Showing posts from July, 2011

Icky Thump - The White Stripes


The Ancient of Days

"He who would do good to another must do it in minute particulars. General good is the plea of the scoundrel, hypocrite, and flatterer."
- William Blake

A Manufactured Crisis

During the years of absolute, total Republican control of the White House, Congress, and Senate - during the years of the Bush Administration - Congress voted to raise the debt ceiling. Further, they voted to spend more money than they made - they empowered a president to embark upon wars of convenience, at the cost of 2 trillion dollars - and proceeded to expand the federal government more in their term, than any other administration in the history of the United States. They also ceded unprecedent control of American institutions to corporations. During their reign, 82% of everything every American, read, saw or heard - was decided upon by a group of approximately seven media companies - and the Bush administration handed power over to lobbyists to write energy policies, environmental regulations - and their own "make them look heroic" memoranda for how it would be represented on a dedicated news media entertainment channel that still exists even today - despite its ow…

I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself - The White Stripes


The Inside Experience (Solution)

A film experience is running now (July 25th) through the next few days. Its premise is that there is a woman trapped in a room, with only a laptop and an internet connection. We must somehow help to free her. There are three clues in the first film, currently posted on youTube and running six minutes. The walls (illuminated by the screen from her laptop) have , on at least one side - a strange pattern. A fragment of a page from a book - left on the back of the laptop. Letters on the page are circled There is a handwritten quote by Leo Buscaglia , on the same page - that says "A rose can be a garden, a friend can be a world" The images of the page are below.

Note the circled letters H , a Period. and C. The page is taken from a text, apparently about a southern plantation - perhaps owned by a Countess. There are lines in the passage that refer to "the clacking of pool balls" .. and other imagery associated with what would seem to be a southern style pl…

Let's start by making it clear... who is the enemy.

We as a country, have risen to combat threat from without - and within. We've fought the Third Reich, battled Tojo, and exposed and routed the black McCarthyists. The KKK is a worthless shadow, thanks to the diligence of the south. And the organized crime of the north - with all its political machinery, has been disassembled and sold for scrap. The drug cartels have by and large lost their power. We are a stronger country for it. And now, we are in the midst of a full out attack from within that if left unchecked, will proceed through the next seven days - to destroy our country, and our economy. Lobbyists are an army of spies and saboteurs - not working for the government of a foreign power - but rather groups of corporations and individuals who have a vested interest in bringing America to her knees. Chinese shadow corporations. Arab oil interests. Multinational multi global mult-10k special purpose entity cash accounts that funnel billions of dollars into our …

A Billion Wicked Thoughts

There's a new book out , called "A Billion Wicked Thoughts". It's kind of cool. The authors - Dr. Ogi Ogas, Ph.D. and Sai Gaddam, Ph.D., analyzed h more than a billion Internet searches in order to learn about the differences between male and female sexual preferences. And why men are more likely to have fetishes. From the book: The male sexual software is what a computer engineer would call an 'OR gate.' It is instantly aroused by any single cue. The male brain is turned on by deep décolletage or sashaying hips or the whisper of a sultry voice or two Applebee’s waitresses kissing. The female sexual brain is what a computer engineer would call an 'AND gate.' It requires input from multiple cues simultaneously to surpass a combined threshold of activation before arousal occurs. … Though for most men the OR gate can be triggered by any one of a variety of sexual cues, for some men one specific cue is essential. This necessary cue is a fetish I'm …

An Open Letter to Apple/Microsoft

Dear Apple/Microsoft Corporation,

We are aware that a few weeks ago, you bought up a patent portfolio, that, among other things - seems to be aimed squarely at the attempt to try to remove the droid operating system from "free, and open". Didn't you tell me, at a trade conference - that you were an operating system company? To all of those people at Microsoft - do you not have a stone carving on your floor that says " A PC IN EVERY HOME AND OFFICE". Why then are you trying to attack the opening , of a notoriously closed platform such as the US Cellphone?

To you both, I'd like for you to imagine that we're all at the senior prom and we've all chosen our dance partners. You may be unhappy with your choice, but do you really want to drop your partner off right in the middle of the prom - and keep others from joining the dance? Yes, Apple, I am aware that you are trying to tether everything to iTunes. And you want everyone to be in your "clou…

Blow Me Away / Firefly - Breaking Benjamin [AMV]


The Fallacy of Matching Algorithms

Netflix, Amazon, eHarmony, Match and many other online businesses - all try to predict what you would like. They use a matching algorithm that says something like "This is what you liked before, so this is what you will likely enjoy". In my view, is a fallacy to all of these types of algorithms : the idea that new content, or types of data - can match cleanly to old data types. Let's take an online date matching. What they are trying to do is to match your personality type and general ideal - to that of another persons stated personality type and/or their ideals. That other person represents a new type of data - and there are alot of hidden elements. For example, you might want to date a person who is tall - and they can match that by height. But when you get the match, you might reject them because they live too far away. This is not something that was on the questionnaire. The easiest way to see that all of these approaches, in some way or another - fail. Is t…

Lights - Interpol


The Sony Catalog

I am an avid film collector. I see film as high art, and I truly enjoy a good film. Netflix has been something of a revelation. Until Netflix, I had a standing collection of over 1,500 films - mostly DVD but alot of VHS as well. The primary point of selection for all films is the answer to the question - could I see it twice? If the answer is yes, I collect it. An example of a film that I really enjoyed, but did not collect - were "Inside Man" by Spike Lee. This film was and is a puzzle film, and I highly recommend it - but if you know the ending, there's very little point in seeing the film. Paradoxically, I enjoy hitting wikipedia to read through the plots of new films and I do not, often find it a bad thing to read through 'spoilers'. Although, in some cases I will black tape my computer monitor. In most cases I find an in-depth write-up of a film's plotline enticing and useful. When it comes to watching films - I am very patient. There may be a …

Casey Anthony Trial/ Final Notes

The Casey Anthony Trial, for me, at least, demonstrated that the system did work. Casey Anthony is very obviously a messed up person. This is beyond a doubt. And the trial wasn't about how she became who she was. Instead, it was a murder trial - where the State of Florida, in news-media entertainment style - chose to try to press forward with a murder case - not knowing the cause of death. This simple, fundamental question - should bother anyone who would either serve on a jury, or be in front of one. There was no smoking gun. I do not know who killed Caylee Anthony. But I feel the question is an important one, because it deals with innocent human life that was quite obviously either taken or wasted. My vote here is that the State of Florida keeps digging, and finds out who killed her. The murder occurred in the middle of a highly christian conservative area of Florida - where 'family values' seem to make alot of difference at the polls. And the trial that resu…

George Anthony / Child Abuse Allegations

As you may know, the Casey Anthony murder trial concluded today / with the Jury finding Casey Anthony not guildy of killing her own daughter. I would like to draw your attention to a few facts, about why this makes sense - and what might be the best path forward for this still ongoing and imperative investigation. First, it puts spark back into an investigation that was , by my account, not that well done. Evidence was ignored. Case in point: the investigators got a tip that the body of the murder victim was placed in a swamp area, but they didn't follow up on it until 4.5 months later - by then, discovering 'dry bones'. Point two - the prosecution seemed to place alot of importance on 'smell of rotting human flesh' emanating from the trunk of Casey Anthony's car. However, it was shown that certain bugs that inhabit rotting human flesh - were not discovered in the car. Also, oddly, the rotting groceries that were left in an impounded car - and it should be …


The water lies deep at the bottom of the dam
seven years it takes to see the light of day
the rain comes down, lightning strikes the hill
and you can stand there and laugh at the wind
as you fly down the standing wave in the river
you touch what has been
and where you are going

Every five years I look back on my life
and I feel who I am and where I am and what I am
and I am what I am
and you are what you are
and the bird flies high in the sky
above the ravine of the noontime sun
steering into rapids
that wait for you
like an open door

and you close your eyes
even while they are open wide
and imagine you are flying high
the white water of the river far below
people flying down the river
wind wave and water
and the slowly building sound of spanish guitars
that whisper to you of eternal truth

And if you go
chasing rabbits
back at home think where they will run
with eyes closed
and dreaming of logic and proportion
and form
that follows function
and rock shaped by running water

Nyan Cat


Google Plus

I am, and always have been, an outspoken critic of facebook. The site is themed blue and white, because its founder is color blind. In matters of privacy and social networking, facebook has serious flaws. My perspective has always been that facebook is just another website. It could also be said that google is just another search engine. It has risen to prominence as one of the most used tools on the net, and the company behind it, has developed several key new internet technologies - however, it really is just another website. The difference between the two - is how they fundamentally and primarily see the net. Facebook has been involved in several tethering deals - pinning their website down into cellphones and internet devices, with vendors whose focus is to secure advertising revenue through click through. The concept of open browsing, and an extensible, flexible approach to resources - is alien to them. They have been hard coding links into the phones. Google, on the…

Epic Fourth

Whitewater rafting down the Nantahala / class 2 3 and even 4's. Totally epic. At one point, we were pushed so hard against a wall of water that my left paddle got pinned to the back of the boat and my watch sheared right off my wrist. Coming back, through the rain, we saw the fireworks over the city. We returned home to three little kittens, a black, a white tiger striped and a gray - who gingerly stepped out onto a wet porch to welcome us back home. Life is good. :)

White Tooth Man - Iron and Wine/No Country for Old Men [AMV]


A Monster and a Queen

The soul becomes dyed
with the color of one's thoughts
The half whispered words of our mom
Lead us on

Where do we go when we want
something we cannot have
What do we do when we need
something that we do not have

Do we scream
Do we lower
The other persons self esteem
Another gaslight further
All we ever see or seem
is but a dream within a dream

And say the words that hit the hardest
and hurt us where we live
A woman's soul seeks to find us
in a place where voids are filled

She travels on through half blurred song
that leaves an open dirge
forgotten memories and discarded hymns
the page becomes dyed
with the imprint of the flower pressed between

And late night she awakens
and realizes that she has been
a monster
and a queen

Somebody to Love - A Serious Man/Jefferson Starship[AMV]

Happy Fourth of July From Colorless Green Ideas