My company 3Amoebas, Inc. finally has a website up. It is also the official homepage of "DaVinci's Challenge". There is alot of info & links that I've been archiving here on my blog, but now there is an permanent product page for the DaVinci's Challenge games. I think it turned out pretty cool, and I'm looking forward to adding the licensed game "24: Countdown" I developed and other projects coming down the pipeline.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
DaVinci's Challenge @ 3Amoebas.com
My company 3Amoebas, Inc. finally has a website up. It is also the official homepage of "DaVinci's Challenge". There is alot of info & links that I've been archiving here on my blog, but now there is an permanent product page for the DaVinci's Challenge games. I think it turned out pretty cool, and I'm looking forward to adding the licensed game "24: Countdown" I developed and other projects coming down the pipeline.Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Knucklebones: DaVinci's Challenge Review
The January issue of Knucklebones game magazine has a positive review of the DaVinci's Challenge game. It's still hard to wrap my head around the fact that something I created can be enjoyed by so many people.
Click on the image
to enlarge
to enlarge
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Mexico Still Protesting Elections
Unlike the mainstream media, I've been following the news of ongoing Mexican protests over their Presidential elections (which were ultimately decided by a court... how novel!) They have determination & persistence that seems frighteningly absent from the American population.
I wonder what level of criminality would be required to cause Americans to rise up in the same way. (Certainly not rigged presidential elections.)
I wonder what level of criminality would be required to cause Americans to rise up in the same way. (Certainly not rigged presidential elections.)
Protesters turn Mexican University
into Stronghold in Oaxaca Rebellion
into Stronghold in Oaxaca Rebellion
I'm still convinced my Mom started this when we were in Mexico's Riviera Maya this summer. Our driver to the airport, who was a Mayan, was talking with us about their government and my Mom told him "they got to get together and speak out." Thet took her advice and then some!
The End of the Beginning
Wow, I have to say I'm kind of stunned at the lack of major election chaos, which seemed almost inevitable. The level of frustration and desire for change was just to great for Diebold to fuck with, I guess.
As smooth as the process seems only a couple days after the vote, I've become a complete skeptic under the rule of the War Monkey and always anticipate the worst-case scenario. There are people making alot of money from war and chaos... and people who profit from death and misery obviously have no scruples.
Rummy's out... one Horseman down, three to go!
As smooth as the process seems only a couple days after the vote, I've become a complete skeptic under the rule of the War Monkey and always anticipate the worst-case scenario. There are people making alot of money from war and chaos... and people who profit from death and misery obviously have no scruples.
Rummy's out... one Horseman down, three to go!This election has resulted in a silent sigh of relief from most of the country and, perhaps moreso, from the world. The level of awareness and connectivity, even in a propaganda-ridden and commercialized society such as ours, is pretty impressive and is a testament to human intelligence and spirit. However, citizens need to be diligent regardless who's in charge. In fact, the Democrats will be held up to harsher scrutiny because of the high expectations for drastic change. I can't see how they could possibly do worse than the goons, criminals, and lackeys who made up the Republican Congress & House we've had under Dubya.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Worst Video Game Names
As a game and toy designer, I know that one of the biggest concerns about developing any product is the name. That's why the titles on this list of the Worst Video Game Names just blows my mind.
How could anyone approve a game for kids called "Sticky Balls" or "Nuts & Milk"?
My favorite (since the word 'Dude' is used nonstop between me & my brothers)...
"Hey Dudes!" - Big Paul aka Dad
How could anyone approve a game for kids called "Sticky Balls" or "Nuts & Milk"?
My favorite (since the word 'Dude' is used nonstop between me & my brothers)...
BAD DUDES VS. DRAGON NINJA!
"Hey Dudes!" - Big Paul aka DadTuesday, October 24, 2006
The "Democratic Threat"
I saw some guy on CNN claiming to represent religious conservatives or the Republican party or something, trying to warn about the danger of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's "socialist" agenda if the Democrats win majorities in Congress. I'm an Independent voter since I claim allegiance to nothing but myself and the human race, but I think supporting the Republican Party today makes no sense unless you're wealthy, a lobbyist, or Satan. Even the supposed "Republican base," Evangelical Christians, have no business supporting these goons because they're just getting lip service from power-hungry politicians who think they are "nuts."
I don't know how even so-called conservative people could find these Democratic goals to be a threatening agenda. Compared to the discord, corruption, and obscene budget & military mis-management that have been the result of Republican rule, these ideas should sound like the qualities of an American utopia.
• Put new rules in place to "break the link between lobbyists and legislation." (I'm sold already!)
• Raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour
• Cut the interest rate on student loans in half.
• Allow the government to negotiate directly with the pharmaceutical companies for lower drug prices for Medicare patients.
Wow, what a horrible, horrible set of left-wing socialist priorities!!! They actually help people, instead of destroying the country for the benefit of corporate and special interests! Imagine that!
If these four points ever had the possibility of being carried out, it would be with a Democratic Congress. Hopefully overwhelming public opinion makes another rigged election too obvious to carry out in November. I'm not holding my breath, though.
I don't know how even so-called conservative people could find these Democratic goals to be a threatening agenda. Compared to the discord, corruption, and obscene budget & military mis-management that have been the result of Republican rule, these ideas should sound like the qualities of an American utopia.
• Put new rules in place to "break the link between lobbyists and legislation." (I'm sold already!)
• Raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour
• Cut the interest rate on student loans in half.
• Allow the government to negotiate directly with the pharmaceutical companies for lower drug prices for Medicare patients.
Wow, what a horrible, horrible set of left-wing socialist priorities!!! They actually help people, instead of destroying the country for the benefit of corporate and special interests! Imagine that!
If these four points ever had the possibility of being carried out, it would be with a Democratic Congress. Hopefully overwhelming public opinion makes another rigged election too obvious to carry out in November. I'm not holding my breath, though.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Earth After Humans Are Gone
This chart shows, if humankind disappeared right now, how long it would take for various artifacts of our presence to also disappear. By far, the most permanent of our marks is that of nuclear waste and debris. For example, the depleted uranium weapons we are using in warfare are completely irresponsible and idiotic. Here is an article on NewScientist.com that spells it out a little more.
One of the first things to be rendered useless would be the very words that I am typing now... along with the rest of the Internet!
(click to enlarge)
One of the first things to be rendered useless would be the very words that I am typing now... along with the rest of the Internet!
(click to enlarge)
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Life Inside a Cell
One of the entries for the Visualization Challenge I just posted about was this awesome 3D animation by Harvard's Molecular Biology program of the processes that go on at the microscopic level & beyond. The otherworldly detail and the strange structures of the microcosmic world make this an almost psychedelic trip into "Inner Space". Although it's not completely accurate in terms of scale and appearances, creations like this make it easier to appreciate the intricacy and complexity of our universe. Click to watch.
2006 Visualization Challenge
The growing power of computers and the sheer number of artists, scientists, & programmers emerging every day is expanding the knowledge and creative vision of the human race at a unimaginable pace. We are creating new ways of thinking, new realities, which the collective consciousness of mankind continues to assimilate and synthesize into a greater vision of our world.
Science Magazine awards such vision with their yearly Visualization Challenge. All of these entries are unique and thought-provoking. The human being is a novelty-producing entity, and these endeavors are truly mind-expanding attempts to see the world in a new, informative way.
Science Magazine awards such vision with their yearly Visualization Challenge. All of these entries are unique and thought-provoking. The human being is a novelty-producing entity, and these endeavors are truly mind-expanding attempts to see the world in a new, informative way.
Lightning Strikes!
This has to be one of the wildest photos I've ever seen. This lightening bolt threw the photographer six feet in the air! Read the story from the UK Daily Mail. You don't mess around with Mother Nature.
click to enlarge
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Imperial History of Middle East
(seen at infosthetics.com)
This is a fascinating animation showing the various kingdoms & empires that have dominated the Middle East & the Mediterranean through time. Dynamic visual presentations like this can provide as much understanding as hundreds of pages of written history. (Click below for link.)
This is a fascinating animation showing the various kingdoms & empires that have dominated the Middle East & the Mediterranean through time. Dynamic visual presentations like this can provide as much understanding as hundreds of pages of written history. (Click below for link.)
Sunday, October 01, 2006
The U.S. vs. John Lennon
I haven't heard anything about this documentary "The U.S. vs. John Lennon" but it looks pretty cool from the trailer. The only problem with being such a powerful voice for peace and freedom is that it makes you a visible target for the forces of violence and oppression.
Some great quotes from the trailer:
"Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives, but I'm liable to be put away as insane for expressing them." - John Lennon
"Lennon represented Life, and Mr. Nixon & Mr. Bush represented Death."
Some great quotes from the trailer:
"Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives, but I'm liable to be put away as insane for expressing them." - John Lennon
"Lennon represented Life, and Mr. Nixon & Mr. Bush represented Death."
Thursday, September 28, 2006
The "Party of God" & Torture
Yes, the "Party of God" has once again taken a stand.
I'm not talking about Hizbollah, but the other bunch of extremists - George Bush's Republican Party.
Americans are blessed to have these beacons of morality upholding Traditional Christian Values, such as torture and imprisonment without trial.
"A lack of proper screening also meant that many innocent Iraqis were wrongly being detained—indefinitely, it seemed, in some cases. The Taguba study noted that more than sixty per cent of the civilian inmates at Abu Ghraib were deemed not to be a threat to society, which should have enabled them to be released." - New Yorker Magazine
Who needs Habeus Corpus, the U.S. Constitution, or human rights when you have an insane leader who claims to have direct authority from God and sadists and idiots willing to follow him?
I'm not talking about Hizbollah, but the other bunch of extremists - George Bush's Republican Party.
Americans are blessed to have these beacons of morality upholding Traditional Christian Values, such as torture and imprisonment without trial.
"A lack of proper screening also meant that many innocent Iraqis were wrongly being detained—indefinitely, it seemed, in some cases. The Taguba study noted that more than sixty per cent of the civilian inmates at Abu Ghraib were deemed not to be a threat to society, which should have enabled them to be released." - New Yorker Magazine
Who needs Habeus Corpus, the U.S. Constitution, or human rights when you have an insane leader who claims to have direct authority from God and sadists and idiots willing to follow him?
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Rep. Tim Ryan Kicks Ass
Election Day is approaching fast...
I'm registered as an Independent voter, but I think Democrats need to keep calling out the obvious incompetence and outright lies that have become standard procedure for Bush, Inc. The majority government of the GOP has insisted on controlling the issues, so it's necessary to emphasize their consistent failure on every important issue our country has faced. Many politicians are shady crooks, but here we're dealing with actual criminals, either under investigation or already indicted.
If the case is not made overwhelmingly, then things will continue in a downward spiral. At the end of his speech, Rep. Tim Ryan alludes to the inevitable consequence of continued war if the Bush's GOP maintains the majority in November - a nationwide military draft.
I'm registered as an Independent voter, but I think Democrats need to keep calling out the obvious incompetence and outright lies that have become standard procedure for Bush, Inc. The majority government of the GOP has insisted on controlling the issues, so it's necessary to emphasize their consistent failure on every important issue our country has faced. Many politicians are shady crooks, but here we're dealing with actual criminals, either under investigation or already indicted.
If the case is not made overwhelmingly, then things will continue in a downward spiral. At the end of his speech, Rep. Tim Ryan alludes to the inevitable consequence of continued war if the Bush's GOP maintains the majority in November - a nationwide military draft.
War Not a Solution for Terrorism: Howard Zinn
This Boston Globe editorial by Howard Zinn explains clearly and succinctly why the excuse of "Terrorism" for military aggression & occupation of foreign nations is a complete farce to cover for other agendas.
There is an even simpler argument, though... "Violence begets violence."
or, if you prefer... "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."
click for article
"So if an action will inevitably kill innocent people, it is as immoral as a deliberate attack on civilians. And when you consider that the number of innocent people dying inevitably in "accidental" events has been far, far greater than all the deaths deliberately caused by terrorists, one must reject war as a solution for terrorism."
There is an even simpler argument, though... "Violence begets violence."
or, if you prefer... "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."
click for article
"The history of wars fought since the end of World War II reveals the futility of large-scale violence. The United States and the Soviet Union, despite their enormous firepower, were unable to defeat resistance movements in small, weak nations -- the United States in Vietnam, the Soviet Union in Afghanistan -- and were forced to withdraw."
"So if an action will inevitably kill innocent people, it is as immoral as a deliberate attack on civilians. And when you consider that the number of innocent people dying inevitably in "accidental" events has been far, far greater than all the deaths deliberately caused by terrorists, one must reject war as a solution for terrorism."
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Biker Billy Jalapeños
My whole family used to get a kick out of this guy on a cable TV show called "Biker Billy Cooks With Fire". He was a real character. It turns out Biker Billy is still at it, growing super hot jalapeño peppers. Yum!!!
Friday, September 22, 2006
Monday, September 18, 2006
Dubya Shows His Respect For America
BoingBoing.net finds the perfect quote for this photo of Bush doin' the "Freedom Stomp":
To paraphrase George Orwell:
Who the hell thought that standing on an image of the American flag
would make a good photo op on 9/11?!?
These people are either idiots or they really just don't give a damn.
To paraphrase George Orwell:
"If you want a vision of the future,
imagine a shoe stamping on a symbol of freedom - forever."
imagine a shoe stamping on a symbol of freedom - forever."
Who the hell thought that standing on an image of the American flagwould make a good photo op on 9/11?!?
These people are either idiots or they really just don't give a damn.
9/11 Conspiracy Toolkit
Like the JFK assassination, the traumatic nature and scale of the attacks of 9/11/01 will always result in speculation about the actual chain of events and their cause, no matter how outrageous. There will always be people who are convinced that either holographic missles, thermite mini-nukes, or George W. Bush himself riding a UFO from area 51 are the real cause of 9/11.
Those "9/11 crazies" who, for some reason, doubt the complete ethical infallibility of the Pentagon, the CIA, Wall Street, the Bush family, etc. should at least try to make a convincing case that there was some shady shit going on. The following is like a convenient Swiss army knife of 9/11 doubt, without any "airplane pods" in sight.
• Operation Northwoods:
False Flag Operations: Declassified Military Documents Show How US Government Planned Terrorist Attacks Against its Own Citizens - Yahoo! News
U.S. Military Drafted Plans to Terrorize U.S. Cities to Provoke War With Cuba - ABC News
• Rabbi Dov Zackeim, the Pentagon, and a TRILLION taxpayer dollars gone missing:
The War on Waste - CBS News
$1 Trillion Missing : Military waste under fire - San Francisco Chronicle
Dov Zackheim, Pentagon Comptroller, Has Misplaced A Trillion $ - Yahoo! News
• "9/11 Hijackers" Alive:
Hijack 'Suspects' Alive and Well - BBC News
• Larry Silverstein, owner of WTC Complex & beneficiary of $4 Billion in insurance:
"Lucky" Larry Silverstein - Bay Area Indymedia
Larry Silverstein Comments on WTC 7- Google Video
• Finally, as of today, if you go on the FBI's Most Wanted Website, Usama Bin Ladin is listed as wanted for several terrorist attacks, but there is no mention of the "biggest crime to take place on American soil" which occurred on 9/11 and for which we have been told he is responsible.
Why?
FBI says, ‘No hard evidence connecting Bin Laden to 9/11' - Ithaca Journal
Bin Laden Is ‘Not A Top Priority Use of American Resources’ - Bush
Those "9/11 crazies" who, for some reason, doubt the complete ethical infallibility of the Pentagon, the CIA, Wall Street, the Bush family, etc. should at least try to make a convincing case that there was some shady shit going on. The following is like a convenient Swiss army knife of 9/11 doubt, without any "airplane pods" in sight.
• Operation Northwoods:
False Flag Operations: Declassified Military Documents Show How US Government Planned Terrorist Attacks Against its Own Citizens - Yahoo! News
U.S. Military Drafted Plans to Terrorize U.S. Cities to Provoke War With Cuba - ABC News
• Rabbi Dov Zackeim, the Pentagon, and a TRILLION taxpayer dollars gone missing:
The War on Waste - CBS News
$1 Trillion Missing : Military waste under fire - San Francisco Chronicle
Dov Zackheim, Pentagon Comptroller, Has Misplaced A Trillion $ - Yahoo! News
• "9/11 Hijackers" Alive:
Hijack 'Suspects' Alive and Well - BBC News
• Larry Silverstein, owner of WTC Complex & beneficiary of $4 Billion in insurance:
"Lucky" Larry Silverstein - Bay Area Indymedia
Larry Silverstein Comments on WTC 7- Google Video
• Finally, as of today, if you go on the FBI's Most Wanted Website, Usama Bin Ladin is listed as wanted for several terrorist attacks, but there is no mention of the "biggest crime to take place on American soil" which occurred on 9/11 and for which we have been told he is responsible.
Why?
FBI says, ‘No hard evidence connecting Bin Laden to 9/11' - Ithaca Journal
Bin Laden Is ‘Not A Top Priority Use of American Resources’ - Bush
Click to Enlarge
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Competing to Relax
Now this is my type of game!
The players compete to relax and slow their heart & breathing rate.
There are alot of biofeedback devices & methods that can be used to control body systems through concentration or regulated breathing. This is an interesting way to introduce meditative techniques that have been know for thousands of years to today's undisciplined masses using modern technology.The players compete to relax and slow their heart & breathing rate.
It's ironic that the activity humans do more than anything, breathing, needs to be taught in order to be done correctly.
"There is a way of breathing that's a shame and a suffocation.
And there is another way of expiring,
a love breath, that let's you open infinitely!" -Jelaluddin Rumi
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Monkey See, Monkey Do
This story linked on boingboing.net is about imitative behavior in newborn monkeys. Like human babies, infant primates learn to communicate by this type of social interaction.
The complexity of life is astounding, and studies like this show that the illusion of some kind of separation between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom is just that - an illusion.
Monkeys are people, too!
...and people can also be monkeys!
"That monkey ain't so special...see?"
The complexity of life is astounding, and studies like this show that the illusion of some kind of separation between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom is just that - an illusion.
Monkeys are people, too!
...and people can also be monkeys!
"That monkey ain't so special...see?"Bush, the "Bizarro John Lennon"
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Kill the Teletubbies
This game is pretty cool, you can take out those tripped-out mutant Teletubbies with a chainsaw or guns.
Time for "Tele Bye-Bye"!!!
Time for "Tele Bye-Bye"!!!
War of Words
This would be absolutely fascinating...
President Ahmadinejad of Iran wants to debate President War Monkey of America live on TV:
President Ahmadinejad of Iran wants to debate President War Monkey of America live on TV:
"I suggest holding a live TV debate with Mr. George W. Bush to talk about world affairs and the ways to solve those issues," he said.
"The debate should be go uncensored in order for the American people to be able to listen to what we say and they should not restrict the American people from hearing the truth."
HAHAHA! Bush couldn't even pull off the debates against a compliant American opponent (Kerry) without looking like a jackass to anyone with a brain. Besides, everyone knows the spoiled idiot prince doesn't think he has to explain himself to anyone, since he is "The Decider".Friday, August 25, 2006
Eating Monkey Chow
BoingBoing.net posted this great, idiotic experiment by a human who ate nothing but pelletized 'monkey chow' for a week and recorded the daily results. (Spoiler: He didn't die or grow hair all over his body.)
Powers of Ten
Click below for an old (but mind-expanding) video that simulates zooming in and out of the universe by 'powers of ten'. It's a noble attempt at visualizing the near-infinite scale of the perceivable universe.
Also see my previous post about our Fractal Reality and the Universal Mind.Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Mighty Optical Illusions
I can't get enough of optical illusions or any kind of visual novelty. Mighty Optical Illusions is a blog devoted to being a database of these trickeries of perception.One of my favorite optical illusions is the Spanish Magic Castle, which you can see here.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Qana
The place in Lebanon where Jesus turned water into wine has become yet another glaring example of the brutality of war. The human race is still a bunch of greedy, fearful apes acting like animals. There's nothing civilized about blowing each other up over territory, resources, or delusions of righteousness. It's unbelievable how technologically advanced we are as a species, and at the same time we are so primitive in behavior.
TIME.com: Unburying the Dead in Qana
CNN.com: Qana Airstrike photos
When the world is led by madmen, the world is going to go mad...
TIME.com: Unburying the Dead in Qana
CNN.com: Qana Airstrike photos
When the world is led by madmen, the world is going to go mad...
Ethics 101
• Morality:
"Irish Refused Bombs Sent to Prestwick Airport."
• Immorality:
"U.S. Rushes Bombs to Israel"
"Irish Refused Bombs Sent to Prestwick Airport."
• Immorality:
"U.S. Rushes Bombs to Israel"
Internet Soul Portrait
This is pretty neat, from infosthetics.com.
Check out this gallery by Mazmedia.
Bare-bones layouts of popular websites, minus text & graphics.
You can see what site it is by the web address.
The most profound?
Google, of course:
Check out this gallery by Mazmedia.
Bare-bones layouts of popular websites, minus text & graphics.
You can see what site it is by the web address.
The most profound?
Google, of course:
Borat Movie
Sacha Cohen is crazy and he was pretty good as the French jerk in Talledega Nights with Will Ferrel.
I have to post one of the funniest picures I've ever seen, of Borat at the Cannes Film Festival. You've got to have balls of steel to even pose for this.
WAWAWEEWAH!!!
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Amazing Vector Art
Seen on BoingBoing.net (link):
Check out this link to see mind blowing images created in Adobe Illustrator. I work in Photoshop & Illustrator every day, and the fact that can create these images in a vector program is just unbelievable to me. I wish I weren't so friggin' lazy sometimes. Oh well... I guess I just don't find spending hours making a realistic-looking naked chick in Illustrator to be a top priority.
Check out this link to see mind blowing images created in Adobe Illustrator. I work in Photoshop & Illustrator every day, and the fact that can create these images in a vector program is just unbelievable to me. I wish I weren't so friggin' lazy sometimes. Oh well... I guess I just don't find spending hours making a realistic-looking naked chick in Illustrator to be a top priority.
Rightwingoverse
Seen on Bartcop.com...
A disturbing look into the deranged world of the neocons from Tom Tomorrow:
A disturbing look into the deranged world of the neocons from Tom Tomorrow:
Click to Enlarge
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Interactive Display Demo
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Middle East Infographic
(via infosthetics.com)
This visual representation from the NYT of the tangled situations in the Middle East caught my eye.
It's hard to simplify the complex events going on throughout the world, but sometimes visual representations are the most efficient way to convey such large-scale situations & ideas.
(click to enlarge)
Here's another dramatic representation of a stark political reality from the UK's Independent:
This visual representation from the NYT of the tangled situations in the Middle East caught my eye.
It's hard to simplify the complex events going on throughout the world, but sometimes visual representations are the most efficient way to convey such large-scale situations & ideas.
(click to enlarge)
Here's another dramatic representation of a stark political reality from the UK's Independent:
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Plush Monkey Paintings
The Monkey Buddha watches all things in the monkey realm.
BoingBoing.com posted a link to these interesting paintings of stuffed monkey dolls by Peter Jones.
My brother used to collect monkey dolls when he was little.
I'm pretty sure he had this one...
BoingBoing.com posted a link to these interesting paintings of stuffed monkey dolls by Peter Jones.
My brother used to collect monkey dolls when he was little.
I'm pretty sure he had this one...
Saturday, July 22, 2006
The Daily Show & Bush's "Culture of Life"
Jon Stewart effectively exposes the hypocrisy of the walking contradiction himself, President War Monkey. This is why I watch the Daily Show every night. It makes me feel like there's actually other sane, rational people in the world.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Unholy Terror
Sometimes words just don't explain how I feel
when confronted with the horrors in this world.
when confronted with the horrors in this world.
click to enlargeMiddle East Madness
This violence between Israel & Lebanon is such a nightmare. I simply can't imagine how the people living in both countries can cope with the destruction going on.
Even though Israel can seemingly kidnap and imprison anyone at will, the capture of 3 Israeli soliders at the Lebanon border is apparently enough justification to annhililate entire cities and suburbs of innocent people and civilian infrastructure. The outright lie that only Hezbollah positions are being bombed in Lebanon is an insult to the intelligence of anyone with eyes to see the photos and video of the ruined city. Hezbollah seems to have wanted to intitiate a prisoner swap for Palestinians in Israeli prisons, but, hey, why have tons of munitions subsidized by the American-taxpayer if you can't drop it on the heads of civilians and their homes?
If our leaders in the U.S. Gov't weren't such idiotic, malevolent bastards, they would sit down with all significant parties, including Iran & Syria, for an emergency summit and work to reign in both Israel and Hezbollah by threatening to cut off their respective funds. Of course, that would imply that the United States can control Israel, and not the other way around.
The really terrifying part, though, is the reaction of the U.S. Government and American mass-media.
• President War Monkey gets caught at the G8 Summit cursing about how this is somehow all Syria's fault with a mouthful of food, like the ignorant scumbag he is. Not to mention getting verbally slapped down by Russian President Vladimir Putin, groping the Chancellor of Germany, and caring more about a pig roast than a war that is costing significant human life. There is no way an American President can fuck up more times in the span of a few days unless he starts pissing on people's faces and eating live babies on TV.
• Our Ambassador to the U.N., the walrus-faced asshole John "Neocon" Bolton claims diplomatically that there "is no moral equivalent" between the Israelis who are being attacked and the Lebanese civilians being bombed. A dead civilian is a dead civilian, you obnoxious jackass.
(It is being claimed that Hezbollah is embedded in the Lebanese society, so civilian targets are justifed... but then, technically, the entire civilian population of Israel is a legitimate military target, since Israeli conscription is mandatory for all citizens! Anyway you slice it, though, it's all unnecessary murder.)
• The usual neo-conservative vampires are allowed on TV claiming that we must force regime change in Iran... even as Iraq and Afghanistan are still drowning in flames and blood. The question is... with what army?!? Oh, that's right, they want to use nukes and wipe out thousands more innocent lives. These lunatics should be run out of the country - they are doing everything they can to compromise our military and foreign policy.
• The Bush Administration irresponsibly gives the *wink, wink, nudge, nudge* for Israel to have free reign for a week to reduce civilian areas of Lebanon to ruins and hundreds of innocent people to corpses, while on another front, Gaza is being rolled over yet again for the crime of being the home to poor brown people on land that Israel covets. Hey, what's a little bit of war crimes and state terrorism on the way to grabbing as much useless desert sand as possible, right?
The ironic, and saddest, thing is that Israel is doing nothing but destroying it's own security and chances for peace by bombing a democratic nation and it's vibrant capital to rubble as the world watches. The more poverty-stricken Arab and Muslim people that Israel's hateful vengeance creates, the more Hezbollah, Hamas, and Al-Qaeda members will rise up to fight what they see as the injustice of a bloodthirsty apartheid state. If Israel were a true multi-cultural democracy in which the native Arab population was not a second-class race to be eradicated, there would not be so much hostility from the region and the rest of the world. It is a nation that was created on the principles of exclusion and division, and so it goes...
Even though Israel can seemingly kidnap and imprison anyone at will, the capture of 3 Israeli soliders at the Lebanon border is apparently enough justification to annhililate entire cities and suburbs of innocent people and civilian infrastructure. The outright lie that only Hezbollah positions are being bombed in Lebanon is an insult to the intelligence of anyone with eyes to see the photos and video of the ruined city. Hezbollah seems to have wanted to intitiate a prisoner swap for Palestinians in Israeli prisons, but, hey, why have tons of munitions subsidized by the American-taxpayer if you can't drop it on the heads of civilians and their homes?
If our leaders in the U.S. Gov't weren't such idiotic, malevolent bastards, they would sit down with all significant parties, including Iran & Syria, for an emergency summit and work to reign in both Israel and Hezbollah by threatening to cut off their respective funds. Of course, that would imply that the United States can control Israel, and not the other way around.
The really terrifying part, though, is the reaction of the U.S. Government and American mass-media.
• President War Monkey gets caught at the G8 Summit cursing about how this is somehow all Syria's fault with a mouthful of food, like the ignorant scumbag he is. Not to mention getting verbally slapped down by Russian President Vladimir Putin, groping the Chancellor of Germany, and caring more about a pig roast than a war that is costing significant human life. There is no way an American President can fuck up more times in the span of a few days unless he starts pissing on people's faces and eating live babies on TV.
• Our Ambassador to the U.N., the walrus-faced asshole John "Neocon" Bolton claims diplomatically that there "is no moral equivalent" between the Israelis who are being attacked and the Lebanese civilians being bombed. A dead civilian is a dead civilian, you obnoxious jackass.
(It is being claimed that Hezbollah is embedded in the Lebanese society, so civilian targets are justifed... but then, technically, the entire civilian population of Israel is a legitimate military target, since Israeli conscription is mandatory for all citizens! Anyway you slice it, though, it's all unnecessary murder.)
• The usual neo-conservative vampires are allowed on TV claiming that we must force regime change in Iran... even as Iraq and Afghanistan are still drowning in flames and blood. The question is... with what army?!? Oh, that's right, they want to use nukes and wipe out thousands more innocent lives. These lunatics should be run out of the country - they are doing everything they can to compromise our military and foreign policy.
• The Bush Administration irresponsibly gives the *wink, wink, nudge, nudge* for Israel to have free reign for a week to reduce civilian areas of Lebanon to ruins and hundreds of innocent people to corpses, while on another front, Gaza is being rolled over yet again for the crime of being the home to poor brown people on land that Israel covets. Hey, what's a little bit of war crimes and state terrorism on the way to grabbing as much useless desert sand as possible, right?
The ironic, and saddest, thing is that Israel is doing nothing but destroying it's own security and chances for peace by bombing a democratic nation and it's vibrant capital to rubble as the world watches. The more poverty-stricken Arab and Muslim people that Israel's hateful vengeance creates, the more Hezbollah, Hamas, and Al-Qaeda members will rise up to fight what they see as the injustice of a bloodthirsty apartheid state. If Israel were a true multi-cultural democracy in which the native Arab population was not a second-class race to be eradicated, there would not be so much hostility from the region and the rest of the world. It is a nation that was created on the principles of exclusion and division, and so it goes...
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Classic 80's TV Ads
I found a site thanks to BoingBoing.com that gave me numerous flashbacks into my childhood.
It's an amazing set of TV commercials from the 1980's. There are gems such as ads for Thundercats & He-Man, but my favorite is the commercial for Star Wars action figures.
It's an amazing set of TV commercials from the 1980's. There are gems such as ads for Thundercats & He-Man, but my favorite is the commercial for Star Wars action figures.
CLICK HERE FOR LINK
I really enjoyed the one for He-Man's Castle Grayskull, too. It's crazy that I actually remember these commercials...
I really enjoyed the one for He-Man's Castle Grayskull, too. It's crazy that I actually remember these commercials...
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
The Mayan Experience
I got back Sunday night from a trip to Mexico with my family, and it was the best experience of my life. Eight of us went down to the Riviera Maya area on the coast of the Yucatan and stayed at the Sunscape Puerto Aventuras resort.
Here is a picture of me on the beach where I swam, drank Corona, and ate grilled food every day!
The ruins themselves were mind-boggling. I read voraciously about ancient cultures and the Mayans are one of the most fascinating peoples to me. The first thing you see as you head through the entrance/vistor's center into the Great Plaza is the overwhelming Pyramid of Kukulcan, or Quetzalcoatl to the Aztecs. He is symbolized by the feathered serpent - the union of the heavens with the earth. The pyramid is a monument that contains vast astrological & symbolic information.
It also has an amazing acoustic quality: when you clap your hands in front of one of the four staircases, the echo is the chirp of the sacred quetzal bird! We were dumbstruck at the technical knowledge required to achieve this effect. They must have understood a correlation between the waveform of the bird's chirp and the distance & angle between each step.
Here are some pictures of me initiating myself into the Mayan priesthood at the base of the pyramid:
I can't even get into...
• the drunken insanity that took place on the trip me, my brother, and brother-in-law took to Playa del Carmen's "Mambo Cafe" one night with a group from the hotel (we got left behind and had to get a cab back) • my brother getting as sick as I've ever seen a human being the night before we left into our flight the next day • smoking Cubans on the balcony overlooking the ocean • etc, etc, etc
Best ...Week... Ever
Here is a picture of me on the beach where I swam, drank Corona, and ate grilled food every day!
(click pictures to enlarge)
The most amazing part of the trip was our adventure to the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza in the middle of the Yucatan . My brother-in-law drove us all in a mini-van, which was a unique opportunity to see the Mayan Mexican people's lifestyle (especially after making a temporary wrong turn, and heading into the village of Coba). The Mayan people are so friendly and proud of their culture, it never stops bothering me that they and other people throughout the world often live in poverty, trying to get by, when they have such great hearts and minds. We had an open, wonderfully talkative Mayan driver take us back to the airport, and I could hear as he talked to us the deep feelings they have about the Spanish Conquest, foreign tourists, and their status as almost second-class citizens. He seemed to think the Mayans were considered unattractive because of their indigenous features, but I think they are beautiful people, like the rest of the human race.
The ruins themselves were mind-boggling. I read voraciously about ancient cultures and the Mayans are one of the most fascinating peoples to me. The first thing you see as you head through the entrance/vistor's center into the Great Plaza is the overwhelming Pyramid of Kukulcan, or Quetzalcoatl to the Aztecs. He is symbolized by the feathered serpent - the union of the heavens with the earth. The pyramid is a monument that contains vast astrological & symbolic information.
It also has an amazing acoustic quality: when you clap your hands in front of one of the four staircases, the echo is the chirp of the sacred quetzal bird! We were dumbstruck at the technical knowledge required to achieve this effect. They must have understood a correlation between the waveform of the bird's chirp and the distance & angle between each step.
Here are some pictures of me initiating myself into the Mayan priesthood at the base of the pyramid:
I can't even get into...• the drunken insanity that took place on the trip me, my brother, and brother-in-law took to Playa del Carmen's "Mambo Cafe" one night with a group from the hotel (we got left behind and had to get a cab back) • my brother getting as sick as I've ever seen a human being the night before we left into our flight the next day • smoking Cubans on the balcony overlooking the ocean • etc, etc, etc
Best ...Week... Ever
Saturday, June 10, 2006
DaVinci's Challenge Articles (Update 6/10/06)
I added articles in the Rowan University Magazine, About.com, and the Boston Herald to my list of articles & features with my "DaVinci's Challenge" game in the media. Click link below:
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was the inventor of AC electricity and a genius who was like a human incarnation of electro-magnetic theory. He claimed it was possible to create and transmit wireless electricity. Tesla made Thomas Edison look like a chump but was kind of forgotten by the world at large because he wasn't a great businessman. Here is a short but eloquent statement on war & peace:
"What we now want is closer contact and better understanding
between individuals and communities all over the earth,
and the elimination of egoism and pride
which is always prone to plunge the world
into primeval barbarism and strife...
Peace can only come as a natural consequence
of universal enlightenment...''
between individuals and communities all over the earth,
and the elimination of egoism and pride
which is always prone to plunge the world
into primeval barbarism and strife...
Peace can only come as a natural consequence
of universal enlightenment...''
An Eye (and Mouth) for Art
I think this photo is hysterical! This is pure human nature with no guilt or fear of judgement, which is why it brings a smile to your face.
If I saw this happening in person, I would probably fall on the floor laughing.
Future 'Breast Man'
If I saw this happening in person, I would probably fall on the floor laughing.
Future 'Breast Man'Sunday, June 04, 2006
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Webs of Maya
This is an amazing video that shows geometric patterns being formed by vibrating a metal plate covered with sand at different frequencies. If you turn the sound off and watch it (so the high-pitched tones don't make you crazy), it becomes like a Magical Morphing Mandala.
On another level, this could be seen as a experiential metaphor for the structure of reality - a flux of ? forming patterns we perceive as matter, mind, & energy.
Through Google, I found this on the website of a jewelry designer from Israel who has amazing designs and thought-provoking articles on the site:
"When we start to examine what matter is made of we get to molecules and then to atoms. Atoms are composed of particles moving around each other at great speed. When scientists searched for what these particles are made of they found various wave lengths (frequencies).
The simplest way to understand a vibration is to imagine constantly repeating "movement" and "rest". The human ear can hear 30 to 16000 vibrations ("movement" and "rest") per second.
In fact, everything is made of frequencies, even the "matter" we previously mentioned."
He also has a page for the Flower of Life, the ancient pattern of circles that I studied as a design student & used to form the DaVinci's Challenge gameboard:
"The "Flower of Life" contains the patterns of creation as they emerged from the "Great Void". Everything is made from the Creator's thought."
On another level, this could be seen as a experiential metaphor for the structure of reality - a flux of ? forming patterns we perceive as matter, mind, & energy.
Through Google, I found this on the website of a jewelry designer from Israel who has amazing designs and thought-provoking articles on the site:
"When we start to examine what matter is made of we get to molecules and then to atoms. Atoms are composed of particles moving around each other at great speed. When scientists searched for what these particles are made of they found various wave lengths (frequencies).
The simplest way to understand a vibration is to imagine constantly repeating "movement" and "rest". The human ear can hear 30 to 16000 vibrations ("movement" and "rest") per second.
In fact, everything is made of frequencies, even the "matter" we previously mentioned."
He also has a page for the Flower of Life, the ancient pattern of circles that I studied as a design student & used to form the DaVinci's Challenge gameboard:
"The "Flower of Life" contains the patterns of creation as they emerged from the "Great Void". Everything is made from the Creator's thought."
