Sunday, June 11, 2006

Thinking of Change

I've been thinking about changing my blog over to wordpress.com. I'm not sure that Blogger's shortcomings are enough, but I'm seeing if the grass is greener.
http://npanth.wordpress.com/

Sunday Mirror

Friday, June 09, 2006

Peony


With a little cobweb... still haven't found the critter that made it.

Research


What's sex without pleasure? Here are some articles to, ah, bone up on technique. I want to have my best moves next time I get a chance.
I can't believe female sexuality has only been studied a couple times... you'd think that would be a popular field of study. I'm interested :)
Dr. Grafenberg was the first Western man to officially find the "G-SPOT", which we promptly named after HIM(?)
Here's to finding a unicorn next time out.
@}--[---

Glee Magazine - G-Spot
Article - Liberated Christian
GoodVibes

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Short Story Idea 3


So, now I have viro-bots and the general story idea. Now, I need to figure out who my scientist is. So far:

-I think he has a background in medicine, but more on the research side
-PHD in… not something made-up or “futurey”. Maybe Molecular Biology?
-He’s a bit of an under achiever, brilliant, but unfocused.
-He broke his arm as a child, which inspired him to become a doctor. Before completing his degree, he turned to research.
-Married? Single? He’s a loner, immersed in his research, obsessed with the minutia of his theories. It doesn’t matter if he’s married, he would ignore them anyway, single or divorced, then.

The diary would be in the form of a video or audio commentary… the written story would have to be a transcript of that commentary. The voice should be conversational. Informal language, but not colloquial.
He’s a technical guy. He thinks in terms of ratios, correlation and causation. He’s writing a fractal operating system delivered by cell sized messengers. He has a meticulous, but chaotic personality. He may be subject to mood swings. He’s a patient person, who always wants to discover the source of a problem. That is the trait that will keep him investigating until it’s too late to change the outcome.

He has to be infected with virobots, but unaware of what the consequences will be. It’s important that he realize what’s happening slowly over the course of the story. The trigger for the accident will be an interaction between his old broken arm and something he’s working on. An unanticipated interaction. Two harmless ingredients combine to form something new, different. It’s a good mechanism for flashbacks and technical explanations.

I still need to come up with a purpose for the virobots. The scientist (leave him unnamed?) has to have a plausible reason for either injecting himself, or…… I don’t know, slipping in a puddle of the stuff. Think about this later.

Stabling



Wednesday, June 07, 2006

More Short Story Ideas

First post

I have a scientist that through accident or intention, injects himself with a nano technology that he has been developing.

I’ve been thinking about the nature of this nano technology. What will the nature of nano technology be? I think it will take the form of a viral carrier with a stem cell payload. The bots would “infect” the host. Instead of creating symptoms like a normal virus, this one is programmed to replicate itself, and manufacture new building blocks for the nano bots. (I need a new name for them, pretty sure people will confuse nanobots with other stories) The stem cells are tailor made to combat a specific problem. The virus controls the growth and development of the new cells. They could even gather together in a tumor-like structure to make manufacturing more efficient. This “tumor” can provide hormones or drugs to treat a specific disease. In the case of a broken bone, the virus would direct the manufacturing cells towards the area, then begin building lattices of progressively stronger materials. This would first pull the bones together, then knit them up. Supposedly, the technology would come with some kind of sunset, disbanding the whole operation when some criteria are met.

The nature of this story isn’t so much the benefits of viral medicine. This would be an established branch of medicine in the time of the story. What our scientist is experimenting with is applying cooperative, goal seeking qualities to the nanobots. Instead of following a simple viral program, he is trying to apply artificial intelligence to the collective mass of viro-bots(?!) Perhaps he could be experimenting with some kind of fractal OS system. Where the program (intelligence) progresses in complexity as the density of viro-bots increases. Each bot brings a representative piece of information to the whole. Combining that information with other existing bots adds another level of complexity to the entire program. Now, I need to think about this scientist guy for a while.

Still no name for this thing, driving me nuts "short story" "short story" :(

Horses


Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Frankly Franklin

If you would make a friend, let him do you a favor.
- Benjamin Franklin

Educate your children to self-control, to the habit of holding passion and prejudice and evil tendencies subject to an upright and reasoning will, and you have done much to abolish misery from their future and crimes from society.
- Benjamin Franklin

He that would live in peace and at ease, must not speak all he knows nor judge all he sees.
- Benjamin Franklin

Life in Solitary


I’ve been thinking about cognition all day. How does something as big as the human mind fit into such a compact physical form? We really do seem to be squashed into a tiny cell sometimes. Our minds encompass so much more than we can describe through language or physicality. So, I’ve come to this idea that we’re all in some kind of prison. Take Godel, Escher, Bach, String Theory, Escape from NY, Hindu Mysticism; mix well, and there you go… Our true form is some kind of energy, or spirit, or WHATEVER… doesn’t matter… What matters is that we’re stuck here, in these inarticulate bodies, grunting at each other across the cellblock. We can’t even rattle the cage to get a guard’s attention… unless you believe in ESP or transference. How do I explain the rest of this little theory to you? It’s not so easy to put into words. Kurt Russell reads the Bhagavad Ghita upside down in a time machine? Sounds crazy when I write it down, but it’s all in my mind, anyway ;)

That’s the point, I suppose. We can never express our true natures because of the limitations of language, science, art, and all the other contrivances we invent to express our true natures. The circumstance that made me think of all these things at once is a solitary experience, indescribable to an outsider, like you :)

Bunny Test

which happy bunny are you?

you are the "you suck, and that's sad" happy bunny. your truthful, but can be a bit brutal.
Take this quiz!

Monday, June 05, 2006

Flowers in my yard

Xena and Gabrielle

http://www.warriorprincess.com/

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/hst_xena_20060410.html

In 2003, a 10th planet was discovered in our Solar System. It was unveiled in 2005 as 2003UB313, nicknamed Xena, after the TV show. After a moon was discovered, they nicknamed it… you guessed it, Gabrielle. This discovery brings up a question that has been lingering for decades over the designation of Pluto and the other bodies at the very edge of our Solar System. Pluto acts a lot like a comet, but to humans, it’s been a planet for over 50 years. Now that we have a 10th “planet” trying to join the club, where do we draw the line? I think Pluto and Xena are part of the Kuiper belt, just large rocks floating around at the edge of our yard. It's just what I think, doesn't hold much weight in the astronomical community. Planet, Comet, makes no nevermind to me… but they’re still comets ;)
Today, the Senate will debate an amendment to the Constitution banning same sex marriage. In honor of the occasion, with tongue in cheek, I share this parody with you...


My friends, I’m sure you will join me in denouncing the astronomical community for adding a new citizen to our already overcrowded Solar System. This is an obvious ploy by the interplanetary astronomical community to instill DEVIANT lifestyle choices in our youngest children! When I show my daughter Neptune, and she asks me “What’s past that, daddy?” All I can say is “Sea monsters and Kraken, my dear.” And when she goes to school, there it is again. Pluto and Charon; Xena and Gabrielle, flouting their Kuiper Belt lifestyles in front of our children! This will inevitably lead to a general acceptance of the Kuiper Belt Lifestyle, and the clear degradation of what it means to be a moral planet in our Solar System! What’s next, will Uranus and Neptune tilt their orbits 40 degrees and declare themselves free of their moons? Abandon your children for a comet’s life! That’s what will happen! And what will our children learn from this deviant experiment in planethood? That any little bit of rock flying any which way can be called a planet as long as the Planetary Illuminati call it one. I say, DOWN with astronomical Elitism. Astronomer Activism has been a problem ever since The Mars Canal denyers. The line has to be drawn here. Having already accepted one Kuiper Belt Dilettante, we should forcefully deny admittance to this new upstart. Xena and Gabrielle should stay where they are, on the fringes of our consciousness. They can’t bother anyone, as long as we ignore them. In fact, I think we should change our Constitution to say so!
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Ode to the Maaz

When I was in high school, my best friend’s step mother drove a 6 speed, twin turbo, V8, two door Masserati. It lingered on the edge of our grasp for 2 long years. Finally, when I was a senior, The back window popped out while she was going down the Atlantic City parkway. You can only fix that in Philadelphia. So, she drove back, dropped it off at the shop, and went to Atlantic City in the Jag. Not before giving us a half hour lecture about our future conduct when we picked up the car. “Honestly, We know how important your leather and Walnut trimmed interior, 300HP, FLAME RED MOONROOF ROCKET SHIP…. Er, that is to say… we wouldn’t do anything to your car… straight home, no problem.”
It’s really an experience to ride in an exotic sports car. Most of the cars you and I are likely to drive in our lifetimes are just a series of compromises between price, performance, and a bunch of corporate decisions. Even a sport Mustang or Camaro has felt the pinch. A Masserati is something else entirely. It has almost no compromises. It’s a tiger with a haircut. Torque and Horsepower aren’t just merging into heavy traffic. They’re firm hands that grasp you and pull you a few inches off the ground. Each progression through the gears is a smooth hop forward and up. The back squats at first, lifts the car, and then floats back down in the next gear change. The turbos are crescendos in the hop. It’s the feeling of compressed physical memory. It’s the blind curve on a water slide.
Of course it cost a small fortune and was put together like a cheap suit. When was the last time you heard of a back window just “popping out” on the highway?
I’m convinced to this day that it was worth every penny. Metaphors and descriptions are almost meaningless. It’s a physical memory. It’s something that I highly recommend at least once.

OSTH - Fossil and Rock Hunting


OSTH – Fossils

This is part of the Open Source Treasure Hunt

Hemlock Visitor brochure and permit
Mapquest Hemlock, NY
History of Canadice
1904 Map of Hemlock
Canadice Trail Guide

I would like to discuss some of the geology that exists in the Hemlock/Canadice Lake region near Rochester. These lakes, like all the Finger Lakes were created during the last Ice Age. As the Ice sheet advanced over the area, it gouged out the softer soil between the ridges, creating the bowls that the lakes sit in now. You’ll have to look in Pennsylvania for the missing soil. The Iroquois believe that the lakes were gouged out by the fingers of a deity.

This unique creation process has created some excellent opportunities for fossil and rock hunting. As you can see in this picture, there is a significant runoff in the spring. This area loses bridges to runoff every few years. This runoff has the effect of cutting deep channels into the surrounding hills, continuously cutting into new strata in the hills. There are many smooth rocks for collectors in the creek bed, with fossils mixed in. The hills have several fossil bearing strata that feed into the creek bed. So far, I’ve found minor fossils all over the road and creek beds. I’m not proficient in identifying fossils, but everything so far has been of the shellfish variety. You don’t have to go very far from the lake to see what’s up in the hills. There’s a good layer of quartz up there, somewhere. I think it will take a couple more trips before I find a really good example, but I’m expecting a good find eventually. The streams act as concentrators for the geology up on the hill. Instead of climbing every creek bed to see what’s up there, you can scout at the mouth of the stream, and then decide if climbing that steep hill is worth it.

Each lake has dozens of channels feeding down the hills. Since the majority of the creeks are seasonal, it is very safe to explore them in summer, fall and winter. The hills are very steep, so bring good hiking boots and BUG REPELLENT. By the time July hits, the place looks like an OFF! commercial.


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Sunday, June 04, 2006

OSTH - September 1779

I’ve noticed a bunch of traffic coming through for this information, so I’ll finally clean it up. The Open source Treasure Hunt is just that. I’ve done this research on what I consider an excellent site for exploration. I would like to continue to fish, hike, explore here for years to come. As long as we respect the same rules that the Geo Cachers do, we’ll be fine. PLEASE do not dig up jogging trails, no matter how good that signal is....

The Hemlock and Canadice lakes are owned by the city of Rochester, NY, and used as a source of drinking water. The city owns 7100 acres surrounding the lakes, and allows access with a free permit. Here are the links you need to gain access to the property. If you can't get a permit, don't worry, there is a 24/7 self serve kiosk where you can get permits. It's right at the North end of Hemlock Lake. Sya hello to the giant Porta-potty when you go ;)

Hemlock Visitor brochure and permit
Mapquest Hemlock, NY
History of Canadice
1904 Map of Hemlock
Canadice Trail Guide

OSTH - Sullivan


A hand drawn map made by a member of General Sullivan's army. It shows the path that they took through the area during a campaign against the Seneca Tribe. Haunyauga is called Honeoye today. Conyeadice, is Canadice.

There's a local legend about a treasure in Gold and Silver Excerpt: Persistent of the sparsely settled hills is the belief in buried treasure, hidden it is alleged, by General Sullivan's officers, while crossing the narrow ridge northwest of the lake as a precautionary measure against being captured by the Indians. Sporadic fits of digging extended over a period of a century and a half have yeilded nothing, however, in the way of silver and gold .Source Article (wemett)

Here are some links to writings and letters by General Sullivan. The 1779 Sullivan Campaign emerged as one of the larger of the Continental Army's offensives during the American Revolution, yet remains relatively unknown. It was an act of reprisal to break the Iroquois Confederation, a Native American political and military alliance that included the Seneca, Cayuga, Mohawk, Onondaga, 0neida, and Tuscarora tribes. The Iroquois, with the exception of the Oneida and Tuscarora, openly sided with Great Britain to protect their homelands.
Revolutionary War Letters
Profile by FReeper

I took a 1904 Topo map of the area, and combined it with the hand drawn map above. Sullivan forded Hemlock Lake right at the north end. Evidence of the bridge he built has been found there. It makes sense that he would follow Canadice outlet until it merges with Hemlock outlet. There is a parking lot right at the Canadice outlet on Purcell Road.
I know that the hand drawn map shows Sullivan "crossing the T" on Canadice Lake, but having fished that lake for some years, I think they followed the Canadice outlet until it met up with the Hemlock outlet. That area is just too rugged to follow any other path, and still arrive at the North end of Conesus on the next day. Remember, Sullivan was moving 2,000 men and at least a few canons. I think they would have gone after the Indian settlement on the outlet, but sent scouts to the nearest promontory. That high spots in the area command views of both Canadice and Hemlock lakes. Sullivan could engage the village while his scouts watched for any Iroquois of British reinforcements. Most of this is pure speculation on my part, anyway. My feeling is that most of the searching has been NW of HEMLOCK lake, not Canadice. This promontory is out of the way, so it's unlikely that anything buried there would be found by natives walking on the Indian path hundreds of feet below. So, if Sullivan was concerned enough about being attacked that he buried part of his plunder, why not on the "nose of Bald Hill". It's easy to find when you come back for it years later. (Sullivan didn't return to NY as far as I can tell).I'll take some pictures of the area next time I'm down there. I think that the best time to take pictures will be this winter when all the leaves are off the trees.

General Sullivan’s Correspondence related to his transit of the Hemlock and Canadice Lakes. I’m emphasizing quotes that may lead to interesting places to explore and use a metal detector. Sullivan's Letter In this letter, the general is reporting to congress on the battle of Newtown. Sullivan’s army defeated an Iroquois force. The warriors who had been in the action were equally averse to the proposal, and would think of nothing but flight, and removal of their families; that they kept runners on every mountain to observe the movements of our army, who reported early in the day on which we arrived, that our advance was very rapid; upon which all those who had not been before sent off, fled with precipitation, leaving her [lone old woman in village] without any possible means of escape. During August and September, 1779, the Iroquois of Central New York were fleeing for their lives in front of Sullivan’s force. His mission was to de-stabilize Iroquois settlements in PA and NY. Since Sullivan was burning their crops and villages, they certainly would have seen to necessities first, luxuries second. Sullivan was in a big hurry, he was two months behind schedule, and had to complete his campaign in NY before the weather turned.

http://www.earlyamerica.com/review/1998/sullivan.html This page describes Sullivan’s campaign in New York, 1779The army finally left Tioga August 26, at least two months behind schedule. Hand's light troops were out front, guided by a company of Virginia riflemen. Clinton took the rear and the other two brigades either flank, guarding the baggage train in a box like formation. Flanking parties were sent out. Their efficiency impressed even the British. John Butler wrote Fort Niagara informing them that they were "misinformed" about the composition of the force. It was not untrained militia, but "the best of the Continental Troops commanded by the most active of the Rebel Generals."27 Significantly outnumbered, Butler planned to ambush Sullivan's force and demoralize them before they got too deep into Iroquois territory. All was not well in Sullivan's army. The columns lumbering pace put them behind schedule. The artillery often bogged down, frequently overturning, creating a major headache for the troops
TIMELINE:August 29: Battle of Newtown
September 5: Took village of Kendaia along the west shore of Seneca Lake. At this point in the campaign, Sullivan is moving at about 11 miles per day
September 10: Sullivan reaches Canandaigua
September 11: Sullivan reaches Honeoye
September 13: Boyd’s scouting force is nearly wiped out by an ambush, Boyd is missing
September 14: Army enters Genesee: They found Genesee deserted, but in the town's center, they found the mutilated bodies of Boyd and one of his men. "It appeared that they had whiped them in a most cruel manner, pulled out Mr. Boid's nails, cut off his nose, plucked out one of his eyes, cut out his tongue, stabbed him with spears in sundry places, & inflicted other tortures which decency will not permit me to mention; lastly cut off his head & left his body on the ground."47 The barbarity outraged the men, who set about destroying the town "with great cheerfulness."48 Genesee was a huge town and required nearly two days to raze. Crops were gathered into the huts before they were set on fire. Stores that could not be burned were hurriedly dumped into the river.49

Sullivan turned back at this point
September 17: Sullivan reaches Honeoye. At this point, Sullivan exited my target area. His campaign wasn’t over, though. He continued to the East. The campaign can be seen in some ways as a prototype for Sherman’s March to the sea 80 years later. The operation's success resulted from a combination of careful planning and luck. The weather cooperated. Sullivan was aided by seasoned officers, who led a well-trained, disciplined army. They adapted their tactics to operating a large force in the wilderness. It was an unusual campaign, in that it was waging total war against an entire people, not just an enemy army .I’m trying to imagine what it would be like for the Iroquois in Sullivan’s path. After the battle of Newtown, the news must have spread like wildfire up the Chemung River. This river is a gateway to my research area. Sullivan’s army was in my target area 9/11 to 9/17, 1779. They were moving East-West 9/11-9/14, spent 9/15 and 9/16 at Cuylerville, then moved West-East on 9/17. There are reports from members of the army that the West-East trip took 2 days instead of 1. Sullivan would then have arrived at Honeoye on 9/18. If their best speed was 11 miles/day in the Chemung Valley, then their progress would be somewhat slower in the rugged terrain of my target area.

Is making an attempt to recover General Sullivan’s treasure rational… or even reasonable? General Sullivan’s army was in this area for several days. That’s 5000 troops, hundreds of Iroquois all moving franticly into and out of the area. Sullivan won his greatest victory just two weeks earlier. His army was moving up to 10 miles per day. Up the Chemung river valley. Burning every native village they came across. The effect must have been to drive the entire population up the river valley in confusion. When they reached the western Finger Lakes, they had the choice of several routes. Each Finger Lake had North-south paths that were well developed and traveled by the Iroquois. Sullivan pushed them to the West, also. The westward part of the campaign ended in Cuylerville, just three valleys to the west of Canadice. That’s the place where Boyd died. I think this is significant. Sullivan didn’t turn back because of the torture and grizzly killing of his best scout. He had planned to turn back when he reached Genesee. It’s the first time he suffered this kind of defeat, though. It was a personal blow. Boyd was a trusted scout, commanding the most important sweeping units. They were used to scout ambushes ahead of the main army. This is really the only passage I’ve found related to the treasure: Persistent of the sparsely settled hills is the belief in buried treasure, hidden it is alleged, by General Sullivan's officers, while crossing the narrow ridge northwest of the lake as a precautionary measure against being captured by the Indians. Sporadic fits of digging extended over a period of a century and a half have yielded nothing, however, in the way of silver and gold.Source Page
Looking at the different parts of the passage, I’ve confirmed several things from other sources.- Sullivan was constantly aware of ambushes. His British and Iroquois counterparts had attacked him before. An ambush discovered by Boyd led to the Battle of Newtown, his greatest success. Now, an ambush had led to his greatest loss, the barbaric death of Boyd. Now that he was turning back, I think he would have wanted to travel as light as possible. Especially now that his best ambush scout was dead.- Sullivan was also constantly concerned about supplies during this part of the campaign. To Sullivan, I think the plunder his army was gathering was less important than the food. Genesee was a bonanza for Sullivan. He plundered corn, beans, all manner of foodstuffs. Now if one packhorse was carrying two chests of native trinkets instead of two bushels of corn, I think Sullivan would definitely leave the chests behind.- Sullivan was also very concerned about how quickly his army could move. Every time he stopped for more than a day, he left behind wounded soldiers and canon. He knew that he would be meeting up with 40 wounded and several canons (incl. 1 Howitzer) that he had left at the town of Honeoye. As he moved Eastward across the North end of Canadice Lake, he would have wanted to lighten himself as much as possible before entering Honeoye.

The real treasure may not have been buried by Sullivan after all:- As Sullivan pushed the wave of natives and British before him, they may have buried the important things that they couldn’t lose, but couldn’t carry. These things may be near the old native villages.- The speed with which the Continentals over ran the area is remarkable. There are contemporary reports of fully cooked meals in empty houses. Several people were left behind and questioned by Sullivan’s advancing army.- There are also contemporary reports that the natives knew Sullivan’s position and progress. They posted scouts on high points between the lakes.- So a controlled panic might be descriptive of the mood in the Hemlock/Canadice villages. They knew that they had to leave to the West. After having 1 or 2 days to prepare for flight, several native caches may exist in the hills overlooking village sites.

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Short Story Idea


I’m thinking about a subject for a short story. I would like to tell it in the first person, assuming the identity of a fictional scientist. He develops a nano technology that promises to heal wounds, increase life spans, etc. At some point, either purposefully or accidentally, he is exposed to the “nanobots” At first, he experiences all of the benefits of this new technology. As time passes, he begins to understand that the development of this technology within him will eventually supplant his own mind.

The story is written in the form of a diary, like Flowers for Algernon, but with no arc. The character describes the complete failure of independent cognition. At the end of the story, the diary is being written by the new artificial intelligence which now animates our fictional scientist. I still can’t think of a name for the story… Symbols from Daniel Keyes’ story keep floating through my head. Maybe I should be reading something more technical.

Henrietta Fire District

Buttercup

It's not what you think


Subliminal Advertising

I was on a bus a couple years ago. There was a FedEX truck in the lane next to me. Not much of a view, but all I had to look at. FedEX uses a subtle form of subliminal advertising that’s built right into their logo. Between the E and the X, an arrow is formed. It’s a simple sign, and not necessarily devious. It just is. A group of psychologists at Federal Express developed a new logo that conveyed the impression of movement to anyone who looked at it. It suits a company that prides itself by being on time. I wonder if there are unintended consequences for their experiment. Do you think FedEX trucks get more speeding tickets than UPS trucks? UPS after all, has developed an image of classic dependability. Rounded trucks, safe colors. Father knows best how to get your package to Seattle.

I find myself “falling asleep” at times, not paying attention to the subtle clues that are all around me. I’m too tall to be really swayed by kid cereals. All I see in the cereal isle are Special Ks and Bran muffin cereals. My back hurts when I bend over to look at the Sugar Barons. Don’t hide down there! Come into the light, Count Chocula!

We all have our own subliminal advertising that we try out on each other. She blinks rapidly at me, I smile more at her. The way she walks away is supposed to tell me if I should follow. I’m still working out how to recognize that one.

The point isn’t so much that you should be paranoid about subliminal messages. It’s more that you should be aware that those messages represent a large part of what we see every day. Those messages vary in power and intent just as the people who make them do. For the more insidious ones, it’s a real pleasure to recognize them. Nothing diffuses manipulation like knowledge.

RTFM


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