I was a gardener once, and when I was out among my blossoms I enjoyed seeing the honeybees and bumble bees visiting the bright blooms, their sonorous buzzing all around me. I can tell when they are happy by their buzzes. Low-pitched means contentment; high-pitched means irritation. They warn you…
Thoughts on hope
It’s Easter Sunday, a time we Christians look to for hope and joy as we reflect on Jesus’ journey and what it means for us. But I was not raised a Christian, although I began attending church when I was 13. So for me, the Easter holiday was always a…
Tunisian ‘morality cops’ make asses of themselves over topless feminist
Tunisian ‘morality cops’ have made asses of themselves after becoming enraged by the photographed antics of a topless feminist who writes provocative messages on her chest. Almi Adel has publicly advocated stoning her to death because her behavior might give other women ‘ideas’.
My idea of surrender, and why I need it
I think about surrender a lot, because I am over forty and have learned how to control quite a bit of my life. Something happens when a person reaches that age group. As a twenty-something I would often remark on how bitchy forty year old women were. They just seemed…
Collaborating with your family using social sites
Our family is totally digitally connected. To wit: We have high-speed (N class) wifi throughout the house and a digital telephone line and all six of us can be streaming at the same time with very little slowdown. This is such an important feature of our home that after Hurricane…
Frozen rice mix – great for vegetarians
I’m enjoying a fine vegetarian lunch that was easy to prepare and nutritious. I commute to work by train, so the lunch I take has to be compact and sturdy. Frozen is okay since I have access to a microwave. I have the use of a sink, can opener, refrigerator,…
Quaker meditation – getting focused
Sitting with the Quakers in silent worship one morning, I found a way to settle down into the silence that helped me. It’s like a song with three verses – you can repeat each verse as many times as you like until you reach the right mental state. Chant aloud or silently – it’s up to you. If you try this, I’d love to hear how it worked for you.
Usability, customer service will be key for Linden Lab in 2011
A very down to earth and open-minded Linden Lab CEO Rod Humble (Rodvik Linden) spoke August 13 at the Second Life Community Convention (SLCC) in Oakland, Calif., and his message centered around focusing on making the user experience better and easier. Translation: bug fixes, not bright shiny new features. However,…
Doctoral student of psychology running body image study in virtual worlds
A Ph.D. candidate in Melbourne, Australia, is looking for a few good men. Jon-Paul Cacioli, a clinical psychology student at Deakin University, is conducting a study on body image in the virtual would to see if the avatar can give us any insight into possible real-life psychological properties, he said…
Reason and passion (and appreciating point of view)
There are some learning experiences that are inspired by interactions within Second Life groups. I belong to a group called Play as Being, which gets together in Bieup to discuss things like meditation, mindfulness, the self, and play. Over time, we have evolved an inclusive method for discussion that helps…