My laptop died and I have an appointment this afternoon at the genius desk at Apple computer at 86th and Broadway. Perhaps we have begun to too narrowly define the term genius, for surely as I look at the hand carved stonework that surrounds me, the genius of days past is clearly overlooked. You don't really need to go as far south as 86th street to find it. I went yesterday for another visit to Grant's tomb. In case anyone wonders, U.S. Grant is still buried there, just as before. Also as before, in a showcase along one wall, you can find the stone carving tools donated by the family of Henry Boll, one of the masons who built the wonderful structure. He was only one of thousands whose hands-on genius with stone built the city of New York. I have photos I will share later when my own laptop is restored to genius status, or when I get home and have the use of my desktop computer.
What people miss, when looking at New York, is not the quality of the work that led to the creation of this fine city. We overlook what we overlook everywhere even in our own lives. When we create something of beauty that serves others, we ourselves are shaped in finer character, intelligence and wisdom. The creative act involves a hardware side, as well as a software... in that our potential and creative capacity is increased by each thing we make.
Good luck with the computer. Also, have you seen the Cathedral of St. John the Divine? One of the most amazing architectural pieces in NYC.
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Yes, I've visited St. John the Devine. A wonderful place. The genius bar was no help. They do rules based "problem solving" which mean that if the problem doesn't fit the framework, you are out of luck. But it was an interesting experience and the way people were lined up for the service you could see what a popular marketing strategy it is for Apple. My laptop is so old (to them) that even if they took it in for repairs they would have to send it out to oldtimers that had been in the repair business longer than 5 years.
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