Newspapers strive to be seen as the defenders of society

Since Congress passed the Lanham Act (15 U.S.C.

Man

I am sick of all this idle chatter. And then

A deep recession calls for ingenious job hunting methods. Suddenly, Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, Plurk, and the like are viable job search tools. Social media — while far from perfect — is actually proving to be a useful tool as 2010 approaches. Or “2011!”

Twittering on www.twitter.com/laermer

Everything today seems very recession-centric. You can

Those who “have Gumby” participate. Not ones to sit idly by and watch from the sidelines, these are the folks who jump in and use their wits and intellect to get the job done. They overcome the most troublesome glitches and find innovative solutions. Gumby isn’t yes-or-no; it’s how and why.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the green Gumby and his pal Pokey were Idol-like TV fixtures as they joyfully lived the adventures that kids dreamed of: going to the moon, jumping in and out of books’ fanciful tales, hanging with people from far off lands.

Because Gumby was a Claymation creation, he was eminently flexible and had a special knack for getting into, out of, and through fantastic and often danger-filled escapades.

Gumby is more than ever becoming a key to success in whatever world you tool around in.

Gumby lives on in all of us–at least in those who can wipe away the thought, I can’t. Gumby’s power is more than flexibility, though. The next time a colleague, a friend, or Aunt Bertha asks how you of all people triumphed in the face of some unbelievable odds, tell her, simply, “Gumby.” If she runs off looking for the latest gadget code-named for our little green hero, let her go. If she asks “What do you mean, my young niece . . . ?” here are the real-life answers:

Gumby is attitude.

Snarky is so fashionable; popular culture lauds Gawker.com and its cadre of follower blogs and downloaders that pride themselves on carefully crafted sarcasm and forever cynicism. Gumby is confident, ambitious, and willing to get the job done–that’s the essence of “Gumbitude.” Gumby is optimistic and focuses on solutions–not problems. You call it like it is . . . and then you are willing to get how others see it.

Gumby is action. Lazy is easy. Action is often strenuous and sometimes exhausting, but those who have Gumby (or saw him on TV, and not the Eddie Murphy persona!) know that taking the effortless path rarely gets you where you need to be.

Identifying nascent trends, which is so important in these dire times, requires vigorous analysis of information from multiple sources, searching beyond your comfort zone.

Gumby is results. Gumby the flexible character was all about getting the job done–both well and in a timely fashion–by effectively using all tools available. Gone are the days when tasks came with a “when you can get to it” deadline. If you’re lucky enough to remember the office euphoria when IBM introduced the Correcting Selectric, then your head probably spins at the plethora of tools available to office workers now. These machines and doodads can help or hinder, and Gumby is all about knowing how to use them to deliver resultsthat have a measurable impact on a nonclich

I’m not ashamed to say it. My generation was the first “seriously cool” generation. We are post-boomer, and yep it’s true: We had it all figured out. Everything made sense to us, we seemed to come along at the right time.

Fast forward a few (semed like quite a few) years and as we were getting settled that Gen X arrived on the scene. The X kids weren’t anything truly special as a gen — young adults who worked all day, drank at night, talked a lot about what they deserved, and happened to know how to use a computer. Dirty little secret: Our group was much less boring than those dudes.

Then there’s today. What now? We have a bunch of twentysomethings who look everything up on Wikipedia b4 the question is asked. Sure, all this open source is great, but it can’t teach you what you need to know about the humanist side of things.

Generation WTF is, according to you, unstoppable. Lest I sound like a crotchety old man (ROFL. That’s an acronym thrown in for the kids!), let me say I DO know several WTFers really well, and work with them on a fairly frequent and not un-fun basis. The WTF phenomenon is not a passing phase, either, as it seems to stick to many new grads.

The new gen’s We Came First stance is also partially deserved. A ton of tech/social change has been proliferated during your short adulthood and you guys grabbed it and owned it full-stop. However, in the rush to instant expertise, WTFers often forget that the inventors of the stuff they use everyday were born in my time. Ahem.

Yeah yeah, you know it. All these ramblings arrived in me while wandering the streets of downtown Austin at SXSW (”South By”). So the next time you call me sir, Mr and Ms WTF, how’s about breathing a bit of context into your next kind of smarmy Tumblr update?

Can you do that kid. Can you?

Springtime appears to be (almost) upon us here in New York, a town of broken promises, well-spent dreams, and lit-up boulevards. The snow is gone, the tourists are back - did they ever actually leave - and the air once again smells like… uh… New York.

Sure, spring is a time to clean your house, but here at Laermer.com we think we should start to celebrate a new holiday this year in honor of Spring Cleaning for Our Souls:

So it

I decided to think of every quote worthy to share. Here:

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I don’t know where, but she sends me there.
-Brian Wilson [crazy mad genius]

Something not understood is not the same as something wrong.
-Anatoli Rybakov [Russian guy]

There are no problems, only solutions.
-John Lennon [rest his soul]

A little rebellion now and then is a good thing.
-Thomas Jefferson [a staunch believer in all things “his way”]

They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those of us who only dream by night.
-Edgar Allen Poe [quite a bizarre life of day/night dreams - and in NY no less]

If you decide to run with the ball, count on fumbling and getting the shit knocked out you, but never forget how much fun it is to run with the ball.
-Jimmy Buffett [gosh is he rich]

It is better to burn out than to fade away.
-Neil Young [who has an asteroid named for him]

It is easier to repent than obtain permission.
-Col. Stan Bailey, USAF [that’s my credo, incidentally]

Regulation and doctrine provide convenient hiding places for the timid and unimaginative.
-Harold Cole [you know…Harold]

A man who is good for anything ought not to calculate the chance of living or dying; he ought only to consider whether he is doing right or wrong.
-John Steinbeck [JS knows how to de-complicate anything]

Human action is the result of human choice, life is choice and choice is willful.
-James G. March

Time is a scarce resource. If you want to know what a man truly loves, observe how he spends his time.
-Aaron Wildavsky

A wise prince seeks advice continually, but when it suits him and not when it suits somebody else.
-Machiavelli [real Master of the Universe]

Stop blaming the box!
-David Zach

[or “Don’t Box Me In!” Stewart Copeland]

Instruction manuals are evidence of design flaws.
-Don Norman

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.
-Robert A. Heinlein

Help … send lawyers, guns and money.
-Warren Zevon [much missed complete mad genius]

The future of the book is the blurb
-Marshall McLuhan

*****

…And for more, see the book “2011″- plus @laermer on twitter