Note: Most of my blogging lately has been at my family website: parkspages.com
Looking through the lens of my new secular viewpoint, I stopped to think about the meaning of the holidays -- why should I continue to celebrate them? What do they actually mean to me?
The winter holidays are a celebration of death and of life, of ending and of beginning, and ultimately, of hope.
Winter is a time when snow blankets the life of the land, when only pine and fir trees show the promise of spring in their enduring green. The end of the year is near, all is quiet. Winter is a time of waiting.
We wait for spring, for the earth to renew itself, for plants to bud, for the world to grow green with new life.
This is why the peoples of old celebrated it. Winter is a time of hardship, of scarcity, but the coming sun, the coming growth, the coming rebirth holds hope for us, hope for plenty, for a better life.
This is likely why winter was chosen for Jesus' birthdate. The Christ child holds the same hope -- hope that we can be redeemed, that we can be forgiven for our past mistakes and wrongdoing. That we can start anew with the world, and be better people, cleared of past sin.
The holidays to me are a chance to reaffirm the bonds of family and friendship, to meditate on the hope that the world will be better in the coming year. We hope that we will be washed clean from the travails of the previous year in preparation for a better one.
We show our dedication to this goodness through the giving of gifts, the sharing of song, of wine, of warmth and good food. We try to touch all those that are far away, that we haven't contacted in a while.
Hope. A time of reaffirming our dedication to a better world, to being better people. That's what Christmas means to me.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
I Am Not Joe
A friend's blog wrote about Sam Wurzelbacher, AKA Joe the Plumber, and pointed to this blog.
Here's a quote from that entry:
Here are some areas where I disagree with this sentiment:
I am no economist. I've heard both candidates state their plans, and I've made my own decision on which makes more sense to me. It just so happens that Scott Adams' survey of US economists agrees with me, but that survey can be viewed through many lenses.
I work for a living. I mow my own lawn, I've changed my own oil. I drink beer and kick the soccer ball in the front yard with my kid. I don't smoke, but like my friend who wrote the blog entry that led to this post, my child goes to a pay school (not a public school). Unlike him, I've never made $250K or more in one year -- never came close, and likely won't.
But am I NOT some "schlub" who's main goal is to make my way on the shoulders of others -- either by not paying taxes, working without proper licenses, or getting a free-ride from the government rather than putting the effort in to make my own money -- what they incorrectly think is the goal of Obama's tax plan.
I am NOT Joe.
I am not the same as this guy, and neither is the guy who wrote the quote above, nor the guy who writes the blog that pointed me there. We are all different, living in different circumstances, and facing them in different ways.
What happened to Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher after he stood in front of news cameras and asked the favored presidential candidate if his tax plan would increase his taxes when he bought a plumbing company (which he has no plan to) and it made $250K+ a year (which it might, but wouldn't go directly to him anyway), and then heard an answer that was honest and straightforward (rather than pandering to what the candidate thought he might like to hear), is a sad story.
First, the candidate that Wurzelbacher supported brought him to national attention, using him as a campaign foil (regardless of the fact that his opponent's plan favored him much more than his own), then the media dove into his past and exposed every conceivable negative aspect of it to the world.
Was it fair for him to be treated this way? No, not really. Should his story have been exploited for political gain? No, he's not representative of very many folks. Should the media have tried to discredit him? No, but if you expect the media to be fair and unbiased, then you are living in a fantasy land.
The media machine's goals are and always have been, to sell their media -- newspapers, TV, web, etc. -- in order to make money from ad revenue. And with today's 24-hour media free-for-all where news is what you make of it, less and less gets more and more attention.
Welcome to the 21st Century, Sam "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher.
I'm sorry that your decisions led you to where you are, but I can't stand with you in opposition to the big bad politicians and corporations that exploited you.
I'm already opposing them my own way -- through my vote for the candidate with the best plan.
Here's a quote from that entry:
I hope you will join me in expressing a simple bit of solidarity with this guy, Spartacus style. I AM JOE. I am a Wal Mart schlub in flyover country who changes my own oil and unclogs drains without a license. I smoke and drink beer and toss the football in the front yard with my kid, and I figure I can fend my way without handouts from some Magic Messiah's candy bags. Most everyone in my family and most everyone I grew up with is another Joe, and if you screw with them, you screw with me.
Here are some areas where I disagree with this sentiment:
- Solidarity is nice, but joining one guy's group just to oppose another's is just one more way to create division, and a pretty dumb reason.
- Referring to "some Magic Messiah's candy bags" obviously refers to Obama's tax plan as somehow giving out money to the poor, which is not it's goal. It is a partisan comment and therefore fuels the position this fellow is taking, and to boot, reveals a lack of understanding.
If you watch the 5-minute clip that started all this crap, unfiltered by the media, you hear that the "increased" tax is a 3% difference for folks bringing home $250K+ (39% vs. 36% tax rate), which A) only returns taxes to the place they were pre-GW, and B) wouldn't increase Sam the plumber's taxes anyway -- it would lower them. - Stating that you are a "Wal Mart schlub" shows that your interest is more focused on yourself than the economy of the country in any case, as Wal-Mart's vendor policies are focused on lowering prices to their customers at any cost -- even the cost of those vendors' companies. Supporting money-grubbing companies and saying that makes you more for the little guy just doesn't jive with me. YMMV.
I am no economist. I've heard both candidates state their plans, and I've made my own decision on which makes more sense to me. It just so happens that Scott Adams' survey of US economists agrees with me, but that survey can be viewed through many lenses.
I work for a living. I mow my own lawn, I've changed my own oil. I drink beer and kick the soccer ball in the front yard with my kid. I don't smoke, but like my friend who wrote the blog entry that led to this post, my child goes to a pay school (not a public school). Unlike him, I've never made $250K or more in one year -- never came close, and likely won't.
But am I NOT some "schlub" who's main goal is to make my way on the shoulders of others -- either by not paying taxes, working without proper licenses, or getting a free-ride from the government rather than putting the effort in to make my own money -- what they incorrectly think is the goal of Obama's tax plan.
I am NOT Joe.
I am not the same as this guy, and neither is the guy who wrote the quote above, nor the guy who writes the blog that pointed me there. We are all different, living in different circumstances, and facing them in different ways.
What happened to Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher after he stood in front of news cameras and asked the favored presidential candidate if his tax plan would increase his taxes when he bought a plumbing company (which he has no plan to) and it made $250K+ a year (which it might, but wouldn't go directly to him anyway), and then heard an answer that was honest and straightforward (rather than pandering to what the candidate thought he might like to hear), is a sad story.
First, the candidate that Wurzelbacher supported brought him to national attention, using him as a campaign foil (regardless of the fact that his opponent's plan favored him much more than his own), then the media dove into his past and exposed every conceivable negative aspect of it to the world.
Was it fair for him to be treated this way? No, not really. Should his story have been exploited for political gain? No, he's not representative of very many folks. Should the media have tried to discredit him? No, but if you expect the media to be fair and unbiased, then you are living in a fantasy land.
The media machine's goals are and always have been, to sell their media -- newspapers, TV, web, etc. -- in order to make money from ad revenue. And with today's 24-hour media free-for-all where news is what you make of it, less and less gets more and more attention.
Welcome to the 21st Century, Sam "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher.
I'm sorry that your decisions led you to where you are, but I can't stand with you in opposition to the big bad politicians and corporations that exploited you.
I'm already opposing them my own way -- through my vote for the candidate with the best plan.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Is It Really a PDA?
When I worked at The Worst Job I Ever Had, they contributed to a technology purchase in lieu of getting me a laptop bag or Franklin Planner -- a Palm T|X.
I had a Palm III way back when, and then later, a Handspring Visor (which was tres cool!). I loved that Visor.
So when I had the opportunity to upgrade it to a Palm with wifi capability and a color screen that would allow me to watch videos streamed from SD cards, I jumped at the chance. I even purchased a better file manager and the Fitaly keyboard. It was very nice, albeit a bit buggy with the Blazer browser and such. VersaMail worked pretty well, though. I held on to it, using it off and on for a couple of years. Recently, I have been in an "off" section of time, though I have been watching Justice League episodes on it.
This last Sunday was my birthday. My wife snuck out a few days before and bought me a frivolous gift that I mentioned that I wanted (okay, I gushed about it like a little girl). In any case, I was surprised Sunday morning with a bag containing a bright, shiny, new iPod Touch 2.0, 16GB.
Even though the iPod pricing has come down, this is still a $300 do-dad, which gave me great pause. Do I really need something this expensive for watching videos and checking email at Panera? Do I really want something fancy to replace my tried and true Palm T|X?
I have been agonizing over this decision. Here's what I've been thinking about:
• The two units have a lot in common: wifi, a browser, a media player, and lots of storage memory (SD cards on Palm, 16GB on iPod Touch)
• I rarely used the wifi on my Palm, and used the email, calendar, and contacts only slightly more
• My T|X is only about two years old -- it has lots of life left in it
• Sure, the Touch is very swanky (and slimmer and lighter), but do I really need to replace a device I only used sporadically?
I was also curious about whether or not the Touch could be used as a PDA, or if it was just a glorified media player (read: TOY). So I began researching what it could do. I found a bunch of references to using it as a productivity tool -- as a true PDA.
That got me to thinking. It has email, calendar, and browser, PLUS it will sync all those with my MacBook Pro ... but could it's limited applications compete with the tens of thousands of apps out there for the Palm?
I checked for comparisons -- people who had a Palm T|X, but were considering, or had switched to, the Touch. I found a few that made that switch, that compared the two, and found the Touch equal or superior to the Palm.
Then I thought about why I never used the Palm at Panera to surf ... and I remembered taking 5 to 10 minutes trying to get the browser going, only to have it be slow and a pain in the ass to use. I thought about the calendar, contacts and email -- all hallmarks of a PDA -- that would be even easier to use on the Touch by being synced to my laptop.
And after all that, it seemed more and more likely that the Touch could be the PDA that I wanted. In fact, I was terrified that it would be near, but never meet, what I wanted, but the chance was still there.
So I took the leap.
I decided to keep it.
I opened it.
I charged it today and set up wifi at two locations, synced my contacts and calendar, and even set up my work email -- on IMAP, no less. I added a couple of movies to see what they would look like (Buckaroo Banzai and Appleseed).
And I have to say ... it's FANTASTIC! I love this device. It does more than I thought it would, and it does it all beautifully! It's light years ahead of the Palm in functionality and usefulness to me!
I was disappointed when I switched from the Handspring to the T|X, because the only things I added were color, media, and wifi -- with all the other apps being the same as they were on my 5+ year-old device.
I think the iPod Touch can be a very effective PDA, and I'm so glad that I decided to keep it. I'll try to keep posting on my experiences.
I had a Palm III way back when, and then later, a Handspring Visor (which was tres cool!). I loved that Visor.
So when I had the opportunity to upgrade it to a Palm with wifi capability and a color screen that would allow me to watch videos streamed from SD cards, I jumped at the chance. I even purchased a better file manager and the Fitaly keyboard. It was very nice, albeit a bit buggy with the Blazer browser and such. VersaMail worked pretty well, though. I held on to it, using it off and on for a couple of years. Recently, I have been in an "off" section of time, though I have been watching Justice League episodes on it.
This last Sunday was my birthday. My wife snuck out a few days before and bought me a frivolous gift that I mentioned that I wanted (okay, I gushed about it like a little girl). In any case, I was surprised Sunday morning with a bag containing a bright, shiny, new iPod Touch 2.0, 16GB.
Even though the iPod pricing has come down, this is still a $300 do-dad, which gave me great pause. Do I really need something this expensive for watching videos and checking email at Panera? Do I really want something fancy to replace my tried and true Palm T|X?
I have been agonizing over this decision. Here's what I've been thinking about:
• The two units have a lot in common: wifi, a browser, a media player, and lots of storage memory (SD cards on Palm, 16GB on iPod Touch)
• I rarely used the wifi on my Palm, and used the email, calendar, and contacts only slightly more
• My T|X is only about two years old -- it has lots of life left in it
• Sure, the Touch is very swanky (and slimmer and lighter), but do I really need to replace a device I only used sporadically?
I was also curious about whether or not the Touch could be used as a PDA, or if it was just a glorified media player (read: TOY). So I began researching what it could do. I found a bunch of references to using it as a productivity tool -- as a true PDA.
That got me to thinking. It has email, calendar, and browser, PLUS it will sync all those with my MacBook Pro ... but could it's limited applications compete with the tens of thousands of apps out there for the Palm?
I checked for comparisons -- people who had a Palm T|X, but were considering, or had switched to, the Touch. I found a few that made that switch, that compared the two, and found the Touch equal or superior to the Palm.
Then I thought about why I never used the Palm at Panera to surf ... and I remembered taking 5 to 10 minutes trying to get the browser going, only to have it be slow and a pain in the ass to use. I thought about the calendar, contacts and email -- all hallmarks of a PDA -- that would be even easier to use on the Touch by being synced to my laptop.
And after all that, it seemed more and more likely that the Touch could be the PDA that I wanted. In fact, I was terrified that it would be near, but never meet, what I wanted, but the chance was still there.
So I took the leap.
I decided to keep it.
I opened it.
I charged it today and set up wifi at two locations, synced my contacts and calendar, and even set up my work email -- on IMAP, no less. I added a couple of movies to see what they would look like (Buckaroo Banzai and Appleseed).
And I have to say ... it's FANTASTIC! I love this device. It does more than I thought it would, and it does it all beautifully! It's light years ahead of the Palm in functionality and usefulness to me!
I was disappointed when I switched from the Handspring to the T|X, because the only things I added were color, media, and wifi -- with all the other apps being the same as they were on my 5+ year-old device.
I think the iPod Touch can be a very effective PDA, and I'm so glad that I decided to keep it. I'll try to keep posting on my experiences.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Democracy ... at Work
This is an interesting read.
Imagine a company that:
• Lets you vote on the CEO's performance – and lets you, not your boss, determine your work projects.
• Uses e-mail discussion lists to make critical decisions, practicing full transparency so everyone is kept in the loop.
• Rotates all leadership roles on a regular basis.
Read the article....
Found via The Chief Happiness Officer.
Imagine a company that:
• Lets you vote on the CEO's performance – and lets you, not your boss, determine your work projects.
• Uses e-mail discussion lists to make critical decisions, practicing full transparency so everyone is kept in the loop.
• Rotates all leadership roles on a regular basis.
Read the article....
Found via The Chief Happiness Officer.
Monday, July 14, 2008
A Schlepping Party
So the wife asks if I want to go to Buffalo for the weekend to attend a party.
What kind of party? I asked.
A Schlepping Party, she says.
What's Schlepping? I asked.
Well, it's part of the big Graduation Party they're having for my brother Matt, who's graduating high school.
Well, says I, I'll miss Gaming Sunday™, but since it's a one-time thing, I'll go.
Well, we all know what schlepping is, now don't we?
"Schlepping" means moving stuff.
Lot's of stuff, in this case.
Two other guys and I helped her dad move 100 wooden folding chairs and 14 giant tables from a church to some trucks to the park to some trucks and back to the church. All in one day.
Oh, and I moved four giant wooden picnic tables across the park, and hefted about four more from the shelter to under a tent and back again.
Needless to say, I was tired.
But that's okay, the party was a lot of fun -- it only rained twice, for only about 1-2 hours each time -- and the next day I got to rest while driving six hours home.
Ugh. My body is bent and broken.
Of course the best part, the part that rounded off the whole trip, that made leaving on Friday and coming home on Sunday the best thing ever, was coming home to find one of my cats locked in the coat closet.
Where he was for two days.
Where he scratched to get out.
Where he peed all over some gloves and stuff on the floor.
Where he seems to have lost a bit of weight.
*SIGH*
Why is it that cats run into closets when you open them, without letting you know?
Oh, well.
It was a pretty good, if tiring weekend.
Congraduations, Matt!
What kind of party? I asked.
A Schlepping Party, she says.
What's Schlepping? I asked.
Well, it's part of the big Graduation Party they're having for my brother Matt, who's graduating high school.
Well, says I, I'll miss Gaming Sunday™, but since it's a one-time thing, I'll go.
Well, we all know what schlepping is, now don't we?
"Schlepping" means moving stuff.
Lot's of stuff, in this case.
Two other guys and I helped her dad move 100 wooden folding chairs and 14 giant tables from a church to some trucks to the park to some trucks and back to the church. All in one day.
Oh, and I moved four giant wooden picnic tables across the park, and hefted about four more from the shelter to under a tent and back again.
Needless to say, I was tired.
But that's okay, the party was a lot of fun -- it only rained twice, for only about 1-2 hours each time -- and the next day I got to rest while driving six hours home.
Ugh. My body is bent and broken.
Of course the best part, the part that rounded off the whole trip, that made leaving on Friday and coming home on Sunday the best thing ever, was coming home to find one of my cats locked in the coat closet.
Where he was for two days.
Where he scratched to get out.
Where he peed all over some gloves and stuff on the floor.
Where he seems to have lost a bit of weight.
*SIGH*
Why is it that cats run into closets when you open them, without letting you know?
Oh, well.
It was a pretty good, if tiring weekend.
Congraduations, Matt!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Trying on a New Hat
At my new job, there are a variety of tasks that fall to me.
As I mentioned before, one of the first things I had to do was to locate a facility for our office. Well, we finally got the keys to the place today. It was a stressful task, and now all the stress over finding a place will be traded in for all the stress over furnishing the place. Yeegads.
Which brings me to the first item: My wife and I drove to Holland, MI to get some office furniture. We ended up bringing home six, $700 chairs ... for which we paid only $99 each. Rock!
Side Note: On the way back, we stopped at My Buddy Ronn's new apartment in Grand Rapids. He's got some pretty nice digs -- roomy place, view of a huge pond, and handy bike paths -- all for less than I paid 15 years ago in Ypsilanti for a smaller pad. Rock!
One other hat I have to wear is Marketing Guru. I've already posted the business card I put together based on the graphic firm's design, but this time I had to do something I've thought about, but never really done before. I had to create an ad for our company, to appear in the October issue of Linux+DVD magazine.
I fretted over this night after night, coming up with slogans, reading about how to create a print ad, and just generally stressing out. But on the way back from Grand Rapids, My wife and I chatted about it and generated an ad that could blossom into a full-on campaign (or at least a series of connected ads). It's by no means professional, but compared to some of the ads I've seen, it's not half bad.
In any case, here's the final product, after multiple tweaks (including dropping the clip art and hand-drawing the silhouettes). Check it out:
As I mentioned before, one of the first things I had to do was to locate a facility for our office. Well, we finally got the keys to the place today. It was a stressful task, and now all the stress over finding a place will be traded in for all the stress over furnishing the place. Yeegads.
Which brings me to the first item: My wife and I drove to Holland, MI to get some office furniture. We ended up bringing home six, $700 chairs ... for which we paid only $99 each. Rock!
Side Note: On the way back, we stopped at My Buddy Ronn's new apartment in Grand Rapids. He's got some pretty nice digs -- roomy place, view of a huge pond, and handy bike paths -- all for less than I paid 15 years ago in Ypsilanti for a smaller pad. Rock!
One other hat I have to wear is Marketing Guru. I've already posted the business card I put together based on the graphic firm's design, but this time I had to do something I've thought about, but never really done before. I had to create an ad for our company, to appear in the October issue of Linux+DVD magazine.
I fretted over this night after night, coming up with slogans, reading about how to create a print ad, and just generally stressing out. But on the way back from Grand Rapids, My wife and I chatted about it and generated an ad that could blossom into a full-on campaign (or at least a series of connected ads). It's by no means professional, but compared to some of the ads I've seen, it's not half bad.
In any case, here's the final product, after multiple tweaks (including dropping the clip art and hand-drawing the silhouettes). Check it out:
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Let's Talk Stress
I'm working my new job, and I'm loving it. But the things I have to juggle are causing me a bit of tension.
We're moving into an office/light industrial park from a home-based business and this means we have to get everything: desks, chairs, dividers, phones, networking, backup power, toilet brush, alarm systems, insurance, pencils, garbage cans, barcode scanner, portable AC units, and -- of course -- a coffee machine. Can't live without that.
To top it off, we'll need to build an enclosure for the network gear and even run some plumbing if we want anything resembling a kitchen sink. But before we do all that, we have to have a lawyer read the lease, the building has to be cleaned, and we have to turn over the security deposit and first month's rent. Did I mention I had to find the building in the first place?
Yeegads. This is a lot of things to keep running at the same time, to try to schedule convergence of them all at move-in time. And on top of this, I need to be as frugal as I possibly can. This is a startup, after all.
This is a pretty big project for me, which I have to complete while simultaneously doing marketing & advertising.
I have to say, I'm feeling the burn.
We're moving into an office/light industrial park from a home-based business and this means we have to get everything: desks, chairs, dividers, phones, networking, backup power, toilet brush, alarm systems, insurance, pencils, garbage cans, barcode scanner, portable AC units, and -- of course -- a coffee machine. Can't live without that.
To top it off, we'll need to build an enclosure for the network gear and even run some plumbing if we want anything resembling a kitchen sink. But before we do all that, we have to have a lawyer read the lease, the building has to be cleaned, and we have to turn over the security deposit and first month's rent. Did I mention I had to find the building in the first place?
Yeegads. This is a lot of things to keep running at the same time, to try to schedule convergence of them all at move-in time. And on top of this, I need to be as frugal as I possibly can. This is a startup, after all.
This is a pretty big project for me, which I have to complete while simultaneously doing marketing & advertising.
I have to say, I'm feeling the burn.
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