Sunday, November 18, 2007

Wireless San Fran

"Google has won the contract to operate San Francisco's municipal wireless network, in conjunction with Earthlink. San Francisco's mayor Gavin Newsom has described Wi-Fi as "a basic human right" - sort of like gay marriage, but for nerds. "
-Andrew Orlowski

Google offers S.F. Wi-Fi -- for free - San Francisco Chronical artical: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/10/01/MNGG9F16KG1.DTL

The Phantom Tollbooth

I recently got a whiff of a memory of a doudecahedron faced character and I had no idea where it came from, it annoyed me for around a month untill being friends with my Ms Blanchard on facebook (facepoop) brought it all back to me. From of Tocks' moves to the next it was all there. An amazing book, along the lines of alice in wonderland, dr seus, wizard of Oz etc. Written by Norten Juster an architect and author. Must read it again*. Rules.

"Well, if you can't laugh or think, what can you do?" asked Milo.
"Anything as long as it's nothing, and everything as long as it isn't anything," explained another. "There's lots to do; we have a very busy schedule-
"At 8 o'clock we get up, and then we spend
"From 8 to 9 daydreaming.
"From 9 to 9:30 we take our early midmorning nap.
"From 9:30 to 10:30 we dawdle and delay.
"From 10:30 to 11:30 we take our late early morning nap.
"From ll:00 to 12:00 we bide our time and then eat lunch.
"From l:00 to 2:00 we linger and loiter.
"From 2:00 to 2:30 we take our early afternoon nap.
"From 2:30 to 3:30 we put off for tomorrow what we could have done today.
"From 3:30 to 4:00 we take our early late afternoon nap.
"From 4:00 to 5:00 we loaf and lounge until dinner.
"From 6:00 to 7:00 we dillydally.
"From 7:00 to 8:00 we take our early evening nap, and then for an hour before we go to bed at 9:00 we waste time.
"As you can see, that leaves almost no time for brooding, lagging, plodding, or procrastinating, and if we stopped to think or laugh, we'd never get nothing done."
"You mean you'd never get anything done," corrected Milo.
"We don't want to get anything done," snapped another angrily; "we want to get nothing done, and we can do that without your help."
"You see," continued another in a more conciliatory tone, "it's really quite strenuous doing nothing all day, so once a week we take a holiday and go nowhere, which was just where we were going when you came along. Would you care to join us?"
"I might as well," thought Milo; "that's where I seem to be going anyway."

Sunday, November 04, 2007

Memórias de Um Átomo

Engrandecer o átomo á totalidade da existência,
Cada fragmento contendo em si uma eternidade,
Poção dourada com reflexos do tempo que não o agastam,
Percorrendo-o vivo e cintilante iluminando e projectando todo o seu ser,
É levado a galope sonolento pelas horas e pelos milénios,
Alimentando-se do conhecimento,
Átomo de essência divina inteiramente terrestre,
Mítico mas real contendo tanto bem como mal,
Matrimónio fiel entre o céu e o inferno,
Flúi nos impulsos dos instintos animais,
Vibra no estrondo da trovoada,
Voa nas areias dos desertos,
Alimenta a violenta natureza humana,
Salpicando no mar de sangue perdido de guerras em vão,
Veia latejante do pescoço dum tirano,
Enche a semente e a criança de potenciais descomunais,
Dança nas criações das maiores mentes,
E descansa na continuidade do despertar de novas ideias,
Fere imenso pelo mal necessário do ser humano,
É a espuma das ondas que se atiram a terra indiferentes ao século,
Á beleza ao desespero, á alegria e á morte,
Canta dos quatro cantos desta esfera,
Acorde final da musica celestial,
Raio do sol nascente de cada nova era da humanidade,
Pai e fruto da nossa esmagadora evolução,
Formula lírica, incandescente e sóbria de todo,
Resumindo-se também a um só ser que o descreve,
Eu, que são tudo mas nada,
Inevitavelmente finito mas de espírito e constituição infinita.
Pretendo tentar honrar, dentro dos limites angustiantes da língua e da palavra,
Tendo em conta a minha tremenda insignificância,
Venerando a importância dos nossos feitos e do que conseguiram os nossos antepassados,
A beleza imensa que nos rodeia, cria, envolve e consome, que me enche e me deixa pálido de delírio e gratidão em eterna devoção,
Louvo a existência.

The Worlds Best Known Atheist


Oxford professor Richard Dawkins has helped steer evolutionary science into the 21st century, and his concept of the "meme" contextualized the spread of ideas in the information age. In recent years, his devastating critique of religion has made him a leading figure in the New Atheism.
In recent years, Dawkins has become outspoken in his atheism, coining the word "bright" (as an alternate to atheist), and encouraging fellow non-believers to stand up and be identified. His controversial, confrontational 2002 TED talk was a seminal moment for the New Atheism, as was the publication of his 2006 book, The God Delusion, a bestselling critique of religion that championed atheism and promoted scientific principles over creationism and intelligent design.
"Dawkins ... is a master of scientific exposition and synthesis. When it comes to his own specialty, evolutionary biology, there is none better." -Jim Holt, The New York Times

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/113

Roses are red, violets are blue, I'm schizophrenic, and so am I.