@UkiDLucas

Debt

2011-12-28T07:39:00.001-06:00

Interesting anthropological take on history of debt and the problems associated with it.

Anarchist Anthropology - NYTimes.com

Young People Turn Into Farming

2011-12-24T07:40:00.001-06:00

More young people see opportunity in farming – USATODAY.com

Origin of syphilis in New World

2011-12-21T07:21:00.001-06:00

New study confirms that Syphilis was brought from new world by Columbus' crew and it is a bacterial adaptation to a colder climate. Also, eating of marine food can throw off carbon dating because high levels of "old carbon" that is upwelled from the ocean bottom and absorbed by sea animals. #Anthropology

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-12/eu-spt122011.php

Coolest Cafe Sportster

2011-12-13T23:04:00.001-06:00

This is the coolest Harley-Davidson Sportster I have ever seen, something that would be as much at home in front of local cafe and on Bonneville Salt Flats bagging some speed records.

I love the sloped down steering, even if not sure how comfy it would be, but I would definitely go for it.

I also like the high exhaust, not sure if I could call it "enduro", but I would want to take a look what it would cover up before I start ordering it.

Overall it is a brilliant design job from Ronald Sands! If Harley-Davidson would take a notice, it would be a good chance to appeal to younger generation, something they really want.

Watch "Harley Nightster: RSD 2011 Product Video P.2, Café Sportster" on YouTube

HOG rally in Jordan

2011-12-13T22:47:00.001-06:00

I find it very interesting and awesome that there are Harley-Davidson riders in Jordan. It would be so cool one day, to take a ride thru Europe to Turkey and maybe some other "friendly" countries and meet fellow riders there.

11th H.O.G. MENA Rally Launches from Aqaba

LSR 2-in-1 exhaust for HD Sportster

2011-12-13T08:05:00.001-06:00

A pretty good read with a lot good pictures.

LSR 2-1 Sportster

I believe in heroes, I think we all ought to.

2011-12-03T08:10:00.001-06:00

Real heroes are not the all powerful characters what movies and legends would want us to believe. They are deeply flawed humans that if you met on the streets you would not regard for much. They are regular folks that are different for the rest only by the fact that they have a deep and unbending passion. What is this passion? It is different for everyone and it is shaped by the believes instilled in you when you were growing up and by life occurences. For some it is conquest of mountains, for others a love for creative process.

Heroes rarley can do things alone, therefore most of the would be heroes are no more than day-dreamers. To become a hero to have to posess, in additon to passion, a will to reach out to others to get their help. Heroes need help, and these are those helpers that later sing the hero stories. Without a true passion a would-be hero will never lighten up a fire in the hearts of helpers. Passion is a currency of a hero.

Who are the helpers? They are people that unlock the closed doors, people with particular skills or means that the hero does not posses. They are lending their help for hero to navigate thru the labirynth of challenges and without their help the hero would be just a powerless day-dreamer.

Do heros know how they will achieve the sucess? Never! If they did they would be not heroes, they would be accountants and factory workers with predictable inputs and outputs. You cannot map out a path to be a hero, because that path has not be travelled before. So how would a person convince others to help without knowing how that will be accomplished? With passion.

Hero will travel the labirynth of challenges, invariably will take many wrong turns and learn from mistakes, but eventually will come out sucessful with his passion and help of powerful friends.

Will the perspective from the destination be same as the one at the start? Never! This is really what makes a hero, the journey and the help from friends. The destination is hardly ever the same as the goals set at the beginning.

How do you know that you will suceed without knowing the precise way to reach the goal? The same way as you would ask yourself a question: "Do I know when and how I will die?" No. "Do I know I will die?" Yes, if I live long enough.

Haplogroup R1b1b2a1a1d1

2011-10-15T08:47:00.002-05:00

Subclade R1b1b2a1a1d1* (23andMe.com nomenclature) or R1b1a2a1a1a4 (FTDNA nomenclature) is a men linage descended from the region that was a land flooded by the North Sea.

R1b1b2a1a1d1 are members of R1b1b2a1a1d that test positive for L47.
The group is associated with Anglo-Saxons who invaded Britain following the Roman withdrawal in the fifth century AD. Frisiavones/Frisians who came to England with the Romans as part of the XX Legion.

This designation has been confirmed by "SNP" DNA testing that has yielded positive results for its defining mutations U106, L48 & L47.

Family name, Wiebe, originated in Friesland, Denmark; all tested males in 16 separate families are R1b1b2a1a1d1*. Wiebe is a common surname among Dutch Anabaptists who migrated from Holland to Prussia, Russia, and ultimately to the United States and Canada.

Oldest known common ancestor of R1b1b2a1a1d1* William Cloud, b. 1502. , of Wiltshire, England lived in central England, early instances of the Cloude name mention Robert atte CLOUDE, who was documented in County Somerset during the reign of Edward III (1327-1377) and Richard CLODE appears at the same time. Descendant, William Acree of Hanover Co., Virginia (the "Virginia Acrees") emigrated to the American colonies in 1682 with William Penn.

SNP L47 has been identified as a SNP located immediately downstream of L48. Individuals who are L48 positive but negative for all other downstream SNPs are currently classified as R1b1b2a1a1d. However, the recent discovery of L47 allows further classification of R1b1b2a1a1d individuals into R1b1b2a1a1d1.

If you are member of this subclade and you know the place from where your ancestors hail, write to me and I will add you to our ancestry MAP

Haplogroup H6a1

2011-10-15T08:46:00.000-05:00

I just found out that I belong to haplogroup H6a1

My mothers ancestors lived in region of Kasina Wielka, southern Poland for at least 6 generations.

If you belong to this haplogroup, please write me about where your ancestors lived and I will put it on the Google Map.

Haplogroup H6a1:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=212651556238973909980.0004af568b0817362d00f

Yes, green potatoes are poisonous.

2011-08-15T16:24:00.004-05:00

Part of a good diet is to know the toxic plants around you, just as our ancestor would have. In the next set of posts I will try to write about various common plants, but today let's start with one of the most boring of plants, the potato.

Today, if you ask a city kid they probably tell you that french fries grow on trees, right next to pop-corn bush, even less people would recognize the potato plant in the garden.

What is interesting that plant is actually poisonous, especially the green parts, potato salad in the old witch's days had totally different meaning. Oops, I though it was spinach! Too late.

As we know potatoes are basically safe, that is unless the store keeps then exposed to light and then you prolong that untill they start turning green.

I have to admit that I love "Zuppa Toscana" with sliced unpeeled potatoes in the local Olive Garden and I feel quite save eating it, but there is also a very good reason why I was taught to peel my potatoes at home. If you were to eat the green potato skin, you could end up with at least upset stomach.

Tip:

Store your pototoes in total darkness, keep them from getting damp in storage, peel them carefully, while dropping peeled potatoes to water and soak them clean before cooking.

Natural boost of hormones after menopause.

2011-08-14T20:46:00.001-05:00

If you are a woman after menopause, or a transexual male you may get an extra fix of extrogen simply by munching on sweet patatoes and soy beans. Yes, Japanese edamame and tofu with cooked sweet potates will do the trick.

Do not try this diet if you are a woman planning to get pregnant as phytoestrogen produced in these plants is targeted precisely to prevent impregnation in animals that eat them, and therefore controling their population. Alos, pregnant women naturally are supposed to have a very low levels of estrogen, therefore eating of these plants wreaks havoc on pregnancies.

Bright light, good mood, sunglesses and beautiful tan

2011-08-14T18:30:00.002-05:00

Have you ever wondered why you sunburn while your kid gets a beautiful tan? If yes, next time you go to the beach take off your sunglesses.
Your eyes tell your brain (pituitary gland) how bright is outside, if it is bright brain releases hormones that kick melanine production into a high gear. With sunglasses on, you are fooling your body into thinking that is dark, but the joke is litteraly on you, you burn.
Also, the light control of hormones levels affect our moods. Next time when you get awaken by alarm clock before the sunrise try to turn on a bright natural light over your bed and "bask" in this artificial sun for few minutes. You will notice that your day will be happier and your get a nicer tan on the beach.

Cholesterol, sunshine and your skin color

2011-08-14T18:15:00.002-05:00

If you are northern european or a black person chances are that have a high cholesterol levels. There is a good reason for it.
Black people over generations were getting too much sunshine which destroys the folic acid and increases the rate of birth defects. Black skin blocks the harmful UVA rays, however also prevnts vitamin D creation.
Similarly, northern Europeans were not getting enough sunrays to manufacture enough vitamin D.
Evolutionary mechanism to ensure generation of vitamin D was to kick Cholesteron generation into a high gear. Cholesterol is used in body's production of vitamin D.
Modern people spend much less time outside and are protecting their skin from sun with UVA blockers, therefore the cholesterol goes unused, especially in winter. Basically, we fixed the vitamin D problem with the fortified milk, but we got stuck with chrolesterol problem. Historically, fish eating populations did not develop the choresterol problem because their diet was full of naturally occuring vitamin D.
We are not advising you to go and sun tan, but you should take it in the consideration when your cholesterol levels are high.

America is the most romantinc of countries!

2011-08-13T16:29:00.001-05:00

I cannot speak for all aspects of american life as being romantic, especially not the corporate life which is devoit of humanity and overly politically correct, but food is a totally different matter!

You see in most of Europe they assume that you are a loner and they serve you appropriatly. Try to get a cup of coffee in Itally and you ind yourself with something that is hard to hold without crashing. Similar way with food.

America is differnt, all into loving shring feelings, they assume that regardless of your current taste you will get a rack of ribs, a bucket of fries or popcorn, and have a gallon of drink.

Oh, of course if your love on doesn't want to share the ribs you ordered.. well you just become a fat pig.

Biological Clock

2011-08-13T05:27:00.001-05:00

This morning I work up and got up at 5:02AM, almost precisly at the same time as I would wake up on any other day, exept it is Saturday and alarm clock was not set, I live in the suburbs that are super quiet with exeption for constant humm of cicadas.

I have read that people think that they have a biological clock, but really this is some distant train, or other sound giving them a clue to a subconcious time reference. It is hard for me to believe in it considering how quiet the suburbs are.

I will do an experiment and change the alarm to few minutes early and see how my body adjusts.

I do suspect that there could be relation to neighbours air conditioning, however distant and quiet it is, or to a singing bird that just started its tweeting now at 5:20.

Still comparing iPhone to Android?

2011-08-12T10:56:00.000-05:00

I wrote a fun post on my Tech blog, here is the re-post of it.

Disclaimer: I ALWAYS have BOTH iPhone and Android on me, I use both. I had 3 iPhones and several Android models including tablets of both OS.

Apple has a beautiful consistency of the product, and the hardware is just yummy, but as with superior breeds of the animals, does not matter how well groomed and "purified", the diversity and evolution eventually wins as the environment constantly changes.

An Example of such changes is that I mostly write my blogs from the phone, I never thought I will be doing it, but it is convenient especially with the Google Blogger app. I would not be able to type the long articles on virtual keyboard, so I rather use an OFFSHOOT of the mobile evolutionary tree, Motorola Droid2. I don't have much love for that particular phone, but I got it for free, no argument there.

Maybe in few months I will have different needs and I will choose another model.

So today, the only way you would convince me to switch my DROID2 for iPhone is if I could sell it on eBay and buy a newer, better Android phone (with keyboard).

For me, there is no comparison, iPhone loose hands down on daily basis.

Couple of examples:

If you want to have an alarm app (check out our Shame Alarm app) on iPhone you have to start it and leave it in the foreground -- and that is only one of the many problems of iOS, Google solved it long time ago.
I use desktop widgets on my phone all the time, iPhone may have them soon.
Switching between running apps, I do it all the time bouncing between email and chat and browser and blogger.
I type probably 3 hours a day on my phone, including my blogs, emails, chat, there is no keyboard on any iPhone

I cannot live without the above, and hundred other features users of iOS never heard of.

Vegeterian Human?

2011-08-11T18:38:00.003-05:00

In my writing I often rely on our distant past of humans to determine what we should eat and how we should behave. The adaptations come extremly slowly, and rapid changes are usually not healthy, if you don't believe then feed your cats cooked cabadge and you will see how long it will live.
There are exceptions however, species that are normally carnivorous develop sub-species that eat vegetables. The example would be a panda bear, or certain apes.
Humans have had the sidekick species that ate vegetables too. Paranthropus boisei who lived 2.3 million years ago in Africa had jaws that were massive by today's standards. The muscles around the face were buldging as in these days the fire was not known for these primitve ancestors or ours. We cannot say for sure how different was their digestive system, the stomach might have been bigger than ours as vegetables have very little nuritional value and take long to digest. Otherwise, we have to assume the they still had the basic ominvore digestive system and did not pass the termite hill, or a bird nest when they found one. They were not vegeterian as we think of it.

Caveman Diet

2011-08-11T07:58:00.002-05:00

A while a go I wrote about cavemen diet and it has been on my mind.
The variety vegies -- bulbs and roots have been the staple of diet for our ancestors for most of last couple of millions of years. It is important to say they these vegetables were natural therefore very low in sugar, so potatoes and corn is not recommentded.
The next set of items on the diet is a rich, seasonal assortment of nuts. The archeological finds show that hazelnuts shells were found in tens of thousands around people dwellings. Pine nuts, sunflower and other less usual choices add nicely to the repertoire.
As with everything moderation is the key. It was solved for our ancestors by the fact that trees grew only so much comparing to today's thousand acre orchards and that seasons started and ended qickly. Ancestors did not import fruits from Chile.
The last part is the they ate meal, a lot of it, but it was mostly small animals like rabbits and birds. The mamooth hunts came once a year during migration, so there were no stakes on the table daily.
The salt was almost never available, so it should be used on a rare occasion, but the herbs were abundant and great variety was used daily.

Hachiko

2011-08-04T20:30:00.001-05:00

I have watched a movie Hachiko about a loyal dog that waited for his master on the train station for 9 years. The movie is based on a real story that happened in Japan in 1923. The story is heartbreaking.

tablets in retail

2011-08-04T10:37:00.005-05:00

I have mentioned in the previous posts various retailers including Chili's which introduced tablets to their restaurants, now JC Penny created an iPad app for their jewelry department, Nordstrom for wedding and fashion, too numerous to mention and the trend is only going to accelerate.

Product info and pricing comparison.

We already know that over half of today's customers are owning some form of the smart phone, and a large portion on them compare the product information and pricing when shopping. On one hand this could be a trouble for brick-and-mortal retailers as customers find what they want and then order it online, but on the other hand it creates an opportunity. When you show customer online competition's price comparison and match the prices in store as it is today possible in Sears stores the customers will appreciate this customer service and less likely go shopping elsewhere online.

Limited physical space.

The reality in most of the stores is that the space is limited and having every possible model on the shelf is expensive. Having the mobile tablet product showcase and comparison solves the problem as the salesmen can show one item and talk about 4 other that might not be present. Having a set of WiFi enabled tablets is much cheaper than stocking every possible jewelry, or appliance item.

Mobile checkout

Apple stores spoiled us -- standing in checkout line may be a deal breaker, especially when customer already has spent the time with the salesman. There is really no excuse even if the integration to existing system is difficult. Second part of the mobile checkout is the fact that it could be done from the customer device, there is absolutely no reason why not. If there are standing in the store choose the item, scan/enter the idem number and checkout online the store system should know about the purchase and they should be able to get receipt, disable the security tag and talk about. Instant gratification, no need to ask about credit card, gift card, points -- all should be included.

Customer assurance - a bit of psychology

When I walk into a store, may it be a small Chinatown camera shop, or major retailer, if I can review and compare the product ratings, reviews and pricing with the salesperson and I know that the item is what I am looking for and price is reasonable, not necessary the lowest, as the instant gratification has its value, then I might be inclined to buy on the spot. Otherwise the seller only gives an excuse the customer to walk out and think about it a little more.

Salesmen ain't that smart

Let's face it, when I go shopping for a mobile phone or a camera the salesmen does not know nearly enough to help me -- if he knew, I, or someone else, would have hired him away from that position. Yes, they are very good sales-people out there, but their skills are usually social, most of them lack the knowledge of the details of the full line of the offering. All of this is another reason why having a tool that is attractive and useful in sales process is essential in today's interconnected world.

Chili's Ziosk (kiosk) tablets

2011-08-02T19:19:00.004-05:00

Today, Lili wanted to go for ribs to Chili's, to my surprise and delight, all tables were equipped with 7 inch tablets which is definitely something I have not seen yet int he chain restaurant. Each tablet is wrapped in a hard plastic case on the sturdy metal stand, a tiny printer is attached on the back of the device. Stylus is hanging in the springy cord, magnetic card swipe is on the slide. I assume there is a hefty battery included as the device stays on and unconnected the whole day. The whole package is really neat.
The devices seem to really get the attention of Chili's patrons, as almost everyone was toying with the new gadgets which made the wait for the food more pleasant, especially for the kids.

The menu options, graphics and interaction is nothing to write home about as the tablet is extremly slow (under-powered) and uses resistive screen which prevents swipes.

The checkout process does the job very well and it is definitely the precursor of that will be adopted in all self-respecting places. The signature capture is spotty at best, but the tipping is made super easy with the percentage slider-gauge widget.

The waiters was not sure if we actually paid until, I guess, she went to the register, so there should be visual indication that the process was completed, until the waiter resets it upon patrons' departure.

Finally, I would gently stop games within few minutes of the checkout as I noticed a young couple playing "Marble Matrix" for good 30 minutes after they finished despite a long waiting period and visible annoyance of the waitress.

I applause Chili's & "Tabletop Media, LLC" for being innovative and hope the rest of industry caches on soon.

Companies take time

2011-07-31T09:26:00.001-05:00

While building your own company, you may see many wanna-be entrepreneurs running around and trying to get funding for their projects. Most of them do not realize that the ideas have little value and the money they get do not belong to them, they will need to account for every dime they spend. Most of the successful founders build the value first then try to monetize it.

Decision by commetee

2011-07-31T09:08:00.003-05:00

Deciding by commetee reminds me of trying to race a car when several people are trying to decide when to change a gear.

Compromising (the essence of team work) is the #1 killer of products.

If everyone in the room agrees then the product is boring and not innovative.

The design of the product is subjective as well and it shouldn't be submitted to butchery and corner cutting of the commetee. Either your lead designer is great or you should find a better person.

Decision by commetee

2011-07-31T09:08:00.001-05:00

Deciding by commetee reminds me of trying to race a car when several people are trying to decide when to change a gear.

"public" time management

2011-07-24T21:44:00.000-05:00

It has been very hard lately to find any time with couple of communities to manage, challenging projects at work, therefore I set myself few rules for next couple of months:

1) limit event organization to one event per moth

- currently is it Android/Arduino electronics as these are the hottest topics, the next revolution.

2) finish and publish the book on "running the mobile company"

3) do more PR: marketing, promotion and some more marketing

- articles about apps

- articles about the book

- website improvements and better descriptions

- reviving the habit of writing blog posts

- writing about others

4) when in the (so numerous) events, stay out in the "hallway track"

- you can actually learn more and meet very interesting people

I am a candle

2010-04-06T20:49:00.000-05:00

I am a candle which you have tried with all your might
to stamp right out, and sliced my throat for thousandth time
but one bright night she'll light me up and I will shine.. as bright!

In vicious battle of dark and right, life won today, took all that's mine
it smothered me; it trampled me up -- left me for trash
ripped out my heart, it's not a wound, but blazing gash
but I am a candle and I will shine.. as bright!

Chicago Android

2010-03-28T19:32:00.002-05:00

Visit Chicago Android

Evanescence "My Immortal"

2010-03-12T01:09:00.002-06:00

>

I'm so tired of being here
Suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave
I wish that you would just leave
'Cause your presence still lingers here
And it won't leave me alone

These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me

You used to captivate me
By your resonating light
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts
My once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away
All the sanity in me

These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase

I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me
I've been alone all along

Janosik Polish Restaurant

2010-02-05T18:52:00.001-06:00

Home sweet, home. My mountains!

Unexpected and nice

2010-02-03T13:11:00.000-06:00

Perfect - "Nie płacz Ewka"

2010-01-25T21:22:00.000-06:00

Nie placz ewka bo tu miejsca brak
na twe babskie lzy
po ulicy mjlosc hula wiatr
wsrod rozbitych szyb
Patrz poeci sliczny prawdy sens
roztwonili w grach
w pollitrowkach pustych S.O.S.
wysylaja w swiat

Ref.
Zegnam was juz wiem
nie zalatwie wszystkich pilnych spraw
ide sam wlasnie tam
gdzie czekaja mnje
Tam przyjaciol kilku mam od lat
dla nich zawsze soiewam dla nich gram
jeszcze raz zegnam was
nie spotkamy sie

Proza zycia to przyjazni kat
peka cienka nic
telewizor meble maly fiat
oto marzen szczyt
Hej prorocy moi z gniewnych lat
obrastacie w tluszcz
juz was w swoje szpony dopadl szmal
zdrada plynie z ust

Ref.
Zegnam was juz wiem
nie zalatwie wszystkich pilnych spraw
ide sam wlasnie tam
gdzie czekaja mnje
Tam przyjaciol kilku mam od lat
dla nich zawsze soiewam dla nich gram
jeszcze raz zegnam was
nie spotkamy sie

Budka Suflera - "Jolka, Jolka Pamiętasz..."

2010-01-25T20:46:00.002-06:00

Skates under the bean

2010-01-16T17:15:00.001-06:00

Going to see Chipmunks

2010-01-14T18:00:00.000-06:00

Troy: my favorite scene and quote

2010-01-12T03:00:00.000-06:00

The boy said: "I would never want to fight this man"
Achilles answered: "that's why no one will remember your name"

Hunter gatherer (or rather scavenger) lifestyle and diet

2010-01-11T04:58:00.001-06:00

Ever since university times (Cultural Anthropology major) I was thinking about the lives and the diets of our ancestors, after all the last 10,000 years of agriculture is just a drop in the bucket comparing with 5 million years of evolution of our body and digestive system.

Our ancestors have spent most of their days traveling their territories in search of edible nuts, seeds, plants small animals, and rarely a carcass of the kill. The travel distance was varied depending on the climate, there are hunter-gatherer communities that have to do very little actually for subsistence, maybe few of hours per day, but most likely it was something like 10 to 15 miles per day. We are built for distance travel - search and slow, long pursuits of wounded animals, on the other hand humans are terrible sprinters, slower than almost any animal out there.

Our diet was definitely composed largely of VARIOUS seasonal nuts, fruits, edible plants which were on average low in starch and sugars, otherwise we would not develop such craving for sweets, but high in fiber and proteins, in addition a portion of the diet were small animals ranging from insects to rabbits. Yes, for many of our ancestors it was "taste like rabbit" not "like chicken", at least judging by the number of rabbit bones found.

In the article below the guy is "trying", it is funny, but unfortunately he got a few major things very wrong...

--------------------------------------------------------------

LIKE many New York bachelors, John Durant tries to keep his apartment presentable — just in case he should ever bring home a future Mrs. Durant. He shares the fifth-floor walk-up with three of his buddies, but the place is tidy and he never forgets to water the plants.

Béatrice de Géa for The New York Times

NEW ICE AGE Meat storage for John Durant's paleo diet.

The one thing that Mr. Durant worries might spook a female guest is his most recent purchase: a three-foot-tall refrigerated meat locker that sits in a corner of his living room. That is where he keeps his organ meat and deer ribs.

Mr. Durant, 26, who works in online advertising, is part of a small New York subculture whose members seek good health through a selective return to the habits of their Paleolithic ancestors.

Or as he and some of his friends describe themselves, they are cavemen.

The caveman lifestyle, in Mr. Durant’s interpretation, involves eating large quantities of meat and then fasting between meals to approximate the lean times that his distant ancestors faced between hunts. Vegetables and fruit are fine, but he avoids foods like bread that were unavailable before the invention of agriculture. Mr. Durant believes the human body evolved for a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, and his goal is to wean himself off what he sees as many millenniums of bad habits.

These urban cavemen also choose exercise routines focused on sprinting and jumping, to replicate how a prehistoric person might have fled from a mastodon.

Serendipity, my faith and my ultimate demise

2010-01-09T18:29:00.002-06:00

Many times we have heard the saying "if you love samebody, set them
free" until recently I have not fully understood that statement. I've
always thought it meant to give people personal freedom and they will
choose the right thing (hopefully you). Well, things don't work that
way and often you loose.., but along the way I have learned more about
life:
1) there are true loves (yes, plural)
2) you never stop loving people you have trully loved
3) serendipity is a powerful force
So what all that means?
You may go thru life and meet a lot of people, if you are blessed with
smarts and looks a lot of people will like you back and as long as you
don't hibernate somewhere under the rock, you will have opportunities
for relationships short and long. The twist is that you may get
farther and farther away, it will hurt, it will feel like a betrayal.
That is where "let it go" comes into the picture, because after
meeting all of these dates, after having your heart torn apart, we
realize in the end who the great people in our lives were and with a
little luck, we gravitate back towards them. No worries, with great
love comes a great amount of forgivness, understanding and acceptance.
Hopefully pride does never come in front of love.
Like for many other people, I had periods in my life when I have gone
from one relationship to another, many times over, looking for that
special someone just to realize what I have always returned to the
same places. Most of the time the place will be empty, but with any
luck some day that special person will be waiting there for you
precisely for the same reason you came there.

Skate till you drop from exhaustion!

2010-01-03T15:12:00.000-06:00

True Lies - Tango

2010-01-02T21:42:00.002-06:00

Skating with Konrad and Dorota

2009-12-30T19:27:00.001-06:00

Skating with Konrad (Uki and Dorota)

2009-12-30T19:26:00.001-06:00

Having family and friends over is a joy

2009-12-30T15:48:00.000-06:00

Michael Bublé - Haven't Met You Yet [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

2009-12-30T15:23:00.000-06:00

It is funny how we are all dreaming of having that perfect person in our lives.., and an the end of the day we walk out with only a shopping bag subsistence to show for.. and to get us to another day

Food of the champions: Polish strawberry dumplings

2009-12-29T09:03:00.001-06:00

Panda Express (Deja vous)

2009-12-27T12:51:00.000-06:00

Me and Lili

2009-12-24T20:41:00.000-06:00

Opening gifts

2009-12-24T18:07:00.001-06:00

Maja

2009-12-24T16:56:00.001-06:00

Christmas dinner

2009-12-24T16:42:00.000-06:00

I wish you the best holidays possible and a happy new year

2009-12-24T09:29:00.000-06:00

Dear friends and family,

I wish you the best holidays possible and a happy new year.

My most important wish: I hope each one of you can find yourself with the person you care for the most and I hope that person loves you back as much. Really nothing else matters more than that.

I also wish you a happy new year, not just the celebration at midnight, but the whole next year.

As many of you know, for me, this last year was very interesting, and fulfilling career-wise with all the conferences and business-relationships formed, I am thankful for that and I want to extend my thankfulness to all of you.

I am also thankful to my friends and for my little daughter who provided an incredible support to me. I know this year was also very challenging to many of us, for some of us it was the economy, trying to keep the house from the foreclosure, trying to keep or find a job, trying to figure out how to make the next payment, especially painful if you are considering cutting on the education funding for your own child. I know a thing, or two about it.

Each one of us is going thru the unique life experiences, we experience the most beautiful of moments and we have our periods of depressions and melancholy.

Despite all the challenges and stress I wish that all of you find in yourself a good heart to forgive and be nice to people who hurt us, to cherish our friends, to have family to call upon and to say "I love you" to the person you love.

If you find yourself in dire straights this year, don't hesitate to call, or email me, I will do my best to be there for you.

Merry Christmas for Christians and happy holidays for the rest of us!

Uki

Jack Vettriano

2009-12-22T22:04:00.004-06:00

I absolutely love Jack Vettriano's art and the depiction of the period!

Grand parents and "babushka"

2009-12-20T13:44:00.000-06:00

Janusz Radek - Nie widzę ciebie w mych marzeniach

2009-12-17T20:40:00.002-06:00

Metro - Chce byc kopciuszkiem

2009-12-17T19:55:00.002-06:00

Watertower from Loyola

2009-12-16T18:16:00.000-06:00

Lola dancing Polish highlander dance

2009-12-16T06:20:00.002-06:00

Las Guitarras De Espana

2009-12-14T10:39:00.002-06:00

Fun time at the library

2009-12-12T11:23:00.001-06:00

Night still early

2009-11-28T21:28:00.000-06:00

Kingston Mines Blues with Jordan

2009-11-28T19:59:00.000-06:00

Fall garden work with Ishtar blazing in the headphones

2009-11-28T15:25:00.000-06:00

I am raking autumn leaves and daydreaming while listening to Ishtar
singing...
"C'est la vie, no one ever said life is fair, just a passing of time
that we share... No one said love was fair, just the tears and the
laughter we shared, no regrets I swear!"

One day soon when I am a multi-millionare I'll travel to Spain to
learn flamenco guitar, find a guitar master, go to Cuba and find the
most sensual, heart moving rythm band ever, go to Brasil and find
singer who will whisper Portuges directly to my soul, go to Morroco
and mix in a little flavor of hot Saharan longing. I take them all
somewhere in southern Spain, we will eat, drink, laugh for days,
become good friends and compose and record music.

This is one of the things I want to in my life.

Now, back to raking leaves, getting cold on this island, err park bench.

Calling Lola

2009-11-26T17:01:00.000-06:00

New hairband

2009-11-25T19:22:00.000-06:00

Oh Captain, my Captain! Walt Whitman

2009-11-23T00:28:00.002-06:00

O Captain my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up--for you the flag is flung for you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribboned wreaths for you the shores a-crowding,
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck,
You've fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;
The ship is anchored safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;
Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
But I, with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

... so may you contribute a verse

2009-11-23T00:10:00.001-06:00

Medicine and law are noble pursuits, but we STAY alive because of romance and love

Carpe Diem

2009-11-23T00:03:00.000-06:00

I have not seen this movie in ages, maybe I should.

Burried in leaves

2009-11-05T13:15:00.001-06:00

Tesla Roadster, Toyota Prius, VW Touareg Crash in Denmark - All Cars Electric

2009-11-01T22:59:00.001-06:00

http://www.allcarselectric.com/blog/1037103_tesla-roadster-toyota-prius-vw-touareg-crash-in-denmark

full moon tonight November 1, 2009

2009-11-01T18:26:00.001-06:00

I wish I was taking that picture from a dry Arizona desert, or high up in Rocky Mountains.

Pano app on iPhone

2009-11-01T15:35:00.000-06:00

Playdough

2009-10-31T11:32:00.001-05:00

Decadent Polish sweets?

2009-10-29T13:49:00.001-05:00

Build a bubbling hydroponic planter with hydroponics system plans from HOW-TO HYDROPONICS: hydroponic system plans and growers guide

2009-10-28T07:06:00.001-05:00

http://howtohydroponics.com/hydroponic_planter.html

Great party last night at Roberto's

2009-10-25T21:17:00.000-05:00

eBook reader

2009-10-25T21:14:00.000-05:00

There was Amazon Kindle, now there is Barnes & Noble Nook... which
motivated me to try iPhone version. With ability to adjust the fonts
and colors of the pages, even the scroll speed I think I might like it
for my soft-cover needs, on the go, and while reading at night. I am
not sure about getting rid of my hard cover titles quite yet, I love
printed books!

Very long composite picture

2009-10-23T16:47:00.005-05:00

This picture I composed from 30 separate shots (RAW 3024 × 1998 pixel each),
originally it was about 60,000 pixels wide,
but I had to resize it to 8,000 because Pixelmator did not allow me to export/merge layers over 8,000 Pixels wide.

Wired 14.11: Very Short Stories

2009-10-22T23:50:00.000-05:00

6 word stories

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.11/sixwords.html

test recipe widget

2009-10-18T23:15:00.002-05:00

Ellen Swirsky presenting about seasonal & local food

2009-10-15T23:57:00.001-05:00

Library talk about seasonal food

2009-10-14T19:03:00.000-05:00

Watch Piano Stairs Video: Volkswagon "The Fun Theory" | NowPublic News Coverage

2009-10-13T22:00:00.000-05:00

http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/watch-piano-stairs-video-volkswagon-fun-theory

Semi sweet wines from Gruzia (Georgia)

2009-10-12T19:04:00.000-05:00

Gruzia (Georgia) is an ancient country on the Black Sea it has
beautiful mountains, seashore, people and wine grown in it's Meditrean
climate.

Halwa by Wedel in Poland

2009-10-12T09:14:00.004-05:00

I grew up with this sesame treat as well as many other things of which people in Western Europe and USA hardly ever heard of. I guess that is a reminder of having "relations" with Ottoman Empire for hundreds of years.

Mushrooms!

2009-10-11T09:25:00.001-05:00

Mt. Prospect farmers market Sunday

2009-10-11T09:18:00.001-05:00

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=42.063942,+-87.937866

Farmers use vending machines to sell local produce - Springwise

2009-10-07T20:53:00.001-05:00

http://www.springwise.com/food_beverage/regiomat/

User Experience: Quicken totally fails!

2009-10-06T09:09:00.005-05:00

I got a copy of Quicken because I was tired of using Google spreadsheet for my budget.

I managed to get my Citibank records imported and manually assign the categories to hundreds of entries in last 6 months to see my spendings by category...

but before that, I went thru the "user experience" nightmare!

1) Selecting the financial institution from hundreds of entries as a drop-down?!? They did not event provide a logo to assure you are selecting the right one.

2) Automatic way of getting your info? Forget it! Of course the they ask you to put in your username and password!!!! What if you select a wrong institution and try to log in, that institution has access to your other account. Bad, really bad.

3) Quicken fails unexpectedly (enven before I had a chance to set up anything):

New glasses

2009-10-05T15:54:00.000-05:00

Getting new glasses

2009-10-05T15:52:00.000-05:00

Lili's nails

2009-10-05T15:04:00.000-05:00

Wind-down time tonight

2009-10-03T21:51:00.000-05:00

Booze, chocolate and cable TV.. sometimes that's exactly what you need
to wind-down.

Food talk

2009-10-03T10:48:00.000-05:00

The end of freedom. Newly married.

2009-10-01T06:56:00.001-05:00

Yum

2009-09-30T09:15:00.000-05:00

Apple pie is ready!

2009-09-30T07:20:00.000-05:00

Apple pie

2009-09-29T20:50:00.001-05:00

Reminder about your invitation from Uki Dominque Lucas

2009-09-29T09:14:00.001-05:00

Dear Blog,

This is a reminder that on September 14, Uki Dominque Lucas sent you an invitation to become part of their professional network at LinkedIn.

Follow this link to accept Uki Dominque Lucas's invitation.

https://www.linkedin.com/e/isd/736202449/DxAPBbC7/

Signing up is free and takes less than a minute.

This is a reminder that on September 14, Uki Dominque Lucas sent you an invitation to become part of their professional network at LinkedIn.

> To: Blog Personal [uki0001.post@blogger.com]
> From: Uki Dominque Lucas [ukidlucas@mac.com]
> Subject: Invitation to connect on LinkedIn

> Blog,
>
> I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.
>
> - Uki D. Lucas

The only way to get access to Uki Dominque Lucas's professional network is through the following link:

https://www.linkedin.com/e/isd/736202449/DxAPBbC7/

You can remove yourself from Uki Dominque Lucas's network at any time.

--------------

Clean Food

2009-09-28T18:52:00.000-05:00

My best bread yet

2009-09-28T18:46:00.000-05:00

Apple preserves are cooling down

2009-09-20T22:23:00.001-05:00