A mature perspective on aging February 28, 2009
Posted by Matsu in Family, Friends, Other, Random.1 comment so far
This is my birthday month. I was so busy (as was everyone else I know), I did not do anything on my birthday. Birthdays become less and less celebrated as I get older. As I look back on this month I am aware of two things. First, I didn’t do much writing on my blog (well, I didn’t do any writing, at least not here – all of my writing energies went to a huge writing project at work). And, second, I do not feel as old as I am.
Each year I get older. Yet, as time passes I do not feel old or even older. I realize that I am not as energetic as I used to be when I was twenty years old. And, I do not remember things as sharply as I used to when I was thirty. But, I really do feel pretty much the same as I did when I was in my twenties and thirties. I feel like I could be in my twenties or thirties.
This feeling is not all bad. And, I should confirm that it’s not a case of denial. I am simply saying that I feel like I am just as young as I have always been and not any older than I was 20 or 30 years ago. My body is obviously older. But my mind and soul feels the same. And, I do not consider people who are 5 or 10 years older than I am to be all that old. I almost think of them as young. That’s what happens as you get up in years. Those “old” people who are 30 or 40 no longer look old. In fact, as you pass through those years, they become younger and younger.
I can’t wait until I turn 70. Then I will finally begin to feel like I’m growing up! Now, I’d better figure out what I want to do when I grow up.
See your reflection in others July 2, 2008
Posted by Matsu in Family, Friends, History, Humor, Japan, Photography, Weblog.3 comments
It is interesting how much one learns of themselves by interacting with others. Yes, by interacting with people around you it helps you see yourself better and therefore you end up knowing yourself.
In the past several years I’ve worked with a person who has brought into focus the amount of influence my upbringing has affected my personality and character. I grew up in Japan. In fact, I spent most of the first 18 years of my life there, with the exception of three times when we lived in America for a year each time while on furlough. Well, the oriental influence on me is inescapable. And, this co-worker has been like a highly reflective mirror and given me a better view of myself and how I’ve been shaped by the oriental influences of my childhood.
One of the characteristics of oriental society is subtle communication. So, when I saw this photo posted on the Kyoto Daily Photo blog, I laughed out loud. It typifies how subtle the Japanese people can be, and by extension, how I am at times. The theme for the July 1st daily photo blog photos is “no.” The assignment is to take photos of signs that say “no” or “not permitted.” So, the photo of a walking path of large stepping stones with a single smaller stone sitting atop the first step means, “do not enter,” in the social language of Japan. That is a wonderful example of how small and subtle communication is in Japan — and while it’s subtle, I find it also to be crystal clear and almost obvious. But, that’s just because I think in those same terms.
So, thank you Bert for giving me a better view of myself and through that awareness, making this photograph that much more meaningful and amusing.
Disclaimer: The photo used in this post has nothing to do with the Kyoto Daily Photo blog. I wanted to use the stone path photo, but I didn’t have permission. Therefore, I found a good friend’s photo on the Wilmore Daily Photo blog site and used it without his permission. Hey, what is a friend going to do, sue me? Oh, oh! He seems to be tight with the local police. Maybe I should reconsider my attititude!
Praying for my colleagues at Union University February 6, 2008
Posted by Matsu in Friends, News, Photography, Random, Web.add a comment
Last night several tornadoes hit in and around Jackson, Tennessee, USA. One of those tornadoes ripped right through the campus of Union University. It is estimated that 40% of the residential housing (dorms) are beyond salvage and can’t be used any longer.
About six years ago I stayed in one of those dorms (pictured above) while attending a CCCU technology conference hosted by Union University. The amount of damage to buildings, cars, and personal property is staggering.
As an I.T. professional I immediately began to think of what their I.T. staff would be doing and wondered what they might need in order to get things online. Their e-mail and web servers were not online (or at least not responding to my attempts at reaching them).
I was able to reach the local newspaper’s website which provided some information, including the emergency (temporary) website set up on a public blog server. That site then linked me to the flickr photo log showing the extent of the damage.
By the end of the day my fellow I.T. Director at Union University sent an e-mail to the professional list I’m on and confirmed that their I.T. infrastructure was mostly intact. Their greatest I.T. problem was getting power in a city where the utilities were ripped out and may be out of service for many days. They were able to get a generator to help get critical servers online and planned to get a much bigger server to help get the campus some power for additional services.
At least now their main website (www.uu.edu) and e-mail servers are back online.
For now, they do not need any I.T. people or additional network or computer equipment. So, I and my colleagues across America remain in “standby mode” and stay where we are — feeling somewhat helpless. Well, not totally helpless because we can pray for them and all of the students, faculty, and staff at Union University.
To our colleagues at Union University, please know that you are in our prayers today and we will continue to pray for you in the days ahead.
Unlocking the mysteries of Steelcase January 19, 2008
Posted by Matsu in Business, Friends, Random.4 comments
A friend of mine recently asked for my help in figuring out how to remove the drawers from a Steelcase filing cabinet. They needed to move it and because of its weight, they had to remove the drawers.
The first thing I thought to recommend was to try the “rocker” approach to file cabinet drawer removal. You know the drill… pull the drawer all the way out then pull up on the front so the wheels come out of the rails then pull it out more so the back wheels of the drawer can come out the same way. Only, it turned out the model of Steelcase filing cabinet my friend had didn’t have wheels. Instead, it had ball barrings.
Next, I suggested looking for a rocker lever on the bottom or back of the drawer. In a previous job we purchased all new furniture for a 60,000 square foot building and it was all made by Steelcase. So, I thought that it might be constructed in a similar way as that furniture. It turned out that upon very close inspection there was no lever or button or rocker arm or latch at the back, bottom, or side of the drawer or rails.
Finally, I suggested looking on the inside of the drawer, not knowing where else one could look for a release latch to allow the drawer to slide free of the rails. While I was saying that my friend proclaimed that they may have found the secret. It turned out they discovered a latch on side panels of each drawer near the front of the file cabinet drawer and releasing it allowed the drawer to be removed. Very clever, Steelcase!
With that bit of office furniture mystery solved and the first drawer removed a second problem arose. How do you get the second and subsequent drawers out if the filing cabinet has the safety feature that only one drawer can be open at a time. Well, my friend figured out that piece of the puzzle as well. They found a round white plastic wheel with spokes that when turned it released the locking mechanism allowing the remaining drawers to open so that they could also be removed. Very, very clever.
If you want a puzzle to solve, forget buying a Rubik’s cube, buy a Steelcase filing cabinet instead! It takes a very clever person to solve it.
The world really is flat… but it doesn’t stop injustice January 5, 2008
Posted by Matsu in Business, Education, Friends, News, News and politics.2 comments
A few years ago a book titled “The World is Flat” was written by economist, Thomas Friedman. No, Mr. Friedman is not a member of the Flat Earth Society. The premise of the book is not that Christopher Columbus was wrong when he said the world was round and set out to sail West from Europe to reach the Far East. Instead, the premise of the book is that there are no barriers to competing on a global scale — the playing field is level — or flat. With today’s technology (especially technology like the Internet) political, geographical, racial, and even religious boundaries disappear.
Last weekend when I began to hear and read reports of the political and social upheaval in Kenya I immediately thought of a friend of mine. This friend owns and operates a free discussion board about Kenya. It was one of the earliest ones set up and since it’s hosted outside of Kenya, it’s immune from any influence from the government. This also let’s people be free to say what they want, hopefully without any chance of retaliation (assuming they decide to keep their identity private). He once blogged (here) about someone who didn’t like what was being posted on that discussion board and wanted my friend, as the sysadmin, to remove the post(s). Of course, the idea of “freedom of speech” is that people are free to express their opinions. Needless to say, with all of the sad and tragic things happening in the aftermath of the botched election in Kenya the discussion board is much busier than normal.
More than any point in history social and political injustices happening around the world can be documented and communicated to anyone (or everyone) no matter where they are in the world. The ubiquitousness of technology like digital cameras and digital video means that photos and video can be made of events and violence as it happens. Then, with the Internet and sites that provide free hosting of photo or video recordings and the availability of free blogging services anyone can publish what they capture. Why is it that when a government wants to control a people they start with the media? Because communication is power.
There is a lot of very sad news coming out of Kenya. The images and video footage of the riots and violence is really tragic. Thanks to Ruth, I just found out about this list of blogs covering the events in Kenya. I hope and pray that all of this communication enabled by technology will make a difference and people will come to the aid of the innocent Kenyans being injured or killed and their property destroyed.
I wish there was more that I could do about Kenya. Living in a flat world doesn’t necessarily prevent nor stop injustice and violence inflicted on innocent people.
