Happy 100th Elliott Carter

On December 11th covering

I should have taken the day off celebrate Mr. Carter, who turns 100 today and is still composing. Enjoy the big day.

psychoanalysts condemn Prop 8

On November 11th covering , ,

I’m glad my professional association (one of them, anyway) has made a forceful statement condemning California’s Proposition 8. Here’s the press release titled Psychoanalysts Censure California’s Vote to Ban Same-Sex Marriage.

Here’s the previously existing position statement on the issue overall. Well put.

UPDATE: Where is the American Psychological Association? if there’s a statement on Prop 8 I can’t find it. (There’s this, a general statement on homosexuality). Another reason I like to say I’m a psychoanalyst-who’s-also-a-psychologist rather than the other way around.

Happy Birthday, Joni

On November 7th covering ,

Here’s Joni Mitchell’s contribution to the conundrum of a business model for music. She was born on this date in 1943 in Alberta, Canada. Salut!

meetings with extraordinary men and women

On October 29th covering , , ,

I returned from the CMJ Music Marathon where I was immersed in the pragmatics and problems of the indie-band life, and went straight into a 3-day seminar at the Kennedy Center on boards of nonprofit arts organizations. I have so much to talk about I don’t know where to start.

The central thing this is all about is creating a structure that supports creativity. That’s it. Either an organizational structure, a business model or a way of working.

I have some gems to share from far-seeing luminaries as diverse as George Clinton, True Master and Michael Kaiser.

Soon.

Reflections of a Y Combinator Dropout

On October 15th 1 Comment covering , , , ,

I just want to point to this fine memoir of someone whose startup failed to thrive in the non-cult known as Y combinator.

It’s valuable for the emphasis on the functioning of the team as make-or-break — a factor that can make all the other factors irrelevant.

I’m tempted to write a long meditation on Orian Marx’s essay — but it’s well through out and written and I’d rather let him tell it.