the klog

First we have iPhone 3 and iPhone 4 screens magnified. You can really see how much more resolution the iPhone 4 has.

Next up is the Nexus One's wacky OLED screen magnified, with its unequal pattern of red, green, and blue sub-pixels. It uses an AMOLED screen.

Finally, the Kindle and iPad screens, magnified. They couldn't be more different!

One day in the 8th grade, I decided that I didn't want to be just another statistic. I decided that I was going to stand out. I attempted to accomplish this by saying weird things. I had a tendency to suddenly exclaim, "Spontaneous combustion rules!" Another of my favorites was to suddenly grasp a friend and say:

"The Earth blew up, and you just haven't noticed! You know how subliminal messages are so subtle that you don't really notice them? Well, this is SUPERliminal. When the Earth blows up while you're standing on it, that's pretty damn obvious, right? In fact, it's SO obvious that no one noticed it happened! We've all been blown to bits, but we just aren't aware of it!"

As you can see, I attracted a lot of girls in middle school. :P

So yeah, ridiculous concept, right? Haha, dumb joke. Could never happen. Well...

I was reminded of it by this article called U.S. Is Bankrupt and We Don't Even Know It by economics professor Laurence Kotlikoff. I also recently watched I.O.U.S.A., a documentary that prominently features former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker telling us that our fiscal, trade, and savings deficits are out of control. (It also talked about a "leadership deficit", but I found that part hokey.)

I thought I.O.U.S.A. was a bit lacking in descriptions of what will actually happen if we don't do anything about it. It spends most of its running time convincing us of how huge these deficits are without explaining why huge deficits are bad. But then the economic collapse of Greece happened, and that gives us a taste. Kotlikoff does explain what will suddenly happen one day when the pyramid scheme our country is running stops working:

The first possibility is massive benefit cuts visited on the baby boomers in retirement. The second is astronomical tax increases that leave the young with little incentive to work and save. And the third is the government simply printing vast quantities of money to cover its bills.

Most likely we will see a combination of all three responses with dramatic increases in poverty, tax, interest rates and consumer prices.

I read this, and my first thought was, "So basically, we're screwed. Yay." Pretty defeatist. No one wants to admit that such a huge problem exists. Most people don't even get that far and just assume the problem isn't a big deal, or that it will go away. I admit there's part of me that believes that still. It's human nature. People don't want to suffer any austerity measures. Any politician asking for that would be committing political suicide. Who's going to vote for both fewer services and higher taxes? People can't imagine how huge a problem this is. Climate change faces a similar problem. People deny it because they can't imagine such extensive effects to society.

Both problems are so massively huge that we can't see them. They're "superliminal"! But then, neither really matters, of course, since our planet has already been blown to smithereens, and we just haven't noticed!

I was driving up 22nd St toward Mission St when the hills in the distance reminded me of this Inception poster.

(Shot this photo while standing in the middle of a crosswalk at S Van Ness Ave.)

The latest The World: Science Podcast interviews the author of a book about George R. Price, a man who led a fascinating and ultimately tragic life where he struggled to reconcile theory and practice.

Price grew up during the Great Depression and then got a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Chicago after working on the Manhattan Project. He was strongly atheist but married a practicing Catholic, and their marriage fell apart, divorcing after having two daughters. He worked on such diverse fields as cancer research, on transistor technology for Bell Labs, and later on computer-aided design (CAD) for IBM.

In his 40s, he got thyroid cancer, which was successfully operated out, but it partially paralyzed his shoulder and left him depressed.

Without any formal training, he came up with the breakthrough Price equation, considered the best mathematical explanation of the origin of altruism. It describes group selection and how to apply natural selection at all scales. He got a job on the spot at University College London's Galton Lab. He also later worked with John Maynard Smith to pioneer the application of game theory to evolution.

At this point, he started thinking about the improbability of all the events of his life. He converted to Christianity and became a Biblical scholar.

But then he decided that if altruism was mathematically derived, there would be no such thing as true altruism. This really bugged him. So in order to disprove his own theories, he began to invite alcoholics and the homeless to stay at his house. Some repaid him by stealing from him, though he also wanted to give away all his possessions, anyway. At one point, he told a colleague, "I'm down to my last 15p, and I can't wait to give it away!"

He soon lost his house, and he became depressed that he could no longer help the homeless. (He had of course himself become homeless.) Finally, over the holiday season one winter, he slit his own throat.

His funeral service was attended by various people he had met through his community work and two evolutionary biologists.

The Russian cruiser Varyag is in town. It's the first time a Russian warship has docked in San Francisco since 1863! I didn't have time for the ridiculously long line to go aboard, but I took several pictures from shore. My favorite is this one because of the awesome expressions:

See a larger version.

I also like this walking stereotype:

See the rest of the set here.

View it Large or View it Even Larger

Davies is so gorgeous, but usually there's a performance, so photography isn't allowed. Hurray for attending a graduation there! :D

Several weeks ago, I lost one of my CompactFlash cards. I keep two spare ones in a small pouch. One night, after uploading some photos to my computer, I couldn't find one of them. There was only one left in my pouch. I looked under the coffee table, I looked in my camera bag, I looked under the couch, I checked my pockets. Nothing.

I have this reclinable couch with fixed cushions, so I assumed maybe it fell into my couch and was gone for good. My place is also a bit of a mess, so maybe it was just under a pile of magazines somewhere. I just hoped it'd turn up before my next vacation, or I'd have to buy a new one.

* * *

Last night, I was again uploading some pictures, and I lost my other spare! Wtf! My pouch was just empty! I checked my camera bag, though, and I immediately found it! I had mindlessly stowed it directly into my bag without putting it in the pouch first.

...

*EUREKA!*

I suddenly realized that this was also the most likely scenario for how I lost my previous card. I searched my camera bag more thoroughly this time, and I found the card I lost weeks ago buried at the bottom.

* * *

I had been so convinced of the couch theory that I just gave up my search before and didn't take other theories seriously. But once I found the second card I lost, I gained renewed confidence in the camera bag theory and focused there.

An interesting lesson!

Here's a story about an American citizen who was held for deportation by ICE in Chicago. He even showed them his birth certificate, but they were like, nah, fake. Wtf?!

The article quotes him as saying, ""That's crazy. Because I was born in Puerto Rico. I never knew that Puerto Rico wasn't part of the United States." You know who thought Puerto Rico wasn't a part of the United States? Idaho congressional candidate Vaughn Ward, that's who. In a Republican primary debate with Puero Rico-born Raul Labrador, he referred to Puerto Rico as a country, and then, when Labrador told him it's not a country, he responded with, "I really don't care what it is." (This guy has also been in the news lately for plagarizing Obama's 2004 DNC speech, as demonstrated by a video that one of the fringe Republican competitors put together.)

Ward just the nomination to Labrador this Tuesday, so it's Labrador who will face off against the Democratic nominee Walt Minnick, notable for rather different reasons. Minnick was a Nixon White House staff member, though he resigned in protest when Nixon fired the special prosecutor. Most amusingly, Walt Minnick is the only Democrat endorsed by the Tea Party Express. (!)

I had another very cinematic dream last week. Here's a screenplay version of my dream. I woke up remembering only images, a vague sense of the plot, and the title, so I've made up the dialogue and most of the names, with the exception of "David Allen", which I remember from the dream.

(Just so you know, this is not one of my wacky dreams. It's a very conventional story, but that in itself is what made it stand out, in my mind.)

                    "BELFAST"

INT. HOSPITAL ROOM

DAVID ALLEN'S POV

FADE IN

DAVID ALLEN is waking up.  Still a bit drugged, his vision
is hazy as he barely makes out the image of his friend
STEVE, standing beside the hospital bed.  STEVE is in his
mid-30s.  He is wearing a plaid shirt, and he looks a bit
disheveled.

                    STEVE
    How are you feeling, David?
    
                    DAVID
    Mrmph?
    
                    STEVE
    Say.. Do you remember what happened to put you
    here?
    
                    DAVID
    Mm... urf....
    
David's vision fades in and out.  As his head droops,
he sees his tube-covered body.
    
FADE TO BLACK


FADE IN

Some time has passed.

DAVID wakes up again, this time for good. STEVE is still
there, but he's now wearing a leather jacket.

                    STEVE
    You okay, David?

OVER STEVE'S SHOULDER, we see DAVID.  He is also in his
mid-30s.  He is in a hospital gown, but he has fewer tubes
attached to his body than before.
    
                    DAVID
    Yeah, I think so.

                    STEVE
    How much do you remember?  About what happened to you?

                    DAVID
    Not much.  I was in a car accident...? 

                    STEVE
    Do you remember the last thing you saw before the
    accident?

                    DAVID
    The last thing I remember was getting into my
    car.  Why, is there something important I forgot?

The camera is behind STEVE, and, as it PANS DOWN STEVE's
back...

                    STEVE
    No no, it's alright.  Get some rest now, buddy.

The camera STOPS at waist-level; we see STEVE tuck
a gun away, back under his belt.

                    STEVE (V.O.)
    Everything's fine.


CUT TO BLACK


INT. DINING ROOM

We're in a rustic, wooden house.  The dining room is large
and dimly lit.  STEVE is having dinner with CONOR DONOVAN
and his wife KATHLEEN.  They are both in their 50s, and
slightly heavy-set. CONOR is a red-head, with a full beard.

                    CONOR
    ...and he says to him, "But it's only a frog!"
    
CONOR guffaws at his own joke, while STEVE politely chuckles.
KATHLEEN shakes her head.

                    STEVE
    Well, I'll get going now.  I'm glad David has
    such fine folks to help him recover.

STEVE stands up, and he drops his napkin.  As he bends down
to pick it up, CONOR and KATHLEEN see his STEVE's gun,
stuffed behind him, under his belt.

                    CONOR
    Why do you have that?!  Why did you bring that thing
    into my house?!

STEVE panics.

                    STEVE
    I don't want to hurt anyone!  I swear!  They're making
    me do it!

                    KATHLEEN
    Do what?  We're all friends here, Steve.  If you're in
    any kind of trouble...

                    STEVE
    [*Distraught*] They're gonna hurt my family.  They said
    I have to find out if he remembers what he saw, and if
    does, I have to shoot him.  Oh Christ.. but everything
    will be okay!  As long as he doesn't remember,
    everything will be okay!

                    CONOR
    Remember what?  You're not making any sense.

                    STEVE
    I better get going...

STEVE rushes outside, and the DONOVANS follow him out.


EXT. OUTSIDE THE DONOVANS' HOME

                    CONOR
    Steve!

The MAID runs out and tugs on CONOR's arm.

                    MAID
    Mr. Donovan, everything will be okay.  David will be
    cared for.

As the MAID leaves back into the house, STEVE pauses and
looks back.  He grimaces.  He then runs past THE DONOVANS,
racing back into the house after the maid.  THE DONOVANS
are shocked into inaction for a moment before they give
chase as well.

We follow THE DONOVANS as they run through their house and
out the back, just in time to see STEVE run into THE
NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE.  (It's a large mansion made of stone
bricks.) They hear a LOUD BANG.

THE DONOVANS are terrified.  They stop running.  They
stare at the neighbor's dining room windows, lit by a bright
orange light, and they see STEVE's silhouette running across
the room.

                    KATHLEEN
    Oh no!  He's done it!

                    CONOR
    No... No...

THE DONOVANS run into the house.  They find STEVE on the
telephone.

                    STEVE
    Yes, he's collapsed!  I'm not sure if he's breathing!
    What do I do?!  [*Looking up at THE DONOVANS*]  I didn't
    touch him!  He just collapsed!  I think his condition's
    taken a turn for the worse!

CONOR runs over to DAVID and cradles him in his arms.

                    CONOR
    He is still breathing.

                    STEVE
    Oh, thank God. [*Closes his eyes*] Oh, please, Lord,
    let him pull through...

WIDE SHOT, as everyone prays for DAVID's survival

Wow, I can't believe last August was the last time I used my DSLR to take concert photos. In any case, I was happy to have the chance to do so again twice this past week!

Friday night, I went to see my friend Felipe perform with Pauchi Sazaki from Peru:

Pauchi is an experimental violinist who puts on a very eclectic live show using pedals to loop her various instruments and sounds. My favorite part is when she looped her own giggling, and it was super creepy, like something you might hear in a haunted house. Here are the rest of my photos from her show.

Earlier in the week, I saw a friend's friend's friends' band, The Matinees. They kept introducing friends from other bands to play with them just about every song! Here's one of their friends helping out on the cello:

I like how the colored streamers taped onto the window behind them give the scene sort of a meteor shower look.

And here is an adoring fan, watching them play: (Okay, actually a painting on the wall. :P)

Here are the rest of my Matinees photos.

I’m floating in the corner of your room. You can’t see me, but I’m watching you. I’m waiting for you to laugh.

Some call me a sprite. Others, a thief. I hover in theaters and comedy clubs. I flit through parties, scanning the crowds. I peek as lovers flirt. I prefer genuine laughs, but, in a pinch, even an insincere one will do. After all, no laugh is entirely fake.

When I find one that I like, I swoop in and shear off a tiny piece of that laugh. The unsuspecting donor feels but the gentlest breeze. They’re suspicious for just a moment before dismissing it as their own exhale.

I regard my bounty: a sliver of laughter, a slice of joy. I quickly shove it into my bag for safe-keeping.

* * *

Billions of years later, the Universe is dying.

Life has been extinguished in our galaxy. Even the stars are sputtering their last breath. No one is left to laugh; no laughs are left to collect.

I put down my bag. Its sides bulge. The bag squirms. A few snickers leak out from the top. I pull on the drawstring and let all the laughs loose! They swarm out in every direction, giggling and chuckling, guffawing and chortling. They soar through the air, up, away, and out of sight.

Free at last, they howl from star to star.

* * *

I wrote a little 134-word microfiction story called "Fuming". It's about the Eyjafjallajokull ash cloud. I typed it all on my phone, started it at a concert and finished at a BART station. When you're done, submit your own Ash Cloud Tale!

My photo "London's Finest" has been accepted for the latest Pictory showcase: London! It's the eighteenth photo.

Robin Sloan just wrote a wonderful short story called Last Beautiful.

Read it, and you'll see why it reminded me of this photo I took:

Six months ago, I tried out Track Your Happiness, a project created by a Harvard Ph.D. student working for the professor who wrote Stumbling on Happiness.

Three times a day (adjustable), the website texts you with a link that you visit on your smart phone to immediately fill out a survey indicating how happy you are, and answering a few other questions. At the end of three weeks, it correlates the results.

Some of it feels too personal to share with a wide audience, but here's one result that took me entirely by surprise:

Apparently, I am miserable on Wednesdays. I had no idea I was miserable on Wednesdays, but the pattern is so clear! It's natural to be happy on weekends, but I felt the week was more even. But that's not what the numbers say.

I suppose this validates the core idea in Stumbling on Happiness, which was that we are very bad at judging what really makes us happy.