Tweenbots

This is so uplifting! Restores my faith in humanity.

Tweenbots are human-dependent robots that navigate the city with the help of pedestrians they encounter. Rolling at a constant speed, in a straight line, Tweenbots have a destination displayed on a flag, and rely on people they meet to read this flag and to aim them in the right direction to reach their goal.
Read more about this project.

Roaches: The Unarmed Enemy

What is it about huge dead roaches? I have one in my kitchen, which I plan to dispose of...just not quite yet. I've gone into the kitchen to inspect him periodically since 11:33 am this morning. That's when I blasted him over and over and over again with HOT-SHOT, which kills on contact (if you spray long enough).

Sheesh, I hope it wasn't a "her". Now, why do I care whether it was a "him" or a "her?" It was a ROACH!

If you would like to argue the point about why girls should not be soldiers, please come to my kitchen. I will show you my dead roach, and you can help me give him/her a proper burial.

Pegging, Unpegging, and Linguistic Magic

We're "unpegging" from the Constitution. Economies are "unpegging" from the dollar. My Uncle Bill "un-Pegged" from my Aunt Margaret. What does it all mean?

Why can't they speak plain English? I think "un-pegging" is today's euphemism for "violating" or to be even more gutteristic, "raping."

When I hear that our system of government is "unpegging" from the Constitution, the picture I see in my mind is the rope that holds up my pajama bottoms, which is looped over the peg of my bedpost. It's a good thing for me to "un-peg". That sounds like freedom, liberty, independence.

In reality, "unpegging" from the Constitution means removing the foundation that my house (and therefore my bedroom, and even my bed) is built on.

But it still sounds cool and liberating, "unpegging".

Words mean something. Non-words, key-words, and buzz-words serve a purpose. Listen carefully, and peg the language that is used accordingly.

Tragedy in the Media

I grew up in a community close to Pittsburgh. So today's events there have a somewhat more personal impact on me than similar events that have occurred in New York and North Carolina.

One thing all of these events have in common is media coverage. Vulturish, vampirish, media coverage. The media clamors to know and report (and gleefully photograph, if possible) every ugly detail of the alleged crime, the alleged perpetrator, the alleged victims, the alleged by-standers, and the cousins of the alleged by-standers. Live from the scene.

The inevitable press conferences could be scripted, with a parade of politicians expressing their grief and dismay; law enforcement officials thanking each other for such heroic response; the assurance that federal grief counselors are on the way; the grim agreement that this is indeed a sad day for [name of community].

Then the grilling begins. Who knew what, and when did they know it? How outraged should the community be? What hospital are the survivors in? What are the addresses of their family members? How would you describe society's failure in this awful tragedy? Is this trend of violence stoppable? How dead are the dead, and if they are not dead, how close to dead are they?

They have one video clip of SWAT team members rounding the corner of a building (I think it's a stock clip) which is played over and over throughout the report. Men in helmets, with wicked-looking weapons and chest-gear. It's a cloudy, dusty day - they don't film the SWAT team on sunny, balmy days. That's how I know its a stock clip.

The one question no one asks is, what is God's purpose in this? Why does God permit such carnage? How should we pray in this situation? No, God is excluded from the scene entirely. And then we wonder why these tragedies continue to happen.

Body armor, automatic weapons, motives, logistics, presidential response, counseling, communities joining together, despair, hate - all of these terms and concepts may be invoked. But don't mention God.

Peace to Pittsburgh.