Friday, December 18, 2015
Harbin Hot Springs status
I had a personal connection via friends in the Seventies, so this news is interesting...
Monday, December 7, 2015
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
"Hippie Modernism" exhibit coming to town in early 2017
I was interviewed at length by a UC Berkeley professor preparing for a traveling exhibit:
http://bigthink.com/Picture-This/is-it-time-for-hippie-modernism-again
Quick CIty is featured. I am curious to see his take on our activities.
update:
Professor Greg Castillo wrote this article about "Hippie Modernism".
http://bigthink.com/Picture-This/is-it-time-for-hippie-modernism-again
Quick CIty is featured. I am curious to see his take on our activities.
update:
Professor Greg Castillo wrote this article about "Hippie Modernism".
Although he does not mention us, there are ties to what he describes there.
Ralph was part of Ecology Action and I was at the Aspen conference.
Monday, November 9, 2015
Monday, October 26, 2015
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Thursday, September 24, 2015
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Sunday, September 13, 2015
great essay on decoherence and US democracy
Vox begins the discussion of polarization, the consequences for decision making, and likely outcomes. I recommend following the links to the background essays as well.
I land on the side of the discussion that fears the rise of a strong-man phase of government. The miserable performance of Congress, due to the intransigence of the Tea Party-dominated Republicans installed by gerrymandering, is leading to a hunger for a strong leader, particularly on the Right (as ironic as that might be, it fits with their Strong Father bent and favoritism of the military). The rise of Trump is clear evidence for this. Given that we face increasing levels of crisis, if for no other reasons than climate change, the rise of ISIS, and likely proliferation of nukes, drones and other technical means of unconventional warfare, the general public is increasing likely to demand someone who can deliver results with a "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" style. This does not bode well for democracy nor Democrats, the less organized party.
I land on the side of the discussion that fears the rise of a strong-man phase of government. The miserable performance of Congress, due to the intransigence of the Tea Party-dominated Republicans installed by gerrymandering, is leading to a hunger for a strong leader, particularly on the Right (as ironic as that might be, it fits with their Strong Father bent and favoritism of the military). The rise of Trump is clear evidence for this. Given that we face increasing levels of crisis, if for no other reasons than climate change, the rise of ISIS, and likely proliferation of nukes, drones and other technical means of unconventional warfare, the general public is increasing likely to demand someone who can deliver results with a "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" style. This does not bode well for democracy nor Democrats, the less organized party.
The Rugby Player documentary
This documentary is uplifting and breaks stereotypes. It shows the lives of Mark Bingham, September 11 hero, gay rugby player, Cal booster, heavy metal fan, fraternity member, and his mother. I highly recommend it! KQED broadcast it last night.
trailer and official site
trailer and official site
Saturday, September 12, 2015
ostentatious toy
laser-based no-touch turntable offers superb fidelity, no wear and no pop and click artifacts
$14k (taking donations now via PayPal :-) )
$14k (taking donations now via PayPal :-) )
Friday, September 11, 2015
Laurie Anderson (no relation): another woman's wisdom in interview
here in the Guardian and she directed Heart of a Dog, a movie out late next month.
Angela Davis: broadening and deepening the questions
In this short LA Times op-ed/interview you can see her savvy and smarts illuminate things beyond the frame of the (sympathetic) questions and show how her thinking is evolving...
hat tip to Howard...
hat tip to Howard...
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Sunday, September 6, 2015
I'm looking forward to the Tower Records documentary!
Spent a lot of money there over the years and found a lot of reading material and new music...
All Things Must Pass: the Rise and Fall of Tower Records premieres in US theaters October 16
https://www.facebook.com/towerrecordsdoc
All Things Must Pass: the Rise and Fall of Tower Records premieres in US theaters October 16
https://www.facebook.com/towerrecordsdoc
Elaine Brown slams Nelson's Black Panther film
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/07/03/ex-black-panther-leader-elaine-brown-slams-stanley-nelson-s-condemnable-documentary.html
My own mixed feelings about the Black Panthers aside, Brown does a good job of dissecting the film.
My own mixed feelings about the Black Panthers aside, Brown does a good job of dissecting the film.
dinner last night
We had a good time last night visiting with high school friends and their spouses, David and Bebe and Mike and Avril. It turns out Avril and Sara had seen each other at a work conference - small world. Mike is a sustainability consultant and keeps Starbucks, et all, on the up and up. Nice to see him after forty years and to meet his wife and, as usual, fun to visit with David and Bebe. Life is good...
data-driven health
My fitness band showed me that I experience too little REM and deep sleep, so, prompted by Sara, I returned to using my CPAP machine. The results are good - I am more rested and stats have improved.
The meditation timer app I use, Insight Timer, shows that missing meditation sessions has reduced my average daily meditation time to 22 minutes over the last four months. In response, I try to sit 2-3 times a day for 20 minutes per session.
My weight-tracking shows I've lost ten pounds over the last three months, but that this requires serious diligence and effort, beyond what I expected. In particular, I severely reduce carbs and exercise regularly, lifting weights and walking on the treadmill. These days I experience performance highs and exercise endorphins and a strong feeling of something missing when I don't exercise. My cardio capacity and physical strength both are near life-time peaks, based on two hour workouts most days.
Some life-long friends who are triathletes organized a thirty mile annual bike ride last year, so I am rehabilitating my bike to see if my knees will allow my participation. At any rate, I look forward to the get-together later this month.
The meditation timer app I use, Insight Timer, shows that missing meditation sessions has reduced my average daily meditation time to 22 minutes over the last four months. In response, I try to sit 2-3 times a day for 20 minutes per session.
My weight-tracking shows I've lost ten pounds over the last three months, but that this requires serious diligence and effort, beyond what I expected. In particular, I severely reduce carbs and exercise regularly, lifting weights and walking on the treadmill. These days I experience performance highs and exercise endorphins and a strong feeling of something missing when I don't exercise. My cardio capacity and physical strength both are near life-time peaks, based on two hour workouts most days.
Some life-long friends who are triathletes organized a thirty mile annual bike ride last year, so I am rehabilitating my bike to see if my knees will allow my participation. At any rate, I look forward to the get-together later this month.
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Michael Manring at Bass Player LIVE! 2013
solos at 0 and 47 minutes; the rest is QnA, with the best at 58 min until the end
Monday, June 15, 2015
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Monday, May 18, 2015
Tyondai Braxton
this TImes interview is interesting. I have listened to his music recently and like it.. but I am a percussionist and have a weakness for percussive pieces...
Laurie Anderson interview (text)
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/may/16/laurie-anderson-interview
No relation - just a fan and one glad to see her interest in Buddhism and tai chi.
No relation - just a fan and one glad to see her interest in Buddhism and tai chi.
Friday, May 15, 2015
C-cup - not what you think...
Now, the best part of waking up... is cannabis in your cup.
http://www.theverge.com/2015/5/15/8611751/pot-cannabis-coffee-k-cups-keurig
http://www.theverge.com/2015/5/15/8611751/pot-cannabis-coffee-k-cups-keurig
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Zimbardo critiqued on video games, porn and men
While I am inclined towards his thesis and am a non-participant in these activities, this article's criticisms make sense.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
futurists predictions for the next 10-20 years
these emphasize the tech trends. I still wonder about peak oil and climate change too...
extreme movement performance
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/born-to-fly/
This requires some of the skills of pro wrestling as well as acrobatics...
Monday, May 11, 2015
ephemeral sand art
Remember this super-popular KQED Arts video exploring the mesmerizing beach artwork of the Bay Area's Andres Amador Arts? It's one of the the KQED videos to receive a total of 17 nominations for the Northern California Emmy Awards across Arts, KQED Science, KQED News and KQED Education!
Posted by KQED on Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Friday, May 8, 2015
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Monday, May 4, 2015
truths about drugs ( regulations, history, effects on humans)
Chasing the Scream is a real eye opener and a tremendous counter-balance to common beliefs about drug use - I cannot recommend it highly enough! It's up there with The New Jim Crow.
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Friday, May 1, 2015
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Sunday, April 26, 2015
how neural nets were revived as an AI approach
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2015/04/17/how-a-toronto-professors-research-revolutionized-artificial-intelligence.html
now I wonder what will happen if the nodes of Google's AI net are augmented with this Xilinx coprocessor...
now I wonder what will happen if the nodes of Google's AI net are augmented with this Xilinx coprocessor...
Friday, April 24, 2015
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Stewart Brand thought piece critiques extinction wave meme
http://aeon.co/magazine/science/why-extinction-is-not-the-problem/
Reminds me of discussions of race on MHP show.
Reminds me of discussions of race on MHP show.
Friday, April 17, 2015
Senator Cruz and Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber
Both named Ted, both went to Harvard and both are bomb-throwers :) h/t to The Nightly Show
Ben Neill electro-acoustic music
http://www.benneill.com/streaming/
Some albums fully streamed! recommend Songs for Persephone Instrumentals, Night Science
Some albums fully streamed! recommend Songs for Persephone Instrumentals, Night Science
Thursday, April 16, 2015
apk downloader
http://apps.evozi.com/apk-downloader/ for downloading Android apps.
Use in combination with Arc Welder Chrome extension to run Android apps.
Use in combination with Arc Welder Chrome extension to run Android apps.
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Friday, April 10, 2015
light profile of Art Lande
Daily Camera article, mainly about his fantasy baseball game. So I see Art doesn't use email or computers - that's why I can't email him... If you haven't heard his music, check it out!
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Black-ish
Black-ish “refuses to oversimplify the place that oversimplifications have in our hearts.”
I am enjoying the first season of this TV show and it has garnered praise from the black political commentators I follow. I agree with this Slate article .
David Bowie assessment
David Bowie—indigestibly arch; unfailingly cerebral, distant, and detached—was always sincere about his insincerity, but never insincere about his sincerity.
by Bill Wyman
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
very interesting talk about the importance of the Spanish Civil War
BookTV recording of a lecture by Richard Rhodes, "Hell and Good Company"
RMI and Fort Collins plan integrated utilities model
utility business model embraces efficiency and solar without sacrificing revenue
As usual, smart and wise plans from RMI
As usual, smart and wise plans from RMI
Monday, April 6, 2015
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
interested in reading a book on decision processes
The Talking Point is a reference in Hieroglyph, a special sci-fi short story collection about positive futures. I recommend the latter and will find the former. Both likely of interest to Sadams and Bruce.
Friday, March 27, 2015
Crimes and misdemeanors: Woody Allen and what we get wrong about sexual abuse
Crimes and misdemeanors: Woody Allen and what we get wrong about sexual abuse
The prevalence of this type of crime is surprising to me.
The prevalence of this type of crime is surprising to me.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Microsoft's new strategy
A few months ago I said I would have invested in MSFT based on its new strategic moves if I had extra money. TheVerge describes the strategy and how it will make money.
Friday, March 20, 2015
even paranoids have enemies
A skepticism towards the wariness that I cultivate these days did not serve me today and I was taken advantage of by unscrupulous criminals. I was scammed. It is revealing how the psychology of fear combined with strong commands took over, a lesson for sure.
My neighbor, a cop, says there is a lot of this going on, so watch out.
Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (800) 366-4484
www.tigta.gov
late 2017 update: the scammers were busted
My neighbor, a cop, says there is a lot of this going on, so watch out.
Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (800) 366-4484
www.tigta.gov
late 2017 update: the scammers were busted
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Wall Street Journal in Berkeley
this story is quintessentially Berkeley. ( I am a paying subscriber of Berkeleyside and subscribed to the WSJ for 25 years after college).
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Bateson and Reich and McLeod
Gregory emphasized that life, in all its forms, is about learning. He was particularly critical of physical metaphors for personality, for instance bottling rage and exploding. Reich, of course, talked about emotional armoring. What applies when recognizing bracing and undoing that false economy to be present? Ken McLeod says to focus on increasing awareness and the ability to be present no matter what you experience and whether it seems internal or external.
Monday, March 16, 2015
the backlash against mindfullness addressed
When mindfullness began to "have its moment in the sun" I thought there would be a backlash, particularly from fundamentalist Christians, but this HuffPost article shows some other sources. It also answers the critics. As to the class issue, mindfullness doesn't cost money and instruction is for the most part free or cheaply available. Try it out...
nothing to hide/nothing to see
On Paranoids
You could tap my brain, my phone and my computers now and there is nothing I'd fear being seen. In the past when I was obsessed, around the turn of the century, I felt extreme paranoia about my cyberbullies. Eventually I realized what was happening and cleaned up: regular, complete sleep, values clarification, making behavior consistent with my values, useful therapy and, most of all, meditation and my new at the time wife. Extreme times had made little things into mountains of significance - my journey had become a battle slog. I am so very grateful that is over and done!
Note: there were consequences for those I interacted with in the early Blogosphere; for that I strongly apologize. My magnified concerns and my obsessive focus on them created a paper tiger, which in turn cast a shadow. I wish I could undo that - but I cannot. It weighed primarily on those who did not know what exactly they were seeing and who imagined all manner of things. Mainly I put some people on a pedestal - that was pretty much it, nothing more unsavory, but how would they know? While the pedestals are gone, dissolved by a more realistic appraisal and by my own experience with those people's dark sides, my respect remains. Not just because these people are wealthy now, either... they've proven they can create and deliver repeatedly - kudos to them, best wishes, and peace!
You could tap my brain, my phone and my computers now and there is nothing I'd fear being seen. In the past when I was obsessed, around the turn of the century, I felt extreme paranoia about my cyberbullies. Eventually I realized what was happening and cleaned up: regular, complete sleep, values clarification, making behavior consistent with my values, useful therapy and, most of all, meditation and my new at the time wife. Extreme times had made little things into mountains of significance - my journey had become a battle slog. I am so very grateful that is over and done!
Note: there were consequences for those I interacted with in the early Blogosphere; for that I strongly apologize. My magnified concerns and my obsessive focus on them created a paper tiger, which in turn cast a shadow. I wish I could undo that - but I cannot. It weighed primarily on those who did not know what exactly they were seeing and who imagined all manner of things. Mainly I put some people on a pedestal - that was pretty much it, nothing more unsavory, but how would they know? While the pedestals are gone, dissolved by a more realistic appraisal and by my own experience with those people's dark sides, my respect remains. Not just because these people are wealthy now, either... they've proven they can create and deliver repeatedly - kudos to them, best wishes, and peace!
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Lost In Redding
"Lost In Redding" is track one and "Small World In A Small Town" is track two
on Snakeoil's new jazz release, You've Been Watching. This is popular with reviewers
and will appear in a month. Any connection?
Read about bandleader Tim Berne, note David Torne produced this, and see that Berne played
with Frisell and with Nels Cline, so the usuals might find this interesting...
on Snakeoil's new jazz release, You've Been Watching. This is popular with reviewers
and will appear in a month. Any connection?
Read about bandleader Tim Berne, note David Torne produced this, and see that Berne played
with Frisell and with Nels Cline, so the usuals might find this interesting...
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Friday, March 13, 2015
KIrtan with Krishna Das
When I feel the tone of my spiritual life is too spare and self-limiting, I remember times like this and times with Ram Dass.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
phusion baseimage
phusion/baseimage/ is an Ubuntu Server guest for Docker, created by experts to handle corner cases that fail if Ubuntu Server is run on Docker
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Thursday, March 5, 2015
tomorrow night
Looking forward to the Other Minds concert af SF Jazz and dinner with Lori and Jon!
And not the least, the return of the love of my life from San Diego!
And not the least, the return of the love of my life from San Diego!
Monday, March 2, 2015
Situational Assessment - the future future
Big Picture look at our simultaneous tipping points. h/t to Bruce
Jeff Beck Tokyo concert
on AXS TV cable/on demand - different backup musicians than the previous two concerts.
Great performance...
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Friday, February 27, 2015
"August WIlson: the Ground on Which I Stand"
the online streaming version of this documentary about the author of Fences and other plays about African-American life.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
the Net and Lindy Hop history
Although I am a West Coast Swing dancer, I learned Lindy Hop in the Eighties. Ryan Francois was one of my favorite dancers and teachers. Here he recaps the revival from then to now in a Ted talk and demo.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Friday, February 20, 2015
living in the future meme: autonomous cars
I agree with Zack Kanter's post about the loss of jobs and transformation of the economy.
And while you're there, read his post about the prevalence of VR by 2020.
And while you're there, read his post about the prevalence of VR by 2020.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Monday, February 9, 2015
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Friday, February 6, 2015
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Republicans reject anthropogenic climate change because they're paid to
I have said before that deniers for the most part believe that climate change is occuring and that it is man-made, but they vehemently reject it because they don't like what it implies - that we, the world population, must change our ways.
Included in this clear analysis of the origin of climate denial is the real reason driving it all - the Koch brothers paid the politicians to deny. It's about the money, plain and simple. Take the Keystone XL pipeline - the brothers stand to make $100B from it, by some estimates. Talk about motivation!
Also included in that piece is video of Congress ridiculing and ignoring John Holdren, one of my favorite professors in college and now the President's Science Advisor. Watch it and get your dander up!
Included in this clear analysis of the origin of climate denial is the real reason driving it all - the Koch brothers paid the politicians to deny. It's about the money, plain and simple. Take the Keystone XL pipeline - the brothers stand to make $100B from it, by some estimates. Talk about motivation!
Also included in that piece is video of Congress ridiculing and ignoring John Holdren, one of my favorite professors in college and now the President's Science Advisor. Watch it and get your dander up!
Thursday, January 8, 2015
current Afghan opium profits are two times larger than peak Colombian cocaine profits
according to Matt Aikens, author of a current Rolling Stone article
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
more of "the future has arrived meme"
Deep learning article with TedX talk is well worth checking out - listen to the talk all the way to the end. h/t to Bruce and his "handover species" meme for this. Note that 2020 is when the speaker says we will see strong impacts of deep learning, including employment impacts. As I said to Ross and Julie, it is hard to advise what young people should do beyond being ready for major changes - it is a mistake to think that the 2020s will be easily recognizable.
Monday, January 5, 2015
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Saturday, January 3, 2015
I miss Gregory Bateson so much
I wish Gregory could participate in discussions like this: what is life lecture by Jeremy England.
So much is happening that would interest him, one of my greatest teachers...
I remember one assignment he gave: describe what a crab carcass displays that shows it is the result of life.
So much is happening that would interest him, one of my greatest teachers...
I remember one assignment he gave: describe what a crab carcass displays that shows it is the result of life.
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