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“Hey! You’re Not Supposed to Do That!”

By Chris Carosa on December 7, 2010

Screamed the older woman to the group of middle schoolers playing football in the middle of the astroturfed field house. The field house was the University of Rochester’s Goergen Athletic Center. The tweens – both boys and girls – were members of various Lego robotics teams. The woman was a coach for one of the teams. Apparently, her concern involved something about the potential of a football crashing into someone’s fragile plastic robot – a potential never realized despite the footballers ignoring her plea.

But, think about the setting before you off-handedly flip the page.

Earlier in the day, at the morning coaches meeting, one of the coaches labeled the Continue Reading ““Hey! You’re Not Supposed to Do That!””

Posted in It's a Nerd's World Tagged football, GearFreeze, robotics

Europe and Cultural Maturity

By Chris Carosa on December 2, 2010

[This Commentary originally appeared in the November 30, 1989 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

When sociologists look into a civilization, they often discover certain underlying consistencies. These attitudes, actions and customs all fall under the heading of “culture.” While culture can be invented – through folklore and mythology – time typically nurtures and creates the mores of a society.

America has its own richly refined experience. The cowboy, fighter pilot and even Superman represent that which has been imbued into and upon every citizen of these United States. Marginally irreverent, but always gallant, our country has historically taken up the challenge few others can Continue Reading “Europe and Cultural Maturity”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged America, American Dream, Europe, Foriegn Policy, philosophy

The Effective Use of Nonverbal Communication as Related to the Game of Chess

By Chris Carosa on November 30, 2010

Does this three-decade-old High School Thesis Reveal How to Get Something from Nothing?

Jan. 13, 1978
Psychology
Mrs. MJ Jepson

During the past few years, the study of nonverbal communication, or body language, has come into being. Basically, nonverbal communication is the translating of bodily movements into behavioral characteristics.¹ The technical name for this science is kinesics, as coined by Dr. Ray Birdwhistell, the main progenitor of the scientific analysis of nonverbal behavior.² In order to decipher body language, one must take it Continue Reading “The Effective Use of Nonverbal Communication as Related to the Game of Chess”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life Tagged chess, free lunch, psychology

Thanksgiving Thinking

By Chris Carosa on November 25, 2010

[This Commentary originally appeared in the November 23, 1989 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

Act II, Scene 5 from Pass the Cranberries and What’s the Score

(The scene is a Norman Rockwell-like Thanksgiving dinner setting, complete with all the trimmings: grandma, mom, dad, two older sons and two younger daughters. Grandpa is in the family room sleeping on the couch and an old B-movie plays on the television set. Though dinner is nearly over, dishes are busily being passed and the clinking of silverware against a plate rings incessantly.)

Mom: Come on boys, finish the vegetables. There’s too little left to put in the refrigerator and we need room for the rest of the other leftovers.

Son #2: (Looks to his older brother.) OK, I’ll take the peas and mushrooms and you can have the corn.

Son #1: No problem. (Turns to his youngest sister.) Pass the salt.

Daughter #2: (Stretches her arm across the table, knocking over her glass of cherry-red Kool-Aid on the formerly brilliant white tablecloth.) It’s too far for me to reach. Could somebody pour me some more Kool-Aid?

Daughter #1: (Giggles.)

Dad: (Angrily.) That’s not funny. (Places all available napkins on the ever growing spill.)

Son #1: Oh, oh. I think I just saw the EPA pull up in the driveway. (No one at the table Continue Reading “Thanksgiving Thinking”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged family, Growing Up, Thanksgiving

A New Metric for Elected Officials

By Chris Carosa on November 23, 2010

Quick, off the top of your head, what is the fourth (soon to be third) largest city in New York State? I’ll give you a hint. It’s not Syracuse.

G. Scott Thomas wrote a story (“Buffalo slips to 70th in city population,” Business First, November 22, 2010) that both concisely states the problem and suggests the single most important metric we should hold elected officials accountable for.

But first, the story, and how it defines the problem.

Some, as the Business First article intimates, say Buffalo hit its highpoint in 1900 when it ranked as the 8^th largest city in the nation. This figure, however, misleads. The nation had not yet quite filled itself out and some of the western cities were just getting started. These western cities had natural growth advantages and one could argue the 1900 ranking placed Buffalo too high.

The more accurate apex would be July 1951, when Fortune magazine featured “Made Continue Reading “A New Metric for Elected Officials”

Posted in Western New York State of Mind Tagged Buffalo, politics, population, Rochester, Western New York

Star Trek Fans: Call 232-3700 NOW!

By Chris Carosa on November 18, 2010

[This Commentary originally appeared in the November 16, 1989 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

The long day generally leaves a tired wasted body which desires only a warm meal, a soft sofa, and the remote control device. Don’t get me wrong. I really don’t consider myself a couch potato (though I wish I could afford that luxury). In fact, I peruse but two TV shows on a regular basis – the news and Star Trek (either the original or the newer series).

I find it very convenient that I often arrive home when either of these shows are on. Such timing grants me the opportunity to cook while watching the news and dine during Star Trek. (Don’t tell my mother, she still doesn’t like me to watch TV when eating dinner.)

Pleasant consistency, however, cannot exist in the dynamic media. Demographics and Arbitron Ratings eventually invade even the most staid of stations (witness the former Continue Reading “Star Trek Fans: Call 232-3700 NOW!”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Star Trek, William Shatner

Throwback Bills Fans – What’s it Mean?

By Chris Carosa on November 17, 2010

A funny thing happened on the way to the Bills game this past weekend. Actually two funny things, which, in of itself, was a funny thing. Not once, but twice, while ambling on down the New York State Thruway, we saw a car pull over and a well-padded passenger disembark to visit some nearby woodlands, soon to be wetlands.

I hadn’t seen this scene in quite some time. At first, I wondered what would cause an obviously well working auto to suddenly yank itself to the shoulder of the road. After another slug of my Snapple, a thought popped into my head.

How far had these “relievers” been traveling? How much did they have to drink? Was there any doubt they were going to the game?

Once we got to the game – and despite the repeatedly failed attempts by the Bills to Continue Reading “Throwback Bills Fans – What’s it Mean?”

Posted in Western New York State of Mind Tagged Buffalo Bills

Thoughts on the BIG Meeting

By Chris Carosa on November 11, 2010

[This Commentary originally appeared in the November 9, 1989 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

Everyone suffers the experience of entering into a tough situation. Poets often use war as the hyperbole of a demanding duty. Many of us have the blessed fortune not to have lived through the experience of combat, but stay forever grateful to those brave enough and principled enough to have entered into the fray. The inner feelings of those veterans can never truly be captured. Often, though, we assume only the real dread brought by battle can infuse humbling thoughts or put things into ultimate perspective.

Perhaps that is true, but there remain in our lives events which force our confrontation with formidable foes. While the risk of sudden demise rarely exists, the emotional burden of a quickly paced observation-decision-action cycle endures. We find fields of Continue Reading “Thoughts on the BIG Meeting”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Sentinel, Veteran's Day

The Top 10 Greatest Challenges Facing Today’s Boy Scout Troops

By Chris Carosa on November 9, 2010

Minutes from the November Meeting of the Towpath District Boy Scout Roundtable

We assembled at the Krieg Road LDS as usual on the cool evening of Thursday, November 4, 2010. The room filled quickly and after a series of announcements, we divided ourselves into five patrol of 4-5 Scouters. Each patrol selected their names as follows: “Old Goats” (guess their average age); “Patrol #1” (guess their estimated self-worth); “Five Guys” (which, ironically, included four woman and one guy); “Mentally Challenged” (which pretty much tells you how much effort they put into the process); and “Knot” (signifying the contrapositive effort of the previous patrol).

It is duly noted here “Five Guys” took the unsolicited liberty of designing their own patrol logo. For going above and beyond the call of duty, each member of the entire patrol received one extra Roundtable Buck. It is also dutifully reported the whole assembly voted “Old Goats” as the “Best” (or, perhaps, “most appropriate”) Patrol Name and, in recognition of this outstanding feat, each member of that aged patrol found themselves richer by one Roundtable Buck.

For our troop activity, we spent the bulk of the meeting identifying the “Top 10 Greatest Challenges” our units face. After much deliberation, several really bad puns and a diversionary diatribe on the cultural significance of the 1984 cult classic The Adventures Continue Reading “The Top 10 Greatest Challenges Facing Today’s Boy Scout Troops”

Posted in Boy Scouts Tagged Boy Scout, BSA, hover parent, troop

Pittsford-Mendon High School Highjinks

By Chris Carosa on November 4, 2010

[This Commentary originally appeared in the October 26, 1989 issue of The Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel.]

For those of you who don’t know or don’t care, Pittsford-Mendon High School’s homecoming weekend fell victim to rude behavior and mass disciplinary retaliation. It seems a few passionate students took it upon themselves to start an egg throwing contest during a Friday pep rally. The ensuing food fight left plenty of smashed eggs, messy clothes and at least one egg-faced teacher.

Not tolerating anarchy in the least, the administration promptly cancelled all homecoming activities (except the games). So much for a fun-filled weekend of parading and dancing. The action of the powers that be so upset the student body that about Continue Reading “Pittsford-Mendon High School Highjinks”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged philosophy, Pittsford, Pittsford Mendon

Chris Carosa