Archived Entries for February, 2006
February 22, 2006
A stirring pair of articles in the Guardian about the burners who went to help out after Katrina:
It turned out what we learned in the desert had very practical implications. Sure, there're the topical things; burners tend to be, in general, pretty creative, self-reliant types who can handle being in a chaotic, unstable environment. So when they started hitting the Gulf Coast, they were prewired to know what to do: build shelter. Make food. Keep cold things cold and dry things dry. But more than that, all the talk about radical self-reliance, about operating in a gift economy, about thinking and acting from a place of civic responsibility - all that hot-air crap turned out to be exactly what was needed when things fell apart. Partying in the desert, it seems, was in some weird way like boot camp for a disaster.
February 16, 2006
I'm leaving tonight for a trip to New York. No more updates for a while...
February 15, 2006
I whacked my ear on a cupboard door this afternoon and knocked the bead out of the hoop in my helix piercing. After some unsuccessful fumbling, I walked over to Laughing Buddha and asked if someone could put it back together. Two minutes later the job was done; no charge, no questions.
I noticed after this weekend's photography at the beach that there was a blurry spot on my camera's lens, just left of center. I gently swabbed out the (tiny!) lens with some lens cleaner, but the problem remained. I stopped in at Glazer's this afternoon and asked for help. One of the staff spent five minutes gently poking at it with some special camera-cleaning swab. We took a couple of test pictures: problem solved. Glazer's doesn't even sell this camera model, but again: no charge, no problem, happy to help.
Wow.
I've worked out a new design for the laser beacon. The design gets a bit simpler with each iteration; this time I've eliminated the bearing assembly and the gearbox. I've also decided to point the beam upward at a steep angle; many of the difficulties I was facing came from the decision to project the beam outward in a horizontal plane. Switching to a mostly-vertical beam eliminates a whole class of safety concerns and lets me get by with a much shorter tower - ten feet, instead of forty. I think it will also increase visibility and emphasize the chaotic oscillation of the beam, which is the key to the project's aesthetic appeal.
I still think the horizontal-plane version of the beacon might be worth pursuing, but it is definitely a tougher project. Perhaps it'll seem more approachable after I've finished the current iteration. More likely, though, I'll have found something new to work on by then...
February 13, 2006
February 12, 2006
Hello. I'm back. I fell ill last Sunday night and have spent all week recovering. Today I finally feel normal again, and accordingly spent the sunny blue afternoon wandering around in Ballard looking at the water. Happy. It's been nice seeing the Olympic Mountains across the water during these last few clear days. Spring is coming; I am looking forward to getting out there and doing some hiking.
February 11, 2006
February 10, 2006
February 5, 2006
Have you used a book or audio course to learn Spanish? If so I'd like to hear about your experiences. I've been thinking a lot lately about going travelling in South America, and would like to start learning some Spanish by way of preparation, but the range of choices available at Barnes & Noble is completely overwhelming. If you have tried this and can make a recommendation, I'd like to hear it.
Seahawks fans lining up to
get into the Showbox
Construction at the
Aquarium
February 3, 2006
Instructions for a fun little persistence-of-vision toy that scans messages through the air as you walk or dance.
February 1, 2006
A collection of several dozen three-column CSS layouts, with some notes about each one's individual capabilities.
