Sunday, December 20, 2009

big snow day

highlight from tomorrow*s futurecast:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-mU-YSk32I
*dear murphy: I call no jinxies

Friday, December 11, 2009

like comparing

Do you know the idiom about "comparing apples and oranges"? I think it generally means "things that are different shouldn't be directly compared," in a marketplace, bartering sense. Because apples and oranges are different, and it quickly becomes complicated because one person will slightly prefer apples over oranges, or vice-versa, while another will have a strong preference one way or the other, and yet a third person might value them equally. And this usage is correct, accurate, and true: it IS important to compare "apples to apples," ...which, you know what, is pretty much WHY 'money' was even invented in the first place: as a (non-perishable!) medium of exchange.

The thing I keep thinking about, though, is how -which now that I'm reflecting for communication's sake, I realize is obviously the reason these two items, an apple and an orange, were "picked" (GET IT!?! HAW HAW*) for the expression in the first place- in many ways (very nearly EVERY WAY!) apples and oranges are the same. So I have thought up different categories ~with examples~ of things it is difficult and problematic to compare:

∙apples and pizza
this is the first step away; an apple and a pizza -or a SLICE of pizza? hmm- are vastly more different than an apple and an orange; but importantly, they are both foodstuffs, i.e. intended for human consumption. [without getting into philosophic/religious debate, I think the question "is an apple, after it has been picked, washed, and delivered here (onto this rhetorical table), accurately described as 'intended for human consumption'?" may be a good way to distinguish between people who are capable of engaging in worthwhile dialogue, and people who are not.]

∙apples and orange: [can for clarity be called apples and purple]
An apple and a color are pretty different; an apple is a thing you can see and touch, whereas a color is something you can see but which, in its broadest [and simultaneously, narrowest?!?] sense, only exists as a quality of other, very diverse, things. Importantly though, orange can be experienced by the senses, in the physical world.

∙apples and music
I haven't thought about this one much; I think it is only different from the previous category in that 1)music generally enters the perception via the ears, unlike "orange" whose vector is usually the eyes, and perhaps more importantly 2)"music" is a one-step-broader category than just any single color.... I think, therefor, that the difference between this category and the previous one is (are you ready:) apples and oranges! i.e. significant enough to consider different and merit sober consideration.

∙apples and quantity
An apple is a physical object, whereas quantity is a narrow, concrete, and specific trait[is quantity a quality? I think it is!] of physical things. Note that the important feature of this type of difference is its utility in spite of requisite intellectual gymnastics; for this reason I have tagged this category with a semi-abstract concept pertinent to the original discussion, which was occurring for a reason. "So different that it takes some real brainstorming to think of a scenario when you might even ever need to compare the two things"... note however that I think such a scenario might possibly actually arise. (Which to my mind is slightly different from saying "I think a person might be able to imagine such a scenario"... I think that very difference is a great example of the next category!)


∙apples and causation
In some circumstances it is useful to compare a physical thing and an abstract concept or intellectual activity... this category refers to THE OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES, when not only is it difficult to even IMAGINE, let alone PERFORM the comparison, but the very fact that the diverse elements find themselves in the same discussion should be read as a signpost: WELCOME TO POINTLESS‼ REALITY X MILES BACK (the existence of a pointer in pointlessville being itself a prime example of "theoretically interesting on some level but without relevance on the physical ground")

*no, "haw" is different....the fruit of the hawthorn, it is more like an apple...

Monday, September 28, 2009

last swimming

I should tell you more about the other day's swimming. Have I already mentioned that I have in the past few years crossed the magical body-fat-percentage threshold such that I no longer sink slowly to the bottom when I hold still in fresh water? Well, in a doubtless related development, I am now able to enjoy swimming in water that is cooler than ever previously! Generally I think of 'being immersed in cold water' as literally Tortuous, the other day as I was getting into the water I thought to myself "this water could definitely be warmer and that would be extremely OK" but I got in anyway.

I felt a little cold while on the return swim from the island, such that I swam part of the way with my arms still and tightly at my sides in a (laughable*) attempt to conserve heat (I generally use a modified elementary backstroke, with alternating-sides scissor kicks; this is similar to a back double trudgeon except for the arms, and with swim-fins on, as I had, is reasonably effective with no arm motion at all!), but after I got out of the water, I first got a terrible terrible headache and had to lie down to keep from fainting, then several minutes later felt very very cold and started to shiver a lot!

So this is why I had said earlier " note to self: next time bring wetsuit " in case you were wondering.
Or, even if you weren't!

*being immersed in cool liquid is an extremely effective way to lose heat

Friday, September 18, 2009

oh, people.

OK so.

On the 'good things that happened this week' side, I finally finished my 'how to build your own SODA CAN STOVE' write-up for my friends Erin and Lief's flowing well zine project! I designed a brand new build just for this- it is extra easy to build because instead of custom making the inner cylinder out of a section of a regular sized can and gluing it into a smaller tube, this one uses a prefab SMALLER CAN (red bull etc) as the inner ring. Also it will hold more fuel than regular soda can stoves do, as it is larger due to being built from 23oz Arizona "Iced Tea" cans... so now I can cook a whole pot of mac & cheese out in the wild without needing to pause in the middle to refuel the stove.

Also epic solo swimming journey out to Blueberry Goose Island on Friday after work... note to self: next time bring wetsuit? Only the second time I've swum all the way out there!

On however the 'colossally bad things that happened this week' side, someone with whom I was slightly acquainted through a coworker had overdosed on heroin and died at a house where I was working, and my coworker (and friend) found his body. Not knowing how long he had been sitting there, he called 911, then came and got me and told me the situation. Neither of us knew that the person was dead, so we were trying to revive them, and I said that we should do CPR while waiting for the paramedics; upon trying to move him to the floor to do this I discovered that his legs were stone cold and his body was stiff (my coworker had touched his face and neck, which had been in the sun so were warm), so we knew then that he was dead.

may this never, ever, EVER happen to you.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

how not to blog 101 : "what I am eating for dinner"


dinner
Originally uploaded by ro6ot
Q: who was it that said "if you are going to be cooking (sic) up some uncured poultry-based hot dogs shockingly reminiscent of tofu-pups, in a pan with some water so's they don't burn, you might as well put the steamer-top from the rice-cooker over said pan and steam some kale too!" ?

A: That would be the poorly known Anglo-American author and culinary wunderkind Eeyore Strewly.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

I went back a gain

some of you may have heard or read my story about that fateful night when my eyes, roaming over the flavor selection on the Ben & Jerry's shelf in the ice-cream section of the local convenience mart, landed just wrong upon the words chubby hubby, "my heart broke a little bit, and I just walked out."

well, tonight I realized -or, 'registered' is probably more applicable since really I had already known on some level- that it isn't as though I can't or shouldn't eat ice cream, even delicious & wonderful ice cream. the thing is, THE THING, right, IS: I just shouldn't eat a whole pint in one sitting!!

DER¹, not much of a break-through, I know. But still; it takes all kinds [of realizations²].

So, tonight I went and bought the old stand-by, my first ever favorite: coffee heathbar crunch. AND, ate a small bowl of it.



¹ "uh-DOY", if you prefer. see duh

² note that this word simply means 'cause to be made real'. Note further that, or HOW, this is the case: you think of something..... which then IS real.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

ant vs bee


ant vs bee
Originally uploaded by ro6ot
here is the documentary evidence of that insect fight I told you about some while ago
.

Friday, August 14, 2009

slogan earring

a haiku

keeping the 'uh' in spasmataz
since nineteen-seventy-three!


does that work at all?

haiku of the month club

I just took a class:
Buddhism and Meditation.
Think I got a C.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

ooh ooh

I bought a new TV on WOOT, and it works SO GOOD with my computer!!! I had an old-school TV hooked up via S-video to my computer, and (maybe you know how that goes?) the text was completely unreadable unless it was set on the hugest, dumbest resolution, only then often programs would have their "OK" or whatever buttons too low so you couldn't see them for clicking. NO MORE! Plus, I got a wireless keyboard at salvation army that matches the wireless mouse and wireless receiver that i already had.... so say hello to way less cluttered TV-lounge type area!

leave a comment if you want to be invited to (a) celebratory movie-watch... so far nominations include live-action speedracer movie.

the low point of today so far is not being able to find the cable to hook the PS2 up to the new TV to see if the found special-remote-to-make-using-it-as-your-DVD-player works ( I adopted a poor abandoned Platstaion2 at the beginning of the summer when some mean college kids left it behind... then I ebay'd up a copy of  katamari which is fun enoughh to be the only game I own, I'm pretty sure.

should I go swimming this afternoon, or will it rain and I can just stand outside for a few minuites for the same effect? decisions, decisions.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Souvlaki Abdullah

The high point of today was stopping by Silly's in Portland (Maine) and getting a lamb & french fries wrap. The fact that, though I saw no coffee infrastructure in evidence I inquired into some regardless, which resulted in a tiny press-pot just for me; also the shared smile with the person who actually made the wrap for me, upon its annunciation.

The low point of the day was the fact that it took me two and a half hours to get ready to leave. Between the car-power-socket ["cigarette lighter" style] I had freshly wired in being shorted and blowing three fuses before I got it trouble-shot correctly, and Monkey having used up all of her in-stock cat litter necessitating an extra trip to the market.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

haiku for today

this evening I saw
an ant dragging a live wasp
by its left eyeball.


----------------------------------------------------

I shot a little movie of the occurrence but the exact moment when the ant bumped back into the wasp and grabbed it by its compound face was sadly not well captured, as I was ineptly looking at the real thing failing to point the camera just right.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

the haul

this season's casa de oro [the time when students move out and leave perfectly really good stuff behind and/or throw such away] has yielded up as follows-
5 ipods:
8 gig 1st gen nano ~given to roomate
30 gig 4th gen (b&w screen, not photo) ~given to other roomate
4 gig 1st gen mini ~promised to sister
2 30 gig 5th gen video: one with dead hard drive, one with dead battery
these last have been recombinated to yield one fully functional unit featuring 3 seasons of the (american) office, AND a replacement headphone jack for MY 5th gen ipod video, whih was only sending out the right audio chanel.

also a newer digital camera for my mom (new battery on the way from ebay), also one for my friend paul the plumber. also super awesome powered speakers & subwoofer dealie for peter (1st roomie above) and another set for me (which turned out to have one dead speaker, which I replaced today with one from a different broken set I have nearly thrown away about 4 times).

what else: 2 playstation twos (no games tho) including gun-controllers I've never seen before, and can't imagine using. possibly I can sell these on ebay or craigslist?... a brand new in-box, still clipped together pair of ugg loafers... umm what else? maybe that's it.

what's new with you? {see note at right about emailing me}

Sunday, April 26, 2009

visualizing a mental explosion as an effect akin to a huge & ever-expanding snowplow, clearing everything away*, radiating outward yet not dissipating even as it grows.

in other news, i've been kayaking twice in the past 2 weeks, and have now got my truck 100% working again after 1)putting in a radio, which messed up the running lights; 2)fixing the lights, which disabled the gas & temp gauges; and then replaced the dash console, restoring full function thereto. Now I just have to rollback the odometer (which came from a different truck) to the correct reading... although hopefully I will swap the actual odometer out for one that has a resettable trip counter, for the easier keeping track of my miles-per-gallon, and simplifying the calculations of general navigation.


*this is something which I sometimes wish could occur to my "accumulation" of "belongings".

Monday, April 6, 2009

where to start

it occurs to me to reassure the blog reading public not to worry; despite (dis)appearances, I have actually consumed further meals than ¹oatmeal on December 14th and ²egg noodles with sadly un-garlic'd cream sauce on January 6th. Why, just yesterday I tore into a charming box of whole-wheat rigatoni and emeril's "gaaaahlic" pasta-sauce-from-a-can....

but seriously folks: what HAVE i been up to?!? the phrase "surfing (like a dead body)" comes to mind, with attendant disturbing mental image. But really (not THAT seriously!!) it hasn't been that bad.

last night I had a dream of riding my bike to a house show and finding crazy velcro luggage in a dumpster- a whole bunch of matching large gray suitcases which could all be joined together, and fit into a tough protective container like a mega suitcase 15 feet long, ten feet wide, and 18 inches deep. At the time I thought to myself "hmm.. I guess that IS how you carry enough photography equipment {including development chemicals} for a 'National Geographic' funded safari exploration trip when said journey has its own cargo plane" but in hindsight I think instead, without un-thinking the above, "this is a regular-sized multi-compartment sundries bin; I am currently little."

there is much more to say. a little bit at a time.

Monday, February 23, 2009

self-confusing prophecy

GUESS WHO POSTED TO HIS BLOG!
(does that count?)

About Me

olneyville providence, rhode island state, United States