http://www.arinmorf.com Brevity is the Soul of Wit Wed, 06 Jul 2011 06:10:54 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I was reminded by Jamie Bristol's blog of the apparently bizarre music selection that never gets radio airtime but might actually be the best thing ever. So here's my current list of music, by band and an example song: Mumford and sons, little lion man Carina Round, Down Slow The Heavy, how you like ... http://www.arinmorf.com/2010/09/28/music-im-listening-to/ The latest short story is within a larger sci-fi world that I may never get time to write.   This is really just a scene in a long series of very bad things that happen to the main character, but it is a complete scene at least. "finished" to a short story ... http://www.arinmorf.com/2010/09/01/rakas-break-up/ I realized I should have posted this a long time ago, but better late than never.  In my spare time I have joined up with some friends to write an iPhone app, called iSamurai. Our website is www.toykite.com, and iSamurai has gotten some really positive reviews and response. We actually ... http://www.arinmorf.com/2010/08/20/side-project-isamurai-iphone-game/ I'm trying to catch up on my book reviews, books I thought worth recommending to others. 3 Cups of Tea: Greg Mortensen is a mountain climber who failed to climb Everest and then became friends with a small village who nursed him back to health on his trip down.  He later decided ... http://www.arinmorf.com/2010/06/29/3-cups-of-tea/ RedvsBlue.com is officially my favorite online video comic.  Of all time. It is sometimes hit and miss, but the source of more actual, out-loud embarrassing laughing in my cubicle farm moments than every other comic put together. A few selections for your delectation: Epic, just... epic.  Their most impressive CG episode: http://redvsblue.com/archive/?id=1344 One of the ... http://www.arinmorf.com/2010/06/10/best-webcomic-ever/ I've been thinking a lot about space travel recently, particularly the recurring theme in the sci-fi world of 'seed ships', ships that take hundreds of years to reach their destination, carrying everything they need to start a culture from scratch. They locate a habitable world first, then load up and ... http://www.arinmorf.com/2010/03/25/space-travel-ramble/ In the random life of Arin, I just met James Cameron.  He was getting a tour of JPL, so my crew showed off our formation flying robots.  We gave the whole spiel about how they are designed to detect Earth-like planets around other stars, and he was ... http://www.arinmorf.com/2010/03/11/james-cameron-visits-jpl/ Another book summary: Economists' discussion of how to help the bottom billion often focus not on financial aid, but on raising certain pillars of society first.  Human rights are those pillars.  There are several parts to this book that really grabbed me, even though it is written with the dry ... http://www.arinmorf.com/2010/02/15/bottom-billion-book-summary/ Religion is often a divisive topic, but there are certain beliefs that are shared so closely between faiths that they can unify people across all backgrounds. The Golden Rule is one such belief. Karen Armstrong Official Spiel: As she accepts her 2008 TED Prize, author and scholar Karen Armstrong talks about ... http://www.arinmorf.com/2008/04/26/the-golden-rule-in-practice/ Sometimes it seems the world is just stuffed with good men and women. Official Spiel: Accepting his 2008 TED Prize, physicist Neil Turok speaks out for talented young Africans starved of opportunity: by unlocking and nurturing the continent's creative potential, we can create a change in Africa's future. Turok asks the ... http://www.arinmorf.com/2008/04/02/neil-turok-2008-ted-prize-wish-an-african-einstein/