modern life vs. human nature

Since I started riding my bike to work I think I have gotten in better shape. Today was probably the worst ride I have had yet…pouring rain. I don’t so much mind the water spitting in my face anymore but when it’s cold my hands start to go numb. Considering I sit on a chair most of the day I am glad to get the exercise and not have to go to a gym after work. I can instead feel good about my day and plug my brain into the internet when I get home.

Trying to put a car out of my daily routine has made me think differently about travel. It also made it easier to take when I heard that gas in Canada would reach $2.25/litre in the summer! I realized that driving a car could be seen as an unhealthy way of living not unlike smoking cigarettes. Cars are one of the main causes of pollution in the world. They jam the streets and take up space. We create housing, cities and communities around cars and what we end up with is parking lots, strip malls and a lack of conveniences and in the area where we live. Wait, let me rephrase a bit here. It’s not the cars fault that it runs on gas and it’s not our fault either but admittedly we have kind of dumb about all the other things I mentioned. We didn’t know until recently that the fumes spewing out of the tailpipe would eventually kill us and our planet but maybe we should start thinking about the consequences of our actions. Maybe the cost of gas will make us think about how often we really need to drive or why we have put ourselves in a culture where we are forced to drive. With any luck in a few short years we will be able to drive an electric car or bike to work when it rains…just like the one pictured from greenvehicles.com and then we will made a dent in pollution.  The question is whether we will change the way we think about consequences.  In the meantime, I will try not to get by a car on the way to work.

I have been trying to study nature and modern art and find a balance between two seemingly obstinate realms. Organic meets geometric. Humans invented straight lines. Humans invented time. Humans invented art to imitate what nature does….creates without boundaries.

If you live in a democracy you are lucky. It means that you might have a chance to have dreams and do something…maybe even contribute in a meaningful way. It means you have the freedom to choose your path in life. It means that when you stand up for yourself, your values, your rights or others you can make a difference. You might lose some friends, your job or your fame but in the end you can keep your integrity.

Or you can choose to do this…

Just another communist takeover of a…mountain range! Poor Everest..and to think we’re going to lose all those millionaire rock climbers to the communists.

Check out the serious details here.

If you follow this link you’ll find out that chinese soldiers shot down a Nun on the mountainside.(not recently but still..) In case you didn’t get that the picture below is kind of like who they shot..

It seems that China is preparing Mt. Everest for the torch relay so that is why they have sent in the troops. They are now using more planning to eliminate the chance of seeing any Tibet flags when the Olympic “torch thugs” roll through town..or errr..mountain range. Plus, they own Tibet and Everest so they can kill protestors at will.

The Olympic torch relay is quickly becoming a symbol of two things: global capitalism and the Chinese brand of communism.

Based on the latest primaries it looks like the Americans are not too sure about voting for a skinny, black man who seems to be smarter than the average truck driver. Forgive me for painting it so black and white but it seems like the next election will be won by the Republicans again.

Here’s why.

John Mc Cain is a decorated war hero who spent five years in a prison camp. He is a tough and sometimes angry man who was raised in the military. In other words, he is a pure white bread American gunslinger.

America is in a ridiculous and uncertain war. America is ruled by its military…well, and a bunch of rich oil men and bankers who happen to like their money a lot more than they like giving it back to their increasingly poorer middle-class countrymen.

While not as evangelical(and plain incompetent) as Bush, the Republicans will no doubt paint McCain as a god fearing Christian.

Obama is black and not very tough. The Republicans will be ruthless at ripping him and his friends to shreds. Obama is also very liberal so he scares the rich people who don’t want to pay more taxes.

Obama wants change! Therefore every lobbyist, congressman, senator etc, etc, bureaucrat, etc., etc… might be a little bit scared…though not really because they also know he doesn’t really have a solid plan for change.

Obama doesn’t want the war in Iraq. Therefore they will believe he can’t manage it…and those that run the “industrial military complex” might not want him around to tell them them to leave.

The Republicans hate Hillary Clinton.

The Democrats(mostly the men) aren’t too fond of her either. She comes off as mean(for trashing Obama and therefore giving points to McCain) and as a little too conniving for America’s image of women.

So, it all boils down to finding the right white guy!(pun intended.)

This might be sad for some and glorious for others but it is carefully estimated based on lowest common denominator politics or what I like to call the “McDonald’s theory of American Politics”. This(my) theory states that even though americans like the idea of a salad or a pizza in their favourite fast food joint when it comes right down to it they will still buy more burgers and fries.

Ok, I like my bikes now but there was a time when I didn’t even consider..no, wait, I still did ride my bike a lot when I lived In Toronto. The only problem was that I sweat a little too much on the way to work in the morning.(whatever wicking clothing now helps that too!)

Anyway, there are a lot of really cool looking bikes out there now and bike culture has come to a place where building your own bike is seen as a very cool thing to do. As a designer I really don’t concern myself too much with the technical aspects of biking. I mean, if you squeeze the brake lever and you stop then it works. You don’t have to have the a super light, ergo fit..(blah, bah, blah, blah..insert boring, expensive parts and tedious conversational tidbits here) parts to have a good looking bike. However, you might want to be careful telling a “gearhead” that you just want matching parts.

The other great things about bikes is that once you buy them you really don’t have to spend that much money for upkeep or for things like gas. Plus, if you actually ride your bike you get in better shape and feel better about your health. The intangibles are that you may find yourself feeling a little more in tune with your surroundings when you ride. You hear conversations. You can nod/wave at other bikers and feel like you are colleagues..sort of …sometimes…and if you are like me and you despise the idea of wearing a helmet…then you might have to do things like ride on the sidewalk a lot and accept a few tickets here and there depending on your local bylaws. I find that wearing a hat also helps you sneak by the police without getting ticketed most of the time.( but I am not encouraging you…) I ride on the sidewalk a lot because I know that drivers have numerous reasons not to care about my safety.(sorry walkers!)

Lastly, there is the most important reason of all…Reverse Road Rage! In most urban and some suburban traffic jams a bike can get there faster than a car so you feel even better for getting to where you are going because deep inside you know you got there faster than someone in a car.

Over the next few months I will be throwing in pictures of new, funky bike designs so stay tuned and get out and ride!

I watched the movie Zeitgeist the other night and besides being very long it was also a thorough indictment of religion, government and the monetary system.

The movie starts out by saying that the Bible, and specifically the story of Jesus, was sort of plagiarized from the ancient Egyptians and other cultures. From there the movie shifts into discussing how the money system in America is intended to create debt and imprison citizens within an endless cycle of debt. I can identify with that.

Somewhere in there….because when the licorice sugar buzz wore off I started to fade…they start talking about how 911 was a set up as was World War I, II and Vietnam. Ok. They do a convincing job of asking some important questions and pointing out a lot of facts that make their point seem quite plausible. Just like another movie Loose Change which also points out some glaring inconsistencies in the government’s version of events, Zeitgeist does a good job of making you think that some very powerful people are doing some very bad things in order to make a lot of money.

While I generally enjoy being informed I really enjoy this type of film because it is a call to action of sorts. The suggestions in these films are always a “don’t trust what the media says find out for yourself” message. As a strong believer in independent thinking I enjoy being reminded of why I like to know. Whether or not you believe the complete story is irrelevant as long as you open yourself up to hear another side of events from an alternative source. There is always another side to every story.

For example, one of the most interesting tidbits was the fact that George Bush’s grandfather sold oil to the Nazi’s during W.W. II which allowed them to conduct the London bombings(aka The Blitz).

Lastly, even though it is a long movie it’s a lot more interesting to discuss than American Idol.

The people at GroovyGreen.com have some interesting information about how the Chinese plan to use anti-aircraft missiles and artillery to shoot at clouds so it doesn’t rain during the Olympics.

Click here for more.

Well it seems that doing a search on a blacked out Google screen will save energy. Check out www.blackle.com.

Sorry but this post was accidentally deleted….forever! I blame Telus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do not use them for your internet connection.

Thank you.