A Message, A Hero, and Some Videos

Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.

Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.

The brain is like a muscle. When it is in use we feel very good. Understanding is joyous.

These quotes came from one man. Someone I look up to, and someone who’s messages I truly believe in.

Carl Sagan was an amazing man. If there is one person who walked this earth that I truly consider a hero, it would be him. I can’t speak for everyone, but his words are what inspired me to delve back into the worlds of science and philosophy. There are many nights I’ve stared at the ceiling, thinking about my, our existence. Even though he’s passed on, he’s still very much an active figure in today’s world. I like to think that he’d be happy knowing that even now he’s making a difference.

Science is a passion of mine. Philosophy as well. There’s something exhilarating about learning. It’s not something that’s always accessible. It can be tough to introduce yourself to it, to acclimate to it. There is, however, a way that I think is brilliant and truly enjoyable.

The Symphony of Science is a musical project by John Boswell designed to deliver scientific knowledge and philosophy in musical form.

There’s not much I can say about Symphony of Science that it doesn’t say for itself; but I will say this: This project is something truly worthwhile. Never before have I felt so drawn to something. I think this can change the world. Without further rambling, I present the three videos that have been made to this date.

If you enjoyed these, please head to the Symphony of Science website to download a free mp3 of each, learn more, and – if you’re feeling generous – make a donation. Please spread this. Tell your friends, families, strangers…anyone.

 

Before They Were Stars, Meatloaf, and Peanuts

I enjoy watching movies with people in them BEFORE they got really famous. Watched Platoon today. Johnny Depp, Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen, John C. McGinley , Forest Whitaker…all brilliant in gritty, realistic roles. The movie itself is brilliant too. Once dinner is done, I think I’ll take a look at the special features. But more on that later.

Meatloaf for dinner tonight. Just finished it, and shoved it into the oven to cook. I’m especially proud of it because it’s so symmetrical. Things like that bug me. Used extra garlic, and less tomato. Let’s see if the family even notices. I’ll guess no.

Until dinner is ready, I’ll be picking on a bag of peanuts I picked up yesterday. I’m rather fond of peanuts. I don’t care if they’re technically legumes, in my mind they’ll always be nuts. Legumes don’t taste that good.

I’ll probably have more to say later tonight. For now? Enjoy your evening, internet.

Waking Up, Today, and Yesterday

I can not get up this morning. Getting out of bed was bad enough, I don’t see how I’m getting myself out the front door. For now I’ll down large quantities of espresso and hope for the best. Slept pretty well last night, in little patches though. Phone call woke me up, but it was alright. I didn’t mind.

With any luck I’ll be able to get a haircut today. I’m feeling shaggy. It’s not that my hair is particularly long, I’m just used to it being much shorter. Also have a ton of errands to run, but those shouldn’t take too long.

Yesterday was a good day. Met up with a good friend of mine, had breakfast, went bowling (which I’m still good at, it turns out), and went roaming around the mall. It was a good day.

Two more cups of espresso later, I’m feeling like a human being. Time for me to be moving along. Later, internet.

Cups, Crap, and Control

Yesterday was an alright day. Went for a nice long drive, did some shopping. Finally picked up a set of demitasse cups. Espresso doesn’t feel right in a normal sized coffee cup. Finally got a fog free mirror for the shower. This is a big event for me because it also has a built in radio. And a tiny little LED light (and again, we come back to my love for shiny things that glow). Also bought one of those “soothing, stress relief fountains”. Broken, right out of the box. Kinda stressed me out, actually.
Ironyyy.

There’s been a lot of crap going on lately. Tires with sidewall damage, rusty pipes, leaky washing machines…nothing too big, but enough to make you tired, y’know? But there are a few people out there who I talk to, and suddenly all of that doesn’t seem to matter. It’s nice to have people you can vent with.

I’ve been gaining more and more control over my life. I’ve rebuilt myself. Better. Faster. Stronger. I had the technology. You’d be surprised how much you can better yourself with the help of an MP3 player. All jokes aside, I’m a lot healthier than I’ve been for quite a while. It’s a good feeling, but I’m not done yet. I still have a ways to go.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Thanks for reading, internet.
If you’ll excuse me, I’d better get back to working on those miles.

“Mass Effect” Effect, Blank Slates, and Mosquitoes

I’ve spent the past few mights replaying Mass Effect on various difficulties. The one thing I’ve always loved about that game was that fact that even after 5 playthroughs, there was still more to be found. I’m itching for Mass Effect 2, started after I preordered it from Amazon.com. The bioware forums do a good job of keeping it at bay. There are enough tidbits there to keep me complacent.

Anyway, it’s gotten me thinking about Bioware in general. Here you have a company that pumps out amazing games, that actually listens to it’s customers and fans and even some of the “haters”. They genuinely seem to care about the games they make, and the people that buy them. It’s a refreshing change from the usual “we hear you, but we don’t give a flying fuck” nature of a lot of companies. Bioware: Thank you. You make me proud.

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On the advice of a good friend of mine, I’m going to read Steven Pinker’s “The Blank Slate”. Amazon.com has been cooperative, so now all I have to do is wait for it to arrive. If there was ever a time I was rooting for UPS, this is it (although I admit the arrival of Mass Effect 2 next January will be the greatest UPS delivery I’ve ever gotten). Also re-watching Taxi Driver.

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It’s still pretty warm out, for the moment. I’ve had my windows open for the past few days. I’ve also been eaten alive by mosquitoes. My damn neighbors have a massive pool which they have never drained for the winter, OR covered properly. So the stagnant water breeds the little bastards, and I suffer for it. Seriously considering going to a payphone and lodging an anonymous complaint with 311.

Chances are I’ll make a post later, but in case I don’t, have a good night, internet.

Jason Says “Hi”

Well, it’s Friday the 13th. Yeah, I know: “That’s an unlucky day!”

For me? Not really. Thanks to intense behavioral conditioning traditional Italian-American superstitions, I was brought up with the belief in “Lucky 13″ (Fridays included). So far, I’ve successfully maximized my floorspace though what may or may not be feng-shui, and journeyed into the basement to find that my shoes had in fact dried out, and subsequently survived the great washer flood of yesterday.

Mr Voorhees has nothing to add, so I’ll be heading out. More to come later tonight.

That Bastard Bloomberg & My Shoes

Our “beloved and benevolent” mayor, Michael Bloomberg, shook hands with a witness for a convicted terrorist.

Bloomberg overturned term limits, and bought himself a third term.

Bloomberg spent over $100,000,000 on his campaign. Meanwhile, the city’s debt keeps growing.

Bloomberg has helped create luxury condos, which the middle-class he “cares so much about” could never afford. But his rich friends can.

Bloomberg is a menace to New York. I don’t want to live here anymore. Not while he’s in charge. He’s a smug, self-serving prick, and he only cares about himself and people like him.

</rant>

Government assholes aside, today was an interesting day. See, I own 5 pairs of shoes: 1 pair boots, 1 pair sneakers, 1 pair dress shoes, 1 pair work boots, and 1 pair slippers. The washing machine decided to leak today. Everything but my regular boots are soaked.

You can probably tell I had a good day. More later, possibly.

Shirts, an Umbrella, and Robot Friends

Had a decent day, got some shopping in with the family. Managed to find a few decent shirts and whatnot. I’ve got to admit, Craftsman makes some pretty great clothing. Also, I have discovered that I have a strange fondness for the color burnt sienna. Found out today that an umbrella can not survive falling off of the roof of a car at 45 miles per hour. I was somewhat disappointed.

And now for the fun stuff.

I stumbled across this thanks to a friend of mine, and have been listening to it nonstop. Catchy, no?

And now, I leave you all to your own devices. May post again if I can’t/don’t sleep.

Maybe Possibly Semi-weekly Tech Review: Griffin PowerMate

Okay, because I can no longer control my giddiness, I have to say a little something about this very cool peripheral. The Griffin PowerMate is a self-proclaimed “human interface device”. It is, first and foremost, shiny. And it glows. And it can be used to control system volume, what you’re listening to in virtually ANY media player software, and browse webpages. Cool, huh? Having been configured for use with Firefox, Zune software, and a few other things, it now sits on my desk, pulsing and glowing and being cool. It’s surprisingly solid, and surprisingly cheap.

Did I mention it’s shiny?

On Being A Writer

I noticed a search term someone had entered, the other day. It was something from an entry I had written some time ago, and removed. I regret having taken it down.

I offer my apologies to anyone who may have liked that article, and wished to read it again. Regrettably, I have no backup of it. So to make it up to you (I hope), I offer my insight on that very topic. On the essence of being a writer. Things may have changed, because I have changed; but I promise you, the core message remains the same.

Being a writer chooses you. Whether you know it or not, everyone who writes does so because it is something they were born to do, be it in private or public. Poetry, short stories, journalism…they all have one thing in common: words. The writer has not only an innate ability to use and manipulate their language, but a love for it as well. I remember when I was younger, I craved to learn new words, and of course, had to put them to use too. With many people, their brains are just wired differently. For some, they can easily piece together rhymes and phrases, and they prefer to write poetry. Some prefer writing articles, others prefer novels. All of those people have a gift. We live in a world where television and videogames seem to dominate our lives, and that’s something that saddens me greatly. So please, write if you can. Take a look at yourself and see if this is something you can readily invest yourself in. If not, try anyway. Give yourself that chance.

There’s also something that, invariably, comes into discussion when the word “writer” is mentioned. Drinking. Drinking and alcoholism seem to be very prevalent in the writing community, and I believe there’s a reason for that. When we write for ourselves, by choice, we write from the heart. All those poems and anecdotes and stories about life and love and all that: that comes from within us. Often, we are limited by our inhibition. Alcohol does away with those inhibitions, and allows people to write completely freely. But with any substance comes the possibility of substance abuse, so don’t rely on that too heavily, if at all.

That’s just my 25 cents on the subject. Have a great day, internet.