This sorta thing makes me upset

A company with a web site called Red Planet Land is selling land on Mars, or rather, what they are selling is an embossed linen piece of paper that says you own a specific piece of land on Mars.  What this means to us, to the future, is more interesting and upsetting.

Thinking of having kids guys? Think about this:

It turns out men's reproductive health is critical for the health of an offspring just like a womans! Drinking, doing drugs, being exposed to toxins (in your air, water, food, beer... etc) harm your sperm! Check out this article and note the last line (quoted below)...

The good news for men is that sperm is produced continuously in a 74-day cycle, so the body does clean itself over time.

So a three month cleanse and healthy lifestyle can help your kids out for generations down the line... seems worth it to me.

Fukuoka Prefectural International Hall

Wow, this is an incredible building. It's been around for the better part of a decade now, but it illustrates some amazing ideas. The foremost being a continuous connection of ecosystems (however in the detailing, this is not truly achieved. For more images check out the architect's site directly (or better this link to the page about this project).

iPhone I luv you

So, I waited a year. And then I pounced. About a week and a half ago Apple introudced the 16gb iPhone to it's lineup and I decided the wait was over. So I went to the Apple Store in Pioneer Place and inquired about this new device. They didn't have any! But the knowledgeable employee told me that the AT&T store across the street had plenty. So off I went and lo and behold they had them in stock. After a moment's prependerence I decided to take the plunge.

During my purchase I asked a few questions and this is where the heart of the matter resides. I am a T-Mobile customer, still on contract, and very happy with their service. Especially their Customer Service. So my inquiries were pointed regarding using the iPhone w/out service (impossible so don't even try) and having AT&T buy me out of my contract with T-MO. No can do.

So I bought it anyway. And I banked on the rumors I have heard that I will be able to unlock the iPhone at a later date. It sat in my drawer at work for a week before I even took it out to show my co-worker. I signed up for Google alerts for the term "iphone unlock" and started reading the forums. I found a ton of very useful and confusing material. I was beginning to think about either giving it a go on my own, to unlock this expensive and totally foreign (to me) device or returning the iphone and waiting to see how the unlocks for the new firmware would be.

Then my very smart co-worker suggested hiring someone who knew wtf they were doing to do the unlock. My first search "iphone unlock Portland" hit on a Craigslist ad for just that service for $40. Turns out it is this guy, Adam Baker.

But how do you trust someone off of Craigslist with your $500 iPhone? And what, am I supposed to leave it with him and just walk away? Am I to show up at some random place and step out of the car with said device just hoping I'm not about to get mugged? This is one of the dilemmas of our modern world. And here's how I propose you go about it. Find a trustworthy source that will recommend a service. ServiceMagic.com does this for your more traditional services, but this is a one off wacky sorta deal. So here's my solution for you. Trust me.

I've had this blog for over 3 years, and I am writing to tell you that if you live in Portland, and want an unlocked iPhone, go buy one and then pay Adam $40 to unlock it. And keep his address handy for any updates or whatever you need because he is a trustworthy, efficient, and friendly guy who just made my iPhone work. You can wait there, at his house, while he unlocks your phone and he can explain all the ins and outs of what you can expect and do with your new unlocked iphone (which is just about everything an iphone is capable of, minus visual voice mail which is AT&T specific). He also hooked me up with some awesome knowledge to get me online and surfing as fast as possible.

Now that it's over and done with it seems like a no brainer, but I'll tell you what, I was worried that first moment getting out of my car. But it's good to know now that I have a safe and trustwor

Verticle Wind Generators - Better?

An interesting article here from The Guardian about a new type of wind turbine proposed for off shore use in the UK, also mentioned is a type developed here in the US. I like the picture much, and the engineering principals seem very sound. They have identified the problems with traditional turbines (Don Quixote your story may need some updating) with rotors on a horizontal axis at the top of a tall tower, and instead of re-engineering those problems, they removed the problem with a new solution. That is my favorite operandi: instead of solving problems, remove the problem.

Ranchers protecting Cougars

This is a great article about Cougars being protected in Oregon.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services did not examine all the adverse environmental impacts of their decision to kill cougars on behalf of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act.

It appears that the USDA ordered the Oregon DFW to issue the slaughter of 2,000 Cougars. And ranchers and wildlife protection organizations stood up and filed a suit. This is where my money goes. To protecting life, diversity, and the chance, our one chance, to live in a beautiful and balanced ecology.

A great graph from my friend's status line

A graph of our national debt rate of increase.

It's amazing what we create

Japan: Suck It.

Japan is being a major douche bag lately, launching whaling vessels under the pretense of "scientific research" to slaughter 1,000 of the leviathans. The meat ends up on the douchebags plates, and they eat those beautiful beasts. Read this article about the heroics of these two gents in the face of their own safety and freedom. Go Sea Shepard and Greenpeace!

Utterly Insane and Stupid

Have you heard the news? Former Olympic champion Marion Jones was sentenced today to 6 months in prison for taking steroids. How much time will the Bush administration have to serve for lying on the record and taking us to war? And this lady gets six months. For this. Where are our priorities? What has our legal system come to?

Awesome new technology

So we all agree that the Aptera is awesome, but check this out! A car that runs on compressed air, and you can refill it at home or at special stations (which means almost anywhere). So cool!

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Air_car_runs_on_compressed_air_0104_af.html

http://www.theaircar.com/

What a scumbag

I just read an article about Ed Rollins who says "he loves to go negative." And that "South Carolina is a more negative place." In my experience the world is what we make it, so I would say to you Mr. Rollins get the hell out. And keep your negativity to yourself.

Online Calendars

I am sure most of you out there who read things on the web are already well familiar with online calendars, or a localized outlook or iCal electronic calendar. The whole world uses them to schedule their lives. It is enormously useful. I have been using them for years now, I used mine to organize my interview process including when to send a follow-up, thank you or reminder. I use them all the time to arrange dates, to mark social events, to track histories of any organization (including fictional!), and to remind myself of people's birthdays.

And this is where it gets interesting. Because all of them come equipped with a "recurring" date feature, by which you can tell your calendar to add the same event on a daily, weekly, monthly (including abstracts like the second Thursday at 5 pm) and annually. So, for all my dear friends, you are dates on my calendar, marking your birth date and in so being reminded, I remember your birthday, and usually make good on letting you know in some way I want you to be happy all day. This is easy, this is common sense.

But we cannot remark and remember birth without also marking death. I have not considered adding dates of people's deaths to my calendar, rather, I wonder only now how it will feel to have a birthday reminder pop up for someone who has passed.

Will I keep the annual event in my calendar as a means to always remember their life and my love, or will I instead remove their birthday as a way of absolving the past and moving on with my life? Has it become in fact that we will live on in dates and times recorded on pop up reminders that trigger cascading emotional response in our loved ones who succeed us? Is eternity a Google calendar blip, large for a day and small for the month, destined to disappear the following month, only to re-arise like some digital gizmodic phoenix year upon year till finally those calendars too pass into a world much less speculated, yet as poignant and particular as our own misty afters.

About the coolest thing ever

An online graphing website that documents trends in human populations and parameters.  Check it out.  It is mind boggling.

 

The Gap Minder

GRAVEL 2008! The only real candidate

Amazing how computers allow us to better visualize the universe.

My new favorite web site (thanks Jojo!)

http://www.thinkythings.org/odd-things/verbnames.html

This Man Died for our Sins

And I honor him.  What will become of his story?  Will his life and death be in vain?  I hope not.  He will serve as a reminder to me of why we fight.  I hope his memory lives on and that you click on this text and read his story.

What's wrong with Civilization?

http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Santas_warned_ho_ho_ho_offensive_to_11142007_af.html

America the Beautiful

What can be said about America that speaks to the truth of this land more than this - America The Beautiful.  This country reaches across a great curve of our earth, it is merely a piece of an incredible globe and it is indeed beautiful.  And I ask you now dear reader, have we made it more or less beautiful? 

 

I know it is possible for humans to make the earth more beautiful, to work with her natural wonders.  Have you ever been to a small hillside town, or an ancient village in a magical agricultural land.  A city built with care and human conditions considered in every street?  Have you ever wandered in a wild area and seen the vastness of nature spread out beyond your horizons?  This is what I see for America.  Something better than what we have now.  Something cleaner, and richer, something greener and more robust.  A happy place where people love each other and shake each other's hands. 

 

I love America, and I want her to be better.