So, I’ve been “offline” for a bit. Had a short break in the academic dimension, money issues in the corporate dimension, and general techno-depression (where I just don’t give a shnizzle about any of it) - all of which removed any desire to be at the ole puter.

Not much has changed accept I’m back at it - for my last graduate class evar.

There’s been some interesting things happening in my techie-world. I just can’t seem to get any motivation going to care. Lot’s of good discussions around Groovy, JRuby and virtual machines in general. Functional Programming seems to be the snowball that is sucking people up for no good reason. Open source hardware, smaller and smaller processors, and almost the dead quiet before the tornado in the networking world. Apple still is going nuts though I am already tired of the continued iPhone hype. Maybe I’m just jealous because I am stuck with a 1st-gen’er. I really wish there would be some big news from today’s MacWorld Keynote about OS X or their other platforms (non-iPhone). Still waiting for that.

I still subscribe to Linux Journal magazine - but, am not really sure why. The content is lame…and is second rate to most of the blogs I read anyway. There’s nothing new in that space…especially from the OS perspective. Reading it this morning kind of took me back to somewhere around ’93 when I first saw Linux running on a friends Packard Bell PC. It was kind of funny … I was supposed to be getting a demo of this awesome Windows alternative called OS/2 (which is now completely dead). I got so hooked on the story of Linux that I could’ve cared less about OS/2. I’d seen some UNIX before this - and pretty much favored DOS over Win3.X at the time. Slackware (the Linux distro) was cool, not because of the software itself, but rather the culture. I’m not sure what happened, but it really feels like that culture is gone, replaced by ego-driven twerps with zero appreciation. Kind of like yoga’s americanized incarnation (downward facing dog instead of Adho Mukha Svanasana). I kind of get the same old-skool Linux feel from the Ruby (not Rails) community, which is cool. The difference for me between then and now, is that I really could care less if anyone jumps on the Ruby bandwagon. Back then, I was a religious zealot about Linux - preaching to anyone who’d listen (and even those who didn’t want to hear it). Maybe it is just a funk…but, I’m kind of just tired. In the early 2000 I was beating the IPv6 drum only to have my head constantly bashed against a wall by corporate idiots. At some point I think I’ve just subconsciously realized that it will all unfold however it damn well pleases and there’s no point in me caring one way or the other (I’m really just along for the ride). I suppose the sooner I consciously accept this the better off I will be.

Then, there is the whole “human” angle…like I should be trying to save the race or something. Like where ever I put my energy should be for the greater good (or something). All this green crap, the election politics, fuel prices, my rapidly thinning scalp coverage, blah, blah, blah. It really is rather depressing. Oh wait, I’m not supposed to care about the number of hairs listing from the top o’ my head…green, green is good. Damn, green is bad. Green means we’ve already screwed up and attempting to care. Then I read O’Reilly’s latest blog post and return to proud American mode. Sorry…can’t…help…myself…ahhhhhhhh…the…madness. It’s The Happening.

I watched Discovery’s deal on NASA (leaving Earth…) last night. Really frickin’ cool. We pretty much suck as a country these days. I wish we could have a Kennedy lead us to the Moon right about now. Just looking forward would be nice. These tiddly little mission to Mars with a robot just aren’t doing it either. Don’t get me wrong on understand the relevance of the Phoenix missions - but without human life on the line it isn’t the same. Those guys working Mercury, Gemini and Apollo (my Dad included) were the bomb. No computers to solve the problems…just smart people working it out. That’s effin’ amazing. Anyway…that was then, this is now. Tomorrow we’ll still be worrying about $5/gallon gas.

So. What was I saying? Techno-depression…that overwhelming feeling that it is simply impossible to feel like you are doing anything relevant, let alone worthy. I can’t seem to latch on to any one thing long enough to feel like I’ve made my mark. The ‘master of nothing’ syndrome in full effect. I’m basically in information overload…damn you Google Reader! Add in a mix of ‘mobile me’ and it is all over. I just spent a week at the ocean (in and out of the water). It was all I could do to not open Google Reader from my iPhone. Fear of the 600 new feeds I’d have to wade through was killing me. I’m an addict for sure. Is there an Informatics Anonymous?

Actually, I’m doing pretty good now. High of 104 degrees today. Back at work, the routine is definitely soothing. Performance evaluation this morning. Kids are doing well, one is visiting Zion the other I have no clue what he’s up to. All I know is that every time I get near him he closes his computer, phone, etc. as fast as possible. Is that a sign? Went and saw the Indy Jones movie last night. I’m definitely getting old…but somehow guys like Harrison Ford and Clint Eastwood don’t - and not in the Barry Bonds sort of way (not older, and not bigger at the same time). The movie was OK. Definitely in line with the others. Weird that Lucas et al. progress from religious relics to alien encounters…or maybe progress is the wrong verb.

Well, lunch is over. Back to work. Peace in.