one little cog

I’m back from my vacation — sort of. For two weeks on the road, I’ve had plenty of time to ponder and take photographs. In fact, I took over 3000 photographs and now I’m sorting them out so I won’t talk about my adventure on the road yet.

In the meanwhile, I thought I’d post a few things that have really inspired me this week as I struggle to catch up with the two weeks worth of work and decision making that I have on my desk and the top of my mind respectively.

Know Your Math … or not

My dad used to tell me that no matter what you do, where you go, and how you live; you will need math. It was decided then that he would teach me algebra while I was in grade one while all my peers were out playing outdoors. I sucked at math. I still suck at math. But only closer examination, I am primarily bad at arithmetic. Algebra and word problems are no problem! Thank you calculator! Nevertheless as I got further into coding, I gained a greater appreciation for mathematics and the beauty of the mathematical equation and formula. Actually I probably prefer them over chemical formulas. This talk by Robert Lang was stunning and as a fan of origami myself (I enjoy folding action origami frogs), Lang’s illustration of the intimate connection between mathematics, design and origami is brilliant.

Living life in a Carnival

I’ve been to a few carnivals — typically big city ones. I’ve never been to small town carnivals and I’ve never thought about joining the carnival and working the circuit but Globe and Mail’s feature, The Long Summer by Charla Jones, on life in the Carnival, a fading way of life, brought me that much closer to it. It wasn’t the typical article in the newspaper — it was much more than that and for that, I have to applaud Jones and the G&M.

Actions vs. Politics

If it’s one thing that reminds me of working in government, it is the lack of action. There’s nothing bad about it because that is the nature of government, civil service, and hammering out a policy that works for as many stakeholders as possible. But you need patience and a heck of a lot of it. Other times you have to tip toe around sensitive issues — even in businesses. George Ayittey reminds me of how bureaucracy and the reluctance to leap into action — sometimes even corruption, can create disillusion and discontent.

I am reminded of what a number of my friends and colleagues strive for: Get the job done and get it done right.

Connect the Pics

Lastly I had just had to share this because I love photography. David Griffin talks about how photography connects us to our world and how photos can help resolve or identify issues. I particularly liked how he pointed out that amateur photography is now playing a greater role.

Lastly this week, I am inspired by Blog Action Day — coming October 15th when bloggers all around the world are encouraged to examine the issue of poverty from their own perspective. What better way is there for individuals to attempt to tackle a problem that affects so many people, than to begin with looking at the world around themselves and each other.

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