Still an amazing ballade. Just the right music for working long summer nights …

Steve Schofield has shot a charming and insightful series about British Nerds in their costumes. I like his ‘dry’ style and mixture of the real and surreal.

Don’t miss his other great work – like the shots of Boxers!

Click image for more milk …

Oh Gretel, what have you done?! You have stumbled! You spilled some of my precious milk all over nature!

My oh my …

National Geographic offers a brilliant image gallery with many amazing shots. You can even download those images as wallpapers.

Highly recommended.

Sarko’s start has been … not so good. But France is currently holding the EU presidency and Sarko has developed a lot of hyper-activity he is well know for. France is in dire needs of reform – and his fight against the mighty French Unions is going surprisingly well.

Will we see a new and stronger France in ten years? Will Sarko get his new military and a bigger Mediterranean Alliance he dreams of? Will the French people agree to change? It’s currently a pretty trendy political word … even in Europe …

Click image to join the crowd …

We humans are social herd animals – we always seem to move in crowds and are never to far away from a fellow Mensch.

Especially during vacation time a modern paradox comes to light: we travel in huge crowds to ‘empty’ beaches to enjoy the ’silence’ and beauty of nature to recharge ourselves.

But neither a beach during vacation time nor airports are hardly relaxing environments. Add some screaming kids and your vacation is perfect. Or is this some form of "positive stress’ some people are talking about?

WordSpy: Worry or agitation caused by concerns about the present and future state of the environment.

Care about Mother Nature? Are you worried about our environment and global warming?

Yes?

Then you are the perfect victim for eco-anxiety. A new fabulous fear that is milked by many green activists, the mainstream media and ruthless profiteers.

Now after over 20 years of constant bombardment with new terrible scientific data and insights most people are worried sick about the environment and more than willing to do ANYTHING to be greener than green.

The German word ‘Weltschmerz’ (Worldpain) comes very close to the concept of eco-anxiety – to bear all the pain and worries of the world. It’s also a very romantic and melancholic notion to it.

But all forms of fear are mind killers. Most of all it’s currently abused by many politicians and green people to ‘direct’ the fearful masses according to their desires.

Always remember the Holy Mother Church – who made a fortune and ruled a huge empire with guilt and fear. Nature needs our help – but we need to be fearless and well informed.

L.A. Times: Math scores for girls and boys no different, study finds

I wonder how many more decades and centuries we have to work on all these stupid UNTRUE stereotypes to disappear?

Click for a bigger flyer.

Excellent flyer! It’s dynamic, features all colors of the American Flag and communicates all esssential infos in three main ‘lines’. But it’s also a simple and clean – almost humble design – so it communicates the character of Obama and his mission.

Good work.

Even evil grandfathers get locked up – no matter how much they look and behave like Santa Claus himself.

Finally I had some time to finish my new layout. I have made a couple of changes.

The "Essay of the Week" is a new section. I wanted to give my longer rants a bigger exposure so they don’t "scroll away" so quickly.

I have abandoned the two column layout for a simpler linear approach: first the header with navigation, second the "Essay of the Week", then the normal blog, my ultraorange tweets and at the end the usual elements of the old sidebar (sidenotes,links, tagcloud, categories, recent comments).

Back are the links to fellow bloggers, friends & family.

Some elements and pages are still a bit rough – like the comments under each posting. Some aspects of the typography also have to be fine tuned. But it’s a start.

I got rid of all the social bookmarking gimmicks as well as ratings for individual posts – hardly anyone used them anyway.

Overall I am happy – because I needed to "see" something different. Woman need new shoes – I need new blog layouts.

Let me know what you think!

BBC News: NASA’s 50 years in Space (Videos)

The dogmatic search for a better future was the driving force of the 20th century.

Let’s go back to the Age of Enlightenment that was driven by new insights and lofty goals for humanity. It was the time of colonialism, conquests and the true start of globalization. Although under the brutal direction of European Colonials the world was for the first time completely explored, connected and aware of each other.

Excuse me, we are nice colonists and are looking for a place to build a spaceport.

But it was also the Age of Humanitarianism, when we realized that King & Country were not eternal and that humanity needed better tools and ideals to guide itself into the future. One outcome of this new Idealism was the French Revolution as well as the United States of America – a totally new way to govern modern societies.

Compared to the former religious societies our Forefathers suddenly had “mental space” for a different and better future. Under Religion and Royals there was no “improving” future as we know it today. There was only the continuation of yesterday until Judgement Day. Any change driven by human ideas was considered blasphemy and unnecessary – since everything was nicely arranged in God’s perfect plan.

Move aside God – we need space for the future …

The Industrial Age of the 19th Century with it’s incredible social and scientific achievements where the ultimate proof that “God was dead” (Nietzsche) and that the nation state transcended Religion and Kings. The eternal plan was scraped, finally there was a Future and the mental space for real progress.

Already in the early Industrial Age authors like Jules Verne established many modern visions of a technological future: underwater cities, submarines, flying machines, rockets and interplanetary travel. All based on the work of daring scientists and engineers.

New political and social sciences radically changed western cultures: Psychology, Socialism, Mass Production, Consumerism and Individualism transformed the old Democracies into new powerful nation states.

He didn’t built any rockets, but he was one of many important fathers of modern science.

All new political ideas like Socialism, Communism and a new modern (Market) Capitalism were based new insights and sciences available at the time. Even Fascism got many of it’s ideas from science, especially from Darwinism and most of all Social Darwinism – which lead to the dreadful science of Eugenics.

Small side note: Social Darwinism has actually not invented by him – it was rather based on Herbert Spencer, Thomas Malthus, and Francis Galton work. It was first just a very convenient way to justify Colonialism and the Class System.

Sorry, your nose is too big to be an Aryan or an Astronaut.

Nevertheless – Science was established as the ultimate method to build a better life. Our future depended on better science and technology. Our Forefathers were delighted and enchanted by all the exciting new discoveries.

Already in the 1920’s and 1930’s a new kind of Futurism swept through America, Europe and some parts of Asia. Freud’s psychology fascinated people all over the western world and the although the great Depression was a terrible event for everybody modern Consumerism started to thrive in that time too.

Modern Consumerism always demanded High Tech.

But there was also a cultural Futurism (not to be confused with the Italian Futurism). Thanks to new forms of Mass Media (especially comics, radio and cinemas) science fiction presented a glorious technological future to the masses. Hero’s like Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers and many others showed the way to the Future – first as comics, then as radio serials and later as movies.

Interestingly enough: early science fiction (in literature and on the screen) adopted Democracy and Humanitarianism as the ultimate choice for any lifeform. Technology and science as tools to archive the best way of life. This message is ultimately portrayed in the movie “Things to Come” (1936).

I am sure evil Ming’s military never faced NASA’s budget cuts!

The terrible conflicts of ideas first dismantled the old colonial powers in WWI and WWII. Both wars showed that science and technology was the ultimate weapon. The future belonged to flying machines, atomic power and electronics.

Many weapons invented in WWII are still stranger then (science) fiction like flying saucers. But the Cold War fathered even stranger and more futuristic machinery: like the atomic bomber, killer satellites or stealth fighters.

The space age already started with Wernher von Braun and his terrible V-2 rocket in 1942. But this was really only the beginning …

There is one small reason for NASA’s existence: Sputnik.

In the 1950’s rockets and spacemen were already deeply embedded into the public’s mind through science fiction and popular science. But on October 4, 1957 it all become real with the launch of Sputnik. Hardly a year later the Americans founded NASA on July 29, 1958. The space age finally took off with full power.

Once again the chimps got there before us!

From the 1950’s till the mid 1980’s popular culture and media was shaped by science, technology and science fiction. From Sputnik to the Space Shuttle and from Captain Kirk to Star Wars – it was the Age of happy technology and unlimited possibilities.

Star Wars 1977 not only my personal turning point in my childhood …

Every boys dream was to become an Astronaut. Being smart or even being a Scientist was considered cool. Building stuff that actually worked was even cooler. Toys like chemistry sets, rocket kits or ever complex LEGO machinery were best sellers.

Totally out of fashion today: being an Astronaut. Not as cool as being a Rapper or Supermodel.

I was born 1967 – I was two years old when Apollo 11 landed on the moon. Too young to really watch it. But I do remember that I watched every bit of “space anything”, science fiction or scientific program on the telly.

Until the mid 1980’s my generation grew up on a positive vision of the future, science and technology. Sure – already in the 1970’s the Hippies questioned our modern lifestyle – but it was not until the start and success of the green movement that this positive and uncritical vision was replaced with a more darker, distrusting and often strangely esoteric vision of the future.

I am still in my heart a spaceman, but I guess that era is over.

One of the greatest movies of all time – but also social criticism and vision for our future. It’s is blatantly pro-science and pro-technology. Hardly something you could sell in our green-crazy world today.

More? Things to Come @ Wikipedia

Once again a brilliant movie from Pixar. They truly know how to tell a story and catch the human momentum. Enjoy!

*Thanks to Edosan for sending me this one*

Once we all were young, innocent, clueless, small und without any real knowledge. Dreaming comes easy. Fun seems to be everywhere. Angst is also everywhere. But we get help and we get protected. People ask us what we want to be when we grow up.

Then we get educated, civilized and grow up. Fun gets more complicated. Angst gets more complicated. We get less help and are supposed to help ourselves. Nobody asks us now what we want from life. We are supposed to know it already.

Where is the time to find out about our goals and what we want from life – before it gets too serious and before it is too late?!

The Hunger is for me one of the quintessential 80’s movie: stylish, erotic and an unusual love story. But any movie featuring Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie and a very yummy Susan Sarandon can only be that way.

The movie’s soundtrack was also revelation to me: a weird, but intriguing mixture of classical music and electronic effects. Alluring, shocking and stylish.

The movie is mostly eye candy – hardly a complicated or long story. Although it has some twists and turns. If you haven’t seen it – go out and rent or buy it …

Isn’t it amazing that so many movie and TV series deal with magical relationships: mortal boy meets witch girl.

Woman are complicated enough already – why would anyone want to added bonus of being magical as well?

"When I am finished with this – can I stay with you tonight? I only want to cuddle …"

Oddly enough I consider either sitting on the toilet or in the bath the best places to digest large quantities of text. That’s is why there always magazines and books in my bathroom.

And were do you enjoy your books?

Maestro Hans Memling is hardly a household name, but his artwork deserves close attention. Although his topics are typical for his day and age – it’s his intensity and skill that impresses me.

Amazing work!

The crazyness about modern life that it is already stressful, but people crave even more excitement. The solutions are extreme sports like Parkour – were you make your home town your racing track and play ground.

It’s bloody dangerous and you don’t see all the failed attempts in this video. But if this help to trim the herd – so be it.

*thanks to Edosan for sending in that video*

I miss London a lot these days. I don’t mind it’s high pressure and loud environment. It’s hard to beat it’s historical background and international variety.

And that is a bloody cool place to live.

Some more insights in the latest events in Israel vs Hisbollah.

I very much appreciate that LinkTV offers us westerners some detailed insights and translations into the situation.

The crew of Jibjab.com have been producing great stuff for years, but for some odd reason this video is currently all over the intrawebs. But it’s brilliant!

There should be more political satire.

One of the most fascinating things about ancient Greek culture is their insights into the human psyche. Their Gods depict all the basic human desires and archetypes – and western culture is still using these.

Bacchus (which is the Roman version of Dionysus) and Cupid (which is Eros in the Greek original) are certainly still in "use" today. Drinking and lust go very well together.

More? Jean-Léon Gérôme @ ArtRenewal

Amazingly to me we seem to learnt very little or nothing from the oil crises of 1973. Especially because in the 1980’s the oil prices went down like a rock and everything seemed fine.

Europe always had higher taxes on petrol, so we naturally built and drove smaller cars. The US went “el gigante” as usual and feel in love with SUVs, Hummers and other thirsty vehicles.

So from 1973 to 2008 we wasted precious THIRTYFIVE years to seriously reduce our global consumption and develop alternatives. It is simply amazing how much time we wasted fiddling around with small stuff instead of pushing ahead.

The idea of peak oil (maximum production followed by gradual decline) is hardly new itself – a certain Mister King Hubbert published this very idea in 1956. And that oil isn’t a renewable resource has been bloody obvious since we built cars.

Once again: it is shocking that all these high-tech countries like USA, Germany, France, Britain, Japan, etc. have so little to show so little progress in terms of energy independence.

Germany is currently world leader in solar and wind energy, but we hardly use these technologies. Instead all industrial nations talk about using extensively atomic power. But it is once again a short term solution, since the world’s reserve of plutonium ain’t that big either.

It all comes down to money, not intelligence or logic in the end. We could have done more, but we didn’t. We still are doing not enough. We will only speed up our development when the price of petrol rises even higher and our laziness will become unaffordable.

But I am seriously afraid that we won’t even react than. Instead we simply “agree” with lesser comfort and don’t mind millions of people starving, because oil is also important for food production.

Cultures and civilizations are not very good in reacting to slow changes and threats. They simply adapt without overcoming the threat.

So peak oil might also imply peak civilization – unless some egghead saves our global asses from decline with a brilliant invention. But our culture won’t be the first nor the last to maybe disappear, slowly rott or “sleep away” …

Sexual skills are obviously important to us – especially in our sex-obsessed multi-porn societies. I guess kids today have heard more about the impressive effects of giving head to other people’s organs than cultivating impressive personal characteristics.

But being good in bed is just a skill, it’s not who you are. You can learn who squeeze & please. But it’s much more impressive to be a great person – and that is harder to achieve.

Living near Italy I never liked the sphagetti disco music, but Georgio is an exception, because he had a great and unique sound (which already was very "techno" and the video also has many images later seen in many rave clips).

Still … very Italian .. but he later made it big time in Hollywood.

Another one of Klimt’s golden ladies. He was truly addicted to the beauty and charm of woman.

But you should be aware of the cut off head in the right corner. This princess is a dangerous one – guys literally loose their head around her.

To use an old phrase: she is the beauty and the beast in one package.

Bloody hell – I have been very busy in recent weeks – so my blog suffered a bit from my lack of time. Sorry! But it seems autumn is coming early in Germany this year. The recent week saw loads of rain, storms and a huge fall in temperature. Feels like autumn already. I hate it.

This little girl is a typical scavenger. She and her family sift thru the stuff "normal people" throw away. In a sad way she at least has not to starve – but feeding on garbage is not the kind of life anyone should have.

But rich people trash has become an important resource for the poor beside the industrial and modern societies.

Time is not only money, but also spirituality. One needs time to stop, observer, feel, reflect and think – make plans, meditate and practice your new insights.

Without time there is no reflection of your world – without reflection there is no spirituality.

So do you have time for it? Or do you avoid making time for it?

But in our crazy fast moving world time is becoming a precious resource – filling every minute with work, entertainment, netlife and excitement.

Once again – making time to grow between all these activities is a luxury. Are you willing to "buy" that time and cultivate yourself as a human being?

Since we lived in caves humankind was on a building rampage. We spent huge amounts of resources on building ever bigger, nicer and comfier caves.

But does a modern (single) person or a small family really need a huge house with a lot of space? Big houses mean more heating, more electricity and more building material. And more big individual houses mean wider spread cities and longer drives to work, school and shopping. Look at the typical American city – which are spread all over the countryside, they are not well planned, they don’t mix work, shopping and entertainment areas together, so long drives are normal.

Spacious individualism is expensive and eats loads of resources.

Isn’t it time for a new modesty – by combining minimalism, comfort and efficiency. We don’t need to resort to ugly skyscrapers, but we should be smarter about building our homes and cities.

Anyone remember the devastating fires in Greece last year?

This year it’s once again California’s turn to suffer fires and huge areas of nature destroyed. Yes, Mother nature uses fires to clear out forests – so big fires are not unusual. But climate change and human intervention have changed the equation.

We hardly can afford to loose huge amounts of trees – we need every tree to get rid of CO2.

All summer days should be charming and electrifying like her.

Click image for a bigger devil!

Every year the same procedure: hundreds of athletes start one of the toughest races there is and every year a few cheaters spoil the fun. I guess some day I have to visit the Tour – I guess it’s one big party for the spectators?

Anybody been there?

Some words of sanity compared to McCain’s dribble.

Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 4.5

I am a huge fan of British Humor – and some of their TV as well like "Have I got news for you" and "QI".

Compared to US television the Brits can be very raunchy and would say stuff that would give the American FCC multiple heart attacks (like Stephen Fry’s famous "arse gravy" quote).

This episode of HIGNFY with Brian Blessed as the host was so hilarious that the BBC didn’t broadcast it. But some generous soul made available via YouTube.

Enjoy!

If you can cope with nasty British Humor – watch & enjoy!

Israel has been making serious threats against Iran’s nuclear program in recent weeks. But one has to wonder: when Israel bombed Saddam’s power plant they didn’t make a huge public announcement – they just dropped the bombs.

Iran’s threat to cut of international oil supply with a naval blockade doesn’t strike me as very smart either. Why punish your customers when you yourself defied the international community.

When you think $140 for a barrel of oil was expensive – just wait … when these idiots start another war in the Middle East the price could easily double. Petrol and food prices will skyrocket and there will be even more starvation and food riots.

If this happens Iran and Israel can very proud of themselves.

Let’s hope the next winters will be warm and mild.