Fabbrication

I found this multicolor-LED light project on slashdot last week. I think I'm going to have to build one. When I was a kid I had a fascination with electronics, fueled in part by Radio Shack 100-in-1 electronic project kits.

The basic idea of this project is to wire Red, Green, and Blue leds on separate circuits. By adjusting the level of current going to each color, you can make any color. This is the same way a color TV works; by mixing Red, Green, and Blue light.

Jocelyn and I recently bought a small Nissan pickup with a canopy for our planned road trip
across the US next year. We're going to put a foam bed in the back of the truck so we can sleep easily wherever we are. I'm thinking it would be cool to have a similiar LED lighting system set up in the back.

Although I have never had one, I am fascinated with the Century Egg, also known as the Thousand Year Egg. The Century Egg is not really a thousand nor even a hundred years old. It is actually a 100-day old duck or chicken egg preserved by burial with a mixture of charcoal and lime.

Pungent and strange, dark brown yet transparent, the Century Egg.

Read more on WikiPedia.

So much of what happens in this world is out of your control. When you can, do something to improve the world around you. When you cannot, relax and enjoy life.

Many of us here in the US are a little depressed this week after what was a bitterly divided election. The US is very polarized right now. Those of us who do not support Bush are saddened that the politics of fear and hate have prevailed. Bush may be a fun guy to go get a beer with, but run our country? He's not the sharpest tool in the shed.

A big issue for many Bush supporters who voted in large numbers was "morality". Although the USA is founded on the ideals of religious and personal freedom, the right has been motivated by a number of anti-gay marriage amendments strategically placed on ballots to coincide with the presidential election. Bush is willing to legislate his faith, whereas Kerry does not believe in that. I'm puzzled why, in the year 2004, we are even having this debate. The separation of church and state is a positive thing which is shared by all modern, tolerant societies. I am especially puzzled as to how some Christians and churches can support Bush on moral grounds when his war, based on incorrect "facts", has cost over 100,000 innocent lives [Update 12/03/2004: Reuters removed original story, other links here, here, here]. If Jesus were here today, I don't think we'd have to guess how he would feel about this.

There are many of us here in the states who do not support Bush, nor his war. We would like the rest of the world to know that not all of America supports this. Many of us are very opposed to it.

Yesterday, Seattle voted on a city initiative, I-83, which attempted to "Recall" Seattle's new monorail project by creating a city law prohibiting any future monorails from being built in the public right of way.

I was against this "Monorail Recall" initiative for a number of reasons. First, it was funded largely by a wealthy downtown property owner who was opposed to the concept of elevated transit in Seattle[The Stranger]. The Recall campaign used paid signature gatherers (which are illegal in many states) across the city. These people were caught numerous times giving out false information. The title of their initiative changed half way through signature gathering. Furthermore, Seattle has already voted 3 times to build an elevated monorail system through the city. Seattle residents voted to tax themselves (with a large car registration tax) to pay for it; that is how bad the traffic is here. The monorail recall effort boiled down to a handful of rich people trying to undermine the will of Seattle residents' by spending cash.