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.

Light Switches and the Cloud

My favorite piece of tech is a light switch.

Odd, probably to some, but let me explain.

A light switch (read this part literally) is a device whose user-interface is about as simple as it comes - it's either off or on. A 1 or a 0 to you binary types. There's no maybe, there's no other options. But the trick isn't the switch, it's what it does..it brings light to a room. A simple enough trick that no one is ever confused by it, reads a manual or has to go take a course to figure one out. It's elegant in a U/I sense.

Behind the scenes, it's a complex little box with varying wires, poles and an ability to complete or continue circuits. But that's what makes it great - none of that is presented to the user. All the 'detail' is hidden and just handled. You want local light ? Just touch here.

Most other technology we interact with is not as elegant. We're presented options and a requirement to configure thing to achieve a desired response. A close parallel to light is sound..a radio. At it's absolute simplest as well, touch the on button and music or other noises fill your space. But that's if the antenna is picking up signals, which you sometimes have to manually adjust or fine-tune. And we're all fussy about volume, so that adjustment needs to be made too. If you start to look at a more advanced home stereo system, I'll admit confusion on the latest Hi-def theater receivers and how to operate them optimally for sound, let alone hook them up correctly.

Which brings me to the cloud. We all know the cloud right ? It's where all of us will have all of life's information available to us, on demand. It replaces local storage of data, which as a design feature offers local accessibility (only). The cloud is the next wave in IT enablement - an area not reknown if we're honest with ourselves about elegant design (and I'm not talking Bang & Olufsen type design).

At this somewhat early execution phase, we are at a critical juncture I might suggest. Someone can go to one end of the design spectrum and realize the Cloud should just "be" available to us everywhere with whatever interface device we have; or they can make it hugely tailored, and customizable. Make it so it's like having to configure a server in the real world.

Which way is best ? I'm not going to venture an opinion too obviously here, except to offer that this is a critical point - and one we'll all live with for a long time, so choices here ought to be carefully considered. There are design options coming forward, and the smart money isn't on those early adopters of technology happy to write C++ code to enable a degree of usability in their newest stuff. The market says light switch.

Fear

What are you afraid of ?

Spiders, needles, heights, being unemployed, being single, being married or appearing foolish or perhaps all of the above..

I put forth that fear is good for us. It warns us away from various forms of stupidity, and acts as an intellectual brake when we might do something that's ill-conceived.

Too much fear though - when living in fear...that's not good. That's hiding and the trick as always is to know the difference. I'd also put forth engaging our fear a little isn't a bad thing either as we grow as people in the process.

Try it, challenge your own fears within limits and you will feel very alive.

It's the Single Best Thing I've ever Done

I came out with this statement, quite without thinking yesterday. I wasn't even really something that needed to be pondered for me, seemed like something I just knew. I've been thinking about that automatic response since saying it, and have analyzed 'how I really think about it'...but my conclusion remains the same.

If I step aside from my emotional bias for a moment, it's an interesting thing to have said out of the blue. Even more interesting is the fact I wouldn't have consciously acknowledged this, had I not been asked the question. It started me wondering what else I feel this way about, and what that says about where we hold those things most dear to us.

Clearly you can see the lead up to the question I'd pose to you - but if you don't mind for a moment, this isn't about you, it's about me.

When asked the question that prompted this response, a number of options did pop through my head - my jobs, relationships, accomplishments and the usual stuff. I did a micro-second validation of the answer that I instinctively knew to be right, but it really did only take the time it takes to blink. And while I answered the question with the answer above, I did hear another's perspective of the conversation repeated back afterward, and the 'add-on' joke that I also offered got the spotlight - not my statement above, which raised more interesting thoughts about how some of the most important things we say aren't heard.

I believe it's important though that I specifically understand the ramifications of what I said, as it does represent something hugely intimate and personal to me. Other people we all have to admit to ourselves, tend not to care so much about some of the things we hold dear. (That's not a criticism, just a fact of life)

So, here I was, sitting in the empty room that is my brain, and wondering about all this, and adding to it by considering how important it was that this thought is formalized and communicated. I've clearly decided (via the act of publishing into the ether) that it is important. And if you'll forgive some self-indulgence, I'm writing this for me today, not you. You see I want to mark this spot, and celebrate what I felt as I rather like the whole idea and suffer as we all do from some pride-sin. (you can get the man out of the church, but it's harder to get the church out of the man).

The question I was asked for those of you who've indulged me and read this far..?

What did I think of being a Dad, posed by my daughter.

Purging

When we've eaten something bad, we purge. It isn't pretty, but it's the best choice to make in that situation. It can save our lives.

When we've had too much to drink, we purge then too. This self inflicted purge often means we're much better in the short-term after our alcohol-induced judgment gives way to the rising sun of a new day.

Sometimes we need to emotionally purge as well. Get rid of those things, relationships, roles and expectations others thrust upon us (or we do to ourselves) when we know ultimately they aren't good for us. This is the most difficult type of purge, as it requires a step into the unknown - being single again, finding a new job, or re-defining yourself in a way others can newly appreciate.

For this latter type of purge, you need courage, and a willingness to fail. This may sound scary, but we all learn from our mistakes, and insulating ourselves from mistakes creates a false sense of comfort and security. Embracing the risk is at the heart of what makes life worth living and helps us grow.

I'm on the verge of a purge (wait until that's a famous movie line, and come back here to recall you read it here first). It's frightening and exciting, adventurous and unclear and is what I know I need.

It's not for everyone, but I encourage to look at where you might purge. Look to where you feel staleness and bitterness have crept into your life and make your own choice. Because that's the key difference between food poisoning and something emotional in your life that requires a purge...choice. Don't shy away from it as the end result can be the same.