Traffic as a Solution, Not a Problem

So what is it about the morning traffic that we all hate - I mean, think about it, bumper to bumper stuck in this slow crawl down expansive highways with hundred or thousands of other commuters, going in the same forward direction. We can either be completely stressed out by this issue, or use it to our ultimate advantage. Think: speed dating. You're not going anywhere anytime soon, as there is either a major multi-vehicle accident up ahead beyond the horizon, or someone is changing a tire and everyone has to slam on their brakes to make sure that this individual is doing it correctly. Why not take this time to roll down your windows and meet your neighbors?

At any given time, there are 4 people within shouting distance of my vehicle, with one being within the normal range of volume. We already have 2 common bonds; the traffic we are inevitably stuck in and the weather outside of our vehicles. Starting the conversations would be easy, simply roll down the window and say 'Hello, how are you, my name is so and so. Look at this rainy/snowy/windy/gorgeous weather, can you believe it?' Or, 'Can you believe that silver VW ahead? The way they cut into the lane like that?' Better than the traditional opening bar-room ice breakers, like 'come here often?' or 'Let me buy you a drink baby.' These often times lead to critical failure, at best when the proposed person just turn away, while at worst a quick slap across the face and ejection from said drinking establishment.

Also, traffic should not be a stressful moment in your day. Look at it from the 10,000 foot perspective. You're leaving a more than likely stress-filled household; wife or husband, kids, bills, home repair, etc., to go to a stress-filled work environment; deadlines, managers, meetings, customer demands, etc. This is you time of solitude. You can't control the traffic patterns, as I've personally found out, and it's always a valid excuse when running into the office late. This is your only time of ultimate solitude. While you can roll the windows down and hear the blaring noise of the outside world, you can just as easily keep them up, turn on the climate control, and catch up on some audio books, or listen to that favorite jazz album that you can never seem to hear while at home or work. You are snuggled nicely inside a rolling serenity pod with all sorts of comfort options.

But I digress. I believe the ultimate stress relief is conversation with another like-minded individual. I know that this will be read by a few people, passed around, and inevitably someone will patent 'Traffic slow-speed dating'. I'm actually at peace with this. It would help reduce the incredible amounts of road rage our country suffers from, as well as sate our natural human urge of social gathering. And, in the process, if we manage to match compatibility with another person, we just eliminated all stress from the rest of the day.

How To Manage Change

So, I've been absent for a little bit. But, much like the fabled Prodigal Son, I have risen from the dead and returned home. So let me get right to the topic- Change. This can be forced change, or meticulously planned. In the end, it's your will alone that will guide you through change. I don't claim to be the strongest person around, but I can withstand quite a bit and still stand tall. That helps me through both types of change, as well as support those around me should they be, for lack of better terms, weaker.

How does one prepare for the unannounced herald of change? Is it genetic, is it a learned skill from brick and mortar learning institutions, or the school of hard knocks? Also, how many questions am I going to ask before I start posting answers? I say yes to all of those options. I would say that from birth, there are some people that can withstand a hell of a lot of pressure. You see them all the time- the head chef in the packed restaurant, the foreman on a multi-billion dollar build site, down to the one family member that makes funeral arrangements and sees to the final wishes of a passed family member. Or, and I will use this as a baseline, a family member that is going to pass. Here is a quick story of change, and the amazing strength to stand up to it.

I have an acquaintance that is about to lose a loved one- or rather, the loved one. This a man losing his father to a fatal version of an already horrible disease. One day he knew there was an issue, and quite literally, the next day they were marking the calendar for the approximate date of passing. Stop- this is where change begins. This can't be any more of an example of forced change. Look at all the different types; physical loss, emotional, monetary, and role. He is losing the pillar of his world in his father, which obviously creates the emotional changes. The monetary and role change are due to his now having to step onto that pedestal and raise himself above himself and watch after the family and their assets. The rest of the story is heart-wrenching, but is not conducive to this piece. Maybe later, if his heart is in it.

What kind of person can be this rock? I know that he is not quite a type A personality. He doesn't fit into that extrovert category either. He just saw what needs to be done, and what could happen if he didn't assume those responsibilities, and made the change. From personal experience, I'm very similar. I'm not an extrovert- quite the opposite. I actually have issues with large groups of people. But, when the proverbial crap hits the magic fan, I'm your guy. I stand tall when all those about me crumble. I take that role because I have to, not always because I want to. But, have and want are 2 very different things, now aren't they? And that's the answer. Something I tell my children all the time, 'We do the things we have to do, so that we can do the things we want to do.' This is what I live by. I recommend you give it a shot. Of course, in their little world, it means doing their chores so that they can watch TV or get extra outside time. But in the end, it's the same principle.

Maybe that's the answer. People that can see what needs to be done, and have the strength or moral composition do stand tall and get it done. This is the person you need in your lives, and you may already have them. The one person that you can count on through tough times. That shoulder you cry on. The one that never asks for help, but is always their with a helping hand. The one that you never see crying or complaining, but will always listen to your issues and wipe your tears. They are the ones that are not the catalyst of change, just the general manager.

So, how to manage change? Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and get things done. Worry later.

Where Have All The Good Techs Gone?

Strange title? Read on fellow traveler, read on. Recently, there have been a few 'hacking' attacks against a whole range of companies, all across the private and government sectors. First we start off this gauntlet of breaches with George 'GeoHot' Hotz and his cracking of the Playstation 3 home console. Now, previously, hacking into cell phones was deemed legal but home gaming consoles of any kind still remain a nice big grey area that large companies, like Sony or Microsoft can and will exploit for every penny they can. I'll let you all do the research, but the short of it is Sony put this kid's head on a pike at the top of their headquarters.

Next, we jump right into the large and very public hacking of Sony's website and servers, in what seemed a response to the handling of the GeoHot case. The group Anonymous was blamed, and the responsibility war is till going back and forth, more than a month after the attacks. These attacks, for those of you that either didn't care or were living without any internet connectivity, managed to pry thousands of users' personal and sensitive information, including user names, passwords, and very possibly credit card data, which Sony denies the latter. Regardless of what was taken, this showed how vulnerable this network really was, if a relatively small group of hackers could fairly easily slip in and have their way with things. The result was Sony's PSN being down for almost a month, and countless thousands if not millions of dollars in lost revenue. About the same time, another one of Sony's online systems was brought down after some intrusions, their SOE systems that ran such titles as EverQuest and their newly popular Realm for all ages of users. This was a huge breach in the end and not all of the details of what was really taken have been dished out.

Soon after, we jump right into the 50 days of hack-attacks from the newly formed group calling themselves LulzSec. These mighty hackers penetrated everything they could get their code-hooks into, ranging from BioWare, a game development powerhouse, right on up to the CIA and the U.S. Senate. They went everywhere their little fingers could take them, and exposed weaknesses of not only websites, but also at times the organizations behind them and how inept or corrupt they might be. They had no holds barred on this one, unlike Anonymous. They broke in and took what they could, plundering and pillaging vast amounts of internet real estate. And, much like a modern-day Robin Hood and Merry Men they gave all of this back to the community in the form of stolen accounts information about major corruption. They have announced that they are now bored of themselves, and they are finished also having met their 50 day goal. That was more of a whirlwind let loose on the web, that quickly blew itself out but still having left a huge swath of destruction in it's digital wake.

So, I go back to the title now- where have all the good techs gone? Are they sleeping? These breaches were, in my opinion, almost begged for by some of these companies. While I know that a Google search of me can find a bunch of data that wasn't easily accessible 12 years ago, there are some things that you can't find. Passwords, credit card data, previous legal proceedings, etc. This data is supposed to be securely locked away in a database somewhere, with only very specific groups of people having access to it. Standing in front of the physical server where my life is stored are supposed to be competent server administrators and security specialists. That does not seem to be the case anymore. Are large companies not putting money into this area, and just resting on the notion of 'set it and forget it'? While I may not completely agree with the method, I do agree that these attacks have shown two things here- 1, that as a company executive I have to take more responsibility and pay more attention into all things related to my technology; and 2, as the consumer I am now more aware that those companies are not doing their proper diligence in securing my amazingly private data and that I need to be a little more careful on what I give out.

Agree or not, the issue of data security needs to be addressed on a wide-scale level. Now, where is my aluminum foil hat...

..The End of the World, As We Know It...

And I feel fine. Thank you R.E.M. for heralding in the end of days. Honestly, I thought it would have been someone a little heavier, maybe Cannibal Corpse, Slayer, or even Metallica. I did a reply over at the Jace Hall blog, and I wanted to maybe go a different direction with that the poster there, Paul Nyhart said.

Look at this- if the world were to end today, gone, kaput; would you be happy with where you are, and what you've done to get you there? Also equally as important, would you be happy with the world around you, and what you contributed to it? Now, wait before you jump to an answer. I think a lot of points he made were very similar to the way I think- more people know the finalists in American Idol than who their local county and state representatives are; even their local town mayor. My generation, so dubbed 'Generation X', is a generation of oxymorons and oddities. Vocal yet silent. Aggressive yet passive. Intelligent yet so very, very stupid. I have acquaintances from high school that went in so many directions, if would be like the scattering of roaches when the light is turned on. One is practically living on Capitol Hill, reporting good, witty facts and updates about local and Federal politics. One is a nationally known and awarded body builder. One is out in Cali, living the 'punk out with your junk out' credo. Me? I'm a geek to the bone. I do systems administration for a private South Florida college. One of those 4 has current knowledge of politics, one of health and nutrition, one the music culture, and one the latest technology buzz. Together, we'd be a force to be reckoned with. Separate, not so much. This sounds like a strange description, but, let me tie it all in.

My father, who has passed on some 10 years ago now, had a little of all of those talents, and still was amazingly versed in all current events, whether it be the local candidates running for selectman or the national Olympic team standings. I'm lucky to know when the Olympics are even being held. We now have an information overload, and we glamorize the trivial, and shuffle away that which is truly important. Parts of my generation are finally waking up to this harsh reality, and realizing that we may be too late to change it for ourselves. So, we start change now, and let it trickle down to the next gen, and hope that they see much sooner than we what is truly important in our country, and the world.

As fascinating as it is to know what Lady GaGa is wearing today, I would rather learn something useful.

Moral Dilemmas

Big decisions would be much easier in life if I was 10 years younger, and had no kids. That's my biggest hold back, the kids. I'm not happy where I am. Both mentally and physically. I've gone over the part where I don't think I'm super healthy, so, I'll go into a quick gripe session.

I moved 1200 miles away from anyone I knew. I did this for 2 main reasons- 1, my wife's family lived in the South Florida area, and she really wanted to be a part of their lives. And, obviously I wanted her to be happy. She had lived down in this area before, and I had never really ventured too far out of the New England/Tri State area. The other was that my father had just passed away, and I was sort of struggling in the area. There were a lot of reminders of him up there, and my mother had just moved from CT to MA. I figured, what the hell? A new start would be just what I needed to perk myself up.

Let me go into this next part with the fact that I do not regret any choices I've made. I made them, and I live with them. I can regret the choices I left alone; the things I didn't act on. So, there are no regrets about moving the Florida. The people I've met, mostly, the experiences I've been able to have, and the places I've been able to visit. I do miss the region I left. I miss my family, and real trees. Do you have any freakin' idea how strange it still is to me to see Christmas lights on palm trees? Santa in shorts? I'm a country boy. I define that as somewhere between a redneck and a honky. I love the woods, and would live on the side of a mountain in Appalachia if I could. I miss clean air, silence at night, and stars. So, to say I'm homesick would be incorrect. I don't miss exactly where I came from, only that kind of area.

Now, comes the dilemma. I have 2 kids and a wife to support. Luckily, if we were to ever move, the company my wife is the president of, Laci Group Inc, is a virtual customer service solution; meaning, she can work from anywhere that has power and a land line. I however am the problem. I currently work in a technical field, and was not experienced enough years ago to begin venturing into my own business. That would have been a great idea. Now, it would be starting from scratch. And, as much as I would love to throw caution to the wind, quit my job, and go pro-blogger and technical contracting, I just don't know if that's the best idea for my family and I. So, instead, I go in to my office every day and start some menial morning task in what is now a no-promotion job. I read about all of these smart and talented people who went off, did their own thing, and were successful. Hard work is a no-brainer. The part about that is I'm really attracted to finally being my own boss, and will be much happier. The second part that gets me is the amazing quality time I'll get to have with my family. That has become amazingly important to me. Being at work for 50-60 hours a week right now, I don't get a lot of time to spread out between my 2 kids and my wife; forget about my personal time.

So, I want to say to you all, to follow your hearts, and listen to reason along the way. When the time is right, I'll make the decision that is best for me and my family. Until then, I'll hunker down and wait for that light at the end of the tunnel...

So, Ya Think You're Healthy?

It has come to my attention that Americans, overall, are pretty damn unhealthy. I saw a graphic today that sort of disturbed me, but really just validated all the things that I thought to be true. It's about what most Americans do now all day long because it's what we're paid to do. Sitting. And, it's about how sitting down is more corrosive to your overall health that you may think. Let me elaborate.

Let's start with a brief description of an average work day for the 9-5 desk jockey. You roll into your office at about 8:50, typically sans breakfast. You sit down at your semi-cluttered desk and kick on your computer in one fashion or another. Once 9 o'clock strikes it's time to grab a quick cup of coffee, maybe a bagel or bar, and start the day. Hunched over your desk, pounding away at the keyboard, and being semi to mostly productive. This will last until around 11:30 when the body's desire for actual energy starts to kick in, and the thoughts of sugarplums begin dancing around your noodle. This is a 50/50 split on the next decision; either you go out to lunch, which will have to be a quick bite as you have afternoon deadlines and/or meetings...or, you eat at your desk, maybe getting up to grab a plate and some form of eating utensil. After the lunch break is over you resume light desk activity as now your brain is not processing data as fast as it should be, due to the over-carbed lunch you just powered through. 5:30 rolls in, and you can finally move your legs again to regain feeling in your feet, shut down that computer, and dash on out of the office. Sound familiar? Let's break down how not one part of that entire scenario is actually good for you, both mentally and physically.

We'll begin with rolling out of bed, which was an activity not listed above. Immediately after this reflex based action, no doubt caused by the annoying sounds of the miniature car-alarm you call an alarm clock, you will begin your daily preparations for your daily grind. Stop here. Rub that sleep out of your eyes and put on some pants for goodness sake! Take a step outside into the morning sun. Close your eyes and take a few super-deep breaths of the morning air. I'm not saying this from the aspect of the mighty tree-huggers, there's actually a reason. Getting that air into your lungs will help with your oxygen saturation in the blood, which will in turn give you an energy boost. Also, the sun is not just good for plants. Other than being a mental boost, it does give you energy as well. To get a little technical, humans are Heterotrophs. This means, for those of you too lazy to click the magical link I provided, that we get solar energy by eating the plants that use the sun for energy. On a mental level, you get to see the sun, sky, and not be confined inside of four walls. After your invigorating stretch and view of the new day, you march your ass inside and start breakfast. This, above all else, will be the most important thing you ever do in your day. Besides not wetting your pants, that is. When you were a kid you were constantly told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Oddly enough, it's one of the little cliches that is actually true. It's been proven to raise brain function and awareness, as well as better nutrition and energy for the coming day. If you want to take a look at these claims, just do a little Googling. 


Next, we move onto the work day. You arrive at the office, now a little more chipper and awake than normal thanks to our breakfast break. You step over to your desk and power on your computer. First thing you need to do is download an application for your machine that let's you set custom alarms. By this I mean some sort of time application. You want to get up and stretch your legs and back at least once every 15 minutes. This will help you relax your eyes as you stop staring at all of those pretty colors in the monitor, as well as wake up your leg muscles and back. I will have a link, here that will show you some interesting facts about sitting down all day, and how it will more or less kill you faster. Once an hour, you need to walk around. Get the blood flowing, maybe take a walk outside and grab some fresh, un-recycled air and sunlight. Your brain and lungs will thank you, as will your legs and heart. Morale will pick up since now you are not confined within the four walls of your office. After about 2 1/2 hours, have a small snack. Something non-sugared and carb-loaded. Preferably something with a good amount of protein, to help boost that mid-morning slump. This will also help your metabolism speed up by keeping it going, and lower your overall hunger levels. That leads into lunch. Follow the morning routine right up to, and after lunch. For lunch, well, I'm not going to preach diet diet diet. You all know what's good for you, and what isn't. All I can recommend is smaller portions. Your hunger level should be good, but not crippling at this point. I try to stay with the 50/50 rule; 50% carbs to 50% proteins. I might get 2 pounds of fries with a hamburger, but, I might not eat them. I have the bun with the burger for carbs, and the burger for protein. Carbs will put you back into the after-lunch coma that everyone falls into. Once done, get back to work you slacker! But, set that timer again, and make sure to follow it strictly. 


Once home, I bet your energy levels are still fairly high and you're ready for a nice dinner, and some quality time with family, or a cat. I'm not a doctor by any means. I have common sense, and I listen to professionals of their fields talk about better living through small life changes. In this crazy hustle-filled world we live, work, and play in, we need to start taking the time to charge ourselves so that we're not grumpy, lumpy, depressed husks crawling through the day. Carpe Diem....to a degree.

To Be Healthy

I'm writing this more for me, than for anyone else. This is an accountability post. I hope that one or two others reading will feel empowered, as I know reading other people's stories have helped me out. I'm a geek. I think I've covered that, but, maybe not in detail.

From my best recollection, my first memory was around 3 or so, when my father who worked for IBM at the time, brought home a shiny new home PC. To date me, this was an IBM PC XT  At first, it was completely used for his internal PROFS system. It wasn't until later that year when I was blessed with my first games- Big Top, Ninja, and Zork II. The Atari was kicking around the house as well, from the time of my older brothers and sister, with amazing classics like Combat, Berzerk, and of course Asteroid. Within that time period, the Nintendo had come out, and I started looking already to the future. I'd like to say that I've grown with gaming. At that time, I was in school, and had time to game AND go outside for all those crazy adventures that one does as a child.

When I was 10, my family moved. Now, mind you, we moved about 40 miles away from our old place, but, it was in a new state, and being 10, it might as well have been 1 billion miles. The new area didn't quite greet me warmly. New school, new kids, same old cliche. I was an outsider, and was an easy target for bigger fish. I never really fit into their little cliques, so, the first chance I got, I ran out of there with a passion. During this 12 year period however, because of my lack of new friendships, I turned to technology more. I just about lived in the basement, getting that easily noticeable florescent tan from the garage style lights hanging above, pounding away at either gaming console or computer; or sometimes both. Sure I could whip your ass at a round of darts, or a few games of intense ping-pong, but my focus was technology. So, my physique suffered as a result of this. The sad thing is that during this time period, I had access to more physical fitness equipment than I ever would. Official size pool with 9 foot deep end, heated with underwater lights, full size old-school hanging heavy bag; you know the one I mean, no leather wrap here, all knuckle-bleed canvas. Weight bench with an assortment of freeweights. And, an amazing area for hiking, biking, and just about every outdoor activity you can think of. If I had a regret in life, it's not fully utilizing those tools, and still coveting my shiny tech gadgets.

Let's jump ahead to now, I've been working for about 15 years now, and half of those at desk jobs. It's sad, but I look like a computer technician. I am definitely way out of my hight/weight range, which, for reference, I'm 5'10" and 250lbs, and have the stamina of an 80 year old chain smoker. I just turned 30 in February, and have a semi-decent job, 2 beautiful kids, and a wonderful wife. I have finally come to the decision that I need to be in shape. Not triathalon shape, mind you. But, bigger, stronger, and faster; most certainly. So, I'm going to combine my love of all things glowing, blinky, and beepy with fitness. Enter the Wii. I chose the Wii originally for it's Wii Fit game. This is a decent title for people to get into routines, and develop basic skills. Balance, some good core exercise routines, and even a decent Yoga routine. But, it wasn't going to help me lose what I wanted. I went through a few others, then I found the EA Sports Active, and now Active 2. These programs give a great routine set, fully customizable to what your level of fitness may be. It was a good all around cardio+weight training game.

Wait, let me get back to that- GAME. It's amazing what a simple word can do. Now, I'm not going to gym and working out, I'm in my living room, playing a game, getting fit. I can't stress how this really helped me out, and I hope some of you will try it as well. I do not like gyms or fitness centers. I live in Sunny South Florida, and apparently to be a gym member, you have to already be in great shape. I can't stand these places; it seems like people do more time talking and hitting on each other than actually exercising. So, I decided on the Wii, which comes with ups and downs. I have absolutely no more excuses why I can't do it; it's in the living room for crying out loud. No more driving, fighting traffic, finding parking, etc. Just walk about 20 feet, and push a little button. It also adds a lot more self accountability, mostly because no one can make this fail or succeed but you. If you skip a day, it's on you. It's amazingly empowering. I'm trying to eat a little better, slowly but surely, and do a steady routine almost every day.

So, back to the beginning. I'm a geek. Now, I'm working on being a fit geek. With any luck, a few of you will do the same.