Popcorn Cake

Sugar coma anyone?




Ingredients:

• 2 bags of buttery microwave popcorn - popped, remove unpopped kernels
• 2 cups M&M's
• 1 1/2 cups pretzel sticks - broken into pieces, not crushed
• 16 oz (8 cups) mini marshmallows
• 1 stick butter

Method:

• Prepare a tube pan or bundt pan by spraying with cooking spray.
• Pop microwave popcorn according to package directions. Pour popped corn into large mixing bowl. (Important...Carefully remove all unpopped kernels.)
• Into popcorn, mix in the M&M's and broken pretzel sticks.
• In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat.
• When butter is completely melted, add in mini marshmallows and stir until completely melted and smooth.
• Remove butter and marshmallow mixture from heat and pour over the popcorn, M&M, pretzel mix, stirring until all the ingredients are combined.
  
• Press combined mixture into the prepared pan.
• Cover the pan with foil and let your cake set for at least one hour to cool.
• When you are ready to serve the cake, loosen the sides of your cake from the pan by running a butter knife around the edges.
• Lay a plate upside down over the top of the bundt pan and flip the pan and plate over, allowing the cake to slip out of the pan onto the plate.
• Cake should be completely cool for ease of cutting.
• Cover cake tightly and store for up to 1 day.

Source article and image credit @ http://cookiesandcups.blogspot.com/2011/01/popcorn-cake.html

Paper Airplanes

Good times...

(click on image to enlarge)

Painted Trees

Normally when I choose a blog topic, I do so because it appeals to me in some fashion. I may admire the art and artist, or I may think the subject matter charming, whimsical, novel or curiously odd. Not so in this case.

Curtis Killorn likes to paint dead trees. According to Curtis he "paints dead trees in bright colors in the mountains of Colorado as public art". He says, "Nature is already so beautiful and full of such depth and grace... and it is NOT my intention to mask or enhance it in any way. Much in the way that we paint each other's skin out in the desert, the intention is bring out the beauty which is already there. I have a "thing" for trees and see the relationship between humans and trees to be an ever evolving idea which continues to inspire. The trees that I paint are long dead and weathered by hundreds of years. What I do is bring "life" back to the tree in a completely new way. This tree which was once dead is now vibrantly alive to be noticed by all, no longer blending in with all the other dead trees."

Curtis's intention may not be to mask or enhance the natural beauty of the dead trees, but I think considering the outcome, this is a contradiction in terms. I'm of the opinion that he took personal liberties with something not his own. His application of rainbow-brite paint is a gaudy display of so-called artistry. Although inert, the trees look like they are suffocating under the heaviness of the paint. It's as though he took advantage of their remains. It feels to me like he's defacing something that he has no right to deface, in a place that should be out of bounds for such a thing. He's tagging nature.

Respect the tree. Trees, dead or not, rooted in their natural setting were once living organisms. They aren't man-made compositions commonly used as canvases for street art, such as concrete, plaster and bricks. Yet, when you go deeper into the matter, is painting a tree any worse than what we do on a daily basis, which is to cut down trees, mill them, build with them and ultimately apply paint to the end product? I suppose not when you get down to it, but there's something innately uncomfortable about painting trees... especially when the end result looks God awful.

All in all though, we've f'd up our planet enough with our selfish gluttony and greed, and our irresponsible habitation. I think we should protect nature by being as unobtrusive as possible while trying to use natural resources efficiently and wisely. It's high time for some boundaries, and this crosses the line.










(source article)

Face Distorting Jewelry

Are these jewelry designs a trend or is our perception of beauty evolving?

Either way, I can't help but be intrigued...

Jewelry by: Burcu Büyükünal

READ: Reading Education Assistance Dogs

Danny is a "listening dog". He's part of the animal assistance program READ: Reading Education Assistance Dogs. Danny doesn't laugh, he doesn't judge, he doesn't criticize or correct pronunciation; he builds self-esteem in children by encouraging them to read aloud when they otherwise might not have the confidence to do so. Alas, sometimes Danny will nod off during story time, but his owner Tom Nevett tells children that Danny is dreaming about their story.


(source article)

Steampunk Arthrobots

These steampunk arthrobots are the creation of Tom Hardwidge and are made of upcycled pieces of clockwork and inactive bullets of all things.















... raw materials.



(source article)

Christopher Quiray - Tachycardia

A pound of cure...

Get a kit: http://www.ready.gov/america/getakit/index.html

Make a plan: http://www.ready.gov/america/makeaplan/index.html

Be Informed: http://www.ready.gov/america/beinformed/index.html

As they say, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Don't put it off... Don't be lazy... Please don't take precautions for granted. Imagine and consider different emergency scenarios that are applicable to your personal living situation. All of us should not only have emergency supplies and a disaster plan implemented for home use, but also at work, on the highway and for taking ourselves on the road when evacuation is necessary. So, get your house in order, stock up your spaces and places, and pack an emergency travel backpack to have at the ready. Do it for yourself... do it for your loved ones.

At the bare minimum, there's no excuse not to have the following on hand:

Water... and, sealed in water tight containers...
A good, portable, battery operated radio
Flashlights
Batteries for radio and flashlights
Candles
Matches and lighters

As we witnessed with technology dependent Japan, communications were initially shutdown via cell phones and computers, making battery operated radios a necessity. ... be aware and prepare.

Additional preparedness links:

http://www.fema.gov/areyouready

The links provided here are only intended as a jumping off point and a caring nudge. I have a feeling that our best bet is to use common sense while compiling valuable advice and information from many sources combined.

Singularity

I do not underestimate the power of exponential growth in technology... We're experiencing the compounding reality of it every day. The biological, psychological, sociological, theological and ethical implications of developing technology is wildly profound. Computers are getting faster, faster — that is, the rate at which they're getting faster is increasing, causing me to wonder if humans will be able to keep up mentally and adjust fast enough to properly handle the pace.

I can't help but think that we certainly risk outsmarting ourselves one day, and maybe not in a good way. In all the excitement, will we be self-aware and patient enough to step back and contemplate the ramifications of our creations? Hard to say... we're such impulsive, greedy creatures. We just may be too clever, by far...

The following link is to a fascinating read at Time.com entitled "2045: The Year Man Becomes Immortal". The article delves into the idea that we're approaching a moment when computers will become intelligent, and not just intelligent but more intelligent than humans, and how when that happens, humanity — our bodies, our minds, our civilization — will be completely and irreversibly transformed...

Reference: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2048138-1,00.html

Additional reading:

A robot called Geminoid...

- What is a human?
- What is presence?
- What is a relation?
- What is identity?

Year of the Beard