Next Year in…?

For Jews, this is not a question but a statement of purpose, repeated year after year at the end of the Passover Sedar:  "Next year in Jerusalem." Some take it literally and plan trips to the Holy Land.  Others take a more metaphorical journey and seek out their Jewish spiritual "home" in the coming year. But if you're an Urban Nomad, each year, you ask it more as a question, not knowing where the coming year will take you and whether the journey ahead will be profound or banal. The vernal Passover Sedar is the time to start the clock again, so to speak. Time to reflect on journeys past and adventures ahead, friends and family, food and wine, good and bad. A time to sit back and ponder life's joys as well as its hardships and losses.

Tonight, as we recite the "Four Questions" we start by asking "Why is this night different from all other nights?"  I believe it's because it forces us to even ask that question. It gives us a vacation from other nights of television and Twitter, a time to be with family, whether you like them or not. We argue. We debate. We challenge each other. We question our very existence and the root of our "Jewishness." Had it not been for some "parting of the waters" about twenty five hundred years ago, we would not be sharing this meal with each other. Rather we'd still be desert-dwelling slaves, or nomads or even a non-existant tribe referred to only in history books.

But we are here. We've multiplied. We've thrived. We've assimilated. We've become part of the fabric of many cultures. And, some of us have returned to our more nomadic roots.

This year, my family and I are happy to be in California but as we think about the coming year, we don't know where the path will lead us. It is an unknown, as it is for all of us. Next year …could be in Jerusalem. It could be in Prague. Or Greece. Or New York. Or ...

Wherever you land, may it be a fruitful journey. Chag Sameach.

4G, 3G, 2D, 3D: Why Should I Care?

4G technology is here!  Woo-hoo!  I was excited when Apple released 3G!  But 4-Gs!  Wow.
The cartoon "Dilbert" says 4G stands for "g-g-g-good." Wikipedia says it's " referring to the fourth generation of cellular wireless standards" and "is the successor to 3G and 2G."  Huh?? If you're still not sure what that means and you really think that 4G technology somehow is a successor to 3D or 2D, raise your hand.

Basically, in real layman's terms, the "G" standard refers to "D-igital." So, it should be "4D" but that was taken by the movie and entertainment business.  I guess since the "D" was not available, some brainiac came up with a "G" since it's the closest letter to "D" and because "E" and "F" just didn't seem appropriate. G and D really have nothing to do with each other. Those in the telecommunications industries know that the 4G system is supposed to provide super-duper, comprehensive and secure Internet-based solutions to connect phones and wireless device users to really cool services:  gaming, multimedia streaming, IP telephone connections and much faster service than we can even comprehend now.

We used to just pick up a phone, dial and get connected to the person we needed to speak to on the other end. We didn't need to know the technology behind MaBell. In fact, we didn't care about the technology behind MaBell, unless of course you worked there or aspired to from your lab at MIT or CalTech.  Phones just worked. Not so anymore. In order to get the best deal, we need to understand the footprint, the device's capabilities, just how many apps it supports, Now, we have so many choices, that we have all become de facto engineers, salesmen, phone repair guys and geeks.

Why should we care?  Because we all still want to get the best deal, don't we? We don't want to be left out. Maybe 4 G is THAT g-g-g-good. Maybe we'll have to wait for 5Gs to be really wowed.





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