People to Politicians: Do Your Job!!!!!

In my view the election results are very clear... incumbents won everywhere... nationally, statewide and locally. And, if the rest of the country is like Michigan, ballot proposals were rejected also. This tells me the people are giving a clear message to the politicians... We are tired of replacing elected officials and getting the same results, so do your job and get things done!

Growing up as a Baby Boomer

They survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. Their mothers took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes. As infants they were put to sleep on their stomachs in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

There were no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets. When they rode their bikes they had baseball caps not helmets on their heads. As infants & children they would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, and no air bags. Riding in the back of a pick-up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.

They drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. They shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this. They ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon, and drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And, they weren't overweight. WHY?  Because they were always outside playing...that’s why!

They would leave home in the morning and play all day as long as they were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach them all day, and, they were O.K. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no DVD movies, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no internet and no chat rooms. THEY HAD FRIENDS and they went outside and found them!

They fell out of trees, got cut and broke bones and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. They were given BB guns for 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although they were told it would happen, they did not put out any eyes. They rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them. Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

These generations have produced some of the best Risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. They had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and they learned how to deal with it all.

Are the kids really better off now that the lawyers and the government has regulated so much of our lives for our own good.

Kind of makes me want to run through the house with scissors!

CSDD: A New Mental Health Diagnosis

Today I was thinking about how Facebook has changed its format. Then I thought about how Microsoft continually changes the format and menus on its software. Then I thought about how Google has recently changed the format of Gmail. Personally I have not talked to anyone who likes the changes that are made to any of those (or other software for that matter). At work everyone complains when they hear of Microsoft coming out with a new version of Office...because they all have to totally re-learn every program used in the Office Suite. And its not just the re-learning, its that the new format/design is usually less intuitive than the previous one! It is rumored that use of anti-anxiety medications by office professionals spikes after the release of a new version of Office Professional.

Why is it that software developers create a piece of software or a website that people just love...and then after it becomes popular they start changing it...for no apparent reason.

Then my training as a Psychology Professor clicked in and it struck me! The age of technology has resulted in a new Psychiatric Diagnosis - Compulsive Software Development Disorder or CSDD for short!

It is the compulsive need by software designers to constantly change their software in ways that do not improve the functionality of the software. At the same time the changes they make to the software are found to be incredibly annoying to the users of the software. It is the type of disorder that, if not treated immediately, will accelerate in occurrence. Software begins to be revised more and more frequently resulting in greater level of anxiety among the users of the software. The sufferer often uses energy drinks and other stimulants. At this time there is no known cure other than for users of the software in question to discontinue use and put the company out of business.

Note: This commentary is meant to be humorous...it is not true and no harm is intended to any parties.