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Flickr: free photo hosting
For those of you who might like a quick and easy place to share
photos (good for you new parents out there), Flickr
is a great tool. Your photos are viewable online, either public
or private as you desire. It's easy to sign up and a no-brainer
to use, requiring nothing more than a web browser. Give
Flickr a try.
The National Debt Clock is running out of space
The Republicans who control all branches of government, and who
for some unknown reason alledge themselves to be fiscally responsible,
are soon to bring about the early obsolesence of the National
Debt Clock which measures both the current debt figure as well
as each American family's share of the burden. The problem is that
the clock was not designed to be able to display $10 trillion,
which it is rapidly approaching. In 2000, the clock actually stopped
at $5.7 trillion because it was not designed to run backwards.
Now it shows over $8.3 trillion and shows no sign of slowing down.
If you enjoy an insurmountable debt for generations to come, vote
Republican.
New Stella photos
Our little girl is certainly enjoying
spring. Hear what she has to say in her latest movie
clip too.
Tom Jones is knighted
It's not unusual for someone with the talent and notoriety of Sir
Jones to receive this sort of honor.
Kaloogian's fake photo
Howard Kaloogian, a Republican running in a special election to
replace convicted and jailed former U.S. Representative from California
Republican Randy "Duke" Cunningham is in a scandal
of his own. He claimed that the media was distorting the coverage
of Iraq and that he in fact had a recent photo of downtown Baghdad
that showed the "real" situation, a serene urban scene.
Here is the caption that appeared with the photo:
"We took this photo of dowtown [sic] Baghdad
while we were in Iraq. Iraq (including Baghdad) is much more
calm and stable than what many people believe it to be. But,
each day the news media finds any violence occurring in the country
and screams and shouts about it - in part because many journalists
are opposed to the U.S. effort to fight terrorism."
The accompanying photo named "DowntownBaghdad.JPG",
is now curiously missing
from his site. Perhaps it could be that the photo was obviously
from Turkey, as anyone who has been to Turkey or has even a rudimentary
understanding of the Turkish alphabet would know. So far the Kaloogian
campaign is trying to blame the mistake on their webmaster, and
is answering
no questions.
See
a comparison of the photo in question versus a known photo
of the Istanbul suburb of Bakirkoy and judge for yourself. This
photo, along with the fact that Kaloogian's so-called "recent" trip
occured 9 months ago is yet another Republican attempt to deceive.
Pre-pixellated clothing
Wear one
of these items and if you ever appear on television, somewhere
a video editor will thank you.
Parallels Between My Living Through Two Years of
Middle School and the Two Terms of the Bush Presidency
A curiously apt
comparison by Teddy Wayne.
Religious tolerance is for believers only
It seems that in the melting pot of this country, the least tolerated
of the population are those who choose to not believe in an established
religion. According
to a recent study:
"Americans rate atheists below Muslims,
recent immigrants, homosexuals and other groups as “sharing
their vision of American society.” Americans are also least
willing to let their children marry atheists."
So much for the Golden Rule of 'do unto others as you would have
them do unto you' or other similar supposed beliefs of hypocritical
followers of religion.
Arrested Development in jeopardy again
Mitch Hurwitz, the creator of the successful but
already once cancelled series will
not be involved with a possible fourth season of the show.
Sergeant Major Eric Haney on Iraq
An excerpt of an interview with Eric Haney, one of the founders
of the U.S. Army's Delta Force. Most interesting is his opinion
of the problems that Bush's war in Iraq may have created for the
U.S., not only for the present, but for
the foreseeable future.
Apple is about to turn 30
On April 1, 1976, Apple was founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak,
two young visionaries. From the first time I saw an Apple II in
about 1980, I knew it was something special. I rememberr wishing
that I could afford a Lisa when the sleek machine showed up in
a computer store in the local mall in 1983. When the Macintosh
was released in 1984 it was a quantum leap above the Tandy TRS-80
computers in my computer science class. And every Mac that I have
used or owned since has been better, faster, more reliable and
more fun than any other computer on the market. Since its inception,
Apple has always led the way in technological development that
others follow. Congratulations
on your 30th birthday Apple, and may your success continue!
Gillian makes an appearance
See more photos of
the newest little girl and her family.
New Hazel photos
This time, Hazel gets
a visit from Oma and also encounters a dog and Chicago.
A coyote in Central Park
A wild coyote was captured today in Manhattan's Central
Park after being pursued by numerous parks officials. It's
hard to imagine how an animal whose home range must be far off
was able to get so far into the city.
Happy Nooruz
We congratulate you on your holiday, Kyrgyzstan. HOOPY3! And
happy birthday to Saltanat!
Welcome Gillian Louise!
The newest member of the Bears family made her
debut appearance on March 18 at 4:50. She weighed 8 pounds, 5 ounces,
was 21 inches long and Has dark hair. More info and photos as they
are received.
Luxury SUVs not as "cool" as they once
were
Some people may be coming to their senses when
it comes to the rolling monuments to gluttony that are luxury SUVs.
A combination of economics
and societal pressure is leading to their decline in popularity.
Do you think you feel safer in an SUV? Read Malcolm Gladwell's excellent
article on SUVs, including the examination of passive versus
active safety when it comes to cars.
How many razor blades are enough?
If two blades are better than one, then five
blades are clearly better than four, right?
Why is democracy stronger on TV than in real life?
A speech
from the television show "Boston Legal" is more
powerful and more to the point than any speech made by actual
public figures in defending the rights and freedoms of our country.
Why is that so? With an administration with popularity levels
in the mid 30s, why is anyone afraid to say what they are thinking?
Maybe we only live in the illusion of a democracy.
Incompetent is the big winner
In a recent Reuters poll, the word "incompetent" was
the most frequent choice when people were asked to describe
Bush in one word. Runners up included "idiot", "liar" as
well as "good" for the overly unaware or sycophantic.
I probably would have said "criminal" or "corrupt".
In the same poll, 56% of respondents said Bush was out of touch.
CNN/USA Today/Gallup: Bush at 36% approval
This is a new low for this poll. It seems that the American public
is finally waking up to the criminal
ineptitude of this administration.
So you tear up those credit card applications?
So did a guy who gets a lot of unsolicited credit card applications
in the mail. He then decided to see if he could tear one up, put
it back together and still successfully get a card. The bad news
is that he did. Read the account of the scary but true
story here.
Illustrated backgrounds
Some pretty spiffy painted
backgrounds as used on Cartoon Networks Adult Swim. I don't
have cable but like the illustrations nonetheless.
Make your own resin case for a USB drive
This could be particularly helpful when the original drive case
has become cracked or broken. Find the instructions
here to make it a reality.
Engrish menu
A menu from a restaurant using a not
altogether precisely descriptive form of English popular
in some parts of the world.
Tricorder becoming reality
At the University of Arizona a scientist is developing a device
that serves
essentially the same function as the famous machine used by
Mr. Spock and numerous other members of Star Fleet.
License-free fonts
A listing of some great free fonts available for
download. Help yourself jump out of the ruts of using the same
old fonts and get
them now.
So that's why...
The following was found on Crooks
and Liars:
"Avedon Carol snares a great quote that finally cleared
something up for me: why does Bush always sound like he's talking
to five year olds?
"He speaks to the audience as if they're idiots. I think
the reason he does that is because that's the way these issues
were explained to him." - Graydon Carter
More misrepresentation by the GOP
This time it concerns the food
we eat. The Republican dominated House of Representatives
decided that less regulation was best when it came to deciding
what food companies should be required to put on their packaging.
Americans don't want less food safety, they want more. More people
are taking a more active role in deciding what they put in their
bodies. The problem is that congressional Republicans are so
far in the pocket of big chemical companies that they can't see
what is on the outside. It just goes to show how out of touch
the Republicans are with the citizens of this country, since
even loathesome megastore Walmart
is starting to stock organic items.
Mars probe nearing its objective
It took seven months for the Mars
Reconnaissance Orbiter to reach the red planet, and it is
scheduled to enter orbit today. The probe should be able to send
back photos taken from orbit in which objects as small as 40
inches can be distinguished.
Blogger
Yes, you too can start
your own blog at Blogger. It's easy and free. I do my site
the old fashioned way, but it requires a lot of attention in
terms of maintenance and expense. Blogger has much of the capabilities
of a scratch-built site, without much hassle. No, I don't have
any financial interest in Blogger, I'm just impressed with what
they have made available. Give it a try.
70% think the country is on the wrong track
A new AP/Ipsos poll has Bush's approval at a new all time low.
Read about it on Yahoo
News or AOL
News. Here are the numbers:
- 70% of Republicans think civil war will break out in Iraq.
- 70% of Americans think US is on wrong track
- 37% approve of his job performance
- 74% of Republicans approve his performance, down from 82% in
February
- 36% approval rating on domestic affairs, down from 39% last
month
- 43% approval on foreign policy and terrorism
- 40% approval on Iraq and economy
- 2/3 disapprove of Congress job performance
This along with a speech made by former Supreme Court Justice
Sandra Day O'Connor warning of the "beginnings" of
dictatorship bring to mind something said by James Madison: "If
tyrrany and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise
of fighting a foreign enemy."
Picturecloud
This free software allows you to create 360
degree images from a series of digital photos.
Free audiobooks
Librivox offers free, legal downloads of audiobooks in
the public domain.
New photos of little people
Stella explores several ways to enjoy
the weather and have fun, while Hazel continues to be a popular
little girl with a very proud family.
Prefab houses of modernist design
Some prefab houses are moving into the realm of styling similar
to the modernist movement in the middle of the 20th century that
led to the California Modern school of architecture. Some of the
designs are quite appealing and the incorporation of environmentally
friendly construction and systems could be a great platform for
emerging technologies. Read and article about the experience of
some new
prefab owners, or look at an inspired
prefab design, or search out a fabprefab
home of your own. I particularly like the design of this
one.
Jupiter has a new Red Spot
Although it is officially called Oval BA by astronomers, Jupiter's newest
red spot, half the size of the larger, older spot is also
known as "Red, Jr". The two large red spots, as well
as several other smaller spots of varying colors are large storms
that are continually broiling in the upper atmosphere of the
gas giant planet. The new red spot happens to be somewhere around
the same size as the Earth.
Notable musical moments from Saturday Night Live
At least as noted by The Onion's AV
Club. There are some good ones in there.
Ali Farka Toure has died
The most
well known musician from Mali died today following a battle
with cancer. Ali Farka Toure , in his 60s, was recognized as
being a pioneering blues musician from West Africa.
The Wandel brothers
I randomly came across Matthias
Wandel's site and was impressed with his several inventions
and handcrafted machines, including a digital
camera built from a scanner and his homemade
pipe organ, not to mention the air powered gun that can shoot
peanut M&Ms. Matthias' brother Markus has
an interesting site too, including the deviously ingenious Dump-O-Matic.
I also have to include a link that I found on Matthias' site
to the high altitude
glider project.
The Simpsons in real life?
We get to see what television's favorite family would look like
as real
people, at least some British people's take on it anyway. Pretty
cool.
50 best websites. . .
. . . as chosen by Steve Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. There's
some good
stuff in here.
T-shirts threaten FEMA's insecurity
The Bush administration pursues its enemies (with a few notable exceptions)
wherever they may be, but never more fervently than when they are
people with the audacity to utilize
their freedom of speech.
The Olympics are over...
But it is still interesting to read about how NBC produced the impressive
on-air graphics, and alternatively how NBC yet again provided
dismal coverage for the games. The
New Yorker's impression of the olympics as a whole also deserves
a read. Thanks to Kottke for
assembling the links.
Three Hazel pics
At it again, the newest
little girl is featured by her proud parents. In a somewhat
related link, here is a page full of interesting
lunar facts.
A retired couple is investigated by Homeland Security
for paying off their credit card
Doesn't it just make you feel so much safer knowing
that things
like this happen?
2 of 3 Americans want U.S. out of Iraq
So does this mean that two
thirds of the American public hate America?
An open letter to American auto manufacturers
American car companies have been experiencing difficulties
for quite some time. Recently, the list of the ten
best cars of the year according to Consumer Reports was released,
and not a single one was from an American company. Even though
we are constantly inundated with ads in all media hyping the high-horsepower
battle wagons that Detroit manufacturers love to produce, the average
car buyer has something else in mind when it comes to choosing
transportation. People vote with their money and most can't afford
to replace a car every couple of years because it has developed
problems, or is too costly to use. A lot of consumers want something
that will serve them well for the foreseeable future. The key is
quality construction, safety, fuel economy, and good value, and
apparently American manufacturers aren't getting it.
If American car companies are to survive, they
need to realize that not everyone in this country is interested
in a 5,000 pound, nine passenger SUV with a power train reworked
from 40 year old muscle car technology, no matter how "professional
grade" it may claim to be. Not every driver wants their car
to have all the amenities and appliances of their home. The vast
majority of people use their cars for simple transportation, commuting
relatively short distances and carrying relatively light loads.
To haul seven people, a dog and a wedding cake in an SUV towing
a boat while passing a truck carrying logs on a steep, winding
road is not something most people will ever do. Besides, after
another couple of gasoline price spikes or a blowup of the artificially
low price of fuel in this country, US auto makers won't be able
to give away monstrosities like the Tahoe or Expedition or anything "hemi" powered,
let alone sell them.
U.S. auto makers seem to enjoy trying to create
niche markets for re-imaginations of nostalgic cars such has been
done for the Mustang, GTO, Corvette, PT Cruiser and HHR. I've got
news for you. There is already a large and growing niche market
eager for new models, almost entirely overlooked by manufacturers
selling in the US. That market is for well-built, standard passenger
cars capable of using biodiesel for fuel. Used Volkswagens with
turbo direct injection diesel engines routinely sell well in the
used market because of their relatively sparse existence in the
US. Even well-worn 20 year old Mercedes diesels enjoy a brisk trade
on Craig's List and eBay. Diesel cars are common, well-received
and proven technology throughout much of the world, but are an
anomaly here.
Recently I heard Bill Ford, CEO of Ford Motor Company
say something to the effect that what he wants his company to do
is to create the Model T of the 21st century. If Mr. Ford is sincere
in that endeavor, I suggest that his team consider the following
factors in their design.
- Highest Safety-Not just high safety, but the
highest safety results of any vehicle. No matter what a great
deal a car might seem, I would never even consider buying something
that I wouldn't trust for my daughter to ride in. We're in a
country which at one time put astronauts on the moon and brought
them back safely using technology archaic by today's standards.
We should be able to build cars at least as safe as those made
in other countries without interplanetary voyages under their
belts. No corners should be cut for safety in even the least
expensive car. Accident survivability shouldn't be on a sliding
scale to the benefit of the wealthy. A standard of achieving
the highest records of safety instills confidence in potential
buyers at all income levels.
- Good Design and Build Quality-Nothing makes
a car buyer feel like they've been ripped off like flimsy control
knobs or a sun visor that won't stay in place or a headlight
that costs $120 to replace. Dependability doesn't happen by accident.
A good car doesn't have to be extravagant, just built well. Fewer
options and more standardization is part of what made cars like
the original Model T and VW Beetle so popular. Why not reintroduce
manual windows and door locks? When in doubt, think along good,
solid utilitarian lines. Utilitarian shouldn't be confused with
cheap and shoddy like an 80s Yugo. Utilitarian means clean and
functional like an 80s Toyota pickup. It's no coincidence that
the simple and dependable Model T, along with others of the same
design philosophy such as the VW Beetle, VW Golf, original Mini,
Citroen 2CV, Fiat 500, Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla have been
so endeared. Less complication equates to less to break down.
- Biodiesel Engine-This is a fuel with great
potential, that can benefit American farmers, not just oil royalty
of the domestic or foreign variety. Biodiesel cars don't require
numerous batteries full of toxic materials and heavy metals.
It's also not a pie-in-the-sky, yet-to-be-evolved technology
like hydrogen. Although recently GM has been touting its E-85
capable vehicles, they are still powered by the the same gas
guzzling engines of old and besides, I have yet to see a pump
that dispenses E-85 fuel. Zero to sixty acceleration matters
less than zero to thirty acceleration in a city. Horsepower only
needs to be enough to move the car at a reasonable, legal pace.
Boastful extra horsepower is just a waste of fuel.
- Manual Transmission-Not only is a manual
transmission more fuel efficient, it also keeps a driver in mind
of what they should be doing while behind the wheel, namely driving.
Automatic transmissions have made drivers lazy and complacent
when it comes to paying attention to the task at hand. People
who have never driven a manual transmission will never be aware
of the enjoyment that choosing their own gears can bring. The
trend for more and more horsepower is probably brought about
because an automatic transmission removes important and satisfying
feedback between a car and its driver.
- Four-Door Hatchback-For most families short
of the Brady Bunch, four and in a pinch five safe and properly
restrained seats is more than enough. Four doors just make more
sense for accessibility and usefulness. A hatchback is much more
practical than an ordinary sedan for the occasional carrying
of bulky items. For those who truly need more carrying room,
car makers should keep this in mind and develop a minivan version
of what is described here.
- No kooky
styling or other gimmickry-So
often Detroit car designers try to be different in the wrong
way. No one wants to put their money into the next Pacer
or Gremlin or Aztek. Crazy graphic swooshes, retina-straining
colors and ridiculous names or suffixes are not compelling
reasons to buy a car. There are plenty of after-market modifications
available for people who want to make an over-the-top statement,
but the Model T of the 21st century should have function,
not fashion determine its appearance. Keep it simple.
- Starting Price of Under $12,000-This is important.
The original Model T was not an expensive car, but it was successful.
The Model T steadily decreased in price over the years of its
production, through improved building processes and efficiency.
Many manufacturers assume that smaller cars are only for "entry
level" buyers who but for the price would rather buy something
much larger and more expensive. That is not necessarily the case.
Toyota discovered that its new Scion models, marketed largely
to younger buyers, are also appealing to more mature buyers looking
for a quality economical car. Even though some people can possibly
afford it, there are many car owners who will categorically refuse
to consider buying a car that costs as much as the house they
grew up in. That is not to say that everyone will buy the least
expensive car available, but if every new car, even at the low
end has the features listed here, then those trying to decide
between a used and new car at the same price may actually be
tempted to go with the new car. Also, the jig is up with a $5,000
rebate on a $30,000 car, when a real world value for the car
might be more in the $20,000 range. A retailer's greed in car
pricing likely sends buyers to other venues.
If Ford or GM or even Chrysler (which is actually
the German company Daimler and just so happens to have a fleet
of diesel cars in Europe) were to introduce something similar to
what is described above in the U.S., I am convinced they would
sell as many as they could produce.
For those who think this may be a lot to ask, it
is actually a no-brainer; the technology exists and is readily
available. Detroit just needs to replicate something on the order
in quality, safety, economy, value and performance that VW, Peugeot,
Renault, Fiat, Toyota or any number of other manufacturers in the
rest of the world are already building. Do this and not only I,
but untold numbers of Americans like me may for the first time
in our lives actually consider buying an American car. Ultimately
some car manufacturer, possibly foreign owned, will indeed build
and sell a car similar to that described above. This is a chance
for an American company to take on the challenge. Otherwise, the
bankruptcy and loss of a large American auto maker may be the next
best way to convince any surviving company of the error of their
ways.
ABC News theme
Here's your chance to hear the full version of the ABC News theme
any time you want. The time period in which it was written becomes
more apparent as the
song goes on...
Penn and Teller's Sega game rediscovered
In the mid 1990s, magicians Penn and Teller made a video game
for Sega that was never released. Now, if you have the technical
knowledge and huge amount of spare time required to make it work,
you can play it. Apparently one of the highlights of the game is
to drive a bus across a desert for 16 hours in real time in order
to score a single point. If this sounds appealing to you, give
it a try.
New Stella photos
Our little girl continues to try new things and embark on new
adventures. See the new featured Stella
movie too.
Arrested Development to return?
Apparently Showtime is going to
pick up Arrested Development after its cancellation by Fox.
Not only that, but Showtime reportedly wants 26 new episodes.
It's the annual WFMU marathon
Most of radio today is dominated by huge corporate entities playing
the same lame music day in and day out. If you enjoy repetitive
tripe interspersed with cell phone commercials and programmed by The
Man, then read no further. Otherwise, if you can afford to
help support the greatest freeform radio station in the world,
then do what you can. WFMU is
a commercial-free, listener-supported, non-public radio station
broadcasting both in the Jersey City/Manhattan area and online.
It's easy to donate via credit card or PayPal. Donations are tax
deductible, and come with some cool prizes but most importantly
the knowledge that you are helping keep real radio alive. Go to
the WFMU site to find out more.
Bush approval 34%; Cheney approval 18%
This is an all time low for Bush. Cheney continues
to be only slightly more popular than drinking bleach. A new CBS
News poll came up with the numbers. So just who is it who still
likes these guys? Who honestly believes they are doing a good job
for the country and have our best interests and not those of their
cronies and big campaign contributors in mind? This could be the
best evidence yet that the likes of Rove, DeLay and Diebold and
not the American public put these criminals in office. How low
will their approval go when the U.S. casualty count in Iraq hits
3,000 or when the Libby trial begins or when the next impeachable-offense-for-anybody-but-Bush
scandal surfaces? If the mouthpieces of the administration are
to be believed, then the 66% majority of Americans who don't approve
of Bush are just defeatists who hate America. Does that sound like
a democracy?
Hummer gets turned down by musicians with a conscience
Although General Motors has dangled dollar signs in the faces
of many indy rock bands for the use of songs, most have turned
down lucrative offers because they don't
want their music associated with one of the most vile, irresponsible,
pollution-spewing products ever put on the market.
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