The next day my mail was still in the box and the flag was still up.

Since this was the third time this year that my outgoing mail was ignored by my postal carrier, I tried to call the local post office to complain. It seems they don’t answer their phone, and for obvious reasons they don’t have an email address. So I called the office of the San Diego postmaster and filed a complaint with him.

Today I had a message on my phone from the office of the postmaster. Finally I’d have an explanation, justice would be served. Well, maybe not.

I was told that mail pickup is a courtesy. All the mail carrier is required to do is deliver mail. The postmaster informed me that if I wanted to be sure my mail was indeed mailed, I needed to deposit it in an official USPS mailbox.

The United States Postal Service “Residential Mailbox Standards” state;

You need to contact your local Post Office before moving your mailbox or mailbox support, because your mailbox needs to be approved by the Postal Service. Your postmaster will approve custom-made mailboxes on a one-time basis as long as they generally meet USPS standards.

Image via Wikipedia

This is because legally your mailbox, the minute you plant it in the ground, belongs to the USPS. Doesn’t that make your mailbox an official USPS mailbox? As such, shouldn’t it have the same standing as the cookie-monster shaped boxes disappearing from neighborhoods all over America?

This is the same USPS that seems to need an increase in rates almost every year, the same USPS that wants to eliminate Saturday delivery, the same USPS that cries over the fact that email is killing its business.

Well, my dear USPS, email is killing your business because it works and you don’t.

I can send email for free. I can send an email instantly any time of day or night and any day of the week, weekends, too. I can send an email from anywhere I have an internet connection. I can send a card via email. I don’t have to buy stamps or find a mailbox. I don’t even have to own a computer to send email, I can use the computers at the library. I can send email from my computer without you being able to suddenly appropriate my computer as your property. I can move my computer anywhere I want without your approval. What I can’t send by email I can send via UPS or FED-EX far more easily than I can send it through the USPS.

The USPS is to the advent of email what the buggy industry was to the advent of the auto industry.  Its methods are outdated and its benefits overshadowed by modern technology. The long history of bailouts of the USPS by the government puts the GM bailout to shame. The days of hand-carried mail by a postal worker are over. It’s a service that has died but remains unaware of its own decaying corpse. It’s no more necessary today than the Pony Express.

Let’s bury this outdated and inefficient service now before its financial difficulties and poor service cause it to become even more irrelevant than it already is.

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Sometimes things make more sense to us if we look at the situation from another perspective. We spend so much of our day locked into our human brains looking at the world through the filter of our human experience; we can forget that to those who don’t share our perspective life can be substantially different.

I got to thinking about this when I was in my shower this moring. I have the good fortune to be able to have Cleo with me nearly 24 hours a day. She’s with me at work and at home. The longest we’re apart is when she waits for me to eat in a restaurant or shop in a store where dogs aren’t welcome. She waits faithfully by the bathroom door while I shower. After each of these  separations she wiggles with joy at my reappearance. This is a common experience for dogs owners. We can’t figure out why our companion acts so overjoyed to see us when we’ve only been apart for a short while.

It makes sense if we look at time from our pet’s perspective.

The average dog has a life expectancy of 14 years, the average human, 70 years. These are very general figures, though reasonably accurate in many cases, and make the math easy to understand. That means a period of time to me is on average 5 times longer than the nsame period of time to Cleo. While I may perceive the time it takes me to eat in a restaurant as an hour on my human scale, Cleo perceives it as 5 of my hours. Think of the dogs left home alone while their owner is at work. To us only 9 hours have passed since we left but the dog perceives that same period as nearly two full human days. If you have to leave your dog with a sitter while you attend a week-long conference in another city, the dog will perceive your absense as nearly a month of its subjective time.

No wonder they’re so happy to see us after we’ve been away for a while.

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The moment Simon entered the elevator and pushed the button for the lobby 73 floors below;

the moment he began to hope that this warm August evening might be a sign that the coming weekend would restore his soul, the soul that this dead-end job was sucking out of him every week;

the moment Simon wondered if a home-cooked dinner and movie that night might restore the flame of passion that had nearly disappeared from his relationship with Trish;

the moment that might have been a rebirth of the joy that Simon once felt just from being alive;

was the moment the cable broke.

Cleo shorn

To give you and idea of the length her Winter coat had reached, here’s a couple of photos from just before her spa treatment.

Long-haired Cleo

There's a dog in there somewhere

Since her 2nd birthday was the 3rd of the month, I decided to get her the full “spa” treatment. She got trimmed, bathed, conditioned, had her ears and teeth cleaned, nails trimmed and all the other pampering a diva expects.

If you’ve never visited the lounge you owe it to yourself to at least check out the titles. It’s not like you’re wasting your own time. You’re being well paid for that job you’re not doing right now. You could probably watch two or three of the videos before your supervisor notices.

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Sadly, yesterday, February 20, 2010 at about 10:00 AM local Amsterdam time, Bruno slipped away…no more pain, no more sorrow. This is a soulful time for me. I really miss Bruno very much. But am so relieved that he will no longer have any pain to contend with. No one should have to suffer the horrendous pain that accompanies pervasive cancer that they can’t fix …

Fran also links to several other wonderful tributes to this gentleman who managed to present an often contentious topic, the
Linux operating system, with patience and respect not often encountered among OS enthusiasts.

I urge you to read Fran’s post as well as the other comments from his friends and fans.

I, and hundreds of other people, will miss Bruno. We wish his family and friends peace.

Bruno … Remembering a dear friend

The Last Act of Courage…

To Bruno Knaapen: God Speed

The World Is Mourning The Loss Of Bruno Knaapen – Linux Advocate

Bruno Knaapen of Amsterdam

Fifty-six years ago I caused my mom a few hours of intense physical pain. I don’t know how that compared to the frequent pain I caused during the next 50 years or so, but at least I caused her that particular pain only once, and I was a totally innocent participant. I wasn’t responsible for her condition.

Birthdays are pointless between 50 and 60. And not just birthdays. I read this the other day,

There is no traditional symbol of the Fifty Sixth Wedding Anniversary

OK, that’s probably because so few people can actually stay together for 56 years. The two couples who have reached this milestone couldn’t agree on a traditional gift. Health insurance, maybe.

There were only a couple of times the fact that the 3rd was tomorrow and it is my birthday crossed my mind today. It’s just not an important milestone. The only thing significant about it at all is that it’s 29 years longer than the age I thought I’d be when I died. I felt, for some reason, assured that I would die at 27. I believed that for a number of years, from my early teens up to the day I turned 28.

Beneath my obvious relief I was completely disorientated. Shit, now what? It was a little late to be making life-altering goals. I’m not supposed to still be wondering what I want to be when I grow up at 28. And now here I am at 56, with no better idea what it is I’m supposed to be doing with my life, if indeed there is a purpose to life. Philosophically I don’t accept the idea that there is an over-riding, beyond-ourselves purpose to life at all. But practically I acknowledge the comfort in thinking there might be. Not that it makes much difference one way or the other. If there is a purpose I’m in total ignorance of it, so it might as well not exist.

Turning 28 had another profound impact on my future. It was an event that killed any chance I ever had to be a professional prognosticator. I would never be able to convince anyone I could see, let alone predict, the future. Anyone who has watched “Dead Like Me” will understand how I felt upon turning 28. All my theories about my own life were shown, rather obviously, to be wrong. Not “slightly off” but totally incorrect. My mantra from the age of 28 to this day is, “What the hell do I know?”

Thirty is a socially significant age, forty more so, But forty is also the age at which significant “milestone” birthdays begin to occur only every decade until 70 or so. Only children and seniors consider every year significant. In the “middle ages” it takes a decade to effect much change in a person’s life. There isn’t a hell of a lot of difference between the me of today and the 52 year old me. Four more years? Maybe something will be significant about that age. All I can say is that I’m pleased to still be able to entertain the notion that I might get to find out. Gives me something to look forward to.

Now there’s something that sucks about getting older: the older you get, the less you have to look forward to and the more you have to look back at. You tend to spend more time in reflection and retrospection than anticipation. As someone curious about life that can be frustrating. I’m one of those rather dissatisfied with the period of human development I was chosen to be born into. I had no choice in the selection process, I was never consulted for my opinion or given options. My choice would have been further into the future. I’m fully anticipating a future that I’m also having to acknowledge I will most likely never get to see come about. Some days that really pisses me off. My generation had the energy to really effect a profound change on society in positive ways and we pissed that energy and determination away. We failed to realize our goals then spent the rest of our time making excuses for our failures. That’s not to say my generation didn’t have profound effects on society, it’s just that those effects were less important and less satisfying than our early goals.

At least I got to realize a lot of the goals I had early in life. I kind of rushed all the experiences I could into the first 27 years of my life. I got to do things I never thought I’d actually get to do, life had its very interesting moments. I’ve come to accept rather than regret those times I can recall that were not my proudest moments, I’ve come to see the positive benefits that some of the negative events produced. I’ve proven, if only to myself, that one can fail, more than once, and still find a reason to go on, keep making mistakes and enjoying the times you don’t. Some say that what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. They forget to add that this only applies to the young. To those well past childhood that which doesn’t kill you only makes you numb, immune, no longer amused.

Celebrate “my day” by having some fun today. Take a few moments to do something silly, something random, something childish (unless you are a child, then just carry on). Best gift I could get.

I’ve known this gentleman for 5 years or more. He lives in Europe, I live in California. We have never met.

Yet I know as much about him and what he holds dear in life as I do many of my off-line friends. He is passionate about Linux. When I was ready to give up and confess that I would never understand this foreign operating system, he encouraged me to keep trying, offering invaluable advice and direction that eventually had me up and running and never looking back…until tonight. Now I can’t help but look back and realize how profoundly he affected my enjoyment of computing and taught me about operating systems and, more importantly, how to persevere and stay focused until success was achieved.

I know he has a loving family that means all the world to him. While he is a very private person he was so excited about his daughter’s wedding that he shared pictures of the event with all his on-line friends, pictures from which he was conveniently absent. He is justifiably proud of his family.

He is extremely humble about his knowledge and influence. He is solely responsible for teaching a lot of us that Linux can be enjoyed without the typical animus that often exists between Linux users and those on Windows or a Mac. When writing about Linux, he prohibits the term “newbie” which he perceives as demeaning. His goal is to introduce Linux in a friendly and helpful way to anyone interested. In this he has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.

Being non-religious I’m at a loss in offering many of the hollow platitudes folks so often trot out at times like this. I know he will be profoundly missed by his family and friends. I know that we’ll miss his moderate attitude, his patience, his encouragement, his humor, his presence. He will leave a hole in all our lives that no one else can fill. We are saddened because of what the effect of his passing will have on us left behind. Our lives will be poorer for his absence.

I join all who know this wonderful gentleman in wishing him love and peace through his remaining time with us. May his last days be free of pain and filled with joy. May he pass from us fully aware of how significant he has been in our lives. May he know he will not soon be forgotten.

Daemon was the first novel of its kind that I’ve read. I’ve plowed through the Clancy Net Force novels, even those written by other authors, and found the premise of each to be a bit too fantastic and unrealistic though they were entertaining. I enjoyed Jack Williamson’s The Silicon Dagger though the technology was never explained and came across as nonsensical. The social issues he raised are worth considering. But nothing I found impressed me as much as Daemon. The use of plausible and contemporary technology in ways that could potentially alter human society challenged my mind and excited my imagination.

I wrote a glowing review of Daemon when it was first self-published and recommended to me by a friend on Friendfeed, appropriately enough. I’ve re-read the novel 3 or 4 times now, and am eager to read the follow-up to Daemon called Freedom.

Daniel Suarez ended Daemon in a way that suggested a sequel. And very soon this sequel will be available in bookstores.

If you’d like to read a few sample chapters of Freedom you can do that here. As soon as I’ve read it I’ll have a lot more to say on the subject.

(On the Daemon’s website you’ll find many interesting links to how and where the technology Suarez incorporates into his novels is being used and explored. It’s well worth reading if you have an interest in the potential misuse of technology or internet security. You may also want to view this video in which Suarez talks about botnets.)

(Disclosure: I bought my first copy of Daemon, then Daniel kindly provided me with autographed copies of Daemon and Freedom. I assure you, having been provided with free copies of these books is in no way responsible for my enthusiasm for them. I was not asked to review them; it was solely my decision to do so. My recommendations are authentically my own.)

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CODEX SERAPHINIANUS is a beautiful beast of a book.  It is giant and heavy and has all of the majesty of some sort of grimoire or encyclopedia of an alternative universe.  But I’m getting ahead of myself, and should tell you what it contains.The book was written and illustrated by Luigi Serafini in the 1970s.  It is an imaginary record of a strange world written in an invented language, divvied up into 11 chapters, and organized thusly:

The first section appears to describe the natural world, dealing with flora, fauna, and physics. The second deals with the humanities, the various aspects of human life: clothing, history, cuisine, architecture and so on. Each chapter seems to treat a general encyclopedic topic. The topics of each separate chapter are as follows:

• The first chapter describes many alien types of flora: strange flowers, trees that uproot themselves and migrate, etc.
• The second chapter is devoted to the fauna of this alien world, depicting many animals that are surreal variations of the horse, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, birds, etc.
• The third chapter deals with what seems to be a separate kingdom of odd bipedal creatures, apparently engineered for various purposes.
• The fourth chapter deals with something that seems to be physics and chemistry, and is by far the most abstract and enigmatic.
• The fifth chapter deals with bizarre machines and vehicles.
• The sixth chapter explores the general humanities: biology, sexuality, various aboriginal peoples, and even shows examples of plant life and tools (such as pens and wrenches) grafted directly into the human body.
• The seventh chapter is historical. It shows many people (some only vaguely human) of unknown significance, giving their times of birth and death. It also depicts many scenes of historical (and possibly religious) significance. Also included are examples of burial and funereal customs.
• The eighth chapter depicts the history of the Codex’s alien writing system.
• The ninth chapter deals with food, dining practices, and clothing.
• The tenth chapter describes bizarre games (including playing cards and board games) and athletic sports.
• The eleventh chapter is devoted entirely to architecture.

(Source with more pictures: Phantasmaphile)