Toronto the Inconsiderate
Toronto has been know my a lot of different monikers; “Center of the Universe, Hogtown, the Big Smoke, the 416” and more.
Canadian Blood Services apologizes
Over the years I have written about the homophobic treatment of gay men by the Canadian Blood Services. I have railed against the injustice of their screening questions and pointed out that even when gay men were allowed to donate the 5 year abstinence required essentially negated the policy. For …
Returning to Canada
So I have decided to return to Canada. Finding good work in Japan is too difficult, especially where we live. We are in a small town in Tochigi about 2 hours by train North of Tokyo. It’s a very beautiful area, with very large trees and some of the best …
Wood firing: a potter’s challenge
To set the scene, I was invited again this year to help fire a wood fired kiln. It takes days to do, involves dozens of people and my shift is from midnight to 2 am. The Shigaraki kiln is the size of a uHaul truck and there are 5 ports …
Songs about sunshine
I have no idea why but I have been thinking of making this list of songs for AGES! I am not sure why I think sunshine songs deserve their own category. It’s like songs about roses, or the color blue. There is just something universal I guess. Anyway, here are …
When does grave robbing become archeology?
I stumbled upon this image of a child’s toy horse from ancient Greece. I found the piece rather upsetting. Perhaps a grandparent made this for a grandchild they adored. Or a birthday gift from an affectionate aunt. You can picture a toddler playing in the courtyard, pulling it along on …
Should AI generated pictures be considered art?
AI generated images are not “Art”. They can be beautiful, even transcendent, but that doesn’t make them art any more than stepping in paint makes my cat the next Picasso.
Differences in Western and Japanese Pottery Aesthetics
I recently had what I would consider a good firing. There were a few outstanding pieces of pottery, lots of okay ones, and a few duds. It was successful in part because of advice shared with me by Ikeda-san. I met Ikeda-san through one of my students and this is …
Personal choices, free will, and the nature of the universe…
I was listening to a podcast this morning which was talking about nature vs. nurture. To what affect does genetics play and how much influence does our upbringing have on us. While listening to this conversation it occurred to me that another forces shape who we become. Our own choices. …
iPhones and true costs we don’t pay
The products that we buy have costs associated with them that we don’t pay. They’re invisible to us because those costs get pushed onto others, usually in less developed counties. For example, you buy a new iPhone for $1500. But only costs Apple $570 to make. In reality though the …