SunFyre is written by a guy in a wheelchair, thus "...words from a seated position." However, this journal isn't about being disabled. It's written by someone who spends too much time sitting, staring at a 19" monitor. He's probably more like you than you can imagine. You're sitting now, aren't you?
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Bigfoot Field Researchers OrganizationPlans and Excursion
From my file labeled "things I don't really care about" here's a new article about Bigfoot. Bigfoot was popular when I was a kid, but ever since Harry and the Hendersons, it's been all downhill... or so I thought.
Researchers will visit Michigan's Upper Peninsula next month to search for evidence of the legendary creature known as "Bigfoot" or "Sasquatch."
The expedition will focus on eastern Marquette County, said Matthew Moneymaker of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization.
"We'll be looking for evidence supporting a presence. ... We hope to meet local people who might have seen a Sasquatch or heard of someone else who had an encounter," Moneymaker told the Daily Press of Escanaba.
The legend of Bigfoot dates back centuries. But skeptics have challenged accounts of sightings, and practical jokers have staged hoaxes that have included grainy film footage of people dressed in costumes.
But Moneymaker said members of his organization have either glimpsed Bigfoot or gotten close enough to hear the creature in all but three of 30 expeditions in the United States and Canada.
The late Grover Krantz, a Washington State University professor who specialized in cryptozoology, the study of creatures that have not been proven to exist, believed Bigfoot was a "gigantopithecus," a branch of primitive man believed to have existed 3 million years ago.
Imagine navigating your computer mouse without your hands. Simply thinking, and having your computer respond. Perhaps you'd like to drive down the street and simply think about where you want to be, and your car would drive there. Would you like to use all your concentration and willpower to climb Mount Everest, yet never leave your home, let alone worrying about frostbite.
If so, then you may be interested in new brain computer interfaces. A group of European scientists are currently working on interfaces that work with electroencephalogram (EEG) equipment to track brain waves and interpret them in a way meaningful to a computer.
Persons with disabilities should be the first to benefit from this new technology. An article on the New Scientist magazine website describes how the first generation of this technology is being used. In its simplest form, an individual with quadriplegia uses the technology to navigate through a virtual environment.
Wheelchair Martial Arts -- Kick Some Butt, While Sitting on Yours
When I was a kid, I used to have these little fantasies about beating up the other kids who teased me in school. I always knew that brains was better than brawn, but it still would have felt good to kick some butt once in while.
I always had an interest in martial arts, but I never had the support of my parents to try anything like that. In retrospect, they were correct. I would've spent years studying trying to improve, only to realize that my body would eventually let me down. It probably would have been more damaging to my psyche in the long run.
I was never afraid when out in public. I was smart enough to realize, that while it was an easy target, very few criminal types would go through the extra effort it would take to mug me. They'd have to sit and figure out how to do it, where they can simply knock them old lady down and grab her purse.
Something that has always stuck with me was from a "street smart" school assembly put on by an ex cop from Chicago. He said, there is only ever one person in danger on any street at any moment. That person is the most vulnerable target. If you can create the feeling that you are even the second-easiest target, you're perfectly safe, because criminals are stupid and lazy and will only go after the absolutely easiest target. Conversely, if you're the only person in an area, regardless of how tough you are or how tough you look you can still be in danger. If there's only one target, you are by default the most vulnerable target.
Because of this I've ridden in my wheelchair with confidence in North Philadelphia, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Atlantic City, Reading Pennsylvania and never been afraid. This isn't because I'm exceptionally brave, it's just that I always have an awareness of who was around me, and I make certain I'm not the easiest target at any given moment.
Many of my friends, particularly people who became disabled later in life, live in a great amount of fear. They feel they are more vulnerable today than they once were.
I read an article today about a group of disabled veterans, amputees specifically, we're learning martial arts to defend themselves. I think it's excellent for disabled people to keep themselves in good physical condition, and I think that martial arts in general is healthy both physically and mentally, but I question the value of this training for recently disabled individuals. I haven't made up my mind one way or the other, but looking back at some of the people I've known over the years, I don't think it would be healthy for everyone.
Location: Northumberland, Pennsylvania, United States
I love being a father. My wife is my best friend. I'm a sexual being. I love movies that make me think. I hate bigotry and racism, and consider them sinful. I'm spiritual, but not necessarily religious. I graduated high school at 16 and college at 20. I'm not politically correct. I want to be loved. I enjoy looking at naked women, but wouldn't consider it a career or even a hobby. I swear too much. I use correct grammar and punctuation when writing. I love music. I hate Celine Dion. I read constantly. I have an IQ above 165. I write truth for money and lies for therapy. I'm not pro-choice or anti-abortion. I hate big tobacco. I believe giving credit where credit is due. I believe in substance and style, in that order. I donate to charity but could do more. My hobby is making money. I want both my children to become race car drivers, people think I'm joking when I say that, but I'm not. I never hiccup more than three times. I've had my sneakers since 1987. I've never had a bad day in a tuxedo. I'd love to have sex with a gymnast. I get up every day by 6:30, 7:30 on weekends. I stay up too late. Sometimes I hate being the smartest person in the room. I am afraid of death.
Researchers will visit Michigan's Upper Peninsula next month to search for evidence of the legendary creature known as "Bigfoot" or "Sasquatch."
If so, then you may be interested in new brain computer interfaces. A group of European scientists are currently working on interfaces that work with electroencephalogram (EEG) equipment to track brain waves and interpret them in a way meaningful to a computer.
