Life’s Lottery

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We sometimes find ourselves in a position of waiting for forces outside ourselves to open the door to opportunities that we have for which we have applied. These events can have life altering results as they play a major role into shaping our station, family, and happiness. These events can place us in a state of flux while awaiting resolution and this can, to say the least be stressful. This tension comes from the loss of control, from not being the master of the decisions that shape our lives. This does not mean that we have lost control but that we bear the burden of one of life’s major events on the verge of unfolding.

We can put many hopes and dreams into these changes that might happen. We think about the benefits of change and maybe even lament the loss of the status quo. The thought that life may be derailed into another direction can be as attractive as winning the lottery. When we purchase a lottery ticket and ponder the thought of winning, it not just the money that we covet. The freedom that can be attained when we are unburdened from life distractions and the new possibilities, that are now open for exploration, become very seductive.

But what if you have a lottery ticket with good odds but have know idea when the drawing will take place. In the beginning you are excited and enthusiastic but as time progress that enthusiasm can be met with doubt. The trick is to quarantine that doubt to the situation and not yourself. Doubting ones self in these times serves no positive role. Beyond the doubt is still remains hope for the most positive result but we need to remind ourselves that life is funny, as it never can live up to the utopia that we can conjure in our minds.

Either way we need to make the best of the results that life provides. As much as we can imagine the benefits of winning the lottery, I have heard many a story that it is not always a blessing. Many times the blessing is what we currently possess, regardless of any changes that might result from any major life event.

So, for now my situation dictates that I continue to wait for the drawing hoping for the best regardless of the result. Maybe it’s time to buy a real lottery ticket, I know when that drawing will happen.

Cognitive Surplus? Part 2

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Well, Clay Shirky did not address all the concerns that I had but he did qualify several of his ideas. Much of his concepts of the surplus that he discusses is attributed to opportunity. While I agree that opportunities shaping our society many are not available to all persons due to socioeconomic situations. That being stated, Shirky highlights some great points and provides inspiration to tackle problems greater than one person’s capabilities.

There is one analogy that I found very profound, because it explains an issue that I have struggled with in my role as an academic. Generational profiling is a big trend in higher education and this type of blanket generalizations can be useful in discussion when citing age demographics but I think it falls apart when you apply it to the population characteristics of an age bracket as a whole. Shirky compares this profiling to horoscopes, which I find a valid comparison because they are about that accurate in my experience. I have sat through several presentations, from invited speakers at various educational, events where generational profiles were spoke as gospel. “The Millennials are always tech savvy and older generations can never compete with their prowess.”  I have not heard this statement exactly but this seems to be the impression that the audience is left with upon departure. Shirky reasoning behind any generational differences is related to opportunities of the time. For example, if someone that is fifty today had FaceBook, or any other social media, available to them as a teenager they would have likely taken advantage of this opportunity just as the current young population’s utilization. A test of any pice of art is the initiation of thought and Shirky follows through in spades.

Overall, I found this book full of engaging ideas and very enjoyable.

The Open Internet… if you have a wire

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Yesterday, Google and Verizon announced a shared Internet policy, in an attempt to define Net Neutrality. This seems to be a fist step for the two to change the debate of Net Neutrality form “open access to the Internet” to “open access if you have a wired connection.” What is missing is that while they have stated in their policy that wireless broadband is different this is a bit of a smoke screen. It is true that this uses wireless spectrum that is a finite resources but this is used for the last leg of the journey. If I request a webpage on my phone, it does not magically radiate through the air to my phone for the whole journey. It is delivered from the web server where it is hosted and travels the Internet backbone to my phone companies wired network.  Until finally, it launches into the air from the nearest cell tower, likely by way of a satellite first, to my phone. It is the last leg of the journey that is wireless after it traverses the wired Internet. So, by extension they are seeking to regulate wired traffic, even if by proxy so to speak.

The type of actions that are implied by this policy indicate “evil” to put it in Google terms. Google has a motto of “do no evil” but in this case they are precisely targeting the dark side. Verizon and other communication companies have tried to tread these waters before and it has not set well with the public. When this policy was announced it was under the guise of moving the debate forward. I think that they are searching for the correct words to guide the public down the slippery slope, that  side steps the principles of Net Neutrality. I hope and encourage  the public become involved in the debate because we cannot leave this in the hands of the corporate interests.