Never Homeless Again
The U.S. Embassy has moved to Jerusalem, but unfortunately, our enemies still attack us.
Hope you enjoy the article.
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
May 15, 2018
The Embassy Arrives In Jerusalem
Never Homeless Again
The U.S. Embassy has moved to Jerusalem, but unfortunately, our enemies still attack us.
Hope you enjoy the article.
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
May 14, 2018
Happy Just The Way We Are
Great speaker today at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Mike Reiss, producer and writer for the hugely successful Simpson show--the longest-running series on primetime TV with 30 seasons and over 600 episodes!
The topic was "The Science Behind The Simpsons."
Whether the guest was Stephen Hawkings or Leonard Nimoy--there was no shortage of scientists and science in this animated, comedy show that taught us much about life.
The video clip above was a short capture of the Simpsons singing "We are happy just the way we are."
Incremental change and continuous improvement is so important to our growth and maturation in life.
Yet, there is also a lot to be said for being happy with what you have and who you are.
There is so much to be grateful for and plenty to enjoy at the moment.
Many people are on the proverbial roller coaster to nowhere.
It's nice to get off the roller coaster and finally be somewhere that makes you happy and fulfilled.
Mary Poppins get hit by the airplane at the end of the skit, and you know what, she's not even missed. ;-)
(Source Video: Andy Blumenthal)
May 13, 2018
Ship+ In A Bottle
Someone needs very dexterous hands and a lot of patience to put the pieces through the opening of the bottle and assemble the ship inside.
But this second grader, Dylan Yasseri, upped the game on this whole concept and imagined a whole beach in the bottle.
The sand, ocean, sky, birds, crabs, fish, umbrella, and even the shack (snack?) bar!
This is one reason that kids are so awesome--their purity of heart and their endless imaginations make almost anything possible.
The fantasy becomes the reality.
The colors are magical too here.
If adults could maintain even half the heart and creativity of our children--oh what a world it could be. ;-)
(Source: Andy Blumenthal Photo of Dylan's beautiful painting).
May 12, 2018
Beautiful Virus, Huh?
Yeah, I never heard of it either.
It is a virus that attacks and destroys tobacco and other plants.
Viruses are ugly and evil in that they hurt and kill other living things
Yet in looking at this molecular image, I seriously hate to say it, but it is also beautiful in a way.
The shape, color, complexity--the design and wisdom embedded in it--what can I say, but even this too is a miracle.
Sure, it would be better in a mortal sense if there were no viruses to make us suffer and literally eat away at us.
Yet, surely G-d has a plan even for these nasty virus molecules.
Do they help us gain immunity to even worse diseases?
Do they help us to use ingenuity to discover, fight, and evolve to withstand their attacks and progress our society in larger ways?
Do they help us learn however horribly to turn to G-d, strengthen ourselves, and somehow try to cope with suffering and loss in life and death.
All sickness is unbelievably horrible and the suffering it causes is truly impossible to understand, and G-d should please, please have mercy on us.
Yet, looking at this molecular image of even this virus, there is something comforting in the supreme intelligent design and creation of it all. ;-)
(Source Andy's photo of image by Visual Molecular Dynamics)
May 11, 2018
Kanban Visual Task Boards
This is a way to layout work/workflow and track and communicate progress.
Previously, many professionals use colored sticky notes on a wall or whiteboard.
Today, tools like ServiceNow have the capability built right in.
This was an example that I created in just a few minutes.
Visualize your team's work and focus on what needs to get done, who the tasks are assigned to, the status, and keep driving continuous improvement in the workflow and project.
Color coding can be used for different tasks and you can see the legend at the top.
Tasks can be easily dragged and dropped from one column (status) to another.
Create transparency and collaboration on your projects--try Kanban Visual Task Boards. ;-)
(Source Graphic: Andy Blumenthal)
May 10, 2018
The Essence of Time Management
1. Urgency vs Importance:
Don't sacrifice the important items for the urgent ones!
- Focus on the items that are important on the right side of the matrix--if they are urgent (upper-right), you need to do now; if they aren't urgent, but they are important (lower-right), you need to make time for them.
- Deemphasize the items that aren't important on the left side of the matrix--if they are urgent and not important (upper-left), limit them or delegate them; if they aren't urgent or important (lower-left), delete them.
There are two potential areas of dissonance that can cause you tension, stress, and anxiety.
- When the urgent top row items and the lower-left life necessities get in the way of your focusing on the quality life items that are of long-term importance to you (the lower-left). For example, work and errands can crowd out your personal, family, community, and spiritual time.
- When you have too many items in the lower-right quality time area and these are in competition with each other for your time and attention, and you don't know how to prioritize them and get it all done. It's like there is never enough time. For example, we ignore our spouse, the kids, or closeness with G-d, because we just can't get to it all.
This is where our personal values and conscience come into play to drive what we do and how we spend our precious time in this world.
We all only have 24 hours in a day, so our actions need to be purposeful and driven by our values!
2. Tasks vs Relationships
Imagine another matrix with focus on tasks on the vertical access and focus on relationships on the horizontal access.
Again here, we want to ensure a healthy balance of focus on both task and relationships (upper-right corner).
If we focus on tasks at the expense of relationships or relationships at the expense of tasks, we are going to have a problem. Moreover, it makes no sense to focus on items that are neither task- nor relationship-focused (lower-left).
We need to collaborate with others to accomplish great, complex tasks (we can only accomplish so much alone).
Again, dissonance (tension, stress, anxiety) is caused when we are pulled off-balance to focus on work or people to the exclusion of the other.
As they say,
"Mission first, people always!"
We've got to build meaningful relationships and work together to get the mission done and the mission can be helping people and building a better society in a variety of ways.
In a sense, it's people helping people. Love thy neighbor to help thy neighbor.
Time is of the essence--we have so little of it--it is precious--we can't get it back--it goes so fast--we need to manage it like gold. ;-)
(Source Graphic: Andy Blumenthal)
May 9, 2018
Two Beautiful Hearts
She put up on Facebook that she had undergone surgery, had a metal rod and plate inserted in her leg, and was recovering in the hospital--and she wanted visitors.
My wife saw the message on Facebook, and we ran over to the hospital to see how she was and spend some time with her to try and cheer her up.
Considering how badly she had been hurt, she was actually in amazingly good spirits.
A couple of her neighbors were there in the hospital visiting her as well.
One of them had actually heard her screams from the backyard where she had fallen by her pond and had helped keep her from going into shock, cradled her head in her lap, and called for rescue services.
When I commented how amazing she was and that she was a real hero pointing to the heart--she said it was really nothing, and went on to say"
I have two hearts!
And she pointed to one on the left and one on the right.
I thought to myself that really we should all have two hearts like that to care and to give to others.
One heart is us alone.
Two hearts are when we join with others.
"Two hearts that beat as one"--one for caring and one for giving. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
May 8, 2018
Don't / Can't - Turn Back Now
You can only go forward.
You can't go back.
Often in life, I reflect on how wise this is and he was.
Sometimes, we are hesitant or afraid of what lies ahead, and we turn our heads back and reinvent history and creatively fantasize how wonderful things were before and maybe we should go back.
Like the Israelites thousands of years ago, who G-d redeemed from the servitude of Egypt, but with hundreds of years of a slave mentality, they were in a sense paralyzed with fear of going into the foreboding expanse of the desert.
"If only we had died by the L-rd's hand in Egypt. There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted. But You have brought us out to this dessert to starve this entire assembly to death." (Exodus 16:3)
But we know that going forward is the only way to learn, grow, and progress.
Just like the Israelites that went forward through the depths of the Red Sea on dry land and to receive the Torah on Sinai and for forty years in the desert to ultimately get to the amazing promised land of Israel.
Thank G-d, they didn't turn back--there really was no turning back.
Back is death.
Forward is life.
We have a journey that we need to complete.
The destination is wherever G-d takes us. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
May 7, 2018
Weaponizing Your Privacy
So this was the funniest War of the Roses on the Kane Show that I ever heard.
They use the Alexa personal assistant from Amazon (voiceover) to call the cheater.
In this skit, we really see the potential power of these home computing devices.
Alexa hears and knows everything that goes on in the house (including the cheating).
Alexa confronts the cheater and calls him a few descript names for his infidelity.
Alexa punishes the cheater by going online to purchase items with his credit card.
Alexa betrays him by calling his girlfriend and telling her about the cheating.
Cheating aside, maybe this is a great lesson how we should all be considering our privacy in our homes and on our persons before we install Alexa, Siri, Cortana, the Google Assistant or any other personal or home surveillance systems.
With all the bad actors out there and people that want to steal everything from your money, identity, secrets, and maybe even your wife--these devices are a direct line into your personal life.
This is called weaponizing your privacy!
Tell me, do you really believe that no one is listening or watching you? ;-)
May 6, 2018
May 5, 2018
My First Article in the TOI - The Samson Dilemma
"The Samson Dilemma"
I was struggling with what to say.
And then the words came pouring to me when I awoke at 4 am.
It comes from my heart, and I am grateful to G-d for bringing me to this time.
Hope you enjoy the article.
Andy
(Source Photo of Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
May 4, 2018
Have a Heart: Leadership With Heart
It's all about:
Leadership With Heart
That means understanding that workers are human beings.
Yes, they should act as professionals.
But also, they are people with imperfections and problems.
Whether they are fighting addiction, debt, illness, mental health issues, family problems, abuse, or personal loss.
Life happens.
And it's not always pleasant.
Unfortunately, it seems like we are tested all the time.
Therefore, good leaders, real leaders...lead with heart.
They focus on the mission, but also empower, develop, and have empathy for the people.
Think of the people you know in leadership positions today.
Are they leaders with heart or heartless sons of guns.
Who do you want to follow into the future? ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
May 3, 2018
The Nicest Blossoms Ever
Posting about the same thing twice in a short period.
But this is an exception.
The Cherry Blossoms this year are the nicest I have ever seen them.
Hopefully, this is a sign of blessings from G-d.
The world is blossoming and hopefully so is our fortune.
May G-d have mercy on the good people. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
May 2, 2018
Computer Sentiment 1984
It's called: "The Unofficial I Hate Computer Book".
It was written in 1984, and like the George Orwell's book by that name, it is a dystopian view of technology.
The back cover says:
Computer haters of the world unite: It's time to recognize and avenge the wonderful advances we've made thanks to computers--excessive eyestrain and headaches, irritating beeping noises, a one-ton printout where once there was a six-page report, a "simple" programming language you can't understand without five handbooks, a dictionary, and a math degree.The book goes on with illustration after illustration of unadulterated computer hate and associated violence.
- Dogs dumping on it (see cover)
- Contests to smash it with a hammer
- Hara-kiri (suicide with a knife) into it
- Skeet shooting computers that are flung into the air
- Shotput with a computer
- Tanks rolling over them
- Sinking it in water with a heavy anvil
- Boxer practicing his punches on it
- Setting it ablaze with gasoline
- And on and on, page after hate-filled page.
So in the last 34-years, have we solved all the annoyances and complexity with computers and automation?
Do the benefits of technology outway the costs and risks across-the-board?
How do security and privacy play in the equation?
I wonder what the authors and readers back then would think of computers, tablets, smartphones and the Internet and apps nowadays--especially where we can't live without them at all. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
May 1, 2018
Information Is Power
"Everything is a record, record, recordCan everything in life really be reduced to lines of records, with fields of data in tables of information?
in a table, table, table."
This is the information age!
Analytics and Big Data rule!
Knowledge is power!
In any conflict, we seek information dominance and supremacy!
Artificial intelligence is the future!
Records are unique with their own sys.id.
Creativity and innovation are also records in the table--even if they are the one in a million.
The more records and tables--the more dots and connections between them--the more intelligence we can glean.
Yes, everything is a record, record, record in a table, table, table. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
April 30, 2018
Iran--and Obama--Lied
The Iranian Nuclear Deal has been definitively proven to be based on lies and deception.
G-d has once again helped Israel achieve a miraculous intelligence coup against Axis of Evil, Iran!
The real proof is in the archive (not the fake news echo chamber).
Iran has a clear path to nukes, and they have been working feverishly towards this maniacal end for decades!
This has put Western Civilization at grave risk at the hands of the fanatical Mullahs who endlessly call for death to America, Israel, and even Sunni civilization.
The only thing the Iranian deal was good for was as a deceptive political ploy by Obama to gain a fake win and to support dangerous Iranian global terrorism, extremism, human rights violations, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Now we know the real reason certain people couldn't say the words "Islamic Terrorism."
Iran lied, but so did Obama.
I can hear our bombers revving their engines and see the smart bombs being loaded into their bays.
It's well past time to make things right and conduct the necessary preemptive strike to foil their evil plans and destroy their wicked weapons of mass destruction before they can use them on you know who. ;-)
DMAIC Reengineering
The key steps to reduce waste (Lean) or variation/defects (Six Sigma) are as follows:
Define - Scope the project.
Measure - Benchmark current processes.
Analyze - Develop to-be processes (with a prioritized list of improvements) and plan for implementation.
Improve - Executive process improvements.
Control - Monitor/refine new processes.
It was amazing to me how similar to enterprise architecture this is in terms of: defining your "current" and "future" states and creating a transition plan and executing it.
Also, really liked the Project Scoping questions:
- What problem do you want to solve/what process do you want to improve?
- Why do you need this?
- What is the benefit? And to whom?
- What are your objectives for this effort?
- Who are the key stakeholders?
- When is this needed and why?
I think process improvement/engineering methodologies like this can be a huge benefit to our organizations, especially where the tagline is "Why should we change--we've always done it this way!" ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
April 29, 2018
The Evil That Is Child Trafficking
Please, please watch this short 4-minute video.
It is very impactful!
EVEN...
- If you don't know what's going on with child sex abuse.
- If you are afraid to know.
- If you don't want to believe it.
- If you busy and generally haven't cared in the past.
Here are some basic statistics:
💥There are at least 2 to 4 million cases of human trafficking annually!
💥It is estimated that 50% are children!
💥It's a $32 billion dollar industry and growing!
Maybe (hopefully) you believe in G-d
We are G-d's children.
Children are our children.
We have a duty to protect children.
How will you answer the call?
Here's where you can place a call:
- National Child Abuse Hotline: (800) 4-A-CHILD (422-4453)
- National Sexual Assault Hotline: (800) 656-HOPE (4673)
Finally, may Almighty G-d do justice to all the pedophiles and abusers out there.
May the Earth and Heavens swallow them up and spit them out.
So that the children, the pure children, may grow up in a better world, a much better world. ;-)
April 28, 2018
Part 4 - Riverdale Sexual Abuse
This is a follow-on to my post of January 10 regarding a message from Salanter Akiba of Riverdale (SAR) Academy about the exploits of one of its former teachers and administrators who "pleaded no contest to two counts of second-degree child molestation."
I agreed to be interviewed by the SAR investigator about my experience as a 7th-grade child who had been lured for a Shabbat to this monsters home.
Rabbi Rosenfeld was never my teacher, and I would have never ended up at his home for Shabbat if not for this person, who invited me there, drove me there, and listened to my cries in the next room.
It was extremely painful to recount in detail the childhood memories of sexual assault as she asked me question after question about every detail, and without malice, but basically forced me to relive the events of so long ago.
What is incredible to me is that the enabler/facilitator of that Shabbat invitation and course of events, I have come to understand, MAY STILL WORK IN THAT SCHOOL!
How many other children were lured to Rabbi Rosenfeld's home by this person--who was being paid and given benefits, as well as provided harbor and shelter, by this school (perhaps unknowingly) for decades and decades.
But now if it is true, that this person is still there, the school has an ethical and I am certain, legal duty to protect the children that go there.
No child should be abused sexually or otherwise or be part of such atrocities by former or current staff.
I was one of the children who suffered in silence for too long.
But now I understand that one of my purposes in this world is to help make things right.
To the Riverdale community, to the board and leadership of SAR, I ask you, what is your role and responsibility?
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
April 27, 2018
Space-Age Mouse
Thumb sits on the left.
Rest of the hand sits fully supported and swoops down towards the right.
No wrist movement up and down.
Left and right clicks buttons are at the top.
No bending of the fingers and no reaching.
Mouse helps protect against repetitive movement disorders like carpal tunnel syndrome.
The HandShoe Mouse fits like a glove.
It's made by Hippus in the Netherlands.
Comes in wireless or wired.
Choose right- or left-hand model.
And make sure you order the right size: small, medium, or large.
Until we have full voice recognition or gesture control like in Minority Report, I like this space-age mouse. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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