Green Eggs and Spam

Why?

I know this has been published and commentated on by many more eloquent than myself, but the story of the Wal-Mart employee being trampled to death in a Long Island, New York store hit me very close to home.  My wife works at a local Wal-mart here in Memphis to give the family some extra funds to cover expenses.  She works as a greeter and cashier and if this had happened at her store, she would have most likely been at the center of the accident.  That chilling thought as well as looking at the pictures and video from the linked story above has made me question what we have become over the years.

I like "stuff" just like the next guy, but have we reached a point in society where the desire for more "stuff" at the lowest possible price causes us to act in irresponsible and reprehensible ways?  While the above story is the worst event of the day, my wife told me of actions taken by grown men and women that make me cringe, both in disbelief and belief at what we do when we think we are not getting what we "deserve."  When did we become a society that is so centered on what "we" want that we don't even see the man we are stepping on as we run to claim what is rightly ours?  Fist fights over toys and TVs that will be restocked tomorrow and go on sale again before Christmas are insane.  Taking things out of other people's carts because they aren't looking and you want it borders on psychotic in my book.

I will not pretend I am above the fray on this as I struggle everyday with the desire to get more "stuff," to have the biggest, fastest, most advanced piece of hardware/software/gadget imaginable.  I would spend myself into the poor house if it were not for my loving wife gently reminding me what is really important.  In the end what value are all of these things if a life is lost in the process of getting them?  What is so high of a value at a Wal-Mart store, or any store for that matter, that would make you ignorant of the fact you are stepping on a human body and not a concrete floor?

The saddest part of this entire story is looking at the pictures and watching the video of people still trying to get into the store even as the paramedics were trying in vain to save the man who had been trampled.  Throughout all of this, one question continues to ring out....Why?

The "Perfect" Big Brother - Twitter

I can't begin a series of posts on social web sites, without first looking at the one every site ALWAYS gets compared to over and over again - Twitter.  I go to a new site and it's "Well, Twitter does it this way" and "I like the way Twitter handles this better" or "Twitter is cleaner" and until recently, "Is Twitter down for you?"

It seems everything has to live up to or surpass some unwritten "Twitter Standard" (Twindard?) for the masses to accept and/or use the new service.  Twitter is like that "Perfect" older brother you always get compared to when you bring your grades home from school.  If it helps you understand the context, you can call it the "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha" Syndrome.  Always being measured against a standard you know is almost impossible to attain.  Since all of my reviews will HAVE to compare the site to Twitter in order to form a frame of reference usable by most who read this blog, I decided to start by talking about Twitter and why I think it is so dominate now.

For those of you among us who are not "Technorati" or technology early/over adopters, you may ask your self, "Why are we talking about bird sounds?" (Note: for the Early/Over adopters, you may want to skim down a few paragraphs as you will find this section a tad boring.  It's OK, go ahead, the rest of us will catch up to you in a bit) Well, we are not talking the sounds of a bird, or light giggling, the "other" definition of twitter - to talk lightly and rapidly, esp. of trivial matters; chatter.  In the briefest possible definition,  Twitter.com is a site dedicated to light, rapid chat in an environment which would make the most ADHD among us squeal with glee.

Use of the site is quite simple, after you sign up for an account, you can post anything that comes to mind as long as it can be stated in 140 characters or less.  This is called a "tweet" among those in the know and displays on the screen as you enter it.  While this posting to yourself can be a fun way to get a lot off of your chest, it quickly looses its luster and you are left staring at a screen with your random thoughts staring back at you.  A rather scary proposition for some of us.  The "fun" in twitter comes in finding and following interesting "Tweeple", or other people who are out there posting tweets at the same time as you.  These people come in all varieties and ideological flavors which can give rise to some interesting discourses. 

To find someone to follow is as hard as it is simple.  You can start by looking at the public time-line and seeing if anyone has said something interesting in the past few seconds; that's the simple part.  Here's the hard part of this exercise, figuring out what's really interesting and what is reply fluff or TwitterSpam (More on that later).  If you don't see something that strikes your fancy, just refresh your page and I am VERY sure you will have a whole new list to look at and choose from.  the reason for this is the huge number of people who use Twitter and the even larger number of their posts.  Once you find a tweet that seems interesting, you can click on that person's ID and read other posts by that particular user.  If you like what you see, click on the little button labeled "Follow".  The person you just "Followed" will get a message you are now reading their posts and you may or may not get "followed" back in return.  By the way, if you follow one of the "famous" Technorati, don't expect to get followed.  Some of those folks have a HUGE list of followers (Leo Laporte has over 50,000 folowers!) and if they followed everyone, it would be like drinking from a fire hose.

Ok, now you've Tweeted and followed someone, what now?  Well,...um...really..., that's all there is to it.  Yes, there are other features, such as importing your address list and seeing if people you know are already on the site, or looking for and finding other people, that, essentially, I have given you about 75% of what Twitter is all about from a USAGE point of view.  From here everything gets a bit mushier/"insider"ish and involves social memes, twitter spam, and echo chamber discussions.  You're welcome to continue reading or go play with Twitter a bit and come back.

For those of you skimming, this is the place to reconnect. 

Yes, I know Twitter is more than what I just said, but I didn't want to frighten the new folks.  Some of this stuff is almost better if it is self discovered over time, but we DO need to talk about it for a bit. First, the Echo Chamber effect.  I have discovered it is VERY easy to only follow those who hold the same view as you on various topics.  Humans tend to shy away from conflict and gather in groups who are "like" they are in various ways, either in appearance, social standing, ideology, of MAC vs. PC preference (DO NOT GO THERE.)  We do that in real life and we also tend to do this in our Twitter life.  When this occurs, you end up in an echo chamber which parrots back to you your own ideals and it becomes VERY easy to imagine the majority of people feel/believe the same way as you do on various topics.  A great example of this is the recent vote on Prop8 in California.  Regardless of your views on the Prop itself, I was in an interesting position on Twitter.  I had a number of people I follow on both sides of the issue that did not have friends from the opposing side.  Each side thought they were in the majority of popular thought because of the posts they read on Twitter and at least one of those groups turned out to be surprised on election day. 

We need to stay away from the Echo Chamber if at all possible while following people.  I make an attempt to follow folks from across the spectrum, even those who make my blood pressure go up with each post.  I don't do this because I am trying to have an early stroke, but to make sure I am seeing a multitude of ideas and information.  Good ideas come from everywhere and limiting yourself is ridiculous.

Tune in next post, where I will try to finish up my thoughts on this "perfect" big brother and see why all of the other sites have the "Marsh, Marsha, Marsha" Syndrome.  Also, feel free to send me your favorite Twitter application hints or leave them in the comments and I will aggregate them as a future post.

Well, it figures...

I have been following the on-going drama that was the topic of my last full post. In case you didn't know, LillyAnn and Gabrielle are one of a new breed of scammers, the social network scammer. On the site EveryDotConnects.com, writer Connie Reese lays out what happened from her point of view. Connie lays out, quite well, her drive for wanting to help in what ultimately became a train wreck.

Rather than repost the whole affair, KD Kelly, aka dotlizard lays out the story in a great post here as well as a collection of facts uncovered in the investigation posted here.

In a nutshell, what we are seeing is a concerted effort by bad people to get money away from us without earning it. Worse yet, these are not the "Nigerian" scam artist who promise riches from a dead king/queen/etc, or the sweepstakes you win but have to pay money to get the prize. These scams are targeted directly at the goodwill of people in an environment where they are trying to open up to people. Social networks are about connecting. These scammers are using this connection to trick us into thinking with our hearts instead of our heads. The end result is we become a bit thicker skinned. We start questioning everyone and demanding proof where we needed none before.

The saddest thing I can see coming from this is a social network grinding to a halt because we are afraid we are going to be scammed or tricked. It figures that the first big post I make in months turns out to be describing a scam in progress. I still cling to the real truth uncovered in this mess. People still care about their fellow man and are willing to help. I just hope this event doesn't hurt the next person who really does need help to much.

Web 2.0 Explosion?

I may be seeing this from a different direction from everyone else, but I've always been a bit out of line with conventional wisdom.

From the point of view of the "normal" internet user, is it reasonable to expect more than niche market status for most of the Web2.0 "product" on the market today? I mean, everything I have seen, and used, well almost everything, has a great idea and execution, for the most part, is very good, but in the end, just how many of the applications can the market support, realistically?

You've got the Google monster with GMail (in some jurisdictions), Google Docs, Picasa, Orkut, calendar, reader, and God knows what else they are cooking up in the labs. Is there a place for services like Zoho, 8apps, et. al.? Especially considering the 800 ton gorilla Microsoft presumably pushing into the "software as a service" realm?

Also is it realistic to expect the "normal" user to really keep up with all the accounts, sites, formats, and such? I am not "normal" by any stretch of the imagination, but if I am having trouble, I can never expect Joe User to get it, now can I?

Just think this through as I don't have the answer yet, but it is worth considering.

Laptops for the Wounded

I haven't posted in a week, and I plan a longer post on immigration issues, but I just came accross this site and I think the message they are trying to send and the good they are doing needs to be publishe far and wide.

Laptops for the Wounded is a charity started by the mother of a soldier who served in Iraq but came home safely. The primary mission of Laptops for the Wounded is to provide a mode of communication for the brave men and women who are wounded and whose family cannot come and see them, a way to communicate.

From the site:

OrganizationMission :
We are non-profit organization whose goal is to provide laptops for the wounded military personnel in hospitals, so wounded soldiers can have access to their family and friends when they cannot be there with them. The laptops will stay at the participating hospitals and can be used by wounded soldiers in those hospitals.

Background:
Imagine your day starting like this. You're going about your morning routine chores and breakfast when a big shiny government Yukon pulls up in front of your house. You have a loved one at war. Your heart simply comes to a halt. Your breathing stops. You are frozen where you stand. You know it is bad news, but how bad? OK, you got lucky. Your warrior is seriously injured and on his way to Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany for stabilization and any emergent surgery before being transported to a facility in the USA; probably Walter Reed in Washington DC or Brooks Army Medical Center in Texas. Your life has just been turned upside down. You are terrified because nothing is more frightening than the unknown. You HAVE to find a way to see your beloved son, daughter, husband, wife, father, mother, brother or sister. But the closest they might get to your home is MAYBE 1500 miles away - if you are lucky. You have minimal savings, if any, living paycheck to paycheck, like most Americans anymore. Worse, you have none or not much paid time off available. And the mortgage is due next week.

Your helplessness mounts by the second. What can you do to see him when he arrives in the USA even for a couple of days? And how are you EVER going to be able to leave him behind when you must return to your own jobs and bills? How will you pay the mortgage if you have to suddenly use that money for one or two plane tickets at FULL price (war injuries do not give you a two week notice to get more affordable rates). You will find a way - somehow - but then your fears mount with not knowing how your warrior will do, mounting financial hardships, fears of how you will manage your own emotional stability - and theirs - when you have to leave him behind to go home? We very fortunately now have tools available, such as internet and instant messaging with webcams and microphones. Our beloved troops are AMAZINGLY courageous and hearing them tell you over the phone they are fine and not to worry, you just not sure if they are being straight up with you. They've learned to be very stoic. But being able to SEE your soldier by webcam can really help the whole family spend true quality time together face to face, if you can't be skin-to-skin. In many facilities these amenities are not necessary as available as you might think. Seeing their faces while they are talking to you can provide the chance for the soldier and family to feel more involved, comfortable, and allow life to continue as normally as possible considering the circumstances. Think about it - that ability could actually provide the chance for a soldier to see face-to-face their own newborn baby.

Laptops for the Wounded is a non-profit organization developed by one woman in Cody, Wyoming to help make this possible through donations. Laura Brown was blessed to have her own son return from Iraq following the first year of the war and this provides her with a measure by which she can help those not so fortunate. But it takes a lot of dedication and assistance to make this work. Please close your eyes and really try to put yourself in that scenario. Please contact her for further information.

Hospitals Participating:
Walter Reed Medical Center
Brooke Army Medical Center
Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego

Telephone and Voice Mail: 307-587-9371

E-Mail: Laura Brown

Checks made out to: Laptops for the Wounded

Address: 1526 19th St., Cody, WY, 82414

Spread the word and donate if you can. This is a worthy cause!

Technorati : Charity laptops donate

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

David Blaine's crazy stunts

Well, during comercials on 24, I flipped over and watched David Blaine perform another "magic" trick. For those of you out of the loop, as I was until this weekend, David has been submersed in a sphere of water, ala a human goldfish in front of the Lincoln Center in NYC for a week. Tonight, as a last part of the stunt (I can't bring myself to call it "magic" again), David was going to attempt to set a world record and hold his breath for 9 minutes.

9 MINUTES...Do you realize just how long that is? In todays 30 minute (24 real minute) sitcom that's enough time to setup the plot and put the charater's in a "crisis". On my favorite show 24, that's barely enough time for Jack to kill some one or stop a bomb from going off. I can't even hold my breath for 2 minutes, let alone 9.

Knowing how ABC schedules these things, I flipped back and forth for a bit and then flipped over to see if Blaine would do it, stop short, or die trying. (I could see where 24 was heading and got my suspisions confirmed after David's stunt) While I like David's real tricks and I can't stand his stunts, I have to give him credit, he gave it all he had. He made it past 7 minutes before they jumped in the tank to save him.

I think he may have pushed to far this time. They think his liver started failing about day two and there have been some who said he hasn't been quite right since going without food for 44 days in a stunt in London. He could still suffer all kinds of complications from this one and it makes me wonder where he'll go next.

I mean, he's been buried alive, sort of, frozen in a block of ice, stood for hours on top of a pole, went 44 days without food in a plexiglass box in London and now he's done the water thing. About the only thing he hasn't done yet is heat or fire. Let's say that's his next stunt, how would he do it? and what'd he do next?

Kind of reminds me of that Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck cartoon where Daffy, tired of being upstaged by the bunny, drinks nitro and gasoline, eats dynamite, and then swallows a match which produces a huge explosion. The crowd goes wild and Bugs yells up to Daffy to give the crowd an encore. Daffy, floating above with wings and a harp says, "That's the problem with that bit, never could figure out how to do an encore." or something like that statement.

I wonder if David Blaine will know when to quit?

Technorati : Current events, Magic, entertainment

Funny Comics and more

The Mad Pigeon shares a few funny editorial cartoons.

I've been quite silent recently on a great deal of these topics. Primarily, it has been because I don't really have the time, with a new job, house hunting, trying to maintain familial relationships across a 600 mile gulf in a different time zone, trying to take over the world....you get the picture.

I have a secondary reason is which even worse,...I'm discovering I don't really agree with the MSM on any topic and, while I admire President Bush, I find I often don't agree with him either on many things. While I have very well defined views on morality and what I feel is the difference between right and wrong, it seems I am now a stranger in a strange land (pardon me Heinlein) where relativity rules the day.

The whole of "what's right for you, isn't right fo me" flies in the face of the fact there are several social, cultural, and moralistic moors which are unyeilding and unchanging. Yet we, as mankind, are rushing headlong into the abyss where any thought, action, or deed can be explained away, justified, and forgiven by the populace. We are making muderers into heros and heros into murderers.

We consume everything in excess, from fuel to food, from solitude to relationship, from legalized ways of altering our mind through medication to illegal way such as huffing and meth. What ever happened to living a life outside your own desire to fulfil your own cravings and lusts? What ever happened to looking out for your family, your neighbor, your community, your friends? Whatever happened to putting others first and trying to reach out to those without hope, those without help?

And we Christians, are we any better than the rable we point our fingers at and cry, "but by the grace of God, there goes I."...? We wall ourselves away in our four walls and preach to ourselves messages of wealth and prosperity while in the shadow of our doors the world lies dying!?! We "walk" in our lives balanceing decisions by asking WWJD, "What would Jesus do?" and then we walk off and do what we want to do anyway, using the same relativism we point our fingers at in disgust at the world around us. We eat fancy meals, drive big, gas-gussling cars, wallowing in our excess and we claim to be God's chosen?

Do not misunderstand me, I am not advocating the life of "poverty" or the total denial of self. We've tried that before as Christians and fallen into error as well.

Whay I AM saying is we have thrown out the biblical principle of BALANCE, moderation, control. When we, not just as followers of CHrist, but humans in general learn to abide by that one priciple, all the others will come in line.

Jesus said the greatest of all the comandments were two in number, Love God with every fiber of who you are, and Love your neighbor as if he were you. I believe number three on that list, which rounds out the first two is, Live in a balance in all things. It is only by striving in this way we can gain anything of value in our lives.

Sorry for the ramt, but when you post infrequently, sometimes it just flows.

Technorati : Iran, Religion, politics

NASA - Space Shuttle First Flight 25th Anniversary

NASA - Space Shuttle

It's hard to believe it has already been 25 years since the Space Shuttle first flew into space. I was but a teenager and dreamed of space flight along with many others of that time.

I can remember whatching that first flight and tracking the shuttle in the days before the Web and PCs brought us so much information.

I could discuss the implications of money spent on manned space-flight or the current state of NASA, but instead, I think I'll simply just sit and remember the awe I felt seeing the launch on TV.

Remember the horror and sorrow watching the distruction of Challenger.

Remember feeling the pride as the shuttle fleet got off the ground again with the twinge of fear at the words "Go with throttle up".

Remember the historic first docking with Mir.

Remember the amazing work with Hubble and the ISS.

Say a prayer for the families of the Columbia crew and morn their passing yet again.

Remember that man MUST explore and reach out or fade away with no purpose greater than self.

Remember the eyes of my son as we stood at the Cape and looked out to see the Shuttle on the pad awaiting launch and reliving the awe through his eyes.

Looking at the HUGE Saturn V hanging above our heads and realizing how far we'd come.

Refreshing the dream that maybe...just maybe...one day...I might get to sit on top of all that power and watch the world fall away.

Dream a little dream...no matter how big it may be

Technorati : NASA, Saceflight, Space Shuttle

Christmas Spirit?!?!

A few thoughts on Christmas spirit:

---

OK!! I am getting a little tired of the Christian PC police. This is getting rediculous!

I am a Follower of Christ and I do not see a reason for the angst these folks have at someone choosing to say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. What kind of example are we making to others around us by trying to force our religious views on them? This is getting out of hand and I for one, am tired of the "Christian" populace of this nation giving Christ a bad name. If we do not stop what we are doing now, the backlash will be unspeakable when it comes, and it WILL come.

---

Is it just me, or is everyone in a comercial frenzy this year? I have seen people buying things which seem to be, quite frankly, stupid purchases. I mean, how many 2 year olds need a desktop computer of their own? Is everyone just nutty or what?

---

I wish people's "Christmas spirit" would extend a little farther than their "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays". I saw a poor store clerk berated because she wasn't moving " fast" enough and someone had to wait in line. I had been watching her and she was obviously new to her job, probably a holiday temp, and she was doing OK on what had probably been a couple of hours of training. She was almost in tears as the person in line verbally abused her and then accused her of overcharging her. I do have to applaud her supervisor, though. She came over and took charge of the situation and read the customer the riot act with a smile on her face and then went on to comfort the clerk after the customer had left. I also made a point to move to her line and do my best to encourage her. The saddest part of the whole thing is the original customer is not only a Minister in a local church (no I'm not going to ID them) but after berating the poor girl, had the audacity to proclaim that "Jesus loves you anyway" and try to leave a tract. It made me embarassed to even call myself a Christian

---

Well that'll do it for now, but I'll write more later

Technorati : Christianity, Christmas, Religion