Kinetic Sculptures

A long time ago (sometime in 1997) I came across a clockwork wall sculpture in an expensive art and collectibles shop. I'm not easily impressed with any piece of art and generally lack an eye for visual arts in particular.

But I stood in this store watching this wooden clockwork type sculpture/device make the most amazing motion patterns for what must have been 2 or 3 hours. It was one of the most amazing and beautiful things I've ever seen. I've thought about that piece many many times in the many years since I visited that shop.

I would gladly have bought it, but with a price in the $1500 range, I simply couldn't afford too... still cant.

But, I did finally find out who makes them; David C. Roy. And it turns out that he has a web site... with flash animations of many of his works.

Check it out at:
http://www.woodthatworks.com/index.html

The particular piece that I was watching was Tango.

Emancipate your hard drive!

L.A. Bans Master/Slave

In the latest round of government niggardliness (I love that word!) against the English language, L.A. County notifies vendors that using the term “Master/Slave” to describe computer hardware is racially insensitive!
 

How Guns Define America

FREEDOM

This essay covers the impact of the freedom to carry guns on American culture. It uses many examples from history, playing the Hitler card quite often. While most of the essay is thick in history and philosophy, my favorite part uses a fictional example:

I recently visited a website that featured a picture of Star Trek’s Mr. Spock, with the caption: My hero! Someone who thinks his way out of trouble! The implication, of course, is that force and violence are universally to be rejected and despised as unworthy of thinking people (or Vulcans).

Well bucko, Spock carried a phaser as well as a tricorder, and he used it when he had to. If the Star Trek future represents a hope for our species at its most reasonable and open-minded best, it would be well to remember that the Enterprise carries a hell of a lot of photon torpedoes because the cause of human decency cannot be advanced if all the decent humans lie dead.

Bad medicine for the senate

Senators swallow hard over Dayton's medicine

Sen. Dayton (D-Minn) came up with a amazing approach to show his contempt of the Medicare prescription drug bill. He proposed an ammendment to the bill that lowers senators' own drug benefits to match what is being proposed for senior citizens.

Of course, the senators passed the ammendment 93-3. What else could they do? If they didn't vote yes on the ammendment they would publically confirm that they are the two-faced, back-stabbing, ass-hats we all know they are.

You can read more of Dayton's comments on this issue at his press office's web site.

Original source - the General Bullshit forums at Something Awful (SA/GBS).
Thanks to Tricia for pointing this link my way.

I am pissing beatles!!!

Boy breeds beetles in his body

Indian kid has beetles, over 1/2cm long, coming out of his penis! OUCH!

Thanks to Claes for this link. 

Instant-Mix Imperial Democracy

“Instant-Mix Imperial Democracy, Buy One Get One Free”

A fantastic (and very long) speech about "New Democracy" and the death of "real democracy".

Instant-Mix Imperial Democracy (bring to a boil, add oil, then bomb).

Real audio replay of the speech. If you prefer to read it instead, the transcript is included on the same page.

A new god

Inside the Soul of the Web

A person watches 24 hours of Google queries scroll across a screen in real time. I haven't read something that left me this disturbed in a long long time.

I'd never thought about it before, but running a search engine is an awesome responsibility. Users look to Google the same way some people look to a god. But unlike a god, Google actually might have an answer. But it isn't really a god. Google is run by people. And people, unlike a god, can make mistakes. What happens when a person prays to Google, but the answer is a mistake? I guess even a god can't help everyone...