Thursday, December 20, 2007
Service With a Smile?
Is anyone surprised these days when they encounter a surly or curt systems/network administrator? I mean, it was funny a few years ago on SNL with the "Nick Burns" skits, but that only worked because everyone could relate. Nowadays, there's really no excuse for not expecting your local IT professional to be snippy with you. ;)
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
My Wild Ambitions
Today was incredibly busy at work. Three projects, all for me. Naturally, I'm refining my multi-tasking skills at a breakneck pace. But all in all, it's good. I've got a surprising amount of responsibility (maybe it shouldn't be surprising?) and I think I'm doing well. People are coming to me for answers or advice. That's a nice feeling. My travel benefits will kick in entirely sometime in the next week or so, but I won't have much of a chance to use them until mid-January I think.
I was thinking about how to the most insane, gluttonous travel in the least amount of time (to minimize vacation days used); you know, your basic graph theory problem. What I've come up with is a whirlwind West-to-East trip that can be done in ~48 clock hours and about 39.5 flight hours. Leave Friday at 3pm, return home Sunday 3pm. Distance traveled: 17,983 miles. Rough rate of travel: 374.65 MPH (including layover time). The route would be: MSP-NRT-HKG-CDG-MSP. Out of pocket cost would be in the neighborhood of $300 or less, all in Business class. ;) I'll have to wait until April or later to attempt to do this because I need the upcoming MSP-CDG-MSP flight which doesn't begin until April 6.
I was thinking about how to the most insane, gluttonous travel in the least amount of time (to minimize vacation days used); you know, your basic graph theory problem. What I've come up with is a whirlwind West-to-East trip that can be done in ~48 clock hours and about 39.5 flight hours. Leave Friday at 3pm, return home Sunday 3pm. Distance traveled: 17,983 miles. Rough rate of travel: 374.65 MPH (including layover time). The route would be: MSP-NRT-HKG-CDG-MSP. Out of pocket cost would be in the neighborhood of $300 or less, all in Business class. ;) I'll have to wait until April or later to attempt to do this because I need the upcoming MSP-CDG-MSP flight which doesn't begin until April 6.
Monday, December 17, 2007
The One About Comparing and Contrasting Cultures
My friend from China is currently visiting us for about three weeks. It has been wonderful having her around, asking so many questions that we don't think about, but probably ought to. For instance:
** Chinese people eat more food than Americans, but our food is worse for you.
— Chinese diets include significantly more vegetables and fruits than the typical American diet, and they typically eat less meat (fat) and bread (carbohydrates). They also walk almost everywhere. We drive, by and large. My friend states that by volume/amount, three days of food here is what she would would eat in one day.
** We work too hard compared to the Chinese.
— My friend is a teacher for 15/16-year old high school students. She teaches from 8-10am most days while on other days she doesn't have to teach at all. Here, she gets exhausted from a typical high school day where she is either observing or teaching simple lessons. She says she doesn't know how American teachers do it. She can't get used to waking by 6am in order to get to work on-time. She normally can sleep until 7:30am, except on days which she doesn't work. ;)
** We work too hard compared to the Chinese. [corollary]
— We cram lunch into 20-30 minute eating sessions (if we're lucky). Chinese people take longer for lunch, let it digest a little. Students return home for lunches. Chinese people generally don't cook their own meals or care for their children on their own. They hire "servants" to do the cooking and dishes, and while we too have day care, they often hire a permanant sitter for the child. My friend says she has no idea how to "take care of her baby, feed it, clothe it, etc.", but that her sitter does and she is not worried.
** Americans are lonely.
— Because we live far apart -- relatively speaking -- from our friends and acquaintances, we don't socialize as much as the Chinese do. We text message or instant message, whereas they always call or even video chat. To some extent, I agree with this observance. But it must also be understood that part of the "American psyche" is that sense of freedom and independence. While some are more social than others, I think all Americans enjoy some amount of personal or "me" time. I don't know if such a preference is common in China. The impression that I'm getting is that it isn't.
Neither approach to any of these topics is right or wrong, but it is important to note the differences, similarities, and their perceived benefits.
[housekeeping note: I've switched the template style to a minimalistic variable-width version. I am growing apart from the previous template, so this will have to suffice until I find another proper template or take the time to create my own.]
** Chinese people eat more food than Americans, but our food is worse for you.
— Chinese diets include significantly more vegetables and fruits than the typical American diet, and they typically eat less meat (fat) and bread (carbohydrates). They also walk almost everywhere. We drive, by and large. My friend states that by volume/amount, three days of food here is what she would would eat in one day.
** We work too hard compared to the Chinese.
— My friend is a teacher for 15/16-year old high school students. She teaches from 8-10am most days while on other days she doesn't have to teach at all. Here, she gets exhausted from a typical high school day where she is either observing or teaching simple lessons. She says she doesn't know how American teachers do it. She can't get used to waking by 6am in order to get to work on-time. She normally can sleep until 7:30am, except on days which she doesn't work. ;)
** We work too hard compared to the Chinese. [corollary]
— We cram lunch into 20-30 minute eating sessions (if we're lucky). Chinese people take longer for lunch, let it digest a little. Students return home for lunches. Chinese people generally don't cook their own meals or care for their children on their own. They hire "servants" to do the cooking and dishes, and while we too have day care, they often hire a permanant sitter for the child. My friend says she has no idea how to "take care of her baby, feed it, clothe it, etc.", but that her sitter does and she is not worried.
** Americans are lonely.
— Because we live far apart -- relatively speaking -- from our friends and acquaintances, we don't socialize as much as the Chinese do. We text message or instant message, whereas they always call or even video chat. To some extent, I agree with this observance. But it must also be understood that part of the "American psyche" is that sense of freedom and independence. While some are more social than others, I think all Americans enjoy some amount of personal or "me" time. I don't know if such a preference is common in China. The impression that I'm getting is that it isn't.
Neither approach to any of these topics is right or wrong, but it is important to note the differences, similarities, and their perceived benefits.
[housekeeping note: I've switched the template style to a minimalistic variable-width version. I am growing apart from the previous template, so this will have to suffice until I find another proper template or take the time to create my own.]
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