Life After MacHeist

It has been about a month and a half since MacHeist (last year’s hugely successful and controversial shareware puzzle extravaganza slash marketing ploy slash advocacy project) more-or-less ended (there is still one heist on the way, it’s been promised, but no sign as to when), and I thought it might be good to take a look back at which apps ended up making the cut for me and which are currently dormant in the deep recesses of my MacBook Pro’s Application folder. I participated in the heists from the beginning, so I earned a ton of free apps, and I also purchased the final bundle (it was about $40 after my earned discount bucks kicked in) of ten pieces of software, so this is not going to be the shortest article you’ve ever seen. Push through, bookmark it for later, or skip to the ones you know and care about. Either way, I hope you find this list useful and perhaps one of these programs might fill a hole in your workflow (or fill your need for entertainment and distraction).

If you’ve used any of the ones I haven’t gotten around to, or absolutely love/hate something I hated/loved, let me know in the comments!

All quoted descriptions are straight from the MacHeist site. I hope they’re cool with that. But definitely check it out to get the full deal. The forums there have some good threads, too. Also, I would love to link to each app, but time doesn’t permit right now. I will do my best to add links by the end of the day, but if not, you can find most of these on the MacHeist site, or with a simple Google Search.

Here goes (First, the bundle):

Delicious Library

Delicious Library can perhaps be best described as a love letter to media enthusiasts from the people at Delicious Monster, and media enthusiasts have responded in kind, resulting in Delicious Library becoming the huge Mac software hit of 2005.

For those of you who enjoy amassing a sizeable collection of books, DVD's, CD's and video games, Delicious Library lets you relive that experience with its intuitive iSight barcode scanning and Amazon.com integration. Your media library is represented in, literally, virtual bookshelves, and thanks to Delicious Library's integration with Amazon, items are rendered as jewel cases, DVD covers, and papercover and hardcover books. It'll be a matter of minutes before you've catalogued your collection, ready for instant searching, browsing, and borrowing out.

This is the first one of the bundle that I actually used. Once I activated it, I immediately took to scanning all of my books and DVDs with my fancy built-in iSight camera. It worked like a charm, usually, though occasionally the light in the room or the barcode itself made it difficult to get a good scan. Once I got my whole library scanned (this is a major procrastination tool) I synced it to my iPod, and it is there if I ever need it. I was really excited about Delicious Library, but then something happened: I got a real bookshelf for Christmas from my girlfriend, and suddenly it’s not quite the same to look at the digital one (pretty as it is!). I ought to start using the “lending” feature, but haven’t made that jump yet. I imagine I’ll have more use for it once I get into that.

FotoMagico

FotoMagico is the pinnacle of slideshow creation software, thanks to a level of features and polish that keeps it many steps ahead of the competition.

It starts with creation. Designing slideshows with FotoMagico begins with iPhoto or Aperture integration, and selecting your photos. From there, you can synchronize appropriate music (including multiple songs), select from 12 transition effects, and insert titles and subtitles to guide your audience through the show.

I opened this one, took a look at the sample show, thought it seemed cool, and closed it. FotoMagico seems cool, but what do I need to make a slideshow for? I can’t, for the life of me, figure out a reason.

ShapeShifter

Personalizing OS X is something every Mac user undergoes, whether it's as minor as changing the desktop background, or downloading some of your favorite freeware and shareware apps. But for most users, the look of OS X comes in two flavors only: Aqua and Graphite.

Sure, Aqua is undeniably a thing of beauty. But it's not for everyone. Which is why Unsanity created ShapeShifter, the full system theme changer for OS X. With ShapeShifter, users can download theme creations by dozens of designers, and with one click, change the look of your windows, buttons, the menubar, icons, and even your cursor.

I tried a few themes, none of them worked on everything, and none of them are quite what I’m looking for (or perhaps I just didn’t give them enough time), but I recognize that this app could be extremely useful for those interested in personalizing their Macs. And, inconsistencies aside, it just goes to show how great the OSX interface and look is, and how much time and thought is put into it. I’ll stick with customizing my background image.

DEVONthink

Everything is digital today. But ever get the sense of being flooded with information overload? Find yourself at a loss as to where to store all these e-mails, PDFs, Word documents, images and multimedia files you accumulate every day? Or how to organize them, and find the right one when you need it?

DEVONthink is the solution for the digital age, the one database for all your documents. And it's flexible, adapting to your personal needs. You can use it as your document repository, your filing cabinet, your e-mail archive or your project organizer. Collect and organize data from the web for a publication, enrich it with sound and movie files, and export everything as a web site, drag it to an Apple Pages document for publishing in print, or copy it to your iPod.

I really, really, really want to use this program. It is exactly what I want, and their philosophy is right for this new age. But I haven’t had the time to get started. After migrating all of my docs to a new computer, I’m still not quite organized enough to feel like I can start organizing myself, if that makes sense. It’s like people who rinse the dishes before putting them into the dishwasher. At that point, why not wash them yourself? That’s why I am not using DEVONthink yet. But I will, I think, at some point.

Disco

Disco may be the new kid on the block, but in a few short months, it has already gained thousands of switchers from established disc burning software like Roxio's Toast. How? Simplicity. Beauty. And oh yeah, smoke.

Somehow, Disco makes the usually mundane task of burning discs, well, fun. For some people, it's fun simply because it's painless to use. With a UI philosophy the developers dubbed "Crossroads", Disco guides users through the process of burning, imaging or cataloging a disc, giving you options only when you need them.

I’m out of blank discs. And have nothing to burn. Looks really cool, but got nothing to do with it right now.

RapidWeaver

One of the most popular applications on OS X, Realmac Software has gained legions of fans with its powerful and easy to use website creation tool, RapidWeaver.

Before RapidWeaver, creating a slick, original website was about as easy for the average Joe as booting up Photoshop and handcoding pages of HTML in a text editor. In a word, not easy enough. But now, creating a beautiful website is as easy as selecting a theme, filling in some content, and hitting "publish".

RapidWeaver is really cool, and though I have yet to use it for a large project, it is simple to use and offers a ton of cool-looking templates (more, and more varied than iWeb gives you, though that is also a great program for throwing up a quick site or photo album). There is really no reason to pirate Dreamweaver or GoLive ever again if you are new to web design and want to make a cool-looking site.

iClip 4

For many of us, copying and pasting is among the most integral functions of using a computer effectively. What thousands of people have realized however, thanks to iClip 4 and iClip lite, is that the built-in copy and paste in OS X is woefully underpowered.

Hard to believe? With iClip 4's multiple clipboard paradigm, you can stop copying and pasting, and instead, copy, copy, copy, paste, paste, copy, copy... It's all automatically stored by iClip's multiple storage bins.

In all honesty, I haven’t even installed this yet (though version 4 did just come out officially, so I might get on that). I don’t do a ton of copy/pasting in my work, but can see where it might come in handy. It’s another tool that, once the time is spent integrating it into one’s workflow, seems like it would save time and effort. But getting there is never a breeze, even for super-simple applications like this.

Pangea Arcade

Pangea Arcade is actually a collection of three exciting games: Nucleus, Warheads, and Firefall, all of which are based on classic arcade themes. In Nucleus, you pilot a spaceship around an asteroid field, staying alive for as long as you can. Warheads has you defending a base against incoming missiles, shooting them down before they destroy your buildings. And in Firefall, you must destroy a rapidly descending alien creature with gameplay similar to the arcade classic, "Centipede". Pangea Arcade is a completely modernized take on several arcade classics, loaded with visual eye candy.

I played these each once. They look nice, but not too nice, and I’m not much of a gamer, with the exception of my addiction to Guitar Hero. I uninstalled this.

NewsFire

NewsFire presents all the websites you subscribe to in a sidebar that dynamically updates, literally shifting those with more unread news items to the top. Instead of browsing your favorite blogs and news sites randomly throughout the day, hoping for something new, NewsFire alerts you to any updates and presents them within its UI. Once you factor in NewsFire's Spotlight instant searching of articles, smart feeds, drop-dead gorgeous interface, and integrated Podcast and Videocast players, there's simply no looking back. NewsFire will become an absolutely integral part of your online experience.

I’m sure NewsFire is great, but I’ll never know. I use the new Google Reader, and love it. And, as most of my feed-reading happens at work (where I use XP), there’s just no need for a desktop feed manager. It takes me just as many clicks (one) to open Camino (where Google Reader is my front page) as it would to open NewsFire. The Spotlight search feature would be nice, but it’s not enough to make me switch. Especially since what I like about using a feed reader is that it allows you to browse and scan without looking for anything in particular.

TextMate

TextMate is a versatile plain text editor with a unique and innovative feature set. It has quickly become the must-have Mac app for developers, resulting in it winning the Apple Design Award for Best Mac OS X Developer Tool in 2006.

Whether you are a programmer or a designer, the production of code and markup is hard work. Without an editor dedicated to the task, it is also often cumbersome, overwhelming, and repetitive. Especially when you are dealing with a lot of files at once like most projects do. TextMate puts you back in control, reduces the mental overhead, and turns manual work into something the computer does.

TextMate has been a godsend. This application is exactly what I have been looking for for ages. It is beautifully simple, highlights syntax, does automatic previews and tabs and handles a ton of open files. Great stuff, and I feel like I’ve not even scratched the surface of what it can do. Highly recommended.

And now the free ones:

Chat Transcript Manager

Chat Transcript Manager will index all of your iChat, Adium and Fire chat transcripts and allow you to find what you need in a snap. Chat Transcript Manager is robust and powerful, supporting blazingly fast search, dynamic chat updates, full Address Book support, picture management, and custom transcript themes.

Haven’t used this. I don’t use iChat very much. GMail Chat and Campfire do it for me.

Assignment Planner

Assignment Planner is an application which allows you to keep track of homework assignments for a number of different courses. It includes features that allow you to display only those assignments that are yet to be completed, add information to all your assignments, courses and textbooks for reference, filter assignments by their type, and much more. You can also export your assignments to a text file or to iCal, to easily view your assignments from your iPod.

I’m not in school anymore, so this is pretty worthless. Also haven’t opened it. If I did, it is possible I could find something useful, but I’m getting along just fine without it.

Soulver

Soulver is a new kind of calculator application which allows you to do maths using plain English phrases. It also features a simple interface, an instant calculation engine, constants, functions, statistics and more. Soulver makes working with numbers on your Mac much easier than on paper, or on the back of the envelope.

Soulver is cool. I wish I needed it more, but I just don’t do that much math these days.

American History Lux

American History Lux lets you replay all the wars that have shaped U.S. history. Have fun and learn some history and geography while you're at it. AHL includes the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, the Mexican-American War, the US Civil War, 3 separate World War theaters, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and finishes with the Iraq War.

Again, I’m not the biggest gamer, so I haven’t checked it out. My roommate plays Lux, though, and says this version is pretty cool. But he typically sticks with the original.

Notepad

NotePad is a powerful and feature rich Dashboard widget notepad, featuring instant, built-in search, iPod sync, print, resizing, several beautiful skins by IconFactory designer David Lanham, sketching, outlining, and more. NotePad was the 2nd place winner of the 2005 MacGeneration awards for best Dashboard widget.

NotePad is great. I use it to write little poems on my Dashboard and write myself notes. Otherwise, I haven’t delved too deeply into its features, but it is chock-full of them.

QuickScale

QuickScale was originally designed to let you scale a large of of pictures to a desired size and format. With QuickScale, this is now a breeze. Just select the images, choose a desired resolution, and QuickScale scales them down for you. QuickScale can also read from, and write to almost every format supported by your Mac OS (including jpg, png, gif, and more).

I opened this one up, decided I would hold on to it in case I ever needed it. I haven’t.

Cha-Ching

Cha-Ching is a fun and easy to use money manager, done Mac OS X style. A tag based database lets you organize and search for your incoming and outgoing transactions your way. With Cha-Ching, you can also organize pending transactions, so you can keep track of the the cash you owe the electric company as well as the cash others might owe you and with iCal integration, you'll never forget a payment.

I finally got around to messing with Cha-Ching two nights ago, and in no time I had everything from my two accounts and credit cards set up (including pending bills and payments). There’s lots to discover in this app, and I am excited to finally manage my finances in this way. Cha-Ching even functions as a mini-browser, letting you log in to your bank right from the program - no external windows or programs necessary. Nice touch. As is the ability to add pictures to transactions. I don’t use iCal or Address Book much, but the integration Cha-Ching promises with these make me want to get started.

1Passwd

1Passwd is a state of the art Password Manager that brings you Security and Convenience. 1Passwd goes beyond just Password Management and adds Form Filling, AutoFill, and Strong Password Generation functionality all built directly into the most popular OS X browsers.

I got this, installed it in my browsers, and instantly wanted to get rid of it. Though it might partially be my fault for not giving it enough of a chance or reading too much about configuring it, I was annoyed by having to constantly validate permissions for using the stored passwords. It was a lot of extra typing and I couldn’t be bothered to make it work correctly when I was perfectly happy with the default keychain password memory beforehand.

Alarm Clock Pro

Alarm Clock Pro helps make managing a full schedule or a hectic lifestyle a breeze. Manage your weekly schedule with reminders, compose task lists, have inspirational quotes read to you, time events, calculate the difference between time zones, use a stop watch, wake up to your favorite internet radio station, and more.

I didn’t even install this one. Thanks, but no thanks.

iPulse

Using its concise and pleasing user interface, iPulse graphically displays the inner workings of Mac OS X on the desktop or in the dock. The entire user interface is completely configurable so you can turn off gauges you don't want, leaving only what you are interested in for easy viewing. A single floating window displays all of the information you ask it to and does it beautifully. You can also find dozens of beautiful, pre-made "iPulse jackets" in an Iconfactory archive by many of their artists.

iPulse looked cool when I tried it out. Unfortunately for it, I don’t have a regular need for the data it displays, and when I do have interest, I simply hit F12 to show iStat in my Dashboard. I’m not into cluttering my desktop, either (I have a total of two icons on it - the main drive and a folder for files downloaded from EMusic that I delete after adding them to my iTunes Library.

DrawIt

DrawIt is a vector drawing-application.
Use one of our templates to quickly create calendars, greeting cards and more.
Use Images, text, bezier-curves, masks and more than forty Core Image filters to create virtually anything.

No thanks. I’ve got Adobe Illustrator. That gets the job done for me. But perhaps if you don’t, you might give it a try.

To Do Tracker

To Do Tracker helps you stay organized by putting a handy notepad right on your dashboard, designed especially for quickly making and sorting lists. Best of all, unlike the Stickies Widget, when you close To Do Tracker, all your lists are saved for your next session.

I have this on my Dashboard, and kinda use it, sometimes. But it is mostly there to take up space until I find something better.

Picture Framer

Picture Framer makes it easy to quickly decorate your Dashboard with your favorite photos. It shows pictures from your iPhoto library, any other folder on your computer, even your Photo Booth pictures. Best of all, it wraps everything up in beautiful frames that look right at home on your Dashboard.

This one is nice. It lets me have changeable, scalable photos on my Dashboard. Sometimes I look at them. That’s about it.

Mac Pilot

Scared of the terminal or can't be bothered to remember those commands to customize your system the way you want? Mac Pilot is your digital savior. Easily enable and disable hidden features in Mac OS X, optimize and repair your system, and perform numerous routine maintenance operations with the click of a button!

Haven’t had a chance to take Mac Pilot for a spin, but it looks pretty functional. Anyone checked it out?

EarthDesk

EarthDesk replaces your static desktop picture with a rendered image of Earth showing correct sun, moon and city illumination. With an internet connection, EarthDesk displays real-time global cloud cover, allowing users to track hurricanes and typhoons, or simply admire our beautiful planet. User options allow you to adjust the overall transparency of the cloud layer.

A dynamic background? Not my style, sorry (see iPulse above).

PhotoStickies

PhotoStickies gives you unique access to your favorite pictures. Use PhotoStickies to put all your favorite pictures on your desktop in the form of floating (even borderless) stickies. You may pull pictures for these stickies from your hard drive, or the Internet.

Ick. More desktop clutter? Not for me. Nope.

So that does it! Wow, that was a long post. Thanks for sticking with it. I hope it was worth it for you and you found some awesome stuff to check out. Most, if not all, of these apps have free trials, so there is absolutely no reason not to check them out for yourself. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Evening Art Number Two

iPod Shuffle Now Available In Colors!

That’s right! Buy one here - still only $79.

Oh Yeah, Vista Is Out.

I almost forgot about it, because it’s been five years of broken promises and major setbacks, but Windows’ brand new (but not quite as new as Apple’s last version of OSX that shipped in April 2005) operating system, called Vista is now available to consumers.

It is pronounced like “Fist-a” not “Feast-a,” and according to Microsoft, “The ‘Wow’ Starts Now.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t need it to wow, I just need it to work. And stay out of my way. Sadly, it doesn’t sound like this will be the case. I think I’ll stick with XP for now (at work, and on my Intel Mac when I’m feeling daring) until it is able to prove itself, particularly when it comes to security. I strongly suggest everyone does the same. Here is my advice: Wait until OSX Leopard is released this spring, buy a new Mac, and if you want, get a copy of Vista Home Premium (do NOT buy Home Basic under any circumstances!) and run it on the same machine. Then regret buying Vista and never run it ever again.

I will say this, though: I hope Microsoft does have a winner on its hands with Vista. For the sake competition, to drive Apple and others to innovate, and really, truly, for the sake of the world, which really doesn’t need another Windows Millenium Edition (I call that Windows Y2K for what it did to my college PC).

Ah, and if you get a chance to check it out and like it (or don’t), I’d love to hear from you.

Evening Art Number One

Alternate Adobe Suite Icon Design Contest

In December, I wrote about the new Adobe Creative Suite 3 icons (ick!) and the controversy in the design community surrounding them. Well, today, a reader who presumably found this site through a Google Search commented on that post with information about a contest sponsored by his/her (Pariah is the name) site Quark VS InDesign. They are looking for designers to submit at least three icons for consideration, though more is great, and two must be for Photoshop and Illustrator, respectively. The prize list is pretty great (I marvel at the shipping costs alone for all those books!) and all submitted icons will be made available for download to replace the ugly paint chips if you so desire. Deadline is 23 April 2007. Read more about it here.

Posh Spice Blogs

Check it out everybody: The blog of the wife of the highest paid athlete (more or less) in the United States!

Communication Exists

Video - In My Language - on YouTube

About this video:

The first part is in my "native language," and then the second part provides a translation, or at least an explanation. This is not a look-at-the-autie gawking freakshow as much as it is a statement about what gets considered thought, intelligence, personhood, language, and communication, and what does not. (less)

This reminds me a great deal about the early work of theatre auteur Robert Wilson.

Communication is not language. It is greater than that. YouTube user silentmiaow (this is her video) says, "labeling someone non-communicative says more about the person doing the labeling than the person wearing the label." Agreed.

Trinity/La MaMa Site Is Now Live!

These past few weeks I have been working my butt off to finish an update and redesign of the website for the Trinity/La MaMa program - a semester-long immersion in the art and culture of New York City. I did this program a couple years ago and am happy to have been able to give back to it in this way.

Check out the site, and if you know any college students, encourage them to ask about it.

www.trinitylamama.org

Squeezable Charms = Cellphone?

Design Sojourn has a cool post about a concept phone developed by Jack Godfrey Wood (a Masters student) in collaboration with Nokia.

allmyfriends creates sentimental value by allowing each user to design their own ‘bead’ that they can give to people they wish to be contacted by.

Squeeze the bead of the person you want to talk to to call them; the recipient squeezes the glowing/vibrating bead to answer.

The beads can be strung on any length of ‘phone’ and worn in any way the user wants creating a visual and tactile menu of friends, family and colleagues

It is perhaps a little too cutesy for the everyday user (not to mention business guys and gals - which is where something like this could also come in handy as a form of business card exchange), but I appreciate the unique interface, and think that this is the way things are headed. It is a cool way to link memory and personality to something as boringly technological as making a call - and is a little (meaning a lot) more exciting than seeing some crappy lo-res phone camera pic and customized ringtone come up when someone calls.

This also reminds me of two things: First, Moo, a neat site that lets you print what they call “mini cards” using your Flickr photos.

And also, Adam Greenfield’s amazing book called Everyware: The Dawning Age of Ubiquitous Computing which I highly recommend.

We Must Not Fail?

Seriously, G.W.? Because I thought failure in Iraq was an option.


The picture up there is from this site, which is an incredible resource. It has the text of State of the Union addresses dating back over 200 years, and analyzes these texts for word frequency, illustrating the changes in political climate in a really cool way. For example, you can see that George W. used the word “oil” nine times this year - a big jump from previous years. Take a look at the State of the Union site, and feel free to comment with any interesting trends you might notice.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, the full text of the 2007 State of the Union Address, delivered on the 23rd day of January by President George W. Bush (aka “Head Lame-o Cowboy”). Read it, as they say, and weep.

TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:

Thank you very much. Tonight, I have a high privilege and distinct honor of my own as the first President to begin the State of the Union message with these words: Madam Speaker.

In his day, the late Congressman Thomas DAlesandro, Jr., from Baltimore, Maryland, saw Presidents Roosevelt and Truman at this rostrum. But nothing could compare with the sight of his only daughter, Nancy, presiding tonight as Speaker of the House of Representatives. Congratulations.

Two members of the House and Senate are not with us tonight and we pray for the recovery and speedy return of Senator Tim Johnson and Congressman Charlie Norwood.

Madam Speaker, Vice President Cheney, Members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:

This rite of custom brings us together at a defining hour when decisions are hard and courage is tested. We enter the year 2007 with large endeavors underway, and others that are ours to begin. In all of this, much is asked of us. We must have the will to face difficult challenges and determined enemies and the wisdom to face them together.

Some in this Chamber are new to the House and Senate and I congratulate the Democratic majority. Congress has changed, but our responsibilities have not. Each of us is guided by our own convictions and to these we must stay faithful. Yet we are all held to the same standards, and called to serve the same good purposes: To extend this Nations prosperity to spend the peoples money wisely to solve problems, not leave them to future generations to guard America against all evil, and to keep faith with those we have sent forth to defend us.

We are not the first to come here with government divided and uncertainty in the air. Like many before us, we can work through our differences and achieve big things for the American people. Our citizens dont much care which side of the aisle we sit on as long as we are willing to cross that aisle when there is work to be done. Our job is to make life better for our fellow Americans, and help them to build a future of hope and opportunity and this is the business before us tonight.

A future of hope and opportunity begins with a growing economy and that is what we have. We are now in the 41st month of uninterrupted job growth in a recovery that has created 7.2 million new jobs so far. Unemployment is low, inflation is low, and wages are rising. This economy is on the move and our job is to keep it that way, not with more government but with more enterprise.

Next week, I will deliver a full report on the state of our economy. Tonight, I want to discuss three economic reforms that deserve to be priorities for this Congress.

First, we must balance the Federal budget. We can do so without raising taxes. What we need to do is impose spending discipline in Washington, D.C. We set a goal of cutting the deficit in half by 2009 and met that goal 3 years ahead of schedule. Now let us take the next step. In the coming weeks, I will submit a budget that eliminates the Federal deficit within the next 5 years. I ask you to make the same commitment. Together, we can restrain the spending appetite of the Federal Government, and balance the Federal budget.

Next, there is the matter of earmarks. These special interest items are often slipped into bills at the last hour when not even C-SPAN is watching. In 2005 alone, the number of earmarks grew to over 13,000 and totaled nearly $18 billion. Even worse, over 90 percent of earmarks never make it to the floor of the House and Senate they are dropped into Committee reports that are not even part of the bill that arrives on my desk. You did not vote them into law. I did not sign them into law. Yet they are treated as if they have the force of law. The time has come to end this practice. So let us work together to reform the budget process expose every earmark to the light of day and to a vote in Congress and cut the number and cost of earmarks at least in half by the end of this session.

Finally, to keep this economy strong we must take on the challenge of entitlements. Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid are commitments of conscience and so it is our duty to keep them permanently sound. Yet we are failing in that duty and this failure will one day leave our children with three bad options: huge tax increases, huge deficits, or huge and immediate cuts in benefits. Everyone in this Chamber knows this to be true yet somehow we have not found it in ourselves to act. So let us work together and do it now. With enough good sense and good will, you and I can fix Medicare and Medicaid and save Social Security.

Spreading opportunity and hope in America also requires public schools that give children the knowledge and character they need in life. Five years ago, we rose above partisan differences to pass the No Child Left Behind Act preserving local control, raising standards in public schools, and holding those schools accountable for results. And because we acted, students are performing better in reading and math, and minority students are closing the achievement gap.

Now the task is to build on this success, without watering down standards without taking control from local communities and without backsliding and calling it reform. We can lift student achievement even higher by giving local leaders flexibility to turn around failing schools and by giving families with children stuck in failing schools the right to choose something better. We must increase funds for students who struggle and make sure these children get the special help they need. And we can make sure our children are prepared for the jobs of the future, and our country is more competitive, by strengthening math and science skills. The No Child Left Behind Act has worked for Americas children and I ask Congress to reauthorize this good law.

A future of hope and opportunity requires that all our citizens have affordable and available health care. When it comes to health care, government has an obligation to care for the elderly, the disabled, and poor children. We will meet those responsibilities. For all other Americans, private health insurance is the best way to meet their needs. But many Americans cannot afford a health insurance policy.

Tonight, I propose two new initiatives to help more Americans afford their own insurance. First, I propose a standard tax deduction for health insurance that will be like the standard tax deduction for dependents. Families with health insurance will pay no income or payroll taxes on $15,000 of their income. Single Americans with health insurance will pay no income or payroll taxes on $7,500 of their income. With this reform, more than 100 million men, women, and children who are now covered by employer-provided insurance will benefit from lower tax bills.

At the same time, this reform will level the playing field for those who do not get health insurance through their job. For Americans who now purchase health insurance on their own, my proposal would mean a substantial tax savings $4,500 for a family of four making $60,000 a year. And for the millions of other Americans who have no health insurance at all, this deduction would help put a basic private health insurance plan within their reach. Changing the tax code is a vital and necessary step to making health care affordable for more Americans.

My second proposal is to help the States that are coming up with innovative ways to cover the uninsured. States that make basic private health insurance available to all their citizens should receive Federal funds to help them provide this coverage to the poor and the sick. I have asked the Secretary of Health and Human Services to work with Congress to take existing Federal funds and use them to create Affordable Choices grants. These grants would give our Nations Governors more money and more flexibility to get private health insurance to those most in need.

There are many other ways that Congress can help. We need to expand Health Savings Accounts help small businesses through Association Health Plans reduce costs and medical errors with better information technology encourage price transparency and protect good doctors from junk lawsuits by passing medical liability reform. And in all we do, we must remember that the best health care decisions are made not by government and insurance companies, but by patients and their doctors.

Extending hope and opportunity in our country requires an immigration system worthy of America with laws that are fair and borders that are secure. When laws and borders are routinely violated, this harms the interests of our country. To secure our border, we are doubling the size of the Border Patrol and funding new infrastructure and technology.

Yet even with all these steps, we cannot fully secure the border unless we take pressure off the border and that requires a temporary worker program. We should establish a legal and orderly path for foreign workers to enter our country to work on a temporary basis. As a result, they wont have to try to sneak in and that will leave border agents free to chase down drug smugglers, and criminals, and terrorists. We will enforce our immigration laws at the worksite, and give employers the tools to verify the legal status of their workers so there is no excuse left for violating the law. We need to uphold the great tradition of the melting pot that welcomes and assimilates new arrivals. And we need to resolve the status of the illegal immigrants who are already in our country without animosity and without amnesty.

Convictions run deep in this Capitol when it comes to immigration. Let us have a serious, civil, and conclusive debate so that you can pass, and I can sign, comprehensive immigration reform into law.

Extending hope and opportunity depends on a stable supply of energy that keeps Americas economy running and Americas environment clean. For too long our Nation has been dependent on foreign oil. And this dependence leaves us more vulnerable to hostile regimes, and to terrorists who could cause huge disruptions of oil shipments raise the price of oil and do great harm to our economy.

It is in our vital interest to diversify Americas energy supply and the way forward is through technology. We must continue changing the way America generates electric power by even greater use of clean coal technology solar and wind energy and clean, safe nuclear power. We need to press on with battery research for plug-in and hybrid vehicles, and expand the use of clean diesel vehicles and biodiesel fuel. We must continue investing in new methods of producing ethanol using everything from wood chips, to grasses, to agricultural wastes.

We have made a lot of progress, thanks to good policies in Washington and the strong response of the market. Now even more dramatic advances are within reach. Tonight, I ask Congress to join me in pursuing a great goal. Let us build on the work we have done and reduce gasoline usage in the United States by 20 percent in the next 10 years thereby cutting our total imports by the equivalent of 3/4 of all the oil we now import from the Middle East.

To reach this goal, we must increase the supply of alternative fuels, by setting a mandatory Fuels Standard to require 35 billion gallons of renewable and alternative fuels in 2017 this is nearly 5 times the current target. At the same time, we need to reform and modernize fuel economy standards for cars the way we did for light trucks and conserve up to 8.5 billion more gallons of gasoline by 2017.

Achieving these ambitious goals will dramatically reduce our dependence on foreign oil, but will not eliminate it. So as we continue to diversify our fuel supply, we must also step up domestic oil production in environmentally sensitive ways. And to further protect America against severe disruptions to our oil supply, I ask Congress to double the current capacity of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

America is on the verge of technological breakthroughs that will enable us to live our lives less dependent on oil. These technologies will help us become better stewards of the environment and they will help us to confront the serious challenge of global climate change.

A future of hope and opportunity requires a fair, impartial system of justice. The lives of citizens across our Nation are affected by the outcome of cases pending in our Federal courts. And we have a shared obligation to ensure that the Federal courts have enough judges to hear those cases and deliver timely rulings. As President, I have a duty to nominate qualified men and women to vacancies on the Federal bench. And the United States Senate has a duty as well to give those nominees a fair hearing, and a prompt up-or-down vote on the Senate floor.

For all of us in this room, there is no higher responsibility than to protect the people of this country from danger. Five years have come and gone since we saw the scenes and felt the sorrow that terrorists can cause. We have had time to take stock of our situation. We have added many critical protections to guard the homeland. We know with certainty that the horrors of that September morning were just a glimpse of what the terrorists intend for us unless we stop them.

With the distance of time, we find ourselves debating the causes of conflict and the course we have followed. Such debates are essential when a great democracy faces great questions. Yet one question has surely been settled that to win the war on terror we must take the fight to the enemy.

From the start, America and our allies have protected our people by staying on the offense. The enemy knows that the days of comfortable sanctuary, easy movement, steady financing, and free-flowing communications are long over. For the terrorists, life since 9/11 has never been the same.

Our success in this war is often measured by the things that did not happen. We cannot know the full extent of the attacks that we and our allies have prevented but here is some of what we do know: We stopped an al Qaeda plot to fly a hijacked airplane into the tallest building on the West Coast. We broke up a Southeast Asian terrorist cell grooming operatives for attacks inside the United States. We uncovered an al Qaeda cell developing anthrax to be used in attacks against America. And just last August, British authorities uncovered a plot to blow up passenger planes bound for America over the Atlantic Ocean . For each life saved, we owe a debt of gratitude to the brave public servants who devote their lives to finding the terrorists and stopping them.

Every success against the terrorists is a reminder of the shoreless ambitions of this enemy. The evil that inspired and rejoiced in 9/11 is still at work in the world. And so long as that is the case, America is still a Nation at war.

In the minds of the terrorists, this war began well before September 11, and will not end until their radical vision is fulfilled. And these past 5 years have given us a much clearer view of the nature of this enemy. Al Qaeda and its followers are Sunni extremists, possessed by hatred and commanded by a harsh and narrow ideology. Take almost any principle of civilization, and their goal is the opposite. They preach with threats instruct with bullets and bombs and promise paradise for the murder of the innocent.

Our enemies are quite explicit about their intentions. They want to overthrow moderate governments and establish safe havens from which to plan and carry out new attacks on our country. By killing and terrorizing Americans, they want to force our country to retreat from the world and abandon the cause of liberty. They would then be free to impose their will and spread their totalitarian ideology. Listen to this warning from the late terrorist Zarqawi: We will sacrifice our blood and bodies to put an end to your dreams, and what is coming is even worse. And Osama bin Laden declared: Death is better than living on this Earth with the unbelievers among us.

These men are not given to idle words, and they are just one camp in the Islamist radical movement. In recent times, it has also become clear that we face an escalating danger from Shia extremists who are just as hostile to America, and are also determined to dominate the Middle East. Many are known to take direction from the regime in Iran, which is funding and arming terrorists like Hezbollah a group second only to al Qaeda in the American lives it has taken.

The Shia and Sunni extremists are different faces of the same totalitarian threat. But whatever slogans they chant, when they slaughter the innocent, they have the same wicked purposes. They want to kill Americans kill democracy in the Middle East and gain the weapons to kill on an even more horrific scale.

In the 6th year since our Nation was attacked, I wish I could report to you that the dangers have ended. They have not. And so it remains the policy of this Government to use every lawful and proper tool of intelligence, diplomacy, law enforcement, and military action to do our duty, to find these enemies, and to protect the American people.

This war is more than a clash of arms it is a decisive ideological struggle, and the security of our Nation is in the balance. To prevail, we must remove the conditions that inspire blind hatred, and drove 19 men to get onto airplanes and come to kill us. What every terrorist fears most is human freedom societies where men and women make their own choices, answer to their own conscience, and live by their hopes instead of their resentments. Free people are not drawn to violent and malignant ideologies and most will choose a better way when they are given a chance. So we advance our own security interests by helping moderates, reformers, and brave voices for democracy. The great question of our day is whether America will help men and women in the Middle East to build free societies and share in the rights of all humanity. And I say, for the sake of our own security we must.

In the last 2 years, we have seen the desire for liberty in the broader Middle East and we have been sobered by the enemys fierce reaction. In 2005, the world watched as the citizens of Lebanon raised the banner of the Cedar Revolution drove out the Syrian occupiers and chose new leaders in free elections. In 2005, the people of Afghanistan defied the terrorists and elected a democratic legislature. And in 2005, the Iraqi people held three national elections choosing a transitional government adopting the most progressive, democratic constitution in the Arab world and then electing a government under that constitution. Despite endless threats from the killers in their midst, nearly 12 million Iraqi citizens came out to vote in a show of hope and solidarity we should never forget.

A thinking enemy watched all of these scenes, adjusted their tactics, and in 2006 they struck back. In Lebanon, assassins took the life of Pierre Gemayel, a prominent participant in the Cedar Revolution. And Hezbollah terrorists, with support from Syria and Iran, sowed conflict in the region and are seeking to undermine Lebanons legitimately elected government. In Afghanistan, Taliban and al Qaeda fighters tried to regain power by regrouping and engaging Afghan and NATO forces. In Iraq, al Qaeda and other Sunni extremists blew up one of the most sacred places in Shia Islam the Golden Mosque of Samarra. This atrocity, directed at a Muslim house of prayer, was designed to provoke retaliation from Iraqi Shia and it succeeded. Radical Shia elements, some of whom receive support from Iran, formed death squads. The result was a tragic escalation of sectarian rage and reprisal that continues to this day.

This is not the fight we entered in Iraq, but it is the fight we are in. Every one of us wishes that this war were over and won. Yet it would not be like us to leave our promises unkept, our friends abandoned, and our own security at risk. Ladies and gentlemen: On this day, at this hour, it is still within our power to shape the outcome of this battle. So let us find our resolve, and turn events toward victory.

We are carrying out a new strategy in Iraq a plan that demands more from Iraqs elected government, and gives our forces in Iraq the reinforcements they need to complete their mission. Our goal is a democratic Iraq that upholds the rule of law, respects the rights of its people, provides them security, and is an ally in the war on terror.

In order to make progress toward this goal, the Iraqi government must stop the sectarian violence in its capital. But the Iraqis are not yet ready to do this on their own. So we are deploying reinforcements of more than 20,000 additional soldiers and Marines to Iraq. The vast majority will go to Baghdad, where they will help Iraqi forces to clear and secure neighborhoods and serve as advisers embedded in Iraqi Army units. With Iraqis in the lead, our forces will help secure the city by chasing down terrorists, insurgents, and roaming death squads. And in Anbar province where al Qaeda terrorists have gathered and local forces have begun showing a willingness to fight them we are sending an additional 4,000 United States Marines, with orders to find the terrorists and clear them out. We did not drive al Qaeda out of their safe haven in Afghanistan only to let them set up a new safe haven in a free Iraq.

The people of Iraq want to live in peace, and now is the time for their government to act. Iraqs leaders know that our commitment is not open ended. They have promised to deploy more of their own troops to secure Baghdad and they must do so. They have pledged that they will confront violent radicals of any faction or political party. They need to follow through, and lift needless restrictions on Iraqi and Coalition forces, so these troops can achieve their mission of bringing security to all of the people of Baghdad. Iraqs leaders have committed themselves to a series of benchmarks to achieve reconciliation to share oil revenues among all of Iraqs citizens to put the wealth of Iraq into the rebuilding of Iraq to allow more Iraqis to re-enter their nations civic life to hold local elections and to take responsibility for security in every Iraqi province. But for all of this to happen, Baghdad must be secured. And our plan will help the Iraqi government take back its capital and make good on its commitments.

My fellow citizens, our military commanders and I have carefully weighed the options. We discussed every possible approach. In the end, I chose this course of action because it provides the best chance of success. Many in this Chamber understand that America must not fail in Iraq because you understand that the consequences of failure would be grievous and far reaching.

If American forces step back before Baghdad is secure, the Iraqi government would be overrun by extremists on all sides. We could expect an epic battle between Shia extremists backed by Iran, and Sunni extremists aided by al Qaeda and supporters of the old regime. A contagion of violence could spill out across the country and in time the entire region could be drawn into the conflict.

For America, this is a nightmare scenario. For the enemy, this is the objective. Chaos is their greatest ally in this struggle. And out of chaos in Iraq would emerge an emboldened enemy with new safe havens new recruits new resources and an even greater determination to harm America. To allow this to happen would be to ignore the lessons of September 11 and invite tragedy. And ladies and gentlemen, nothing is more important at this moment in our history than for America to succeed in the Middle East to succeed in Iraq and to spare the American people from this danger.

This is where matters stand tonight, in the here and now. I have spoken with many of you in person. I respect you and the arguments you have made. We went into this largely united in our assumptions, and in our convictions. And whatever you voted for, you did not vote for failure. Our country is pursuing a new strategy in Iraq and I ask you to give it a chance to work. And I ask you to support our troops in the field and those on their way.

The war on terror we fight today is a generational struggle that will continue long after you and I have turned our duties over to others. That is why it is important to work together so our Nation can see this great effort through. Both parties and both branches should work in close consultation. And this is why I propose to establish a special advisory council on the war on terror, made up of leaders in Congress from both political parties. We will share ideas for how to position America to meet every challenge that confronts us. And we will show our enemies abroad that we are united in the goal of victory.

One of the first steps we can take together is to add to the ranks of our military so that the American Armed Forces are ready for all the challenges ahead. Tonight I ask the Congress to authorize an increase in the size of our active Army and Marine Corps by 92,000 in the next 5 years. A second task we can take on together is to design and establish a volunteer Civilian Reserve Corps. Such a corps would function much like our military reserve. It would ease the burden on the Armed Forces by allowing us to hire civilians with critical skills to serve on missions abroad when America needs them. And it would give people across America who do not wear the uniform a chance to serve in the defining struggle of our time.

Americans can have confidence in the outcome of this struggle because we are not in this struggle alone. We have a diplomatic strategy that is rallying the world to join in the fight against extremism. In Iraq, multinational forces are operating under a mandate from the United Nations and we are working with Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the Gulf States to increase support for Iraqs government. The United Nations has imposed sanctions on Iran, and made it clear that the world will not allow the regime in Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons. With the other members of the Quartet the U.N., the European Union, and Russia we are pursuing diplomacy to help bring peace to the Holy Land, and pursuing the establishment of a democratic Palestinian state living side-by-side with Israel in peace and security. In Afghanistan, NATO has taken the lead in turning back the Taliban and al Qaeda offensive the first time the Alliance has deployed forces outside the North Atlantic area. Together with our partners in China, Japan, Russia , and South Korea, we are pursuing intensive diplomacy to achieve a Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons. And we will continue to speak out for the cause of freedom in places like Cuba, Belarus, and Burma and continue to awaken the conscience of the world to save the people of Darfur.

American foreign policy is more than a matter of war and diplomacy. Our work in the world is also based on a timeless truth: To whom much is given, much is required. We hear the call to take on the challenges of hunger, poverty, and disease and that is precisely what America is doing. We must continue to fight HIV/AIDS, especially on the continent of Africa and because you funded our Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the number of people receiving life-saving drugs has grown from 50,000 to more than 800,000 in 3 short years. I ask you to continue funding our efforts to fight HIV/AIDS. I ask you to provide $1.2 billion over 5 years so we can combat malaria in 15 African countries. I ask that you fund the Millennium Challenge Account, so that American aid reaches the people who need it, in nations where democracy is on the rise and corruption is in retreat. And let us continue to support the expanded trade and debt relief that are the best hope for lifting lives and eliminating poverty.

When America serves others in this way, we show the strength and generosity of our country. These deeds reflect the character of our people. The greatest strength we have is the heroic kindness, courage, and self-sacrifice of the American people. You see this spirit often if you know where to look and tonight we need only look above to the gallery.

Dikembe Mutombo grew up in Africa, amid great poverty and disease. He came to Georgetown University on a scholarship to study medicine but Coach John Thompson got a look at Dikembe and had a different idea. Dikembe became a star in the NBA, and a citizen of the United States. But he never forgot the land of his birth or the duty to share his blessings with others. He has built a brand new hospital in his hometown. A friend has said of this good-hearted man: Mutombo believes that God has given him this opportunity to do great things. And we are proud to call this son of the Congo our fellow American.

After her daughter was born, Julie Aigner-Clark searched for ways to share her love of music and art with her child. So she borrowed some equipment, and began filming childrens videos in her basement. The Baby Einstein Company was born and in just 5 years her business grew to more than $20 million in sales. In November 2001, Julie sold Baby Einstein to the Walt Disney Company, and with her help Baby Einstein has grown into a $200 million business. Julie represents the great enterprising spirit of America. And she is using her success to help others producing child safety videos with John Walsh of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Julie says of her new project: I believe its the most important thing that Ive ever done. I believe that children have the right to live in a world that is safe. We are pleased to welcome this talented business entrepreneur and generous social entrepreneur Julie Aigner-Clark.

Three weeks ago, Wesley Autrey was waiting at a Harlem subway station with his two little girls, when he saw a man fall into the path of a train. With seconds to act, Wesley jumped onto the tracks pulled the man into a space between the rails and held him as the train passed right above their heads. He insists hes not a hero. Wesley says: We got guys and girls overseas dying for us to have our freedoms. We got to show each other some love. There is something wonderful about a country that produces a brave and humble man like Wesley Autrey.

Tommy Rieman was a teenager pumping gas in Independence, Kentucky, when he enlisted in the United States Army. In December 2003, he was on a reconnaissance mission in Iraq when his team came under heavy enemy fire. From his Humvee, Sergeant Rieman returned fire and used his body as a shield to protect his gunner. He was shot in the chest and arm, and received shrapnel wounds to his legs yet he refused medical attention, and stayed in the fight. He helped to repel a second attack, firing grenades at the enemys position. For his exceptional courage, Sergeant Rieman was awarded the Silver Star. And like so many other Americans who have volunteered to defend us, he has earned the respect and gratitude of our whole country.

In such courage and compassion, ladies and gentlemen, we see the spirit and character of America and these qualities are not in short supply. This is a decent and honorable country and resilient, too. We have been through a lot together. We have met challenges and faced dangers, and we know that more lie ahead. Yet we can go forward with confidence because the State of our Union is strong our cause in the world is right and tonight that cause goes on.

Thank you.

iPod Dancers - Before and After

Rocket Studio is the group that worked on some of the cool iPod ads for Apple with the silhouetted dancing people. On their site they have a couple before/after shots to show you what photographs they used to create the iconic dancers. Here is one - check out their site for some more stuff:

A Rubber Ducky To End The Pain

Artist Nicolas Gaudron has created a nicely disturbing work of art that highlights the power of juxtaposition of dissimilar objects and/or ideas.

electric bath duck for suicidal tendency, 2001 (RCA - P3)

There are more pictures on his site, including diagrams for use, packaging, even a pre-printed card for the suicide note, addressed “Dear relatives.” Funny stuff. Or something like that.

Be sure to check out some of his other work, too.

Whoa. Every Ad In Times Square. Seriously.

A site called Ironic Sans (digging the name) has allegedly posted pictures of every single ad in Times Square NYC. I’m not sure he got everything, but it is a pretty damn comprehensive list. Go check it out.

Other Music To Offer Digital Downloads

For those of you unacquainted with the New York City music scene, consider your life changed. Other Music, an East Village staple is opening up shop online to offer digital downloads encoded at 320Kbps (compared with iTunes’ 192) for roughly the same price. Other Music is well-known for its very knowledgeable and handpicked collection that is very eclectic and very awesome. The site is set to go online early 2007 (so, rather soon), and you can submit your email address for updates about the launch in this form.

From an interview in Wired News:

We will be selling high-quality files without DRM copy protection (our music is encoded at 320 Kbps rather than 192, the iTunes model, so the sound will be much better). All our pricing is not set yet, but we will definitely have to be a little more expensive than iTunes -- probably $10.99 per album rather than $9.99. I hope we can more than make up for the price with our selection, service, knowledge, features and, of course, the quality files.

That sounds pretty good to me, especially the quality files, and the DRM-free-ness. In fact, the lack of Digital Rights Management (which limits your use of the files you purchase) is one of the reasons I am so happy using EMusic these days.

All in all, I hope this music store takes off. As much as I love Apple, and greatly appreciate their redefining the game - when it comes to music, more options means better options for the consumer.

And really, if I am to be honest with myself, that is what I am.

This Might Not Be As Cool As The iPhone...

But the soon-to-be-released (February!) LG Prada all-touchscreen cell phone does look beautiful. Of course, it doesn’t seem to have plans to come to the U.S. (typical, and the very reason why Apple’s phone is SO important), and it will cost something like 600 Euros (approx. $780 U.S.), so it is definitely not cheap, either. I don’t think I’d be stretching much to say that this sweet phone will not be an iPhone competitor, but I for one am excited to see companies moving away from the seriously ugly, seriously user-unfriendly phones of today, that, in my opinion, look far too much like “machines,” at least as machines of the future were imagined years ago (maybe the 80s? 90s?).

Which is, of course, to say, they look ugly and cold.


It is refreshing to see companies breathe life into their products, and create pieces of technology that, when held, kinda make you forget that what you are holding is non-human, non-organic. Something you can look at and smile.

Check out the LG Prada phone site here. It is a really awesome site, too, if you’ve got the connection to handle it.

iPhone Ringtone

You knew it was coming and it is here. A ringtone made from the audio of Steve Job’s keynote address at Macworld S.F. 2007, where he unveiled the product that’s had the internet buzzing for a long time (and seemingly with no end in sight).

In case you haven’t seen the unveiling, here it is. You’ll notice the iPhone rings and Steve Jobs takes a call. With a bit of isolation and static cleanup, we now have this, the iPhone ringtone, courtesy of an anonymous Gizmodo reader. Get it here.

It’s pretty sweet, and actually kinda sounds like a phone for once, instead of some garbled rendition of “My Humps” or some other nastiness.

Animals on the EDGE of Existence

A site called EDGE (Evolutionarily Distinct & Globally Endangered) is working to save some “uncharismatic” species of mammals from extinction.

EDGE species have few close relatives and are extremely distinct in the way they look, live and behave. These unique species are also on the verge of extinction, and if they disappear there will be nothing like them left on the planet.

Some EDGE species, such as elephants and pandas are
well known, but others, such as the Yangtze river dolphin
(the world's rarest cetacean), the bumblebee bat (the smallest mammal on earth) and the egg-laying long-beaked echidnas, remain poorly understood.

They have a “Top 100” list of mammals receiving little or no conservation attention by the mainstream with a gauge indicating the amount of conservation efforts currently focused on each animal.

Recent studies indicate that almost 75 per cent of the world’s most extraordinary threatened mammals are receiving little or no conservation attention.

If these species go extinct, they will be lost forever. There are no similar animals on earth to replace them.

Do check out this site, and consider donating. Not everybody can be a giant panda, after all. Link

Geni - Make a Family Tree

I just found a pretty cool new site that is up and running on the interwebs. It is called Geni, and is a really sleek way to make a family tree. It has very nice-looking Flash interface that lets you easily add relatives (and is pretty intelligent about the whole thing, too), and automatically invite them to the site to add their relatives to the tree.

You can also add profiles for each family member (or they can add their own), with information about birthplace, current location, schools, work, favorites, contacts, and more. And a picture!

So, in a sense, this is social networking for families.

According to them, all the data is private and accessible only by your family, and won’t be used for any nefarious purposes.

Check it out and get re-connected with your related-people.

I wonder if anyone will create a fictional family. That would be cool. A huge fictional family with fake email addresses and everything. A super-super huge family.

Walt Disney on the Mysteries of Existence

Thoughts are not separate, contained entities that have, as their basis, an intended action. Rather, thoughts are a web of interwoven, overlapping impulses with no clear direction. Action is created when enough thoughts build up on one side or the other, causing a shift in the balance, and the heavier side overrides the other. This is why no actions are individual. All actions exist as part of an infinitely long chain of events set off by the ebb and flow of the web of thoughts in the gentle wind of the mind in addition to external forces that suggest the buildup of thought in certain segments of the web. Does this mean free will does not exist? That every action is predetermined? Part of an endless, decomposing, recursive loop whose sole purpose is mere survival?

Perhaps. I am not yet awake enough to know how I may contradict myself. But what I do know is this: Whether or not we possess free will, we tend to think we do. And maybe, just maybe, that “thought” is itself an outside influence, adding to the buildup in one corner of the mindweb, ultimately influencing our actions at least a little. Maybe.

Here is something worth “thinking” about:

It is not necessary for an animator to take a character to one point, complete that action completely, and then turn to the following action as if the had never given it a thought until after completing the first action. When a character knows what his is going to do he doesn’t have to stop before each individual action and think to do it. He has it planned in advance in his mind. For example, the mind thinks, ‘I’ll close the door - lock it then I’m going to undress and go to bed.’ Well, you walk over to the door before the walk is finished you're reaching for the door - before the door is closed you reach for the key - before the door is locked you’re turning away - while you’re walking away you undo your tie - and before you reach the bureau you have your tie off. In other words, before you know it you’re undressed and you’ve done it in one thought, “I’m going to bed.” - Walt Disney Link

More Music To Check Out

Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass


Cat Power - The Greatest


Fujiya & Miyagi - Transparent Things


Jose Gonzalez - Veneer


The Knife - Silent Shout


Camera Obscura - Let’s Get Out of This Country

Search Amazon Deals - Up To 90% Off!

This site is an incredible resource. It lets you browse/search Amazon by percent discounted in each merchandise category.

Always get the best deal. Never pay full price again!

Here is the link again. This must be added to your bookmarks.

How To Be Creative Manifesto

From ChangeThis:

Hugh MacLeod, an advertising executive and popular blogger with a flair for the creative, gives his 26 tried-and-true tips for being truly creative. Each point illustrated by a cartoon drawn by the author himself.

If you've ever felt the draw to do something creative but just haven't been able to pull it together, you'll love this manifesto.

With tips like “Ignore Everybody” and “The idea doesn’t have to be big, it just has to change the world,” this PDF is a must-read (emphasis is mine).

You can download or view it here.

And for more manifestos, cartoons, and other great content from Hugh MacLeod, check out Gaping Void.

What Does 200 Calories Look Like?

wiseGEEK has an awesome feature that shows pictures of 200 calories worth of dozens of foods, sorted by calorie density. Some pretty surprising data, and some really nice photos, too! How does your favorite food stack up?