My Word with Douglas E. Welch

In the course of my days, weeks and months, I do a lot of reading. I read blogs, I read, web sites, I read Twitter and Facebook and Google+, but I also read a LOT of books. Usually these books focus on some aspect of business, innovation, thinking, gardening or food. I am always looking for new ideas, new ways of thinking and new ways to jumpstart my own thinking.

Over the last few years, though, I have become frustrated with may books — especially those involving business and/or innovation. Whether a factor of the book publishing process, editorial advice or writer insecurity, I am seeing a few fundamental flaws in the books I am reading (or trying to read) today.

1. Excessive attempts to prove the writer’s or the book’s worth to the reader

Several books in the last few months have spent the major it of their length in the writer justifying why the book should be written and why they should write it. Frankly, I don’t care. If I pick up a book, I do so because I know the writer’s past work or the topic of the book interests me in some way. I don’t care about your degrees, your past publications, the status of your co-authors or even how to you came to write the book. I am reading to discover what new thoughts you have developed and, more importantly, how they might help me. You have already earned me as a reader, don’t waste my time trying to prove to me what I am already doing — namely, reading your book.

Keep the justifications to a minimum (along with chapter length acknowledgement sections) and tell me your ideas. If you don’t, you might lose me a reader before I ever hear what important things you have to say.

2. Excessive review of supporting materials

I come to a book to hear what you (the author) have to say, not what everyone else in the past 5 decades has had to say. If I feel I need more supporting information for your ideas or arguments, I can go and find additional material on my own. In fact, if I am interested in the topic of your book, I have probably read much of the supporting material you address or at least have passing knowledge of it. Again, I am reading YOUR book to hear YOUR ideas, not a general review of the topic.

If you feel you must, use footnotes to direct me to additional material I might find interesting or important. Trust me — and other readers — enough to give your book the chance it deserves without trying to bury us in overwhelming supporting material. We can’t be forced to read your book, only encouraged to read it through the power of your ideas.

GET ON WITH IT!

If you truly have an idea worth sharing in a book, then GET ON WITH IT! Enough waffling and hemming and hawing and supporting and proving. Tell me what is so important that you have to say it in a book.

If you were telling me your idea face-to-face, you wouldn’t spend hours giving me all the background first. I would simply walk away. That is exactly what I will do with a book that does the same thing. You can interweave the supporting material if you think it important, but when I read your book I want to hear what you have to say about a topic.

Why do so many books fall victims to these errors?

It is my belief that it all has to do with insecurity. The writer is insecure in their ideas and so tries to include every supporting study and report they can find. The editor is insecure in selling the book unless they provide some sort of overwhelming proof that it deserves your attention. The publishing company is insecure that a book can be written or sold in any way other than the traditional methods.

The truth is, all this insecurity wastes the reader’s time and convinces them of the exact opposite message of the one the writer, the editor and publisher are trying to convey. When faced with these errors, readers simply abandon the book. Sure, we might try to flip ahead to see if we can find the “meat” of the book, bit in most cases I will simply look elsewhere.

Authors, trust in yourself, your message, your writing and your book. If you have something important to say, readers will notice and acknowledge it. If you feel you have to justify your book and the thoughts within to a large degree, you may want to think more deeply about your ideas, instead.

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Even with all my technology, I still carry a paper journal. I don’t “journal” in the traditional sense, but use it to capture thoughts and ideas when I am on the go. I still find that easier than typing into my computer or iphone when I am out of the office.

Even more, I recommend that everyone have some way of capturing their ideas. Too many ideas are lost simply because they are not captured when they first appear. You never know how useful an idea might be in the future.

It is important to remember that any way you use a journal is the right way. Don’t let anyone tell you have you to do it this way to that way or you are somehow “doing it wrong.” Your journal is yours and you should use it in a way that makes it useful to you. Make lists, draw, paint, have a conversation with yourself, whatever you need. I do a combination of all of these and more.

Here is a picture of my current journal, along with the next one in line, a cool Lego-themed Moleskine.

This post inspired by…

Become a Better Person by Keeping a Journal

Life comes and goes quickly. One day you are young, vibrant, and “taking charge” and then all of the sudden your are waking up, going through the motions and putting your time in. As your life passes you by, your experiences are some of the most important things you have to show for it.

Rather than let your life pass as a stream of experiences that you won’t remember later or never stop to process their meaning, keep a journal to become a better person.

Read the entire article from Lifehack.org

I hope the SOPA/PIPA battle will help to hasten an end to those who are willfully and stubbornly ignorant about technology. Technology effects every part of our lives and I find it repugnant that anyone charged with governing would gladly brag about how little they know about it.

Could technology knowledge be a defining factor in breaking through the “old white men” bias of government and help to inject some new thinking into government?

One can hope!

You can discuss this issue over on Google+

There is a host of information regarding SOPA/PIPA on the web today, during this “blackout” You can find more information on Wikipedia or Google. This post is my take on what needs to happen next. — Douglas

What truly needs to happen next is direct action against the sources of funding for the MPAA/RIAA. Without their funding they cannot be effect lobbyists for bills such as SOPA/PIPA (and surely more to come down the pike).

It is time to starting working our way through the MPAA/RIAA membership lists and taking action to convince their members that associating themselves with the MPAA/RIAA is no longer a good deal, nor it is in their own best interest.

Further, if people want to stop bills such as SOPA/PIPA being produced, we all need to stop supporting/funding these bills with our movie, television and music listening choices. It can be hard to face the fact, but we ourselves have funded the bills that we are now protesting against.

“Follow the money” was Deep Throat’s advice and it still applies today. The money flowing to MPAA/RIAA members flows to their lobbyists and directly into our elected representatives coffers. Think about your actions next time you go to the movies or pick up a CD/DVD. Do you really want to be funding legislation that actively seeks to criminalize your Internet activities? Do you really want to have to protest bills that you yourself funded?

For myself, I find that I can more easily live without MPAA/RIAA member content than I can without the Internet and all that it provides. If it comes down to a battle between the two, and today shows that it has, I know where my loyalties lie. Close the theaters and studios and the record companies. It won’t hurt me one bit. I have many choices in music and entertainment these days beyond MPAA/RIAA. We are not longer living in a world of entertainment scarcity and it is time that these old guard companies learned that lesson. Innovate or get out of the way.

If we have truly awakened from our slumber, we need to understand who and what is funding these bills and cut off that funding at the source. Close your pocketbook to those entities that think maintaining their out of date business model is more important than benefits the Internet provides. Show them that they have truly been supplanted with so many alternatives that they no longer matter.

This is the way forward.

I hadn’t put it in so many word before, but “Shop less…enjoy it more!” is certainly the way we have been operating lately. Without feeling that we are denying ourselves anything (Heck, we spent 3 weeks in Sicily this summer) we have found ourselves buying less and less. Perhaps we are lucky in that we don’t feel a compelling need for the huge flat screen TV or the $50k luxury car, so we don’t pine after them like some might. We spend our time looking for good fun, good friends and generally, a good time. This can mean having friends over for dinner, holding our annual Cookie Party or hosting a Live reading of A Christmas Carol, as we have done for the past 6 years.

Flipping through the Black Friday flyers and other advertisements is interesting these days. They don’t call out to me as much as they once did. If anything, I am looking for the “loss leader” sales items I can snag at a discount — hard drives, software, flash drives, etc. I flip by the big flashy items without a second thought. Maybe we have finally figured out the difference between what we NEED and what we want. We also think much more deeply about how a particular items will work in our home, home much we will actually use it and if there are simpler or cheaper alternatives.

Even more, I find that our friends are “Shopping less…enjoying more!” too. There is no grand conspiracy among us to consume less, but perhaps we are simply growing older. Once your basic needs are met, how much do you really need to consume? I will never be some flashy neighbor “Jones” that all my neighbors feel they have to keep up with. Even more, I don’t try to keep up with the Jones’ in my neighborhood either. Life is too short to constantly be comparing yourself to others. Heck, you will probably feel you don’t measure up anyway, so why even try. (The fact is, we always underestimate our own wealth, happiness and success, so it isn’t a fair comparison anyway.)

So, what are you NOT going to buy this year? What special items will you buy? Will you really use them often? Will they bring a special enjoyment? If so, go for it. It is ok to buy something you will deeply enjoy. If not, wait for a while and see if that purchase surfaces on your “To Buy” list again. It might and you can reevaluate it at that time.

As my own example, I bought, of all things, an ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer this year. For me, though, this fits right in with our recent dedication to “make it your” ethic in the kitchen. Instead of going out and buying a huge tub of ice cream, I make one pint of whatever flavor I want right here at home. It limits how much I can consume  (which is always a good thing for me (LAUGH) ), it matches my personal preferences about food and it is dramatically cheaper than the store-bought brands. Instead of a half-gallon of air-filled processed ingredients, I get ice cream that is a deeply rich, made of simple ingredients and as fresh as it can be. You don’t want more than a scoop or so of this ice cream as it is amazingly rich and filling.

So, there is one item I wanted and will continue to use for years to come. Not a bad deal, I think.

I wish you the best holiday season possible. Fill it with friends, family, happiness and joy — and yes, a few cool things you really want. You don’t have to stop buying, just “shop less and enjoy it more!

From TechnologyIQ, another WelchWrite.com blog…

Updated (3/2/2011 @ 250pm): I have added a link to an algebra video from Khan Academy to the end of this post. One of my Facebook friends recommended it and this video is EXACTLY the type of equations that my son is studying right now. I plan on introducing him to several of these videos. They are very clear and I think they really help to develop a deeper understanding of the material.

My son is about to turn 13 and his current math lessons include the beginnings of algebra. To say the least, my knowledge of algebra is almost non-existent. I haven’t even thought about it much since I left high school, where I barely made it through the required classes. Of course, as a responsible parent, someone needs to assist with math homework and that task has fallen to me, even with my weak skills.

After struggling through a series of homework pages where I was learning as much as him, I really needed a way to check our work. While the book provides some answers, the teacher, for good reason, usually selects those problems that are not answered. How was I to know that we had come up with the right solution?

Enter WolframAlpha. WolframAlpha garnered a lot of attention at its launch due to the unique approach it took to searching the Internet. Instead of returning results as a series of web pages the reader could link to, it tries to provide answers directly on the search page. One specialized feature is that Wolfram Alpha will also solve equations. I can type in x^2+a=29 and it will solve it for me, even showing me geometrical representation, when appropriate. It understands “order of operations” and many complex mathematical concepts much better than I ever will.

The site also helps me with one of my personal math failings — dealing with negative numbers. I can put in a string of calculations from the math worksheet and be reasonably sure that I haven’t botched the typical “negative times a negative makes a positive”, etc calculations that quickly lead to a very wrong answer.

You can check under the Examples tab on the web site if you are having trouble figuring out how to enter a particular equation or problem. Mathematical notation on computer is, by necessity, a bit different. Exponents are indicated using the ^ character and square roots by sqrt i.e. sqrt2. (See more)

WolframAlpha won’t answer everything, of course, but it helps to reduce the number of questions I have to refer back to the teacher for further explanation. It also helps to tell if we are on the right track for a solution or running off into the weeds. The next time you are feeling a bit out of your element with math homework, give WolframAlpha a try.

I would love to hear about your experiences. Leave me a comment and tell me if it helps you as much as it has helped me.

Here is an algebra video from Khan Academy which is another great resource for helping your children with subjects that might be a little beyond your skill level.

Today’s LA Times Editorial page carries this article, “Shut up and be scanned“.

When someone in power, such as the editors of a major metropolitan paper, respond to the current TSA policy outrage with “Shut up and be scanned”, it is a clear indication that we should, and need, to do exactly the opposite. It is a red flag of the highest level.

“Shut up and sit down” is the answer used by those in power when they can offer no defense for their actions. They only want the problem to disappear instead of addressing the issue.

I expect better from the LA Times than being told to “Shut up and be scanned”. I expect considered discussion about an issue, not paternalistic claptrap.

Sometimes I think great ideas can come from the naivete of others. In that vein, let me present an extremely naive idea and see if it spurs any thoughts by those more knowledgeable. — Douglas

Driving around Los Angeles is that object lesson in the state the economy. It is my personal, anecdotal survey of what is happening in the city. Right now, it is worse than I have ever seen it. Block upon block of storefronts with NOW LEASING signs or boarded up windows — High-rises with empty floors — parking lots empty except for the weeds poking through the asphalt. The city seems to be rolling up the sidewalks and reverting to its natural state of grasses and tumbleweeds.

I think there might be a way to help everyone get things moving again. What would happen if property owners “leased” out office and retail space for free? Wouldn’t a building which is in good repair, well-lighted and having foot traffic be more inclined to attract more tenants than an abused boarded-up, graffiti-covered blight on the neighborhood?

I assume there are some benefits to leaving properties empty. Utility costs are nil and there are surely tax breaks due to the loss of revenue. Still, wouldn’t it be better for everyone if these spaces were filled and functional, even at reduced or no rent?

Taking a sign from the Internet world, wouldn’t it be beneficial to develop some sort of “freemium” model for underused commercial real estate? Wouldn’t it be better for all to return these properties to a productive state, if only on a temporary basis? I could foresee month-to-month agreements where small businesses and organizations could use the space, but also be aware that deal could be revoked if a paid renter was found. It isn’t very stable for an organization, but I know I could live with that arrangement if it meant I had a place to meet and hold classes. In some cases, these “freemium” renters could even turn into full tenants as the economy improves. Just as with Internet services, converting a few to the premium plan could support the free use by others. Even more, it could introduce small businesspeople to the idea of an eternal office and the benefits it provides.

How would it work? My first thoughts turn to my own needs at the moment. I could really use a small 10-20 person space to hold meetings and New Media classes. Since I CAN work out of my house, I do, but I can’t and don’t necessarily want to bring strangers into my home for training. I need something cheap to provide me some flexibility, without breaking the bank.

Each day, I walk by 3-4 empty auto sales lots here along Van Nuys Boulevard where I live. They have been unused for months and detract from the neighborhood dramatically. Every time I walk by I think of how I, ad others, might be able to use those spaces, but I have no idea where to start.

Further up the street is a small 3 story office building that has NEVER had a tenant in the 3-4 years since it has been completed. I have thought about calling the number on the FOR LEASE sign, but I am at a loss for what I would say. “Hey, I noticed your building is empty and thought maybe you could give me and my friends a few rooms rent free!” It seems absurd to even say it, but maybe that is exactly what we need to do.

I would love to hear from more knowledgeable people about how something like this might be “sold” to property owners. I don’t have any experience in that area so I am sure I am missing some important aspect, but I still think there might be something to this “freemium” model for office and store space. Let me know what you think about why this might work or why it can’t. I would love to learn more about the realities of commercial real-estate and how it might be turned to everyone’s benefit.

I have seen several accounts of this event, where a local, rural, for-profit, fire department allowed a home to burn to the ground as the owner had not paid for their coverage. See Firefighters watch as home burns to the ground

Say what you wish about supply and demand, insurance, self-responsibility and a host of other excuses I am seeing in the comment threads for these news stories. This is a horrible example of people, probably due to their membership in a particular group, losing all sense of humanity.

It is easy to do wrong, when there are others surrounding you and it can be very hard to do what is right. Anyone, standing there alone, would have done anything possible to save that home. It is an inherent human trait to help others who are in need, as we would hope to be helped if the situation was reversed. When joined in a group, though, we can stand by and watch someone’s home burn to the ground without raising a finger. One only look to corporate criminality to see this in operation at a truly global scale.

I am sure we will soon find that there are ulterior motives underlying this tragedy. Perhaps the home owner had fought against the fire department for profit model. Maybe there are a host of other underlying issues. Maybe he was simply disliked. Regardless, I now directly question the very humanity of these county employees — to call them firefighters demeans everything the word stands for. Each and every one of them can try to hide behind excuses and equivocations, but through their actions they have revealed who they truly are inside. To let this occur they must be, as a group, lacking in any sense of empathy or humanity. I can’t conceive any anger, any dispute, any hatred that could excuse such behavior. It is a failure at the very lowest level.

I grew up in a small, rural, town of about 2000 people and everyone clearly understood the need and importance of our volunteer fire department. When property or people were in danger, they were there. When the fire siren atop City Hall wailed, they came from their businesses, their homes, the Little League field, wherever they might be. There was no question of who the person was, whether they were rich or poor, or whether you even liked them or not — or whether they had paid their fees. These were people who understood the important role they had to play in their community. They understood that sometimes we are our brother’s keeper. They understood that we all have a responsibility to our fellow citizens and they to us.

E Pluribus Unum — out of many, one. It applies as much to every community as it does to the United States itself. When we fail to remember this we put everyone at risk. When we abandon reason, we abandon that which makes us truly human.

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• Home Burns to the Ground as Firefighters Stand and Watch (abcnews.go.com)
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• Firefighters watch as house burns to the ground: owner had not paid annual firefighting fees (boingboing.net)