R is playing it cute.
Friday, February 15, 2008
two more pictures
fairly frightening picture of H, in which he looks like he is fifteen. Something about the sharpness of the chin and jaw. A good looking young man, but still very troubling.
R is playing it cute.
R is playing it cute.
Snow
Wednesday night brought a bit of a surprise. Around 9:00p the light rain turned to heavy snow and it kept up for about three hours. By midnight, the campus was buzzing with snowball fights, snowman-making, and general mayhem. The boys woke up without any idea, as many people in Greensboro did. Of course, Guilford County schools closed for the day, so we took a walk in the woods.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Book meme
Mr. T tagged me, so alright...
"Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more."
The nearest book is Edward Tufte's Envisioning Information. Page 123 is the index, so maybe that isn't the best book. Second nearest book is Noel Ignatiev's How the Irish Became White. I'll report for both and let the reader decide.
"Find Page 123."
[easily done]
"Find the first 5 sentences" [which appears to mean, summarize the first five sentences]
various items re: Edwin Abbott - aerial photography. [Tufte]
A brief excerpt from a novel which relates the story of how the main character murdered an African American with a pump handle. This begins the chapter, "The Tumultuous Republic," which traces the effect that anti-Black riots by Irish in the middle of the 19th century had on Irish understanding of their own whiteness. [Ignatiev]
"Post the next 3 sentences."
- "Aesop's fables 65; Akahata [Red Flag] 28; Albers color demonstrations 92-93" [Tufte; so I know these aren't really sentences, but in the absence of periods, I used line breaks to signify a sentence]
- "That is a passage from The Quaker City, an 1844 novel by one of the most remarkable writers the country has ever known, George Lippard. Now forgotten, Lippard was the best selling author in America before Harriet Beecher Stowe. Before he died in 1854, two months shy of his thirty-second birthday, he wrote twenty-three separate books, ranging from thick volumes to pamphlets, scores of uncollected stories and 'legends,' hundreds of news and editorial columns, and wrote or collaborated on several plays; he also founded his own publishing house, edited his own weekly paper, and lectured widely." [Ignatiev; not good writing — Lippard nor Ignatiev]
Tag 5 people.
Anyone interested? Consider yourself tagged. Beej?, Em?, Madame Yocum?
"Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more."
The nearest book is Edward Tufte's Envisioning Information. Page 123 is the index, so maybe that isn't the best book. Second nearest book is Noel Ignatiev's How the Irish Became White. I'll report for both and let the reader decide.
"Find Page 123."
[easily done]
"Find the first 5 sentences" [which appears to mean, summarize the first five sentences]
various items re: Edwin Abbott - aerial photography. [Tufte]
A brief excerpt from a novel which relates the story of how the main character murdered an African American with a pump handle. This begins the chapter, "The Tumultuous Republic," which traces the effect that anti-Black riots by Irish in the middle of the 19th century had on Irish understanding of their own whiteness. [Ignatiev]
"Post the next 3 sentences."
- "Aesop's fables 65; Akahata [Red Flag] 28; Albers color demonstrations 92-93" [Tufte; so I know these aren't really sentences, but in the absence of periods, I used line breaks to signify a sentence]
- "That is a passage from The Quaker City, an 1844 novel by one of the most remarkable writers the country has ever known, George Lippard. Now forgotten, Lippard was the best selling author in America before Harriet Beecher Stowe. Before he died in 1854, two months shy of his thirty-second birthday, he wrote twenty-three separate books, ranging from thick volumes to pamphlets, scores of uncollected stories and 'legends,' hundreds of news and editorial columns, and wrote or collaborated on several plays; he also founded his own publishing house, edited his own weekly paper, and lectured widely." [Ignatiev; not good writing — Lippard nor Ignatiev]
Tag 5 people.
Anyone interested? Consider yourself tagged. Beej?, Em?, Madame Yocum?
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Snowing at the Beach
Over the MLK holiday weekend — one of the few holidays which the Quaker college observes — we went to the Outer Banks with our friends, B, K + G. K’s sister has a beach house in Kill Devil Hills, just up from Nags Head.
The beach was just across the street, so we braved the cold a few times to go collect shells. I think you can see in the pictures why we didn’t last very long. The wind off the ocean was pretty fierce, and on Saturday, as we were walking back to the house, it started to snow.
In general, we didn’t mind being home-bound. We had books, games, the Wii, plenty to eat and drink, a few movies, nothing to do and some really great views. The only problem was the refrigerator. We got in on Friday night. As we were unloading the car and opening up the house, we noticed some brown sludge on the floor surrounding the refrigerator. When we opened it, we very quickly realized the problem. It was dark and scary in there, and we quickly closed it. Curiosity got the best of us and we opened the freezer, for just a split second. Perhaps you have seen those very odd commercials for a flooring company where the couple smells the milk and falls over. Yeah, that. The smell was explosive, singed the inside of our nostrils and sent us all flying. Apparently, what happened was the last people to leave the house at Thanksgiving hit the wrong breaker by accident.
So, we spent the next hour or so feeling sorry for ourselves and steeling our nerves to attack the cleaning. We made a lot of plans – a lot more than we needed. Strategizing helped to postpone the inevitable. It took us about two hours to get it cleaned out. My job was to carry the trash bags full of rotten food down one flight of stairs to the second floor, then across the balcony to the side of the house where I would drop them into the open trash cans below. There were quite a few bags, and I was very glad I didn’t miss, as it was about 20 degrees.
The refrigerator is not reparable — the seals surrounding the freezer were ruined, and the liquid death had oozed into the elements at the back. We tried to buy a new one and have it delivered that day, but they couldn’t. So, we had coolers, and the natural freezer out on the balcony. We were fine. We just didn’t cook as much as we had planned. I don’t yet have a picture of the freezer, but K said she has one. When I get it, I’ll add it here.
On Sunday, we drove over to the North Carolina Aquarium, then down to Hatteras. It is a fascinating landscape, incredibly tenuous. I'd love to spend some more time there when the weather is a bit more accommodating.
There are more photos at my flickr site.
The beach was just across the street, so we braved the cold a few times to go collect shells. I think you can see in the pictures why we didn’t last very long. The wind off the ocean was pretty fierce, and on Saturday, as we were walking back to the house, it started to snow.
In general, we didn’t mind being home-bound. We had books, games, the Wii, plenty to eat and drink, a few movies, nothing to do and some really great views. The only problem was the refrigerator. We got in on Friday night. As we were unloading the car and opening up the house, we noticed some brown sludge on the floor surrounding the refrigerator. When we opened it, we very quickly realized the problem. It was dark and scary in there, and we quickly closed it. Curiosity got the best of us and we opened the freezer, for just a split second. Perhaps you have seen those very odd commercials for a flooring company where the couple smells the milk and falls over. Yeah, that. The smell was explosive, singed the inside of our nostrils and sent us all flying. Apparently, what happened was the last people to leave the house at Thanksgiving hit the wrong breaker by accident.
So, we spent the next hour or so feeling sorry for ourselves and steeling our nerves to attack the cleaning. We made a lot of plans – a lot more than we needed. Strategizing helped to postpone the inevitable. It took us about two hours to get it cleaned out. My job was to carry the trash bags full of rotten food down one flight of stairs to the second floor, then across the balcony to the side of the house where I would drop them into the open trash cans below. There were quite a few bags, and I was very glad I didn’t miss, as it was about 20 degrees.
The refrigerator is not reparable — the seals surrounding the freezer were ruined, and the liquid death had oozed into the elements at the back. We tried to buy a new one and have it delivered that day, but they couldn’t. So, we had coolers, and the natural freezer out on the balcony. We were fine. We just didn’t cook as much as we had planned. I don’t yet have a picture of the freezer, but K said she has one. When I get it, I’ll add it here.
On Sunday, we drove over to the North Carolina Aquarium, then down to Hatteras. It is a fascinating landscape, incredibly tenuous. I'd love to spend some more time there when the weather is a bit more accommodating.
There are more photos at my flickr site.
Friday, January 25, 2008
The Scientist
Recently, I got a call from H's teacher. He had entered an essay contest with the local National Science Center Museum about why he wanted to be a scientist and his essay was one of those which were selected. So, I've included the essay + the morning news program from his school in which he was featured.
We are very proud. And excited about the fact that this means a family membership to the museum for one year. Thanks to Steve for the video.
We are very proud. And excited about the fact that this means a family membership to the museum for one year. Thanks to Steve for the video.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
the morning commute
This week GM touted their “robot car,” or what they call autonomous driving. The idea, of course, is that the car can drive itself, and with the advances in GPS, wireless and on-board cameras, etc., it is quite close to reality. DARPA [the folks who brought us the terrorism futures market a few years back] funded a big research project which GM + Carnegie Mellon won with a Chevrolet Tahoe.
So, when Rick Wagoner claims that, “autonomous driving means that someday you could do your e-mail, eat breakfast, do your makeup, and watch a video while commuting to work," I don’t see this as an improvement, and not just for the sorts of jokes the late-night comics would make, if they had the writers to write them. Working under the rather specious assumption that all technological innovation is good [remember Honda's 4-wheel steering from last decade?] the robot car promotes commuting at a time when we should be making the obvious changes in the way we have organized public and mass transportation. If anything, we should be working to make the individual commute less viable, not working so hard spending so much money and energy to make it easier for people to stay in their cars and drive more often and further.
What is more troubling is the way the news covers this — they play right into carmaker's hands. Even the title of this article is “Automobile's future is electronic and green: GM chief.” I know that cars are more efficient and we are in the middle of an alternative fuel revolution, but conflating the greening of the automobile with the expansion of its use is like the old joke about pasta + antipasto canceling each other out.
Today, our budding scientist [H] said he really wishes there were no cars, because before cars there was no global warming. When L said that life sure would be different without cars, his matter-of-fact reply was, “Yes. There would be no global warming.” [duh!]
So, when Rick Wagoner claims that, “autonomous driving means that someday you could do your e-mail, eat breakfast, do your makeup, and watch a video while commuting to work," I don’t see this as an improvement, and not just for the sorts of jokes the late-night comics would make, if they had the writers to write them. Working under the rather specious assumption that all technological innovation is good [remember Honda's 4-wheel steering from last decade?] the robot car promotes commuting at a time when we should be making the obvious changes in the way we have organized public and mass transportation. If anything, we should be working to make the individual commute less viable, not working so hard spending so much money and energy to make it easier for people to stay in their cars and drive more often and further.
What is more troubling is the way the news covers this — they play right into carmaker's hands. Even the title of this article is “Automobile's future is electronic and green: GM chief.” I know that cars are more efficient and we are in the middle of an alternative fuel revolution, but conflating the greening of the automobile with the expansion of its use is like the old joke about pasta + antipasto canceling each other out.
Today, our budding scientist [H] said he really wishes there were no cars, because before cars there was no global warming. When L said that life sure would be different without cars, his matter-of-fact reply was, “Yes. There would be no global warming.” [duh!]
Friday, January 4, 2008
Christmas, pt. II
Santa was good to us this year — he brought the whole family a wii. While both boys have really taken to it, there are a couple of highlights: HBA has been teaching me how to play tennis, particularly how to serve. RBA likes to box. For those who have never seen wii boxing, you hold one remote in each hand and throw punches at the screen. In addition to that, he has developed a dance to accompany it, which I will have to video. These pictures hint at it, but look for the video soon enough.
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