10.29.2007 Comment...
Exit Portland (Part Two)
We resume in southern Oregon, driving south...


We drove South along the US-97 into northern California and passed Mount Shasta near sunset.


The sunset looking North from Mount Shasta.


We continued South from Shasta to Stockton, CA and turned East to Yosemite National Park.


This is the floor of Yosemite Valley.


El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.


The leaves changing color in Yosemite.


Looking out across the cliffs above Yosemite Valley. Half Dome is in the distance.


The forest service was doing controlled burns all over the park when we were there to clear brush. Unfortunately, it made it really smoky and hazy all day.

10.26.2007 Comment...
Exit Portland (Part One)
Last weekend, I finally abandoned Oregon and headed for sunny Phoenix, AZ. My time in Portland was great. I had a lot of fun and met a ton of awesome people. Honestly, it's hard to imagine a prettier or more "pleasant" city than Portland, but it's really time for me to get a move on. There's a lot more to see in this world. Like sunshine. Or snow. That said (the latter), I'm moving to New York City in a couple weeks. But, we'll save that tale for another day.

We begin in Portland, driving south...


We drove along the Umpqua River from Roseburg, OR up into the Cascasdes on our way to Crater Lake.


Welcome to Crater Lake National Park. Sun is shining, snow is falling, and it's really cold.


Our first mistake. We arrive at the north entrance to Crater Lake National Park. But the north entrance is closed by snow. But we have chains. But they locked the gates. But there's a south entrance. So we backtrack.


We make it to the rim of the volcano, but it's snowing so hard and it's so windy that we can't even see the lake in the caldera. It was about 3 degrees when this picture was taken.


The wind and snowfall break for a few minutes. The blue behind me is the lake slowly appearing.


The clouds lifted high enough to see Crater Lake for about five minutes. Wizard Island is in the background.


...And we finally get to see the famous blue water. Victory strikes again.


We came down from the mountains and descended into this broad, flat valley in southern Oregon.

10.09.2007 Comment...
Wikipolicia
New Zealanders have been given the chance to write their own laws, with a new online tool launched by police. The wiki will allow the public to suggest the wording of a new police act, as part of a government review of the current law, written in 1958. Police say they hope to gain a range of views from the public on the new law before presenting it to parliament. The wiki, one of the first of its kind in the world, is open to any internet user, police say.

The wiki is the latest round of public consultation in the 18-month review of the 50-year-old law. The officer in charge of the review, Supt Hamish McCardle, described the site as "similar to a whiteboard" and said it was open to anyone who wanted to have their say on the new law. It even includes a wiki sandbox that lets nervous newcomers practice their posting.

The final document will be given to a parliamentary committee in 2008 to be considered with other information gathered during the review period. "Launching a wiki version of a statute is a novel move, but one we hope will yield a range of views from people interested in having a direct say on the shape of a new Policing Act," Supt McCardle said.

Aaron Smith - from the US-based Pew Internet Project, which studies the evolution of internet uses - told the BBC News website that the wiki was a new frontier in online government. "You see a lot of government sites worldwide allowing for various feedback mechanisms... but in terms of bringing this to the public in the form of writing laws, that's obviously a different thing entirely and something that we certainly haven't seen yet," Mr Smith said.

10.01.2007 Comment...
Get It While It's Hot
I have posted a bunch of new photos from Arizona, check them out! Now included in the Arizona album are some photos of the Superstition Mountains, the hikes around Reavis Ranch, and some disgusting desert fauna. Oi!

I also took the time to get the whole photos section of the site cleaned up a bit. I picked through it all, condensed several of the albums, and re-organized everything better. Also, there are new photos toward the bottom of the Pacific Northwest album and an entire (fairly) new Portland album. Enjoy!

09.25.2007 Comment...
The Joker vs the Dark Knight
As you may have heard, Heath Ledger has been cast as the Joker in The Dark Knight, the upcoming sequel to Batman Begins. Warner Brothers has recently released the first official photos of the character, and needless to say, it's not quite what we expected.



Granted, it's a lot better than the costume designer's original idea...

09.17.2007 Comment...
Exit Car Culture
I'm out. Finally! No more traffic... no more car insurance... no more registration... no more gas... it's just me and the mass transit system, baby! Thanks, Craigslist. Say goodbye to the green machine, because it's the last time you're ever gonna see it. Unless you revisit this website I guess.

09.09.2007 Comment...
New York Cares
I went to New York City and all I got was this stupid t-shirt. And these photos!


This is the apartment building, the "4th Ave Estate." Its name is a bit of a misnomer because the building provides little more than basic shelter, and "estate" does not appear in Mazlow's hierarchy of needs. But, in its defense, the building is in fact on 4th Ave.


This is Sunset Park, which lends its name to the Sunset Park neighborhood in Brooklyn. The apartment building is more or less on the border between Park Slope and Sunset Park.


This is the view of New York harbor from Sunset Park. The famous statue in the center is Rodin's "The Thinker."


Midtown Manhattan seen from Sunset Park in Brooklyn.


Downtown Manhattan, viewed from Sunset Park.


Tracy and I went to Coney Island one day with my friend Zack. We sat on the beach in spite of the syringes, broken glass, and bloody bandages.


It's nice to see that despite its bad reputation nowadays, Coney Island has actually maintained the class and quiet dignity of its glory years.


It's nice to see that despite his bad reputation nowadays, Geoff has actually maintained the class and quiet dignity of his glory years.


The Teuton (pictured) assumed this contemptible pose for probably ten minutes while chatting with his girlfriend (sister?). This is a good example of why Germany lost World War II.


Here's Tracy getting ready for school. She has to do it on the floor because the apartment has no furniture.


Exhibit in the Museum of Modern Art. The End.