From the category archives:

Thoughts

Dictatorship Thoughts

July 27, 2010

Being born in a country that suffered the horrors of one of the most systematic, calculating and violent dictatorships the world has seen in recent years (1976-1983), it’s hard not think about it. Here are some random thoughts on the dictatorships:
What would I’ve done back then?
This will probably be one of the biggest [...]

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Briefing Freedom

July 5, 2010

Mark Braddock, creative director at Block Branding, wrote a piece for the “Australian Creative” titled Advertutionalisation, where he talks about how he’s been “trained” to respond to a brief:
I get pretty much a free rein to write what I like (…) And that’s the bloody problem.
I have been trained, Pavlovian dog-style, to respond to a [...]

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The Struggle For Objectivity In Global Jante

April 19, 2010

My unrealistically smart friend Anita Lobo pointed me to The Law of Jante:
In the imaginary small town of Jante there is an informal, oppressive law that forbids anyone from standing out from the crowd:
The Law of Jante
1. Thou shalt not believe thou art something.
2. Thou shalt not believe thou art as good as [...]

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Avatar Philosophy

March 2, 2010

I finally watched Avatar, and there are two symbols that are worth pointing out.
1) This one is obvious: The bad white military man that attacks poorer civilizations to steal their resources. Clear criticism towards corporatism and the American government, no further explanation needed.
2) This one is more subtle since it involves the spectator: We are [...]

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The Community Rant

February 27, 2010

My friend Ryan Stephens wrote a follow up post (which I recommend you to read) to my post “How to Build a Community of Drones”. The post sparked a great discussion, and at one point it got me ranting.
I wanted to share that rant with the readers of OwlSparks:
From day one I knew what would [...]

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The Mistaken Priority Of Happiness

February 19, 2010

Happiness is the wrong goal.
If you are living your life looking for happiness, you’ll feel disappointed with the results, and here’s why:
1) There are more tangible things to look for (often not discussed in those happiness books and speeches): laughter, material possessions, sex, intellectual growth, free time, and more. These are much better symbols of [...]

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Writing Vs. Communicating

February 18, 2010

Today I guest post Raven Moore’s blog, The Writerbabe Series.
You can subscribe to Raven’s blog here. Follow Raven on Twitter here.
Raven is one of my favorite debaters, and writing for her was very refreshing. Writing about writing is always a delight, and for that I thank you, my friend.
Do read my guest post “Writing vs. [...]

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