Come closer little plump and juicy humans. Come into my web. Sting ye, I will. Roll ye in me sticky cords and sip on ye succulent juices for weeks. What's this! Juicy and angry Beastman. Get ye away. Easy this prey is. Mine it is. Get away. Web and Wound and Wind it will I. No! Mine. Kill it not so quickly. Savor, Slober and Siphon will I. Rend and Ruin and Ravage do you! Nooooo. Poor juicy dwarf. All tastyness and goodness spilling on Floor. Wasted! Wasted!
Master is displeased. Useless he says. Short is your reach and weak is your sting he says. Worthless says he. Only good for absorbing nasty blades and blocking nasty arrows with your pestilential body.
No food have I. No honor have I. No sting to break through shiny armor have I. Die do I. Too quickly. Too quickly.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
The Good News
What is the "good news" that Christianity offers? Answering that question was our assignment in Dan's class at church a couple of weeks ago. I think it is a good one.
Here are some ideas that keep coming back to me.
Rest - Rest from what others think. Rest from trying so hard and failing. Rest from having to be a hero, or a saint. Rest from all the work everyone claims is so important.
Judgment - Are people really able to get away with stuff? We need judgment if we want justice. Jesus promises that the poor, the weak, the meek will have their day as will the rich, the corrupt, and the proud.
Company - Christ is a God who literally walks and talks with us. A God who is not a super hero but a peasant. A God/man who most mysteriously relives the passover identifying not most obviously as the Mosaic deliverer but with the cursed first born of Egypt condemned to death.
So why do I have a hard time proclaiming this good news, this gospel, to others? I fear that rest, judgment, and company are vegetable virtues, I understand why I should want them but alas I hard time convincing myself, let alone making a compelling case to others to partake.
I still feel my work may pay off, that I have more to lose then gain by judgment, and that I'm fine on my own. God have mercy.
(photo by Mandalynn http://www.flickr.com/photos/mandaberry/3247012/)
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Nalgene vs Sigg
Oh yeah--that's right. Another conspiracy about what's bad for you.
I have been using Nalgene bottles for years--at least 6. And I drink a lot a water. I drink a liter in the morning before school, one before lunch, one after lunch before the end of the day, sometimes half a one on the way home, and one before I go to bed. Minimum of 4 liters per day. That's a lot of peein'.
Anyhow, back to the bottles.
I keep reading about this chemical Bisphenol A (or BPA) that leaches out of polycarbonate (or #7 plastics). It leaches out more at higher temps but even at room temperature, it has been shown to leach out into the solution. 2 bad things--I use(d) Nalgenes that are made of polycarbonate and so are baby bottles. The chemical is basically a synthetic version of estrogen.
As of last week, Canada is considering banning it. (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080418.wbpa19/BNStory/National/ )
So what's a guy to do. Well, I've made the switch to metal bottles--aluminum and stainless steel. Sigg is a Swiss company that has been making water bottle/canteens for 100 years. The inner liner of Sigg bottles is an enamel that is baked on and is purported to not be hazardous (by both an independent German agency and the FDA). I have a couple of bottles by Sigg. I also purchased one by a company called Laken who uses and epoxy as a liner that is supposed to not leach out. Finally, Klean Kanteen produces a stainless steel water bottle this is both light, relatively speaking, and resists denting (unlike the aluminum bottles).
I hope I am not wasting my money, but I would probably be wasting in on something else, that would not help me stay healthy.
I have been using Nalgene bottles for years--at least 6. And I drink a lot a water. I drink a liter in the morning before school, one before lunch, one after lunch before the end of the day, sometimes half a one on the way home, and one before I go to bed. Minimum of 4 liters per day. That's a lot of peein'.
Anyhow, back to the bottles.
I keep reading about this chemical Bisphenol A (or BPA) that leaches out of polycarbonate (or #7 plastics). It leaches out more at higher temps but even at room temperature, it has been shown to leach out into the solution. 2 bad things--I use(d) Nalgenes that are made of polycarbonate and so are baby bottles. The chemical is basically a synthetic version of estrogen.
As of last week, Canada is considering banning it. (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080418.wbpa19/BNStory/National/ )
So what's a guy to do. Well, I've made the switch to metal bottles--aluminum and stainless steel. Sigg is a Swiss company that has been making water bottle/canteens for 100 years. The inner liner of Sigg bottles is an enamel that is baked on and is purported to not be hazardous (by both an independent German agency and the FDA). I have a couple of bottles by Sigg. I also purchased one by a company called Laken who uses and epoxy as a liner that is supposed to not leach out. Finally, Klean Kanteen produces a stainless steel water bottle this is both light, relatively speaking, and resists denting (unlike the aluminum bottles).
I hope I am not wasting my money, but I would probably be wasting in on something else, that would not help me stay healthy.
Monday, March 10, 2008
A requiem for the Ostrogoths
Ok I'm going to wuss out and copy someone else's writing. But what amazing writing it is. The author is Charles Oman, and the title of the book is "Dark Ages 476-918". I first read it years ago, and am working through it again.
To set the scene a bit of history is in order. Up until ~476 there was a roman emperor in Rome or Ravenna (still in Italy). Some of them were dominated by their german generals, but a clear continuity of government could be traced back to the days of Julius Caesar. Then, in 476 one of these ambitious german generals (Odoacer) deposed the last western roman emperor (Romulus). Under Odoacer, Italy and her possessions were formally ruled by the emperor in Constantinople (Zeno) with Odoacer as his agent. In reality however, Odoacer acted as an independent soverign.
This situation eventually proved intolerable to Zeno. He lacked the strength to retake Italy with his own forces and instead turned to Theodoric, the leader of one of the neighboring bands of barbarians. Zeno made a pact with Theodoric wherein Theodoric would take his Ostrogoths into Italy and depose Odoacer. In exchange, Zeno would recognize Theodoric as his agent in Italy in Odoacer's stead.
Theodoric took his entire people into Italy and was wildly successful. He captured & killed Odoacer and defeated or recruited Odoacer's army. He distributed his Ostrogoths as rulers amongst the more populous Italians and settled down as a wise and productive king. The fatal flaw of the government he established was that the Ostrogoths were Arian Christians, a heretical sect which the orthodox italians regarded with hatred.
Decades later, after Theodoric had died, a new eastern emperor (Justinian) rose to the throne. A much more energetic and aggresive ruler than his immediate predecessors, Justinian decided the time to reclaim Italy had come. He sent a series of generals and armies into Italy and after almost two decades of fighting finally wore down and defeated the Ostrogoths. Ok, we're done. Now time to let the master speak...
"So, in the autumn of 533, the few remaining Gothic garrisons laid down their arms, gathered together, and disappeared over the passes of the Alps in to the northern darkness. We have no tidings of the fate of these last survivors of the great Ostrogothic race. Whether they became the vassals of the Frank, or mingled with the Bavarians, or sought their kinsmen the Visigoths of Spain no man can tell.
So perished the Gothic kingdom, which had been erected by the genius of Theodoric, by the same fate which had smitten the pirate-realm of the Vandals seventeen years before. Both fell because the ruling race was too small to hold down the vast territory it had overrun, unless it could combine frankly and freely with the conquered Roman population. But the fatal bar of Arianism lay in each case between masters and servants, and when the orthodox armies of Constantinople appeared, nothing could restrain the Africans and Italians from opening their gates to the invader. The Ostrogoths had been wise and tolerant, the Vandals cruel and persecuting, but the end was the same in each kingdom. It was only in the measure of the resistance that the difference between Goth and Vandal appeared. Sunk in coarse luxury, and enervated by the African sun, the Vandals fell in one year before a single army. The Ostrogoths, the noblest of the Teutons, made a splendid fight for seventeen years, beat off the great Belisarius himself, and only sucummbed because the incessant fighting had drained off the whole manhood of the tribe. If Baduila could have mustered at Taginea the 100,000 men that Witiges had once led against Rome, he would never have been beaten. It is one of the saddest scenes in history when we see the well-ordered realm of Theodoric vanish away, and Italy is left and unpeopled desert, to be disputed between the savage Lombard, the faithless Frank, and the exarchs of distant Byzantium."
Word
To set the scene a bit of history is in order. Up until ~476 there was a roman emperor in Rome or Ravenna (still in Italy). Some of them were dominated by their german generals, but a clear continuity of government could be traced back to the days of Julius Caesar. Then, in 476 one of these ambitious german generals (Odoacer) deposed the last western roman emperor (Romulus). Under Odoacer, Italy and her possessions were formally ruled by the emperor in Constantinople (Zeno) with Odoacer as his agent. In reality however, Odoacer acted as an independent soverign.
This situation eventually proved intolerable to Zeno. He lacked the strength to retake Italy with his own forces and instead turned to Theodoric, the leader of one of the neighboring bands of barbarians. Zeno made a pact with Theodoric wherein Theodoric would take his Ostrogoths into Italy and depose Odoacer. In exchange, Zeno would recognize Theodoric as his agent in Italy in Odoacer's stead.
Theodoric took his entire people into Italy and was wildly successful. He captured & killed Odoacer and defeated or recruited Odoacer's army. He distributed his Ostrogoths as rulers amongst the more populous Italians and settled down as a wise and productive king. The fatal flaw of the government he established was that the Ostrogoths were Arian Christians, a heretical sect which the orthodox italians regarded with hatred.
Decades later, after Theodoric had died, a new eastern emperor (Justinian) rose to the throne. A much more energetic and aggresive ruler than his immediate predecessors, Justinian decided the time to reclaim Italy had come. He sent a series of generals and armies into Italy and after almost two decades of fighting finally wore down and defeated the Ostrogoths. Ok, we're done. Now time to let the master speak...
"So, in the autumn of 533, the few remaining Gothic garrisons laid down their arms, gathered together, and disappeared over the passes of the Alps in to the northern darkness. We have no tidings of the fate of these last survivors of the great Ostrogothic race. Whether they became the vassals of the Frank, or mingled with the Bavarians, or sought their kinsmen the Visigoths of Spain no man can tell.
So perished the Gothic kingdom, which had been erected by the genius of Theodoric, by the same fate which had smitten the pirate-realm of the Vandals seventeen years before. Both fell because the ruling race was too small to hold down the vast territory it had overrun, unless it could combine frankly and freely with the conquered Roman population. But the fatal bar of Arianism lay in each case between masters and servants, and when the orthodox armies of Constantinople appeared, nothing could restrain the Africans and Italians from opening their gates to the invader. The Ostrogoths had been wise and tolerant, the Vandals cruel and persecuting, but the end was the same in each kingdom. It was only in the measure of the resistance that the difference between Goth and Vandal appeared. Sunk in coarse luxury, and enervated by the African sun, the Vandals fell in one year before a single army. The Ostrogoths, the noblest of the Teutons, made a splendid fight for seventeen years, beat off the great Belisarius himself, and only sucummbed because the incessant fighting had drained off the whole manhood of the tribe. If Baduila could have mustered at Taginea the 100,000 men that Witiges had once led against Rome, he would never have been beaten. It is one of the saddest scenes in history when we see the well-ordered realm of Theodoric vanish away, and Italy is left and unpeopled desert, to be disputed between the savage Lombard, the faithless Frank, and the exarchs of distant Byzantium."
Word
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Leaping into the fray
Time and money eh? Ok I'll bite...
The thing that impresses me about these dual deities is that they both are uber quantifiers. They allow us to take fuzzy things and assign numbers to them. With money for example allows us to compare cars ($7,995) to cabbage ($1.75). Time has a similar function allowing us to quantify a full days work, or a relationship.
As I've read, quantify things is ultimately very important to our (modern) understanding of information and ultimately knowledge, from physics to economics. To use a crude example I can tell you about a painting by telling you that it took 2 years to complete and is worth 10 million dollars. One may even extrapolate that the painter is worth 5 million a year and compare him to a mediocre starting shortstop.
But what does it mean to compare a shortstop and painter? Do we know anything meaningful about them when we know they each command $5M for a year of work (or are worth over 100 librarians)? In the end I propose that time and money are revered in our society (that exists at latitude =41.997186 and longitude=-87.66653) b/c they allow us to reduce complicated and difficult questions of value and meaning and a reality that exists of unique moments, people, and things into a simple rubric that can be readily shared. They allow us to reduce the many to one. But things like beauty or goodness that "don't have price" are usually left out of the conversation.
So why are we so uncomfortable with the uniqueness of the things that surround us? Why do we inevitably need to organize and compare things? What is the power of numbers that is so compelling and useful but also unsettling?
What are we doing?
Just started reading (listening) to a book entitled Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I'm already ready to move out of the city or at least plant a garden and shop local.
The author starts the book by explaining that she and her family are moving from Tucson to Southern Appalachia. Her husband owns a family farm that they have visited each summer of their married life. Now they are going to live there.
She points out two things that are troubling. One is that they (I guess the state of AZ) built a 300 mile open channel from the Colorado River to Tucson. Water is now diverted for the people's consumption though they were instructed not to use the water in their fish tank as it would kill the fish. As the water moves from the Colorado to Tucson, much water evaporates and leaves muddy, more mineral-concentrated water arriving in Tucson. (So I think in Tucson, people should be encouraged to drink bottled water. )
The other is that once upon a time the Colorado would empty into the Pacific Ocean. Now it barely makes it into Mexico. We are diverting that much water for both agriculture and human consumption. Tucson was initially taking water from an underground aquifer, but after much of it was depleted and sink holes started to make their appearance, they sought other means.
It seems like we are sorta stealing. Maybe even just outright stealing. What gives us the right to do this? Why should we keep doing this? How long will we be able to keep this up? How will we ever replenish the water for the river? Is it ok if we don't? What else are we stealing?
The author starts the book by explaining that she and her family are moving from Tucson to Southern Appalachia. Her husband owns a family farm that they have visited each summer of their married life. Now they are going to live there.
She points out two things that are troubling. One is that they (I guess the state of AZ) built a 300 mile open channel from the Colorado River to Tucson. Water is now diverted for the people's consumption though they were instructed not to use the water in their fish tank as it would kill the fish. As the water moves from the Colorado to Tucson, much water evaporates and leaves muddy, more mineral-concentrated water arriving in Tucson. (So I think in Tucson, people should be encouraged to drink bottled water. )
The other is that once upon a time the Colorado would empty into the Pacific Ocean. Now it barely makes it into Mexico. We are diverting that much water for both agriculture and human consumption. Tucson was initially taking water from an underground aquifer, but after much of it was depleted and sink holes started to make their appearance, they sought other means.
It seems like we are sorta stealing. Maybe even just outright stealing. What gives us the right to do this? Why should we keep doing this? How long will we be able to keep this up? How will we ever replenish the water for the river? Is it ok if we don't? What else are we stealing?
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Double Down Post: 6 word memoirs
The idea is to write a compelling 6 word memoior ala:
Hemingway: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."
My contribution:
But Brutus is an Honarable Man!
Some very interesting ones here:
http://smithmag.net/sixwords/
Hemingway: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."
My contribution:
But Brutus is an Honarable Man!
Some very interesting ones here:
http://smithmag.net/sixwords/
Leap Day
I have a fascination with Calendars. One of the artifacts of working on programming languages is that you get a very familiar sense with the different ways to represent time. For example, you could say that today is 1204777693833 milliseconds since January 1 1970. This might sound weird to you if you aren't a programmer, but its actually the standard way to represent time in the language I prefer. Then you would take that number and apply a context like so:
So, from this perspective, time is defined from a certain celestial event. That event is the position of the earth relative to the sun at a time that is defined in the Gregorian calendar as January 1 1970. However, the expression of that time varies by culture, nationality, and even occupation (military vs civilian). In addition, each of us has several internal clocks running: our conception of absolute time as defined by the Gregorian calendar; our scheduling of events as they occur in the day; our internal body functions; probably about 4 or 5 primary calendars and a host of others.
But we can't be too cavalier to say that these representations of time are entirely abstract and without their own inherent relevance! Take GrubHub.com for example. Our expenses are defined on a bi monthly basis. Our revenues are defined on a daily basis. So, our revenue was up 3% for February while expenses stayed the same. Google is very similar (Daily revenue, Monthly Payroll). A 3% difference in for them is a *PROFIT* of 41 Million dollars for February. On the flip side, think about the Sears tower. They had an additional day of heating expenses, but earned only the standard monthly revenue for their tenants. That could amount to a loss in the range of about $100K
The transformation from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar introduced the concept of 97 Leap Days every 100 years . The goal was to permanently set the vernal equinox on March 21st. This transformation was decreed and adopted by most Catholic countries the date October 5 1582 was followed by October 15 1582 (although the day of the week didn't skip!) Across most of Europe, landlords tried to charge rent for the entire month of October which lead to several peasant revolts which had to be calmed by Pope Gregory himself!
In conclusion, our subjective Calandaraization of objective celestial time has far reaching and concrete effects on our material lives.
Homework for the reader:
Ponder the relationships between the two gods of American culture in our time: money and time
(American culture in our time is defined by the culture that exists at latitude =41.997186 and longitude=-87.66653 on the WSG84 datum as of 1204777693833 milliseconds since January 1 1970 defined by the Gregorian calendar as set on 24 February 1582 by papal bull Inter gravissimas.)
- Gregorian Calendar in the American Style: March 5 2008 10:29 PM
- Gregorian Calendar in the British Military Style: 5 March 2008 22:29 PM
- Chinese Republic Era Style: Republic 97 1 28
- Mike's mental state: about an hour before bedtime, time for a blog post and 2 rounds of BF2
So, from this perspective, time is defined from a certain celestial event. That event is the position of the earth relative to the sun at a time that is defined in the Gregorian calendar as January 1 1970. However, the expression of that time varies by culture, nationality, and even occupation (military vs civilian). In addition, each of us has several internal clocks running: our conception of absolute time as defined by the Gregorian calendar; our scheduling of events as they occur in the day; our internal body functions; probably about 4 or 5 primary calendars and a host of others.
But we can't be too cavalier to say that these representations of time are entirely abstract and without their own inherent relevance! Take GrubHub.com for example. Our expenses are defined on a bi monthly basis. Our revenues are defined on a daily basis. So, our revenue was up 3% for February while expenses stayed the same. Google is very similar (Daily revenue, Monthly Payroll). A 3% difference in for them is a *PROFIT* of 41 Million dollars for February. On the flip side, think about the Sears tower. They had an additional day of heating expenses, but earned only the standard monthly revenue for their tenants. That could amount to a loss in the range of about $100K
The transformation from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar introduced the concept of 97 Leap Days every 100 years . The goal was to permanently set the vernal equinox on March 21st. This transformation was decreed and adopted by most Catholic countries the date October 5 1582 was followed by October 15 1582 (although the day of the week didn't skip!) Across most of Europe, landlords tried to charge rent for the entire month of October which lead to several peasant revolts which had to be calmed by Pope Gregory himself!
In conclusion, our subjective Calandaraization of objective celestial time has far reaching and concrete effects on our material lives.
Homework for the reader:
Ponder the relationships between the two gods of American culture in our time: money and time
(American culture in our time is defined by the culture that exists at latitude =41.997186 and longitude=-87.66653 on the WSG84 datum as of 1204777693833 milliseconds since January 1 1970 defined by the Gregorian calendar as set on 24 February 1582 by papal bull Inter gravissimas.)
Monday, March 3, 2008
10 places I'd like to go before I die
I tried to limit this to places I could conceive myself actually reaching, so Mars and Tibet are out.
10. The pyramids of egypt
One of the first fortune cookies I got as a kid said something like "You will visit the pyramids before you die". Even back then I knew it was pretty good as fortune cookies go. I don't really have any idea what Egypt is like for tourists so it's kind of on the backburner for now.
9. A hill in eastern Europe overlooking the asian steppes
So much history involves people and armies passing back and forth between Europe and Asia. From the goths to the huns and mongols to napoleon and hitler and stalin. I'd like to stand on a hill in poland or the ukraine and watch the sun rise over asia
8. The Mississippi
Water that touches the Mississippi is literally four blocks from my front door. I really want to get a raft or boat or whatever and paddle down the elegantly named "north shore sanitation canal". Take that to the Chicago River, to the Illinois River, to the Mississippi. From there to New Orleans down the slow and muddy carotid artery of america.
7. Gettysburg
I went once as a kid and loved it. The land has been very well preserved - you get a real sense of continuity with the past. I want to take my kids in early July, walk the battlefield and eat peanut soup and pumpkin fritters
6. Shawnee national forest
This is supposed to be a really cool place (as far as Illinois goes). Very much unlike the parts of Illinois I'm familiar with, apparently in large part because the glaciers never reached that far south.
5. A glacier (with kids)
My grandkids probably won't have the chance to see any glaciers. I've seen them in Alaska, but I want my kids to see them too before they are gone. Seeing them in pictures just doesn't do them justice.
4. Iceland
I can't explain my fascination with iceland, but it's a place I really want to go. I'm actually ready to move there if Sally would let me. Iceland has a really interesting history - it was at once the wild west of it's day, but is also in some sense the birthplace of modern democracy. It has a very rich literary tradition even though it was something of a cultural backwater. Modern Iceland is a very progressive place with beautiful society, landscape and people
3. English countryside
I've been there once but want to go back. Driving down these tiny roads between hedges and through these little country towns. It was awesome and I want to go back.
2. The arctic circle
I'd fly to anchorage, rent us a SUV and fill it full of water, food, spare tires, fuel, shotguns, mosquito nets, tire chains, flares, GPS and a satellite phone. Then I'd drive north until I hit either Prudhoe Bay, the Arctic circle, or a pothole I couldn't work around. I'd like to confidently be the member of my gene pool to travel furthest north, and I think crossing (entering?) the arctic circle is the best way to do that. For some odd reasons of provincalism, I don't have much interest in the southern hemisphere.
1. Rome
I am ready to go back today. I liked the ancient city and the modern city. Each breath you take is full of history and humanity. Every church is a treasure trove richer than most art museum. Every street has a little mystery to conceal.
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