I was a skinny kid. Through elementary school and middle school, I was the tallest in class, and the scrawniest. I wasn’t very athletic, and dealt with some gross motor coordination issues that kept me from being anything terribly graceful. When I was 11, my dad brought home our first computer, and Apple II in 1983. When I was 13, EA released Bard’s Tale I: Tales of the Unknown. I was 11 when I discovered computers. I was 13 when I fell in love with technology.
And, since I wasn’t naturally good at moving around, and had some internal spark of talent at the keyboard, that’s where I stayed. I was, by in large, sedentary through highschool, unless by act of grade hijack. Luckily, my metabolism was on my side, and I managed to stay the skinny kid through college. When I got married, at 26, I was still at my fighting weight of 190.
All this is coming back to me tonight because of Alex Fuka. Alex married Lily, a good friend and client, less than six months ago. Alex is the love of Lily’s life; they have been blessedly perfect for one another.
A few hours ago, Alex suffered a massive heart attack and died while out walking in the cool afternoon air.
And tonight, my friend Lily is alone. She’s surrounded by family, her daughter, her friends, her chaplain, but she is alone. When she started today, she was of a pair. This evening, she is deserted.
As much as I could try to post something pithy, some link to a fabulous new tool, all that seems to matter today is this cold reminder that I — that all of us — need to take better care. As technologists, we need to move more, eat less, and stay strong.
I don’t know the details yet about Alex’s condition that lead to his heart attack, but I know mine. I’m no longer at my fighting weight. And I’m still not very graceful in dancing shoes. But every day that passes the stakes on my health go up just a little bit.
So tonight, I offer this bit of grist for the mill, since it’s where my heart and head will be: hug your loved ones, and may your rest tonight be sound. And as your days fill with business, step back and muse carefully on the things that matter more.
As much as I love Google products, and use them daily, here is a perky brick to the ethical head. The following quote is from Google CEO Eric Schmidt in the current CNBC Google Blockbuster.
If you have something that you don’t want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place, but if you really need that kind of privacy, the reality is that search engines including Google do retain this information for some time, and it’s important, for example that we are all subject in the United States to the Patriot Act. It is possible that that information could be made available to the authorities.
When Google was founded in 1998, the company hung its proverbial hat on telling the world that they would be successful without mucking things up in the process. Specifically, number six in the company’s own manifesto:
6. You can make money without doing evil.
This is all well and good until, for example, you’re a global titan with $12 billion and change in the bank, competing for telcom spectrum in an industry as messed up as wireless. What’s that they say about laying down with dogs? Read more
So many cool things floating around the internet, I must have been hyped up on sneezing pandas when this most exquisite piece of work bubbled to the surface. It’s “Panic Attack!” by Uraguayan filmmaker, Fede Alvarez. Head over here to watch it for yourself.
The news that surrounds this short film is interesting all alone: Alvarez has been signed to Sam Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures to develop and deliver similarly themed freaky flicks. All I can think is “Cloverfield” — which has A) already been made and B) was super-excellent. Too bad it’s already been made. Still, the deal reportedly starts in the 6-figures with points if his films get made. All this after Alvarez made his YouTube opus on a reported budget of $300 (yeah, likely not including person hours in that budget, but whatever).
All of that is great for Alvarez, whose talent is deserving of a career in the field of moving images, however he ends up there. But it’s not the point of this post. Read more
In 1983, when the video game Dragon’s Lair was released, I was 11.
The video arcade was on Nevada Avenue. It was next door to Fantasy Adult Video. While the video games in the arcade were not of the adult nature, the dumpster behind the facility certainly was. In a related story, a Canadian university has been unable to track down men in their 20’s who have not been exposed to adult content. I’d like to thank the Fantasy Adult Video dumpster and my friends Dogan and John for making me ineligible for that particular study today.
On Saturday mornings they had four-buck all-play at the arcade until 1:00 in the afternoon. We’d be there at 8:00 sharp, armed with our $4.00 in quarters and pockets full of LemonHeads and Cherry Clans to see us through the morning. Even today, it’s not hard to remember the menu for those long Saturday mornings. Burgertime. Moon Patrol. Robotron 2084. Those were warm-up games. Dig Dug and Joust were appetizers. For me, a good round of Q*bert would find its way into the morning, but Tron and (amen) Pole Position were meat and potatoes.
Here are a few horrifying stats from bookstatistics.com:
- 58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school.
- 42% of college graduates never read another book.
- 80% of US families did not buy or read a book last year.
- 70% of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
To be fair, I don’t go to bookstores often anymore, but I’m a Kindle guy. The rest of this stuff? So much for respondents inflating their answers to look smart…
