ublach

Grown-ups

2012-02-13T16:01:00.000-08:00

MY TURN!!

49ers aren't going to the Superbowl...

2012-02-01T00:05:00.001-08:00

Blessed

2012-02-01T00:02:00.000-08:00

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the earth.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons and daughters of God.
Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Origami Hang Gliding

2011-09-06T00:24:00.000-07:00

via catch camera.

Donald in Mathemagic Land

2011-09-06T00:07:00.001-07:00

Earthscape Art

2011-09-05T23:49:00.000-07:00

View the artist's gallery here.

Voltaire Quote

2011-08-31T12:59:00.000-07:00

"Perfect is the enemy of good."

Do you have a problem in your life?

2011-06-19T14:10:00.000-07:00

Otter Plays with Boy

2011-06-16T00:04:00.000-07:00

Pendulum Waves

2011-05-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

They Call Me Birdman

2011-05-05T11:01:00.000-07:00

David Foster Wallace Quote

2011-04-01T01:13:00.000-07:00

"Dullness is associated with psychic pain because something that's dull or opaque fails to provide enough stimulation to distract people from some other, deeper type of pain that is always there," namely the existential knowledge "that we are tiny and at the mercy of large forces and that time is always passing and that every day we've lost one more day that will never come back."

from the 'The Pale King" book review by M. Kakutani.

Anthony Weiner Monologue

2011-04-01T00:59:00.000-07:00

Freeman Dyson Quotation

2011-02-27T15:45:00.000-08:00

"The public has a distorted view of science, because children are taught in school that science is a collection of firmly established truths. In fact, science is not a collection of truths. It is a continuing exploration of mysteries. Wherever we go exploring in the world around us, we find mysteries. Our planet is covered by continents and oceans whose origin we cannot explain. Our atmosphere is constantly stirred by poorly understood disturbances that we call weather and climate. The visible matter in the universe is outweighed by a much larger quantity of dark invisible matter that we do not understand at all. The origin of life is a total mystery, and so is the existence of human consciousness. We have no clear idea how the electrical discharges occurring in nerve cells in our brains are connected with our feelings and desires and actions."

(via Boingboing.net)

Yosemite in Winter/Spring

2011-02-25T00:28:00.000-08:00

Lava ice creeks and glowing waterfalls!

NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert: Ivan And Alyosha

2011-02-21T23:23:00.000-08:00

RSA Animate: Language as a Window into Human Nature

2011-02-21T20:25:00.001-08:00

The Crazy Nasty Ass Honey Badger

2011-02-21T19:51:00.000-08:00

Three Minute Philosophy: Epicurus & Zeno

2011-02-21T19:50:00.000-08:00

RSA Animate: Smile or Die

2011-02-21T19:44:00.000-08:00

Interesting, provocative, and slightly contratrian talk by Barbara Ehrenreich

Why Isn't Wall Street in Jail?

2011-02-20T20:19:00.000-08:00

"So there you have it. Illegal immigrants: 393,000. Lying moms: one. Bankers: zero. The math makes sense only because the politics are so obvious. You want to win elections, you bang on the jailable class. You build prisons and fill them with people for selling dime bags and stealing CD players. But for stealing a billion dollars? For fraud that puts a million people into foreclosure? Pass. It's not a crime. Prison is too harsh. Get them to say they're sorry, and move on. Oh, wait — let's not even make them say they're sorry. That's too mean; let's just give them a piece of paper with a government stamp on it, officially clearing them of the need to apologize, and make them pay a fine instead. But don't make them pay it out of their own pockets, and don't ask them to give back the money they stole. In fact, let them profit from their collective crimes, to the tune of a record $135 billion in pay and benefits last year."

from Matt Taibi's article in Rolling Stone.

Vegetable Humor

2010-10-11T22:37:00.001-07:00

Wilderness Quote

2010-10-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

We get the nature calendar view of nature. We think wilderness is in Alaska, wilderness is the Himalayas, wilderness is some other place. And what wildness means to me is the possibility of states beyond the human and moments where we interact with species other than our own, in our normal lives. I always say my greatest nature moments have been on Cape Cod watching humpback whales off my home beach. And that's greater than any one I've traveled to South or Central America. There's something wild about it happening at home. Similarly, I've had wild moments where I was with my dad when he died, hearing his breathing slow, and I was with my daughter when she was born. And these are wild moments too. So for me, the key to wildness is its integration with our so-called normal lives. That it's not something we go to beyond our quotidian day-to-day lives.

- David Gessner on TTBOOK.

Robert Benchley -- That Inferior Feeling

2010-10-07T23:31:00.000-07:00

Sarah Blasko -- No Turning Back

2010-10-07T23:30:00.001-07:00

Dean Potter

2010-10-07T02:40:00.000-07:00

Agile Harvest Mice

2010-10-04T00:03:00.000-07:00

(via the Daily Mail)

Beautiful Fight Trailer

2010-09-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

Life Lessons Gleaned from Video Games

2010-09-20T13:24:00.000-07:00

- Always check behind waterfalls. There's always something cool back there.
- It's generally best to shoot anyone you see. You usually can't hurt people unless they're your enemies.
- Never try to do anything, cooperatively or competitively, with strangers unless you want to be called by many vile and contradictory racial and sexual slurs.
- There are some things in life you can't control, like yourself during cut scenes.
- There is no reason not to break anything that can be broken.
- If you talk to people for more than 30 seconds, they start repeating themselves.
- If you're ever lost and directionless, with no idea what to do with your life, look up the walk-through on the internet.

Read the full article here.

A Video Compilation of Close Calls

2010-09-17T08:19:00.001-07:00

This should get your heart rate up...

How to Make Your own Stove

2010-09-17T08:17:00.000-07:00

How to Be Happy

2010-09-14T07:08:00.000-07:00

- Show up
- Follow your heart
- Find a new perspective
- Have a sense of wonder
- Find people you love
- Set goals
- Help others
- Dance
- Pamper yourself
- Face your fears
- Go to a museum
- Exercise
- Limit television
- Get in touch with nature
- Lighten up
- Get a good night's sleep
- Read books
- Buy yourself flowers
- Don't compare yourself with others
- Don't beat yourself up
- Be open to new ideas
- Don't focus on negative thoughts
- Focus on creating what you desire
- Make time just to have fun
- Keep the romance in your life
- Make a gratitude list
- Love your Mother Earth
- Want what you have
- Be true to yourself

Schopenhauer Quote

2010-08-23T08:45:00.000-07:00

Just as the wayfarer only surveys and recognizes the road he has come when he reaches some high place and can look back over it in its entirety, so we ourselves are only able to recognize and value a stage in our life when it is over.

Thomas Edison Quote

2010-08-20T15:53:00.000-07:00

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

Rabbi Hillel Quote

2010-08-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
If I am only for myself, what am I?
And if not now, when?

TED Talks: The Danger of a Single Story

2010-08-16T16:51:00.000-07:00

Lyrics for "New York City's Killing Me"

2010-08-16T16:21:00.000-07:00

There's just something about this hotel
Got me wishing I was dead.
Gotta get out of New York station
Somewhere I can clear my head.

I was just kicking along the sidewalk
No one looks you in the eyes
No one asks how you're doing
Don't seem to care if you live or if you die.

Just got to get me somewhere
Somewhere that I can feel free
Gotta get out of New York City, boy
New York City's killing me.

Just outside of Nashville
I met one of my dreams
Sure would like to get to know her
Maybe find out what it means.
Get so tired of all this concrete
I guess I'm tired of all this noise
Got to get back up in the country
Have a couple drinks with the good ol' boys.

Just got to get me somewhere
Somewhere that I can feel free
Get me out of New York station
New York City's killing me.

Just got to get me somewhere
Somewhere that I can feel free
Get me out of New York station
New York City's killing me.

Gotta get out of New York station
New York City's killing me.

by Ray Lamontagne. Listen to this track and the rest of the entire album on NPR.

Club 8 - Western Hospitality

2010-08-15T20:34:00.001-07:00

Turf Dancing in East Oakland

2010-08-13T18:18:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Franzen Quote

2010-08-13T18:08:00.000-07:00

"I'm actually freer when I'm chained to a project: freer from guilt, anxiety, boredom, anger, purposelessness."

(via the 8/23/10 Times magazine article, "The Wide Shot")

Trip Report Days 3-5: Alta Peak

2010-08-13T13:04:00.000-07:00

On day 3 of our trip at Sequoia National Park, we hiked from Pear Lake to the base of Alta Peak. Along the way, we saw some spectacular views of the Sierra Mountains, including the Great Western Divide. We were supposed to camp at Mehrten Meadow, but we made a wrong turn 0.2 miles from our destination and ended up camping near the High Sierra Trail instead. Though it added a few extra miles to our hike, camping away from the crowds afforded us extra opportunities to spot wildlife, including marmots, mule deer, and California quail. On Sunday morning, we headed up to Alta Peak. We had originally planned on reaching the peak early in the morning, but we didn't realize we were heading in the wrong direction until we reached a trail junction 2 miles further out of our way. By the time we reached the peak -- after a long arduous climb -- clouds had completely surrounded the top and we had no view. We signed our names in the logbook at the summit and were disappointed to see everyone rave about the awesome 360 degree view of the Sierras. We had no time to complain, though, because thunder immediately chased us off the peak. We hurried back to camp, with ominous storm clouds above us the entire time. The weather cleared, though, and we managed to start a fire before nightfall. On the last day of our trip, we hiked back out to the Wolverton parking lot. It was sad to be going home, but we both looked forward to taking showers and eating greasy fast food and we promised ourselves we'd make the hike to Alta Peak again.

Trip Report Day 2: Pear Lake via the Watchtower

2010-08-12T14:25:00.000-07:00

On Friday morning, we left Lodgepole Campground and drove to the Wolverton parking lot. The trailhead was fairly crowded, with several day hikers, two or three groups of backpackers, and one trail runner all heading out at roughly the same time in the morning. Along the trail, we played leapfrog with several of the other backpackers. Jess and I stopped frequently, taking breaks to filter water. Luckily, the mosquitoes were not nearly as annoying as they were in Yosemite a few weeks ago, so we could linger near the streams and enjoy the abundant wildflowers (e.g., Tiger Lilies and Indian Paint Brush) that surrounded each stream. We took the Watchtower Trail instead of the Humps Trail and were paid off with a spectacular vista at the top. Unfortunately, the Watchtower is closed much of the year, when snow and ice makes the cliff-hugging trail hazardous. When we reached Heather Lake, we couldn't resist diving into the crystal clear water and taking a quick dip. We hiked passed Emerald Lake and set up camp right next to Pear Lake. We tried our best to stay up and watch the stars, but I'm pretty sure we fell asleep well before sunset.

Trip Report Day 1: Bears at Sequoia National Park

2010-08-12T13:49:00.000-07:00

Early Thursday morning, Jess and I drove south to Sequoia National Park. We left Oakland at 7:30 AM, so we could arrive in the early afternoon and secure two of the 25 daily first-come, first-serve Wilderness Permits for the weekend. Although we didn't need to get there quite so early -- we were the first two backpackers to register for the Lakes Loop and Alta Peak trails -- we made the most of our time by setting up our tent at Lodgepole Campground and taking the shuttle to the Giant Forest Museum. On the hike back to our campground, we encountered a few bears on the edge of Round Meadow. It was about 4 or 5 in the evening, and the bears were just waking from their afternoon nap. The cubs woke up first, eagerly exploring the edge of the meadow while staying close to the still sleepy big mama bear. Luckily, Jess and I just learned about the park's black bears at the Visitor's Center and thus were aware that these fellows were pretty harmless to visitors. They spend most of the day eating insects and berries, and take a nap during the heat of the day. But, my heart was still racing when the mama bear woke up and headed directly toward us. Thankfully, she had no interest in us and started clawing at a fallen Sequoia tree, foraging for insects.
The rest of the hike was beautiful, but not quite as eventful. The General Sherman tree -- the largest tree in the world by volume -- did not seem to warrant the hype and was a bit anti-climatic. We ended the evening by quickly cooking dinner back at our campground and attending a surprisingly informative and interesting presentation about fire by a park ranger.

Wha?

2010-08-03T21:42:00.001-07:00

(via SFGate)

Volcanic Island

2010-08-02T13:50:00.001-07:00

Pacific Star by Colin Rich

2010-07-31T08:38:00.000-07:00

Pacific Star II from Colin Rich on Vimeo.

Pacific Star I from Colin Rich on Vimeo.

Timelapse Video of Yosemite and White Mountains

2010-07-31T08:27:00.001-07:00

Timescapes Timelapse: Mountain Light from Tom Lowe @ Timescapes on Vimeo.

2010 Photo Winners of the EBRPD

2010-07-30T16:54:00.000-07:00

These are a few of my favorite photos from the East Bay Regional Park District's annual photo contest:
(1) view of Mt. Diablo from Mission Peak
(2) Berkeley Marina
(3) between storms, Berkeley Hills, Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve

Lots of great pics, but my three favorites (shown above) are all by photographer Fred Rowe. See links to all 50 finalists here.

Problems Quotation

2010-07-30T08:01:00.000-07:00

"If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back."

Strangers in the Mirror

2010-07-29T17:02:00.001-07:00

"Everything in my work is determined by my learning disabilities. So, I'm sure I was driven to paint portraits by my face blindness."
- Chuck Close

In this episode of Radiolab, Oliver Sachs and Chuck Close discuss a condition they both have, face blindness.

"Tightrope" by Janelle Monae

2010-07-28T22:05:00.000-07:00

Delightfully old school.

Balloon Shot

2010-07-28T21:46:00.001-07:00

Balloon flight, shot with an HD HERO camera from GoPro. from Francois Brahic on Vimeo.

Reflective Pants Cuff

2010-07-27T20:05:00.001-07:00

Clever.

Century of the Self

2010-07-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

[After WWI, corporations] were frightened of the dangers of overproduction, that there would come a point where people had enough goods and would simply stop buying. Up until that point, the majority of products were still sold to the masses on the basis of need...What the corporations realized they had to do was transform the way the majority of Americans thought about products. One leading Wall Street banker Paul Mazur of Lehman Brothers was clear about what was necessary. "We must shift America," he wrote, "from a needs to a desires culture. People must be trained to desire, to want new things even before the old have been entirely consumed. We must shape a new mentality in America: man's desires must overshadow his needs."

- from the BBC documentary, Century of the Self. See the film here on Youtube.

The Decline of M. Night Shyamalan

2010-07-23T13:01:00.001-07:00

(Via Planet Money.)

Trip Report: Young Lakes via Dog Lake

2010-07-22T12:47:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Jess and I went on our first backpacking trip together in Yosemite National Park. It was a casual three-day, two-night 12 mile loop to Young Lakes from Tuloumne Meadows. Our friend Alexis had reserved a Wilderness Permit a few months earlier, and the three of us set out from Oakland on Friday morning.

We ended up at the trail head later that afternoon. Unfortunately, we started our hike right in the middle of an afternoon thunderstorm. For a few minutes, we were pelted by hail the size of Gopstoppers. Luckily, the storm quickly passed and we were left with fine weather for the rest of the trip.

We only hiked four miles before we stopped to make camp since we couldn't find the trail spur to Young Lakes, we only had an hour or two of sunlight left, and we were pretty tired. I was especially winded, given the high elevation at Tuolumne Meadows and not drinking enough water. We ended pitching our tent near the southern edge of Ragged Peak, with a perfect view of the Cathedral Mountains. Before heading into the tent for a well-deserved night of sleep, we stared out at the clear night sky, and Jess even located the Big Dipper constellation.

The next day we wandered around the wilderness without our heavy packs until we found the trail again. We marked the correct trail with cairns, so others following the trail wouldn't get lost like we did.

We ended up at beautiful Lower Young Lake later that morning, with enough time to scramble up to a waterfall and visit Middle and Upper Young Lake as well. We set up camp near the lake -- which we ended up regretting, because we were harrassed by mosquitoes all day. The three of us coated our skin with an entire bottle of bug spray, and still ended up bitten up from head to toe. Even though we had a beautiful view of the lake that night, we decided to spend the night in the tent playing cards, away from the mosquitoes.

On the third day, we headed back to Tuluomne Meadows. It was a sunny hike back, so we took a quick dip in the icy waters of the Tuluomne River. We left Yosemite later that afternoon and made it back home a little after night fall.

Three Minute Philosophy: David Hume

2010-07-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

See also Aristotle, Galileo, Descartes, Locke, and Kant. (via Kottke.org)

Grr! Listen to me now!

2010-07-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

(via FFFFound!)

Vintage American Prints

2010-07-13T08:57:00.001-07:00

See more classic prints of iconic American places here.

Samuel Johnson Quote

2010-07-10T14:42:00.000-07:00

He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man.

Oakland Needs to Come Together

2010-07-09T11:15:00.000-07:00

At about 10:30 PM last night, forty or fifty high-school age kids descended upon the Whole Foods store across the street from my apartment. Most of the kids stood by and watched as three or four used a trash can, a store sign, and rocks to smash the windows of the store front. Three security guards quickly came out of a side entrance with guns raised at the crowd. They yelled loudly and repeatedly to back up. The group moved away but did not leave the scene. One or two resumed breaking windows on the other side of the store. It was a tense five to ten minutes before a police van arrived, causing the crowd to immediately disperse.

The scene reminded me of my mischievous days in high school, when the freshman soccer team went out and toilet papered a neighbor's house before a big game. I thought the same sort of thing happened last night, with the kids using the verdict of the Mehserle trial as a similar excuse to stir up trouble. We both picked out a clear target, leaving the other stores, residences, and cars relatively unscathed. But when someone with authority showed up, we scattered. Who knows what we would have done if the neighbors hadn't woken up and unleashed their dog on the soccer team, or if the police hadn't shown up at Whole Foods last night?

It is sad to witness the destruction of property, but it's even more sad to see people bury their heads in the sand. When the news media announced that the verdict was to be read yesterday at 4 PM, the responsible workers of our city left Oakland in droves. Since then, much of the city has been shut down, due to a collective fear being spread from the top down. But, the best thing for this community is to come together and to face our troubles collectively. How can we run away from the kids that we are supposed to care for and teach?

"I Love Everything"

2010-06-26T16:21:00.001-07:00

"Look Who FINALLY Decided to Show."

2010-06-25T21:50:00.001-07:00

Deer Tick on Letterman

2010-06-21T09:49:00.001-07:00

Lao-tzu Quote

2010-06-12T12:51:00.000-07:00

Manifest plainness,
Embrace simplicity
Reduce selfishness,
Have few desires.
- Lao-tzu

How to Memorize Words

2010-06-10T11:14:00.000-07:00

I put my tuition deposit down this week at the California School of Podiatric Medicine here in Oakland, California. I'm looking forward to going back to school again, but I definitely need to brush up on my study skills before I start tackling Anatomy and Physiology classes in the fall.

Fortunately, Psyblog wrote a useful entry about memorizing words this week. They suggest 4 tried-and-true methods:

1) IMAGERY -- Create an image of what you want to remember
2) ELABORATION -- Think of associations that help anchor the word in your mind
3) GENERATION -- Put some work in to generating the target (using fill-in-the-blanks or flash cards)
4) VOCALIZATION -- Speak the word aloud

I'll be mindful to include all of these methods in my studies this fall.

What Really Motivates Us

2010-06-10T10:49:00.001-07:00

Dan Pink argues that money does NOT make people perform better. When people are financially driven, bad things happen -- people perform worse, they end up with inferior products and services, and they behave unethically.

Pink argues that people are truly motivated to perform by a sense of autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Innovative ideas aren't generated by financial incentives; they are created when people are given the autonomy to work on their own ideas.

The Story of Cap and Trade

2010-06-08T06:56:00.001-07:00

see also the Story of Bottled Water and the Story of Stuff.

The Secret Powers of Time

2010-06-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

via kottke:

A fascinating 10-minute animated talk by Philip Zimbardo about the different "time zones" or "time perspectives" that people can have and how the different zones affect people's world views.

The six different time zones are:

- Past positive: focus is on the "good old days", past successes, nostalgia, etc.
- Past negative: focus on regret, failure, all the things that went wrong
- Present hedonistic: living in the moment for pleasure and avoiding pain, seek novelty and sensation
- Present fatalism: life is governed by outside forces, "it doesn't pay to plan"
- Future: focus is on learning to work rather than play
- Transcendental Future: life begins after the death of the mortal body

See more talks by Stanford psychology professor Philip Zimbardo on TED.

Ask vs. Guess Culture

2010-06-07T19:53:00.000-07:00

In some families, you grow up with the expectation that it's OK to ask for anything at all, but you gotta realize you might get no for an answer. This is Ask Culture.

In Guess Culture, you avoid putting a request into words unless you're pretty sure the answer will be yes. Guess Culture depends on a tight net of shared expectations. A key skill is putting out delicate feelers. If you do this with enough subtlety, you won't even have to make the request directly; you'll get an offer. Even then, the offer may be genuine or pro forma; it takes yet more skill and delicacy to discern whether you should accept.

All kinds of problems spring up around the edges. If you're a Guess Culture person then unwelcome requests from Ask Culture people seem presumptuous and out of line, and you're likely to feel angry, uncomfortable, and manipulated.

If you're an Ask Culture person, Guess Culture behavior can seem incomprehensible, inconsistent, and rife with passive aggression.

I'm a Guess. Let me tell you, it's great for, say, reading nuanced and subtle novels; not so great for, say, dating and getting raises.

Thing is, Guess behaviors only work among a subset of other Guess people -- ones who share a fairly specific set of expectations and signalling techniques. The farther you get from your own family and friends and subculture, the more you'll have to embrace Ask behavior. Otherwise you'll spend your life in a cloud of mild outrage at the Cluelessness of Everyone.

by Andrea Donderi from Ask Metafilter via The Guardian.

The New Lucys

2010-06-03T17:05:00.000-07:00

Two of my friends in New York recently gave birth. I think they look eerily alike, given that they're both named Lucy...

Turkish Red Lentil Soup

2010-05-30T21:20:00.000-07:00

When I was visiting DC two weeks ago, my friends Dannie and Andrew took me to a restaurant near Dupont Circle called Levante's. The highlight of the meal was the lentil soup, described as "Turkish style, with red lentils and seasonings, complimented with a bit of peppermint."

When I came home, I searched the Internet and found a recipe that seemed to resemble the soup I had at the restaurant. I had just about all of the ingredients at home, though I picked up some fresh mint at the grocery store to garnish the soup. It ended up being delicious! The bulgur wheat gives the soup a creamy body, and the mint gives the soup a nice kick at the end. It's fairly simple to make too.

You can find the recipe here.

The Russian Monk Zossimov on Freedom

2010-05-21T12:19:00.000-07:00

The world has proclaimed the reign of freedom, especially of late, but what do we see in this freedom of theirs? Nothing but slavery and self-destruction! For the world says:

"You have desires and so satisfy them, for you have the same rights as the most rich and powerful. Don't be afraid of satisfying them and even multiplying your desires." That is the modern doctrine of the world. In that they see freedom. And what follows from this right of multiplication of desires? In the rich, isolation and spiritual suicide; in the poor, envy and murder; for they have been given rights, but have not been shown the means of satisfying their wants. They maintain that the world is getting more and more united, more and more bound together in brotherly community, as it overcomes distance and sets thoughts flying through the air.

Alas, put no faith in such a bond of union. Interpreting freedom as the multiplication and rapid satisfaction of desires, men distort their own nature, for many senseless and foolish desires and habits and ridiculous fancies are fostered in them. They live only for mutual envy, for luxury and ostentation. To have dinners, visits, carriages, rank and slaves to wait on one is looked upon as a necessity, for which life, honor and human feeling are sacrificed, and men even commit suicide if they are unable to satisfy it. We see the same thing among those who are not rich, while the poor drown their unsatisfied need and their envy in drunkenness...

...And it's no wonder that instead of gaining freedom they have sunk into slavery, and instead of serving the cause of brotherly love and the union of humanity have fallen, on the contrary, into dissension and isolation...

...And therefore the idea of the service of humanity, of brotherly love and the solidarity of mankind, is more and more dying out in the world, and indeed this idea is sometimes treated with derision. For how can a man shake off his habits, what can become of him if he is in such bondage to the habit of satisfying of the innumerable desires he has created for himself? He is isolated, and what concern has he with the rest of humanity? They have succceeded in accumulating a greater mass of objects, but the joy in the world has grown less.

-- from The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Wisdom Quote

2010-05-20T20:37:00.000-07:00

The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.

- Lin Yu-Tang

Problem Solving Quote

2010-05-20T20:32:00.000-07:00

We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.

- Albert Einstein

Deliberate Practice

2010-05-17T07:22:00.000-07:00

Talent is waaaaaaay overrated. According to the research of psychologist Anders Ericcson, experts are no more talented, intelligent, or capable than the rest of us. Instead, these skilled performers -- ranging from professional stockbrokers, hockey players, concert violinists, cardiac surgeons, and writers -- benefit enormously from 10+ years of deliberate practice.

So what is deliberate practice? Well, it's more than just repeating the same exercise over and over. Deliberate practice involves setting specific goals, obtaining immediate feedback, and focusing on process rather than outcome (source). Exceptional performers all benefit from these environmental advantages.

Still, there are no shortcuts -- everyone have to work hard (and work smart) to become exceptional. Even so-called "child prodigies" like Bobby Fisher and Tiger Woods required the same amount of training as their peers; they just started much earlier (source).

For further reading, check out kottke's collection of links on deliberate practice along with another related topic, relaxed concentration.

Trip Report: The Avenue of the Giants Marathon

2010-05-05T19:35:00.000-07:00

At the last minute, I decided to participate in my fourth marathon, the Ave. of the Giants, this past Sunday. I had been on the fence for the past week, because I hadn't trained in over four weeks (since my hand gliding injury). I was worried most about my sore ribs, which had kept me sidelined for the past month, but they didn't turn out to be an issue. I started out fine -- I even had a brief hope of setting a PR -- but soon enough my legs started getting sore, beginning at mile 8. The lactic acid continued to build up and I thought about quitting at about mile 16-18. At that point I felt like I was barely moving. Luckily, my soreness went away a bit and I finished in 4:42, 40 minutes slower than my time last year.

During the second half of the race, I struck up a conversation with another runner who was struggling as much as I was. She was a 26 year-old in great shape, but she signed up for her first marathon with little preparation. The two of us hobbled along the second half of the course together, getting passed by loads of people, including a 76 year-old speedster who finished in 4:34. Consider it a lesson learned -- be prepared for to run 26.2 miles or you (and your ego) will suffer!

After finishing the marathon and returning to my campsite, I met two other finishers also spending the night, Ruthanne and Bonnie. Ruthanne was also disappointed with her time. She had run a 3:52, about 30 minutes behind her recent PR. I learned that she had also recently finished a 50 mile ultra named Copper Canyon, and she is training for the Leadville Trail 100 mile race this fall. Ruthanne described the experience as "transcendental," and she convinced me to train even harder for my upcoming ultra. Bonnie is a Bay Area marathoner who has completed ~40 events in the past 10 years. She gave me a tip for my next race: The Nisene Marks Marathon next month near Santa Cruz. I already sent in my registration, and Jess and I booked two nights at a beach site campground off of the PCH. Hopefully, I'll have a good training month so I'll be prepared for the single track trail and 2,500 ft. of climbing I'll need to complete in the first half of the course.

Trailblazing with Non Sequiturs

2010-04-30T20:49:00.000-07:00

I made my way into the Russian White House in the middle of a coup attempt when [Boris] Yeltsin was President. No one was being allowed in the building. I went up, and the guard said women would not be allowed in the building. And I said, "I'm not a woman. I'm an American journalist." There was a momentary perplexed look on his face, and he said, "O.K." It worked. Sometimes a non sequitur is as good as strategy.

- Diane Sawyer

From her interview with Time.

Bill Moyer on Public Broadcasting

2010-04-30T20:34:00.000-07:00

The mission of public broadcasting was to create an alternative channel that would be free of not only commercials, but free of commercial values...[NBC, ABC, and CBS] had made their peace with the little fantasies and lies of merchandizing... There are things in this country that the market will not provide: public education, public art, public schools, public broadcasting, public toilets. I mean there are things that are not profitable but that still serve a value. I think the most important thing we [public broadcasting] can do is to continue to treat Americans as citizens not just as consumers. If you look out and just see an audience of consumers, you want to sell them something. If you look out and see an audience of citizens, you want to share something with them. And there is a difference.

- Bill Moyers on Fresh Air 4-30-2010.

Do You Have Time to Love?

2010-04-28T17:21:00.000-07:00

To love is, above all, to be there. But being there is not an easy thing. Some training is necessary, some practice. If you are not there, how can you love? Being there is very much an art, the art of meditation, because meditating is bringing your true presence to the here and now. The question that arises is: Do you have time to love?

I know a boy of twelve whose father asked him one day: "Son, what would you like for your birthday present?" The boy did not know how to answer his father, who was a very rich man, able to buy anything for his son. But the boy did not want anything except his father's presence. Because the role the father played kept him very busy, he did not have time to devote to his wife and children. Being rich is an obstacle to loving, When you are rich, you want to continue to be rich, and so you end up devoting all your time, all your energy in your daily life, to staying rich. If this father were to understand what true love is, he would do whatever is necessary to find time for his son and his wife.

The most precious gift you can give to the one you love is your true presence. What must we do to really be there? Those who have practiced meditation know that meditating is above all being present: to yourself, to those you love, to life.

Do you have enough time to love? Can you make sure that in your everyday life you have a little time to love? We do not have much time together; we are too busy. In the morning while eating breakfast, we do not look at the person we love, we do not have enough time for it. We eat very quickly while thinking about other things, and sometimes we even hold a newspaper that hides the face of the person we love. In the evening when we come home, we are too tired to be able to look at the person we love.

We must bring about a revolution in our way of living our everyday lives, because our happiness, our lives, are within ourselves.

--Thich Nhat Hanh

Surprising Results from The Marshmallow Challenge

2010-04-27T22:38:00.000-07:00

Tom Wujec compares the performance of various teams in a marshmallow building challenge and discovers a few results that might shock you.

The task is simple: in 18 minutes, teams of four must build the tallest free-standing structure out of spaghetti sticks and one marshmallow on top. The apparent simplicity of the task trips up many teams; about 40% of the teams end up with structures that buckle and collapse under the weight of the marshmallow.

Interestingly, kindergartners perform better on this task than business school students, lawyers, and CEOs. Kindergartners "produce not only the tallest structures, but also the most interesting structures of them all."

Why? The key to the kids' success is their "iterative" process -- trial-and-error that gives the team instant feedback on what works and what doesn't. Business school students, on the other hand, tend to rely on a single plan that ends up failing.

Wujec also finds that incentives have a strong impact on performance. When he "ups the ante" and offers a $10,000 reward, all of the teams during one challenge fail to build a standing structure. When he offers the same reward to the same group of design students four months later, the structures are much better than most other groups. Wujec concludes that
incentives + low skills = failure
incentives + high skills = success

Interesting stuff. If I were still a teacher, I'd run the experiment on my own students. You can view the instructions for the Marshmallow Challenge here.

Blast from the Past

2010-04-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

My former roommate from college visited me in Oakland this past week. We visited a few neighborhoods in Oakland and Berkeley, ate at my favorite restaurants, and caught an A's game at the Coliseum. Since we're both Mets fans, we went mainly to scope out the stadium and root against the A's opponent, the Yankees. The highlight for us was booing A-Rod every time he came up to bat. Unfortunately, he responded by belting a 3-run homer that put the game out of reach. Bummer. The stadium, though, was a pleasant surprise. It's not as fancy as the newer ballparks, but it has a good atmosphere and great sight lines. We scored $40 seats in section 110, 25 rows up from 1st base -- an unheard of price in New York.

Mark flew out from Florida to attend Stanford Law school's admitted students weekend. He's going for a dual degree in Electrical Engineering and Law, and that's already on top of the masters in philosophy he received at Cambridge a year or two ago. Even though those sort of goals and achievements make me feel like a bum, I'm certainly not jealous of the work he's going to be putting in the next few years. Hopefully, we'll still both have time to go to a baseball game every once in a while.

Tough Mudder: Iron Man Meets Burning Man

2010-04-19T12:33:00.001-07:00

I'm tempted to enter this Tough Mudder event on Nov. 20 & 21 if I go back to NJ this winter for Thanksgiving. The course map looks like Warrior Dash on steroids.

Update: Read the New York Times article about Tough Mudder here.

Hang Gliding in Yosemite

2010-04-17T11:19:00.001-07:00

Yosemite, Glacier Point from Ryan Goebel on Vimeo.

Benefits of a Bicycle

2010-04-15T23:25:00.000-07:00

"September" Cover by Pomplamoose

2010-04-14T23:37:00.001-07:00

Babies The Documentary

2010-04-14T21:53:00.001-07:00

The Road to Recovery

2010-04-14T17:44:00.000-07:00

A week and a half has passed since my accident. On Sunday, my friend (and M.D.) Bing removed the stitches under my chin. On Wednesday, Cleanpants and I replaced the basetube and downtube on my glider. It still needs to be flight checked by an instructor, but it looks like it's ready to fly again. As for me...I'm still a bit sore, particularly the ribs on the right side of my chest, but I think I'll be able to start exercising (and flying) again next week.

Here are a few pics from Soggy Bottom's photostream:

"You have amnesia. Look at the paper in your pocket before you ask any questions."

A list of FAQ I carried around until I got my memory back.

Broken basetube and downtube. Better the glider than me.

Dunlap at sunset

The San Francisco Zoo

2010-04-09T19:50:00.001-07:00

Hang 5 Spot?

2010-04-06T20:59:00.000-07:00

Factory Made: Hang Gliders

2010-04-06T15:43:00.001-07:00

Discovery Channel - Factory Made ep. 6 from Søren Ladegaard on Vimeo.

The Discovery Channel films the construction of a T2C glider inside a Wills Wing factory.

John Milton Quotation

2010-04-06T09:37:00.000-07:00

"The mind
is its own place,
and in itself
can make
a heaven of hell,
a hell of heaven."

- John Milton, Paradise Lost

Dunlap Trip Report

2010-04-05T16:37:00.000-07:00

My glider clipped a tree on my final approach to the landing zone on my first mountain flight in Dunlap, California. I was supposed to do S-turns (figure 8s) between two markers: a cluster of 150 ft. cottontail trees and a small tree-lined hill, both upwind of the LZ, to burn off enough altitude and land cleanly in the field.

I ended up performing one too many turns. I flew too low on my final turn and clipped one of the trees with my wing tip. I fell twenty feet to the ground. When Daniel M. arrived at the scene, I wasn’t breathing. My instructor Kurtis, who had launched me from the top of the mountain, witnessed the crash from above. He was ready to dial 911 and call in a helicopter to rescue me.

Daniel reported to Kurtis via radio that I took my first breath one minute after crashing. Soon, I was conscious and responsive, so Kurtis took Anthony’s glider and harness from the top and flew down to give me a full body check. Two things stood out: (1) I had amnesia. (2) My body had escaped the crash unscathed. The rest of the students drove down and Kurtis, Anthony, and Clay took Kurtis’ truck and took me to the regional hospital in Fresno, about an hour away.

At the hospital, I had CT scans of my head, chest, and pelvis. They all turned out negative. The doctors in the ED had never witnessed head trauma without any concurrent body injuries. Even though I couldn't remember conversations for more than a few seconds, I claimed to be free of pain and was perfectly lucid. The physician diagnosed me with a concussion, stitched up a cut underneath my chin, and prescribed some painkillers for my headache and bruised chest before releasing me that same day.

I don’t have any memory of my flight, crash, or visit to the hospital. My memory “rebooted” at the restaurant in Pinehurst, where I treated everyone to dinner (a BHGC tradition: you crash, you buy everyone dinner). Almost all of my memory is back now, but I will probably never remember my flight, crash, or visit to the hospital.

Even though I can’t remember my flight, I know some of the mistakes that may have contributed to my crash. (1) My body was poorly rested. I had run a marathon less than a week ago, and 16 miles on top of that just one day before my flight. (2) My mind was poorly rested. All seven of us on the trip slept on a tarp outside “like a pod of walruses.” Someone started snoring immediately, and shifted throughout the night to keep me awake. I probably slept less than 4 hours that night. (3) I didn’t see the flight plan. Daniel M. demonstrated the flight first, but I was stuck behind a few other students with my glider and I couldn’t see him fly. I flew right after Daniel, because the conditions were best for the person with the least experience -- me. (4) I was worried about overshooting the landing zone. I thought I had to be below tree height to bring my glider down into the LZ. I was overly concerned about overshooting the LZ and crashing into the fence or power lines behind the pasture. (5) I adjusted my harness a few days before the trip without testing it out. Anthony and I took out the delimiter on my harness, so that I flew more horizontal when I was kicked in to the harness. I should have taken a few test flights at lower altitudes before going to the mountains. (6) I was willing to overlook all of these concerns because I was excited about getting my first mountain flight under my belt.

I come out of this entire experience remarkably fortunate and thankful. My glider, helmet, harness, and reserve parachute took the brunt of the fall, and left me intact. The BHGC took care of me in the hours and days following my accident, and I know I've been in good hands ever since.

As soon as my injuries heal, I plan on being in the mountains flying again. I know that I am capable of being a safe and skilled pilot. I just need to incorporate the lessons that I have learned and avoid making the same mistakes.

Update: Read Soggy Bottom's trip report here.
Update #2: There's a short video of me at the hospital, asking questions while "perseverating." Check it out here.

Oakland Running Festival Marathon Report

2010-03-30T17:23:00.000-07:00

What a great event for Oakland! The marathon course featured many of Oakland's best landmarks and diverse neighborhoods, including Temescal, Rockridge, Montclair, Fruitvale, and West Oakland. Even though the whole course wasn't lined with fans, the ones who turned up were great -- including the infamous Raiders fans who dressed up in gorilla suits and gave me high fives near the end of the race. It definitely helped running in my hometown, having friends and neighbors cheering me on at various points in the race.

I ended up finishing in 4:08, a decent time considering my lack of training this winter. Hopefully, I'll be able to recover soon and start running again later this week -- I have to start training for my next marathon on May 2!

Update: Read Scott Dunlap's excellent recap here.

NorCal Free Flight Film Festival

2010-03-30T17:06:00.000-07:00

I love NorCal.

NorCal FreeFlight Film Festival from Jose Pruneda on Vimeo.

2009 Year in Review from Charley Kurlinkus on Vimeo.

View all the films from the film festival here.

My First Altitude Flights off the Top of Ed Levin

2010-03-21T07:16:00.000-07:00

After 3 weeks of waiting for the winds to align, I had 3 flights off the 1750' hill in Ed Levin County Park yesterday. The air was light S/SW all day, between 4-10 mph -- perfect for a novice like me to fly at altitude for 20-25 minutes.

I also completed both tasks required by the Berkeley Club to fly in the mountains: performing stalls and 360s. A stalled glider stops flying because its nose is pointed too high and/or the glider is flying too slow. It recovers by nosing down and plummeting towards the Earth -- a sensation that most pilots love (but a few fear and loathe). In either case, we are required to practice stalls to recognize the signs of a forthcoming stall and practice recovering. The other task is completing 360 degree turns, which help pilots stay in thermals or other areas of lift. Pilots need to find and stay within thermals to stay soaring in the mountains and prevent short sled runs directly to the landing zone (LZ). 360s need to be practiced at high altitude as well, because an inefficient turn can result in a dramatic loss of altitude.

Even though there's a huge payoff at the end, altitude flying requires a substantial commitment. All pilots need to have an H2 (novice) rating which requires completing practical skills and passing two written exams, complete three successive spot landings in the LZ, have 10 flights off the 600' hill, and most importantly, a veteran pilot willing to sponsor your flight. In addition, we need a prone harness (one that allows you to fly horizontally), a 2m hand-held radio, and reserve parachute (to deploy above 500' in an emergency). With the help of students, instructors, and fellow pilots in the Berkeley Club, Wings of Rogallo, and Sonoma Wings, I've been able to finally complete all of these tasks!

Hopefully, my next post will be about flying in Big Sur or a mountain in the Sierras :)

Play Games, Live Forever

2010-02-12T23:38:00.000-08:00

"We don't stop playing games because we're getting older -- we get old because we stop playing games."
-- Anonymous

Kimberly Rivers Roberts performing in Trouble The Water

2010-02-08T19:32:00.001-08:00

From the Oscar-nominated documentary film, Trouble the Water.

NPR concert: Thao with the Get Down Stay Down

2010-02-07T22:40:00.000-08:00

Thao is performing free at 5 pm this Friday, February 12 at UC-Berkeley!

Alexander Hamilton Rap

2010-02-05T19:06:00.000-08:00