The sun rose, indifferent, over the gray city. Its light, pale and unfeeling, filtered through the thick clouds that perpetually shrouded the skyline. In the streets below, the people moved like shadows, their voices hushed, their eyes downcast. In this world, words were currency, and like all currency, they were regulated. The government, a looming…
Crashing Aviation
As the sky was still a vast expanse of blue and the ground still a patchwork of green, grey, and occasional glints of water, there came a time when maniacs ruled. Not the kind you’d see in old horror flicks, with wide eyes and wild hair, but the kind who wore suits and ties, and…
HR is Furious
My coworkers, bless their hearts, they’ve got this thing for sharing. And I don’t mean staplers or a nice cup of Joe. I’m talking about their personal lives, their intimate preferences. It’s like they’re an open book, but unfortunately, it’s a book that nobody asked to read. Now, I’m all for being open and honest….
Hiring Talent
I heard from my buddies in HR that hiring tech talent has become like trying to find a needle in a haystack. But it’s like someone dumped another haystack on top of your haystack. And then they threw in some extra needles just to mess with you. Since Trudeau turned on the labor faucet, it’s…
The Banality of Incompetence
In the modern tableau of global leadership, one might be tempted to ascribe to our leaders a certain malevolence, a deliberate intent to dismantle the structures they oversee. This analysis, while seductive in its dramatic flair, misses a far simpler and more disquieting truth. Our ruling class is not engaged in a conscious effort to…
Everything is Astroturfed
Let’s face it: we live in an era where destruction is the new construction. Everything that’s built – from our political systems to our smartphones – seems designed to break down, morally or mechanically. Why? Because those who control the levers of power are about as capable as a screen door on a submarine. They…
Envy is for Losers
Well, there’s a story to be told here, about a consultant, a real good consultant, one of those guys who knows his stuff and knows how to bill for it too. You see, this consultant, he made a transition, a leap, if you will, from corporate consulting to working directly for his client while keeping…
Grifting Elites
If you’ve ever turned on the ol’ television set, browsed through the interwebs, or chanced upon a newspaper (remember those?), you’d know that Western politics is, and I say this with the utmost respect, a bit of a circus. Now, I don’t mean the kind with fluffy cotton candy and delightful elephant tricks. No, this…
We Need More Laws
Somewhere in the Midwest, between the sirens of tornadoes and the cries of cornfields, a man named Arthur Winslow bought an impossibly expensive telescope. This wasn’t just any telescope; it could probably see the furrows on God’s brow if God leaned in close enough. His fascination wasn’t with the stars, which many presumed. It was…
The Ladder to Nowhere
In the sprawling metropolis of New York City, amongst the steel-and-glass behemoths that pierce the clouds, the Great Ladder of Corporate Ambition beckons. It’s an electric invitation, illuminated in neon blues and dizzying golds, flickering for all who seek success in that grand capitalist play. “Climb that ladder!” they tell you, with eyes gleaming and…
Becoming An Officer
Once upon a time in a world not unlike our own, Richard Gray served in deserts far away, in lands called Afghanistan and Iraq. These lands, ancient and vast, sang tales of war, of heroes and monsters, of victories and losses. Richard, a young man with eyes as blue as the English sky, was a…
Unlimited Leave Is Not Enough
You ever hear of this new, fancy term called “unlimited leave”? Yeah, it’s been floating around the corporate lingo like a bad smell in an elevator. When I first heard it, I thought, “Wow, these companies are finally getting generous!” Then, I scratched the surface. And let me tell you, if “unlimited leave” was a…