foolscap

Mom, you’re the best.

Douglas — Sun, 11 May 2008 13:15:50 +0000

Zune + Illustrator = Trouble!

Douglas — Wed, 07 May 2008 18:09:29 +0000

Because of a conflict between Zune and Adobe Illustrator which the Zune Team has apparently confirmed is Adobe’s fault, I am forced to uninstall Zune from at least one laptop. So, time for a podcast snapshot…

Expatriation?

Douglas — Sun, 04 May 2008 03:31:22 +0000

Living as an expatriate–probably working with some combination of high-tech and art–has always been appealing. At the recent Colorado Stone Sculptor’s meet, I met an artist just back from Ajijic. This small artist-friendly community of US and Canadian expats sounds very appealling. Would love to visit.

An Evening with Chef Bruno

Douglas — Sat, 03 May 2008 05:52:02 +0000

Thank you Chef Bruno Gerard Krioussis for yet another tantalizing cooking class!

Mexican

Wednesday, April 23rd from 6:30 to 9:00 PM

This class is sold out.

Try this spicy sampling of Mexican favorites: White Posole Soup, Beef Chile Rellenos, Mexican Green Sauce, Red Rice à la Mexicana and Tender Cactus Ensalada. The meal will be followed with a surprise dessert. Remember, “Some like it hot!”

Instructor: Bruno Krioussis. Limited to 14 students.

An Inquiry into Values

Douglas — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 13:08:23 +0000

Back during my first attempt at free-flight outside the safety net of my (dear) Mother’s religion, one of the first thought-provoking books I picked up was a little pink paperback with a very curious title. The year was 1976. Due to a last-minute decision to switch from an obscure private college in Lincoln Nebraska to a slightly less obscure college in Walla Walla Washington, I lived in an old house nick named The Mark Hopkins with a half-dozen upper classmen. Across the street was an over-stuffed dorm where all my fellow Freshmen engineering students lived. My room was really an attic space above the porch. The steeply-slanted ceiling provided room to stand only along one wall. So I did a lot of sitting, and thinking.
Looking back now, this is where I first explored some some deep and often troubling recesses of my mind. I would title this era of my young life “the Confusions of Existence.” I don’t know where or how I came across Zen and the art of Motocycle Maintenance, but I’m sure I had no real clue what it was about.

Twenty-three languages and several million copies later, I am now reading the 25th Anniversary Edition. This is several books in one, really. It can and should be read on several levels: most of which I missed in ‘76. Zen-like eastern thinking, mixed with reason and logic combine to provide a distinctly vivid viewport onto understanding. This is so far the most poignant in my recent journey in to book re-reading.

The remainder of this entry is marked private. The new 2.5 version of Wordpress makes this easy — hooray Wordpress.

Molly, you Swang me.

Douglas — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 16:30:18 +0000

Further securing Buzz Out Loud as my new favorite podcast (edging out the Cranky guys), Molly’s just-say-no position on Apple Software struck a chord. When the anti-virus software packages start targeting Safari auto-installs (as reported on Buzz) you know it’s time. According to Buzz, a recent reply from Apple to a frustrated user’s quest to turn off the annoyance advised: “you must either install Safari or shut off auto-updates”. Shutting off updates would of course discontinue all security updates as well. Is Apple becoming the New Evil Empire?

Zune’s far-superior software won me over from iTunes some time ago. Now I have uninstalled the nefarious Apple Updater and dropped QuickTime, for good.

(and let’s help Molly bring back “swang”!)

Colorado Stone Sculptors

Douglas — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 23:27:16 +0000

Just returned from the April meeting of the Colorado Stone Sculptors held at Ironton Studios in Denver. As always, it was a great inspiration. I bought 65 pounds of Pyrophyllite (Wonderstone) for $.95/lb.

Expelled Exposed: Stein’s Folly

Douglas — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 15:52:27 +0000

Continuing with the strange story of the movie Expelled which I first addressed a couple months back…

The saga of Ben Stein’s Expelled just gets curiouser and curiouser. The back-channel story here deserves to become a movie in its own right. I have collected several links which tell the story (so far) exceedingly well. Here is my suggested reading, viewing and listening order:

PZ Meyers account of being expelled from Exposed.
A video interview of PZ Meyers and Dawkins reflecting on the curious events.
Richard Dawkin’s subsequent review of Expelled: Lying for Jesus.
Colorado Confidential: Intelligent Design goes to the Movies.
National Center for Science Education’s official response: ExpelledExposed.com
The Skeptics’s Guide: #140, Interview with Eugenie Scott (segment 3)
Skeptiality podcast: No Intelligence Allowed! - Interviews: Professor Richard Dawkins and Dr. Michael Shermer.
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed–Scientific American’s Take

A distinctly American phenomenon.

Ahhhh

Douglas — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:50:30 +0000

Enjoying the best cappuccino I’ve had this side of the Atlantic. The distinct ambiance, flavor and portion size here at the Keko Cafe reminds me of that we experienced in the many trips to Verona, Citta Alta Bergamo, Santa Margherita, and San Gimignano. Oh, the Memories!

Devscovery Paused: Bryant Park

Douglas — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:02:52 +0000

The first day of a technical conference often leaves one feeling broadsided. Combine that with a two hour timezone shift and a poor night’s sleep and you’re ready for a Manhatten.

Halfway back to the hotel, I’ve paused in one of my Midtown favorites: Bryant Park (no, it’s not my photo. NewYorkPanorama.com)–given new meaning now that I’ve recently discovered a smart new podcast to add to my favorites, the Bryant Park Project.