There's Always Something...

IPhone Apps...

No, I don't have an IPhone. But you might remember a blog I recently wrote about a delightful visit by 2 young men from California who tormented us with vulgar displays from their jewel-like IPhones. It was amazing - and fun.

Well, this morning I came upon Terry White's blog on the subject of his 10 favorite applications for the IPhone. Terry KNOWS!

Don't turn me off. Whether you have or even WANT an IPhone is not relevant here. What I want you to see is a brief sample of what technology has made possible to carry around in your pocket or purse. And torture your astonished friends at the same time. Hard to beat a combination like that.

a pot for all seasons...

tomorrow will be our final day here in sun city west. we are up to our waists in packing details, so for the rest of this week we will be short-changing our readers a bit. since we are a bit short on drinking tumblers, we have added a couple by texas potter david hendley and ordered two more from old friend and ohio potter, bruce grimes. we will never get beyond our love of hand thrown pottery, though my own wheel and kiln are long gone.

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In my opinion, one of the best 2 or 3 blogs being written these days is Two Blowhards.  I read it every day. Today Michael Blowhard mentioned this blog and I was, needless to say, pleased.

Especially when his comment was about my videoblog efforts, which I have been working on and hope to publish for a second attempt this weekend. Stay tuned.

Oh, what he wrote? "* Citrus/ViewfromArizona/Roger has begun experimenting with videoblogging, and has even visited an Apple Store to get some tech-coaching. I'm looking forward to more. Roger's videocam skills are still works in progress, but onscreen he has a lot of presence."

Wow! Thanks to Michael.

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Human Technology...

"That wall in Korea that Phaedrus saw was an act of technology. It was beautiful, but not because of masterful intellectual planning or any scientific supervision of the job or any added expenditures to 'stylize' it. It was beautiful because the people who worked on it had a way of looking at things that made them do it right unselfconsciously. They didn't separate themselves from the work in such a way as to do it wrong. There is the center of the whole solution." (Robert Persig in (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance)

Wrestling with technology can be a deeply human endeavor when done in the right spirit. Thus, this whole adventure of learning and a practicing the art and science of weblogging has been a difficult, fascinating and stretching experience in retirement. Satisfying too.

Learning the intricacies when one is a right-brained guy.

Thinking up the ideas.

Putting them into words, pictures and movies.

Then letting them go out there into the world - vulnerable but still with some swagger - unselfconscious, with the mark of the soul upon them.

This takes some good hard work and patience; to say nothing of creativity. But, in my opinion, it is all well worth it. "It is always on my mind", to paraphrase Willie Nelson.

What will happen next?

Elder Videoblogging...

I have been wrestling with finding a not too complex way to set up and use an occasional videoblog to communicate with you on this webpage. Being a theologian and not a techno-geek is something of a disadvantage when it comes to mastering new techniques of doing stuff on the internet.

Being a MacIntosh guy, on the other hand, makes it all worthwhile when you come up with new ways of doing things. It is relatively straight forward and elegant once the heavy stuff is figured out.

When these things get into the realm of the possible for me, you will get an occasional blog right here that will include a movie of yours truly pontificating about something that has been on my mind.

That might not sound too interesting to you people, but keep in mind that new things are lots of fun and they tend to keep old minds on the growing edge, which beats senility by a long shot.

I just love growing, keeping on some reasonable edge, being a humble rock star in my own mind.

So, stay tuned while I wrestle with new dragons.

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