I’m just a searcher, I’m just a seeker… no, this isn’t the first line to my next hit single. Rather, it describes the mindset of anyone who passes time in that most addictive of pastimes; genealogy. Lots of us do it. We all learn that this is one of those personal interests that will last more than a lifetime. The adjective “”finished” is not part of the wordlist.
posted in genealogy | Comments Off on Charted genes | 310 words
We are taught, from childhood, that our reputation is our most important characteristic. Nobody wants to be seen in a “bad light” by others, and we secretly hope that if someone is going to talk about us, well. If someone. You see, that’s the other part of the equation (which is zero sum); it’s good to be the subject of someone else’s thought. It applies to individuals and, if today’s newspaper is an indication, it also applies to cities.
posted in media | Comments Off on What people think about us | 269 words
I’ve attached (for a long time) importance to who makes the music I like. Songs shouldn’t be reduced to a title; the artist did get involved along the way. From back when music was who we saw on Ed Sullivan, through the Teen Beat magazines that my sisters left around the house, across the covers of the LPs which showed up in the radio station; all of these led to there being somebody behind the whole thing. Maybe that’s why I never fell in love with anonymous piano concertos from long dead men played by faceless hands.
posted in music | Comments Off on The face of music | 397 words
Mea culpa. I’ve been enrolled in the ranks of the überconsumer, and there’s even (poor) photographic proof. I have an official ID card, that allows me to forego all common sense in my shopping habits. OK, a bit of overevaluation of the importance of my actions, but today was not a good day for my self respect as a moderate member of the economy.
posted in economy | Comments Off on Let the overconsuming begin | 291 words
Sunny weather in October is a stimulant for those who must prepare the yard for winter. While standing outside, in shorts and tee, barefoot in my own park, I could only marvel at how wonderful this summer weather feels.
posted in media, Wx | Comments Off on Once Upon A Time In The West (Spain and Italy and America) | 288 words
One can almost imagine the scene. Around a boardroom table, a brainstorming session. “Last year, we used the fake shortage scenario, so we can’t try that one again”. Etc. Etc. Over in the corner, a young whippersnapper with a rather prominent lump on the forehead raises his hand, hesitantly. Heads turn, and he throws out the suggestion that has been festering ever since he played with his younger brother several days before, at a virtual arcade in the family entertainment area.
posted in technology | Comments Off on Wii love our customers | 312 words
Close to twenty years ago, my “job profile” took a shift toward a Brave New World model. The government decided that new technologies might be important in education, and a limited amount of money was made available to test the premise. That is, I was hired to see if computers (and other related toys) might someday be worth underwriting on a broad scale in the classroom.
posted in education | Comments Off on Finally, the class has reached mastery | 330 words
It is hard to be a small store owner in a mall-based society. In fact, here in “the city”, trying to avoid the big box store is harder than one might think. No, we don’t all live within walking distance of everything, and shopping by rapid transit is not an option; the rapid part is sent home for supper before I am. After rush hour, everything is two hours away, which allows just one store per day.
posted in economy | Comments Off on Cars; an inconvenient truth | 389 words
We grow up with certain stories that teach us the values we need to live in a civilized world. For example, you should not alarm those around you, especially when they are calm in spirit and without need of stress to the soul. Henny Penny knew this. So did (albeit, after the fact) the boy who cried wolf. We now live in a Brave New World. If you want to cry fire in the theatre, it had better not be a fire set by an insurgent terrorist.
posted in politics | Comments Off on Don’t look now, but the sky is falling | 461 words
Ite, missa est. Procedamus in pace. Two rites, two dismissals. I’m going to add a third here. The War is ended. Go in peace. Of course, we don’t, and we didn’t, but Ken Burns has given us another introspective view into our collective history. Fifteen hours of documentary that has been paraphrased by one of the principals. “We went out as kids and we came back changed.”
posted in history, media | Comments Off on It’s over | 315 words
