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Since moving to Boulder, I occasionally read (through a Topix feed) the police blotter for our old 'hood in Sunnyvale. Mostly I read it to a) remind myself just how much nicer it is here in Boulder, and b) keep abreast of what's going on back where the house we still own and rent out is located. Today I noticed that there seems to be a rash of copper thefts in the area. Maybe I'm the only one - but I'll bet that I'm not - did you know that there was once a plan to do something called "nuclear excavation" - or "nuclear earthmoving", i.e. using nuclear explosions to move massive amounts of earth for excavation projects? This picture is when she is not even 3 hours old. A May day baby! Welcome to the world, little one - we're so glad that you're here! ...and that's just for regular! Again, my old Volvo is a testament to all Volvo 240 DLs. Don't you wish you had this view from *your* bathroom window? This is an actual picture from an actual bathroom window during an actual trip on the California Zephyr. ..from Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium didn't bring a lump to your throat and make you want to hug it every time you saw it, well, then, you just aren't human. Nearly every morning I involuntarily awake between 5:00 and 5:30 a.m.. I usually don't mind, though, as I enjoy the quiet - the solitude - and, the amazing sunrises to which I am treated here in Colorado. But this morning's - following a scirocco-like wind - was particularly stunning - in fact, so beautiful was it, that it moved me to tears. audio.wav Most people, when they think of Charles Dickens and Christmas, think of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. But many of Charles Dickens novels feature Christmas passages, and while Charles Dickens Christmas Carol is of course a classic, one of my favourite Dickens Christmas passages is the one from the Pickwick Papers. This is why Bill Gates cannot (and should be ashamed to) show his face at the theatre! How can you not love - be awed by - a Colorado winter's sunrise, which dresses even the most mundane landscape in festively ethereal gauze finery? This is the view out my office window - have you ever seen a tree or icicles like this?? This is Shakti...dressed up in her holiday duds. Shakti is a '94 Subaru Legacy wagon. She's turbo, and has all wheel drive. Ain't no mountain high enough! Call me crazy, but I love this! This is in my office parking lot. Somehow this does not seem like a very good deal to me... Uh Oh, Pa, Can Ya Hand Me the Elk Swatter? Whew! It's a good thing they told us this..otherwise I'd probably just stand there! We all know that minors buying cigarettes on the Internet is a problem. This is in large part because a) companies that sell cigarettes on the Internet can't know the age of the person ordering them, and b) many companies that sell cigarettes on the Internet don't care if the person ordering them is a minor. But passing a Tobacco Delivery Law, such as the state of Maine has done, that makes the delivery companies, such as UPS, FedEx, and the like, responsible for delivering the cigarettes to a minor has to be one of the most stupid, dunderheaded things I've heard in a long time. How gorgeous is this...along the Colorado River, as seen from the train. We've also seen a dozen or so bald eagles..just hanging out in the treetops along the river. Absolutely amazing! I dunno, that cat doesn't look so large to me, but maybe it has a large bladder. Subliminal messages in advertising are nothing new. The book Subliminal Seduction blew that scam wide open years ago, with pictures of subliminal messages which included orgies hidden in the ice cubes of drinks in ads. If you've ever seen Evan Almighty this picture may give you the heebie jeebies! Driving in to Denver today to catch the way-too-early o'clock train, we were treated to this spectacular sunrise! Made getting up so early worth it! Among the most bizarre of news this week is that police in Florida have circulated a memo about jenkem - also known as Leroy Jenkems, butthash, winnie, runners, fruit from crack pipe, might, and waste. And, oh yes, also known as 'shit'. Because, you see, the recipe for making jenkem is take some feces, take some urine, combine, let ferment, and inhale. Eeeww! Giving new meaning - in all senses - to the term "now that's some good shit!" Can you believe it?? The Tadpole headset and iPod case for children - toddlers!! Earphones for kids! It's just disgusting! Here's a picture of it and more information. Recently I was asked why we homeschool - but our reasons aside from "the public school system sucks", and such. And here is how I answered. What is waterboarding? (See the waterboarding video with Kaj Larsen.) Originally a form of medieval torture, known to be used by the Spanish Inquisition, and still in practice today, it is a form of water torture. To waterboard someone is to shackle them on the floor, face up, stuff something into their mouth (usually cloth) and then pour water over their face which simulates drowning. In fact, someone who is waterboarded believes that death is imminent, and it is a very effective way to force someone to give up information - genuine or not due to the coercion. How could it not be considered torture? Here’s a bit of medical information for you: You can get an infection in your fingertip - an infection near or under your finger nail - even without an obvious hangnail or cut! The condition, known as paronychia, can be very painful. An interesting aspect of what is going on over in Pakistan right now is that since Musharraf shuttered the Pakistan Supreme Court, and put some of the justices on house arrest - mere days before the justices were to render a decision as to whether Musharraf's presidency was legal - is the protests which have been going on. I'm telling you..again.. in Boulder even the view from Target is amazing! Oh yes, and to add to the pictures in my previous post, showing the drive in to my new office, here is a picture as I turn in to the driveway at my new office here in Boulder (which is on ... For those of you who have questioned why we moved from Silicon Valley in California to Boulder, Colorado, I offer these pictures of my drive into the office today: Boulder, Colorado... where the only thing more ubiquitous than free wifi is Crocs. Although Subarus are a close second. When I said earlier that there are prairie dogs everywhere in Boulder, I wasn't kidding! The first in a series... This is at a *mall*! I love this letter. I loved it when it was forwarded and I didn't believe it really was a real letter someone had written. I love it more now that I know that it might be. Because it's true, anyone who tries to cast the cries of outrage against Michael Vick for what he has done to those poor dogs as "racism" is, indeed, a dumb fuck. Even the weeds in Boulder get into the hip green act... as evidenced by this "weed" which sprouted and grew in a drainpipe outside organic vegetarian restaurant VG Burgers. Headed east by rail, we encountered Colfax, California - the town that time apparently forgot. It's refreshing to find a locale with such candor! Quick - what do you think this means?: "Non-resident sewer fees established by Sunnyvale council." I've been thinking a lot about that Microsoft-Digg advertising deal that was announced last week. You know, the one where Digg agreed to let Microsoft - not really known for their stellar advertising network - have an exclusive for all advertising real estate on Digg. For some reason I was really struck by this exchange that I overheard at the park a few days ago. There was a young boy, maybe 6 or 7 or, at most, 8 years old. And he got separated from his mom. And he couldn't find her and he was getting anxious. ....or at least those who are afraid of spiders: As shopping goes...well, generally I dislike it. And if I have to shop, well, Target wouldn't be my first choice. We encountered this sign at a rest stop outside of Elko, Nevada, and, well, you really want to heed signs like this (actually you really want to not get out of your car when you see signs like this!) ... Anyone able to identify this place? Sent from my Tmobile Sidekick HipTop This can only mean one of two things... let's hope that it means you are washing your windshield with coffee... because the alternative is... (Oops..I just realized that you can't read the sign...the words over that cup of coffee, which appears on the ... Ok, who knew that "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle" was such a funny movie? This is the end of the iPhone line at the Apple Store at the Valley Fair mall in Silicon Valley...at 11:15 in the morning...and this is just the end of the line..which goes around the corner! Suckers. They are going to be so ... Hmmmm...I wonder what kind of people live here... We picked up "Flushed Away" today...and we couldn't help but observe that the coupons which came bundled in with the movie were ...well... it's the perfect movie with which to bundle those coupons: This was just too frightening to consider actually using (but not too much so to take pictures for you all). We're ssitting in a restaurant, and I note the ubiquitous 'maximum occupancy' sign. "Maximum occupancy 580", it reads. I idly wonder whether your MO number is like a movie rating...is it a feather in their cap to get such a high MO rate? ... We have leased a studio in Boulder. For people who ask us "why Boulder", well, they say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are 4000 words' worth of pictures... these were taken during ... we're on our way to Boulder, Colorado where, by very happy coincidence, it's the weekend for their annual Boulder Creek Festival - their huge 3-day bash over Memorial Day where they have, among other things, their famous Kinetic Sculpture parade ... Yeah...the train really sucks...please...stay away from the train... How can anybody not like the train? Just look at these views...this time from just that side of Immigrant's Pass I'm playing with Google gadgets from Google,com. So, enjoy it while I test out various gadgets (which you can read, all about, here.) Wretch wretch wretch. Ok, when I got our fabulous reverse osmosis filter system, I got it to remove icky chemicals from our drinking water. Why anyone would want a water filter to instead add chemicals back into their drinking water I don't know. But Pur has just started selling their "Pur Flavor Options" water flavoring cartridges in strawberry, peach and raspberry. Really. Water filter flavors. Disgusting. Teachers in a Tennessee elementary school staged a fake gunman attack while on a field trip, telling the sixth-grade school children that it was "not a drill", while the children cowered crying under tables, believing that they were about to be shot to death. I'd always been told that Disneyland was the happiest place on Earth. But having now spent a couple of days in Boulder, Colorado I'm here to tell you that, in fact, Boulder is, in real fact, the happiest place on ... On the train again... we're so glad to be on the train again.... This time en route to Colorado! Updates as they happen! My good old Volvo wagon... isn't she awesome?? As I prepare to go out of town to run my first of two back-to-back conferences, I realize two more benefits of having incredibly short hair. Ok...come on... I mean... you're putting dog poop in these things... who cares what they look like?? I caught this ad in a gardening almanac. I have no idea why this car is in the state it's in. Perhaps you do? And yes, that's Saran wrap...lots and lots of Saran wrap. It's just so wrong... These are my new wheels. Isn't she sweet? As I was getting in my car the rear view suddenly struck me... How many of you have had managers for whom this seagull, standing as he is atop his own..well... is a pictorial metaphor? There are many things about this sign that give me pause to wonder. For example, if there were a direct correlation to my eating and breeding habits, I'd make the old lady who lived in the shoe look like a ... I wonder what they sell here? So, I bought some hair today. Just because I could. Do you like this?: No...how about this?: Or maybe this? Honestly, I kinda like this: Which do you prefer? This is a Ford Focus. And now you know why the "focus". (Click on the picture to enlarge it to see what I'm talking about.) Live from the deck of the Lady Washington... yes... under sail... and yes, for those of you whom care about this sort of thing, the very same ship on which Johnny Depp trod in Pirates of the Carribean (oooh...shiver ... Have you heard about the Grapple (pronounced, we are told, Grape-L)? It is pitched as a cross between an apple and a grape - a sort of hybridized grape apple, or apple grape. How could they mix an apple and a grape? Well, best as I can tell, it's an apple sprayed, or perhaps laced, with grape flavor. And, it's not worth it. Read on. I'm not exactly sure why yet, but for some reason I find this..interesting: "A research group found that people only became lactose-tolerant within the last couple thousand years. The group found that as humans evolved they grew tolerant to milk." So this is news? I have to say that birds love our yard. And I love the birds. And I love my Digital Rebel (thank you, Honey!) Here are some pictures from today. The world is agog today with news that researchers in Africa have observed chimpanzees fashioning spears, and using the weapons to hunt and kill food. Particularly interesting were these observations, reported in the Washington Post. I don't know about you, but I found it striking to see not one ...not two ...but three Mercedes ..in a row ...all queued up at the Starbucks drive-thru. I'm sure there's a great caption in here somewhere... got any suggestions? ... The lawsuit filed against MySpace and Pete Solis by a 14 year old, for a date gone wrong, has been dismissed by a Federal judge. Thank goodness someone involved in this case is right-thinking and has a clue! Too bad Solis will still go down for statutory rape if the state decides to press charges. Today is Valentine's Day. It's also our anniversary. And a lovely one it was! Cashing in on the bottled water craze, restaurants are starting to offer water menus. Really, just like the wine menu, complete with overpriced bottles and even a water sommelier (water steward). Of course, the profit margins are much better. Having been steeped in - and indeed something of an acknowledge expert in - mens' rights issues, I of course know that the anti-circumcision movement is big. However, even I was a bit surprised to read today that there is a new product out - the artificial foreskin from Viafin-Atlas. It's called SenSlip. Ok, obviously child molestation is no laughing matter. But the lawyer in me (and don't you wish that you had a lawyer in you?) had to chuckle when I read this actual headline from the San Jose Mercury News: "Child molester gets ... I'd figured that relative unknown (at least in these parts) Bill Richardson, who is the Mexican-American Governor of New Mexico, declared his candidacy with these thoughts: "Wow, a woman and an African-American! If ever there was a chance for a Mexican-American to get elected president, it's now! I'm really glad that they are searching for extra terrestrial intelligence. I think it's a great idea. I hope they find some soon, because there surely is a shortage right now. You would think that after making the grade to be an astronaut, for chrissakes, you'd be past the high school drama of "do you like him? You know, like like him?" But apparently not. At least not judging by the chick fight between astronauts Lisa Nowak and Colleen Shipman over William Oefelein. And did you know that astronauts wear diapers during launch and re-entry? Are you one of those people who talks with your hands? How about one of those people who, while on the phone, holds the phone with one hand while talking with the other? We've all seen them - the ridiculous ads that result when folks advertise eBay listings through Google Adsense. But this one takes the cake. Just in case you haven't been .. ahem ... keeping abreast ... Honest to God, I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it with my own two eyes. Atech Flash Technology (AFT) is marketing a stereo iPod dock toilet paper holder. I kid you not. They call it the iCarta iPod Dock with Bath Tissue Holder. They can call it whatever they want - it's really a toiler paper holder with an iPod dock. As anyone who knows me will tell you, I HATE being cold. I can't bear it. I find being cold painful. In fact, I would rather be in pain than be cold - and I'm no masochist. Anyone who has looked into taking the anti-acne drug Accutane (Sotret Isotretinoin) knows that it causes birth defects. You can't help but know that it causes birth defects, because if you are a female, you have to sign up on a registry because it causes birth defects, get counseling so that you know that it causes birth defects, prove that you are not pregnant - because it causes birth defects, and prove that you are on birth control (because, you know, it causes birth defects), before you are allowed to have even one capsule. It's only the second morning that I have woken up with little hair, but already I am finding so many fringe benefits. In addition to those mentioned in my previous post - the anticipated ones - I have been delighted to observe ... Oh Starbucks, the 70s called... they want their furniture back... And this is why I love old Volvo wagons... On election day, I got a CNN news flash email. With it being election day and all (and late afternoon) I figured that it was probably some early return election upset or something.. something really potentially important enough to warrant a news flash... So I opened the email and it was the news that... Hey, if people can humiliate their dogs by dressing them up, then I can do it to my car. Not for the faint of heart, and definitely NSFW (not safe for work). Ok, it has to be said, and when something callous about the recently-departed has to be said, you can rely on me to be as tactfully tactless as I can. This picture is from my son's book, "The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Life", which includes real instructions about how to perform the Heimlick maneuver on your cat. Yes, it's true. I confess, we sometimes eat at Marie Callendar's. But I'm willing to admit this to you to share with you how cool it is to be able to get online with my laptop from where ever I am! Lookie lookie! I made a video of my pumpkin cheesecake recipe! I call it "one bowl pumpkin cheesecake" because you can make it in, well, one bowl! Yo yo yo... don't you miss the days when you had thick, luxurious yout hair? Now you can have it again, with Yout Hair! Or maybe that's Youth Air.. which is even worse. I hope that you all have a wonderful, warm and (ful)filling Thanksgiving! This year our family went away for the holiday, and this is where we are staying: But we do wish that they wouldn't skimp so on the pillows. Imodium, the anti-diarrheal product, must be using the same clue-impaired ad agency that brought us the "Welcome to the Coke Side of Life" ad. Some of you may remember that last summer I posted a post to this site with the title "So Cute I Could Puke". It dealt with this picture, of this baby bird, and how |