irondance

things you may regret NOT doing before you are old

2015-12-16T17:28:00.002-07:00

{
better to plant the seeds of gratitude than of regret
}

1. Not traveling when you had the chance.

Traveling becomes infinitely harder the older you get, especially if you have a family and need to pay the way for three-plus people instead of just yourself.

2. Not learning another language.

You’ll kick yourself when you realize you took three years of language in high school and remember none of it.

3. Staying in a bad relationship.

No one who ever gets out of a bad relationship looks back without wishing they made the move sooner.

4. Forgoing sunscreen.

Wrinkles, moles, and skin cancer can largely be avoided if you protect yourself.

5. Missing the chance to see your favorite musicians.

“Nah, dude, I’ll catch Nirvana next time they come through town.” Facepalm.

6. Being scared to do things.

Looking back you’ll think, What was I so afraid of?

7. Failing to make physical fitness a priority.

Too many of us spend the physical peak of our lives on the couch. When you hit 40, 50, 60, and beyond, you’ll dream of what you could have done.

8. Letting yourself be defined by gender roles.

Few things are as sad as an old person saying, “Well, it just wasn’t done back then.”

9. Not quitting a terrible job.

Look, you gotta pay the bills. But if you don’t make a plan to improve your situation, you might wake up one day having spent 40 years in hell.

10. Not trying harder in school.

It’s not just that your grades play a role in determining where you end up in life. Eventually you’ll realize how neat it was to get to spend all day learning, and wish you’d paid more attention.

11. Not realizing how beautiful you were.

Too many of us spend our youth unhappy with the way we look, but the reality is, that’s when we’re our most beautiful.

12. Being afraid to say “I love you.”

When you’re old, you won’t care if your love wasn’t returned — only that you made it known how you felt.

13. Not listening to your parents’ advice.

You don’t want to hear it when you’re young, but the infuriating truth is that most of what your parents say about life is true.

14. Spending your youth self-absorbed.

You’ll be embarrassed about it, frankly.

15. Caring too much about what other people think.

In 20 years you won’t give a darn about any of those people you once worried so much about.

16. Supporting others’ dreams over your own.

Supporting others is a beautiful thing, but not when it means you never get to shine.

17. Not moving on fast enough.

Old people look back at the long periods spent picking themselves off the ground as nothing but wasted time.

18. Holding grudges, especially with those you love.

What’s the point of re-living the anger over and over?

19. Not standing up for yourself.

Old people don’t take sh*t from anyone. Neither should you.

20. Not volunteering enough.

OK, so you probably won’t regret not volunteering Hunger Games style, but nearing the end of one’s life without having helped to make the world a better place is a great source of sadness for many.

21. Neglecting your teeth.

Neglecting your teeth.

Brush. Floss. Get regular checkups. It will all seem so maddeningly easy when you have dentures.

22. Missing the chance to ask your grandparents questions before they die.

Most of us realize too late what an awesome resource grandparents are. They can explain everything you’ll ever wonder about where you came from, but only if you ask them in time.

23. Working too much.

No one looks back from their deathbed and wishes they spent more time at the office, but they do wish they spent more time with family, friends, and hobbies.

24. Not learning how to cook one awesome meal.

Knowing one drool-worthy meal will make all those dinner parties and celebrations that much more special.

25. Not stopping enough to appreciate the moment.

Young people are constantly on the go, but stopping to take it all in now and again is a good thing.

26. Failing to finish what you start.

Failing to finish what you start.

“I had big dreams of becoming a nurse. I even signed up for the classes, but then…”

27. Never mastering one awesome party trick.

You will go to hundreds, if not thousands, of parties in your life. Wouldn’t it be cool to be the life of them all?

28. Letting yourself be defined by cultural expectations.

Letting yourself be defined by cultural expectations.

Don’t let them tell you, “We don’t do that.”

29. Refusing to let friendships run their course.

People grow apart. Clinging to what was, instead of acknowledging that things have changed, can be a source of ongoing agitation and sadness.

30. Not playing with your kids enough.

When you’re old, you’ll realize your kid went from wanting to play with you to wanting you out of their room in the blink of an eye.

31. Never taking a big risk (especially in love).

Knowing that you took a leap of faith at least once — even if you fell flat on your face — will be a great comfort when you’re old.

32. Not taking the time to develop contacts and network.

Networking may seem like a bunch of crap when you’re young, but later on it becomes clear that it’s how so many jobs are won.

33. Worrying too much.

As Tom Petty sang, “Most things I worry about never happen anyway.”

34. Getting caught up in needless drama.

Who needs it?

35. Not spending enough time with loved ones.

Not spending enough time with loved ones.

Our time with our loved ones is finite. Make it count.

36. Never performing in front of others.

This isn’t a regret for everyone, but many elderly people wish they knew — just once — what it was like to stand in front of a crowd and show off their talents.

37. Not being grateful sooner.

It can be hard to see in the beginning, but eventually it becomes clear that every moment on this earth — from the mundane to the amazing — is a gift that we’re all so incredibly lucky to share.

see more:

f*ck that : a guided meditation

2015-11-05T17:37:00.001-07:00

{
om
}

a simple and quick guided meditation

F*ck That: A Guided Meditation from Jason Headley on Vimeo.

irondance vodka : the pot still and kitchen science

2015-01-13T14:43:00.002-07:00

{
i always wanted to try fermentation and distillation .. so a couple years ago i did ... the result from one gallon of mash was about a liter of very strong alcohol ... note: don't try this at home and i was very careful to make sure there was no methanol
}

A pot still is a type of still used in distilling spirits such as whisky or brandy. Heat is applied directly to the pot containing the wash (for whisky) or wine (for brandy). This is called a batch distillation (as opposed to a continuous distillation).

At standard atmospheric pressure, alcohol boils at 78 °C (172 °F), while water boils at 100 °C (212 °F). During distillation, the vapour contains more alcohol than the liquid. When the vapours are condensed, the resulting liquid contains a higher concentration of alcohol. In the pot still, the alcohol and water vapour combine with esters and flow from the still through the condensing coil. There they condense into the first distillation liquid, the so-called "low wines". The low wines have a strength of about 25-35% alcohol by volume, and flow into a second still. It is then distilled a second time to produce the colourless spirit, collected at about 70% alcohol by volume. Colour is added through maturation in an oak aging barrel, and develops over time. source: wikipedia

Basically, I made an improvised alembic. The tech is very simple and has been used around the world for thousands of years.

I do not recommend trying home distillation yourself. The process can be very dangerous. If you must try it, never leave this unattended.

My stove was electric. You are making alcohol - never, ever do this over or near an open flame. The risk of fire or explosion is very high.

There are a huge number of instructional videos on youtube. Most show the same basic layout. I picked one of many for this post. It is probably not the best one so have a look for yourself..

Always remember to toss the first 10% (or so) of your production as it is toxic. Your own numbers may vary. Temperatures are very important, so find a good thermometer and use it.

The images with the enamel pot were taken about four years ago. The setup was used twice and has since gone to recycling. The enamel pot became a momo steamer.

One of the most useful tips I found with my setup was to use homemade bread dough to seal the pot. You can see it as the white ring around the lid. This helped make the process far more efficient by plugging leaks that depressurized the boiler. A pressure cooker may have been more effective, but the setup I used was much safer in that it eliminated the possibility of over pressurization or a clogged relief valve causing an explosion.

Circulating water to cool the vapor coil was an important step. I tried to use just ice but it melts far more quickly than I imagined. Adding the in/out for the cooling water made the whole setup work far better.

Be safe. Have fun.

(some search terms: home distillation, alembic, moonshine, pot still)

see more:

wiki
motherearth
homedistiller - great resource

dances with light : the williamrcollins photography blog

2015-01-12T14:33:00.000-07:00

{
a very nice analog and digital photoblog by a friend
}

dancing with light for over forty years

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chagdud tulku : pure motivation

2014-11-16T11:47:00.003-07:00

{
a talk on pure motivation from one who was the very expression of purity
}

Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche gives a brief talk on pure intentions, his favorite topic.

motivação pura from Windhorse online on Vimeo.

om mani peme hung hri

see more:

nowhere : dance

2014-07-25T04:30:00.000-06:00

{
humanity in motion
}

NOWHERE explores the nature of the theatrical stage itself, a spatial mechanism continually transformed and redefined by the human presence to denote any place, and yet designed to be a non-place. The performers measure and mark out the space using their bodies, pitting themselves against its dimensions and technical capabilities in a site-specific performance that can be presented nowhere else.

NOWHERE (2009) / central scene / for Pina from Dimitris Papaioannou on Vimeo.

Commissioned and Produced by the Greek National Theatre
Première: 14 October 2009, Ziller Building-Main Stage, Greek National Theatre

This central scene is dedicated to the memory of Pina Bausch.

see more:

musician wren: the song of the uirapuru

2014-07-19T04:30:00.000-06:00

{
bird dance, bird song
}

The Musician Wren or Organ Wren (Cyphorhinus arada) is a species of wren named for its elaborate song. It is native to the Amazon Rainforest in South America, and west and southwestwards into the Amazonian Andes. In Portuguese it is known as Uirapuru or many other variants of this name, all based on the Tupi wirapu 'ru. Especially in Brazil, the Musician Wren is the subject of several legends and fables, most relating to its loud and beautiful song. One of these tells that when it starts singing all other birds stop their song to hear it. The Musician Wren is also believed to bring good luck, which leads some people to kill it in order to have it stuffed. Even though there are no reliable statistics of its numbers, the Musician Wren, due to its large range and being locally fairly common, is not considered threatened.

the song can be heard in the months of october to november when the bird builds its nest

see more:

what makes a human beautiful

2014-04-19T21:53:00.000-06:00

flash : on irondance

2014-03-30T20:35:00.002-06:00

{
looks like youtube embeds are not being displayed on ipad / ios

my apologies for any inconvenience

(sure would be sweet if apple and adobe would play nice)

it looks like vimeo embeds are ok, so i'll try prefer those in future posts

be well

~ts

}

goat dance : chèvres en équilibre

2014-02-25T05:30:00.000-07:00

{
a oddly satisfying, recent viral video of goats happily balancing on a piece of metal
}

Sunday around lunch time, the family discovered a new game: This sheet ^ ^. I filmed my goats (whose name will remain secret out of respect for their privacy :)) swinging. In the evening, I wanted to send it to a friend then just went very quickly. I do not think they really realize what happens to them: they continue to ruminate on as if nothing had happened ... Who is the most fun? I do not know.

Dimanche, vers l'heure du déjeuner, la petite famille découvert un nouveau jeu : Cette tôle ^^. J'ai filmé mes chèvres (dont le nom restera secret par respect pour leur vie privée :) ) se balançant. Dans la soirée, j'ai voulu l'envoyer à un ami puis tout s'est enchaîné très vite. Je ne pense pas qu'elles se rendent vraiment compte de ce qui leur arrive : elle continuent à ruminer comme si de rien n'était... Qui s'amuse le plus ? je l'ignore.

from the youtube description

a different dancing goat gif

nineteen twenty five : rolls royce phantom revisted

2014-02-24T05:30:00.000-07:00

Rolls Royce Jonckheere Aerodynamic Coupe II

{
wow. what an eye full
}

As Ugur Sahin explains, “The main goal of this design was to respectfully reinterpret the original Rolls-Royce Jonckheere Aerodynamic Coupe I, which was built in Belgium by Henri Jonckheere and his son Joseph Jonckheere in 1935.

1925 Rolls-Royce Phantom I - the original design

in it's natural habitat

not the same car ~ another rolls having a bit of off-road fun

see more:

source carbodydesign

from new york city to varanasi

2014-02-23T05:30:00.000-07:00

Vijay Nund performing morning rituals in the Ganges River, the most sacred river in Hinduism. Varanasi, India ("Holy Men")

{
beautiful documentary about the travels of two young men in india and their experiences with the aghori
}

“BEYOND” is an exclusive documentary featuring photographer Joey L. Set in Varanasi, India. The documentary by filmmaker Cale Glendening follows Joey and his assistant Ryan as they complete their latest photo series- “Holy Men.”

Almost every major religion breeds ascetics; wandering monks who have renounced all earthly possessions, dedicating their lives to the pursuit of spiritual liberation.Their reality is dictated only by the mind, not material objects. Even death is not a fearsome concept, but a passing from the world of illusion.

trailer for "Beyond"

Trailer - Varanasi, India: "Beyond" from Cale Glendening on Vimeo.

full documentary, "Beyond"

Varanasi, India: "Beyond" from Cale Glendening on Vimeo.

see more:

dancing food

2014-02-22T05:30:00.000-07:00

{
how great to watch these 'dumb animals', so blatantly express happiness
}

Cows spend most of their lives bearing calves and producing milk. This process quickly depletes the strength of the animals. When their capacity to produce diminishes or ends, they become a liability, expensive to maintain, are no longer of any use to their owners. They are disposed of, usually to be sold to the slaughterhouse as meat. This independent video shows a small herd of twenty five cows that were in a similar situation. The neighbors heard of this and established a foundation to care for the animals, who were released to pasture in spring.

"... the little dog laughed to see such sport ..."

see more:

the foundation
parttwo

harrison : the marine chronometer

2014-02-21T05:30:00.001-07:00

John Harrison's H1 Marine Chronometer c.1735

{
a bit of machineporn with this high precision and revolutionary marine chronometer that changed the art of navigation in the age of seas
}

John Harrison was a self-educated English carpenter and clockmaker. He invented the marine chronometer, a long-sought device for solving the problem of establishing the East-West position, or longitude, of a ship at sea — an important development in navigation, thus revolutionising and extending the possibility of safe long-distance sea travel in the Age of Sail. The problem was considered so intractable that the British Parliament offered the Longitude prize of £20,000 (comparable to £2.66 million/$4.25 million US in modern currency) for the solution.

Harrison was a tireless innovator. His early wooden clocks used lignum vitae for self lubrication in the bearings and gears, and would select materials with complementary heat expansion properties to prevent temperature dependent deformation. ~/u/tallyrand

buddhas of bamiyan

2014-02-20T05:30:00.000-07:00

{
the buddhas of bamiyan, afghanistan probably saw some amazing things
}

The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing buddha carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamwam valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan. Built in 507 AD, (smaller), and 554 AD, (larger) the statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art.

Bamiyan was a Buddhist religious site from the 2nd century up to the time of the Islamic invasion in the 9th century. Monks at the monasteries lived as hermits in small caves carved into the side of the Bamiyan cliffs. Many of these monks embellished their caves with religious statuary and elaborate, brightly colored frescoes.

The world’s earliest oil paintings have been discovered in caves behind the partially destroyed colossal statues. Scientists from the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility have confirmed that the oil paintings, probably of either walnut or poppy seed oil, are present in 12 of the 50 caves dating from the 5th to 9th century.

At one time, two thousand monks meditated in caves among the sandstone cliffs.

see more:

how many khyentse?

2014-02-19T05:30:00.000-07:00

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche and Yangsi Rinpoche at

Khyentse Foundation Excellence in Leadership and Management Workshop

Shechen Monastery, Boudhanath, Nepal (February 14-19, 2014)

Excellence in Leadership and Management: Core Concepts and Best Practices is a unique and unprecedented workshop for current and future leaders who are responsible for disseminating the Buddhadharma in the world, to help them effectively and systematically develop their leadership and management abilities according to these principles.

Participants include Sakya Dungse Ratna Vajra Rinpoche, Yangsi Rinpoche, Dudjom Yangsi Rinpoche, and a number of young leaders from Asia and the west. The workshop faculty has designed and delivered similar workshops at a monastery in Chauntra, Himachal Pradesh, India in 2011 through 2013.

See more:

hybrid : additive and subtractive manufacturing

2014-02-18T05:30:00.000-07:00

{
i have posted about 3D printing here before and since i first mentioned it, the technology has jumped ... i just saw this and had to have a closer, if only virtual, look at this - hybrid additive and subtractive manufacturing machine ... essentially a 3D printer that uses laser metal deposition and a 5 axis mill put together
}

Metal parts produced through additive manufacturing almost invariably need machining as a follow-up step. Only the subtractive process can achieve the most narrow tolerances and smoothest finishes. Far from being opposite or competitive processes, additive manufacturing and CNC machining actually go together. They belong in the same machine.

At least, that is the thinking of Sauer Lasertec. This company, known for machines that perform material removal through laser ablation, has been working with DMG Mori USA to develop a hybrid machine tool combining laser metal deposition for additive manufacturing with five-axis CNC milling. Sauer Lasertec is also part of the DMG Mori group. The hybrid machine, operating now as a concept model, is planned for launch next year.

This video is from a recently concluded exhibition Euromold in Frankfurt. Sauer & DMG Mori demonstrated the capabilities of their Lasertech 65 Hybrid machine for additive and subtractive machining. The machine uses laser metal deposition process to deposit the material and then normal subtractive processes to remove unwanted material.

see more:

harriet tubman : the engine that powered a railroad to freedom

2014-02-17T05:30:00.000-07:00

{
this woman is one of my heroes ... determined and selfless she freed hundreds of slaves ... for some she was a terrorist, for others a freedom fighter, the difference was decided by history
}

Harriet Tubman was an African-American abolitionist, humanitarian, and Union spy during the American Civil War. Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and subsequently made more than nineteen missions to rescue more than 300 slaves using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad.

As a child in Dorchester County, Maryland, Tubman was beaten by masters to whom she was hired out. Early in her life, she suffered a severe head wound when hit by a heavy metal weight. The injury caused disabling seizures, narcoleptic attacks, headaches, and powerful visionary and dream experiences, which occurred throughout her life. A devout Christian, Tubman ascribed the visions and vivid dreams to revelations from God. Eventually, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia, then immediately returned to Maryland to rescue her family. She eventually guided dozens of other slaves to freedom. Tubman never lost a passenger.

"There was one of two things I had a right to – liberty, or death."
~ Araminta "Harriet" Tubman

see more:

social experiment : laughter

2014-02-16T05:30:00.000-07:00

{
you're welcome
}

A social experiment where a man shows up at a bus terminal (Monday morning?) and for no apparent reason begins to laugh.

good morning!

and for extra good karma, the laughing edinburgh bus woman

via reddit

the orrery : our solar system in motion

2014-02-15T05:30:00.001-07:00

{
a work of observation and engineering that captivates, the orrery is found all over the world and in many variations and sizes
}

An orrery is a mechanical model of the solar system device that illustrates the relative positions and motions of the planets and moons according to the heliocentric model. Though the Greeks had working planetaria, the first orrery that was a planetarium of the modern era was produced in 1704, and one was presented to the Earl of Orrery — whence came the name. They are typically driven by a clockwork mechanism with a globe representing the Sun at the centre, and with a planet at the end of each of the arms.

The Antikythera mechanism, discovered in 1900 in a wreck off the Greek island of Antikythera and extensively studied, exhibited the diurnal motions of the Sun, Moon, and the five known planets. The Antikythera hand driven mechanism is now considered one of the first orreries, but for many decades was ignored as it was thought to be far too complex to be genuine. It was geocentric and used as a mechanical calculator designed to calculate astronomical positions.

and a time lapse of the construction of a tabletop sized orrery

Here is an excellent javascript based orrery that you can watch and tune on your computer. It includes a very interesting simulation with Jupiter's mass.

see more:

wiki
zeamon
graham tourbillon orrery planetarian wristwatch
van cleef & arpels complication poetique midnight planetarium wristwatch
hublot antikythera wristwatch
blogspiration presurfer
javascript
kepler
large ferguson by roy mallet
sumore roy mallet
a great list (and website)

michelle jenneke : warm up

2014-02-14T05:30:00.000-07:00

{
with valentines today and the olympics in the news, i remembered this shiny lady glowing with joie de vie during her pre-race warm-up (if you haven't seen this already you were probably meditating in a cave)
}

Michelle "Shelly" Jenneke is an Australian hurdler and model, who won a silver medal for the 100m hurdles at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics. She received worldwide media attention in 2012 for her pre-race warm-up, which involved a bit of dancing. It is an exuberant display of happiness and joy of life. Thanks, Michelle.

The next video shows her preparing for her race.
The editor was rather enthusiastic with the music, but it works.

Apparently the radiant lady is studying to be an engineer.

A little fun with the folks from The Chive

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america : beautiful because of diversity

2014-02-04T05:30:00.000-07:00

{
after watching silly oreilly's ever biased interview with obama, i noticed the news that there is some polemic because of the coca-cola ad that ran during the superbowl ... i don't drink coke (much), but what they say with that ad is a good thing - tolerance and diversity make the usa what is and give it strength ... after all, the future is, if not diverse, totalitarian and boring
}

With Coca-Cola airing a multiracial, multilingual promotional spot during the Superbowl upsetting the righteous right, what is left for them to drink? How about a cool drink of fresh groundwater from a household near a fracking site?

Why do we even pay attention to people who call the language spoken in the United States, "American"? Because of tolerance and diversity. The thing is, America is an entire continent, the majority of which speaks Spanish. A more accurate moniker for those born in the United States would be "Unitedstatesian". Because what you really mean by "Americans" should refer specifically to Native Americans. All the rest of the population is imported. All of it. Yes, that includes the silly, bloated white religiot folks from the slave states.

Brenda Woods Last Word

I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing

The controversial Coca-Cola 2014 Superbowl ad

Coca-Cola, once the preference of freedom fighters, now the beverage of choice for terrorists.

{

i am fairly certain that the demographic that approved this ad for marketing coca-cola was endowed with a reasonable sampling of right wing corporate types ... why then would they approve it if they are of the 'speak american' caste?

... only one reason

}

Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses, yearning to breath free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,

Send these, the homeless, tempest tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

- Inscription on the Statue of Liberty

Author: Emma Lazarus

see more:

louis ck = lobsang rampa

2014-02-03T05:30:00.000-07:00

{
found this while researching another post - louis ck is obviously lobsang rampa
}

Louis Szekely known professionally as Louis C.K., is an American comedian, screenwriter, producer, film director, actor, voice actor, and film editor.

Lobsang Rampa is the pen name of an author who wrote books with paranormal and occult themes. His best known work is The Third Eye, published in Britain in 1956. Following the publication of the book, newspapers reported that Rampa was Cyril Henry Hoskin, a plumber from Plympton in Devon who claimed that his body hosted the spirit of a Tibetan lama going by the name of Tuesday Lobsang Rampa.

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felix baumgartner : touch the stratosphere

2014-02-02T05:30:00.000-07:00

{
happy birthday, ary
happy groundhog day, all
}

On October 14, 2012, Felix Baumgartner ascended more than 24 miles above Earth's surface to the edge of space in a stratospheric balloon. Millions across the globe watched as he opened the door of the capsule, stepped off the platform, and broke the speed of sound while free falling safely back to Earth. Felix set three world records that day—and inspired us all to reach beyond the limits of our own realities, and reimagine our potential to achieve the incredible.

~source

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pete seeger : a man of dangerous songs

2014-01-30T05:30:00.000-07:00

{
a tribute to a great and legendary american folk singer and human rights activist
}

Pete Seeger was an American folk singer. Popular on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hits during the early 1950. Pete was blacklisted during the McCarthy Era for being a then member of the Communist Party and his left-wing views. Commercial television and radio networks banned Seeger and his songs. In response to being blacklisted, Seeger parlayed his talents into doing good. He taught guitar and banjo, played for schools and at summer camps, recorded albums for children, and helped start the Newport Folk Festival. In the 1960s, he was a prominent singer of protest music in support of international disarmament, civil rights, counterculture and environmental causes.

A prolific songwriter, his best-known songs include "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", "If I Had a Hammer", and "Turn! Turn! Turn!", which have been recorded by many artists and are sung throughout the world.

Seeger was known for his activism in support of farmers and an active member of the Occupy movement. On October 21, 2011, at age 92, Pete was part of a solidarity march with Occupy Wall Street to Columbus Circle in New York City. He was still chopping wood mere days before he passed at the age of 94.

Some want to take the easy way

Poisons, bombs! They think we need 'em.

Don't they know you can't kill all the unbelievers.

There's no shortcut to freedom.

~ Pete Seeger

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