SFLeef

A Truly Frightening Prospect

2008-10-16T15:18:00.000-07:00

A Truly Frightening Prospect - Started seeing these around the neighborhood. Love 'em.

The Aporia Agathon Project Trailer (2008)

2008-03-25T18:08:00.000-07:00

I've been interested in exploring the world of Alternate Reality Games, and this could be the one to try.

making time for reflection

2008-03-25T10:24:00.001-07:00

Passing the Roshaach Test

2008-03-06T08:48:00.000-08:00

IN 1986, still getting my feet wet in the world of comic books, I picked up a new book Watchmen. Even as a 15 year old kid not knowing much about Alan Moore beyond that he wrote some freaky Swamp Thing issues, I immediately saw that there was something different about it. Beside having a sleek design sense and taking place in a mysterious alternate where Nixon still reigned of a dystopian America, it's main characters were more more fully realized and more deeply flawed than nerdy Peter Parker ever could be. They had deep, psychological dreams of dominatrix "adversaries" and nuclear explosions and their own impotence. They dressed up in costumes and "fought crime" for complex reasons and they were in WAY over their heads with mysteries who's clues trickled out as the issues ever so, slowly nit the stands.

Now Watchmen is widely regarded as the first and perhaps the greatest comics masterpiece, perhaps of all time. And after many, many failed efforts Zach Snyder, known for his film adaption of Frank Miller's, 300, is in the midst of produces a Watcheman movie. I'm cautiously optimistic, as are many fans. But one of the things that had to be spot on for me was the look of Rorschach, the nihilistic , worn down shell of a man, that refuses to give up and continues to doggedly follows clues in his black and white world. The first shots of the main characters have been released and while not all the costumes areentirely faithful to the book, at least Rorschach is right in his grimy jacket, beaten up hat and enigmatic "face".
See more at
One Year to Midnight (Watchmen)

Information R/evolution

2007-10-23T14:54:00.001-07:00

Well done vid setting the historical context of how information is now being created and shared.

Art DeLight

2007-10-22T14:33:00.001-07:00

Crayon 158
Originally uploaded by Matt DeLight

I picked up 4 more of Matt Delight's pieces on Friday at the Open Studios, including this one and this Kirby tribute. I had gotten two of his in Spring, a pirate and a self-portrait with Matt's brain exposed and loved them. So glad to get the chance to pick up a few more.

buckle brown: bikes and birds

2007-10-02T15:36:00.000-07:00

buckle brown: bikes and birds

Ha! I was in that pack that headed up the S. Van on-ramp. Certainly surprised how quickly the cops were on us. Got us turned around quick-style! The only thing I can think is they got on at Octavia and swooped down, with sirens blasting. Whoop-dee-frickin'-do ;)

Got to love the street theater aspect of it. Feint for the freeway, the cops block, and the bikes feint again =)

Saw a few cops break character too and loved that also!

Critcal Massed in Broadway Tunnel

2007-09-29T15:59:00.000-07:00

Did the 15th anniversary Critical Mass last night. the most amazing part riding through the Broadway Tunnel. What a way to rock it out SF-style.

Critcal Massed in Broadway Tunnel from leef on Vimeo.

My Awesome Cousin...

2007-09-21T10:55:00.000-07:00

just ran 100 miles, just to see if he could. So friends and family could run a bit with him, he just did 29 3.5 laps around Ashland, Or. Way to go Todd!!!

Some times I forget how amazing my family family truly is.

Local blog write-up

Was it just a matter of time?

2007-09-20T15:43:00.000-07:00

Kinky - Mexican Radio

Secret Swank

2007-09-20T15:24:00.000-07:00

I was in LA this weekend and randomly dropped in Secret Headquarters, the swankiest comic shop I've ever seen, bar none. Not aspersions cast on the local Isotope folk which I love, but Secret Headquarters is on a whole other level I neglected to take any picture, but check out their site to see some of the gentleman's club type atmosphere they've created.

I was getting the collected Mouse Guard book, and at the counter I couldn't help but pick up a copy of James Jean's Process Recess 2. Amazingly beautiful stuff. The comic field is very lucky to have an artist of his caliber.

Temple of forgiveness burn and collapse @ Burning man 2007

2007-09-18T12:39:00.001-07:00

Burningman 2007 Time-Lapse

2007-09-18T10:00:00.001-07:00

Death Pigeons from Above

2007-08-08T15:24:00.001-07:00

dead pigeon
Originally uploaded by infobong

This morning as I biked to work, a pigeon fell from the sky like a brick, barely missed my head and landed with a splat.

It was one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen. There was a flock on the building across the street that had just taken flight and all I can think is that it ran into something and was suddenly stopped. The guy on his bike behind me thought maybe it was a heart attack, but it really seemed to have fallen straight down.

I certainly don't believe in omen, but this would be a great one. It's definitely a reminder that death is all around us, and how precious it is to be alive.

Last night a friend was telling me about how about a year ago, she had a fixation on death and all the things that she wanted to do before she died. I wonder what would be on my own list? Maybe something worth thinking about....

Sobule Sings-up the City

2007-08-01T11:52:00.000-07:00

San Francisco by Jill Sobule

Nice! Jill Sobule is releasing free songs/video at My Damn Channel

My "perfect" sleeping position?!?

2007-07-25T11:19:00.001-07:00

Find your own pose!

Train Time

2007-07-24T10:35:00.000-07:00

The trailer for Wes Anderson's new movie is out now and looks like my cup of tea....
It's apparently the story of three brothers taking a train trip through India, and interestingly enough was written by Wes Anderson with the cousins Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman. In the trailer the question is posed if the brothers would still be friends if they weren't related. Interesting question and ripe for Wes Anderson's madcap explorations. Looking forward to it.

DeLaughter Cult

2007-07-18T14:10:00.000-07:00

Last night I made a pilgrimage to see Tim DeLaughter's amazing creation, The Polyphonic Spree. It just blows my mind that he's able to gather up 24 incredibly talented musicians and get them to tour together. Everything they do is so sincere and heartfelt and it never fails to inspire me to be more appreciative of just being alive, struggling to be happy and all the love in the world. If Tim ever wants to start a cult, I'd so be there, in my psuedo-uniform and my dashiki robe full of love and joy.

Txt Msging and Email are the new drunk dialing

2007-07-03T17:09:00.000-07:00

Joey Comeau just recently posted this great little "cover letter" essay, Overqualified: APPLE: fixes before breaks. I'm afraid this is something I've been quite guilty of in the past, misspellings and all. Sometimes we do need to be saved from all our instant modern communication methods. Sometimes we'd be better on writing on clay tablets, or papyrus paper and sealing our missives us in caves.

My Dad's dog Lucky

2007-07-03T13:41:00.000-07:00

make your dog a webpage

Visit my family

make your dog a webpage

Today's Catster video find!

2007-06-28T16:38:00.000-07:00

Yellow

2007-06-21T17:10:00.001-07:00

Stick Magnetic Ribbons on Your S.U.V.

My Bst Frend Iz Fagil Arny

2007-06-21T14:26:00.000-07:00

The latest P-Spree album is out today and available for a listen onAOL Music. Lovely stuff, and as always, hope inspiring with such feelings of joy and love. Really looking forward to seeing them when the hit town in a couple weeks.

Steam Trek- nice!

2007-06-08T10:41:00.001-07:00

The art of the face

2007-05-31T13:54:00.000-07:00

Found this on boing boing today and was just blown away by it. Great idea and amazing work.

Eating Organic on a Food Stamp Budget

2007-05-24T17:16:00.000-07:00

I just started reading local writer, Rebecca Blood's excellent blog,Eating Organic on a Food Stamp Budget , on eating in a locovore, organic manner in the most economic manner. I find this very interesting in part because that's the diet that I pretty much grew up with. I've been quite resistant to the idea that eating well and ethically had to be expensive and part of an "elite" lifestyle. The Alemany Farmer's Market has always been part of my and always been reasonably priced and had this "people's market" feel. But with all the wonderful eating options we have in this town, I like most every one I know, eats out more then they need to. I'm trying to do better though.

I'm also just really impressed by Blood's ingenuity
for taking on such a project with a journalist's mindset and a personal touch. Impressive stuff.

Maker Faire

2007-05-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

There's been tons of wrap up on Maker Faire, which was awesome. This time lapse video is one of the best things I've seen so far.

Pillow Fight!

2007-05-24T13:22:00.001-07:00

pillow fight
Originally uploaded by Pete Knife.

Google Korea to censor search results

2007-05-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

this article on Google Korea's plan to censor search results really sort of disturbs me; partly because it's just another example of the ROK government trying to put up the appearance of solving a problem, but actually not really doing anything at all. Requiring "age verification" and national registration numbers to view content isn't going to really stop any kid.

The other thing is that it's another example of Google giving up some of the "Do no wrong" principles for the greed of getting in good in an Asian country. Rather then bending to the wishes of a paternalistic government, it seems the better idea would be to offer a far superior product that meets the needs of Koreans just as well far as it does for Americans, if not better.

Formula One's Lewis Hamilton

2007-05-17T15:09:00.000-07:00

I haven't been watching Formula 1 so far this season, but I have been following the reports of the rise of Lewis Hamilton, the newest F1 superstar. Four races into the season, and though he has yet to win a race, he's already leading in points, the youngest to ever do so. As the first black driver to actually compete in F1, it's interesting how little is being made of the fact. Even this discussion is rather tame. Historically F1 has been a gentleman's game, but since the big money came in years ago, it's all about performance and winning races. Hamilton seems poised to win one and race now, and I wish him luck. It is good to see the world's second most popular sport just a bit more open and reflective of the world.

Openings

2007-05-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

It was Open Studios in the Mission this past weekend, and ended touring through twice, once on Friday evening and again late Sunday afternoon, and still didn't manage to get to all the spaces I wanted to. It was fascinating to getter a better picture of what other neighborhood folk are doing art-wise and also really inspiring. Lately I've been feeling sort of guilty for not being able to say "Yes" when people ask me if I'm an artist. Artistic expression totally fascinates me and love having it in my life, and I feel like I've got a good eye. It's just a matter of making more time to fool around with materials and letting myself play. But maybe having studio space where everything could be out and ready to go whenever would help get me to produce more. Either way, I definitely want to make it a priority beyond the stuff I'm doing for Burning Man this year.

But beyond my own artistic yearnings, I met some awesome people and saw some stand out stuff. Some of favorites:

Spielberg, Jackson team for Tintin

2007-05-15T04:50:00.000-07:00

Variety.com - Spielberg, Jackson team for Tintin

Wow! This is huge. It's amazing to see names like this attached to developing new film versions of Tintin, but shows the love and devotion that people all of the world have to this character. I know he introduced me to a love of geography, travel and sequential art. I couldn't get enough of his adventures in the late 70s.

Though I have to say, the idea of a "photo-realistic" Tintin is a bit frightening, but if anyone can do it in a tasteful manner, faithful to the Hegre originals, I trust Peter Jackson.

LOL BERZ

2007-05-11T15:13:00.000-07:00

Made my first LOLCATSstyle pic today. Fun stuff

Brooke Shields Alphabet Quiz

2007-05-10T16:38:00.000-07:00

Solve the Brooke Shields mystery

Reminds me of the apocryphal story on the origin on the word "Quiz", though Brooke Shield Alphabet doesn't quite roll off the tounge.

Love the fickr pool

via: Warrren Ellis

Chabon

2007-05-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

Last night, I went to see Vendela Vida interview Michael Chabon about his latest novel, The Yiddish Policemen's Union, for City Arts & Lectures. I was going to wait for the paperback, but like Chabon said, there's nothing more fun the alternate history and I couldn't wait to start reading his version of the world where America accepted millions of Jewish refuges and allowed them to settle in th Alaskan Panhandle, thereby mitigating the Holocaust to some degree.

One the thing that he talked about that struck me was an awareness that his own writing voice tended to run long and snuck in clauses at the drop of a hat. I can certainly identify with that tendency as well. So trying to writing detective fiction in the manner of Chandler was really tough for him. I've only dug in to the first few chapters, but it is a bit of a strange bird, Chabon's beautiful sentences in a much more clipped style. I think I'm going to enjoy it.

Even though Chabon made a strong argument that typical "mainstream" literature that comes out of the tradition psychological realism of Checkov is a type of Genre fiction itself, I think one of the best things he's doing in legitimizing Genre such as super-hero stoies, sword fantasy and now detective fiction. I can totally see how he's part just writing the things that he'd like to read but the modern sensibilities and awareness he brings to his subject is a grand a glorious thing.

Internet More Dangerous than School Violence, Sexually Transmitted Diseases for Children

2007-05-08T10:39:00.000-07:00

Internet More Dangerous than School Violence, Sexually Transmitted Diseases for Children: survey

I found this little bit of paranoia interesting. Reminded me of the excellent book "The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things" that I read a few years back.

Fragged

2007-05-07T14:53:00.000-07:00

I saw a preview of the play First Person Shooter last Friday. It goes into the heavy topics of school shootings, racism, and personal guilt. Intense stuff and the director used a clever trick had the actors slam the set pieces around to heighten that intensity. And of course, with the VT shooings it was very topical stuff. The script covered a lot of ground and in a fairly complex way, with some fairly funny dialog as well. Some nice chunky roles for the many of the actors to sink their teeth into. Chad Deverman and Craig Marke were particular stand-outs.

As in any time limited dramatization of complex issues, aspects get left unexamined and I couldn't help but think about some of the issues that would have liked. Even though they provided plenty of examples, I wish the play had at least noted all the homo-erotic/homophobic trash-talking and posturing in the gaming world. Guys will say some stuff that they'd never think of repeating outside of the context of game-play. It's all sort of male-bonding talk, but there probably deeper connotations as well. What I find interesting that a lot of gamers are people that have adopted a role that at least superficially rejected typical "jock" behavior.

Then there's unexplored that school shooting and violence on that level is really a male issue, and the few exceptions only help prove the rule. But rather then just sort of writing boys and men as inherently violent, my take on it is that our society does a great disservice to it's boys and gives them very few tools to deal with and express their emotions. Instead a male culture of violent outbursts is perpetuated and accepted in this country.

Then of course there's the issue of ready access to firearms in this country...

Return to the Planet of the Apes

2007-04-27T12:39:00.000-07:00

Last night Cornelius returned to San Francisco for the first time in years and years. And once again I was blown away by the artistry of every thing he does, the music, the videos, and his design sense. Everything is so imaginative, but also flows together very well. I particularly loved his collaboration with Kouichirou Tsujikawa

Ad Free San Paulo: ...things were out of hand and the population has made it clear it wants this

2007-04-16T15:12:00.000-07:00

Sao Paulo goes advertising-free

Ah, to imagine such a thing in America, the birthplace of engineered desire and craving...
But it's almost equally amazing anyplace in the world today. I couldn't imagine Seoul without all it's blaring neon signs. Even the churches use neon to advertise their locations. It''ll be curious to see how long San Paulo's ban lasts. No forever I expect. The pressure of profit are strong and I bet the middle class will miss all the "beautiful ads" soon enough.

Jordan took some video of yesterday's Openning Day game

2007-04-09T16:12:00.000-07:00

Gray Water -> Green Grass

2007-04-02T11:20:00.000-07:00

photo by Matt McGee

My big Burning Man idea for this year is using a temporary lawn to recycle our camp gray water. This was an idea that was being tossed around between my sister, dad and I late last summer, but really didn't have the time to execute it last year, but this year I'm pretty sure it's going to happen.

The basic idea is to build modular nursery flats of sub-irrigated, nearly hydroponic tropical grass that is sturdy and able to aspirate plenty of nutrient-rich gray water. Then all the flats will be connected to main lines which will run from our gray water storage tank. The big unknown is how much water at 12' x 12' lawn will be able to soak up and how quickly will it use up water? Will we have extra grey water that the grass won't be able to use or will we be begging other camps for their gray water to keep it alive? Big questions. so we're starting some test flats this month.

This weekend we did some shopping for a growing medium. We got some excellent advice at SF Hydro who are used to providing supplies for other types of grass growing operations. We settled on clay pebbles, coconut husks and soil mixture, proportions yet to be determined. Then for irrigation we went out to Urban Farmer and explained our project and got set up with a drip system that we could place in the flats under the grass and get the water directly to root system. Looking forward to setting it all up and seeing what works.

Absolute Horror

2007-03-30T18:31:00.000-07:00

New Kupek oddities album

2007-03-28T11:28:00.000-07:00

I'm listening to the awesome new Kupek tracks that Bryan Lee O'Malley (of Scott Pilgrim fame) recently posted on radiomaru. Everything Bryan does is geeky-sweet, cheesy and sincere like a cheese and chocolate covered banana, but better. Check it out.

Trich Talk

2007-03-22T10:07:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I was in Washington D.C. for the 14th Annual National Conference on Trichotillomania & Skin Picking. This was my second conference so far and once again I was very impressed by the scientific presentations and re-energized to give my time and energy to help my fellow trichsters. It was also really great to see some of the people I'd met at past events.

Actually I went out a day early to do museums, and since it was an ugly day outside, I was glad spend most of the day indoors. Have to say, love the Smithsonian and will have to get back out there when the American History museum re-opens.

The first workshop I went to was Mass. General's, and chair of the TLC Scientific Advisory Board, Nancy Keuthen presenting on the recent neuroimaging work she's been involved in. I forget most of the details and it was pretty heady stuff to present that late in the evening, but the gist of it was that they did some brain imaging of trichsters doing some standards tests designed to stimulate the striatum and hippocampus and compared them to the previous OCD results. Unlike the OCD scans, the trichster scans the cortico-striatal connections seem to be working normally, but really this is just opening the door to the possibility of doing more brain-imaging studies like this. There's still so much to learn about how trich works in the brain.

The next morning, I went to hear David Pauls(from Harvard Medical) and Allison Ashley-Koch (from Duke) talk about the recent genetic research of trich and give a state of affairs. Pauls began with a broad outline on why genetic research could provide important information on how and why trich seems to travel in families and what methods can be used for doing genetic studies. He made an excellent case for using genetic studies to understand what factors could contribute to trich and rather then looking for some sort of gene therapy or advocating in vitro "treatment" of trich, he suspects that a greater understanding of what genes increased the risk of developing trich could help people in the future to reduce other contributing environmental factors. I found that very reassuring given recent controversy around Al Mohler's recent blog entry. He also announced that he was help organize an international trich genetic bank that could warehouse trichsters DNA and make it available to reputable scientists wanting to do research on trich. Interestingly he also mention that they were going to get DNA collected from the Afrikaner population in South Africa, which is both a fairly genetically isolated gene pool and I would think certainly had environmental stressors that could exacerbate trich.

Ashley-Koch then discussed last Fall's widely reported research on the connection between trich and the SLITRK1. I think one of the things I missed when this news came out was that the this was the FIRST real connection made between a metal "illness" and a genetic mutation. It is known that the SLITRK1 gene has a large influence on the brain and in particular, neurite outgrowth, connecting neurons to each other. The other thing that was very interesting was that this mutation appeared to be an "old" mutation and appeared in the DNA or other species such as mince, cows and dogs. And while the mutation was found only in 5% (2 of the 44 people studied) of the population they studied, it pointed at an area in the genome that definitely warrant more studies. And Duke's research is continuing. I had already decided to join the study and try to get as many of my family members to join as well. Conveniently enough, the project coordinators were available to take blood and DNA, so it felt good to be able to get that done right then and there.

In the afternoon, I went to hear psychologist Renae Reinardy talk about the gaining more awareness between the connection between our emotions and psychical state and our pulling, these are things we talk a lot about in my support group, but it was still nice to hear a fresh perspective. She pulled apart what people might be feeling before, during and after pulling their hair or picking their skin, asking people to identify for them selves what they might be feeling, frustration, tension, boredom, anxiety, indecision, excitement, anger, discomfort, pleasure while pulling, relief while pulling, "in a trance", pain while pulling, and afterwards maybe a sense of relief, accomplishment, more relaxed, more tense, guilt, anger, tired, sad or indifferent. She also encourage people to look for thought patterns and ways our pulling could be a maladapted thermostat-like way to bring use down or up to a more comfortable level. That's certainly part of my experience and having this awareness has helped me develop strategies like my meditation practice, better sleeping habits, reducing my caffeine intake, and reaching out to others for support more. She also strongly recommended assertiveness training which was a new idea for me.

Next I went to hear the Joe Garner from Purdue give an amazing overview on just about everything he's learned about trich and it's neurobiology. It was a rather involved talk to say the least, but he was able to cover an amazing amount of material in the time given. He started off with the take away messages that scientist are now developing a pretty robust understanding of how a variety of Abnormal Repetitive Behavior are produced by the brain, but that there's not a much research specific to trich though what there research there is seems to fit the patterns, while the differences may help to explain what trich is biologically and psychologically. In reviewing the data out there, the evidence seems to support the idea that trich is a disruption in the prefrontal and premotor cortico-striatal loops, or the circuits that that facilitate goals, are sensory stimulated, and that control patterns of movement. One idea that he mentioned that I hadn't heard about was the anarchic hand (or as wikipedia cites, DR. Strangelove Syndrome!) where one hand acts automatically which is interesting because I almost always pull with my left hand and around my left ear. But all the unknowns about trich are also interesting, like why (or does it) affect women more then men? Why is a similar barbering or grooming behavior seen across the board in many captive animal populations and nearly 100% of primates? And how far back in the evolutionary chain does this mutation go if it's part of the more "privative" basal ganglia part of the brain? Lots of room for new research, and Garner just submitted a proposal to look at multiple species across the evolutionary chain and compare genes such as SLITRK1. Exciting stuff!

After dinner I went to a men's forum that psychologist David Kueler organized. Even though there's a man that regularly attends my support group, it was nice have the opportunity to meet some other male pullers, though actually only two out of the four other men that I knew were attending the conference came to the forum. Yet another reminder of how much more needs to be done in raising awareness and building community.

Then on Sunday, I went to the research symposium, which was a round-up on the recent Trich Impact Studies. It was stressed many times how amazing it was that these studies were turned around so quickly and how important they could be in attractive further research dollars and legitimacy. Al so significant was the scales that were developed to measure the range of impact trich has on our lives and tools to categorize pulling behavior in a scientific way. Interesting data that they collected was that the largest majority of people reported pulling from their scalp and eyebrows. They also reported feeling unpleasant urges before pulling, feeling a bodily sensation, being for the most part aware of their pulling, and feeling anxious after pulling. All stuff I can concur with. Also interesting was that most people reported that when they sought treatment, most often the treatment provider was not much of an expert and treatment was very rarely effective and often was damaging. Strangely enough many people also reported that they had been prescribed SSRIs for treatment, even though there's been no scientific evidence that SSRIs are an effective treatment for trich. But what was encouraging is how many and how quickly published papers were coming out of this work and how these results and tools could be used for future studies.

There were also several sessions I wish I could have attended if I could have sent my clone.I was particularly sad that I missed was a presentation from one man whose Buddhist meditation practices was helping greatly in his recovery from trich. Sounds very similar to my own experience and I would have loved to compare notes. Also Doug Woods gave a talk on "Separating Snake Oil from Penicillin", which was funny because I had just seen a sample of the first Penicillin at the Smithsonian. I thought it was a very important question, sense it seems to me that many pullers are eager for anything that might provide some relief, even if it's only supported by anecdotal evidence and may or not work.

Good stuff all around and I'm really glad I went. All the people associated with TLC, the pullers, the picker, the researchers are all such amazing people and I'm very glad to have found them. And of course, none of us would have come together without the efforts of Christina Pearson. Makes me want to continue to help out it whatever small ways I can.

Sissy Spacek & Cam Archer take on "Pull"

2007-03-02T13:27:00.000-08:00

indieWIRE: indieWIRE INTERVIEW: Cam Archer, Director of "Wild Tigers I Have Known"

I recently came across this interview where the Santa Cruz native, indie filmmaker, Cam Archer, talked about his next project being about a woman with trichotillomania. He's already got Sissy Spacek signed up for the lead which is a huge coup. I haven't seen any of his films but just his interest in the subject of trich is intriguing.

Whole Fed

2007-02-28T17:01:00.000-08:00

Tuesday night I went and saw a fascinating sold-out talk between, the John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods, and Michael Pollan, the author of the Omnivore's Dilemma.

You can watch it yourself on this webcast.

While I love everything Pollan has written and I think he's quite brilliant, I have to say Mackey really impressed me. He gave a large overview of the history of food production and also showed a short video on how various domesticated food animals are treated in today industrial system. As an aside, Mackey said that he was now a vegetarian, while Pollan still will eat meat. While he may have reluctant at first to have a public conversation with Pollan, Mackey used the forum to really engage critics and opinion makers and present some rather exciting new initiatives that Whole Foods is taking to step up their game and really set them apart. Probably a slightly calculated move, but still responsive and intelligently done. Mackey announced:

A new $30 million venture capital fund that will invest in artisan food start-ups and help the best and highest quality food products

An organic farm rating system that includes animal welfare standards and gives consumer more information beyond just "organic"

A new $10 million annually funded Local Producer Loan Program designed to promote local agriculture and strengthen connections to local producers

A new Whole Trade guarantee program in cooperation with Fair Trade and the Rain Forest Network that will guarantee quality, price, labor practices, and environmental sustainability of foods imported from the developing world.

In all, Mackey presented a vision of a corporation that is committed to values beyond just stockholder value, that is really trying to promote a new "ecological" system of food production. He also challenged everyone to join and engage in an effort to spread compassion and love and usher in a new ecological age. Very Buddhist. Conscious Capitalism, exciting "paradigm-shifting" stuff that really makes me hopeful, and glad that I myself am working for company that has higher values then just profit.

Pollan, while reserving space for "semi-objective" journalism, also made a few advocacy points, converting land used for corn production (primary for cattle feed) into grass based grazing land, letting a lot of ideals flourish (including things we might think are "bad") and see what works, and enabling greater transparency for letting consumers know how our food is made and how it gets to us.

All good stuff and glad to see so much attention being paid to these issues. And aamde me re-think some of my own behavior.

In my earlier years, my fmaily was macrobiotic, but I've been eating dairy for more then 25 years now. Mackey made a compelling point that the dairy industry as it exists now is predominately inhumane in it's treatment of dairy cows and most often supports the veal industry as well. I really want to think about how I can eat dairy in a more ethical manner. I've also shopped at Trader Joe's for a long time, and Mackey pointed out that as a privately held company owned they've haven't had to be as public about their business practices. It was also good to hear that Whole Foods decided to match Trader Joe prices on comparative products if only to help lure customers. So given Mackey's performance and the programs Whole Foods is doing, I think I AM more inclined to shop there.

So maybe the Omnivore's Dilemma backlash against Whole Foods may reverse itself on the strength of Mackey's engagement with that criticism and it really will create something rich and more productive then what was before.

Urge Fighter

2007-02-27T13:20:00.000-08:00

Saw this L.S.U. college paper article pop up via Google News today - Fighting the Urge - News and was encouraged to see another Trichster dude in the news. It makes me feel like we're on the verge of a re-analysis of the prevalence of male TTM. I've thought for a long tine there were a lot more of men who had Trich out there, but weren't diagnosed and/or used other means to mask the symptoms. And I hope as more men come forward, others will be encourage to also step forward and seek help.

I'm going to the Natl. Trich Conference partly because they're offering a men's forum which should be very interesting. I'm curious who will be part of it and the conversation will go. I know for myself while much of my experience as a trichster is shared by women, there are differences in how it plays out in my own sense of male identity, my ability to be show vulnerable parts of myself and in my relationships.

As more men as diagnosed with trich, I think the re could be a benefit to the entire trich community. Too often women's medical problems are marginalized and not given the level of attention that male medical problems are given. With more men going the ranks of public suffers from trich, perhaps this could help change the perception of trich from a "women's problem to a "human problem". But perhaps, even that is wishful thinking and as a T-shirt I saw on Valencia this week, it's just confirmation that "Men are the new Women" and the only hope in getting trich more out there in the public eye is the elusive celebrity puller spokesperson ;)

Found Myself

2007-02-16T11:24:00.001-08:00

Pillow Fight 2007 098
Originally uploaded by giantmonster.

I'm right dab center in the brown shirt. Too bad you can't see the Dogster tagline.

Love Fights

2007-02-16T09:32:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, I joined in the 2nd annual Valentine's Day Pillow Fight Club.

Wow!

What an amazing amount of fun! I was pretty sad to see it peter out, but then I was off to see Si*Se and Los Amigos Invisibles both put on an awesome show at the Independent.

MEGO LEGO

2007-02-12T13:04:00.001-08:00

Lego just started accepting pre-orders for their largest model ever, a mini-fig full-scale version of the Falcon. With over 5,000 pieces and almost 3 feet long, it's certainly impressive, but so is the price tag, $500! I'm sure they know what there doing and the Star Wars line has been one of their most successful, tapping into all those adult Lego/Star Ward geeks like me, but at the price I think I'll have to pass. It's tempting though. I'd like to get my hands on the directions booklet at least. I've built my own larger mini-fig scale Star Wars models, but this does look like a nice one.

Chuck E. Cheesy

2007-01-23T12:30:00.001-08:00

Computer Space game cabinetLast night I went to Chuck E. Cheese for my nephew's birthday. I had never been before and for my nephew, even a 25-year-old concept is fresh and new again to a 6-year-old and the right TV commercial. When I was kid I remember all the hubbub when Nolan Bushnell from Atari started the whole animatronic animal pizza chain. At the time, it seemed prophetic rather then just the odd whim of a frustrated Disney fanatic, but now it has a sort of dated atmosphere, like a cheap kids' Vegas.

But looking up Bushnell history this morning led to this great game forerunner

The Geni's loose

2007-01-19T15:40:00.001-08:00

Found this cool viral genealogical site. It's a pretty quick and easy means to build a web-based family tree and as data accumulates, eventually show how large groups of disparate people are related. Though one thing that isn't as supported as well as I'd like is showing how non-biological families are, since I've got a large California extended/blended family. But it's an interesting start and I'm curious how it develops.

Update: Okay, I'm totally addicted to this site now. I think they've got a winner here. The tag line "Everyone's Related" is almost a description of what they're hitting that many social-networking sites miss, those strong connections that people have in the real world, particularly family connection. And then on top of that it appeals to all those compulsive genealogy nuts out there, which I could easily join.

Guantanamo Unclassified

2007-01-11T14:26:00.000-08:00

Why Am I A Buddhist?

2007-01-11T14:05:00.000-08:00

I recently gave a talk at my Buddhist center on the topic of "Why I Am A Buddhist". It was a very interesting exercise and made me think about the question and about my practice in new ways. I'd really like to write an essay on the topic at some point, but my friend Gabriel's website has a copy of my talk along with the others that various members of the Sangha gave.

Is What the What?

2007-01-09T13:26:00.000-08:00

I recently finished reading the Dave Eggers novelization of Valentino Achak Deng's autobiography about his experience as a "Lost Boy" of southern Sudan. It's an interesting sort of collaboration where Valentino supplied the rough narrative of his life and memories and Dave wrote in his voice and filled in the details that Valentino's memory lacked. It's a bit odd to hear Dave's style restricted in a way by trying to stay true to Valentino's life an d not fly off on it's usual surreal tangents. And certainly Valentino's own voice and horrific experiences shine through.

BE ALERT

2006-12-28T15:09:00.000-08:00

I didn't know Charlie Stockley, but he was a friend of a friend and he died on Christmas Eve at the age of 38 - SF Chronicle. He had cystic fibrosis and desperately needed a lung transplant that tragically didn't arrive in time. Hearing about children's deaths always gets to me, but there something even more cutting hearing about a peers death, a stronger reminder of my own mortality. His site, that my friend Kyra, made to update people on Charlie's condition now reads:

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Charlie Stockley on the night of December 24th. As we search for meaning in this terrible loss, we fervently believe that Charlie's courageous battle with Cystic Fibrosis has inspired countless people to register as the organ donors that someday might save the lives of others in his situation. Although Charlie didn't receive the lungs he so desperately needed, we know he would be happy if only one person was helped by his struggle. Charlie's family wishes to express their most sincere gratitude for the love, prayers and support that sustained them during this difficult ordeal and demonstrated how many lives were touched by this remarkable man. If you are thinking of sending commemorative flowers for the family, instead please honor Charlie's memory either by registering as an organ donor or making a contribution to any chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. We welcome and appreciate any words/thoughts you have in our guest book below, too.

I had already registered as an organ donor, but this is another reminder that gifting our organs can save real lives and the whole thing is a reminder how tenuous all our lives our. So please, if you haven't done so yet, consider registering as an organ donor.

At lunch this week, I got a fortune that read "Opportunity only comes along once. Be alert". There's a lot of truth in that and really there no time for clinging to the sadness we collect in our lives. And obviously I'm referring to other stuff that is going on in my life, but at the same time we need to have patience for things to take the time it does and not push our experiences away. The dialectical tension between sucking the marrow out of life and finding the patience for life's tiny changes is one I'm quite familiar with and no closer to any definitive answers. Ah, the process of constantly finding the balance as life swings around us...

Blogzy? Blazy?

2006-12-14T10:12:00.000-08:00

OK, I know I haven't been writing much lately. Partly because I've been doing more off-line journal writing, partly because I've been busy-busy at work lately, and partly just because I've been blog lazy recently. It's not that I haven't been doing lots of blog worthy stuff recently, but finding the time and energy to write about them has been hard.

For example, I hosted a lovely Santa Lucia party on Wednesday with a fiend crowd of good friends in attendance. Sadly I neglected to take any photos, but ah well.

Monday I went and saw Dave Eggers and Valentino Achak Deng speak about their new book, What is the What, as part of the City Arts series. I was sleepy-tired but enjoyed the chance to see them chat, though I would have liked to hear more about their writing process and how it was to write someone else's autobiography as fiction and what is was like to have someone else write about their life in a first person narrative.

And part of the reason I was tired was from going to the most excellent Bootie party on Sat. Took some pics there, but still have yet to upload them.

Ah, back to the laziness again. Oh week, all thing wax and wane as I stressed in a talk I gave last week on why I am a Buddhist. It was quite interesting to think about and a subject I'd like to write more on. Soon.

caffè con moderno

2006-11-27T17:25:00.000-08:00

Sugarlump Coffee Lounge finally opened for real down the street from me the other week. I went to a preview party party last month, which Cynner_SF documented and saw the ultra-mid century decor, and the excellent bookshelf (Two copies of Moby Dick for perusal). But despite it's royal swankiness, there's still something comfortable and relaxed about the place. Good addition to the neighborhood.

Rare Cloud Forms Above Antarctica

2006-10-20T22:01:00.000-07:00

This is a very insteresting article on a very strange natural phenomena. Photo in the News: Rare Cloud Forms Above Antarctica: "Nacreous clouds"

More photos of Nacreous clouds

Green themes

2006-10-18T10:14:00.000-07:00

Last night I used my CityCarShare membership for the first time. It was amazingly easy and actually a lot of fun. I've got about three lots in walking distance from my place, and another across from my Buddhist center. I'm so glad to be living a care-less life right now. Hopefully I'll still be saying that when the rains come.

I used the car to drive over to my step-bro's house. While there, he showed me the plans for the 2007 Burning Man Manbase. In line with next year's green theme, most of the structure will be re-usable and only the Man will and his minimal supporting structure will be burned. The rest will this huge mountain of a shade structure and two auxiliary "foothill" shade structures. Should be sweet and a radical departure from recent Manbases. Looking forward to seeing it on the Playa.

Ah. The Glory that is YouTube

2006-10-03T00:41:00.000-07:00

I had largely ignored the YouTube revolution but tonight I found some videos I might never have seen otherwise, ones by Kahimi Karie. Lovely indeed.

The Internet Speaks Tonight

2006-09-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

I heard this fascinating story on KALW about the Listening Post, an installation piece now at the San Jose Museum of Art. I have to say I've never been to the San Jose Museum of Art and in all honesty didn't even know they existed. But this Listening Post sounds like it's worth the trip down. Basically, the project collects conversation snippets from public forums all around the Internet in real-time and the text is played through a voice-synthesizer and displayed on a grid of green LED screens. Sounds very cool on many levels

i FREEDOM FIGHTER BOMBING love you

2006-09-19T14:31:00.000-07:00

another tragically amazing A Softer World.

This Year's Cubitron

2006-09-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

Last year's cubitron was a simple 10' x 10' cube. But this year cubitron was back, bugger, rounder and with much more complex patterns.

Burnt Man

2006-09-13T17:09:00.000-07:00

I'm still feeling fairly spent from this year's Burning Man and asociated events, but I finally upload my photos and some videos to share.

The fist is this amazing walking spider vehicle that was cruzing the Esplanade one afternoon. Enjoy.

The best spam ever

2006-08-22T16:42:00.000-07:00

I got the my favorite spam of all time. It came with the subject line "day care" and followed with this amazing prose-poetry. I very much want to know more about the Tibetans Mordecai and Rait, and our mysterious narrator who promises two sets of twins to the wind. The worst part was the lame image attached. Not nearly as original.

Then there was nothing for it but to take those two Tibetans withus. Understand, these people think that Mordecai and Rait wereone and the same person. Theres a monk in the firstniche in the passage. But there was that dead horse, and Iwas starving hungry. They have made their winterquarters in a little monastery near here and were easy to find. Theres a British resident, anda Moravian mission, and astronomers up at the observatory. Tsang-Mondrong and Tsang-yang were our chief perplexity. Next day after that they changed my cell mate. Well, you cant start while the storm lasts, he said presently. We could not quiet him until Narayan Singh crawled out and pretendedto scout through the storm. Some of em asked to see it, but I only showedthe tube what it was in. The room he had brought us into was a large one, heavily beamedand ceilinged with hewn planks. According to Grims theory, that is the secret of the strength oftheir enduring race. Neat they tries to setmy friends house afire. Chullunder Ghose seizedhis hands and slapped the backs of them. Comes five of the Tibetans after me, reckoning theyll catch metheir side of the Zogi-la. I helped him to enter Tibet but I never heard ofhim again. He has said hewill visit my house tonight. I lost the way, and it stormed, covering up my tracks and theirs,too. I guess a cow feels that way in the shambles. I was put in witha monk who had to tell me all the passwords. I have known quite a number of men who have entered Tibet, heanswered, many more than you imagine.

What Id rubbed on warmed me and I didnt hurt so much, but my headbursts every step I take.Presently a bell rings, and theres silence.Night marches are almost impossible, and by daylight it is hopelessto try to escape observation.Narayan Singh coveredhim with an extra overcoat. I makes the horse step lively, and thesnow coming from behind me covers up the tracks.Half a dozenmay have found it but I think all the others perished.If theyd skin you,that ud be a mild thing! I am perhaps a little wiser than I was, but it may be I am onlylazy and afraid. There came a more than usually violent gust of wind that seemedto shake the earth. I promises her two sets o twins in three years. What Id rubbed on warmed me and I didnt hurt so much, but my headbursts every step I take. Presently a bell rings, and theres silence. Night marches are almost impossible, and by daylight it is hopelessto try to escape observation. Narayan Singh coveredhim with an extra overcoat. I makes the horse step lively, and thesnow coming from behind me covers up the tracks. Half a dozenmay have found it but I think all the others perished. If theyd skin you,that ud be a mild thing! I am perhaps a little wiser than I was, but it may be I am onlylazy and afraid. There came a more than usually violent gust of wind that seemedto shake the earth. I promises her two sets o twins in three years.

Root Down

2006-08-17T07:07:00.000-07:00

I went to ROOT division's 2nd Saturday event this week and was really impressed by both the space, the scene and the art. My favorite pieces were by Melissa Hutton who did the chairs at Brainwash back in the day. Her latest stuff has some amazing colors and really pop in a pleasant way while still playing of nolstalgia imagry. Nice stuff.

All-natural, locally sourced, trans-fat-free IT'S IT

2006-08-11T16:06:00.000-07:00

Intetresting that IT'S IT would produce a special sandwich just for Googlers, as revealed at Official Google Blog: I scream for (Google) ice cream. I wonder if they are considering offering this "elternative" IT'S IT to the general public (without the Google co-branding of course). I for one would be interested. I love me some IT'S IT, but all-natural, locally-source, trans-fat-free, that sounds great too.

"1 Way Ticket" to ride

2006-08-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

I don't read a lot of web-comics, but this one looks like a good one. It's a rock 'n' roll comic with those heavy, sloppy inks I like with a definite Paul Pope influence. It's hard to really see where the plot is going in just two pages, but they're nice looking pages. The artist is Daniel Warner, new name, but some one that could be worth watching.

Lucky 13?

2006-08-09T16:08:00.000-07:00

All the talk around Al Gore's movie Inconvenient Truth reminded me of this sea-level rise Google map mash-up San Francisco flood map. Turns out my place is good up to 13 meters, but a few more feet puts water at my doorstep. Not so bad, but the funny thing is that the Marina and the Mission both get hit pretty hard. Hmmm, it might be nice to hold onto those ice caps.

The Walking Dead vs. Lost

2006-08-08T19:22:00.000-07:00

I'm a late convert to the TV series LOST, and just watching the 12th episode last night where Claire is taken by Ethan and Charlie nearly dies. It was excellent TV and expertly written. Then this morning I was thinking of Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof's introduction to the latest collection of Robert Kirkman's comic book series Invincible.

"LOST is a comic book... Or like one... Here's two things I learned from reading a gazillion comic books:

Thing One: I like lots and lots and lots of characters. I get bored easily, so the Justice League is infinitely more compelling then just Superman alone. The X-Men rock harder then Wolverine's solo albums...and even the Midnighter can't hold my interest for too long if you strip away The Authority.

Thing Two: I like my stories complicated and sprawling. I want surprises. I want to be rewarded for being a loyal reader... like I'm part of a secret society. I don't want to be spoon-fed. I want to think. I want to be part of a universe where anything can happen... and often does. And I like RISK.

Robert Kirkman has mastered Thing One and Thing Two."

Damon's absolutely right, but the series that actually illustrates this the best is his other creator owned series The Walking Dead. While LOST chickens out and lets Charlie live, The Walking Dead regularly kills off major members of it's sprawling cast. Kirkman has written that no one is safe in this series, not even the main protagonist, Rick. And I believe it. Rick just recently lost a hand to a sadistic survivalist-warlord. I don't feel the same sense of danger for LOST's Jack. In TV, star actors are usually hired for entire seasons and are rarely let go mid-season. But for comics, any character can be written out at any time, all of them just lines on paper. And that's big part of why comics can take bigger risks. Of course, in mainstream super-hero comics like Superman and Spiderman, no one can stay dead for long, but outside of the icons, character can die and stay dead. And in creator-owned project anything goes. No matter, how big a TV show runner is, they don't have that kind of freedom. So while LOST is very well done and I'm may be surprised by latter episodes, it seams clear that The Walking Dead "rocks harder" to use Damon's parlance, just because it takes a lot more risks and really ANYTHING can happen. The structure of TV just doesn't offer those possibilities, no matter how quirky and off-beat a series is.

UPDATE:

Okay, I'm wrong. Lost does take some major risks and will kill off main characters. The writers are doing it right, and writing along the lines of some of the best comics.

Milked Almonds

2006-08-08T10:24:00.000-07:00

My family was macrobiotic when I was a kid. So since we didn't eat any dairy, we made almond cream for our waffles instead of whip cream. It was a fairly involved process of soaking the almonds, pealing off the skins and then blending them with the right amount of water. It was actually really good stuff that I miss. So imagine my surprise to find out that almond milk is being sold commercially now, by Blue Diamond no less! They're selling it as Almond Breeze®, which I think is a pretty strange name. Part of me is amazed that milk alternatives have come so far in 25 years, but another part of me is horrified that corporate almond growers are finding new avenues to sell their products. But it tastes pretty good, though not as good as homemade. Makes me want to make my own Almond cream though....

Saucers Sighted

2006-08-06T21:25:00.000-07:00

This weekend I went and saw my sister, Slyvia's latest play, The Farmington Armada. It's a series of mostly comedic shorts, all based on a 1950 newspaper account of several days of regular saucer sights in Farmington, NM. Sylvia has roles in two of the most surreal scenes, one of which she plays a "visiting" bartender that literally pulls it out it's ass. Certainly needs to be seen to be appreciated.

Alan Moore' Lost Girls

2006-08-03T10:53:00.000-07:00

This week the Onion's A.V. Club has an excellent interview with the incomparable Alan Moore in anticipation of the long awaited "Lost Girls". I remember hearing about this project back in the early nineties, when it was first started, but after sometime it took on a semi-mythic status as the Alan Moore pornography project that would never get published. So a few months ago, I was a bit surprised to hear rumblings that it was actually going to see print. I have to admit I had some hesitations about ordering the massive thing, but ultimately decided I needed to see it myself to see what I thought.

I'm definitely intrigued after reading this interview and seeing him write so intelligently and passionately about the book and the status of pornography and sex in Anglo-American culture. I think if it doesn't challenge my own sensibilities a bit, I may be disappointed.

Beth Orton: baby on stage

2006-07-31T17:10:00.000-07:00

Went and saw the fabulous and visibly pregnant Beth Orton last Saturday at the Filmore. She was even more amazing live then I had heard and I was very glad I caught her this time around, since it could be a while before she tours again. But I was quite proud of her to see her out on the stage rockin' the belly and just plain rockin'!

On another note, I uploaded this vid using VideoEgg and quite impressive video publishing tool that I've been working with this week for implementation at dogster. should be great to have it out there in the community in the next few weeks! Can't wait to see what people do with it.

House of Masks on the Esplanade!

2006-07-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

This week theme camp addresses were announced and once again the House of Masks will be on the Esplanade! This time it's at 8:30 @ Esplanade, right next to the Kostume Kult. So after people costume up, they can come by and make a mask. This year we'll also be setting up some playa side kickball games.

For all your last minute Burning Man spending, check out the "Official" retailer of Black Rock City Playazon.com which now stock the indispensable "Hands-Free" Merkin Flashlight
and tons consumer goodness.

2006-07-26T19:15:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I took up the Black Rock Desert. My camp-mate, Todd, had to go out to the Burning Man Ranch to check in with the crew that are constructing the Man Base structure. It's a rather complex structure this year that is designed to actually raise and lower the Man. Should be amazing to see it out on the Playa in a few weeks.

We also did an amazing drive through the High Rock Canyon along the Lassen-Applegate Wagon Train Trail. It's very hard to image people passing through those parts in the 1850's but they did.

More Photos

MasterCard Add spoof

2006-07-25T23:10:00.000-07:00


My brother, Ilo, sent me this. Pretty well done.

New wheels!

2006-07-19T12:23:00.000-07:00

Since starting my new job, I've been riding my bike to work about four days a week. But what I've been has been my 15-20 year old beast of a bike, that had been out to Burning Man for the past few years. So after taking my friend Jeff's bike for a spin the other week, I decided it was a time for a new bike. Saturday I went over to Pedal Revolution and picked out a 2005 Fuji Silhouette. What a difference to be riding something lighter, with better running gear and missing the left over playa dust

Lounge Unit #1

2006-07-16T21:32:00.000-07:00

Lounge Unit #1
Originally uploaded by leef_smith.

Man, I'm exhausted. A few of my camp mates got together today to build a prototype of the units that are going to makes up our lounge this year. We knocked it together in a few hours and learned a lot for building the next one. Only eight more left to build!

Naughty Bees

2006-07-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, my friend Sara got hooked up with tickets for the "adult" version of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, so she, Pam and their friend Alison and I all went to check it out. It had enough risque language that I wondered what the "clean" storyline was, but the stuff that actually sort of bothered me was the "ethnic humor". One of the main characters was Korean, and the word she got to spell were all Japanese words like miso. And then when she asked for it to used in a sentence, of course, the sentence was "Miso horny". But on the other hand, the play did have an Asian Jesus...

Update:
I was at Raleigh's in Berkeley last night and there was Derrick Trumbly who played Leaf Coneybear, the Haight-Ashbury kid who discovers he's actually smarter and a better speller then anyone thought. I wanted to go up and tell him, I was the real Leef, but let him just enjoy his beer instead

Inconvenient Truths

2006-07-05T21:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I work up to NPR talking about a tyrant ruling over America. It took me quiet some time to figure out that they weren't speaking about our current tyrant, but rather King George III, in the Declaration of Independence. Later in the day I saw Al Gore's movie An Inconvenient Truth and the footage of the 2000 election broke my heart as always. The railing at the current the administration was actually fairly minimal. But bigger then all that, was the message the Al Gore was trying to present in his slideshows and now in this film, that the time for action to prevent catastrophic global warming is now, and that using today's technology and simple steps, we, Americans have can have a profound affect on the problem. Of course that's because we, and our over consumption of resources, are a major part of the problem. Later this month, my Buddhist center is giving a serious of lectures on conscious consumption, which I'm really looking forward to.

The Snake Takes Shape

2006-06-28T18:57:00.000-07:00

The Superman Knocks Twice

2006-06-28T09:43:00.000-07:00

I saw Superman Returns last night at a sneak showing my brother's company was doing. Bryan Singer has made a big damn movie for sure with some spectacular visual effects, but at the same time with a lot fewer characters then the X-Men movies, he was also able to give us a lot more intimate character moments. For instance, like Peter Parker's learning to web-swing in first Spiderman movie, Superman Returns shows us a new aspects of his origin that we've never seen before, in this case Clark's discovery that he can fly.

Additionally, Superman Returns is very much a love letter to the first Richard Donner Superman movie with numerous "in-references" that are often exact recreations of lines and scenes, but at the same time fit into the more modern story. In a sense Kevin Spacey is playing Gene Hackman playing Lex Luthor, while still doing enough to make it his own. A lot was made about using unused Marlon Brando footage, but really they were just backdrop, setting the tone for the film as a whole. But they did help tying the movies all together.

There was a major story element, that worried me a little bit just because it's a large departure from comic continuity but I'm curious to see where it goes. But who knows? Comics continuity could begin to echo the movies. The rumor is that Richard Donner will be joining Geoff Johns as a writer on Action Comics later this year.

Roadside Show & Tell!

2006-06-13T20:15:00.000-07:00

My book club buddy Alison is currently crossing the country as part of her Roadside Show & Tell. She's an amazing artist and her travel log is almost as amazing. It makes me hungry to take my own road trip across America, something I've never done. It really is a strange and fantastic country that I'd like to see more of eventually, but foreign shores tempt as well.

DogBlogged

2006-06-13T17:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I appeared on the Dogster Blog. Pretty sweet! So far, it's been great getting up to speed with the dogster pack and I'm really looking forward to building some cool functionality for the dogster/catster community and helping build the place up as the best place on the internet for us pet lovers to hang out.

Update: I also launched my first dogster/catster code today, re-designed storefronts. They feature excellent photos by my friend Gabriel Branbury. Check them out the DogStore and CatStore.

Thar be dragons in de Mission!!

2006-06-13T17:07:00.000-07:00

Mission Dragons
Originally uploaded by leef_smith.

The mini-park next to my house is finally coming together. This week a dragon or so sort of serpent started to rise out of the ground. It looks there might be some light or water feature to it as well. Either way it should be a dramatic change from the old scrub grass lot.

Kickball Sunday

2006-06-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

mini-kball june467
Originally uploaded by GGPkickball.

Jordon took some awesome kickball shots last weekend. This one looks like I'm about fall over backwards while juggling the ball.

Yes, dogs!

2006-06-02T18:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first day at dogster.com/catster.com. It was great to meet the members of the team I hadn't met before, like Greg, Steven, Randi and her dog Ripley. Mostly I was just getting the lay of the land and meeting the architecture, but today I hope to crawl through some code. I can already see really making a diffeerence for the site and the company. It's going to be fun, which is something I was missing from Visa for far too long. Woof! Woof!

Carnaval 2006

2006-05-30T21:43:00.000-07:00

At about 7:30 AM Sunday morning the Samba started thumping. The Carnaval parade starts about a half a block from my house and all the groups assemble along both side of Bryant. For a change the weather was absolutely gorgeous. I went up to the roof to see what I could see, but there were too many trees in the way. Guess I could have checked that before I invited a bunch of people over ;) So we down to street level and watched some of the parade. Then after a while more people showed up and we went back to the apartment to hang out. It was really good to have people over. I should do it again soon.

My pics
Lars' awesome shots
Julian's excellent photos

web box

2006-05-27T21:21:00.000-07:00

I found this pretty cool web-based file sharing tool today. Back in the day, there was xDrive and all that, but you had to download a clunky client piece. Box.net is entirely web-bases with lots of web 2.0 functionality(Tagging, RSS feeds, etc.) To try it out, click the link below

Ground Rio

2006-05-26T15:36:00.000-07:00

This weekend is Carnaval in the Lower Mission. Last year, I was just getting back from New Zealand, so I was jet lagged and overwhelmed. But this year I plan to be up on my roof on 24th Street watching the Parade. I'm right on the first few blocks of the parade and lots of groups will be setting up, so expect to be up early Sunday morning with the sounds of samba booming.

My out of control "To Read" stack

2006-05-23T20:05:00.000-07:00

My out of control "To Read" stack
Originally uploaded by leef_smith.

I have to say my reading stack is getting more then a little out of control. I'm realiy trying to get through some books, but then there's the magazines...

Ah, will it ever shrink?

Six Feet Over

2006-05-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

I'm totally behind the curve on this but just this weekend I finally watched season five of Six Feet Under. Wow! This show pulls on my heart-strings on so many levels, but never feels manipulative or cheesy. I think one of the reasons I identify with it so match are the parallels to my own family, two older brothers and a significantly younger sister, with a more distant, needy mother. When bad things happened to any of the any of the siblings, can't help but imagine the same things happening to my own brother or sister. Whenever the repression and alienation between the Fisher's comes to the forefront, I connect to those same issues in my own family. It's sad to think that the series is really over, but I know it's something I'll want to watch over and over throughout my lifetime and see different things in it. There's definitely that sense of richness there. I'm going to miss the idea of new episodes to watch though.

FLICKR SMASH!

2006-05-17T16:47:00.000-07:00

So yesterday Flickr quietly announced they where joinng the gamma irradiated crowd, and going from beta to gamma with a brand new site navigation and some enhanced functionality. Now I have even more reason to love Flickr, especially with the much improved, faster and larger Organizr. Funny, just the other day I had posted a request for a full-screen Organizr, but I'm surethey had heard that before.

Yahoo Mail beta vs. Gmail

2006-05-17T15:44:00.000-07:00

Aggh! Everyday it seems like Google and Yahoo are battling it out for all my "Wow, that's really cool!" For Yahoo's cool AJAX livesearch.alltheweb.com, Google strikes back with something amazing like sketchup.com. Then you have similar products like del.icio.us and google.com/notebook. But the heart of the battle for me has been web email. For years I've been a loyal users of Yahoo mail and stood by it as other systems dropped by the wayside. But a few months back, I decide to really give Gmail a try and I was hooked. I loved to idea of threaded email, plus all the pretty colors! Then Yahoo released the beta of their new Yahoo mail and was drawn back. It's certainly the most Windows-like, AJAXy web client that I've ever seen with all sorts of cool functionality, like dragging emails into folder, tabbed browsing and Right-Click options. But this week I decided to go back to Gmail, primarily because it's just simpler and quicker to work with, but also it's just easier to keep a clean Inbox with Gmail. A really basic need but it's just where I want to be right now. It's great to have the competition bringing some great Web 2.0 applications, but the decisions over which to chose are killing me!

Small town tragedies and pointless deaths

2006-05-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

This story on Morning Edition, Small Indiana Town Remembers Fallen Marine, got to me this morning. It just breaks my heart hearing about very normal, ordinary people caught up in the carnage of Iraq. Of course, they made their choices, but still no expects it to happen to them. I mean this guy was making plans for his future and expected to make it out of Iraq and live a full adult life. But not to be... And that strikes me as very tragic, that sacrifice of life with hardly a purpose at all.

Korea: Intact Culture

2006-05-09T15:20:00.000-07:00

Anne Hilty writes some great articles on life in Korea for Seoul Selection and this week her topic was Korea's "Intact Culture" and what that means for foreigners visiting or living in Korea. It's a very well written and compassionate explanation for what can often be an uneasy relationship between Koreans and foreigners. I was talking at a party this weekend about what living in Korea was like and struggling a bit. It's hard to really convey to people who really know very little about Korea.

A Very Special Celebration of Phil

2006-05-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

Phil & the ladies - Pamela, Cindy, Shanna, Phil, Gretchen & Pamela
Originally uploaded by leef_smith.

Thursday was my friend Phil's birthday and a big ol' crew of us got together for dinner at the Last Super Club to celebrate. It was absolutely flippin' AirWolf!

and the baby came also

2006-04-30T22:25:00.000-07:00

My niece, Zoe, drew this for me and wrote this about it.

"On the table was a pie and some green apple juice. And inside the tent was the big sister and the brother was outside on the sand. But anyway they wanted to camp at the beach. So they brought their hammock and they brought their tent and the baby came also."