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|Buckminster Fuller
Richard Buckminster Fuller
|(1895-07-12)July 12, 1895
Milton, Massachusetts, United States
|July 1, 1983(1983-07-01) (aged 87)
Los Angeles, United States
|Designer, author, inventor
|Anne Hewlett (m. 1917) «start: (1917)»"Marriage: Anne Hewlett to Buckminster Fuller" Location: (linkback://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckminster_Fuller)
|2: Allegra Fuller Snyder and Alexandra who died in childhood
Fuller published more than 30 books, inventing and popularizing terms such as "Spaceship Earth", ephemeralization, and synergetic. He also developed numerous inventions, mainly architectural designs, including the widely known geodesic dome. Carbon molecules known as fullerenes were later named by scientists for their resemblance to geodesic spheres.
Buckminster Fuller was the second president of Mensa from 1974 to 1983.[2]
[edit] BiographyFuller was born on July 12, 1895, in Milton, Massachusetts, the son of Richard Buckminster Fuller and Caroline Wolcott Andrews, and also the grandnephew of the American Transcendentalist Margaret Fuller. He attended Froebelian Kindergarten. Spending much of his youth on Bear Island, in Penobscot Bay off the coast of Maine, he had trouble with geometry, being unable to understand the abstraction necessary to imagine that a chalk dot on the blackboard represented a mathematical point, or that an imperfectly drawn line with an arrow on the end was meant to stretch off to infinity. He often made items from materials he brought home from the woods, and sometimes made his own tools. He experimented with designing a new apparatus for human propulsion of small boats.
Years later, he decided that this sort of experience had provided him with not only an interest in design, but also a habit of being familiar with and knowledgeable about the materials that his later projects would require. Fuller earned a machinist's certification, and knew how to use the press brake, stretch press, and other tools and equipment used in the sheet metal trade.[3]
[edit] EducationFuller attended Milton Academy in Massachusetts, and after that began studying at Harvard University, where he was affiliated with Adams House. He was expelled from Harvard twice: first for spending all his money partying with a vaudeville troupe, and then, after having been readmitted, for his "irresponsibility and lack of interest." By his own appraisal, he was a non-conforming misfit in the fraternity environment.[3]
[edit] Wartime experienceBetween his sessions at Harvard, Fuller worked in Canada as a mechanic in a textile mill, and later as a laborer in the meat-packing industry. He also served in the U.S. Navy in World War I, as a shipboard radio operator, as an editor of a publication, and as a crash rescue boat commander. After discharge, he worked again in the meat packing industry, thereby acquiring management experience. In 1917, he married Anne Hewlett. During the early 1920s, he and his father-in-law developed the Stockade Building System for producing light-weight, weatherproof, and fireproof housing—although the company would ultimately fail.[3]
[edit] Bankruptcy and depressionBy age 32, Fuller was bankrupt[dubious ] and jobless, living in low-income public housing in Chicago, Illinois. In 1922,[4] Fuller's young daughter Alexandra died from complications from polio and spinal meningitis. Allegedly, he felt responsible and this caused him to drink frequently and to contemplate suicide for a while. He finally chose to embark on "an experiment, to find what a single individual [could] contribute to changing the world and benefiting all humanity."[5]
[edit] RecoveryIn 1927 Fuller resolved to think independently which included a commitment to "the search for the principles governing the universe and help advance the evolution of humanity in accordance with them... finding ways of doing more with less to the end that all people everywhere can have more and more."[citation needed] By 1928, Fuller was living in Greenwich Village and spending much of his time at the popular café Romany Marie's,[6] where he had spent an evening in conversation with Marie and Eugene O'Neill several years earlier.[7] Fuller accepted a job decorating the interior of the café in exchange for meals,[6] giving informal lectures several times a week,[7][8] and models of the Dymaxion house were exhibited at the café. Isamu Noguchi arrived during 1929—Constantin Brâncuşi, an old friend of Marie's,[9] had directed him there[6]—and Noguchi and Fuller were soon collaborating on several projects,[8][10] including the modeling of the Dymaxion car based on recent work by Aurel Persu.[11] It was the beginning of their lifelong friendship.
[edit] Geodesic domesFuller taught at Black Mountain College in North Carolina during the summers of 1948 and 1949,[12] serving as its Summer Institute director in 1949. There, with the support of a group of professors and students, he began reinventing a project that would make him famous: the geodesic dome. Although the geodesic dome had been created some 30 years earlier by Dr. Walther Bauersfeld, Fuller was awarded United States patents. He is credited for popularizing this type of structure.
One of his early models was first constructed in 1945 at Bennington College in Vermont, where he frequently lectured. In 1949, he erected his first geodesic dome building that could sustain its own weight with no practical limits. It was 4.3 meters (14 ft) in diameter and constructed of aluminum aircraft tubing and a vinyl-plastic skin, in the form of an icosahedron. To prove his design, and to awe non-believers, Fuller suspended from the structure's framework several students who had helped him build it. The U.S. government recognized the importance of his work, and employed his firm Geodesics, Inc. in Raleigh, North Carolina to make small domes for the Marines. Within a few years there were thousands of these domes around the world.
His first "continuous tension – discontinuous compression" geodesic dome (full sphere in this case) was constructed at the University of Oregon Architecture School in 1959 with the help of students.[13] These continuous tension – discontinuous compression structures featured single force compression members (no flexure or bending moments) that did not touch each other and were 'suspended' by the tensional members.
[edit] Best-known workFor the next half-century, Fuller developed many ideas, designs and inventions, particularly regarding practical, inexpensive shelter and transportation. He documented his life, philosophy and ideas scrupulously by a daily diary (later called the Dymaxion Chronofile), and by twenty-eight publications. Fuller financed some of his experiments with inherited funds, sometimes augmented by funds invested by his collaborators, one example being the Dymaxion car project.
[edit] World stagegeodesic domes during the 1950s. Fuller lectured at NC State University in Raleigh in 1949, where he met James Fitzgibbon, who would become a close friend and colleague. Fitzgibbon was director of Geodesics, Inc. and Synergetics, Inc. the first licensees to design geodesic domes. Thomas C. Howard was lead designer, architect and engineer for both companies. From 1959 to 1970, Fuller taught at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIU). Beginning as an assistant professor, he gained full professorship in 1968, in the School of Art and Design. Working as a designer, scientist, developer, and writer, he lectured for many years around the world. He collaborated at SIU with the designer John McHale. In 1965, Fuller inaugurated the World Design Science Decade (1965 to 1975) at the meeting of the International Union of Architects in Paris, which was, in his own words, devoted to "applying the principles of science to solving the problems of humanity." Later in his SIU tenure, Fuller was also a visiting professor at SIU Edwardsville, where he designed the dome for the campus Religious Center.[14]
American Humanist Association named him the 1969 Humanist of the Year.
In 1976, Fuller was a key participant at UN Habitat I, the first UN forum on human settlements.
[edit] HonorsFuller was awarded 28 United States patents[15] and many honorary doctorates. In 1960, he was awarded the Frank P. Brown Medal from The Franklin Institute. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1968.[16] In 1970 he received the Gold Medal award from the American Institute of Architects. He also received numerous other awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom presented to him on February 23, 1983 by President Ronald Reagan.
[edit] Last filmed appearanceFuller's last filmed interview took place on April 3, 1983, in which he presented his analysis of Simon Rodia's Watts Towers as a unique embodiment of the structural principles found in nature. Portions of this interview appear in I Build the Tower, a documentary film on Rodia's architectural masterpiece.
[edit] DeathMount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
[edit] Philosophy and worldviewThe grandson of Unitarian minister Arthur Buckminster Fuller,[17] R. Buckminster Fuller was also Unitarian.[18] Buckminster Fuller was an early environmental activist. He was very aware of the finite resources the planet has to offer, and promoted a principle that he termed "ephemeralization", which, in essence—according to futurist and Fuller disciple Stewart Brand—Fuller coined to mean "doing more with less".[19] Resources and waste material from cruder products could be recycled into making more valuable products, increasing the efficiency of the entire process. Fuller also introduced synergetics, an encompassing term which he used broadly as a metaphoric language for communicating experiences using geometric concepts and, more specifically, to reference the empirical study of systems in transformation, with an emphasis on total system behavior unpredicted by the behavior of any isolated components. Fuller coined this term long before the term synergy became popular.
Fuller was a pioneer in thinking globally, and he explored principles of energy and material efficiency in the fields of architecture, engineering and design.[20][21] He cited François de Chardenedes' opinion that petroleum, from the standpoint of its replacement cost out of our current energy "budget" (essentially, the net incoming solar flux), had cost nature "over a million dollars" per U.S. gallon (US$300,000 per litre) to produce. From this point of view, its use as a transportation fuel by people commuting to work represents a huge net loss compared to their earnings.[22] An encapsulation quotation of his views might be, "There is no energy crisis, only a crisis of ignorance."[23][24][25]
Fuller was concerned about sustainability and about human survival under the existing socio-economic system, yet remained optimistic about humanity's future. Defining wealth in terms of knowledge, as the "technological ability to protect, nurture, support, and accommodate all growth needs of life," his analysis of the condition of "Spaceship Earth" caused him to conclude that at a certain time during the 1970s, humanity had attained an unprecedented state. He was convinced that the accumulation of relevant knowledge, combined with the quantities of major recyclable resources that had already been extracted from the earth, had attained a critical level, such that competition for necessities was not necessary anymore. Cooperation had become the optimum survival strategy. "Selfishness," he declared, "is unnecessary and hence-forth unrationalizable.... War is obsolete."[26] He criticized previous utopian schemes as too exclusive, and thought this was a major source of their failure. To work, he thought that a utopia needed to include everyone.[27]
So it is not surprising that he and others of his stature were attracted by Korzybski's ideas in general semantics. General semantics is a discipline of mind that seeks to unify persons and nations by changing their worldview reaction and the philosophy of their expression. In the 1950s Fuller attended seminars and workshops organized by the Institute of General Semantics, and he delivered the annual Alfred Korzybski Memorial Lecture in 1955.[28] Korzybski is mentioned in the Introduction of his book Synergetics. The two gentlemen shared a remarkable amount of similarity in their formulations of general semantics.[29]
In his 1970 book I Seem To Be a Verb, he wrote: "I live on Earth at present, and I don't know what I am. I know that I am not a category. I am not a thing—a noun. I seem to be a verb, an evolutionary process—an integral function of the universe."
Fuller claimed that the natural analytic geometry of the universe was based on arrays of tetrahedra. He developed this in several ways, from the close-packing of spheres and the number of compressive or tensile members required to stabilize an object in space. One confirming result was that the strongest possible homogeneous truss is cyclically tetrahedral.[30]
He had become a guru of the design, architecture, and 'alternative' communities, such as Drop City, the community of experimental artists to whom he awarded the 1966 "Dymaxion Award" for "poetically economic" domed living structures.
[edit] Major design projects
[edit] The geodesic domeFuller was most famous for his lattice shell structures – geodesic domes, which have been used as parts of military radar stations, civic buildings, environmental protest camps and exhibition attractions. An examination of the geodesic design by Walther Bauersfeld for the Zeiss-Planetarium, built some 20 years prior to Fuller's work, reveals that Fuller's Geodesic Dome patent (U.S. 2,682,235; awarded in 1954), follows the same design as Bauersfeld's.[31]
Their construction is based on extending some basic principles to build simple "tensegrity" structures (tetrahedron, octahedron, and the closest packing of spheres), making them lightweight and stable. The geodesic dome was a result of Fuller's exploration of nature's constructing principles to find design solutions. The Fuller Dome is referenced in the Hugo Award-winning novel Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner, in which a geodesic dome is said to cover the entire island of Manhattan, and it floats on air due to the hot-air balloon effect of the large air-mass under the dome (and perhaps its construction of lightweight materials).[32]
[edit] TransportationIn the 1930s, Fuller designed and built prototypes of what he hoped would be a safer, aerodynamic car, which he called the Dymaxion. ("Dymaxion" is said to be a syllabic abbreviation of dynamic maximum tension, or possibly of dynamic maximum ion.)[33] Fuller worked with professional colleagues for three years beginning in 1932 on a design idea Fuller had derived from aircraft technologies. The three prototype cars were different from anything being sold at the time. They had three wheels: two front drive wheels and one rear, steered wheel. The engine was in the rear, and the chassis and body were original designs. The aerodynamic, somewhat tear-shaped body was large enough to seat eleven people and was about 18 feet (5.5 m) long, resembling a blend of a light aircraft (without wings) and a Volkswagen van of 1950s vintage. All three prototypes were essentially a mini-bus, and its concept long predated the Volkswagen Type 2 mini-bus conceived in 1947 by Ben Pon.
radius and could easily be parked in a tight space. The prototypes were efficient in fuel consumption for their day, traveling about 30 miles per gallon.[34] Fuller contributed a great deal of his own money to the project, in addition to funds from one of his professional collaborators. An industrial investor was also very interested in the concept. Fuller anticipated that the cars could travel on an open highway safely at up to about 160 km/h (100 miles per hour), but, in practice, they were difficult to control and steer above 80 km/h (50 mph). Investors backed out and research ended after one of the prototypes was involved in a high-profile collision that resulted in a fatality. In 2007, Time Magazine reported on the Dymaxion as one of the "50 worst cars of all time".[35]
In 1943, industrialist Henry J. Kaiser asked Fuller to develop a prototype for a smaller car, but Fuller's five-seater design was never developed further.
[edit] Housing
|This section does not cite any references or sources. (December 2010)
Conceived nearly two decades before, and developed in Wichita, Kansas, the house was designed to be lightweight and adapted to windy climates. It was to be inexpensive to produce and purchase, and assembled easily. It was to be produced using factories, workers, and technologies that had produced World War II aircraft. It was ultramodern-looking at the time, built of metal, and sheathed in polished aluminum. The basic model enclosed 90 m² (1000 square feet) of floor area. Due to publicity, there were many orders during the early Post-War years, but the company that Fuller and others had formed to produce the houses failed due to management problems.
In 1969, Fuller began the Otisco Project, named after its location in Otisco, New York. The project developed and demonstrated concrete spray technology used in conjunction with mesh covered wireforms as a viable means of producing large scale, load bearing spanning structures built on site without the use of pouring molds, other adjacent surfaces or hoisting.
The initial construction method used a circular concrete footing in which anchor posts were set. Tubes cut to length and with ends flattened were then bolted together to form a duodeca-rhombicahedron (22 sided hemisphere) geodesic structure with spans ranging to 60 feet (18 m). The form was then draped with layers of ¼-inch wire mesh attached by twist ties. Concrete was then sprayed onto the structure, building up a solid layer which, when cured, would support additional concrete to be added by a variety of traditional means. Fuller referred to these buildings as monolithic ferroconcrete geodesic domes. The tubular frame form proved too problematic when it came to setting windows and doors, and was abandoned. The second method used iron rebar set vertically in the concrete footing and then bent inward and welded in place to create the dome's wireform structure and performed satisfactorily. Domes up to three stories tall built with this method proved to be remarkably strong. Other shapes such as cones, pyramids and arches proved equally adaptable.
The project was enabled by a grant underwritten by Syracuse University and sponsored by US Steel (rebar), the Johnson Wire Corp, (mesh) and Portland Cement Company (concrete). The ability to build large complex load bearing concrete spanning structures in free space would open many possibilities in architecture, and is considered as one of Fuller's greatest contributions.
[edit] Alternative map projectionFuller also designed an alternative projection map, called the Dymaxion map. This was designed to show Earth's continents with minimum distortion when projected or printed on a flat surface.
[edit] QuirksFuller was a frequent flier, often crossing time zones. He famously wore three watches; one for the current zone, one for the zone he had departed, and one for the zone he was going to.[36][37] Fuller also noted that a single sheet of newsprint, inserted over a shirt and under a suit jacket, provided completely effective heat insulation during long flights.[citation needed]
He experimented with polyphasic sleep, which he called Dymaxion sleep. In 1943, he told Time Magazine that he had slept only two hours a day for two years. He quit the schedule because it conflicted with his business associates' sleep habits, but stated that Dymaxion sleep could help the United States win World War II.[38]
Fuller documented his life copiously from 1915 to 1983, approximately 270 feet (82 m) of papers in a collection called the Dymaxion Chronofile. He also kept copies of all incoming and outgoing correspondence. The enormous Fuller Collection is currently housed at Stanford University.
If somebody kept a very accurate record of a human being, going through the era from the Gay 90s, from a very different kind of world through the turn of the century—as far into the twentieth century as you might live. I decided to make myself a good case history of such a human being and it meant that I could not be judge of what was valid to put in or not. I must put everything in, so I started a very rigorous record.[39][40]In his youth, Fuller experimented with several ways of presenting himself: R. B. Fuller, Buckminster Fuller, but as an adult finally settled on R. Buckminster Fuller, and signed his letters as such. However, he preferred to be addressed as simply "Bucky".
[edit] Practical achievementsFuller introduced a number of concepts, and helped develop others. Certainly, a number of his projects were not successful in terms of commitment from industry or acceptance by most of the public. However, more than 500,000 geodesic domes have been built around the world and many are in use. According to the Buckminster Fuller Institute,[41] the largest geodesic-dome structures are:
- Seagaia Ocean Dome: Miyazaki, Japan, 216 m (710 ft).
- Multi-Purpose Arena: Nagoya, Japan, 187 m (614 ft).
- Tacoma Dome: Tacoma, Washington, USA, 162 m (530 ft).
- Superior Dome: Northern Michigan Univ. Marquette, Michigan, USA, 160 m (525 ft).
- Walkup Skydome: Northern Arizona Univ. Flagstaff, Arizona, USA, 153 m (502 ft).
- Poliedro de Caracas: Caracas, Venezuela, 145 m (475 ft).[42][43][44]
- Round Valley High School Stadium: Springerville-Eagar, Arizona, USA, 134 m (440 ft).
- Former Spruce Goose Hangar: Long Beach, California, USA, 126 m (415 ft).
- Formosa Plastics Storage Facility: Mai Liao, Taiwan, 123 m (402 ft).
- Union Tank Car Maintenance Facility: Baton Rouge, Louisiana USA, 117 m (384 ft), destroyed in November 2007.[45]
- Lehigh Portland Cement Storage Facility: Union Bridge, Maryland USA, 114 m (374 ft).
- The Eden Project, Cornwall, United Kingdom[46]
- Spaceship Earth at Disney World's Epcot Center in Florida, 80.8-meters (265 ft) wide (Spaceship Earth is actually a self-supporting geodesic sphere, the only one currently in existence.)
- The Gold Dome in Oklahoma City, formerly a bank and now a multicultural society and business center.
- Downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, is a geodesic sphere hosting the Telus World of Science, a science centre (formerly called Science World), that was originally the Expo Centre built for Expo 86.
- The dome over a shopping center in downtown Ankara, Turkey, 109.7-meter (360 ft) tall
- The dome enclosing a civic center in Stockholm, Sweden, 85.3-meter (280 ft) high.
- The world's largest aluminum dome formerly housed the "Spruce Goose" airplane in Long Beach Harbor, California, USA.
A spin-off of Fuller's dome-design conceptualization was the Buckminster Ball, which was the official FIFA approved design for footballs (association football), from their introduction at the 1970 World Cup until recently. The design was a truncated icosahedron – essentially a "Geodesic Sphere", consisting of 12 pentagonal and 20 hexagonal panels. This was used continuously for 34 years until replaced by the 14-panel Teamgeist for the 2006 World Cup.
Fuller was followed (historically) by other designers and architects, such as Sir Norman Foster and Steve Baer, willing to explore the possibilities of new geometries in the design of buildings, not based on conventional rectangles.
[edit] Language and neologismsBuckminster Fuller spoke and wrote in a unique style and said it was important to describe the world as accurately as possible.[47] Fuller often created long run-on sentences and used unusual compound words (omniwell-informed, intertransformative, omni-interaccommodative, omniself-regenerative) as well as terms he himself invented.[48]
Fuller used the word Universe without the definite or indefinite articles (the or a) and always capitalized the word. Fuller wrote that "by Universe I mean: the aggregate of all humanity's consciously apprehended and communicated (to self or others) Experiences."[49]
The words "down" and "up", according to Fuller, are awkward in that they refer to a planar concept of direction inconsistent with human experience. The words "in" and "out" should be used instead, he argued, because they better describe an object's relation to a gravitational center, the Earth. "I suggest to audiences that they say, 'I'm going "outstairs" and "instairs."' At first that sounds strange to them; They all laugh about it. But if they try saying in and out for a few days in fun, they find themselves beginning to realize that they are indeed going inward and outward in respect to the center of Earth, which is our Spaceship Earth. And for the first time they begin to feel real 'reality.'"[50]
"World-around" is a term coined by Fuller to replace "worldwide". The general belief in a flat Earth died out in Classical antiquity, so using "wide" is an anachronism when referring to the surface of the Earth—a spheroidal surface has area and encloses a volume but has no width. Fuller held that unthinking use of obsolete scientific ideas detracts from and misleads intuition. Other neologisms collectively invented by the Fuller family, according to Allegra Fuller Snyder, are the terms "sunsight" and "sunclipse", replacing "sunrise" and "sunset" to overturn the geocentric bias of most pre-Copernican celestial mechanics.
Fuller also invented the word "livingry," as opposed to weaponry (or "killingry"), to mean that which is in support of all human, plant, and Earth life. "The architectural profession—civil, naval, aeronautical, and astronautical—has always been the place where the most competent thinking is conducted regarding livingry, as opposed to weaponry."[51]
As well as contributing significantly to the development of tensegrity technology, Fuller invented the term "tensegrity" from tensional integrity. "Tensegrity describes a structural-relationship principle in which structural shape is guaranteed by the finitely closed, comprehensively continuous, tensional behaviors of the system and not by the discontinuous and exclusively local compressional member behaviors. Tensegrity provides the ability to yield increasingly without ultimately breaking or coming asunder."[52]
"Dymaxion" is a portmanteau of "dynamic maximum tension". It was invented by an adman about 1929 at Marshall Field's department store in Chicago to describe Fuller's concept house, which was shown as part of a house of the future store display. These were three words that Fuller used repeatedly to describe his design.
Fuller also helped to popularise the concept of Spaceship Earth: "The most important fact about Spaceship Earth: an instruction manual didn't come with it."[53]
[edit] Concepts and buildingsHis concepts and buildings include:
[edit] Influence and legacyAmong the many people who were influenced by Buckminster Fuller are: Constance Abernathy,[56] Ruth Asawa,[57] J. Baldwin,[58][59] Michael Ben-Eli,[60] Pierre Cabrol,[61] Joseph Clinton,[62] Peter Floyd,[60] Medard Gabel,[63] Michael Hays,[60] David Johnston,[64] Robert Kiyosaki,[65] Peter Pearce,[60] Shoji Sadao,[60] Edwin Schlossberg,[60] Kenneth Snelson,[57][66][67] Robert Anton Wilson[68] and Stewart Brand.[69]
An allotrope of carbon, fullerene—and a particular molecule of that allotrope C60 (buckminsterfullerene or buckyball) has been named after him. The Buckminsterfullerene molecule, which consists of 60 carbon atoms, very closely resembles a spherical version of Fuller's geodesic dome. The 1996 Nobel prize in chemistry was given to Kroto, Curl, and Smalley for their discovery of the fullerene.[70]
On July 12, 2004, the United States Post Office released a new commemorative stamp honoring R. Buckminster Fuller on the 50th anniversary of his patent for the geodesic dome and by the occasion of his 109th birthday.
Fuller was the subject of two documentary films: The World of Buckminster Fuller (1971) and Buckminster Fuller: Thinking Out Loud (1996). Additionally, filmmaker Sam Green and the band Yo La Tengo collaborated on a 2012 "live documentary" about Fuller, The Love Song of R. Buckminster Fuller.[71]
In June 2008, the Whitney Museum of American Art presented "Buckminster Fuller: Starting with the Universe", the most comprehensive retrospective to date of his work and ideas.[72] The exhibition traveled to the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago in 2009. It presented a combination of models, sketches, and other artifacts, representing six decades of the artist's integrated approach to housing, transportation, communication, and cartography. It also featured the extensive connections with Chicago from his years spent living, teaching, and working in the city.[73]
In 2009 Noel Murphy wrote and performed the one-man show Buckminster Fuller LIVE! and then later on in 2010 Murphy directed the documentary film, The Last Dymaxion: Buckminster Fuller's Dream Restored.[citation needed]
In 2012, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art hosted "The Utopian Impulse" - a show about Buckminster Fuller's influence in the Bay Area. Featured were concepts, inventions and designs for creating "free energy" from natural forces, and for sequestering carbon from the atmosphere. The show ran January through July.[citation needed]
[edit] Patents(from the Table of Contents of Inventions: The Patented Works of R. Buckminster Fuller (1983) ISBN 0-312-43477-4)
- 1927 U.S. Patent 1,633,702 Stockade: Building Structure
- 1927 U.S. Patent 1,634,900 Stockade: Pneumatic Forming Process
- 1928 (Application Abandoned) 4D House
- 1937 U.S. Patent 2,101,057 Dymaxion Car
- 1940 U.S. Patent 2,220,482 Dymaxion Bathroom
- 1944 U.S. Patent 2,343,764 Dymaxion Deployment Unit (sheet)
- 1944 U.S. Patent 2,351,419 Dymaxion Deployment Unit (frame)
- 1946 U.S. Patent 2,393,676 Dymaxion Map
- 1946 (No Patent) Dymaxion House (Wichita)
- 1954 U.S. Patent 2,682,235 Geodesic Dome
- 1959 U.S. Patent 2,881,717 Paperboard Dome
- 1959 U.S. Patent 2,905,113 Plydome
- 1959 U.S. Patent 2,914,074 Catenary (Geodesic Tent)
- 1961 U.S. Patent 2,986,241 Octet Truss
- 1962 U.S. Patent 3,063,521 Tensegrity
- 1963 U.S. Patent 3,080,583 Submarisle (Undersea Island)
- 1964 U.S. Patent 3,139,957 Aspension (Suspension Building)
- 1965 U.S. Patent 3,197,927 Monohex (Geodesic Structures)
- 1965 U.S. Patent 3,203,144 Laminar Dome
- 1965 (Filed – No Patent) Octa Spinner
- 1967 U.S. Patent 3,354,591 Star Tensegrity (Octahedral Truss)
- 1970 U.S. Patent 3,524,422 Rowing Needles (Watercraft)
- 1974 U.S. Patent 3,810,336 Geodesic Hexa-Pent
- 1975 U.S. Patent 3,863,455 Floatable Breakwater
- 1975 U.S. Patent 3,866,366 Non-symmetrical Tensegrity
- 1979 U.S. Patent 4,136,994 Floating Breakwater
- 1980 U.S. Patent 4,207,715 Tensegrity Truss
- 1983 U.S. Patent 4,377,114 Hanging Storage Shelf Unit
[edit] Bibliography
- 4d Timelock (1928)
- Nine Chains to the Moon (1938)
- Untitled Epic Poem on the History of Industrialization (1962)
- Ideas and Integrities, a Spontaneous Autobiographical Disclosure (1963) ISBN 0-13-449140-8
- No More Secondhand God and Other Writings (1963)
- Education Automation: Freeing the Scholar to Return (1963)
- What I Have Learned: A Collection of 20 Autobiograhical Essays, Chapter "How Little I Know", (1968)
- Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth (1968) ISBN 0-8093-2461-X
- Utopia or Oblivion (1969) ISBN 0-553-02883-9
- Approaching the Benign Environment (1970) ISBN 0-8173-6641-5 (with Eric A. Walker and James R. Killian, Jr.)
- I Seem to Be a Verb (1970) coauthors Jerome Agel, Quentin Fiore, ISBN 1-127-23153-7
- Intuition (1970)
- Buckminster Fuller to Children of Earth (1972) compiled and photographed by Cam Smith, ISBN 0-385-02979-9
- The Dymaxion World of Buckminster Fuller (1960, 1973) coauthor Robert Marks, ISBN 0-385-01804-5
- Earth, Inc (1973) ISBN 0-385-01825-8
- Synergetics: Explorations in the Geometry of Thinking (1975) in collaboration with E.J. Applewhite with a preface and contribution by Arthur L. Loeb, ISBN 0-02-541870-X
- Tetrascroll: Goldilocks and the Three Bears, A Cosmic Fairy Tale (1975)
- And It Came to Pass — Not to Stay (1976) ISBN 0-02-541810-6
- R. Buckminster Fuller on Education (1979) ISBN 0-87023-276-2
- Synergetics 2: Further Explorations in the Geometry of Thinking (1979) in collaboration with E.J. Applewhite
- Buckminster Fuller Sketchbook (1981)
- Critical Path (1981) ISBN 0-312-17488-8
- Grunch of Giants (1983) ISBN 0-312-35193-3
- Inventions: The Patented Works of R. Buckminster Fuller (1983) ISBN 0-312-43477-4
- Humans in Universe (1983) coauthor Anwar Dil, ISBN 0-89925-001-7
- Cosmography: A Posthumous Scenario for the Future of Humanity (1992) coauthor Kiyoshi Kuromiya, ISBN 0-02-541850-5
[edit] See also
- The Buckminster Fuller Challenge
- Cloud nine (Tensegrity sphere)
- Design science revolution
- Emissions Reduction Currency System
- Noosphere
- Old Man River's City project
- Spome
- Whole Earth Catalog
[edit] References
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica. (2007). "Fuller, R Buckminster". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. http://www.britannica.com/ebc/article-9365050. Retrieved April 20, 2007.
- ^ Victor Serebriakoff (1986). Mensa: The Society for the Highly Intelligent. Stein and Day. pp. 299, 304. ISBN 0-8128-3091-1.
- ^ a b c Pawley, Martin (1991). Buckminster Fuller. New York: Taplinger. ISBN 0-8008-1116-X.
- ^ R. Buckminster Fuller, Your Private Sky, Page 27
- ^ Design – A Three-Wheel Dream That Died at Takeoff – Buckminster Fuller and the Dymaxion Car – NYTimes.com
- ^ a b c John Haber. "Before Buckyballs". Review of Noguchi Museum Best of Friends exhibit (May 19, 2006 – October 15, 2006). http://www.haberarts.com/fuller.htm. "Noguchi, then twenty-five, had already had enough influences for a lifetime — from birth in Los Angeles, to childhood in Japan and the Midwest, to premedical classes at Columbia, to academic sculpture on the Lower East Side, to Brancusi's circle in Paris. Now his exposure to Modernism and "the American century" received a decidedly New York influence.
"Only two years before, on the brink of suicide, Fuller had decided to remake his life and the world. Why not begin on Minetta Street? In 1929, he was shopping around his first major design, plans for an inexpensive, modular home that others air-lift right where desired. Now, in exchange for meals, he took on the interior decoration and chairs for Marie's new location. He must have stood out in person, too, ever the talkative, handsome visionary in tie and starched collar."
See also: "The Architect and the Sculptor: A Friendship of Ideas". Grace Glueck, The New York Times. May 19, 2006. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/19/arts/design/19nogu.html. Retrieved April 27, 2010."
- ^ a b Lloyd Steven Sieden. Buckminster Fuller's Universe: His Life and Work (pp. 74, 119–142). New York: Perseus Books Group, 2000. ISBN 0-7382-0379-3. p. 74: "Although O'Neill soon became well known as a major American playwright, it was Romany Marie who would significantly influence Bucky, becoming his close friend and confidante during the most difficult years of his life."
- ^ a b John Haskell. "Buckminster Fuller and Isamu Noguchi". Kraine Gallery Bar Lit, Fall 2007. http://www.kgbbar.com/lit/features/buckminster_ful.html.
- ^ Robert Schulman. Romany Marie: The Queen of Greenwich Village (pp. 85–86, 109–110). Louisville: Butler Books, 2006. ISBN 1-884532-74-8.
- ^ "Interview with Isamu Noguchi". Conducted November 7, 1973 by Paul Cummings at Noguchi's studio in Long Island City, Queens. Smithsonian Archives of American Art. http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/oralhistories/tranSCRIPTs/noguch73.htm.
- ^ Michael John Gorman (updated March 12, 2002). "Passenger Files: Isamu Noguchi, 1904–1988". Towards a cultural history of Buckminster Fuller's Dymaxion Car. Stanford Humanities Lab. http://hotgates.stanford.edu/Bucky/dymaxion/noguchi.htm. Includes several images.
- ^ "IDEAS + INVENTIONS: Buckminster Fuller and Black Mountain College". Black Mountain College Museum and Arts Center Exhibit. July 15, 2005 – November 26, 2005. http://blackmountaincollege.org/content/view/45/60/.
- ^ The Dymaxion World of Buckminster Fuller. ISBN 0-385-01804-5.
- ^ "The Center for Spirituality & Sustainability". Siue.edu. http://www.siue.edu/maps/tour/center-spirituality-sustainability.shtml. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
- ^ Partial list of Fuller U.S. patents
- ^ "Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter F". American Academy of Arts and Sciences. http://www.amacad.org/publications/BookofMembers/ChapterF.pdf. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
- ^ Arthur Buckminster Fuller
- ^ Buckminster Fuller: Designer of a New World
- ^ Brand, Stewart (1999). The Clock of the Long Now. New York: Basic. ISBN 0-465-04512-X.
- ^ Fuller, R. Buckminster (1969). Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press. ISBN 0-8093-2461-X.
- ^ Fuller, R. Buckminster; Applewhite, E. J. (1975). Synergetics. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 0-02-541870-X.
- ^ Fuller, R. Buckminster (1981). Critical Path. New York: St. Martin's Press. xxxiv–xxxv. ISBN 0-312-17488-8.
- ^ Phil Ament. "Inventor R. Buckminster Fuller". Ideafinder.com. http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventors/fuller.htm. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
- ^ "Buckminster Fuller World Game Synergy Anticapatory". YouTube. January 27, 2007. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYtQ_-rpAUo&feature=related. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
- ^ The Economist. http://www.economist.com/debate/days/view/159.
- ^ Fuller, R. Buckminster (1981). "Introduction". Critical Path (First ed.). New York, N.Y.: St.Martin's Press. xxv. ISBN 0-312-17488-8. ""It no longer has to be you or me. Selfishness is unnecessary and hence-forth unrationalizable as mandated by survival. War is obsolete."
- ^ Fuller, R. Buckminster (2008). Jaime Snyder. ed. Utopia or oblivion: the prospects for humanity. Baden, Switzerland: Lars Müller Publishers. ISBN 978-3-03778-127-2.
- ^ "Notable Individuals Influenced by General Semantics". The Institute of General Semantics. http://www.generalsemantics.org/the-general-semantics-learning-center/overview-of-general-semantics/notable-individuals/.
- ^ Drake, Harold L.. "The General Semantics and Science Fiction of Robert heinlein and A. E. Van Vogt". General Semantics Bulletin 41. Institute of General Semantics. p. 144. http://www.generalsemantics.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/articles/gsb/gsb41-drake.pdf. "For his dissertation showing some relationships between formulations of Alfred Korzybski and Buckminster Fuller, plus documenting meetings and associations of the two gentlemen, he was given the 1973 Irving J . Lee Award in General Semantics offered by the International Society for General Semantics."
- ^ Edmondson, Amy, "A Fuller Explanation", Birkhauser, Boston, 1987, p19 tetrahedra, p110 octet truss
- ^ Geodesic Domes and Charts of the Heavens
- ^ The R. Buckminster Fuller FAQ: Geodesic Domes
- ^ "National Automobile Museum - collections". Archived from the original on 2008-02-27. http://web.archive.org/web/20080227075757/http://www.automuseum.org/NAM_collections_dymaxion2.shtml. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
- ^ "Stanford Magazine - 'I seem to be a verb...' - July/August 2012". http://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=54863. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
- ^ "The 50 Worst Cars of All Time"
- ^ Annals of Innovation: Dymaxion Man: Reporting & Essays: The New Yorker
- ^ Fuller, Buckminster (1969). Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press. ISBN 0-8093-2461-X.
- ^ "Science: Dymaxion Sleep". Time. October 11, 1943. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,774680,00.html. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
- ^ Buckminster Fuller conversations
- ^ "Stanford University Libraries & Academic Information Resources:". Sul.stanford.edu. June 22, 2005. http://www-sul.stanford.edu//depts/spc/fuller/about.html. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
- ^ "The Buckminster Fuller Institute | Buckminster Fuller Institute". Bfi.org. http://www.bfi.org/. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ Poliedro de Caracas – Sightseeing with Google Satellite Maps
- ^ http://cityguides.salsaweb.com/belgium/reports/2001/20010120venezuelatravel/venezimages/caracas04.jpg
- ^ 2theadvocate.com News | Kansas City Southern razes geodesic dome — Baton Rouge, LA
- ^ – The Eden Project
- ^ "What is important in this connection is the way in which humans reflex spontaneously for that is the way in which they usually behave in critical moments, and it is often "common sense" to reflex in perversely ignorant ways that produce social disasters by denying knowledge and ignorantly yielding to common sense." Intuition, 1972 Doubleday, New York. p.103
- ^ He wrote a single unpunctuated sentence approximately 3000 words long titled "What I Am Trying to Do." And It Came to Pass – Not to Stay Macmillan Publishing, New York, 1976.
- ^ "How Little I Know" from And It Came to Pass – Not to Stay Macmillan, 1976
- ^ Intuition (1972).
- ^ Critical Path, page xxv.
- ^ Synergetics, page 372.
- ^ "Selected Quotes". http://www.cjfearnley.com/cgi-bin/cjf-fortunes.pl?srchstr=Fuller&name=Submit. 090810 cjfearnley.com
- ^ Salsbury, Patrick G. (2000) "Comprehensive Anticipatory Design Science; An Introduction" Miqel.com
- ^ "Eight Strategies for Comprehensive Anticipatory Design Science" Buckminster Fuller Institute
- ^ thirteen.org website Helped organize Fuller's papers Retrieved December 29, 2010
- ^ a b Thomas T. K. Zung, Buckminster Fuller: Anthology for a New Millennium Retrieved December 29, 2010
- ^ Buckyworks Retrieved December 29, 2010
- ^ Buckworks Retrieved December 29, 2010
- ^ a b c d e f Makovsky, Paul; Lanks, Belinda and Pedersen, Martin C. (July 2008) "The Fuller Effect" Metropolis (Magazine, New York) 28(1): pp. 106–111
- ^ Noland, Carol (November 1, 2009) "Pierre Cabrol dies at 84; architect was lead designer of Hollywood's Cinerama Dome" Los Angeles Times, archived here [2] at WebCite
- ^ Buckminster Fuller Prize challenge Retrieved December 29, 2010
- ^ Thomas T. K. Zung, Buckminster Fuller: Anthology for a New Millennium Retrieved December 29, 2010
- ^ About David Johnston Retrieved December 29, 2010
- ^ Kiyosaki, Robert. Rich Dad's Conspiracy of the Rich: The 8 New Rules of Money, pp. 3–4. Business Plus, 2009. ISBN 978-0-446-55980-5
- ^ [3], Whitney Museum of American Art exhibition, Retrieved December 29, 2010
- ^ concerning Fuller and Snelson Retrieved December 29, 2010
- ^ Hi Times May 1981, Robert Anton Wilson interviews Buckminster Fuller Retrieved December 29, 2010
- ^ From Counterculture to Cyberculture: The Legacy of the Whole Earth Catalog (from minute 22:40) Retrieved August 16, 2012
- ^ Chemistry 1996
- ^ The Love Song of R. Buckminster Fuller Retrieved May 21, 2012
- ^ Buckminster Fuller: Starting with the Universe
- ^ "Chicago's MCA to show Buckminster Fuller ~ Starting with the Universe". Art Knowledge News. 2009. http://www.artknowledgenews.com/R_Buckminster_Fuller_Starting_with_the_Universe.html. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
[edit] Further reading
- Applewhite, E. J. Cosmic Fishing: An account of writing Synergetics with Buckminster Fuller. 1977 (ISBN 0-02-502710-7)
- Applewhite, E. J., ed. Synergetics Dictionary, The Mind Of Buckminster Fuller; in four volumes. Garland Publishing, Inc. New York and London. 1986 (ISBN 0-8240-8729-1)
- Chu, Hsiao-Yun. "Fuller's Laboratory Notebook." Collections, Volume 4 Issue 4 Fall 2008 (Lanham, MD: Altamira Press), 295–306.
- Chu, Hsiao-Yun and Roberto Trujillo. New Views on R. Buckminster Fuller.(Stanford, CA; Stanford University Press, 2009) ISBN 0-8047-6279-1
- Eastham, Scott: American Dreamer. Bucky Fuller and the Sacred Geometry of Nature; The Lutterworth Press 2007, Cambridge; ISBN 978-0-7188-3031-1
- Edmondson, Amy: "A Fuller Explanation"; EmergentWorld LLC. 2007 (ISBN 978-0-6151-8314-5)
- Hatch, Alden Buckminster Fuller At Home In The Universe. 1974 (ISBN 0-440-04408-1) Crown Publishers, New York.
- Hoogenboom, Olive (1999). "Fuller, R. Buckminster". American National Biography. 8. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 559–562.
- Kenner, Hugh. Bucky: a guided tour of Buckminster Fuller. 1973 (ISBN 0-688-00141-6)
- Krausse, Joachim and Lichtenstein, Claude. ed. Your Private Sky, R. Buckminster Fuller: The Art Of Design Science. Lars Mueller Publishers. 1999 (ISBN 3-907044-88-6)
- McHale, John. R. Buckminster Fuller. George Brazillier, Inc., New York. hardback. 1962.
- Pawley, Martin. Buckminster Fuller. Taplinger Publishing Company, New York. 1991. hardcover (ISBN 0-8008-1116-X)
- Potter, R. Robert. Buckminster Fuller (Pioneers in Change Series). Silver Burdett Publishers. 1990 (ISBN 0-382-09972-9)
- Robertson, Donald. Mind's Eye Of Buckminster Fuller. 1974 (ISBN 0-533-01017-9) Vantage Press, Inc., New York.
- Snyder, Robert. Buckminster Fuller: An Autobiographical Monologue/Scenario. St. Martin's Press, New York. hardback. 1980 (ISBN 0-312-24547-5)
- Sterngold, James. "The Love Song of R. Buckminster Fuller." The New York Times [Arts Section], June 15, 2008.
- Ward, James, ed., The Artifacts Of R. Buckminster Fuller, A Comprehensive Collection of His Designs and Drawings in Four Volumes: Volume One. The Dymaxion Experiment, 1926–1943; Volume Two. Dymaxion Deployment, 1927–1946; Volume Three. The Geodesic Revolution, Part 1, 1947–1959; Volume Four. The Geodesic Revolution, Part 2, 1960–1983: Edited with descriptions by James Ward. Garland Publishing, New York. 1984 (ISBN 0-8240-5082-7 vol. 1, ISBN 0-8240-5083-5 vol. 2, ISBN 0-8240-5084-3 vol. 3, ISBN 0-8240-5085-1 vol. 4)
- Wong, Yunn Chii, The Geodesic Works of Richard Buckminster Fuller, 1948–1968 (The Universe as a Home of Man), PhD thesis, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture, 1999.
- Wühr, Paul, Das falsche Buch. (Fuller appears as a character in this book.)
[edit] External links
|Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Buckminster Fuller
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Buckminster Fuller
- The Estate of R. Buckminster Fuller
- Buckminster Fuller Institute
- Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony for the Presidential Medal of Freedom – February 23, 1983
- Works by Buckminster Fuller on Open Library at the Internet Archive
- Buckminster Fuller, a portrait by Ansel Adams
- Articles about Fuller
- WIRED article about Buckminster Fuller
- Dymaxion Man: The Visions of Buckminster Fuller by Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker (June 9, 2008)
- The Love Song of R. Buckminster Fuller New York Times article questioning Fuller's supposed consideration of suicide, (June 15, 2008)
- Collections
- Buckminster Fuller Digital Collection at Stanford includes 380 hrs. of streamed audio-visual material from Fuller's personal archive
- Buckminster Fuller Papers 1,200 feet (370 m) housed at Stanford University Libraries
- Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections, York University – Archival photographs of Buckminster Fuller from the Toronto Telegram.
- Everything I Know
- "Everything I Know" Session, Philadelphia, 1975 at Stanford University Libraries archives
- The "Everything I Know" 42-hour lecture session — video, audio, and full transcripts.
- Media
- R. Buckminster Fuller on PBS
- Buckminster Fuller discussed on The State of Things
- The World of Buckminster Fuller at the Internet Movie Database, a 1974 documentary
- Buckminster Fuller: Thinking Out Loud at the Internet Movie Database, a 1996 episode of American Masters
- Critical Path: R. Buckminster Fuller at the Internet Movie Database, a 2004 short animated documentary
- Other resources
- CJ Fearnley's List of Buckminster Fuller Resources on the Internet
- Buckminster Fuller at Pionniers & Précurseurs. Includes a bibliography
|Fuller, Buckminster
|Alternative names
|Fuller, Bucky
|Short description
|American inventor and author
|Date of birth
|July 12, 1895
|Place of birth
|Milton, Massachusetts
|Date of death
|July 1, 1983
|Place of death
|Los Angeles
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text:
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Supposing science ever became complete ...
19 comments:
- Thomas said...
Yet those questions all exist within our universe!
This is because they are composed of words, which in turn are composed of symbols.
Symbols are physical objects.
That they are encoded in electrons in silicon chips and appear as patterns of light emanating from computer monitors does not make them less real.
- October 30, 2008 at 10:09 PM
- Adam D said...
... umm ... what? Thomas, are you trying to argue that philosophical questions are actually scientific questions because you can claim that to express a philosophical question one needs to use material things?
please elaborate because if that's your gist, it's utter nonsense.
- October 31, 2008 at 11:27 AM
- Thomas said...
Thanks, Adam.
I think Professor Lewis misspoke. If he'd said that if all questions *about* the physical universe were one day answered, then further legitimate questions would remain, then I'd have no quibble.
As you say, philosophical questions cannot be settled by science.
I suspect that because that we cannot deduce moral theories from facts, theists believe that an independent God must exist to supply the missing justification for moral theories.
However, in reality, all theories are conjectured afresh. They do not require a legitimate source (such as a religious authority) or a basis of justification (such as a set of uncontroversial theories from which we may safely infer everything else).
- October 31, 2008 at 7:55 PM
- Adam D said...
hmmm ... that doesn't seem to be what you were clumsily saying in your first post.
And really, it's about as enigmatic to me. Are you trying to be indirect? "All theories are conjectured afresh" what the heck does that mean? And why don't freshly conjectured theories require sources? Isn't it an important aspect of scientific method (which I take it you are espousing [but, again, you're not being terribly straight-forward in how you express yourself so it's hard to tell]) to work from data in order to formulate theories? i.e., sources are required before freshly conjecturing a theory?
Please, elaborate, again.
- October 31, 2008 at 8:27 PM
- Thomas said...
OK, I'll try. Please bear in mind that it's difficult not to appear clumsy to another whose worldview may be very different from one's own. The truth is not obvious!
My point was that the questions C.S.Lewis listed *do exist* as things within our universe. He thought of them, typed them on a sheet of paper, and later they reappear in this blog. Yet science has not answered them, and nor can it in principle. So presumably science cannot know "every single thing in the whole universe".
This is not altogether a minor objection, because C.S. Lewis, as a theist, may wish to persuade the reader that *another* Entity or Being exists outside the universe who can supply the answer to those questions.
That all theories are conjectured afresh means that theories begin as guesses which originate in the minds of human beings.
The characteristic feature of science is that it often uses facts (the results of experiments) to select between competing theories. Theories are not induced or inferred from data.
Also, I wanted to say that the truth of a theory depends upon its content, not upon its source, as has been widely believed throughout history. Nor does a theory require positive justification or logical foundation.
All it requires is an explanation of how it solves some problem, and an attempt to address any criticisms that people raise.
- October 31, 2008 at 10:31 PM
- Adam D said...
okay, Thomas. You've got an interesting position, to be sure. But first of all, you can drop comments like "Please bear in mind that it's difficult not to appear clumsy to another whose worldview may be very different from one's own. The truth is not obvious!" There's no need for such patronizing. Believe it or not, many theists (myself and our bloghost included) were probably atheists or agnostics at one point or another. We're certainly able to sympathize with your worldview.
As to your actual point of view, let me just say I think what you hold is outside the mainstream among materialists. Though materialists don't believe in God, they still work under the assumption (an inheritance from Christian cultures, btw) that the universe is consistent and understandable through laws which represent the way in which things behave. As such, theories do indeed need justification and sources. That is, theories are inferred from observable data and need to correlate (their justification) to reality.
Wikipedia has a fine article on the scientific method which is quite how I remember being taught in school, and which sounds like it contradicts your ideas about how it should work.
As for this idea being a rebuttal of what Lewis expressed in his first, it just ain't. You simply misunderstand his point. Lewis has plenty of ways for arguing that there is a God and that this God became man in Jesus, but this particular quote is simply a setup to those arguments (not such an argument in itself) by leading the reader to reject the common assumption among materialists that the scientific method can answer all questions. In fact it can't answer questions of meaning and metaphysics and such.
You are getting into all these odd expressions just because you are stretching the quote to cover what it isn't meant to. It's enough to leave this matter at "yes, science cannot answer philosophical questions" and be glad we have a point of agreement in our differing worldviews.
- November 1, 2008 at 9:37 AM
- Robert Velarde said...
In context, the quote cited is part of a case that Lewis is building towards theism. At this stage in his line of reasoning in Mere Christianity, he is contrasting the materialistic worldview with religious worldviews.
Lewis then goes on in the chapter wherein the quote appears to describe the scientific method in brief. He adds, "Do not think I am saying anything against science: I am only saying what its job is."
Lewis did not see science as the enemy of Christianity, but was cautious about incorporating particular scientific evidences into an apologetic case, lest Christianity end up looking foolish for incorporating a line of reasoning that might later be proven false.
But in relation to philosophical/religious/metaphysical questions, Lewis believed science had definite limits. As such, he opposed not science but scientism -- belief that science is the ultimate if not only viable means of assessing reality or gaining knowledge, making the quote at bottom a matter of epistemology.
Lewis then goes on to make a case for something that is "more like a mind than it is like anything else we know" or for a "power" beyond the universe by addressing human beings and human nature in reference to natural law (inherent moral tendencies).
It is a variation, of course, of a moral argument for theism, but Lewis is careful in the progression and in the argument. He admits, for instance, that he is only making an incremental step in the direction of the God of Christian theism.
In context, then, the quotation is about the function and limits of science, which builds to Lewis's case for something leading to theism via a moral argument.
Your statement, Thomas, "Nor does a theory require positive justification or logical foundation," is at odds with the majority view of what science and scientists consider a theory. They do indeed require positive justification and logical foundations.
- November 1, 2008 at 10:21 AM
- Thomas said...
Please believe me, Adam, when I say that I think both our intentions are honourable. I sincerely believe that the truth isn't obvious, or else why would we bother to read, think and debate?
I began by pointing out what struck me as a factual error in the C.S.Lewis quote. I also thought it was interesting that, independent of their possible interpretations, symbols are physical objects.
This isn't meant as a defence of materialism, which is false. There are many real entities which aren't made of matter (e.g. words, numbers). Where they are referred to by symbols, their properties are independent of the media in which those symbols appear.
I think C.S. Lewis might have found this interesting. If it helps to raise the tone, allow me to add that I have been an admirer of his since childhood.
I'll try to explain why scientific theories aren't inferred from data.
This is because it's impossible to extrapolate from observations unless one has already placed them within an explanatory framework.
Any set of observations is logically consistent with an infinity of theories. Imagine you have a graph of experimental data points. There are an infinite number of curves which you could draw through those points. If you consider one curve to be more valid than another, it could only be because you have a theory which allows you to interpret the data in a particular way.
The role of observation is to select between competing explanations, where other forms of criticism have failed. This is what experiments are designed to do.
- November 1, 2008 at 3:35 PM
- Thomas said...
Thanks for supplying the context. I agree with all except the final paragraph.
It's not enough to reassert that theories must rest on foundations, you have to explain it.
Or perhaps you could try, by your own terms, to supply the missing foundations.
(That task might make the following criticism more obvious.)
If we try to make the truth of theories depend upon the truth of other, less controversial theories, such as facts, then we create an infinite regress.
For no theory is self-evident. However sure we are that a given theory is true, we could be wrong.
Thus any purportedly foundational theory would itself require positive justification, ad infinitum.
- November 1, 2008 at 3:53 PM
- Robert Velarde said...
Thomas, I'm glad we agree on some common ground, at least in reference to everything in my previous comment except, as you note, the final paragraph.
Our area of disagreement is in reference to epistemology. As you probably know, but what I will state for some readers who may not know, epistemology has to do with knowledge, as well as related issues such as truth and justification.
Skepticism of varying forms might approach epistemology in one or more ways. Foundationalists and coherentists, moreover, have differing approaches to knowledge, with the former arguing that some beliefs are "properly basic," while the latter favor more of an interconnected web of knowledge without such properly basic foundations.
There is, naturally, much more that could be said on epistemology, but I doubt we could tackle more than the rudiments via a blog dialogue.
I suppose my basic point, then, is that based on my approach to epistemology the final sentence in my previous comment is indeed accurate, meaning that within such an epistemological framework of foundationalism, theories do require positive justification and logical foundations.
Moreover, I would reiterate that the majority view among scientists would concur with such an epistemological perspective.
- November 1, 2008 at 5:18 PM
- Thomas said...
Fair enough. If you do find a response to my criticisms, I'd be interested to hear it.
It's fitting that we disagree about epistemology, since mine, which is due to Karl Popper, is an *evolutionary* theory of knowledge.
I don't know what proportion of professional scientists follows Popper. Perhaps they don't think much about philosophy at all.
However, I am confident that neither of us care very much what any majority thinks: it's the truth that matters.
- November 2, 2008 at 1:02 AM
- Robert Velarde said...
Your first paragraph in your most recent post suggests that I have offered no response to your criticisms, suggesting that your position stands, while mine does not. I don't know if this was your intent or not, but that is how it comes across.
What I've been making an effort to do in this thread is understand your position and respond and assess as the dialogue progresses. This is hardly dodging, ignoring, or failing to respond to your criticisms.
Let us return to the post that sparked this discussion. I quoted a passage of Mere Christianity wherein Lewis briefly argues against the position that science can know everything. In short, he makes a case against what might be termed hard scientism, which I explained in a later post. You replied by stating, in part, "I agree with all except the final paragraph." This, then, means that you agree with the original Lewis quotation I cited.
Your most recent post grants your epistemological reliance on Popper, which makes sense given your previous posts. I disagree with Popper, as my previous posts indicate. Rather, I agree with the maxim that knowledge is justified true belief, with truth being that which corresponds to reality.
For responses to your epistemological criticisms, see, for instance, Alvin Plantinga and Nicholas Wolterstorff, though my concern here is that this discussion will just become a matter of tossing reading recommendations back and forth to one another. Nevertheless, given your apparent position that I have not responded to your criticisms, I thought it beneficial to suggest some sources of responses.
Lastly, I find it curious that although you do not believe that a theory requires "positive justification" or "logical foundations," throughout this thread you nevertheless show clear indications of offering positive justification and logical foundations for your theory of epistemology. It looks self-refuting.
- November 2, 2008 at 8:40 AM
- Thomas said...
Rather than attempting to positively justify Popper's epistemology (Critical Rationalism), which couldn't work, I want to show that its rivals are false.
Then any reasonable person would want to adopt CR, and adjust his worldview accordingly.
I gave a criticism of foundationalism earlier in this thread, explaining how it leads to an infinite regress.
I guess I am hoping you'll explain how the criticism fails, or indicate how I have misrepresented foundationalism, or supply some other arguments that go to the substance of our disagreement.
I suppose I could go away and read the books you recommend, but I'd prefer not to, unless you insist (and if I can find the time!)
* * *
> This, then, means that you agree with the original Lewis quotation I cited.
No. I merely agreed with your description of Lewis's case against scientism.
I'm with you and Lewis on scientific chauvinism: scientism is false and a plague in our culture at present :-(
I began by pointing out an apparent flaw in what Lewis claimed in the text you quoted. I didn't want to address Lewis's whole subsequent case, although it was kind of you to describe it.
In order to "know every single thing in the whole universe", one would have to *explain* every single thing in it. This would include taking positions on why the physical symbols that make up the questions Lewis listed are arranged in the ways they are, and not in other ways. And one cannot do that without reference to philosophical theories, nor indeed without taking philosophical positions.
Perhaps it was a trivial objection, but I find it surprising and beautiful that the reality is unified in this way.
- November 2, 2008 at 11:06 PM
- Adam D said...
I feel I'm gonna have to read up on Popper and Critical Rationalism a bit ... not a philosophy I'm familiar with, but it's a relief to be given a source for understanding what you're arguing for, Thomas. I'll let Robert continue to address Critical Rationalism, if he decides to take the time to do so (he is the proper philosopher here, I'm just an artist who likes to get my feet wet in philosophy).
But I would like to take umbrage with the concept that, in undertaking a scientific explanation of everything, one needs to explain even the symbols used in expressing oneself. On the contrary, science works from several assumptions, one of which, as I said earlier, is the assumption that the universe is intelligible and consistent and describable by laws. Similarly, it works under simple, nearly universal assumptions of the intelligibility of our normal means of communication (like speaking, writing, mathematical equations). It is the nature of science to work from these assumptions. When's the last time a scientist described his preference for German over English because the science was clearer in one language vs the other? It doesn't happen because the message is not intimately tied to its medium and isn't assumed to be.
Now you might, in your philosophy, believe that an explanation of everything necessarily entails explaining even one's chosen symbols, but that's not doing science. Science works just fine by skipping over such considerations and proceeding (correctly, I think) that such questions are moot.
- November 3, 2008 at 3:12 PM
- Adam D said...
I meant "presuming" not "proceeding" in my last line. sorry.
- November 3, 2008 at 6:12 PM
- Robert Velarde said...
Thanks, Thomas, for the stimulating discussion. I've appreciated your willingness to interact with the ideas presented here, as well as your efforts to engage in civil discussion.
Regarding the infinite regress criticism of foundationalism, this is something foundationalists are aware of, but Plantinga could offer a far better response to the criticism than I could. As a moral philosopher I have some affinity for epistemology but it is not my primary area of expertise (there are, of course, varieties of foundationalists as well).
In short, some beliefs are "properly basic," thus providing a foundation to foundationalism rather than resulting in an infinite regress. Thus, according to Reformed epistemology, some beliefs such as belief in God may be properly basic. This, however, need not (and in my case does not) do away with the need for rational evidences and lines of reasoning in support of a position.
You will have a hard time convincing me of your epistemic position if the extent of your argument for your case is "to show that its rivals are false." This strikes me as essentially claiming that if you could put enough holes in other positions, then your position must be true by default. But this is not logically the case, as the views you are criticizing could be false as well as your own view.
For example, if I were to try and demonstrate that Christianity has a high probability of being true by merely criticizing competing worldviews to show they are deficient, this would not necessarily make my position true by default.
One of the things I appreciate about the Christian worldview is that I can not only make efforts to argue for its truth on the basis of criticizing other worldviews (with gentleness and respect, 1 Peter 3:15), but also because I can offer positive justification on behalf of Christianity via reason, historical evidences, etc.
Regarding Popper, would The Logic of Scientific Discovery be a good resource to review to better understand his epistemology or might you have some other resources in mind?
At any rate, while I am game, so to speak, for continuing this dialogue, I don't know that I could do so without writing extensive exchanges back and forth -- something I find tedious on a blog. I will, however, continue to give it a shot as my schedule permits.
- November 3, 2008 at 6:21 PM
- Thomas said...
I'll check out Plantinga and "properly basic" beliefs, and I'm looking forward to "Conversations with C.S. Lewis", too :-)
I learnt CR mostly from reading Chapter 3 of "The Fabric of Reality" by David Deutsch. (The book has a slightly different title in the U.S.)
- November 4, 2008 at 8:02 AM
- Thomas said...
A diehard fallibilist will rationally hold assumptions but he'll never believe that they are *certainly* true.
Even if he *felt* certain that one was true, how could he be sure about *that* (his feeling)?
One of the cool things about CR is that it has fallibility built into it.
Mathematicians assumed for a long time that two parallel lines will never meet. It seemed like common sense. Eventually someone questioned and relaxed this assumption, giving birth to a new field of geometry.
Physicists later discovered that our spacetime is described by this new geometry and not by Euclid's (which is merely a special case).
I wouldn't be surprised if one or two scientists and philosophers are taking seriously the idea that reality is *un*intelligible.
Sorry: I think I've led everyone up the garden path with this symbols business i.e. caused confusion
Suffice it to say that although moral assertions cannot be derived from physical assertions (nor vice versa), moral explanations and physical explanations are intertwined.
- November 4, 2008 at 10:52 AM
- Martin LaBar said...
I agree with Lewis. Thanks.
- November 7, 2008 at 9:49 AM

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Recognizing a Rodent Infestation
Its impossible without some magic glasses to tell you how many rodents are living in your attic or walls, our general rule of thumb is if you have rodent activity in most of your attic we approach it as an infestation.There are many indicators of rodent activity we look for wen we due inspections, below are some of the more common we see. If you see these throughout your attic your likely to have a rat infestation.
Rat Burrow
Droppings - Usually, the first clue of a serious rodent problem is their droppings on the kitchen counter, in kitchen drawers and cabinets, or in the pantry. Look for mouse droppings in utility closets, attics, garages and basements. Mouse droppings are smooth with pointed ends, and are 1/8-inch to ¼-inch long. Rat droppings are pellet-shaped, blunt at both ends, about the size of an olive pit, and shiny black. They soon fade to gray-white. Droppings are randomly scattered, but normally close to rodent runways, feeding areas, or near shelter.
Tracks - Rodent tracks can be observed in mud, dust or bare dirt. Often, rodent tails also leave a mark. In the house, mouse tracks can be seen on dusty surfaces. You can also check for mouse tracks by dusting suspected areas with a light coating of unscented talcum powder or chalk dust. Wait a day and then shine a flashlight across the area. If there are small tracks in the powder, mice have been there.
Gnawing - Rats must chew continuously to wear down their incisor teeth. Look for holes in walls or ceilings, and trails in crawl spaces, behind or under cupboards, counters, bathtubs, shower stalls, or near hot water heaters or furnaces.
Burrows - Burrows can be found along ditches, walls, or fences, and under buildings, rubbish, low vegetation, woodpiles or concrete slabs.
Runways - Rats follow the same routes as they make their rounds foraging for food each night. In doing so, they leave 2-inch wide runways in the dirt or grass, usually next to buildings or fences.
Grease marks - Greasy rub marks are caused by a rat's oily fur repeatedly coming in contact with walls or entrance holes.
image from http://ift.tt/2i7sfeA
Urine stains - Urine stains are more easily observable under a black light.
Nests - Mouse nests can be found in utility closets, attics, garages, and basements. They are usually made of cloth or shredded paper, lined with finely shredded material. Rat nests look like a loosely woven ball 4-6 inches in diameter.
Partially eaten food - Mice leave behind partially eaten food. While rats eat most of the food they find, even they leave telltale signs, like shells or other finding.
Live or dead rodents - People usually see mice only when they have been sitting stock still, such as when reading or watching television. Rats are nocturnal, but in areas having large rat populations some low ranked rats will forage during the day, because they have been denied access to food at night. If you see rats during the day, it is a sign of a substantial infestation.
Sounds - While you may not be able to see them, you can probably hear rodents moving after dark. If your pet paws at a wall or cabinet it may be trying to get at a lurking rodent.
Odors - Often you can smell rodent urine or their musky odor, especially in a poorly ventilated room
via Tumblr http://ift.tt/2hOd0t9


text:
Imagine how you would feel had your local newspaper published an article that said you were dismissed from your job (in Kimora's case, a virtual empire that she built from the ground up), in part, because your supervisor thought you were too fat. You'd feel terrible and who wouldn't be able to understand!? Kimora is tough, and at least publically, she's handling this like a champ. Absolutely, we don't know how she's dealing with it away from all of the prying eyes, but as a woman I can imagine and I would hope that any other woman reading this can do the same.
My very best friend in this world was once in a very public position and things went South hard and fast when the pig she was working for crossed the line and then retaliated when she wasn't cool with it. I can remember sitting on the phone with her literally for hours some days as she shared her frustration, shock and disappointment. Her career was just taking off and the drama couldn't have come at a worse time. I will never forget spending hours helping her draft documentation for a mediation session dealing with that bullshit, and that was several years ago. Situations like that just sort of burn themselves into your memory bank and just sit there, ready to provide the needed juice to help another woman get through her own "situation". It's driving me now to help Kimora in this Kellwood situation in whatever small way that I can.
Do not let your intimidation of Kimora's financial status cause you to miss the fact that just like you, she's a woman, a wife, a mother, a daughter and a friend. Men support one another, and most definitely I would hope that they too are as upset about all of this as I certainly am, but we women have got to band together in situations like this. We will never be able to change statistics like those at the top of this post until we do. Support Kimora by visiting her website, KLS.com and find out how you can buy products that she owns without putting a red cent into Kellwood's pockets. No respect? No dollars. Kimora will be stronger than ever once all the dust settles from this mess. I can't wait. It will be a triumph that all women should be proud to witness. --Sugar


text:
Here are a few fall pictures to share. We tried to make it to the pumpkin patch, like we did last year. Unfortunately, it was super cold, and my camera died after about three pictures, but I did manage to get a few decent ones.
I'm not sure what he was trying to say here, but he was checking out both the pumpkins and all the cars driving by.
This was the last picture I was able to get that day, but what a good one! It's just so classic.
Tonight we took Quinn to a few neighbors' houses for Trick-or-Treating. We also went to a Trunk-or-Treat at a church near our house. Our fire station does a lot of community service with this church, so we decided to go...plus it helped us stay out of the rain. ***(Side note....it rained almost every Halloween of my childhood....go figure.)***
Here he is in his costume. He's a Saint Bernard, complete with a barrel for under his chin!
Not sure why he looks so serious here....and excuse the red-eyes. Couldn't make it go away.
Halloween isn't my favorite holiday, but I did have fun dressing Quinn up and visiting some of our neighbors. Tonight he had his first taste of candy....M&M's from his treat bag. He had a sugar rush you wouldn't believe. We were letting him stay up a little later to compensate for the time change. He was using the couch like a trampoline and jumping all over and giggling like crazy. Then he crashed!
We had a fun evening together as a family! Quinn walked the whole time and wouldn't let us help him with his bucket. He insisted on carrying it by himself. Mr. Independent! Last year at this time, he was just beginning to pull up on things and preferred crawling.
Trick-or-Treat, everyone!


text:
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Its that time of year!
'The tornado was estimated to be 1.7 miles (2.7 km) in width — wider than the city itself — and traveled for nearly 22 miles (35 km). Ninety-five percent of the city was confirmed to be destroyed, with the other five percent being severely damaged.' (quote from Wikipedia)
To me, this is devestating. The whole town was gone! These people, have gone through one of the worst things that could happen to them..what do they do? Instead of hanging their heads down, and pitting themselves. They pick themselves up, brush off their shoulders, and build a new town. Its a 'green' town.
"The city's power will be supplied by ten 1.25 MW wind-turbines." (Quote from Wikipedia)
This year, Topeka will mark the 45th anniversary of the tornado(s) that tore through downtown. Between June 2-12, a record 59 tornadoes hit Topeka. I was not born, but I remember hearing about it from my Grandparents.
June 8,1966, Topeka was hit by an F5 tornado.
'It started on the southwest side of town, moving northeast, passing over a local landmark named Burnett's Mound. According to a local Native American legend, this mound was thought to protect the city from tornadoes [1]. It went on to rip through the city, hitting the downtown area and Washburn University. Total dollar cost was put at $100 million (US$ 677 million in 2011) making it the costliest tornadoes in history.' (quote from Wikipedia)
I remember my Grandmother telling us about it. "We were not here at this time. We were living up in Wisconsin. But I remember hearing about it, and trying to get a hold of your Great-Grandmother. There was no way. The phone lines were down. The only way was to try and get a hold of the police department. And they would tell you that they couldn't just look for one person's family. There was too many missing. To hold on for a couple days, and they will contact you when they can.' She said It took about 3 or 4 days, and finally her sister called her saying everyone was ok.
Could you imagine? Not hearing from your family, for days.
So 45 years, later...my husband and I bought a house in downtown Topeka. Smart right? Well, on one hand no...yes a tornado went right down this area..it was along time ago.(This house actually survived the tornado, in fact my Great-Great Aunt lived in it at the time)But on the other hand, you never know when or where one will hit. My husband, when he was my boyfriend, was coming home from school one day. He looked over into a field....HELLO! TORNADO! It went right in front of his truck...
I guess its a part of living in Kansas. You have to listen, watch and run! lol! After all, you don't want to be carried off to Oz!
Until next time~
8 comments:
- Michelle said...
I'm following you now from Bloggy Moms. My main blog is http://www.momscholar.net/ if you want to check it out.
I have a friend who has a blog called "My Life with ALL Boys" - she has 5 boys... but now she's going to have to change the name of her blog b/c she's expecting again & it's a girl this time!
I don't know how y'all do it w/ so many kids (especially boys)!! My MIL had 6 boys & 1 girl. She's one of my greatest heroes for managing all of them among other things!
- April 14, 2011 at 9:19 PM
- Valery (CEO Wanna Be) said...
Hi I am a new follower
Stop by any time
- April 15, 2011 at 1:55 AM
- Valery (CEO Wanna Be) said...
P.s I have seven kids too, but my majority is girls.
- April 15, 2011 at 1:56 AM
- Krafty Max Originals said...
Hop'pin by from 'You Like Me! Friday Blog Hop'. I'm following your blog now, wont you please come and follow me back?? ~KM
Krafty Max Originals
- April 15, 2011 at 4:28 AM
- Atlanta said...
Hello! I am now following you via GFC from the Finding New Friends Weekend Blog Hop! :) Hope you will follow back! :)
- April 15, 2011 at 7:20 AM
- Shar said...
Oh wow! Yikes! I couldn't imagine living somewhere where the storms are that bad! Scary scary scary! Stay safe! :)
- April 15, 2011 at 8:14 AM
Hi! Thank you for following my blog! I am returning the favor. If you're ever interested in a blog makeover please let me know. Take a look at my portfolio and packages when you get a chance. Have a Sweet Week!
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Review and Giveaway Blog Directory
If you feature Reviews and Giveaways come add your blog here!
- April 15, 2011 at 8:23 AM
- My Reviews And Samples said...
New follower from Weekend Blog Hop.Come visit me at http://myproductreviewsandsamples.blogspot.com/
- April 15, 2011 at 8:38 AM


text:
Most nights they serve dinner in the dinning room to all the guest at once, so it feels like one huge dinner party.
Monday, March 27, 2017
Most nights they serve dinner in the dinning room to all the guest at once, so it feels like one huge dinner party.
43 comments:
What a wonderfully idyllic place for the weekend. Hope you had a wonderfully idyllic adventure in the hot tub, also. Beach ball size I hear....on my! How wonderfully idyllic!ReplyDeleteReplies
And try fitting just that times two more in a full bed!!!! It was most definitely a wonderful weekend in natureDelete
I mostly definitely could benefit from at least two weekends there,,, preferably with those perky asses I spy. Beautiful place.ReplyDeleteReplies
That will be extra.Delete
That place is absolutely inspiring. Your really had me at the last picture . Ok, And Maybe the hot tube one too.ReplyDelete
Words can not describe how amazing this place looks and feels. The rich history and splendid land and interiors.....look like what just the doctor ordered.ReplyDelete
I would swear you need to start a travel blog. Your post are always making me want more. What a beautiful place...and next time, take me with.ReplyDelete
you guys weren't playing who sank my submarine under the water were you?ReplyDeleteReplies
more like pop the porpoise.Delete
Mistress....how beautiful! It's like the glam mountain life from years ago. The word that comes to mind when thinking of these pictures is magical. Stunning interior, amazing setting in the mountains, and wonderful time with friends....doesn't get better.ReplyDelete
I love your tours. So much history back East. :-)ReplyDelete
hope you don't get a YEAST infection from that hot tub.ReplyDeleteReplies
Why if you ask me this places is "Great Gatsby meets Dr Zhivago! It is breathtaking.ReplyDeleteReplies
YOU NAILED the feeling the way I was searching to describe the place.Delete
I use that yeast in my bread maker!ReplyDelete
you were near one of my fave spots in NY - hyde park, home of FDR.
and your ass is the one on the left, correct? no wonder all the boyz want a bite!Replies
Never been to Hyde Park...must check it out and yes you are correct!!!!! You win a life time supply of yeast!!!Delete
That place looks beautiful, and I'm glad you enjoyed your weekend there.ReplyDelete
It looks quite idyllic, Mistress! The happiest looking chickens I've ever seen and an abundance of white meat!ReplyDeleteReplies
There was more legs than a bucket of chicken at KFC.Delete
I have a number of my least favorite extended family members with second homes in Fleischmann's, which means I will never go there. Clearly you have shared a very good reason to visit. What a shame.ReplyDeleteReplies
Maybe we can slip you in and out before your family would know. And the martini was better than expected, but don't know it's something I would want again. I do like red beets and eggs though.Delete
P.S.: A BEET martini?!?!? That has got to be the most disgusting thing I have ever heard of... Now I have to try and get that image out of my head! I hate beets!!!!!ReplyDelete
Mistress, that looks about heavenly right now....after the winter we had here in Ptown. I could use a Catskill weekend. Lives the chickens! And I see you still have some tan line left!!!ReplyDeleteReplies
Just enough tan to get me to summer again hopefullyDelete
Nice wintry getaway, and such a gorgeous home; rather cheeky, though, some of the shots!ReplyDeleteReplies
It's fun being cheeky, but this should be spring!Delete
What a superb retreat - and such great photos (of course I'm intrigued with the hot tub...).ReplyDelete
The beet martini is a new one on me. I've never heard of it before.
I do, however, remember Rock Hudson's chocolate martinis.Replies
Beet martini? I'd like to try that! I recently had beet ice cream which was surprisingly tasty, in an earthy, beet kind of way.ReplyDeleteReplies
It was surprisingly good, but not my favorite.Delete
Wow....what a great choice for a weekend. I am getting a very Dirty Dancing feel to the place.ReplyDelete
Thanks for posting this. Next time east, I need to go to this place. I usually love rustic outdoors place like this. That interior is downright stunning. And as long as I have a view from my room of the hot tub....even better. Love the history of it tooReplyDelete
An utterly amazing experience! It reminds me of those old mountain glamour of yester year. But no pictures of your hunks emerging from the hot tub?ReplyDeleteReplies
We were shy that day, what can I say?Delete
You always gives us just barley a peak! An incredible weekend from start to finish by the looks of it. I could spend some time there myself. Like the Dog's Mother said, what great history the place has, and no where like the great east of the Us has better history, and stunning architecture. That Ivy is precious.ReplyDelete
Spillian is one of those hidden gems... in the middle of Catskills. House has such a unique vibe, I am loving it.ReplyDelete
This isn't your run-of-the-mill Catskills barn-style venue is it??? At least with views like that.ReplyDelete
Oh my goodness! I wanna visit! I wanna Visit!ReplyDelete
Why does one always expect to see the set of "Dirty Dancing" when seeing pictures of the Catskills? :-)ReplyDelete
Happy Wednesday, mistress. Hugs!!!


text:
Yessss! Is there not a more appropriate song for today in Chicago?
Sun Kil Moon's, ponderous, nostalgic, strummy, but not especially happy track (duh, it's Mark Kozelek), "Sunshine in Chicago" is a free download on Stereogum. Mr Kozelek recollects a show in Chicago among millions of other shows he's played over the years; how his female fanbase has subsided, as well as possibly his V.D.
In the age of self-referential songs and google stalking, we can now pinpoint what day Mr Kozelek is talking about — walking down Lincoln Avenue after getting a manicure, this show was most likely July 8th, 2010 at Lincoln Hall, as Mark name-checks "Julie Holland" [sic] on the Marquee, as Lincoln Hall had booked Jolie Holland four days later, July 12th. Creepy, right?
Oh, btw, it's a free download.


text:
So now that I've officially sworn off Final Fantasy (in a sense), I can't spend months of my life ranting and raving about Squeenix's latest and greatest "triumph". What's a guy to do in the meantime? Well, I can think of one thing.
Well, multiple things, really. But I have to start somewhere, and it might as well be with…a hint.
I've been thinking hard on this subject for a while, and putting in a bit of extra work on it, too. I reckon that it's about time for me to start seriously pumping out posts for it -- especially since the tentative title will make more sense if I release it this year instead of the next. So yeah, that's something to look forward too, maybe. It's a subject that's occupied 64% of my brain over the past…oh, I don't know. 10 to 14 months, roughly. So it's gonna trickle out eventually. Sooner rather than later, I hope.
But not just yet. And not exclusively, even when they start coming. I've already got one thing lined up for next week, which in itself will demand additional posts (Persona 5 fans, you're in for a treat). Also, as a side note? It's probably worth mentioning that, by the time you read this, there's a pretty good chance I'll have hit -- or at least neared -- the 100k word mark on my big dumb novel shit. (Well, the 1st draft of it, but still.) So I guess I should take a post to talk about that. Also, don't fret over the fact that I'm calling it "novel shit". It's a term of endearment.
And that's about where I stand. No FF stuff, at least for a LONG while. Future content on the way. And more immediately? Persona 5 waifus. It'll be fun.
Also, this.
…In some capacity. But I'll get to that.


text:
Hank turned four in September. I look at him and just can not believe I have a child that big now.
In early October he had his annual check-up and he was in the 90th percentile for his height (42 1/2 inches ) and 95th for his weight ( 47.8 lbs ). He really grew so much during the summer! When we were at the ocean in June he was not big enough to go on the water slide (had to be 42 inches).
Currently he wears a size 12 shoe. He wears a size 5T or a 4. I have even been buying size 5 and rolling the sleeves or pant legs up, because some of the size 4 pants are tight.
Hank has really gotten into pretend playing. His little imagination works overtime and I will hear him having conversations and telling stories while he his playing with his toys. He has also gotten attached to a stuffed bear, who he calls "Teddy." Sometimes he has me watch him, when he goes outside to play, and he gives me instructions on how to care for him!
We switched him to a new preschool in October and he really likes it. I had a conference with his teacher this week and he does very well with circle time and likes to listen to stories and songs. He needs improvement on sitting still and following instructions when they do their written work.
He also started going to Sunday School this year.
Hank likes to play with all of his toys, including his hot wheels, trucks, tractors, guns, action figures and Little People. He enjoys doing things outside with his Daddy, like going into the woods, and taking "mo mo" rides, and riding his bike.
Some of his favorite foods are candy. Any candy, but his current favorite is Tootsie Rolls. He likes oodles of noodles, pepperoni, crackers, fruit snacks, peanut butter sandwiches, and fries. He loves all breakfast foods and really loves fruit
Currently his favorite TV shows are Caillou and Scooby Doo.


text:
Well, you can, by entering Beth Kery's contest! Here's some information from her site; it is to promote her newest book, Paradise Rules.
The daily prizes will be awesome as well! I've got some wonderful authors (and one terrific executive editor) who will be coming by my blog, talking about their latest or upcoming releases and giving away free books to commenters EVERY MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY, so be sure to visit daily. Scheduled authors will tell us about their books and give away a copy to one commenter per day. On many days, I'll also be giving away fun Hawaiian themed gifts. Everyone who enters the contest correctly will be in the running for the $100 dollar gift certificate. Authors are eligible to win as well!
So go on over and enter! I did!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Wanna win a hundred bucks?
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text:
"My job is to play cricket." It's this simplicity that epitomises the success of Alistair Cook. This is not the kind of simplicity which one would associate with footballers who are unable to tie their shoe laces. No, this is minimalism at its finest. Cook may not be a modern cricketing poet but to deny that he is the workhorse behind England's success over the last 10 years is inexcusable. Instead of viewing him as some sort of bohemian frontman for the sport, view him as the tractor driving farmer that he choices to be in his spare time. It's this beautiful workaday attitude which separates him from all those around him. It does not matter what form it comes in, it is the continuous success which must be admired.
Cook is a man glued to his sport. He has played in more test matches than any other England player, achieving 134 test caps, though it's hard to deny that his methods are tested and fully functional. With 29 test hundreds to his name he is England's most successful batsman to date. But it is the more unusual statistics which reveal the character of England's finest. In 2015 Cook spent 13 hours and 56 minutes at the crease, the longest by any cricketer in a single year in history. Furthermore, he has now completed 132 consecutive test matches, the third most by any player in the world. It is this consistency and concentration that is now so rare to find in a cricketing world with pyromanic celebrations and kits that resemble Joseph's technicolored dream coat, that has enabled Cook to subtly engrave his name in to the record books on all 5 cricketing continents.
His 134th test match was not a personal highpoint for him. However, having spent only 18 hours with his newly born daughter before flying out to play perhaps gives him an excuse, not that he's ever needed one in the past. Even so, as a captain he must certainly be credited for England's success again. Choices such as to open the bowling with 39 year old Gareth Batty (Cook's polar opposite being the English player to have missed the greatest number of test matches between appearances having not represented England for 110 test matches) revealed his willingness to embrace the difficult Bangladeshi conditions which were presented to his side. To have the confidence five days later to reverse this tactic and turn to his fast bowlers with only 30 runs to spare shows how excellently Cook separates his Bear Grylls-esque survivors instinct whilst batting his willingness to be creative in order to succeed as a captain. Alistair Cook, although not always glamorous, brings 'practice makes perfect' into a new era of exciting and engaging cricket.