Pride is a tricky thing…for me, at least. You grow up receiving praise for things you do, but also getting a heaping helping of “reality checks” where authority figures or peers tell you not to brag too much or get “too big for your britches.” Still, should you be proud of yourself or not? That’s where today’s rumination took me. Continue reading “Is Pride a Sin, a Necessity, or Something in Between?”
Author: Bart Leahy
Freelance instructional design, proposal, and aerospace engineering technical writer and an all-around nice guy. Here to help.
Star Wars in the Age of Immersive Entertainment
In the last two weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to experience what I guess I’d call the cutting edge of entertainment: Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire, a virtual reality experience licensed to a company called The Void, and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the new “land” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Each experience, in its own way, shows the direction we can expect interactive entertainment to go in the next few decades. Continue reading “Star Wars in the Age of Immersive Entertainment”
Fiction Experiment: The Way of the Spider
I don’t seem to write fiction so much as anecdotes or dramatized lessons. Be that as it may, this piece came to me this morning. Enjoy or not as you see fit. Continue reading “Fiction Experiment: The Way of the Spider”
The View from 50
Wow, so here it is: 50 years old. Not quite sure how it snuck up on me like this, I’ve now clocked half a century on the old chronometer (“It’s not the years, honey. It’s the mileage”). I guess I’ll take this occasion to share what’s on my mind: Where am I in life? What have I learned? Where else might I go? Read on if you dare. Continue reading “The View from 50”
Looking Forward from Apollo Plus 50
There will be a lot of retrospectives today (oddly enough) as we’ve reached 50 years since the first landing of human beings on the Moon. I’m going to try looking forward. There’s so much left to do! Continue reading “Looking Forward from Apollo Plus 50”
The Introvert Traveling Alone
Coming from a family that worked for Eastern Airlines and kept maps around the house, Trips with family and friends have been some of the best experiences in my life. But what about traveling on my own? Am I’m missing out by going places without others around? No, not really. Continue reading “The Introvert Traveling Alone”
Making the World a Better Place
I was direct messaging with an internet friend recently about what to do to find a “mission” in life–always a big thing for me–because I like a solid reason to get up in the morning and be motivated. What I came up with as a potential project was to start researching technologies to make the world a better place. Today I’ll take a shot at explaining what I mean by that and then, over subsequent posts, I’ll discuss individual topics or technologies of interest. This could be a hit, it could be a flop; in any case, it’ll keep me entertained. And being the harmless egoist I am, that’s pretty much why I’m doing this. So let’s start with something “simple,” like answering, “What do I mean by ‘make the world a better place’?” Onward! Continue reading “Making the World a Better Place”
Curating Your Own Past
Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.
—George Orwell, 1984
Any quotation from 1984 usually implies that the author is about to write something sinister or dystopian. Today, I’m going to turn that notion on its side a bit, consider the wisdom of Orwell’s “Big Brother,” and discuss how it relates to how people think about their past, present, and future. Continue reading “Curating Your Own Past”
How One Geek Sorts Out His Mind II
Okay, great. I’ve shared the fact that I’ve been in a funk. And yesterday I took the time to share how I’ve attempted to cope with it after waiting for it to go away didn’t work. But have I learned anything? Made any progress? That’s today’s entry. Continue reading “How One Geek Sorts Out His Mind II”
How One Geek Sorts Out His Mind
I haven’t written about it much here, but I’ve been in a funk for much of the last year. Not a full-blown depression, but not something that would let go easily, either. The reasons for said funk are not of interest here. Today I’m merely sharing the approach I’ve taken to address my state of mind. If you’re the bookish type who internalizes your problems, you might find this of interest. For those of you who prefer to talk out your problems, this approach will seem odd and a little labor intensive or excessive, but then you’re not me. Continue reading “How One Geek Sorts Out His Mind”
The Real Bart Leahy 