No idea

On Late Night Live on Monday (http://www.abc.net.au/rn/latenightlive/stories/2010/2858533.htm) Martin Rees and Paul Davies, two eminent scientists, while discussing various things including the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe, both agreed that despite all our scientific advances we still have no idea how life started on this planet.

[This content was originally posted to Google Buzz, #15]

Marketing Mysteries and Commercial Conundrums #5

Adjective overload

Products always like to differentiate themselves with adjectives – lots of them. For instance, I have some oil, actually its olive oil, or to be more precise, it is virgin olive oil, but not just any virgin olive oil, its extra virgin olive oil. But not just an ordinary extra virgin olive oil, it is premium extra virgin olive oil. From where? Australia! So I have “Australian premium extra virgin olive oil” – a total of 5 adjectives tagging along with one lone noun.Can anyone beat that?

[This content was originally posted to Google Buzz, #13]

Marketing Mysteries and Commercial Conundrums #4

For me, television commercials range from irritating all the way through to insulting. I always mute the ads. (All praise and honour to the inventor of the mute button!) One consequence of muting the ads is that you notice how many of the ads have little computer graphic sprites flying through the air – everything from hair care, to deodorants, to cleaning products, and beyond. In all my years of buying stuff I’ve never once had a dinky little computer sprite fly through my house. I want a refund!

[This content was originally posted to Google Buzz, #11]

Paradox power #2

The eventful non-event.

Next Saturday 6th March marks 29 years since I became a Christian. The 6th March 1981 was the most momentous non-event of my life. In an ordinary room, in an ordinary house, I spoke some ordinary words expressing sorrow to God for ignoring him, and asking him to forgive me. Nothing spectacular, nothing spooky, nothing particularly emotional – a complete non-event. Yet at the same time it was a life changing moment. I entered the kingdom of God and the whole direction of my life since that day has been different as I seek to live for God, not myself. No doubt about it, the 6th March 1981 was a massively eventful non-event.

[This content was originally posted to Google Buzz, #10]

Word for the day

Word for the day …

velleity

I was reminded of this word in a conversation I had last night. Informally it means “having the desire to do something, but not so much desire that you actually do it”. A familiar feeling for anyone? Yes? Now you have a word for it.

Velleity – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary

[This content was originally posted to Google Buzz, #9]

The power of paradox

I’ve been thinking about paradoxes lately, and how wonderful they are. When you are confronted with two seemingly contradictory ideas, it really helps you to think deeply about the issues and understand the subtleties, complexities and beauty of the problem space you’re delving into. One of my favourite ‘paradoxes’ is in Psalm 8:

“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?”

Humanity – so small and insignificant, yet so valued and significant at the same time.

[This content was originally posted to Google Buzz, #8]