New Site

I created a new home over at lifecatcher.net, so head over there if you want any updates from me. I will stop posting on this blog.

Why I Hate Hotmail

Just realized I cannot forward to a non-hotmail/msn/live.com address.

Beating a Bread Horse

Am I allowed to eat bread or not? I’ve been overwhelmed by the “knowledge” about dieting in circulation these days. Low carb is the latest craze, but low fat was another one popular in the late 80′s. I think that’s how Snackwells became so popular. We frame the dieting discussion in term of what we shouldn’t eat rather than what we should eat. After all, we know that we should be eating more fruits and vegetables, but we’re lazy and uncommitted to making ourselves healthier. The “better” idea is that if we refrain from eating particular foods, then it doesn’t matter what else we eat. At the very least, we trick ourselves into thinking that we are working ourselves towards a better eating lifestyle.

Or are we? The problem here is that most people know what they should be eating. When we go to a fast food chain and order a low carb version of a burger, we think that we’re eating healthy simply because we’re not eating carbs. I hope we don’t really think that. That’s stupid wisdom. Next to a bowl of fruit or a plate of grilled vegetables, we can’t possibly think that a low carb fast food burger is healthy. Can we? Unfortunately things seem this way.

Here’s a secret: our bodies can adapt to our eating habits thanks to our metabolism. The same reason that Michael Phelps can eat 10,000+ calories a day is the same reason that a starving child in Ethiopia can survive on 200-300 calories a day. Once our bodies start eating less or more, it gets used to eating less or more. However, for someone that isn’t active, there’s only so many calories the body can handle. The only way that we can consume more calories without gaining weight is by burning the extra calories. This can be done through brute force (exercising) or by doing things that increase our metabolism. Increasing our metabolism means that our bodies burn more calories just by doing the basic things to keep itself going. That’s right, a high metabolism means you’re burning calories just by sitting around.

What some people don’t realize is that our metabolisms can slow down too. This is a huge problem because we consume less and less (through dieting), which leads to short term weight loss, which then also leads to a slower metabolism. Once our metabolism slows down, we’re screwed because returning to our normal eating habits shocks our bodies. Our body became accustomed to eating less calories. Depending on the diet, maybe our bodies got used to eating no carbs. So when we change our eating habits, our bodies go, “Hey, wait a second. I’m not used to this. This is way too much, what’s going on here?” And as a result, dieting leaves us unsatisfied because we end up even heavier than we started.

Look. Dieting is not easy. Therefore, a fundamental change in the way we eat and live will be infinitely tougher. But think of it this way. The human body has survived thousands of years. Convenience foods haven’t been around for that long. Think of the caveman. He or she probably ate nothing but fruits, vegetables, and meat. The caveman was out all day doing lots of manual labor just to survive. Our lives are much easier than that now, and we think ourselves to be much more sophisticated than the caveman (we are). Therefore, at least doing a fraction of what cavemen do shouldn’t be that hard. Eating whole foods and using our bodies on a daily basis is an easy thing to do. It has become harder because of the way society has shaped our lives and expectations about eating.

Instead of trying to quickly lose some weight, which leads to dissappointment, we should commit to treating our bodies as a home for our mind and soul. Imagine the sheer quantity of food that we eat in one year. If that much food is going through me, I want it to be good quality food, not garbage that costs less than 25 cents to process and produce. Everyone knows that eating more produce, less sugary and fatty foods, and exercising regularly is the right thing for our bodies. It’s hard to leave a life of eating junk food and being lazy, but it’s not impossible. The question is whether you can commit to doing it. Everyone is capable of the action, but not everyone is capable of the commitment.

The Price of Creativity

When we look at art alongside the labor that went into creating a work of art, how do we put a price tag on the value of the creativity involved? In many cases, we let the creator decide, such as in the case of wedding pictures, or website design, etc. The creator charges a price, and we accept. In other cases, we take it upon ourselves to decide. For example, by downloading music, we effectively state that the price being asked by the creator of the music is too high. Instead of paying the asked price, we elect to pay nothing. The growth of technology inevitably risks undermining the value of artistic works and creativity.

I worry that in an age of increasing access to tools that allow everyone to be creators, we diminish our appreciation for creativity. Fancy digital cameras make way for budding photographers without the perception of a true artist. YouTube and the falling prices of video cameras create hordes of would-be Steven Spielbergs, only, they’re not Steven Spielberg. They’re not even close. Peer-to-peer file sharing creates a reality where musical pieces that took years to produce are accessible with a single click, but perhaps valuated at an even lesser price, at least in our minds.

Don’t get me wrong. Technology is democratizing and important. It allows society to free its hands to work on more difficult issues. While we are not all Stephen Spielbergs, the thought that a potential film maker, whose only barriers to creation were technological and financial ones, can finally realize his dreams is empowering. The blog-nation has brought waves of journalists who discuss the most important issues of our time by using nothing more than logic and a computer. So understand that I believe technology to be a power and necessary evolution of the creation and spreading of ideas. As technology spread, ideas spread. And as ideas spread, the ability to participate in the formation of those ideas spreads.

My concern is that by making the creation of ideas so accessible, we risk believing that the truly special ideas and creativity are not so special at all because we think to ourselves, “I could do that.” The simple feeling of “I could do that” immediately means that the work is not so special. It means that the work has less or no value. And why do we think “I could do that”? Because technology makes us believe that we can. There’s no stopping the advancement of the internet and technology, but in the process of gaining more and more access to do the things that artists do, we should not forget that artists have never been artists solely because of their technology. Artists are defined not by the existence of their tools but by how they use them. So when we look at an artistic work, instead of framing the question as “how much would I pay for this work,” we should ask “what is it the artistic merit in this work, and how much is *that* worth?”

With Great Power . . .

“They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please.”

-Barack Obama

Haikus and Why They are Awful

I just finished a book, The Power of Less, which was a fantastic read. One of the themes in the book that Leo Babauta, contributor at zenhabits.net, points out is that we need to eliminate the unessential things in our lives. Early on, he says that one way to become more productive is to set limits and that the Japanese haiku is a great analogy because the haiku forces the author to work within narrow limitations to convey an insightful thought.

That comment, however, reminded me that I hate haikus. Why?

First, poetry is beautiful for many reasons that simply cannot exist within a haiku. For example, fancy rhyming schemes, repeated themes, a full story, details within a greater context, meaningful alliteration, rhythm, etc. all cannot exist within the constructs of a haiku. Now, I understand that Leo is trying to make a different point, but it still turned me off to think that the haiku could be somehow useful.

And second, the haiku is too sparse to be meaningful. It’s a challenging exercise to compact a profound thought into seventeen syllables, but too often the thought is lost once converted into a haiku. Instead of a cohesive point, the reader of the haiku is left wondering what the author meant. Maybe the act of pondering a deeper meaning is a virtue of the haiku rather than a negative, but I’ve never seen it that way. Ambiguity in writing can leave things to the reader’s imagination, but the haiku is too vague to serve that purpose.

That said, the book was a great read and highly recommended.

I’m a staunch GTD fan, but after reading this I feel like GTD is really about being productive where The Power of Less is more about being effective.

Of Life, the Recession, and Apple

I’m reminded of the fragility of the human condition. The media and news have continuously pelted us with information about the seriousness of the recession. Financial analysts predict that this recession could sink into the greatest depression that the United States has ever known. Well known corporations that have spent years building up their name and company are either on the verge or have already filed for bankruptcy. Circuit City, Lehman Brother, and DHL come to mind. People predict that it will take until at least 2010 for the recession to end. People have lost jobs not necessarily because of the quality of their work but because of the impossibility of providing everyone with a job that is currently employed.

Apple, one of the most famous computer and device makers of the current generation, has become a household name. The founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, was chiefly responsible for Apple’s ascent to the top. He recently announced that he would take a medical leave of absence to focus on his recently public health concerns and his family. Jobs stated that the absence would be five months, but many suspect that it is permanent. The tech world was watching as he gave his last keynote speech, not because of the products that were being introduced, but because Jobs appeared startlingly thin. He rebuffed rumors that anything was wrong with himself, but we all suspected something.

Despite being a “pc,” Steve Jobs is an integral part of the tech world that I know. Apple’s product announcements are so mesmerizing because Jobs makes you feel like you’re his friend. He gives you the feeling that you’re shooting the breeze, and that he’s just telling you about this cool new product. I never bought any Apple products for myself. However, I appreciate the thought and competition that Apple provides for the marketplace.

Jobs reminds us that we are all human, whether you’re a CEO or a sales rep. One question that I have is: how will we all weather this recession? The more important question that some have to face is whether they will even survive this recession. In other words, will they live long enough to see the other side of this stark economic downturn? And if they won’t, maybe this recession isn’t really a big deal to them at all. That’s right, it never fully registered in my head that people live and die everyday. I thought of this recession as a daunting limbo that we need to get through before we see better days. But for some, their better days are now, otherwise, they won’t have anymore. Recession or not, we all live in the remainder of our lives. I haven’t been hit as hard by the recession as many people, but that doesn’t mean I need to squander the time that I receive. It’s too easy to complain about the present when the future is unknown. And in the words of Dave Matthews, “the future is no place for your better days.”

The *Pursuit* of Happiness

I feel that society has misinterpreted the phrase in the Declaration of Independence that refers to the unalienable right to the “pursuit of happiness.” We often interpret it as meaning that we have a simple right to happiness. But by doing so, we neglect the crucial word “pursuit.” The word “pursuit” means that we have a right to attempt to be happy. If, in the end, you don’t succeed, then you have not been denied any fundamental right.

What, then, does it mean to have the right to pursue happiness? It simply means, that you should not be unreasonably denied the opportunity to obtain the happiness that you want. Happiness is specific to the individual. Not everything makes us happy, and different things makes different people happy. By having the right to pursue happiness, we get to decide what makes us happy. Further, we can voluntarily elect to do things that may help us get to that happiness. Sure, people get upset and sad all the time, but that doesn’t mean that we’re being denied any rights. As long as we had the chance to better our emotional well-being, that is all we can ask for.

Working Hard [or Hardly . . .]

It’s that time of year when exams kick in real hard.  Studying is on full throttle and sleep is a precious commodity.  My motivation this year seems to be drastically decreased in comparison to the past.  Maybe it’s the fact that exma scome so soon after Thanksgiving break; maybe it’s the fact that the fragility of the economy seems to dwarf the significance of end of semester tests; maybe it’s the fact that I’m somewhat tired of school.  Whatever the reason, I’m just finding it hard to pick my feet up and march forward at a steady pace.  “Standing still” would be a good way to describe the way I feel.

There.  I’ve acknowledged my lack of progress, now move forward, Dan.  Move forward.

Determined Optimism

Hard times come and go.  If they are really bad, then they linger longer than they should.  Good times come and go as well, but I can’t say things are that bad, yet.  I have a family that loves me (most of the time), and a solid education, which many don’t have the fortune of having.  Food and gas are expensive lately, but I can still afford a good meal and ice cream on Wednesdays when waffle cones are 99 cents at TCBY.  No, I can’t say things are that bad, yet.

Some days I still pout about petty things.  I don’t mean to, but it still comes out.  I can’t control what each new day brings me, and really, I don’t want to control what life throws my way.  Life would be less exciting without spontaneity.  I’m willing to take the chance on life that things will balance out for the good in the end.  Even if they don’t, I’ll remember the good times more than the bad.  I can control how I receive each day, and I can control my attitude.  There’s a “silver lining” with every lousy situation, but it’s not obvious most of the time – finding it is a challenge and a reward.

Determined optimism doesn’t mean that you are happy about things in a superficial way.  And it doesn’t mean that you look on the bright side when it’s convenient.  It’s a mindset that makes you thankful for everything that comes your way and makes you look at each moment as an opportunity because that’s what all moments are: opportunities.  Determined optimism is an appreciation of life for its genuineness and not its pleasantness.  Life is worth living, and there’s no replacement for it.  It’s infinitely unique, and I’m determined to be optimistic about it, even when things are bad.