Thursday, November 21, 2013
Saturday, November 16, 2013
headspace | 75 Years of LSD
Today marks the 75th anniversary that LSD was synthesized by Sandoz Industries. On November 16, 1938, Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann created LSD as part of a research program searching for medically useful ergot alkalod derivatives. [LSD] [History of LSD]
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Keep On Keepin' On | Seth Godin
Seth Godin often relates some excellent life and business advice on his blog.
These are my favourites:
These are my favourites:
- Organization vs. movement vs. philosophy. Trouble is when you think you have one but actually have the other.
- Building a job vs. building a business. Building the gig is the gig.
- Interesting & Interested. The two ways one earns attention.
- How to get a job with a small company. The rules are different than trying to get a job with a Fortune 500 company.
- Insulate yourself. ...and other snippets of advice.
- The sad irony of selfishness. The connection economy multiplies the value of what is contributed to it.
- Meeting vs. Making. Making demands results while meeting leaves room for excuses.
- Doing it wrong, relentlessly. Working the system, or not.
- Three masters. Choosing successfully demands consistency in action and goal.
- How to make money online. 21 points that apply to more than just making money, or to making it online.
- How to run a productive meeting. Everyone going to or chairing meetings should read this and take heed.
- The simple power of one a day. Molehills to mountains, with suggestions.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Respect | Lest We Forget
DULCE ET DECORUM EST
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.
Gas! Gas! Quick, boys!---An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime...
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,---
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.
by WILFRED OWEN [wikipedia]
[via FWWPDA]
Friday, November 8, 2013
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Crazy Artist | Nando Costa "The New America"
You need to read the Open Culture post from whence this film was purloined. A short teaser of why this is important: Portlandia; Fred Armisen; Pacific Northwest; Laser-etched maple wood blocks and stop-motion animation; Kickstarter. Need I say more? [OpenCulture]
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Friday, November 1, 2013
Spiderweb Software "Avadon 2: The Corruption"
To be clear: I'm posting this without having yet purchased or played this game. But I am going to purchase and play this game, and you should too. I should clarify some more: if you are a story-driven gamer that "grew up" long enough ago that you recognize retro-style genius game-play and don't need total-immersion high-definition graphics to have an enjoyable experience... like me... you should purchase and play this game.
And for the record, you probably should purchase the other games Jeff Vogel of Spiderweb Software has available. The company was founded in 1994, and I played my first game of his -- Exile -- not long after. Whenever it was included on the (now defunct magazine) Mac Addict shareware CD, whichever issue it came with, was my first exposure.
Something was fishy, because I was hooked.
I even ordered one of the "tip books" that was available to help the ess-than-brighters among us (such as me) walk through the expansive game. Call me a fanboy if you will, but I'll wear the title unabashedly.
Back to the matter at hand: Avadon 2: The Corruption has been released.
Jeff talks a bit about the release in his (always entertaining) blog, The Bottom Feeder. [BF]
It's available from the Spiderweb Software store, the Mac Game Store, Steam, Gog... and probably elsewhere soon. [SSS][MGS][STEAM][GOG]
And in case you're not totally convinced, download the demo... these are always huge, and pretty much worth the asking price on their own!
For fun, here's the game trailer:
And for the record, you probably should purchase the other games Jeff Vogel of Spiderweb Software has available. The company was founded in 1994, and I played my first game of his -- Exile -- not long after. Whenever it was included on the (now defunct magazine) Mac Addict shareware CD, whichever issue it came with, was my first exposure.
Something was fishy, because I was hooked.
I even ordered one of the "tip books" that was available to help the ess-than-brighters among us (such as me) walk through the expansive game. Call me a fanboy if you will, but I'll wear the title unabashedly.
Back to the matter at hand: Avadon 2: The Corruption has been released.
Jeff talks a bit about the release in his (always entertaining) blog, The Bottom Feeder. [BF]
It's available from the Spiderweb Software store, the Mac Game Store, Steam, Gog... and probably elsewhere soon. [SSS][MGS][STEAM][GOG]
And in case you're not totally convinced, download the demo... these are always huge, and pretty much worth the asking price on their own!
For fun, here's the game trailer:
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Friday, October 25, 2013
Crazy Band | Arstior... in a German train station
This is an 11th century Icelandic hymn, sung in a German train station.
Friday, September 6, 2013
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Crazy Dancer | Marquese Scott
The always-amazing Marquese Scott dubstep dancing. The song is Need your heart by adventure club (protohype remix).
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Respect | Happy Birthday to the Man in Black
Johnny Cash was born on February 26, 1932, and passed away on September 12, 2003. I had a weird night when Johnny Cash died. I'll tell you about it somewhere else.
This is the first time Johnny Cash played "Man in Black", on February 17, 1971. He needed cue card to help him remember the lyrics.
This is the first time Johnny Cash played "Man in Black", on February 17, 1971. He needed cue card to help him remember the lyrics.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
DangerWatch | Animals
I have been collecting odd tidbits about animals for a while... animals are odd, and interesting. And sometimes dangerous! Here's a bit of it all.
First, let's get to the scary ThreatWatch-type bits, so we are not lulled into letting our defenses down out of sheer cute-ness.
An ancient antibiotic-resistant bacteria was found in an isolated cave. Let's hope it never gets out. or breeds. [cbc]
But some may be trying to communicate, like this beluga whale [bbc] and this elephant [cbc]. In fact, animal speech may be more complex than we ever thought. [cbc]
Speaking of elephants... here is one painting a picture... of an elephant.
This video about the anatomy of an ant colony is cool.
And some mourn their dead, like these giraffe. [bbc] Some hold funerals, like these western scrub jays. [bbc] Let's hope the fore-mentioned ant colony never gets it together enough to exact revenge for pouring concrete down one of their cities.
And I find crows amongst the scariest of animals... they can reason about causes. [bbc] Wasps are right up there, but just because they're nasty. And becoming more populous. [cbc]
But don't forget the animals close to home... here is a video of a feral cat hunting birds.
Then again, they could all just be dizzy nuts, like this confused duck.
Speaking of ducks... this is totally heartwarming and cool... this is a video of ducks that had been rescued from a hoarder that kept them in pens, without access to adequate water of nutrition... and this is the first time they have ever been introduced to life in a pond.
Finally... here is a video of a squid's membrane pulsing along as it listens to Insane in the Membrane by Cypress Hill.
First, let's get to the scary ThreatWatch-type bits, so we are not lulled into letting our defenses down out of sheer cute-ness.
An ancient antibiotic-resistant bacteria was found in an isolated cave. Let's hope it never gets out. or breeds. [cbc]
But some may be trying to communicate, like this beluga whale [bbc] and this elephant [cbc]. In fact, animal speech may be more complex than we ever thought. [cbc]
Speaking of elephants... here is one painting a picture... of an elephant.
This video about the anatomy of an ant colony is cool.
And some mourn their dead, like these giraffe. [bbc] Some hold funerals, like these western scrub jays. [bbc] Let's hope the fore-mentioned ant colony never gets it together enough to exact revenge for pouring concrete down one of their cities.
And I find crows amongst the scariest of animals... they can reason about causes. [bbc] Wasps are right up there, but just because they're nasty. And becoming more populous. [cbc]
But don't forget the animals close to home... here is a video of a feral cat hunting birds.
Then again, they could all just be dizzy nuts, like this confused duck.
Speaking of ducks... this is totally heartwarming and cool... this is a video of ducks that had been rescued from a hoarder that kept them in pens, without access to adequate water of nutrition... and this is the first time they have ever been introduced to life in a pond.
Finally... here is a video of a squid's membrane pulsing along as it listens to Insane in the Membrane by Cypress Hill.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
DoomWatch | Robots!
It seems inevitable.
And ListVerse has at least 20 reasons to be terrified:
10 Reasons to be Terrified of Robots [ListVerse]
10 More Reasons to be Terrified of Robots [ListVerse]
First... in 2011 ASIMO advanced from being an "automatic machine" to an "autonomous machine".
They have started to think for themselves. [wired]
They have started to communicate. [BBC]
And they can be outfitted with terrible things to outfit onto robots:
Plus great minds at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge are assessing the risk of a robot uprising, as we speak! [BBC]
And ListVerse has at least 20 reasons to be terrified:
10 Reasons to be Terrified of Robots [ListVerse]
10 More Reasons to be Terrified of Robots [ListVerse]
First... in 2011 ASIMO advanced from being an "automatic machine" to an "autonomous machine".
They have started to think for themselves. [wired]
They have started to communicate. [BBC]
And they can be outfitted with terrible things to outfit onto robots:
Plus great minds at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge are assessing the risk of a robot uprising, as we speak! [BBC]
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Friday, January 25, 2013
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Monday, January 21, 2013
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Monday, January 14, 2013
Hell in a Handbasket | The Beachings
There is a disturbing trend that I've been noting, for which I have no explanation. Sometimes, animals that live in the oceans end up beaching themselves, running themselves up onto land, sometimes in massive numbers.
Sometimes it is a lone animal, as was reported Wednesday, December 26, 2012 when an endangered finback whale was found washed ashore on the bay side of Rockaways, Queens, New York. [cbc] In these cases, I am content to believe the animal is sick or somehow already close to death.
I stopped following these cases for a while. There were too many, it seemed. The last time I made special note of such an occurance was in January, 2011, when "large numbers of dead herring washed ashore" on a Vancouver Island beach. It had both fishery officials and local fishermen looking for answers. (Unfortunately, the Vancouver Sun has an absolutely terrible online archival system and the story is no longer accessible.)
I noted a story on November 7, 2010, about 35 whales that beached and died off the coast of County Donegal in Ireland, on Rutland Island near Burtonport. (The BBC has a much better archival system: the story can be found here: [bbc]) The article notes that 60 whales died off the "west coast of Kerry" in the 1960s and "35 to 40 animals died in north Kerry in 2001."
On September 22, 2010, I noted at least 40 out of 80 pilot whales that stranded themselves on a remote northern New Zealand beach (Spirit Bay beach) had died, with officials saying more whales were joining them on land. [cbc] The article notes this was the second mass beaching in the region in a month, when in mid-August 58 pilot whales were stranded at nearby Karikari Beach. (Which I also noted: [bbc]) The September article also notes 101 pilot whales were stranded on the same beach in 2007, and that since 1840, the Department of Conservation has recorded more than 5,000 strandings of whales and dolphins around the New Zealand coast. "New Zealand has one of the world's highest rates of whale strandings, mainly during their migrations to and from Antarctic waters, one of which begins around September." Despite this, the article clearly states scientists have not been able to determine why whales become stranded.
On July 20, 2010, scientists were still trying to figure out why about 500 penguins washed up dead in the previous 10 days on Peruibe, Praia Grande and Itanhaem beaches of Sao Paulo state in Brazil. [bbc] Starvation (perhaps by overfishing or cold temperatures driving foodsources away) was a possibility, as autopsies revealed their stomachs were completely empty, though strong currents and/or colder-than-normal temperatures were also considered. The article noted in an average year about 100 to 150 penguins normally show up on the beaches (they get lost while migrating), with only about 10 of those dead. [cbc]
On May 11, 2010, marine biologists were trying to figure out why eight harbour porpoises washed ashore near Victoria, BC, Canada, in the previous week. While not unusual for harbour porpoises to wash ashore, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans said it was "strange to see so many." [cbc] The article states the animals were healthy, and suggested death was caused by the stress of being hunted by killer whales. It further noted the body of a newborn killer whale washed up near Victoria the previous week.
On Monday December 28, 2009 I noted an article about 125 pilot whales that died on Colville Beach on the New Zealand's North Island Coromandel peninsula, with rescue working managing to coax 43 others back out to sea. [cbc] Meanwhile on South Island, the article goes on, 105 stranded long-finned pilot whales died the previous Saturday.
On Friday October 9, 2009 an article mentions two great batches of Humboldt squid washed ashore, one in August then another in September, near the town of Tofino on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. [cbc] John Payne, a marine biologist with the Pacific Ocean Shelf Tracking Project (POST), said the events show that oceans are changing, and "I think we're going to see a lot more strandings."
I think this is the August event mentioned above, though I can't confirm it is the same or a different event, as it's from this terrible Vancouver Sun collection. On August 8, 2009 I noted an article with the synopsis: "Thousands of dead fish and squid have washed up on beaches in and near Pacific Rim National Park in the past week, Tofino-based biologist Josie Osborne said Friday. It was not immediately known what caused their deaths."
Though I do also have an article from Thursday August 6, 2009 that indicates the above-mentioned event is in fact seperate... the article begins "Just days after decomposing squid washed up on the beaches near Tofino, BC, hundreds of dead pilchard and herring came in with the high tide along the same beaches." [ctv]
On Saturday May 30, 2009 I noted 34 pilot whales were euthanized on Kommetjie Beach near Cape Town, South Africa, with rescuers managing to push 20 whales back into the water. [cbc]
On April 17, 2009 I noted an article from National Geographic where the synopsis states: "In the same Chilean town where 1,500 penguins had washed up a week-and-a-half ago, thousands of dead sardines mysteriously turned up on beaches. (The link also goes into a bummer-can't-find-this non-archive at National Geographic, which I am now very disappointed in as well. Vancouver Sun, New York Times, and National Geographic: I am going to stop following you.)
And that ends the events I have tracked, and I am quite certain to have missed some, probably several. I'll end with this: In February 2009 the CBC put together "FAQs: Whale and dolphin strandings and beachings."
Sometimes it is a lone animal, as was reported Wednesday, December 26, 2012 when an endangered finback whale was found washed ashore on the bay side of Rockaways, Queens, New York. [cbc] In these cases, I am content to believe the animal is sick or somehow already close to death.
I stopped following these cases for a while. There were too many, it seemed. The last time I made special note of such an occurance was in January, 2011, when "large numbers of dead herring washed ashore" on a Vancouver Island beach. It had both fishery officials and local fishermen looking for answers. (Unfortunately, the Vancouver Sun has an absolutely terrible online archival system and the story is no longer accessible.)
I noted a story on November 7, 2010, about 35 whales that beached and died off the coast of County Donegal in Ireland, on Rutland Island near Burtonport. (The BBC has a much better archival system: the story can be found here: [bbc]) The article notes that 60 whales died off the "west coast of Kerry" in the 1960s and "35 to 40 animals died in north Kerry in 2001."
On September 22, 2010, I noted at least 40 out of 80 pilot whales that stranded themselves on a remote northern New Zealand beach (Spirit Bay beach) had died, with officials saying more whales were joining them on land. [cbc] The article notes this was the second mass beaching in the region in a month, when in mid-August 58 pilot whales were stranded at nearby Karikari Beach. (Which I also noted: [bbc]) The September article also notes 101 pilot whales were stranded on the same beach in 2007, and that since 1840, the Department of Conservation has recorded more than 5,000 strandings of whales and dolphins around the New Zealand coast. "New Zealand has one of the world's highest rates of whale strandings, mainly during their migrations to and from Antarctic waters, one of which begins around September." Despite this, the article clearly states scientists have not been able to determine why whales become stranded.
On July 20, 2010, scientists were still trying to figure out why about 500 penguins washed up dead in the previous 10 days on Peruibe, Praia Grande and Itanhaem beaches of Sao Paulo state in Brazil. [bbc] Starvation (perhaps by overfishing or cold temperatures driving foodsources away) was a possibility, as autopsies revealed their stomachs were completely empty, though strong currents and/or colder-than-normal temperatures were also considered. The article noted in an average year about 100 to 150 penguins normally show up on the beaches (they get lost while migrating), with only about 10 of those dead. [cbc]
On May 11, 2010, marine biologists were trying to figure out why eight harbour porpoises washed ashore near Victoria, BC, Canada, in the previous week. While not unusual for harbour porpoises to wash ashore, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans said it was "strange to see so many." [cbc] The article states the animals were healthy, and suggested death was caused by the stress of being hunted by killer whales. It further noted the body of a newborn killer whale washed up near Victoria the previous week.
On Monday December 28, 2009 I noted an article about 125 pilot whales that died on Colville Beach on the New Zealand's North Island Coromandel peninsula, with rescue working managing to coax 43 others back out to sea. [cbc] Meanwhile on South Island, the article goes on, 105 stranded long-finned pilot whales died the previous Saturday.
On Friday October 9, 2009 an article mentions two great batches of Humboldt squid washed ashore, one in August then another in September, near the town of Tofino on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. [cbc] John Payne, a marine biologist with the Pacific Ocean Shelf Tracking Project (POST), said the events show that oceans are changing, and "I think we're going to see a lot more strandings."
I think this is the August event mentioned above, though I can't confirm it is the same or a different event, as it's from this terrible Vancouver Sun collection. On August 8, 2009 I noted an article with the synopsis: "Thousands of dead fish and squid have washed up on beaches in and near Pacific Rim National Park in the past week, Tofino-based biologist Josie Osborne said Friday. It was not immediately known what caused their deaths."
Though I do also have an article from Thursday August 6, 2009 that indicates the above-mentioned event is in fact seperate... the article begins "Just days after decomposing squid washed up on the beaches near Tofino, BC, hundreds of dead pilchard and herring came in with the high tide along the same beaches." [ctv]
On Saturday May 30, 2009 I noted 34 pilot whales were euthanized on Kommetjie Beach near Cape Town, South Africa, with rescuers managing to push 20 whales back into the water. [cbc]
On April 17, 2009 I noted an article from National Geographic where the synopsis states: "In the same Chilean town where 1,500 penguins had washed up a week-and-a-half ago, thousands of dead sardines mysteriously turned up on beaches. (The link also goes into a bummer-can't-find-this non-archive at National Geographic, which I am now very disappointed in as well. Vancouver Sun, New York Times, and National Geographic: I am going to stop following you.)
And that ends the events I have tracked, and I am quite certain to have missed some, probably several. I'll end with this: In February 2009 the CBC put together "FAQs: Whale and dolphin strandings and beachings."
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Friday, January 11, 2013
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Sunday, January 6, 2013
ThreatWatch | Planet of the Apes
Apes can recognize themselves in mirrors. "The image there is a representation of the body here."
Friday, January 4, 2013
Crazy Masher | Kutiman "Thru-you 01 Mother of All Funk Chords"
Utilizing multiple found-sounds on YouTube, Kutiman creates a beautiful mashed-up tune. Nice one!
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
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