Short and Un-sweetened

It's been a long time and while i still don't have big news or loads to talk about I have a few short comments.

Royal Wedding - I found it entertaining that so many people seemed to think that their comments online about how irrelevant the wedding was to them was some how more relevant than the wedding itself. I think sometimes the current generations have lost the ability to simply be happy for two lucky people. We seem to say if it didn't happen to me then the system is unfair or I don't care. The real green movement is to be green with envy.

Osama Bin Laden - It took a long to come about but in the end we did what we essentially said we would do. Like any parent you have to follow through on your threats or you have no standing. I have to admit that I am somewhat relieved that this will not be dragged out in a surreal trial and the burial at sea denies supporters of a martyrs shrine although the compound in Pakistan may become such anyway. Were we (the U.S. collectively) right to do it? To quote the great warrior Ash, "Good, Bad, I'm the guy with the gun."

Glee - Jumped the shark and is such a dead show, they just haven't gotten the memo yet. The show is formulaic in the extreme..."tonight on glee it's (insert band/singer) night, watch as character X and Y have an arbitrary conflict leading up to a sing-off with freakishly expensive use it once and forget it costumes and stage props because apparently Lima, OH has the wealthiest school district in the nation"... It's kind of like 90210 got supposedly dropped in the middle of rural Ohio.

Of course the same can be said for American Idol and the D.O.A. 'The Voice' but we like to really wail on our dead horses. I believe the simple truth is that people don't watch the show to see people win, they watch to see who loses. The next days headlines proclaim the weekly loser in bold letters while the 'winners' are labeled as safe ... for now. Don Henley said it in Dirty Laundry that 'people love it when you lose.'

So, I have a challenge to anyone who cares, which I expect to be zero people. When you Blog or tweet or comment etc. Focus on positive personal accomplishments. I very quickly tire of he said / she said crap from supposed grown ups who sound like my kids telling on each other. In that vein, I planted a garden at home. It's four raised beds 4' x 4' with various veggies. I made the boxes, shoveled the compost and mulch and planted the seeds. My oldest daughter occasionally helps which makes it especially nice to connect with her on a personal one on one level. I'm also putting in various fruit bushes and trees in the back yard and am looking forward to watching them grow. I think gardening is one of the ultimate lessons in the rewards of delayed gratification. I'm not keeping careful records of costs but I describe myself as a 'lazy farmer' in that I do not plan to spray or even fertilize beyond the aforementioned compost which will result in a semi-organic garden since I also didn't make a big deal of the seed varieties used. I don't know if this will result in a lowered food bill but it certainly won't increase it by any appreciable amount. I may keep some records of yields when they come in to compare year on year but as this is not a business or competition it probably won't get any more complex than an excel spreadsheet.

Division

If you are the sensitive sort that gets easily offended, I suggest you just pretend this post doesn't exist.


I will start by stating that I am a Caucasian Male of Christian denomination although of a decidedly offbeat brand (LDS) and am part of the so called 'Middle Class.' By almost all common measures I am the plain vanilla of social science. I am putting this at the top of this post as a basis for my comments. I accept that my viewpoint may be tinted by who I am but it doesn't make my questions or observations less valid.

There are two sets of words that have been given skewed connotations in the past few decades. It may be said that both sets are part of the same class called by most, Political Correctness. Within PC are the 'good' and the 'bad' word sets. Instead of the slurs and epithets which do deserve to die from disuse, I am talking about words that describe concepts.

On the bad side are words like discrimination, stereotypes and prejudice. They are seen emblems of rampant social ills. But discrimination take many forms. If in your head you just said to yourself something like, "He doesn't know what discrimination is like because he is a white guy," you have just practiced discrimination. It's OK though, I'm not offended. Everyone practices discrimination at some level. I know I discriminate when it comes to picking which checkout line the go through because I believe I can predict with some accuracy which lane will be faster based on the number of people, how many items they seem to have and a snapshot observation of how efficient the cashier seems to be. I take this limited observational data and select a course of action that I think will be of the most benefit to me. Ta-Da, Discrimination.

Similarly, prejudice and stereotypes are considered irredeemable but at the root they are only descriptive of the practice of assigning attributes and values to subjects (people, places etc.) based on superficial observations. When I think that a guy wearing a camouflage outfit while shopping in Wal-mart must be a hunter and therefore a firearms enthusiast I am using stereotypes. Interestingly, just because I have no proof doesn't mean I am automatically wrong. Stereotypes have their basis in something concrete. I may have observed that the hunters I knew wore camo wherever they went. I think the important thing to remember about prejudice and stereotype is that I must accept that I could be completely wrong about any given individual.

On the other side of the PC coin are the good words like tolerance, respect and diversity. But does not tolerance mean I am tolerating something; allowing an irritation however minor for some greater good? Would it be fair to say that I am discriminating against the irritation of the moment in order to obtain a perceived maximum benefit? Isn't respect the prejudice of faith and trust based on some association with prior observations? Are diversity initiatives by their nature divisive? We can segment our population by as many labels as can be dreamed of. If I say that what this project needs is a female perspective, isn't that a prejudiced statement that an woman has a different perspective than me? Would I be wrong in that prejudice?

I think that saying a given ratio of Men to Women or Whites and Asians in an organization is wrong is the kind of discrimination that should be gotten rid of. Shouldn't we tolerate all monocultural groups even if it is of a flavor not in vogue at the moment? I think we can cross more boundaries by emphasizing what makes us alike rather than what makes us different. Let's advance the cause of the breathing humans club because I think we can agree that we don't like brain-eating zombies. I know that's a prejudiced statement but I just couldn't help myself.

The Joy of Creation

I like to make things (except blog entries). For as long as I can remember, I have derived a special pleasure in the creation of objects. But, from cutout snowflakes and hand-drawn embellishments on notes to Lego creations (usually starships) and wooden infantry rifles; I have found that the happiness peaks at the point of final assembly. The shine starts to fade almost immediately and continues to the point of eventually no longer being interesting. I do not regret this, I simply recognize the tendency. My daughter, Rachel, is similarly possessed. Intensely focused on the project at hand until it is done after which the excitement slowly drains away.

She had recently taken up loom knitting from a church group activity making newborn caps. I realize that this may not seem like 'real' knitting to some but it has its own process that needs to be followed. To further her interests we had gotten her an assortment of round looms for Christmas and I, of course, had to try my hand at it. I soon ended up with a slightly too tall black cap that fit more snuggly than anticipated because I had forgotten my head size is an outlier to the norm. I had planned to wear it but haven't yet even though we are in the depths of winter. I've considered making another one better sized but without a significant change in process or material, I'm not sure if I could muster the interest.

Another recent project was to design and build a floating arm trebuchet to have fun with Doug's scout troop flinging innocent pumpkins to their spectacular demise. This has the potential for some amount of longevity because of the built in variability. One can affect the trajectory by changing factors such as the counterweight, the length of the sling and the weight of the projectile and each of these changes modifies the flight in their own way. Add to that the tweaks of stabilizing the platform and reducing friction and my enjoyment is prolonged because we never really arrive at the completed stage of development.

I have also been enjoying using Google's SketchUp tool to make models of the trebuchet and our house. I have been measuring everything (until the snow came) to try and get it exactly rendered. My goal is to use this model as a sort of sandbox for planned modifications such as new siding or additions to visualize how they would look prior to jumping into the project. I'll probably use it to sketch other upcoming projects such as Doug's loft bed and a engine mount/test stand for type 1 VW engines.

Just sitting here and writing calls to mind many other projects which wait for me such as modifying Patrick's train tables to be double-decker, planting the blueberry hedge and the garage pergola in just the near term alone. I guess at least I am unlikely to run out of things to do.

I'm not old

So the opening scene from Holy Grail keeps playing in my head where Arthur accosts a peasant who turns out to be neither old nor a woman. Dennis the peasant claimed to be 37 which today I am as well. As I reflect on my age I am struck by the realization that in three short years I'll be 40. That is a big number. I don't feel particularly old although I do realize that there are things I just can't do anymore. All-nighters have more severe consequinces, I can't eat the legendary amounts of food that I used to, I have to wear glasses more and my teenage sense of invincibility is long gone with my hair. I think of the promise of tomorrow that was portrayed in my youth and how it compares to the reality and have to laugh at all the differences. We still don't have flying cars and still depend on fossil fuels for energy but who saw texting or facebook or iPhones. I have a 12 year old son who has never known a computer without a GUI interface or life before the Internet was accessed with modems. My youngest daughter assumes that handheld devices have touch screens. Makes you wonder what wonders they will see develop that we have no concept of now.

Geocaching: TNG and Scouts

I had the pleasure yesterday of introducing a few scouts in the troop at our church to geocaching. While it has been a while since I have gone out caching it has always provided me with a lot of fun and something to do in unfamiliar cities. Geocaching for those who don't know was best summarized to me as using multi-million dollar satellite systems to find Tupperware in the woods. Essentially a cooperative game of hide (objects, not yourself) and seek that is coordinated online on the original site, http://www.geocaching.com/. To be fair, there are other sites that perform similar functions but not as comprehensively in my opinion. The BSA has implemented a new merit badge for geocaching and I was asked to introduce the game to our boys.

This was also Doug's first scout meeting as a boy scout. and I think he and his friend Joey enjoyed being the knowledgeable ones in the room due to me having taken them both out caching in the past. It can sometimes be hard to be the new guy and bringing something to the proverbial table helps to eliminate some of that difficulty.

I have many fond memories of scouting and look forward to Doug developing some of his own. I know a lot of people like to criticize the scouts. For those who didn't enjoy their time in scouts, I am truly sorry. I learned in scouts that if I invested myself in energy and effort to the program, I received dividends in experience and skills. I've heard people say that they didn't need scouts to know how to camp. That may be true but camping is maybe 20% of scouting, more a method of teaching than an end goal.

For those who were traumatized by bad leaders, again I am truly sorry. Organizations like BSA have an obligation to screen and educate leaders to provide safe and enriching environments. It is a sad fact however that large voluntary organizations are probably the most difficult environment to enforce these standards. While I denounce the abuse of these victims, I would also state that for every one who suffered, there are perhaps as much as 100 more who knew of any such problems in their units. There is no such thing as an acceptable rate of abuse but I would further state that all youth organizations will face the same issues but not the same scrutiny due to their comparative size and relevance. No matter what the fanatics say, Macs are not inherently safer from viruses than Windows systems, they are just not as big of a user base and much the same is true for youth organizations.

As for discrimination, one of the benefits of a free society is non-compulsory club membership. I don't have to join the democrat party if I don't agree with them. There are benefits to being a democrat and it is an integral part of our governmental system but I can choose to not associate. The BSA should be viewed in a similar light. Join / don't join; your choice. If you think the uniform should be red then you can send the request through defined channels and if the leadership disagrees, fine, start your own organization with like minded red uniform people. There is no need for vilification or recrimination. Every day, everyone makes a choice as to who they associate with based on a variety of factors and this by definition is discrimination. We all discriminate whether we like Coke or Pepsi or meat or vegetables. The question then becomes if we can be tolerant. I believe that tolerance does not have to include a negation of standards. The Porsche Club of America does not have to let Corvette people in. The Corvette people can and do have their own club. It has never been my experience in scouting that violence against or persecution of others has been taught or even condoned. Per the Scout Law, A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent.

New Shoes

I ran the Sunburst 10k this past weekend. I was slow but not last (barely). The reward was to go out and get new running shoes after the race. I actually went to a specialized running store and worked with the staff there to get the right fit and support. So far I have only used them once and the difference is noticeable from the worn out off the shelf shoe I had been using to these new shoes. What I got are Brooks Dyad 5. I got some new socks as well (sorely needed) but no custom orthotics or such. I will admit to making a small modification though but this leads into a bit of a story.

Since I started running, I have been using the Nike+ system with my iPod to track and motivate me. The system uses an accelerometer that wirelessly connects to the iPod and acts as a pretty accurate pedometer also measuring speed and distance. Nike makes a special pocket under the insole of their running shoes to put the gadget. I haven't worn Nikes so have been using a pocket like thing that attaches via Velcro to the shoe laces. With these new shoes I carefully carved out a pocket under the arch. It wasn't major surgery but did involve a Dremel. So far I think it has been a success but only time and use will tell if I ruined a brand new pair of shoes.

Leaning Tower of Media

Have you ever wondered why the news seems to be filled with ever louder voices spouting ever more vicious verbal barbs and trite phrases. I am filled with sadness when I think how the moderate rational voice has all but disappeared from mainstream media. They have been chased away or ignored by the reporters and editors and personalities in favor of more entertaining fare. That is really the root of the problem; news is a form of entertainment and has been commercialized for some time now. It is the original form of reality TV dressed up as a collective social conscience.

It has been said that when you wake up in the morning, at least one news outlet already agrees with you. Every channel has its own particular slant but I don’t need to name names as their bias is readily apparent. They make no attempt to hide their leanings but instead wear them proudly as a badge. Journalists are taught to develop a story. Start with a premise, gather some supporting facts or quotes, shape the flow of the argument to support the premise and out pops the news.

Let’s say I am a liberal news editor. 3 out of 8 people our reporter talked with are concerned that healthcare reform will raise taxes, another 3 would like to see healthcare become accessible to all and control rampant abuses, 1 says that universal healthcare is a basic human right cause that’s what they do in Europe which is the source of all mystical coolness and 1 says the healthcare is a bad plan because it is from the devil and medicine steals your soul. Who do I give airtime to? What I do is forget the first 6, present the super pro and con opinions but edit out that stuff about Europe. Lead story is now that people believe that healthcare is a basic human right and anyone who says otherwise is a Luddite nut job.

Same people same story but now I’m conservative. I now focus on the first three but edit out that they are ‘concerned’ and replace that with a snap of the last opinion that it is a bad plan. Suddenly the story is that most Americans believe that healthcare reform is a bad plan and should be forgotten.

Both stories have been molded and shaped for the greatest impact and most entertainment value. If there are 20 people at a protest, an oppositionally leaning reporter will find the least educated and eloquent member to give an exclusive interview to. Hey look everyone, these protesters are idiots.

I have had to learn to trust no news fully. One must instead play a game of averages and accept multiple sources and try to glean the tiny kernels of facts from the spin. There is one bright spot in today’s environment. With more voices and media to choose from, the amount of truth hidden away in the stories has increased. From these facts one now gets to apply their own biases and formulate their opinion. This last reminds me of another saying; Opinions are like a particular body part that everyone has and they all stink.