From: http://www.kerismith.com/

Bulldozer Rampage

This guy is crazy.

A Zen story.

Cover via Amazon

I have always liked this Zen story (Zen, as you probably know, is a form of Buddhism.):

A soldier named Nobushige came to Hakuin and asked: "Is there really a paradise and a hell?"
"Who are you?" inquired Hakuin.
"I am a samurai", the warrior replied.
"You, a soldier!" sneered Hakuin, "What kind of ruler would have you as his guard? You look like a beggar".
Nobushige became so angry that he began to draw his sword.
Hakuin continued: "So you have a sword! Your weapon is probably too dull to cut off my head."
Nobushige drew his sword.
Hakuin remarked: "Here open the gates of hell!"
At these words the samurai, perceiving the master's discipline, put away his sword and bowed.
"Here open the gates of paradise", said Hakuin.

From 'Zen flesh, Zen bones'"
Compiled by Paul Reps & Nyogen Senzaki

Poem by my Dad

Image by jude hill via Flickr

As far as I know, my Dad, Robert Westbury, wrote only a few poems in his life, many of them in his final years of life, for himself and his family. Here's one I like that they read out at his funeral:

  To keep ones trousers looking good,
  One must
        Buy more clothes than is really necessary;
        Avoid all those jobs that can only be done on bended knee;
        Forgo the pleasure of speaking eye-to-eye with small children;
        Have the hubris to never feel the need
             To fall onto one's knees before the Almighty God.
  I'm pretty glad my jeans have white knees.

42

Image by spinster via Flickr

Asking 'What is the meaning of life?' is like asking someone 'What was the ingredient in that meal you made for me last night?'.

A good meal is not made of just one single ingredient.

Evolution

Image by Daniel Lee, from: http://www.daniellee.com/orianima.gif

Surviving the world

'Surviving the world' is an amusing 'web comic' (actually, photographs of a guy in front of a blackboard).

M of the M

Mario of the month for June.

You may be amused by this site of logical paradoxes (statements that contradict themselves). One of my favorites is the unexpected hanging. Perhaps the most famous is the barber paradox.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Microsoft's Project Natal

Micro$oft's Project Natal looks amazing; check it out. However, I note that it carries a disclaimer saying that it is a 'product vision' and the actual reality may be different...probably because it won't actually work, knowing Micro$oft...Launch is supposed to be sometime in the second or third quarter of next year.

Non-interactive art

Nothing to click on here.

Interactive art

Click anywhere and draw.

Thinking Machine 4

Thinking Machine 4 is a cool on-line chess-playing program that shows the moves it is considering.