Joyful Jubilant Learning

I Learn From You

I wrote this a couple of years ago, but it captures the essence of digital-dave-learning...I learn from you.

The Yellow Brick Road

....Another Six Degrees of Blogging Adventure.

Today's journey will be magical, mystical and liberating.  First, I need to instill a thought about our preferred method of travel and then quickly instill a more dominant one.

Do you remember how Dorothy returned to Kansas?  Ok, hold that thought.  Because I can no more wear women's apparel than drink a glass of battery acid, we must overlay the visual of soft, worn and comfortable red leather cowboy boots onto the screen.  Whew!  I feel much better.

Other than early Clint Eastwood movies, no movie has touched my heart over the years more than The Wizard of Oz.  It has provided so many personal metaphors and has been such a source of inspiration that, "Oz is the Yellow Brick Road," became the mantra for the journey of my life.  So, come along with Toto, Dorothy and I and lets explore the Yellow Brick Road.

Man on the Silver Mountain by Rainbow is playing on our iPod as we click our boot heels three times. There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home.

Fog lifts from the yellow cobblestone and a gentleman appears.  "Welcome to the Nest!" Tony Clark greets us with warm enthusiasm.  He then asks, "Why Settle for Just One Path?" This question and the ensuing conversation captures my attention and holds me spellbound.  Toto's ears perk.  I thought I was the only person in the world who could not zero in on a clear understanding of passion and work!!  Toto nods.  There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home.

Ronnie James Dio belts out Catch The Rainbow, rainbow, rainbow... on the iPod as Chris Cree talks about work and passion.  "I’ve been doing quite a bit of introspection these days. It’s not that I’m narcissistic or anything. I just keep hearing folks say over and over again that you will be most successful career wise if you work where your passion is." Yep brother, I hear that too!  Chris mentions that we should check out another Chris.  There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home...

A bit further down the road and we meet Chris Johnston from Chris's Blog.  Chris relays the question, "Is this job for the money or does it give them fulfillment in life?" Chris is actually referring to Noah  Kagan's post at Okdork.com, The Paycheck vs. The Life. The discussion that follows this post is quite lively.  There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home...

..." Danger, danger the Queen's about to kill
There's a stranger, stranger and life about to spill..."  more iPod, more Rainbow, more Yellow Brick Road.  ..."Therefore, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Universitartus Committiartum E Pluribus Unum, I hereby...change directions."  We can do that in cyberspace, really, we can. I can't seem to continue via links with the passion/work discussion so I throw out a few sandbags and change course.  Chris tells us about Elli and Elli tells us about freedom and inspiration.  Elli gazes down at Toto and then back at us, "you guys need to see Kevin Kelly's Cool Tools." I'm thinking that Dorothy has seen it all but she humors me.  There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home.

Ritchie B jams on Cold Hearted Woman as we read Kevin's post - Consensus Web Filters.  Kevin, who was the founding executive editor of Wired has a very interesting site and it is well worth spending some time exploring.  The connection to Wired magazine strikes a chord of ironee today.  I just started reading Chris Anderson's The Long Tail this morning.  Chris is the editor in chief of Wired.  Toto notices my expression and barks, "you're not in Kansas anymore David."  There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home.

The three of us swirl round in circles through cyberspace.  Cows, barns and flying monkeys pass us by.  (Didn't those flying monkeys creep you out?)  The iPod is gone but music begins to fill the cloudscape.  Jimi Hendrix picks a few strings as Judy Garland eases into Somewhere Over the Rainbow.  Dorothy smiles.  Tota barks.  I cry. Judy and Jimi are beautiful man.  My soul lifts as we descend.  We are back on The Yellow Brick Road, right where it intersects with Rt. 66.  Christine Kane stands there holding her guitar.  She looks at Dorothy eyes wide open. They start to talk.  I start to walk down the Road.  Toto follows me.

Jimi...Judy?

"Somewhere over the rainbow
  Way up high,
  There's a land that I heard of
  Once in a lullaby.  

Somewhere over the rainbow
  Skies are blue,
  And the dreams that you dare to dream
  Really do come true.

  Someday I'll wish upon a star

  And wake up where the clouds are far
  Behind me.
  Where troubles melt like lemon drops
  Away above the chimney tops
  That's where you'll find me.

Somewhere over the rainbow

  Bluebirds fly.
  Birds fly over the rainbow.
  Why then, oh why can't I?

  If happy little bluebirds fly

  Beyond the rainbow
  Why, oh why can't I?"

Dave Rothacker

....Another Six Degrees of Blogging Adventure.

Today's journey will be magical, mystical and liberating.  First, I need to instill a thought about our preferred method of travel and then quickly instill a more dominant one.

Do you remember how Dorothy returned to Kansas?  Ok, hold that thought.  Because I can no more wear women's apparel than drink a glass of battery acid, we must overlay the visual of soft, worn and comfortable red leather cowboy boots onto the screen.  Whew!  I feel much better.

Other than early Clint Eastwood movies, no movie has touched my heart over the years more than The Wizard of Oz.  It has provided so many personal metaphors and has been such a source of inspiration that, "Oz is the Yellow Brick Road," became the mantra for the journey of my life.  So, come along with Toto, Dorothy and I and lets explore the Yellow Brick Road.

Man on the Silver Mountain by Rainbow is playing on our iPod as we click our boot heels three times. There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home.

Fog lifts from the yellow cobblestone and a gentleman appears.  "Welcome to the Nest!" Tony Clark greets us with warm enthusiasm.  He then asks, "Why Settle for Just One Path?" This question and the ensuing conversation captures my attention and holds me spellbound.  Toto's ears perk.  I thought I was the only person in the world who could not zero in on a clear understanding of passion and work!!  Toto nods.  There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home.

Ronnie James Dio belts out Catch The Rainbow, rainbow, rainbow... on the iPod as Chris Cree talks about work and passion.  "I’ve been doing quite a bit of introspection these days. It’s not that I’m narcissistic or anything. I just keep hearing folks say over and over again that you will be most successful career wise if you work where your passion is." Yep brother, I hear that too!  Chris mentions that we should check out another Chris.  There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home...

A bit further down the road and we meet Chris Johnston from Chris's Blog.  Chris relays the question, "Is this job for the money or does it give them fulfillment in life?" Chris is actually referring to Noah  Kagan's post at Okdork.com, The Paycheck vs. The Life. The discussion that follows this post is quite lively.  There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home...

..." Danger, danger the Queen's about to kill
There's a stranger, stranger and life about to spill..."  more iPod, more Rainbow, more Yellow Brick Road.  ..."Therefore, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Universitartus Committiartum E Pluribus Unum, I hereby...change directions."  We can do that in cyberspace, really, we can. I can't seem to continue via links with the passion/work discussion so I throw out a few sandbags and change course.  Chris tells us about Elli and Elli tells us about freedom and inspiration.  Elli gazes down at Toto and then back at us, "you guys need to see Kevin Kelly's Cool Tools." I'm thinking that Dorothy has seen it all but she humors me.  There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home.

Ritchie B jams on Cold Hearted Woman as we read Kevin's post - Consensus Web Filters.  Kevin, who was the founding executive editor of Wired has a very interesting site and it is well worth spending some time exploring.  The connection to Wired magazine strikes a chord of ironee today.  I just started reading Chris Anderson's The Long Tail this morning.  Chris is the editor in chief of Wired.  Toto notices my expression and barks, "you're not in Kansas anymore David."  There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home.

The three of us swirl round in circles through cyberspace.  Cows, barns and flying monkeys pass us by.  (Didn't those flying monkeys creep you out?)  The iPod is gone but music begins to fill the cloudscape.  Jimi Hendrix picks a few strings as Judy Garland eases into Somewhere Over the Rainbow.  Dorothy smiles.  Tota barks.  I cry. Judy and Jimi are beautiful man.  My soul lifts as we descend.  We are back on The Yellow Brick Road, right where it intersects with Rt. 66.  Christine Kane stands there holding her guitar.  She looks at Dorothy eyes wide open. They start to talk.  I start to walk down the Road.  Toto follows me.

Jimi...Judy?

"Somewhere over the rainbow
  Way up high,
  There's a land that I heard of
  Once in a lullaby.  

Somewhere over the rainbow
  Skies are blue,
  And the dreams that you dare to dream
  Really do come true.

  Someday I'll wish upon a star

  And wake up where the clouds are far
  Behind me.
  Where troubles melt like lemon drops
  Away above the chimney tops
  That's where you'll find me.

Somewhere over the rainbow

  Bluebirds fly.
  Birds fly over the rainbow.
  Why then, oh why can't I?

  If happy little bluebirds fly

  Beyond the rainbow
  Why, oh why can't I?"

Dave Rothacker

Writing Tools

Do you think Princess Diana had the ability to slip into an ordinary blouse and pair of jeans and make those clothes look stunning?  Perhaps enough to even launch a fashion?  And how mystifying that women throughout the world could put on the same clothes and for some reason not elicit a similar reaction.

What Princess Di did to clothes, Roy Peter Clark does to words.  The man slips into a few paragraphs and sounds as elegant as Di looked.  You or I might be able to convey a similar message, but for some reason it just doesn't sound as clear and to the point.

Would you like your writing to sound more clear and to the point?  Roy Peter Clark's Writing Tools will help you to do just that. 

To gain the most from Roy's work, one must enter into the mindset of a carpenter or other tradesman who works with tools.  Roy divides his sage and wisdom into four tool boxes:

1. Nuts and bolts: strategies for making meaning at the word, sentence and paragraph levels.
2. Special effects: tools of economy, clarity, originality and persuasion.
3. Blueprints: ways of organizing and building stories and reports.
4. Useful habits: routines for living a life of productive writing.

Each of Roy's fifty chapters represents a writing tool.  In chapter fifty, Roy tells us to build a writing workbench to keep our tools in. As someone with a great reverence for tools, I so appreciate Roy's approach.  Techniques to improve our writing are to be cherished and oiled and polished and stored in velvet lined mahogany drawers.

In chapter forty-eight, Roy tells us how his collection of books on writing falls into two categories.  One category is like Elements of Style and the other is like Bird by Bird.  This struck a chord of connection to my own collection.  It's the same.  But more importantly it illustrates an undertone to Writing Tools.  Writing Tools is like Elements of Style and Bird by Bird. It will help us with the nuts and bolts of writing while opening our minds to the stories of our lives, and to those we've yet to live.

This might be one of my favorite tools:

Good writers turn stories into workshops, intense moments of learning in which they advance their craft.  I learned more about reporting and telling stories from "Three Little Words" than from any other writing experience of my life.  I'm still learning from it.  Bit I did not learn how much I learned until I stumbled on a strategy I've turned into a tool: I write a mission statement for each story.

Writing down your mission turns your vague hopes into language. By writing about your writing, you learn what you need to learn.

The difference between how Princess Diana electrified folks with the clothes she wore and how Roy Peter Clark brushes strokes of clarity with words is that throughout eternity, there will never be another Princess Di.  Roy gives us the tools to craft and build stories.  He gives us hope too.  Though we may never write with such elegance, it is possible.

Dave Rothacker

Think and Grow Rich

"Stephen Covey stole all of his material from Napoleon Hill," said the young lady - with prejudice. That young lady was a good friend of mine.  She had a commanding presence, a commanding opinion and I interpreted it as a command to run right out and pick up Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich.  Which I did - with urgency.

That was in 2002.  Since then I'm not sure more than a month goes by that I don't open up the book and look for guidance.  I feel a strong need to nut myself out right now, because after reading this essay you will come to that conclusion on your own anyhow.  Napoleon Hill is one of my closest friends. 

Under the tutelage of Andrew Carnegie and over a period of twenty-five years, Napoleon interviewed and analyzed five-hundred plus men of great wealth.  His quest - to find out how these men amassed their fortunes.  Napoleon condensed his laborious research into thirteen principles.  These thirteen principles make up Think and Grow Rich.

It seems that I can learn something on every page written in this book.  But there is one principle that stands out.  Looking back, I noticed that this chapter is marked with more notes and highlighter than all of the others.  This principle is so important to me that in 2003, I made it one of my core values.

The reason that I chose Think and Grow Rich to illustrate what I've learned from a particular book, can be found in the title of Chapter 6: Imagination. 

Napoleon - "Imagination is the workshop of the soul wherein is shaped all the plans for individual achievement."

Why imagination Dave?  Well, for the first forty years on this planet, I lived in one dwelling...my left brain.  To me, creativity and imagination were only words in the dictionary.  In my organized and analytical life, they did not compute.  One day I was crawling around in the attic and noticed light coming from under a door that I never knew existed.  I opened the door to the brilliant bright light of my right brain.  The warmth drew me in.  Occasionally I'll turn around and stick a toe over the threshold of that door to make sure my left brain is still there, but I've never gone back.

Napoleon Hill taught me how to assemble a group of people who could help and guide me with life and business issues.  The fact that every single person in my group is dead, doesn't seem to hinder the help in anyway.  Napoleon himself assembled a group and called it his imaginary council.  Some of his crew consisted of Abe Lincoln, Andrew Carnegie, Tom Edison and Henry Ford.  Napoleon's purpose for the imaginary council was to ask the individuals to help him rebuild his character. Before bed he would close his eyes and imagine the council gathered together.  He asked each to help him build the characteristic in which they were noted for.  Edison, who was actually still alive at this time, sat next to Napoleon and helped him with faith.  Lincoln assisted with justice and tolerance.  Ford helped him with persistence and self-confidence.

My imaginary council meetings take place in a cabin overlooking a lake in Maine.  It is Fall time there, year round.  There are ten folks in my crew.  Prior to sitting down at a huge oak table in front of a glowing fireplace, four of us usually ride up through the back roads on motorcycles.  Once everyone is together, I ask for help with a problem.  At times I receive direct responses and other times I do not. 

After I had held a few sessions early on, the content of the book began to take on new meaning. It felt while reading, that I was conversing directly with Napoleon.  Imagination is a wondrous universe.  And there is no better spaceship than a book to journey through it.  Open a book today, meet a friend, seek guidance and begin an adventure.

www.daverothacker.com

Gratitude: I Won't Learn Less

I am reading What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith.  I first learned of Marshall from his columns in Fast Company.  His writing was (is) just so down to earth real, in spite of his intellectuality, the myriad of little consonants that follow his name (which to his credit he does not wall paper his book with), and the fact that he coaches the most alien of species known to man; CEO's.

In his book, Marshall lists twenty habits that are a barrier to getting you there.  Habit # 17 is Failing to express gratitude.  He uses a few brilliant examples to explain the emotion-numbing effect of not saying thank you.  Here is the one that caught my attention:

My friend Chris Cappy, an expert in executive learning, has a saying that put this into perspective for me.  No matter what someone tells him, he accepts it by reminding himself, "I won't learn less."  What that means is when somebody makes a suggestion or gives you ideas, you're either going to learn more or learn nothing.  But you're not going to learn less.  Hearing people out does not make you dumber.  So, thank them for trying to help.

Four simple words to remember.  Four simple words that when said to one's self and followed by a thank you, will make the other person feel a bit more special.

Dave

www.daverothacker.com

Learning: Praise Effort

Betty:  Mom, I got an A on my math exam today!
Mom:  Aw Betty, you're so smart!
Long term outcome:  Betty will solve fewer problems and encounter more failure than if Mom had not praised her for her intelligence.

Do you have the ability to work your way through a problem?  Or do you know people who can?  I have worked with technicians for nearly twenty-five years.  These folks have to repair and maintain complicated and highly technical  electrical, computerized and mechanical equipment.  My position places me smack dab in the middle of dealing with the really good ones and also dealing with those who are not so good.  One characteristic that drives a Grand Canyon between each type of technician, is the ability to work through a problem.  The technicians who have the ability to step back, analyze the situation and work through it in methodical fashion are light years past those who can't.  It isn't even close.

Susy:  Mom, I got a C on my science exam.
Mom:  That's ok Susy, you just have to work a little harder next time, you can do it!
Long term outcome:  Susy will achieve more due in part to the praise she has received for her effort.

Carol S. Dweck writes a fascinating article in Scientific American Mind titled, The Secret to Raising Smart Kids.  Supported by research and testing, Carol contrasts the difference between two different classes of learners - helpless versus mastery-oriented.  The helpless type possess a fixed mind-set and the mastery-oriented possess a growth mind-set.

Fixed mind-set - Believe that intelligence is a fixed trait.  One only has a certain amount.
Growth mind-set - Believe that intelligence can be developed through education and hard work.  They want to learn above all else.

If you have a chance, read Carol's article.  Understanding the basic premise behind it, might make you want to help those who really put forth an effort, even more.

Dave Rothacker
daverothacker.com

School Lessons: A Sense of Place

Did you ever read one of your kid's homework assignments and think of all the interesting adult things you could do with it?   "Gee, I could do this and turn it into a story or my own personal project."

I found this piece titled, Developing a Sense of Place, written for 5th to 8th graders.  Two thoughts came to mind.  The first was what a great project to have your kid do!  Save this stuff for them to read when they get older.  It will help to give them roots, connection and identity.  Secondly, what a great project for one's self to do.  Even if we are fifty years old, it will give us roots, connection and identity when we look back upon it at age seventy-five.

dave rothacker

Happy Birthday JJLN!

"It's your birthday, it's your birthday, it's your birthday, it's your birthday!"

Happy Birthday JJL and thanks to all members of our community who give of their time to keep the learning process vibrant and alive!

From: dave rothacker

 

Flickr photo credit Fringuellina

A Harbor in the Tempest

The land laid a gentle arm around his shoulder, the smell of autumn leaves and damp glacial rock cleared his head and the running creek soothed his raw, trodden upon and tortured heart.

Jimmy grew up in an alcoholic haze that surrounded his parents.  Most memories of childhood were banished into a caustic vortex.  Except for a few.  Time spent with his uncle, trips to grandma's and picnics in the park. 

Jimmy's uncle died, his grandma died and after the age of thirteen he never again picnicked in the park with his parents.  But he never quit going to the park.  He took his dog there, his girlfriends there, his wife there, his motorcycles there, his cars there, his girls there, played softball there, golfed there, drank and hiked there. 

The trails were Jimmy's brothers, the fields his sisters and the hills his parents.  The park was his family.  The park was also home to Jimmy's best friend, The Creek.  Over the eons, the Creek cut a gorge, flanked by the remnants of ice age glaciers, into the land.  American settlers came to the area in the late 1700's.  In the 1800's, they built feed mills by the Creek's waterfalls and a village near the land's highest point.

Although Jimmy eventually escaped from the monsters of his past, their tentacles still had a hold on him into his twenties.  They would thrash and beat his body, opening his mind to deal with a time since forgotten.  In the darkest moments however, the Creek was there for him.  It begged for him to sit upon a boulder, to deeply breathe in the air and open his heart.

And Jimmy did open his heart.  When he had to give up his dog, when he had to get divorced, when his grandfather died and when his friend died.  When the world weighed heavy upon his shoulders, when he needed her the most, the Creek was there, the Creek listened.  With each return visit, he learned more about himself, he learned to process the harsh realities of life and he learned to let go.

Looking back over the years, Jimmy realized that the Creek was a reflection of his inner soul.  And that by confiding and trusting in her, he allowed himself to help himself. 

The Creek provided lighter moments as well...

Once, one of Jimmy's daughters won a bag full of goldfish at the carnival.   Not wanting to keep the fish, Jimmy suggested that they flush the fish down the toilet.  He reasoned to his daughter that the fish would eventually make it out of the sewer system to the Lake.  She didn't buy it and was more than concerned for their safety.  Jimmy then asked if it'd be okay to release them into the Creek.  She agreed.  By this point the fish had taken up a few hours of his time, but he invested just a bit more and drove the fish to the Creek.  He spent a few more minutes looking for just the right release point.  He then set the fish free...only to have everyone of them eaten by bigger fish within thirty seconds.

Special thanks to Paul Hewson, Dave Evans and their friends for this essay's title.

The Spark

The Spark lit up Annie's eyes and the residual heat radiated warmth throughout her body.  Her smile leapt from her body and buried itself into Jimmy's soul.  The impact stunned him for a second, causing his mind to drift...

I am twenty-seven years old.  We first got computers at school when I was in the second grade.  In eleventh grade we had classes in Microsoft Word, Excel and Publisher.  My parents sent me off to college with a laptop to one of the most wired public universities in the state.  And now I use a computer everyday as an advertising account manager.

Annie is twenty-six years old.  She graduated from a two year community college and is one of our admin assistants.  How could she not have known...?

Every human being on this planet travels the road of life.  Sometimes we take others for granted.  Especially those of similar age and education who are traveling near us.  If we listen and open up our minds, perhaps there will be an opportunity for us to give the Spark.

Jimmy was helping Annie write an e-mail.  Looking over her shoulder, he instructed her to open up a new screen.  Annie clicked her mouse four times.  Jimmy was incredulous.  He gently asked her to close that screen and allow him to take over the mouse.  He directed the mouse to the new mail icon and clicked once, bringing up a new e-mail screen.

...the Spark lit up Annie's eyes and the residual heat radiated warmth throughout her body.  Her smile leapt from her body and buried itself into Jimmy's soul.

The Spark is the ever so slightest exchange of information that can awaken one's universe and bring gamma rays of delight to the other.

A Technique For Producing Ideas

Rosa had mentioned how some of us probably do not suffer from writer's block.  For the most part, I do not.  There will be times however, when the writing doesn't flow well.  At that time I will either try to hammer through it or I'll walk away and let the material brew.  One reason that I do not suffer from writer's block is that I have been practicing a version of the following method for over ten years.  I originally wrote this as a book review at my site.  I pulled it off the shelf and dusted off the slang for JJLN.

 A Technique For Producing Ideas  by James Webb Young.

James was an advertising guy who published this less than fifty page book in the 1940's.  His answer to why publish a book that would inevitably help his competitors is classic.  It's why consultants stay in business. It's also the primary reason why people and businesses do not grow. My pureed version is simply: lack of implementation.  Here is James':

"First, the formula is so simple to state that few who hear it really believe in it.

Second, while simple to state, it actually requires the hardest kind of intellectual work to follow, so that not all who accept it use it."

Here is James' five step method for producing ideas:

One -  Gather specific and general material. Specific material is the nuts and bolts information that you will need for an article, book or project.  James suggests capturing this information on 3 X 5 index cards, classifying them by subject. Gathering general material is a lifelong process.  But how fun it could be if you focused on it!  My suggestion is to listen to Dan Pink .  In his book, Dan says to create a design notebook.  As you go through the day, observe your surroundings, take pictures, clip magazines, print stuff off the Internet, remove a page from your child's coloring book and make notes in your notebook.  Live dangerously, create three notebooks. 

Two -  The mental digestive process. This is where you take in the gathered material and observe it, digesting it from all angles.  You'll combine specific with general material.  You are looking for a relationship, a connection.  James suggests to scan your material quickly and not take its meaning too literally.  As ideas from the process pop into your head, write them down.  You'll get to a point where you feel too tired to go on.  Go on anyhow.  Push yourself to capture more ideas.  Soon however, everything runs together.  Your brain turns to spaghetti.  At this point you're ready for step three.

Three - Put your material down, forget about the project and walk away.  Turn to whatever stimulates your imagination and emotions.  Go to a museum; Watch a love story or action movie;  Take a walk or read poetry.  Many writing coaches will tell you to exercise, do something physical.  I like to think of this stage as letting your ideas brew in the subconscious of your mind.

Four - This step is where the idea that you've been in search of suddenly appears. It will come to you after you've done the hard stuff and have had a chance to rest and relax.  It will come to you in a most unsuspecting way.  It might be while in the shower, at the grocery store or while reading a book.  Always be prepared to capture an idea when it comes to you.  Carry a pencil, small notebook, piece of paper or recording device with you at all times.

Five - It is now time to show the world your idea.  Put it out there for all to see, hear, feel and taste.  James believes that this is the stage where many ideas go to the idea graveyard. They're deep-sixed mostly due to the owner's lack of patience in adapting them to the world.  He also says to pay attention to what others have to say about your idea.  Various opinions can present a new vista for you, stimulating additional possibilities.

That's it.  And ninety-eight percent of those who read this will never bother with it, supporting James' position regarding his competitors.

James Webb Young believes that an increased emphasis should be placed on one step in this process.  It's in the accumulation of grist for your mill.  It's in the collection of general material.  Live.  Observe.  Record.

Dave Rothacker