My boss asked me, politely enough, to not be so conspicuous. One of her suggestions was to protect this site with a password so customers don't read up on me. Google can be a dangerous thing when you want to keep your job and like to write in public. For now, I'll be writing in private. At work, I'll become Mr. Fastidious — renounded for my efficient case management and skillfull customer service. Or something like that.
« May 2005 | Main | July 2005 »
E Pluribus Unum, Baby
What can be done to stop the tug-of-war between "legal secularism and values evangelicalism" in America? A long article in The New York Times proposes our government offer "greater latitude for religious speech and symbols in public debate" as long as it also imposes "a stricter ban on state financing of religious institutions and activities."
I love the American tradition of nonestablishment, "grounded historically in the belief that government has no authority over religious matters." I love that Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Rastafarians, can do their thing publicly. I love skeptics challenging believers, and vice-versa. Reason can engage revelation, and it doesn't have to lead to bloodshed. "Secularists who are confident in their views should expect to prevail on the basis of reason; evangelicals who wish to win the argument will discover that their arguments must extend beyond simple invocation of faith."
Keep public money out of religous express, and we'll all have a better chance making this mosaic called America work.
When Does Less Become More?
Spotted this 1951 Studebaker Business Coupe in the parking lot of a Dairy Queen. The owner worked in software for 30 years, "but I didn't have anything to show for it," he said. So he bought this car on eBay for $7,000 and restored it. His father, who owned an auto repair business, was floored. The son never took an interest in fixing cars and never came into the shop. The son taught himself.
I'm thinking about this now as I reflect on my weekend. Jenny and I sorted through reams of paperwork. We shredded almost three garbage bags full of receipts, forms, and bills upon bills. We spent yesterday afternoon calling credit card companies to cancel our accounts. We "freecycled" some furniture. We talked about consolidating some loans.
And what do we have to show for it all? Less. Less is better. Less is freeing. But it's tough to have something to show for less. It just clears away the clutter, but it doesn't make a richer life.
I'm wondering what I will do with the space and time I keep striving to save. When will I turn less into more, and what will I have to show for it?
Method Madness
Okay, so I'm just mad about Method Laundry Detergent. I'm a sucker for design, simplicity and the environment, according to my wife. Method concentrates it's laundry formula to eliminate unnecessary water added to other detergents to bulk them up for the appearance of more value. The handle-free bottle is weighs only two pounds and efficiently stores in small spaces. And the squeeze-and-pour cap ensures a mess-free, accurate dose of detergent is delivered. It looks neat, it works well, it's nice to the environment. Sign me up.
No Sextel
Unfortunately, Sprint's merger with Nextel will not result in Sextel, though the company would be wise to let some guerrilla marketer help that notion along. They'll keep "Nextel" as a product brand and the master brand will be just "Sprint." I like the new logo (anything would be better than the current one), but the font and colors -- not to mention the rationalizations for them -- are "eh."
Update: Advertising featuring Nextel products and services in the combined company's markets, there will be a Nextel visual treatment that uses the current Nextel logo with the language "Together with Sprint." Dumb.
Donations
Before I go to bed tonight, I thought I'd donate to two charities that have been on my mind lately. The Humane Society of Silicon Valley was there for Jenny and I when we discovered our cat Jesse was killed. And ONE, which has been getting some good press lately, was an inspiration during the best rock concert in years: U2. The video is stark, arresting, and asks only for your voice. (I gave my voice and bought some wristands. Still, I would gladly given money to spread word that America can donate one percent of our budget toward ending poverty in the poorest countries. That, I think, would do more to fight terrorism than the sledgehammer tactics in the Middle East right now.)
Anyway, that's what I'm thinking about tonight.
