A Good Quote from Mr. Nouwen

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I came across a good reminder from the venerable Henri Nouwen today: 

“Somewhere we know that without silence words lose their meaning, that without listening speaking no longer heals, that without distance closeness cannot cure.”

May we find silence and listen well, embracing both distance and proximity.

Health and wholeness to you.

-Paul

Kindle Fire Ignites Security Concerns

With Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet shipping today, many consumers are talking about the tablet's hyped features and low price tag. While I'm sure that the Fire will bomb the market as a low cost iPad alternative, and e-reader on steroids, what's far more interesting to me are the many security and privacy concerns integral to the tablet's new Silk web browser.

In the words of Steve Vaughan-Nichols over at ZDNet "Silk looks to be very fast and about as private as a bathroom stall without a door."

Social Media Propaganda

Satire at its best-looking, enjoy this collection of social media propaganda from Aaron Wood.

Dystopian alternate history, or slick social commentary? You decide.

Now go do your duty, comrade! Like! Plus!

And remember, RE-TWEET IS NEVER AN OPTION.

via Design Milk

Our "Kill Team" and the Death of Humanity

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Let me begin a difficult Veteran's Day Post by thanking any individual veterans or families who may read this for undergoing difficulty in support of national defense. Though I dissent strongly with America's military philosophy and culture, I do not forget the individual men and women who frequently put themselves in harm's way.

I've been following the trial of Sgt. Calvin Gibbs and his "Kill Team" ever since the story broke some time ago.

Gibbs was convicted of the murder and mutilation of Afghan civilians during a tour of duty with the 5th Stryker Brigade - a platoon described as "out of control" by prosecutors. The evidence bears that description out, with widespread drug use, abuse of Afghan remains, and suppression of whistle-blowers.

Taking the stand in his own defense, Gibbs pleaded that in many cases, after he murdered a civilian and staged their corpse, he cut off their fingers as trophies. Why? In his own words he was "disassociated." "It was like keeping the antlers off a deer you'd shoot."

War creates killers, there's no arguing that. I'm sure that we all can relate stories from family members or friends who have seen combat. But sometimes the violence exceeds even the standards of battlefield ethics. I've heard descriptions many times of sociopathy in war, whether in the Ardennes, Mai Lai, or Baghdad. The pressures of combat encourages the abandonment of social norms and ethics. Even good men do terrible things.

A Rant about Hands and iPads

I recently caved and sort-of joined Twitter. (I'm sorry, self-respect).

It was almost worth selling my soul, though, to find a tweet from landscape architect/good friend @bethanyrydmark. She shared an excellent essay with her followers by Bret Victor, titled "A Brief Rant on the Future of Interaction Design." (Link to full piece below).

Victor puts into words a sentiment that I've felt for a long time, but lacked language to express. Contemporary visions of the future (he highlights a particular ad campaign) portray the future of interactive design as a world where humans manipulate images under glass.

The problem? "...This vision, from an interaction perspective, is not visionary. It's a timid increment from the status quo, and the status quo, from an interaction perspective, is actually rather terrible."

How to Move Your Money Local

 A great how-to article over at Mother Jones is the perfect follow up to my earlier post about why my family banks local.

Read the piece for a helpful FAQ if you're curious about shifting your funds to a Credit Union or other local banking option.

You won't be alone. As Josh Harkinson comments:

"Credit unions across the country have added upwards of 650,000 new customers since September 29 (the day Bank of America unveiled its now-defunct $5 monthly fee for debit cards), according to a survey of 5,000 credit unions by the Credit Union National Association. The group also estimates that credit unions have added $4.5 billion in new savings since then, likely from these new members and transfers from other banks."

Read the full article here.

A Good Quote from Helmut T.

 

This quote struck me deeply when I came across it today.

"Truth seduces us very easily into a joy of possession: I have comprehended this and that, learned it, understood it. Knowledge is power. I am therefore more than the other man who does not know this and that. I have greater possibilities and also greater temptations. 

Anyone who deals with truth—as we theologians certainly do—succumbs all too easily to the psychology of the possessor. 

But love is the opposite of the will to possess. It is self-giving." 

-Helmut Thieckle, A Little Exercise for Young Theologians

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Zoobombing the BBC

Bike Pile!

The BBC recently highlighted Portland in their "Close Up" series. What got their attention? The robust and wild local tradition of ZOOBOMBING. Participants careen down the West Hills, at night, on souped up children's bikes that they store in the bike pile seen above, outside Rocco's pizza on 10th Ave.

What about this seems like a good idea? EVERYTHING.

Full video after the jump on the BBC's website.

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Pollution, Consumption, Oregon.

An interesting study was recently published by Oregon's DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality).

The inventory demonstrates that higher levels of harmful emissions and pollutants are produced by the buying habits of Oregonians than by our driving or other transit choices.

In the words of Jonathan Maus over at Bike Portland, this shows that what "we buy emits more greenhouse gases than what we do."

The implications of this study (the first of its kind) are wide ranging. Theoretically, the data shows that a shut-in who compulsively buys stuff on Amazon potentially has a worse effect on environmental quality than a daily car commuter. Practically speaking, it should put our buying habits in a sobering perspective.

This study provides helpful nuance to our current thinking on consumption, environmental stewardship, and lifestyle. It shows unequivocally that our production practices carry profound cumulative harm for both global health and local communities that produce the things we buy. It's a compelling reason to produce and purchase locally made, grown, and crafted goods.

The wrong response to this study is to say that "what I drive doesn't matter then." False. Those of us interested in stewarding our communities and land need to continue to advocate for wise production practices in addition to savvy transit choices. Fundamentally, this requires simplification of our consumer lifestyle, local involvement and careful attention to the difficult wheres and whats of buying.

Buy to live where you work. Work to buy where you live. You may be surprised at the impact that your household's choices can have on creating a vibrant local economy and a healthy region. It's worth the investment.

Oregon's study is helpful in framing the discussion. It is also sobering in its implications. In the end, will you and I choose to change the way we view possessions, transportation, and consumption?
I hope that we will.

(Via Bike Portland)

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