scott's blog

When I first broached the subject of things Bigger than Oneself on the Anthro-l email list, the first response I received was a link to a song by Georges Brassens, Mourir pour des idées. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1h2po_mourir-pour-des-idees_music There is one verse in particular that resonates with me in regards to "causes". An english translation:

The Saint John Chrysotoms who preach martyrdom
Usually manage to hang around on earth.
Dying for ideas, let's be clear about it,
That's their reason for living, so they're not going to lose it.

This is a phrase employed by social entities seeking to enlist adherents. It is used by counselors advising people on how to improve their lives. It is used by 'good causes', 'bad causes', religions, military, non-profit organizations, etc, etc, etc. The phrase has been characterized as a "dangerous meme" as it may lead an individual into situations requiring self sacrifice and even death.

Working in a retail establishment I'm constantly exposed to piped in music. The selections played in the store I work at have some degree of variety as well as a block of constantly repeated tunes. One of these constantly repeated tunes is a cover of one of my all time favorite songs, Go Now, written by Larry Banks and Milton Bennett and made famous by the Moody Blues in 1964. Not really the same band that later became known for concept albums as the lead singer was Denny Laine, later of Wings. Anyway, the cover of the tune I'm subjected to has been driving me crazy for more than two years. They've butchered the melody and destroyed the rhythm as well as generally messing with the songs poetry.

I recently found an article on the deleterious effects of rudeness in the work place. The article was primarily concerned with personnel in surgical theaters. I work in a big box retail outlet and I spend much of my time copying keys. I must say that there is plenty of rudeness to be found around this machine. Associated with the negative effects of this rudeness time and space itself seem to be effected. Five or ten minutes turn into 20 to 30 minutes and chronology of events is altered. "I was here first, no I was... ".

So a customer came in the store the other day and wanted a wall heater, or at least he asked for a wall heater. I said we don't sell wall heaters. I ran into him again about fifteen minutes later and he was quite upset. Having found the furnaces stocked in the plumbing department he proceeded to try and chew me out. "This is the third time I've asked for something here and you've told me you don't have it but you do". It was pointless to try and argue that the furnaces stocked are not wall heaters. Whatever...

I've been trying to come up with ideas for content on my OnePagers.net site but I feel like I'm suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome or something. One idea I've come up with though is bakeries in Reseda. I drive past Fairy Tale Bakery practically everyday but I've never gone in. I remains intriguing and it has prompted me to start researching bakeries in Reseda. I've come up with fourteen.

I've created a new site, onepagers.com (from an old domain name) designed to promote aspects of onepagers.net, my current project. This site contains my own commentary on businesses and topics found in One Pagers.

Back around 1980, I worked as a professional cartographer for the US Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District, Photogrammetry Section. I loved the job but didn't fit in with the culture there, being the only "longhair" in residence. Before my position was eliminated I was asked to submit a proposal for a GIS project. CRREL was looking for demonstration projects to evaluated Geographic Information Systems. GIS was brand new at the time and data crunching was done on mainframe computers such as the Burroughs at the EROS Data Center in Sioux Falls, SD.

Here is an issue I was unaware of until a thread appeared on the anthro-l mailing list, coltan mining in the Congo. Coltan is a mineral that is refined into tantalum which in turn is used in the manufacture of capacitors and other hi-tech products. The mining of this mineral has caused rather severe environmental and social issues and plays an important role in the financing of the African civil wars. We all too often assume that our electronic existence is clean because it doesn't appear to emit pollution and too easily forget or ignore what makes it all possible.

I have expanded the application of my One Pagers site to include discussions of business locations and business types. I welcome comments, essays and other form of information to augment the utility of this site. I have been concentrating on the San Fernando Valley as this is my home and where I grew up, albeit not my favorite place on this planet. Since I do live here I would like to do what I can to improve economic conditions here so I am listing as many local businesses as I can categorized by business type.