"Spanning the Years"....thanks, Mum...

Thought 18: It's John Irving's birthday. I wonder: do you like lemonade? AND:

if f(x)=e^kx
then f'(x)=ke^kx

cool.

Thought 19: Visit to my Mom's was fun. Got some sweet adidas made out of hemp, watched Lord of the Rings in its entirety, got a couple Tarot readings: First question- "Will I succeed in overcoming death?" Perhaps the most interesting thing about Tarot is that it doesn't provide a simple "yes" or "no"; rather, one is presented with numerous cards, each with its own set of metaphors, and the collection of these provide a kind of dec-angulation (the celtic cross type of reading my Mom did involves ten cards), a story about the roots and context of the question, as well as some indicatation of its outcome. Lots of Pentacles came up in my reading, and these can be interpreted as having an Earthy, biological sense to them. An indication to me that, at least proximally, a bio-chemical/ molecular biological approach to the issue of age-related death may be more succesful than going straight for the artificial brain solution. Though this more traditional medical approach may be only a kind of band-aid, it may give us enough time to develop the more reliable kind of technology required by cybernetics, and more time is really what it's all about.

Thought 20: Consider the Mushroom. Some grow in the dark, others like some light; they are alive and living, yet certainly represent death and decay; they are delicious both raw and cooked (depending on the variety). A multitude of contradictions, and, yet, a single kind. Good ol' mushrooms....... mmmmmmm.........

Thought 21: Caralyn and Malcolm have been walking with me to catch the bus in the morning, and it has been really nice. You sure are adorable. Thanks guys!!