Friday, October 29, 2010
Nobody to Vote For
It's a shame there aren't any candidates for so many of us centrists. If you're fiscally conservative but socially liberal, where do you turn?
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Got Your iPad Yet?
I don't, but I expect to soon. The world of publishing is changing so fast I don't see how I can hold out from buying one much longer. Over the years as new technology has roared into the public domain like a neverending freight train I have traditionally waited for the inital buzz to wear off on the latest gizmo only to eventually succumb and buy with what I like to think is a somewhat more educated persepctive. Second generation technodevices are always better than gen one. And I have always been a second generation buyer.
My very first memory of the wonders of technology was when our family first got cable tv sometime around 1972 or so. I was astounded. Dozens of television channels at the click of a button! I remember seeing myself on tv in a televised high school basketball game. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
In high school in the early '70s all the rich kids got new calculators to help them with their calculus homework. I did mine with a slide rule. I never owned a calculator in high school. When I started college in 1975 the campus computer at the University of Cincinnati was a building! And we learned to create calendars by key-punching hundreds of little cards on a special terminal...just to make a one-page calendar. Computers were not available then but being an engineering student I eventually broke down and bought a calculator well after everyone else owned one. It was handy for sure, but never having had one I was a whiz at doing math on sight and in my head. It's still an advantage I feel I hold today being able to do quick math calculations in my head.
When I got into publishing in 1990 desktop publishing did not yet exist. I typed out my stories on an IBM Selectric II, gave it to a typesetter, and they re-typed it and stuffed it in the typesetting machine which spit out reams of glossy white paper with columnized pages of type. The artist then cut out these blocks of text and pasted them on layout boards to be sent to the printer. You learned then and there to turn in perfectly edited articles because you didn't get the chance to fix typos.
Eventually computers and design software took over publishing and I broke down and bought my first computer with a mono-chromatic green screen. I still remember the first time I saw a line drawing of a naked lady on my screen. It was quite exciting. But that's for another discussion.
Then the world of cell phones stormed the country in the late '90s. I didn't get my first cell phone until the summer of 2001, and I remember hating the idea of people being able to find me anytime anywhere. One had to become more creative at lying about where you were until 2:00 in the morning. But it was a necessary evil and one I couldn't have lived without as I started my first company.
I've watched the publishing industry advance rapidly from just generating pages for print to creating this whole new world to explore online which grew at exponential speed. As a consumer of publishing I now read much more online than I ever do in print. But it has its drawbacks. Wearying of what tv has to offer I often retreat to my computer cave to explore the much larger and controllable universe of online information. The drawback is that it makes me antisocial in my home.
Now comes the tablet device, or more specifically, the iPad. The amount of content available on the iPad is still somewhat limited, but it won't be that way for long. A recent article I read said that 40 million iPads will be sold by 2012. The content explosion for that medium is coming. In one respect I expect to be a part of it as a publisher in that medium. But as a consumer I can immediately see the many advantages. I can watch tv with my wife while also browsing on my iPad. I can take it into the bathroom with me (which will be the end of my newspaper subscription). And I can read it in bed (meaning I will go to bed a lot earlier than usual). The benefits to my social life I can already see will be considerable. I haven't bought one yet, but the day is fast approaching.
My very first memory of the wonders of technology was when our family first got cable tv sometime around 1972 or so. I was astounded. Dozens of television channels at the click of a button! I remember seeing myself on tv in a televised high school basketball game. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
In high school in the early '70s all the rich kids got new calculators to help them with their calculus homework. I did mine with a slide rule. I never owned a calculator in high school. When I started college in 1975 the campus computer at the University of Cincinnati was a building! And we learned to create calendars by key-punching hundreds of little cards on a special terminal...just to make a one-page calendar. Computers were not available then but being an engineering student I eventually broke down and bought a calculator well after everyone else owned one. It was handy for sure, but never having had one I was a whiz at doing math on sight and in my head. It's still an advantage I feel I hold today being able to do quick math calculations in my head.
When I got into publishing in 1990 desktop publishing did not yet exist. I typed out my stories on an IBM Selectric II, gave it to a typesetter, and they re-typed it and stuffed it in the typesetting machine which spit out reams of glossy white paper with columnized pages of type. The artist then cut out these blocks of text and pasted them on layout boards to be sent to the printer. You learned then and there to turn in perfectly edited articles because you didn't get the chance to fix typos.
Eventually computers and design software took over publishing and I broke down and bought my first computer with a mono-chromatic green screen. I still remember the first time I saw a line drawing of a naked lady on my screen. It was quite exciting. But that's for another discussion.
Then the world of cell phones stormed the country in the late '90s. I didn't get my first cell phone until the summer of 2001, and I remember hating the idea of people being able to find me anytime anywhere. One had to become more creative at lying about where you were until 2:00 in the morning. But it was a necessary evil and one I couldn't have lived without as I started my first company.
I've watched the publishing industry advance rapidly from just generating pages for print to creating this whole new world to explore online which grew at exponential speed. As a consumer of publishing I now read much more online than I ever do in print. But it has its drawbacks. Wearying of what tv has to offer I often retreat to my computer cave to explore the much larger and controllable universe of online information. The drawback is that it makes me antisocial in my home.
Now comes the tablet device, or more specifically, the iPad. The amount of content available on the iPad is still somewhat limited, but it won't be that way for long. A recent article I read said that 40 million iPads will be sold by 2012. The content explosion for that medium is coming. In one respect I expect to be a part of it as a publisher in that medium. But as a consumer I can immediately see the many advantages. I can watch tv with my wife while also browsing on my iPad. I can take it into the bathroom with me (which will be the end of my newspaper subscription). And I can read it in bed (meaning I will go to bed a lot earlier than usual). The benefits to my social life I can already see will be considerable. I haven't bought one yet, but the day is fast approaching.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
US Healthcare Road Has Been Travelled Before
It just amazes me sometimes how completely unable to learn from the past our leaders can be. The direction we're taking on healthcare is but another example. England has been there, done that, and they are desperately trying to unwind the damage that has already been done. This article from the NYT explains how England is trying to untangle the bureaucratic monster they've created...why?..BECAUSE IT COSTS TOO MUCH AND DOESN'T WORK!!
http://tiny.cc/4shs7
What is so hard about recognizing the fact that centralized medicine is an obvious disaster road? Any normal person with half a brain can see this. Is this simply an attempt by our government to extend some healthcare to those who can't afford it at everyone's else's expense? If that's the goal and that's what everyone in the country is willing to do, (knowing full well that not only will our healthcare costs increase but our quality of care will be going down) then fine. I'm all for majority rules. But that's not what's going on here. We're being told that this is not going to cost us more and will not affect our current quality of care. And the majority of Americans oppose it because they know when they're being sold a bill of goods.
And that's what is most insulting, when our leaders think we're too stupid to understand what's happening here. Just give it to us straight. You don't need to be afraid to ask the American people for handouts. We're pretty darned generous when you ask us nicely. It's when you give us the bait and switch that we get ticked off.
And to follow the argument to its conclusion, if you ask us nicely, and we still say no, and you still think you know what's best for us that you rewrap the gift and sell it to us as something else, that's just wrong.
The argument that we ought to find a way to help those people who don't have healthcare becaue they can't afford it is a legitimate one. But the political machinations that erupt in the process are simply grotesque. Both sides are to blame, but I give extra deductions to the left for not incorporating a single Republican idea in the final bill. If they had simply been willing to give the right tort reform, they could have pushed it through by a landslide. But they just couldn't go against their largest campaign contributors, the trial attorneys, and so they shoved the pill down our throats and called it candy.
I honestly don't know how some of these people look at themselves in the mirror at night. But trust me people, if this new healthcare monster doesn't get unwound soon, we'll see the exact same article about the US in about 20 years. Mark my words.
http://tiny.cc/4shs7
What is so hard about recognizing the fact that centralized medicine is an obvious disaster road? Any normal person with half a brain can see this. Is this simply an attempt by our government to extend some healthcare to those who can't afford it at everyone's else's expense? If that's the goal and that's what everyone in the country is willing to do, (knowing full well that not only will our healthcare costs increase but our quality of care will be going down) then fine. I'm all for majority rules. But that's not what's going on here. We're being told that this is not going to cost us more and will not affect our current quality of care. And the majority of Americans oppose it because they know when they're being sold a bill of goods.
And that's what is most insulting, when our leaders think we're too stupid to understand what's happening here. Just give it to us straight. You don't need to be afraid to ask the American people for handouts. We're pretty darned generous when you ask us nicely. It's when you give us the bait and switch that we get ticked off.
And to follow the argument to its conclusion, if you ask us nicely, and we still say no, and you still think you know what's best for us that you rewrap the gift and sell it to us as something else, that's just wrong.
The argument that we ought to find a way to help those people who don't have healthcare becaue they can't afford it is a legitimate one. But the political machinations that erupt in the process are simply grotesque. Both sides are to blame, but I give extra deductions to the left for not incorporating a single Republican idea in the final bill. If they had simply been willing to give the right tort reform, they could have pushed it through by a landslide. But they just couldn't go against their largest campaign contributors, the trial attorneys, and so they shoved the pill down our throats and called it candy.
I honestly don't know how some of these people look at themselves in the mirror at night. But trust me people, if this new healthcare monster doesn't get unwound soon, we'll see the exact same article about the US in about 20 years. Mark my words.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Why Do We Root for Tiger Woods?
First off, I confess that I always root for Tiger Woods. And honestly, I have no good explanation why. Throughout my life as a sports fan I only root for two teams...my home team and the underdog. That's it. And I know I'm not alone in that respect.
So why then do I root for Tiger Woods? He's always the heavy favorite. He has ruined life-changing moments for dozens of underdog golfers. He's arrogant. He's not nearly as nice as we thought he was. He's one of the worst tippers in the game. He's not the family man we thought he was. He throws his clubs. He cusses on the golf course. His spits disgustingly on national TV (a spit you know is just another way of saying, "F*ck me!") He has little apparent respect for his opponents. He often chokes in the big team events when I should be rooting for him. Am I leaving anything out?
The normal thing for me to do would be to root against Tiger Woods. That's what a normal sports fan would do--root for all those underdogs who have failed against him. But I don't and I can't explain it.
When I argue with those few friends of mine who despise Tiger Woods, I know they are right. But that doesn't change anything for me. I still root for him. If he's not playing, I don't even watch. If he's playing but not in the hunt, I don't watch either because we all know he only wins as a front-runner--another reason not to root for him.
To make matters worse, I know there are millions of other fans just like me who are rooting for him too, which is another item for the "Do Not Root" list. I don't root for the Yankees, I don't root for Notre Dame, I don't root for USC, I don't root for the Lakers or the Celtics. In fact, I often despise anyone who does root for those teams unless they are from those towns. There's nothing I respect less than a fair-weather fan. One of my favorite things to do is to say to someone who is rooting for the Yankees, for example, "So, what part of New York are you from?" And when they say they are not from New York then I really let them have it.
I'm digging my own grave here, right? So why on earth do I root for Tiger Woods? I simply have no good answer for that one. Maybe it's time to correct the error of my ways.
So why then do I root for Tiger Woods? He's always the heavy favorite. He has ruined life-changing moments for dozens of underdog golfers. He's arrogant. He's not nearly as nice as we thought he was. He's one of the worst tippers in the game. He's not the family man we thought he was. He throws his clubs. He cusses on the golf course. His spits disgustingly on national TV (a spit you know is just another way of saying, "F*ck me!") He has little apparent respect for his opponents. He often chokes in the big team events when I should be rooting for him. Am I leaving anything out?
The normal thing for me to do would be to root against Tiger Woods. That's what a normal sports fan would do--root for all those underdogs who have failed against him. But I don't and I can't explain it.
When I argue with those few friends of mine who despise Tiger Woods, I know they are right. But that doesn't change anything for me. I still root for him. If he's not playing, I don't even watch. If he's playing but not in the hunt, I don't watch either because we all know he only wins as a front-runner--another reason not to root for him.
To make matters worse, I know there are millions of other fans just like me who are rooting for him too, which is another item for the "Do Not Root" list. I don't root for the Yankees, I don't root for Notre Dame, I don't root for USC, I don't root for the Lakers or the Celtics. In fact, I often despise anyone who does root for those teams unless they are from those towns. There's nothing I respect less than a fair-weather fan. One of my favorite things to do is to say to someone who is rooting for the Yankees, for example, "So, what part of New York are you from?" And when they say they are not from New York then I really let them have it.
I'm digging my own grave here, right? So why on earth do I root for Tiger Woods? I simply have no good answer for that one. Maybe it's time to correct the error of my ways.
I've Always Wanted to be a Blogger - Not!!
My first post. Whoop dee freaking do! The question racing around in my head as I start my first blog post is, "Does anyone really care what I think?" Probably not, but you never know. I've always been the kind of guy who doesn't always share what I'm thinking. The reason being, as I listen to other people talk, I often say to myself, "My goodness, won't this person ever stop talking? Is this what I sound like when I'm talking?" Knowing it's possible that others might feel exactly the same, I tend to hold my opinions in reserve more often than not.
But there's this double-edged sword, unfortunately. You see, I'm in the media world...and being in the media, holding one's opinion to oneself isn't exactly a formula for success. So here I go on my first blog post to answer the $64 million question--"Does anyone really want to hear what I have to say?" One can always hope.
So what do I want to share with the world in this first of hopefully many blog posts? Well, in the simplest of terms I want to share the fact that I very much consider myself a "normal" person. I think normal things, I do normal things, and I respond to people in normal ways. And why would anyone care to read what a normal person has to say? Because normal is getting lost in today's world. I become more astounded every day with how little normalcy is left in the world today.
The media in general is no longer normal. They don't report in a normal fashion. They don't cover normal things. Everything is sensationalized and branded or stamped left, right, far left or far right. So many people I meet anymore are not normal. The world searches to be entertained by things that are not normal. And as a result I just feel like being normal is getting lost.
So that's what my blog is going to be all about. Being normal. I'm going to address issues in a normal fashion and try and express the normal point of view, often with wonder at how that particular issue may have arisen when normal thinking might dictate otherwise.
I do have a wide variety of interests so you'll see me posting about business, politics, the media, sports, hospitality, religion and many other topics. I hope you find my "normal" take on things interesting.
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