A Letter To Greg

This article is actually a letter (sent by email) to a very good and valued friend of mine of 50 years. I sent this letter to Greg earlier today. I realized as I was concluding the letter that it is really a Manifesto.

There is an old cliché that says there are three kinds of people in society.

#1 People who make things happen.

#2 People who watch things happen.

#3 People who wonder what happened.

That relates to what goes on in politics, religion and other forms of social interaction. I want to be part of group #1. I, unfortunately, often find myself as part of group #2. But, I strive my hardest to avoid at nearly all costs being part of group #3.

Lately, I've found myself losing sight of who I really am by being sucked in and reacting (knee-jerk reaction) to issues, events and ideological discussions I really can't do anything about and that really are not my problems. I find myself spending far too much of my priceless time writing to inform, educate or influence people who really don't want to be informed, educated or influenced. They simply

#13 on the Top Ten List of Life Thieves - "The Internet"

The Internet! It has changed our lives. It has changed the way the vast majority of the world thinks, communicates and even functions on a daily basis. One can solve problems, find the answers to the most perplexing questions and talk, one on one, with people we would never had the ability to connect with in the past.

The Millennial Generation grew up with computers, video games and the Internet, streaming media and cell phones and has no idea what the world was like before them.  Generation X (Generation Y is a non-generation according to "Wired Magazine") grew into video games, computers and the Internet, adopted early car and bag phones. The Baby Boomer generation is an analog generation growing up with dial telephones, black and white TV, vinyl records (especially 45's), Top 40 AM radio, double feature Saturday movie matinees and bills that came in the mail with cards full of holes and the inscription "Do Not Fold, Spindle or Mutilate." The Greatest Generation grew up with party line telephones, AM and short-wave radio, black and white movies and 78 rpm records.

I thought it would be interesting to differentiate the generations by some of the technology that was popular during the youthful years.

Some of those who were born and raised during the Greatest Generation have been able to adapt, although, on a somewhat limited basis, compared to the Gen X and Millennials, to computers, streaming and downloadable media, cell phones (let's not even consider Smart Phones) and the Internet.

Most of the Baby Boomer Generation has managed to adapt quite well to all the modern technology. However, for the most part, if all these technological advances hadn't become so user friendly over the last decade, I'm sure they would probably be considered Luddites.

The Internet

The Internet exists solely because of computer technology. No computers, no Internet. It's that simple. And, while most people have come to take computers for granted, they have no idea of their history or how long they have been impacting human existence. Computation actually dates back earlier than 2000 BC. This is not meant to be a history lesson, so if you're interested, please use the Internet (what else) to research for yourself. Suffice to say, over the last few millennia, there have been a variety of mechanical and electrical devices created to provide computation.

The Internet actually dates back to it's birth as the ARPANet on October 29, 1969. Digital networking began as early as 1950. There were several organizations around the world experimenting and developing various networking protocols. Ultimately, the ARPANet became the protocol that, obviously, proved successful and eventually became what we now refer to as the Internet and was made available to anyone with a digital computer and a means of connecting (modem) to the backbone of the Internet. Again, if you're interested, you can easily do your own research.

The Internet, as we know it today, has literally become the greatest interconnectivity, information, communication and educational creation in the history of humankind. It surpasses the printed book, radio, Television, motion pictures, telephone, all forms of audio and video recordings, graphic art, etc. because it has encompassed all of them. The computer and the Internet are ubiquitous. In some way, the computer and Internet touch lives as extreme as the most remote, primitive societies in the world to the highest tech homes, businesses and governments. The, once, simple and basic telephone has morphed into a micro computer with far more power than that of the computers used by NASA to land men on the moon and bring them home.

The reality is that computing devices that, at one time, required large rooms to house them have been reduced in size over a period of approximately 75 years to where an individual can have a small tablet device, smaller than a traditional book, or a smart phone that easily fits in a woman's purse or a man's shirt pocket and accomplish just about every function an older and larger computer could do. Additionally, with the connectivity available on the current wireless telephone systems, the tablets and smart phones connect the possessors of such devices with the Internet and global information, entertainment and communication availability 24/7. And, now, the communication device comic strip character (for those of you old enough to remember), Dick Tracy, wore on his wrist in the 1940's, 50's and 60's has actually become a reality with wristwatches that are smart phones and have Internet capability.

As the old Virginia Slim's cigarette ad's slogan boasted, "We've come a long way, Baby!" As of 2014, 90% of American adults have cell phones and some kind of computing device. The smart phone is used by 64% of all American adults and growing. Additionally, huge percentages of American adults have  and use tablets, e-readers, laptop and/or desktop computers. The percentage of American adults over 65 with cell phones is 74%. A mere 29% of American cell phone owners can't imagine ever being without a cell phone and 44% sleep with the phone next to their bed so they won't miss a phone call, text or any other updates while they are in bed.

The Internet and the devices that connect us to it have become as addictive as most of the other addictions humans are susceptible to. I was at an event Monday of this week, at the airport in Fresno, California, where people were taking photos of their relatives and friends leaving on a special trip. They were taking the photos on their smart phones and then immediately uploading the photos to their Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and probably other social media pages as well as their on-line photo albums.

The Internet As A Time Thief

So, here it comes! How much of YOUR life is being stolen by the Internet? Let me broaden that statement just a little.

How much of your life do you spend checking and responding to e-mail (rapidly becoming "old school") and texts, checking and posting to Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and other social media, Skype, Facebook, etc. messaging and responding?

Do you find yourself sitting at the table during meals with you smart phone or tablet in hand or close at hand?

Are you constantly checking your smart phone/tablet while you're in the car - as a passenger, or OMG, while you're driving?

Do you find yourself looking at your device(s) while you're waiting for something (doctor appointment, meeting a friend, business meeting, at the conference table, while waiting in the mall with your kids or spouse, etc.)?

Do you actually prefer to email or, now, more commonly, text rather than actually make a phone call and talk with someone utilizing  verbal communication?

Do you spend hours each day or week posting, commenting and "liking" things on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Ebay, Craig's List, etc.?

Do you get absorbed for hours in video games, on your computer, game machine or on-line?

Before the computer (and all the derivative devices) and the pervasiveness of the Internet in our lives, we still had a life. We actually spent time having one on one and family visits with friends and relatives. We weren't concerned if we missed a call because, if it was important, whoever made the call would call back. We played board games. We went outdoors and enjoyed fresh air and natural, normal exercise. We bought books or went to the library and read them. We had a variety of forms of entertainment, but none of them pervaded our lives.

I cannot be a hypocrite. I am a techy. I have been since I became a short-wave listener at about age 12 and 13 and an amateur radio operator at age 14. I discovered the recording and sound industry in college and video recording as part of a part-time summer job I had during two summers in college. My life and career were all about the technology of a couple industries including many years in the high-speed tape duplication industry. So, it wasn't without precedent that I wouldn't eventually become involved in and embrace digital/computer technology. Additionally, having a Generation X son, the computer and Internet were virtually inevitable, both for him and for me as I had to keep up with my own industries.

Yes! Here I sit composing this article about the Internet as a Life Thief. And I'm qualified to write this article because computers (I'm composing on my laptop, I have my smart phone next to the computer and my tablet that I'm using for research as I compose, sitting next to the phone) are part and parcel of my life. I am as guilty as sin with regard to the questions I posed earlier (except I don't text while I drive, although my smart phone will read incoming texts to me and I can dictate very brief replies when it's safe to do so).

There is absolutely no question or doubt in my mind that I am a form of technology (and in this case, computer/Internet) "addict." If I did a conservative estimate of how much time the computer and Internet have stolen from me, I'm sure it would easily be a couple years, at least. This doesn't include specifically identifiable, productive use of computers and the Internet.

It was about 1980 when I first started fooling around with computers. We duplicated computer games for game companies on data cassettes. Those early years were targeted toward productive business use. It wasn't until around 1993 or 1994 that I began getting involved in on-line services like Compuserve and AOL. That led to the Internet and the rest is history, as the saying goes.

Are You An Addict?

So, can you be honest with yourself? Are you an Internet addict? How many of the questions I raised earlier in this article describe your typical behavior? Have you ever said to yourself, I'd like to live in a kinder, gentler time in the past . . . as long as I can take my technology (more specifically computers, tablets, smart phones, wireless telephone and Internet connectivity)? Do you feel like you're "naked" if you accidentally leave your smart phone at home or the office or even in the car? Have you ever even attempted to calculate how many times you pull out your smart phone or tablet during any given day? Have you gone out with the family, on a date, visited with friends and found yourself checking your smart phone and replaying to texts instead of focusing your attention on those you are with? How much time out of every day, week, month and year is the Internet in its many manifestations stealing from your life?

Yes! You certainly need to evaluate this. You need (as do I) to learn how to turn the phone off, set it down, leave it behind and learn to use that time to focus on family, friends and yourself. Today's kids are a prime example of what we are becoming. They will sit in the same room, regardless of whether it's just two or a group, and text each other messages while within mere feet of one another.

Yes! Some of this is extreme. No! We're not all as bad as some of the behavior I've described. But, the Internet and all that it and the computing devices related to it are taking not minutes, not hours, but days, weeks and months, in aggregate, from our lives.

The Greatest Generation, those who use and have embraced the Internet at some level, typically, somewhat limited, are not as far gone down this road as the later generations. They still, actually, converse with one another and some even have telephone conversations and write letters on paper.

The Baby Boomers, again, while not near as immersed as the younger generations, are often pretty deeply immersed in the Internet. Most still use e-mail rather than writing on paper and sending letters. Many have embraced texting. I know some people who may be approaching the same level of texting addiction as their kids and grandchildren. And, I have no idea how so many people I know can spend as much time on Facebook and other media as they do. Some Baby Boomers have also become involved in online games playing chess, scrabble, solitaire and numerous other addictive games.

The Generation X folks grew up with computers, computer games and the opening of the Internet to the general public. My own son is a self-taught Web developer and graphic designer, having adapted to the computer like a duck to water. They are the creators of the Facebooks, Instagrams, Twitters and so many other facets of the Internet and all that it now encompasses.

The Millennial Generation is the real question mark. They have never been without computing devices, tablets, smart phones, the Internet and social media. They very well may be the first generation that has little or, in some cases, no direct, one on one, interpersonal contact and connections with people over the long run of their lives. They are the young people who sit in the same room and interact by texting one another. What will families look like in the future. Will children be conceived and raised without two parents ever coming together for the biological act of conception? Will they even have two parent families? Perhaps they will be the last vestige of a society we knew and grew up with. What will their offspring be like? How will they be raised.

Is the Internet TOO MUCH of a great thing? Is it stealing not only our lives and time, but out humanity from us? Only the future will reveal the answers to these questions. Only we can stop the Internet from stealing our lives and those who will come after us. 

Photo-of-the-Week #127 - The Famous "Ripper" from Rutt's Hut, Clifton, New Jersey, September 24, 2013

Here it is! It's the famous "Ripper." The "Ripper" is a deep fried hot dog that is fried until it literally rips open. This is the specialty of Rutt's Hut, a hot dog stand and establishment that has been serving up the "Ripper" since 1929. They've served a lot of hot dogs over those 84 years. Rutt's Hut is located in Clifton, New Jersey, my hometown.

Now, believe me, you don't have to tell me that these are probably not great for my arteries and my heart. But, hey, there are just some things in life you have to make the supreme sacrifice for and a "Ripper" is one of them. They also have their own concoction of mustard and relish that perfectly complements this unique way of serving up a hot dog. Rutt's Hut "Rippers" have been written up by many newspaper reviewers and it was ranked in the top ten hot dogs from all the hot dogs in the U.S. on a Public Television program about hot dogs.

Part of the appeal of Rutt's Hut is the ambiance and the people you'll run across there. You'll find the locals. You'll find the travelers who come there out of curiosity because they heard about the place on TV or in some write up. You'll find the hot dog connoisseur. It's just one of those places you must try at least once. But, most people will put it on their list of must return places.

I was there on Tuesday evening, September 24, 2013 later in the day after I was interviewed on the radio station I started 46 years ago, WMSC. I had connected a few years ago on one of the many Internet social networking sites with a woman I went to grade school, jr. high school and graduated from high school with 50 years ago this year. We hadn't seen each other in all those years. But, we made a date when I got to Clifton one day that we'd meet at Rutt's Hut. And that's exactly what we did. A very special way to renew an old acquaintance and enjoy a very special "delicacy" - a Rutt's Hut "Ripper." (I cheated though, I had two).  

Wednesday Musings - Gad Zoosk, Social Media, E-mail and Privacy

Good morning on this overcast "Hump Day" here at the base camp in West, "by God" Virginia. I guess we're in mid-fall now, but one can't be sure from day to day. It's warm and sunny one day, cold and blustery the next day. The leaves are off the trees, so I guess that tells us it's fall and heading into my least favorite season, winter. With all the crazy natural events lately between Hurricane/Super Storm Sandy, the aftermath of which is way too far reaching to want to consider. Then add winter snow storms, a nor'easter and a few earthquakes to spice things up, and that's just in the past few weeks, one has to wonder about things to come.

New Jersey Governor Christie may have made a good point with his comment about waiting for the locusts and pestilence. I also notice that, for at least the past year, Costco, the wholesale warehouse club, has been selling survival kits consisting of everything one needs to survive for a year in air and water tight containers. Do they know something we don't know?

Trick or Tweet!

Gad Zoosk! No that's not a typo. If you and I are friends on Facebook or if we've had any email correspondence at some time in the past four years or so, you may have received an invitation from me to check out my photos on Zoosk. First, please accept my apology. I did not intentionally send that invitation to you or anyone. As a matter of fact, I didn't know I sent it out at all. A trusted friend sent me the same invitation. I went to look at her photos thinking Zoosk was another of the several legitimate photo server sites like Snapfish, Shutterfly and Kodak's site. Wrong!

It almost never pays to make assumptions and this is such an instance. As I attempted to navigate around the site to find my friend's photos, I did it. Yep! I did something I avoid like the plague, I inadvertently clicked on something that gave this site permission to invade and intrude on every Facebook contact I have (I'm not a big Facebook user, thankfully) and every email address in my contact list - which numbers well north of a thousand.

Zoosk, it turns out is a social networking site for single (I assume) people looking for romantic relationships. Well, I'm not interested in any such relationships at this time. And, I'm pretty sure all my married friends who received the invitation aren't either. I enjoyed my experiences with personal ads, dating services and on-line matching sites like Match.com way back. They served me well and were fun between 1990 and 2002 or 2003. But, that was then and this is now.

So, now I'm attempting to contact everyone who may have received this intrusive and unintended invitation to apologize for the inconvenience. I'm also carefully trying to figure out how to extract myself from this thing without compounding what's already happened. Daily, I'm receiving lists of women who are viewing the supposed profile I never put up and "flirting" with me. I feel like a piece of fresh meat tossed into a pond full of piranhas. Believe it or not, I still believe in serendipity. The chance meeting of two people who find common interests and a natural attraction to one another.

While I do have several social networking sites including Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Plaxo and Twitter sites. I monitor and use them sparingly. My Myspace account only has a handful of connections. My LinkedIn, Facebook, Plaxo and Twitter accounts variously have somewhere between 350 and 500 connections. I also have a Couchsurfing.org account, which I guess is a form of social networking with a very defined purpose. The bottom line is that these sites can be very addictive.

I use a couple applications to monitor the sites. They save me time and prevent me from getting too drawn into the sites. I post updates to the various social media sites to let people know about new posts on my blog and, when I think I have something substantive to contribute that might inform, educate or tickle the funny bone, I post it. I don't want people to know what I had for lunch today or what cute comment my doctor may have made about my slightly corpulent physical statistics that I've been "threatening" to reduce for the past few years. And frankly, that's TMI to learn about others, too.

Certainly, I don't have any problem with others sharing all forms of information about their lives, their children's and grandchildren's lives or anything else they care to. But, my living free philosophy also requires that I don't overload on information that is not of specific relevance to me. If anyone really cares to know what's important to me or what "adventures" I'm involved in they can simply come here to my blog and learn more about me then anyone would ever need to know. Of course, I hope that in sharing my ideas, beliefs and adventures, I may help others to find new ideas, opportunities and enjoy adventures for themselves.

A little bit of anything is okay, but too much of a good thing can be overbearing. I limit my social media involvement and I never play the little games like Farmville and all the other stuff. Now that I slipped and got "boinged" by Zoosk, my defensive shields are back up at full force.

Email and Other Telecommunication Technology

And, speaking of privacy and email, hmmm, were we? I've read several articles recently indicating that email is on the decline and is rapidly being replaced by texting. You can't prove that by me. My spam filter works overtime and my spam box is always full of all sorts of useless drivel. I'm an information junkie, but I've cut back a lot over the past four years as I've been downsizing and simplifying my life. I still receive too much. I need to spend a few days in "retreat" and not take phone calls or have any personal interaction with anyone. Then I can unsubscribe from things I'm not reading any longer, eliminate thousands of old, unread messages that may be a one to three years old, emails that I kept because I planned to reread or archive them and misc. other emails like notifications of electronic payments due.

No! I don't see my email diminishing. I am still acclimated to email. I hardly ever use snail mail any longer. l bought 100 Forever stamps a few years ago and I'm finally using them up. I'll buy another hundred before the price goes up again and I'm guessing they may last me 4, 5 or maybe more years. I seldom receive faxes anymore. In a way, that's sad for me. My father was one of the people instrumental in developing the fax machine. There are three patents in his name. I receive faxes by email. I send anything of a fax nature by scanning it and sending it as an email attachment. There are even more efficient ways to accomplish the same thing. I'm not big on texting, at least, not yet. I have several friends my age who text a lot. I can see where there are significant advantages and efficiencies. I'm currently just not ready to make the transition.

I also use Skype more and more. My smart phone serves as my main phone connection to the world as well as my modem for everything I do on line (I'm completely wireless). I have to strike a careful balance. I maintain only a nominal number of "anytime" minutes for phone calls. I have free mobile to mobile time with any other mobile phone on my service providers network. I also have thousands of minutes of night time (9 PM until 6 AM) and weekend minutes. All of my unused "anytime" minutes at the end of a month roll-over for future use.

My Skype calls use bandwidth on my data plan.  I also have a limited amount of that available. Since I use a very current Android Smart Phone, I do most of my Skype calls on the phone as if they were regular wireless phone calls. So, I'm continually monitoring my accounts (which is simple) and perfecting my balancing act. I'm also, always monitoring technology to see when new plans or providers offering better programs become available.

Using the Technology Saves Money and Is More Efficient

The reality is that all of this technology provides me and most other living free individuals with more personal freedom than we've every realized before. For those who have graduated to a smart phone, one little instrument handles a multitude of utilitarian requirements plus provides entertainment from reading books, magazines and newspapers to TV shows, news, weather and movies. Their value multiplies exponentially for those of us who maintain various kinds of small businesses.

Before I left the ranch I had as many as four wired phone lines. I had three toll free numbers. I had a cell phone service with an early smart phone, helpful, but not near as multi-tasking as my current phone. I had a separate flat rate long distance service. Now, I have none of those except the wireless service. My Internet connection was by Hughes satellite. There was no other way to have "high-speed" Internet in that location. My total monthly cost for all of my telecommunication services ran between $450 and $500. Currently, with my smart phone and my current account, my monthly cost is about $100.  I have one phone that does everything I outlined above. It weighs only ounces and I have access to everything I'm doing virtually everywhere I am except for the occasional wireless service "dead zone."

Privacy - An Expectation Lost

Now, privacy is another matter. All our modern technology is susceptible to interception and eavesdropping regardless of whether it's phone conversations, email, texting, surfing the Web, shopping, watching news or a movie. If you have the GPS positioning feature turned on, someone can locate you within a few yards of your specific location. The recent scandal and resignation of David Petraeus, the, now, former Director of the C.I.A., and by fall out, dragging in General John Allen, Director of Military Operations in Afghanistan, makes the point. A wired phone can be wire-tapped with a court order. Supposedly, wireless phones also require a court order to be tapped, however, pretty much anyone with a basic knowledge of the current technology and a digital scanner can listen in.

So, while we are supposed to be living in a "free" society and the land of liberty, no one has any expectation of privacy any longer unless you remove yourself 100% from the grid. Your emails, texts, phone conversations and even the sites you surf on the Web can be intercepted, monitored and, with what appears to be less and less integrity and scrutiny, used against you tosteal your identity, create discord or even destroy your family and a distinguished career.

John Allen will likely be vindicated of any serious improprieties. However, the damage is irrevocable in the case of David Petraeus. Some will say and are saying that due to the positions of importance and national security held by these two men, this invasion of privacy was appropriate. Others will take the opposing view. Personally, under the circumstances that created this firestorm, i.e. a few anonymous emails to a Florida "socialite" who used - and probably abused privilege to bring the F.B.I. into something that likely never would have warranted such an investigation, I personally side with the opposing view.

At least several lives have been painfully damaged, a career and distinguished reputation destroyed and a massive amount of expensive resources (millions of dollars of taxpayers money, when this finally blows over) misappropriated. Seems to me we had a president impeached over a very similar matter in recent history. Yet, neither his career nor his reputation nor his family was destroyed, though the blemish remains.

I guess the question is, are we no longer allowed the freedom to, A. make mistakes in our personal lives and B. keep certain parts of our lives private and, yes, even secret, if we choose to? These invasions of privacy and detrimental outcomes from actions taken due to these invasions have already been happening for quite some time to private citizens like you and me. The major difference is that we aren't newsworthy. We can't sell expensive commercial time on TV, radio and in newspapers. The mainstream news media and tabloids don't have a feeding frenzy over us. Our lives just get destroyed and no one except a few folks close to us knows or cares.

These are all important things to think about, no matter who you are or how you define living free for your life. We are blessed with all this fantastic technology, but just like most of the wonderful, modern prescription drugs, they are all fraught with side effects.

Just my musings on this, now hazy, sunny day here in West Virginia.