Feeling old

I was in the hospital visiting my grandmother this weekend. Last week she had fallen while trying to put on her shoes and broke her leg near the hip. Thank goodness it wasn't her hip as that's supposed to be much harder to recover from. So thanks to a metal pin and 3 screws installed Thursday, she's starting the long hard road to recovery.

I was amazed that the physical therapist was able to get her to try a few steps while I was there. She was in a lot of pain and was reluctant to do anything which made it worse, such as moving the injured leg. The thing which was toughest for me to take was the sounds she made when the pain hit her. I was also struck by how small and frail she looks now. I know it's been a long gradual process but it really struck me while watching her struggle with the pain.

It's strange how the roles feel reversed now. When I was small, she used to take care of me while my mother was at work. She was always able to help with anything I needed. Now we've got to do the same for her. It seems kind of strange for all of us and is taking a little getting used to.

Hazmat Modine

A couple months ago, my wife was reading the latest edition of the schedule of entertainment from our neighborhood community center. It's well worth doing because they always have some sort of program which we find entertaining. It turns out they had managed to attract one of my favorite new bands, Hazmat Modine, to perform near our house.

You might have heard them on NPR about a year ago. I didn't catch that program but a friend did and was so amazed by their music that he felt obliged to tell me about it. After listening to his CD, I had to buy a copy for myself.

As much as I like their CD, they were much better in person. I highly recommend seeing them if you get the chance. I can hardly wait for their next CD to be released. Yes, they're really that good.

You can search on YouTube for samples of their performances. Here's one to get you started.

One of Carl Sagan's last speeches

I've just finished listening to a Point of Inquiry podcast featuring Ann Druyan (widow of Carl Sagan). That would have been interesting in its own right but this episode also features Carl Sagan’s last public address for CSICOP (Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal).

While I've always enjoyed Sagan's work, I found this speech particularly interesting. In it, he makes a number of very accurate prophecies about the slow backwards slide America seems to have been taking in its understanding of scientific topics. What I find most amazing is that he could be skeptical of pseudo-science and still be so understanding of people who subscribe to these erroneous beliefs. In this speech, he urges skeptics everywhere to be more understanding of the individuals on the other side. We must learn to separate the erroneous belief from the believers. Education, not ridicule, is the proper response.

He also manages to sneak in a few jokes at the expense of those who believe in alien abductions and crop circles. Why would a race sufficiently advanced to have traveled such long distances waste time making circles in wheat fields? It seems a bit silly when put that way, eh?

Point of Inquiry podcast

I've just started listening to the Point of Inquiry podcast and have consequently been catching up on older episodes. The episode I was listening to today featured one of my favorite scientists, Bill Nye. Bill was making a case for improving the poor state of scientific literacy in this country. He was doing it with his usual enthusiasm and humor.

With all the environmental challenges currently facing us, this is an unfortunate time to have enrollment in engineering and science programs at such low levels. Given the absurd popularity of pseudoscience these days, it's particularly disturbing to see so few new scientists entering the workforce.

This podcast also has episodes featuring interviews with or information about more of my favorite scientists and/or skeptics - Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Phil Plait (AKA The Bad Astronomer), Harry Houdini, and James Randi. I can't wait to listen to those.

The same company which produces this podcast also publishes Free Inquiry and Skeptical Inquirer magazines.

Pitfalls of being the family tech support person

The always entertaining LifeHack has an interesting article about How to Survive as the Family Tech Support Guy (or Gal). Most of us with more than a passing interest in technical matters get stuck in the role of tech support for family and friends from time to time. Sometimes this can be a rewarding experience but often it can be frustrating if expectations aren't set early.

1) This probably isn't your full time job. Even if it is, who wants to work extra hours for free? Let the person seeking your help know that you have other obligations and that their problem will have to fit into your schedule. It's okay to be a bit flexible for emergencies but if you continually sacrifice your own downtime to help others, your resentment will show eventually.

2) Find and/or train a first level family tech support person so you can advance to second level support. Usually younger people are good candidates for this since they seem to inherently understand new technologies better than most oldsters. I've been lucky that my stepfather has taken on this role for me. I'm happy to take his calls because I know when he has questions, he's done a complete job of troubleshooting which means that I've got a difficult problem to deal with. I enjoy a good problem now and then. It's telling someone how to convert pictures to a different format for the 23rd time that annoys me, especially when they can do a Google search just as easily as I can.

3) Learn which people are time wasters and avoid them. Few things are more frustrating than spending some of what should be your leisure time doing research to give someone advice only to have them do the opposite because the sales clerk at the local electronics warehouse has given them a contradicting opinion. Wow, 6 months in the industry at minimum wage gives them the equivalent of all your training and/or experience, not to mention the fact that they probably get incentives for pushing whatever crappy product they've recommended. In this case, I bow out gracefully but resolve never to spend time helping that family member or friend again.