Why its OK (sometimes) to say ‘Happy Holidays’

While I’ve done my share to rant about how the world has screwed up religious holidays (see Happy Easter and Kill The Bunny), I’ve recently had a re-think on the subject of the saying “Happy Holidays”.  I used to get a little peeved when I was greeted by the generic holiday message.  Now, I see it through different eyes… or could.

I used to think of the term as a way of neutering my holidays because Christianity was too radical or offensive for the masses. Or perhaps that a Jew would be offended if they were offered a Merry Christmas or a Christian offended by a “Happy Chanukah” wish. I just took it too personally. Now I chosen to interpret the term as more of an all-inclusive. Its a way of saying… “Enjoy ALL the holidays. Why limit yourself to just Christmas?”.

I won’t debate or defend any particular belief in this post, but I do believe that most widely accepted holidays have as their basis some story or premise that is almost always universally useful. Christmas is the story of God’s gift to mankind. Chanukah celebrates the end of a battle and a rededication and thanksgiving to God for his help. Kwanzaa is a celebration and rededication of non-denominational principles like faith and self-determination.

So this year, before you engage in your normal ritual, take an hour or two and talk to your kids about the other holidays, their meaning and their importance to those who believe in them. Look for the lessons that we all can use in these times of trouble. Lessons about tolerance, faith and living a principled life. You may find them in places you hadn’t thought to look.

Happy Holidays to all. I wish you peace and prosperity in the new year.

P.S. If you get a chance, stop by my latest website design and give me your feedback in these comments. – Thanks

Let me clarify a few things about the new Apple device

I’ve been listening for some time to others postulating what the new Apple device may be. I am at once saddened and excited to say that you are all wrong. Saddened for how silly you feel once you see how obvious this is and excited because the new device will be AWESOME.

I’ll start by naming it. It will be called the iPad.

So what is it?
The iPad will be a multifunction, location, attitude and proximity aware device and will possess the following functions/attributes. It will be a pad-like device about the size of a kindle. Few, if any physical buttons. It will bear a similarity to the latest iPods but will not be exactly like them. it will contain no moving platter storage. It will have a huge battery and will connect via WiFi, WiMax and 3G/4G Cellular Data services. It will have one SD card slot, stereo mics and at least one (maybe two) cameras. The device will not be a processing powerhouse but will focus a great deal of power on graphics display.

Drawing Tablet
The iPad will function as a drawing tablet as it sits docked to your Mac. You will be able to use your finger or styli to control your mouse pointer on the screen.

Alternate Display
The iPad will be used as an alternate display… a second monitor of  sorts. A place for property panes or meta data… or just a second monitor.

Alternate Input Device
In order to fulfill the requirements of a portable computing/communications device ( see below) the iPad will need to be able to create and accept text and gesture input. For this reason, you will be able to use the iPad’s on-screen keyboard and multi-touch capabilities as input options for your conventional laptop or desktop. What the iPad also allows is the creation of application specific control and input/output devices. Imagine an audio mixer or video mixer. Maybe even a jog wheel. If you can draw a picture of it, you can pretty much turn it into a control.

Remote Control
Why doesn’t Back to my Mac work? Why haven’t they fixed it? Because they will be bringing it out in the latest version of Leopard to work with the iPad. It will turn the iPad into the ultimate remote for AppleTV and the other network-connected Apple devices (iMacs, MacBooks, iPods, iPhones) in your life. This is why they haven’t already killed the AppleTV. It and the iPad become the media output devices in your home.

Portable Computing Device
No, they won’t make a netbook. They will make the netbook look ridiculous by comparison. The iPad will leverage MobileMe and Back to my Mac to replicate your desktop/laptop functionality. Simply connect to a network then to your desktop and you have access to your work, your media, your digital world… all integrated. Just like Apple likes it. And Gaming!!! Imagine the impact of a larger display and control surface on the already wildly successful Apple AppStore gaming industry.

Portable Communications Device
It seems silly to call it a phone anymore, but you will be able to place calls with it. You will also be able to make video calls, making it the first truly pervasive video phone. I suspect that Apple will make the video call protocol available to other platforms to ensure that Mac users can call the rest of the world (to tell them to buy an iPad).

Where do I get my hair-brained ideas?
The explosion of the netbooks tells us that people want an easily portable computing/communication experience. The popularity of the iPhone as a mobile computing platform is, in itself, a milestone in computing history. What stops it short of being the iPad is simply its size. You really can’t comfortably read or write on the iPhone for very long. We’ve also heard from several sources that Apple has purchased 10-inch touch screens. We know that they wouldn’t make an also-ran netbook with them. We also know that SnowLeopard is more about security and code efficiency than new OS features. These efforts would also support design and delivery of a small, network connected device.

Maybe I’m completely nuts, but I’ve always believed that Apple isnt about sacrifice, its about innovation, simplicity, elegance, integration and connectivity.  So, when we heard about the touch screen displays, and you apply those principles, you must come to the conclusion that the device cannot simply be another netbook. Apple dreams big, and like its sibling Pixar, it makes game-changing products that redefine, even create markets.

What’s next?
I suspect that the next hardware rollout (probably next year) will be the Apple Core. A server based on the Mac Mini hardware platform that provides a NAS-like gateway to your media and other files, manages DRM and controls access. If you need additional processing, simply add another Mini and mesh computing will distribute the tasks. It may also manage backups in the same way that Time Capsule does today. It will feature Drobo-like redundancy and ease of use. Drives will look like Mac Minis. Simply attach them via firewire or what have you. If they fail, unplug and insert a new one. I predict Core will also be Steve’s last project and mark the fulfillment of his vision when he rejoined Apple.

Comments welcome as always.

New year’s resolutions you can live with

If you are anything like me, every year you make new year’s resolutions and, again… if you’re anything like me, you’ve blown them as fast as you could make up an excuse.Well, I think I can help.You see my friend, you’re not a bad person (probably)… you just reached too high. You were destined to fail and then, once you did, you were too embarrassed and disheartened to give it another, ill-fated go.You probably gave the task very little thought. The holidays are a busy time and with the looming expectations of Christmas/Chanukah/Quanzaa/Arbor day, its no wonder you waited until 11:48 on December 31st to set your goals for the following year. You were busy dammit! Remember, I understand.This year will be different (Where have you heard that before?). Starting now, you have a sure-fire, four-point plan:

1. Start early.
2. Set your goals.
3. Get a plan.
4. Reward yourself regularly for your successes.

Start Early: Start now! Get a cocktail napkin and a crayon and get going… NOW DAMMIT, NOW!! Set your goals: This is where we make our biggest mistakes. We set unreasonable goals. Think back to the last couple year’s resolutions. Did you keep them… no. Are you just too lazy… no. Is there something so inherently wrong with you that renders you elementally incapable of accomplishing that resolution… no. Then it obviously was a faulty resolution.Here are some of the resolutions on my cocktail napkin. Feel free to borrow them as you see fit.Watch more TV: The world’s knowledge is broadcast 24 hours a day for your edification. Are you doing all you could be doing to assimilate as much as you can? I understand that the internet has a lot to offer as well but I haven’t been able to get on it yet.Strive to be more productive: Ever had that feeling that you are running on a treadmill? …never really getting anywhere? It happens to the best of us. So, why torture yourself? If you have a treadmill, trash it! Or, you could convert it into a coatrack or clothes drying appliance. That’s what we’ve done at our house.Get a Plan: Simplicity is the key to success in this regard. Your plan could be as simple as getting a subscription to TV guide or setting your TiVo to record all episodes of ‘Are you smarter than a 5th grader?’Reward yourself Regularly: Again, consider combining tasks for simplicity’s sake. Reward yourself by consuming snacks such as potato chips or cookies while you watch TV. Now that’s efficiency!I hope you have found some value in this post. If properly executed, by this time next year you could be smiling confidently as you consider your progress against the goals you had set.

Internet Radio: The goose chokes on its own golden egg.

Across the globe, thousands of music lovers have found their voice in Internet radio. Now, almost as soon as it has begun, bureaucracy moves in to ‘tax’ that voice perhaps into oblivion. The U.S. Copyright Royalty Board (the division of the Library of Congress that determines royalty rates for such performances) has decided to raise its rates 238% by 2010. How nuts is that!?!

As a former professional musician and radio announcer, I can appreciate the symbiotic relationship that exists between the artists and the radio stations. Which is precisely why I don’t understand this change. It obviously will drive the independent Internet radio stations off the air and does that really help the artist? How are we to find our next favorite band of all time? How can they be this crazy?

Maybe its crazy like a fox…

Maybe I’m Completely Nuts, but life would sure be easier for the record companies if they could continue to operate as they have been for decades… you know, let them find the artists that we will listen to and then charge us $16 for a 16 song CD with one good song on it. That model has made a few people very rich for a very long time and those people will not likely let the model go without a fight.

Unfortunately, they don’t realize that someone’s already let the cat out of the bag. The iPod and Napster (version 1) have changed the landscape of the music business. People want their music the way they want it. More and more, they want to get it online, one song at a time.

What has stayed the same is that we still learn about new artists through many of the old channels and their 21st century cousins. Terrestrial, satellite and Internet ‘radio’ are still the main ways I find new music. Charging them more to play the music will reduce my listening options and cause radio stations to stick to Pop 40 formats with tried and true artists that the big companies feed them.

Maybe I’m completely nuts, but perhaps we should bring back payola… but with a twist. In the same way and for the same reasons that radio charges for advertising, perhaps stations should charge advertising rates to the record companies when they play their songs. I mean, why should the stations go broke promoting big money’s products? Make it a sliding scale with the more successful artists paying more per play/listener than the breakout artist.

Why Podcasts trump HD-DVD (and blu-ray)

Revolution versus evolution.

We’re at an interesting place in human history and may not even realize it. While the term “Web 2.0” now draws groans every time someone says it, this is big and it is changing the world.

Throughout man’s history, the one thing that has truly propelled civilization has been our capability to share information and the speed by which we can share it. When you consider man’s history, even in the past few hundred years, you can clearly see the part communication played in moving mankind along. From written word, to developing city centers, organized religion, printed text, radio and television, the Internet and now, communal communication. ‘Social networks’ are creating and critiquing content almost simultaneously.

 Reasonably priced hardware and software have made content creation available to millions more people around the globe than was possible even five years ago. Add to that the proliferation of a high-speed and mobile infrastructures and you get a communication capability that we could barely dream of a decade ago.

Now, people like you and me can share our stories, opinions and criticisms on a world stage. The great thing is that it seems that supply and demand are fairly well-balanced. The traditional publishing model has a handful of producers and throngs of consumers. In today’s model, consumer and producer are intertwined. as one enriches the other. 

To be fair, HD-DVD (or HD anything for that manner) is pretty amazing. You can see the fuzz on a bumblebee, for crying out loud. But the bumblebee doesn’t mean anything different to me than it did yesterday. Symbolically, nothing has changed… even if I can appreciate the bee’s anatomy more completely. Similarly, the patina on some things is part of the charm. One of my favorite albums is Ray Charles – The Atlantic Years. The LP had cracks and pops and the sound quality of the CD is dated… it was made in the early 70’s. To truly appreciate the album, you should be in the state of mind that comes with/from the context that the quality sets.

Maybe I’m Completely Nuts but, I think that what makes this time in our technological evolution important is the volume of participants and the contribution they make. For those of us that were adults during Web 1.0, you probably also sense that there is something special happening now as there was then. Web 1.0 gave us the transport mechanism and the concept of on-line commerce. Web 2 is about content… both in quantity and quality.

 Now that we recognize the opportunity, the question is, what will we do with it?

Happy Easter (to my non-christian friends)

I thought I’d take a moment to say ‘Happy Easter’ to all my non-christian friends.

For those not of the Christian faith, the Reader’s Digest version of the Easter story goes something like this…

Jesus was crucified to death, laid to rest in a cave and was later resurrected. This is all a metaphor for the new testament’s promise of forgiveness and an afterlife. Truthfully, even amongst Christian religions, the tale varies slightly as does its message.  I think most would agree with this pared-down account.

Despite our religious differences, perhaps we can take something from this story and use it today… on Easter… go figure. Beyond the literal message about the afterlife, is a message of forgiveness. We will all fail to meet the expectations of God, our loved ones, even ourselves. The message for Easter is really the New Years Message… “Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind.” As we know that we will disappoint others and wish to be forgiven, so should we also be ready to forgive those that have (and will) disappoint us.

It’s a good message regrdless of your religion (or absence of it).

Maybe I’m completely nuts, but it seems to me that one of the major problems with most organized religions is the way they use differences in rituals, apostles, etc. to differentiate themselves from one another. In the process, they often miss the point of it all. Its not whether you completely immerse someone during baptism or not… or whether you use wine or grape juice during services. Its about the way you live your lives away from church… how you treat yourselves, your fellow man and woman. Its about trying to be the kind of person that doesn’t often have to ask for forgiveness, but gives it easily.

I think ____________ (insert religious icon/apostle of your choice) would be proud of such a life.

Happy Easter to all!

Kill the bunny…

or “Is it time we took God out of our ‘religous’ holidays?”

Yesterday I told someone to have a ‘Happy Easter’. That person was quick to tell me that I should be carefull as I might offend someone with religous beliefs that don’t include Easter. “How dare you!” did I retort, forcing shocked amazement while holding 
back a grin. “How dare you try to associate my religion with that neo-pagan holiday Easter”!, I said. Then we had a chcukle and parted ways.

Then I began thinking… How did we get here? Two places at once really.

The first place is one where we can’t worship as we choose. A place where we offend someone by wishing them a happy Easter (or Chirstmans, Chanuka, or whatever). I mean if you don’t believe in the other person’s religion can’t you just take the ‘Happy’ part and thank them for wishing you a happy day? What the hell is wrong with us?

The second place we’ve landed is a place where Easter is about a giant bunny leaving colored eggs and candy at your house. And, yes, I’m aware of the pagan origins of the rabbit thing but who even thinks of that part either? I don’t have kids but I can only imagine how Easter Sunday morning conversations start in a Christian house with kids…

Dad: “Now Bobby, go get your nice clothes on. We’re going to church!”
Bobby: “Again!?! Didn’t we go just a couple months ago?!?”
Dad: “Shut yer yap you little ingrate! You’re gonna put your stupid little suit on and go to church like I told ‘ya. Then when you get home, you can eat the candy that the big bunny left you. Now get up those goddamn stairs and get dressed!”

Bobby goes to church and prays that on Christmas, a big man in a red suit sneaks into the house and kills his drunken father.

… it could happen   ?

I don’t want to offend anyone, nor do I want to deprive children of treats delivered by a giant egg-laying rabbit. At the same time, I would like the reverence of the holiday restored because for those who believe, Easter is a powerful, critcal message about the afterlife.

So maybe I’m Completely Nuts, but perhaps we should consider separating our religious holidays into two groups… the truly religious holidays in one group and the gift-giving retail orgies in another. For example, we could have ‘X-mas’ on one day for the kids (and retailers) and Christmas on another day allowing the Christians an opportunity to truly worship and teach their young. Frankly I’m surprised it hasn’t happenned already. If you remove the religious angle from the holoday, then children of all faiths can participate ($$$$).

Ya gotta start somewhere

…why not here.

The blogosphere. The final frontier? Seems to me that people have been offering their opinions since man has been scratching pictures on walls. Are blogs graffiti for the well-heeled? Or do they satisfy that part of us that needs to be heard? I’m not sure either, perhaps, through this exercise, I will come to understand.

I Digg the whole ‘community’ thing. And I have opinions that I want to share. I could just talk to someone around me, but I can’t seem to find anyone interested in what I have to say. Maybe you will. Maybe one day you will be waiting for me to post my next witty, insightful missive.

Then again… maybe not. Perhaps you’d rather read those Viagra emails you keep getting. Time will tell.

Maybe I’m completely nuts, but I think part of what makes blogging the phenomena that it is could be that it has become our hi-tech confessional. A place where we can say whatever we please, in the hope of finding a sympathetic ear.