FM3 in today's NY Times

Shout out to FM3 who made today's NY Times article on the avant-garde music scene in China.

I'm a big fan of their Buddha Machine and was glad to see a sample on the site.

[note: the management is not responsible for any correlations between the Times coverage of the Buddha Machine and recent events in Bloomington IN.]

Pilgrimage to India(na)

This is my third time hearing His Holiness the Dalai Lama speak (Vancouver & San Francisco, now Bloomington) and the second teaching. This one is on The Lamp For the Path to Enlightenment. First time I'm seeing him w/o Lisa.

I quickly realized that the two previous trips were easy. This one has been a true pilgrimage, not a vacation. How so?

For starters I had a list of work and domestic things I really wanted to get done before I left. Oh I got the list done and then some. Missed my flight thanks to a security checker who thought she was a docent. Chatty don't cut it when you're trying to make a plane. The happy ending was an American Airlines staff member who got me on a redeye without a change fee (as in one hundred dollars plus the difference in airfare). She'd read about the Dalai Lama's visit and cut me major slack.

I'm changing planes in Dallas-Fort Worth, snag chai at Starbucks, and what's my barista's name? Om. Yep, I asked just to make sure. Land at DFW and the brother at Thrifty and I strike up a conversation and before I know it I have a free upgrade.

Bloomington is in Indiana. And Indiana appears to be white. Quite white. Beautiful campus though. I missed the morning session the first day and found the afternoon session lacking in focus. Or perhaps it was me, having not slept much en route. Then again I heard others mumbling about "not getting it" too. All was saved when Robert Thurmon spoke in the evening. a.) he's Uma's dad b.) he's a reknown Buddhist scholar c.) he's been haning with HHDL for years and d.) he was a wicked sense of humor.

Today's sessions were great. In many ways they picked up where the San Francisco teachings left off (In Praise of Dependent Origination). Did I mention I'm in love with Thupten Jinpa, the Dalai Lama's translator? For many of us he's the voice of His Holiness.

Sidenote: I met the development person from the Tibetan Nun Project here. The funny thing is that I had to come to IN to meet someone who lives and works in Seattle.

One more day and then back to Skeedattle for this one. The good news is that I feel more focused about resuming an active practice than I have in months.

Om mani padme hum.

It's all about MySpace backgrounds

I noticed that an awful lot of people were visiting my wallpaper images page. Not to break my arm patting myself on the back but they are nice pictures. But I began to follow the links in my site's log file and found an awful lot of links to MySpace.

Following these links proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that a buncha folks are using my photos as the background for the MySpace site. The Om image and the Chicago skull seem to be popular ones.

Since there's no way to beat 'em (not that I'd want to), I quickly decided to join 'em. So I did. I put up a page of custom MySpace background images. If you want a photo for MySpace page, here they are.

Thoughts on Burma

Two things I saw that provide insight on events in Burma: one written by U Thant's son and another written by Yale's Buddhist chaplain.

Let's not forget the monks in Burma

This story about how the Burmese military mistreated protesting monks doesn't surprise me. It saddens me deeply but what do you expect from tyrants?

The jailers are more the victim than the monks. They too suffer from fear and ignorance. The absurdity of them insisting that the monks are no longer sangha rivals the Chinese trying to dictate how and when Tibetans reincarnate. Don't these people understand and appreciate the power of the Three Jewels?

Knaves...

Fortune cookies

I read an article in the NY Times about fortune cookies. Seems some folks are uncomfortable when they don't get a cliched, pseudo-Confucian qwip.

I guess the new ones don't lend themselves to putting "...in bed" or "...dot com" at the end to elicit a half-hearted laugh from one's co-diners.

That's why I wrote my own fortune cookie widget. With it, you're guaranteed to get something atypical. OK, weird.

"This government does not torture people."

Oh we don't torture P.O.W.'s ehhh? Let's ask those held against their will in Guantanamo Bay that question. On live TV. In prime time.

I dare ya Dubya.

HHDL in Bloomington

I've never been to Bloomington IN but I have a reason to go now. In fact, I'm excited to go to Bloomington!

Support the Burmese Protesters!

Azalea Software is supporting the protesters in Burma (Myanmar). You should too.

The monks are right. The people united will never be defeated. Clearly a need to smash the state if there ever was one. Put your money where your heart is. Speak out!

Here's another way to support the protesters in Burma.

More About Burma

Again, as I stated in my last post, as a leftist and a Buddhist I'm outraged by what the military rulers are doing in Burma. The monks and nuns (sangha) are the moral voice of Burma and can not be ignored.

For up-to-date news try The Democratic Voice of Burma and this Facebook group about Burma.

I haven't tried to contact the Myanmar embassy in Washington DC but here's their contact info. The principal U.S. Embassy official is Shari Villarosa, the Chargé d'Affaires. The only email I could find is: ConsularRangoo@state.gov and FAX: (95)-(1)-650-306 and (95)-(1)-650-480.

Burma

As a Buddhist I seek refuge in the three jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the sangha (monks and nuns). I cry when I read reports of the repressive regime in Burma (sic) attacking and killing sangha.

Yes, the military leaders of Burma are fascists. Yes, they must be removed. Yes, the sangha are the moral force in this police state. That is why the citizens formed human chains around the protesting monks and nuns. The Burmese military's actions are all too reminescent of the Chinese government's repression of Tibetans.

Love and compassion. Buddhism is the religon of love and compassion. Let us all pray that the forces of good once again triumph over evil.

As long as there is space, I seek refuge in the three jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the sangha towards the enlightenment of all sentient beings through love and compassion Om mani padme hum.

Two Words

I have just two words to share with you: "Jena Six"

Sen. Kerry is a pussy!

So someone questions Sen. Kerry and is tasered by Univ of Florida police. My question is: why didn't Kerry stop this thug behavior? Because he's another ruling class pig that's why. He's no reformer, no liberal. Just another punk ass bitch. Here's the proof. Pussy.

Photo of the Day gallery

Like I need yet-another-project. Now I'm doing a photo of the day gallery. Not that I take a breath taking must see picture each and every day but I wanted a stack of snapshots so here it is.

Mt. Rainier & the Dalai Lama

Perhaps mountains are the theme of this post:

This year's 728 Club hike was outstanding. Picture perfect, no one fell, and the oven performed flawlessly. Proof? Look no further than here for proof positive.

Meanwhile our less favorite fascists have decided to regulate reincarnation. Gee, I wonder which Tibetan monk this absurd law is trying to reign in??? Beijing vs. HHDL, who do ya think has more power? Place yer bets. My money's on that lama guy as my kids call him.

NY Times article

Read this article because it's important.

Karl Rove, gone!

Ding dong the witch is dead! Karl Rove, outta there! Who's next?? Dubya???

You love Google? I love Google too!

Hats off to this fellow for doing a Google cheat sheet. The world can't have enough of Google, ehhh?

The Buddha Machine

Looks like the New York Times thinks they're hip. Or at least they got around to discovering the Buddha Machine.

Welcome to the club.

Georgetown, oh Georgetown

It's a STENCIL!!!

Jones Soda labels

Years ago I was honored to have 3 of my photos selected to be on Jones Soda labels. I'm back to my old tricks, submitting pictures on their site again.

Check it out.

Whatchu lookin' at?

Read and Believe

7-Eleven Kwik E Mart in Seattle

The Simpsons Movie is coming out and the 7-Eleven by Seattle Center is now a Kwik E Mart! And yes, I do have pictures of it.

Yeah. I'm back in Boston. And it's Friday the 13th!

And this in from China

I'm not going for any bad puns or cheap plays on words for this one. Damn story stands on its own.

07/07/07

Yes, today's date is 07/07/07.

Scooter Libbey

So lemme get this straight: Scooter Libby does less time than Paris Hilton. Impeach the man. Now!

Do you like clocks? I like clocks.

You might like clocks too. I love 'em but don't wear a watch. Go figure.

Meanwhile Poodwaddle's World Clock a.) blew me away first thing in the morning on a Monday and b.) gave me a newfound respect for Flash. Check it out for yourself

Aging in Place

As we age, gracefully or otherwise, our lives change. Sometimes our homes and offices don't accomodate us well. My old pal Louis Tenenbaum has the vision and foresight to work on universal design and aging in place issues. Check out his web site for details.

Having lived with Lisa during her double knee replacement I became sensitized adaptive design issues. Walkers and small bathrooms with doors on the shower. Need I say more? Getting the accessible room in a hotel on a couple of occasions was an eye opener too.

Go, read Louis' site.

Godzilla vs. King Kong

So which one is Godzilla and which one is King Kong? do we know yet?

Yes, I'm a nerd. Are you?

Yep. I'm a nerd. I' can even tell you how and why.

I've confessed to the white sock thing before. The above page discusses it in a bit more detail.

Demo in the hood & canned charity

Two things: the quickening pace of demo in my neighborhood and a constructive charity event like no other I've ever seen.

The Starter Wife & Wikipedia

I caught the first 10 minutes of The Starter Wife just now. Yawn...

Imagine my surprise when I Googled it to learn the origin of the term and stumbled across this Wikipedia article. Obviously a plant by the marketing flaks.

Sooooo, I took it upon myself to "edit" it a bit. Let's see how long my "improvements" stay up.

Talk about sleazy "social network marketing".

Speaking of clocks...

... and who isn't these days? Tick tock, tick tock,...

Origami

I'm not one for passing on YouTube clips but this one is a little, errr, unique. Yes folks, you too can make a origami vagina. Yes, you read right. Worth watching all the way through. It only gets better.

Black face comedy

How far we've come. How far we have to go.

Creationism

The last two paragraphs go far in explaining why this country is in the sad shape it is today. My kids just realized how few Americans believe in basic science, as if "belief" is necessary.

As Benjo sez, if ya don't believe in evolution, the scientific method, and modern technology you don't get to go to emergency rooms, get operations, or enjoy the other benefits of contemporary society.

Days in each month

Do you have trouble remembering how many days are in each month? When I say "September" or "July" do you know what the last day is?

And don't give me that "Thirty days hath September..." sh*t. If I could remember the damn poem I could remember the number of days in a given month!

The answer lies in you hand, or should I say on top of your hand. In my family we learned a trick that's shown here.

One down, how many more to go?

Evangelist Jerry Falwell is dead. Who's next?

Seattle: where to go, drink, eat, & play

JetCityOrange now sports several pages about Seattle: getting around, where to eat & drink, what to do, and even Seattle trivia.

Anyone have any suggestions or feedback?

When I'm 64...

JB sent this video to me. I never was much of a Who fan but this rendition makes my heart skip a beat. Perhaps it's cuz I have the distinct honor and pleasure of growing old myself. Well, at least physically old.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama in San Francisco

I put together a (very) short video of HHDL in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago. Lisa & I went down for a two day teaching. I'm in love with the man.

Attention number freaks: 128-bit integers!!!

Dewd. Got yer 128-bit integer yet? Don't be left behind!

I gots mine. B3 38 95 72 08 AA 2A 8B 28 06 D3 12 EB FB 09 7C

Can you spell "DMCA"?

Look for more frequent posts

They're gonna happen. Prepare yourself.

Do ya love fortune cookies? Well, do ya??

If ya do, then this may be the online fortune cookie for you. One at a time, as an RSS feed, or embed it into your web pages. It's a free fortune cookie server.

Enjoy!

Attention all number freaks!

Homegirl Nancy passed this one on:

At three minutes and four seconds after 2 AM on the 6th of May this
year, the time and date will be 02:03:04 05/06/07.

Mark your calendar. Set your watches.

HHDL in SF

Lisa & I came to SF to hear HHDL teach. Deep stuff. And as an added bonus I finally got to hear the Gyuto Monks perform.

Whoa...

Renting a car

I go online and reserve a rental car. I give them my name, dates and time of pickup and dropoff, credit card info, address and phone, whatever they ask for. And I've rented from them for years.

So what's the first thing they do? Ask me all of this again and type. And type. And type some more. I swear it would be faster if I walked up to the counter cold and did it from scratch. Tell me how technology is helping either side here.

Barcodes yet again

When will the madness stop? Is there no end in site? Enuf with the bar codes all ready.

And now this: barcodes & Gitmo

When spam = 666

You just know it's gonna be a good day when you open your Gmail and notice how much spam you've gotten.

Yep, the Devil's been writin' to me agin...

Spam. It just keeps getting funnier & funnier.

Ahhhh, spam. The digital kind, not the tinned meat product. I gave up mammels 30-odd years ago. I wish the email variety would shun me.

If nothing else the subject lines give me cause for pause:
  Have jellyfish the calamity
  To be poultry
  And of salvation
  So what
  Even FBI agents must get a degree first, read how
  Re: you hangable
  FW: jujube provider
  Or shave an salamander
  The power of a dumb idea
  He flouts it joyfully.
  on confucian the jellyfish
  Is your dick like a scared turtle
  ensconce drapery
  Fine, i won't tell them
  be altitude
  Of course, this practice may get you shot, bitten by a dog or arrested.
  so true
  Bring back that fresh PC feeling
  Go be zoroastrian

Hey, I just throw it out. I don't write it!

Don't look Billy. Cover your eyes

And you want me to put this in my mouth? Besides, I wanted Mary Anne. Ginger would have been waaaay too high maintenance on that island.

Appropriate in that Coleman and I are going to NYC next week. I've always thought the sidewalks in The Big Apple were vacuums that sucked the change outta yer pockets.

Going to Boston too. Lobster at Summer Shack, hangin' with old homies, and buying art in New York. Long live JetBlue!

Who are you people?

From a recent Newsweek poll: Nearly half (48 percent) of the public rejects the scientific theory of evolution; one-third (34 percent) of college graduates say they accept the Biblical account of creation as fact. Seventy-three percent of Evangelical Protestants say they believe that God created humans in their present form within the last 10,000 years; 39 percent of non-Evangelical Protestants and 41 percent of Catholics agree with that view.

Who the fuck are you people? 10,000 years! Morons...

Clever signs

We all know I love signs. LOVE 'EM. So it's no wonder that I love this web site.

A headline I never wanted to read

"Scientists Create Sheep That Are 15 Percent Human"

Well. I guess it could be worse. It could read "Scientists Create Humans That Are 15 Percent Sheep".

Oh wait. We already have those: born-again Republicans.

I gotta long way to go...

I was listening to Gary Dyson's version of The Heart Sutra and thought, just thought for a moment there, that I was getting it. Understanding it.

Sh*t. Sez to me I gotta long way to go.

The Episcopal Church supports gay rights!

Hats off to the Episcopal Church for standing up for gay rights! I've never been prouder of the church I grew up in. And I ain't even Christian any more.

We got audited.

Yes, the beaurocrats in Olympia decided in their infinite wisdom (sic) that Azalea Software deserved an audit. It seems they doubted we were paying enough sales and use tax into the state coffers. Right...

No, the bozo they sent out didn't send a letter in advance as he promised outlining what he was looking for and what he wanted us to prepare in advance. So we wasted a whole day doing the step'n'fetch it for this dude. What a waste. As if we're not going to strongly contest the $10K bill he left in his wake.

The best part was proving to him that no, we don't sell a lot of software in the state of Washington. Why? Because we sell a ton worldwide. No, we don't "manufacture" shrinkwrap products. Why? Cuz everyone buys off the net. As in ESD. Duh.

Chucklehead...

Bryan's new web site

Nothing makes a nerd happier than having one (or more) of his kids grow up to be nerds. Bryan's well on his way as evidence by his new web site, full of gadget reviews, game reviews, and movie reviews.

The best part? It ain't MySpace but a real web site.

Got Milk?

Amazon by ISBN-13

I love books. You probably do too.

While I love Amazon.com I must confess I use it as a research tool on my way to the Seattle Public Library or Elliott Bay Books. Gotta support those local bookstores. In some ways, to me Amazon is to books what IMDb is to Netflix: a reference tool.

Now you can search amazon.com by ISBN number. Kewl, hunh?

Southbound on I-5 This Morning

Halliburton

If Halliburton in Dubai = True Then
  Greed = Greed^2
Else
  news = False
End If

zonkdogfology, the word of the day

I love a good search engine like Google as much as the next guy. My pal here put a pig in the pipes. A GooglePig if you will.

Ha, ha. Funny, funny.

Random spam

These are subject lines from spam I've received recently. Honestly, I couldn't make this shit up even if I wanted to:

It is occult
acetylene magic
This Is Better Than 3 Wishes
distillate circuitry
Bin Laden Denounces Inclusion on Worst Dressed List
The very thick on the whole Planet.
go fatal
interconnected stocking
creators hold power
atoms and particles make u wonder
Porn stars recommend our drugs :)
candy bar torrential
require arrogance
If you die. Love continues.
Freddy Kruger wears Rolex Wana
fruitcake enchilada

Home Sweet Home

Sometimes it's the small things that turn a house into a home. Things like Tibetan prayer flags.

Truth stranger than...

Al Sharpton & Strom Thurmond related through slavery?!? Simultaneous with Louis Farrakhan's swan song!?!

I couldn't make this stuff up if I wanted to.

Is she single?

Like I said, is she single? Heck, must make another one!

Moving

I'm moving. Again.

I seem to be in a 18 month cycle here. This is my 4th place in 6 years, all here in West Seattle. The Apartment, Area 51, Hilltop, and now The Merge House.

If you ask me I'll tell you they're all "hotels", that I'm not attached to where I live, that at this point in my life a house isn't the best investment I can make. All true but the move thing is getting old.

At least this one holds out the promise of going down in history as the one that Lisa & I first shared. It was also funny in that again I used craigslist to find a mover and damn if I didn't unknowingly pick the same guy. He asked if I had the same girlfriend (yes), also a craiglist find.

Yes, me.

But no, not my ride.

Anna Nicole Smith

Some of you might expect me to say cruel things. Au contraire, I felt bad for her. Boobs you want to sink your head into notwithstanding, her life was one full of pain and suffering. We should all show her sincere love and compassion.

I'm serious.

Cruel and yet so funny too

Well. Valentine's Day is almost upon us. If you think it's hard when you're part of a couple, a quick glance at the craigslist personals tells me it's even harder when you're single. And horny.

I've written about craigslist before. OK, at length. I still cruise it for grins. The contrast between W4M and M4W is unbelievable. And at this time of the year, everybody is gettin' desperate.

Don't believe me? Check it out for yourself.

Why I love Lisa...

... and no one else. Read this disturbing news. No matter how unscientific the sampling is, the numbers and conclusions are un-ac-cept-a-ble.

And I quote: "A survey of about 1,000 women in 10 U.S. cities found women on average would be willing to give up sex for 15 months for a closet full of new apparel with two percent ready to abstain from sex for three years in exchange for new duds."

No thanks ladies. No thanks, I'll pass.

Superbowl XLI

I didn't even know who was playing. Didn't care. Then I heard who the halftime performer was! We turned it on just in time. After Prince we all went to Extreme Pizza for Michael's 18th birthday. We dubbed it a concert with a football game at either end. I gave Michael a copy of Dharma Punx. He read a couple of pages in the car and declared it a pretty good book. Let's hope he reads it.

Proof I was in New York

What better souvenir?

Semi-retirement

I turned 53 in December. My present to myself was to "semi-retire". From here on out, I get to do what I want.

"What's that?" Travel and buy art. So you can imagine that I'm in 7th heaven right now. I'm sitting in Louis' kitchen, helping him build a web site, having traveled to New York. Why? To see the Cartier-Bresson exhibit at ICP and to buy one of Stephen Shames' photos of the Black Panthers. Huey Newton with a copy of Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited to be exact. My only regret is that I have to go back to Seatown before Steve's 60th birthday party this weekend.

False prophets

I went to Vancouver this weekend for a Tibetan Buddhist training given by NKT. "Rogue" doesn't begin to describe them.

I'm no stranger to Tibetan Buddhism and am continually inspired by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. These folks ain't the real deal. Not to knock anyone's spiritual path but after the first day "I reflected, I rejected."

On to bigger and better things...

LED bras

Now I'm a nerd. More important to this link, I'm a guy; a straight guy. So I'm pretty simple-minded.

Put those two together and what do you think the perfect bait for me is? Yep. An LED bra. Don't believe me? Gimme a beer or two and then parade around in front of me with one of these one.

Tweak those JPGs. Tweak!

Ready to edit the non-image data in your JPGs bucky? You know, the EXIF data etc.? Good!

Microsquish of all people has just release a tool to do just that. Best of all? This little puppy is free! Go git you one!

(Pssst... Bill. The .NET link is broken. Someone should get fired!)

Look, it's Mii, errr, I mean me!

So I disovered this site and made me. Or is that "Mii"?

And this just in from the CIA

Yes, that CIA. As in spooks and spies.

No, not that kind of spook. The scary kind.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

A Kodak moment

This is the funniest video I've seen cross my Thinkpad screen in quite awhile.

The funny thing is that a Kodak DC210 was my first digital camera oh those many years ago. I still miss the IR connection to my PC. Easiest uploading ever.

Looking back on the holidays

Well Mom got on the plane back home this morning. Quite the holiday season here chez Whiting.

6 days without power after a big wind storm
Mom comes 3 days earlier than I anticipated
Lisa was kind enough to host to weather refugees at her house
Azalea had an open house on the 22nd
The Evil Ex- abducted the kids over Xmas in defiance of parenting plan
I hosted dinner for 10 Christmas night
I got sick through it all
I'm now suffering from persistant hiccups. Don't laugh, it's almost 24 hrs now

Hanging out with Mom was great. She got quality time with the two youngest. My eldest even made an appearance Christmas Day. Significant given that I saw him on my birthday 12/12 for the first time since early Aug.

Lessons learned from Holiday Season '06? Family is everything. Lisa's the best. Next year's gonna be even better.

Office camping

Yep. That's what my neighbors accused me of when they saw me schlepping into work at 8 with a sleeping bag, pad, and luggage. Again. Why? Cuz I ain't got no 'lectricity at home. Still. The storm was Thu night. It's Wed. The utility workers I spoke to down the street from my house confirmed my worse suspicions. I live on a ridge with a great view. Why? Cuz I live above a two block long, two street wide green belt. A green belt on a steep hill covered with blackberries. They can't get a truck anywhere near the pole and lines. Probably won't for 2-3 days. Unless tonight's storm causes more damage.

Oh. Did I mention that my 82 yr old mother came into town Mon morning? Three days earlier than I thought. God bless my sweetheart for hosting us for a couple nights. And arranged for us to spend the holiday week at her daughter's house.

Christmas '06? Yeah, that was the year I office camped.

The Square Egg

Make has a piece on square hard boiled eggs.

It looks like they've been reading old versions of JetCityOrange.

Oh Santa...

This is both funny and clever. And so timely now that the holidays are upon us.

My question: will they keep it around til next year?

Birthday surprise

Good thing I checked my spam folder. What do I find but email from my oldest son inviting me to his therapy session today. Significant because a.) I haven't seen him for 4+ months and b.) today is my birthday.

Speaking of which today, 12/12, is my birthday. I, who was born in '53, turn 53 today.

Shaving

While updating my List of Links I came across this video. Funny yes but slightly disturbing as well. I quickly add I'm old enough not to apprciate the current style of shaved nether regions. This goes for the Hitler soul patch too. Bush. Gimme bush. Well, at least not in the White House.

48° 6' 57.96" -123° 12' 0.36"

Yes, I've stood at the corner of Woodcock & Kitchen-Dick. Felt good too.

Where was I you ask? Sequim WA 98382. Where else?

The 666 Key

I was just thinking to myself that this blog has been mighty text-heavy of late and could use a bit of photography. And what does life hand me but the perfect picture. Makes me think of 666, the mark of the beast.

Speaking of sex...

I don't care if it's in German or not, ya gotta read this product announcement. A spray-on condom. Whodda thunk?

Speaking of sex and protest, have you heard about global orgasm? No perv, it isn't about Russian brides, hittin' on foreign stewardesses, or white slavery. PC nookie!

How to live one's life.

We're born alone. We die alone.

How you live during the interval is all that matters.

Is it almost time for metric?

Cory & I were talking on the ride to Vancouver and a thought occurred to me: will the neverending stream of immigrants into the US push us into accepting the metric system (finally)? Millions of these New Americans were raised on the more logical metric system and have to master inches, pounds, and gallons along with American slang, HOV lanes, shopping malls, and the in's & out's of the electoral college.

Try teaching a child to add fractions of inches. That's the homework I really hated.