The Soviet military had a problem. Communist doctrine was used to dictate military strategy and tactics. However, what doctrine dictated usually didn’t result in practical or effective practices on the battlefield. Because people in the Soviet military aren’t stupid, they responded to this conflict between communist doctrine and battlefield […]
When I started writing this post, I was in an exam room at a medical clinic with my daughter and grandson – my grandson had been sick. I here as moral support after a frantic phone call an hour before. Since I was planning on working in my woodshop, […]
Change is hard – I know because I’ve made a lot of changes in my life. But while change is hard, in the business world you can often make a very good case for change by citing money – making money, saving money, and not losing money.
When I was […]
As a new officer in the US Navy, I was assigned to be the Command Duty Officer on a rotating basis. The Command Duty Officer’s duties were to spend the night at the command, answer the phone, investigate any security breech, and respond to any occurrence of any nature […]
What would you be doing if you had to pay $20 an hour to do it?
In the early twentieth century, physicists devised a technique to test the new theories of relativity and quantum mechanics dealing with the very large and very small – places where you couldn’t actually go. […]
A client recently brought back memories of one of the most difficult moments/crisis in my naval career – I was the Deputy Assistant Supervisor of Shipbuilding in Pearl Harbor, HI and I received two days’ notice that my Contracting Officer was retiring.
Panic can’t describe what I felt at the […]
We all make mistakes.
Last night, I was making vegetable broth. After straining out the vegetables, I decided that I would concentrate the broth, so I put the broth back on the stove and turned up the burner. Then with the arrive of a visiting friend and a good book, […]
In my company, my job title is Director of Getting Stuff Done. There’s two primary reasons for this title – (1) We hate the job title inflation that’s common in modern business, i.e., one-person companies having CEOs, etc. and (2) I get stuff done. I achieve the second reason […]
I love to study history – there’s always something to learn. In fact, my children claim I can relate ANYTHING to the battle of Midway because I did so many times when they were at home – Mostly during dinner time conversations when we would discuss their day’s activities […]
I was recently asked for my take on the Apple Battery Slowdown “Scandal” by a nephew who works in the tech industry (Apple’s response is here). My first impulse was what scandal and my second was submarine batteries – it may seem a weird connection but there is a […]
“Oh! captive, bound, and double-ironed,” cried the phantom, “not to know, that ages of incessant labour, by immortal creatures, for this earth must pass into eternity before the good of which it is susceptible is all developed. Not to know that any Christian spirit working kindly in its little […]
I’ve been struck by the story of Samson found in the Old Testament Book of Judges, chapters 13-16. With the gift of unusual strength, he was the spark to freeing the Israelites from Philistine domination. Be he had a fatal flaw – a rampant narcissism – that lead to […]
Years ago, I read a short crime story in a society that had a computer that could predict crimes. One day it predicts that there will be two murders. The police quickly start tracking where and who will be involved in the murders. Meanwhile, a woman is directed to […]
In the 1980’s, I had the opportunity to take a course on submarine design from CAPT Harry Jackson, USN Ret. CAPT Jackson had participated in the design of more submarine types than any other US naval officer. And while I could still design a submarine based on what I […]
We wrote last about how learning is important and that there are the traditional and new opportunities to learn. Today, I want to talk about why learning is important.
There are two reasons to learn something new:
To gain knowledge
To gain a new skill
Knowledge is learning how the world […]
Long ago, I realized that my only hope to move ahead in this world was to learn something – anything. In grade school, the only skill that enabled me to stand out was being able to catch the ball in dodge ball better than others. But dodge ball has […]
You may not believe it – but there is a connection between the Falklands War and the sexual harassment of Harvey Weinstein.
I had the pleasure to hear the noted naval historian and analyst Norman Polmar speak on the Falklands war between the United Kingdom and Argentina. One story has […]
The news is full of another powerful male’s fall from grace for sexual harassment and/or assault. It’s a brutal and sad commentary – there’s not enough words to describe the revulsion that’s felt at the description of the events or enough tears to salve the hurt to the victims. […]
The title of this post is a reference to a quote by General Curtis Lemay about not being about to tell the difference between treason and incompetence – the results were the same. And results are really what we deal with every day. Something happens and we immediately start […]
I recently participated in the Artistry in Wood show sponsored by the Spokane Carvers Association. It’s an event showcasing the talents of the wood carvers in the Inland Northwest. This year, the Inland Northwest Woodturners (INWT) participated by having a single table with wood turned objects, mostly bowls, vases, […]
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