I am hiding today---Howard Hughes style hiding, without the Mormon staffers to help, and without the fingernail and urine thing going on---it happens... you know---i worked over the holiday weekend and now I'm tried or run down and i just want to wall myself away and have alittle time to myself to veg out and produce nothing, fix nothing, organize nothing....there is a distinct part of my personality that understands exactly why Hughes would retreat...scary? I'm rather amazed that i am actually writing today....

Einstein's house on mercer street in Princeton NJ---there is apparently zero connection between the ownership of suburban McMansions and intelligence?

One does not have to be a scientist to figure this out but none the less it is interesting...a 2700 year old Chinese man was dug up by archaeologists and we was discovered to be holding...798 gram of weed were buried with him---it is supposedly the oldest physical proof of man's usage of weed....

just say no eh?...that's alot of no's over .....2700 years....
http://io9.com/5099717/worlds-oldest-pot-stash-offered-an-afterlife-high

One of my enjoyment peccadillo's is to simply follow links on Wikipedia with no purpose other than discovery of information new to me....like the... Demon Core ....so named because this cut in half round ball of plutonium killed TWO physicists. Louis Slotin and Harry Daghlian in TWO completely separate incidents involving this single plutonium core. The Demon core was finally destroyed in use during a nuclear test....this was back when physicists were cheap and plutonium was tough to come by....i can't believe they actually named the thing but the name does fit...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_core

A link to a blog on living small in small spaces. I just started reading this blog on a routine basis but it is nice to find people of the same mindset putting thoughts into action.Lots of tips and photo's of small space organization and operation...plus it is written by a regular human personal instead of designers.

http://lovinglivingsmall.blogspot.com/



I am thinking right now about doing/purchasing/learning/or making happen:







Building a white picket fence around the front yard.










A remote laptop controlled robot web cam to drive around the house while i am gone









Restoring a VW camper van

Going back

to school to study

architecture when i retire.

Now please bear in mind that i think about doing thousands of madly varible items on pretty much a second by second daily basis and obviously much of what i consider doing never happens...but these four items have been sorted out of the competing thought signals for possible action one day...so who really knows----but i have to admit that i often surprise myself with what i wind up doing/accomplishing.

take some time out to think---your brain deserves it...

The finest result surrounding our move to small footprint living has been the feeling of security during the recent economic weirdness that has occurred. The labor, the difficulty, the expense and the questioning remarks from friends has definately been worth it. I watch what is happening to the economy on the news as if it is another planet----concerned, but not afraid.

We have our little house which no one can take away. We have no debt. We have super energy efficient cars and a segway so higher gasoline prices or less available gasoline presents little problem. We have high production personal gardens built for the spring, rain barrel water storage and hopefully next week 4 solar panels installed on the roof. None of this is survivalist bizzaro world based----it is not an attempt to get away from the world---and it is not enough to actually do so. It is a plan to live responsibly in our retirement in the new world---my plan to become like Froley in the movie Children of Men is close to completion. This/next week we begin stage 4---rebuilding the alley garage into an art/music studio---installation of our solar panels---and the interior refinement of our storage building. My wife and I have much to be thankful for this year. But----it was the result of right thinking and work not miracles...

Damn!---Betty James co-inventor and co-developer of the SLINKY died the other day---at 90 tho----Her husband actually thought the slinky up but in the early 70's decided to chuck everything an live in a religious commune in South America...who woulda thought it eh?----The skinky is a true American technological example of thinking outside the box--a toy requiring no batteries, run only on imagination...and lasts forever-----thanks Betty.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27860258/

This is really strange--i mean really, really strange---a Times article by an English Catholic Bishop advising that the problems within the Catholic church are caused by "educated Catholics". Damn education---it can really screw up a good thing can't it?

you really need to read this for a laugh---i was born into the catholic church and i gotta admit Montie Python was right--they like us stupid and procreating you know?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/3464073/Educated-Catholics-have-sown-dissent-and-confusion-in-the-Church-claims-bishop.html

In honor of the thanksgiving holiday here's a link to the 18 minute version of Alice's Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie---remember the dump's closed on Thanksgiving! (For those non-old-hippy types the entire song is based on a true story including Officer Opie)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7243635165296806436&ei=qEouSc_bNZLu-gHftrDtDQ&q=alices+restaurant&emb=1

And a gift--Arlo with the Boston Pops doing

---- This land is your land------from You Tube---the feeling you get from watching and listening to Arlo do this song is what those of us who supported and worked for Mr. Obama wanted to feel again. We made it happen this land is no longer owned by guys like Dick Cheny, this land is again our land.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqZ3oNsMVr0&feature=related

Eat alot and take naps this thanksgiving--rest up---think about adopting a dog alot of people are dumping their pets because of the economy--adopt one if you can--the poor dog doesn't know what's going on and it's not their fault...surf Wikipedia with no purpose, you can learn so much that way by just clicking links--just cause gas is temporarily cheap don't waste it, stay in the habit of conserving gas yoo're gonna to need it----be nice on the phone..

It is strange but true that I've suddenly managed to accomplish little things that i have been unable to accomplish for a long time...I policed up the yard and garden area for the winter sleep, organized many of the small things in my life, set up the NEC micro-computer i obtained off ebay. i worked up several documents i the NEC for record keeping on my new square foot garden... my intent is to record any success's and failures on my attempt to produce food from my first garden this spring. I even built a diagram document displaying the layout of the garden and what i will plant where within the box....this type of singular, isolated activity is an excellent usage of these low cost, easily obtained, outmoded computers that i enjoy so much. This window of opportunity of being able to produce on projects caused me to start my first real canvas art project. My desire has been to do more art---be it good or bad but produce it---mind you it's just my attempt to use manga markers on a large canvas to produce the things that are within my brain...but still...i also have been having some work done to the nerd cave and I've been wanting to decorate alittle....so I've been hunting for small meaningful (to me) objects. Such as my new Einstein action figure....and my Gandhi action figure to provide inspiration when working....and fulfill my little inner geek.

I talked to myself over my vacation--i needed to, i was getting lost in working---forgetting about how wondrous life really is----starting back to work this week i demanded that i work out a new mental system and it really did work...i started to appreciate the world and people around me again and i prevented myself from falling into a spiritual and mental rut again...I'm actually somewhat proud of myself...

my all time favorite dvd listing includes....Michael Mann's film...MANHUNTER...I watched it again tonight---William Peterson is does an amazing performance as Will Grahm, he's haunting...the soundtrack is beautiful. Michael Mann's movies always have astounding soundtracks...and unbelievable visuals...his films are ageless manhunter was released in 1986 and shows little signs of age..Manhunter is a work of art, and like all under appreciated films it bombed at the box office when first released.."Just you and me now sport"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhunter_(film)

Where there's real money involved they'll let you smoke....Atlantic City NJ casino's apparently in cahoots with the local government are going to lift smoking bans when it comes to them...what shit...lift smoking bans everywhere then you cretins...i don't want to gamble and smoke but i can't remember what it was like to sit down---inside somewhere---like a human being and drink a cup of coffee and have a cigarette......argh!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/3467254/Smoking-ban-lifted-at-struggling-casinos.html

I've read tantalizing snippets on this movie on differing SF fanboy sites for a while now but apparently it has just recently been released in Spain....OUTLANDER....the premise is basically that an alien spacecraft with a very mean occupant(s) crashes into Norway during Viking times...with lots of sword fighting, armor and death from alien

visitor(s)..uhm let's see swords, vikings, aliens, what's not to like about this....can't wait for the DVD release in the US.

http://outlander.solsector.net/index.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outlander_(film)

Take some time-----lay down on the floor with your dog, they like that--think about what you would do if there was suddenly no gasoline---before you throw away the next broken,small appliance take it apart to see how it's built and how it works in a general sense---save electric motors outa stuff that doesn't work anymore----they are cool for DIY projects..I'm sure you've got an old portable cassette player around---buy used books on TAPE they're cheap--make your own self hypnosis tapes for self improvement----

Starting out with odd items I'm thinking on, doing or considering:

bought the new Hellboy II movie, the golden army---there's nothing better than sitting back with a big cheeseburger and Hellboy on DVD. II is remarkably different than the original movie--i really do not have a handle on this Hellboy II yet, I'm sure it's just me...I'm going to have to watch it several times to get a true feeling for it somehow...i also bought the director's cut, the extended version of Waterworld,---screw you---i love Waterworld---the overall concept that is, with the exception of the whole smoker thing, and i want the Mariner's trimaran--high tech racing sailboats are just appealing to me, even tho i know NOTHING about doing this stuff nor do i want to travel on one...i just enjoy the concept--strange eh?

I read recently about a woman, one eyed, San Francisco artist--(whoa) wants to replace her glass eye with a video cam broadcasting to the web--thinking on this i've found that i like the concept--could be kinda interesting eh?
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/11/15/2008-11-15_san_francisco_artist_looks_to_replace_lo.html

Staying within the arts for a moment--i also think this is very cool-a British artist who leaves his paintings in public--just on the streets---this is not a starving artist thing--his stuff sells for large money on occasion-the artist apparently feels that art should be out in the world---viewed there instead of a gallery--i like this idea--sort of a banksy on canvas---the world needs more art of any kind available in people's daily back and forth lives...cool.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/7730285.stm

An excellent photograph, from the BBC, of a guy, within the recent California fire zone on a Segway Human Transporter---the fact that not only is he on a Segway, but he's mobile texting displays our relationship with technology even in the midst of rabid craziness---i love this photograph, in a nutshell it is our present and our future by those who embrace new technology...William Gibson would be sooo proud of this dude----personally i have'nt done much with my own i2 lately--been too busy on oddjobs--maybe i'll ride some tomorrow...
The automaker bailout---my first thoughts are have the oil companies bail them out with their massive record setting profit surpluses they just squeezed out of the American public..i do believe that there has been a conspiracy (love conspiracy's i do)between the automakers and the oil companies to resist fuel efficiency requirements, technology, and responsibility....

Incompetent executives and designers, advertising filled with lies and deceit-----bribery, absolutely no vision of the future, blaming technological innovation they refused to accept as not their fault... sleeping with the oil companies...they deserve to collapse--but---i worry about the real people, the regular people working on the assembly line, with many,many years invested in this industry losing their jobs, their self worth, their retirement--i say to agree to the bailout but with absolute, time line, stringent requirements to produce fuel efficient vehicles and the EV1 electric car (again!) fire all the executives over a specific command level in the big 3 and--start over...fresh--new. If they want the money make them change--make them!

The last Picture ever taken of Albert Einstein...just before his death...he took a speech he was working on with him to the hospital----

with apologies to the movie "High Fidelity"....

Driving on with the top five:

While on a recent few days off I got to see one of my all time top five science fiction movies, uninterrupted by commericals. The 1956 classic Forbidden Planet..starring Leslie Neilson, Anne Francis, Walter Pigeon---and a great back up crew of supporting actors..and Robby the Robot. Forbidden Planet was the original concept for...Star Trek..a list of the firsts displayed in a science fiction movie--an interstellar ship manned by an elite human paramilitary crew---the Krell---interactive Robotics (with the first nod to the 3 laws)a total electronic music score---beautiful special effects created by an artist under contract from Walt Disney studio's. Forbidden Planet is one of the perfect movies---so ahead of it's time and under appreciated when released

I don't take regular vacations---never have---business travel overseas for ten years ruined any remote concept of vacation i may have once had---

What has evolved as vacations for me are two distinct varieties of time off...

vacation version one:

me working my wrinkled old ass off on the house--

vacation version two:

do nothing, talk not at all, think alot on everything and my relationship to everything, watch CNN for hours, play many SF DVD's, eat poorly but drink alot of coffee.

This week i was off work and did version two..i sooo needed it---just the ability to think without intrusionary demands of the world around me was, well was simply excellent....i feel recharged. At the same time i realize this recharging won't last long term but that does not matter at all...feeling this way for a moment is all there is..

Paint, draw, make a wind chime, clean and organize something that has bothered you for a while, watch anime especially if you've never seen it before, do the laundry really,really well and enjoy it, feed the birds over the winter....and take care.