What is it about the term “ancient wisdom” that gets people so excited? Ancient wisdom, ancient secrets, 1000 year old lost technology, etc. What merit does that seem to give something? To me, ancient practices conjures up images of worshiping strange gods, cutting open birds to divine the future, blood letting and other barbaric “medical practices”, mummifying bodies to see them through to the after life, burning witches, on and on. You don’t see us turning to ancient wisdom to send probes to other planets, do genetic research, build computers, peer into quantum particles.

Sure, our modern discoveries are built on the top of older discoveries, many of which were valid. And those were built on things before that. But generally, successful, correct knowledge, survived and evolved, and for the most part the things that were lost and forgotten were lost and forgotten for a reason. Because they were ridiculous in the light of more modern discoveries.

Not to say that some valid knowledge might have been lost, but chances are that anything valid that was lost was not so deep, amazing, fundamental, and powerful that discovering it now is going to change everything. Furthermore, if it was anything remotely useful, it was probably rediscovered or dreamt up at some later point in at least some similar form anyway.

Also, not to say that occasionally some older approach to doing something isn’t occasionally picked up and revived. Often, this has to do with some elegant simplicity in a way of doing something that we are already doing in a much more complex way. But this hardly translates to “ancient wisdom” or “secrets”.

Generally, you see these terms being thrown about by someone trying to sell you something - some alternative weight loss program based on the secrets of the ancient Egyptians, a cancer cure based on some long lost secret of the Mayans. Stupid stuff.

Anyway, I don’t know where that came from. Just something that has bugged me for a while.

Just ran across this video. And it’s exactly what I experienced at every single gas station I visited in Japan. Fill up, wash all windows and mirrors, empty the ashtray if necessary, and the ultimate kicker - stopping traffic so you can leave.

This isn’t exceptional service, or the exception. This is normal and the rule. In fact, the first time I experienced it, I was blown away, but my wife said that particular station had average service. I’m not sure what outstanding service would be.

This is what I was hoping to see when I was in Japan.

Well, actually, that many monkeys probably would have freaked me out a bit. But I still can’t believe I didn’t see a single monkey.

We have this hummingbird feeder. It consists of a 6 foot metal rod with a hook on the end that’s stuck in the ground and a jar of sugar water hanging off a wire on the end of the hook on the rod. Somehow the ants have found their way to the top of this rod, down the hook, and across the wire to get to the sugar. Amazing. Now there is a trail of skinny ants rushing up the path, and these rotund, bloated, translucent red ants waddling back down.

Does this nectar make me look fat?

I’m not really that much of a dog person. But if I were to get a dog, I’d want one like this:

Amazing Dog Escapes from Kennel - Watch more free videos

Today I stepped on the scale and saw the magical numbers, “199″!!!

OK, it was 199.8, but still, that’s over 30 pounds lost since April, and its the first time I’ve been under 200 lbs in around 8 years.

Still some work to go. I’d like to get down to 180, which is another 20 lbs. In high school I think I was mid 170s. So even that wouldn’t be anorexically thin. Anyway, I’m definitely past the halfway point, which is awesome.

Sitting in my backyard now doing some writing. We have a relatively small flat portion of yard ending in a stone wall that then proceeds up a steep, wooded hill. Pretty cool because you look back and see nothing but hills and trees.

So we have a whole bunch of bird feeders. I think we spend more money on bird food than on my personal food these days. Anyway, it’s cool to get to know all these birds. the ones I’ve identified so far are: blue jays, cardinals, tufted titmouses, robins, starlings, black capped chickadees, white breasted nuthatches, lots of sparrows, the occasional crow, some mourning doves, and what I think is either a downy or hairy woodpecker. Not bad for a birdwatching newbie.

If you’re into that kind of thing, this book rocks:

It not only has decent pictures, but has the little electronic sample player on the side. You enter a bird code and hear a few different samples of that bird’s song. Pretty good for identifying what bird is what. But don’t think you’re going to attract birds with it. It generally scares them away.

[edit]Yes, it’s a downy woodpecker. And I saw a hummingbird this afternoon! Also, posted some photos: http://flickr.com/photos/bit-101/sets/72157607031412731/ [/edit]

A week in NYC and a week in San Francisco did nothing for my diet. In fact, I gained more than 5 pounds, weighing in at 208.4 when I got home Saturday morning. The good thing about spike weight gain like that, though, is that it seems to come off about as fast as it goes on, as long as you really get back on the diet. I’m already back down to 203.4.

That’s pretty encouraging. It means I can go on vacation and enjoy myself or just occasionally go wild, as long as I know it’s for a short period of time and I get back on track. It’s not like I’m a foodaholic where a single cookie means I’m on a 3 month long binge.

I’m pretty motivated now, just looking forward to that morning when I look down and see the numbers “199″ on the scale.

Not to say autism is “cool”, but it does give us a glimpse into just how powerful the brain is. If only we could tap into this kind of power without all the bad side effects.

Have  had a lot on my plate these days and likely to for a while longer. Let’s see…

- Wrapping up my Adobe AIR book.

- Getting to work on my new Advanced ActionScript Animation book

- Spent the last week in New York City, working 12-13 hours a day on a huge, exciting project I can’t say anything about yet.

- Went on a client visit today and starting work on another really incredible project. Infrared5 is landing some outrageously awesome work these days!

- I’m off to San Francisco early tomorrow morning for Flash Forward. I’m the first speaker after the keynote, which is being done by the “Cultural Ambassador of Slovenia”. Cool.

- I get a few weeks to relax a bit, though still working and writing, then off to Brighton, UK for Flash on the Beach 08. I can’t believe this is the third one already. First two were awesome and I expect no less this year.

- A week after that, we are hosting Flash on Tap in Boston.