ABSILVER's World

Is it important that South Carolina take down the Confederate Flag from their capital?  Yes, of course it is! Even more so in the aftermath of such a hateful and disastrous killing at the Church of Emanuel this symbol of the past, of slavery, of segregation and hate must come down. At the same time, we should not let this be how we manifest a healing from this incident I am sorry to say.  We first must recognize that this was a crime of hate, of bias, of racism, from a young man that was taught or learned to believe on his own that he was superior to others.  Not because of the deeds he did to help others.  Not because he was bright and graduated to become a researcher.  Not because he went to that church to learn from others and experience a worshiping congregation that is warm and loving.  No, it is because the color of his skin is white.  On top of that, he was taught to believe other colors of skin, most notably black, are inferior to his...

OK... Have you Seen Grace and Frankie on Netflix? First, I love Jane Fonda and Lilly Tomlin, and I really want to like this show.  But, it has some problems... that may or not be apparent to those of you of the straight persuasion.  Or maybe, you do? First, Jane Fonda looks great and I am jealous that she is 77 and looks maybe 60.  Whomever is her surgeon should get an award and maybe she is living proof that yoga and the workout tapes really were a missed opportunity for me in my earlier life. Second, and more seriously, there is more chemistry between Jane Fonda and Lilly Tomlin in the first three minutes of the show than there is in the whole show between Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston.  Jane Fonda lights up the screen and Lilly Tomlin is the new age mother one may have wished for.  When they are bantering together there is real charm and honestly as long as Jane Fonda is in the scene the show is bearable. Whomever writes the parts for Martin She...

Does Elon Musk care that you drive a Tesla?  Maybe that is the fuel (dollars) to change the world of energy consumption. Think about the Wild West of this country of years gone by.  Where a settler would saddle up a horse or two to a covered wagon and go to what was the wilderness.   Maybe have a few seeds to plant on his or her arrival, but would have little in terms of resources but the promise of free land or gold.  Those promises were enough for their family to take the chance of leaving the relative comfort of the east coast of the USA and head west. That pioneer was dependent on the land for the resources his family needed.  Whether it was water from a well, plants they grew in a garden, and possibly even the resources to build their home and settle into a new world. What if we envision a new pioneer today?  Taking the same approach but with a modern age twist?  The Pioneer saddles up her SUV and a trailer.  Drives to a space o...

I still miss OS/2. Many years ago, in a far gone world of IT, there once was a Goliath known as IBM.  In those days, say 30 years ago, the Goliath of the computer world had a dominant position in what was a growing computer market.  That Goliath was known to visit antitrust courts and issues on a frequent basis.   Whether is was supplying punch cards, only leasing computers, or finding creative markets to dominate IBM was the Goliath of the early computer industry.  Along with these products was the venerable and reliable typewriters that IBM was well known for, and probably were at the heart of "nobody got fired for buying IBM". Then IBM, for whatever may be humorous or some kind of knee jerk reaction to a new market, launched the first PC.  This machine created an opportunity by leveraging other's technology for a new open market.  In this era of early Intel processors, Microsoft operating systems, and even Lotus 123 spawned a new dawn of accessib...

Who Rescued Whom? I sit here in Fort Lauderdale on the beginning of a New Year 2015.  I am typically asleep by the time the ball drops, so this year would have been the same, except for a four legged family member who has changed my life and happens to get spooked by fireworks. 2015 doesn't start with a bang, as truthfully that bang was in July.  A Full moon celebration, where I asked the universe for a puppy, and my life changed.  Where a puppy didn't arrive for me, but for what turned into us, and as the beginning of a New Year beckons my life is changing. The lesson is clear, be careful what you ask the universe for and make sure to keep your doors, windows, mind and most importantly your heart open for what life can bring.  Remember, with your eyes open as you look to help others, rescue a dog, the person getting the love and final rescue may just be you. Here is wishing all of you a happy, healthy and love filled New Year! ...

I sit here this morning in Fort Lauderdale.  As someone who loves to post pictures of lovely sunrises, sunsets, and the warmth of my home today is not that day.  I woke up to 58 degree weather, cloudy and rainy and a high that won't push over 70.  Which compared to five feet of snow in upstate NY doesn't sound so tragic, but I do feel bad for those who this may be there only week here and they want a beach day. This ends up being an interesting moment in my life.  I have been trying with all of my mental and emotional might to fight the obvious moment coming to me next week.  No, it isn't Thanksgiving and seeing if I can dry out a turkey.  Yes, I do think the pumpkin pie recipe in the NY Times with Butternut Squash instead of Pumpkin is something I want to attempt, but his is not about that either. It turns out next Tuesday, I turn 50 years old.  If I turn the clock and look backwards on my family it is quite fair to say this is th...

I spent the morning writing a blog post about closets, and in great Microsoft fashion, notepad crashed while I tried to save it… or so it appears.  So, I am going to try this again because it is important to me, and I hope in some odd fashion you may find it so as well. I am speaking of closets, by definition, is when a person decides to put certain parts of their humanity and their personal life hidden from the world at large or possibly everyone else.  This can come about for many reasons.   Maybe an interracial family in the 60’s who can pass for one race or another and don’t want to be stigmatized or have their children bullied or harassed as they grow up.   It could be religious reasons, Christians in the early age of the Romans not wanting to fight lions just because of their faith.  Or, Jews in the time of the Inquisition having to publicly declare their Christianity to live while worshiping as Jews behind closed curtains and hidden fr...