Well, I finally did it . . . I installed WordPress on my own website . . . so, feel free to head over to Sleepwaking website (www.sleepwaking.com) to see loads of content and I may even keep it up to date!!
Archive for October, 2008
Happy Trails
October 31, 2008Feeling the Palin
October 3, 2008I have never been interested in politics until this year. Accordingly, I had the popcorn ready and settled down to watch the Biden/Palin debate. My prediction was that Palin would have at least two OMG moments; I was counting on it. Here folksy wisdom careening into political blunder was going to be my entertainment. Instead, she did a reasonable job considering that she is essentially out of her league.
I really enjoy the use of Twitter and other technologies to parse debate transcripts. I tend to notice that Republicans use “fight”, “fear”, and other emotionally-charged words more frequently than Democrats, at least since I started paying attention. That’s no suprise I suppose since we all know Republicans have been wildly successfuly with the use of emotional appeal, which is, after all, a logical fallacy. But I don’t blame Republicans. I blame people for responding. If we don’t buy the b.s. they’re selling, then they’ll come up with a new product. How’s that for a free-market economy?
But, back to the debate. I wouldn’t say that Palin performed well, but she didn’t screw up. She repeated the phrases she had been taught, and glued the canned text together with her brand of straight talk. But how can we fail to notice that when the necessity of diplomacy in foreign policy is debated, that Joe Biden spoke of actual countries and actual areas of contention that need diplomacy; whereas, Palin spoke about overcoming the challenges of being part of a diverse family. While the ability to navigate family life is in fact part of life’s great journey, it’s a poor choice as analogy for international politics.
Oh. And did I mention I’m from Alaska? I lived in Palmer for several years; just a hop, skip, and a jump from Wasilla. Dude. She’s from Wasilla, Alaska. And yes, while my appeal to geographic origin is a logical fallacy as well, the difference is that I’m right.
Poem for the Day
October 2, 2008Cowboy’s Big Speech Halfway Through the Novel
by Will T.
I live my life knowin’ time is precious.
An’ I wake up ever day knowin’ what has to be done.
Some might say that’s simple,
but I think it robs the devil of his due.
by Will T.
I live my life knowin’ time is precious.
An’ I wake up ever day knowin’ what has to be done.
Some might say that’s simple,
but I think it robs the devil of his due.
Second Life
October 2, 2008After reading about millenials in the workplace (http://personalbrandingblog.wordpress.com/2008/08/20/millennials-are-taking-over-the-workplace-is-hr-prepared/) and the use of Second Life as a recruiting tool, I had a mini-epiphany. The big problem with my job wasn’t that I hated being a Director, it was that the fun disappeared. You can spank my ass and call me Sally for a job title; but, if I’m having fun I’m there. I believe that in the bigger picture of the IT landscape, the overlap between work and fun (i.e. passionate engagement) is blurring. In fact, it HAS to blur.
In jobs that feature information as the primary entity for manipulation, it makes sense that the tools and communication channels available for working with that information follow the same radical transformation as the wider cultural landscape. And just because I’m in my 40s doesn’t mean that I have to feel disconnected from the phenomenon.
I recall that one of the reasons I went into computers was seeing the toll that physical labor took on my father and other people I worked with on Alaska’s oil pipeline. I figured being a “computer guy” would age-proof my career (always assuming my brain hung in there). And why would I want to hang in there? Because it’s a fun, challenging job that encourages creative thinking while compensating decently.
So, as I begin my journey away from my job as a Director back to Architect, I am enjoying the re-engagement with tech feeds, geek news, and all the “fun stuff” I had left behind. I’m no genius, or even a great programmer . . .but I am passionate, love to learn from my betters, and I’m pretty decent at aggregating all the tech activity into meaningful chunks that relate to business initatives. And so, after many years of always trying to do whatever it is that I don’t already know, I realize that there really is something to knowing your place and playing to your strengths.
Feels like a second life indeed.
Rediscovering the Geek Within
October 1, 2008I recently rediscovered the geek within. What does this entail? First, it implies that you wander away from the inner geek. You perhaps think management, or even directorship, is your path to freedom.
Then, you have an epiphany. For me it was something like, “hey, I’m in an abusuve relationship with my company.” You realize that upper management is the equivalent of agreeing to putting on shackles for a pay increase. In return for breaking out of the geek pay ceiling, you agree to basically become a whipping boy or girl. You won’t likely be empowered to drive change, but you’ll be browbeat constantly about the lack of change while your budget and your powers are diminished.
So, having the epiphany, you’ll realize that you can return to your passion, creativity, and having cool junk in your cube. You CAN go home. Just click your heels together, wish real hard, and you’ll find that companies are almost never tired of people with the actual skills to do the actual job so actual money can be made.
And all the while, you can have your Nunzilla on display proudly; you can tickle your Dwight Shrute bobble-head and engage in active relaxation, knowing that the work you are doing is more productive and more fun than your boss.
