Archive for October, 2007
October 25, 2007 at 6:43 pm · Filed under play
The first pic I saw of this car, it didn’t have the headlights on, I thought, where are the lights?? Doesn’t look terribly safe. This is one of those things that’s so new and alien, your brain struggles with, it looks like X, but it’s missing things X usually has. So maybe it isn’t X? I can’t even decide if I think it’s ugly or not! It’s silicone, and changes colors.
I think it’s hilarious. It reminds me of Scrubbing Bubbles. “We work hard, so you don’t have toooooooooooo…..” Or a bug (click the pic to see additional images, including funky upswing doors), or some anime character. I bet the engineers had a field day coming up with this one.
I also like the new hybrid sports car they came up with - the Honda CR-Z.
October 25, 2007 at 6:21 pm · Filed under play
I totally dig when design finds its way to utilitarian, taken for granted surfaces. There are several pages of these guys - click the ==> sign at the bottom of each page to scroll forward.
Interesting note from electro plankton on the symbols that look like swastikas:
“…it’s a Buddhist symbol that was used long before the Nazis.”
October 22, 2007 at 8:09 am · Filed under chatter
We’re doing the Atkins diet again. We’ve been very very good - even at the fair last week. No funnel cakes or fudge or french fries. It’s coming off slowly. We extended the induction diet past the normal 2 weeks and aim to stay on it at least another week. Feels like we’re cavemen - Grumba eat meat. Hilti get plants. Cow gives cheese. *celery crunch*
October 17, 2007 at 9:21 am · Filed under play, learn
On my accumulated list of things I really want to do is to curate a show for which the only theme is “Time”.
Weirdly, this showed up in my RSS feed list yesterday. Icastic, a visualization specialty firm, asked people how they visualize time. There are some truly beautiful entries, like the one at left.
It’s also interesting to see the age/gender/profession of some of the entrants. The younger folks have some unexpected angles that I identify with, as well as ones from engineering minded folks. The ones I submitted haven’t shown up yet.
October 15, 2007 at 8:56 am · Filed under play
I got my 5 year (ok maybe 3) state fair fix yesterday morning. There weren’t any batches of new rabbits yet, but we did check out the pigs (mama pig had a litter of about 8 cuties, all sleeping except 3 who were busy chowing down), goats, cows and donkeys.
Our favorite was Smithfield, a pot-bellied pig who paints. His owner sells his paintings on eBay to help cover his medical costs for treatment of nasal cancer at the NCSU vet school. The vet school is across the street from the fairgrounds. He was terribly excited to have people come over and see him - he wagged his tail relentlessly! Video here.
The other highlight was a 40th scale model operable crane like the ones newly installed at the port of Wilmington. There was a life size operation chair with all the same levers and doodads as the real thing. Kids, mostly little boys, took their turns at moving shipping containers from boat to truck and back. I asked the PR chick if only kids were allowed to play and she said, “Oh no - adults can do it too, want to try?” I declined, b/c I didn’t want to take up a slot & there were plenty of kids in line. They also had a looping video of the arrival of the cranes which were made in China.
October 12, 2007 at 8:50 pm · Filed under lighten up
They know it’s fall. They are like magnets to our laps as soon as we sit down. I’m officially converted out of cat haterdom: I picked out this groovy new cat toy. It’s a scratchy thing and has a catnip ball under the sisal scratchy part. It apparently also is a napping device, even though some of the nappers are too big to fit.
The owner of the ears in the shadow to the left is currently comfortably asleep in my lap.
October 10, 2007 at 9:43 pm · Filed under grist mill
Some choppy thoughts on the show Kid Nation:
Tonight’s episode dealt with religion. It’s amazing how well they resolved the issue, beginning with an impromtu invitation to gather around a bonfire and say whatever kind of prayer or good wish they felt like saying, and being ok if people didn’t want to come. And they opted for a library of books over a putt putt course in the middle of town. The library had a religious text associated with each religion present in the kid population.
Kids have an innate sense of what is fair & what is right. Each week this show is filled with raw humanity unfiltered by hidden agendas and cloying bullshittery typical of adults. What the hell happens between 12 and adult? We all turn into assholes? Inside every single adult is exactly what’s on the screen every wednesday on this show. Why do adults hide that? What is so taboo about being scared or sad or mad - enough so that you cry openly whether you’re a boy or a girl? I never lost that complete spontaneity & honesty of emotion. People sense that in me and I think they see it as fragile or something. It’s just sensitive, and it’s identical to what these kids say & think & feel on this show. My kid feelings, mind and heart are just wrapped in an adult body.
I think it’s the best thing to hit TV in a damn long time. Next week they tackle politics.
