A Leave of Mind

I've had some time off to think and relax and recharge and it's been welcome. It's interesting to me that without the stimulation of 8-6 work and having to push one's intellect daily, the requisite interesting ideas to write about are few and far between. It seems very much like a vacation- from the need to think. Ironically I've started to read a book where one of the premises is that the wealth and relative abundance of free time that the clergy had in 18th century England gave us a thinking class that made tremendous contributions to society at large, scientifically, socially and intellectually. Of course there is more to it than that, but it has made me ponder how much vacation one needs, before one starts to get twitchy and needs to contribute again.

The sarcastic streak in me wants to challenge myself to explore that, while the realistic person that I am knows I couldn't twiddle my thumbs until I got that edgy. I'd break mentally first and dive into something new. Which is what I suppose I find myself doing this month, with three mind- blowing adventures planned. Lots of wilderness - some known and some not known - looms in my immediate future as I move to busy my restless head as it attempts to keep up with my body in new and strange environments.

I will provide an update when its over but for now understand I'm on a quest to see the future, my own in this case. I wish each of you the flexibility in your own lives to do the same.

The Evolution of Protest

Back in December last year, I wrote about how the protesters of world seemed thwarted by the very nature of open communications that they depended upon. Read it here. At that time I suggested that what what was needed was media consultants to ensure the message got to the protesting participants through the media, not the other way around, as was traditional in this space.

Well, I'm happy to say I was incorrect, or at least and more accurately, I haven't been proven correct yet, but the situation has changed. In a real-world 'nature will find a way' sense, the very definition of what constitutes protest has morphed. See the article from this week's New York Times on protest in Easter Europe. It postulates that provided we all agree a given act is considered a protest, then whatever innocuous thing we do, will in fact be a protest - a clap, a phone ring, baring one's breasts etc. The act of protest itself has evolved, and in a clever twist on darwinism, it can be whatever we all agree it is. The key is that we know it, and the authorities don't. It does place a whole new spin on the situation, and one that those wishing to "crack-down" on protests are finding hard to keep up with.

That's great. I mean it - that's really wonderful that faced with a difficult situation, those that care to express their opinions have found a new way to have their voice heard. It's how we change, grow, challenge and understand one another. Even if it's just your phone ringing - wink.

19

Some days are more important in our lives as we grow up, and this is one of them - the day we turn 19. You see, legally where I live, certain rights are bestowed upon the newly 19 year old citizen, which indicate adulthood. Very important if you're a young person it seems, and reasonably so. I think in just about all cases, the primary urge of the youth is to be considered 'adult'.

The wisdom that breaks upon us as a tide coming in, later in our days only bestows the knowledge that youth was actually the elixir when it's too late to go back. Sad and ironic but true. The surest proof yet that whatever deity exists has a sense of humour.

Today is one of those days - when dreams of adult-hood come true and we celebrate. Not that youth is departing - for only parents see the departure of innocence as a loss. Rather we celebrate the achievement of a goal for the individual and quietly acknowledge to ourselves that they do grow up so fast.

The Long Way Home

While writing this, I am on a series of long flights (today and tomorrow). Multiple 10+ hour trips that test the airplanes range and one's own sanity. Luckily for the sake of being able to stretch and relax, I have a series of long layovers on the trip which serves to lengthen the trip, but removes the stress associated with being late and worrying about tight connections. As an anecdotal study in how to kill two days time, here's what I did.

Flight #1

Ate lunch

Watched: The Adjustment Bureau. 8/10

Read a Time Magazine

Layover #1

Went for walk and got a couple small things from a local shop

Ate dinner in lounge

Did email and completed some errands online

Grabbed new Apps for The Economist, Car & Driver (Thanks iOS)

Fought off sleep

Flight #2

Crashed and slept - well even, for close to 9 hours

Ate breakfast

Watched: the whole of the TV series: "Episodes" 7/10

Watched a couple summarized World Cup matches from 5-10 years back

Layover #2

Changed into hiking gear

Skyped to home

Went for walk up local mountain in bright sunshine and intense heat for a couple hours

Back at Airport, changed into travel clothes, showered

Ate lunch in lounge

Did more email and completed some other errands online

Flight #3

Ate again, didn't need to. Felt too full

Crashed and slept poorly for 4-5 hours

Watched: Red Ring Hood. 5.5/10

Read book ( K2 by Ed Viesturs)

Watched: HappyThankYouMorePlease 7.5/10

Read more book

Broke glasses, fixed glasses

Home

:)

A long trip. Besides gaining a few pounds and getting sitting sores, did I learn anything ? I will leave the obvious comments about finding a better travel agent out for the time being. I did have to practice patience which is always a good thing - we as a society in general and myself in particular aren't patient enough. I learned (and practiced) to make the most of the time and opportunities given to you. I reminded myself how different cultures offer different advantages and challenges and not to see one without the other. And lastly I was quite happy to be getting home, to my family, and my own bed and my own rhythm.

Travel is a wonderful thing and I'm thankful for it, but a core element is its finite nature and the knowledge that its temporary. There is no place like home.

Walking in Heaven

One of the first things that strikes you is the silence. No birds singing just a quiet wind jumping over the low plant life.

The steps that form your path, which tell you that you shouldn't even dream of thinking you're the first here, are all large stones and easily weigh 100 lbs a piece. It's a little humbling when "only walking" to think of who might have assembled this stairway to heaven.

The upside is the temperature. As yours goes up though exertion the outside temperature drops. You're out of the humid closeness of the jungle below and into fresh air, free from the clutch and tug of the heat.

You're enveloped and shrouded in cloud and it's moving not static. There's a perpetual cloud machine on one side and it flows over you. No doubt you smell of cloud from the immersion. You'd drown if not for the lightness of it.

As you ascend there is no bearing or landmarks for you, and little indication of progress other than yet another step. The cloud has it's way with your senses, obscuring even the nearby man-made noises. It's trance-like and etherial.

Hiking cloud-shrouded mountains is a lot like life in general. You can't see where you are going, there are few guideposts and it's very exerting. While you may be one of many, the clouds mean you can't see one another so you're effectively alone on the trail. You are rewarded with small breaks and stunning vistas - occasionally- and these are neither predictable nor frequent. The reward is in the continued progress, recognizing it's not the destination but how you move through the journey that counts.

You're alone on this path and that's the way it's supposed to be it seems. And that's all right.

I got an iPad or, Why I waited to get an iPad.

I'm happy with my new little iPad - I really am. I enjoy Apple's products and think highly of the end result of the integrated software/hardware approach they have.

Part of me craved the newest stuff they offer too - and I know I need to control that internal fan-boy. I'm not an Apple fanatic - I swear. You probably don't believe me, but as they promise to deliver so much, I hold them to extremely high standards, and am quite unimpressed when they fall short. I'm much less forgiving of Apple than other computer manufacturers, which is I suppose a key reason I give them my money - they usually impress me and exceed my expectations.

But I hadn't bought an iPad yet, and that's not because it was lacking features, rather it was lacking benefits for me. I couldn't see a role for it in my life, and being somewhat attached to my hard earned money, I elected to keep it rather than have yet another set of white patch cords to manage.

I decided though to move forward as the key ingredient for me was the UI - as compared to the standard laptop/keyboard or handheld device approach. I wanted to explore what it would be like to have a mid size screen to read, write and such, and to view the world through. I haven't been disappointed at all. The user experience is indeed one of the high points of the device - I encourage you to play with one yourself to 'learn the touch'.

This one aspect - the U/I - became more and more important to me as I'm egotistical enough to think I know where the world is going in tech, and the growth I see in certain sectors (and shrinkage in others) tells me we're moving towards a mobility enabled world - to the detriment of having land locked devices. Accordingly, learning to work and interact in this world became increasingly important to me.

Here's my hypothesis by the way: There needed to be three prerequisites for mobility enablement to take hold in my opinion - battery life had to be possible for prolonged usage without re-fueling; there had to be widespread and strong bandwidth capabilities, such that the devices themselves were never constrained by connection ability; and lastly, we had to see some breakthrough devices that re-defined the way we interact with the technology. The iPad has come along at the right time.

So I bought one finally. And I love it - but frankly I had a pretty strong inkling that I would.