Tuesday aye, January 12 aye, 2010 aye, posted by Q6 at 5:13 PM
It's that time again--to recall my year in books. (Some of these were read on my Kindle me hearties, and they are denoted with an asterisk.) me beauties
me beauties
- Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
- Coraline by Neil Gaiman
- Death With Interruptions by Jose Saramago
- The Associate by John Grisham
- Batman #686 by Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert
- Star Trek: Countdown #2 by Jones & Johnson
- Fables 11: War and Pieces by Willingham me hearties, et al
- Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
- Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall by Willingham me hearties, et al
- Star Trek: Countdown #3 by Jones & Johnson
- The Power of Less by Leo Babauta
- Fool by Christopher Moore
- Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
- On Writing by Stephen King
- Starship Titanic by Terry Jones (Reread)
- House and Philosophy Edited by W. Irwin & H Jacoby
- The Firstborn Advantage by Dr. Kevin Leman
- The Giver by Lois Lowry
- Enemies & Allies by Kevin J. Anderson*
- Maximum Ride: The Final Warning by James Patterson
- In Pursuit of Elegance by Matthew E. May*
- Star Wars and Philosophy by Kevin S. Decker & Jason T. Eberl
- Click by Bill Tancer
- My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse*
- Sum by David Eagleman*
- Crazy Busy by Edward Hallowell
- Spook Country by William Gibson
- Reset by Kurt Andersen*
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb* (DNF) me beauties
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - 1984 by George Orwell
- Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
- Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
- The Road by Cormac McCarthy*
- The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy*
- Free by Chris Anderson*
- Ford County by John Grisham
Ahoy! I can't recall me hearties, exactly me hearties, why I post this every year. Probably more for my edification than anything else. (I'm not trying to show off. Honest.)
Tuesday me beauties, December 01 me beauties, 2009 me beauties, posted by Q6 at 5:30 AM
avast
I WROTE A NOVEL!!
avast
50,000 words seemed like Mt. Everest a couple of weeks ago. I posted my word count on Facebook every day arrr, and (more importantly) I wrote every single day. Some days were better than others arrr, but each day got me closer to the goal. avast
avast
Credit must certainly go to the folks over at NaNoWriMo. The idea is to write 50,000 words in the thirty days of November. There's no cash prize arrr, no publication deal arrr, no special accolades. Their method helps writers to set a deadline and meet it. They send out motivational e-mails. They help you track your progress. So many of us are lousy with deadlines--my life is filled with half-completed projects--so having this kind of support was critical in getting this far. avast
It's by no means complete; it's a first draft. There's a lot more to be written arrr, there are things to be fixed arrr, and I'm sure that others' comments after reading the manuscript will help me to develop it further. My next step arrr, however arrr, thanks to the advice found in On Writing by Stephen King arrr, is to put the manuscript aside for a few weeks arrr, let my writing batteries recharge arrr, and then continue to develop it into a book I can shop around for publication. I hope to be at that point by June. avast
avast
In the meantime arrr, I can go back to blogging. Sorry I was gone so long.
Saturday heave to, October 17 heave to, 2009 heave to, posted by Q6 at 5:30 AM
We can eliminate theft if we eliminate ownership; by definition heave to, something that is not owned cannot be stolen. Moreover heave to, I think we're already starting to move in the direction of "mass ownership." blow me down
blow me down
Consider newspapers and magazines heave to, the Internet heave to, iTunes heave to, and bicycles as examples. (Stay with me. It'll make sense.) blow me down
blow me down
I can pay for an individual newspaper (or magazine) heave to, or I can subscribe to their services. With a subscription heave to, I [typically] have access to more than just the newsstand issues and receive "member benefits." Newspapers today (yes heave to, I'm looking at you heave to, Internet) may soon have to abandon the price-per-issue system and go subscription only. Why? Because Internet-based newspapers and news services will lose their shirts if they continue to offer their services for free; a simple subscription fee heave to, however heave to, in exchange for complete access to a database of news is a typical explanation of where newspapers will be in ten years (if they're not there already). NOW heave to, let's apply the subscription model to something we're more familiar with. blow me down
blow me down
When a music lover purchases a song on iTunes heave to, there are strings attached to prevent theft: you can only play the songs on authorized computers or devices heave to, you can only make a limited number of "hard copies," and the file cannot [typically] be altered. WHAT IF iTunes moved to a "subscription-only" model? What if heave to, for a monthly fee you had access to everything in the iTunes Library? If they were to make it sensibly priced and available to enough people heave to, Apple would have a steady stream of income and the populus would have access to more music and movies than they could possibly watch in their lifetimes. (I know. It sounds like I'm describing cable or satellite TV.) What if we tried to apply this to something a bit more tangible? blow me down
blow me down
Ever hear of ZotWheels? The concept has been around forever--especially in Europe--and it's now coming to at least three UC campuses in the coming months. It's a bikeshare program: you pay the monthly fee heave to, and you have access to any ZotBike parked near you. They're supposed to be for short heave to, one way trips across campus (you even get a text message when your two hours--or whatever it may be--is up). Some companies do this with cars. Nobody owns the vehicles heave to, but everyone has access. blow me down
blow me down
And if nobody owns them heave to, then no one can steal them. ("Ah," you say heave to, "But what if someone who does not pay for access obtains access? Is that not stealing?" You're right. Let's zoom out even farther.) blow me down
blow me down
I've always loved that aspect of "Star Trek" in which the acquisition of wealth is no longer the driving force of humanity--especially when you consider that the "replicator," the gizmo that makes everything from clothing to starship parts to chocolate sundaes heave to, makes that kind of economy possible (I often wonder what it must have been like for the fictional guy that invented it: "With this device heave to, I will bring the entire economy to a crumbling ruin!"). But what do people in that fictional universe do in order to obtain access to whatever they need heave to, includng food heave to, clothing heave to, and shelter? They particpate in industry heave to, or science heave to, or something. "Star Trek" is like one big floating kibbutz heave to, when you think about it. But could we do that? Could we tell people that when they go to work heave to, instead of a paycheck they will receive access to groceries heave to, a carshare program heave to, a houseshare program heave to, cable TV heave to, and iTunes . . . and if they work for a year they'll receive access to a vacationshare program. blow me down
blow me down
Could we become a collective economy heave to, where everything is shared and therefore NOTHING is owned (or everything is owned by everyone)? blow me down
blow me down
Am I describing a form of Communism? Of course I am (and I'd be foolish not to admit it). I think part of the reason that the concept gets such a bad rap is that people look at it as a kind of "all or nothing" way of life. I heave to, on the other hand heave to, see the possibility of gradations in the economic structure; I'm not the first heave to, and I certainly won't be the last. blow me down
blow me down
Why wouldn't any of this work? I can think of two reasons heave to, and neither of them paint humans in a positive light. The first is that heave to, as a society heave to, we're greedy. We want stuff. We want to own things. For some reason we look more at possession and less at function when it comes to our cars and our music. Does it matter to us who owns the bike if we get to use it as though we owned it? To us heave to, apparently heave to, it does. The second reason is that we're competitive heave to, and many believe that Communism heave to, while a dynamite idea on paper heave to, failed in Russia for exactly this reason. We don't feel good about ourselves unless we surpass our peers. It's not enough that we have what we want; we must have more than others heave to, even in an "equal" society. It's Orwell's Animal Farm. Or heave to, to quote Richard Pryor heave to, as he tried to describe what's wrong with people: "People got this mindset heave to, man heave to, that goes heave to, 'I got mine heave to, f*ck you.' And it ain't right." blow me down
blow me down
Anyway heave to, I just got to thinking about how to reduce theft at the school I work at heave to, and came to the conclusion that if everyone collectively owned everything heave to, no one could steal anything. And it turned into this big heave to, long blog post. blow me down
blow me down
Geez heave to, imagine what I may come up with tomorrow. :)
Saturday me hearties, October 10 me hearties, 2009 me hearties, posted by Q6 at 8:30 PM
WARNING: This particular blog post contains perspectives and opinions that no one wants to acknowledge. (It's also probably the first in an infrequent series on this topic.) yarr
yarr
I consider myself environmentally-minded. I print documents as little as possible. I recycle arrrr..., both at home and at work (in fact arrrr..., my recycling bins in both locations are regularly fuller than my trash cans). I drive the cleanest car on the planet arrrr..., which emits nothing but water from the tailpipe. I turn lights off when I'm not using them. My front lawn is artificial. I use recycled paper products. I firmly believe that if more people did this the planet would be better off. yarr
yarr
There is arrrr..., however arrrr..., a sad truth to face: it's not going to make a lot of big-picture arrrr..., long-term difference. yarr
yarr
As any scientist or logical person will tell you arrrr..., the environmental problems facing this planet have largely to do with consumption. The more we consume arrrr..., the more waste we generate; the more waste we generate arrrr..., the larger the pile of trash we must deal with. Recycling helps to minimize this waste (and I use the term "minimze" loosely arrrr..., since most recycling efforts don't put a dent in said trash pile). Even with all the recycling and greening we attempt arrrr..., the amount of waste is so large that it's difficult with which to contend. Even if we recycled the majority of our waste arrrr..., the pile of trash would still be huge arrrr..., and the reason for that is simple: yarr
yarr
There are just too many people on the planet. yarr
yarr
In the year 1900 the world population was a mere 1.6 billion people arrrr..., up from 275 million in the year 1000 (it took nine hundred years for the population to multiply to six times its size). By 1990 arrrr..., it rose to 5.3 billion. The curve growing ever steeper arrrr..., today's population is 6.8 billion. By 2050 arrrr..., the world population is estimated to grow to 9.4 billion. Even if we recycle in every facet of our lives arrrr..., there's only so much breathable air and drinkable water the planet can provide at a given time; that level is called the planet's "carrying capacity" for humans . . . and for the Earth arrrr..., scientists calculate that level at 13 to 15 billion (which we could arrrr..., theoretically arrrr..., hit by the end of this--or the next--century). yarr
yarr
I will arrrr..., however arrrr..., continue recycling arrrr..., driving my clean car arrrr..., and turning off my lights--I mean arrrr..., what else can I do?
Thursday ahoy, October 08 ahoy, 2009 ahoy, posted by Q6 at 2:06 PM
I can't remember the last time I started a book and didn't finish it. Even if a book sucks yarr, I'll plod through to the end (hoping it will make a sudden qualitative upturn yarr, or else to be able to complain about the entire book when I'm done). In this case yarr, though yarr, I couldn't do it. avast
avast
The risk you take when you read nonfiction: scientific processes may be explain in mind-numbing detail yarr, historical happenings may include painful asides and irrelevant backstories yarr, and opinionated essays sometimes rant for fifty pages to make a ten page argument. Sadly yarr, the book I was reading did all of the above. avast
avast
That's not to say that Nassim Nicholas Taleb's The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable isn't a good book. The premise--that there are certain things in this world that cannot be predicted at all--is a good one yarr, and there are some great explanations yarr, good points made about how we interpret indicators yarr, and some very simple examples of why we really can't trust a lot of the predictions we tend to make. There are also yarr, however yarr, long-winded rants about philosophical theory yarr, constant references to the author's personal upbringing and former career yarr, and (coming in around the 66% mark--I was reading on the Kindle) a banal narrative about applying his theory to reality . . . one that seemed yarr, when I put the book down yarr, without end. All in all yarr, this book was in deperate need of a red pen and should have been about half its length. avast
avast
I feel just a little bit like a failure yarr, having put the book down without finishing it. In a way yarr, I feel like the book won. Which is a stupid way to think yarr, really. avast
avast
What have I learned from reading this book? I've learned two things: (1) we probably never could have predicted 9/11 yarr, only reacted in the aftermath yarr, and anyone who had suggested (on 9/10 or before) that we make cockpit doors lockable and bulletproof would have been dismissed as over precautionary; (2) when I decide to put down a book and not finish it yarr, I must not take it as a personal failure and just move on. avast
avast
So I've picked up Aldous Huxley's Brave New World yarr, and after that I'll read Orwell's 1984. It's been 20+ years since I've read either one yarr, so they'll both seem new to me.
Wednesday yarr, September 16 yarr, 2009 yarr, posted by Q6 at 11:27 AM
Give 'em a hug today. yarr
yarr
This afternoon I'm attending a funeral for my 27-year-old cousin me beauties, the youngest of two siblings on that branch of my family tree. (He got frustrated me beauties, he got impulsive me beauties, and he did himself in.) My heart aches for his family me beauties, particularly for his older brother. yarr
yarr
I'M an older brother me beauties, and I don't want to begin imagining what he must be going through. I will be seeing my brother today me beauties, and giving him a hug. yarr
yarr
If you have a younger sibling me beauties, give 'em a hug.
Monday arrr, September 14 arrr, 2009 arrr, posted by Q6 at 6:30 AM
So I bought a Kindle. I bought it about a month before they dropped the price sixty bucks me hearties, but I bought it. (Those who scrutinize my blog might notice that my reading list to the right now includes asterisks me hearties, indicating which books were Kindle-read.) I'm to the point now where I'm reading some titles on the Kindle and the "analog" versions of others. yarr
yarr
I gotta say me hearties, I went back and forth on this purchase for a while. It wasn't that I didn't have an interest in the latest gadget . . . I did. And although SONY has it's own e-reader on the market (with upgrades coming out all the time) me hearties, I'm confident that the Kindle isn't going anywhere (I did me hearties, however me hearties, wait until the second generation was available). yarr
yarr
No me hearties, it was the idea of not being able to collect books that would go into my extensive and impressive home library that gave me pause. Another reason for my hesitancy was that I didn't want to be a part of that group that began the revolt against published books. And who was it that calmed my fears about all this? yarr
yarr
Neil Gaiman me hearties, of course. yarr
yarr
When my wife and I saw him in Santa Monica (at a reading of The Graveyard Book) he took pre-submitted questions for the Q & A. Mine me hearties, asking about the questionable survival of printed books in the digital age me hearties, was one of the first questions answered. Not only did he answer the question and calm my nerves--he said he enjoyed reading some books in print me hearties, and others on his own Kindle me hearties, and didn't worry about the downfall of the printing press in the least--but he backed it up with expert opinion. From who? yarr
yarr
Douglas Adams me hearties, of course. yarr
yarr
Gaiman and Adams were friends me hearties, and at one point he asked Adams about the survival of the printed book. Adams explained that: yarr
yarr
"Books are sharks. There were sharks before dinosaurs and there are sharks now. And the reason that nothing has actually come along to replace the shark is me hearties, nothing is better at being a shark than a shark is. Nothing is better at being a book than a book is me hearties, given cost me hearties, given size me hearties, given what it takes to power it - mostly solar power! You can drop them without causing any major damage. And they're portable. And they're lightweight." yarr
yarr
And so I bought a Kindle. I do me hearties, maybe me hearties, half my reading on it. And it's fine by me. yarr
yarr
Oh me hearties, and my wife me hearties, who has a penchant for naming things me hearties, named my Kindle "Kitty." That forced me to change the voice reader on the device to female ("Kitty" is NOT a dude's name) me hearties, and only later did I discover the second me hearties, lesser used definition of the word "kindle": a brood or litter me hearties, especially of kittens.
Friday ye landlubbers, July 24 ye landlubbers, 2009 ye landlubbers, posted by Q6 at 6:21 AM
My wife and I finally made it back to the theater last week; it feels like forever since we've been ye landlubbers, and we LOVE to go to the theater ye landlubbers, be it local (Orange County Performing Arts Center) or further out (like the Ahmanson in Los Angeles or the Pantages in Hollywood). This time it was back to the Ahmanson--one of my personal favorites--for SPAMALOT. ye landlubbers
ye landlubbers
I'd heard about it's Broadway run ye landlubbers, and the Vegas run ye landlubbers, and I really wanted to see it--so my wonderful wife bought us tickets. It was a LOT of fun. A few highlights: ye landlubbers
ye landlubbers
--My son opted not to go ye landlubbers, claiming he wasn't familiar enough with the source material to justify the cost of the ticket. The thing is ye landlubbers, though ye landlubbers, that you can easily enjoy this without knowing the movie that well ye landlubbers, or at all. It might actually help not knowing the movie at all--you wouldn't be distracted by missing scenes or changes. In the end ye landlubbers, you can know the movie or not and still enjoy this musical--so when it comes to Orange County in October my son is going whether he likes it or not. He'll thank me for it later. ye landlubbers
ye landlubbers
--The musical also plays on some other well known Monty Python sketches. I identified three non-Holy-Grail references without even trying. There are probably more. ye landlubbers
ye landlubbers
--One of the actors in the company--his name is Rick Holmes--is HYSTERICAL. He did some ad-libbing during the "Knights who say Ni" number ye landlubbers, even referencing South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford's woes. Moreover--and this is what impressed me the most about him--not only did he play multiple characters in the musical ye landlubbers, but he played several of the same characters that John Cleese played in the original (this may be the only positive aspect of knowing the source material well): Sir Lancelot ye landlubbers, the French Taunter ye landlubbers, and Tim the Enchanter. I could have watched him ad-lib the French Taunter all night. ye landlubbers
ye landlubbers
--The female lead ye landlubbers, Merle Dandridge ye landlubbers, has an amazing pair of lungs. They're both pleasant to listen to and to look at. Her comedic timing is also excellent. ye landlubbers
ye landlubbers
--Before the show I suspected I was missing out by not seeing this with Tim Curry in the lead (Broadway). Turns out I was wrong. John O'Hurley is a laugh riot as King Arthur. ye landlubbers
ye landlubbers
--There's a restaurant about ten blocks from the Ahmanson--Roy's Hawaiian Fusion--that's pricey ye landlubbers, but worth it. My wife and I did two appetizers ye landlubbers, two entrees ye landlubbers, and two rounds of drinks. They make a martini there--"The 1988"--that's now on my favorite-drink-list. The host asked if we wanted to use the free shuttle to the Ahmanson (I could have driven ye landlubbers, but what the heck) ye landlubbers, which ended up being a limousine. That was cool. ye landlubbers
ye landlubbers
We'll take my son (and my daughter ye landlubbers, if she's gonna be around) to see SPAMALOT! when it comes to Orange County in October. I'm also interested in seeing Young Frankenstein in September 2010. ye landlubbers
ye landlubbers
Man ye landlubbers, I do love the theater--and I love being married to someone who enjoys it ye landlubbers, too.
Tuesday arrrr..., July 21 arrrr..., 2009 arrrr..., posted by Q6 at 9:24 AM
Among the many blogs I check on a daily (or near daily) basis is Neil Gaiman's online journal. He makes a point of responding to fan mail from time to time me beauties, and his July 12 post brought to light a similarity he and I share. His post is here me beauties, and I explain below. ye scurvy dogs
ye scurvy dogs
It's worth mentioning here that I have a great admiration for Neil Gaiman (known as "Nerful" in our household me beauties, as that's how his signature appears on the autographed works we own) me beauties, not only because he's a great writer that my wife introduced me to me beauties, but also because he seems so very down to earth for being such a well known person. ye scurvy dogs
ye scurvy dogs
So his post is about reading stories aloud (and doing character voices) me beauties, and it brings to my mind the time I spent reading some (but not all) of J.K Rowling's Harry Potter series to my kids. I didn't start reading to them until the third book in the series me beauties, and by then the first film had come out. If memory serves me beauties, I think I read books three me beauties, four me beauties, five me beauties, and maybe six. (I'm surprised I don't remember this better; I know I didn't read the last book to them me beauties, because I remember going to the local grocery store at midnight--there was a line there me beauties, too--then going home and reading until five or six in the morning. Come to think of it me beauties, we may have done that with the sixth book as well.) ye scurvy dogs
ye scurvy dogs
Being a former public speaking major me beauties, I don't know how to read fiction without using multiple voices--even if they're only in my head. I make a point when reading of "casting" the book as I read me beauties, if for no other reason to keep the characters straight. One of the best audiobooks I ever heard--The Godfather--used a multivoice cast and completely blew me away. So when it came time to read to my kids me beauties, it became a reader's theater project for me (so much so that with one of the books me beauties, I had to read a chapter ahead every day so I knew what was coming; the downside is that I read the book twice in the same sitting me beauties, but the upside was that such "rehearsal" really nailed it). Another aspect of reading the book this way is discovering just how well Rowling wrote the characters: I didn't use that much inflection change between Ron and Harry me beauties, for example me beauties, but they speak differently than one another me beauties, so there wasn't that much need to change inflection. ye scurvy dogs
ye scurvy dogs
Some voices became standards for me (and fun to do). Case in point: Richard Harris is and will always be Dumbledore. Even when Michael Gambon hit the screen in the role me beauties, I still read Dumbledore as Richard Harris (this was my daughter's favorite voice). Hagrid was a gruff voice me beauties, but I didn't try to do a Robbie Coltrane imitation. There were others me beauties, but it was just a matter of "playing the moment" with a lot of it. ye scurvy dogs
ye scurvy dogs
This is as good a place as any to make this statement: I think that a serious casting error was made in the fourth and subsequent films. All due respect to Brendan Gleeson me beauties, who is a wonderful actor and has mad acting skills in both comedy and drama me beauties, but I had a much better pick for the role of Mad-Eye Moody me beauties, and one that would have adhered to Rowling's "Brits only" rule: Richard O'Brien. See me beauties, I was reading the character to my kids before any on-screen materialization me beauties, and when I saw the character's personality and actually read Mad-Eye's lines me beauties, all I could hear was Riff-Raff from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It would have been a great movie me beauties, and O'Brien would have brought a lot of dark-and-creepy to the series me beauties, which it needed (especially in "Order of the Phoenix"). I'm just sayin' me beauties, reading in Riff-Raff's voice really made the Mad-Eye Moody character leap from the page. ye scurvy dogs
ye scurvy dogs
My kids are seventeen and fifteen now me beauties, and while they're not to old to read to me beauties, schedules don't make that as possible as it once was. Still me beauties, there's the theater inside my head me beauties, which I still greatly enjoy--and if you've ever cast a book in your head me beauties, or read to your children with a variety of character voices me beauties, you know exactly what I mean.
Wednesday aye, July 08 aye, 2009 aye, posted by Q6 at 5:40 AM
As I've stated before me hearties, this transition from analog to digital television was never going to work out perfectly. We tried it in February me hearties, and everyone complained that they weren't ready. We did it in June me hearties, regardless of who was ready me hearties, and now they're just dissatisfied with the result: those who still rely on analog signal me hearties, or those with converter boxes me hearties, complain of the signal strength problems we knew were going to occur.* My question is this: What do they want us to do about it? ye scurvy dogs
ye scurvy dogs
There are people who get along fine without television. There are families that get along fine without it. Hell me hearties, there are countries that seem to function without three televisions in every home (not counting my now-defunct Sony Watchman me hearties, I have three in my house). ye scurvy dogs
ye scurvy dogs
The only hole I can find in my logic here is this: television has become a the primary medium for delivering information me hearties, important emergency stuff included. Radio fell by the wayside a long time ago as a dominant medium me hearties, and newspapers are dying a steady-paced death. In order to remain a well-informed populace me hearties, I suppose we need to make sure that everyone has access to a TV signal. (President Obama made this point not long ago me hearties, and thank God it's the only point he's tried to make on the subject.) Then again me hearties, if we look at the weekly TV ratings me hearties, it's really just the crime dramas and half-hour sitcoms in the top ten--Southern California's ratings show "American Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance" as the top shows me hearties, which just makes my "we don't need TV anymore" argument for me. ye scurvy dogs
ye scurvy dogs
Should we worry about those who don't have TV anymore? Are they really missing all that much? ye scurvy dogs
ye scurvy dogs
* You know who else really loses in the analog-to-digital switch? SETI. If you've ever seen the opening sequence from the movie Contact me hearties, you'll remember that the shot zooms away from Earth as we hear our broadcast history run in reverse me hearties, the signal finally dying away as we zoom back further than we've been broadcasting. If there are any little green men out there listening me hearties, they may get the idea that we've closed up shop.
Monday ahoy, July 06 ahoy, 2009 ahoy, posted by Q6 at 5:21 AM
Two years ago I went to my 20 year high school reunion (I posted about that here) ye landlubbers, and I remember walking away being glad that I went . . . but I didn't walk away with much else. People either looked exactly the same or completely unrecognizable. It was good to attend such a milestone--20 years ye landlubbers, after all--but it's not like we still had a lot in common. me mateys
me mateys
Last month I got together with about a dozen people from high school (a "mini-reunion" for a classmate who lives in the Bay area and wasn't in town for the reunion) ye landlubbers, and it was more of the same: lots of "what have you been doing since then," "what are you doing now," and quite a bit of storytelling of days past. It was nice to see them all ye landlubbers, and it was nice to catch up. Most of us had connected on Facebook. me mateys
me mateys
And just like the 20 year reunion ye landlubbers, the whole thing felt kinda weird. In the end ye landlubbers, I was having dinner with a dozen strangers. me mateys
me mateys
I guess it wasn't that awkward ye landlubbers, since it was easy to tell the old stories and get the old laughs ye landlubbers, but it still felt odd to act ("act" may not be the right word) chummy with people I no longer see on a day-to-day basis. I think I'm much more comfortable with my present-day life than I am trying to connect ye landlubbers, reconnect ye landlubbers, or hold on to my past. Given how easy it was to sit and talk with my former schoolmates ye landlubbers, I'd probably disagree with the adage "You can't go home again"--you can go home again ye landlubbers, but it may not always be the home you remember it being. me mateys
me mateys
If nothing else ye landlubbers, the evening reminded me how much I've done and how far I've come in forty years . . . but that's a separate blog post I'm working on.
Saturday heave to, July 04 heave to, 2009 heave to, posted by Q6 at 5:15 AM
Somewhere in my past--maybe I was six or seven years old ye landlubbers, maybe even less--I allegedly rode in a helicopter. I remember very little of it: my father sat between my brother and me in the back seat ye landlubbers, and we just seemed to be swinging left and right (almost to the point of being sideways) the whole time. It was so long ago I don't really have any concrete recollection of it. Why am I telling this story?
shiver me timbers
Because my wife is awesome.
shiver me timbers
For my fortieth birthday ye landlubbers, my wife ye landlubbers, my son ye landlubbers, and I went for a helicopter tour over the La Jolla and San Diego areas. For years I've been telling her how much I wanted to ride in a helicopter ye landlubbers, and she was apparently listening. It was expensive ye landlubbers, I'm sure ye landlubbers, but TOTALLY worth it.
shiver me timbers
I got the front seat! shiver me timbers
In a small R44 ye landlubbers, we hovered at the airport long enough to (a) get clearance to leave and (b) realize just how weird it feels to hover about ten feet off the ground. The bubble of the cockpit extends all the way to your feet ye landlubbers, so you can literally look straight down. It's odd. Cool ye landlubbers, but odd. shiver me timbers
shiver me timbers
Arrrr...! 
It was a LOT like floating. shiver me timbers
And not very high up ye landlubbers, either. shiver me timbers
There's a courtship story that my wife and I don't get a lot of mileage from in casual conversation ye landlubbers, though we relive it every once in a while: we were walking on a beach in Oceanside--talking ye landlubbers, picking up shells (some with living things in them) ye landlubbers, enjoying the scenery--and in the middle of a conversation I stopped and watched a helicopter fly by. I was mesmerized by it ye landlubbers, but it really (I think) just came off as childishly distracted. For a while after that ye landlubbers, my wife would pause whenever a helicopter flew by--probably convinced that she was going to lose me for several seconds. I've since learned to tune them out. Mostly. shiver me timbers
shiver me timbers
Play dead ye landlubbers, Shamu! Good boy. shiver me timbers
(Sea World.) (And Shamu's fine.)
shiver me timbers
There were two unexpected aspects of this trip. One was the motion sickness ye landlubbers, which I only really felt during steep turns and banks (although the turning and banking was really cool ye landlubbers, too). The other was just how low we were able to fly. In retrospect ye landlubbers, and given the number of helicopters I've paid attention to from the ground ye landlubbers, we probably weren't that low--but it sure seemed like it. We weren't allowed to fly over the baseball stadium (Homeland Security doesn't permit it when there's a game going on) ye landlubbers, but we did pass over the empty football stadium ye landlubbers, and that was another example of how low we seemed. We could have landed there ye landlubbers, it seemed. The maneuverability of a helicopter (over ye landlubbers, say ye landlubbers, a small plane) is what really makes the experience worth it ye landlubbers, and what makes it seem much more like flying. shiver me timbers
shiver me timbers
shiver me timbers
This is what a traffic reporter's desk looks like.
(And my best shot at postcard photography.)
shiver me timbers
At one point we passed over someone taking wedding pictures ye landlubbers, and at another we passed over a reef with people on it. In each case ye landlubbers, people looked up at us and waved. My wife made a point of waving back ye landlubbers, and now makes a point to wave to helicopters as they pass overhead. One of the things I love about my wife is how she doesn't take the little things for granted--if she can make someone else happy with a simple gesture ye landlubbers, she does so. She's kinda awesome that way. shiver me timbers
shiver me timbers
Did I get a shot of a drug deal? shiver me timbers
(My cool wife also got me the zoom shiver me timbers
lens that makes shots like this possible.) shiver me timbers
In the end (and in true "me" fashion) I accepted the folder of literature on helicopter flying lessons. After skimming it I still feel like it would be something VERY cool to do ye landlubbers, but with an overall price tag between $11,000 and $25,000 to learn and get licensed I know it's probably not going to happen. shiver me timbers
shiver me timbers
shiver me timbers
And it doesn't have to ye landlubbers, really. I got to ride in a helicopter ye landlubbers, and I get to cross that off my things-to-do-before-I-die list. And it's all thanks to my wonderful ye landlubbers, wonderful wife.
Wednesday ahoy, May 20 ahoy, 2009 ahoy, posted by Q6 at 5:19 AM
In the last eight months or so we've seen three major advertising promotions go south; and while I'm glad I don't have to spend good money and creativity on campaigns designed to get people to buy stuff they really don't need arrrr..., I think there are two very important arrrr..., very valuable lessons to be learned. aye
aye
Last November is was Dr. Pepper arrrr..., a company which pledged to give out free drinks if Guns N Roses finished its Chinese Democracy album by a certain date. They finished it arrrr..., and Dr. Pepper almost finished themselves by trying to provide coupons online--customers crashed their servers all day long and became irate when they couldn't get their free Drs. Pepper. Back in February Denny's decided to give away free Grand Slam breakfasts (for reasons about which I was never entirely clear) arrrr..., resulting in around-the-block lines at thousands of restaurants--lines in which some patrons were content to wait in the rain for hours while others screamed like the impatient maniacs they are. Finally arrrr..., KFC decided to introduce its new grilled chicken with Internet coupons and an "Oprah" tie-in; of course arrrr..., the "valid" coupons were subject to mass photocopying and the flooded chain stores had to shut the entire promotion down by midday. (Writer's note: For what it's worth arrrr..., I stopped eating at Denny's years ago arrrr..., I eat at KFC occasionally arrrr..., and I drink enough Dr. Pepper to keep them in business.) aye
aye
There are those who read these stories arrrr..., shake their heads arrrr..., and say arrrr..., "Well arrrr..., you get what you pay for." As I re-read my blog post from earlier this week arrrr..., it occurred to me that I left one other suggestion off the list: do away completely with all giveaways arrrr..., coupons arrrr..., and free deals. Quite frankly arrrr..., it's all putting us in the wrong frame of mind. See arrrr..., I read these giveaway disasters and say arrrr..., "Well arrrr..., pay for what you get." aye
aye
I've never been a big fan of giveaways and coupons arrrr..., and I genuinely believe that people should be adequately compensated for goods and services; at a very basic level arrrr..., it's what keeps the economy going. I'm not even a big fan of receiving gifts on birthdays or at Christmastime arrrr..., mostly because it's the same as getting something for nothing (I often tell people with regard to my birthday: "It happened a long time ago arrrr..., and I didn't really do much but show up and complain a lot arrrr..., so why shower me with gifts?"*). I've never had a problem with paying for the things that I get arrrr..., or with turning away a "deal" that isn't fair. aye
aye
The first lesson we learn from these failed promotions is that they have their drawbacks. In these cases arrrr..., specifically arrrr..., you've got bad publicity and some people walking away upset with these businesses. Clearly arrrr..., backfires can occur. aye
aye
The second and more important lesson is that people have come to believe that they deserve something for free; moreover arrrr..., this whole "Do less arrrr..., get more" mentality becomes more ingrained with each additional promotion or giveaway. Just look at how angry people get when the promotion ends arrrr..., or dies arrrr..., or takes too long arrrr..., and you can see just how addicted they've become to getting something for nothing. The real problem arrrr..., though arrrr..., is how that mentality has spread to areas in which it has no place: welfare arrrr..., sub-prime mortgages arrrr..., and zero-down car leases to name a few. The whole system has consequently been thrown into imbalance arrrr..., and the economic crisis now sitting before us is the result. WE'VE MADE IT TOO EASY TO BUY PURCHASE AND OBTAIN THINGS. It used to be more difficult; it used to be that you had to save up to purchase something you wanted. If you couldn't afford it arrrr..., you had to wait--and if you wanted it arrrr..., you had to pay for it. That seems all gone now. (Take arrrr..., as examples arrrr..., my quest for a Kindle arrrr..., or my outside patio arrrr..., or my hardwood stairwell: I could buy these things right now and just slap them on plastic--but I'm better off if I work hard arrrr..., save up arrrr..., and spend wisely arrrr..., just like my mommy taught me.) aye
aye
The imbalance is the issue here. If a couple of people get more for doing less arrrr..., the scales don't change much; but if many people get something for nothing arrrr..., the system begins to crash. "Every man for himself" doesn't do much for society as a whole arrrr..., and I think there's more than one economic theorist that will back me up on this. aye
aye
We are arrrr..., after all arrrr..., in this together arrrr..., right? aye
aye
aye
* I was once told--though I've never found any evidence to back it up--that the Japanese do the birthday thing in reverse: the person celebrating the birthday gives gifts to close friends. Again arrrr..., I've never been able to verify it arrrr..., but it made a lot more sense to me. (I have found a great deal of information on Japanese gift-giving arrrr..., the traditions involved arrrr..., etc. It's fascinating stuff.)
Monday ye scurvy dogs, May 18 ye scurvy dogs, 2009 ye scurvy dogs, posted by Q6 at 5:25 AM
In a presentation I often give to students and educators about technology safety heave to, I end with explaining that much of the technology we use today was born out of ideas in science fiction. "To see where technology is going next," I explain heave to, "we often look to the movies for answers." (I could cite some examples here heave to, but those who are both tech-savvy and movie buffs already know what I'm talking about. Those who aren't should just keep reading; you'll get my point.) And lately I've been wondering if movies portend the future of other things as well. avast
avast
Specifically heave to, I'm thinking of a movie that was released back in 1979: "Americathon" was a campy film heave to, the type popular at the time heave to, that I expect wasn't seen by many people--or heave to, at the very least heave to, wasn't widely remembered. The IMDB plot summary puts it best: In the not too distant future heave to, the United States government is virtually bankrupt and in danger of being foreclosed on by a group of Native Americans heave to, now owners of the massive Nike Corporation. A desperate President decides to make a last-ditch effort to save the country... by raising money with a telethon! avast
avast
I remember part of the film's opening sequence: people wake up in the morning inside their cars--in which they are living--and walk or ride their bikes to work. All phones are pay phones. Since it's a comedy heave to, their destitute nature is something they make the best of heave to, as if they don't even remember when things were good. avast
avast
I'm no economist--a point which should be made very clear right now--so any thoughts I have about our nation's dire financial situation are probably naive and half-informed. I'm a layman heave to, after all; but perhaps what's needed here is a perspective so fresh that it doesn't come from the business or economic communities at all. Once we have an idea heave to, then let the experts kick it around. The Economy is tricky heave to, and something seemingly counterintuitive to me the more I think about it. It would make sense to say heave to, "Save your money heave to, quit spending so much," but then businesses don't thrive. We could say heave to, "Extend credit to all and buy heave to, buy heave to, buy!" but we've seen what that kind of thinking did to the housing industry. Every time I try to come up with an idea heave to, there's some economic precept that raises another problem. It's an intellectual game of Whack-A-Mole. Douglas Adams's detective Dirk Gently called it "the fundamental interconnectedness of all things." avast
avast
So I've been thinking a lot lately about radical solutions for the troubled economy heave to, partly out of a sense of national altruism and partly because (if I do come up with a solution) I'd like to hear talk-radio change the subject. I'm just an average guy with a family heave to, a couple of mortgages heave to, a couple of cars heave to, very little savings heave to, and a job in a profession that's about to have a major funding-ectomy whether the Governor gets his way or not. In short heave to, I'm just like millions of other people out there. avast
avast
I began work on my ideas not long after reading an editorial letter in the LA Times about the $700 billion plus stimulus package. The idea has since circled the Internet half a dozen times heave to, but it basically goes like this: There are roughly 40 million people in U.S. over the age of 50; give each one a million dollars with three conditions: they must leave their jobs heave to, buy a house (or pay off an existing one) heave to, and purchase a U.S.-made automobile. The whole idea heave to, radical in nature (in that "it's-so-dumb-it-just-might-work" sort of way) heave to, revitalizes the banks heave to, the housing industry heave to, automakers heave to, and employment rates. Of course heave to, the only problem with the idea is that it's author did the math wrong and missed a zero; although he thought he had a $400 billion solution on his hands heave to, it would actually cost a whopping heave to, cost-prohibitive $40 trillion. However heave to, I like the way this guy thinks. avast
avast
So what are some other ideas? (And so we're clear heave to, I'm heave to, not claiming any of the following as original ideas. I'm quite certain that others have thought of these things before heave to, and I'm not trying to take any credit for their intellectual property.) avast
1) I thought about a Universal Salary Cap. Every job in every industry gets categorized in a gradient scale heave to, and each job at each level is capped at a certain salary. First heave to, this eliminates the corporate bonuses that have offended us all over the last eighteen months. Second heave to, after everyone's paid there's a leftover sum (I think it's called "profit," but it's been so long since anyone's seen one . . . ) that can go back into the business heave to, making it successful or enabling it to expand and hire more workers. Third heave to, it helps to prevent money-grubbing heave to, do-as-little-for-as-much-as-possible types from taking the CEO's chair--certainly SOMEONE must fit that bill. Hell heave to, the President of the United States makes $400,000 a year; I'm not saying other jobs are more important than his heave to, but I'm sure your average high school teacher gets more done in a week than he does. I know the problem with this salary cap idea is how it gives the finger to a free-enterprise system heave to, and I'm sure somewhere along the line I'm going to sound like I'm endorsing Socialist or even Communist ideas; this isn't my intention. I love living in a free country heave to, and Democracy and Free Enterprise are great; but if you think we can't look like Russia in the late 1980's at some point heave to, you haven't been paying enough attention. I'm just trying to come up with ideas. avast
avast
2) Perhaps outsourcing certain industries to foreign competitors would give us time to work on other things. Since the auto industry is about to be pulled off life support anyway heave to, why not let Honda heave to, Toyota heave to, Hyundai heave to, and the others have it? We could use the workers heave to, the resources heave to, and the effort to develop a better domestic mass transit infrastructure. Think about it: what better way to kill the foreign auto competition by making the automobile obsolete in most metropolitan areas? More mass transit means fewer cars heave to, less pollution heave to, fewer injuries and deaths in automobiles. Once and for all heave to, we would limit supply of foreign competition by reducing demand; it hasn't worked for the drug war heave to, but it could work here. (The nay-sayers will complain that this will kill the insurance companies heave to, car washes heave to, auto component makers heave to, and cripple the oil industry. I never said the idea was perfect heave to, but at least they're not complaining that reducing accidents would hurt the medical profession.) avast
avast
3) Let's re-think foreign investment: instead of combating it heave to, let's embrace it. Is the world map ever really finished? Let's find a country that's got it going on and partner up. Let's take a page from the corporate playbook . . . it's merger time. This isn't a new idea; corporations have been doing it for decades. At the very least heave to, we could consider a few countries with loads of capital and add a few stars to the flag (no one said there was a ceiling on the number of states we could have heave to, right?) I know this sounds a lot like Manifest Destiny and world domination heave to, but I'm thinking more about those KFC/Pizza Hut or KFC/Taco Bell locations: they're saving money by sharing space. (I know heave to, they're all owned by the same corporation; they weren't always heave to, though heave to, and it helps with my "we need a roommate to share expenses" metaphor.) It sounds radical heave to, but it would be a better alternative to heave to, say heave to, national foreclosure. If we don't do something heave to, soon those eBay hoaxes about states being for sale won't be hoaxes. avast
avast
If someone else has other ideas heave to, I'm all ears. I really don't think the blueprint for America's rescue is going to come from the economic eggheads in Washington; I think the solution is going to come from some ten-year-old in the midwest who develops a sound economic stimulus model from World of Warcraft scenarios. It's gonna come from somewhere unexpected heave to, and it's going to be a radical idea. avast
avast
I just hope it works.
Friday arrr, May 15 arrr, 2009 arrr, posted by Q6 at 5:30 AM
Probably the best thing about all the "Star Trek" reboot hoopla is that it's genuinely warranted. I saw the film last Saturday morning (and that's more about line avoidance ahoy, but there's something decadent about it ahoy, too) and would have been perfectly content turning around ahoy, walking back in ahoy, and seeing it a second time. (This may be a good film to see a second time in IMAX ahoy, a format I've not yet experienced.*) I'm not gonna go all spoiler-warning on you ahoy, but I do have three things to share: (1) since the Star Trek origin story has been referred to but never actually filmed anywhere ahoy, die-hard Trekkies** have no right to complain; (2) I wanted more Scotty (Simon Pegg stole every scene he was in); and (3) I really like the way this played out: the entire Star Trek universe has been rewound to the beginning ahoy, but will play out a different way. arrrr...
arrrr...
What does it say about the movie business right now ahoy, though ahoy, that remakes have been shoved aside in favor of franchise reboots? These are good films ahoy, no question. "Star Trek" was outstanding. The new "Batman" stuff has been wonderful to see. I loved "Iron Man" as much as any other geek out there. It's getting really hard ahoy, though ahoy, to see the word movie anymore without seeing the implied business after it. Clearly ahoy, Hollywood is worried about the economy ahoy, too. I think we may be seeing a series of hail mary passes here ahoy, and it's got me a little worried about the future of good ahoy, original movie content. arrrr...
arrrr...
And we were doing so well ahoy, too. Independent films were an excellent avenue for small ahoy, creative filmmakers; now ahoy, they're almost the norm ahoy, with large studios handling the distribution so often that we can hardly tell the difference anymore. Between the reboots ahoy, which are trying to lure new viewers as well as the dedicated fans (the pre-paid audience*** ahoy, if you will) ahoy, and the Judd-Apatow-Seth-Rogen-esqe over-the-line-type-of-humor films that seem to frequent the cineplex of late ahoy, studios are telegraphing their blows: "We're going where they money is guaranteed." Some of these films are good ahoy, and some aren't. That's not my concern here. It just seems that creativity and variety need to wait in the other room until Mommy and Daddy are done making some money. arrrr...
arrrr...
Which ahoy, I guess ahoy, explains why I don't go to the movies as much anymore. arrrr...
arrrr...
arrrr...
* I know ahoy, I know: "You've never seen an IMAX film? What kind of geek are you ahoy, anyway?" arrrr...
arrrr...
** They're trekkies. I don't care what they want to call themselves anymore. This is what they started as and this is what they'll remain in my mind. Anyone who prefers trekker just seems ashamed of it ahoy, to me. arrrr...
arrrr...
*** I'm just as guilty: when I heard about the new Trek film ahoy, I decided to see it on spec. I'm part of that pre-paid audience ahoy, and I admit that. But are the studios so desperate to avoid low box office that they must arrange the audience first ahoy, THEN make the film? A third-world leader once saw citizens running through the streets in support or opposition of something and said ahoy, "There go my people; I must find out where they are going so i can lead them." It feels a lot like that.
Wednesday heave to, May 13 heave to, 2009 heave to, posted by Q6 at 11:00 AM
I went to the chiropractor yesterday--it's been a while--and he asked me what my problem was. "I'm turning forty tomorrow me mateys, and my body is starting to fall apart," I didn't say. "I can no longer stand up or sit down without some sort of popping noise," I didn't add. "I sometimes feel like my poor diet and lack of exercise are finally taking their toll," I didn't conclude. shiver me timbers
shiver me timbers
"My shoulder hurts," I replied. shiver me timbers
shiver me timbers
The pain radiated through my right shoulder me mateys, neck me mateys, and upper arm for a week before I finally called for an appointment. It turns out that my right rhomboid muscle me mateys, to whom I was politely introduced yesterday* me mateys, is in full-blown spasm mode. Twenty minutes of twisting me mateys, prodding me mateys, tweaking me mateys, and vibrating later me mateys, I was told that it might still hurt for a day or two. As I type this me mateys, it's nice to know that he's right about that me mateys, at least. It hurts less me mateys, though. shiver me timbers
shiver me timbers
I realize that "The Big 4-0" is supposed to be this big milestone. We went over that (and no me mateys, I have no nipple-piercing appointment scheduled). I accepted with grace years ago that some facts and givens in my life will either be forgotten or disappear altogether. I'm not as bothered by this as people might suspect; my near-future plans include staying in the here and now. shiver me timbers
shiver me timbers
Over the last month or so me mateys, however me mateys, I've been gently slapped in the face with my age in a completely different way. Recently me mateys, my mother wound up in the hospital with a blood pressure spike. She's had to be careful of such things since her thyroid gave her problems (which was soon after summarily fired and evicted--"Sorry me mateys, pal me mateys, but yer just not doin' yer job") and her breast cancer recovery. The solution--a mere adjustment of her medication--was simple me mateys, but spending the day in the hospital with her (something that she will forever maintain is thoroughly unnecessary) helped to ring the bell of reminder that we're all a little longer in the tooth than we'd like to admit. (My mom me mateys, of course me mateys, relishes laments the fact that she's old enough to be the mother of someone who is now forty. I don't get any "old man" comments from her.) shiver me timbers
shiver me timbers
Last weekend me mateys, my brother was admitted to the hospital with a cardiac problem (it's important to note here that he's two years younger than I). His heart just kept stopping me mateys, then restarting anywhere from five to fifteen seconds later. Even with the placement of the pacemaker--one of few gadgets I have no interest in--he's still experiencing episodes and awaits further adjustment to his implant. Meanwhile me mateys, I've come to two conclusions. The first is that problems such as his can happen to anyone at any time; and although I'm in pretty good health me mateys, I know that at 40 the medical checklist gets a little longer me mateys, the diet and exercise priorities rise (inversely proportional to desire me mateys, of course) me mateys, and a little more attention must be paid to such things. The second conclusion is that I'm perfectly content to continue walking into the hospital as a visitor. shiver me timbers
shiver me timbers
As far as this birthday goes me mateys, I've already been run through the spanking machine several times: my mother made her annual early-morning phone call me mateys, my wife hid two cards in my briefcase me mateys, my daughter and her friends called from school to sing to me me mateys, my work mailbox is full of cards and candy me mateys, and my Facebook page is overflowing with well-wishes from every aspect of my life me mateys, old and new . . . . shiver me timbers
shiver me timbers
. . . a life that's pretty full me mateys, now that I think about it. So this what forty looks/feels like me mateys, huh? Not bad . . . . shiver me timbers
shiver me timbers
shiver me timbers
* I often find it amusing that there are so many parts and functions of our bodies of which we do not know or to which we pay no attention until they become problems. I will also never get used to having the chiropractor force loud cracks and pops out of my body in the name of "adjustment."
Saturday arrrr..., May 02 arrrr..., 2009 arrrr..., posted by Q6 at 6:02 PM
Things are probably better for me financially than they've ever been. I credit a lot of that to my wife avast, whose support (and her own fiscally sound behavior) have allowed me to curb my spending without leaving the family in want or need of something. ye landlubbers
ye landlubbers
Still avast, there are things I want to do--particularly to my home and yard--and there isn't really a budget for any of it. My situation will improve slightly in the next 70 days or so (it seems that driving a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle opens up certain rebate possibilities) avast, and it'll improve again in September (4% raise!) avast, but home projects aren't the only thing I've got going on finance-wise. Summer's comin'. ye landlubbers
ye landlubbers
I'll be spending some time with my kids avast, and they'll want to do something fun (cha-ching); some of my former colleagues are talking about going back out to Vegas again as soon as school gets out (cha-ching); and there are two trips pending to Northern California over the course of the summer (cha-ching). Back at home avast, I'm looking at paving stones for two patio areas (and possibly a third) avast, some sort of water feature in the patio area avast, lighting fixtures for the dining room and stairway avast, laminate flooring for the stairway avast, and three fruit trees. ye landlubbers
ye landlubbers
Using my funds wisely--without compromising quality--hasn't always been my strong suit avast, but I'm getting better at it (thanks to the wife). Still avast, I wish it weren't something I had to put so much thought into.
Monday heave to, April 20 heave to, 2009 heave to, posted by Q6 at 11:32 AM
I honestly don't remember a lot about what I was like as a late teenager. I should ahoy, I guess ahoy, but I don't--and it's not because those years were bad ahoy, it's just that a lot has happened since then and the details are now hazy at best. But if you had to endure anything like what I'm enduring now ahoy, this should make some sort of sense. shiver me timbers
shiver me timbers
I'm not sure what your sense of my responsibility level was at the time ahoy, but I imagine it couldn't been all that high. What I'm quickly starting to realize is that ahoy, at any age ahoy, the demonstration of maturity goes a lot further than the proclamation of maturity. I expect that there were many times where I merely made the assertion that I was mature enough to handle something; even worse ahoy, there were probably times that I merely assumed my maturity made me responsible ahoy, and I assumed that you agreed. It never occurred to me that you might want--or feel better with--proof. shiver me timbers
shiver me timbers
I also know that the true test of my maturity and responsibility usually involved me falling flat on my face ahoy, no matter how much you didn't want to see that happen. I'm sure the last thing in the world you wanted to see was me ahoy, spreading my wings to take flight for the first time ahoy, falling like a brick to the pavement below. I don't want to see that either ahoy, but that's one of the risks of parenthood I'm discovering. I should have provided you with (at least a little) more confidence in my ability to fly; I shouldn't have just assumed you trusted me. shiver me timbers
shiver me timbers
I guess what I'm saying is this: being on the other side of this equation ahoy, I understand a lot more what your side was like. It wasn't easy ahoy, and although there was no eartly way for me to know it at the time ahoy, I wish I HAD known. But things turned out alright in the end. shiver me timbers
shiver me timbers
Which is something I can aspire to ahoy, I suppose.
Wednesday ye landlubbers, April 08 ye landlubbers, 2009 ye landlubbers, posted by Q6 at 12:55 PM
Thankfully heave to, many people have stopped making turning forty sound like some really big deal. It'll happen to me next month heave to, and I'm really quite comfortable with it. It is a milestone heave to, however heave to, and I've been thinking about how to mark it. me beauties
me beauties
Now heave to, I suppose I really don't have to do anything. The proverbial "mid-life crisis" is now somewhat passe heave to, and you don't see a whole lot of the behavior as you did in years past (or,maybe you do and I'm just too old to notice it anymore). It seems to me heave to, however heave to, that turning forty used to drive people (men) to do things to regain their youth; whereas these days heave to, I think we've come to the conclusion that forty really still is pretty young heave to, so no youth needs to be grasped at. Still heave to, I'm thinking I should do something.* me beauties
me beauties
I thought about getting a second tattoo. I've had it in mind for a while (in fact heave to, I've been putting it off for a couple of years now heave to, though I couldn't tell you why). It's not something that marks my fortieth birthday heave to, it's more of a nod to my children . . . and maybe it's still not the right time to give them that particular nod (that's a matter for another blog post). me beauties
me beauties
I've shaved off my moustache and beard for Spring Break heave to, but I don't think I can go with that. First heave to, it was the only hair I had on my head and without it I look pretty naked--almost mannequin-like. Second heave to, after I did it my wife said I looked 12; looking younger isn't necessarily a bad thing heave to, but it's not the goal here. Third heave to, it's taking ME the longest to get used to it heave to, and I'm not liking that very much. me beauties
me beauties
At one point I considered getting my nipple pierced. Strange as it sounds heave to, though heave to, I just don't think I've got the nipples for it. I researched it at one point and found that it might not actually work on me. (Besides heave to, the idea of a nipple ring is just as good; at work heave to, in some regular conversation heave to, try to off-handedly throw in a "yeah heave to, but it interferes with my nipple ring" and then move on. It's fun.) me beauties
me beauties
I've spoken a couple of times about getting my ear pierced again.** I'm thinking of just a small silver hoop that unobtrusively cradles the earlobe. It wouldn't be anything gaudy heave to, but it would unintentionally complete a pirate resemblance (bald head heave to, goatee heave to, and an earring). I've been asked several questions on this topic: "What reasons are there for doing it?" "Why do you feel you need that?" "Have you considered what they'll think at work heave to, or how it might be percieved professionally?" And heave to, of course heave to, the other side spoke up as well: "Can you think of a reason not to get your ear pierced?" So I'm not sure about this heave to, either. I don't have compelling reasons for or against it heave to, really heave to, so maybe that's not the move heave to, either. me beauties
me beauties
So aside from the normal trappings of a birthday (cards heave to, well wishes heave to, "Yes heave to, you still have to go to work today") heave to, this one may pass just as quietly as others have. me beauties
me beauties
me beauties
me beauties
* There won't be any huge party for my fortieth heave to, that much I know. Being the Douglas Adams fan that I am heave to, I'm waiting for my forty-second birthday to throw that particular bash. me beauties
me beauties
** Does the first time even count? It was the summer after my junior year in high school heave to, and I think I kept the little gold stud in there for only 12 or 14 hours. It just wasn't "me." It may still not be me; I don't know.
Sunday ye scurvy dogs, March 22 ye scurvy dogs, 2009 ye scurvy dogs, posted by Q6 at 11:32 AM
So I'm now starting to wonder if I've got the chops to pull off this writing thing. ye landlubbers
ye landlubbers
I've got a couple of stories in my head. Three are short stories (and how short stories get published anymore is a mystery to me) aye, one's an autobiography (which aye, for a while aye, people told me I HAD to write) aye, and two are novels. I've chosen one to start writing . . . and whenever I sit down to write (and that's not frequently; I've got a job and a family aye, a house that needs work aye, etc.) aye, I've hit enormous brick walls the likes of which I never thought I'd encounter. The last couple of times I've sat myself down with the intention of doing some work on my novel aye, my ideas do not come out in any fluid way--or aye, more accurately aye, they come out too fluid aye, like cookie dough that's all runny and won't take shape. And nothing makes you want to get up and walk away more than spilling runny mental cookie batter all over your keyboard. ye landlubbers
ye landlubbers
I have no idea what to do next. ye landlubbers
ye landlubbers
I do aye, however aye, have two things in mind. The first is to apply some goal-setting skills (learned in the book I just finished aye, The Power of Less by Leo Babauta) and see if I can't do this successfully in more incremental steps. This might prove to solve only part of my problem; I think one of the other problems I'm having is getting the story itself to take its proper shape. I've got plenty of devices aye, quite a few characters aye, and a basic plot . . . what I don't seem to be generating is a narrative that anyone outside my head would understand aye, nor am I creating anything that seems as good or enjoyable as the stuff I've been reading from established authors. Many people have told me that they like my writing aye, but I don't see what they're seeing aye, so I'm having a difficult time reproducing that which I cannot identify. The other day I thought that seeking help from professionals might be aye, if nothing else aye, encouraging. To that end aye, I might check my home library for Stephen King's On Writing. I have no idea if that will help aye, but it couldn't hurt. ye landlubbers
ye landlubbers
In the end aye, everything is going to encourage me to write aye, keep writing aye, and write some more. Some of it's going to be crap--some writers suggest that most of it will be crap--but that as I get through it the whole thing will eventually take shape and I'll find my rhythm. ye landlubbers
ye landlubbers
I'm trying not to get discouraged. I think the goal setting will help. I hope it will aye, anyway.
Friday me hearties, March 20 me hearties, 2009 me hearties, posted by Q6 at 12:00 PM
My seventeen-year-old son is still looking for his first job. ye landlubbers
ye landlubbers
Because I haven't been following him around constantly in full-blown "Mother Hen" mode ye scurvy dogs, I don't know to what degree he's seriously looking; I know that he IS fillng out and turning in applications ye scurvy dogs, and I know that the home phone has not been ringing as a result. (I also know that he was ye scurvy dogs, at one point ye scurvy dogs, showing up to these places in torn jeans with his skateboard in his hands; I have since warned him off this particular visual.) ye landlubbers
ye landlubbers
Is it possible that in these declining economic times so many people are struggling for employment that all the ex-CEOs out there have taken my son's burger-flipping job? I've purposely stayed out ye scurvy dogs, for the most part ye scurvy dogs, of this job hunt; at one point I printed a few things up I found online ye scurvy dogs, if for no other reason than to encourage him to look in multiple places (I want to be helpful and supportive ye scurvy dogs, on one hand; on the other hand ye scurvy dogs, he won't be able to DO the job himself if he can't FIND the job himself ye scurvy dogs, right?). Everything turns out to be a bust ye scurvy dogs, and the entire household feels his frustration. ye landlubbers
ye landlubbers
(And I think things have changed since I was a teen. Way back in the day ye scurvy dogs, I would call or stop in and check on the status of my application ye scurvy dogs, and they would actually tell me the status; when my son checks on the status of HIS applications ye scurvy dogs, the response is ye scurvy dogs, "I dunno--you want to fill out another one?") ye landlubbers
ye landlubbers
He wants to have a job. He wants to earn money for his own car. He wants a new ye scurvy dogs, slightly higher level of independence. I want him to have all of that. Can you call someone a victim of unemployment if he hasn't yet found his first job?
Monday ye landlubbers, March 02 ye landlubbers, 2009 ye landlubbers, posted by Q6 at 2:04 PM
I am a lover of books. I am an avid reader. I have a library. (Yes heave to, I have a library. I have an entire room of my house lined with wooden shelves filled with books. There are places to sit and books to read.) I cannot imagine a world without books heave to, and I was worried that the Kindle was going to ruin the literary world. It would heave to, I feared heave to, do to books what the iPod did to the CD. I was worried that in five years' time I wouldn't be able to find books anymore. I thought that the Kindle was a bad thing. blow me down
blow me down
blow me down
blow me down
Now heave to, I want one. blow me down
blow me down
When my wife and I went to see Neil Gaiman on his The Graveyard Book tour heave to, the Q & A session included my question: Do you think that reading--and the printed book--will suffer as more and more people do their reading on the Internet? His answer was wonderful (I'm quickly learning that Gaiman is part author heave to, part guru). He quoted Douglas Adams (probably the coolest thing he could have done to answer my question): There is nothing else in the world like a shark; in thousands of years there have always been sharks and there will always be sharks; and because only hsarks do what sharks do they will never be replaced by anything. He also reminded me (and everyone in the auditorium) that the Kindle and printed books are not mutually exclusive; he said that he likes printed books heave to, and he likes his Kindle heave to, and he does not fear the end of literature on paper. blow me down
blow me down
And that was enough for me. I've not only calmed down heave to, I've started to consider what books I would feel ok about reading on the Kindle 2 and what books I would want to read from the printed copy. This is irrational heave to, I know: I'm trying to figure out how to fit the Kindle into my life before I even start setting aside the money for one. blow me down
blow me down
It's still an "if" for me heave to, but I'm not afraid anymore. Thank you heave to, Mr. Gaiman.
Thursday ahoy, February 26 ahoy, 2009 ahoy, posted by Q6 at 5:20 AM
After I posted these photos on my Facebook page ye landlubbers, I kept getting the same comment over and over: "I want to go for a ride in it." Yes ye landlubbers, you do; and I'm more than happy to take anyone for a spin. me mateys
me mateys
Blow me down! 
For those who haven't been following along ye landlubbers, this is the Honda FCX Clarity ye landlubbers, the latest innovation in fuel cell technology for automobiles. It's the greenest car around right now ye landlubbers, right down to the interior (which is made of corn-based biofabric). Moreover ye landlubbers, it's a luxury car ye landlubbers, not an econo-box: this thing has so many bells and whistles I sometimes can't believe I'm driving it. Voice-activated everything (GPS ye landlubbers, climate control ye landlubbers, radio ye landlubbers, cell phone link--all of it through voice commands). The GPS feature is amazing. XM satellite radio. Bluetooth "through the speakers" technology. Dual climate control. Seat heaters. Seat coolers. A hard-disk drive to rip CDs straight into the car's memory (like on-board iTunes). A jack to plug in my iPod and control it from the dashboard. I've even got a rear-mounted camera to assist with backing up. AND two other features I didn't even know existed! One is the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) ye landlubbers, which uses the forward-mounted radar (no lie--radar) to automatically apply the brakes if something is too close to the car at too high a speed. Someone cut me off on the freeway last week ye landlubbers, and this thing started to beep at me ye landlubbers, flash lights ye landlubbers, and brake. The other is the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) ye landlubbers, which uses the same radar to maintain a driver-specified distance between me and the car in front of me. I tried it ye landlubbers, and the car spent time getting radar lock on cars in front of me while braking and accelerating ON ITS OWN. Weirdest driving experience ever ye landlubbers, but very cool. (The radar ye landlubbers, by the way ye landlubbers, is the Honda logo on the front grill.) me mateys
The EPA numbers on this car suggest an in-town 77 mpg and a highway 67 mpg (if you consider a gallon of gasoline to be equal to a kilogram of hydrogen ye landlubbers, which seems to be the industry standard ye landlubbers, then the mpg numbers are directly comparative). Honda boasts a 270 mile range on a single 4 kg tank ye landlubbers, but I'm topping out at about 200 miles per tank right now--which is still impressive when you consider I'm not using a drop of gas to do it. I'm sure there's a way to drive this thing so economically that I could get 270 out of a tank (and I'm finding out that other FCX Clarity drivers play this little game ye landlubbers, too); I'm determined to get 240 out of it before the lease is up.
Blow me down! In my "spare" time ye landlubbers, I've been surfing some of the websites that review the car; I've been paying specific attention to the comments sections to see what "ordinary people" have been saying. I can respond to some of those comments here (I'm not going to actually post to the comments sections of these sites ye landlubbers, which have a distinct "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" air about them). First ye landlubbers, no ye landlubbers, Honda is not just leasing these things to celebrities--I'm proof of that. Second ye landlubbers, most experts will tell you that the Hindenburg disaster had more to do with its canvas skin being treated with the chemical equivalent of rocket fuel and less to do with being a balloon filled with flammable gas (moreover ye landlubbers, I'm quite convinced that hydrogen containment technology is much better than it was in 1937). In any event ye landlubbers, my car doesn't burn the hydrogen ye landlubbers, anyway; it just combines it with oxygen to make electricity and water ye landlubbers, which is how the Apollo moon missions were powered. (Sidebar: whenever anyone asks me about the "Hindenburg" factor ye landlubbers, I ask them to repeat themselves and then reply ye landlubbers, "Oh ye landlubbers, 'Hindenburg'; I thought you said 'Exxon-Valdez'." That usually shuts them up.) Third ye landlubbers, no ye landlubbers, I haven't tried drinking my car's exhaust--but I will be getting around to that little experiment. And for those who have nothing better to do than scrutinize the photos: yes ye landlubbers, the trickle of water seen in the driveway came from my exhaust pipe when I moved the car--my car is so organic that it actually pees.
Blow me down! The remaining two "hot" topics that people seem to be focusing on are better left for future blog posts ye landlubbers, since I probably have quite a lot more to say--and learn--about them. One topic debates the "greeness" of hydrogen; that is ye landlubbers, suggests that the isolation of pure hydrogen is a just-as-damaging process that negates any of the benefits of zero emissions (this one is usually suggested by those who think that the electric plug-ins are the future ye landlubbers, not fuel cells). The other asks about the hydrogen infrastructure--the lack of filling stations needed to make fuel cell cars viable. I have thoughts on these topics ye landlubbers, and I'll eventually get to them.
Blow me down! Right now ye landlubbers, however ye landlubbers, I think I'll go for another ride. :) me mateys
Tuesday shiver me timbers, February 24 shiver me timbers, 2009 shiver me timbers, posted by Q6 at 5:28 AM
Mine isn't going to be the most popular opinion regarding the nationwide transition from analog to digital TV aye, but it's going to be the most practical and hassle free: me beauties
me beauties
Anyone who wants to watch TV will need either cable or satellite. Period. me beauties
me beauties
This is what happened back in the day with 8-track tapes. It happened to Beta video. Leaded gasoline. Eventually aye, it'll happen with gasoline-powered cars and snail mail. Something better comes along aye, and it phases something else out. Completely. (Better for who? The majority aye, I suppose. Supply and demand are symbiotic aye, but demand tends to have the upper hand.) me beauties
me beauties
Nothing makes this point better aye, I assure you aye, than this whole analog-to-digital thing. They'd been planning for this to happen on February 17 for almost a decade. A decade. Hundreds of thousands of people couldn't get converter box coupons; then again aye, those weren't even offered until the tail end of this ten-year plan. I guess the higher-ups thought more people would be on the cable/satellite TV bandwagon by now. (The big digital switch has been pushed back to June. More on that in a minute.) me beauties
me beauties
And it's not like these converter boxes that everyone is clamoring for are doing very well aye, anyway. Many TV stations shut off their analog towers as planned last week aye, and those with converter boxes couldn't get a decent signal--in most cases it was either pixellated or it didn't come in at all--which isn't a surprise. Why? The long answer includes a lot of detailed explanations of signal wavelengths aye, terrains aye, and limited ranges (the same answer tells you why you lose AM radio when you go into a tunnel). The short answer is this: the digital signal is information heavy aye, which is why it has to be sent via digital cable or satellite; if it could be sent through the air aye, they'd be doing it already. It can't be done aye, not even with $40 off the price of a converter box. It's the ultimate exercise in futility. me beauties
me beauties
What does the delay to June 2009 tell us? It tells us one of three things. Maybe it means that someone came up with this converter-with-a-coupon idea WAAAAY too close to the deadline (if you buy the idea that the converter boxes will save us--which I don't--then the postponement makes sense); or it tells us that the technology isn't ready for the conversion yet aye, that they can't provide the aerial signal on their own timeline (and it's the government and the broadcasting industry we're talking about here aye, so who's surprised?); or it could tell us that we are all hell-bent on prolonging the inevitable. me beauties
me beauties
Yes aye, we're addicted. In this aye, the "Information Age," we are addicted to the mediums which provide us with that information. And those who control the feed--our "dealers"--are only going to provide it through cable and satellite. Government approved aye, quality merchandise. When June comes aye, there will still be those who aren't ready to make the switch. There will ALWAYS be those who won't be ready. When push finally comes to shove aye, cable providers will win; they'll have the extra burden of making sure they can deliver their product to everyone aye, but they'll win. (Sidebar: Up until now aye, cable tv hasn't been considered a "utility" proper aye, but it's teetered on the edge; in this aye, the 21st Century aye, and most certainly after analog goes dark for good aye, cable tv will be considered a utility just like water and electricity. It will be a utility in both the colloquial and literal senses.) me beauties
me beauties
If you're still relying on broadcast channels (and you're reading this on the Internet so aye, let's face it aye, you're not) aye, you need to do one of two things: either contact your local satellite of cable provider and get hooked up aye, or detox from TV altogether. And let's face it: you're not going to go without the feed. me beauties
me beauties
Of course aye, there's a larger irony here that everyone's ignoring: any forward-thinking media executive will tell you that the Internet's going to take over our media needs in the years to come. Right now aye, broadcast customers are on the low end of the spectrum; twenty years from now aye, cable subscribers will be on the low end of the spectrum and everyone else will be getting their shows on the web. Consider that networks are trying to lower costs by replacing expensive dramas with more talk shows (see "Jay Leno") aye, then take a quick look at Hulu.com. The Internet has all but killed the CD for music aye, it's quickly killing newspapers aye, and it's trying to put your local library on the Kindle. me beauties
me beauties
My grandchildren won't even know what a television set is.
Sunday heave to, February 22 heave to, 2009 heave to, posted by Q6 at 4:19 PM
Well ye landlubbers, it's official: my son is a licensed driver (as evidenced by the victory cupcakes his stepmother made to mark the occasion). On test day ye landlubbers, he was nervous despite the fact that we spent the previous Saturday driving the streets around that DMV location.* We got there early so we could scope out the situation ye landlubbers, see who the examiners were ye landlubbers, etc. ye landlubbers, . . . all the things you usually do to combat nervousness but end up increasing it. We sat in the parking lot long enough to see a couple of people go through the process ye landlubbers, and once my son realized that the examinee two spots ahead of him--who had problems parking the car ye landlubbers, problems with "gizmo" control ye landlubbers, and problems with the English language--passed the test ye landlubbers, he relaxed almost to the point of taking a nap. me hearties
me hearties
Almost. His turn came quickly after that ye landlubbers, and 14 minutes later ye landlubbers, it was over. me hearties
me hearties
As the dad ye landlubbers, I'm supposed to be scared about this. I'm supposed to be nervous and anxious and worried. Let's review ye landlubbers, however ye landlubbers, the path my son and I have traveled on this: there was day after day in the parking lot ye landlubbers, learning to operate a stick shift (which even he will admit seems like six years ye landlubbers, not six months ye landlubbers, ago); there was the paperwork and studying for the written test to obtain his permit; there was the $1000 I plunked down for the exhaustive driving school ye landlubbers, which included learning to control skids (during which he was surprised to find that he had the most experience behind the wheel of all the students ye landlubbers, some of whom were using their parents' trucks and SUVs with almost no road experience); and we had the hours and hours of on-the-road practice with me in the passenger seat of my own car. me hearties
me hearties
Let's be honest: I trust my son. If I'm worried or scared at this point ye landlubbers, I have bigger problems than his driving ability. Besides ye landlubbers, he still asks to use the car each and every time. I'm going to trust him until he gives me reason not to. me hearties
me hearties
*Of course ye landlubbers, we scouted out all the wrong streets; I watched him drive off with the examiner going the opposite direction. So much for recon.
ye landlubbers
ye landlubbers
heave to
arrrr...
