I played volleyball for the first time in 5 years. The first time since the accident.
Here's a refresher course: http://picasaweb.google.com/smerkerg/MTC#5068345593522633250
It was fun to play again. Even if I did break every blood vessel in both of my arms.
Showing posts with label Manning's nuggets of conventional wisdom and unconventional wisdom and witty banter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Manning's nuggets of conventional wisdom and unconventional wisdom and witty banter. Show all posts
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Give me a sign. A sign that I want.
Here is a sign:
Am I the only one who looks at the sign above and sees the sign below?
Am I the only one who looks at the sign above and sees the sign below?
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Shh, don't wake him up
You're ready to leave. You get up from your desk and begin walking to the door. A tingling sensation in your right leg. Your foot's asleep. This could be trickier than you thought.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Black Cherry Soda
Do you ever brush your teeth and then when you spit out the toothpaste before you rinse, you struggle to figure out why it is the color it is?
It was black cherry soda.
It was black cherry soda.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
lolz
You tell a really good joke to someone over your favorite chat application, and you want to know how funny you were.
heh/hehe < haha < hahaha < flol < soq < loq < lol/rlol < LOL < rofl/lmao/roflmao
Of course, there are other variations that you may run into. This is simply a high level overview.
A few words of wisdom and explanations:
1. flol = fake lol. This is used when you would type lol, but in reality you are not laughing.
2. loq = laughing out quiet. This is used when you find something funny and you're smiling. You probably would chuckle if they were in the room with you, or if you weren't at work where people can hear you.
3. soq = smiling out quiet. Same as above, but only in terms of facial expression. You probably wouldn't be laughing even if you could, but you have a big smile on your face.
4. rlol = real lol. This can be replaced by simply lol if you don't use flol. lol should be used only when you are literally laughing and it is audible. A chuckle is ok, but you may want to consider a lower form in this case.
5. LOL. You are laughing. If you're not laughing, don't type LOL. If you're not smiling, you disgust me. This should be the highest form of laughter abbreviation you should need. If for some reason it's not enough, consider adding exclamation marks, or even better, give details about your laughing. "Oh man, now everyone around me is asking me what is so funny because I was LOL" or "You almost made milk come out through my nose. I'm not even drinking milk!"
6. rofl/lmao/roflmao should never be used. For one, it's not true. Where's your integrity? If for some reason it was true, you should use it in the past tense, and give some explanation that it was really true. "I was rofl, and I hit my elbow on the wall."
Now most of you will probably think I'm adding new abbreviations here, and you're probably right. I find it gives me a few more levels of variation in describing how funny I think something is, while not sacrificing my integrity by lying. But... YMMV, HTH, TTYL.
heh/hehe < haha < hahaha < flol < soq < loq < lol/rlol < LOL < rofl/lmao/roflmao
Of course, there are other variations that you may run into. This is simply a high level overview.
A few words of wisdom and explanations:
1. flol = fake lol. This is used when you would type lol, but in reality you are not laughing.
2. loq = laughing out quiet. This is used when you find something funny and you're smiling. You probably would chuckle if they were in the room with you, or if you weren't at work where people can hear you.
3. soq = smiling out quiet. Same as above, but only in terms of facial expression. You probably wouldn't be laughing even if you could, but you have a big smile on your face.
4. rlol = real lol. This can be replaced by simply lol if you don't use flol. lol should be used only when you are literally laughing and it is audible. A chuckle is ok, but you may want to consider a lower form in this case.
5. LOL. You are laughing. If you're not laughing, don't type LOL. If you're not smiling, you disgust me. This should be the highest form of laughter abbreviation you should need. If for some reason it's not enough, consider adding exclamation marks, or even better, give details about your laughing. "Oh man, now everyone around me is asking me what is so funny because I was LOL" or "You almost made milk come out through my nose. I'm not even drinking milk!"
6. rofl/lmao/roflmao should never be used. For one, it's not true. Where's your integrity? If for some reason it was true, you should use it in the past tense, and give some explanation that it was really true. "I was rofl, and I hit my elbow on the wall."
Now most of you will probably think I'm adding new abbreviations here, and you're probably right. I find it gives me a few more levels of variation in describing how funny I think something is, while not sacrificing my integrity by lying. But... YMMV, HTH, TTYL.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Some thoughts on transportation
Last weekend I was able to take a trip to the San Francisco Bay Area. Here are a few of my thoughts from the trip regarding transportation.
1. SFO - San Francisco International Airport.
My only other experience with this airport was when I flew here from Salt Lake City, Utah, to connect to a flight to Munich, Germany last December. I remember being appalled at how disorganized the airport seemed and how far I had to walk to get to my connecting flight. It turns out there is an electric train in the sky that circles the entire airport and makes it relatively easy to get around. So what was a "wag of my finger" has turned into a "tip of my hat" to SFO, with the caveat that they need to advertise the train a little more clearly to hurried passengers trying to make it to the international terminal in less than 15 minutes.
2. BART and mass transit
Outside the U.S., public transportation is very much a way of life. Growing up in the U.S. though, I very rarely had any encounter with any form of public transportation. The question of public transportation has been a tricky one in Seattle. I would be pleased if we arrived at something similar to BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit). This electric train system made traveling around the bay area quite simple and cost-effective, especially as gas prices continue to rise.
3. Airports
I've loved airports since I was a kid. Maybe it had to do with the fact that my dad took me flying when I was a kid. Maybe it was because there were escalators and huge indoor spaces to run around and play in. Maybe it was because of my fascination with airplanes. Whatever the reasons, I loved it.
Things have changed in the past 20 years. Security restrictions have closed off most of airports to only those who hold a boarding pass. Gone are the days where you could meet your loved ones as they walked off the jet bridge, or see them off at the gate. The security aspect of airports has made them more and more a genuinely unpleasant experience. This is really unfortunate, as I feel it would be impossible for a kid growing up today to have the same experience in an airport that I had as a kid.
No other place has the same appeal of reuniting loved ones and connecting people all over the globe. Even when you see someone off at an airport, it reassures you that they are really only a flight or two away. They really have made the world smaller. And for me personally, they bring back those exciting memories from my childhood.
Seatac's central terminal is a great place to sit back and watch the planes takeoff and land. This was originally supposed to be open to the public without a boarding pass. Security said otherwise, which is a most unfortunate blow to aviation and the public's opportunity to enjoy it. I still love airports, but it makes me sad that we're forced to give up something special in the name of security. The awe-inspiring world of aviation has been limited, and I can only hope that after another 20 years, we won't be continuing down this same path.
1. SFO - San Francisco International Airport.
My only other experience with this airport was when I flew here from Salt Lake City, Utah, to connect to a flight to Munich, Germany last December. I remember being appalled at how disorganized the airport seemed and how far I had to walk to get to my connecting flight. It turns out there is an electric train in the sky that circles the entire airport and makes it relatively easy to get around. So what was a "wag of my finger" has turned into a "tip of my hat" to SFO, with the caveat that they need to advertise the train a little more clearly to hurried passengers trying to make it to the international terminal in less than 15 minutes.
2. BART and mass transit
Outside the U.S., public transportation is very much a way of life. Growing up in the U.S. though, I very rarely had any encounter with any form of public transportation. The question of public transportation has been a tricky one in Seattle. I would be pleased if we arrived at something similar to BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit). This electric train system made traveling around the bay area quite simple and cost-effective, especially as gas prices continue to rise.
3. Airports
I've loved airports since I was a kid. Maybe it had to do with the fact that my dad took me flying when I was a kid. Maybe it was because there were escalators and huge indoor spaces to run around and play in. Maybe it was because of my fascination with airplanes. Whatever the reasons, I loved it.
Things have changed in the past 20 years. Security restrictions have closed off most of airports to only those who hold a boarding pass. Gone are the days where you could meet your loved ones as they walked off the jet bridge, or see them off at the gate. The security aspect of airports has made them more and more a genuinely unpleasant experience. This is really unfortunate, as I feel it would be impossible for a kid growing up today to have the same experience in an airport that I had as a kid.
No other place has the same appeal of reuniting loved ones and connecting people all over the globe. Even when you see someone off at an airport, it reassures you that they are really only a flight or two away. They really have made the world smaller. And for me personally, they bring back those exciting memories from my childhood.
Seatac's central terminal is a great place to sit back and watch the planes takeoff and land. This was originally supposed to be open to the public without a boarding pass. Security said otherwise, which is a most unfortunate blow to aviation and the public's opportunity to enjoy it. I still love airports, but it makes me sad that we're forced to give up something special in the name of security. The awe-inspiring world of aviation has been limited, and I can only hope that after another 20 years, we won't be continuing down this same path.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Me so sleepy
I just saw a commercial that was talking about the need for sleep research. That was all fine and good, until they brought up this reason:
"Even Tiger Woods said of his Stanford days that he didn't get enough sleep."
Are you kidding me? A college student not getting enough sleep? It must be something genetic! Or some other sleep disorder! I can't think of any circumstances that would prohibit an otherwise normal college student from getting enough sleep every night!
"Even Tiger Woods said of his Stanford days that he didn't get enough sleep."
Are you kidding me? A college student not getting enough sleep? It must be something genetic! Or some other sleep disorder! I can't think of any circumstances that would prohibit an otherwise normal college student from getting enough sleep every night!
Monday, July 7, 2008
Gas prices
With rising gas prices, everyone is concerned with fuel efficiency and finding ways to cut back on gas consumption. In true Stephen Colbert fashion, I'd like to encourage everyone to burn as much gas as possible before it becomes prohibitively expensive! It's our duty as Americans.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Hungry? Open that bag of charcoal
This is sad stuff of course, but what's with the picture? The article is about food stamp recipients starving because of rising food costs, but the most prominent item in the picture is a bag of charcoal? I think there may be more wise investments for food stamps if you're worried about starvation...
Read the article here.
Read the article here.
Monday, May 19, 2008
B- for life
I recently graduated from college. During my last semester, I eventually grew tired of one of my courses, and felt it no longer as necessary. So I didn't go for the last 2 weeks and stopped completing the assignments. It was an empowering feeling, one that I had not previously felt during my college career. I felt good, until I realized that my A in the class had turned into a B-...
It was then that I began to consider what I had done. Was it worth it? I had always been diligent in my studies, and received good grades for my effort. Was this something I would regret for the rest of my life? It turned out that while it may have lowered my GPA, it didn't change my graduating status at all. I graduated magna cum laude with my B-, and I would have graduated magna cum laude without it.
Of course, no one should want to lead a B- life, and that's not what I'm condoning. If I had a B- average, I obviously wouldn't have been able to graduate with academic honors. So when is it ok?
Life is all about balance. What did I do with the extra time, effort, and attention that became available when I gave up on that course? Did I devote those resources to something more meaningful? Unfortunately not. And that made me think.
What does my life's report card look like? Do I have an A in my career and a C in my relationships with friends and family? Am I graduating with honors in my plans for the future while having to take remedial classes for serving and caring for others? Who will look at my life 50 years down the road and give me a B-? What am I doing about that?
Who would have thought that my decision to be a slacker would cause so much introspection? I may have got a B- in the class, but if it helps me to earn an A from those I interact with... I'll consider it the best grade I ever got.
It was then that I began to consider what I had done. Was it worth it? I had always been diligent in my studies, and received good grades for my effort. Was this something I would regret for the rest of my life? It turned out that while it may have lowered my GPA, it didn't change my graduating status at all. I graduated magna cum laude with my B-, and I would have graduated magna cum laude without it.
Of course, no one should want to lead a B- life, and that's not what I'm condoning. If I had a B- average, I obviously wouldn't have been able to graduate with academic honors. So when is it ok?
Life is all about balance. What did I do with the extra time, effort, and attention that became available when I gave up on that course? Did I devote those resources to something more meaningful? Unfortunately not. And that made me think.
What does my life's report card look like? Do I have an A in my career and a C in my relationships with friends and family? Am I graduating with honors in my plans for the future while having to take remedial classes for serving and caring for others? Who will look at my life 50 years down the road and give me a B-? What am I doing about that?
Who would have thought that my decision to be a slacker would cause so much introspection? I may have got a B- in the class, but if it helps me to earn an A from those I interact with... I'll consider it the best grade I ever got.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Computer troubles
It appears that my computer troubles may finally be over... for now.
I'll do my best to briefly explain it, considering most of you don't want the details, and those who do will criticize me the more details I give!
It all started last summer. I moved from Utah to Washington. Along with other belongings, I brought my computer with me. Within a couple weeks of setting it up, the system would no longer boot. After running Seagate's SeaTools diagnostics, it told me that one of my three hard drives was bad. I figured the jostling involved with the move could have caused a hard drive failure. I initiated the RMA process, and some $20 and 3 days later, I had a new hard drive. All was good again in the world, or so I thought.
Several months later I attempted to install Windows Vista on one of my hard drives. Immediately I began to have problems with the system locking up for a few seconds, and then it would respond again. I turned to the Event Viewer (Start | Run | eventvwr) for answers. The System log was filled with events such as the following:
Event Type: Error
Event Source: atapi
Event Category: None
Event ID: 9
Description:
The device, \Device\Ide\IdePort2, did not respond within the timeout period.
There were varying errors (I believe there was also error ID 11, but 9 was more frequent), but all were disk related. Doing some searching for others with this problem led me to believe that Vista and my on-board RAID controller were not compatible. After trying a few workarounds, I decided I would remove the RAID setup and just have 3 independent hard disks.
I reinstalled the operating system, and by this point I knew that I could diagnose the problem by the sounds the hard disk would make. The hard drive audibly made a clicking sound, spooled down, and spooled back up. At this point I was beginning to wonder if it was some other driver that was not compatible with Windows Vista, or if it was possibly a failing SATA controller or cable.
I reinstalled Windows XP and forgot about Vista and my troubles seemed to disappear for a time. Soon though, the hard drive sound returned, and once it did, all sound was messed up. Windows startup and exit sounds were incredibly garbled. Even music played through Windows Media Player or iTunes would be distorted. I had all sorts of theories about how the sound driver could be corrupted by the hard disk problems, but the fact was I didn't know how to fix it. I would reinstall XP, but the problem would keep resurfacing.
I searched and searched on the Internet under different forums for people having similar problems. SeaTools was showing that one hard drive was failing the diagnostics now. Another failed hard drive in a year? One person had suggested that it might be the power supply, which for some reason, I had ignored until now. I decided that this may fit the symptoms, seeing as how the third hard drive had been added last year, and Windows Vista could have demanded slightly higher power output from the power supply. I postulated that this increased demand could have led to a degrading power supply that would now not even support Windows XP with 2 hard drives.
Whether or not any of my assumptions were right, I replaced the 2-year-old 420W power supply with a new 550W power supply. It's been several weeks now, and I'm glad to report that there have not been any disk errors! Maybe one of these days I will get around to installing Vista again on one of the drives, or configuring the on-board RAID again, but for now I'm just happy that I can go several weeks without reinstalling the operating system, hearing the hard drive restart, or hearing garbled sound in Windows XP!
So if you've had any of these symptoms, don't forget to consider the power supply, especially if your power load has recently increased!
P.S. For those interested, here are my system specifications:
ASUS P5GD1 motherboard
Intel Pentium 4 630 3.0 GHz dual core LGA775 2M
Kingston 1 GB (2x512 MB) DDR RAM
3x300 GB HDD (Maxtor/Seagate)
PowerColor Radeon X800GTO 256 MB
550W (now) power supply
I'll do my best to briefly explain it, considering most of you don't want the details, and those who do will criticize me the more details I give!
It all started last summer. I moved from Utah to Washington. Along with other belongings, I brought my computer with me. Within a couple weeks of setting it up, the system would no longer boot. After running Seagate's SeaTools diagnostics, it told me that one of my three hard drives was bad. I figured the jostling involved with the move could have caused a hard drive failure. I initiated the RMA process, and some $20 and 3 days later, I had a new hard drive. All was good again in the world, or so I thought.
Several months later I attempted to install Windows Vista on one of my hard drives. Immediately I began to have problems with the system locking up for a few seconds, and then it would respond again. I turned to the Event Viewer (Start | Run | eventvwr) for answers. The System log was filled with events such as the following:
Event Type: Error
Event Source: atapi
Event Category: None
Event ID: 9
Description:
The device, \Device\Ide\IdePort2, did not respond within the timeout period.
There were varying errors (I believe there was also error ID 11, but 9 was more frequent), but all were disk related. Doing some searching for others with this problem led me to believe that Vista and my on-board RAID controller were not compatible. After trying a few workarounds, I decided I would remove the RAID setup and just have 3 independent hard disks.
I reinstalled the operating system, and by this point I knew that I could diagnose the problem by the sounds the hard disk would make. The hard drive audibly made a clicking sound, spooled down, and spooled back up. At this point I was beginning to wonder if it was some other driver that was not compatible with Windows Vista, or if it was possibly a failing SATA controller or cable.
I reinstalled Windows XP and forgot about Vista and my troubles seemed to disappear for a time. Soon though, the hard drive sound returned, and once it did, all sound was messed up. Windows startup and exit sounds were incredibly garbled. Even music played through Windows Media Player or iTunes would be distorted. I had all sorts of theories about how the sound driver could be corrupted by the hard disk problems, but the fact was I didn't know how to fix it. I would reinstall XP, but the problem would keep resurfacing.
I searched and searched on the Internet under different forums for people having similar problems. SeaTools was showing that one hard drive was failing the diagnostics now. Another failed hard drive in a year? One person had suggested that it might be the power supply, which for some reason, I had ignored until now. I decided that this may fit the symptoms, seeing as how the third hard drive had been added last year, and Windows Vista could have demanded slightly higher power output from the power supply. I postulated that this increased demand could have led to a degrading power supply that would now not even support Windows XP with 2 hard drives.
Whether or not any of my assumptions were right, I replaced the 2-year-old 420W power supply with a new 550W power supply. It's been several weeks now, and I'm glad to report that there have not been any disk errors! Maybe one of these days I will get around to installing Vista again on one of the drives, or configuring the on-board RAID again, but for now I'm just happy that I can go several weeks without reinstalling the operating system, hearing the hard drive restart, or hearing garbled sound in Windows XP!
So if you've had any of these symptoms, don't forget to consider the power supply, especially if your power load has recently increased!
P.S. For those interested, here are my system specifications:
ASUS P5GD1 motherboard
Intel Pentium 4 630 3.0 GHz dual core LGA775 2M
Kingston 1 GB (2x512 MB) DDR RAM
3x300 GB HDD (Maxtor/Seagate)
PowerColor Radeon X800GTO 256 MB
550W (now) power supply
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Mind exercises and mental math
You've no doubt seen the ads for the Nintendo DS game that gives you puzzles for your mind. Something pops up that says 3 ? 4 = 12 and you have to figure out that the operation here is multiplication. I find that a little primitive, but I think the concept here is important.
Too often we don't exercise certain areas of our mind anymore. Especially in math. Of course, I am a little biased, seeing as how I used to be a mathlete. But I've noticed that in the 8 years since I've taken calculus, I've forgotten a lot. I was helping someone recently, and found that some of it did come back, and it was exciting to revitalize those brain cells.
Even simple math can be invigorating for the brain. It wasn't that long ago that people balanced their checkbook and figured out tips in their head. Now we have online banking and tip calculators on our cell phone. I think it's healthy to multiply numbers by 0.15 in your head (or 0.2 or 0.25, sheesh don't get angry, here in Europe it's 0.05-0.1 you know) to figure out what tip you want to leave. Quadrupling a recipe is good for the brain, 1 1/3 cup of flour for one batch, how much for 4? Recently, I decided to use my brain to figure out how to convert between mpg and liters per 100km. Often on trips I'm tempted to figure out how much faster I will arrive at my destination if I go 90 mph instead of 85 mph... assuming the speed limit is 85 mph of course...
Helping my sister with science has been another way of re-energizing those long-dormant brain cells. There are so many interesting things that we learn, even in grade school, that we should really try not to forget. Bringing them up in conversation, or just going over them in our head, will hopefully help keep them in our long-term memory. Then when your dad leans over on a Swiss train and asks what 134 times 5 is, you'll be able to give the exact answer instead of a rough guesstimate.
(P.S. Don't forget, multiplying by 5 is the same as dividing by 2 and adding a 0 - 134 / 2 = 67. Add a 0 on the end and you get 670. 134 X 5 = 670. If you're not good at dividing by 2, or you want to check your answer, break it up into smaller parts. 134 X 5 = (100 X 5) + (30 X 5) + (4 X 5) = 500 + 150 + 20 = 670.)
Sometimes I miss being a math nerd.
Too often we don't exercise certain areas of our mind anymore. Especially in math. Of course, I am a little biased, seeing as how I used to be a mathlete. But I've noticed that in the 8 years since I've taken calculus, I've forgotten a lot. I was helping someone recently, and found that some of it did come back, and it was exciting to revitalize those brain cells.
Even simple math can be invigorating for the brain. It wasn't that long ago that people balanced their checkbook and figured out tips in their head. Now we have online banking and tip calculators on our cell phone. I think it's healthy to multiply numbers by 0.15 in your head (or 0.2 or 0.25, sheesh don't get angry, here in Europe it's 0.05-0.1 you know) to figure out what tip you want to leave. Quadrupling a recipe is good for the brain, 1 1/3 cup of flour for one batch, how much for 4? Recently, I decided to use my brain to figure out how to convert between mpg and liters per 100km. Often on trips I'm tempted to figure out how much faster I will arrive at my destination if I go 90 mph instead of 85 mph... assuming the speed limit is 85 mph of course...
Helping my sister with science has been another way of re-energizing those long-dormant brain cells. There are so many interesting things that we learn, even in grade school, that we should really try not to forget. Bringing them up in conversation, or just going over them in our head, will hopefully help keep them in our long-term memory. Then when your dad leans over on a Swiss train and asks what 134 times 5 is, you'll be able to give the exact answer instead of a rough guesstimate.
(P.S. Don't forget, multiplying by 5 is the same as dividing by 2 and adding a 0 - 134 / 2 = 67. Add a 0 on the end and you get 670. 134 X 5 = 670. If you're not good at dividing by 2, or you want to check your answer, break it up into smaller parts. 134 X 5 = (100 X 5) + (30 X 5) + (4 X 5) = 500 + 150 + 20 = 670.)
Sometimes I miss being a math nerd.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Buying America's Future on Credit
My 10-year-old sister doesn't get mail that often. So imagine our surprise when she was pre-approved for a credit card! I tried to convince my parents to let her get it and start building up her credit, but I don't think they bought into the idea. I suppose the "preapproval" may have disappeared when she put a monthly household income of 5 euros.
Seriously though, from whence is my sister's name appearing on the list of financial institutions? It blows my mind. Maybe we can get 10-year-olds to default on their payments and ruin their credit score before they get into middle school...
Check out some credit/debt trivia here from 2004. Personally, I've never understood how people can become slaves to their own debt, particularly when the reasons behind the debt are TVs, new cars, and just living outside one's means. Start setting aside money now for the future! Better to have interest working for you than against you.
Seriously though, from whence is my sister's name appearing on the list of financial institutions? It blows my mind. Maybe we can get 10-year-olds to default on their payments and ruin their credit score before they get into middle school...
Check out some credit/debt trivia here from 2004. Personally, I've never understood how people can become slaves to their own debt, particularly when the reasons behind the debt are TVs, new cars, and just living outside one's means. Start setting aside money now for the future! Better to have interest working for you than against you.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
A fuel efficiency nightmare
Alex turns to me and asks, "What kind of fuel efficiency does a Hummer get anyway?" Right when I'm about to answer, he suggests, "27 or 28 liters per 100 km?"
Oh... right... metric measurements.
Don't be caught with egg on your face like I almost was!
Convert between mpg and liters/100 km by doing the following. Take 235 and divide by one measurement to get the other. For example, if I get 20 mpg in my Mustang GT, I get 235/20 = ~12 liters per 100 km. At least it's not 27 or 28 liters!
I forgot to take a picture today, but it took 90 euros to fill up the van with diesel gas. Gas was 1.30€ per liter. That's $7.25/gal!
Oh... right... metric measurements.
Don't be caught with egg on your face like I almost was!
Convert between mpg and liters/100 km by doing the following. Take 235 and divide by one measurement to get the other. For example, if I get 20 mpg in my Mustang GT, I get 235/20 = ~12 liters per 100 km. At least it's not 27 or 28 liters!
I forgot to take a picture today, but it took 90 euros to fill up the van with diesel gas. Gas was 1.30€ per liter. That's $7.25/gal!
Sunday, December 30, 2007
From Germany - The Lotteries of Life
I woke up this morning and spent a few minutes just staring out the window at the German landscape surrounding my parents' house. I couldn't help but wonder why I was privileged to be in this house at this time.
This isn't the only time in my life that I've wondered "why me?" in a good way. There are events almost every day of my life that cause me to stop, wonder, and be grateful for the life I have been given.
I think man's natural tendency is to justify what he has been given. "I've worked long and hard to be able to afford this house," one might say. What about those who've worked long and hard just to put bread on the table? "I sacrificed several years of my young life to go to college to gain an education that would provide me with a better job." What of those who sacrificed several years of their young lives to help their single mothers feed the rest of their families? In general, it's easy to say "I earned this." It's true that we may have earned it. We may have put forth the work and time necessary to achieve our goals, but what about the opportunities to do so in the first place?
These opportunities come from the "lotteries of life". Whether or not you believe in a "Supreme Architect" of this lottery is largely irrelevant (although in my opinion, such a belief helps us to better understand the big picture.) The lottery deals out many different opportunities and circumstances. One example could be birthplace. One child is born in the United States; another in Germany; another in Darfur, Sudan. How would the path of my life be different if I had been born in Sudan? It's a slippery slope to say I somehow earned the right to be born in the U.S. One changed outcome in the lottery of life and I'm not so different from anyone else on this planet after all.
I recently visited Dachau, the site of one of the first concentration camps of the Nazi regime. There is no way to accurately and succinctly describe everything that happened there. How is it that one group of men determined that others were below them based solely on race, based solely on one outcome in the lottery of life? It scares me to think of what judgments may be meted out based on the lot I've received, and conversely what judgments I may pass because of the lot another has received.
While I doubt (and hope) that most of us will not be involved in decisions similar to those made during the Holocaust, I'm convinced that we can improve our lives and the lives of those around us by consciously thinking about the lottery in our everyday decision making process. Doing so makes it easier to put ourselves in their shoes. Think of how different the world could be! What if members of the SS could have easily seen themselves being born to Jewish parents? Would they be so quick to persecute a Jewish boy?
When I think of all the opportunities I've been afforded in my life, I figure I owe it to society to dish out some opportunities of my own. The distribution of wealth across the globe really is rather disturbing. That should mean something for those of us who find ourselves on the higher end.
I'm not suggesting that we all embrace communism or give away all we have. I'm not suggesting that we shouldn't seek to better our own lives and increase our level of comfort. What I am suggesting is that we consider the number of lotteries that, if changed, would put us in someone else's shoes. I like to think 1 or 2 would do the trick. Take my childhood and put it in a low-income, single-parent family. Or in a war zone. I may not be so different from the person I'm judging. Maybe my judgment is just. Maybe they really do deserve their misfortune because of their misdeeds, but I'm not convinced that's my judgment to make. It's hard for me to justify spending thousands of dollars to enjoy being a pilot, and then determine a beggar doesn't deserve my change. I may feel I've earned my full-tuition scholarship, but donating a portion of that to the Perpetual Education Fund seems a wiser investment.
Of course, money can be a touchy subject, and there are rarely universal guidelines that everyone can apply. This doctrine of life's lotteries transcends the realm of dollars and cents however. How would relationships change if we gave each other the benefit of the doubt? We're quick to judge others without understanding the big picture. Indeed, the full picture can never be understood by another; we can never know every detail of another's life that has brought him or her to this point. Judgments must be made, but we should make them conservatively. Imagine if the lotteries of life had dealt us a worse hand. Maybe our life is hard too, but there are enough bad things out there that we likely have not experienced them all. Divorce? Abuse? Poverty? Childhood trauma? Our relationships with people could be much stronger if we didn't jump to judge and gave them the benefit of the doubt.
I'm far from perfect in this area and many could describe me as a hypocrite if I didn't say that I need to work on this as much as anyone else. Writing about it forces me to think about it, and thinking about it is what forces me to change my habits. Publishing something also creates within us a sense of responsibility and accountability that would be lost if we simply discarded our thoughts. I can't foretell the outcomes of these lotteries of life, but I can resolve to treat those around me better, regardless of circumstance.
This isn't the only time in my life that I've wondered "why me?" in a good way. There are events almost every day of my life that cause me to stop, wonder, and be grateful for the life I have been given.
I think man's natural tendency is to justify what he has been given. "I've worked long and hard to be able to afford this house," one might say. What about those who've worked long and hard just to put bread on the table? "I sacrificed several years of my young life to go to college to gain an education that would provide me with a better job." What of those who sacrificed several years of their young lives to help their single mothers feed the rest of their families? In general, it's easy to say "I earned this." It's true that we may have earned it. We may have put forth the work and time necessary to achieve our goals, but what about the opportunities to do so in the first place?
These opportunities come from the "lotteries of life". Whether or not you believe in a "Supreme Architect" of this lottery is largely irrelevant (although in my opinion, such a belief helps us to better understand the big picture.) The lottery deals out many different opportunities and circumstances. One example could be birthplace. One child is born in the United States; another in Germany; another in Darfur, Sudan. How would the path of my life be different if I had been born in Sudan? It's a slippery slope to say I somehow earned the right to be born in the U.S. One changed outcome in the lottery of life and I'm not so different from anyone else on this planet after all.
I recently visited Dachau, the site of one of the first concentration camps of the Nazi regime. There is no way to accurately and succinctly describe everything that happened there. How is it that one group of men determined that others were below them based solely on race, based solely on one outcome in the lottery of life? It scares me to think of what judgments may be meted out based on the lot I've received, and conversely what judgments I may pass because of the lot another has received.
While I doubt (and hope) that most of us will not be involved in decisions similar to those made during the Holocaust, I'm convinced that we can improve our lives and the lives of those around us by consciously thinking about the lottery in our everyday decision making process. Doing so makes it easier to put ourselves in their shoes. Think of how different the world could be! What if members of the SS could have easily seen themselves being born to Jewish parents? Would they be so quick to persecute a Jewish boy?
When I think of all the opportunities I've been afforded in my life, I figure I owe it to society to dish out some opportunities of my own. The distribution of wealth across the globe really is rather disturbing. That should mean something for those of us who find ourselves on the higher end.
I'm not suggesting that we all embrace communism or give away all we have. I'm not suggesting that we shouldn't seek to better our own lives and increase our level of comfort. What I am suggesting is that we consider the number of lotteries that, if changed, would put us in someone else's shoes. I like to think 1 or 2 would do the trick. Take my childhood and put it in a low-income, single-parent family. Or in a war zone. I may not be so different from the person I'm judging. Maybe my judgment is just. Maybe they really do deserve their misfortune because of their misdeeds, but I'm not convinced that's my judgment to make. It's hard for me to justify spending thousands of dollars to enjoy being a pilot, and then determine a beggar doesn't deserve my change. I may feel I've earned my full-tuition scholarship, but donating a portion of that to the Perpetual Education Fund seems a wiser investment.
Of course, money can be a touchy subject, and there are rarely universal guidelines that everyone can apply. This doctrine of life's lotteries transcends the realm of dollars and cents however. How would relationships change if we gave each other the benefit of the doubt? We're quick to judge others without understanding the big picture. Indeed, the full picture can never be understood by another; we can never know every detail of another's life that has brought him or her to this point. Judgments must be made, but we should make them conservatively. Imagine if the lotteries of life had dealt us a worse hand. Maybe our life is hard too, but there are enough bad things out there that we likely have not experienced them all. Divorce? Abuse? Poverty? Childhood trauma? Our relationships with people could be much stronger if we didn't jump to judge and gave them the benefit of the doubt.
I'm far from perfect in this area and many could describe me as a hypocrite if I didn't say that I need to work on this as much as anyone else. Writing about it forces me to think about it, and thinking about it is what forces me to change my habits. Publishing something also creates within us a sense of responsibility and accountability that would be lost if we simply discarded our thoughts. I can't foretell the outcomes of these lotteries of life, but I can resolve to treat those around me better, regardless of circumstance.
Monday, December 3, 2007
I could talk about this all day
One of my favorite quotes that comes from taking a course is "we could take a whole semester to cover just this topic". Please let me know the course number for that course so I can be sure NOT to take it. If I'm bored within 30 seconds of talking about it, the last thing I want to do is take a course that covers it for a whole semester.
Friday, November 9, 2007
WTH?
Yeah that's right, I'm the creator of "WTH".
Too often these days we let slip a WT* (in this case * represents a letter between E and G, but I won't post it here because of the profane nature of the letter). I'm not a vulgar person, so I tend to throw out a "WTH" when necessary. It's still not pretty, especially when H is used for hell as opposed to heck, but it's at least an acronym I could feel comfortable saying around my mom.
For the overly conscious, I also offer the derivative WTW (what in the world) which I have also been known to use on occasion.
Too often these days we let slip a WT* (in this case * represents a letter between E and G, but I won't post it here because of the profane nature of the letter). I'm not a vulgar person, so I tend to throw out a "WTH" when necessary. It's still not pretty, especially when H is used for hell as opposed to heck, but it's at least an acronym I could feel comfortable saying around my mom.
For the overly conscious, I also offer the derivative WTW (what in the world) which I have also been known to use on occasion.
Halo vs. Hollywood
I know it's already been brought up before but I just think it's interesting that Hollywood execs are blaming low box office sales on the release of Halo 3. Granted, some estimates have put Halo 3's revenue at over $300 million. That's a significant chunk of the entertainment change that the box office relies on.
What I don't get is the assumption of the overlap. Do many people consider Halo 3 as a replacement for all other entertainment? What about movies in particular? I think I'm more inclined to agree with this assessment posted by "Jonathan". Yes, a video game could keep people from going to the movies. But bad movies, bad plots, and bad advertising can also keep people from going to the movies. Heartbreak Kid with Ben Stiller seems to be the poster child of movies that were "robbed" by Halo. Maybe it wasn't Halo. Maybe it's related to the fact that every time I saw a commercial for the movie, I reaffirmed my decision not to go see it in theaters.
I won't try to recreate the satirical pro-Halo 3 viewpoint, despite how tempting it may be. I just think that if they are worried that the 18 to 34-year-old male demographic has been swayed away from theaters, just come out with a decent flick. I think we all could have found $8 and 3 hours away from our couch to see something like Bourne Ultimatum, had it come out in October.
What I don't get is the assumption of the overlap. Do many people consider Halo 3 as a replacement for all other entertainment? What about movies in particular? I think I'm more inclined to agree with this assessment posted by "Jonathan". Yes, a video game could keep people from going to the movies. But bad movies, bad plots, and bad advertising can also keep people from going to the movies. Heartbreak Kid with Ben Stiller seems to be the poster child of movies that were "robbed" by Halo. Maybe it wasn't Halo. Maybe it's related to the fact that every time I saw a commercial for the movie, I reaffirmed my decision not to go see it in theaters.
I won't try to recreate the satirical pro-Halo 3 viewpoint, despite how tempting it may be. I just think that if they are worried that the 18 to 34-year-old male demographic has been swayed away from theaters, just come out with a decent flick. I think we all could have found $8 and 3 hours away from our couch to see something like Bourne Ultimatum, had it come out in October.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Oh don't mind that, it's just my bulging tricep
Those who know me know that I enjoy playing a few songs on Guitar Hero now and again. So after a 4 day hiatus, including a vacation to California, MackAck invited me to play a few songs. But I couldn't. I was terrible. I tried to "5-star" Aerosmith's "Same Old Song and Dance" but to no avail. Had I lost my touch? Granted, I'm not the best fake guitar player out there (2741st the last time I checked) but this is something that should have been within my reach.
It wasn't until the next day that I figured out what the problem was. My fingering dexterity had been jeopardized by a workout session in California. We went to the gym, and I worked my triceps. They were sore for days. The next day I woke up and played the same song before class and got 5 stars on the first try. Whew... still got it.
Those who know that I enjoy Guitar Hero most likely also know that I don't work out regularly. It's a habit I need to acquire... if only I didn't hate it so much. Here I am, faced with the dilemma. The more I work out, the worse I am at Guitar Hero. It's yet another embodiment of the principle of jocks vs. nerds. Which side should I choose?
It wasn't until the next day that I figured out what the problem was. My fingering dexterity had been jeopardized by a workout session in California. We went to the gym, and I worked my triceps. They were sore for days. The next day I woke up and played the same song before class and got 5 stars on the first try. Whew... still got it.
Those who know that I enjoy Guitar Hero most likely also know that I don't work out regularly. It's a habit I need to acquire... if only I didn't hate it so much. Here I am, faced with the dilemma. The more I work out, the worse I am at Guitar Hero. It's yet another embodiment of the principle of jocks vs. nerds. Which side should I choose?
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