I love this so, so very much.

So this dude doesn’t like how time is measured. Seconds are too fast. Our concept of days and weeks is meaningless. It’s hard to look at the big picture when we’re counting every moment of our life in seconds and minutes instead of memories, experiences, and years.

So he creates a new clock. Actually, he kickstarts it. So far he’s raised more than double his goal and if you pledge $120 or more you get one of “The Present” once it’s produced in early 2012.

The clock is… beautiful. It’s simple. It’s obvious. And it’s wonderful and I want one. Just watch the video after the jump.

[from Kottke.org via Rosscott, Inc.]

For more information on the RSA, check out their website. They’re also on Twitter @theRSAorg.

Enjoy!

Four Years. Go., at first, might seem like another re-hash of the same tired theme. Time is running out, climate change is going to kill us all, yada yada yada. It’s not. Not at all, and even from this very brief introduction I’ve seen to their campaign, I can tell it’s different and it lifted my spirits like none other tonight.

For weeks now we’ve been watching the tragic oil spill in the Gulf. And every single time I see an image, hear a story, watch another failed attempt, or see more of BP’s bullshit (not to mention professional bad) public relations attempts, it makes me want to cry. Watching the video below reminded me that we can still have hope. Sure, time is running out, but if we set a realistic goal–like four years–it gives us a realistic chance of meeting, or even exceeding that goal.

So here’s the basic premise: we’re setting a goal of four years. It’s not four years to get to carbon neutral, or to decrease carbon emissions by X%, or to reduce crime rates and war in developing countries… it’s all those things–it’s to make the world better. It’s a global call to action, by activists, organizations, politicians, students, and everyday people, to just work a little harder to make our planet a better place. To save the next 1,000 years by stepping up our game in the next four years. Buy a car with better gas mileage. Get to know your neighbors. Learn about issues abroad, donate to a worthy cause, or start a rally in your town or city.

I’m thrilled to have signed up tonight. I’m thrilled to watch this movement come to life, and I’m thrilled to hopefully play a role in it–no matter how small. Check out the video below, and go to their website and check out all the details and sign up.

Illustration for the video was done by Cognitive Media, which looks to be an equally awesome organization.

Need we say anything else? Press Secretary Robert Gibbs (@presssec) agrees:

Earlier I was out with a friend and took a quick video of the storm in action. It’s a little long and not terribly exciting, but skip through it and you’ll see a puppy, us, and a lot of snow.

This week is proof. Wednesday night’s State of the Union speech was not a complete revolution in the rhetoric, but it was far more detailed, passionate, and blunt than I think anyone really expected. And the American public seem to have received it well, with 83% of speech watchers approving of his proposals.

Thursday we saw the bold announcement of a new high-speed rail proposal, utilizing $8 billion of stimulus funds. This announcement is a huge deal for each state involved, and is a pretty well-supported investment. God knows I can’t wait for a high-speed trip to NYC from DC.

Finally, in one of the most glorious demonstrations of American democracy I’ve ever seen in my lifetime, we had a direct question and answer session with President Obama and House Republicans Friday afternoon. Not only was it pleasantly surprising to see the GOP actually invite our Democratic President to come speak with them but, to put it bluntly, he absolutely schooled them.

He shot down their accusations. He legitimized and substantiated his proposals. He took them to task for their ridiculous politicizing and demonization of his policies. He did everything right. Have you seen it? You need to. Especially if you’re a Republican. I’ll join with journalists all over the Internet calling for this to be a regular occurrence. Let’s make “question time” happen all the time. Hell, let’s put it in the Constitution. Anything to make this kind of reasoned, even, logical debate happen more often and in public.

Have you seen the video? Watch it below. Miss the State of the Union? Check out the video embedded above.

In the end, it’s been a good week for Democrats. And it’s been a great week for Obama. I don’t know if I’d call this Obama v2.0 as much as a return to Obama v1.0, after a regression to Obama v0.5.

Consider this a rebound. Obama is back in the game. Maybe it was a wake-up call from Massachusetts, maybe it was advice from David Plouffe, or maybe it was simply Obama deciding it was time to change the way he’s been doing things. Regardless, I like it. I think this is a good thing for Democrats, a good thing for Obama, and a good thing for America. And look at how quickly the past week has changed things–if nothing else, this week should teach us all that things in politics can change incredibly quickly. We’ve got about ten months between now and November, I have no doubt Republicans will have good weeks and Democrats will have good weeks. Here’s hoping we can see more “question time”-style debate, more civil debate and more productivity on Capitol Hill between now and then, too.

Edit: Thanks so much to Andi Narvaez (@andinarvaez) for the tip on “Rebound” instead of “Reboot”. Flows much better, and certainly more contextually appropriate given his appearance at today’s Georgetown v. Duke game.

Movember – November 4thOk so I apologize for the delay in getting the post up, but I’m definitely doing this and I would REALLY love your support.

Here’s the deal. Surely most of you have heard of “no shave November”–ya know, the old college tradition where guys don’t shave for the month of November (not for any particular reason, just for the hell of it). Well Movember is turning that tradition into a cause, and I LOVE it and they’ve motivated me to get involved this year.

What is Movember? Movember is a non-profit foundation devoted to “changing the face of men’s health”. They’ve partnered with the Livestrong Foundation and the Prostrate Cancer Foundation to start the largest movement for men’s health, ever. 

The idea is, men grow some facial hair in the month of November. Other people donate money in support of their ‘staches, and that money goes towards the above-mentioned foundations for their work fighting men’s cancers.

By no means am I ever one to undermine the importance and severity of women’s cancers. But at the same time men’s cancers are, unfortunately, far too often overlooked and underestimated. This is a great opportunity to recognize those battles and help fight them. If you’re interested in helping out–even a little bit–please go to my donation page and give a few bucks. It’s for a good cause. And keep your eye on this Flickr set, my Twitter, and here on my blog, because I’ll be keeping you updated on my own progress. Thanks in advance.