"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
"Like I always say, there's no 'I' in "team". There is a 'me', though, if you jumble it up."
We would worry less about what others think of us if we realized how seldom they do.
Wisdom - that part of knowledge that isn't only true, but also happens to be helpful.
Wisdom speaks softly... Thereafter the volume increases proportionate to the level of ignorance
A punctured bicycle
On a hillside desolate
Will nature make a man of me yet?
All designed objects are propaganda for a certain way of life.
Sometimes we need to stop analysing the past, stop planning the future, stop figuring out precisely how we feel, stop deciding exactly what we want, and just see what happens.
We are not the same persons this year as last; nor are those we love. It is a happy chance if we, changing, continue to love a changed person.
"Never ascribe to malice that which can be explained by incompetence." --Napoleon Bonaparte
The best designed clothes: invite being removed but reward being kept on.
It's that you just can't take the effect and make it the cause
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 This month’s offender for biggest misuse of teal and orange goes to that great romantic comedy that everyone no one is talking about, The Switch. I guess if you fail at making an original, funny, and memorable movie, at least you can make it look original. Oh wait…
You guys gotta stop making this so easy for me.
I mean really.
Into The Abyss: Teal and Orange offender of the month.
Further examination of Apple’s new social network reveals more problems.
To review from last night’s post:
1. It’s awkward, at least, that it runs in iTunes and not a web browser. There’s no Back button, no way to copy the address of a page and share it outside of iTunes. Also if it were just a website we’d be able to access it from an iPad now, not some time in the future.
2. There’s no way to Like the song you’re listening to. In other words there doesn’t seem to be any integration with the music-listening app, even though the social network is embedded in it.
3. It’s a ghost town. Obviously they’re recommending all the musicians they have, because they have nothing to do with my musical interests. Same with users.
(CLICK HERE FOR MORE »» Scripting News: Ping: It’s even worse than it appeared: .)
You might not have noticed because most of the British press seems curiously reluctant to cover it, but earlier in the week, the New York Times produced some new evidence that the Conservative party’s chief spin doctor Andy Coulson knew much more about the phone hacking scandal of 2006 than he was letting on. Maybe they were too busy covering allegations regarding William Hague’s sexuality, and his emotional revelations about not being gay that came out at the same time, handily and totally coincidentally for the Conservatives’ spin doctor. Ahem.
(CLICK HERE FOR MORE »» Five Chinese Crackers: What would the Met get in return for not looking hard at News of the World phone hacking?: .)
I made a graphic that shows how I think information moves through our society today. At the top is the discovery, on its way to becoming common knowledge at the bottom it has to move through several phases. Each phase is an ecological niche that is occupied by a different species. Each creature on the list feeds off of information and uses it for energy to do work. Without information it dies. Take any topic and you can trace its path through the information ecosystem. Global Climate Change, Health Care, Peak Oil, Asbestos concerns, Water on the moon, etc…
How information moves in today’s society « Ben Shoemate.
For years I’ve had a Google Account. It has a number of my email addresses associated with it, but the one I exposed as the primary address was my main contact address (currently 2010@denny.me – last year, 2009@denny.me – and so on).
I have never used Gmail. When it first came out, I didn’t sign up because they wouldn’t let me have a 5 letter username (denny). Since then I’ve not needed it, because for years I’ve been running my own server, hosting my own domains, and my email all lives there.
When I got my Android phone, suddenly I was forced to sign up for a Gmail account. Why I need an email account from a particular supplier to make the Android Market work, I do not know – the only reason I can think of is a really shitty bit of coding at their end. It doesn’t even make sense as a data-harvesting technique, because they already own the market – they don’t need to harvest the other end of the emails it sends out.
(CLICK HERE FOR MORE »» denny | Why I don’t want Gmail as my primary Google Account address: .)
 A specially upgraded Russian Akula class submarine has been caught trying to record the acoustic signature made by the Vanguard submarines that carry Trident nuclear missiles, according to senior Navy officers.
Russian subs stalk Trident in echo of Cold War – Telegraph.
 Jeremy Hunt has recently suggested that hooliganism caused the Hillsborough disaster in which 96 people died, then apologised “IF his comments caused any offence” (which many regard to be a more offensive gesture than his original remarks). There are, at the time of writing, 150 comments published under the short apology on his website.
But the people leaving comments on Jeremy Hunt’s ‘blog’ deserve to be warned that Jeremy’s apology is scheduled for deletion (probably within a month) along with any comment(s) they contribute.
No, I am not extrapolating wildly from Jeremy Hunt’s recent mass deletion of tweets; I have interviewed Jeremy Hunt about this matter specifically, and it is his stated policy that only “fresh” information be displayed on his ‘blog’.
In roughly 30+ days, Hunt’s apology will be removed, and every published comment submitted in response will be removed, too… and while this Portcullis-headed website may not be funded from Parliamentary Allowances and Hunt is free to conduct himself within the law on his own property:
(CLICK HERE FOR MORE »» Jeremy Hunt: when only the freshest information will do | Bloggerheads: .)
Wonder why I am having a Hollywood/Reality crossover …
In a modest flat in central Kathmandu, a diminutive 86-year-old American journalist operates the Himalayan Database – the nearest thing to an official record of climbs made in the mountains of Nepal.
If a mountaineer wants worldwide recognition that they have reached the summit of some of the most formidable mountains in the world, they will need to get the approval of Elizabeth Hawley.
BBC News – Elizabeth Hawley, unrivalled Himalayan record keeper
“Institutions will try to preserve the problem to which they are the solution.” — Clay Shirky
I think this observation is brilliant. It reminds me of the clarity of the Peter Principle, which says that a person in an organization will be promoted to the level of their incompetence. At which point their past achievements will prevent them from being fired, but their incompetence at this new level will prevent them from being promoted again, so they stagnate in their incompetence.
The Shirky Principle declares that complex solutions (like a company, or an industry) can become so dedicated to the problem they are the solution to, that often they inadvertently perpetuate the problem.
(CLICK HERE FOR MORE »» The Technium: The Shirky Principle: .)
90% of everything we write and say comes from only 7000 words – try to increase the words in use by adopting and using a dying word.
(CLICK HERE FOR MORE »» Save The Words: .)
 On this street every single house has off-street parking for at least two vehicles. Baron Gardens is a very wide street, four to five lanes wide, which could easily be converted to a cycling-friendly street on the Dutch model. Instead the ‘cycling-friendly’ council has re-allocated road space to car parking. Not only are there parking bays at the side of the road, parking bays have even been created down the middle.
This is car dependency gone mad. It also deters cycling, because it creates lengthy pinch points where cyclists are forced into conflict with vehicles approaching from the rear. The majority of people are simply not prepared to cycle on roads like this one.
(CLICK HERE FOR MORE »» Crap Cycling & Walking in Waltham Forest Redbridge council: suppressing cycling and promoting car dependency: .)
The extraordinary level of road violence against Britain’s children is underlined by a new report. This report will, of course, be totally ignored by the Department for Transport, politicians, the medical profession, the new ConDem petrolhead government, and the Association of Chief Police Officers, all of whom are full committed to the car supremacist status quo. By tomorrow this report will be forgotten and will recede into the mist.
One child in every class is killed or injured in a road accident by the time they are 16, new figures show.
During their childhood one in every 27 children – fewer than the average class size – will be reported as killed or injured in a road accident, the report said.
Children in more deprived areas are up to five times more likely to be hurt in a road collision than those living in more affluent postcodes, researchers found.
In Preston one in every 206 children was killed or injured in a road accident between 2004 and 2008, compared with the national average of one in 427.
Kensington and Chelsea in London had the lowest figures in the country, with just one in 1158 children living in the area hurt in a collision each year.
The report, carried out by Road Safety Analysis, a not-for-profit organisation, added that the under-reporting of road accidents could mean the figures across the country are significantly higher.
The month with the lowest number of child pedestrian accidents was August, which the report said “could be due to fewer children being in the country at this time of year”.
(CLICK HERE FOR MORE »» Crap Cycling & Walking in Waltham Forest Road violence against children in Britain: .)
350 from Hans Hansen on Vimeo.
What does the number 350 mean?
350 is the most important number in the world—it’s what scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Two years ago, after leading climatologists observed rapid ice melt in the Arctic and other frightening signs of climate change, they issued a series of studies showing that the planet faced both human and natural disaster if atmospheric concentrations of CO2 remained above 350 parts per million.
350 graffiti art — so beautiful! | 350.org.
Never before has an entry on this blog merited over twenty photos and never before has there been as much beauty in a single entry. Bicycle fanatics are some of the most eccentric people on the face of the Earth. Their passion unites generations of cyclists and their love for two wheels makes the world a healthier place. I’m sure every town has one and in NYC, there are dozens. Most of which are in their 50′s leaving a few in their 30′s. Cicli Devotion is run by the latter. Matthew Devotion has one of the nicest operations in all of New York City. Unlike most collectors, Matthew offers his expertise in a form of a consultancy.
His tag line is “Classic racing bicycles & components bought, sold and refurbished”. Kind of ambiguous right? Well, that’s his niche. Follow me as we take a look inside this operation and peer into the workspace of Cicli Devotion.
(CLICK HERE FOR MORE »» Prolly Is Not Probably A Look Inside Cicli Devotion: .)
Let’s say it again. Among the greatest obstacles to the development of mass cycling in Britain are the nation’s two leading cycling organisations, the Cyclists’ Touring Club and the London Cycling Campaign. They both deeply damage the prospect of cycling ever really taking off in Britain.
Both are fundamentally committed to the doomed strategy of ameliorating the conditions of vehicular cycling. Cycle lanes are a perfect example of this campaign strategy, supposedly delivering an improvement in conditions for cycling. The fact that cycle lanes have failed to raise cycling’s modal share is of no interest to the ideologues. They are personally prepared to use infrastructure like that shown in the photograph above (Wood Street, Walthamstow) and are baffled that ordinary people won’t. Faced by public resistance to cycling the CTC resorts to statistics, telling people that cycling is safe and healthy.
This strategy has been failing cycling for decades but the ideologues that control these organisations aren’t interested in acknowledging or analysing their historic failure. They have no serious interest in acknowledging that cycling is a marginal activity or in campaigning for the kind of infrastructure that would transform it into a mass activity. The CTC reminds me of an organisation of battered wives devoted to a ‘love your husband’ strategy. Staring out from puffy eyes, the CTC wheezes through its broken ribs that things can only get better.
(CLICK HERE FOR MORE »» Crap Cycling & Walking in Waltham Forest The CTC: suppressing cycling: .)
After witnessing such heady exuberance within the bike industry during last summer’s “bike boom”, it’s no surprise that few could foresee the current industry downturn, probably brought on by lower gas prices and the deepening recession. Those who were prudent should weather the winter, but it’s going to be a tough road for those dealers who were carried away by the promise of a new golden era of cycling and over-bought for the coming season.
(CLICK HERE FOR MORE »» EcoVelo » Blog Archive » Golden Era or Flash In the Pan?: .)
People often use the fact that they don’t have showers at their work as a reason for not bike commuting. This is a silly excuse. I assume your work has a bathroom? If so, all you need is a towel, a change of clothes, a hair brush, and some deodorant to get you through the day. Also, bike commuting is not bike racing. Leave 5-10 minutes earlier and slow down to a pace that keeps your heart rate comfortably below the point of huffing and puffing; about the same as if you were taking a casual walk. I’m assuming you don’t take a shower every time you walk across the office or go out to lunch, right?
(CLICK HERE FOR MORE »» EcoVelo » Blog Archive » News Flash: Bike Commuting is NOT Base Jumping: .)
The IAM, the UK’s largest independent road safety charity, recommends cyclists:
- Take up a primary position around 75-100m before reaching a junction, in the centre of the lane, providing it is safe to do so. This move will mean that drivers exiting the junction will be more likely to see the cyclist as they are in the same traffic flow as more hazardous vehicles.
- Take the “secondary position” when cycling along a straight stretch of road which is clear of junctions and parked cars.
- Keep a sensible distance, about half a meter, from the kerb to avoid hazards such as slippery drain-covers.
Remember it is not always sensible or appropriate to take the centre of the lane especially if traffic is heavy.
Cyclists: claim your lane, says IAM | Latest news.
Well this is rich isn’t it? “If the app stops you having one ‘bad’ accident” – what is the sliding-scale and what would be accidental!! SHAME ON YOU TUAW – AND APPLE© FOR ALLOWING IT ON iTunes.
 Is Text’nDrive Pro worth $19.99? If you avoid even one traffic citation for “texting while driving,” you’d probably come out ahead. If the app keeps you from having a bad accident while you’re distracted by your iPhone, then it’s worth every penny you pay for it, and more.
(CLICK HERE FOR MORE »» TUAW review: Email while driving with Text’nDrive Pro for iPhone: .)
At TED, the spirit of adventure runs deep. An explorer’s tale can move us, enrich our knowledge and awaken the wanderer within.
Through pictures and words, we accompany Ben Saunders on his incredible journey to the North Pole — on skis, alone. Planetary scientist Carolyn Porco takes us along the spacecraft Cassini‘s voyage to Saturn and its mysterious moons. And adventurer Bill Stone talks about his exploration of the deepest caverns on Earth — and how his experiences there will help his mission to discover life in the outer reaches of the solar system.
To Boldly Go … | Video channel on TED.com.
 Breezy Stories. Bought in a Reutlingen supermarket bargain-bin on school-exchange in 1973 and just rediscovered digitally as vinyl copy is in a loft far, far away. Danny O’Keefe’s Breezy Stories is hard to define.
Take a look at the musicians, Donny Hathaway, Bernie Purdue, Dr. John and Mac Rebennac (crazy, both names are listed), Airto Moreira, Hugh McCraken, Cissy Houston (you may have heard of her daughter) and David Bromberg to name a few; and produced by Arif Mardin, a master ♣.
Been humming most songs from a clear remembering for years but then just yesterday thought, ‘give it a listen and see how bad it really was’. IT ISN’T. Arif Mardin production of thoughtful and often ‘dark’ songs and addictive melodies. 5 stars on Amazon.
“Some gotta win, some gotta lose,
Good time Charlie’s got the blues ♥”
 File this cycling invention under “solution in search of a problem”. A team of design engineers at MIT, led by Christine Outram and Carlo Ratti, last week won the US national round of the James Dyson award for their “Copenhagen wheel”.
Effectively, it’s a wheel that turns a normal bike into an electric one and throws in some “cycling 2.0″ web elements, as Jack Schofield described it when it was unveiled during the Copenhagen climate summit last December. It stands to win £10,000 if it goes on to win the international prize of the design engineering awards, and production versions will appear next year.
(CLICK HERE FOR MORE »» The bike wheel that’s too clever for its own good | Adam Vaughan | Environment | guardian.co.uk: .)
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Shirdi Sai Baba: "Before you speak, ask yourself: Is it kind, is it true, is it necessary, does it improve upon the silence?"
Well known fact that any kiss where one or other party is in control of heavy machinery doesn't count for quality assessment purposes.
There is no nonsense so arrant that it cannot be made the creed of the vast majority by adequate governmental action.
The honest heart that's free frae a' intended fraud or guile. However fortune kick the ba', Has ay some cause to smile.
Life consists in replacing one worry with another, and one desire with the next, what the Buddhists call ‘grasping’ or upādāna in Sanskrit
"Every saint has a past. Every sinner has a future."
"Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die."
A wrong decision isn't forever; it can be reversed. The losses from a delayed decision are forever; they can never be retrieved.
heavy words thrown lightly
And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
Whenever you commend, add your reasons for doing so; it is this which distinguishes the approbation of a man of sense from the flattery of sycophants and admiration of fools
“The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for.”
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| category: can't make it up!, nothing new under the sun, scofflaws, tolerated crime and hypocrites, the law, the new 'priest class', the state we're in 
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