Category: SignPosts
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This was harder before the internet.
“..Edsel is a no-go.” This was a perfect SignPost. It tripped up about 70% of the people who saw it. They recognized it, but couldn’t place it. Had I started with “Harry Truman, Doris Day” I’m sure more would recognize Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” My brother had a history teacher in High…
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Volcanoes are cool. And Hot.
A wonderful quote from Ms. Adventure, the aptly titled quarter-life memoir from geologist, explorer, and science evangelist Jess Phoenix. Go read her book and follow her on all the socials.
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SignPosts: The I-IV-V Progression
The quote above is attributed to Harlan Howard (1927-2002), an American songwriter primarily known for his contributions to country music, penning songs for Patsy Cline, Charlie Rich, Johnny Cash, and a host of other first-generation country artists. It was his way of describing what makes a great country song. More recently, it’s the title of…
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SignPosts: Discord can sound beautiful
In a past life, we used to do weekly office hours meetings. You would open with a song, and then have a few minutes to deliver a message. This particularly week, the message I wanted to deliver was pretty simple: Even in the middle of Chaos, Talented People can produce Extraordinary Things. The song I…
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SignPosts: Meat Loaf (1947-2022)
I never “got” Meat Loaf or his music; it just never struck the right chord within me. I was born a little too late for “Bat out of Hell” and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. By the time our musical paths crossed again Meat Loaf was as much a caricature of himself and I was more interested…
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SignPosts: …Try and Take Over the World!
The writers flipped, we have no script, why bother to rehearse?!
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SignPosts: Good writing doesn’t need color.
“You’re traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. Your next stop…the Twilight Zone.” The Twilight Zone debuted in 1959, running for 5 seasons and over 150 episodes. It’s a testament to what you can do with good…
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SignPosts: Describe your perfect date.
From the movie Miss Congeniality (2000). I try not to repeat messages, but this one will show up every April 25th.
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SignPosts: Sokath, His Eyes Uncovered!
“Darmok” is one of the best single episodes of Star Trek ever written. If you haven’t seen it, go watch it. You don’t need to be a Star Trek fan or have any prior knowledge to be moved by this episode. In “Darmok”, our intrepid heroes are sent on a mission to make contact the…
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SignPosts: Inconceivable!
From The Princess Bride (1987). It’s a classic, for far too many reasons to list. If you haven’t seen it, go watch it. If you have seen it, go watch it again.