New Field Notes Book

I carry around a little notebook everywhere I go... including just going downstairs (I use Fields Note Brand, if you're curious). I use them to capture everything from ideas for books and articles to lists of things to do. OK, they're mostly full of ideas for books and articles.

Anyway, these little notebooks last me about a month before they're filled up and I need to get a new one. There's always a sense of loss when I have to retire a full notebook, although it's tempered by the excitement and sense of new possibilities in a new, blank notebook.

So, it's new Field Notes time... a day of mixed feelings to be sure.

Economic Stimulus Package

Thought I'd make a few comments about the Economic Stimulus Package ('cause I'm sure everyone wants to know what I think...). Frankly, I'm not entirely sure what to think, for the simple reason that it's difficult to find a clear, fair and balanced description of the thing, much less a cogent assessment of the thing's merits. With all due respect to Senator McCain, I don't care if the bill is bi-partisan or not. I'm more concerned with whether or not it will help.

So, when President Obama describes the part about investing money to make government buildings more energy efficient and weatherize homes, I say Yay! That sounds like it would create jobs now, save money in the long run and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Yay! And when he says there are no earmarks in the bill, again I say Yay!

But making government buildings more fuel efficient is not the whole package (oh no!). What else is in there? Plenty. Is it too much or too little? I don't claim to know.

And when the President talks about economists agreeing with each other, um, I get pretty skeptical. In fact, I was sceptical even before the Cato institute ran this ad, which was signed by like a million economists.

My conclusion? Nobody knows if the bill will work or not. Anyone who is certain about the bill's impact or outcome (positive or negative) is on shaky ground.

We may philosophically like this bill or we may distrust it. We may see it as a confirmation or a repudiation of our beliefs. We may criticize it for being too partisan or not partisan enough. But I'm pretty sure we don't really even know what's in it, let alone whether it'll help or not.

My bottom line - I like some parts, and distrust some other parts. But the people who seem most opposed to it are generally the people whose ideas led to the situation we're in now. So I'm interested to see how President Obama's approach works out...

Barriers To Innovation

A friend of mine just hooked me up with a video about bureaucracy at NASA - all I can say is "Yup."

The movie gave me chills, because it reminded me so much of my own experience as a young engineer with the Air Force. I've been that guy who keeps getting asked "Why are you doing that? Don't you know it's not your job? Why don't you just keep your head down and color in the lines?" 

And when the young engineer's boss gets asked "Are you supporting her?" (with the clear implication that the answer had better be a solid No)... well, it reminded me of meetings that were held to discuss yours truly.

Interestingly, the NASA process diagram (at the 4:00 mark) is basically identical to the one the military uses. I bet we could switch diagrams and nobody would notice.

So, watch the movie - it's worth the time. Laugh because it's funny, and cry because it's true.

My first thought was to check out the OpenNASA.com blog and see if that crew was involved - sure enough, there it was!

Just for fun, here's the DoD's equivalent process diagram (any questions?):

Thesis 1.0

Well, I submitted the first complete draft of my thesis to my advisor. Now I get to wait and see what kind of changes he's going to suggest (and I'll continue tinkering with it, of course).

It's hard to believe how soon my little sabbatical in academia is coming to an end! Graduation is less than 7 weeks away (and thesis defense is only 3 weeks from now!)

Ready to lead...

I'm still still digesting the inaugural address. As I continue to think about it and review it, one phrase really jumps out:

"Know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more."

"Ready to lead once more..." That short phrase says so much. It talks to our recent history of international relations, as well as our more distant past. It talks to the larger story of America's role in the world. And most significantly, it says a lot about what leadership really is.

What I think I hear the President saying is that leadership is a choice. America's position in the world is not a birthright. It is something we must prepare for, something we must decide to do. And by telling the world we are prepared to lead, I hear him inviting them to follow. It's not a demand or a declaration of what they must do. It's an announcement of our readiness to engage with the world in a different way than we've used in the past 8 years.

I like it.

Oh Crap!

There's never a good time for the sewer to back up and flood one's basement, but four days after installing new carpet has got to be at the top of the list of Really Bad Timing.

Here's what happened: After dinner on Tuesday, I walked down to the basement to change the kitty litter. Instead, I was met with sights and smells which I will not describe out of deference to your gentle sensitivites, dear reader. Also, I personally don't want to relive that moment (or any of the moments in the hours that followed). 

The next three hours were spent cleaning, going to the store to buy more cleaning supplies and to rent a Rug Doctor (tm), calling Roto Rooter, and doing more cleaning. After that, I washed my hands a dozen times or two.

The good new is it looks like our cleaning efforts were effective and the new carpet is going to survive. That's a relief. The other good news is that the Roto Rooter guy (named Adam) was able to come out within an hour of our call, and since they were just here in June, the work was covered under their 12 month guarantee. Also a relief!

But what I want to know is what kind of person designs a system such that, when it fails, you end up with a basement full of poo? Was that really necessary? I'm not a civil engineer or an architect, but I've got to think it's possible to design a waste removal system that does not involve that particular feature. 

Do You See What I See?

A recent study reported that caffeine can cause hallucinations. Usually that sort of experience requires either psychiatric problems or illegal substances. Kind of exciting to think it can be done with just a couple extra cups of java.

Opposites

Do you ever wonder what the opposite of a terrorist is?

I'd guess the opposite of a terrorist is a comfortist.

Maybe that's the key to winning the Global War on Terror (are we still using that term?). We could develop and deploy a Comfortist Brigade, running around the world bringing people comfy chairs, Mac & Cheese and soft, warm towels. 

Obama via Wii

Until this past Christmas, I'd never owned a game console (I don't count the used PS2 I bought on eBay for $30 last year, 'cause I only played with it maybe twice). I didn't have an Atari when I was a kid, I didn't get an Xbox when I was a bigger kid. It's just not something I ever got into.

So, when the Wii first came out, I remember being a little bit surprised by just how much I wanted one. It was an odd feeling. I'm not the type to lust after technology, but there was something about the Wii that really grabbed me. 

Long story short - we got one for Christmas last month. My lovely and amazing wife consistently trounces me in Mario Kart... and probably every other game we'll ever play (she's a way better gamer than I am).

But I mention all this to say that we also downloaded the Internet Channel for our Wii. The resolution for reading text is awful, but it works pretty well for videos (except for videos where we have to download Flash 8 or 9 - 'cause apparently the Wii can't do that). And the point of this whole thing is this: one of the first videos we watched was President Obama's first Weekly Address, via YouTube (you can also get it here).

I think it's fantastic that the President has made the jump from radio to YouTube. An educated electorate is such an important part of a healthy democracy, and anything that allows leaders to speak directly to citizens is a good thing in my book. The videos are worth watching, regardless of one's political persuasion.

And it cracks me up that I can watch the video in my living room, using my Wii. What a cool new world we live in.