Poetry.com
Dear Paul and Kate, Melanie and Jared, Bridget and Justin, Sara, Ben and Sarah, Heather, Audrey, Rachel, and Matt via hardcopy,
cc: file, Andrea, Tony Hafen, Sara and Des Penny,
& Maxine Shirts
Welcome to "Thoughtlets." This is a weekly review of an idea,
belief, thought, or words that will hopefully be of some benefit
to you, my children, with an electronic copy to on-line extended
family members. Any of you can ask me not to clutter your mail
box at any time.
"We received 23,939 spam message from July 2003 until when I
started writing this message. That's a lot of spam. I open up
those messages that look like they might be from a friend or
might be a for-real message. A few weeks ago, one of those
messages I opened was from www.poetry.com. I liked the look of
the site, and some of the things they said. They had a place
you could write a poem, and I decided to write out one of my
poems. I chose the words to Alex's Unspoken Prayer
(../0015.html). It wouldn't fit in the 20 lines they allowed.
So I cut out the choruses, and it was exactly 20 lines.
Well, this week I got back a notice that my poem will be
published in `Eternal Portraits' ISBN:0-7951-5227-2, on an
entire page to itself. The Artist's Proof has my name with
a copyright symbol by it. There is a place for me to initial
which says `Excellent Poem' and where my initials certify
that my poem is my original work and implying I give
permission for it to be published with no compensation.
They also tell me I can tell them about myself and my
poetry. They will also make this information available on
an entire page in the book, opposite my poem. They suggest
I write out the meaning the poem has in my life, names of
family members, where I live, my education, occupation, and
hobbies, and a personal note or philosophical point of view.
They allow 100 words, and point out they must charge a nominal
fee to cover the cost of preparing and printing this
information. Several pages later I find out this nominal
fee is $25.00. Also that I can purchase a deluxe hardbound
edition for $49.95, saving $20.00 and getting a free gift
$10.00 value. Yes Melanie, spam is spam, and everybody has
an angle they are pursuing to get into our pockets. Oh well!
Seems like all week there was a lot of communication around
the poetry.com theme. The one that touched me the most was
an e-mail from my cousin, Diane Cluff:
<![CDATA[ `Without the Walls of Temple Square
by Tiffany Wilde
Note: This account was written by a young woman serving as a
missionary on Temple Square during April 2003 General Conference.
To be a missionary on Temple Square during General Conference is
absolute heaven! Members of the Church travel hundreds of miles to
Salt Lake City to see a prophet of God. The feeling within the
walls is of peace, sacrifice, love, and testimony. Some members of
the Church who don't have a ticket to get into a conference session
will wait in lines inside the square for hours in hopes of crossing
the street to the beautiful Conference Center. No one is impatient
or grumpy as they wait. Even as it hailed and snowed, smiles were
seen and laughs were heard as members tried to squeeze under
umbrellas of those in line with them. What a happy, joyous thrill
it is to be a part of this event.
Outside the walls of Temple Square, however, the scene is quite
different.
Several very vocal protesters have been attending General Conferences
for many years. Each conference their following grows and becomes
louder and even more disturbing than the last. Their main purpose?
To yell and scream terrible things about the leaders, the doctrine
and the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
and try to convince us we are wrong. The last time I checked, yelling
profane assumptions at families who are minding their own business
wasn't the most effective teaching method. Yet, their posters and
billboards get bigger, their voices louder and the result is the
same--families scramble, covering the ears of their little ones as
they hurry across the street between the Conference Center and Temple
Square, where within the walls they can again feel the peace of the
Spirit.
Last year the Church came up with a plan to change things. Anti-Mormons
buy permits from the city to stand in a specific spot and conduct
protests.
The Church decided to purchase their own permits, as well. They
purchased one on the Conference Center side of the street and one on
the Temple Square side of the street, just outside the gates. The
Church called a special meeting of sisters in mission leadership
positions and asked us to be brave and place ourselves in the middle
of all the protesters. Can you imagine two sets of young sisters
standing at their designated posts in the midst of mobs of angry men
holding posters, yelling, and blowing their noses in sacred garments
and waving them in the air. We had shifts, so we'd stand for two
hours and then recharge back inside the Square before going back
out to the street. We were a small force, but a mighty one.
We found these men were paid to do this, and so when each Conference
session started and there was no one to yell at, they'd put their
signs and megaphones down and relax. This was an opportune time to
chat. We called one anti-Mormon over who seemed to be our age and
asked why he was here. He didn't really know. He was cold and
"kind of wanted to get back home." He came all the way from the
east coast. (I hope he got a big paycheck.) We noticed one more man
who seemed mentally slower than the others. As everyone was entering
the Conference Center, he held an arrow that said "False Prophet,"
but it was pointed at the anti-Mormon man next to him. When his
partner noticed, he redirected his arrow so it was pointing at the
Conference Center We chuckled. Now that it was quiet we made eye
contact with this man and smiled. He smiled back and waved as if he
wasn't aware of what he was being asked to do.
My companion and I took our break to warm up, and really prayed that
our presence would have some kind of impact on our next shift outside.
A Conference session let out and outside the gates of Temple Square,
we watched as 21,000 people came streaming from the Conference Center,
spiritually fed and strengthened. I said one more prayer just as the
anti-Mormons picked up all of their megaphones and signs. As we watched
peace destroyed and saw the member's faces saddened and some showing
fear of the mobs of yelling men, we were moved to action. My companion
has a powerful singing voice and said, "Let's sing hymns and try to out
sing these guys." We began singing hymns as loud as we could. A few
missionary sisters joined in and as the members crossed the street, they
started to hear the singing behind all of the yelling. As they looked
past the mobs, they saw us and some joined in. We became very powerful,
which angered the men, causing them to yell louder. It didn't matter,
the members' faces turned from fear to happiness as they saw a small
army of Saints standing for truth. Some mouthed the words "thank you,"
many waved and everyone smiled! More and more Saints joined in and we
found more and more courage as we bore our testimony through song.
As the mobs chanted "false prophet, false prophet," we sang with power
"We Thank Thee Oh God for a Prophet." As they chanted "the Book of
Mormon is false," we sang with fervor, "We are as the Armies of
Helaman," and as they yelled with their megaphones that we were going
to "burn in hell" we sang with full hearts, "The Spirit of God Like a
Fire is Burning." The feeling was unmistakable. The presence of the
Spirit was powerful and we were all brought to tears. Never had the
contrast between good and evil been so clear to those standing there
that day.
In the midst of it all, my eyes were drawn to one man who had stopped
yelling. I watched for a moment as the spirit of the music utterly
stopped him from yelling. He lowered his sign and looked back to see a
small army of Saints with faith in their eyes as they lifted their
voices in song. He looked back down at his sign with the expression on
his face as if to say, "what am I doing here?" There he stood with his
head down, touched by the Spirit. At that moment I began to cry, knowing
that the gospel of Jesus Christ will go forth boldly, nobly and
independent and that no unhallowed hand will stop it. No amount of
yelling men will change what is true and cause me to doubt the
confirmation I received that day.
How grateful I am for the spirit of truth and for the hearts that were
touched through this wonderful experience. The Spirit of God like a
fire is burning, and will continue to burn brightly forever.']]>
Of course, people are finding ways to react to the negative side
of things like poetry.com. There is an anti-telephone solicitation
law and an anti-spam law that just went into effect. It will be
interesting to see how far this goes before there is a backlash.
Hayden Hudson sent the following statement of where it is going:
<![CDATA[ `Ordering Pizza in 2008
Operator: "Thank you for calling Pizza Hut. May I have your
national ID number?"
Customer: "Hi, I'd like to place an order."
Operator: "May I have your NIDN first, sir?"
Customer: "My National ID Number, yeah, hold on, eh, it's
6102049998-45-54610."
Operator: "Thank you, Mr. Sheehan. I see you live at 1742 Meadowland
Drive, and the phone number's 494-2366. Your office number over at
Lincoln Insurance is 745-2302 and your cell number's 266-2566. Which
number are you calling from, sir?"
Customer: "Huh? I'm at home. Where d'ya get all this information?"
Operator: "We're wired into the system, sir."
Customer: (Sighs) "Oh, well, I'd like to order a couple of your
All-Meat Special pizzas."
Operator: "I don't think that's a good idea, sir."
Customer: "Whaddya mean?"
Operator: "Sir, your medical records indicate that you've got very
high blood pressure and extremely high cholesterol. Your National
Health Care provider won't allow such an unhealthy choice."
Customer: "What?!?! What do you recommend, then?"
Operator: "You might try our low-fat Soybean Pizza. I'm sure you'll
like it."
Customer: "What makes you think I'd like something like that?"
Operator: "Well, you checked out 'Gourmet Soybean Recipes' from your
local library last week, sir. That's why I made the suggestion."
Customer: "All right, all right. Give me two family-sized ones, then."
Operator: "That should be plenty for you, your wife and your four kids,
sir. Your total is $49.99."
Customer: "Lemme give you my credit card number."
Operator: "I'm sorry sir, but I'm afraid you'll have to pay in cash.
Your credit card balance is over its limit."
Customer: "I'll run over to the ATM and get some cash before your
driver gets here."
Operator: "That won't work either, sir. Your checking account's
overdrawn."
Customer: "Never mind! Just send the pizzas. I'll have the cash ready.
How long will it take?"
Operator: "We're running a little behind, sir. It'll be about 45
minutes, sir. If you're in a hurry you might want to pick 'em up while
you're out getting the cash, but then, carrying pizzas on a motorcycle
can be a little awkward."
Customer: "Wait! How do you know I ride a bike?"
Operator: "It says here you're in arrears on your car payments, so your
car got repo'ed. But your Harley's paid up.
Customer: "@#%/$@&?#!"
Operator: "I'd advise watching your language, sir. You've already got
a July 2006 conviction for cussing out a cop."
Customer: (Speechless)
Operator: "Will there be anything else, sir?"
Customer: "Yes, I have a coupon for a free 2 liter of Coke".
Operator: "I'm sorry sir, but our ad's exclusionary clause prevents us
from offering free soda to diabetics. Thank you for calling Pizza Hut!']]>
On the more positive side, there was an e-mail from David Devor
describing some interesting new technologies. Maybe I liked it
because it had nothing to do with poetry.
<![CDATA[ `7 Technologies You'll Be Hearing About This Year
Several technologies will be attention-getters this year as they move
toward wider adoption. Here are seven technologies that will make news
in the year ahead:
Automatic Speech Translator
People who speak different languages will soon have a way to understand
each other. Researchers at IBM have built a working prototype that
automatically translates spoken words from English to Mandarin Chinese
and vice versa. Here's how it works. A laptop computer turns spoken
words into text using speech recognition software; next, advanced
translation algorithms translate the text into a second language; and
finally, the computer utilizes text-to-speech technology to speak the
translated words. While the team behind the technology the
human-language technologies group at IBM's T.J. Watson Research Center
in New York hasn't used the technology on other languages aside from
English and Mandarin, the technology can be quickly applied to any two
languages. The system could be featured in laptops or personal digital
assistants by mid-year.
Micro Fuel Cells
The potential of fuel cells to power cars has captured our imagination,
but they are first expected to make an impact on portable consumer
electronic devices, powering gadgets like laptops, cell phones and
personal digital assistants. And even more near-term is their appearance
in industrial applications such as barcode scanners and handheld data
collection devices. Fuel cells will provide such portable devices with
increased power in an even more convenient form than batteries and allow
them to run longer and to gain functionality.
"Micro fuel cells make the wireless revolution truly wireless," says
Bill Acker, CEO of MTI Micro Fuel Cells, a New York-based developer of
direct methanol fuel cells for portable electronics and military
devices. "With fuel cell-powered devices, you'll no longer be tethered
to the wall because you'll never need to charge a battery."
Nanomaterials
The tiny science of nanotechnology, the study and manipulation of
individual atoms and molecules to make new materials, has been a
headline grabber for years, at least seven actually. But it's in the
coming months that we'll start to see the impact of nanomaterials on a
wide range of market segments. Among them are high-density data storage
media for the electronics industry, medical diagnostic tools,
transparent sunscreens, enhanced paper and ink, and highly
cost-efficient coatings. Just last month, the industry drew a lot of
attention when President Bush signed a law authorizing federal research
and development subsidies of $3.7 billion over four years, starting in
October. The Freedonia research group expects the U.S. market for
nanomaterials to explode, topping $1 billion in 2007 from only $125
million in 2000. For example, PolyOne Corp. has launched Nanoblend
Concentrates, a new class of materials that can enhance fire-resistance
while reducing weight and improving stiffness. And that's just one
nanomaterial to watch.
Ever Smaller Die Sizes
Miniaturization has long been a key trend in the electronics industry.
Now, chipmakers can print features on chips with geometries as
diminutive as 90 nanometers (a nanometer or nm is a billionth of a
meter). While the biggest semiconductor manufacturers including Intel,
Infineon, Samsung and IBM started building semiconductors on 90 nm
process technology last year, the technique only accounted for a small
percentage of chips. Most chips were still made on 0.13-, 0.18- and
0.25- micron process technologies. In the year ahead and in 2005,
however, a growing portion of chips will be built on 90 nm technology.
Among the first chips made on this new generation of semiconductor
process technology will be leading edge logic parts such as
microprocessors, system on chip devices and digital signal processors.
Indeed, chipmakers can boost chip functionality, reduce cost, fit more
chips per wafer and accelerate chip speed by shrinking the width of the
circuits on a die.
More Affordable Magnesium Sheet
Because of its high strength, light weight and recyclability, magnesium
has long been a coveted material. For years research teams have rushed
to develop affordable technologies to manufacture flat-rolled magnesium
conveniently and economically. Now, a team from Australia's largest
scientific research agency may have achieved success. The group of
researchers led by Daniel Liang has produced the world's first
production-ready, inexpensive magnesium sheet - a development that has
implications for the automotive and telecommunications components
industries. Planners of advanced materials in these industries have long
asserted that magnesium sheet could be an alternative to aluminum and
steel - a possible substitute that is lightweight, stiff, strong and
machinable.
RFID
Widespread adoption has eluded RFID (radio frequency identification),
but the technology could make significant progress in the coming months.
For starters, Wal-Mart and the Department of Defense have both set 2005
deadlines for top 100 suppliers (in Wal-Mart's case) and ALL suppliers
(in the case of the DoD) to adopt the technology, which promises to
track products through every stage in the supply chain. RFID labels or
"smart tags" can carry large amounts of useful information including
product identity, where the product has passed, its current location,
and how it's been handled. Even the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
suggested in a report that the technology could be a viable preventive
measure against drug counterfeiting. What's more, RFID tags and readers
(the devices that pick up the information tags carry) are getting
cheaper. The RFID market will likely reach $3.1 billion by 2008, with
asset and supply chain management application accounting for 48% of this
projected market, says New York market research firm Allied Business
Intelligence. In short, "anyone who uses barcodes now should be looking
into RFID," says Rich Hardt, vice president of technology services at
Yellow Technologies, a subsidiary of major trucking company Yellow Corp.
of Kansas.
Sourcing Optimization
Corporate sourcing leaders are starting to prove the viability of a new
type of solution - highly configurable decision-support tools that pair
applied mathematics with considerable computing power. These
applications solve complicated sourcing problems, taking into account
huge sets of interdependent variables. They can figure out things such
as the appropriate level of standardization and the optimum number of
suppliers, while considering factors such as suppliers' leadtimes and
delivery capabilities. For example, Sourcing Portfolio by
Massachusetts-based Emptoris lets buyers compare bids using price and
non-price factors. And the answers that the software comes up with could
be unexpected. "For example, one of our clients found that, for an
additional $25,000, they could place $2.8 million worth of business with
two suppliers instead of six as they had originally planned, which would
be less expensive in the long run," says Kevin Potts, director of
product marketing for Emptoris. "The surprise was that the two suppliers
were entirely different from the suppliers who would have won the
business under a six-supplier scenario. Without the optimization
analysis, the client would never have seen this possibility."
Sources:
10 Tech Trends
Purchasing Magazine, Oct. 9, 2003
www.manufacturing.net/pur
7 Hot Projects
Erika Jonietz
Technology Review, Dec. 2003/Jan. 2004
www.technologyreview.com/articles/jonietz1203.asp
As Nanotechnology Gains Visibility, Venture Capital Begins Coming In
Barnaby J. Feder
The New York Times, Dec. 22, 2003
www.nytimes.com/2003/12/22/technology/22nano.html?pagewanted=1
Ready or Not, RFID’s Coming
Frontline Solutions, December 1, 2003
www.frontlinetoday.com/frontline/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=77424']]>
Aunt Sara wrote back about my comments in a previous thoughtlet:
<![CDATA[ `Dear Roice and Andrea,
We're glad Andrea's class is going well and her mentoring project is
working out so well. Good luck on your new project. I hope it works.
Des likes the Quiet Man movie. My feeling when living in Ireland was
that women were supposed to stay home and have babies. I could not get
a job the year we lived there because I was newly married and I was
expected to get pregnant immediately. I was pleased we came back to the
U.S. to raise our children, especially Bridget. When Des' mom was a
young woman there was a choice: have a job or be married. Once a woman
was married she was not employable. This caused a lot of resentment.
Her sister never married and had a career in the civil service. Des
mother was later able to teach, but it wasn't until the 1970s and she
felt like a second class employee in many cases because the
administration at her school was all male.
Have a great week.
Love,
Sara']]>
Last week I forgot to include Kate's response to my suggestion we all
get together this summer in Cedar for the 4th or the 24th of July:
<![CDATA[ `Roice,
I think a reunion in Cedar this summer would be excellent. My exact due
date for this baby is July 12th. I'm thinking that the 4th would be a
better date for us considering the difficult time I had delivering Grant
(and not being able to walk well for the next month). Also, new babies
are sure hard to care for on trips - not to mention their crazy sleep
schedules. Anyhow, as long as the pregnancy is going well and my doctor
is not opposed to a trip that close to the due date, July 4th would be
the best time for us for a reunion. I hope everyone else can make it.
Love,
Kate']]>
I've started working on my paper for the Hedberg Conference. The
conference is the 11th through the 14th of July in Vienna. We did
not have cash to purchase the cheap tickets which were available
up through last week. Although I do have a $2,000 support commitment
from Larry Cathles at the GBRN towards my attending the Hedberg
Conference and taking a companion with me. I figure this is enough
to purchase two tickets and a hotel room in Vienna, and my first
choice of a traveling companion is Heather, as a college graduation
present. However, we have got word back indirectly that Heather
does not want to go, and Andrea is saying she does not want to go
unless our credit card bills are paid off. As I recall, at this
stage last year, when I was planning on giving the paper at the
original scheduling of the Hedberg conference, Audrey did not want
to go to England with us, and Andrea was not planning on going.
I've learned to flexible on my planning. The bottom line is I do
not plan to be around the day Paul and Kate's new baby is due.
It sounds like July 4th is the better time to plan on a Roice and
Andrea Nelson reunion. Ben and Sarah and Ethan have said they can
drive up from California, and that they plan to do so this summer
anyway. Even though we do not have any definite plans yet, I'm
interested in everyone else's thoughts too. The other data I have
is that we have three airplane tickets to Utah. As near as we know
Heather's graduation will be the middle of May, and kind of expect
these tickets will be used for her, Matt, and myself to attend this.
Also in the equation is the fact Andrea's family is planning a
family get together in CouerD'laine, Idaho, where her brother Robert
lives, sometime towards the end of July. Right now, I guess we are
waiting to see what happens with our finances before making our
commitments for this summer. Expect that is the case with many of you.
Other than my poetry.com diversion, I worked hard this week.
However, I don't have a lot to show for the work. On Wednesday
there was a lunch meeting with Core Lab to discuss a possible trip
to China the week of the 21st-28th of February. I also participated
in a prospect presentation to Ken Weisnberger at Krescent Energy
Company that afternoon, and a teleconference with Doug Harless and
Craig Humphries later in the afternoon. In the evening I went over
to the Catholic Church and helped set up chairs for the annual
Job Fair. On Thursday I went to the Job Fair, and I submitted my
resume to Collarini Energy Staffing. I also talked to a Realtor
about selling our house to cut out some of the unnecessary expenses
we have, like $150/week for a pool guy to keep our pool working,
when we seldom use it. I'm ready to move to improve monthly cash
flow. However, Andrea feels she would be responsible for all of
the packing and everything else this would entail, and the bottom
line is we are up in the air as to what the future holds. I guess
it all comes down to the fact that there is a lot of turbulence
around here right now, and it will be nice when things settle
down a little bit. Surely that is going to happen?
However, even as optimistic as I strive to be, I have to admit it
was April 7th 2002 when I wrote about a light at the end of the
tunnel. I keep telling myself it hasn't been 7 years yet (Genesis
29:18 describing the time it took Jacob to earn Rachel from Laben),
nor has it been 40 years (Numbers 14:33, the number of years Israel
walked in the wilderness), and that our current financial situation
is simply a test of my faith. However, my choice to continue to
pursue oil exploration without a sufficient financial base has put
too much stress on home life, and I have got to change things
quickly. Thus my submission of a resume at the Job Fair and talking
to a Realtor. We can not keep going on as we have, and since I've
gladly taken responsibility for bringing home the bacon, I will be
striving even harder to fulfill this responsibility. I guess this
means I need to absolutely stop making diversions, like submitting
a poem to poetry.com."
I'm interested in sharing weekly a "thoughtlet" (little statements
of big thoughts which mean a lot to me) with you because I know how
important the written word can be. I am concerned about how easy
it is to drift and forget our roots and our potential among all of
distractions of daily life. To download any of these thoughtlets
go to http://www.walden3d.com/thoughtlets or e-mail me at
rnelson@walden3d.com.
With all my love,
Dad
(H. Roice Nelson, Jr.)