randomWalks

Some Zippy the Pinhead pages.

This site has been blowing my mind on a regular basis for about 5 years. I think I just found the front door, but I may never be sure.

The New York Times takes you through the looking glass at Big Brother. It’s an interesting read, but I can’t help but wonder who the sad, sick people are who produce this show. Imagine standing in the control room with a dozen other people watching strangers on the toilet for 8 hours a day. I’d be more humiliated to be operating that camera than to be taking a shit. What’s wrong with us?

Escalating its protest against the Pentagon’s ‘Star Wars’ missile program, the international anti-nuclear organization Greenpeace is sending its vessel MV Arctic Sunrise into waters off the launch site at Vandenberg Air Force base where a test launch is scheduled for Friday evening.

They say the first step towards treating a problem is admitting that you have one, so here goes: when I really let myself dream, there’s nothing I’d rather be doing than traveling the world with a pack on my back and my family by my side. It’s really bad – I have no trouble maintaining my illusion of the romance of such a lifestyle in the face of all kinds of harsh reality. What’s worse is that I can’t even pretend that I don’t know better than to take such a journey. Geez… I thought I’d feel better after admitting that, but I just feel worse.

While many people when pressed would sooner be apologists for slavery than apologize, it’s heartening to see someone take some direct action.

The US Forest Service is fighting to preserve a unique historical record in northern Arizona: thousands of bark carvings done by Basque (French and Spanish) and Mexican sheepherders on aspen trees. The carvings date from the mid-1900s back to the 1880s.

Unfortunately, the practice of advertising for slaves was commonplace in newspapers prior to abolition. We are not proud of that part of our history and apologize for any involvement by our predecessors at The Courant in the terrible practice of buying and selling human beings that took place in previous centuries.

The officials found a ball of solidified milk nearly 1 inch in diameter that apparently harbored the growth of the bacteria. Although the valve was supposed to be cleaned out once a week, the company records showed that the last cleaning had taken place on June 2.

From the New York Press: the best movies of the year, so far.

Two takes on Apple’s next mouse: Appleinsider has posted some renderings of the ugliest looking blob I’d never want on my desk, and ZDNet has some nice stylized illustrations of the general shape of the new mouse, which is to be buttonless and possibly cordless. A new keyboard is expected to accompany the new mice.

If you’ve missed the sharp wit of MacWeek’s MIA Mac the Knife column (recently revealed to be officially retired) then check out MacEdition’s Naked Mole Rat Report in which we witness the return of the cutting-edge Mac industry scoops and rumors.

The tendency to sneeze on exposure to bright light is termed the "photic sneeze". It is a genetic character transmitted from one generation to the next and which affects between 18 and 35 per cent of the population. The sneeze occurs because the protective reflexes of the eyes (in this case on encountering bright light) and nose are closely linked. Likewise, when we sneeze our eyes close and also water. The photic sneeze is well-known as a hazard to pilots of combat planes, especially when they turn towards the Sun or are exposed to flares from anti-aircraft fire at night.

So why didn't Icebox do something really gutsy and similarly 'original' by calling this show 'Mr. Sambo'? Why not give their character old-time African American stereotypical facial features instead of Asian? Why not make Mr. Sambo a shuffling butler who worships his 'massa?' Why not have Mr. Sambo later get lynched when he kisses his pretty white 'massa?'

BoyCaught suggests that the Black Peoples' Prison Survival Guide is defeatist, but I’d guess that for the tens of thousands of Black men in prison in the U.S., it might be worth a read. Of course, I’m not really in a position to judge, but the document srikes me as a Good Thing, all things considered.

From the Frugal/Mindful Living Resources page: apartment gardening. The open directory has a category with more info which references container gardening and house plants as well.

Tip: if you get something permanently inked into your skin in a language you can’t read, be sure you know what it says.

The Grey Lady weighs in with her version of a weblog! I wonder if this will become a regular feature. Update: the fine folk at MetaFilter have pointed out that lists of links are “as old as the web” (thanks) and that the New York Times has been posting such lists for some time.

Fun with Flash: an exhibit of handheld paintings and a gallery of banner-ad art. The images at both sites are inspired, but don’t forget that interface is art too.

I wonder if Bruce Tognazzini knows that, according to GirlHacker (whose site exemplifies that elusive symmetry of journal and links that I sometimes strive for), a company called Bluelinx is developing a technology, Q-Zone, which is intended to solve the problem he described in his essay “Cellphone Solution in Search of a Champion” of cellphones ringing in inappropriate places.

so i was like "hi, this is Darcy from Kozmo.com and I am sorry but we are out of stock on Buttman's Anal Adventures" and the guy would be all "uh, yeah, i didn't order that, my roommate did" and i would be like "well, can I suggest Buttman in Budapest instead? we'll throw in a few hundred kozmo points good toward your next rental! thanks for using kozmo" it was humiliating!

The 3,000 year history of the soybean, again from Whole Earth. I’ve long been a fan of tofu and soymilk, but recently I’ve discovered how tasty the soybean itself is – just boil it with salt. Delicious!

Like most migrant mushroom pickers, Nancy has no bank account, no checkbook, no credit card. "In the last ten years I haven't taken a steady job once," she says with obvious pride. "It's pretty much been mushrooms and huckleberries."

From the National Food Safety Database: storage tips for the top-20 fruits and top-20 vegetables sold at supermarkets. With tips on picking ripe fruit, this one’s going in my Palm for sure.

The other day as I was driving to work I noticed the big print on a historical marker I had never seen before: “Fairfax Nike Missile Site”. Huh? Those words are accompanied by a whole paragraph of teeny text, so the next time I’m not late to work I’ll pull over to read it and take a picture.