Saturday, 20th o November 2004
The New Vietnam
Sometimes I long for a bit of drama in my life, something with which to struggle, a worm, a trojan, or a virus or two. Linux is boring, and I am feeling a bit of guilt for my Microsoft brothers fighting Charlie in the jungles of the third world, while I cool my heals in Canada. I feel this guilt purchasing with impunity online, surfing freely, accessing remotely. Will my conscience ever be free and clear again?
I do feel I should do more for our boys. I should do my duty and get infected by spyware or something, do it for honor, do it for my country.
Show your patriotism and get infected by spyware today! Use Microsoft software!
Monday, 15th o November 2004
Jaimito's Greatest Hits
- The cross-over classic, "Clean my manos."
- and the ever popular, "I spilled da' agua."
Thursday, 11th o November 2004
Jaimito words to remember:
- Lolipop = Lopa-lop
- Ketchup = Checkup
- Papi Tito = Papu -> and now Pito
- Mami Nelli = Mele
- Superman = Weederwo
- Hotdog = hot-got
Laura words to remember:
"What am I? Chopped potatos?"
"What?" I laugh. "I think you mean chopped liver, or small potatos. Haha, I love your mixed metaphors." Laura can't contain herself , and she is rolling on the floor in tears.Sunday, 7th o November 2004
Olaia with her Great
Grandmother Mercedes Gorbea
Olaia's Sixth Birthday
Laura and I constantly revel in the wonderful sweet little girl that is Olaia Kathryn. A more thoughtful, respectful, and engaging little person we never could have imagined. Here are two brief tiny looks into her personality:
When her first tooth fell out, she was excited. "Mommy, mommy, my tooth fell out!" she exclaimed, a little bit scared, a little bit elated. "Mommy, I'm going to put it under my pillow and when the Tooth Fairy comes she will leave me money?"
"Yes, Olaia, the Tooth Fairy will bring you money for your tooth." She beamed.
Later, when the time came for bed, Olaia ran up to me with a quarter in her hand. "Daddy, I want to leave this for the Tooth Fairy. She works very hard, and I want to give this to her."
I laughed. What a sweet little girl. So empathetic. I believed it had something to do with a TV commercial for a change consolidation service in which there was depicted a harried, tired Tooth Fairy weighed down with a huge bag of change. She falls down the stairs and all of her coins go flying all over the house. Later, while buying band-aids to patch up her scrapes and bruises, she notices a change machine where she is able to consolidate it into more easily carried paper money. I thought to myself that Olaia must have remembered this and wanted to say thank you to the Tooth Fairy for her hard work. She made sure the money and tooth were carefully placed under her pillow and she drifted off to sleep.
In the days preceding Halloween this year, Olaia, spent the afternoons making many copies of a drawing. On one side was a nighttime scene depicting a scary house, and on the other was a happy house. She made ten copies of the drawing. I guess I was distracted, because I never asked her directly what they were for. I mentioned that they were nice though.
At our first trick-or-treat house, Olaia said, "Trick or
treat." After the woman had given out the handfuls of
candy to Olaia, the witch and Jaimito, the ghost, and turned to go
into the house, Olaia called out, "Wait. I have something
for you. On this side is a scary house for Halloween, and if
that's too scary for you, on the other side is a nice house."
The woman was confused for a second. I stood there a bit
confused as well. Ahh, Laura and I thought at the moment.
"It's a thank you card for the candy," we said. I remarked
that Olaia's depth of consideration was so profound that she had even
given the card an alternative depiction for those easily scared.
The woman was most amused and grateful. "How beautiful was the drawing. Thank you."
I wonder if anyone has ever thought to bring thank you cards around with them on Halloween? I never did. Laura never did.
Olaia did.
She is such a joy, Laura and I thank God every day that we get to spent with her.
Thursday, 4th o November 2004
Why China / Russia / Middle East / Insert-your-boogie-man-here is Not Going to Destroy You and Never Could
Frequently I write up responses to things that interest me or pursue a thought that pops into my head during the day. More often than not, I write it up in a hurry, reread it, and discard it. Occassionally, I go back and check out the drivel that I had written and think, "Hey that's not so bad, why did I throw it away. Good thing I saved it." This is one such occassion, and the theme a recurring one. China's growing economic might and progress. Chinese technologyGo ahead and read it. It'll sound about the same as every other thinly veiled awestruck/fearstruck warning to the western world, to "get off yer duff and take these bastards seriously, or they'll run the world in a few decades, while you and your familly drown in your own excrement." You'll find things like, "There are 300 million cell phone users in China." "If even 10% of the Chinese population did _blank_ then that would turn the word market for _blank_ on its ear." They always talk passingly about "our market opportunity" but belie it with "if only China would open its doors to the west." Sprinkle in "human rights," "nuclear weapons," and "communism" and you've got the makings of a nice little pseudo cold war in the brewing, a nice sun brewed ice cold war.
You see, our problem is that we are really afraid of China, but it's not just China. Before them (or concurrently) it was Russia. Before that, it was the Vietnamese, Native-Americans. Before that, it was the Turks... It's always somebody, and hindsight has always proven our fear was all for naught.
So, back to China. What was it about this article that irked me? - Cell phone users - I got this image in my head of 300 million folks walking around with little black gadgets stuck to their heads. I see them, a sea of thin, slight, Chinese people hustling and bustling with little portable hot-pocket roasters yibber yabbering away about important stuff concerning world affairs and their plans for global domination and our own subsequent subjugation.Unfortunately, their plans are probably more in line with, do you know who X has a crush on, or did you get the new album by X, or hon, pick up some rice on the way home from the office, or hi, mom, the phone company told me that it would be another ten years (or never) before they extended service to our area, so I just got this cell phone.
So people aren't doing anything but using these cellphones to perform the same things that you or I do in the same circumstances. But what if the Chinese dumped cell phones onto our markets, got a lock on the global cell phone market, why, they could... hello? These are cell phones, people!! These are communication devices. Like ALL tech, it doesn't have the ability to DO squat by itself. It can't invent anything new. It can't create. It can't motivate. It can't thrust. It is a TOOL, a tool for people, subject to their follies, their strengths, their weaknesses. A cell phone cannot DO anything to you. It cannot change your way of life. It cannot subjugate you. Unless...
And that brings me to another point. If technology is essentially impotent, what CAN China possibly do with it or any other piece of technology they acquire? The short answer is this: What their president tells them to do.
We should not fear a people without true freedom, for it is the most important attribute of success. One person cannot make decisions for 2 billion people. He can't even begin to comprehend the lives of his living relatives. The only way China can succeed in any lasting way is if they are free to pursue their inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Will they pursue folly? Sure. Will they do great things? Sure. Will they be a threat to us? Surely not.