NIRVANA

NIRVANA PLAYED AT MY HOUSE LAST NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!

more at www.youtube.com/user/joedegeorge

KIDZ BOOK REPORT: Pinkwater's The Neddiad

Marty let me borrow his copy of The Neddiad by Daniel Pinkwater about a month ago.  

THIS IS A GOOD KIDZ BOOK.  3.5  STARZ out of 5.

This book is narrated by an elementary school aged boy of post WWII USA.  Ned tells the story of his family's impulse move from Chicago to Los Angeles, the exciting world of LA where buildings can be shaped like giant hats or doughnuts or other things, and how he is destined to save the world from an ancient dark devolutionary Kronos-type chaos. 

Although the impending doom of civilization is the suspense tool that keeps you reading throught the book, the real strength of the book is in its simple descriptions of the world Ned encounters.  Being a kid in the 1950's and the son of what he calls "an eccentric," he finds himself meeting all sorts of stereotyped period characters, ghosts, and making great friendships.  The best part of the book is that all the adults are a little nutty, especially Ned's parents.  But by far the best characters in the book are the "shamans"  whom Ned seeks advice from to help him save the world.  But they exhibit such existential qualities such that they would much prefer to go bowling on the eve of the world's destruction then assist Ned with his destiny.  LOL hilarity.

There are also police from outer space.

The Neddiad is very easy to read as it is a children's book.  It is smart, light and, funny.  I felt like I was nine again cozying up with a Roald Dahl tale.

The sequel is the Yggessy and is the sort-of sequel and should be released this year.  It can be read for free, at least some of it at Pinkwater's website. I'm gonna start reading it now.

The Yule Ball 2008

No New Stuff!

My brother is undertaking this project where he is not buying anything new. It's sort of a statement on consumer culture in our society. It should serve as a illustrative document on alternatives to our wasteful commodity system and help people think more about REDUCING, RECYCLYING, and REUSING

This is the third video in the series. I did the opening animation sequence and I also talk about donut economics at the end. It's worth watching.

Spring Break AK '08

In March 2008, Harry and the Potters went to the LAST FRONTIER.

NASA USRP Internship

Last week I was offered an undergraduate student internship with NASA at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD.  I will be moving down there in January to work with Paul E. Racette on modeling and data analysis of nonlinear and non-stationary processes.  The research I will be doing will have immediate applications in the calibration of radiometers.  NASA uses radiometers for a few different things, one of which is measurement of salinity in the ocean.  That is one way earth scientists model climate change.   There may also be applications in astro-biology.

To commemorate this momentous occasion in my scientific career I have posted above a telescope photo of the Pücman Nebula.  

SAVE DARFUR! HELP BURMA! STANDfast and the Genocide Intervention Network

As some of you may know, some of my greatest friends and heros are leading members of the Harry Potter Alliance.  The HPA is an organization that uses the Harry Potter stories as motivators to get people involved in social activism, channelling all the positive energy of fandom into a world-changing-real-life Dumbledore's Army.  It's sort of like how my band uses the harry potter books to subversively expose kids to the world of DIY punk rock ethics.  They've had great success in the past from participation in antigenocide programs to mass voter registration.   

Anyway the HPA has been talking a lot about STANDfast which takes place today.  STAND is working with the Genocide Intervention Network to aid civilians in Darfur and Burma among other genocide stricken regions.  

A $3 donation allows a woman in Darfur protection from rape so that she may collect firewood for her family.

A $5 donation grants radio access to a Burmese family so that they may be warned of oncoming danger.  

This is an easy and effective way to help the lives of people.  The Genocide Intervention Network is currently the only civilian protection organization in Darfur.  

You can donate at any time any day

at the HPA website

or the STAND website

or at the Genocide Intervention Network website

MERRY CHRISTMAS and PEACE ON EARTH

LOVE

Joe