tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062323011613068622024-02-02T13:03:18.396-08:00Sing Their PraisesHerein you will find positive reviews of everything.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13605674498849247217noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306232301161306862.post-81074777201325948652016-09-24T12:52:00.001-07:002016-09-24T12:52:26.931-07:00Village pizza<p dir="ltr">This pizzeria on Dovercourt is pretty good. Despite the floppiness, the margarita slice <u>i</u>s delicious.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgENgHPREJmu-hcGpDLQCV4-2IqQWQOZvgsAYOivMsuiM_-wIj77hJF3pUPKWhdLz1mMsqRsgQ-6y24N5G3_aNYPdemjClVLZAvDaZ9wNAYtJiGH2s0H5f_On5hgi4og_IO9kvi4dmLlw/s1600/1474746677228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgENgHPREJmu-hcGpDLQCV4-2IqQWQOZvgsAYOivMsuiM_-wIj77hJF3pUPKWhdLz1mMsqRsgQ-6y24N5G3_aNYPdemjClVLZAvDaZ9wNAYtJiGH2s0H5f_On5hgi4og_IO9kvi4dmLlw/s640/1474746677228.jpg"> </a> </div>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961730330848873802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306232301161306862.post-48374220451796916162012-09-20T13:41:00.000-07:002012-09-20T13:41:04.850-07:00Greece<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheu67hraH0F_-qQum77Aki_uN2Ih0uckOTADE2xyQuqTfZDhua0ir7FFiHjRaOjxBkDYd7HjdlFIMDkcvpRN5s2Xqop9T-gaWmHqP1OyuyxfDkdrZ8wPVjl45gnQmBo2bTXMW8nI-6Cg/s1600/greece1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheu67hraH0F_-qQum77Aki_uN2Ih0uckOTADE2xyQuqTfZDhua0ir7FFiHjRaOjxBkDYd7HjdlFIMDkcvpRN5s2Xqop9T-gaWmHqP1OyuyxfDkdrZ8wPVjl45gnQmBo2bTXMW8nI-6Cg/s320/greece1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greece"><b>Greece</b></a> is the best country ever. In practically any category of country comparison, Greece comes out on top. Greece has a long history of being the absolute best, too.<br />
<br />
Consider the following firsts and bests Greece has on its score sheet:<br />
<ul>
<li>Inventing democracy.</li>
<li>Inventing philosophy.</li>
<li>Inventing science.</li>
<li>Smartest person of all time: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotle">Aristotle</a>.</li>
<li>Greek people are the best looking. Case in point: John Stamos and Jennifer Aniston are both of Greek extraction. Imagine how good looking their kids would be. I bluster at the thought.</li>
<li>Not only did greek people invent athletics, but the best athlete of all time, Shaquille O'Neal, goes by the nickname "The Big Aristotle." This is to imply that his athleticism is Greek inspired.</li>
<li>Best all-purpose pastry? The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllo">phyllo</a>.</li>
<li>Best ever military leader? Alexander the Great. (Note: for the purposes of this review, Macedonia is in Greece).</li>
</ul>
The Greek people can also lay claim to very worthwhile advances in the fields of yogurt making, mathematics, and income tax evasion.<br />
<br />
All in all, it makes for a great country. <br />
<br />Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961730330848873802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306232301161306862.post-57892312161135129042012-09-12T06:27:00.003-07:002012-09-12T07:19:54.010-07:00Campagnolo Veloce Dual Pivot Brakeset<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFgeVriVEx2ml2z9nSGI-3YakTQ-U3bhcVxShUmdSrBbCkvlFZsC_A39KP4tADOVSU8g_l7fHJz-KExIXu9fM9qFDe2OT1h2IBnv4314M7aHwYQS_RFzsdn82OSf4iSNC_lARrcMHnIw/s1600/091220121434.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFgeVriVEx2ml2z9nSGI-3YakTQ-U3bhcVxShUmdSrBbCkvlFZsC_A39KP4tADOVSU8g_l7fHJz-KExIXu9fM9qFDe2OT1h2IBnv4314M7aHwYQS_RFzsdn82OSf4iSNC_lARrcMHnIw/s400/091220121434.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5787281486633677730" border="0" /></a><br />If you enjoy cycling, and I'm sure you do, you should really do so on a bicycle with excellent stopping ability. The history of bicycle braking systems is long and storied, and out of the scope of this blog. But for a brief rundown, there are several broad categories of bicycle brakes:<br /><ol><li>Caliper brakes: these are generally seen on road bikes and on very cheap mountain bikes.</li><li>Cantilever brakes: most used on older mountain bikes, hybrids, cyclocross bikes, and touring bikes.</li><li>Disc brakes: used mainly on newer mountain bikes, but other bikes are available with these as well.</li><li>Hub brakes: never particularly popular. I generally make fun of people who use these.</li><li>Coaster brakes: The type of brakes where you back-pedal to slow down. Used on city bikes, beach bikes, and children's bikes.</li><li>Spoon brakes: Old-assed highwheelers and shite bikes that people ride in China use these.</li></ol>So as you now know, road bikes generally use caliper brakes. Road bikes sold before the mid-90s generally had single-pivot caliper brakes. These were surpassed by the now-popular dual-pivot design that provides better stopping power and modulation.<br /><br />Bicycle aficionados the world round know the name Campagnolo, the legendary Italian components manufacturer. While Veloce is one of their least expensive offerings, I've roundly found these brake calipers to be more than satisfactory.<br /><br />The brakes offer an all-metal forged construction, which promises strength, stiffness, and weight savings over inferior metal forming procedures.<br /><br />At 339 grams for the pair, you won't be feeling the load of these brakes on your way up the cols.<br /><br />I personally found that the included brake shoes are superb. They offer a large braking surface and the shoes are very adjustable so you can get them toed-in just right. It's a real pleasure working on these brakes.<br /><br />The brakes also offer the customary Campy style. They have a clean, fast look.<br /><br />Overall these brakes offer awesome performance, quality, and durability for a great price. I'm so proud.<br /><br />Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961730330848873802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306232301161306862.post-88289295668956540512012-05-30T11:49:00.004-07:002012-05-30T12:14:21.179-07:00Cheeky T-Shirts<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXn7DSNqpUVWnkiJO7phPBoaaACdW2Snd4SKUj9WbzKNudOXoRXDHhUmkXHcHHqCXUnKU_3NYRfAvr2caKCx5His2r4E5sb83NiW1VKXnzi5hPBLZV6fub8fC0BTq2iJbbXTQ38-__pA/s1600/cheeky.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 356px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXn7DSNqpUVWnkiJO7phPBoaaACdW2Snd4SKUj9WbzKNudOXoRXDHhUmkXHcHHqCXUnKU_3NYRfAvr2caKCx5His2r4E5sb83NiW1VKXnzi5hPBLZV6fub8fC0BTq2iJbbXTQ38-__pA/s400/cheeky.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5748403473788379938" border="0" /></a>Nothing is as endearing as a gag on a t-shirt. A good cheeky t-shirt conveys a playful spirit, joie de vivre, and the sense of humour of the garment's wearer. A gag t-shirt also affords an insight into a persons personality and opinions, including but not limited to:<br /><ul><li>Their opinion of the size their reproductive organ(s).</li><li>How many alcoholic beverages they feel are appropriate to imbibe before retiring for the evening.</li><li>Off the cuff assessments of the character of members of their party.</li><li>Assessments of the quality and character of an ethnic group they associate with.</li><li>Assessments of the quality and character of an ethnic group they don't associate with.</li></ul><p>Clearly this is all very valuable information to learn about random people you pass on the street, which is why shirts like this are wonderful.<br /></p>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961730330848873802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306232301161306862.post-41356502794805119682012-05-25T20:11:00.001-07:002012-05-25T20:11:29.848-07:00Sanitation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKL5KviMG1bYOPlBWMTcf9gC9kgHfLW_ofcLhHQ4LSrPbELY-d6Dr7Ym5Ebk7NdI8JctXa90O6oNWFjuAIYJumQ1Z3_DB317fj3dKY9n2iaYtosO3RJEBz_sqyL4d-LTqM6CtNp3o_g/s1600/713px-EscherichiaColi_NIAID.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKL5KviMG1bYOPlBWMTcf9gC9kgHfLW_ofcLhHQ4LSrPbELY-d6Dr7Ym5Ebk7NdI8JctXa90O6oNWFjuAIYJumQ1Z3_DB317fj3dKY9n2iaYtosO3RJEBz_sqyL4d-LTqM6CtNp3o_g/s320/713px-EscherichiaColi_NIAID.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Do remember that scene in The Matrix where the one trench coat guy says to the other "do you think that's air you're breathing?" It's hard to remember the point of a movie that came out 15 years ago, but I think it had something to do with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanitation">sanitation</a>.<br />
<br />
Sanitation is the process through which an organization of lifeforms creates conditions that are adverse to lifeforms of another species, provided that the latter species may have an negative effect on the livelihood and wellbeing of the former. For example, a butcher in a hotdog factory has to clear out the meat chutes every once in a while, lest the rotting meat attracted a pack of wild dogs that would overrun the facility and make it harder for him to do his job. Similarly, ancient Romans devised a series of interconnected ducts to carry away human waste, (mainly excrement and urine), from their urban centres to prevent the spread of disease.<br />
<br />
All around, their are really no drawbacks to sanitation. It's basically a "killer app," where that which is being killed is feral dogs and cholera.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961730330848873802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306232301161306862.post-23733368573711139512012-05-24T10:39:00.004-07:002012-05-24T10:49:10.146-07:00Iced Americano at Cafe 260<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL9K-hRvvbxAJEN_yOBgiJjYE8wF5N0XhHfXClaapYRMo46RfbqLlUc_yJloEMc0apMFGjqJ_uXmrt2GSZ5LdeDQEMxH9QT6zaedyGpYVPvfmAYwWaBTEw1RH_TsidX2KfNxi5tm-9Pg/s1600/052420121111.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL9K-hRvvbxAJEN_yOBgiJjYE8wF5N0XhHfXClaapYRMo46RfbqLlUc_yJloEMc0apMFGjqJ_uXmrt2GSZ5LdeDQEMxH9QT6zaedyGpYVPvfmAYwWaBTEw1RH_TsidX2KfNxi5tm-9Pg/s400/052420121111.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5746157960334167522" border="0" /></a><br />Enjoy an Iced Americano at <a href="http://www.cafe260.com/">Cafe 260</a>. It's like all the good things that happened in your life were put in a cup: every Sunday morning sleep-in; every sun rising on a dewey-morning dog walk; every diploma and paycheck; every smile, hug, and kiss; every milestone and sense of accomplishment; every moment you felt loved. They're all in there. Now take away all the regrets, the people you let down along the way, and any hint of bitterness. That's what it's like. It's liquid heaven.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961730330848873802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306232301161306862.post-86012573530384282742012-02-01T07:30:00.000-08:002012-02-01T07:42:52.882-08:00Torchy's Tacos<div style="text-align: left;"><a style="font-style: italic;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKUAf2Lccn516SAMWWD2JXNj-pE4sEfUJ1vBcJ2qCWAng28lkFLYO_RcmA7qAmKzAslzxrCpxSPkq-vJU-mKX_S3Q_7R7EpV8vNMxAGBwObq5C-P0uk1v3RHvNBcXrLOwoR2zLT7MZYA/s1600/Torchys_Tacos.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKUAf2Lccn516SAMWWD2JXNj-pE4sEfUJ1vBcJ2qCWAng28lkFLYO_RcmA7qAmKzAslzxrCpxSPkq-vJU-mKX_S3Q_7R7EpV8vNMxAGBwObq5C-P0uk1v3RHvNBcXrLOwoR2zLT7MZYA/s400/Torchys_Tacos.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704190309191840418" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"Would a taco in a different shell smell so sweet?"</span><br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKiOBye7ANVngwKPYd2IiV3tGZ7NOgnvEoilXPII8zw2X-oqdNKtf65wNWoBeVnDObQyBwSl6Esm994gZHitLc7BteDKeJywkB1oXJIOHcl02c0JjrhROgncv5RvDjcQJ2UoGkuCpYbQ/s1600/3910_image3_large.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKiOBye7ANVngwKPYd2IiV3tGZ7NOgnvEoilXPII8zw2X-oqdNKtf65wNWoBeVnDObQyBwSl6Esm994gZHitLc7BteDKeJywkB1oXJIOHcl02c0JjrhROgncv5RvDjcQJ2UoGkuCpYbQ/s320/3910_image3_large.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704190433460812898" border="0" /></a>From the depths of the seedy underbelly of Austin, Texas rose a contender for the title of "World's tastiest taco." <a href="http://torchystacos.com/">Torchy's Taco</a> began life in a rustic trailer park. From these humble beginnings it has risen to prominence in a city known for having above-average Tex-Mex food.<br /><br />The tacos are great. Nestled between fresh, gorgeous, locally-made corn tortillas you will find an assortment of delectable ingredients, served au gratin, and with a choice of salsas.<br /><br />The two tacos I've tried are the following:<br /><ol><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Dirty Sanchez</span>: This is a taco centered around battered and deep fried veggies.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">The breakfast taco</span>: a big pile of egg and a bunch of other lovely stuff.</li></ol><p>These are the two best tacos on the menu.<br /></p>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961730330848873802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306232301161306862.post-21943540188500213682012-01-25T11:45:00.000-08:002012-01-25T11:56:35.758-08:00Woolly Mammoth Cloning<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiuc8K0HQ603czCv-EuUx3rTbBlDM5s5n5amiJYcqJhcDVwdK61cxDVcj6QFV8yZd5UEJg2ZHCdIejx1FzaLpdHuKCbeC1ui7ofuiTBD20dm_ne2q1mwdXX9P47zzB3z7Lzo5l87ykCw/s1600/800px-Woolly_mammoth_%2528Mammuthus_primigenius%2529_-_Mauricio_Ant%25C3%25B3n.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiuc8K0HQ603czCv-EuUx3rTbBlDM5s5n5amiJYcqJhcDVwdK61cxDVcj6QFV8yZd5UEJg2ZHCdIejx1FzaLpdHuKCbeC1ui7ofuiTBD20dm_ne2q1mwdXX9P47zzB3z7Lzo5l87ykCw/s400/800px-Woolly_mammoth_%2528Mammuthus_primigenius%2529_-_Mauricio_Ant%25C3%25B3n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701658979819098050" border="0" /></a>Imagine a world where giant elephant-like beasts roam the vast plains of North America.<br /><br />Perhaps someday this will be more than a long-lost memory. Perhaps within our lifetimes we will see this for ourselves.<br /><br />An effort is currently underway to extract the DNA from a preserved woolly mammoth carcass, inject it into the living egg of a living elephant, and <a href="http://news.discovery.com/animals/woolly-mammoth-cloned-111205.html">clone the long-extinct beast</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I don't have to point out how good of an idea this is.</span><br /><br />Preferably, once the revived trunk enthusiasts have a viable breeding population, they can be re-introduced into the wild, so that they might reclaim their place in the food chain.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961730330848873802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306232301161306862.post-17838614529810484162012-01-19T04:30:00.000-08:002012-01-19T08:28:00.609-08:00The January Thaw<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvrlYUrYljRgn_gUTIFoeNLBg_LhPvhcZfq-r1RGLQWdKW-AiqTSIGsDxe1I5fzpNOatN2o33ODu2t8u7rJ5bBZ-N6enRvt3fbBrZXN5dQd3-xIPEhR3KUC-hxt21IKv4LhtgPfDFXow/s1600/800px-Tauwetter.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvrlYUrYljRgn_gUTIFoeNLBg_LhPvhcZfq-r1RGLQWdKW-AiqTSIGsDxe1I5fzpNOatN2o33ODu2t8u7rJ5bBZ-N6enRvt3fbBrZXN5dQd3-xIPEhR3KUC-hxt21IKv4LhtgPfDFXow/s400/800px-Tauwetter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699372431359052258" border="0" /></a>By all accounts, Merle Haggard is an idiot. In his classical country and western masterpiece <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGDo1Jybs_I"><span style="font-style: italic;">If We Make It Through December</span></a>, he refers to December as "the coldest time of winter." This is blatantly false. For one thing, Winter doesn't officially start until the winter solstice, usually occurring sometime between December the 20th and and December the 23rd. If December were the coldest time of Winter, then why is most of it not even in Winter at all?<br /><br />So his thesis is clearly resting on shaky ground, but let's look at some data to really elucidate the scenario. To give ole' Merle the benefit of the doubt, lets look at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_California#Temperature_range">climate of his home state of California</a>:<br /><br /><table class=""><tbody><tr><th style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black; height:17px;">City</th><th style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black; height:17px;">Jan</th><th style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black; height:17px;">Dec</th><th style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black; height:17px;">Which is coldest?</th></tr><tr><th style="background:#f8f3ca; color:Black; height:16px;"><a class="mw-redirect" title="Bakersfield" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Bakersfield">Bakersfield</a></th><td style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;">57/39<br /><br />(14/4)</td><td style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;">57/38<br /><br />(14/3)</td><td>December<br /></td></tr><tr><th style="background:#f8f3ca; color:Black; height:16px;"><a title="Bodie, California" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Bodie,_California">Bodie</a></th><td style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;">40/6<br /><br />(4/−14)</td><td style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;">41/6<br /><br />(5/−14)</td><td>January<br /></td></tr><tr><th style="background:#c5dfe1; color:Black; height:16px;"><a title="Death Valley" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Death_Valley">Death Valley</a></th><td style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;">67/39<br /><br />(19/4)</td><td style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;">65/38<br /><br />(18/3)</td><td>December<br /></td></tr><tr><th style="background:#c5dfe1; color:Black; height:16px;"><a title="Eureka, California" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Eureka,_California">Eureka</a></th><td style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;">56/42<br /><br />(13/6)</td><td style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;">55/41<br /><br />(13/5)</td><td>December<br /></td></tr><tr><th style="background:#f8f3ca; color:Black; height:16px;"><a class="mw-redirect" title="Fresno" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Fresno">Fresno</a></th><td style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;">55/39<br /><br />(13/4)</td><td style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;">55/38<br /><br />(13/3)</td><td>December<br /></td></tr><tr><th style="background:#f8f3ca; color:Black; height:16px;"><a title="Los Angeles" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Los_Angeles">Los Angeles</a></th><td style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;">69/50<br /><br />(21/10)</td><td style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;">68/49<br /><br />(20/9)</td><td>December<br /></td></tr><tr><th style="background:#c5dfe1; color:Black; height:16px;"><a class="mw-redirect" title="Sacramento" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Sacramento">Sacramento</a></th><td style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;">54/39<br /><br />(12/4)</td><td style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;">54/39<br /><br />(12/4)</td><td>Tie<br /></td></tr><tr><th style="background:#c5dfe1; color:Black; height:16px;"><a class="mw-redirect" title="San Bernardino" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/San_Bernardino">San Bernardino</a></th><td style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;">62/34<br /><br />(17/1)</td><td style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;">63/37<br /><br />(19/3)</td><td>January<br /></td></tr><tr><th style="background:#f8f3ca; color:Black; height:16px;"><a title="San Francisco" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/San_Francisco">San Francisco</a></th><td style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;">58/46<br /><br />(14/8)</td><td style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;">58/47<br /><br />(14/8)</td><td>Tie<br /></td></tr><tr><th style="background:#f8f3ca; color:Black; height:16px;"><a title="San Jose, California" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/San_Jose,_California">San Jose</a></th><td style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;">61/42<br /><br />(16/6)</td><td style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;">61/42<br /><br />(16/6)</td><td>Tie<br /></td></tr><tr><th style="background:#c5dfe1; color:Black; height:16px;"><a class="mw-redirect" title="South Lake Tahoe" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/South_Lake_Tahoe">South Lake Tahoe</a></th><td style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;">42/16<br /><br />(6/−9)</td><td style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;">42/17<br /><br />(6/−8)</td><td>January<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />So in four places in California, December is the coldest month, in three places January is the coldest month, and in three places they tie. This is hardly conclusive evidence that December is the coldest month. If Merle Haggard had written "Either December or January is the coldest month of the year, depending on where you live in the Northern Hemisphere," then there wouldn't be much to argue about. Instead, he chose to write lies.<br /><br /><div style="width:15em; float:right;margin:1em;"><b><i>Fun Fact:</i></b><br />Did you know that people in the Southern hemisphere call summer winter, and vice versa? Crazy, eh?</div>Anyways, the point of all this is that December gets a bad rap and that January is actually the most brutal, wicked, nasty, and all-around unbearable month of the year. Your average january day involves prying yourself out of bed with an epic feat of willpower, sprinting to a lukewarm shower along icy-cold floors, a constant cycling of ingesting hot liquids and the subsequent urination, and a jail-like life of cold weather captivity. Some fools develop cold weather Stockholm syndrome, and take to activities like skiing and ice skating. Rest assured that these people are suffering from a mental illness, and should seek treatment from a doctor.<br /><br />January weather does have one redeeming quality: there is usually a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thaw_%28weather%29#January_thaw">January Thaw</a>. This refers to a span of days when the warmth of the heavens opens up to proclaim:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><blockquote></blockquote></span><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">FEAR NOT MORTALS. HOPE IS ALIVE.</span></blockquote>The effect of this is a buoying of spirits and jubilation in the streets anywhere cold weather is feared.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961730330848873802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306232301161306862.post-51660556731815224712012-01-06T08:39:00.000-08:002012-01-06T09:25:11.862-08:00Snow Plows<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJbeZ7ZdyqodEilFaio9dONVUwdnyof1YZnhV-3eu3cwni89VXhcJhu3wq__91kHr-G8XNqF2JjvhFgvATAqr-jGHg4f3duUrlluwBLhEZdWchoUCLJz6W5DIjNNDwAYzGyaC7XpL1A/s1600/snow+plows.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJbeZ7ZdyqodEilFaio9dONVUwdnyof1YZnhV-3eu3cwni89VXhcJhu3wq__91kHr-G8XNqF2JjvhFgvATAqr-jGHg4f3duUrlluwBLhEZdWchoUCLJz6W5DIjNNDwAYzGyaC7XpL1A/s400/snow+plows.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694567668336080178" border="0" /></a>Few vehicles exhibit a delicate synergy like the might snowplow. An intricate waltz takes place between the grunting, massive truck, and the groaning, massive plow. As the truck firmly forces the plow through all sorts of obstacles: snow banks, snow drifts, and various other forms of show, the plow reacts by firmly moving those offending forms of frozen water either to the right, the left, or sometimes both. A billowing chute of assorted debris is flung into the air, sent briefly aloft to whence it came. Where it will come to rest is a decision made by the plow artist.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961730330848873802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306232301161306862.post-81365727135413208332011-12-19T12:07:00.000-08:002011-12-19T12:14:51.739-08:00Blogging Hiatuses<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrydb0XWAA3bG4YMRZBiCXVaUUt04z_4F0ymBCfn61edCVhAsoXFQtyGRs6NxjTKFYphZ4Tsc7rUlV8DTlT-p4zZV0ATnSgSE07D2oO1FKXRU1NQbXhwHS5kNHNJNSwgEr_q3xELBAIg/s1600/hooray.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 310px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrydb0XWAA3bG4YMRZBiCXVaUUt04z_4F0ymBCfn61edCVhAsoXFQtyGRs6NxjTKFYphZ4Tsc7rUlV8DTlT-p4zZV0ATnSgSE07D2oO1FKXRU1NQbXhwHS5kNHNJNSwgEr_q3xELBAIg/s400/hooray.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687933945455914946" border="0" /></a><br />Hiatuses are the life blood of any good blog. Going dark for years at a time is a good way to find out who your real friends are. It's easy for a bunch of people to jump on board with a super-awesome blog while it's active and popular, but it takes a special breed of reader to stick with an inactive blog.<br /><br />As a blogger, your main goal is always to separate the wheat from the chaff. But really, if your readers are a bunch of unfaithful trolls, what good is your blog? A lot of bloggers brag about their reader counts. "Hey, I've got 5324 subscribers. I must be pretty good." Yeah, but you've only got 5 half-decent readers. Meanwhile I have 0 readers and 0 excellent readers. Last time I checked, that's a better percentage.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961730330848873802noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306232301161306862.post-65974611156729692702010-02-24T06:29:00.000-08:002010-02-24T06:47:08.583-08:00Robot Unicorn Attack<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbtWW32i8OsRrEROBA6t5zzwgervzM-_8Iuqvi7Th6EHjQImmjmBMExE8LVSLk7QxTADX9ZSHQKpMYbOQwH_holqKWRuPUirxr8bl7NlYvLGAvdPowwBbMhYjEkRVZWsRzf9B2I-A_Qg/s1600-h/untitled.bmp"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 358px; height: 305px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbtWW32i8OsRrEROBA6t5zzwgervzM-_8Iuqvi7Th6EHjQImmjmBMExE8LVSLk7QxTADX9ZSHQKpMYbOQwH_holqKWRuPUirxr8bl7NlYvLGAvdPowwBbMhYjEkRVZWsRzf9B2I-A_Qg/s400/untitled.bmp" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441817904248371154" border="0" /></a><br /><br />You are a robotic unicorn, with incredible leaping aptitude, and the ability to turn into a rainbow composed of pure ramming energy. Your goal is to traverse a dangerous terrain for as long as possible, while listening to a sample from <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSMeUPFjQHc" alt="harmony, harmony, harmony, ooh."><span style="font-style: italic;">Always</span> by Erasure</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://games.adultswim.com/robot-unicorn-attack-twitchy-online-game.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Robot Unicorn Attack</span></a> is a game that conjures a fantastic magical world, filled with graceful, mechanized, soaring equines, and whimsy. The gameplay is quite simple; there are two commands: jump, and dash. The Robot Unicorn has Jordan-like hang time, and has the ability to enact a second jump in mid-flight. The dash is a useful maneouver to implement when an obstacle blocks the horse's path. When dashing, your mare turns into a rainbow, and blasts through the blocking crystal star.<br /><br />The game can be quite frustrating. As the unicorn accelerates into the ever more complicated environment, misadventure is more likely. A mis-step by your steed will result in a fatal robotic explosion. You are given three of these robots per round, and the goal of the game is to maximize the distance you can travel with those three.<br /><br />The soundtrack is an integral part of the game; it sets the fantastic mood, and directs the experience to take on a magical quality.<br /><br />All told, the game is a wonderful and joy-inducing experience. It should not be missed.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961730330848873802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306232301161306862.post-45764105928388427682010-02-22T19:22:00.000-08:002010-02-22T19:35:08.288-08:00The Musical Stylings of Olivier Messiaen<img style="margin: 3px; padding: 3px; cursor: pointer; width: 257px; height: 354px; float: left;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOXLkRjoKIyUhrW3c1ojQmqxO1P9EyO1B7vKqkgy5NUTDBJwGSfHT8T0rRPqPpc8lPssrOKG-mPH3yrR8u559dirtGzEe5I8W6sSB_iAnz5nuTfBSMee8Owwrqulz1ZCfC8XWhAnyv7A/s400/Messiaen_piano.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441274539908927954" border="3" /><br />Olivier Messiaen's music has wit, style, grace, poignancy, and allure. In its depths swim melodies and themes as beautiful as any of the exotic fauna found in the colourful reefs of the tropics. Such wonderous aural delights are born through the mating of years of experience and hard work.<br /><br />Messiaen could illicit deep, unambiguous horror, or nerve-cutting ecstasy. His work graces some of the most relatable scenes in modern cinema, and much of our cultural debt is owed to him.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961730330848873802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306232301161306862.post-39719895887406026672010-02-02T18:39:00.000-08:002010-02-02T18:58:24.006-08:00Red Dwarf<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAXHoZDRstO7TrNDYz_NQ3o_jxaS4iCQ_QOHCIPi8u9nKqEaW1FZVzxsMoXtSQE6hmtOEjRoIA7dFyQtnZYq0qKiZnC1z3dFTU2lzVR__l-agq03anb1buZMDvVw4j7BtQUGkOS2I0g/s1600-h/red-dwarf.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 380px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAXHoZDRstO7TrNDYz_NQ3o_jxaS4iCQ_QOHCIPi8u9nKqEaW1FZVzxsMoXtSQE6hmtOEjRoIA7dFyQtnZYq0qKiZnC1z3dFTU2lzVR__l-agq03anb1buZMDvVw4j7BtQUGkOS2I0g/s400/red-dwarf.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433841631620336018" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Here in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FEW5mh7iAI">Canada</a>, we receive the best that television has to offer from around the world, it just takes a little while for it to get here.<br /><br />Quality shows will eventually be picked up on cable, or shown on public broadcasting stations. Inasmuch, this quality programming isn't heavily advertised, and doesn't receive the kind of attention that it really deserves.<br /><hr /><br />One day, between 5 and 10 years ago, I was cruising the cable channels, looking to be entertained. I made a brief stop at The Comedy Network, hoping to let my time waft away on the gentle breeze supplied by a steady stream of comedic gaffs and gaffes. But on that day, it wasn't to be; what I saw was a <span style="font-style: italic;">very</span> cheap set with a dirty man insulting a tightwad with a big shiny <span style="font-weight: bold;">H</span> on his forehead. The comedy was too dry for my liking, and I was not amused.<br /><br />Thankfully, aging isn't all just homeostasis, and the subsequent gradual degradation of our body parts. We also become more mature and refined with age. And, as luck would have it, I was exposed to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Dwarf">Red Dwarf</a> again. This time I was not disappointed. What I saw was an introspection about introspection, and the story of a brave man calling out into the void against an indifferent universe filled with nothing but loneliness. It's a hilarious, heartbreaking, and genius thesis about life, and it's a story of rebellion against the infinity that awaits us all. Red Dwarf is surely one of the most poignant comedy series ever to be made. It's not to be missed.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961730330848873802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306232301161306862.post-42322350095471257692010-01-28T10:09:00.000-08:002010-01-28T10:39:37.443-08:00Hounds<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIt1zO1_fOHPOkkPZX4jOOuH3pq2bLN_y1GqYmRiA72FUNMO1TI_TlHkXxdr2wzmgCYesR5fMfclQ0awrvxZnfjCMR4dlP7gGkhyn1mDe_eZ14s8vrs5oQ6CBp9TnFtNnVy0jOjslWfQ/s1600-h/hound.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIt1zO1_fOHPOkkPZX4jOOuH3pq2bLN_y1GqYmRiA72FUNMO1TI_TlHkXxdr2wzmgCYesR5fMfclQ0awrvxZnfjCMR4dlP7gGkhyn1mDe_eZ14s8vrs5oQ6CBp9TnFtNnVy0jOjslWfQ/s400/hound.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431858840003480882" border="0" /></a><br /><br />A dog, as the old idiom goes, is a man's best friend. I contend that a hound is <span style="font-style: italic;">doubly</span> so.<br /><br />Consider the boorish manner of some breeds. The wayward tail of the Labrador is enough to render the entire breed a nuisance. Long furred breeds like the collie and the malamute require extensive and expensive clearing of fur. Small breeds often suffer from an imperious temper, and are no more companions than they are capable of guarding a domicile. Retrievers are nice, but they lack grace. German Shepherds bark too damn much. Poodles are too toffish. Akitas, rottweillers and dobermans have wild tempers and cannot be trusted.<br /><br />You'll find that all breeds of dog, with the exception of the hound, have some flaw. For those of us who don't find flaws endearing, the choice is obvious: hound dog.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961730330848873802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306232301161306862.post-37909881363089383182010-01-26T17:49:00.000-08:002010-01-26T20:21:31.778-08:00Data BackupsIt grows nonchalantly. You don't think about growing often, but you tend to it faithfully at least once a day. Under your gentle care, it grows. Slowly, it burgeons forth, outward. It flows in the wind like a ripe field of wheat in August. The delicate tendrils float on a carefree breeze; alighting, they lighten the mood of any who see them.<br /><br />Hair.<br /><br />You love it. It looks good. People see your hair, and it makes them respect you. Your hair is power.<br /><br />So why would you want to pull it out? Why would you pull out your beautiful, carefully groomed, shining, flowing, glimmering hair? You wouldn't want to.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961730330848873802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306232301161306862.post-80546943028326192592010-01-26T06:04:00.000-08:002010-01-26T06:43:05.744-08:00The Intermediate Value Theorem<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuyvEN71g9CADVVHZ4N_sedRD5OVJuroFIUdH9uaUx-Q2nhKnqjtPWV30ZwdOPCCwMqz4gAsHB2xj1ttMsqOvicbWPJ4mqFyJC5Vz_uU3XDKZwCqQmWSCmRctyvPTXwR82uVkIq-_gUA/s1600-h/Intermediatevaluetheorem.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 327px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuyvEN71g9CADVVHZ4N_sedRD5OVJuroFIUdH9uaUx-Q2nhKnqjtPWV30ZwdOPCCwMqz4gAsHB2xj1ttMsqOvicbWPJ4mqFyJC5Vz_uU3XDKZwCqQmWSCmRctyvPTXwR82uVkIq-_gUA/s400/Intermediatevaluetheorem.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431054295978582018" border="0" /></a><br /><blockquote><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermediate_value_theorem"><em>A continuous path must cross any given point between the end points of the path.</em></a></blockquote>That's pretty useful information. Imagine a world where we couldn't count on this knowledge:<br /><ul><li>Phrases like "I'll meet you half-way" would be meaningless. People could only reliably meet at destinations, unless those happened to be halfway to somewhere else.<br /></li><li>When travelling between two places, one might cease to exist at any given point along the route. The transportation industry would suffer.</li><li>Crafty bank managers could claim that your money had disappeared when they tried to apply interest to your balance.</li></ul>Clearly it would be chaos. Such a world would be a difficult place to live. A lot of the things that we take for granted would become much more tenuous, and thereby life would be much more randomly harsh.<br /><br />Be happy to have the intermediate value theorem in your life.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961730330848873802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306232301161306862.post-4894643375831334802010-01-21T06:27:00.000-08:002010-01-21T06:47:01.640-08:00VHS<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/marta/7588691/"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/4/7588691_adf8757ea5.jpg" alt="VHS by Marta Crowe." title="" class="reflect" width="400" height="300" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Time's arrow</span> is a metaphor used in the study of physics used to illustrate the fact that, although it is a dimension of space-time like any other, its progression is monotonic. That is to say, we can't go back and forth in time.<br /><br />But while the past is gone forever, just like Rick and Ilsa in <span style="font-style: italic;">Casablanca</span>, we'll always have the memories. What a tender mercy it is to look back on the good times through the fuzzy lens of recollection. We can always think about how good those halcyon days were: riding bikes down the boardwalk on a hot summer day, and later buying a soft-serve to cool off; the ecstatic joy of running home in a rain storm, arriving at home soaked through, but feeling oh-so alive; the simple joys of going out for breakfast; thoughts of playing with your now-deceased pup in the park, and seeing that loving smile that you'll never see again.<br /><br />Oh, memories. I like them like I like my scotch: warm, complex, and lovingly crafted, with a touch of bitterness. This brings me to the topic of today's review: the VHS format.<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VHS">VHS</a> was the predominant format for home video recording and playback from the mid 80s into the late 90s. This means that through my childhood and adolescence, and trailing off into my early adulthood, VHS was how I consumed a lot of my movies. It saw me through my entire Jean-Claude Van Damme phase, and through several phases beyond. These were good times; I must have watched my old <span style="font-style: italic;">Mars Attacks</span> cassette 20 times.<br /><br />But those days are gone now. Now VHS is an obsolete format. People have since moved on to DVDs, Blue Rays, and watching movies directly on the computer. VHS won't be making a comeback, but it was great while it lasted.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961730330848873802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306232301161306862.post-53741027974622429972010-01-21T06:11:00.000-08:002010-01-21T06:26:34.005-08:00John Ralston Saul<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7BGv_R_lIFE2asghoAZOu9q7bksCHlavAOmLS8vdH1_CihBnrSq_UKBaf_07Va3Hwesa3RKlGsJtWChvYiBeADzI_-vKHbytQx-bhfLbBS0CJuOspkZt_WuNR6hyJ_fNzDkG6L09D1Q/s1600-h/saul_john_ralston_author.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7BGv_R_lIFE2asghoAZOu9q7bksCHlavAOmLS8vdH1_CihBnrSq_UKBaf_07Va3Hwesa3RKlGsJtWChvYiBeADzI_-vKHbytQx-bhfLbBS0CJuOspkZt_WuNR6hyJ_fNzDkG6L09D1Q/s400/saul_john_ralston_author.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429196160290132834" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ralston_Saul">John Ralston Saul</a> is an excellent writer, and an inspiring individual.<br /><br />His forte is the written word, which he expresses in one of two ways:<br /><ol><li>Non-fiction: Saul is an essayist who has written at length about social issues and how they might be resolved. His philosophy is humanist, so his work often explores themes of the individual versus the elite echelons of society. He urges the reader to question social norms for the betterment of all people.<br /></li><li>Fiction: I haven't read any of his novels, but they're supposed to be pretty good.<br /></li></ol>Saul has taught the world that it is cool to be a thinker. His status as one of Canada's top pop-philosophers has garnered him all of the things that people might want out of life: fame, political influence, riches, and an attractive and successful spouse. As such, he is a well-respected member of the Canadian intelligentsia, and an inspiration to future generations to pursue philosophy.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961730330848873802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306232301161306862.post-7400091752841124182010-01-14T21:09:00.001-08:002010-01-14T21:22:09.619-08:00The Germ Theory of Disease<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwm20lTscDntuKe-pVdlnvct_Hh8zXFE_moPRz7uzLyRXMoP8D7whVn7_thgr86go29nM5Z0xgIriQFOB10-GvUxnBD4MOfjgM2jMpEOWN2jmwIaFRyWBVkteHJNDe06ofM7FgzzoR4Q/s1600-h/microbe.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 322px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwm20lTscDntuKe-pVdlnvct_Hh8zXFE_moPRz7uzLyRXMoP8D7whVn7_thgr86go29nM5Z0xgIriQFOB10-GvUxnBD4MOfjgM2jMpEOWN2jmwIaFRyWBVkteHJNDe06ofM7FgzzoR4Q/s400/microbe.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426829467100472738" border="0" /></a><br />"The steam engine," he decried. "Surely the steam engine is the machine that drove the revolution of society from being largely agrarian to predominantly industrial. It is to this machine that we owe the debt of a century and a half of progress."<br /><br />Smoothly, I interjected: "My good man, surely you know that the steam engine was invented nearly 2000 years ago by none other than <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heron_of_Alexandria">Heron</a>. How could a machine invented 2000 years ago only come to change society 150 years ago?"<br /><br />Using the cold-forged weapons of facts on logic, he shut down my argument thusly: "Heron invented a steam engine, but it was never exploited as anything more than a curiosity in his day. As such, it had no affect on society until the industrial revolution. I must say that I find your argument to be a tad disingenuous and a non sequitur."<br /><br />So I lost that argument, and to some extent my friend and I lost respect for each other: he for my fallacious argument, and I for his unforgiving harshness.<br /><br />Nevertheless, I was right about one thing: the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germ_theory_of_disease"><span style="font-style: italic;">germ theory of disease</span></a> was a heckuva step in the march of progress, enabling longer life, better education, healthier people and resplendent happiness. <span style="font-style: italic;">All hail the germ theory of disease!</span>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961730330848873802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306232301161306862.post-57967863235680127972010-01-11T20:57:00.000-08:002010-01-11T21:09:31.836-08:00Coitus<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZP-JcvCymC9sqeI8If9mvN6wU0Fi5QjGdhz7hGHuVcc-csEYfYCWJ7RWAfxCcj5ferT1EsU8yWSBv4c_1eFsJDS4MzhnTYzibQkpzceErrmkZr8oBFRoRJslz7A0MTsabzGrRSWZvA/s1600-h/Lion_sex.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 249px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZP-JcvCymC9sqeI8If9mvN6wU0Fi5QjGdhz7hGHuVcc-csEYfYCWJ7RWAfxCcj5ferT1EsU8yWSBv4c_1eFsJDS4MzhnTYzibQkpzceErrmkZr8oBFRoRJslz7A0MTsabzGrRSWZvA/s400/Lion_sex.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425713102077973810" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We learn in all avenues of knowledge throughout life. As children, we learn about the necessities of life. In class, the teacher will ask her pupils to name a few, and they'll reply:<br /><ul><li>Food</li><li>Shelter</li><li>Water</li></ul>And the replies will always be in that order, because children are hungry, while take shelter and water for granted.<br /><br />After this brief verbal intercourse, the teacher will ask her students if there are any other necessities. They'll scratch their heads for a moment, but find their knowledge lacking. She enlightens them:<br /><ul><li>"Sexual reproduction via <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_intercourse"><span style="font-style: italic;">coitus</span></a>,"</li></ul>She'll say. A mist of uncomfortable thought would settle on the room, as the loss of innocence belies a fact that the children all subconsciously knew: two entities of opposite sexes must engage in the copulative act to produce offspring, and this is a cornerstone of almost all life.<br /><br />As such, any mature individual knows the importance of coitus and will affirm the need for the continuance of the ritual by all species extant in the biosphere.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961730330848873802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306232301161306862.post-6266237808083625962009-12-31T19:55:00.000-08:002009-12-31T20:08:13.753-08:00Cats<div style="visibility: hidden;" id="photo_notes" class="photo_notes"><div style="z-index: 1000; display: none; position: relative; width: 220px; margin-top: -5px; padding-top: 5px;" id="notes_text_div"><div id="notes_text_table"><div class="td_note_yeller td_note_yeller_container"><span id="notes_text_span"></span><form id="notes_text_form"><input name="magic_cookie" value="964b1144c551cca01d656aec3c96e60d" type="hidden"><textarea style="height: 58px;" onkeydown="_limit_textarea(this, 300); _ge('photo_notes').check_note_for_prop()" onkeyup="place_notes_text_div(); adjust_textarea_height(this); _limit_textarea(this, 300); _ge('photo_notes').check_note_for_prop()" id="notes_text_area" rows="1" wrap="virtual"></textarea></form></div></div><form id="notes_text_buttons_form"><input class="Butt" value="Save" onclick="_ge('photo_notes').save_editing(); this.blur();" type="button"><input class="CancelButt" value="Cancel" onclick="_ge('photo_notes').cancel_editing(); this.blur();" type="button"><input class="DeleteButt" value="Delete!" id="delete_note_button" onclick="_ge('photo_notes').delete_note(); this.blur();" type="button"></form></div><script type="text/javascript"> var page_note_ratio = 1;</script> </div><div style="z-index: 1002; display: none;" id="comm_div"><table id="comm_table" style="padding: 3px; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; width: 200px; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-border-radius-topleft: 3px; -moz-border-radius-topright: 3px; -moz-border-radius-bottomright: 3px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleft: 3px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td class="td_white"></td><td class="td_white" style="padding: 3px 0px 0px;" valign="top" width="1"><img id="comm_pulser_img" src="http://l.yimg.com/g/images/pulser2.gif" border="0" height="15" width="32" /></td><td class="td_white" style="padding: 3px; font-size: 12px;" id="comm_td"></td><td class="td_white"></td></tr><tr id="comm_button_tr"><td class="td_white"></td><td class="td_white"></td><td class="td_white" style="padding: 3px;"><form><nobr><input id="comm_button_ok" class="Butt" value="OK" onclick="this.onclick_func();" style="margin: 5px 5px 0pt 0pt;" type="button"><input id="comm_button_cancel" class="CancelButt" value="Cancel" onclick="this.onclick_func();" style="margin: 5px 5px 0pt 0pt;" type="button"></nobr></form></td><td class="td_white"></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="z-index: 1003; display: none;" id="rotate_div"><div id="rotate_table" style="padding: 1px; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; width: 218px; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-border-radius-topleft: 3px; -moz-border-radius-topright: 3px; -moz-border-radius-bottomright: 3px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleft: 3px;"><div class="td_note_white" style="padding: 0px; text-align: center; margin-top: 3px;"><span id="rotate_span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px;"></span></div></div></div><div style="z-index: 999; display: none;" id="shadow_div"><table class="shadow_table" style="padding: 0px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td width="11"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceout.gif" class="shadow_sprite shadow_tl" height="11" width="11" /></td><td id="shadow_width_controller"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceout.gif" class="shadow_sprite shadow_t" height="11" width="100%" /></td><td width="11"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceout.gif" class="shadow_sprite shadow_tr" height="11" width="11" /></td></tr><tr><td id="shadow_height_controller" height="30"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceout.gif" class="shadow_sprite shadow_l" height="100%" width="11" /></td><td></td><td><img src="http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceout.gif" class="shadow_sprite shadow_r" height="100%" width="11" /></td></tr><tr><td><img src="http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceout.gif" class="shadow_sprite shadow_bl" height="11" width="11" /></td><td><img id="shadow_width_controller2" src="http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceout.gif" class="shadow_sprite shadow_b" height="11" width="100%" /></td><td><img src="http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceout.gif" class="shadow_sprite shadow_br" height="11" width="11" /></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2480/3897081735_c55b2e80fe.jpg" alt="Calle Cat on House by you." title="" class="reflect" height="500" width="375" /><br /><br />A <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat"><span style="font-style: italic;">Cat</span></a> makes a great pet and companion. Cats are not only loyal, caring, and affectionate, but they posses a swath of incredible, if lesser-known, abilities:<br /><ul><li>Cats possess superhuman hearing. Cats don't only hear a much wider range of frequencies than us, but their hearing is far more acute.</li><li>Cats have an incredible sense of smell, superior even to that of a dog. Their sense of smell is <a href="http://cats.about.com/cs/felineanatomy/a/catsnose_scent.htm">fourteen times as powerful as a human's</a>.</li><li>Cats can see a wider spectrum of light than humans, stretching into the ultraviolet and infrared spectra. This allows them to see through relatively thin objects, and to see the heat emitted by an object.</li><li>A cat's characteristic slit-shaped cornea acts as a crude polarity filter. This allows a cat to see with reduced glare. This helps with hunting prey under reflective surfaces (e.g. fish).</li><li>As with all animals other than humans, cats are able to communicate telepathically. This is a rather base form of communication, but it has many advantages. Using this form of ESP, cats are able to sense distress and comfort their friends during trying times.</li></ul>These abilities combine and culminate to make the cat nature's greatest killing machine. If a cat was as big as a dog, you couldn't trust it not to kill you. It wouldn't be out of malice, but out of pure deadliness. Effectively, hanging around a dog sized cat is equivalent to standing too close to the business end of a thresher... No good will come of it.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/aIVcg0eGEsg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aIVcg0eGEsg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Cats' lethality is a mixed blessing. They are the culmination of billions of years of evolution of all that kills in nature, but they also weild this power with a gentle, loving paw. They have tiny little hearts of gold, and want nothing more than to be loved.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961730330848873802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306232301161306862.post-1140239194643180002009-12-11T08:12:00.000-08:002009-12-11T08:46:56.765-08:00SARS Stock<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCemPXhBaG5J3a9BzsLnGeDQC3MEedX2x8-no85bbAKABVsQV9VJrJFiS4Mf2qNT0w49QBkO87JAzMnIwHFotUicokqzVdKCkgmb486s68Iv-FZ5pJA7z4-tKvtrwMxC4go-0ew1B6w/s1600-h/800px-Sarsstock1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCemPXhBaG5J3a9BzsLnGeDQC3MEedX2x8-no85bbAKABVsQV9VJrJFiS4Mf2qNT0w49QBkO87JAzMnIwHFotUicokqzVdKCkgmb486s68Iv-FZ5pJA7z4-tKvtrwMxC4go-0ew1B6w/s400/800px-Sarsstock1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414012585578056610" border="0" /></a><br /><br />In the whispy winter months of 2003, fiendish micro-organisms spread from the Guangdong region of China to infect and kill scores of humans around the globe.<br /><br />The gentle, unassuming denizens of Toronto were some of the most adversely affected by this outbreak. It wasn't so much that we were all dying from the illness, it just so happened that enough people died here to generate a media scare that would take a hockey stick to our tourism industry's knees.<br /><br />With our hotels and restaurants empty, convention centres unbooked, and attractions going unlooked, the local economy was reeling. A few daring groups of individuals, armed with small budgets and big dreams, put together innovative ad campaigns, but the fear of infection was overpowering, and the ads flopped. It was too little, too soon.<br /><br />For the crisis was too dire; it couldn't be resolved by the whinging of marketing weenies. No, wordly intervention would prove inadequate in the face of this tourism slump. Our eventual redemption came from on high when the Gods and Demi-gods of Rock descended to the earthly realm to cleanse the city with their righteous hymns.<br /><br />Legions of fans braved searing heat to attend the event. The performances were astonishing, and the fans were not disappointed. There was likely some sort of surge in hotel and restaurant bookings that coincided with the event.<br /><br />Hearken, Rock Gods, the people of Toronto salute you!Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961730330848873802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306232301161306862.post-23253086810215662472009-12-08T07:02:00.001-08:002009-12-08T07:06:07.945-08:00MEC Cycling Shoe Covers (Unisex)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7OYE6ajDzWvC90z0tVtZ_OA4UxxtD2FGYCoDk0wAbAyPGAEIVTfl_z-ad_XL80L6K0OHNHSjzjCTeawl8dIHgj6Fx1EL9D_WTbaZCEJmhxiFLE7XIGh7aVC20EnJvhxt6I3MTqG7ZDQ/s1600-h/MEC.CyclingShoeCovers.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 306px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7OYE6ajDzWvC90z0tVtZ_OA4UxxtD2FGYCoDk0wAbAyPGAEIVTfl_z-ad_XL80L6K0OHNHSjzjCTeawl8dIHgj6Fx1EL9D_WTbaZCEJmhxiFLE7XIGh7aVC20EnJvhxt6I3MTqG7ZDQ/s400/MEC.CyclingShoeCovers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412881001772285090" border="0" /></a><br />You can keep your tootsies warm and dry with these <a href="http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442618318&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302692723&bmUID=1260283700918">cutie booties</a>!<br /><br />Being made from poly-vinylene propyl-trichlorate, there are very few chemical compounds that can penetrate this material. High winds and torrential rains are no match for the ablation capabilities of these magnificent winged swords of comfort.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961730330848873802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306232301161306862.post-78123575026003035822009-11-30T08:53:00.000-08:002009-11-30T09:02:08.585-08:00Norco CRD 3<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGROBAn9BlEGqyRihzhE1jhz1pgWTPk6510AE-2J3XPf71j7eRYECYl1ed3jxurzAE0yKQxRDa6dLF5DOx6xr8qL4rQQkyji3kW9Gz4IqaP0asVsgTR7U21YlhYlIMPzflpZVvBiOAug/s1600/crdthree_blue.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGROBAn9BlEGqyRihzhE1jhz1pgWTPk6510AE-2J3XPf71j7eRYECYl1ed3jxurzAE0yKQxRDa6dLF5DOx6xr8qL4rQQkyji3kW9Gz4IqaP0asVsgTR7U21YlhYlIMPzflpZVvBiOAug/s400/crdthree_blue.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409940957682242034" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The ride is like stepping onto an infinite, frictionless plane. You feel like one soft push would propel you to the horizon.<br /><br />Norco's <a href="http://www.norco.com/2006bikes/bike_enlarged.php?lang=en&loc=rd&sloc=rec&tabloc=1&id=crdthree&col=blue">CRD 3</a> is the acme of modern bicycle design. Incorporating a space-aged aluminum frame, carbon forks and Sora componentry, the frame is light and fast; it's a precision instrument no less suited for conquering hills than a scalpel is for performing delicate surgery.<br /><br />A day riding this bicycle is a religious experience. Your legs will feel energized as you waft through the misty dawn. Your beating heart will urge the sun along its azimuth as the heat of the day arrives. When your ride concludes, you'll be left spent but thirsting for more of what the CRD3 has to offer.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961730330848873802noreply@blogger.com0