Newness a/k/a Pieces of A Man
They say it can say a thousand words. But really, there’s probably no limit to what any one picture can say. The picture above, for example, says many things to me. It’s a photo of a part of my working space – right in front of one of the monitors. That monitor and a 60w mercury household light bulb are the only sources of light. I did some post-production to lighten it, but the process distorted the colors in some parts. However, that’s not the story I see in this shot. The photo is not staged, but is instead an accumulation of things in my space. Things that inspired me, things unfinished, things incubating, things completed. After staring a while, I see that this small pile of things symbolizes both of what occurred in 2007 and all that might in 2008. 5..4..3..2..1. Year done. Commence introspection. I know – everyone’s doing it. I don’t even expect that my introspection is any more compelling than the next persons. Fortunately for no one, that’s not going to stop me from writing it down. A few things clutter up this piece of desk real estate:
- a blurry view
- a miniature phillips head screwdriver
- a Sandisk MP3 Player (in various pieces)
- a metal, hunter green, clicking ball point pen with blue ink (works 20% of the time)
- small notepad of graph paper (from an old Day Runner)
- a black twist tie
A Blurry View
2007: My first year using glasses. Trying to prevent undue stress on my eyes, I invested in a pair of glasses. You know, preventative. At this point thought, I am not convinced that there’s no optometrist / optomologist racket going on with these things. And it may have everything to do with glasses actually MAKING you go blind. I wear my glasses only occasionally. But I’ve been noticing changes ….
2008: Wear your glasses more.
Miniature Screw Driver
2007: Not every task can be addressed with the same tool or tool set; even if the components are the same. One day I accidentally destroyed the display on my MP3 player, which I interpreted as in invitation to take the device apart. There were screws holding the case in place over its components, but only one of the screw drivers I have was the right kind. Each project that I managed this year had similar components and needs. But at the same time every one also had a unique solution. Sometimes I learned this after applying a previous solution to a new challenge and seeing it fail.
2008: Don’t forget about the whole tool belt; keep adding to it. Expand the arsenal; approach every challenge with the whole set.
Sandisk MP3 Player
2007: A lot of people talk about and stalk the i-Pod and all things i-ish. I don’t. But that’s just me. I like things that work well and won’t cost you hundreds of bucks. Found one. Filled it with beats. Used it. One day the screen gets cracked. That bad kind of crack where the black fluid of these fancy displays seeps out into the fractures in the glass. Device done. Took it apart to see if it wasn’t something I could just get a replacement screen for. What I found was that the screen is attached to the board with a thin and broad band that is intricately soldered in 30 or so places to the board. Definitely beyond my hobby-level soldering. Nothing to see here folks … keep it moving, keep it moving.
2008:Stop taking things apart that you can’t fix. I had a great Stanton SM401 three channel mixer with aux ins and outs and these fly blue leds. One day the joint just stopped working. So I said “hey, I could probably fix whatever it is – or at least determine what the problem is.” Long story short: mixer done. I probably should have just paid to get it fixed. Stanton discontinued this model. I miss it – and so I will take fewer things apart this year without meditating on how to actually fix them. Also gonna focus on not starting things I cannot finish.
The Green Metal Pen.
2007: It’s a relic. It’s been around since the mid 90′s. I’ve never changed the ink cartridge, but the pen occasionally works. In its former life it was a promotional tool for some medical product called Norvasc. The seductive thing about the pen is its weight. I like heavy pens – this one does not disappoint.
2008: Don’t be overly preoccupied with the newest, latest, greatest, bestest thing of whatever. It’s often unnecessary, a result of procrastination, and expensive. Some things I’ve had for a while still do the job they’ve always done.
Graph Pad Notebook
2007: A grid of perceived order floats delicately just under the surface reality of life.
2008: Scrawl freely when inspired; tap into the stability of the grid when needed.
Black Twist Tie
2007: In the course of an average year, I collect a lot of these twist ties. They come in equipment packaging and they come in handy: wrangling wires behind machines, keeping cords neat and together, returning equipment in its original packaging. Nerdness, I know. Here’s some more: since I’ve been on the strict budget in 07 there hasn’t been too many new packages of anything and my supply of twist ties is dwindling. I’m actually sad about that, which is in itself somewhat sad.
2008: Be less of a nerd.
So here we are 2008. It’s good to meet you. Now that we’re here, I’m going to do my best to wear my glasses more and be less of a nerd at the same time. All the while not forgetting about my whole tool belt – adding to it all the while. And somehow with that fine tool belt, I’ll resist taking things apart that I can’t fix. Perhaps I’ll be busy avoiding preoccupation with the newest, latest, greatest, bestest thing. Instead I’ll just focus on the work in the lab and scrawl freely when inspired; tapping into the stability of the grid when it’s needed.