34!

Inspired

"I've been reading P.G. Wodehouse," said Chippy as he plopped into the chair opposite Lord Liverwurst.

"You don't say," he replied without lifting his eyes from his hog futures. Every good man faces his share of unsolicited commentary and Lord Liverwurst would weather it with the fortitude of Noah among the landlubbers.

"It has inspired me as nothing before," Chippy continued. "Fortunately, my sharp wits are well suited for spinning a lively story. I've resolved to publish something myself."

"Fortunate indeed."

"Just this morning I delivered to consignment the old dresser, the sofa, and the dining room table. A man needs liquidity to finance this sort of venture."

"How does your mother feel about it?"

"Oh, she'll be thrilled. I'll explain it all when she returns next week. When the royalties start pouring she'll be eating with new silver!" Chippy clapped.

"That should compensate for having to dine on the floor," Lord Liverwurst agreed.

"Exactly!"

"And if it doesn't pan out?"

"Nothing to worry about, I've got the knack for it."

"It will be sad if it doesn't come through."

"Well, of course."

"For you I mean," said Lord Liverwurst.

"My mother would be broken up," nodded Clippy.

"If you think so."

"She'd be in tears for me."

"Yes, she'll be in tears."

"Ah, there's nothing to fear. I think I'll tuck in to a sandwhich before I go bang it out this afternoon," said Chippy thumbing through his wallet.

"Help yourself," Lord Liverwurst encouraged him.

Clarity and its Right Object

How highly doubt is regarded today. Doubt is lauded as the center of the "scientific" mindset, but this center is sadly misplaced. Critical thinking does not first proceed from doubt but from confidence, confidence that there is order in the working of things, that there is a right function of things, and thus that analysis will prove fruitful. This confidence cannot proceed from purposelessness as from the primordial ooze for how can you hold a measuring stick against nothingness. Rather it must proceed from a prior belief in an understandable cosmos.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. John 1:1-3

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. Colossians 1:15-17

God has nothing to do with doubt. Since he has revealed the truth in Christ the clear speaking of that truth is of the highest value. Peter, writing before his imminent death, expressed his firm desire that Jesus' teaching be easily remembered.

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.... Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.... And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. II Peter 1:3a, 12, 15

John likewise leaves no question that his objective for his reader is confidence, not doubt (emphasis mine).

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. I John 5:13-15

And what is this reference to "his will"?

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. Luke 10:27

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. John 15:9-12

Throw off all doubt! Believe with confidence in Christ that you will be saved and gain confidence in his salvation by praying his love and living it out. How truly we can affirm the words of Solomon, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge."

33!

Genesis Redux

I highly recommended this imagining of Genesis.

Genesis Redux

This is not your father's Spanglish

We're all familiar with the term Spanglish (Espanglish in Spanish) for mixing English and Spanish (Espanol) in speech. I haven't asked if they have an equivalent here in Cebu for mixing English and Cebuano. It would be superfluous. Cebuanos learn English from a young age not merely by taking English classes but by actually having their classes taught in English. The consistency of this approach varies especially with distance from metropolitan areas, it is less rigid in the province (as they call the countryside). Nonetheless such a high premium is placed on English speaking that churches will perform services in it, not to mention their whole hearted adoption of American and Australian praise music. Their native tongue is replete with Spanish. I constantly hear the word pero, Spanish for "but", when they are speaking. This is not a direct Spanish loanword. The national dialect Tagalog uses pero and even though Cebuanos eschew Tagalog (an imposed dialect) they prefer to use this word, a word from Tagalog, from Spanish. Cebtagaspanglish doesn't begin to describe it.

31!

Crayon Physics Deluxe

Watch this demo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsTqspnvAaI

Download:
http://www.pixelrage.org/downloads/Crayon-Physics-Deluxe-3246.html
Simple & Extraordinary

Turn a monitor into a 3D VR display using the Wii peripherals

This is one of the coolest tech demonstrations I've seen. It's not an ordinary 3D environment. Check it out.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=976

30!

Home

The airplane touched down and I was home again. Home? Illinois, Arizona, or Costa Rica? Well that depends on where I begin my story. A week before Christmas I arrived in Illinois with a pristine snowfall. Snow was first on my wish list. I always miss fall and winter in the desert. The trees finally lost their leaves here in Arizona, but it feels like the seasons are running counterclockwise. I was surprised to experience that "coming home" feeling as I flew into Costa Rica on the first Sunday of '08. Over a year living there was enough to get the place into my blood. The morning sun and the warm, furious wind were familiar to my skin.

It gets harder to leave Illinois each time I visit. My entire family is there (and it's growing and they're beautiful). My niece watches you speak with such intensity. She repeats back what you say and acts with understanding (even defiance). It's thrilling. I got to see my new nephew Mason and his namesake my grandfather asleep on the same couch while the rest of us laughed and tore open gifts. They slept like babies.

My dad gave me, my brother-in-law, and my little sister's fiance remote control airplanes. It was inspired. Our first excitement was discovering that they were all on the same frequency as propellers leapt to life in our hands. After that we flew them, individually, into trees, the curb, and our neighbor's garage. The adventure was in discovering whether they still ran after each crash (mostly not).

Of course while I'm across the Plains from my desert life the prospect of ever having my own family seems more distant and strange. I was invited to Costa Rica to see two friends tie the knot. They tie it pretty much the same but with a lot more dancing before dinner. The bride looked beautiful even while I was dancing with her which was something because I completely forgot how to Merengue.

It's a wonderful thing to feel needed, and I never experience that more than in Costa Rica. I spared as much time as I could for giving training even though I was there on my own dime for the wedding and still had to attend to other work. I spoke slowly and avoided figures of speech, the better to be understood. Later, as I was saying my goodbyes I took the opportunity to introduce myself to one of the junior employees who I hadn't yet met, a beautiful girl just learning English who said in a timid voice, "My name is Ana-Marie. You are very serious." I was speechless, she was very forward. I also thought, she's been noticing me too.

I left Illinois in another snowfall and Costa Rica on another sunny morning. Leaving is hard even when you are returning home. Especially if returning home means you have to leave another.

Yes, I am still here

You may remember that I was moving to Cebu. Don't worry, you remembered correctly.

As it turns out I'm stranded in the Arizona summer while working on an important project. Right now it looks like it will never end.

When I finally get the go ahead I'll probably only have two days notice. After all, I moved to Costa Rica on less than two weeks notice. That's how it tends to go.

I love it except when I hate it. Mostly I love it. Sometimes I get tired of it. Sometimes, like right now, I'm pumped. Basically, I had a good day at work. That's better than caffeine.

Adios

On Saturday I will be leaving Costa Rica. It's been almost one and half years. I've become aclimated and think of it as my home (even though my Spanish is still pretty uneven). I've found good friends, Ultimate Frisbee, a very comfortable home and car (company provided), plus beautiful weather and countryside. I'll miss it.

I'll be back in Scottsdale for a few weeks, then I ship out to Cebu. I'm getting excited about the role I'll play there. I'll be hiring and training an engineering team almost from scratch.

(On the good side of travel I have so many miles now that I've been bumped up my last 3 flights! Does Continental fly to Cebu?)

I don't think of I've ever posted pictures of my place here in Ribera de Belén, so here they are.

Spaceport Awesome

Frankly I think Spaceport America is a bit cheesy for a name, but being humanity's first commercial spaceport is pure awesome. New Mexico is building it and Virgin Galactic has agreed to make it their headquarters. When my kids graduate from high school they're getting a vacation to the moon. I'm assuming that by then tickets will run for less than the inflation adjusted equivalent of $200k rather than that I'll be a millionaire.

The Love of Machines Is the Love of Creation

The piston descends, pulls the gas, the shaft spins.
The piston ascends, the gas explodes, spins the shaft.
The cylinder is a cannon that fires,
and fires upon itself.
The imagination has yet to invent itself.

© B. Jason Reardon
3/14/2007

Tranquillo

In the States I always kept a frisbee in my car. Tossing it around is one of my favorite activities. Be prepared, you know. I had never even seen one in Costa Rica. There's always a fierce wind blowing through the valley or heavy rain, and I just assumed it never caught on.

Last Sunday night at church I was walking past a guy when I heard that magical word "frisbee". I interrupted him and learned that he plays Ultimate Frisbee with a group every Monday and Thursday night from 8 to 10. They've been playing for years and have a mixed group of Gringos and Ticos. He had a frisbee in his car, and we broke it out right then and there. I had just been thinking how much I missed it.

I went last night and got rocked. I've been running intermittently and taking a dance class, but I was not prepared for the dead sprints of Ultimate. There were some very skilled people there who could throw a disk as well as anyone I've seen (and in high wind). Around 20 people showed up and rotated through teams of 7 each. Hearing people call out familiar commands in another language is a good way to learn. "¡Aqui!" (Here!) "¡Marcalo!" (Mark him!) "¡Pasala!" (Pass it!) "¡Uno cada Uno!" (Man-to-man!) It's also a good way to ruin the play out of confusion. "Tranquillo" (Gringo, take it easy instead of passing to thin air again.)

Yep, Wii

Susan from the office invites me to have dinner with her family to practice my Spanish, play with the kids, and help solve their computer problems. I always enjoy my time with them (except when their computer is showing the blue screen of death). They threw in some extra incentive yesterday by announcing that they had purchased a Wii. Swinging that controller like a bat, a tennis racket, and a golf club is ridiculously entertaining. Their ten year old son was already a pro with it after owning it for a only few days. I'll get him next time.

Snorkeling Manuel Antonio

My parents came down to Costa Rica last weekend (the day after my twenty-ninth birthday) for a vacation. We took off to Quepos on the west coast to spend time at the Manuel Antonio Park. After their last trip my dad became enthusiastic about the snorkeling we had done, and bought the three of us equipment. We decided to find out what we could see at the beaches within the park. Our first try was at beach 3 which looks like the most sheltered, but once we had gotten away from the shore we found the water pretty rough. The sand was too stirred up to see much plus it was difficult to get close to the outer shoreline where the fish gather. I got tired and woozy after an hour of swimming around. It was disappointing after the quantity and variety we saw at the point we visited last year.

Later in the week we tried the south edge of beach 2 on a recommendation. It's a wide beach, but that part of it turned out to be well sheltered. The water was clear and we started seeing fish almost immediately, too numerous to name or count (as if I knew any of their names in the first place). My dad pointed out a brilliant starfish and a small red eel. I saw a pair of large fish (a couple of feet long) that darted away almost as soon I spotted them. We saw many schools of smaller fish. You could float above the rocks and see them weaving in and out and popping out of hiding places. It's incredible down there. You stick your head above the water and you have no idea how vibrant it is right below the surface. As I was coming in at the end passing from the rocky outer area to the empty sand close to shore a tiny yellow fish passed directly in front of my goggles. It couldn't have been more than inch from my face. I turned to find it and was surprised to see that it was sticking close to my body, swimming all around me. I had picked up a satellite. It had taken shelter around me like I was big rock, and as we swam into the open area it tried to hide close. I had to get out but I hope it found its way back to shelter.

We also did one of the canopy tours where you ride zip lines through the jungle. In truth you pay much more attention to the stability of your platform than the scenery around you. It included about a dozen lines, two rappels and a "Tarzan" swing. One of the guides found and displayed a tiny, black and green poisonous frog. It's colors were extraordinary. He also pointed out a walking tree which stands propped up on its roots and shoots down new ones in the direction of greater sunlight (uphill). It actually moves about two inches a year.

At least he seems like a nice guy

Today a Costa Rican who happens to follow the NFL stopped me and said, "Has anyone ever told you that you look like Payton Manning?" That's the third time I've been asked that question in six months. The first time when a coworker in the States said it to me I didn't think much of it, but the second time when an American on the flight to Buenos Aires stopped me I was surprised. Three times must mean they're on to something, huh? Personally, I'm convinced that I look like myself. And doesn't anyone notice that I'm undersized by a foot and a hundred pounds?

Sabatical

Tomorrow I begin a month's hiatus from the office. This will be the longest I've been away from work at one time since I got out of school. I'll be spending the next three weeks in Buenos Aires, Argentina taking an intensive Spanish class. Even though I've lived in Costa Rica for a year now my Spanish has advanced very slowly due to the extensive use of English in the office. Hopefully this trip will get me over the threshold into regular Spanish speaking.

It's strange preparing to leave the office for that long, almost as if I was leaving for good. For once 100% of my responsibilities have been transitioned. It's a freeing and alarming feeling.

The last of week of December I'll be flying from summer in the Southern Hemisphere to winter in the Northern. It won't feel like Christmas for me until the airplane touches down in Chicago and slides off of the icy tarmac. Speaking of flying the trip is going to be a doosey. I leave San Jose at 1:30 tomorrow, then wait around in the Houston airport until 9:00 at which time I fly through the night to Buenos Aires and arrive at 10:20 the next morning.

This is my first time publishing an entry in the latest of version of Blogger. I'm not sure what the new features are yet, but it did cause me to discover a backlog of unapproved comments. I think I have to forfit my already shaky geek credentials. That's what happens when you're just a nerd who learns a little bit of programming. If you've commented on this blog in the last six months and haven't seen it appear that would be why. It's all fixed now.

I leave you with a few interesting links.

See the last earthquake to hit Costa Rica at http://www.ovsicori.una.ac.cr/. I felt my first one a couple Saturdays ago. I was spaced out on the couch watching TV when I felt a tremor. They don't really consider it an earthquake until its around 6.0, but it's slightly alarming nonetheless. It actually felt similar to when they dynamite big rocks at the construction site next to our office. The floor shakes and the windows rattle over a muffled boom. Of course in this case the epicenter wasn't next door but miles and miles away.

Last, best article I've read:
Bill Hybels on Outreach

The reimagined Battlestar Galactica is the best written show on television. You should definitely get into it even if science fiction is the last thing you want to turn on. This ain't no Star Trek. Rent the pilot and you'll see that it's not your traditional scifi, what with Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell. The first season ends strong. The second season will consistently impress you with believable characters in tough circumstances. The third, current season is beyond all belief and levels of quality.
http://www.slate.com/id/2154625/

http://intihuatani.usc.edu/cloud/flowing/
This is an enjoyable and creative flash game that you should waste a half-hour playing.

http://factory.lego.com/getstarted/default.aspx
Now you can download a LEGO building program! Can't afford those little overpriced bricks? Make things in the virtual world.

http://labs.live.com/photosynth/
This one will bring your computer to its knees, but it's fascinating. It reads up a set of pictures and constructs a three-dimensional model of the photographed structure. It feels like Hollywood's idea of an intelligence tool. James Bond would be so lucky.

Informative Reading:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/
http://bigpicture.typepad.com/
http://www.businesspundit.com/

Fun Reading:
http://www.boltcity.com/copper/
http://www.scarygoround.com/
http://jjrowland.com/