Baghdad Children

Even if you hate banjo music, you might like this:

It's Richie Stearns on banjo.

Hoping to spread the message of love even as the country edged ever closer to dropping bombs on Iraq in 2003, Richie was moved to write Baghdad Children. (He wrote the new work on a long car-trip to a banjo-players' workshop, performing it first in Albany where he shared the stage with other master players, including Bela Fleck, Tony Trischka, and others.)

The single, which features Richie on banjo along with his friends Pat Burke (National resonator), Ben Gould (bass) and Kim Sherwood-Caso (back-up vocals), was recorded in early spring, the week before the first bombs were dropped in Baghdad.

That voice sure sounds like Loudon Wainwright III. Download it here.

And here's a poor quality video (but good audio) of Richie: Leather Britches. In this video he demonstrates the banjo style that I'm aiming for. Give me 10 more years.

Color Test

A Color Test.

On my first try I got 6 out of 8. On my second try, I aced it.

(Thanks Gary)

Movie Titles

Probably a repost, but it's a good site to browse: Movie Title Stills Collection.

Such a variety of type faces.

Hocus Pocus Origins

Where did the magical phrase Hocus Pocus come from?

Hocus Pocus or hocus-pocus is a generic term derived from an ancient language and presently used by magicians, usually the magic words spoken when bringing about some sort of change. It was once a common term for a magician, juggler, or other similar entertainer.

The origins of the term remain obscure. According to the Oxford English Dictionary the term originates from hax pax max Deus adimax, a pseudo-Latin phrase used as a magic formula by conjurors. Some believe it originates from a parody of the Roman Catholic liturgy of the eucharist, which contains the phrase "Hoc est enim corpus meum". This explanation goes back to speculations by the Anglican prelate John Tillotson, who wrote in 1694:

In all probability those common juggling words of hocus pocus are nothing else but a corruption of hoc est corpus, by way of ridiculous imitation of the priests of the Church of Rome in their trick of Transubstantiation.

Magnet Guru

I have a set of these magnets, but I can't do this kind of stuff:

(Thanks Ted)

I Agree With Glenn Beck

Right-wing wacko Glenn Beck made a statement that I agree with:

Now, am I advising people to leave their church? Yes!"

But he's not giving this advice because he finally realized that religion is bunk. Rather, he's concerned that churches are spreading concepts that he associates with communists and Nazis.

"Both the communists, who are on the left -- they say -- you know, these are communists. And the Nazis are on the right," Beck said. "That's what people say. But they both subscribed to one philosophy, and they flew one banner. One had the hammer and sickle; the other was a swastika. But on each banner read the words, here in America, of this -- 'social justice.' They talked about economic justice, rights of the workers, redistribution of wealth, and surprisingly -- I love this -- democracy."

"I beg you, look for the words 'social justice' or 'economic justice' on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words.

Draw With Harmony

A procedural drawing tool: Harmony.

My first effort took about 2 minutes. It uses the Grid, Sketchy, Fur, and Long Fur tools.

Someone who actually has some artistic skills could do some good work with this.

Stock Questions

An Ask J-Walk question:

Do you think it's idiocy to invest in the stock market?

Doesn't it make more sense to just save money or buy secure bonds with a low rate of return since the odds of making a significant profit over time in the market are just about nil and why unleash your greedy urges, life's too short?

Signed,
Five o'Clock Scholar

Well, yes and no. Or, perhaps maybe.

Popular Science Archives

Read any issue of Popular Science.

We've partnered with Google to offer our entire 137-year archive for free browsing. Each issue appears just as it did at its original time of publication, complete with period advertisements. It's an amazing resource that beautifully encapsulates our ongoing fascination with the future, and science and technology's incredible potential to improve our lives. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Here's what was popular the month I was born:

You can also browse the issues directly at Google Books.

Water Usage Chart

Here's a chart that shows water usage in Edmonton during a hockey game on February 28.

(via Darren Barefoot)

Ban Salt In Restaurants

In New York: Pass the Salt Ban?

In one of the odder developments to come out of Albany in recent weeks, which is saying something, a Brooklyn assemblyman, Felix Ortiz, has proposed a bill that would make it illegal for restaurants to use salt in the preparation of food. Period.

Plain as day, or perhaps unsalted french fries, Assembly Bill A10129, introduced last Friday, says, "No owner or operator of a restaurant in this state shall use salt in any form in the preparation of any food for consumption by customers of such restaurant, including food prepared to be consumed on the premises of such restaurant or off the premises."

The measure proposes fines of $1,000 for each violation.

Why would Ortiz propose such an absurd law? His father was a heavy salt user, had high blood pressure, and died from a heart attack.

Potato Pests

Q. What are the worst potato pests?

A. Wireworms and white grubs.

There are many more, these two are really obnoxious.

Soap

Last night I watched the very first episode of Soap on Netflix streaming.

Soap is an American sitcom that originally ran on ABC from 1977 to 1981.

The show was created as a parody of daytime soap operas, presented as a weekly half-hour long primetime comedy. Like a soap opera, the show's story was presented in a serial format and included melodramatic plot elements such as amnesia, alien abduction, demonic possession, murder, and kidnapping. In 2007 it was listed as one of Time magazine's "100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME."

It's amazing to think that it was done 33 years ago. It holds up pretty well. Probably better than 90% of the current sitcoms.

I'll probably watch a few more, but it's unlikely that I'll watch all 95 episodes

Congressional Horse Play

An inside look at what goes on at congressional birthday parties: Ex-Congressman Describes Tickle Fights With Aides.

Former Representative Eric J. Massa of New York, who resigned from Congress amid allegations of sexual misconduct, vehemently denied any wrongdoing during a television appearance on Tuesday, even as he described having tickle fights with staff members in a house they shared.

"Now they are saying I groped a male staffer," he told Mr. Beck.

"Yeah, I did. Not only did I grope him. I tickled him until he couldn't breathe, and then four guys jumped on top of me. It was my 50th birthday. It was kill the old guy. You can take anything out of context."

Meat Thermometer Stabbing

In California: Moviegoer is stabbed after complaining about cellphone user.

A dispute at a Lancaster movie theater during a screening of "Shutter Island" ended with someone plunging a meat thermometer into the neck of the man who complained about someone sitting near him talking on a cellphone during the show.

The theater was packed for a 9 p.m. Saturday screening of the Martin Scorsese film when the moviegoer complained about a woman near him using a cellphone.

The woman and two men with her left the theater. But sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said two men returned a few minutes later and stabbed the victim.

Who brings a meat thermometer to a movie?

The image here is a just a random meat thermometer. It may or may not resemble the meat thermometer used in the stabbing.