Signs of the seasons...

Without me realizing it, Boston has abruptly down-shifted into autumn. We've had some very weird weather over the year, so I'm not sure why suddenly tripping into fall (sorry, I had to) has me surprised. Yesterday after work I found myself scuffing my feet through the leaves, and apple and pumpkin picking trips are just around the corner.

All of these are pleasant for me as fall is my favorite season (and coincidentally the only time of year I actually like living in New England). What was unpleasant for me was listening to some guy repeatedly revving his engine just now. All that did was give me painful flashbacks to last winter when day after day I heard co-workers trying to get out of parking spaces buried in snow.

However, Dominic Skinner's delightful new mug may just change my mind about the dark days ahead. Living in Ireland turned me onto the idea of dunking chocolate cookies in tea, so I guess it's no surprise a man from the UK came up with the idea to put little slots in mugs so one can drink one's tea/coffee and hold his/her cookies at the same time. On sale at www.mocha.uk.com, it comes in both right- and left-handed versions, so you never toss your cookies. : )

Technology continues to advance in other more, er, widely relevant areas as well. The New York Times reported on how the introduction of the touchscreen phone, most notably the iPhone, has helped computer engineers move forward in their research on creating a touchscreen computer. The "tablet" computer has not made much progress in the last 20 years since the first one was lampooned in Doonesbury for its incompetence. Gizmo gurus expect the major players - Apple, Microsoft, etc. - to produce the next evolution of touch and tap devices in the next year.

All these high-tech magic tricks are perhaps having the other-than-intended effect of making me long for Lite-Brite and Etch-a-Sketch. I actually kind of miss the days of crappy animation and VHS tapes. My little apparently Luddite self takes comfort in my third gadget today, which I found on www.coolest-gadgets.com. Despite the slightly sketchy fact this children's toy comes from a company called "Uncle Milton's," I love the idea of a projected rainbow in my room any time I want it (no rain necessary). All I need now is the pot of gold...

Drawing inspiration from everyday people...

The stories I found today trended more toward ordinary people stepping out of themselves and their immediate concerns to help others, regardless of their own personal situations. These are the types of stories I wish they would focus on more in the news. I know there's the big call for good news out there now, and I hope it's not just a transient function of the crappy economy. I hope even a small spotlight continues to shine on stories like these even after the world recovers from the latest downturn in the economy. 

This first article was written by a local police officer in Hingham for wickedlocal.com. I think it's particularly telling that someone who works in a profession generally considered to be full of heroes took time to write about someone who, as he put it, "has not sworn an oath to protect others."

Personally, I think there is very little more inspiring than the stories of those who suffered through the Holocaust. Those people experienced the very worst human nature and society could dream up and used often little more than their will to survive. That's why I really enjoyed the recap in the Holyoke Enterprise of a Polish Holocaust survivor who moved to Nebraska after he was liberated from Buchenwald. 

In one of the stories I've read in the last few days, a reporter brought up the point that often good news arises out of a bad situation. It's people triumphing over unfortunate circumstances. The Red River out in Minnesota has been rising and is projected to rise higher than it's ever been before, already past the destruction point from the last flood in 1997. Much of the news has been devoted to disaster predictions and evacuations, but mndaily.com had a reporter who chose to focus on the good that's being done in the area even as the waters continue to rise. People from all over the state and country are coming together to help those in the affected area. This story highlights the thousands of people who convened in the Fargodome to pack the desperately needed sandbags used to protect towns and homes. 

This last story is not particularly inspirational, but when I saw it in the New York Times, it immediately made me think of all my coffee-addicted friends, especially the ones who work in sports. : ) Here you go, Stef...