I enjoyed the recent Wired article titled “The See-Through CEO“. The story relates the experiences of businesses that are adopting a philosophy of transparency and open information. How does your business handle information flow? Does this concept sound smart or does it send chills up your spine?

Is God a real person or entity or simply a chemical reaction in the brain? A recent article in Scientific American called Searching for God in the Brain discusses some interesting observations on this topic. Studies done on various people who are at certain stages of spirituality (including nuns) allows us to observe brain activity that appears to be related to religious experiences. Does this disprove the existence of God or strengthen your testimony? Are these centers of brain activity simply physical-world receptors to equivalent activity on the spiritual plane?

So I finally received my Clear card this week. I haven’t had the opportunity to try it out yet but I like the idea. The general concept is, you hand over a bunch of biometric information and consent to a detailed background check, and then you get to bypass the main security lines and jump straight to the front. In the Indianapolis airport this is not a huge deal since it’s rarely overcrowded but in other airports where the lines can snake around the entire airport, this sounds very cool.

I know, I’m giving up some privacy but privacy is an illusion today, in my opinion, anyway so why not take advantage of a way to save time? I’ll post updates after I try it out.

During the AMTA National Convention in Cincinnati last week, I was able to get out the see a little bit of the city. Some of the things I really enjoyed were the Newport Aquarium and the Cincinnati Streetscapes. The Aquarium was “1 Million Gallons of Fun” according to the signs and it was indeed impressive. My favorite was the shark exhibit. Sharks are neat.

The streetscapes were also interesting. Every year, art students from Xavier get together and recreate famous works of art using chalk on the sidewalks. It was pretty amazing.

See my Flikr feed for the photos.

“A lot of creativity has to do with energy, confidence, and focus. These are the elements for making creative things… whether you’re making a movie, whether you’re an entrepreneur doing a business, whether you’re an artist, or whether you’re a gardener or a cook.” -Dale Chihuly

I saw this quote recently at an exhibit on Dale Chihuly’s work with glass at the Children’s Museum in Indianapolis and it really spoke to me. I’ve often heard people say that certain talents or creative abilities are just natural gifts and that the rest of us can’t possibly accomplish the same things. Well, I think if more people applied these principles to their work, they would be surprised at how creative they can really be and how many great things they could accomplish.

I found the greatest thing today at the vendor exhibits at the AMTA convention: The Back Saver Wallet. The company’s web site is terrible and apparently you can’t order online but it’s a great product. I bought one for myself and my wallet went from thick and bulky to thin and sleek.