House of the Future

Dusking LA

As I state in my little biographical sketch, the differences between NorCal and SoCal are definitely matters of degree and not kind. Take for instance this evening, as I type this. I am about two miles from the Santa Monica border, in West LA, so I am relatively close to the beach. The fog has come in, as it has with increasing frequency at evening time over the past few weeks. The sun is nearing the horizon, and everything is getting that magnificent blue color, the color of the atmosphere in SF that I found myself missing over the past year in LA. It is different, yes: I would not feel uncomfortable outside in shorts and flip-flops here in LA, whereas in San Francisco, the fog inevitably brings with it the cold, damp ocean air - even in mid summer. But the fog still does that crazy thing with sound, everything is amplified, like the inside of a covered casserole dish. It's comforting in many respects - not only in and of itself like a security blanket but also because it reminds me that I am not that far from the familiar.

House of the Future

I will admit that I agonized over the title of the weblog as I fried my eggs and toasted my toast this morning. I wanted something that seemed a place name, something that reflected my real-life presence in Southern California, that represented the nature of what it is that I am doing in this pursuit and what I would consider my forward looking nature and hope indeed for the future. For those of you in the know, there was at one point an attraction at the Disneyland of yesteryear called Monsanto's House of the Future, sponsored by the friendly chemical giant. The period in which it was created, though clouded by Cold War insecurity and the ever-present threat of nuclear annihilation, was one in which there was a view of science as a beneficial force, a view of man's existence as being on the move, headed somewhere, a view of the potential in the pursuit of scientific knowledge and its application in our daily lives. I consider it particularly apropos now, as we once more face threats from abroad, threats abetted by technology that threaten to return to bite us in the ass. But my belief in the potential for human advancement remains strong as ever. Retreat will in no wise serve us at this point - no capitulation, only strength and resolve and surety of course. Monsanto's House of the Future closed before my birth, its vision of the future remaining unrealized and seeming rather, I don't know, perhaps silly and flippant following the social upheaval of the 60s. Here's a link for more information: http://www.disneylandsource.com/tom/house.html

Whistle Down the Tornado

It will at some point seem inevitable that I chose to do this. The author/narcissist vein runs deep in my being. Combine that with what appears to be an unhealthy addiction to my Mac, and you've got the recipe for a blogger. They have made it so easy, too - just pony up your $5 a month, and you too can make your voice heard amid the caucophony of the internet. Hence the title of this post. This is my blog, House of the Future, and you are all welcome to it.