TED video of David Deutsch

This morning I watched a video of a talk given by physicist David Deutsch, one of the worlds leading physicists, where he discusses the need for increasing knowledge and a different approach to tackling our biggest problems. Have a look here:
TED Talk David Deutsch

Top Ten Foods to Eat Organically

Here's a list of 10 foods that have high amounts of pesticide in them if grown conventionally. Man, alot of these are some of my favorites! Guess its good I try to buy organic.

• Strawberries
  
• Bell peppers
  
• Spinach
  
• Cherries
  
• Peaches
  
• Mexican cantaloupe
  
• Celery
  
• Apples
  
• Apricots
  
• Green beans
  

Top Ten Foods to Eat Organically

Kindness on the CalTrain

Last night we went to a Giants game with some friends of mine from North Carolina. We took the CalTrain to and from the game, and on the way back we were approached by a young couple trying to get to Santa Cruz that evening. What was amazing was how much help was offered to these folks who obviously had not planned very well to make it to their destination.

It started with some conversations between the couple, us, and a fellow in the seat in front of us. The man in front of us was obviously very plugged into the whole bay area public transportation scheme. He had a slew of maps which he was digging out to try and route these folks to their destination. We were all going through various routes they could take, from light rail, to the hwy 17 bus, and even greyhound. This guy was going all out to help them, and started making some calls to try and find open schedules. Unfortunately, it was looking like almost nothing was going to be availalbe to them at such a late hour, and they were now trying to figure out if there were any youth hostels in downtown San Jose.

But then from the front of the train, a young lady told them that she works in Santa Cruz and would be willing to give them a ride in the morning. Not only that, but she was also having a bunch of people stay over at her place that evening, and offered to let them crash on her floor! What an amazing act of kindness! I totally agreed with the fellow in front of us as he said, "Thank you for restoring my faith, and showing that 'Road Magic' still works!". I was totally blown away by the amount of help and kindess being offered to these strangers who were trying reach their destination. Seeing all this kindness in action really made my day!

NYTimes reports on Google.org

The NYTimes today posted an article about Google.org, which will be a for-profit based charity that will make money, pay taxes, etc... but will be working towards various chariable causes from hybrid cars to public health. The Google founders have given $1 Billion in seed money to get the project rolling, and have hired Larry Brilliant (a totally amazing guy who helped eradicated Small Pox) to lead it. As usual, Google is trying a different approach to solve problems, and I hope they can find the same success with this project as they have with so many of their other projects!

Philanthropy Google's Way

The Living Library

I had posted earlier about an amazing event called "Dropping Knowledge". Well they've started the process and now the questions and answers are posted on their website. Take a look!
http://www.droppingknowledge.org/bin/forums/tableQuestions.page

Pioneer Basin Part 5

Our last days in Pioneer Basin were great. We spent a layover day by McGee Lake, which was still too freezing for us to want to take a dip in. Instead we took a slight dip in a small runoff lake nearby which was slightly warmer. Also during our layover we did a hike with some of the other backpackers to Golden Lake. It was a really fun hike, scrambling over rocks by a waterfall, walking by snowy patches with melting rivers of snow gushing by, and spectacular views of the valley below. David, who had been carrying a rod and reel the whole trip, caught some fish and cooked it up for everyone to enjoy. After our layover day we packed up for the last time and hiked out to the trailhead. It was a very enjoyable trip, and we met some really interesting people. After we got back to our car, we couldn't wait for our first real meal and to actually wash off some of the dirt and grime we had accumulated over the past week. But it was certainly worth it and I can't wait for our next backpacking trip!

Coke/Grand Theft Auto Mashup

Check out this cool Coke ad, based on Grand Theft Auto, although with a much better message!

Pioneer Basin Part 4

We spent a cold windy night camped out amongst snow fields at Hopkins Lake, and the group decided to head up Hopkins Pass rather than stay an extra day at this particular lake. The hike up to the pass wasn't too bad, but to get over the pass was another story. It was a very steep decent amongst loose rocks, at times we had to go one at a time to avoid the danger of falling rocks. But the view from the top of the pass was spectacular. We could see red and white mountains in the distance with fields of snow everywhere, and McGee Lake not too far away. After we made it down the treacherous decent, we were hiking cross country through fields of wildflowers which were absolutely gorgeous. It was our first experience hiking cross country (i.e. not on any trail, just through open fields) and it was fantastic. Eventually we reached our campsite at McGee Lake, and setup our tent with plenty of time to relax before dinner.

Pioneer Basin Trip part 3

We spent a layover day resting in Pioneer Basin by the water. It was a really nice, relaxing day which we spent reading, napping, and just enjoying the lovely scenery. Many of our co-hikers took day hikes around the area, and a few even braved a trip up Mt. Hopkins nearby. I was on cooking duty, so I had to help put together lunch and dinner. We both considered taking a dip in what looked like a very nice and refreshing lake, but the water was absolutely freezing and we chickened out. Shveta was recovering well, and I think at this point we really started to enjoy the trip. Later that evening there were some other campers across the lake who apparenlty brought a banjo and were entertaining us with their songs well into the night.

We got up the next day and started our hike to our next campsite at Hopkins Lake.

Seattle Mayor Plans To Plant 649,000 Trees!

Great news from our neighbors up north. The mayor of Seattle wants to plant a tree for every person in the city!
Seattle to plant 649,000 trees

Great collection of Bush quotes

Shveta pointed me to this great clip of "Bushisms" on youTube

Pioneer Basin Trip part 2

Our first night at Ruby lake was a pretty eventful one as Shveta got pretty sick from something she ate. We were pretty unsure as to whether we would be able to continue. The fortunate thing was that we had two doctors in the group who really helped out with the situation.

Early the next morning we woke up and Shveta decided that she wanted to continue. She is such a tough girl, I don't think I would've wanted to continue after a night full of vomiting. We had our toughest hike of the trip ahead of us. We would need to climb up and over Mono Pass at around 12,000', back down 1000', and then back up another 1200' to our campsite at Pioneer Basin. It was a grueling 8 miles, everyone in the group was totally exhausted by the time we hit camp, but the views and scenery were amazing. Shveta somehow made it through all that hiking, and we were booth looking forward to a well earned layover day.

Backpacking Pioneer Basin

Recently we took a week long backpacking trip through the Eastern Sierras with the Sierra Club. It was an amazing trip, full of some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen, and our first time being in the wilderness for a whole week. Living out in nature with only what we carried on our back has always been a humbling and enlightening experience, but doing so for an exteneded period of time was even more so. There were definitely difficulties to overcome, but the rewards were certainly worth it.

The first night was spent getting used to the high elevation and meeting our fellow backpack trip members. There were folks from New York, Florida, Oregon, and California. Most of them seemed to be Sierra Club veterans, and were very easy to get to know. After some light conversation around the campfire (the only one we would be afforded this trip as the rest of our campsites were over 10,000 ft) we headed into our tents to get some rest for the start of the trip.

The next day we shuttled cars to our ending trailhead at McGee, with a few drivers heading there to drop off cars and the rest going to the starting trailhead at Mosquito Flat. As we waited for the shuttle drivers to come to the trailhead, we met some really nice park rangers who gave us some valuable information on staying safe in lighting storms. After the rest of our group arrived we started for our first campsite at Ruby Lake. I'll write more later but you can click on the title for more pictures from our trip.

Dropping Knowledge

A recent post on cf-funbunch from Nipun pointed me at Dropping Knowledge which will be a forum of some of the worlds greatest thinkers, gathering at the largest table ever to discuss the 100 top questions of the world. It sounds like a really interesting event and it will be great to see what kind of answers and discussions come out of it. Take a look and submit a question a the website.

Prison Angel

I recently finished a book loaned to me entitled, "The Prison Angel: Mother Antonia's Journey from Beverly Hills to a Life of Service in a Mexican Jail". It was a very inspiring story of a twice divorced, mother of 7, who gave up a lavish Beverly Hills lifestyle to go live and work in a horrible prison in Tijuana, Mexico. The amount of caring and compassion this lady has for people is mind boggling. She decides to live in a cold, damp cell in the middle of a terrible prison, and gives so much of herself to the prisoners. Any injustice or suffering she encounters, she tries to help, both inside and outside of the prison. Truly an inspiration!

One... The Movie

I came across what looks like a really interesting movie that is being screened right now called One. This guy basically wakes up one day from a dream with the need to make a movie about finding the answer to life's ultimate questions. He then goes and interviews some leading spiritual figures on his questions. Here is a quick blurb from the movie website:

ONE.... The Movie weaves the novice film-makers' remarkable adventures with the answers to life's ultimate questions in a journey that just may transform you way of seeing the world as One.

One.. The Movie

The US could learn from Singapore

From USA Today, a look at how Singapore manages its automobile traffic.. in short, it looks like they do a lot of really good things to manage cars that the US would be wise to follow.

Singapore

Air pollution in national parks

There have been some studies done, and sadly the air quality in Sequoia/Kings Canyon is at times as bad or worse than LA! Its just as said thing to think such a place of natural beauty and home to some of the largest trees in the world is also home to so much air pollution. Here's an article from the NYT talking about some of the air pollution problems there and in Acadia.
Air pollution

Just un-do it

Shveta showed me this really great blog today. This guy has lots of great thoughts and ideas that resonate with me. I only hope I can get bring myself more in line with this way of living.

Just Undo It

Alphabet soup

A really eye opening look at plastics and their impact on our oceans. This group of volunteers ventures out to the middle of the ocean to get an idea of how much plastic is dumped in the ocean and its effect on ocean life.
Alphabet Soup

Our changing climate

Some results from a study done to see the effects of global warming on California. Lots of possible health problems and such if nothing is done to stop all these pollutants from entering our atmosphere.

http://news.mongabay.com/2006/0731-california.html

Tesla Motors

Check out Tesla Motors, a startup car company in the Silicon Valley to make electric powered cars. Their first model is a sweet looking roadster, but they will have more affordable family cars to follow. I hope these guys do well! I'd sure like to buy one :)

http://www.teslamotors.com/blog1/index.php?js_enabled=1

Fred

Buffalo News - Humble grocer quietly gave away millions

A wonderful story about a quiet, humble guy who was an anonymous philanthropist.
Buffalo News - Humble grocer quietly gave away millions

Treehugger: Toyota Launches New Hybrid Estima Minivan in Japan

Check out the new hybrid minivan from Toyota.. gets 47MPG!

Treehugger: Toyota Launches New Hybrid Estima Minivan in Japan

Soft drinks: Unsafe beverages

An interesting discussion the drawbacks of drinking soda. The major focus or the article is on weakening of bones, but there are other possible side effects. Maybe I'll go back to drinking Kool-Aid.
Soft drinks: Unsafe beverages

Plastic Free City

Very cool idea in the Goa region of India. The town of Vasco has decided to make the town plastic free due to the amount of trash and litter. They have lots of incentives for the residents to stop using plastic.
D A I J I W O R L D

Fast Food Nation the Movie

Looks like they've made a movie about Fast Food Nation. The book is a really good and eye opening look at the eating habits of Americans, and the fast food industry. Hopefully the movie will be as good.
Fast Food Nation the Movie

Kick The Oil Habit

This campaign is trying to encourage oil companies to start using E85 as an alternative to gasoline. E85 is a mix of 85% Ethanol (made from corn) and 15% gas, which runs in normal cars.Kick The Oil Habit

No More Electric Bills? ‘Zero-Energy’ Homes - Newsweek Technology - MSNBC.com

Nice article on Zero Energy Homes.. definitely a good step in the right direction. I'd really like to incorporate some of these ideas into a house if I ever get a chance to own one :) No More Electric Bills? ‘Zero-Energy’ Homes - Newsweek Technology - MSNBC.com

Double amputee scales Mt Everest

Here's a totally amazing story about a guy from New Zealand who is a double amputee and climbed Mt. Everest!!! Man, I have a hard time climbing Half Dome. BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Double amputee scales Mt Everest

Good Times at a Backpackers' Paradise - New York Times

One goal I'd like to accomplish someday is to hike the Appalachin Trail.. here's a story in the New York Times about Trail Days in Damascus, VA. One of the biggest gatherings of hikers anywhere. Good Times at a Backpackers' Paradise - New York Times

ecoballs

This sounds really interesting. A way to clean your clothes using ionized oxygen, which is much more eco friendly, cost efficient, and cheaper! Too bad its only available in the UK.ecoballs

I'm Doing My Inconsequential Part For The Environment | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

An interesting Editorial post on the Onion about doing our part to help the environment.. I'm Doing My Inconsequential Part For The Environment | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

Quinoa

I was at Whole Foods yesterday and ran into this grain called Quinoa at the bulk foods aisle. The description listed it as the "Food of the Incas" and apparently this grain gives all 8 essential amino acids. Here's a link to wikipedia describing the attributes of this grain. Quinoa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Living Simply, Simply Living

I just came across this really interesting essay by a guy named Michael Brooks, discussing Thoreau and how his philosophies relate to modern day society:
http://www.swans.com/library/art11/brooks02.html

Bikes Not Bombs

Here's a cool program I came across.. Bikes Not Bombs.. Here's a clip of their mission statement:

Lasting peace and social justice require equitable and sustainable use of resources. BNB provides community-based education and assists development projects with recycled bicycles, related technologies and technical assistance, as concrete alternatives to the militarism, over-consumption & inequality that breed war and environmental destruction. Our organization is part of a worldwide movement for peace and responsible stewardship of the earth.

Bikes Not Bombs

Nature's Clothing - John Muir

I came across this quote from John Muir in a Sierra Club newsletter and thought it was pretty interesting:

Nature’s Clothing
“Nature is a good mother, and sees
well to the clothing of her many bairns
— birds with smoothly imbricated
feathers, beetles with shining jackets,
and bears with shaggy furs. In the
tropical south, where the sun warms
like a fire, they are allowed to go
thinly clad; but in the snowy northland
she takes care to clothe warmly. The
squirrel has socks and mittens, and a
tail broad enough for a blanket; the
grouse is densely feathered down to
the ends of his toes; and the wild
sheep, besides his undergarment of
fine wool, has a thick overcoat of hair
that sheds off both the snow and the
rain. Other provisions and adaptations
in the dresses of animals, relating less
to climate than to the more mechanical
circumstances of life, are made with
the same consummate skill that
characterizes all the love work of
Nature. Land, water, and air, jagged
rocks, muddy ground, sand beds,
forests, underbrush, grassy plains, etc.,
are considered in all their possible
combinations while the clothing of her
beautiful wildlings is preparing. No
matter what the circumstances of their
lives may be, she never allows them to
go dirty or ragged. The mole, living
always in the dark and in the dirt, is
yet as clean as the otter or the wave-
washed seal; and our wild sheep,
wading in snow, roaming through
bushes, and leaping among jagged
storm-beaten cliffs, wears a dress so
exquisitely adapted to its mountain life
that it is always found as unruffled and
stainless as a bird.”

Treehugger: Sanyo's Aqua: Wash Clothes Without Water

Check out this new washer that can clean clothes without water!!

Treehugger: Sanyo's Aqua: Wash Clothes Without Water

Tilt Your Head Like an Indian

Great article on indian head bobbling :)

World Hum | Travel | Tilt Your Head Like an Indian

Relief Riders International

Here's a group who allows you to sign up to ride on horseback into the villages of Rajasthan to setup medical camps, work with the red cross, etc.. Sounds like a pretty awesome experience! Welcome to Relief Riders International

Whole Foods Market using wind power

Cool stuff from Treehugger.. Whole Foods, their stores in Colorado are using 100% Windpower!
Whole Foods Market Wind Power

Low-cost lamps brighten the future of rural India | csmonitor.com

Great article about using LEDs to power lights in rural India. By using solar power and low power LEDs they can create safer, cleaner, and eventually cheaper ways to light up the villages.
Low-cost lamps brighten the future of rural India | csmonitor.com

BBC NEWS | Magazine | Do you get less wet if you run in the rain?

Interesting article from the BBC that uses calculus to determine if you get less wet from running in the rain.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4562132.stm

Can You Edge Out Bill Gates? - Motley Fool - MSNBC.com

Interesting article showing how much some of the richest people in the world give to charity. There are some really generous donors out there!!

Article

Costa Rica Day 12

We got up early this morning to take the Early Bird tour, that took us along the road with our guide and allowed us to see lots of beautiful birds. We saw lots of Scarlet Macaws, Parrots, Parakeets, Hawks, and other tropical birds. We also spied an anteater sleeping in a tree, which was pretty cool. In the afternoon we had to say our goodbyes and take a ride down the bumpy road back to Puerto Jimenez and our return flight to San Jose.

The trip was totally awesome, between the wonderful time we had volunteering and the scenic and relaxing stay at Lapa Rios, we couldn't have asked for a better honeymoon. I really hope we're able to come back to Costa Rica someday and explore more of what this wonderful tropical paradise has to offer! Pura Vida!

Costa Rica Day 11

Today we took the Wild Waterfalls hike, which was totally amazing. Much of the time was spent walking in the river across slippery rocks, seeing some gorgeous butterflies and interesting lizards. Our guide, Edwin, was very friendly and helpful. At the first major waterfall we also saw a Boa Constrictor! It was climbing up the rock and is a pretty rare sight. Then as we were leaving it got too close to the water and fell down a few feet closer to us.

The next waterfall fell into a small pond which some of us took a quick dip in. The water was cold, but refreshing. Then we came back to the lodge and relaxed some more. At lunch we talked to a couple from Canada, who were really nice, Margaret and Pete. Then before dinner we watched the local school kids perform a folk dance.

Costa Rica Day 10

We awoke to the sound of howler monkeys which made sound like a lion, at about 5:30 am. We had requested coffee brought to our room, which was really good. After lunch, went on the Osa Trail hike with our guide Ulices which was a 3 hour hike through the rainforest. It was a nice hike, not too difficult, and our guide pointed out some interesting animals, insects, and trees. Then we came back to room, relaxed some more, and had our dinner.

Costa Rica Day 9

We got up and had to get to the airport in Pavas pretty early for our flight down to Puerto Jimenez. The flight was cool, in a small prop plane, and I could see the cockpit the whole time. The views were really great on the plane ride over, and watching the landing from the cockpit window was a bit unnerving.

After landing we were greeted by some very friendly girls from Lapa Rios. They offered us drinks, had people to bring our luggage from the plane to the Land Rover awaiting us. It was warm, and a little humid, just what we expect of Costa Rica. We also met a couple from Seattle who were staying at Lapa Rios as well.

The drive to the resort was really bumpy and through some muddy dirt roads, and couple of rivers that we had to ford. After about 45 minutes, we reached the resort and were greeted by some guys holding fruit drinks and taking our bags. They are very nice and we waited around and had a very good 3 course lunch. The lodge has a thatched roof which was amazing, so we enjoyed the view while we waited for our room to get ready. They also issued us a hand crank flashlight, which was very much necessary for finding your way back to your room at night.

Our bungalow was just what we had imagined. A private little hut, with beds covered in mosquito nets, and an amazing view from our patio. The patio even had a hammock! The view was full of greenery, beyond which lay the Gulfo Dulce and some mountains. We even had a some monkeys climbing around the trees around us.

After taking a rest, we hiked down to the ocean, walked along the beach, and came back for dinner. By then it was dark out, and not much to do, so we went to bed early.

Costa Rica Day 8

We left CCS and took our drive back to San Jose. Most of this day was spent souvenir shopping on the pedestrian boulevard. It was very crowded with people and there was some telethon going on to raise money for kids. We ate at Taco Bell for lunch, and it seemed to taste a lot better than the Taco Bell back home. We also had our first pickpocketing experience, as w walked down a street I felt a slight tug on the backpack. Then Shveta noticed some of the pockets were open, and some bread we bought was gone. At least all they got was a piece of bread, and then when we walked back to the spot we saw the empty bag which it was in. Not much else happened, and we went to bed early to catch an early flight.

Costa Rica Day 7

This was our last day of volunteering. We finished up painting, and played lots of bingo. We also took lots of pictures with the residents, and got lots of hugs and good wishes. The volunteer experience was very rewarding. It was great getting to sit by, hold hands, and listen to the seniors there. Seeing the smiles on their faces and hearing the affection in their voices was worth every minute. After saying "Adios" we headed back to home base, where we were pleasantly surprised with a gift of baked goods from Lucy. Then we had lunch and added our hand prints to the wall.

Our activity for this day was a trip to Tapati rainforest. The drive was through green hills and coffee plantations again, but as got closer to the forest the vegetation became greener and a roaring river appeared at the side of the road. The first outlook we hiked to led to a breathtaking view of thick forest-covered mountains and to top it off a white waterfall in between them. The next stop was a short hike to the river which had a light green color and large boulders all around it. Towering over the river were once again thick green forests. The fresh, clean air was a wonderful change from the diesel fumes we'd been breathing in the city.

Back at home base again, we said our goodbyes to Santi and Lucy, who were both totally awesome, As beautiful as all the scenery has been, the best part of this whole trip has been working with the wonderful staff at CCS.

Costa Rica Day 6

Our volunteer work today was painting the common room walls brighter colors than the standard hospital cream color. We painted one wall blue and the other paradise green. It was hard work, and took all 4 hours, but in the end the room looked alot brighter and we got lots of compliments.

Later in the afternoon we went to an HIV home for a dance performance by a group of students from a university in San Jose. They did a combination of salsa, meringue, and other stuff we couldn't identify, but they were really good. The HIV home seemed very pleasant, although the occupants looked pretty weak and sick. We then decided to go to a mall called TerraMall where Allan our driver drove us to.

On the way to the mall, we went by the university to drop off the dancers, and got to talk to Allan much more than we had been able to before. He seemed very nice and liked his job. The mall itself was really fancy. We walked in and saw stores like Kenneth Cole, Mont Blanc, and Tommy Hilfiger. Our original plan was to see a Costa Rican movie, called Carribe, but found out they didn't have subtitles, so we ate some pizza (mmmm..) and walked around the mall a bit. To get home we caught a cab, and told the driver to take us "near the Basilica", since they don't have street names or house numbers here.

Costa Rica Day 5

We woke up this morning, and started with our usual routine of trying to find a shower with hot water. They have these strange electric showerheads which heat up the water, and don't always work correctly.

At the nursing home today, we finished the decorations, then Shveta painted a few of the ladies fingernails. It was really cute, and a few of them talked with us for quite a while, even though I didn't understand most of what they were saying. After the nails were done, we started playing bingo, which they really loved. For some reason, bingo seems to be the universal senior citizen pastime. It was a lot of fun, watching and helping them put their markers on their bingo cards, and good spanish practice.

After lunch, Santi and Allan took us on a tour of Orosi valley, which was some of the most lindo scenery we've seen yet. We stopped by some churches, and were constantly surrounded with gorgeous green mountains, and were near a fast moving river. One of the churches was built in the 16th century by spanish colonists, and had a brick floor. The garden and view were really nice. At one point we walked across a small suspension bridge, with the river roaring beneath us. The bridge wobbled with every step, and had a mesh floor, so we could see straight below us.

When we returned to home base, we took a quick walk and ate a really delicious bread from a local bakery. Then after dinner, we had our final spanish class.

Costa Rica Day 4

Today we put up Christmas decorations over the doorways of the nursing home. We also helped the seniors who wished to attend mass into the small chapel onsite. After returning to home base, we took a siesta, and then we had a latin dance class. In class we learned Salsa, Meringue, and Cumbia. The instructors were really friendly, I had a tough time with meringue, getting my hips and legs moving in the right directions. Shveta had a hard time with cumbia, particularly the small step on the "and" beat. It was a lot of fun, and quite a workout.

After dancing, we went with one of the cooks, Idioneta, into the kitchen for our cooking class. She showed us how to make Yucca Pastel. It was a really healthy and delicious dish, and not too hard to make. It consisted of mashed yucca (casaba), cliantro, cheese, and onions. After making the dish, we ate it with Idioneta, and actually had a pretty long conversation with her.

Costa Rica Day 3

Our first day of volunteering, we woke up and drove to the nursing home. We were introduced to many of the residents and workers. We spent all morning there, talking with residents, participating in a birthday party, and helping feed some of them. It was a little hard to communicate due to the language barrier, but it seemed like our smiles and nods were enough to cheer them up. It was in very nice, breezy, sunny location surrounded by mountains. The staff was very friendly and seemed to care alot about the patients. This particular nursing home is for elderly who have been abandoned, but the government pays for their care. Since Costa Rica has no army, they spend the extra money on education and healthcare.

That afternoon we went to the Irazu volcano, which was full of beautiful hills, farmlands, and a crater with a lake which changes colors depending on the core of the volcano. Today it was a sunny day, and the water was greenish. After spending some time looking around the volcano, we came back to Cartago and walked around a bit, grabbing some sweet pastries at a bakery. Then we relaxed the rest of the evening.

Costa Rica Day 2

We woke up, grabbed breakfast in the hotel, and then caught our ride to our Home Base in Cartago. After a 1 hour ride, we arrived and met Santiago, who was to be our host for our volunteering. After being shown around, we ate lunch, and took a tour of Cartago. We saw a few churches, one of which had a special statue of the Virgin Mary which was said to reappear at this location each time it was moved. The church's interior was made up almost entirely of wood, and had lovely stained glass. People were crawling on their knees down the aisle to approach the altar.

Cartago is not a very big city, and it seemed like all the attractions were within a few blocks of each other. It is a city surrounded by green mountains. There are no street names or numbers, places are identified by direction and landmarks. Such as 20 meters north of the grocery store.

We returned to home base, had dinner, an orientation, and headed to bed.

Costa Rica Day 1

We arrived late in the night at the airport in San Jose. After clearing customs, we walked out to a huge crowd of people holding signs with names. We couldn't find ours, and had many offers for rides, but eventually someone told us to look at the counter with the blue TAXI sign. There, stuck to the window was Shveta's name.

From there we rode a cab through downtown San Jose, which looked pretty sketchy, and then arrived at our hotel Don Carlos. It was a nice small hotel, old spanish style, with a friendly English-speaking staff.

:::CARLTON UNITED BIG AD:::

Well I just got back from Sydney, it was really great.. among other things I just had to post this ad from Carlton United..
Big Ad

divineMAGgees : female rock duo

I just got back from Nashville, TN a few days ago, and while I was there I went to go see some music acts at Third and Lindsley. The first band, Divine MAGgees was a female folk duo who were really great. Their vocal harmonies and guitar/violin combo sounded great. Plus they seemed very nice, one of them smiling and thanking the 10 person auidence after every song. They have recently moved to Asheville, NC and are playing gigs around the southeast. I hope they make their way out west sometime!
divineMAGgees : female rock duo

Shop to Fight Poverty

My favorite grocery store, Whole Foods, just gave me even more reason to shop there this Tuesday. 5% of sales on Tuesday will be going to help fight poverty through micro-lending! I'm just going to have to do without milk this weekend until I get a chance go buy some there.
Shop to Fight Poverty

Eco-Luxury car service in NYC

Check out this car service in NYC that allows you to cruise around in a Hybrid instead of a normal taxi! Its "Luxury" since each car is decked out with an i-Book and satellite radio, and a little on the pricey side.
OZOcar

Whole foods to use biodiesel in the midwest

One of my favorite grocery stores is doing some great stuff in the midwest.. they're going to use biodiesel to power 1/5 of their trucks!! Here's the full article:
http://www.post-trib.com/cgi-bin/pto-story/business/z1/10-07-05_z1_busi_1.html

The World Is Not Flat (TwinF) | Our Travels, Your Experiences

Here's a cool blog of a couple who is planning to take the year of 2006 off and travel the world. They're starting in New Zealand and hope to follow summertime around the world. Sounds like an awesome idea to me!

The World Is Not Flat (TwinF) | Our Travels, Your Experiences

Wired News: Biodiesel School Bus Power

I think this is a fantastic idea.. schools using Biodiesel lto power their buses instead of diesel. What is also amazing is that its being done in West Virginia!!

Biodesel Buses

Getty Museum

Getty Sunset
Originally uploaded by Fred Hsu.

Right after we were done with our walk, we headed over to the Getty Museum. Its situated up on a hill near Bel-Air, and is an amazing building. First of all were were just amazed at the fact that its basically free to the public after paying for parking. Its filled with some really great works of art, and a fantastic photo gallery. The architecture of the building itself was a very impressive work of art. Here's a few pictures from that. Getty Pics

Walk for Hope

Sign
Originally uploaded by Fred Hsu.

This Saturday, a few of us from the Bay Area drove down to Long Beach for the annual Walk For Hope, put on by CharityFocus's sister organization BeTheCause.

It was a really inspiring event, and I was amazed at how well organized it was. There must've been a few hundred walkers, and we had everything from water and food, to the Laker Girls walking us through the warm-up.

Along the 5k walk there were inspiring quotes posted, and various thought provoking activities. My favorite activity was the first one where they had two lines drawn in the grass. Everyone stood on one side, and they would ask people to cross to the other line if you had experienced various feelings of judgement in your life. It really made you think about how you treat others, and how much we all have in common. You can take a look at the pictures here.

Sweden trying to end dependency on fossil fules

Why can't we be more like the Swedes? Their prime minister just announced plans to end their dependency on fossil fuels in 15 years, citing all the recent weather patterns and climate changes as moitvation. Here's the link from WorldChanging:
Article

Eco-Friendly in the Kitchen

This couple in Washington, D.C. recently renovated their small kitchen and went through some definite pains to make sure it was as green as they could make it within their budget. If I own a home one day, I hope my renovations will be somewhat environmentally conscious as well.

eco-kitchen

California Wants to Serve a Warning With Fries - New York Times

Here's a NY Times article on a possible cacinogen in French Fries, and how CA wants to put warning labels on them. I knew french fries are bad for you, but I didn't know they were this bad! That really sucks.
French Fry Warning

Carfree Days - Gadling - www.gadling.com _

Here's a short post from Gadling about going car free. I'm not quite there yet, but I'd love to be able to get around w/o a car someday. At the very least I'm hoping that we can cut down to just having one car between Shveta and I when we get married.
http://www.gadling.com/entry/1234000880059338/

Biking to work a gas for some

Palm Beach Day School in FLA is paying school teachers a little extra to take public transportation, or now bike to work!
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2005/09/08/s1b_bikes_0908.html

dirtSimple.org: The Multiple Self

Interesting post by someone relating the brain, the difference between "you" and "yourself", by comparing these ideas to a computer operating system :)

http://dirtsimple.org/2005/08/multiple-self.html

The Thought Project

Interesting post from Gadling, this guy started a project called the Thought Project. What he did was went around and asked people at random what they were thinking about and recorded the results.

Reader2

Cool site which helps you to find interesting books to read by looking at what other people are reading.

Sport Utility Bikes

From worldchaging, check out these bikes which have been modified to support huge weights and still act like a bike! Definitely a great way to enable bike communiting. Maybe I'll have to mod one of my bikes to be able to do a better job with grocery shopping.
Here's the original article: Worldchanging
Here's where you can order a bike or kit: Xtracycle

Tiny Houses

From Treehugger, here's a different take on housing. This guy designs and builds really small houses, either as secondary housing, or even as a primary residence. His original motivation was to lessen his impact on the environment and live simply:
http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/information.htm

Theft proof signs in Austrain town

This is funny, apparently there is a town in Austria called F*cking that is having a really hard time with getting its signs stolen. (e.g. "Welcome To ..."). So they've had to go and install theft-proof road signs.
Readersheds.co.uk - share your shed - pictures of sheds, plans, companys and shed bulding, garden shed

Traveling Guys

These two guys from Seattle are planning to travel the globe doing random acts of kindness!!! How awesome! You can check out their adventures on their blog:
http://www.travelingguys.com/

Polymer Vision

Here's a pretty cool new device from Philips.. its a 'Rollable Display' that can show images/text/etc.. then roll up to a small form factor.
Polymer Vision home

Best Buy's Selling Tactics

Here's a nice little post explaining how a Best Buy Sales associate is supposed to sell you their extended warranty on a computer. This is worse than a telemarketer!

Bogey Dope: Best Buy's Perfect Secret to Screw You!

Angelina Jolie Funds Cambodian Wildlife Sanctuary

Interesting article from Treehugger, not only is she hot, but Angelina does some really awesome stuff.
Treehugger: Angelina Jolie Funds Cambodian Wildlife Sanctuary

Backpacking the Emigrant Wilderness

This past weekend Shveta, Meesha, Pritesh, and I took a short overnight backpack trip into the Emigrant Wilderness. It was an easy 2.8 mile hike from Crabtree Camp to Camp Lake, where we stayed. After setting up camp, we all took a quick dip in the lake before heading up to our campsite for dinner.

Dinner consisted of Santa Fe Pasta, which was good, and Bavarian chocolate mousse, which was a big letdown. Afterwards we enjoyed a gorgeous sunset, beautiful stars (we could even see the Milky Way!), and a nice warm campfire. The next morning we chowed down some oatmeal and headed back to San Jose. A really nice trip, and only about 3-4 hour drive from here, we'll definitely have to go back! Hopefully Meesha will post pictures soon as I didn't remember to bring my camera.

Project Gutenberg

Here's a great site where you can download tons of books for free. Great if you're looking for some reading material while bored at work :) They have lots of classics worth looking into. Welcome to Project Gutenberg - Project Gutenberg

Elevator Hack?

Check out this hack that apparently lets you skip anyone waiting for the elevator :)
link

Picture of the Day at Gadling

Sweet! One of my pictures made it to PotD at Gadling. Check it out:
http://www.gadling.com/entry/1234000633055988/

Google Talk!

Looks like Google is at it again, now they've just released a IM/Phone client called Google Talk. You access it at:
http://talk.google.com
you will require a gmail account to use it.

Switzerland

After leaving Burgandy we headed for Luzern in Switzerland. It was a nice city situated on a clear blue lake. We were immediately hit with the really high cost of living when we tried to withdraw from the ATM and the smallest amount we could take out was 200 Swiss Francs. After walking around a bit, we headed into Bern to our hotel for the next few days.

The next day we headed up to Interlaken, gateway to the Alps. This was the highlight of the trip, taking trains up the mountains, hiking, and exploring small towns up in the Alps. Shveta and I loved it so much we came back the next day for some more hiking. The sharp, snow covered peaks were just breathtaking, with rolling green hills below them. We also ran into a number of cows with their windchime-like bells attached. After coming back from the 2nd day of hiking, we found out that British Airways had gone on strike, so that caused us lots of stress and confusion as we headed to Geneva.

After arriving in Geneva we stopped by the airport, got new tickets issued by BA, and then headed to our hotel. We ended up having to stay over an extra night in Geneva, but made the most of it by going to a street fair and walking around the city. Although it was pretty nice, it was nothing compared to hiking the Alps. If someone were headed to Switzerland, I'd just say skip the big cities and head straight to Interlaken. All in all, it was a fun trip! Wonder where we should go to next? :)

Treehugger: Solar-Powered Toyota Prius Project

I was wondering when someone would try to make a solar powered Prius.. and it looks like someone is giving it a shot:
Treehugger: Solar-Powered Toyota Prius Project

Burgandy

Our next stop was in Vezelay, a small town on a hill with a nice church. It was a welcome change for all the large cities, and had gorgeous views of burgandy. We spent a few hours wandering the streets and church, then headed to Beaune.

The next couple days we spent in the town of Beaune. On one of the days Shveta and I rented bikes and went biking through the vineyards. It was a really great ride, through the wine country, and by the sunflower fields. We stopped at a few wineries and had some great tastes of wine, then headed back into Beaune. After our time in Beaune was up we headed on towards Switzerland. Click here for more pictures of Burgandy.

10 mph: it’s like On the Road, ‘cept with… Segways. - Engadget - www.engadget.com

Interesting post on Engadget about a documentary of a couple of guys who went across the US on a segway. Might be a weird, but interesting film to see.
10 mph: it’s like On the Road, ‘cept with… Segways. - Engadget - www.engadget.com

Paris Trip

After a quick 2 hour ride from London we arrived in Paris. So far Paris has been my favorite large european city. I thought the people there were very friendly and the city itself was beautiful! We visited the Arc de Triumphe, Orsay Museum, Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, St. Chapell and toured around the city. I think I actually liked the Orsay more than the Louvre, probably because I like impressionist paintings. The Eiffel Tower was really huge, and we called Meesha to wish her happy birthday from the 2nd deck. St. Chapell has the most impressive stained glass you could ever imagine, you walk up the the 2nd floor of the church and its just awe inpsiring. The pictures do not even come close to doing it justice. We also took a short day trip to Versailles, which was a far more impressive palace than Buckingham.


One evening we stopped by a famous ice cream shop called Berthillon, which had the best chocolate ice cream I've ever eaten. Overall the food in Paris was pretty good, even though we couldn't enjoy many of the dishes since they had meat. After a few days in Paris, we rented a car and headed down to Burgandy. For more pics click here.

Back From Europe!

Big Ben
Originally uploaded by Fred Hsu.

Hi everyone, we just got back from our two week trip to Europe. It was really great, we got to see London, Paris, parts of Burgandy, and parts of Switzerland.

So far I've uploaded the pictures from London to my flickr site, so I'll blog on those first.

London was great, but pretty expensive for us. The weak dollar definitely killed us this trip. Our initial cab ride from the airport cost us over $100 USD, and basically everything we bought/ate there was double price for us. We decided to brave the tubes though we were situated right at Kings Cross station. Lots of cops and security everywhere, but we didn't hit any problems. London's subway system is brilliant, cleanest and most organized subway I've seen.


Over the next few days we visited the sites, Big Ben, Parliment, Westminister Abbey, took a ride up the London Eye Ferris Wheel, Shakespeare's Globe, St. Paul's Cathedral, and Buckingham palace.

The people were really nice, probably one of the highlights of London to me were its people. Also we were pleasantly surprised with the abundance of good, healthy restaurants. In particular I liked a small chain called Giraffe, which served great food, and had a global theme. We also had some great pizza at Pizza Express. I ordered a pizza with egg on it for the first time, and it was delicious (don't knock it till you've tried it!).


After 3 days of touring London we hopped on the high-speed Eurostar to Paris. You can see our pictures from London here.

New Planet discovered?

Check out the possible 10th planet of our solar system!

Seattle trying to be come garbage free

Check out this article about Seattle's goal to become a zero garbage economy. It would be so wonderful if we could all do our best not to generate so much waste. You can read more here.

The Inner-net - Latest Communication Technology

Awesome speech given by Viral at the Jain convention earlier this month. Its just amazing how much inspiration comes from those two brothers!

The Inner-net - Latest Communication Technology

Awesome commencement speech by Steve Jobs

I was just sent the Stanford Commencement specch by Steve Jobs today. Pretty inspiring, you can read it on Stanford's website here.

TRANSFORMERS COMMUNICATION

Steven Spielberg is going to make a new Transformers Movie!!!

TRANSFORMERS COMMUNICATION

Two Seas, Two Feet: My Hike Across the Continent

Check out this guy, he did the first Sea to Sea hike, all the way across North America!

Two Seas, Two Feet: My Hike Across the Continent

Random acts of kindness week

Just saw an article today about Moorestown, NJ which was chosen as "Best Place to Live" by Money Magazine, one cool thing about the town is that they have a random acts of kindess week! Link

A Livable Shade of Green - New York Times

Here's a really interesting article from the NYT about how Portland has drastically reduced its carbon emissions on their own. I'm pretty disgusted at how Bush and the US Gov't are ignoring things like they Kyoto accord, and the environment in general. Its great to see how people are taking action into their own hands and finding solutions to these environmental issues.

A Livable Shade of Green - New York Times

Trip to Nice, France

Lights on beach in Cannes
Originally uploaded by Fred Hsu.

I just got back from my business trip to Nice, and t was really gorgeous over there. The first night after the
meeting we went along the coast to Monaco, a really rich provence that
was full of yachts, ferraris and such. On the way we stopped at the
medival village of Eze. Then on the 2nd night we went down to Cannes,
where they have the film festival each year. A really pretty town
with sandy beaches, high class stores, and great nightlife. Finally
on the 3rd day I rented a car and we drove down to St. Tropez, another
really nice coastal town, smaller than the others, and then headed
into Old Nice, which is made up of a large marketplace called the
flower market, and lots of cobblestone walkways (too narrow for cars). You can find more photos by clicking on this entry's title or here