For any of you out there who check this blog in a futile attempt to keep tabs on what I’m up to, I apologize. I’ve left you in the dark more than is polite, and that’s not very friendly of me.

But help has arrived! Now if you’re bored and wondering what I’m doing, feel free to check out my Twitter page. Sure, it’s only 140 characters, but because I can update it from my computer and my phone, it’s been getting a lot more love than my blog here.

My only gripe with Twitter is that so few of my friends use it. So if you want, I’d encourage you to start a Twitter account yourself. It’s super easy to use. Lemme know what username you pick, and I may even do a little spying on you in return!

Slate Magazine has put up a fun interactive graphic (here) that maps the travels of presidential candidates. It’s pretty interesting to check out where the campaigning hotspots have been.

This is going to be an interesting few months to watch unfold. I’ll make the popcorn.

Everybody vote and/or caucus!

Yesterday—okay, maybe two days ago depending on how you count it; my sleep circadian rhythm has gone haywire over break—I got a package from Barnes and Noble. My gift card (thanks, Megan!) was burning a hole in my pocket, and so I decided to tick a few things off my wishlist:

The book on the left is Chris Ware’s ACME Novelty Library, a large (the covers above are to scale) and beautifully designed book of the cartoonist’s lettering, illustrations, and comic strips. If you haven’t heard of Chris Ware, he’s an immensely talented (though almost sickeningly trendy) artist whose work is worth checking out.

On the right is One-Dimensional Man by philosopher Herbert Marcuse. A member of the Frankfurt School, Marcuse critiques both (U.S.) capitalist and (Soviet) communist societies. Though written in 1964 with reference to the Cold War, his insights into our advanced industrial society and bureaucracy are strikingly relevant today. Marcuse’s one of my favorite philosophers; he’s brilliant, eminently quotable, and way more accessible than folks like Kant or Hume. If you have any interest at all in political philosophy or sociology, I suggest you at least thumb through his introduction.

Vaguely related: I wonder if it’s more efficient for me to buy a book online or drive a few miles to the store and pick it up. I ordered these books off the B&N website because neither of the two closest locations had their copy of One-Dimensional Man in stock. (They only ever stock one copy, despite having piles of this shit on their shelves.)

Thought I’d boast a bit and let you all know that my design placed second in Democracy Matters‘ recent clean-election poster contest.

Credit for the poster’s body copy (the part written in magenta) goes to chapter president, Jessica Snyder. Click the image to view (or download) as a PDF.

You can take a look at the other winners’ designs here (all available as full-size PDFs).

Update: Fixed broken link. Thanks, Phil!

When I was much smaller, I took a class about the night sky. While I’ve forgotten most of what I learned, one thing that’s stuck with me is how to tell if the moon is waxing (heading toward a full moon) or waning (on its way toward a new moon). It might be more complicated than necessary, but it works for me. Here’s what to do:

Stand up! Turn on a bright, eye-level light in an otherwise dark room. While facing the light stand a few paces away and hold your fist (or another round object) up in front of you. Place your hand so that it’s between your eyes (the earth) and the light source (the sun). If you’re doing it right, none of your hand will be illuminated. You’re holding a new moon.

Now turn your entire body (keeping your fist in front of you) ninety degrees to your left. As you rotate, you’ll notice that the right side of your fist is now reflecting the light into your eyes. This is a waxing moon, like the waxing crescent in the picture above.
As you turn completely away from the light, you’ll notice that your fist is completely illuminated. In moon terms, it’s full. If your fist is dark, it’s probably because your head is blocking the light. Congratulations, that’s a lunar eclipse!

Continue rotating and again the light will illuminate your fist, this time from the left. Your fist, like the moon, is now waning. Keep going and you’ll wind up back at a new moon all over again.

If you’re having trouble remembering which is waxing and which is waning, just think about earwax: just like wax builds up in your ear, so too does a waxing moon become increasingly illuminated. Waning means, as the name would suggest, diminishing in light.

So there’s that tidbit for the super-novice stargazer. Happy mooning!

Greetings, eyeballs! Here’s something new (finally) for you to eat up. Nothing provocative or groundbreaking, but for those of you who are interested in what I’ve been up to, I offer this brief update:

I finished my junior year at Occidental College this past May, taking home the best grades of my Oxy career (second only to my semester in Amsterdam, where I somehow clinched a 4.0). A philosophy major, I have yet to decide on my senior comps (read: thesis) topic, but I feel lucky to have a network of faculty and friends who inspire and support me in my deliberation. More news as next year progresses.

Though I toyed with the idea of staying in Los Angeles this summer, I again opted to dodge the smog and head home to the Seattle area. The Pacific Northwest shines (literally!) during this time of the year, and I’m happy to be here. I’m working full-time in T-Mobile’s Engineering Finance department, tapping away on a keyboard in a cubicle. The people are friendly, the pay is good, and it’s far less stressful than the restaurant industry, in which I’ve worked for the past three summers. I wouldn’t mind a job with a bit more variety, but for summer employment, it’s just dandy.

After falling in love with bicycling in Amsterdam, I’ve purchased (with a much-appreciated, birthday-present subsidy from my parents) a purty little road bike. While most of my riding has been limited to my ten-minute commute between home and work, I’ve also gone on a few longer rides. O’ Seattle, how I had forgotten your hills!

So that’s my news. All in all, I’m a happy guy this summer. Only about a month and a half left before I pack up and head down to school again. Classes start August 29th, so I’ll head down a little before that to buy books, cozy up my place (a continuation of last semester’s living arrangement, with three Bens sharing a one-bedroom apartment), and catch up with friends. Until then, I’ll be biking to and fro, soaking up the Seattle sun.

Hey Internet, sorry it’s been so long since we’ve last talked. I’ve been awfully busy, and I guess I just kinda forgot about the Adlin e-Manor. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that today is my 21st birthday. I’ll have a beer for ya.

Thanks to my friend Jason for the birthday tidings via his blog.

What a crazy New Year’s celebration it was last night in Amsterdam! From the moment I got back into the city yesterday morning, the sounds of fireworks filled the streets. During my walk to Dam (the central square in Amsterdam, shown above), it felt like a war zone—flashes of light, a thousand pops and bangs and booms from every direction, and the occasional wail of a siren in the distance.

Dam itself was packed. A huge ‘I Amsterdam’ stage stood outside the Palace with lights, music, and two huge screens that later helped us count down to 2007 (see below). As midnight hit, tons of confetti filled the air, fireworks burst, digital cameras flashed, and the crowd roared. It was a spectacular experience. Here are some more pictures of the festivities:

I had never been to a public New Year’s party before, and while this probably didn’t even compare to Times Square, it was fun to ring in the new year with so many other people. Weird to think that, because I started the year in Seattle and ended it in Amsterdam, my 2006 was actually nine hours shorter than normal. Of course, I guess that means that this year will probably be nine hours longer.

Happy New Year, everyone!

I know this comes a few months too late, but I wanted to document my regular commute to school before it becomes a thing of the past. Apologies for the shaky camerawork, but the cobblestones, tram tracks, speed bumps, and use of my non-dominant hand made it pretty tough to keep things steady.

The orange thing that occasionally comes into the bottom of the frame is Oswald, my squeaky tiger that’s a reminder of Oxy. The gold circle is my bell. I’m a little disappointed at the video quality (taken on my digital camera and uploaded to YouTube—go figure).

Believe it or not, the only time I was even close to falling over was when I passed the little dog and the dude on the sidewalk toward the beginning. Really.

I like the Decemberists, and my iPod decided to play “Los Angeles, I’m Yours” last night as I was falling asleep. You know what it made me think about? How much I’m surprisingly looking forward to being back in that city. As my last week in Amsterdam begins and I count down my last 22 nights in Europe, I’ve started feeling ready to come home.

Of course, it might just be the finals.