Dallas History Lesson

Dealey Plaza in 2003. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’ve been to Dealey Plaza before, but it was a number of years ago. We took a road trip for Christmas this year and ended up going right through the heart of Dallas, TX on I-35. Turns out Dealey Plaza was less than a half mile off our route. So we stopped again. My sister-in-law had never seen in person the place where this country was forever changed in 1963.

Plaque mounted on the former Book Depository building. You can see where vandals attempted to remove the word ‘allegedly’.

I stood on the ‘X’ and looked up to the sixth floor window.

What strikes you first is how small the area really is. I guess we’ve seen it so often through a television or movie lens that it seems larger than life, but it’s not. The history is larger than life, but the plaza is not. Next I was a bit surprised at the number of people coming and going, on a cold December Sunday afternoon. I didn’t expect to be the only people there, but I didn’t expect to see so many people, of all ages and nationalities, at the site of a 50-years-ago assassination.  Democrat or Republican, American or Asian or European, it doesn’t matter, we have all been affected by the assassination of JFK.

The grassy knoll wasn’t so grassy right now, and it wasn’t really accessible either as the city is making improvements – which is good. I again was able to stand on the two X’s in the road, the spots where the first and third shots were delivered to the president as he rode in his open limousine.

Standing at the grassy knoll you can see where the ‘X’ is in the road. Looking across the 3-lane street to the triangle you can see just how close and almost intimate the area feels. While we were there people were mostly quiet and just taking it all in, both for themselves and with a camera lens.

There are a few street vendors telling the stories and selling you books and copies of magazine and newspaper articles. They talk of conspiracies, and FBI agents, and government officials. I just know that America lost another piece of her innocence that November day 50 years ago at Dealey Plaza.

Related articles

• Showdown on the Grassy Knoll (txwclp.org)
• Work on Dealey Plaza restoration is underway (cityhallblog.dallasnews.com)

My Team Has Left the Building

I was on this great team at work, and it’s not often you can say that about your team.  We all got along well, covered each other’s backs, and generally worked as a well-oiled machine.  Even when we experienced a change in membership we managed the integration of the new member really well.

We were a team of 5, plus our team leader.  Admittedly we were the dumping ground for a lot of things, mostly application and system support that didn’t seem to fit anywhere else in our IT department.  Maybe because of that we were a great team.  Having such a variety of software, systems, and hardware to support kept our work varied and interesting.

We are a team no more – and that makes me sad.  I really liked our team.  I don’t understand why we were split up.  It just doesn’t make sense to me.  But I don’t make the big bucks, or big decisions.  Maybe we got along too well, and had too much fun at work.

So I guess we are just stuck with the work of breaking up a well-oiled machine, no easy task.

Related articles

• Are you a good Team Leader (leadershifting.wordpress.com)
• Team Building – Ordinary People Creating Extraordinary Results (d4h.org)
• Do You Have a Team of Leaders at Your Startup? (hiscoxusa.com)
• Effective Team Concepts and roles (magedfarag.wordpress.com)

Smablet

Samsung Galaxy Note II

Smablet – I coined it. I haven’t seen this mashed up word used anywhere else yet so I’m claiming authorship. Smablet is an electronic device that functions as both a smartphone and a tablet, all in one! More specifically, right now I’m focusing on a Samsung Galaxy II Note. I think this is a first step in the evolution of convergent devices; smartphones and tablets becoming one.

Smartphones are any phone that has an associated data plan. Tablets are the devices that are about the size of a book and were spawned from the introduction of the e-reading devices.

I don’t understand the fascination with tablets in the technology gadget market. If you already have a smartphone you have the ability to; connect from anywhere, load apps to play games and track information, read your books, call your friends and family, take pictures, text, and surf the web. With a tablet you can do almost all of that, but you can’t call or text from a tablet. Albeit the screen size on a tablet is much larger, but then so is the device. So you have to carry two devices, a phone and a tablet, which have very similar functions. The only differences between the two that I can see is the ability to call and text, and the size.

Tablets

I’ve purchased a tablet, twice. And both times I returned it. I just don’t see where I gained any efficiency with a tablet. In fact it seemed more cumbersome to have it because now I had two devices to carry, and they basically did the same thing. Of course if you don’t have a smartphone I totally understand why you would want a tablet. And there are those people who have a smartphone but want the tablet just because it’s fun and another gadget, and I get that. I’m just not one of those people.

So for me I’ll be happy to get a Smablet – and I CAN’T WAIT! I specifically have my eye on the Note. I expect we’ll be seeing the market offer more Smablets, watch for it!

Related articles

• How Tablets – Not Phones – Have Taken Over The Lives Of TV Viewers (businessinsider.com)
• Samsung Galaxy Note throwdown: A big phone or small tablet? (reviews.cnet.com)
• Size matters to tablet users, study finds (lenovo.com)
• Do you have smartphone and laptop? Oh, tell me how much you need a tablet (englishmiczkus.wordpress.com)
• Samsung Galaxy Note II Sales Hit 5 Million (mashable.com)

To Stop – or not? That is the question.

Let’s talk about stop signs.  Specifically stop signs on private roads.  You know the ones, in shopping mall parking lots, or at the grocery store.  Or better yet, on a private road somewhere that people live, that’s what I really want to talk about.

Since most of us are probably familiar with stop signs in mall parking lots let’s start there.  Are you ever annoyed by how many times you have to stop in a mall parking lot?  I know I am.  Now, I’m not annoyed if the placement of said sign makes sense, like at a crosswalk.  But sometimes I think they put them in random spots as a power play.  Often I want to blow right through them because there is no person or car in sight.  So my question is – “Will I get ticketed by the police if I don’t stop at one of these signs?”  Then I wonder if the cops have any jurisprudence over my driving since technically I am on private property, the shopping mall’s road.  So maybe I can’t get a ticket for ignoring that stop sign?

Here is what I really want to know though, “Can I get a ticket for not stopping at a stop sign posted on a private road?”  This is why I ask, I live on a private road.  There are numerous families and lots of drivers living here.  Many years ago we had no stop sign at the intersection of the private road with the public road.  Then someone who lives on our road bought a sign and put it up at that intersection.  Does this mean I have to obey the sign now?  Just because someone else wanted to be reminded to look before entering the public road does it mean I have to stop?  I don’t think so.

However, if I do have to obey a privately placed sign I think I’ll buy 2 stop signs and put one on each side of my driveway entrance onto the private road.  Then everyone on our private road has to stop and give me right-of-way to get onto the private road from my driveway!

Related articles

• History of Stop Signs: Legal Stop Signs, Yellow Stop Signs and Red Stop Signs (myparkingsign.com)
• Stop! You’re On Camera (personalliberty.com)

On the Mend

This is where some of my physical therapy was conducted. Not bad – eh?

I’m almost healed, my doctor and my physical therapist tell me it will be at least 6 months post-surgery before healing is complete.  I’m 4 months out from surgery.  You’ll remember I had surgery to correct FAI of mixed type in my right hip.  Surgery went well, no surprises.  And that is always good news where surgery is concerned.  I was home later in the day, napping in my own bed by mid-afternoon. FABULOUS!

One of my helpful kitty nappers.

During rehab I had two therapy cats, strong narcotics, anti-inflammatories, and two machines; one to cool down the joint reducing the swelling, the other moved my hip to keep increasing my range of motion.  About three weeks later I started PT.  I don’t remember PT being particularly traumatic.  I do remember it helping a lot.  And surprisingly I only had to go once a week.  I also have a pool and it was a particularly hot summer, so I did pool therapy exercises daily – that was especially nice.  Once I got over the initial surgery pain the hip actually felt better the more I moved it.

My view from the hip moving machine for at least 3 hours per day, if I didn’t nap.

Recently I have been recounting my experience with my hip, the pain I was in before, and how I felt after surgery.  So I decided to tell you that for me the surgery was a success, I couldn’t be happier!  My low-back pain was gone within days after surgery.  Even though I was in pain from the surgery, I could tell the pain from the pinching in my hip was gone right away.  I can say I am pain-free in my hip 98% of the time.  Every once in a while I’ll have a pain, but nothing I can’t handle – and the incidents are becoming less frequent.  I’m walking distances again and can use an elliptical machine with no problem.

The only limit I have is no running, not that I ever wanted to run anyway.  Also the doctor recommends I limit my walking mileage, so probably no more marathons, or even half marathons.  A small price to pay for pain-free hip mobility.

Thank you Dr. Heinrich and staff for a job well done!

Other links:
Milwaukee Orthopaedic Group
Video of FAI surgery – Warning: graphic images

DWTS, American Idol – I don’t get it

“Did you watch Dancing with the Stars last night?”  ”Did you see who won American Idol?” These are questions I hear often from friends, co-workers, relatives, etc.

I don’t watch DWTS or American Idol.  I don’t get it.

I’ve seen a few minutes of each, as I’ve passed through the room, or on a news clip.  Yes the people are talented.  Yes they wear skimpy outfits.  But I don’t understand the draw, and it seems I’m in the minority.  It seems like everyone talks about both these shows.

What is the attraction of these shows?  Do you watch either of them?  Why?

Related articles

• Should Fox Cancel American Idol? (thehollywoodgossip.com)
• Celebrity Juice: DWTS And American Idol Finales (wdok.radio.com)

I HEART Instagram

For some reason I love this little app.  I have it on my phone.  It was developed for  Apple devices, but recently became available on Android phones as well.

Basically you take pictures with your phone, apply filters available in the app, give it a title if you want, and publish your picture.  That’s the cliff notes version.  Want to know more?  Keep reading…

The pictures can be taken with your phone camera or through the Instagram app using your phone camera as well.  Once you have the picture you apply one of more than 15 different filters to the picture, or no filter at all.  There are also options to blur the edges, and change the saturation.  You can take a picture then make it look completely different, or really highlight your subject – it is just FUN!  Maybe it’s the simplicity that makes it so appealing?

Once you have the look you want go ahead and write a caption for your photo – or not.  You can tag the place you are or where the picture was taken – or not.  When you publish your newly edited photo you can simultaneously post it to your Facebook page or Twitter feed  - or not.  But here’s what I like best, you can apply hashtags to your photos, or to any other photos you view on Instagram.  Then when you click on the hashtag you look at all the other pictures on Instagram that have the same exact hashtag.

You can follow other people who use Instagram, and others can follow you.  If you want to limit your followers make your profile private.  Check the worldwide Instagram favorites from inside the app.  Find others who are interested in some of the same things you are.

I’m having so much fun with Instagram – and it’s free!

Related articles

• Instagram Now Available for Android [NEWS] (epicagear.com)
• Thank you, Instagram for adding an Android app (nextcommunications.blogspot.de)
• Review: Instagram (taylorparker.wordpress.com)
• What Is the Point of… Instagram? (readwriteweb.com)