“After laying down my pen I took several turns in a berceau, or covered walk of acacias, which commands a prospect of the country, the lake, and the mountains. The air was temperate, the sky was serene, the silver orb of the moon was reflected from the waters, and all nature was silent. I will […]

“Night falls, autumn in 1936, and Werner carries the radio downstairs and sets it on the sideboard, and the other children fidget in anticipation. The receiver hums as it warms. Werner steps back, hands in pockets. From the loudspeaker, a children’s choir sings, “We hope only to work, to work and work and work, to […]

“Hawaii once had a rat problem. Then, somebody hit upon a brilliant solution. Import mongooses from India. Mongooses would kill the rats. It worked. Mongooses did kill the rats. Mongooses also killed chickens, young pigs, birds, cats, dogs, and young children. There have been reports of mongooses attacking motorbikes, power lawn mowers, golf carts, and […]

“We stopped for coffee afterward, and I asked Jacob why, given his skill at seeing and showing the world as it was, he never wanted to draw the particulars of this world as it is, the world that we found ourselves in, where people met at endless dinner parties. He drew his kids, beautifully, but without […]

Remember what I told you in my PS at the end of today’s Monday Morning Memo?“NOTE: That business owner who believed “money is the primary motivator” unconsciously targeted the low-profit Transactional customer in his A & B options, gaining the high-profit Relational customer only in option C.” – Indy Beagle This is the passage to which […]

Indy, Tell the Wizard this is my favorite sentence from Walden. It’s a long’un, but a good’un. “If I knew for a certainty that a man was coming to my house with the conscious design of doing me good, I should run for my life, as from that dry and parching wind of the African deserts […]

A blooming laurel marks the first day of springtime in the front yard of Michele Miller-Nelson, Scottsdale, Arizona

Consider a novel which has survived for almost four centuries, and is still regarded as one of the great masterpieces of world fiction. I speak of Don Quixote, by Cervantes. Its story is of the adventures of a gentleman whose wits have been turned by reading old books of romance and chivalry; he equips himself […]

In the darting of the dayWhen all earth-bound arteries of blackened stone and painted linesVibrate a serpentine rhythm Of humans on their wayTo destinations of assumption I roll forward in contemplation On a wheel turning in my mind Where I am Where I will be Of the slippery way I travelOf a dog running in […]

The great game of BUSINESS does not come with an instruction manual. The assumption of most players is that Customer Acquisition – lead generation – sales opportunities – is how you win the game. But the understanding of a Highly Skilled Player goes 2 levels deeper: Customer Acquisition (lead gen) Conversion (closing the sale) Remove […]

Cognoscenti Jeff Sylvestre captured this Canadian Sunrise for us. Extremely very cool, huh? – Indy

I was having a low day today, full of rage and hatred. It lasted too many hours. I kept returning to the Stoics, asking them how I could handle it, but the offerings were lightweight. Until one of them said “Come on, amor fati. See what you can make of this heap of shit you’ve been […]

“There are all sorts of theories and ideas about what constitutes a good opening line. It’s a tricky thing, and tough to talk about because I don’t think conceptually while I work on a first draft — I just write. To get scientific about it is a little like trying to catch moonbeams in a […]

Ann Papayoti could easily have become bitter. She lost an infant child, had another born with epilepsy, and was married to a belligerent and abusive husband. But Ann chose to move forward. Today, she is a successful author and life coach who helps others overcome their setbacks. Ann teaches others to “shift” and embrace a life-affirming perspective. […]

“For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. The standing grain has no heads; it shall yield no flour; if it were to yield, strangers would devour it.” – Hosea 8:7 “Why spend money on that which is not bread, and your labor on that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to […]

Meter is the music of language, a rhythm of stressed and unstressed syllables. The simplest meter is anapestic meter, two light stresses followed by a heavy third stress, sometimes called “galloping meter” because it allows you to speak quickly as it tumbles off your tongue. “Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house […]

“A wise man changes his mind sometimes, but a fool never. To change your mind is the best evidence you have one.”– Desmond Ford

Hate has 4 letters, so does Love.Enemies has 7 letters, so does Friends.Lying has 5 letters, so does Truth.Negative has 8, so does Positive.Under has 5, so does Above.Cry has 3 letters, so does Joy.Anger has 5 letters, so does Happy.Right has 5 letters, so does Wrong.Hurt has 4 letters, so does Heal.It means life […]

an operative from the CIA who is an expert on Russia. a government official who is a specialist on China. a global media and communications strategist. Roving reporter Rotbart Jack Devine, Virginia A. Kamsky, and Robert L. Dilenschneider offer their insights on the hurricane that is brewing in geopolitics and the ripples from that storm […]

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” – Buckminster Fuller  

“Your comfort zone is actually a prison cell. It’s the reason you’re not growing the way you should. The good news? Every business owner, including your competitor, has a comfort zone and most never dare to leave it. But you will. You dare. And that’s how we’ll win.” – Michael Torbay,a Wizard of Ads partner

September 25, 1938The Oregonianof Portland, Oregon: GALILEE, R.I. – Charles Kevillewalked into a temporary morgueand looked at a body which hadbeen identified as his. “Nope,” he said, “That ain’t me,”and walked out again. (Look at the bottom-leftcorner of the newspaper.)

Everyone thought I was crazy in 2011 when I wrote these words… “Western Society is in danger of becoming self-righteous, sanctimonious and insufferably judgmental.” “If history is to be our guide, the next 20 years will be when we move from our agreement of mutual brokenness, “I’m Not Okay – You’re Not Okay,” to embrace […]

They call the trumpet “God’s Instrument.” The instrument that takes a month to learn and a lifetime to master. Forget that. I’m giving you the chance to own “Satan’s Instrument.” The instrument that takes a second to hate and a lifetime to get used to. If your goal is world domination, getting the ball rolling […]

First things first: If you can’t imagine yourself tearing up the streets in this whip without feeling embarrassed, then get out. Your ancestral bloodline is anemic, and you are dismissed. The Spectra does not tolerate weakness. As for the rest of you — put your helmets on, because I’ve got a metaphysical bomb to drop. I’ve […]

Meet Jacob Harrison.

“Tell me what a person admires and I’ll tell you everything about them that matters.” Our choice of Heroes tells our story.

In case you were wondering…. People advised YES for A Nonny Mouse by a ratio of 12 to 1.Interestingly, 82% of all comments assumed Nonny was a “she”, while the remaining 18% referred to Nonny as “he”. Me? I don’t know. I don’t care. And I’m not asking.  This is the email I received from […]

Dave,We have horribly underestimated the coolness of Sylvan’s! 🙂I’m attaching an evergreen radio ad with my audio. Make sure Sarah hears my tempo before she records her parts. Also, I’m attaching the street view of 1500 Main I got from Google. Is this cool, or what! Forward all this to Sarah, I’m sure she’ll get a kick out of it. Also, here is a link […]

Roving reporter Rotbart believes you should never let a crisis go to waste. Last week, a technical glitch caused some listeners to hear half of a podcast while others listened to a completely different episode. This week, Rotbart is offering a double-header: At center stage is David Hailey, who uses a combination of computer vision […]

Hi Indy. I thought you might enjoy this. Perhaps Mr. Hackett-Jones is already aware of it, and if not, maybe he can explain what Steinbeck did wrong.  In the 1940s Steinbeck worked as a journalist — as a war correspondent. He sent dispatches from all around the Mediterranean and from North Africa during World War […]

What do you think, Rabbit Holers? Does this little mouse belong? You can send me a simple YES or NO, or you can include the reasons for your answer. But hurry. Email Indy@WizardOfAds.com  

Brian Brushwood is known as a world-class magician and a magical storyteller within the highest circles of those professions. Brian created the Discovery Channel’s Scam School and National Geographic’s Hacking the System and is often seen at Wizard Academy. The wizard and I sat in our backyard with Brian a few months ago when he […]

“When Flora got married, she was fourteen. Now she has three kids and the village wells are dry and the nearest reliable water source is a two-hour walk from her home. Here in the Funhalouro District adolescent moms like Flora spend about six hours a day searching for and transporting water. Yesterday she walked three […]

I am a small poemOn a page with roomFor another. Share with meThis white field,Wide as an acreOf snow, clearBut for these tinyMarkings like theSteps of a bird.Come. Now. This is the troughOf the wave, theSeconds afterLightning, thinSlice of silenceAs music ends,The freeze beforeThe melting. Hurry. Lie down beside me.Make angels. Make devils.Make who you […]

“For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” – Jesus, speaking of himself in Matthew ch. 12 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai:  “Go […]

“That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.”  Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was […]

“It describes me as encircled by an army of young men. I am encircled by an army of two young men—aged respectively twelve and fourteen [her children]. They draw themselves up in battalions and form themselves into hollow squares, and I am rather popular with them. …It is next stated that during my stay in […]

In September 2016, roving  reporter Rotbart interviewed Anton Suddia of Ukraine, an expert on augmented reality. On Sunday afternoon, Rotbart reached Anton who shared his very personal and compelling story of how his life has changed since Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday. Anton personalizes what is happening in Ukraine in a way the news coverage misses. He speaks […]

My watch tells me what time it is – and who I am. The watch is an ACQUA Indiglo, and it belonged to my father, Vern. He wore it for many years as a salesperson crossing Midwestern states in search of high-rising grain elevators needing aeration systems. It was with great pride that he gave […]

“Almost all Nobel laureates in the sciences are actively engaged in arts as adults. They are twice as likely as the average scientist to be a photographer; four times as likely to be a musician; eight times more likely to do woodworking or some other craft; twelve times more likely to write poetry and literature; […]

Quixote is fantasy verging on absolute absurdism.Sancho is reality as dull as dirt. This is the split world we two-legged apes exist in. Fantasy & Reality.Fantasy is conjured in our collective minds.Reality punches us in the gut.Emotion rules in both kingdoms. She is the bewitcher. You can wish upon a star but it won’t take you very far unless […]

Want to know more about Luis Castaneda?

Journey To Ixtlan Born in 1925 in Peru, anthropologist Carlos Castaneda wrote a total of fifteen books, which sold eight million copies worldwide and were published in seventeen different languages. In his writing, Castaneda describes the teaching of Don Juan, a Yaqui shaman. His books helped define the 1960’s and launch the New Age movement. […]

“Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters, they see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. For He commands and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves of the sea. They mount up to the heavens, they go down again to […]

Motivational speakers often tell their followers to visualize the accomplishment of desired outcomes; to mentally go into the future and feel the joy of that not-yet-happened moment. Visualization is the mental rehearsal of possible future events. When the word rehearse was invented more than 700 years ago, it meant to hear again; to re-hear. I […]

“Among the many things Bernie Thompson has seen change since he started his computer-accessories company is the price of advertising on Amazon. Plugable, the business he founded in his garage in Bellevue, Washington, began placing ads on the e-commerce site in 2014. Back then, it paid roughly 14 cents every time someone clicked on an […]

After reading wandering through last week’s rabbit hole about Country Music, Vi Wickam sent Indy and me this one-sentence email with a hyperlink. “Your theory about what makes it country music is similar to that of Bobby Braddock and Malcolm Gladwell.” I know and trust Vi, so I clicked the hyperlink to Gladwell’s podcast. Fifteen […]