a bunch of people have asked me what it is that i've been doing for the past year. at one point i posted something about my typical day in cape verde, but my typical day has changed a lot since. recently - partially due to the fact that i've been moving around so much - there haven't been many typical days. so, rather than posting 'typical day, pt. 2', i thought i'd instead write about two recent encounters related to my watson project. though a far cry from what most people would call "academic research," these are pretty good examples of what has come to constitute my "watson research."

monkey pictures: this had less to do with computers and the internet than it did to do with my digital camera. in tsongkappa's meditation cave, along the pilgrim route around ganden monastery (about 2 bumpy hours from lhasa - see first two pics), i met my first holy photographer. he was a young monk - late 20's - who had been stationed outside the entrance to the cave to collect alms and ensure that people didn't mess with the sacred murals.

when i crouched into the cave, he told me it would be Y$10 if i wanted to take pictures of the cave. then, when everyone else left, he sidled up to me and slowly took my digital camera out of my pocket (at first i thought he was "collecting" alms). after spending a couple minutes pushing random buttons, i showed him how to use the flash and look at old pictures, and then he went crazy. he started giggling, and over the next hour and a half completely filled my 256MB memory card - 377 pictures! there are over 100 of the cave, at least 30 of me, and 17 pictures of his watch. i think the funniest part was when he made all the pilgrims wait in line to have their headshot taken, a la U.S. immigration.


the other side of internet censorship? actually, i don't have time to post this now. i will get to it soon, i promise.