hyrcan

The watchful eye of the a Police Box in Japan. This is something I
wish we had in the states. Every so many blocks or miles or whatever
here in Japan, you will find a small building (some smaller than the
one pictured) housing a helpful police officer. Be it help with
directions, or help of a more serious nature, help is there. Or at
least it seems that way so far.

I say... is that always a bad thing? You're faced with new challenges, new experiences. Good or bad. They help us grow.

What's the most impulsive thing you've ever done?

Did you regret it?

When's the last time you did anything impulsive? Last week? year? Ever?

Note: For those curious, I'll be on-line sporadically over the next 3 weeks. I'll likely post some pics... at odd hours

Here in the U.S. once we get healthcare coverage, it can be a challenge to keep it. We live in a society that puts a price tag on how healthy we can be.

I'm lucky in that I work for an organization with excellent health insurance (not that I use it very often), but I know lots of people who don't have any, or only have extremely basic and restrictive coverage.

Is healthcare where you live moving the right direction?

A work of art.

Recently, I moved into my own apartment. Just me, myself, my insane cat...

...and my stuff.

I thought I'd take this as an opportunity to get organized, to get rid of some clutter. I moved without any furniture, except for a drafting desk and a dresser, which means all of my things are currently laying in the middle of my living room. Books, gadgets, more books, robots, other random things... all of my possessions on the floor in front of me. I wondered about this, how many people could put all the things they own in the living room of a small one bedroom apartment, without it being piled to the ceiling? What the heck could I even get rid of?

Scratching my head, I turned my focus on things that I needed... dishes, eating utensils, glasses, couch, bookcases, bed... the list continued. Having worked for a non-profit environmental group I wanted to do this right, no toxic stuff in my home, keep low environmental impact, that sort of thing.

I would start with the easy stuff... Or so I thought.

Just a quick note, I'm going through several of my archived posts, as I get to it, from previous renditions of the site, and putting them back up. No not all of the old post... most aren't worth reposting.

Friday! Hey look, it's a video Friday post!

Every Friday I'll be posting 3 or 4 videos Friday morning, so you can watch them instead of doing real work. The videos that will get posted will be a collection of videos that I feel people should watch. That's about it. There's not likely to be any other rhyme or reason behind it, other that the fact I think you should watch them.

My hope is that you might discover something new, or enjoy a little inside peek at what I fancy. This particular Video Friday features two videos from my favorite projects, and a little bit of randomness thrown in the mix.

Now... On with the show!

If I were to say "Women should only wear skirts and heels and wear makeup, otherwise it's unladylike," you would be offended. "Women belong in the kitchen," might fetch me firm slap, and you'd likely wonder if you've slipped into a timewarp to the 1940s.

Are these things something I'm likely to say? Heh, maybe, only if I wanted to receive the reaction I outlined above. It's a silly notion that anyone should be relegated to only a single task, or look and dress a specific way. It's sexual discrimination plain and simple. No reasonable person would argue otherwise.

Yet, everyday reasonable people do exactly that. They actively participate in sexual discrimination and don't bat an eye. In fact they are quick to defend it. It's even socially acceptable, very few people recognize it as a form of discrimination. The victims suffer silently in fear of losing favor from loved ones (often the primary perpetrators) or being outcasts from society.

I'm speaking of gender stereotyping, and it happens everyday. The victims, our children, even ourselves, face daily subtle persecution from those held most dear, most trusted.

...I WANT MY WRAP WORKS BACK

Yet another street festival. Now with 100% more pool!