i like to call it lost wages

Back from Vegas. The chill blast of stepping off a plane into freezing Indiana is getting too familiar.

I have a lot of thoughts about Microsoft’s new product line, which I may or may not go into at a future time.

Good networking, though. Good food, good sessions, saw cool movies/keynotes, played a lot of Gears of War 2 / Rock Band 2. Getting up on stage and singing strange songs is nervewracking. Until you realize that when you did it, there wasn’t even an audience, and now the band going up after you is a bunch of Frenchmen who don’t know any English and are still trying to rock out The Offspring, or the little timid Asian girl who comes up later and belts out Livin’ on a Prayer in front of a full crowd.

Everyone there was using a Macbook Pro running Windows 7. This is probably indicative of a lot of things. Although it’s not a surprise to see great hardware running great software.

I still don’t really like Vegas. Everything is tacky and dirty and old, like no one has bothered to update anything since the 70’s. It’s an exercise in consumerism, where the end goal of every facet you see from dawn to dusk is for you to spend money and make poor decisions. It seems like a playground for the rich, to flaunt nice cars and clothes and wealth and status. But most of all, I don’t like it because you don’t really see people being genuinely happy there.

But I guess I shouldn’t complain about a free stay in the Venetian.

march update

1. compliments of the CGT department and Microsoft, I’ll be flying to Vegas next week for the MIX conference about web development and design or something to that effect. this is yet another entry in the ’someone else pays for neil to fly somewhere and do something’ list, which I assure you still has room to grow.

2. compliments of Heartland Neurology, I’m on round 2 of taking a bunch of random drugs till we find something else that works. Also getting an MRI at some point. Doctor suggested this could all be from a concussion or two back in the football days. seems reasonable.

indiana weather is depressing

it’s rarely pleasant to have to forego one event in order to attend another, and it’s even less so when both events are funerals for people you really liked; people who had tremendous vigor for life and were taken far before their time. people the world could’ve used more of. I wonder anymore if, as the saying goes, the good really do die young, or if the rest of us just grow bitter and old. let us hope the spirit they brought with them will stay above ground and live on with those who knew them. RIP John & Tex.

 

I try to look at the positive side of any situation, which is occasionally difficult when so many negatives seem to be apparent. being all but broke seems to fit into that category.

Not that I am criticizing any companies/individuals (okay I am), but if you come to a point where you aren’t in the financial position you’d like to be, the right course of action is not to sit back and hope someone comes along and bails you out. even if it takes futile efforts (as it turns out, most sit-down restaurants in the greater Lafayette area are, while cheerfully accepting applications, not interested in hiring) or drastic measures (anyone wanting to buy a laptop?) or, as I’m hoping to be the case, a kick-in-the-ass towards proving some caliber of knowledge in the skills I’m theoretically learning.  Ideas about freelance graphics works, running my own design firm/website, programming a video game, etc, have always been mulling about in the back of my mind. they stayed there, though, because why bother if you don’t have the need?

okay, so let’s take this personal experience and expand it to take some actual message out of it, possibly applying it to the American youth I’ve apparently been representing over the last few years. let’s say American children just don’t have the financial need in order to truly innovate, and that’s why in the long run the foreigners will develop skills faster and be better motivated. would I have ever seriously started looking into doing freelance graphics work online had I not been in a not-so-great financial position? perhaps after college, or somewhere else down the road. now I see that the majority of the competitors in all of these freelance fields – graphics, coding, writing (even English), etc – all foreign workers, willing to work quickly and cheaply.

 

so is it a good thing that the rest of America is also going broke? depends on the timeline. people aren’t going to be happy about it anytime soon, and I certainly wish I could buy a nicer coat. the global economy will enter into a lasting recession, and though the stimulus will provide jobs, they won’t be at the same level as those they are replacing. major companies across every industry are laying off mass numbers of businessmen and women, technicians and IT professionals, 6-figure white collar and blue collar and any other collar. Now we’ll ask them to go put on some orange vest and rebuild infrastructure. It’s like the end of Office Space, only not so much out of choice.

in the long run, I see this as positive. but I’m not sure how many people allow themselves to look in the long run anymore. the short-run problems, such as the large amount of homework I have due in less than 12 hours, always seem to get in our way.

not everything is falling

some businesses are failing. in fact, a lot of businesses are failing completely. a lot of people are going unemployed or underemployed. there are many industries which are built on the notion that people will always have disposable income that they would rather spend on consumer purchases than save for later times.

some businesses are thriving. nintendo had a great year, as did amazon. walmart, mcdonalds, etc will all do fine throughout this, as low cost sellers. differentiation companies, like starbucks, will have to rethink their entire perspective or face a grim year or two. and this will last at least through 2010.

so in the meantime, we have to look at this as an opportunity. in 2 million minutes, one of the commentators notes that Americans lack the basic economic urgency that Indians have, and thus are not as committed to innovation. well, I wouldn’t count on our security blankets to last too much longer. the financial bailout has done nothing. the auto bailout will do nothing. in the end, we will probably have to nationalize large swaths of public companies just to stay afloat. and to those laissez-faire free-market proponents, I’m sorry, you had your chance, people got greedy, and now we’re SOL.

what I ask myself, as a hopeful entrepreneur, is how to develop and deliver value to someone in a time when money is sparse, consumer confidence is low, and no one wants to buy anything. mainly I see that I don’t want to enter the job market anytime soon. even still, my prospects as far as employment opportunities/future education are looking great, so I’m not terribly worried. I’m worried for the rest of my peers. this may not be something that we bounce back from and grow stronger because of; this might be something that irrevocably changes the dynamics of the global economy. so what side of the globe will you be on when all is said and done?

final night

we’re back in bangalore, which isn’t nearly as exciting as before. it’s not nearly as colorful as jaipur, and there is more traffic than in delhi.

i’m more or less over my stomach troubles (which we pinpointed to some fish that Bob, Liza and I ate and Brittany skipped, leading the three of us to some rough days), but we are ready to come home for some bland American food.

at the same time, leaving a wonderful land of amazing customer service, clean and spacious rooms with beautiful views, and expensive wines and champagnes, and returning to the world of rude Americans, dirty fraternity life and cheap beer is a little tough.

more and more I become confused why the people and places of American and India are so backwards. Indians work hard day and night, are friendly and welcoming to others, care for the family, respect all religions, believe in a harmony of environment, and modernize without losing their thriving culture. Americans are by and large lazy and large, rude and suspicious of others, care for themselves above others, hate all religions but theirs, promote causes because it makes them feel better, and try to export their culture on the rest of the world.

yet America is beautiful, our streets are clean, our houses are large, our tap water is pristine (…and still people drink bottled), our schools are advanced, our malls are gigantic, our cars can transport livestock, our workweek is light, our job safety nets are expansive, our paychecks are huge…

it probably has a lot to do, among other things, with population size. with a billion and change people, India can’t keep up. so pollution rises, traffic rules can’t be obeyed, there is no social security, and as we recently saw, the government can do little to protect its citizens from an increasingly hostile part of the world. 

trying to get to a dinner last night, I was confused why there was so much traffic at 9pm. Apoorva told me it was Rush hour, which still didn’t make much sense to me. she explained, of course, that it was from all the people going to work at the call center, since they have to adjust for our daylight hours. it suddenly dawned on me that we have changed their entire culture, forcing people to work graveyard shifts just for our benefit. and yet, the best job in bangalore is still working these call centers, so that we can dial in and get “Joe” or “Mike” to help us with whatever electronic gadget we were too lazy to read the simple instructions for.

when things in nature are at such unequal levels as they are here, an equilibrium is always reached, with one side giving way and the other gaining. I fear for just how much way we are going to have to give in order to reach this balance, and I think my generation and my country is, as is typical, severely unprepared, unaware, and uncaring.

midpoint

internet connections are not always readily available here, even though driving through the streets one will see the ubiquitous “i.s.o. s.t.d.” signs all over the place, which we know have something to do with a telephone/internet connection.

but, more to the point, we have been busy. any image one can conjour up upon the thought of India, more than likely we have been there, done that, taken pictures, gotten the tshirt.

I saw a snake charmer (and had a cobra around my neck), sipped wine on the back of an elephant, had a camel almost fling me off his back, rode countless rickshaws through crowded city streets, visited the Taj Mahal, had a New Year’s celebration at what was once a Palace of the Maharaja (and won a prize for being the best dressed male there), eaten spicier food than I have ever had back home, gotten really sick because of it (I’m fine now), and all around been treated like a visiting king. The only time the men stop and stare more at me than Brittany is when I have been wearing my kurta and turban (there are plenty of pictures), at which point they must only assume I’m rather important. But, considering we were featured in around fourteen of the top newspapers in Bangalore and India as a whole on the first day we arrived, we might as well be.

We head tomorrow back to Bangalore, to the fourth hotel in four nights. A few more days remain.

Arrival

We left the sun somewhere past London, and had to race halfway round the world just to pick him up again. It’s a shame that in our haste, our luggage just couldn’t keep up the pace. So if you happen to see my face plastered on every Bangalore paper and wonder why I’m in jeans and a tshirt, just know that at least once I have an excuse for being chronically underdressed.

Aside from the billboards and advertisements, we are more or less the only white people in Bangalore. Had we told the endless amount of men stopping and staring at Brittany that she was a famous American pop-star, I doubt anyone would question it.

Once again, I am left to question whether these people are the best or worst drivers in the world. If you ever wondered what would happen if police officers ran out of tickets to give, this would more or less be it.

The smell of the country is overwhelming at first, like you have stepped off the plane and right into the kitchen of your local Taj buffet. The food is delicious, the bananas are tiny, the pizza is most certainly not pizza, and juice is served room temperature (and I’d be crazy to ask for ice).

The tv stations are all Bollywood-style music videos and movies. Sometimes they speak in English, but not enough to understand the story more than “guy sings about girl, girl sings about not wanting guy, then the guy joins 50 other guys for a synchronized dance number.” (I’m almost positive they just said “Microsoft Word,” but they are nowhere near a computer) Also they danced with a transformer at one point (a car turned into a robot, not the electrical box).

Hopefully my suitcase arrives today, as though we plan on going shopping (and the airline gave me $70 to buy clothes), I haven’t seen any man in this country taller than 5′7″ and with a waist wider than 30″.

I’m still jetlagged, I don’t quite understand how to operate the toilet (it’s apparently a more complicated measure than a ‘flush’ button, as there’s also a valve to ‘open’ or ‘close’), and I’m surprised I’ve made it this far without getting sick.

But aside from that, India is wonderful.

some recent observations concerning facial hair and pirates

1) brad pitt looks absolutely terrible with a moustache

2) no, if we want to be a truly free market, we should not bail out the big three. they should fail, the execs should be fired, and the unions disbanded.

3) yes, since no one wants the entire country to be unemployed, we should probably bail them out anyway. the execs should still be fired, and the unions should still be disbanded. if they don’t make immediate changes to their fundamental business strategies (fuel efficiency vs. power as a selling point, large vs. smaller cars, union workers, etc) – 5 years or less – they will be right back where they are now.

4) trying to develop new ‘nonlethal’ weapons like audio blasters or high pressure hoses to deal with somalian pirates is beyond ridiculous. Change maritime ordinances immediately. Any large ship traveling through that region should be armed, and upon sight of pirates should open fire. this problem will only get worse otherwise. you do not bring a knife (or in this case, a hose) to a gun fight.

5) if we do not address the underlying economic/political reasons that these men have resorted to piracy, the problem will continue regardless of the ships’ actions.

6) bill richardson looks absolutely terrible without a beard

7) yes, the mumbai attacks originated in pakistan. duh. pakistan knows it, we know it, the indians certainly know it, and our tip-toing around the situation won’t help anything.

8 ) yes, I still want to go to India. no, i am not afraid. i will not look back on my life and fondly remember the times i spent safe and sound in familiar comfort. it is in these times that you must dare to live.

9) no, computer mice are not going to disappear in favor of multitouch input screens. it is not always intuitive or usefull to jab at a screen like a gorilla.

 

that wraps it up for today.

a victory for america

Attn: City of Bloomington Traffic Department – 11/03/08

    It is with cautious optimism that I submit herein my appeal, relying on the grace and generosity of strangers in that they may tread lightly on my hopes. While I can hardly argue that my vehicle in question was parked by a curb for slightly longer than what some may say was the alloted time, I suggest that declaring me in contrast to the law is unnecessary and decidedly unpatriotic, given my work during those two hours in question. Men and women, our brothers and fathers in uniform and many before us have given their lives to protect our right to vote and express our opinion in true democratic value, and I saw no greater use of my time than to traverse the local community and encourage residents to exercise their rights in kind. You see, I view my civic duty as extending far past submitting my own vote, but also as to invite those around me to do the same, so that all are equal and counted. So when I saw the parking lot of the local political volunteer office completely full (and being unfamiliar with the area and other local parking opportunities), I knew I could let nothing stand in my way to complete my patriotic work. After all, as JFK once told our nation, “Ask not what America can do for you, but what you can do for America.”
    And yet now I stand here, having gone out and asked what I could do for America, and seen fit to go and do exactly that, and having completed that I find the true extent of what America can and do for me: punish me, fine me, and criticize me for only trying to help. Am I to think my time spent volunteering is for naught, and that in the future I should just stay at home? That cities would rather see its streets free of parked cars than waves of educated, enthusiastic voters? I know which America I would rather see, and I hope that you think deeply about which America you’d rather be a part of. In conclusion, though my ticket may only be for $15, I see this as an assault on my basic principles and ethics. I appeal this ticket with my forefathers in mind, knowing they too would park alongside that curb, and stay for as long as they needed to ensure America remained such a beautiful place. Thank you for your time.

 

 

CITY OF BLOOMINGTON PARKING CITATION APPEAL

Neil,
Your citation for overtime parking on 11/1/08 has been
(patrioticly!)dismissed as a warning. Sincerely,

***** ********
Office of the City Clerk
Bloomington, Indiana
812-349-****

post-election

• Single-Issue Voters are a blight on the electoral system.
• The passage of Prop 8 should remind liberals not to count on the Black vote for all issues.
• Mike Huckabee’s show on Fox is mildly entertaining, thought provoking, and interesting to watch. This is a first for any show on Fox News, as far as I know.
• If Bush had a “mandate”, Obama sure as hell has one. Don’t listen to those who say otherwise; they just want to discredit his impressive victory.
• The fact that celebrations were held around the world because of our choice for President should probably be indicative that we did something right.
• All of those die-hard Bush fanatics who rallied around the cry of “You may not agree with his policies, but he’s our President and we have to support him” – turnaround is fair game.