The Other Side Of The Fence

I've had a week filled with numerous discussions, experiences and revelations.... all of which circle back to a simple thought that keeps running through my mind. A thought about choices, commitments, fears, envy, and ultimately, the bullshit that skews and distorts reality from fantasy. Between family visiting for Thanksgiving, discussions on the meaning of life with a life-long friend, news of another acquaintance being caught by his wife in an extramarital situation, the acceleration of a major surgery for one of my children and the news that a man I don't know has been given 2 months to live, there's been plenty of cause for reflection and introspection.

Over coffee at Denny's, my longtime friend Matt and I sat and delved into envy and regrets. Interestingly, amidst my own assertions of how complex, demanding and life altering marriage and parenthood were in contrast to his own single and relatively uncommitted life, he voiced his own sense of emptiness and longing for some sense of meaning and purpose, and his envy for my circumstances.

Over Thanksgiving dinner, heavy topics arose, leading to my vehemently positioning myself against the idea of a future with religious belief's being at all acceptable in an educated and evolved society while my strong-willed and opinionated mother firmly stood her grounds on allowing for people's freedom and right to believe what they wish. And later that evening my wife, brother-in-law and I discussed the complex dilemma that one faces when trying to weight the pro and con arguments that surround politics, global warming, religion... where it's typical that one finds and adheres to stories, studies, and statements that support their own perspectives and feelings while easily dismissing the same volume of arguments or evidence that rebuke their beliefs or opinions. (I have a longer post on this topic forthcoming).

In addition to some deep thoughts being parleyed about, we were advised by a trusted physician that we'd have to start planning for back surgery for my daughter whose congenital scoliosis is worsening, an acquaintance's wife received an unexpected call from a woman her husband has been somehow involved with, and the husband of my sister-in-law was advised that his brother had two months to live before succumbing to cancer.

All these things make me think of two sides of a fence.

Contending with my daughter's imminent need to undergo complex spinal surgery pales in comparison to the thought that'd I'd ever suddenly be told I will not be around to see her through it a few months from now. There's always something worse, it seems, that could be happening. I can't imagine how one would handle news such as that. Yet as horrible as it might be to be advised that you had a limited time left, imagine having no warning, and just not making it from the office to your home. These are the thoughts that keep me up at night and make me want to continue to strive to keep things in perspective and appreciate my own good fortune. It makes me want to appreciate being on this side of the fence.

When it comes to taking sides on an environmental issue, a political party, or a religion's stance, There's usually one side or the other. Most of the people I've had substantial dialogs with tend to stand on their own side of the fence, and seldom give any consideration that there's a chance that a whole lot of fertilizer went into the soil beneath that vision of an idyllic green field. I've been guilty of doing so myself at times, and there's no doubt they've seen my side of the fence like the one built on shitty grounds. I have definitely leaped over the white picket's more than enough times to have arrived at the conclusions I have, but when there's room for doubt or a chance I might be mistaken, such as earlier this year when I was engaged in debates with family about global warming, I will check out the other side. I did willingly read and consider the nay-sayer positions in order to ensure I was not just buying into a trend that had no truth behind it. And when it comes right down to it, especially in the world of politics, who's really got time to read everything, fact check, research and validate or dismiss counterpoints, and continue ad nauseam? Who do you believe? If you just follow the party line you're a sheep, but if you try and answer and validate every contrary statement you'll never stop doing so. Those fences run in parallel lines well off into the horizon, and I honestly don't know that anybody could vault over them and even reach the end of some of these more complex and diversely divided segments of our society.

Returning back to my friend and our conversation, and the reference to an acquaintance's compromising position being revealed; it's amazing to stop and think about how one man's struggles appear to be another's salvation, and also how people that leap over a fence in an effort to fulfill some need, validate themselves, or just find something exciting in their staid daily routines, also find that the mirage of greener grass gives way to the slippery slope of cow patties and methane beneath the illusion.

Only When You Need It

Why is it that the week after you allow somebody to borrow something you've not used for over six months or more, you find yourself needing it? Seriously... tools, DVDs, computer accessories.... it seems to be more the rule than the exception that I wind up without something just when I need it, and I never need it unless it's not in my possession.

Tips On Takeout

Does anybody actually 'tip' on phone/take out orders? We've had credit cards around for decades, yet it seems that more and more often, when picking up a to-go or phoned in order for Pizza, a burrito or a #12 with egg roll, when I pay with the card, a printed receipt is handed to me to sign, with an open space for the tip and total. Sure, this is and has been common place when being served in a restaurant, but all of the sudden, when I run in to grab the bag of grub I've ordered in advance, I'm put in the awkward position of having to cross out the tip section and write in the total. Does the staff actually expect that I'll be adding some percentage to my final amount as a gratuity for, uh... for making the food and putting it into a bag?

They must. And it must be working, because this is happening frequently, so there's obviously a trend behind it.

The Life Span Of Words

When I was around 9 or 10, I remember an abstract thought crossing through my mind, and it's never quite left. The thought was about life, and one's lifespan, and what unknown forces might dictate it. For whatever reason, the following idea came to me: what if we all started out in life with a limited number of words to use at our disposal, and every word we spoke subtracted from it. The number was unknown, random for everybody, but always billions and billions. Yet eventually, when you used your final words, they were just that: your final words. And then you were done. You'd die. Of course random acts and occurrences would still be at play, and one might be cut down without ever having used all the words he had at his disposal, but in a nutshell, the countdown to your imminent demise would go hand in hand with the remaining words available to you from your own personal allocation.

As a child, I actually remember, just for the heck of it, trying to see if I could limit my use of words in a day. It was not easy, but it was something to do. I was 9, remember?

Today, the memory of that concept still lingers. I don't try and limit my word use, of course, as I know it's a silly idea from my childhood. But you know, if it were really true, one thing is for certain. That whole statistic about women outliving men would be greatly skewed in the other direction.

:-D

yFlicks. Reel Easy.

There's a new version of yFlicks hitting the streets today, and it's been added to my "Favorite Sofware" sidebar as well. There's something it does that I've wanted for some time now. It's like 'iPhoto' for your computer's movie library, and it allows you to set 'tags' so you can group things like Genres, Cast Members, Directors, etc. But this new version, 3.0, adds a feature called "Usher" as well as Autotagging.

I LOVE Apple's FrontRow feature. Access to movies on my laptop, across the room from our iMac, or pumped through our television set. But try browsing for an Adventure film to watch within a flat alphabetized list of files and you'll immediately recognize a limitation. Want to see the movies you added in the last month? In the mood for a Hitchcock classic? Care to browse though the Classics, Movies from the 70's, or just know that you've not watched yet? Perhaps you're looking for that one specific comedy... it was a Woody Allen film, had that actress... no, not Mia, the other one... Diane something... but FrontRow can't help you there.

FrontRow shows you everything you have. yFlicks usher's you directly to what you're looking for. Using metadata tagging automatically populated for you or entered on your own, yFlicks knowingly populates your Movies folder within FrontRow using incredibly simple or infinitely detailed settings you define or alter. With yFlicks you'll browse your movie library by Genre, Actor, Director, MPAA Rating, or Year. You can create your own tag's too. Flag a movie as a "Romance" for date nights, or create an "Unwatched" group to store everything you've not watch yet. Use yFlicks own 'star rating' to create a "Favorites" category. All of these appear within FrontRow for easy selection. And you can nest groups as well. Within Comedy, group by Director. And within Director, group by Cast. Now use FrontRow and choose Genre:Comedy>Director:Woody Allen>Cast:Diane Keaton, and you'll see "Annie Hall" at the top of the list. TRY THAT in FrontRow :-)

yFlicks has also taken the idea of tags and simplified their entry. With an intuitive list of standard values, one click lookup and the entry of Cast, Director, Genre, Year, MPAA Ratings and the plot summary are made for you. No more looking up IMDB. No checking the spelling of "Spielberg". No guessing at Year. No skipping of Director. No struggling to remember the name of that Actress in "Annie Hall". Just click, select, and watch the data appear for you. Oh, and did I mention the DVD cover image comes over as well? They do.

This is a stellar enhancement and fills a space that nobody else provides today. Not even Apple. I'd like to say I thought of it. I'd like to say I coined the term "Usher". I'd like to say i contacted these developers and worked with them to add these features and bring it to market.

I'd like to, but I won't.

Kindle Guardin'

A few months back, under serious hush tones, decrees of silence, and a small amount of blood pressed from a pricked fingertip onto an aging scroll of yellowing parchment, I was permitted to touch the future of printed media. Allegedly. Today the product, the Kindle, has been unveiled, releasing me from my gag order and giving me the freedom to speak openly about it. The reviews I've seen so far, sans Newsweek's very optimistic review, have been lukewarm. I've checked one out and used it, and even grilled my contact about its marketplace. As far as a device for the average consumer, I just don't see our society embracing eBook readers yet. BUT put this device into a hospital, loaded with medical reference materials, or on college campuses filled with textbooks and related reading assignments, and I see a big potential. For personal use, I'm not so sure it'll replace paper and ink, but for business, science and academic use, it could be a huge success.

How Could He Miss Her?

I just saw an ad for Penney's, and the music was John Lennon's "Real Love" track. It was him, not a cover band. Would John Lennon really have lowered himself to hawking a 3rd rate department store? I don't think so, but he's not here to manage his affairs. His wife is. All I can think now is how could Chapman have missed?

Ok, that's brutal and not fair. But damn... it's a sad day when his music becomes an advertising theme.

Judgment Day - I.D. on Trial

Oh, set your TiVo's. This is gonna be an interesting show.


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UPDATE: Wow, what an incredible show. Intelligent, engaging, and more interesting and suspenseful then most fictional court-room dramas. I also believe the presentation was quite neutral, focusing on the conflict, differing opinions and court room transcripts. Then again, the "cdesign proponentsists" would disagree, but the science revealed in this trial and in this presentation was jaw-dropping. As was the audacity of the deceptions uncovered along the way.

NOVA's publishing the entire show online starting November 16.

But for those of you with limited time, here's a quick 30-second summation:

Don't Stand So Close To Pee

Allow me to preface this by stating that I work with all sorts of nationalities, and people's names are quite diverse in the Bay Area. You don't just encounter Tom, Dick, and Ralph around here. I've worked with Diby, Swami, Munjal, Ravi, Chingpin, and other various names from numerous nationalities. One name that spawned this post is "Deep". No, not in a philosophical sense, but a literal sense. "Deep".

Call me a prude, but what the hell is it these days with people taking or making cell phone calls in the men's room? And I don't mean that somebody's just finishing drying their hands as the phone rings on their way out the door... there are people walking up to urinals while making or taking calls at the same time. Don't you think that's a bit rude? Not only are you exposing the caller to your own, oh, shall we say 'stream of consciousness', but you also make unexpected participants of your call of anybody else in the facility. And seriously, is that call so critical that you'll risk your precious iPhone to a possible slip of the wrist and subsequent plunge?

Anyway, while in the men's room earlier today, another person entered, approached the urinal, and in mid-stream, answered a phone call and said "Hello. This is Deep".

The first thought that crossed my mind as I heard this simple statement? "Braggart".

Followed, of course, by the title of this post.

Midvale Alumni On Campus

There's a conference room on the first floor of the building I work in. I walk past it on my way to and from my office numerous times on any given day, and I attend a recurring meeting in their every afternoon. So I'm intimately familiar with the fact that the right of the two doors has been broken for some time. It won't open, no matter how hard you try. In fact, somebody has mindfully placed a pink "Sticky Note" on the broken side, with the simple instructions to "Use Other Door" and an arrow pointing to the left door. That particular room is often used for visitors attending campus events or large meetings. While those two doors are the only way in, there's a set of doors on the outside of the building that are exit doors leading from that room to the internal campus grounds. There's no external handles, just those on the inside, in case of emergency.

As I was walking into the building from the internal side after lunch, I came upon two visitors walking out of the building, looking for handles on those external doors and appearing bewildered and confused. I asked if they were trying to get into that room, they said yes, and as we walked back in together, I pointed them towards the internal doors.

At which point they indicated that the sign there said to "Use Other Door".

Counter Point

My recent battles with a sinus infection, as well as my daughter's own bout with Pink Eye, have placed me in the pharmacy line several times in the past week. And each time I've gone, I'm completely unable to understand the concept behind the alleged 'privacy zone' they've mapped out by the counter. It's ludicrous at best, and just another example of stupid human tricks, or addressing a possible issue with a placebo solution.

My hearing is far from perfect, yet even at four times the distance from the floor decal and signs that mark the privacy perimeter, it's impossible for me to not hear the counter personnel discussing the medication with the customers. Even with hushed tones, I'm still able to clearly make out the unsavory side effects that a generic tube of ointment is expected to cause, as well as how long the application may need to remain in place in order to ensure the entire crab colony is eradicated. Now that is really not something I need to hear while waiting for a simple sinus medication be filled, clutching a box of tissues and a can of clam chowder that is suddenly destined to be returned to the shelf un-purchased.

How exactly is an imaginary three feet barrier supposed to comfort the patient into believing that the crowd surrounding them will not be tipped off to their struggles with one personal ailment or another? Is some invisible Get Smart cone-of-silence being lowered without our knowing? Because if it is, then, uh, 'tap-tap-tap... helloooo.... we can still hear you!'.

Somewhere in the history of the retail pharmaceutical industry, enough patron's likely found themselves and their medical circumstances being overexposed at the compact section in the back of the store. Surely, it'd be uncomfortable having one's medical circumstances being discussed in so open a forum. I empathize. I truly do. So much so, in fact, that it's insulting to think one's expected to consider the distance provided is ample enough to maintain a sense of intimate discretion. Far from it. Not only is the distance NOT enough to exclude me from learning that medications intended to constrain involuntary flatulence may cause drowsiness or headaches, it's not enough distance for me to avoid having deduced the customer's reasons for being at the counter in the first place.

Things like this bug me because they're just not sensible. There's no thought or rational reason for anybody to think this is effective in the least. Sure, visitor's may be reminded to keep a moderate distance, and they'll nonchalantly look about or shuffle their feet in feigned ignorance, but nobody's fooling anybody. So why the charade? That's the rub.