Old Pipe Organ

Detail of a pipe organ that was built into a mill in Zoar, Ohio.

The motion of the mill powered the airflow for the organ. How strange and beautiful to have music at the mill.

Archiving the Ephemeral: Twitter 12/1/13 - 3/31/14

My favorite Twitter conversations from earlier this year…

Religion:

• "I'm agnostic about god, but I may start telling people I'll 'pray' for them again. Saying 'you'll be in my thoughts' doesn't have weight. …" — "…'Praying' doesn't require a deity. It only requires an earnest, strong hope for something to happen. Praying is good without god." (2/14: @judetx, @allovus, @Linda_Atkins1, @rissy328, @CriminySTFU, @PumaBare, @johnpocalypse, @rundusty, @caracabe, @tillytoogood, @Linda_Atkins1, @NomdeB, @cantata21, @LC_Sun, @DickeyFuller, @MizMelly, @_timskinner, @AntRyanET)
• "Absolutely beautiful: Spend a few peaceful minutes in the Sistine Chapel" (1/12: @billraia, @ArtByAlida)
• "Classic: A frighteningly ignorant sign from the Creation Museum on how to date a fossil" (12/15: @marlenan21, @NomdeB, @picklestfc, @BMahadoBitch, @HeatherHastie)

Philosophy:

• "We must live without certainty, yet not be paralyzed by hesitation." (3/30: @MizMelly, @nishamohsin1) 
• "We have scrubbed the world clean of magic." (3/18: @willentrekin, @mmdoty, @allovus) 
• "What is evil? On one hand, you could say that there's no such thing. On the other, you could say that evil is all around us." (2/25: @TheGistOf, @Bdreamer7, @jaglister, @cantata21) 
• "'Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.' — Laozi" (1/5: @JustBeer_NoBull) 
• "I have come to realize that there *is* such a thing as magic, and it comes from the effect that art can have on the soul." (1/3: @NomdeB, @nay731, @aliceinthewater, @Teresa623) 
• "'If you love a flower, don't pick it up. Because if you pick it up it dies and it ceases to be what you love.' ― Osho" (1/1: @mariarfin, @allovus)

Society & Culture:

• "Interesting read; left me as confused as ever — The Gen X/Gen Y Generation Gap" (3/30: @Clevecarole, @nishamohsin1, @thestile1972)
• "Drug dealers aren't to blame for the heroin boom—doctors are." (3/23: @Resoguitar)
• "America is tired of the microwave." (3/20: @Stanmatthias)
• "The nut-jobs crawl out of the woodwork: Coca Cola Super Bowl Ad Inspires Racist Twitter Backlash" (2/3: @allovus, @pfontes95, @beebearninja, @RandyAW)
• "Detroit, followed closely by New Orleans, had the highest #murder rate in 2013." (1/2: @fleurdelivres, @Stanmatthias)
• "#Abandoned steel mill control room, #Detroit (by Jonathan Haeber)" (12/28: @ArtByAlida)
• "Unbelievably offensive advertisements from the past." (12/21: @tinacapalbo, @DianeLMajor, @joshuabigger, @deck449, @newfuneze)

Politics:

• "Capitalism vs. Democracy: Is worsening inequality an inevitable outcome of free market capitalism?" (2/4: @PostRacialMyAss, @RobynDesBois1, @jaglister, @novelsareborn)
• "What we're missing in politics is the great middle. Hanging out at the edges is doing us no good." (1/28: @dparkinson45, @RedwoodGirl, @RoxProgressive, @smokey_herring)

Personal:

• "I have never, nor will I ever, do drugs. It would be a point of no return for me. I have a hard enough time staying grounded as it is." (3/22: @Stanmatthias, @jaredjanes, @Resoguitar)
• "There is no 'I' in team. Well, there's no 'we' or 'us' in there either, dummy." (2/28: @CriminySTFU, @joeman42, @smeaters, @PirateWench, @MonasLists)
• "Friday morning confession: I'm a nice person…but sometimes, in person, I can come across quite harsh. I'm working on it." (1/17: @JustBeer_NoBull, @thomasatmyporch, @allovus)
• "When someone says they 'rock' any particular item of clothing…yes, I want to punch them in the face." (12/27: @DeputyDriscoll, @BoomerPJ, @Retacof, @Astorix23)
• "Teaching our Japanese guest the meaning of "redneck" is the most fun I've had in a while." (12/8: @jencutler1, @allovus, @fleurdelivres, @ArtByAlida)
• "I just do not understand why people "like" some of my more mundane #FourSquare check-ins, such as my office." (12/5: @debexpert, @AlphaNano, @fleurdelivres, @swirlOsquirrel, @Bdreamer7)

Psychology:

• "What drives success? A superiority complex, combined with insecurity and impulse control." (1/30: @MGBazemoreJr, @jaglister)
• "…Hard things you must do to be successful." (1/17: @Bdreamer7)

Economics:

• "The Jobless Ph.D. Generation" (1/15: @TheGistOf, @lakesideliberal, @bombidil)
• "The cruise ship industry: No minimum wages, no labor standards, no corporate taxes, no environmental regulations." (12/3: @thomasatmyporch, @savannastc, @WalterRosenfeld, @ShivaKap, @sharonLeMaster)

Samuel F. Merendino, Sr., 1928-2014

Harmony, East And West

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 4:

Take the shortest route, the one that nature planned—to speak and act in the healthiest way. Do that, and be free of pain and stress, free of all calculations and pretension.

Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Verse 8:

The supreme good is like water,
which nourishes all things without trying to.
It is content with the low places that people disdain.
Thus it is like the Tao.

In dwelling, live close to the ground.
In thinking, keep to the simple.
In conflict, be fair and generous.
In governing, don't try to control.
In work, do what you enjoy.
In family life, be completely present.

When you are content to be simply yourself
and don't compare or compete,
everybody will respect you.

I love the philosophical similarities here.

New Photo, 'Depth of Place' Series

A new multi-layered photo I've been working on recently.

Great Twitter Conversations, 10/1/13-11/30/13

From the recent archives—my favorite conversations on Twitter from late last year. Thanks to everyone listed for making it so fun and interesting!

Psychology:

• "To read, and think about: Why Doctors Don’t Die Like the Rest of Us" — 11/27/13 (@komunik8 @thestile1972 @Bdreamer7 @MizMelly) 
• "I'm buying everyone's coffee at the cafe this morning, anonymously (except on Twitter), and it's great fun to watch people's reactions." — 11/5/13 (@ShivaKap @Bdreamer7 @Politijoeblog @mkhajdin @mariarfin @Renonys)
• "News—particularly when it's consumed obsessively—is bad for you, and giving up reading it will make you happier." — 10/8/13 (@WilliamBDevittI @dougiepen @nitpickette01 @Mr_dk @thomasatmyporch)
• "Sometimes it's better to ask forgiveness than permission." — 10/2/13 (@TheGistOf @billraia @homesweetyeg)

Religion:

• "Somewhere in the middle of America, a statue of a dinosaur is fighting on the front lines for ignorance." — 11/24/13 (@BrightEyedDyer @taminespr @DickeyFuller @Dena_K_) 
• "Last night we were telling our Japanese exchange student about Christmas, Jesus rising from the dead, etc.; she was like WTF? #Christianity" — 11/17/13 (@theseedsowerz @wicked_cricket @Bdreamer7 @ArtByAlida @MGBazemoreJr @picklestfc) 
• "I'm in the mood to make fun of religion today." — 11/4/13 (@lisapschneider @vickijee @homesweetyeg @NewReid @BrianDorn @NomdeB @TheGistOf @DickeyFuller @lajkirby) 
• "The state of #religion in America: 'To Stave Off Decline, Churches Attract New Members With Beer'" — 11/3/13 (@ShivaKap @komunik8 @billraia @fleurdelivres @greenjustice428 @TheGistOf) 
• "For anyone who doesn't already know what sick, religious propaganda #ChickTracts are…" — 10/27/13 (@MonasLists) 
• "Ignorance combined with boldness is catastrophic: Taliban ban on vaccination exacerbating polio outbreak in Pakistan" — 10/19/13 (@GameBreakersCan @johnpocalypse @billraia)

Politics:

• "I'm moving there — Vermont has passed a single-payer universal health care law: 'Everybody in, nobody out.'" — 11/19/13 (@edwscott @cantata21 @mmdoty @RedwoodGirl @Bdreamer7) 
• "Utah's welfare drug testing requirements, which apply only to "high-risk" cases, seem to work better than Florida's." — 10/16/13 (@fleurdelivres)
• "'Drawbridge Conservatives': People who get theirs, then cut-off the bridge of opportunity for the rest." — 10/2/13 (@ShivaKap @Matthew_Barlow @WalterRosenfeld) 
• "#Republicans are doing one good thing right now: Giving me strong examples I can show my kids on how NOT to be" — 10/1/13 (@GPBCNYC @fleurdelivres)

Media and Social Media:

• "Bad #Twitter etiquette example number 2,467: Calling people out publicly when they unfollow you. #desperate #crass" — 11/14/13 (@Jenthulhu @GPBCNYC @Bdreamer7) 
• "Unconscionable: Some Online Journals Will Publish Fake #Science, For A Fee" — 10/6/13 (@papicek @SimonRowe6) 

Economics:

• "Misguided attempts at austerity are damaging both the short and long-term health of the U.S. economy." — 11/9/13 (@fleurdelivres) 
• "American capitalism conjures value into being chiefly by convincing everyone it’s there." — 11/6/13 (@Brunothegrape @GPBCNYC @taminespr) 
• "Capitalism and growth are not ends. They are means to enhance our ability to live well, and meaningfully." — 10/30/13 (@mmdoty @WalterRosenfeld @RayChatie)
• "A shorter work-week would improve health, allow more time for personal fulfillment and be better for the environment." — 10/28/13 (@ArtByAlida)
• "The incredible shrinking Internet: How ISPs are lobbying to dramatically restrict content and data speeds" — 10/2/13 (@allovus @SingnPlay)

Non sequitur:

• "My wife has a set of kitchen towels that we use, and then another set that hangs for display from various hooks. Two sets of towels. #WhyGod" — 11/5/13 (@fleurdelivres @CriminySTFU @NY2NC08 @Dena_K_ @mark_hobbs @kgoak201) 

Philosophy:

• "I can't stop watching this: Pencils being sharpened." — 11/5/13 (@jaglister @picklestfc) 

Art:

• "Amazing: Ceiling detail of Gaudi's Sagrada Familia" — 10/17/13 (@cantata21 @louise3anne)
• "Map of Hell, Dante's Inferno" — 10/12/13 (@cecimor339 @billraia)
• "The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep." — 10/11/13 (@marieke @Dena_K_ @cantata21)

"Hacker Spirit"

My definition of the "hacker spirit" is:

• Exploration, playfulness, cleverness. 
• Pushing the limits of a system (whether cultural, technical, or physical), but never in an illegal, harmful or immoral way.
• Working smart, not just working hard; getting the most output for the least energy.
• Being like water, which always finds the path of least resistance, and is not afraid to go into the low places.
• Using all the tricks of the trade to your advantage.

One need not be a computer hacker to embody the hacker spirit.