Author: davemacq
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Energy Production and Storage
Two important posts summarize for me that we are moving towards much more efficient energy utilization: David Suzuki’s summary of feed-in tariffs, which make small scale, local production both feasible and cost-effective, and ThinkProgress’s summary on lithium-ion battery technology, somewhat speculative but still very likely to develop, making energy storage much cheaper and feasible. Both…
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Sometimes I hate technology
I awoke in the middle of last night with the thought that I hate technology, and to a certain extent that is true. In my recent attempts to take my work to a broader domain, I recognize how much I am hidden behind layers and layers of equipment that I do not easily understand. Not…
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Talking about important issues
A couple of people have asked me to comment on the fact that they do not know how to talk about issues such as their own personal growth and/or the nature of spirituality. When they do, when they talk about how important these issues are to them, and how much they personally have been changed…
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Physicians Respond To Gun Control
Finally, the American Medical Association has chosen to lobby on behalf of gun research and gun control. As a physician myself (albeit Canadian), I am almost ashamed that they have not done so prior to this. I know from personal experience that most physicians are intelligent, compassionate and interested in research; and they are often…
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Sloppy Language, Part 2
To recap, this is my second post on sloppy language. Bottom line: if you will be meticulous with your language for six months, you will change your life, for the better. But remember: The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable. Why?: “Why?” can be a very important question; the…
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Sloppy Thinking, Part 1
Thinking about the nature of shoulds has prompted me to write also about what I call sloppy language. I have long maintained that if an individual will give meticulous attention to his or her language for six months, that individual will dramatically change his or her life for the better. By meticulous attention, I mean…
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“You should,” Part 4 (Management)
This is the fourth of four posts on the nature and management of shoulds. (Note: because Facebook does not easily allow paragraph markers, I am choosing to begin my paragraphs with … to make it easier to read — at least it is easy for me!) To recap. Shoulds are the rules of social boundaries.…
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“You should,” Part 3 (Emotional Triangles)
This is the third of four posts on the nature and management of shoulds. From Ed Friedman I also learned of the incredible importance of emotional triangles — the laws of relationships; this information changed my life. Essentially, shoulds invest energy in the third limb of the triangle, an investment that is generally dysfunctional (unless…
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“You should,” Part 2 (The Crab Trap)
This is the second of four posts on the nature and management of shoulds. Ed Friedman (as noted in the previous post, Ed was one of my primary mentors) used to tell a story about how to catch crabs in the ocean; he claimed it was true, although I have never been able to verify…
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“You should,” Part 1
A few days ago, I received a request to write about the nature of the word should, must and have to. So . . . I imagine that this is a very important topic for many people. However, it is such a huge topic that I will split my posting into several, so as to…
Awakening From Your Anger 