Greenagogo

The Doors Hello, I Love You

2008-05-31T18:10:00.001-07:00

Is It True About Obama?

2008-05-27T16:43:00.001-07:00

The Low Road to Victory - NY Times tells Clinton she should get out

2008-04-23T01:48:00.000-07:00

From today's NY Times Editorial:

The Pennsylvania campaign, which produced yet another inconclusive result on Tuesday, was even meaner, more vacuous, more desperate, and more filled with pandering than the mean, vacuous, desperate, pander-filled contests that preceded it.

Voters are getting tired of it; it is demeaning the political process; and it does not work. It is past time for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to acknowledge that the negativity, for which she is mostly responsible, does nothing but harm to her, her opponent, her party and the 2008 election.

If nothing else, self interest should push her in that direction. Mrs. Clinton did not get the big win in Pennsylvania that she needed to challenge the calculus of the Democratic race. It is true that Senator Barack Obama outspent her 2-to-1. But Mrs. Clinton and her advisers should mainly blame themselves, because, as the political operatives say, they went heavily negative and ended up squandering a good part of what was once a 20-point lead.

On the eve of this crucial primary, Mrs. Clinton became the first Democratic candidate to wave the bloody shirt of 9/11. A Clinton television ad — torn right from Karl Rove’s playbook — evoked the 1929 stock market crash, Pearl Harbor, the Cuban missile crisis, the cold war and the 9/11 attacks, complete with video of Osama bin Laden. “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen,” the narrator intoned.

If that was supposed to bolster Mrs. Clinton’s argument that she is the better prepared to be president in a dangerous world, she sent the opposite message on Tuesday morning by declaring in an interview on ABC News that if Iran attacked Israel while she were president: “We would be able to totally obliterate them.”

By staying on the attack and not engaging Mr. Obama on the substance of issues like terrorism, the economy and how to organize an orderly exit from Iraq, Mrs. Clinton does more than just turn off voters who don’t like negative campaigning. She undercuts the rationale for her candidacy that led this page and others to support her: that she is more qualified, right now, to be president than Mr. Obama...It is getting to be time for the superdelegates to do what the Democrats had in mind when they created superdelegates: settle a bloody race that cannot be won at the ballot box.

Complete Article Here

Obama Hats

2008-03-17T19:51:00.001-07:00

One day my buddy had a cap embroidered with OBAMA, and Obama Hats the blog, was born.

Alaska Videos

2007-09-05T19:08:00.001-07:00

Haven't posted a video in a while, but here they come - raw - and unedited - of the highest quality my little digital camera's video mode can produce (no, I didn't even have my video camera with me :( ) This momma and her cub showed up when we were watching salmon near a glacier, luckily she was more interested in the salmon.

Hi.

2007-08-19T22:27:00.000-07:00

Hey, I know I haven't written anything personal here in a loooong time. I really have been neglecting this journal. Thank you, you few remaining readers (and I mean FEW, I checked the numbers - which I also have not done in a long time, down from over three thousand views a month to eighty, less than three a day) this once was personal, about my travels and transformation. It was possibly the first video blog. Now it has little video, and little blog.

But, wait... Here we again, back on the only road I have ever known...

I am off this week to Alaska, then to Hawaii for three months and this winter I will be in China and Vietnam. Travels! Adventure! Maybe even more Videos!
OK, not so exciting for you, but I am stoked. I have been sicker than I have ever been for the las t year, now I am coming back to health and to life, so ride with me if you can, I would really appreciate your company - in person or through this screen,
Cheers,
El Deano

Humorous Shirt

2007-08-18T02:10:00.001-07:00

PostSecret

2007-08-12T06:45:00.001-07:00

Post Secret - an amazing blog of sent-in secrets.

Couch Surfing

2007-08-12T06:33:00.000-07:00

Couch Surfing... get less wet and more sleep than regular surfing!
This is a site I was exposed to while on my sustainability video trip, and am now re-acquainting myself with now that I'll be on the road again for a while.

Make your Own Hammock from a sheet

2007-06-23T11:10:00.001-07:00

Video here

Oh man what happened to the news?!

2007-06-02T00:47:00.001-07:00

An amazing promo from another time when the news featured...An elderly woman? psychedelia? What happened to our world of love and crazy graphics?

House on/off switch - energy saving button shuts everything on or off!

2007-06-01T00:05:00.001-07:00

It is a switch that allows a user to turn off all non-essential
electronic items in their home from a central switch. Push the button
to turn your house on when you get home; push it again to turn it off
when you leave. Aiming to make the ‘green’ way the most convenient way. LINK

The World's Healthiest Foods

2007-05-30T22:53:00.001-07:00

This website is a non-commercial cornucopia of health knowledge. In-depth studies of individual foods (this week's focus is salmon, and definitely worth the read) and healthy eating and living.

Nigerian students power up their $100 open-source laptops

2007-04-12T10:13:00.000-07:00

Update on the $100 laptops previously covered on greenagogo... they are out in the field, hopefully being used for more than porn...

FREE WILDLIFE RINGTONES and wallpapers

2007-04-07T19:45:00.001-07:00

Why should your cell phone sound like everyone else’s? Personalize your cell phone with the fascinating sounds and images of rare and endangered wildlife
calls. Now your phone can come alive with the croaks, chirps and songs of endangered species.

The non-profit Center for Biological Diversity offers you free ringtones and phone wallpapers of rare and endangered animals, a collection of high-quality, authentic sounds and images of some of the world’s most threatened birds, owls, frogs, toads and marine mammals. Download to your mobile phone, for free.

What would a unicorn do?

2007-03-13T08:26:00.000-07:00

You can buy the poster, or try the online flash version here

This Guy Can Get 59 MPG in an Accord

2007-03-09T14:43:00.001-08:00

Drafting 18-wheelers with the engine off, taking death turns at 52 miles an hour, and other lessons learned while riding shotgun with the king of the hypermilers...
these guys get over 100mpg out of their hybrids, and hybrid mileage out of their non-hybrids. I hope you don't try (most of this) at home. Mother Jones

2007-03-03T00:28:00.001-08:00

somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond

any experience,your eyes have their silence:

in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,

or which i cannot touch because they are too near



your slightest look easily will unclose me

though i have closed myself as fingers,

you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens

(touching skillfully,mysteriously)her first rose



or if your wish be to close me,i and

my life will shut very beautifully,suddenly,

as when the heart of this flower imagines



the snow carefully everywhere descending;



nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals

the power of your intense fragility:whose texture

compels me with the colour of its countries,

rendering death and forever with each breathing



(i do not know what is is about you that closes

and opens; only something in me understands

the voice of your eyes is

deeper than all roses)

nobody,not even the rain,has such small hands

e.e. cummings

Academy Awards Oscar Goes to 12 Environmentalists

2007-02-25T16:42:00.000-08:00

Yeah, the big news is Gore is the first person to win both a presidential election and an Academy Award, but there's also this from nature.com;
"As the film world awaits the tearing of envelopes at Sunday's Oscar ceremony, some are already clutching their Academy Awards. Among them are the 12 technicians who, in the name of reducing pollution, have de-silvered the silver screen for good. The team worked to replace the silver used in soundtracks with cyan dye, reducing the need for harmful chemicals and saving 2,000 kilograms of silver and more than 150 million litres of water each year."
By replacing replacing the tungsten light used to read the audio in movies with red LEDs removing the need for silver and harmful chemicals.

Amazing Photos of Our Planet

2007-02-23T12:11:00.000-08:00

Famous Environmentalist/photographer Yannarthus Bertrand offers free downloads and desktop images of his amazing photographs. This link will take you to pictures of France, use the menu to the left to go to all the other countries (this image is from Russia)

Another Inspiring Free Hugs Video!

2007-02-22T23:02:00.001-08:00

MAXED OUT - New Award Winning Film Exposes Credit Industry

2007-02-21T16:28:00.001-08:00

It is rumored Maxed Out will expose the credit rating scam, and equates debt collectors with drug dealers, this trailer, provided by Magnolia Pictures looks promising...

100 Free, Legal, Downloads - Again!

2007-02-20T22:02:00.000-08:00

emusic, an independent mp3 site, similar to itunes (but without all the limitations, and without as large of a collection - but a great collection of independent stuff, with a bit of mainstream stuff too) usually offers 25 free downloads to try out their service out. If you follow this link, you should get 100. Enjoy. This is a repost from over a year ago, but I checked it out and it still works, several readers wrote to say how happy they were with emusic, and how amazing getting 100 free downloads is. You don't have to pay, you do have to sign up, and then you can continue monthly, or cancel within 30 days and keep your DRM free music.
Emusic promo Link

Public Pressure causes UK to pull out of Iraq

2007-02-20T16:37:00.000-08:00

According to Glenn Greenwald in Salon, British troops will be pulling out, will the US follow? "Blair's reversal was likely motivated in large part by various domestic political pressures. Still, the fact that President Bush's most steadfast ally has reversed himself in such a public and humiliating way, and announced a clear-cut withdrawal from Iraq on a set timetable, should embolden frightened American Congressional war opponents to move beyond inconsequential and limited non-binding resolutions and begin thinking seriously about how to compel an end to this endlessly destructive occupation."

The Stackable, Foldable Car

2007-02-19T13:08:00.001-08:00

Researchers at MIT are building a prototype of a lightweight electric vehicle that can be cheaply mass-produced and folded and stacked like grocery carts at subway stations or other central sites. It's called the City Car. Source:Boston.Com

Great Cell Phone Deal for you

2007-02-17T23:36:00.000-08:00

I researched cell phones, and cell phone plans for quite a while. As my old provider was terrible. By far the best plan I found was a "secret" plan through Sprint.

This is what I get for $24 a month:
500 anytime minutes
7 pm evening and weekends unlimited
mobile to mobile unlimited
"Power Vision" (unlimited high speed web access, various applications (like maps, weather, etc.) some TV, like NFL etc.)
etc.

(it will cost you between 22 and 30, $30 minus a discount based on where you work / go to school)
You may also be able to get free text, etc.
You can also sign up for 1000 minutes for more.
You can get most phones they offer for free (after rebate) with this plan (RAZR, KRZR, fusic, etc.)
If you want the details leave me a comment, and I'll respond when I can. I am not going to reveal how to get this plan in this post, because it would be a long post, and I try to keep these short and sweet.

This is of course completely above board, legal, etc.

2007-01-16T00:17:00.000-08:00

You WILL be happy...

This is a cute little video hoping to hypno you into being happy.

"Robin Hood" restaurants

2006-12-28T00:19:00.000-08:00

At "Robin Hood" restaurants, diners pay what they can afford -- and what they think the meal is worth.

An epiphany scribbled out on a cocktail napkin on a plane ride gave birth to SAME café. Both Brad and Libby had been searching for a meaningful way to give back while making a living. Admitted volunteer junkies, they had been serving and eating with homeless shelter residents for the past eight years. "We loved the service aspect of giving to the community and attacking the issue of hunger," says Brad. "Plus we both love to cook." When they found out about One World, they flew to Salt Lake City to learn how it was run. Cerreta, in turn, spent a month helping the Birkys prepare for opening. One World has had more than 25 inquiries from others around the country interested in starting a similar café. Recently, the café formed a nonprofit www.oneworldeverybodyeats.comaimed at helping others replicate such a venture.

The cafes' clientele is as diverse as the from-scratch buffet-style dishes. Attorneys and CEOs, students, seniors and soccer moms, as well as those down on their luck are among the 150-200 customers that dine daily at One World. Sniffling from a cold, Mike Dega, an environmental engineer, came in looking for comfort food. "I feel like I'm getting a whole new set of nutrients here as opposed to processed food—plus all the spices and flavors here are a real turn-on.""Robin Hood" restaurants

FREE HUGS (in NYC)

2006-10-25T06:53:00.000-07:00

Once again, not mine, but worth sharing...

2006-10-24T23:42:00.000-07:00

Um, a short about you tubers, a film about life, loneliness and the

need to be recognized. By Mick Bianchi, and many youtubers, Not by me. Enjoy.

President Obama ?

2006-10-22T23:08:00.000-07:00

From the latest Forbes (no, I am not a Forbes reader, honest)

Sen. Barack Obama acknowledged Sunday he was considering a run for president in 2008, backing off previous statements that he would not do so...
Obama was largely unknown outside Illinois when he burst onto the national scene with a widely acclaimed address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
In recent weeks, his political stock has been rising as a potentially viable centrist candidate for president in 2008 after former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner announced earlier this month that he was bowing out of the race.
In a recent issue of Time magazine, Obama's face fills the cover next to the headline, "Why Barack Obama Could Be The Next President." He is currently on a tour promoting his latest book, "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream."

Link

iTunes 7 warning...Updated

2006-09-25T12:30:00.000-07:00

Readers: I just wanted to save you some heartache and frustration if you have not already upgraded to iTunes 7, released a couple of weeks ago (with major fanfare). I love macs, and have used one since high school. Apple computers and software tends to be intuitive, well-designed, pleasing to look at, and bug-free. iTunes 7 is none of these, it's buggy, ugly and was not ready for release. I can no longer put any of my videos on my ipod. I am putting off going through the headache of unistalling and reinstalling the older version, hoping they'll fix this soon, but it's already been two weeks....OK version 7.0.1 is out, and seems to have dealt with some of the issues (although not the aesthetics)

YOU are MIGHTY

2006-09-23T18:50:00.000-07:00

You are, or you will be, just type (your first name).(your last name) @youaremighty.com, or follow the link and do as it says. Try sending it to a friend...LINK

Keith Olbermann "Murrows" Rumsfeld - updated with video

2006-08-31T10:57:00.000-07:00

Here's the same video imbeded (see next post)

"Keith Olbermann Delivers One Hell Of a Commentary on Rumsfeld"

2006-08-31T00:39:00.000-07:00

All I can say is, "wow"
follow this LINK to check out the video or read what he has to say..

Sustainable (wind powered) hosting - host guilt free!

2006-08-30T13:46:00.000-07:00

Sustainable Hosting, LLC has been founded as a joint venture of Earthsite and Holistechnology. Sustainable Hosting is an environmentally responsible hosting company that is powered by renewable wind energy. 99.9% uptime, decent rates....The only sustainable host I have come across. If you want to help spread the word, you can "digg" them here
Sustainable Hosting Link

Improv Mayhem

2006-08-25T15:39:00.000-07:00

Slo-Mo Home Depot

From improveverywhere.com, a group in NY. Here 225 Improv Everywhere Agents shop in slow motion at a Manhattan Home Depot.
And here, they pull off "U2" playing live on a rooftop before hundreds of fans, despite their lack of talent...

Check out the rest of their pranks

Change the World with Technology

2006-08-22T20:57:00.000-07:00

OK, I know, technology is paving the road to hell for us all. But that doesn't mean it can't do some good, too. And in this case, it's up to you. Phil Ryu, blogger and Mac developer recently opened a contest called "My Dream App", in which contestants submit ideas for exciting new apps for the Mac. This quote pretty much sums it up:
Welcome to My Dream App. You're about to be involved in a revolution in the software industry: a no holds barred, totally transparent and ridiculously low barrier version of Macintosh shareware development. Ever wished you had the programming chops to create a killer app? For the first time, you're going to have a chance to make those dream apps come true.

Contestants submit their ideas, and then the submissions are narrowed down to about 24 by three judges. Anyone who has submitted an idea, can then vote...It is eventually up to the people who will win. The winner will receive a free MacBook, and the three runners up a video iPod. The most exciting part is that the winner's idea will be developed into a real shareware app by the developer judges. Some cool ideas have already been submitted - including revolutionary browsers, and mine, simply called "Zen" and likely the simplest of all the ideas. Check it out, have a look around, and sign up and submit your idea. Dream App

2006-08-21T02:23:00.000-07:00

An Outkast in Arizona

For fans of sweet voices, and/or outkast, here is an mazing acoustic cover of "Hey Ya" Speaking of music, I checked the link in my post a few months back for 100 free music downloads, and it is still working, although not advertised.

The "R" Word?

2006-07-27T23:28:00.000-07:00

After decades of trying to make "Liberal" (the "L" word) into a bad word, conservatives are getting a taste of their own bad medicine, and from their own party. With the presidents rapidly sinking approval ratings and general disgust at republicans in general, more republicans are shying away from affiliating themselves with Bush and the republican party. Most strikingly, Rep. Tom Reynolds of New York, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee has been running ads that fail to mention his party,and has also put up a campaign Web site that doesn't mention his party, in fact any voter looking for a party affiliation would only find Democrat - mentioned in a blurb on the bottom of his site - "Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Reynolds running campaign ads here."

The republicans may no longer be able to respond by relying on diverting attention away from their failures with manipulative debates that attempt to exploit patriotism and religious values. According to a survey released by NPR today, people are no longer falling for the "moral values" demagoguery. Fifty-two percent say that the recent stem cell debate made them more inclined to vote for Democrats, and 49 percent said the same about flag burning, gay marriage and other "values issues." Only 29 percent -- essentially the conservative base -- said those debates would motivate them to vote for Republicans.

Reduce the guilt of buying Gas!

2006-07-25T19:45:00.001-07:00

The "Buycott" (supporting, instead of punishing by not giving your bussiness as you would in a boycott) of Citgo has reimerged after the author of the original articletook a trip to Venezuela to get a first hand look at what was being done with Citgo's profits (much good!). Go to Venezuela, You Idiot!

0 to 60 in 4 seconds, and uses no gas

2006-07-23T11:24:00.000-07:00

The Tesla Roadster. It's gonna cost you a bit more than your Prius, but it'll get you there first.LINK

Biofeedback Video game!?

2006-07-21T19:36:00.000-07:00

The calmer you get, the faster you go, get real mellow and you are victorious...
Strangely wonderful concept, hope to see one at my local joint soon.
LINK

Kids play, water pumps!

2006-07-12T14:55:00.000-07:00

PlayPumps are merry-go-rounds for kids that pump water. They are being ustilized in South Africa to bring water to communities...
"Laughter. That’s the loudest sound you’ll hear at rural African schools with a PlayPump. This innovative water pump that doubles as a children’s merry-go-round is bringing clean water – and a better life – to hundreds of thousands of families in Africa.
It’s a simple idea. As children spin on a merry-go-round, water pumps from below the ground. It is stored in a tank just a few feet away, making a safe, plentiful supply of water available in the community.
Nearly 700 PlayPumps have been installed in South Africa, providing safe water to a million people living in rural communities."
LINK

What if there would have been no coup? updated with uncensored link!

2006-05-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

This is a hilarious video of President Gore giving his state of the nation speech, and shedding some light on how things might of been if the 2000 election wasn't stolen by Bush and the supreme court.
LINK (scroll down to find video)

It's no longer cool to be cool. Now it's more about being warm.

2006-05-13T10:52:00.000-07:00

Such is the perplexing conclusion reached by two University of B.C. graduate students in the psychology department who set out to determine what constitutes coolness in 2006.
They found that contrary to what most parents might guess -- even fear -- is that qualities such as friendliness, egalitarianism, fairness, honesty, passion, even niceness, are considered cool according to the prevailing tastes of today.

LINK

Not Your Soldier

2006-05-10T21:12:00.000-07:00

Not Your Soldier is an awesome flash movie / website - "Not Your Soldier Action Camps bring together young people who are heavily targeted by military recruitment. At the camps, youth learn how to take action to fight military recruitment, the poverty draft, and the corporations that profit off of war." The site also offers free ringtones.LINK

News that Rocks!

2006-05-05T18:31:00.000-07:00

The Great News Network is an all news that is all good website. If you have read Pronoia (see post below), this website is a perfect compliment. Be reminded all that is good, instead of subjecting yourself to paranoia-inducing-disempowering-mainstream-media!
LINK

The Yes Men

2006-04-20T21:40:00.000-07:00

Andy Bichlbaum, one of the the Yes Men visited last week. We filmed him (video coming soon), and he shared the continuing hijinks of the Yes Men.

Just some thoughts to ponder from a great writer...

2006-04-13T16:49:00.000-07:00

"Develop an interest in life as you see it; the people, things, literature, music - the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself."
Henry Miller

essembly.com

2006-04-12T02:21:00.000-07:00

OK, I have been up too late sucked into this group that I received an email about tonight (oh, it's 2:30 in the morning - that was last night - good morning). An amazing site for discussing ideas, politics and connecting with others - some real potential here. Check it out, and let me know what you think.
essembly.com

green a gogo Festival!

2006-04-09T23:15:00.000-07:00

I have been itching to get back into event organizing. And ThinkOrganic is desperate for some funding sources... so waalaah... get ready for the first, non-annual, green a gogo Festival! Coming late this summer and featuring some incredible music, edifying workshops and succulent culinary delights. Visit this link to find out more (site is still under construction, many projects, little time, but it is all coming together!)green a gogo Festival!

The End of Suburbia

2006-04-05T21:06:00.000-07:00

This is quite a film. I just watched The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream (2004) over two (distracted) nights at a friends house, but the message was clear. And I feel like I finally "get" peak oil, I keep hearing blurbs about peak oil, but I never understood its impact, and how it will affect us long before we run out of oil, until I watched this film. It also had me invisioning the not-so-distant future where all these expensive suburban developments will be ghost towns. The film seems to think the implications will be much more severe than just very expensive ghost towns, but you'll just have to watch it and decide for yourself.

Are you ready for another Procession of the Species Video?

2006-04-04T22:11:00.000-07:00

This is the third one posted here, all based on footage shot in 2004. My friend Tomas edited this version. Only two minutes long and much cleaner than the others, enjoy!
The Procession of the Species originated in Olympia Washington and has spread throughout the world. Go to http://www.procession.org/Elsewhere.php to find or start yours!

Think! Organic!

2006-04-04T22:05:00.000-07:00

A friend and I have been working on video productions together for years. About three years ago he asked me to work on a project with him called Think Organic. It has had it's ups and downs, as has our professional relationship. But we, and the projects are back at full strength, and the website is beggining to come around too. Eight new videos, each only two minutes, have recently been posted, so check it out already!
Think Organic

V for Vendetta Delivers...

2006-03-20T21:22:00.000-08:00

Sword fighting, bombs, beauty, fireworks, and conspiracy all laid upon the themes of our times and exported to London. V for Vendetta is a completely satisfying movie. Whole, compelling, entertaining, inspiring, and visually awe-inspiring it overcomes its flaws and delivers like few movies ever have. As the movie begins, you may wonder how this film ever saw the light of day. Its story line is lifted right from the Bush-Cheney administration’s corruption, blunders and propaganda and thinly veiled with an export of the setting to Britain. Perhaps the most amazing element of this movie is the acting. Consistently well-acted by all the the actors, those you would expect like Hurt, and those you might not, like um, Natalie Portman. Natalie is beautiful, and I found myself falling in love with her character during the movie, but I never thought she was even a mediocre actress. I have found most of performances to be some of the worst ever committed to film. But she pulls off her character her. Just like the brother brought out a worthy performance from Keanu Reeves in the Matrix, they have pulled off their magic again with another less than stellar artist. The complete version of this review will be up soon on WatchRead.Be

New Review Site

2006-03-20T14:34:00.000-08:00

I write so many reviews, I have decided to start a new review website. I am a bit overwhlemed with projects right now, so be patient with this! But feel free to check it out as I put it together...WatchRead.Be

Eat Your Veggies!

2006-02-16T11:30:00.000-08:00

"I try to stick to a vegan diet—heavy on fruit, vegetables, tofu, and other soy products."
- Clint Eastwood. From an interview with Jon Feld regarding his ability to take on so many projects.

"I sometimes think, would I drink the milk from the breast of a woman I don't know? No. So I think, why would I drink it from a cow."
-Devon Aoki
Devon-
What if you knew the woman? Or the cow?

The China Study - a review (T. Colin Campbell. Ph.D)

2006-02-15T21:11:00.000-08:00

Damn! This book has had such a major impact on my life, that I have held off reviewing it here. I wanted to do it right - but since I can't seem to get the review "right" it has been sitting in limbo. So here goes a "late-night-off-the-cuff-after-a-couple-of-beers-review."

Weighed down with statistics and data from decades of research and studies, this book is anything but an enjoyable read. Yet it is difficult to put down. The arguments are so tight, and the information so relevant to living the good life, that it is hard to not want to consume the whole laborious read in one sitting (my 13 year old son picked it up one morning and devoured the first fourteen chapters).
This book was an (unlikely) Christmas present from my parents, or I may never have read it. The information isn't really new. But the fact that it is backed up by mountains of research, and yet is being actively repressed by the powers it threatens makes it all the more powerful. Basically it says follow the same eating habits the hippies have been promoting for the last thirty years, and you can't get heart disease, cancer or auto-immune diseases. Can't get them. They can't prosper without animal protein. So keep the animal protein (particularly dairy) to a minimum, and eat only whole plant foods (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts...). For the past five weeks I have been doing the best (but not religiously) to follow the findings of the studies, without any expectations. The results have been nothing short of remarkable. I used to have the hardest time getting out of bed. When I exercised or walked, it felt like I was carrying my body around. Now I am hyper. I jump out of bed in the morning, I work out. I go on long hikes... daily. It is almost too much. My persona was built around being mellow. Being in love with being in bed. Being calm and consistent. It really has been a bit tough, on me and my friends (who IS this guy, and what happened to el Deano?). Highly recommended. Link to buy this book

100 Free Legal Downloads for you

2006-02-09T00:14:00.000-08:00

emusic, an independent mp3 site, similar to itunes (but without all the limitations, and without as large of a collection) usually offers 25 free downloads to try their service out. If you follow this link, you should get 100. Enjoy.
Emusic promo Link

Sorry, I haven't posted, I have been hanging out at home;

2006-02-01T18:56:00.000-08:00

Spend less time on the internet...

2006-01-17T22:11:00.000-08:00

....was the first item on my New Year's resolutions, and I have been keeping that one, hence no posts here.
I am working on a couple of book reviews that should be up soon, as well as two other posts that are sitting in limbo. So I will have some more goods for you posted here soon. Just don't expect things to be like old times. No more daily posts, or twice daily posts. Well, good talkin to you again, life is good here, I hope things are the same with you,
El Deano

My New Years Resolutions

2006-01-01T20:24:00.000-08:00

OK, I said I would get these posted today, and it is almost midnight - so here we go...
1. spend less time on the internet
2. Work to make my sons life better
3. Embrace the potential of each moment to transform
4. climb a mountain
7. Spend more time in Nature
10. dance more
11. become more involved in my community
12. exercise daily
17. get in touch with people I have lost touch with
20. ski
Why the weird numbering? I grabbed some of these from my list on the site 43things.com, that I posted about earlier.
Feedback, and support is always appreciated,
Happy New Year,
El Deano

My New Year's

2006-01-01T02:48:00.000-08:00

New Years at the beach - I can’t remember ever spending New Year’s Eve alone. But this year I didn’t have any options I was very excited about. I am not in love, my best friend is out of town, and more importantly, I really felt deep down, that I needed to be alone. Originally I planned on just spending it at home. But I knew one of my resolutions was going to be to spend more time in nature, and where better to celebrate the new year? So I packed up my journal, flash lights, rain coat, a sleeping bag, a bottle of champagne, and headed for the coast.
It was pouring rain on my way out, and I figured I was in for a wet experience. But the clouds parted and the stars met me as I made my way to the ocean. Not just the stars, but bursting explosions of light. I could see them flashing across the sky as I got closer. As I continued on I realized they were fireworks. They guided my way until I reached the beach when the grand finale' exploded filling the sky. It was a wonderful welcome, but I needed to get somewhere a little more remote. I found a place about an hour up the coast, with clear skies, crashing surf, wide beaches and no light pollution. It was beautiful. Amazing. Enlightening. The crashing surf and it’s rhythms and the stars, and the perspective they give us, as specks upon a speck, all sharing this little piece of space.

What are Your New Year’s Resolutions?

2005-12-30T10:17:00.000-08:00

Don’t answer too quickly, studies show well-thought-out goals are more likely to be fulfilled than reactive goals (i.e “I look fat - I’m going to lose fifty pounds”). How else can you insure you stick to your resolutions? I’ll talk about that in this post, as well as offer some ideas. On the first I’ll post my resolutions for 2006 (if I can make it to a computer).

The tradition of the New Year's Resolutions goes all the way back to 153 B.C. Janus, a mythical king of early Rome was placed at the head of the calendar. With two faces, Janus could look back on past events and forward to the future. Janus became the ancient symbol for resolutions and many Romans looked for forgiveness from their enemies and also exchanged gifts before the beginning of each year.

The press often gives the impression that people rarely follow through on their resolutions, however, according to a University of Washington survey, 63 percent of the people questioned were still keeping their number one New Year's resolution after two months. "The keys to making a successful resolution are a person's confidence that he or she can make the behavior change and the commitment to making that change," says the survey author. In addition, the study indicates that "resolutions are a process, not a one-time effort that offer people a chance to create new habits.

Recruit support. Talk about your goals with friends, family and coworkers at the water cooler. When you voice your resolutions you are making a verbal commitment of record, more importantly, others may share that they have a similar goal. Offer to team up with them to successfully fullfil your resolution, you will be strengthening a relationship while you pursue your goal.

Utilize "43 Things." 43 Things is all about deciding what you want to do, and helping you do it. What could be more wonderful than that? Start building your list, find out how others have done what you want to do, connect with others that want to do it (and support each other), and more! Link

Some of the more common resolutions are:
• Lose Weight
• Save Money
• Get a Better Job
• Get Fit
• Eat Right
• Get a Better Education
• Drink Less Alcohol
• Quit Smoking Now
• Reduce Stress Overall

Consider picking resolutions that go beyond yourself. It’s great that you are going to get in better shape, or stop smoking, or spend less time on the internet (but don’t stop just yet! ;)) Consider resolutions that go beyond your needs and desires. Resolve to consume less (yes this will help your finances too while you are reducing forest destruction, global warming, etc.), or drive yes (and yes, you will get in better shape, and spend less on gas and maintenance as you ride your bike, walk, and get to know your fellow commuters on the bus or in the carpool). Make a commitment to volunteer for an organization doing good(ACLU, Nature Conservancy, Amnesty International, Greenpeace, etc.) many have local chapters that you can become active in. Join a group protesting the war, fighting child labor, removing land-mines, or protecting local forrest or natural area.

Wombat Says: It's All One

2005-12-28T01:33:00.000-08:00

This amusing short flash animation from the Foundation for Global Community has been emailed to me by a couple of friends already, they liked it, maybe you will too.

Name Change! "Out of the Fog" is Now "green a go go"

2005-12-27T19:48:00.000-08:00

A new name for the new year. Out of the Fog has been the online journal for the website greenagogo.com. Except for the greenagogo website doesn't exist. If you type greenagogo.com in your address bar, you will be sent to this blog. This is causing confusion for some of you readers, and searchers. So out of a concern for clarity and simplicity, the address greenagogo.com will now take you to the blog green a go go. I am also working on cleaning up the appearance of this site, I have messed with the HTML so much that it has having strange results in some browsers, so things hopefully will be looking better over the next few days (or worse if you hit me during an unsuccessful experiment). I am also working on an article on New Year's resolutions - suggestions and support / research to help you keep 'em.

Need a couple of Last minute gift ideas?

2005-12-23T16:27:00.000-08:00

Magazines - pick up the latest copy and call in a subscritption for your recipient, so they'll be reminded of your generosity all year long. A couple of my favorites to give, and receive are Yes!("supporting you in creating a more just, sustainable and compassionate world") and the Sun("Personal. Political. Provocative. Ad-free.").

Books - I mentioned a couple in the Christmas idea list below.

DVDs - Give entertainment, inspiration or enlightenment... Try Baraka, The Corporation, Brazil, 42up etc.

Who censors your news?

2005-12-23T02:32:00.000-08:00

For short time I thought I was going to to be a television reporter, I was even offered a job as a reporter after I got my BA. But it soon became clear that little 'news' was involved in television news. Between the need to entertain for ratings, and Corporate control, more fluff and misinformation was (and is) being broadcast than useful information. If you want to get your news independent from the eight corporations that control the media in this country, and with substance, try the Independent Media Center. Independent news that comes with depth, at times lacking in skill or objectivity (just like the news on TV!) but interesting, inpspiring and enraging. Even local sites for many cities, and in several languages.

43 Things and your New Year's resolutions

2005-12-21T00:59:00.000-08:00

First of all, Welcome back, sorry I've been gone so long.
What do you want to do? Accomplish? Where do you want to visit? Who do you want to meet. 43 Things is all about deciding what you want to do, and helping you do it. What could be more wonderful than that? Start building your list, find out how others have done what you want to do, connect with others that want to do it (and support each other), and more!
I was just told about this site tonite, and have spent the last hour playing around on it, building my list, setting up my profile (DrWood) etc. Very addictive, and a bit ironic if you check out the first item on my list. What a perfect site to find with New Years (and resolutions!) coming up in 11 days!Link

Green Christmas Gifts - the Top Ten (updated)

2005-12-07T12:48:00.000-08:00

Christmas shopping isn’t easy, with all the pressures society, and all the companies that want us to buy their products, try to foist on us. I searched the web for a decent list of ‘sustainable’ gift suggestions, and didn’t find anything impressive, so I thought I would try posting my own, I hope these ideas help!

In no particular order;

Massage Gift Certificate - I love giving (and getting!) these. An opportunity to give someone a healing and caring touch and a mini-vacation (without burning all that fuel!). Massage can help with back pain, headaches, stress, injuries and other issues. Choose the practitioner carefully (i.e. make sure they are licensed, and not located in the ‘Red Light’ district). Try asking at your local health food store or coop if you need suggestions.

Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology - Books make great gifts, right now I am reading Eric Brende’s book on escaping the ‘comforts’ of modern technology, and am finding it very inspiring. It could make a great discussion topic with whomever you give this to. Read my short review in a previous post here. This was recently released in paperback with a short update, however Amazon is selling the hardcover edition (2004) for78% off.

Your Creative Skills (knitting, art, pottery, poems, songs, baked goods) - Some of my favorite gifts from others (and given to others) have been ‘homemade’ gifts - quilts, mugs, bowls, paintings, shirts, coffee liquor. I treasure the gifts made with love and care, they bring a warm feeling every time I use/wear/see them.

Community Supported Agriculture membership (CSA) - A great way to support local community farms, and give your lucky recipient bushels of organic healthy food, delivered to their door every week, at the same time. To find a farm in your state try this LINK (58 farms came up for my area!)

Journey to the Wild Divine - “Disclaimer - marketing pays off here.” This game would have never made my list if I wasn’t familiar with it, but their marketing department sent me a copy to review, and ‘lo and behold’ here it is on my list. This is a game with biofeedback sensors built in that takes you on a healing journey - very expensive. I will be posting a more in depth review here soon, so check back. Journey to Wild Divine

Post Secret - The Book - I love this web site, every week I am awestruck by the art and revlelations sent in. The book just came out, and it collects some of the best (and the site doesn’t save them, so this is the only way to see many of them). PostSecret bookThis site was reviewed in a previous post.

Essential Oils - Your local health store can be an excellent resource for sustainable gifts. I like giving essential oils, they can be used for healing, baths or to smell good. San Francisco Herb Company is an excellent (and reasonable) source for essential oils, herbs and related items.

Salve - Do you have a garden being invaded by comfrey? Add some essential oils, beeswax and turn it into healing salve, find some cute jars, and ‘wallah’! you have Christmas gifts! (I'm not sure about the 'wallah' spelling, if you can help me out , let me know - thanks!)

Creative tools - Support the creative side in your friends and family. Get them quality art supplies, musical instruments, or a journal and a good pen, and watch as the creations to burst forth!

Membership - We all want to feel like we belong. Give them the opportunity to belong to a group that is doing good (ACLU, Nature Conservancy, Amnesty International, Greenpeace, etc.) many have local chapters that they can become active in.

Indigenous Designs - Giving (and receiving) clothes can be tricky, as clothing tastes tend to be very personal. My parents finally got it right when they started giving me organic shirts made by Indigenous Designs.

Indigenous Designs exists to support fair trade, preservation of socio-cultural and planetary environments while providing outstanding quality. By working directly with artisans and their knitting cooperatives, a strong partnership has evolved to support their visions in managing sustainable commerce.

Love - Do you know someone who needs more love and positive strokes in their life? Give love (Hugs, real, concrete support of their dreams and goals, attention, etc.) Try making a recording on CD, tape or DVD going-off about how wonderful they are (with specifics) they can play any time they want.

Do you know someone that needs to get out more? Take them to a weekend at the coast or in the mountains, or hiking, to a play or a museum(or give them a museum membership or tickets to a play).

Treasure - Do they have a favorite book or movie from their childhood? Do they love velvet clothes? Or collect vinyl records? Try digging up these gift ideas and more at your local thrift store (possibly supporting a good cause as you shop) or on ebay (you can get $5 to $15 off your purchase by using these coupons)

This will be updated regurlary with helpful links, and possibly more suggestions over the next week, so stay tuned!
Wishing you and all a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Sublime Solstice, and Caring Kwanzaa!

Feeling Knotty?

2005-12-07T11:23:00.000-08:00

Peter Hudson has a clean, simple and clear new site (I Will Knot) giving video lessons on how to tie knots. Each step in each knot is an individual clip. A very helpful and clear site. LINK

Wangari Maathai Nobel laureate

2005-12-06T01:44:00.000-08:00

I watched Wangari Maathai receive the Nobel Peace Prize last year, and had heard and read bits about her. Tonight I stumbled across an excellent and inspiring article about her.

She’s been called many things. Among the rural poor of Kenya she’s known as the Green Crusader or Green Militant. Former Kenyan president Daniel arap Moi called her ‘a mad woman’, and declared her a serious threat to the stability of the country. Her husband said she was ‘too educated, too strong, too successful, too stubborn and too hard to control’. And now professor Wangari Maathai has been named as a Nobel laureate.

LINK

Dogs Can Laugh!

2005-12-05T15:52:00.000-08:00

Researchers at the Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service in Washington state say sometimes a bark is just a bark — but a long, loud panting sound has real meaning...the pant is the sound of a dog laughing, and it has a direct impact on the behavior of other dogs, causing them to stop barking. LINK

Hubble's Greatest Hits!

2005-12-04T00:41:00.000-08:00

Well, this is truly awe-inspiring...This site has an amazing collection of pics from the Hubble telescope, with a description of what each is about. From the description of the pic at right;

Appearing like a winged fairy-tale creature poised on a pedestal, this object is actually a billowing tower of cold gas and dust rising from a stellar nursery called the Eagle Nebula. The soaring tower is 9.5 light-years or about 90 trillion kilometres high, about twice the distance from our Sun to the next nearest star.

Link

Better Off!

2005-12-02T18:15:00.000-08:00

I have started reading the first few chapters of Better Off!: Flipping the Switch on Technology. Really interesting and quite inspiring. I think it is going on my Christmas List (coming soon, I recommend and review [and tell you how to make or find] several sustainable and/or interesting gift ideas). Here is an excerpt from chapter One;

Her reservations about clothes-washing notwithstanding, Mary was on the spot. Our relationship had heated up well beyond the level of friendship. Fortunately for me, she had never been emotionally attached to her job, and the potted plant in her office simply did not satisfy her hankering for the country. On the other hand, she had a list of unanswered questions: How heavy was the work? How long were the hours? What about refrigeration? What about food preparation? When I pointed out that people have been living without modern gadgetry for thousands of years, she finally gave in, brimming with curiosity to see how they did it.

We tied the knot at St. Paul's Church ten days before the scheduled arrival at our new home. To live in close quarters with a group like this, you had to be properly married. It would be premature to say, however, whether ours was a marriage of convenience.

We decided to shoot for an expedition of eighteen months—enough time to experience a full change of season. Mary agreed to go along on one condition: that she would get the deciding vote in the decision of where to live after we finished our "fieldwork."

And so, svelte assistant at my side, I set out in the general direction of a still-mysterious clique of manual laborers, imbued with one lone hope: that they might lend me a hand in my experiment. How hard and time-consuming was this life "without laborsaving machines"? And was it one Mary and I would consider leading ourselves? I dearly hoped the exercise would not amount to a sheer test of endurance. What I really wanted to discover was a balance between too much machinery and too little, or better yet, how to arrive at it wherever one found oneself. This knowledge was what modern society lacked and what I hoped my yet-unknown neighbors would provide some clue to.

If you have any ideas of what I should include on my list, leave a comment, or email me at TheWayFilms@yahoo.com. I will be reviewing other books, and The Journey to Wild Divine sent me a copy of their software to check out, so I'll let you know what I (and my family and friends) think, and be reviewing several other items as well.

Your own Petition!

2005-11-30T00:06:00.001-08:00

PetitionOnline.com is a free service that sets up an online petition for you. It seems very professional and unobtrusive. I recently signed one of their petitions, and I had no idea it wasn't developed by the author until I recieved PetitionOnline's email confirming my 'signature.' They handle petitions relating to the death penalty, keeping Manny in Boston, and the Grateful Dead. They claim over 33 million signatures have been collected. This could be a useful organizing and activism tool.

Sustainable Communities Network

2005-11-29T18:15:00.000-08:00

The Sustainable Communities Network is a website "Linking citizens to resources and to one another to create healthy, vital, sustainable communities." SCN has guides to help plan a "Sustainable Event""Community Action" etc.

Recently I wrote about PostSecret, a favorite site of mine. If you are looking for an intersting Christmas gift, the new PostSecret Book was Released today.

Free Concert Downloads

2005-11-27T15:13:00.000-08:00

The NPR live Concert Series offers free downloads of concerts by Bloc Party, Bright Eyes, White Stripes and many others. I am listening to Bloc Party in DC right now, sounds pretty good... enjoy!

Americans: Greed, materialism, poverty and justice biggest crisis, not gay marriage...

2005-11-24T15:27:00.001-08:00

According to a recent Zogby poll in Yes! magazine, greed, materialism, poverty and justice are the moral issues that concern most Americans; The exact question was...
"What is the most urgent moral crisis facing the U.S.?"
Greed and Materialism 33%
Poverty and Economic Justice 31%
Abortion 16%
Gay Marriage 12%
Gives one hope (for at least 72% of us), and contradicts the spin after the 2004 election, claiming that gay marriage and abortion were the moral issues of greatest concern to voters.

Procession of the Species short video

2005-11-20T23:00:00.000-08:00

Every year we have a parade in celebration of nature and community called the Procession of the Species. It started here in Olympia and had become by far the largest celebration in town, about 10,000 participants and 20,000 spectators. A wonderful and community building event, it has spread to about fifty other communities around the world. I shot this in 2004.

The Universe is Conspiring...

2005-11-19T12:17:00.000-08:00

...to make your life BETTER. This concept is sometimes known as Pronoia (the opposite of Paranoia) a term floating around since the sixties, and the title of Rob Brezny's (Free Will Astrology) new book.
"Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You With Blessings" is the elongated title of Free Will Astrology's Rob Brezsny new book. It has been compared to Be Here Now (written by Ram Das over thirty years ago). Brezsny is attempting to counteract cynicism and apocalyptical fantasies with "pronoia."
I am still reading this (as well as a dozen other books as per usual), here is my favorite quote at the moment from the book (but actually stated by Robert Anton Wilson) - "You should view the world as a conspiracyrun by a very close-knit group of nearly omnipotent people, and you should think of those people as yourself and your friends."
You can listen to Rob discuss Pronoia on the RU Sirius show here.
Some items from Rob's list of actions to build your pronoia;
6. Brag about yourself nonstop for 10 minutes. Record it so you can listen back to it later.
7. Perform a senseless act of altruism, for instance by giving an anonymous gift or providing some beauty or healing to a person who cannot do you any favors in return.
10. Build an altar devoted to beauty, truth, and love in one of the ugliest places you know.
12. Compose and perform a ceremony in which you get married to yourself.

Share a Secret

2005-11-18T01:27:00.000-08:00

Out of the Fog is supposed to focus on the positive. PostSecret is amazing, but I don't know if it is truly positive - give me your feedback. People mail in (like real snailmail) postcards with a secret written on them. Soul-bearing comments, some impressive artwork, and even stories to go along with some of them. And it is updated regularly. Becoming one of the top blogs. LinkLink to the new PostSecret book.
I am about to post another movie, and I plan to continue posting videos every two weeks or so. However, the focus has definitely moved to the printed word, and I am embracing that. I am working on a treatise about the evolution of my appreciation of the written word, that I will post the highlights soon.

Victory!? House defeats "Reverse Robin Hood!"

2005-11-17T23:13:00.000-08:00

I don't know if our pictures helped, but this criminal budget was defeated Thursday night 224 to 209. Passage of the budget has grown increasingly imperative to a leadership that has been rocked by scandal and is on the verge of losing control of its rank and file. House GOP leaders last week jettisoned one of President Bush's top priorities -- opening Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling -- but that was not enough to secure passage of the bill. Moderates were still objecting to a provision that allows states to impose new costs on Medicaid beneficiaries, squeezes student lenders, cuts federal child support enforcement and pares farm supports. The unexpected setback marked the first time the final version of a major spending bill was rejected by the House in a decade.Link
UPDATE in the early hours of the morning, Republicans in the House pushed through a revised budget bill with over $50 billion in cuts to services ordinary folks depend on. The final tally was a heatbreaking 217 to 215. However, thanks to calls, letters to congress, letters to the editor, "Speak Out" events, and pictures, the bill is significantly better than it could've been. Drilling in the Arctic Natural Wildlife Refuge was pulled out of the bill. Cuts in food stamps and Medicaid have been reduced.

Photos against 'Reverse Robin Hood' Budget

2005-11-17T16:24:00.000-08:00

Hundreds of people have already submitted their pictures for MoveOn's "Face America" photo petition—calling on Congress to literally look these people in the eye and do the right thing. Email your picture to faces@moveon.org
Link to photos

Developing world $100 Laptop - Video Update

2005-11-16T18:33:00.000-08:00

Here are pics of the laptop you have been hearing so much about. More important things to be working on I suppose (food, shelter, water, enviromental protection), but seems like it could be good thing for some...And check out the hand crank! - Update: Here is video of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan Unveiling the $100 Laptop Prototype. Link

The Most amazing Music Site - updated

2005-11-11T00:28:00.000-08:00

I am really shallow. All day I planned on putting up a post about all the wonderful things that happened today - The AWR being saved from the Republicans, 7000 churches, schools and homes showing the anti-Walmart movie next week etc. But I didn't get around to it. But when I re-discovered the Pandora site, and found out that it is now FREE, I just had to let you know! "What is Pandora?" you ask...created by the Music Genome Project On January 6, 2000 a group of musicians and music-loving technologists came together with the idea of creating the most comprehensive analysis of music ever. Put in a favorite artist or song, and it will create a "station" of similar music for you, it may not seem like much, but try it and you will be amazed, a lot of people put a ton of work into this. UPDATE; I have been playing with this site, and here is how to help Pandora Read Your Mind better...First, for each song played click on it and rate it (a menu will pop up when you click, you can also add the song to your 'favorites' list, etc.). Second, instead of choosing an artist, you may want to enter a favorite song by that artist, so you get music that is similar to the song you like instead of maybe your least favorite cuts. Third, if you don't want to spend the $36 to buy a subscription, or want to check it out first, choose the free option with 'commercials' - there are no commercials - maybe eventually they will start adding them, but not yet. Fourth, you can click on "guide us" and add another song or artist to your station(s) to help fine tune the selections you hear. Fifth, let Pandora know how well they are matching your song or artist. I emailed them about the band Unicorn - the music was bit off and their choices by the band were suspect (all my other stations - Run D.M.C., Lover I don't have to Love, This Modern Love, Tim Buckley etc. are amazing), and I got an email back in TWO MINUTES - not a generic email either - but a thought out response with a history of what Unicorn music they had tested! Amazing - enjoy!Link

Power of Positive Thinking

2005-11-09T17:13:00.000-08:00

Those of you who have been around may remember The Secret Life of Plants. This page covers an experiment on this influence of positive and negative thinking on the well-being of plants... the one receiving negative thoughts died the first day...Link

Auto-play is OFF - Sorry about that!

2005-11-07T22:01:00.000-08:00

One problem with the site that I am hosting these videos with is that their code comes embedded with auto-play. It was really enoying some of you (as you let me know) having two videos auto-start, and to hear me and Compash Man start blabbering everytime you visited. I wrote the site about it, and they didn't know how to fix it, but I just took a look at the code, and it is a really simple fix. I just changed the auto-play settings from True to False. So hopefully you are not hearing me right now (atleast until you joyously hit the play button when YOU are ready to watch the video)

Do you want to become a Super Hero?

2005-11-05T20:55:00.000-08:00

My website See The Way, is down while I transfer it to a new server. In the meantime I am going to post one of the short videos from the site.
One fine spring day, I was at a stop sign, and a father and a son went by in a BMW convertable, one dressed as Batman, the other as Robin. And then a minute later a large group on bicycles went by in capes... It was spring, these were not Halloween costumes. I had to figure out what was going on.
The BMW ended up being a coincidence, but the bikers were on a mission, a mission to save the world, or at least make it a better place...

Adding Video to Your Blog...

2005-11-04T00:25:00.000-08:00

Today’s post is for fellow bloggers that are, or are considering putting video on their blog. When I started about a year ago, I searched for other video blogs, and could find none (that doesn’t mean there weren’t any, but if there were, I couldn’t find them). Now they are becoming more common. The obvious questions are: ‘is it worth it?’ and ‘what are the advantages?’

When I started, I was attempting to put up a video every week or so. At that time I didn’t track the traffic to my blog, so I have no idea if videos had any impact. Now that I do, I wanted to put up another video installment, and see if it impacted my traffic. I hadn't posted a video in months, so I just came home the night before last and threw one together. I usually have 20-100 visitors a day. The two days previous to the video post, I had 33 and 30 hits, on the day that I posted I had 27. This is far, far from a scientific study, but it certainly didn’t give any obvious evidence that posting video will result in greater traffic to your blog.

So, what is the amount effort and resources required to include video? When I started I had was hosting a site with Dreamhost, so I just put my videos on their server, and imbedded streaming video in the posts. I can’t say it was painless, but it worked pretty well. I am in the middle of moving this site to another (and smaller) account, so it didn’t make sense to put the videos on the Dreamhost server. I looked around for other (ideally free, or at least cheap) places to host my videos. There are a couple new companies popping up to assist with video blogging. I checked out a couple of them, and they weren’t really up and running, and were so limiting as to not be worth it anyways. So I uploaded my video to the Internet Archives, but I couldn’t get it to work properly on their site. I had an account at Revver, the new video site, that shares the add revenue generated by your video with you. It seems like a cool site, and they are open to you using your video how and wherever you want, but you do end up with a still ad at the end of your video (you can control what kind of ad). So I uploaded my video to them. Pretty painless, drag and drop, with there up-loader. It took about a day for them to approve it and all, which is less than ideal. But once it was up, I just embedded the code (they provide) in my post and everything ran smooth.
A bit of a hassle, and maybe no more traffic, are there any advantages? Sometimes. For most posts, the ideal for your readers is to have clear, concise text, they can glance at, and pursue if they are so inclined. A video requires more of a commitment from your readers. Sometimes however, to get the full emotional impact of what you are conveying, or to clearly illustrate something, there is nothing like video.

In conclusion, video has its place, but don't expect too much from its impact.
If you want to see the latest video mentioned above, it is in the post below.

Main points;
*It is constantly getting easier to upload video to your blog
*You no longer have to host your own video
*I have no evidence of increased traffic due to video
*But it does have its place, and a power that text can’t transmit
*It is getting relatively common, so the ‘newness’ factor is fading

Halloween and the Meaning of Life - Video!

2005-11-03T15:35:00.001-08:00

I came home from a smokey bar last night (I don't go to bars much, usually just when friend's bands are playing - and I don't like cig smoke), and recorded this. Be forgiving, my eyes are a bit bleary, my voice a bit smokey, but hey it's 2 a.m. Let me know what you think of what I have to say...

Video returneth...

2005-11-03T15:22:00.000-08:00

Supposedly this is a Video Blog, but I haven't put up a video in months, I shot one last night, and am anxious to put it up. But I am letting my hosting go, so I have been looking for an alternative host, and it has been a hassle...hopefully soon it will be worked out...stay posted.

You are home to 200 species.

2005-11-02T22:56:00.000-08:00

I read in today's Independent(UK) that about 200 species live on each of our bodies...including 80 in the mouth alone...

But that is to belie the sheer industry of the microbial entrepreneurs that inhabit our beings. The total number of bacteria excreted by the body every day ranges from 100 billion to 100 trillion. Every square centimetre of human bowel is home to around 10 billion microbes. Some 10 million organisms occupy every square centimetre of flesh. The most densely populated areas of the human body are the teeth, throat and alimentary tract, where the concentrations are increased by a thousand compared to bare skin. But while such figures seem huge, it has been calculated that the amount of bacteria on the skin of the average human would be the same size as a pea. That is to say nothing of the common parasites found on the human body. The follicle mite, found on every individual, spends its days harmlessly munching dead skin cells. Which is less than can be said for Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba that invades the brain and multiplies until the host drops dead.

A victory for the trees! (and therefore all of us)

2005-11-02T14:54:00.000-08:00

This is a David-and-Goliath story of a community fighting to regain control from international corporations and the world's powerful elite. It's a story about the resurgence of sustainability... The day I arrived on Haida Gwaii, I walked to the blockade site anticipating a melee of angry loggers, violent police and screaming, staunch activists. Instead, I found a group of a dozen people eating cake. A few Haida were whittling art out of wood from the "tree of life," the Western red cedar. Two policeman were standing around drinking tea, and some loggers were staffing the blockade, stopping and identifying cars that were driving up to the line...On April 22, the day after the meeting, the government of British Columbia agreed to protect 40,000 acres of land that the Haida deem important. It is also expected that over time, islanders will see a significant drop in the amount of wood that is logged on the island, greater economic control over the island's operations, a cessation of bear hunting and a move toward eco-forestry.

One Thousand Hits ... R.I.P. ?

2005-11-02T01:58:00.000-08:00

See The Way finally limped its way to 1000 visitors this week. The original focus of this blog, it has suffered from a lack of new films, and my focus on other projects. At its height it reached a few hundred hits in a month, not much (this blog gets many times that). If I want to keep it going, I've got to put up $120 for the hosting this week, not likely...

Be Domains for free.

2005-11-01T12:00:00.000-08:00

just Be Here Now. Be Free. All .be domains are free for the next two months. .be domains are Begium registrations. I recently regestered a couple of domains with .be, it fits well with some of the ideas I had.. But they were expensive registrations, now you can register .be'sfor free! Site doesn't seem to work well with firefox, works fine with Safari. Be forwarned, that if you want to renew in a year, be ready to pay the full price.Link

Tron, on your computer, with friends

2005-10-31T18:54:00.000-08:00

So, I haven't put this up, because it doesn't really fit in with my blog, but I have been having so much fun playing it...It's a 3D version of Tron available for Macs, PCs and Linux. It really does feel like you are in the movie/game, you can invite a friend, or group of friends to play with you, it's geekalicious!
Link

Rain Shower

2005-10-31T11:21:00.000-08:00

I love showers. When I was a child I designed a shower where you could have the whole ceiling rain on you, have a waterfall at one end, or have a 'fog' steam bath. While these are not as cool as my childhood design they are still pretty amazing. Watch the streaming video if you want to get the full effect (or buy one, to really get the full effect I guess).Link

Store Wars! "Use the Farm, Cuke, use the Farm"

2005-10-27T00:56:00.000-07:00

Store Wars is a hilarious flash film take off on Star Wars, that promotes Organic Food. Follow this link and check it out!