A maze within a maze within a photograph

Wow. If you have the time, read this:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jan/15/korea.photography?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487

Every revelation of a facet of life in N Korea strikes sparks of fear in my heart that one day others will not only wish to emulate that country's leaders, but successfully DO SO. Yow.

As a citizen of the world, there is not much other than instant annihilation that is quite so repugnant to me.

I'd love to see the book, though, in order to see the sheer, steely face of maximum repression...and still be safely a half world away.

Kindle: Please not for the short of thought!

Are we ready for Kindle to be the "Short Attention Span Theater" of this portion of the 21st century? I am seriously hoping not. That's what we have quick-cut TV shows for, to mentally jerk your head (and mind) this way and that, so you can't think of something for more than a couple of seconds at a time. There are those to whom this has become more than a way of life: they seek that experience throughout life and, thus, miss out on ALL of life that takes careful thought and rumination to take in and build upon.

If you are wondering what I'm talking about, check THIS LINK out.

Comments welcomed.

International Day of World Peace

The 2010 celebration of this International Day of World Peace has come and by the time I'm typing this text, almost gone.

Tonight, at our house, we watched via TiVo the David Letterman interview with ex-president Clinton the other night about his Clinton Global Initiative. I personally think that if we in this time (all over this place called "Earth") are ever going to dig ourselves out of the whole series of holes we've gotten ourselves into (including the persistent lack of world peace), it will have to be with a whole-world, concerted effort of the sort that this organization supports and urges. The interview on the David Letterman Show makes it almost okay to watch that one show of his.
Parts 1 to 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUr7VxRLKy0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2noZoAWIxFI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EWvcLRkrWM

As Clinton says in the interview, this may well be his most important post-presidential contribution to the world at large. Only time will tell.

U.S.A. Oligarchs and Oligarchy For Real?

Well, author Michael Ventura thinks so. In this article in the latest Austin Chronicle newspaper, he posits that notion. If you have a chance to read it, please comment back to this post. Maybe a conversation will ensue?

Comments welcomed.

Generation gap squeeze: Children in cyberspace

This NYTimes article about the social aspects of today's children, their interaction with electronic connections to cyberspace, the expectations they will have from those interactions, and what it will mean about the social divides between children only a few years apart in calendar age is a fascinating hypothesis and a disturbing one on the level of what it might mean in disruption to our society.

We who are older might be tempted to not think about this situation if it were not for articles like this which call it to our attention.

Comments welcomed.

A line on energy use vs. property restrictions

I thought just about everyone was okay with saving energy by drying clothes on a simple line out in the yard vs. turning on a resistive heater and an electric motor to accomplish the same thing. Turns out I was wrong. This NYTimes article tells of fairly heated battles being waged over this simple and expedient effort that has been followed through most of human history as a daily or weekly ritual. What curious creatures we modern humans are!

A fellow electrical engineer and ham radio buddy says:

This article about restrictions on clothes lines reminds me of
restrictions against antennas, solar panels, power lines, cell phone
towers, boats in driveways, rusty Ford pickup trucks on cinder
blocks, and weeds in the front yard. Some people just don't
recognize the beauty in these things.

May we find our way through the tangled web of social pressures and elevated expectations to a plateau of sensible ways of leading our lives before we exhaust the ready energy we need to carry on modern civilization.

Comments welcomed.

Playing for Change

Every once in a while (and it happens more and more frequently as we get connected tighter as a world body), you just run across something that makes your heart open up and cry out for sharing with others. Some people like me turn to blogging, others take to the street or subway station with a guitar and a voice, yet others run for office with a platform based on their firmly held convictions.

Several decades ago, Arlo Guthrie had it right when he said,

You know, if one person, just one person does it they may
think he's really sick and they won't take him.  ...
And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three
people walking in singin' a bar of Alice's Restaurant
and walking out. They may think it's an organization. 
And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day,I said
fifty people a day walking in singin' a bar of Alice's
Restaurant and walking out.  And friends they may think
it's a movement.

Today, thanks to a kindly uncle, there was this movement that I was exposed to called "Playing for Change". Stand still, keep your heart in your chest as you see these videos that connect people in different parts of the world in a way that just wouldn't have happened not so very long ago. They come together for a cause, one that I hope you will share.

Playing for Change: Documentary Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzaAr-EeLPk

Extended trailer from award-winning documentary showcasing how the world is connected through music.

Connecting the World Through Music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHi7I5ZLENM

The power of music to bring hope and inspiration is more than evident in this clip (cover of Tracy Chapman's song, "Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution") from the township outside of Cape Town where we just built our first connected music school.

Bringing Hope to South Africa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGqho96099Y

Enjoy this song from a local band from Guguletu, a township outside of Capetown, South Africa. This is the location of our first connected music school.

School Building Photo Movie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTORG0HipZU

Photo Movie of "Playing For Change: Peace Through Music" trip to Guguletu, South Africa (Township of CapeTown) where the PFC Foundation is building a new music school this fall that will connect students from there to others at established music schools.

Song Around the World "Stand By Me"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM

From the award-winning documentary, "Playing For Change: Peace Through Music", comes the first of many "songs around the world" being released independently. Featured is a cover of the Ben E. King classic by musicians around the world adding their part to the song as it travelled the globe. This video and "Don't Worry" will be available at iTunes 1.27.09 while other songs such as "One Love" will be released as digital downloads soon; followed by the film soundtrack and DVD in stores on 4.21.09.

"Stand By Me" can be downloaded here.

Song Around the World "Don't Worry"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAjFnJuk1Aw

From the award-winning documentary, "Playing For Change: Peace Through Music", comes the follow up to the classic "Stand By Me" and the second of many "songs around the world" being released on CD/DVD in April, 2009. Featured is an incredible track written by Pierre Minetti performed by musicians around the world adding their part to the song as it traveled the globe. This video and "Stand By Me" will be available at iTunes 1.27.09 while other songs such as "One Love" will be released as digital downloads soon; followed by the film soundtrack and DVD in stores on 4.21.09.

"Don't Worry" can be downloaded here.

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Join the Movement to help build schools, connect students, and inspire communities in need through music.

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Veteran's Day

There is that time each year when Veteran's Day rolls around. Just about to a person, each person I know who IS a veteran of military service during a foreign war think that they really don't deserve the high praise that abounds on this holiday celebration. "We were just doing our job," is the statement heard most often. As a matter of fact, the speaker probably WAS just doing their job. There is little room for showboating or trying to stand out in the rigid confines of the military world. One does their work and follows orders to the best of whatever level of ability they possess.

People come up after church when the veterans are recognized and say, "Thank you." What else can one reply except "You're welcome" to that statement? Well, I've always wanted to speak out when we are recognized in church.

I've wanted to say to the assembled, thankful people, "No, thank YOU. Thank you for the money to pay our salary that sustained us during our national service. Thank you for taking care of our loved ones while we were away on active duty. Thank you for not caring that we came into the work force late or finished our education a few years later than we 'should have' by normal standards. Thank you for holding up that standard of societal rule of law that we could look back to returning to in civilian life after living in the midst of war and turmoil, strife and danger. Thank YOU!"

Street blaster: BOOM box

In our tiny village not too far from the Gulf, we DON'T have any of these going by in the middle of the night. In Austin, I recall a number of vehicles who must have been a chip off the ole block here. At least in this version, the speakers are aptly designed to deafen the public. The ones I can't figure out are the ones designed to both enrage the public AND deafen the occupant(s) of the vehicle. Comment if you know the reasoning behind those versions, as I've failed in my attempts to comprehend the need or desire for 120+ dB of sound inside a vehicle cabin, be it "music" or the sound of a large jet engine ready for takeoff.

Source

Plagiarism: Makes me squirm

Gosh, this is my first week as a blogger and I read this disturbing article. Being new, I have not a clue how to find out if the system is still broken. Not that I have much in the way of original material that would interest these nefarious folk, but still...

It seems that, as more and more things go digital, it becomes harder and harder to figure out that is real and original, and to keep whatever it is real AND original! There seem to be folks who find their lot in life only to copy the works of others and try to make some believe THEY were the originators.