Admired Leader

Too many words can spoil the core of true sentiment, and too few words can fail to convey the gravity of a situation.  Having stated that, I'll try to introduce this topic and let the weight and emotion of it do the heavy lifting.

Recently I was introduced (figuratively) to Randy Pausch- an inspirational professor from Carnegie Mellon University.  Sadly, Randy died of pancreatic cancer a few days ago, but his story will live on in lore forever.  There are people in this world who truly move a soul, and Mr. Pausch is one of those people.  Even in the brief experience I've had with his message, I can say definitively that it's changed my life.

He gave a "Last Lecture" at Carnegie Mellon last autumn, and immediately became famous for the life message he impressed upon his audience.  Soon after the lecture, his story became an internet phenomenon; inspiring millions of people with his courage, integrity, humor, and grace.

I challenge anyone to view this "Lecture" and not be moved to tears multiple times during its duration.  Due to my personal history, I may be a fair bit more impressionable in situations like this, but I still think it's a story that will move anyone.  From beginning to (especially) end it is an immensely powerful experience.

It's a fairly long video (1hour 16minutes), but please watch the entire thing- I guarantee you'll be glad you did.

Lead your life the right way, and Karma will take over- the dreams will come to you

--Randy Pausch

There's also a book by the same name.

Try this for comfort and relief.

Peace & Good Health

AM Son

TV & off the cable grid!

Yes, you read that right- Emily and I have taken the plunge- we canceled our crappy Charter cable service and purchased an AppleTV.  We're no longer beholden to the draconian limits and restrictions of a cable company- we're the arbiters of our fate; we now have complete dominion over what we watch!!  Well, OK, maybe that's getting a little carried away... but it is nice to now pay à la carte for what we watch rather than paying a blanket fee for the many, many shows and channels we didn't watch.  Besides the fact that we're not huge television watchers anyhow, all that we really miss is live sporting events (ie. Pats, Sox, Celts)- especially since we watched almost all of our shows time shifted.

So, welcome TV and goodbye Charter.

So far it's been damn nice- we have more options of what to watch, when to watch, and how to watch.  Aside from This Old House and Sports, we're not missing any of our major interests.  And besides, this frees up our night times for more reading, video games, hanging out, chatting, etc... which is always a good thing.  We definitely watch far less TV now than before, and when we do watch, we're totally committed and not just using the TV as a third companion in the room.  And surprisingly, in a short period of time we will also save money.  No static monthly amount to be charged anymore- if we watch zero programs then we pay zero dollars for that month's service.  I remember many months in the past where each of us were busy enough where we didn't watch much (or any) TV and yet still had to fork over a ridiculous amount of cash just for the "chance" to watch.

In addition to TV programming, we also have the opportunity to rent/ buy movies.  While we're also not huge movie people, it's nice to have the opportunity should we want to settle down with a good movie.  And the prices are no worse then a video rental from the local conglomerate of a video store.

May favorite aspect of the TV is the ability to download and watch/ listen/ to audio and video podcasts directly through the device.  There's access to hundreds of FREE (yes, FREE) podcasts- which we enjoy just as we would a television program.  I love podcasts- as you all know- so it's no stretch to imagine my excitement for this feature.  While most podcast video quality is less than great, it sometimes is superior to that of mainstream broadcasters or cable providers.  Either way, it's the content that matters, and my tastes tend to align more with the podcast community than those of pop programming anyhow!!  Bring on the p-casts!

The first show to hook us thus far has been The Wire- an HBO orignal series that began in 2001.  We're totally into this show, and owe the opportunity to the AppleTV- because with cable the cost to order premium channels was uneconomical and wasteful.  We now pay for each show we watch, which makes us think to ourselves, "do we really want to watch this now- or even at all?".  It adds an element of existentialism to our viewing habits- which is absolutely a positive sign!

And the device is smaller than an ordinary cable box-  so we're saving space to boot!!

Check it:

[caption id="attachment_193" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="AppleTV unboxing"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_194" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="ATV's new home!"][/caption]

Just over a week off of Charter- and loving it!!

Now off to get some reading in!

Peace

AM Son

**written while listening to the mountain goats/ jason collett/ and john mellencamp**

Zakaria engages Obama

I'm semi-back from my month long hiatus.  Still trying to rest and recuperate from a few long weeks of prep at work, I'll be back on a more regular basis hopefully soon...

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Just this afternoon, one of my favorite foreign policy experts- Fareed Zakaria- interviewed Barack Obama on his weekly political round-table show (Fareed Zakaria- GPS).

Here's a quick excerpt from the interview- of which in my opinion kind of paints the overall picture of why Obama is exactly what this country needs starting in January of 2009.

ZAKARIA: You are going to Europe and the Middle East. You know that in places like France you have 85 percent approval ratings.

Isn't that going to make some Americans very suspicious? If all of Europe likes you, if France likes you, there must be something wrong.

OBAMA: Well, I tell you what. You know, it's interesting. As I travel around the country, here in the United States, I think people understand that there has been a price to the diminished regard with which the world holds the United States over the last several years.

It's something that bothers people. It's something that's brought up.

You know, when I'm doing a town hall meeting in some rural community, invariably, somebody will raise their hand and they'll say, "When are we going to restore the respect that the world had for America?"

And, you know, the American people's instincts are good. It's not just a matter of wanting to be liked. It's the fact that, as a consequence of that diminished standing, we have less leverage on a whole host of critical issues that have to be dealt with.

So, I think the American people are ready for a president who is not alienating the world. And if that president is liked a little bit, well, that's just a bonus.

Now, I don't know how long that will last. We'll see if my approval ratings hold up after I'm president.

ZAKARIA: You're bound to disappoint people. I mean, with approval ratings that high, it's bound to be a letdown. Don't you think?

OBAMA: You know, my job is to make sure that, here in the United States, the American people feel confident that I'm going to be advocating for their interests, that I'm going to keep them safe.

The way to do that though, I believe, is to make sure that we're paying attention to the rest of the world, their hopes, their aspirations, as well, and that we're leading with our values and ideals, and not just with our military.

I'm a tad too tired to (nice alliteration eh!?) analyze the entirety of the excerpt, but I will say that answers with this much foresight, bipartisan sensitivity, intelligence, and "greater good" mentality have got to be remembered and considered when pulling that lever in November.

Peace and Barack the Vote!

AM Son