Life on Red Leopard

Sites I Visit

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:07:20 +0000

freshnews.org I get my tech news through the freshnews aggregator. While not a complete picture of the world, it is enough for me. Those looking for a more extensive time waster, try originalsignal.com.
Certainly, using an aggregator implies that someone else is selecting the stories I read and therefore outside forces are impacting my worldview. But isn’t that always true? Are we not inherently enthralled by amusing stimulation? Those concerned about it might look here , here or here .

A New World

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 14:54:43 +0000

January, 2011. A month of reflection and choices. My world will never be the same.

Speak a new language
so that the world
will be a new world.
—Rumi

What in Hell Happened to 2010?

Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:05:45 +0000

2010 sucked.

Don’t get me wrong. There was a lot good happened in 2010. But as a vintage, it sucked. Big donkey balls.

At 2010’s wake, we make New Year’s resolutions in hopes that doing so will wash the taste out of our mouths. It’s what we do. Like paying taxes in April. Creatures of habit, that’s what we are. One of those habits is making resolutions at year’s end.

SOD: Sidebar Diversion

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 22:11:51 +0000

I couldn’t get the idea out of my head that the Avatar rendering cluster required 1 petabyte of storage. However, this slide show of the facilities used for filming the actors opened my eyes. [eye opening slide show]

The petabyte is required not just for the finished product. It’s needed to store all the sensor and camera data as well. Okay. I accept that Weta needed 1PB. How does one go about creating a petabyte storage facility? What are the tradeoffs? How much does it cost to build and then to maintain?

Mid-Peninsula Aikido

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 23:52:52 +0000

These are my notes made while looking for an Aikido dojo in the San Francisco Bay’s mid-peninsula region. Specifically the communities in and around Palo Alto, CA. (image: wikimedia.org)

[Update 2011-12-20: I have chosen to train at Aikido Center and started attending Zazen and Aikido classes in October 2011.]

I won’t get into the ‘why’ I’m looking for an Aikido dojo in this posting. Most of what I would say can be gleaned from Stan Wrobel’s excellent book, Aikido for Self Discovery: Blueprint for an Enlightened Life. I’ve included a short book review.

MCPO Rich Dowdy, 1934 – 2010

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:32:21 +0000

It is with heavy heart that I say farewell to Master Chief Petty Officer Rich Dowdy. He passed Thursday, September 2, 2010 at the U.S. Naval Hospital at Balboa.

I married into the family thirteen years ago. The first time I met Rich Dowdy, he gave me the hairy eyeball. Somehow I passed muster, even if I was an old Army soldier. In time, I was accepted into the family.

MIT 9.00

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:08:33 +0000

I recently finished Paul Bloom’s intro psych course and thought I’d continue my survey with Jeremy Wolfe’s MIT 9.00: Introduction to Psychology. I’m only two lectures in and already I sense Dr. Wolfe’s class has heavier technical leanings. That’s not a bad thing. To read broadly expands awareness.

I tried comparing the syllabi from Yale and MIT. There is some overlap but there is far more unique content than not. At least that’s my impression comparing the two sets of reading assignments. I’ll know more when I finish the balance of the 23 lectures.

loyal and gentle friend

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 22:59:44 +0000

Truffles (1996 – 2010)
Loyal and Gentle Friend

“Look in my eyes, Lord, and my sins
will play out on them as on a screen.
Read them all.

Forgive what you can, and send
me on my path. I will walk on,
until you bid me rest.”
—Shepherd Book

OYC PSYC 110

Fri, 21 May 2010 15:54:43 +0000

I’ve stumbled upon a new means of relaxation at Open Yale Courses. It sounds strange that recordings of university lectures are relaxing but I find they are. Paul Bloom’s PSYC 110: Introduction to Psychology is far more interesting than television. I’m currently on lecture ten of twenty.

His has an enjoyable speaking style; the hour flies by. A sidebar at the end of Dr. Bloom’s lecture on Freud exemplifies his sense of humor.

Get Spiked

Mon, 17 May 2010 17:05:46 +0000

I’ve become increasingly disillusioned with broadcast and cable news outlets. News outlets have sadly taken distinctly partisan roles in society. I find their content specious at best and makes for very poor commentary. (One notable except is Deutsche Welle.)

I recently stumbled upon spiked, which itself has a bias but its bias pleasantly lacks the shrill insanity commonly found nowadays. It’s not news but rather commentary on newsworthy events and trends. Even those articles with which I disagree will often have a point two I hadn’t considered. I find this to be the real value.

Where are you?

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

“Who are you? What is identity?

You like cheese, and sun on water. You know your age and what happens when your eyes grow tired.

Filtered through some predisposition, you are the product of everything that ever happened to you, but if you lost your memory, who could you be?” – The Monkey, episode 30

“Who could you be?” The question is on my mind.

Can you hear me now?

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:16:45 +0000

I ate too much last night. My wife had ‘girls night out’ which left me unsupervised as I made my dinner.

I powered through an entire package of Johnsonville Brats. Cause and effect… I was wide awake at 2AM, bloated as a poisoned pup. Uffda!

And, yes. It was worth it.

“What the hell”, says me? Good time to catch up on some random and completely unnecessary web browsing.

Speech Reference Materials

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 01:26:26 +0000

Below are several resources I used in writing a speech delivered this morning for Early Risers Toastmasters entitled, “Feedback Loops in Personal Practices.” For those who were unable to attend, the talk focused on somatic learning and the importance of personal practices. (I am interested in personal practices as access to metaprogramming.) Feedback loops are important to mitigate the risk adopting destructive practices or of improperly performing the practice. I concluded with a tie-in reference to Theo’s new project of video recording the clubs speeches (if the speaker requests it).

Blue Light

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 23:18:54 +0000

Rolling Stone reports that Mazzy Star‘s “Sandoval confirms her [sic] and her bandmate David Roback haven’t called it quits and they are still working on their anticipated fourth album. But she declines to give many specifics. ‘It’s true we’re still together,’ she says. ‘We’re almost finished [with the record]. But I have no idea what that means.’”

Blue Smoke IV

Fri, 29 May 2009 22:19:31 +0000

I’ve added this latest rendition of Blue Smoke to illustrate a point: The quantity and quality of non-video music is greater than that of video music. Okay. So it’s anecdotal. But this isn’t about science. It’s about sensation. In my world, the grooveshark player found every track but one: Helpless by Needle. But I’ll take Neil Young’s unplugged version. Not as good but does have a nice base coat of maudlin piano. And I prefer the Paul Weller’s Portishead remix of Wildwood.

Blue Smoke III

Wed, 13 May 2009 23:03:18 +0000

Yet another version of blue smoke using the embedr.com player. No one has the video of Needle‘s cover of Neil Young’s Helpless. Shame. Needle has, in my opinion, the quintessential rendition. Anyway, Helpless didn’t make it it.

Blue Smoke II

Wed, 13 May 2009 22:27:08 +0000

Another adaptation of blue smoke, this time using Yahoo Video as the source. Some of the videos were not found (Lenny, Helpless, Until the Morning).

Lenny and Fade Into You are the lynchpins of Blue Smoke and my substitutions make this something I call “an interpretive playlist”. However, I like the Paul Weller cover. Raw, courageous, authentic. Best of luck, Dylan.

Pensive II

Mon, 11 May 2009 18:25:02 +0000

An alternate view of the pensive playlist.

Pensive

Mon, 11 May 2009 15:15:00 +0000

I’ve been pensive of late and frankly the weather is just too damn nice for that. Still, there is something gained by wrapping up from time to time in a blanket of introspection. I’m sharing here my pensive playlist.

Resume Example

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 19:35:34 +0000

I reread my Resume Advice post this morning. It occurred to me that the article was incomplete. I gave an example of resume bloat and a few rules for improving it but I didn’t give an example of a resume I liked.

I decided to write a resume following the rules and using my own background for the example.

Here’s a transcript of my writing flow.

RULE 3: The resume shall include a three or four sentence opening paragraph.

Peace on Earth

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 21:13:38 +0000

This Christmas is good. So much of the year was absolutely lousy. I’m glad it’s ending on the upbeat. There are more than a few painful memories in 2008.

A new Harley goes a long way towards easing a painful memory. And my in-laws Julie and Bob have come through with the goods: raffle tickets for a 2009 Harley Dyna Low Rider.

Holiday Angst

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 15:37:38 +0000

Once again, it’s the holidays; I’m not feeling very cheery.

Centennial Words

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:56:19 +0000

“Try to learn to breathe deeply, really to taste food when you eat, and when you sleep, really to sleep. Try as much as possible to be wholly alive, with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell, and when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough.”

William Saroyan
(1908 – 1981)

The Art of Peace 7

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 19:52:25 +0000

Eight forces sustain creation:

Movement and stillness,
Solidification and fluidity,
Extension and contraction,
Unification and division.

—Morihei Ueshiba

THE ART OF PEACE 6

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 18:08:10 +0000

The Art of Peace functions everywhere on earth, in realms ranging from the vastness of space down to the tiniest plants and animals.

The life force is all-pervasive and its strength boundless.

The Art of Peace allows us to perceive and tap into that tremendous reserve of universal energy.

—Morihei Ueshiba

who are you?

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 17:33:43 +0000

“Long you live and high you fly
And smiles you’ll give and tears you’ll cry
And all you touch and all you see
Is all your life will ever be”
—Pink Floyd, Breathe (second stanza)

One chooses or not. Nevertheless, one is; you are; I am. At the root of not knowing who one is a failureâor a refusalâto choose.

Our personalities, our identities, our ingrained patterns of behavior are all antithetical to choice. Personality, identity, ingrained behavior are the default that suffers no possible alternative, only itself. It (personality, identity, ingrained behavior) is a mechanism, the design function of which is survivalâprimarily /its/ survival.

on poetry

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:48:51 +0000

“so far as i am concerned, poetry and every other art was and is and forever will be strictly and distinctly a question of individualityâ¦poetry is being, not doing. if you wish to follow, even at a distance, the poet’s calling (and here, as always, i speak from my own totally biased and entirely personal point of view) you’ve got to come out of the measurable doing universe into the immeasurable house of being…nobody else can be alive for you; nor can you be alive for anybody else. toms can be dicks and dicks can be harrys, but none of them can ever be you. there’s the artist’s responsibility; and the most awful responsibility on earth. if you can take it, take itâand be. if you can’t, cheer up and go about other people’s business; and do (or undo) till you drop.”

The Art of Peace 5

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:03:47 +0000

If you have not
Linked yourself
To true emptiness,
You will never understand
The Art of Peace.

âMorihei Ueshiba

WOTD 2007-09-20

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 15:43:23 +0000

Word of the Day

Schadenfreude
n : delight in another person’s misfortune

We all know someone like this. Maybe we have experienced schadenfreude in our own lives. It happens when a person is deeply invested in the failure of another. It is small, sad and toxic.

You might try this: for the rest of the week, observe the people in your life. Do they show empathy or schadenfreude? To whom do you feel closer?

Twentyfive Skills

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 17:26:54 +0000

Over on O’Reilly, Rick Jelliffe took Popular Mechanic’s 25 Skills Every Man Should Know quiz.

I eagerly read through the quiz and I noticed two things. First, I eagerly read through the quiz. Second, I have smirkedâon occasionâat women’s magazines that have similar quizzes. It’s all relative to what you believe is important.

How did I do on the quiz? Let’s say simply that I felt rather smug. We all like to score well on tests, right?

The Art of Peace 4

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 02:59:23 +0000

The Art of Peace is medicine for a sick world.

There is evil and disorder in the world because people have forgotten that all things emanate from one source. Return to that source and leave behind all self-centered thoughts, petty desires, and anger.

Those who are possessed by nothing possess everything.

–Morihei Ueshiba

August Already

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 02:47:16 +0000

Tracy and I vacationed in Fargo in July. I hear you snickering out there, you snickerers. For the record, I like Fargo. Nice town.

We visited Tracy’s sister and her family. Those kids know how to show out-of-towners a great time. We all slipped out of North Dakota and into Minnesota for three days of R & R on Detriot Lake. Picture Perfect.

July was so perfect, in fact, that if it lasted any longer, I just might not have made it back to work.

The Art of Peace 3

Sat, 24 Feb 2007 17:32:39 +0000

All things, material and spiritual, originate from one source and are related as if they were one family. The past, present, and future are all contained in the life force. The universe emerged and developed from one source, and we evolved through the optimal process of unification and harmonization. –Morihei Ueshiba

The Art of Peace 2

Thu, 22 Feb 2007 23:50:45 +0000

One does not need buildings, money, power, or status to practice the Art of Peace. Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train. –Morihei Ueshiba

The Art of Peace 1

Mon, 19 Feb 2007 05:14:56 +0000

The Art of Peace begins with you. Work on yourself and your appointed task in the Art of Peace. Everyone has a spirit that can be refined, a body that can be trained in some manner, a suitable path to follow. You are here for no other purpose than to realize your inner divinity and manifest your innate enlightenment. Foster peace in your own life and then apply the Art to all that you encounter. –Morihei Ueshiba

Book: Battle for the Mind

Fri, 14 Nov 2003 19:33:38 +0000

I read a fair amount. I wouldn’t say a lot only because I don’t really read that fast. Well, that’s not true. Fictional and biographical works I cruise through fairly quickly. It’s non-fiction that slows me to a crawl.

It was a decade ago that I realized the obvious. Just because you start reading a book doesn’t mean you have to finish it. I can still remember the book that broke the spell: The Vermont Papers

If I’m reading a book for my own enjoyment and edification, if I can’t relate the book to my life, if I’m getting nothing out of the book, it’s history. Ciao, baby. The Vermont Papers was my last “I’ll finish the book simply because I started it” experience. When I finished that book, I said, “What a waste of my time.”

Currently, I’m reading Battle for the Mind. This book I will finish and read again.