Samurai mask

Made this out of resin, aluminum mesh, and clay. I was planning on using it for halloween, but instead I went with a gas mask. Maybe next year?

Bugs 'n' Flowers, my photography passion

Here's a sampling of some of my photographs. Obviously, I am partial to bugs and flowers. I just hope they upload in the correct rotation. Been having problems with that. (See below)

Lockpicking, my hobby and obsession

This post will serve a few purposes- to document my study of lockpicking, and to teach myself how to embed youtube videos and upload pics. So bear with me.

I got started in lockpicking in late grade school, probably 5th or 6th grade. I overheard that another kid had access to The Anarchist's Cookbook (the internet was SO COOL back then!) and I spoke with him. For a small fee, he printed off their lockpicking instructions. I read through them, and was quite excited. Though they were mostly instructions on lock slipping, I was fascinated. From there, I gradually built and acquired tools and developed my skills.

I have now established a rather rounded lockpicking set, I have quite a few techniques to try when attempting to defeat a lock or other security device, and on more than one occasion I have had a friend call me in need of my services. Although a thorough pick set is nice, improvisation is an important skill to learn. Once, when my dad accidentally locked the keys in the house, I gained access with a screwdriver and a fishing lure.

There is quite a stigma attached to the art of lockpicking. Most people feel that if you know how to do it, and you're not a locksmith, then you must be a criminal. I've said it time and time again- criminals don't pick locks. Lockpicking takes too much time to learn and to perform. As my father (who condoned my new hobby at it's genesis) said, "if somebody wants to get in, they're going to get in, period." Anyway, I have a rule: I pick only my own locks or those which I have the owner's permission to open. Lockpicking is my personal puzzle. Some people have crossword puzzles, some sudoku, some Rubik's cube, I have lockpicking. So leave me alone. On to the media.

Above, you can see my lockpicking set. For some reason, it uploaded in an incorrect rotation. I can't fix it at this point. Suffice to say, my set consists of: one southord lockpick set, one mechanical pick gun, one bump hammer, a set of bump keys, files for modifying bump keys in the field, a syringe of lock lube, two tubular lockpicks (which I've never gotten to work), a set of padlock shims, a collapsible car slim jim, a set of auto jigglers, and my oldest, a leather pouch containing my homemade picks, including my trusty safety-pin pick, my warded master padlock skeleton key, a broken key extractor, various picks, and spare picks for the pick gun.




Here is a video of a lockpicking training device I made from 5 deadbolts. (Somehow, many people believe that deadbolts can't be picked. This is untrue. I believe there is no such thing as a lock that cannot be picked or bypassed. 'nuff said.) I used a keychain lockpick set i got from the internet. The first lock labeled "1", has one pin in the tumbler. The second has 2 pins, and so on, up to the fifth lock, a normal deadbolt. Interesting story, when I went to Lowe's to buy these locks, I told them I wanted them rekeyed, they said, "sorry, our lock guy is gone 'till Monday." I said, "no problem, I'll rekey them myself." They were a little weirded out. Anyway, the device helps teach the fundamentals of lockpicking to beginners, in a step-by-step approach. It works quite well, and as you can see, I've learned these locks thoroughly.

My Best Work So Far- an essay on spirituality

This is an essay I originally wrote for my college Sociology class, as the end-of-term paper. The title is "The Relativity of Faith: an essay addressing the question, 'are there right and wrong religions?'" It's gotten a lot of mileage. After it first scored me an A+ in my class, it went on to be very well received in several spiritual circles- Buddhist, Christian, and non-secular. Since it's original writing, I have added the part about the "double-slit experiment" to further illustrate the role of consciousness in existence. It's long, but a good read, I think. Please enjoy and comment.

You can read the bibliography here.

Rather More of a Note to Self...

I'm gonna put this up now really just to remind myself of what I wanna put on here in the next few days, and what people can be expecting.
-my youtube videos (some, at least.)
-latest hobbies
-my dog
-latest finished and ongoing projects
-document my recent trip to New Orleans and Mexico
-an essay I've been working on (started in college)
-recent passing of my grandmother
-my computer
-wish list?
-my desire to renew my Zen practice

That oughta keep me busy for the time being.

First Post on New Blog!

Ok, I've been net-literate for quite a while, and have never done a blog, soI guess now is the time. There's a lot of neat stuff archived in my brain and my apartment I'm gonna have to dig up. Stay tuned!