Average Joe: Know Nothing

When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time taking apart electronics, studying how they worked. At that time, I was ever fascinated with the internal workings of these mysterious devices. If the explanation given to me on how a widget did it's thing wasn't complete, I'd dig to find out the real story. Sometimes down to a molecular interaction level (though that wasn't until much later in life).

When we're young, we find power and enlightenment in understanding how things work. As we get older, it splits off into two clubs - the group that wants to know how things work and the group that doesn't. Let me just say from experience, the latter has more members.

Perhaps we've become complacent with the explanations from Experts. After all, someone who knows a little bit about a lot of subjects is either a know-it-all or a quickly dismissed know-nothing. Taking the high ground of naievity rather than understanding is king today. Even fellow tech people (nobody who reads this blog) have started taking this high-road approach to retarding the potential of the knowledge extents.

Why? When did it become such a bad thing to know a little bit about everything?

One explanation could be the inherent complexity of nearly everything surrounding us today. Remember when you just made phone call from home when you wanted to talk to someone? End of story. Today, you choose from cell phone, email, text messaging, twitter, facebook, myspace, skype, home phone (if they even still have one!) or some hybrid combination of these.

Another could be the overwhelming nature of copyright and intelectual property protection that happens today. Companies are sending in the lawyers and devising effective strategies for controlling information delivery and disemination. Ironic, considering the nature of our Internet enabled global society.

Consider too that, believe it or not, we live in a more service oreiented society than ever before. Gone are the days of mandatory do-it-yourself-everything. No longer are services such as housekeeping, personal shopping, technical support or even package delivery exclusive to the rich. Even the least financially suited individuals can order up a delivered pizza in short order.

All of this equates to the lowered demand for information distribution.

Why spend your time on learning complex, potentially litigous subjects that someone else can deal with for less money?

I must admit, it's becoming more difficult than ever to answer that question. Could it be that even I, Mr. Wants-to-understand-how-everthing-works, might be crossing into Club Naieve? This can't be!

What, oh what, can be done? Let me start with a few simple (likely too simple) suggestions:

1. This is the end of the Patents (sing it with me) - Patent office, close your doors and go home. Your work is done. We don't need you anymore. You are now a government office that is readily exploited by large corporations for profit. Goodbye.

2. No College Graduate Left Behind - Stop teaching our college students theory, philosophy and idealism. They won't succeed with useless knowledge. Make those classes required for a masters degree or PhD. Teach them some real skills - business strategy, conversation, programming and critical thinking. For GODS SAKE, teach them critical thinking. In fact, make that mandatory in High School. The test should include real working-world questions.

3. Celebrate Know-it-alls. Don't knock 'em down. You should be ashamed of yourself if you've beaten down a knowitall for their inherant skill. Stop it. Hold them up. If they're annoying, share with them that they're annoying and teach them some social skills. Everyone wins.

4. Change your own Oil. I know - it's messy and only costs $25 to have someone else do it. What happens to your budget when $25 shoots up to $50 overnight. Don't wait until it's too late.

5. Seek out at least 3 pieces of new Scientific or Technical knowledge daily - It's easier than you think. Read the paper, browse a CREDIBLE website. No, star celebrity venerial disease updates don't count, Paris.

See? It's simple.

Back to learning some stuff...

Gregsta'

Bandwidth

More often than not, I find myself drifting from work tasks in front of me. It's not that my tasks are insurmountable or boring, I'm just out of bandwidth to do them.

Electronic distractions and methodologies have come a long way. Once upon a time, when email was new, there wasn't much of it and there sure wasn't any SPAM. At least, not much. Somewhere along the way, it got popular and now it's here to stay.

Why use email so extensively?

For me, its the paper trail.

I can't too often remember my own name, let alone what someone said 3 days ago about a particular subject. Granted, I can remember certain technical details with amazing total recall abilities. These powers are limited and do not extend to the boring and/or mundane trivia.

Coming back around, all this email requires more bandwidth. Requests have become more complex and require more thought, less time to react and far more accuracy than ever. Simple lists are quickly being replaced by ever-complex and context aware plans and gannt charts. People who used to just 'do their job' now are full blown project managers.

Do we get paid enough? Appreciated enough? Given enough time to accomplish tasks? Empowered?

Hard to say.

Whatever the case may be, I'm wasting time (effectively) writing this blog. That and I'm tired enough to take a nap. A long nap in the sun.

Gregsta'

Cooking for Joy

Way back in the 50s and 60s, Julia Childs introduced the modern woman to the joy of cooking using French inspired technique as her basis. At that time, the concept of accessible gourmet cooking in the home was likely seen as a far fetched concept. After all, we were a nation of meat and potatoes. Flavor to the average American was imparted by butter and salt. How appropriate then that French cooking would be the new basis for a new trend of cooking that many consider to be the new American cuisine.

Over the decades, we have come to expect more flavor, variety and convenience from our food. In Julia's day, many home cooks were inspired by the RadarRange (later known as a Microwave), refrigeration and a dizzying canvas of new options in fast food - be it take out or grocery store sourced. This particular era of cooking and ingredient sourcing was in direct conflict with the ideals of gourmet. Quick and easy were taken too far by the food producers. It infringed on the whole foods concept that values minimal processing over convenience.

As a result, much of the personal innovation in home cooking effectively stopped. Cookbooks were looked at as prescriptive and too often rather than guidelines for the basics. Creativity was not encouraged in the kitchen unless one had a proven track record for creating the amazing. An entire generation of home cooks knew nothing more than the strict recipes found in the pages of their Betty Crocker cook books.

Today, we are seeing a pronounced re-emergence of true, semi-gourmet home cooking as a primary meal source. No longer is the concept of a creative home cooked meal exclusive to the foodies and professional chefs of the world. The average Joe with cable TV can all of a sudden participate in this lost art much more readily than before.

What TV has done for cooking is phenomenal. Shows, books and events have spurred from the concepts that Mrs. Childs spearheaded 40 years ago. Today, we find that concepts and philosophies are being distilled and experimented with in ways we couldn't have accomplished without the medium.

Why is all of this so important? As the economy continues to sour, families are searching for ways to cut back and live healthier lives. Purchasing processed foods is loosing popularity, and rightfully so. Eating the mass quantities of processed foods that we do now is unnecessary, fiscally irresponsible and completely unsustainable. Furthermore, how can we continue to consume foods that clearly have spurred entire generations of obese, diabetic people? It's imperative that we get back to eating foods as nature intended it. We must stop consuming fast foods, anything made by Kraft, and those foods that have been ground up, pureed and squirted into big plastic tubs.

We must now re-learn the not-so-difficult art of cooking. I encourage everyone who has some skill at cooking to show others. It's time for dinner parties where everyone learns some new tricks and techniques. Use lots of fresh ingredients that haven't been through a machine. Use the opportunity to spend time with family and friends. Think of it as spreading the joy. Food is nearly a religious experience after all.

Gregsta'

A real post

Gregster Reacts: Inauguration Day

After watching the Inauguration this morning from my office conference room with about 80% of the staff in the room, I felt a sense of confusion. You must understand that I'm a realist who regularly faces the conflicts and challenges of technology issues daily, hourly - every minute for that matter. When our new President talked briefly about technology, I grew concerned.

As everyone in my industry is well aware, technology today has become synonymous with snake oil and good old fashioned capitalist whoring. Companies innovate for their bottom line, scientific advancement be damned and profits be heralded. When he said that "we will restore science to its rightful place," I'm not entirely convinced that he fully understands where modern day technology really is. Never once did he touch on privacy and the electronic age. To me, this is more vexing than how to "wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost."

There needs to be an executive directive to force technology companies to stop putting profits before security and the law. Exploiting the common mans misunderstanding and/or lack of understanding of the real consequences and risks surrounding technology today should be crime in and of itself. We need to hold corporations and individuals responsible for protecting our information. It is no longer feasible for the average Joe to manage the complexities of securing their information. The task is daunting for even the most savvy of geeks.

Let's hope that Mr. Obama does the right thing, whatever that might be. The problems are apparent, the solution is eluding.

Gregsta'

Crack that Whip

Sam Adams could be the first mayor of Portland to be recalled. Too funny. That is all.

Gregsta'

House Photos

It's up on the market! Our house, that is...

Search for MLS# 9003859 at http://www.rmls.com... You, too could own a piece of blogging history... Own the house of Gregster! Yours for the small asking price of $259,900!

Goat Ass

I'm fricken tired. Betsy and I spent all weekend getting the house ready for selling. The photographer will come by today to take pictures. Maybe I'll post them to this website. Maybe.

There's nothing like a busy weekend to make you appreciate the finer things in life. Like sleep, television and free time.

Gregsta'

Bubbling

Lessons learned - 1/8/2009

1. Avoid devouring BBQ chicken quesadillas just before going to bed.

2. Tagamet is not candy.

3. Running red lights shouldn't be considered an acceptable after-work activity.

4. Those who suffer from lingering effects of major head trauma shouldn't consume alcohol.

5. Installing $15,000 of computer equipment can be fun.

6. Remembering where you parked isn't all that important - you'll find the thing eventually.

Gregsta'

Blarg 4.1

It's now 12:30pm. I've had lunch, 3 cups of coffee and I still feel like mud.

That is all.

Gregsta'

Blarg 4

Exhaustion doesn't even begin to explain my state of mind/body this evening. 9 hours at the office. 5 hours at the house hard labor.

Tomorrow we have one of the owners of the company I work for over for dinner. It should be a lot of fun. Him and his wife have never seen High Definition television or a DVR before. We're giving him the grand tour via our home theater. Oh, and I'm making seared scallops, too.

I've got a mountain of paperwork for Betsy and I to fill out for the loan application. I feel a bit fortunate - there was a lot more paperwork to do when I first bought my house. It's changed a little since then I suspect.

Off to bed. I hope I can sleep.

Gregsta'

Resolute

Apparently, one of my unannounced and unrealized new years resolutions is to write less on this blog.

Isn't it strange how we give ourselves all these lofty resolutions at the start of the year? Lose weight, eat better, spend more time with family, blah, blah, blah. Where's the New Years Resolution followup? At what point does everyone unilaterally report back on their progress to anyone? Exactly - Never. It's no better than all of the gluttonous holidays before it during the year - nobody is checking back on anyone to ensure that progress has indeed been made.

What we need are 3 more holidays throughout the year called "Resolution Day" - one at each quarter of the year. Everyone would gather around the book of resolutions (1 per nuclear family) and review their family resolutions from the start of the year. Those who had made verifiable progress on theirs would be praised and showered in gifts under $10. Those who had reneged would have kitchen duty for that evening and have to wear a pendant of shame around their neck for the next 3 months until the next Resolution Day. If any only if they make good on their resolutions would they be able remove the pendant of shame.

Yeah, my kids are going to love me.

Unaccountably,
Gregsta'