Michael T. Starks

Category: Storytelling

  • Ambiguity

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    In addition to subtlety, ambiguity is inherent in all systems. Systems are big. There’s no way to know everything about all aspects of most systems. We can find tendencies for how entire systems evolve. We can find insights into how relationships impact system dynamics. We can learn a lot about the elements that make up…

  • Subtlety

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    It’s easy to read headlines and miss out on the whole story. Often, headlines are designed to mislead us. Social media exacerbates the problem. When we react to people fuming about a headline, we don’t always take the time to learn enough about the whole story. There is no contentious issue that lacks subtlety. It’s…

  • This Nasty Gilded Age

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    I’m excited to share a new song I composed. It’s obviously inspired by current events. Thanks to Robert Reich for keeping me focused on the big picture! I don’t pretend to understand everything that’s happened. I just know that since 1980 or so, most of the productivity gains in our society have not made it…

  • Discoveries

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    I’m fascinated that each scientific discovery tends to happen only once. Granted, a discovery can be made simultaneously by two different people. Both Newton and Leibniz discovered the Calculus without collaborating. Because we keep decent records, once a discovery has been made, no one else is likely to make the same discovery a century later.…

  • The Rainmaker

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    Today, I watched a movie called The Rainmaker, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and released in 1997, based on a novel by John Grisham. It’s a good movie, with an IMDB rating of 7.2 stars. Here’s the thing. It could not be made today. It features Matt Damon, Danny DeVito, and Claire Danes. It’s not…

  • Human Experiences

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    While we are much more alike than different, humans can experience our world in almost unrecognizable ways. The fascinating movie Vantage Point shows how we all get different glimpses of many situations. None of us has the whole picture. That’s why it’s so important to listen to each other. Our own memories of any event…

  • Comfort Zones

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    We often get comfortable in our lives. We tend to go to the same places, see the same people, and do the same things day after day. In a world where the pace of change seems to be increasing, habitual experiences are comforting. Nevertheless, I like the idea of doing things that take us out…

  • Audio Versus Visual Reading

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    I’m not the first to notice a difference. Cody Kommers wrote an article about this topic in Psychology Today. While he hasn’t done a scientific study, he makes a few great points. Here’s what I’ve noticed. If I’m reading a book before falling asleep, I’ll stop on the page where I start to doze off.…

  • Curation versus Creation

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    Creation is GOLD. While I love creating stuff, I realize I’m just one person. So many people are creating stuff now that an opportunity also exists for Curators. The more people there are who create stuff, the more mediocre stuff gets created. Not everyone wants to scroll through an endless feed of mediocre content. For…

  • Making Documentaries

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    While I love watching good documentaries, I prefer the idea of making narrative features over the idea of making documentaries. Note: I’m NOT opposed to making documentaries; I might create one or more in the future. It’s just I’m more likely to make narrative movies. Many of the storytelling techniques are the same. Both rely…