Cost versus Price versus Value versus Profit

People are way too confused about the differences between cost, price, and value. Cost is how much money it takes a business to make a product or perform some service. It represents the combined expenses of labor, materials, and talent as well as the prorated expense of overhead and access to capital. Price is how much money the producer or service provider wants from the customer in exchange for their product or service. The difference between cost and price is profit. Value is the benefit customers perceive they will get from their transactions. Cost, price, value, and profit combine in 16 different ways depending whether each is either too high or too low.

Fountain Pens, Ballpoints, and Rollerballs

While I love to have and use a fountain pen, I must admit that ballpoint pens are a superior technology. Ballpoints don’t clog. Their ink doesn’t dry out if not used. They won’t leak onto your clothes. They write on more types of paper. And other advantages I cannot think of right now.

But some things about ballpoint pens peeve me. My biggest peeve is the tiny globs of ink that don’t just look bad but cause sticky smears. Next the writer must put pressure on the tip. They just don’t glide across the surface like fountain pens. And most of the times, you must make a quick scribble just to get the ink flowing. Finally, when writing in cursive it is harder to join the letter tails if, like me, you use your palm to lightly support your hand and shift its position every two or three letters. While some brands are better than others. Bics are the worst. Cross IMHO makes the best. Cross tips write immediately (no scribbling) but they still form those annoying globs.

Fortunately there is another option: rollerballs using liquid ink. These are the best option for Super Big Fat Pens for aesthetics, convenience and function. From a purely aesthetic perspective they rival fountain pens. No globs. They come in a wide variety of colors and the slightly delayed dry-time allows you to seamlessly join letter tails. For convenience, no more scribbling to start the ink flowing. Be careful though, an open tip will bleed out against a porous material just like a fountain pen! Most importantly though, rollerballs meet the functional needs of people with arthritis because they require little to no pressure on the tip and glide easily across the page.

Having evaluated a wide number of ink cartridges I have settled on Montverde as the superior choice for my customers; although, I would love to hear back from you. 

My Business Principles

My business strives to build a total user experience around products uniquely suited to the practical needs of their users. My business refuses to compromise the essential function of any product for incidental benefits.

My business strives to provide elegantly design each product to match its intuitively obvious purpose. My business refuses to undermine the effectiveness of any product for the sake of superficial appearance.

My business strives to solve my customers’ problems in the most direct way. My business refuses to let ease of production take precedence over the purest expression of a product’s purpose.

Good and Good Enough

As David Foster Wallace observed, “Mediocrity is contextual”. Not everything needs to be perfect, only the things that truly matter. No one should suffer for the sake of aesthetics. No ornament, flourish or embellishment has greater beauty than the simple elegance of intuitive functionality. Never let an extra feature undermine clarity of purpose. Pursue excellence selectively. Remember, the dog that chases two rabbits catches none and perfect is the enemy of done. Make the essential excellent and let the incidental be adequate.

"Quality is never an accident" -John Ruskin

Good design makes it immediately obvious to anyone what a tool does and how to use it. Why do people navigate impossibly nested folder in their file system? Or click through a series of menu choices to change a setting? Whose fault is it when users push the handle they’re supposed to pull. People shouldn’t have to do some complex rituals to use their tools. They should be instantly familiar. Procrustes’s bed cripples the unfortunate travelers that sleep upon it. That is the horror that awaits the unwitting users of arrogant or thoughtless design. Man must not serve his machines.

Signs of On-Coming Depression: UFOs

I know that I'm heading into a period of depression when I start to become interested in all things bizarre and esoteric, such as UFOs, alternative ancient history, etc. At least I have warning signs.

The Romance of Angst

Existential angst romanticizes the lonely and ultimately futile struggle against complete annihilation. At the same time, it places the burden of finding significance on the individual existent. It is both a liberating and terrifying place to live, each day saying “yes” to a world grinding inevitably toward an eternal “no”.

At least that’s how I felt when for many years following that day on the train, the day when I admitted to myself that I no longer believed in God, I traded away the false hopes of simplistic Christian faith for the wistfully pleasant contemplation of my alienation from an indifferent universe.

Personally I think people can only support that seductive sense of the human condition in a godless universe for so long. Eventually the reductive view of Man prevails leaving atheists with the bleak conviction that human beings are electro-chemical reactions advanced by chance and necessity. We are only physical and purely physical things aren’t about anything; they just are. That perspective is literally dehumanizing because it dismisses as illusions the very things that make us human, such as rationality, signification, choice, and personal identity.

As I see it, hope is not about clinging to comforting illusions; but the choice to leave open the possibility that human beings are more than we think they are. It is about taking the existential stance that our capacity for reason reflects something fundamental about the universe (not a convenient instinct) and that experience can access facts about reality (a relation versus alienation). These are two ideas that lead me away from atheism although I did not realize so at first.

Rhino loves Lynda

Lynda.com has a very nice tutorial series on Rhino 5. I would recommend it. While a person can learn much from YouTube, what you learn is rather spotty. I like learning in a step by step fashion. It may be slower, but the learning is more thorough. Online tutorials on YouTube seem to have gaps. The makers make many assumptions about what their watchers already know.

But that said. It's tough not just learning a new program but the working methods and best practices. My AutoCAD experience has been invaluable and fortunately Rhino uses many of the same commands. I cannot imagine anyone going directly into 3d modeling without some 2d CAD experience.

Hidden Light Swedenborg and Secrets of Heaven

INTRODUCTION: the Bible has an Inner Meaning

“At the literal level the Word seems like poor writing in a strange style,

lacking the sublime and lucid quality that modern works seem to have.”

TCR 189

Generally, anyone who claims they fully understands the bible is fooling themselves.

Today’s Christians focus almost exclusively on the New Testament because compared to

the Old Testament it’s and easy read. The Old Testament’s genealogies are tedious, the

rules and rituals of the ancient Hebrew theocracy seem irrelevant, the miracles strain

credulity, the stories brutal, the style and pacing of the language is archaic, its symbols

are obscure and its prophecies are cryptic. All but the most strident fundamentalist can

see that it is rife with apparent contradictions and scientific inaccuracies. The bible

reflects the perspectives of a foreign culture of an ancient civilization governed by

institutions that have long since passed away.

Starting in 1749, a London publisher printed a curious series of books, eight volumes in all.

Its anonymous author titled the book, “Secrets of Heaven, Contained in Sacred Scripture,

or, The Word of the Lord, Here First those in Genesis, Together with Amazing Things Seen in

the World of Spirits & in the Heaven of Angles.” Written in scholarly Latin the books

purported to reveal previously unknown hidden meanings in Scripture. Interspersed with

its phrase-by-phrase and word-by-word explanation of the symbols found in the first book

of the Bible, the book included “memorable experiences”, detail accounts of the

author’s personal experiences in the spiritual world, including his conversations with

angels, the spirits of the recently departed and even demons from hell.

Despite his initial efforts to remain anonymous, Emanuel Swedenborg was identified by

his contemporaries as the author. No ordinary mystic, Swedenborg was a true man of the

Enlightenment, a first-rate engineer and scientist credited with many discoveries in fields

ranging from metallurgy to neurobiology. His insightful approach into phenomena of the

natural world found equal application in theology.

When it comes to the Word of God, the central source of knowledge about the Christian

faith we are like the Ethiopian eunuch:

“And he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the

prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go up and join this chariot.’ So

Philip had to run up, and he heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and

said, ‘do you understand what you are reading?’ And he said, ‘Well, how

could I unless someone guides me?’” Acts 8:26-31

So the question becomes this. Who will open our eyes so that we can mine the depth of
these riches? Personally, I have found the writing of Emmanuel Swedenborg more useful
than any other teacher, not so much because he reveals the hidden meanings, but
because he does so in an exhaustive and consistent way.

The title of tonight’s presentation is “Hidden Light: Swedenborg and the Secrets of
Heaven.” I gave it this title because ‘hidden light’ best expresses how the Word of God
opens up when approached with the understanding that an inner spiritual meaning rests
just below the surface, or scriptures.

The Word itself calls attention to the fact that it contains deep and profound mysteries
not readily apparent from its literal meaning:

"I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old, which we

have heard and known, and our fathers have told us." Psalm 78:2,3

“I have also spoken to the prophets, and gave numerous visions; And

through the prophets I gave parables." Hosea 12:10

“To whom would He teach knowledge? And to whom would He interpret

the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just taken from the

breast? For He says, ‘Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on

line, a little here, a little there.’” Indeed He will speak to this people

through stammering lips and a foreign tongue.” Isaiah 28:9-11

When talking about the inner meaning of the Bible, it would be easy to think only in terms
of symbols, metaphors, and figures of speech. To Swedenborg however, the inner sense
of Scripture is something much more profound. In fact, Swedenborg identified three
specific levels within the Scriptures:

The Literal: From this type of plain reading stories like Noah’s flood, Balaam’s ass, and the
city of New Jerusalem descending from heaven concern a real flood, a talking donkey,
and an actual city. From this we get object lessons about moral behavior, inspiring
poetry, and instructions about daily life from various parables. Like ancient Greek and
Teutonic mythology, the literal meaning can be psychologically insightful. Such insights
alone do not make Scripture holy.

The Spiritual: The spiritual core of the Word makes it holy. It wears the legends of old the
way the soul wears the body. This inner meaning brings the Word to life and is why we
can say that the Holy Scriptures have life in them. The Word’s spiritual meaning deals with
the relationship between the Lord and humanity. Sometimes it addresses the relationship
between the Lord and the spiritual community, like the antediluvians, the people
represented by figures such as Abraham, or the nation of Israel.

Most of us have some knowledge about ancient myths that have remarkable similarity to
the stories of the bible. Many of these predate their Scriptural form and vary in many
important details. The Gilgamesh flood epic sounds much like Noah’s flood. Babylonian
artifacts match description of Cherubim and Seraphim found in the biblical texts. This
should not surprise us. The Word originated from YHVH, divinity itself, as an inexpressible.
To reach the human intellect, it needed to take a form adapted to our understanding.
Under the Lord’s guidance, spiritually perceptive story tellers folded hidden spiritual
messages into longstanding legends. They did so without any awareness and that hidden
meaning has only recently been revealed to mankind.

The Heavenly: Beyond the spiritual meaning lies an even deeper level of significance: the
heavenly meaning. The heavenly meaning tells us about the Lord Himself, the inner
workings of Providence, stages of His manifestation, the nature of His Humanity, His
justice, and His mercy. Most times it is difficult to discern between the spiritual and
heavenly. Heavenly meanings seem more accessible from prophetic forms of address
and allegorical passages.

Lonely Tonight

Makers are lonely. You have an idea. You want to make it happen. You can bring people in to work on the technical details and secure their special skills, but it the end it's just you and your idea. It's a lonely business, making the painting that few will see, developing the niche product that few may buy, or writing the the blog that few will read. I have done just about everything I know how to attract followers and build a social media presence. I searched out the best advice from successful marketers, read the gurus, and tweeked my posts and pins. Nothing seems to work. Maybe I have nothing to say. Maybe people see but don't care. I wasn't interesting enough. My ideas don't resonate. "Is there anyone out there? Does anyone care?" That is the lonely cry of all makers.

Pinterest for Plein Aire

I'm learning Rhino CAD so I can make my own prototypes. 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is the future. I'd like to be on the ground floor for a change.

Meanwhile, I'm going back to my artistic roots. I'm putting free content from my book Pinterest. I'm also posting paintings. maybe that will generate some interest in an email list I'm starting.

Home Page Now Up - ChadWooters.com

After years of neglect, I have updated my personal home page, ChadWooters.com. It includes samples of my work, some basic advice on oil painting, an embedded video. I'm excited to include a sign-up link for my FREE newletter. Now I will be able to share with other intermediate painters all the content of my book "Fast & Flexible: Use the Oil Painting Techniques You Already Know for Speed and Results."

My Micro Studio

When I lived in the suburbs, I had a studio in the back of the garage. It was completely enclosed, insulated walls, had a door directly to the outside and a North light window. As an artist, I never had it so good. And I do miss it. 

Moving to a city apartment has forced me to be more efficient. In a way I'm fortunate because my intimate knowledge of various approaches to oil painting has allowed me to identify how to adapt. I've simplified. I've purged myself of distracting clutter and now focus on the essentials. 

My micro studio takes up about 50 square feet. The actual apartment floors are protected by a wood-grained foam exercise mat. The "workhorse" paints, bottles of mediums and brushes fit in the large tackle box (left). I keep the infrequently used paints in two small bins (right). In the center is a special palette box I created (more on that at another date). The folding paper screen on the right hides the mess from view.

Actually, I have to admit. It's the perfect set-up for me, in this place, at this time.

Just One Thing, Part 2

"The dog that chases two rabbits will catch none." - Chinese proverb

Artistically at least, I have narrowed myself down to oil painting. Anyone who is creative knows how difficult it is to maintain that kind of focus. But I am also pulled toward product development and e-commerce. I think I can do both because they use two different parts of the brain despite both being design related. Then again, I am afraid of stretching myself too thin...again. Seth Godin wrote an important book about quitting. He points out that quitting is not always a bad thing and is in many ways critical to pursuing the most important goals and build on the most productive skills.

I devoted 20 years of my life to oil painting. Despite achieving some modest success, it has really always been mostly a passionate hobby. And for a while it's been getting short shrift. I have focused on making money with product development and e-commerce. Maybe its time to think about bringing those things together in a meaningful way. Maybe its time to stop trying to do it all myself and partner with like minded people.

But then I would have to quit something. That's always a hard thing to do.

Still Painting...and Yeah, I Still Know Quite a Bit about Painting

All the e-commerce gurus recommend building an e-mail list of people that want to hear what you have to say. Well, I've had quite a bit of time to reflect on my areas of expertise. The only interesting thing I know about in any depth is painting. I'm not saying that I'm a particularly good painter, although I've sold quite a few. All I'm saying is that I know a lot about painting. I doubt that knowledge will translate into selling the Thixotropic brand pens or my MiniBlindRx repair tool, but at least it is something. 

My poorly titled "Fast & Flexible, Use the Painting Techniques You Already Know for Speed and Results," has quite a bit of useful and quality content. I think I'll start giving it away. I can imagine some people wanting to receive occasional chapters as PDF's in their mailboxes. Maybe I'll start selling on Etsy again.

While I do not paint as often as I would like, I still paint occasionally. Here is one I recently finished of a dog an a field watching a Piper Cub fly overhead.

Second Proto-type, Fail

The second proto-type is 3.6 oz. That's still too heavy. I'm starting to think that machining the parts may not be the way to go. The engineer at the machine shop is helpful enough and I know he's doing all he can, but...well...maybe I'm relying too heavily on the suppliers for design assistance.

Kickstarter Spam

Sadly, I was naive about crowdfunding. Apparently, it only works if you already have a large social media footprint and/or a preexisting fan base. Lesson learned. What I can say is that I received at least twice as many solicitations from people and companies promising to promote my campaign than I did actual pledges. I suppose some are legitimate, but I seriously doubt that even those few would be effective - without my preexisting fan base, which as I said, doesn't exist.

(Update 5/9/2016) The campaign ended unsuccessfully today. I learned quite a bit...maybe even enough to be successful next time. And I do not doubt there will be a next time.

I Hate Apple

I hate Apple. There I said it. But I don't hate it because their products are well-designed, cool, and innovative. No. I hate it because every business guru, every motivational speaker, and anyone that wants to talk about successful companies uses Apple Computers as their prime example. Apple (and by extension Steve Jobs) serve to illustrate whatever tip or principle a speaker or writer wants to illustrate. Why does Apple succeed where others failed? I don't know probably lots of reasons. But what I do know is that I'm sick of hearing about Apple did this and Apple did that. Here's a tip for all you gurus, at least try to be original...just like Apple.

Whose "Dear Abby" are You

Does anyone seek your advice? Is there something about which you are particularly knowledgeable? Remember "Dear Abby" and "Miss Manners." People from all around sought their advice on personal matters and etiquette. They were the go to people. Many social media gurus talk about providing great content to build a social media following. That seems like a one-way street, mere pontificating. What any enterprise needs (what I need!) is feedback from people that share a passion.

I have some limited expertise; but not of a kind that has translated into meeting other people of a like minded community. Even when I participate in already existing communities, my contributions seem to get lost. I know that sounds like whining. And it is just a little bit. But this is my darn blog anyway!

Not for Children, a Jumbo Pen for the Adults

The Thixotropic brand pen in not for children. Although kinds find a big pen easier to hold, like jumbo crayons, easier to hold, parents, teachers, and other professionals must encourage children to develop fine motor skills like handwriting. As they gain skill, children naturally adopt increasingly mature grip styles, culminating in their using the dynamic tripod.

The dynamic tripod is generally considered the ideal grip for handwriting. So-called ergonomic grips are designed to force fingers into the ideal dynamic tripod position. The problem is that not everybody's hands are ideal. Rather than adapt the hand to the pen, the better option is to have a pen that adapts to the user. Rheumatoid arthritis and other injury can leave joints damaged, prone to inflammation, and easily fatigued. Using the thumb and index finger to pinch a pen into place isn't comfortable for them. Out of necessity, many revert to a less mature grip styles, like the four-finger or lateral quadrupod (see previous posts for image).

Less mature grip styles do not significantly affect legibility but they can provide great relief and comfort for writers. Super big fat pens like like these commodity pens or the Thixotropic brand pen that I am developing, work better than narrow ones when using less mature grip styles.

THIXOTROPIC, about the brand name

Thixotropic describes a viscous material that becomes more fluid in response to mechanical action. In other words, the more you work it the easier it gets. I chose that name to reflect my intent to develop and promote well-designed aids to make dignified living a little better.

More than that, Thixotropic, as a name is personally symbolic. Among some technically minded fine art painters, a truly thixotropic oil painting medium has the magical quality that allows them to work "wet over wet." So instead of having to wait day or weeks for each layer of paint to dry, an artist can work longer and complete a painting in a single sitting. I appropriated the word thixotropic to reflect my belief that if given the right sort of pen, an arthritic writer can keep writing longer without cramping, fatigue, or other pain.

MiniBlindRx - My First Project

Even as I work to make the Thixotropic Pen a completed reality, I cannot forget about my first child, MiniBlindRx. Bringing MiniBlindRx to life was my first step into product development. Not that I would have done any of it the same way this time. I learned so much in the process. Now that I have the actual patent (4 years later) I must decide if whether to keep selling it myself or trying to sell the patent.

Kickstarter Project Started

My Thixotropic Pen project is up and running on Kickstarter! Was it ready? I don't know. Time was running out and I needed to ship whether it was ready or not. I learned that from Seth Godin.

Kickstarter strongly recommends adding video to your project page. I worried about not having a video. Frankly, I didn't have time and I didn't know what to include. What was I going to show? People writing? It's a pen. What could I say that wasn't already in the text? I know, I know. It's a visual world and people don't read anymore. Maybe. But it seems to me that people that respect and appreciate handwriting would also be readers that love the written word.

I could be wrong. I often am. I had to ship. If it fails, I will have learned something for the next project.

Just One Thing

Over breakfast I told my wife, Kirsten, about all the features I wanted my pen design to have. I also talked about how I hoped to position it in a couple of different markets. She reminded me that to be successful I had to focus on one thing and do that one thing well. And sometimes that's truly hard.

Similarly, I showed my pen design to another occupational therapist. Unlike the others w, she works mostly with children. I wanted her opinion because she would come at it from a different direction. The problem was that the goals for her clients are different from my prospective users. For children, she wanted them to mature and develop properly as they gain more control fine motor skills. In contrast to this, my pen is geared towards people who must adapt to the loss of those same fine motor skills.

Objective Morality: What It Means

Christian morality is not just about following commandments or following practical principles like “do no harm.” Christian morality is based on what philosophers call ‘virtue ethics’. In Matthew 5:48, Jesus says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” In Leviticus 19:2, God says to Moses, “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.’” God’s people are called upon to be the best examples of what it means to be human.

So what makes virtue ethics objective?

Something is objective if it exists and could be known independently of who knows about it or even if no one learns anything about it at all. People can know about physical things because they are objects. For example, when different people see various apples, those apples serve as the basis for what anyone could learn about apples: rounded, nutritious, grows on trees, etc. That’s real knowledge about a type of actual objects, in this case apples.

The meaning of objective is obvious when talking about physical things. The objectivity of other types of things is less clear, but philosophically justifiable; things like forms are objects of knowledge.

People also know about mathematical objects. Just like apples, everyone can agree that triangular form share common features. It does not matter that the triangular form never exists apart from something shaped like a triangle. If it has a triangular form, it has three sides, encloses an area, and the sum of its angles is 180 degrees.

Some things are better examples of the triangular form than others.  Those examples are objectively better or worse to the extent that they conform to the triangular form, despite what other accidental features they may have. For example a glass prism is a better triangle than a yield sign, but being made of clear glass versus painted metal, has no bearing on the fact that both, objectively speaking, are triangular.

The principle here is that most everything is also a kind of thing something. Every particular apple is still a kind of apple. Every expression of the triangular form is a kind of triangle. The human form is also an object of knowledge. Just as particular triangles and apples are all a kind of triangle or apple, every living person is a kind of human.

Ever since Aristotle, the essence of human nature has been identified as that of a ‘rational animal’. A human has all the features common to other animal forms but is distinguished by the ability to reason. Admittedly the idea of Man as a ‘rational animal’ is not held in as high regard as it once was. Modern science reveals a more tentative picture of what it means to be human, but that does not undermine the fact that there is a human form capable of being known, however imperfectly understood.

Christian morality is objective because it is based on an object of knowledge: the human form. The human form, God’s image, serves as the basis for making moral value judgments. A man is virtuous to the extent that he manifests what it means to be human. A rational and courageous person is more virtuous than an irrational and cowardly one, etc. Because God is creative, just, wise, and patient, so also should we be.

It should be remembered that objective does not mean moral reasoning is easy or that it leads to obvious and certain conclusions. People must still apply reason and use discernment when making value judgments. The degree to which a particular thing exemplifies the essential form of its kind remains a subjective assessment based on objective facts.

In summary, Christian morality is based on objective facts about what it means to be human.

The "ARGUMENT from CONSCIENCE" and ATHEIST HYPOCRISY

Most atheists claim that there are no moral absolutes. At the same time, many of these same atheists accuse Christians of hypocrisy. This reveals an inconsistency on their part. If being hypocritical is not a moral absolute then those atheists cannot justify the accusation. On the other hand, if they stand by their accusation then they tacitly admit to at least one moral absolute. Now if hypocrisy is defined as doing what you profess to be unjust, unethical and blameworthy, then  it follows that in order to not be hypocritical people are obliged to follow their consciences. This is a problem for atheists. What is the source of the conscience’s moral authority?

Let us suppose that people have, as part of their being, something that serves as an internal guide to what is just, ethical, and praiseworthy. This something is commonly called conscience. It would seem that neither the variable nature of conscience between individuals nor the lack of its development would negate anyone’s moral obligation. Anyone can see that people vary with respect to many other traits like physical stature, dexterity, and intelligence. There is no reason to suppose otherwise for conscience. Yet this in no way affects someone’s obligation to do what he believes he should do as best as he understands it. Thus the question is not what conscience is or what it tell us; but rather, why it is authoritative. Stated in other words, to whom are people obliged.

So with that understanding, let’s look at an apologetic called the “Argument from Conscience.”

Premise 1: The obligation to obey the conscience must come from either Nature, the Individual, the Collective (family, tribe, or state), or something external to the first three.

Premise 2: Nature does not oblige anyone to follow their conscience, since the conscience often prompts us to overcome the reflexive innate behaviors Nature provides.

Premise 3: The individual does not have to authority to oblige himself to follow his conscience since the individual could then countermand his obligation by his own authority. As such, self-obligation is meaningless.

Premise 4: No collective of individuals has the authority to oblige someone to follow a collective conscience unless the individual consents to that authority and as per Premise 3 the individual has no such authority. Comment on Premise 4 - The collective (family, tribe, state, etc.) may have the power to impose duties on individuals, but that is not the same as having the right to do so.

ONLY 1 of 2 MUTUALLY CONCLUSIONS FOLLOW:

Conclusion 1: Conscience comes from a Source that transcends Nature, the individual, or the collective. Thus people are morally obligated to follow their consciences and apply their moral reasoning to better understand that Source.

-or-

Conclusion 2: No one’s conscience has no moral authority. Thus people have no obligation to follow their own instincts, personal conscience or that of another person or collective. As such, no one can justifiably accuse another of hypocrisy.

I say that people can accept either conclusion but that doing so is an existential choice, not a rational one. However, these choices lead to very different logical conclusions. Anyone can see that unless a culture accepts and appeals to a transcendent moral authority, however imperfectly understood, then raw power, “might makes right”, is alone that culture’s moral compass.  

The EXISTENTIAL CHOICES of MAN

Confronted with his distinctive existence, Man must tacitly or explicitly choose to adopt one of these approaches to the otherness around him. This choice determines the intellectual commitments informed by it while at the same time those commitments appear to influence initial choice. None can escape the circular relationship of choice and commitment; nevertheless, the freedom of the personal existent rests on this circularity. For the sake of clarity, I propose a 4-square diagram of existential stances:

“Principled” – The person who adopts this stance believes that 1) reality is essentially ordered such that things necessarily happen as they do because things happen for a reason and 2) the essential order is rational in such a way that the human intellect can gain knowledge of it. With proper application, reason can bring the human intellect to understand the actual and active agencies working to proscribe the nature and behavior of sensible bodies. The pretense of this stance is that it can speak authoritatively about any philosophical concern. Apparent paradoxes serve as signs to reconsider premises that result in incoherent or mutually exclusive conclusions.

“Pragmatic” – The person that adopts this stance believes that 1) reality is essentially ordered; however, 2) neither the evidence of the senses nor the artifices of reason can be relied upon to explain how things actually are rather than just how they appear to be. By severing the relationship between phenomena and an assumed nomena, this stance produces intractable paradoxes which its advocates generally embrace.

“Magical” – By adopting this stance a person professes that 1) reality is accidentally ordered such that things happen as they do for no reason; and yet, 2) this order can still be rationally discerned by identifying symbolic relationships between phenomena. As such, no necessary constraints exist on the power of some things to exert influence on other things; nevertheless such efficacies of affect are taken as brute facts.

“Serendipitous” – People who take this stance believe 1) that reality is accidentally ordered and 2) reason can only construct passive interpretations of subjective experience that may or may not coincide with reality as it actually is. This stance produces many of the same dilemmas of the “Pragmatic” stance; however, its advocates generally ignore them.

Based on their existential choices people get led to different theological doctrines and conclusions about the findings of natural science. I see this all the time. Two people may each have perfectly logical positions and yet vehemently disagree based on their existential pre-commitments. I believe that recognizing these pre-commitments is necessary to foster healthy and productive discussions about the ‘big picture’ questions about human life.

INTELLIGENT DESIGN, a METAPHYSICAL PERSPECTIVE

Recently someone asked me the following question:

“What practical observation allows you to tell the difference between a universe that is ordered due to purposive design of an intelligent agent and one that is ordered through the workings of brute, undesigned necessity and chance?  What allows you to make that metaphysical distinction?”

It simply will not do for someone to ask “Why is it necessary for effects to regularly follow causes?” and answer by saying, “Because they do so by necessity” unless of course that someone has a don’t know/don’t care attitude. I do not mean to disparage anyone for stopping their inquiry at this point. I only wish to point out the following. Deciding not to pursue the fundamentals of the human condition that run deeper than naturalist assumptions comes at great cost. One must forego the hope of reaching satisfactory answers to those questions that matter most. People are left doubting the veracity of rational though, questioning the accuracy of sense data, and denying the defensibly of value judgments.

That is where reason leads most atheists. They defend determinism, conclude that consciousness as an illusion, and most recently shuck fundamental laws of thought like the Principle of Non-Contradiction and the Principle of Sufficient Reason.

Such stances bleak. That does not mean these stances are wrong, only that I think no inquiry into the role of intentionality will ever satisfy an eliminative materialist, for example. To me, these stances are self-refuting. When someone sees all subjective experiences, including rational reflection, personal identity, and as untrustworthy, he can only conclude that no answers can be derived. Personally, I think even atheists know deep down that their stances are fatalistic and nihilistic. Atheists make the personal existential choice in that direction by taking naturalistic assumptions about causality and concept formation as being beyond the extreme limits of human knowledge.

At a minimum, I have tried to show that the Schoolmen tackled these same problems hundreds of years prior to Descartes’s radical skepticism discounting the carefully crafted distinctions and conceptual nuances of Scholastic thought. I find great value in that tradition and see clearly how many intractable paradoxes of modern philosophy become irrelevant. That does not mean I am right, only that I believe the Principle of Sufficient Reason applies.

Two notions cover chance: 1) the notion that any given event can happen completely without rhyme or reason or 2) the infeasibility of fully knowing the conditions on which outcomes depend making the outcome uncertain, i.e. indeterminate.

Some people hold the notion that the rules applying to all known physical objects need not apply to one particular object, the entire physical universe which is the biggest of them all. Perhaps. However, many assure me that at the most fundamental level of reality subatomic particles pop in and out of existence randomly without cause. If this is truly the case, then the logic of the Thomas Aquinas’s Third Way applies. If it is possible that any given particle could cease to exist, then any object made of such particles would cease to exist if all the particles of which it is made ceased to exist all at once. If the object under consideration is the entire physical universe and if the physical universe is the sum total of all being, then...it would be possible at any given point in the history of reality it might not have existed. In that case it would not exist now since “from nothing, nothing comes.” Likewise it could at any time cease existing for no rhyme or reason. Since the physical universe continues to exist, a rational person can reasonably suppose that something sustains the physical universe, something whose existence is not subject to chance.

That leaves option 2, the existence of the physical universe depends on something necessary, but that whatever it is cannot be fully known. I reject this position by applying the Principle of Sufficient Reason. In an intelligible reality open to sound rational inquiry, we do know something about it: a necessary being must exist and it is absolutely requires to sustain all of existence every second of every day, regardless of how the whole ball of wax started in the first place.

Now as it relates to the Fifth Way of Aquinas either intentionality exists in nature or it does not. As stated earlier, I am not aware of any argument that an eliminative materialist would even consider. They have already ruled intentionality, including their own, as an illusion.

In short, while adopting theism is not neccesarily a rational, neither is atheism. Both rest on existential choices that cannot be rationally justified. The difference is that what logical follows from theism is a world of meaning and purpose in which scientific and moral knowledge can be gained. Meanwhile what follows from atheism is the exact opposite: a world in which people are slaves to blind impersonal forces in an absurd world, doubting of their own perceptions, and left bereft of purpose.

Google Merchant Account

If it were not for amazon and google, I would not be in a position to make or sell much of anything - certainly not with the ease that I do now or in my spare time. But I must say, they still do not make it easy. In order to show-up in Google shopping results a seller must create a "Product Feed", a delimited text document that send data about your product to Google. That would not be so bad, except that they make sellers use a byzantine code and categories and their dashboard is very difficult to navigate. That is especially true when you're just trying to figure out their system.

Oh, and my Dymo label printer. First it jammed. And when you go through Paypal to make a USPS label it doesn't give you the option to print a 4" x 6" mailing label. I had to clip an image of the label from a 8.5 x 11 PDF. That was an extra step that I did not anticipate. Previously, I avoided selling on Ebay because printing out mailing labels, taping them to boxes, and going to the Post Office was a time-consuming pain. The 40% amazon takes seemed worth it. If they took care of the logistics, I could focus on developing the business. But still, I could really use the 40% occationally. I had hoped to create an easy click-and-ship method at home using the Dymo label printer. I don't like the extra step, but I guess its good enough for now, at least until I can figure out how to get USPS to make 4 x 6 labels. Change the default printer?

Handwriting for Heros

As part of my research I came across a group of occupational therapists that specialize in helping veterans. They teach the veterans how to use their non-dominant hand when they, the veterans, have lost the use of their dominant hand. I found it inspiring, so I modified my rewards on Kickstarter. Unfortunately, Kickstarter doesn't have a 'free' option. I set the veterans' benefit at $1. I hope some cheaters that are not veterans use that option to get a free pen. I must think of a way to verify who's a vet and who isn't.

Total User Experience

Bryce G. Rutter of Metaphase Design Group gave a lecture today at the Chicago Housewares Show. His lecture was about the importance of design for Boomers. Specifically, making products easy to use for seniors that have reduced strength, less flexibility and weaker eyesight, etc. BUT at the same time making them not look like medical devices or nursing home furniture. Exactly! Someone gets it.

But something of which he reminded me was the "total user experience", not just with the product itself, but starting with how the customer finds and purchases the product, how it gets delivered and the packaging in which it arrives. It made me think of how the commodity pens that I sell arrive from amazon in a plastic bag with with a bar code slapped on front. That may be fine for an inexpensive ballpoint, but that will not do for the one I'm designing now. I guess I need to start working on the attractive packaging for an attractive pen, because feeling good about what you bought begins with seeing it for the first time. You open the amazon box and there it is! Like they say, you only get one chance to make a good first impression.

Nothing Succeeds Like Failure

What I'm doing now, may or may not work, but I won't know until it hits the market. I can design and redesign until I think it's good enough and I can test prototypes endlessly. But I'll never really know until there is a picture of it on the web with a click to buy button next to it.

Making a Pen with Fewer Parts

A retired engineer from International Harvester once told me a joke. He said if John Deere could make something with 9 parts, then International could make it with 11.  Currently, my pen design requires 6 pieces - two stock items and four custom machined parts. While I cannot do anything about the stock items, the refill cartridge and twist mechanism, I'm almost certain that I could design it with only 3 custom parts, and maybe even 2. Achieving simplicity not only saves money, but for me, is desirable for its own sake. That is so long as it doesn't compromise the functionality of the final product! I doubt the end user really cares about how it was made. He or she only cares about whether it works or not. And the customer's opinion is the only one that matters, because I making this pen for the customer, not for me.

Finding Beta Testers?

One expert occupational therapy expert has already agreed to test and evaluate my prototype (once it becomes available.) Hopefully, I can get more. I'm thinking of taking out a Google Ad just to find more expert testers. Quality feedback is vital at this stage.

My Patent Came

Yesterday in the mail, I got the official hard copy of my patent for MiniBlindRx. It was printed on thick cotton stock and had a pretty gold foil stamp on it. Of course I will frame it. And yet it felt a little anti-climatic. The whole process took 4 years and close to $5000. I wonder if it was really worth the cost. If I can sell to a large company for more than the development cost then maybe...just maybe it will have been worth it financially.

Even still, taking MiniBlindRx from idea to marketable product has been an invaluable experience for me. Were it not for that experience, I do not know if I would have gained the confidence to do other projects like the inport/export of commodity pens and not developing this premium pen for arthritic writers. I've learned what things are important (like product positioning and finding failure fast) and what part are easy and counterproductive (mailing lists and upfront capital costs).

Dividing Up the Work

While I do not mind leaving some details up to the experts, I know I still must rely on myself. Before production, each part of the pen must be modeled in 3D. While I can make 2 dimensional CAD drawings, I don’t have the skills to make 3D computer models. This fact leaves me with three options: 1) rely on the machine shop to make the models, 2) pay someone to make the models or 3) learn 3D CAD and make the models myself. 

My budget doesn’t allow me to pay someone, so either the machine shop does it or I do. If the machine shop does it, then I anticipate much back and forth and frustration trying to get it right.  But if I do it myself and I get it wrong then it could get expensive. Then again, if I get it right then the final design will be exactly as I want.

Being an extrovert, I cannot seem to think without talking. Another option just occurred to me. I think what I might do is make the 2d model in CAD myself. It should be relatively easy for the machine shop to translate that into SolidWorks. All they have to do is rotate around a single axis and add the threading, which they would have to do anyway.

Enjoy Your Achievements

Objectively, I've actually done quite a bit of interesting and ambitious things. None have made me a ton of money, but I cannot honestly say that I ever expected any of them would (or did I?). And yet despite these modest successes I still hear the voice of my depression telling me that none of it matters; I'll never be good enough. Anytime I think of things for which I should be proud, it puts a "but..." behind it that tells me how my achievements don't matter. Yeah, I did this great thing...but (the demon whispers) it really wasn't that great of a success because of (insert stupid reason). So I've decided to turn that around, to rebut the but, if you will. All I have to do is repeat the achievement. It goes something like this:

I patented an invention...but (demonic whisper) it's just a gadget ...but (positive me) I PATENTED AN INVENTION.

I wrote a book...but (demonic whisper) you only self-published...but (positive me) I WROTE A BOOK!

I became a licensed architect... but (demonic whisper) lots of people have... but (positive me) I BECAME AN ARCHITECT!

You see, it doesn't matter if your achievements are large or small, common or exceptional. They are still your achievements and you have the right to enjoy them.

"Dance with the One that Brung Ya"

As an inventor and product developer, I rely on the advice and expertise of many others during the feasibility stages. Sometimes I'm not even sure what kind of vendor or service I need, but usually I can tell if a company is patronizing me. "Sure, we could do that?" is not the same as "How could we help?" 

While I wouldn't commit to hiring someone right away just because they agreed to meet with me, I still think it is important to respect their early input. If a vendor takes the time to work with me by making suggestions and doing actual upfront work then I'm not going to take their effort and shop around. Someone else could maybe do it little cheaper or faster, but that's not how I want to do business. 

My business goal is give my customers something they value. My personal goal is to make it worth my time and effort to do so. If my pens are worth $X to a customer it won't matter to them if it cost me $.01X to produce or $.99X. They will buy it. It might not be worth my time at $.99X, but that's for me to decide. The same relationship holds between me and my vendors. If their product or service is worth $X to me I will buy it and it doesn't matter to me how much it cost them, even if it is only a tiny fraction of the price.