Slowing Down Time

Campus of the University of Tulsa

“Retiring was the best decision I ever made!” Professor Dr. Roger Wainwright was sitting across from me. “What do you mean,” I asked, “aren’t you still here?” He laughed then explained, “Oh no, I don’t want to ever retire from teaching, I would be bored! I meant retiring from being the Chair of the department. Now I’m busier than ever, spending all my time teaching and working with the students. If I had known it was this good, I would have retired a long time ago!” He punctuated that remark with his signature laugh and contagious smile. 

Last week I had the opportunity to spend a few days with my old college professors at the University of Tulsa. Among them was Dr. Wainwright. He is a founding faculty member and former chairman of the Computer Science program. As you can probably imagine from my dialogue with him, he continues to be one of the most beloved members of the faculty and is still introducing the joy of programming, algorithms, and discrete mathematics to all incoming CS students. I’ll never forget his classes. They were challenging, eye opening, and fun. He had an uncanny ability to teach complex concepts in a way that felt like you have always known them. It was an absolute joy to see him again and reminisce about those days. 

Time flies. I couldn’t believe how many years it had been since I was in those university classrooms hearing professors like Dr. Wainwright wax eloquently about quicksort, binary trees, and finite state engines. I mentioned it to him. He agreed and reflected how it seemed that even for him, those first years at the college had seemed to go by so slow compared to today. So much in life is like that. Do you remember your first years in college, in a new neighborhood or at a new job? Didn’t they seem to go by at a slower lingering pace than today? Back then, days were millennia, and months were eons. What happened? Why did things start getting so fast?

I’ve heard several theories about the accelerating time phenomenon. Someone suggested that it is a relative perception we have. At age 2, one year is 50% of our life memory. At 20, it is 5%, and so on. That seems plausible. Someone else suggested that our years of our life are all wound up in a roll like toilet paper. It spins faster the closer you get to the end. Yes, it’s a lot less scientific but a lot more humorous! 

This past week I ran across another theory that had even more merit. The researcher hypothesized that the way our mind perceives time is through signature events and cognitive attention moments. Think back. How do you organize your memories? I can see myself at different ages and different places. But many of those orbit signature events: a celebration, a tragedy, a discovery moment, a new place, or a new face. In all those cases, something new was recorded. A new feeling, a new learning, or a new fear. Something novel was happening that had gained my attention. The theory goes that in times where we have a high degree of new things happening, we experience a “slow down” of reality. The density of those novel events dictates the velocity at which we travel through time, at least in our mind. This explains why after the “new wears off” in school, work or at home, time seems to fly. We aren’t creating enough novel signature events in our memory to slow things down.

That got me thinking. A long life isn’t about the number of seconds we live, but the number of events we experience. It’s time for signature events! Learn something. Embrace an uncomfortable and new change. Create something novel. Explore something fresh. Etch those memories deep into your timeline. Celebrate them and decorate the moment with innovation and novelty. By doing that, it seems we can slow down time a little and extend our life story.

Retire from the fast mundane pace and make a deliberate decision to try something new. As Dr. Wainwright observed, it may be the best decision you will ever make.

Campus of the University of Tulsa

University of Tulsa – Campus

Storm Warning

The sky was on fire. Lightning danced across the dark horizon like a shimmering lake of eels. They seemed to be swimming towards us. It was beautiful! Trees began swaying. The tornado sirens across the city spun to life and began screaming their warning of approaching doom. In the distance, exploding power lines and erupting transformers illuminated row after row of trees bowing all the way to the ground as the event horizon of the storm made its way towards us. I was in awe.

The atmosphere was electric and full of an eerie green light that gave way to the howling wind. Its roar turned into chords. It reminded me of an approaching train at the Metrolink station. Leaves and branches began pouring into the house like a pack of dogs chasing a racoon. I desperately hung onto the door. Soon, the wind nearly pushed me to the ground. Then I heard a voice. “Dad, what are you doing?! Shut the door!”

I confess, I can be curious to a fault. Last week we were in Tulsa, Oklahoma, visiting family. News hit of a devastating thunderstorm with 100 mph wind coming our direction. I had to see it firsthand. So, of course I opened the door. Eventually after the wise admonition from my daughters, I managed to get it closed and we secured ourselves with all the necessities stored away in the safe room.

It was dark. The wind and sirens continued for another half hour as the front of the storm crashed against the house. It creaked and shuddered with the booming thunder and pounding rain. After a while, the brunt of the storm moved through and left us with a peaceful heavy rain. Power was out. The only light came from everyone’s phones and the strobing lightning outside. For the next three days, the city would be without power. Trees covered the streets. Power poles were bent and broken to bits like toothpicks. Cellular towers were down and the internet was offline.

What a vacation! My family generally doesn’t like to go camping, so camping came to us. Traffic lights were out and grocery and gas stations were closed. We had to go back to the basics. I panicked for a while, but then I figured out how to make cowboy coffee.

Life is unexpected, terrifying and wonderful. You never know what adventure awaits. Be ready for it. Dare to take a look! Be curious and listen to the voice of wisdom. Which in my case, was the voice of my daughters.

Fight for the Users!

“On the other side of the screen, it all looks so easy.” – Kevin Flynn

Greetings programs,

“LaserDisc… Prepare to be blown away!” The clerk at the local movie rental store handed us the LaserDisc player and movie and guaranteed that it would level up our home movie experience. My brother and I unpacked the dazzling new player and quickly connected the RCA cables, powered up the audio system and hit play. Seconds later it sprung to life with colorful geometric shapes flying across the screen, taking us on a journey into a virtual realm. The dazzling images on the screen were accompanied by room filling sounds the LaserDisc pumped into the audio system. The ethereal soundtrack by Wendy Carlos transported us into this magical world of the impossible. The characters in the movie were playing video games, but not like my sister and I would play at the local arcade, they were actually in the game, inside the computer! They were “programs”, walking around, pulling power from circuit board rivers of light, recording information on their identity disks, piloting vector based light-cycles, tanks, recognizers and solar sailing ships across the grid. And like any good hero story, they fought against the oppressive evil overlord. The Master Control Program sought to enslave the world of computer programs to do it’s evil bidding to ultimately take over the human world. They were fighting for the “Users”, the human creators of this digital realm. One of those creators, a programmer named Flynn, gets transported into this digital world to join in on the fight. Welcome to the world of TRON!

I was blown away! The clerk had been right. It had inspired me and introduced me into a new world. The world of programs, computers and computer graphics. I was suddenly obsessed with this new found passion. It became an imperative for me to learn everything I could about this computer world. I managed to talk my dad into getting me a Commodore 64 so I could learn to do all these things that I had seen on the screen. Soon, I was crafting my own programs, sprites, animations and audio waveforms. I even made my own space adventure game that I published in our middle school paper, as if anyone would ever type in all that code! I was hooked. Maker clubs, hacker homebrew meetups and bulletin board systems eventually led me to join the computer science and electrical engineering departments at the University of Tulsa. I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to fight for the Users, making programs and systems that made the world a better place.

TRON was released to theaters 40 years ago this past weekend. While not a blockbuster for Disney by any means, the film was groundbreaking. As with so many of Disney films, it had inspired people just like me. It even paved the way for computer-generated imagery in animated films. John Lasseter has said that without TRON, there would have been no Toy Story.

We make magic. But that magic isn’t just the compelling storytelling, the visual effects, the powerful adventures or experiences we deliver. No, the real magic is what endures those moments and begins a ripple effect on lives. People become inspired to try new things. New passions awaken. New worlds unfold. The work we do makes an impact that transcends the bottom line and propels us into the future as a species. We inform. We inspire. We improve our human experience, one story at a time.

Are you ready? It’s time to go play the game. Let’s go fight for the Users!

End of Line

Mind the Gap

The London Underground, commonly known as “The Tube” is the oldest rapid transit system in the world.  A few years ago, during a summer before the pandemic, my family and I made our way to London for a vacation.  Our excursions almost always required at least one ride on the Tube.  We absolutely loved it.  It was incredibly convenient!  With just a little practice and a route guidance app, you can get just about anywhere in London with very little effort.

Anyone who has traveled the Underground quickly becomes familiar with the public service announcement, “Mind the gap!”  A loud audio warning is accompanied by visual signs to remind Underground passengers to take caution crossing the gap between the train doors and the station platforms.  For some of the older lines and stations this can be a significant gap which can include nefarious vertical steps.  Much to my chagrin, somewhere along my journey, my less than graceful physical skills caused me to bump my toe on one of those vertical gaps. I stumbled out onto the platform.  A friendly fellow passenger, concerned about my maneuver, smiled and repeated, “mind the gap.”  We both laughed and I shook my head walking off with my much-embarrassed family. 

Life is full of gaps.  Some of those gaps are risks that we must manage for ourselves and others.  Sometimes we see them and raise the alarm.  Other times, those warning signs are broadcast by experts.  Put on your seat belt.  Hot, don’t touch!  Wear safety goggles and other personal protection equipment (PPE).  Get vaccinated.  Walk carefully on wet slippery floors.  Don’t fly your drone around high voltage power lines.  

Another familiar public service announcement on the Underground is, “See it, say it, sorted.”  It’s a call to action to all passengers to report unusual activity to keep everyone safe.  As technologist, we are often in the front row seat to see systemic problems, reliability issues, security weaknesses, and the like.  Be on the lookout for those dangers and gaps.  Raise the alarm if you see a problem.  Often the issues are not just technical problems, but issues with process, support and usability.  Those are important too.  Improving inhumane experiences or user frustrating processes is like an ancient magic that unleashes incredible power and potential.  It also helps clumsy dads exit the Tube safely without bruising their egos.

As we journey from point to point on this adventure, we will spot gaps.  Our attention and expertise are needed to ensure we can continue to ship value… better, faster, safer and happier for everyone.  Mind the gap!

Love, Joy and Peace

Love, Joy, Peace

The decorations are up!  The lights are on and the trees are trimmed.  We are ready for the holidays!  As the shadows of darkness grow long in the shortening days, I’m reminded of the importance of light.  As is our custom, we hang lights on the house literally moments after the last Halloween trick-or-treaters leave.  Our human family, all over the world lights candles, adorns their houses and trees with lights.  It’s a beautiful time of the year to stir the embers of joy and share the warmth of hope with our fellow human travelers.

Speaking of sharing, I love sending greeting cards.  It has become one of our family traditions.  I know it seems old fashioned and tedious, but there is something magical about going through the list of family and friends. You get a chance to stop and think about each person as you address, stamp and stuff each envelope.  Fond memories, care and concern arises with each note sent.  We normally select a generic holiday greeting, but in this crazy pandemic and challenging time, I stopped to think about the best, most appropriate message we could wish to everyone this year.  I landed on a three part wish that I think fits our time: love, joy and peace.

Love.  We have symbols, songs and slogans about love.  It often gets described as a feeling or a desire.  But at its core, true love is a choice and an action.  It is an act of selflessness, consideration and giving.  In this season, we unwire our selfish tendencies and focus on others.  We give of our time, our treasures and our talents to benefit someone other than ourselves.  That is love.  As we think about our freedoms, privileges and blessings, think about it for others too.  Have empathy: understand each other.  Humility: encourage others.  Charity: care for one another over your own comfort or convenience.  Yes, in a pandemic, love even means wearing masks to protect others not just ourselves.  We can choose to love, to be the best that we as humans can be.  This time of the year, the world becomes a bit brighter as hearts and minds turn toward love and giving.  As the song by Jackie DeShannon, says, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love, It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.”  I wish you love! 

Joy.  Like love, joy is often described as a feeling.  It is often explained as the state of having cheer or vibrant happiness.  But that would sell it short. True joy is a purposeful decision and attitude.  Even in difficult times, you can feel joy.  Darkness, loss and pain can rob us of happiness.  But even in those moments of sadness, we can still choose to have joy.  Joy is living in the moment, combating the darkness and choosing to put on the mantle of hope.  It is our mind and heart choosing to be above the circumstances.  Joy chooses light over darkness, good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair.  I wish you joy!

Peace.  With the chaos, conflicts and challenges we have seen in 2020, there is an increasing need for peace.  It is a unique and rare gem.  But we can experience it, wield it and promote it.  It is a gift we can give that always gives back.  In a world of polarized views and tribal separations, peacemakers are needed now more than ever.  Peace shines in unity over conflict, collaboration over competition, and civility over combat.  Peace is born of love, embracing our differences while respecting each other.  It brings a calm to raging seas and graces us with wisdom that there is more that unites us than divides us.  I wish you peace!

I wish you all love, joy and peace this season and always!

The Unicorn Project

The Unicorn Project: A Novel about Developers, Digital Disruption, and Thriving in the Age of Digital, by Gene Kim

This new novel by Gene Kim takes place simultaneously as the events of The Phoenix Project with many of the same characters, business challenges and end results. All of this continues to take place within the fictional company, Parts Unlimited. However, while the prior book gave us insight into the transformation of the operations team, this book chronicles the journey from a developers point of view.

The Unicorn Project takes you on a fun and inspiring journey into some of the most difficult IT and business challenges we face today.  The project may be mythical, but the lessons and ideals uncovered here provide real help and inspiration to any leader seeking to transform their business. Along the way, you discover people empowering, data driven and digital business enabling ways of working that can unleash the powerful potential within any organization. 

There are five ideals that are discovered through the course of the book that will help any business succeed.

  • The First Ideal – Locality and Simplicity
  • The Second Ideal – Focus, Flow, and Joy
  • The Third Ideal – Improvement of Daily Work
  • The Fourth Ideal – Psychological Safety
  • The Fifth Ideal – Focus on our Customer

I recommend this book for any business or technology student, professional or leader who is serious about leveraging data driven digital disruption and workforce empowerment to delivering business value faster, better, safer and happier.

More information about the Unicorn Project.

AppleTV Development – OpenSSL and libcurl

In doing development for the new AppleTV, I was unable to find a cross compiled version of OpenSSL and cURL (libcurl) to use for my project.   I found a helpful OpenSSL script (here) that addressed some the unique tvOS challenges (e.g. fork() is not available) and used that build script to construct an libcurl build script.

The following repo contains scripts to build OpenSSL and cURL (libcurl) for OS X, iOS and tvOS with Bitcode enabled for iOS, tvOS. It includes the required patching for tvOS to not use fork(). This requires Xcode7.1b or later for the tvOS SDK.

https://github.com/jasonacox/Build-OpenSSL-cURL

 

Welcome!

Welcome to the Book of Jason.  This is a blog of random bits of knowledge, wisdom, technology, science, theology and a bit a whimsy.