Sometimes Your Inventions Come True

I've long since had a wonderful idea for a product. Odds are good, in fact, that if I know you personally, I've told you about my idea. It would be a software program component that would scan the body of all emails for variations of the word "attachment" (i.e., attached, attach, attaching) and prompt you after you hit the send button if it doesn't recognize an attached file. This would catch all of the emails that say have a file attached but do not, only to be followed up by an obligatory "Whoops! Forgot the attachment" email. Well, Jonathan K has beat me to it (not as if I was really pursuing it).

This is an option you can enable in gmail:

Forgotten Attachment Detector
by Jonathan K

Prevents you from accidentally sending messages without the relevant attachments. Prompts you if you mention attaching a file, but forgot to do so.



Fair enough. You may have won this one, Jonathan K, but I'll get the last laugh when my "corporate doodles" book gets published.

Navigating Bureaucracy

The decision to come to Maryland brought a tremendous amount of advantages, which I have discussed here before. One of the disadvantages I've been experiencing is the tremendous amount of bureaucracy one must traverse to get things done. It's like nothing I've ever encountered, and I'm not sure what to make of it. Here's an example of unnecessary bureaucracy with something as simple as a flu shot:

1. Make your appointment contacting UHR Flu hotline 301-314-8885

2. Stop by the Business Office between the hours of 8am-4pm to pick up your ISR form (Jane Tellor) prior to your scheduled appointment date

3. Contact Jane Tellor in advance with the names of your unit if more than 5 employees are wanting this service

4. Give your ISR form over to your clinical nurse the day of your appointment

5. Return the “yellow” customer copy to the Business Office after your visit with your clinical nurse

Insane. I could recount other examples here, too. Room reservations take roughly 30 minutes to secure. Updating websites takes three times as long to go through the proper channels rather than just updating it yourself. If I wish to retrieve, listen, and delete a voicemail on my work phone, I have to punch 27 keys. Recording my name on the phone is a "secret" menu option on the phone directory that isn't listed.

I'm now at the point where I can navigate the bureaucracy, but stand in amazement of the beast that it has become in my life. I do, however, find some solace in this picture.

Dr. Seuss for President

Part of the draw for us to come to Maryland was the wide array of arts in the DC area. Last night we attended our first art opening called "Seuss for President." It was a collection of renowned childrens books author, Dr. Seuss's political works. Few people know that many of Seuss's books are really sophisticated political commentary. (I didn't know, either.) But Horton Hears a Who is really a conceptualization of how democracy should be. Yertle the Turtle is a case against fascism, largely based on Hitler. The Lorax was really Seuss's case for environmental conservation.

Seuss also did 400 political cartoons, none of which have ever been viewed by the public until now. The first release (pictured below) is called "The Knotty Problem on Capital Hill: How to Raise Taxes without Losing a Single Vote."



It was the first time that many of the works have been on display publicly. Seuss told his now widow that he didn't want any of this work to become public until he died. Now that he has gone, we are the beneficiaries of his fantastic work.

What was really striking was how timeless the lessons in Seuss's political works were. Issues around saving the environment, war, and democracy are as highly contested when he penned them as they are now. It was also quite interesting to see how few people actually notice the political overtones in his work. Finally, it was also fun to take a picture with the Cat in the Hat as 27-year-olds.

Goodness Criteria: Vice Presidential Debate

Watching last night's presidential debate was much more "must see TV" than a real debate. Even more, it was a powerful lesson in framing around goodness criteria.

Without taking the easy way out and blaming the media, last night's debate was framed in such a way that should be outrageous to every American who watched it. The debate was framed in such a way that it was Palin's push for competence, and Biden's push for not seeming like a "bully," without anyone questioning it. The debate should have been framed as a discourse over policies, track records, and philosophies, which would allow the American people to decide who to get behind. Instead, far too many Americans (citizens, journalists, commentators) were swept away into judging the debate on goodness criteria that could double as the criteria for evaluating a new crime show on TBS.

The punditry is swooning over the "grades" for Biden and Palin last night with the wrong goodness criteria. "Palin held her own," "everybody won," and "she reinvigorated the base" without giving reference to what counts as the evaluation criteria, which was really nothing more than Palin avoiding looking incompetent and Biden holding back his passion, immense knowledge, and due criticism of the circus that is the GOP. Needless to say, I think it was a sad day in America that so many people can get caught up in a hollow framing without questioning it.

Certainly there are those who watched it and realized this framing problem, too. To you, I say thanks. But you don't really matter for the purpose of this debate, because you're already committed. This debate was about pandering to the uncommitted that can swing this election for better or worse.

"Lacklester" Night

Tonight begins an important time of year for me. Tonight is the beginning of baseball playoffs, and of course, the Red Sox quest for the World Series. Tonight features Jon Lester vs. John Lackey in Game 1, so hence the "'Lacklester' Night" title. (Clever, huh?)

My excitement stems from not only watching good baseball, but for all that baseball means to me. It's this time of the year that I remember watching baseball with my mother (Hi Mom!) and my grandfather as far back as I can remember. It's the time of the year that I remember the rush of emotions that I felt when the Red Sox won the world series back in 2004.

For me, watching playoff baseball is the equivalent of others who say that there's nothing like curling up with a good book on a fall day. Although I like books, I'd rather curl up with a great pitching matchup on ESPN, even if the game does start at 10pm EST.

So if I seem a little dreary-eyed over the next couple of days, you'll know why.

Go Sox!