this must be the place

back to business - a new design

2009-06-11T08:15:00.006-05:00

Now that I've gotten over my Hasselbeck moment, and have pretty much stopped watching The View (as much as a drunk can "have just one; every once in a while") it's about time I start using this blog for its intended purpose, as a "resource for the directionless altruist". And in that spirit I thought I'd start a weekly post about an unknown or under-known person, organization, or company that is making a difference in the world.

For my first entry I thought I'd look at a company who combines use from two of my favorite things: well designed paper products and sugar.

Sugar Earth is making industrial paper products from the byproducts of the sugar industry. They are using materials that would otherwise be discarded to create something that we often use and toss without a thought. All of the products are biodegradable (in 180 or less) and compostable.

If just one fast food chain made the choice to use Sugar Earth's packaging and napkins, or a major box store started using their towels and tissue in all of their stores, think of the landfill and waste impact that could have for all of us over time.

So kudos to Sugar Earth for a creative solution to a problem that has and will always exist. Great design isn't just about the creation of new things but improving on what already exists.

i am a hypocrite

2009-02-07T09:00:00.010-05:00

Okay... so.... I post what? like twice a year to this blog which no one reads? And what do I post, things about how hope counters the gen-x disillusionment that surrounds me. Yeah. So... I'm a closet hater. But my hate really only falls on one human, and as a relatively intellectual person, I understand how contrary and unproductive my hate is. Moreover, there are far more evil things in the world to direct hate energy at.

I hate Elisabeth Hasselbeck.

I don't want to. Really. It makes me feel pretty awful to admit it, mostly because she really does not deserve that much of my energy. But... sigh... I do. I really do. I can't watch "The View" anymore, I really shouldn't watch it to begin with, but it's a guilty "pleasure" that has turned into some type of sadomasochistic daily torture in the form of "hot topics".

This madness must stop. I survived watching Ms. Hasselbeck slinging snide comments throughout the election cycle, planting her right-winger Rush Limbaugh discourse in the daily swill of talk. I really could go on a red hot rant right now, but... refraining from wasting any more energy on this woman I will only say this:

Ms. Hasselbeck, you cannot twist every single topic into one which will suit your whacked out agenda. You likely have a gaggle of followers extolling your "virtuous" and "pious" lifestyle. However, if you truly believed one single thing that spills out of your mouth you would start to embrace compassion, understanding, and knowledge of your subject matter so as to make an actual credible argument. Right now, any of us who consider ourselves thoughtful see you as the enemy.

You speak in sound bites that you've heard from others who may actually make real commentary but you are just a monkey throwing someone else's shit Ms. Hasselbeck.

Learn about what you extol to your non-critical masses if you want to reach them. Because right now, your "co-stars" make you look like a schmuck by simply shining a tiny pin light on your less than considered rhetoric. And your whining about how unfair they are? No one buys it any more. Whoopie is smarter than Rosie, she's not going to fall for that. Can't you see that she makes you accountable? Stop being a victim of your own lack of understanding. Read something, please. Then, with any hope, maybe I will start yelling at the television because you've actually said something I disagree with rather than screaming "You are such a fucking idiot!"

Okay, done. Over.

a new day has finally come

2008-11-05T08:56:00.006-05:00

It feels as though a curtain has lifted, and I feel rosy again.

The Father of the World Wide Web, comments on Net Neutrality

2006-12-18T09:39:00.000-05:00


From Wikipedia: Sir Timothy "Tim" John Berners-Lee (born June 8, 1955 in London) is the inventor of the World Wide Web and director of the World Wide Web Consortium, which oversees its continued development. Informally, in technical circles, he is sometimes called "TimBL" or "TBL". FIGHT FOR NET NEUTRALITY AND THE FREE INTERNET! GO FOR MORE INFORMATION TO: www.savetheinternet.com

The Last Crusade -- A lament

2006-09-27T08:07:00.001-05:00

Perhaps it's time to revise the approach to the war on terrorism. Maybe if a re-thinking happens, those involved might want to approach it not as new holy war with a military "offensive" but take clues from the marketing world?

America needs a new brand. A secular, happy, optimistic, prosperous brand. "America" like Frank Cappa would see.

I want Frank Cappa colored glasses.

Why can't we be the America that every other country wanted to be ten years ago, fifty years ago. Maybe living in Japan now feels more like the America I remember. I miss the Clinton Era.

Freecycle

2006-08-26T20:22:00.000-05:00

I love smart people. No, really. Especially those who use their creative powers for the good of the universe rather than evil, or like me beautifying purgatory.

FREECYCLE.ORG

A site, similar in idea to Craigslist, but instead of it being a classified ad storehouse it's a listing for all donate-able goods.

If you are looking to get rid of that couch-- post it on Freecycle. Looking for child's pool? Hey why not look on Freecycle first; before going to Walmart?

gone hunting?

2006-02-19T22:31:00.001-05:00

I'm really sorry to hear about your recent accident Mr. Cheney. I hope the NRA doesn't get too mad.

Coming soon to a web store near you !!!

injustice for sale

2006-01-30T21:18:00.000-05:00

A discovered a great irony today: injustice.com is for sale. You might be asking, how much does injustice go for these days? The minimum bid: $1,470.00 but prospecting for $14,888.

two reasons to start buying organic milk

2006-01-30T20:14:00.000-05:00

Bovine Growth Hormone. Factory farm cows produce 10 times more milk as a result of being fed a diet of hormones – this overproduction causes infections which result in puss filled milk and ultimately anti-biotic resistance in both the cows as well as the people who drink the milk. Organic milk by regulation is free from BGH and antibiotics; it is produced by healthy animals that are feed well and given access to pastures.
My utters are killing me! Cows must calf to give milk, so dairy cows are inseminated almost every year to continue producing milk. This means that during their 9 month gestation they are still “nursing” and will continuously give milk.

where do I begin...

2006-01-30T09:48:00.001-05:00

I'd like to think that I have lofty goals, or at least goals that try to context the world around me. I want to belive that the things that I do are for a greater good, but are they?

How does one evoke change? I want to change and to see the world change too.