Allen and I went for a motorcycle ride today, to particpate in a Poker Run for charity. We got our first card and a map, but neither of us had a good place on our bike to hold the map. I’ve got plans to get a tank bag with a map pocket but haven’t done [...]
Two items, next to each other in my newsreader today, struck me as somehow connected.
Part of a Vanity fair article pointed to by Ernie the Attorney…
“You spent seven years learning every little nuance of the fishing trade before you were granted the gift of learning from this great captain?” I ask.
“Yes.”
“And even then you had to [...]
I remember being on The National Mall in Washington D.C. as a 15 year old in Oct 1979. It was just me, my camera and thousands upon thousands thousands of people packed onto The Mall to attend Pope John Paul II’s Mass.
It was crowded and chaotic, I couldn’t see much and what I was able to [...]
Not to be a downer; just something to remember as you pass the turkey leg or open a present…
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the millions who will not survive this week.
If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead [...]
States in which I’ve spent at least one day and one night.
visited 24 states (48%)Create your own visited map of The United States or try another Douwe Osinga project
Are you ready?
Are you prepared?
For what? The coming zombie apocalypse of course.
Or whatever else may come along.
After hearing of my new job last week, friend Paul sent me a great e-card including this thought:
I like that.
It also happens to fit well with the philosophy espoused by a podcast I’ve been listening to recently, LifeZero’s “Build Your Own Future.”
I don’t write much about politics here, but I do recommend that — no matter what candidate you support — each of you find half an hour to sit down and listen to this speech.
That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, “Not this time.”
…
This [...]
When you’re going around the house (and car) resetting from daylight savings time, don’t forget that your cameras have clocks as well.
And take the time to remember to check the batteries in your home’s smoke detectors, too.
Of course I knew what day today was, but the emotion didn’t really hit me until I stopped by the school.
One of the Milton High School’s young ladies, as part of her Girl Scout Gold Award project, ‘planted’ 3000 flags and worked to have kids in the school write letters to soldiers expressing their feelings [...]
C3:
Look at your calendar for this week and find one day when you can take public transportation, bike, walk, or just stay home. Have fun with it – plan activities to do with your family at home or within walking distance of it. Or have a get-together with your neighbors.
Learn more, and take the pledge.
On October 30, 1998 Hurricane Mitch struck Central America. Almost 3000 people were killed around Chinandega, Nicaragua, and entire villages disappeared under volcanic mudslides. The government was unable to to provide much for the people and over 300 of the surviving families were move to what little land was available – on top of a [...]
“No matter where you are in your career, you can listen to people, support them, show compassion.”
Tim Sanders wrote that several years ago in one of my favorite business books, Love is the Killer App. As you might imagine, he’s collected many stories since then about situations where people have made the time to make [...]
So, I was going to make one of those comments about not blogging for a week, but then I looked at the calendar and realized that it’s really been over two since I’ve actually written something here (I’m not counting the automatic del.icio.us posts). Ouch.
I can say though that seven days without an XBox [...]
It’s been a while in coming, but I finally have a new position. Starting this morning I’m now working as an Implementation Engagement Manager for a local company, responsible for successful configuration and deployment of next generation communication systems. That basically means managing projects from the initial sale through deployment, rollout, training and transition to [...]
Last spring, when gas prices were shooting skyward, everyone was writing posts, expressing their shock and disgust, and showing pictures of their local stations’ prices.
Well, here we are today with the lowest prices in just over a year. According to AtlantaGasPrices.com, the last time we saw prices this low was the week of December [...]
So… it would appear that I’m not the only one who doesn’t need to watch sporting events live. “TiVo the big game and take back a few hours of your life today,” writes Tim S.
When you walk in the room today — at your office, church, hobby group, poker buddies’ place, or at home — what effect do you have on the people there? As ice cools the liquid in a drink, you can change everyone’s emotional state just by adding yourself to their midst.
Are you managing your own [...]
It’s not quite that cold here in the Atlanta area yet, but it’s supposed to be later this week.
Perhaps it’s a good time to find yourself a copy of The Discovery Channel’s feature from last summer, Global Warming, What You Need to Know with Tom Brokaw. (there are other ways to watch it, not [...]
It’s Friday afternoon, and Tim Sanders has some thoughts on sending work-related email on weekends.
These habits can ruin weekends, drive turnover and burnout and weaken relationships.
In other words, not a good idea.
(Unless you’re writing to schedule a job interview with me , in which case a phone call would probably be better anyway)
Ah, the first – fresh new year, full of hope and opportunities. My hope plan for the new year is a new opportunity. I’m very much looking forward to new employment, a new position, to getting back to out-of-the-home productivity (and the paycheck that goes along with it). But not today.
Today’s the day for parades [...]
To all my family and friends, both online and off: May you have a healthy, happy, peaceful, productive and prosperous 2007, and may we be alive to share another day again this time next year.
“Labor” day, which for my mother meant something other than the national holiday …and this time ’round, it’s all about the ultimate answer.
Hurricane season, and Commander Dave’s sharing a view of his Be Prepared box with us. We’re probably not as prepared; though we’ve got all the same sort of stuff around it’s not packed and ready to go. Heck, even my everyday carry-it-in-my-truck pack of ropes, first aid kit, maps, etc. has gotten used and not [...]
News Flash: Big computer company manager tells employee not to worry, they have plenty of projects for him. Eight weeks later, employee’s told that his position in the organization has been deemed as no longer required. Film at eleven.
No worries, mate. But if your company is looking for a networking-software dude, conversant in XHTML, CSS, [...]
A thought for the day:
We’re an information economy. They teach you that in school. What they don’t tell you is that it’s impossible to move, to live, to operate at any level without leaving traces, bits, seeming meaningless fragments of personal information. Fragments that can be retrieved, amplified…
- William Gibson’s Johnny Mnemonic
What are you leaving [...]
People have been carrying and drinking water for how long now? Like, forever right?
For Mike and others who may be interested, I point you to Daniel’s tale of water bottles. I’ve been a long-time user and fan of Nalgene bottles, though I’ve never tried to put one on a bike. They’re practically indestructible and [...]
Has it really been 18 years already? My, how time flies.
Happy Birthday, James!
I’m disappointed in the Alpharetta city services today, specifically the garbage collection done by BFI, now owned by Allied Waste Industries. The photos here are what’s left on our street after the collectors came through.
The blue box and white styrofoam are from the new ceiling fan, freshly installed yesterday. I can understand them perhaps [...]
A bit o’ what Commander Dave would call a Cheese Sandwich post today – just a slice of life. Today’s task is to purchase and install a new ceiling fan to replace the one that broke last night. The darn thing had been threatening me for long enough and I finally bumped it and it [...]
In many parts of the country, June is “Dads and Grads” time, but here in the Atlanta area High School Graduation is a bit earlier.
This is the final week of school, with finals today through friday. For many of the seniors who already completed all their work, yesterday’s Senior Breakfast was the last time [...]
In January, I wrote about Bono and ONE.org, spreading the word about global poverty and the need for it’s end. I’m no Bono and I know I don’t have the size of his audience, but I’m going to do my bit. So here’s a challenge for you.
This Tuesday evening, May 23, for the first time [...]
About the inital Cylon attack in Battlestar Galactica’s miniseries, Dave R. writes:
The battlestar Galactica survived by virtue of its being obsolete and on the verge of retirement, thus making it a low-priority target.
The other, and perhaps as important reason being of course that Commander Adama distrusted technology and had kept Galactica purposefully low-tech, meaning [...]
It’s springtime in the Atlanta area. That means that the flowers and plants are blooming, the pollen is flying, and the trees are draped with TP.
For some unknown reason, high school students in this area have a tradition known euphemistically as the “Junior-Senior War.” I prefer to call it by it’s proper name – vandalism.
Between [...]
This brand-new car was left in the parking lot of a local church while it’s owner’s on a mission trip.
Unfortunately for the owner that was this past weekend, when the storm hit. Ouch.
We’re back, and I’ll be posting stories and pictures of our trip over the next few days, but what a sight we returned to. Along with AL and TN, the Atlanta GA area got hit by a powerful set of storms and a few tornados as well. The building — or what’s left of it [...]
It’s that time once again, and I’m heading off with my other son this time ’round. Three years ago my older son and I spent a week as part of a 20-person crew sailing the Florida Keys. This year I’m taking my younger son and his friends.
We won’t be aboard the Gypsy this time; [...]
Freedom begins when you tell Mrs. Grundy to go fly a kite
Robert A. Heinlein
Apparently that doesn’t apply if you’re a student in 21st Century United States.
There’s been quite a flap this past week about kids and their use of the web. To me, there are three different topics getting mixed up together. Writing that can [...]
Al’s tagline always catches my eye.
Believe nothing. Trust no one. Give oxygen.
I’ve given blood before. Some people give bone marrow, others have given organs. Given that the human body takes in oxygen and returns carbon dioxide (at least, that’s the rumor goin’ round), I’m not sure how I can “give oxygen.” Al, care to elucidate?
Ice & bike don’t mix well for Tommy. His helmet did it’s job though, that’s good news.
The snow started at about 9:35. At 9:45 I went out and got a few images.
Before the clock struck 10 it had turned to rain and all the snow was gone.
I had barely started Steven Johnson’s 2001 book Emergence last night – indeed I was still in the first two dozen or so pages – when the TV show my wife was watching caught my ear. The Screen Actors Guild awards show was showing clips from Crash and giving a short description of it’s premise. [...]
Did you read the site?
Did you watch the video?
Did you sign the declaration?
Do you want to do more?
During the concert Bono also makes an empassioned plea for aid to help reduce poverty, asking everyone who’s concerned to send a text message. I don’t know if the number he gave is still a good one or not, but the organization’s there. Check out One.org, watch the video, read Bono’s Q&A [NY Times registration [...]
I was watching the Vertigo concert DVD (thank you, Brennan) the other night, and at one point Bono puts on a bandana with some graffiti. As I transcribed his comments (yea, I do strange things sometimes), I wasn’t able to hear completely and missed one or more words – see the quote below. When I [...]
I was cautioned about the Photo-A-Day goal not to set the bar too high; “Picture a day means lots of editing. Great if you have the time EVERY day. Don’t set a goal too high, work your way up to daily.” That’s ok, I’m not going to beat myself up if I don’t [...]
I’m joining Tommy W. and others who’ve put forth a resolution to capture at least one image every day.
Today I stopped by to see what’s left of a friend’s house. While we were gone for Christmas vacation, Scott had a fire at his house. This is what’s left of the carport. The wall to the [...]
As the nation pauses today to remember the attack on Perl Harbor, let’s also take some time to think of our currently-serving troops. It really doesn’t matter if you agree with President Bush’s policy or not, the fact is that the guys and gals are there – thousands of miles from home – while most [...]
We may have our differences of opinion but Dave’s still the Blogfather, having gotten many of us – including me – interested in weblogging with his writing, his offer of EditThisPage, the development of Radio and his enthusiasm in general.
His writing also inspired me to give the Grateful Dead a listen. I’d heard of them [...]
“What is the current reigning technological paradigm — combined with both market and public-sector forces — doing to our minds?” Steven Johnson, who I heard interviewed on the radio this afternoon, tackles that in a book that I’m very much looking forward to reading: Everything Bad Is Good for You. I wrote a paper back [...]
David St.Lawrence was writing the other day about communications. Well, about getting another person to listen to you, which is partly about communicating. As the guys in the sessions I taught would probably tell you — I know I said it more than enough times throughout the course — there’s something I consider paramount to [...]
As with many things, this is a work in progress as I attempt to put my brain into bits.
Knowledge is not power
If your worth is determined by what you know today, what will be your worth tomorrow when things change?
Value the ability to learn
Reflect upon what worked and what didn’t.
Learn through differences
Read both all sides [...]
Congratulations, James. Mom and I are so proud of you and your accomplishments, and we happily acknowledge to all the man of fine character you’ve become.
By the way, let’s consider this a virtual Court of Honor; would all Eagles please rise and comment here with the location and date on which they earned their Eagle [...]
Curt on Meditation:
I don’t mean wrap yourself in a pretzel and contemplate the sound of one hand clapping meditation. I mean a simple slowing down and centering.
Slowing down, I realized/remembered last night, can be as simple as removing yourself from all the “normal” stuff. At home, at the office, even camping with the Scouts, [...]
Curt’s writing about goals, why we work, in Money or Meaning, and says “I call the first ten years out of college the incubation period.”
That sounds about right to me. There’s a line in Step Into Liquid, and on the soundtrack CD, that resonates every time I hear it. Gerry Lopez is talking about surfing, [...]
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Please people, if a flower can get the rules right so can you. Dave Barry may have confused you but, though the apostrophe’s history is long, punctuation really is not as difficult as it may look. You can be right 99% (ok, but at least 90%) of the time by only using an apostrophe in [...]
Get up late, start slow, taper off quickly.
Psalm 107:23-31
23 Others went out on the sea in ships;
they were merchants on the mighty waters.
24 They saw the works of the LORD,
his wonderful deeds in the deep.
25 For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
that lifted high the waves.
26 They mounted up to the heavens and went [...]
via Daniel: “…going ‘out’ without a map should NOT be one of them.”
A map by itself is not enough. You also need to have at least some clue where you are (”ok, I know I’m east of the highway and somewhere north of the river”) and have a compass and/or (preferrably ‘and’ but don’t count [...]
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