Sometimes when I tell people I play golf, they'll say something like "I didn't know you were a golfer!" Problem is, I'm not a golfer. Not yet. At least not in my mind. I'm still just someone who plays golf.
There's certainly no precisely-defined border one crosses on the way from playing golf to being a golfer, but I know I haven't entered that territory yet. It's sort of like the definition Justice Potter Stewart came up with for pornography: "I know it when I see it." I'll know when I become a golfer.
Being a golfer entails a certain amount of respect for the game, its rules and its traditions. I think it also needs to be your number one game, the one for which you would forsake all other sporting pastimes. Being a golfer also requires a commitment to practice and a goal of continuous improvement. Under those criteria, I qualify. But I also think a requisite amount of skill is required to take the mantle of "golfer." And that's where I fall short.
I'm getting closer, though. The border may be a fuzzy one, but I'm beginning to sense a change in landscape that tells me I'm headed in the right direction and making progress. When I know I've gotten there, I'll let you know. But only if you ask.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Monday, February 27, 2006
Hubris on Parade
Hubris is defined as excessive pride or self confidence. However, it's important to carefully examine the potential downside if there turns out to be a mismatch between self-confidence and the requirements of the task at hand.
Witness the pilot who bought a helicopter and decided to take it for a spin -- before actually learning how to fly it.
And make sure the sound is turned on so you can hear this chopper pilot's hubris.
Witness the pilot who bought a helicopter and decided to take it for a spin -- before actually learning how to fly it.
And make sure the sound is turned on so you can hear this chopper pilot's hubris.
Another Concerned Voice
Check out this from another blog, written by a friend/client of mine. I agree with him almost entirely. The question is, who else agrees with us, and how can we all unite to get our country back on track?
You might also want to read a previous post of mine, "Can the center hold?"
You might also want to read a previous post of mine, "Can the center hold?"
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Privacy vs. Solitude
Quite a few years ago (1992, in fact), I had the opportunity to interview a very smart guy named David Liddle, who had been at Xerox PARC (the famous technology think tank that basically invented the interface for personal computing as we know it) during its heyday in the 70s, co-founded (with Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen) Interval Research Corporation, a Silicon Valley business incubator and is now a partner with a major venture capital firm. (The interview later led to a piece I wrote for Wired Magazine.)
During that interview, I asked him what would be the prized commodity of the future. His answer? “Solitude.” What I find especially interesting in retrospect is that he didn’t say “privacy.” My guess is that he knew that battle was basically unwinnable. (Though he did give some advice in that regard: “pay with cash.”) Scott McNealy, CEO of Sun Microsystems has said “You have no privacy – get over it.” With President Bush feeling it is entirely within his powers to order warrantless wiretaps, it’s probably time we all got over it.
Then, as Mr. Liddle predicted, we can narrow our search from privacy to mere solitude. Which, as he accurately predicted, is becoming ever harder to find. Sure, you can turn off your cell phone or refuse to own a BlackBerry or put yourself on the no-call list – but you better be certain you’re happy with being a part of the secondary economy, because if you aren’t fully-connected, you can’t fully contribute. Not saying that’s always a bad thing, just that many well-paying careers (and some not so lucrative ones) require almost 24/7 availability. If you want to be alone, you better have a stable source of income.
Which leads me to believe that that solitude is not rare as much as it is dear.
During that interview, I asked him what would be the prized commodity of the future. His answer? “Solitude.” What I find especially interesting in retrospect is that he didn’t say “privacy.” My guess is that he knew that battle was basically unwinnable. (Though he did give some advice in that regard: “pay with cash.”) Scott McNealy, CEO of Sun Microsystems has said “You have no privacy – get over it.” With President Bush feeling it is entirely within his powers to order warrantless wiretaps, it’s probably time we all got over it.
Then, as Mr. Liddle predicted, we can narrow our search from privacy to mere solitude. Which, as he accurately predicted, is becoming ever harder to find. Sure, you can turn off your cell phone or refuse to own a BlackBerry or put yourself on the no-call list – but you better be certain you’re happy with being a part of the secondary economy, because if you aren’t fully-connected, you can’t fully contribute. Not saying that’s always a bad thing, just that many well-paying careers (and some not so lucrative ones) require almost 24/7 availability. If you want to be alone, you better have a stable source of income.
Which leads me to believe that that solitude is not rare as much as it is dear.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Friday, February 24, 2006
Pho New York
A couple of weeks ago I gave a recommendation for Pho Phu Quoc, a good Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco. Well, for readers on the East Coast (or anyone traveling to New York), I have a suggestion for anyone seeking their pho fix.
The place is called Cam Pho Thanh Huong. It's on Canal Street between Broadway and Lafayette. You'll find it in the back of one of the many Canal Street arcades selling jewelry, handbags, sunglasses, watches, etc.
Look for this sign:
In the very back of the arcade you'll see a tiny space with about five tables and a kitchen that's barely big enough for the two people to work. No menu, just a few items on a whiteboard. Pho is great, so are the Vietnamese sandwiches. Cheap, too. You can eat well for $7 -- not something one can say often in New York.
Here's the scene inside:
Not much, I know, but I think my favorite thing about the place is that mine is the only non-Asian face I have ever seen in there.
The place is called Cam Pho Thanh Huong. It's on Canal Street between Broadway and Lafayette. You'll find it in the back of one of the many Canal Street arcades selling jewelry, handbags, sunglasses, watches, etc.
Look for this sign:
In the very back of the arcade you'll see a tiny space with about five tables and a kitchen that's barely big enough for the two people to work. No menu, just a few items on a whiteboard. Pho is great, so are the Vietnamese sandwiches. Cheap, too. You can eat well for $7 -- not something one can say often in New York.
Here's the scene inside:
Not much, I know, but I think my favorite thing about the place is that mine is the only non-Asian face I have ever seen in there.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
I think I've figured out...
...why George Bush bugs me so much.
It's that he combines the worst of conservatism -- the desire to legislate morality, and to project our ideology throughout the world regardless of the world's desire for it -- with the worst of liberalism -- the idea that the solution to any problem is to throw money at it, and the need to make everyone happy. (Which is different than respecting different points of view.)
What we need is a president who combines the best of both: the fiscal responsibility and commitment to personal liberty of conservatism with the commitment to social justice and the love of community of liberalism.
It's that he combines the worst of conservatism -- the desire to legislate morality, and to project our ideology throughout the world regardless of the world's desire for it -- with the worst of liberalism -- the idea that the solution to any problem is to throw money at it, and the need to make everyone happy. (Which is different than respecting different points of view.)
What we need is a president who combines the best of both: the fiscal responsibility and commitment to personal liberty of conservatism with the commitment to social justice and the love of community of liberalism.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
The Jihad comes home
I have to say, I'm really starting to worry about the fate of the world. Even my usually bouyant optimism seems to be sinking a bit. I'm afraid the rift between East and West (at least in terms of Islam vs. the rest of the world) is growing into an unbridgeable chasm which can only end in annihilation. Maybe Jesus DOES need to come back and remind us once more of the importance of tolerance.
The latest straw being loaded on the camel's back? This.
The latest straw being loaded on the camel's back? This.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Resort Wear
As in, if we can't find a more suitable bathing suit for my daughter, we may have to resort to this.
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Cartoon Violence
As the Muslim world continues to torch embassies, attack and kill Christians and threaten murder on any and all associated with the "blasphemy" of putting ink on paper in patterns that perhaps suggest the way a man who lived in the sixth century might have looked, I'm beginning to lose my patience, and perhaps my tolerance. I'd like to let Muslims live freely and decide their own fates and practice their religion as they choose, but I just don't know if I can anymore. Perhaps the western media isn't reporting it, but I don't see much evidence of mainstream Muslims condemning the actions of the terrorists in their midst. I want to be progressive and rational and thoughtful; but when I see what vast numbers of Muslim people are doing in the world - and hear what they threaten to do - it makes me want to...well, I don't even feel comfortable saying what it makes me want to do.
In the meantime, go to slate.com (sorry, couldn't get the link to work) and search for a piece by Christopher Hitchens from February 4. It's one of the most impassioned pieces I've read on the subject. Here's an excerpt:
"The innate human revulsion against desecration is much older than any monotheism: Its most powerful expression is in the Antigone of Sophocles. It belongs to civilization. I am not asking for the right to slaughter a pig in a synagogue or mosque or to relieve myself on a "holy" book. But I will not be told I can't eat pork, and I will not respect those who burn books on a regular basis. I, too, have strong convictions and beliefs and value the Enlightenment above any priesthood or any sacred fetish-object. It is revolting to me to breathe the same air as wafts from the exhalations of the madrasahs, or the reeking fumes of the suicide-murderers, or the sermons of Billy Graham and Joseph Ratzinger. But these same principles of mine also prevent me from wreaking random violence on the nearest church, or kidnapping a Muslim at random and holding him hostage, or violating diplomatic immunity by attacking the embassy or the envoys of even the most despotic Islamic state, or making a moronic spectacle of myself threatening blood and fire to faraway individuals who may have hurt my feelings. The babyish rumor-fueled tantrums that erupt all the time, especially in the Islamic world, show yet again that faith belongs to the spoiled and selfish childhood of our species."
I'd exchange Pat Robertson for Billy Graham, but other than that, I think he's pretty right on.
In the meantime, go to slate.com (sorry, couldn't get the link to work) and search for a piece by Christopher Hitchens from February 4. It's one of the most impassioned pieces I've read on the subject. Here's an excerpt:
"The innate human revulsion against desecration is much older than any monotheism: Its most powerful expression is in the Antigone of Sophocles. It belongs to civilization. I am not asking for the right to slaughter a pig in a synagogue or mosque or to relieve myself on a "holy" book. But I will not be told I can't eat pork, and I will not respect those who burn books on a regular basis. I, too, have strong convictions and beliefs and value the Enlightenment above any priesthood or any sacred fetish-object. It is revolting to me to breathe the same air as wafts from the exhalations of the madrasahs, or the reeking fumes of the suicide-murderers, or the sermons of Billy Graham and Joseph Ratzinger. But these same principles of mine also prevent me from wreaking random violence on the nearest church, or kidnapping a Muslim at random and holding him hostage, or violating diplomatic immunity by attacking the embassy or the envoys of even the most despotic Islamic state, or making a moronic spectacle of myself threatening blood and fire to faraway individuals who may have hurt my feelings. The babyish rumor-fueled tantrums that erupt all the time, especially in the Islamic world, show yet again that faith belongs to the spoiled and selfish childhood of our species."
I'd exchange Pat Robertson for Billy Graham, but other than that, I think he's pretty right on.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Things I'd like to hear the President say (and mean them):
"I propose that this country establish programs of conservation and research into sustainable energy sources that by the end of this decade will deliver energy savings equal to the amount of oil we currently import."
"We must not sacrifice liberty for security -- or we shall surely lose both."
"It is clear that human intervention is changing the world's climate -- and likely not for the better. We must do what it takes to ensure a stable climate, not just for our children's future, but for our own."
"We must not sacrifice liberty for security -- or we shall surely lose both."
"It is clear that human intervention is changing the world's climate -- and likely not for the better. We must do what it takes to ensure a stable climate, not just for our children's future, but for our own."
Friday, February 17, 2006
The Olympics' Biggest Embarrasment
After meeting deadlines and being in conference calls all week, I've finally had a chance to watch some of the Olympics broadcasts I'd saved in the DVR. As I'd noted before ("An Olympic Plea"), I was concerned about how NBC would handle the coverage. I hadn't liked the coverage in Salt Lake. Of course, that could be that in 2002, I didn't have Tivo. (Actually, I don't have Tivo now. The DVR is from Comcast, but it's just easier to say Tivo.) But the point is that I've actually quite enjoyed the coverage. The personality features aren't too long (especially at FF4), and are well done.
Of course, the premiere event of the Winter Olympics, figure skating, gets lots of airtime. What I like to watch is coverage of sports that rarely if ever receive global television exposure. Sports for which there is no pro tour, no lucrative endorsement deal waiting. Fortunately, NBC has actually covered several of these events relatively completely. Cross Country Skiing, Nordic Combined (ski jumping in the morning, cross country skiing in the afternoon) Speed skating. Biathlon. (You ski a while, then stop and shoot at stuff with the rifle you've been hauling around on your back.)
Mostly I've skipped the snowboarding; it's all just too subjective for me. And there's plenty of it on ESPN2. But the Snowboard Cross is fun, because four racers are on the course at the same time. First one down wins. And even if it's a relatively new sport, the prize for first is still a Gold Medal, and it still means something to say you are an Olympic Champion.
Today's Women's Snowboard Cross found favorite Lindsey Jacobellis way out in front in the final race. So far in front she tried to showboat a bit by turning the penultimate jump into what boarders call a "Method": grabbing the rails of the board and twisting the lower body. But when Jacobellis came down, she was off balance, caught an edge and went down, allowing the Swiss racer (who'd been 50 yards behind her with 100 yards to go) to pass her and take gold. It was an awful sight -- compounded by Jacobellis's post-race assertions that she wasn't trying to showboat, that she had tried several different grabs off that jump in order to deal with a cross wind and this was just another, albeit failed, attempt. No one believes that, and Jacobellis changed her story somewhat in an appearance on NBC several hours later.
The whole situation is incredibly sad: Jacobellis in the air, counting her chickens, then spinning on her back, then lying about what she had been doing and later spinning her lies -- though not terribly effectively. Jacobellis just saw most of her endorsement deals turn into smoke. She'll go down in history as the girl who took too much for granted at the very wrong time. An object lesson in how a single bad decision can have long-lasting effects. Snowboarding certainly has a showboat aspect to it, but save it for the half-pipe. A race is a pure thing, and Lindsey Jacobellis defiled it.
Of course, the premiere event of the Winter Olympics, figure skating, gets lots of airtime. What I like to watch is coverage of sports that rarely if ever receive global television exposure. Sports for which there is no pro tour, no lucrative endorsement deal waiting. Fortunately, NBC has actually covered several of these events relatively completely. Cross Country Skiing, Nordic Combined (ski jumping in the morning, cross country skiing in the afternoon) Speed skating. Biathlon. (You ski a while, then stop and shoot at stuff with the rifle you've been hauling around on your back.)
Mostly I've skipped the snowboarding; it's all just too subjective for me. And there's plenty of it on ESPN2. But the Snowboard Cross is fun, because four racers are on the course at the same time. First one down wins. And even if it's a relatively new sport, the prize for first is still a Gold Medal, and it still means something to say you are an Olympic Champion.
Today's Women's Snowboard Cross found favorite Lindsey Jacobellis way out in front in the final race. So far in front she tried to showboat a bit by turning the penultimate jump into what boarders call a "Method": grabbing the rails of the board and twisting the lower body. But when Jacobellis came down, she was off balance, caught an edge and went down, allowing the Swiss racer (who'd been 50 yards behind her with 100 yards to go) to pass her and take gold. It was an awful sight -- compounded by Jacobellis's post-race assertions that she wasn't trying to showboat, that she had tried several different grabs off that jump in order to deal with a cross wind and this was just another, albeit failed, attempt. No one believes that, and Jacobellis changed her story somewhat in an appearance on NBC several hours later.
The whole situation is incredibly sad: Jacobellis in the air, counting her chickens, then spinning on her back, then lying about what she had been doing and later spinning her lies -- though not terribly effectively. Jacobellis just saw most of her endorsement deals turn into smoke. She'll go down in history as the girl who took too much for granted at the very wrong time. An object lesson in how a single bad decision can have long-lasting effects. Snowboarding certainly has a showboat aspect to it, but save it for the half-pipe. A race is a pure thing, and Lindsey Jacobellis defiled it.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Freedom Fries Redux
It's clear that the Arab world is somewhat hanked off at the Danish. Burning your embassies and threatening the annihilation of your country for publishing blasphemous cartoons are two excellent clues to mood of the region, but Iran is the first to take what is clearly the next logical step: the flaky fruit-filled pastries sold at Tehran bakeries can no longer be called "danish." From here on they are to be called "Roses of the Propher Mohammed."
Freedom fries, anyone?
Freedom fries, anyone?
I find it interesting...
...the people who defend illegal FISA wiretapping by saying "If you're innocent, you have nothing to worry about" are some of the same people who are defending Dick Cheney's failure to talk to law enforcement immediately after the accidental shooting. If the Vice-President was innocent, he had nothing to worry about, right?
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Winston Churchill said...
...when you're going through hell -- keep going.
One of my favorite quotes -- and one that seems fitting during this week of vice-presidential shootings, more horrors from Abu Ghraib, further bloodshed over cartoons and continuing intolerance exhibited because of the release of a movie. And just today the estimate (admittedly worst-case) that a bird flu pandemic could cause 142 million deaths and $4.4 trillion in economic losses.
Let's go a little faster.
One of my favorite quotes -- and one that seems fitting during this week of vice-presidential shootings, more horrors from Abu Ghraib, further bloodshed over cartoons and continuing intolerance exhibited because of the release of a movie. And just today the estimate (admittedly worst-case) that a bird flu pandemic could cause 142 million deaths and $4.4 trillion in economic losses.
Let's go a little faster.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Fastest Gun in the Administration
There are lots of points of view about Dick Cheney's accidental shooting of a fellow quail hunter, but I haven't seen anyone draw a comparison between it and Cheney's hawking of the war in Iraq. After all, this wouldn't be the first time he has had a target in his sights but pulled the trigger before adequately assessing the situation on the ground.
Netflix "Throttles" Back
I've been a big fan of Netflix from the beginning. Talked them up to a ton of people. I love the system -- you can keep three movies out at a time (unless you've been a customer as long as I have, and then you can have four out) and keep them for as long as you want. When you're done, you send them back in a prepaid envelope. Big movie buffs can watch a different movie every night, for one $17.99 monthly fee.
Except, apparently, they can't. Netflix has admitted that it subjects heavy users of the service to a practice called "throttling." Apparently, if you rent no more than 4-5 movies a month, Netflix makes money. If you rent 15-20 movies a month, you're a drag on the bottom line. Netflix protects its margins by slowing the turnaround time, or putting heavy users to the back of the queue for popular new releases.
Netflix has marketed themselves through one key differentiator: "Unlimited rentals." Having their system deliberately slow response to heavy users sounds like a limitation to me, and not a very honest business practice.
A Wikipedia search turned up a paper written by a software engineer who claimed throttling was taking place as early as January 2003, and did some basic testing that supported his theory.
Interestingly, the pop-under ad that appeared when I clicked to this story on CNN.com? Netflix, of course.
Except, apparently, they can't. Netflix has admitted that it subjects heavy users of the service to a practice called "throttling." Apparently, if you rent no more than 4-5 movies a month, Netflix makes money. If you rent 15-20 movies a month, you're a drag on the bottom line. Netflix protects its margins by slowing the turnaround time, or putting heavy users to the back of the queue for popular new releases.
Netflix has marketed themselves through one key differentiator: "Unlimited rentals." Having their system deliberately slow response to heavy users sounds like a limitation to me, and not a very honest business practice.
A Wikipedia search turned up a paper written by a software engineer who claimed throttling was taking place as early as January 2003, and did some basic testing that supported his theory.
Interestingly, the pop-under ad that appeared when I clicked to this story on CNN.com? Netflix, of course.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Google Earth Force
Google Earth may be the single most amazing use of technology I have ever seen. In case you don't know what Google Earth is, it's an interface to a visual model of the planet, created using satellite imagery. In some areas of the globe, the images are so precise you can zoom in to a street corner and see pedestrians, frozen in a moment captured some time in the past by a camera floating miles and miles above their heads. If you haven't experienced it, download it at earth.google.com and play with it. Enter the address of the house you were brought home to as a baby. Explore Manhattan from the air. Set the system to slowly fly over Puget Sound.
As I experience the wonder of Google Earth, it makes me curious as to just how detailed and real-time is the imagery the military have access to. My guess is "very." Privacy, as we knew it, is over.
However, I could think of some wonderful applications for the technology, if a few ordinary citizens were given access to the surveillance systems available to our military. (Or possibly even our weather service.) What if a retired person wanted to "adopt" a herd of elephant (or other endangered species), and monitor them by satellites, patrolling the region nearby for activity that might indicate poachers?
As I experience the wonder of Google Earth, it makes me curious as to just how detailed and real-time is the imagery the military have access to. My guess is "very." Privacy, as we knew it, is over.
However, I could think of some wonderful applications for the technology, if a few ordinary citizens were given access to the surveillance systems available to our military. (Or possibly even our weather service.) What if a retired person wanted to "adopt" a herd of elephant (or other endangered species), and monitor them by satellites, patrolling the region nearby for activity that might indicate poachers?
Sunday, February 12, 2006
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