cdymek's Blog!

Green plants are overrated. Especially grass.

One of the downsides of all this advanced communications technology (i.e. e-mail, instant messaging, cell phones) is that it creates an expectation of immediacy. The basic reason of being inaccessible no longer seems as valid when it’s nearly impossible to ignore all the devices. One of the only reasons there’s no response is that the responder just hasn’t felt the need to respond yet. This creates a kind of guilt on the part of the responder, whether or not the lag time is valid.

During the day, while the sun shines, my eyelids droop. At my desk, I am seized by yawns and slowly nod off. Sound becomes distant, echoing.

As dark falls, the yawns die down. Energy returns. When it is time to sleep, I toss and turn. I wake, look at the clock, and sigh. The hours pass. Slowly.

Welcome to insomnia.

I’m really quite excited for the upcoming trip to Japan and Seoul. The DMZ tour sounds fascinating from everything I’ve read, and the idea of relaxing in a hot springs resort and catching a concert and some cosplay has me on edge with anticipation. Throw in my first flights ever in international Business Class, and May 29th can’t come fast enough.

Oh, can someone give ma ride to the airport on Saturday?

I had a great time last weekend visiting Austin and Mark in San Francisco. Despite the fact that they remained home to stay with Buffy, their new dog, I found myself once again reminded of why I love the city so much. The cultural mix combined with the attitudes of the inhabitants is a great mix. It’s nice to see people that actually appear to care for a change. Plus, the weather is a bit easier to live with.

Sunday was the last day of the 2004 Sakura Festival in Japantown. Me being me, I was there, watching the Grand Parade, enjoying green tea ice cream (much, much better than the first time I tried it…I wonder why), and taking photos of the cosplayers. While I haven’t reviewed them yet, I’ll be posting them within the next week.

Wired features a new kiosk technology that allows concert-goers to download tracks from the concert to a digital keychain device to take home and share after the performance is over.

Changing your mind? Just another Democrat “flip-flopper”. An Iraqi veterna from the National Guard was to give the Democrats’ Saturday Morning radio address on his critique and experiences in Iraq. According to the NY Times, the Republican’s response is to circulate a CBS report from October 2003 where the same soldier indicates that vast potential exists for improvements in the lives of Iraqis.

Sure, that may be all well and good. But the last six to seven months have brought about huge changes as views have hardened and violence has escalated. I would not be surprised to find that many people in Iraq may have changed their minds about whether we should be there over the last few months, especially considering the opportunities that have been squandered so far by the Bushies.

The NY Times reports that the Sinclair Group, a collection of local broadcast stations, pre-empted a broadcast of ABC’s Nightline program from several of its affiliates. The reason? They dared to remind viewers that, unbelievable as it may be in today’s high-tech warefare, soldiers do actually die in combat. The program featured an on-air recitation of the names of all those who had died so far in Iraq.

Beyond the senselessness of being unpatriotic enough to allow honor to those who had been killed in combat, this once again raises the issue around media consolidation. That ABC was willing to arrange alternative ways to send their message to people in the markets where the disruption occurred was only possible because there were alternative paths to take. As consolidation continues, those paths for sending out one’s message continue to shrink.

In this Christian Science Monitor article, there is a discussion on the increasing number of “intelligentsia” being murdered in Baghdad.

The plane tickets have been booked. The itinerary is evolving, hotel prices monitored. Soon, the first week long trip of the year will be underway, with 2.5 days in Seoul and another 3.5 days in Japan. An eclectic set of adventures await, from heading to the border of North Korea, to hopefully attending a cosplay event in Japan.