Art, Science, Travel & Other Things That Matter

2008 Update...

2008-04-01T12:25:00.000-05:00

Wow, it's been over a year since I last updated this blog! Unfortunately, my continual requests for 36 hour days seem to have gone largely unanswered... Here's a few quick updates on trips and new projects.

Since the Galapagos trip one year ago, we took a Nordic excursion that included Iceland, Norway, Scotland and the Faroe Islands. You can view the photo gallery from that trip here, or skip right to the 'best of ' slideshow (rather large PDF).

You can check out my new launch page here which is a quick way to access all of my personal websites which include my company website, fine art website, personal photography, travelog, resume and MiG-31 Firefox movie fansite (still #1 on the web!)

We spent the holidays in Arizona this year and got some much-needed face time with nature, you can check out the photo gallery here.

We have a few big trips coming up which include Singapore and Denmark, so stay tuned...

Galapagos Trip 2007

2007-03-18T15:09:00.001-05:00

To view my 'Best 100' gallery of photos from this trip, you have two options available. The first is to check out my online web photo gallery (flash required). NOTE: I kept the photos rather large, thus requiring a high resolution screen setting. If for some reason you do not see small thumbnail images along the bottom of the screen, please use the navigation arrows in the lower right corner of the screen. Or, you can view a lower resolution version of the same gallery here...

OR, the best option is to download the self-running PDF slide presentation which I generated (requires Acrobat reader, which most web browsers have installed by default). NOTE: It's a 26 mb file, so it may take a few minutes to download if you don't have a fast connection---it's worth the wait! The slideshow should run on it's own, but if it doesn't for some reason, you can always use your arrow keys to go to the next photo.

What a coincidence!! A brand new documentary on the Galapagos premieres tonight (Sunday, March 18th) on The National Geographic Channel, check viewing times for your area here...

The first thing people say when you tell them you're planning a trip to the Galapagos Islands is, "I didn't know you were even allowed to go there." In reality, 120,000 visitors per year are allowed to visit the archipelago, and only under the supervision of a naturalist from the Galapagos National Reserve. The second thing people ask is, "Where do you stay when you get there?" Well, you have two options: stay at one of a handful of hotels in the island chain, or travel by ship aboard the M/V Xpedition, a purpose-built 4,000 tonne ship operated by Celebrity cruises. We chose this option, and it was worth every penny.

Most people aren't familiar with the Galapagos Islands, other than the fact that Charles Darwin spent 2 weeks of his life there in 1831 where he began to formulate his theory of Evolution. Geographically speaking, they are 600 miles due west of Ecuador, South America, straddling the equatorial line. It's a series of 13 primary volcanic islands, 6 smaller islands and 107 rocks and islets approximately 5-7 million years old where dozens of species of plants and animals unique only to those islands have flourished and evolved over millions of years. For more detailed information about the flora, fauna and geography of the Galapagos, check out the Galapagos Wikipedia entry.

The allure of the Galapagos is this uniqueness. It is truly a one-of-a-kind place with no comparison elsewhere on the planet.

Our trip began in Quito, Ecuador. Believe it or not most people don't make the connection between 'Ecuador' and 'Equator' I personally never gave it a thought until standing atop the monument that represents the 0 0 0 degree latitude line of the planet. You can stand with one foot in the northern hemisphere and the other in the southern. The equatorial line runs through the Galapagos Islands as well.

The city of Quito was amazing. The people are incredibly friendly, helpful, highly educated and attractive--whoever said living at 9,300 feet elevation on the beltline of the planet doesn't keep you young and healthy? The city is very clean and organized, quite frankly the US could take some pointers from our friends in Ecuador. Our arrival and transfer from the airport to the JW Marriott was like clockwork. We were offered cocoa tea to 'help adjust to the altitude' (No, this tea would not be legal in the states!) The 5 star accommodations were superb. So far, so good!

Day 1 began with a tour of the city which included lunch at the The Crater Restaurant, located on the edge of a volcanic caldera filled with lush jungle, farmland and a cloud forest. The volcano is technically still 'active' and continually emits vapor which forms a low cloud cover that drifts down through the forest. The view was amazing, the food was fantastic and our tourguide and wait staff were superb. It was only midway through the first day of our trip and my wife and I already knew this was going to be the best trip of our lives. After a drive through the mountains to visit the Equatorial Monument, which is the 00'00' degree equatorial intersection point, we headed back to the hotel for a fabulous dinner at the Historic Quito Opera House.

Quote of the day: "When the Spanish came to settle Ecuador, the indigenous population was given two choices--Catholicism or death." ~ Marco, our city tour director.

We stopped at the Basilica Cathedral for a photo op. It took 100 years to build and all of the stone gargoyles were of indigenous wildlife such as iguanas and sea turtles.

This trip was billed as an all-inclusive package, which included all flights, transfers, meals, tips and even drinks. We've taken other 'all inclusive' trips before where the fine print at the bottom outlined what wasn't included. Let me just say that in the entire 12 days we NEVER had to put our hand in our pocket for a single thing. We literally spent $0 on anything other than items we bought shopping in markets. Again, we were blown away by the efficiency and clockwork precision of the entire affair. You truly get what you pay for on this trip.

Day 2 started with our flight out of Quito to the Islands on TAME Airlines A320 Airbus. The aircraft was immaculate, and the meal we were served was one of the best I've had on any airline. Just under 2 hours later we landed on Baltra Island in the Galapagos. Our customs check-in was quick and uneventful--they are very thorough about making sure no non-native insects, plants, seeds or even water is brought in by passengers. We were ushered into the VIP lounge to have drinks (free) while the rest of the group disembarked the aircraft.

Our particular group consisted of 76 people, I'd estimate 95% were from the US. Interestingly enough, but not surprising, Ellen and I were the youngest couple on the ship by 12 years. Our closest peers were an Argentinian couple living in Miami (but on their way to live in Madrid) who quickly became good friends. By the end of the trip, we were lovingly referred to as "the kids" by the rest of our shipmates.

Once we left Baltra airport, which was literally a single airstrip and open-air terminal, we were shuttled to the harbor where we boarded Zodiacs to head out to the ship which was anchored just outside the harbor. The five 22' long Xpedition Zodiacs would be our primary means of transportation to and from our hikes and snorkeling excursions for the rest of the trip. They each held about 16 people comfortably. Upon boarding the ship we were greeted with cold towels and glasses of champagne prior to our orientation. Again, I must emphasize that every part of this trip was planned out down to the minute. We never waited for anything, never guessed about what came next, everything was perfectly executed and well organized.

Our first excursion was to Seymour Island to observe Blue-Footed Boobies, Frigate birds and Galapagos Iguanas in their natural terrain. It was our first chance to wring-out the photography equipment and get acclimated to the equatorial climate.

Each day ended with a 'cocktail hour' lecture in the main lounge that highlighted that days events along with a slideshow of the next days' activities given by the ships director and lead naturalist, Jason. Originally a northern California native, he married an Ecuadorian woman and moved to the Galapagos 14 years ago. He's been leading the Xpedition program since it's maiden voyage in 2003.

Day 3 kicked off with a 7am Zodiac ride around Kicker Rock. At 6:30am, sitting on deck watching the sunrise while sipping coffee, we realized this was going to be a very physically active vacation, no sleeping-in, no lounging around. You rolled out of bed at 6am (if you wanted breakfast), threw on your backpack and amphibs and made your way to the staging deck. My biggest concern was making sure my batteries were fully charged and my memory cards were cleared...

We were back on ship by 9am to head to our next stop--San Cristobal and Espanola Islands. I'm not sure how to describe this, but I'll give it my best shot. Try to imagine stepping OVER 300 pound Sea Lions napping on the rocks. Imagine squatting down inches away from a dozen marine iguanas basking on the beach and snapping photos. It's difficult to describe the sensation of being so close to such bizarre and prehistoric animals that have absolutely no fear of humans.

You could easily touch any of them--of course, this isn't allowed for good reason. Every yard of the hike revealed more wildlife. It was easy to lose track of the guide and fall behind the group when taking photos of napping baby sea lions, huddled together with their flippers resting on each other's backs...just unbelievable.

Day 3's hike culminated in a spectacular 'blow-hole' in the volcanic rocks. As the ocean waves rolled in, seawater would shoot 30' into the air through a natural hole formed in the cliff side...

Day 4 started with a high intensity snorkeling excursion around Floreana Island where we jumped into the water off the Zodiac. The current was running about 7 knots, and we were swimming against it, so this was our first taste of what was to come in terms of our in-water excursions. We brought our own personal wetsuits and snorkeling gear, but the ship provided equipment for anyone who needed it. This time of year, the water temp runs between 68-72. It was exhilarating to say the least. Ten minutes into the 1.5 hour swim, I was shooting photos of enormous stingrays, curious sea lions and black-tipped reef sharks. The diversity and sheer amount of sea life to take in was almost overwhelming.

Factoid of the day: If a Sealion blows bubbles in your face, it means he wants to play. If he barks at you underwater and you can hear it clearly, it means you're getting a little too close to his females...

Day 5 (coming soon)
Day 6 (coming soon)
Day 7 (coming soon)
Day 8 (coming soon)
Day 9 (coming soon)

Finally, this brings me to one of the main points of this entire trip--the people we shared this experience with! We've never met such an extraordinarily diverse cross section of wonderful people. I've been all over the world and met dozens of people we've kept in contact with over the years, but this group truly exceeded anything we've experienced in the past. By the end of the trip we had newfound friends whom we will keep in contact with from now on.

All said and done, our week in the Galapagos was by far the best trip of our lives--worth every penny we spent. One of the professional travel reviews we read before booking the trip said something like, 'Beg, borrow and steal the money if you have to, do whatever you must to take this trip, it's truly the chance of a lifetime.'

I couldn't have put it better myself...

Articles of Interest

2007-01-02T22:58:00.000-06:00

We've got UFO's over O'Hare and now Egypt--"an object of interest" was picked up on Giza webcam. Pretty clear.

We've got a study from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio that found diet soda to actually contribute to weight gain.

And as if that wasn't enough, the sky really is falling. But at least it's only Jersey... ;) Just kidding!

External HDD Resurrection How-To Site....

2007-01-02T22:01:00.000-06:00

For those of you out there who may own an Ikebana "Fireblaster" external hard drive (or really most any other plastic-encased external drive) my good buddy Jarrett created a great website with step-by-step (and amusing) instructions on how to swap out the guts and bring a dead drive back to life.
NOTE: This site also solves the enigma behind the mysterious "Ikebana Rattle" for those of you who know what I'm talking about...

The Top 10 Bad Things That Are GOOD For You

2007-01-02T21:58:00.000-06:00

"Beer quells heart disease and chocolate staves off cancer? Though often tagged with a disclaimer, studies that tell us to eat, inhale and generally indulge in "bad stuff" is music to our ears. So go ahead and enjoy these bad-for-you remedies—everything in moderation, as they say—until the next study inevitably overturns the research."

Great Online Website Development Tools

2007-01-02T21:44:00.000-06:00

This one from Adobe comes to us courtesy of my buddy Jarrett. It's a great tool for staying frosty on all the contemporary color trends in current web design schemes.

For all of us website designers out there who want to know exactly how much of that beautiful site we just built will actually be SEEN in various web browsers running at various resolutions...then AnyBrowser has answered our prayers!

National Lampoon's Beswick Family Thanksgiving

2007-01-02T20:57:00.000-06:00

So there I am, standing in my brothers kitchen on Thanksgiving night with my sister, my brother's girlfriend Dorothy, both of my nephews and my parents while everyone is trying to talk at ONCE. It was like standing behind a 747 at the end of the runway with all four engines cranked to FULL throttle seconds before the pilot lets off the brakes.... I SWEAR the windows in the house were about to break. At one point, I looked over at my wife and used International Sign Language to ask her if she was alright and she had her hands firmly over both ears, eyes squinted shut...slowly rocking back and forth in the corner. She literally couldn't handle the volume level and retreated outside to give her senses some downtime.

So Erich, Gunnar, Dorothy and I decide to take Dorothy's jeep into part of the Everglades nature preserve near Erich's house to do some offroading through trails, and Gunnar and I did some fishing at a pond near the middle of the preserve.

On the way back out, Erich spots the carcass of a wild boar on the side of the road. He slams on the brakes and throws it into reverse while saying to Gunnar, "Did you see a head on it!? If there's a skull we can grab it to take back to the house!!!" No sooner are we stopped that my ten year old nephew is leaping out of the jeep to investigate. Now keep in mind, this is the same 10 year old who just recovered from a severe case of salmonella... I suddenly jerk myself out of the total shock and awe at what I'm witnessing and scream, "HOLD IT!!! EVERYONE FREEZE!! Uncle Kurt is calling this one right now--Gunnar, get back in the vehicle now! Don't touch ANYthing! Erich--get this jeep BACK on the highway before I smack the both of you...am I the only sane person in this vehicle?!"

By this time, everyone is literally in tears laughing at how ridiculous the whole situation is. I use the opportunity to declare that, "Under normal circumstances, picking up roadkill is a highly inadvisable, ill-conceived plan at best..."

Welcome to another holiday with the Beswick family!

As per usual, there was quite the variety of flora and fauna encountered on the trip...

A Snakey Thanksgiving...

2007-01-02T01:47:00.000-06:00

A black racer decided to invite itself to our Thanksgiving dinner, of course my brother had to capture it so I could get some good closeup stock photos. Yes, it bit him...but at least it wasn't a spotted skunk this time...

Scariest Site of the Year

2007-01-02T01:38:00.000-06:00

Global Incident Map: A global mapping & display system to monitor terrorism and other suspicious events in real-time. Paranoia-inducing, yet morbidly addictive...

Recent UFO Related News

2007-01-02T01:06:00.001-06:00

Don't laugh now, events like this are being taken much more seriously these days, and it's time for everyone to be a bit more open-minded. Definitely watch the news clip!

From the Chicago Tribune:
"It sounds like a tired joke--but a group of airline employees insist they are in earnest, and they are upset that neither their bosses nor the government will take them seriously. A flying saucerlike object hovered low over O'Hare International Airport for several minutes before bolting through thick clouds with such intense energy that it left an eerie hole in overcast skies, said some United Airlines employees who observed the phenomenon.

One United employee appeared emotionally shaken by the sighting and "experienced some religious issues" over it, one co-worker said."

This isn't Jethro the town drunk seeing lights in the sky here, these are highly trained professionals operating under FAA guidelines who are seeing non-aircraft appear in broad daylight above one of the busiest airports in the country. That's pretty major no matter how you look at it.

For a really thorough source of good info that takes the subject of Ufology seriously, check out http://www.ufoevidence.org/

Another current ufological hot-story is a little-talked about incident from 2002, definitely worth your time to read. It was very interesting for a number of reasons, mainly that there was physical evidence and a papertrail left behind, with multiple witnesses. The physics involved make sense, and the conductor seems highly credible. Scroll to the middle of the page and read about The Kentucky Train Collision with a UFO.

More information about the collision with possible photographic evidence from Frank Warren's blog.

Space Shuttle Launch as Seen from ISS

2007-01-02T01:06:00.000-06:00

Pretty striking photos of a Shuttle launch taken from a whole new perspective: 65,000 feet above the Cape from NASA's WB-57 high-altitude chase-plane.

These photos originally circulated on the net as being taken from the ISS, which is untrue.

World Wide Television

2006-11-08T21:40:00.000-06:00

At the very least I'd call this a big step in the right direction... a' la carte streaming television broadcasts from around the world.

"The Secret"

2006-11-06T12:34:00.000-06:00

An internet based movie getting lots of positive attention right now is The Secret. It is similar to What the Bleep do we Know, (also a great film) only the Secret is more about how you can apply quantum theory to your life, to change your own reality. Experts featured in the film were on the Larry King Show Nov 2nd, with part 2 of their interview to air on the 16th. Can we impact our own reality by turning off negative thoughts, and instead focusing on what we want with a 'feeling of already having it' in order to achieve our ultimate goals? I certainly think so. A close friend of mine from FL used to say, "The world suddenly becomes a much better place once you stop watching the news..."

The Life of a Cell...in 3D

2006-10-08T17:18:00.000-05:00

I have to thank my buddy Larry Mitnaul for bringing my attention to this one, it's a 3D animated film produced by Biovisions at Harvard University, which depicts the various processes that occur within the lifecycle of a single cell. As my wife watched this she was able to narrate each process to me, she said the depiction was accurate. Totally fascinating...

Aventura Spa Palace Vacation | Riviera Maya, Yucatan

2006-10-08T16:42:00.000-05:00

So as some of you may already know, we recently took our yearly 'unplug from reality' vacation in Mexico at the Aventura Spa Palace, about an hour south of Cancun. It was a profoundly relaxing experience, and by far the finest all-inclusive resort we've ever been to, hands down. This place put any cruise you can imagine to SHAME. Problem is, we were so spoiled by the Aventura now that no other all-inclusive resort even seems interesting...

For the full gallery of photos from the trip, you can see the gallery online here.

There were recently-hatched loggerhead seaturtles at the Xcaret wildlife & snorkeling park about 20 min. north of the Aventura.

Aventura is located on 85 acres of oceanfront property. The grounds were absolutely immaculate and beautiful...

We had a fantastic time snorkeling at the Xcaret natural water park, the water was incredibly clear and the sealife abundant...

I'd read about an area called Half Moon Bay not far from the Aventura which was considered a good 'local' snorkeling area which was completely natural and accessible right from the beach. In particular, the area right offshore from La Buena Vida, a beachfront bar & grille, was considered one of the best live reef areas. After having lunch (and several margaritas) My brother, wife and I ventured offshore even though a storm was approaching. Before long, the storm was right on us and we had to swim back to shore. For a few minutes it rained so hard visibility was less than 10 feet, I tried to capture it with the camera--totally exhilirating...

2006 Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge

2006-10-01T23:38:00.000-05:00

On 22 September 2006, Science Magazine and the National Science Foundation honor the creators of dazzling scientific images and animated presentations, in the fourth annual Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge.

Virgin Galactic Unveils Spaceshiptwo Interior Design Concept

2006-10-01T23:19:00.000-05:00

We're getting closer and closer to that distinctly "Star Trek" society feel here, with civilian spacefaring pioneers Rutan and Branson at the helm. It's all just so BRILLIANT!

Forget for a moment about the idea of sending rich people into low-Earth orbit. Look at the bigger picture here---space is no longer out of reach to civilians. Think back to the 1970's or 80's...did you ever think we'd be this far along by 2006?? Pretty heavy stuff when you think about it.

On a related note, Rutan's company Scaled Composites is currently hiring. I'd give my left pinky to work with this group of people, 135 individuals doing their part to create history and, hopefully, change the world.

This Week in 'Orbital Coolness'

2006-10-01T23:02:00.000-05:00

A spot in the sun
From the Daily Mail
It looks like a speck of dust on the surface of the sun. But this spectacular picture shows the space shuttle Atlantis alongside the International Space Station (ISS) silhouetted as they orbit the earth.

Furniture For Our Next House...

2006-10-01T23:00:00.000-05:00

You think I'm kidding? It's a Starfleet rummage sale of original movie/series prop-furniture...we're alllll over this stuff!

Cold War Design Work from the Soviet Union

2006-10-01T22:56:00.000-05:00

A phenomenal Flickr.com online gallery of 1,469 Soviet Era Propaganda Posters (1917-1991), a must-see for all designers...

National Air & Space Collections eMuseum

2006-10-01T22:52:00.000-05:00

If you've ever wanted to delve into the VAST collections of the National Air & Space Museum (like I did recently) but haven't had the chance to actually get to DC, then here's your chance to experience it virtually. Check it out, it's well worth the digital-digging...

World News of Interest

2006-10-01T22:43:00.000-05:00

Feds surveyed NYC for radiation, found tainted park

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Anti-terrorism officials conducted a helicopter survey of New York City's radiation sources in preparation for a so-called "dirty bomb" attack - and discovered a Staten Island park with dangerously high levels of radium, a new report found.

Beijing secretly fires lasers to disable US satellites

China has secretly fired powerful laser weapons designed to disable American spy satellites by "blinding" their sensitive surveillance devices, it was reported yesterday.

CRIKEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-09-04T00:48:00.000-05:00

Steve Irwin, the "Crocodile Hunter", is dead at 44. He was killed in a freak stingray attack... No, I'm not kidding. It's pretty shocking actually, and I'm pretty upset about this. If there is any lesson in this, it is that which you least expect could end you.
A sad, sad day indeed. My nephew is going to be devastated.

GE Online Whiteboard App

2006-08-21T21:05:00.000-05:00

Check out this BRILLIANT online collaborative whiteboard program from GE. You can invite a friend and draw in the same space together in real-time.

Particle Accelerator Deciphers Lost Archimedes Writings

2006-08-07T12:53:00.000-05:00

BALTIMORE -- A particle accelerator is revealing parts of the long-lost writings of the Greek mathematician Archimedes, work hidden for centuries after a Christian monk wrote over it during the Middle Ages.

Satellite Image of the Week

2006-08-05T02:00:00.000-05:00

Strange (but cool looking) cryptic geographic markings in the ground outside Dugway Proving Grounds, Utah.

Queue creepy background music...

News of Interest

2006-08-03T21:02:00.000-05:00

Scary: A mutant crab with three pincers was found off the Cornish coast.

Scarier: US scientists have determined that Earth's gravity changed as a result of the 2004 Sumatran earthquake.

Scariest: One litre of seawater can contain more than 20,000 different types of bacteria.

Microsoft Live Labs Demo

2006-08-01T21:43:00.000-05:00

I have to say I've been less than blown-away by Microsoft's sense of innovation over the past year or so, but this demo for "Photosynth" definitely has my attention. From a photography perspective, it's definitely unique. But when you consider it's ramifications for future applications, it's truly innovative...

Woefully Overlooked Musical Brilliance

2006-07-30T22:54:00.000-05:00

I've ranted about Zero7 for a few years now (who, btw have a new album out), but I've only recently discovered that one of the lead female vocalists from Zero7 has her own solo album, check out Sia Furler for a guaranteed treat.

Another of my long-time imported favorites has been Keane, they just released a new album which is a masterpiece. Along simliar lines, if you haven't yet experienced David Gray, I highly recommend doing so immediately.

Photographer of The Week

2006-07-30T22:50:00.000-05:00

Check out Jón Ragnarsson's work here, a native of Iceland. Beautiful photography of an absolutely stunning country...definitely next on our travel list.

Science News of Interest

2006-07-30T22:17:00.000-05:00

The 'Dead Zone' off the Louisiana coast grows from 4,800 sq. miles to 6,700 this year. Not good.

Scientists say it's a mirage, but others swear that when the weather is right, Clevelanders can see across Lake Erie and spot Canadian trees and buildings 50 miles away.

A projected trajectory shows the asteroid, Apophis (named for the Egyptian god of death and darkness), will come very close to our planet in 2029, and have a chance of hitting Earth on its next pass in 2036... April (Friday) the 13th, 2036 to be precise...

Low and Fast

2006-07-19T22:03:00.000-05:00

This is some of the lowest flying I've ever seen. Looks to be Mirage F1's during 'training' (cough, cough) exercises somewhere in northern Africa. Absolutely incredible footage, but still nothing compared to one particular pilot in the Air Force whom I'm personally acquainted. This particular pilot may have flown a B-52 at less than 50' above the desert floor at 500+ mph during a Red Flag exercise back in the 80's....but I won't mention any more about that. Anyway, the guys in this video take a pretty close second-place!

A good buddy of mine, who's site you should definitely check out, had this to say about the video;

"Nice. I've been riding my bike out in the desert and had Warthogs use me for target practice. So low that they blow cacti and dirt onto the highway. Usually they like to come up behind you so you don't see them coming, but after the first buzz they'll turn around and play chicken with you coming up the highway. It leaves a definite impression."

Portland, Oregon Trip

2006-07-05T22:18:00.000-05:00

This is definitely the best photograph I've EVER taken out of an aircraft window. It was a combination of great timing, perfect lighting and no reflections. Unretouched!

Here's the rest of the photos from this trip;
http://www.kurtbeswick.com/travelog/US/NW/OR/

Trip to Washington DC Last Month

2006-06-20T00:10:00.000-05:00

Okay, so this is a bit late, better late than never! Ellen was presenting her research at the American Association for Cancer Research conference, so I used the opportunity to do a little photo-journaling of a city I'd only been to once before. It was a mixed bag of sights, sounds and emotions. We stayed in a B&B off "U Street" which was a quiet little area populated by old row-houses and absolutely phenomenal eateries, like Al Crostino, quite possibly the third best restaurant I've had the pleasure of eating in on the planet. It was bested only by a street cafe in Prague and a tiny little husband & wife-owned restaurant in the countryside of Regensburg, Germany. Needless to say, we went back to Al Crostino for a second night. If it weren't for the overflowing garbage recepticles in EVERY park and being accosted by the occassional homeless person, you'd never know you were in our Nation's Capitol! I was pleasantly impressed.

Food = Excellent
Public Transportation = Above average
Accommodations = Superb
Frequency of Starbuck's = Outstanding!
Cleanliness Factor = ohmygod, someone say something, please...

I was simultaneously invigorated by the perfect weather and gorgeous landmarks, yet appalled by the lack of concern for things like garbage laying on the front lawn of the EPA!! c'mon! If I were a member of the Senate showing delegates around my city, I'd be embarassed. But alas, I looked beyond the surface and saw beautiful things. Below is a selection of the best photos, for the entire gallery check out my Travelog.

HOW Design Conference

2006-06-18T22:55:00.000-05:00

I just returned from the HOW Design Conference experience, it was a paradigm-shift in thinking for me, as an artist and a designer. The fact that it was held in Las Vegas was icing on the cake...

There was an incredible amount of information to take in, absorb. There was a cross-section of incredible speakers in attendance, but if one in particular really stuck out in my mind, it would have to be Andy Stefanovich, the founder of Play -- a creative consulting firm in Virginia. Check out this FastCompany article for more about what Play is all about, and a little taste of why I found this guy to be so inspirational.

My friend and former co-worker who also attended HOW brought to my attention 'proof' that I attended the very last session of the conference even though I was apparently too busy text-messaging with my wife to pay attention to the speaker. Great job, Kurt! You don't look like a complete dork or anything...

Recent Retreat to Austin

2006-05-31T21:20:00.000-05:00

We've been busy as hell for the past few months, just totally at the breaking point and needed a little weekend retreat. (This was several weeks back, but I'm just getting around to posting it now). The hillcountry outside Austin was the answer to our stress. Ellen found a B&B called the Lost Parrot Cabins featuring individual little bungalows off the beaten path near Lake Travis. It was an aweome place to just unplug. Sort of reminded me of being in the Florida Keys, only surrounded by woods instead of ocean. Same feel, similar decor even. Our lodge was the best setup on the property, they had just opened it so we got to 'break it in' so to speak. Haa! The owners, Cat & Cliff, were super cool people and we ended up hanging out with them a few times, exchanging various lurid stories, etc... ;-) "Cocktail hour" on the front porch in our rocking chairs began at 7pm and the next 16 hours were a bit hazy to say the least.

We got nailed by an incredibly whupass storm saturday night which I tried to capture on film, but it was one of those situations where after you turn the camera OFF the most incredible double-arc bolt of lightning hits a tower a half mile in front of you and, of course, I don't manage to get it on film! Finally gave up and headed inside. Ellen did manage to get a cool shot of the sunrise. I have no Earthly idea how she was up that early...

Saturday we took a drive out to Pedernales Falls. Leaping from boulder to boulder at one point to get down to the actual edge of the rapids was fun -- a sudden and horribly crippling injury was just one misplaced step away--woohoo!! Gotta love it...

On our way out of Austin we stopped and had an afternoon siesta overlooking the vineyards at Driftwood Winery just north of Wimberly, TX. It's situated on a bluff overlooking the property. The wine was magnificent as was the view. The serenity of this area was deeply alluring, and I finally realized exactly what it was that attracted people to the Hillcountry area.

That's the long and short of it, overall a much-needed retreat! Now it's back to the grind.

egoselfaxis.com

2006-05-24T20:16:00.000-05:00

The Ego-Self-Axis website is a sophisticated online journaling-type application that's intended for individuals seeking to keep records of their dreams and synchronistic experiences, as well as relevant enviromental, biological, and meteorological details, sketches, and notes for each entry. Everything is searchable using special keywords that are defined by the user, and entries are displayed with each keyword highlighted and hyperlinked to search results. All of this is centered around a new type of artificial intelligence module which serves as a sort of "virtual therapist" and that has the purpose of helping users recognize and formulate meaning out of what they've documented. The module learns from its users by analyzing this information, and is perpetually re-educating itself about the changing dynamics of their psyches.

To learn more about the different sections of the website, or to read about the indviduals who created it and what they hope to add to it in future releases, check out the site. I actually designed the homepage, look & feel of the website for Yvan Gagnon, the lead developer and creator of the application. To learn more about Yvan, take a moment to visit his website, www.atzilut.com

Reading "Da Vinci Code" does alter beliefs: survey

2006-05-16T12:29:00.000-05:00

LONDON (Reuters) - "The Da Vinci Code" has undermined faith in the Roman Catholic Church and badly damaged its credibility, a survey of British readers of Dan Brown's bestseller showed on Tuesday.

Electrohermit Website Launched

2006-05-13T15:21:00.000-05:00

Dave Davis, an American artist residing in France, started painting at an early age winning his first juried competition at the age of twelve. Dave studied art at the School of Art and Design, Georgia State University specializing in anatomical illustration. After graduating he worked as an illustrator and later as an art director in a multimedia environment. Dave has returned to his core—painting. He explores abstractions of the human figure.

Check out his new website here, his first Exhibition for 2006 will be at the ABC Treehouse Gallery Amsterdam, The Netherlands: "Us on US" group exhibition, June 2006. A second exhibition will be held in Langres, France: Summer of 2006 (date to be determined).

NASA's Cassini Discovers Potential Liquid Water on Enceladus

2006-05-13T15:11:00.000-05:00

NASA's Cassini spacecraft may have found evidence of liquid water reservoirs that erupt in Yellowstone-like geysers on Saturn's moon Enceladus. The rare occurrence of liquid water so near the surface raises many new questions about the mysterious moon.

"We realize that this is a radical conclusion -- that we may have evidence for liquid water within a body so small and so cold," said Dr. Carolyn Porco, Cassini imaging team leader at Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo. "However, if we are right, we have significantly broadened the diversity of solar system environments where we might possibly have conditions suitable for living organisms."

First Knights Templar Discovered

2006-05-13T14:59:00.000-05:00

LONDON: The first bodies of the Knights Templar, the mysterious religious order at the heart of The Da Vinci Code, have been found by archaeologists near the River Jordan in northern Israel.

British historian Tom Asbridge yesterday hailed the find as the first provable example of actual Knights Templar.

The remains were found beneath the ruined walls of Jacob's Ford, an overthrown

castle dating back to the Crusades, which had been lost for centuries.

They can be dated to the exact day -- August 29, 1179 -- that they were killed by Saladin, the feared Muslim leader who captured the fortress.

"Never before has it been possible to trace their remains to such an exact time in history,' Mr Asbridge said. "This discovery is the equivalent of the Holy Grail to archaeologists and historians. It is unparalleled."

Coolest Video of the Week

2006-05-13T14:56:00.000-05:00

Poor defenseless octopus stuck all by itself in the shark tank at the Seattle aquarium....

Articles of Interest

2006-05-13T14:47:00.000-05:00

The Top 100 Best Companies to Work For, 2006 edition - according to Fortune Magazine.

Now this is a problem: Florida Residents' Data Exposure a Statewide Issue. "The Social Security numbers, driver's license information and bank account details belonging to potentially millions of current and former residents of Florida are available to anyone on the Internet because sensitive information has not been redacted from public records being posted on county Web sites."

2006 list of Priciest Cities in the World. Oslo beats out Tokyo for the #1 spot. New York city fell to number 27.

Top Secret Military "Blackstar" Aircraft Program...

2006-03-08T22:52:00.000-06:00

Over the years, I think everyone has heard me rant and rave about the (alleged) top secret hypersonic spyplane aircraft program that (most likely) replaced the aging SR-71 Blackbird back in the late 90's. In most black-budget research circles it was referred to only as "Aurora" Well, Aviationweek Magazine recently gleaned some new insight from several of it's "industry insiders" who revealed some very interesting details, facts and figures about this aircraft program. For starters, it *does* in fact exist.

Mac OSX Hacked in Under 30 Minutes!

2006-03-08T20:00:00.000-06:00

It seems Mac OSX isn't all rainbows and unicorns after all...

(from C|Net) On February 22, a Sweden-based Mac enthusiast set his Mac Mini as a server and invited hackers to break through the computer's security and gain root control, which would allow the attacker to take charge of the computer and delete files and folders or install applications. Participants were given local client access to the target computer and invited to try their luck. Within hours of going live, the "rm-my-mac" competition was over. The challenger posted this message on his Web site:
"This sucks. Six hours later this poor little Mac was owned and this page got defaced".

Articles of Interest

2006-03-05T21:51:00.000-06:00

Great article from the Scotsman on the Missing Library of Iona. "The Island of Iona off the west coast of Scotland is steeped in ancient lore and mystery. Known internationally as the monastic birthplace of Scottish religion, it is a place of pilgrimage and deep spirituality. St Columba landed there in 563 AD with 13 followers and established a monastery. This isolated island, off the south-western tip of Mull, was soon to become the intellectual powerhouse of the medieval world."

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - BlackBerry maker Research in Motion said Friday it agreed to pay $612.5 million to patent holding company NTP to settle a long-running dispute that had threatened to shut down the popular wireless e-mail service for its 3 million users.

Websites of the Week

2006-03-05T15:40:00.000-06:00

Having designed and developed over 600 websites in the past decade, I'm often asked 'what makes a website successful?' Well, that's a difficult question because each website has it's own specific goals to achieve. Flash may or may not help the site to achieve that goal. More often than not, people want flash-based websites simply for the sake of having 'flash', not for any specific functional reason....which reminded me of a ranting conversation about the overuse of flash in website development I recently had with my best friend and lifelong coder (we'll call him 'Bosley Eisenhower' here):
___________________________________
Bosley Eisenhower writes:
"Hey, we've got this great idea! Now that *everyone* has high speed internet and regular webpages load faster than most video cards can draw them, let's make people WAIT to look at your website!"
"Sounds great, will this save us money?"
"Absolutely not! Not only will it cost more money to make, but only OUR flash guy can ever update the files - so you'd better hope to hell he stays with the company!"
"Is it ADA compliant?"
"Nope..."
"So let me get this straight... it takes more time to load, costs significantly more, you are the only people that can ever update it and it's not ADA compliant?"
"Right...."
"Perfect! Let's move all of our websites over to flash immediately!"
"And as an added bonus, we'll have our artist with no usability sense create a navigation system that no one will understand."

Kurt writes:
"Dropdown menus within pulldowns within flyout menus was soooo 2005. Now we're doing 2 by 2 pixel squares that you have to chase around the screen to click on! It's so hip, it's just to DIIIIE for! To be on the bleeding edge these days, you must remember to technologically alienate as much of your client base as possible..."
___________________________________
Okay, turning the sarcasm down and stepping off our Flash soapbox, I leave you with several examples of what I personally consider to be Flash done right. Like all website design, there must be a balanced blend of form & function for it to be truly successful and I believe this has been well executed here.

The website for Atlantis: Paradise Island in the Bahamas

The website for the popular Japanese animated show, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

Website supporting the Los Angeles Conservancy's newest educational program, Curating the City: Wilshire Boulevard

Ashes & Snow: The Photography of Gregory Colbert. This website beautifully captures the essence of his work.

Image of the Week

2006-03-05T15:37:00.000-06:00

A beautifully-formed low-pressure system swirls off the southwestern coast of Iceland, illustrating the maxim that "nature abhors a vacuum." The vacuum in this case would be a region of low atmospheric pressure. In order to fill this void, air from a nearby high-pressure system moves in, in this case bringing clouds along for the ride. And because this low-pressure system occurred in the Northern Hemisphere, the winds spun in toward the center of the low-pressure system in a counter-clockwise direction; a phenomenon known as the Coriolis force (in the Southern Hemisphere, the Coriolis force would be manifested in a clockwise direction of movement).

The clouds in the image resembled pulled cotton and lace as they spun in a lazy hurricane-like pattern. This huge system swirled over the Denmark Strait in between Greenland and Iceland. The image was taken by the Aqua MODIS instrument on September 4, 2003.

Microsoft is up to something...

2006-03-02T21:05:00.000-06:00

While spending a few weeks in Japan back in 2000, I saw something in the Akihabara district which captured my attention to the point that I damn near plunked down US$1,500 for one right on the spot. It was a fully capable palmtop PC with a full keyboard (albeit 1/4th scale) that was roughly the size of a paperback novel. Black, nondescript, color screen...and it got really hot if you held it for too long. But it was TINY. In every sense of the word. And it ran Windows 2K with apparently no major problems. I have no idea who the manufacturer was, but it existed 6 years ago. So just recently I came across this website promoting something from Microsoft called the "Origami Project" which is purported to be the first palmtop computer offered in the US market. As excited about the possibility as I am, I guess it still seems a bit 'old news' to me considering it's forerunner has been around for over half a decade. Further evidence that Japan gets all the best toys long before they're even a glimmer in America's techo-eye...

Mysterious Reference from Bush....

2006-02-22T10:23:00.000-06:00

Now THIS is interesting indeed;

"Our nation is on the threshold of new energy technology that I think will startle the American people," Bush said. "We're on the edge of some amazing breakthroughs - breakthroughs all aimed at enhancing our national security and our economic security and the quality of life of the folks who live here in the United States."

So he's saying two things here (and this is about as close to the topic of politics as I'll ever get on my blog);

1) I find his use of the word "startle" a very odd choice. Will it startle us when we see it because we'll want to kick our own asses for not thinking of it sooner?! Or will it startle us because we really have had a breakthrough in cold fusion, or zero-point energy, or hydrogen fuel cells. However, the powers-that-be decided it wasn't quite time to pull that rabbit out of the technology hat until people finally started to turn their back on oil.

2) He follows this by saying we're also on the verge of "some amazing breakthroughs", not just one in particular, and they're ALL aimed (why use the word all?) at enhancing our national security (weapons?) and economic security (weapons are a by-product of this new power source?). He ends it with "folks who live here in the United States." Hmmm....so what you're saying is that this won't be an exportable technology? Those outside the US won't have access to this?? Interesting indeed...

An alternative, much more socio-political explanation could be that his speech writer, under pressure by the admin to quell some of this uproar about our dependency on foreign oil, did a great job of hitting all the right points----calm the masses with the allure of potentially new technology and promise that we'll keep it allllll to ourselves this time!

Art Gallery Group Showing

2006-02-21T21:35:00.000-06:00

I'll be participating in a group showing at Winter Street Studios in the industrial district of Houston this weekend. Once a furniture warehouse, the building was renovated and now houses studio space for local artists as well as gallery space for shows. Here's the lowdown;

Susan Schmitz of The Alex Daniyel Gallery is pleased to announce an art show benefiting The Periwinkle Foundation and Texas Children's Cancer Center.

The work of over a dozen artists will be exhibited in the main gallery space of WINTER STREET STUDIOS. Various media will be represented; sculpture, prints and paintings in a range of styles from abstract to realistic. Work will also be shown by children from around the world who participated in the Making A Mark(tm) program.

This is a unique chance to contribute to a good cause and enjoy and/or purchase art from nationally and locally recognized artists such as Ted Ellis, Mark Stewart, Ron Gordon, Sandi Seltzer Bryant (Mcmurtrey Gallery), Nicola Parente (Thornwood Gallery), Thomas Dorsch, Albert Shaw, Caryn Landauer, Allan Rodewald, Paul Looney, Deborah Morris, Kurt Beswick, Manuel Alonso Martinez, Lavanna Martin, Brandon Lee, Lisa Uihlein, Renel Plouffe, Kat Moon, Susan Fraser-Hughes, Pat Powers, Al Ward and more.

Admission is $4 for adults. The art show will be held Saturday February 25th from 5-9 pm. Winter Street Studios is located at 2101 Winter Street near downtown in the 77007 zip code.

Today's Articles of Interest

2006-02-05T17:01:00.000-06:00

"US plans to 'fight the net' revealed" | A newly declassified document gives a fascinating glimpse into the US military's plans for "information operations" - from psychological operations, to attacks on hostile computer networks. (BBC News)

"22 swinging stocks for quick-hit profits" | Swing traders are the markets' tigers, devouring short-term gains and moving on before the stock goes cold. Here are some rules for the short-term game and some possible prey to get you started. (MSN Money)

Here's a pretty insightful article from Dennis Kneale of Forbes on the recent Google stock 'adjustment' and the ramifications of Google on the world stage. Namely, it's recent agreement with China's government to block 'sensitive' content from it's citizens with access to the internet. A long article worth the read...

Archaeologists Puzzle Over Object Buried in Civil War Cemetery

2006-02-05T16:59:00.000-06:00

ROME, Ga. - University of Georgia archaeologists have been puzzling over finding an apparent manmade object buried in a historic Civil War cemetery.

Ground-penetrating radar on parts of Myrtle Hill Cemetery, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, found a reflection that did not look like a grave during a scan of two Civil War grave sites earlier this month.

"There definitely is something manmade there, something big and metal," said Sheldon Skaggs, a member of the archaeologist team. "Now we have to determine what it is."

How to Beat the High Cost of Gasoline. Forever.

2006-02-05T16:44:00.000-06:00

(Originally from Fortune Magazine) "Stop dreaming about hydrogen. Ethanol is the answer to the energy dilemma. It's clean and green and runs in today's cars. And in a generation, it could replace gas."

This article is an interesting take on off-the-shelf alternative energy sources, however after doing years of personal research into hydrogen combustion turbines and fuelcells, it's damn difficult to find anything that matches it in energy efficiency with zero byproducts except pure H2O.

Samorost 2 Released

2006-02-05T16:34:00.000-06:00

The sequel to the visually stunning interactive flash game "Samorost" has finally been launched, and it's absolutely brilliant! I stumbled across it by accident while researching an electronica artist named "Floex" who, ironically enough, created the soundtrack for Samorost 2! Haa! Awesome.

Gallery Showing Last Night

2006-01-29T17:51:00.000-06:00

Here's some photos of the showing last night, which was a great event -- turnout was at least 100+ patrons. Met some great new friends whilst consuming copious quantities of champagne. Does it get any better?

Today's Links of Interest

2006-01-27T09:10:00.000-06:00

7 Myths About the Challenger Shuttle Disaster | "It didn't explode, the crew didn't die instantly and it wasn't inevitable." Very interesting article from James Oberg, retired NASA engineer and now NBC News space analyst, 20 years after the tragedy.

B.C. octopus attacks remote-controlled submarine | A giant octopus may have been looking for a date when it attacked a submarine off of Vancouver Island last fall. Underwater footage from the incident shows the octopus attacking the sub, first by attaching a couple of arms to an underwater cable. The octopus then reached another one of its eight arms out to grab the vehicle...

Wind Gusts to 200 mph in North Carolina Mountains | Workers at Grandfather Mountain described "an unreal" scene early Wednesday when record wind gusts of at least 200 mph battered the North Carolina tourist attraction in the northwest mountains.

The World’s Top 10 Supercomputers | A closer look at the most powerful commercially available computer systems in the research field. The top IBM machine has 65,000 processors and will eventually hit 360 teraflops worth of processing power.

Other Dimensions Might Soon Be Detected

2006-01-27T09:07:00.000-06:00

IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 26 (UPI) -- Northeastern University and University of California scientists say they might soon have evidence of extra dimensions and other exotic predictions.

Early results from a neutrino detector at the South Pole called AMANDA suggest ghostlike particles from space could serve as probes to a world beyond our familiar three dimensions, the research team says. The evidence, they say, would come from how neutrinos interact with other forms of matter on Earth.

No more than a dozen high-energy neutrinos have been detected so far. However, the current detection rate and energy range indicate AMANDA's larger successor, called IceCube, now under construction, could provide the first evidence for string theory and other theories that attempt to build upon our current understanding of the universe.

An article describing this work appears in the current issue of Physical Review Letters.

My Upcoming Gallery Opening

2006-01-18T20:04:00.000-06:00

I'm participating in a group showing next week at MW Studio Gallery in the Houston Heights. It's been awhile since I've shown my work in a show, I sorta took the last year off since I've been so busy with work and client-related projects, however this show should be quite the event. If you're local to the Houston area, please come out and show your support for Marie Weichman and the rest of the "Diversionist Group" with whom I'll be showing. You can download a PDF of the postcard I made for the showing.

Passion: From the Soul to the Surface | January 28th through February 19th | Reception--Saturday, January 28th, 7:00 to 9:00pm | A group exhibit featuring: Kurt Beswick, Michael-Ann Belin, Tim Dean Snider, John Mercado, Martin de Vore, Alexis Andrei, Marie Weichman, Michelle Macy, Mitch Cohen and Carolyn Cohen.

For more information, visit our press release on Houston's Culture & Arts Resource: Spacetaker.org

The local Citizen Newspaper here in southeast Houston ran a little blurb about the upcoming show and published my mugshot in their community section this week.

New Adobe Product Released: Lightroom

2006-01-18T19:53:00.000-06:00

Adobe has released a new product beta called Lightroom, slated as an image handler built from the ground up for professional photographers. Check out some of the intro videoclips, pretty impressive suite of features.

The Global Consciousness Project

2006-01-18T19:20:00.000-06:00

The Global Consciousness Project, also called the EGG Project, is an international and multidisciplinary collaboration of scientists, engineers, artists and others. Their website introduces methods, technology and empirical results in one section, and presents interpretations and applications in another. The purpose of the project is to examine subtle correlations that appear to reflect the presence and activity of consciousness in the world. The scientific work is careful, but it is at the margins of our understanding. Here they present various aspects of the project, including some insight into its scientific and philosophical implications.

This is quite an interesting project for several reasons, but most importantly because it has shown an actual quantitative correlation between major global events and the output of these "black boxes" which are scattered around the globe. For instance, the day before the 9/11 attacks, each of these black boxes showed a sudden and measurable spike in activity and output data. Coincidence? You be the judge...

Iceland a Pioneer in Alternative Energy

2006-01-16T08:57:00.000-06:00

Iceland the First Country to Try Abandoning Gasoline: Hot Water Heats Homes, Businesses - Hydrogen Fuel Oil Powers Cars, Buses.

I've been fixated with Iceland ever since my wife and I saw an outdoor photography exhibit/installation in Amsterdam that included aerial photography of Iceland. The photographer, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, published a book on sustainability entitled The Earth From The Air: 366 Days which is what the exhibit photos were pulled from. It's certainly an inspiring collection of photography worth checking out.

Web Users Judge Sites in The Blink of An Eye

2006-01-15T12:22:00.000-06:00

We all know that first impressions count, but this study shows that the brain can make flash judgements almost as fast as the eye can take in the information. The discovery came as a surprise to some experts. "My colleagues believed it would be impossible to really see anything in less than 500 milliseconds," says Gitte Lindgaard of Carleton University in Ottawa, who has published the research in the journal Behaviour and Information Technology. Instead they found that impressions were made in the first 50 milliseconds of viewing.

Samorost: An Interactive Art Game

2006-01-10T00:13:00.000-06:00

This particular little gem has stuck with me for years simply because it's so bizarrely and hauntingly beautiful. The Flash craftsmanship and attention to detail is incredible. If you ever loved the whole "Myst" genre of exploratory-puzzle type games, you'll love "Samorost". Pay particular attention to the perfectly crafted background music and ambient soundscape.

It was created by Jakub Dvorksy, who is apparently working on a sequel to Samorost.

Speaking of creative and unusual animation: although Happy Tree Friends is not recommended for those with a weak heart, who are squeamish or easily offended by cartoon animals brutalizing eachother. Nevertheless, it's absolutely hilarious stuff...

Inexpensive "Google PC" in Stores Soon?

2006-01-03T11:52:00.000-06:00

Interesting concept, but definitely not new. The same model didn't work too well for eMachine's rock-bottom-price PC's or the PacBell Net-Appliances which never seemed to take off. Perhaps Google, with it's billions in infrastructure, might pull it off successfully?

Speaking of Google, check out these handy-dandy Google Advanced Operators, which are query words that have special meaning to Google. Typically these operators modify the search in some way, or even tell Google to do a totally different type of search.

And, as if we didn't all see this coming....you can now search, buy and download movies & TV shows with Google Video. Some downloads are free.

NASA Team Sees Explosion On Moon...

2006-01-03T11:38:00.000-06:00

"NASA scientists have witnessed a rare explosion on the surface of the moon caused by a 'meteoroid' slamming into it."

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight... I'm sure that's all it was. Just a meteor. Nothing to see here folks, move along now . . .

Infected by an Image?! Scary Article...

2006-01-02T22:27:00.000-06:00

"Computer security experts were grappling with the threat of a new weakness in Microsoft's Windows operating system that could put hundreds of millions of PCs at risk of infection by spyware or viruses."

The flaw, which allows hackers to infect computers using programs maliciously inserted into seemingly innocuous image files, was first discovered last week. But the potential for damaging attacks increased dramatically at the weekend after a group of computer hackers published the source code they used to exploit it. Unlike most attacks, which require victims to download or execute a suspect file, the new vulnerability makes it possible for users to infect their computers with spyware or a virus simply by viewing a web page, e-mail or instant message that contains a contaminated image.

Potential Solution: Keep an eye on Mikko Hyppönen's company, F-Secure Data Solutions. If anyone comes up with a fix for this first, it'll probably be them.

The Sculptures of Bathsheba Grossman

2006-01-02T11:35:00.001-06:00

With a name like Bathsheba you're just destined to be a cool artist. She renders her 3D metal sculptures on a workstation, based upon mathematical constructs of her own design. Absolutely brilliant work.

Rumormill: VW Scirocco Reborn?

2006-01-02T11:35:00.000-06:00

The Internet has been flooded with rumors about a new Scirocco, with photos to boot. In some renderings, it depicts a sort of orange 2-door fastback, in others it's a hardtop version of the now dead "Concept R". But perhaps there is more to this rumor. In Volkswagen's press release for the SEMA Show, the last part made reference to a "2+2 sport coupe that harkens back to the heyday of the Scirocco". Not exactly an official announcement but no doubt a new Scirocco is in the cards for Volkswagen, which we can expect probably in 2008 with a first peek near the end of 2006 or in 2007. This new Scirocco may be marketed as the Rivo. (courtesy VW Gazette)

Book Recommendations of 2005

2006-01-01T14:53:00.000-06:00

Even though many of these aren't all from 2005, they're all books I highly recommend.

"It's How Much You Keep That Counts! Not How Much You Make: The Ultimate Tax-Reduction System for Small & Home-Based Businesses" by Robert G. Allen.

"The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown. An excellent, intelligent and thought-provoking book currently being produced as a movie by Ron Howard, and starring Tom Hanks.

"Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883" by Simon Winchester.

"The Day After Roswell" by Colonel Philip J. Corso (Ret). Whether or not you believe his contention, the sheer weight of governmental sources and documentation presented by this former Army intelligence officer is not easily dismissed. Corso also gives a convincing explanation of why reports were so varied and conflicting. Even if you believe the book is utter fiction, it's still a highly compelling read.

"Unconventional Flying Objects: A Scientific Analysis" by Dr. Paul R. Hill. This book is utterly unique within the sum of UFO literature in that it is the only pro-UFO book that actually does the math. The late author was a well respected NASA engineer who saw enough evidence for UFOs (including personal observations) to take their existence as a given. So the book spends little time arguing for their reality but simply goes on to ask, "Okay, how do they work?"

Virtual Art Museums of the World

2005-12-28T08:38:00.001-06:00

This master list of links to online "virtual" versions of actual art musuems around the world is courtesy of the Diversionists.com website.

Peoria Fine Arts Guild Art Show

2005-12-28T08:38:00.000-06:00

So while taking our little forced-exodus to Illinois back in September due to Hurricane Rita, we happened to catch the Peoria Fine Arts Guild art festival which happened to be that weekend. The level of work on display was superb. I saw artists working in media I didn't even know existed. Truly enlightening and inspiring, here's a sampling of some of the most memorable featured artists;

http://www.psingerart.com | Phill Singer | This guy is an incredible illustrator, I spoke with him for awhile, really cool guy. If you've ever bought Celestial Seasonings Tea, you'll recognize his work immediately.

http://www.wargin.com | Thomas Wargin | Industrial designer turned sculptor, really unique work.

http://www.jonmichaelroute.com | Jon Michael Route | Distinguished metalsmith.

http://beverlyhayden.com | Photography of Beverly Hayden

http://www.osvog.com | Ceramic sculpture by Kyle Osvog | Under 'technique' check out the quicktime mov of one of these pieces being produced, very cool.

Links of Interest

2005-12-27T08:15:00.000-06:00

An Interview with Milton Glaser | by Chip Kidd, graphic designer
Overall a really fascinating read highly recommended to any artist and designer out there.

A pretty nicely done digital photographic Tour of Budapest -- shot and manipulated by Kilfish (kilfish.com). Site requires flash. Feel free to check out photos from my own visit to Budapest here.

A live Giant Squid (Architeuthis) was captured on film by Japanese Researchers, and a severed tentacle was recovered during the expedition. Very cool!

Links of Interest

2005-12-27T08:14:00.000-06:00

Death via caffeine: According to this website, it would take 218.7 Mocha Latte's to kill me. But what I really want to know is where I can find a Wired X294, which would only require 46 cans to put me into the grave! Awesome!

From the Lebedev Industrial Design Studio in Russia comes this incredible keyboard design, you just have to see it to believe it.

This link has been actively passed around on email lists recently (ironically enough) It's an interesting perspective to ponder. I don't fully agree with his logic, but it's pretty hard to dismiss his underlying point--which is a good one.
"The Internet Is Shit"

The Jone's Soda Holiday Pack Review. Hilariously vile!

Top 10 Lists of 2005

2005-12-25T18:35:00.000-06:00

Here’s Loren Coleman's (Cryptomundo) list of the Top Ten Cryptozoology Stories for 2005, ranked by most significant first.

The Top 10 Whackiest Conspiracy Theories of 2005 (and only ONE of these is actually for real, I'll let you all guess which one)

C|Net's Top 10 Worst Products of 2005. None of them scored above 4. (coming soon to a BigLots near you)

2005 Top Ten List of Strangest and Funniest Data Disasters, as compiled by Ontrack Data Recovery.

2005 Top Ten Wierdest USB Drives Ever.

Most Popular Myths in Science, Top 20 of 2005 as compiled by LiveScience.com

Top 10 Most Puzzling Ancient Artifacts; Over the last few hundred years, many perplexing artifacts have been unearthed around the world which do not fit the currently accepted theories of geology and the origin of mankind (as compiled by About.com)

The FBI names the Top 10 World Art Crimes from 1969 to the present day.

In fine Purgatroop tradition, everyone feel free to post your Top 10 Moment's of Zen of 2005 here...

Missing: 400 Pounds of C4 Explosives...

2005-12-20T20:18:00.000-06:00

...stolen from (you guessed it) a Los Alamos Labs scientist!!
Federal Investigators Probe High-Tech Explosives Theft

Somehow I don't think this was a local resident out looking for
something to blow that dead tree stump out of their yard with...nor do I think it was a drunken Indian looking to 'spice up' a ceremonial dance. It cracks me up how they can say "..terrorism is not suspected" in this article, as if the culprit is going to leave a note, "Thank you, and Season's Greetings From Your Friends, The Terrorists"

And one more thing, while I'm on this soapbox, what is UP with Los Alamos? C'mon guys, military grade C4 shouldn't be so easily obtained with the aid of, oh I don't know...something like a BLOWTORCH!?! Sheeesh...c'mon!!

Eat, Sleep, Work, Consume, Die.

2005-12-18T22:45:00.000-06:00

BRILLIANT article!! So true, it's almost painful...

"You think technology benefits you because it gives you an easier row to hoe? Bollocks! The ease it provides is illusory. It has trapped you, made you a slave to things you don't even need but suddenly can't live without. So you rot in a cubicle trying to get the money to get the stuff, when you should be out walking in a meadow or wooing a lover or writing a song."

25 Foot Silverback Gorilla

2005-12-17T14:09:00.000-06:00

I saw King Kong last night, and give it ***1/2 stars, only withholding that 1/2 star for two reasons: a crucial missing sequence of the original film/story and a few physics-defying issues Jackson seemed to gloss right over...

Internet Movie Database is rating it at 8.3 so far, and I think that's a pretty accurate score. The casting, storyline, dialogue and acting was top level. At or above the level in the LoTR series. Visuals were incomprehensibly good, almost -too- good if that's even possible. It was like you needed a retinal-intermission after what seemed like 2 hours of SFX stampedes. There were really only 2 or 3 glaring 'issues' I had with it overall, and they were both physiological errors, science-related. However...suspending just a bit of your disbelief will result in a thoroughly enjoyable film experience. You won't realize it's 3 hours long, it still seems much shorter than the LoTR films in comparison. Highly recommended.

Some amusing Kong trivia;
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0360717/trivia

Tour of Southern Germany, Nov 25 - Dec 5

2005-12-16T00:03:00.000-06:00

Zurich | Arrival...

We kicked off the trip by flying into Zurich where we rented a car (a lovely MkV Passat 2.0) and drove the 220km north to Rothenburg to meet up with our good friends Dave & Sylvia. Zurich airport was well-planned and brilliantly designed. Being in the business of display graphics myself, I was immediately taken aback by the use of large-format graphics everywhere. The effect was more like walking through a visually soothing environment than a cold concrete building. Customs was a breeze, I was disappointed they didn't stamp my passport though.

The rest of Thanksgiving Day was spent navigating our way out of Zurich proper, and making our way to Rothenburg. There was patchy snow on our way north, but nothing I couldn't handle with ease at 140km/h in the Passat. Thanks to the obsessive-compulsive Swiss (more on that later) they'd already hooked us up with spanking new snowtires. Danke! Of course, they charged us an additional 68 euro for it too. Halo, bitte!? Anyway, the trip north was eyeopening from a scenery standpoint, but uneventful overall.

Rothenburg | Champagne & Schneeballs
(click here to see all of the photos from Rothenburg)

We arrived in Rothenburg ob Der Tauber (on the Tauber river) mid-afternoon and grabbed a bite to eat while awaiting our friends arrival. This was my second time visiting this perfectly preserved walled-city, and it was just as I remembered it originally. Not much changes in Rothenburg, and the local city dwellers seem to have a quietly traditionalist view of social practices fringed with a slightly more modernistic appearance. In other words, when the church bell rings, everyone scrambles out of their homes no matter how cold it is. Yet, they drink their gluwine in the Christmas Market (Reiterlesmarkt) out of stainless steel designer mugs now.

Interesting factoid about Rothenburg, there are only 4 Turms (gate-towers) that allow traffic in/out, and above each gate is a stone face motif with it's mouth open. During Rothenburg's heyday in the 1300's, iron kettles of boiling oil were kept simmering inside the towers, when an enemy force attempted to storm their gates, the contents of the kettles were emptied into troughs which flowed out of these mouths (and eyesockets). Coooool!

The rest of our time in Rothenburg was spent consuming large quantities of locally made wine as well as champagne in our hotel room--brought from the Champagne region of France by our friends. We also consumed our share of the town delicacy (only available locally) known as "Schneeballs" which are a bit similar to a spherical funnel cake, but crunchy!

Landshut | Land of Burg Trausnitz (go ahead, say Trausnitz, you know you want to! It's addictive)
(click here to see all of the photos from Landshut)

Landshut was actually a minor stop-off on our way to Passau. I'd been here once before in the summer, but finally getting to see St. Martin's Cathedral spire without scaffolding around it was a treat. At 436 ft. to the top of the spire, it's the world's tallest brick-structure of it's kind, and it's not easy to forget. Only the Ulm Cathedral (about 150 miles away) is taller measuring 528 feet (161 meters) in height, making it the tallest in the world. It was constructed between 1377 and 1417 and can hold some 20,000 people - double what the town's population was when the interior was completed in 1417. Insane.

After grabbing a nice lunch at an Italian restaurant cleverly disguised as a local German establishment, we headed 'up the hill' to Trausnitz Castle, which was founded in 1204 by Duke Ludwig I. Yes, I said 1204, I realize that any 'history' in this country prior to 1776 tends to put the garden-variety American into systemic shock... Sections remaining from this initial building period included the Keep, the Hall (Alte Dürnitz) and the Castle Chapel dedicated to St. George. Under Wilhelm V and his consort Renata von Lothringen the complex was transformed into an Italian Renaissance palace--dubbed the Italian annex.

Some of the most intricate tapestries I've ever seen depicting events in the life of Otto I of Wittelsbach are displayed throughout the castle.

Passau | One Man's Obsession With Glass...
(click here to see all of the photos from Passau)

After driving like a bat out of hell (120-130mph) on the Autobahn from Landshut to Passau in the trusty Passat, we literally blindly stumbled onto the doorstep of our hotel in the dark. We had maps, we had directions, we even had superb streetside lighting....but if there's one thing Germany is known for, it's pisspoor street signage. And in Passau, this factor is combined with 'one-at-a-time' sidestreets. No really, I'm not kidding--they must have the biggest sideview mirror repair business in the country. So anyway, the main reason we all wanted to go to Passau was to visit the infamous Glass Museum. Well, what we didn't fully realize until we arrived at our hotel is that we were staying INSIDE the glass museum itself!

(The Hotel is the building with yellow trim right in the center of this photo)

Here's a zoom from my vantage point in the Veste Oberghaus Castle above the town. There's our silver Passat parked right in front where I was instantly issued a parking ticket (25 euros) which I promptly disposed of at the urging of the hotel manager. He didn't speak a lick of English, but when I asked him what I should do with it the hand signal for 'tearing something in half' is universal. Ha!

Nestled in the shadow of the Town Glockenspiel (clock tower), the beautifully restored Hotel Wilder Mann is also home to the Passau Glass Museum. With over 30,000 exhibits spread over 35 rooms, it boasts the largest collection of Bohemian glass in the world. When you actually walk through it though, it feels more like 300,000 pieces. It's so over the top, so completely insane that it only makes it that much more shocking when you find out at the end that it was ONE MAN'S PERSONAL COLLECTION..!!! It felt like my retinas were burned out after 2 hours. Craziest of all, we were standing IN the elevator WITH the actual owner of the collection at one point--and I thought the guy was a night manager for the hotel or something! In hindsight I felt like a drooling idiot for not saying something to him in the elevator, but we didn't realize who he was until later. I noticed a newspaper clipping in a display case INSIDE the elevator (of course) with him standing next to Neil Armstrong, who was cutting the ribbon on the opening ceremony of the museum in 1972. It took him 40 years to build up this collection.

So the next time you think your hobby might be a little obsessive-compulsive, you're not even close to the definition of that term, trust me on this.

Kelheim + Reidenburg | Hidden Countryside Gems
(click here to see all of the photos from Kelheim & Reidenburg)

We left Passau and headed WNW out of Passau toward Reidenburg and the famous Prunn Castle. The drive was beautiful, but with the weather being cold and foggy, getting any good distance shots proved difficult. We hadn't planned on stopping in Kelheim, however I had to at least shoot the Befreiungshalle (Hall of Liberation) from a distance. It looked like something from Lord of the Rings perched atop a mountain 2 miles away.

Continuing on to Reidenburg was dangerous in the sense that we were all looking scenery including me--who was driving. There were fortresses situated on giant granite rock outcroppings jutting from the mountainsides, just incredible scenery that spurs the imagination. I was envisioning legions of armored soldiers on horseback charging across the road in front of me at any moment...torches burning, dented and weathered shields clanking against armor. Instead, my fleeting daydream was interrupted by the sound of two F-16's roaring across the valley just above the cliffsides. The sound was so abrupt and startling that I initially thought one of the tires had blown out. But how can you blame a pilot for wanting to fly at castle-top level through snowy medieval valley's? Driving through it was thrilling enough.

We stayed at the Brauereigasthof Schwan, which was quite possibly the hidden gem of our trip. We had probably the finest meal of the entire trip here. The building itself was not only a historic hotel (gasthof) but a brewery (brauerei) as well. Most small towns of Germany have their own 'regional beer' which usually comes from a local brewery within the township, many of them having been in continuous operation for hundreds of years.

Eichstadt + Ellingen | Subquote here
(click here to see all of the photos from Eichstadt & Ellingen)

We headed out of Reidenburg in the morning on a beautiful countryside drive that led us to Eichstadt (Eichstätt), and the Willibald Castle and Bastion Garden (1355). Unfortunately, it was closed during this time of year so we only wandered the grounds taking photos where I could. It was about 19 degrees while I was taking some of these shots, so the air was crystalline-clear and crisp. The sky was almost absurdly blue. What an incredibly idyllic scenic location.

Standing atop a bluff overlooking the town the Willibald Castle is just a massive structure. It looks like it could be attacked by an army and still stand unphased.

The Bastion Gardens situated on a steppe beneath the southern wall were designed by Prince-Bishop Johann Conrad von Gemmingen (1595-1612), called the "Hortus Eystettensis" which he based upon the copperplate engravings of Basilius Besler. We had lunch in a warm little nook of a restaurant overlooking the gardens, and the city in the valley below. Only in the winter in Germany can beer actually warm you up... Haa!

Neuberg Schloss | An Exhibition of Massive Paintings
(click here to see all of the photos from Neuberg Schloss)

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Weissenburg + Ingolstadt | Subquote here
(click here to see all of the photos from Weissenburg & Ingolstadt)

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Neuschwanstein Castle | In The Midst of Madness
(click here to see all of the photos from Neuschwanstein)

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Zurich | Departure...

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Back from Germany trip

2005-12-15T23:39:00.000-06:00

So for starters, Ellen and I just got back from an absolutely killer trip through southern Germany. As usual, I documented every detail of it with obsessive-compulsive fervor and will be posting the galleries of photos to my Travelog site as soon as I've finished updating that site. As is always the case, spendng any amount of time immersed in Europe gives you a new outlook on your current life circumstances. It's always refreshing to see the US from a different perspective--even if only for a week.

Welcome to my Blog...

2005-12-15T23:21:00.000-06:00

So I finally caved in and jumped on the Blog Bandwagon. There seems to be quite an allure to this whole concept of do-it-yourself publishing and personal soapboxing these days, and I too have been sucked in by it. It'll take awhile to fill this site with content worthy of more than a five minute stop while sipping your coffee, so I intend to diligently provide mildly amusing content at the very least. I suppose when you scratch my surface, I'm an extroverted design-geek-artist-nerd hybrid on many levels, so perhaps this whole blog thing was always meant to be?