http://the23rdfloor.com/23blog "Pardon me while I have a strange interlude." Groucho Marx Sat, 03 Jan 2009 23:26:08 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The 23rd Floor Version 1.0. The 23rd Floor Version 3.0. The 23rd Floor 2009 (4.0). http://the23rdfloor.com/23blog/2008/11/03/the-23rd-floor-30/ Artist and fellow-traveller JoelB was so enthused about involuntarily participating in the blog discussion about Bill Maher, Religulous, Steve Jobs, etc., that he was moved to send along the definitive answer to the Really Big Question: That Meaning of Life thing. ... http://the23rdfloor.com/23blog/2008/10/30/the-meaning-of-life/ My artist friend, Joel B, and I have been having an intellectual roundelay about some of The Big Questions. Recently, we narrowed our focus to HBO Real Time talk show host and comic, Bill Maher, and his just released movie, Religulous. ... ... JB and I are both Bill fans, but we differ ... http://the23rdfloor.com/23blog/2008/10/26/amnesia/ ... Colin Powell on Meet The Press This is leadership, not so much because of Colin Powell’s decision to endorse Barack Obama - which I admit to applauding - but because of his style and substance, his demeanor. Measured, thoughtful, articulate, even-handed. He has praise for both men running for president. He ... http://the23rdfloor.com/23blog/2008/10/22/this-is-leadership/ The 23rd Floor offices will be closed until Wednesday, October 22. Until then, may we suggest you sample some of the Links in the Link Library? (Down the page, on the right.) Cheers, Steve http://the23rdfloor.com/23blog/2008/10/17/hiatus/ ... Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How All of Creation Is Conspiring To Shower You with BlessingsRob Brezsny ... ... "I've seen the future of American Literature and its name is Rob Brezsny."--Tom Robbins Rob Brezsny is an aspiring master of curiosity, perpetrator of sacred uproar, and founder of the Beauty and Truth ... http://the23rdfloor.com/23blog/2008/10/15/pronoia/ Good artist friend, Joel, sent along an image from a poster that decorated urban storefront landscapes in Seattle’s U-District, back when he and I actually belonged in the U-District, age-wise. He meant for me to use it on my little window shade theatre, which I did, but not without editorial ... http://the23rdfloor.com/23blog/2008/10/13/big-brother/ Until we can collectively get past the current sur-reality, with bombs dropping on international financial markets and the two main candidates for the top political job on the planet pitching antithetical but equally apocalyptic versions of “reality,” I'm thinking about going with a new byline for this little Internet outpost: ... http://the23rdfloor.com/23blog/2008/10/09/the-war-on-inner-terrorism/ "Man has no nature." Jose Ortega y Gassett "Man has no instincts." Ashley Montagu "The human brain is capable of a full range of behaviors and predisposed to none." Stephen Jay Gould OH YEAH!? Linguist, Stephen Pinker, says otherwise: ... http://the23rdfloor.com/23blog/2008/10/08/blank-slate/ ... Typically, tricksters are disruptive mischief-makers; they're liars and thieves who delight in playing pranks on overly serious human beings, but in the end, provide the clueless humans with what they need most to prosper and survive. In Japanese mythology, the principal trickster figure is Kitsune the fox, a wily rascal ... http://the23rdfloor.com/23blog/2008/10/05/tricksters/