An interesting article at Miller-McCune describes recent psych studies that demonstrate how one’s sense of personal power is linked to how we perceive external threats. The less control one feels over one’s life, the more likely one is to perceive influence over one’s life coming from a single enemy.

It boils down to how well each of us deals with the universe in which we live, which is an essentially chaotic place.

…people can eventually accept a certain lack of control and eventually become resigned to this idea to the extent that they no longer react defensively against it.”

This has huge consequences for all of us, especially now, what with the numerous economic, political, and environmental challenges facing us.

For instance, our reaction over the past eight years to the 9/11 attacks has been to tense up, and to take a harder look at those who may not appear to be like us. What we need to understand is the lesson that 9/11 is teaching us – that, practically speaking, there is no real security. All the weapons in the world will not make us safe. Trust is the only way forward.

“Uncertainty is the only certainty there is & knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security.”

- John Allen Paulos

Taoism is mentioned at the very end of the article; both Taoism and Buddhism focus largely on accepting uncertainty. There are numerous types of meditation coming from these traditions as well as others that may be employed to condition oneself to deal with uncertainty.

There’s a new blogger in our household. I just set up Donna with her own blog Collage Universe.

This was too cool to ignore:

A dragonfly that flies across oceans.

Well, fancy that. According to this
AP News story, Norwegian hospitals are far less prone to contagious
infections than those in the US, because they’ve cut way back on medical
drugs, especially antibiotics.

Is more evidence needed that we’ve need to give up on a health-care
utopia based on so-called “wonder-drugs?”

Why should we be afraid to go to the hospital, risking our health? This
isn’t the Middle Ages, after all.

The Nokia N900:

• It runs Linux (Maemo)
• It’s not locked down by any carriers.
• It runs emacs(!!!!)

N900: Because every cell phone should be capable of running X Windows, Apache, and MySql.

…Does the latest Death Cab for Cutie song Meet Me On the Equinox sound like it could have come off Rush’s Counterparts (1993) album?

• Something about the quality of Benjamin Gibbard’s voice reminds me of Geddy Lee
• The odd-time drum part and bass line sound like Peart and Lee
• The barely-gritty, arpeggiated guitar and the saturated, vibrato’d pseudo-lead are both very Lifeson-esque
• the title phrase sounds like something Peart would write

Songs I’m thinking of are “Alien Shore,” “Speed of Love,” and “Between Sun & Moon.”

Call me crazy.

Tonight, I’m playing with my new friend David Nodiff at the first Annual Westchester Stache-Off!

I’m on guitar, David’s on cello, and we’re playing Radiohead!

This is an event by John Chattman, author of the recently-published Sweet ‘Stache.

Created by Oatmeal

Took some photos in the Old Dutch Cemetery this morning; light was coming in at the perfect angle to illuminate the brightly-hued leaves.

More Halloween-ness!

Just posted a new instrumental called Hungry Ghosts, just in time for Halloween.

Recorded with one guitar (Glass, my homebrew Strat) and one amp (modified Epiphone Valve Jr through load box).

As for the name, take a look at Wikipedia.