dreams

"It is far better to have a firm grasp of the surreal than be drifting across the seas of certainty." - unknown

Tim Jackson, drums. Drums, Tim Jackson

Amazing Drum Tenor Solo.

(of course, one must also watch this.)

praise the lord

In a moment of absolutely divine retribution, a federal jury today ordered the Westboro Baptist Church to pay nearly $11 million in compensatory and punitive damages to the family of a fallen U.S. soldier whose funeral members of the church desecrated in March of 2006. The church regularly protests funerals of soldiers, expressing their profoundly stupid but hitherto legal belief that the war on Iraq and other such disasters are God's punishment for society's tolerance of homosexuals. Yes, these are the idiots you've seen in the media holding signs that say "God Hates Fags" and other intentionally rage-inciting slogans.

Obviously (if you've read this blog for long) I'm a big proponent of free speech, but it is my sincere conviction that any law that prevents delusional imbeciles like these from spreading their views is a good law.

Passion entre ciel et terre

Since I live on a coastal plain far, far away from any mountains I rarely get to see any in person, at least the tall ones. I'm reduced to gazing at their sublime heights from the mundane safety of my computer screen. One of my favorite sites to visit is skyandsummit.com, where I can follow the adventures of a guy in France about my age who climbs mountains with his buddies on the weekends. They go dizzying places like this all the time. Can you imagine spending the night in this place? Anyway, this guy (whatever his/their name is/are) recently posted this really cool video of his/their summit of Dent Blanche, a prominent peak in Switzerland. Does anyone know the artist of the song on the video?

ha hah

hegemony

Wow. In Saudi Arabia women are just now petitioning the king for permission to drive. The traditional ban on women drivers comes from a strict interpretations of the Koran, and as a result Saudi and foreign women cannot travel, marry, or rent lodging without permission from a male guardian. I guess Shirley Muldowney doesn't visit the country often.

open, scroll down slowly

irony defined

State Report: Texas Has Too Many State Reports

easy glider

I want one. No, really.

lilliputian

Little people are all around us.

period

This headline was so self-explanatorily convincing that the story itself need only consist of a period. Now that's some concise reporting, folks.

go Tim go

Our good friend Tim Collier is in Iraq right now, kicking ass and taking names. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. And if you happen to be an insurgent deserving of his wrath, please get in his way.

hey, look at me!

My mountain bike is boring. I need some new wheels.

(lifted from Eartha's site.)

pre-Spiff

If you like Calvin and Hobbes (who doesn't?) then you'll be interested in checking out some of Bill Watterson's early cartoon sketches from the '80s.

art's sake

I could browse the Artchive all day.

future imperfect

I am Legend looks good.

up

I probably don't go to the dentist as much as I should because I hate staring up at the boring ceiling tiles for so long. I'd much rather go here.

dantean

If you've been reading about the wildfires in California but have had trouble imagining what it must be like to have them surround you, check out this photo. Also see this satellite photo for a true sense of scale.

the value of art

I really want to see the documentary Who the #$&% is Jackson Pollock? The subject of the film is a painting found by Teri Horton at a yard sale which she has spent the last 14 years trying to verify is an authentic Jackson Pollock. If it is, she owns a potential fortune. According to at least one art expert, it's the real deal. But if it's not, well then who's to say what it's worth?

I wonder if this same sort of controversy could have ever arisen around another artist's work. I mean, stone cold convincing forgeries have been around for years, but Pollock's splatter paintings are so . . . um . . easy. (ducks to avoid torrent of rage being hurled from art critics and scholars) I'm no expert, but it is possible that many could do the same thing on canvas. At least some have felt that way. The film reportedly address these issues, so it looks promising. Here's Ms. Horton with the "art." (<--quotations will be removed upon the painting's authentication.)

byline

I wrote an editorial concerning religion in the Montgomery Advertiser which ran today. I hope it prompts a response I can understand.

I am now utterly convinced that evolution is wrong

we have fermentation

Well last night I managed to brew my first batch of what will hopefully be beer. I only overboiled the wort once and it wasn't major, but the house now has a sickly-sweet odor permeating everything. Maybe in two weeks the wonderful beer will help me forget the fact that my house smells like a brewery.

Actually, it was a rather easy process, despite my constant fear of contamination. Next time I'm going to clean everything first and make sure it completely dries before starting the boil. I was worried that the fermentor bucket was still damp with cleaning solution when I poured the wort in, which is bad because the soap will kill the yeast. I didn't see any initial fermentation when I went to bed and was sure I had screwed it all up.

It turns out that the beer doesn't start fermenting for 8-24 hours after the yeast is added. Therefore, it was a joyous sight this morning when I looked at my little "bubbler" and saw gas escaping, which means that my little yeasties are working. Steady on, fellas. Should this process interest any of you, I've started a little brewblog at http://www.mcdowellcrook.com/brewjournal/ so I can keep a journal of my brews. If nothing else, you'll be able to learn when the beer is ready so you can drop by unexpectedly.

UPDATE: Speaking of alcohol, I just read that the Guinness Book of World's Records had to remove all entries related to drinking, for obvious reasons. But you can read some of them here.

Casimir effect

This tiny ball provides evidence that the universe will expand forever.

quote of the day

"A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider God-fearing and pious. On the other hand, they do less easily move against him, wrongly believing that he has the Gods on his side."

– Aristotle, Politica book 5 (ca. 340 BCE)

wow

Impact.

fo realz

All I got to say is that Georgia better back off with a quickness.

watch out for those crazy jedi initiate parties

music becomes us

As for Radiohead's new album In Rainbows, I love it. "House of Cards" is a particularly haunting and ethereal song that has transported me frequently over the past few days. And I must admit that I am fascinated by the band's decision to sell the album online for whatever you feel like paying. It's a wonderful experiment. Who knows whether it will make money for the band, much less become a model for other bands to follow. It definitely won't work for most bands, who don't even get money to make an album until they've agreed to follow the traditional music cd format, etc. But if it works, it could be huge. And Radiohead is positioned to make something crazy like this work, not only because they have an alternative fanbase and the album is actually incredible, but because they acknowledge where the music industry is headed. Jonny Greenwood, the lead guitarist, recently made the following interesting statements in an interview:

What’s motivating the band to distribute the album this way?
Just getting it out quickly. It was kind of an experiment as well; we were just doing it for ourselves and that was all. People are making a big thing about it being against the industry or trying to change things for people but it’s really not what motivated us to do it. It’s more about feeling like it was right for us and feeling bored of what we were doing before.

Why give people the option to pay whatever they want?
It’s just interesting to make people pause for even a few seconds and think about what music is worth now. I thought it was an interesting thing to ask people to do and compare it to whatever else in their lives they value or don’t value.

Have you gotten any figures of how much people are choosing to pay?
No we get the numbers tomorrow supposedly. Yeah, I don’t know. The more exciting thing for me is just hearing it on the radio today and knowing it’s landed on everybody’s desk at the same time. That’s what’s exciting. But yeah, I’m sure our manager will have some idea soon.

By the way, I'll have you know that I did pay for the album, and I laid down a cool six pounds for it.

live to ride, ride to...something

enhanced bigotry

Unfortunately, James Watson, of the Watson & Crick duo who won the Nobel Prize for their discovery of DNA secrets, has recently made public his theory that certain races are in fact more intelligent than others. His theory is all the more distressing as it is rooted, correctly or not, in genetic distinctions. All the more reason why everyone on this planet needs to read Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel.

bound to happen

Scientists have discovered a warm and rocky "second Earth" circling a star, a find they believe dramatically boosts the prospects that we are not alone.

i can has cheezburger

The LOLCAT meme continues to grow like kudzu across the internets (and elsewhere), even going so far as to warrant translating the entire Bible into LOLCAT-ese. For example:

1 Oh hai. In teh beginnin Ceiling Cat waz invisible, An he maded the skiez An da Urf, but he no eated it.

2 The Urfs wus witout shapez An wus dark An scary An stufs, An he rode invisible bike over teh waterz.

3 An Ceiling Cat sayz, i can haz lite? An lite wuz.

4 An Ceiling Cat sawed teh lite, to seez stufs, An splitted teh lite from dark but taht wuz ok cuz cats can seez in teh dark An not tripz ovr nethin. an Ceiling Cat sayz u mus hav da moneyz 2 git da milkz.

5 An Ceiling Cat sayed light Day An dark no Day. Teh evning An morning was teh first day.

6 An Ceiling Cat sayed, i can has teh ceilingz of waterz, with waterz up An waterz down. An he maded hole in teh Ceiling.7 An Ceiling Cat doed the skiez with waterz down An waterz up, An stuff.8 An Ceiling Cat sayed, i can has teh firmmint wich iz funny bibel naim 4 ceiling, so evning An morning was teh twoth day.

9 An Ceiling Cat gotted all no waterz into ur base, so no waterz wus not wetted An Ceiling Cat hadz teh dry placez cuz cats dusnt lieks to get wet,

10 An Ceiling Cat called no waterz urths and waters oshunz, so tehre.

11 An Ceiling Cat sayed, wants grass An stuff! so tehr wuz seedz An stufs, An fruitzors An vegbatels.

12 An Ceiling Cat sawed that weedz ish teh good stuff, so, letz tehre be weed. (and catnipz 2, so wen i makes kittehs they can getz hai.)

13 An so teh evning An the morning of the threeth day.

14 An Ceiling Cat sayed, i can has lightz in the firmmint for dividing day from no day.

15 So tehre, lights everwaer, like chrissmass, wai.

16 An Ceiling Cat doeth two greate lightz, teh most big for day, teh other for no day.

17 An Ceiling Cat screweth tehm on firmmint, with big nails An stuff.

18 An Ceiling Cat sawed it wus the goodz, so wai.

of course

Bob Dylan on how he chose his career:

Carelessness. I lost my one true love. I started drinking. The first thing I know, I'm in a card game. Then I'm in a crap game. I wake up in a pool hall. Then this big Mexican lady drags me off the table, takes me to Philadelphia. She leaves me alone in her house, and it burns down. I wind up in Phoenix. I get a job as a Chinaman. I start working in a dime store, and move in with a 13-year-old girl. Then this big Mexican lady from Philadelphia comes in and burns the house down. I go down to Dallas. I get a job as a "before" in a Charles Atlas "before and after" ad. I move in with a delivery boy who can cook fantastic chili and hot dogs. Then this 13-year-old girl from Phoenix comes and burns the house down. The delivery boy — he ain't so mild: He gives her the knife, and the next thing I know I'm in Omaha. It's so cold there, by this time I'm robbing my own bicycles and frying my own fish. I stumble onto some luck and get a job as a carburetor out at the hot-rod races every Thursday night. I move in with a high school teacher who also does a little plumbing on the side, who ain't much to look at, but who's built a special kind of refrigerator that can turn newspaper into lettuce. Everything's going good until that delivery boy shows up and tries to knife me. Needless to say, he burned the house down, and I hit the road. The first guy that picked me up asked me if I wanted to be a star. What could I say?

Playboy, February 1966.

sink or swim

As this upcoming weekend is one of few where MP and I have nothing planned, I've decided to bite the (silver) bullet and brew a batch of beer. I've been collecting implements and wisdom for a few months now, and its time to do it. If anyone would like to assist, we will be testing a few examples of the sort of brew I'd like to end up with. We will be hearty and of good cheer!

Beer, happy Produce of our Isle
Can sinewy Strength impart,
And wearied with Fatigue and Toil
Can cheer each manly Heart.
Labour and Art upheld by Thee
Successfully advance,
We quaff Thy balmy Juice with Glee
And Water leave to France.
Genius of Health, thy grateful Taste
Rivals the Cup of Jove,
And warms each English generous Breast
With Liberty and Love!

kinfolk

In an extremely unlikely turn of events, it turns out that Dick Cheney and Barak Obama might be related.

Beautifully useless

Introducing the Buddha Machine.

ha ha

HAZELWOOD, MO—Twenty-six years after Ronald Reagan first set his controversial fiscal policies into motion, the deceased president's massive tax cuts for the ultrarich at last trickled all the way down to deliver their bounty, in the form of a $10 bonus, to Hazelwood, MO car-wash attendant Frank Kellener.

fyi

Anatomy of a black hole.

fly like an eagle

This is one of the most insane skydiving videos I have ever seen.

overhead

If you've ever wonderd exactly how Google Maps actually works, here's your chance to find out.

must have

Thanks to two British artists, you can have your Lamborghini and pedal it too.

cryovolcanism, yo

I never thought I'd live to see a picture of ice geysers erupting on another planet.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhh

Mp and I went to Florida this weekend. We had just enough seafood, just enough sun, and more than enough fun.

quote of the day

"If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error."

-- John Kenneth Galbraith

bumper activism

I'm sorry, but if you're going to invoke a symbol repeatedly, it's inevitable that people will make fun of it.

me casa es mi casa

This is a list of 25 incredible homes. Or at least abodes. Either way, they make my house seem rather mundane.

for luxury camping/billing time

Must get my mitts on a Becker JetVan.

silly

These crazy European climbers actually climbed to the top of Mount Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps, and set up a jaccuzi. Why can't I do things like this on the weekends?

target

Sam Harris and Salman Rushdie have published an op-ed in the LA Times asking for support for Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a former Dutch legislator who has been attacked and vilified for her criticism of Muslim traditions that demean women.

I'm afraid I can't do that

An Alabama minister who died in June of "accidental mechanical asphyxia" was found hog-tied and wearing two complete wet suits, including a face mask, diving gloves and slippers, rubberized underwear, and a head mask, according to an autopsy report.
Immediately following his death, church officials issued a press release asking community members to "please refrain from speculation" about what led to Aldridge's demise.

spectra

Last night MP and I watched 3:10 to Yuma and loved it. Christian Bale and Russell Crowe knock 'em out of the park, as do the rest. We got to talking about method acting and the wonders of intense acting. And then I found a webpage illustrating exactly what we'd been talking about.

mad photoshop skills

found here.

technicolor realism

Kim Keever takes photographs. Not that you'd realize that's what they are.

holy condescension

Batman was such a preachy snob.

this blog endorses the following message

detail

This is how wasps build their nests.

force field

d30 is an incredible new polymer that resembles elastic foam padding, but when it experiences shock it locks together into a dense structure. Ideal for downhill skiers and other people who are exposed to blunt trauma on a regular basis. You can see a video of the stuff in action here.

hi

here we go again

It amuses me, sometimes, to observe the means our religious leaders use to encourage the union of faith and government. In a country where such blending of church and state is explicitly disallowed, those who wish for more authority over their flock must often seek creative ways to co-opt the power of government for their own purposes. Take, for example, the recent statement by Roman Catholic Archbishop Raymond Burke, who has stated that he would refuse Holy Communion to Rudy Giuliani because of his “liberal” stance on abortion. This is classic. In an attempt to exert his political will over the Catholic candidates (he did it to John Kerry as well), Burke has thrown down the gauntlet. If Giuliani doesn’t accept the church’s stance, it is implied, he will be cut off from God. Thrown out and treated like the rest of the Protestant rabble. Of course, Burke balks at doing the same thing for candidates who advocate the death penalty or pre-emptive war, but on the issue of abortion he is resolute. In some ways, it’s a brilliant move by the church and one that has been used throughout history. But in reality it is a form of power play that should be discredited and ignored.

As I write this I can’t help but think how far removed from any spiritual ideal we have moved. Although I’m sure Burke feels like he’s standing up for what he believes, he is actually drawing attention to the problem itself. And the problem is that Christianity was never meant to supplant government. Even if I were devoutly religious, I would have major problems with a religious government. I won’t even get into the problems inherent in a governing ideology that in recent years has experienced numerous schisms and denominational fractures. The American Episcopal Church is literally splitting apart at the seams—how can we expect a consistent political approach from an institution that is constantly exploding into disagreements with itself?

No, we’ve got to get back to something more basic. The answer to anything complicated, it usually turns out, lies in simplicity. And the first thing we should do in this situation, it seems to me, is to consult the source. If Burke and others are determined to rule this country with the iron fist of Jesus, we should take very seriously what the man himself might have felt about it.

I realize that the Bible can be turned and twisted to fit just about any ideology out there. For every thing Jesus said, there’s another quote that seems to say the opposite. But if you read the Bible (which I have) you realize that on certain issues he’s pretty consistent, or at least clear. And one of the more remarkable ideas Jesus is responsible for articulating clearly is the notion of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven, referenced by Jesus repeatedly, is the ideal state, the end goal of humanity, the Ultimate Plan of God. Bringing about the Kingdom of Heaven is the actual point and purpose of the religion itself. So what is it, what is this Kingdom? Does it really include Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh as its champions?

According to Jesus, no. But neither does it require John Stewart or Hillary Clinton to forge its presence here on Earth. It’s actually much simpler and cooler than anything in the political realm, or the social realm for that matter. According to Jesus, the Kingdom of God is . . .

. . . a state of mind. And nothing else.

We turn to Luke 17:21 (KJV):

11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.

12And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

22 And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.

23 And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.

24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.

25 But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.

Surely we have been overlooking this. I’m no scriptural scholar, but it is plain Jesus is saying that although people will look for the Kingdom of God as one would look for a political or social revolution, they will never find it. That’s not what the Kingdom of God is. Rather, it is within you. It cometh not with observation. It is purely a mental state of being.

Like others I tend to doubt the historical accuracy of the supernatural biblical Jesus story, but I like to think of him as nonetheless a very important moral philosopher, on par with Buddha and Lao Tzu and other folks who have come along and crystallized into words the best ideas for how to live our lives. And I have found nothing more positive or truly praise-worthy than the goal of a utopia of the mind based upon personal enlightenment, where the ideal state emerges from a collective awakening to moral principles. I think that this is what Jesus envisioned. I think this what he meant when he said that the Kingdom of God is within you.

With this religious principle in mind, it strikes me as depressingly absurd when I see the church (or any religion) struggle for political power. I realize that many religious people feel that without the church’s influence on society it would quickly disintegrate into chaos and pandemonium, but again, those people misunderstand the point—individual change/growth/enlightenment/morality should come from within and not from the external power of a religious political institution in the form of laws. At least, that’s what Jesus said.

So let us discredit and ignore Archbishop Burke, and all like him who use religion to further their own political motives. Not only is it a bad idea, but it doesn’t appear to be what Jesus himself really wanted at all.

i could live here

quite easily.

Of Muppets and Men

These videos give depth to the laughing brilliance that was Jim Henson.

color harmony

Chuck Anderson is good. Very good.

the good ol days

In 1860, on the eve of his election to the presidency, Abraham Lincoln received a sweet letter from an 11-year-old girl in Westfield, New York. He responded four days later, and changed the face of history.

bike roundup

12 Hours of Dauset.
Abandoned bikes of New York.
Bicycle lawnmowing.

world record: 130.7 mph on a mountain bike

cheese

In case you or someone you know was impressed by Rudy Giuliani's apparent display of loving fidelity when he answered a phone call from his wife during a speech to the NRA, it will behoove you to know that it was anything but a "candid and spontaneous" act, as his spin team would have you believe. In fact, he's done the same thing over forty times during the campaign so far.

woman v. retail

Edith Macefield is my new hero.

Cheers, yo

I have no idea what I was saying in this photo, but whatever it was it must have been really funny. Or really cheesy. Considering that I'm double-fisting in a tie, it is likely that I'm spouting some boisterous nonsense, neither funny nor relevant. Forgive me, Joe.

Well this weekend was a blast. MP and I headed up to Indiana for her cousin Ann's wedding, which went down in the Basilica on Notre Dame's campus. A beautiful place, though I noticed it seemed rather religious. The church, that is. We had a great time seeing the O'Connors and the Vargas and Hastings and everyone else, and we managed to get quite silly. See picture above.

Ann and Mike are a great couple and will shine brightly. It was a treat to watch them dive in just like MP and I did a year ago. Although I raised many a glass this weekend, I raise another to Ann and Mike and wish them the best in the years to come. Chicago is blessed to have them around, as are we.