Author: Scott Duvall
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Shop Smart. Shop S-Mart.
Army of Darkness (1992) The 3rd of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead Trilogy, this is the movie that perfectly blended horror and comedy. It’s pretty self contained, so don’t be afraid to start here and work backwards.
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Cloudy with a chance of wrong.
Humans are emotional creatures. When something doesn’t work, it’s normal to react. We can be disappointed, angry, shameful, prideful. We put effort into things, and we want to succeed. There’s like four-thousand different inspirational quotes about dealing with failures. All sorts of successful people will gladly tell you about all the times they weren’t. But…
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It is the start, not the end.
This quote comes from the book The Field Guide to Understanding Human Error by Sidney Dekker. In it, Dekker explores the “bad apple theory”, whereby our operations and SOP’s are inherently safe except for those few unreliable people working within it. Dekker questions the idea that concluding “human error” is the end of a safety…
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Book Club 2024
Thank you to everyone who helped gather this list. I read more books in 2024 than any other year of my life, in large part due to having so many good recommendations to pick from. I look forward to having the same success in 2025, and have all of your to thank for it. I…
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I get my suits at Garak’s Clothier’s, on the Promenade.
Another of the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition. And also a pretty good piece of general advice.
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He’s Dead, Jim.
In the original run of the Star Trek television show (1966-69), the writers had a nasty habit of introducing a new character in the episode, usually all part of the security or engineering teams who wore red uniforms. Our heroes would gallivant off to some dangerous planet or situation with these new friends, who subsequently…
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There’s a Rule for Every Conceivable Situation.
“Every Ferengi business transaction is governed by 285 Rules of Acquisition to ensure a fair and honest deal for all parties concerned… well most of them anyway.” It’ll take far too long to explain the Ferengi, The Grand Nagus, and The Rules. Go watch more Star Trek. But nothing says a fictional race of capitalist…
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…I busted him up.
The further I go into my leadership quest, the more I understand this quote from Jean-Luc Picard. Perhaps this is wisdom? “It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness, that is life.” Jean-Luc Picard, “Peak Performance” (Star Trek: The Next Generation S2E21) In the episode’s B-plot, the android…
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What I Read in 2024
Ranked in the most visually appealing fashion: Overall Best Read: The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova. This was by far my most enjoyable read of the year. Suggested by multiple freinds, it is now in my “instant recommendation” list. It’s got vampires, history, Eastern Europe, and a story spread over 3 generations. Don’t be scared by…