Things I learned

Random things I learned driving around the country last week:

No matter where you are in the US, if you hit the scan button on the radio you will inevitably find these three things:

1. A “Real Classic Rock” station that plays far too much Zeppelin, Kansas and Skynyrd.

2. A just plain “classic rock” station that plays far too much 80’s music.

3. A “metal” station that at some appointed hour during the evening will play the cleverly named “mandatory Metallica”. (I heard that exact phrase used by three different stations in three different markets!)

You’ll also find a country station or two, but since I don’t like country I have no idea what they play.

There is a spanish language station somewhere near Hastings, Nebraska. Are there that many spanish-speaking people in Hastings? And if so, where are they hiding?

It really is scary to be driving along one of the big, open, tornado-prone states when the temp drops 15 degrees in like 2 minutes and storm clouds start forming off to your side. It makes you drive faster to get the hell out of said state!

Speaking of which, Kansas needs a higher speed limit.

Colorado is lucky to have mountains. The eastern part of the state before you get to the mountains might as well be Kansas.

Apparently, the preferred way to respond to anything in Colorado is by replying “Niiice..”, except if it’s really big news, then you respond “Oh, niiice..”.

The vast majority of people in this country are far too busy leading their own lives to give a shit what any blogger, politician, or journalist has to say about anything.

Those people are also far happier than those who do give a shit.

The reasons for this are not what you think.

Every A-List blogger should read The True Believer : Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, consider what it has to say about the source of social change, and view the hype about blogging in light of that knowledge.

John Dvorak is a cranky old man. But he’s also one of the only people out there who will tell you the truth about technology, and the truth is, most of what you hear and read is BS.

On the other hand, some technology can be a great tool for communication and increased communication can create some good. It won’t, however, change human nature, and it will also create some bad to go along with every good thing.

No matter what happens for the rest of my life, I don’t ever want to forget the picture of two people I saw in Des Moines one afternoon. They were sitting, enjoying a beautiful sunny day, eating their lunches, laughing, holding hands and generally having a good time. They were also both in wheelchairs and had very obvious handicaps, but that didn’t stop them from enjoying the day they had to be together. Enjoy what today brings…

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