Out of Idaho

Sorry everyone, I haven't updated this blog in so long that I am going to just declare it dead.

Thanks for reading. I might try blogging again sometime in the future. This has been a fun experiment, but I haven't been keeping up with it so it is time to close the cover on this project.

Part of my recent silence is due to my photographic tinkerings. Some of my photos are posted at a web gallery that I started a little while ago.

It felt like a Democratic party pep rally.

In the theater where I saw it, the audience was cheering, jeering, and applauding wildly on key with the points that Moore was trying to make.

I found this slightly startling as some of the cheers came in points that, the 9/11 report testimony rationally explained, but for which Moore was trying to paint an ugly picture.

For me, several points like this counteracted the entire persuasive success of this film to change my opinions. If I can't trust the accuracy of information that I can collaborate, how can I trust the information that I can't easily collaborate?

What did strike me, something that hadn't sunk in for me before, is how emotional and deep the divide is between the extreme right and extreme left. I suspect that I would have been mobbed if I had stood up after the movie and yelled "This movie contained lies and I am still voting Republican." (btw, I am not voting Republican, and I am not voting Democrat, but I am voting)

After some discussion online, I have had numerous people request that I don't "throw away my vote" on a third party. To the contrary, I believe that if you don't like the current direction of government, voting for a major party is throwing away your vote. So many of the people that I talk to are completely disgusted with both major parties that if we all actually voted the way we believe, we would likely end up with a 3rd party president!

Read, listen, think for yourself, discuss it with people you know, make up your own mind and gain some more understanding of others.

So, I have been busy lately. Sorry for the lack of posts.

I have been gardening, walking more, helping friends move, and customizing a couple 1U rackmount cases so I can mount an EPIA fan-less mini-itx motherboard, associated power supply, and hard drive in each.

I'm going to try to update this at least once a week...We'll see how well that works. I may just be posting links to some of my recent photos for a little while.

I keep seeing articles on terrorism alerts and I would like the US government to abandon the national security risk levels. Repeatedly announcing that we are at code Yellow, or Orange gives in and makes people fearful.

I will happily go through my day understanding that I have some percentage of risk of being a target of terrorism because others don't like the country that I live in. I don't need to know about the increased risk because in the end it is still less than the risk of me dying on the freeway while commuting to and from work or from french fries and soda pop. Even if the risk of my death due to terrorism were high, I still won't change because that would tell the terrorists that their methods are effective.

...and if a terrorist happens to get me before the I520 traffic does, when you find the terrorist, please tell them that we have all broken the law and that Christ died for their sins too.

The CARTOON Guide to Federal Spectrun Policy.

Spherical panoramic pictures are pretty neat to look at. I might just have to try it out someday.

Developing a hobby may reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer's.

Could Bio-Diesel cost less than $1/gallon?
Where can you buy Bio-Diesel?
Or if you are feeling adventurous, make your own!

Yes, this is from the indoor plant association, but indoor plants are therapeutic.

I saw a 3-wheel enclosed vehicle yesterday and after a little searching, discovered that it was one of a few dozen remaining conversions using a particular kit, the Fire Aero, to turn a motorcycle into an efficient small car.

Somehow, from that search, I discovered diesel motorcycles. If you want to travel efficiently, how does 100 miles per gallon sound? Forget hybrid cars, get a motorcycle!

Will your next roof produce electricity?

Solar energy might be a good choice with the current questions about the world oil reserves.

As an alternative, instead of relying on solar for electricity, it might be a good idea to consider passive solar design elements when building or remodeling a home.

I had a strange dream last night about a neighborhood of three story apartment or condo buildings with flat roofs, covered with large rooftop gardens that would be able to provide enough food for the residents. The floor under the garden was used for living and working space, and the bottom floor was used for water storage, utility space, and community space. In honor of such an interesting dream, here are a few links for rooftop garden information.

The potential of rooftop gardening using warehouses.
Rooftop gardening in Chicago, including a free book in PDF format.
General information on rooftop gardening, container gardening, and community gardens.

I wasn't going to go into this, but everyone should be fully informed and I think this is definitely a major political tipping point for the war on terrorism.

Transcripts on the Senate hearing.
(Supposedly) The military investigation report on the abuse. Warning this is graphic.
The Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War
Geneva Conventions reference guide
The Stanford Prison Experiment - what happens when normal people are put into a prison environment.
About the Abu Ghraib prison.

Read and make up your mind for yourself.

Building a Balancing Scooter in an interesting article for anyone interested in robotic, or Segway scooters.

The story of Mother's Day.

I ran across this interesting article discussing the risks of mono-cultures while trying to find research comparing the spread of monoculture in society and entertainment with the decrease in communication delays.

My local grocery store, one of the Town and Country Markets stores in the seattle area gave out pamphlets the other day that were very interesting and had a few links for more information:

Know your Food: Genetically Engineered Foods:
www.thecampaign.org
www.fda.gov
www.pewagbiotech.org
www.betterfoods.org
www.ucsusa.org
www.centerforfoodsafety.org

Know your Food: Organic Foods and Agriculture
www.ota.com
www.ams.usda.gov/nop

Venerable Music has some pretty good old music.

Now, I know I didn't like to eat school lunches, but I didn't think they were dangerous to my health.