Routine Revelations

What is in those doughnuts? Did the officers eat the evidence?

The kid in me wants to buy this Air Jordan New Beginnings pack because nostalgia.

How is that open office floor plan looking now?

I am not sure how I feel about this, but replies only appear on blog post pages and not on the main blog page so they aren’t very discoverable.

There is a big gap in how the POTUS should be hired/elected and how he or she is actually elected. One of the first questions I ask myself when determining who to vote for is whether the candidates are competent for the job. What qualifications do they have? Are they capable. In 2016 there was no doubt that Trump was not competent to be POTUS and that immediately disqualified him for the job, in my opinion.

Our country would be much better, I think, if all citizens first considered what are the skills for the job of POTUS and not what that person can do for them. Ultimately the skill is leadership, and leadership requires listening, compromise, persuasion, and humility.

What seems to go unsaid about COVID-19 from my perspective is not that the virus and its statistics alone that has me worried, it’s the virus, its statistics and the fact that I don’t think we have competent leadership in the United States (not to mention not trustworthy). There is nothing about President Trump nor any of the people who surround him, nor his cabinet on Fox News, nor his Republican colleagues that gives me any comfort or confidence.

How the Trump administration handles this crisis should factor in whether he is re-elected, but between now and then thousands of people in the United States might die.

“The Gospel is much more subtle than that. Jesus' life and his risen body say instead that the discovery of our own divine DNA is the only, full, and final meaning of being human. The True Self is neither God nor human. The True Self is both at the same time, and both are a total gift.” (Richard Rohr, Immortal Diamond)

Resurfaced by readwise.io

I continue to be amazed that reporters don’t say the obvious about Bernie, he is not a Democrat which may be a big reason why big D Democrats don’t vote for him. Bernie is really a third party candidate, in a not too dissimilar from Trump.

Google is cancelling their big developer conference that was scheduled for early May. I find it interesting they are canceling now. How we will know this is really serious is when sporting events, say MLB Opening Day, get’s cancelled/re-scheduled.

With shiftscreen you can use an external monitor as a second display for your iPad edge to edge.

“Now, Android’s “Rules” are starting to show up on a lot of Google Pixel devices, hinting they might be included in the next “Feature Drop.””

I just checked and Rules is available on my Pixel 2.

Android Rules feature rolling out to more Google Pixel devices- 9to5Google 9to5google.com/2020/03/0… via Instapaper

Microsoft is retiring the MCSE certification, which I once held in the early 2000s. My experience in getting the certification also turned me off to the whole idea of certifications. I think practical experience, passion, and being able to work well with others are better criteria than paper certifications.

What Makes The French Horn Notoriously Difficult?

The French horn’s register plays in a higher range of the harmonic series (essentially, the notes that are naturally playable without the use of valves), compared to other brass instruments. At higher pitches, it is incredibly sensitive to even small changes in the position of the mouth and air volume. That’s one of the main causes of so many blunders, and the reason brass players joke that the best way to make a trombone sound like a French horn is to stuff your hand into the bell and miss all your notes.

“The American intellectuals who now find themselves alienated from the country that they inhabit aren’t interested in reality. They are interested in a fantasy nation, different and distinct from their own hateful country. America, with its complicated social and political as well as ethnic diversity, with its Constitution that ensures we will never, ever all be forced to feel as if “all life is focused in a central purpose”—this America no longer appeals to them at all.”

The False Romance of Russia www.theatlantic.com/ideas/arc… via Instapaper

The main issue I have with the Democrat primary is that the candidate that I prefer is probably not the best candidate to beat Donald Trump, and I think removing Trump from office is the prime objective. Yet, the candidate that I prefer has a better chance of beating Trump than other candidates. Worse, I do not think Sanders is one of the candidates with the best chance of beating Trump. Still, the big question is whether all Democrats will unite behind whoever is the candidate. While Clinton did not campaign well enough to win in 2016, she was also hurt by Sanders supporters who refused to vote for her and that cannot happen this time or Trump wins re-election.

“The word humility actually comes from the Latin word for earth or soil, humus—which sounds a lot like but should not be confused with the simple but delicious Middle Eastern chickpea dip, hummus. Humility literally brings us back down to earth, sometimes with a thud.”

— The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, et al. a.co/gE8QWvZ

Not surprised by Maria Sharapova’s retirement. Her injuries significantly cut into the amount of time she played competitive tennis, and no matter the amount of practice it is not the same as live matches. Top athletes maintain and excel their ability in competition and not just practice. Serena Williams' tournament success has been similarly impacted. It is practically impossible to win grand slam tournaments without playing in a good amount other tournaments.

Ash Wednesday begins the Christian liturgical season of Lent, but it is also a statement of a profound truth. We are all born human and we will all end as humus. There is only one race, the human race, even when the humans of the world do not accept this truth. You are dust and to dust you shall return.

I don’t understand how to enable replies/webmentions on my micro.blog.