When desk top computers became more prevalent, followed by
the explosion of laptop computers, ‘drag and click’ exercises were made a part
of the software package. Drag and click – the operation which allows the
operator to point with the mouse to an object on the computer screen, than drag
it to another location and click to leave it there. That’s what I’m referring
to.
The largest exercise to help people learn this operation was
solitaire.
Now you know what I mean! I loved playing solitaire on the
computer. It is fast. No cards to shuffle. No dealing the cards. No laborious
and boring pulling and sliding and sorting the cards to the proper sites. Now
it was done in living color quickly and easily. My speed improved. I became a
whiz.
I also became addicted to this. One day I spent 7 hours
raptly engulfed in it. Finally I deleted it from my computer so I would not be
so tempted in the future. Yet new computers and discovering ‘retrieve and
restore’ features allowed me to resume some of my previous addiction. I still
play solitaire, but as a palette cleanser between projects. It helps me think
forward on the next task.
These days the addiction is under control. And no, I did not
allow it to capture my life, nor did I allow it to become a gateway to other
computer-based addictions like poker, black jack or any other folly. I've been
good! Yay team!
But….playing solitaire the other day allowed me this
conclusion: boring is boring whether from solitaire or watching the news. Think
about it.
I've gotten so bored by the news lately that I actually
prefer watching a TV series rerun without the ads. It is more engaging and life
affirming. Certainly more so than the news.
Not that the news is all bad. It isn't: weather is good unless
they over blow the pending gloom of storms and attendant possibility of
Armageddon! All sports is folly to me, unless it is my team’s advancement in
the national standings (oh please, the Cubs are not contenders, ever; the Bears
are usually disappointing, and there are no other teams I actually care about!).
Natural disasters are of interest because they are so unpredictable and could
affect me or loved ones; and the drama is so universal a concern.
But international news is rarely about them, it usually gets
turned around to be a threat to the USA and then on to who’s to blame?
So, political nonsense takes over that report and makes it useless, superfluous
certainly, and ultimately dangerous to us because blaming ourselves for the
ills of the Middle East is pure crap. Or Benghazi , Libya ,
Crimea , Ukraine
Let’s see, American national news. There really isn't any.
It is all political folly these days. Who’s on first, who’s to blame for
whatever, and how nice the new guy looks on TV. Maybe he should run for
president? Before we learn what’s on his mind or what the vacancy in the cranium
holds? Again bosh.
If leaders and news people wish Americans to take them
seriously, they first need to get in touch with what is important, what is
factual, what is our vision of the future, and then attempt to make that
possible. Ideology is currently empty. Highly educated people spout nonsense on
every topic: medicine, economics, history, culture, governance, social and
entertainment. In fact entertainment has become the big word for all of the
news industry. If it is entertaining it will sell and grab ratings.
Not! Or rather it should not. Who makes this possible? You
and I. We turn on the boob tube and watch it
(whether on our I-phones or I-pads or computers). We provide the ratings. We
make the dumb shows possible. And that includes the dumb news, including NBC
News with Brian Williams. So disappointing. So discouraging.
I think we are better than all of this. I think we can
return to a more serious age of concern, intellectual engagement and problem
solving that is reasonable and accessible. It is not rocket science. It is
personal.
It is you and I being willing to pay attention to what is
important.
Are you ready?
May 13, 2014
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