by Marty Coleman | Oct 30, 2009 | Stewart Brand, Technology - 2010 |
Ok, so to all my friends of a certain age, meaning about my age, I have something to say to you…
GET WITH THE PROGRAM!
ahhh…that felt good.
As we speak my cat is exploring in the mesh of cables accompanying my old scanner, printer and computer that is in the back of my office…she is with the program.
Where was I? Oh yea, I do NOT want to hear you brag about your incompetence when it comes to technology! What is the point in having pride about not knowing something, not being able to handle something? Be quiet, do some study and figure it out.
I would write more but I have to go to the Apple store today to get my computer diagnosed because I only figured out yesterday that I can do that. I thought it would cost a bundle, but it’s free. Of course the new part (likely a graphics card) will cost a bundle but that’s the way that is.
I write this fragmented tirade because I spent the better part of yesterday being rolled over by not one steamroller, but four steamrollers, all with different answers. I wrote stuff down, judged who I thought actually knew what the hell they were talking about (1.5 out of the first 3) then was persistent as a woodpecker with the fourth until I finally got something figured out.
Technology isn’t easy, but the consequence of not dealing with it is that you become OLD! You may not feel old, but before you know it you will be one of those people who say ‘These kids today….back when I was a kid we chopped wood for the fire, slew the bears in the woods’…yada yada yada.
Don’t be that person, ok?
Thanks,
gotta go.
Drawing and commentary © Marty Coleman
“Once new technology rolls over you, if you aren’t part of the steamroller, you’re part of the road.” – Stewart Brand, 1938-not dead yet, American, Author of the Whole Earth Catalog
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 29, 2009 | Anonymous, Halloween |
I don’t know, sounds like it could be pretty darn scary if you ask me!
Sorry for my absence yesterday, the graphics card on my computer went out and I didn’t get it together to hook up the scanner to my backup laptop until this morning. I hope you didn’t fall into the depths of despair without your napkin fix, but despair no more, they are back!
Drawing by Marty Coleman
“I bet living in a nudist colony takes all the fun out of Halloween.”
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 27, 2009 | Arthur C. Clarke |
Halloween is soon to arrive! Look behind you, can’t you see the 30 coming after you…..
I know, I know….it’s probably not EXACTLY 30. But there are EXACTLY 30 headstones in the drawing…I think. Count them for me, ok?
Drawing © Marty Coleman
“Behind every person now alive stand 30 ghosts, for that is the ratio by which the dead outnumber the living.” – Arthur C. Clarke
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 26, 2009 | Japanese Proverbs |
The meaning is pretty obvious I think. You want something of value? You have to face danger to get it.
What danger do you face?
Drawing © Marty Coleman
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 25, 2009 | Greek Proverbs, Volcano |
Proverbs continued…
And that is why, whether it’s about ratios or relationships, math or mates, your children are not likely to learn it just because you told it to them. As a matter of fact, it’s likely you DID tell it to them and they didn’t even hear you.
One must learn it, experience it, suffer the pain of pursuing it, themselves. That is why parent’s are doing their children no favors when they don’t allow them to experience pain, uncertainty, decision-making and failure on their own.
They must climb the cliffs, brave the seas and climb the volcano on their own, in their own pursuit of what is good to know.
Drawing and commentary © Marty Coleman
“Whatever is good to know is difficult to learn.” – a Greek Proverb
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 24, 2009 | Eric Hoffer |
Another vintage napkin from my daughters lunches back when they were in school.
Drawing © Marty Coleman
“It is loneliness that makes the loudest noise.” – Eric Hoffer
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 23, 2009 | Jesus |
While I am away for a few days here is a vintage napkin from 2000 that I put in my daughters’ lunches.
Drawing © Marty Coleman
“If Jesus was Jewish, how come he has a Mexican name?” – anonymous
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 22, 2009 | Thomas Overbury |
I went to Cranbrook Academy of Art, in Bloomfield, Michigan, for a time, attempting to get a graduate degree in art.
The place had a glorious past, having been designed, built and presided over by Eliel Saarinen, one of the pre-eminent architects of his day. He hired incredible artists and designers to staff his Academy and it flourished in the middle of the 20th century.
By the time I got there in 1980 the original professors and creative impetus was gone, and in it’s place were many fine artists, both teachers and students, living under the shadow of the history that the institution touted constantly.
It was nice to feel a part of a glorious history. But it was oppressive and debilitating as well, since it was understood that they glory was in the past for the Academy and we weren’t about to bring it back. Not that we felt that way, but the President and board and patrons seemed to at the time and that attitude worked its way down through the ranks.
What past are you relying on? Is it keeping you under a shadow, even underground?
Drawing and commentary © Marty Coleman
“The man who has not anything to boast of but his illustrious ancestors is like a potato – the only good belonging to him is underground.” – Thomas Overbury, 1581-1613, English Poet. Protagonist in a great royal scandal. Read about it here.
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 21, 2009 | John Churton Collins |
Sometimes you wish no attention was paid from the very beginning.
Perhaps a good lesson can be learned here. Instead of hoping a boy is not in a balloon we can hope a soldier is not in war, a child is not in poverty, an abused spouse is not in danger, a daughter is not in mental illness, a friend is not in disease.
Let’s pay attention and hope for those other ‘nots’ instead of the knots of a buffoon.
Drawing and commentary © Marty Coleman
“The world, like an accomplished hostess, pays most attention to those whom it will soonest forget.” – John Churton Collins, 1848-1908, English literary critic
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 20, 2009 | Heart - 2010, Jewish Proverbs |
Proverb week continues.
But people love money and lend love without being forced. Why is that?
Drawing © Marty Coleman
“You can’t force anyone to love you or lend you money.” – Jewish Proverb
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 19, 2009 | Christopher Morley |
A vintage napkin from 2000, back when all of my daughter’s were still in middle and high school. I made 3 versions of this napkin and put it in their lunches. I don’t think I gave them spaghetti for lunch.
Drawing © Marty Coleman
“No person is lonely while eating spaghetti.” – Christopher Morley, 1890- 1957, American writer
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 18, 2009 | Simone Weil |
I can imagine account managers for stock brokerages really have a lot of insight into this, especially over the past 2 years.
It’s always a hard decision as to what to get mad about and what not to. I know my 401k went in the tank, I lost money. Here is the civilized question we should ask ourselves. What was I going to accomplish by getting angry or scared or worried or distraught? Now, let’s give us all permission to react to that civilized question. And let’s use this response if someone asks us this. The answer is: I WASN’T TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING! I was just emoting, venting, expressing, feeling, hormoning, freaking out, whatever.
Ok, now that all those that think every expression has to have a purpose are set straight, let’s now go on to admit that since those emotional expressions don’t actually have a purpose and we eventually do have to have one of those (purposes, that is) we should indeed put those feelings aside and figure out how the hell to dig ourselves out. Ah, a nice contradictory resolution to it all, whew! I was worried there for a moment that I had to have it all make sense! But I realized that since the gaining and losing of money (and most other things) don’t have a lot of sense to them that I didn’t have to make perfect sense either (even though I did if you think enough about it). The end.
Drawing and commentary © Marty Coleman
“If you want to know what a man is really like, take notice how he acts when he loses money.” – Simone Weil, 1909-1943, French philosopher and activist
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 17, 2009 | Flemish Proverbs |
Well, not always.
But it’s true enough to pay close attention to what a drunk person says, if you can understand them.
Quote is a Flemish proverb. (Flemish is spoken in Flanders which is located mostly in Belgium, but also parts of the Netherlands and France. It is only slightly different than Dutch.)
Drawing © Marty Coleman
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 16, 2009 | Ashleigh Brilliant, Self |
This is totally funny and absurd and silly and nutty. It’s also true.
We are talking about how one really does get to know oneself. It can’t be done in a vacuum, it’s always done in some part as a comparison.
If you don’t believe me just ask yourself, Am I my mother? Am I my father? Part of you says yes, a larger part says NO WAY. Why? Because you have learned who they are, you know them. Probably they drive you up the freakin’ wall. But even if you don’t and your one of those people who think your parents are just dandy (beware of those people, by the way), then you still realize that even if you WANT to be them, you aren’t.
Of course, this is only half the equation. Learning who you are not is good. I am not my neighbor, the perve. I am not my psycho boss. I am not my vain cheerleader frenemy, I am not my childhood friend, the rich, best-selling author with 3 homes, 2 BMWs, frequent trips to Europe and lots of hair (dag nabbit!).
It starts to narrow it down, but it doesn’t define. BUT…if you know enough people it will take you so long to figure out who everyone else is you won’t have time to focus on your self and next thing you know you will have become YOU!
I know, like I said at the beginning. It’s just a silly goofy saying. I just tried to make something of it. That’s just who I am.
Drawing and commentary © Marty Coleman
“In order to discover who you are, first learn who everybody else is, and you’re who’s left.” – Ashleigh Brilliant, 1933 – not dead yet, American funny guy.
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 15, 2009 | Encyclopedia of Characters |
>
Wiggle dog goes back a long way. First inspired by my dalmatian, Oreo in the 90’s, WD (as she is known to friends) is now most often inspired by Sadie, our terrier mixed with ‘the mystery breed’.
Wiggle dog watches. She isn’t a watch dog, but she watches. She watches things beyond her reach and reaches for them. She watches things she doesn’t understand and is enthralled anyway.
She eats dog food and likes it. She also likes stale pretzels quite a bit.
She always represents love, enthusiasm and energy for life.
Her best friend is Whiny Cat even though they are constantly quite rude to each other.
Drawing by Marty Coleman, The Napkin Dad of the Napkin Dad Daily blog. You should check it out, subscribe to receive a napkin a day. Add in the voluntary paid subscription and you will not only make your brain bigger (the napkins do that free of charge), but make your (and my) day better!
Marty’s website
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 14, 2009 | Pat Schroeder |
>
I drew this at 3:30 am, after waking up too hot and too anxious about stuff. Will I get the napkin xmas cards done? Will I get the 2nd napkin dad book done? How will I find a printer who can do it cheap enough? What about my other work, my photography, where should I place it online to sell it? Will I win the major art grant I am applying for this week?
I tossed and turned in bed, wringing my hands about it all (I wasn’t actually physically wringing my hands, but my feet did get quite tangled up a few times).
So, I got out of bed and drew this napkin. Sort of like late night therapy for myself.
I am not a bench sitter in general. I like to take action. But sometimes I find myself sitting and worrying. Then I look off into the personal landscape of my life and I realize the river is still raging, the volcano is still threatening and the fire is still burning while I contemplate it all.
Sometimes just realizing that allows me to relax because I know what I can and will do when the sun rises in the morning. I will roll up my sleeves and take action. I will sandbag the levee, call the fire department, and keep a close eye on that volcano in the distance.
Are you wringing or rolling?
Drawing by Marty Coleman, The Napkin Dad of the The Napkin Dad Daily blog
Marty’s website, martycoleman.com
quote by Pat Schroeder, 1940-not dead yet, American Politician
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 13, 2009 | French Proverbs |
>
I am starting a proverb series today.
I keep coming across quotes that have no author, and usually they are either too stupid for someone to take credit for or they are proverbs that have become connected with a particular culture.
Yesterday’s was the first variety, today’s is the second.
Doesn’t matter if it is a doctor, a wife, a husband, a kid, or a president you are waiting for, if you have to wait too long it’s easy to stew, and stewing makes for malevolent thoughts; anger, frustration, annoyance, etc.
It really does get down to trying to understand why you are angry at the delay. What is going to happen that is so bothersome? Missing a flight can be a pretty big drag for example. But I learned long ago, after being married to two women who both have a biological clock set at least 15 minutes behind the rest of the world, that in the end most delays aren’t really that big a deal and they aren’t worth getting crazy over.
Drawing by Marty Coleman, The Napkin Dad
The Napkin Dad Daily blog
martycoleman.com
Quote is a French proverb
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 12, 2009 | Anonymous |
>
Inside or Out.
Drawing by Marty Coleman, The Napkin Dad
The Napkin Dad Daily blog
Marty’s website
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 11, 2009 | Charley Reese |
>
I had a boomerang when I was young. I hurt like the dickens when it actually came back and hit me a few times. (what is a dickens, by the way?)
By the way, do you know the difference between jealousy and envy? Comment here and tell me what it is, ok?
Drawing by Marty Coleman, The Napkin Dad
The Napkin Dad Daily blog
The paid subscription option is something you should consider, it will give you as much energy as a bowl of Cocoa Krispies!
Marty’s website
Quote by Charley Reese, 1937-not dead yet, American journalist
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 10, 2009 | Georg Christoph Lichtenberg |
>
Here is a vintage napkin from 2004, originally put in my daughter’s high school lunch (yes I made their lunch all the way into high school).
The same could be said of religion (which is a type of opinion when you get right down to it). Other ways of saying it are ‘the proof is in the pudding’ or ‘if you are going to talk the talk, you better walk the walk’.
Whatever the saying, the idea is the same. The only way to prove you really believe what you say you believe is for your actions to consistently (not perfectly, just consistently) reflect your beliefs and opinions.
I am much better at talking about what I believe than I am in backing it up with action. But what I have learned over time is to rein in my words, to keep them closer to what I know I will act on than to just talk about ideas as if I really can act on them all.
That is why I try in my writings here to put in the caveat that I am preaching to myself or that the idea I am presenting is one I haven’t learned very well yet.
It is important to reach farther than you can grasp though, so one should always aspire to greater things than you are sure you can achieve. You just need to keep words and deeds in close contact at all times!
Drawing by Marty Coleman, The Napkin Dad
Napkin Dad Daily blog
Marty’s website
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 9, 2009 | William James |
>
What are you letting slip between your fingers today and why? Are you afraid of success or failure? Are you thinking it is absurd to try, no way you can do it? Then you have failed before the attempt was even made. Why not fail attempting it, what difference does it make, right?
Drawing by Marty Coleman,
The Napkin Dad
Napkin Dad Daily blog
Marty’s website
Quote by William James, 1842-1910, American Philosopher.
Just an interesting aside. I always look at the birth/death dates of the quote giver and think of what they saw and what they missed.
James was 19 when the American civil war started and lived to see the Wright Brothers fly. He was lucky to have missed WWI (1914-1918) but missed seeing women get the right to vote in America (1920).
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 8, 2009 | Frederich Nietzsche |
A parable, a mystery and an excuse for Snake to sing.
Drawing © Marty Coleman
“Not every end is a goal. The end of a melody is not it’s goal; however, if the melody has not reached the end, it would also not have reached its goal.” – Friedrich Nietzsche, 1844-1900, German Philosopher
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 7, 2009 | Encyclopedia of Characters |
Puffy Cloud means all things good. In Napkin World nothing bad happens on a puffy cloud day (also known as a Simpson’s cloud day).
Puffy cloud came about many years ago in my drawings because 1, I love puffy clouds and puffy cloud days and 2, I wanted something that helped define a sky, give it perspective depth with simplicity.
Drawing © Marty Coleman
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 6, 2009 | William James |
Effort is a tricky thing. It is very easy to excuse yourself, to talk yourself into believing you have put out quite a bit of effort when you haven’t.
I notice often that people have stock replies to certain situations such as ‘oh, that gives me a headache’ when they don’t really have a headache, they just don’t happen to like a certain sound. Another example is ‘I am completely exhausted’ when in fact they aren’t exhausted, they are just a little tired. Perhaps you have said ‘I have worked all day in the garden’ when actually you worked an hour and a half.
We all know these are just examples of hyperbole or exaggeration. But the danger with exaggeration is you start to believe it is true and you excuse yourself as a result.
You want to achieve something? Be honest about how much effort you are actually putting out. Work hard, keep going, be tenacious, finish strong and go beyond what you expect of yourself when you say those cliche things in your head.
Drawing and commentary © Marty Coleman
“Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out if they’ve got a second.” – William James, 1842-1910, American Philosopher and Psychologist
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Oct 5, 2009 | John Morley |
When you are tempted to enter a belief system that has a vested interested in a static set of beliefs, a set that cannot change or the system will fall, it is best to consider the choice wisely.
The problem is that theories, evidence, proof and general knowledge of life and the universe is constantly growing and changing. If you are really interested in finding truth and being free to continue to find it over the years, you must in turn be free to go where the evidence leads.
That is problematic if you are in the middle of a belief system that won’t change it’s tenets in the face of evidence, but instead twists the evidence and makes wild and untenable explanations.
drawing and commentary © Marty Coleman
“Where it is a duty to worship the sun it is sure to be a crime to examine the laws of heat.” – John Morley, 1838-1923, British statesman and writer
Like this:
Like Loading...
Ok, so to all my friends of a certain age, meaning about my age, I have something to say to you…
