There is an excellent website for watch Otaku's that i visit routinely "The Watchismo Times" http://watchismo.blogspot.com/ Watchismo Times is the place for unusual watches, chronograph photo's and the history of popular culture in regards to timepieces. Recently the Watchismo times did a great report/entry on Ripley's seiko chronograph worn/used in the movie Aliens. Sigourney Weaver--the thinking man's marilyn monroe--and colonial marines--on LV-426-- This chronograph was not a movie one-off, not a prop---it was a real watch designed by Giorgio Giugiaro, manufactured and sold by Seiko. One of the unique features of this particular watch was the linear activators for the timer functions centered on the right side of the watch face. Ripley and watches immediately punched two of my most important buttons---i nearly suffered otaku brain lock while reading this excellent article at Watchismo...if the Aliens series movies and Watches are your thing you really need to go read this excellent article.

I just ordered a new pair of Terra Plana shoes. If you've read my stuff at all i've written about this English company several times. Terra Plana builds their shoes out of recycled materials such as ocean going ship tarps--discarded kelvar vests, automobile tires and have a tremendous geek-ugly/stylingly cool design factor that just appeals to me. Terra Plana's are also difficult to find..i used to order them from england but now with the dollar in the toilet the difference in the exchange rate puts buying them direct out of reach. Thank you George Bush for tubing the economy so badly that i cannot even buy a pair of shoes that support the environment from overseas...So i get what i can get from terra plana on sale in the US or Canada (where the exchange rate is still awful but less depressing). Not the same amount of choice as buying from england and often no sizes left for normal human feet...but...luckily i found this pair on sale in dark brown added them to my terra plana collection.

http://www.terraplana.com/

Organization---i want organization-----organization!

there is some part in me that desires my entire world to be like the individual's work area in the photo to the left! In fact i would be insanely happy if just like my work area was like this!! I am i realize 'not right' in the head about this..and that this is so often an unobtainable goal...but that does not stop me from 'fetching' on it constantly. I plan organization, i read about organization, i collect and study web photo's on organization---yet it seems like it is a never ending--constant battle that goes nowhere.

I'm reading Obama's book---"The Audacity of Hope"--a friend at work loaned it to me advising that i really needed to read it, that both the book and the author's viewpoints on society and the direction we need to take made excellent sense....my first thought with books of this nature by any politican is always "did this guy really write this or was it ghosted for him by someone else?" A book representating an individual's thoughts-philosophy-and world view written by a "ghost" is less than worthless in my mind....it would be a comic book of the soul--If---and that's only IF Obama did actually write this book with his own brain & fingers--then just a few pages in i am impressed already---but there again---that's with the big IF...
ya better go see this and get both a laugh and depressed before it disappears beneath the waves it won't last because--the truth is out there. TSA has a new offical blog which allows the flying public to write in with their opinions, statements and describe their personal encounters with the only government agency with a lower public opinion rating than FEMA. The site even admits that many entry's are pulled for profanity..which is what's called a clue in my world---but all the same---Basically the American flying public--young, old, other feds and military personnel--everyone-- hates everything about TSA--period. the funny (actually the sad) part of the blog are the "totally unsolicited" write in section by TSA employee's orgasmically describing their unending joy at simply being allowed to work for TSA...and the anonymous write in positive statements---unbelievable---http://www.tsa.gov/blog

I am in a bummed mode--i feel as if i have 300 tasks/jobs and/or internal assignments with 10% started and zero actually accomplished. Plus i've somehow managed to catch the flu. When this particular brand of sickness/depression comes over me the best thing i can do is simply go to bed and sleep until my thought/body patterns change. I'll often do that when feeling overwhelmed and sick---just stay in bed until the sequence of events, and the germs surrounding me find a new victim. iknow,iknow---i understand it's the sign of a weak mind but it seems to work---for me and from what i understand coyotes who den up when they are sick or injured..

UPDATES:

#1-My Nike digital-- watch has worked out well--i'm still studying the manual--trying to figure out the accessories within the watch but the design and numbers are wonderous--these are pretty cool watches...my only complaint is that the numbers themselves could be a wider-bolder-darker font but as it stands it works pretty well. I suppose that too big a font on the time numbers would indicate too much of a geezer zone target...

#2 My Asus Eee PC---has been perfect--i love it for packing along with me..i picked up a targus usb disc drive and this tiny,tiny subnotebook plays my anime dvd's beautifully. The screen is the amazing for it's 7.5 inch size-- the graphics and video are crisp and clean. Many reviews seem to hammer the small pixel sizing, and tiny keyboard however i've personally had no problems with either of these items. I just really have'nt had the chance to put it to full use mobile speaking, however i have a business trip at the end of Feb. so i should be able to put it to full utilization during the full travel mode..at least it's small size and weight make it simple to pull from the carry on for TSA screening.

#3- the smaller footprint life--i am so thankful that my wife and i were, for once, ahead of the game on obtaining a life/house with a smaller footprint with a view towards retirement. The concept of reducing down, putting cash in the bank--living on a personal cash economy--and residing in a small town-urban area has appeared to be the correct path for us. The desperate economic headlines do not create sleepless nights for us. This spring i'll start square foot gardening, but until the weather warms up i am working on interior projects...we are enjoying the process feeling good about the world and ourselves.

If you are into conversation starting with--depressive astronomical data here's an interesting web site you might wise to bookmark the "Near Earth Object Program" it's also very cool that's it is called NEO eh?

http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/ this is the web report site for asteriods, comets or any space object which has a remote possibility of striking the earth or passing, in what is considered in astronomical terms "close to the earth". It is interesting to note the number of objects, the distance they will pass, and the projected date of passage---this is where mathematics really will save our lives...or at least let us know the moment our lives are to end...i've started to check it routinely to prove my own independent theory that when objects enter our near space environment, the object causes people around you, say the people one works with to act "bizarre". Sure poo-poo this theory--i have only started this project but just think about it--why would'nt the entry of a 20 mile wide object into near earth space upset the delicate balance of our social world--during it's passage through our little piece of this particular universe--the magnetic and gravational balances alone would be upset?? think about it--tin foil hats may be an excellent preventative step---

My reading level has fallen off my standard graph curve lately..interior bungalow painting projects and having the cable tv science channel for the first time in my life are the reason. Another bummer factor is that our books remain packed until we obtain new bookshelves, that will fit in our reduced footprint....Since i am aware of this situtation i'm sure my course will self correct in a few weeks--it's just that i am used to reading anywhere between 3-4 books in an average month and for the past few months with all that has gone on--reading time has dropped off the radar..this situtation bothers me...it is as if i am out of touch..that a part of me has been been removed by force.

Personal organization has also suffered along with reading--i have been unable to work on my individual gear process and proceedures since the beginings of our movement. My personal kit is scattered..i am unable to logically develop systems it seems, for right now at any rate. Making due with carry systems and equipment i happened to grab at the begining of this expedition into a smaller footprint...Don't get me wrong, this change is good..and eventually i will fix it all---but it has disrupted many of my process's, much like having a near earth object pass by eh?

There are ten different, possible ways the world might end tomorrow...or at any given moment today for that matter...my personal 'end of the world' favorite is the "OMEGA POINT". Developed by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin this theory suggests that the universe will reach a point of non-sustainable collective consciousness. Complexity among humans, via information, larger systems etc-- will help, well shut down the universe--- drawing it into itself until nothing exists--a crunching in as compared to a big bang out--One of the other Another cool one is that the new super collider in Switzerland is believe to be the first collider capable of creating a true black hole which could possibly absorb the earth----I hope those guys RTFM---listed below is some background information and the original site.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_point
http://www.botw.org/articles/endworld.html

Watches--it's been awhile since i have written on my watch compulsion...There just hasn't been much within the realm of affordability, nor have i observed any watches of note in films/television as of late---but i have managed to persevere discovering & purchasing a new geek (to me)watch by Nike. The Triax-Vapor super 300...great name eh? I could care less that it is conceptually designed for usage by runners---supporting the standard human concept of time used as proof to display one person's physical superiority over another--a PT-jock thing reinforced by mentalities like "Mr. Woodcock". I digress however--back to the watch. The thing that drew me to purchase was the design of the watch. The face is angled to lay parallel to one's wrist line--the big watch face & time display is a huge geek-geezer assistance feature. The Super 300 has a stopwatch capability of recording/storing 300 timings (like i'm really going to do 300 laps of anything in this life)and includes alarms, day-date,blah-blah-blah-blah-blah...the displayed photo was the only one i could find for representation, however i ordered the black on black version--no silver trim for me...Nike, for some reason has a tendency to drop watches from their sales line without warning. There have been several watches offered by Nike that i have previously been interested in---however they disappeared from the Nike marketing line-up before i had a chance to work through my rainman like mental purchasing system. Not this one however...

What's your favorite John Carpenter movie? If you just mouthed the words--"who's john carpenter" sorry but you must vacate my blog immediately--- for those who are left--i have a tie between for personal favorite between 'Ghosts of Mars' & 'The Thing'...in fact although carpenter's 'the thing' is a remake of the original Howard Hawk's movie, it actually follows the plot line of the original john campbell jr. novella "Who goes there?" almost faithfully. The original 'thing' is truly an excellent example of pure 1950's SF movie---Hawk have the plot line of the novella rewritten to fit the parameters of the social structure and special effects capability of the american 1950's...On the other hand, Ghost's of Mars has almost everything--Mar's to start with--i love science fiction movies set on mars--guns==monsters==trains==punk outfits-- what more could you possibly want in a movie...I hope Carpenter's working on something----

Reinforcing my theory that the Japanese are the only current society on edge of creating a union between the future,commence,technology and social psychology--i offer up this ----pre-cooked, liquid, gourmet canned coffee combined with two packs of cigarettes in one grab and go kit. I'd love to carry this in my backpack as sort of an emergency supply system for remote computing. I'd like to know more about this and will have to research it...I do not doubt that it's offered by a vending system that pre-heats the coffee and then adds it to the package...the Japanese have the world's best vending machines...Could you expect more from the nation that brought us Sony, Raman noodles and are currently creating a "love-bot" android for lonely, and soon elderly, Japanese farmers. more later...

I just finished the newly released dvd “SUNSHINE”.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunshine_%282007_film%29
It was very,very good in many ways…a minor disappointment in plot but the science, design factors & the applied technology was excellent! It's much more difficult to enjoy film science fiction today. SF today requires a sense of wanting to believe. This to me is due to real time failures in science and technology in our time… as an example, sunshine involves a two year trip, to restart our dead sun, on a craft which creates it’s own oxygen & water…from a biosphere-like oxygen garden---now if I remember correctly this biosphere concept did not work, even while locked in place here on earth…added to this belief problem is the fact that the ship, a major character in the movie on it's own, is able to approach the sun only due to a huge, reflective heat shield...apparently a much better than the system the space shuttle utilizes....it is as if it was simply easier to 'believe' in science fiction 30 years ago...to believe in superior technology,prior to the pointed failures of our recent technology and design. At any rate,”sunshine” did dive into the psychological element involved in crew relations on long term missions.Crew relations may indeed be the stumbling block for long term space missions. The photography and digital effects in this film were stunning, beautiful…..you have got to be into space science fiction to truly enjoy this film---but don’t miss this dvd...

I’ve had my Asus Eee pc in hand for a couple of weeks now and it really seems to be the perfect carry in your backpack UMPC due to it's size,price ($399.00)and weight (2lbs). I've worked out all the standard features, voice command, web cam, media player blahblah…,…the screen is very bright, clear and crisp while the keyboard is extremely workable for my small hands.. I can even touch type, although many find it too small for touch typing. I’d way rather use a small keyboard for communication rather than thumbing or poking out letters and sentences with a stylus which is the main system on so many other UMPC's.…..the comes as standard, Eee linux system is different from what i am familiar with, but very,very usable for what I intend to do with this subnotebook…I’m really jazzed up about the Asus. In point of fact, this entire blog was created on the little asus eee. I have had difficulty in regards to downloading anime-movies etc into/onto the video player standard with the asus--i observed that the asus the video player has an option on playing from a disc drive so i ordered a small, usb-powered disc drive from amazon to hook up to the asus as needed for movie viewing. i realize i am behind the curve with my lack of ability on downloading movies/video---i just can't seem to get a handle on it---probably because of my age, lack of familiarity and the fact that i am way more secured working a disc---for viewing video...at any rate---the disc drive takes no additional plug in--is small, black to match the asus and backpack carries without a problem. Dvd playback of anime on the asus system displays an excellent picture despite the small screen size..i really like this little subnotebook...

i am so glad my wife and i decided to downsize--maximize income-savings and profit after reading the news lately. I use bbc for news, feeling that their system provides a more honest viewpoint on the US... there have been several articles of concern recently----the first that the income/wealth acquisition for the average American has for the first time fallen below that of the average Englishman. My concern is not from a USphobic stance but rather from fear of what the republicans have been doing to us. The principle that keeps the US intact is that through a republic/union the individual advances in lifestyle and possibility of wealth---to me this is the only underlying element that keeps our bizarre, segmented populace moving in a direction...this transfer of wealth to the rich over the past eight years now shows it's ultimate result---the next step is to a "children of men" like general social system....The other item on the bbc was an article on an upcoming recession in the US...due to lack of consumer confidence...these types of dire economic predictions makes me so glad that we have gotten ourselves and our finances together possibly in advance of these problems.
I have not dropped my solar power plans and desires...i've just put them on hold until we get settled. I am hoping to mount two or three, high quality, high output solar panels on the roof of our garage eventually and tie the panels into the power meter to take advantage of new mexico's power buy back program...one of the new things i'm doing to take advantage of the lower profile of the new home is I installed a very cool, weather information system (that my wonderful wife purchased for us). Wind, temperature, rainfall, pressure everything is observed and recorded by remote sensors. With the smaller, lower house i can actually mount the sensors myself, and am in the process of doing so...right now just the temperature and humidity sensor is up and transmitting to the kitchen base station but soon the wind sensor and rainfall sensor will be up and going. This system also plugs into yur laptop to provide a full screen display of trends and forecasting with the supplied software---i will probably wind up hooking this system to my small lifebook.....since i am now electronically monitoring the weather from inside--i am officially a geezer!

My most recently ordered book is "Fans, Bloggers, and Gamers" by Henry Jenkins...described as an examination of the cultural life of individuals deeply involved in combinations of SF, gaming, otaku style fandom and cyberculture. I have not yet started this book--it is the type of subject matter i like to carry around in my backpack for the odd moments when the "i wish i had something to read syndrome" strikes while i'm waiting for something or someone, somewhere. I'll let you know how this works out. As a last little note---for the first time in about 100 years the average Briton has a higher salary and has a greater acquisition of wealth than the average American---nobody seems to actually paying attention to this in our society---amazing....if you don't believe me here's the link

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7174372.stm

I've been backward about posting, my apologies--just alot to do at the new place..