Baby pix (let me bore you with my pictures...)

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Just like any proud mama, let me show you my children. I am sure I will post more later. Click the image to see it bigger!

Peeping poof ball explosion

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Back at Christmas we decided to order 25 day-old chicks from Murray McMurray Hatchery. We ordered the Rarest of the Rare assortment...



At 4:00 a.m. (yes, 4:00 in the morning!) this morning we got a phone call from the US GOVT (according to caller ID) which is not something that happens every day at our house... A little to my disappointment it was the local post office begging us to come pick up our day old chicks that had just arrived. Then it dawned on me, once my neurons actually caught up with my ears - THEY WERE HERE!!!!! The chickens were finally here! So we hurried and got ready, all the while talking about how their journey must have been from Iowa in a mail truck, and what would they look like, and did they all survive, and then we stepped out into 6 degrees! There was no way we were going to put these fragile little things in the coop out in the barn, even though we had originally prepared to brood them out there. It was just too cold...



So, we drove the 5 miles to the post office and picked up the peepers and they now live in my bathtub! Thankfully we have 2 full baths at the house!



One of our dogs even met them this morning. So far none of the poof balls has become a canine chicken nugget, but that is why bathrooms have doors with good latches (or at least at our house, that is why!)


BTW, if you look closely in the last video , or to the left in the image here, you can see the automatic waterer I made. The feed store did not have chick waterers in stock yet so I was forced to come up with a solution. Originally I had a couple shallow dishes with water, but the chicks thought they made great swimming (and pooping!) pools, so that did not work out. I ended up taking a can and punching 4 holes in the top about 1/2 inch from the lip. I then found an old tray from a flower pot that got lost a long time ago that was not too deep and it worked great! I just filled the can up to the holes, put the flower pan over the top and turned it upside-down. I just saved myself some money and solved a problem - all by seeing the problem sideways!

We think this is a Phoenix, who may grow up to look like this.



And this one, we think is an Egyptian Fayoumis who might grow up to look like this.

What else moves me...

...is absurdity. Especially in everyday things. The entire dozen eggs in this carton were double-yolked. What are the odds of that? And more importantly - what the hell were these chickens eating???!!!???

Another cool thing that really gets me going is when you can see hidden images in other things. Can you see the Punisher on the garage floor?



In case you don't know what the Punisher looks like, this image shows you... Not an exact copy, but close enough to get your attention! And it was totally random.

What moves me?

The answer to this question changes from day-to-day for me... But today, the ability to share my view of the world with others moves me. I hope you enjoy these pictures. And, yes, I do have a thing for nature. It moves me, too.

Interesting blog entry

I really like the way this blog entry was handled. Nice way to approach the assignment from a different angle!

And this one is priceless - well, actually not priceless since it is all for sale! Way to go!!!!

What if...we never needed to use the bathroom?

What if...we never needed to use the bathroom?

This made me stop and think... I spend a lot of time reading in the bathroom, so what would it be like if I never had to go to the bathroom? I was going to look into What if water was money? but this bathroom thing really caught me...

First off, check this out: http://www.redtractor-usa.com/Bathroom_Time_Monitored.htm

It is official - Big Brother is now a freakin' perv! I guess there really is no privacy any more... And they will offer me HEALTH counseling based on a timer in the hand dryer that says how long I am in the bathroom??? Yikes!

And let's really think about what it means to "use the bathroom." Does that just mean eliminating bodily waste? Or could it mean grooming as well, or in my case, reading? So, just when you thought it was always the girls who spend too much time in the bathroom, check this out.

(Yes, the picture above is a sink... And no, I don't want to think about the fuzzy pink seat in the picture below. Eeeooo....)

Of course, there are the bathroom Nazis who will only let you go to the bathroom when they feel like it, not when you feel like it.

And finally, if you are British it has been determined that we know precisely how much time you will spend in the bathroom: "Hats off, then, to bathroom retailer Bathstore, which has analysed how much time the average Brit spends showering, brushing their teeth and going to the loo in their lifetime - one year, seven months and 18 days precisely." Read the rest here.

Of course, if we didn't have to go to the bathroom we would not have websites like this: http://www.relfe.com/toilet_seat_constipation.html and wouldn't that be sad?

Looks comfy, eh?

Well, I have to end this post for now - I have to go pee... Just think how much longer this post would go on if I never had to use the bathroom! Lucky for you I do!

But before I "go" let me point you to this guy - even sicker than me!

Link a link, link, link!

http://www.bored.com/billboards/

http://www.weathersongs.org/welcome/welcome.htm

http://www.panix.com/~hamiltro/links/

http://levitated.net/gravityIndex.html

http://plw.media.mit.edu/

http://www.atomless.com/projects/modifyme/site/

http://wildcardinc.jp/

http://www.pipslab.nl/graf/

http://filippasmedhagensund.com/

http://www.shinybinary.com/art.html

http://www.dontclick.it/

http://www.mailorderchickens.org/

http://www.sekisuiheim.com/desio-ae/

http://www.yugop.com/

http://www.futura2000.com/

http://www.digitalscience.za.org/flashindex.htm

http://www.screenvader.com/

http://valspar.com/painter.html

http://faile.net/

http://www.adobe.com/creativemind/

http://www.leoburnett.ca/FLASH/index.htm

http://www.interact10ways.com/usa/home.asp

http://www.spamrecycling.com/open.php?reqVersion=8&redirectURL=open.php&senderid=&mode=5

http://www.play-create.com/

http://iad08.com/

http://skribblestudios.com/2008_version/mainpage.html

http://www.climaxmedia.com/

http://www.joolz.fr/folio/

http://www.boone-roosens.be/

http://websitedesignawards.com/

Ramblings and then some really good stuff...

For this week, these 2 blogs really caught my attention. I think you will find them interesting. I also think you might find my thoughts in the rest of this post enlightening.

http://mthorman.blogsavy.com and http://industrialzen.blogspot.com

I am still trying to analyze how this current semester is going since it is such a different experience from last semester. Not bad, just different. I think one of the biggest differences between this semester and the previous class is that this semester we only meet once a week, whereas last time we met twice a week for 6 weeks... And I only had 22 students in all for that semester (this semester I am teaching 108, last semester it was 120, and they are all hands-on courses...) So last time I was able to focus on just the Seeing Sideways course.

Maybe it is better to do exercises like we do in this class in a compacted period of time where everyone meets face-to-face more often. This class should be a symposium/seminar and not taught in front of a bunch of computers in a room where no one can see each other... I also think the number should never be more than 20-25 students. That is actually a little too large. 15-20 would be ideal. I think the factory method of teaching that happens during the semester is not conducive to learning and I know that when students take 12-18 credits at one time plus have jobs and families, serious learning becomes very difficult... Hmmm... stuff to think about.

BTW I am not slamming this semester's class, just looking for the differences and how to best reach everyone. I think seeing sideways is very important but it takes unstructured time to work best. So how can we have a creative experience in class that will reach beyond the confines of the classroom and still do everything else we need to do during the day??? This is my challenge... I will keep looking at this from different angles and see what happens.

I think I have located the source of my itches with this class... The world wants us to be worker bees in a factory environment (regardless of whether we actually work in a factory.) Each person is given a slot and a job and expected to act like all the other slot-fillers around them. And if one of these drones sees the sky above and wonders about the light and starts to question if there is more than what is just in the every day routine, then the others start to look at that slot-filler and worry... What if they stir up trouble by looking at the sky? What if someone important notices that the worker bee looking at the sky is not "working" as hard as the others? What if no one else can see the sky? What if the others can't do what they need because the one looking at the sky is in their way? What if the others begin to see the sky and it scares them? What if people get mad at the one who can see the sky? What if - OH MY GOD!

This has turned into a "what if..." exercise with a story line!!!! Isn't that interesting? Seriously. I did not plan that. I am just ranting on and on and suddenly find myself using this exercise for real. That is really pretty cool! I know it looks rigged, but it isn't... Hmmm.... That is most interesting (and yes, I do sound like Mr. Spock - so what?!?) I have been seriously doubting the practical uses of this course, but... If I am using this idea (What if...) in my everyday life to help solve a problem maybe my students might find themselves doing the same thing... Now that is pretty cool! Maybe this class might have more value than I had anticipated...

But how can I help others see it that way? How can I find a way to overcome everyday mundane issues and duties? Someone who has so many responsibilities (like most of our students) is not going to give much time to a "Mickey Mouse" class where all we do is talk about stuff and try weird experiments with New Media... It is a brush-off class and calculus or Java programming has real, tangible outcomes, so it must be more important. Besides, those kinds of things show up on standardized exams so society values them. Right? If we are being tested on quantifiable skills all the time, and if that is what employers want, then they must be more important. We are so conditioned to live our lives a certain way that eventually that pattern becomes a trap and we don't even want to see past it. Even what we want from life (a family, a good education, a good job, money, love, fame, etc.) is part of the potential trap that we can fall into. If all we want in life is good job, for example, then we become very focused on getting that job and the minutia of achieving that goal takes over our lives. If it is not a logical, concrete step toward that goal then it doesn't have any meaning. We have to worry about impressing the right people, making the right connections, preparing ourselves for this "perfect" job by educating ourselves, etc. And for what? The day we finally get the job and everything is perfect? I have a job that I think is perfect, so I must be in a position to not worry about it. Right? What about when the economy tanks and everyone loses their jobs? At this point, I am on a yearly contract and I am not guaranteed a job for more than the next year. What if my contract does not get renewed? Does that keep me from thinking about the sky? If you always ignore the sky and only focus on what is in front of you, then where are you when that thing in front of you disappears? Where does that leave you and what of all that time and energy you spent trying to attain and keep the thing with which you were so obsessed? The sky is always there, whether or not you choose to see it. That job, or that person, or that other goal may not always be there. And if you are so used to doing something in just one way how will you handle the day when you have to do it another way? Now there's a cheery thought for you!

I really think this is why I had the students read Plato's cave allegory. I didn't see this connection at the time, but... I guess my own goal is really to just help open people's eyes to what is going on around them and the fact that each and every one of us is capable of doing something that will honestly make the world a better place. Because, when it comes right down to it, what is the world except for your own experiences? If you can make your own experiences as meaningful and fulfilling as possible, isn't that changing the world? Of course, this kind of thinking leads to more and more debate and the others around you begin to look at you strangely and worry... They worry things like: What if they stir up trouble by thinking these thoughts? What if someone important notices that they are spending so much time thinking and not "working" as hard as the others? What if the others can't do what they need because the one looking inward for an answer is in their way? What if listening to these kinds of ideas makes you start to question your own life? What if people start to blame the person who started them on this quest for all the unsettled thoughts they are having?

That is why some day I will probably just become a farmer and say to hell with it all! :-)

Sometimes it is difficult being the one who sees everything sideways. It takes a willingness to let go of fear, anxiety, and discomfort so you can experience things in your own way, share what you think is important, and communicate effectively.

Sometimes it is lonely when you first start seeing sideways, but man is the view good from here!

Interesting "What if..." question...

What if water were money? Hmmmm.... more on that later....

What if...

The assignment this week is the 50 what if's...

It has been interesting to watch this class. It is very different from the last group and we all seem very uncomfortable sharing thoughts and ideas. We seem like a very "safe" group... Today we will take that head on and see what happens. Either the whole class will revolt or it will help loosen us up. Either reaction would be better than indifference. My quest is to combat this apathy and find out what it takes to light the fire needed to start the synergy for this group. I KNOW we are all interesting individuals, I just need to find the "on" switch.

1. what if it rained Pop Rocks candy
2. what if i wore horribly mismatched clothes and no one ever said anything about it
   
3. what if my cat was really an alien
4. what if my ears could talk
5. what if my eyes had mouths
6. what if no one does this assignment
7. what if all students refused to do homework
8. what if we all stopped paying taxes
9. what if the whole class spontaneously burped at the same time
10. what if hot air balloons were powered with methane
11. what if i used punctuation in all my im's and chatrooms
12. what if you could only spell with numbers
13. what if cars ran on dead fish
14. what if grass bled when you cut it
15. what if i didn't shower for 2 years
16. what if eating Rolaids made you gay
17. what if Coke (the drink) was a health food
18. what if coke (not the drink) was used in Frosted Flakes
19. what if i didn't do 50 of these
20. what if i asked the same question
21. over
    
22. and
23. over
    
24. and
25. over
26. and
27. over
28. and
29. over
30. and
31. over
32. and
33. over
34. and
35. over
36. and
37. over
38. and
39. over
40. and
41. over
42. and
43. you
44. never
45. heard
46. the
47. answer
48. to
49. the
50. question