New Retro & Modern Gaming Setup

I redesigned my office, and it deserved a new post to discuss the layout and the setup.

The old design worked great, but didn't look great.    I didn't show off my office very much, so I didn't care.  Now, I show it off all the time for streams and video calls, so I cared a lot more. 

The fundamentals of the system are pretty much the same, but time to revise and lay it all out.

My basic premise was to try and get the best signal I could out of the systems, and have things set to just work when turned on.   Originally I thought I would do everything on the one main TV in the bar, but I was inspired by the guys at My Life in Gaming that I didn't need everything on one system, particularly because I couldn't come up with a physical layout to fit everything.   With that idea, I decided to break it into two parts, with the older retro systems in my office.

I stuck with this on the redesign.

Additionally, I decided to focus on two standards for the video signals to try and make things easier.  For modern systems, the familiar HDMI cable would do.   For retro systems, I would focus on RGB, which is supported by many, but not all, of the older systems.  For those that didn't support it, I would  get the systems modified to support it.

With that, I couldn't decide about doing a CRT or HD, and so decided to do both.  My idea there is that the CRT is the "original" image, the way the system was designed. That's a full RGB video signal, but thus also standard def.   Next to it is the HD TV, showing the upscaled image -- converting the SD signal into a HD one. The SD signal is the way the consoles were designed, so if you are a purist that's the signal of choice, as well as being a reference for the HD one next to it when I compare. The SD signal has "scan lines", which are an SD artifact. The HD signal does not.

The CRT is a Sony PVM-20M2U.  It has RGB inputs.  I've connected that to a par of gscartsw_lite, units, each daisy chained in via a SCART to RGB cable.   (Running off that is the audio signal which goes to the speakers).   Each console in the rack is hooked up to that switcher.

For the HD signal, the primary gscartsw uses one of it's two outputs, to send a signal via SCART cable to the Open Source Scan Converter.  The OSSC does the work of taking that RGB signal and making a nice HD signal out of it.  The secondary gscartsw runs to the first.

That gives me side-by-side SD and HD signals, both for playing and for reference. 

I dropped the overly complicated cross runs -- this is all self contained.

In the retro section, starting at the top left, down and then to the next column, I have a a TurboGraphix-16 with TurboBooster to get RGB, a stock SNES (as it supports RGB), a Sega Genesis (RGB!), a Sega Dreamcast,  some of my handhelds, a RGB modded NES, a RGB modded Colecovision, a RGB modded Intellivision, an original Xbox, a RGB modded Nintendo 64, a PS2, and a Nintendo Wii (connected to the gscartsw via a GARO component to SCART converter).  The last column is three collections of handhelds, and then the RGB modded Atari 2600.

Moving from my office to the bar, there is the second setup.   This focuses on the HD systems.

The TV is a 4K LG, which has four inputs.  The first is for the TiVo, and the second is the OSSC line from the office for doing the big screen version.   There is a 4K HDMI switch which handles the Xbox One X, the PS4 Pro, the 4K Apple TV, and the Nintendo Switch, so the modern systems are on one switch.  The final HDMI input is connected to a DVDO Duo, which handles the switching of HD systems.   Connected are an Xbox 360, the original PS3 (which handles PS2 and PS1 backwards compatibility), and a HDMI modded Nintendo 64.

Finally, going into the analog port and upscaled is a Nintendo GameCube.  

Back in my office, I have a  several shelves dedicated to the portable systems, which you saw.  The games are relocated to the ceiling line in the office.   

In my office, I keep the NES, SNES, N64, Genesis, Sega CD, Dreamcast, OG XBox, Wii and Atari games, as well as the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, 3DS, Sony PSP, Atari Lynx, and Sega Game Gear Games.  And yes, I have all those portable systems. 

There's a shelf in the bar that handles the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4, GameCube, and Wii U games.  Everything has a case.  The NES, SNES, N64 and Genesis games all are in Universal Game Cases, and I replaced the CD cases for the PS1 with DVD style cases.  Covers come from The Cover Project, and the UPS store has been nice enough to print everything.

I've gotten wireless controllers for the NES and SNES which also have charging stations.    The Atari, Genesis, N64, and original Xbox controllers are in bins below all the retro systems.    The PS2 controllers are wireless now as well.  In the main room are stations for Apple TV, XB360, Wii, Wii U, XB1, PS3 and PS4 controllers all under the MAME cabinet, which Sharon has very deftly hidden.

Essentially, everything is ready to turn on and play.    A labor of love to get everything working and setup.   I have most of the "core" games for systems, and own SD card carts for everything that makes one, so you can load ROMs if needed.    I own most of the games from my childhood, and am working on completing collections of "every" Castlevania, Star Wars, and Star Trek game, and am missing just a handful of Street Fighter games.    (For those interested, my game list is here, although that's only the physical games.   Everything for Switch I've bought as digital download, and have a number now for XB360, XB1, PS3 and PS4 that are digital downloads too)

The point is to play the games, of course.   We've been hosting "retro gaming days" periodically, and have the systems on and fired up for play.   Let me know if you want to try something out -- or I'm missing a game you want to play.

Lessons from throwing Virtual Parties

Last night, Sharon and I tried out our first virtual party.    Anyone that knows us is well aware we like socializing, and we often act as cruise directors for some of our friends.    With our social calendars now entirely cleared and not leaving the house, we decided this wasn't going to work for us long term to just sit around and do nothing, so we decided to get clever and try something from our house online.   If a video producer and podcaster can't work together and create an online event on the fly, we have a problem.

We put together a version one of the event, and it worked out pretty well, and we figured out the key elements that we're going to need to leverage to really make this work in the long haul. 

Information for Hosts

So, we put a video together for Tipsy Treats on how to host an event:

For those who like to read, here's some notes on things we covered from that video.

Before the event

· Send out a note to your guests that if they have not attended a zoom event or meeting before, they should practice with you or a friend before the event. Yes, it’s super easy to use these technologies for those that have done it, but I’m surprised how many people have not been on a group video call before. (I’m hopeful that the more events we do the less we’re all spending time on this)

· Make sure you have turned on “Breakout Rooms” in Zoom. You have to do this on your account BEFORE your event. Go to the zoom website, go into Settings, then Meeting, and you can flip on Breakroom. I also recommend “allow host to assign participants to breakout rooms”, because when or if the party gets too big, you can create smaller groups of people and you, the host, make sure the right groups are together.

· Turn OFF screen sharing. Do not allow people to share their screen. Pranksters are using it in bad ways, but additionally, even well intentioned or funny it takes over the entire view for everyone. If someone wants to share, they can hold up the image or text it to everyone.

Your setup

· I recommend having a stand for your phone. This allows you to point your phone at where you will be sitting and hanging out.

· Have a long power plug for your phone. Your phone will be on and running the entire event, and if it runs out of power, your party is over. Plug it in.

· Because of that, you need a larger screen to see everyone – which is good anyway. That is your TV. It’s positioned behind where your phone is so you can look at the party people.

· I also recommend a Bluetooth speakerphone that you can plug in. Airpods/Bluetooth headphone will do, but remember, you need this to work the entire event, so battery matters. My wife and I tried wired earbuds to some success, but v2 will have a Bluetooth speakerphone.

Event Space

· Just like prepping a regular party, the space matters. Have everything you’ll need around you, because if you have to go get stuff, you’re leaving everyone

· Lighting! Just like good lighting makes a party…. Totally different kinds of lighting make a virtual one. Regrettably, this means bright, not mood. Make sure your space is well lit, and you want the brightest light in the room so it’s at your face.

Starting up your event

· Start the meeting from your computer. This becomes your host station you can move around. Mute audio on this AND turn off video so you do not cause a feedback loop.

· Log into the meeting from your phone. Since it is on your stand, you will be able to switch to the MAIN camera on your phone (the back one) which is a lot higher quality.

· Now, turn on the screen mirroring option on your phone (I use an iPhone, so I use Apple AirPlay to mirror my phone to the TV

· Finally, hit “Gallery Mode” on your phone so you can see everyone, filling your TV with a Brady Bunch style of display.

During the event· Be prepared to explain “Gallery View” multiple times. It is on the top left hand corner for Zoom.

· Somewhere between 12 and 15 seems like the optimal for cross chatter.

· If things get too big, this is where you leverage “Breakout room”. You can create multiple rooms and break guests into groups, and you can select which room you are in too. This allows you to “mingle”. Keep an eye on anyone joining, as they end up “unassigned” and you will need to assign them to a room.


Information for Guests


Additionally, we put together a video you can share with your guests before so they know what to expect and how to get ready, as we found a lot more people than we expected are very new to this technology.

And, those tips written out:

First, if you’ve never done a virtual event, or if you’re not familiar with the platform the host is using, do a test run before. Trust me on this one, because while people are totally willing to help, things go smoother the less times the conversation stops for technical support. We’re all patient , but the longer this goes, the less people will want to do that.

Second, let’s talk about your camera. Think of this as the same as picking your outfit for a party when it’s physical. This is how you look.

• Ideally, the camera is eye level with you. You want from mid chest to the top of your head to appear, and you want to appear normal.
• Have the light in front of you. This will be flattering. Behind you is not great.
• If you have to be at an angle, DOWN is better than UP. UP is up your nose. DOWN makes you look dashing.
• Ideally, plug your device in, and put it on a stand.
• Please do not move around the room with your camera. We all get sea-sick when you do this.

Next, let’s talk about the room and the noise. The way these work is that the virtual room will be looking for the noise to decide which microphone to broadcast. So all the stuff going on in your house will transmit.

• This includes any conversations you have with people around you.
• THUS, MUTE is your friend. It’s ok – it’s actually quite polite to mute.
• Ideally, use your earbuds and a microphone. That works best. 
• Be aware that two people in the same room on the same event will cause feedback unless each of you are apart from each other.

Finally, I’m going to give you a tip. What’s weird about a virtual event, particularly a social one, is that there is ultimately only one conversation going on. While normally different people can break off, or different conversations happen in small clusters, online there’s only one. This is important to know because you want to be inclusive of everyone on the call that wants to talk, and give everyone a chance. It’s a new social dynamic, so I’m giving you the heads up about it.

My Weight & Health Management Systems

In March of 2018, I visited the doctor for my checkup.    Feeling fine, I expected things to go very well.    Instead, the conversation went like this.

"Dave, your glucose level is far higher than it should be.   You have two choices.  Choice one, you can lose 6 pounds in the next six weeks and begin bringing that number down further.  Choice two, I can declare you diabetic, because you are, and teach you to use insulin today.   You will be on insulin for the rest of your life."

I was 250 pounds (5'11" for reference), and didn't think I was "fat", but I didn't think I was diabetic.   Apparently, I was.  This wasn't as brutal as it might seem.  I like choices, and rather than dwell, I decided right then that choice one was the one I was going to do, and that I would start then.   I'd actually lost weight once before.   Before Sharon and I got married, I lost weight to slim down for wedding pictures, and I did it with Weight Watchers.  I was going to do it again.

As of writing this, April 2019, I've lost 54 pounds and been below 200 pounds for well over a month.  My checkup was solid, and I've never felt as good as I do now at age 43.

This blog chronicles how I did it, as some of this is hopefully useful to others.     I make no claims about being an expert and will note that my weight loss is doctor monitored.    Disclaimer, disclaimer, disclaimer.

Step One: WeightWatchers.

I use Weight Watchers every day to track my food.   I use just the app -- I don't do a thing with meetings.   They call the program digital.    I did just this from March until Sept 1st of 2018 (so the first six months).   This took me from 250 to 207.8.   Just that.   The program works.    I do the freestyle points option, which includes free food items that I can select.   You get a daily allocation of points to use, as well as a weekly allocation to use during the week.

However, I wanted to ensure I didn't rebel against the program.   I like beer.  I also like junk food. How do you ensure you can add items for indulgences, within the program context, but not feel you are always having to deny?

Two key support tools here.  If you're not familiar with "Dotti's Weight Loss Zone" and you're doing WW, you need to know about this throwback looking website.    The website does totally feel like 1998, but the restaurant information is awesome if it's not already in WW.

Second, Sharon highly recommends www.skinnytaste.com.    We have a pretty good track record with their receipes, and they include the WW points.  

Several key basics I started with as I go into the next steps.   I already had an iPhone and an Apple Watch.   WW links to Apple Health, so I started there, and weight data came from a WiThings WiFi-enabled scale (which I upgrade later).    Basic tools getting started.

Step Two:   Excercise

80% of weight loss, I'm told, is food but the other 20% is exercise.  This is an area I knew nothing about.   I started super simple -- I went for a walk.   It started very simply, with a 30-minute walk every day.    This added a number of points per day -- essentially, one beer per walk.    Not bad.    This started the habit, and I started figuring out amounts too.   33 minutes versus 30, then 40 minutes, then 42 minutes.  I found 42 minutes was a good amount of time and points back.  All of this I log just using the Apple Watch Activities, so each workout is logged there, and this automatically syncs to WW.

Step Three:  FitPoints 2.0

Around November of 2018, WW made changes to their tracking program, which started measuring activities less on time and more on intensity.    FitPoints, which can be traded for food in the program, are a way to "earn" more.   This would become critical in ....

Step Four:  Gym

It got cold.   In late November, the morning walks were getting unpleasant as the weather had changed, and it was cold.    I knew I wouldn't be able to continue the routine I had when it was snowing or hovering around freezing.    We joined the gym.  During the sales process, we were offered a "free training" session, which turned out to be a few basic push-up like activities and a sales pitch for more training.  I learned two things.  First, I hate anything that I have to count reps for.  Second, lots of people were using the incline controls on treadmills to change the difficulty.

The gym was about one thing here -- a treadmill.  It was cold, I didn't want to walk in the cold.   Period.   I moved my workouts to the treadmill.    But for the first one, I upped the incline a little from zero.   This resulted in a much better point total from the WW app, and I wondered... how did this happen?

Step Five:  Heart Rate

With the knowledge that I could change the incline and get more results, I started playing with various inclines, noting that I could get better point numbers in FitPoints by increasing.   Googling for cardio options that focused on heart rate, I found Orange Theory, which had a lot of information about heart rates. Could I figure this out for my own use?

Yes, I could.

Using Heart Graph, I was able to start charting the heart rate zones described in the article above using my Apple Watch and the incline graphs, I was able to start finding patterns that created the bursts of high heart rate in zone 4 (with some in 5).    Any workout in Apple Activites show up in the app, and thus I can analyze the rates.    Ultimately, it's about making the workout vary to make your heart rate go up, and giving yourself a rest period between.

Step Six:  Better Data.  

I'd always used a WiFi-enabled scale, which pushed data into Apple Health.   I upgraded that to the Body+ from WiThings because this gave me body composition.  The doctor had been doing much more comprehensive analysis, and I wanted data that was closer to this.   As my weight was close to the goal -- we had set 193 -- I wanted to find out if that was actually the right number, as body fat percentage tells me a whole lot more.  This gets that kind of data.

Step Seven:  Getting varied.

I was on a business trip in March and hit the gym.   There was a Peloton bike in the gym, and since it was set up so anyone could try, I went for it -- I'd seen the ads and was curious.    It was pretty fun -- varied music, something different, and a great workout.   I don't want a piece of equipment in the house... but they have an answer for that.    Peloton Digital.

I joined, and now generally use it twice a week in the gym.    Sometimes a power walk, sometimes a bike, but the idea being that I can vary up what I'm doing.  With the weather getting nice, I'm able to go for a bike, a walk, to the gym, etc.  I need to keep things different, so here we are.  I use the app generally on my iPhone, and they recently added the ability to pre-download workouts.

Step Eight:  Intermittent Fasting.

Also in this timeframe, the doctor (who focused on obesity and diet), suggested I look at intermittent fasting.    There's a lot of science here, but the idea is to help your body burn fat better, and to do so, you get your body into a fat burning mode.     He recommended I go three times a week on a fast.

To manage this, I use an app called Zero.   Zero lets you track fasts, get reminders on fasts, and the like.   My fasts will go from generally 8pm until 1pm or so, going for the 16-hour block.   You can have water during the fast, but it's actually easier than you might think.

This is my plan.

So far, so good.   I mentioned my April 2019 checkup -- I'm below 25% body fat, approaching my goal, and all signs look good.    This is my system -- again, offered that the systems or apps may be of help.

Note that everything was done one step at a time.   The core for me is step one, but everything else builds on that.   Your system shud be yours, and it will only work if you like it.  I offer mine as components so you can pick what you want to leverage.  Hope it helps!

I'll update this as I change things.

Retro and Modern Gaming Setup

[Revised April 5, 2019 for new systems]

I've been working on my gaming setup for a while, and finally have it at a place I'm really pleased with things.   I thought I would take a bit of time to document it for those who may want to try their own hand at this.

My basic premise was to try and get the best signal I could out of the systems, and have things set to just work when turned on.   Originally I thought I would do everything on the one main TV in the bar, but I was inspired by the guys at My Life in Gaming that I didn't need everything on one system, particularly because I couldn't come up with a physical layout to fit everything.   With that idea, I decided to break it into two parts, with the older retro systems in my office.

Additionally, I decided to focus on two standards for the video signals to try and make things easier.  For modern systems, the familiar HDMI cable would do.   For retro systems, I would focus on RGB, which is supported by many, but not all, of the older systems.  For those that didn't support it, I would  get the systems modified to support it.

With that, I couldn't decide about doing a CRT or HD, and so decided to do both.  My idea there is that the CRT is the "original" image, the way the system was designed. That's a full RGB video signal, but thus also standard def.   Next to it is the HD TV, showing the upscaled image -- converting the SD signal into a HD one. The SD signal is the way the consoles were designed, so if you are a purist that's the signal of choice, as well as being a reference for the HD one next to it when I compare. The SD signal has "scan lines", which are an SD artifact. The HD signal does not.

The CRT is a Sony PVM-20M2U.  It has RGB inputs.  I've connected that to a par of gscartsw_lite, units, each daisy chained in via a SCART to RGB cable.   (Running off that is the audio signal which goes to the speakers).   Each console in the rack is hooked up to that switcher.

For the HD signal, the primary gscartsw uses one of it's two outputs, to send a signal via SCART cable to the Open Source Scan Converter.  The OSSC does the work of taking that RGB signal and making a nice HD signal out of it.  The secondary gscartsw runs to the first.

That gives me side-by-side SD and HD signals, both for playing and for reference.  Here you can see the signal from SD2SNES coming from the SNES displayed in real time on both.    I split the HD signal, and run a cable through the wall to the main system, going into input two on the back of the TV.  Thus, a simple input change in the main bar lets me get that full signal, and I can play what's coming from the HD upscaled signal on the 55" panel.  As I have wireless controllers too for a lot of systems, retro gaming can be done on most of the TVs.

In the retro section, I have a RGB modded NES,  a stock SNES (as it supports RGB), a RGB modded Nintendo 64, a Nintendo Wii (connected to the gscartsw via a GARO component to SCART converter), and a PS2.  Below that is an original Xbox (again, supports RGB) and a Sega Genesis (RGB!), a RGB modded Atari 2600, a RGB modded Intellivision, a RGB modded Colecovision, and a TurboGraphix-16 with TurboBooster to get RGB.    All run to a gscartsw_lite.

Moving from my office to the bar, there is the second setup.   This focuses on the HD systems.

The TV is a 4K LG, which has four inputs.  The first is for the TiVo, and the second is the OSSC line from the office for doing the big screen version.   There is a 4K HDMI switch which handles the Xbox One X, the PS4 Pro, the 4K Apple TV, and the Nintendo Switch, so the modern systems are on one switch.  The final HDMI input is connected to a DVDO Duo, which handles the switching of HD systems.   Connected are an Xbox 360, the original PS3 (which handles PS2 and PS1 backwards compatibility), and a HDMI modded Nintendo 64.

Also connected are a Retron5 (doing HD for NES, SNES, Genesis, Mega Drive, Famicom, Super Famicom, Gameboy, Gameboy Color, GameBoy Advance), and a RetroPi.   Finally, going into the analog port and upscaled is a Nintendo GameCube.  

Back in my office, I have a shelf dedicated to the portable systems.

That's a Sega Nomad, Atari Lynx, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance (with the upgraded display), a PSP, a GameBoy Color, a modded GameBoy Color with frontlit screen, a stock original GameBoy and a original Game Boy (also with upgraded display).

Just below that and to the left, I have the NES/SNES collection of games.

The bookshelf in my office continues the SNES games, N64 games, Genesis games, Sega CD games, Super Famicom Games, PSP games, and original XBox games.  It also holds the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and 3DS games.  For good measure, there's a Vectrex in there too.

There's a shelf in the bar that handles the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4, GameCube, Wii and Wii U games.  Everything has a case.  The NES, SNES, N64 and Genesis games all are in Universal Game Cases, and I replaced the CD cases for the PS1 with DVD style cases.  Covers come from The Cover Project, and the UPS store has been nice enough to print everything.

I've gotten wireless controllers for the NES and SNES which also have charging stations.    The Atari, Genesis, N64, and original Xbox controllers are in bins below all the retro systems.    The PS2 controllers are wireless now as well.  In the main room are stations for Apple TV, XB360, Wii, Wii U, XB1, PS3 and PS4 controllers all under the MAME cabinet, which Sharon has very deftly hidden.

Essentially, everything is ready to turn on and play.    A labor of love to get everything working and setup.   I have most of the "core" games for systems, and own SD card carts for everything that makes one, so you can load ROMs if needed.    I own most of the games from my childhood, and am working on completing collections of "every" Castlevania, Star Wars, and Star Trek game, and am missing just a handful of Street Fighter games.    (For those interested, my game list is here, although that's only the physical games.   Everything for Switch I've bought as digital download, and have a number now for XB360, XB1, PS3 and PS4 that are digital downloads too)

The point is to play the games, of course.   We've been hosting "retro gaming days" periodically, and have the systems on and fired up for play.   Let me know if you want to try something out -- or I'm missing a game you want to play.

Too many messaging services, not enough time.

I remember AOL Instant Messenger really fondly.   All of my friends used it, and there were a lot of conversations every day among people I knew.   AOL IM let you know who was on, and who wasn't, and there were a lot of great conversations going on.   Sure, this was 15 years ago, but the memories are really good... and singular.   AOL IM was it.  It was the thing.

Today, how many channels are there?   I have an entirely category of communications tools on my phone.   Hangouts, Skype, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Signal, Duo, Also, plus on the work side Skype for Business and Yammer, much less using Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook for communications.

A lot of these I have to be logged into, too.  WhatsApp is particularly annoying, in that I feel like I haver to remember to check it, and since it's mostly used with colleagues and friends in Europe, it's not central to my workflow.

With all the communications tools, I actually feel less in touch with people on an individual level.   That could be due to being older and busier too, but focusing on the tech side for a moment, does having more channels make this harder?

Am I alone in this?

Why I'm totally obsessed with Amazon Alexa

I'm totally obsessed with Amazon Alexa.

I admit it.   My wife Sharon has been along for this ride, and she really should be sympathized with, because she's been quite patient.  I think she's coming around on it over time, as she now asks Alexa for the weather, sets her wake up alarms by Alexa, and seems to find most of the corny jokes to her liking.

I have two reasons for this obsession.

First has to date back to my childhood.  As a Star Trek fan, the idea of speaking to your computer and getting an answer back is the ultimate geek fantasy.    It even made it to the joke stage.

Who doesn't want to just talk to their computer and get answers back?   And it's already been shown to be cool.

But secondly and more importantly, Alexa is the interface to devices that need control, and makes system control approachable.    As a die-hard gadget guy, I've embraced the "Internet of Things" to have tons of devices in our home to make the true smart home.   Sonos, everywhere.   Lighting control, everywhere.  Temperature control.  Water sensors.   Security system.  Everything is connected, and everything can be linked.

But the building of systems is the key -- having systems come together to create experiences.    An example.

In the evening, the house now "knows" to change the LED lights in the light switches upstairs to red. Red is the best color to create a nightlight style glow but not disturb sleep.   At 11:30, the bedroom starts playing some soft music, as that's our normal "getting ready for bed" time, and it automatically cuts off at 12:15.   At 12:15, another system kicks in to create white noise, which is proving to help Sharon sleep through my snoring.    A simple voice command or single button on the nightstand will activate "goodnight", which turns off any lights we forgot, locks the front door, and arms the security system.  

It's the system that matters -- each individual gadget is "nice", but when linked together, they create a total experience.  

I love Alexa because it's the easiest interface possible -- say it, and it happens.  That's the user experience we're looking for.    Thinking in that way is a different mindset, but one that makes all the difference.   By being able to set into motion anything with a simple command, it takes the experience to a whole new level.  

No, I won't just "Get Over It."

My Facebook contribution has gotten political.   I know my own tone has switched from just fun, light hearted stuff and business related things to much more opposition to political change.      In that time, I’ve noted at least two occasions where someone has posted a “Get over it” note (and then deleted it — yes, I saw it), and now, I’ve had another leave that comment online.

To paraphrase: “Dave, get over it.   Trump won.  You just need to move on.”

What specifically does “get over it” mean?   What level of problem should I ignore?  Should I ignore hate crimes?  Should I ignore policy decisions?  Should I ignore fiscal policy?   Should I ignore deportations, if or when they start happening?   Should I wait for things I consider immoral to happen, even while they are being discussed openly?    What does “get over it” mean — specifically?   Should I acquiesce to decisions I don’t think are moral, simply because the President says them?

What is “moving on”?  Allowing the government to do what they want?   To be unopposed?  

Would you prefer to just ignore the facts of what is happening?  

One of the recognized problems with recent information online is that “fake news” has taken too much of our conversation and mindshare.    I’ve always considered that I am very careful about the news and information that I curate. I select sources that I consider strong, accurate media sources, typically the  New York Times or the Washington Post (which I subscribe to).   If you do not like my curations, that is your choice — but the goal is to stay informed and not allow actions that I do not consider “normal” to go by unchecked.  

Prior to this election, I believed that my vote was enough to influence the discussion, and that ultimately, that what I viewed as sensible, educated minds would prevail.  

This is my space to voice my opinion.   If you don’t like it — that’s absolutely your right, and you aren’t compelled to agree with me.  My ask has always been that you consider the opinion, as I will consider yours.   Do you believe I curate and try and deliver value?   Is it possible there is something to consider in the information you are seeing?    Do you believe I have some level of intelligence and have questioned the source before sharing the information?    However, “just get over it” is dangerous in a free society, and no, I won’t do that.  

I won’t stand by as we consider taking away rights from fellow Americans.
I won’t stand by as hate crimes rise.
I won’t stand by as some attack journalism.
I won’t stand by as we make the world LESS safe by lack of consideration that words matter.
I won’t stand by and let false information dominate and influence the world.  Facts matter.

I’m taking action too — this isn’t just a series of Facebook rants.   So far, I’ve joined the ACLU and the Southern Poverty Law Center, with monthly contributions (not just one time contributions).   I’m looking at ProPublica now, which focuses on non-profit journalism.    I’m in conversations with similarly minded Generation X’ers about specific actions we can take — more to come on that.     I'm not content to just sit by and let the world happen to me.

So for me, no, I won’t “Get over it.”  I’m getting to work on fighting back — actually taking actions that result in outcome.   I won’t be passive and allow a minority opinion — both less than a majority of Americans overall voted for Trump AND less than a majority of the vote of those who voted — change society in a way that I feel is destructive.    Don't think that the electoral college result is in any way a mandate -- it's not.  

Martin Niemöller famously wrote:

In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up.

It may seem cliche to compare to Nazism — you may think this is overblown.   You may think I’m wrong — and here is hoping I am wrong.   Being wrong would be a wonderful outcome — being wrong means that the fight isn’t necessary, and that a President Trump will result in a stronger, safer world.   May you be right.  

However, the evidence I see doesn’t line up with that — from a lack of any consideration of what diplomacy means to assembling a team of “rich people” with no evidence of understanding of the subject matter to advise him to what looks like intense conflicts of interest from a moral (if not legal) perspective, President Trump does NOT look like a leader who the insight and leadership to guide us.    And if I don't speak up, because it's "not me"... then shame on me.

Thus, “getting over it” means allowing things to happen that I believe will damage us as a society.    “Getting over it” means looking the other way at what I perceive as corruption and immoral choices for our society.  

Is that really what you want?  Do you really want people that allow things to happen to them?  Leadership is about taking action — speaking out and doing something.  I’m doing something.   I’m not only talking about it, I’m taking actions.  

He's President.  That's not being argued.  But to imply that one has to go along with everything he does -- that's missing the point entirely.  (And, if you are strongly Republican, that is hypocrisy to the extreme.  I direct you to Mitch McConnell whose policy was to block everything without consideration.  It was fine in 2008 but we should "get over it" now?  That argument has no legs.)  

If you don’t like what you see, you can make your own decisions.  I will respect you for that, and will continue to engage with people I don’t agree with.   I will happily have a drink with you or break bread or share a laugh — that’s what good people do.  I will strive to be a good person and continue to be a well rounded person in life, engaging in multiple interests, not limited to one single topic.  

If you don’t believe I deliver value or insight, you are welcome to select “Hide this kind of post” if you want to start trying to curate your feed.  You’re also welcome to “unfollow” me entirely if you think I don’t deliver any value.      My LinkedIn feed will be only business related, and my Twitter feed will include more shared articles, but none of them will be political.    If you want my opinions on things personal, both political and lifestyle, they will be on Facebook.    There will be all kinds of things on my Facebook feed, as it's mine to share the things I think are important.  

If you don’t agree with me, fine.    You don’t have to.  Post your own materials.    Or Hide my posts.  Or pick another feed.  

But if “get over it” is that you’re not comfortable with another opinion or are reading them and feeling uncomfortable with what you’re reading … well, that’s on you, not on me.