I don't feel Tardy

A real toy, from a more innocent time. Tardy, the Man Pony!

Vaguely creepy, and I doubt good company at a Tea Party.

Alternate Dimension OIan Mills

Olan Mills is a Prophet, don't ya know? He foresaw the double image silhouette, which is beyond time, place, dimension. Even weird ass centaurs in Crystal World know the shot. Eternal and infinite. Bless you, Olan Mills.

A Flaming Chainsaw of Justice

I LOVE the Betty White internet meme. I have no idea where it started or why, but now that it's got legs, I get it completely. GO MEME GO!

Also too: This is my kind of art. No idea the artist, but FSM damn I admire them greatly for spending time crafting this masterpiece. Just imagine a world where a terrible Betty White hunts down evildoers with her Flaming Chainsaw of Justice whilst riding her trusty John Ritter steed. Comically terrifying.

A Quiver of Shat

As in all things, the Shat is the Man. We can only follow in the wake of his awesomeness.

A break from your life

Hail, fellow travelers! I am on vacation this week - and I'm doing my best to make it a real vacation. So little computer action, no damned email or phone calls, and instead hours of something else - rest. Sloth. Sun. Food. Letting go of all the insignificant concerns of the "real world". This is strange for me, since usually even my vacations are action packed stress bombs of do this, do that, do something else.

But today? I stop by to give you this. And then off to the beach.

Memes repeating

If you like hot, burning deserts and a bunch of boring old people, visit Vulcan! Like Arizona, except replace the insanity with logic.

But this is all fiction, made real by the fervor of the fans and the universality of the meme. It can be made real by people repeating it, spreading from person to person, a momentum is created, reaching critical mass, until it breaks into the mainstream.

A real place! In Alberta. Named after the lame God, who's glory has faded mightily since the Trek to the Stars took flight. Seeing money to be made, the good folks of Vulcan ran with it, and trekked out their town. No doubt getting a taste of that sweet, sweet Trekkie money.

Over and over, the meme jumps from one mind to the next, growing in the transmission. Add in some sex appeal and any meme can rocket to mass consciousness.

Err, arr, or maybe not so mass. But as the Vulcans are wont to say: Infinite diversity in Infinite Combinations (IDIC baby!).

Live Long and Prosper

Perhaps the coolest Presidential celebrity pic ever? I'd argue yes, and indeed I am ranking it over Nixon and Elvis, which is undeniably awesome. But then, I'm a nerd and no big fan of any King, except Martin Luther.

Live long and prosper. From Star Trek, but the origin is the Hebrew and Arabic "Peace be upon you". It's a noble sentiment, for who would not wish that for themselves and those they love, their friends and the people they admire? Why not for everyone? For are we not all people, with hopes, fears, dreams for the future? Do we not all wish for children and families healthy and happy, safe in hearth and home?

I don't think we all do. A minority, to be sure, but vocal and disruptive enough to unsettle the majority. A shame. For as pictured above, President Obama truly wishes for long life and prosperity for not only all Americans, but everyone in this world. And, being the Nerd in Chief, I have no doubt Barack would wish good tidings on any alien out there in the wide, wide Universe. And why not? All life wishes for prosperity for themselves and their children. It's the basis of Compassion, yes?


Education is one way we can lift the overall majority of humanity out of base, savage fear. As such, reading is fundamental:

A Presidential reading of "Where the Wild Things Are". I think the Obama family is just about the most perfect First Family America could have - wholesome and good and setting all the right examples. I love them. I'd think you don't even have to agree with the President's policies and still think they are a great family and true role models.

And yet, out there raging, are 27% of the population who just HATES them. For no good reason other than blind tribal allegiance. If we are to progress to our full potential, we will have to continue finding ways to marginalize people who blindly hate. Education Summer Camps have a nice ring...

Mr. O

The Rethuglicans have done everything they can to bespoil, ruin, and otherwise tarnish all that Barack Obama does or has tried to do. They would see the world in flames for mere political gain - and they try for this! Every day.

But, much has still been accomplished, and the USA and the world saved from the brink of Depression. Wars are ending, torture is done, sincere attention being paid to education, infrastructure, health care, and a myriad other important issues. In spite of Repuglicans. And so as we approach the Crazy Time of billionaires flooding the media with all manner of slanderous lies, keep the faith. Hope for a better day, vote Obama and any and every Democrat you can - if for no other reason than NOT to vote for a Repuglican. They're evil and must be defeated.

And with each lost election, their defeat grows closer. And with their defeat, perhaps sanity and reason can once again claim the upper hand in America.

I Pity the Phone

Think of it! Before iPhones, smartphones, mobile phones, phones, telegraphs, etc, to send a message to someone far away involved either: Someone physically delivering that message, or some cool smoke signal system. Say you wanted to reach someone 100 miles distant - several days journey by horse, many more by foot.

This was the range of our connection for hundreds of thousands of years, until electricity, until Marconi (he played the mambas). And then suddenly, anyone in the world, almost everywhere, is reachable at a moment's instance. The world is shrunk. Physical distance no longer matters as much.

Soon enough video calling will be the norm and the networks will cover every inch of land, sea, air, and space, and there will be no where you are not instantly connected to someone else. No escape. And our change will continue apace.

Committed

Fervor and commitment create the same in others, spreading like fire and thus culture is made, over time. The inspirational nature of the spiritual occasion gives it more or less power, so you better put on a good show. Pass these lessons on and let them cook in the oven of time and voila, Religion.

Also, I am dreading the inevitable increase in "WORLD TO END 2012 MAYA APOCALYPSE REPENT!!!" talk. I saw an ad for Ameritrade or some such investment company and they directly referenced 12/21/12, the DAY OF DOOM. Reversal of gravity, apparently, which would actually be an awesome way to end the world. But it's not going to happen!

I once dabbled in 2012 dreaming, having read all about the Mayan calendar decades ago. But back then, no one else much knew, so it was cool. But now? LAME!

No, now I know and understand Science, and thus have moved past all mythological answers to real questions. The world might end on 12/21/12 - but it could also end tomorrow. Or a billion years from now - it will end one day, our world at least. An asteroid, a volcano, a cosmic ray, lots of ways. But I bet it won't end on 12/21/12 and if by some strange chance it did, that still proves nothing about Mayan religion of Gods. It might speak to their astronomy, however doubtful.


But! The very idea of it - and this meme has grown wings and will soar ever higher in the sky as we approach the dread date - aye! This very idea will be self creating, as lost, lonely people latch onto it and try to make it real. Hoarding, looting, general mayhem could happen as fear mongers in the media ratchet up the tension.

Wait and see. I had a vision.

So Say the Cards

All forms of divination stem from man seeking answers to a chaotic world, but without proper tools these answers come in the form of Religion, myth, riddles. God is man's first attempt to answer all the questions of life, which are many. For thousands of years we explained the weather, the seasons, birth, death, crops, everything via Gods. This way of thinking became engrained, codified, institutionalized. Man's natural curiosity - which created God in the first place - was stymied.

And then Science emerged, and survived, and spread. Now with a firm foothold the world over, Science provides truer answers - perhaps real answers - and allows mankind to grow ever healthier, smarter, wiser. And thus is the bane of Religion - we are now in the midst of a mighty struggle between the two. This struggle will define our future.

Which side are you on? Hocus pocus, or truth?

Yesterday's Nerds (Spergin' in Silence)

Think back into smoky mists of time (and they were damn smoky - candles and flames everywhere for light and warmth), to an age before the MTV and the hippety-hoppy music, before the talkies and the radio, the silent movie and peep show. Further back, past dozens and dozens of your Great-Grandmothers, to an age of silence. Think of it!

Finally home, to a cold hunk of meat, water, and a book by candlelight. Relaxing, right? But every night (if you're lucky - this guy looks rich), and can you imagine your boredom? No TV, no Net! No iPod to rock the jams. In fact, no noises at all, save the wind through your rickety roof or the rats in your walls. So damn quiet! Check out that table in detail - it's neat.

What would a nerd of this day do? If lucky, a monk or scribe of some sort. Treasurer types perhaps. Otherwise, nerds or not, they probably worked in the fields or some other grueling physical labor that crushed their snarky spirit as well as their bodies. Like most everyone else. Thus perhaps the appeal of the Monastery.

Buddha was a nerd, clearly. Also, did you know he left his wife and kid in the dead of night? Not cool, Siddhartha. He also starved/slept on nails/lived in woods under a tree alone for seven years, which is pretty good penitence I suppose. Very quiet.


Point being, however, for all we have gained - and it's a lot (greater equality, health, longevity, safety, etc) - we have lost an equal amount. Imagine living in a world of silence save for natural sounds, or the sounds you make yourself or with others. Discussion would become a major form of entertainment. Self made music or listening to friends play would be mind blowing.

You had to make your own fun, damnit! And now that we don't, I fear that part of the brain, that part of humanity, fades away to nothing. And we'll all be nerds then, if not already.

Paladins Suck

One of the early nerds, rocking a dot matrix printer. What a wonder! Has the world ever produced a person so magnificently useless? They dedicate a goodly portion of their lives sitting in front of a screen, typing at other nerds sitting in front of screens, arguing arcana of anime and the like. Such glorious sloth! Tis a Godly thing, as in this world of tooth and claw here we are, humans, fat and given to wasting lives on pointless minutia. Like Gods.

And so I give you the apex of humanity (for now): The Nerd. Totem to the wealth of our societies, the great luxury of our conquest of evolution. No longer are food and shelter and tigers the issues, but rather high scores and Boss Battles and quantity of soda on hand for the epic quest to capture the Fortress of Paladins.

Master of all he surveys. A Dark Power he wields in the keeping of it. Verily!

The Young Knight would have words for such Paladins.

This all is leading of course to the point where we humans shed our bodies and move on to more flexible forms. Without major interruption, it is inevitable. And the Nerds shall lead us.

Plus Sized

Look! It's my Mac!

When you want your tunes, you gotta do what you gotta do.

iU

As with all things body and mind, if you don't use it, you lose it. The transition from paper and pen to laptop is a change in cognition - gaining something, losing something else. But this new way of thinking - through technology - also can lead to diversion, distraction, compulsion. So easy to goof off. Resulting in diminished cognition.

These trends will continue, relying more and more on our technology and less and less on our bodies. It will inevitably and fundamentally change us in major ways. Over time - but you can see it happening already. Some people have lost all sense of direction thanks to GPS.

The solution of course is to exercise the very skills technology is turning obsolete - navigation, sense of time, memory of numbers and addresses, recall of facts, focused attention, etc. Hard work, though, rite?

A Hidden Base

What a fantastic use of escalator space! If I came upon such a sight with the Star Wars opening crawl appearing before me, I would giggle like an anime Japanese schoolgirl. For real - so awesome! Speaking of:

Construction season soon to recommence at Gondolin, or "Secret Rock". Walls rise, rivers tamed, forests tended like gardens. Ulmo has commanded it to be so!

Legotivity

Perhaps our reality is truly like this - up is up is down is down is up and so on, forever - and it is only our brains which give it the apparent order we call the "real world". Our senses - eye, ear, etc - are the only way we perceive anything. All these senses provide information to the brain, which decodes and translates into action. It's just bits and boops and blops and is us and only us - humans - which assign the green leaves and sometimes seas, blue skies or pink sunrise, cool mist upon the wind. Perspective is defined by the perceiver - and it is only life that perceives. And all life is different.

And so, Escher. This Legofied lithograph is a marvel. It's got all kinds of science baked into it. Wiki it up.

Aperitif:

Death of Boba Fett, unreasonably popular minor character. Except of course, not. Dead, that is. There's money to be made! And so he rises from the vaginal depths of the dread Sarlacc's grasp! Hallelujah!

If you're bored, check out the Lego poses here: a LEGO a day
Awesome.

Power of the Lego

Amazing. I drool. Though I imagine I wouldn't have the patience necessary to construct such a wonder. It's a 3D puzzle, with instructions and a cool end product. I understand Lego now!

This is the Super Star Destroyer, Darth Vader's personal flagship. When a regular Star Destroyer just ain't enough. And thus a parable for our EXTREME society - when the regular Star Destroyer wowed audiences in 1977, something bigger was needed to get the same wow in 1980. And so on, forever. This is the power of EXTREME.

The Redemption of Vader. But can Vader be redeemed? Is there a point where your crimes are so great no amount of good deeds can save you? Is killing the most evil dude in the Universe good deed enough? Scholars will debate these questions long into the future.

Thanks to the prequels (oh what a double edged sword) we know Anakin Skywalker was a precocious kid who turned into whiny teen then self absorbed Brah who just happened to be the Chosen One. Also, brainwashing from that evil dude. And so the ultimate henchman was made, in machine and metal, living on a whim of the evil dude. The Vader the world came to fear - and still does - was really just a sad sack Savior twisted by the Devil, but did a really good deed in the end. Hooray, mythology! Even better when told in Lego form.

Iced Cream Man's Lament

You might think all iced cream men and women would generally be happy folks, since their work often involves bestowing joy and frozen treats to the people. But I'm sure it's not all Harbor Bars and laughs. Rather, like with almost all jobs, the monotony and stupid people ruin everything, slowly but surely until even aye, dispensing a swirl cone no longer stirs the heart with delight, but rather dulls the soul with crushing sadness.

Or maybe that's just me. Any iced cream people out there want to speak up?