Welcome to Generation i. Did you say something?

I need to start off this post with a confession: I’ve owned Apple products since about 1990. Apple II, various laptops (I still love the design of my old clamshell), various iPods (I have two or three), an iPad 3 and an iPhone 4S (second iPhone). Probably always will. And this isn’t really a commentary on Apple, per se. It’s more a commentary on what devices – and the technology behind them – have done to us.

We are, without question, the most connected society (at least those of us with high-speed wireless broadband) in the history of mankind. And yet, at the same time, we are also the most disconnected. Think about it. We can message or converse with someone half a world away using everything from texting, to Facebook messaging to Skype – instantly. Or listen to thousands of songs. Or watch video or TV whenever and wherever we want. Or the most egregious, text or talk on the phone while driving. While at the same time ignoring every other human being around us – and in the latter case, endangering them, too.

This is Generation i, a group of people at the center of their own little digital world.

I am guilty of being part of this generation. I’d like to think I’m guilty of this less often than others. I’d like to, at least. But as I ride BART or walk around my neighborhood or even on trails in what I consider semi-wilderness in the parks above Oakland, I constantly see people with earbuds plugged into their devices. Completely oblivious to the people and world around them.

I actually find this most troubling on the trails, especially when people are out running or hiking alone. These are trails that get odd people and the odd mountain lion. Plus, you’re missing out on sounds like wind in trees and hawks calling overhead. You’re just missing this beauty. But that’s not really the point (just my personal thing).

The point is, in the process of becoming hyper-connected, we’ve lost real, live human connections and in the process: the opportunity to converse with complete strangers, to hear sounds you never hear, to notice sights around you filled with beauty and wonder. When we plug in, we simply disconnect from the world around us and recede into our own little world. And I think we’re missing out.

We lose something when we stop exposing ourselves to things even just a small bit outside our current sphere of existence. We could miss out on a new friend, a new love or a new experience from which we can learn and grow.

But even worse, I think we’re becoming more self-centered as a species because of this. I will not go so far as to call it entitled. But I do see behavior every day that would suggest more and more people care less and less about those around them as a result. How else to explain a person’s need to be on the phone or texting while driving 60 mph in traffic? Or at any speed in traffic? (As a near-daily cyclist, I’ve lost count of the number of people I’ve seen doing this, and it makes me more and more apprehensive every time I do.)

Could it be that the rise of this Generation i has caused, at least to a little degree, people to value the lives of others just a bit less, too?

Chasing Tales

I randomly found this bit of verse while going through files this afternoon. Kind of a classic bit of my stream-of-consciousness, in this case, about writer’s block. Enjoy!

Chasing Tales (6/27/03; 10:10 – 10:30 p.m., Gaylord’s, Oakland, CA) I’m running wildly through my mind. Chasing tales as I make them up. My friends look at me funny Wondering if I’ll ever wake up. Which is funny if you think Since I can’t seem to get enough sleep I lie awake at night Eyes drawn closed Looking at the picture show 256 channels turning in my brain Flipping from one to the next Out of control like a runaway train Cruising through one town then the next Never staying long enough To find the narrative in the text Blink blink flip, another story comes along But I lose interest then it’s gone Another idea, fleeting, fleeing Slipping through my hands Another story half built If even that far along Characters left without any traits Subplots vanish without a trace And never an investigation do I mount Another good idea Added to the body count A line of narrative crossed And I think I can never go back But that’s not right The story is still there Waiting for a little light A little thought a little breath Something to drag it back from death Back to limbo or purgatory A push until it becomes a story A beginning an end a twist and a bend A climax worthy of a cigarette A little satisfaction come the epilogue And a little R&R from the chase Having finally caught that tale And put it in it’s place.

The Consciousness Project

OK, I have to admit that the idea for this post started out as something of a joke in my mind this morning, after first opening one eye, then the other eye, then trying to open both simultaneously. Then wondering how much coffee it would take to get me conscious to work on my various projects, including the very cool re-branding project I’m doing with Project 6 in Berkeley right now. (BTW, present count is two cups, but a third at di Bartolo’s down on Grand here in Oaklyn might be in the offing again today.)

But once I did get that first cuppa Joe in my system, and my proverbial consciousness was raised, I started thinking about this whole notion a bit more. One note, to stay on theme: this will likely be a stream of consciousness kind of post, meaning I have a starting point, but don’t know where this will end. But hopefully you’ll humour me and come along for the ride, and we’ll arrive at the point together.

Now, I know some of this post has its genesis in eating. Not as random as one might think. I started a diet about a month ago, and I’m using a very cool free app on my iPod Touch call Lose It to help. Basically, it helps you track everything you eat, and how many calories you take in, and how many you burn through exercise. Basically, it raised my consciousness about how much I eat, how much I should eat to hit my target weight, and how much I need to exercise to get there. (BTW, it seems to be working. I’m about half-way there.)

The second part of the eating equation is that I’m about half-way through Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food. This has definitely raised my consciousness about what I eat, and how our national food system has evolved from locally raised whole foods to national, industrially raised and highly processed (and less healthy) foods, with the rapid rise of so called “Western diseases” (diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, etc.) following this progression. Nutritionism, as this trend is known, has trumped eating fresh, locally grown foods without worrying too much about what the nutritional content is. It seems there’s more of a movement back toward the local aspect with the rise of weekly (or more frequent) farmer’s markets, including the one in my ‘hood every Saturday, which I’m finally starting to frequent more.

But while I may not have known where this post was headed when I started, I do know I don’t want to make it totally about food – and since I just ate breakfast, I’m not hungry anymore and not thinking about food so much, so let’s move on.

What I’d like to see from more people – myself included – is a much broader Consciousness Project. I think this has more to do with the walk I took with the dog a couple nights ago up into neighboring Piedmont. It was pretty still and pretty quiet, when you notice small sounds more. And just as important, when other senses aren’t over-ridden by speaking or hearing, and you notice the smell of the night-blooming jasmine and angel’s trumpet. And you just become more aware – more conscious – of your surroundings.

This notion applies every day in most every situation. My dog is hyper-aware of his surroundings. Granted, this probably has more to do with the likelihood that he has wolf in his more recent ancestry, and that he’s sadly rather scared of a number of pervasive things in our surroundings (in particular, most people, especially ones riding motorcycles or skateboards; and kids whose parents let them off-leash), which in a way is funny (not funny haha) since he tips the scales at 100 pounds and has larger than average teeth and bark. But that’s for another post.

But how many of us are really aware of our surroundings, our environment, at any given time? Even when we should be, like when we get behind the wheel of our car? When you walk down the street, how many of the people you pass do you notice? How many of the storefronts? The trees? Birds? Are you on the phone, texting or just plain walking with your head down, lost in your own thoughts? I go there a lot, I must admit. Do you wonder if your day-to-day activities affect those surroundings – and the people, animals and other things that inhabit them (as well as those surroundings outside your neighborhood)?

When you drive, are you paying attention to all the other cars around you (which you should, because most of those drivers probably aren’t)? Are you on the phone or playing with the radio or GPS? Do you consider your tailpipe emissions when you get in your car and start it up? Can you make this trip on foot or on bike? Did you bring a re-usable cloth bag, or will you be coming home with the plastic bags from the merchant? Did you bring your own travel mug to the coffee shop so you don’t have to use one of their cups, sleeves and plastic lids?

When you throw something in the garbage, do you give a second thought about where it ends up? Could you have taken a couple extra seconds and put it in recycling or the composting bin, if you have one?

When you turn a light on, leave the room and leave the light on (and it’s not a CFL), do you consider not just the few cents extra on your electric bill, but the extra CO2 emissions from the power plant that provides the juice for the bulb which you just added to the atmosphere?

Little things. Little things. Lots of little things. But when you multiply that by the six billion people (and growing) currently inhabiting our little Spaceship Earth, holy crap does that add up in a hurry!

Now take a deep breath, if the air quality allows it.

If we all started to consider our actions just a bit more on a daily basis, there are lots of little things every one of us can do – that don’t even cost any money and might even save you some – that can have a positive impact on those surroundings. So change your lightbulbs to CFLs (here in the Bay area, they’re really cheap with PG&E subsidies). Walk to the cafe and bring a travel mug. Bring your own bags to the grocery or even the department store. Hang your laundry to dry. Ride a bike to work one day a week, or take public transit. Say ‘hi’ to people you see in your neighborhood on a regular basis, even if you don’t know their names. After all, we’re all in this together. And if we treat each other, and our surroundings, a little bit better, we’ll all be healthier for it.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is The Consciousness Project. Please, join me. It’ll be fun.

(See, we did arrive at the point, even if it took a few extra turns to get there.)

California: Oh what a state we’re in.

In case you missed it, the state of California is in a pretty big hole, and our glorious state legislature yet again missed the budget ratification deadline, which was June 30th. So here we are, $24.whatever Billion in the hole and growing.

How’d we get into this mess?In short, everyone is to blame: an absurdly partisan legislature; a partisan governor who refuses to, well, govern; an absurd budgeting process that requires a 2/3 majority to pass a budget as well as raise taxes, which has enabled a Republican minority than seems to be bowing at the feet of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and won’t support any proposed budget with even a whiff of new taxes or fees (even if they’re on exceedingly wealthy oil producers, among others) to hold the process hostage; and finally, us – we the people, most of whom seem to want every service possible while not haing to pay for them. Sorry, we can’t have it both ways.

As an aside, I saw a pic of the infamous Mr. Jarvis in the SF Chron a few days ago and, well, he looks like the guy who’d sit on his front porch with a shotgun yelling at anyone and everyone to get off his gol-dam property, especially you leeches from the gub-ment. Scary looking fella. But I digress…

The root of this mess, speaking of Mr. Jarvis, is the wonderful proposition he co-authored 30 or so years ago, the aptly titled Prop 13. And btw, what is it about this state that they apply number 13 to future disasters? My favorite is right here in the East Bay, Highway 13, which CalTrans saw fit to build, literally, on top of the Hayward Fault, which has a 32% chance of a major (meaning 6.7 magnatude or higher) earthquake in the next 30 years. Funny people over at CalTrans. But I digress…again.

Prop. 13 essentially limited property tax increases and thereby took away the state’s one steady, predictable source of income, switching the burden to income, corprorate and sales taxes that are affected by the cyclical affects of the economy. So when there’s a down economy like now, for instance, tax revenues go in the crapper.

While we’re at it, let’s add in the ballot-box budgeting we have in California to this mess. Interst groups, often citizen interest groups, are notorious for putting well-meaning initiatives on the ballot that earmark a certain amount of the state’s income to worthy things that a majority of the people in the state see fit to pass, but without one critical little element: a way to pay for them. What this has done over the years is earmark about 70% of the state’s budget, and made this legally binding, so the legislature has no choice but to devote funds to these areas. That doesn’t leave a whole lot of wiggle room for budget balancing. And when a small group of opposition legislators hold enough power to prevent even modest increases in tax revenues to prevent cuts in education, mental health and even to keep all the state parks open, well, we have one of the biggest economies in the world suddenly brought to its knees, writing IOUs to its vendors.

There have been recent calls for a constitutional convention to essentially re-write how the state goes about its business. The plan is to put it on the ballot in 2010, presumably holding the convention in 2011.

Why wait so long? I say, as soon as th elegislature gets off its ass and passes a budget, call the convention and suspend the whole freaking legislature. Or just plain fire them. Then they can be out of work like all the other people they’re causing to become unemployed. Then maybe they’ll understand that their ideological crusade is costing people jobs, lives and whatever quality of life most of us have remaining, not to mention increasing costs to the state when kids are less educated, when cigarette taxes aren’t raised to cover the health costs associated with cigarette smoking, and so on.

We all need to pay for our quality of life here. But the legislature and the governor need to pay more right now. They’re the ones who, in the short term, can solve the problem, yet the Republican minority has no problem holding the rest of the state hostage to their ideological demands. They’re more worried about their jobs than the health of the state or its people (during the last impasse earlier this year, the handful of Republicans who broke ranks and voted on a compromise budget were almost all the subject of recall movements in their districts).

They’re still cashing their paychecks, taking their car allowances and getting fat pensions. Where’s their incentive? Perhaps we should suspend their pay until they get a budget deal worked out? Then they’ll be in the same boat as all the poor saps who will be taking IOUs to the bank next week instead of money they earned working for the state, or they’re entitled to through state services.

And in the meantime, it’s time to start gathering ideas for the new constitution. I vote for reforming the budget process, taking “citizen budgeting” out and giving the job back to the legislature. Wait, I’ve just seen the flaw in my plans. The legislature apparently isn’t too capable either. Maybe if we get ride of the 2/3 majority provisions from Prop. 13 that will help. And while we’re at it, revise Prop 13 to more accurately reflect reality.

But why start now? We’re in California, where reality very often doesn’t apply. After all, Michael Jackson’s death is far bigger news here than, say, the ongoing political unrest in Iran. Death of a pop star; birth (perhaps?) of a new nation? You decide which is bigger.

Meanwhile, Ahnold and the legislature fiddle while the state’s budget burns. And the rest of us feel the heat. It’s too bad I like living here so much.

Who knows better: the evolutionary psychologist or the bike racer?

A little while back, my wife forwarded me an article in the NY Times about a University of New Mexico evolutionary psychologist who thinks all of us on Madison Avenue (or whichever street on which you happen to be plying the trade) are full of crap. OK, yeah, we’ve been told this before. And in some cases, correctly. However, in this case, I think the guy with the Ph.D. is full of crap, and the guy with the D+ GPA is right. (OK, more like a B-, but the B- didn’t go as well with Ph.D., so, whatever.)

Dr. Geoffrey Miller has a new book out that says we’re all in the dark ages when it comes to marketing products, Facebook and Twitter aside.

In the article, Dr. Miller notes that “Harvard diplomas and iPhones send the same kind of signal as the ornate tail of a peacock. Sometimes the message is as simple as ‘I’ve got resources to burn,’ the classic conspicuous waste demonstrated by the energy expended to lift a peacock’s tail or the fuel guzzled by a Hummer. But brand-name products aren’t just about flaunting transient wealth. The audience for our signals — prospective mates, friends, rivals — care more about the permanent traits measured in tests of intelligence and personality. Those traits: openness, conscientiousness, agreeableness, stability and extraversion.

OK, but here’s where I think Dr. Miller gets off track. The article goes on to note:

“But once you’ve spent the money, once you’ve got the personality-appropriate appliance or watch or handbag, how much good are these signals actually doing you? Not much, Dr. Miller says. The fundamental consumerist delusion, as he calls it, is that purchases affect the way we’re treated. The grand edifice of brand-name consumerism rests on the narcissistic fantasy that everyone else cares about what we buy…But who else even notices?”

Obviously, this guy with the mis-spelled first name (sorry Gunderson) has never been to a local bike race. Of course we care what the guys lined up next to us are riding. Why else would a Cat. 5 newbie (translation: a guy in the lowest racing category who basically just started and is hoping more than anything to get through each race without crashing into someone, or vice versa, while sprinting for 28th place; oh, wait, that’s me) drop $5K on an all-carbon road bike, with $2K of that being his carbon race wheels? Hell yes, we care! We care about the pimpy paint job. We care how that other SOB shaved 200 grams off his bike. Which, incidentally, does get back to that “resources to burn” part (or a mad obsession to gain any possible edge for a race, even when you’re paying to do it, as opposed to getting paid to do it). Because shaving those 200 grams probably costs about $800 extra. I think coke is cheaper. (I’m just guessing. I’m one of the few ad mooks who’s never actually bought – or tried, for that matter – coke.)

My own personal example: when I was buying my Cannondale R3000 (now R500) a while back, I was having a conversation with my friend Jim “Francois” Mitterando about whether I should get the bike equipped with Shimano Ultegra parts and save $300, or get the Dura Ace and save about a pound. His response: “Save the $300 and just lose some weight, fat ass.” Such a fool. I mean Francois, not me. And he’s a medical doctor, no less. Of course I got the Dura Ace. And hell yeah it made me go faster! At least I think so – and isn’t perception what matters here? Like when you played little league ball and your team “uniform”was jeans and a t-shirt, and you just knew that the team with the real uniforms was gonna kick the crap out of you? And not just because you sucked.

Anyway, I still have the R500 with the old D/A, which, at roughly 18 pounds, is a veritable tank by today’s standards. Occasionally, I race it – rather than my 16-pound Giant TCR Advanced or my 17-pound Cannondale System6 (not that it matters what model they are). Maybe it’s because I’d rather crash on a roughly $1,500 bike rather than a $5K one, because I don’t have the resources to burn to replace them (there’s something to be said for the fringe benefits of working for a professional cycling team; saves a lot of money feeding my cycling habit), or maybe I just don’t give a crap what the other guys lining up with me think. Of course, I still throw the $1,600 carbon race wheels on the old C-Dale, thereby doubling its value, not that anyone else will notice; and not that I care. I just want to go faster. Really. And even the guys who we race against who we get to know and judge based on those aforementioned character traits? We still care what they’re riding and want to keep up, if we can. Nobody says “Oh, that guy’s cool. Doesn’t matter to me if he has a nicer/lighter/prettier bike than mine, with $400 carbon bars.” More like: “That guy’s cool. Maybe I should get a set of bars like that.”

So, Dr. Miller, still think there’s nothing to the notion of “keeping up with the Joneses?” Or the guy on the Ridley or Pinarello? I suggest coming out to a local bike race some time. We may not know the names of our competitors, but we sure as hell know what they’re riding. And yes, we care. Oh, do we care.

Yes Virginia, there is Irony in the world

Remember way back, was it after 9/11?, when there was this whole movement proclaiming the death of irony? Yeah, sure, we all know that was a short-lived one and irony is far from dead. But every once in a while I think it’s good to remind ourselves that it’s alive and kickin’. Plus, I get to rant a bit about it. Some recent examples:

Dick Cheney criticizing the Obama Administration’s foreign policy decisions for maing the country “less safe.” First off, why is that old bastard even on TV still? Second, two words: Iraq War. Yeah, I feel safer.

Movie poster in the window of my corner video store (yes, they still exist; no I don’t go there; Netflix; what can I say?): “Hannah Montana, Keeping it Real” Do I even have to explain that one? Gives me a good laugh every time I take the dog for a walk.

And finally: the humongous Caddy Excesscalade and Chevy Tahoe I saw last week with the “Keep Tahoe Blue” bumper stickers. While I was riding my bike (which gives me even greater self-righteousness in pointing out this one). Honestly, I’ve lost count of how many SUVs (or in the Caddy’s case, what I call an LUV – Luxury Utility Vehicle. And while I’m on the subject of both LUVs and the ironies in which they’re involved, I once saw a women at a mall in Marin slooowly navigate her Lexus LUV around a small puddle in the parking lot. Didn’t want to get even the tires dirty. Seriously. But I digress.) I’ve seen with Keep Tahoe Blue bumper stickers. Lip service. If you really wanted to keep Tahoe blue, you’d drive a vehicle that got more than 12 freakin’ miles to the gallon, you freakin’ TOOLS!! Even better, stop driving. At least the  state banned the use of MTBE in petrol a few years back because the additive, supposedly used to lower emissions of gasoline, was leaching from tanks into ground water and…wait for it…polluting Lake Tahoe.

As it’s a new day and a new week, I’m sure I’ll encounter even more lovely examples of the ironies of our existance sometime soon. Maybe even today. While I’m on my bike. (I hope.) Thanks for reading along. Feel free to share your own examples. Ciao.

Are men really that Stupid and Sex-obsessed?

Heinekin’s new TV spot is kinda funny and kinda stupid. At least they give equal vapidity to both the men and the women in the spot. If you haven’t seen it, looks to be a house-warming party, with the woman of the house giving a tour to her friends. When they get to the massive walk-in closet (renting for $650 in San Francisco), packed with clothing, shoes, accessories et cetera, her friends squeal almost to the point of pissing their panties with joy (and envy, I’m sure). Their revelry is interrupted by equally annoying squeals of joy from their men folk, who we quickly see are reacting (like their women) to the huge walk-in fridge fully stocked with the familiar green bottles. It’s a bit of a change from their previous campaign, and on a much lower I.Q., as well.

They seem to be headed the way of their American mega-brewery bretheren. Budweiser and its various labels (Bud Lite in particular) have been notorious for portraying men as stupid, sex-obsessed humans. At least Coors Light is only sex-obsessed and actually developing a “cool” brand. But really, does this work? Would you really do excessively stupid things for your Bud Lite? Or your Bud? Or any beer, for that matter? OK, I tend to do a cyclocross race or two before my Belgian ale, but that’s a lifestyle choice, however hair-brained that choice may be. So help me out here. Are guys really that stupid and sex obsessed that they’ll buy beer based on ads that portray them as such? Or do we deserve more credit than this? Let me know what you think.

Wow, I’ve joined the Blogosphere. Now what?

I’ve always wanted to join the Blogosphere. Well, not always. The first mrmph years I’ve was around on the planet, there was no such thing. Hell, there wasn’t even an Internet for the first, um, whole bunch, I was around. But I’ve mulled it over, and then actually signed up as an experiment to see how hard it is for a technologically challenged person such as myself (I use Macs for a reason, beyond the uber-cache of course) to sign up and have at it, as I will shortly ask those riders from the Team TIBCO women’s pro cycling team who are interested in blogging, to sign themselves up and get started. I must say, WordPress is pretty butt-easy.

So, what am I gonna use this here blog for anyway? Well, given that it’s unavoidably tied to my advertising business, aka Cobalt Creative, I imagine I’ll be commenting on advertising a bit. Given that when I’m not doing my advertising work, I’m either walking the dog or riding one of my bikes (or both), I’d expect some of that, too. Along the way, I’ll inject a little social commentary (I sure hope my beloved SF Chronicle doesn’t disappear. All kinds of good source material in there.) and hopefully witty and insightful observations of the world around me. With the occasional rant about stupid drivers thrown in. I do ride a bike quite often. I encounter those folks pretty regularly. So thanks for visiting, if you happened to have found this. Since it’s all of 15 minutes old and I haven’t told anyone about it yet, I’d be surprised if anyone does find it. Maybe after I write something worth reading, I’ll let everyone know. Ciao.

Jeff