Traveling Sunday for a week's worth of meetings---i won't begin to rant on airtravel you know how bad it is and read my stuff on it previously. This week the web is ablaze with articles on the fact that it is interesting that TSA employee's have stolen 31 million dollars worth of passenger's personal property while searching our luggage--i personally find the entire Airline business system disgusting--both physically and spiritually.At least i'll be able to hit a few new book stores and maybe mentally work out a few of my new projects and concepts.This traveling may also give me the opportunity to hooch up, catch up on both my reading and my watching---

I've just received a new ( remember anime is new to me, in the majority of this art form is new to me) anime--"APPLESEED" a full length movie. Appleseed is apparently the 1st movie for this series with a 2nd movie currently getting ready for, or in release. Traveling i always bring along two new anime's for laptop viewing in the hotel room of quiet desperation. I had seen a small section of this anime on cable one night and the visuals were tremendous. I never saw it repeated (so far) and had toorder it for my collection.When i get back i'll let you know what goes with this.
This web article item is just massively overboard bizarre---best described as a russian problem for Scully and Mulder. It basically involves 9 Russian cross country skiers running from something which must of been really,really bad, wearing only their underwear...in 30 degree below zero weather, dying of exposure, well some of them, others dying of crushed chests and one dead without a tongue. This is really too insane to describe, you have to go here and read it. Another of those things that no one wants to believe..http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2008/02/27/notes022708.DTL&nl=fix

this will keep you up at night...the furthest distant, oldest, human discovered galaxy displays elements of having been constructed to fit within the area it holds in space---uh yeah, that's actually correct==constructed to fit within a specific space---pretty much guaranteed nomination in the "i never saw that one coming department?" eh?http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/19119.asp

Being a true science fiction nerd as well as a techno-organizing rain man, i really loved this posting--a list of the ten best vehicles for use in surviving the apocalypse. My favorite is the Earthroamer Jeep--smaller than the others but all are an extremely coolio method to go road warrior in. "BRAINSSSSS".

http://jalopnik.com/360213/the-ten-best-post+apocalyptic-survival-vehicles

So--What's been going on? The past week has been really strange in regards to human beings and required interaction. People have been weirded out during the past 7 days... I believe it to be caused by the fact that this is a leap year and Friday was the worst being the fact that it was a true leap day...rabid strangeness all about me but otherwise what i've been do is working my lego's organizing and planning the nerd cave, painting the interior of the house and working on various small house projects.

UPdates--to go forward i have to check the rearview mirror so to say...it's part of evolving as a human, evaluating how what you are active-involved with affects the immediate, surrounding, personal sphere. Thoughts experiments, projects, techno purchases, and life in general are important to me. Here's alittle more information on items rotating about me lately.

My most recent pair of Terra Plana shoes have come in and as usual with this company, they are simply excellent. The pair I chose this time is alittle less "middle earth elf attack shoe" and therefore i've been wearing them to work with the tie thing--and it works well--the combination suits my chinese sign (the dragon) according to which i am excentric.."ya think?" So i am very happy with my new bizarre footwear. i've received my Shaun Jackson design laptop bag, "the lapdog". This is a great bag--small efficent, and in it's compact form capable of carrying everything i need on a daily basis. I really, really like the bag and admire the design factors within it..The only flaw i can determine is that for the oppression of the Airport and business travel, i'd ben unable to remove my laptop fast enough from it to move through the TSA line of stupidity smoothly enough. For the upcoming business trip the lapdog will have to stay home replaced by a more conventional bag. Both of these products are plus factors for lifestyle, daily operation and organization.

I have a hard time believing that i am already, seemingly capable and operational with lego's already, but i am-- these Lego things are simply great...my 1,000 piece, pre-mindstorms test kit came in this week and already i am hooked--this stuff is-complex-i am so proud of having completed a 125 piece foot so far..yes, just a foot. I've discovered lego's to be multilayered-creative-and takes brain power to build. Lego's have become the perfect late night, nerd cave, cigarette smoking, ongoing project thing--done while mythbusters reruns play on the tv. So far i have built a foot (a very complex foot however) for the imperial walker kit and as soon as this test kit is completed--it's mindstorm robotics time. How did i overlook lego's for so long...2nd childhood geekdom is really fun. i also cannot help but think that building these complex forms is wonderful exercise for an aging brain.

I had one really outstanding mileage day commuting this week where i average 50.2 mpg with the Prius---i am hoping that mpg will increase this summer...supposedly as the overall mileage on the vehicle increases--the miles per gallon increases. My mileage experiments will always a work in progress there's never an end to this experiment.

a B-2 bomber crashed in Guam recently--the first B-2 ever to have crashed...the crew ejected to safety but think about how the pilot feels crashing a 1.2 BILLION dollar aircraft ----is something that not everyone can claim to have done..you kinda win the prize for the really big "oops" or "my bad, sorry my bad".

http://gizmodo.com/360090/b+2-stealth-bomber-crashes-12-billion-dollars-turn-to-smoke
Am i the only one to believe it to be strange that the US ranks below Jordan in years of life expectancy?? The link below takes you to a table displaying the life expectancy of all the countries on the planet. It's really very interesting.http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0934746.html

After years of telling the American public that global warming is unfounded so their industrialist buddies can continue to rank in the dollars..Bush's Pentagon comes out with a statement that Climate change is real and the human reaction of war for resources needs to be prepared for..well that's an opinion that's hard to wave off even if you are a Texas oil baby since birth-- boy.Of course it was published in Great Britain and not here in the US...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2004/feb/22/usnews.theobserver

Underrated items that struck me recently--In movies the pick is High Fidelity starring John Cusack. In music 'Isabell' by Blue Dogs, a North Carolina based band. In books--"A world without time" 'the forgotten legacy of Godel and Einstein' by Palle Yourgrau...in personal items the moleskin notebook--in clothing Patagonia Shirts expensive but excellent.

A real event occurred this week. The very first, EVER American baby-boomer, signed up for Social Security. This first geezer Boomer, was born 1 minute after midnight, Jan. 1946.. BUT---this person is the first of an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 baby boomers aday, yes aday at the peak, who will soon be receiving Social Security...

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/money/15283852/detail.html

read the Social Security Account figures and projections in the link and it is amazingly scary---in 2017 the Social Security fund will be exhausted and will depend on the immediate taxes coming in to pay out on demands. In 2031 demand will exceed supply and it will be all over---let me sum up the basic's for you---AFTER CONTRIBUTING ALL OUR LIVES THERE WILL BE NOTHING--AND YOUNGER GENERATIONS WILL BE WORKED TO DEATH FOR US GEEZERS---DUE TO GOVERNMENT MISMANAGEMENT!!! and, of course,---nobody's paying attention---

It's been awhile since i found anything interesting to write about in so far as alternative architecture Just when you think we as a nation are too stupid and redneck to survive, some little thing comes along offering a small glimmer of hope. Dignity Village Incorporated recently provided that hope to me...a small blurb on the web allowed me to possibily believe that intelligent solutions are out there. Dignity Village is started as a few tentsmaking up a homeless person compound in Portland Oregon. The city council cooperated in allowing 60 people to legally create & build their own homes, neighborhood, internet access,and village culture. This is a perfect example of the "street" creating it's own systems when freed of interference. You really need to go here and read the details and the rules of the community. This is most excellent.

http://deputy-dog.com/2008/02/08/the-most-organised-shanty-town-on-earth/

This item was featured on multiple websites this week as a design it's coolio factor is way large---it's called "apartment in a box-- this little box contains a bed, desk, stools, wardrobe and bookcase basically the minimum items necessary for setting up housekeeping in a studio apartment..in one...easily carried box...talk about a small footprint---although i am somewhat sure that actual life on and with this product might, to say the least, be difficult, it is a wonderous experiment..

http://gizmodo.com/355233/an-apartments-worth-of-furniture-in-a-box

The new super collider in Geneva has caused alot of talk on the web without even being operational yet. Rumors of the when super collider ramps up has created a vortex of theories insert one of your chosing: the formulation of a black hole--destroying (dependent upon the theory creator) either the earth or the universe, or the latest theory out of Russia is that the Geneva super collider could possible stretch the time space continium...constructing either on purpose or by accident---time travel. I do have somewhat of a problem with a human created machine--which, well, is designed to fuck with the basic materials, patterns and structure of the universe we inhabit...call me conservative but...before we leap with both feet into this arena, we should have been able to solve things like, why the English are unable to cook--- you know....

Here's a site with an excellent rap, where the blogger wagers war on "war on" stupidity. Visit this place it's worth it if you have an open brain--

http://www.ruthlessreviews.com/reviews.cfm/id/1452/page/the_beast__the_war_on_the_war_on.html Entering new territority: I always wanted to own a lego mindstorms robotic kit..but there are huge X factors--first i've never worked/played with legos...ever --second--the mindstorm robotics system involves programming a pda style brain which operates the robot's sensors and purpose. My solution is to take this project a step at a time. I decided to start with one of lego's kit's to test out my ability to actually follow the company's directions and actually build something prior to purchasing their robotics kit--so i purchased a lego display kit based on one of the starwar's mechanicals the Imperial walker. Let me explain--the Star wars thingee was the only cool thing i could find that fit all my parameters--complexity (1000 pieces) and within the size (16&1/2 inches) i am planning on building within if i can justify purchasing one of the mindstorm kits....they say this kit is designed for a 14 year old...which means i may not be able to do this at all--- I'll keep you posted

This has been an interesting week in many ways. We completed work on our bungalow's hallway libary shelves and now all that remains is decartoning the books and arranging them. I has been difficult residing without books around me, i have to admit...

I just ordered a very, very unique laptop bag for my upcoming business trip...It's called the "lapdog". Folded around a small laptop it is not only a carry bag but when extended the lapdog serves as a field expident laptop desk...I actually found it on Flickr and googled until i found it offered for sale by the designer Shaun Jackson...I went ahead and got the extra saddlebags offered for the lapdog which allow for the carry of additional stuff--since the lapdog is designed for the carry of your laptop and supplemental support electronics only--I found this design to be irresistable--and report on how it works out.......

http://www.sjdesign.com/lapdog.html

I've begun to collect photo's of computer/laptop area's/desks that are available on the web. I'm doing this so i can plan out my new "nerd cave" at the bungalow...i'm trying to work out a design for an efficent, clean space for my laptops and an organized area for my personal experiments...this weekend I am going to download into my lifebook the software for my wireless weather station which will allow me to keep extensive records of the weather at my bungalow. With this process i reach a new level of geekdom...i am so pleased.

during all this i've been considering the purchase of a lego mindstorms robot construction kit.http://shop.lego.com/product/?p=8527&LangId=2057&ShipTo=US i've examined these kits previously and always backed off--but i am about at the point of purchase. There is a tremendous number of innovative potential visible on U-tube--and other various web sites--everything from walking robots to automatic toilet flushing devices. There are also a large number of design pattern books available with projects to build and program with this system. The only limitation appears to be that of the human mind for creation with this system. I know i want it--i just have to convince myself that i am smart enough to create with it.

My Prius is making me insane in regards to my weekly mileage..I'll start out the first two days of the week averaging 51+ mpg and then due to weather conditions i'll end up the week losing 4-5 mpg and averaging 46/47 mpg...i cannot figure out why i cannot hold the higher mileage thru the week. If i cannot work this problem out i may not be able to hold onto my title of hybrid boy eh?...bitching about 46 mpg is bizarre eh?

i've got a dvd ordered for my collection that i've overlooked for quite some time..one of the excellent elements of cable tv is that you often wind up watching movies that have previously gone unnoticed.."High Fidelity" is one of those movies to me...a great little story revolving around John Cuzack running an eclectic record store in Chicago...after seeing it for the first time in years on cable the other night--i simply had to order it for my collection.. used from amazon of course. To me this movie is one of the unappreciated ones-

this article from NYPost i find very, very interesting, since it is very very New York like..One couple (who of course are both lawyers--lawyers in love so to say) in a NY apartment building is suing their neighbor because she smokes! They are claiming that the 2nd hand smoke from her apartment is endangering them and their child--unbelievable! I love the photo of the obviously NY smoking woman--who is refusing to stop smoking to appease the neighbors---"there can be only one" eh?I am heartened however that the same yuppie from hell, discriminatory practices applied against smokers are now being directed against the overweight...you are next eh?

http://www.nypost.com/seven/02092008/news/regionalnews/neighbors_wage_apt__butt_battle_878783.htm

well thanks it for now--take care: