Midlife For Gen X

Gen X. Are we really the generation of "smoke weed, argue about Theory, sleep with one another’s girlfriends and boyfriends and wonder what was going to happen next"?

In a recent NYTimes OpEd, thats exactly how several new film makers describe us.... Disappointing. Maybe. Accurate - my wife and family think so...

So what does that mean for us - are we really the generations of do nothings? Is that why Gen Y or whomever has followed us are so over-ambitious?

I look around my office and one observation not noted in the article is that we may be the last generation to understand work - the fact that it takes time, perseverance, critical thinking and does not always require a computer... We maybe do nothings, but at least we know how to do something.

Smashing Watermelons

Mashup of Stephan Hawking and crazy lucho libre type slow-mo video... Interesting combination - maybe......



Thanks SDL for the spot.

Will Farrell Rocks the White House!

Amazing talent. Very funny. Whether you agree with the issue or not, you can't help but laugh either - at least i couldn't...

Funny or Die's Presidential Reunion from Will Ferrell

Photo of the Day

By chance I stumbled upon this site and this first photo caught my eye. Topical, well taken, interesting.... All the things I look for in an image. Nice... The site has others that just as interesting - if you have a few minutes, take a look.

“Como Se Dice…Como Se llama? (OBAMA, OBAMA)”

It's been 48hrs - OMG this is amazing! Get the lyrics and MP3 here.

Unfortinately, its not a game....

Wall Street seems to have dropped the ball.... Again.... Check out these video games from 1987. I can only imagine what the folks at today's publishers will come up with ...

Grand Theft Auto meets Gordon Gekko? The both share the same proposition - "Greed is Good" (until the bottom drops out)....

And I Rand, I ran so far away........

Ayn Rand, author of Atlas Shrugged and the Fountainhead was also one of the main developers and proponents of a moral philosophy called Objectivism. Disregarded at the time, it was later embraced by conservatives.

In her own words:

My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.
—Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged 35th anniversary edition

However, a more accurate expression may be:

"Objectivism holds that reality exists independent from consciousness; that individual persons are in contact with this reality through sensory perception; that human beings can gain objective knowledge from perception through the process of concept formation; that the proper moral purpose of one's life is the pursuit of one's own happiness or "rational self-interest"; that the only social system consistent with this morality is full respect for individual rights, embodied in pure, consensual laissez-faire capitalism; and that the role of art in human life is to transform man's widest metaphysical ideas, by selective reproduction of reality, into a physical form—a work of art—that one can comprehend and respond to."
— Wikipedia


In an interview from Playboy magazine in 1964, (read the full interview here) we can see the roots of how this philosophy arrives at a "you're with us or your against us" attitude.

PLAYBOY: In Atlas Shrugged you wrote, "There are two sides to every issue. One side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil." Isn't this a rather black-and-white set of values?

RAND: It most certainly is. I most emphatically advocate a black-and-white view of the world. Let us define this. What is meant by the expression "black and white"? It means good and evil. Before you can identify anything as gray, as middle of the road, you have to know what is black and what is white, because gray is merely a mixture of the two. And when you have established that one alternative is good and the other is evil, there is no justification for the choice of a mixture. There is no justification ever for choosing any part of what you know to be evil.

So you be the judge. Right or wrong? Or somewhere in the middle, unless you're an objectivist....

Get on the Cani-bus!

The good Ganj is finally getting some respect and more importantly, research dollars and positive attention. Find out what the candidates have to say about here - pot is good (NYT).

Several states have already come around and more are sure to follow - good news for everyone!

Sometimes you search and discover. Other times you search and destroy. And sometimes, you just search. Keep on shearchin'!

It's been a few days since the last post and i've been combing the web for some interesting stuff. Well let me tell you, just because the news cycle is 24/7 and the web is full of information, it does not mean there is always something worthwhile to share.

What does it mean when one of the most e-mailed NYTimes article is about a bird watcher who shot a cat - is that even news? I guess it's easier to argue over the value of an animals life rather than reflect on the value of a persons... A sad state of affairs..

So without wasting too much more of your time, enjoy the quick pic of the J-man, and keep on searching for your own stories.

Are Women Really Depreciating Assets?

POST: “spectacularly beautiful” 25-year-old seeking a husband who makes at least $500,000 a year, because “$250,000 won’t get me to Central Park West.”

RESPONSE: Your proposition is a bad business deal. “In economic terms, you are a depreciating asset and I am an earning asset,.”“ Your looks will fade and my money will likely continue into perpetuity.”

According to the NYTimes (article), this little diddy hit the web in full force and raised questions of misogyny, online ethics and overall email etiquette. While his response is cold and biting and I've certainly met my fair share of Hedge Fund managers and M&A bankers, I don't disagree with his logic. And, while I understand how the objectification of women is wrong, this women, whomever she is, has clearly laid the ground rules. She named her price - she just probably never took an economics course......

Lucky for me, I've got a priceless jewel at home that only improves with age!

Vote! Who's Your Candidate?

2008 Election

Who is Your
Perfect Candidate?

"you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator.” You will fit in well in New York City

Not the first asshole to arrive on the shores of NYC with a bad attitude.

Putting Money on the Table (Sun NYTimes)

Is this really what women have become - focused on money and career - sounds like they are truly men (who just don't want to pay to keep a dime piece on the wrist). Suck it up, pay the bill and move on.