Good Taste In Art
Posted on February 29th, 2008 in General by kende || No Comment
Test of Characters
Posted on February 29th, 2008 in General by kende || No Comment
Wasn’t planning on learning the meaning of Chinese characters right this second, but this is kind of cool:
Tags: Chinese
New Shipment of Books
Posted on February 28th, 2008 in Books, Reading by kende || No Comment
These came today:
Where Flavor Was Born by Andreas Viestas
The Math Instinct by Keith Devlin
The Language of Mathematics by Keith Devlin
Unknown Quantity by John Derbyshire
Foundations of Arithmetic by Gottlob Frege
Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts by Robert Kaplan
Flickr Favorites: The deck falls
Posted on February 27th, 2008 in General by kende || No Comment
Can I Take One Home?
Posted on February 26th, 2008 in General by kende || 1 Comment
After picking up the new point and shoot camera today (Fujifilm f50), I stopped by the Prospect Park Zoo for the first time in… I think… 14 years. Most of it is exactly the same as I remember. The ever too cute meerkats, the Orthodox Jewish family harassing baboons, the Golden Compass evil monkey, and pint-sized Aussie boxing experts:
But there were a few really nice new additions too. The red panda stole the show of course. The alpacas in the petting zoo were a close second. I need to go back as soon as possible and take a few better photos. I went this time too close to closing, and using the battery straight out of the box without any extra charge… So, not so much with the getting the most photographically out of my time there. Still had a great time and can’t wait to go again.
Soft as a Rock
Posted on February 26th, 2008 in General by kende || No Comment
Got A New Camera…
Posted on February 25th, 2008 in General by kende || No Comment
…New photos sure to follow.
US Sends Message To China, Russia… and Space Invaders?
Posted on February 21st, 2008 in General by kende || No Comment
This photo released by the US Navy in 2003 shows an SM-3 missile … - Yahoo! News Photos
Any day the US military can shoot hazardous space junk with top secret spy technology out of orbit, show off its missile defense systems, and write it’s name in the sky as it gets the high score on a classic arcade game all at the same time, is a good day in my book. Job well done.
Tags: MissileDefense, Russia, China, US Military, Space
To Eat or Not To Eat?
Posted on February 19th, 2008 in General by kende || 1 Comment
Gothamist: Chatham Square’s Durian Pastries
Um… well… ok, maybe I’ll convince myself to give these a try, but from past experience durian isn’t exactly on my list of most salivation inducing ingredients.
Tags: Food
Best Possible Result In Pakistan?
Posted on February 19th, 2008 in General by kende || No Comment
Musharraf, who got his face slapped by this result, appears secure in the presidency. Even with PPP and PML-N forming a coalition, they lack the two-thirds majority in the assembly required to impeach Musharraf. They have enough to thwart his policy agenda if necessary, but Musharraf may prove more compliant in the future. Both parties want to fight the terrorists, the PPP more than the PML-N, and they may want Musharraf to continue to be the leader of that fight.The Islamists lost their mandate in the provinces as well. ANP, the center-left Pashtun party, will take the most seats in the Frontier province, followed by PPP. MMA only took 8 seats in that assembly, falling from power and obviously losing popularity in the region for its insistence on Islamist law. Musharraf’s PML-Q won a plurality in Balochistan and will likely form a coalition with PPP to lock out MMA.Even though he took a beating at the polls, Musharraf may come out a winner from yesterday’s results. He apparently conducted the election honestly, and has acknowledged the results. He managed to marginalize the Islamists and has legitimized the moderates as the driving force in Pakistani politics. The PML-Q will not win many elections after Musharraf’s dictatorship — everyone knew that before the election — but he allowed them anyway and seems ready to deal with the result. It’s a pretty good day for democracy in Pakistan, and Musharraf deserves at least a little of the credit.
I think it’s a bit too early to guess what the implications of this all will be. That the Islamists have been generally renounced at the polls is great, but will this just mean a new version of gridlock and stalling by Pakistan when dealing militarily with the Taliban and company?
Flickr Favorites: Bucktooth Gman
Posted on February 19th, 2008 in General by kende || No Comment
Huh.
Posted on February 17th, 2008 in General by kende || No Comment
Visualizing Last.fm’s Friends Network - ReadWriteWeb
Excuse me while I go scheme…
Tags: SocialNetworking, Music
Gallery: Scientists Scan Striking Nanoscale Images
Posted on February 17th, 2008 in General by kende || No Comment
I Need A Map Collection
Posted on February 17th, 2008 in General by kende || No Comment
These wouldn’t be a bad start. But the one I reaaaaally want is a WWII era gigantic framed map of East Asia. I saw it, framed and all set to be carried away by me if only I had a few hundred (or thousand) bucks for it at the ready, at a map or frame or artwork or some other such thing store down near West 3rd & Broadway. Damn, I want that map so bad.
Tags: Geography, Arts, Home Improvement
I Love This Globalizing World
Posted on February 16th, 2008 in General by kende || No Comment
I’m sitting in a Virgin cafe, putting my new Verizon wireless card to use, while listening to Hotel California being sung in (what I think is) Hindi playing overhead. More please… and yes, faster too.
I also find it funny that this Virgin Megastore is supposed to be closing shop before the end of the year. The only reason I’m here is because of location, and the great big window through which I get to watch passersby. Richard Branson’s cheap corporate faux hip attempt at a 3rd space never had much else to offer… Just a shame it’s likely to be converted to condos instead of upgraded to a more comfy hangout / purchase magnet. He should have hired someone from Apple’s re-design team…
Whatever, here’s to hoping the next brand to make its mark in this space is from India, China, or some other part of this brave new world…
Afterthought: Heh, fitting, now a quirky mix of Stronger by Daft Punk comes on…
Amen
Posted on February 16th, 2008 in General by kende || No Comment
It’s hard to know where to start in with this speech. First, what evidence does Mrs. Obama have that the largest part of credit card debt goes to health care? Second, if she has seen the standard of living get progressively worse during her lifetime, she needs new glasses. The living standard of even those classified as poor now have per-person expenditures of the American middle-class of the early 1970s, according to the Census Bureau. Eighty percent of the poor live in air-conditioned housing, 43% of them own their own homes, and the average poor American has as much living space than the average individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, and Athens. Only 3% don’t own a color TV.But it’s the notion that only Barack Obama can save our souls that is the most offensive part of the speech, by far. Government doesn’t exist to save souls; it exists to ensure domestic tranquility and provide for the common defense. If I feel my soul needs saving, the very last place I’d look (in the US) for a savior would be Washington DC or Capitol Hill. I’ll trust God and Jesus Christ with my soul, and I’m not going to mistake Barack Obama for either one.
This, though, is the religion of statism distilled to its essence. Only a government can rescue people from the consequences of their own decisions. Only government programs can provide for your every need, and only government can use your money wisely enough to ensure that your needs get covered. Individuals cannot possibly manage to help their neighbors through their churches or community organizations, let alone encourage people to do for themselves.
And all you need to enter the statist Utopia is to sell your soul. So that it can be fixed.
Tags: Politics, Religion, Standard of Living, Soul-Searching
Flags of the World as Political Art
Posted on February 16th, 2008 in General by kende || No Comment
www.BrazilianArtists.net, the A-Z of Brazilian Arts, Entertainment & Cultural Events in the UK
By way of Coming Anarchy.
The cheap political statements involved don’t take much to see through, but the detail and quality of the design work sucks me right in.
Tags: Design, Political Arts
A Wooster Belated Valentine’s
Posted on February 15th, 2008 in General by kende || No Comment
Currently Reading
Posted on February 15th, 2008 in General by kende || No Comment
Finished Incompleteness last week. Was very good. Helped improve the quality and depth of my thinking and gave me multiple clear directions to go in for further learning.
Still reading the others. Also picked up The Language Instinct by Stephen Pinker. Figured a cognitive linguistics book fit right in.
Idea. Notation. Creation. Play…
Posted on February 15th, 2008 in General by kende || No Comment
Finally, we are left to admire the anonymous wit and deft touch of the creator of these seemingly throwaway images. And we should all ponder the message of the header on page 507, which urges us forward earnestly, prudently:READ THINK WORK CHECK. This advice, if taken, comes in really handy when, for example, you are thinking about invading another country.
Great blog. Great post. Instant design inspiration. And aren’t we all always thinking about invading another country? I mean sure, the author of the post meant it as a pot shot against the current American administration, but I take it as a more neutral statement on whether invasion is called for and rather a simple guide for invasion’s method. Or math. Or design. Yeah, those too. But in the end, aren’t they each really the same thing…?
Tags: Math, Design, Illustration, History of Design
Whenever UPS Finally Shows Up…
Posted on February 14th, 2008 in General by kende || No Comment
deviantART Shop: Eagles Become Vultures
I’ll be framing this and putting it up on one of my walls. Funny how I went for it out of an inspiring pro-American reaction while the artist himself is clearly implying the opposite.
Buried Under An Upsidedown Cedar
Posted on February 14th, 2008 in General by kende || 1 Comment
Hezbollah Leader Vows Revenge on Israel - New York Times
3rd anniversary of Hariri assassination and new rumblings of open war between all sides. At least Mugniyeh is dead. Will Nasrallah join him soon?
Don’t want to play by *Vinc6 on deviantART
Posted on February 12th, 2008 in General by kende || No Comment
Don’t want to play by *Vinc6 on deviantART
Yeah, I feel like that a little more often than I probably should…
Tags: DeviantArt, Photography, Contemplation
I Love This City
Posted on February 8th, 2008 in General by kende || No Comment
…and I want this game.
Well Ain’t That The Truth…
Posted on February 8th, 2008 in General by kende || No Comment
The fact is, traumatic experiences are part of maturation. Extreme traumatic experiences are part of the common human experience. They were once something leaders were expected to have endured and grown from, if they were going to be leaders worthy of respect. It is only in the very recent past that humans in comfortable First World societies, have managed to put trauma at arm’s length, and for political purposes, stigmatize it. Trauma is not limited to war. It happens in cities and suburban neighborhoods. It happens on highways and in hospitals. It happens in homes. It happens in the halls of power.Traumatic experiences teach you things about yourself and about others. They teach you how to make hard decisions in unforgiving situations. They both reveal character and offer quick, dirty instruction in the matter. They reveal who you can rely on and who you can’t. They teach you what is important in life. So many lessons, most of them merciless, though so often teaching the value of life and of mercy. While traumatic experiences may leave you feeling alienated in a world that rejects old warriors as detritous, and mocks their experience, traumatic experiences do not separate you from life. They make you that much more a part of it.
Jules Crittenden » Post-Traumatic Presidency
Very well put.
Currently Reading
Posted on February 8th, 2008 in General by kende || No Comment
Incompleteness: The Proof and Paradox of Kurt Gödel
The Bookseller of Kabul
Meta Math!: The Quest for Omega
Oracle Bones: A Journey Through Time in China
Jihad and Jew-Hatred: Islamism, Nazism, and the Roots of 9/11
Just finished:
Infinite Ascent: A Short History of Mathematics
Graffiti Is to Energy Drinks As Vallone Is to…
Posted on February 8th, 2008 in General by kende || No Comment
Gothamist: New Energy Drink Promotes Vandalism?
Vallone needs a sedative or something… Seriously, get a grip.
Tags: CityCouncil, Stupid, Street Art, Marketing, Energy Drinks
A Small Thing…
Posted on February 7th, 2008 in General by kende || No Comment
…of the sort I should do more of myself.
Threads of Bright Color
Posted on February 6th, 2008 in General by kende || No Comment
StumbleUpon - Kirai’s web site reviews and blog
I’m not really sure what this is. It just looks great. Found it through Stumble Upon.
Tags: Photography, Stumble Upon