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| Dude-Vinci by Colin Cotterill |
Inspired by one of the best movies of all time, The_Big_Lebowski.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Join the slowest-growing religion in the world – Dudeism
Inspired by one of the best movies of all time, The_Big_Lebowski.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Top Ten Reasons Twitter Does Not Totally Suck Rocks
Follow the logic. Does this make sense? Fire back if you grok or find a chink.
1. People should lead, follow, or get out of the way.
2. Obama tweets.
3. So does Diane Rehm, but I don’t have to care about everybody just because they tweet. Still, sometimes I find someone interesting just because I tend not agree with them, nor they with me.
4. I like beer. I like to drink, smell, taste, brew, talk about, and stare at it. I like other stuff, too. Sometimes I like to hang out with other people who feel the same way. Some of those people are nearby, and some are not, so hanging out might involve electronics.
5. I want to feel connected. I just don’t need to have a lot of email (or Facebook) traffic from people who might be very interesting but are not my actual friends (Obama, Diane, The Onion, greatdividebrew, newbelgium, hookandladder, ShmaltzBrewing, MoylansBrewing, bells beer, RogueAles, ShinerBeer, GLBC_Cleveland (Great Lakes), dogfish_ale, magichat, flying dog, DepotBrew, YazooBrew, etc.)
6. I did not invent Twitter (or Facebook). So, I should either follow or get out of the way. Or invent a better Twitter (or Facebook). Or make Twitter (or Facebook) better.
7. My kids are 16 and 13. They are typical kids. By that, I mean:
a. They tweet
b. They txt (a lot)
8. Kids these days have peeps like I had friends when I was a kid. Except they have peeps from all around the world strung together through the ether, whereas I was limited to neighborhood kids and we met in the church parking lot for pickup ball games.
a. Kids today collect peeps as if more were always better, as if they were keeping score by quantity.
b. They interact with peeps in short, frequent bursts. Happiness is various and sundry electric jolts throughout the day. Meanwhile, I only saw my friends when I was playing outside.
c. Some of my friends required a good deal more tolerating than others, and that was ok. Now we have Ignore buttons.
9. Social structure is changing. Everything alive changes. Change is not a guarantee of life, because some paths are perilous, but the decision to stop changing is the same as checking out of life.
10. I don’t want to wake up one day and discover that I have become irrelevant to my children’s generation because I failed to keep up with changes. Diane Rehm tweets, and she‘s in her 70s. That doesn’t make tweeting right, but it does mean that one either does, or does not, tweet. So, “Lead, follow, or await your demise.” Tweet! Tweet, damn you! Tweet and live!
1. People should lead, follow, or get out of the way.
2. Obama tweets.
3. So does Diane Rehm, but I don’t have to care about everybody just because they tweet. Still, sometimes I find someone interesting just because I tend not agree with them, nor they with me.
4. I like beer. I like to drink, smell, taste, brew, talk about, and stare at it. I like other stuff, too. Sometimes I like to hang out with other people who feel the same way. Some of those people are nearby, and some are not, so hanging out might involve electronics.
5. I want to feel connected. I just don’t need to have a lot of email (or Facebook) traffic from people who might be very interesting but are not my actual friends (Obama, Diane, The Onion, greatdividebrew, newbelgium, hookandladder, ShmaltzBrewing, MoylansBrewing, bells beer, RogueAles, ShinerBeer, GLBC_Cleveland (Great Lakes), dogfish_ale, magichat, flying dog, DepotBrew, YazooBrew, etc.)
6. I did not invent Twitter (or Facebook). So, I should either follow or get out of the way. Or invent a better Twitter (or Facebook). Or make Twitter (or Facebook) better.
7. My kids are 16 and 13. They are typical kids. By that, I mean:
a. They tweet
b. They txt (a lot)
8. Kids these days have peeps like I had friends when I was a kid. Except they have peeps from all around the world strung together through the ether, whereas I was limited to neighborhood kids and we met in the church parking lot for pickup ball games.
a. Kids today collect peeps as if more were always better, as if they were keeping score by quantity.
b. They interact with peeps in short, frequent bursts. Happiness is various and sundry electric jolts throughout the day. Meanwhile, I only saw my friends when I was playing outside.
c. Some of my friends required a good deal more tolerating than others, and that was ok. Now we have Ignore buttons.
9. Social structure is changing. Everything alive changes. Change is not a guarantee of life, because some paths are perilous, but the decision to stop changing is the same as checking out of life.
10. I don’t want to wake up one day and discover that I have become irrelevant to my children’s generation because I failed to keep up with changes. Diane Rehm tweets, and she‘s in her 70s. That doesn’t make tweeting right, but it does mean that one either does, or does not, tweet. So, “Lead, follow, or await your demise.” Tweet! Tweet, damn you! Tweet and live!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Remembering John Lennon, Oct 9, 1940-Dec 8, 1980
Today marks the 30th anniversary of John Lennon's death at the hands of a deranged fan. Lennon would be 70 had his life not been cut short. We can only imagine how he might have influenced art, spirituality, and politics had he continued to live and create. Unfortunately, we will never know. John is forever 40.
Speaking of imagining, I am sure that Lennon's most iconic song, Imagine, is being played every hour on the hour around the world. It's interesting to me that the Anglican church in Lennon's hometown of Liverpool decided not to play Imagine on their church bells, because the majority of parishioners were offended by the opening line: Imagine no heaven...
Whether there is a heaven is something we cannot know for certain while we are still alive. I have reasons for believing that the soul is eternal, that there is a creator God, and that Jesus gave us all an example of how to love and worship God. That said, I believe it's also fair to say that churches have capitalized on our innate fear of death, and used images of heaven and hell to control our behavior. I listen to Imagine, and I do not hear atheism. I hear freedom.
I would like to call attention to a different John Lennon song: Instant Karma (We All Shine On).
Instant Karma video on YouTube
Speaking of imagining, I am sure that Lennon's most iconic song, Imagine, is being played every hour on the hour around the world. It's interesting to me that the Anglican church in Lennon's hometown of Liverpool decided not to play Imagine on their church bells, because the majority of parishioners were offended by the opening line: Imagine no heaven...
Whether there is a heaven is something we cannot know for certain while we are still alive. I have reasons for believing that the soul is eternal, that there is a creator God, and that Jesus gave us all an example of how to love and worship God. That said, I believe it's also fair to say that churches have capitalized on our innate fear of death, and used images of heaven and hell to control our behavior. I listen to Imagine, and I do not hear atheism. I hear freedom.
I would like to call attention to a different John Lennon song: Instant Karma (We All Shine On).
Instant karma's gonna get you
Gonna knock you off your feet,
Better recognize your brother
Everyone you meet!
Instant Karma video on YouTube
Saturday, December 4, 2010
L.I.N.K.S. that Lure, Intrigue, Nurture, Kindle, or Stimulate, Part 1
This being the first in an intended series of interesting links.
1. The more labels you have for yourself, the dumber they make you. Small Identity
2. Prof Brians' list of common errors in English. English Errors
3. Is the Christian faith a spent force in the world—totally irrelevant to our lives—or has its true message been misunderstood and its transformative power for good gone untapped? Emerging-Christianity-Conversation
Comments and suggestions welcomed!
1. The more labels you have for yourself, the dumber they make you. Small Identity
2. Prof Brians' list of common errors in English. English Errors
3. Is the Christian faith a spent force in the world—totally irrelevant to our lives—or has its true message been misunderstood and its transformative power for good gone untapped? Emerging-Christianity-Conversation
Comments and suggestions welcomed!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
NaBloPoMo AAR: "Close" only counts in hand grenades and horse shoes
It's midnight and National Blog Posting Month has come to an end. Here is my After Action Review.
My goal was to post every day in the month of November. I missed a day here and there. But I had a ton of ideas and I rationalized that if I ended up with 30 posts at the end of the month, that would be good enough. I made it to 28, with 2 drafts that need more work.
Close, but not quite!
Lessons learned:
1. I was able to figure out how to use my phone to post to the blog, so my travel schedule was not really an impediment.
2. I like to write and express myself in writing, especially when I have an audience. So it is work, yes, but there is a payoff.
3. Despite the time demands, there really is a value-add in blogging, even though I also have a job and school and kids and a house and cats and friends and.... Why blog? Each and every day, several times a day, I see many, many things that excite or amuse me. If I want to share or build upon the moment, I have options:
The blog is perfect when I want to post in my own forum, preferably if the post engenders a response or starts a virtual dialog. I could also phone a friend, but the phone is rapidly falling out of favor. The phone is good in a teleconference, but not so good in a "I have something to share" moment. Most people prefer to pull that type of information, rather than have it pushed.
4. My fledgling blog is slowly morphing into a philosopher's hang out. One-to-one emails are more intimate, of course. In fact, most people send me emails instead of commenting publicly on the blog. But I find that many exchanges are enhanced when third parties are allowed to participate. I cross-post to BeerPal and FaceBook, and my Yahoo signature block includes my blog address. It's getting there.
5. I probably spend too much time editing content. Some readers will protest, based on the quality of the published product, that I did not edit enough! But I am referring to the use of time. I would like to improve my first draft writing skills and reduce the time spent editing so that I get better quality faster. One way to do that is to set a high standard and then analyze, edit, rewrite, and polish everything to death. Another is just to try typing as fast as i think and let the conversation flow, with out all the analysis.
I didn't make the goal. It was not for lack of interest, desire, or ability. I let lots of other things capture my attention. Yes, that is the story of my life.
My goal was to post every day in the month of November. I missed a day here and there. But I had a ton of ideas and I rationalized that if I ended up with 30 posts at the end of the month, that would be good enough. I made it to 28, with 2 drafts that need more work.
Close, but not quite!
Lessons learned:
1. I was able to figure out how to use my phone to post to the blog, so my travel schedule was not really an impediment.
2. I like to write and express myself in writing, especially when I have an audience. So it is work, yes, but there is a payoff.
3. Despite the time demands, there really is a value-add in blogging, even though I also have a job and school and kids and a house and cats and friends and.... Why blog? Each and every day, several times a day, I see many, many things that excite or amuse me. If I want to share or build upon the moment, I have options:
- a quick Tweet,
- a longer email to one or more targeted recipients,
- a Facebook status update,
- a post in someone else's forum (I have so many from which to choose!),
- a journal entry if it's too private, or
- a blog post.
The blog is perfect when I want to post in my own forum, preferably if the post engenders a response or starts a virtual dialog. I could also phone a friend, but the phone is rapidly falling out of favor. The phone is good in a teleconference, but not so good in a "I have something to share" moment. Most people prefer to pull that type of information, rather than have it pushed.
4. My fledgling blog is slowly morphing into a philosopher's hang out. One-to-one emails are more intimate, of course. In fact, most people send me emails instead of commenting publicly on the blog. But I find that many exchanges are enhanced when third parties are allowed to participate. I cross-post to BeerPal and FaceBook, and my Yahoo signature block includes my blog address. It's getting there.
5. I probably spend too much time editing content. Some readers will protest, based on the quality of the published product, that I did not edit enough! But I am referring to the use of time. I would like to improve my first draft writing skills and reduce the time spent editing so that I get better quality faster. One way to do that is to set a high standard and then analyze, edit, rewrite, and polish everything to death. Another is just to try typing as fast as i think and let the conversation flow, with out all the analysis.
I didn't make the goal. It was not for lack of interest, desire, or ability. I let lots of other things capture my attention. Yes, that is the story of my life.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
New TSA Procedures
Much has been said about the new TSA procedures of body scans and hands-on searches being an invasion of privacy and a violation of the right to protection from unlawful searches. I have a different point of view. Disclosure: I have been working in the Pentagon for most of the last 10 years (do the math), except for excursions to some of the world's finest resorts and garden spots. I didn't get out of bed this morning to talk about airport security, but I feel that I have something worthwhile to add to this conversation—mostly because my perspective is so different from most others.
Anyone who thinks that we are not already using behavioral profiling is simply not aware of reality. There are some people who are being watched very closely because of their behavior (not race, age, or religion) and these people will never come close to an airport. Meanwhile, there are probably others whose behavior has escaped attention. What about them? I would support making public the fact that we are giving additional behavioral profiling training to TSA agents. Still, behavioral profiling is only a deterrent. It can be defeated by clever and determined terrorists.
Anyone who thinks racial, age, or religious profiling is the answer has probably not thought the issue though very carefully. Terrorists who see that we never check old ladies, ever, will simply exploit that weakness. We are talking about people who put IEDs in dog carcasses because they new American soldiers or Marines would stop to move a dead dog off the road.
Any citizen who submits to mistreatment by the government is asking to be exploited. We need to keep our eyes open and our brains engaged to understand what is going on, and why. We need to hold our elected representatives accountable. That said, whether one thinks he’s being mistreated is a function of his understanding of the situation and the options available. We may hate the new TSA procedures, but let us hate more the circumstances that make them necessary. Are they, in fact, necessary? What would be the public reaction to a second underwear bomber? I believe people would be furious that we had not found a way to screen for and prevent this type of attack. Granted, terrorists will simply look for another weakness, and we will react. Again, what are the real options? Do nothing? Out-spending the enemy is what won us the Cold War.
The relevant poll question is not whether one feels safer now compared to 10 years ago, before 9/11. How could anyone know? How could one measure the level of safety and security one feels (or inversely, the level of threat and fear) consistently over time? How could anyone measure—right now—the safety they felt back then, given all that has happened since? The world is changing. Our frame of reference is changing. As it is unanswerable, this question is moot.
No, the relevant poll question is: Has a terrorist ever tried to kill you, personally? A person’s judgment about new TSA procedures is a function of how they perceive the terrorist threat.
The second most important question is, what would you have our government do about terrorists who want to kill us? If the answer to the first question is "No," then you are likely to think the government is, and since 9/11 has been, over-reacting.
Here's the typical logic: Death on a plane = Death on a plane, i.e., the cause (mid-air collision, lack of maintenance, shoe-bomber) is irrelevant. Since the incidence of any Death on a plane is low, then Death on a plane is not an important problem compared to the economy or health care. Therefore, any attempt to reduce the incidence of Death on a plane should be treated proportionally to all other problems. Out of each dollar, maybe we spend 40 cents each on the economy and health care, 10 cents on the debt, 7 cents on other services, and a penny each on air traffic control, better maintenance, and counter-terrorism. Anything more than a penny on counter-terrorism is going to seem disproportionate to most people.
My point: "most people," thanks to the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, still have not been personally attacked by a terrorist.
If "most people" want to complain about heavy-handed, over-reacting, freedom-stomping government, that's fine. In fact, that’s a good thing, since it shows that “most people” have never been on the same plane with the shoe bomber, or walked past an SUV-bomb parked on Times Square, or attended a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland, next to a would-be van-bomb.
Meanwhile, having a security conversation with people who have never been bracketed by mortars is likely to be an exercise in frustration for those on both sides.
Getting frustrated with people who don’t get it--that’s not why I got out of bed today.
I have had more than a few near death experiences. There are many ways to die, and they are not all the same!
Seven Beers for Seven Books
Brewer Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head published an interesting beers-and-books pairing on the Huffington Post. sam-calagione/beers-and-books
1. 'Moby Dick' by Herman Melville with a Leviathan Series Baltic Porter from Harpoon Brewery
2. 'The Encyclopedia of Herbs' by Thomas DeBaggio with Saison du Buff
3. 'The Book of Genesis' as Illustrated by R. Crumb with Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barley
4. 'Lolita' by Vladimir Nabokov with a Belgian White Beer or German Hefe
5. 'Brave New World' by Aldous Huxley with Samuel Adams Utopias
6. 'The Heart of Darkness' by Joseph Conrad with Heart of Darkness Stout from Murray's Brewery
7. 'The Call of the Wild' by Jack London with Cantillon Kriek
Can you think of any other natural beer and book pairings? This is going to be a lot of fun!
Here is a sampling of what my creative and literate BeerPals come up with on this topic!
1. Magic Hat Wacko - Alice in Wonderland (farginbastige6)
2. Two Brothers Cane and Ebel with East of Eden (Cottrell)
3. Cantillon Vigneronne with Grapes of Wrath (Cottrell)
4. East End Kvass with The Idiot, The Brothers Karamov, or Anna Karenina (Cottrell)
5. Flying Monkey Amber Ale - The Wizard of Oz (bluesandbarbq)
6. Laughing Dog Huckleberry Cream Ale - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (bluesandbarbq)
7. Fantome Strange Ghost – Hamlet (bluesandbarbq)
8. Lonerider Peacemaker Pale Ale - Lonesome Dove (bluesandbarbq)
9. Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Charlie, Fred & Kens Lager - The Three Musketeers (bluesandbarbq)
10. Bonfire Burning Brand Bitter - Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (farginbastige6)
11. John Harvards Steamin Demon and The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty (FoamDome)
12. AleSmith Speedway Stout and Yesteryear at the Uniontown Speedway by Marci Lynn McGuinness (FoamDome)
13. Ceredigion Barcud Coch (Red Kite) and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (FoamDome)
14. Achilles Serafijn Christmas Angel and The Christmas Angel by Thomas Kinkaide (gag!) (FoamDome)
15. Milwaukee’s Best and The Shadow God, by Aaron Rayburn, voted The Worst Book Ever Written (FoamDome)
1. 'Moby Dick' by Herman Melville with a Leviathan Series Baltic Porter from Harpoon Brewery
2. 'The Encyclopedia of Herbs' by Thomas DeBaggio with Saison du Buff
3. 'The Book of Genesis' as Illustrated by R. Crumb with Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barley
4. 'Lolita' by Vladimir Nabokov with a Belgian White Beer or German Hefe
5. 'Brave New World' by Aldous Huxley with Samuel Adams Utopias
6. 'The Heart of Darkness' by Joseph Conrad with Heart of Darkness Stout from Murray's Brewery
7. 'The Call of the Wild' by Jack London with Cantillon Kriek
Can you think of any other natural beer and book pairings? This is going to be a lot of fun!
Here is a sampling of what my creative and literate BeerPals come up with on this topic!
1. Magic Hat Wacko - Alice in Wonderland (farginbastige6)
2. Two Brothers Cane and Ebel with East of Eden (Cottrell)
3. Cantillon Vigneronne with Grapes of Wrath (Cottrell)
4. East End Kvass with The Idiot, The Brothers Karamov, or Anna Karenina (Cottrell)
5. Flying Monkey Amber Ale - The Wizard of Oz (bluesandbarbq)
6. Laughing Dog Huckleberry Cream Ale - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (bluesandbarbq)
7. Fantome Strange Ghost – Hamlet (bluesandbarbq)
8. Lonerider Peacemaker Pale Ale - Lonesome Dove (bluesandbarbq)
9. Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Charlie, Fred & Kens Lager - The Three Musketeers (bluesandbarbq)
10. Bonfire Burning Brand Bitter - Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (farginbastige6)
11. John Harvards Steamin Demon and The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty (FoamDome)
12. AleSmith Speedway Stout and Yesteryear at the Uniontown Speedway by Marci Lynn McGuinness (FoamDome)
13. Ceredigion Barcud Coch (Red Kite) and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (FoamDome)
14. Achilles Serafijn Christmas Angel and The Christmas Angel by Thomas Kinkaide (gag!) (FoamDome)
15. Milwaukee’s Best and The Shadow God, by Aaron Rayburn, voted The Worst Book Ever Written (FoamDome)
Check out the thread on BeerPal: http://www.beerpal.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5759
Join BeerPal (it’s free): http://www.beerpal.com?friend=1787
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