I will be attending the American Geophysical Union conference in San Francisco this December. The flight back officially takes 2 1/2 hours, but there’s also the airline system lunacy factor: I have to arrive early to have my shoes scrutinized by the TSA fashionistas; three ounce subportions of each toiletry — insufficient for a week […]
Plane versus Train Read More »
Before I went to bed, I secured the rain fly … but apparently not taut enough: the wind flapped it around most of the night. Initially I ignored the arrhythmic flapping with my iPod set to “mellow.” That worked fine as long a I was sleeping on my back. As soon as I turned to
RAPSODY 2007 – part dos Read More »
Last weekend I rode RAPSODY (“Ride Around Puget Sound in twO DaYs,” though some say it’s One DaY), an 166-mile loop around the southern part of Puget Sound. I had heard good reviews of its inaugural year, but the last two years, its schedule overlapped with RAWs 2005 (around the peninsula) and 2006 (down the
RAPSODY 2007 – part uno Read More »
Because my car is the mechanical-equivalent of a teenager, I have to start the biannual emissions check before renewing my license plate tabs. I knew Subarus had a blanket waiver from the dynamometer test because it effs with the all wheel drive, but I expected an exhaust probe while it idled. Instead, the test consisted
While Tivo-surfing for new material, I came across “How It’s Made,” focusing on the mechanical steps involved in producing a particular kind of widget. It’s much lighter than Mythbusters and Dirty Jobs, but still entertaining. Because the show has been around a while, my Tivo picked up a dozen showings before I told it to
I’ve been having problems with my toilets not disposing of the their content on the first try. I’ve plunged. I’ve augured. I’ve read a lot of home repair books. As this was affecting all three toilets, it was logical to suspect something was clogged in the sewer line, the kind of repair that I don’t
What if Darth Vader’s brother, Chad, led the day shift of a small grocery store or went out on a dinner date? Blame Society Productions tackles these questions. Episodes 1, 2 and 6 were my favorites. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8
Tourists of the Ohio Rivarrrrrrrr An one-hour “complimentary reception […] open exclusively to […] Corporate Members and Exhibitors interested in corporate membership.” followed the show yesterday. Sales pitch off the starboard bow! Whoop. Whoop. Whoop. The exhibit staff made sure I knew I was invited: they placed a brochure on my laptop keyboard; two people