“Here’s to the Crazy Ones…”
…and to the much-maligned Siri!
Today, I took another trip to the Santa Cruz area to shoot a couple more images for the “California: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Life” show in the Harrington Gallery, Firehouse Arts Center, Pleasanton, California for March 2 – April 6, 2013, with my friends, Engela Olivier-Wilson and Matt Nylander. I wanted to capture images BEFORE an expected period of rain, from Friday through Monday. Cloudiness is expected to continue through Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving in the United States!
I think that the shoot was successful. (Note added November 19, 2012: It WAS! 
)
On the way home, there was “wall-to-wall” “bumper-to-bumper” traffic almost immediately after I entered I-280. I activated Siri on my iPhone 5, and asked her to “take me home.” 😉 I figured that since Siri was in a location near to where she was born, she should know the neighborhood. Almost immediately, Siri started talking about an accident reported up ahead, and advised me to take the nearest exit. Then, she advised me to cross OVER the highway and to backtrack on I-280 and take the I-880 road toward Oakland.
Score one for Siri!
After I-880 started to bog down, I took an exit that I recall vaguely from my “motorcycle-to-Silicon-Valley” days. However, it was already DARK tonight, since I had stayed in Santa Cruz to shoot the sunset. Siri successfully guided me through back streets in what was probably Milpitas, until I reached familiar territory.
I started to think that, perhaps, Scott Forstall had been “set up.” 😉 As I said before, my instincts about people are usually correct, and my instincts never liked him. 😉 In any case, Siri and Maps are probably a lot more reliable that generally acknowledged.
As I made my way SLOWLY up I-680, over the Sunol Grade, I started to think about HOW GLAD I am to NOT be commuting to Silicon Valley every day, as I USED to! I also thought about all of those “crazy” people who DO make that commute. I am glad that they do (their payroll taxes will support my retirement! ). I strongly suspect (from the traffic) that Silicon Valley’s economy is now recovering nicely and that executive management in high tech is (slowly… they think linearly and slowly… and do not pay attention to demographics) discovering that they do not have the skilled professionals that they need.
Because they laid them off….
Because they offshored their jobs….
Because the employees were “too old” for the traditional way that Silicon Valley has been managed….
Because the management was too myopic to do their jobs….
I mentioned yesterday that by “taxing the rich” and by the growth of the California economy, the state budget forecast is looking MUCH BETTER than in recent years. I strongly suspect that Silicon Valley corporations are starting to “come up short” with regard to the skilled employees that they need, as the result of laid-off or retiring Baby Boomers.
Here’s to the “Crazy Ones.” The folks who make the commute between a job in Silicon Valley (because your management lacks the imagination to allow you to telecommute every day) and the communities in which you can AFFORD to live. I hope that they are paying you a lot. If they are not, demand more – there are not enough skilled professionals like you.
I salute you! (Keep paying your payroll taxes….)
-Bill at
Cheshire Cat Photo™ – “Your Guide to California’s Wonderland™”
You can view higher-resolution photos at the Cheshire Cat Photo™ Pro Gallery on Shutterfly™, where you can also order prints and gifts decorated with the photos of your choice from the gallery. The Cheshire Cat Photo Store on Zazzle® contains a wide variety of apparel and gifts decorated with our images of California. All locations are accessible from here. LIKE Cheshire Cat Photo on Facebook here! If you don’t see what you want or would be on our email list for updates, send us an email at info@cheshirecatphoto.com.
