You enter The Valley up Highway 101 at 100 miles per hour. For a lot of years, it is no brakes, just hard steering. Some people make big bucks and take it somewhere else. Most leave without making much, and settle back where they started. Lots of stories to tell people about The Valley. Strange place to east coasters; here no one cares what Long Island neighborhood you grew up in and most here think Martha's Vineyard is an organic winery.
But, some settle here and work away for their whole career. The Valley is a nice place to live. Weather is perfect, lots of decent food, beaches close, wineries closer, San Francisco less than an hour away. Only thing missing is good BBQ and reasonably priced mansions. Minor stuff, unless you are from Austin.
Ol' Si is not a young guy. Was once, something happened. Forgot what it was. Entering a new stage of life, different than the last one, and the one before that. Still here in The Valley. Still doing fine. Play Squash less and less, but do a round of golf now and then. Skiing went when when my right knee did.
I do appreciate every day above ground, especially when old friends suddenly aren't. Not sure what to think when I get news. "Remember Bill? Yup, the guy who drew that inside straight at the last poker game. Sudden heart attack, didn't know what hit him" A conversation last week over Pho with a buddy.
In the dark of night, Ol' Si sometimes has thoughts about the end, which will come as it does to all. What have I accomplished? Was I a success, failure, or something in between? Why did I take some of the risks I did? In the past, I would wash those feelings away with a sniffer of Scotch. But, when you lose a few friends to the elements, those dark musing need to be controlled. Need to be put in perspective.
You take risks. Some work, some don't. You get up, dust yourself off, and move on. That is how The Valley was built. Failure is not a bad thing, it is just a waypoint on the path to success.
The rest of the world does not necessarily see things that way. Turning on the nightly news, which I rarely do, we are treated to an endless parade of failures.... political, social, and moral. The newscaster may throw in a feel-good about a found dog, but only to get the viewers to hang on for the coming commercials. Why does the media do that? Because we want that.
We have become a mass of humanity sitting on the couch watching the flat screen and judging. Others failing makes people feel good about themselves. American Idol, Reality TV, most sporting events are more about failure than not. NASCAR is popular at least partially because of the spectacular crashes. Oh, before you plop your butt down, don't forget the beer, wine, or pot. Failure is more fun to watch when you are high.
Risk taking....it was the way of The Valley in the 70s through the 90s. Most people were neck deep in something risky. Could have been good, getting in early at Cisco, or bad, getting in late at Lucent. Failure didn't seem to matter in the long run. It was an experience. That way is making a comeback now. Phone apps, novel little hardware products, social networks, all driven by people who are willing to fail and move on to bigger things.
Much of the rest of the country, indeed in the rest of the world it is quite different. Failure in a business will doom your career and finances in Germany. Taxes and employment laws will kill any success in France, so why try. Raising money will be impossible in most of the world. But, in The Valley, people will hold the dice for you. All you have to do is work insane hours, think impossible thoughts, and try. The only failure is being the one on the couch, watching.
Ol' Si didn't get the house in Atherton or the NextJet shares, but did OK. Dark thoughts be gone! I am still above ground. Moving and doing - not sitting on the couch. Scotch doesn't drown life, nowadays it just brings it into focus.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Civil Disturbance
Ol' Si has seen much change in the world, the country, and our culture. The Valley has had a lot to do with the changes in the culture. Beyond just the effects of technology - chips, software, the Internet, smartphones. The entire 'start up culture' is the way many professionals in the US, and most in The Valley work. Given the decline in traditional 8-5 industrial and business professions, there has to be long term consequences.
Back in the day, my dad had a Union job. Did his 8 hours, came home to a nice meal. House was generally clean, food was hot, laundry was done. Mom worked part time as a receptionist - few women with families had full time gigs. Money was tight. We wore old clothes, had a used car, and just got by each month. But, my parents did have free time. Many to most of the parents had some outside interest that helped hold the community together. Maybe your mom was an aid at the Hospital, volunteering a few hours a week. Your dad may have been a sports coach, a church Elder, or ran the Kiwanis pancake breakfast charity event for the Boy's Club. Everyone did something.
Actually wasn't that hard, as the evenings and weekends were free... few people put in the 12 hour days we consider normal in The Valley. Fast forward to today. Who does that work in the community?
Looking around The Valley, the volunteers at museums, hospitals, and such are all either college students who couldn't find paying jobs or retired people. Not bad or good, just different. The moms and dads don't have much spare time, as they work, come home, and work some more. The internet has connected the world, but has also disconnected many from their communities. Ol' Si helps when he can, but it is difficult when I am working. Not much gas in the tank after a 12 hour session with QA chasing down Priority 1 bugs in a product.
I did enjoy coaching my nephew's baseball team a few years ago. I say coaching, but I really did everything but. Shagged balls in the outfield, groomed the field before the game, made sure the kids were not having lightsaber fights with the aluminum bats. I was between jobs one of the seasons and helped out. Tough part was holding together a coaching staff. We had 6 dads/relatives as coaches, but at any given time 4 were at a work crisis or in China. There were times when we had to help BOTH teams, as the other kids were there with no coaches. I knew that the dads would go to extreme lengths to be with their kids if there was any chance. One dad would do a red-eye from New York each Friday so he could help drag the field for the Saturday game. You knew you were in The Valley when an unemployed programmer was a dirty mess from putting a chalk line on the field before a Little League game. But, not as dirty as his helper, a dad who just made $50M from an IPO.
Looking at the younger guys, I see workers who put in long hours, longer than Ol' Si did at his peak. I wonder if they can sustain it, and what the result on our society will be if they have children. Career or kids; tough to do a good job at both given their pace. Evidence from Europe shows that these workers will simply not have children. Euros make the decision because of taxes, we make it because of time.
The special genes that made The Valley what it is will not matter if they die with the owner.
Back in the day, my dad had a Union job. Did his 8 hours, came home to a nice meal. House was generally clean, food was hot, laundry was done. Mom worked part time as a receptionist - few women with families had full time gigs. Money was tight. We wore old clothes, had a used car, and just got by each month. But, my parents did have free time. Many to most of the parents had some outside interest that helped hold the community together. Maybe your mom was an aid at the Hospital, volunteering a few hours a week. Your dad may have been a sports coach, a church Elder, or ran the Kiwanis pancake breakfast charity event for the Boy's Club. Everyone did something.
Actually wasn't that hard, as the evenings and weekends were free... few people put in the 12 hour days we consider normal in The Valley. Fast forward to today. Who does that work in the community?
Looking around The Valley, the volunteers at museums, hospitals, and such are all either college students who couldn't find paying jobs or retired people. Not bad or good, just different. The moms and dads don't have much spare time, as they work, come home, and work some more. The internet has connected the world, but has also disconnected many from their communities. Ol' Si helps when he can, but it is difficult when I am working. Not much gas in the tank after a 12 hour session with QA chasing down Priority 1 bugs in a product.
I did enjoy coaching my nephew's baseball team a few years ago. I say coaching, but I really did everything but. Shagged balls in the outfield, groomed the field before the game, made sure the kids were not having lightsaber fights with the aluminum bats. I was between jobs one of the seasons and helped out. Tough part was holding together a coaching staff. We had 6 dads/relatives as coaches, but at any given time 4 were at a work crisis or in China. There were times when we had to help BOTH teams, as the other kids were there with no coaches. I knew that the dads would go to extreme lengths to be with their kids if there was any chance. One dad would do a red-eye from New York each Friday so he could help drag the field for the Saturday game. You knew you were in The Valley when an unemployed programmer was a dirty mess from putting a chalk line on the field before a Little League game. But, not as dirty as his helper, a dad who just made $50M from an IPO.
Looking at the younger guys, I see workers who put in long hours, longer than Ol' Si did at his peak. I wonder if they can sustain it, and what the result on our society will be if they have children. Career or kids; tough to do a good job at both given their pace. Evidence from Europe shows that these workers will simply not have children. Euros make the decision because of taxes, we make it because of time.
The special genes that made The Valley what it is will not matter if they die with the owner.
Monday, July 1, 2013
Who's Zooming Who?
Ol' Si doesn't do politics. I consider it the result of too much time in College and not enough time making a living. It tends to create polarizing leaders of dubious moral character. But, the American people need something to believe in. 'Themselves' is apparently not an option. God left the building a generation ago. Need to fill the void. So, we have the NFL, American Idol, and politics. Take your pick!
A young friend asked what my take is on all the NSA/spying mess? I doubt that we can blame the 49ers or JLo for the Prism program. Guess I will have to touch on politics here.
Scott McNealy, the founder of Sun Microsystems, said it best. 'Privacy is gone, get over it', or words to that effect. And, he is right. Oh, that means trust is out the window also. We see what a 16 year old Russian kid can do to your expensive Windows based commerce server -- borrow a few million credit card numbers. Hollywood doesn't trust The Valley and our invincible technology since that Danish teen broke the 'unbreakable' DVD code, and unleashed pirated copies of Star Wars movies all over China.
Trust is gone, privacy is gone. The US government can read all your emails, listen to all of your phone calls, and, via millions of cameras, watch virtually your every move. Driving to Iowa? Cameras along the way are recording your license plate...
Does this bother Ol' Si? Yes, but not for the reasons it bothers younger people. I grew up in a generation where the young people lost faith in the governments and large institutions around the world. At the time, it was based on war, oil politics, and race. A generation of my peers dreamed they would change the world. But, instead, they became lazy and settled back into the same jobs that they reviled in their youth...corporate and government. What is easier and better than a job at the government. Yep, climb the ladder, get the power. Bennies and 40 hour weeks. Hard work not needed. Easy to prep for in college, no Calculus or Thermodynamics classes, just 'study' Comparative Poetry with a Prof who likes to look down girls' dresses. Smoke a joint with him and get an "A".
Apple and Microsoft suddenly took off. Steve Jobs was on the cover of Time magazine, the ultimate statement (back then) that tech mattered! All these guys and gals were making billions in Apricot orchards south of San Francisco. They didn't mind 80 hour weeks, and were actually changing the world. And, the power they had! Suddenly, that job with Uncle Sam wasn't so hot. They were heros, and you... just another bureaucrat. Need to get some of that lightening in a bottle to enhance MY power. Don't want to have to learn to code, however. Would cut into time better used for cocktail party schmozing. But some in Washington were watching closely. Ol' Si saw first hand what the intelligence community thought when they saw what teenagers can do with a $600 Apple II. They flipped out.
So, through the magic of DARPA funding, the two forces merged and we have the NSA. Provides a valuable service, I believe. The ability to project power in a the cold war was one thing, in an age of random loonies blowing up things, quite another. How better for the government to find out what the bad guys are going to doing before they do it? The Valley could turn out technology to deal with ALL communications on the planet. Just throw lots of money at them.
I have attacked my generation for being lazy and overly concerned with power politics, yet have justified use of unlimited power -- the power to grab all data short of brain waves. Didn't I pay attention in the general ed class on Logic? And, what does this have to do with The Valley now?
We have created a monster with Valley technology. But it is OUR monster, at least now. The EU will scream, the Russians will scream. Of course, they will scramble back underneath their rocks if/when NSA ever released data on the vast amount of industrial espionage being done by our 'friends' in Japan, France, Germany, and other places.
To those who are shocked at the need for spying, I would ask the value of a human life if/when interceptions prevent a terrorist incident. Lots of innocents in NY city can tell you. To those shocked at the amount and potential abuse of spying, I would ask them to look in the mirror. Tell yourself that you made the right choices of political leaders for the right reasons. Race, nice looking family, cool ranch, ability to play the Sax are NOT valid reasons.
It bothers me is that we have the power to destroyed privacy. We do and we cannot go back. But, it bothers me even more that we cannot elect leaders that have the wisdom to use that power wisely for it's intended purpose. We are too lazy to think through all of the issues and demand answers from our political candidates. And, that assumes we even KNOW who the people in elected office are. Ask any urban voter "who is the top point guard in the NBA?" Now ask them to name their elected official in the House of Representatives. There is the real problem. We are back to the lazy thing...
Ol' Si? I have accepted that there is no privacy. My strategy for getting around the NSA is to have such a boring life, that monitoring it would put any spook to sleep within 5 minutes.
So far, my strategy seems to be working. The IRS hasn't called in years.
A young friend asked what my take is on all the NSA/spying mess? I doubt that we can blame the 49ers or JLo for the Prism program. Guess I will have to touch on politics here.
Scott McNealy, the founder of Sun Microsystems, said it best. 'Privacy is gone, get over it', or words to that effect. And, he is right. Oh, that means trust is out the window also. We see what a 16 year old Russian kid can do to your expensive Windows based commerce server -- borrow a few million credit card numbers. Hollywood doesn't trust The Valley and our invincible technology since that Danish teen broke the 'unbreakable' DVD code, and unleashed pirated copies of Star Wars movies all over China.
Trust is gone, privacy is gone. The US government can read all your emails, listen to all of your phone calls, and, via millions of cameras, watch virtually your every move. Driving to Iowa? Cameras along the way are recording your license plate...
Does this bother Ol' Si? Yes, but not for the reasons it bothers younger people. I grew up in a generation where the young people lost faith in the governments and large institutions around the world. At the time, it was based on war, oil politics, and race. A generation of my peers dreamed they would change the world. But, instead, they became lazy and settled back into the same jobs that they reviled in their youth...corporate and government. What is easier and better than a job at the government. Yep, climb the ladder, get the power. Bennies and 40 hour weeks. Hard work not needed. Easy to prep for in college, no Calculus or Thermodynamics classes, just 'study' Comparative Poetry with a Prof who likes to look down girls' dresses. Smoke a joint with him and get an "A".
Apple and Microsoft suddenly took off. Steve Jobs was on the cover of Time magazine, the ultimate statement (back then) that tech mattered! All these guys and gals were making billions in Apricot orchards south of San Francisco. They didn't mind 80 hour weeks, and were actually changing the world. And, the power they had! Suddenly, that job with Uncle Sam wasn't so hot. They were heros, and you... just another bureaucrat. Need to get some of that lightening in a bottle to enhance MY power. Don't want to have to learn to code, however. Would cut into time better used for cocktail party schmozing. But some in Washington were watching closely. Ol' Si saw first hand what the intelligence community thought when they saw what teenagers can do with a $600 Apple II. They flipped out.
So, through the magic of DARPA funding, the two forces merged and we have the NSA. Provides a valuable service, I believe. The ability to project power in a the cold war was one thing, in an age of random loonies blowing up things, quite another. How better for the government to find out what the bad guys are going to doing before they do it? The Valley could turn out technology to deal with ALL communications on the planet. Just throw lots of money at them.
I have attacked my generation for being lazy and overly concerned with power politics, yet have justified use of unlimited power -- the power to grab all data short of brain waves. Didn't I pay attention in the general ed class on Logic? And, what does this have to do with The Valley now?
We have created a monster with Valley technology. But it is OUR monster, at least now. The EU will scream, the Russians will scream. Of course, they will scramble back underneath their rocks if/when NSA ever released data on the vast amount of industrial espionage being done by our 'friends' in Japan, France, Germany, and other places.
To those who are shocked at the need for spying, I would ask the value of a human life if/when interceptions prevent a terrorist incident. Lots of innocents in NY city can tell you. To those shocked at the amount and potential abuse of spying, I would ask them to look in the mirror. Tell yourself that you made the right choices of political leaders for the right reasons. Race, nice looking family, cool ranch, ability to play the Sax are NOT valid reasons.
It bothers me is that we have the power to destroyed privacy. We do and we cannot go back. But, it bothers me even more that we cannot elect leaders that have the wisdom to use that power wisely for it's intended purpose. We are too lazy to think through all of the issues and demand answers from our political candidates. And, that assumes we even KNOW who the people in elected office are. Ask any urban voter "who is the top point guard in the NBA?" Now ask them to name their elected official in the House of Representatives. There is the real problem. We are back to the lazy thing...
Ol' Si? I have accepted that there is no privacy. My strategy for getting around the NSA is to have such a boring life, that monitoring it would put any spook to sleep within 5 minutes.
So far, my strategy seems to be working. The IRS hasn't called in years.
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