chuck kottke

^^ Only if a Texas Twister hits at the same time!:laugh3:* Don't press the Shiny Red Button, Stimpy!

GB Many, many thanks & returned salutes, David!:bobby: Without you, we would be under NAZIS rule as well!

Greeting from the good ol' United States of America! Ye, we have erred in our ways, but that will all change.. In honor of our veterans, who did not ask to be put into harms way by ill-begotten heads of state, and who are just doing their duty, trusting in the decency of the elected body politic, I wish to say thanks to all who have served, and may the rest of us do our part to keep you brave, selfless individuals from facing the miseries of war, save for times of ultimate crisis, when no other options thus remain, and the lives and liberties of free peoples are in serious jeopardy. And to all the peoples of the earth, to whom we all belong as neighbors and friends, never hesitate from criticizing what you see as unjust and unjustified behavior by errant administrations here and elsewhere, as we all share in the basic principles of human rights and justice. A confused populace, unable to see the truth when blinded by crisis or driven by loyalties, needs to be told the truth, whether that comes from within or from outside our nation's borders. And my sincere sympathies to all those adversely affected by the lack of clear understanding of conditions and reasons for actions. Solving problems requires a deeper understanding of people's lives and beliefs, histories, and economic conditions that lead to matters of instability. May we walk a mile in the moccasins of those elsewhere before we even consider acting in any manner regarding another. To understand and respect human rights; to limit the use and abuses of power; and to promote the general well-being of all mankind - these are truly the highest American aspirations, and so often things we fall woefully short on. My personal apologies for not doing more to prevent our most recent catastrophic blunders - but it is a sad reality that some moments in history we cannot control, but only wade through in agony and dis-belief as the tragic events unfold before us, and plan and work for a better way in the future. America can no longer retain an isolationist policy or attitude, but we must learn to understand the deep reasons why things happen, and to work more effectively and humanely at helping those in need, and to bolster support for the will of the people, not by military means, but through all other means possible. No revolution would have been possible without the will of the people here in 1775, and no occupier, be it King George or King Louis, would have long been welcomed in America either. Understanding the key to change is to look inwardly at our own conditions, and support the popular movements elsewhere, even if that puts in jeopardy temporary economic interests, for in the long run, respecting basic human rights creates a better economic outlook for all of us, and much more stable and healthier world. Our nation is not the result solely of native sons and daughters, but a collaboration of enlightened men and women throughout the world, who saw an opportunity to create a working Republic, with a growing and prosperous populace, Democratically elected Representatives, and guarantees of protections against the abuses of power by an elite who often act against the will of free men and women; that is to say the natural rights of all humans shall be respected. And so, with all good hopes for a re-birth of the true spirit of Liberty, My Sincere Thoughts to all on this Memorial Day, from here in these United States. -Chuck.

Welcome to the site, Mathieu!:hat::hat::hat: From the land of Peanuts and the Hopi, to the land of Draft Horses and Waffles!:elf:

That sounds logical - extra 'slack' in the line, so-to-speak.;) It's the mid-oceanic ridge that's got me wondering - there it is, a volcanic split running from pole to pole - I wonder what they currently do about it, or maybe it's not volcanically active where the cable is resting in that vicinity of the ocean floor? Sounds like a problem, and something to fix in the future! I seem to recall a National Geo. special on it - hydrothermal vents gushing hot magma - even the water at that depth was the temperature of molten steel! Hmm - perhaps they placed some special apparatus at that point.. Yes, that would make sense - to have buoys with the equipment floating above the cable - although waves can be very rough out there! And everything tries to "taste" the cable, to see if it's edible - I know that's been a problem as well.. Yes, robustness makes great sense! I've often wondered why we haven't done so already - but like many things, it takes a major blackout of half the hemisphere before the investment is put into infrastructure.. makes no sense, but that's the way we do things!:laugh3: (well, maybe now after some realization of the possible consequences when things fail..) I still like the idea of bridging Alaska and Siberia - joining the two hemispheres, and then the cable would only have a short span across open ocean, accessible under a bridge... Maybe that's not a good idea, but it does seem like a great way to boost commerce and friendly realtions.?

Hmm.. well, perhaps you're right! But what happens when the cable breaks wayy out in the middle of the ocean - fiber optic is a real pain to fix.. and it must need laser boosters / repeaters every so often, so there's more complexity to it. Perhaps laying it on the ocean floor isn't the right way.. It could be suspended by neutral buoyancy devices deep enough to be unharmed by fishing activities and high enough off the bottom to be safe from undersea quakes and volcanoes (mid-oceanic ridge). This may already be the case - I'm no expert! I do know that when it broke last, the stock market ground to a halt in Asia for oversea trading.. maybe satellites aren't quite such a bad option.. But there's no perfect anything - satellites can get hit with the tiniest of bit of matter and be incapacitated 1-2-3. Maybe a land link could be established, and when they build the bridge linking Alaska to Siberia, the cable could be suspended along the length of the bridge..

I now firmly believe some people like to argue - in fact, it's probably their only way to get attention that they know of! (and physical contact as well..) So, I figure, you get some people who really just say things to start fights, or to antagonize - just to draw a punch - some trends I've seen here in the the lovely USA and thought once to be only our special problem, I'm now realizing are global in nature..:dozey: Even You Tube has zillions of them! So, what was the name of that alien creature in Life, the Universe, and Everything that had one singular purpose and goal in life to insult every living creature in the universe?? :laugh3: I get the feeling there's more than one.. Today's observation: This is the week-end when they release the flying-monkeys here in the US..

440 was Goebbels' choice - I wonder really why, unless the NAZIS's bought into some theories on 'the perfect pitch' as you suggest, somewhat like their wacky theories on 'the perfect human'! the tuning of instruments is a compromise - something about this was talked about on a WPR program a year or so ago.. Yes, Erin, you're right about it! But I cannot recall the details.. something about the notes spreading out as you go lower in octave, and tuning to 8 per octave caused some sort of compromise.. perhaps very subtle - or, was it the switch to more modern tuning? I cannot recall, but its discussed somewhere on Wikipedia.. E flat mixolidian.. Well, it was more of a brain twister than I cared to figure out! Music theorists can work on it..:)

>>>>>>>High Speed>>>>>>>

Hello Mike! :) Glad you like the music - I found Parachutes to be excellent as well - have you had the chance to hear songs on it?? Sorry your flight got canceled - that's gotta be disappointing! Pemberton festival's coming up though.. (& Tracie has nibbled on Chris's ear lobes, cause' she's got a special taste in musicians..:P)

Ya Now, how many miles is it from New York to London?? Say, roughly 3500 miles / 5600 Kilometers. Now, the Atlantic is how deep? Hmm.. and then there's the little problem of getting fresh air all the way to the workers if ever such an undertaking were attempted, plus the danger of undersea quakes, which would let in water at the ungodly pressures of the sea above.. Let's just say it's the "something else", and the rest is more like a late April fool's joke!:laugh3: There probably are some very old trans-Atlantic cables stuck on the ocean floor from telegraph days, but I would be completely amazed if they work at all after this many years! Fiber optic cables laid recently could be providing the bandwith, or satellite links..

Basically, I agree, U2 and Coldplay offer different musical styles and feelings to their music - but nonetheless, the Eno effect has been there with both, and it's transformative! *new Yet similar in their having great core values.

Hello Bobby! How's the weather out in Vermont or New York?? Finally into spring full swing?:):hat:

Hello Sandra of Melbourne!:) How's the Aussie Surfing?:smart:

Yes, that was a great acoustic version!! Wish I could offer some help..

Thomas Paine, Johnny Cash, King and Ghandi to name a few..:thinking:

Coldplay on the rise - only 30,000 sites to go, and we''ll be in the U2 inner circle! :P EDIT: U2.com is at 25,645 - we're closing in!!! radiohead.com @ 40,369! Yeehaa!

ogs I was unaware of any Aussie-style antics!:stunned::rolleyes: 1 quik questian: WallawallaWallaby - is there such a town down-under??;) Anyhow, did not know that Roos' hibernate - maybe they just get slower in winter, kinda like our white-tailed deer?? Do you need special saddles to ride them (w/ shock-absorbers included?)?!:P Here, it's the bumbling black bears, and the white-tails.. We do have bison, but they're raised in captivity in our state. The bison would be the best choice for riding of the three, but only by a slim margin. A few people have tried alpacas - same difficult climate as the high Andes, only flatter.. But they look too slender for anything but barn cats to ride! Aussie landers hibernate too?? Or, do you all go north to the warm coasts? Either way, keep warm Rachel! Poem: abra-cadabra hocus-pocus outta focus candle abra bumble-bee opera A chorus of frogs A course on dogs sawing saw logs laughing out-loud at the sound from the bogs..

Museum of muse.. Amusing.. Museical.. Muselix.. Catchy name alright! Gotta be in one of those apocalyptic moods to give then a listen, though.. Time is always running out - earth will be consumed by an expanding red giant..:) Anyhow, (cc: Muse) - I'd rather listen to cross-cut saws most of the time.:P Coldplay has them beat, hands down!!

I predict Rick will change his name to a new alias, and his last post will stop at 39,997.:disguise::scholar:in August

:laugh3: Well done escargo!:P

travweld OOPS! Poem:Travels the atom.. From rock to rock goes the life of the binder once a weathered stone thence a giant ocean containing smallest of creatures, sequestering rust and coating their hulls with dust laid down as carpets on the bed floor to be taken up by the renovators and broken like soup bones into many molds pored like the shimmering water of a fiery netherworld never far, but neither near from source to sink it doeth flow and then tossed aside, like the child's toy forgotten for the blink of time's eye.. and yet born anew in the slow turning bit into tiller that digs in the land and lifts anew the ancient of stones with the tines of time spinning away weaving a tapestry on ancient truths to keep us for another day and slowly the rock revolves on its axis as a measure of tilth and a keeper of life

Hello Miss Snicket!:) Glad you're back from the hiatus, Rachel!!;) I gather winter in Aussie-land is looking rather dull?? Can't you just hop a ride on a kangaroo?:laugh3: Cheers! -from Chuck.

I haven't been to China yet - but hopefully someday! Wishing you all a good night, -Chuck.

Greetings to Lithuania!!:)