Maelstrom: Martin's Musings

Milestone

I guess yesterday was a milestone of many sorts. On top of election of Barack Obama for President, and passage of some Propositions. It is also my 45th Birthday -- a little scary. Some aches and pains have got me thinking that I better work hard to get myself through the next 45!

Obama

Well Barack Obama and many others got what they wanted (including me) -- now the real work begins.

Ocho Cinqo

Football: Chad Johnson of the Cincinnati Bengals has just changed is name (legally) to Chad Ocho Cinqo. His jersey number is 85, and fans have called him Ocho Cinqo for a while now. However, I think there is a certain level at which some level of mental illness is involved here. I have heard of him and questionable decision making in the past. But I think this is the case of a lot of money, lot of ego and people around them that will not say 'No'.

I'm not sure how we could do it, but it seems to me that some level of accountability and responsibility should be involved here. I suppose that we as a society are largely to blame. We give these guys a lot of money to entertain us, and then do not put in place needed elements to make sure that they can understand the context of what they have.

People are telling them that they are great for most of their lives, and then give them money and the keys to the kingdom. So if there is mental illness involved it can get exaggerated and unchecked. I am not sure if Chad "Ocho Cinqo" has any mental illness but the fact remains that this behavior is exaggerated. Mike Tyson is probably one of the biggest examples of this out of control. Also, one of the saddest.

Is there a way to help this situation without denying civil rights?

Technorati Tags:
accountability, decision making, mental illness, responsibility, football, money

Verb Decay

Interesting how there is a mathematical relationship between how the more a verb is used, the less likely it will change. Or at least it will change at a much smaller pace. I had not really thought about this as much but if you are going to do document analysis of documents over time, there will be differing degrees to which they will change. You get wedded before you get thinked. When doing values analysis it makes me wonder if nouns change at a similar rate. The article that I linked above suggests that there is a mathematical relationship to the degree to which something decays. Some thing that is used 100 times less frequently will decay or change 10 times as fast. Quite fascinating.

Tags: document analysis, verb, decay

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Terminate

We will see how it goes today. I have dead rats at various parts of the house. I did not anticipate that I would have the smell of rotting flesh permeating my home. Yuck!

Blogged with Flock

Tags: ratsterminex pest control

Evil is...

I was just perusing Matt Mower's thoughts on Google's motto of "Do no evil". What is the nature of evil? Does it exist? Or is it made? Many branches of Christianity believe that satan is constantly trying to take you down.  This suggests that evil exists unto itself. Is evil, simply the absence of good? I know it is possible to 'train' someone to be bad. But can you be born evil? The "Omen" movies would have you think so I am not so sure. Also, whose is deciding that something is evil? Foucault would have us believe that it is those that are in a position of power in a given moment and given context that define what is evil. Cigarette companies are 'evil' in the current time, but were not thought so in the 1950s.

Tags: google, evil, religion, nature, nurture, philosophy

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Ziva has her new home

Well, last week (12/28/06) Svea and I got the caique that I got her for Christmas. She (Ziva) is taking quite a bit to get used to the new surroundings. She also is only a baby so that is probably an added issue. Boy, the hard work as only just begun....

Tags: pets, ziva, bird, caique, family

New Beginnings and Transformation

My theme or vision of the Phoenix needs to start changing. I need to do more than rise from the ashes, but move towards transformation. While I am not one to get my philosophical thinking from the rapper Eminem, I am finding that I need to do more than just keep reaching for the brass ring and take maybe a stronger two prong approach.

In the movie, 8 Mile, Eminem's character, "Rabbit", asks when do you stop living up here and start living down there. Essentially saying that if you want to reach your dreams that you may need to start at a lower level and make your own opportunities.  I am working at a winery here in Napa Valley. It is definitely not at the level that I tend to envision myself (someone with solid tech skills and a Ph.D.), but it is remarkably useful in starting a build up of self-esteem. Now all my co-workers are not virtual.

 I am going to focus more on getting Metaxio up and running, and partnering with key people. I have about 8 or so started blog articles that I need to finish. Well, onward and upward.

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The 'God' Particle

At the risk of offending the people, I find this article from the Guardian (or maybe more accurately the title) intriguing even though it does not really look at the issue of a 'God' particle, per se. But the idea of trying to recreate the conditions of the Big Bang, and seeing it as a search for a 'God' particle is thought provoking.

I have been seeing some interviews, articles, etc. from physicists that wonder/hope that it will reconcile some faith issue for themselves (and possibly for others). Not that science can help explain faith so much as where science leaves off and faith begins (that does not do justice to thinking but hopefully you get the idea).

Something or somebody had to get the whole thing (Big Bang) rolling....

Tags: faith, religion, big bang, God, science, physics

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Death of the Renaissance Man

It seems to be that there is the death of the Renaissance Man. If you are skilled in many areas it seems much harder to get a job these days. Searching through a job board does not do it. Unless you get so vague that you get thousands of items to mull your way through.

Matt Mower and I have been discussing this lately, and it is getting quite frustrating -- Maybe we should jump to the Startup we have been talking about (Metaxio).

We are two great guys that seem to be languishing away to oblivion.

Tags: jobs, careers, startups, renaissance, resume, matt mower, docmartin, martin hall, metaxio