On Bigotry and Intolerance

[Note: This was originally published here on August 1, 2012. It deals with the then-current kerfluffel about Chick-fil-a, but by the end it pretty accurately sums up my thoughts on the gay lifestyle, religion and gay "marriage." This is a repost because I think it still says everything I want to say about the subject.]

I've been called a bigot and intolerant (both directly and indirectly) many, many times in the last week over the Chick-fil-a thing and gay marriage simply because I'm a Christian and a Conservative.  From friends on Facebook and Twitter, from complete strangers in the same places and especially in "news" articles on the web.  The snarky, condescending rhetoric is thick.

For the record, here is the Webster's dictionary definition of "bigotry:"

'Bigotry' is the state of mind of a "bigot", a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his orher own opinions and prejudices; especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance".

You see?  By demanding that I accept something that I think is wrong and by  saying I'm some sort of a hatemonger because I don't support gay marriage and by treating my viewpoint with intolerance, you're actually a bigot.  Having a common disagreement of ideas is fine, but when you refuse to accept my viewpoint at all and start calling names and trying to force me to accept your viewpoint, not through reasoned debate or discussion but by intimidation and coercion then not only have you already lost the argument, but by definition that makes you an intolerant bigot.

I would like to respectfully request that everyone see where the controversy started and read the original interview that this whole kerfluffle came from.  The tone of the rhetoric simply doesn't match the resulting hysteria coming form the "tolerant" left.  

I simply don't get it.  Here is a guy - a leader of a corporation - and a Christian in a very candid moment saying that he doesn't think that gay marriage is in accordance with what he considers to be family values and what he understands to be God's word.  He's entitled to his opinion and to run his business the way he wants just as much as the next guy.  If you don't like what his business stands for, just don't buy their product - it's as simple as that. 

There are people out there saying, "but well, yeah- I support his personal right to say whatever he wants to, but his company gives money from the company's profits to anti-gay hate groups that lobby against gay marriage!!!!" Fair enough argument, I thought.  Then I realized that Chick-fil-a is a private company without shareholders that can do whatever it wants with its profits.  Then I got to wondering what anti-gay "hate groups" the company might be sending money to.  The only thing I could find referenced by these shrill people was "Focus on the Family" and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.  It's interesting to me that some people have started classifying anything they don't agree with as hate. 

But what really gets me is all the people demanding tolerance and calling people bigots are many of the same ones spewing some truly hateful rhetoric.  Here are some real comments posted in the comment section of Tennessee representative Diane Black's Facebook page after she posted a photo of her holding a tray of Chick-fil-a sandwiches (names removed to protect the guilty):

"Like she needs to eat another one of those sandwiches. Look at how fat that cow is". 

"Jesus would be so proud, as we all know, he was all about hate and intolerance..." 

"shouldn't that be in the shape of a swastika. Ahh, remember when these bible thumpers called jews "christ killers?" 'mericans'" 

"So far I've stopped at 3 for water...mentioning that Im hungry..so far none have offered to feed a poor hungry person...( as Jesus would )" 

"A tray of chicken biscuits...and one turkeyneck." 

"hater" 

"Some peoples beliefs are as outdated as their hairstyle!"

And I could go on and on...

I would like to take a moment here to say that just because one doesn't support gay marriage doesn't mean that they hate gay people or want to see them die or be unhappy (ungay?) or wish them any kind of harm.  It simply means that from the beginning of time that there have probably been homosexuals out there as a small percentage of society. And also from the beginning of (human) time the concept of "marriage" has meant only one thing - one man and one woman.  Deviating from that definition is what gets people up in arms.  Take a look at polygamists.  They weren't and aren't accepted because they had multiple wives.  They are deviants from accepted societal norms.  The same is true of pedophiles and those who engage in beastiality.

But I guess what really bothers me is the vicious attack on Christianity itself.  People spouting truly hateful  and intentionally ignorant things such as:

"So far I've stopped at 3 for water...mentioning that Im hungry..so far none have offered to feed a poor hungry person...( as Jesus would )"   

"...you should probably spend a little extra time studying Jesus's commitment to social justice in the Gospels this morning. I don't think He'd be very proud of you right now." 

"David, you're not a Christian. You just play one on Sundays. REAL CHRISTIANS do what their book tells them. Ever wore a cotton blend? Sinner. You should be stoned for that. "

"Right where bigotry & hate fit in, a bible study."

...and, again, I could go on and on...

How, exactly, is that not hate and intolerance (and ignorance) of Christianity and Christ's teachings?  I'm no Biblical scholar, but it seems to me that Jesus said to 'love thy neighbor as thyself' but said nothing about condoning and accepting their actions.

Until now I have not waded into the homosexuality debate - and I don't plan to, either.  I have friends and family members who are gay.  I'm not going to tell them they can't be gay. That's not my right - it's not any individual's right to force their beliefs onto another.  I simply have to tolerate it and let them live their lives. But those are not the people I have any issue with, anyway.  The people I take issue with are the people who insist on making gay marriage an issue and forcing it upon us as some sort of a civil right.

Simply put, I don't believe the way that a person chooses to have sex has the same standing as the color of their skin.

All that being said, I think that the solution is an easy one: leave religion out of it.  Christians need to accept that there will always be a "gay community" and that they will want to partner up just as "straight" people do.  But marriage has traditionally been a religious union.  Perhaps the answer is simply a governmentally recognized union that carries the same benefits of marriage, only without the religious connotations.

Words mean things, and the entire "gay marriage" debate boils down to those of faith wanting to uphold the traditional definition of the word "marriage," not keeping "people from having love" or "keeping gays from being happy," as I've seen many times in the past week. If the gay community would simply cede the word "marriage" from their debate and demands and accept a civil union, I suspect that Christians would be accepting of that. They will still not agree with homosexuality, but I suspect that they will be tolerant of it, just as they always have. Neither side will be completely happy or will get 100 percent of their way, but at least maybe then we can bring a little more civility back to the world.

We need it, especially now.

Thoughts on the Government Shutdown

I had some windshield time yesterday, which meant plenty of time to listen to the radio and all the moaning about the government shutting down.  Here are some thoughts I had as I was driving:

If the morons in Congress wouldn't rely on continuing resolutions to fund our country to begin with we wouldn't be in this mess it all. If they would just passed a yearly budget as it is constitutionally mandated then none of this would be happening.

Running the country by brinkmanship is what brought us to this point.

We need to remember that it is not right for the national parks to be open.

Wait. So you need to tell me that 40% of government employees are nonessential to the running of government? That just sounds wasteful to me, especially since Congress (Nancy Pelosi, in particular) tells us that "the cupboard  is bare" and that there are no more cuts that can be made.

The Supreme Court has ruled that Obamacare is actually a tax. So basically this government shutdown is the House of Representatives trying to give the American public tax cut. And the president and the senate are resisting such a tax cut.

Harry Reid saying that "Obamacare is the law of the land" and that the Republicans should just accept that and give up the fight is completely hypocritical. And since when can laws not be amended, stricken down or defunded?

On Voter Fraud

I love how Democrats who are opposed to having to show an ID to vote claim that "there's never been any instance of voter fraud proven" when there are thousands of dead people voting in every election.

Thoughts on the Election

First, I want to say congratulations to my Democrat friends.  Your guy won.  I'm not sure how, exactly, but he did.  I don't want to debate it, either.  But I did want to congratulate you.  This is as close as I can come to being magnanimous this morning.  The wound is still just too fresh.

I want to say that for those of you who voted for President Obama again out of a genuine philosophical match, I respect that.  I commend that.  If you genuinely think he's the guy to lead us and think his way of doing things is the best for the country, then I can live with that. I've got no beef with you. Well, not exactly, but at least I respect your motive, if not your ideology.

What I can't stomach are the people who voted based on ignorance or hearsay against Mitt Romney or for a reason such as the color of his skin. When you vote for (or against someone) based on the color of his skin, that makes you a racist. When you view the world through a prism of race - that makes you a racist.

Looking over my blog posts about President Obama from the past four years - and I haven't blogged on nearly everything that I could have or wanted to - I'm simply amazed at how short our collective attention spans are. One thing that struck me again was just how often the Obama Administration says one thing in public and then does the exact opposite.

So President Obama remains in office.  The Senate remains under Democrat control and the House remains Republican.  Nothing has changed. But watch for the Democrats to start talking about a mandate. And watch for it quickly.  They've been salivating for this moment ever since they lost the House in 2010. It'll be interesting what they try to get done as soon as possible. The real agenda items will be the ones they pounce on.  Watch for it.

As I write this, I've finally calmed down after the election.  I'm not mad anymore, but I still have a sense  of disbelief.  How is it that so many people in our country could side with a party with ideology that runs completely counter to traditional values and to my ideals and morals? Are there really that many people out there that don't understand what President Obama's spending is threatening to do to our nation?  How can people not be insulted by his use of executive order and fiat to pass things that should have to go through Congress? How can people not see his actions as a dangerous precedent upon which a dictatorship could be built by a power hungry leader in the future? How can so many people not be incensed by the erosion of our individual liberties?

My only thought on that is that the Democrats have become so good at the shell game that people don't realize they're losing all those things. In fact, they've got some people actually believing that they stand for freedom. People are willing to let their government imprison them indefinitely with no recourse or order American citizens killed without trial or take control of all communication systems in the U.S. if it deems it necessary or put American citizens into military camps... as long as they get a shiny new Obamaphone or some other shiny trinket or handout out of it.

Elections have consequences, and I gravely fear the consequences of this election for our future liberties.

Crazy Uncle

Everybody's got a crazy uncle.  Everybody loves their crazy uncle.  He's fun.  He loves to joke. He's rude.  He's inappropriate. He speaks his mind.  He's, well... crazy.

Having a crazy uncle is awesome.

You just don't want him to be Vice President.

Fair Share

Dear Liberals,

Please, if you would, define in certain terms the phrase that you so love to use- "fair share." As in "all we're asking is for the wealthy to pay their fair share."

What's fair? 20 percent? 30 percent? 50 percent?

Please, please just come out and tell us in exact figures or percentages instead of these crap generalities.

Why Not, Mr. President?

One more thought that kept occurring to me last night watching the debate...

Every time President Obama said "we need to do" this or "I'm going to do" that, I thought, "well, sir, what's been stopping you?  Why haven't you done that, if it's the obvious fix? If these are all things that are within your power to do, then why haven't you already done it?

Incumbents should not get too campaign on the things they want to do or should do.  They should be held accountable for the things they have (or haven't) done.

Am I Getting an iPhone 5?

Many, many (many) people have asked me since the iPhone 5 was unveiled on Tuesday if I'm planning on getting one.

No, I'm not.

It's not that the phone isn't beautifully stunning (although, honestly, I can't bring myself to get excited about a larger device to keep in my pocket.  I found the original and subsequent iPhone's dimensions to be pretty well suited to fit perfectly in my jeans pockets.)

And it's not that the new display doesn't look incredible.  It does.

Frankly, it's just that I find myself in the same position I found myself in 2008 when the iPhone 3G (and again when the 3GS) was introduced: I'm still ridiculously happy with the iPhone I have.

I have an iPhone 4 that I pre-oprdered and got on the very first day they were available back in 2010. Do I wish it had Siri?  Sure.  But that's about the only thing I seem to be missing. It still does everything I need it to do very, very well and I'm still satisfied with the speed with which it does it.

But I'm a gadget guy.  Yeah, I know. But I'm not your typical rabid Apple fan who will buy any Apple product, no matter how stupid it is.  I have a conscience.  And a budget. And a family to support.  And I have other hobbies that are expensive, too.

So I'll just sit this one out and wait for a year or so until the iPhone 5S. But if you happen to get an iPhone 5, drop by and let me lick it.... er.... hold it for a minute.

On Bigotry and Intolerance

I've been called a bigot and intolerant (both directly and indirectly) many, many times in the last week over the Chick-fil-a thing and gay marriage simply because I'm a Christian and a Conservative.  From friends on Facebook and Twitter, from complete strangers in the same places and especially in "news" articles on the web.  The snarky, condescending rhetoric is thick.

For the record, here is the Webster's dictionary definition of "bigotry:"

'Bigotry' is the state of mind of a "bigot", a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his orher own opinions and prejudices; especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance".

You see?  By demanding that I accept something that I think is wrong and by  saying I'm some sort of a hatemonger because I don't support gay marriage and by treating my viewpoint with intolerance, you're actually a bigot.  Having a common disagreement of ideas is fine, but when you refuse to accept my viewpoint at all and start calling names and trying to force me to accept your viewpoint, not through reasoned debate or discussion but by intimidation and coercion then not only have you already lost the argument, but by definition that makes you an intolerant bigot.

I would like to respectfully request that everyone see where the controversy started and read the original interview that this whole kerfluffle came from.  The tone of the rhetoric simply doesn't match the resulting hysteria coming form the "tolerant" left.  

I simply don't get it.  Here is a guy - a leader of a corporation - and a Christian in a very candid moment saying that he doesn't think that gay marriage is in accordance with what he considers to be family values and what he understands to be God's word.  He's entitled to his opinion and to run his business the way he wants just as much as the next guy.  If you don't like what his business stands for, just don't buy their product - it's as simple as that. 

There are people out there saying, "but well, yeah- I support his personal right to say whatever he wants to, but his company gives money from the company's profits to anti-gay hate groups that lobby against gay marriage!!!!" Fair enough argument, I thought.  Then I realized that Chick-fil-a is a private company without shareholders that can do whatever it wants with its profits.  Then I got to wondering what anti-gay "hate groups" the company might be sending money to.  The only thing I could find referenced by these shrill people was "Focus on the Family" and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.  It's interesting to me that some people have started classifying anything they don't agree with as hate. 

But what really gets me is all the people demanding tolerance and calling people bigots are many of the same ones spewing some truly hateful rhetoric.  Here are some real comments posted in the comment section of Tennessee representative Diane Black's Facebook page after she posted a photo of her holding a tray of Chick-fil-a sandwiches (names removed to protect the guilty):

"Like she needs to eat another one of those sandwiches. Look at how fat that cow is". 

"Jesus would be so proud, as we all know, he was all about hate and intolerance..." 

"shouldn't that be in the shape of a swastika. Ahh, remember when these bible thumpers called jews "christ killers?" 'mericans'" 

"So far I've stopped at 3 for water...mentioning that Im hungry..so far none have offered to feed a poor hungry person...( as Jesus would )" 

"A tray of chicken biscuits...and one turkeyneck." 

"hater" 

"Some peoples beliefs are as outdated as their hairstyle!"

And I could go on and on...

I would like to take a moment here to say that just because one doesn't support gay marriage doesn't mean that they hate gay people or want to see them die or be unhappy (ungay?) or wish them any kind of harm.  It simply means that from the beginning of time that there have probably been homosexuals out there as a small percentage of society. And also from the beginning of (human) time the concept of "marriage" has meant only one thing - one man and one woman.  Deviating from that definition is what gets people up in arms.  Take a look at polygamists.  They weren't and aren't accepted because they had multiple wives.  They are deviants from accepted societal norms.  The same is true of pedophiles and those who engage in beastiality.

But I guess what really bothers me is the vicious attack on Christianity itself.  People spouting truly hateful  and intentionally ignorant things such as:

"So far I've stopped at 3 for water...mentioning that Im hungry..so far none have offered to feed a poor hungry person...( as Jesus would )"   

"...you should probably spend a little extra time studying Jesus's commitment to social justice in the Gospels this morning. I don't think He'd be very proud of you right now." 

"David, you're not a Christian. You just play one on Sundays. REAL CHRISTIANS do what their book tells them. Ever wore a cotton blend? Sinner. You should be stoned for that. "

"Right where bigotry & hate fit in, a bible study."

...and, again, I could go on and on...

How, exactly, is that not hate and intolerance (and ignorance) of Christianity and Christ's teachings?  I'm no Biblical scholar, but it seems to me that Jesus said to 'love thy neighbor as thyself' but said nothing about condoning and accepting their actions.

Until now I have not waded into the homosexuality debate - and I don't plan to, either.  I have friends and family members who are gay.  I'm not going to tell them they can't be gay. That's not my right - it's not any individual's right to force their beliefs onto another.  I simply have to tolerate it and let them live their lives. But those are not the people I have any issue with, anyway.  The people I take issue with are the people who insist on making gay marriage an issue and forcing it upon us as some sort of a civil right.

Simply put, I don't believe the way that a person chooses to have sex has the same standing as the color of their skin.

All that being said, I think that the solution is an easy one: leave religion out of it.  Christians need to accept that there will always be a "gay community" and that they will want to partner up just as "straight" people do.  But marriage has traditionally been a religious union.  Perhaps the answer is simply a governmentally recognized union that carries the same benefits of marriage, only without the religious connotations.

Words mean things, and the entire "gay marriage" debate boils down to those of faith wanting to uphold the traditional definition of the word "marriage," not keeping "people from having love" or "keeping gays from being happy," as I've seen many times in the past week. If the gay community would simply cede the word "marriage" from their debate and demands and accept a civil union, I suspect that Christians would be accepting of that. They will still not agree with homosexuality, but I suspect that they will be tolerant of it, just as they always have. Neither side will be completely happy or will get 100 percent of their way, but at least maybe then we can bring a little more civility back to the world.

We need it, especially now.

A Brief Note...

Earlier this year I decided that I was going to try to keep political content and commentary to a minimum on Destructoville.  I have strong opinions, and it doesn't always fit well with some of the other more silly and geeky and work-related design and photography content that I like to post.

But yesterday has changed my mind.  I started Destructoville as my own personal sounding board - as a place where I can post about anything I find interesting and where I can get things off my chest and rant and rant (and rant) until my heart is content.  I've begrudgingly passed up on some choice Grade A rants in the past few months because of my promise to myself tho limit the political stuff here.

But the fact is that I see the country going in all sorts of directions around me that I either don't agree with or that I find downright offensive.  And it's also an election year.  And I cannot hold my tongue any longer.

So from here out, you can bet that there will be a lot more political ranting here.  I make no apologies.  If you're here for something else, God Bless you.  Please skim past the political posts and look at the others - those will still be forthcoming as well.  I know that we don't all hold the same political views - and I've found that many people in the creative field hold the exact opposite viewpoints as myself.  But I must be true to who I am and what makes me tick.  A being a God and Texas and Country loving Conservative is a big, big part of who I am.

Thank you for reading my little blog, whoever you may be.

Play ball!

Disaster in Colorado?

I wonder if President Obama will declare wildfire-ravaged areas of Colorado as disaster areas?

Of course he will (and he should).  Colorado is a pretty liberal place... unlike Texas.

Thought For Life

From Seth Godin:

"...be happy wherever you are, with whatever you've got, but alway hungry for the thrill of creating art, of being missed if you're gone and most of all, doing important work."




My thoughts, exactly.

On Android

People who claim they are happy with their Android phones are the same people who were happy they got Gobots instead of Transformers because they could pop off the arms and interchange them between robots.

Sure, the results were ugly and didn't work properly afterward, but you could do it.

Mr. Pharaon

On Monday my new summer design intern started at work. She's a very nice girl named Nichole who's going into her last semester in design school at Texas State Technical College in Waco, and so far she's doing a pretty good job. Except for one thing...

She keeps calling me "Mr. Pharaon."

I let it go the first time she called me that. The next time I politely said, "just call me James." But finally, I just had to tell her: "Look - Mr. Pharaon is that crazy old guy down the street who won't let the kids play in his yard. I'm James. Just James."

Although, a "your highness" every now and again wouldn't be so bad...

What Makes God Laugh?

Many years ago I heard something in a sermon that has really stuck with me and has been on my mind a lot lately - making God laugh. Basically, the idea is that just as our children delight us and make us smile and laugh at the things that they do and say - usually without meaning to - that we also delight our Heavenly Father.
And I wonder, what makes God laugh?

I know that when my son says something completely in earnest, but gets a word wrong accidentally that it makes me smile, such as the way he calls the Care Bears "tummy bears." Kristi and I used to love to listen to our daughter try to make sense of some pretty big words when she was small, such as "mapartment," "casisstant" and "buh-out."

I wonder if it's our little misspeaks that make God smile? Maybe, but I suspect that it's really things that we humans do to try to approach godhood. I bet he gets a kick when we think we've figured out how the universe works, only to find out later that the sun doesn't revolve around the Earth. And when we absolutely think we know something - maybe that some species are extinct - and then someone runs across one somewhere.

And I bet He gets a huge rise out of our feeble attempts to govern ourselves, only to make the same mistakes time and time (and time) again. I bet it's not the everyday things that makes God smile at his children, but the stupid things that we as a human race do thinking that we have all the answers.

Back

I just got back from a week-long photo trip to central and west Texas shooting images of the devistastation caused by the wildfires there. I also got the chance to shoot some hail storm aftermath photos and a lot of great photos of beautiful, beautiful Texas. Even though things weren't as green as they we supposed to be, it was still a successful trip. I can't wait to share some of what I saw.

One thing is for certain. After this trip, I have a whitened respect for fighfighters and the job they do. The stories I heard from people everywhere I went were amazing.

But I'm especially glad to be back with my family again. Thank God for keeping me -and them - safe. Some of the best parts of my trip were Facetimeing with Kristi and the kids. At the end (or beginning) of a long day of shooting, just being able to see and talk to them was great - so much better than just talking on the phone. Thanks for that, Skype and Apple.

Time Stand Still

I'm not looking back
But I want to look around me now
(Time stand still)
See more of the people and the places that surround me now
Freeze this moment a little bit longer
Make each impression a little bit stronger
Freeze this motion a little bit longer
The innocence slips away
The innocence slips away...

Summer's going fast, nights growing colder
Children growing up, old friends growing older
Freeze this moment a little bit longer
Make each impression a little bit stronger
Experience slips away
Experience slips away...
The innocence slips away

I've been thinking a lot lately about growing older. My 36th birthday a few weeks ago hasn't helped that. I'm not in any sort of crisis or anything - I've just been feeling my body getting older lately. And I don't really care for it. I get tired more easily than I used to, I don't always have the kind of energy that I need to do the things that I want to, I'm losing my hair and I'm going gray. But I don't feel as old as I am or as I look. I'm still a 19-year old trapped in my aging body. I feel like I have a youthful spirit, but I get fewer and fewer opportunities to let it loose.

I've known for awhile now that my relatively sedentary lifestyle is responsible for all this. Ten years ago when I was still mascotting I had no trouble keeping my weight down and myself in shape. I was constantly moving, whether that was jumping around in a mascot suit or cycling or drumming or spending hours at the gym. And I was always full-out at everything I did. I would usually come back from whatever I was doing completely exhausted - and happy. But sitting at a desk all day these days has taken its toll on my energy and my body and - I fear - my spirit. I find myself choosing to sit on the sideline and watch the kids run around rather than running around with them.

My job is to blame, sure. But I blame my friends, also. As we've all gotten older, we've all (okay, most of us...) gotten so involved in our jobs and our families that we don't take the time to revel in our youth anymore. And yes, we are still young. I was reminded of that this week when in the course of videotaping an event I was jumping on and off a stage and bounding over a wall. A little old lady came up to me and said, "I sure wish I was still young enough to bounce around like you do." In that moment it hit me how young I still really am. And as long as I can still do the bounding and the bouncing and the jumping, I'm going to do it. I'm especially thankful or the ability after being sidelined a few years ago with some back problems. But I digress. I was talking about my lazy old fuddy duddy friends, wasn't I?

Ten(ish) years ago my friends and I still got together every now and then for a game of football or to play some sand volleyball. Those days seem legendary now looking back on them. But as we got further and further away from college and more and more busy, it became tougher and tougher to find enough people willing to put down their burdens for a couple of hours to take the time to play football or volleyball. It became a burden and pretty soon it stopped altogether. Not only was it a great way to let loose, have some fun and get some exercise, it also helped us stay together as a group. I don't think it's any coincidence that as we got busier and stopped playing together, that we all started to drift apart.

Over the weekend, Kayci and I were at Zilker Park in Austin. She has been wanting to climb around on the rocks in the middle of the park, so we went. For awhile she was fascinated by a fossilized shell that the found on one of the rocks and set forth trying to dig it out of the rock. While she worked, I sat back and watched the people playing on the field below. I saw people playing soccer and ultimate frisbee and sand volleyball. As I watched I was reminded of all the fun times - and how great it felt - to be outside on a beautiful day playing.

As I sat there I realized that there were all age ranges of people down there, not just teenagers or college kids. And most of them were in pretty decent shape. Then I thought of myself. My weight has hit a plateau - I can't seem to lose any more weight no matter how hard I try. But I think the key is to just move more - to just get out and play.

So I made a promise to myself. I am going to not only get out and move more, but I'm going to try to get my friends to do it , too. There's no reason why it has to be a guys' night thing or a girls' night thing, either. I can envision playing volleyball at the park with several people taking turns watching the kids while the adults play." There are some pretty decent sand volleyball courts in Brenham at Hohlt Park, and it's getting to the time of year when playing volleyball is perfect. I think the hard thing to do is to get people to get out of the mindset of "I have too much to do to play..." or that "it's too hot outside" or "it's too humid outside..." Think back to when you were a kid. Did any of those things ever stop you from playing before? Of course not. Those are excuses adults come up with to justify their actions (on inaction, as the case may be.)

And most importantly, taking time to play will teach our kids how to play. We're growing up in an age where video games and TV are the norm and where kids don't really play outside much anymore, at least not the way we used to. I firmly believe that the family that plays together, stays together. We're always so life-and-death all the time and that takes a serious toll on our marriages and relationships. Who ever said that being an adult means that you have to be all about work and paying bills? A stodgy old lonely codger, that's who.

But I'm hopeful. We've got a group of really good friends between my friends at work and Kristi's friends at MOPS that we might be able to get something started. Even if it was just one standing weekend a month, that would be something. So who's in? Who up for a couple of hours of playtime a month? Come on - it won't kill you. In fact, it may do just the opposite.

"We don't stop playing because we get older. We get older because we stop playing."

Thoughts on NFC and the iPhone

Appleinsider reported a few days ago that Apple has decided not to include NFC - Near Field Communication - in the iPhone 5. I've always been dubious of NFC because of security reasons. I've never understood why people feel that it's acceptable to put some of their most sensitive information - their financial information linked to their bank account - on a credit card or key fab that can be read simply by being in proximity to it. And I wondered why the heck Apple would choose to do such a thing in the iPhone.

Lots of companies are using NFC for payments. But what if that's not what Apple was intending it for?

But while I was listening to an older episode of my new favorite podcast, Hypercritical with John Siracusa I realized what Apple might be trying to do with NFS. The conversation in the episode I was listening to revolved around input and out put and the size of the dock connector. Siracusa mentioned that the iPod dock connector is larger than the size of the shuffle, forcing Apple to use the headphone jack as a sync, and that the thinness of the iPod Touch was approaching the width of the dock connector itself.

But what if what Apple was trying to do was to remove the dock connector altogether?

One thing people - myself included - have been wanting ever since the original iPhone debuted in 2007 was a way to wirelessly sync the content. What if Apple is looking into ways to do just that? What is there is some sort of a NFC chip on steroids that Apple has been playing with that has a fast enough data throughput that it can sync wirelessly via Bluetooth. Now, granted, it won't be as fast as USB. But Apple is known for its tradeoffs, isn't it? And how would you like to never have to plug in your phone or iPod ever again? I'd like it a lot. And I'd especially like that I wouldn't have to remind my wife to sync her phone from time to time. She would just put it down on the desk near her computer to sync it.

An interesting note to this effect can be found on the NFC News blog:

Electronic News: Let's go back to the range. How will a short range be a benefit to the consumer electronics world?
Duverne: NFC can be seen as a connectivity technology that is very short range. If you compare it to Bluetooth, for example, NFC is just a few centimeters, less than 10. The thing about it in terms of consumer electronics applications is, because it is very short range, you can make applications very intuitive. With Bluetooth, when you carry out a Bluetooth transaction, you need to go through many steps and identify which device talks to which device. Because NFC is very short range, it is enabled by a very intuitive pairing of devices. In the consumer electronics world, that is very interesting and we see a number of applications in that space. For using NFC, actually, in combination with other wireless technologies.

Electronic News: In combination with Bluetooth?
Duverne: NFC in combination with Bluetooth for initiating a connection via NFC, then doing the transition of data with Bluetooth, which has a longer range. The way it would work, for example, is you have a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone and you want to download pictures from your PC or TV set, you bring the two devices next to each other for initiation of the [NFC] link, then you can take the two devices away and the download of the pictures will be carried out by Bluetooth.

But if the iPhone doesn't plug in, how will you charge it?

Great question, but the tech already exists. It's called inductive charging. I used to have a shaver that could be charged just by placing it into a little cradle. It allowed the shaver to be waterproof and I didn't have to plug it in every day, avoiding wear and tear on connectors. You see inductive charging technology on display in the "charge mats" that are appearing in stores. And in the example mentioned above, my wife could charge her iPhone by placing it directly on her MacBook.

But, sadly, most people who have iPhones use a PC and not a Mac. And even those of us with Macs don't have the newest Mac. So how do people with PCs and older Macs use the technology? I suspect that Apple would need to make available its own flavor of charge pad, which connects via USB to their computer. But such a charge pad would need to come with a new iPhone, not come as a separate purchase, which would drive up the cost of the phone. And if the iPhone comes with its own charge pad, what's the use of building the technology into a MacBook, which would also add expense? I suspect that such dilemmas are why Apple reportedly has opted to wait on NFS.

So it may not be ready yet, but I'd bet that Apple is working on imbedding wireless technologies to sync and inductive charging technology to charge a device with the intent of making the iPhone, iPod and iPad ridiculously thin and light. Wireless is the future, and that means wireless everything.

If anyone can do it, it's Apple.

Preaching to the Choir

I was told today following a presentation to the Marketing Reps that I was "preaching to the choir."

That's right. I was preaching to the choir.

But it's the choir's job to go out and sing all about the good news at the top of their voice.

Rolling Dubiousness

I have a question:

How is it that everyone in Texas can all run their air conditioners at the same time (in addition to lights, computers, etc.) all summer long with no problems, but when some of us (remember- about half the state has gas heaters and stoves) try to run our heaters when it gets cold, we have to have rolling blackouts?

It just doesn't make any sense to me.