Swimming In Thought

So I’m on an airplane (what else is new) and as soon as the plane takes off, this guy walks over to me and just collapses on the floor.  The flight attendants had to make an announcement to get a doctor or someone with medical experience to help (this is normal), but what just fucking amazes me is the fact that not one American came to his aid.  The chances of more than one person on a fully-loaded 737 having formal medical training is pretty high and the only person that offered to help was a foreign doctor.

Fast forward 5 minutes when the guy finally regains consciousness and is still laying on the floor. Keep in mind that he just passed out in First Class (walking up to get help from coach).  All the people sitting there just looked at him and did nothing. Not one person offered his / her seat to the guy.  (Well, one person did.. guess who).  Anyway, what fucking amazes me is all those people sitting there made snide little remarks like, “Oh, I would have given up my seat if they asked.”  Uhm, people.. What the fuck is wrong with you!?!! The point is to not have to be asked!  Personally, I think it’s kind of fucked up.

Anyway, I guess no good deed is left unrewarded, because I found out today (while making reservations for a flight) the airline tagged my profile to get priority first class upgrades for life.  Personally, that’s pretty damn cool, but I didn’t expect it, nor did I know someone did it. That’s not the point of this rant, though.  It just behooves me people today have no sense of decency. What if that person were your mother, wife, father, brother, etc?  It’s just not right.  It’s not about doing things because you can get something for it.  It’s about doing the right thing.  Personally, sitting 6 hours in coach is *NOT* a big deal if you’re giving up your seat to someone who needs it.

What happened to the “HUMAN” side of humanity?  It’s sad that people have lost sight of this.

So, I’m proposing we all do something once a month that is truly selfless.  It’s not about personal gain, although, it feels damn good afterwards.  (It also makes the world a less bitter place)

If you can’t think of things to do, here are some things my friends and I have done.

• Give Blankets out on a cold night
• Make Sandwiches and give them to the homeless
• Send a bunch of pizzas and clowns to the local orphanage
• Raffle off Superbowl Tickets to your clients for charity
• Work a Soup Line on Christmas
• Give blood to someone who is sick
• Take your dogs to the nursing home for a day
• Find a family that isn’t doing too well financially and give them a memorable christmas (secret santa)
• Buy books for a struggling college student who really can’t afford them
• Stop and help someone change a flat tire, because they’re not able to (elderly)
• Pay for someone’s gas when you can tell they clearly can’t afford it

It just might make you a better person.  Try it.

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Well, it finally happened and I didn’t even see it coming.  Just going about my daily business when all of a sudden, BAM! and wow.. I’m still seeing stars!  Cupid came along and took one big swing with a louisville slugger.  I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve felt this way. That feeling of pending excitement when you know you’re going to see that person later on that day. The ridiculous Kool-Aid smile you have on your face for no apparent reason.  Yup, that’s me right about now.

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Humanity has always had a desire to do the unnatural.  We jump off buildings, out airplanes, go diving into the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean.. Well, you get the idea.  One thing we do is “tempt fate” and it is this reason that humanity has a desire to just “go faster”.  I guess that’s where I fit.  I live a fast and hard-edged lifestyle.  Base-Jumping, Sky-diving, fast cars, motorcycles, and maybe even the occasional unicycle.

So this post is about my thing with speed.  Keep in mind, I’m talking about the ultimate adrenalin rush.  Propelling yourself down the freeway at 321.2 feet per second (219 mph) in two tons of steel and leather.  There’s nothing like it.  Well, doing it on a Ducati (although not quite so fast, because mine doesn’t go that fast) is just a great big rush. The point is, even though I’ve had that ability and have done it (just recently), it still just doesn’t feel like it’s enough.  My overwhelming desire for more adrenalin is just mind-boggling. When does it end?

Now, keep in mind, a few of  [my more conservative] friends have told me I’m gonna kill myself doing this, but hell, the way I look at it, if I die, I’m dying in style.. *chuckle*.  Keep in mind, I do it all the time with safety in mind.  I only do it on open roads with nobody around (and I do wear my seatbelt).  It still doesn’t feel like it’s enough.

So my question is.. What drives this thirst for more?  It’s not a power thing.. It’s just the need to feel alive and that feeling is best savored when I’m walking the edge.

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OK, call me a geek, call me “one who lives in excess..”, or just call me a spoiled brat, but when I’m home, I like to have all the media I want when I want it. (wow.. that last sentence had quite a few commas).  I like to have movies, music, and whatever else I want at my fingertips.  So I’ve designed what I’d like to call my ideal multimedia nirvana.

Let’s talk about what I was trying to achieve and how I went about getting it.  Movies; I’m a big nut for movies.  So I knew the first thing I needed was a videoserver.  I wanted access to my videos at any computer or television in my house.  I looked at all the different brands and offerings on the market and concluded there was nothing out there that met all of my needs. So, what to do?  I built one.

Here are the specs (as of 3 years ago when I decided to do this).

The first issue was space.  I wanted to be able to store lots of video, so that’s what I did.  I built a server capable of storing 3 TB (that’s Terabytes for you non-techies) of multimedia content.  To give you an idea of how much space that is, 3 TB can store:

• 12,600 Movies at DVD quality
• 750,000 songs

In other words,  I won’t be running out of space any time soon.  The next step was to figure out how to “serve” the video and music to my televisions, computers, and multimedia devices.  What did I do?  I simply added some software to my server; pyTivo.  This little bit of software allows any Tivo connected television to access the content on my video server.  The catch? I have to have a Tivo on every television in my house (which I do).  One of the advantages of a Tivo is you can access the content on any Tivo from any other Tivo in your house.

So now, I have Video access anywhere in my house.  So, let’s say I wanted to show pictures of that last night of debauchery to some friends?  I could easily do that as well, as the pyTivo server allows me to access the pictures on my server and display them on my television as well.

What about music?  Oh.. pyTivo does that as well.  I can access music anywhere in the house as well.

As you can see, I’ve covered the entire range of multimedia access with one server and a bunch of Tivos.  How did I interconnect it all?  Category 5e wiring.  Yup, every room in the house is equipped with 4 network ports.  What about wireless?  I have that too.  It’s overlaid over the entire house. (Just in case I want to work on my patio).

Normally, this would have cost the average joe over 50-100K to do for their whole house (and I have a big house), but I’m lucky enough to own a construction company as one of my side businesses, so it cost me next to nothing.  (about $30K).  Total time to completion?  About 2 weeks.

OK, so I’ve handled the multimedia portion of the solution.  What about communications?  Let’s see what I’ve done to facilitate that as well.  I put in a phone system in my house, not just any phone system, but something that would put most Fortune 100 telephone company phone systems to shame.  I have 16 telephone numbers coming into my house as well as remote offices connected and web access to voicemail.  I deployed those really nice Cisco 7970 telephones throughout the entire house as well.

Things my telephone system can (and does do):

• Dial up Weather
• Wake Up Calls
• IVR (Interactive Voice Response)
• Voicemail
• Call Forwarding
• Advanced Call logic

Now, let’s say I was out on the road (which I am quite frequently) and I wanted access from my hotel room? No problem.  I can access my system via vpn from my laptop and watch videos, listen to music, and even make and receive telephone calls as well.  All from my laptop, my iPhone, and my Blackberry.  So in other words, I’m completely connected.

What if you want a system like this? No problem.  I’m available for a consulting engagement (it’s a hobby of mine).  For 20K + the cost of materials and labor, I’ll get a system like this up and running for you in your home as well.  The project usually takes about a month to do, but when you’re done, you’ll have an incredibly robust system that just “works”. If you were to do this with any other AV consultant, you’d end up paying over 100k.  My total cost with parts and labor? about 50K. (This includes my consulting fee).

Is this a shameless plug for my consulting services?  Not really, but I enjoy this type of work (as it’s somewhat mindless for me) and at the end of the day, I have access to everything I need at my fingertips.

Some other things I can implement for you?

Full Home Automation such as:

• Temperature Control
• Security (Video)
• Light Control
• Gate Control Mechanisms
• Video Conferencing (I already do that)
• Voice Activated Commands (You talk to the house.. “Play the Beatles, etc.”)

Drop me a line.  I’ll personalize the system for you from soup to nuts.  I can also do private exhibit spaces, yachts, and jets as well. It’s been a hobby of mine for over 10 years, so I’m more than qualified and yes.. I do have references.

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We all decompress in different ways.  Some jog, others cook, there’s the veritable “walker”.  Me?  Well.. I like to do things that may seem unnatural.  I’m an adrenalin junkie.  I don’t do it so much for the “thrill” of doing it, but for the one moment of clarity I get during the act of whatever it is I’m doing.  Whether it’s skydiving, bungie jumping, or propelling myself down the road at some insane speed.  There’s that quick thought that I could die at any moment and it’s at that moment I gain true perspective of everything.  It makes me realize things like work stress, P&Ls, money.. you know.. things that are major stress-points for people.. well, they just don’t matter.

Just remember boys and girls.. wear a helmet and always put on your safety belt. bah!

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OK.. Just wondering if anybody else hears soundtracks in their dreams?  I just laid down for a nap before going out for the night and when I woke up, I realized my dream had a soundtrack with it.  Exactly like a movie.  It was really weird.  The lucid dreaming thing I’ve always been able to do (control my dreams and be fully aware I was dreaming), but I’ve been having soundtracks with my dreams on a more frequent basis lately.  It just seems.. unnatural.

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Warning: The following post is a complete rant.  I’ll probably piss off quite a few people, but seriously.. The level of stupidity involved in this little exercise rivals even that of the TSA.

It just fucking amazes me how someone at the White House thought it would be a good idea to fly Airforce One over New York City. Seriously, what the fuck were they thinking?  I wish I could just write this off as a mild fuck-up, but clearly this required lots of thought and coordination by individuals at every level of government; Federal, State, and City.

Here’s the reality:

Federal: First, someone at the Executive Level decided, “Hey, let’s update our photos of AF-1, wouldn’t it be cool if we could fly it over New York City?”  Sadly, there were enough dumb shits in office that agreed this would be a great photo-op.  Uhm.. OK.. Maybe they didn’t hear of Sept. 11, 2001.  You would think that they would need to notify the FAA for this (and they did), because they needed to clear air traffic (in / around) Manhattan to do this.  The geniuses at the FAA (including those wonderful Flight Controllers who get paid 180K per year) didn’t bother to *possibly* raise a flag that New Yorkers might be sensitive to a large commercial jet flying low over NYC.  Just fucking brilliant.

State: Well.. They’re just dumb as fuck so there’s really no discussing how stupid NY state politicians are.  Let’s just make believe they just thought, “Oh wow! What a great idea!”

City: Bloomberg; The fucker that decided it would be a good idea to change term limits so he could stay in office longer.  (Doesn’t this sound like a third world dictatorship?).  You’d think he would have enough intelligence to just say, “Hey.. Maybe this isn’t that good an idea.”  It’s ok, because Bloomberg’s a fucking hypocrite.  The “ordinary guy” who happens to be mayor that “takes the subway” to work.  Uhm.. The idiot takes a private car to the subway station.  Almost makes you want Giuliani back.. well, maybe not that bad.  Any diehard New Yorker would have enough common sense to just recognize that this wouldn’t be a good idea.  So either Bloomberg is just incredibly stupid or he’s just kissing the ass of the new administration.

I guess what blows my mind about the whole thing is the simple fact that out of all the people who were involved or notified of this little stunt, not one person decided that maybe flying a very large commercial jet at low altitude over New York City on a Monday morning prompting multiple building evacuations would be a bad idea?

I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything this blatantly stupid executed by any other government.  Seriously.

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With all the bullshit going on with the world, politics, war, and the economy, I figure I’d write about something to be happy about.  Then.. I thought, “Hell.. Just write about being Happy.”  And thus, this rambling was born.  Why am I writing about being happy right now?  Because.. I’m just.. Happy.

I guess I could look at the world and see how depressing everything is.. and the reality is, it’s really depressing.  People are losing their jobs, the world is blowing up, there’s political instability everywhere.  That’s not the point of this posting though.  I’m not going to be yet another person to write about how bad things are.. although, I do that quite a bit (meh).

Right now, I’m just feeling… happy.  It’s just amazing how one little thing can lift one’s heart.  Something so simple, like doing something and seeing the appreciation on their face.  That didn’t quite happen today, but it’s almost time to do something along those lines soon.  If it were up to me (and it rarely is), I would just dedicate my life to saving people, but what good is saving people if I can’t help myself first right?

So why am I happy?  My thoughts.  In greater detail, my thoughts about someone.  Let’s just say that we’ve spoken on the telephone, I’ve exchanged emails and numerous text messages.  You know that feeling of finding someone that just gives you that sense of excitement when you see that text message, or hear their voice?  That sense of impending exhilaration when you just can’t wait to see them?  That’s what I’m talking about.  It’s not love.. It’s not lust, it’s just that feeling of overwhelming happiness.  It brings a Kool-Aid smile to your face.  That’s what I’m talking about.  I feel that right now.

So. If you’re single, go out and enjoy the day!  Find someone that makes you feel that way.

If you’re in a relationship, do something special for your partner.

The world’s depressing enough.  Let’s stop concentrating on the things that don’t matter so much and start concentrating on the things that matter.  Happiness.

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There are times when I just feel like spouting whatever comes to mind. This is one of those times. The thoughts contained here are just a download of whatever is on my mind at the moment. It’s kind of a release valve of sorts. I guess that’s why I blog; it’s therapeutic.

Don’t mind the grammar, as I am not paying attention to form and aesthetics. Meh.

My thoughts about:

Online Dating: I have no idea why people feel the overwhelming need to misrepresent themselves. I have a friend who is currently trying the online dating thing and she tells me about how people just tend to post old pictures, completely inaccurate pictures, etc. They compound the problem with being completely false within their profiles. Personally, if you’re looking for a partner / girlfriend / boyfriend, wouldn’t you want to just be honest? You’d think there’s something good about letting people know who you really are rather than who you’d like people to think you are.

Hope: People are really hoping the economy is going to get better. You hear people talk about how the economy is going to turn around in the next six months, etc. Let’s be real people. We’re in a huge mess and the world economy is going to hell in a handbasket. Oil prices are down, the markets are looking for any reason to rally [e.g. - The weather's good! Let's rally]. The sense of impending doom and the dark cloud has been cast. It’s not going anywhere. Anyone with even a basic knowledge of economics will realize that it will take 5-6 years to recover. If we really want a stable economy, we’re going to have to reset expectations, prices, and import / export levels. If you take a look at how the world is faring, it’s not doing well. Even in China (the panacea customer base for the corporations) is hurting.

People. Here’s a hint… Stimulus packages don’t work. You can’t just inject money into a market through the banks and expect everything to just be ok. It doesn’t work that way. You’re just adding to the problem. More debt does not equal a stronger long term economy. People need to save, artificially inflated real-estate values aren’t helping. I understand there are tons of people who are upside down on their mortgages, but the reality is, you never should have committed to putting yourself in that much debt to begin with. Here’s a hint people. If you make 50K per year, you can’t afford a 50K car. N’est pas?

More to come in a bit.. I’m gonna go lay down. I’m just mentally exhausted.

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