The bottom line is that the iPad did not offer much more than a laptop (or my MacBook does.)  Seems like the notable advantage I saw was that it has a touch screen.  Yet, otherwise it was a laptop without a keyboard.  It simply does too much without being able to excel in one particular area.

However, one of my Christmas presents (from my Mom and Dad) was an Amazon Kindle.  Yes, I was excited to receive one, but I didn’t know just how useful it was going to be.  For one, I can read eBooks on my computer.  I have the Kindle app on my MacBook.  Yet, I never did read a complete book from beginning to end.  I would just read a few pages (at most a chapter) at a time.  My eyes would fatigue after a while of just reading text.  And I have to admit, that it was not convenient to carry my laptop around to read my eBooks.

The Kindle is the best reading device.  It must be the only device that it reads just like a book (or paper for that matter.)  The e-ink technology is great.  It does not fatigue your eyes like backlite screens.  And you can read it in any lighted environments.  The size is just right, also.  It is more practible to carry it than a book.  I carry it just about everywhere.  Whereas a book didn’t go with me to the bank, per se.

What made it even better was the fact that it integrated very well with my Audible subscription.  As soon as I registered it, I was able to pull my audio books from my Audible library.  The controls are fine.  However, I wish it had a way to select the chapters.  Though you can use the directional pad to navigate through the chapters.

All in all, I highly recommend the Kindle if you like reading books.  It is a gadget that will not disappoint you.

Three is a Magic Number

Originally uploaded by jmorale9

For some time now, I have been hearing John C. Dvorak and Adam Curry talk about three being a magic number on their show, No Agenda. Well, for the most part I kept it to myself. However, when I finally spoke up about it, it appeared that three really is a magic number. Coincidence? I think not!

On Friday, July 30, I decided to have fun with this and started to tell my kids about how three is a magic number.  This revelation turned into a scavenger hunt for three.  We saw three objects everywhere.  Our coffee table has three decorative candles.  The television has three speakers (left, right, and center.)  We have candle holders in the wall that have three candles.  We have three pictures on one wall of our three children.  We have three children.  Their are ages turn out to be multiples of three: 3 × 2, 3 × 3, and 3 × 4.  That’s 6, 9, and 12.

We didn’t give it much thought after a while.  But the big shocker came the following day when my oldest son did something he doesn’t usually do.  He turned on the news.  Within three minutes of turning on the news, the news anchor announced the winning number to The Daily Three lottery.  Surprisingly, it was 3-3-3!  Chills came through our spine, and my son was like “Three is really a magic number.”

Of course, my answer was, “I told you so.”

If you want to check for yourself, here is the link to the California Lottery’s page.  If you want to check out the video with the song, here is the You Tube link.  Or you can view the 3:00 minute video here:

Treadmill

Originally uploaded by Woodenheadworld

Not sure if at this point I am going in circles. There is definitely work that has to be done so the show is ready to go again once more. But I guess because I am such a perfectionist, I don’t feel I am ready for Episode 38.

At the same time, I am limited with my time away from work. I am finding some sacrifice with my personal life, but then again, this is what I like to do anyway.

I hate that every Sunday I seem to keep postponing the show. It seems to be the same story too: “This week for sure.” But hopefully, this Sunday, will be the one. Stay tuned.

paralysis by analysis

Originally uploaded by mtsofan

Many of you may be wondering what has happened to me. Let me assure you that I am well and nothing has happened to me. The story remains the same: just not enough time.

Many things have been happening in the world and I have been wanting to report on them. Sometimes I feel that I am getting a case of “paralysis by analysis” since I am overthinking the show. I want to be able to encorporate my thoughts and feelings into the show, but I don’t exactly know how. Fact of the matter is that I just need to do it and see what comes out.

One thing is for sure: I want to make the show worth your time. That is going to be my goal and mission moving forward. For now, please stay tuned. I hope to bring you a show real soon.

–)) Justo ((–

If you haven’t listened to the show, I would suggest you go listen to it now, and then come back and read this post.

The show was really the first thing thing that went wrong that day.  It seems that the whole day was screwed up!  But still, just as the the song, Good Day from Natives of the New Dawn, “I don’t want to think about the bad days.”  So despite all the things that have gone wrong today, I am happy.  Happy that I accomplished the show, and that it is uploaded.  Who cares that it is 8:30 pm PST and I am writing this from the airplane?  I am listening the show, Episode 35, and I am just happy it is up as I write this.

So, I will probably talk about this in the next episode, but just in case I don’t I am going to share it with you.

The first thing that went wrong is that I was unable to store my huge luggage bag at the hotel.  You know how you can check your bags and get them later?  My plan was to check my bag on Monday, and pick it up on Thursday when I returned.  There was no point in carrying all that clothes to Seattle for only three days.  I knew I had to leave it behind.  The only other choice was to leave it at work.  But, that was a fifteen minute walk from the hotel.  So I opted to leave it at the hotel since it was 8:00 am and I had a 9:30 am flight.  Unfortunately, I was informed that I had to pick it up the same day.

“Shoot, that is not going to work!”  I left my backpack and my duffel bag (what I was taking to Seattle) and quickly ran to work lugging my 75lb bag.  In my mind I had to be back by 8:30 am if I wanted to make the flight.  I arrived at work about 8:15 am and still had to make my way to the server room (the intended storage place for my luggage bag.)  By the time I had everything taken care of, it was 8:20.  Knowing that now I had less time then when I went to work I started to run.  I ran at least 3/4 of the way.  I received a phone call the last quarter and walked fast.

I made it by my expected time.  But all that went through my head was “Yeah! This is really living 150%!”  Here I am, awake for about 25 hours, no breakfast, and putting this stress on my body.  Yet, I felt good.  I really was “Hell Yeah, this is living!”

Well, I made it to the airport at exactly 9:00 am.  Boarding had begun, and I could not find my boarding pass and was still outside the security line.  “Give me fifteen minutes through security and I am fine.”  Well, lucky for me I printed two copies and had the second copy safely in my bag.  I got in and made just in time.

Yet, I arrived in Denver and had yet another mishap.  The flight which was intended to leave at 1:44 pm was now delayed until 4:14 pm.  “No problem,” I thought, “I’ll just work on some emails I have to take care of and work on the show.”  I found a table near an outlet and set shop there.  I took out both my personal and work laptop and worked away.  A blessing in disguise.  Sort of.

I was so into what I was doing, listening to the show, that I didn’t pay attention to the fact that my flight had actually been pushed up to 3:30 pm.  At 3:30 pm I was gathering all my belongings and proceeded to find the terminal.  I went up to see the schedules and didn’t find my flight.  I went to the terminal I thought was the one, and the attendant told me “I called your name several times.  Sorry I am going to have to put you on the next flight.”

And so, here I am now on the 7:50 pm flight to Seattle.  A whole day gone wrong.  But again, I don’t mind.  I found myself productive despite the circumstances.  So much so, that I am happy.  Very, very happy!

Hell yeah!  Let’s do another show! Let’s go save the world! Anything is possible if you want it.

What about you?  What do you want?  Really?  Do you really want it?  It is only yours if you believe it is yours.  You believe it?  You better believe it.  Otherwise it is not yours.

Leave me some comments so I can talk about it in Episode 36.  For now, have a great, great day, week, month, quarter, year, heck just make it the best you can.

Me in Times Square, NY

Originally uploaded by jmorale9

Just in case you have not noticed, I did not do a show from New York this past trip.

It’s amazing that you would think that there would be time after work to work on the show, however, believe me that that the hours long and you are practically left with just enough time to eat, sleep, and get ready for the next day.

That was the case this trip. All work, some fun, but no show. I say some fun, because the co-worker I was with and I went to Manhattan the first night. That trip cost us the entire night as we got didn’t get back to the hotel until midnight. Of course, that was to late to do the show.

Yet, I still managed to work on picking out some songs. I already had an oxymoron of the week and also a pick of the week. So really, I had everything I needed to do the show. Except for one thing: a USB hub. I couldn’t connect all the equipment since the computer only has two USB ports. I need at least three.

Each night, we would not leave work earlier than 9:00 pm. That really just gave us enough time to get some dinner. It didn’t give us enough time to go to an office supply store that was nearby. And so, the days went one-by-one until it was time to come home.

But, with everything ready to go, I should be able to do a show this weekend. So expect Episode 34 soon!

117/365 A is for “Agnostic”

Originally uploaded by spring_peeper

As I was going through some old email, I came across this message I sent to an old friend. It amazed me at what I have to say. I wrote it almost a year ago, and had forgotten about it. But I truly feel what I said, and I feel it is well written. I thought I’d share it with everyone.

July 26, 2007

I want to start by saying that I respect your beliefs. However, I truly feel that when I went seeking for God and God’s way, I found out I was deceived.

I will tell you what opened the door for me. Ironically, it was in the Bible: Matthew 13:12-14. Just as you may not be able to distinguish red from green (due to your color blindness), we as human cannot possibly understand God. Just because red and green may seem the same color to you doesn’t mean both colors don’t exist. Taking it a step further, how can you be sure that our senses are capable of perceiving the truth? We can’t. The truth cannot be perceived by us, and that’s what Jesus was referring to in the passage above.

At birth we are giving a reflective lens. We see the world through this reflective lens. You lens will differ from my lens. Genetics and experience define your lens. What you see is not what I see. My “reality” is different than your “reality.” “But how can that be?” you may ask, “Reality is reality and there can only be one reality by definition.” The fact of the matter is that reality can only be perceived. We will never know what reality is. As such, we are left to fill in the blanks.

The Bible is a great resource to fill in the blanks. John 14:1 tells us we must believe in the Lord. Despite any and all contradictions or loop-holes that may be found in the Bible, we must believe in the Lord. Why? It is the only way we consume the “blue pill”. Only by consuming the “blue pill” can society be controlled. That is how we are “kept in check.”

I don’t propose anarchy. I feel I understand the purpose of the Bible and the belief in the Lord. History has shown us that religion and government came hand-in-hand. Why? Because the government needed to impose something on the people so they may listen. I myself have been able to take advantage of this powerful weapon. While experiencing trouble with my own children, I have found that nothing is as effective as imposing God onto them. Imposing God onto them makes me a very powerful father since I can get my children to do what is right for them. It helps me keep them in line. The powers-at-be understood that many, many years ago. And so with government came religion.

Yet, why is it that there are different versions of God throughout the world? Governments around the world were not capable of being “in-sync” with each other. As such, different beliefs and different religions emerged.

But, you don’t have to listen to what I have written. Perhaps I am the “dreamer of dreams” mentioned in Deuteronomy 13:1-5. If that’s the case then erase this email and never think about it again! Take the blue pill and drink up on your glass of water. Return to the Living Church of God. They will help shape your lens that you use to view the world.

Differences aside, my message from my heart to you is: Live Happy.

I hope the move to Charlotte shapes your lens so that you do not see evil, but joy. Life is beautiful.

I will keep you in my daily thoughts. I do believe in the power of attraction. So with my thoughts, I hope to attract a great new life ahead of you.

Your agnostic liberal friend,
Justo.

Leave me some comments. Tell me what you think.

Enter Microsoft and their whole slew of applications. One of the reason (and I am only speculating here) that Microsoft has been so successful has been because of core programs that are necessary to provide functionality to the computers. Their mothership, of course, being Windows and shortly followed by their Office Suite. Yet, as much as Microsoft is trying to conquer the ‘net with live.com and their whole .net experience, a community of GPL developers is emerging as producing more practical applications.

So I am sure you are aware of how ecstatic I am about finding WordPress. Several months ago, I had discovered Writely, an online word processor. Just today, I found out that Google now has an online spreadsheet application. A friend of mine turned me on to PHP-Nuke, a GNU/GPL licensed system that can easily be loaded onto a webserver. All these applications are 100% web based. Meaning you can fully utilize the application without having to use any applications that would require you to install, or download anything on your computer. All you need is a computer connected to the Internet. Heck, I just updated my blog site at the Skate Park (while my son was skating) using my company laptop tethered to my cell phone. And as is most company’s they are very sensitive when it comes to installing software.

The bottom line is that we don’t need companies like Microsoft to provide useful tools. Well, we probably still need them to run the OS at least. Then again, currently I am using my Linux computer to write this blog. As a matter of fact, I am using Writely to write this blog entry. The lines of OS/app are completely blurred. I could be on any computer that is connected to the Internet and have the same experience.

Now, everything I have talked about so far is just on app/business side of computing. Yet, on the entertainment side, well, there is lots of development there too. My biggest discovery in recent weeks is online video sites. The three that come to mind are Google Video, iFilm, and YouTube. Forget TV. You can be entertained for hours watching these videos. By the way, if you want to check out my five-year-old son skating, click here. And again, all free.

Don’t forget the PodCasts! There are tons and tons of PodCasts you can subscribe to and listen on your computer, or even better, transfer them to your portable music player.

Next, there is telephony. Thank you Skype, for providing free phone calls until the end of 2006. Well, if you count Skype-to-Skype calls, then thanks for the free phone service! I myself am using Vonage in my home. Still, while working at the computer, I have opted to use Skype to make all my calls.

I feel as if I can go on and on about all the services/applications that are available online. This is why I ask the question if the web has been upgraded to 2.0. The web is now at a new level when it comes to connecting computers to transfer data back and forth.

Then again, I say the same thing about the PodCasts.  So far, I still like to listen to my first two PodCasts.  I am entertained so much listening to myself.  Boy, am I a narcissist?

Well, whatever the case, I hope I am providing some kind of entertainment to you.  I keep telling myself that if I take too long to post anything, I will not have an audience.  As you can see I have been blogging for over a year.  Well, I should say I started blogging over a year ago.  Yet, I only have, what, fourteen posts?  And I starting podcasting three months ago and have only managed to do two PodCasts.

Well, now that I have everything the way I like it, perhaps I will blog or PodCast more often.  I know it has been months since I have not blogged and it’s been almost two months since I have last recorded a PodCast.  Still, one of the main reasons I have not done neither is because I did not have a website to my liking to continue posting.  Now that I have everything just the way I want it, and I have absolute control over my website, let’s see what excuse I put next.

Still, thanks for hanging in there.  That is, if you are still there.

I was taught that we must learn history in order to learn from the mistakes that have been made in the past. And so the same mistakes are not repeated.

Really?

So, knowing that there was a World War I would’ve prevented World War II?

I wonder how much do we really benefit from knowing the history of the world. Quite the contrary, I feel as if knowing the history of the world hurts us more. Didn’t the Nazi’s have a grudge on the Jews because of what happened two millennia ago? Would they have had the same grudge had they not known of the Jews?

Still, forgetting about the past is impossible. As humans, we are intrigued about knowing what has happened. We will never forget.

And so, the grudge lives on. Transferred from generation to generation.

This entry was originally posted on MSN Spaces.

That’s right, I believe this may be the end of media. With MP3 players as popular as they are, it won’t be long before CD’s will be a thing of the past.

CD’s just don’t seem to make much sense anymore.

Perhaps to an audiophile, however, the story may be different. The audiophile may get all wrapped up with lossless compressions, or that 192kbps makes all the difference than a 128kbps mp3. However, to most folks, the music sounds no different than a CD. Then again, a true audiophile may still argue that there is nothing like the sound of a vinyl record. So while an audiophile may have a hard time embracing new technology, most of us will just move on.

Yet, perhaps another factor in holding back the pace of CD extinction could be the record companies themselves. At the turn of the century they were not prepared at all for the electronic revolution. They had to change their business plan practically from the ground up. I am glad to see that we are in the right path to the next thing, even if it is “nothing.”

No media is next thing.

Soon, DVD’s will follow suite. Currently, there is already two avenues (that I know of) to avoid DVD’s. Cable’s great new service: On Demand and the Internet. Now when I talk about the Internet, I am not referring to the dark side of the internet, but rather legit sites such as Movielink and CinemaNow. I myself am a subscriber of Starz Ticket on Real Networks. So I have little reason to watch a DVD. TV? You ask? I have my computer(s) connected to the TV and can watch all the movies on the TV at a quality that looks just like a DVD. Now I hear of a new upcoming service named Vongo. I may have to switch to since they are working on being the exclusive provider of Starz movies.

Still not convinced? You are right, most people may not embrace the media PC as I have. So for those who would like to have an inexpensive box hooked up to the TV and the Internet, it’s coming. For now, only Adults can take advantage of the technology. For $100 (I believe) you can buy a box to connect it directly to the TV and a high-speed internet connection. Then, you have many “channels” plus you can directly order movies on demand. It will not be long before this technology is embraced by more “mainstream” media.

Yes, it may not be until 2010 that CD’s/DVD’s may be extinct. But, I firmly believe it will happen sooner than you think.

This entry was originally posted on MSN Spaces.

Two years later when I decided to make a 180 degree turn in my career, I subscribed to PC Magazine. For the next eight years I was a faithful subscriber. In those years, I sure was able to learn what about the latest, greatest, and upcoming stuff as it related to computers, and personal electronic devices.

And so why did I break my loyalty? One simple answer: The Internet.

I found that I could keep up much faster with the latest and greatest through the internet. Most of the articles published in the magazine are available to read on the internet free of charge. Why subscribe?

Still, while I have found that I can get my latest on technology of the internet, I subscribed to Time magazine. Next, I subscribed to Entertainment Weekly. The reason is quite simple as well: portability.

Yes, I can read most of the news from my Internet-Connected Blackberry. Or I can take my laptop into the bathroom to read wired-dot-com. Yet, nothing beats having a mag in your hand. Transfering information and knowledge from a very low-tech device: print and paper. No batteries required; no downloading; no recharging; no bad connection; no “please wait while your page loads”; no hassle. Plain and simple text on paper. I still love it.

I can take it with me anywhere, and read it anywhere. Plus, I feel much safer taking out a magazine in public (such as when I take the Metro train) than taking out my laptop. Sure, most of the stories may not be late-breaking. But, who cares? I can get late-breaking next time I am on the ‘net.

So, will magazines ever go extinct? Perhaps they may. But probably not in my lifetime.

This entry was originally posted on MSN Spaces.

For all you who know me, I have decided to shave my mustache and my sideburns. 2005 was the year I sported them, and I am done. No more. Gone.

On other notes, I missed the Rose Parade for the first time in six years. My family and I had been going to the Rose Parade since 2000 and had not missed one yet. However, due to the wind and rain, we decided it would be best not to go. My kids have been getting sicks these last months of 2005 and we didn’t want to risk it anymore.

Oddly enough, I didn’t even feel like watching the Rose Parade. I guess I thought if I didn’t see it, I would not miss it. Still, I caught the last float, band, and equestrian team. I felt really sorry for the bands. They had to march in the pouring rain. Also, it didn’t look as full. I bet you would’ve been able to find a good spot along the parade route.

Last, I’ve got a project I am working on. I am going to start a podcast with my friend Eloy. I am really excited about it. I hope I get a bigger audience than my blog. I have yet to find out if anyone is even reading my blog. But, I think I should be able to get a good audience for the podcast. So, if you are interested look for it soon. More details to come.

This entry was originally posted on MSN Spaces.

I hope that from now on I do find time to write something. Even if they are thoughts that I have not completely worked out. I will make the effort to write.

The good thing is that I am able to write much faster now. This allows me to get my thoughts from my head on to the blog with less interruption. However, the problem will be that it may not give me enough time to completely work out what I am trying to say. Still, it should flow like a conversation.

For the time being, I have published a story I sent to my friend Eloy. I thought it would be worth it to publish it. It is the first story about something that has happened to me that I publish. I hope you enjoy (or that you enjoyed it, if you read it already.)

Until next time . . .

Justo.

This entry was originally posted on MSN Spaces.

After I was done using it, it was time to load it in my van and take it back. I always parked the van inside the garage in reverse. As I tried to load the machine, I noticed I didn’t have enough space to load the machine. There was enough space to open the back door, still I couldn’t quite fit it in.

I decided to pull the van out to make it easier and give me more room. I started to pull the van out, but didn’t even think on closing the rear door. Well, as you may know, van doors usually open up. As I pulled the van out, it made sense that I just pull it all the way out and leave it in the driveway. As I was almost out of the garage, I heard a loud crash sound. “Oh, shit! I hit the machine!” was my first thought. But, I quickly remembered that the machine was not near the van. I checked my mirrors and didn’t see anything. I looked at my rear view mirror, and didn’t see anything either. The only thing I saw was my back door opened, which looked a bit weird since I wasn’t used to driving with the door opened.

Baffled, I turned my head towards the back to see if I could tell what it was. “Fuck!” There was glass all over the place. The back door window hit the top of the garage and broke the glass. “Damn it! I wonder how much that is going to cost me!” Well, I would’ve been better off buying a new lawn mower, than buying a new window.

However, the story doesn’t end there. The next day, I took the van to get a new glass. I found a place that installed it for under $300. After waiting a couple of hours at the windows place, the van was finally ready. “Cool! As if nothing had happened.” I went inside the office and paid for the glass and installation and was happy on my way with all the paperwork they give you. As I pulled out of the driveway from the place, I don’t even think my front wheels ever got to the street when I heard a loud crash! “What the . . .” Sure enough, the glass had broke again. “What!?” I parked the van and went inside the office again. “Excuse me, but the glass you installed just broke.” I told the lady who had handled my payment.

“What?” She asked puzzled. “Hold, on” she said as she got the manager.

“I’ll send the mechanic out to take a look at it.” The manager said.

The mechanic came out scratching his head, “What happened?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t even make it to the street when the glass just broke.” I said.

“By itself? That can’t be.” he said in disbelief.

“Maybe you installed it wrong, or the glass was defective.” I told him trying to explain what happened.

“I don’t think so. The glass just goes on without any pressure. It couldn’t have been installed wrong. And, in all my years of installing windshields and windows, I never had this happened.” The mechanic explained that it wasn’t his fault at all.

Whatever the case, he took it in for any thirty minutes to install a new window. They didn’t charge me anything else for the second installation. I went on my way with a third glass in my van.

For months, I was terrified that any vibration, or soft to medium impact was going to shatter the glass again. Thank goodness that to this day, it has not broke again. Still, all for just borrowing a lawn mower.

This entry was originally posted on MSN Spaces.

As I was driving home from work the other day, I could not help but to look at the California State Lottery billboard. I saw for the first “Mega Millions,” the new game from the state lottery. As if “Super Lotto Plus” was not enough, now we have a new game. The jackpot, however, was much larger. I believe it was higher than $100 million. Super Lotto Plus, on the other hand was around $50 million.

Of course, you began to wonder: “What would I do if I won the lottery?” Who cares? Chance are you are not going to win, anyway.

I once heard that the lottery was nothing more than a tax on people who don’t understand statistics. If you don’t understand statics, go ahead, pay the tax. With this in mind, why am I going to pay tax? Forget that, I’d rather not waste my time and money dreaming about hitting it big.

Yet, do I even understand the statistic? Well, to help me understand I put it in perspective. After all, how can you easily comprehend that 1 in 175,711,536 is a jackpot winner? Well, I begin to compare it against other statistics. The easiest for me is to compare it to death.

Why death? Because death is such a shock to life that everyone hears about it. You will most definitely know when an acquaintance, however close or distant, passes.

Let’s take an easy example. Take the tragedy of 9/11. Close to 3,000 people died. Well, if you are an American, you had an approximate 1 in 100,000 chance to be one of those 3,000 people. This, to me, translates into that you may have an acquaintance that passed in the 9/11 tragedy. If you don’t, then you may know someone that knew someone. It is quite easy to bump into somebody that knew someone that died in the 9/11 tragedy. 1 in 100,000 is a very slim chance, but possible.

Yet, it is much lower than the lottery. It is very hard to find anybody that has won the lottery. You can’t even find somebody that knows somebody that won the lottery. Shoot, not even to a third, fourth, or even a fifth degree of knowing someone.

That is what use to bring statistics to a reality. The reality that it is nearly impossible to win the lottery.

Of course, someone does win the lottery. Not at every drawing, but every once-in-a-while someone hits the jackpot. Yet, you are more likely to die before you are to hit the jackpot. Well, I know, it’s an unfair comparison. 1 in 1 will eventually die. I am no statician, but I believe that 1 in 43,295 people die every day in the United States. That to me means that you have a better chance of dying every day, then you have of winning the lottery. Yet, if you don’t play, then you definitely have a zero chance of winning. But by merely living, you have a chance in dying.

Tough reality.

This entry was originally posted on MSN Spaces.

I’ve been saying this for quite a while now. Far too many times I have been asked to accomplish a task in the most round-a-bout that just makes no sense.

For instance, if you need a box moved from point A to point B, the solution would be to get a hand-truck and move it. However, that would just make too much sense. Instead, there is a box in point C that should be emptied and moved to point B. The contents of the original box should then be removed and taken by hand one by one from point A to point B.

That’s the kind of nonsense I deal with from time to time.

However, I have tried to figure out what the deal is. Why am I obligated to complete tasks in a uncommon way? Perhaps it’s part of a master plan that I am not aware of.

For instance, let’s continue to use the example above. It could be that the handtruck is not owned by the company. To use the handtruck, it is going to cost us $50/hr. The box in point A is a worn out box made out of carton. The box in point C is a plastic box that has unwanted items. Point A and point C are close by. The contents in the carton box contain items that can easily be carried in six trips. Besides, you have an employee that you are paying $9.00/hr that you will delegate this job to.

So the bottom line is that upper management finds it wise to accomplish this task the nonsensical way.

Then again. . . upper management could have it all wrong. And so the battle against common sense continues . . .

This entry was originally posted on MSN Spaces.

I realized what fear was. It’s nothing more than not knowing. As I recall, just about all fear comes from not knowing what is going to happen, or what something is.

The most common fear I can think of is fear of the dark. Let’s analyze fear of the dark. In darkness you can barely see what is around you. Fear kicks in because you cannot make up what is near you. And you don’t know. Not knowing then translate into fear.

So how can you overcome it?

Imagine. You are naturally going to do it anyway. However, instead of imagining wild ideas, think realistically. If it’s a room you are familiar with, use your memory to remember what is in the room. Realize that nothing that you’ve never seen will exist. Also, realize that everything exists just as it exists when there is light.

The same principal applies to many other things. Realize reality. In the case of the two-headed girl, what can she do? Realize what it is: a human being with a birth defect. A child human being. Why would you be scared of a child?

You don’t know?

This entry was originally posted on MSN Spaces.

I do. It seems that everytime I take a shower, I am always thinking about something. An idea, a project, or even philosophical thoughts. One of my first memories in the shower is about the age-old question: why are we here? I still remember that while taking a shower as a young kid, I look at my hands and arms and wondered: “Do I even exists? How do I know I am I and why am I not someone else?” Of course, I never reached a conclusion on that one.

Since then, I always think in the shower. But it’s not about philosophical thoughts as the first one. I sometimes think about ideas. These ideas can sometimes be solutions to a problem I have either at work or in the home. And, most of the time I am able to come up with solutions to very complex problems. Other times, I just wonder about the why of things.

Just the other day, I had ideas on about four topics to write about in this blog. I even thought about perhaps writing more than one blog a day. Then I thought I could write but not publish them. I would save them for days I had nothing to write about.

Yet, like most ideas I get, I didn’t act on it. And now, I can’t remember what I had thought about. No, I am not going to think about how to record my thoughts while in the shower. I can however, jot things down once done.

Well, I wonder what it is. What makes me think in the shower? Hmmm. Perhaps next time I take a shower, I’ll realize what it is.

This entry was originally posted on MSN Spaces.

Dial-up? Big deal, it’s too slow. Nowadays you there is a multitude of way to connect. It seems that everywhere you turn there is high speed internet available. At work, at school, at home, shoot even in public places. As a matter of fact, I’ve heard they’ve got wireless internet throughout the city of Long Beach. With so much connectivity to high speed internet, why go dial-up?

Well, for one simple reason: it’s not everywhere. It still is much easier to find a “land line” than it is to find a LAN line. Well, depending where you are.

Well I was where there was no network line available. But, there was an analog phone. Sure, there was a RJ-45 plug that I am sure plugged into a patch panel. However, chances were that it was not configured to the network I needed access to.

Actually, I just needed to pcAnywhere into a computer. Luckily this computer had a modem. That’s when it hit me. Rather than having to walk back and forth between where I needed access to the computer and where I needed to configure remote devices, I could dial-in. I did. That’s when I got the rush of “Man, this is great! I could be next to the remote devices AND access the configuration computer at the same time. Yeah!”

This entry was originally posted on MSN Spaces.

I was realizing that how much it really matters. After all, when you’re dead, you won’t know anything. Still, I don’t think I would like to be cremated.

I first thought I would like to be buried because of tradition. In our family, no one get cremated. As a matter of fact, there doesn’t seem to be any question about it. You get buried, and that’s that. So what if I wanted to get cremated? Would my family comply to my last wishes? Somehow I don’t think they would.

I want to be buried because it’s the right thing to do for my family. I think being buried will give them a sense that I am still around. I am just six feet under at the cemetary. And they could go “visit” me at the cemetary. Even though I realize that I am not actually there, they will feel as if I am.

Being cremated would, however, force them to realize reality: I am gone. Sure I could make an outragous to be lit up on a firework over the beach. But once the event happens, that’s it! I am gone. How long before they would comply? I am sure they would hold on to my urn for quite a while.

So, why ask for something that my family will feel incomfortable to comply with? After all, death has to be dealt with those left behind, not those leaving.

What would you prefer?

This entry was originally posted on MSN Spaces.

I’ve seen some people blog about their life. Let me tell you, it is very interesting. In one case, I read my neighbor’s blog. He used to blog just about everyday. He would blog about what was going with him that day. Reading my neighbor’s blog was just as good as watching a reality show.

Yet, I don’t want to blog about my daily happenings. Not only do I not want to make my family’s life public, but I would not like to expose any information about my employer. I’ve heard cases where people get fired for blogging about their work.

I just want to blog about philosophical thoughts.

I cannot find anyone to discuss my philosophical thoughts. So, I will blog. You’ll see what I am talking about in my next blog.

Until then, have a good one.

This entry was originally posted on MSN Spaces.

I have been wanting to start my blog for quite a while. I actually started once before. However, I was all paranoid about not owning my blog, that I actually decided to create one from scratch.

Though, I must have done the most complicated blog ever. I got the silly idea that handwritten work had a “human” touch to it. So what I did, was wrote my ideas on a small notebook. When finished, I tore the pages out and scanned. I then posted JPEG’s of the scanned hand-written blog. It must have taken me longer to post my blog then actually write it.

Well, here I am again. This time I am using MSN engine to create my blog.

Here’s to my blog . . . (d)

This entry was originally posted on MSN Spaces.