create your own visited countries map
or vertaling Duits Nederlands
There is so much more to see!
Monday, June 9, 2008
Where I've Been...
Neat mapping service...lets you create a map of the countries you've traveled to...here's mine:
create your own visited countries map
or vertaling Duits Nederlands
There is so much more to see!
create your own visited countries map
or vertaling Duits Nederlands
There is so much more to see!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Quake Perspective
Open this link to get an interesting, Chinese, perspective on the recovery efforts following the massive May earthquake in Sichuan Province, China.
How Oil Prices Will Change the World
These are my rosiest predictions. And I really mean it. This is best case, the way I see it.
As energy prices continue to rise and push other prices ever higher, people will want to...be forced to...stay closer to home. Zoning laws will have to re-adapt to pemit and even to encourage neighborhood businesses. Cities will be forced to re-think massive investments in "build it and they will come" suburbs and regional malls. Businesses will be forced to allow employees to telecommute in order to attract high quality workers. Municipalities will surely begin taxing businesses on the basis of employees' carbon footprints, so the closer the employee is to the business, the less tax the business will pay. The transportation/distribution systems that we have come to take for granted will become highly valued; there will be an enormous surge in demand for access to, and proximity to, distribution systems. This, paradoxically, will occur at precisely the same time that demand for "hyperlocality" (see below) soars.
As zoning laws change (but don't keep up with social change, which will far outstrip municipalities' ability to respond to the real world), the growth of residential-neighborhood-based businesses, both retail and business-to-business, will accelerate well beyond the capacity of cities to keep up with them. These businesses will be smaller, much more personal, and highly competitive for the business of smaller markets. For people who have grown accustomed to their "pure residential" neighborhoods, this change will seem like the world is coming apart. And, in fact, what they will be witnessing will be the beginning of that process.
Cities like Dallas, which heretofore have purposely segregated businesses from their customers through the use of zoning and which have staked their futures on what all of us have believe was the immortality of the internal combustion engine, will find themselves unable to cope. The new realities of citizens' lives will result in radically changing expectations about what cities should be doing and should have done. Cities will be forced to respond to demands for IMMEDIATE projects to dramatically improve public transportation, create bicycle lanes on roadways, and undertake other projects that will ease the pain of having to deal with the new realities of gas prices.
Globalization, long the rallying cry of politicians who want to "lead" theirsubjects constituents into a make-believe future, will begin to be viewed as the monster it is (it is not inately so, but is made so by the forces of the free market, which can turn even the most innocuous process into an ugly and dangeous mutant). An equally unrealistic reaction, that of "hyperlocalism," will emerge as the "way of the future." [The term "hyperlocalism" has been used to describe media coverage at the neighborhood level; I use it here to describe a reaction to globalism that takes provincialism to entirely new levels.] Hyperlocalism is apt to breed insularity and distrust between nations and even between cities and states. "All politics is local" will take on a new and much more ominous meaning.
Trying to forecast the rolling impact of change on society is one of my favorite pasttimes. But I wish I could believe that the impact of oil prices on our society will be as rosy as the picture I just painted. In reality, I think we are witnessing the beginning of what will be a massive collapse of civilization as we have come to know it and the ultimate demise of humankind. When we talk about what the world will be like in fifty years, I think we're engaging in wishful thinking of biblical proportions. In fifty years, I think it will be The World Without Us (a book I've mentioned before, but still haven't read...time is running out).
As energy prices continue to rise and push other prices ever higher, people will want to...be forced to...stay closer to home. Zoning laws will have to re-adapt to pemit and even to encourage neighborhood businesses. Cities will be forced to re-think massive investments in "build it and they will come" suburbs and regional malls. Businesses will be forced to allow employees to telecommute in order to attract high quality workers. Municipalities will surely begin taxing businesses on the basis of employees' carbon footprints, so the closer the employee is to the business, the less tax the business will pay. The transportation/distribution systems that we have come to take for granted will become highly valued; there will be an enormous surge in demand for access to, and proximity to, distribution systems. This, paradoxically, will occur at precisely the same time that demand for "hyperlocality" (see below) soars.
As zoning laws change (but don't keep up with social change, which will far outstrip municipalities' ability to respond to the real world), the growth of residential-neighborhood-based businesses, both retail and business-to-business, will accelerate well beyond the capacity of cities to keep up with them. These businesses will be smaller, much more personal, and highly competitive for the business of smaller markets. For people who have grown accustomed to their "pure residential" neighborhoods, this change will seem like the world is coming apart. And, in fact, what they will be witnessing will be the beginning of that process.
Cities like Dallas, which heretofore have purposely segregated businesses from their customers through the use of zoning and which have staked their futures on what all of us have believe was the immortality of the internal combustion engine, will find themselves unable to cope. The new realities of citizens' lives will result in radically changing expectations about what cities should be doing and should have done. Cities will be forced to respond to demands for IMMEDIATE projects to dramatically improve public transportation, create bicycle lanes on roadways, and undertake other projects that will ease the pain of having to deal with the new realities of gas prices.
Globalization, long the rallying cry of politicians who want to "lead" their
Trying to forecast the rolling impact of change on society is one of my favorite pasttimes. But I wish I could believe that the impact of oil prices on our society will be as rosy as the picture I just painted. In reality, I think we are witnessing the beginning of what will be a massive collapse of civilization as we have come to know it and the ultimate demise of humankind. When we talk about what the world will be like in fifty years, I think we're engaging in wishful thinking of biblical proportions. In fifty years, I think it will be The World Without Us (a book I've mentioned before, but still haven't read...time is running out).
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Music in My Life Blog
Thanks to alex, I'm able now to incorporate a music playlist into my blog. It's there, over to the right. See it? Click on Sultans of Swing (or any other title) to hear it play. Assuming, of course, you have speakers and your volume is turned up.
Morality Dinner
We made another attempt recently to keep our neighborhood ethnic dining group alive. Last night, we visited a Viennese/Bavarian restaurant that we'd been to before (with a very small group). Last night, the group was smaller. Our neighborhood was represented by just one other couple from down the street. Because of we knew in advance of the poor showing, we invited a staff member to come along. She joined us, along with her domestic partner. It turned out to be one of the more enjoyable dinners we'd arranged, because the six of us were able to converse easily (despite a noisy restaurant).
After dinner, our employee and her partner went on their way and my wife and I invited our neighbors to go with us to one of our favorite ice cream shops (actually, one of the only ones we ever visit). The guy, who readily admitted to having an ice cream addiction, quickly agreed and so off we went.
It did not even occur to my wife and me until just before we left for dinner that some people might be uncomfortable with (or might make other people uncomfortable with) the fact that a gay couple was part of the group. Fortunately, either our neighbors are not among those who would be uncomfortable or they simply didn't act on their discomfort or they did not realize the two women were gay. Once I started thinking that, in this Republican stronghold of Dallas, our neighbors could be ultra-conservative on the matter, I became concerned about our employee and her partner being made uneasy. I'm glad that didn't happen, but I'm disappointed that I realized it was even a possibility. Our society desperately needs to get over its rigid standards of "morality" in so many areas.
After dinner, our employee and her partner went on their way and my wife and I invited our neighbors to go with us to one of our favorite ice cream shops (actually, one of the only ones we ever visit). The guy, who readily admitted to having an ice cream addiction, quickly agreed and so off we went.
It did not even occur to my wife and me until just before we left for dinner that some people might be uncomfortable with (or might make other people uncomfortable with) the fact that a gay couple was part of the group. Fortunately, either our neighbors are not among those who would be uncomfortable or they simply didn't act on their discomfort or they did not realize the two women were gay. Once I started thinking that, in this Republican stronghold of Dallas, our neighbors could be ultra-conservative on the matter, I became concerned about our employee and her partner being made uneasy. I'm glad that didn't happen, but I'm disappointed that I realized it was even a possibility. Our society desperately needs to get over its rigid standards of "morality" in so many areas.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Hot Bike Moves
Weather has been unpleasant of late, with low temps at night dropping only to the high 70s and climbing to near 100 during the day. This is not suitable for walking, not even from the car to the comfort of air conditioned space. No relief in sight, say the weather people.
My wife and I visited an office space today...looks like it might be the place to lease. I liked it when I saw it. It has "loft" offices, each with two levels. A funky old (1970s vintage, so not really "old") building that is highly nontraditional in today's sterile office building conventions. I envision some Mexican colors on the walls, some newly-minted metal art from the soon-to-be-welder, and a new business direction!
I made a call today to Whizzer Bike Company, distributor of electric-powered bicycles. My purpose was to explore setting up a dealership in the Dallas area. They want someone with various motorcycle backgrounds and licenses, but they're willing to talk. So later, we'll talk.
My wife and I visited an office space today...looks like it might be the place to lease. I liked it when I saw it. It has "loft" offices, each with two levels. A funky old (1970s vintage, so not really "old") building that is highly nontraditional in today's sterile office building conventions. I envision some Mexican colors on the walls, some newly-minted metal art from the soon-to-be-welder, and a new business direction!
I made a call today to Whizzer Bike Company, distributor of electric-powered bicycles. My purpose was to explore setting up a dealership in the Dallas area. They want someone with various motorcycle backgrounds and licenses, but they're willing to talk. So later, we'll talk.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Help Me Do Something...and So Forth
One day, I'll explain what I have done to justify returning to this blog. Suffice it to say I think it was something that should have been done, but it was not as much as should have been done. But it was something that helps me at least temporarily shelve my shame for bitching too much and doing too little. Enough said, for now.
Some who read this blog know that my wife is a breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of breast cancer five years ago and was given essentially two options; have a total mastectomy of her right breast and undergo extensive chemotherapy or die soon. It wasn't as straightforward a decision as it should have been. But ultimately she agreed to undergo the surgery and the absolute horrors of chemotherapy. And subsequently she had to face the realization that "don't worry, your hair will grow back," was a lie, unintentional though it may have been. Her very, very thin, wispy hair, barely covers her head now; no matter how she wears it, there is a lot of skin showing...a lot of bald patches. She finally got the point that she could go out in public without a cap. It wasn't because her hair got any thicker, it was because she finally decided she wouldn't let others' reactions to her appearance dictate how she felt about herself and the world.
Five years after her diagnosis, all I care about is that she is a survivor. She's safe. She doesn't have cancer. At least not now. And I'll do anything in my power to keep it that way. One thing I can do is to support efforts to find cures and better ways of treating breast cancer until the cure if found. And one way I can do that is to support the cause of friends, both personal and those I make through blogs, who want and need support while they are dealing with their own personal nightmares of cancer.
And another thing I can do is to condemn organizations that put corporate profits and shareholder "value" above the lives of people who don't deserve to be sacrificed to the almight dollar. One such organization is Gevity, the professional employer organization (PEO) that recently cancelled our contract, which included providing medical insurance coverage for my wife and me, as well as our employees. Their terse, heartless letter said, in effect: Our contract says we can cancel your account for no reaon: we are doing so and we are giving you 30 days notice." If anyone who reads this blog has any influence over anyone who might conceivably have decision-making power over selecting Gevity as a PEO...or if anyone knows of a company contemplating contracting with Gevity...know this: Gevity is not trustworthy. The company utterly ignores its tagline of "People 1st." Its true tagline should be: "Money 1st. People Are Expendable." Bastards. If you know anyone with ANY connections to Gevity, please pass along my views.
And another thing I can do is to be less vindictive. I'll try. As a start, let me suggest to you that you offer any support you possibly can after reading this blog post:
So That There is a Tomorrow.
On a much more positive note: I took my first welding class on Sunday evening. I'm in love with metalworking. During the course of fewer than three hours last night, I fell in love with everything having to do with shaping and joining metals. If I had the skills I would need, I'd quit working in my business tomorrow.
Finally, I looked at several more possibilities for new locations for my company's offces today and found some great options. I am ready to move out of my current space and, in fact, gave notice of my decision not to extend my lease last Thursday. One place I'm looking at could be a retail space, in addition to office space. I'm so tempted, but the old-style office loft was appealing, too. And I'm still thinking I may surprise everyone, including my wife, by just announcing my decision to close my company's doors. Probably not, but my god it's tempting!
One more thing. Read this post from Drugmonkey. It proves that the world is just full of heartless bastards who deserve to die and full of people who make humankind so god damn wonderful. And I hate the duality of it all.
Some who read this blog know that my wife is a breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of breast cancer five years ago and was given essentially two options; have a total mastectomy of her right breast and undergo extensive chemotherapy or die soon. It wasn't as straightforward a decision as it should have been. But ultimately she agreed to undergo the surgery and the absolute horrors of chemotherapy. And subsequently she had to face the realization that "don't worry, your hair will grow back," was a lie, unintentional though it may have been. Her very, very thin, wispy hair, barely covers her head now; no matter how she wears it, there is a lot of skin showing...a lot of bald patches. She finally got the point that she could go out in public without a cap. It wasn't because her hair got any thicker, it was because she finally decided she wouldn't let others' reactions to her appearance dictate how she felt about herself and the world.
Five years after her diagnosis, all I care about is that she is a survivor. She's safe. She doesn't have cancer. At least not now. And I'll do anything in my power to keep it that way. One thing I can do is to support efforts to find cures and better ways of treating breast cancer until the cure if found. And one way I can do that is to support the cause of friends, both personal and those I make through blogs, who want and need support while they are dealing with their own personal nightmares of cancer.
And another thing I can do is to condemn organizations that put corporate profits and shareholder "value" above the lives of people who don't deserve to be sacrificed to the almight dollar. One such organization is Gevity, the professional employer organization (PEO) that recently cancelled our contract, which included providing medical insurance coverage for my wife and me, as well as our employees. Their terse, heartless letter said, in effect: Our contract says we can cancel your account for no reaon: we are doing so and we are giving you 30 days notice." If anyone who reads this blog has any influence over anyone who might conceivably have decision-making power over selecting Gevity as a PEO...or if anyone knows of a company contemplating contracting with Gevity...know this: Gevity is not trustworthy. The company utterly ignores its tagline of "People 1st." Its true tagline should be: "Money 1st. People Are Expendable." Bastards. If you know anyone with ANY connections to Gevity, please pass along my views.
And another thing I can do is to be less vindictive. I'll try. As a start, let me suggest to you that you offer any support you possibly can after reading this blog post:
So That There is a Tomorrow.
On a much more positive note: I took my first welding class on Sunday evening. I'm in love with metalworking. During the course of fewer than three hours last night, I fell in love with everything having to do with shaping and joining metals. If I had the skills I would need, I'd quit working in my business tomorrow.
Finally, I looked at several more possibilities for new locations for my company's offces today and found some great options. I am ready to move out of my current space and, in fact, gave notice of my decision not to extend my lease last Thursday. One place I'm looking at could be a retail space, in addition to office space. I'm so tempted, but the old-style office loft was appealing, too. And I'm still thinking I may surprise everyone, including my wife, by just announcing my decision to close my company's doors. Probably not, but my god it's tempting!
One more thing. Read this post from Drugmonkey. It proves that the world is just full of heartless bastards who deserve to die and full of people who make humankind so god damn wonderful. And I hate the duality of it all.