I believe that we have passions, and that we have those passions for a reason. Is that reason to be so consumed in those passions that lock ourselves away from the world in a room where we can consume ourselves with the passion that drives us? I personally think that would be a very stupid idea. No, I believe that we are given, or grow, or develop (however you want to view it) passions so that they can be shared with others!
I personally distain gardening. The whole thought of planting and watering and pruning and waiting and waiting and waiting just to eat a piece of fruit (I don’t eat vegetables), it’s crazy. I could have just as easily eaten had I purchased it from the grocery store. It makes no sense to me. But when I walk through my grandfather’s garden with him and listen to him talk about these little sprouts of vegetation like they were his own children it kind of invigorates me. To listen to him explain the work and details that went into getting a certain sprout or a larger fruit it really makes me a little more interested in the things that he loves. It doesn’t make me want to do it, but it does give me a greater appreciation for what he does. And who knows, maybe someday when I’m old I’ll grow my own garden in the back yard (or maybe a window box).
“What are my passions?” you ask. I’m so glad you asked, ‘cause I’m going to tell you! I have many passions. Ask any of my close friends or relatives and they will likely tell you. I hold a great passion for my beautiful and talented wife, as well as my wonderful three children, Wendy’s bacon cheese burgers (though that’s more of an obsession than a passion). Many people might say that I am passionate about computers, but that wouldn’t be entirely accurate. I’m more interested in their usefulness as a tool and all the things I can accomplish with them rather than the computer its self. But what is it that I have a passion for and love to talk about and share with others? Well if you ask my five year old what I love more, her or my speakers and TV she will have to stop and think for a second. Just kidding! I’m not a psycho. Of course I love my children more than my home theater, but by just a little.
I am absolutely passionate about movies. Not for their content or the message they send the art work or even the movie it’s self. I love movies for the experience and I love to make that experience more realistic and more life or extra-lifelike than ever. I love sound and being engulfed by it. I love looking down the barrel of Dirty Hary’s Colt .45 and feeling like my head is actually being blown off. It’s amazing!!! Or it can be when done right. I love the way soft music changes a mood and the way a little rock and roll makes you tap your foot without even thinking about it. I love to watch the beautiful colors dance across the screen when I’m watching CSI: Miami, it even compensates for the bad acting. Home electronics have a special place in my heart stemming from when I was just a boy.
I remember my first experience with a “Home Theater”. It was when I was about 10 or 12 years old and my father (who owned an electronic security company at the time) was visiting Bob a previous employer that he had maintained a good friendship with over the years. He brought us down to his basement to show us this room, and there it was. It was huge! (To a 12 year old boy) The screen must have been about 6 or 8 feet across. There were three rows of leather reclining seats. It was really dark in there but that was all part of the experience. It was just like having a movie theater in the basement, cause that was what it was! I didn’t care about how it worked or what was making it go, all I knew was that Mr. Bob put in this giant silver record looking thing and then I was watching a movie on the biggest screen I had ever seen in a house and was completely surround by it. It was amazing!
My father, being the savvy business man he is, knew that this was a great opportunity for the electronics industry which he already had a foot in. The most he knew about home audio was music and sound intercom systems which are quite laughable by today’s standards, but he quickly hired some people who did know a thing or two about it. He purchases a moving van and converted it into a mobile home theater system that he was able to bring to fairs and trade shows in the area. When the movie van was not being used it was parked in our back yard. I would take the complete box set of the Star Trek movies (they were recorded in Dolby ProLogic) and watch them all day long. I wasn’t a Treky I just really loved the experience. I learned there what all the components of the system were and how they worked. I quickly gathered enough equipment to install my own surround system in my bedroom; I ran the wires and everything (I was very experienced in running wires. My dad had me running them since I was about 6 years old). I guess that was actually my first surround system installation.
Thus my love affair with electronics began. After attending college for a couple years my father assisted me in starting a new company focused on security and home electronics. We sold the company a few years ago right before the big drop in the economy and I’ve been working with various home integration, Home Theater and other companies focused in the electronics and security fields. I just can’t get it out of my blood. I love it! I don’t want to do anything else. So here I am writing this blog about the things I am so passionate about for you to enjoy, and I hope you can find a little enjoyment from my passion.
Well this is me, Shaphan Sylvester, who I am and some of the passions that drive me. Let me know what drives you, or better yet, write a blog about it and share it with me!
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