Claim It Hasn’t Crossed Your Mind

[ Comments Off ]Posted on October 23, 2008 by admin in Politics

Anyone care to name names?

Would you kill the president
of the U.S. for this woman?

I mean, in relation to a more recent president. The consistently witty Cracked.com has an hilarious piece called The 6 Most Utterly Insane Attempts to Kill a US President. Raising again the eternal question: why is it that they only seem to get the good guys? Which of course reminds me of when it first looked like Barack Obama had a chance as the Democratic candidate.  I remember clearly the excitement of thinking “Wow. This is the country I remember growing up in. One that might actually think about electing a black president, or a candidate that offered hope instead of fear.” I also remember the thought that immediately followed, which was “Oh crap, get some security on the dude. They’re gonna try to kill him!” Well, if you believe what you read on sites with names like satansrapture.com (why are these sites always ALL IN CAPS?), Obama will, according to the Bible Codes, eventually be assassinated. This idea has been kicked around so much that back in March of this year there was even a rather sprawling exhibit at the Naomi Gates Gallery called The Assassination of Barack Obama, which, while implying the obvious, justified itself by claiming to explore the concept of character assassination as well. Let’s hope this bizarre part of the national psyche doesn’t express itself again; there are much better candidates. For getting shot, I mean.

Let Me Give You A Pisa Maya Mind

[ Comments Off ]Posted on October 22, 2008 by admin in Editorial & Opinion

A Two-for-one Pisa Special

At the age of 10 or 11, I was reading things that a kid that age really shouldn’t be reading, like Alan Watts, Siddhartha, The Joy of Sex [while true, that last link was totally gratuitous] and Carl Jung. As a result of my early exposure to the concept of Maya because of this kind of reading, I tended to generally perceive reality as an illusion, and lived a life based on that idea. Until, of course, I was about 20, and it became apparent that the stack of bills piling up on the coffee table was definitely not a mirage of some sort. I’ve since adjusted my perception, but remain fascinated with various kinds of illusions. The Tower of Pisa trick at left (not to be confused with the classic tourist gimmick) is a favorite, because it so simply and dramatically demonstrates how expectation literally shapes the way you see things. Explanation here. DarkRoastedBlend.com has gathered some cool 3-D representations of familiar 2-D effects here, and this one says a lot about why eyes in paintings can seem to follow you. Want to see a fun visual trick you can do right now at your computer keyboard? Check this out. And for more pleasing illusions while you’re out on the town, just put on the Beer Goggles.

Morning Time Waster

[ Comments Off ]Posted on October 21, 2008 by admin in Editorial & Opinion

The dot at left will be your enemy this morning, convincing you that you can be faster, better than you are. Give up. You’re getting older, and your reaction time isn’t what it used to be. I hate that something so simple made me waste 5 or 10 minutes of my life, but for the [...]

The dot at left will be your enemy this morning, convincing you that you can be faster, better than you are. Give up. You’re getting older, and your reaction time isn’t what it used to be. I hate that something so simple made me waste 5 or 10 minutes of my life, but for the record, I got a .203 average the first time, and only did worse as I kept trying. I defy anyone who drinks less than 2 pots of coffee a day to beat me.

Dweezil Zappa’s Tour de Frank

[ 1 Comment ]Posted on October 20, 2008 by admin in Music

No poodles were harmed in the course of the performance

If you were to grow up with the name Dweezil, and had a brother named Ahmet Emuukha Rodan, and sisters named Moon Unit and Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen, most would find it perfectly acceptable if you turned out to be a serial killer or just plain maladjusted. Frankly (heh, I slipped in a Frank) I don’t know how well adjusted Dweezil Zappa is, but he is certainly one of the most remarkable guitarists and bandleaders I’ve had the pleasure of seeing in concert. Thanks to a client/friend of mine (Paul Hickman; check out the cool art he does with his son here) I got to see Zappa Plays Zappa tonight. If you’re able to catch one of their remaining shows, be prepared for a rather relentless presentation of classic Zappa, immaculately performed. Actually it was a bit too relentless for me; at two hours they were still playing with no signs of fatigue, and the show apparently clocks in at around 2:45. That didn’t seem to bother the true Zappa devotees a bit, however. If you’re more of a fan, their non-stop Tour de Frank will probably be a joyous experience.

They, The People

[ Comments Off ]Posted on October 20, 2008 by admin in Politics

There’s A Constitution Party, But I’m Not On The Guest List

Am I a “Constitution Voter”? Well, as outlined by the Constitution Party, I guess not. Number three of their “Seven Principles of the Constitution Party is “Family: One husband and one wife with their children as divinely instituted”. Is that a Constitution-based principle? I’ll have to read the darn thing again to be sure, but that just doesn’t sound right. I guess anybody could form a political party and call it “The Constitution Party”. I mean, Vanilla Ice called himself a rapper, right? This whole question came up for me in 2003 or so, when I said to a friend of mine that since neither party had represented my values for so long, I’d be ecstatic if a new party came together, maybe one that had a big emphasis on constitutionality. Oh well. Another dream hijacked by the power-hungry. I didn’t let that stop me from getting my free ACLU I’m A Constitution Voter bumper sticker though, gosh darn it. Which gives me an idea. One of the GOP’s key strategies over the past twenty years has been defunding the left. Maybe if we all banded together and demanded every free campaign item imaginable from our opponent (whoever they are), and then didn’t use it…

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