Teachable Moments And Training Days

Teachable moments are mistakes that if you make them more than once, the worst that may happen is that you suffer humiliation.

Training days are mistakes that you make only once.

Pray More

When you're tired of being tired, pray more.
When you've got less than you need, pray more.
When you think you've past the point-of-no-return, pray more.
When you don't want to try anymore, pray more.
When you want to give up, pray more.
When the doctors say it's no good, pray more.
When your in-laws are acting like outlaws, pray more.
When it's easier to quit than to try again, pray more.
When you don't know what to do, pray more.
When you're fed up, pray more.
When you don't have enough, pray more.
When it's easier to stay in bed, than to get up, pray more.
When you've got nothing left, pray more.
When you're scared, pray more.
When you're about to give in, pray more.
When you need [insert noun here] right now...pray more.

Cambridgegate

Gates versus the Cambridge Police Department (CPD) reminds me of the Tupac and Biggie spat of the early 90s. This eventually pit the entire East Coast against the entire West Coast.

While I support Obama and occasionally sip the kool-aid, I really wished he hadn't weighed in on the issue. He basically fell into a big trap. Being a Cantabrigian since birth, and a resident for over two decades, AND having been pulled over by Cambridge Police for DWB (driving while black), I can say with authority that the dispute is more likely about class than race. In 1989, I could believe the arrest could be race related, but in 2009, hardly.

You see 02138, where Gates lives, is one of the most wealthiest and most liberal zip codes in the country. It's also the kind of place where you could panhandle for a day and make enough for a trip to Florida.

Anyway, my point is that there was no mistake. No oversight. No mistaken identity. Two grown men unfortunately decided to get into a Richard swinging contest through the point of no return. I suspect Gates got a case of "do you know who I am?" And the CPD responded in kind. Neither had the good sense of descalating the situation. I believe both parties acted poorly and should apologize to each other...after being sent to their rooms without dessert.

I Robot, U Robot?

I was listening to On Point with Tom Ashbrook on NPR today, and he was speaking with the CEO of iRobot. The discussion hovered around the advancement of robotics through today, and the impact of those advancements on the working man.

The experts and pro-roboticists felt robots definitely had and have had a place, particularly in the medical and automotive field as being the silent aid in human endevours. Although not necessarily as a substitute or an successor.

On the other side were those who just didn't feel secure in robots having untethered control. The key arguement being, that robot hadn't evolved the decision making engine commesurate to the human mind. For example, a robot can't discern between an eight-month-old baby crying because it's hungry versus crying because it's tired. Humans have a hard enough time figuring that out, but we learn.

Being a sci-fi dude, I have a healthy respect for both sides of the coin. However, to the guest's other point, I also see a gradually shift to robotics being common place. More man and machine merging over time, until we go the full cyborg (if ever) rather than a flip of the switch. I see it more like cosmetic surgery. The early adopters will be those who can afford it, or due to injury or disability, need it.

Integrated robotics will start out as a luxury and novelty, not unlike the mobile phone. Then it will become so integrated with society, that after economies of scale and productivity are met, we won't be able to live without it.

Trusting God With Your Life

There's a lot of time spent debating who believes in God versus who doesn't. A book I was reading put to my mind the importance of not just believing in God, but in trusting God with one's life. For example you probably can name ten people who think you are a good driver, but which one of them would actually lend you their car for two weeks. That's the difference between believing in someone, and trusting that someone with something of great value.

Fortune Cookies I'd Like To Read

• Beware of old wives' tales, you might trip over them
• Make sure you have enough money for the bus, that way you don't have to deal with the repo man
• It takes longer to get somewhere than to get back from somewhere, because one only needs to get lost once to learn
  
• It is what it is, but I still don't know what it is
• Once is a fluke, twice is a coincidence, and three times...a lady.
  

How Long Should A Vehicle Last?

If I ran the world, the formula would be...

MSRP* / 1000 = HLSAVL


*Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price, In US Dollars.

B-B-Q

I just returned from my cousin seventh annual Nigerian barbecue over the weekend. As usual, it was a smattering of food, drink, music, and people.

It wasn't until he reminded me this was the seventh, did I realize it had been going on for that long. He started it on a fluke, and with only a few of us. These last few years, the crowd easily hit fifty or sixty.

Now per Seth Godin's advice, I going to start my own spectacle.

Five Things Guaranteed To Make The World A Better Place

1) Smile.
2) Say good morning to everyone you see before lunch.
3) Give a tourist directions.
4) When someone asks you for spare change, give him or her a dollar instead.
5) Babysit.

Don't feel restricted to just five.

Raise Your Expectations

I was in church this last Sunday and the speaker asked everyone who wanted a job, to come up to the alter for a blessing. The numbers were staggering; at least 15 to 20 percent of the congregation. Score and scores of people stood there with me and there was no shame in it.

The speaker went on to say that those who came up didn't just want a job, they NEEDED a job. Moreover, they needed to believe that God would not only provide a job, but the exact job for them. The ideal job for them, not just a "good-enough" job.

It's easy to ask for just enough, or kinda all right, instead of what we really want or need in life. The fear is that others may be managing with less, or we don't deserve what we are asking for, or worse, we'd better not shoot for the moon or we may hit our toe instead. Now more than ever, we must listen to Mark 5:36 (NIV), when Jesus says, "Don't be afraid, just believe."

Remembering Why We Are Independent

I just saw The Great Debaters and am reminded that freedom and independence and democracy are ratified by each of us one debate at a time. Whether the parties be North vs. South, Red State vs. Blue State, Choice vs. Life, Mac vs. PC, or Eva Mendes versus Eva Longoria.

Some Things I've Learned From Michael Jackson's Death

1. Have a will with funeral / burial instructions
2. Find your calling as early in life as possible and be remarkable at it for as long as you can
3. Find a healthy balance between external success and internal success
4. Have someone in your life that has the authority to pull you back before you go off the deep end
5. The ill you do in life will adversely effect your legacy.
   

Dirty Diana or South Seeking Sanford?

It's a toss-up as to whether Michael Jackson or Governor Sanford would be most likely to make a grown man blush due to T.M.I. (Too Much Information).