monkey see, monkey do serves as a personal blog and creative outlet for
david evans.
more specific outlets are linked as tabs above.
i’m enjoying cat sitting the tremendously huge bruiser named spotnik. he must weigh 10 kilograms. nice demeanor though.
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i’m really tempted to call cingular and see if i can poach out of them my secret LTV rating.
my coworker brought her baby chicks into the office today. never thought chickens could be so cute!
super venture capitalist vinod khosla gave a talk this year to convince us that we should switch entirely to ethanol as our major vehicle fuel. brazil for example is making this switch and reduced their petroleum use by 40% in three years. plus the cost of ethanol per mile is actually cheaper than petroleum based gas. in fact, volkswagon is so convinced they’re planning to phase out all gas cars in brazil in 2006.
science magazine published a study recently showing that you may not be really much happier if you were richer. this contradicted an earlier study in 2004 that showed correlation. they characterized an error in the previous study as a focusing illusion.
the idea of a focusing illusion is that when you ask a person about a feeling - like “how happy are you with your life in general?” - people overrate their feelings. when they focus on the question, there is a tendency to inflate or distort and take the question out of proportion. this tendency undermines the effectiveness of survey questions in research but more importantly can introduce major errors in our general decision making processes.
mashups are hott but not new - the incredibly cool kung faux indie tv show demonstrated the art fours years ago - but mashups must be getting easier and easier to make. they’re popping up everywhere, thanks especially to youtube. here’s a new take on darth vader and monty python’s knights of the round table done with the original star trek characters, as very silly examples.
if you want to see what kung faux was all about, with its cheesy kung fu content, street snaps, comic book framing and video game titling, and even some break dancing, check out these bad ass, throw down moves:
you can buy the entire first series of kung faux on dvd with queen latifah and afrika bambaataa providing the voiceovers.
also super popular this week was the f-in short big lebowski and if you haven’t had enough yet then here’s a sailor moon clip done kung faux style. hilarious, yo.
had a capital F and I mean it Fantastic time this weekend camping with hundreds of fun and friendly people, dancing my ass off, and enjoying life outside of the concrete jungle that is my new home. and hey, thanks to sharona here’s a picture of my moroccan tent at the campout.
i had the tent made in casablanca a few years ago, as my burning man project. i wanted to create a place of refuge for people when camping in the desert. my first year at that festival, i found myself resting periodically in someone else’s structure when out exploring all night. it provided a reference point for me that was really supportive. so this tent became my offering back in subsequent years, and many friends and strangers have used it as a safe haven during sand storms, late nights and early mornings, and just as a place for rest. this weekend it continued in that tradition.
was surprised to see in my google news page this morning a slew of main stream media outlets touting the ability of illegal, psychedelic drug use as good for combatting depression. medicinal marijuana is so old news now.
this the result of a john hopkins study that further showed many participants describing the experiment as one of the most profoundly spiritual experiences of their life, as important as major life events like the birth of their child. sure sure, you say, when you’re high you’ll say anything. no this was how the participants felt two months -after- the experiment completed.
i knew about the study because my friend bob had been involved in the study and had told us about it. but i was startled this morning to find the study in the top twelve news stories that google showed me today. must be making major headlines.
other papers covering it as a sample include cnn, washington post, l.a. times, daily mail in the uk and hundreds more. the official press release and commentary is available from john hopkins as a pdf. the title of the commentary is Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance
took a communication skills class yesterday, which was intense and i think really helpful. that’s not to say i’m a victim of frequent solecism or barbarism. but it’s possible i could learn to inspire and express more, so i took it with that in mind.
what really struck me was the degree to which i communicate with facial expressions subconsciously. some of the exercises were to expose that. i should not play poker: i blink when nervous or my nostrils flare ever so slightly, and i almost plead for agreement with my eyes, and show judgment and aloof aires with a slight, upturned smile. i flirt with the hopes of having my statements received, but once exposed it seemed just all the more shallow. all this was very subtle, but the more awareness i had of it the more interested i found myself in just telling it straight, not needing these slight, subconscious gestures.