Generalism

Today I went retro. It was a fantastic experience, and one that I hope I can do again.

I ran.

But I didn’t run like Rachael out of friends. Oh no, that’s not for me. I ran like I was 5 years old. I ran for FUN. I ran because I was being chased, because I need to catch something, because I needed to hide behind a tree before I got got!

And it was good, it was retro, it didn’t need any technology, it just needed a bit of imagination and a pair of legs. And I haven’t enjoyed running so much in years. If running was like that all the time, I’d do it for a living! I’d run EVERYWHERE! When did running stop being like Phoebe and start being like Rachael? Such a shame.

So if you’re ever out on Wimbledon Common and you see someone running around like they’re in the middle of a war zone, pity me. Then come join in!

I’ve been reading the latest two-book space opera from Mr. Peter F. Hamilton, comprising of Pandora’s Star and Judas Unchained. The man is a Sci-fi genius, and I would recommend these books wholeheartedly, right up alongside his earlier Night’s Dawn Trilogy, which is an absolute must-read not just for sci-fi fans, but for anyone with eyes.

He plays heavily on the use of what he calls “Inserts” in people’s eyes, enabling information contained on their rather well-endowed, multi-planetary internet, to be overlaid on people’s real-world vision. Now I’ve been following the work going on over the past couple of years around two separate technologies, transparent transistors (for see-through displays targeted at many markets including car windscreens), and flexible displays. But of course as time moves forward and these technologies converge, what do you get? Of course, Peter Hamilton’s “Inserts”.

Convergence is going to continually throw up surprises, and will almost certainly come from the most unlikely of places. My eyes are firmly peeled!

It’s no secret that I was very disappointed by CES2008, though I don’t think I was the only one. Reading about the new “mp5″ (clearly “1″ better than mp4, and a massive “2″ better than mp3!) player still tickles my pickle even now!

But thankfully, if one looks to the east, one sees a much brighter horizon. Actually, a horizon much brighter than even I thought was possible.

First of all DARPA (them famed for funding all sorts of weird and wacky technology experiments) has been working on some really small jet engines. That look like cigarettes. Genius.

And secondly, I came across a list sure to turn all technologists knees to soggy paper, the Top 10 real-life Star Trek inventions. This is really really off the scale. I mean really. The only things missing here are gravity plating, real space ships and teleportation!

I need to go lie down.

Well, I _used_ to be a code monkey, but I’m starting to think that I should at least keep my hand in. Maybe when i retire (or rather when I start reaching retirement age), I’ll end up being the richest retiree on the block!

I read today that newly qualified coders just aren’t what they used to be. Coding isn’t coding unless you’re using void* far pointers available to all code from a header file! Ahh, life on the edge…

I also caught a fab movie, along the techie theme, though definitely of amusement to the wider audience. (sound not essential)

I have always had an issue being a Generalist. Everything in life seems to be geared towards specialisation; from infant school, to junior school, to high school (10 GCSEs), to 6th form (3 A-levels), to University (single subject, broad focus), to PhD (single subject, narrow focus). And with people around being extremely successful playing piano, writing software, playing their chosen sport, what then for a generalist whose only specialisation is having no specialisation?

I was given reason to feel better last week when I had my first meeting with my new career coach. I’ve spent years praying for someone to come along, take me, my personality, my skills and values, monkey them all up together, and pop out with the perfect direction for me to move in, and it looks like I may have found just that. Our first meeting was me talking about me, from birth to today; childhood, school, interests, family, locations, qualifications, all the while him taking notes on what I was saying, but almost certainly how I was saying it too. It was a chance for him to begin to understand where I was coming from. We also went through a bunch of cards covering values and skills, putting them all in order of importance to me; a great way for him to quantify some of the things I was talking about.

Despite most of the meeting spent talking about myself, I already have a sense that I shouldn’t feel bad any more about not specialising, that there is in fact value had in having such a broad range of skills. And I’m genuinely excited about the possibilities, probably the first time in over 30 years! The next session this week should cover the results of his analysis, the real reason why I brought in this service in the first place. After all, I know me pretty well these days, but have still never really known what I should be doing. I am hoping for some interesting things, and have already had some hints that I’m unlikely to be disappointed.

So why have I waited until my 30s before taking this forward? Well, I guess I just haven’t really known myself for that long, being a bit of a squashed, naive kid growing up. And the experiences I’ve built up in the last 4 years since leaving software development have completely changed my view on working life. Perhaps it’s true what they say then; when the student is ready, the teacher really will appear…

Well I was hoping for some good stuff from Apple, they’ve often come up trumps in the past. But not this year. No, unfortunately they’ve reverted to type (see previous post) and yes, brought the world yet another laptop. It certainly needs another laptop after all. Er, yeah.

Okay, so this one is thin, really really thin, and fits in an envelope (of the right size). Which is all very nice. But, erm, hmm. I just don’t know what more to say. I think the most interesting thing about this laptop would come if someone should tried actually posting one in one of those nice manilla envelopes. Now _that_ might border on newsworthy. Or at least elicit a demi-semi-chuckle or three…

I love new. A deliberately vague, but at the same time all encompassing statement. Perfect for me.

So ordinarily, this time of the year, from the time the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas starts, to the time it closes it’s shiny, shiny doors, is a wonderous one full of RSS feed reading and movie watching of ALL that’s new in the world of consumer technology.

But this year, the whole shebang could be summed up by one word; myeh.

Oh there were LCD and plasma screens aplenty (hundreds of thousands of millions of screens), and getting ever more svelt with each new press conference. But, well, so what? What’s new? Everyone knows that the ultimate screen is going to be some kind of flexible e-ink type display, rollable, wall-paperable, unaffected by light and viewable from 180 degrees. Anything else in the meantime is, well, myeh.

And of course there were laptops, and more laptops, oh my lord there were laptops. Colours, sizes, small ones, tall ones, ones with touch screens, ruggedized ones. But so what? I was so hoping to find a differentiator, something, anything, but of course was left wanting. Again.

I think perhaps the tragicomedy that was Bill Gates’ parting video was the right ending for a thoroughly disappointing showing. Perhaps I’ll see if I can seek out a rare notable or two in a later posting, if I can get out of my myeh funk.

It was several years ago that I came across a lovely video showing table tennis (or ping pong if you prefer) in a totally new light.

It was a new video utilising a much wider sporting palette that reminded me of how good a video that original Matrix ping pong was, and how good these people are at what they do.

What will they think of next?

I don’t often regurgitate other links that I’ve found online, but some come along that I just want to help proliferate that bit wider. And besides, when I look back on this blog in the years to come, I can go “wow coooooool!” just like everyone else.

Doll Face is strangely enthralling, and ultimately quite moving. Or I’m a bit of a freak.

And 7 Essential Tips for 2008 just makes a whole truck load of sense. “I will find my calling” is now painted, in black, EVERYWHERE in the house!!!

Sure as a watched pot never boils, an enjoyed Christmas never slows. I’m trying to convince myself I actually had a holiday, but I’m not so sure now that I’m actually back at work.

I often wonder whether all holidays should be made to be crap. Having a crap holiday just makes so much sense;

1. You can’t wait to get back to work (working is the default living state after all)
2. The holiday goes by really slowly, so seems to last much longer (though of course ruined by 1.)
3. You actually have a chance of remembering that you’ve actually had a holiday (albeit a crap one)

But of course there is always the alternative; don’t take holidays. My boss likes that one.