Paycheck

If your paycheck is your primary motivation, you should look elsewhere. No paycheck can compensate you for a meaningless work like, and you'll live happily on less if you are genuinely enthusiastic about what you do." -- Urbanska, Wanda. "Paths to Simplicity." Experience Life June 2010: 74-76. 

Isn't it interesting that I read this today, just one day after concluding the worst few weeks I have ever experienced at the day job?

Man down in the cubicle war

Colorblind/Stone/Getty Images

Another one bites the dust.

See more pictures of corporate life.

Friday 80s Flashback for September 3, 2010

Facebook has made me a lazy blogger. Case in point: For several months now, I have been posting video links as "Friday 80s Flashbacks" ... but only on my Facebook page. I think it is high time I share those gems here as well, don't you?

Let's get started!

Pakistan Needs Your Help

The recent flooding in Pakistan is, by accounts, the worst that country has experienced in 80 years. Over 15 million people -- some accounts estimate as much as 20 million -- have been affected. The full effect of this disaster may not be felt or even tallied till much later. And yet, by August 12, donations to help Pakistan's relief efforts were merely one-quarter of the Haiti response (ReliefWeb.int). I'm sure there are many reasons for the huge gap in responses. One that I've read often is "donor fatigue." That makes perfect sense. There are many organizations that clamor after us for funding on a regular basis, and then we've had what seems to be one major catastrophe after another (Tsunami, Haiti earthquake, Pakistan flooding, etc.). The BBC's Ros Atkins muses over several other possible explanations. But I don't care about the reasons. I only care about changing this situation. Pakistan needs our help. No, forget that. PEOPLE in Pakistan need our help. We're talking about the average folks over there -- forget for just a moment about the government of Pakistan, and their military, or whatever you have in your head because of the war on terror. Think instead of the folks who are just trying to get buy and make do for their families. People like you and me in many respects. These are people who have lost everything and need help just to survive another day. The need clean water, shelter, medication, and a whole host of other things that many of us are quite possibly taking for granted.

[photo from tonic.com]

The best way to help them right now is by monetary donations. Later, we might be able to help with clothes drives and campaigns to collect other necessities, but right now relief efforts are hampered by a lack of funding. Here are some ways you can change that.

• Text "swat" to 50555 -- this sends a $10 donation to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees that will go toward providing tents, food, clothing, and clean water. (Reply with "yes" to confirm the gift.)
• Text FLOODS to 864233 -- this helps get relief DIRECTLY to the CHILDREN of Pakistan by sending a $10 donation to UNICEF.
• UNICEF -- If you are nervous about texting to donate money, use the form on this page, or use the info to call or print a snail mail form, to send your donation to UNICEF
• Yahoo News -- has a list of suggestions for donating money.
• Tonic -- also has an extensive compilation of ways to donate and help.

There is no concert event. There is no Bob Geldof or other celebrity taking charge and calling our attention to help. But that's OK. We are strong enough, we are caring enough, and we have it in us to help. No matter how small the donation. Please, do your part today.

Pick My New Phone -- The Choice!

I really wanted a cool title for this post. I considered "I Kissed A Phone" (too cutesy), "The Smartphone Has Landed" (too audacious?), "Smartphone Accomplished!" (too Iraq War), and "What (Phone) Have I Got In My Pocket?" (too Tolkien). In the end, I just went with something that should tie this post in with the previous ones in this thread. Anyway... Anyone out there remember I was looking to upgrade my smartphone and that I narrowed my options down to two devices? I haven't mentioned anything here since June 17, but if you follow me on twitter, you might have caught a reference or two as to what phone I finally selected. It's funny, but my choice ultimately came down to two things: Cost and availability. On the cost factor, the Droid Incredible was going to cost me about 4x as much as the Palm Pre Plus. Concerning availability, as of June 22 the Incredible was backordered into mid- to late July. Now, my favorite time to test drive a new phone is when I travel because I can really put a device through its paces and see if it will work for me. As things stood, I was going to be driving to Boston on July 2 and staying for a few days, so I definitely wanted to pickup a new phone before my departure. Hello Palm Pre Plus. I'm working on a full review of my experience with this device, both on my Boston trip and day-to-day since then. I'm nowhere near ready to post it, but at least now you know what I've got in my pocket.

Absolutely Messianic Superman?

This is the cover illustration for the Absolute Edition of ALL-STAR SUPERMAN which ships in October (click to embiggen):

Image source

It's a great piece of work by Frank Quitely. But what is the message this image is trying to convey? Well, isn't it obvous? Absolute Superman = Messianic Figure!

For your convenience, I am providing a key quote from the Gospel According to Superman:

Kal-El answered,

"I am the American way

and the truth and the life.

No one comes to Justice

except through me."

Quotable | Worse?

Things couldn't get much worse!"

[Creature ROARS behind him]

"The universe just loves proving me wrong, doesn't it?"

-- Sokka (from Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Pick My New Phone (Is There an App for That?) -- Update!

Hello Prophet or Madman-philes (all two or three of you who read this blog)! As you know, I'm looking to upgrade my smartphone. Several folks have provided feedback here on the blog, by twitter, on my Facebook wall, and by email. Thanks to that input, and a little trip to the local Verizon store, I have narrowed my options to two devices.

• Palm Pre Plus: My last three or four phones have been Palm devices. They easily sync with Mac OS X (contacts, schedule, photos, memos, etc.). The Palm Pre Plus has been rated as having the best OS out there. It can be used as a mobile WiFi hotspot for up to five devices. It has a great touchscreen as well as a slide-out keyboard (with actual keys). Speaking of the keyboard, I am pretty much used to its layout because it is so similar to the Centro. And, with Verizon's current pricing, I can get this smartphone for free.

• HTC Droid Incredible: The name really says it all as this is an incredible device. All the pros of the Droid OS, but none of the reported problems of the Motorola Droid. It cannot be used as a WiFi hotspot, but it can be tethered to your laptop for internet connectivity. The camera is great and it has an LED flash! Now, this device is fairly pricey, and I have to wait if I want it (most locations had about a three week wait to get the device as of a week ago), but I do get a discount on it (thanks to my "new every two" feature with Verizon).

At this point, I still have to perform my own tests to see which device is better at all the tasks I need it to do. But if I am looking for something to keep me for the next two years while I wait for Verizon to get the iPhone, it seems I should lean toward the Palm Pre Plus. It's available now, has WiFi capability (included with the data package), and the price is right. As long as it handles webmail, music, Twitter, and Facebook like a champ, my decision should be pretty much made, right? Thoughts, comments, suggestions?

An Anthem for Memorial Day

The video in this post features Josh Groban performing an operatic version of one of my favorite tunes: "Anthem." The song comes from the 1980s musical, CHESS, by Tim Rice, Björn Ulvaeus, and Benny Andersson. Although the show is very much about the board game of chess, it is even more about the politics of relationships ... and nations.

In the storyline, "Anthem" is performed by a Russian chess player -- a champion -- on the occasion of his defection from the U.S.S.R., but there is nothing in it to make it specific of any particular nation. I, therefore, find it very inspirational and appropriate for Memorial Day. For it is the love of our nation that our veterans served in the armed forces. It is for the love of this land that so many soldiers laid down their lives.

Check out the lyrics:

No man, no madness

Though their sad power may prevail

Can possess, conquer, my country's heart

They rise to fail

She is eternal

Long before nations' lines were drawn

When no flags flew, when no armies stood

My land was born

And you ask me why I love her

Through wars, death and despair

She is the constant

We who don't care

And you wonder will I leave her -- but how?

I cross over borders but I'm still there now

How can I leave her?

Where would I start?

Let man's petty nations tear themselves apart

My land's only borders lie around my heart

Pick My New Phone! (Is There an App for That?)

Three months ago, I put it off. And I was prepared to put it off for another month. But the time has come to make a decision.

I'm due for an upgrade and I need a new smartphone.

Now, I am a Mac user, so one would think this is a decision easily made and acted upon. I should get an iPhone, right? Well, let me tell you, I would certainly like to have an iPhone. There are, however, a few issues. First, I am on Verizon. Why is that an issue? Uh, because I am unwilling to switch to AT&T. Sorry, folks, I'm actually happy with the service on Verizon. AT&T is by far the lesser network in my area and I kind of like a phone to, well, you know, make phone calls.

Second, it seems rather unlikely that Apple will strike a deal with Verizon. I was following the rumors, waiting and hoping for the iPhone to be available on my network. But I'm convinced it won't happen ... for quite a while.

Third, and possibly the biggest issue, I have been using Palm products for several years now. My current device is a Centro (I have been through the Palm V, Palm m500, Treo 650, Treo 700p). All my primary contacts -- and a host of other data in the form of memos, scheduling, etc. -- is in Palm's proprietary format. C'mon! Don't judge me! These Palm devices sync very well with the Mac platform, OK?

Here is my Centro!

Now, you may well ask, "Why do you need a new smartphone?" Great question! And the answer is ... I don't really need a new smartphone. But I am up for contract renewal, which means a discount on a new device, and I do want one. Or, rather, I want a phone that is better on the web than my Centro (that Blazer browser is so 2005).

So my question all of you (er, well, anyone reading my blog; so that's all two of you) is this:

What device should I get?

I'm serious. I need some help in choosing my new smartphone. And it will ideally have the following features:

• Sync well with Mac OS X
• Decent web browser
• Good audio quality
• Support for Twitter (preferably via Tweetdeck) and Facebook
• Full keyboard (virtual or practical, I'm not picky just yet)
• Video playback
• iTunes integration
• Ability to import my Palm data

I'm not really all that interested in BlackBerry devices, so I guess the choice is between Android and Palm. Or, maybe Palm is not really part of the discussion. The Palm Pre and Palm Pixi look good, but the new Web OS doesn't seem to support my old Palm data very well and syncing with Mac is an issue. Not that Android is much better in the Mac sync department. Bottom line: I'll have some serious adjustment no matter which direction I go. I just want to ensure I make the best choice given my criteria.

So, have at it! Make a pitch for which device I should get and why. I appreciate any and all help in this matter.

Which droid is the droid I'm looking for, Ben Kenobi?

Oh, look. Palm made phones for Weebles!

Happy Towel Day 2010!

It seems somehow fitting that my next post after writing Forty-Two is for Towel Day. May 25 is Towel Day, an annual celebration of the life and work of Douglas Adams, the man behind H2G2 (among other stories). You can get great background on the day and the man at http://towelday.org/ or scifimafia.com. Then surf over to asitecalledfred.com to read a lovely compilation of tributes. I should also point out that ThinkGeek is having a fun photo contest with cool geeky prizes -- just tweet a photo of yourself, with the #towelday tag, to @thinkgeek. By the by, today is also Geek Pride Day (in honor of the first Star Wars film, which was released on this day in 1977. The Daily Caller sums up the basic rights and responsibilities of geekdom. It's not the only place you'll find the writeup, but I happen to like their title for it. So, my hoopy froods, don't panic and always keep your towel handy. Who knows, maybe the Force will be with you as well.