mjm wired

From reading Fear of philanthropy, the following question is presented in regards to donations and charity: "how much is enough?". A good read with some interesting points.

My adopted philosophy is quite simple: Give out of need, not out of abundance. What I share comes out of my pocket, so I will decide how much based on the gravity of the need. Sticking to some percentage seems far less ... considerate.

I have been a little uninspired lately. I could blame plenty of external reasons, but the truth is no one does anything for you, you have to make your own way.

I can't even list all the happenings of the year, most of them I didn't even blog about. There was some "50 Rules to Life" that says visit some place new every year. Well I visited 3 major spots, outside of Germany, the local trips pushed me far outside of my comfort zone and that to me is probably one of the most significant accomplishments I can list for the past decade.

On the "technical" front, I am exuberant over the visitors to my site. And a really big thanks for everyone who supported me technically, financially or just good advice. Its hard to quantify what a few words of encouragement or thanks can yeild. Thank you. All of you. Big or small, I appreciate it. All of it.

And other things, life, work, play, blah blah and all the things I intentionally keep vague. Well I doubt my supervisors or co-workers will ever read this. But you guys cut me a lot more slack than I deserve. Thanks. ... And for all the friends and family who either forget me or remembered me or forget me first then remember me again. Thanks too. ... Lots of cool gifts. I finally got an MP3 player - it only took me 3 years.

And on a more serious note, I feel I contributed more this last year. Hopefully in the future I'll do better. I don't feel like it means much, but I can feel I'm moving in the right direction.

Thanks for reading. Yes, I know I still have errors on my site. Yes, I know I owe many many people pictures. Yes ladies, I'm still single. No guys, it does not play OGG. Yes, I'm supposed to be spending more time developing more sites. And finally - NO - I'm not going to bother with new years resolutions this year. Every day is a new year - just make it so.

Someone I know once worked at a hardware store and during the summer a few years ago, like any other summer, there were gas grills on sale. So he convinced his father to buy one. His father apparently thought they were a bit too pricey but after some negotiation and discounting, a sale was finally made.

The grill was rather large so I helped him out to transport it and assemble it. Overall it appeared to be a fine product without any serious problems. However upon inspection by his father, he noticed a tiny dent on the lower storage tray. Although not visible unless closely examined, his father found it unacceptable and rather blemished for the price he paid. Functionally, the unit was perfect. Anyways he went back to the store to see if he could get a replacement storage tray or some sort of compensation. Fortunately for him they were able to order one free of charge.

Some weeks later, the replacement tray arrived. After picking it up and showing it to his father both of them were finally satisfied. To conclude the matter his father told him: "Good! Now keep this good tray in storage and leave the dented tray on the grill."

So the best way to convince your girlfriend to marry you is to run across the street naked.

Other serious questions are also raised, can I shoot at any unclothed person on the street? Did his girlfriend say yes? Was the gun man shooting at anything in particular? Would a woman do this to convince her boyfriend? Would she be shot? ... Or maybe this only applies in Ann Arbor. I'll have to think about that.

I was having lunch a few weeks ago like normal and the subject of taxes arose. Someone, who was a little new to my lunch crowd, asked if anyone knew of any tax preparation classes that one can take to better learn how to process tax forms. (So this guy needs help with taxes.) I told him my general advice to look online or and obtain information himself. If he's not confident to look to some some software like TurboTax or Taxcut etc. And if he really needs help go to a tax accountant or some financial service and pay for the service and next year use that as your "template". So after yapping all that out, he tells me that it is not for himself but for others. (So he's a nice guy.) I commended him on his charity only to have him comment on my naivete. He wanted to charge for his service.

But of course. His reasoning was that he had lots of spare time and that he should pick up something to do. (Okay, he's a bored guy.) I suggested he persue an interest and cultivate a hobby. He said that he already has hobbies: watching movies and listening to music. Hmmm ... I thought hobbies were recreation, so I told him straight that a passive activity is NOT a hobby. And something like a sport, or collecting, or playing a game - something that involves active participation -- that's what I call a hobby. He agreed, but none of it makes money. Hmmm ... (So, he's looking for money.) So I see the motivation now. I don't know if I understand really. He's a decently paid engineer with a wife who's also well employed, and between the 2 of them (no children) they easily pull 6 figures. I'm not judging (really), just that I don't know if I understand some people.

Persue what truly makes you happy, and hopefully the money will follow. Sure we all make compromises because we need money. However the chances are that through the persuit of money it is highly doubtful that the happiness will follow.

I wanted to end this post right there, but I have been incredibly active (busy!!!) with one of my computer hobbies. It does make me feel like I've accomplished something, and the fact is that the "benefits" do follow.