Newmania!

CSS :hover Selector

2012-02-15T11:30:00.000-08:00

CSS :hover Selector: a.ex1:hover,a.ex1:active {color:red;}

Go figure!

Hey Gang - I'm posting today because I can. And, it only takes a min.

This little :hover selector got up all in my business. And, then I was all like - boom, I just googled you and hit up Wc3 to figure you out.

Level up!

I've been working lately. Check it out at http://abetteruserexperience.com and http://wellnesseLearning.com and http:www.capefearnaturalist.com (which is where I used this :hover thing)

A good times on thelumberriver.com

And, that's not to mention my Codecademy.com stuff and CodeYear meetup stuff.

Spring time is coming. The dark, cold and wind will surely not last.

squeakland : home of squeak etoys

2012-01-26T16:29:00.000-08:00

squeakland : home of squeak etoys: Etoys is . . .

an educational tool for teaching children powerful ideas in compelling ways
a media-rich authoring environment and visual programming system
a free software program that works on almost all personal computers

Alan Kay gets it. He, I believe, is the driving force behind Squeak and these Etoys.

Check out the first bullet point. teaching children powerful ideas in compelling ways. It's to learn this language, or tool or skill - powerful ideas in compelling ways.

Love it, seriously love it. Children know what to do with powerful ideas. I trust them with powerful ideas more than adults. The kids are the ones who need the powerful ideas ... and can use them. Let's balance the powerful ideas scale ... and share with the young ones.

Vitamix comes to town!

2012-01-10T07:47:00.000-08:00

Natural Green Smoothie | | Eat Better to Live BetterEat Better to Live Better

We make this smoothie morning - looking for the natural buzz the Vitamix affords.

cheers!

Random thought : Badges and assesment

2011-12-22T08:06:00.000-08:00

Lots can go wrong in baseball...

Lots can go right. A game within a game - subtle interplay between players, teams, leagues, sponsors, fans, the field, the stadium, on and on... I love it. It's the rich variety of life. Only people uninterested or uncreative (dull, deadened,...) only look at the score and think that's all that happened.

As I re-connect with sport, I integrated it with my past experience. My experience with youth sports was not extensive, but ... let's call it "small but mighty". I was on winning teams and( mostly) losing teams. Perhaps because of this, I was told - and mostly remember - the sage statement, "It's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game".

I took this to heart. And, looking at the way things are today, I don't think many others did. See, my point is that I don't play for the score in games. I don't learn for grades in life.

Why? because the score was so flat. The score doesn't really tell you what happened. It does serve a purpose - I'm not a fucking hippie! (hehe - eat it hippies) God bless the score and the horse it rode in on... but there is so much more.

Baseball is a good example here. The stats in baseball are extensive. A line score, a box score, and then, I guess, there is the stat book that looks at every stinking play - and converts it to numbers.

Should schools do these? There is the final grade. There is the weekly quiz score and project / exam / paper scores. These are experiences translated into numbers for the purpose of fitting a machine readable format - the sorting function of grades.

But how do you translate getting hit in the face with the baseball into a score - 'Hit by pitch' doesn't do it justice. Do you really think you can sum up the trauma of dropping the last out as an 'error' or bottom of the ninth strike out to lose the championship as "strikeout".

Same is true of schooling. My '89' on my math test, because I forgot to 'carry the one' which caused me to miss the A by one percentage point. That number doesn't begin to describe or communicate that experience to others.

But, Badges can.

Badges are not grades. They can be used right along side grades. The guy in the picture could get the "Hit by Pitch - EPIC" badge, along with the stat in the book. Possibly there is a modifier ribbon to go along with the badge "broken bone", "bleeding on the field", "crapping your pants", "crying on the field"...

Badges allow for creativity to rush back into the classroom. All of a sudden, you can nurture the dry phrase "it's not whether you win or lose...". A badge describes, qualitatively perhaps, HOW you play the game. And, when students create and give badges, it shifts the balance of power back to the student.

One last thought - What does it say about the worldview of someone you creates the system of grades? How clincial, sterile the world must be for that person? 4 months of work in a college classroom and the only 'real' result is two exam grades and a final score.They see the world as industry and factory. I see the world as wilderness and a workshop.

Grades are a currency and we have confused the currency for the thing we want. You don't want money - You want a house or a car or knowledge or skill. Perhaps this is the monster of materialism stomping around every aspect of modern life.

...

And, this is what I think about. I've decided that I should share these thoughts. I'm no longer a young adult. I've arrived at 'Grown ass man" status. These thoughts are my own - however they arrived in my brain, I can't really say, but I feel it's important to share them with you, dear reader.

playr.co.uk - Zilch

2011-11-19T07:33:00.000-08:00

playr.co.uk - Zilch

I know I've written about this before.

Zilch is a game that UNDERSTANDS badges and achievements in the game format.

A badge / adward can't be too broad. A thru F in school is the DEFINITION of too board achievement. As a measuring device, maybe. It works for the school, somehow, I'm sure. But it doesn't work for the student.

...rant starting...
How much stuff goes on during a school class? A $hit ton! And, you want to sum it up in a single Letter. And you can go screw yourself with a A- or a B+. Thanks, but no thanks!
...rant ending...

What this tells me is that the A-F group has no idea what is going on -ACTUALLY - going on in the classroom. The way your reward and motivate directly relates to how you see the subjects / users / students. Your perspective of learning and the internal life of the students.

Are they having a rich, multi-faceted, emotional, whole being experience? Or, are they holding there breath and not rocking the boat focused on the grade?

One last story. I play(ed) golf. Golf is a game and there is a score. And, as a beginner golfer - I got pissed alot, because I couldn't score like Freddie Couples (the Dominating player at the time - They call him BoomBoom because he hits it a mile and never loses his cool).

One day I got super pissed and (in front of some friends and a stranger partner) lost my shit. I yelled, threw my bag, I threw my club - and nearly destroyed it when it hit the cart path 20 yards out.

Here's the thing: I want a badge for that. I want the "Total meltdown - missed a drive"... There's a series of "Total Meltdowns" ... missed putt, lost a match, go in the trap, go in the water, out of bounds...

Here's the thing:
The game IS NOT the score. The game is the game, and you can see it from MANY perspectives.

On the positive side, you can chose to not count the strokes the same way. I started to play better when I only recorded the putts, or the GIR (Greens in Regulation).

So, Zilch has 100 different achievements. Great, much better than school which has basically a handful per class (assignment grades and a final grade - not the same, but similar).

But, would it be cool if we - the non-designers, non-teachers - created our own badges our own achievements? I bet we could do it...

One last thing before I publish. There is alot of talk about badges and I feel I need to put down my thoughts about it. Speciffically, what I like about the movement - Peer created, Peer adwarded, variable scope, easily transfered/displayed/ researched. And, what I see as pitfalls - just recreating the same system, which will happen if you only get simply re-name a certificate / diploma / degree with the term Badge or Patch.

Listen up Instructors and Course Designers!

Let's Have a Serious Discussion About the New Masteries - Page 8 - League of Legends Community

2011-11-17T10:49:00.000-08:00

Let's Have a Serious Discussion About the New Masteries - Page 8 - League of Legends Community

I've been playing League of Legends to keep my gamer cred up. It's important if you want to work with dude's like Lucas Gillispie and the gang at Cognitive Dissonance Guild. Point being, games have something to teach us about motivation and learning- and - in order to learn from them you have to play them... okay, i'm rationalizing a bit here.

LOL is fun to play!

Anyway, they just re-did the masteries or there Talent Tree (in World of Warcraft terms). It's causing a ruckus because now you have to pick out new skills. I would figure most people are like me and pick talents based on what more advanced players have worked out and published. Some dudes are WAY into this - serious calculator nerddom going on there.

Here is the tree that I used with my Champion (toon or Avatar) Ashe:
http://www.solomid.net/guides.php?g=4134

But the new masteries are totally different. For instance, there is no Perseverance (which increases Mana and Health regeneration) in the new Utility tree.

Here's what I picked for Ashe:
1/1 Summoner's Wrath
3/4 mental force (+3 ability power- Ashe's is Focus, increased critical strike chance after 3 seconds)
4/4 alacrity (+6% attack speed)
2/4 deadliness (+2% critical strike)
1/1 weapon expertise (+10% armor penetration)

I'm going for Crits and attack speed here.

and for my other Champion, Kayle

1/1 Summoner's Wrath
4/4 mental force (+3 ability power- Kayle's is Holy Fervor, target loses 3% armor and magic resist for 5 sec)
3/4 alacrity (+6% attack speed)
2/4 deadliness (+2% critical strike)
1/1 weapon expertise (+10% armor penetration)

Bump that ability power and attack speed.

Okay, now I'm ready to play. I may or may not talk about this in more posts but I wanted to comment on the goings on.

cheers!

university as open platform - Google Search

2011-11-12T10:22:00.000-08:00

university as open platform - Google Search

Facebook wins because it is a 'platform'. By that I mean, it's a ... central point, hub, portal. A place that ... A service that others services connect. You can' get away from it, it wins and will continue to win.

Facebook is open because it allows anyone to create services that connect to it.

now to uni

Universities won (past tense) because they were a platform. A central point where learning and research and innovation happened. Not so much, now.

Universities are not open because ... they don't understand they are a platform. Hiding under a rock. Are concerned about security. Perhaps.

conclusion

If I were a University I would try to become a platform like facebook(private) or RSS(open).

Post influenced by: P2PU, seth Godin, Fleetly, RSS, and Facebook Platform. And, of course, Uncle Dave Winer, What is RSS and I deleted my Facebook account.

How do I rename multiple files in Windows Explorer with numbers I - Microsoft Answers

2011-10-09T22:12:00.000-07:00

How do I rename multiple files in Windows Explorer with numbers I - Microsoft Answers

Oh yeah! and it works. I'll use this all the time to rename multiple files.

Badges!

2011-10-06T13:56:00.000-07:00

First off, Let me say that when ever I hear Cathy Davidson speak - I get smarter.

This year's Digital media and learning competition is titled"badges for lifelong learning". the good folks at Mozilla are cosponsors of the competition. Here's some info:

Digital Media and Learning Competition: This Competition focuses on building digital badges for lifelong learning. The Competition is designed to encourage individuals and organizations to create digital tools that support, identify, recognize, measure, and account for new skills, competencies, knowledge, and achievements for 21st century learners wherever and whenever learning takes place.

Today I listened to the webinar - 'Badges 101' Hosted by Cathy Davidson (Duke U and HASTAC), Sheryl Grant (HASTAC/MacArthur Foundation),
Erin Knight, (Mozilla and P2PU); Carla Casilli, (Open Badges, Mozilla)

The webinar was worthwhile and it was great to get the condensed background and context for the badges project. They didn't talk too much about the competition and that will be handled in subsequent webinars.

Here are a few of my ideas and thoughts from the talk.

Many people know Davidson because of her work on crowd sourcing grading. It's nice to hear a respected professor come out and say, plainly, grades suck. She eloquently made the point using a history lesson. Grades haven't been around that long-since 1890. 'ABCD' grades were adopted and subsequently rejected by the Packers as being too restrictive. Educators adopted it with gusto, particularly after standardized, multiple-choice testing became accepted ( roughly after World War I)

I got this image in my mind during the webinar. The red card serves as a badge - given by the ref, accepted by the player, seen by everyone. The question was asked about negative badges - do people use them? referees do. In military school, I remember my demerits more than my merits.

Another thought I had for my past was that of the badges I collected while traveling around Europe as a first grader. My family and I lived in Bielefeld West Germany in 1979. I had a blue jean jacket that I wore proudly as an American. Each new town that we went to I would pick out a patch that my mom would so on to the jacket.I wish I had a picture of that jacket, but I still remember the badges that I collected. How it focused my attention during those travels.

Vivyan's Jacket with badegs... expression of his self identity. self chosen for display.

When I think of lifelong learning I think of travel. And I wonder if the travel industry is a good place for a badge system. Go to a town-get a badge. Do some activity - get a batch. Collect enough badges - get a bonus, bad-ass badge. I imagined an eager group of school kids (or Elderhostel types) test during an Alaskan whale watching Capt. to give them access to the QR code that would unlock a badge and display it for their friends back home. Perhaps they could record the moment with a picture, video/audio or writing.

I wonder what it would take to organize something like that. Is that what foursquare does? what are the overlaps between travel and lifelong learning? are there specific travel learning organizations?

Thanks for listening and seeing next time.

Models: Emporium

2011-10-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

The local Community College is working with an innovative approach to solve the problem of flagging Math proficiency - The Emporium Model from the National Center for Academic Transformation. It seems to be a 'Flipping the Classroom' type model. It reminds me of Khan Academy which I didn't really get until I saw this TED Talk:

Models: Emporium: The Emporium Model

Eliminates all lectures and replaces them with a learning resource center model featuring interactive software and on-demand personalized assistance.
Depends heavily on instructional software, including interactive tutorials, practice exercises, solutions to frequently asked questions, and online quizzes and tests.
Allows students to choose what types of learning materials to use depending on their needs, and how quickly to work through the materials.
Uses a staffing model that combines faculty, GTAs, peer tutors and others who respond directly to students’ specific needs and direct them to resources from which they can learn.
May require a significant commitment of space and equipment.
More than one course can be taught in an emporium, thus leveraging the initial investment.

TED Talk on Khan Academy

InfoQ: QCon Keynote: Innovation at Google

2011-10-03T14:43:00.000-07:00

InfoQ: QCon Keynote: Innovation at Google:

Patrick Copeland presents the first three principles of the eXtreme innovation approach based on the Pretotyping Manifesto: Innovators Beat Ideas, Pretotypes Beat Productypes, and Data Beats Opinion.

Fail fast and often. It comes natural to the those in virtual worlds, like games and blogs.

These guys at pretotyping.org get it. The idea is to put it out. Always be shipping. Godin asks "What did you ship today?"

Ideas aren't as important as things. Ideas are a dime a dozen. Put it out there and see what happens.

My rebut or hesitation of this is that I'm afraid of the "yard full of $hit" syndrome. Also called the 'Camero on blocks'. it's like the idea and half done projects of the past. It's hard to look at each day as you bring yet another project into the yard...

I guess the trick Copeland is talking about is, get alot of junk in the yard(ideas you are starting) - but don't make them huge, don't make them WebVan.com. Make them like Palm's paper prototype.

Less formally, pretotyping is a way to test a product idea quickly and inexpensively by creating extremely simplified versions of that product to help validate the premise that "If we build it, they will use it."

yep, I like this. If you are a creative person, don't be embarrassed to create. But, don't be foolish in putting all your efforts to create something people may not want. The speaker says you SHOULD be embarrassed by your first iteration of your new thing - if you aren't, perhaps you spent too much time building it.

hmmm, food for thought here.

Do You Suffer From Decision Fatigue? - NYTimes.com

2011-10-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

Seriously. This makes alot of sense to me. Our whole society seems to be shifting to more and more choice - and it's getting freakin' exhausting.

Have we gone to far? I wish I could go back in time - for all kinds of reasons - but one would be to go to a 1960s supermarket. Why? because this is where the choice generation began. Food makers are kings of baffling by choice. now there are 15 types of EVERYTHING - ... could you imagine when you had only to pick between Regular and Decaff... perhaps there where two Brands. (And all that...)

All these little choices and we no longer have the energy to make BIGGER - MORE IMPORTANT - choices.

Oh well, I'm choosing Regular coffee.

More links:
Podcast where I got the tip on Decision Fatigue -
http://blogs.howstuffworks.com

NYT article that the podcast is based -
Do You Suffer From Decision Fatigue? - NYTimes.com

'Decision Fatigue' on Google Scholar - 117 articles (today)
http://scholar.google.com

National Football League: NFL Audio Pass Listen to every NFL game online. Live!

2011-10-02T11:09:00.000-07:00

National Football League: NFL Audio Pass Listen to every NFL game online. Live!

I love the AudioPass. I hate Ads.

Imagine my surprise when I hear Ads (which I hate) on the NFL AudioPass (which I love).

NFL gets a "C'mon man!" on the this.

Why do I have to pay to listen to ads? I understand ads on broadcast TV. But, when I pay for a service, I expect to be ad free.

I love the AudioPass alittle less. Hate Ads even more.

Featured Courses at P2PU – 23rd September 2011 | P2PU Blog

2011-09-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

Featured Courses at P2PU – 23rd September 2011 | P2PU Blog:

Looks like the good folks over at P2PU.org are featuring a few courses for the Fall.

Hack this Poem - for poetry writers and those who love poetry.
Beginning Game Dev with HTML5 - This could be interesting to me.
The Philosophy of Death - "What does it mean to die..." and to think about death philosophically. Probably a good course, but I'm going to skip.
'The Art of Music - from Amateur to Professional' - This might be a cool course for those involved with Artistshousemusic.org

Access two Gmail accounts at once in the same browser - Official Gmail Blog

2011-09-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

Access two Gmail accounts at once in the same browser - Official Gmail Blog: Now, you can visit google.com/accounts and click the link next to "Multiple sign-in."

Hello blog readers!

I've decided to finally use this feature. In the past I have had access to other Gmail accounts, but I've never felt the need to go to the step. However now that I'm working as the webmaster at http://www.mushroommaestros.com, I'm going to try out this multiple sign.

Don't feel I'll use it that much but it might really change my workflow. I definitely think it will help Ray and Patty deal with personal and business Gmail accounts.

Signing up for the service, I see that Google understands the potential for screwing things up. I can imagine someone sending something from the wrong account, which could cause all kinds of havoc. So they make you check the box that you understand the way it works.

It's actually a cool design element.

Once you turn it on - it being multiple sign in, you click in the drop-down menu and it asks you to sign into a new account. Easy cheesy.

Seth's Blog: Confusing obedience with self-control

2011-09-13T07:34:00.000-07:00

Seth's Blog: Confusing obedience with self-control: Compliant sergeants rarely become great generals.

Seth, once again lays it out as plain as day. Schools and companies reward obedience. that's nothing new. The problem is the part where the 'obedient' transforms to be 'self-reliant' - where 'control' becomes 'self control' - when we realize that we control our life.

It's a subject not taught in school, certainly not explicitly. We've created generations of people who require an external control. I see the problems students make when trying to live on their own. they seek out some form of external control - a job, a boyfriend/girlfriend, even a cause or community.

One way to get through school is to forfeit yourself. or rather, your self-control, identity...

This little blog post by Seth Godin has really given me quite a bit to think about.

It's funny there was a book that I found while learning to teach in Taiwan. It was called all kinds of minds and written by a North Carolinian pediatrician named Dr. Mel Levine. It seemed that he was an advocate for children and took their perspective in dealing with an out of touch school system. He went on to write another book about how young adults adjusts to life in the larger society outside of school and parents - moving out on their own.

I wanted to link to his work so I searched for him-and it turns out he was a pedophile. 50 some adults have come forward to accuse him. the day after the lawsuit was filed, in February of this year, the shit-bird shot himself.

What the hell is wrong with this place. 50 kids! 50 lives. and now no recourse. No chance to settle the matter. How crazy is that.

Anyway, schools and institutions should do more to help students become self-reliant and transform themselves from followers to leaders. I believe that, as we recognize this as a problem, new solutions will manifest. The whole OER, tutorial culture, P2PU.org, Edu-Punk, DIY-U movement shows promise of helping guide our institutions to a more student centered future.

Oh, and doctors should not rape kids.

playr.co.uk - Zilch, Codecademy and the Badges

2011-09-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

playr.co.uk - Zilch

Honey Badger may not care, but I DO care about Badges. I'm only human.

I came across a very cool interactive JavaScript tutorial site... now wait a minute it's not a traditional tutorial site. It's worth a look to see how it guides you through the lessons. I'll write a more detailed post about it later.

But I wanted to mention one of the things I like about it which is: badges

Badges-sometimes called achievements-are little rewards and reminders of accomplishments you have done. Think about Boy Scout or Brownie badges - or gold stars on the board or your assignments. They may sound simple or silly but they are powerful reinforcements for motivating and sustaining action.

Game designers know this. Educators sort of know, but are doing it well. Take for example code Academy contrasted with zilch (the game I linked to at the beginning of this post)

Both are doing it, but zilch has a full 120 badges to earn with fun and engaging titles like - 'falling on your face' and 'rolling like there's no tomorrow'

What kind of badge does a university course have? A,B,C,D,F. five lousy badges.

Designing a Website’s Introductory Text: Tips and Examples

2011-09-12T09:43:00.000-07:00

Designing a Website’s Introductory Text: Tips and Examples

It turns out that people aren't reading on the web. They scan. We know this intuitively, because that's what we do. We know this from research, like this study from Jakob Nielsen about the reading pattern for Web content.

Burdened with this knowledge, do we really ever change our website designs?

I recently reviewed my experience with fivesecondstest.com over on my user testing project-better user experience.

These posts have forced me to see the light. From this moment forward I will strive to write better headlines and introductory text that are engaging and meaningful.

Website introductory text is possibly the only thing that is read - make sure that it delivers the right message.

The Future of Publishing - created by DK (UK) - YouTube

2011-09-10T08:34:00.000-07:00

The Future of Publishing - created by DK (UK) - YouTube

Cool Video. Watch it all the way - even if you want to shut it off. There are two points to make here. 1) You have to listen to the market. 2) Don't project your negative assumptions.

Seth's Blog: Back to (the wrong) school

2011-09-05T11:46:00.000-07:00

Seth's Blog: Back to (the wrong) school: If you do a job where someone tells you exactly what to do, they will find someone cheaper than you to do it. And yet our schools are churning out kids who are stuck looking for jobs where the boss tells them exactly what to do.

Seth tellin' it like it is. I saw a post in USA Today related to this and the UnSchooling movement. Parents are saying "No, Thank you." to state education for their kids - and getting decent results.

For me, as a non-parent, I would not put my kids in the industrial educational system.
John Taylor Gatto is my thought leader when it comes to this... Although he is getting a bit on the wild side of late.

Of course, it could be good to listen to the students.

PS: More updates to follow - my poor neglected readers.

Use a Binder Clip to Hold Your Grocery List in Your Cart

2011-03-18T05:50:00.000-07:00

Use a Binder Clip to Hold Your Grocery List in Your Cart: "This came about because I'd started carrying around a mid-sized paper clip in the inner pocket of my winter coat late last year. I like having useful stuff on-hand, like hand sanitizer or a mini Leatherman, and added the binder clip as an afterthought one day. Then, one day, while trying to either make my printed shopping list easy to yank out of my pocket, or trying to anchor it inside the top basket without falling out of the two gaps they create for children's legs, I felt the binder clip in my pocket and thought, what the hey."

Hell Yes! This is the kind of usefull stuff that I expect from lifehacker. Simple. Free. Useful tips and tricks - HACKS - that make life easier.

Isn't the easy life what we are all looking for? Granted, fishing around for the grocery list in your pocket isn't a big stumbling block to the easy life, but every little bit helps. And, I LIKE looking cool in the supermarket.

Doing stuff like this makes me feel like "Hey, I design my life. I can change. I'm not stuck in a rut that is railroading me towards an unknown or unexamined life-goal."

Re-arrange my #PLE - #PLENK2010

2010-09-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

Re-arrange my #PLE - #PLENK2010: "To try to follow the course in an adequate way I’ve made some changes/adjustments to my PLE. Probably some of this could be usefull and help to organize someone PLE."

Paulo Simões, a fellow #PLENK2010 learner, posted about how he set up his feeds and blogs in order to efficiently participate in the course.

He and I have:

created a folder to receive emails from the course
created a search column in TweetDeck (he uses Hootsuite) for PLENK
bookmarked a Google Search for PLENK2010 (I suppose I'll need to check this manually)
designated a blog for posting material for the public. His is a special blog for that purpose, but I'm going to use my old personal blog (THIS BLOG, Newmania!)

I feel prepared and ready to go... let the learnings begin!

A List Apart: Articles: Elevate Web Design at the University Level

2009-01-21T17:39:00.000-08:00

A List Apart: Articles: Elevate Web Design at the University Level: "We need to connect educators and practicing professionals through web and educational conferences. We need to encourage conversation between local web professionals and higher educational institutions."

Institutions risk becoming irrelevant if they are not in touch with the needs of industry and the workplace.

I'm very glad that my program - The Master's of Instructional Technology at UNCW - has a strong tie to and focus on job preparation. They do this through genuine, authentic projects which are featured in every course. And, interaction and involvement from community members and alumni.

It's my hope that they drive further with this philosophy and increase the community involvement. There aren't alot of examples of this and I hope they take their rightful position of leadership in affecting positive change in the industry and school.

Inspired by Obama, cyclist riding from L.A. to D.C. | StarNewsOnline.com | Star-News | Wilmington, NC

2009-01-12T04:42:00.000-08:00

Inspired by Obama, cyclist riding from L.A. to D.C. | StarNewsOnline.com | Star-News | Wilmington, NC: "Once Ryan Bowen decided to ride a bicycle from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., for Barack Obama’s inauguration, almost everything else took care of itself."

Just went down to the Durham Bike Co-Op yesterday and got the bike all fixed up. This story is inspiring me to ride to work... but it's cold outside.

An interesting link and an update

2009-01-11T07:08:00.000-08:00

RefWorks Home Page: "RefWorks -- an online research management, writing and collaboration tool -- is designed to help researchers easily gather, manage, store and share all types of information, as well as generate citations and bibliographies."

That's the interesting link. I think it might be a cool information sharing tool - like Diigo and Delicious - but it uses the existing University / scholarly standards of APA and bibliographies.

Anyway, a professor at DUSON (Duke school of nursing) turned me on to it and it's being used in the Duke Library. I am living and working in Durham NC now as a support specialist. Basically, it's the same thing that I was doing in Wilmington at UNC W, but I have my own office (WITH MY NAME ON THE DOOR!). I've been here about two months and I'm beginning to settle in. I'm sharing a house with a law student and his dog, Cosmo.

With the new job, I've been involved in many topics in instructional design and technology. Currently -- this weekend -- I've been interested in assessment and measurement. I've been tasked with evaluating courses at work. I want to get involved with the Blackboard exemplary course program. And Doug Noon is thinking about it. And Shane Baptista is thinking about it. So, I'm thinking about it, too.

We really become what we measure. This of course is a universal. ( I always find the universal. )For instance, high school measures memorization of vocabulary. It's easy. It's standardized. The results are students who can repeat vocabulary for a multiple-choice test, but who cannot use that vocabulary with understanding for problem solving and analysis.

Okay -- I'll tell a story. Bonnie Hellgate, my 9th grade English teacher. She was doing vocabulary tests -- basically spelling tests. The word was S T I N G Y. STINGY. I knew the definition and how to spell it. She had never asked how to pronounce it... Before that day. Anyway, I didn't get that question right. And as I recall, I had to take ninth-grade English again that summer.

Moral of the story -- We are what we measure. I didn't know she would measure pronunciation. So, I didn't know how to pronounce it. Universally speaking, I think this idea of measurement extends beyond the classroom. One of my favorite Bob Marley lyrics is "I know you don't know/what this life is really worth ". Perhaps Bob implies that he knows what life is really worth. That he could develop a test for a worthy life. But I don't think so. I think the reason he knows I don't know, is that he doesn't know himself. And he wants people to stop judging him. So I think it circles back to non-judgment.

So perhaps the take away is to assess/evaluate/measure without judgment. Can that be done? How can we assess students learning/progression/ability/competency without cold, critical judgment, which I think disrespects the learner and ... well, soul crushing.

School shouldn't crush the soul.

Have fun out there and be good.
n

Connectivism & Connective Knowledge

2008-09-19T12:46:00.000-07:00

Connectivism & Connective Knowledge

Stephen Downes and George Siemens, along with Dave Cormier have an interesting project going on... the more I know about it, the more I like it. These dudes are the smartest in the room - because the 'KNOW' more? No, because there are creating the biggest networks.

boom!

(Video) Five Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do : DivineCaroline

2008-04-06T08:04:00.000-07:00

(Video) Five Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do : DivineCaroline: "Tinkering School"

A great short video about raising kids in a modern overly safe world.

Why I think it's cool: It made me think of a few things actually. 1) I'm reading a book by Mel Levine in which he talks about spoiled, over protected children who can't deal with adult non-parent mediated life. You can't deal with it b/c they were never taught about it. I think problem based learning can fix this - meaning setting learners/users/students/kids loose on a problem and let them make mistakes/get cut or bruised/break something - the key is not a safe physical environment, it's a safe emotional environment. The teacher/parent/designer says I'll protect you when you get hurt, not "I'll protect you from getting hurt".

okay 2) I thought about my Grandfather. He taught me to do dangerous things safely. He taught me to shoot, gave me pocket knifes constantly. He taught me to drive (that was tuff on him) and he taught me about gasoline and fire. All of this was done in the context of his farm and with such reverence and care for the dangers of life, that I'm forever grateful.

3) Millennial students are moving farther away from this type of experience and are become risk averse AND careless/ reckless at the same time. The aren't learning the lessons from grandpa on the farm. If they carry a pocket knife - they might use it to stab someone, or if they carry a gun...

Why I think you should watch the video: I think we all have to do our part to help childern we interact with to understand dangers and learn the lessons of safety... learn by doing, not listen to adults lecture or reading safety labels.

To find out more about the speaker, Gever Tulley and "The tinkering school", check out the blog - http://www.tinkeringschool.com/blog/

Hello 2008

2008-01-13T11:00:00.001-08:00

Bathroom Sink Popup and Stopper Problems from the Natural Handyman Home Repair and Do It Yourself website

Without going into too much detail, this site and this graphic helped me out tremendously this morning. ... It's a good thing. hehe - I clogged the drain when I shaved off my beard on the day of the epiphany which happened also to be the day my Grandfather, John, died.

He was a good guy. He may have been a Taoist - Christian Taoist.

yep

Infinite Thinking Machine

2007-12-06T17:41:00.000-08:00

Infinite Thinking Machine: "I'll frequently ask my audiences of educational technologists why Apache, MySQL, PHP, and/or Python--all current building blocks of the Web, and which can be obtained for free and run on older computers--aren't being taught in schools"

Oh yes!

Sorry about the long Hiatus (sp?) from posting but I'm been busy (! /smile)

Anyway, I'm all about educational paradox and FOSS. The paradox is that this stuff is free and useful, yet school continue to teach with stuff that's expensive and pointless.

phenomenal genius guy - Lin Yutang

2007-08-14T21:13:00.001-07:00

Like LinYuTang, I am a reasonable nudist. He is a really pretty cool
and I think ready for a surge in popularity. A friend recently said she only skinny dips in her bath tub and it reminded me of this essay.

16

ON BEING NAKED

NUDISM has come to America, I am told. Let it come! I

just fail to see what harm it can do. I have been a nudist all

my life without my knowing it.

Now it should be clearly understood at the beginning that

I am a reasonable nudist, as against the doctrinaire and fa

natic nudists, as I always am a reasonable vegetarian as dis

tinguished from the fanatic vegetarians. Like all Chinese,

and following the old doctrine of the Golden Mean, I am all

for nudism at certain hours and in certain circumstances, in

the bathtub, for instance, but I am dead against going down

Broadway in the native garb my mother gave me. I can hon
estly
tell you that it is beautiful to feel naked in one's bath (that's all
I could find online) It's in the book "with love and irony"

His famous book is "The importance of
living". He is 'phenomenal genius guy' of mine, because for all his
smarts he still lives as he pleases. He wrote this about wisdom‘The wisest man is therefore he who loafs most gracefully.’

The Idler » Idle Idols: Lin Yutang

On Wisdom: ‘The wisest man is therefore he who loafs most gracefully.’

It's August, Ya'll

2007-08-03T14:01:00.001-07:00

WALT WHITMAN, LEAVES OF GRASS

I know I am solid and sound,

To me the converging objects of the universe perpetually flow,
All are written to me, and I must get what the writing means.

I know I am deathless,
I know this orbit of mine cannot be swept by a carpenter's compass,
I know I shall not pass like a child's carlacue cut with a burnt
stick at night.

I know I am august,

I do not trouble my spirit to vindicate itself or be understood,

I see that the elementary laws never apologize,

I exist as I am, that is enough,
If no other in the world be aware I sit content,
And if each and all be aware I sit content.

My Future Job

2007-08-03T13:38:00.001-07:00

IT Development and Training Specialist job in Durham, NC: Technology and Pharmaceutical/Biotech careers - Yahoo HotJobs

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

.Bachelor's degree in Education, Computer Science or related area or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that provides the individual with the required knowledge, skills, and abilities
.Two - Five years experience in the development and delivery of IT training
.Or equivalent combination of education, training and experience that provide the individual with the required knowledge, skills, and abilities

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

.Ability to Design and development of learning and training materials
.Excellent verbal/written communication skills
.Ability to apply adult learning theory
.Model building skills
.Problem-solving abilities
.Ability to understand and apply project management skills
.Performance observation skills
.Ability to understand and apply job tools/aids techniques
.Ability to interact successfully in front of large groups
.Strong presentation skills
.Excellent interpersonal skills; ability to motivate and coach others
.Ability to work independently
.Ability to prioritize well
.Ability to multitask
.Positive attitude and ability to work well with others
.Advanced computer skills

I think the MIT program can give me these skills. Which ones will I focus on? Which need work?

Ernie Cline's NerdPorn

2007-07-22T22:41:00.001-07:00

Dance, Monkeys, Dance - Flash animation

From the guy who brougth you the Dance, Monkeys, Dance animation:

Nerd Porn:

A silly video

2007-07-22T21:57:00.001-07:00

Doug Noon and Stephen Downes write about future education and classroom reform

2007-07-22T09:57:00.001-07:00

Good Morning HiFives Readers...

Doug at Borderland pulls together and explains his thoughts after reading Ivan Illich’s Deschooling Society and others School 2.0 ideas and resistance to systemic change in schools. The spawn event was working on a committee to rewrite his school's mission statement. Where the idea for a Wiki to complete the work was shot down by a ... reactionary colleague.

I had a similar experience with a volunteer at a Non-Profit, where I volunteer. Without going into detail, when I suggested a blog and wiki to handle some of the admin communication and scheduling, this guy said "I've had this same conversation many times before." My Dad says this to me as well. I think that's a problem of over generalization and wrong headed. However, not being defensive and being very Edward de Bono, I took his perspective and tried to figure out what the real objection. I think I convinced him that, indeed, things have changed since 1999, when he had "the same conversation". The very next week, the org started a new schedule blog. Change happens.

Doug is great about spreading around the good links. He linked this Downes article and I found the following quote

Half an Hour: To The School or Classroom 2.0 Advocates

We need to stop employing students as fast-food servers and sales clerks. They are capable of much better than that, and an exercise in corporate demeaning is probably not the best way to introduce them to society.

We should begin offering students full-time employment in certain fields as alternatives to their formal studies. Such a program should logically begin at the higher grades (grades 11 and 12) as well as being brought on-stream as an alternative to college and university.

Most such employment involves the creation of some sort of content or another. The ranges of possible employment are covered in my diagram:

- students could provide ultra-local news, entertainment and sports reporting
- students could provide up-to-date surveying and inventories of civic property
- students could conduct scientific field-research such as bird-counting, ecosystem sampling, pollution-measuring and the like
- students could help supervise younger children

and more - the possibilities are limited only by our imaginations.

I feel this is exactly what Sandra and Mr. Meador are trying to do with Topsail High School here in Pender Co. They are making a Project based curriculum around a school new production. And it reminds me of the project at St. Martin De Porres High school in Cleveland (Thanks Karen Nestor) ... And it is exactly what I want to do with the MIT program in UNCW.

The trick to making this attractive is to present it, not as the dog-eat-dog struggle for survival that characterizes our existing economy, but rather as a large and complex game, played partially on the computer and partially in RL, in which they play an increasingly important role.

Now here is the Edu-Gaming part - Thank you Stephen Downes. YES! This is what I think of when I play WoW (the famously popular World of Warcraft) hmmm... enough for now.. Thanks for the inspiration.

I'm back!

2007-06-25T08:19:00.000-07:00

John in Thailand

2006-09-23T08:46:00.000-07:00

http://joguva.blogspot.com/index.html

It's pretty dang good.

I have a new Blog

2006-07-25T21:28:00.000-07:00

Check it out at

http://newmania.allmypeople.com

This blog is screwy

2006-07-09T20:56:00.000-07:00

I can't login to this blog anymore

Head over to my NEW BLOG

http://newmania.allmypeople.com

It's My Birthday!

2006-06-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

I so happy to make it here.

I've always loved my Birthday - not for the attention and presents (Those things just embarassed me) - But for the cool stuff that happened. It was the date in 1856 that the first English Colony in North America gave up and went home - thus creating "The Lost Colony" and possibly the strange blue eyes and light color hair in the Lumbee Indian tribe in my Mother's hometown of Lumberton, NC.

It was also the date that American Slaves were freed and it's celebrated each year with a big festival called "Juneteenth".

The past two years I've gone down to the beach for my birthday - Last year, I went with the incredible, beautiful Sasa Bear. She and I spent the weekend touring the north east coast of Taiwan and had a long hike along a historic trail through the forest, along a stream and up a mountain - did I say it was long :)

Sasa also sent the best Birthday card I've ever recieved in all my 34 years - Thanks Sarah!

My Mom called to wake me up with birthday greetings, yesterday. I guess she is using last year's calendar. Sally chimed in with a nice Birthday email.

Tonight - it's a BBQ and a Game 7 Stanley Cup final. Should be a good and memorable day.

much love,
nsl

World Naked Bike Ride day - June 10th, 2006

2006-06-11T17:34:00.000-07:00

MADRID (Reuters) - Hundreds of nude cyclists pedaled around Spanish cities on Saturday to protest against car-clogged streets and demand greater respect for pollution-free transport.

With slogans like "one car less" and "bio methanol" painted on their backs, the naked cyclists staged Spain's third annual Ciclonudista or "Nudecycle" in Madrid, Barcelona and Pamplona.

The protest was part of world-wide naked bike riding events on Saturday across Europe, North America and South America.

for more... no pictures

but wait... Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/worldnakedbikeride/

Waiting for Ray ...

2006-06-06T13:28:00.000-07:00

Chilling out inside on a stormy day here in North Carolina.

radio david bryne is helping tremendously.

Avant Pop

Glitchy squiggly pop is more like it. Spanning 30+ years here are 3 hours of music that sounds like it all branched from the same tree trunk. A tree with roots that strangely matches that imagined by the creators of 60s Sci Fi movies and TV shows, but fully realized only now, in the 21st century, their future. This music's forerunner was heard in the movie scene where the weirdly beautiful woman sings and plays an instrument that looks like a 3D spider web. Or something similar. Odd how the future turned out to be almost exactly as it was imagined. As if those TV shows and movies were prescriptive not just imaginative. As if the fictional possibilities as writers imagined them and presented to us defined the scope of our imaginations — we will build the future but only as we can imagine it. You can't make it happen unless you visualize it first. How could we do otherwise?

So movie scenes and the soundtracks are like words — we think in concepts as defined and restricted by our language, and we imagine, create and hear only that which is within our grammar of sounds.

There are alternate futures, alternate music, but we will never experience them as our present as they were never imagined, or were imagined and then forgotten. There is music out there that we cannot hear, because it does not fit our definition of what music is. Someday that music will be imagined, and then inevitably, created.

The grooves here tend to be skittery, the percussion like the sounds of distant cutlery rattling, but the structures are often surprisingly (and comfortably) traditional — clear-cut verses and choruses. Voices lean towards the intimate, breathy, slightly mournful. Whispering strange and very personal messages in our ears. These are folk songs. Folk songs from a culture made of ones and zeros.

— DB

Check out the avant pop this month on Radio David Byrne.com perfect for a rainy beach day.

Gabba Gabba Hey,,, yo?

2006-06-03T01:49:00.000-07:00

trailerHD_320.mov (video/quicktime Object)

The cookies were good. And they helped.

So, I'm sad and depressed.

But then I click on this link and I was changed. I inspired me to write this. Get ready to be totally freaked out, in a good way.

Yogabbagabba!

PS: oh, that popping sound you will hear is 21st century children's programing in high Def.

Shine on you crazy ... Frogger

2006-05-26T09:34:00.000-07:00

Neave Games :: Frogger

You will be amazed. It's not that I am a gamer, but I believe in the power of games. This game, Frogger, brings back memories for sure. As I recall, it was hot-ly contested in the Lanier / Stephenson family and Garden Hills Neighborhood dens of the early 80's. It's a strangely addictive game. This new flash version by Neave games is really good - the graphics and the sounds match my memory.

Okay I'm back to playing...

So, if you have never played frogger, you owe it to yourself to try.

Pink Floyd - "Shine on you crazy diamond"
"Remember when you were young,
"Now there's a look in your eyes,
"you reached for the secret too soon,

Everything is going to be fine...

2006-05-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

Cookies are in the oven and the CAVS are on the TV.

6 mins on the cookies...

Eddie meet advertising. advertising, Eddie Spaghetti.

2006-05-10T09:24:00.000-07:00

3quarksdaily: "On Saturday, the town of Skarsterlan began fining Hotels.nl 1,000 euros a day for putting branded blankets on sheep. Advertising on livestock violates the town's ban on advertising along the highways."

My Friend, Eddie, is selling advertising in Orlando, FL. When I saw this article on selling ads on sheep that graze near the highway in Holland, well I thought about all the creative, innovative thinking that goes into advertising. I think marketing and Eddie are a good match, because he is a innovative and creative thinker.

Eddie meet advertising. Advertising, Eddie Spaghetti.

Flickr: Photos from newmania

2006-05-09T10:12:00.001-07:00

Flickr: Photos from newmania

Just posted my Havasu Falls and Grand canyon trip photos over on Flickr. Some are really good.

Angie and I spent a full week in the area. After flying into Vegas and getting a rental car, we drove out to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and stayed in the Mather Campground. It was super freakin cold - good thing there is a Supermarket there with camping supplies. I bought a fleece liner for my sleeping bag and I was COZY the second night.

It was Angie's first time seeing the Canyon and she summed it up in one word "unbelieveable". You just have to see it. The weather was cold - maybe 40s and occasional snow showers. We were happy to drive into the lowlands for some heat.

The parking lot for the Havasu Falls / Havasupai village is 60 miles down a BIA (bureau of indian affairs) road. We parked there and hiked the 10 miles to the campground and the Falls.

The waterfalls were breathtaking and such a treat after the long, dusty hike. It's a shock to be dry and hot, and then turn a corner and feel the moisture from the falls. A very viseral experience. Your BODY rejoices!

We spent three days hanging out and swimming in the pools and eating - we brought a ton of food. And we met a bunch of very cool folks.

There were the English couple - Richard and ?, the park ranger and his girlfriend - Wayne and Teressa, the folks who horseback'ed in with massive provisions, the Colorado ski resort workers, and of course, the Sisters - Alexis and Rachel. We met the sisters at Mooney Falls - the one you have to clmb down a canyon wall to get to. Alexis convinced us to jump from the rope swing. We all hiked out together and had a blast.

So get on over to Flickr and check out the pix! and it's okay to post a comment or two :)

The Alaskan Forum hits 100 members!

2006-05-09T10:12:00.000-07:00

I happy to report that the forum I started alittle over a year ago has 100 members. The forum has information about visiting Alaska and living in Alaska. And it provides a places for Alaskans to share tips and highlights.

Visiting and living in Alaska poses special problems. It's unlike any other place in the USA and probably the world. It's hard to come here and be successful. To have a good experience you need a community and guide to help you get along. Where do you buy xtratuffs? How do you find a good Mexican restaurant in Fairbanks? All sorts of questions arise when living on the last frontier. I created the Alaskan Forum to highlight the web sites that can help and provide a place for Alaskans to discuss these topics.

It's an open place and it's free to join the discussion. Please visit, join the board, and post a topic.

If you are a business or have an Alaskan website / blog, it's okay to post a link to your site (as long as it is relative to Alaska)

http://forum.alaskagold.com

Saddened to report the death of a Valdez Heli Ski Legend

2006-05-04T07:52:00.000-07:00

Doug Coombs Dies in French ski accident

To me Doug Coombs was a legend. A story that may or not be true, but gives inspiration and hope. He pioneered the Heli Ski community and guiding business lifestyle. The life he created for himself was the stuff of legend. He rode in a helicopter to work. In a remote part of Alaska he helped define a sport, a business and a lifestyle. The sport was big mountain, heli access free-skiing. He was twice a World Extreme Skiing Champion. The business was guiding mere mortals to the hallowed heights he and a few others had pioneered. He was a success in founding two guiding outfitts and working on at least three continents. And the lifestyle was a global trekking heli ski ~~bum~~ business mogul with a big smile and a pure heart. He was a champion for everyone who looked up at a snow loaded coulair or down at a map where the mountains are shaded white.

In this way, he lives on as legends do. I'm glad to know him. He will be missed.

2006-04-29T23:15:00.000-07:00

Raggae blasts out of the RV at the top of the hill next to the trailhead in the sunbleached parking lot in the middle of the Indian Reservation. A handwritten sign says Cold Drinks and underneath "have an Irie Day". It turns out the Havasupai Indian tribe are Rastafarian. Look at some of the pictures and you can imagine why -

Angie and I have only a few hours here in Tacoma and tomorrow we head to Sitka... more later

Goin' Dark... Vacation 'til May Day

2006-04-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

Loyal readers!

In my attempt to travel myself into the poor house, I'm going on another vacation. This time to the Grand Canyon. I really AM excited, but I'm a bit weary.

Since I stopped working last year, I've been all over Taiwan, NC, Georgia, Hilton Head, SC, Florida, Wisconsin, Costa Rica, and Cleveland and Tacoma and Seatle and Portland.

It's been a great run, but I'm out of money. This will be my last trip... I mean starting now, I'm not going to book anymore airline tickets. Of course, I'm still going to Sitka in May and a bike tour in Oregon in June - But after that, I'm going to get a JOB.

yep, I'm not sure just what yet. But I will work again.

Being Jobless has been an experience - this is certainly the longest I've been unemployed. But being a world traveler is a job, right? And I've helped people. And spent time with Family and friends. I like that part of it. It's the not showering and lounging around all day on the couch watching DVD's of arrested development that is killing me.

So, I'm hoping for a brief spell of work to make some cash and / or experience and then of to school. Could be an education Masters... Could be an MBA or something totally different.

My confidence shook a bit when I saw my bank account. But it's given me some motivation. So, keep me in your thoughts and I'll see you here again in a week or two.

Academic Studies Starbucks Cultural Impact - Yahoo! News

2006-04-16T13:39:00.000-07:00

Academic Studies Starbucks Cultural Impact - Yahoo! News: "Simon, who teaches at Philadelphia's Temple University, thinks that by spending time at Starbucks — observing the teenage couples and solitary laptop-users, the hurried office workers and busy baristas — he can learn what it means to live and consume in the age of globalization."

What it means to live and consume in the age of globalization... I like that. live and consume ... in the age of globalization.

That's my age!

...

Happy Easter everybody!

search"sasha cohen" VideoSift

2006-04-13T18:21:00.000-07:00

search"sasha cohen" VideoSift

Borat "Ali G" disgraces the national anthem in Savannah, Georgia. It's funny

My great aunt , Eloise

2006-04-11T00:34:00.000-07:00

OKAY okay - one more story about death: The crux of my family, I've always said, is that two brothers married two sisters. Lenny and EvaMae and Raeford and Eloise. They celebrated their anniversary on the Fourth of July. Raeford and Eloise were favorites of mine and when the only thing you know about them is there names, you can understand why. They deserved those cool names because they were off the chart in cool. Raeford was gruff and hard and Eloise was smart, sassy and with the looks to back it up. They loved each other tremendously and raised 5 kids. After a fight with cancer, Raeford died first. Eloise lived on. She traveled to my graduation with my Grandmother, EvaMae. They were best friends. After years with Cancer, EvaMae died. Eloise lived by herself. And on the Fourth of July, her family gathered at a neighbors for the traditional party. She felt tired and wanted to rest. She would be along to join the party after awhile. She lay down on the couch and read a book. When her son came to bring her to the party, the book was peacefully resting on her chest and she was gone.

Perhaps she drifted off like our poet describes. I know she was a simple country lady. And I hope she wasn't afraid and felt the connection with her family and simply got up from the couch and joined them at the party.

I'll try to find a good picture of her and post it soon.

enough of the Death Stuff

2006-04-09T23:12:00.000-07:00

... well just one more post. Tonight, while celebrating my return from Portland, I watched the PBS show "Nature". The subject was an African Fig tree. The female narrator's soothing voice explained the web of life surrounding this one tree on the bank of a crystal clear river. The point of the story was the relationship between the fig fruit and the lone pollenating fig wasp. But what surprized me was the life struggle and death of these creatures all in perfect harmony. Nothing is F$#K'ed here. Every lifecycle fit into a whole and served some sort of purpose. As if by pre-arranged contract, each species fulfills an obligation and contributes in some way.

Beautiful. It made me happy for the tree, and the bugs, and PBS.

pictures from Portland, soon.

Thanatopsis

2006-04-05T23:50:00.000-07:00

Thanatopsis

Death - This poem was written by a 16 year old in the late 19th century. He seems to get it. "All that breathe share thy destiny." This was and is one of my favorite poems. I first read it in class and have always gone back to it.

My grandfather got word that he has a cancerous tumor and must have an operation to remove his kidney. It's a big deal, in my mind. He is 81 years old. And he has seen alot of death. His wife, brothers, friends have all joined the "innumerable caravan".

It's tough to speak to your grandparents about dying. But why in the world is it? Death is all around us. Yet it's a taboo. Maybe it's like sex - we don't talk about it to build up the mystery and heighten the thrill.

So, okay, I'll play along. I won't try to bust the taboo. But I won't be ruled by it either. A little mystery is good - too much is a dysfunction.

I'm going to die. The fear is that I will die doing something stupid and that I'll cower and creep toward it like a quarry-slave at night.

My grave is waiting, but my obituary is not written. I plan to walk toward my death day with unfaltering trust. So can you.

"The oxen are slow, but the earth is patient."

01:02:03 04/05/06

2006-04-05T19:15:00.000-07:00

For another example of why Annie is supercool. She told me she wants to finalize her marriage (long story) today. Wednesday, April 5, 2006 - 04/05/06. Pretty cool, huh? My friend Nat in Portland just sent me this: This afternoon it will be 01:02:03 pm 04/05/06.

Can I just say that my friends freakin' rule!

Near death experience brings people together

2006-04-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

I've truly been on a wild ride and I want to share more about it. I'm not the best writer even at my best. Regardless of that fact, every once in a while, I get over myself enough to type a blog post. This one is about death and life.

When the plane I was on caught fire (US Airways Flight 59 from Charlotte to Seatac), I had a bit of an "Come to Jesus Party". It wasn't frantic. I didn't panic - No one did. My reaction was not passionate. I felt alittle sick to my stomach, as I thought "Today is the day I die." I can't say I wasn't scared - I was. But, erierly I was pretty calm as I sort of observed the situation. The flashes of light and the plane sliding around fighting the turbulence on one engine was "off putting".

After we landed and the tension dropped. (The pilot said "I think everything is under control") We laughed and the people in the cabin talked with one another. I wonder what they thought. We had been in a tense situation and we felt a bond stronger than the normal barrier against speaking to a stranger.

I don't know if it's Star Trek's Klingon or Japanese Shinto ninja comic book philosophy, but somewhere way back when I watched Star Trek with my Dad or chucked "throwing stars" at the back of my friend's skateboard halfpipe, I accepted that I was going to die. I really couldn't choose when, but I could choose how. I want to die doing something great.

And in the last couple of months - Since I moved to Tacoma to be with my Girlfriend or Since I quit my job in Taiwan and moved back to be near Family - I feel like I'm doing something great. Like I'm living by the right values or guidebook.

"I'm still alive / do I deserve to be? / And if so, who answers?" That's a Pearl Jam lyric that has been floating around my head lately (before the flaming engine).

I an hour before I got on the plane to leave Wilmington, I met with a friend, Annie. I've known her for less than a year and we have a fantastic relationship. It's intellectual,as well as intimate and physical - She is my massage therapist. After the massage yesterday and while we were saying goodbye, she said something that I truly needed to hear. She said that she was happy to know me, that I was special to her. She said that I was like a wonderful cameo in the movie of her life. It made me feel so good. I felt like busting at the seams. When someone who you think is great, thinks you are great - well, that's just great. (!)

She also said I deserved to be happy and have a great life. That word deserved struck me and I remembered the Pearl Jam song.

So maybe it's our friends who answer the question, "Do I deserve to be alive?" Of course, I've been told by my parents and family and friends that I am special to them, but they are sort of obligated to make comments like that. Coming from a new friend and unsolicited - It's Special. And she is special. And I wish for her the same thing.

komo news | US Airways Plane Lands Safely After Bird Strike

2006-04-04T23:10:00.000-07:00

komo news | US Airways Plane Lands Safely After Bird Strike

This was me.

Coming into Sea-Tac, the engine starts to make a funny noise. I didn't think too much about it because planes make funny noises ... sometimes. But when a guy on the other side of the plane starts saying "Hey, the engine is on fire." and there are flashes of light inside the cabin - my "HOly CRAP" meter was pegged.

The pilot had to fight turbulence and with one engine it was pretty frightening. Imagine the engine is on fire and the plane is weaving around. Sucked!

I thought, "Well, I could die in this plane. Today."

hmmm

"I'd rather be lucky than good"

well, the excitment continues....

If you go down to Hammond...

2006-04-02T13:59:00.000-07:00

Travel is something for the strong. My brother and I just got off the road from our Southern swing. 1 week and 2 thousand miles later we can sit back and relax for a few hours here at home before we head off again - this time in seperate directions. He is going to Hawaii and I am back to Tacoma.

Florida is a travel paradise. Fecund describes it well. It's dripping with wildlife. And not only in Downtown Orlando. Which is best seen from the back of a speeding pedicab.

Well, my mind is fried. People visited: Mark, Catherine, Paddy, Lilly, The Nestor clan, the lean Mel and Eddie, Charles. Everyone is fine. I'm fine and ready to get back "home".

I hope to write about some trip highlights - like the natural springs, the kayak trip with my brother and sister in Tarpon bay, and the easy life at the Casa del Nestor on Sanibel.

as always, more later,

And who knows which is which and who is who

2006-03-25T09:43:00.000-08:00

Things I like: getting comments from friends on the blog (Thanks Doug!) Waking up with the Sun, having a bunch of energy, posting a small article on the Alaskan Forum with fishing info, my brother screwing with telemarketers (Oh no they aren't here, but you sound like a go getter - do you want to represent me with AM-Way. It's a great program, despite what you heard. What's your telephone number?...), cruise control, iwayhigh reagge internet radio stream on my Axim, reagge Pink Floyd covers, B vitamins, turning worms

Things I DONT like: My teams getting wiped out of the tournament (C'mon BC! 23 turnovers!!!!), car traffic on my walk / ride to the store, non-creative and violent solutions to conflict and feeling like there is nothing I can do about it, hopelessness (Hope is the last to die.)

So I want to thank the people who read this blog and are thinking about me.

Party on. I'm going to be dark for a bit while I travel down to FLA. Here is a link to the route.

Sisters of the Sun are gonna rock me on the water

2006-03-24T07:59:00.000-08:00

Mile stones - I've posted 200 blog entries here. All this talkin' and not much saying. I've been "between jobs" for over a year. Yep, f@#k work. and more.... I'm working on my site www.alaskagold.com and it seems to be paying off - numbers are up and I'm enjoying learning all the new stuff.

It's a rainy day here in Wilmington, NC. And cold. I thought I had planned to be here in the 'nice' part of the year. And I got it part right - The azelela's are beginning to bloom. Soom trees are budding and pushing out color. But it's cold.

Anyhow, Next week "I'll get down to the beach somehow." Tomorrow is my uncle's 60 birthday and we are planning a surprise party (I hope he doesn't read this blog in the next 24 hours!) . The party will be a Carolina Pig Pickin' - Have you ever been to one? It's the kind where the pig is BBQ'ed with the head and tail and stuff. It's a sight and DAMN it taste good. Good Carolina BBQ makes it ALL worth it.

I've been strugglin' a bit lately. But the rain is coming down and KNBA is on the radio and the cookies are smellin' good in the oven (almost done) - so I'm not complaining at all.

Jackson Brown helps:

Oh people, look around you
The signs are everywhere
You’ve left it for somebody other than you
To be the one to care
You’re lost inside your houses
There’s no time to find you now
Your walls are burning and your towers are turning
I’m going to leave you here and try to get down to the sea somehow
...

We all must do the best we can
And then hang on to that gospel plow
When my life is over, I’m going to stand before the father
But the sisters of the sun are going to rock me on the water now

cookies are done

Yep, that was the sound of my voice...

2006-03-20T08:16:00.000-08:00

Wow, um, that was, um, ... good. Um, ... um...

I have to say, not by way of excuse, but I HAD been driving for 8 hours and in the car for 4 days, and it was super late. Anyway, I hope you liked, um, the Audio post.

So, I'm back in Wilmington, NC. And, because the truck isn't "doing right", I took my bike over to cousin Brett's house to watch UNC fall to the Mighty Murray State squad. When Roy Williams almost threw that chair onto the court and grabbed a player, I knew we were in trouble. Hurt feelings and sadness aside, that's the freakin reason we watch March Madness. Little Davids battling with giant goliath. Murray State came to play and win, and, well, we didn't. So see ya next year Tar Heels. Thank you for a great season and for beating Dook on Reddick's Senior night.

So, now in the tournament, I'm rooting for BC and Gonzaga.

Oh, and my Country is waging a war that can't be won and for questionable reasons going on four years now... more later

2006-03-19T00:26:00.000-08:00

Before I go

2006-03-14T07:01:00.000-08:00

Hello Dear reader!

I forgot to mention that there are no pictures of the Costa Rica trip. Angie wanted me to take the camera but I said " No. I figure I'll find more things worth remembering if I don't take a camera. Sort of like taking a hike and seeing hundreds of squirrels, but if you take your .22 along you don't see one." So, I have a bunch of great memories but no pics. Actually, a guy took a picture of me swimming in the waterfall, but hasn't sent them yet.

AND, next adventure.

Brother Ray and I are going on a 1500 mile roadtrip to pick up a great big inflatable gorrilla, no... big gyroscope thing, like the ones at fairs and NASA training. He bought it off eBay Only catch, It's in MN (don't ask me to spell Minnesota). So we are loading up the truck and heading North. Should be there in a couple of days and return in a couple of days.

Funny thing is ... we are turning around directly and going on another road trip... to Florida. good times

"going where my toes are pointed",
Newman

Link: A map of the trip

Alright, so... when can I leave America?

2006-03-06T21:16:00.000-08:00

I'm reflecting on life and the whole of it lately, since I've been back from Costa Rica. And well, I want to know when can I leave here. Costa Rica is smokin' cool. And this place is pretty crappy, in comparsion.

I went to Playa del Coco (Ocotal) with Angie's Family. Big Angie, my girlfriend's Aunt, put all ten of us up in a swanky, private Villa on a hill over looking the coast. Incredible. A house staff for every need, a pool, hot tub, an incredible view, everything new and good food.

We spent the days driving down to the Beach or the little town or reading by the pool and napping. Highlights were the snorkle trip into the high seas in a homemade boat, a trip to a small farm and the cloud forest.

After dinner we relaxed around the table and I listened in on the Webb Family stories. Once everyone went to bed, Angie and I turned off all the lights and watched the shooting stars out over the water. We saw one that was like a flaming truck and it's light reflected off the water.

Other things about the Villa - Big Angie was so gracious to host us. The wind howled! There was no hot water for the first couple of days. God bless the "professor" behind the blender and Douglas her pupil - Douglas kept the pina coldas coming. Imperial beer! The "warm tub". Who wants to drive the van up to the impossible drive way? The rebar in the pool and the nails on the patio. We were the first ones to rent the Villa and the kinks were not worked out. My bag got lost by the airlines.

So, the first 7 days I spent in the lap of luxury with the Family Webb. The next three days I spent in the traditional cheap skate, shoestring, cosmic traveler style.

Beacause the flights were cheaper on the weekdays and I had the time, I booked my flight home 4 days later than everyone else. I said goodbye to them on Saturday morning at the Liberia Airport and hailed a cab to the town of Liberia.

The cab is good and cheap ($10), but he won't take me to the hotel. I had found the hotel Liberia in the Lonely Planet Costa Rica Guide. So I got out and walked across the PanAm highway (How cool is that!?) and hiked towards the city center. The sun is shining and all is groovy. And then, A bomb goes off. I'm about to dive down the pavement when I notice no one is alarmed so I pretend it doesn't bother me that mortar fire is dropping down on Liberia.

"This must be part of the festival" I think to myself. The Fiesta Civicas started the day before. Fireworks were announcing the beginning of a horse parade or Tope through the town. Danielle, the farmer we visited, had shown us his show horse he rides in parades like this. It was great to see all the horses and cowboys - authentic. I felt like I was transported back in time. So my adventure began... and it was great.

The first night, I travelled down the Nicoya peni. to see a "massive arrival" of sea turtles. The next night I watched the rodeo with my buddy, Byron. The next day, a jungle boat tour in the Paolo Verde National Park. And the last day, hiking trails around the volcano Rincon as well as skinny dipping the waterfall.

After all that I still had time to get two fillings in my teeth from an english speaking dentist on the same block as the hotel.

Each night there was fireworks and live bands on the square (100 yards from the Hotel) and a Diana or Revelie at 6 am.

I love costa rica. I got so lucky to be there for the festival and to meet up with the people I did. It seemed like a paradise of luxury and adventure. It would have been the same if not for Big Angie or Bryon or our guide Manfred and the Hotel Liberia.

stay tuned for photos.

check this space for updates soon!

2006-03-06T14:23:00.000-08:00

I'm just back from Costa Rica... has it been a week since I came back? I'm going to talk about the trip and post some photos soon.

And just like that I'm off to North Carolina and Florida for the month of March.

more later,
nsl

Moo gua Neo Nai and the world wide Charles

2006-02-17T10:29:00.000-08:00

Moo gua Neo Nai
Originally uploaded by newmania.

check out the other photos at Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nsl555/

Charles Cummings!

2006-02-17T10:02:00.000-08:00

My friend, Charles, is having a birthday. He could be 21 or 15 or ageless. He is one for the ages and as genuine of a guy as you likely ever to meet. He does have a firm view of Heaven and can guarantee that there is an unlimited supply of chocolate milk. In Charles we Trust!

Charles, I miss our Napoli Tuesday nights (the best place in all of Taiwan) and our 3rd Floor office at San Ming (Do you have the grade 2 lesson plans ready?) and I miss you. Hope that this Birthday is bright and hopeful.
Ni xie huan Moo Gua Neo Nai ma?

:::...Lebowski Fest...:::"The dude abides"

2006-02-15T14:45:00.000-08:00

:::...Lebowski Fest...:::: "What exactly is Lebowski Fest?

Lebowski Fest is a bowling event celebrating all things relating to the Coen Brothers 1998 film, The Big Lebowski. It can be likened to a Star Trek convention in a very loose sense. The event takes place at a bowling alley and includes unlimited bowling, costume , trivia, farthest traveled, and bowling contests, prizes, and what-have-you. The friend of the Coen Brothers who inspired the main character played by Jeff Bridges, Jeff 'The Dude' Dowd has been known to make an appearance and drink some White Russians. The 1st annual occurred in Fall of 2002 in Louisville, Kentucky and the 2nd annual took place in July 2003. We then headed way out west to Las Vegas for Lebowski Fest West in Feb., 2004. The 3rd Annual Lebowski Fest in June of 2004 brought over 4000 Achievers and included an outdoor concert with My Morning Jacket. Lebowski Fest New York was held in Aug. 2004. Lebowski Fest hit a milestone in LA when Jeff Bridges came out! "

Bicycles and Icicles: Piss off, thank you

2006-02-15T07:59:00.000-08:00

Bicycles and Icicles: Piss off, thank you: "Bicycles and Icicles

The rants, ravings and random wanderings of a bicyclist in the frigid north."

Tim is a cyclist in Anchorage and has a few points of view that I'm happy he shares with us.

This post has alot of stuff I like in a blog post - a fedEx driver, a list of stuff that's wrong (the F*&K Yous) and what's right (the Thank Yous), and a pretty girl with a nice smile. Reprinted without permission here.

AlterNet: The 14 Worst Corporate Evildoers

2006-02-12T00:09:00.000-08:00

AlterNet: The 14 Worst Corporate Evildoers: "Monsanto is the world's leading producer of the herbicide glyphosate, marketed as Roundup. Roundup is sold to small farmers as a pesticide, yet harms crops in the long run as the toxins accumulate in the soil. Plants eventually become infertile, forcing farmers to purchase genetically modified Roundup Ready Seed, a seed that resists the herbicide. This creates a cycle of dependency on Monsanto for both the weed killer and the only seed that can resist it. Both products are patented, and sold at inflated prices."

That's the capital system working for us. So clever! now the trick is to multiply by negetive one and find out how to make a cycle of good and not evil.

check out the link to find more evil corporations. Hmmm are all corporations bad. Aren't the evil do'ers, um I mean board of directors, regular Joes and Janes? I can't say for sure, but I know I wouldn't sleep so well at night if I was directing this sort of injustice.
Thanks to Dave Pollard

Make Poverty History - What We Want - Aid

2006-02-10T11:39:00.000-08:00

Make Poverty History - What We Want - Aid: "It should no longer be conditional on recipients promising economic change like privatising or deregulating their services, cutting health and education spending, or opening up their markets. Aid should support poor countries' and communities' own plans and paths out of poverty."

check out the movie "click" if you need a reason why fair trade is important. Oh and my favorite for the Grammy set - from Sarah Mclachlan - http://www.worldonfire.ca/

No Arms Sales to Africa.

2006-02-10T11:10:00.000-08:00

CNN.com - U.N. adviser: West killing Africa with gun sales - Feb 2, 2006

Here is a brillant observation. Stop selling guns to Africa. Why not? It's seems that the arms trade is as corrupt as it gets. Stop it. Don't make a value judgement. Don't stop selling to just the "Bad" guys. Just stop it all.

While you are at it - why not just stop selling them. period. to anyone, anywhere. Stop making them.

Oetzi could have been infertile!

2006-02-10T11:03:00.000-08:00

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Infertility link in iceman's DNA:
I love Oetzi Man! turns out he was shooting blanks... poor Oetzi. Maybe that's why people chased him down and put an arrow in the back of his skull. poor guy

Urban Ranger: build the habit of purposeful walking

2006-02-09T12:32:00.000-08:00

Urban Ranger: build the habit of purposeful walking: "Remember Strider, in Lord of the Rings? They didn't call him Sneaker or Sprinter or Sworder, though he possessed these skills in abundance. His distinctive quality, the important, even lethal skill, for which he was named, was that of walking rapidly and mindfully over great distances. Not only could he thus outpace his enemies, but he came to outknow them."

This is a pretty funny rant type post. It starts with a poem and that really caught my eye. He makes a couple of good points and it's worth a skim.

I'm going for a walk.

Basic Web Design

2006-02-07T12:54:00.000-08:00

Basic Web Design: "Create your own web site incorporating text and pictures. This technology is the cutting edge to make an impact on the world wide audience of the Internet. A benefit for small business, students, families, and individuals."

A blast from the past - My "Basic Web Design" class website from Prince William Sound Community College - October 1999. Yikes! It's very scary... but not bad for '99 I think.

jerome bruner - "professed and otherwise"

2006-02-07T09:16:00.000-08:00

jerome bruner and the process of education: "It is surely the case that schooling is only one small part of how a culture inducts the young into its canonical ways. Indeed, schooling may even be at odds with a culture's other ways of inducting the young into the requirements of communal living.... What has become increasingly clear... is that education is not just about conventional school matters like curriculum or standards or testing. What we resolve to do in school only makes sense when considered in the broader context of what the society intends to accomplish through its educational investment in the young. How one conceives of education, we have finally come to recognize, is a function of how one conceives of culture and its aims, professed and otherwise. "

Professed and otherwise - that's chilling. What is the aim of our culture? What is the professed aim and what is the "otherwise" / unstated aim? That's what makes being a disruptive educator such a problem - you are caught up in the system (you are the system!) I imagine that it is incredibly hard to balance your personal "aims" with those of the system.

I wonder if there is a big happy place where the goals of the culture completely match up with everyone within the culture... The goals of the principle and the school board match up with our disruptive educators. It sounds like Nazi Germany - maybe our democracy can't be divorced from the struggling oppostites and that we are doomed to inch along in herky jerky movements of the pendulum swing.

I see a big fight in education ahead of us. It truely is the frontline of culture. Will the students see it as a completely out of touch internment camp whose main purpose is to stupify and pacify? and whose main outcome is a distrust of leadership on one hand and blind acceptance on the other?

oh Geez, do I really want to be an educator?

I have to blame this mad ramble of a post on someone - I blame these guys - jerome bruner and Mark Wagner.

May be going to hell in a bucket... but at least I'm enjoying the ride

2006-02-03T09:08:00.000-08:00

So more about this John Perkins guy - the economic hit man. I really have to recommend the hour long recording of the Democracy Now show. Really good.

and from my last quote - the stat about Americans as 5% of the world's population using 25% of the worlds resources. That alone doesn't bother me. "The USA is the greatest country in the world". We have all heard this quote and, if we believe it, then we don't mind using those resources.

But what if what John Perkins says is true? What if we are assassinating democratically elected officials for the reasons of maintain our hegemony? What if we are stealing from the poor to give to the rich? It's shocking. and It's grotesque. Is it right to use all the oil and cheap (slave?) labor while destroying the environment and keeping the rest of the world away from our ideals?

We are tricking the developing world into playing our game and kill them if they wise up to it. Even when they believe in our system and our ideals. It's sick to think about.

I think it's clear - the leaders of America don't believe in Democracy, unless it agrees with them, unless it plays their game, unless it continues to keep them in power.

We use the very techniques we despise. Terroism, torture, corruption. to keep us in power. And for what purpose? to sit around and watch our bank accounts grow while the rest of the world withers. And they wither without a free press, without trial by jury, without fair elections.

This isn't a idle chat. People are dying. Everyday.

Now what if we used that power to help the developing world? What if we bet on the constitution and risk losing some power? What if we listen to and respect the developing world? Let them make mistakes. Let them grow up. Let them lead themselves. The democratic, free market will find a way.

Our involvement with developing nations is deplorable and it's time to fix it. The John Perkins book gives an insight into that issue.

Democracy Now! | Confessions of an Economic Hit Man: How the U.S. Uses Globalization to Cheat Poor Countries Out of Trillions

2006-02-02T10:03:00.000-08:00

Democracy Now! | Confessions of an Economic Hit Man: How the U.S. Uses Globalization to Cheat Poor Countries Out of Trillions

Listen in to Democracy Now... or search for the book on Amazon - Search John Perkins

I found a link to book review in The Guardian from 3quarksdaily blog. The book is called "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" by John Perkins. He details his experience (fictionalized experience) as a member of the "international banking community" or as a spook / 007 / spy / CIA, NSA, Main, the company.../ whatever. He was the guy that pressured governments to turn there back on democracy (for the people, by the people) and face the international corporate marketplace - the American interests.

When I read the review I was floored. How can this be true? I'm hoping someone will buy the book and send it to me....

"Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" by John Perkins

Guardian Unlimited Books | By genre | Gary Younge: A hit man repents

2006-02-02T09:44:00.000-08:00

Guardian Unlimited Books | By genre | Gary Younge: A hit man repents: "'The overall scheme is not a conspiracy,' he says. 'The corporatocracy is ourselves - we make it happen - which, of course, is why most of us find it difficult to stand up and oppose it"

Guardian Unlimited Books | By genre | Gary Younge: A hit man repents

2006-02-02T09:42:00.000-08:00

Guardian Unlimited Books | By genre | Gary Younge: A hit man repents: "Perkins certainly has the zeal of a convert. 'America has to change,' he says. 'The people of South America have sent a very strong message to America and to the world. Latin Americans have sent us a message. Middle Easterners have sent us a message. The voters of the US have to take the next step. It's up to us now. We must take this seriously. We're a nation of people that represents 5% of the world's population and consumes 25% of the world's resources. Simple mathematics will tell you that you can't sell that model to China or Africa or India. But we don't want to hear that. Because if you're one of the 5%, then you're leading a damned good life. Even the poorest among us are leading a much better life than the much less poor in the rest of the world.'"

Don’t drive angry - Groundhog day movie

2006-02-02T08:39:00.000-08:00

Open Source � Blog Archive � Groundhog Day: "Don’t drive angry: pay attention to whatever it is you’re doing"

Happy Groundhog Day, People!

"Well, I'm not THE God, I'm A God." People are talking about the Movie, "Groundhog Day" - It's a classic. It's the gospel of our modern, media staturated, confederacy of spiritual ideas. It's a Bill Murray tour de force.

Netflix it now!

Take Action: Tell New ExxonMobil CEO To Change Course

2006-01-31T09:00:00.000-08:00

Take Action: Tell New ExxonMobil CEO To Change Course

Our country remains overly dependent on oil, which has serious consequences ranging from rising gasoline prices that burden every American to global warming that threatens current and future generations.

This addiction to oil represents a failed energy strategy, one that your company not only supports but has helped to develop. I am most disturbed by:

* ExxonMobil's active support of drilling in the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge;

* ExxonMobil's efforts to block meaningful action to cut global warming pollution and its funding of junk science to hide the real facts about global warming;

* ExxonMobil's conscious decision to forgo investment in clean energy solutions - despite your record profits at a time of rising gasoline prices;

* ExxonMobil's failure to pay all of the punitive damages awarded to fishermen and others injured by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.

ExxonMobil represents yesterday's energy policy; I would rather spend my money and time moving forward, not backward.

That's why I will NOT purchase ExxonMobil's gas or products, invest in ExxonMobil stock, or work for the company.

Click here to send this email to the new CEO at ExxonMobil, Rex Tillerson (photos). He is a new guy and in the spirit of Christmas, it's never too late.

BP is getting the jump on these guys with the whole "We are an energy company, not nessecarily an oil company" ads. At least they acknowledge that global warming is happening and that things must change. Therefore, BP and Citgo is where I fill up and I avoid Exxon at all costs. (Except if it's late and I'm running out of gas). But don't take my advice on where to fill up the tank - Others are asking the questions and getting the answers .

Link - 2005 SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY RANKINGS FOR GAS STATIONS

Stop the war - the war on drugs

2006-01-30T09:35:00.000-08:00

LEAP: Mission Statement: "Founded on March 16, 2002, LEAP is made up of current and former members of law enforcement who believe the existing drug policies have failed in their intended goals of addressing the problems of crime, drug abuse, addiction, juvenile drug use, stopping the flow of illegal drugs into this country and the internal sale and use of illegal drugs. By fighting a war on drugs the government has increased the problems of society and made them far worse. A system of regulation rather than prohibition is a less harmful, more ethical and a more effective public policy.

The mission of LEAP is to reduce the multitude of unintended harmful consequences resulting from fighting the war on drugs and to lessen the incidence of death, disease, crime, and addiction by ultimately ending drug prohibition."

Prohibition doesn't work.

Idiotarod January 28, 2006

2006-01-29T14:56:00.000-08:00

Idiotarod January 28, 2006: "The Iditarod is the famous long-distance race in which yelping dogs tow a sled across Alaska. Our Idiotarod is pretty much the same thing, except that instead of dogs, it's people, instead of sleds, it's shopping carts, and instead of Alaska it's New York City."

Dave’s Wordpress Blog � Yahoo game-changers for 2006

2006-01-28T12:48:00.000-08:00

Dave’s Wordpress Blog � Yahoo game-changers for 2006: "3. P2P webcasting. I wrote about this vaguely the other day, and no one apparently understood what I meant by Skype for webcasting. Come on guys, it’s pretty simple. Suppose we’re having a conversation, and I decide “Wow, this would be great for Scripting News, let’s do a webcast of this right now.” So I whip out my laptop, get onto the net (there’s wifi everywhere of course, heh) and launch my Yahoo Webcaster desktop app for the Mac. I choose New Webcast from the File menu. A window opens. There’s a button that says “Copy URL to clipboard.” I click it. Go over to my outliner, paste it into a post on Scripting News. “Tune into this webcast I’m about to do with Bull Mancuso about intellectual property and organized crime.” I highlight the word webcast and click on Add Link. Save. Then I go back to the Yahoo app and click Start. We talk for ten minutes, all the while people tune into the stream, which is managed via a realtime BitTorrent-like P2P connection. And of course when it’s all done it’s automatically archived to an MP3 and included in my RSS 2.0 feed for people who subscribe. If you’ve ever done a webcast, you know how much better this would be. And it’s ready to go, we know how to do all the bits."

Now this is the kinda of thinking I'm "talkin' about". Here is the Dave Winer of old - breakin it down for the everyman. In this selection he shows that he understands how we, the average joe (and jane) use these technologies. When he writes a post like this, it's like a guidepost that helps me clue in to what is happening.

Then they start talking over my head, but thats okay. I keep digging and I get alittle closer all the time.

Leapfrog - "causing trouble today for a better tomorrow"

2006-01-28T10:12:00.000-08:00

What's going on here?!

WorldChanging: Another World Is Here: Hands-On Leapfrogging: "Wireless Networking for the Developing World is a how-to guide for building, deploying and maintaining wireless information networks in rural parts of the developing world. Written by Tomas Krag, O'Reilly editor Rob Flickenger and a wide assortment of wireless hackers brought together by the Wireless Roadshow last October, the book is now available as a download under a generous Creative Commons 'share alike' license (which means you can do whatever you’d like with the text, so long as you share the output -- allowing people to translate the text into local languages, for instance.) In the near future, the book will also be available in a print-on-demand format."

Leapfrog technology - The gist is this. The western world has developed along a path (ie - wheelbarrow -> horse cart -> horseless carriage -> tractor trailer -> ? -> flying cars (next year)... What if we could help the developing world (Africa, Southeast asia, South Carolina, etc) skip the tractor trailer and go right to the flying car. We all see that if everyone with a horse cart gets a Ford expedition, we are screwed - unless you sell Expeditions, and / or oil, and / or don't care about living on the freeway, in traffic, with smog, with a broken, soft body ....

This post is getting to be depressing. It's not and neither is leapfrog technology for the developing world. Wikipedia to the rescue!

Leapfrogging is a theory of development in which developing countries skip inferior, less efficient, more expensive or more polluting technologies and industries and move directly to more advanced ones.

A frequent example is countries which move directly from having no telephones to having cellular phones, skipping the stage of landline telephones altogether.

Speaking of cell phones (and this really is the depressing part of the post) Both my and Angies cell phones were STOLEN! (plus her bookbag and palmpilot!) So I've spent the week without phone and trying replace stuff. Angie got a new Palm, the LifeDrive (4Gs with a big ole' screen) and we are negogiating with Cingular about replacing the phone (I'll have to ask my manager if we can allow you to use a different phone).

Sorry for the rambling post! Remember to leapfrog whenever possible. Don't leave your cell phone in the car.

The BEAST 50 Most Loathsome People in America, 2005

2006-01-26T09:42:00.000-08:00

The BEAST 50 Most Loathsome People in America, 2005: "44. George Lucas

Charges: It needs to be said: George Lucas is an awful writer and a shitty, shitty director. His second Star Wars trilogy absolutely sucked from beginning to end, and was in fact the least brave creative endeavor he could possibly have chosen, a guaranteed grand slam. Lucas has grown so accustomed to massive commercial success that he has no idea he’s putting out the worst work of his career, and no one dares to tell him. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter, because an army of sexless, sedentary thirty-something dweebs with an unhealthy fixation on Princess Leia will insist that his schlock is brilliant as if their lives depend on it, and an absurdly disproportionate media blitz always brings the kids in. But everything that was great about the first trilogy—reasonably decent acting, an engaging storyline and cool model-based special effects—is gone, replaced by detestably unsympathetic characters reciting torturously bad dialogue in a manner so wooden that coaching from Keanu Reeves would have helped, and CGI effects that, while painstakingly crafted down to the nanopixel, somehow looked less real than plastic spaceships and Muppets.

Exhibit A: Already revising the new trilogy for DVD releases.

Sentence: Cast into the gaping maw of Tatooine’s all-powerful Sarlacc and digested alive for a thousand years, along with a talkative Jar Jar Binks."

and there are 49 others, people!

Marcus Fuller - Powder Magazine Local Hero

2006-01-22T14:09:00.000-08:00

Our ol' Valdez friend, Marcus, was nominated for a local hero award. The readers of powder magazine submitted nominations of their friends based on "skills, attitudes and willingness to sacrifice anything for time on the snow." Marcus made it to the round of four and recieved a very nice write up by Travis Andersen. Our man got over 1000 votes - That's 1000 people he inspired AND read powder AND have the internet. That's impressive! And I know my mom didn't vote and I'm sure she would have.

Our collective hats are off to this unsung (now sung?) hero. I hope this recognition inspires him to keep up his middle way to whatever's next. I hope to see him on down the line.

You can read Travis Andersen's write up here : http://www.powdermag.com/marcus_fuller/

And look at some original watercolors and photography here:The work of Marcus Fuller - Skiing snowboarding photographer and wilderness watercolor painter

Greenpeace dumps dead whale at Japanese embassy in Berlin - Yahoo! News

2006-01-19T10:42:00.000-08:00

Greenpeace activists dump a great big whale on the steps of the Japanese embassy. hmmm... That's really freakin cool. It's a non violent protest. Doesn't hurt anybody. Forces the issue. It is a public spectacle and generates headlines and photos. I like it. It's different. I mean I was getting pretty bored of the greenpeace ship getting in the way of the whaling ships. Those dudes on the boats can REALLY stop - It's up to the law makers and the fat cats sitting in the embassy.

And now they smell the whale.

Greenpeace dumps dead whale at Japanese embassy in Berlin - Yahoo! News:

"BERLIN (AFP) - Greenpeace activists called a protest in which they dumped a dead whale in front of the Japanese embassy in Berlin a big success as they removed it to a museum.
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'We think it is a pity that we have to take it away because the Berliners' response has been brilliant,' said Bjoern Jettka, a spokesman for the environmental group.

He said large crowds had gathered to look at the 17-meter (55-feet) -long mammal that was laid on a trailer in the snow in front of the embassy from Wednesday night to Thursday afternoon in a protest at Japanese whale hunting.

The whale, which was between 10 and 20 years old, was brought to Berlin by the environmental group after it was found beached near Wismar on Germany's Baltic coast on Saturday.

They had hung a banner over it stating: 'Science does not need harpoons.'"

link

Other creative protests: The parking place park , The truth anti tobacco ads, cycle naked day, anything with naked....

Flickr Photos of the whale - Greenpeace whale and Berlin Whale

Nanny and John

2006-01-18T13:50:00.000-08:00

...

A few months later, I came across a newspaper story on the guy. Turns out, his retirement hobby was pedaling his bike 50 miles every weekday. It was like a 9-to-5 job, but fun. He’d get up, eat breakfast, say goodbye to his wife and then start riding. He wouldn’t stop until he had knocked off 50 big ones. Every time an odometer maxed out at 9,999 miles, he’d disconnect it and hook up a new one. The old ones stayed on the handlebar showing all those beautiful nines lined up in a row.

...
Read the whole story on Bicycles and Icicles

It sort of reminds me of my 92 year old Grandfather, John Townsend. He rides his stationary bike 2 miles at the gym three days a week as a warm up for a weight lifting session. While my grandmother, Nanny, hangs out with her friends doing their "workouts", John is pumping iron with people half his age. When I lift the weight he lifts, my jaw drops and then I try hard not to strain and breathe as normally as I can.

He just smiles - "Just happy to be here"

Doc Searls and Dr. King and History now

2006-01-16T19:05:00.000-08:00

The Doc Searls Weblog : Monday, January 16, 2006:

"Listen to the Dream speech, and hear the hope it brought to people of all races. That hope was real. That hope lifted a nation. That hope moved civilization forward.
The Dream speech was dawn. It was light. It promised freedom. After that speech, many more people fought for that freedom, most effectively without violence, as Dr. King had taught them. I was one of those people.
The cause of freedom, of nonviolence, of peace, of opportunity, of so many good things people can bring to each other, was shot along with Dr. King on April 4, 1968. The setback was enormous, incalculable."

Read the whole post here

Doc Searls recognizes the MLK holiday. Something I didn't know about Doc is that he was in North Carolina during the civil rights movement. He tells about a time of curfews and the National Guard peace keeping.

What an incredible time in US history! I hope that when Doc's generation gets to the 'I wanna write my memoirs' phase of life - I hope that they don't just skim over the 60s and the civil rights movement and the Vietnam war (like they do on the news and in text books)

I think the problem with history as a subject or a theme is that it's so easy to seperate the past from the present - the story of the past seems so unconnected to the present. It's a story. It's a myth. Those people. That time.

When someone, like Doc, relates a personal history, I realize it's not history. It's life. And it didn't just happen in the past. It's happening now.

hmmm, so Thanks Doc for making the holiday and the history real

Martin Luther King and American innovation

2006-01-16T09:05:00.000-08:00

Good Morning, yall.

It's a wet morning here in Tacoma. The rainy day streak ended yesterday windy sunny day at 28 days. The radio announcer said the new streak begins today at 1.

Doing what I do for MLK day - A humble list of links

muchfun,esl: A couple of links here for the esl set

Flickr: The MLK BLVD Pool: Flickr is almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world. Show off your favorite photos to the world, securely and privately show photos to your friends and family, or blog the photos you take with a cameraphone.
1956 Martin Luther King "Montgomery Story" Comic Book: A very cool comic about the bus boycott. And a great example of communicating with comics
American Rhetoric: Martin Luther King, Jr. - "I Have a Dream": Full text and audio of Martin Luther King speech -- I Have A Dream
: : We Will Not Be Silenced : :: We Will Not Be Silenced - You've got to watch this flash animation of a MLK day speech. It's freakin' awesome and makes me want to run out in the streets to start the revolution.
Martin Luther King, Jr. - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Get the facts.... wiki style! BTW, who shot MLK?
Martin Luther King Jr. Day Lesson Plans: Lesson Plans for teachers to use on Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

TrueMajorityACTION Oreos: Ben and Jerry's breaks down the budget crisis cookie style.
American Experience | Citizen King | Non-Violence | PBS
KEXP 90.3 FM - where the music matters: Civil rights movement music show
TrueMajority: I good primer on King in his own voice - another Flash animation

Sorry for the many many links... but WTF it's a holiday and if you aren't starting a non-violent protest in the name of Jesus, Ghandi, or King - sit down and read alittle.

Also,

I'm reading "The United States in 1800" by Henry Adams and it's getting good.

I wanted to put this quote in ....
"Truths would you teach, or save a sinking land,
All fear, none aid you, and few understand."

3quarksdaily: About us

2006-01-13T14:43:00.000-08:00

A recommendation from Steven Pinker means I read the blog. 3 Quarks daily is also recommended by OpenSourceRadio which I love by don't seem to get around to reading. I need a new work flow....

Anyway, I like what I saw on Quarks particularly the header graphic. It's more like a sig and a blog header.

"'I couldn't tear myself away from 3 Quarks Daily, to the point of neglecting my work. Congratulations on this superb site.'—Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of The Blank Slate, How the Mind Works, Words and Rules, and The Language Instinct."3quarksdaily:

Technorati Tags: pinker, lydon, blog

Eduardo Gucci

2006-01-11T13:53:00.000-08:00

Things looked alittle weird in 1998 and so did Eddie. Thanks so much for the visit to Vancouver, BC this weekend. I made a list of some of the discussion topics and events:

graffiti

you and me and everyone we know ))<<>>((

life

cities

travel

religion

Cory Doctorow and Boing Boing

ESL websites

blogs and the new Web

starbucks meme

cars being super evil killers

taiwan and our friends there

the noon horn

crazy Vancouver bum / addict aquariums

my haircut

Mels cousins

the goodness of swarma / gyros / donair

missing the bus - Even Taiwanese bus stations announce departures

Stanley Park

Netflix

Eating all the time - No hotdogs after midnight!

the rain

John's discovery of the funky tree illusion

"Do you have an extra ~~quarter~~... ~~spare change~~.... 25 cents!"

Dai Chi's bike

Mel's pancakes! says Eddie "I'm not a pancake man"

... so much more. Thank you Eddie and Mel for a great trip to Vancouver BC!

The 80 / 20 rule

2006-01-11T13:16:00.000-08:00

Is it true? Have you heard? No, not about the 911 coverup or the definition of "meme".

I'm talking about 20 percent of the effort produces 80 percent of the result.

A big thank you to Cathy SieCreating Passionate Users for the link and graphic

Jack Handy - Life, like lawndarts, can kill you.

2006-01-11T08:09:00.000-08:00

I'm just back from Vancouver, BC and an excellent visit with Eddie and Melanie. They are enjoying the wild and free life, supported by hard work, true love, and craigslist rss feeds. They truly have taken to the "Bloody your hands" lifestyle. They are taking the initiative and moving ahead. Soon they will leave BC and head South.

Eddie tells a analogy of their way of "traveling". He says, when he was a younger guy he would move around like a paper airplane. It travels a long distance and then lands on the surface, he says. It also is easily effected by the wind and is often unpredictable. The paper airplane is like the tourist that never gets away from the tourist traps. This type of traveler never gets to see the real place- never meets the real "people" - only other tourists. (It sort of begs the question if these people are just tourist on EARTH, tourist with their WHOLE LIFE, but I digress...)

But now he wants to live life like a lawndart. A lawndart travels with purpose and when it lands it penetrates and finds firm footing. Melanie points out that if it lands on your foot or head, you can sue, because lawndarts are illegal - good point, Mel! The lawndart style is going to find the goods. It cuts through the crap of superficial surface living. It breaks through... down to the soil, where life grows. It's not always 'pretty' down there with the slugs and worms and dirt, but it's the real life. And you can't have the flower, without the fertilizer.

So whether you are a paper airplane or a lawndart, 'adventures in living' is hard... and it's not a game. To illustrate the point I asked Jack Handy (of Deep Thoughts Saturday night live fame) to write a piece to really describe it. Thanks to Betsy Devine for the link.

"This is not playtime or make-believe. This is real. It's as real as a beggar squatting by the side of the road, begging, and then you realize, Uh-oh, he's not begging."

...

"You go skipping and prancing through life, skipping through a field of dandelions. But what you don't see is that on each dandelion is a bee, and on each bee is an ant, and the ant is biting the bee and the bee is biting the flower, and if that shocks you then I'm sorry."

JH STAR GAZER HOME PAGE

2006-01-03T09:52:00.000-08:00

JH STAR GAZER HOME PAGE: "'Star Gazer' is the world's only weekly television series on naked eye astronomy. Each weekly episode features selected objects for naked eye viewing for the following week."

Jack Horkheimer, (his name is my name, too) is a freakin' pimp! If you wanted a reason why Miami is cool, look no further than Mr. Horkheimer. He has an Asteriod named after him. I love - no... LOVE - his show on PBS. It comes on at funny times, like most PBS shows, but when I stumble across it, I sit mezmorized.

Anyway, you can now get podcasts of the show and watch anytime you like. But you still have to get up an hour before sunrise to see most of the cool stuff.

KEEP LOOKING UP!

Block and Bird got NOTHINGS on Horkheimer!

Southern Kitchen

2006-01-02T14:48:00.000-08:00

Southern Kitchen
Originally uploaded by newmania.

Fried Okra: Not from Uncle Fred's garden but pretty good.

Hush Puppies: My favorite

Greens: Show me the money

Black Eyed Peas: Not the hip hop group

It's going to be a good year...