You might not believe me, especially if you know me well or have been in touch with me recently, however:
In the New Year I do not wish you lots of success, neither health. I do not wish you happy moments or many of those. I do not wish you get more money than what you’ve received, neither good luck.
My wish is different this time.
I wish you share yourself; not with me only, but with everybody else: I’m sure if you are reading this message you already have and have had way more of any of those items listed in the last paragraph. So, please share. I’m not asking you to sell your car and donate the proceeds to a charitable organization, neither that you open your house to everybody in need of shelter or food.
My wish is that you lend a helping hand to those around you: a family member, a co-worker, a classmate, even a stranger. Not in the sense that you start sharing personal data or possessions with a complete unknown person, but rather that you help the old lady cross the busy street, or patiently wait for her to get to the curb. That you ask someone if everything is alright if their face shows a desire to share a situation or frustration. That you help carry the heavy bags a mother is struggling to get across the parking lot while also pushing a stroller. That you help your peer finish his or her job if you already did and have some spare time. That instead of plopping down on the couch at the end of your day you go ask your daughter/sister/son/brother if they needs help with the homework…
Simply put, that you lend a hand, a shoulder, a high-five, a nod, anything positive to those that could benefit from your sharing. All these actions should be accompanied by a smile, of course.
So, my wish for you this New Year is simply that: share yourself. I am making it my own wish, my hope, and my resolution.
My only second wish is that you are with me on this voyage.
Happy New Year!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Facebook, text message, phone call, email, YouTube… what’s your pleasure?
A day after Christmas I met with some friends I hadn’t seen for years. After catching up on everything that has happened to us (and by us) in such a long time, one of them asked me what field of study I had chosen at university.
It has been a while since the last time I heard that question. The fields I work on now have apparently no connection to those origins, and the lateral and postgraduate studies seem to somehow leave those titles in the background.
Then it sparked again: the many years I and my fellow classmates, coworkers, competitors, etcetera have been producing the many ways we communicate nowadays.
See, putting aside the many courses on business, societal studies, personal growth and anything else nonrelated to technology; I am a telecommunications and an electronics engineer, have taken many courses on computing and similar technologies, and have worked for at least a quarter of a century on telecommunication and computer networks.
Throughout that time I’ve met so many technicians, programmers, consultants, designers, engineers, and so many other IT related people that listing their names would require a whole book. And that’s only me: I can’t imagine the millions of people around the world that have made and continue to make possible the most amazing type of technology ever created. It is a kind of magic.
From Edison, to Franklin to Marconi, through Berners-Lee to Gates to Jobs, through Brin and Page, Yang and Filo, and Zuckerberg… the list is long and keeps growing…
All these amazing new ways to communicate: book flights, close sales, win contracts, find information and friends, enjoy scenes of what’s going on a different part of the world, watch commercials from other countries, etcetera, and etcetera. None of it would be possible without the creativity, dedication, hard work, smarts and long hours put by the myriad of people around these “networks”.
Did you just receive a picture of your newborn granddaughter on EM? Called your family 8,000 Km away via Skype? Quickly finished your homework through research via Google and Wikipedia? Finally found and purchased that gadget on eBay or that rare book on Amazon? Recently found an old friend on FB?
All good, isn’t it?
It isn’t good. It is AMAZING!
So, the next time you see those telecommunications-company vans going on the highway, the pulling-cable technicians you dismiss as nonexistent, the nerdy looking programmers you think know nothing except computers, the engineers that have trouble explaining the IT terms in simple language, or the consultants that seem to charge more than what their advice is worth; please take a look at your laptop, Blackberry, iPad or any gadget you choose and use for communicating; and acknowledge each and every one of those wonderful people.
You don’t need to kneel and kiss their feet. A simple “hi” or “thank you” will do.
Engineering… what a ride. What a magic an amazing ride.
It has been a while since the last time I heard that question. The fields I work on now have apparently no connection to those origins, and the lateral and postgraduate studies seem to somehow leave those titles in the background.
Then it sparked again: the many years I and my fellow classmates, coworkers, competitors, etcetera have been producing the many ways we communicate nowadays.
See, putting aside the many courses on business, societal studies, personal growth and anything else nonrelated to technology; I am a telecommunications and an electronics engineer, have taken many courses on computing and similar technologies, and have worked for at least a quarter of a century on telecommunication and computer networks.
Throughout that time I’ve met so many technicians, programmers, consultants, designers, engineers, and so many other IT related people that listing their names would require a whole book. And that’s only me: I can’t imagine the millions of people around the world that have made and continue to make possible the most amazing type of technology ever created. It is a kind of magic.
From Edison, to Franklin to Marconi, through Berners-Lee to Gates to Jobs, through Brin and Page, Yang and Filo, and Zuckerberg… the list is long and keeps growing…
All these amazing new ways to communicate: book flights, close sales, win contracts, find information and friends, enjoy scenes of what’s going on a different part of the world, watch commercials from other countries, etcetera, and etcetera. None of it would be possible without the creativity, dedication, hard work, smarts and long hours put by the myriad of people around these “networks”.
Did you just receive a picture of your newborn granddaughter on EM? Called your family 8,000 Km away via Skype? Quickly finished your homework through research via Google and Wikipedia? Finally found and purchased that gadget on eBay or that rare book on Amazon? Recently found an old friend on FB?
All good, isn’t it?
It isn’t good. It is AMAZING!
So, the next time you see those telecommunications-company vans going on the highway, the pulling-cable technicians you dismiss as nonexistent, the nerdy looking programmers you think know nothing except computers, the engineers that have trouble explaining the IT terms in simple language, or the consultants that seem to charge more than what their advice is worth; please take a look at your laptop, Blackberry, iPad or any gadget you choose and use for communicating; and acknowledge each and every one of those wonderful people.
You don’t need to kneel and kiss their feet. A simple “hi” or “thank you” will do.
Engineering… what a ride. What a magic an amazing ride.
What!? Sucha long time? Really?
Well... I guess I am back to writing a little bit then.
Sorry for the long pause.
Sorry for the long pause.
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