Carl Setzer

I've been thinking about money lately. Not just the considerations one would expect from the unemployed, but at a larger economic perspective. A couple of things brought this about. One, our school district added a charge for electronic additions to school lunch accounts. That prompted me to research the costs of electronic payments. This was expanded upon by chatting with the folks at Fabric of Life , a local store focusing on Fair Trade products. As they encouraged me to pay with cash or check (sadly, neither of which I had), we got into a discussion of the effects of these myriad charges on small businesses. First, there's a payment they make simply to be part of the network, providing access to the payment system. On top of that, we have a per transaction charge. Then there's a percentage charge of the transaction. I'm left wondering what value these systems add. Well, besides convenience. For me, convenience is the main benefit. I don't need to go to an ATM

(Introductory Note: this will make little sense if you're unfamiliar with the mythology of The Matrix trilogy ...my apologies) Morpheus is my favorite character from The Matrix . Smarter, and voluntarily committed, not the reluctant messiah of Neo. Which makes me wonder about messiahs...they either are reluctant, or unquestionably obedient to a vision. I'm more aligned with the reluctant, probably since I'm not inclined to a sense of moral certitude. Having heros who struggle with vision, with stretching themselves from ordinary to greatness feels much more sincere.  So what's the deal with Morpheus? A key piece of this character is his calm confidence in his vision, in who Neo is and what he will accomplish. He always works toward his vision, even (or especially) in the face of challenge and adversity. He is key as Neo's mentor, yet there comes the point where he no longer impacts the story, becoming somewhat a passive recipient of Neo's sacrifice. It'

I've neglected my blog these past few weeks; my apologies. No malice, nor discontent; simply the fact that I've started a new role. Ramping up is always time consuming. So, though I've been absent, know that I miss you my dear little blog. I have much to write about. I should get up my long delinquent post about my WinPhone7, and why I went back to my iPhone. And I, like so much of the Internet, have been fiddling with Google +. And this role I just started represents some significant changed, which excite me. I'll post again soon, rest assured. Until then...