I'm getting fed up with people who are fed up

Today someone posted this on my Facebook feed:

http://www.socialmedianews.com.au/was-albert-einstein-right-about-technology/

And a week or two ago, it was this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7dLU6fk9QY

Aside from the fact that the quote from the first link is apocryphal (There's an explanation here), the commonly accepted assumption here is that, since people are looking into their phones, they must obviously be playing stupid games and filling out dumb quizzes, rather than engaging in great banter or living their life to the fullest, as we all did with such fervor only 7 years ago.

Obviously none of these assumptions can necessarily be held as true. We wasted just as much time in past years as we do now. Before smartphones we had cell phones, before those we had tamagotchis, before those we had discmans and walkmans, and before those we still had trashy magazines, as so on and so forth. We always found a reason to be "anti-social". Case in point:

We all choose to use smartphones because they increase the choices we have in life. We can choose whether or not to install said game or app, and we can make full use of the ones we do decide to keep.

In fact, I would venture to say that a greater sign of our dumbing-down times is how we recreate the same tired arguments every time a new disruptive type of technology appears. In comparison to the Phone, Telegraph or TV, the smartphone is a rather small step, all things considered, and yet we still believe it will be the downfall of society. Well, I believe cynicism will bring our society down far sooner than any smart phone.

Here are some more quotes we can regurgitate for our smartphones, and how we don't have time to appreciate anything anymore (useful phrases are in bold):

http://xkcd.com/1227/

All the places you will be able to get my new book.

Soon you will have no excuse not to buy it. Or recommend it. Or buy 10 copies for your best friends. And 10 more for your worst enemies. 

Well, these should be available shortly. For now you can get the Kindle version here:

Ozone

In case you're wondering, the people at the front desk of my apartment have given me an Ozone machine. Apparently I leave this on in my apartment and it gets rid of malicious odors. I'm not sure if the "Ozone" in the machine's name has anything to do with the one that's depleting the stratosphere, and I chose not to ask, since I don't want to risk feeling guilty until I've gotten rid of this non-dead-person smell.

No dead people

When I first moved into this apartment there was a smell which I attributed to lack of air circulation, so I kept the windows open and tried to give it some time. This was over a month ago and the smell never left, so I asked the front desk if someone could look into it. When the maintenance guy came he said "Well, if you were on the sixth floor I'd know what it was, since a guy died there and it was a while before they found him, but I don't know what this is." I thought it was possible someone else might have died in the meantime, but I didn't mention it. I'm not really sure what a dead body smells like, but from the reactions I see in movies to people opening car trunks with dead bodies, I don't think it's a dead body.

Leaving Atlanta

After almost 5 years, it is time to leave Atlanta and head to my next destination. My apartment has been repainted, the plumbing has been fixed, the carpet has been professionally steamed, the windows have been cleaned and the carpet is being stretched (because that's apparently something you do).

Of course, my time in Atlanta was off and on at best but, not being able to rent my place out, I had to keep coming back. Now we'll see what's next.

That's all. In terms of updates this isn't too informative, but I figured it was worth an entry. I'm heading to Charlotte for a few days, and then it looks like Portland, or (possibly but not likely) Taipei.

The coolest link you'll see today

This was also an excuse to write something on this blog since it's been a while, although I see I didn't write about my 10K race yet. Anyway, enjoy:

http://i.imgur.com/CTYHM.gif

Lettera a CdT

Letter mail to Peter Keller and Francesco Vitale of Corriere del Ticino on December 20th, 2008:

Mi permetto di scriverLe con una proposta intesa ad amplificare I Vostri servizi informativi.

Ho notato che il Corriere del Ticino non ha una sezione in inglese. Con la crescita di importanza del cantone non solo nella Svizzera, ma in tutto il mondo, e con l'arrivo di
ditte internazionali e l'aumento di studenti internazionali, credo sarebbe importante poter offrire una sezione, anche settimanale, che parli del nostro cantone in inglese.

Vorrei offrire le mie prestazioni per quanto riguarda tradurre articoli del vostro giornale per gente di madre lingua inglese, o per offrire una rubrica o una sezione in
inglese. Potrei inoltre presentare articoli originali di interesse particolare agli stranieri residenti in Ticino.

Io sono cresciuto bilingue (italiano/inglese) qui a Lugano, dopodiché ho studiato e lavorato negli Stati uniti. Ho sei anni d'esperienza professionale nei settori di finanze, di
marketing, e dell'immobiliare. Ho una laurea in commercio internazionale dall'Università Americana di Washington DC, ed un Master in Amministrazione Pubblica da Cornell
University, dove ero un articolista regolare su temi di economia e attualità.

Come editore del sitio www.Dumbagent.com scrivo spesso su temi di economia e dei mercati internazionale.

Qualora ci fossero domande sono a Vs. disposizione via e-mail or al numero 079-485-0978.



Robert Gebhardt

Il vecchio e il bambino (Francesco Guccini)

Un vecchio e un bambino si preser per mano
E andarono insieme incontro alla sera.
La polvere rossa si alzava lontano
E tutto brillava di luce non vera.
L'immensa pianura sembrava arrivare
Fin dove l'occhio di un uomo poteva guardare,
E tutto d'intorno non c'era nessuno
Solo il tetro contorno di torri di fumo.


I due camminavano, il giorno cadeva
Il vecchio parlava e piano piangeva.
Con l'anima assente, con gli occhi bagnati
Seguiva il ricordo di miti passati.
I vecchi subiscon le ingiurie degli anni
Non sanno distinguere il vero dai sogni,
I vecchi non sanno, nel loro pensiero
Distinguer nei sogni il falso dal vero.
E il vecchio diceva, guardando lontano,
``Immagina questo coperto di grano,
Immagina i frutti, immagina i fiori
E pensa alle voci e pensa ai colori.
E in questa pianura fin dove si perde
Crescevano gli alberi e tutto era verde,
Cadeva la pioggia, segnavano i soli
Il ritmo dell'uomo e delle stagioni.''


Il bimbo ristette, lo sguardo era triste,
E gli occhi guardavano cose mai viste,
E poi disse al vecchio con voce sognante
``Mi piaccion le fiabe, raccontane altre.''