This startling piece of art is very close to where I work. I didn’t discover it until today
Author Archives: Murphy
concrete tall and wide
Once, when visiting Manhattan, I stood on the roof of the Empire State building. It was dusk, and I could see in all directions. Wherever there wasn’t water, there were buildings. Incredible! With the tiny little fully encased exception of Central Park, everything was paved and built-over as far as the eye could see. And the eye could see for miles. I would not have believed it if I hadn’t seen it myself.
Driving from Pasadena to Irvine (Orange County) yesterday, I had to drive slowly. It was raining, so the traffic was backed up and I had to drive very very slow. I passed through neighborhood after neighborhood after commercial strip mall. Overpasses and exits and miles and miles of freeway. It occurred to me that the Los Angeles area is very populated and built up. It made me think of the view from the Empire State building. I wondered if L.A. had a tall building that could give a similar view. I thought of the Library tower, famous for being the first to get blown up by the Aliens in Independence Day.
Then I realized that the view of the L.A. basin is best seen from the mountains. I’d taken the Angeles Crest highway. and seen the whole thing.
But seeing the man made from a tall mountain is a totally different experience. The Empire State building is a man-made structure. Seeing all the man-made things from a man-made things takes your breath away. You realize how very much man can subdue nature.
But seeing man-made things from a mountain makes man-made things look small. The mountain will outlast us. Nature has patience with us, because we are not so very important in the big scheme of things.
rearranging priorities
Back–oh lord, more than 10 years ago–I noticed myself writing very very long emails to particular friends. I could get going on a topic and just not stop.
Eventually, I realized that this was not the right way to capture and convey this information. I started a blog. THIS was the right way to say something I needed to say. The internet, which gave me email, found a better way.
Now there is twitter and facebook. I’ve connected these social chatty machines, but now my blog is suffering. The internet got *in* the way.
Then again, what is this path I want to be on anyway? What am I trying to accomplish? It could be that facebook and twitter had arrived at the same time that I ran out of things to say. After all, my daughter uses up a lot of mental energy and that may mean my well of things to say ran dry.
Then again, maybe because I cannot complete a full thought easily in my regular life I really need this blog to help me get my thoughts straight.
Since I no longer have a huge reservoir of resources to drink from, I think I need to prioritize what I write. Facebook isn’t the place to have huge thoughts. It’s more or less a fancy chatroom or bulletin board. I don’t want to waste my energy on what amounts to SNACKING, little bites of not quite satisfying self-expression.
Not sure what this will end up as, but it’s time to take stock.
Unique
This is one way of getting around, if crawling isn’t your thing
the worth of truth
Reading Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done and drooling over the world they describe. Larry and Ram are going on about developing bench strength and coaching their people talent.
I did an informal poll and asked my friends if they’d ever been in a company that valued the people such that coaching and promotions were part of life. We know of this, like we know of unicorns. But do they exist? Doubtful.
But that made me think. What if we could develop partnerships with teams who could assess us effectively–a kind of support group. Perhaps a group of people doing volunteer work with the idea in mind that honest and constructive feedback about strengths but MOSTLY weaknesses would happen at the end.
Honesty is so rare and valuable.
She’s on the move
She’s getting her feet under her:
She’s finding her voice:
And she’s even learning to ride~!
And she’s finding her voice
The things everyone should be told about conferencing technology
I’m preparing a presentation about conferencing. I’ve been doing it for a dozen years now, I ought to know something about it.
“They” say that managers spend 50% of their time in meetings. And every day I see meetings that are handled so badly. I would think, if I did something repeatedly and I knew I would keep doing it, I would want to get better at it.
Interestingly, there is not a lot of information about the subject. Me and my colleagues are constantly seeing ways our users could improve their experience. But nobody asks. I don’t see any books about it.
So…once i get my thoughts organized for this presentation, I may expand the topic and make a reference book. Perhaps there are some people out there WISHING they could get better at this thing, but no one is there to teach them.
When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.
Ta dah!
7:25 and all’s well
Tonight I plan to finish my book Liberal Fascism. It’s a very good book, and I highly recommend it.
But it is sooooo depressing.
It feels like there is a lot to be depressed about. The economy sucks, and while we are trying to cheer up over THAT fact, the sad state of our health insurance is on replay in the media.
Chris reads me the news and there is just bad news after depressing news.
I’m not in the mood for it. I don’t want to be uncertain right now. I want to feel as if I had a handle on things and a good idea about what is coming next. I don’t feel that way right now.
Of course, the reality is that even when I do feel that way it is an illusion. Who of us ever really has a handle on things?
Which is another depressing thought.
Well, here is what I know. I and mine are well. My new baby daughter is asleep and healthy in bed, and all is well.
I should count my blessings.
Pulling up my socks
John Wooden was a great basketball coach at UCLA, and he is well known for his successful tenure. The teams he coached won a record number of championships.
I heard him on TV, when he was talking about being in condition to win. Even little things matter; in particular he focussed on shoes and socks.
The very real fact is, when you practice your game the way you need to to WIN your game you will sustain blisters. Blisters are such small insignificant little annoyances, right? Just the cost of doing your business.
But the little things matter. And if you are hampered by something as small as a blister, you might not make it to your championship goal. John Wooden paid attention to all aspects of the game, and he found a way to prevent blisters. Basically, pull up your socks. Don’t let them bunch up so that you can’t be at your best.
Be careful in the little things. As I look ahead to a lot of chaos and changes in my department’s infrastructure, I am shaking in my boots a little. How are we going to manage these many many changes that haven’t happened yet?
I know how we are going to manage. I am going to pay attention to all the little things. I am going to do my best to make sure that our stuff–our game plays–are in the best condition I can make them. That way when all the changes come, our documentation and equipment will be ready.
Happy Halloween
That’s my halloween decoration. The only one I have.
The real focus of the holiday is this little flower child:
Of course, the dog loves her too.
The flower is too small to eat candy, and also too small to be awake during the trick or treating hours.
The dog, however, is extra vigilant because the flower is small and helpless. When the doorbell rings, she will bark as loud as and long as she can. Therefore, the dog is in exile at the grandmother’s house. Flowers need their beauty sleep.