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Randy Strauss
a.k.a. Rand
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My purpose: to bring about peace, harmony, and prosperity.
I admit my failures.
In general, call me "Randy"
unless it's about
PeopleCount.
For that, it's "Rand".
And, it doesn't much matter. I don't take offense...
What I'm up to
-
- Oct 23, 2023: A web developer, finishing his degree while working,
was going to join me as soon as he finished his exams. He just told me
his employer was downsizing, so he has to look for work full-time.
I keep getting stuck on the book. So many complaints...
- 2023 Sep: I've been reading a little and listening to digital books
while walking the dogs
- 2023 Aug 19: My mother in law, almost 94, passed away.
- 2023 Summer: Let go of launching in time for 2024. Grieved for a month or two.
I'll work on the PeopleCount book.
And feeding & walking the dogs, cooking and cleaning, keep exercising...
- 2021 July - I'm programming for NASA (since March, 2018) till August 31st.
Then I'll switch to transforming politics full-time. See the
first article in PeopleCount's blog.
or this page
- After that's done, I'll start a project to end racism if it's still needed.
See endRacism.us.
- After that's done, education needs to be vastly improved, beginning
with SEL (social and emotional learning), and practicing cognitive
skills, such as accepting uncertainty, understanding cognitive
errors, and seeing that our minds are prone to these.
Plus recognition of ego and identity.
- Then I expect there'll be a few months at the end of life to
relax with my wife, read more, lose those extra pounds,
and spend some time with friends.
Do you want to know me?
For a summary, click here.
Timeline...
- Aug 2020: I finished a bunch of work making our MatLab code
testable and tested, working with the scientists to find bugs
and make improvements. Now I'm switching over to convert it to C++
- yuk! I'm trying to get a project working with Xcode, Apple's IDE,
but the new version isn't cooperating...
- May 2020: Work continues. We finished the web server
that monitored the NASA server that communicates with drones.
Ours shows the drones, their flight volumes and can launch simulations.
We added a few features to make it much more usable and it helped
us succeed in an exercise for the Dept of Defense in the fall of 2019.
That work is ending and I'm switching over to work on safety,
part of the UAM (Urban Air Mobility, a.k.a. flying cars) project...
- Mar 2018: I started working for
NASA, on drone traffic management.
I'm back at my regular salary, but no bonus or stock. I'm closer to a demo with
PeopleCount, but not close enough. Consumed with work during the day, it takes
too long to get back into the PeopleCount code to get anything done in the evening,
or much done on the weekend. PeopleCount has stalled. I could use some funding
to work on it full time. It'd be best to have a team of 3 or 4...
- Dec-Jan 2018:
My 1-year contract at Stanford Med School ended Dec 12. I began looking for another
job, and worked on PeopleCount some more.
On January 8, Dad died.
I went up a bit later and let Mom give me a few things I wanted, and
lots of stuff that none of my brothers wanted...
- Fall 2017
Dad was in the hospital again for a few days. I called his hospital room.
I reminded him of the responsibility he had given me and my brothers to
"protect" him from intrusive medicine. I told him something I had learned
recently, from my father-in-law's passing- if he wanted to pass peacefully,
he should refuse food and water in the hospital. Eating and drinking are
life-affirming actions that are at odds with his "do not resuscitate"
bracelet. Refusing them, and liquids via an IV, gives one at most a week
to live. I suggested he insist on seeing a palliative care specialist.
He paused. Then he said he'd think about it. The next evening he said
that our conversation gave him a new perspective, and he talked to the specialist
at length. He decided he didn't want intrusive medicine, but he had already
had some and was recovering. He wanted to go back home, take care of my
mom and the plants, feel the sunshine, read and watch sports and dramas
and listen to the music he loved.
I felt great, thanked him for listening so well, being so thoughtful
and making a clear choice. I said another thorough good-bye.
In November he turned 91.
- Aug, 2017: It's a long and slow process to work on PeopleCount only
on weekends. It's often depressing and lonely. I figure I'd be about 50% more
productive working with people per hour. So maybe now I'm about 1/5 of a full-time person.
So working with 2-3 others full-time would produce what we need 15-20 times faster.
I estimate it'll take 3-4 of us 3-4 months, or about a person-year of work.
Working alone, part-time, it'll take me 5 years... weird...
- Jun, 2018: I went to Seattle for a memorial for my father. My aunt
had one for my uncle Mannie after he passed. My dad thought it was wonderful,
but wished Mannie was there to see it. So he wanted one while he was still alive.
- Dec 11, 2016: Celebrating and grieving.
I can't launch PeopleCount alone and can no longer afford not having an income.
I am pausing. Some fascinating and wonderful possibilities remain.
I start work tomorrow, on a wonderful
project at Stanford.
I participate a bit on Brigade.com. It's pretty dumb. I sent their
support people some feedback. They invited me for a phone interview as
a user. Thursday I went to San Francisco by train to see my older
brother who was in town visiting two of his sons. I stopped by
Brigade's office and did the interview there. I told them of the
vision and possibilities. They're intrigued, but it'll probably be
lost in translation when the interviewers tell others...
The book is finished. A few people are reading it now to give
feedback. Is it readable? Does it communicate? Is it ready fo
publication?
- Nov: A few people were surprised by the election.
My dad turned 90...
- Oct: They failed- weird stuff... I'll finish the old code
as a demo. Am working on the categories/issues/questions. It's
coming together, but takes time.
And with a competent angular engineer, it could be done in a couple
of weeks. And it's too close to the election to launch now.
I have a new website design
but haven't changed to use it, yet....
By the way, every week I reach out to 4-5 more people. Every 2-3
weeks, someone exciting replies. Usually nothing comes of it...
- Sep: A small team says they can rewrite it quickly.
- Aug: Having trouble with the authentication.
'Not sure if I can finish it.
- Jun 2016: Still slogging. Learned a lot. Dislike angular and javascript...
Still 2 weeks from Launch. Getting close, but burning out.
Feel horrible a lot- depressed to the point of unable to work.
Feel incredibly tired. Tried to start exercising again
Wrote a 6-part series on political accountability
Got animation...
- May 2016: The team said they got to the 90% mark. I looked at the code- maybe 60%
of the functionality. It's taking shape, but it's horribly done.
Some is just a veneer, so maybe 25% done, sigh.
They refuse to even acknowledge it, so fired them. Tried another team. They wanted a few
hundred as a commitment, then they'd come up with a plan, then start working to earn the money.
They want to take 12 weeks and do everything over with another technology. It seems wrong.
They agreed to return half the money, but didn't. Found another small team. I'm doing the
work with an engineer's help...
- My wife and son are insisting I give up if it doesn't ship by June 7
- Depression is horrible...
- Apr 2016: The woman disappeared- some kind of severe health problem.
I learned pl/sql to encapsulate a central algorithm into the database.
Marketing guy has horrible marital problem, it's not his fault, but he's now busy and sad.
- Mar 2016: Finally settled on a new offshore team.
- episodic depression is back
- Feb 2016: I found a woman who will manage the software devl!
- The "developer" had a tantrum and went silent. It seemed he
had been lieing about what he coudl do and didn't want to face it.
He asked for the 2nd payment and then disappeared...
- In Hawaii for 11 days. Run in the morning, swim, then work all day...
- Jan 2016: The design phase is going much slower than anticipated
- I found a guy who wants to be the marketing co-founder!
- So much to do- I stopped exercising
- Dec 2015: Committed to have a local guy with an offshore company build the software!
Depression lifted!
My wife wants to know when it'll be done. Should be in March. We agreed to June 7th.
- Nov 2015: It's not working- there's too much to do. I can't even organize it by myself.
One book has reached first draft, but needs a lot of work.
I've been having bouts of depression again- worse
- Oct 2015: PeopleCount.org is still stuck. I'm starting a new phase,
building the software instead of trying to build a team...
- May 2015: Wife & I took 2 weeks to drive around Yellowstone and other states.
I had a few episodes of depression- weird.
- Apr 2015: I left my job, and will work on PeopleCount.org full time.
I'll work on two books, and on building a team....
April 2013: I failed to get a team together to take it to the next level.
I'll work for a while...
December 2012: PeopleCount.org is
live! Check out our
news,
blog, and
vision!
You're welcome to
donate.
September 2012: I'm up to something big -
PeopleCount.org,
solving the divisiveness, expense and struggle of politics,
and changing government to be accountable to the people.
For PeopleCount, I'm calling myself Rand instead of Randy.
(Friends are welcome to use either.)
Less Recent Happenings
My biography/history page
needs some updating...
Nov 10: The purpose of Landmark Education
Jul 10: I started a blog...
Dec 09: About Hanukkah
Nov 09: Taking the
SELP, and
Began improving CA math education
Aug 09: Took the Advanced Course!
Mar 09:
Time and Fashion March On
Dec 08:
Haiti... and my movie debut
Aug 08:
Vacation
May 08:
The Forum
Apr 08:
dog dramas (Lambda/Jupi)
Dec 07:
my new job at MITI
Miscellaneous
See also my pages on math teaching,
Asperger Syndrome,
and, so far, one tech article.
And if you're curious about my family...
And a few "sayings".
I worked hard in school and jobs.
But I also benefitted from privileges.
Accomplishments
Some accomplishments and events with which I have shaped my story:
- Growing up in Seattle with 3 brothers and a dog. Finishing at Stanford.
- Having moral (non-religious) parents who naturally help society
and set great examples for their kids.
- Learning to juggle clubs, do a ju jitsu fall and a bit of gymnastics.
- The Landmark Forum ('85), 6day, MOE &
seminars and more. Stirling's MSP.
- Walking across 20 feet of hot coals.
- Achieving enlightenment through
Siddha Yoga
- Merging my enlightenment into normal life via Landmark seminars
in 2007 thru 2009
- Reviewed the Forum in March 09, took the Advanced Course in
August, completed the SELP in the fall and early winter
- Patenting an invention (#6246411)
- Programming in Silicon Valley for 37 years, including helping build FrameMaker
- Stepping out of an airplane at 10,000 feet.
- Being unemployed for 16 months in 2002-2003 and studying math teaching
- Explaining
"common denominator"
to 8th graders while substitute teaching.
- Solving the Monty Hall and 12-ball problems (and many, many others)
- Loving, marrying and trying to communicate with a particular female.
- Raising two boys, one with Asperger Syndrome and OCD.
- Turning 50 (in 2007), exercising daily from 2009-2016
- Inventing
a way for humanity to work together
Hobbies
but there's so little time between work,
family, house, dog, exercise...
- writing (most are not published)
- a few software projects have languished
- juggling (weekly with kids ended in early 2016...)
- exercising. I used to hike on weekends...
No longer true:
I still juggle balls and clubs, but mostly Wednesday mornings during
the school year when I help teach a juggling class at the
local elementary school. During the summer, we get together on Saturdays sometimes, but it's spotty.
No longer: On the week-ends I take the dog for a part-walk, part-jog. On Sundays
I often take him the 2 miles to the local farmer's market, buy some
potatoes, carrots and broccoli for my lunches and drop them off a half
mile away at work. We often stop at the school on the way home to
do some pull-ups and chin-ups.
What I enjoy
- Complex thoughts
- Exposing the artificial meaning of the sacred
- Solving the impossible
- Understanding
- Understanding how all of existance can be, without a god.
See: Complex
adaptive systems
- Understanding why so many believe in a god
- Ethics
- Responsibility and cause
- Civilization as a self-perpetuating myth
- My laptop and my orange tree.
- Walking, hiking, exertion
- Recontextualizing
- Wearing ear plugs at movies and concerts
What I dislike/avoid/recontextualize
- coffee (including mocha)
- sugar addiction (mea culpa)
- Monogamy (misguided)
- Scolding, dumping, anger
- Fear
- Loud music
- That
stupid
people are confident (e.g. climate change denial)
- When simple or emotional people confuse "smart" and "elite", also "logical" and "tricky".
- When Joe thinks someone else caused Joe to dislike them.
- Thinking religion is valuable, or that a god defines morality.
Favorites
Quotes:
- "Only upon the truth can a worthwhile life be built.
All else is a foundation for tragedy and lost opportunities."
God doesn't want to be worshipped as a personality.
God wants his creation to be known, appreciated, and valued.
He created humanity in the hope of having partners, not sycophants.
Appreciate and value what exists, expecially life.
But "
- "Do not be concerned that you might set a target too high and fail.
Be concerned that you will set it too low and succeed."
Michelangelo
- "If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful at all."
Michelangelo
- "In Cyberspace, no one can hear your screen."
I was on a zoom call and made a physical pun about scream/screen,
and one of the others came up with this. Aug 9, 2022
But on Aug 7, 1994, it was a title in The Boston Globe
- "Indecisive Naval Gazing: What stupid people think thinkers do.
Decisive Colossal Fuckups: What stupid people do." - anon
-
"Anything not scientifically (or mathematically) proven to be impossible
is possible. It's often achievable by thinking outside the box." - me, Jan 23, 2022,
- Rather than "Trust your gut", I add, "to have an opinion, but temper that
with self-knowledge, especially about your biases. And do your homework, staying
open to new and complex outcomes." - me, July 3, 2021,
- "Are you possessive? No, I'm a proper noun." - me, Apr 3, 2021,
in conversation with friend
Anita Katz.
-
"Life as we know it has ended. And tomorrow will be more of the same." - me, Nov 17, 2019
-
"...family has cost me my life,
and replaced it with a far richer one." - me, 2005
-
"As an artist, I have to draw the line somewhere."
- me, Sep 9, 2017, but I doubt I was the first...
-
"Everything that's known is surrounded by questions.
And those are surrounded by realms of unknowns."
- me, Sep 22, 2016...
-
"Life isn't serious; it's not even permanent."
- First heard in the 1980s from my
father...
-
"There's no point being lucky unless you can count on it."
- me, around 1977 (after I got to Stanford...)
-
"Integrity and the pursuit of enlightenment are fundamental.
Enlightenment strips pretense.
What's left is human, but honest, imperfect, but worthwhile."
- also me, late 1980's
-
"Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to succeed."
- me, circa 1982, working on FrameMaker (using X/Motif)
-
"I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years
before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it."
- Mark Twain
-
Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.
- Nelson Mandela
-
Some people think I'm a complete failure.
Some think I've failed at that, too.
In truth, I'm not finished yet. (me, 2020)
-
Minuscule power corrupts absolutely.
- me, coined while watching my 2 year old son, in 1994
- later, noticed this principle alive and well in George Bush and his neo-cons.
-
Having thoughts is like flying a kite.
There's lots of movement caused by meaningless gusts.
In the end, you're in the same place.
Real thinking is an adventure.
It takes preparation, work, and you reach new places and see new sights.
You don't know where it will lead, and you're not the same when you return.
And it's richer if you're willing to see new truths and willing to let go of
all the things you think you know.
To get better at it takes practice, real work, hiking, training, and study.
The world is much larger than you or I can ever know.
Our views, our notions of what's possible, can always expand.
-me, May 14, 2016
-
Education is expensive. Ignorance is exorbitant.- ras, 1999,
during a remodel. Also used relative to marriage...
Obama said, "If you think education is expensive, wait
until you see how much ignorance costs in the 21st century."
(We did- $3 trillion and counting, for the Iraq War,
which fueled the War on ISIS, all due to Bush et al's ignorance.)
-
"Knowing is not just the booby prize, it's also the booby trap."
- Judy Bell at the 2015
CGT.
Note: A variant of: "Being right is the booby prize."
-
Being a man gives you the right to be both wrong and confident.
-me, 2014
-
Perspicacity breeds consent. -me 2017
-
The youngest version of you is the oldest.
The oldest version of you is the newest. -me, 2020
-
It's completely legal to pretend to be stoned on federal property -me, 2020
- 1. Number one, you've been brainwashed since the day you were born.
2. You've gotta do a lot of work to even do any of your own thinking.
3. Destiny is within our hands.
Joe Strummer
of The Clash, in 1984.
-
In a democracy, voters wield the ultimate power.
In a dysfunctional democracy, the power is subverted
and choices are limited long before that. -me, 2021
-
Cultural myths and truisms mostly hide and obscure the truth.
-
God created me. I created my fears and limits.
Guess which one has needed work?
-
When we lie, we create a new world.
If someone lies to others, they assert that their creation
is greater than God's. That's a violation of the most
important commandment, to put no other god before Him.
-
Thinking is difficult. That’s why most people judge. — Carl Jung
-
Thinking is the hardest work there is,
which is the probable reason so few engage in it. — Henry Ford
- Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking.
There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions.
Nothing pains some people more than having to think. — Martin Luther King, Jr.
Interesting books:
Good books off the beaten track (old list...):
Interesting sites about:
How
polls are misleading...
What religion has beliefs like yours?
Cool physics video
Abundance by design
Contact
Email: R a n d y -at- Strausses . net
Phone: 6 5 0 - 8 6 1 - 1 5 3 7
Home: Mountain View, CA (Silicon Valley)
Facebook,
LinkedIn,
Quora
Silicon Valley
FYI, Silicon Valley used to be from Santa Clara through Palo Alto, California.
But now it has consumed most of the peninsula from San Jose to
San Francisco, a distance of about 60 miles, plus the East Bay.
*: I
think quoting the word "God" is a good practice.
It reminds me that whatever you or I think of about the term
is subjective. Some truths are that we don't know the nature of "God",
we created this name or title for our own convenience,
and having the term unquoted leads us to
think God is someone's name.
It leads us to more frequently and unquestioningly
think of "God" as a (human-like) person.
Last updated: June 2020. Copyright 1999-2020, Randy Strauss
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