So? How does that prevent them from communicating properly and being upfront to the public that they serve?

As a final note, let’s take a very brief look at the media coverage thus far on the current strike.

Media Comparison

Globe and Mail - Public comments / Encouraging people to submit videos or photos / Live blogging / Video

The Toronto Star - TTC Strike Watch Blog / Back-to-work legislation / TTC Strike Survival Guide / Video

National Post - TTC Strike Edition / More news about negotiations (with more from Transit Union)

Local Online Media - Transit Toronto / BlogTO

Toronto Transit Commission - Just a website but with an update.

ATU Local 113 - Oh…just this website no updates.  WeMoveToronto.ca has a few updates.

*****

At least the TTC and the city are going public with announcements, but really the Toronto Transit Union should be doing more to communicate as well. All three organizations are part of a larger picture. As I think I’m saying way too often these days — we must keep thinking about our role. A blog just might help … it’d be a good start.

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Top 5 Spots on a Subway: A Glance at How We Sit and Stand

Published
by
Ehren
on April 19, 2008
in Mentions, Ponderings, Unthinkables and fun
. 11 Comments

The timing of this has nothing to do with the upcoming TTC strike, I’ve been pondering about how people behave on the subway for some time and this was really good coincidental timing.

By MovingGraphics.ca

Interior of TTC Subway Car Graphic by MovingGraphics.ca

I’ve always been curious about how and why we sit where we do on the subway. So I decided to take the time to observe myself and others and see how we behave — perhaps even speculate on why. This is by no means academic or scientific (so don’t expect accuracy!), but rather an amusing look at our own habits as we commute.

TTC Seating PriorityI’ve analyzed how I sit and stand, determined my reasoning:

1. This is the top-of-the-line seat. This type of seat would be at the top of my list. Why? I like to sleep on the subway and there’s nothing worse than people bumping into you as they are moving past you while you are trying to get some shuteye. There’s plenty of leg space as well so your legs aren’t as cramped.

Pros: Sleep. Sleep. Uninterrupted Sleep. Maybe read on the rare occasion. Some allowance for personal space. Very good leg room! You can actually stretch!

Cons: Sitting next to you maybe… some inconsiderate bulky commuters. Commuters who like to knit and swing their elbows outwards. Commuters who like to dig into their bags and simultaneously maneuver arms into your sides causing you to jump — esp. if you’re ticklish. Commuters who like spreading apart their legs or pressing their leg up against your leg — sometimes even bouncing the leg (please just stop).

*****

2. When my top choice is out, I turn to corner seating where I can keep out of the way from the folks who like to stand really close and have their bags swing at me.

Pros: Potential for uninterrupted sleep of course. Possible reading time.

Cons: Similar case to number one. Only less leg room for stretching and increase chance of someone jabbing you with their elbow.

*****

3. If number two just ain’t happening, then I guess I’ll have to settle for the somewhat hazardous seat (especially when dozing off). It is pretty ideal for commuters who like to read. This is often the case when I am commuting home.

Pros: Some potential for sleep or reading. Good when exhausted after long day. Easier to exit subway car.

Cons: TTC seats tend to be small. To be considerate to neighbour, usually sitting on half to three-quarters of seat to leave some personal space. Commuters with free-swinging bags, large backpacks, or newspapers tend to like to stick really close to the pole where they hold on (also close to you). Be aware of the odd object bonking you on the head.

*****

4. If the middle-outside seats (#3) aren’t available then I may just settle for the end-of-the-car-outside seat. I prefer not to take these as people tend to like to lean against the door at the end of each car and your personal space is somewhat compromised.

Pros: It’s a seat. Enjoy it. Sleep, read, whatever. Decent leg room.

Cons: The occasional commuter who leans against the edge of the door at the end of the subway car sometimes decides to spread their newspaper on your head.

*****

Standing Density within a Subway Car

Looking at Standing Density in a Subway Car5. Ultimately when there are no seats available that I want, then I end up standing in around the middle section of the car away from the doors where people tend to crowd and get pushed by other commuters wanting to get on to the subway car. As you see from the next image, the middle is the least crowded is where people are least in a hurry to get in and out as it’s furthest away from the exits/entrances.

Pros: There is only one pole and limited space so at most you must share standing room with one other person.

Cons: More difficult to exit subway car. Occasional commuter with gigantic backpack or laptop bag decides to stand directly behind you (think staggered!).

*****

Behaviour on the Subway

Where do you sit? What kind of seating do you typically look for on public transit? Why do we act the way we do? I can’t answer all that but I’m sure if anyone can recall high school chemistry, we were frequently referred by the teacher to the term diffusion which is the movement of particles from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. Here are some observations:

A. Ironically despite the fact that humans are a social species, we tend to diffuse through out the subway car to seat as far apart as possible. As seats begin to fill up, our attitude towards sitting next to a stranger oddly enough seems to change. We begin to accept our neighbours. I guess we really want that seat … or perhaps we subconsciously value our newfound neighbour?

B. We also like to take the path of least resistance while eyeing a particular seat. That doesn’t necessarily mean the path is practical — be it running over people or pushing through a massive crowd in order to get to a seat, some people will do whatever it takes to rest their legs.

Why We Stand Where We Stand C. Once we get to a spot, we like to stick to it and not move. This happens quite frequently when we stand in the orange or red areas (refer to the third diagram). It also happens when we get stuck in a jam or when we are trying to talk with friends. It’s a little harder to be accommodating when we’re commuting as a group. This can be referred to as clumping — also a biological process.

D. We are very eager to board the subway car but as soon as we are inside, our mind is already focused on how we get out as fast as possible. This is the case for many people who stick to the red area. The result is a massive traffic jam within the red area, usually in the four corners where there are poles for holding on to dear life when the subway car starts moving.

We especially enjoy standing against something whether it may be a pole, a panel of glass, the edge around a door. Sometimes other people too become temporary inanimate objects.

E. Others who are more skilled in the ways of balancing (or simply have a better inner ear) are able to deal with the effects of inertia and thus do not require something to hold on to.

*****

What is interesting about this information is that we can take from it the fact that there are groups of behaviour. What will happen when the new trains arrive? It is said that the new trains will be open ended so passengers can walk from one end of the entire train to the other end. Will that have any impact?

For fun, take a look at the poll below and see which groups of behaviour you might consider yourself as belonging to. If you have ideas on additional groups of behaviour that you think that I should add, just say so!

Does this type of situation require a transparent explanation?

View Results

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Three Other Fun Non-related or Somewhat Related Sites

Tess from Tales from the Subway Rider has a hilarious post on the different type of sleepers.

Steve Munro has a brilliant blog on transit politics (TTC related)

For Transit Enthusiasts (also Toronto transit related)

Jarvis Jargon’s Humourous look at Subway Seating

Update (17/07/2008): The Daily Commuter’s look at the Summer Commute.

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What Drives Your Mind (or you)?

Published
by
Ehren
on April 17, 2008
in Aspirations, Ponderings and Unthinkables
. 1 Comment

Were we really able to do anything we wanted when we grew up? — Comic by Chris Harding

Question:  When you pick yourself up every morning and go to work or school or wherever — what is your key reason?  Is it to survive?  Is it to implement change?  Is it to interact with all kinds of people?

What is it that drives your mind (or you)?

I pose the question out there because that’s exactly the question that popped into my head when I was debating with someone about getting work done either by principle or by being objective-driven.  When you step into a new position, what is your goal in mind?  Is it monetary-driven, principle-driven, objective-driven or emotionally-driven.  Are you powered by a long-term vision or are you fueled by trends or new ideas?

I think by asking ourselves these questions on a daily basis we can determine what we consider to be success.  We’re able to see ourselves and the role we play within a larger picture and how we need different kinds of people to counter our own approaches so that we are able to see the multiple roads that are leading out in different directions — then we can decide which one to take.

This is important in any healthy organization whether it may be business or “other”, and just as important for the individual/employee.  Both need to acknowledge and understand this aspect of life in order to prosper from day to day.

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