Life continues to be a bit on the go for me – but in a way, that’s good.

One thing I appreciate about going almost anywhere is seeing what you spot on the way to a destination.

Photographer Grant Haller enjoyed that while he worked in daily journalism. I was reminded of that idea when my wife and I took our son, earlier this month, to the Blue Angels show over Lake Washington in the Seattle area.

The skies were gray. So the jets hugged the ground in a low-flying demonstration.

But walking through a tunnel near the one used by automobiles across Interstate 90, I saw a mural with, well, aliens.

They looked pretty friendly, as the artists depicted them.

The Space Needle continues to attract – even decades later.

Surfing – whether it be in space or in Santa Cruz, Calif. – also draws various forms of life to boards and challenges.

I also spotted a fish on the wall.

As we were leaving the Blue Angels show, I looked down and saw a nice sight of bicycle riders going home, too.

As time permits, I’ll get to more weighty topics – yes, I know I’ve said that before.

I think I’ve also said that I’m looking forward to the day that is stretched out for more than 24 hours – say, 30 or so.

That way, I think I can get more things done.

Oh, yes. People have often asked me about the purpose of my blog.

It’s largely to stay connected to current events and daily life. It’s also to have fun – and, of course, celebrate bean curd when I can.

Saturday’s heat in the Seattle area already blasted to the top of the record charts.

It’s a shrap contrast to last weekend, when say, overcast skies prompted the Blue Angels to fly a lower-than-usual show over Lake Union for Seafair, the annual summer festival.

So try this one on for size: Costco in South Seattle is selling snow gloves.

I suppose there’s some smart reasoning behind the move – especially since the padded hand warmers were across the aisle from, well, air conditioners and fans.

You figure the heat will last days and that September is quickly approaching. Also, the cold weather in the Seattle area can linger.

But retailers are smart. And playing both sides of the aisle – get it? – really has no downside, unless it’s July 2011 and you still have all those boxes of snow gloves.

If you didn’t see the Chinese Heritage Tour blog – where I posted entries for the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle - I like looking at how people stay cool when the sun is working well overhead.

By the way, when my family and I were shopping on Saturday, I noticed more people were looking at the cooling machines. But a few people stopped to take a look at the winter gear.

I also should add to my headline above: “Cold? Hot? Confused? Content?”

I’m sure there are people who like the mix of cool and hot in the Seattle area.

One thing I’ve learned living here: You really don’t need an air conditioner or fan that often. But when it gets hot – and temperatures have this ability to rise quickly in the region – you do start thinking about the best ways to remain cool.

That means running out to a big-box retail store and plunking down money so you can plug something into the socket to add some chill or movement to the air.

We also stopped by Woodland Park Zoo and here’s how some animals we spotted enjoyed the day and stayed cool.

By the way, our son took this last image – the one of the big cat. Yes, we’re proud of him.

Dictionary.com defines the word as ”a person of great learning in several fields of study.”

Interestingly enough, the use was connected to Sidney Harman, the business leader who is buying Newsweek. He also sits on the board of The Aspen Institute, a think tank that focuses on ideas, civic life and education.

First, I saw the word in this article from The Daily Beast to describe media publisher Steve Brill: “Publishing polymath Steve Brill said…”

Second, I saw it in this Aspen Daily News article which quoted Walter Isaacson, president and chief executive officer of The Aspen Institute, talking about Harman’s purchase.

“He’s got polymath sensibilities. He is interested in almost everything,” Isaacson is quoted as saying.

Third, I heard it in a video from The Aspen Institute in which distinguished panel members were being introduced for a talk about the state of the U.S. economy and the financial crisis.

As you know, I recently spent a week on the road in the American West, blogging for the Wing Luke Museum of Seattle about sites important to Chinese immigrants – miners, railroad workers and merchants – during the 19th century.

So, while I was traveling, the word might have increased in use.

Or, I might have not been paying enough attention to things. Or, it could be this one circle in which use is popping up.

I once thought that the use of “comparative advantage” was part of the global rage – especially with trade. I am still fascinated with trade and the idea of “comparative advantage.”

But as we know, global trade – while still truly important, especially to Washington state - hasn’t been the most popular topic in recent years, given charges that countries are not playing fairly and the fact that the costs of it have become apparent.

So, if you’re like me and have uttered “comparative advantage” in recent years, keep in mind that, well, its use – in many circles - is so 2005.

And probably even earlier than that.

Anyway, if you’re stuck for a word to describe a friend, mentor, instructor or relative, you can add polymath to your vocabulary.

In fact, if it becomes used so often, you can rank it up there with the use of: ”It is what it is.”

Awesome, huh?

Wikipedia and Urban Dictionary also weigh in with definitions.

If the Urban Dictionary definition has meaning, you’d probably want to watch your spelling and avoid polypath.

As you might have seen, I had an exhilarating and invigorating time blogging for the Wing Luke Museum’s Chinese Heritage Tour of the American West.

If you haven’t read the blog entries, please have a look. The pace was fast – but good- and the investment in time was well worth it. It’s one of those trips in life that you set time aside to take – well, because it’s unclear when you’ll have time to do it again.

The group of 35 people or so returned to the Seattle area early last week. I’ve been resting up and getting caught up on things on the homefront.

That included a great Saturday visiting Top Gun Seafood Restaurant in Bellevue, Wash. One thing I always enjoy is food to bring the mind and belly back to the center.

For me and my family, that has always included delicious dim sum – or dian xin or little bits of heart. Yes, we ordered noodles among other dishes because, well, I’ve liked them since I was a kid.

A few freelance projects remain on, um, my plate. So, I’ll update TofuWatch as often as I can.

One tidbit, as you see below, is that there’s a new Asian market – jingjing – coming to Bellevue. It will be right next to Top Gun.

So, what’s the next best thing after eating a delicious Cantonese meal? Well, shopping for delicious Chinese vegetables and ingredients, of course!

I hope jingjing turns out to be a Chinese market well worth visiting.

Oh yeah, I spotted the Buddha figure at Top Gun and I just liked it. The translation below the figure is about a lucky star hanging in the sky.

Yes, I know the figure and the saying are not little bits of heart. But the saying, in my mind, is something good to hear.

In the past, my family and I would eat dim sum at Tea Garden Seafood Restaurant in Seattle. But on our last visit a month or so ago, the food didn’t hit the taste bud highmark for us. It might have been that visit.

And speaking of Chinese food, John Pai, who was on the Chinese Heritage Tour, told me that he liked eating egg foo young for breakfast.

It’s true: Life really is rich.

Which, as we know, is a good thing.

As we know, the Chinese have come up with a robot that can make food in a wok – and IBM has its supercomputer that will challenge humans in Jeopardy!

You’ve seen the two flying cars – Aerocar and the Transition - I’ve written about in earlier posts. By the way, if you end up buying a Transition, please let me know.

Or just tell the world via the Web or a Tweet.

And so, in this light, I’ve thought about stretching the day out so there will be more hours than just 24. That way, I can have some extra time to blog at TofuWatch.com.

I will get back to more posts – um, make that more thoughtful and interesting posts – as soon as I can. I do miss posting entries.

One bit of news that I came across is that the economists and other staff members from the Washington state Employment Security Department have started taking furloughs from work because of the tight budget.

Mind you, and this applies to the Labor Market & Econonomic Analysis staff, these are the people who help track unemployment in the state, as well as jobs created and lost.

From this month until June 2011, these staff members will not work for 10 days. State lawmakers called for the furlough. I do hope the state of Washington’s economic picture improves.

I should say that I’ve always enjoyed interviewing these economists and analysts – that is, when I was a newspaper reporter. It was good to hear what they had to say and to study their charts.

Of course, it also was good to walk the city streets to talk with business owners and neighbors about what they were experiencing, too.

Late last year, I attended the state’s annual economic outlook meeting, held near Olympia, to hear what these observors had to say. I thought it was fascinating.

My son and I were playing baseball in a Seattle field on Tuesday evening. We looked up and saw the cloud formation photographed above.

Yeah, I know clouds might not top the list of things to consider with people’s busy schedules. But you know, they really are interesting – and there’s that whole cloud computing thing, too.

Photographer Grant Haller also likes clouds, especially when they’re over water and rocks.

After an adventurous week-long vacation in the Pacific Northwest, I have returned to post entries on the blog.

The vacation was wonderful. I’ll post entries soon.

In the meantime, this needs to be said: Bean curd is still central in my life. I ran errands today and when I returned my wife was kind enough to have this bowl of chicken and tofu soup waiting for me.

First: Thank you. Second: It was delicious.

I would tell you her recipe. But I don’t know it. When I see her, I’ll ask.

Our vacation took us along various stops in and around the Olympic National Park – and near the Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean.

There’s nothing like the sight and sounds of water.

On our first day, when we departed, rain fell from the sky. So, instead of driving my family and parents to Deception Pass State Park to likely sit in the rain for our planned picnic, we adjusted our plans.

We drove to Top Gun Seafood Restaurant, a tasty Cantonese restaurant in the Seattle suburb of Bellevue. We ordered plates of dim sum.

That way, as my reasoning went, if everything else on the trip turned out to be soggy and overcast, at the very least, we could say: Man, that dim sum meal at the beginning of our trip was the tops!

Yes, I’ve dined there before. This time, we ordered Japanese-style bean curd with shrimp on top – a fantastic way to go.

That is one lesson that I learned from traveling to different places: When in doubt, find delicious food, fill your belly, appreciate what you have and smile.

I stumbled upon this interview of Chris Anderson of Wired talking about the economics of Free – which is the title of his book – and I thought: I think I’ll pay attention.

We’re all actors in one way or another in the free market. Mainstream journalists, in recent years, have been grappling with the idea of free in the context of money in a full-on way - since, well, economists talk about covering costs and earning profits for business survival.

As we know, low advertising dollars have created a churn in which thousands of people have left the industry. Mind you, this is in the context of people growing more and more used to – and in some way, expecting – free online content.

So, how do you pull in enough money to avoid a free market failure in the context of an increasingly online world when people know they have an option to not hand over greenbacks?

Well, the legendary Anderson offers up some ideas in this interview from Geek Entertainment TV (which has a video about the Pez Museum). By the way, since I posted the interview and, um, didn’t pay anything for it, I’d like to say thank you very much for posting this at YouTube and for letting others embed it.

Anderson, who helped propel the idea of The Long Tail into the online consciousness, talks about giving some of your product for free and asking people to pay money for other portions of what you’ve created or have.

That makes sense, though in this interview with WNYC, he discusses how some talented bloggers are not paid but have their work posted on commercial outlets. The benefit for them, he says and as I understood it, is that others will recognize their work.

The only catch that I see is that if you’re a doctor and run a great blog on a commercial site, then you have one economic sector (medicine) subsidizing another (online news, information and content).

I came across the interview you see above after I glanced at an interview with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs on The Wrap and realized that its founder, Sharon Waxman, had talked with Anderson. That led to the YouTube page which had other Anderson interviews, including the one with Geek Entertainment TV.

The idea of something for free has long been fascinating, I think, for all of us.

Free ice cream cone? Free car wash? Free cup of coffee?

We’re there, we’re there, we’re there.

Free round-trip airplane ticket to Paris?

Our response: How many can we get?

I’d like to bring my brother-in-law’s parents and their brothers and sisters. 

Months ago, I talked about how the idea of free would work very well – and across the board – in an autonomous commune. In fact, one study revealed that billions of people want free online content.

But in a free market in which there are financial costs, well, that might have some obstacles.

You could keep your costs low. But that would mean trimming much, including what you own and labor and expertise that you might have as an employer.

I noted the idea of lower costs when I talked about a new “American price” – meaning anything considerably lower than what you’re used to paying.

Disruptors to traditional media have a point that prices might be too high for items in the free market. But dropping that price to zero will only work if grocery stores, gas stations, hospitals, car dealers and banks also embrace giving what they have away for free, too.

So, for traditional media, the idea of the paywall has been bouncing around for months.

The New York Observor recently quoted David Remnick of The New Yorker as backing a pay model to cover the journalism and writing that the magazine publishes in print and online.

Here are two quotes from the Observor article.

First:

I was going to be damned if I was going to train 18-year-olds, 20-year-olds, 25-year-olds, that this is like water that comes out of the sink.

Second:

Remember the days of information wants to be free? …So therefore the only thing that anyone with any brains could do with a magazine like The New Yorker is to put the whole thing online and give it away. Give it away! And if you were against that in some way or you said, ‘Wait a minute,’ you were–wait for it–clueless….I opted for clueless.

The other issue is that the model of free online content might actually drive more people to search out words, music, audio interviews and videos that have no cost.

That was one premise put forward by author Bill Wasik in an interview with comedian Mo Rocca on CBS News.

Yes, as you’ve seen, I’ve run this blog at no financial cost to visitors since last year.

So, how can I talk about the importance of covering costs while I’m giving information and analysis away for free?

Well, I also pursue freelance writing. This is one way that I’m letting people know of that service.

It is similar to Anderson’s strategy of giving some of your product or services away at no cost and charging for a more specialized, custom-oriented project.

This blog enables me to stay connected with current events, interesting topics, history and the beauty of experimentation.

I mean, you have seen my stop-motion clips, haven’t you?

And staying connected with the world also lets me post a video clip about an author and editor talk about this whole idea of a free ride.

I thought I’d chime in because I served for two years as a newspaper staff member at the school back in the mid-1980s. During my last year at Fremont, I was the editor-in-chief of what was then called The Fremont Chief.

Scott Herhold of the San Jose Mercury News lays out his thoughts in a column and talks about a student-led protest on Tuesday that included duct tape and the words, “No newspaper, no voice.” He argues that the students have not produced a sufficiently compelling reason to keep their newspaper, The Phoenix, as part of a school-backed journalism class.

But my verdict – and yes, it is a biased one – is this: Save as many media institutions as you can for students.

Help them excel at thinking, asking questions, analyzing, writing and other forms of expression. Do so in a formal setting under the guidance of a teacher.

Those skills, when practiced with rigorous integrity and compassion, form a foundation that will help young people learn in productive ways for the rest of their lives.

And remember: Those who are curious go out and make discoveries.

Communities need more discoveries.

In other words, the student news publication, The Phoenix, should be kept as part of a school-supported class.

Certainly, these days, the market of online words, photographs, music and video is cluttered. Market entry is simple and can take minutes to set up a free blog and begin uploading whatever is floating in your mind or the images you’ve captured on your cell phone.

Yes, many students operate top-notch, creative blogs.

So the student argument of “No newspaper, no voice” is not as strong as it once was when newspapers held more sway in their communities.

What makes a high school-supported journalism class different though is that the publication, whether it’s online or in print, is an institution. And in the best sense, journalists practice the craft and use their platforms to inform, engage, enlighten and question.

Sure, writers, editors and photographers have their own interests. They sometimes pursue those. There are times when journalists make mistakes.

But one beautiful lesson that journalism teaches anyone who practices it with the goal of true integrity and credibility is that you cover people and events you might not even have thought about days earlier.

You interview strangers or cover topics that you might personally disdain. You’re out in a community, knocking on doors, making phone calls, attending meetings, talking with scores of people, reading documents.

You listen and search for common themes that others will recognize, hopefully as important.

Then, you share these stories with a wide variety of people in a community.

And shared information - in this case about a high school and its students and teachers - on a regular basis can actually improve a community.

Call me old school – in fact, since I graduated in the 1980s, I encourage you to call me old school.

But let me consider some of the issues that have surfaced.

As I recall with high school newspapers, a principal essentially serves as its publisher. As publisher, the principal can make all final business calls – including keeping the class or ending it.

The school’s principal says enrollment has dropped and that an after-school journalism club would still fit student and budget needs.

From a free market perspective, it makes perfect sense to stop a class or product which lacks demand. These are tough budget times, too. The money could be spent elsewhere.

But foisting such a hard, cold reality on teenage high school journalists – who are going through pivotal years of learning – really undermines the noble pursuit of education.

Yes, disappointment is part of life no matter your age. But does the school and district want students to learn the lesson of a market failure so young in life?

The principal is suggesting that the journalism class become an after-school club. That could be an alternative.

If these high school bloggers, reporters and editors are serious about the art and craft of journalism, it already is an after-school club.

They’re likely spending hours on thinking of stories and covering them.

More importantly, what these students are learning and practicing fit the definition of an academic class.

Herhold raises the relevant issue that mainstream journalism is going through a true transformation – and that the shrinking number of students interested in the journalism class could reflect that they’re seeking other subjects to prepare for the future.

That could very well be the case. But while free markets churn, they also evolve until equilibrium is reached. We just might not be there right now.

Herhold also questions whether the request from students for academic credit for the journalism class - “a form of payment for their work” - takes the “moral argument” out of their case.

It actually reinforces a valuable lesson in a market-based economy: That hard work, in an academic setting and under the guidance of a teacher, should be rewarded.

Students in other academic classes are rewarded in this manner.

Interestingly enough, he ends his column by writing: “The fault is not in the stars, but in ourselves.”

That last sentence sounds pleasant and worldly. I understand what he means – that the high school newspaper illustrates a larger, societal crossroads for journalism in general.

But it overlooks some basic logic: If it is true that we – as people, in general – are at fault for this problem, shouldn’t we – as people, in general - then take steps to rectify it?

If that is the case, shouldn’t the Fremont High School principal, faculty and students make at least one last-ditch effort to save the journalism class that produces The Phoenix?

Leadership at all levels calls for people to take bold, innovative and courageous action when it looks like the end is near.

After all, this is the Silicon Valley. Its people don’t give up that easily.

Obviously, I can’t speak for others who have gone through the Fremont High School journalism program. But during my career as a journalist, I have covered a litany of topics and people.

They include the largest human-trafficking case ever prosecuted on U.S. soil, Chinese President Hu Jintao, the Dalai Lama, people who survived being swept into a cave, a heroic solider, a biologist who is trying to help us live longer, people who have fallen in love at cemeteries, a Japanese American woman who was interned during World War II and Bruce Lee, the late martial artist and philosopher.

I’ve also contributed to an anthology about people searching for their cultural roots in China.

The drive to cover these stories or write about my experiences was largely fueled by, yes, my high school journalism years.

The professionally-made videos tell a story as well as capture historic moments. Plus, there are plenty of videos from which to choose.

Am I talking about Vimeo? YouTube? Hulu? PBS? Network or cable news? National Geographic?

No, no, no, no, no, no.

To the online hip and especially Inside-the-Beltway types, just say – or rather type: WH.gov.

To the old-fashioned, spell it out: WhiteHouse.gov.

That’s right. It’s a site that relies on support from the unwitting generosity of U.S. taxpayers.

Just thinking about that reminds me that I’m sure one person will say: “Hey, I never wanted my tax money to be used in that way.”

All I can say is that budgeting and the federal government can be complex – and that respecting the budgetary wish of every single taxpayer can be, well, tricky.

WhiteHouse.gov, and as others have noted, make sure you type .gov, was once a site that we expected to be static with official emblems and portraits.

It was a place where the public might have felt connected to the Commander-in-Chief if the phone number for the switchboard operator was found easily or there was fast information on taking a tour.

It now has online chats, which incorporate Facebook, the president’s speeches and government officials discussing topics ”In Their Own Words.”

It’s kind of like a social media channel has merged with a television news station.

So, what are you interested in?

How about an interesting look at why President Barack Obama uses so many pens when he signs a bill into law?

I actually like that clip because I learned something about life outside the presidential spotlight, just as I gained new insight when I asked why the Supreme Court didn’t pursue a social media strategy such as the White House.

Keep in mind, when I wrote that post, the Supreme Court had a blue homepage. It’s now red and the site has been revamped.

There are serious, sobering topics, too, such as talks on financial reform, Wall Street, the Supreme Court and job creation.  But they are from the White House’s perspective.

In terms of U.S.  history and the presidency, the White House posted a video of a meeting with the late Civil Rights pioneer Dorothy Height. 

Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan is featured in a segment – “In Her Own Words” – about possibly ascending to the highest court in the country.

But absent in these White House videos are independent journalists – meaning that a company pays their salaries.

Yes, I know. Many people consider some in the White House press corps to be pesky, prone to asking horse-race style questions that might be more Inside-the-Beltway than applicable to the challenges facing average people in the country.

I know there can be sniping, griping and grumbling from press corps members.

But journalists – and I once was one – do try to hold elected and other government leaders to account. In many ways, we do well. In other ways, the learning curve remains.

Certainly, those who blog regularly – which I am now doing – can ask questions to hold leaders to account. They can break news. But just as any rookie journalist will tell you, there is a learning curve with everything.

Keep in mind that centuries ago, when the colonists looked to London for directives, there was no way to hold leaders to account.

I admit that a representative democracy means that a variety of people are allowed in the tent. By definition, then, you’re going to have brilliant questions as well as ones you might think are dopey. 

Also, as mainstream journalism in the United States has undergone a seismic shift in recent years – with cutbacks (and the recent news of Newsweek being put up for sale) - the rise of using online platforms to communicate directly with people has taken off.

Back when President George W. Bush lived in the White House, I thought media affairs and public outreach hit a new high with all of that elaborate stage setting and lighting.

Now, take for example, the White House online show called the “West Wing Week” – which is “your guide to everything happening” at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

It’s not This Week, the ABC News show once hosted by David Brinkley, Cokie Roberts and Sam Donaldson or George Stephanopoulos.

And it’s not the West Wing, that popular NBC drama about life inside the White House.

Some video clips do carry the quality that a documentary filmmaker was behind the work.

One example is footage of First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, the vice president’s wife, touring earthquake-caused damage in Haiti.

Their visit certainly brought more attention to the need for relief efforts. But as any journalist will tell you, that video clip was, essentially, filter free.

As a side note, and for fans of Olympic athlete Apolo Ohno, you can watch him read “Green Eggs and Ham” at this year’s White House Easter egg roll.

The explosion, of sorts, of online videos posted on the White House’s Website comes at a time when some in the White House press corps feel that the president isn’t as accessible to them as compared to others.

POLITICO wrote about this tension recently, saying that some White House journalists feel that these government-produced videos are “gauzy.”

But, of course, they are no substitute for the good old-fashioned, shoe-leather journalism that involves asking questions (sometimes with a point and repeatedly).

Yes, the White House posted a video of the president answering questions from the White House press corps on an Air Force One flight.

I understand the White House perspective that incorrect stories – even if just partially wrong – can cause headaches and extra work.

I also am aware that government agencies, companies and individuals reserve the right to pick the best way they want to communicate with others.

But questions, especially ones from journalists or the public, asked on a regular basis matter.

In 2008, I had the opportunity to ask the Dalai Lama a question at a press conference during his visit to Seattle.

It essentially was: “Why do you think the Chinese government would be willing to do anything that you’re asking?”

His answer was nuance-filled, non-linear, informative, insightful, full of history - and probably one of the best ones that I’ve heard in my career of, well, asking questions.

I guess all of this points to a question that Stephen Colbert asked about the role of facts in society: Will people care about them?

Or in a related way, will people care if the facts that they receive in a given segment or interview only come from one perspective?

Oh, yes. Since I linked to the White House and its social media efforts, here’s what the Chinese Central Government has online and in English for President Hu Jintao.