This week my wife and I went to Beaufort, SC to attend a friend's retirement ceremony, which capped a 30-year career in the United States Marine Corps. I met Keith at MCAS Tustin in 1997, when I was a Private First Class and he was a Corporal. At first he was a mentor. He took me under his wing and taught me practical application of Avionics. As time went by, we became close friends, spending a lot of time at the local dive bar drinking beer and playing pool. Towards the end of my enlistment, we both got married and lived one building away from each other in base housing. The Marine Corps by nature fosters close friendships, and ours was tight even by those standards.
After six years, I left the Marine Corps to pursue other endeavors, but Keith stayed in. He became a drill instructor around the time I returned to Iowa. We lost touch for about two decades, but he was never far from my mind. Finally, I found his wife on Facebook a couple of years ago. Late last summer, it hit me that I hadn't actually seen them for 20+ years, and mentioned that we should plan to get together. His wife said that he was retiring in February and that I should come out. A little bit of planning culminated with my wife and I driving to Beaufort for the ceremony and a long-overdue visit.
After a 16-hour drive, which included several hours of driving through the type of light snow that can induce highway hypnosis, and an awesomely fun drive through the winding roads of I-40 in western North Carolina, my wife and I arrived in Beaufort. I was greeted with a broad smile and a back-slapping man-hug that told me he had missed me as much as I had missed him. We got signed on base and checked into the base hotel, then it was off to his house to see his wife and start catching up.
At the house, I was greeted with an equally warm welcome by Keith's wife, and I was reintroduced to their son, met their daughter, and introduced everyone to my wife (who, for those of you not familiar with me, is a different wife than the spouse I lived with in base housing). I also met Mike, a Marine Corps Captain who has been friends with Keith for just shy of 20 years. I spent the rest of the night listening to Keith and Mike tell sea stories, asking them questions about today's Marine Corps, and reliving some Keith and Dave stories from the old days. Keith's wife, Mike's wife and my wife were in the next room, getting to know each other and probably telling "my-husband-is-such-a-dumbass" stories. Over the course of the evening, I decided that Mike was definitely a cool guy, and completely understood why Keith and he became such good friends. Keith and Mike had a golf date for the next day, and they invited me to come along. I had never golfed in my life, and I told them this. They explained that golf is a game to them, and I agreed to give it a try. Shortly after that, Keith's brother-in-law arrived. He's an avid golfer who can't play right now because of recent surgery. He offered to drive the cart and give me pointers so that I didn't embarrass myself too badly.
We spent the entire morning on the golf course, where I cracked my first beer before the mist had lifted from the green. (But then again, those of you who know me realize that I always start drinking early when I'm on vacation. Hey, you can take the Marine out of the Corps, but you can't take the Corps out of the Marine.) The four of us had a LOT of fun. I had a couple of awesome shots... a few whiffs... a couple of balls ended up in the drink... I became a master at getting out of the sand bunkers... we all talked smack about each others' games. I don't really know what to say beyond this, except that I'm chuckling out loud as I write this part of the story.
After finishing our round of golf, I took my wife to Parris Island boot camp, partially to rekindle some distant memories of my own boot camp, partially to give her a glimpse of a process that helped mold me into the man I am today. We visited the Parris Island Marine Corps museum, which far exceeded my expectations. From Parris Island, we returned to Keith and Toni's place for dinner, where Mike and his clan joined us. After dinner we played Cranium... boys against the girls. The girls started out kicking the boys' asses, but we rallied for a comeback. We started a second game, but didn't finish. The women were ahead, so we all agreed that the entire evening was a draw. Regardless of the outcome, it was an absolute blast. We all got to know each other better over several drinks and laughed mercilessly at one another's lame attempts to hum songs, impersonate famous people, draw, mold sculptures out of clay, and pretend to be a clam and drive low-riders. Sorry... inside joke from the game, but I know that everyone who was there that night just laughed out loud.
Next day was Keith's retirement ceremony. The Parris Island Marine Band played. The squadron did a pass in review. Keith got letters from the Commandant, the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, and President Obama. Mike spoke about their friendship and what Keith had taught him as a Marine and as a man. Keith spoke about what the Corps had given him. Toni was given flowers. I briefly questioned the wisdom of leaving the Marine Corps 21 years ago. There were a lot of misty eyes. And I'm sure a lot of the Marines in the formation were wishing they could go home. But that's just part of participating in a ceremony. For what it's worth, if you were one of the Marines who participated in Keith's retirement ceremony, I know that he appreciated it, and so did I. You may not have volunteered for the detail, but your presence was noticed and valued. Thank you for being there, and thank you for your service in general.
The retirement ceremony was over pretty quickly, and we moved to the Staff NCO club for the retirement party. There were many Staff NCOs, a few warrant officers, and a few field grade officers. I had the privilege of talking in depth with a Gunnery Sergeant (Mark) and a Master Sergeant (Mike) about today's Marine Corps, covering topics such as today's young Marines, our presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, the future of the Corps and a plethora of other topics that kept us all engaged for about an hour. I also spoke briefly with a Staff Sergeant who was an immigrant from Communist Poland. Keith came in during this conversation, and told the Staff Sergeant that he needed to tell his story to any Marine who would listen, because he was the embodiment of what makes America great.
Shortly after that, we moved back to Keith's house for the after party, which, oddly enough, included the exact same people who had been around for the last two days. We ate, drank and felt merry until late in the evening. There was a lot of smack talk and a ton of laughter. But it was time to go home because my wife and I needed to leave early the next morning. So we threw around the hugs, the handshakes and the Marine tongue-in-cheek insults. As my wife and I left the next day, I kept thinking that it was perfect. I wanted to stay an extra couple of days. It felt that I'd been away from Keith and Toni for 20 minutes, not 20 years. I loved getting to know Mike and his wife Amy. I greatly enjoyed Joe's company (even though he is a retired squid). They've all got great kids. Everyone made my wife feel welcome. This week forged a memory that will endure as long, and be remembered as fondly, as the the events that transpired when we were young Marines in the late 80's and early 90's.
Keith and Toni: It was incredible beyond words to see you all again. It's been two decades, but it seemed like 20 minutes. In my opinion, the ability to seamlessly pick up where you left off is the litmus test of friendship. Mike and Amy: I had a wonderful time meeting you. I wish that I could have spent more time getting to know you, and pray that our paths may cross again. Joe: It was great to meet you as well (even though you are a squid). Thank you for the golf lessons; it was a lot of fun hearing stories about Keith and Toni from your perspective. If you're ever in Iowa, look me up. To all of you. Thank you for making my wife feel welcome. I believe she enjoyed the visit almost as much as I did. She spoke very highly of you all.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Raising Minimum Wage
A friend of mine posted an on Facebook today. The article discussed eleven facts about minimum wage that President Obama failed to mention in his State of the Union address. Since Blogger appears to have some difficulty lately with links, here's the full URL of the original article...
http://thefederalist.com/2014/01/28/11-facts-about-the-minimum-wage-that-president-obama-forgot-to-mention-during-the-state-of-the-union/
The original article essentially argues against raising minimum wage. I would like to point out some counter-arguments from items asserted in the original article...
"...because nothing says “I deserve a raise” like refusing to show up to work..."
The Strike is a legal, time-honored method of seeking higher wages.
"Only 1 Percent Of The U.S. Labor Force Earns The Minimum Wage."
I will take this statement at face value, however, the article does not discuss the people who make more than current minimum wage, but less than the proposed new minimum wage of $10.10.
"Teenagers Comprise The Single Largest Age Group Of Minimum Wage Workers."
The point goes on to say that 31 percent of all minimum wage workers are between 16 and 19 years old. Okay... that means that 69 percent of all minimum wage workers are 20 or older. Using the article's own math, 45 percent of those making minimum wage are 25 or older! Have you tried living on minimum wage? Have you tried raising a family on minimum wage?
"... 25.5 percent of all minimum wage workers work in sales and related occupations..."
"26.1 percent of all minimum wage workers work in food perparation and serving related occupations..."
Again, they're missing the point. Waiters and waitresses generally work for LESS than minimum wage (because of a loophole in minimum wage law). Also, many who work on commission make zero if they don't make a sale. These occupations are kind of beside the point of minimum wage anyway. Servers are compensated by tips. Sales personnel have additional motivation to sell, and are in a position to make a great deal more than minimum wage through commissions.
"A Majority Of Them Also Worked Less Than 30 Hours Per Week"
"Less Than One-Third Worked Full-Time"
Yep. I totally agree. I would also asssert that this is the employer's choice, not the employee's. Employers don't have to give as many benefits to part-time workers. In fact, I believe that a lot of minimum wage workers are working multiple part-time, minimum wage jobs, which skews the author's first point even further.
"One-Third Of Minimum Wage Workers Either Dropped Out Of Or Never Attended High School"
Okay, I agree with this. If you don't work hard, it's harder to get ahead. That's a fact of life.
"There Are Nearly Six Times More Minimum Wage Workers Today Than In 2007"
Isn't that another reason to raise minimum wage? Statistic after statistic shows an increasing divide between the haves and the have-nots, and a shrinking middle class. Both of these indicate that it's time to raise minimum wage.
"A Change In The Minimum Wage Often Triggers Union Wage Hikes And Benefit Renegotiations"
Again, what's wrong with giving the working man a bit more of the pie?
A couple of final take-aways from the original article...
Raising the minimum wage would theoretically reduce the number of people eligible for public assistance, though I will concede that I don't have the statistics to back me up, and the Federal Government would undoubtedly adjust this as the economy adjusts to the increased minimum wage.
A large point of the original article is to minimize the impact of raising minimum wage. Okay, if it's not a big deal, then why is corporate America fighting it so hard?
I also want to point out that I make more than minimum wage, and I don't work in a union job. I will not benefit directly from raising minimum wage, but I support it.
Finally... I have included some links for further reading. These articles present both sides of the argument, so you can make up your own mind.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/12/03/so-lets-look-at-what-happens-when-they-raise-the-minimum-wage-in-bangladesh/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/02/14/why-economists-are-so-puzzled-by-the-minimum-wage/
http://www.aei.org/article/economics/fiscal-policy/labor/why-we-shouldnt-raise-the-minimum-wage/
http://www.npr.org/2012/07/08/156458470/raising-minimum-wage-a-help-or-harm
http://www.raisetheminimumwage.com/pages/job-loss
http://thefederalist.com/2014/01/28/11-facts-about-the-minimum-wage-that-president-obama-forgot-to-mention-during-the-state-of-the-union/
The original article essentially argues against raising minimum wage. I would like to point out some counter-arguments from items asserted in the original article...
"...because nothing says “I deserve a raise” like refusing to show up to work..."
The Strike is a legal, time-honored method of seeking higher wages.
"Only 1 Percent Of The U.S. Labor Force Earns The Minimum Wage."
I will take this statement at face value, however, the article does not discuss the people who make more than current minimum wage, but less than the proposed new minimum wage of $10.10.
"Teenagers Comprise The Single Largest Age Group Of Minimum Wage Workers."
The point goes on to say that 31 percent of all minimum wage workers are between 16 and 19 years old. Okay... that means that 69 percent of all minimum wage workers are 20 or older. Using the article's own math, 45 percent of those making minimum wage are 25 or older! Have you tried living on minimum wage? Have you tried raising a family on minimum wage?
"... 25.5 percent of all minimum wage workers work in sales and related occupations..."
"26.1 percent of all minimum wage workers work in food perparation and serving related occupations..."
Again, they're missing the point. Waiters and waitresses generally work for LESS than minimum wage (because of a loophole in minimum wage law). Also, many who work on commission make zero if they don't make a sale. These occupations are kind of beside the point of minimum wage anyway. Servers are compensated by tips. Sales personnel have additional motivation to sell, and are in a position to make a great deal more than minimum wage through commissions.
"A Majority Of Them Also Worked Less Than 30 Hours Per Week"
"Less Than One-Third Worked Full-Time"
Yep. I totally agree. I would also asssert that this is the employer's choice, not the employee's. Employers don't have to give as many benefits to part-time workers. In fact, I believe that a lot of minimum wage workers are working multiple part-time, minimum wage jobs, which skews the author's first point even further.
"One-Third Of Minimum Wage Workers Either Dropped Out Of Or Never Attended High School"
Okay, I agree with this. If you don't work hard, it's harder to get ahead. That's a fact of life.
"There Are Nearly Six Times More Minimum Wage Workers Today Than In 2007"
Isn't that another reason to raise minimum wage? Statistic after statistic shows an increasing divide between the haves and the have-nots, and a shrinking middle class. Both of these indicate that it's time to raise minimum wage.
"A Change In The Minimum Wage Often Triggers Union Wage Hikes And Benefit Renegotiations"
Again, what's wrong with giving the working man a bit more of the pie?
A couple of final take-aways from the original article...
Raising the minimum wage would theoretically reduce the number of people eligible for public assistance, though I will concede that I don't have the statistics to back me up, and the Federal Government would undoubtedly adjust this as the economy adjusts to the increased minimum wage.
A large point of the original article is to minimize the impact of raising minimum wage. Okay, if it's not a big deal, then why is corporate America fighting it so hard?
I also want to point out that I make more than minimum wage, and I don't work in a union job. I will not benefit directly from raising minimum wage, but I support it.
Finally... I have included some links for further reading. These articles present both sides of the argument, so you can make up your own mind.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/12/03/so-lets-look-at-what-happens-when-they-raise-the-minimum-wage-in-bangladesh/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/02/14/why-economists-are-so-puzzled-by-the-minimum-wage/
http://www.aei.org/article/economics/fiscal-policy/labor/why-we-shouldnt-raise-the-minimum-wage/
http://www.npr.org/2012/07/08/156458470/raising-minimum-wage-a-help-or-harm
http://www.raisetheminimumwage.com/pages/job-loss
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Xbox One Follow-Up Review
Per RayRay's request, I'm doing a follow-up on my initial Xbox One review.
For the most part, I'm as happy with it today as I was the day I set it up. I'm still pleasantly surprised with the quality of the voice commands, but I must admit that it annoyed me when my older daughter decided to mess with me by saying "Xbox pause" during the middle of my favorite shows. That little prank was short-lived though, when she realized that two could play that game.
There's also a cool smart phone add-on called Xbox One SmartGlass, which allows you to control the Xbox from your smart phone. My favorite use of this so far was to randomly pause Netflix when my brother-in-law was watching something. That, by the way, was a one-time prank... I wanted to play a practical joke, not piss him off.
On the downside, there's a severe shortage of split-screen games. Though we use Xbox one as our media hub, I miss playing split-screen games with my kids. Hopefully this will work itself out as more games are released. (I considered Forza 5, but I'm not going to spend $60 on a game that effectively requires you to buy add-ons through micro-transactions. Note to the gaming industry: If this is the way you want to go, I will NOT be buying your games!)
My last complaint seems to be working itself out. For a couple of weeks around Christmas, we were having problems signing on to Xbox Live, Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Prime. This isn't a big deal for me, because I use my PC as a backup method of connecting to Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Prime. It was, however, inconvenient and irritating... especially when it acted up after I went to bed and my daughter woke me up because she couldn't watch her favorite shows. These inconveniences, however, should be expected when you're an early adopter of a new technology. Let me correct that... it SHOULDN'T be expected, but it's an unfortunate fact of life.
Overall, I'm still pleased with the XBox One. I just bought my second game (Battlefield 4) and when it comes to gaming, I still believe that the Xbox One is a major improvement to its predecessor. There are several games I'm looking forward to purchasing and playing.
For the most part, I'm as happy with it today as I was the day I set it up. I'm still pleasantly surprised with the quality of the voice commands, but I must admit that it annoyed me when my older daughter decided to mess with me by saying "Xbox pause" during the middle of my favorite shows. That little prank was short-lived though, when she realized that two could play that game.
There's also a cool smart phone add-on called Xbox One SmartGlass, which allows you to control the Xbox from your smart phone. My favorite use of this so far was to randomly pause Netflix when my brother-in-law was watching something. That, by the way, was a one-time prank... I wanted to play a practical joke, not piss him off.
On the downside, there's a severe shortage of split-screen games. Though we use Xbox one as our media hub, I miss playing split-screen games with my kids. Hopefully this will work itself out as more games are released. (I considered Forza 5, but I'm not going to spend $60 on a game that effectively requires you to buy add-ons through micro-transactions. Note to the gaming industry: If this is the way you want to go, I will NOT be buying your games!)
My last complaint seems to be working itself out. For a couple of weeks around Christmas, we were having problems signing on to Xbox Live, Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Prime. This isn't a big deal for me, because I use my PC as a backup method of connecting to Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Prime. It was, however, inconvenient and irritating... especially when it acted up after I went to bed and my daughter woke me up because she couldn't watch her favorite shows. These inconveniences, however, should be expected when you're an early adopter of a new technology. Let me correct that... it SHOULDN'T be expected, but it's an unfortunate fact of life.
Overall, I'm still pleased with the XBox One. I just bought my second game (Battlefield 4) and when it comes to gaming, I still believe that the Xbox One is a major improvement to its predecessor. There are several games I'm looking forward to purchasing and playing.
Saturday, January 11, 2014
The Justice System is Flawed
I lost a large portion of what little faith I had remaining in the criminal justice system this week.
Back in 2011, my daughter's sleazeball ex-boyfriend was charged with first degree burglary and several other charges. Based on what I've been able to learn from public record, his entire family (meaning dipsh!+, his parents, and his minor sister) broke into an area business and stole five to six figures worth of cash and merchandise. Jack@$$ agreed to a plea bargain, and pled guilty to first degree burglary. In exchange for his guilty plea, all other charges were dropped, and he will be on probation for three years and be required to pay fines and restitution. Assuming that he complies with all conditions of his probation, his record will be expunged. Generally speaking, I would not have an issue with this. Everybody makes mistakes, and everyone should be entitled to a second chance. But in this case, I disagree. For those of you not familiar with this lowlife, let me give you a little more information that will convince you too that he should be behind bars.
Since originally being charged in early 2011 (just shy of three years ago), he's exhibited an unwilliness and/or inability to limit his behavior to legal activity. In June of 2013, he assaulted me, breaking my nose. In July of 2013, he ran over my daughter with his pickup truck, breaking her wrist and ankle. Later that month, he and a friend were charged with first degree theft after stealing over 10,000 worth of merchandise.
His behavior has been bad enough that DHS became involved; he has been ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation, a drug abuse evaluation, to submit a family history sheet, submit to random drug testing, and he is only allowed two one-hour supervised visits with his son per week. Despite claiming that his son is "the most important thing" in his life, Dipsh!+ has missed approximately 1/3 of his scheduled visits, only complied with the court orders after being forced, and has failed urinalysis tests.
The final straw, in my opinion, is his contempt for the court system. After agreeing to the plea deal, he skipped his sentencing three times. Each time he skipped, he was arrested and ordered to pay an increasing amount of bail. So... the guy commits first degree burglary with his family... breaks my nose... runs over my daughter with a truck... fails court-ordered drug tests... and skips his sentencing. Like I said, everyone deserves a second chance, but this guy blew his second... and third... and fourth... chance before he was sentenced.
I realize and support the rationale for his sentencing. Everyone is presumed innocent, and remains so until proven guilty. I understand that he's not yet been convicted for the three subsequent crimes. I just hope that the system is serious about enforcing the terms of his probation. The fact is, sleazeball ex-boyfriend doesn't give a sh!+ about anyone or anything except himself, and he's unwilling to behave within the confines of the law. I believe that he's unredeemable. It's in society's best interest to get his @$$ to jail. Unfortunately, I am skeptical that anything serious will occur, except for maybe a month or two in jail, more fines, and longer probation.
Back in 2011, my daughter's sleazeball ex-boyfriend was charged with first degree burglary and several other charges. Based on what I've been able to learn from public record, his entire family (meaning dipsh!+, his parents, and his minor sister) broke into an area business and stole five to six figures worth of cash and merchandise. Jack@$$ agreed to a plea bargain, and pled guilty to first degree burglary. In exchange for his guilty plea, all other charges were dropped, and he will be on probation for three years and be required to pay fines and restitution. Assuming that he complies with all conditions of his probation, his record will be expunged. Generally speaking, I would not have an issue with this. Everybody makes mistakes, and everyone should be entitled to a second chance. But in this case, I disagree. For those of you not familiar with this lowlife, let me give you a little more information that will convince you too that he should be behind bars.
Since originally being charged in early 2011 (just shy of three years ago), he's exhibited an unwilliness and/or inability to limit his behavior to legal activity. In June of 2013, he assaulted me, breaking my nose. In July of 2013, he ran over my daughter with his pickup truck, breaking her wrist and ankle. Later that month, he and a friend were charged with first degree theft after stealing over 10,000 worth of merchandise.
His behavior has been bad enough that DHS became involved; he has been ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation, a drug abuse evaluation, to submit a family history sheet, submit to random drug testing, and he is only allowed two one-hour supervised visits with his son per week. Despite claiming that his son is "the most important thing" in his life, Dipsh!+ has missed approximately 1/3 of his scheduled visits, only complied with the court orders after being forced, and has failed urinalysis tests.
The final straw, in my opinion, is his contempt for the court system. After agreeing to the plea deal, he skipped his sentencing three times. Each time he skipped, he was arrested and ordered to pay an increasing amount of bail. So... the guy commits first degree burglary with his family... breaks my nose... runs over my daughter with a truck... fails court-ordered drug tests... and skips his sentencing. Like I said, everyone deserves a second chance, but this guy blew his second... and third... and fourth... chance before he was sentenced.
I realize and support the rationale for his sentencing. Everyone is presumed innocent, and remains so until proven guilty. I understand that he's not yet been convicted for the three subsequent crimes. I just hope that the system is serious about enforcing the terms of his probation. The fact is, sleazeball ex-boyfriend doesn't give a sh!+ about anyone or anything except himself, and he's unwilling to behave within the confines of the law. I believe that he's unredeemable. It's in society's best interest to get his @$$ to jail. Unfortunately, I am skeptical that anything serious will occur, except for maybe a month or two in jail, more fines, and longer probation.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Xbox One Initial Review
Let me start by saying I don't consider myself a Microsoft Fanboy, despite owning every version of the Xbox that Microsoft has produced. My goal here is not to gush about the virtues of the Xbox One, while overlooking any shortcomings. Instead, I plan to give you a quick write-up of my first day of experience with the new Xbox offering. My motivation for purchasing the Xbox One was not a need or desire to be an early adopter. The deciding factor was significantly more mundane... my 360 stopped reading my disks, leaving me with the choice of buying a new 360, or upgrading to Xbox One. Since I'm writing a review on Xbox One, my choice should be obvious.
Let's start with the setup. It was straight forward, with no glitches or gotchas. There was an immediate software update required, which 500 meg, and took a bit to finish. In fact, the initial update doubled the time needed for the setup. The first boot-up, and the one immediately after the software upgrade seemed slow, when compared to the Xbox. After the updates, I migrated my settings, which was a snap. I simply had to enter the email address and password associated with my existing Xbox 360 account, and everything was transferred. This migration was something that Microsoft got 100% right! I do not know, however, if you can go back to the 360 after migrating to Xbox One. It does, however, look like you can sign on to a different Xbox (at a friend's house, for example) and access YOUR downloaded games, music and movies. (I haven't verified this firsthand though.)
Next, I spent some time playing with the Kinect and voice commands. I was very impressed with how well the Kinect recognized me as an individual. My wife walked in and out of the room several times, and each time, the Kinect recongized me. I was also impressed with the voice commands. I'm not going to say it was flawless, but I will say I suspect that errors were based on my misunderstanding of command synatax, rather than the Xbox failing to understand my speech.
After spending some time with Kinect, I downloaded Netflix, Hulu and Amazon. Once again I was impressed... Netflix and Hulu settings transferred with my profile. All I had to do for Amazon was enter the username and password. I was initially a bit concerned that these apps might not be ready on launch day, but was happily to see them. In fact, I'm pleased to see the wide array of available apps.
Finally, after a brief eternity, I got around to trying out the gaming, which in my case is Ryse. I didn't spend a lot of time playing the game... my goal was to have everthing up and running when the kids got home. But I will say this... I like how the controller feels. I like how the game looks and plays. I do not, once again, like how long the game took to install and load initially.
Overall, I'm very happy with the purchase. Setup was a breeze; all of my must-have apps were available, and gameplay looks to be very immersive. The only issues I have are with install/update speed.
Let's start with the setup. It was straight forward, with no glitches or gotchas. There was an immediate software update required, which 500 meg, and took a bit to finish. In fact, the initial update doubled the time needed for the setup. The first boot-up, and the one immediately after the software upgrade seemed slow, when compared to the Xbox. After the updates, I migrated my settings, which was a snap. I simply had to enter the email address and password associated with my existing Xbox 360 account, and everything was transferred. This migration was something that Microsoft got 100% right! I do not know, however, if you can go back to the 360 after migrating to Xbox One. It does, however, look like you can sign on to a different Xbox (at a friend's house, for example) and access YOUR downloaded games, music and movies. (I haven't verified this firsthand though.)
Next, I spent some time playing with the Kinect and voice commands. I was very impressed with how well the Kinect recognized me as an individual. My wife walked in and out of the room several times, and each time, the Kinect recongized me. I was also impressed with the voice commands. I'm not going to say it was flawless, but I will say I suspect that errors were based on my misunderstanding of command synatax, rather than the Xbox failing to understand my speech.
After spending some time with Kinect, I downloaded Netflix, Hulu and Amazon. Once again I was impressed... Netflix and Hulu settings transferred with my profile. All I had to do for Amazon was enter the username and password. I was initially a bit concerned that these apps might not be ready on launch day, but was happily to see them. In fact, I'm pleased to see the wide array of available apps.
Finally, after a brief eternity, I got around to trying out the gaming, which in my case is Ryse. I didn't spend a lot of time playing the game... my goal was to have everthing up and running when the kids got home. But I will say this... I like how the controller feels. I like how the game looks and plays. I do not, once again, like how long the game took to install and load initially.
Overall, I'm very happy with the purchase. Setup was a breeze; all of my must-have apps were available, and gameplay looks to be very immersive. The only issues I have are with install/update speed.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Reflecting on my Enlistment
Tomorrow, November 10, the U.S. Marine Corps will celebrate its 238th birthday. As is the case this time every year, I make a point to watch the Commandant's message, and inevitably, I end up reflecting on my own service as a Marine. Year after year I reach the same conclusions...
First, I stand in awe of today's Marines. I enlisted as a peacetime Marine. I never expected to be involved in any conflicts. And when I was tapped for missions, they weren't like the Afghanistan or Iraq wars of today. I was asked to participate in Operation Earnest Will, which was essentially mine sweeping operations and oil tanker escorting in the Persian Gulf. Later, I was a participant in Desert Shield and Desert storm. Desert Storm was, to borrow a phrase, "A Splendid Little War." We walked over an unwilling, demoralized opponent. Today's Marines are combatting highly-motivated guerilla-style opponents. If Desert Storm was the Spanish-American War, then today's Marines are fighting something more like Korea or Vietnam. Furthermore, all Marines serving today knew what they were getting into when they raised their right hand and swore "to support and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Compared to today's Marines, I had it easy.
My other conclusion is that I am a better Marine today than I was during my actual enlistment. As I said earlier, I joined the Corps as a peacetime Marine; and though every Marine is a rifleman, I didn't really take that creed to heart. I did my job well, but I had a difficult time submitting to authority. Furthermore, it was difficult to be promoted from Corporal to Sergeant; instead of knuckling down and doing my best, I became discouraged. I let my hair grow longer than regulations allowed. I quit PT. My uniform was clean, but not crisp, and my boots were buffed but rarely spit-shined. I (mistakenly) believed that I was a lot smarter than my peers and my superiors. I loved my actual job, and I loved the idea of being a Marine, but I knew that I wouldn't be making the Marine Corps a career. It took me two decades to truly appreciate my beloved Corps. Today, I voluntarily keep my hair short (partially because it's receding). I regularly exercise and if I took a Marine Corps PFT today, I would likely get a first class score. I take pride in my appearance, though not to the point of vanity. In the face of adversity, I tackle the problem without becoming discouraged. I don't fight authority just for the sake of being difficult (but I also don't simply submit to authority because they say so).
My enlistment in the Marine Corps entails less than 15% of my total life experience. But now, having some distance and perspective, I acknowledge that the Corps has had an oversized influence on who I am as a man today. The Marine Corps gave me a great many experiences, and it instilled or developed several positive character traits. I am proud to be a Marine. But again, I stand in reverence of those who have followed in my footsteps, and I freely admit that I'm a better Marine today than I was twenty-five years ago.
First, I stand in awe of today's Marines. I enlisted as a peacetime Marine. I never expected to be involved in any conflicts. And when I was tapped for missions, they weren't like the Afghanistan or Iraq wars of today. I was asked to participate in Operation Earnest Will, which was essentially mine sweeping operations and oil tanker escorting in the Persian Gulf. Later, I was a participant in Desert Shield and Desert storm. Desert Storm was, to borrow a phrase, "A Splendid Little War." We walked over an unwilling, demoralized opponent. Today's Marines are combatting highly-motivated guerilla-style opponents. If Desert Storm was the Spanish-American War, then today's Marines are fighting something more like Korea or Vietnam. Furthermore, all Marines serving today knew what they were getting into when they raised their right hand and swore "to support and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Compared to today's Marines, I had it easy.
My other conclusion is that I am a better Marine today than I was during my actual enlistment. As I said earlier, I joined the Corps as a peacetime Marine; and though every Marine is a rifleman, I didn't really take that creed to heart. I did my job well, but I had a difficult time submitting to authority. Furthermore, it was difficult to be promoted from Corporal to Sergeant; instead of knuckling down and doing my best, I became discouraged. I let my hair grow longer than regulations allowed. I quit PT. My uniform was clean, but not crisp, and my boots were buffed but rarely spit-shined. I (mistakenly) believed that I was a lot smarter than my peers and my superiors. I loved my actual job, and I loved the idea of being a Marine, but I knew that I wouldn't be making the Marine Corps a career. It took me two decades to truly appreciate my beloved Corps. Today, I voluntarily keep my hair short (partially because it's receding). I regularly exercise and if I took a Marine Corps PFT today, I would likely get a first class score. I take pride in my appearance, though not to the point of vanity. In the face of adversity, I tackle the problem without becoming discouraged. I don't fight authority just for the sake of being difficult (but I also don't simply submit to authority because they say so).
My enlistment in the Marine Corps entails less than 15% of my total life experience. But now, having some distance and perspective, I acknowledge that the Corps has had an oversized influence on who I am as a man today. The Marine Corps gave me a great many experiences, and it instilled or developed several positive character traits. I am proud to be a Marine. But again, I stand in reverence of those who have followed in my footsteps, and I freely admit that I'm a better Marine today than I was twenty-five years ago.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Another Fitness Goal Achieved
I hit another physical fitness goal today. This was the last of my original goals that I hadn't yet achieved. Today I finally managed to do a set of 50 push-ups. When I set my original goals, I estimated that I'd hit all of my goals within six months. It took me a bit over a year to be able to do 50 push-ups. I should clarify though, that I have NEVER done a set of 50 push-ups, so I'm not upset about needing a year to hit that milestone... I'm happy that I achieved it at all.
Now, it's on to my next goal, which is to do 50 push-ups, a First Class Marine Corps PFT, and swim a mile in one mega-workout session. I can realistically do two in any given session. I hope to be able to hit my next goal within the next six months (which means that it may take another year).
Now, it's on to my next goal, which is to do 50 push-ups, a First Class Marine Corps PFT, and swim a mile in one mega-workout session. I can realistically do two in any given session. I hope to be able to hit my next goal within the next six months (which means that it may take another year).
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