Friday 26 February 2010

Winners

The real winners in life are the people
who look at every situation with an expectation
that they can make it work or make it better.
– Barbara Pletcher

Wednesday 24 February 2010

Making a Point

If you have an important point to make,
don’t try to be subtle or clever.
Use a pile driver.
Hit the point once.
Then come back and hit it again.
Then hit it a third time
– a tremendous whack.
– Winston Churchill

Monday 22 February 2010

Inaction

Iron rusts from disuse;
water loses its purity from stagnation...
even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.
- author unknown

Friday 19 February 2010

February 19, 2010 Chautauqua


From the Editor's Computer

By chance, the other day, I read a blurb about a 3D printer that is now available for home usage. Granted the price tag is still pretty high (roughly $30,000), thus prohibiting every household to have one. Never fear though, the price is dropping, as it tends to do with most electronic and computer related products.

Currently, 3D printers are predominantly marketed to businesses as a way of creating affordable scale models and prototypes of new products without having to hire outside companies and wait days. The ease of use allows anyone with computer skill to use it. Within hours, or even minutes, a company could “print out” their prototype and start testing and tweaking it. The process would not only save money for the company, it would also save valuable time and allow new products to be available to consumers sooner.

The most common 3D printers - according to the blurb I read - have a laser that turns a powder or a liquid polymer into a hard plastic. The finished product can be any shape at all.

By using any 3D creation program (i.e. a CAD program) or even a 3D representation of an object in a computer file, the printer is able to manufacture that object into a solid item.

While it may seem a little out of this world, how many things in our world - that were once only the stuff of science fiction books and movies - are now mainstream? Computers and phones are now small enough to carry in our pockets. A few years ago, we’d have laughed that such things were possible.

Though 3D printers are certainly not mainstream yet, the possibilities for future application are incredible, especially if the printers are able to handle a variety of materials besides plastic. For example, a 3D printer could open up the world of art and sculpture to the average person as they produce a design of 3D form on the computer, which is then reproduced. Need a spare part, just open the online manual and print it off. Or maybe you will order a piece of clothing, a kitchen appliance, or a car online, download a special computer file, and then “print” your new purchase in the comfort of your home without having to worry about shipping costs.

It boggles the mind!

Beth

Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/15ezaIYoMw2udfVtsQODR49uRqJMeTDBj/view?usp=sharing

To contact The Chautauqua, email:
thechautauqua@gmail.com.

Wednesday 17 February 2010

Dare

It is not because things are difficult
that we do not dare.
It is because we do not dare
that things are difficult.
– Seneca

Monday 15 February 2010

Become

In order for us to become truly happy,
that which we can become,
we must become.
– Abraham Maslow

Friday 12 February 2010

Extra

The last 1 percent most people keep in reserve
is the extra percent champions
have the courage to burn.
– Chris Carmichael

Wednesday 10 February 2010

Want

I can show anyone how to get what they want.
The only trouble is I can't find anyone
who can tell me what they want.
– Mark Twain

email: thechautauqua@gmail.com

Monday 8 February 2010

Rhino Skin

[What does it take to create a life worth leading?]
The skin of a rhino and soul of an angel.
– Albert Schweitzer

Friday 5 February 2010

February 5, 2010 Chautauqua

From the Editor's Computer

Lately I have been experiencing a different relationship with time. While the first month of the year seemed to whiz by so fast, individual days are not speeding by as fast.


Part of the reason for this strange phenomenon is that my watch stopped working three weeks ago and I’ve been watchless ever since. That is the longest I’ve even been without a watch. In fact, I usually feel incomplete if I don’t have a watch on my wrist to look at all the time.

While I don’t have a watch, I have access to a number of clocks at any given time - on my computer, my cell phone, on my desk, on the wall, in my car and watches on other people’s wrists. So I still know what time it is.

Without a watch to let me know how fast the minutes are winging by, I have noticed that they don’t fly by quite so fast. It seems I am able to get more done, and with much less rush.


Our perception of time truly is elastic, as it stretches and shrinks depending on what we are involved in, and whether we are thinking of the past, present or future.


I was having a good time
and the hours flew by.
I was bored and time dragged.
I was on a tight deadline
and time was running out.
The beauty of the mountains
was so breathtaking that time stood still.
– Deepak Chopra


Beth


Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VZ_dFQawKGxFVzVjTk0D4JaG5IblPQ5X/view?usp=sharing

To contact The Chautauqua, email:
thechautauqua@gmail.com.

Wednesday 3 February 2010

Footprints

You can’t leave a footprint in a moving stream.
– Indian saying

email: thechautauqua@gmail.com

Monday 1 February 2010

Troubles

If you see ten troubles coming down the road,
you can be sure that nine will run into the ditch
before they reach you.
– Calvin Coolidge

email: thechautauqua@gmail.com