Though the current project started as a series of posts charting my grief journey after the death of my mother, I am no longer actively grieving. Now, the blog charts a conversation in living, mainly whatever I want it to be. This is an activity that goes well with the theme of this blog (updated 2018). The Sense of Doubt blog is dedicated to my motto: EMBRACE UNCERTAINTY. I promote questioning everything because just when I think I know something is concrete, I find out that it’s not.
Hey, Mom! The Explanation.
Here's the permanent dedicated link to my first Hey, Mom! post and the explanation of the feature it contains.
LOW POWER MODE: I sometimes put the blog in what I call LOW POWER MODE. If you see this note, the blog is operating like a sleeping computer, maintaining static memory, but making no new computations. If I am in low power mode, it's because I do not have time to do much that's inventive, original, or even substantive on the blog. This means I am posting straight shares, limited content posts, reprints, often something qualifying for the THAT ONE THING category and other easy to make posts to keep me daily. That's the deal. Thanks for reading.
- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2309.06 - 10:10
- Days ago = 2987 days ago
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
A Sense of Doubt blog post #3122 - Why Time Travels in One Direction
This video comes to me via a close friend.
Just a share today.
Thanks for tuning in.
LOW POWER MODE: I sometimes put the blog in what I call LOW POWER MODE. If you see this note, the blog is operating like a sleeping computer, maintaining static memory, but making no new computations. If I am in low power mode, it's because I do not have time to do much that's inventive, original, or even substantive on the blog. This means I am posting straight shares, limited content posts, reprints, often something qualifying for the THAT ONE THING category and other easy to make posts to keep me daily. That's the deal. Thanks for reading.
Professor Brian Cox builds sandcastles in the Namib Desert to explain why time travels in one direction. It is a result of a phenomenon called entropy; a law of physics that tells us any system tends towards disorder.
- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2309.05 - 10:10
- Days ago = 2986 days ago
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
A Sense of Doubt blog post #3121 - Martha and the Muffins - HEY MOM Reprint (SoD #426) - Musical Monday for 2309.04
Just a reprint today but one I had to fix from the previous version SEVEN years ago.
I was going to add more Martha and the Muffins content, but I have decided to do all that in a new post in the future.
So here's the fixed reprint. I fixed the original, too.
Thanks for tuning in.
LOW POWER MODE: I sometimes put the blog in what I call LOW POWER MODE. If you see this note, the blog is operating like a sleeping computer, maintaining static memory, but making no new computations. If I am in low power mode, it's because I do not have time to do much that's inventive, original, or even substantive on the blog. This means I am posting straight shares, limited content posts, reprints, often something qualifying for the THAT ONE THING category and other easy to make posts to keep me daily. That's the deal. Thanks for reading.
Martha & The Muffins, live at Spize – Farmingdale, N.Y. – May 3,1983
Hey, Mom! Talking to My Mother #426 - Musical Monday for 1609.05
Hi Mom,
All Eighties today in honor my good friend Helene Dunbar's Twitter campaign #80sforbeth. I am stealing a few of her tunes.
Not much text on this one today as I am two days late and in a hurry. In fact, I am skipping my usual labels as you can see song names on the videos.
But a few remarks. I got the idea to feature all '80s music as I have seen Helene making daily posts for this Twitter event she created. Not sure why she created exactly, but every day she posts a new song from the 1980s and shares it with her friend Beth, It's a fun daily activity and social media thrives on daily events.
I decided to feature some of Helene's picks when I saw her post this next song by Martha and the Muffins called "This is The Ice Age" from their album of the same name from 1981. It's a great album from a little known but wonderful band from Canada. I wanted to share their track "One Day in Paris" from the same album, but I did not find a You Tube video for it. However, in searching for a photo, I found the site featured in the next link and a free MP3 of a live performance. It's awesome, though for some reason I cannot add it to my iTunes. I can play it in iTunes, but I cannot add it to the library.
Helene was kind enough to point out that I introduced her to a lot of great music when we met in college. For instance, she heard the Jam for the first time in my car (see a Jam video to follow).
So, this is a BIG '80s fest, ending with one of the greatest and best known '80s tunes of all time: Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight."
Liesel shared the mock up of "Dancing in Street" with me, and it's worth a look. It's hilarious!
The song by Talking Heads is one of my favorites by the band. I cannot claim it's my single favorite as there's too many good ones to choose from, but it's top five for sure. I featured it in my senior avant garde theatre project and had some cool people create a dance for it.
I am not as well acquainted with either Tones on Tail or Split Enz, but they were Helene picks, and I do recall them being played in the 1980s.
Of course, I needed to add a song by Kate Bush, one by the Police, and the Eurythmics. Of course, I could add more as the 1980s has tons of great music. But this is a good sampler for today (and two days late). Enjoy, Mom. Thanks for listening.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Reflect and connect. Have someone give you a kiss, and tell you that I love you. I miss you so very much, Mom. Talk to you tomorrow, Mom. - Days ago = 428 days ago - Bloggery committed by chris tower - 1609.05 - 10:10
- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2309.04 - 10:10
- Days ago = 2985 days ago
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
A Sense of Doubt blog post #3120 - "Ask Me About My..." - Cover Gallery - Comic Book Sunday for 2309.03
I started with the comic book cover above, but one did not seem suitable.
So, here's another ABCs in a Cover Gallery, one for each letter of the alphabet.
Thanks for tuning in.
LOW POWER MODE: I sometimes put the blog in what I call LOW POWER MODE. If you see this note, the blog is operating like a sleeping computer, maintaining static memory, but making no new computations. If I am in low power mode, it's because I do not have time to do much that's inventive, original, or even substantive on the blog. This means I am posting straight shares, limited content posts, reprints, often something qualifying for the THAT ONE THING category and other easy to make posts to keep me daily. That's the deal. Thanks for reading.
- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2309.03 - 10:10
- Days ago = 2984 days ago
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
LOW POWER MODE: I sometimes put the blog in what I call LOW POWER MODE. If you see this note, the blog is operating like a sleeping computer, maintaining static memory, but making no new computations. If I am in low power mode, it's because I do not have time to do much that's inventive, original, or even substantive on the blog. This means I am posting straight shares, limited content posts, reprints, often something qualifying for the THAT ONE THING category and other easy to make posts to keep me daily. That's the deal. Thanks for reading.
HUBBLE - Sombrero Galaxy (M104)
About This Image (above) A brilliant white core is encircled by thick dust lanes in this spiral galaxy, seen edge-on. The galaxy is 50,000 light-years across and 28 million light years from Earth. Credit: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Hey, Mom! Talking to My Mother #309 - Space - Hubble images
Hi Mom, Short post today because I am hard at work on a second set of final grades for the week. I finished the first set yesterday. And then, back to my Calculus studies. But I want to take my writing time this morning to work on a longer entry I have been preparing, and so, I give you some pictures of space, other galaxies, other stars, as captured by the Hubble telescope.
There's a nifty "embed" feature.
I am not sharing them all, so to find your own... go here: HUBBLE SITE - WALLPAPER, WHICH IS BROKEN... UPDATED 2308.31.
About This Image (above) Hubble's 20th anniversary image shows a mountain of dust and gas rising in the Carina Nebula. The top of a three-light-year tall pillar of cool hydrogen is being worn away by the radiation of nearby stars, while stars within the pillar unleash jets of gas that stream from the peaks. Credit: NASA, ESA, and M. Livio and the Hubble 20th Anniversary Team (STScI)
About This Image (above) Plumes of glowing hydrogen blast from the central nucleus of M82. The pale, star-like objects are clusters of tens to hundreds of thousands of stars. Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) Acknowledgment: J. Gallagher (University of Wisconsin), M. Mountain (STScI), and P. Puxley (National Science Foundation)
About This Image (above) Bright knots of glowing gas light up the arms of spiral galaxy M74, indicating a rich environment of star formation. Messier 74, also called NGC 628, is slightly smaller than our Milky Way. Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration Acknowledgment: R. Chandar (University of Toledo) and J. Miller (University of Michigan)
About This Image (above) The Great Red Spot is a vast storm system on Jupiter. It spins like a cyclone, with speeds reaching 270 miles per hour (430 km/h). The storm, which is twice the size of the Earth, was first seen when 17th century astronomers turned their telescopes on the planet. More than 300 years later, it's still going strong. Credit: The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA/NASA) and Amy Simon (Cornell U.)
About This Image (above) Hubble's 25th anniversary image features a giant, sparkling cluster of about 3,000 stars called Westerlund 2. The cluster resides in a raucous stellar breeding ground known as Gum 29, located 20,000 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Carina. Credit: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), A. Nota (ESA/STScI), and the Westerlund 2 Science Team
About This Image (above) Stars are being born in this close-up view of the center of NGC 1808. Yellow shows older stars, blue shows areas of star birth. NGC 1808 is called a barred spiral because of the straight lines of star formation on both sides of the bright nucleus. Credit: Jim Flood (Amateur Astronomers Inc., Sperry Observatory), Max Mutchler (STScI)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Reflect and connect. Have someone give you a kiss, and tell you that I love you. Talk to you tomorrow, Mom. - Days ago = 311 days ago - Bloggery committed by chris tower - 1605.11 - 8:13
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
A Sense of Doubt blog post #3118 - Junk DNA - The Seven Deadly - That One Thing for 2309.01
The image speaks for itself.
This is That One Thing for 2309.01.
LOW POWER MODE: I sometimes put the blog in what I call LOW POWER MODE. If you see this note, the blog is operating like a sleeping computer, maintaining static memory, but making no new computations. If I am in low power mode, it's because I do not have time to do much that's inventive, original, or even substantive on the blog. This means I am posting straight shares, limited content posts, reprints, often something qualifying for the THAT ONE THING category and other easy to make posts to keep me daily. That's the deal. Thanks for reading.
- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2309.01 - 10:10
- Days ago = 2982 days ago
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
A Sense of Doubt blog post #3117 - The Oldest Book - Buddhist Diamond Sutra
Just a share today.
Thanks for tuning in.
LOW POWER MODE: I sometimes put the blog in what I call LOW POWER MODE. If you see this note, the blog is operating like a sleeping computer, maintaining static memory, but making no new computations. If I am in low power mode, it's because I do not have time to do much that's inventive, original, or even substantive on the blog. This means I am posting straight shares, limited content posts, reprints, often something qualifying for the THAT ONE THING category and other easy to make posts to keep me daily. That's the deal. Thanks for reading.
It isn’t easy to say which book is the oldest in the world, because the answer depends on what, exactly qualifies as a book. Dating from the year 868, the Chinese Diamond SÅ«tra is known as “the world’s earliest dated, printed book,” the words used on the web site of the British Library, which owns the thing itself. It was found in northwest China, “in a holy site called the Mogao (or ‘Peerless’) Caves or the ‘Caves of a Thousand Buddhas,’ which was a major Buddhist centre from the 4th to 14th centuries,” its page explains. “In 1900, a monk named Wang Yuanlu discovered the sealed entrance to a hidden cave, where tens of thousands of manuscripts, paintings and other artifacts had been deposited and sealed up sometime around the beginning of the 11th century.”
Included in this treasure trove, this copy of the Diamond Sutra “was brought to England by the explorer Sir Aurel Stein in 1907.” With the form of not a-book-as-we-know-it but “seven strips of yellow-stained paper printed from carved wooden blocks and pasted together to form a scroll 16 feet by 10. 5 inches wide,” as Jeremy Norman writes at Historyofinformation.com, it may not seem all that impressive when seen from a distance.
But “its text, printed in Chinese, is one of the most important sacred works of the Buddhist faith,” a dialogue between the Buddha and one of his pupils on the “perfection of insight” and the nature of reality itself, titled for its potential to cut like a diamond blade through the layers of illusion in which we live.
The British Library recently completed a decade-long project to conserve the oldest dated printed book in the world, a scroll copy in Chinese of the Buddhist text, 'The Diamond Sutra' from the Silk Road town of Dunhuang dated to May 868. This short film, made by the International Dunhuang Project at the British Library, tells of the story of the sutra scroll, its science and its conservation.
Today, we need not examine the Chinese Diamond Sutra only at a distance, for the British Library has made a complete digitization of the scroll available on its “Virtual Books” page. For those who don’t read ninth-century Chinese, the most interesting element will be the frontispiece, which, as Norman writes, “shows the Buddha expounding the sutra to an elderly disciple called Subhuti. That is the earliest dated book illustration, and the earliest dated woodcut print.” The British Library notes that “the finesse in the details evidences the fact that printing had already grown into a mature technology by the ninth century in China,” long before such other famous books as Shakespeare’s First Folio or even the Gutenberg Bible. This is an artifact of great historical value, reflected by the degree of care with which it’s been conserved. But as a believer might add, why focus on the age of a book when the wisdom it offers is timeless?
Based in Seoul, Colin Marshall writes and broadcasts on cities, language, and culture. His projects include the Substack newsletterBooks on Cities, the book The Stateless City: a Walk through 21st-Century Los Angeles and the video series The City in Cinema. Follow him on Twitter at @colinmarshall or on Facebook.
- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2308.31 - 10:10
- Days ago = 2981 days ago
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
.jpg)
-2.jpg)
.jpg)
