Danny bailed on yesterday’s lounge time… too fragged to hang. Maybe we’ll get together today if he’s up for it. Just as well, really, as I pooped out at about 9:30 last night, give or take. Just ran plumb out of gas. (actually, I was feeling a bit snoozy even earlier than that.)
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Spinny Video Test – using lj pics to host video rather than stills – click on image, then the “full size” link to view |
Moment of Lyric – mp3
(BILL: Let’s go. Ready? From the top.)
Cinnamon Life cereal mixed into blueberry yogurt isn’t as good as I thought it might be… but I was out of rice milk. note to self – get more rice milk.
Nice to hear from Mandy last night – it was good to get few things ironed out, or at least brought into clearer focus.
Dan and I may hang out today… if we’re both not totally tuckered out like Monday. I don’t think I’m going to be in the mood to hear Al Gore grouse about the weather.
Tina and I are shooting for a thrifting trip on Saturday… maybe find a good table or such for the apartment.
No Word from Bro lately. I’m assuming no news is good news.
Moment of Lyric – mp3
Last Night’s Din-din is even better as breakfast (due to it self-marinating) Lazy bachelor recipe, but here it is.
Tasty bean salad
3 cans black beans
2 cans of corn
1 can garbanzo beans
red and green onion, chopped
fresh cilantro to taste
sliced mushrooms
1/2 tsp. cumin
pinch of cinnamon
pepper to season
juice from a lemon
1/2 to 1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil
salt
pepper
cayenne
Drain everything that comes in a can and put it in a big bowl. Chop all of the veggies and add them in. Mix the olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice in a separate bowl, then stir it in. Add the seasonings and adjust to taste.
How they reworked Brando into the new Superman movie. Pretty nifty!
Free Movies, Cartoons & Documentaries
Keen perspective art in the subway
Japanese War Tubas only a few decades ago were the very pinnacle of modern technology and your best bet for locating an enemy in the distance or in the dark (that’s Hirohito on the right).
Brings Overture to “Die schöne Galathee” by Franz von Suppé (mp3) to mind, for some reason.(I really like the Pygmalion scene)
Acoustic location was used from mid-WW1 to the early years of WW2 for the passive detection of aircraft by picking up the noise of the engines. It was rendered obsolete before and during WW2 by the introduction of radar, which was far more effective.
via graypumpkin –
Pre-eminent scientist, inventor, and respected mixologist Doctor Bunsen Honeydew reveals and demonstrates (with the help of his trusted assistant, Beaker) the amazing combinant power hidden behind movie theater concessions stands across the globe.
Regardless of the very real threat that terrorists might find a way to use this frighteningly accessible technology against us on our own soil, it gives us some comfort to know that when we find ourselves trapped and alone, fighting for our lives against the Gorn on a desolate alien planet made of nothing but Diet Coke and Mentos, by god, we’ll know what to do.
I’m back to playing turn-based pente online. Anyone who’d like to challenge me, the name’s scottobear there.
1 year ago – GP & Batman, magic waffle pixies, yubnub, google maps, Lore, grasshoppers, awesomedome, journal scraped
2 years ago – Summertime, silliness, doodleboard, rage icon (since added), extreme heat warning, wifi bike, earbags, pudding pop poll
3 years ago – newt pic, dialects, sacred texts, monkfish, fold up robots, William Marshall RIP
4 years ago – Tope/taupe, cookie puss rap, Francesco ups the rent due to tile, bigbrother time clock installed at FMM, bird pee, random 5, lj virus
5 years ago – Bateman’s smoking cat, communion with dip, W’s approval rating (pre 9/11) & quiz, languor, evil news, mushy thoughts
6 years ago – time poem
Tailing a monkey man in search of healing powers
KOLKATA (Reuters) – Thousands of people are flocking to an impoverished Indian village in eastern West Bengal state to worship a man they believe possesses divine powers because he climbs up trees in seconds, gobbles up bananas and has a “tail.”
Devotees say 27-year-old villager Chandre Oraon is an incarnation of the Hindu monkey god Hanuman — worshipped by millions as a symbol of physical strength, perseverance and devotion.
“He climbs up trees, behaves like a monkey and is a strict vegetarian, but he is no god and his condition is just a congenital defect,” says Bhushan Chakraborty, the local medical officer.
Tucked away in a hamlet in Banarhat, over 400 miles north of Kolkata, the state capital, devotees wait for hours to see or touch Oraon’s 13-inch tail, believing that it has healing powers.
Doctors said the “tail” — made up of some flesh but mostly of dark hair — was simply a rare physical attribute.
“It is a congenital anomaly, but very rarely do we find such cases,” B. Ramana, a Kolkata-based surgeon, told Reuters.
“He climbs up trees, behaves like a monkey and is a strict vegetarian, but he is no god and his condition is just a congenital defect,” says Bhushan Chakraborty, the local medical officer.
If I had a dime for every time I heard someone say that…
Danny and I were pretty bushed yesterday, after work.. not in the mood for movies about weather or bigh boats or wacky couples sharing an apartment. Instead, we walked around toys ‘r us, had Thai/Japanese food. (interesting to have veggie rolls as appetizers, and then Pad Thai with tofu for main meal.)
Waitresses were stern, but massively skilled, superb service and swift… smiles flickered to their faces when eye contact was met… only to fade out as they moved on. Danny ventured that they were under cover martial artists, due to the clockwork precision. They were tipped well.
We went back to my place to do a little game of pirates, but were feeling too lazy to roll dice or push 2 inch plastic boats, so we watched an episode of Red Dwarf, Zefrank’s video journal, and about 10 minutes of Land of the lost.
I thought I’d be missing my dad more than I did yesterday… but I did fine. Thought about him quite a bit, but didn’t get overly misty. I trundled to the beach, and then the Mango Festival for a bit of lunch – it was a pretty soggy Sunday, so I bailed early on the Mango Festival, but I benefited from some lovely chit-chat with BHK instead.
Dan and I will likely hit the movies after work today, barring anything unforseen. I wonder if I’ll be able to keep awake throughout? Monday is usually fairly taxing due to morning meetnigs and midday catch-up.
Rest in Peace, Weaver the Weatherman. I always thought that Bob Weaver was a really great name. A weatherman for over 50 years, he was a very real institution in Florida TV.
graypumpkin mentioned something about chocolate dice sold at his local game store, so I sniffed ’em out. Both in high quality 6d6 (probably best suited for GURPS, and skill test rolling) and the more multicolored 75d6 foil-wrapped dice (More for Champions team of energy-blasts, I’d expect. Every time you roll low, eat it.) see also – 24 red d6 of hazelnut fudge
Like gamers need another way to put on weight!
Moment of Lyric – mp3
Close your eyes and look at me
I’ll be standing by your side
In between the deep blue sea
And the sheltering sky
If we find no words to say
To the rhythm of the waves
Then we’ll both surrender there
Walking on air
And the worries of the day lie down
Under cover of the fading clouds
The secrets of the night
Come alive in your eyes
You don’t have to hurry
You don’t have to try
Cause you don’t have a care
You’re walking on air
1 year ago – pictures(motorcycle and newt), tut, lj interests, jbee b-day, gp dream, severe thunder, ft laud evacuation info for hurricanes, UFO tv losses
2 years ago – palm vnc, Newt Chroma key, paypal spoof warning
3 years ago – doctor’s appointment, time-traveler micronaut, lizard!, clear sky clock, baby dolphin beached
4 years ago – packing, location thoughts, bicycle, brushing newt-teeth
5 years ago – evil news, Jb’s bday, gadabout, lj-topology, time for timer, crown of crap, sambo’s
6 years ago – roadwork
Newt wasn’t the most friendly host yesterday… I suspect it was a combo of smoke and/or illness stress that he was picking up from Tina. We had a nice time watching Monsters, Inc and a couple of Eddie Izzard concerts. Much (perhaps too much) Italian food was consumed, and I think a good time was had by all. The eggplant and garlic pizza is even better as a breakfast food this morning.
Some thoughts came up for a decor style for the apartment… maybe a tiki bachelor pad? If it’s possible to get that look with sturdy, comfy furniture, I’m all for it! The tiki-retro look is a pretty keen one.
The Mango Festival’s music was widely varied… from the amazing to Muzak-level artists played too loudly. I’m going to swing back by later today… many people are there having a grand time, so why not Scotto?
I’ve just switched the phones over to EN from ECN… so I think that maybe after a little morning nap, I’ll take a trek outside, if the skies stay clear.
through 9 am…isolated showers and a few thunderstorms will continue to affect the waters off the broward and Miami-Dade coast. only a few light showers will move onshore to affect the fort Lauderdale and Miami metro areas…though most areas will remain dry. the showers will move west northwest at 10 mph.
Danny contacted me earlier – wants to get together once or twice in the week ahead. (Last week was quite busy for him, and he was unable to comfortably do anything.) Maybe we can catch An Inconvenient Truth{website has some sound}. I’m interested in seeing how well it makes a case.
Side note, websites with flash opening pages / purely flash navbars are a bad idea… especially with sound. At best, it limits the size of your audience (if there are no alternate accessibility options added) and at the worst, it’s an annoying bombardment on the eyes and ears that also damages system security.
KIGALI (Reuters) – Twelve baby gorillas were given names by Western officials on Saturday in a ceremony aimed at attracting more foreign tourists to the tiny central African nation.
Dubbed “the land of a thousand hills”, Rwanda is home to nearly 400 mountain gorillas, one of the world’s most endangered species, which attracted over half of the country’s 22,000 tourists in 2005.
Tourism officials face an uphill battle to lure visitors to Rwanda, where around 800,000 people were massacred in the 1994 civil war.
Representatives from the United States, Britain, Belgium and the Netherlands — where most of Rwanda’s tourists come from — participated in the baby gorillas naming ceremony, normally reserved for newborn children.
The UK ambassador to Rwanda Jeremy Macadie called one of the gorillas “Big Ben” after London’s famous landmark.
“Like the way ‘Big Ben’ is a major tourist spot in London, this young baby gorilla will be a center attraction for tourist to this beautiful nation,” Macadie said.
Rwanda earned over $25 million (14 million pounds) from the tourism sector in 2005 but hopes to make close to $100 million by 2010.
The first public naming ceremony was held last year when 30 baby gorillas were given local names.
Conservationists and researchers have traditionally named the gorillas they track using the patterns formed by wrinkles on the primate’s faces as identifiers.
A 1988 film, “Gorillas in the Mist”, based on the work of primate researcher Dian Fossey, who studied the animals in the 1960s, has put the tiny nation on the world map.
1 year ago – hobo sign icons, Goodyear blimp crash, pictures, Guide to Hobo / ’30s slang
2 years ago – slow email, drunken sailor song, testing remote palm broadcast, running away, nice letter of thanks
3 years ago – creaky knee, infrared zoo (Graypumpkin’s first visit?), remote cpu destruction of file-sharers, tiny robots, ghetto fries
4 years ago – tiling my old place, chocolate doughnuts, happy pill, instinct of awareness, how to make a smoke bomb
5 years ago – Evil News, blimpies heroin story, poop-poll
6 years ago – nuffin
More to follow from the porch, no doubt. Today, I am either a: visiting a sick friend, b: having a sick friend visit me, c: hitting the mango festival, or d: going on walkies, depending on how well sickie-poo is feeling.
Moment of Lyric – MP3
ECN hooked me up with a side-gig for a website for her boss. That might make for a nice couple of hundred bucks in the next week or two – probably for about 2 or 3 days worth of work over the weekends in my downtime. I can cope with that. I’ve had quite a dry spell in that department since the grove shut down.
Looking forward to doing a little writing this weekend, too. I’m long out of practice, and I’m due to get back on the wagon again. I’ve been fooling with a new mystery-type idea, so I’ll see how well I can work that up into a few thousand words, give or take.
Set up Newtcam on Big Brain…That should eliminate all the random hang-ups lappie-cam was causing. If all goes well, I may experiment with streaming video again soon. As it is, I’m testing out an “autozoom” feature of the newest version of Where’s James webcam… we’ll see how it looks.
Sleestak Noises, and some really keen Sleestak custom figures. I want one!
This subsection unintentionally left blank.
1 year ago – Sleepy, lj tags, couscous w/Danny, high voltage, questions,
2 years ago – audio blog test, bluetooth virus, Sue Dibney Croaks, Dreams of the old gang, Bloomsday, When the zombies take over, how long until the electricity fails?
3 years ago – paranoid dream (may’ve come true by now.), silly RP in There, sleepy newt pic, Abbie the Cat Blog
4 years ago – Navajo Talkers, Barbie collectors, I learn about this apartment, palm doodles
5 years ago – IMT becomes FMM, paying by the word, slaver, funeral-cast.com, photo poll
6 years ago – Taco bell folding & Whitesnake
Why? (answer in comments, my answer is below)
Poll was brought on by hearing that the knight on a chessboard has to move in an “L” shape because back then, the horse had to be turned left or right for the knight to get close enough to hit someone with a sword or mace.
Sometimes I think that I shuffle that way, behaviorally (is that a word?). I move off to the side, and then a bit forward. (or vice versa) It seems to progress effectively, I have to shift a bit, laterally.
It’s also worth noting that I am *horrid* at chess… I still haven’t grasped the best strategies of the game. I do very well at simpler ones, like Go, Othello (Reversi), Pente, Checkers, and the like
Payday, and almost the weekend. I’m looking forward to a day where I can sleep in, and just unwind a bit.
WHAT: 21st annual Mango Festival
WHEN: Friday 6/16 – Sunday 6/18
WHERE: Deerfield Beach [Broward]
WALLET: see Web site for ticket prices
WEB:
– {City of Deerfield Beach – Mango Festival page}
– {TheMangoFestival.com}
“South Florida’s largest multicultural festival, Mango Festival is a celebration of Black Music Month and mangos! Join us for a weekend fullof exciting entertainment, over 100 vendors of unique arts & crafts and wonderful international foods…. Two stages will feature continuous live entertainment.”
–City of Deerfield Beach
Phoenix on Wednesday was named the sweatiest city in the United States, but Miami topped the list as the most uncomfortable American city due to its mix of humidity and heat. Continue reading 8408 – Thoisday
Two parter Dr. Who Episode “Satan Pit” didn’t do much for me. It started off ok, and then sort of unraveled, until it got a quickie star trek last minute baloney ending.
Dang… is it only Wednesday? C’mon. I want to sleep in.
Moment of Lyric is from here. Good stuff. I needed some percussion to make me move. (mp3s at bottom of the entry)
Went through my AIM and snuffed out a lot of old contacts who I never see online anymore… I guess if they want to talk to me, they’ll say hi. (That said, I kept a bunch, too, even though I don’t usually appear online.)
I can hear the “magic ringtone” though I’m well past my teen years. ringtone mp3
Every time I start feeling low, I realize how much I’ve got going for me. I’m so far ahead of 99.9% of the planet, as far as comfort goes… I’ve got a home, climate control, health, Newt, the ‘net, folks I can chitty chat with, LJ, etc. Not a bad world to live in.
1 year ago – 32 questions, dead fridge, cartoons, schedules, journal liability guide,
2 years ago – OTR, Black Eye guy, showers good, legion, corps more wealthy thangov’ts, DPD, purple turtle post-its, how to make, I get groovy sandals
3 years ago – Coco’s, “If I were” meme, Danny and I get together, Bro goes to ER over hand, playstation supercomputer.
4 years ago – Newtie love, Masai Cow donation
5 years ago – lovely chats full of (LODD , evil news, eye patches, little red munkee
6 years ago – Ben Franklin, Fight Club DVD cap
Monday’s morning meeting DRAGGED. A lot was said, but I fear that little was communicated.
mass transit trip planner for south florida. handy as all get out.
After a nice gab about “something to do with your hands, rather than smoking” resulted in finding these toys.
Stretchy Ape, filled with rubber beads! Water Snake! Ye Olde Popping Martian!
Moment of Lyric –
Waiting at the station,
waiting for the right moves,
waiting in the basement,
waiting for the right cues,
waiting in a daydream,
waiting in the slipstream
waiting…
waiting in the right bars,
waiting in the right shoes,
waiting in a fast car,
waiting in the airports,
waiting for my airmiles,
waiting in slow motion,
coming through the turnstiles.
And if you ever change your mind,
you know I’m hard to find,
and if you ever need someone…
I’ll still be waiting…
Waiting with the orphans, waiting for the bee stings, they tell me that success brings,
waiting in the half light, waiting for your whole life,
waiting for an ideal…a low deal…a no deal, to play your stereotype.
And if you ever find the time,
you know I’m not far behind,
And if you ever need someone…
I’ll still be waiting…
just waiting for a friend.
I say it’s all right,
It’s all right my friend…just waiting.
*Legal* BitTorrent Download for Microsoft Windows Vista Beta 2
This is not a crack, this is not a hack, this is not software piracy -it’s unofficial mirroring with official validation. You can get a Windows Vista Beta 2 product key for free through Microsoft, as the OS won’t install without one.
See also, Windows Vista Beta: How to dual-boot Windows XP and Windows Vista
My Scotto-thermostat is broken… the house temperature reads the same, but my body seems to heat up about 10-11pm, right before bedtime, like the more tired I am, the warmer I get… especially noticeable as core temperature of my torso and the soles of my feet.
Sorry about the lack of content this morning, dear journal… have a man and possum.
1 year ago – Lovies for ldy and sedef, tunnel vision, hukilau, danny, bro, speed racer for geico, cvs ood by the lb, dr who, impact font, pink floyd reuniting
2 years ago – Newt Treats, police, sleepies, DIY-WiFi, Horrid teacher name, loud car alarm, RI, Harry Lime
3 years ago – Cartoon Pope blesses ldy, white/brown eggs, fibber island lyrics
4 years ago – Intruders, Out for Thai & sushi, Rent-bump.
5 years ago – perorate, Poi Dog Pondering, Thinking of using share point for journaling, smart tags, considering a piercing / blood donation,Wolbachia / Kamikaze Sperm, evil news
6 years ago – April refusing to go to the doc, bronchitis, half-light, new pals
Nice to be relieved of on-call by EN yesterday…. I really prefer to have my weekend to myself, if it can be helped. Lovely rain all day Sunday, and I didn’t do much in way of walkies, due to the foot boo-boo.
Feeling nostalgic for the mid-late 70s… Remembering imprints from the first decade of life, or thereabouts. Sort of funny…so many of folks I know and talk to regularly weren’t even protein yet in 1975. Oh, for the good ol’ days of eating Cap’n Crunch in front of the boob tube watching cartoons or whatnot before the sun has even come up, without a care in the world. Bro still just about 2 years old or so… My Dad about a decade younger than I am now, Momster even younger than that. Only responsibilities are not to wake anybody up.. maybe do a little coloring, or read a book about dinosaurs with word searches and connect the dots at the end of each chapter.
Even as a munchkin, I had to have mixed media piped into my skull… tv, reading, writing, coloring, action figures (or tiny ones, like army men/cowboys and indians cast in plastic).. usually all at the same time. I’m the only person I know that drew crayoned outlines on paper of my GI Joe and Hulk Dolls. Not that I was playing coroner, or anything. I just liked filling in the silhouettes in different poses as a kind of multicolored version of Hiroshima shadows, usually in multiple overlays.
I still remember that Hulk doll with the torn purple pants and the left leg repaired with a nut and bolt across the knee by my dad. More flashback-type stuff from that period.
From ZDNet:
The U.S. House of Representatives definitively rejected the concept of Net neutrality on Thursday, dealing a bitter blow to Internet companies like Amazon.com, eBay and Google that had engaged in a last-minute lobbying campaign to support it.
Juliabee put me onto heifer.org – Nifty sounding group to help teach folks self-reliance.
Heifer’s mission is to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth and they do that by working with communities. Heifer provides families with training and a livestock gift. The family then has hope for a sustainable future and they in turn become donors by passing on the gift of the animal’s offspring to another family in need. Take a look at this video to learn more about this organization that helps families all over the world.
Some interesting packages… the honeybees, chicks and the goats, for example. (the other packages)
Random Scotto factoid – I like the Smothers Brothers.
Moment of Lyric – (video)
Once I had a love and it was a gas, soon turned out had a heart of glass.
Seemed like the real thing, only to find mucho mistrust.
Love’s gone behind.
Once I had a love and it was divine.
Soon found out I was losing my mind.
It seemed like the real thing but I was so blind.
Mucho mistrust.
Love’s gone behind.
In between “what I find is pleasing” and “I’m feeling fine”, love is so confusing.
It’s no peace of mind if I fear I’m losing you.
It’s just no good, you teasing like you do.
Once I had a love and it was a gas, soon turned out had a heart of glass.
Seemed like the real thing, only to find mucho mistrust.
Love’s gone behind.
Lost inside adorable illusion and I cannot hide.
I’m the one you’re using please don’t push me aside.
We could make it cruising, yeah.
Yeah, riding high on love’s true bluish light
Ooh ooh ooh whoa x4
Once I had a love and it was a gas, soon turned out to be a pain in the ass
Seemed like the real thing, only to find mucho mistrust.
Love’s gone behind.
Hurricane Stuff via Infomaniac
A Failure to Communicate: Politics, Scams, and Information Flow During Hurricane Katrina in Searcher. Discussion of Websites, jornals and coverage from two library professionals at Western Washington U.
IbisEYE,hurricane forecasting tool (using Google Maps) from Sarasota herald tribune. Also has tracks of all Florida-landing storms since 1851. (I really dig this)
I had to seach the Far out Space Nuts… Youtube didn’t let me down.
Oh man… I forgot about Honky. Even at 6 years old, I put on the “aw, geez” face. Got to love the name “Honky” though.
Opening theme – End Credits theme
See also Dr. Shrinker, Lost Saucer, Electrawoman and Dynagirl (I had a huge crush on Dynagirl… when I was 8.), Land Of The Lost…
That really explains a lot of how I turned out.
Other Disturbing moments of TV history – the evoloution of Three’s Company – Pilot credits –
Three’s Company Unaired Pilot TV Theme #1– no lyrics, just “do dee do dee doot doo”
Three’s Company Unaired Pilot TV Theme #2
The strongest elements were there from the get-go, Jack and the Ropers.
Additional Schmaltz – Courtship of Eddies Father on youtube. At times, I’m a colossal sap.
1 year ago – Going postal, free pie, Global Frequency, Who, Kim Possible, writing, JC & fish sammiches, mouse update, UN food force, Hav, Work Sanity, fridge cleanup, Chloe-pup, sweet farm girl mp3, Hunter-Newt face pics (vs. a paper strip),
2 years ago – Astronauts, Hound Dogs, doodles, $0.21, CoH rough, Camels vs Tigers, Hustler Store on its way.
3 years ago – there-music, vampires, Bollywood posters, billy the kid
4 years ago – wondering about hover cars and jetpacks, mad shark, bad tattoos,rainbow in every teardrop, kid at work day, wondering about my own,Freedom force supers, misc bro & Danny get togethers
5 years ago – irenic & potatory, recovering from yuck, idea12, waving, coffeeflavored cereals, evil news, html brad hoax, plucking out a worm, lovestruck
6 years ago – fooling myself, Superman is JC, site poetry via cmdrtaco
