Ah, that's the stuff...

Hello is anyone still here? The past couple of weeks have been wearing me down a bit. This is due, I think, to quite a bit of overtime, along with other work related frustrations, lack of sleep (what sleep I have had has been less than restful), lack of exercise etc. etc. etc. All of this has led to me spending my waking hours in a daze. And not a good daze. A large part of my problem may have been cabin fever, and that my friends may be at an end. I can smell it.

This weekend Krista and I managed to all but finish up the electrical work in our kitchen, so I feel like I actually accomplished something, which helps. We pulled out the grill for the first time this year, and cooked-up some tasty burgers. I started up the bikes yesterday to blow out the cobwebs, and that helped improve my mood immensely. Today I couldn't resist, and logged about 15 miles. Hopefully this all signals an end to the funk I've been in. Tomorrow I hope to get back into my regular exercise routine. What a difference one weekend can make.

Rattlesnake Rhumba!

You know all those goofy names for groups of animals? Well, now you do (thanks to Sean via Language Hat). I issue a challenge to any of my readers who happen to be poets, to create a poem using as may of these as possible. Now.

Mark your calendars and buy some mylar.

On June 8 of this year Venus will make a rare transit of the Sun. The end of this transit will be visable across most of the central and eastern US. If you miss it you will have to wait eight years, and then you will have to travel to Japan, or taking a swim in the middle of the pacific. After that, it's another 105 years. I am hoping to get some good photos that I will provide to you free of charge. Lucky you.

Ladies and Genelmen, The Beatles!

It was forty years ago tonight that The Beatles made their American television debut on the Ed Sullivan Show. 73 million (a bout 2/5 of the US population) tuned in to watch the Fab Four offer outstanding performances of five songs. The Albert and David Maysles documentary of The Beatles first visit to the US was re-released last week with additional footage, mostly screaming fans I've been told (I have not purchased this one yet). Also available is a two disk set containing all four Ed Sullivan episodes, in their entirety, on which The Beatles appeared. Any Beatle fan should seriously consider this purchase. In addition to the Beatles performances it offers a glimpse of what the American public was watching in 1964. It leaves me wondering "that's entertainment?" It goes to show that the current pant load on television is nothing new. There are some things on the disks beyond the Fab Four that make it worth it. Including the American Television debut of Davy Jones (yes, of the Monkees) with the Broadway cast of Oliver, Cab Calloway, and the commercials.

Money Money Money Money

This started out as a comment on a certain Buffalo Blog, but..

Jaquandor is annoyed with a school supplying all students with PDAs.

I, like Jaq, have no objection to spending lots of money on education. Lots of it, but when things like this come up, I shake my head. There were some schools here in the Twin Cities that complained that there was no money to buy flags for the classrooms. The solution? Why, point a camera at a flag, and broadcast it via the schools closed circuit television system. This equipment was very new. Far better than what I worked on in college, and some of it better than what I currently use at work. I would grant the possibility that the equipment was purchased before the budget woes, but this district has been complaining about funding and class sizes for a while, even before our state budget crunch. Now, I don't object to the students learning video production, but it is not essential to education. It should certainly be a lower priority than hiring, or retaining an additional teacher.

Wasteful spending really gets me, especially from organizations that are constantly complaining about funding. Our local public broadcasting stations are another example. I am in support for continued funding for public broadcasting, but I will NOT contribute to their fundraising. Salaries for the workers (some at least) are outrageous. Union employees, in a position similar to the one I hold, earn nearly double what I do. I don't know this as a firm fact, but I do have it from a very reliable source. Capital expenditures are also an issue. All state of the art, all the time. Equipment must be replaced at some point, but the use it or lose it budget system in schools and other government facilities has to go away.

That is all, I think...

Tenor Madness

I see now that my man Sonny Rollins received the John Coltrane Lifetime Achievement Award during last night's Grammys. Rollins is one of my favorite jazz musicians. As jazz saxophonists go, imho, he is second only to Coltrane. If you are interested in checking out some of this cat's work, I recommend Saxophone Colossus, Tenor Madness (featuring John Coltrane), and Sonny Meets Hawk, where Rollins teams up with another jazz sax great Coleman Hawkins. I own a limited edition print of the photo above. It sits matted at the frame store awaiting the frame I want to come in stock.

And the award goes to...

Well, I didn't watch the Grammys last night. I haven't even looked over the list of the winners, and I really don't care who won. I did scan through the tapes of the show at work this morning for the performances, and there were some very good ones. The show started off with the Beyonce and the worlds funkiest Jehovah's Witnesses. Prince is a truly amazing musician and performer. He may be one of the top ten guitarists in popular music. Dave Matthews, Sting, and Vince Gill did a wonderful rendition of "I Saw Her Standing There" in honor of the Beatles President's Award. Other notables were the White Stripes, Outkast, and Foo Fighters with Chick Corea.

I can't watch the Grammys anymore. Have not been able to for a while. I get too angry. As the night goes on and the awards are handed out to the wrong nominees, or the deserving performer isn't even nominated, my blood starts to boil. I get acid reflux. I start yelling at the television. Maybe if they cut out the awards... I would even suffer through the Justin Timberlakes and Celine Dions to catch the great performances.

Next up, Djork

Amanda (AKA Djork, Phrogrrl, Mrs. Boyd etc. etc.) also accepted the Five Question Challenge. Like Dan she is blogless (Really dear sister, isn't it time you got one of your own? If you did, maybe next time you get tonsillitis you won't be so bored). So, me being the charitable type, here are here responses.

1. You are currently applying to grad schools. Which is your top choice, and why.

Washington University in St. Louis. I don’t know if I can articulate why though, just a gut feeling I got one day that I should apply there. I’ve never been to St. Louis, I had never heard of their faculty, but something just clicked I guess. I should start hearing from programs any day now. It’s quite nerve wracking.

2. Name your top five albums of all time, and your top five of the past five years.

Five only five???? Let me start off by saying this question kinda sucks because most of the music I truly cherish came out about 8 years ago. So by answering the second part of the question honestly some of my favorite music in my collection like the Rentals the return of, Weezer blue and Bjork’s post must go unrecognized. That said I will continue.

1. The Who, The Kids are Alright
2. Pearl Jam, Yield
3. Tori Amos, Little Earthquakes
4. Thelonious Monk, The Best of Thelonious Monk
5. Radiohead either The Bends or Ok Computer, I always have a hard time deciding between the two!


1. Beck, Sea Change
2. Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
3. White Stripes, White Blood Cells
4. Eels, Daisies of the Galaxy
5. Beck, Midnite Vultures

mmmm, looks like another tasty beck sammich!


3. You are a poet, but did you know it? Just kidding. If you could spend a week at any point in time, anywhere on earth where and when would it be.

My week would begin in 1985 at the Twin Pines mall parking lot. I would knock out Marty and Doc and then I’d hop in the DeLorean with my buddy Spenser (the newest addition to my harem, a 17 year old emo boy from Grimes) and make our way to Summer 2004 on the road to California. Thanks to the Flux Capacitor we would arrive in no time at all. Upon arrival I would meet my pen pal Jeaux (pronounced Joe) and spend the week on the beach learning to surf. At night we would go to stellar Hollywood parties and hang out with all the artsy-fartsy types. Well, not for the whole week though because due to my amazing talent for picking up new abilities I would perfect the art of Surfing in two days flat. Everyone would be amazed and start hounding me for autographs and surfers
would be challenging me to competitions. But I’m not down with so much attention and I’m not really competitive, so to get away from it all, we would make our way to Big Sur and I would find a nice little place to hide away and
never return to the “frozen wastes of Iowa.”*

*the phrase “frozen wastes of Iowa” was seen in the London Tube on a poster ad for a mystery book being released while I was there with the Wartburg English Department, Mayterm 1999. We all had a good laugh and then returned to Iowa to see the joke was on us.

4. I am going to recycle this one, kind of. You live in Des Moines. Apart from family, name three really cool things about Des Moines.

Well I can easily name three things that WERE cool about Des Moines; the old property, the River Hills, and “nowhere”--a park that used to be south of the capital building where my friends and I used to hang out. But now all of these things are gone, demolished, filled in, paved over, built upon. “There are places I remember”. . . How depressing. But now, now, hmmm. . .

I-80, I-35, and the internet

No, just kidding, okay I will try, really, I will. . .

The Des Moines National Poetry Festival is cool. I have had the opportunity to listen to and to meet some good contemporary poets the years I have been able to attend.

The parties. Probably due to the lack of good bars or decent clubs in town most of the real action is in the apartments and rented houses of the 18-24 year olds around. This age group is pretty rad right now, they have good taste in music, movies, books, and clothes. Nothing like the dorks I grew up with. The music they play at the parties is way better than the crap at the so-called clubs in Des Moines and you can actually hear it. We usually burn or dub mixes for people to dance to, with everything from Weezer to rappers whose names I don’t know. There is always plenty to eat and drink and everyone looks out for each other. And everyone likes each other or at least respects each other--unlike the frat parties. And unlike the bars I actually meet people instead of just get ogled by the desperate chumps from the meet markets--though my evil eye glance is pretty effective at keeping them away. And I am more of a party-goer than a bar-hopper anyway.

Now, I know I can’t really say that the parties here are specifically different than those elsewhere but I do think the fact that since there is no other outlet for the cool people in Des Moines to really have a good time affects the effort that goes into our parties. Maybe it’s just that I love my friends that much (sniffle) but the times I have had here are way better than the parties I have been to, like say, in the Twin Cities--again, it could be the people. Though I am sure if Aaron and Krista had a party, it would be a freaking blast.

Sadly the only other thing I can think of is seeing movies. I get to see all the hollywood stuff for free since I still whore myself out to Carmike Cinemas every weekend. And we also have a couple theaters which focus on the “independent” works, and I don’t mean the Cinema 3. The Fleur Cinema and Cafe is a nice joint and the Varsity plays some good flicks too.


5. Ewan, Beck, and now Billy Boyd. Who is next in this line of torrid celebrity affairs?

Bill Murray. . . unbelievable as it may seem, a couple of years ago I got the idea in my head that he would make a great date. What is it about him you ask? Something about the way he would break into sprints at random in Rushmore, I think, or maybe the charming personality of his character in Stripes. BUT, then Lost in Translation comes out and I find someone has access to my innermost thoughts. So maybe since that’s “been done” I will get back with Giovanni Ribisi instead, he’s more my type anyway. He and I had quite the affair way back when, during his My Two Dads days.

Well I went a little overboard on answering, but I really am freaking bored here. I have been at home for like four days--which normally would be cool but considering the state I am in I’m miserable and have no choice but to entertain myself. I think I will go watch some more Spaceghost now.

Dan Steps up to the Plate

Dan has taken the Five Question Challenge. As he does not have his own blog (Hmmm, maybe you should create your own blog Dan, what, with this ten month satirical coming up) I am posting his answers here.


1. You have long had a love of maps. When did it all start.

Love of maps began probably studying the Atlas intensely while riding in the back of the station wagon on family vacations. My brother & I would quiz each other on state capitals, city populations, highest point in the state, etc. I still retain many of those facts and I also still LOVE looking through the pages of a good Atlas.

2. What is your favorite Beatles song?

"Favorite Beatles Song" is a completely transient call--it really varies. I tend to have ones to which I am "sympathetic"--ones that I feel are really connecting to me, relative to other Beatles fans. In the past, I've really really dug "Lovely Rita," "Strawberry Fields," "For No One," "You Won't See Me," "Martha My Dear," "Ob La Di Ob La Da," and others too numerous to list, of course. Currently, the one I think of the most is probably "She's Leaving Home." Beautiful melody--wonderfully arranged & performed. And the lyrics blow my mind--what the hell was a 27-28 year old single male rock star doing writing a song like that?

3. If you were offered an all expenses paid climb of Everest (including all training), with no guarantees of safety, would you do it?

Sadly, no. Unfortunate you asked me about that type of trip, specifically. If you were to have mentioned nearly any other "expedition" opportunity--Patagonia, Mongolia, Pacific Coast Trail, Northwest Territories, African backroads, etc. etc. I would have said, "Yes" in a heartbeat. But, alas, though I love mountains and hiking in mountains, I do
have a fear of heights. And I know just enough about the Everest expedition to be aware of the ladder-accross-the-crevase trick to know that I could not get myself to cross.

4. If you had to choose one musical artist to be erased from history, who
would it be?

Hopefully just erase their music, not the artist... but I would choose Toby Keith. Actually, go ahead and erase the artist.

5. Just who is Daniel Guitarra?

Read all about Daniel Guitarra here. I can tell you little you can't learn there.

We're Moving! I got a great deal on some land...

Here is a new twist on the name-a-star-after-your-loved-one-scam. Be sure to read the terms on the "about us" page. Now, you all know I love Mars, but if you've got $15+ you want to drop on me, just let me know, and I will start up a wish list on Amazon.

Again with the questions...

Once upon a time, a Buffalo Blogger answered five questions. In turn, he offered five questions to anyone willing to answer. I was one of the willing. Those who answered correctly gained super magical powers, and sailed into the west. Well, I'm still sitting here, but the kindly Buffalo Blogger has offered a second chance, so here it goes.


1. Name three things that are either cooler or better in Des Moines than the Twin Cities.

Traffic. While I have been largely able to avoid the Minneapolis rush-hour headaches (buying a house fairly near work, the hours that I work etc.) the times I do have to deal with traffic suck.

Lower cost of living. Especially housing. For what we paid for our house, we would have been able to buy a much larger house in Des Moines. Although working in television, what I earn would be significantly less in Des Moines. Whaddaya gonna do?

I guess that a third would be that it is quicker to get out of town to some good twisty motorcycle roads. Boy, that was tough coming up with three...

2. Here's a hypothetical near-and-dear to Bills fans, adjusted for you. God presents you, a Vikings fan, with this choice: the Vikings will either go to the next five consecutive Super Bowls and lose them all, or they will win the Super Bowl next year and go 1-15 each year after that. Which would you rather happen?

Definitely go to the next five and lose. That would provide five great, exciting seasons, capped with a let down that personally I would not find all that disappointing. I would be much more disappointed by one 1-15 season than a string of Super Bowl Losses, let alone four 1-15 seasons. Of course my opinion might change by that fourth Super Bowl loss...

3. You win an one-week, all-expenses paid vacation to your choice of destination within one of the following states: Nebraska, Montana, Delaware, Maine, Alabama, and South Dakota. Where do you go?

Since you left Alaska off the list (which would have made this the obvious choice), I'll take Maine. The Down East/Acadia region. Rent a motorcycle for a little self guided coastal tour, do some whale watching and just general taking in the sights, breathing the salt air, and take rolls and rolls of photos.

4. A few years ago, the American Film Institute came out with its list of the 100 Greatest American Movies, which can be read here. What is the highest ranking film on this list that you hate and would be perfectly happy never seeing again in your life?

This is a tough one. There are some truly great films on the list, and some that are highly over-rated. There are also quite a few that I haven't seen. I'm not sure if there is one on there that I have seen all the way through, and truly, deeply hate. The highest ranking is at number 55, The Sound of Music. Not a fan, but I wouldn't say that I hate it. It is the highest ranking, at 55, and I really don't care if I were to ever see it again. Now, move down the list to number 71 and you have Forest Gump. Blech. Highly over-rated, and I would even say I highly dislike it, maybe even mildly hate it. But number 72... At number 72 you have Ben-Hur. I must admit I have never seen it all the way through, but I have seen large portions of it, and I have hated nearly every bit of it. The epic scale of the movie is impressive. The sets, action sequences etc. are all finely done, but the dialogue and acting are abhorrent. It makes me want to drive ice picks into my ears. I cannot comment on the score, as I have never watched long enough to get a good sense of it (maybe Jaquandor has some insight here), but not even the best score could save this film for me. So, I would have to say that Ben-Hur is the winner.

5. Did Yoko really kill the Beatles?

No. So far Mark David Chapman, and cigarettes... Oh, you mean cause the end of the group. No. She may have been a contributing factor, but there were so many other issues building to a head, starting around the time of Magical Mystery Tour, that the end was unavoidable. On the upside, all of this turmoil gave us some of the greatest popular music ever.

Now, anyone who wants to answer five questions from me, just ask. I dare you.

Free Advice

Don't taunt Old Man Winter. Just don't do it. Last week when we dropped to 24 below, I did just that. Well, the temps warmed up, but we got nearly a foot of snow from Sunday into Monday. Now, tonight will likely be the second coldest night in over a year. Here are some photos of our snow.

You all are welcome to come over and enjoy our patio. Cold beer is on me.




The snow piled around the perimeter of our driveway.




And here is where Krista "fell" in the front yard.

Now, a foot of snow may not seem like much to a Buffalo Blogger, and he may say as much on his Buffalo Blog, but coupled with the temps, it isn't much fun.

This is a test. Please ignore.

Rap Back!

Commenting is back, via Haloscan. All previously posted comments appear to be lost in the ether(net). Which is too bad. But we must soldier on! I am confident that you, my readers, will post new comments better than those that came before! Of course, I suppose that leaves me with the task of creating posts worthy of commenting...

Shit!

Well it appears that my commenting has flat-lined, and past comments are gone forever. A moment of silence please. I will be adding a new comment system soon. Thanks to everyone for their great comments in the past, and I hope to see more when I have something up and running again.

Hey Winter! Is this the best you got old man?

This morning when I left for work the thermometer read -18, and wind chills were dipping below -40. It has since dipped to -24. Only 60 degrees from my minimum motorcycle temp. Depressing.

Ready? On the count of three. One, two...

How not to free your car from the snow. Before clicking on this link, have a seat, and set any beverages safely out of reach. This is the funniest thing I have seen this year. Warning to my dial-up readers, the file is about 14MB, but it is worth it.

Thanks to Dan for the link.

Opportunity Knocks. Will Mars answer?

The Opportunity Rover has landed and is sending back pictures. What we see is much different than anything we have seen from the Martian surface before. There are little green men there! OK, not really. But we do see our first bedrock outcropping from Mars. This should offer some insight into what has taken place in the red planets history. The Opportunity doesn't face the airbag problems that Spirit did, so it should get moving a little more quickly.

Speaking of Spirit, JPL thinks that they are on the trail of what caused the failure last week. While it may be a few weeks away, the controllers are confident that they can get Spirit rolling again.

First chance I get, I'm heading to Tosche Station to pick up some power converters!

OK, now I know that I will not be trading in my Civic when we get a new car. I'm gonna do this.

link via interact.

Having been some days in preparation, a splendid time is guaranteed for all...

Don't forget to come out to The Camden Coffee Company tonight to catch Starship Stacy and the Vector Kings. We will be performing a set of Beatles music starting at about 7:30 or so. This is an all ages show, and there is no cover, so you have no excuse. Messrs. J. And H. Assure the public their production will be second to none, and of course Henry the Horse dances the waltz!


(FYI we will not be performing Being for the Benefit Mr. Kite!)

You call this cold???

Well, when I woke up this morning it was -11, with a wind chill of -40. A bit on the warm side, but the show must go on. Today marks the start of the St. Paul Winter Carnival, the nation's oldest and coldest winter celebration.

This year I am going to find that damn medallion (every year there is a medallion hidden somewhere in St. Paul, with clues to its location given in the paper over the course of ten days). Of course I say that every year, but my knowledge of St. Paul history and geography is a bit anemic, so by the time I figure out where the medallion is hidden the area is swarming with die-hard hunters, so I just give up.

This year is the first in over a decade that the carnival has featured an Ice Palace. Check out a live look at the palace here.

Congratulations to the soon-to-be-working stiff

Jaquandor (who blogs about Buffalo on that Buffalo Blog of his) has landed a job. Sure, it's just a pit stop on the way to the best sellers lists, but you gotta buy paper and ink to get there. Oh, and food. Yeah, you need to buy food too.

Wait... Worry... Who Cares?

The time is near. According to Lance Henriksen Magic the series Millennium will be released sometime this year on DVD. I am quite excited with this news, as this is one of my favorite television shows of all time. Northern Exposure is also rumored to be out on DVD sometime this year. By the way, my birthday is July 4th.

This is who we are.

Syracuse Lutefisk

Buffalo Blog, Buffalo Blog, Buffalo Blog, Buffalo Blog, Buffalo Blog, Buffalo Blog, Buffalo Blog, Buffalo Blog, Buffalo Blog, Buffalo Blog, Buffalo Blog, Buffalo Blog, Buffalo Blog, Buffalo Blog, Buffalo Blog, Buffalo Blog, Buffalo Blog, Buffalo Blog, Buffalo Blog, Buffalo Blog, Buffalo Blog, Buffalo Blog.

Explanation here.

Starship Stacy and the Vector Kings

Coming up Friday, January 23, Krista and I will be joining former 44 band-mate Dan Hylton for a set of Beatles covers. Dan will kick things off with a short solo set, then Krista and I will join in. If you know the words, feel free to sing along.

Chewbacca, What a Wookiee!

Wouldn't it be cool if there were truth to this? If it comes to pass, party at my place, and the beer is on me.

Link via A Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy.

Lights... Camera... Action!

OK, so there is this list of 100 movies making the rounds in the weblog world. I'm not sure if there is some criteria for the films on the list or not. The only purpose seems to be to highlight the ones you have seen in bold, and figure your percentage. I, in my love of lists, have done so, but I am taking it one step further. I am rating those that I have seen recently enough (or enough times to remember them well enough) on a scale from one to five stars.

1. Godfather, The (1972)
2. Shawshank Redemption, The (1994)****
3. Godfather: Part II, The (1974)
4. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The (2003)***
5. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The (2002)****
6. Casablanca (1942)*****
7. Schindler's List (1993)
8. Shichinin no samurai (1954)†
9. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The (2001)*****
10. Citizen Kane (1941)
11. Star Wars (1977)*****
12. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)*****
13. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) *****
14. Rear Window (1954)
15. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back *****(1980)
16. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)****
17. Memento (2000)****
18. Usual Suspects, The (1995)
19. Pulp Fiction (1994)*****
20. North by Northwest (1959)
21. Fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain, Le (2001)*****
22. Psycho (1960)****
23. 12 Angry Men (1957) †
24. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
25. Silence of the Lambs, The (1991)
26. Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il (1966)
27. It's a Wonderful Life (1946) ****
28. Goodfellas (1990) *****
29. American Beauty (1999)*****
30. Vertigo (1958)
31. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
32. Pianist, The (2002)
33. Matrix, The (1999)***
34. Apocalypse Now (1979)*****
35. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
36. Some Like It Hot (1959)
37. Taxi Driver (1976) ****
38. Paths of Glory (1957) †
39. Third Man, The (1949) †
40. C'era una volta il West (1968)
41. Fight Club (1999) ****
42. Boot, Das (1981) †
43. Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001) (Spirited Away)†
44. Double Indemnity (1944)
45. L.A. Confidential (1997) ****
46. Chinatown (1974)
47. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
48. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
49. Maltese Falcon, The (1941) †
50. M (1931)
51. All About Eve (1950)
52. Bridge on the River Kwai, The (1957)
53. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) *****
54. Se7en (1995) **
55. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
56. Cidade de Deus (2002)
57. Raging Bull (1980) †
58. Wizard of Oz, The (1939) *****
59. Rashemon (1950)
60. Sting, The (1973)
61. American History X (1998)
62. Alien (1979) ****
63. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
64. Leon (The Professional) (1994) †
65. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) *****
66. Vita bella, La (1997) (Life Is Beautiful)
67. Touch of Evil (1958) †
68. Manchurian Candidate, The (1962)
69. Wo hu cang long (2000) (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) *****
70. Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The (1948)
71. Great Escape, The (1963) †
72. Clockwork Orange, A (1971) *****
73. Reservoir Dogs (1992) ****
74. Annie Hall (1977)
75. Amadeus (1984) *****
76. Jaws (1975) *****
77. Ran (1985) †
78. On the Waterfront (1954) *****
79. Modern Times (1936)
80. High Noon (1952)
81. Braveheart (1995)
82. Apartment, The (1960)
83. Sixth Sense, The ****(1999)
84. Fargo (1996) *****
85. Aliens (1986) **
86. Shining, The (1980) ****
87. Blade Runner (1982) *****
88. Strangers on a Train (1951)
89. Duck Soup (1933)
90. Metropolis (1927) *****
91. Finding Nemo (2003) †
92. Donnie Darko (2001) †
93. Toy Story 2 (1999)
94. Princess Bride, The (1987) ****
95. General, The (1927)
96. City Lights (1931)
97. Lola rennt (1998) (Run Lola Run) *****
98. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
99. Notorious (1946)
100. Sjunde inseglet, Det (1957)
† Coming soon (or at least somewhere in my vast rental cue) via Netflix, or in the case of Spirited Away, sitting on my DVD palyer waiting to be watched.

I appears that I scored a measly 55%, but that was still good enough to edge out Jaquandor. Looking at the rating that I gave, it may appear that I am rather generous with the stars. This is not at all true. This list is made up of what are widely considered to be great movies. It also may have to do with the fact that I am very discriminating in the movies that I see. Most of the movies I do see end up being three or more stars.

Can't... Resist... Magical... Moving... Pictures...

Could someone show this guy the "power" button on his set?

Mars, Mars, Mars...

As President Bush prepares to announce his new space initiative pointing towards Mars, the Spirit rover could start roving the red planet as soon as today. But the NASA rover is so-far bucking the trend for Mars landings. It is only the fourth successful Mars landing. Why such a low success rate? America's Finest News Source takes a look.

Two words... Instant Karma

Jaquandor beat me to this. If the allegations are true, the behavior of George Harrison's doctor is despicable. The mere fact that the doctor would bring his family to meet Harrison (if it was without Harrison's permission) would seem to me to be a breach of confidentiality. If the doctor did ask, well that is just an utter lack of class. The doctor has now offered to put the guitar up for charity auction. The Harrison family has rejected this offer, and in their position I think I would feel the same way.

Well, I'll be...

It appears that the artist's conception in my previous post IS accurate after all.

I'm not sure why, but it still seems out of whack to my eye. Maybe it is because the representation of our Sun is little more than a point that causes the discordance between what is, and what is perceived. In the original the Sun is 3 pixels across, and in my mock-up (reduced here for space) the massive star is nearly 600 pixels across. All apologies to the artist.

It was THIS BIG

Some interesting star news. But the real reason I am linking this is the "artist's conception." It is noted that the picture is to illustrate the comparative size of this massive star to our own Sun. The massive star is believed to be 150 time more massive than our Sun, and about 200 times the diameter. Just looking at the drawing I would have to say that the artist has greatly exaggerated the size of this star in her "conception." I will look at this closer when I get home from work, and can put the image into Photoshop to determine how close this comparison really is. Stay tuned.

We've Got Spirit, Yes We Do

I'm a little late with this, but I've been out of town, so too bad. NASA's mission to Mars has reached a milestone. The rover Spirit has landed safely, is up and running, and ready to get to work. Spirit has already started sending some great images back. Check NASA/JPL for the latest images.

This is only the fourth mission to the Mars surface to make it past Martian defense systems. Europe's Beagle lander appears to be lost (apprehended). NASA hopes to raise the tally to five later this month with Spirit's twin rover Opportunity.

I know you are, but what am I?

This may be of interest to Jaquandor. I know what a fan he is.

Well, it looks like Jaquandor made a trip to Home Depot for some paint and new wall paper. Check out his new look.

Well shit.

We saw Return of the King this weekend with some friends. I loved it. As with most everyone else there are things that I wish had been included, but nothing significant enough to sour the movie for me. Of course if I had my way, there would have been six five-hour movies to tell the tale, but alas that could not happen.

On the positive side, the visuals were outstanding as expected. The battle scenes were wonderful, and the landscapes breathtaking. The actors turned in wonderful performances, particularly Sean Astin. The Oscars are the one remaining major awards presentation in which I have any faith left. If Astin is not at least nominated, all hope is lost. Elijah Wood was also wonderful, and Peter Jackson did an excellent job conveying the burden the Ring was to Frodo.

Of the three movies Return of the King may have presented Jackson with his biggest challenge. Fellowship and The Two Towers had a fair amount of material that could be easily stripped away. ROTK has much less of this type of material. A good case for inclusion can be made for much of the material that Jackson chose not to include, or gloss over, but a good case can be made for the material that was included. So, all in all, I really can't complain. Here are some of the things I do wish had been included.

*The Mouth of Sauron. This is the one item I feel would have added quite a bit of drama and emotion to the movie. The Mouth of Sauron presenting Frodo's armor, and the despair that it brought would have been wonderful. I also think that it could have been done in a way that would have made the audience question the fate of Sam and Frodo (at least for those not familiar with the books).

*Saruman. I expected the scene at Isengard to be abbreviated, but I was hopping for at least some confrontation and the breaking of Saruman's staff.

*More Gimli! I agree with Jaquanor's wish to see more of the dwarf's hand to hand combat prowess.

*The Rangers. I don't think it would have been too much to include the Rangers arriving with Elrond, and follow Aragorn through the Paths of the Dead. This would have added to the uniting of the Men of middle earth.

*One complaint about the visuals. All four of us who saw the movie on Saturday agreed that the scope of Minas Tirith was lost in the attack on the city. The orcs' catapults appeared to decimate (yes, reduce by one-tenth) the city.

*One big MISTAKE come during the crowning of Aragorn. In the shots of the four hobbits, Sam is the tallest. Um, Merry, Pippin? I honestly cannot believe that Peter Jackson missed this one. It would have been fine if no reference had been made to their growth, but to include the Ent Draught in the special edition of TTT, and forget it at the end?

As I said, overall, I loved the movie, and I expect that I will like it even more after seeing it again. I hope that some of the things I mentioned make their way into the special edition DVD.

If you have any interest in Berlioz (yeah, I know we hate the French) get your bad self over to Byzantium's Shores. Jaquandor has a great series of posts in honor of Hector's big two-oh... oh.

Need last minute gift ideas?

Shy away from these. The AV Club just announced their Least Essential Albums of 2003. While I hope I never accidentally hear anything off the Creed tribute (hell I try not to accidentally hear any actual Creed), I may have to see if I can track down a copy of the Chuck Barris album on vinyl. For a friend. Really.

Research Volunteers Needed.

I have discovered an odd phenomenon. In the rap backs for at least one of my posts, there are two sets of comments. I think it has to do with the type of browser. But I'm not sure. I am also not sure if it is an ongoing problem, or has been fixed by BlogOut.

So here is what I am asking of you, yes both of you. Please leave a comment for this post giving your OS, and Browser info.

For your participation you will be compensated with a free one year, on-line subscription to this weblog, and a fee of $0.25 will be paid to you. To collect your fee, please e-mail a self addressed stamped envelope to the address at the bottom of your screen. Please allow four to six years for delivery.

Most excellent.

This story has been pissing me off from the get-go. First Janklow claims that he had to fly through the intersection at 70+ miles per hour because of a car in the oncoming lane. Excusemewhat? He maintained this story, despite his passenger never seeing this "phantom car." Then it turns out that he has quite a history of reckless driving, including almost hitting someone else running the same stop sign. Oh, did I mention this is not the first time he has blamed a phantom car? Then the judge decides that his driving history will not be admissible (with the exception of the incident at the same intersection). Why? How is it not relevant?

His story changes as the trial nears, and he claims that his running the stop sign was the result of low blood sugar. He claimed to have not eaten for 18 hours (he forgot to eat). At the time of the crash he was returning from a barbecue. Several witnesses testified that they had not seen him eat. Although at the time of the crash he told EMTs that he had eaten. OK, lets assume that he hadn't eaten, and his blood sugar was low. This still does not make him any less guilty. It is his responsibility to be sure he fit to drive. A tired driver is not absolved because of lack of sleep. A drunk driver is not absolved because of the alcohol.

Janklow will be sentenced in January.

OK, who decided that it was a good idea to let this guy drive anything?

Phneh indeed!

I was meaning to comment on this issue, but Jaqandor beat me to it. It seems that the are some individuals that are offended by the use of the terms "master" and "slave" in computer jargon. This has to do with having more than one device on a particular bus. One has its jumpers set to master and one to slave. But it appears that we should remove these words from the lexicon because someone has chosen to be offended by their use. These words are not racial slurs. Sure they could be used in an offensive manner, but we are talking about computer hard drives here. I don't think that hard drives are able to be offended, at least not yet.

While we are at it, can someone suggest a new word for me to use in describing the color of my car? A while back Krista, in her handling of all manners of office work for the music school for which she teaches, received a call from a parent who had a complaint about one of the teachers. It seems that this teacher was referring to the chalk board as a "black board." It was an actual black chalk board. This offended the woman (I cannot recall all of the details of this incident, so maybe Krista will rap at us). This made me crazy. To appease this woman are we no longer allowed to use the "black" as a descriptor? My car is black, Krista's is silver. When talking about our cars we refer to them possessively rather than by their color. But if we did refer to them as "the black car" and "the silver car," would somebody be offended? If they were, I think that might offend me. I'm not joking about that either. If someone were to claim that I were "racially insensitive" by using the word "black," I would not only be offended, I would be royally pissed-off. My friends and coworkers are not offended by the use of the word black, even in the context of race. Most refer to themselves as being black, not African American.

So why are some people offended? I think Jaquandor nails it. They choose to be. Read his relating of an episode of days of yore where one individual became offended by a word devoid of meaning, and it's manner of use devoid of context.

Bench Favre!

So, I wonder if the cheese-hat-wearing fans across the border are clamoring for Favre to be yanked after that wonderful Thanksgiving Day game.

Hopefully the Vikings will have a good game this Sunday in St. Louis, and the so-called "fans" will lay off my man Daunte. Kudos to Mike Tice for getting pissed off, and basically telling these "fans" where to stick it. After one off game two weeks ago, and a mediocre game this past Sunday, fans were booing when Culpepper took the field in the second half. Culpepper is the top-rated QB in the NFC, and third overall in the NFL. And some fans want him benched.

The real problem seems to be the offensive line not playing up to their potential. Culpepper is being hurried, and the running backs have nowhere to go. The good news is the defense is looking good, so if the offensive line can get their act together we'll have a real team again. And that's the key. Everyone playing at the top of their game all the time. The Vikings have real talent in all areas, and if they play the way the can, I think they can win a Super Bowl. But what do I know.

Oh, and to all you whiny fans, lay off Moss too. There have been a lot of people complaining about Moss not making more out of short passes. I don't know if you have noticed, but in these short pass situations there are usually at least three defenders on top of him the second he hauls the ball in. Just making the catch is good enough for me. But again, what do I know.

Check one two, check one two...

I know I have been lax in posting lately, and it will likely continue for a few weeks yet. I just wanted to take this opportunity to point out a strange google search that brought someone to ABOHO. The fact that ABOHO turned up in this search is not strange, but I thought that the search words were a bit odd.

Way to go R2! Watch out for that HAL cat though. He seems a bit hinkey.

I hear what the singer sings. It is my gift, it is my curse.



Peter Watts to my Frank Black pointed out this 80's lyric quiz the other day. I scored a whopping 123.5 (point 5?). I was just talking about earbugs (ok it was a couple of weeks ago) and this quiz reminds me as to why I am so susceptible to them. I often can hear a song once, and have a substantial portion of the lyrics down pat. This is particularly annoying with those annoying pop groups. I have to work with the music at work, and I am stuck with it for days. At least I am able to force my wife to share in my agony through my horrendous singing...

By the way, I hope that Jaquandor answered number 73 correctly. And I take a twisted satisfaction knowing that Dan will correctly answer number 19.

A couple quick space links...

So long Voyager.

Biggest solar flare ever...

Please stand by. Posting will resume shortly.

Come On...

You should have that checked...

Well, the coronal mass ejection is on it's way. Hold on tight to your cell phones. I'm sure my comments will be affected in some way, they seem to go down with the slightest breeze. A few years ago, Krista's pager service was knocked out for a couple of days by a solar storm, and this one sounds like it is going to be a biggie.

It looks like we will have cloudy skies here in the Twin Cities, but if you have clear skies tonight, get out and look for the Northern Lights.

How about catching the aurora in Cuba? Well maybe not this time, and not just because it would involve illegal travel. But back in 1859 the biggest solar storm ever recorded allowed just that, as well as causing a bit of trouble with the high tech contraptions of the time. Read about it here.

The image above comes from SOHO (The Solar and Heliospheric observatory). Here is a screen saver that provides near real-time images of the Sun from SOHO.

"I Love It!" She Said

Krista's new ride.

Oops!.. I did it again

Ever get an earworm? You know, those songs that get stuck in your head, sometimes for days? For the longest time Ms. Spears had a strangle hold on my brain. Chili's jingles also often plague me. For the exorcism of these malevolent musical maladies, I usually try to get a more appealing song to force the worm out. Too often though this humming to myself will not work, and I am stuck with it until I can gain access to a more apt aural antidote. The most persistent may require a full dose of Beck's Odelay.

Most of the time though, I don't mind the infestations, as they tend to be songs I enjoy (Mitsubishi commercials usually fall into this category). They can even help when there is no stereo around. Friendly earworms are always welcome on long motorcycle rides.

So what are some of your earworms, and how do you get rid of them?

(cross-poted to Collaboratory)

A couple of days ago Jaquandor posted a link to a test you all should take. Provided are 60 album covers, minus the titles and band names. How many do you know. I scored but 20.

You are Neo, from "The Matrix." You
display a perfect fusion of heroism and
compassion.


What Matrix Persona Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

This quiz brought to you courtesy A Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy.

I Want to Tell You

Krista and I saw "Concert for George" last night. It was fab.

As a film, it was a nearly perfect mix of documentary and concert. It concentrated on the music, but threw in bits of interview at just the right time and of just the right amount. Eric Clapton did a wonderful job putting the concert together, and all of the performances were outstanding. Paul McCartney, Ringo, Clapton, Billy Preston, Jeff Lynne, a composition by Ravi Shankar, and many others. There were even a couple of appearances by Monty Python (minus John Cleese). One great moment was a shot of Ringo and Eric Clapton joking around during the rehearsal, but in the background was Dhani Harrison shaking his guitar in the air, top down, trying to get a pick out of the sound hole.

I smiled through the whole film. I don't think a recorded performance has ever given me chills before, but Paul McCartney and Eric Clapton singing "Something" did. If you love George Harrison, you must see this. If you are at all a fan of the Beatles, you should see this. And you can do so with my assurances that Jeff Lynne's heavy handed mixing is not present in the soundtrack.

Well, it appears my comments are missing once again... So any comments you have you can e-mail me, and I will make sure they make it up here.

Well of course as soon as I put this post up, the comments reappeared. If they go down again, you know where to find me.

Ok, real funny. As soon as I amended this post to note the reappearance of the comments, poof, gone again.

So, another week, another win. Just wait 'til November when both Daunte and Bennett are back. Normally I would avoid this sort of optimism for fear of a jinx, but the Vikings appear to be immune to my positivism.

I was not able to watch the game on Sunday, but caught most of it on the radio as Krista and I took in in the sights along Lake Superior's north shore (should "north shore" be capitalized with this usage? Anyone... Anyone...). Anyway, I am still no closer to solving my jersey dilemma. I was leaning towards Williams (Moe) or Chavous (and this weeks game did nothing to deter this) but last week at work someone made the comment (totally unrelated to any of this) that I seemed like a Kleinsasser kind of guy. This was the same coworker who's last words to me before my trip to Vegas this past spring were "Black 22." For those of you not in the know, my first night there I was tempted to bet black 22 at a $20 roulette table, but decided this was foolish, and I should save my money for the $1 blackjack tables. Of course the little ball landed on black 22, and I was spared the $700 pay-out...

But I digress. I need some input here folks. I know that there are at least a couple of you around here with some insight and opinions. Jaquandor offered up Chris Walsh, and that would have settled it, were not for the fact that he is no longer on the team. It appears that Jaq may get most of his Vikings news from this weblog, and that ain't saying much. Maybe I should alert him to The Strib...

Well, it appears that Adam is dissatisfied with the frequency of my posting. This has prompted him to promise the creation of a blog that is gonna blow our collective socks off. I await eagerly.

Build your own space-based telescope.
Here is a cool activity, if I had the time, I might build one myself. It's even got printable decals for the exterior.

Ok, we've got a good lead, lets go ahead and put in Frerotte.. Oh, never mind then.

Well, I was under the impression that there was a game at the Metrodome today. I showed up, bought my Dome Dog and beer, but where was the game? Actually, the first three quarters were a lot of fun, and as of my writing this, the Vikes are the only 4-0 team in the NFL (of course this will likely change later this afternoon).

And now for my yearly dilemma. For the past couple of years, I have been wanting to buy a Vikings jersey, but I never can decide on the player. I was down to Chris Walsh, and Tyrone Carter last year, and nearly decided on Robert Griffith the year before. Some close calls there. At this point the front-runners are Corey Chavous, Jim Kleinsasser and Moe Williams. And of course there is Daunte... Some help here people.

Oh, and someone might want to let the people at the dome know about the Segway recall. After the first quarter they had Segway races (no one was injured, apparently they are safer than sausage). At halftime, there was a game of Segway polo. It may have been the most boring halftime activity ever.

Two more moons found around Uranus.

There's gotta be a joke here somewhere...

Jaquandor comments on his favorite time of year.

Fall has always been my favorite time of the year as well. I love the crispness in the air, and I love working outside, or in the garage in this weather. But the past couple of years I have had some mixed feelings. It is still warm enough during the day to get in a decent bicycle ride in, but not for much longe. And the eye-candy on the trails and beaches is covered up or gone. I also know that the time is not far off when the overnight temperature will dip to a point that is too cold to ride the motorcycle to work (36 degrees). On the flip side, this summer we purchased an out-door fire pit, and I think we may get to use it for the first time this weekend.

Eat your heart out capybara.

Crap.

A couple of weeks ago I took Jaquandor up on on the Five Questions Challenge. Dan requested five of his own. As Dan doesn't have A Blog of His Own, I present to you my questions to Dan, and his answers.

1. You have at least a few nicknames (Shag, The Pizza Killer, The Panther). Which is your favorite, and what was the origin of the alias?

I'll throw in a couple of more: Sturdy Frame, Rude Nudie, Deadeye. My favorite, perhaps The Panther.

The summer of 96 I was training for the marathon, and on a particularly hot, tiring run (somewhere up in Long Lake Regional Park, I believe). In my delirium, I started chanting something about, "They can't stop The Panther. Panther's gonna get em. Here comes the Panther, etc." I can only assume it was that dormant Native American blood in me (my great great granddad was Fox Indian) conjuring up my animal sign during my time of trial. An unexpected Vision Quest.

2. You have a penchant for making lists and applying ratings to everything in sight. What is your most recent rating endeavor, and name your top five favorites of the items.

Funny, I can't recall a specific recent instance--though I am sure I was mulling over the most popular item about which to make a list: favorite musical artists. So here I go (and sorry, there's 6 cause of the tie): 1) Beatles 2)McCartney 3) U2 4) Prince 4) Paul Simon (tie) 5) Willie Nelson

3. Star Trek. TOS, or TGN? Oh, and your favorite episode from each.

TOG, and it's not even close. For TOG, the best episodes in terms of great all-around television are probably Space Seed, Trouble With Tribbles, & City on the Edge of Forever--and I might go with TwT, though I would be remiss if I didn't mention my campy favorite, The Savage Curtain (featuring Abraham Lincoln grappling with Genghis Khan and the infamous pants split).

4. You are currently (or soon will be) taking more classes to further your GIS training. For everyone that doesn't know, what the hell is GIS, and where do you hope to end up in the field?

GIS Geographic Information Science (though it can also refer to Geographic Information Systems--the tools the GIS person uses). The classes are for my masters degree. My goals are to a) Work in a geographic location that inspires me daily b) Do something meaningful to myself that benefits society c) Make enough money doing it that Sharon can quit
working if she wants (as in she has expressed an interest)

5. And this last one I am stealing from Jaquandor, because I just gotta know. If you could fly in any fictional air or spacecraft, which one would it be?

The Galileo 7! Actually, that's probably one you definitely WOULDN'T want to be on. I'd go with probably the Land Speeder. But Christ, WASH the thing occasionally, Luke!

Osama R. Kelly.

Courtesy Jaquandor.

About a week and half ago, at a small gathering on our patio, there was a discussion as to whether or not yellow jackets lost their stingers and died after stinging. I can report to you that they in fact do retain their stingers, and will sting multiple times.

Riding home from work today one of the bastards flew or crawled up the sleeve of my jacket. With the first sting I was forced to the side of the road, and (much to the amusement of passing motorists I'm sure) frantically started removing gear. First my gloves, followed by my glasses, so I could remove my helmet, so I could remove my messenger bag, so I could remove jacket. As I took my jacket off, my flying foe flew off. Not even the courtesy of sticking around so I could continue home with the satisfaction of knowing that the pesky vespidae was now just another grease spot on the Lake Street Bridge.

Via e-mail

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy,it deosn't mttaer in what oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanimg huh?

Another death that may have slipped under the radar of many was that of Larry Hovis.

John Ritter also died last night.

"I don't want no aggravation
When my train has left the station
If you're there or not, I may not even know
Have a round and remember
Things we did that weren't so tender
Let the train blow the whistle when I go."



Johnny Cash is dead at age 71. He died this morning at 1am of respiratory failure resulting from complications of diabetes.



Cash's career spanned nearly 50 years. He recorded nearly 500 albums. Perhaps more than any other musician, his influence and appeal remained strong throughout nearly his entire career, despite lack of airplay by country radio in later years.



With so much to say about this legend, I am not sure I can do justice in the time I have available. Instead, here are a few relevant links.

JohnnyCash.com

All Music Guide

A great compilation of Johnny's music up to 1983.

Of course there is "At Folsom Prison," and any of the American Recordings would be a good buy.

OK, count it off, a standard 12 bar B-flat blues... er blacks?

Hubble has taken advantage of the great view of Saturn, with its rings at full tilt. I really gotta get a telescope.

Well, it turns out that the myth of a duck's quack having no echo may have been built around a bit of truth.

Ha! Ha, ha ha ha... Ahh-hahahaha... Seriously though, it should have been 30-11.

Here are the photos from the Big Trip...


This was along Highway 35, which follows the Mississippi, in Wisconsin. One of several stops to take in the sights, and stretch the legs.



Hazards of the road. One stretch of tarmac had an unbelievably high concentration of bugs. This stop was forced by the large dragonfly in the middle of my shield.



Day two. Adam and I stopped at a scenic overlook near Guttenberg, Iowa.



My Dad, brother and I near Saylorville Lake north of Des Moines.



More Saylorville.

Who ya gonna call?

A while back, Jaquandor was mailed five questions by another blogger (Scott from Archipelapogo, and a fellow member of Collaboratory), these he answered on Byzantium’s Shores. He asked if anyone was game for five questions from him. I took the bait.

1. You used to perform in a band. What do you do for creative outlets now?

Well, Krista and I are slowly getting our act together in putting together a home studio. As things progress, we hope to start recording our own music. Until that is in full swing I play my guitar, although not as much as I should. I also enjoy a bit of photography, and playing around a bit with my camcorder. I am also fortunate in that my job allows a creative outlet. Not on a daily basis, but I do get to work on a project that allows a fair bit of creativity at least once a week. A not so obvious outlet is working on our house. While not always creative per se, I have been surprised at how much satisfaction one can get from putting new collar ties in ones garage, or building new cabinets for the kitchen.

2. If you had to live anywhere other than Minneapolis, where would it be? (Buffalo is an acceptable answer. Dallas is not.)

St. Paul. OK, I guess that is cheating. I guess Chicago. Although if Krista and I were not secure in our jobs, and I knew we could make it work monetarily, I wouldn’t mind living in a number of places for short periods of time (6-12 months). Alaska (although I have not yet been) Iceland, Amsterdam, Hamburg, New Orleans, and maybe somewhere in California, simply for near perfect motorcycling weather.

3. What’s the last book that blew your mind?

This is a tough one. I’m not sure that I’ve had a book blow my mind. At least not in the way my mind was blown say, the first time I read about spooky action at a distance… Steve Thayer’s “The Weatherman” blew my mind… Because it was so friggin’ bad. The closest book comes to mind is Kerouac’s “The Dharma Bums.” I loved “On the Road,” but “The Dharma Bums” gave a much better feel for what Kerouac was searching. The truth he sought seemed unattainable, when in fact it was around him all the time. I’m not sure that it blew my mind though. Any suggestions that might?


4. What article of clothing do you think looks best on women? (Within the bounds of propriety, of course. This question is
partly a test to see if your wife reads your blog. Heh.)

Hip huggers. I love hips.

5. If you could fly in any fictional air or spacecraft, which one would it be?

Easy. Same as everyone else. Millennium Falcon.

Moving outward from Mars to Jupiter. The Galileo Spacecraft is set to be destroyed later this month to avoid crashing into Europa once it runs out of fuel. Europa is possibly the best chance for alien life in our solar system, and it is feared that Galileo could still carry microbial life from Earth that would contaminate any ecosystem that the Jovian moon might harbor. Here is a great article detailing the life of Galileo (the spacecraft, not the man).

I still don't see why some people think that senior drivers should be tested...

By the way, I was invited to join Collaboratory, and have. It is a group weblog, and I will be posting there occasionally now as well. My first post went up yesterday. It is a personal profile, as all of the members have posted at some point. You can Dig It on a daily basis by clicking on the link to the left.

There is an online petition to put the Star Wars Kid in Episode III.

What time is it?

Happy birthday to my niece Hazel, the hippest one-year-old in Madison.

Am I the only one who was unaware of The Star Wars Kid?

Variations here.

Whew. That's a load off...

This just in. Stars discovered above New York City.

Groovy. Thanks to Dan for this Middle Earth related link (even though he misrepresented the content).

Well, it looks like someone may just need to cheer up.

Or maybe not. It seems that I am most prone to colds and flu when I am feeling great, and especially when I am looking forward to something.

Keep it secret, keep it safe...

Shhhh, don't tell anyone, but for all of you "The Lord of the Rings" fans, here is the "unofficial" official ROTK Trailer. Thanks to Jaq for bringing this to my attention.

Solar sails have been proposed as a means of propulsion for interstellar exploration. While acceleration would be very slow, top speed would be much more than that attainable from chemical propulsion. Maybe...

Will they work? Well, for the reasons stated above, certainly not like Count Dooku's sail (scroll most of the way down). But some contend that sails will not work at all. The disagreement is over what principles are in play. In theory, light photons (which are not matter, but do have momentum) would bombard the sail, and push it away from the light source (conservation of momentum). The sail would have a mirrored surface to reflect the light, and thus keep the sail from heating. This lack of heating is the very reason the nay-sayers believe the sail will not work. Since energy cannot be created or destroyed, if the sail doesn't heat, it doesn't move. If the sail does heat, it does move, until the temperature of the object reaches equilibrium with the radiation. The proponents of the sail say that thermodynamics are not involved, and that the sail depends in whole upon the conservation of momentum. But does conservation of momentum apply to light, or only to matter?

The answer seems easy enough to my unschooled mind. If the sail depends on conservation of momentum, momentum would have to be transfered from the light photons to the sail. Correct? If this is the case, the light photons would slow after reflecting off of the mirror. Is this the case? (Anyone, anyone?) I know that light appears to slow when passing through a prism, but then upon exiting returns to it's normal speed. Apparently this is not an actual slowing of light.

We will find out the true answer soon enough. A civilian team hopes to launch a solar sail for testing by the end of October. In the meantime, if anyone with a better background in physics than I can answer my question about light slowing after being reflected please do so.

Run away! Run Away!

While in Des Moines, we saw Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. This is the worst movie I have seen since The Lucifer Complex. The acting is horrible, the effects are mediocre, and the editing is atrocious. That is all I have to say about that.

I will be posting some pictures from the trip sometime soon, if anyone cares.

The Trip

Well, for those of you who were unaware (of my regular readers, I believe this constitutes one person) I spent most of last week in the saddle. Between early Tuesday afternoon when I rolled out of my driveway, and Saturday night when I kicked the sidestand down, marking the end of the trip, I put 1250 miles on my motorcycle. 480 of those on Saturday alone.

This was much like a trip from last summer, except Krista stayed home this time. From Minneapolis I headed to Hastings, and hopped over to the Wisconsin side of the Mighty Mississippi. I followed state highway 35 south along the river to Prairie Du Chien. 35 is a great motorcycle (or car for that matter) highway, with lots of hills and twisties, and many great views. My brother met me there Tuesday night.

Wednesday morning we crossed into Iowa. No matter what you think or have heard about Iowa, the north-east corner is beautiful. We hugged the river southward for a bit, passing though Guttenberg (pronounced by the locals as Gut-en-brg) down to Luxemburg. We turned west on highway 3. Still lots of hills and curves. About this time my brother experienced what is known as a tank-slapper. He apparently was trying to adjust his jacket, with both hands. He just happened to pick the spot where the road turned suddenly rough. His handlebars started flailing violently back-and-forth. Fortunately the laws of physics allowed him to stay vertical long enough to regain control. Perhaps he will relate a bit of what is was like in the comments. Hint, Hint.

After he started his heart pumping again, we hit the road. We stopped in Waverly (home of our alma mater) for sandwiches at The Other Place, and had a look around campus. I ran into my old advisor and mentor, and we had a good long talk about the state of television news. After a couple of hours in Waverly, it was time to motor on to Des Moines.

We snaked our way through the corn fields toward Marshalltown, where we would have the promise of a straight shot of four-lane the rest of the way to the 'rents. But it wasn't that simple. Just north of Marshalltown, I noticed that things looked a bit hazy up ahead. It had been overcast all day, and I quickly realized that it was raining up ahead. We pulled onto the shoulder, I jumped off and was getting my packable rain jacket out of my bag when I felt the first drops. By the time I had unpacked the jacket from it's pocket, I was drenched. With no shelter in sight, we continued on through the rain. The rain didn't last too long, and we were mostly dry by the time we reached Des Moines.

We did some riding over the next few days with our Dad, who just this summer bought a new bike. Our Mom and sister also tagged along for some of the riding. There are actually some decent motorcycling roads around Des Moines, particularly around Sailorville Lake.

Saturday it was time to head home. Dad tagged along most of the way to Waterloo. We followed generally the same route that we used on the way down, but we used highway 20, rather than highway 3, to cut down on travel time.

Back in Prairie Du Chien, my brother headed off to Madison, and I continued back to Minneapolis. At Lake Pepin, I could see rain on the Minnesota side, but soon lost sight of it as the road moved away from the river and the trees blocked my view. Rounding a corner, I could see the tell-tale haze up ahead, but was able to stop and throw on the rain jacket in time. The rain was short lived, but the road was wet for quite a while, so my shins got a good soaking.

The road between Hagar City (not really a city, more a group of houses) and Prescott is really, really nice. It has the best hills and the highest concentration of squiggly road signs of the whole trip. Unfortunately the opportunities for passing are almost nil. I found myself stuck behind a train of four cars for this entire stretch of tarmac. The leader of this hellish caravan found a top speed of 45 to be prudent, 30-35 where the squiggly signs suggested 45. 65 would have been my speed of choice, even in the curves, as the road is nice and smooth, and lines of sight are good. So I spent most of the last hour and a half of the trip singing songs of the lead car's horrible end.

All in all it was a fun trip. Next time I am pretty sure I am going to need an iPod for some tunes...

Well, it appears that my commenting is really pretty screwed this time. I will try to find a new system Sunday night or Monday. I will also try and recover all of the comment to old posts if I can. Until I have a new system up and running, feel free to e-mail me with any comments, and I will post them once everything is OK.

This I am openly stealing from Jaquandor, but he stole it first.

Anyway, if you enjoyed that, try this, and this, and maybe this (if you like The White Stripes and kittens).

It's all Rather Good.

Whenever I am preparing for a road-trip, looking over maps and guidebooks, one image always springs to mind...

Krista and Jaquandor trying to find a place for us to eat.

OK, just time for a few quick links.

Poor Lurch.

Poor Pelusa. Another photo here

And finally thanks to Dan for this one. Eric emulating Eric emoting. Or something like that...