MEMORIES OF ROBERT J SAWYER

This is being written with a different motive. Instead of my usual vanity, I am writing for myself as an effort to remember some interesting things. As you age you realize that one thing that nobody can take away from you are your memories. Naturally I prefer the pleasant things, but I also realize that memory is one of the things that slips away, thus stealing some your most precious things.

Robert Sawyer spoke last Thursdayt at the Hamilton Library and a key theme for him was memory. He said a lot of little things that had a sort of profundity about them and I fear forgetting them. Writing his most recently published novel, "Triggers" he started with the theme of memory, before developing a plot or characters. He wanted to explore that. He pointed out that we don't remember in a scroll, but rather in little bits (not his word) that we re-assemble by filling in the blank spots.

A questioner asked for advice for beginner writers. He started off by saying what not to do. Don't write about what you know--that will interest you more than your readers. Write about what you would enjoy researching. He pointed that many successful writers spent most of their time researching--best to find something you think would interest the general public and find out things they might not know.

In reflecting on myself I actually do enjoy research and in one project I got to do quite a bit of it. Unfortunately it didn't work out, but I understand the thought.  For these blogs I have written about what interests me so my audience is limited to those who would care about what makes me who I am and those who are interested in a particular topic.  Not too many for the former, but possibly more for the latter on a good day.

Having written 21 books Robert can look back at his career and see patterns and appreciate some of his luck. One pattern is that there is not much action in his books. This was made clear when one of his books "Flash Forward" was made into a tv series. Although he was consulted on every tv episode he found himself being pressured into adding action such as explosions. He didn't resent that as he pointed out the producers were investing $100 million in the venture and wanted to protect their investment.

He read an 8 minute segment of his new book making the point that it was internal thinking. He was a very dramatic reader. It held our attention with its philosophical and psychological wanderings.

Talking about characters, he doesn't believe in locking himself into a character description at the beginning.  As the plot flows the character can go in different directions.  He feels this is more natural and easier.  

Getting back to research he recounted a trip to Washington. A key part of the plot is an assassination attempt on the American president. He got tremendous co-operation from the CIA and medical staff at George Washington Hospital where protocol dictates an injured president would be taken. He was quite impressed with how helpful the staff was. After writing his draft Robert sent it down for them to preview. They assured he got every detail right except there were no drug addicted nurses. He doubted that as he was aware that it was a common problem in hospitals. However he thought about it and didn't want to offend those who had been so helpful to him and decided to make up a fake name for the hospital.

He prides himself on using the real names of institutions (many Canadian sites are named in his novels), but saw this as an opportunity. He chose the name of Leroy E Burey. Before repeating the name of the hospital he pointed out he wanted to honour the man who had saved more lives than anyone else in the world. He further pointed out that unlike today this man resisted lobbyists and threats. He not only published a study that established the link between smoking and cancer he also forced tobacco companies to reference it on every package they sold.

His experience with the tv series pointed out a few things. American broadcasters would not accept a European location as American viewers would not be interested in. In fact he said basically they were only interested in four locations--New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston. A lot of truth, but I think that is breaking down.

In assessing his own success he pointed out he made a decision that he was advised against. He set his stories in Canada. He found that wasn't such a handicap. He sells about as good as his Canadian colleagues in the American market, but also sells a bigger share in Canada. This decision could have worked against him, but in fact it worked to his benefit.

I had read two of his trilogies and like many found myself compelled forward to the next book in the set. He said he will never do that again. He gets bored. Publishers like them because they are easier to sell--at least the second and third in the series. But he prefers a stand alone book where he can study a subject in depth and then move on without obligation.

He said the book he felt most satisfied with was "Factory of Humanity," even though it was not one of his best sellers or most acclaimed works.

One women in the audience told him that she chose to study philosophy at university because of some of his philosophical thoughts in his books.

He mentioned that he didn't have any connections to the city of Hamilton, but a few years back McMaster University had pursued him to get his papers for their archives. Although he had been pursued by other universities he chose them because they thought of him for literature not specifically science fiction. He was also impressed that McMaster already had archives of Bertrand Russel, Pierre Berton and some of H G Wells.

In an earlier blog, http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/09/conversion-can-sneak-up-on-you-too.htmlI wrote about how Barry Finn, my boss at The Rider had converted me to an interest in science fiction. Robert J. Sawyer was a big part of that. He was probably the best I could have read.

THAT'S DISGUSTING

Author Rachel Herz was interviewed on NPR and intrigued me.

Humans fancy we are conscious of everything important, but don't understand that evolution has armed us with many subconscious tools that help us survive. We are both genetically and culturally programmed to avoid certain foods and certain conditions often with physical expressions of disgust overlaying strong emotion.

The author tells us that disgust is the newest of 6 basic emotions and is an extension of fear. She is not sure if other animals share this emotion with us, but suggests perhaps elephants might. That idea is based on the fact that elephants have an awareness of their own mortality. Fear of mortality is a basic requirement of disgust.

Disgust helps protect us against rotting food at its simplest. Smells, mold and appearances of scabs can set off a disgust reaction. We avoid signs of spoiled food or ill living creatures. Many humans would react to someone vomiting by vomiting themselves. This could help purge some infection that got into some communal food.

Disgust has gone beyond what we eat and can include more of our environment. We detest strange things as we often fear them. This can be people of a lower class or of a different culture/race. This disgust has taught us to be wary of strangers. The author claims that disgust is the most egotistical emotion, by which I think she means we see ourselves as the standard for everything and the further someone is from our standard the more inferior and fearful they are.

Disgust is partly genetic, but a lot of it is cultural. The author gives many examples of what one culture loves that another is disgusted with. Cheeses that are considered delicacies in some cultures are repulsive in others. Disgust with some food can be counter productive and the author cites insects. With an overpopulated world insects could provide more nutrition more cost effectively than typical farm animals. Some cultures accept this idea, but most of us do not.

She makes some political observations. Liberals are primarily concerned with not hurting others and being fair. Conservatives give higher weight to purity, loyalty and respect. These traits are related to how disgust is felt and expressed.

Rachel contrasts disgust with empathy. Being empathetic means we identify with the other person. Studies show that women are more empathetic than men, but they are also more disgust oriented. In general familiarity deepens our understanding and acceptance of strange things.

Rachel has written another book inspired by our sense of smell, "The Scent of Desire" which I am putting on my list of books to read. We humans value sight, sound and touch more than smell, but in fact smell influences us and our animal cousins a great deal.

It is always worthwhile to better understand how our emotions affect us. Without a better understanding our emotions can take over our decisions. To learn more about Rachel's studies visit her website at http://www.rachelherz.com/

THE SHIFT

Predicting the future is pretty dangerous.  Lynda Gratton, the author of "The Shift" has tackled the challenge better than most.

She identifies key forces (admitting they could be configured differently) and applies them to key questions.   She then draws a range from the dark side to more positive. She maintains the dark side scenarios are more likely if we just let things continue, but that the brighter side can happen if humans intervene. The five forces are technology, globalization, demographics and longevity, society and natural resources. The trends within these forces will direct the future and to some extent we can shape them and with better understanding predict a more accurate (and better) future.

To make her points she describes different fictional people in different parts of the world and how the five forces have shaped them. We will live in an globalized world but also fragmented. Technology lets us do more things that we once only imagined, but more of us are isolated and many decisions are based on the very high cost of energy. Ironically transparency has caused us to trust politicians and business even less, but at the same time living our lives guided by corporate agendas even more.

A brighter future is possible if people work towards it. To survive in the future individuals will need to master a marketable skill. The author gives some guidelines to achieve that including of course lots of time devoted to it, but also to find an element of play. She suggests an individual develop a (figurative) signature that identifies them as unique.  Unfortunately no skill can guarantee a positive future so individuals also have to have the flexibility to develop and master new skills. Technology will likely continue to change with unpredictable effects.  It is also true that globalization ensures that competition will be pervasive.

A second shift is necessary. In a world of dispersed families and impersonal work places it will become important to build social networks. One network is of close friends that can be counted on to support you. A bigger network of experts that can help you with problems of work and leisure. Although much of this can encompass social media it is most important you need to have a feeling of a physical community.

A third shift is aimed to make it all meaningful. We have lived in a consumer oriented society. A quote that encapsulates her meaning comes from Robert Reich, "It is time for a longer discussion about what combination of economic dynamism and social tranquility we want for ourselves, our families and our society and about the public choices we need to make in order to achieve this balance."

In summary Lynda seems to be saying that the five forces she has identified are key to understanding the direction of the future and indicate where an individual should examine future options, both as an individual and as a member of society. These five forces are not static, some parts are beyond our control, but others that can be shaped by thoughtful humans.

As I said this book gives you a lot to think about. Your own future and that of your children and of society in general. And the choices you make can make a difference. To keep up to date and read more of Lynda visit her website: http://www.lyndagratton.com/

 

A more recent book about adjustments for increased longevity  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/11/the-100-year-life-how-to-make-most-of-it.html

THREE MONTHS ON FOR MY RESOLUTIONS

It takes a lot of effort to develop habits. There are so many distractions. You all know that. I am partly continuing this progress report as an incentive to keep going.

I have managed to do some pushups or situps every day and am ahead of where I originally intended to be. On my holidays I continued and if anything did more walking. But I have fallen behind in the progression laid out partly because of holidays and partly because I pulled an abdominal muscle. Seem to be going in the right direction.

Work habits are also going in the right way and should progress as a new project is coming on board and one unexpected one was thrown my way recently, but will be wrapped up soon.

Still got my foot in the door for mindful eating, but not progressing. If I don't report next anniversary month it may just as likely to be because I don't need to as I have given up. Thank you for reading this far--it all helps.

My original resolutions:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/01/resolutions-for-2012-made-january-3rd.html

A SHORT TRIP TO NEW YORK

I apologize to all of those who visited New York, before I did. There is not much new for you. For me it was a totally unexpected opportunity to learn a bit about all the fuss. My employer OKD decided to celebrate a good year with their staff. 29 of us joined together. Some of us had been there before (thank goodness for Suzy who helped guide us through the subway system) and a few rookies like myself.

Things I learned about New York

1. I am a country bumpkin. Everything is so big in New York--there is a lot of flash and lot of diversity. Actually there is a lot of everything.

2. New York has cheap
 taxis. You need them because no sane person would drive a car and the subway system can be confusing til you catch on..

3. Lots of things to do. Better to plan ahead, but also be prepared for new opportunities.

Things I enjoyed in New York

1. Central Park. It is bigger and more varied than I clued into watching it in movies. Owning property that overlooks Central Park is the height of luxury.

2. Top of the Rock was a bit scary, but helps to appreciate just how big the Big Apple really is.

3. Staten Island Ferry which also takes you to Ellis Island. Had a little extra personal meaning for me as my wife's Grandmother, Nanny came through there. My nephew Nicholas and his dad, Len Olynyk were able to find some of the records.

4. American Museum of Natural History has more things to look at than you have time, but most of it is very interesting when you examine it more closely.

5. Macy's put on an exhibition of Brazilian flowers that was more delectable than the photos I was able to take. It was beautifully enhanced with soft Brazilian music.

6. Architecture is everywhere. My guess is that the most talented architects were lured to New York if they weren't already attracted to it.

7. Restaurants. Unfortunately I only got to eat at a few. I think my favorite was La Mela, an Italian ristorante with an eight course meal that really made me feel good I married into an Italian family. Schillers was an excellent restaurant that was pretty noisy because it attracted a sociable crowd where I got to try a little higher end wine than usual. I visited Ben's where we had a genuine kosher corned beef sandwich. I enjoyed a Curry Hut meal that delivered a lot of value. Also bought two hot dogs from a street vendor that was more than satisfying. Walking by dozens of restaurants that were very tempting, but I have only so much money, so much time and so much stomach.

Things I learned about my co-workers

They are nice people and they are also very interesting. One of the generalities is that most of them like to drink, but no need to go into details. A great group to celebrate with.

Another OKD employee trip:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2019/04/las-vegas-memories-not-kept-in-las-vegas.html

Photos. Top one is of Ellis Island where my nephew Nicholas and my brother in law Len Olynyk were able to track down some records of Nanny who came to North America in 1916. Small view of Brazilian display put on by Macy's. A view from Top of the Rock. The American Museum of Natural History where I enjoyed a few hours of education and entertainment. A section of Central Park near Strawberry Fields, a section named for John Lennon

CUBAN MEMORIES 2012

From a book my daughter Heather gave me I appreciate that to enjoy life and motivate yourself it is best to remember pleasant experiences. Vacations are usually pleasant and we owe it to ourselves to remember them. You may not pardon me, but I will be remembering lots of details that might bore you. I'll do my best to make it an enjoyable read.

Sharon, my wife and I have gone to the same resort in Cuba for three years in a row, despite a few negative criticisms. We like the place, and more importantly we like the people. I do pride myself on seeking new experiences to learn and to enjoy, so I do try to expand a little each time.

This time we stuck to Arenas Doradas our resort on the Varadero beach, but I did travel to the town and spent some time there to get a better feel for the local atmosphere.

On our way in from the airport our guide commented that they anticipated a heavy hurricane season. They are conscious of climate change. I have to say that the weather was a big reason we came and it didn't disappoint.

Vacation time is a good time to meet new people. Early in our stay we met a couple, Gilles and Nadia from Laval, Quebec. Found a lot of things to talk about--he was interested in folk dancing, languages (he had taken a short course in Spanish before this visit) and triathlon. Gilles and Nadia had been doing a morning run and made an accidental discovery of interest. They ran by a large pond beside the road and on impulse Nadia threw in a rock and was surprised to see a dolphin swim towards her. They had stumbled on a compound for performing dolphins, but it was free. We visited the next day and enjoyed the dolphins. Another day we encouraged an older couple to check it out.

In the lobby where people grab drinks there is sooner or later a re arrangement of chairs and tables. We ended up being joined by two younger women who couldn't find anywhere else to sit. They were joined by another woman who had met them through a travel agent. She lived in Flesherton and worked in Markdale, small Ontario communities where I had made sales calls. She knew of some things relevant to my job. She also had stayed in different parts of Cuba and told us her experiences.

On a previous trip Sharon and I had taken an organized bus tour of Varadero and saw a few highlights, but in a fast controlled manner. This time twice I took advantage of the free shuttle service from the hotel. A few things caught my attention. There are a lot of interesting restaurants which I regret I didn't visit. I did buy food from street vendors and was very pleased at the taste and the value (cheap). One unique item I bought after being offered a sample was Cuban fritters. They looked like French fries, but were from plantains. Instead of vinegar and salt mine were garnished with sugar and I could have had honey. Nice and sweet.

In town I visited a park, Jasone Parc that the tour bus had whizzed by. It was much larger than I guessed with lots of tropical trees, and a large pond with an island. Restaurants, snack bar, small boat rentals and birds. They had some historic equipment for making sugar from sugar cane.

Much of my time was spent reading, at the beach or in the lobby. I love reading and finished three books and read quite a bit of three other books. The one that got attention was "Sarah's Key" which my wife finished. On the beach she had one very flamboyant swimmer comment that it had made him cry. When I say flamboyant his thong swim suit drew lots of photographers which he encouraged.

I had been curious if the beach extended in town and was pleased to see that it did. Veradero is really a peninsula with over 20 kilometres of beaches.

Each night Arenas Doradas offered entertainment. Most of it consisted of dancers who I thought were quite good. On our last day there was a wedding on the beach. It was public and generated a large audience. It was very simple, but had some of the traditions associated with weddings, but also taking advantage of the location.

Your vacation is not really over until you go back to work. At the airport there is a wait of a couple of hours. Ended up sitting down by an older woman and made small talk for awhile. I pulled out a book I had started reading 'Sarah's Key" and she commented she had just finished it. Before too long we were talking about books, but soon got into both our favorite topic, politics. I learned she and her husband (who joined in) were from Thunder Bay. They had been alerted to a last minute deal by their daughter in law, re-arranged some meetings scheduled and two days later were on their way to Cuba. Her husband pointed out they had deliberately chosen a downtown Veradero hotel so they could get a better feel for how the locals lived. A big surprise for me was that they were both in their 80's, but were obviously able to enjoy their retirement and live a purposeful life.

Back home and trying to catch up. Would I go back? There are so many places to visit, but I want the feelings I felt during my Cuban travels. People are the most important detail in whether you enjoy your holidays. We liked the staff at Arenas Doradas and were able to meet a number of congenial people.

It is unfortunate the politics that makes Cubans such an isolated country (at least from the big spending Americans). Americans have great relations with many rivals such as China and Russia and even the great killer of Americans, Vietnam. The difference is that when Castro kicked out those who supported or accepted the Mafia and the dictator Batista many of them went to Florida where they were able to make things difficult for Cuba. In critical ways they influenced American politics, often in an unhealthy way. The Cubans I was able to meet were pretty decent and hardworking people.

Photos: The upper left hand corner is overlooking the beach from the town of Veradero. Beside that is a photo of a couple married on the beach at our resort. Second photo down the left hand side is at Josone Parc in Veradero. Beside that is myself and Sharon enjoying (and I do mean enjoying) a meal on the beach. The bottom photo is of one of our dolphin encounters.

 

Previous trip:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/04/cuban-memories.html

 

Cracking Creativity

I would like to start off by admitting that I was inspired to read this book by a blog of David Olynyk's. I work in an ad agency, but have nothing directly to do with creating ads or ad campaigns. Ideas have to come from somewhere so I thought this would lead to a better understanding. You might say that the sources of ideas are all around you, just look.

My notion of creativity starts with the fact that there is nothing new. After reading Michael Michalko's book (on Kobo) I think he would agree. All the great genius's are better than the rest of us at re arranging old things and/or discovering things that were waiting to be discovered. Improving our creativity involves re arranging what we already know and discovering relevant things we aren't aware of.

There are a lot of good points in the book, but I would start with the ending. The author studied Charles Darwin in great detail. One event that caught his interest was that after Darwin's famous voyage he presented an expert with a lot of details of finches he had discovered and recorded in the Galapagos Islands. The expert recognized them as finches, but was flabbergasted that there were such obvious differences that he dismissed the information as useless. Darwin didn't identify them as finches, but was able to take this vast amount of information to help him formulate the theory of evolution.

The author's conclusion was that most of us try to fit new information into our framework of information and only when we are proven wrong do we look for alternatives. Creative geniuses always look for alternatives. It seems to me the author's purpose in writing this book is give us some methods used by creative people to develop new ideas.   Do not confuse intelligence with creativity as they are two different mind sets.

Creative geniuses like Leonardo da Vinci had specific ways of looking at things to look for alternatives to conventional thinking. The author adapted some of these ideas for procedures that could be enacted individually. He was also a strong advocate for the idea that groups could do ever better and adapted these procedures for groups.

There is a smorgasbord of ideas. Most of them revolve around the idea that we have a natural tendency to think in the same manner as we have always thought. To find a creative solution to a problem we need to break the mould.

We need to train ourselves to recognize a solution amongst things we were not expecting. An example is Alexander Fleming who doing another experiment noticed that unfortunately some mould had developed on another experiment. Before throwing it out he further noticed that near the mould was something unexpected. This eventually led to the discovery of penicillin.

Often a solution starts with re-stating the problem. Try to get at the basic problem. (eg are we in the car business or the transportation business?).  Ask questions. Some creative geniuses like to translate the problem to a diagram recognizing that words are not always adequate.

Getting back to the basic idea of re arranging what you already know one formula that is useful is labeled SCAMPER. S is for substitute, C is for combining, A is for adapt, M is for magnify, E is for eliminate and R is for re-arrange or for reverse. Many procedures revolve around the idea of identifying different elements, playing around with the concepts, changing them in different ways and then re-combining in different ways. Throw in random seemingly unrelated concepts. There are endless variations on procedures, but it does seem to boil down to breaking down the problem, the challenge to elements and mixing with other elements.

We are always fighting our natural tendency to fit things into what we already know. That is where the many different procedures can be helpful. If one seems too far fetched look for another. As you get involved with other challenges you can try another approach. You can improvise your own procedure.  Groups can add a dynamism, although you have to be concerned with group pressures to conform. They work best when the individuals play off one another instead of always going in the same direction.

Creativity helps solves problems and also helps give a personal unique stamp. I read this book on Kobo which is a fairly new experience for me, however I think it might have been too static to really appreciate the thoughts which are flowing in all kinds of directions. Michael has lots more to say on creativity and you can keep up to date at: http://creativethinking.net/WP01_Home.htm