Mocca Gallery

The perfect man uses his mind as a mirror. It grasps nothing, it rejects nothing. It receives but does not keep. 

Chuang Tzu

My wonderful old computer had slowly fallen behind the times. I was in desperate need of an upgrade. I don’t remember what got me started on this, but I decided I wanted to build my own rather than buy a ready made one.

So, I got a how-to book at Borders and began researching the project. After many false starts, I finally got up the nerve to order the components online at NewEgg.com. A few days later big boxes began arriving at the door.

I immediately had second thoughts. What had I gotten myself into? What if it didn’t work? There were so many wires, it was all very intimidating. Deb was a huge help, calming me down, reading instructions, pointing out important facts. I couldn’t have done it without her.

Then came the magic moment, turning it on for the first time – it fired right up. Amazing. What a beautiful thing. Of course, now I’m happy I did it this way. I know what’s in it and I know how it’s put together. I hand picked every component and they are all top notch blazing fast. Not a bad price either.

• Intel ATX Motherboard ($230)
• Intel Core 2 Quad 2.4GHz Processor ($190)
• Corsair 4GB DDR3 Memory Chips ($188)
• 2 Seagate Barracuda 250GB Hard Drives ($60 each)
• Asus 20X DVD Burner ($36)
• ATI Graphics Accelerator Card ($107)
• Thermaltake Purepower 500Watt Power Supply ($60)
• Cooler Master ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ($55)
• Acer 20″ Widescreen LCD Monitor ($160)
• Microsoft USB Wired Optical Wheel Mouse ($20)
• Logitech USB Keyboard ($20)
• Ubuntu 64-bit Desktop Operating System (free)

Grand total  $1,186 after shipping and rebates.

I just cashed out $415.87 from the InTrade prediction marketplace.

I deposited $100 there earlier this year so I could play in the election markets. I made a series of plays on big favorites, slowly building my stake from $100 to $146. In the primaries I shorted Fred Thompson (he was pathetic).  I shorted Rudy Giuliani (he was scary). I bet against a US/Israeli air strike on Iran. I made a small profit going long Ron Paul in the early days of his campaign.

Then I put everything on Hillary Clinton to win it all. I figured she was a lock to beat anyone the Republicans would run. But her share price began to fall. I booked a small loss and moved to the sidelines for a week to try and figure out just what was happening.

That was the first time I took notice of Obama. He looked good. Here was a real candidate. I put everything on Obama to win the presidency. At the time his share price was $32.20. I held him all the way and last night he closed at $100 a share. I love politics.

Barack Obama won last night, and the whole world breathed a sigh of relief. For the first time in eight years I feel good about America. For the first time in eight years I saw a flag and didn’t cringe. For the first time in eight years I heard the word patriotism and didn’t immediately think of Joseph McCarthy. Change is in the air. The headline in the London Daily Express reads A New World Dawns. I couldn’t agree more.

O brave new world, That has such people in it!

————

August 28, 2010 – Looking back on this post now, and of course I’m embarrassed. You can tell Pete Townshend that we did get fooled again. At least I did. I had such high hopes, but it turned out he was just another empty suit, all style, and no substance.

I just got a check from PokerStars for $374.83.

I hadn’t played there for a year or two. Several months ago I logged in just to see what was going on. I noticed that I had an unearned bonus there. So, I deposited $100 and starting playing a little in my spare time.

Last week I finally played enough to clear the bonus. I won $174.83 playing, earned a $100 bonus, together with my $100 deposit I was able to cash out $374.83. Sweet.

from Clay Bennett of the Chattanooga Times Free Press

• My record buying years spanned the Golden Age of Album Cover Art.
• This is a collection of some of the LPs that meant something to me. Just another self portrait of sorts.
• I remember long afternoons browsing through albums at the local head shop and record store “One Sweet Dream“, complete with black lights and incense.
• Later, I spent many lunches with Mr. Johnson down at Rose Records on State Street, flipping through cases of classic vinyl.
• I’d come home with bags full of good stuff. Bought with no recommendation other than the cover art.
• I remember listening to new purchases while holding the cover in both hands, studying the details.
• For big favorites, the turntable would be set to auto-repeat, the album cover would be propped up, facing outwards, always.
• Interesting. I had a program randomly arrange the images. There is only one solo album by John Lennon and only one by Paul McCartney. And yet they ended up side by side, Lennon and McCartney. How cool is that?