Redefining old age and leadership

The other morning, I was listening on NPR, James Clyburn, a South Carolina US congressman promoting his new book, "The First Eight: A Personal History of Pioneering Black Congressman Who Shaped a Nation". The work highlights the stories of the first eight Black congressmen from the state, who served during, and after the Reconstruction era. 

At some point, Clyburn who is 85, is asked if he plans to run for office and his response was something like, “Well, I’m going to meet with my family late December to discuss just that”, but definitely didn’t say that he would not run again. 

This in view of congresswoman Pelosi deciding not to run again or of Biden second mandate fiasco, highlight the unconsciousness of some leaders when it comes to self-assessing their old age, still believing they are irreplaceable and thinking their experience is everything. 

Let me share my rebuke to that way of thinking. At almost 78 and still showing some serious signs of physical and intellectual energy, I can say that, all things being equal, I still do a lot of things, but in much shorter spurs. 

For instance, I’m currently learning Spanish and can get totally wiped out when I take too many lessons in one sitting. In other words, I do well but can’t hold the long distance anymore, or better said, my effective time is now greatly reduced, just like a person my age sees a drastic decline in their VO2Max. This means that at a leadership and executive level, the experience of an individual – as impressive as it may be - can’t quite compensate for that loss in productivity. 

Therefore, a president or any governmental executive functions including those of senators and representatives can no longer be executed at an expected performance level of 100%, than by say by someone in their 40s or 60s. That’s where the fallacy of thinking that any old person can do any job breaks down. 

Any job, perhaps but not for very long and a safe guardrail would be to limit politicians to an age of 70 to 75 maximum for the year of expiration of any of their mandate.

The brightest and the dumbest?

My wife often reminds me that 77 millions Americans cast their vote for Trump — a choice that reflects how vulnerable our society has become to misinformation and shallow appeals. 

That huge number of ill-advised Trump supporters should not eclipse the existence of bright Americans, that predictably stand in much smallest numbers, but are still leading the way in the world. If the American K to 12 educational system is not the best globally, up until now, American universities have been leading the way throughout the world, thanks to their extensive investment in research provided by the governments we had until now. 

This divide between weak K‑12 and strong universities mirrors the divide in our electorate . Why Trump and his allies are vehemently attacking and trying to dismantle the only bright part of the American education system is obviously beyond me. It’s true that a mediocre secondary education system is fertile ground for forming gullible and acquiescing individuals who in turn fall prey to conspiracy theories that all have a destructive effect on an advanced society. 

This is why a large number of people act as if they were really dumber. A good, serious education is therefore key to a strong nation and particularly for those who only have a limited number of years in school. It would seem that the elitist approach favored by the billionaires now in charge of the Republican party is pushing against public schools, trying to weaken that institution, making it far less effective and with that, threatening the quality of education among the poorest among us. 

This shows, if we needed to see proof of it, how our political figures and a large portion of the US society have become deeply hypocritical and are cutting their nose to spite their face!

Local mayoral elections

On November 4, the Park City population elected two City Council members and a new Mayor. The newly elected Council members were known the same night, but it took until late November 24 to know who our new mayor would be as the two candidates, Ryan Dickey and Jack Rubin were literally head to head. 

Following a recount, the Park City leaders certified Ryan Dickey’s razor-thin win in the mayoral contest, finalizing the results nearly three weeks after Election Day. The results were that Dickey, a member of the City Council, won the mayor’s office by just seven votes. Dickey received 1,706 votes, or 50.1%, and Jack Rubin received 1,699 votes, or 49.9%. 

Rubin requested the recount last week after making a massive effort to get the job in spite of having no experience in the City’s affairs. 

The guy thought he could be elected by flooding the City with yard signs, being a smooth talker and just criticizing the current administration (Dickey was on the City Council) with the cover of having never done anything. 

From my standpoint I could see his maneuver and remembered that he tried to get elected as a Republican on the Utah State Senate, but failed. 

Being a Republican and a Trumpist was enough to disqualify him in my eyes as having poor judgment. In the end, it was very close and showed that the many people who voted for him were, before anything, highly impressionable!

Google, its products and its customers

Google isn’t just a giant in the data collection and advertising business, it dabbles also in selling some tangible products. Things like thermostats, smartphones, surveillance cameras among other gizmos. For a dozen years, we’ve been using Nest thermostats a few months before the company bought the brand in 2014. 

The three machines we have have worked perfectly during that time until late October I was told by some email I ignored that Google would no longer support the 1st and 2nd generation of that product. A few weeks ago as I was fine tuning my climate control ahead of winter weather, I realized that I couldn’t do it, as was the case in the past, from my smartphone or my computer. 

Then I realized that I would have to upgrade with the company 4th generation of product at a preferential cost just under $490 instead of $885! I tried to contact Google to know the details involved with the deal, but wasted my precious time in the maze of their web-based customer support service. I got stuck and couldn’t get anywhere. 

That’s how, through various forums and other inline information I gathered, I came to the conclusion that the Google management knows damned well that their customer support is worthless. Yet, the company has historically prioritized self‑service help centers and community forums over direct human support, which fuels my perception of “hopeless” service. 

Directing most users to its online Help Center allows Google to do without live agents and save big. With billions of users across Gmail, YouTube, Android, and more, Google leans on automation and documentation rather than staffing massive call centers. For the love of money, Google’s leadership has chosen to invest in scalable, automated support rather than traditional customer service models. 

This is a deliberate decision, not ignorance, in spite of the fact that complex problems (account recovery, billing disputes, device malfunctions) often leave users stranded. The net result is that most customers feel abandoned, especially when compared to competitors with stronger live support systems. Google’s leadership knows its support reputation is down the toilets, but it’s a calculated trade‑off. 

They’ve chosen scale and automation over human service, which leaves many customers frustrated but adds to their bottom line. So, what will I do? Never, ever buy a product from Google. The company is only good at selling ad space and sucking customer data, but is woefully unable to “play merchant”.

The world of USB connectors

Over the years, and particularly since I got my first computer in 1983, I’ve dealt the very best I could with the different types of connectors that came my way, changed in rapid succession and I did the best I could to understand them and adapt. 

Then came the USB connectors that stand for “Universal Serial Bus”. It’s not a brand name, but an industry standard developed in 1996 for connecting and transferring data and power between devices. The reason why I’m talking about this is the fact I just ran into an unknown USB connector, and we’ll discuss it at the end of this blog. 

At first I got exposed to the Type B 2.0 used to connect my video cameras and back up devices, then when we got our Apple iPads, we used the 8 Pin Lightning, and as I always was an Android smartphone user I was using the Micro B connector and then my GoPro as well as a host of electronic device used a Min B. Navigating that world was complicated, prone to errors and necessitated to carry a menagerie of different connectors when going on a trip. 

It’s only in 2014 when the Type C connector was introduced that things started to become more orderly. At the same time the transferring power of these connectors kept on growing before exploding exponentially these past years. 

So, what inspired my reflection on this topic was when I was rummaging through a box of connectors I had and finding one that looked like a “Type C” but wouldn’t get inside the female receptacle. On closer examination it couldn’t as it had two tiny “horns” on top. 

I did further research, submitted this picture to a few AI engine, and I was able to gather that it was part of the Mini-USB Type B family, even though it looked like a USB-C from afar, wasn’t reversible and was probably harking back to the mid-2000s and use for some digital camera, MP3 player, external hard drives, or some GPS unit. 

Bottom line, I shouldn’t never force it into a C plug, put it securely aside or throw it away! Now you know all you need about USB!

Is American friendship mostly transactional?

As far as I’m concerned, I count many more deep friends from Europe that I left 48 years ago, than I have managed to create in America, and I can’t help but think that it must be due to the fact that on the old continent, friendships develop and remain because of mutual and direct appreciation, than because of business or related interest that don’t stand the test of time and evolving personal relationships. 

In fact, many observers and studies seem to indicate that American friendships tend to be more compartmentalized and transactional than their European counterparts, often shaped by mobility, individualism, and professional networks. This perception (and reality as well) shows that Americans often distinguish between “work friends,” “gym friends,” “school friends,” and so forth, with each relationship tied to a specific context. 

This does limit the emotional depth and longevity of the friendship. Then, there’s the sheer size of the country that creates a high geographic mobility. People move for jobs, school, or lifestyle, disrupting long-term friendships and encouraging short-term, functional connections. 

Of course, there’s the individualism and self-reliance aspect of life, that American culture prizes so much and that goes again a lasting friendship that often feels uncomfortable and sometimes, burdensome. American professional and social spheres also encourage relationships built around mutual benefits, pushing friendships toward utility rather than emotional intimacy. 

On the other hand, most European cultures, and Latin societies in particular (like France) foster friendships rooted in shared history and locality. The fact that French are less geographically mobile means friendships often span decades, grounded in shared experiences and community. There’s also less pressure to “network” or maintain a social persona. 

Friendships are often built slowly, with fewer, but much deeper connections. In cultures like France and Italy, or even Germany, friendships often involve family, emotional support, and philosophical conversation instead of focusing solely on shared activities. This may change to and slip towards a form of Americanization. 

One could say that “In Europe, friendship is a slow-cooked stew that’s rich, layered, and holds into one stomach. In America, it’s often more like fast-food, satisfying, but fleeting.”

Rob Mucci, 1943-2025

Rob and I met when I joined Lange USA in June of 1982. He was the Lange rep for New England since the mid 70s, during the Garcia days, and was based in Boston. He was living in Marblehead and moved later on to Swampcot. 

In addition to Lange ski boots he was repping Barrecrafters products (ski car racks). When Lange merged with Dynastar, he also represented that ski line and sold both products until his retirement in 2004. 

In 2016 he and his wife Siggy moved to Naples, Florida where he played a lot of golf, organized tournaments, worked in the local tourism trade while Siggy did volunteer work. Both had been married for more than 4 decades. 

Over the years, I stayed regularly in contact with Rob. He loved life, he adored reminiscing about the good old times and we laughed a lot each time we got together on the phone. He knew how to make any trite story hugely entertaining! 

Early, this summer, I had attempted to call and email him to no avail. Mid-November, I tried again, but in vain. Fearing something was wrong with Rob, I just learned that he had passed in June. I will miss him an awful lot and I'm sure any one who ever came in contact with him will too.