Blog Admin Thought

I'm a little disturbed.  My most popular posts for the last week have been the pix I take on the way to the office with the odd titles that pop into my head.  o.O

A Thought Experiment: the Hacking of Rome (or America Loses a Cyberwar)

This is not a prediction for the future, simply a thought experiment to tell a story of what might be. Thinking about how American power and influence might decline is not a slight to the United States. It is a strength. We are not a people blinded by American hubris, but instead are willing to honestly analyze the negative what-ifs while working toward the positive ones.

When discussing the fall of the United States, the initial reaction is to think of a dramatic collapse. Things such as losing World War III in an enormous battle or an economic collapse making the Great Depression look like a little setback could make for an engaging movie, but reality does not have to entertain – it simply has to be.

This is fiction, not a prediction, but hopefully it makes us think.

And Now for our Story…

The United States is powerless. Though our economy is still intact for the moment, our ability to influence events on the world stage and protect our national interests is gone. We try to turn to our allies for help, but even our oldest friends recognize that the balance of power has shifted and begin to reshape their alliances to look out for their best interests. We are alone, afraid, and powerless in a very complicated world. How did we get here?

link.

A Family First: Three William Bairds in the Same Place at the Same Time

This is probably a first.  My father, as far as I know, never met his grandfather and likewise, I never met mine.  However, these things do not need to continue.  Over the 4th of July we went out to see my dad.  He's all but lost his war with cancer.  Though he's for the most part seems to be a tough man still.  It was hard to see him that way.  

The relationshp between father and son has always been complicated, at best, for Baird men.  While my father and I struggled with our past, with our worn patterns of almost 40 years of relating, Orest - William Orest Baird - piped up as he tackled his grandfather's legs with "I love my grandpa."

Even as I tried to intervene, I kept back tears.  While my father may be someone whom Marcus Aurelius would have been proud of and I am definitely my father's son, we are very different in some ways.  I cannot live up to my father's incredible ability to remain stoic and face adversity as he does.  I can choose to call on what strength I have to break historical cycle.  

And with my son's words, I have won my first victory.

A Thought

Disasters are opportunities with fangs.