Monday, February 8, 2010
Seattle's ball park
Of course it's a sliding roof for a baseball field ... aren't all ball parks meant to look like space stations?
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Sunday thoughts
A recent blog got me to thinking,
“What similarities do I have with my father?”
He had two brothers, three sisters.
I have no brothers or sisters.
He had a son.
I have a daughter and son.
He was 6 ft. 2 in. tall.
I’m 6 ft. 1 in. tall.
He was born in poverty.
I was born in the middle class.
He graduated high school.
I graduated college.
He enlisted in the Army.
I never joined the military.
He didn't like making waves.
I've enjoyed splashing.
He was a politically a moderate Democrat.
I’m an angry Democrat.
He voted for Democrats because he trusted them.
I vote for Democrats because they do less damage than Republicans.
He believed in labor unions.
I believe in labor unions.
He constantly smoked cigarettes.
I have never smoked.
He grew up in a coal mining town.
I grew up in California.
He could fish for hours and catch many fish.
I could fish for hours and never see a fish.
He loved car camping.
I like backpacking.
He would buy a new car every 2-3 years.
I buy a new car every 5-8 years.
He had no interest in movies.
I like movies, especially film noir.
He had no interest in art.
I am an artist.
He read very few books.
I’ve read thousands of books.
In high school he excelled in shop classes.
In high school I excelled in technical drawing classes.
He liked to repair broken or worn out household things.
I can repair just about anything other than electronic items.
He could build things but didn't.
I build furniture and art pieces.
His hobby was leatherwork - he made purses, pet leashes and bullwhips.
My hobbies are music, bicycles and photography.
He stayed with a job he didn’t care for because of his retirement package.
I’ve been self-employed most of my life and have no benefits of any kind.
He never achieved his dreams.
I’ve come close to my dreams.
He had a stressful marriage.
I have a terrific, love-filled marriage.
“What similarities do I have with my father?”
He had two brothers, three sisters.
I have no brothers or sisters.
He had a son.
I have a daughter and son.
He was 6 ft. 2 in. tall.
I’m 6 ft. 1 in. tall.
He was born in poverty.
I was born in the middle class.
He graduated high school.
I graduated college.
He enlisted in the Army.
I never joined the military.
He didn't like making waves.
I've enjoyed splashing.
He was a politically a moderate Democrat.
I’m an angry Democrat.
He voted for Democrats because he trusted them.
I vote for Democrats because they do less damage than Republicans.
He believed in labor unions.
I believe in labor unions.
He constantly smoked cigarettes.
I have never smoked.
He grew up in a coal mining town.
I grew up in California.
He could fish for hours and catch many fish.
I could fish for hours and never see a fish.
He loved car camping.
I like backpacking.
He would buy a new car every 2-3 years.
I buy a new car every 5-8 years.
He had no interest in movies.
I like movies, especially film noir.
He had no interest in art.
I am an artist.
He read very few books.
I’ve read thousands of books.
In high school he excelled in shop classes.
In high school I excelled in technical drawing classes.
He liked to repair broken or worn out household things.
I can repair just about anything other than electronic items.
He could build things but didn't.
I build furniture and art pieces.
His hobby was leatherwork - he made purses, pet leashes and bullwhips.
My hobbies are music, bicycles and photography.
He stayed with a job he didn’t care for because of his retirement package.
I’ve been self-employed most of my life and have no benefits of any kind.
He never achieved his dreams.
I’ve come close to my dreams.
He had a stressful marriage.
I have a terrific, love-filled marriage.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Personally I think the Olympics should be Deep-sixed
None the less, if you got the time, money and no sense, here are the basics.
Vancouver 2010 - the snowless Olympics
Olympic ticket prices
Olympic Schedule
Vancouver 2010 - the snowless Olympics
Olympic ticket prices
Olympic Schedule
Monday, February 1, 2010
Boom!
I recently purchased Michael Light's book, "100 Suns". There are few words in this book, other than information regarding time and location. In the book's starkness, Mr. Light lays out photos of 100 atmospheric nuclear bomb tests.
"Between July 1945 and November 1962 the United States is known to have conducted 216 atmospheric and underground nuclear tests. After the Limited Test Union in 1963, nuclear tests went underground. It became literally invisible - but more frequent: the United States conducted a further 723 underground tests, the last in 1992."
Sure, go ahead and say, "That was back when ..." but that reaction simply ignores what we're capable of unleashing on the planet (and ourselves).
It's unforgivable what was done to Bikini Atoll, Enewetak Atoll, Christmas Island, Johnson Island, the Nevada desert and all the soldiers who were marched in front of test blasts.
For information go to Michael Light or Amazon.com
Sunday, January 31, 2010
A simple calculation
I decided it’s quite possible to make a reasonable calculation of subjective issues which are often considered outside the norm of measurable quantities. Using some of the basic psychometric work of Schwartz and Bowlus, I extrapolated their data, keeping in mind the cutting edge theorems of McGee, Harper and Bernie done at the Big Sur Symposium in the mid 1990s on, "Human Nature and Common Variables".
Not finding a suitable algorithm, I’ve drawn upon my experiences with a variety of apperati; specifically magnetometers, spectrometers, seismometers and oscilloscopes and I’ve determined the following:
I've been awesomely happy for 21.5% of my life (± .03%)
and so-so happy for an additional 0.93%
ten words that come to mind
- turmoil
- failure
- average
- dreary
- mundane
- passion
- desire
- love
- cosmic
- success
Friday, January 29, 2010
Film - The Lady In The Lake
We recently viewed the 1947 film, "The Lady in the Lake”, starring Robert Montgomery, Audrey Totter and Lloyd Nolan.
The original story was written by Raymond Chandler.
The screen version was written by Steve Fisher (of many TV shows, including Fantasy Island, Starsky and Hutch and Ripcord).
The movie is told in an unusual way - we see what's happening through the eyes of Philip Marlowe (Montgomery), the view is that of the camera. We see Marlowe only occasionally, usually in mirrors or reflections. This gimmick makes this a trick movie, and as far as I know, the only time it was used. Besides acting in the movie, Montgomery also was the director and it was also his last movie with MGM.
Anyway, there were things in the movie that didn’t “feel” right - such as Marlowe leaving a trail of rice on a sidewalk so he could be followed by the cops. The movie Marlowe seemed more a pinball instead of an investigator. Or the fact Marlowe falls in love and marries (?). Other than Audrey Totter the movie is a turkey.
So I read the Chandler book.
The only similarities between the book and movie are place names, character names and a few plot movements. Significant liberties were taken, I think I read about half the book before a book scene matched a movie scene.
In the movie there is no lake and no body in the lake. In the movie, a minor book character becomes overly important and a few other book characters critical to the story are mostly omitted.
In the book, which is a smooth read, characters are developed, Marlowe’s actions are clever and understandable and the plot is much more complex.
Oh, and Marlowe never uses rice as a trail marker. Nor does he fall in love as does his version in the movie.
The original story was written by Raymond Chandler.
The screen version was written by Steve Fisher (of many TV shows, including Fantasy Island, Starsky and Hutch and Ripcord).
The movie is told in an unusual way - we see what's happening through the eyes of Philip Marlowe (Montgomery), the view is that of the camera. We see Marlowe only occasionally, usually in mirrors or reflections. This gimmick makes this a trick movie, and as far as I know, the only time it was used. Besides acting in the movie, Montgomery also was the director and it was also his last movie with MGM.
Anyway, there were things in the movie that didn’t “feel” right - such as Marlowe leaving a trail of rice on a sidewalk so he could be followed by the cops. The movie Marlowe seemed more a pinball instead of an investigator. Or the fact Marlowe falls in love and marries (?). Other than Audrey Totter the movie is a turkey.
So I read the Chandler book.
In the movie there is no lake and no body in the lake. In the movie, a minor book character becomes overly important and a few other book characters critical to the story are mostly omitted.
In the book, which is a smooth read, characters are developed, Marlowe’s actions are clever and understandable and the plot is much more complex.
Oh, and Marlowe never uses rice as a trail marker. Nor does he fall in love as does his version in the movie.
Civics
- Extreme wealth needs extreme poverty in order to exist.
- A service economy is less important than a manufacturing economy.
- Very few people actually participate in government. Voting? That's minor involvement.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Eight oars
One of my coolest experiences.
Eight guys pulling oars.
In unison. In sync.
Power.
Speed.
Nothing left at end of race.
Photo is representative from web, I have no photos of my experience.
Eight guys pulling oars.
In unison. In sync.
Power.
Speed.
Nothing left at end of race.
Photo is representative from web, I have no photos of my experience.
Life Lesson
One of many things I inadvertently learned from my father.
My dad was a big man, about six foot, two inches tall and 230 pounds. He had large hands that seemed like baseball gloves to me when I was a kid. He wasn’t fat, when he was young man he was offered a chance to play college football. Instead he went to work to help support his mother and father.
The point of this is his physical size and his strength. What I saw was a person who could and did walk through forests never making a sound. He crunched no leaves, snapped no twigs and he left no visible footprints.
I liked that and it became one of my credos. That is, be gentle, be patient, don’t make a mess of things, minimize the swath you cut and get through Life by paying attention to details.
The major difference between us? He was OK with blending in and I am not. He seemed to accept the status quo and I do not.
My dad was a big man, about six foot, two inches tall and 230 pounds. He had large hands that seemed like baseball gloves to me when I was a kid. He wasn’t fat, when he was young man he was offered a chance to play college football. Instead he went to work to help support his mother and father.
The point of this is his physical size and his strength. What I saw was a person who could and did walk through forests never making a sound. He crunched no leaves, snapped no twigs and he left no visible footprints.
I liked that and it became one of my credos. That is, be gentle, be patient, don’t make a mess of things, minimize the swath you cut and get through Life by paying attention to details.
The major difference between us? He was OK with blending in and I am not. He seemed to accept the status quo and I do not.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Just repeating known things
- Using disposable water bottles is giving the finger to ecology and planet stewardship.
- Anti-smoking campaigns are linked to insurance company’s profit margins and not to some societal desire for healthiness. *
- Heroin, cocaine and the entertainment industry - all are addictive and dangerous.
*if it needs to be said, I've never smoked nor do I like it it in any form. I survived a heavy-smoking father who didn't survive his smoking addiction. If you smoke, that's your decision, I will not exert my values on you.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
I've never understood
If you believe in love, peace, fairness and hope.
If you practice kindness, generosity and willingness.
If you believe opportunity exists.
Why then?
Why do we have entrenched poverty?
Sexism?
Bigotry?
Hypocrisy?
Why is there so much hate?
Why is tolerance is short supply?
Why is ignorance on the rise?
Why are schools failing?
Why are there so many diversions from cooperation?
Why has consumerism been made important?
Why are we a Warrior society?
Why do so many people distrust our government?
Why are religions guided by violent & cruel tendencies?
Why is there entrenched zealotry?
Seems to me, delusion is in the air.
If you practice kindness, generosity and willingness.
If you believe opportunity exists.
Why then?
Why do we have entrenched poverty?
Sexism?
Bigotry?
Hypocrisy?
Why is there so much hate?
Why is tolerance is short supply?
Why is ignorance on the rise?
Why are schools failing?
Why are there so many diversions from cooperation?
Why has consumerism been made important?
Why are we a Warrior society?
Why do so many people distrust our government?
Why are religions guided by violent & cruel tendencies?
Why is there entrenched zealotry?
Seems to me, delusion is in the air.
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