New blog...

I forgot how much more I like Wordpress, so I switched, re-branded to the blog of the future. We can now be found at Succinct Verbosity . How’s that for a new name, eh? Succinct verbosity, contradictory terms, just like life, just like yin and yang - wow, how deep is that? Of course, it doesn’t imply that I see things one way or another because a simplistic world view is just no fun at all. We’re humans, each with our own personalities, agendas, desires that don’t necessarily coincide. Sure, we can apply artificial constraints, set parameters such as the Uniform Code of Military Justice for those of us who served in the military, but judging by the number of people who go through courts martial or non-judicial punishment (probably more on the NJP side), our inherent humanness, our desire to pursue our own desires seems to override artificial codes imposed on us at times. The question is, of course, is our “humanness” I refer to an innate trait for all humans, or is it really more attributable to sociological reasons? I recall a section in “History of Western Philosophy” discussing how societies that mature “too quickly” tend to introduce Bacchic elements of madness and ecstasy to counter the “order” imposed by society.

An update to wireless freedom....

Okay, so I blasted Starbucks for their wireless policy and subsequently found out that you can get FREE wifi by registering your Starbucks card online. Of course, there are conditions - wifi is free as long as you use or re-charge your card every 30 days AND you’re limited to two hours a day of wireless freedom. So, there are caveats, but who hangs around Starbucks for more than two hours a day? I guess you could conceivably end up hanging around a Starbucks for a while in an airport with a delayed flight, but on a daily basis, who has two hours of free time to sit around in a Starbucks surfing the internet? I guess you could make the time if you had to... So, I guess I’ll have to give Starbucks a little more credit, but not a whole lot more. I mean, conditions??? Ambiance is still better than crappy ass fast food, though...

Complex systems stuff..

Systems dynamics, a discipline dedicated to understanding dynamic behavior of complex systems. The discipline seems to be a central part of the curriculum at Sloan and considering that Jay Forrester of MIT founded the discipline in the 50’s, I can see why. The theory is that we can model complex systems behavior in an effort to make predictable “forecasts” in an effort to make things faster, better, cheaper - if not faster, better, cheaper, then a bit more “predictable”. The fundamental in system dynamics is mathematics, but it still seems to be focused on a parametric view of a system. One of the steps in creating the simulation is to estimate the parameters and initial conditions - by market research or by my ever so favorite “subject matter expert”. In other words, you can really make the model say whatever you or a corporate executive wants since all you have to do is alter the “parameters and initial conditions” through market research or a “subject matter expert”. Sure, you could use statistical analysis to define parameters, but we all know statistics can be very subjective. The mathematics behind the statistics are objective (after all, math is math), but the data used to generate the statistics is always subject to interpretation.

So, why talk about systems dynamics? I was just thinking about the books I need to get from the ex’s home and one of them was Jay Forrester’s Systems Dynamics textbook (as taught at Sloan, even!!!). Funny the things that the mind recalls, isn’t it? Who the hell would think about “systems dynamics” on any given day except a “subject matter expert” in “business modeling”? I’m no “subject matter expert” in “business modeling” and “business strategy”, by the way, far from it, although I do understand the “language” of “business modeling and strategy”. “Dazzle ‘em with bullshit” as a former navy boss of mine would say...

Dog years, what is a “dog year”? Why do we need to relate a dog’s age to human years? Why can’t you just say “my dog is 10 years old” and know that 10 years is OLD since dog’s average around 12 years for lifespan. Why do we have to have this silly notion that we multiply the dog’s age by seven or something like that to come up with the “human equivalency”? This is especially disconcerting since the “conversion rate” is dependent upon the average lifespan of a human - which average lifespan, man or woman? Asian, latino, or caucasian? Are we then being discriminatory if we say that the factor is based on the average life expectancy of a white male, or Asian woman? I’d say just teach everyone that dogs live about 12 years and let them deduce by themselves that a 10 year old dog is OLD. Even the notion of a “year” is relative, but based on a hell of a lot more science than “dog years”, so let’s just use the widely accepted Julian calendar “year” and do away with this “dog year” stuff...

Endless loop

In programming, I remember the concept of an infinite loop. In C, you could write a statement to increment an integer by one with the condition to continue incrementing while the integer value is greater than zero. Technically, you would reach a memory limitation for the integer value in the computer, but it would take a very long time to get there and it would be a very big number.

Sometimes life feels like an infinite loop - I think if you don’t have an idea of what it is you want to do in life, any “progress” towards a purpose seems to equate to incrementing to an undefined “end state” greater than zero. I suppose “purpose” doesn’t have to be anything elaborate, it could be as simple as “live to 70” and then each year would be an increment, something along the lines of “unsigned int i; for (i=1; i<70; i++)”. Simple goal, attainable goal, but would that give you “purpose”? Do we need “goals” in life at all? I do think that a sense of “purpose” would be good, but does purpose imply setting goals? Is there a logical statement that says “in order to define purpose, one must develop goals to attain purpose”? I don’t think that’s the case, why make this such a “corporate” exercise? I’d say define a purpose, and live... just live! If your purpose is to do what you can to make the world a better place, just live your life making the world a better place - make friends, fall in love, make an impression, do good. Of course, it’s never as easy as it seems, but what the hell, you only live once, go do good things.

Walking on broken toe...

Okay, not sure if my toe is broken or not, but my little toe is about the size of my big toe and it’s black and blue all over. I thought I could be as nimble as the cats and while chasing them down to play, I rammed my foot against the coffee table in the living room. Brilliant, so what did we decide to do? We went for a walk at the park. We were told there is a way to access Lake Accotink off of Huntsman here in West Springfield, but we have yet to find it. We walked, for sure, took a nice stroll through a town house complex toting along our cameras, looking like tourists. We even elicited some interesting looks from a woman sitting in her backyard sipping tea under her deck umbrella... it looked like she was wearing a bathrobe, scary.

We walked for a good half hour, no Lake Accotink. The walking wasn’t that bad, my little toe was taped to the toe next to it, so it didn’t really move that much and at the end of the day, it felt okay. No dramatic end of story, other than the fact that we have yet to find the mystical entry into Lake Accotink from the vicinity of our neighborhood... I think we were being led on. We did capture some interesting photos, which I posted on my photoblog here . I love shooting in black and white. Colors are great, especially when you’re surrounded by vibrant greens, blues, and sunrise/sunsets, but you don’t get to focus on the actual image like you do with black and white. Just my opinion, of course...

Wireless wonders...

Went to Starbucks over the weekend and I’m always amazed at how many people hang around with their notebook computers, some looking very official, some looking like serious artists (on a Mac, of course), and some just looking like students, some serious, some not so serious. Of course, Starbucks makes you pay for your wireless freedom, but you can certainly feel cool in a Starbucks with the art deco look, plenty of caffeine, and sweets to boot.

Then there’s McDonalds... coffee is just as good, if not better, and now most McDonald’s are offering wireless for FREE (at select McDonalds, limited time offer). Not only can you get your better tasting caffeine (according to the latest customer surveys), but you can have sugar AND grease with your wireless freedom; you want some fries with that? It’s almost as if McD is trying to one up Starbucks on everything, but on ambiance, they lose flat out. There’s certainly isn’t any element of art deco coolness, the ambiance is completely crappy ass fast food.

Yes, that’s right... there should be a new motif, “crappy ass fast food”. I mean, no offense to McD’s or any other fast food joints, but isn’t that the whole purpose of “fast food”? Convenience, in and out, baby... I mean, why create an atmosphere that encourages diners to stick around? Besides, can you really work in the chaos of a fast food joint, inundated with the smell of greasy grilling meat and french fries? I doubt a real artist can get any inspiration from rushed travelers wolfing down extra value meals and it’s certainly not an environment conducive to serious thinking of the philosophical sort... As much as I like McD’s coffee, I’d much rather stick around with art deco, funky ass music, and the wonderful smell of espresso. No wonder why Starbuck’s keeps charging for their wireless... bastards.

On spirits....

Had a conversation with my mother about spirits and “manifestations” of deceased people in our physical world. There’s a huge part of me that believes in the supernatural. I recall an experience I had when I was young, maybe 10 or so, where I saw the form of a woman in the bedroom that we were all staying in at my grandmother’s house. I also recall that same summer seeing fireballs in the cemetery behind my grandmother’s house, all happening in the late July, early August time frame which is the festival of Obon in Japan. Of course, I didn’t know what Obon was really about at that age, but it’s likely my brain could have “formed” those images by inference, after all, there was a lot of focus on visiting tombs for dead relatives, etc...

So, the concept of “life” beyond death - if there is such a thing, why would we be afraid of interacting with those that we knew in their previous life? Does the mere fact that a person dies make them more “evil” than if they were alive? Maybe the whole fear of ghosts thing is our built in survival mechanism to fear things unknown to us, fear things we can’t control until we can “master” them? Is that the essence of mankind then? Our need to “master” things? Does that also explain why there could never really be a society as Plato had imagined, with a benevolent and wise aristocracy, a council of wise men that ruled over the unwise subjects? Ultimately, I suppose one could argue that it IS the desire to “master” everything that keeps us from attaining what Plato called utopia...?