It's somebody's birthday today :)

If I tagged my blog postings, one of the categories would be equanimity and this posting would be so tagged. The rope that my snake was seen inspecting two days ago has different looking halves; the instruction manual says "This seamless pattern change gives climbers peace of mind in any situation." Considering how much practice it normally takes to maintain peace of mind in any situation, it would be a bargain for what I paid—and they threw in a rope for free. But what the instruction manual doesn't say, and this is what Tommy tells you and guarantees, is that you don't even need to own such a rope. The mere existence of seamless pattern change is all you need—nay, the mere possibility that it could exist is enough. The Vatican once said that TV broadcasts of urbi et orbi services granted indulgences, but they had to be seen live; videotape replays wouldn't work. Seamless pattern change is a more robust and potent benificence. And you get to enjoy it while you're still alive.

With Encyclopædia Britannica in the news for ditching their print edition, this is a good moment for recalling what EB's sales tactics were like. From a 1977 court decision:

The primary means by which EB (Britannica) sells its products and services is through the door-to-door solicitation of consumers. ...  EB's salesmen utilize numerous devices which disguise the purpose of the salesman's initial contact with prospects devices which essentially are ruses for gaining admission into prospects' homes 'not in the role of a salesman'. ...  These devices are approved by EB's management, are made available to its salesmen, and the salesmen are trained by EB to effectively use such devices.

An EB salesman once told my father that he didn't care enough for his kids because we had a lesser encyclopedia. My dad almost had to physically throw the guy out of the house.

A 340-ton granite boulder is on its way from a quarry in Riverside, CA to an outdoor setting prepared for it at the the LA County Museum of Art, where it will be known as Levitated Mass. In so many words, there'll be a big rock on the museum grounds with a trench so you can walk under it. I'm not averse to art that is all in the concept and doesn't exhibit painterly (or other artistic) technique—unlike a friend I was once at LACMA with who was more than a little appalled by some of the installations (my friend had painterly technique in spades, and I do not). But I cannot say I am taken with the concept of Levitated Mass. I can't imagine the museum will let you climb the thing. I have to ask how smart it is to incite a primal urge while at the same time prohibiting its fulfillment. I contrast this to the big bronze bull in lower Manhattan: all the tourists want to rub its balls, and they may, and they do.1 Everybody's happy. Primal urges aside, I'm just not impressed by the installation. I haven't seen the finished product, but I can think of any number of more interesting things to do with a big boulder in an urban setting. But what do I know. LACMA's director tells us that Levitated Mass is "ultramodern because it's self-referential and it's about the viewer's experience", yet has timeless, ancient overtones. It's from the same artist who gave us a big trench in the desert.2 I'll give him this much: he's figured out how to work the art world. The rock is on the road all week; a 176-wheeled vehicle carrying 340 tons is best moved slowly. I know you're all wondering how to spread a load over that many wheels. I think my favorite thing about Levitated Mass is that it gives me a reason to say whiffletree on my blog.

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1	The entire bull has been off limits recently due to crowd control measures associated with the Occupy Wall Street protests. I expect this is temporary, the barricades will go away when the crowds subside, and rubbing of the balls will continue.
2	about 10 miles south of the VOR I posted a pic of last July