Blog

Short blog posts, journal entries, and random thoughts. Topics include a mix of personal and the world at large.

Shame on California

This is simply embarrassing.

For the third straight Autumn in a row, California is experiencing severe wildfire events up here in NorCal and simultaneously down south in Los Angeles county. Thankfully, the destruction is not nearly as catastrophic as last year’s fires in Paradise and Malibu, but three consecutive years of this is not a good look for the State’s proactiveness towards mitigating such disasters.

Indeed, for what would be the 7th largest economy on this planet on its own, with the highest State income tax in the country, and the crowning jewel that is Silicon Valley, it is a spectacular shame on California that all of this is happening yet again this year. If ever there’s a State with the resources to combat and prevent wildfires, it would be California (on paper, at least). Unfortunately, in reality there remains the same incompetence, and it seems the people in charge are unwilling to lift a finger to solve the underlying issues that are causing these wildfires.

Oh, and new for this year: rolling blackouts! PG&E - the beleaguered utility company - in its infinite wisdom have deemed shutting down power to the grid in at-risk areas during the fire season ought to stop these massive fires from happening. Well, the outages have and are occurring, and yet much Sonoma county is currently burning, so the strategy’s efficacy is suspect. What’s even more laughable is that PG&E said these power shutdowns are the new normal to stop wildfires; an absurd position for an electric company to be unable to deliver electricity.

The obvious solution is to spend the massive amount of money necessary to upgrade the aging electric infrastructure. If falling power-lines are the culprit of these fires, then let’s start putting the grid beneath terra firma. For sure that’ll be a slow process, so in the meantime we should clear away the dry brushes and plants surrounding power poles and towers that are at high potential of igniting. We can’t change the weather, but we can make certain the power grid is able to withstand the many dry and windy season undoubtedly to come after this particular one.

These rolling blackouts cannot be the answer, because there’s vulnerable people who are dependent on electricity for their survival.

I’m not against having a private, for-profit company like PG&E (though the company is publicly-held) as the sole utility provider, but because electricity is one of the important public goods, there has to be tremendously strict oversight by the State government. Constant improvements to the grid must be made, and if PG&E isn’t up for that, then it’s time for California PUC to takeover operations. Electricity is critical to societal functions, and we can’t leave it to the negligence of a company that seems to care more for shareholder’s profit than ensuring a secure power infrastructure that won’t burn down homes every time Fall season comes around.

Selling this lovely set of Grado sr80e headphones because I’ve scarcely used it. AirPods have completely taken over my music listening procedure.

Do what you love, even if it's for free

I‘m receiving a lot of questions from writers asking where to submit scripts or how to sell them. Others ask how to sign an agent, attach directors or producers, etc.

You won’t like the answer, but here it is:

You’re asking the wrong questions. (Thread)
— Christopher McQuarrie (@chrismcquarrie) October 23, 2019

Last evening, I encountered this golden nugget of a twitter thread by Christopher McQuarrie (yes, that Christopher McQuarrie.) In the thread, he answers the question of how to become a successful writer in Hollywood by saying that there aren’t any shortcuts: you have to do the work. Keep making stuff and show it to the world; have a portfolio of done and complete things that fully represents you. McQuarrie calls the act of pitching scripts to producers and various gatekeepers as “playing the lottery”, and it’s not advisable to have that as your sole focus. Clever metaphor, because I’m sure we all understand the futile odds of playing the lottery.

The director’s sound advice reminded of Charlie Munger (yes, that Charlie Munger) answering the question of how to become as accomplished as him by playfully scorning the questioner that he simply wanted Munger’s success, but far quicker - essentially asking for shortcuts. McQuarrie alluded to the same idea in one of his tweets, stating people are tacitly asking “What is the shortest route to [McQuarrie’s] career?" Indeed; to quote the great Jocko Willink: There is no shortcut. There is no hack. There's only one way. So get after it.

We should be happy to do the work anyways, because it’s what we love to do, right? Even if the end product leads nowhere and it pays nothing, the satisfaction of having created something is what really matters. That’s exactly what passion is about. The people asking for McQuarrie’s advice are looking at it from the monetary perspective, which the director cautions is the wrong lens to look from. The tools are out there - more than ever - for us to do the work and produce stuff, and if you’re truly serious about your particular craft, just go ahead and do it, without permission, and without thinking of some advancement endgame.

You have to ]detach from the results, and simply make the art for art’s sake. Produce or participate, then iterate and improve, and most importantly, put you and your work out there into the ether. The Internet has democratize and flatten many of the hierarchies and barriers that are no longer there, so there’s no excuse. It’s the reason this website of mine exist, and I shall continue to put out stuff, because it’s what I’m passionate about.

Thank you for coming to McQuarrie’s TED Talk.

You really get what you pay for

Recently, my mom took an awkward fall off her bed, causing a hair-line fracture on her left clavicle. Before knowing this diagnosis, she went to her family doctor to check on the massive bruising and pain that resulted. The clinic took a CT scan, and recommended she go to an emergency room to have the x-ray images checked out, and if needed, receive treatment. The clinic itself is not equipped for such procedures, and heading to the emergency room would be far quicker than waiting for a referral to see a specialist.

Being disabled, mom has Medicare coverage, so she can quite literally go to any emergency room at any hospital. We chose a local private hospital because we figured there’d be less people there waiting than SF General, the city’s public hospital. My presumption was correct as there weren’t a line at all (this is 7 PM on a Friday, for what it’s worth); we quickly checked-in and my mother received care almost immediately. The facilities are modern and nice, and the staff is super attentive - no less than four personnel tended to my mother for what amounted to only a confirmation of small fracture and a demonstration on how to use a sling to secure the arm.

The quality of care between private and public hospitals is immense.

I’ve seen this myself. I’m lucky that my work provides great health insurance through Kaiser, and as someone who grew up poor and relied on clinics and hospitals catered towards low-income, the superiority of the care at Kaiser was eye-opening. I remember vividly getting blood-work done at a Kaiser campus, and was surprised the results came back the same day within a few hours. I was still accustomed to waiting a few weeks for reports and test results that was the norm of my childhood healthcare experience.

For the richest country this planet has ever seen, this gulf of care between the haves and have-nots (healthcare-wise) shouldn’t exist - it’s morally wrong. Until the day America provides universal care for its citizens, it’s a continued stain and shame on this country. The benefits of a healthy populace with no fear of medical debt burden are incalculably positive, and we can certainly afford it (looking at you, military budget.)

For me personally, the question of healthcare certainly gives me some pause in regards to switching jobs or moving to another State. Having proper insurance takes such a load off in terms of stress that it’s downright scary the thought of being without it for any period of time. Imagine a United States with Medicare for everyone: people would be more apt to move freely within the country for jobs and opportunities, and I think it’ll be great for innovation.

We can get there. We have to. One of the saddest things in America are the GoFundMe campaigns for a person’s gross healthcare bills. A failure of society that we mustn’t continue to accept.

I don’t always drink regular Coke, but when I do, it’s got to be the bottled version with real cane sugar. Stay thirsty my friends.

Bag secured for Star Wars Episode 9

How was I not informed that tickets for Star Wars Episode 9 was going to go on sale last night? Did anybody know? The only thing I saw announced was the release of the final trailer during Monday Night Football.

Honestly though, I had forgotten that Episode 9 was even coming out this year. We’re deep into October already so there’s only about two months until the film plays in theatre, and the excitement - for me at least - just isn’t there. Either I’m still massively hungover from the madness of Avengers Endgame (a masterpiece), or Rian Johnson really did kill the enthusiasm with his Episode 8 effort.

Of course, JJ Abrams will redeem it for all of us, won’t he? While his record of properly finishing things he started isn’t great (looking at you, Lost), from what I’ve seen so far in the teaser trailers, he’s at least sprinkled enough enticement to get me into the theatre on opening day. One word: Palpatine. It turns out what we truly want is an endless nostalgia trip: for the few criticisms of The Force Awakens being a rehash of A New Hope, the severe lack of continuity in The Last Jedi was a step too far in the other direction, to put it nicely

Anyways, yesterday evening I started to notice on twitter that people were successfully buying tickets for Episode 9. Alarmed that I’ve missed the memo and the good seats for opening day are completely gone, I decided to check on the Cinemark app anyways, to see if there’s any luck for me. I had flashbacks of trying to get tickets for Avengers Endgame, and that it was only due to the fortune of my friend that our group was able to secure an opening day show. To my surprise - at least for Cinemark theatres - the craze for the final episodic Star Wars film (for now) is not nearly of the same timbre as Endgame.

Because, I was able to secure a 7 PM Friday showing with ease; smack-dab center seating, too. There was no virtual line, and the app didn’t crash - I was done with purchasing in a matter of minutes. Perhaps the commotion I saw online for tickets is for Thursday shows? I can see how for those tickets it would be massively more competitive. Good thing I’m not in a position to go to the movies on Thursdays: one, I have work, and two, I’m too old to be watching a movie at midnight - even if it is Star Wars. Hashtag sleep.

I’m looking forward to The Rise of Skywalker. It’s going to be the last time we see the famous scrolling words in space for a while, so let’s savor the moment to fullest.

I do wonder how fast one of those little yellow things can go…

Another Monday

Today is one of those days where I genuinely don’t know what to write about, so I’m just going to put things down as they come to mind for the next half hour or so. I spent quite a bit of time this past weekend finishing up part five of the Japan Escape photo stories, so please check that out if you haven’t yet the chance. I am somewhat ashamed to say it’s taken nearly three months since I’ve returned from the trip to finish writing about it; it’s a lot of work, but honestly I could’ve done it faster and moved on to other things.

The common person have little idea how time consuming it is to put together pictures and words into one coherent story. As a person who cares about photography, the process of editing the pictures alone can take a huge amount of time. Then there’s the writing portion, the part where I describe what’s going on in those photos, and attempt to weave up something coherent and interesting (you can tell me if it isn’t.) It takes about eight to ten hours combined to produce one photo stories article; in contrast the finished piece can be read in around 10 minutes.

It’s like spending two hours cooking an elaborate dinner, only for it to be wolfed down in 15 minutes.

Let’s be clear: I am not lamenting this situation at all. The contents of this website is something I enjoy putting together, and even if there weren’t a single person out there reading my stuff, I’d be perfectly fine with it, and would still continue to put in the many hours required to produce more. I’m merely pointing out the utter disparity between time spent consuming content and the time it takes to make the content; it’s easy to forget or not realize how much goes into making what seemingly is not a lot. Next time maybe think about this before you badger your favorite Youtube channel why they haven’t upload any new videos recently.

I have tremendous respect for freelancers and creatives putting in the work, especially those who’ve chosen to follow their passion full-time. forgoing the comfort and security of a steady 9-5 paycheck. Of course, passion alone doesn’t pay the bills, and it’s tough out there to monetize to sustainable level. The people making tremendous bank from Youtube are the outliers, not the mean. I make sure to support a few of my own favorites on Patreon, or I actually buy the stuff they make.

Because some day - and that day may never come - I may need those favors returned towards me.

I'm sorry; I lied!

Yes, I completely lied: I went and bought an iPhone 11 Pro after having written adamantly that I wouldn’t be doing so. Indeed, the reviews and praise for the photographic capabilities of the new iPhone have proven to be extremely tempting; the pictures people are posting from the new device are just beautiful and superior - I simply got to have it. So last Friday, on a chance look (yeah, right) at the inventory of my local Apple store, an iPhone 11 Pro in ‘Midnight Green’ guise with 256GB storage came up in stock, so I swiftly placed an order.

It’s going to be really sweet to have this camera goodness for the annual trip to China in two months’ time. Which reminds me: I have to finish the Japan Escape photo stories feature - hopefully by this weekend.

Of course, I have many justifications for moving on from a still immensely capable iPhone X to the iPhone 11. It’s very similar how Porsche 991.1 GT3 owners upgrade to the 991.2 GT3, even though the newer-generation car is only marginally better - we all innately want the latest and greatest (hooray, materialism!). That said, my “old” iPhone is now bequeathed to my mother, who was running a six-years-old (!) iPhone 5C; the upgrade and speed boost for her must be utterly revolutionary. Yeah, I’m merely fulfilling my filial duties by upgrading to the iPhone 11, I swear!

There’s also the classic excuse I mean justification for new iPhones every year: it’s a device I use most often, one I’m intimately attached to (hello, restroom), so it’s worth whatever the costs because the utility factor is significant. Besides, it’s not $1200 dollars for the phone; it’s only $45 dollars a month! Hashtag millennial.

But what about talks of needing to save money after the lavish expense of the Japan trip? Well, that’s important too, obviously. This expenditure for the new iPhone will hamper things somewhat, but the overall impact isn’t that great. I’ll just have to cut back on spending in some other areas to make up the shortfall. It’s imperative to save for the future, but so is living for the present; finding a balance between the two is ever elusive and highly idiosyncratic.

Hollow justifications or otherwise, I’m super happy with iPhone 11 Pro: photos are expectedly fantastic. Night mode is a feature I’ve been requesting for many years, and it is exceptional. I can’t wait for ‘Deep Fusion’ technology to come online: Apple is using computational power to overcome the laws of physics of the tiny camera sensors, and the sample results I’ve seen are quite spectacular. Functionally, the iPhone 11 Pro is largely the same as the iPhone X, though the killer feature (other than the cameras) is the hugely improved battery life. Not since my iPhone 7 Plus have I had an iPhone with this good battery reserves.

Cheers to reversing course on our sound and logical decisions!

Stop projecting into the future

Staying in “the present” can sometimes be very difficult.

The mind is a wonderful yet often uncontrollable thing, and when it wants to it’ll wander off on its own, down paths that you aren’t necessarily ready yet to confront. The more you try to control it, the more it slips away, as if it’s mocking you for your foolish attempts. Being able to focus on the moment and the direct task in front of you is a learned practice, because the mind puts up continual distractions, either from your pass, or the future.

I had such an episode yesterday morning: I was going about my usual morning routine when I received an email from my coworker that she will be out sick for the day. Obviously, the first mistake was checking work email during off-work hours; nevertheless, the message from my coworker took me completely away from what I was doing at that moment, and right into a rather negative chain of thought.

It’s quite selfish, too: my mind immediately went to creating scenarios where the my coworker’s absence meant an increased burden on me. Perhaps work will get super busy, and the lack of personnel meant I’ll be running around like a madman, not getting a moment to breathe. What if today was the particular kind of day that everything at work goes to hell, and I’d be the one stuck plugging the hole on the damaged dam? I’d better get mentally prepared for such scenarios.

Mind you, this was at 9 AM in the morning, and I didn’t start work until 2:30 PM. What a monumental waste it is to worry about something that isn’t yet to occur, to negatively project outwards into the future what might happen. What if things turn out to be okay? None of it is in my control until I get to work, so it’s rather futile and stupid to ponder on the possibilities and be stressed over them. There’s really no utility to it, but the mind is going to do what it is wont to do.

It takes practice to be able to snap out of such thought processes, to detach and evaluate from a macro level. Does this matter right now? If the answer is no, then I know to stop worrying and return to what I was doing. It’s hard, don’t get me wrong; I’ve a bad tendency to create worst case future scenarios for myself, and it’s a constant struggle to calm myself down, to not be so attached to outcomes that most of the time won’t even materialize.

As always, it’s a work in progress.