All Things I Don't Know

Social Networking and Real World Connections

2010-10-03T13:26:00.000-07:00

Two movies are out that tackle the world of Facebook and social networking in general. There are others that grapple with the issues surrounding virtual friendships, online relationships and stereotypes of those of us who use these sites.

The movie Catfish takes a look at the nature of trust and belief that individuals place in the content shared via these sites. The movie The Social Network examines the story behind the birth of Facebook and personalities involved in the process. After watching these movies and their intentional (and unintentional) commentary on the nature of online communities, I decided to weigh in with my two cents worth.

I’d like to think that I am a contributor to my online community. I review businesses I frequent, I share photos and thoughts, contribute to causes I support and communicate with family and friends. In a virtual drink, I’m the digital straw that stirs the drink.

So like many other Facebook users, I often look for long lost friends and family. Recently, after watching an episode of Last Comic Standing, I saw a comedian with the same last name. I’ve heard all my life that there are not that many Rochas out there, so I did a Facebook search and found that Jerry Rocha had a page. A friend request and acceptance leads to a new connection and a new friendship.

Lucky for me Jerry relocated to the LA area and frequents comedy clubs all over the state. We had a chance to see him, meet him and bring together as many Rocha family members as I legally could at one time. We got together this past Saturday at the Irvine Improv, caught Jerry’s set and had a blast getting to know the real person. We still don’t know how we are related, but that’s not the important part. The important part is that we have a new real connection to a real person. The more people we know, the greater the opportunity to feel part of a greater whole and not so alone on this big blue marble.

The power of social networking (to me at least) is the ability to develop connectedness when physical barriers limit direct connection. It also allows us to reconnect with people we should of held close but let slip away. I don’t think virtual connections replace physical ones.

Like any other advance in technology, the ability to use any product or application for good or evil lies in the individual. That’s just my opinion, I could be wrong. What’s your opinion?

2010-09-06T11:25:00.001-07:00

Beauty is all around you as long as you are open to the flow...

Random Love Songs for Valentines Day

2010-02-14T11:43:00.000-08:00

Here are a Few Valentines Themed Songs for You to Enjoy (In No Particular Order)....

Warning - You may need your own Kleenex or a loved one near by!

Wicked Game by Chris Isaak

Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers

Just Like Heaven by the Cure

You Send Me by Sam Cooke

At Last by Etta James

When a Man Loves a Woman - Percy Sledge

Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash

Maybe I'm Amazed by Paul McCartney

In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel

All I want is You by U2

Wild Horses by The Rolling Stones

I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston

Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley

God Only Knows by The Beach Boys

Head Over Feet by Alanis Morissette

Love's Divine by Seal

Do You Realize by The Flaming Lips

You Don't Know Me by Michael Buble

The Way You Look Tonight by Steve Tyrell

I Get A Kick Out of You by Frank Sinatra

Unforgettable by Nat King Cole

When I Fall in Love by Nat King Cole

You Are So Beautiful to Me by Joe Cocker

Just The Way You Are by Billy Joel

Sacred Love by Sting

Look What You've Done to Me by Boz Scaggs

Love Reign O'er Me by The Who

Crazy Love by Michael Buble

Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen

Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton

It's The Small Things in Life...

2010-02-08T22:37:00.000-08:00

Out of the blue, it happens; you run into a long lost friend, find something you forgot you lost, stick your hand in a jacket pocket you haven't worn in a long time and find a $20.00...whatever the occurrence, it suddenly puts an unexpected smile on your face.

It really is the small things that go right or go wrong that have hidden impact on our life. Have you ever just missed being in an accident and thought about how different it would have been had you been a few seconds later?

One of my favorite movies is Sliding Doors. The movie takes a look how mere seconds in life transform us in unexpected ways. This movie takes a look at how a life diverges based on a simple split second fork in the road. When you have a moment, watch it and tell me what you think.

For me, it really is the small things that make all the difference. I know it is easy to focus on the big events; births, deaths, graduations, promotions, terminations and so on. But I have found that when I look back at the small moments, I find they have profound impact. I have had many a former student tell me years later that some little comment or suggestion I made stuck with them and placed onto a path that I never even dreamed of. When I look back at changes I made while plotting my course through life, I find that the comment made to me seemed profound, yet the person who made the comment never gave it a second thought.

So perhaps the moral of the story is that all small things are larger than they appear. Perhaps it is all simply perspective. Small to one, huge to another. In any case, I'd like to hear from you.

Are there small things in life?

How much do we impact the lives of others and never realize it?

Do you have a moment you want to share?

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Friends and Food

2010-01-31T21:54:00.000-08:00

I get asked (A LOT) why I take pictures of food. I also sometimes get asked why I don't take pictures of the people I'm with when we go out dining. So for those of you who wonder, here is my explanation.

Food doesn't worry if it's make up is perfect, if it's hair is just right. Nor will food ask to see the picture and approve it before posting. Food doesn't worry what others will think about it's portion size and whether anyone will think they are a pig for eating it.

That is the simple acerbic answer. There are other reasons, but I think the questions miss the point of my pictures. For me, eating and dining is a social event. I love to break bread with friends and family. Eating is what we do to nourish the body. Socializing while eating is how I nourish my soul.

I conduct business while eating and drinking. I bring colleagues together over food and drink in order to spark creativity and to build community. I make meals and visit new restaurants with friends and family to generate debates over the best (fill in the blank) I've had and to create great memories for us all.

They say all of our senses are tied to memories. I know I can smell fresh bread and instantly remember the best artisan loaf Kim has made for us and how cold it was that November morning. I know I can taste a 1988 Dom Perignon and instantly go back to day we brought my oldest daughter home from the hospital. For me, my memories have multiple triggers and strange connections. I like that personally.

So the next time you see a picture on my Facebook page, one of my websites or posts, please realize I am documenting my memories with family and friends. With every scone, burger, pizza or libation is story waiting to be shared.

So here are my questions to you:

What memory triggers are strongest for you?

How do you document or record your special daily moments?

Soundtrack to Your Life?

2010-01-24T21:52:00.000-08:00

So I came upon this site the other day, and thought: "Wouldn't it be cool if as we were living each day, the appropriate song was playing in the background?" I know there are songs that instantly transport me back to different times in my life.

The Wonder Years TV show made me wish someone was narrating my life as well, but that's another blog post for another day...

The wonder of iPods (and mp3 players in general) is that they make it easy for home DJs to put together hit lists that often serve as our personal soundtracks. I know that mix tapes and boom-boxes get a lot of credit for this concept (Cue John Cusack in Say Anything and High Fidelity) but even the process of burning your own CD was a singular process and a snapshot in time. MP3s changed all that. They were small and easily portable. When the proper players came out that took them off of hard drives and placed them in our pockets, the true revolution began.

So this post asks you to share if you care to:

Does your life have a Theme Song?

Do you have a soundtrack playing in your mind at different times?

Did the MP3 development make it easier to hear your personal soundtrack?

Thanks in advance for sharing!

Digital Images at our Fingertips...

2010-01-03T22:47:00.000-08:00

In the not too distant past, taking a photo required a person to bring a camera with them. Whether it was digital or film, the photographer had to consciously think about the potential for needing the device and bring it with them. Now most cell phones and other hand-held devices come equipped with digital cameras. Many of the "smart phones" allow you to directly upload photos or videos to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. With all of these tools and services at our disposal, is it any wonder why every event, private or public is captured and available for scrutiny and review? In an age where a picture of Tiger Woods (post scandal) can bring $300k, is it no wonder why everyone is ready to snap a photo or shoot a video in order to cash in?

What most people fail to contemplate is the consequences of posting photos or video online. It is estimated that once you share a photo or video, Pandora's box is open and it is not possible to retract or remove digital content due to the ability of search engines to retain cached information and other netizens to store copies on their computers. Just ask anyone who is the subject of a news report how quickly agencies search out online images long since forgotten or in some cases, content that he/she was not aware of in the first place.

So my question to you is this: Do your share pictures and/or videos online? If so, do you worry who could be viewing it?

(Anti)Social Networking or Who Cares Where You Eat?

2010-01-01T16:05:00.000-08:00

So here I am at the start of a new decade, using new technical innovations to do what used be done by email, voice-mail or heaven forbid, in person: having dialogs regarding all things banal, benign or brilliant.

I use apps on a cell phone that are now known as PCDs; Personal Communication Devices. These devices have have little in common with the bricks of the Eighties. The first cell phone I had was designed to connect me with others via phone lines. Later came text messaging, followed closely by photo and video messaging. Now, we are able to do most things that required PCs. So it stands to reason that our forms of interaction and communication would evolve as well.

The mere fact that I am blogging about this is demonstrates how much I am willing to share my thoughts and actions. Recently I was asked why I use Four Square (www.foursquare.com), although I believe the question was more along the lines like "Who cares where you eat? Why do you want people to know? The simple answer is that it is another way to create dialog and share opinions. The longer answer is that the competitive side wants to demonstrate where I go and what helps me form my "educated and knowledgeable" opinion.

So the idea of connecting without physical boundries is one that is appealing to some and disturbing to others. I know what I think, but I want to know what your opinion is. Share if you care. Feel free to use your iPhone, Droid, Crackberry or other device....

Can Anyone Topple Microsoft?

2009-07-08T23:05:00.000-07:00

With Google's announcement that they are entering the operating system arena, I wondered if my prediction back in 2005 was coming true. Back then, when Gmail and Google Apps were in it's infancy, I told my Introduction to Computers classes that five years from then, one of two things would be said of Google. Either we would look back and be amazed how this upstart was able to revolutionize the PC industry and topple Microsoft or we would marvel at the resiliency of Microsoft to adapt to a new competitor's tactic and beat them at their own game. One way or another, it seems the final show down is quickly approaching.

Cloud computing is at the heart of this in my humble opinion. Both titans offer their take on Software as a Service (SaaS), yet nothing could be more different in each approach. Google continues to add features to their FREE services while Microsoft continues to leverage their SaaS approach on their Office software suite of applications. Most of Microsoft's services appear to be free, but in order to utilize the majority of the features of Office Live, you must purchase a copy of Microsoft Office and install it on your PC. The other people you wish to collaborate with must also have Office installed on their PC.

All of this brings me to the point of this Blog entry; what do you think will happen in the ongoing battle between Google and Microsoft? I don't know what the outcome will be, but maybe you do.

Talk amongst yourselves...

2009-06-28T17:39:00.000-07:00

So here I am, writing my first weekly question/post for my new blog. I am determined to put questions out there that I hope are thought provoking and lead to lively discussion. I truly believe that I can add to my circle of knowledge by asking life questions that others have more expertise in than I do. So here we go!

While I'm waiting for some netizens to find my blog and consider it RSS worthy, I thought I would pose my first question:

What led to the divide in Eastern and Western religious views?

How did one particular form of worship become accepted as the preferred view and faith in a particular region?

Is the culture of denominational churches one of intolerance? Elitist?

Is the mission of all churches (East and West based faiths) to create converts?

The Ever Growing Circle...

2009-06-27T12:52:00.000-07:00

For my first post, I decided I needed to define my premise. There are many theories that describe similar concepts, but the idea that our "Circle of Ignorance" is always growing initially frightened me, especially as an educator. What I soon realized is that a growing circle of knowledge was what we were seeking, so it was inevitable that we would find out there were more things we did not know. From my viewpoint, as long as we remain inquisitive and seek to increase our knowledge there is nothing wrong with increasing or "Circle of Ignorance"...What do you think?