bit of a rant

March 21, 2015 6:49 AM , Leave a Comment ,

We are still about 2 years away from an election and already the political machines on both sides of the aisle are revving up and starting to sling mud.  We’ve entered a phase in american politics where the election season never ends and both sides engage in endless posturing, diatribes, and pointless bickering.

I find it amazing to see that with all the work that needs to be done such as fixing infrastructure, reforming our immigration system, balancing the budget, restoring our education system to prominence, and a host of other issues that the only thing we seem to have time to do is to launch accusations and suggest investigations back and forth.

How do the american people accept this soap opera to be a functioning system of government? Someone somewhere must be saying that there’s got to be a better way of doing things, but if they are, they are being drowned out by the media pundits that salivate at the thought of the latest outrageous lies that they can capture and rebroadcast to a seemingly insatiable public that seems to love hearing their utterances.

Now with the internet and instant contact on social media these attention leeches not only feel free to express themselves more but seemingly feel obligated to outdo themselves with even more stupidity.

Really it makes one despair for the political process.  I could say that things were better when I was young and inevitably someone might answer that my perspective is warped and it really wasn’t better when I was young.  But truth be told, it really was better when I was young.

The way things are going we will see record amounts spent on the next national election cycle.  Money that comes from political action groups.  All in the name of free expression and most of it from the vaults of concerned corporations that will have access to the winners and in some cases will be writing the legislation for the winners to submit to congress.

Is this what you want out of your government?

 

 

Posted in: politics

image and substance

March 19, 2015 6:51 AM , Leave a Comment ,

Back when I was growing up I always heard from my elders that it mattered more to be good than to look good.  The idea that substance mattered more than style.  I was encouraged not to think about how polished or how well I presented myself or my ideas.  The substance was the most important part and for the most part I agreed with this point of view and still do to a small degree.

Time passed of course and I entered college and later went into the workforce and started realizing that style and presentation did matter.  At first style didn’t matter as I was in basic production work and everything that I did or produced would be passed up the chain to a boss or sub-boss who would polish the work and put it into a format that the client would receive.

I was then moved into a position where I had more contact with clients and I began to have an appreciation of style and delivery.  Also I began to appreciate that how you presented yourself might directly affect any possible sales or projects.  I had to write coherent proposals, I had to speak with confidence, I had to become more gregarious and outgoing.  A difficult process that is still ongoing to this day.

So really in the end it has turned out that it’s not good enough to be good or to look good but that you have to both be good and look good at the same time.

Effectively presenting yourself and your ideas can be as if not more crucial than your actual ideas.  But of course if you don’t have a good idea (product, proposal, whatever) in the first place, then all the polish and slick words will mean nothing.

The more I think about this the more I’ve come to the conclusion that this is the way that things have always been.  Even before I was born people have had to both look and be good in order to get ahead.  The notion that this is a new phenomena is preposterous.

So we live in an extremely competitive world where we have to strive and stretch to do our best not just in our business but our personal lives.  Those that can’t look good while being good will find the path to success much more difficult.

 

Posted in: activities, business, culture, life in general, skills

The zen of doing

March 17, 2015 6:43 AM , Leave a Comment ,

I find driving fills me with a self-confidence or smoothness that I have no where else in my life.  The act of guiding a ton and a half of metal down an asphalt path at high-speed seems to fit me like no other activity does.  I seem to have an almost symbiotic relationship with vehicles of any type.  Admittedly when I first get to know a new car or vehicle I’m horrible.  But soon that changes and given enough time I become a virtuoso. I can feel how much or how little pressure it takes to change direction or to alter the weight of my foot on the accelerator to get just enough acceleration to pass someone else without going all out.  In return I can “feel” when the engine makes an odd noise or when the pavement changes or if that driver to the left and behind me is getting too close to my bumper.

Perhaps it’s the affinity of someone who spends a lot of time around vehicles.  Perhaps it’s the stillborn soul of the jet pilot that I never grew up to be screaming for release. The awkward and unsure clod melts away and in his place is a confident and suave operator manipulating the control with a minimum of effort and creating ballet like results on the road.

In Japanese there is the concept of mushin no shin, or loosely translated into English, no mind.  This is a state of mind where someone has so thoroughly mastered a skill or a movement that he can do it without thinking.  The individual does not think at all about the action but the body follows the action perfectly without any need to think.

This state of mind (state of being?) mainly applies to physical actions such as various martial arts or sports where an individual will practice and practice until the actions become innate.

This state however can also be found in other activities that are not physical.  For example, some chessmasters that I have seen play can readily dispatch opponents of lesser skill with the minimum of concentration and very few moves.  Some painters I know seem to go through their painting process seemingly not even drawing a breath but deliberately and systematically painting a scene as if they’d done it a million times.

This is the state of mind that I want to achieve not just in one aspect of my life but in more if not all aspects.  Being so self-confident and so sure of my actions that I can proceed ahead without thought or without hesitation.

If I can focus my intent to this degree then what could I not achieve?

 

Posted in: activities, driving, life in general, skills

Fiction: Definitions of magic user classes

March 14, 2015 6:53 AM , Leave a Comment ,

Author’s note:  A story shard

The use of “magic” is not a monolithic practice without distinctions.  The paths to using eldritch energies vary almost from user to user.  However we can qualify some generalized practices and loosely define some “schools” of thought concerning these practices.

What follows is an introductory study into these schools of magic.

Eldritch energy is a narrow band of electromagnetic radiation found in high energy regions just beyond gamma radiation.  As it is difficult to observe it has not generally been accepted that it is its own form of energy and not a part of gamma radiation.  Eldritch energy is characterized as being fairly easy to manipulate by certain individuals with mental powers, beings from other dimensions, and certain types of alien life forms.

Eldritch energy may also be manipulated using a complex combination of theoretical logic equations and invocations to certain “deities” or in reality alien beings with massive reserves of this type of energy (known hereafter as mana).  The distinction between these two schools of practice is what we will mainly discuss.

The Mageic school

The mageic school of eldritch thought is what most people think of when they talk about magicians, wizards, sorcerers, etc.

The mageic school was an attempt to philosophically describe, define, and expand upon generalized concepts and ideas that proposed that certain forms of energy can be manipulated by means of logical arguments and thought.  The two main branches dealt with two of the basic building blocks of the universe; matter and energy.

Researchers who looked into this school noted how similar some of the “spells” in magic books are to modern programing code.

The Wizard branch of the school deals primarily with energy and the manipulation thereof using complex logic equations centered on in essence “persuading” energy particles to condense together and flow in directions that they might not have done so otherwise.

The magician side of the school focusing more on affecting matter and invoking matter into action in a similar fashion as the wizards do with pure energy.

The Shamanic school

The shamanic school of eldritch thought involved mainly the invocation of power borrowed from other beings or from the elemental forces of nature (the earth, water, trees, etc).

Shamans could come with various titles depending on what part of the world you were looking at.  Druid, medicine man, spirit guide, witch, high priest, or of course shaman.

This is a more informal and often a more oral tradition of magic use that depends on the invocation of power from another source.  The shaman in effect borrows these powers temporarily and does not own them.  The privileges can be augmented over time or revoked depending on circumstances.  Typically there will be a gift or tribute involved (sacrifice) in the transaction.

 

There is some argument as to which school is the more “powerful” school.  Undoubtedly the shamanic school can call upon greater resources but as has been noted above these powers are borrowed and are not too reliable whereas the mageic caster does not need to ask for power but rather relies upon his own skill.

 

Posted in: fiction, short story

Hidden biases and how they may affect others

March 13, 2015 6:44 AM , Leave a Comment ,

Most people have by now heard about the racist chant incident at the University of Oklahoma.  They have also probably heard about  the University’s swift response in dealing with the incident.  Most people will leave it there.

I would like to believe that the incident was an anomaly.  A fluke that only existed in a single chapter of a fraternity and that it wasn’t representative of a hidden problem throughout the Greek system.

It’s difficult to tell as the national organizations that coordinate the Greek system don’t carry statistics on the racial make up of these frats.  By accident or by design we are left in the dark as to how integrated these groups are.

Why does it matter?  It matters because first and foremost these frats (and sororities) are networking clubs.  Social connections that help bind future business, political, and military leaders of tomorrow.  The people who help set the agenda for the rest of the population may be found in some of these groups.

Secondly, the opinions, attitudes, lessons, and biases that they receive while they’re in these frats may affect these individuals hiring practices, social attitudes, and thinking patterns well into adult life.

Lastly, the fact that these groups are exclusionary and in some cases may be deliberately excluding people based on some arbitrary standard means that some groups may be denied the opportunities to rise that these frat members enjoy.

Look, I’m not saying that every frat in America and every frat member is a bigot of some sort.  Far from it. Many fraternities are very community minded groups that really do take to heart the ideals that they espouse.  They help to mold young college students into the future leaders of America.  While all that is true however I think there is also no denying that some individuals and even chapters out there are trapped in outdated and bigoted mindsets.  Mindsets that purposefully try to exclude others for a variety of reasons.

It’s long past the time that these type of ideas are allowed to exist, even unofficially, in these type of groups.  The Greek system owes it to the nation as well as to itself to root out these attitudes and clean its house of this hidden cancer.  If fraternities an sororities want to stay relevant or even just exist in the 21st century then they must leave the 19th century behind.

 

Posted in: life in general, racism, school, social networks

Taking what’s offered

March 11, 2015 6:59 AM , Leave a Comment ,

Life has been hectic this year.  Along with the stresses of work and trying to get some side projects going, I have some family responsibilities to tend to and on top of that a cold laid me low for about a week.  With all that going on, I have hardly had any time to relax and enjoy life.

Making plans with friends has been fairly difficult as in some cases I’ve had no certainty when I would have time to relax or if I would have time to relax.  As a consequence I’ve had to make the most of what time I did have to relax.

Programs from some plays that I've recently attended.

Programs from some plays that I’ve recently attended.

One thing that I’ve been relying on lately has been Houston’s outstanding theater scene.  Ranging from off broadway touring companies to small venues to amateur dinner theater, we are extraordinarily blessed with a lot of acting talent in this town.

The nice thing about the local theater scene is that it is usually fairly easy to get tickets, they are rarely sold out.  The theaters are usually fairly small so even the “cheap seats” are good seats.  The acting and production values of the local troops are fairly high so you get more than you pay for.  Lastly, most theater companies have online ticket sales so I can usually book a seat just hours before a performance.

Comparing this to movies?  In some ways better and in some ways not as good but I would not say worse.  I mean with movies of course you can be totally immersed in the story world.  It’s all very visual and the story is all there to see.  With plays you have to use some imagination.  Even the most lavish stage props and backgrounds won’t look totally real.  But with a live human actor right in front of you speaking the lines and instilling the lines with emotion you somehow get more into the story than you would with a movie. Difficult to explain unless you’ve been to one of these plays.

For me at least these plays have helped take the edge off life lately and have given me a bit of a release on those days that life seems to be ganging up on me.

If you ever need to take the edge off or if you are just curious, I would highly recommend it.

 

Posted in: activities, culture, current events, entertainment, Houston, theater

The Rodeo and the new Houston

March 9, 2015 5:50 PM , Leave a Comment ,

Houston has been struggling hard for the last few years to shed its “hick” and “cowboy” labels and take its place as a cosmopolitan city that it is and as a nexus for several different cultures to mix and mingle.  Yet at its core it still retains some of that wild west persona.

This becomes extremely evident at the end of February and in early March when the Houston Livestock show and Rodeo takes place.  The Rodeo was and is a celebration of Houston’s agricultural and ranching ties.  A throwback to the days when cattle trails wound their way up and down the state and more people worked in and around Houston in the cattle and livestock industries.

For generations, Houston kids could go downtown with their families and watch goggle eyed as the cowboys rode in a parade in their western finery and marching bands played and all manner of floats and displays rolled past.  They could then go to the Rodeo and look at the animals and talk to the cowboys and just take in the country culture.

Eventually music acts were added to the Rodeo.  Some of the music isn’t even country music and truthfully the musical acts are now a big part of the Rodeo.  In fact for some that’s all that the Rodeo represents to them.  I think without the music the Rodeo itself would have been much diminished and would not be having record crowds.

As it stands now the Rodeo is an integral part of the Houston experience.  Something that can really be only found here.  I think that it’s a positive for Houston.  As much as I would like to see Houston “grow up” and become more worldly, to have more culture, to be thought of as a first rung city (and it is, I admit it we’ve done amazing things in the last 20 years), I still want it to retain some of its own character.

I don’t want us to become a clone of one of the eastern cities, or another Los Angeles.  I want us to become our own city.  Incorporate the best aspects of other cities, add in the valuable contributions of our large immigrant populations from all over the world, but retain something of what Houston was.

If we can do all those things we can build a city that people will want to come and see, a city that others will want to emulate.  Part of that process is embracing events like the Rodeo and helping it flourish.  Events like this give us something special and point to as uniquely Houstonian.

Posted in: activities, Astrodome, culture, current events, Houston, life in general

LaMOEs

March 7, 2015 7:00 AM , Leave a Comment ,

Dystopian fiction is one of my favorite forms of science fiction.  The exploration of circumstances after a major civilization collapses and how people deal with it.

Not so much for the actual catastrophe that causes the world to collapse but rather how people deal with the catastrophe afterwards.  How do we go on?  The last man on earth (LaMOE) scenario.

Some people turn feral and break every rule to survive.  Some people roll up their sleeves and get to work trying to put things back together.  Some people just curl up and die.  I think it’s somewhat telling how some people choose to cope after a catastrophe and in a similar vein I think it’s telling which scenario that people want to read about.

I picked up a short story anthology about apocalyptic fiction the other day.  Most of the stories followed the first option.  The mindset of the characters in the book was that the rules and social mores of the old world had been swept away and that anything was now justified in the name of survival.

But is it true?  Do we all revert to some more primitive state when pressured by catastrophe?  For the most part I am going to say that this is not true.  We’ve seen some examples of catastrophes around the world in the last few years and for the most part people seem to want to cooperate and to rebuild rather to pillage and loot and lookout only for themselves.

In some cases of course it did prove to be true that people would act pretty savagely to keep themselves alive but for the most part people realize that cooperation and compassion will do a lot more to insure their own survival that brutal self-interest.

I think it’s millions of years of being social and cooperative creatures that has brought us to the point where we no longer see things in stark and brutal terms and see that our own survival is more closely tied to one another than to trying to be that last people left alive.

Posted in: fiction, thought

Brand loyalty wars

March 5, 2015 6:20 AM , Leave a Comment ,

Every couple of years planned obsolescence catches up with me.  No matter how good that laptop or cell phone or even car was when you bought it eventually you have to replace it.

In some cases it really seems to be planned.  My smartphone contract is 2 years long and in about 2 years my smartphone pretty much becomes obsolete so time to get a new one.

Then of course comes the competing advertising and opinions and advice from partisans from all sides advocating their own point of view. I wrote something about this partisanship a couple of years ago.  Some people will swear by their technology choices and will not yield an inch on anything.

Even though I try to keep clear of biases I suppose I do have some of my own.

My mobile provider for example.  Widely regarded as one of the worst providers for a long time it had the one benefit that my contract had an unlimited data package.  It in fact was the only unlimited data package for a long time before competitors began offering that as well.  In the meantime my providers signal strength and coverage has grown substantially so I could have hopped from provider to provider looking for the best deal but in the end sitting still and letting things develop proved to be the best strategy.  Sometimes doing nothing at all is the best strategy.  Shrug.

But other times, no matter how much you hate to do it, you have to admit that you have to change.

In a related vein I have looked at the specs of the updated version of my smartphone and have determined that it’s not going to meet my needs so off I go looking at other brands.  I have about 6 months to decide but already I’m looking over different models and brands for any marked advantage.

In this case my brand loyalty is absolutely nil.  The maker simply dropped the ball on the new design and I have to look for something that will meet my needs.  I did the same with my last car.  I used to drive an SUV and the maker stopped producing it so I changed not just brands but car types and got a sedan instead.  When it comes to practical items that I use every day I find that I am that way.  If something doesn’t meet my needs then I will stop using it.  When it comes to something less tangible like say fashion choices I may have more brand loyalty.

I think that’s something for makers of practical goods to consider more than say how stylish their product looks or what celebrity endorsements they can get.

If you meet your customers needs, and satiate their desires for a good quality product then the market will come to you.  You will not have to go to them by altering your product and possibly making it worse.  Remember where the core of your clientele is and go out and meet them.

Posted in: business, consumerism, shopping, technology

Sick post for 3/3/15

March 3, 2015 6:52 AM , Leave a Comment ,

[Author’s note:  Hopefully this will be the only sick post I ever write but then again you never know.  So I’m adding a date to the title.]

I’m coming down with some bug that’s going round town and I didn’t honestly want to write anything today but I figure I might as well use the opportunity to reflect on how all your plans and everything you want to do gets thrown out of whack by such a simple thing.

Just think about it.  A flu, a cold, whatever you want to call it.  Microscopic things like bacteria or viruses can lay you low and affect your work, your social life, and can make you put plans on hold or even cancel them.

A rise in of 2 degrees in your body temperature can make you feel miserable and a sore throat?  Sore throats are the worst!  Can’t even concentrate when I have those.

No, that’s the worst part.  When you’re sick you can’t concentrate.  To me that’s worse than all the aches and pains and anything else that an illness brings on.  Your body screams for attention and you can’t think of anything else and you know that you’re falling behind in so many other aspects of your life.  Just misery heaped on top of misery.

Why is it that we can’t figure a way out of this?  Just send out those affected parts for repairs and work with a loaner.

But that’s the way life is.  The littlest of details can mean the difference between success and failure so that’s why we have to look to the little things and make sure that we take care of these things before they escalate into major illnesses or problems.

So anyways.  Short post.  Hopefully my next one will be a full post.

Posted in: sick