Lessons Unlearned

I awoke this morning to a video news bit on Yahoo, remembering the Challenger Tragedy of 25 years ago.

The authors of this video considered the central problem behind the disaster - a disconnect between 'lower level' engineers and their managers, in which the engineers feared a problem with the integrity of critical O-rings in cold weather, but were not listened to by their supervisors - as a 'lesson learned'.

And the authors claimed the learned lesson lead to changes in NASA culture which made space travel safer for all that followed.

I guess the producers of the video weren't thinking about the much more recent burnup of the Shuttle Columbia on reentry, which resulted from damage from a foam strike at launch. Lower level engineers feared a problem then too, but were not listened to by their managers.

Lesson Learned? Only for a short time, then forgotten again - at the cost of more lives.

That may be human nature, or just NASA nature. Either way, we can expect the pattern to continue as memories of disaster fade, and flawed human nature working in a rigid power structure inflicts its damage.

Cubeland

As a once-upon-a-time computer geek I am no stranger to the Cube - that open box of an 'office space' in which many of us spend our productive lives. I thought I'd left that behind me though, after first moving up to an office with a door and even a window, and then moving out to a consulting life where I worked from a cozy and well-lit home office.

But, ah, these are strange times of collapsed housing nest-eggs and blunted portfolios. Some of us have been driven back to the corporate world by these uncertain times - and we're damn glad to get the job, let me tell you. No bellyaching here.

Except for that cube-thing.

I feel I have reason to complain. A Cube gives me no privacy for the business calls I have to make, and no protection from all the conversation around me. No quiet for reading or concentration. And my job involves lots of both, plus writing. Much writing on subjects so dry it takes one cup of coffee per hour to stay awake. (Why are important business subjects so often boring to write about?).

Add in the distractions of Cubeland society and sometimes it's just too much ...

But ultimately complaints will get me nowhere. Cubeland is the rule and there are no exceptions to it. Cubelife is work life, and there's no avoiding it.

So I will just have to train myself to view a Cube as a sanctuary from the unemployment line, and a symbol of fruitful labor. Seeing the Cube as half-full, as it were. I can do it. Sure I can, because:

I am Dilbert and Dilbert is Me. All hail the pointy-haired Boss!

Dog Gone

R.I.P. Angus (1993? to 2011)

Stray who came to us through fortunate circumstance.

Faithful protector of our home and children.

Scarer of mailmen and UPS deliverers (except for one, who brought you biscuits), but never a biter - ever.

Tolerant benefactor to the cats, and later the two younger dogs. You cleaned their ears like a mother.

Your last few years were hampered with blindness and arthritic hobbling, but you always loved to eat, sleep, and have a good brushing.

And then came the day when you couldn't get up. The episode passed and you had an 'Indian Summer' of remarkable recovery, but then it came again.

And now our family is down by one. A reminder of the ephemerality of life.

I wish your end was natural, but we couldn't watch you suffer. Saying goodbye at the Vet's was cruelly hard, and I was too much a coward to witness your leaving.

Forgive me, old Pal, for not taking that last walk with you as far as I could go. You are off the leash, forever.

Babbleocity 37: Interesting Times

I recall that telling your enemies 'may you live in interesting times' is some sort of Chinese curse. If so, I kind of doubt the effectiveness - or selectivity, given we all seem to be living in 'interesting times'.

No matter, here are a few points of interest, for friends and enemies alike:

Interesting Debt - I knew the United States runs a deficit every year, but I had no idea the total debt had reached 14 TRILLION. Not that I know what that really means, beyond 14,000 billion - a number with a lot of zeros. Big, but if we can borrow about $10,000 for each person in China, we're covered. Oh wait, we already owe China a bundle. India, then?

Interesting Weather - Has anyone ever been colder during a global warming? And what's with all this rain in California and Australia, a couple of (usually) reliably dry places? There's no doubt our weather has been 'interesting', and a proper curse in the bargain. You certainly can't call a near 'Arkstorm' in California and deadly floods in Australia anything else ...

Interesting Politics - You can call it partisan, or non-productive, or just plain bullshit, but you can't call it boring. Americans used to be jealous of those marvelous cat-fights the British call parliamentary sessions, but no longer. With those redoubtable republicans replacing filibuster with bluster and making Congress one big 'Tea Party', we are set for entertaining politic-watching. Maybe C-SPAN will finally earn some money ...

So don't threaten your enemies with interesting times - they are already living them. But if any of your friends happen to be Chinese (or from India), ask if they can spare Uncle Sam $10,000.

Guns 'N Fears

I was surprised by the uptick in handgun sales reported in the wake of the tragic shootings - by handgun - in Arizona.

I can only think of two reasons for this:

People bought handguns to protect themselves from other people with handguns.

- or -

People bought handguns in the fear that handgun sales would be restricted in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Neither of these 'reasons' makes much sense to the average, non handgun owning American. But I suspect both played a role in spurring the fearful and gun-loving amongst us into action.

In opposition to this sales trend, we heard renewed calls from some quarters of government and the media for more stringent gun control and restrictions.

This juxtaposition brings one fact into clear focus: many of us don't feel safe. That is a message we ignore at society's peril.

So, if you are among those who raced out and bought guns, I hope you feel a little safer. Safe enough to leave those shiny new guns at home locked in their cases, and not brought with you when shopping, waiting on line at the DMV, commuting in trying traffic, or attending sporting events.

Razing Arizona

How can we process today's news of the shootings in Tucson that left at least 5 dead and 5 critically wounded, and included a federal judge and a member of congress among the victims?

Initial reports indicate this was the work of a lone, imminently disturbed gunman. A homegrown dissident or homicidal nutjob, as the case may be.

But I have to wonder whether the hypercharged recent politics of Arizona had a role to play in triggering this outrageous and disastrous outburst. When our leaders speak so ill of each other, when political stakes in one party's plans or another's are made to seem so high, and are infused with dire urgency, can we not expect this hateful climate to affect everyone? Especially those treading the borderline of sanity?

It remains to be seen how Arizona's leaders will respond to this, beyond immediate expressions of sympathy. My guess is it will be up to the leaders of the 112th Congress and President Obama to set a better example for us all, and hope the message spreads to every state. May they do their work well ...

Where TV Shows Go To Die

T.G.I.F is definitely not in the vocabulary of any producer whose TV 'baby' airs on Friday nights.

Any show that gets 'a new date and time' that just happens to be a Friday is doomed. Kiss it Goodbye. End of Story.

And there's a good reason for this: most of the people who advertisers care about are out enjoying real life on Friday evenings. The only folks left are no-longer-youngsters who are either so low on energy that the mere thought of going out sends them shuffling to their recliners, or are so jaded the thought of going out sends them to the liquor cabinet for a G&T, or both. If you are 45 or over, you likely fit into one (or both) of these categories. If you are, and you don't, then you can kiss my reclining, G&T sedated ass.

And those of us who stay in on Fridays aren't on the most-wanted list for advertisers. So the shows that show on this hated evening get watched by people who aren't buying what they are selling, and the shows fade away.

Into this purgatory CBS has shoved 'CSI:New York'. It's a sad development for what had become my favorite CSI edition, but I can understand the reasoning. The show has been wobbling lately, and got a real punch to the chin when Melina Kanakaredes left the cast, to be replaced by Sela Ward, last seen on TV as Doctor House's unpleasant ex-wife. Kanakaredes, as Stella, was the perfect centerpiece for the other cast members. She could be tough and angry, and then be soft, sweet, caring, and sexy. Especially sexy.

It's hard to see Ward meeting that job description, but we'll never know, since she won't have time to develop the character. The move to Friday means goodbye. The only question will be whether the goodbye is long and reluctant, or "we're outta here". Given CSI:NY's popularity in syndication, my guess is the latter.

But that's not all, folks ...

Another show I happen to like has been shoved to the Friday exit ramp: Fringe. And this one is inexplicable. The show is hot. It ought to appeal to young and old alike. It's ludicrous but interesting, and has characters that alternately fascinate and irritate. Perfect entertainment, in other words.

So why Friday? My guess is this series came with a predetermined sell-by date. Some of the cast have bigger and better things waiting for them. Plus Fringe has a story arc, which the producers seem intent on winding to a conclusion. If so, I hope they are prepared to conclude soon, since on Friday's the ratings may drop too fast to allow them to finish.

I am struggling here to conclude with an example of a show that has succeeded on Friday nights. Best I can come up with is 'Friday Night Fights', both the new ESPN version and the old show from the late 50's sponsored by Gillette. Hmm, I know Olivia Dunham can take a punch; can Jo Danville?

Reasonable Men

The current geologic ordering of the magazines deposited in our bathroom left me - in a critical moment of reading necessity, with no choice but to reach for the Vanity Fair.

This particular issue, graced by a suspiciously youthful Cher on the cover, contained a blow-by-blow account of the Conan vs Leno match sponsored last year by NBC.

An interesting read, but I was left with just one takeaway: 'O'Brien made the wrong decision for all the right reasons'. After all, he quit the most coveted seat in late night, mainly because, as the article made clear, he thought allowing NBC to move Tonight back 30 minutes in the schedule would cheapen the franchise.

If I was advising Conan I would have urged him to take the move and see what happened. My guess is the odds were 50/50 that Leno would crack and Conan would get back to 11:30. And if the result fell the other way, NBC would have owed O'Brien another shot in the future - especially if Conan worked that detail into his agreement to move to midnight.

In any case, O'Brien would have appeared a reasonable man who's been given an undeserved kick by the network, but who also remained loyal and willing to pitch in and help. Isn't that worth pushing a principle or two aside?

Of course that didn't happen, and Conan is now on 'Basic Cable'. I'm not sure how it's going for his new show, but the lack of 'buzz' in the press is worrisome. Maybe this scribble will perk things up ...

[But what do I know? See my take on this spat when it was fresh in the news ...]

Coincidentally, I recently viewed the documentary, 'Ralph Nader: An Unreasonable Man'. A very worthy flick which I can heartily recommend, whatever your view of the man. The movie, while giving a glowing review of Nader's early career, really focuses on his decision to run for President during the 2000 (and again in 2004) elections. A decision which many democrats believe led directly to Al Gore's defeat (and John Kerry's in '04), and consequently the election and retention of George W. Bush.

'An Unreasonable Man' was released in 2006, when the enormity of Bush's follies were becoming clear to most of America, including more than a few republicans. The increasing bitterness, which would lead in two years to the election of Barack Obama, was seemingly assuaged in the democratic heart and soul only by castigating Nader. It was almost as if the dems had seen Annakin turn into Vader, or more surprising and galling, Obi-Wan become a Dark Lord of The Sith. Feathers had been ruffled and they were still painfully out of place.

My takeaway from the movie was a paraphrase of the one for Conan: 'Ralph made a completely wrong decision, based on logically sound reasoning'.

Of course, anyone who has worked for a big company (even in entertainment) where corporate power politics are at the fore, or has toiled in politics long enough to show scars, should know you can be 100% Grade-A correct in all things and still be considered completely wrong.

What's surprising with both these men is they haven't learned this painful reality. Well, maybe they have now ...