virtualDavis

Uncle Sam and I (and you) are now invested in Tesla Motors. What? That’s right, according to gas2.org, every tax paying American citizen is helping keep one of the slickest green automobiles alive. Tesla Motors announced the $465 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy in June 2009, and the deal is now official. “This loan will allow us to further accelerate the production of affordable, fuel-efficient electric vehicles,” said Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Production is scheduled to begin by 2011.

via adsoftheworld.com

“Before it’s too late.” This advertisement from the WWF is on Ads of the World http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/wwf_lungs and was brought to my attention by Nicholas Patten (@nicholaspatten on Twitter) in his tweet: “52 Most Interesting and Creative Advertisements.”http://bit.ly/8Mxizm

Posted by virtualDavis via web from virtualDavis’s posterous

Today’s National Geographic Photo of the Day, though an unstaged, unanticipated photo opportunity, is oh-so-compelling. Admit it? Or not? We’ve all felt that way. Probably looked that way too!

What is the point of connection between Martin Luther King, Jr. & Leonardo da Vinci? Both communicated ideas beyond the their time that shaped (and continue to shape) humanity? Both visionaries challenged the status quo? What else?

Every month or two I find a good image of our house on eBay, mostly old postcards from the first half of the 20th century when it was an inn, restaurant and bar. (Called the Sherwood Inn.) Kind of a weird feeling actually, so I try to win the auctions for our collection and to take them out of circulation.

Although the porch was removed a couple of decades ago, and the big maple trees have mostly succumbed, much of the house looks the same today.

Lincoln & Darwin

Today is the bicentennial of Charles Darwin’s and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays. The scientist and the politician both challenged the thinking and beliefs of their time, and each changed the modern world in vital, irreversible ways. (Despite the efforts of some!)

President Obama Spoke at the Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration, and much inevitably is being made of the Obama-Lincoln link. And Darwin too is much in the spotlight these recent years, especially as some religious zealots continue to call into question the science of evolution. So much and so little have changed in two centuries.

In poking around a bit, I’ve discovered two savory morsels:

“Charles Darwin’s trip on HMS Beagle was as a self-financed gentleman, a companion to the 26-year-old captain Robert Fitzroy.”

And, although Honest Abe was a fan and frequent quoter of William Shakespeare, Darwin scoffed, “I have tried lately to read Shakespeare and found it so intolerably dull that it nauseated me.”

Feelings exuberant as I dip my calloused fingers into the keys and let them wander around, words dribbling across the screen, reminding me that writing — at least at this basic level — has not abandoned me altogether. Neglected for so long, it’s a wonder!

For two and a half years essentially all of my productive output was eclipsed by home renovation. A scary admission, to be sure, but more easily voiced now that I’ve reemerged, now that I’m struggling back into the mainstream. Ever since January my wife and I have been concentrating on closure, whether finishing furnishing and hanging art or threatening legal recourse for contractors who’ve still failed to complete aspects of their work. And it’s working. Work has morphed into home. The beehive of tradesmen are gone, and a sun filled, almost finished home is ours to enjoy.

A bit uncanny that my last posting, “Hear a Little Music, Read a Little Poetry” is what we’ve been relearning lately. Time to slow down and savor the fruits of our labors. Sounds remotely dishonest to claim that we’ve had to relearn this, but it’s actually true. De-programming the habits we adapted to survive. Part of my unwinding will be a return to virtualDavis and e-Marginalia as well as several other new projects that I’ll share soon. Aaahhh… Glad to be back!

A timely end to a long week. Or two or ten. And an even more timely reminder:

“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.”

– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 – 1832)

Right. Haven’t been doing enough of that. And ready for the reminder. Next week…

Just received this forward which claims to be the result of a bunch of six year olds’ attempts to complete some standard maxims. Pretty funny. Proverbial wisdom & humor!

A first grade teacher collected well-known proverbs. She gave each child in her class the first half of a proverb and asked them to come up with the remainder of the proverb. It’s hard to believe these were actually done by first graders. Their insight may surprise you. While reading these keep in mind that these are first graders… 6-year-olds, because the last one is classic!

1. Better to be safe than… punch a 5th grader.

2. Strike while the… bug is close.

3.  It’s always darkest before… Daylight Saving Time.

4. Never underestimate the power of… termites.

5. You can lead a horse to water but… how?

6. Don’t bite the hand that… looks dirty.

7. No news is… impossible.

8. A miss is as good as a… Mr.

9. You can’t teach an old dog new… math.

10. If you lie down with dogs, you’ll… stink in the morning.

11. Love all, trust… me.

12.  The pen is mightier than the… pigs.

13. An idle mind is… the best way to relax.

14. Where there’s smoke there’s… pollution.

15. Happy the bride who… gets all the presents.

16. A penny saved is… not much.

17. Two’s company, three’s… the Musketeers.

18. Don’t put off till tomorrow what… you put on to go to bed.

19. Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and… you have to blow your nose.

20. There are none so blind as… Stevie Wonder.

21. Children should be seen and not… spanked or grounded.

22. If at first you don’t succeed… get new batteries.

23. You get out of something only what you… see in the picture on the box.

24. When the blind leadeth the blind… get out of the way.

And the favorite:

25. Better late than… pregnant!!!!