vedana.net

BBC News: Although Central Asia is larger than Western Europe, it is probably the most obscure area of the world. A glance at an atlas suggests no area of comparable size about which so little is known in the West.

[via Anil]

Just got an email from SteveJ, which included this gem: I was going to mention that Adrian Lamo gave an interview and I thought you might find his spirituality interesting. It reads like a quantum mechanics-infused american buddhism.

It certainly does:

Are you mentally preparing yourself for a possible prison sentence?
Faith manages.

That's your favorite saying. What does it mean?
It means that nothing we do is wasted and that in the universe that we inhabit, it's a closed system under the laws of physics in which energy is never destroyed and everything that we do is redistributed and recycled to the place it should be.

I don't think it's my place to question these things. They may be unpleasant, but I've had good times, and now I'm having bad times, and I intend to see them through.

How long do you think these bad times are going to last?
Really as long as I continue to see them as being bad times. My time in the custody of the federal marshals could have been a bad time. When you go in there, the people in that small holding cell with you, it really does look like people out of a bad prison movie. But the reality was that just giving them a chance to be real human beings, they all warmed up conversationally. They were all being very supportive. They shared their advice and their experience and their troubles and what brought them there. We shook hands as best we could through our shackles on the way out.

Hmmph, no wonder I couldn't post to my moblog a few hours ago...

Seems to be working now, however.

TDIs are on my mind...

• Matt Haughey: If I could have any car on earth right now, this would be my first choice & Beating the terrorists one car at a time
• Wired News: TDIs Fuel Diesel Obsessions & Veggie Fuels Feed Bottom Line
• TDIFAQ: How it works, General & Emissions
• VeggieVan.org: Biodiesel Info Page & 12-minute Quicktime documentary
• FuelEconomy.gov: Compare MPG/Annual Fuel Cost/Greenhouse Gas Emissions/EPA Air Pollution Score & Gas Mileage Tips
• TDIClub Forums: Wall Street Journal article
• USAToday: Vermont students fill bus with veggie oil to cross USA
• Road and Track: Technology Update: The Diesel
• Washington Times: New generation of diesels coming
• Biodiesel.org: US Refueling sites & News headlines

Ross Mayfield: "Cory and I met up for brunch on Sunday, and then I got to see his place and got a copy of a new story. Holy crap, he is skinny now. Plus he's quit smoking. And cancelled cable. Next up: caffeine. But where can he go from there, except the sure ascension to pure Buddha nature?"

<grin>

Courtesy of Buzznet, you should now be seeing the 4 most recent snapshots from my cameraphone. Display quirks are entirely possible, because, well, web browsers suck. Enjoy.

• Last Friday: Ottmar Liebert [blog] & Luna Negra in Santa Cruz, went with Dom & Jeanine; Ottmar and Canton got us on the Guest list and I traded them some schwag for a copy of their new album (it's excellent).
• Last Saturday: Calexico at The Fillmore, went with Dom 'n Mer, it ruled. Calexico is to the desert/border hinterland sound what CCR is for the bayou; "desert rock" aptly describes the genre. Listen for yourself.
• Tonight: Radiohead at Shoreline, Dom 'n Mer are on their way up for dinner before the show.

New at Google Labs: Search by Location. For example, dinner last night (sushi in Half Moon Bay).

In my inbox last Friday appeared the most well-written spam I've yet to receive: Colon Cleanse Now! A snippet:

Let's talk stools.

The stool tells you a lot about your colon health. If it's dark brown in color, and it sinks, and it stinks, that's not good. And don't feel bad, that's the way most people are.

From a Creative Commons interview with Wiley Wiggins: "Copying isn't theft when it comes to an idea; [theft] is someone else trying to take credit for or make a profit from your idea. The more people copy and disseminate my work, the more talented people I can reach out to and hopefully collaborate with one day."

Upcoming.org is, to say the least, wickedly cool. And as Matt describes, oozing with potential. Here's my profile. Coming soon: syndication to the vedana.net sidebar...

Wired: "We are on the brink of tech's next golden age, when Moore's law, broadband wireless, and nanotech will converge to create the Embedded Revolution. Combine a few thousand hungry new companies, top talent to run them, and VCs eager to back them, and we'll find ourselves in a wave of change that'll dwarf even the last one."

Wired News, Scientists Meditate on Happiness: "He [the Dalai Lama] noted that those who cause suffering are inevitably suffering inside themselves. Therefore, his goal in spreading meditation around the world is a selfish one, since curbing destructive emotions and the dangerous impulses that often accompany them would go a long way toward curbing human strife."

Excellent: The Gospel of Supply-Side Jesus

[via BoingBoing]

Rui Carmo: "Using Mac OS X with a single-button mouse is like rowing with a single oar."

From BoingBoing:

Dear America,

Thanks for all the money, sorry about your kids.

-Halliburton Oil

KTB and I are cruising to LA this weekend, to catch up with Raz. Outtie...

Stealth Disco! (Be sure to watch "Best Of")

[via Kottke]

Marvin Gaye:

Father, father, we don't need to escalate
War is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today

Scott Rosenberg on the fubar'd RIAA: "These numbers are reminiscent of the old software-industry complaints about software piracy: They assume that each illegal copy of a program or a music file represents the loss of a sale -- that if the alternative of piracy were not available, most or all of the pirated stuff would have been bought fair and square at full price."

Gary Turner: "And I just got an email saying that Blogger Pro's dead, but to make up for it they're giving all paying subscribers free Blogger hoodies with which to mop up their tears. What a cool gesture."

Hmm...

Best of Craigslist, A True Story:

"So I don't know what eventually happened to that old lady. But I am truly very sorry. God forbid if she had a heart attack or suffered any long term disability. Hopefully she just got up, brushed herself off, sued Safeway and is now living comfortably."

"Me? I'm OK. But I have to live with my damaged karma and the thought that if I did it once it can happen again..."

CNET, Blogger Bucks Premium-Services Trend: "Google-owned Web log-creation site Blogger is eliminating its paid version and folding premium functions into its free service, bucking a trend toward making people pay for Web site extras."

[via Biz]

Happy 5th Birthday, Google!

Got back a little while ago from camping and, as I routinely do, checked my referrers to see who's visiting. "Hmm," I thought, "A bit 'o traffic from Biz, I wonder what's up?" This, apparently; it seems he finally got the syndication religion. Welcome, friend.

Here are some gorgeous photos of Apple's new Power Mac G5.

[via TidBITS]

Best of Craigslist, Grammar Lesson #1, Your vs. You're:

Your - belonging to you, e.g. - Your ass is ignant and shit.

You're - contraction from You + are (standing for, ironically, "you are"), e.g. - You're an ignant ass.

Free-Ed.Net: "Free education on the Internet. Complete courses and tutorials for more than 120 different vocational and academic disciplines. No tuition, no books to buy, no hidden fees."

Wow.

[via ShatteredBuddha]

Dean Allen: "And, you know, I haven’t stopped laughing since. You go, Caya!"

Slashdot: Microsoft Issues Five New Security Warnings

Saturday night I got the Sushi bug, after an enchanting experience at Sushi Main Street in Half Moon Bay. And thanks to Joel, I now know how to eat it properly.

• twincities: Cash woes slow efforts in Iraq
• cloggie.org: The end of democracy?
• foreignaffairs.org: Stumbling Into War
• highclearing.com: The Callous Policy of an Evil Government Cont.
• Arghnold