Busyness and Distraction - It's Entertaining

As of late I’ve been feeling quite good rambling along a path of nuts and bolts but the practicality of reason has once again caste me under a spell of distraction in the form of busyness. Keenly focused and driven I proceed rapidly forward prioritizing the now in exchange for the later. Creativity takes a backseat as I reverse into an old familiar pattern. However, this time it feels a little different. Distraction is the culprit. I see it plain as white.

We live in a world full of distractions. Distraction seems to be a way of being nowadays with busy schedules, commercial clogged television, radio with more commercials, cell phones, and the Internet with a million and one ways to chew up time compliments of senseless viral videos. Not to mention, more commercials. In away it feels good to be distracted. It’s entertaining.

I don’t miss getting rid of the TV a year ago but I must admit I spend a little more time on the computer because of doing so. My work necessitates that I spend time on the internet but I frequently get off track as I check a news story or quickly look up the answer to a spontaneous question that pops up in my mind.

With technology exponentially speeding up our lives it’s a blessing and a curse. Sometimes I feel like it’s more of a curse. Although it’s easier to keep tabs on friends and acquaintances friendships tend to be more shallow. Everyone is spread so thin. For example, I have over 300 facebook friends but there’s only a few I’d say I really know. Out of those few there’s a much lesser number I’d say I actually communicate with on a semi regular basis about anything of real meaning.

Don’t get me wrong. I like the internet and have benefited greatly from it, however, I also think it’s changing how people relate and interact with one another. Social media is redefining what a friend is. Face time with verbal communication complemented by body language, facial expression and emotion just isn’t all that necessary anymore. If one is lucky enough they can jockey for a time slot in a friends busy schedule for a 30 minute coffee between appointments. If not this week, then the next. Everyone is so busy these days.

Social media seemingly makes the world a smaller place but it’s also a wonderful medium for misunderstanding and misinformation. What is meant to help bring the world closer together for the better is actually creating more serious extremes in my opinion but that’s another story. Just got distracted for a moment.

Technology with all its sleek and seductive appeal can open up more opportunities but it can also lead one further from who they really are. Distraction can be like a drug. It feels good not to feel when there’s something a person doesn’t want to feel. In an elusive way it can be allowed to define who or what an individual becomes. The Media moguls are wizards at defining what is in, hip, and cool. Under the right circumstances distraction is given an opportunity to define what we are.

So, what to do about distraction? Well, I guess it depends on the person but I’d say give yourself a moment without caffeine, alcohol, or and other kind of mind altering anything and spend a day or two with nothing as company. No plans, no schedules, no TV, no cell phone and no computer. I’d suggest going for a long walk. Don’t be enticed by Mr. Should. Under these circumstances most people won’t know what to do with themself and will feel kind of uncomfortable. After all, it’s really a waste of time? The individual will likely become distracted by the thought of what to do coupled with a wasting time feeling. Naturally they will revert to whoever they think they are or know they are. As I said before, distraction feels good. Might as well get busy again. Don’t want to waste any time.

i/itsec - Trade Show / Conference

Autorama was over a week ago and with just one day off to wrap up loose ends I hopped a plane to Orlando, Florida to attend the cutting edge i/itsec conference to help a good friend with Air Medic Sky One. If you want to be on the inside and up to date with the latest in simulation technology i/itsec is a must. The conference’s main focus is on military training but civilian response departments in the arena of law enforcement, fire fighting and medical are also represented. I dusted off some clothes I hadn’t worn in a while and oiled up a rusty pitch for a 3 day step back into the professional world.

Before mastering my skills of traveling the planet on a low budget I spent two years in Boulder, Colorado fully immersed within a startup company. Wild Divine was/is a biofeedback product in a game like format developed by my best friend Corwin who I’ve known since college. During my time with Wild Divine I wore many hats that included sales/marketing, project development/management, trade show organization, and customer/tech support.

To make a long story short I learned an enormous amount working for Wild Divine but in the process became thoroughly burned out. As is the case for most startup's new management moves in, things change, and I was more or less pushed out while being too tired to fight it. I didn’t like the direction the company was headed and didn’t really fit in anyway. I left on civil terms and good references along with an in to promising job possibilities in the Bay Area. I wishfully hoped my stock options would pay off at some point and decided to leave the corporate environment indefinitely.

I left Colorado in October of 2004. At first I went to Texas for a couple of months then headed to the Caribbean for four months. I’ve been traveling off and on ever since. The persona of World Traveler and Thinker appealed to me so I’ve employed myself to live up to the title. Needless to say it’s been interesting and fun.

As I stepped into the i/itsec arena I was surprised how fast my experience with Wild Divine chimed in. As I walked about the trade floor I felt an ease in familiarity with understanding how a professional trade show/conference works. Talk when you know what you’re talking about and keep your mouth shut when you don’t. Ask questions, observe, and listen. Have fun in knowing that people are people regardless and an intelligent easy going personable manner will get you further than just about anything.

Most of the technology on display involves interactive computer graphics. Not long ago Corwin was commissioned to develop an interactive biofeedback game for a hospital in Holland that addresses doctor patient safety. Corwin was up for an award at i/itsec and invited me along as support. Although I was not fully up to speed with the new software I was project manager for the hardware while at Wild Divine. My name is included on the patent for the finger sensors.

Air Medic Sky One utilizes biofeedback hardware comprised of three finger sensors. Two sensors monitor galvanic skin response and one sensor monitors variable heart rate. With sensors attached to finger tips the data is read by a small box connected to a computer via USB. The data interacts with the software. The software provides real time feedback in the form of subject appropriate animated challenges. For example, relaxed breathing changes colors in a garden and energized breathing fills a syringe. In between biofeedback challenges there are more traditional question and answer exercises that help doctors make better decisions under times of pressure. The purpose of Air Medic Sky One is to improve a doctors decision making process while better understanding how to manage their own level of stress. The game accomplishes this by uniquely educating the player how the mind affects the body.

Kor from Holland flew in for the conference and three of us managed the small booth in the Serious Games section of iitsec. Although my pitch was rusty as I stumbled over words from time to time I really enjoyed the environment and felt quite at ease. My position was a little off to the side. After all I hadn’t worked on the project and clear marketing goals have not been established. Nonetheless, I hopped into the networking game and made new friends. With beer freely flowing around 4 pm from various booths amidst the trade floor I felt even more comfortable.

Numerous companies filled the convention center vying for government grants, private interests, and general attention from businesses in the trade. There was a wide variety of flight simulators on display and I had the opportunity to try a couple with a 180 degree view. One simulator mimicked G force for fighter pilot training. Some simulators utilized virtual reality eye wear for ground troop training. The most graphic training devices were real life manikins with serious injuries for medical training with life like organs that appear and feel real. One of the more interesting booths offered training on lightning quick medievac training. It was demonstrated by watching a reenactment of a suicide bomber in a tent. The display complete with noise, yelling, smoke and blood provided about as real a life simulation as you could expect.

At first I must admit I wasn’t sure how I felt about all of the military training content. Sometimes I think excessive preparation for war leads to war but on the other hand better trained troops hopefully lead to fewer casualties on both sides. Simulation is the safest training option.

During the Second evening at the conference I found myself at an upscale mixer with an open bar and people at the top of the trade. Corwin and Kor made some new contacts as I got to better know a couple of guys specializing in cyber security I met earlier in the day. It was quite a contrast from Autorama. It made me take pause and realize with the necessary drive and desire I could fall into a good opportunity within such an environment. Drive and desire are a key component for me because I’ve never been driven by power or money. I’ve got to like what I do.

At 1 pm on the last day of the conference we attended the awards ceremony for serious games. I wasn’t surprised when Corwin won First for Air Medic Sky One in the Business category. The final award was basically a best in show award. It was distributed to a competitor who had not won an award in the other categories. The presenter made it clear that Air Medic was as close a second as possible. In other words, it was like saying Air Medic was best in show but awards were not being duplicated. It was all done in good political fashion in my opinion.

Corwin is truly the most creative person I have ever known and he received numerous personal compliments from judges and i/itsec officials which were well deserved. That night we attended a Black Tie mixer and Banquet under dressed in a fashion only artist can get away with. The butter came in the form of a small duck with a fine aged steak and good cabernet.

In the end i/itsec was a wonderful diversion from the path I’ve been on. It’s caused me to ponder my position in the game of life. In some ways it showed me how far I’m living below my potential. In a time of so called economic woes I see boundless opportunity in a land of plenty. I guess it all depends on where you’re viewing the view from. As I tightly manage my nickels and dimes the trade off for me is that I’ve spent 6 months this year traveling around the world doing whatever I want to. That’s pretty damned good in my eyes. Still, there’s a longing to utilize my skills, knowledge, and life experience their full potential. On a scale of 1 to 10 I feel like I’ve settled on a 2 or 3. So, what am I going to do about it? We’ll see. You never know with me. Somehow, I think the best is yet to come.

Admiring Muscle Cars and Peddling Old Stuff - Autorama Houston

While picking for antiques and collectibles I don’t accumulate as much odd and interesting miscellaneous as I use to. However, over the course of a year I do pick up a fair number of items that qualify as desirable to some degree. When enough excess stuff piles up I seek out a venue or avenue to sell and recoup some nickels and dimes with the prospect of making a little profit. Since I usually don’t have much money in what I’m selling I keep prices low and reel in ones and twos at a time. A dollar here and there over a day of selling adds up to more than a six pack and hamburger. In other words it’s worth my while.

Since my last post I rode upon the coat tails of a classic car show that hosts a swap meet for those who sell interesting old stuff like I do. I moved into the George Brown convention center on a Wednesday and creatively decorated a 10x20 space full of everything from old records to advertising to beer cans etc. etc. From Thursday to Sunday I peddled goods to gear heads and nostalgia lovers of all types with most items going for less than $5. Over the course of the event I got to know George Washington well. He made 12 concrete standing hours a day worthwhile and I left with a lot less stuff than I arrived with. Not to mention I had fun.

As a swap meet vendor I got in an hour early each day before the show opened. I cruised the floor each morning viewing as fine a collection of Muscle Cars one could ever imagine seeing. Shelby’s, Goats, Super Bee’s, and Mopar’s just to name a few. It’s Hemi heaven and rat rod bliss with afternoon burn sessions out back. Autorama is a choice no B.S. event which draws a nice crowd. That's why I like it.