I noticed that my blogging style has been to write a lot of little commentaries about items I've read on the Web instead of providing lengthier thoughts of my own. I hope that I'll get a chance to sit back and write longer pieces -- I need to do so for my own sanity. Otherwise, I feel as though I'm just being pelted by information with little time to make any sense of it all.

I'm glad to see that the Pentagon is soliciting "fresh ideas" in the battle against terrorism. The USA is full of talented, intelligent, ingenious folks (both its own citizens and people from around the world who have made their home here.) I'm surrounded by thousands of them every day in Berkeley. Many of them must be interested in contributing their energy and talent to the cause. I hope that there are peaceful "thinking-out-of-the-box" solutions waiting to be discovered that make the world less susceptible to the destructive tendencies of a small group of people (not only of terrorists on civilized countries but also of the rich and powerful on the poor masses of the world.) Maybe there will be a Manhattan Project whose final creation will be cures for disease, systems for protecting infrastructure while preserving freedom of thought, expression, and movement, ways of facilitating communication and understanding among the peoples of the world, techniques for neutralizing terrorist schemes. I'm probably looking for things outside the scope of what the Pentagon is soliciting -- but why not look for any good ideas that might help. Have a proposal? If so, visit the DOD site.

I find it frustrating and heart-breaking that the US military hit the Red Cross facilities in Afghanistan once again. (NY Times)

Maybe I've found an article ("Digital Still Cameras for QuickTime Moveis Part One")  that will help me make short QuickTime movies with my digital camera.