Play to __________ (why?)

So now Americas Army is coming to a tv near you. And the Army isn't the only group using games to express its mindset and worldview (or adver-games as it is called when it is from Pepsi and other corps). Hezbollah has Special Forces and Dar Al-fikr (syrian company) launched- Under Ash - the next generation is getting their impulses from computers...
On the "reverse" side there is the Jerusalem Games System, where Hayatman hopes to let people from all over meet peacefully and interact, thereby fulfilling the prophecies and bringing peace to the world. Far out? Well, not quite The Matrix, but then agiain - all religion requieres a leap of faith, and in terms of gaming it is just called immersion.

Coffe time - love the latte, or a doppi (double espresso shot). So my next obsession will probably be oversized coffemugs from Starbucks. We got one in Miami last fall, obviously with Miami on it. And no that China is next up, I checked the site - and in China... there are 38 stores each in Beijing and Shanghai - the world of latte in the land of green tea. But then again, with 12-15 million in each of the cities, you have some 350 000 people per location - excluding tourists.

On the "soon China time"-theme, been reading about the "Pure debates" and the period of disunion, 220 until 581. Taoism was a vibrant and driving force, with alternatives to the imperial service a real possiblity...

• quest for immortality, magic, alchemy, proper diet and breathing techniques
  
• Instead, they gathered to write poetry, play the lute, drink wine and discuss Taoism philosophy
  

"Seven Sages of the Bamboo Studio" are one of the groups mentioned - and still inspirational? And most of all - a pricey motive at Sothebys.

• "The bamboo brush pot depicting the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove -... - exemplifies the skill of the seventeenth century master carvers (est. HK$600,000-800,000)." [Sotheby]
  
• third-century navel-gazers who renounce the world in favour of a life of poetry, philosophy and, more importantly, drink. [Aussie reuse]
  

And on the note of alchemy - the quest for the elixir of life is the higher goal and according to legend/myth , Ge Hong - or "Bao pu zi" was on track (second name used both about him and a work he published). "he obtained the secrets to immortality" [pure] Nice - but the downside is that it is immortality in the Buddisth sense; beyond this world/life, so no hanging around to check out the great-great-great grandchildren or celebrating your first millenium.


...and the sun can be seen, after scraping the dust and concrete residue from the windows - renovation is a great thing...

Historic flights and fights

A story about the Temple Mound in Wired reminded me of a connection from some years ago... back before revelations and revolutions - yes, when Matrix was A movie. Nebucadnezzar II - was King of Babylon and way back when in 586 (BC), he concured Palestine and the mysterious Ark dissapeared. In The Matrix it is the ship of Morpheus. So is he (or all of them) on a quest to take back the holy land - to expand their position from small to great? Or is it more about N. and his chase of a dream - that he is unable to grasp the meaning of according to legend?

Which brings us to Saladin - the light, the chivalry embodied - not by the "noble" cursaders but by their fierce foe. A man of a strict code of conduct, fighting a war - but when possible keeping it out of the way, avoiding civilian casulties (or collateral damage as the term goes). He even offered to share power in the holy land with the crusaders, but was unable to convince them. For a nice take on the bond that might have been - take a look at the Crusades series, or read about the spin-offs related to Arn [main, select language]. Could a knight templar and the legendary Light of the Faith actually see eye to eye, respect each other and see beyond their religious differences? Is there still hope for a joint solution - or do we really need the famed Arc or the Temple of the propecy in order to create balance?

...and the sun is back - two hours of leisurly reading on the balcony today...

1 million

"The Bookseller of Kabul" [ama]by Norwegian journalist and part-time authour Åsne Seierstad has passed one million copies sold, as was nominated for the British Book Awards - as part of Richard and Judy Read of the year. Not bad for a very personal take on life and love in Kabul after the fall of Taliban.

Currently she is back in Serbia to update (once more) her first book "With their back against the world" Not translated to English yet, but out in German so maybe come fall she will return to Iraq and update her newest book about her stay in Baghdad before and during the "Second Gulf War" (you know the one, that ended last year...) She sure gets around to some quaint turistic spots the fair miss Seierstad (on the left)


...and the sun seems much brighter with newly painted walls...

Feed and rays

RSS bonanza is all over the web- and it is even included in most open source cms, such asXaraya (wooo... .99 released, 1.0 just around the corner... big q is how fast they will (have to) make 1.01 or 1.1for fixes) and PostNuke (well, increasingly when .8 comes out someday over the rainbow)... but it is as a lot of other thing - several things at once - or as o'reily put it: "RSS which can stand for RDF Site Summary, Rich Site Summary, or Really Simple Syndication". Confused or exalted? Yes please.


Hellboy (img) movie is out in the US- and according to the director "like having your favourite Frank Sinatra song sung by Tom Waits"... now there is an image... he even looks a bit like ol'red - but just a bit!


On a less fun note - even though spring is coming and the sun is returning a bit longereveryday, it might not be a bright as before. A phenomenon called "Global dimming" - first described by Atsumu Ohmura in 1985 - "... results suggested that levels of solar radiation striking the Earth's surface had declined by more than 10% in three decades" [guardian - good overview and suggest further reading] So, maybe the future won't be so bright that you have to wear shades...?


Rebecca Solnit - From the River of Shadows is getting rave reviews - five for five from a top 50 reviewer... part biography, part musings and part history of movies and inventions/shifts.

...and the sun - is it dimming?...

Easter reflections - and catching up

Ilan Pappe is the most eloquent writer of Palestinian history - according to John Pilger, and the latest book - "History of Modern Palestine" sounds like a good take on the background of one of the worlds most enduring trouble-spots. If you are in Edinburgh in June you can catch up with him

Another big book that is getting some attention - is RUARD - no so much a book, as a work (look at the picture, and the price at 100+ USD). Set to be available in paperback come november, it deals with violence, but has gotten more attention for the way it is written (and just as importantly: written about). A 100 pages on Soviet era farms might have its place - but for now I'll stick to the discussions rather than the book.

...and the best phrase of the week goes to Wired for "The electronic taco" aka Nokias N-gage gaming phone... and it really does look like a weird taco - not to forget how people using it for the first time juggel it back and forth sort of like nibbeling at the end.

One more Wired - movieoke - finally Rocky Horror Show for the masses, and the favorite comment to finish off the evening? No contest, no second place - only one; "I'll be baack" [also 1 and 2 - on a sidenote, IMDB really rocks for movie trivia and funfacts!]


...and the sun is out there, but not here yet...

Looking back or ahead

And here we are - slightly below the weather on a grey, wet and silent Sunday in April. Why do we work? Is it because we need the money, to feed ourselves and have some fun? Or because it gives us a higher purpose - a drive and sense of purpose?

As Nemi said - I can get that from my playstation anytime... solving problems, enchaning and improving conditions, reaching closure. So why work when we could just play? Mostly for the money and the social aspect - meeting other people and interacting with them beyond just typing on a keyboard.

Should we work to improve the world, to enhance shareholder value and stakeholders key issues? Or simply to make the wheels go round and round in the economy? Is shopping an economic pursuit - do we contribute by spending beyond the level of neccesities? Such as this computer and the broadband access. Not vital to staying alive or staying fit (quite the opposite???) but definitly good for a range of activities - and conductive to greater spending, everything right at your fingertips.


So why this blog? Should it continue beyond a year, a month, a day? Or rather a year and a month and a day as it currently has. From the third to the fourth, but still without the answers and still mixing it up with this and that. How many regular readers? How many random drop-bys? Does it really matter - or is it all about doing it in case someone might want to read it? A full list of subjects is sitting in front of me - but I think they can wait for another day, when the sky outside and the energy inside is a bit more shining... today is a lazy sunday. A hazy sunday - with little sun.

...and the sun is well hidden by gray and rainy clouds...

Fire - fox or bird or ...

Firefox : Extensions - been testing alternate browsers today, first Firebird from a magazine cd, then I discovered that they had updated, and once agian swapped the name to Firefox .8
Had some trouble with one theme - everything started jumping... but it looks OK now. Fast and finally tabs again (after beign spoiled with safari). And a blog-this right-click to replace the toolbar.

another famous Norwegian?

Brown Norway (BN) - or rats as they are more commonly know now join in the future - as one of the species to have their genes sequenced... great name, wonder why nobody uses that in ads? Must be one of the most "pervasive inventions" in quite some time :D

...and the sun is long gone, just a quick mailcheck...

Mindless end (pt4)

Go explore with Flyguy - see what you find as your mind drifts upward and away... carefull or you might just get knocked back to waiting for the bus... for more of his work - surf up. Favorites include Pixel art for Lego and Terminator 3 (no, no direct connection ;D)

Need a reason to have broadband (other than "almost always on") ??? Have a look at Supermoto - a site that lets you get a grip on this hybrid bike-sport, looking at the tracks with video comments, viewing a race in dvd-style; 7 camera angels to switch between and several sound options (various songs, commentary etc)

Or if you want some legal music dl - take a look inside audikit, giving you everything from hard core metal to rock-a-billy gospel. Now there is a mixtape waiting to happen? Other music? The headstones have apperntly decided to call it a night (but haven't gotten around to removing the "Shows" choice on the site... sweet) Still a pack of video and some tracks to listen to. (Only problem for me using DL Express is the run/dl choice for each song, sending them off to winamp rather than background play)

And that's it for mindless surfing - or for the backlog of .net showcase links anyway. Stay tuned. Three more days until mental review as 3-3-3 meets the future of 4-4-4

...and the sun came out today as well...