29April2008
Posted by Andrew under: Exhortation; Geek Culture.
You may have noticed the commenting system has changed. I took the plunge and switched comments over to a hosted service- Disqus, run by Daniel Ha and Jason Yan (two SoCal brothas who went through Y-Combinator). So far, it’s been rather nice. The first day I installed and sent in a request for help, Daniel responded that day to tell me how to solve my problem. Read the rest of this entry »
27April2008
Posted by Andrew under: Exhortation; Life.
Some people dread Valentine’s Day, I dread my birthday.
Unlike holidays that celebrate achievement (getting your family together is an achievement) or the memory of a renowned individual, birthdays celebrate the passage of time (like New Year’s, but more personal). I think most people after a certain age generally dread their birthdays- think of all the cards that talk about being “over the hill,” “older than sand,” “almost old enough to reach diamond status.”
To be sure, I love gatherings of friends and family celebrating good health (especially mine) and receiving gifts, but a birthday is different because it is a particular celebration of your age.
A good friend of mine recently told me, “Most people after 22 years of age are drinking for altogether different reasons than the year before. I think most people know there isn’t much to celebrate after that.” I am not as pessimistic, but it brings the issue of another year of my life gone wondering what more I could have achieved or gotten done.
Perhaps I have been conditioned because I never had an extravagant party or perhaps I didn’t want people to spend money on gifts (”mom, don’t spend that money on a cake, I’m just happy that you remembered”)… No, I enjoyed my birthdays- getting older meant more freedom (and sometimes great cake).
As I became older though (sometimes much faster than my peers), I’ve become more aware of my mortality. I think Steve Jobs says it best:
There comes a point in someone’s life when they become aware of the finite amount of time they have on Earth and it’s both empowering and disempowering. It’s a very strong motivator, as Steve Jobs says. At the same time, it’s dreadfully scary to know that year (or set of years) has gone by (and so quickly!). I think that’s why New Year’s has some of the same characteristics. I’m like most people who have a mix of emotions on their birthday- like the movie About Schmidt-, but I don’t think the courage/dread will ever go away when April 28 rolls around.
26April2008
Posted by Andrew under: U.S. National Politics.
CNN reported yesterday that Clinton has challenged Obama to a series of Lincoln-Douglas debates without the media. My debate friends and I have been giggling like school children over how cool it would be to have each candidate debate question the other (just like in our high school Lincoln Douglas Debates).
In general, a series of debates without media questions across Indiana and battleground states would allow a time to shine and to show the discussion about issues. Moreover, it allows the competition to become a constructive discussion about topics versus the usual guerrilla press leak warfare that has been taking place so far.
These debates won’t happen if three serious issues aren’t resolved, though: (A) When will these debates take place? (B) how will the format be useful and still entertaining? (B) Why would Obama accept?
16April2008
Posted by Andrew under: Encounters; Environmentalism; Exhortation.
Last year, I was invited to host the National Wildlife Federation’s Chill Out Broadcast which recognized colleges and universities across the country that had innovative solutions to global warming. Being a former NWF Fellow, meeting these folks last year was a treat.
Seriously, when I met the guy responsible for using biomass algae to power a small university’s athletic facility, I was inspired. These innovative solutions to fight global warming showed a strong business case for universities and colleges to save money on energy costs, etc.
In addition to the college entries, NWF also solicits Chill-Out YouTube entries. They’re hilarious. Here’s Berea College with their hilarious video from last year:
I’m the host again for this year’s webcast and you’ll see me doing my unique blend of broadcast anchoring (a combination of Brian Williams and Stephen Colbert) live today!
