Via Alt Text

Allow me to demonstrate:

Teleportation
Invisibility cloaks
Androids
Bionics
Instant communication and access
Virtual reality

Much props to The Raw Feed for many of the links above.

A man’s ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeeded be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.

A human being is a part of a whole, called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest… a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

Classes started up again. I teach, for those just tuning in. I am teaching Intro to Interactive Media at the College of Visual Arts. You can unwatch the course unfold on the class blog. So far, the class is looking good. We’ll see if I can whip them into shape ;)

In more school related news, Ali started her first year of Montessori this year. She’s doing great so far, and I’m constantly impressed at the level of trust the teachers put in the students, and how much responsibility the kids learn because of that. This can only be a great experience for her.

In other news, I’m trying to get back into the Etoile and GNUstep communities after a summer haitus. Have been making both new friends and new icons. I’m thinking we might have some really cool stuff to show at FOSDEM next year.

Also, I’m working on my Internet fame. You should hopefully be seeing me pop up in a little video blog series I’m now a part of called Chasing Windmills. The folks who started it, Cristina Cordova and Juan Antonio del Rosario, are simply amazing. If you’ve got an evening or two on your hands, check out their first season… certainly some of the best video stuff being done on the web right now.

I think that’s about it… let’s see if I can’t be a bit more consistent about these updates, huh?

And now, I have further proof of Google’s transition to spiritual entity:

Maybe if we look at it like this:

Anyone else seeing Google on a cross, bursting forth from the world?

(Via the opening sequence of Google Current)

Take my most recent addictions: Google Current and Rocketboom. I’m sure I’ve mentioned Rocketboom before, since it’s just a damn awesome show, but I’ve really gotten back into it, mostly since upgrading my system has allowed me to store more video and play it more smoothly. Google Current is a relatively recent addiction, but one which got me hooked right off the bat.

Both are news-ish shows. Rocketboom has a focus more on discussing topics that are currently causing a buzz around blogs and forums of the net. Google Current takes a search term that’s been popular on Google lately, and expands that to show what people are actually searching for (and finding) on the Internet. What’s really remarkable about both shows is that they share a similar format: short shows (4 – 7 minutes average), with multiple stories/topics within that timeframe, and a good dosage of reality and humor.

Both shows “get” the Internet, and “get” web attention spans, and “get” how to connect with a busy, but involved, audience. The hosts of both shows (Amanda Congdon on RB, and Conor Knighton and Kinga Philipps on GC) represent the web’s version of news anchors: they’re young, they goof around, and they have the right balance of geek and chic. Neither show is overtly glossy or rehearsed-feeling, although GC has a bit more of that, due to being backed by Current TV’s (and presumably Google’s) budget. Still, both shows feel like someone with the right equipment and time could have produced it out of their basement.

The Internet already has a lot of stories and myths, and a rich world-spanning history. It’s amazing to be at the beginning of this, and to see the formation of Entertainment around the Internet, as people start to tell (and broadcast) these stories. As the gypsies would say:

May you live in interesting times.

Indeed.