Instant Replay and Character

Growing up baseball was my game. I never played a game where instant replay was used and it's likely that I never will. Had I grown up with that ultimate decider of right and wrong I'm sure things would have been much different, maybe I'd be retiring from the Yankees with Mariano this year (we are about the same age) or..... maybe not. When there's no "instant replay" as a child you learn that bad calls and errors by those stewards of the game are an inherent part and success depends on how you recover, learn and move on. Herein lies the crux of this editorial. Through that process of recovering and learning one builds character and it's that character that more often than not brings someone success.

  Baseball isn't just a metaphor
In the game of professional baseball they have started to use "instant replay" at the major league level. This is a professional game with a lot at stake and let's face it you don't get to the majors without learning a thing or two about how to handle bad calls even though sometimes the behavior of players and coaches may not present that way. Society is changing and we have the capability and I say let's get it right for America's favorite past-time. Sure games will be longer, some teams will benefit from re-designed ballparks that are more camera friendly but in the long run it's going to be better for fans and the game (or so we think). One could say we've become a society of "instant replay", look at Football, or the local department store you walk into....think your not on camera there? How about police cars...could you imagine if dashboard cameras were not in squad cars....what would news stations run at 6pm were it not for these snippets of life. So it's not just baseball, it's just that baseball was staying true to it's history and code of honor longer than most.
  Adapt and overcome
Society has become one where what you do it captured electronically just about everywhere you go. It was not like this back in the 80's. George Orwell's 1984 was fiction and you didn't have a camera in the classroom to prove that Johnny threw the spitball at the chalkboard (old school I know). As in the game of baseball you learn to adapt to these things and overcome them. Perhaps the next time you sit down in a classroom it's nowhere near Johnny and perhaps you aren't going to hang out with Johnny after class. For most this is an instinctive reaction and it's a survival component of ones character. The way we adapt and overcome adversity is changing. Today we have the ability in most cases to go check video to see that Johnny threw the spitball thereby convicting Johnny and vindicating the innocent. With the ability to bring the third party perspective into the equation egregious errors are all but eliminated, but the question is... is that a good thing or not. Much in our society has been gained from the struggle against oppressive odds and "bad calls". Similarly even when there is that third party component, take the Zapruder film for example, the definitive answer isn't always evident.
  Character in the Changing Landscape
The struggle against adversity and inherent ability of one to adapt and overcome is changing. Baseball is an example of this. While we are more like 1984 than ever before we're far from Minority Report (obligatory movie reference). The society of "instant replay" is here and we are all effected by it in both positive and negative ways. Character above all else remains the important component. How we build and maintain that character has changed and will continue to change as we become a more connected society. Our "Instant Replay" society will not always bring about the clarity we all seek it will simply add a new perspective that was not available before.

 Happy Thanksgiving!

 Z

The Evolution of "Real"

Learned a bit about life from my teenage son recently.  On our way home in the car he told me about how he was complimented for being " real ". Naturally I queried about the vernacular of the term and as expected I got the typical teenage response. Simply put kids see it the way they see it. They call it when they see it and anyone who holds back from openly firing out these sentiments anywhere at anytime does not hold membership in or the credentials to be designated as "real" (I'm sure to be corrected on this interpretation). What follows is an analysis of the evolution of being "Real" and how it's changed today. 

 "Real" 

 Admittedly I'm from the last generation (so called Gen X) that was born into a world that was not predicated on building virtual lives. Up till the most recent generation, a majority of people worked at physical jobs that required you to actually go to a work location and physically work. Pure intellectual jobs were far and few between, life was lived "in person" and the notion of virtualizing a life "online" in an online world was but a distant thought on a white board, ok chalk board. Video games were crude blocks on a television screen, imitating little of the reality based games we know of today. Dating was done in person, relationships took place at a physical location. People connected through physical interactions, the web barely existed and was limited to the few of us who could afford a modem. I could go on forever or so it seems on how things were different back then but I already am starting to sound a bit like an old curmudgeon. "Real" back then had a smell, a taste, and you came to cherish the "real" as yours and something you wanted to physically share with others.  

"Real Beta" 

As the 80's gave way to the 90's, access to computers and the web became more prevlant. Games started to mimic things we saw in life. Work started to transform from the physical to the intellectual and more often where you worked started to become where you were at the moment not where the office was. Social aspects of a connected world started to become more prevlant. You could now share communications across the world with just about anyone in just a few seconds. People you'll never meet became regular participants in communications. As the 00's and 10's blossomed the explosion of mobile, social media and gaming interactions changed the face of human interaction forever. The reality of an online persona that was born in the 90's and matured into a fully fledged integrated part of an individual.

"Real Conscience"

As social media became more prevalent the idea of creating an online persona or "conscience" became a prerequisite for being "real".  A plethora of virtual sharing sites emerged. Facebook Twitter Instagram SnapChat YikYak and many more took steps to become part of this "real conscience".  These sites manage to entice people (myself included) to share bits of their "real" lives but in a very new way.  In these sites "real" can be edited, deleted and often used to communicate to the masses like never before.  

"The Real Generation"

Now let's return to that conversation with my teenage son. His vernacular for "real" is defined by how similar his real life and online real life are to one another. Any discrepancy between the two would make him less "real".  Most parents will shutter at the thought of their child's every thought being online.  The belief that even the most temporary feeling must be shared is one that is strong in my sons generation and one they will seek out ways to accomplish.  Sites like Snapchat and YikYak have capitalized on this model by enabling the sharing of these "real "experiences something that isn't permanently connected to the "real" world user.  

As "The Real Generation" matures it will be interesting to see how the evolution of "Real" continues.  Will there be even further integration between their lives and technology? Will there be a rebellion against sharing and a return to physical social interactions? Or a blend somewhere in between?

Only time will tell.

Solve Mountain Lion Contacts Sync after Upgrade

1. De-duplicate Mac contacts

2. Export all contacts as vCard

3. Go to System Preferences on my Mac and uncheck Contacts

4. Answer dialogue to delete from my Mac.

5. Verify that all contacts on Mac deleted.

6. Go to System Preferences on Mac and check Contacts.

7. Wait a minute for the Contacts to be imported from iCloud.

8. Verify that Mac is syncing

9. Import vCard from step 2.

10. Keep old contacts and apply to all.

Graci to jeb