random(thoughts)

So, sitting at my computer waiting for dinner to be ready, I started using the “del.icio.us randomizer” and stumbled across a really cool flash animation that tells the history of the Middle East in 90 seconds.

Follow the link…

I can’t say anything else…

Read this article @ Daily Kos

I don’t get it. Since when has guerrilla marketing been a terrorist act? I don’t know what caused the happy people of Boston to go totally off the deep end, but it baffles me. Katie sent me this link on Wednesday. Who knew that a few little lighted sheets of metal with a battery could cause mass chaos. Ted Turner certainly didn’t think so, well it was probably the PR people that had no clue. Bruce Schneier has an excellent overview on his blog.

What has really happened is that the Cult of Terror has won. People are now so scared that random, should-be-funny events are taken totally out of context. This is not the America that I grew up in. I mean, I grew up in a not-the-best sort of neighborhood with sirens wailing at any and all hours of the day, and I never thought that it was possible for our society to become comfortable with this level of fear.

I spent a summer in Israel when I was 16. I suppose that this was during a lull in the first Intifada. The Israelis had already become used the climate of terror that had infested Israel. The bomb squad came in and “disposed” of a suspicious package more than once in the time that I was there. Soldiers walked around the streets and took trips on buses with rifles in their hands. In reality, I never felt safer in my life - because this was not an abnormal experience in Israel.

But that was Israel, not the United States of America. It will take many years of living in this climate of fear and terror for us to become used to it. But the question to me is, when that happens how many of our liberties and rights have to be surrendered? Another question would be will the new America resemble the one I grew up in?

Oh yeah, almost forgot about this little blurb over at Techdirt…

Are you drunk if you still remember your 12 character password to login into your personal computer, which you only log into a couple days a week and has a different password than your work computer???

My team at work keeps an insane pace. Every member has a good sized work load and there does not seem like there will be any slow down in the pace in the near future. Thus, I feel it is a good time to remind myself of a few key things.

• I love my job - The pace keeps things exciting and challenging. I love a good challenge.
• I really enjoy the people I work with - My team is filled with talented individuals. Everyone has something unique to bring to the table and we can all learn something from one another.
• We are all working towards the same goals - While it may not seem like it all the time, we are all driving towards creating sustainable (not just maintainable) systems that provide what the business needs and grow with the business.
• We all need to unplug now and then - When you work long hours and demanding project time lines, it is important to turn off the blackberry and really relax for a few hours. Just make sure your not on-call when you unplug!
• Spend good time with your family - It can be all to easy to neglect or lash out at the people that support you the most when you are stressed. Make time for the most important people in your life and don’t make them suffer any stress that you feel.
• Leave work at work - We all have to work from home sometimes, but leave the stress and hurriedness of work in the office. If you must work from home, do it in a separate place from where you live. Make sure that you have a dedicated space so people know you are working and not to disturb you.
• Sleep in on the weekends - Unless you have to go into the office that is…
• Do something good for the soul - Go for a hike, a walk on the beach, to the gym, visit a museum, see a concert or a play… get the picture?
• Take a vacation - Make sure you leave the blackberry and cell phones at home, try not to take a computer too.

This is really a reminder to myself. Take it for what it is worth.