Monday, July 09, 2007
Long time no post...
A couple things:
1) kids are cool
2) america sucks
1) Despite all the numerous frustrations of raising a kid, it really is amazing to watch him learn, grow, and interact with the world. One of the things that particularly strikes me is how you can see the fundamentals of human interaction - before it is covered by layers of socialization and imposed morality. I tend to make far-reaching analogies, but it is cool to watch the progression of my son's development, and imagine a little society developing. From the caveman beginnings up to "modern" society.
My analogies aren't terribly solid, as i'm not sure where the pee stain on the couch fits in, or little headlocks on the (very tolerant) cat fit in, but i'm sure somewhere.
2) I've lived in 3 different countries, 2 continents, and 2 hemispheres in the past 3 years. It was an interesting rapid-fire comparison. America is, well... the U.S.and.A. Canada is almost neurotically friendly, and Ecuador es medio loco, pero muy bonito. Basically, the last 3 years has really taught me that the United States has really messed up priorities. Fundamental to that is rampant, unchecked capitalism and consumerism. Capitalism because i don't think everything should be left to free-market forces (health care and education as prime examples). Consumerism because... well, look around. How many people need to point out that the U.S. consumes a ridiculous amount of energy and is largely responsible for #2, China. A large part of that is due to our disposable culture.
Canada: Fairly socialized health care. Eli was born in Vancouver, and was 6 weeks premature. Total cost to us? $50 for a hospital transfer. Because the government is responsible for health care, they actually CARE about preventative health services. It is really a beautiful thing to see.
Ecuador: Almost the opposite of Canada and the U.S. No government care of it's people, no excess wealth, but incredible resourcefulness and an unwitting environmentalism forced by economics. If you can't afford a new car, you fix the one you got... any way you can. You can only make the environmentalism claim if you ignore the trash everywhere, though.
I really don't want to sound angry here, but most Americans live in an ethnocentric bubble and don't care that Chinese are put in awkward situations to make all our junk. I mean, like fatal work conditions for a buck a day. I don't really have a problem with over seas manufacturing. What i have a problem with is valuing a "bargain" over human life and working conditions we Americans would find unconscionable, if only it were in our consciousness.
sigh
But then you find nuggets of art made by high schoolers in the midwest.
There really is beauty out there, and quality things to buy. I'm just pretty sure it won't be found in either Target or Walmart.
A couple things:
1) kids are cool
2) america sucks
1) Despite all the numerous frustrations of raising a kid, it really is amazing to watch him learn, grow, and interact with the world. One of the things that particularly strikes me is how you can see the fundamentals of human interaction - before it is covered by layers of socialization and imposed morality. I tend to make far-reaching analogies, but it is cool to watch the progression of my son's development, and imagine a little society developing. From the caveman beginnings up to "modern" society.
My analogies aren't terribly solid, as i'm not sure where the pee stain on the couch fits in, or little headlocks on the (very tolerant) cat fit in, but i'm sure somewhere.
2) I've lived in 3 different countries, 2 continents, and 2 hemispheres in the past 3 years. It was an interesting rapid-fire comparison. America is, well... the U.S.and.A. Canada is almost neurotically friendly, and Ecuador es medio loco, pero muy bonito. Basically, the last 3 years has really taught me that the United States has really messed up priorities. Fundamental to that is rampant, unchecked capitalism and consumerism. Capitalism because i don't think everything should be left to free-market forces (health care and education as prime examples). Consumerism because... well, look around. How many people need to point out that the U.S. consumes a ridiculous amount of energy and is largely responsible for #2, China. A large part of that is due to our disposable culture.
Canada: Fairly socialized health care. Eli was born in Vancouver, and was 6 weeks premature. Total cost to us? $50 for a hospital transfer. Because the government is responsible for health care, they actually CARE about preventative health services. It is really a beautiful thing to see.
Ecuador: Almost the opposite of Canada and the U.S. No government care of it's people, no excess wealth, but incredible resourcefulness and an unwitting environmentalism forced by economics. If you can't afford a new car, you fix the one you got... any way you can. You can only make the environmentalism claim if you ignore the trash everywhere, though.
I really don't want to sound angry here, but most Americans live in an ethnocentric bubble and don't care that Chinese are put in awkward situations to make all our junk. I mean, like fatal work conditions for a buck a day. I don't really have a problem with over seas manufacturing. What i have a problem with is valuing a "bargain" over human life and working conditions we Americans would find unconscionable, if only it were in our consciousness.
sigh
But then you find nuggets of art made by high schoolers in the midwest.
There really is beauty out there, and quality things to buy. I'm just pretty sure it won't be found in either Target or Walmart.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Work and Jesus Camp
Relatively recently, i started working at a job i quite enjoy, designing products that i'm pretty interested in. I was working on a new bicycle race light, and was enjoying a lot of autonomy. I felt like i was really doing a good job - i was ahead of schedule, working well within the team, and generally on top of things. Everyone else seemed to think so, too.
In comes the new CEO. Things are different now. There is a guy in another company who is seen as an authority of LED lighting design (please don't ignore the fact that my last job was designing LED products), and now my bike light that was all but complete is in complete disarray. I feel like i am a marionette acting on the whims of another who's design priorities i disagree with. And god forbid i speak my mind about a project i am invested in because that will likely get me fired.
That is pretty F-ed. I'm pretty pissed at work right now. Obviously it is just the situation, but it feels personal. Mostly i'm bummed that something i was enjoying a great deal turned sour so suddenly. I sincerely hope i'm blowing things out of proportion.
Jesus Camp... wow... and at the same time part of me understands. Jesus Camp is a documentary about an evangelical summer camp for kids. They are encouraged to speak in tongues. I am not a religious man, and i think mob mentality of pretty much any sort often causes more harm than good. It also seems an obvious thing to be wary of a woman who declares that she wants to train kids to be willing to die for our lord jesus. Wary is polite. Where i get most concerned is how the envangelical movement is specifically targeting politics.
The grey area for me is the division between morality and politics. Is there a clear distinction between the two? What drives politics besides a set of publicly discussed, argued and compromised mess of individual morals? If this country becomes 51% evangelical, well... democracy doesn't discriminate and majority rules.
I remember reading some greek philosophy a long time ago - specifically Plato's Republic, where he outlines the natural progression of governement. He goes fom the best being rule by philosphers (go figure...) to a dictatorship being the last in the line until the death of the nation. I think there were 6 phases of government or so, and democracy? Right above the death sentence of a dictatorship. If you take Plato as being a smart guy and correct (a dubious statement), the interesting thing for me is that evangalism, with it's penchant for a specific faith and a rigorously defined party message, could easily be that tipping point into a dictatorship. Hell, if our current president was, well, sentient, we'd be bordering on that right now.
Having said all that, i do understand a desire for spirituality, and what evangilism has to offer people.
In comes the new CEO. Things are different now. There is a guy in another company who is seen as an authority of LED lighting design (please don't ignore the fact that my last job was designing LED products), and now my bike light that was all but complete is in complete disarray. I feel like i am a marionette acting on the whims of another who's design priorities i disagree with. And god forbid i speak my mind about a project i am invested in because that will likely get me fired.
That is pretty F-ed. I'm pretty pissed at work right now. Obviously it is just the situation, but it feels personal. Mostly i'm bummed that something i was enjoying a great deal turned sour so suddenly. I sincerely hope i'm blowing things out of proportion.
Jesus Camp... wow... and at the same time part of me understands. Jesus Camp is a documentary about an evangelical summer camp for kids. They are encouraged to speak in tongues. I am not a religious man, and i think mob mentality of pretty much any sort often causes more harm than good. It also seems an obvious thing to be wary of a woman who declares that she wants to train kids to be willing to die for our lord jesus. Wary is polite. Where i get most concerned is how the envangelical movement is specifically targeting politics.
The grey area for me is the division between morality and politics. Is there a clear distinction between the two? What drives politics besides a set of publicly discussed, argued and compromised mess of individual morals? If this country becomes 51% evangelical, well... democracy doesn't discriminate and majority rules.
I remember reading some greek philosophy a long time ago - specifically Plato's Republic, where he outlines the natural progression of governement. He goes fom the best being rule by philosphers (go figure...) to a dictatorship being the last in the line until the death of the nation. I think there were 6 phases of government or so, and democracy? Right above the death sentence of a dictatorship. If you take Plato as being a smart guy and correct (a dubious statement), the interesting thing for me is that evangalism, with it's penchant for a specific faith and a rigorously defined party message, could easily be that tipping point into a dictatorship. Hell, if our current president was, well, sentient, we'd be bordering on that right now.
Having said all that, i do understand a desire for spirituality, and what evangilism has to offer people.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Donald Trump is a Duche
My wife is watching the Miss USA pageant, not to be confused with Miss America. It is the hooker pageant, and so utterly revolting that I left at the saucy little wink and shoulder flick of Ms. Maine.
It speaks volumes about Donny T. I wonder if they'll have a pole dancing competition.
It speaks volumes about Donny T. I wonder if they'll have a pole dancing competition.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
The connection of Toddlers and Two Wheels
Aaahhh... I found it.
I lost my blog for a while. Not that i really had anything to contribute. Strike that. I do have things to add to my blog, but i never thought about doing it. The rare times that i did... I couldn't find my way back.
And here i am.
Kids and NAHBS. These are related, in kind of a circuitous way.
Eli is my son. Currently, he is almost 22 months old (you stop counting months after they turn 2, btw), he weighs something like 25lbs and is about 3 feet tall. I think. Honestly, i don't care that much as he is full of life, and that's all that really matters. Sometimes too full.
Several weeks ago, it became pretty obvious that he and i were deep in a drawn out power struggle. My assets included physical might and relatively higher intelligence, his arsenal consisting of non-stop energy, stubbornness and repetition. Point is that i would come home to a house that Eli has worked hard to destroy, and this is not what i want to see. I would immediately go into discipline mode, which Eli would start fighting and things would escalate into him hitting or head-butting me, which would just really piss me off. Obviously not a good situation, and one which made me very insecure as a parent.
Controlling your kid just doesn't work. And sadly, this is a lesson for me.
I'll talk a little bit about NAHBS, and then get back to the Eli thing...
NAHBS stands for the North American Hand Made Bicycle Show, although technically i think the acronym of that is NAHMBS, but whatever. For my birthday, i received the super-deluxe "seminar" pass which got me into all three days of the show, and additionally, access to some of the biggest names in the indy bike scene - Paul Sadoff (Rock Lobster), Steve Potts, Ross Schafer (Formerly Salsa Cycles), and several others. Not to mention all the beautiful frames on the floor with over 100 exhibitors from the guy who just built a couple, to the guy who is pumping out a couple thousand a year. Probably my favorite was Wolfhound Cycles, with a beautiful take on rideable, functional art. Really nice people, too. But really, there were too many bikes to name.
Getting back to the point. During the seminars, more than one builder belabored the point that craftsmanship and artistry is disappearing from this country. This is, in large part, due to the outsourcing of jobs to China, India, wherever. As an engineer, i've been begrudgingly part of that process as product cost concerns drove the company i was with to source overseas. It wasn't until this show that i really made the connection between the craftsman and the product.
I think it is pretty easy to argue that as more and more things get made in distant ways, that human-ness drains out of our life with every purchase. I'd love to know that my toaster was made by Frank the electrician, or that my plates were made by Frank the potter. That just doesn't happen these days, and that is a direct result of capitalism and an internationally free market economy. Oh and let's not forget consumers who are cheap bastards. I'll probably go off on how people's use technology is really alienating us. So what i'm getting at is try to buy local and know who is responsible for helping you live your life. Who grows your produce, makes your products. Personally, i think life would be a lot richer if those stories were in every cupboard and meal.
Back to Eli. Human-ness, right? I was too busy controlling the little guy and not busy enough connecting with him. I'm still not as good as i'd like to be, but at least i'm seeing the fruits of my early changes. He is a lot more fun to be around... as long as i'm not getting up tight. And isn't that always the way?
I think this is getting way too long, but hopefully what i was trying to say came across OK.
I hope i can find my blog again...
-Damon
I lost my blog for a while. Not that i really had anything to contribute. Strike that. I do have things to add to my blog, but i never thought about doing it. The rare times that i did... I couldn't find my way back.
And here i am.
Kids and NAHBS. These are related, in kind of a circuitous way.
Eli is my son. Currently, he is almost 22 months old (you stop counting months after they turn 2, btw), he weighs something like 25lbs and is about 3 feet tall. I think. Honestly, i don't care that much as he is full of life, and that's all that really matters. Sometimes too full.
Several weeks ago, it became pretty obvious that he and i were deep in a drawn out power struggle. My assets included physical might and relatively higher intelligence, his arsenal consisting of non-stop energy, stubbornness and repetition. Point is that i would come home to a house that Eli has worked hard to destroy, and this is not what i want to see. I would immediately go into discipline mode, which Eli would start fighting and things would escalate into him hitting or head-butting me, which would just really piss me off. Obviously not a good situation, and one which made me very insecure as a parent.
Controlling your kid just doesn't work. And sadly, this is a lesson for me.
I'll talk a little bit about NAHBS, and then get back to the Eli thing...
NAHBS stands for the North American Hand Made Bicycle Show, although technically i think the acronym of that is NAHMBS, but whatever. For my birthday, i received the super-deluxe "seminar" pass which got me into all three days of the show, and additionally, access to some of the biggest names in the indy bike scene - Paul Sadoff (Rock Lobster), Steve Potts, Ross Schafer (Formerly Salsa Cycles), and several others. Not to mention all the beautiful frames on the floor with over 100 exhibitors from the guy who just built a couple, to the guy who is pumping out a couple thousand a year. Probably my favorite was Wolfhound Cycles, with a beautiful take on rideable, functional art. Really nice people, too. But really, there were too many bikes to name.
Getting back to the point. During the seminars, more than one builder belabored the point that craftsmanship and artistry is disappearing from this country. This is, in large part, due to the outsourcing of jobs to China, India, wherever. As an engineer, i've been begrudgingly part of that process as product cost concerns drove the company i was with to source overseas. It wasn't until this show that i really made the connection between the craftsman and the product.
I think it is pretty easy to argue that as more and more things get made in distant ways, that human-ness drains out of our life with every purchase. I'd love to know that my toaster was made by Frank the electrician, or that my plates were made by Frank the potter. That just doesn't happen these days, and that is a direct result of capitalism and an internationally free market economy. Oh and let's not forget consumers who are cheap bastards. I'll probably go off on how people's use technology is really alienating us. So what i'm getting at is try to buy local and know who is responsible for helping you live your life. Who grows your produce, makes your products. Personally, i think life would be a lot richer if those stories were in every cupboard and meal.
Back to Eli. Human-ness, right? I was too busy controlling the little guy and not busy enough connecting with him. I'm still not as good as i'd like to be, but at least i'm seeing the fruits of my early changes. He is a lot more fun to be around... as long as i'm not getting up tight. And isn't that always the way?
I think this is getting way too long, but hopefully what i was trying to say came across OK.
I hope i can find my blog again...
-Damon
Friday, September 29, 2006
Interbike - poppin' the cherry
So after 14 years of cycling, I've finally made it to interbike. For those of you not super into cycling, it is north america's premier trade show for all that is human powered, and even some things that are not. Only slightly ironic that it is in Las Vegas.
Energized on caffeine, fueled on samples of protein bars, uninhibited by alcohol, people wander around the Sands Expo to drool over the latest bike porn. It really is just publicly sanctioned debauchery - even complete with bikini clad women signing autographs for being nothing more than bikini clad women with bike logos scrawled across thier breasts.
Overall it was cool to be there - to see big names like John Castellano, Phil Ligget, and others. I also met some interesting people as well - the workhorses of the bike industry. And of course, the bike porn. Classic porn, new school porn, strange fetish porn. It was all there, and a sensory overload, too.
Maybe if i figure out how to post some pictures, i'll add a couple of the interesting ones (not that i took that many).
-Damon
Energized on caffeine, fueled on samples of protein bars, uninhibited by alcohol, people wander around the Sands Expo to drool over the latest bike porn. It really is just publicly sanctioned debauchery - even complete with bikini clad women signing autographs for being nothing more than bikini clad women with bike logos scrawled across thier breasts.
Overall it was cool to be there - to see big names like John Castellano, Phil Ligget, and others. I also met some interesting people as well - the workhorses of the bike industry. And of course, the bike porn. Classic porn, new school porn, strange fetish porn. It was all there, and a sensory overload, too.
Maybe if i figure out how to post some pictures, i'll add a couple of the interesting ones (not that i took that many).
-Damon
Opening day
So I've finally decided to join the masses and start a blog. I am not a power blogger, nor am I a particularly eloquent blogger. I'm not a cursing one, and I'm not a politically angry one, either.
What I am is a guy with some friends in far away places, with the occasional experience (possibly) worth sharing. You'll mostly see posts about being a dad, about bikes, and maybe the occasional post about volkswagens.
We'll see how this goes as I add to the white noise.
-Damon
What I am is a guy with some friends in far away places, with the occasional experience (possibly) worth sharing. You'll mostly see posts about being a dad, about bikes, and maybe the occasional post about volkswagens.
We'll see how this goes as I add to the white noise.
-Damon
