A Curator of Strategy, Leadership, Spirituality, and Rock and Roll…. "Changing the world…one "contact" at a time…."
“They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom / For trying to change the system from within.”— Leonard Cohen, “First We Take Manhattan” Leonard Cohen’s “First We Take Manhattan” is not merely a song—it is a philosophical insurgency. Released in 1988 and written a few years earlier, in the waning days of the Cold War, …
I have to admit, I’m old—but not that old. Led Zeppelin was already well established by the time I started listening to rock music. Still, I vividly remember when In Through the Out Door came out while I was in junior high—just before John Bonham’s tragic death in 1980. That moment marked the end of …
The other day, I was deep into prepping a three-block session for a course I’m helping design—focused on small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS), their tactical uses, implications for future warfare, and how we might integrate them into our PME ecosystem. I was bouncing ideas off a friend of mine, running through all the cool technical …
This is not a political piece....just saying... I know everything quickly becomes that... This is a strategic reflection—a thought experiment grounded in humility and foresight. It’s not about parties or administrations. It’s about possibility. About asking a question many don’t want to touch: What happens if America loses the AI race? It sounds dramatic. Maybe …
Part I: The Metaphysics of the Force: A Syncretic Foundation The enduring cultural resonance of the Star Wars saga is inextricably linked to its central metaphysical concept: the Force. More than a mere plot device, the Force serves as the philosophical and spiritual bedrock of its universe, a complex tapestry woven from the threads of …
The Hype Cycle: A Mirror for Institutional Behavior In the world of technological forecasting and organizational transformation, few conceptual tools have had the lasting impact of the Gartner Hype Cycle. Introduced in the mid-1990s by the research and advisory firm Gartner, Inc., the Hype Cycle sought to explain a recurring pattern: how emerging technologies rise …
Continue reading "The Innovation Trap: How the USAF Gets Stuck in the Hype Cycle: DeMarco Banter"
I’m always looking for patterns—connections across time, domains, and disciplines. If you’ve read this blog before, that won’t surprise you. What can Star Wars teach us about leadership? How does Jim Morrison reveal something essential about self-authorizing behavior? Can The Talking Heads actually teach us something about innovation? Lately, I’ve been turning back to one of the most well-read and enduring …
I came across this piece shortly after it was published in late October '24. I have left it open on my computer ever since and I go back to it often. It is quite telling, yet every time I ponder writing about it, I feel the pull of politics—and I hate that. This is not …
Continue reading "Time to Reload: Strategic Velocity, Defense Reformation: DeMarco Banter"
We had an AUiX teammate PCS this week. As is tradition, we give our PCSing officers a Star Wars-themed farewell gift—this time, a replica of Han Solo’s iconic blaster. I considered adding a plaque that simply read: “Who shot first?” But as I floated the idea, I realized only about half the room caught the …
As a squadron commander, I spent countless hours with our team in Air Operations Centers around the world, developing strategy, writing operational plans, wargaming, and wrestling with the ambiguity that defines modern conflict. We were serious about our craft—so much so that we garnered a nickname: The Masterminds. It wasn’t a boast, but a reflection …
Mastermind Century Group 