19 December 2004

90% [Gaping Void] 10:43:57 PM    comment()

The true dragon Do you know the story of the true dragon? In ancient China, there was a person who liked dragons very much. He talked about dragons to his friends, and he painted dragons, and he bought various kinds of dragon sculptures. Then a dragon said to himself, "If a real dragon like me visited him, he would be very happy". One day the real dragon sneaked into his room. The man didn't know what to do! Waaaah! He could not run away. He could not even stand up. Whaaaah! For a long time we have been like him. That should not be our attitude. We should not just be a fan of dragons; we should always be the dragon himself. Then we will not be afraid of any dragon. Shunryu Suzuki Roshi Excerpted from a quotation in David Chadwick's excellent Crooked Cucumber: The Life and Zen Teaching of Shunryu Suzuki. (The book has  a website which appears to be down as I post this). 12:55:13 PM    comment()

Toe dipping For years I have been happily surviving without a mobile phone. In this world of chirping, snake-playing, ringtone swapping idiocy groovyness, this lack now is seen less as a quirky eccentricity and more as a passive-aggressive personality disorder. Could anyone out there give me some recommendations of good phones and which of the UK networks (Puce or Vogonphone or whatever they are called) are the least bad? I have looked at some review sites, but they haven't been much use (no indication of heirarchy of phones by price, features and date of manufacture, reviews by people who haven't yet bought the phone, let alone used it, revws wrtn by pple who cn only wrt n txt, etc. etc.). Then I can go out and get the one I was thinking of anyway, but it's always nice to let one's readers rant in the comments. What's important to me? I need to be able to: Make phone calls Receive phone calls Send and receive text messages without needing stamps and envelopes Take embarrassing blurry pictures of drunken friends Not be irritated in any way (at all) (ever) Not have to sell a kidney Any suggestions? 12:39:11 PM    comment()

Airbag - Bronze. discussion about design, blogs, cms and getting some art back into it [del.icio.us/tag/art] 11:56:50 AM    comment()

DaFONT. Hundreds of free professional fonts [del.icio.us/tag/design] 9:40:44 AM    comment()

Prison ship 'set for Thames'. A controversial prison ship could soon be heading for the Thames, Scotland Yard has confirmed. [BBC News | UK | UK Edition] Ah, just like the good old days. What next? Rickets? 9:16:05 AM    comment()