Sunday, May 24, 2009

Thursday, May 21, 2009

I have also posted on Wordpress.  Please check the alternative site here: alonothing.wordpress.com   and let me know which format you like better.  I'm leaning towards wordpress for now.  Feedback is appreciated.

 

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Green City

Check out this Green City by Romses Architects 



MORE HERE

Monday, May 18, 2009

Crazy Fireworks!

The opening of a new Mega-Hotel in Dubai complete with fireworks... not to be confused with the London Blitz 

Friday, May 15, 2009

Good Idea

Posted: 04:00 PM ET

FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:

Health care reform won’t come cheap, and that’s why lawmakers are considering higher taxes on everything from alcohol and cigarettes to junk food and soda as a way to pay for it. The Senate Finance Committee is looking into how to pay for this massive overhaul, which could cost $1.5 trillion over 10 years.

So-called sin taxes may raise $600 billion over the next decade.

Several experts are suggesting taxes on bad behavior, including a $2 dollar tax on a pack of cigarettes and a higher excise tax on alcohol.

Politico reports that the ranking Republican on the committee, Senator Chuck Grassley is nixing the idea of taxing soda and sugary drinks. But it’s easy to see why so-called sin taxes are appealing — taxing cigarettes, junk foods and alcohol could raise $600 billion over 10 years.

A recent poll found support among Americans for imposing such taxes to help pay for health care reform. The Kaiser Family Foundation survey shows 61 percent of those polled say they would be in favor of raising taxes on items that are thought to be unhealthy — like cigarettes, alcohol, junk food and soda. 37 percent are opposed.

When asked about specific items, there’s more support for taxing cigarettes and alcohol than snack foods and soda.

But before you start hoarding your beer and chips, Congress is also looking at other ways to pay for reform — like eliminating the tax-free status of company health benefits along with non-health related options like capping the deduction on charitable donations.

Thursday, May 14, 2009



Monday, May 11, 2009

No Posts for a while

STUDYING FOR FINALS ALL THIS WEEK!

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Religion is Bullshit

I miss good ole' Carlin standup 


Wednesday, May 6, 2009

FIRES IN SB!

MASSIVE FIRES IN SANTA BARBARA RIGHT NOW.  SCHOOL SHUT DOWN.  STAY TUNED!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

The Story of Stuff

Check out the video at STORYOFSTUFF

The Story of Stuff

Check out the video at STORYOFSTUFF

Top 10 Cities for Design in America

L.A. is number 4?? What? 

Can you guess the cities that beat Los Angeles?
Top 10 Cities for Design in America

GETTY IMAGES

Top 10 Cities for Design in America

By Oriana Schwindt

What makes a city great is a topic guaranteed to spark heated debate. Now architectural firm RMJM Hillier has ridden into the fray with a list of "America's Best Cities for Design," produced with the American Institute of Architecture and Zogby International. American cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants were judged according to criteria such as the quality of public transit, the number of LEED-registered buildings (indicating sustainable design) and how many of the city's employees work within creative industries such as performing arts or publishing. Interviews with residents were also used to rate a city's design factor, which takes in elements of a city's architecture as well as its appeal as a home for creative types. Large cities such as Los Angeles feature in the top 10, along with smaller ones such as Portland, Ore. But Chicago's greening efforts and architectural innovation saw it take top prize. Check out the winners here.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Floatopia Video

my video from youtube was recently put onto the local news channel.  You can view the youtube original here.

The news segment is here.


Interesting Illusion

Firstly, answer this question:  what do you see in the picture below???

what do you see ?
Now read on.

What is above the woman’s head? When scientists showed a similar sketch to people from East Africa, nearly all the participants in the experiment said she was balancing a box or metal can on her head.

In a culture containing few angular visual cues, the family is seen sitting under a tree. Westerners, on the other hand, are accustomed to the corners and boxlike shapes of architecture. They are more likely to place the family indoors and to interpret the rectangle above the woman’s head as a window through which shrubbery can be seen.

after reading i looked again and yeah, i could see that thing at the back as a tree and not the corner of a room, and the window as a box on that womans head.

i like those kinds of things.. it clearly demonstrates that what we see is just our brain trying to make since out of things - based on what it knows already; makes you wonder what reality really looks like.

Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
-Albert Einstein

A similiar illusion . . .  What do you see?
Children see 9 dolphins as oppose to a man and women because they have yet to develop a sense of eroticism.  

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"Celebreality" Shows



An episode of VH1's Daisy of Love was on the t.v. today. . . I hope it never is again.  VH1 has been pumping out these shows of what they call "Celebreality."  Usually some C-list hollywood producer takes a washed-up 80's celebrity and puts them on their own show that somehow has to do with dating.  You may have heard of these shows: A Shot of Love with Tequila Tilli, Rock of Love, For the Love of Ray-J, I Love New York etc.  

Since when does being a myspace sensation make you a celebrity anyway?

I think most people watch these shows for couple of seconds, get a quick laugh, and then move on to another channel.  In no way do they provide of any form of entertainment.  In fact, I believe the FCC should impose sanctions upon shows of this nature because of their tendencies to dumb down their audience.  There is no better way to waste 30 minutes of your life than to watch 20 low-lifes try to win a date with a poster-child for plastic surgery. So the next time you wander upon one of VH1's shows, ask yourself what else you could do for the next 30 minutes that would actually stimulate your mind and be beneficial to your life. 

I hope I have not sounded too harsh on those people who watch these shows or make them, but this is really how I feel.

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Friday, May 1, 2009

Tree Houses

Looking into the living room from the bedroom.
Some very cool houses featured here.  From the Chicago Tribune