Finally: CEO as heroes

In the last few days, I have been encouraged by several media presentations of businessmen as heroes. In particular, the bios of David Oreck and Donald Trump presented productivity, rationality, passion, innovation, and even egoism as virtues. Is it just me, or has there been a change from the usual vilification of CEO’s as egotistical bastards who either inherit their wealth, or cheat it out of others?

Edit: I’ve been informed that Trump cheated way to wealth out. *sigh*

3

I just finished watching “3,” the new ESPN documentary of Dale Earnhardt . Though I am not a NASCAR fan, I found it to be a great sports movie. Dale Earnhardt is portrayed as uncompromising egoist : racing is his life, and nothing less than perfection is acceptable – on the track, or in his personal life.

Earnhardt’s success is presented not as a matter of luck, but of dedication, innovation in technique and technology, and the highest expectations from his team. “It ain’t about the guy with the fastest car”, he says, “– it’s about the one who refuses to lose.” He’s not out for the fame, and he doesn’t change attitude his even after he achieves greatness – it’s always about the racing, and pursuing one’s passions: “They can’t put it in ya.. and they can’t take it out.”

Another important quality is his attitude towards tragedy on the track: he recognizes the possibility, and takes precautions, but never allows it to assume a metaphysical importance for him, not even after his close friend dies. Nor does the movie allow his untimely death to overshadow his successes, as the final moments of the movie show.

The documentary reminded me of why people find spectator sports so inspiring: by dramatizing the process of goal-achievement, they inspire us to success in our own lives. There are few other arenas in our society where such inspiration can be found.

Origins of the Internet

It’s easy to take the Internet for granted, in these times of universal internet access and affordable broadband. But it wasn’t always so, and the Institute of Internet History has undertaken the task of creating a “full and faithful” documentary of the Internet, beginning with its early 19th century steam-powered origins. Millions of American school kids finally have a reliable research source for their research on this modern marvel.

A commercial: as a volcano erupts in the distance, chunks of rock start falling from the sky, and we see that one of them is actually a Jeep Grand Cherokee, which then drives off. Small text on the bottom of the screen: “Do Not Attempt.”

As I was channel surfing just now, I noticed a PBS cartoon with a dragon – in a wheel chair. How absurd can this multiculturalism thing get?
In other news, almost every single unsecured wireless router I come across still has the default password. This allows any passerby to not only monitor everything you do online, but to disable and even break it by corrupting the flash.
Yes, I am visiting parents for Thanksgiving, and have nothing better to do. (Other than fixing their computers.)