I deployed my tag cloud after messing around with it for a few days locally. I used Views_cloud module and some of the issues in the cue to figure out how to actually build a cloud. But I think I understand it now. My page view when you click on a tag is still not how I want it to display, but its close enough for now. I think I need to fix the CSS of that view or something. The node titles display in 90000 pt type, and I couldn't see a way to control that anyway, and I'm not sure why it would do that by default.
My cloud is weighted by how many postings in each term. I also learned how to weight the terms based on different fields; like how many comments they have, or most recent, or just about anything else.
As for views itself, I still am kinda confused by the arguments. But like everything else for me, the more I use it hands on, the better I understand it. Views is simply amazing!

I was looking through my 'top pages' report on this site today, and a post about Arcosanti is by far the most visited page. It's pretty interesting because when you search 'arcosanti' on any of the major engines, it's no where near the first page(I actually stopped looking for it, so I don't know what pages it's on), so I'm not sure where 1300+ people have landed on that page from. Anyway, it prompted me to write some more about it. I have been in loose contact with a bunch of Alumni from Arcosanti who want to create a community website for alumni activities and groundswell. We are trying to get back on track with it in time for Paolo Soleri's 90th b-day celebration at Arcosanti this summer.

Check out the Arcosanti Alumni Network site progress and let us know what you think!

Last week my cousin and I drove by a couple of guys in their garage working on a bunch of kick ass mopeds. We turned around and struck up a conversation and it turns out mopeds have some kind of cult following, which is a cool kinda cult in my mind. We also got to talking somehow about zombie walks in Grand Rapids, Michigan(where my cousin lives) and how that was one of those kinda scary cults. I still don't really understand what they are, so maybe I'm a dick for calling these zombie's a scary cult, or maybe they'd like that? Today I ran across this blog post over at Read/Write Web, discussing feelings of Facebook becoming cult-like. And wouldn't you know, they feature this photo from a zombie walk from the 'Grand Rapids zombie walk' group on Facebook! Classic!

I have decided after much resistance that I would join the 200 million others on Facebook. It is a social experiment for me to see how the site works by becoming a complete Facebook junkie and then I am going to see if I can delete(not just deactivate) my entire account after 30 days. I outright do not agree with the fact that Facebook is a centralized network, a walled garden or the digital age. I do not trust my life's information to live on a country-sized website controlled by a handful of people. Now obviously we aren't in China or something and it's hard to argue that Mark and the gang are some kind of malevolent Orwellian dictatorship. But its the principle of it. I'm 30 now, and when I am 80 we are certainly only going to be communicating Facebook-style on the internet(in ways we can't even imagine right now). But I'll be damned if Facebook is going to hold 50 years worth of my life's data on it's servers. I think that would be dangerous.

Everyday Amy and I are learning something new about Taylor, which reminds me of things we used to know and haven't thought of in a long time, like learning how to laugh. I guess I can't really say that I ever remember learning that, or ever thinking about it at the time. But It did run through my head when I was that age, which just blows my mind! Things that we might take for granted, like a smile or a laugh, are things that are so richly and uniquely human. And further, they are things that we have to develop even after we are out of the womb.
With all the sophistication and education and knowledge us westerners have, I have to say there are bits of genius that we have knocked out of our big ole brains since we were little like Taylor is. Like the simple ability to look at anyone who picks him up, and a lot of people have, and just let the experience wash through him and maybe smile if he is capable at the moment. I think mainly, we have lost sight of simplicity.