The discovery of a possible diamond planet got me thinking. What is more valuable, a planet made of diamond or a planet full of wood? A planet made of gold or a planet made of molybdenum? A planet filled with jewels or a planet where we could grow rice? The answers, I think, are obvious. [...]
A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I were watching Bones and the main character, a scientist, said something that stunned me. I have to paraphrase, but the gist, “I’m a scientist, I can’t just change my mind.” I cried out, when I heard it. Listen, scientists are people, too, and can be as [...]
Huh. I was going to post that I wanted to get two of ABC’s albums with “The Look of Love,” “How to Be a Millionare,” and “Poison Arrow.” I think these are on two different albums if I remember my 80s vinyl correctly. But not only are those albums not available on CD, but the [...]
On the teevee, there’s been a couple of Chrysler commercials that have really, really annoyed me. The first one is subtly annoying, because I had to pay attention to it before I realized how awful it was. There’s a young waifish boy who is leaving school. We hear, but don’t see, a boy say “Hey, [...]
A few years ago, I wrote about a minor long-term effect of the Chernobyl radiation leak. It took almost twenty years for a specific type of radioactive isotope to make landfall and destroy Norway’s reindeer-meat exports. Obviously, with all the other lives and ecologies and industries that Chernobyl affected, the small market in reindeer meat [...]
12/2 10:23 pm – I have a button on my messenger-bag that says “I read banned comics.” It’s a fairly old button, and I got it because it the late 80s and early 90s there were a few comics that were being banned. I don’t think I actually read any of them, but I supported [...]
11/18 1:21 am – The old LIRR trains with the blue and red seats were just not made for typing on a portable computer. They have outlets, but there is no way to get comfortable while typing. – Today at {computer company that shall not be named} there was a graduate student who was working [...]
Seen at the local PETCO — Petmate® Cat Crazies®: “Cats go CRAZY over these specially designed toys!” If only the inventor of the cap on plastic milk cartons thought of this. My step-dad walks into 7-11 in the morning and gets a dozen of these for free. But cats do go crazy for them. Both [...]
So Katherine and I married last Friday, October 19. Everything went great, except for the weather, but we managed. Here’s a quick rundown of things that I’d like to note: * I started the day very stressed. I wasn’t so much worried about getting married, as I was about the actual process. We heard that [...]
At 11:52 p.m., on Monday, September 24, 2007, a Suffolk Police officer from the second precinct, driving in Car 205 turned on his lights to run the intersection of Commack Road and Jericho Turnpike. He’d been sitting at the light for a few seconds, when I pulled up. He was in the left turning lane, [...]
