Things working

Not a rant this time!Do you ever stop what you're doing and think of all the things that do work on an every day basis? Not just at a surface level, but deeper?Sure, on a macro level you can sit in your car, turn the key and go somewhere.On a micro level you have all the stuff that makes your engine go. Every revolution the valves open and let in charge air. The spark ignites the mixture from the computer (or distributor if it's old enough) telling it to. Combustion happens -- and with it power. Exhaust. It all goes through the transmission. Thousands of engineers over the past hundred years planned all of it out so it just works.While driving people (typically, even if they are being assholes) stay in their lane and don't hit you.I get done with a company dinner and call up En on my cell phone. With a click of a virtual button a marshal an army of technology to make the call to Ennie's cell phone who's slumming it in Omaha.The radio station broadcasts and when you turn it on while driving it all works. The radio station is broadcasting. Their antenna is working. Your antenna is working. The receiver in your car is getting the signal and converting it into sound for you to hear.When I get home I put a glass under the ice-maker of my fridge. It has power and water and a compressor system to cool things off. Ice comes out without me thinking about it.I go upstairs into my office and wake up my computer. The internet connects you to the rest of the world. I start posting to the blog, which is god only knows where. It responds to the packets that have gone through dozens or hundreds of different pieces of equipment -- and then back again to me. The server is up like it typically is.Every day is filled with millions of subtle things that work. Things that you never think about.This just described the last hour for me.All the things that are working. And all the people that made them work -- both with planning and constant maintenance.I bitch about the stuff that doesn't work... I want to give a thought to everything that does silently without ever being noticed.