Happy Halloween!

Hope everyone has a happy Halloween tomorrow, we weren't able to continue our tradition of pumpkin carving this year as things have been slightly crazy lately at home. But we are planning on taking Isabella Trick-or-Treating this year which will be super fun.

We're wishing for a safe and fun season for all!

Happy Hallows Eve!

Our pumpkins from last year...

Review: The Shock Doctrine

This book, to me, deserves recognition as perhaps *the* most comprehensive and detailed essay on the events (and power players) that have shaped the world in which we live in today.

Naomi reveals with expert analysis the trials that country after country have gone through, and spilled blood for- at the hands of corrupt Chicago-School Economic policies and their proponents.

This book should be required reading for the college level youth of our nation.

http://www.naomiklein.org/main

theGathering

theGathering
Originally uploaded by mariuccij

This was a joint project done with several friends just before Siggraph of 2003. It seems silly looking back on it, but we sure had high hopes to produce something epic in scale.

3D Portfolio

I added some old school models and vids to my Flickr account last night. These pieces are from my days back in Fullsail. Fun to look back on fo sho.

Check em out here:

Ramble: First Snow

So um, I was at work yesterday and I was told that it was snowing out. Apparently 2 out of every 5 years, we see snow in October.

This must be one such year. I will sum up my feelings on this issue in the following way:

uuuuugguguuguguggguuggghghh. snoowww.

Where the heck did this year go??

Voter Purging

Well, its discouraging to read news like this:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/26/voter.suppression/index.html

"That means that lots and lots of eligible voters could get knocked off the voter rolls without any notice and, in many cases, without any opportunity to correct it before Election Day."

"People are being targeted, and people are being told they are non-citizens, including both naturalized citizens and U.S.-born citizens," said Shore, another plaintiff in the Georgia lawsuit.

"They're being told they're not eligible to vote, based on information in a database that hasn't been checked and approved by the Department of Justice, and that we know has flaws in it."

Pres. Bush endorses McCain and Palin

Cobert Report: The Palins in People Magazine

DHS & Border Patrol

Seems that the Customs and Border Patrol was authorized by Congress earlier this year to operate within "reasonable" distance from the US Borders, which happens to be 100 miles. Within this distance, they can stop, search and detain anyone for any reason.

With government watch lists growing ever more automated, this kind of power has got to stop. So far, Bush's regime has gone unchecked, and we're slowly losing our freedoms, one by one, in the name of "Homeland Security."

Hmm.. Welcome to the land of the free...

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/ACLU_highlights_ConstitutionFree_Zone_100_miles_1022.html

Space: Who Knew, #11

Space: Who Knew - Index
Last post

Titan

Wiki article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_(moon)

Titan is one of Saturn's many satellites, and is the planet's largest moon. It is also the only moon in our solar system known to have a dense atmosphere. It's diameter is nearly 50% larger than our own moon and it is the 2nd largest moon in our solar system- larger even than planet Mercury. In fact, the moon is so massive, that it makes up 96% of the combined mass of all of Saturn's moons.

"The atmosphere of Titan is largely composed of nitrogen and its climate includes methane and ethane clouds. The climate—including wind and rain—creates surface features that are similar to those on Earth, such as sand dunes and shorelines, and, like Earth, is dominated by seasonal weather patterns. With its liquids (both surface and subsurface) and robust nitrogen atmosphere, Titan is viewed as analogous to the early Earth, although at a much lower temperature. The satellite has thus been cited as a possible host for microbial extraterrestrial life or, at least, as a prebiotic environment rich in complex organic chemistry. Researchers have suggested a possible underground liquid ocean might serve as a biotic environment.^[9][10]"

To quote the movie Anchorman, I could see Titan saying to Saturn: "I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal..."

Thanks to NASA's Cassini–Huygens program, we have extremely detailed images of Titan. The Huygens probe landed on the moon on January 14th, 2005. It was able to photograph the moon for about 90 minutes after landing. Check out this image taken from the Huygens probe after landing.

Cassini is in fact still orbiting the moon and has detailed much of its surface. In fact, it is now known that liquid ethane exists on the moon, much like Earth's oceans- in huge basins edged by intricate coastlines not unlike our own.


One last bit of info about the moon from its Wiki article:

"Scientists believe that the atmosphere of early Earth was similar in composition to the current atmosphere on Titan. Many hypotheses have developed that attempt to bridge the step from chemical to biological evolution. The Miller-Urey experiment and several following experiments have shown that with an atmosphere similar to that of Titan and the addition of UV radiation, complex molecules and polymer substances like tholins can be generated. The reaction starts with dissociation of nitrogen and methane, forming hydrocyan and ethyne. Further reactions have been studied extensively.^[87]

All of these experiments have led to the suggestion that enough organic material exists on Titan to start a chemical evolution analogous to what is thought to have started life on Earth. While the analogy assumes the presence of liquid water for longer periods than is currently observable, several theories suggest that liquid water from an impact could be preserved under a frozen isolation layer.^[88] It has also been observed that liquid ammonia oceans could exist deep below the surface;^[9][89] one model suggests an ammonia–water solution as much as 200 km deep beneath a water ice crust, conditions that, "while extreme by terrestrial standards, are such that life could indeed survive".^[10] Heat transfer between the interior and upper layers would be critical in sustaining any sub-surface oceanic life.^[9]

Detection of microbial life on Titan would depend on its biogenic effects. That the atmospheric methane and nitrogen are of biological origin has been examined, for example.^[10] Hydrogen has been cited as one molecule suitable to test for life on Titan: if methanogenic life is consuming atmospheric hydrogen in sufficient volume, it will have a measurable effect on the mixing ratio in the troposphere.^[90]"

Who knew???

Palin charges Alaska for kids' travel

The more I find out about this woman the more I dislike her.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/21/palin.travel.ap/index.html

In a nutshell:

"In all, Palin has charged the state $21,012 for her three daughters' 64 one-way and 12 round-trip commercial flights since she took office in December 2006. She also has charged the state for hotel rooms for the girls."

Shock Doctrine: Rumsfelds war on bureaucracy

So I read this excerpt from the Shock Doctrine this afternoon and I felt compelled to share it.

In this part of the book, Naomi Klien makes the case that shock therapy has been used in our own country. The excerpt begins with a speech made by Donald Rumsfeld to Pentagon staff.

"The topic today is an adversary that poses a threat, a serious threat, to the security of the United States of America. This adversary is one of the world's last bastions of central planning. It governs by dictating five-year plans. From a single capital, it attempts to impose its demands across time zones, continents, oceans and beyond. With brutal consistency, it stifles free thought and crushes new ideas. It disrupts the defense of the United States and places the lives of men and women in uniform at risk.
Perhaps this adversary sounds like the former Soviet Union, but that enemy is gone: our foes are more subtle and implacable today... The adversary's closer to home. It's the Pentagon bureaucracy."

As Rumsfeld's rhetorical gimmick revealed itself, the faces in the audience went stony. Most of the people listening had devoted their careers to fighting the Soviet Union and didn't appreciate being compared to Commies at this stage in the game. Rumsfeld wasn't finished.

"We know the adversary. We know the threat. And with the same firmness of purpose that any effort against a determined adversary demands, we must get at it and stay at it... today we declare war on bureaucracy."

He'd done it: the defense secretary had not only described the Pentagon as a grave threat to America but declared war against the institution where he worked. The audience was stunned. "He was saying we were the enemy, that the enemy was us. And here we were thinking we were doing the nation's business," the staffer told me.

It wasn't that Rumsfeld wanted to save taxpayer dollars- he had just asked Congress for an 11 percent budget increase. But following the corporatist principles of the counterrevolution, in which Big Government joins forces with Big Business to redistribute funds upward, he wanted less spent on staff and far more public money transferred directly into the coffers of private companies. And with that Rumsfeld launched his "war." Every department needed to slash its staff by 15 percent, including "every base headquarters building in the world. It's not just the law, it's a good idea, and we're going to get it done."

....the coverage of his declaration of war on the Pentagon was sparse. That's because the date of his contentious address was September 10, 2001.

The Shock Doctrine, pgs 361-363
Naomi Klein

Sunrise at South Park

News: Murder, Russian-Style

This article reminds me of the Shock Doctrine, a book I'm nearly finished reading...

Here's the link:
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1851854,00.html?xid=rss-world

Voter Fraud video

This is a very interesting video a friend posted on his blog.
It has to do with Voter Fraud, check it out...

Heres an excerpt:

BILL MOYERS: Well, I mean, the Brennan Center report two weeks ago said perhaps hundreds of thousands of people have been improperly purged from the rolls without even knowing about it. But they didn't talk about millions.

MARK CRISPIN MILLER: Well, I, in the aggregate, it does and could easily add up to millions of voters because we're talking about a very, very broad range of devices, you know, both legal and illegal that will have a dramatic effect and that will add up. If hundreds of thousands of people are disenfranchised nationwide simply through voter purges alone, you see? That is significant. If the caging of voters results in the disenfranchisement of another 200,000, 300,000, we're talking here about numbers that definitely do add up, you see, and that make a difference, are meant to make a difference come Election Day.

BILL MOYERS: This term "caging," what's a simple understanding of that?

MARK CRISPIN MILLER: It's really very simple. The Republican Party, in a particular state, will get a list of the names and addresses of Democrats and send them letters that look sort of like junk mail, you know? Often they'll have windows in the envelope, the kind of thing that people are going to be inclined to throw away. And if people don't open those envelopes and take out forms that are in them and fill them out and send them in, their names will be stricken from the voter rolls on that basis. They've also been known to send these kinds of forms to people who are overseas serving in the military. Well, they're not home to check their mail, so if they don't fill out the forms, their names are stricken from the voter roll.

Buckypaper!?

How can something that sounds so strange be so significant? Check this stuff out, an article on CNN prompted me to read up on these carbon nanotubes. It seems their application is truly expansive in scope.

CNN Article
Wiki Article

Quoted from the Wiki:

Among the possible uses for buckypaper that are being researched:

• If exposed to an electric charge, buckypaper could be used to illuminate computer and television screens. It could be more energy-efficient, lighter, and could allow for a more uniform level of brightness than current cathode ray tube (CRT) and liquid crystal display (LCD) technology.
• Since carbon nanotubes are one of the most thermally conductive materials known, buckypaper lends itself to the development of heat sinks that would allow computers and other electronic equipment to disperse heat more efficiently than is currently possible. This, in turn, could lead to even greater advances in electronic miniaturization.
• Because carbon nanotubes have an unusually high current-carrying capacity, a buckypaper film could be applied to the exteriors of airplanes. Lightning strikes then could flow around the plane and dissipate without causing damage.
• Films also could protect electronic circuits and devices within airplanes from electromagnetic interference, which can damage equipment and alter settings. Similarly, such films could allow military aircraft to shield their electromagnetic "signatures", which can be detected via radar.
• Buckypaper could act as a filter membrane to trap microparticles in air or fluid. Because the nanotubes in buckypaper are insoluble and can be functionalized with a variety of functional groups, they can selectively remove compounds or can act as a sensor.
• Produced in high enough quantities and at an economically viable price, buckypaper composites could serve as an effective armor plating.
• Buckypaper can be used to grow biological tissue, such as nerve cells. Buckypaper can be electrified or functionalized to encourage growth of specific types of cells.
• The Poisson's ratio for carbon nanotube buckypaper can be controlled and has exhibited auxetic behaviour, capable of use as artificial muscles.

Ramble: Future of our world

With the 2008 presidential election upon us, I find myself contemplating the future, not just for Ashley and I, but for my children as well. I find myself looking at the world and all the changes I've witnessed as I've grown up, and wow- how it has changed.

I remember cassette tapes, and vhs. I remember when CD's were released and how that paradigm shift was seen as revolutionary. I remember a summer in my teens when gasoline was 89 cents a gallon. A world that seemed so much smaller, a world without the internet. At least not as we know it today.

The world wasn't yet a global community, it just didn't feel like it when I was young, and perhaps that's why- I was young and hadn't really thought about it to any real extent. I look at my parents and I can envision an even larger change from their perspective- perhaps even an exponential change from our world today. Many older folks would probably laugh when I mention 89 cent gasoline.

It is this thought that makes me wonder about the world my daughter and son will eventually inherit. I wonder, for instance, what kind of unique challenges they'll need to overcome. What types of joys they'll be able to experience, and of course, I worry in small part to the unforeseen changes of this world.

Climate change is one. Over population. Deforestation another. I worry quite a bit about what we're doing to our world- the only world we have. I worry because we are now in a point in human history where it is entirely likely that we've gone too far. Like we've crossed some invisible threshold. I read recently that one quarter of the worlds mammal species are in jeopardy of going extinct. One quarter!

So how many mammals are there in the world? 4,260. That means of the 4260 species, there are 1,065 species in jeopardy of extinction.

We're undoing billions of years worth of evolutionary progress on this world- and in a scale of perhaps 200 years - I would guess it really took full effect after the industrial revolution. The point that I'm trying to make is that these important issues should be prevalent in all of us as parents. It's not meant to scare, but it is something that each and every one of us should take concern in.

I look at my daughter, and my son (who's not quite here yet), and I wonder what I could be doing to teach them better. I wonder what I can do to help Isabella's brain mature, to help nurture a thirst for knowledge and the habits that lead to better cognitive development. Sure we read, draw, study images of animals and places in this world, study the alphabet and practice our numbers. Sing and dance. But will that be enough?

I guess every good parent eventually asks the question: "are we doing good enough?". In most cases, I would argue, that those of us who do ask that question, are. Sure parenthood can be tough, but its the best damn job in the world...

Reflections: What doin now daddy?

So I had a quick minute away from my daily busy Wednesday routine, and I found myself thinking about Isabella's latest funny little quirk. Anyone who has kids can tell you that one of the most entertaining things that parenthood has to offer- has got to be listening to your children grow up, listening to the things they come up with.

I gotta say, it is so interesting (and yes entertaining) to watch Isabella grow. She is SO VERY intelligent, she loves to read and sing- and come up with games to play. Her latest quirk is she'll ask: "What doin now daddy/mommy?"

And just like that shes got a new game. She no longer REALLY wants to know what we're doing. I think that's just a secondary plus to asking her question. No- what she really wants to do is play the game.

Isabella: "What doin now daddy?"
Daddy: "I'm driving the car sweety."

...Wait about 15 seconds...

Isabella: "What doin now daddy?"
Daddy: "I'm driving the car sweety, we're going home to visit mommy."

...Wait another 15 seconds...

Isabella giggling: "What doin now daddy?"
Daddy: "I'm still driving the car silly."

...guess what- 15 seconds...

Isabella holding in the laughter: "What doin now daddy?"
Daddy gives in to the chuckle: "Youu know what I'm doing silly!!"
Isabella bursts out laughing

I love how having children has brought a certain balance to my somewhat stressful and chaotic life. She is really amazing, to think that when daddy is worrying about daily adult things to worry about, she's there just having a little blast. My wish is that all adults at some point will be able to tap into that youthful reserve of giddiness and laughter- and hang onto it. Tap into that place and forget about daily concerns.

Be a kid for the rest of your life. That's my wish.

News: Cassini closes in on Enceladus

So recently I talked a little about Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons. Check out this interesting post on APOD- it turns out the Cassini spacecraft went closer to the moon than we've ever been, within 30 kilometers, to sample the particles escaping the moons cryo-volcanoes.

Heres the link: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap081013.html

McCain is a douche

Okay, so while my header is (a bit) childish, read this article and tell me I'm wrong.

McCain faces conservative backlash over mortgage plan

"Fundamentally, the problem is John McCain accepts a lot of liberal notions, unfortunately. There is somewhat of a populist streak," he said. "Most conservatives really did not like the bailout to begin with, and this was really kind of picking at the scab."

It's not just the plan conservatives are unhappy with, but how it was first unveiled as well -- out of the blue at Tuesday's town-hall debate during which Republicans were instead hoping McCain would present a spirited attack on what they view as Obama's overly liberal positions.

"He spent the entire debate assailing massive government spending -- while his featured proposal of the right was to heap on more massive government spending to pursue home ownership retention at all costs," Malkin said.

Under the plan, the government would buy up bad mortgage loans, converting them into low-interest, FHA-insured loans. To qualify, homeowners would have to be delinquent in their payments or be likely to fall behind in the near future.

They also would have to live in the home in question -- no investment properties would be eligible. They would need to have demonstrated their creditworthiness when they purchased the property by making a substantial down payment and by providing documentation of their income and other assets.

But the plan, which the McCain campaign appeared to be finalizing even after the candidate announced it, significantly departs from the Arizona senator's original proposal and has left many conservatives scratching their heads:

"The original plan relied on lenders taking the hit," Holtz-Eakin said on the conference call. "This bypasses that step."

Instead, the estimated $300 billion tab essentially gets transferred to taxpayers, among the funding already provided by the bailout bill -- a proposal that may rile not only fiscal conservatives, but also struggling homeowners who have worked to keep up their mortgage payments.

"The guy who works two jobs and struggles to actually pay his mortgage is penalized. He would be better off under this plan to just quit paying his mortgage," Lewis said. "And this fundamentally goes against a lot of conservative principles and individual responsibility."

What the hell!??