"Hidden Presents" is one of the quests in the online game, "Asheron's Call". There are 12 gifts hidden throughout the land and you have to find them. One of the characters says, "The only giant gift box I want would be full of ale!". When you find all 12 gifts you will be rewarded with a Polar Ursuin Lair (I don't know what that is) and a title. I found their community wiki here.
I haven't played it yet but I delight in the concept. There's always something joyful in discovery. We're always searching for something new-- places, people, things. There's comfort in the familiar but it's the unknown that almost always brings excitement in our life.
I discovered Asheron's "Hidden Presents" because that was the name I originally wanted for this site. I had been planning this for quite awhile and stupid me, I didn't even bother to recheck google when I registered the domain. So here I am, I just finished researching and going about with my domain change and adjusting the blog. It just doesn't feel right to have the same name as the game.
I'm still getting used to the new name -- "gifts in hiding". I guess while not all discoveries make us excited, most of them makes us a little wiser.
Sources:
http://asheron.wikia.com/index.php/Hidden_Presents
Linggo, Agosto 30, 2009
Miyerkules, Agosto 26, 2009
silly string
We're in the middle of a battlefield. Suddenly, a Humvee shows up. It's covered with scrap metal and it has an old bulletproof windshield at the top. We get a glimpse of what's inside. A group of soldiers with a can of Silly String on their vest. They're carrying rifles with muzzles sealed with a condom and a rubber band. The injured ones have tampons plugged on their wounds.
It paints a funny picture but it also shows just how fiercely ingenious people can be. The silly string is used to check for tripwires; condoms protect the rifles from sand; the scrap metal and bulletproof windshield acts as defense against enemy fire.. and tampons are just the perfect absorbent. They even come in different sizes-- ideal for any kind of bullet wound.
Read the complete article here- A Serious Use For Silly String
It paints a funny picture but it also shows just how fiercely ingenious people can be. The silly string is used to check for tripwires; condoms protect the rifles from sand; the scrap metal and bulletproof windshield acts as defense against enemy fire.. and tampons are just the perfect absorbent. They even come in different sizes-- ideal for any kind of bullet wound.
Read the complete article here- A Serious Use For Silly String
Sabado, Agosto 22, 2009
afloat
In one of the beaches in Mexico, a strange island can be seen floating nearby. A man-made place created from thousands of empty plastic bottles. This is the Spiral Island.
It was built through good old-fashioned hard work. Richie Sowa, the owner of Spiral Island, got all the empty bottles he can find and put them all in one big net. Once he had the base in place, he put plywood, bamboo, white sand and plants on top of it.
Construction started in 1998 and since then Richie never stopped. Even when Hurricane Emily came and destroyed most of it. He rebuilt it again and until now he is always adding something new. It currently measures 20 meters in diameter. It has beaches, a house, 2 ponds, a solar-powered waterfall/river, and solar panels. His source of food are the plants in the island, cooks them using a solar cooker, and his water comes from the rain. Amazing.
Here's a kid on her own island. She can't swim and we weren't able to bring any floaties.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral_Island
http://greenupgrader.com/1821/spiral-island-constructed-from-recycled-bottles/
It was built through good old-fashioned hard work. Richie Sowa, the owner of Spiral Island, got all the empty bottles he can find and put them all in one big net. Once he had the base in place, he put plywood, bamboo, white sand and plants on top of it.
Construction started in 1998 and since then Richie never stopped. Even when Hurricane Emily came and destroyed most of it. He rebuilt it again and until now he is always adding something new. It currently measures 20 meters in diameter. It has beaches, a house, 2 ponds, a solar-powered waterfall/river, and solar panels. His source of food are the plants in the island, cooks them using a solar cooker, and his water comes from the rain. Amazing.
Here's a kid on her own island. She can't swim and we weren't able to bring any floaties.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral_Island
http://greenupgrader.com/1821/spiral-island-constructed-from-recycled-bottles/
Biyernes, Agosto 21, 2009
the angel of death and the seven dwarves
Exactly a year ago, I read about Josef Mengele in the Boston website. He was a doctor in Auschwitz who performed medical experiments on Jews. I was intrigued by the topic, so I ran a search on it. Just a few clicks and I ran into Mengele's dwarf family, the Ovitzes.
It was the picture that got me. They're so charming. So I got the book and read it immediately. It's really good but I still wanted to learn more about the Holocaust. One lunch break, I found myself about to cry in front of my workstation because of Jan Komski's drawings and descriptions of Auschwitz.
I am so thankful to be alive today.
And so lucky. But not as lucky as Perla Ovitz.
... "Not long before she died, Perla reflected on her fate: 'We were the only family who entered a death camp and emerged from it together," she said. "If I ever question why I was born a dwarf, my answer must be that my handicap, my deformity, was God's way of keeping me alive.'"
It was the picture that got me. They're so charming. So I got the book and read it immediately. It's really good but I still wanted to learn more about the Holocaust. One lunch break, I found myself about to cry in front of my workstation because of Jan Komski's drawings and descriptions of Auschwitz.
I am so thankful to be alive today.
And so lucky. But not as lucky as Perla Ovitz.
... "Not long before she died, Perla reflected on her fate: 'We were the only family who entered a death camp and emerged from it together," she said. "If I ever question why I was born a dwarf, my answer must be that my handicap, my deformity, was God's way of keeping me alive.'"
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