Dictators

The TV is full of images from street demonstrations in Tunisia, Egypt and now Yemen. All are calling for the removal of the current dictator. These guys have all been around for 20 or 30 years. I've posted about this before, but to remind you... Dictators are not individuals, they have built their power by creating a structure around them of people that are benefiting and controlling people around them. It's a classic pyramid structure. Think multi level marketing.

That's what makes it hard for Americans to understand why they don't get over thrown sooner. Would you kick out your boss if he was providing a lucrative payroll by controlling you and allowing you to control the next level down? Probably not, and that's why it's only the people at the very lowest level that will protest. Everyone else is in on the game. And when the lowest level becomes big enough, meaning that all the middle/upper level positions are full, and nothing is left, then "Viva la revolution!".

Of course it's hard for the American President to stop supporting Mubarak after his sucking down billions of aid dollars but it will have to happen. Good lesson to Obama, how to cut loose a loser. That will be hard on such a pretend moral high grounder. But good for his training.

I was looking for the next group of 20+ year dictators and I'll see what I can find. I suppose those CIA guys have beat me to it, but they are not sharing the data.

Looting the world

Last year's totals are in: 333 rhinos killed by poachers in South Africa. All for the horns to be sold to the "Asian" market.

Am I the only one who has noticed that "Asian" in this context is just a code word for Chinese? Like we are trying to not hurt their feelings? Let me tell you, this primitive civilization that claims to be so advanced has never gotten past the most simple beliefs of the proto humans. If the horn is so strong and comes from a huge beast, then it will give me strength for my "horn" if consumed. This is nothing more advanced than the most simplistic magical belief that an animal or plant with a desirable characteristic can give it to me if eaten.

This has got to stop. These "Asians" are destroying the world to satisfy their superstitions. These poachers are using helicopters and night vision equipment to swoop down and grab the horns before any local police can respond. They leave behind a bloody carcass, minus the magical horn. And make plenty of money doing it.

President Obama met today with the Chinese president but I doubt this topic was discussed. There are more immediate economic issues on the table. Like the huge U.S. trade deficit fueled by we'all buying plastic crap from the Asians.

May I suggest that we should refrain from making that trip to Walmart to save a couple bucks and speak out against the rape of the world's wildlife? Please, let's keep some of these magnificent beasts around and not in some quack doctor's display case.

Why the internet wins

I have been meaning for a long time to get a new blade assembly for our blender. It's been doing it's job recently by standing majestically on the counter in glossy black, matching the other appliances, But it hasn't actually worked for quite a while because the blade thingy just spins around and around inside and doesn't cut anything.

With the holidays and stuff, I have some time so I thought to buy new blades. Now, I'm an old school guy so I went to the appliance place on Folsom street where I'd had good service some time before and the guy at the counter (Jim) after telling me how Kitchenaid had stopped making these more than 10 years ago and they can't get them and the last time they checked in November there were none and he would check again and maybe I could call back tomorrow. And they were $14.95 in the price book, and he wrote down the part number for me.

So I called back and yes they had checked, well they had sent them an email but they didn't hear back so I suggested that I will call back next week.

Later that day, I cut out early from work, so I was in time to go to my local parts place. Upon asking for a blender part, she got into her files and gave me a mapquest printout of the directions to another local place. Internet scores 1.

At this place, the counter guy started out with attitude when I mentioned that I thought the original part was not very robust.

"You've had this thing for at least 10 years which is when they last made this style so it can't be that bad now can it?"

I didn't mention how it had been hardly used.

He fiddled with his computer for a while and then dashed off into the back. Is there some secret place in all these parts places where the stuff I want is actually stored and not logged in the computer? Seems like. He returned a few minutes later with the part and declared it would be $28.

That was double the price of the Folsom street store but he did actually have it so I pulled out my credit card. "Sorry no credit card for less that $50".

I tried to turn it back on him that since Kitchenaid hadn't made these for ten years and he was unlikely to get another customer who would want them and he would have those blades sitting in the secret place forever and make no money and that he should make an exception and let me use my card for his price that was already twice what the other place had quoted. No deal.

When I got home, I searched the internet for the part using the number the Folsom street guy had given me, found it on Amazon and bought it, all in a couple minutes. (see picture above). Internet 2.

With the shipping, the internet part costs $20. If it is the right part, then I guess it's a win, if not then there will be some return hassle.

I wonder. If I'm at the counter and the guy is using his computer to search for a part, or I'm at home using my computer to search for a part then what's the difference? If the counter guy really knows something about the part and has one in stock then that's good. If he doesn't have it but did get me the part number then am I ripping him off by buying it somewhere else?

So many of the really helpful stores, the ones that have a counter, have already gone out of business that I am tempted to patronize them just to keep them around for that occasion when I really will need help. But if I can buy it online with a small risk of getting the wrong thing and the convenience of home shopping and delivery then I guess I will. Somehow though it makes the world seem a little smaller or colder, or less friendly in some way.

It's in the mail

So let me get this straight. Two UPS packages mailed in Yemen, addressed to synagogues in Chicago were found to contain bombs. I can just see the scene at the UPS counter in Yemen.

"Yes, sure, we've got some good friends in Chicago, and here's a couple treats for them. Hehe"
"They sure love our delicious surprises. Hehe"

And no one thought this was suspicious?

How about this for a plan? No more packages allowed from Yemen to the U.S. Why do we bother trying to be fair to people? Let's keep it simple, your countryman sent us a bomb, so you may not send us anything ever again. And by the way, don't be applying for any visas either. There will be no American visa issued to anyone from Yemen ever again.

I don't think we'll be missing out on much.

Corporate Culture

Been a while but here goes anyway. Sitting in at the IT employee monthly meeting today I heard that no matter who is chosen for the new CEO, they will be committed to preserving the culture.

Is that right? No one ever mentions what the culture actually is, but it's supposed to be something precious. Let me think.

• All white managers, although some women are allowed.
• Black, Filipino, and Gay low paid workers.
• Massive amounts of manual paper pushing.
  

I guess that sums it up. With one addition perhaps, lots of the low paid workers are massively obese. From hours sitting in front of a computer doing what every other industry has long ago automated. BTW, this is a health care company.

I sent a nice email to the HR guy today regarding the 401K plan. I guess we are supposed to praise the master that we have one but it actually sucks. For example, one fund I looked at in our plan had 1.7% annual expenses. A similar plan from Vanguard had 0.17% annual expenses. Let's see how this turns out. I'm afraid that not being the obedient slave might not be a good career move. But who cares? This business (health care) needs a major kick in the butt and if I can give my little bit then good for me.

The Workaday World

I'm still trying to figure out the politics of my new job, and this week got another surprising lesson, at least to me. We have lots of tedious manual processes that I've wondered why people put up with them. Now I know.

Last week, my cohort and I worked through the laborious process of closing the books for the end of the month. We started at about 4pm and finished up at 11:30pm. I was frustrated and exhausted, he was jubilant. From my point of view, the whole thing was a pain in the ass, for him it was 7 1/2 hours of overtime, even more than usual. Probably because my inexperience slowed him down.

The next day he pointed out that he usually does the process from home, where he can do other things during the long periods of computer processing, but he always books 6 or more hours of overtime.

This week, I took one of the most manual parts of the monthly process and wrote some scripts do the work. I had a chance to test them out in our development environment since it needed a month end close for some other things they were doing. I ran my scripts. Less than 10 minutes, they were done, versus a solid hour of typing away for the manual method. Not only that, I had complete logs of the process that showed there were no errors. I was jubilant, some of my colleagues were not.

I am threatening their "rice bowl". My nature is to improve things, these other guys are more into milking things. I wonder how this will play out?

My new Religion

In the news today is a pastor from Florida who has declared "Burn the Koran" day for next Saturday, which is also September 11th. That is supposed to be inflammatory towards Muslims and not in good taste PC wise. I don't think it's such a bad idea and I'll do it one better. I hereby declare "Burn Holy Books" day.

In all religions the original founder/prophet/messenger from God had his ideas taken over and warped and rewritten by the next generation or two of followers. I think they all get it wrong, their motivations have become contaminated by ego, power and wealth. To combat this problem, I think first of all we should demand that only teachings from the original prophet be allowed. And secondly we should keep the entire religious literature to one page.

For the Christians, let's keep it to the 10 commandments. For the Moslems, they have their equivalent. The Buddhists are pretty hard to pin down, let them come up with something. And same for the rest.

I realize this will put out of work thousands of scholars from so many religions but so be it. They would learn and teach a lot more useful information if they had to get a real job. Religion should be a part of life while being a member of society, not an ivory tower to escape into and hurl down pronouncements onto us poor mortals.

So gather up your books and come on down. We'll have a whole lot of fun.