Author: Frank

A number of years ago, a friend and I got into a fascinating conversation.  We chatted about the highest points of natural elevation in different states.  Since we both lived in Washington, that point was the top of Mount Rainier at 14,400 feet.  I have not been the top of that peak, nor do I have any interest if I have to endure the climb.

My home state of Florida is notoriously flat, and its highest point of natural elevation peaks at a few hundred feet, comparatively unimpressive.  However, it’s still of interest to some people; we call the activity highpointing.  While I’m certainly perplexed by this fascination, I pass no judgment on this activity.  I collect and build Lego sets; who am I to judge?  As long you don’t break any laws or harm people, do what you want.

Continue reading “Ownership is ten tenths of the law” →

Many years ago, I got a Wacom drawing tablet.  Friends allege that I draw well, being a computer geek, I gravitated towards drawing digitally.  However, I found that I moved back and forth between my drawing tablet and mouse.  It became a bit of an irritant needing to move my mouse pad back and forth while I alternated between tasks on that computer.  I chose to address the problem in an unconventional way; I would start to do one such task with my non-dominant hand.

Given the two tasks, navigating a mouse or drawing, it made sense to do the former with my non-dominant hand.  I normally operate the mouse with my right hand, so I moved it to my left side.  In order to build the muscle memory, I’d need to do it consistently.  However, I used over half a dozen computers regularly at the time, so I needed to switch them all.  We intuitively click on the mouse button with our index finger; in order to continue to do this symmetrically, I’d need to reverse the mouse buttons.  The first week was a practice in frustration and futility; everything was awkward.

Continue reading “Diversity is not ‘woke’” →

I learned to drive in my teens and have always owned a car since.  As such, I have had my share of flat tires.  Most of those flat tires were due to road debris puncturing my tire.  Once, it was due to a malfunctioning valve stem.  Though the most embarrassing instance was when I misjudged a turn and hit a median.  All, save that last one, were ones that I could not anticipate.

That said, flat tires are generally pretty rare.  Naturally, we won’t be able to avoid all flat tires, but we should not be getting them regularly.  If you are getting them routinely, then there’s something wrong.  You may be driving on surfaces that have a disproportionately high number of debris, like construction sites.  Vandals may be targeting your car and tampering with your tires.  You may have colossally poor driving habits.  Or you may routinely ignore those pesky “Danger extreme tire damage” signs.

Continue reading “The NBA and racial diversity” →

I first discovered The Princess Bride while I attended college.  I channel surfed during an evening or weekend and ran into the very beginning of the movie.  The dialogue between the boy and grandfather intrigued me.  It has been a genuine pleasure to continue to watch it and quote it over the years; they released the film in 1987.  In fact, I’ll even poke fun at friends who claim that it is overrated.

A few years ago, a friend and I attended an afternoon showing at the theater.  We sat next to a young couple, a little too young.  Overwhelmed by curiosity, I turned to them and asked, “Were you even alive when this movie was released?”  They grinned and responded with, “No, but we were each introduced to the movie by our parents.”  Yes, it is that kind of movie.

Continue reading “Deconstructing the word ‘again’” →

I have a love/hate relationship with movies and shows about the zombie apocalypse.  On one hand, as an engineer the scenarios and situations that the survivors need to overcome fascinate me.  On the other hand, the idea that zombies can continue to function indefinitely is a violation of conservation of energy.  However, there are still a number of the storylines that resonate, so I continue to watch, fully understanding that there’s only so much logic and reasoning that I may use before it all breaks down.  I will give you some advance warning, I will make some references to plotlines in The Walking Dead, though from years past.  Beware of spoilers.

Continue reading “Wisdom from the zombie apocalypse” →

I first learned about the Holocaust in school.  The Japanese invasion of China more deeply impacted my parents, and they held a deep animosity towards Japan; they never mentioned the Holocaust though I’m sure that they were aware of it.  Hearing the details with both scale and severity of the Holocaust remains something that I can scarcely wrap my head around.  However, the callous treatment of the victims amplified the sheer scale of the devastation.  You see pictures of bones piled up to the ceiling of those rooms.  I heard stories of soldiers pulling gold fillings off the skulls in order to pocket a little money.  Similarly, they ransacked the luggage of the dead for any valuables.  The heartless way by which they treated human life, without any iota of dignity, was horrifying.

Of course, these horrific crimes weren’t limited to the Jews in Germany.  They included many other groups that did not align with the Nazi Germany ideology.  Soldiers used badges like pink triangles to distinguish between groups.  Every single detail sends me into despair.  Including the fact that they conducted science experiments on these people.  I have a friend whose mother survived the Holocaust; the idea that either he or his family may simply not exist because they’re part of the wrong group is one that I can’t comprehend.

Continue reading “The genocide movement in the United States” →

I attended a Catholic school in sunny Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico.  It sat a block from my house which was also my dad’s restaurant.  We all wore uniforms which were consistent within each gender.  I believe that there was a store from which we could buy those uniforms, but my mom, having been a seamstress, simply made our uniforms.  Our school had an attached church on one end, whenever asked which church we attended we simply responded with the church for our school.  We didn’t though, my family ran a business and don’t remember attending church regularly.  Honestly, I think we attended this school because we wanted a good education, the faith element wasn’t really a factor.

Precisely one homeroom teacher taught each grade, and the class numbered around thirty of us.  Our homeroom teacher taught most classes, but we had an occasional guest teacher for different subjects.  Some of these teachers were nuns, which wouldn’t be a surprise being a Catholic school.  Our English teacher was a nun, and I failed that class.  Speaking Chinese at home, I struggled to learn both Spanish and English in the few years that I attended that school before we moved to Florida.

Continue reading “Xenophobia and gay educators” →

On a typical weekend evening, we jut out to one of our favorite Italian restaurants.  It’s a contemporary Italian restaurant, so it doesn’t necessarily have classics like you might expect, such as lasagna.  However, they have exceptional cocktails and reimagined dishes in wonderful ways.  Oh, and the staff is great, we know many of them by name.

As we walk through the door, the young hostess greets us.  She asks us the typical questions (Reservations?  How many?) and proceeds to walk us to our table, carrying a couple of menus.  We settle on our seats.  Finally, as the hostess walks away, I note to myself that she wears a sternum nose piercing and wondered if that was appropriate for the hostess.

Continue reading “Our biases on the standards of beauty” →

As a boy in Florida, I spent many afternoons watching cartoons.  The Wonder Twins, Zan and Jayna are inextricably part of that childhood. Intermingled with episodes of Super Friends, the networks bombarded us with public service announcements.  One cartoon character that resembled a meatball with legs asserted that, “You have to eat some kind of breakfast every day.”

Another such commercial instructed children on how to cross the street, “Look left, then right…  then left again.”  I remember the video as the camera took the point of view of the pedestrian.  It scanned left, right and left again to demonstrate the point.  I imagine that the producer of that video would be proud that it has committed to my memory.

Continue reading “Our children can survive learning history” →

On a weekend evening, we indulge on a dinner out at one of our favorite local restaurants.  This particular weekend is Father’s Day.  Having lost my father at nine, it’s always bittersweet.  Naturally, I miss him, but it’s been literally decades.  Seeing as though we both spoke three languages, I’m not entire sure in which language we would communicate.  As I chat with our friend at the bar, I ask him casually, “Are you a father?”  With a small grin, he responds with, “…not that I’m aware of.”  I chuckle; she glares at us both.

Continue reading “Curb demand for abortion? Talk to the men.” →