Electronic frustrations

I'm looking for a power adapter that can provide at least 1.5A at 13.5VDC. It should also be capable of running at 240VAC. So far... nothing.

It's darned frustrating. I've spent hours looking and exploring possibilities. Nothing. Nothing. Darn.

I want to find something soon.

A FANUC employee trying to cheat his employer

I remember taken a training class in the KAREL robot programming language at FANUC Robotics. One of the other people in that class was a guy named Greg, who I knew from my grad school days. Even back in grad school, he often rubbed me the wrong way. He was coarse, vulgar, and always kinda rude.

Anyway, the class consisted mostly of visitors to the company who had paid for the class. Greg was one of the few exceptions. He was taking the class as part of his initiation as a new employee.

So anyway, the paying visitors were given free lunches -- or rather, lunch was part of what they had paid for. So what did Greg do? Every day, he would surreptiously remove his employee badge and pass himself off as a visitor.

I didn't like him back in our student days, and I especially didn't like him after that.

Creativity

Look around you, right now, wherever you are. Maybe a schoolroom or a library, maybe at home, maybe somewhere else. Take a good long look. Now as yourself, "How can this room be improved?" Are there one or two changes that you can make right now that would markedly improve the space? Why not make them? New lamps, new colors on the walls? Murals? Opening the windows, changing the seating?

Anything is fair game. There are questions and possibilities every time you turn around. You're biking home, maybe? OK, that uncomfortable little bike-helmet strap under your chin--there as got to be a better way. Figure it out. The bumper stickers on passing cars: could bikes have them too? (Where would they go? What shape would they have?) On a larger scale, how can your city be made more bikeable? (Dedicated bike trails, distinct from roads? Bike hours, when cars aren't allowed? What else?)

- Anthony West, Creativity for Critical Thinkers

Jungle Girl Bindi

So I'm watching an episode of "Bindi the Jungle Girl" on The Learning Channel. This show stars the daughter of the late, lamented Steve Irwin, and it also features his American wife Terri.

I have to commend this little girl for deciding to follow in her father's footsteps, as well as for having the stage presence to host her own show. Cynics might say that this opportunity was simply handed to her. I suppose that if she hadn't been born into the Irwin family, she wouldn't have had this opportunity. I refuse to think in such terms though, especially since it seems to me that Bindi genuinely enjoys this work and handles herself well in front of the camera. No surprise there, since both of her parents were exceptionally well-composed afront the camera as well.

Boy, I miss Steve Irwin.

A dollar store closed down

Today I found out that a dollar store near my place of employment closed down. Now that's kinda sad. I still remember when they opened their doors, as that was only a few months ago. (Two months ago, maybe?)

I feel really bad for these small business owners when things don't work out. All along that strip mall, I saw several stores (typically small restaurants) that were no longer occupied.

That stinks. I know what it's like to face an uncertain future, which is why my heart breaks over these things.

I do remember wondering if that store would manage to stay open. They had a meager amount of merchandise, and I didn't notice a lot of traffic. I really started to wonder when they disconnected the small fridge in which they kept a variety of soda cans and bottles. Hoo-boy.

Not long ago, a friend of mine was asked to compile a list of her job duties. This was on a Friday. On the following Monday, she was dismissed from her position. Yikes.

Job security is a thing of the past.

A geeky limerick

A Unix saleslady, Lenore
Liked her work, but she liked the beach more
She found a good way
To combine work and play
She sells C shells by the seashore

Ambulatory?

Okay, I'm watching an episode of the old Space Ghost cartoon series from the 60s, and I just heard the lead character use the word "ambulatory."

That was a bit of a surprise -- a pleasant one, mind you. Kiddie cartoons from the 60s aren't exactly know for sophistication or logical storytelling. That certainly wasn't true for most of the old Hanna-Barbera productions, many of which were absolutely cringeworthy. (Birdman? The Galaxy Trio? Those were utter dreck.) I'm pleased to see that the writers of this particular episode weren't afraid to use a fancy word this time around.

I just wish that Jan, the female member of his twin sidekick pair, had a bit more personality to her. As far as I can tell, she pretty much followed the lead of her brother Jace. I guess that was typical of the times. I do recall that in the brief 80s revival of this cartoon saga, both Jan and Jace had more personality. Jace was a bit naive and overly headstrong, whereas Jan was more sensible and level-headed. This was doubtlessly in keeping with the 80s trend toward more characterization, not to mention an attempt to avoid old-fashioned depictions of women on TV.

A Wendy's slogan

Saw this on a paper bag from Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers:

"For Wendy's, square isn't so much a shape as a promise to not cut corners."

Clever! Witty! Now that's a clever marketing slogan. (Of course, if you're not familiar with their hamburgers, this slogan won't make any sense.)

How gullible is that?

Sometimes I can't believe how gullible people can be.

For example, there's this guy I know who repeatedly forwards every interesting story that he gets via e-mail. Time and time again, I've pointed out the inconsistencies and implausibilities in these stories as documented on Snopes.com. His reply? "Well, how do I know that Snopes.com is accurate? Anybody can come up with a website."

See the inconsistency there? He says that anybody can write something on a website, and so he dismisses Snopes in that regard. Yet he's perfectly willing to believe whatever he receives via e-mail, even though it's much easier for some malicious or uninformed hack to shoot of an e-mail hoax or other piece of misinformation.

BTW, I've given up on trying to convince people that the daddy longlegs is NOT the most poisonous spider in the world, or that its fangs are incapable of puncturing human skin.

Dang, it's cold.

Baby, it's cold outside.

With the price of gas nowadays though, I don't want to turn the heat up any further. I've already done plenty to control drafts and insulate the home. There's more that I could do, but I've resorted to darned near heroic measures already.

Typing is getting to be kinda tough in this cold. Sheesh. I wish I could build a bonfire in the kitchen, but of course, that would be bad.

Reconnecting

Hey! I tracked down someone that I knew from my grad school days. I found her name on the web -- or more accurately, her new, hyphenated name. That's right; she's married now.

Good for her! I always knew that she was a real treasure. She had a bit of a weight problem, but she was very appealing nonetheless. I'm really thrilled that she found someone.

(Why didn't I pursue her? Because we weren't compatible, that's why. Still, I always knew that she was a quality person.)

Yay! I'm happy for her.

Colds are not cool

Am on the tail end of a nasty cold. I felt like cutting off all the parts that hurt, but scarcely anything would have been left.

I even wound up taking two days off of work. This is atypical of me, as my manly ego normally compels me to show up for work anyway. We're really busy at work though, and I know that I can't risk infecting any of my co-workers.

Just spent a few hours looking for affordable motel accommodations for a business trip. Most of the affordable hotels would have required a few expensive cab rides, which made this search particularly challenging. Ugh.

Now I have yet another big pile of reading material to contend with. Boy. I could really use some sleep. That, and some time to catch up on household chores.

Somebody please give me a sabbatical.

More quotes on creativity

Here is a quote from business writer Elliott Carlisle in his book, Mac:

[I]t's almost impossible to get any real thinking done at work. Not just because of interruptions, but almost more importantly, the whole psychological and physical environment in which managers work tends to discourage contemplation and encourage activity. The higher the level in an organization, the more critical is the role of reflection and the less important that of activity, but so often we've become conditioned on the way up through the organizational ranks. How many bosses would give a word of encouragement to a subordinate if they were to come upon him sitting at his desk, chair tipped back, foot resting on an open drawer, and staring into space with an abstract expression on his face? They'd be far more likely to ask him what the hell he's doing, and if the unfortunate replied, "Thinking," he'd probably be advised to stop thinking and get back to work.

I'd also like to recommend this article on implementing creative though in the workplace.

Finally, I'd like to quote the following from Jack Foster's book, How to Get Ideas:

It is the child in you who is creative, not the adult. The adult in you wears a belt and suspenders and looks both ways before crossing the street. The child in you goes barefoot and plays in the street.

I'm no Lord of the Dance

I've been taking lindy hop dance lessons. I'm not doing too badly, but I'm not great either... and it'll take a while before I develop the confidenced that I need to really do this well. What a bummer.

I really, really wish that I was more of a natural dancer. I also wish that I had a more natural sense of rhythm, and that I could feel the beat of the music accurately. This is very frustrating indeed.

I've got the body strength needed to perform some fancy dance moves, and I've got plenty of stamina. I can engage in energetic moves all night long without tiring. Having said that, I wish I had more style and grace.

Maybe there's some hope. I remember when this one nice nurse gal attended a swing dance for the first time. Toward the end of the night, I asked her to dance, and after a few steps, she asked me if I was an instructor. She also said that I was the best dancer she had met that night, and asked if I could teach her more. Having said that, I do know that I'm not that great. I realize that the really good dancers must not have gotten around to inviting her to dance -- or perhaps they were so caught up amongst themselves that they failed to make her feel welcome. That happens now and then.

Dang, I wish I was better. I'd so love to master balboa, charleston, lindy, and a variety of ballroom styles. And I'll confess... I would appreciate the admiration that comes with being a great dancer. It'd make me more popular with a lot of these social dancers, for example. (Some of them think I'm very good, but I can tell that others think I'm pretty much a big goof.)

Fostering creativity

I've been reading this book, The Manager's Pocket Guide to Creativity. Among other things, this little tome discusses various factors that can hinder creativity in the workplace. Here is one of the factors that he mentioned:

"Supervisors discourage individual contemplation and creative thinking because they are not 'physical activities' (people who do them look like they are goofing off)."

Ain't that the truth! My current employer values and fosters creativity, but not all companies do the same. It's important to engage in contemplation and let ideas percolate; however, based on past experiences, I've learned that this can easily be misconstrued. Some managers just don't like that sort of thing, as it can look too much like goofing off.

My current boss knows better, of course. He knows that I'm his go-to guy for a lot of tasks, thag I work hard, and that I often step in to revitalize projects that have crawled to a standstill. Nevertheless, I also believe that it's important to avoid giving the illusion of mere goofing off, lest anybody misconstrue such behavior.

The H-1B controversy

Time and time again, I hear people complaining about how H-1B work visa applicants are stealing jobs away from hardworking Americans. They say that there are plenty of programmers and engineers who can do the job, so we don't need to be importing all these foreigners.

I think that's a naive view, though. There are plenty of programmers to go around, but there is a lack of good progammers. The problem is probably less severe in engineering, but I'm sure that it's there as well. (Why is this a problem in programming? Because people can easily convince themselves that they know how to program without realizing the need for proper software design and coding elegance. I don't have time to discuss this in great detail, but suffice to say that it's harder to develop that kind of overconfidence when it comes to circuit design or mechanical construction.)

Many also say that H-1B workers drag wage levels down. I think there's some truth to that, but that these claims are also vastly overblown. Moreover, these claims treat jobs and wage levels as though they were part of a zero sum game, which they aren't. No economist would claim that they are.

The stock market and other stuff

Man, I wish the stock market was doing better right now. Some of my investments have taken a hit, and I really wish that they were doing better.

A friend of mine invested a lot of money in a mortgage firm, and that decision proved to be overly risky. Her reasoning seemed to make sense, as it looked like this company would weather the mortgage crisis -- but it looks like that prediction will be wrong. I feel so bad for her.

I also wish that I had invested in my 401(k) account back at my old job in California. I was very much worried about my future there though, and so I held off on that. I knew that if I had to tap into those savings prematurely, I'd be taking a big hit. As it turns out though, I should have probably invested a bit more at the time.

I'd like to get more reading done. To cut a long story short though, I'm getting pressure from someone to get certain marginally productive things done. I'll spare you the details; suffice to say that it's a frustrating situation.

I'm also trying to master lindy. I'm having a hard time with this, though. I was really off my game tonight.

I got to learn more about this illumination system recently. Very slick.

Oh, and I got to meet some really nifty people tonight. That was a pleasure.

So I've got to get up really early in a couple of days. I'm already quite sleep-deprived. How am I supposed to manage this?

I wish I had a laboratory of my own. That'd be really nice. There are so many ideas that I'd like to work on. Oh, and I'd like to teach a bunch of ex-coworkers about creativity. These were the types of people who simply suppressed innovation on the grounds that it's not how they were used to doing things. Sigh.

Comment in a singles profile

I once read an online singles profile which said the following:

"I have friends of all types, but I'm not looking for another "just friend" on here, and I don't have time for world-wide pen-pals -- even with otherwise great people. I promise I'm not a negative person, but because I am in the similars-attract camp rather than the opposites-attract camp and because there's no point wasting anyone's time by lack of full disclosure, things which are deal-breakers and complete turn-offs for me include the following: beer, liquor, smoking, chewing tobacco, gambling, lying, manipulation, cheating (on taxes, girlfriend, timecard, etc.), meanness, perversion, less-than-full-time employment or income of less than 80% of mine, long-distance (anything greater than 25 miles; Garland is on the NE edge of Dallas, TX in the USA), IQ less than 135, history of promiscuity/STDs, history of gay/bi, divorced (more than once, with kids, in the past five years, or for any reason other than her adultery or abandonment of you), shorter than 5'11", fat, under 30 or over 45, less than a full set of teeth, poor personal hygeine, not white/Caucasian, not a U.S. citizen from birth, lack of at least a bachelor's degree, poor grammar, poor spelling, living with parents/family, history of or current psychiatric meds or need thereof (that is if your psychiatrist, doctor, family, friends, coworkers, ex-girlfriends, ex-friends, or ex-coworkers think you need meds -- whether or not YOU think you do), criminal history (whether convicted or not), overall negative attitudes, lack of proven leadership experience, lack of real Christian faith, and lack of regular church involvement. That is not an exhaustive list, but is a good start. If ANY of those describe you, please do NOT write me... especially just to tell me that what is important to me shouldn't be important to me simply because it isn't important to you. You may like crawfish, caviar, or sushi, but I don't; likewise, the above are matters of personal preference to me. You've got your personal list of deal-breakers, too, even if you didn't post it. I'm just saving you time and energy if the above descibe you. Also, I'm going to let my subscription lapse, and will only renew it if I get mail; I will be very disappointed if I then spend (God's) money to renew it only to find mail which starts with, "I know I don't meet your requirements, but...." If you aren't the type of guy I'm looking for, please don't write me. There is somebody ELSE out there for you; may God bless you in your continued search for her."

Freedoms that I cherish

Somebody once asked me what I appreciate having as an adult that I didn't have as a child. Various freedoms come to mind.

For example, growing up, our family was not allowed to set our Betamax player. Why? Because our mother was deathly afraid that it would catch fire. Shortly after we first got the VCR, I progammed it to record one of my favorite shows. When my mother found out, she went ballistic! I was thoroughly castigated for my stupidity; after all, did I not realize how dangerous this was? She insisted that we should never set the timer -- indeed, that we should never even leave the VCR plugged in when it was not in use.

Yes, it was pretty absurd.

Now, please don't get me wrong -- I know that she meant well, and that she had the family's welfare in mind. Still, it was a pretty silly thing to be afraid of, and it was a source of frustration for me. Here we had this wonderful piece of technology that was designed to record programs for our convenience, yet we were not allowed to use that feature, lest the house burn down.

Rats.

Likes and dislikes

A few semi-random rantings here.

Stuff I like:

James Herriott Strawberry-banana yogurt Kendra Todd Mark Waid Peter David's humor Peter Falk

Stuff I dislike:

Profanity Crude comments about women Drug abuse Lester, Farley, and Rodney "Sarge" Peter David's political views Richard Dawkins and his attempts at pop philosophy Adam Sandler Adam Carolla Guys who don't treat the women in their life right