I just read an interesting analysis by Cory Doctorow, known to some (many, perhaps) as a blogger, columnist, and science-fiction author, with perspectives on the so-called information society that I find worth considering. The piece in question deals with why in/on-the-street security cameras (known generally as CCTV) don’t deter criminals generally, and those who were involved in the recent mobs …
Spending Time Well
I’ve been using computers since 1968. I taught myself BASIC via a time-share arrangement, using a 110 Baud teletype connected to a computer several hundred miles away. Storage was on paper tape, and execution times were glacial, but I was using a computer! Time wore on. The personal computer age arrived, and I got very familiar with command-line control, first …
Perspectives on Time-keeping
A recurrent topic of discussion around here is the way technologies that we grew up with ‘Way Back When are being superseded by newer ones. An underlying assumption in many of these conversations is that folks much younger than we are losing out in some way as these transitions take place. Today I became aware of another such, with the …
Resilience
“The champion is the guy who keeps getting up” [Originator unknown to me.] Such a simple statement, really, yet filled–as such things often are–with lots of material to ponder. I chose this quote for this Thought for the Day (TFTD) because recent changes in my professional activities left me wondering if I had it in me to get back into …
You Think You’ve Got Privacy? Think Again!
Recent kerfuffles on the online privacy scene owing to a change in Google’s “privacy” policies reminded me of several such that have surfaced over the past few months. One has to do with a utility embedded in many smart phones that allows your carrier to track your usage of the various services to which you are subscribed. This utility is …
When It’s Someone Else’s Turn
The Lovely and Talented Janice just got through a very hard week, preparing for and participating in a crafts show to support the local women’s help center. I’ve learned over the years to just stay out of her way during such periods, and to do more than my usual share of household support in addition to what emotional and logistical …
Time: Wasting It or Spending It
A quick little note for today: A friend sent me a link to this piece of fluff. When I was finished visiting the site, my immediate reaction was, “Well! That was certainly a waste of time!” But then I reconsidered: I had spent perhaps five minutes (if that) doodling and watching to see what would come next. I enjoyed myself, …
But I Don’t Want To!
About 25 years ago I chided my father for hiring folks to do various things around his house that I felt he not only could have, but should have done himself. Fast forward to today, and I find myself in the unfortunate position of wanting to hire folks to do various things around the house that I not only could, …
Teamwork and Launches
I’ve been self-employed for over 25 years, working as what’s called a “lone eagle”, i.e., I have no employer (just clients, thank you all very much!), no employees, and only what structure I impose on myself. Fortunately, I’m extremely self-motivated and have made a comfortable (if not lucrative) living over those years. It’s not for everyone, but it suits me …
Doing What’s Important
Today’s gleaning of the news brought with it an item in the Houston Chronicle that pointed up a terrific way of thinking about past glories, recognition, and future endeavors. Charles Bolden, the NASA Administrator, first chided the staff at Johnson Space Center and other citizens of Houston for their complaints about not having received one of the now-retired Space Shuttles, …