There's an instrument that's been developed in the last 25 years, where you can point it at a product and it will tell you exactly what chemicals you need to make that smell. We can duplicate anything. If you can smell it, we can duplicate it.

Whaaaaaaaaaaaat? And there's no cure for cancer?

As someone who hates being assaulted by smells -- chemical, natural, "good" or otherwise -- UGH.

Inside Smellvertising, the Scented Advertising Tactic Coming Soon to a City Near You

Though I must admit a certain amount of adorable squee for the term "jacket potato."

As an aside, my mom said when she came to the United States one of the first things she noticed was that Americans had a bad smell -- something she attributed to the large amount of meat and dairy in our diets. I know Japanese households have a distinctive and consistent smell for me, so I'm not surprised.

I wonder what chemicals that contraption would list to recreate my smell?

One other thing: I think it rips through your clothes when it takes you over. Windows found Bennings' torn and bloody clothes in the storage room after he was taken over. Earlier, Nauls found a pair of shredded and dirty longjohns in the kitchen trash can, but the nametag was missing. They could be anybody's. Nobody, nobody trusts anybody now, and we're all very tired. There's nothing more I can do, just wait. This is R.J. MacReady, helicopter pilot, US outpost #31...

Russian Scientists Bore Into Ancient Antarctic Lake

William Gibson wears Vans.



















William Gibson reading from his terrific new collection of essays, Distrust That Particular Flavor at Diesel, A Bookstore, 1.20.2012 in Oakland.



















This NY Times Book Review really got it. One of my favorite things about Gibson is his focus on Japan; love this bit in the review:

In Tokyo, Gibson detects “successive layers of Tomorrowlands, older ones showing through when the newer ones start to peel.” Lurking in the back corner of a noodle stall, he watches a man playing with his phone. The gadget is glossy, “complexly curvilinear, totally ephemeral-looking,” shining with “Blade Runner”-ish reflections of the city around it. Gibson zooms in on an accessory hanging from the phone — a “rosarylike anti­cancer charm.” According to Japanese pop-­culture lore, such talismans are supposed to protect against microwaves. It’s the perfect Gibson detail: a hybrid of high technology and magic wand.

Just got a listen in to the new album by The Knife, Tomorrow, In a Year, which is the result of a commission by Denmark's Hotel Pro Forma theater group to write an electro-opera based on Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species.

The Knife created one of my best albums of 2006, so naturally I jumped at the chance to hear their newest effort. When I heard about the concept, I was completely fascinated and intrigued. And then I heard they were collaborating with Mount Sims. Slamdunk.

The execution is really tight, and the finished product feels definitely Knifey with its driving 80s electro beats, but with some very organic-sounding bits, a la Matmos. The operatic singing I can do without, but maybe it will grow on me.

Due out in digital form on February 2 and on double CD March 1, you can listen to the album in its entirety at the NPR site.

Wow, sometimes I am totally stoked to be living in the 21st century:

Google Earth to allow Exploration of Oceans, Mars

YES! How exciting.

But sometimes, I am both stoked and totally frightened:

'Fantastic Voyage' Revisited: The Pill That Navigates

Philips Research in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, has developed a prototype for a pill that can be programmed to navigate toward a specific trouble spot in the body and deposit its medicine there, radioing dispatches to the doctor as it travels.

This is HUGE. But eek, scary implications for things like biological weapons, suicide bombers, privacy, and personal freedom.

On a side note about personal freedom, oy vey, guess which catalog arrived for me at my generally gun-shy workplace?

Trevor and I also got one at home a few days ago, and I was wracking my brain thinking about how we could have gotten on their list, until I got the one at work today. We had bought each other these sweet tactical flashlights last year (I shipped his to my work), so it's obvious Surefire thinks we are militia members and our names got sold to into proper channels!

But truth be told, as someone who loves authentic (and vintage) military equipment, cheap ammo, and shooting mad guns, the catalog is RAD. But there are some creepy things in there. Like the Kuwait Liberation Medal, "awarded to members of the U. S. Armed Forces who participated in the liberation of Kuwait from Iraqi forces between 1990 and 1993."

I suppose there are collectors of that kind of stuff, but c'mon, you just know who else, among others, is buying this stuff and why. Thinking about it makes me do the wince and squirm that I do when other people are embarrassing themselves!

San Francisco Start-Up Produces Jet Fuel From Algae

I don't know much about this, but it presents well. Seems to be a much better alternative to corn. Okay, I'm paying attention.

This was a pretty interesting read:

Stanford Biologist Sees Money in Preservation of the Environment

This is a new way of saving nature. Until now, the conservation movement has said people should care about nature for nature's sake - with charity as the driving economic force to preserve land. And that, [Stanford biologist Gretchen] Daily said, has failed. She sees a renaissance in the conservation movement hinging on investment.

[...]No one gets paid for water purification or climate stabilization or protecting biodiversity on a large scale. That's what Daily envisions.

She advocates at the state and even country government level, using software developed that can, for example, "estimate the worth of a forest full of pollinating insects vital to nearby crop production."

Where does it make sense to convert forests to agricultural production? Where should they be left alone?

Financially strapped countries could find the tool crucial, advocates say. A poor nation might be tempted to let a rich corporation develop land because it doesn't know the dollar value of the natural resources that will be destroyed.

"If you put yourself in the shoes of a poor government, it's hard to turn down the cash deal," said Mark Tercek, a former official at investment giant Goldman Sachs who recently left to head the Nature Conservancy. "It's hard to put a value on these services. That's what (Daily) is trying to map out."

--

"We're in the biggest mass extinction since the dinosaurs," [Daily] said in her Stanford office, which is covered with photos of her husband and two children. "People estimate we'll lose half of the Earth's life forms in our lifetime."

I don't know who "people" are, but that postulation is scary.

On a related note, this reminds me of the fundamental difference of policy that has guided two different nonprofits I've worked for, and how I believe it has been the key to their successes. Both social justice nonprofits, this difference stems from a crucial bit in their mission statements: investing in their grantees and clients, versus a "charity" approach, which I have seen firsthand foster community and allow dignity and personal power in one's life to drive lasting change.

Oh lord, help me remember this in my own life's little interactions!

Two cool things I heard about today:

1) Corpus, the human body museum in the Netherlands.














Strap on 3-D glasses and watch holograms of cartoon sperm sprinting to fertilize an egg. Climb inside a gigantic nose, enjoy the smell of fresh hay, then feel the wind blast on your neck when it sneezes. Walk across a bouncy rubber tongue complete with taste buds and realistic burping noises in the background...[v]isitors begin their tour via an escalator that carries them through a wound in the giant figure's calf. Once inside, they see an exhibition on what happens when a wood splinter pierces the skin.

Awesome, possum.

2) Squee -- George Michael is touring the US. He apparently gave a pair of tickets away to every member of Ellen DeGeneres' studio audience the other day, and if you go to the Ellen website you can register to win a pair for the date closest to you.

Or you can, you know, register to win a pair to the San Jose show for me, because there is no way in hell I'm paying $55 for a nosebleed seat in an arena for anybody.

My rancor about outrageous ticket prices is especially well-documented, as is my habit of resorting to Gootube like a stiff drink in times of disappointment because of musical crisis.



Hey, it's like watching a show in an arena -- no singer in sight!

But this song + Linda Evangelista + a leather jacket on fire = class.

My amazing friend Aaron, the man behind the previously blogged Tactical Ice Cream Unit, is exhibiting at Psychobotany in Los Angeles through June 17. In this project, Aaron and the Center for Tactical Magic explore the nature of consciousness and the consciousness of nature through interaction between the human mind and living plants.

While the theories of the effect of human communication on plants isn't new, I'm positive Aaron has something dazzling, engaging, and provocative up his sleeve, especially for the lecture! And while the implications for direction on this subject are multifaceted (environmental, military-political, social, etc.), for me the social aspect won out. I think it is extremely important to be reminded of just how effective our own energy can be on other living beings when thinking about cultivating and continuing contentment, health, and compassion. This is something I really wish to remember in my communications with, and my thoughts about, people around me.

From the Center for Tactical Magic website:

Within less than a day, the "negative" plant was already looking significantly wilted. By the end of the exhibition, it was nearly dead, and perished shortly thereafter. Few changes in overall growth were detected between the "control" and the "positive" plant. Both continue to live; however, only the "positive" plant has borne fruit.

Y'all know I am a huge proponent of one gaining strength and resilience from adversity. But in this type of experiment I can't help but think about continued, relentless human toxicity and how that intersects with compassion.

When your fear touches someone's pain it becomes pity; when your love touches someone's pain it becomes compassion -- Stephen Levine

Plants demonstrate quite well the effect of toxicity leveled at them, but they are only one-way, because they cannot talk back. How many of us know someone whose constant negativity and pain results in a vicious poison circle from which they cannot exit -- devastating not only those around them. but themselves? What to do with that kind of misery? It is a constant struggle when in this type of relationship with someone, to overcome impulses to "fix," maintain one's own sense of worth and happiness without getting angry at the person, and not enter that toxic arena. I'm frankly no good at this at all, and I know very often I've gone the easier route and just removed myself from the situation. Sometimes you have to.

Funny, this, because I've also been reading recently about mindfulness meditation which may help one shed negativity in interactions, maybe put some positive energy out there for grabs if it's wanted, and move toward becoming stronger and more resilient in the face of adversity. Hee, maybe you can mix the bootstraps with Buddhism.

I guess the ultimate result for me at least would be to stay connected but still move freely in and around in a neutral or positive manner, and then move out -- because a living thing must also have its own will and space to live and grow too. Easier said than done, huh? No wonder therapists and yogis can charge so much for their services!

Anyway, lately when I see Aaron I have been feeling a real sense of light and love coming from him, even more so than usual. Just being around him perks me up. There's definitely something to this.

As I said earlier, the holidays are officially "on." What better day than Black Friday, or Buy Nothing Day, to give thanks for what you have, plan your charitable giving, and spend some energy on things that matter most?

December 1st is World AIDS Day. Here are a couple of really good promotions going on to help support Youth AIDS:

1. Kiehl's is donating 100 percent of sales of their delicious grapefruit hand and body cleanser to Youth AIDS. This is a great gift for Secret Santas or the hostess of the party you're attending or the house you are staying at for the holidays. I certainly wouldn't sniff disapprovingly at it either *wink*

2. If you're on MySpace, when you add 3 Needles as a friend before December 1st, 10 cents will be donated to the Youth AIDS Africa project. A free and painless way to do your part to not only raise some funds but get this critically acclaimed movie about the global AIDS crisis on everyone's radar, and get people talking.

If you're starting to think about tax season, and write-offs, or you just like to give a little back, here are some of my official endorsements for your hard-earned charitable donations:

1. Global Fund for Women

I worked here, I know the tireless women and men who work here, I know their courageous and fearless grantees, their dedicated international board, their loyal supporters. I know the good work this organization does for women's rights around the globe. Committed, positive, and passionate, GFW consistently invests over 3/4 of their funds into programs, above and beyond what is encouraged by such charity watchdogs as Charity Navigator; this year, they have invested over 80 percent toward programs, and have received 4 stars, the highest rating from Charity Navigator, for the fourth year in a row. Donate to the Global Fund for Women.

2. Greenpeace

I usually like to support small community-based environmental organizations, because I feel the most good is done to support your community first as a building block in a healthy environmental foundation, but longtime international healthy oceans advocate Greenpeace gets my vote this year because of the diversity of their programs, their commitment to nonviolence, and their support of people working to educate the public with scientific fact about the state of our oceans -- this article is why they are getting my support this year. Donate to Greenpeace.

3. Union of Concerned Scientists

I've been an admirer of UCS for some time. UCS merges scientific study with citizen action to work toward environmental stability and sustainability. Sharing their findings about everything from the benefits of organic food to the feasibility of renewable energy sources with the public, media, and governments, township to federal, has made them a well-respected environmental advocate in government policy. I also love their commitment to education -- making environmental awareness both realistic and easy to understand -- as well as their passion for removing the imposed hierarchy between scientific and "layperson" advocacy. Donate to Union of Concerned Scientists.

These are the charitable organizations I have committed to supporting this year, and I encourage you to check them out. But I would also love to get recommendations for charitable giving from anyone who reads this blog. Whatever you decide to support financially or spiritually, the most important thing this holiday season, and always, is to remember those who are less fortunate, and those organizations that are working to make our communities and our world a better place.