For the first time in a really long time. I actually like TIME magazine’s Persons of the Year. Bill Gates gets a lot of bad things said about him. As if overpriced buggy software makes him worse than Satan. I’m no Microsoft fanboy. I like a lot of MS products, and I dislike my fair share too, but I firmly believe that the world is a better place because of Bill Gates. Would I want a world without Windows? Actually no. For good or bad Microsoft has made a large contribution to the accesiblity and ubiquity of software. A lot of people say that Windows is only finally getting better because of Linux forcing it to become better. But I believe the correllary to be true. BSD was around for years before Windows 95. Yet UNIX didn’t become the dominant desktop OS for a reason. I believe MS forced free software to become better in a similar way. It’s a good ecosystem, and I wouldn’t want to live in a world without both free and proprietary software.
Software aside, when it comes to tackling world’s problems, the Gates get it. They understand in a way that prior NGO’s and GO’s never really creatively tackled global issues. Largely that is due to the fact that Gates is a career innovator. It’s always been his job to seek new markets and solutions rather than languish in old thinking. I especially like his prize for anyone who can come up with room temperature vaccines. It’s a simple idea with the potential to save millions, yet no one works toward it because there’s no market pressure for it. I also like that Bono and the Gates get what the real global issues are - primarily crushing poverty and lack of education. Solving these two issues are the catalysts necessary for improvement in almost every other problem. It’s a breath of fresh air from the idiot celebrities who work for PETA because it’s hip.
I also would like to applaude TIME’s editorial staff for not giving away the person of the year award to yet another political leader. I don’t think a US President has done anything truly remarkably worthwhile in a long long time.
Man I love making lists. So here’s a list of things I’d like for Christmas.
- I’d love a stack of Levenger Notecards for my pocket briefcase. I’d like them in the grid style of course.
- I’d like to get this book Explosive Lifting for Sports. Looks like a good guide to Olympic lifting.
- Shaving Cream from Taylor of Bond Street
- The new Transformers Alternators series are awesome. I definitely want Smokescreen, Decepticharge, or Prowl.
- I’d like some kind of car/ipod solution… I’m not fond of the radio transmitters, but I’m also not to keen on ripping out my current receiver and replacing it with something else. My factory default car stereo only has a cd player…
- I’d like enough discipline to sit down and finish the Thank Yous I owe to my friends and family. I have half of them written and not mailed… I’m such a bum.
- Any donation to any charity of your choice would be nice as well. I’m partial to Pakistani Earthquake relief, but there’s also Sudan, Tsunami, and Hurricane relief too. This was a terrible year, and I feel like such a spoiled brat asking for things I don’t need when people might not live with what they’ve got.
- I’d like you to have a great whatever it is you celebrate. Have fun with your family and friends, and hopefully I’ll see you in the New Year.
Wow, so I got a totally unexpected phone call from a Comcast rep. He called four times actually. I had no intention of calling him back, but he was really determined and seemed concerned - as if the future of the free world depended on our conversation. In fact I was a little taken aback by the gravitas and concern he showed. Usually helpdesk people define ambivalence and will do anything to get you off the phone. This guy sounded like his life mission was to serve justice and the American way by righting the wrong that was done to me. It was almost as if Scott Bakula had quantum leaped into his body to give me my $25 back. Well it worked… and for my trouble and 37 cents I got a month of free cable. I feel oddly guilty for writing such a cynical nasty letter. I’m not sure what the lesson is to be learned here - be mean and borderline crazy because you’ll get your way? Hmm… I definitely know I’ll be writing more letters.
Through the power of GTD, I’ve become much better at following things through. So this year I’m setting concrete doable New Year’s goals and I’m going to broadcast them so you out there in blogland will keep me accountable.
- Visit friends and family in Pittsburgh. I’ve been meaning to do this for years, and I never get around to it because I don’t make a point of planning and seeing it through. This is the year to do it. I have no excuses. I’d also like to visit Falling Water along the way.
- Get my Will written. I have some serious assets now, and someone’s got to take care of my bicycles and cats when I die. This was on my list of things to do before I die, but now it’s getting escalated to this year.
- Pick up a creative hobby. I used to draw and sometimes write or watercolor. I used to make my own birthday and Christmas cards too. As I got busier I stopped creating my own art and just started consuming it from others instead. So this year I’d like to get back in the habbit of doing something creative that has nothing to do with being productive at work or home. I think taking time out of the day to make art is really important, and it’s something that I’d like to get back into the habit of doing. Any suggestions?
- Become a regular card writer. I don’t write thank yous and get well cards. It’s something all people used to do but seems to be a dying out as email replaces all of our communication.
- Get in the habit of planning the next day the night before. It’s not that hard, and I always have a better day when I do it.
- Complete coach Hatch’s squat program. I don’t know if I’ve ever completed a lifting program ever in my life. Well this one is 12 weeks long and dead simple. One of these days I’d like to be able to power clean my own body weight.
- Complete at least three things from my 43 things list
Well that’s it folks. I think it’s all doable and not that hard. The problem is reviewing and sticking with it.
Well it’s a running joke that Polynesians like their SPAM. Hawaiians are said to consume over 4 million cans a year. I’m amazed at the ubiquity and versatility of SPAM in their cuisine. They’ve found a ton of applications for it. The one I found really interesting is SPAM musubi. It’s the equivalent of getting a hotdog at a gas station for a quick meal on the run. They can be found on the counters next to the slim jims in any corner store on the island. A SPAM musubi is a slice of SPAM that is usually fried and cold, wrapped in rice and nori seaweed. I’m sure it goes way beyond the USRDA in sodium, and calorie wise it’s probably not much better for you than a hotdog. It’s a compact meal in and of itself and you have to give them credit for putting a new twist on bento.
Well here’s the next post in Hawaiian exotic foods. This one’s rambutan. It’s in the same family as lychee and tastes pretty much the same. If you don’t know what lychees taste like, you can buy them canned at most Asian grocers. I love lychees, but a lot of people don’t which I find hard to understand. The outside of the rambutan is really cool and looks like it’s a Nintendo designed obstacle or projectile.
