“Everything has to be checked out very carefully. Otherwise you become one of these people who believe all kinds of crazy stuff and doesn’t understand the world they are in. Nobody understands the world they are in, but some people are better off at it than others”
:Richard Feynman in The Meaning of it All
“No government has the right to decide on the truth of scientific principles, nor to prescribe in any way the character of the questiosn investigated. Neither may a government determine the aesthetic value of artistic creations, nor limit the forms of literary or artistic expression. Nor should it pronounce on the validity of economic, historic, religious, or philosophical doctrines. Instead it has a duty to its citizens to maintain the freedom, to let those citizens contribute to the further adventure and the development of the human race. Thank you.”
:Are you listening Mr. bin Laden?? You would think this was something said in the wake of the recent events, but the words above were instead the closing remarks of a lecture by Richard P. Feynman at the University of Washington (Seattle) in April, 1963. I couldn’t agree more!
“I think a power to do something is of value. Whether the result is a good thing or a bad thing depends on how it is used, but the power is value”
:Richard P. Feynman in The Meaning of it All on the question of the value of science.
I don’t mind traveling as much as I used to. What I do mind however, is the aftermath of traveling and coming back to tons of snail-mail (mostly bills and junk mail at that), a cold apartment, dirty laundry, multiple voicemails, drooping or nearly dying plants since no one was there to water them and all kinds of things at work and home to play catch up with.
So I guess I’m busy trying to get caught up… but here’s some fun new stuff for you. Highly recommend reading the article about Typhoon — a restaurant I ate at while on my trip out…
New in Thought — caught in the act!* on Monday, October 29, 2001
New in Rants and Raves* on Monday, October 29, 2001
New in Eavesdropped!* on Tuesday, October 30, 2001
While I was in LA, two friends of mine invited me to accompany them to a party — so I can see what partying is like in LA. Being halloween it was a costume party of course. So my friends show up dressed in glow-in-the-dark afro wigs and calf-length trousers… both husband and wife were dressed as Mozart! Along with them another friend who was wearing a clown mask and a huge afro-wig. So when I stepped into their car at in the foyer of the Beverly Hilton, needless to say quit surprised! But my surprise would soon be outdone by the amount of time, effort people at the party had put into their costumes.
The party was itself held in a warehouse converted to a loft in downtown L.A. And from what my friends told me, the area wasn’t one to be caught in after hours. The loft/warehouse though was ultra-cool. Very open, minimal furniture, large Proxima projectors — talk about big screen TV. Very smply but tastefully done.
And this party was kind of like the party which kept on going… at first there was one room, which was large, but nothing surprising. But then, you walk into the back and it opens into a whole other area! And that wasn’t it, there was an open-air area too. By now I though I had seen all of it and then later in the evening doors to other “party-locations” seem to appear out of no where! It just kept going on and on and on!
The women at the party were literally drop dead gorgeous, especially dressed in their mostly skin tight and skimpy outfits! Ones which deserve special mention are: the one dressed as an FBI agent, one as Lara Croft, “the naughty nurse” and even someone who came dressed as a shower! But in my ook the award for the best costume goes to Superwoman and her sidekick the Superdog (or Superbitch?) both of whom were adorned in their appropriate costume. Superdog of course was an 8 month old german-shepherd mix — Maya (got the dog’s name, but not the owners!)– who was very friendly and was literally boogie-ing on the dance floor with everyone!
It’s been a long time since I went to a real party. In fact the last one that I can remember going to and having fun at was actually my own party back in Delhi which is the subject of an article in itself. Anyhow, it was good to finally get back into a scene which is totally full of fun and no restraints. I’d go back to LA just to go to another party like this. Definitely the highlight of the trip!