mjm wired :: Philosophy

Thank You 2006

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 18:15:24 -0500

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.

Grilled to Perfection

Tue, 15 Aug 2006 21:44:47 -0400

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."

Marriage Requires Risks and ... Public Nudity

Thu, 15 Jun 2006 07:28:35 -0400

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

The man responded that taking risks is an important part of life and, to prove his point, jumped out of a first-floor window and ran naked across the street. Before he could return, he spotted a couple walking and hid in some bushes to avoid them. A 28-year-old man noticed the bushes rustling and bare feet underneath, then drew a .40-caliber handgun and ordered the naked man out, police said. The naked suitor ran away, but the armed man gave chase and threatened to shoot, police said. The gunman fired a shot and the naked man fell to the ground, suffering minor injuries.

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.

A Hobby

Wed, 22 Mar 2006 09:01:12 -0500

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.

The New Year 2006 and Forward

Sun, 29 Jan 2006 12:15:16 -0500

It is about a month into the new year (1/12 over, about 92% left). Anyways, I have just started on one of my main new years resolutions ... from 2003. I've finally started working out on a regular basis. Granted, I didn't do it all on my own - I have buddy who's a big motivator. The physical exercise doesn't seem as important as the fact that I actually did something. I have an apparent tendancy to simple plan out everything but never act. One of the managers at work dubs this as "paralysis by analysis". And he's right, more than he even realizes when it comes to me.

So while I'm not out to impress the ladies with a sculpted bod, I am intent on making myself do the things that I want but hesitate over risk or some sort of uncertainty or doubt. I need to do something for me. And while I don't plan on leaving my calculations and risk assessment behind, I am starting to do more and bring myself out of this complacent notion that merely being comfortable is satisfactory.

If that isn't a good ANY-TIME-OF year resolution, I don't know what is.

Corporate Stranglehold on Technology

Sun, 02 Oct 2005 15:24:43 -0400

This was actually a response on Jeff's blog, but it got so long that I decided to post here instead. Anyways for anyone who doesn't know, more and more lawsuits are being given to peer-to-peer software companies and consumers alike. Even Apple is under pressure from the Industry to raise prices.

I'm normally much more passive on this topic, but lately I've been getting terribly frustrated at the obvious BS coming out of the likes of the Recording Industry and Motion Pictures Industry. They keep claiming that initial production costs keep media (CD, DVD, etc) prices high and that piracy compounds that. I don't get it really. CD's ARE NOT THAT EXPENSIVE TO PRODUCE. They've been around for 20 yrs, you think they would have figured it out by now. Look on Billboard's charts - CD's are still selling at their full (rediculous) price. Furthermore, outside of promotion costs, most movies CAN cover expenses at the box office - I remember paying $3.25 once upon a time. Fine it costs $10 now, and for the cost of a family set of tickets, you can purchase a handful of DVD's or a good boxset.

To me this boils down to money and politics. Obviously none of the bigwigs want their revenue streams interrupted and hence the best aproach is stifling competitive innovation via litigation. Money rules here. And, although I do beleive in capitalism, I also think that regulation is very important. But nobody is regulating tyrannical monsters like the RIAA and MPAA. Instead we have DMCA laws which give them MORE exclusive power. Even before that, both these groups could sue for copyright infringement, piracy, etc., -- only now the burden has been placed on the defendant (you and me) to defend ourselves, while they get unfair legal powers. Money rules the rule makers here.

And the Apple thing irks me further. I was never a fan of iTunes, but I did think that $0.99 was a *seemingly* fair compromise. Have you seen the price of a CD single? So if the distribution costs HAVE NOT RISEN, why should Apple have to raise prices? In fact I was waiting for them to go down a little in cost. Oh well. I am really behind Steve Jobs here, I really hope he sticks to his guns.

Something really needs to be done before the corporate stranglehold on technology spins out of control. The Clinton administration missed a great oppertunity for consumers, and I know now that the Bush administration has other priorities. So, maybe internet advocacy and a better educated populace will try to fight back, however futile that may seem.

American Life

Sun, 11 Sep 2005 20:25:22 -0400

A more appropriate title would be American Lives. Oh, wait, maybe I should be more specific: Value of American Lives. ... A coworker told me he saw firefighters in the street intersections collecting donations with their boots and hats for victims of hurricane Katrina, which at this moment the official death toll is now exceeding 400. I commented that I recalled firefighters in the same area doing the same after September 11, 2001 (2,752 dead). He asked me if I saw them do it for victims of the 2004 Tsunami (over 250,000 dead across 11 countries). I can't say that I did...

I'm not drawing any conclusion from this one incident ... but then again, maybe someone should.

Selling Bikes without Selling Out

Mon, 22 Aug 2005 21:55:48 -0400

I was watching the news the other night and I saw Paul Sr., Paul Jr. and Mikey from American Choppers. I can't recall the details of the interview but one question was asked to Paul Sr. about the difficulties they handle and how it feels to be so successful. The one comment he made that caught my attention was about how to keep doing what they do (good bikes) withouth "selling out". Not sure what he meant, but it's pretty obvious that the Teutul family is revelling in their fame and fortune. Turn on the radio and hear how the "7-11 Big Gulp Slurpee" is the only thing that can calm down Paul Sr. And go to any major store and see their merchandise (note the logo t-shirts). ... Hey! It's genius. Once upon a time it took them weeks to build a custom chopper and cash in after hard labor and tight deadlines. Now they can do the same with a 15 minute endorsement.

Sellouts? Well the jury is still out. Success, it's a great thing.

The Do-It-Yourself Conundrum

Tue, 26 Jul 2005 18:28:51 -0400

Growing up I learned that sometimes it was better to learn how to something yourself as opposed to paying someone else. This was most apparent with me helping my father work on the car in the past 10 years. Although the motivation was primarily financial, many times after completing some challenging work there was a great deal of fulfillment. I'd feel satisfied knowing I did something right and I learned something useful in the process. There will always be part of me that wants to learn and do everything on my own. Whether it's housework, automobile, gardening, computers or whatever -- I feel fairly certain that it is not outside of my capacity. But then reality sets in. I question myself as to where I should draw the line. Where do I give in and say I'll just spend some money for something not perfect but more convenient? At times I'll lose a weekend or 2 on repairing something, but then what about the time? It maybe worthwhile financially, but I wonder if life is worth spending that way?

I sit here amidst countless projects that either I've started or someone else has started with me. Some I know may have a serious impact on my day to day life, but otherwise I wonder: "What's the point?" I think that the money I save and the fulfillment I'll get is no longer worth the time I spend and the frustration I'll endure. So I'm not going to give up on everything, but I do think that I no longer really want to be a general purpose "Do-It-Yourselfer". Hopefully I'll find better things in life to occupy my time.

Corporate Right to Existence

Mon, 27 Jun 2005 22:25:56 -0400

I guess the great big news in the internet world today is that the United States Supreme Court ruled against the makers of Grokster, a popular file sharing program. Basically if anyone makes something that promotes copyright infringement, then they can be held liable. Now I don't care to discuss the merits of this case. The bottom line, for me, is that I do not see anything wrong in someone actively sueing people who intentionally violate copyrights. However I am at odds with the methods of enforcement. But even then, that's not what is the most troubling thing for me.

I read on one news article that the Recording and Motion Picture Industries feel that their very existence is being threatened by things like file sharing networks. I don't see what law or what God deemed that the existence of such corporations is absolute? And the fact of the matter is that their "very existence" is not even being remotely challenged: it is their dominance. You cannot be on top forever.