tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63265527741698183582024-03-04T22:30:25.785-08:00Janet, Keith, Matthew, & JosieLiving a dream in Los AngelesKeith Saderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09145968553823653526noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326552774169818358.post-21517585947437186312023-08-17T05:00:00.003-07:002023-08-17T06:59:56.617-07:00Twenty years ago today<p> I had a former colleague advised me to not put my family website blog in an email footer if I wasn't updating it on a semi-frequent business. That's not why I still have it. I've long opted out of the attention economy and kept this as part of my personal journal to be online. Originally I did it to showcase my technical prowess with web applications. Now I keep it for sentimental and landmark reasons. Some of those items may be worth a follow-up blog post, but not today.</p><p>Today I want to state how proud of am of my two decades old son. Twenty years ago on a very hot August day in Kansas this happened:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://photos.smugmug.com/Matthew/Birthday/i-mbJdhF4/0/31a42c93/XL/101_0177-XL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Matthew/Birthday/i-mbJdhF4/0/31a42c93/XL/101_0177-XL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>It was an amazing event for everyone involved. </p><p>We moved this little one, now taller than us, across county a dozen years ago and he's made as much of a way as he can out here in LA. We didn't know it until several years in, but he's not mentally wired like most people and struggled with academics in our school system. He is smart, just not in a way the standardized testing is geared for. He's currently figuring out where to go with his life from here and we're supporting whatever decision(s) he makes. </p><p>It has been such a gratifying and learning experience for myself and Janet. We have been pleasantly and unpleasantly surprised in many ways as I expect most every parent is or will be. There are no safety straps on this ride.</p><p>But getting back to my pride in this young man. Let's consider my self-evaluation of when I turned 20: </p><p>I had been on a fruitless quest to hook up with college girls and spent more than my fair share of time in seedy bars of my college town. I had moved out and moved back in with my parents and I was more than a bit sullen, angry, and stuck. I was deceitful and unkind in many ways and I'm amazed that anyone stuck with me at all. I had some support networks but most days I was angry and hostile, especially to those I lived with. My father was in the process of dying but I didn't realize what a big deal that was. I was in college but not applying myself. The person I was wouldn't recognize myself now. I had maxed out the credit card the industry vultures had supplied college students in those days. I was aimless and many things felt hopeless.</p><p>Let's compare that jerk with my son. </p><p>He's not in college. He's also not wasting his money or time being somewhere he doesn't want to be. He is kind and welcoming to people. He has a close group of friends that really enjoy his company. He's not in any debt. He is enthusiastic and willing to share his interests. He helps willingly and cheerfully helps with the house chores we've assigned him. He's a good driver(in LA that's huge!). He doesn't drink, or drink and drive. He doesn't lie - like at all. He likes being in our home. He asks me to cook for him and has enough pride in his father's cooking that he shares it with his friends.</p><p>Comparing those characteristics with my own at the same age, he's a far better person that I was at his age. Matt, I'm proud of the person you are. It hasn't always been easy for me to think or say that, but it is true. As I look at where you are and who you're becoming, I would not have imagined it could come from that person I was at 20. I love you very much and I'm going to enjoy seeing what you become.</p><p>-Dad(Keith)</p>Keith Saderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09145968553823653526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326552774169818358.post-76146036626999568952020-10-07T17:05:00.001-07:002020-10-07T17:06:16.891-07:00A parable for 2020 Zeitgeist<p> President Donald J Trump reactivated the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_New_Jersey_(BB-62)" target="_blank">New Jersey</a> and it's battle group to show the amazing strength of the U.S. </p><p>While out on the shakedown cruise with Admiral Crown a sudden storm arose, knocking out radios and hampering visibility. Suddenly the bridge crew spotted a light ahead not moving toward either side of the massive battleship - indicating a collision was imminent. </p><p>BB-62(using light signals): Approaching ship, suggest you turn N or S to avoid collision</p><p> Unknown ship: Suggest you turn</p><p>BB-62: This is the New Jersey, not some commercial vessel. Suggest you change course.</p><p>US: Respectfully, I suggest you change course.</p><p>BB-62: (The President has noticed the situation and decided to intervene) This is Donald J Trump, President of the United States and Command-in-Chief of the armed forces, you will turn or this beautiful amazing battleship will crush you like a bug!</p><p>US: This is a lighthouse.</p><p>DJT: Admiral Crown, full speed ahead, you'll fly right over him!</p>Keith Saderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09145968553823653526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326552774169818358.post-84059419519292906292020-05-31T13:00:00.002-07:002020-05-31T13:00:48.318-07:00A long time coming...During this time of national home-dwelling, people have paid attention to George Floyd, Ahmaud Aubrey, and Breonna Taylor. It is long past time we had a reckoning of the police violence, and by extension white violence against black people. We are not the nation we say we are and that internal struggle will rend individuals apart much as it seems to be rending nation apart. We can no longer live in a nation where black people make up 13% of the general population but compose 67%+ of the prison population; no longer live in a world where your ZIP code, especially if you're black determines will almost unerring precision your destiny in economics and incarceration.<br />
<br />
There must be a larger movement in communities large and small to reign in the occupying police forces and replace them with partnering order-keepers. The heartbreak of seeing my city under curfew was somewhat alleviated by seeing a few police departments march with protesters. Let's have all of our municipal constabularies do such work. An officer who can say 'we agree with you, and we will be accountable to our public' will have much more moral authority than a force that dresses up in combat gear and initiates confrontation with the public they've sworn to serve.<br />
<br />
If our police forces continue to show and initiate violence towards the people they're sworn to protect, I suggest that anyone organizing the protest find out what their second amendment rights are and open-carry whenever possible. At this point, there is no need for violence, nor to make the first move, but we've all seen how beholden the white supremacist state is to angry people with guns. Be polite, be professional, but don't let anyone push you around - I'm paraphrasing the Mattis quote.<br />
<br />
The other thing that we must do is stop making viral images of black people dying. There are a couple of <a href="https://crookedtimber.org/2020/05/31/backlash-politics/" target="_blank">good</a> <a href="https://www.juancole.com/2020/05/cellphone-considered-photographs.html" target="_blank">articles</a> by better writers than I that make this point, read them. While we're on the point of reading, make sure to read _<a href="https://smile.amazon.com/White-Fragility-People-About-Racism/dp/0807047414/" target="_blank">White Fragility</a>_. This will help even though it's hard.<br />
<br />
I wish I was sad about the looting and burning, but I'm not. I'm not sure I can blame anyone that understands/has lived with 400+ years of black labor exploitation for the looting that occurred. At this point, it's barely a drop in terms of recompense of what has been stolen from black people.<br />
<br />
Ways to support black people:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Buy from black-owned businesses. Here's a <a href="http://www.lablackpost.com/black-directory/" target="_blank">link</a> to an LA version of that directory. A simple web search should find something similar where you live.</li>
<li>Donate at least to the following three places:</li>
<ol>
<li><a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd">https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd</a></li>
<li><a href="https://action.justiceforbreonna.org/sign/BreonnaWasEssential/">https://action.justiceforbreonna.org/sign/BreonnaWasEssential/</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/i-run-with-maud">https://www.gofundme.com/f/i-run-with-maud</a></li>
</ol>
<li>Before you call the cops on anyone, watch <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKeITMzMn7w" target="_blank">this</a>. </li>
<li>Be a better human, and don't let this initial burst of energy wane. Keep going, this is a marathon.</li>
</ol>
Keith Saderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09145968553823653526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326552774169818358.post-27868383063857200502020-03-23T16:40:00.003-07:002020-03-23T16:40:38.205-07:00Now would be a good time for remote workDuring this time of social distancing and remote work, it would be a great time to send all the Congresscritters home to their own states and districts. This is the best time to send the elected officials home to distantly meet their constituents and then keep them home except for ceremonial occasions. This is all in the name of containment of the virus after all.<br />
<br />
Want to go to D.C.? Justify the expense to your district and keep records of your expenses for reimbursement. Everything that's done in D.C. can be done remotely - shared documents, committee meetings, bloviating to empty chamber can all done far more cheaply in your home district.<br />
<br />
This will have the odd side-effect of breaking the monopoly on lobbying that D.C. holds. It would be a shame to dilute all of that lobbyist money out to Enid OK, Mesa AZ, or Hanover NH. Yeah it would be a shame that the corporate to be diluted.<br />
<br />
It will also put the representatives in closer contact to their voters. That would be terrible for them, they'd have to live under the laws they passed and live with the people affected. Indeed, it could be traumatizing for those poor people.<br />
<br />
Just a thoughtKeith Saderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09145968553823653526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326552774169818358.post-58375165994139458642016-11-16T12:04:00.001-08:002016-11-16T12:04:05.457-08:00Impress me CongressNot only do we get a new President but we get the same Congress. If we really want to shake things up and 'drain the swamp' let the new government consider the following:<br />
<ul>
<li>Eliminate coining the penny and nickel. They are both cost more to produce than they're worth and neither furthers commerce. </li>
<li><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/77C47XYm_3c/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/77C47XYm_3c?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></li>
<li>De-centralize the legislature. Move the representatives from the House back to their respective states. There's no reason for 'local' representatives to live in D.C. and thereby be within easy reach of K-street. With modern IT systems there's no need to send everyone to one city. Do this for the Senate as well. Keep the buildings and such for ceremonial duties.</li>
<li>While we've moved the reps back to the states, let's increase their numbers. The U.S. has had a set number of reps since <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apportionment_Act_of_1911" target="_blank">1913</a>. Each representative served 211k constituents. Today each rep serves 758k. I'm not sure how one person can represent 200k let alone 758k of people. If we want a people's house and not a second Senate, we've got to add more politicians.</li>
<li>Abolish the Electoral College. I'm not saying this from sour grapes, I'm saying that this system is antiquated to the needs of our republic.</li>
<li><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/G3wLQz-LgrM/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/G3wLQz-LgrM?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></li>
<li>Ranked-choice voting. The reason we have only two parties is that our election system (first-past-the-post) leads to it.</li>
<li>Make national elections a national holiday. Shouldn't we celebrate our republic?</li>
<li>Pay down/off the national debt. We almost had this in the early 2000s. Don't screw this up again. Here's a better idea from the right side of the aisle. Only allow the government to spend what it has collected in the previous year.</li>
<li>Add a national service system that parallels the military. I can think of no other equalizer of and to others than the armed forces, but not everyone wants to nor should risk their life.</li>
</ul>
<div>
I'm not holding out hope that any of these things will be done in the next session, but I could be surprised.</div>
Keith Saderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09145968553823653526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326552774169818358.post-91643396664266529402016-11-14T11:12:00.000-08:002016-11-14T11:12:11.879-08:00My thoughts on the recent POTUS election.The main feeling I get from this election is that the majority of people thought they had two choices<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>A lying politician whose bullshit they could see openly.</li>
<li>A lying politician whose bullshit couldn't be seen and wouldn't be acknowledged.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Given the choice of these two items, the EC granted #1 the win. And for all of the desire for change and draining the swamp, the same rats (90%+) were sent back to the swamp.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Given the results I have a few hunches on what will happen in the next few years.</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Rs will pass massively underfunded budgets and claim how awesome that they are since deficits and debt don't matter until there's a Democratic branch of government.</li>
<li>Rs will forget all about Presidential power abuses and not seek to re-constrain the executive branch powers</li>
<li>Rs will become victims of their own hubris and over-reach.</li>
<li>There will be a recession - we're overdue according to the Motley Fool podcast.</li>
</ul>
<div>
More thoughts later about what I'd like to see from an even vaguely functioning Congress.</div>
</div>
Keith Saderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09145968553823653526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326552774169818358.post-54255162083906422282015-07-12T21:24:00.001-07:002015-07-12T21:43:19.566-07:00Grief-enabled gamingI was going to title this twat-enabled gaming, but that seemed like the wrong thing to put in the title.<br />
<br />
In my past games with <a href="http://twitter.com/princessofworld" target="_blank">@princessofworld</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/banky" target="_blank">@banky</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewDPickard" target="_blank">@AndrewDPickard</a>, and others we always played games that while competitive never really put one player out of the rest of the game. Battlestar Galactica comes to mind, as does Dune and a few others. One can lose the game and still feel it was a good time. I have yet to lose BSG or Dune and feel left out of the action.<br />
<br />
However, there are those games that commit the ultimate player sin - wasting someone's time. The mechanics of these games enable that sin. Putting someone in a glass house and forcing them to watch the game play is sadistic.<br />
<br />
I've played five bouts of the 4X game Eclipse. This last game I played, I made a tactical mistake on turn two and had my next door player crush my homeworld on turn three. I was assured by the rest of the table that I wasn't out of it, so I continued. I waited and tried to take back my homeworld on a subsequent turn. This caused the neighbor to crush me again with what I considered an ostentatious over-kill. I am not proud of myself, but I was more than a bit upset about him re-routing the weakest player on the board. Hash and loud words were exchanged.<br />
<br />
I sat there fuming and doing essentially nothing for the next few hours. When the opponent finally started scorching my remaining worlds, I packed up and left, in a huff. There was another four of nine turns left in the game. The game enabled the asshole in me.<br />
<br />
I'm not mad at my opponent for taking advantage of a weaker neighbor and my play mistakes. What I am still upset about is that I was left crippled without a chance to play. This is a dick move. A better player would have finished me off quickly. If it were me, I would have explained to my opponent what mistake I capitalized on that allowed me to so quickly take his position. There's no sense in letting someone hang around who can't affect the outcome.<br />
<br />
Another instance was one of my last rounds with <a href="http://www.alderac.com/smashup/" target="_blank">SmashUp</a>. SmashUp has a lot of mess-with-your opponent mojo going for it. In general it's a pretty fun little game, but there is a faction whose power is basically to make everyone else at the table not play. On top of that they can give out negative victory points thereby making everyone else's game harder. This can be done while they themselves don't have to make winning moves. This entirely neuters the point of playing. Myself and other players sat for three or four turns <b>not playing</b>. I'm not sure what schedules other people have, but as a 40-something with a family, I can not play games in a much more productive manner at home.<br />
<br />
Then there's the <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/917237/fixing-lannistergreyjoy-starting-imbalance-options" target="_blank">Lannister</a> <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/917237/fixing-lannistergreyjoy-starting-imbalance-options" target="_blank">faction</a> from Game of Thrones. I'm about ready to give my copy away due to the fact that I've played them all five times I've played the game and they wind up being crippled by turn three or four. Again, playing a weaker starting position isn't the worst thing, but this game's mechanics encourage glass-housing.<br />
<br />
Games that enable this type of behavior even unintentionally are broken. I'm sure my Eclipse opponent is a decent enough fellow, but this type of game-enabled griefing left a bad taste in my mouth. I doubt I'll be invited back to play this game again and that's probably for the best. I'm going to give GoT one more try as not-Lannister to see how it goes.<br />
<br />
<br />Keith Saderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09145968553823653526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326552774169818358.post-72010035117616693202014-06-30T11:04:00.003-07:002014-06-30T11:16:49.093-07:00A tale of two corporationsFor those of you not following the SCOTUS, the high court handed down a <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2014_06/floodgates_open_on_corporate_r050997.php" target="_blank">decision</a> today that was met with great cheering by some and dreadful concern by others. From my perspective, it allows a specific type of company held by religious adherents to inflict their particular religious beliefs upon their employees.<br />
<br />
Hobby Lobby can now deny birth control to their female employees due to their owners *belief* that birth control pill, IUDs, and hormone injections are abortifacients. This belief is held in opposition to what biology tells us about how the female body works. This targets only one group of employees - women. There is nothing the owners of the company withhold from their male employees.<br />
<br />
Let's contrast this to where I work.<br />
<br />
As best I can tell, my workplace is a privately held corporation owned by conservative Jews. The owners will cater kosher meals for lunch meetings off of an approved vendor list. However, they don't mandate that all the employees observe kosher or sabbath rules on site(I can bring my ham sandwich to work on Saturday). This company will even expense lunches out for employees at non-kosher restaurants - shrimp pizza for our team today!<br />
<br />
So the question becomes, which employer is really more pious? Is it the one that inflicts their particular view of scripture on a set of employees, or is it the one that having had a history of persecution sets standards for themselves, but doesn't insist that the rest of the workers obey them as well?<br />
<br />
Update:<br />
Apparently Hobby Lobby was all too willing to let their and their employee's money grow with the <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2014/04/01/hobby-lobby-401k-discovered-to-be-investor-in-numerous-abortion-and-contraception-products-while-claiming-religious-objection/" target="_blank">suppliers</a> of birth control.<br />
<br />Keith Saderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09145968553823653526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326552774169818358.post-334104307074434992014-03-22T13:41:00.000-07:002014-03-22T13:41:00.545-07:00Running scaredThis is the tale of my first official half marathon race. The story is in this<a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/465634606" target="_blank"> Garmin Connect link</a>, but it's formatting is wretched.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #686868; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This is the tale of two races; the first nine miles and the next four. The race started and I was fine pacing at 9-ish or so, but I did notice the road was a bit uneven. "No matter" I thought, as long as my pace an heart rate were good I'd be fine.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #686868; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #686868; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">About mile six or seven I noticed my left knee was starting to hurt but I thought I'd just adjust my technique and it would be fine. It wasn't. Mile ten was that start of the hurt. It felt like someone was driving a ten-penny nail under my kneecap every time I tried to go at more than a walk. There is not rhythm you can sustain like that. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #686868; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #686868; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The next miles were me talking myself up and gutting it out, but it was starting to wear on me and sometime in mile twelve I seriously wondered if I was going to finish. I was hurt and upset. I'd never had knee problems before. These last three miles were walk/shuffle run/walk/repeat. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #686868; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #686868; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I came down the final hill(downhill was the worst) and as I made the final turn I was starting to get scared that my family would see me seriously injured just as I came in. My mind was focused on keeping a jog and not making any mis-step that would hurt my knee further. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #686868; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #686868; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I finished and I just couldn't speak. I was proud I'd finished but I was as scared as I'd ever been in a run. I just sat down and gathered myself because I think I would have sobbed had I continued to stand. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #686868; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #686868; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I gathered my medal and thought that this was the first time I was proud to get a participant medal. I wore it all the way out of the race area because I knew how much pain went into getting it around my neck. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #686868; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #686868; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm not going to run for a week. I'm going to relax, surf, and find a new gym. Next week I'll consider running again. I'm going to do another half-marathon because I know I can run it at a 9:00 pace if the knees hold together.</span></span>Keith Saderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09145968553823653526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326552774169818358.post-10339165955874356492014-01-27T13:01:00.001-08:002014-01-27T13:01:52.572-08:00In which I circle back to the beginningI've finally gotten off of my lazy butt and registered this domain at our original name - www.saderfamily.org. You're welcome. I'm glad all of my readers could wait eleven years for this to happen again. Who knows, it might lead to more regular posts.Keith Saderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09145968553823653526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326552774169818358.post-91963025535201333672013-08-16T14:30:00.000-07:002013-08-16T14:30:00.251-07:00Happy Birthday Mr. Life-changer.I started writing this blog deep in the winter of 2003. I was self-hosting and basically taking this up as a geek project. I also took it up to document the pregnancy and birth of my first child. Janet documented that quite <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20040511202505/http://www.saderfamily.org/roller/page/ksader/BabyStory" target="_blank">well</a>(sorry only 2 of 3 pages got archived).<br />
<br />
I was full of optimism at the future of my parenting. I still am, but I've got a better idea of who this child is. Here he is on his first day home:<br />
<a href="http://saderfamily.smugmug.com/Matthew-Kerac/First-Day-Home/6349603_WZDM45#!i=400943578&k=ZVzR5R9&lb=1&s=A" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://saderfamily.smugmug.com/Matthew-Kerac/First-Day-Home/i-ZVzR5R9/0/M/102_0201-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a>
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<br />
You may notice some developmental changes in this picture. Yes, that's the same onesie he wore home.<br />
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He's ten. He's the same age as our car and he's the reason we bought a house. I'm alternatively amazingly proud of him and insanely hostile to him as well. I love him more than he can fathom and I see so much of myself in him good and bad.<br />
<br />
I think Matthew is an orchid <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/12/the-science-of-success/307761/" target="_blank">child</a>. This is both blessing and curse. If I were a more serious parent, I'd make sure to tend to the ground and keep it fertilized. Unfortunately for him, I'm not much of a gardener. but he hasn't wilted yet.<br />
<br />
I wish you a very happy birthday son. You have changed my life in ways unexpected and awe-inspiring. I love you and I always will<br />
<br />Keith Saderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09145968553823653526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326552774169818358.post-84463405985211455742013-06-09T10:50:00.001-07:002013-06-09T10:50:51.558-07:00Santa Monica: not always paradise<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">It's
so weird. People keep checking with me to make sure we're okay after
Friday's fire and shooting and then saying how 'sad' it all is.<br /> <br /> It wasn't fucking sad! It was scary and tragic, and pissed me off! <br /> <br /> Being told that my kids are in a school on lock down and I can't get them if I want is frightening and stressful. Not sad.<br /> <br /> Having fire trucks and police blocking of the street two blocks away<span class="text_exposed_show">,
therefore causing all sorts of unexpected traffic issues (and
preventing me from getting to my kids' school) is obnoxious and scary,
not sad.<br /> <br /> Knowing that if I'd left the house 30 minutes sooner
(or the shooter started 30 minutes later) my life and my family's lives
could be drastically altered doesn't make me sad, it scares the shit out
of me.<br /> <br /> We're fine. The kids are fine (they had a boring
afternoon, unlike me). I'm extremely grateful for how alive we all are.
Just don't call it 'sad'.</span></span>Janethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02382705846931966715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326552774169818358.post-85340990664760953632013-04-05T19:44:00.002-07:002013-04-05T19:44:40.430-07:00Complex crystalToday I took my mother to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Cathedral">Crystal Cathedral</a>. It is a most impressive space and building. Even more impressive is the amount of money it took to get the whole thing going and running. I don't have the heart to tell my mother that it will be a Catholic church now.<br />
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<a href="http://saderfamily.smugmug.com/Family/Crystal-Cathedral/28776053_NhBSV3#!i=2442815871&k=gnHvtH6&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="240" src="http://saderfamily.smugmug.com/Family/Crystal-Cathedral/i-gnHvtH6/0/L/IMG_2211-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="320" /></a></div>
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Growing up my mother and I watched <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_H._Schuller">Dr. Schuller</a> together. He was odd then as a TV preacher who didn't preach hellfire & damnation. He preached a message of positive determination. He also preached perseverance - tough times don't last but tough people do! Of all of the people of faith I admired, he seemed to be the best.<br />
<br />
It was an odd thing to walk through this house of worship I saw on TV. I could remember how impressive it all looked. I can also now see how the TV missed the actual grandeur of the space. It's truly more impressive than it was on TV.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, I couldn't help but notice how it was worn. It's been thirty-three years since its completion and thirty-six since it started its TV career.<br />
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<a href="http://saderfamily.smugmug.com/Family/Crystal-Cathedral/28776053_NhBSV3#!i=2442819458&k=spBQ3J3&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://saderfamily.smugmug.com/Family/Crystal-Cathedral/i-spBQ3J3/0/S/IMG_2230-S.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://saderfamily.smugmug.com/Family/Crystal-Cathedral/28776053_NhBSV3#!i=2442818382&k=9JvKNWm&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://saderfamily.smugmug.com/Family/Crystal-Cathedral/i-9JvKNWm/0/S/IMG_2225-S.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div>
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The carpets have been walked, the seats have been sat, and the dust collected for many years. It fades much like all of human creation.<br />
<br />
My mother was thrilled to have seen it, and happy to have the grandkids in tow. I was happy to have a hand in making her trip even more memorable.<br />
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<a href="http://saderfamily.smugmug.com/Family/Crystal-Cathedral/i-GwfdHsX/0/S/IMG_2193-S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://saderfamily.smugmug.com/Family/Crystal-Cathedral/i-GwfdHsX/0/S/IMG_2193-S.jpg" /></a></div>
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I for one was impressed with the architecture, and yet unmoved by the pseudo-sanctity the emanated from this monument to an imaginary friend.<br />
<br />
My children asked me what a priest is/does. I told them that a priest is someone that speaks to imaginary friends. I hope they remember this trip and that lesson in time.<br />
<br />
The rest of the photos are <a href="http://saderfamily.smugmug.com/photos/swfpopup.mg?AlbumID=28776053&AlbumKey=NhBSV3">here</a>.<br />
<br />
I advise anyone to see this amazing edifice to religion; make of it what you will.Keith Saderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09145968553823653526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326552774169818358.post-5041957981532188362013-04-01T22:12:00.000-07:002013-04-01T22:16:56.420-07:00A sort of homecomingMy mother is visiting from Knob Noster MO. This is a cause for great celebration. I had very little hopes of ever getting here to visit since she is terrified of flying.<br />
<br />
Janet's BFF Kris saved the day by travelling with her on the train. This made my mother very happy and amused Kristina to no end.<br />
<br />
Today I took my mother and the kids to the <a href="http://www.californiasciencecenter.org/">California Science Center</a>, specifically to see the <a href="http://saderfamily.smugmug.com/Family/California-Science-Center-2013/28718530_jsFKtR#!i=2437192202&k=R4rkpbG&lb=1&s=A">Endeavor</a>. The science center is a sprawling edifice to technology. We didn't even see half of it between line waiting for the Endeavor and lunch. The part we did see was important.<br />
<br />
I often tell the story of being a child and watching the Apollo 11 launch into space. This left a lasting impression on me and led me to be fascinated with all things space. The Apollo program left within me a deep awe and reverence for all things space related.<br />
<br />
Seeing the Endeavor today was an awe-inspiring <a href="http://saderfamily.smugmug.com/photos/swfpopup.mg?AlbumID=28718530&AlbumKey=jsFKtR">experience</a>. It's one thing to see the shuttle land. It's still something far away. It's quite another thing to see it up close and in person. In person, it was the sum total of all of the science and exploration I had yearned and learned about my entire life. I was eight years old again, and wanting to blast off.<br />
<br />
Walking around the shuttle, I was so touched by the history, and effort to put this amazing machine into space it was hard to speak. Then I remembered the losses of Challenger and Columbia. Reagan's speech went through my head:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for the journey and waved goodbye and "slipped the surly bonds of earth" to "touch the face of God.</span></span></blockquote>
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<a href="http://saderfamily.smugmug.com/Family/California-Science-Center-2013/i-5KLGLw7/0/M/IMG_2157-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://saderfamily.smugmug.com/Family/California-Science-Center-2013/i-5KLGLw7/0/M/IMG_2157-M.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I also thought of how there is nothing else like this on the horizon and more than a moment of angst for my children. I told them both through a strained voice that I hoped something this awesome would be there for their lives as well. I walked around the massive machine again then wandered near the gift shop.<br />
<br />
Matthew was trying on astronaut jackets and I almost wept. There was my boy becoming an astronaut. I couldn't think of something that would make me prouder as a father. I hope he thinks about this day, and about space, and about how something out there touches him...<br />
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<br />Keith Saderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09145968553823653526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326552774169818358.post-23518913725334149192013-03-28T19:26:00.002-07:002013-03-28T19:26:30.896-07:00Ten years flew byAverage Jane posted about her <strike>ten</strike> <a href="http://averagejane.blogs.com/average_jane/2013/02/nine-years-of-average-jane.html" target="_blank">nine</a> years of blogging. This inspired me to write my own blog and in a way internet retrospective. I'm fairly sure I started blogging way back in January/February of <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20031115000000*/http://saderfamily.org" target="_blank">2003</a>.<br />
<br />
When I started blogging it was mostly as an attempt to certify my web java skills. I thought that if I set up my own webserver, with database backend, and hosting, that would get me the J2EE skills without the painful certification process.<br />
<br />
The blog itself was running on a very old version of RedHat, using the brand new Apache 2.x as a front end, and Tomcat (4?) to server the dynamic content. It was an amusing time in which I educated myself on a whole bunch of server-side tech.<br />
<br />
I also became a father, twice. My kids are now at the adorable stage, but they're getting big and soon they will stop looking to me as a cool funny dad, and start to question how I ever made it this far in life being as dumb as I am(sarcasm intended).<br />
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My predictions of bad consequences of the Iraq war and the Bush II administration seemed to have been born out by the past. At this point, the modern GOP is a cesspool in love with its own stink.<br />
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Many of the people I started blogging with have either passed away, lost interest, or have just been posting rarely. I'd like to give a huge link-fest to <a href="http://gonemild.com/" target="_blank">GoneMild</a>, <a href="http://averagejane.blogs.com/" target="_blank">AverageJane</a>, <a href="http://hipsubwg.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">XO</a>, <a href="http://wellhellmichelle.com/" target="_blank">WellHellMichelle</a>, <a href="http://www.notablereading.blogspot.com/">SoManyBooks...</a>, and <a href="http://myspyderweb.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">MySpyderWeb</a>. So many have gone to twitter, and yet you all still abide.<br />
<br />
California is everything I had hoped it would be. It is amazing, fruitful, and lovely. My family prospers, and every day can end with a trip to the ocean. We've yet to explore most of the state and yet there are still undiscovered wonders right outside our door.<br />
<br />
I'll leave you with this:<br />
<br />
Here is Ten Years After.<br />
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<br />Keith Saderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09145968553823653526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326552774169818358.post-56940519127060585612013-02-19T20:02:00.001-08:002013-02-19T20:02:18.799-08:00Facebook fast one week outSo far in being away from facebook I've found that<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>I'm more contemplative</li>
<li>I'm more plan focused</li>
<li>I'm less grumpy</li>
<li>I'm actually kind of decent at my job</li>
<li>I think about what I'd like to write about</li>
<li>I think about what I'd like to think about</li>
</ol>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
At this point I see no negatives to my absence from FB. I'm more social and less irked.</div>
Keith Saderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09145968553823653526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326552774169818358.post-43617234123764146362013-02-15T16:28:00.000-08:002013-02-15T16:28:04.379-08:00Guess what we found?That's right, we found our snapshot camera. It was lost in the little glove box under the passenger side seat. So here we have the pictures from that snapshot of time.<br />
<br />
Some blooming stuff from our house:<br />
<a href="http://saderfamily.smugmug.com/House/Blooming/28025559_x2wGjP#!i=2366802629&k=RmVHcRg&lb=1&s=A" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://saderfamily.smugmug.com/House/Blooming/i-RmVHcRg/0/M/IMG_2004-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a>
<br />
<br />
Josie on field trips:<br />
<a href="http://saderfamily.smugmug.com/Josie-Lynn/Underwood-Farm/28025392_7HXBVh#!i=2366787698&k=L4V7QgC&lb=1&s=A" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://saderfamily.smugmug.com/Josie-Lynn/Underwood-Farm/i-L4V7QgC/0/S/IMG_2012-S.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a>
<br />
<a href="http://saderfamily.smugmug.com/Josie-Lynn/Santa-Monica-Aquarium/28025457_SQZbZ7#!i=2366793076&k=FhHqfjT&lb=1&s=A" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://saderfamily.smugmug.com/Josie-Lynn/Santa-Monica-Aquarium/i-FhHqfjT/0/S/IMG_2034-S.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a>
<br />
<br />
And finally her epic six year birthday party:<br />
<a href="http://saderfamily.smugmug.com/Josie-Lynn/Six-years-old/28025508_fPQpMB#!i=2366798382&k=L4DxD8n&lb=1&s=A" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://saderfamily.smugmug.com/Josie-Lynn/Six-years-old/i-L4DxD8n/0/M/IMG_2054-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a>
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<br />Keith Saderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09145968553823653526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326552774169818358.post-30928154910844616092013-02-13T21:14:00.001-08:002013-02-13T21:14:06.536-08:00Darwin Day fastingYesterday was Darwin Day. It was also some other sorta kinda memorial proceedings called 'Lent'. As in I lent you my lawnmower and now I forgive you for never returning it.<br />
<br />
In honor of the spirit of evolution and giving up things, I have hereby stopped using FaceBook until Easter, or bunnies with candy come to my door. The reasons for this are simple. I'd like to find out what 'value' FaceBook adds to my life. I've had a hard time figuring out what that value is. It seems to make me short-tempered an intolerant. It's also kept me away from producing any original content or curating my families photos. Those two things seem more valuable to me than kitten/games/dumb repeaters.<br />
<br />
Let this be the first day of the rest of my internet life.Keith Saderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09145968553823653526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326552774169818358.post-59965425682007699662012-09-03T10:03:00.001-07:002012-09-03T10:03:40.257-07:00Unexpected passingsMy good friend <a href="https://plus.google.com/104073458708486873872/posts" target="_blank">Keith Mickunas</a> contacted me this last Saturday to pass on some news. Our mutual friend and colleague <a href="https://plus.google.com/103134392374991125945/posts" target="_blank">Randy Rathbun</a> had passed away. Randy had been fighting cancer, and I didn't expect him to pass quite so suddenly. I always thought there would be more warning - foolish me.<br />
<br />
Randy is one of the main reasons <a href="http://sader-mama.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Janet</a> and I got into blogging in the first place. You can see parts of his now defunct website from <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20030321223324/http://www.randyrathbun.org/" target="_blank">2003</a>. He was also kind enough to link to my own self-hosted <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20030411091524/http://www.saderfamily.org/roller/page/ksader/Weblog" target="_blank">effort</a>.<br />
<br />
Keith put in a great <a href="https://plus.google.com/104073458708486873872/posts/4YQVuPNmfT9" target="_blank">post</a> about Randy. He was a geek's geek, and one of the best nerds I know. I owe him more to my online life then I can ever sum up, but as well as Keith's listed qualities of nerd-dom, Randy was also kind, helpful, and pretty much always there for any technical issue. He was also the curator of the Jello Biafra newsgroup alt.fan.jello-biafra.<br />
<br />
As I look back upon the many years that I have known Randy, I realize how much of my internet and nerd-presence he influenced. I also realize how much better this planet was with him on it.<br />
<br />
You are missed Randy.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdeRjph2WwMmGkgjdMpaYv7x2ubXAth_115R1zO83381ZD6_dVLEk20fxGshAsmyaGcSLG3OX_eChA8lFmPlOM3HW7HkC_CtVZgftkRbXEY9P_UJGQIeZhSms9gb3yYoKF38HzDddgqzo/s1600/101-0113_IMG.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdeRjph2WwMmGkgjdMpaYv7x2ubXAth_115R1zO83381ZD6_dVLEk20fxGshAsmyaGcSLG3OX_eChA8lFmPlOM3HW7HkC_CtVZgftkRbXEY9P_UJGQIeZhSms9gb3yYoKF38HzDddgqzo/s400/101-0113_IMG.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Randy from our first ever KC bloggers gathering - March 24, 2003.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Keith Saderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09145968553823653526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326552774169818358.post-78222188141815349902012-05-11T09:32:00.001-07:002012-05-11T09:32:11.579-07:00Thinking of musicWhile using Spotify, I was qualifying music 'eras' and styles by decade and influential bands. These are bands that go on to inspire other musicians, not particularly bands that sell lots of records. Here's a rough list of decades & bands:<br />
<br />
70s - Led Zeppelin, Ramones, Sex Pistols, Rush, Sugarhilll Gang, Isley Brothers<br />
80s - Talking Heads, Pixies, Run DMC, The Clash, Elvis Costello<br />
90s - Nirvana, Soundgarden, NWA, Primus<br />
00s - ???, Death Cab? Jimmy Eat World? Dresden Dolls?<br />
<br />
It seems like I've missed a whole decade of bands that make other bands want to play music. I can think of popular bands, but I can't think of any influential ones. Where are they, did we lose a decade of music?Keith Saderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09145968553823653526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326552774169818358.post-72717037331793294962012-04-14T08:40:00.001-07:002012-04-14T08:41:51.548-07:00WritingThe way to get into something is to begin again, so let this be my re-entrance into writing. I need some way of doing usefully vague and interesting creative expository things and this seems to be a decent outlet.<br /><br />Once more dear friends, into the breach.Keith Saderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09145968553823653526noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326552774169818358.post-15137157879034066422011-11-07T20:32:00.001-08:002011-11-07T20:32:18.368-08:00First Android post<div><p>Nothing to see here, just playing around.</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WZk7aUD3gX7AndLbAJqJEO4fu_b0l2XAYs-rQ2skt9xyNvnAIDP1qoAiuX-uPbT7EVsLXIWH3Mlh7Bn1Rr9MWaW_DHIJmzrQpUG-4SXTgb0HybDsyfq0Gy9eP9NvoKhLdXcfJX2UcJA/' /></div>Keith Saderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09145968553823653526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326552774169818358.post-12973510181590898092011-10-11T13:16:00.004-07:002011-10-11T15:21:37.779-07:00I am the 6.5%I found a site via FB that actually seemed to merit a blog post explaining how working wages and paychecks actually work. The site is called <a href="http://the53.tumblr.com/">We are the 53</a>%. It's kind of hard to understate how smug and condescending these posts seem to be. To be fair, there are some inspring stories but as a whole I think the site could be titled 'being smug about people who earn less than I do'<br /><br />Everyone who earns a paycheck pays 1.5% in medicare taxes and <strike>6.4</strike> 4.4% (roughly) in FICA or Social security taxes. That's everyone who earns up to about $100k after that you get out of paying FICA - that's what's known as a 'tax break'. If you're self-employed, you get to double that tax break. After these withholdings, you get to pay your income tax based upon your 'tax bracket', and there after you file a return at the end of the year to verify your total tax bill.<br /><br />With the complexities of the math & deductions(children, mortgages, etc.) involved you can earn so little as to not pay any income tax whatsoever. These people are those 47% of citizens who don't pay taxes. Those people who work crap jobs trying to support kids, a house, etc but don't make enough to pay income tax. However, they don't escape the FICA, medicare, sales, or property taxes from their locales. So while those whiners, complainers, and handout-wanters didn't pay one particular tax because of their low wages, they did not escape the Federal or state taxman.<br /><br />It's more than likely that these lucky 47% who don't pay taxes mow your lawn, take out your trash, clean your buildings, etc. Some of them are even deadbeats who don't/won't work.<br /><br />Regardless, having been on both sides of this income breakdown, I'm not so sure what gives these 53% of citizens to look down on their fellow citizen and proclaim how awesome they are because they can *pay* the Federal Income tax. When I was paying *no* income tax, I didn't want these people had and generally considered them jerks. I'm pretty sure the rest of the 47% don't want a handout, but they'd sure like a raise, or some other way to be 'fortunate' enough to pay federal income taxes - I can't speak for any of them of course. However, I think the profound lack of empathy for other suffering people I can speak to, I hope none of these 53% never have the misfortune of being cast in the pit of sodomites that makes up those not in the 53%.<br /><br />Steve Benen covered this odd <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_04/023260.php">meme</a> and I think his words still ring true: <blockquote>From a purely philosophical perspective, wouldn't a study claiming that nearly half of U.S. households escape paying a federal income tax be good news for a political movement -- as well as its chief media enabler -- that rallies for lower taxes?</blockquote><br /><br />Mr. Benen discussed this <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_10/about_those_53_percent032744.php">again</a> as well.Keith Saderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09145968553823653526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326552774169818358.post-71537616589542116742011-06-04T14:50:00.001-07:002011-06-04T14:52:32.986-07:00Deep RPG secretsEver wonder what sort of heinous gaming I did while not finishing college - well now you can find out. I've listed all of my golden age of geekery books on <a href="http://shop.ebay.com/ksader/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686">ebay</a> in the hopes that someone will get more use out of them than I.Keith Saderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09145968553823653526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6326552774169818358.post-74369151108840478402011-05-29T18:33:00.002-07:002011-05-29T18:35:48.505-07:00Last day thoughtsI got several compliments on my departure email, so I thought I'd share it with the rest of my blog readers (certain stuff left out due to Garmin corp policy)<br /><br />It seems like such a short time ago I started at Garmin. There were six developers, four analysts, one data architect, and their manager all in the 2nd floor of the old building. It wasn't the IT of a multi-billion dollar company on a shoestring – it was on a thread. As I leave, I see an IT organization that has grown in size and capability that would have astounded the one I was part of four years ago. <br /><br />I would like to thank the following people for my time here at Garmin.<br /><br />Bert Pappas: without whom I wouldn't have known there was an IT developer opening which turned into a tech lead which turned into a system architect which turned into an opportunity to pursue a dream<br />...<br />Dr. Min Kao: for founding a company that has allowed me to expand my career and personal growth. I remember meeting Dr. Kao in the elevator during my orientation and thinking 'huh, he's just like another engineer - wow!' You don't meet many genuinely humble and human CEOs of billion-dollar corporation.<br /><br />There are so many wonderful people I'll be leaving and so many memories I take with me that I can't thank everyone enough. If you make it out to Santa Monica, please drop me an email, text, or phone call.<br /><br />Best regards and warmest wishes on everyone's future endeavors,Keith Saderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09145968553823653526noreply@blogger.com0