Messaging Myself (not Massaging)

(Just clarifying)

When I'm in a situation without access to pen and paper and need to leave myself a ToDo or another message, I'll sometimes call my office phone to leave a message. This puts me in the awkward position of talking to myself, and then listening to the awkward message.

I find myself feeling that I should still abide by some code of message giving: saying "hello" or "hey" as an intro, having some conversation with the future me, and then signing off with a "bye" or even a "see ya." When I hear it later, it just sounds weird.

But when I don't do it, it almost feels weirder.

Am I alone on this one? Anyone else call or e-mail yourself with important (or not so important) messages? Do you include salutations?

Video Games: The Rules Have Changed

I grew up playing video games, starting with Pac-man and Pitfall on the Atari 2600. Gaming has changed significantly over the past 25 years - mostly for the better:

Forgiveness: Super Mario Bros. vs. Lego Star Wars

As a kid it was not rare to play the same level hundreds of times (who doesn't have SMB Level 1-1 memorized), and each game ended in death. Flash forward to 2009 where a Lego Star Wars player can die dozens of times and still "beat" a level. Additional points/powers/etc. are earned by completing the level with greater skill (collecting certain items or killing so many enemies).

Saving = Longer Stories

I'm a fan of a good, long story, be it a television series, a book, or a game. The ability to save your game to a backup system increased the depth of video game stories. The Legend of

Zelda's original 1986 release was one of the first games to allow battery backup, and made it the first "long story" game for me.

In-game Tutorials

Super Mario 64 is the first game I remember with a significant in-game tutorial, teaching me to play the game inside the game. It eliminated the need to read through the manual before starting.

Sandbox

The open feel of some games (Legend of Zelda, and to a greater extent, Grand Theft Auto) give players the opportunity to play at their own pace, working on side quests and participating in the story as they like. The story can even change based on decisions made by the player.

Graphics

For better or worse, games are prettier and/or more realistic than ever. Blocky graphics of the 80s have been replaced by beautiful 3D visual candy. The beauty is more beautiful, the violence more violent and other inappropriate content even more inappropriate. It's my opinion this is a parental issue and complex enough for a blog post of its own. I do think the rating system of the 90s has provided guidance to otherwise unknowing parents.

Playing the World

This is the most important change of the last 25 years. The ability to play with friends and strangers online is huge. There is some satisfaction in beating the computer and progressing through a story, but it pales in comparison to competing with and against other real people from around the world. It started for me with 3 other college roommates playing Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64. But now I've enjoyed online play with Wii Mario Kart, and I'll never be able to go back.

So there we go. The good ole' days are still good, but IMO gaming is much improved over its beginnings in the 70s and 80s.

I've never called my congressman...

I've never been politically active, assuming most "representatives" are more likely to be representing themselves.  I doubted any effort on my part to contact my local legislator would make a difference; on top of that, I didn't really have a particular issue - especially at the state level - I felt strongly about.

Until now.

Missouri has 500+ primary traffic laws an officer can pull you over for violating, including:

• Burned out tail light or license plate light
  
• Dark tinted windows
  

The single violation not included on this "primary" list is the law requiring seat belt use.  It does exist, but has been relegated to "secondary" status.

House Bill 665 will change the current seat belt law's status to primary, and in doing so will save 90+ lives and prevent hundreds of injuries each year (based on similar states' experience).  As a traffic safety engineer, there is no tool in my toolbox that can make that big an impact so quickly -- and at no cost to the state or taxpayers.

I've never "mobilized a movement" or even asked a friend to call their senator.  Today's the day.  If this issue is of interest to you, please consider the following:

• Look up your local legislators in the House and Senate and contact them via e-mail or phone to express your support for HB 665.
  
• Contact members of the House Transportation Committee.  They will be hearing the bill in early March.
  
• Visit www.savemolives.com to join the Primary Safety Belt effort and find more ways to get involved.
  

Thanks for reading through my soapboxes this spring about seat belts.  In my line of work and passion, this is one of the most important efforts I've been involved with.

Oscar Blog: Showtime

I started a live blog during the Oscar ceremony, and then got bored with myself (and had a tough time typing, folding clothes, and trying to enjoy the show with Janelle simultaneously).  I also had little to say during the first part of the show besides "Jack Black is funny" and "Tilda Swinton is more pale than usual."  So I slept on it and gave it a shot this morning.

Jack Black cracks me up.  His presence and facial expressions are laugh-inducing.  I also really liked Steve Martin last night.

Ben Stiller did not.  I was annoyed by him, and if I were a cinematographer nominated for an award I would've been offended by his weird act.

Hugh Jackman was a little rocky at first, but the opening number was good and he did a nice job overall.

Sophia Loren.  Hmmm.

Queen Latifah is one of my favorite entertainers of all time (going all the way back to my hard core rap stage in Jr. High).  All hail the queen.

Even though we knew Heath Ledger had to win, it was an amazing moment to see his family on stage honoring his work and his memory.  

I really liked the production of the show last night.  Very cool, artsy, techy ideas for showcasing movies and walking us through the process of how a movie is made.

I was also a big fan of having past Oscar winners speak personally to each nominated Actor/Actress and Supportings.  Particularly special were some of the older actors talking to the younger stars.

I think Angelina Jolie is as pretty as the next guy, and I know they were both nominated, but at some point (about the 113th shot of her and Brad) it did get old.

There were a few odd absences that I always expect to see: Jack Nicholson, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Paul Reubens.  Oh, and I guess there was some controversy about Peter Gabriel that I'd never heard about.  All I know is that he didn't show up to sing his nominated song.  I'd expect such from Eminem when he did it, but Peter Gabriel??

The Slumdog Millionaire musical performance was my highlight of the night.  Incredible.

My favorite speech quote (from the Slumdog guy who won all the music awards):  

"I've had the chance in my life to choose to love or to hate.  I've chosen to love, and now I am here."

We have a winner. 

Oscar Blog: Pregame

Gonna give a shot at live blogging during the Oscars. Here's the pregame version:

Phillip Seymore Hoffman gets to wear a stocking cap. He just does.

I always laugh out loud at Jack Black.

Robin Roberts = Classy

Overall, the red carpet was similar to every other year. On with the show...

Read Chapter 1. Check for Goosebumps.

I have a lot of books at the house and office that I've collected over the years but haven't read.  In order to deal with the overwhelm, I'm developing a new strategy for separating the good stuff from the mediocre.

Read Chapter 1.

Check for Goosebumps.

The theory is this: If the author moves me in the introductory chapter, I'll continue.  If not, I'll move on.  I've found that -- at least for me -- the most life-altering books I've read have had an incredible Chapter 1.

Will I still miss some good information?  Sure.  But as I've read more and more books (particularly in the Business/Management/Leadership genre), I've determined that most of them borrow heavily from each other. 

There is a finite amount of time any of us has to read.  Even if we read 24 hours a day, no one could read everything written about even a single topic.  So here's my first shot at finding those titles that change something about how I think or act.  We'll see how it goes.