Tarheel Ramblings

Simply Complicated

: Image by leesc_1998 via Flickr

I love gadgets and all things computer related. I was an early adopter of cell phone technology, and I anxiously look forward to the opportunity to upgrade my cell phone every two years. Thankfully, that’s part of my contract with Verizon and the upgrade comes at little or no cost. I also thoroughly enjoy my camera equipment, and have been known to nurture dreams of having the best and brightest gadgets available for preserving images for posterity.

Strangely, I’ve also often been attracted to a very simple life as well. I have thought that it would be great to move to the mountains and live in a simple log cabin, raising my own vegetables and maybe a chicken or two. The memory of how much sweat I spilled hoeing in the family garden in summers past is usually enough to bring me back to reality.

When I lived in Illinois, I visited a Trappist monastery in Iowa several times on retreat. Rising in the pre-dawn hours to pray with the monks, sharing their simple meals, and spending long hours in quiet contemplation are still some of my fondest memories. It was a time of renewal and shedding the stress of every day life. In those times, there were no cell phones, no Internet, and a break from television news. I didn’t forget about the real world, I just took a break from it.

Almost daily, there are news stories about new health issues that threaten Americans. Obesity is a huge issue for many adults, teens and young children, with epidemic growth of the problem. The H1N1 flu virus continues to threaten the elderly and the very young. And despite a growth in awareness of the need to stay physically fit, technology continues to provide new ways to make work easier and less taxing on workers. Many of these problems are exacerbated by the technological advances that require us to expend less energy to accomplish tasks, or the advances that allow us to move easily and quickly around the globe.

I think my attraction to a simpler life is a reaction to all that I see wrong in our world. Greed and selfishness can be found at the root of much that humankind struggles with today. There is a desire to accumulate more “stuff” no matter how much we already have. I think most of us think that if we accumulate enough we will find the key to happiness. My experience is telling me that the truth of the matter is that the exact opposite is true.

Trying to find happiness through the material goods I acquire actually leaves me feeling empty and unfulfilled. As I get the latest and greatest electronic gadget into my possession, the yearning for that is replaced by a new yearning to get the next great improvement on what I already have. It’s a never-ending cycle.

Someone once told me that if my goal in life was to be happy I would end up disappointed. Happiness is the result of accomplishing goals in life and being able to share those accomplishments in relationships that we treasure. In approaching life with this philosophy a person is more likely to have a healthy appreciation for the good things that come their way.

As I get older, I’m more open to the idea that life would be better if it were more simple. It will take time and work to develop a willingness to turn loose of things that are not that important in my life. I may not ever get to the point where I’ll give up all worldly things as a Trappist monk does. But I think there is plenty of room for growth even if the changes I make are small.

Because Monks are Just Soldiers in Awkward Clothes (yimcatholic.blogspot.com)
What I envied him was his courage (netnewmusic.net)
Technology: The End of Family (slideshare.net)
Working Moms Are the Mobile Power Users in the U.S. (mashable.com)

Sunday Scenery - #96

Spot of Gold

The new issue of Popular Photography has a tutorial on a sharpening technique that uses a high pass filter. The benefit of using this method to sharpen images is that you don’t end of creating noise in the image or having edges that look strange because of the sharpening.

Using an image that I think I’ve used for Sunday Scenery in the past, I tried out the method for myself. I was blown away by the results. This image of a flower was not bad before, but there is so much more detail now. I think it’s an outstanding image as the result of the work I did in Photoshop.

This brings up an issue that I’ve seen discussed several times lately. In fact, I’ve argued about it with some photographers face to face. That is the idea that digital photography is on “true photography” because of the manipulation that is possible on the computer.

Personally, I don’t see much difference between the manipulation done to pixels on the screen and that done by adding or subtracting chemicals in the darkroom. In fact, back in the day, I worked with a photographer who did a lot of touch up work on negatives before printing them. He used special pencils and masks to end up with the results he was looking for.

Most of the tools and methods that I use in Photoshop have their roots in film photography. Dodging, burning, cropping, using masks and so on are all carried over from the days photographers worked in a darkroom instead of at a desk.

There are always going to be purists who feel that to really be a good photographer one has to print what comes out of the camera–period! They are entitled to their opinion. But if we all adopt that point of view, we’ll need to remove all the work created by great photographers, such as Ansel Adams, from museums and collections.

When A Telephone Was Just A Telephone

: Image via Wikipedia

I’ll admit it. I love Gadgets. I was hooked on computers long before I could afford to buy my first one, and I walked by the little store in town and stared at the little Atari computer sitting in the window every chance I got.

I remember the first cell phone I had like it was yesterday. But the cost of using it demanded that I use it sparingly, and mostly I kept it for emergencies. And for the most part I didn’t carry it with me because it weighed a couple of pounds and was as big as a brick. But it made me feel safer.

Lately, I’ve seen AT&T commercials on television that just drive me up the wall. The pitchman goes on and on about downloading songs and pictures faster than Verizon. And he tries to promote the fact that on their network, it’s possible to talk on the phone and surf the web at the same time. I can’t help but sit there and wonder why anyone would want to.

Maybe I’m different, but I struggle to do one thing at a time, let alone two or three. Sure, sometimes it would be handy to look something up on the Internet when you’re talking to someone. But how often is that? And the distraction factor is a big issue with me. I recently wrote a post on using a cell phone while driving. I’ll let that one go for now.

I’ll admit that I like fact that most cell phones now have a camera. That goes to my photographic hobby. That and the fact that I have a terrible memory and forget to take my camera with me sometimes when it would really be nice to have. I can usually remember to hang my phone on my belt. So most of the time I have a camera with me as well by default.

Image via Wikipedia

The cell phone has become the Swiss Army Knife of gadgets. Let’s see, you can make phone calls, have a calendar or calculator available, take pictures or videos, surf the web, consult a GPS to find an address, record a voice memo…just about anything you might need to do, you can do with a cell phone.

But AT&T needs a reality check. They have a reputation for the most unreliable service of the major cell providers. What good does it do to have a phone that you can surf the web while talking on the phone if you aren’t able to connect? Having the fastest network is easy when no one can connect. There’s no load on the system to test that speed.

Now, when it comes to fixing the problem of being distracted at the right time, there’s an easy fix. Every GPS system can be set so that it cannot be operated when the vehicle is moving. It would be simple to do the same thing with cell phones. When the network detects that the cell phone is in motion over five miles per hour, just disable everything except the ability to make 911 calls. Doesn’t that make sense? The problem is, it probably makes too much sense.

Cell Phone Bans Don’t Reduce Accidents (dickstersrandomthoughts.com)
AT&T adds 2.7 million wireless customers, blowing past Verizon, pledges service upgrades (taragana.com)

Civil Discourse

Old NC Senate Chamber

This afternoon, the local school board is meeting in Raleigh to take a second vote on doing away with mandatory year-round schools. This comes as the result of elections at the end of last year that saw a group of new board members elected after running on promises to do just that. They also promised to do away with busing instituted to maintain an economic status balance in the schools of the county.

Given the fact that these people were elected, I’m not surprised that they are following through on their election promises. But many people in the community, especially those afraid of a return to segregated schools are highly upset with what is going on. You see, the rest of the story is that there was a very light turnout for the election with just a little over 10% of eligible voters participating. Seems the majority of opinions may not have been represented in the election of the new majority to the school board.

Unfortunately, the rules are not made by the majority of people in a group unless the majority takes the time and makes the effort to vote. That’s just the way they system works. So until there are new elections, those in office have the right and the obligation to govern according to their principles and their promises.

Keeping that in mind, there is still an opportunity to influence the decisions these elected officials will be making. People can write, phone and e-mail school board, or any other elected official, and communicate their opinions. In fact, not doing so is somewhat irresponsible when important matters are under consideration. Unfortunately, it appears that civil discourse is not possible at any level of government in this country.

Any discussion of issues from opposite points of view too often degenerate into name calling and finger pointing. There is absolutely no interest in compromise, or even trying to identify the best solution for a problem. Take a look at the national debate over health care reform as a prime example of what I’m talking about. Both side agree on one thing: the system is broken. But the Republicans and Democrats are so entrenched in the solution being put forward by their own parties there is no room to look for the best solution that is acceptable to both parties.

If the polls are correct, today’s election in Massachusetts is going to give Republicans the votes they need to halt the passing of the health care reform package backed by Democrats. Since the two parties are so far apart on solving the problem and addressing the issue, in all likelihood nothing will be done to change health care and the problem will only get worse.

As citizens, isn’t it time that we began getting rid of elected representatives that only care about political philosophy and ignore the real issues? Isn’t it time to demand that correcting serious problems become more important than getting reelected? Until that happens, we are going to be stuck with what we have, which is an economy in trouble, a growing decline in the middle class, and social systems that are deteriorating in front of our eyes.

I seriously doubt that any real change in our political system will happen until we voters learn to communicate with each other in a civil way. Railing against others because they are liberal, or they are conservative, or they are right wing, or they are left wing…and on and on…will get us nowhere. A desire to find solutions that work, in a spirit of cooperation and compromise will allow us all to prosper.