Jun 13, 2009 Posted by john

Is The Internet More Important Than Water?

I just saw a very disturbing article describing how the French government has declared that access to the internet is a “human right:” Access to the internet is a human right, claim France’s most senior lawmakers. The web was ‘an essential tool for the liberty of communication and expression’, according to the Constitutional Council. (via Internet access is a fundamental... read more

Jun 12, 2009 Posted by john

5 Beautiful Women, Exposed

Well, not really. That title’s more a reflection of my recent trip through the supermarket aisle containing the flashily provocative titles such as “Barack Obama’s Gay Cover-up.” It’s not really an accurate title, but hey, it got you here. So, I love visualization. For the past 10+ years, my work has entailed environmental data, and thus various data visualizations have come... read more

Jun 9, 2009 Posted by john

Remembering Mindfulness

Lately, I’ve been feeling a bit stretched– as Bilbo described, I feel like butter spread over too much bread. I know the cause: there’s a notable lack of mindful time in my life right now. I’ve known it for some time– months, in fact. Yet, like a sick man who deals daily with his sickness although it’s dragging him down rather than visit the doctor, I’ve done... read more

Jun 9, 2009 Posted by john

Thich Nhat Hanh on Suffering

I saw a wonderful quote by the Zen Buddist Thich Nhat Hanh that is just a beautiful illustration to me right now (emphasis mine): If you tarnish your perceptions by holding on to suffering that isn’t really there, you create even greater misunderstanding. Reality is neither pleasant nor unpleasant in and of itself. It is only pleasant or unpleasant as experienced by us, through our perceptions. This... read more