CyberLizard's Collection

HOA's can go to hell

2008-09-03T14:54:00.004-04:00

You might remember this post wherein the future of my garden is threatened by my neighborhood's Home Owners Association. You might also remember my carefully worded and researched reply. I hadn't heard anything in response and, being very ADHD and somewhat passive-aggressive, I didn't follow up on it. No news is good news, as they say. Well, I finally got news. Just as Fay was starting to really blow, we discovered our upstairs window was leaking. As we were frantically moving bookshelves and pulling up carpet and trying to stem the flood, the postal carrier pulls into our driveway to deliver a certified letter. From our HOA.

In short, they decided to forward the matter to their attorney. "With no positive response to previous notice, the Board has no other option except to proceed with legal action." So either my response was not "positive" enough or they didn't give a shit about what I had to say. Naturally, I felt it necessary to respond:

Dear Board of Directors:

We were very disappointed to receive the Final Notice of Violation dated August 19, 2008. Especially disturbing was the statement that no positive response had been sent with regard to the prior notice. Apparently the letter attached to emails sent to the board members and the hardcopy mailed to the [management company] office did not count as positive response. Perhaps we do not understand the bureaucratic processes of home owners associations.

We are attaching a copy of the previous letter we sent in response. Furthermore, a hard copy has been sent out the the address listed above via certified mail, return receipt requested. We hope that this will constitute sufficient response to the violations. If any further information is needed, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are very interested in working with the board to resolve this matter.

Now here's where my expectations came crashing into reality. What I expected was a dialog between reasonable parties where the issue could be discussed and resolved in a professional manner, even if the boards decision went against me. In my original response, I included reasonable questions requesting clarifications on the rules and advice on how to best follow them in the event the board did not see fit to rule in my favor. What I received was something much different:

I for one live on the street as this vegetable garden and it is a sight. It keeps getting bigger and bigger and looks terrrible. She can build a fence even though she is on a corner lot. I say we stick to the no vegetable gardens and if you are considering changing this, drive by and have a look yourself. It will change your mind. This is my thought

Now, a home owners association is a quasi-legal organization with the authority to file liens on your home and even to initiate foreclosure. The board of directors act as the representatives of this body and, indeed, of all the members of the community. That a member of the board would feel that this was an appropriate response to a reasonable discussion of policy came a quite a shock. In addition to the factual errors (the garden hasn't grown since it was established, unless you count the growing of the plants) the attitude just blew my mind. After the shock came anger. Much anger. Darth Vader-type anger. If I could have force-choked this individual, I probably would have. While I despise bureaucracy, I have an appreciation for the niceties and formalities that generally accompany legal proceedings. I would expect this kind of reply in a blogs comments section or on some internet forum. Coming from one of the leaders of an organization that, quite literally, could force me out of my home was disgusting.

At this point, the representative of the management company that our HOA hired to handle all the paperwork and act as enforcer decided to throw in her $0.02:

They have received 3 notices and they haven’t removed the vegetable garden. What more needs to be discussed?

This person has no role on the board, has no decision-making authority and has absolutely no business interfering in a discussion between the board and a resident. At least that's my opinion. Besides which, she was completely incorrect. We did respond and have been trying to engage the board in a dialog. Which they apparently are steadfastly trying to avoid.

Fortunately, not all the members of the board are such small-minded individuals. Later, another member offered their take. While well-meaning, it was full of fallacies that I will address in-line below.

I did read your letter that you sent, you did respond,

Good of you to notice. You'd think that maybe this could be relayed to the guard dogs that the board hires to do its dirty work.

I believe the notice is referring to the action that needs to happen. It clearly states as you have noted that vegetable gardens are not allowed in the neighborhood unless properly contained.

No shit, why do you think I was writing a response?

I can totally appreciate where you are coming from in your letter, growing your own produce is very beneficial, I myself do it, but it is contained in pots on the back porch and in a tiny fenced area in the back of the home displayed neatly. I have driven and walked by your home on several occasions and recognized your vegetation as an eye sore. Tomato bushes in general grow rather wildly, the manner in which you have planted them is the problem.

So in other words, tomato plants are ugly and shouldn't be planted in a Square Foot Garden, only in "tiny fenced areas" because that's how you like them.

The wood enclosure which surrounds the plants looks bad and the location that you choose is random.

Two things wrong here: the wood enclosures are cedar planks used for the siding of houses. They form a border 8" high around the square beds. Not exactly a hideous bit of landscaping. And their location was FAR from random. The two beds are exactly 36" apart and stand 36" from the nearest landscaping, to allow for the passage of the lawn mower. They were placed on the south side of my house which recieves direct sunlight all day long.

It is obvious that you have a green thumb and I think that is great, speaking for myself I would not like for you to tear them up, just move them and make it look neat. I know you have a patio just off of your slider, why not plant the vegetation to the left of that patio and put some PVC 12" fencing around it with some trellising? We have a long weekend ahead of us, maybe this could be a project for you.

Nice thought, but that location is in perpetual shadow and is so waterlogged that the only thing that will grow there are swamp plants. There's about an hour a day that the sun can penetrate most of the back yard. The south side is the only viable location.

I think your property would look a lot nicer is you chose to take my advice, I am not sure what the other Board members might think about your garden because quite honestly we haven't discussed it.

In retrospect, this part bothers me more than anything else. The association documents outline a process for handling violations that includes the right of the homeowner to respond and seek relief. What's the fucking point of allowing a response if you're not even going to address it?

I do wish you well, I hope my response has helped, feel free to contact me again. My intent is not to hurt any feelings, just to be honest and helpful, constructive criticism, I hope you see it this way.

I don't give a shit about hurt feelings or how you hope I see it. What I see is an HOA BOD with a disregard for its residents and a rigid mindset that says that the only attractive yard is one that looks like theirs; i.e. chemical-drenched St. Augustine grass and landscaping completely unsuited to the Florida climate that can only be maintained by regular chemical applications and the waste of thousands of gallons of water. I see a board with no concept of professionalism and apparently with poor reading comprehension skills, since they didn't address my clearly worded questions.

Well, as per my standard response to all bureaucratic and authoritarian bullshit, fuck 'em. Unfortunately, this attitude can result in even more financial problems that I really don't need right now. I don't have the time or energy to fight this kind of crap. I'm dealing with a combination of stupidity, small mindedness and apathy. The amount of shit I'd have to go through to get these people out, assuming that the rest of the neighborhood isn't populated with the same type of people, is just too much right now. I've got a wife and two kids and a stressful job. Gardening used to be an outlet for my stress, a form of meditation. Guess I'll have to get back on the cushion, 'cause the garden has gone bye-bye.

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Must... buy... epMotion

2008-09-03T13:39:00.003-04:00

I'm not a scientist. It would be a real stretch to even try to classify myself as a computer scientist since I don't do any of that fancy theoretical-AI-quantum-researchy stuff. But I'm addicted to the Science Blogs. Some of the stuff is so far over my head that it's like a 6 foot tall person is holding it up and taunting me with it (I'm only 5' 5"). But one of my talents is the ability to pick up concepts based on context, so I can generally figure out what's going on.

At any rate, sometimes things pop up there that anyone can appreciate. Indeed, part of the mission over there at SB is to promote science education and accessibility. So even if you've never wielded a pipette in a lab, you should be able to appreciate this product marketing directed at our esteemed scientists working to make the world a better place.

I can't stop humming it. I haven't felt the need to watch a music video multiple times since I first found "White and Nerdy".

Via::Pharyngula

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Choose your enemies carefully

2008-09-02T09:20:00.004-04:00

This is starting to get scary. Here's a summary of some recent events in Minnesota during the lead-up to the Republican National Convention. It would appear that our national policy of preemtive strikes has trickled down to the local level.

Some more coverage:

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/9/1/democracy_now_s_elizabeth_press_detained
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/08/31/raids/index.html
http://www.minnesotaindependent.com/
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/09/thugs_at_work.php

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Curiouser and Curiouser

2008-08-29T13:09:00.002-04:00

John McCain has picked Alaska Governor Palin as VP. Rev. BigDumbChimp sums up this news perfectly.

Now, I'm not much of a political expert, but I can't for the life of me see where this is going. I'll leave it to the experts at The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to explain this one.

What's on the menu?

2008-08-25T11:42:00.003-04:00

So, what have you eaten? What won't you eat? What do you wish you hadn't eaten?

Here's my list. Thanks to the Rev. BigDumbChimp for propagating the meme.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros (not a big egg fan)
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile (well, aligator)
6. Black pudding (blood in pudding? My stomach churns at the thought)
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart (Chicago and New York)
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns (Wife keeps dragging me to dim sum, yeach!)
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes (Grew some myself this year)
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras (I'm counting it; even though I scraped it off, I still tasted it)
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters (forced to once as a small child. Never again!)
29. Baklava (I married a Greek, how could I not!)
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea (Ahh, to be back in jolly old England)
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O (Don't remind me!)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat's milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut (Hot, Fresh, Now! I'm totally stopping by on my way home)
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald's Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S'mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs' legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake (All of the above!)
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini (No idea what blini is, but fish eggs? I don't think so!)
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail (My wife had some on a cruise once. I think I took a bite)
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef (heavenly)
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam (Fried spam sandwiches on toast, a little mayo, maybe some lettuce and tomato, yummmm!)
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Additions to the list by the Rev. BigDumbChimp

101. Elk
102. Ostrich
103. Moose
104. whole hog BBQ
105. wine that costs more than $400.00 a bottle
106. Home made bacon and sausage (I've had home-made venison sausage)
107. chocolate and chiles
108. chittlins (duplicate of #70; call it a variation on spelling)
109. moonshine (of many different varieties)
110. quail eggs

Only 50 for me. Guess I need to get out there more.

I'll go ahead and add a few:
111. Pastitsio
112. Moussaka
113. Gyro

The battle is joined

2008-08-01T11:50:00.003-04:00

All right, that's probably a little extreme. You may remember that I received a violation notice from my neighborhood's homeowners association. After my initial anti-authoritarian streak calmed down and I was able to think rationally, I decided to respond in a more logical, thoughtful manner. Here is the content of my reply letter. It will only be a battle if they choose to make it one.

Dear Board of Directors:

This letter is in response to the Notice of Violation dated July 22, 2008. We apologize for the delay in responding. Our physical mail does not get checked anywhere near as frequently as the electronic version. The Notice received is regarding a vegetable garden. We are assuming that it is referring to Article IX, Section14 of the Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CCR), since there is no mention of the specific rule violated in the Notice.

The presence of a vegetable garden was not intended to violate the CCR. In fact, we were unaware of any restrictions of this kind. When we purchased the house from the builder, we were never provided with a copy of the CCR. When we subsequently contacted the builder to get a copy, we were instructed to contact Sentry Management. However, this proved fruitless as they simply insisted that we should have been provided a copy and that it would cost us $25 to receive an additional copy. Fortunately, a kind member of the board agreed to provide us with a photocopy. This has allowed us to see exactly what we were violating.

We would like to take this opportunity to argue for the continued existence of our vegetables. According to the violation notice, the rules were "... created to protect and maintain the architectural character, curb appeal and overall value of your community." The presence of fruits and vegetables growing in our side yard (we have a corner lot) does not detrimentally affect any of these. Obviously there is no impact to the architectural character of the community. As far as curb appeal goes, properly maintained vegetables have no more negative impact than comparable landscaping. In fact, there is a term for this, edible landscaping. Edible landscaping is simply replacing plants that are strictly ornamental with plants that produce food. Document ENH971, one of a series of the Environmental Horticulture Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP146) provides detailed information on the concept. To quote from the Introduction to this document:

Edible landscaping, simply put, replaces plants that are strictly ornamental with plants that produce food. Edible landscaping will allow you to create a multi-functional landscape that provides returns (fruits, vegetables, etc.) on your investment of water, fertilizer, and time. An edible landscape can be just as attractive as a traditional one; in fact, the colorful fruits and foliage of many edibles are quite beautiful. Here are some additional benefits:

* Improved Taste and Nutrition of Food: Nutrient content and flavor in most plants is highest immediately after harvest. The edible landscape provides fresh foods which can be eaten minutes, rather than days or weeks, after harvest. In addition, many exceptional and flavorful varieties not found at food markets are available to growers of edible landscapes.

* Increased Food Security: An edible landscape reduces your dependence on foreign food sources which have unknown production systems.

* Reduced Food Costs: Certain edibles are highly productive and are more economical to grow at home than to purchase.

* Convenience: Having fruits and vegetables right outside your home may help you add fresher, healthier foods to your diet and makes meal preparation easier.

* Fun and Exercise: Growing your own crops can be rewarding and fun; the exercise you get in the process can help you stay fit.

* Sustainability: Consuming locally grown produce can be an important part of reducing energy inputs and protecting our environment.

As you can see, there are a number of benefits, both for the individual and the community at large.

The economic crisis in our country is well known, as is the fact that food prices are rising at an alarming rate around the world. Also well known is the climate crisis that we all are facing. Home-grown fruits and vegetables provide a much needed cushion against these rising costs. Every little bit that can be produced at home also reduces the amount that must be spent on food that, in some cases, is shipped halfway around the world. There is a growing re-introduction into the concept of home gardening that is happening across the country. More and more communities are realizing the benefits to both individuals and communities by allowing the home garden to be re-incorporated into society.

At one point in our nation's history, not that long ago, the homes without gardens were in the minority. The home garden was an essential part of family life, socially and economically. During World War II, more than 40% of this country's food was produced in "victory gardens". In England, more than 80% of the food came from these gardens. It has only been during the relatively recent expansion of suburbia and the commercialization of the agriculture industry that homes stopped having gardens. Many communities are realizing the importance of locally produced food and the role of the home garden in this.

Perhaps ironically, our neighborhood was built on former celery farms, hence the name "Celery Key". Agriculture has always been a part of Sanford's history. We're not suggesting that our yards should be plowed under to grow crops, but home gardens are certainly not alien to this area. Since we have young children, many neighborhood children have played in our yard. They have all expressed an interest and fascination with the garden. We were stunned to discover that some didn't even know that tomatoes grew on plants! It has been a delight to participate in the education of our community's youth and hopefully to instill in them a respect and appreciation for the act of growing food.

From an environmental perspective, our own state government has made efforts to help individuals do their best to participate in alternative energy programs and other methods of reducing our environmental footprint and conserve our precious resources. Florida State Statutes Section 163.04 Energy devices based on renewable resources, specifically, prevents prohibitions on solar energy collectors on roofs and clotheslines for drying clothes, among other things. Home gardening is certainly a viable way to preserve resources and utilize renewable energy. In part, the statute reads:

(2) No deed restrictions, covenants, or similar binding agreements running with the land shall prohibit or have the effect of prohibiting solar collectors, clotheslines, or other energy devices based on renewable resources from being installed on buildings erected on the lots or parcels covered by the deed restrictions, covenants, or binding agreements.

It would certainly be stretching the meaning of this to include growing vegetables, but the spirit of the statute is clear, that the State supports all efforts of conservation and reducing our environmental impact. Home growing of vegetables certainly falls into this category. Many cities around the country are actively promoting the idea of home gardening.

Returning back to the statement that the rules were "... created to protect and maintain the architectural character, curb appeal and overall value of your community.", there is nothing documented that maintains that home gardens will reduce the "overall value of [our] community". There are quite clearly many other issues that the housing market is facing that have a much greater impact on our communty's value than our vegetables. The number of foreclosures are skyrocketing. It seems that every other house in the neighborhood is empty and for sale. Many of these empty homes and lots are beginning to deteriorate.

We appeal to your common sense to realize that the current restrictions of gardens are onerous and that our garden, in particular, should not have to be removed.

If, however, the board is not swayed by these arguments and insists on enforcing the rule as it stands, we request some information so that we may bring our lot into compliance. Article IX, Section 14. Vegetable Gardens. reads: "No vegetable gardens shall be permitted except in fully screened areas in the backyard only, so as not to be visible from the street or objectionable to an adjacent property." Being that we have a corner lot, the definition of "backyard" is somewhat ambiguous. We would need to know what portion of our property constitutes a "backyard". In addition, the rule speaks of "fully screened areas". Other sections of the CCR refer to screening with bushes or shrubs. We assume that this would be the case in this section as well. The specifics of the "screening" would need to be provided to us: what type of bushes are acceptable, what height they should be, where would be an appropriate place for planting so as to be in compliance with this rule. In addition, we would request that additional time beyond the August 1, 2008 deadline be provided, in order for us to bring our lot into compliance.

It is our sincerest wish to be good neighbors and members of the Celery Key community. When we purchased this house, we made the commitment to be here for a very long time. We hope that our appeals make logical sense to you, the members of the board, and we thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

I'll let you know how they respond.

I'm mildly famous again

2008-08-01T11:01:00.003-04:00

Once again, one of my pictures has been selected to appear on Insect Picture of the Day. The picture's pretty good, but the writeup totally makes it worthwhile to visit. I'm actually a couple of days behind reporting this. I guess my laziness extends to self-promotion as well as work deadlines and chores.

In case you missed it, one of my pics was featured on a past Spider Friday over there. Many thanks to David Brady for providing such a cool site!

Lego barrage

2008-07-15T15:25:00.003-04:00

I decided to get off my lazy butt and upload those LEGO pictures I've had hanging around. Head on over and check out my latest LEGO goodness!

For those even lazier than I, here is a taste:

You can have my garden when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers

2008-07-01T11:20:00.004-04:00

A recent letter from the friendly neighborhood homeowners association:

On behalf of your association's Board of Directors, we are writing to advise you that your property may be in violation of the governing deed restrictions of the association which may be corrected as follows:

Upon receipt of this letter, you will need to remove your vegetable garden. This is a violation of Association Documents.
...
[emphasis mine]

Oh, yeah, you read it right. Remove my vegetable garden. Over my dead body.

In this day of pressing climate concerns, rising fuel and food prices and global eco-consciousness, with every other house in the neighborhood being foreclosed on or for rent, they're seriously going to try to get me to take out a vegetable garden? We're not talking about a tacky statue of a gnome (sorry gnome-lovers) or a pink flamingo on a stick. These are well maintained living plants providing food for my family. See here for some pics.

They're going to have a hell of a fight on their hands. I'm generally very non-confrontational. After my last house, I've deliberately avoided participating in the HOA. Now they're going to discover why you don't want to bring stupidity to my doorstep. Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.

I'll post more when I'm not so pissed off and can establish a rational strategy.

Setting Priorities

2008-06-29T13:33:00.004-04:00

We had my daughter's 2-year birthday party yesterday. In the middle of it, as I was showing off my garden, I dashed back inside and demanded the camera from my wife. You can get pictures of a cute, adorable two-year-old anytime. What you can't get is a shot of the awesome spider sitting in the bud of a sunflower! When I came back in I plugged the camera in to the TV and started flipping through all the pictures I'd taken the last few days of bugs. I was explaining (in my authoritative pseudo-expert way) what kind they were, whether they were beneficial to my garden, why they had the coloration they did, etc. One guest asked, "How do you know all this stuff about bugs?", to which I replied, "I read Insect Picture of the Day".

Props to David Brady for this awesome site and the inspiration he has created in me to go crawling around bravely photographing creepy-crawlies that make others scream like little girls.

Except for little girls. Or at least my little girl. The cries of joy, "Daddy, bug! 'pider, 'pider!", as she examines the tiny spiders running along the porch are just too adorable!

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Isn't this the 21st century?

2008-06-24T13:10:00.004-04:00

So I called my city's Water Department and I was sitting through one of those interminable automated menu systems. You know, Please listen carefully as our menu options have changed. Press 1 for blah, blah, blah. Anyway, while tapping my fingers, waiting to get to the menu selections, I hear If you have a rotary phone... . A rotary phone? Someone still has a rotary phone? Enough someones that the city felt the need to mention it in their recording? Who has a rotary phone still?!? Do they even make them anymore? Talk about backwards compatibility. My 5.5 year-old son doesn't even have a concept of a phone that you plug into a wall (we've cut the landline and gone all-cellular). To him all phones are called 'cell phones'. I don't think he even knows the iconic shape of a handset. He probably doesn't even know that the "ring" of a phone was called that because there were actuall bells that rung when a call came in.

<old-man-voice>Back in my day, we didn't have buttons, we spun a wheel to dial. You kids with your new-fangled buttons, you've got it easy. I've still got calluses from those wheels.</old-man-voice>

On a similar note, referencing the 21st century and all, where's my damn flying car? I was promised a flying car by the year 2000! I remember being in elementary school, calculating how old I would be in the year 2000 (26), and dreaming of never having to go to school again while driving my flying car.

Oh, well. It's not all bad. I've got a minivan.

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Fucking idiots

2008-06-23T13:48:00.006-04:00

I can't take it anymore. The mind-blowing stupidity present in this world has forced me to break my self-imposed silence on matters of religion to post about this. The death of George Carlin has stirred up all kinds of shit. Some people with much stronger stomachs than I have got perused some of the fundamentalist nutcases responses to his death. I tried. I tried to be open minded and see how the other half lives. And then I run across this kind of tripe. The signature at the bottom of the comment reveals the true mentality of these people.

A new commandment I give to you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. John 13:34

followed by the image of the Confederate battle flag.

WTF? Did I miss a turn somewhere? Someplace where the secessionist states didn't support slavery? How is that compatible with the noble principle of loving one another?

The stupid; it burns!!!

Props to ERV for pointing this out

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A sad day for reason

2008-06-23T10:00:00.003-04:00

It's a sad day. One of the best and funniest voices for reason is gone. George Carlin has died at the age of 71. Give 'em hell, George!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCz0-HY1TLU

Via Pharyngula

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Dirty fingernails

2008-05-29T16:21:00.003-04:00

So here is why my fingernails are dirty all the time and my neck is sunburned; I've been puttering around the garden. "You're a computer geek," you say, "what the hell are you doing outside, let alone digging in the dirt?" I can't help myself. I've become fascinated with growing things. After my experiment last year of a single tomato plant (that gave me about 30 tomatoes) and some herbs, I went at it full bore. Here are some of the results:

You can view the rest on my Flikr photostream

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Spider Friday Rules!

2008-05-16T14:37:00.004-04:00

So chalk this one up to the same strange impulse that causes humans to crane their necks to view an accident scene or watch auto racing with the secret hope that someone will crash. One of the sites that I check daily is called Insect Picture of the Day. There have been some really creepy critters on there that have literally made my hair stand on end. Because of this site, I have actually gotten quite interested in the little buggers (pun intended). It's not uncommon to find me on my hands and knees with a camera, trying to get pictures of some interesting, beautiful creatures.

I finally figured out the macro setting on the camera and nailed a great picture of a wolf spider. Insect POD apparently thought it was good, too, because it made today's Spider Friday! Check it out here. You've got to click on the picture to get the full-sized version to really appreciate this gal's creepy beauty.

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Reminiscing past visions of the future

2008-03-27T13:29:00.005-04:00

I know I'm a geek. Visions of the future have always intrigued me. I was a sucker for EPCOT and its futuristic vibe. On the flip side, the past has an almost equal fascination for me. Not surprisingly, therefore, I have especially been drawn to the future as envisioned by those from the past. Jules Verne pops to mind (Journey to the Center of the Earth , Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea ), as do H.G. Wells (The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man, The First Men in the Moon), Mary Shelley (Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus) and others. I loved the section at the end of Popular Science magazine where there used to be a section where they highlighted an old edition looked at the predictions back then. And the short story "The Gernsback Continuum" by William Gibson provided a fascinating look into an alternate future that never happened.

Through my recent dive into steampunk culture, I've begun to explore more of this past-sees-future concept and ran across a fantastic site called Paleo-future. Their tag line is "A look into the future that never was". Grabbed my interest immediately. I could get lost all day there, getting a glimpse of where previous generations thought we'd be today. I highly recommend checking it out. This entry had special resonance for me because I remember reading a book about technology around this time (1978) that featured C-3P0 and R2-D2. I used to fantasize about installing one of those room-sized computers in our families living room!

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17th place isn't too bad, right?

2008-03-24T16:24:00.002-04:00

The wait is over. The celebrity judge for the Reasonably Clever Steampunk in 50 Pieces or Less contest (none other than Mr. Jake von Slatt of The Steampunk Workshop) has revealed the fruits of his deliberation. I actually had hopes of a high-place finish early on (silly, I know), but as the entries poured in, some of which were awesome, I despaired of taking a prize. Still, I did finish 17th out of around 90 (mine's entry #14), so that's pretty good. Especially for a first attempt.

Congratulations to the winners! There were some terrific entries. Here's my personal favorite, both from a design standpoint and from the fantastic backstory that accompanies it.

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Hoppy Easter

2008-03-23T11:18:00.001-04:00

Hoppy Easter!!!

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Web 2.0? Kinda

2008-03-20T14:14:00.002-04:00

So I'm actually starting to get into this new-fangled Web 2.o business. Blogging, social bookmarking, etc. It's starting to interest me, not that I'm a hard-core social creature. I've subscribed to Technorati and this is my first attempt at implementing their tags.

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Amazing interactions with kids

2008-03-19T12:56:00.002-04:00

I found this article, Why We Banned Legos, to be incredible. At first I was drawn in by the obvious reference to LEGO. Curiosity drove me to find out what egregious crime it was that my beloved LEGO brick had committed that would cause it to be banned. Soon into the article it became clear that the focus wasn't on the LEGO, but rather on what these children's LEGO community had brought out in the children and how they explored it. I was completely enthralled by the article and the processes they described. The things that children can teach us about ourselves and society are astounding, if only we have the ability to observe them honestly and as close to objectivity as we can.

Thanks to Brian Little for posting about this on Wired blog Geekdad.

The nerve of some people!

2008-03-05T09:50:00.003-05:00

Just look at what some person is writing about me. Make sure you read the whole thing AND click on the link at the bottom.

I love it! This is a magnificent creation. If you want to complain about someone yourself, go to here and rant away.

Now I've gone and done it

2008-03-02T10:16:00.003-05:00

Not only have I actually put together a LEGO MOC, photographed it, and published it, but I submitted it for a contest. Click on the picture over there to see the details. All the entries are posted here. Or you can skip right to my submission. The contest is being judged by Jake von Slatt of The Steampunk Workshop. I recall seeing his amazing Steampunk Keyboard Mod a while ago. This guy is totally steampunk.

Anyway, here's a taste:

On another tangent, while being inspired by this contest, I decided to get all geeky and start researching steampunk and actual steam engines. Facscinating stuff. If I ever get to build my Puddle Duck Racer, it would be really cool to add a steam engine like this.

Socially Responsible Investing

2008-01-25T09:40:00.000-05:00

I thought this was really cool article from The Buddhist Channel. It's always good to shed some light on the practices of the companies we're investing in.

Here's a snippet:

There’s now an index for Hindu and Buddhist investors, on the lines of the (Islamic) Shari’ah-based index which tracks stocks complying with Islamic rules. Global index provider Dow Jones indexes and Dharma Investments, a private investment company, today announced the launch of Dow Jones dharma index for measuring the performance of companies selected according to the value systems and principles of Dharmic religions, especially Hinduism and Buddhism.

Soggy night

2008-01-24T22:58:00.000-05:00

We had a mini-disaster tonight. I was replacing the inner parts of the downstairs toilet and was following the instructions, but the wrong thingy got unscrewed. You'd be amazed at the volume of water that can come shooting out of that little pipe sticking out of the wall behind the toilet. I know I was. Within seconds I was soaked and the bathroom started filling up with water. Jenny managed to figure out how to shut off the water to the house, but not before the water had flooded the laundry room, hall, master bedroom and master closet. The good news is that only the master room and closet are carpeted, the rest is tile. So we called in the troops (Jen's mom, step-dad and brother) and used every single towel in the house, as well as a couple baskets full of dirty clothes to soak up all the water and prevent it from spreading. So now the closet is emptied into the living room and half the bedroom is shoved up against the wall. The carpet is pulled up and we have one fan graciously donated by our good friend Jenny running.

Tomorrow a guy is coming to evaluate the damage and set up more high-powered fans to dry the carpet. When everything is dry, the padding will probably have to be replaced and the carpet put back down and re-seamed.

I'm off to open the futon upstairs and collapse into a (hopefully) deep sleep.

Good idea or really stupid fantasy?

2008-01-02T12:23:00.000-05:00

While staring at bag after bag of crumpled wrapping paper that inevitably follows the xmas blitz, I began to wonder about the possibilities of recycling. What is the best use for all that stuff? Can I compost it? Will the glossyness prevent it from breaking down? What about all the chemicals used in the dyes and colors? Will the recycling company take it? Will they actually recycle it?

Along those lines, I started to think about what I could do to minimize my paper footprint over the coming year. I get an insane amount of junk mail. Mostly credit card applications, home mortgage offers and catalogs. I get a LOT of catalogs. Just before xmas I started piling them up and had to stop when the pile threatened to collapse and bury my kids alive. The thought of coming home to a missing child and having to call the disaster recovery crews to dig through the landslide of catalogs to find her chilled my heart.

I digress. My thought was that perhaps I could shred all those ~~bills~~ junk mail, and create my own paper. How hard could it be? Soak the shreds in water for a while, pulverize them, then pound the ensuing mush flat and let dry in the sun. Perhaps I could use the resulting paper to wrap all the gifts next xmas.

What do you think? Too ambitious? And then there's the question of catalogs. Will the above plan work for those slick publications? More research to follow.