Sunday, March 30, 2003

Santa Fe Beeswax Candle Company Bought some beeswax candles at the candle store on Paseo de Peralta (DeVargas Mall) this afternoon. Found they have a web site and this is what they say: Candle manufacturing was further enhanced during the first half of the 20th century through the growth of U.S. oil and meatpacking industries. With the increase of crude oil and meat production, also came an increase in the by-products that are the basic ingredients of contemporary candles — paraffin and stearic acid. That doesn't sound very nice....here is another quote: Pure beeswax candles burn brighter, hotter, cleaner, and longer than any other.  As they burn, they produce negative ions that actually clean your air of odors, pollens, smoke, dust, dust mites, and other allergens and hazards. 8:43:35 PM    comment []; people r people This is something I have wondered about since I was a teenager. How come Jack is such a nice man, as long as he doesn't mention politics? Jill helps all people in need, but when she opens her mouth nothing but the vilest opinions come out....I have met all kinds of humans during my four decades on earth: nice fascists, kind communists, gentle racists, sweet anarchists etc. I learned this: don't talk politics with a person you are not willing to disagree with. It has to be OK that you don't see events in the same light. Don't expect to change the other person's mind. Chances are their political views were ingrained in childhood. Maybe it was something a father/mother/uncle/friend said, or something they experienced in school....Chances are, even if one of you pleads your case with the utmost logic and patience, the other cannot change their mind. The mind is like that. It can hold on to what it deems dear and right even if it senses that it is wrong....make that - even if it knows it is wrong... Can we change anybody's mind? Can *we* change? I believe we can, but at a glacial pace. Sometimes the only hope is that the change from one generation to the next will also lead to a change of consciousness... 5:30:03 PM    comment []; Art + Artist Picasso was a member of the communist party for a while - does that devalue his art? John Lennon proclaimed that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus - does that mean we should destroy all Beatles albums? Leni Riefenstahl may have been a friend of Hitler's - does that mean all of her photographs are worthless? Miles Davis was a pimp for a while - get rid of his records, too? Moby is a vegan - does that mean meat-eaters should not buy his music? (Moby wisely notes in the booklet of Play: These essays are not really related to the music, so if you hate the essays you might still like the music, and if you like the essays you may hate the music). Michael Jackson made some wonderful music regardless of some of the rumors we hear. Some Dixie Chick said something or other - does that mean people shouldn't listen to them anymore? Bertolucci is or was a commie - burn his movies? Galileo declared that the earth may be round - get rid of the heretic? Why are people so *outraged* when an artist expresses a view unlike their own, even though they liked the artist's work previous to that? Is it disappointment in the artist who it turns out was not like them after all? Are they disappointed in themselves for liking an artist who thinks so differently from them? A person's inability to separate the artist from his/her work/art seems to indicate some kind of arrested development IMO. Just because you l-o-v-e group XYZ's song does not mean you like them as people. They may in fact not be likable - but their song still is!! 2:27:28 PM    comment []; Droog Beautiful web site of Dutch design collective Droog. (Flash required) 9:41:11 AM    comment []; Smoke Pt2. I don't get it. Why can't bars and pubs display simple sign-age at their entrance that declares the establishment smoking or non-smoking? If the sign says non-smoking and somebody lights up, go ahead and fine patron and pub. If the sign says smoking, then let people smoke. I mean, bars can keep you out for not wearing the right clothes (and that's happened to me plenty of times!) - they should be able to decide whether they want smoking or non-smoking customers. 8:20:55 AM    comment []; Of men and mice Mr. Gordon, the optical mouse is indeed great, but what I really want is a gestural controller. I can't sit still when I am working in the studio and always pace (or dance) around the control room....and it would be so sweet if I could adjust mixing parameters with gestures rather than having to stand still to grab that mouse. Please? 8:13:19 AM    comment []; Last smoke in New York In Germany a person is allowed to go to bars and drink at age 16. I remember going out Friday evenings with my friends and hanging out in pubs. The smoke was thick and we felt soooo cool. I wasn't a smoker then and I am not a smoker now, but I'll miss the atmosphere. I think what I tend to dislike is *former* anything...as in former smoker Mayor Bloomberg....former smokers and former alcoholics are usually the people who push most for some kind of prohibition. Hey, just 'cause you couldn't handle it doesn't mean you should make everyone else stop. My opinion? I think every restaurant or bar owner should be allowed to choose whether his/her place of business allows smoking or not and then people can either choose to go there or not. 7:09:39 AM    comment []; Giger Museum This is one artist whose work attracts and repels me at the same time. Like driving by a car wreck and wanting to look...amazing stuff...his work *made* the movie Alien worth watching. via BoingBoing 6:51:01 AM    comment []; The Museum of Unworkable Devices My favorite section of this web site is: http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/3d/illus1.htm - via slashdot 6:44:51 AM    comment [];

© Copyright 2003 Ottmar Liebert. Last update: 8/25/03; 11:51:58 AM.