Ass worship, anger, masturbation, fellatio, nudity and virgins are risky ways to promote fast food. Read the rest of this entry »
August 24th, 2009At least our American neighbours are debating healthcare.
The healthcare debate is the United States is a strange beast for most of us here in Canada. Not just because we can’t imagine taking automatic weapons to a political rally but because healthcare is a sacred cow. To even bring up the specter of reform is to spit on Read the rest of this entry »
August 5th, 2009How my sage saga can help you become a better problem solver.
I thought the well growing herb in my backyard was basil. It was my mother-in-law, who clearly is better with herb recognition than I, who pointed out I had a good crop of salvia. Salvia is sage. Sage is salvia. It is the genus name for a host of plants in the mint family. The salvia family includes Diviner’s Sage, a psychotropic drug I didn’t know much about until I read a very cool book about called Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities.
What does this collection of trivia have to do with anything? Read the rest of this entry »
July 28th, 2009“Crush the school” and other brainstorming ideas.
A neighbour of mine recently told me about her son’s creative ways to get out of pre-school preparation class. He asked her if he were to eat ‘lots and lots’ would he turn into a giant. My neighbour, who goes with flow for these kinds of things, said sure and asked why he wanted to be a giant. “So I can go to the school and crush it” was his matter of fact reply.
I love this answer for a couple of reasons. Read the rest of this entry »
July 13th, 2009Five things this week that made me go, hmmmm.
I have this idea that Lightbulb can be about finding inspiration (or at least entertainment) in connecting unconnected ideas. I frequently read or see something that allows me to consider a totally unrelated item in a new light. This frequent collision of context is generally the fodder for my offline conversations and I am trying to see if it can work online.
Today I have a list of 5 stories which made me think but I am not sure what the greater context they uncover is. I am looking for ideas so if you look at my list and the theme seems obvious - make a comment and share it with the Lightbulb in a Thought Balloon community.
5 things this week that made me go, hmmm…
- Booker T. from legendary Booker T and the MGs has a new record out called Potato Hole. The Drive-By Truckers and Neil Young guest as his back up band and it features covers of Outkast and The Drive-By Truckers. The weird thing is his name is Booker T. Jones. Jones?? Why didn’t he go by Booker J? Did the guys in the MGs know another Booker Jones and so he went by Booker T? This makes no sense to me
- Shakira is back. I don’t know the name of her new single but I am pretty sure it’s her and it’s new. Where the hell has she been?
- Queen Elizabeth appointed former PM Jean Chrétien to the Order of Merit. The award, founded in 1902 by King Edward VII, is given to “individuals of exceptional distinction in the arts, learning, sciences and other areas such as public service”. He retired six years ago – so why now?
- The 14 week taxi strike in Windsor ends with a deal. After 14 weeks without cabs – maybe they just don’t need ‘em?
- The US deficit reached $1 trillion. A trillion is a million million or a 1 followed by 12 zeroes.
July 7th, 2009Bernie may be idiot but he isn’t stupid
There is a fine line connecting the Formula One Teams’ Association (FOTA) announcement that Gran Prix racing fans will be consulted more about future rule changes, FOTA’s ongoing feud with FIA President Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone’s recent comments about totalitarian regimes and admiration of Hitler’s leadership.
Bernie’s recent comments, while wildly inappropriate, are certainly no slip of the tongue. Comments stating he didn’t intend to invoke Hitler’s name and “…I got dragged into something I wasn’t supposed to discuss…” just don’t ring true. After all this is the man who is widely credited with turning F1 into the multi-million dollar business it is today.
June 26th, 2009Twitter. Is it the internet Hula Hoop?
A word of confession before I proceed, I am not a Twitterer. I don’t Tweet. With that in mind however I follow with fascination and high interest the ongoing soap opera that is Twitter. I do think it has a business value as any tool which helps marketers better understand what conversations are taking place by different groups of people (aka. consumers), can be monetized. Ongoing mainstream media coverage has run the full gamut from dismissive to over-hyped and critiqued through dismissive again and many speculate Twitter will survive no longer than any other fad which has captured our imagination. Read the rest of this entry »
I discovered an online war memorial recently called Map of the Fallen. In using it, I couldn’t help but think about some war memorials I have experienced. Map of the Fallen is online and the others are off-line but together they create an experience which is deeper and more meaningful. Memorials are difficult. They intend to remind us of the sacrifice of others but they also easily become part of the background, simply statues or plaques we no longer actually see.
April 27th, 2009First post wordle
I will be playing around with wordles for both the podcast transcripts and blog entries to see if they can spur any other lightbulb moments.
If you are interested in word clouds, please visit www.wordle.net and give it a try.
Cheers…Chris
February 10th, 2009Hello world!
This is the first post Lightbulb in a Thought Balloon. I am new to blogging and podcasting and so this a less than auspicious start but it is a start. Look for a maiden podcast to get posted soon.
Lightbulb moments are when you have sudden realisation about something – like a lightbulb representing an idea in a cartoon. This space is going to explore some of those realisations and try to create a conversation about them. Read the rest of this entry »
