Articles by mgedwards

This year, remember the diplomats too

Dear Reader, you’re in for a rare treat–I posted two blog entries on the same day!  Happy Memorial Day.  I was watching the news earlier today.  It reminded that every year on Memorial Day the media outlets drag out and dust off their flags and wave them on television in honor of those who have died for our country.  Their coverage inevitably focuses on the U.S. military and the soldiers who have died or suffered in the line of duty.  Their sacrifice is noble, and I appreciate their service and sacrifices immensely. 
 
At the same rate, little attention is paid to civilians who serve our country and have died or have been wounded in the line of duty.  This Memorial Day, please also remember the diplomats and other civilians who faithfully serve their country in situations that are often extremely difficult and dangerous.  In some cases, the diplomats remain behind when the troops go home.  For this reason, it is still true that since the Vietnam War, more diplomats have died in the line of duty than commissioned U.S. military officers.
God bless America, and God bless those who serve our country.  Happy Memorial Day.

I need an all-in-one

I went downstairs to retrieve our digital camera from the car this morning.  I realized that I have four small gadgets that I need to juggle on a daily–or at least weekly–basis: 
  1. A cell phone;
  2. A digital camera;
  3. A personal digital assistant (PocketPC PDA); and
  4. A music player (iPod MP3 player). 

They all do one function very well.  Unfortunately, now they’re weighty in my pockets, and my computer desk has a mess of cords needed to synch them up with my computer. 

I decided that I would pay good money for one device that’s both compact and can do all of these well.  Sure, there are devices on the market now that do some of these functions.  For example, my PDA plays music, and some such as the Palm Treo also double as cell phones.  Some cell phones have digital cameras, of course.  And soon Apple Computer will introduce the iPhone, an iPod cell phone.  The disadvantage of these dual-function units is that they lack capacity.  For example, the digital camera on most cell phones offers low megapixel resolution, and the storage capacity on a PDA is too small to store hundreds of songs.  If a company can produce a compact product that functions as a cell phone featuring a PDA with a full operating system plus productivity software (e.g. Microsoft Office) plus a 30-80GB hard drive that functions as a music player and 5.0 or more megapixel camera.  The technology is available to build this device, but it would be too big to be practical.  I imagine that in about five years or so technology will progress to the point where this kind of device will be on the market.  For now, I will continue to carry around four devices that do these four things very well.

Featured Blog: Our American Family

I just said goodbye to Matt and Lisa and their children.  Their lives are featured on Our American Family, a blog about their family and life in the Foreign Service.  They most recently served in Manila, Philippines, and they are now headed to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic for two years.  They lived here in Virginia while Matt learned Spanish.  We lived in the same proximity until Matt finished his coursework.  They departed for the DR last week.  
 
Matt is a good guy with a great sense of humor and sharp wit.  Lisa is an amazing mom with boundless energy.  Matt and Lisa do a great job chronicling their lives and depicting life whereever they are at the time.  They have an extensive collection of photos of their family, and they do a masterful job managing four children, which they accomplished in Virginia in a two-bedroom apartment with a couple of pets to boot.  The story of the birth of their youngest child, Atticus, is legendary (don’t try it at home).  Matt told me that people who don’t even know him recognize him from that story.  It’s fortunate that Matt is trained to respond to crisis and stepped in to deliver their child single-handedly when things went awry.
 
In this life, people frequently cross paths.  I may not see them again for a few years, most likely back here in Virginia before we move on to their next assignments.  In the meantime, I will keep up with their lives on their web site.  And who knows, maybe a trip to the DR or Paraguay is in the works!