chuck kottke

Just one, curiously enough. It's a long tale, from some time ago.. But I've been experimenting again on a piano keyboard, and getting some interesting patterns - just always sidetracked it seems with life in general. I suppose I will keep improving it, and maybe someday record it.?

Andy Warhol Born Again.. Obviously, to remain in the spotlight you have to create mystery, controversy, etc. But besides that, motivation is always there, and Bono's a bit of a bragger about his band, claiming unabashedly that they are "The best band Ever." Coldplay is competitive, but I think they're trying to break the mold of seriousness, somewhat in a similar fashion as the Beatles did.. Apples & Oranges, like comparing apples and oranges..

One should note that this study was conducted on field mice, and is in no way intended to convey useful information pertinent to the great apes, including humans.:laugh3:

Good god! All those neurons, synapses, coursing Na+-K+ ion impulses going at a break-neck speed.. How on earth am I really able to convey what I'm thinking, when I'm thinking it, and then it has passed by the time "right now" is....:P Captain Wrongway Peachfuzz for President... Because a random direction would be better then the direction this country's headed in..

Hello David! Hmm.. did you miss anything? Oh, probably - but of what consequence it is, I cannot say for certain. Generally, the usual zaniness.. Best cure for the blues, I've found, is to go out and get some exercise - vigorous helps; plenty of rest; and spend time with cheerful people. Other than that, try some dark chocolate, and check out The Rocky and Bullwinkle show on Youtube?;) Or, run off with the bar maid, and go have some fun on the beaches in Southern France.:P (it's just a suggestion - there are less expensive alternatives..)

:whistle::flutterby: Do you want me to talk them into coming to NY to do a show? :P

And the answer is.. rage is expressed frustration with understanding that others are doing harm to someone or something you love; or to oneself .. Anger is simply the frustration with being hurt emotionally or physically, expressed in an emotional response or gesture. It can also be the frustration over disappointment with the actions of those we hold in relative high esteem. But my random thought was more of a question - Should I present Chris Martin with another song??

I had fun looking at this site's position in the ranking - wedged between The Hammock Company and Zaural.ru!:laugh3: Quick Ian, do something before we slip below the Hammocks!:lol:

They are deeply symbolic :flutterby:of out troubled times, and the perils of precious Liberty when faced with the excesses of concentrated power..:bandana:

Jajajaja, hasta manyana!:rolleyes::laugh3: What's with the Yogurt Fruit mix??

Yes, Hungary is in the EU !! So, I would imagine the Euro will work, but I am not positive of this - better check with the experts! ;-->

Resolving an argument is a blessing, that's for sure! Takes the pressure off... For me, today I organized some of my paperwork, which does something to me - it's a feeling of order out of chaos; of a ray of hope in a mountain of paper.. Like a crystal being formed from an amorphous mass of molten glass.:inquisitive:

Face the Facts. She's a cute chick to draw in the vote! Works like a charm every time in our celebrity culture. Why Palin, and not some other female politician?? I think it's because of the charm effect..:P

Like I said, it appears we know there is an effect on climate from the combustion of fossil fuels, but the extent to which this has affected climate remains more of a mystery. Just based on common sense, how can it be then that the combustion of large quantities of fossil fuels has not had some influence on climate? Fads come and go, but the fact remains that we have changed the carbon balance on earth through our actions. How significant this is remains to be seen.

Some of the Dems voted for the war, but not all did. They caved to the pressure at a time when they should have stood firm, out of the fear of stepping out of line and being labeled "un-American", a move which they thought would have cost them their seats in Congress. Sure, they chickened out, but the lies we were all told by the administration took a toll as well on their ability to counter the drive towards war. Yes, the cycle is there, which is why we need a complete overhaul of the elections process, to remove excessive influence buying, and to restore accountability in elected officials, so that those more likely to work for their constituents interests (as well as the interests of the country as a whole), will have the better odds of winning. The Right to Fair Elections should be added as an amendment, and with guidelines specific to limit the influence of money in elections. ...But the Democrats generally are backed by the labor, environmental, and minority groups, and therefore have a higher probability of improving conditions for the average working man or woman. To say they are the same is to ignore their voting records, which, if you want to have a look at, go to http://www.votesmart.org. No offense, but your attitude lacks complete analysis, and while there is a problem because of the corrupting influence of money in both parties, there still are some very fundamental difference - open your eyes.

Greetings Chicago!:) Hope you find what you're looking for!:sunny:

Hello Kendra! :) I'm glad you could join us here, and it's interesting to hear about your inspiration from Coldplay! Best wishes to you on your work in progress, and keep us posted on it!

On the old farm, it was the root cellar. Grandpa called it his "Kruschev Cellar", just in case Kruschev decided to bomb the farm!:laugh3: David, how can you sell a bomb shelter? That's like selling a wine cellar, isn't it???:) And I think there is a significant difference - if Obama & Biden win, and with a Democratic Congress, things will change.

I think McCain picked Palin mainly because she's a hottie.:P She's there to attract the male Bull-moose vote (Teddy Roosevelt's era..).:laugh3: And what would Bull Winkle have to say about that? Hmm??

That's what the oil and gas industry wants us to do alright... Just wait, and wait, and wait.. In Science, there is no absolute proof of anything; just correlating evidence in support or in refutation of a hypothesis, which after gaining enough supporting evidence, becomes a theory. Is there evidence? Yes. And there is still room for debate as to the extent of the effect on climate. But consider all the other factors for reducing our dependence on fossil fuels as well: 1. Ocean and lake acidity affecting aquatic & marine life 2. Oil spills (like the mess still damaging life along the Alaskan coast after the Exxon Valdez disaster) 3. Refinery releases, fires & explosions. 4. Reliance on oil from questionably governed states, such as Saudi Arabia 5. Increased dependence leaves us vulnerable to sudden production shortfalls, and the ensuing economic roller coaster rides. 6. Highway tanker accidents and rail tanker accidents, and resulting fires or releases 7. Huge areas of the Earth's surface devoted to mining the last large deposits (mountain top removal in the U.S., and Canadian oil-sands strip mining), and the environmental messes left by each 8. Lower air quality in cities and elsewhere from dependence on petroleum fuels. 9. Vehicle fires in accidents where fuel spills are involved (we just had one on the highway here..) 10. gasoline contact increases the risk of cancer

Point well taken - CO2 is a normal component of the atmosphere. What I am trying to convey is that by the combustion of a large quantity of carbonaceous matter stored in the Earth's crust (via oil, coal, gas, oil sands, etc.), we are, without a doubt, changing the balance of CO2 in the biotic portion of the Earth (oceans, land surfaces, etc.). The degree to which this affects the planet's climate systems appears to be a subject of debate, but it seems self-evident that the mass balance between crustally-stored carbon and biotic zone carbon has been altered. Here's something I ran across on energy storage: Energy Densities of Selected Storage Mediums, MJ/L: 34.60 .. .. .. .. .. Gasoline 24.00 .. .. .. .. .. Ethanol 10.10 .. .. .. .. .. Liquid Hydrogen 5.67 .. .. .. .. EE Stor's Ultracapacitors 4.70 .. .. .. .. .. Compressed Hydrogen 0.90 .. .. .. .. Lithium Ion Batteries 0.17 .. .. .. .. Lead Acid Batteries :smug:

... In the end you have a accomplished, well liked experienced front runner vs a well liked unexperienced unaccomplished front runner. The dems will have more success if they had their ticked flipped around. McCain is accomplished, but in what sense? He's gone to the dark side of the force, and has voted almost in lock step (or shall we say goose step?) with the Republican party machine on almost every bill, unwaveringly. Maybe that would be fine if the bills favored the American people, but often they are written by and for the corporations and their interests, in order to protect themselves from efforts to reign in their power and abuses, and carve up more pork. Contrast that to Obama, who has taken his chances in voting his conscience on issues like the Iraq war. But the real test this season will be overcoming the money machine that pours money like water into TV ads and the like. As far as the VP goes, what I've been hearing, and it does make sense, is that the VP makes a 1/2 to 1 % difference in any given election. It might make or brake the final outcome if it's extremely close, but otherwise is less of a factor than the Presidential candidates and their strategies.

:whistle:

So what was it like being a lurker? Is it some sort of voyeuristic fantasy thing, or just unsure of the characters on the board?:laugh3:

Aha, so it's the banana belt down there tonight, eh?!:P Come on up here - 280 miles north along the lakeshore, it's a pleasant 60F, and the crickets are making a racket!:laugh3: I'll ask you when the blizzard hits how you feel then.:P Opinions change sometimes... Anyhow, glad you came out of the shadows, and could join us. P.S. rumor has it that the former owner of The Bell lived in a suburb of Chicago..;)