Category: Personal

IT for Baby Names

As an information technology practitioner in the corporate  world, I’m sometimes surprised and delighted when I encounter a fun and useful tool in my life outside of work.  It’s more often you see clumsy user interfaces or poorly integrated tools brought into stunning relief by your background—which makes finding something done well all the more glorious.

The first is a nifty data visualization tool called NameVoyager, which requires a java plug-in but otherwise runs well in your web browser.  The second was a pleasant surprise from Uncle Sam, the Social Security Administration’s Popular Baby Names Search, for those who prefer a more tabular presentation.

Even if you don’t have a bun in the oven, it’s fun to uncover how unoriginal your own parents were however many decades ago.  Oh and for those wondering about Jelly Bean, no spoilers here.

Reading: Anathem

It’s not since Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game that I’ve been so vocal about recommending a work of contemporary science fiction. This time, it’s Neal Stephenson’s Anathem. Once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down–all 934 pages (if you include the ‘calca’ proofs in the back).

It is a thought provoking look into two different approaches to life: the monastic ‘avout’ who pursue scientific and philosophical knowledge in communities separated from the world for long periods of time (inspired in part by the Long Now Foundation’s 10,000 Year Clock), and the external world full of casinos, cell phones, and consumerism. The former is about as appealing as the latter is unfortunately familiar.

The novel is both intellectually satisfyingly (a pleasant surprise for fiction) and simply a ‘good yarn’. Drop me a line when you’ve finished it (and not before, I’d hate to accidentally spoil the plot).

You can watch the author speaking at Google both about the book and his writing practice.

Stephenson, Neal. Anathem.

Yosemite Creek, 2008

With the arrival of fall, I’m eagerly planning our next retreat to the Sierras where this year my fly rod will compete with both my camera and my season pass for attention.

The crisp air will energize the senses and the warm glow of the fireplace will fuel the nightly conversations with friends both new and old. It’s my favorite time of year.

This year has been a full one for my family and I, and my art has fared no better than my writing. My Yosemite Creek is first in a collection that pays homage to sharing your passion for the outdoors with people special to you. More will come as this project unfolds.

Thinker ! This ridiculous name – Yet it’s possible to find a man, neither philosopher nor poet, who can’t be defined by the object of his thought, nor by the quest for an external result, a book, a doctrine, a field of science, a truth… but who is a thinker in the way one is a dancer, making use of his mind as the latter uses his muscles and his nerves; someone who, perceiving his mental images and his expectations, his types of language and his possibilities, what he’s attentive to, his freedom of movement, his vagueness and precision, – perceives, predicts, specifies or abandons, gives himself free rein or denies it – circumscribing, outlining, possessing and losing himself… an artist not so much of knowledge as of his own self – which he prefers to all knowledge; for the latter is only ever the specific act which he himself can, in fact, always refine and make more true, more elegant, more astonishing, more universal or more singular – etc.

Paul Valéry

Reading: The Forgotten Man

It is rare that I recommend a book before finishing it, but the timeliness of The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression could not be denied. With all the speculation about our nation’s economic future, what better can we do then learn from the past?

The book, written by a respected economic commentator I’ve followed for some time, opens with the following quote:

“As soon as A observes something which seems to him to be wrong, from which X is suffering, A talks it over with B, and A and B then propose to get a law passed to remedy the evil and help X. Their law always proposes to determine what C shall do for X, or in the better case, what A, B, and C shall do for X… What I want to do is to look up C. I want to show you what manner of man he is. I call him the Forgotten Man. Perhaps the appellation is not strictly correct. He is the man who never is thought of… He works, he votes, generally he prays–but he always pays…”

William Graham Sumner
Yale University, 1883

After observing our government’s response to the recent financial crisis, and listening closely to the economic proposals of both presidential tickets, it is obvious that more education about the consequences of government intervention (in this case the Great Depression and the New Deal) is critical for the engaged voter.

Shlaes, Amity. The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression

Conflict & Consensus on my Bookshelf

Back in the heady days of the dot com boom, a close friend convinced me to interview with an exciting company down in San Diego. They were a mature company that had been bitten by the Internet bug, added .com to their marquee, and were rapidly expanding their web department. You can guess how it all eventually turned out.

While I was waiting to interview with the head of the web department, I was struck by a quotation he had framed on his wall. Something about “minds engaged in intellectual combat”. It really struck a cord with me, but alas, in the heat of the moment I neglected to jot it down.

They made me a compelling offer which after much consideration I declined in order to remain in the Los Angeles area to finish a degree program. It was a tough decision, but as I look back, it was the right one. The quote, however, gnawed at me. I called my friend who worked there and made the absurd request that he peek into that department head’s office and copy down the quote for me. He couldn’t possibly imagine I was serious and declined. Same thing when I asked him again.

So years passed and as I grew to lead teams of my own, one of the principles I espoused to my smart, opinionated and strong-willed staff members was the idea of constructive conflict. I felt strongly that without vigorous debate, the best ideas would not arise in our work. I described it many ways, but I knew that quote I read back in that office summed it up the best. I just couldn’t for the life of me remember enough detail to produce a good Google result.

Speaking of Google, a few weeks ago I decided to look for that department head and solve this mystery once and for all. Sure enough, I came across a page that not only mentioned him, but provided a recent email address. You gotta love the Internet. I sent a quick email explaining my predicament, and much to my delight, received a courteous (and probably curious) response from him including the quotation. Finally…

“The only consensus worth having is a creative one achieved in the combat of fully engaged intellects. Such a consensus is born of sleepless nights, fear of rejection, and trials of personal courage. Conflict, which usually presages growth, is the hallmark of such consensus.”

Jim McCarthy

Yep, that was it. Still as compelling today as it was when I read it almost a decade ago. So, I returned to my life happy in the notion that I had solved that mystery. But strangely, another question started to brew, who was this Jim McCarthy? Was it someone I could look up to, or would I be totally embarrassed to find out the quote belonged to a disgraced politician or someone’s obscure father. The name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

Eventually, an Amazon search turned up several programming books written by Jim McCarthy, one of which, I happened to own (Dynamics of Software Development). That was strange. So I used the neat ‘search inside this book’ feature and the result stopped me dead in my tracks. There was the quote, on page 44, in a book I had read that had been on my office bookshelf for years.

All this time, it had been right in front of me.

Walking on Sand

Walking is one of those activities with benefits on several levels. Whether it’s a meditative sunrise walk, an evening stroll with my wife after dinner, or an aggressive hike in the local hills, it’s something I strive to do every day.

Back when I worked at a facility just a block away from the beach, I used to walk in the deep sand during my lunch break. More than just a great way to get out of the office and enjoy some fresh air and sun, it was terrific exercise.

Well, following the recommendation of a friend over 50 years my senior with less back problems than I, I picked up a pair of MBT anti-shoes. My first impression was that I was back walking in the deep sand. It’s active walking with more muscle usage and better posture. It will be an interesting experiment as I work my way up to wearing them for long walks.

It’s not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or when the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worth cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.

Theodore Roosevelt