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By BarryG, April 30, 2010 12:34 am

In my judgment, the word “Ambivalence” is grossly misunderstood.  I often hear it mistakenly used as a fancy synonym of ‘Indifference’.  More painfully, the majority of the times I’ve used the word in important conversations, I’ve been improperly chastised for my indifference.

At the risk of sounding pedantic, I’d like to help clear up this confusion.  These two words are NOT equivalent.  In fact, ambivalence is an antonym of indifference.  Indifference implies a lack of interest or concern.  Ambivalence, on the other hand, implies the simultaneous existence of conflicting interests or concerns.  When I use the term, I use it to highlight the fact that I have very strong feelings both for and against a particular idea or issue.  I use the word when I just can’t fucking make up my mind! 

Continue reading 'Ambivalence. -Noun'»

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By BarryG, September 18, 2009 12:07 am

I have worked at Microsoft for just under 14 years.  Till now, I have unfailingly been a Microsoft bigot — partly because I am a shareholder and my compensation depends on it but also because I always believed in the company.  For the vast majority of my career (and even before I worked at Microsoft), I believed that Microsoft was changing the world for the better.  This was particularly true with my first group at MS: the SQL Server team.  This team of awe-inspiring individuals took an esoteric technology that used to be the sole domain of lab-coated rocket scientists and made it accessible to millions upon millions of people and businesses.  That team did nothing less than democratize relational database technology (really enterprise software technology) in a way that was previously unimaginable.  That sort of work, while driving a shitload of revenue, had more than its share of nobility.  And because of that sense of mission, I never found it tough or illogical to be a Microsoft bigot.

Continue reading 'Irony'»

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By BarryG, September 17, 2009 11:07 pm

This is a new post about the Frankfurt Auto Show.  There were a ton of amazing cars at this show.  Apparently, they have been waiting in queue until the economy turned around – so this show was especially spectacular.

More to come… Continue reading 'Frankfurt Auto Show'»

Comments (1)

By BarryG, September 16, 2009 3:24 pm

This video is of the Red  Bull Air Race from Budapest, Hungary.  This is truly one of the coolest sports on the planet.  I am in awe of the technology that is at work here as well as the skill of the pilots.  These guys are doing things that I could never imagine could be done with an airplane.  And they are doing it so close to ground – there is so little margin for error.  The mind-blowing thing about this particular race venue (this the 4th out of 6 races this year) is the pilots start the race by flying under a bridge!!!  That is insane!!!  And insanely cool!!!

(Note:  make sure you play the video full-screen.  I have made sure the video is plays at it’s highest quality – which, frankly, is breathtaking.)

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By BarryG, September 12, 2009 9:47 pm

Mount Rainier

This is the first photo I have posted to my blog.  I love this photo of Mt. Rainier.  I took it from the side of the road just outside of Enumclaw.  I was on my way to Crystal Mountain to go skiing in early March – and I just happened to have my camera gear in the car with me.

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By BarryG, September 11, 2009 10:52 pm

Welcome to my personal blog.  As a Facebook junkie, I shyed away from setting up a separate blog thinking it would hinder my enjoyment of Facebook.  I’m past that fear and now excited about the opportunity to share my thoughts in a more detailed fashion and with more control over the medium.  Hopefully, this will be a fulfilling and valuable experiment!   Enjoy!!!