Posts

I was talking with a friend recently about empathy. I think a lot of people are “naturally” empathic, but I also think it’s a learned response, meaning that it’s a skill one can improve with thought and practice. Before talking about practice, let me share my theory of how empathy works. Sometimes, clues can be obvious and you can pick up how someone else feels by watching body language, tone of voice, facial expression, etc. But, other times you may not consciously be aware of the clues, and your mind may pick up on them subconsciously anyway. In that case, you may not be aware of *how* the feelings are being “broadcast” at you or around you, but usually you can pick up on them anyway.

Around the first of the year, we had some work done in the kitchen. Now, I have to get a permit from the city to authorize that work. So far the efforts to get a permit on my own have been daunting. I have been to the city three times and been told three different things. First it was that I needed more details about the joists above and below. Next it was that I need just a little more detail on the plans, but it should be OK. Finally, the third day, the result was confusing, but the best I could understand was that the most qualified people available at the city building dept at the time *could not tell* if what I was trying to do was legal per the code or not, and that I would need to retain an engineer to at least review the plans and stamp them, if not rewrite them. At first the story was that I would really only need an engineer if I’m asking for an exception to the codes or an alternate material or plan… but now it seems that the city by itself can’t actually tell what’s legal/code and what’s not… or even what’s structurally OK or what’s not, and thus I have to seek a third party. (Possibly if it was a detached house they would have let me go ahead, but I think they are being a bit more paranoid since it is an attached townhouse.) ...

I believe that one of the things that makes the USA great is the Bill of Rights. More to the point, I think the Bill of Rights is one of a very few things that makes the United States *worth* protecting. Freedom from unreasonable search (4th amendment) is one of those rights which I consider important. I believe that finding and catching terrorists is important, but not as important as preserving the fundamental character of our nation. I agree with Ben Franklin: They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ...

Cool link: “Evolution of Dance” Yes, it’s a guy dancing for 6 minutes, and it’s very cool :)

Exercise log for May Mon 5/1: none Tue 5/2: none Wed 5/3: none Thu 5/4: none Fri 5/5: none Sat 5/6: Exercise bike, 40 min Sun 5/7: Exercise bike, 20 min Mon 5/8: Tue 5/9: Wed 5/10: Thu 5/11: Fri 5/12: Sat 5/13: Sun 5/14: Mon 5/15: Tue 5/16: Wed 5/17: Thu 5/18: Fri 5/19: Sat 5/20: Sun 5/21: Mon 5/22: Tue 5/23: Wed 5/24: Thu 5/25: Fri 5/26: Sat 5/27: Sun 5/28: Mon 5/29: Tue 5/30: Wed 5/31:

As I posted recently, bradhicks has some wonderful, thought-provoking material that makes us think about why we have political disagreements, and why reasonable people can sincerely come to wildly different conclusions and beliefs. I have a fundamental belief that people are basically good and that people don’t do harm to others on purpose. I’m often proved wrong, but not often enough to make me distrust random strangers that come into my life. ...

I responded to a question posed by bradhicks in this post: What Do You Think of Your Opponents. I wanted to also record my thoughts here. Some of my friends might be interested in this discussion also… Question (paraphrased) On the issue you feel most strongly about, think about those who actively/strongly disagree with your stance. Why do they disagree? Is it a matter of philosophy? Stupidity or non-logical thinking? Ignorance of some facts? Or selfishness/malevolence? ...

For anyone on my f-list familiar with Boston: I need a description of walking down a cobblestone street of olde Boston at 3 am. What does it look like, what does it smell like, what is open, what is closed, and what shops are closed but obviously have activity inside? Think you can help? My deadline is Friday :)

So it turns out that my boss is leaving the company to go to Google. He will be managing a team of 8 or 10 sysadmins (that sounds familiar… hmmm). I am not sure if this is on the IT side or the production side… I really envy the guy and I’m happy for him, but I can’t help but think that working here is going to start to suck. Maybe this is a signal that it’s time to start looking elsewhere. I haven’t decided to leave, actually, but I know that it’s a lot nicer to look for a job when the pressure to survive is not immediate. Better bargaining position too. ...

I have been adding people to my network using Linked In (http//www.linkedin.com/). But, because of my personal views on privacy, I’m a bit hesitant to give them the email addresses for all of my friends. If you already use LinkedIn, and you would like to connect with me directly, view my profile and send me an invitation: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nekodojo - if you’re prompted for my email, enter gconnor at nekodojo.org (they already have my email so it’s OK to give it to them again) ...