Pre-Ramble:

Facebook has grown 88% since 2010 and currently has a staggering 845 million users worldwide — !  Twenty-seven-year-old Mark Zuckerberg, part of the elite upper echelon of hoodies-n-flip-flops tech-start-up moguls, could personally rake in over $28 billion on the deal.

The Take-Away:  For those of you playing at home, that could buy more than Punxsutawney’s weight (4-9 lbs.) in Super Bowl rings with ample money left over for shagbark hickory (a woodchuck favorite) and beer.

Post-Note:  Facebook has its own Facebook page on Facebook … It currently features a ranking of the site’s most talked about topics for 2011 and has 60,353,196 “likes.”

Post-Post-Note:  Mark and Phil - separated at birth?

Pre-Ramble:

(You know I totally highlighted that article in preparation for this post … )

“Before the highlighter, attentive readers relied on a combination of underlining and marginal notes.”

Actually, when I review a document for pertinent points, I employ the triple-threat of information organization – highlighting, underlining AND written notes in the margin.  Well, and, as every Word processor knows, along with an underline and “comments” function, there is an electronic equivalent of the highlighter - available in a rainbow of different colors.

Like so many innovations, the snappy neon highlighter is the result of a series of contributing discoveries. It all started with the invention of a felt-tipped pen that delivered water-based ink in a smooth uniform line.  The next iterations were: translucent ink; ink that wouldn’t bleed through paper; and finally, a formula for the eerie fluorescent colors that dominate the current text-marking industry.

“Just as important as the ink’s smooth, even application was its color: see-through yellow and pink, which both drew the eye and neatly delineated a piece of text without obscuring it.”

High points – As a concept articulation specialist and writer, my work is all about taking information from a wide variety of sources and synthesizing it, boiling it down into its most meaningful sound bites.  The function of the highlighter is critical to this endeavor … it transforms the flat terrain of a body of text into a topographical view … bringing out important ranges of information … the high points.

The Take-Away:  Two things: 1) Innovations, particularly those that are so subtle and useful as to be ubiquitous, are fascinating; 2)  All input is not created equal.  Moving through the barrage of our complicated, uber-information-overload world, you need a way to separate the important/meaningful stuff from the mediocre and useless drivel.  To highlight the concept of the highlighter is to recognize that its value is greater than physical neon trails of ink.  A mental highlighter in your day-pack can help you keep top-of-mind the awareness that you can tag the interesting, important, inspiring stuff that comes your way and let the rest of the noise and clutter recede into the background.

Post-Note:  Along a visually similar line, I wish that the Minnesota skies had not been so cloudy these past few nights so we could get a better look at the spectacular auroral lights (sample shown below) that have been stirred up by a recent series of solar flares.

“NASA says the outburst sparked an M3.2-class solar flare, as well as a stream of electrically charged particles that is due to interact with Earth’s magnetic field on Saturday. M-class flares are capable of causing brief radio blackouts near the poles as well as minor radiation storms, but it’s unlikely that this one will disrupt communication or power transmission networks.  As the sun approaches the peak of its 11-year activity cycle in 2013 or so, we can expect to see more powerful solar outbursts … “Viewers can be on the lookout for increased aurora.”

Does that look like a giant green highlighter flourish, or what?!

Pre-Ramble:

In what we can only assume are words from the mouth of SNL ‘s pathological liar Jon Lovitz, cowardly Capt. Francesco Schettino explains today’s rationale for the fact that he was seen in a lifeboat rowing away from the sinking ship as panicked passengers remained behind …

” … I was trying to get people to get into the boats in an orderly fashion.  Suddenly, since the ship was [tipped] at a 60 to 70 degree angle, I tripped and I ended up in one of the [life] boats.  That’s how I found myself there.”

Seriously?! … Did he seriously think anyone would buy that?

The Take-Away:  Seriously pathetic.

Pre-Ramble:

Cowabunga!  The “ice-cross downhill world championship” event was enthusiastically embraced by “athletes” from all over the world, combining elements of motocross, snowboarding, in-line skating, downhill skiing, BMX biking, gymnastics and hockey.

“Skaters begin atop a three-story ramp … hurtling themselves through a zigzagging 1,300 foot chute of jumps, drops and hairpin turns … reaching speeds of up to 40 miles per hour.”

“U.S. amateur contestants, predominantly from Minnesota, crashed one after the other down the course … despite a requirement to wear full hockey pads, bones were broken, bodies bruised, and faces bloodied … ‘The course is insane,’ said Joey Velasquez of Bloomington ‘ … the ice conditions are terrible’ …” (Pioneer Press)

“David Kron, a snow-boarder, water-skier and hockey player, broke his neck and back on a dirt bike in 2007, but is eager to try his mettle … ” (WSJ)

On one level, the Crashed Ice event was a curious and exciting spectacle, particularly at night when the entire length of course was lit up in brightly colored lights and fans filled the air with waves of cheers and squeals and the nerve-jangling sound of clanking cowbells. It was different; it was cool; it was crazy.  It brought a hip-happening vibe to the oft characterized as beyond-boring-and-conservative City of Saint Paul.

On another level though, the mentality that makes Crashed Ice so different and cool, so appealing — the explosive speed, contact, challenge, aggressiveness, competitiveness — are some of the very forces that put Jack Jablonski in the hospital and likely in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

“Mike and Leslie Jablonski, awed by the international outpouring of support and encouragement for Jack, seized the spotlight to advocate for changes in the sport’s [hockey's] conflicting ethos of skill and violence, hoping to create a safer environment for amateur players.”

The Take-Away:  I get the difference between the two situations … celebrating the pursuit of extreme/goofy/potentially dangerous sports among consenting adults vs. fostering safety for youth in organized sports.  The juxtaposition of the two just struck me as ironic.

I hope the Crashed Ice experience met the expectations of participants and fans, and more so, I hope that Jack’s condition continues to improve and that the hockey community revises its rules to prevent the kind of cheap, unnecessary and unsportsmanlike behavior that led to his injury.

Pre-Ramble:

Story #1: Recent studies have shown that cardiac arrests in marathon and half-marathon runners have become more common over the past decade.  A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine however, reports that this increase is likely due to the dramatic increase in the overall number of people running marathons and half-marathons.

“In 2000, fewer than 1 million people participated in marathon and half-marathon events … By 2010, the number had more than doubled to about 2 million.”

Never mind that a staggering number of people (insane people) are capable of dragging themselves along a 26 mile course in a single afternoon, I believe that Story #2 provides an alternate explanation for the up-tick in cardiac events associated with running.

Story #2: Today’s WSJ reports that an estimated 92,400 Krispy Kreme doughnuts will be consumed over the course of the 8th Annual Krispy Kreme Challenge which will be held in Raleigh, North Carolina on February 4th.

“The Krispy Kreme Challenge is a student-organized charity race benefiting the NC Children’s hospital. Starting as a competition between a few friends, it has grown to include over 7500 runners and raise $122,000 for the N.C. Children’s Hospital in 2011.

To complete the Krispy Kreme Challenge competitors begin at the NC State Belltower, run 2.5 miles to the Krispy Kreme store on Peace Street, eat 1 dozen doughnuts, and run 2.5 miles back to the Belltower-all in under an hour. Participants can also sign up as Casual Runners, who are not required to eat all of the doughnuts, or Supporters, who do not run in the race but do receive a race T-shirt.”

FYI: For those of you in training for the event, one dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts has 2,400 calories, 144 grams of fat, 120 grams of sugar, and 1,140 milligrams of sodium — !

The Take-Away:  Paramedics will be distributing race packets containing a combination race number/bib, participant’s t-shirt (size XXL), and a personal defibrillator kit.

Pre-Ramble:

Loyal friend, companion and muse, … all these years I thought I was taking care of her, when actually, she was taking care of me.

The Take-Away:  As my daughters reflected so perfectly,

“Daisy, you were so loved – you will be so missed.”

Pre-Ramble:

I hope you have been informed, entertained, or even occasionally inspired by a word or two.

My goals for the blog this coming year are to:

1. promote positivity
2. encourage personal power
3. have fun

Promoting positivity means shining a light on issues from a decidedly positive perspective, … emphasizing the dynamic of moving toward things … being “for” stuff, rather than ”against” it. (Please note that this does not rule out satire or snarkiness.)

By personal power I mean owning your gifts and stepping up, … moving personal energy forward to make positive things happen in one’s life and in the world.

As for fun, you can’t take yourself too seriously, … We know fun when we see it (example shown right) and will take it whenever and wherever we can get it — !

The Take-Away:  Sooooo, in the spirit of all of that — Cheers to uncorking a whole bunch of positive energy in your new year!  

Happy 2012!!

Pre-Ramble:

Every year in the few days before Christmas, actor/comedian Jay Thomas makes an appearance on CBS’s “Late Show with David Letterman” to try to knock a big meatball off the top of Dave’s Christmas tree with a perfectly thrown football (the two shown at right).  Special musical guest, the lovely Darlene Love is also a part of the tradition, but the annual rite of the meatball is what keeps me coming back.

The reason I’m such a fan is that I was actually in the Late Show audience one year to witness the ridiculous spectacle. My husband and I had lived in New Jersey early in our marriage and had taken a quick trip back to partake in the magic that is New York during the holidays. I had lined up a couple of tickets to the Letterman show and was beyond thrilled to be a part of the studio audience, not even realizing that we would be courtside for the hallowed meatball event.

In order to fully communicate its enchanting appeal, I’ve provided this recap from the CBS website:

“It all started one night back in 1998 when New York Jets quarterback Vinny Testaverde was a guest. He and Letterman picked up footballs and began tossing them at the tree, aiming for the meatball. Watching their failures impatiently from the wings was Thomas, former quarterback at tiny Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, N.C.

Thomas had discussed trying the target practice with Letterman before the show, but no one told that to stage manager Biff Henderson. He blocked Thomas from going out on stage.

“I fake to the right and Biff goes to catch me and I run around him like a scramble,” said Thomas, who picked up a football and threw with laser-like accuracy at the meatball, accomplishing in one throw what the NFL quarterback couldn’t in several.

Testaverde has been forgotten, but Thomas is invited back each year to see if he can repeat his feat.

Around the same time — Thomas isn’t sure exactly when — Letterman heard about a story Thomas told of his time as a radio DJ in the South when he and a friend had to give a ride to Clayton Moore, star of television’s “Lone Ranger.” We won’t be spoilers; Letterman has called it the “best story I’ve ever heard.”

The story, too, is repeated each year. Thomas said he and Letterman have never discussed why it has become a tradition. It just has.

Thomas practices before each appearance, taking a football into Central Park and aiming at a particular tree branch.

“It is the craziest thing I have ever been a part of,” he said.”

The Take-Away:  Set your TIVO and try to contain yourself — the meatball show (technically taped yesterday) airs tonight at 10:30 CST on CBS.

Pre-Ramble:

(Sounds like the beginning of a horror movie, doesn’t it?) … I had come to the obituary page, and there, halfway up the lefthand column, was my name.

My whole name.

Katherine. … A. … Emmons.

Plain as day.

At first, I just sat there, half awake, feeling creepy and struggling to verify that the person in print in front of me was, in fact, not me.

Nope.  Not me.  As in the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail , ”Not dead yet.”

Then I wondered, how many Katherine A. Emmons’ there are, actually …

According to Google, there are 18 individuals named Katherine Emmons on the professional networking site LinkedIn (and 14 more that incorrectly spell their names with a “C”).  A few notables:

• Katherine Emmons Force Spencer (1891-1948) was a Christian missionary in the Philippines and prominent in Newport, Rhode Island society
• Katherine Emmons is a scholar and writer in San Diego. She is chair of several dissertation committees and writes children’s books in her spare time which include ”Thunder and Lightening” (an adaptation of the animated movie Cars), and Ratatouilli (an adaptation of the animated movie of the same name — I loved that movie, btw)
• Katherine Emmons (the one in the paper this morning) was a loving mother, sister and grandmother who passed away peacefully surrounded by family …  (She would have been 78 on January 4, 2012). R.I.P.
• Katherine Emmons … me (alive and kicking; shown below) … a brilliant concept development strategist, writer, and all around alive gal (did I mention that I was still alive?)

The Take-Away:  In my search, I found one more Katherine Emmons worth noting …  she goes by Katie Emmons (the name Katie has a nice, snappy ring to it) and she’s an interior designer in Charlotte, North Carolina.  The tag line on her very nicely designed website reads:

“Love where you live … Live what you love”

I like that, and will add a third sentiment — “Love that you live!”

Pre-Ramble: 

Literally translated, “feel-o-meter,” this 16-foot-wide illuminated emoticon uses face-recognition software to analyze the expressions of people in a specific area to capture a general mood — a smile, frown, or something inbetween – which then beams from the giant neon face.

The revealing surveillance device was created by three Berlin-based artists and most recently installed on a lighthouse in the Bavarian village of Lindau (shown at right).

The Take-Away:  ”You better watch out, … you better not cry, … you better not pout, … I’m tellin’ you why … ” … the Fuhlometer could be coming to a town near you –

Happiness is contagious — let your good vibes shine out into the Universe!