Well, He's Terribly Mysterious...

Kudos to anyone who knows where the title comes from :)

Human action (or inaction) is something of a mystery to me... well, not so much a mystery, as I do understand the human condition to be rather simplistic sometimes, but calling us a mystery makes me feel a little better about it. In my many guises as seller of junk, writer, student, etc, I do have more opportunity to observe said human condition than most. Further, I have worked as a customer service representative, recruiter and waiter, so the tragedy and comedy of humanity has worked its magic before me in far, far too many ways.

Now, I do not consider myself too mysterious, or terribly mysterious for that matter, but compared to fellow humans I wonder, especially when witnessing their behavior in my soon to be 34 years of existence (granted, I doubt I was doing too much observing the first 10 or so, but...). I wonder if I am the mystery to them and not the other way around? To many who grace the entries of this blog, probably not so much, as many like-minded individuals do pay a visit. Probably just as well. While I like a lively discussion at times, all out flame wars leave everyone angry, or peeved at the least. Clearly, someone must wonder, I have a point somewhere. Usually I do, and mostly it is simple how amazed I am (though I should not be) at behavior in common situations, situations one would expect demand a little courtesy and civility. I admit, I can get ruffled at times, especially at those who have no good reason for doing the things they do (like utilities, phone companies, bureaucracy), but I do try to be as civil as possible. Otherwise, it simply causes us more grief than necessary. When others do such things, that is when the questions of mystery arise and make me wonder on what planed I have been marooned... then I realize the sad truth... blast.

A few days ago, I was in a local comic shop and having a typical gaming conversation, when a fellow started ranting to them about computer issues based on bumper stickers (PC supporters vs. Mac supporters... me I hardly care either side of the debate and is mostly irrelevant to the discussion). The conversation seemed fine, with neither side giving too much, and I added a comment or two about how both have their merits. The discussion abated, but the accuser uttered an f-bomb in the conversation when none was necessary. I understand the need to emphasize a point, but to me it seemed a little uncivil in a retail situation, even if it is in a comic shop, where sensibilities tend to soften some. No one acted offended, though unless I know the person across the table from me, it would be a rare thing for me to curse while selling my anime stuff. I am certainly not being a prude in this regard. I curse more than I should, though I feel being able to engage in conversation without resorting to such things is a lost art, and I often feel better the less I do curse. I will say, ten years ago, you would never hear 'damn' or 'shit' in a store, much less 'fuck'. (see, I can say 'fuck', even write 'fuck' too :) Well, maybe not ten, but certainly fifteen years ago. Either way, I suppose it is a personal thing mostly. But I am fine with being a little archaic now and then.

The second incident happened today, and involved a loud talker on a cell phone. I understand that Barnes and Noble is not a library of a sort, but people tend to talk softer in bookstores more often than not, especially in a reading area. Still, some shrill-voiced shrew decided she would discuss loudly the details of her day, her past day, who was in the hospital, how long she had been reading, and constantly reinforcing her lack of manners and grace. After a few moments, she submitted to mine and my fellow patrons caustic glares and shuffled off... loudly. I suppose it is the wireless culture, but I see more and more of this every day: courtesy being ignored for the convenience of blathering into a cell phone. In a culture of now, the cell phone is the biggest culprit in instant gratification at the expense of annoying the rest of us. When I am in a bookstore, I even turn my phone to vibrate or silent... most people I observed today let their phones ring as loud as possible. And I suppose I should not even rant about movie courtesy as well. Most of the time, people turn their phones off, though I recalled some people having a conversation on a phone when I was in Australia, just ignoring all of us in the theatre for their own enjoyment. In a world that is getting more crowded, our ideas of civility and courtesy seem to fade in the distance, as archaic as I feel sometimes.

So maybe I am the mysterious one, just not terribly mysterious :)

C.

At Odds With This Decade

note: just one odd thing before I begin, was it just me or was Fox being a little misleading, advertising a new 'House', then hitting us with a 1st season repeat... a good one at least (the origin of his condition), but still misleading... ah, well at least 'Boston Legal' is new :)

This is something of a two-parter only in the fact it is the first post of the evening. The next post, having to do with my quotation obsession has nothing to do with this, unless collecting quotes is at odds with the i-generation. Anyway,we have hit the halfway point of the decade (more than halfway if you cannot add and consider 2000 the starting point of this decade) and I wonder if it has an identity? What will it be called? How will it be remembered? (I rather like my i-generation jab, but the i's or the i-decade sounds a little off). When we reach the teens, what will the media (since their opinion is what really matters) make us think about the Ought's? The One's? A decade of War and Insurgency? A decade of Technology Rampant?

It always makes me wonder if the only thing this decade will be remembered for is rising oil costs and terrorism. It is probably well that those things should be remembered, but consider the technological changes of this decade. Look at a new car in 2006 vs. a new car in 2001. The new gps systems in most new cars and other technological improvements have been stunning, and who had really heard of a hybrid car before 2001? (Ok, I admit, I knew they were coming, but did not think I would actually drive one for awhile). Look at internet usage and cell phone saturation. Amazing to think that some countries in Europe are over 90 percent saturation. (Finland is near 100% and I hear babies are just implanted with cell phones by Nokia :) Now, in the US, it is not so high, but that day is coming. Everyone seems to have a cell phone, and most everyone I know has high speed internet (all but one of my friends and most of my family). Five years ago, many of my friends had high speed, but myself and more than a few others I knew had dial up. And as far as cell phones, everyone I know has one... 5 years ago, it was about 60 percent (5 years before that, about 20 percent).

Of course, is all this technology rampant good for us? Some of it is, making information flow easier, but sometimes its nice to not have so much information at ones fingertips. Researching in a musty library, reading a book or two, does not hurt at all. Now, we have Wikipedia and the like, which is not always right, to give us information about anything at all. The problem lies not in the fact that such things exist. It is that it makes us lazy and engenders plagiarism (as many professors can attest). I have seen(and participated in) many a discussion about academic integrity, and how professors are to be made accountable for what they say and do. To me, how the Internet has given students a way to circumvent good old fashioned work is galling, and is at the heart of academic integrity. The failing is that many do not notice... or, as has become more commonplace... do not care. And I not just in academia. Apathy is quite the disease now. I know of far too many people that could not be bothered to do much of anything. They do the one thing they are interested in, and eschew any other interest or responsibility so they can do more of their one thing (which is usually a form of online game or other related crack). On the other hand, I help friends make money off of obsessive interests. The irony, of course, is not lost on me.

Well, I suppose I have wondered, waffled and roamed tangential, as I tend not to focus on too many things at once. Perhaps that is why I am at odds with this decade... I have a such a wide variety of interests in a decade of apathetic focus (strange oxymoron, but that is the best way for me to describe it), it frustrates me a little bit. Now, I have been accused of being obsessive, except after observing those I know in their behavior, I realize I actually am not. So, whether for good or ill, that is how I am. And likewise for this decade I guess.

C.