Scotty: Computer! Computer?
[He’s handed a mouse, and he speaks into it]
Scotty: Hello, computer.
Dr. Nichols: Just use the keyboard.
Scotty: Keyboard. How quaint.

— Star Trek IV – The Voyage Home

One of the hardest things I do in IT is to continually learn about new technologies. But the  hardest thing I do is to teach others about old technology. You hang out in any big operation, and you will find the antiques. They’re old, and they’re slow, and they keep the lights on, so no-one messes with them. A huge percentage of the world’s business is still done on mainframe, and the Cobol programmers aren’t getting any younger. Convincing a 22 year old that they need to learn how to maintain and improve that code is almost as challenging as wholesale replacement would be.

Colonel Mustard:  Why is J. Edgar Hoover on your phone?
Wadsworth:  I don’t know, he’s on everybody else’s, why shouldn’t he be on mine?

— Clue

My biggest fear with this whole NSA scandal is that it will blow over. People are already getting used to the idea that someone, be it government or private companies, is watching and tracking them, and that worries me. Normalization of the surveillance state leads to its acceptance. There are just too many places where it can be abused, and those who do the watching have no watchers of their own, and they are far from angels.

You gotta be ready to listen to your children, even if they have nothing to say. — Chicken Little

There have been many a morning where the drive to school is filled with conversations about Boo’s imaginary friend and his dog. Girlie Bear chats with me about the goings on at her school and among her group of friends. Little Bear and I have some excellent conversations about nothing at all. I may not always understand everything they say, but the fact that they want to talk and the tone they use tells me a lot about what’s going on in their lives.

Gallaxhar: [enters on a personal hovercraft] You must be terrified. Waking up in a strange place, wearing strange clothes, imprisoned by a strange being floating on a strange hovering device. Strange, isn’t it?
Susan Murphy: Hardly. It’s not the first time.
Gallaxhar: [pause, deflated] Wow, you really get around.

— Monsters Vs. Aliens

The more you think about a  situation and get used to the idea, the easier it is to deal with it. The more exposure you get to things that push your limits, the more those limits will expand. I’m not saying that training, practice, and even competing with a gun will fully prepare you for actually using it under stress, but it will at least get you thinking and hopefully ingrain good habits that will help. Normalization of the abnormal frees up your mind and body to do what needs doing instead of freezing at the sight of the unfamiliar.

A shepherd must tend his flock. And at times… fight off the wolves. — The Patriot

I’ve met two people in my life who were true pacifists. One was a Buddhist and the other was a Christian. Both could quote chapter and verse from their respective holy writings about why they felt it was necessary to live without causing harm to others, and they truly walked the walk. I’ve met a lot of the other type of pacifists in my life. These were the kind of person who could never imagine being violent themselves, but were OK with others doing rough work on their behalf. Don’t ask them to defend themselves, but don’t be surprised when they call men with guns to come over and force compliance when you do something against them. On the other hand, I’ve known a few people who hated violence, but understood that it is sometimes necessary. They live their lives trying to not bring harm to their fellow man, but are always prepared to defend that which they love. The best example of this I can think of was the Airborne Ranger Catholic chaplain we had in Germany. He was very quick to remind us how to act and what our faith demanded, but he was also quick to help out at the rifle range or to discuss the righteousness of defending our country. A good shepherd never forgets that there are wolves out there, and that it is his responsibility to not only watch over his flock, but also to be prepared to fight to protect them.