review of the year

Every TV and radio program at the moment, as well as each of the newspapers, is doing a review of the year, so naturally I have been thinking of the year just ending, and what I might expect in 2009.
It has been an eventful year and the media have made new celebrities (Olympic sportsmen), and villains (Bankers, mostly). I do not subscribe to this cult of the celebrity stuff myself. If there is any role model that I follow it is teachings of those whom I consider truly great - the Founders of the religions. I try to live simply, without being a show-off. I try to be kind and helpful to those around me, and take responsibility for my actions.

For me, I have noticed an increase in receptiveness to the message of the Baha'i Faith in all the people that I have met. Poor health has at times limited what I am able to do and I need to take more care over my diet and get more exercise.

"Bring thyself to account each day, lest death, unheralded shall come upon thee." Baha'i Writings

search engine to the rescue

What a time for the boiler to break down! Heating we could get, but no hot water for the kitchen. The pressure was clearly on zero, even though there were no error lights. Phone call to the engineers elicited the fact that it would "cost at least sixty pounds, and more if we come out of hours. But we did show you how to do this yourselves when it was installed."
I looked in the user manual but could find no mention of how to increase the pressure.

So I went to the computer, opened a web browser and sent a request to my favourite search engine, looking for "condensing boiler low pressure". I was happy, but not surprised to find several references, one of which not only described the problem and how to fix it, but came complete with diagram and photograph as well.

Ten minutes later I had fixed my boiler for free. One up for internet search engines. Now, if only the engineer had simply told me how to do it.

20 years on - thoughts on Locherbie

Whatever the reasons behind it, the bombing of the Pam Am flight from London to New York can never be justified. All human life is sacred. "Thou shalt not kill" is just as relevant today as it was thousands of years ago. And yet there are those in many parts of the world who feel that any means is justified to achieve their ends.

One thing that I think is amply demonstrated by all the wars and fighting that has been carried on over centuries, is that fighting never solved anything. The only solution is through dialogue between peoples of the earth.


"The oppressed who have right on their side must not take that right by force; the evil would continue. Hearts must be changed." Baha'i Writings.

Human Rights

Yesterday was the anniversary of the UN Declaration on Human Rights, although it seems to have been unnoticed by many people. We do not realise, many of us, how fortunate we are. Only by observing the atrocities and suffering of others do we seem to recognise our own good fortune.

Sadly, although there are numerous problems that are daily reported in our news, there are others that go unreported. The plight of the Baha'is in Iran is one such example. Without any recognition by the state, they are denied education, employment and pensions. They are continually harrassed and daily face the prospect of imprisonment.

reconnected and remembering times past

spent a little while off ill, and then lost my connection to the world. "Problem at the exchange" was all I could find out. Still I am now connected again, sharing thoughts with friends in emails, dealing with committee minutes and finances, and so on.

How we have come to rely on the internet! One of my colleagues the other day suggested we all swap details of all the jobs we have had in the past - just to see how things have changed. Indeed so. There was little knowledge of computers when I first started using them back in the late 60's when 8 kilobytes of memory was considered a large store. Now of course we measure in memory a million times larger! Back then we made careful use of every byte. I still have a collection of several hundred emails from about 20 years ago and the total size is less than 1 megabyte. And, yes, being all in plain text, I can still read every one of them.

A Kindly tongue

"A kindly tongue is the lodestone of the human heart" is one of the quotations given in a study book. This, I take to mean that speaking kindly towards someone is more likely to have the hearer respond positivly. We have all seen the effects of one person swearing or shouting - they are ignored, treated with pity, or seen as somehow deficient. Not useful if that person is the manager of the office! What is worse is when others respond in a similar manner and the 'conversation' degenerates into a slanging match - totally unproductive and can become harmful.

How very sad that many modern comedy shows, quiz shows and other 'entertainment' is liberally peppered with "four letter words", language that was in my childhood, considered as obscene. frankly there are programs on radio and television that I just refuse to watch/listen to, simply because of the language used by the presenters and their guests.

The Baha'i teachings have much to say on this. Here are just a couple of examples.
"He must never seek to exalt himself above anyone, ... and refrain from idle talk. For the tongue is a smoldering fire and excess of speech a deadly poison." "Be fair in thy judgement and guarded in thy speech."

Halloween

How very strange that so many people spend time (and money!) planning events for celebrating the time when the spirits of those who have passed on are supposed to return to earth, and yet those same people deny any belief in God, saying that this life is the only existence we will ever have.



"Know verily, that the soul is a sign of God, a heavenly gem whose reality the most learned of men have failed to grasp. It is the first among all created things to declare the excellence of its Creator." Baha'i Writings

education - again

Wind forwards over a year from my last post on this topic, but throughout that time I find that education has been constantly in my thoughts. Whether it is my daughter going through college, or the study circles that are a popular feature of Baha'i activities, or the discussions at work on staff performance reviews, I cannot get away from the subject of learning.

What started as a simple question relating to peer review of computer code has moved, through a simple observation by myself, into a discussion on opportunities for staff development and training. All I did was to suggest that it should not be limited to one member of staff review the work of one other member in the same team. Perhaps, said I, that if a group of staff from several teams met together, they could learn from the different approaches to coding and testing that had been taken by other teams.


"Forget your own selves and turn your eyes towards your neighbour. Bend your energies to whatever may foster the education of men." Baha'i Writings

crash, bang and wallop

The world has gone mad.

Crash - Financial institutions in chaos (those that still exist), turmoil in the markets, government bail-outs to some and not others, restrictions on the types of trading that can be carried out in an attempt to stop speculators, and lack of confidence by many. These are some of the results of this week, described as "never experienced anything like it since 1929".

Bang - problems with the LHC in CERN means that the "big-bang" 'atom smasher' will have to be shut down for repairs, before it has been used in a serious experiment.

And Wallop - Baha'is are still imprisoned in Iran, denied access to education, their administration disbanded years ago because of government orders. And now a petition being circulated round mosques calling for the dissolution of the Baha'i administration. Sorry, is the government of the country so out of touch with what it has already done in the past? Or is it just stirring up hatred for the Baha'i minority in the land of its birth? Thanks to Iranpresswatch for this news.

"Though the world is encompassed with misery and distress, yet no man hath paused to reflect what the cause or source of that might be. Whenever the True Counsellor uttered a word in admonishment, lo they all denounced Him as a mover of mischief and rejected His claim." Baha'i Writings

be careful what you say

Well I should have expected it. I make some comments and my words seem to get twisted round.

"I should go to your aid" I said in a previous blog. "Does that mean that you would not?" someone asked. No, I will go to your aid. By using the word 'should' I intended to give it a moral obligation, as I hope I portrayed when I said that not helping was leading to injustice.
"So, you are good with your fists?" queried another. Not a bit of it. I still hold the view that violence is the last resort.

I suggested a 'what if' attitude, and received a comment 'congratulating' me on my compensation culture approach. How strange! If I, through my own actions, fall down a drain or, as I have done, trip over the curb whilst running for a bus, I do not expect to go cap in hand begging to the council. We must all take responsibility for our own actions, and not seek to blame others.

No, forget the 'should have expected it'. I did expect it.

peace and justice

A comment to one of my earlier posts suggested that being peaceful meant that I would never fight terrorists or bring them to justice. What a strange notion.

The most important principle is justice, and that includes punishing those that do wrong as well as supporting those who are the victims. I would never condone terrorism.

If I see someone attack you in the street, then I should go to your assistance. If I ignore you and leave you to suffer, then that is injustice. However, we must be careful that our own actions are not excessive and themselves are the cause of further injustice. A community protecting itself is one thing, vigilantism is quite another.

"The best beloved of all things in My sight is justice" - Baha'i Writings.

testing times

Some comments have wondered why it is that I should experience so much difficulty in my work with computers, even going so far as to suggest I move to a different type of job.

Well, you see, my job is to test computer systems, and so it is not surprising I find problems - because I go looking for them! I carry this attitude of "what happens if" to other activities outside of work. Instruction manuals and other documents get a critical eye from me, as do proposals by public figures.

Independent investigation of the truth is an important principle of the Baha'i Faith.

LHC and the Big Bang

I am not worried about anything that might happen at CERN. I believe the Baha'i teachings that all humanity are moving towards a world civilization based on peace and justice that will last for thousands of years into the future.

We can help it come faster - by being kind to all - or we can be the source of pain and suffering by espousing violence and hatred. We can confinue the myth that science and religion are opposites and never the twain shall meet, or we can recognise that each in its own way is attempting to explain the mysteries of Creation.

No, it is impossible for science to prove that God does not exist. After all, Who created science in the first place!!

"All praise to the unity of God, Who out of utter nothingness, hath created the reality of all things." Baha'i Writings

No Religion ?!

One comment added to a previous blog item of mine referred to the line "and no religion too" from the song "Imagine".

I realise where people are coming from when they say that - all the animosity expressed by one group towards anyone who does not share their own particular views as shown by hundreds of years of history.

Abdu'l-Baha, the son of the Founder of the Baha'i Faith said that if two people argued over religion then both were wrong. He also said that if religion caused hatred and enmity then we would be better off without it.

However, I firmly believe that we all have a spiritual existence and cannot be described purely by reference to our physical selves. I cannot explain to anyone, and have often been laughed at when I relate, my own personal experiences that convince me that there is so much more to our existence than this material world.

call yourself a computer expert?

Well, no I didn't. But that has not stopped some folks posting their pleas for help on Linux as comments on my blog. I am flattered. As to getting help, I would suggest looking out a Linux support group near to where they live and posting there for help. I cannot answer some of the questions, particularly about hardware that I have never used, but I am sure there is someone with the answer. So, go on, put linux User Group into your favourite search engine along with the town nearest you. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Baha'is try to live by the principles of honesty, modesty, service to others, investigating the truth. You may find your computer support group has some of those same ideas. After all, they are none of them in it for the money!

different computer operating systems

A comment on one of my previous posts asked what the benefits and drawbacks were in using Linux.

Well, everyone has their own needs, and what suits one person may not suit someone else, so here are my personal views.

Drawbacks of running Linux include having to wait for drivers that handle your particular computer hardware (or writing it yourself if you are capable), transferring data to/from proprietory programs used by your colleagues, and generally perceived as a bit awkward by those who use a different, more widespread system.

Advantages are the cost and the feeling that I am contributing in some small way to freedom of choice. I have a full database system, web server, accounts package, UML diagramming, music package (MIDI interface and notation editor) and office software all free.

I have made offerings to some of them mostly in the way of documentation and whilst appreciated this is not obligatory. But it is this sense of community, and helping each other that initially drew me to Linux all those years ago.

back after a gap

I have been away from the blog for a couple of months, and it was a bit surprising to see so many comments that have been added in the intervening weeks. I am reading through them all and will add some thoughts of my own. I am not sure, though, if some of the comments were meant seriously.

So back after a vacation (coast and countryside in Northumberland, and not a mobile phone or computer for weeks!)

ICANN opens up domain registration

I have mixed feelings over the recent announcement from the Paris meeting of ICANN, that domain names are to be opened up. I applaud the move away from a purely latin character (read ASCII code) naming system to one that supports others, such as Cyrillic, Arabic, Chinese and so on. However, the move to permit many more top level domains I fear will lead to intense arguments and possibly an erosion of confidence in the internet as a whole. Who will rule on the legitimacy of control of, for example, ".smith" or ".computer"? Will a domain of ".catholic" be truly representing the Catholic Church any more than ".britain" be representing the British government? It will make it harder for users to sort out the ownership of the site they are visiting, and sadly I think give much more to those who seek to perpetrate scams and other fraud.

I would like to see clear rules and an international body (such as an agency of the UN) be responsible for controlling this. As it is, I think it is little more than a money making ploy on the part of the current controllers.

linux group support

Well, I finally have my digital camera working with my Linux laptop. A suggestion from one of the members in my local Linux User Group pointed me to a program called gphoto2, and on trying to install it I found that the library it uses was quite out of date and was not able to support the camera. Upgrading libgphoto2 to a more recent version and now I find that not only does gphoto2 work, but so does digiKam. I was able to copy all the pictures in little more than 1 minute.

digital camera woe

I recently bought a digital camera from a local photographic shop. Looks great, with a good sized screen, 3x optical zoom and 8Mpixel resolution. However, now that I have taken several dozen pictures with it, I find that I cannot transfer them to my Linux computer. I contacted the manufacturer, only to have a plain "We do not support Linux" reply.

I am not at all happy, as I have no plans to ditch Linux which I have been using for over 15 years. Sadly, the pictures will have to wait until I find some other way of transferring them from the M883 camera.

ethics and computing

I was reading a magazine the other day and came across an interesting article that was discussing the ethics of using computers in warfare and whether it was morally wrong to kill someone when you were not there in person - such as using remotely guided tanks and other weaponry.

I'm sorry, but I believe that it is morally wrong to kill anyone. Full Stop. I feel that technology in all its aspects (including computing) should be used for the benefit of the whole of mankind and not just one (self-selected) part of it to the detriment of the rest.

It is a pity that computer people are not all committed to the ideals of peace and unity.

Abdu'l-Baha, in one memorable passage of the Baha'i Writings says that we have had warfare for over 2000 years and it is now time to work for peace.

"Peace, let it begin with me. We need peace."

We cannot fight terrorism, we must instead bring PEACE

remote access (2)

Well, her I am sitting at home again, with the same company laptop computer. Only this time I have been told to run a specific remote access program. Right, I do that and it asks me which machine I want to connect to. "Progress" I thought to myself. But alas no, as it just reported that there was no computer of that name on my network. No, it is on the network back at the office. So how to get a connection to the office LAN? I was told that it would "just work" and ask me for my identity number.
I'll have to phone them whilst I am at home and go through the steps. The laptop is clearly not configured for remote working, or else there is some other instruction that the support staff have forgotten to tell me. What we need is some clear documentation.

Why do I end up being the one experiencing problems and ending up writing the documentation myself? I wonder ....

organisation and planning

I took a laptop computer home with me so that I could do some work at home before going to a hospital appointment. I was assured that the laptop was all ready to use. Imagine my surprise and frustration then, when I discovered it would not make the remote connection. I found that the 'remote connection' was a shortcut to a program on a network drive, but of course I cannot connect to the network without the remote connection application, which was located on a network drive ....!

I will have to go in early to the office, and get some work done, then go on to the hospital later.

Of course, I should have checked the machine before I took it home. It is easy to be wise after the event (called 20-20 hindsight).

news from overseas

How efficient are the ways of bringing to us the news of events from round the world. And how saddening are the stories of suffering. Whether the victims of natural disasters such as those in Burma/Myanmar and China, or the Baha'is in Iran who are again suffering imprisonment for their beliefs, the true measure of our humanity is the response that we each make individually.
We may be moved to help the publicity, give voice to our concerns, or help in more practical ways by donating money to relief efforts such as Oxfam, Red Cross and the like.
Giving aid and comfort are part of the teachings of all the major Faiths in the world. How sad, then that leaders of Faith in one country are the very instigators of suffering and oppression meted out to the followers of Baha'u'llah in their own homeland.

support a charity

My daughter and I have entered, for the fourth year now, a charity bike ride. It is all in aid of Leukaemia Research, and I have created a page with Justgiving. I think it is a great way to support a charity, and at the same time get some fresh air and exercise!
Will let you know how we get on. The event is this Sunday, 11 May.

importance of agriculture

We who use computers everyday can easily fall into the trap of thinking that everyone in the whole world has access to a computer, and that computers are the means to do everything.

Well, I have news for you. Not only are there many millions of people who do not have a computer, there are millions who live their lives completely without any computer. To them, the most important aspects of their lives are food and water. That is to say, agriculture (farming, herding) is a necessity, whereas computers are not.

Consider that now parts of the world are switching (or have already switched) to growing biofuel instead of producing food at the same time that poor harvests have also reduced the food supply. And why do we want biofuels? Because we are too reluctant to reduce our dependancy on the motor car, or to make more use of wind, water and solar power.

"Agriculture is of the first importance. All should be producers." Baha'i Faith

courtesy and politeness

If you want to gain supporters for a new idea, then it is obvious (at least to me) that you need to present your ideas in a courteous and kindly way. Sadly, I have seen a couple of email lists degenerate into abuse (what is also called a 'flame-war'). When that happens, I tend to ignore the one who started it, and give my support to the 'under-dog'. Others may just give up in disgust and leave the group altogether.

It is so easy these days, with computers and 'click an paste', to put large quantities of text into a message sent to many people. Many times I have found such content to be useless rubbish masquerading as scientific/factual reporting. And then there are the conspiracy theorists.

We should all be careful not to denigrate others, and not circulate material without checking it.

"For above all else it is the prince of virtues. Whoso is endued with courtesy hath indeed attained a sublime station." Baha'i Writings

uncertainty at work

Many years ago, a job could mean having that same job for life. But nowadays, what with mergers and take-overs, and businesses ceasing trading, there is little certainty about having a job.
So if we cannot define a person by the work they do, then in what way do we view them? How does each one of us define our purpose in life?
Is it to be the wealthiest, the one who owns the most? Is it to be the most influential or the most powerful? OR is it to be the kindest, the most gentle, the most helpful?

"Be generous in prosperity and thankful in adversity" - From the Baha'i Writings

work as service

There are large numbers of people today who say they work in the 'service industry', but how many really stop to think what the word "service" really means. It comes, of course from the same root as 'servant', 'servile' and 'servitude' and implies working for the betterment or benefit of others.

This is also true of those who undertake voluntary work - possibly for little or no pay - because they consciously want to improve the lives of others.

Voluntary work and service are, sadly, often looked down on by those who feel the main point of life is acquiring wealth and position. We seem drawn to the fame and glamour of the 'cult of the celebrity' and forget that we need cleaners, teachers, nurses and agricultural workers (to name just a few).

From the Baha'i Writings "Work done in a spirit of service is counted as worship"

Honesty and truthfulness ?

"Say: Let truthfulness and courtesy be your adorning." Baha'i Writings

I went to the shop and paid for my goods in cash. Not too unusual for me. But the cashier made a mistake and gave me too much change. I looked at the money I had been given and asked her if it was correct. When she replied 'yes', I hesitated, and asked her if she was sure. She did not understand why I was asking and when I pointed out that she had given me more than she should, she replied "Most folks would have just taken it and said nothing".

I thought it sad that she considered most customers to be dishonest. I suppose it reflects on how we are each brought up as children by our parents.

we think ourselves indestructible?

"The time fore-ordained unto the peoples and kindreds of the earth is now come. The promises of God,as recorded in the holy Scriptures, have all been fulfilled." Baha'i Faith.

Travelling to work in the morning and back home in the evening on a bus gives me time to observe people in the town. I am still each day astonished by the silly and often dangerous things they do. Cycling the wrong way on a one-way street I regularly see, but yesterday it was someone driving a car the wrong way! He realised his error only when faced with a bus coming the other direction!
Then there are those who walk across the road stepping out into moving traffic. What is worse when I see a parent drag a child across a road, when the child but not the parent has seen the car coming towards them.

We spend so much time thinking about this physical world, and almost nothing about what we are to face when we leave it.

A pun, my word!

Ever been so involved in your work that you cannot stop thinking about it, even for a moment? It fills all your waking moments, and even in your dreams? Then you are getting how I have been getting over the past few weeks. All that stress, building up like a head of steam in a boiler and it has to come out sometime.
Sadly, there are those that lash out, whilst others retreat to an 'inner world'. I have found that the best form of stress relief is laughter. I am known in my office, and amongst my family too, as an atrocious punster.*
A pun, my word - indeed! A pun is a play on words, and I find it a great escape valve for the tensions of the day.

* Eggsactly, there we were cracking yolks (jokes) which were getting more and more eggstreme, and more and more eggscruciating, and all because the landlady of my student digs (long time ago), offered me a hard boiled egg with the words "have an oeuf" and I, without thinking replied "what on oeuf for?" (well it was first thing in the morning, and I was not fully awake!

As William Sears titled his book "God Loves Laughter" - it introduced me to the Baha'i Faith.

how times have changed

Whilst going through my email today, I found one advertising a meeting of the local branch of the BCS (British Computer Society) where a speaker will talk about managing the deluge of email in the workplace.
It set me thinking, as I recently discovered an old issue of the local newsletter from around 20 years ago. It was, like all newsletters of the time, printed and one of the articles in it was from me! I had written introducing this new means of communication - electronic mail. It was when the internet was still relatively unknown and messages were sent using dedicated gateways on a process called UUCP. Access was by modem and phone line, with many people using 'acoustic couplers' on their telephone handset. That was capable of a fantastic 1200 baud (or about 120 characters per second) !

I had been involved in getting a local company to set up international electronic links, and so I was invited to write about it in a couple of articles in the local BCS newsletter.

How times have changed. Everyone now takes email for granted. It should not be surprising though, really. The Baha'i Faith Writings have mention of world communications, and even in the Book of Ezekiel in the Bible it speaks of 'lightnings that flash to and fro' along with 'chariots jostling in the streets' as things to come in the future.

people networking

sometimes when so involved with your day-to-day life (maybe pressure to get a job done), it is so easy to forget a great source of help - other PEOPLE! Whether by email or phone, a posting on a support web page or just talking to someone at the water cooler (in the restaurant/snack bar, etc) it is by sharing your needs (how can I do this, what is the best way to do that) that we can both give and receive help.
It was said long ago "No man is an island", and in the Baha'i writings we find "God loves those who work together in groups". Humans are social animals, not meant to live in solitary isolation. All the teachings from the great religions give guidance and laws for living as community groups.
This goes for our work as well as our home life. We should be open to forming bonds of loving support and friendship because of the help we can give others, not just because we ourselves want to be helped.

taken for granted

I went out shopping this evening, looking for food to take to our community Intercalary Day party. In the Baha'i calendar the Intercalary Days (February 26 to March 1) are days for hospitality and giving of gifts, and they come just before the month of fasting.
It took me a moment to realise what was wrong. Not only were there no lights in the car park, there were no lights in the shop either - apart from someone waving a torch around, guiding those who were in the building to the exit. We so rarely have a power cut that we assume power will always be available to us. Our whole lives, it seems, are dependant on constant power - for our lighting and heating, public services, entertainment and everything else.
And yet, we are all so reluctant to cut our energy consumption or to use renewable resources such as wind or water power.

So much to do

We are living our lives so much in the electronic realm that keeping up with it all takes more and more of our time. Websites and Blogs to update, reading email, maintaining contacts with friends and colleagues through both professional sites and social networking ones - we risk spending such a large part of our waking lives with them that we leave no room for meeting in 'real life'.
Never mind virtual reality 'games' and such - I am off to meet living people! To the office where I meet the team I work with, then out for a meal with the family this evening.

family is important

I have not spent much time on my computer recently. Illness in the family has meant I have been more occupied with 'housework' - cooking, cleaning, shopping - and walking the dog.

But that does not mean that I have given up on the computer. Perseverance is a quality that we should all develop, along with kindness and compassion. And what better place to develop these than in the place that matters most, our family.

In the Baha'i faith, the family is a very important aspect of society life and we should all do what we can to preserve and strengthen family life.

technological titans but moral minnows

We have developed the internet and with it the ability to cast our thoughts to the four corners of the world. We talk of free speech, and sites where we can post our comments, speech and video for public consumption are increasing daily.

And yet, how many of us stop to think of our responsibilities? With freedom comes the responsibility of our actions. Does it add to the welfare of all if we post derogatory comments? Do we increase the total of human happiness if we upload pictures of violence?

"Liberty causeth man to overstep the bounds of propriety, and to infringe on the dignity of his station. Say, True liberty consisteth in man's submission unto My commandments, little as ye know it." Baha'i Writings.

lifetime guarantee anyone?

Once upon a time much equipment was built to last. Witness the old washing machines and such in museums. But precious few now last very long. My printer broke down last week. I bought it new just two years ago.

What is the prospect of getting equipment that is built to last longer? After all, it would mean using less resources, and less need for recycling or waste tips (aka landfill). But alas no. After all, the job of consumers is to consume. That means the manufacturers bringing out new models every year and making the older models obsolete.

More information, less knowledge?

We are surrounded by information being presented to us in a multitude of ways. Indeed the term "Information Overload" has been often used to describe how we seem to be drowning in a torrent of information. Yet we seem to be less certain of our knowledge, and more reluctant to take the information at face value. Possibly the more effort expended in publicity campaigns may be having the reverse effect. People appear to be suspicious, and look for the 'hidden agenda'. Belief in conspiracy theories looks to be growing in certain sections of the population.
Everyone is looking for solutions to the problems they see around them, but many are not sure where to turn.

I am prompted in these musings, as I ponder a reworking of the training manual to be used for new staff in our department. Sometimes newcomers bring useful new ideas, but sometimes they reject what is already working just because it is forced upon them.