Links for Everyone! Links for the Dead!

In the last few months there's been a significant shift in my interests.

When I began this blog a while back, I had originally decided to keep long posts to a minimum and put them in the essay link on my web page. Heh. That lasted about a week.

I didn't have any links at all.

Then, I went through a period where there was nothing on the page but links. I didn't want to take away time from my regular writing for the blog. So I just put in links. My numerous readers (two digits! well, in binary) didn't seem to notice. Then, a friend mentioned he actually read my blog, bringing the count up to three. So I started writing entries again.

But the links had been changing and they represent the changes in my interests.

When I started putting in the links they were mostly scientific. Then, some artistic links were put in. Last summer, during the Obama election, I started putting in political links. Sometimes I still do. It was during that period I started putting up the "Wall of Idiots" links. These were pages by idiots or about idiots. The distinction is left to the viewer. Often, these were people who were lying, or believing lies, about political figures or science. Obama figured largely in these. For those that care: he's not Muslim, he isn't a socialist and he's not a spearhead for the end of democracy.

Somewhere in there I got interested in the DIY/Maker Movement.

DIYs are pretty self-explanatory. People build things for themselves. But the Maker Movement is a bit more interesting. I mean there have always been people who make their own rocket fuel and model airplanes or build odd contraptions to open doors and such. Building gadgets was pretty commonplace on the farms of my cousins. Originating out of the steampunk esthetic, the Maker Movement glamorized it. All of a sudden, it was cool to etch brass and make solenoids. (I had always thought this was cool but now some others did, too.)

Thus, the DIY links started appearing. Sometimes they threaten to overwhelm the rest of the links.

So what does this mean in the Popkes mind? Why am I more interested in making birdhouses than reading about climate change?

I'm not sure. But climate change doesn't give me the sweaty palms excitement that trying to build a foundry for casting aluminum does. Or building a wind generator. Or making birdhouses.

It could be the idea that when in an uncontrolled space, the things you can control become more attractive. Maybe. Or the idea of building something yourself outweighs the helpless knowlege of doom something like climate change creates.

Or, there's this tiny faith that if we figure out how to do things ourselves individually, we can figure out how to do things collectively. The tiny things we build become microcosms of a larger world and by turning the tiny wheel, we turn the big one.

Or, it's just that etching brass is inherently cool and the other things don't measure up.

Change is good.
====================================
Wall of Idiots
Oprah

Links of Interest
Shrimp no more
The Small Brain of H. Floresiensis
e-paper
Now Slower! With More Bugs!
National Train Day
Post Shuttle NASA
ToorCamp and here
Skull Art

DIY
V: $10 Psuedoscope and here
Earth Box
Chocolate Cream Pie