Expressing Opinions

Today Professor Randy Pausch passed away at age 47 from pancreatic cancer. He unintentionally became famous by giving a lecture on September 18, 2007 at Carnegie Mellon. The lecture is available online, has been watched by 10 million people, and translated into seven languages.

“Cancer didn’t change me at all,’’ he said. “I know lots of people talk about the life revelation. I didn’t have that. I always thought every day was a gift, but now I am looking for where to send the thank you note.’’ - Professor Randy Pausch

Our days get loaded with stuff to do and sometimes we get caught up in what I call the “speed of life”. We forget to enjoy the little things, which in the end seem to make the biggest and most positive impact on us.

Randy Pausch’s last lecture web page with a link to the video.

Does anyone have tattoos? If you do, I came across a very cool tattoo social networking site which may be of interest to you, it is called Inked Inc. , You should check it out the photos section of some of the 1021 members.

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Read the full press release here (PDF, 108KB).

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WOW!!! Starbucks is closing 600 stores. I live in the Pacific Northwest where there is (or at least seems to be) a Starbucks on every corner. There are eight Starbucks within 2 miles of me and two of those are two blocks apart. They are on opposite sides of a busy street, so I guess Starbucks’ thinking is it makes sense to eliminate the need to cross the street for your caffeine fix. From now on when I need my fix I will have to walk two blocks further and risk crossing the street.

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If you listen and think about what is being said, you will realize there is a lot of truth in what he has to say.

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A headline in today’s Telegraph is: Modern life leads to more depression among children. What I find interesting is:

Since children’s brains are still developing, they cannot adjust – as full-grown adults can – to the effects of ever more rapid technological and cultural change. They still need what developing human beings have always needed, including real food (as opposed to processed “junk”), real play (as opposed to sedentary, screen-based entertainment), first-hand experience of the world they live in and regular interaction with the real-life significant adults in their lives.

How many times have you thought children are being growing up too fast, have high expectations thrust upon them, and are not permitted to be just kids?

More interesting in the article is:

They are pushed by market forces to act and dress like mini-adults and exposed via the electronic media to material which would have been considered unsuitable for children even in the very recent past.

What I find alarming is these children are pushed by “market forces.” It sounds like children are being treated as a commodity instead of little human beings. Parents should pay attention and stop allowing big business to manipulate and control their child’s development.

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One thing for sure in this time of economic uncertainty is to be sure to ask, don’t settle for a half ass deal, check out all of your options, and be prepared to stand up and take action. When people start cutting back on spending, businesses pay attention and it is time for you to start negotiating.

After yesterday’s posting about Comcast’s lack of customer service I sent another email to them with a link to my posting. Today when I checked my email and guess what was there? An email from Comcast customer service giving me a discount that would not insult me. Now I am going to save $483 over the next 12 months. How about that!

However, all of this has forced me to give it some thought about how I spend my money on being connected, my connection options, and do I really need to be that connected. For the time being I will stay hooked up to Comcast, but I can not say I will be there through the 12 months. I need to give it more thought and investigate my other options. Stay tuned for more.

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WOW!!! It is already mid April and tax day is tomorrow. I wonder how many people will stressing over it tonight and tomorrow? I am not one to gloat, but I surely can appreciate my taxes already being filed.

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13 Major League Baseball teams are offering all you can eat seats this 2008 season. The Los Angeles Dodgers have 3,300 of these $35 seats (the most of any team), which includes Dodger dogs, nachos, peanuts, popcorn, soft drinks, and water. While the Pittsburgh Pirates only provide 164 seats to the over indulging fans.

CNN reports in their article All-you-can-eat baseball seats a nightmare for dieticians:

Nearly half of the 30 major league baseball teams have added the all-inclusive seats, and others are looking into it. The NHL has nine teams offering the deal; the NBA has six. The idea has not caught on with the NFL, but NASCAR has put it in overdrive, selling the tickets at multiple racetracks.

Don’t get me wrong, I am all about getting my money’s worth, but somethings are just too much. The United States is a country where the incidences of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes are growing each year. These health issues are not just growing in an aging population, but are also showing up at an alarming rate in the children of this country. Do Americans need to be over consuming pigs? Is this the example and message we want to send to our children?

If you want a more complete listing of Major League Baseball teams which provide fat ass fan seats you can go to the USA Today article All-you-can-eat seats for 2008.

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Yesterday was laundry day, so I put my last load in the clothes dryer prior to going to bed. This morning when I awakened I check on the last load to see if they were dry, but the clothes still felt a little damp, so I turned the dryer on for another 10 minutes.

I continued on with my regular morning ritual of getting a hot shower before I do anything else. On the mornings when I am finishing the previous days laundry I always use the shower next to my laundry room. The reason is I like taking the warm clothes out of the dryer and wear them when they are still very warm. Today was no exception, however what made getting dressed today made more pleasurable was what was in the dryer. The last load of wash I did was white clothes, specifically underwear.

There is nothing that tops starting your morning with a hot shower, followed by putting on warm underwear. Mmm… Mmm… GOOD!! Warm in all the right places.

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