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Once again the sun sets on yet another exciting month here at the Zone. Thrills, chills, spills – and that’s just what happened at MY desk! Just imagine what else has been going on out there…

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen – the time has come for another exciting edition of… OOB!

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Dept. of International Relations

There’s a Spanish website that can, among other things, translate your name into several different languages, including Japanese, Chinese or Hindi. What you see here is Robert (rough English meaning: bright fame) supposedly translated into Chinese, although it’s problematical whether it’s an accurate translation or not. It could really mean something like weird crazy insane man (which, come to think of it, may not be far off). (Via The Thinking Blog)

Dept. of Political Science

I’ll tell ya, those politicians in Taiwan sure know how to do it right, don’t they? Fist fights, paper throwing, water spraying – and that’s just to decide who gets the last donut! But on the other hand, don’t you just get tired of the “genteel” sort of politics we see here in the U.S. and maybe you guys in Europe do? I know I do.

Don’t you sometimes wish, when there’s an important bill to be considered, OUR politicians would just “have at it” and dispense with the smarmy back-room deals and shady innuendo? I know it’s a bit, well, crude. But still, ya gotta wonder…

Dept. of High Powered Jobs

Hey, if you’re one of millions looking for a really high-powered job, well my friends, get a load of this one! (courtesy of Glumbert.com) I have no idea what exactly it is these guys are doing, but it looks pretty high-powered to me! The best part is the quote at the very end of the video – it’s worth waiting for.

Dept. of Legacies

And Bill Clinton was worried about his legacy? Sheesh! Well, that’s something Roger Bennatti won’t have to wonder about – he already knows what his will be.

It’s a 30-year old Twinkie.

That’s right, a Twinkie. Don’t ask, just read.

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Shameless Self-Promotion Dept.

And finally, for those of you who are perhaps new to this site, or unfamiliar with the concept of OOB. It stands for “Out Of the Box” and rhymes with, well, “oob” (well, it does!) If you’re feeling REALLY lucky, you might want to check out the earlier episodes (#1 explains it all):

OOB #1 OOB #2 OOB #3 OOB #4 OOB #5 OOB #6

OOB #7 OOB #8 OOB #9 OOB #10 OOB #11

Then again, you might not (but remember, one day you will be assimilated).

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

Here’s my metaphor for blogging: Bridge-Building

In response to Liz’s Blogging Metaphor Project, my thoughts almost immediately went in this direction. I mean after all, I’m an engineer – even though I don’t play one on TV (*sigh*) – and I tend to look at things from a “how’s that made” perspective. In fact, “Bridges” is the title of my chapter in Drew & Gavin’s upcoming e-book, The Age of Conversation.

Actually, it would be simpler to reproduce the chapter here, but all the authors agreed not to do that for a while so it wouldn’t affect book sales. But I can at least give you a teaser, and the basis for my opening statement:

“A bridge, in terms of its function, connects or reduces the distance between two points. In other words, it makes it easier for you to get from here to there. Sounds reasonable, don’t you think? But what I find most interesting is the word applies equally to physical and non-physical worlds.”

Now, I realize that reading this has caused you to instantly want to drop everything and immediately rush out and purchase your copy of the book, but… try to restrain yourself for a moment and let’s think this one out. (Besides, it’s not available yet. But when it is, then you can rush out and… er, well, you know.)

But what’s really amazing about bridges, and what makes the metaphor so perfect, is the almost endless variety of bridges out there! Truss, cantilever, suspension, arch, beam; and many different forms of each. And no matter how similar or how close any two bridges might physically be to each other, they are never exactly alike! Even the ones meant to be the same are not, really; even visibly identical bridges always have unseen engineering differences.

Each is unique; just like every blogger is unique.

See, like a bridge, a blog is a connector between here and there. “A connector? A connector of what?” you may ask. Well, the obvious answer is “people” – but there’s so much more to it than that. Blogging also connects ideas, minds, hearts, cultures… yep, now you get the idea.

Here’s the thing; you can only ever build a half a bridge! That’s because, when a post is published, only one end of the bridge is built; the other end is hanging out there in cyberspace somewhere. Where will it land? Well, when a post is read, the other end of the bridge just got connected - voila! Now notice, class, the incompleteness of the one without the other.

Ah, but now look at what we’ve built together!

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

Today is Memorial Day, the day when Americans honor those who have given their lives while in Military service for their country. I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep appreciation and heartfelt thanks to all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, and to lift up their families and friends in honor and in prayer.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

Well, my friends, it’s a Friday, and nearly the end of a month that ends in a “Y”, so what the heck, it seems like a great time for another thrilling edition of Great Quotes!

So if you find yourself running on empty and searching for some encouragement, inspiration or perhaps even just a chuckle or two, you’ve come to the right place! Check these out:

• The most perfidious way of harming a cause consists of defending it with deliberately with faulty arguments. – Friedrich Nietzsche
• There are two kinds of light – the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures. – James Thurber
• The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them. – Albert Einstein
• Writers should be read, but neither seen nor heard. – Daphne du Maurier
• Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast. – Lewis Carroll
• If it’s true we are here to help others, what are the others doing here? – unknown
• Cats are smarter than dogs. You can’t get eight cats to pull a sled through snow. – Jeff Valdez
• If only we’d stop trying to be happy we could have a pretty good time. – Edith Wharton



• A gentleman is a man who can play the accordion but doesn’t. – Unknown
• If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principle difference between a dog and a man. – Mark Twain
• Sometimes I get the feeling the whole world is against me, but deep down I know it’s not true. Some smaller countries are neutral. – Robert Orben
• I am against using death as a punishment. I am also against using it as a reward. – Stanislaw J. Lec
• Why is it our memories are good enough to remember the least triviality that happens to us, and yet not good enough to recollect how often we have told it to the same person? – Francois de la Rouchefoucauld



• To be great is to be misunderstood. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
• If you call yourself a writer because you are a blogger, then live up to the expectations of your readers. More so if you make money off them. – Stellify
• When you are looking for an excuse, any excuse will do. – Chris Cree
• That you may retain your self-respect, it is better to displease the people by doing what you know is right, than to temporarily please them by doing what you know is wrong. – William J. H. Boetcker
• I think age is a high price to pay for maturity. – Tom Stoppard
• One man alone can be pretty dumb sometimes, but for real bona fide stupidity, there ain’t nothin’ can beat teamwork. – Edward Abbey



• I knew this was going to happen, but not so soon. – a tombstone’s epitaph in Boot Hill cemetery, Arizona
• Ordinarily he was insane, but he had lucid moments when he was merely stupid. – Heinrich Heine
• A good many young writers make the mistake of enclosing a stamped, self-addressed envelope, big enough for the manuscript to come back in. This is too much of a temptation to the editor. – Ring Lardner
• You don’t stop laughing when you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing. – Michael Pritchard
• Democracy is a process by which the people are free to choose the man who will get the blame. – Lawrence J. Peter
• A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always count on the support of Paul. – George Bernard Shaw

And, to round out this month’s edition, I’d like to extend my profound sympathies to Richard on his, er, loss:

• I have a rock garden. Last week, three of them died. – Richard Diran

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

Several times in the last few weeks, particularly since SOBCon (gee, was that really only two weeks ago?), I’ve encountered the phrase since you started blogging (or words to that effect) in conjunction with the word changed. Hmmm.

Serendipity? Coincidence? Not enough fiber?

Actually, I have been seeing a lot lately about how blogging can change the world. In fact, Liz Strauss even has a specially-named series of posts for it (her Change the World series). I like the concept because when I read them it prompts me to think about specific things I’ve seen – or better yet, could do to, well, actually do something to change the world instead of just writing about it. Pretty inspiring stuff.

The irony is that while we bloggers are out changing the world, we’re also changing ourselves, you know? And by that I mean me, personally. To my surprise, I’ve changed in significant ways - directly as a result of blogging. It’s really gotten me thinking (sound of grinding gears) about how, in only 11 months, I’ve become a different person. The journey has been quite interesting, to say the least. So why, you wonder, am I telling you all this? Well… c’mon, be patient; read on.

OK, let’s see… how have I changed since I started blogging?

Awareness – Probably the most obvious change is that I’ve started noticing the world around me more. After all, I have to have something to blog about, right? But let’s face it, we’re talkin’ ‘waaaay more than just taking notes, right? In fact, there’s a lot of synthesis going on up there in the little grey cells that wasn’t there before. As an added benefit, it’s much healthier, too, as Dr. Ellen and Robyn would probably tell you. Gotta agree with ‘em there – can’t have the ol’ brain getting too flabby, you know!

Knowledge – Yep, I’m afraid the facts are in. Chances are pretty good that there is someone talking about pretty much everything on the internet! Whether I”m looking for the latest info about a favorite old movie, shoe sizes of the rich and famous, or the atomic weight of Kryptonite, there’s probably someone out there with the knowledge I need! I’ve learned more about everything I’m interested in the last year than nearly the entire rest of my life. In fact, as an added bonus, I’ve learned an awful lot about things I didn’t already know, so considerable growth has occurred as well. What can I do with all that knowledge? Who knows? The options are, as Master Card would say, priceless.

Self-Expression – Can’t make this list without mentioning another obvious thing: I’ve started to write. In a response to a meme some time ago, I mentioned that writing was something I’d always had on the “back burner”, but somehow never got around to doing it. Well, now that I’m actually writing, my entire world view has shifted somewhat. Where will it lead? Again, who knows? The road ahead is opening up, though.

Caring – A friend reminded me the other day of a conversation in which I said I didn’t care about people. (Yep, to my shame, I actually said that.) But in my defense, what I meant was that I had a hard time caring about people I didn’t know. The thing is, blogging has introduced me to whole gaggle of folks I didn’t know – at first. But (and that’s a REALLY big but) here’s the really fun part - I am getting to know them. It’s kinda like pen pals on steroids or something – we get to know each other, but at breakneck speed. To my amazement, I find that I do care about the people I interact with, and I gotta say, I’m lovin’ it!

I could go on, but I won’t… because my “curiosity bump” is throbbing again and I’d like to leave room for your contributions here. So here’s the $64,941.83 question:

How has blogging changed you?

Is this a meme? Well, yes… but only if you want it to be (besides, the blogosphere will ultimately determine the viability of any meme attempt).

So what I’ll do is kick-start it by tagging a few folks: Sam Brougher, Dr. Ellen Weber, Marti Lawrence, Cody McKibben, and Karin. Then, should they feel so inclined, they can pass it on to whomever they choose. And by all means, if you like, feel free to jump in, tagged or not.

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

Patient: n., bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint

How patient are you? Can you truly live the old proverb, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”? Well, there’s no doubt patience is a virtue. After all, it’s something everyone needs, especially me (and I want it now!)

But to tell you the truth, I learned this one from my dog.

Remember your favorite pet? (And please don’t tell me it was Lorraine, your pet Boa Constrictor!) Mine was a purebred Dachshund who my parents saddled with the rather audacious name of “Baron Fritz von Hruzek”. He was a short-haired breed, black but with tan feet, ears, and tail tip (similar to Otto, the dog pictured here).

Now, I truly loved that dog; he was my friend and companion from late Grade School through most of my High School years (sadly, he died when I was in 11^th grade). I always enjoyed reading a book for hours in a backyard chaise lounge, and Fritz had this habit of sitting in the chair with me, squeezing himself right up next to my legs. Yeah, Fritz and I, we were great buddies.

By far, my favorite memories of Fritz are about that time he and a big blue jay got into an argument about who really owned the back yard. (Blue jays, as you may know, are very territorial.) After this one moved in, he began systematically torturing Fritz with shrieks and screams; even swooping down on him.

But Fritz wasn’t intimidated. Many afternoons I watched him purposely position himself smack in the middle of the back yard, posing like a sortof doggy version of the Sphinx, just waiting for that silly blue jay to start his daily routine of pestering and harassment. As the bird swooped down on him, I could almost hear the characteristic sound of a WWII prop plane diving in for the attack. (Alas, I couldn’t find my photo of him sitting in the yard making like a statue, with the jay a blue blur right above him.)

Fritz would wait patiently with just his eyes moving, trying valiantly to draw a bead on that jay. Then, at the moment of closest approach, Fritz would suddenly turn and snap his jaws at him! Even though he invariably missed, I swear he could do this for hours. It was hilarious.

Ah, but you know where this is going, don’t you? One day when I came home from school, I went out to play with him for a bit before (ahem) dutifully doing my homework (and if you believe that, there’s some swamp land in Florida I want to sell you!)

There in the yard was a pile of blue feathers, all which remained of that ill-fated blue jay. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, the bird had finally come just a tad too close, and Fritz’s hours of patience had finally paid off! Circle of life, and all that.

So, you’ve heard of the patience of Job, right? Well, how about the patience of… Fritz!

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

A few weeks ago I visited my old alma mater, Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. I have to say, it was a surprisingly profound experience; far more so than I would have expected. In fact, it so moved me that it’s taken a while to assimilate the experience.

I started my college education at this university back in 1972, although I’ve always regreted not completing my degrees there. (There’s a little more about that story in my post, The Pain and the Prize.) As a student, I was a proud member of the 300-strong Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band, which at that time meant I was by default also in the Corps of Cadets, a semi-military ROTC organization (it stands for Reserve Officers Training Corps – many ROTC graduates signed up as officers in the military Reserves upon graduation).

Now, at Texas A&M, all members of the Corps live in remarkably ugly four-story dormitories located in an area called the Quad. During my visit, the most remarkable thing to me is how little the Quad has changed. In 35 years, the only obvious difference is the trees are bigger.

But the strangest part of my stroll through the Quad came when I took a moment to stop and lean against one of the beautiful (and now much larger) oak trees that lined the sidewalks. It was extremely quiet – even the street noises faded away, and there was literally no one in sight.

After a few moments, it seemed as if time itself had slowed to a halt, like I was suddenly in that old movie, The Day the Earth Stood Still. And here’s where it got weird. As I stood there reminiscing about the folks I knew back then and the times I had spent near this very spot – for a few moments, I could almost see them walking by.

For that brief time, it felt like I was actually there, in the past. I’ve never experienced anything quite like it. Very, very strange, it was.

To be honest, I still haven’t figured it out. I mean, what’s the take-away, the lesson here? I can’t help but feel like there’s something, but I can’t quite get a grasp on it. So today I’m going to do something a bit different; I’d like to ask you for your thoughts.

Imagine we’re visiting over a cup of coffee. What would you say?

Yes, I’m aware that every person will likely read this story differently, and that’s OK; different viewpoints are just what I need. So if you have any advice or thoughts, I would love to hear them. Hey, how often do you get a chance to play analyst?

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!