Keith December 10th, 2007
“Creativity and humour are identical. They both involve bringing together two items, which do not have an obvious connection and creating a relationship. Laughter improves creativity. Laughing… is a very sophisticated brain function, which sweeps our entire cerebral cortex, and is terrific for improving mental flexibility.”
This quote is from the web site of Humour Australia, an organisation that “inspires positive change and healthy working relationships.” (Aka “HA!”) Thanks to Frank Connelly and the VPS CIN for bringing this to my attention!
This is based on some fairly impressive research. I am particularly interested in the connection to creativity, bearing in mind earlier posts here about the importance of creativity in knowledge work.
Also interesting to see the research on stress:
“Humour and laughter affect a physiological response, which is actually opposite to the effects of stress, according to Lee Berk & Stanley Tan – Loma Linda University School of Medicine.”
Continue Reading »
Keith November 20th, 2007
“A diplomat is a person who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip.”
- Caskie Stinnett
Keith October 24th, 2007
I really will have to make the time to get into Second Life someday.
Scott Adams (of Dilbert fame) has published a new book. He is now undertaking a virtual book tour in Second Life:
“I’ll be doing a virtual book signing in the online world called Second Life on October 30th, at 9 pm EST (USA). My avatar will be handing out free Dilbert posters for your virtual homes in Second Life. Best yet, the system will be programmed so your avatar can kick my avatar in the crotch. (Really.) How fun is that? And in the Q&A session you can ask me any question your avatar isn’t embarrassed to utter.”
Hmmm…
Keith October 11th, 2007
“Hey, did you hear the joke about the Zen master who ordered a hot dog?”
“No…”
“He said, ’Make me one with everything.’”
– Cris Johnson, Next
Keith October 10th, 2007
I don’t normally make political comment here, but here’s an exception…
The time has come.
The time is now.
Just go. Go. Go!
I don’t care how.
You can go by foot.
You can go by cow.
John Winston Howard, will you please go now!
You can go on runners.
You can go on skis.
You can wear a track suit.
But please go.
Please!
(With apologies to Dr. Seuss and Art Buchwald.)
Keith October 4th, 2007
How’s your Latin? I have just read that this was a favourite saying of John Steinbeck. Apparently all of his books carry this insignia. Although I have read a Steinbeck or two, I don’t remember noticing this.
A clue – apparently a professor once told Steinbeck that he would “be an author when pigs flew”.
Keith October 1st, 2007
They come in the night.
The only way that you know they have been is when you come into the office the next day, and notice that things on your desk are just not quite where you left them. The phone headset is dangling off the edge of the desk. The paperweight has been moved. The puzzle ball has had a piece knocked out, and you have to remember how to put it back together again. Nothing ever seems to be stolen, or actually broken – yet.
Some have a theory that the visitors are real people – that they are cleaners. There is no evidence to prove this theory. Things are no cleaner. Like other items on the desktop, any visible dirt has just been rearranged, not removed.
No-one has ever seen one of these mythical creatures. All we have is the evidence that they have visited in the night, and departed, leaving only the enigmatic evidence of their passing…
Keith September 5th, 2007
“There’s no ‘I’ in carriage.” Is Martin Merton good PR? This is all set up by Connex. There’s even a MySpace page.
Keith July 16th, 2007
“Dogmamoron – when an authority’s inflexible principles work against their intent – the dogmatic equivalent of an oxymoron. E.g the ‘war’ on terror.”
- Han van Loon, from actKM.
Keith July 15th, 2007
See why I fear for the survival of my PC and printer over at YouTube. (Video filming and editing by Renée. Warning – strong language.)