think or thwim

From Wikipedia:

Mary Schmich’s “Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young” was published in the Chicago Tribune as a column on June 1, 1997. In her introduction to the column, she described it as the commencement address she would give if she were asked to give one. When the column became the song, her wish came true as at Zagreb’s Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing the song Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen) is played on every graduation ceremony^[1].

Soon it became the subject of an urban legend, according to which it was originally an MIT commencement speech given by author Kurt Vonnegut in the same year (which was false) and by the year of 1999 it was already widespread. But in fact, the commencement speaker at MIT that year was Kofi Annan.

The poem-like piece has drawn frequent comparison to the Max Ehrmann poem Desiderata, which was also the subject of an urban legend misattribution.

From his website:

After playing electric guitar for four years, he discovered Bach and began his classical acoustic period. Since he had learned to play the guitar, he decided to teach himself to read music.

About the age of 18, he came to a crossroads, when he heard a CD by guitarist Don Ross. “This was a new revelation to me. I finally found my niche”

:: Erik Mongrain

Photo by Angela Davidson

:: DCMag|2006 Photos of the Year

Dongtan is the eastern end of a Chongming Island in the mouth of the Yangtze River. (Google Map) Zoom out to see Shanghai. Right now it is fields and wetlands:

But by 2010 it is supposed to be China’s first of four twelve planned eco-cities:

According to Cool Hunter Dongtan will feature:

• Zero greenhouse-emission transit.
• Self-sufficient water systems.
• Village-style neighborhoods to make it pedestrian rather than car friendly.
• All of its energy generated from renewable sources.
• Waste reused and organic waste composted or used as biomass for additional energy production.

Business Week listed Dongtan as one of the 10 Wonders of the New China.

More than half of all American adults consume more than 300 milligrams (mg) of caffeine every day, making it America’s most popular drug by far.

:: Caffeine Content of Various Drinks :: Caffeine at How Stuff Works

:: How it works

On December 5 Ken Wilber had a series of severe seizures that nearly killed him. From his website:

My tongue was nearly bitten off in several places, and it was swollen to the extent it completely filled my mouth-basically it was the size of a tangerine, making intubation necessary for me to breath. I also had what’s known as aspiration pneumonia (which means that during several of the seizures, I vomited into my lungs, where the stomach acid eats away the lung tissue, leaving it open to serious infection, which is what happened). Creatine levels, which they wanted under 5000 before I could leave, were over 150,000. This could be an indication of extremely serious and irreversible kidney damage, making dialysis a life-long necessity. It was pretty easy to see why the doctors didn’t think I would make it.

He’s had REDD for about 15 years which he thinks is most likely responsible for the seizures. In retrospect he thinks he had another one 18 months ago. He broke his shoulder in the middle of the night, but has no memory of it.

He’s recovering, with no apparent permanent kidney damage. Yesterday he posted an account of what happened.

If you’re not familiar with him, this is a good introduction.

Some of his photos from the PBase Galleries are hanging in our house, printed and framed.

:: PBase Galleries