I love Gmail. And this is definitely one reason.
http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/so-you-want-to-be-gmail-ninja.html
Any other aspiring Gmail ninjas? Thoughts from Gmail ninja haters?
Monday, June 29, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Socrates on Inherited Wealth
"...I asked the question [about whether the person he is speaking with had inherited his money] because you seem to be not overly concerned with money, an attitude generally associated with men who have inherited rather than made their fortunes. Those who make money themselves love it with a double intensity. They love what they earn the same way poets love their poems or fathers their children. Money for them is not merely useful. It is the chief evidence of their own creativity. The result is that they become bores; money is their only enthusiasm." - Socrates to Cephalus in Plato's Republic Book 1
I do not know that I have ever met anyone whose wealth has come primarily through inheritance. Maybe it is just that I have been so young that those who had an inheritance coming had not "come into it" yet. Whatever the reason, I know exactly what Socrates means by this. We love what we feel we "create". If we focus our energy on creating money, it would be easy to come to love that. Some people trace the development of professional business managers to the late 19th century, with the development of the massive railroad empires. However, rich people have had stewards as long as wealth has existed. However, playing with money was considered a vulgar thing. Rich people had slaves who handled their finances. People wanted to luxury of having what they needed without the onus of thinking so much about it. What has happened to us? How much has this really changed, and is this change really for the better?
I do not know that I have ever met anyone whose wealth has come primarily through inheritance. Maybe it is just that I have been so young that those who had an inheritance coming had not "come into it" yet. Whatever the reason, I know exactly what Socrates means by this. We love what we feel we "create". If we focus our energy on creating money, it would be easy to come to love that. Some people trace the development of professional business managers to the late 19th century, with the development of the massive railroad empires. However, rich people have had stewards as long as wealth has existed. However, playing with money was considered a vulgar thing. Rich people had slaves who handled their finances. People wanted to luxury of having what they needed without the onus of thinking so much about it. What has happened to us? How much has this really changed, and is this change really for the better?
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Economic downturns and Value reappraisal
Homes are not the only things being reappraised because of the downturn. Many people are rethinking what's important in their life. The New York Times has been following this, and has even created a new blog called "Happy Days" with the purpose of facilitating just that: reflection on what makes a good life. Here are a couple interesting posts:
The most recent, an author living in Kyoto (from Happy Days) http://happydays.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/the-joy-of-less/?em
Of interest to those who enjoy working with their hands
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/magazine/24labor-t.html?scp=1&sq=case%20for%20working%20with%20your%20hands&st=cse
I like the second one in particular. Of course, it might be because it just sounds fun to be a philosopher-mechanic.
The most recent, an author living in Kyoto (from Happy Days) http://happydays.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/the-joy-of-less/?em
Of interest to those who enjoy working with their hands
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/magazine/24labor-t.html?scp=1&sq=case%20for%20working%20with%20your%20hands&st=cse
I like the second one in particular. Of course, it might be because it just sounds fun to be a philosopher-mechanic.
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