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A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and does what he wants to do. - Dylan |
Carbonboy's Web Log May 2004 |
Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them. - Einstein |
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Baby Bushisms This foreign policy stuff is a little bit frustrating. I think anybody who doesn't think I'm smart enough to handle the job is underestimating. If terriers and bariffs are torn down, this economy will grow. Security is the essential roadblock to achieving the roadmap to peace. If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator. Presidents, whether things are good or bad, get the blame. I understand that. Life's Little Instruction Book May not apply in 2004 Take along two BIG safety pins when you travel, so you can pin the drapes shut in your motel room. Pay extra money for the BEST SEATS at a play, game or concert. Never pay THREE TIMES you annual income for a mortgage. An Oxymoron that refuses to die? Military Intelligence * |
May 23, 2004
Early Adaptors I no longer have the compulsion to be an early adaptor. For one thing, I can't afford it, and for another, I just don't care anymore. I can walk in and out of a Best Buy without even so much as pulling my wallet out. And when I leave after an hour of browsing, I have a sense of calm and a feeling of victory. I used to have this need to have just about all the latest and greatest of all things that interested me -- software, hardware, cameras, AV gear and generally cool gadgets from a complete set of Makita Tools to 3D modeling software in about every available favor. Oh, the urge remains, but common sense now prevails. Such was not always the case. My modem collection is worthy of donation to the Smithsonian: six dial-ups, from 9600 baud to 56K, an ISDN, a vintage Qwest DSL, a Comcast cable, 2 DirecWay sat-dish modems (a 1-way and a 2-way) and a 2nd SBC DSL -- none of which I currently use (or ever will). I never bought a camera for under a thousand dollars (at least for the last 20 years). My two Nikon SLR's are safely sowed away and have not exposed any film since 1999. The last lens I bought for them, a super fast 24-300mm, never has seen duty. But when Nikon brings out an affordable semi-pro 12 mega-pixel digital body, my Nikkor lens collection shall be resurrected, at least for a time. I paid $1495 for my Dimage 7 so to have the first 5.2 mega-pixel on the market only to see its price reduced to $995 a month later. Boy was I pissed -- and that's when this early adaptor craze lost some steam. Back in the '80's, when I was a hardcore early adaptor, state-of-the-art didn't seem to cost so much. One could spend $3-4K and have a really bitchin stereo system. Today, you could spend $100K and that's just for the car system. And it probably doesn't sound all that much better, given we moved to over-sampling digital from full frequency analog. I suppose if I were richer, I'd still be an early adaptor. But since I'm not, I'll just forgo the primal urges and maybe pick up another piece of boring real estate. I did finally setup my wireless DSL 802.11g router tonight. It's so cool to be sitting on the back patio or even poolside with my laptop totally wire-free -- like skinny-dipping with a girl for the first time. If only I had one of those super-cool ultra-thin VAIO's . . . Well, I'll get over it. *** Reading: Eats, Shoots and Leaves -- Lynne Truss; oxymoronica -- Dr. Mardy Grothe. Giving up: Farm raised salmon -- if half the stuff they say about those poor fish is true, there's reason enough to buy the wild variety, even if it means shipping them from Pike's Place, WA. Listening to: Cat Stevens, John Mayall, Paul Butterfield (thanks to cousin Jim) and TV on the Radio. May 11, 2004 Sport
For me, it had everything to do with hand-eye coordination. As a kid, I did not have it. I mean, I liked the thrill of stepping up to the plate, but dreaded the agony of being in left field and missing a slow pop-up that should have been an "easy out." Both events usually ended in utter disappointment for me more times than not. But striking out was not anywhere near as bad as missing the catch. And each accumulative event lessened my interest in the world of sport. When my parents finally stopped the torture by not forcing me to play, I moved on and never looked back. But the damage was done. I think I made it through one live professional baseball game since then and that's only because I was host to some Japanese senior executives for the sake of my employer (and I got a really bad sunburn just to reinforce my early distain). Today, it seems, something even more perverse has happened to sport. Of course, it happened to music, film and art as well: BIG BUSINESS has taken over. The fans don't seem to mind the high cost of attending a sport (music, film, arts) event. But to get the "BEST" seats in an event -- forget it, that's no longer possible. A mere fan can't compete with BIG BUSINESS after all. But go to a sport event in Baltimore (for example) , and at least the food is much better (but still pricey and no healthier). So we are making progress. A sport event has the potential to be a cultural event (as well as a business event up there in the private suites). At this point in my life, I have no regrets about having poor hand-eye coordination as a kid. Think of all the time I would have wasted if I didn't. But I don't fault anyone for liking sport. It's the price you pay for having good hand-eye coordination as a kid. I would have given anything to have it back then, at least until my parents stopped forcing me to participate in it. I wonder how many kids today feel the same way that I did? Sport, Sport, masculine sport, it's an odd boy that doesn't like sport." - Bonzo Dog Band May 9, 2004 I'm Back - Hitting Low
Ok, I needed a week to recover from my visitors. Like I'm this guy that can handle disruption from routine better than most -- but I guess that's a myth. So, here's what's coming: Sports and poor hand-eye coordination -- what's a kid (like me) to do. Early Adaptors and why I've given it up -- my wireless router experience. A gem I picked up for $3.99: The Complete Life's Little Instruction Book (dated as some "instructions" might tie you up in security, until you explained). Two Books I passed on: How to Fire Your Boss and My Secret Life (Victorian erotic) -- I read it as a kid - thanks to my dad (and without his knowledge). I bought the South Beach Diet Cook Book and why. Food, Food. Food. What I am reading; The Malcontents - The Best Bitter, Cynical, and Satirical Writing in the World (makes me look like a wimp). I can only get better. Why I (just) gave up on flame wars (the clueless masses "don't get" satire anymore (too much reality TV)). More of the "Jim & Mike Story" and the Don Laing Final Year -- both long over due. Yes - I'm back -- with a vengeance, well something close. *** *** ***
© 2000-2004 Michael Milauskas - Composites-By-Design Corporation |
Papa Bushisms I have opinions of my own -- strong opinions -- but I don't always agree with them. People say I indecisive, but I don't know about that. We're enjoying sluggish times, but not enjoying them very much. And the man in between: I never had sex with that woman. . . . but I didn't inhale. And to summarize: No one has a finer command of the language than the person that keeps his mouth shut. -Sam Rayburn Life's Little Instruction Book May still apply in 2004 Whenever you hear an ambulance siren, say a prayer for the person inside. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. Meet regularly with someone that has vastly different views than you. Trust in God, but lock your car. An Oxymoron headed for extinction? Compassionate Conservative * |
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Well
they didn't have T-ball when I was a kid, so maybe that's why I don't
care so much for sport. Except for a Green Bay Packer's game, when
I can catch it -- or "coed" volleyball on the beach when it's HOT, and I
can play in it, I don't care much for sport.