My kids' Dad

Passover Epilogue

The family enjoyed Jesus Christ Superstar last Sunday. The show was entertaining and the family enjoyed the event. We waited after the show to talk to Ted Neeley and were not disappointed. He spent 10-15 minutes talking to us and was so gracious. He reminisced about the old venue I had worked at and chatted up each of the kids. Since it was Easter cast member had received Easter baskets with little goodies so some cast members also gave my kids some of those little edible peeps and some miracle bubbles. Now my kids can tell our rabbi that on Easter they talked to Jesus and were given gifts by the apostles.

I also rented the DVD The Pursuit of Happyness which deals with the lengths a father goes through to take care of his son. It is based upon a true story and uplifting. The other DVD I recently rented was Water which is about a 7 year old Hindu girl that is just married and then widowed and forced to spend her life as a widow. It is enjoyable and also makes for a pretty good companion film to Richard Attenborough's  Gandhi which was splendid, O Bapu!

Passover DVD Review

I have had the chance to watch a number of DVDs lately and several are worth mentioning.

Borat was a mix of rolling on the floor funny and boorish and insulting. One of the best scenes was on the subway when Cohen was confronting New Yorkers. The lowest point was when he visited someone's home and insults the host's graciousness. Hopefully it was staged and not genuine.

I stumbled across Conversations with God at a local Blockbuster and found it inspiring. The film is a biography of Neale Walsch who becomes homeless and dictates a series of books which reveal how anger against God can be turned into peace.

Then we received some free passes to see Peaceful Warrior which despite the lukewarm reviews was also quite good.This film is the story of Dan Millman who struggles to reach the Olympics as a gymnast during college. The essence is that in order to reach our potential we must discover ourselves. The movie is filled with meaningful observations, such as thinking something does not represent who we are but the action we take upon thoughts does. Another example is after Dan is told to abstain from drinking and partying he goes to a bar with his mentor who buys him a drink and lights up a cigar, the point he makes is that what is important is to be in control of your actions with full understanding and responsibility for those actions. There are quite a few humorous moments as well. The film is also an introduction into the series of books that teach the same philosophy.

Finally we rented The Ten Commandments: The Musical since it seemed appropriate for the Passover holidays. The whole family enjoyed it and I thought the movie offered good perspective that is missing in more classic interpretations. This version really brings out the interpersonal struggle between Moses and Ramses who were like brothers for almost 40 years. The strength of this production is the exploration of the emotional side of the story. It made a great follow up to our Seder and the kids were able to take their understanding of the story to a greater depth.

As an encore our this little band of Jews is heading out (on Easter Sunday no less)  to see the touring production of Jesus Christ Superstar starring Ted Neeley. Around 30 years ago I worked on a production of the same musical with Ted Neely and Carl Anderson. I worked with Ted personally and I am looking forward to seeing him in his swan song tour of the show. The wife has never seen this iconic show and the kids will see another Passover Seder.

3 films

CARS was a family treat. Pixar got back to family fare that we could all enjoy.

I also rented MirrorMask on DVD and found a real gem - highly stylized and thoughtful.

Even better yet is Johnny Cash's Hurt. Apparently a remake of a NIN work that Cash breathes his soul into. The DVD is only a few minutes long - wanting to make you watch it over and over. Johnny Cash has never been more awesome - here is a man that treats us to our vanity leaving us with all that really matters.

Not dead

Just a quick note to say that, no - I have not died.

My free time has been devoured by work - basically getting our fresh PKI system to integrate with our VPN (remote access) and wireless systems. (Far too many nights up until 3 AM.) As of this evening they are finally working - I'd go into the details but it is hard to imagine any other topic as boring. PKI (digital certificates) as a system is very exciting as a foundation for building systems of trust - but then I have already covered that... as well as the progress I see unfolding for the new model for networks. (I even had the good fortune to meet a fellow who is doing something similar - a large global corporation that is going to put all of its PCs on the Internet and reserve the protection for the data center. This trend is very smart and inevitable - we just sound like heretics right now.)

On the home front we just finished the High Holy Days and started building our Sukkah (photos to follow). I had a great time leading the junior congregation (less than a dozen kids under the age of 10) since they have a sincerity and honestness about them that is refreshing. One of the kids is blind and I called him up for a Torah reading - he said he couldn't read and then my son chimed in (loudly) 'Dad, he's blind!' Nonetheless, he came up and he recited the blessings (since he knew them by heart) and another child read his 'portion'. He really enjoyed it - his mom had to drag him out of there after 2 hours when she needed to leave!

I have started watching the 'Lost' series and find it interesting even if not all that compelling. Friends and family went to 'Sky High' last weekend and found that film to be a lot of fun and appropriate for younger kids.

Catching Up

Has it been almost two weeks? I have been so busy that I couldn't even find time for this favorite diversion.

The bulk of my non-work day had been consumed by my preparations for a new SANS course called Home Computer and Network Security. As a SANS board member I took up the call to teach a section as part of a limited national test - the course attempts to help small business and home computer users learn to use the Internet and maintain their computers and networks more safely. Unfortunately SANS marketing channels are not developed into this market so I had to spend many hours trying to get the word out: press releases; a nice interview in the local paper; communication with local networks like local ISSA group and colleges; and distributing a lot of flyers around town. SANS also prides itself on the wealth of knowledge it tries to impart so the 3 hour course consists of over 100 Powerpoint slides chocked full of information. As a presented I will not read the slide to the audience, I try to talk about the topic and prepare examples. Just working through the material for preparation required in excess of 20 hours (this perhaps cut most directly into my time for blogging). I gave the class a few nights ago and the response seemed very positive even though I ran over the three hours. The rating I received from attendees was uniformly high and the typical evaluation comment was that the material was excellent but the class needs to be longer.

There have been plenty of terrific articles I have wanted to blog about but I will only mention Fouad Ajami's incredible opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal on September 28 called Heart Of Darkness. While normally we debate the US role and responsibility in combating terrorism, Dr. Ajami takes the Arab nation to task - both governments and the 'street', very seldom do we hear a discussion in our media about Arab culpability.

Of course being busy doesn't mean that I don't still try to balance work and family/pleasure. The family went out to see the movie "March of the Penguins" - something I highly recommend; Battlestar Galactica is now shipping on Blockbuster Online (I have been really looking forward to the whole first season after experiencing the mini-series - I am very pleased with how well the series is being developed.); also managed to get hooked on the highly panned FireFly series and looking forward to the new film Serenity; and we have been preparing to install our new Baby Magnum Corn Stove (just waiting on a back ordered piece of pipe).

Star Wars as a religion

Our son comes home with a medal and trophy (after driving across the state for a chess tournament) and we all are excited! He played a field of around 20 first grade kids and trounced four of of the five matches (although in two of them he stalemated the other kids when all they had left was a king). The fifth kid is a chess machine with a dad to match (but very nice people). It is great to see tangible rewards for all his dedication.

Added a couple new links for some interesting blogs:
One Handed Economist is a young libertarian economist who tracks Hayek
Allen's Blog is a venture capitalist who posted an interesting book review

Our local paper ran an interesting story about Star Wars as a religious force. It is rare that we get such interesting stories from the local fourth estate.

In 2002 more than 70,000 Australians listed "Jedi" as their religion on national census forms. 

"What's fascinating is you get people responding to it in this very kind of religious way," said Brenda Brasher, an expert on religion and pop culture from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.

"Science fiction is providing a certain kind of grammar for a particular generation to articulate ideas and value ... some of whom have had trouble speaking meaningfully using the grammar inherited from previous generations."

Translation: Yoda makes sense. Deuteronomy? Not so much.

Lucas himself has said the creative impetus for Star Wars came from taking a variety of religious notions and "trying to distill them down into a more modern and easily accessible construct."

He borrows from Eastern religions and New Age philosophies to posit a Force through which creatures can control their own destiny.

Formal religion is digestible to some, others find their thirst slaked in literature, music or Star Wars. Our need for spiritual feeding takes on many forms and no one type is appropriate or welcome at all times. Like all of those nutrients on cereal boxes - you only need so much vitamin B-6 before it becomes toxic - we may crave something essential that is missing and find it in an astounding array of sources.

On the other hand Jackie Passey hated Revenge of the Sith but her commenters offer thoughtful analysis. For some Star Wars is a reality, for many entertainment and others none of the above.

That's it George?

I am in no way a Star Wars fanatic but I am looking forward to opening night tomorrow. We ordered tickets weeks ago for our local 'big screen' showing at 10 PM. (I estimate that this is the best 'screen' in the county featuring a new facility with very comfortable chairs and Dolby THX sound.) I remember seeing Star Wars I in 70mm in Southern California in the 1970's - the image and sound system were amazing - but it seems that 70mm has become extinct.

I am also enjoying the wide variety of Star Wars documentaries in anticipation of the opening - A&E, Animal Planet (really!) and Discovery Channel. Lots of interesting trivia and a chance to remember the story and scenes.

The one thing that puzzles me is that years ago there was a lot of talk about nine episodes - now George Lucas seems to be saying that after six episodes his dream will be complete and no one is raising the question. (The recent Wired article comes to mind.)

Update:

Just came back from seeing Star Wars III - the film met my expectations and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Matt found this for me from Roger Ebert:

I said this is not necessarily the last of the Star Wars movies. Although Lucas has absolutely said he is finished with the series, it is inconceivable to me that 20th Century-Fox will willingly abandon the franchise, especially as Lucas has hinted that parts VII, VIII and IX exist at least in his mind. There will be enormous pressure for them to be made, if not by him, then by his deputies.

The Star Wars saga never had the depth of story like Lord of the Rings but it is indeed fun. After considering the dust up in Cannes over comparisons between American policy and the Empire I find that the comparison requires a significant vacancy of thought. The essential theme of Star Wars is that the state has usurped authority from the individual ostensibly for the sake of the individual. This is a tale as old as history whether recent such as the socialism of Nazi Germany or communism of Soviet Russia or in the case of benevolent tyrants of ancient Greece. Many of those who condemn George Bush and want to 'wage peace' also advocate the primacy of the state over that of the individual for the good of the individual. Typical refrains include 'Bush stole the election' (buying into baseless rumors); 'we're sorry world' (democracy doesn't work); we need more regulations (people can't be trusted and the case for socialism); and 'how [fill in the blank] the red states are' (an elitism that asserts that some people are more equal than others). (Oh yes - and all those claims that the religious right must be stifled as they follow democratic means to achieve their aims should really cause concern - the ACLU really doesn't want people to exercise their liberties...) Those who assert that Bush is disassembling our democracy simply isn't dealing with democracy - citing the Patriot Act is just silly or revising filibuster rules in the Senate is naive. Were Bush to try to dissolve the legislature or judicial branches he would simply lose his base and usher the opposition into power (which is probably why they continue to make these baseless assertions).

Oh, did I say that socialism is anti Democracy? In small communities such as the oldest religious communes or Israeli Kibbutzim it can actually work - but on a grand scale? No way - absolving yourself from personal responsibility in exchange for state care only leads to irresponsibility. Perhaps anti liberty is more accurate. Socialism and its modern synonym 'progressive' needs to be seen as the more likely path to the Empire rather than conservative love of freedom.

By the way - remember the apalled reaction of the same crowd to 'Lord of the Rings' - cries of Peter Jackson selling out to the right? And the theme of LOTR - the evil of homogeneity (one ring to bind them all); the righteousness of war and killing;  and the supremacy of individual rights and freedom. In both sagas the authors were honest enough to understand that people aren't good or evil - but struggle and shift back and forth as we move through time.

T.M. Lutas has a post more articulate than mine on this topic.
Adam Shostack digs into the intellectual side as well here.
Kyle Maxwell also has a fine post here.
Great discussion on Jackie's blog here.

Saar found this great Star Wars clip att StoreWars.org
Audiophile found this great Star Wars clip at Lego.

The Answer is 42

Just came back from seeing Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy with the wife - we both enjoyed in. It was funny and captured the absurd - a tribute to Douglas Adams. The actors did a great job... Dent was as hapless as expected, Zaphod as groovy as required and Mos Def pulled off Ford Prefect.

The sign of success will be a renewed interest in the books.

Esquire

Just came back from the 2005 International Auto Show in Detroit - the only cars that drew my interest were the Smart FourTwo, the Mini Coopers and the VW Phaeton (not going to be able to afford that for a while). The rest are a big yawn - bigger and faster versions of the same old same old, the auto industry has a hard time leaving its comfort zone. The Phaeton looks like a technical marvel, but who can afford it and how reliable will it be? The Mini is hip - but also pricey and its reputation for problems with fit and finish dog it. The Smart car could be as revolutionary as the Beetle was, but seems to have fallen into the DaimlerChrysler mold and has been plagued in Europe by  an inability to turn a profit and as the price climbs becomes like any other car. I know the FourTwo could be produced and sold here for under $10,000 and would sell like hotcakes - but that is not going to happen with the road they are currently on.

Also finished reading the February Esquire, the first time I have ever read an Esquire in no small part due to Tom Barnett's repeated references in his blog. I expected a phenomenal piece from Barnett and was not disappointed. Instead of being a rehash of PNM he takes on Iran and North Korea offering President Bush some very sound advice. (I also just saw The Circle with my wife and you can't help but want to see these thugs that prey on their citizens and in particular their women get a new change of direction.) Barnett gets it right, Bush has a fairly small window of opportunity both in terms of the situations key nations and players find themselves in right now as well as his own political clock. I just have to wonder whether Bush really knows how to play poker with these guys.

I read the articles in Esquire that caught my attention and enjoyed several articles immensely and then read the whole thing cover to cover to see what I might have missed. It turns out that the stuff I skipped was worth skipping. I blame or thank this on Amazon.com - it has become a rare thing that I pick out a book that I don't really enjoy anymore. The ability to read others' reviews and then use those reviews to discern the perspective of the reviewer greatly help me to separate the crap from the gems.

The best article in Esquire, as Barnett offers in his blog, is Tom Junod's "How to End the Culture War". It is masterful in his dissection of the 'Left' vs. 'Right' argument - sort of like watching someone use those tiny forks to find the delicate meat in a shellfish. The only thing I really end up wanting after reading it is the acknowledgment that most people aren't 'Left' or 'Right' (but I guess that takes all the controversy out and makes it less suitable for publication). It's just like the whole nonsense about 'Red' and 'Blue' states, there is no such thing, just a majority of one voter or the other - hence the 'shades of purple' maps you see. But when you take it a step further most people aren't 'Red' or 'Blue' we are really purple with the argument being slightly afforded to one or the other. Unless you are a real partisan that means we are complex creatures and unwilling to hate each other.

I thought I would enjoy Jeff Sachs piece on the next G8 meeting but I was disappointed. He comes off as a guy bent on his agenda for environmental issues instead of seeing the big picture. In my list of priorities the environment is important, but not nearly as important as the hatred and violence that is so widespread in the 'Gap' and attempting to impose itself upon us. If he was such a big thinker he would be lobbying to get the G8 to position the G20 as the force to be reckoned with in this world.

An unexpected surprise was Tom Chiarella's "Haggling for Hot Dogs". He offers great insight into the art of negotiating that also reflects upon the meaning of a 'win'. The section on 'Dubious Achievements' of 2004 was also a howl even if a didn't get all of the references.

The rest of the technology, car and celebrity chick Esquire content is unable to match the level these other pieces hit. (After all if you want to read about technology read Wired or such, for car there are plenty of magazines that really get into it, and as far as celebrity goes... plenty of those kinds of magazines already out there from People to porn.)

In filling out the Esquire survey, I was stumped for a little while on the question about which male and female celebrities I would like to see on the cover of Esquire. Then it hit me... forget the celebrities they tend to be shallow (Hedy Lamar excepted) go after the little known people that are making a difference but ignored by the media. As an example put Kami Erickson of her Risawn blog or Mark Safranski of his Zenpundit blog on the cover. I don't mention these people because they are bloggers, they just happen to come to mind and both offer great insight into unexplored territory. I know I am asking a lot just like I am asking of the auto industry, take a brave step out and put real people on the cover. These people are cool, not because they are groomed like some MTV personality, but because they are authentic and speak their mind regardless of the latest fashions and they are articulate and they know humility. This ocean is pretty vast and there are plenty of these kind of fish in it. I would certainly subsscribe and read each month's piece on these kinds of people. Wouldn't you?

Back online

The vacation was great, Myrtle Beach was relaxing and an important time to go offline and reflect. The trip was not without mishap - on the drive down we managed to hit a deer (bagged my first buck) and wreck the minivan. The accident didn't deter us from continuing and was a great way to consider priorities when you look at the harm that could have occurred, although this was not the closest brush with death I or my family have encountered. Last July when driving back from the West Coast an oncoming pickup truck on the freeway veered across the road into our path and to this day the only way that I can explain how we survived is that G-d's hand saved us.  (The other alternative is that we all died and this is some 'Outer Limits' type existence.)  Although a crash seemed inevitable (everything 'shifted' to slow-motion) with a combined speed over 100 MPH, the weird swerve we pulled resulted in neither vehicle even touching each other. So after this 'minor' accident I had to choose whether to grouse about the damage to the car or to be thankful that no one was hurt - I chose the latter.

My 6 year old son rediscovered his interest in fishing, although all of the piers were closed. We also discovered the joy of mini-golf (Myrtle Beach is mini-golf crazy) even playing during some of the cold rainy days. An indoor pool at the resort was also a hit - but toward the end the kids came down with some strange rash from the pool - perhaps too much chlorine or just too many hours in the water.

My time offline also gave me a chance to reflect on this blog - it struck me that I am satisfied with the direction and effort, but that the focus and aim was not clear enough to me. As I reconsidered my priorities it seemed that the best purpose of this blog is to impart to my children who their father is. Who wouldn't want to know more about their father or other ancestors? I would give my eyeteeth to be able to read the musings of my father or other ancestors - blogging may change the nature of history and genealogical research. So this has resulted in the change of the name of this blog although I doubt the direction and content will vary significantly. I will keep the intimate and private stuff in a separate protected section (for the benefit of all concerned).

I didn't really get any reading time in, I tried to start Rise to Rebellion but ended up trying to give the wife a break from constantly taking care of the kids. So she got a mini vacation as well and I got a lot more time to enjoy the kids and develop the bonds that will last a lifetime. Next week I get to go back to North Carolina and pick up the repaired minivan - we sure miss it.

This week I cracked open the Return of the King extended DVD I bought myself and indulged. This trilogy is one of the greatest modern film making achievements created. The additional story material and the bonus material are incredible. The story has improved enough to consider the original theatrical release to be a "Reader's Digest" version. Aside from the 4+ hours of story, I watch the 12 hours of commentary and the 6 hours of bonus materials (and again for each of the other movies). I may post a review on Amazon, but let me say that this effort by all involved was a labor of love. I have had a little experience in Hollywood with professional film making and those who worked with Peter Jackson to make Lord of the Rings put Hollywood to shame - I am gratified that Hollywood had the good sense to award the trilogy with its sweep of the Oscars. One of the great surprises of the DVD is the section on Appendix 6 that reveals the story and work of Cameron Duncan - don't miss it - in its own way it outshines the trilogy.

In considering the making of Lord of the Rings I was struck by the potential parallels to corporate life and what lessons may be learned. Specifically I am interested in comparing Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's thinking with how corporations are run and how Peter Jackson handled the trilogy. Some of the points of interest to me:

1) Allow the employees to determine their actions given the direction by the company (strategy).
Mihaly shows that you get better results from employees (both in terms of performance and customer satisfaction) that are free to choose their actions (versus micromanaging). In the making of the LOTR we see how Jackson sets the direction of the film but often gives the talent (cast and crew) latitude in creating content, in fact some of the best work is a result of allowing that creativity to flow (such as Andy Serkis' creation of Gollum, the art by Howe and Lee, the songs in ROTK, the music and sound effects). Jackson seems to be at his best when providing the vision (book), viewing the results from a customer viewpoint (camera/editing), and ensuring harmony  between disciplines (coordination). Could CEOs take this as a lesson for what roles to play: setting vision, market position and how to choose management?

2) If free and democratic governments are more viable than socialist (or other top down authoritarian regimes)  does it also make sense that corporations should also become 'free and democratic'?
My impression of many large corporations today is that they are run like benevolent dictatorships or other centralized planning regimes. If a corporation can be structured like a democracy where there is limited government (management which has a core function, specific responsibilities, term limits, transparency) we might see the corporation of the future. I believe this may be viable for the same reason that socialist societies are far less effective and enjoyable than free market societies - our society functions remarkably well despite it complexity and lack of centralized planning, the market knows better than any individual or committee. Mihaly says take the hand off the worker and let them (workers as the market) decide what is best. I am not advocating anarchism or a lack of governance but rather a rebalance - management needs to be very disciplined about where it should tread and where it should not. [Barnett's rule sets again - and as he notes that in a democracy or horizontal organization you are given free reign unless you cross certain defined lines of action - whereas in a vertical organization (autocracy) there is an attempt to constrain what you think or are exposed to. Corporations are not that extreme but somewhere in the middle - I think there is more room to move toward Mihaly's democracy.]

3) A 40 hour work week?
Peter Jackson demonstrates that people involved in a clear mission with faith in that mission put in hours far beyond the norm and taking on tasks that went beyond their job descriptions. Certainly this involves equitable pay (either the pay is very good or there is a degree of equitable profit sharing), a sense of contribution and recognition and personal satisfaction. Perhaps we get better output (in any measure) by shedding the concept of an 8 hour day (or 10 or whatever) and 5 day work week in exchange for flexibility where we work extreme hours at some times and few at other times. This begs that companies resist the urge to see their workers time as the company's but rather loosen up and seek reasonable results. This might also lead away from our tendency to want permanent employment and accept federated forms on a 'per project basis' as we become more comfortable with our value and demand for our services. Today's companies often dread permanent staff due to the inability to scale as business needs dictate, in exchange for guaranteed paychecks we expect higher pay (and benefits?) for our flexibility. This is not the same as contract work (independent contractors or contract service) which has much more difficulty in setting up per project, but rather an accepted norm for 'employees' or 'associates' to work in this manner.

In the blogosphere as I followed the ZenPundit and Barnett blogs to History News Network and  The National Interest I also encountered some intriguing perspectives on Anti-Americanism here and here.  Maybe the problem is the term 'Anti-Americanism', if it were simply replaced by the generic term 'hatred' then there would be less need to debate the issue. There are people that hate us because they are jealous or are miserable and want to blame it on someone or have political gain to take such a position or ... but they hide behind nice intellectual criticisms founded on myth (such as the U.S. is stingy - even though in 2003 we provided 40% of all global humanitarian aid - I now even see that our critics are associating the horrendous effect of the tsunami with our position on global warming - perhaps they will figure a way to blame Halliburton, now that is innovation!).