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TL;DR = too long, didn't read. A quick summary for those who are just skimming through.
Thank you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Poncho_NM
Thanks... Too long didn't read what? There was a long post, but it was not quoted, it appears to be the posters entire post... A big long post, and it ends with "TL;DR" followed by one sentence.
I was saying if my post was too long and someone didn't read it all, here's a summary of more or less what my point was in a few words.
Thanks... Too long didn't read what? There was a long post, but it was not quoted, it appears to be the posters entire post... A big long post, and it ends with "TL;DR" followed by one sentence.
You add TL;DR at the end to sum up the rest of a post, or you can use it as caddy response saying it was too long to read and the person doesn't care to read it all. You could even use it to reinforce your main or principle idea. I guess you could think of it as a new cyber way of saying "in summary"
I guess I feel that Albuquerque will be just fine in maintaining its culture as it blossoms into a major city, and we're pretty good at transmitting the "weird" things we like about our state to newcomers who 4 times out of 5 do well at embracing them
You may know that Armistead Maupin, the iconic gay San Francisco author, finally decided that San Francisco wasn't San Francisco anymore (maybe because of the soulless tech and wealthy types buying everything up) and so he moved to New Mexico (actually Santa Fe, which has some of the same problems as the other SF).
Interesting! I lived in SF about 15 years ago, and it seemed like on a very fast track to yuppie-dome pricing everything else out. That's a strange jump to go to Santa Fe Mexico though. It seems like the same crowd there.
Speak of the devil. Keeping in line with the quirky/uniqueness factor of ABQ. The city was recently voted as the 5th quirkiest city in America. Sitting just behind Austin and Portland and ahead of San Francisco. No matter what the metrics are to determine ABQ's "quirky" factor, this is certainly a viable list for ABQ to be on.
I think the problem with this idea is that it assumes that in order to attract tech and creativity the city would have to embrace some sort of persona that isn't quite what it actually is.
The point of the original posting was the opposite: that Albuquerque doesn't have to change its culture to improve the job market. But after all of these negative responses to a mild posting that was supposed to be a positive brainstorm of ideas based on an intriguing New York Times article suggesting that a city like Albuquerque can improve its job market without becoming more like Silicon Valley, I'm thinking maybe you are right about the fact that I have misinterpreted Albuquerque's quirkiness.
There is quirkiness that is about openness and encouraging innovation and embracing the unconventional and the rationally weird. But there may be a different kind of quirkiness that is charming, but is fundamentally about nostalgia and looking backward. Hostility to ideas because they are from "newcomers" is antithetical to the first kind of quirkiness, but not the second kind. Whether an "Albuquirky Strategy" approach would actually help Albuquerque's job market adapt to the rapidly restructuring global economy may depend on which type of quirkiness best describes Albuquerque culture.
Those of you who have lived here longer, what do you believe is the nature of Albuquerque's quirkiness?
Hostility to ideas because they are from "newcomers" is antithetical to the first kind of quirkiness, but not the second kind. Whether an "Albuquirky Strategy" approach would actually improve the job market may depend on which type of quirkiness best describes Albuquerque culture.
Antithetical? If there were hostile, malicious, rancorous, rude, venomous or vicious comments, I would have most likely taken care of it. But you keep hammering away, I don't agree with a lot of your theories, a lot of people don't seem to want to comment. It's their option. We have had a lot of people make a lot of comments on how Albuquerque should be. I've seen comments from more stores like in the west coast or east coast. A tunnel through Sandia Mountain to get to the other side. More Buses (going to places which would have the traffic). Another water park (it doesn't matter to some why ours went out of business). People have drawn maps of how Albuquerque should be laid out. Etc, etc, etc... A lot of it is just idle talk.
You just seem distressed because many people are not agreeing with you... I just have to drop it there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Abraxas
Those of you who have lived here longer, what do you believe is the nature of Albuquerque's quirkiness?
We have lived here continuously since 1998 (Actually my wife, I traveled a lot for long periods). My first visit was in 1968 with some working periods in the 70's and 80's. I never really considered Albuquerque quirky. I found it an enjoyable town. It was always near the top for me to retire to. If my wife had not been transferred here with her job, we might have retired elsewhere.
You just seem distressed because many people are not agreeing with you.
I actually retracted the suggestions in my original posting. I'm not attached to the specific ideas. I was hoping to hear ideas from others, because as I mentioned, I have a job that will soon enable me to develop initiatives that could help the local economy.
What is distressing me right now looking back over this thread is that most responses seem reflect a general discomfort with change, and a specific discomfort with suggestions offered by newcomers or outsiders.
You'll recall earlier comments in this thread such as "You lived in paradise for how long, and you already want to change it?" If this attitude is pervasive, then I fear we may have difficulty innovating here sufficiently to improve the job market (or the real estate market).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Poncho_NM
Antithetical? If there were hostile, malicious, rancorous, rude, venomous or vicious comments, I would have most likely taking care of it.
I use the word "antithetical" to mean "inconsistent with"--as in, "bias against suggestions from newcomers is inconsistent with a type of quirkiness that values innovation and experimentation."
You'll recall earlier comments in this thread such as "You lived in paradise for how long, and you already want to change it?" If this attitude is pervasive, then I fear we may have difficulty innovating here sufficiently to improve the job market (or the real estate market).
It is unclear what the nature of your work will be. You will be hired to improve the job market? To market Albuquerque somehow to the rest of the world? I think until we have a better idea of what exactly this "dream job" you've alluded to entails, people may interpret your motives in inaccurate ways and see you as a "big talker" with a patronizing tone (as if the people already living here are in need of your help). And I hope you will have better methods of research than simply posting questions in this forum. I wouldn't attach too much importance to the responses here.
I do not think "quirky" adequately describes Albuquerque. It doesn't do justice to our distinct cultures (you don't want to sound like you think the long-established Native American and Hispanic cultures make this a "quirky" place). Neither does it point out the wide array of recreational opportunities available here which I think are a big draw for many people. Our ranking on the "Most Quirky" list seems to have to do with the legacy of Breaking Bad, which personally I find embarrassing.
I did not come here attracted to the idea that this was a "quirky" place, although I was interested in going to a place that was very different from what I was used to in the Northeast US. Santa Fe already uses the nickname "The City Different", but I don't think it would embrace "quirky" very well. I think that our remoteness and resulting detachment from the rest of the country, and the idea that this is about as close as you can get to feeling you are not in the US without leaving the country, make us unique but not necessarily in a quirky sense.
I'm a software engineer who has been researching places to relocate to (probably not for at least another couple years, but definitely at some point in the relatively near future). I feel like I have researched pretty much everywhere in the US (and some places overseas), and I never in a thousand years would have thought Albuquerque would end up on the "must investigate" list.
I'm not really concerned about the wording, but if my research is any indication... the Albuquerque area is pretty unique. It seems to have a lot of the characteristics I am looking for in an area, yet if I wasn't scouring every relatively major city on the map, I probably never would have considered it. I read about the area and wonder "why don't more people talk about Albuquerque?"
Perhaps Abraxas's greater point is being lost in the details, or maybe "quirky" is just poor word choice? I do understand the reservations he is having, reading some of the thread. Part of the reason I am going to leave my current area is the resistance to changes due to the attitude that any change (but especially change associated with an "area newcomer") is negative. This is something that has been very surprising to me, since if I wanted to live in Silicon Valley, or Portland, or wherever... I'd just do that. I didn't move here to change the area's "culture", but here we are.
For better or worse, now I understand why by far the most common question I got when I first arrived and people heard where I'm from and what I do for a living was "Why did you come here?" I also understand why, when a kid from the area graduates from college, many times their first career move is to leave. Nobody here is worried about this place turning into Silicon Valley... but there is a distinct aversion to economic development, in the most general sense, which was unexpected. Lesson learned, it's too bad, and I'll be voting with my feet.
Thanks TheMCP. I'm going to withdraw from the conversation at this point, because some posters have stated they have reasons not to like me personally based on my prior postings, which seems to be muddying the waters and I'm concerned for people like TheMCP reading this in the future getting a distorted impression of Albuquerque.
As a parting note to the community on this website, I have taken your feedback to heart. Because I have lived in China and have seen what is happening there, I find myself sometimes overwhelmed with anxieties about where the current global restructuring favoring Asia will leave a place like Albuquerque economically. This can be unhealthy obsession for me, and frankly one of the reasons I moved away from Silicon Valley was because the pace of wealth and technology transfer to China is so apparent there and it was slightly terrifying to witness the speed with which it is happening. Part of the appeal of Albuquerque for me was that it feels sheltered from that dynamic – frankly I can put my head in the sand – and perhaps that shelteredness by itself will prove to be a competitive economic advantage at some point.
I will endeavor to see my new home with fresh eyes and let go of my expectations and anxieties. If the locals and retirees are happy, I'm also doing great, so maybe nothing needs to change. Except perhaps my heart – I'm open to letting New Mexico change me. Best wishes to all.
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