Read an article this weekend in Men's Health that hit on something I've been trying to explain for a while now. It was by a longtime sports jounalist.

He was talking about how 40 years ago references to shakespeare and other literature or historical events pervaded every part of reporting. Even sports reporters would often make literary and historical references that most people wouldn't get today. These were sports writers, many without a college education. The point he makes is that the authors assumed this knowledge to be known by the readers.

I don't think they can do that anymore. Either we have become too specialized, or there is no such thing as "general knowledge" any longer. General knowledge is some farce that the media pushes on us.

I fear that pretty soon there won't be any history, no common reference points. When there aren't any movies about some event of the past, pretty soon it won't exist.

I think back on my reaction to the "Gladiator" movie starring Russell Crowe. At the time of release I fully supported the movie (as I did "Alexander" and "Troy"). Real history is often better than some of the best stories we can create. Unfortunately in all three cases (though Troy was the least of them) the truth or myth was chopped up, butchered for hollywood. I was a classics major in college and taught Latin for two and a half years. Therefore, any movie that puts classical themes out there, I am supportive of. I enjoyed the movie immensly. It was entertaining, fast moving, and a good story. I found it great to see a modern day depiction of Rome, etc. However, I left the theater with serious misgivings

Basically, what I'm getting at is a fear that our lives and society are turning into a Hollywood version of itself. Our history corrupted or completely glossed over in lieu of how many kids Brittany Spears has.

I'm not going to sit here and say society would be better if everyone went right now and read Othello, First Night, Julius Caesar, and about a dozen history books; but the point is how polluted our lives have become in the information age. It's even tough for me to hide from things I actively am trying to not know (such the happenings of Spears, Pitt, JLo, etc...)

It's all just fluffy useless crap taht doesn't enrich anyone's life or teach them anything about themselves, the world, or their place in it. doesn't bring hope, or even excitment anywhere.

I for one have tuned out. I don't own a TV, which is a shame for me because I like wathcing movies and some tv dramas really catch me.

Next Reader is #1000

Whoever you are, thanks for reading this slice of my mind, rants, views, opinions, and random stuff. Sorry it hasn't been better, but I'm still working on this blogging thing. If you feel like it drop a comment and say hello. (You can see if you are 1000 by reading the counter at the right)

If 1000 doesn't say hello, whoever comes next please do...

9 days to 30

Was talking with a friend of mine about what we are going to do for my birthday today. Underscored the reality that I am 9 days from 30. Pretty cool I think. I'm taking the age part well. What I'm not taking well is a series of doubts that have been going along with it. Doubts about career, doubts about location, doubts about friends, relationships, etc... What I can't figure out is if they are real doubts I'm generating or if they are pushed on me from outside. I.e., is this because I truly am older, or is it because I am being made to feel older and like I should have more answers?

An interesting question though I'm not sure how to approach answering it...

HypocrITe

While riding to work the other morning I read an article in the Wall Street Journal about bluetooth technology and the new craze for a tiny earpiece that transmits to your cell phone so you can wander around talking on the phone without carrying anything in your hands. Basically just a wireless earpiece and mic that is very small. That afternoon as I was walking about I saw someone using one. As I was cursing this person in my mind, I realized I'm a hypocrite, pure and simple. Those of you who know me are probably saying "no kidding" but you likely haven't thought of this. Here I am, Mr. IT Man, probably going to business school to get more into tech management, and I don't believe in technology. I guess that's not it. I believe in technology, I just don't think it's good for society.

Sure, making devices that save lives are beneficial and I may benefit from them some day, actually I already have. What is a shame is that technology and money have become so entwined. Many new technologies are brought out to increase the bottom line, and therefore just do that. Everyone jumps on the craze and millions are made. In fact, we've created a societal need to get this new technology without even considering how it will affect us.

When new gadgets come out, I have a friend who runs out to buy them before the ink is dry on the press release, but I am very slow to embrace them. When new technologies are announced, I often sigh in disappointment at what our society is doing with such devices. I still don't really think cell phones are that great. Am I just a dinosaur refusing to evolve?

My jumps as quickly as he can onto the bandwagon of new devices. I'm talking so fast the ink isn't dry on the press release. He was the first one I knew who would drop off in mid sentence and leave the room, dinner, baseball game, etc to answer a phone call from someone he could easily talk to later. It always baffled me and still does. Now such behavior is commonplace. But when did the emphasis shift away from what you are actually doing to some random possibility on the other end of the phone? Are we that bad company to each other that we need this as a way to escape what we are doing with ourselves? Are these possibilities on the other end more important that what you are doing at the moment? What happened to living for the moment? Your life is going on right in front of you, not on a phone somewhere... (btw, anyone else things cell phones should be for their convenience only, not other people's? by that I mean, I answer my cell phone about a quarter of the time it rings. people can wait, i'm not that exciting, and I'll call them when I am ready - if they aren't ready when I call back, then do the same...)

Sadly, this is where our society is headed. I think the truth is that most new communications inventions I see, hurt our society by silo-ing us and our interactions into our own little world instead of what is happening in the moment. We become more pulled into our own worlds every minute. Closing out the here and now to live a simulation of it while interacting somewhere else. Sure, I simplify and exagerate a bit... but not as much as I wish were the case.

I'm from the East Coast and stay connected with people there, but I'm not sure it's good that I do. This actually ties in nicely to my theory that the amount of travel in modern society actually keeps people from fully engaging in the places they live, but that's for another day.

And so we get back to my hipocracy. I support technology, and by support I mean am for it's development. I just don't believe in it. Does it make us happier as a society? If not, what is it there for? Does it just make a company do a particular task or set of tasks better, faster, cheaper? And if so, great, more business gets done, does that mean that people are happier society is benefited? I say not always, in fact I say mostly not. What if there were no email, would that really be such a bad thing?

The crux of my hypocracy is that I work with technology, support it, like to see it developed, but don't believe that it's making a positive contribution to society. Yes sir, I'm a hypocrit, though I won't always be a technology worker, and maybe I won't support technology some day soon.

Women and the "math factor"

Was reading an article in the Wall Street Journal about women and business school. According to some recent studies, women stay away from business school because they fear the math. As a former middle school girl's algebra teacher, I think it's terrible. Even at 13 girls would come into my class with the notion that alegebra was this crazy topic they weren't going to be able to learn. It was hard to break them of that, many don't overcome it. In my class it was especially difficult because algebra comes at a time when girls are struggling with confidence in general. It's a lot easier for them to say, "I can't do it", because the society around them says the same thing and parents, family, etc, assume they are going to have math difficulties.

I had never expanded my thinking on this till today, when I read that article and subsequently discussed it with a female friend considering business school but worried about the math aspects. What I never thought about was how this idea pervaded our society all the way through into adulthood. Could a fear of math or lack of confidence in math skills be the reason why there aren't more women in business? All the top business schools are 70/30 male/female ratios. A stunningly high disparity, some are as much as 80/20. I wonder how much of this is due to the "math factor" as I will call it.

Sure, there could be other factors that keep the women numbers lower, such as the unappealing idea of taking two years and large debts for school then starting a new career a year or two before having to leave the work force to have children. But, there's got to be more. Maybe I'm unfairly blaming this on math, but maybe not... Regardless, our society needs to update it's views on women and math and give girls a chance to develop strong math skills with confidence.

Karate Master

What have I been up to recently? Ask this shirtless karate master who challenged me to a fight in the woods of New Hampshire the other day.