Lotzothoughtz

Anyone who knows me will tell you, I’m a complete Google fanboy.  I read its various blogs, keep up with most all products, keep tabs on the founders, on its financial situation, and so on and so forth.

 However, lately I’ve been growing more and more unhappy with some Google products.  Two in particular have been bugging me:  the first is Google Talk, I don’t get why the big G even maintains it.  If you aren’t going to have a competitive IM app then why have one at all?  And the second is Google Desktop Search, yes it’s a good desktop search but….the recent security scare, in the past I’ve had some buggy behavior, and let’s face it GDS isn’t the prettiest in the world (yes the recent upgrades have improved it alot but its not as glossy and new and it could be).  Also the more I thought about the more uneasy I grew with how much communication Google Desktop Search has with the internet, and through such a centralized source, just seems like that could be an easy in for a hacker or otherwise malicious program.

 So I’ve replaced Google Desktop Search with Windows Desktop Search as well as I’ve started toying with Yahoo! Widget Engine for my widget fix.

I’m probably being paranoid about the Google Desktop Search deal, although one reason I felt better with Yahoo! Widgets is because they’re quite frankly far more attractive and seem to have more functionality.

Well that’s my Google rant for the week.

Peace out……..no clue why I added that, lol.

Someone, somewhere once said “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” and I truly believe this applies to the new building currently being built for the art museum in downtown Roanoke.  This building is seen by some as an elegant ode to modern design with graceful swooping metallic wings and by others as a tragic, hideous, and gigantic piece of shrapnel.  Which ever belief you ascribe to you cannot deny one key issue: the structure will forever alter and shape downtown Roanoke.

 Downtown Roanoke isn’t known for its architectural deviants or revelations, as far as small city downtown’s go it’s fairly on par with similar ones trying to revitalize themselves.  However, there is a general architectural unity to the downtown area.  At the economic and social core of the Center in the Square there is a modern meets quaint colonial-like feel, as the downtown spreads out that is quickly replaced by a sometimes dreary modern, utilitarian architectural feel.  Closer to the Center in the Square core than not the new art museum building promises to resemble nothing downtown.  As an art museum I assume the Art Museum of Southwestern Virginia believes it should take asthetic risks with its interior and exterior building design.  After all good art is always controversial, art sometimes seeks to destroy your preconceived notions and to hopefully open up your mind to the new possibilities that it seeks to confront you with.  So with this building the art museum no only becomes just an art museum, it becomes art itself.

 Is this the type of building that downtown Roanoke needs?  Well, maybe.  Perhaps this innovative design will spur further innovation downtown, which seriously needs some help.  Maybe it will attract interesting new businesses and spur creativity in the region, acting as a catalyst to some new, shiny, metallic future.  Who knows how this could affect the future development of downtown, in 10 years times maybe it will be a show piece of modern, “green”, innovative architecture and businesses.  Or maybe not.  What if this seemingly innovative building turns out to be failure, what if people don’t flock to the museum but avoid it because they disagree with the building.  Maybe it would be considered an eyesore and something the community will come to dislike and make fun of.  Which in turn would mean no similar development downtown, keeping it on it’s present somewhat unoffensive and kind of boring track.  Which in all likelihood would lead to stagnation at some point because people, let’s face it downtown Roanoke is an economic hub but it isn’t some packed, bustling urban core.  And that, in the future, will be a key to Roanoke’s development: urbanization/modernization or key areas of the valley.

So in the end the building of this museum, despite if it fails or flies, reminds more of what Roanoke has to be in order for it to remain relevant.

When you graduate from college you are left with a lot of crap. From plastic drawers on wheels, blankets, pillows, cold medicines from when you were sick, paper bowls, forks, peanut butter, obscure ticket stubs and well….you get the idea. Why would I have all of this stuff? Pretty much because when you are in college you set up a parallel “household” away from your permanent residence. You tend to buy duplicates of stuff you have at your permanent home because its easier to buy than travel with all that stuff. During breaks and summers and such at school you typically pack everything in boxes ’til your return trip to school or for those who really live far away you rent a space in the college town to keep all your stuff in until your return. However when you graduate you are left with a ton of odds and ends, some of which you really can’t use anymore.

So here I am with boxes and bags of stuff leftover from my good old days. And I’m having trouble letting go of most of it, half of the stuff has some sort of memory attached to it or its something that is still useful and you kinda feel bad about getting rid of something that is in good working order. I have to get rid of most of this though, I really hate having so much stuff…..especially in an apartment, just not good. I’m probably going to have to do what I’ve done before, just throw stuff away that while I may like it I haven’t used or thought about in a month or more.

This makes me kinda miss the dorm a little, just a little.

[sigh]

I wonder what I’m gonna do with all this stuff.

[throws hands up]

Give me a week and the new Lotzothoughtz will be up and running properly.

thank u.

The youth of Roanoke are fleeing Roanoke as fast as they can graduate (or drop out) of High School. Those that don’t leave often do not go on to college, thusly they don’t make as much money, can’t spend it, can’t buy homes and when they do its on the cheap, and generally are apathetic to the political process because they‘re too busy trying to live. These are generalizations, not rules. Factor in the influx of people aged 50+, and you’ve got yourself a horrible situation: old people requiring services, uneducated workers filling in the service niche, with relatively educated few doing the work that requires a formal education (both college and technical educations).

If you are under, under 25, why live in a place surrounded by Graybacks and whose City Government seeks to cater only to the wealthy and the old. For up and coming college kids out of school living in Roanoke is a risk. Finding a job here is hard, harder than in most other place that size of Roanoke and larger. Why is it harder? Because all this city seems to want are medical students to keep the Graybacks alive, everything else is just so many details. There is no other large business sector in Roanoke for college educated workers other than the medical field. If you are a Computer programmer, you go to Blacksburg or out of state. Want to work for Government? Go to NOVA/DC or Richmond.

Roanoke few good opportunities for college educated young people and for young people in general. And who am I to say all of this? I’m just a college educated youth living in Roanoke. Aside from the jobs in Roanoke another huge reason the youth are fleeing Roanoke is it’s social atmosphere. To give you an idea of the City Government’s priorities that add to the social environment I’ve made up a little check list that I think the City Council keeps in their heads:

-Appease soccer moms [check]

-Make sure rich people are doing well [check]

-Seek to give Roanoke City a disproportionate amount of old people [check]

-Ensure nothing ever changes downtown that would be for the benefit of the people [check]

-Don’t rock the boat, we got a good thing going here on City Council [check]

The social atmosphere in Roanoke is dedicated to 30somethings and 50+somethings. Coffee houses, inoffensive restaurants, family friendly chains-rinse and repeat if desired. No I’m not listing a certain area in Roanoke City, I am listing the entire city. There are no decent places for young people to go, no true nightclubs, no affordable yet modern restaurants, no internet cafes, nothing cutting edge, nothing taking a risk; an aspect which often attracts young people. And its not for lack of trying, in large part its because of zoning restrictions, lack of financial incentives, as well as a lack of ability to get the word out there about new and interesting places. And in Roanoke you have to get the word out, no one discovers anything (movies, restaurants, etc) without being told about it first. Or so it seems most of the time.

The City of Roanoke seems to think that it can rest on its laurels while making small overtures to the youth of Roanoke. That in the end those “kids” will come back to Roanoke as it is, unchanged, static. It’s easier to remain the same but if Roanoke continues for much longer hemorrhaging young people, then it is over for Roanoke as a viable urban area. Let’s review:

-The City seeks to draw people aged 50+ to Roanoke while making near useless attempts to keep the college educated young-or even the young period. -Roanoke City doesn’t diversify its social offerings by rezoning areas or offering any decent incentives to open up businesses that young people would utilize. -And generally the City Council loves to sit on their butts and do nothing of any true consequence.

The Youth of Roanoke are the Future of Roanoke. If you drive away your youth, if you make life in Roanoke substandard for youth that stay, then you drive away your future.

I look around at my generation and shake my head. The early 20somethings (20-24) are a lost generation. We don’t understand how to survive in the real world, ruined by our often too forgiving baby-boomer parents. We are a generation of followers looking for our next leader, going from fix to fix. Parents, teachers, bosses, God; these are those who we look to in order to tell us what to do, how to be, what to be. We can’t be left alone to our own devices as most of our natural initiative has been thwarted by an over scheduled walled in world.

From what I’ve seen growing up for the passed 14 years in
Roanoke VA it seems to me that politics here are unfocused and often general in nature.  What I mean is that the political parties in
Roanoke seem weaker than, say, individuals who run for office.  Which I guess shouldn’t surprise me, on the local level I guess it would be easier for the individual to “connect” or at least give face time to enough people to circumvent the need for stronger than not political parties.  Not that the political parties don’t exist in
Roanoke, I’ve just never come into contact with them myself, which in itself says something.

            As a very politically aware person I have always been disappointed by
Roanoke’s citizens’ apparent lack of enthusiasm for involvement in their government.  Sure you have your subset of individuals who feel the civic calling vocally complain about everything from taxes to trash pick-up.  However, overall people in
Roanoke are somewhat apathetic to the political process with a surge in general political concern on election days.  Local elections are admittedly not as sexy as Federal or even State politics often times because the issues are huge issues of national or statewide consequence.  Instead local elects deal much of the time with mundane issues that really don’t excite passion and debate but do have much more of an affect on an individual’s day to day life and experience.  Interaction is the key to ending this attitude of relative apathy inRoanoke
City in regards to politics and government policy.  The relationship between citizens and their government is a two way street and I really don’t see the City of Roanoke going far out of its way to engage it’s citizenry.  One way to do this is to embrace technology by holding virtual online town hall meetings where the citizens can directly address the city council, providing a place for those who can’t attend the physical City Council meetings.  Secondly

In in the recent past political elections have too often been made based on single issues, which to an issue’s credit does provoke political passions.  Despite this single issue candidates are typical of do not make for good long-term policy decisions and thus are not good for the overall city government.  I’d rather have a political genius who disagrees with me on a perceived important issue on the City Council than have idiots on the City Council who agree with me.  Additionally single issue candidates often only represent a local and vocal minority, factor the low voter turnout at local elections and shortly you might find yourself in a city governed for a minority of people rather than the majority.

Both this seeming lack of political unity and organization plus minorities who out scream each other for power in the city spell a bleak outlook for the current and future leadership of the city.  Recently the political scene has gotten a bit murkier with the local Democratic party ousting the Mayor and others for supporting the newly elected “Independent” candidates that have seen take their place on the City Council, after of course the Mayor attempted a coup of the very same organization.  So one party is fighting among itself, the local Republicans have never been ones to say much, and then the independents who are hard to define as they are to find. 

 For once I wish there would be a singularly impressive political figure in
Roanoke.  Someone who has the ideas, charisma, intelligence, and drive to really better the city without an eye towards their own political career or business interests over the interests of the people. 
Roanoke hasn’t really had this, or rather they haven’t had someone like this lately and right now is when
Roanoke needs it.  Right nowRoanoke
City is in a do or die situation, they need to retain young people while leveraging the cash of the retirees that are flocking here like ladybugs to a screen door..  Additionally they have to boost graduation rates, ensure that companies on the technological edge in medicine and consumer electronics find some niches here, all the trying to maintain and improve everyone’s experience of living in Roanoke City (as any city does).  So go on, wipe that sweat off of your brow, because we’ve gotta get busy. 

 Actually we, as citizens, have to make sure we know who we are voting for, avoid becoming victims of our passions and vote based on a single at-the-time-important issues, and try to find and retain our youth who will inherit and ultimately build on, create, and maintain Roanoke City.