Compelling, beautiful, idiosyncratic:

“A collection of accidents that happened while working on maps and other graphics.” Posted by Matthew Bloch, graphics editor for the New York Times. Link.

Shown above: “1917 map of Beijing (after trying to use spline-based georeferencing in ArcGIS).”

Via Dinosaurs and Robots: Link.

~ Karl Jones

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‘1st January’ photograph by Shugaley Pavel

A Vision for A New Earth

• An Earth where chaos matures into growth and reality is a soul harmony vibrating to Love in synchronicity.
• Knowing through radical trust, silence and stillness that the dark is pierced by the Light, and fear and ignorance transformed into insight, love and wisdom.
• New leaders with spiritual vision unashamedly inspired by a loving connection to all life and a passionate caring for self, humanity and the environment lead the world to an unanimously agreed upon charter of peace.
• Religion is no longer fought over, but honored as expressions of divinity.
• Borders vanish to form one Circle of Light one earth – one vision - one garden – one economy – one humanity.
• Diversity is celebrated within the uniqueness of each individual’s culture, race and heart.
• Generosity and gratitude replace greed, and the desire to accumulate out of fear of scarcity, is replaced by knowing that all is provided for.
• Spirit is acknowledged in the radiance of each person’s being beyond all illusions.
• The creative potential of each person’s abilities unfold into expressions of joyous creations.
• All learning celebrates soul development, character, creativity and imagination.
• Sound, thought, light, feeling and color are understood as
  palettes of creation to manifest reality.
• Love is fostered as the elixir of life and Joy the blueprint for achievement.
• Beauty, compassion and forgiveness weave perception and create connection.
• Infinity is grasped as an awakening into the ever evolving mystery of the Now moment.
• Time is seen as a fractal of Infinity where the Now locates,
  attention focuses and intention directs.
• Nature is Light. Light is the interplay of the dance of particles in the known cosmos of Love. Light is the breath of The Divine.
  In Light, are the codes of all life playing a symphony of Love.
• Love is all there is. As you are in your heart. In Peace. In Love. Know that you are loved beyond measure.
• Know that we are in a New Earth where we all celebrate our magnificence.
• Dream it and it will Be.

~Author Unknown

Amazing photograph and wisdom… thanks for the visions!!!

~Bonnee Klein Gilligan

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dan-ayido-houedo by Romuald Hazoumé

Xeni Jardin writes:

While I was in Benin over the last couple of weeks, a local BB reader pointed me to some interesting contemporary artists from this region. Probably the most well-known of these, internationally, is a man named Romuald Hazoumé who transforms salvaged materials into symbols of spiritual power.

Hazoumé has residences in the capital city of Cotonou, and in nearby Porto Novo near the Nigerian border. He is of Yoruba ancestry (which means his grand-folks were from Nigeria, I presume), and grew up in a Catholic family, but like many Beninois, also lives in touch with his voudun roots.

Starting in the mid-1980s, Hazoumé began creating works made from a locally ubiquitous type of plastic container — I’ve heard them referred to as “jerry cans?” Basically, you see them everywhere in Benin, used and reused and reused to store everything from palm oil to water to gasoline.

- Xeni Jardin @ Boing Boing: Link.

See also:

• Romuald Hazoumé
• Benin
• Ouroboros
• Kekulé

~ Karl Jones

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‘Rare Pink Elephant Baby’ photograph by Mike Holding

Everywhere… all around… more and more gifts from Creator. Signs we move… we progress. Heart shaped galaxies, pink dolphins, sun halos, comets… more. Now this very rare, sweet, beautiful, albino, pink, baby African elephant. Amazing!

Elephant represents - compassion, loyalty, strength, intelligence, discernment,  commitment, astuteness, memory, longevity, power and peace. Pink is the color of Universal Love, love of self and others, harmony and inner peace; and a developed heart chakra (Anahata). Elephant in Buddhism represents mental strength; the white elephant is a powerful controlled mind that eliminates all obstacles on the path. It is said that Buddha was born as a white elephant in a previous incarnation. Ganesh, the white elephant Hindu god removes obstacles and brings peace and inner knowing. A pink elephant shows us how… eliminate obstacles through love.

A pink elephant is great gift indeed… it shows Creators Love for us and blesses our unfolding. Indicators: keep faith, remember love of self and others, bring peace to all, discern what brings harmony, be strong and clear of mind, develop heart and inner knowing. 

March 20, 2009 - A pink elephant caught on camera.  A wildlife cameraman took pictures of the calf when he spotted it among a herd of about 80 elephants in the Okavango Delta (Botswana). Experts believe it is probably an albino, which is an extremely rare phenomenon in African elephants. Read more at BBC.

~Bonnee Klein Gilligan

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“Intelligent mistakes seem like failings on the part of the AI, but are actually carefully calculated ways of throwing the game that make it more entertaining for the player.”

Computer chess expert Steven Lopez describes how in human versus human chess, it’s acceptable for a high-ranking player to give a much lower ranking player an advantage at the start of the game by removing some of his pieces from the board before the game begins.

When the game starts, the master player and the novice player are still playing to the height of their abilities, and yet the game is more evenly balanced. The master player does not have to play “stupid” in order to give the novice player a chance.

However, humans playing against a computer do not like to be given an advantage in this way, and prefer to play the full board against an AI opponent of approximately their skill level.

The programmers of Fritz hit upon a solution that involved the AI deliberately setting up situations that the human player could exploit (with some thought) that would allow the human to gain a positional or piece advantage. Once the human player gained the advantage, the AI would resume trying to win.

At no point here is the AI actually dumbed down. If anything, there is actually quite a bit more computation going on, and certainly more complexity.

The goal of the AI has shifted from “win the game” to “act like you are trying to win the game, but allow the human to gain a one-pawn advantage, and then try to win.” The AI needs to be more intelligent in order to appear less intelligent.

- Mick West @ Gamasutra: Link.

See Also …

Liden, Lars. “Artificial Stupidity: The Art of Intentional Mistakes,” in AI Game Programming Wisdom 2, Charles River Media, 2004.
http://lars.liden.cc/Publications/Download/2003_AIWisdom.pdf

Lopez, Steven. “Intelligent Mistakes,” Chessbase News, 2005.
http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=2579

~ Karl Jones

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‘Galactic Love’ photo  by NASA’s Telescopes

‘Galactic Love’ is my name for this spectacular capture of two merging galaxies called NGC 6240. It’s a great flying heart! What beautiful colors, blues, pink and purple with a core of golden white… painted with streaks of infrared light. WOW awe inspiring! Thank you beloved Creator. Love is everywhere and ever expanding.

March 16, 2009: A new image from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope offers a rare view of an imminent collision between the cores of two merging galaxies, each powered by a black hole with millions of times the mass of the sun. The spectacular image combines visible light from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and infrared light from Spitzer. It catches the two galaxies during a rare, short-lived phase of their evolution, when both cores of the interacting galaxies are still visible but closing in on each other fast. Read more at NASA Newsroom.

~Bonnee

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Wayraman by Manatial

Beautiful panpipes and flute telling a story of love. Sweet!

Manatial, The Mystic Sound from the Andes, Song: Wayraman, Album: The Secret of the Dancing Spirits DVD, Video produced by: AylluRecords. Recorded in Salasaca, Ecuador. Official website: manantial-productions.com.

Manantial are Indigenous musicians from the Kichwa-Salasaka community in  Ecuador. They present a magical connection between ancient and present cultures through song and dance. Members include Alberto Jerez, Kjulliar Jerez and Carlos Jerez  from Salasaka-Ecuador.

~Bonnee Klein Gilligan

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Maya Lin has a new exhibit at Washington’s Corcoran Gallery of Art.

It grew out of a desire to take what I do outside and bring it inside …. I thought, what if I could bring a hill inside - take it up to the ceiling, maybe even let people walk on it. … These works are asking us to pay close attention to the world around us.”

- Maya Lin, via The Baltimore Sun.

Maya Lin @ Wikipedia.

~ Karl Jones

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Amy: “We’ve got Jeremy Melcamp from Borders here today — and he’s got something really special for us.  Now, what am I holding here?

Jeremy: We call it Book.  Now Amy, try to find the plug on there.

Amy: I don’t see one!

Jeremy: That’s because Book is the new wireless platform that never needs to be charged.  Now, go ahead and turn a page.

Amy: The pages are really turning!  And … there’s different words on each one!

Jeremy: It’s got an intuitive, touch-based interface that we’re very proud of.

Amy: This could be huge, but … where are people going to keep all their Book?

Jeremy: That’s the best part, Amy.  Book works with the shelves you have at home.

- Link to Penny Arcade.

~ Karl Jones

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Zen Meditation video by TheWisdomWarrior.com

When life has over taken and is controlling you, step back… breathe… watch, listen and allow this lovely quieting video to bring a space of quiet respite. A place to regroup, center, quiet and empty the mind. Enjoy the peace.

~Bonnee Klein Gilligan

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Return of the Ancestors, Wisdom Gathering, Sedona, AZ April 18^th - 28, 2009

An important gathering is about to occur. I thought you might find it of interest. ‘Return of the Ancestors’ is happening April in Northern Arizona. Here is  information about the gathering:

500 years ago the Mayan Ancestors wrote out on stone prophesies for the upcoming years creating the Mayan Calendar.  With only four years left of the Mayan Calendar, many people fear the end of the world, but it is not predicting the end of the world in 2012, but the start of a new era.  To usher in this new era The Institute for Cultural Awareness is holding a sacred pilgrimage in Northern Arizona beginning Earth Day Weekend, April 18^th – 28, 2009. 

Indigenous Elders and Future Wisdom Keepers are coming from every corner of the world to share their wisdom and prophesies.  Will help us heal and follow in their ancestors footsteps as prophesied, creating new guide stone tablets of prophesy for the upcoming 500 years…the world has awaited a renewed life’s plan.

This gathering is fulfilling a great Mayan prophecy, When the Eagle once again flies with the Condor, a lasting peace will reign in the Americas and will spread throughout the world to unite humanity. 

To find out more visit ICA website. A Ho!

~Bonnee

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‘Rare pink dolphin’ photo by Capt. Erik Rue

When I lived on Kauai I often would sit alone and watch the dolphins playing just off shore. One day while pondering a particularly difficult life situation a dolphin caught my attention. He jumped out of the water and spun in circles then dove out of sight. He repeated this again and again while making joyful noise. When we touched consciousness I was showered with Love and happiness and received the message ‘There is only Love, play dear one, nothing is of import which leaden the heart.”

A pink albino dolphin! What a glorious gift from Creator. Dolphins represent manna, breath, play and Oneness. Manna is energy… the essence of Creator which is present in all Creation. Breath is life, taking in and renewing Manna which sustains body; keeps it alive. Through the rhythm of breath we may begin to sense energy and intensify our connection to God. Oneness is our Divine connection with everything… ‘all that is’. Pink is the color of Universal Love, love of self and others, harmony and inner peace; and a developed heart chakra (Anahata). Our pink dolphin gives us indicators (a road map) to guide us as we expand spiritually. Indicators… link with Creator for answers, commune with nature, remember Love and Oneness, be mindful of bodily energies and breath and spread waves of laughter, joy and love into the world. Thank you for your glorious indicators beloved Creator. A pink dolphin… indeed!

Pink dolphin photograph taken by Captain Eric Rue on Calcasieu Lake in Louisiana. You can see more of Erik’s photos of the pink dolphin at Calcasieu Charter Service.

Kari Pugh, Mad Mariner daily boating magazine writes, “Albino dolphins are rare. Only three have been spotted in the Gulf of Mexico since 1994 and there have only been 14 sightings around the world since 1963. But albino dolphins that appear to be pink are unheard of, says Patricia Rosel, a  NOAA marine biologist who studies the genetic glitches found in bottlenose dolphins.” You can read the whole article at Mad Mariner.

~Bonnee Klein Gilligan

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Mo Ghruagach Dhonn sung by Julie Fowlis

Lovely, clear and sweet, Julie’s voice is just beautiful. I enjoy listening to her sing this ancient Gaelic love song about a man’s search.

Julie says of the song,

“This is a North Uist love song which I heard for the first time in the house of Kate-Ann MacLellan in Hùna, North Uist (Scotland).”

Julie Fowlis, Song: Mo Ghruagach Dhonn , Album: Cuilidh  (2007), Label: SPIT & POLISH  Official website: www.juliefowlis.com

Mo Ghruagach Dhonn (My Brown-haired Lass) Gaelic lyrics in English:

Hi ho ro, my brown-haired lass,
whose beauty becomes more beguiling.
The deep love I have for you
has left me sorely wounded.

Your letter arrived on Tuesday
Telling of what was to be.
It told that your ship would arrive
in Glasgow without delay.
When I read this,
I immediately headed for the Broomielaw.
I saw the ship carrying the jewel,
the maiden, approach.

When I held out my hand
you turned  with a slight smile and
uttered a couple of words
which left me sleepless many nights

You have the loveliest hair,
neither black, nor red nor fair,
but the colour of the most beautiful gold,
yellow, braided and curled. 

I would write for you with a pen.
I would cultivate  for you with a plough.
I would captain a ship for you,
brown haired lass of the deceiving eyes.

You are skilled at working wool
and at writing on blank paper.
But if you have gone overseas, to Australia,
goodbye to you.

I will no longer be in despair.
I’ll grab a new one by the hand.
Solomon, the wisest man who lived,
had many sweethearts

Julie Fowlis born 1979 in North Uist, an island in the Outer Hebrides Scotland is a folk singer instrumentalist who sings primarily in Gaelic. She won the Horizon award at the 2006 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and Folk Singer of The Year at the 2008 awards.

~Bonnee Klein Gilligan

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Artful and practical at the same time: I like it a lot.

From Instructables.

Via Apartment Therapy.

Via Boing Boing.

~ Karl Jones

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‘Regresa a mi’ sung by Il Divo

A beautiful, sad, moving love song, passionately sung by Il Divo.  Longing for love lost. The line, ‘My life turns off without you by my side’ touches me. We often merge our lives so completely with another that when other is gone we turn off or shut down. Sometimes it takes years to come alive again… to become some semblance of what we were before the relationship… forever changed, altered. We may review… as a result grow and become more through love. Life is meant to be poignant… Love is always a Divine gift.

A dear friend once said to me, ‘I would rather be without love than to accept something ordinary.’  I believe, Love is never ordinary when it comes, treasure it in all its’ forms.  No one… nothing is ordinary, nor is anyone or anything special. Everything is sacred and Divine… everyone Perfect as they are… nothing better, nor worse.. just is. Accept what is given and be filled with joy… a choice. The dance of life and love is full of experiences and choices… a smorgasbord of sensations and feelings. Flow with life… appreciate, accept what is and be grateful for breath. We are given what we need in every moment… relationships, family, friends or sacred time to ourselves… discerning what enhances. Searching leads to more searching, an endless quest… a good game like every undertaking. Fun. Play well. What seems mystical to one is simply life unfolding for another. Everything is a blessing from God… life, love, body, home, family, friends, animals, food, nature, breath… everything! Thank you, thank you, thank you for Love, beloved Creator! 

Il Divo, Song: Regresa a Mi, Album: Il Divo - Il Divo (2004), Label: Sony BMG, Music video: 2006 Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Sony BMG Music UK (c) 2004 Simco Limited exclusively licensed to Sony BMG Music Entertainment (UK) Limited. Official website: www.ildivo.com

Regresa a mi (Return to me) lyrics (Spanish) in English (translated by elmarto-ga):

Don’t leave me like this
Speaking only of you
Come and give the smile that went away back to me
One more time to touch your skin and deep to sigh
Let’s recover what has been lost
Return to me

Love me once again
Erase the grief I experienced when you left
when you parted from me
Tell me yes
I don’t want to cry
Return to me

I miss the love that went away
I miss the happiness as well
I want you to come to me and love me again
I can’t go on if you’re not here; you have to arrive
My life turns off without you by my side
Return to me, Return to me

Il Divo (Italian for ’star or or celebrity’) was created by music manager Simon Cowell. They are a multinational operatic pop vocal group. Members of Il Divo are singers: Carlos Marín (born October 13, 1968 in Rüsselsheim, Germany, raised in Madrid, Spain), Urs Bühler (born July 19, 1971 in Willisau, Lucerne, Switzerland), David Miller (born April 14, 1973 in San Diego, California but grew up in Littleton, Colorado), and Sébastien Izambard (born March 7, 1973 in Paris, France). They sing in English, Italian, Spanish, French and Latin. Il Divo was named the Most Multinational UK No.1 Album Group in the 2006 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.

~Bonnee Klein Gilligan

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