I recently lost one of the great storytellers of my life.  My Dad’s mom passed away after what I think most people would consider a good run.  For 104 years the world threw […]

Staples Center, here in my home town, is a lot like Twitter.  You’re curious about how it works and once you’re in, you become addicted.  Your own network of friends in the social network multiplies.  […]

There was one exclusive group that I’d always longed to join:  the Aunt Club.  Having worshipped my own globe-trotting, sports-car-driving uncle, I couldn’t wait to sit on the other side of the fence.  My Uncle […]

This past summer was a hot one; I was in constant need of hydration.  Chugging glass after glass of plain water quickly became boring, and soda is gross to me (and I live in a […]

I feel the pain of reality show contestants everywhere, when I go online.  But in the long history of humiliation as entertainment, my experience on the Internet barely registers on the torture meter.  Our ancestors […]

What do you think of when you think of breakthrough innovation?  Is it the sort of thing that creates a fundamental shift in the business, opens up a new sector in the marketplace, or changes […]

What do you think of when you think of breakthrough innovation?  Is it the sort of thing that creates a fundamental shift in the business, opens up a new sector in the marketplace, or changes […]

The truth is that pretty much every marketing tactic ever devised started out as breakthrough.  It’s just that after decades—and in some cases centuries—of repeated deployment, we take them for granted.  Things as mundane as […]

In books, films and life I’ve always had a soft spot for the antihero—the complex personality who adds dimension to an otherwise straightforward story.  After all, I love Los Angeles, which is a town built […]

As a child, I used to play all sorts of make-believe games.  One day I’d be a teacher; my stuffed animals were my students.  Another day I’d play store, creating a boutique in my basement.  […]

In America we’re Republicans and Democrats, but across cultures and throughout history there have been two main opposite forces in human political society:  liberals and conservatives.  Interestingly, there are meaningful differences in the brain structure […]

Mindfulness is often mistaken to be simply thought-observing, as in literally observing one’s thoughts.  On the contrary, it entails at least a dozen practices for different types of people and purposes.  Whichever practice we use, […]

Just what is the relationship between consciousness and reality?  If Zen is accurate, it would explain human mystification about what, who and why we are.  Our dualistic approach (me vs. everything else) generates bewilderment.  Could […]

We get wildfires in Los Angeles.  The malicious glow in the night as the wind whips flames hundreds of feet i the air.  The ash and pieces of partially burned bark falling from the smoke […]

It feels like 100 years ago.  I was probably about 15 years old, enjoying that early teen girl hormone rush, when a guy could be considered cute no matter how bad his sneakers smelled.  It […]