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22 November, 2004

Cleaning The Sensor

John Beardsworth did it: Sensor swabbing.

I've swabbed the D100's sensor. And of course it wasn't quite as frightening or difficult as I'd feared.

That's encouraging. I've really got to do something about all of the dust spots on my Nikon D100 sensor. The bane of digital SLRs.

Posted on 22 November, 2004

Ball Art

Round stuff: Art, Culture and Music With Balls. Shown here is a chair made from balls.

Posted on 22 November, 2004

Surreal Gourmet

I've never heard of this guy: The Surreal Gourmet.

The Surreal Gourmet is the nom de plume of author/illustrator and Food Network personality Bob Blumer. For those with a sense of culinary adventure The Surreal Gourmet serves up fresh attitude towards cooking and entertaining and shows you how dysfunctional kitchens, mismatched dinnerware and low budgets can be easily overcome by a little creativity and an armful of fresh ingredients!

He refers to Beer Butt Chicken as Beer Can Chicken. Now that's surreal!

Competition for Alton Brown?

(via Treehugger)

Posted on 22 November, 2004

Tracking Color Laser Docs

Did you know this? Government Uses Color Laser Printer Technology to Track Documents.

Next time you make a printout from your color laser printer, shine an LED flashlight beam on it and examine it closely with a magnifying glass. You might be able to see the small, scattered yellow dots printer there that could be used to trace the document back to you.

Posted on 22 November, 2004

Not An Animated GIF

Here's another one of those weird optical illusions: Trippy. It's not animated. Really, it's not animated.

Posted on 22 November, 2004

P-Shifting

Tired of your body? Want to turn into an animal? Go here to learn how to get that Elusive P-Shift.

Certain people will demand physical evidence that this method works before trying it. As if Einstein had physical evidence to back up his Theory of General Relativity back in the 40's! Don't be ridiculous! This method is still in the experimental stages, so don't demand evidence that I don't have yet. A real scientist won't snub a theory without testing it. As for you, dear reader, you need suffer the 'longing' no more.

A P-shift is the event of biological transformation from one species to another. Many shifters desire this yet fail to achieve it. But P-shifting is NOT impossible! There are loopholes in the Bible that may allow this.

(via Cruel Site of the Day)

Posted on 22 November, 2004

Big Things

A collection of photos of objects that are Larger Than Life. Here's a pretty big beer bottle in Michigan.

(Thanks Ironsculler)

Posted on 22 November, 2004

Zoom Quilt

This amazing site called Zoom Quilt has been around for a while, but I've never been able to connect to it -- until today. Amazing stuff.

(Thanks for reminding me, Steve)

Posted on 22 November, 2004

Burpee Seed Catalog Covers

Seed catalog covers from Burpee. They range from 1886 through 1997.

Posted on 22 November, 2004

Cancer Comic

A comic called Mom's Cancer.

"Mom's Cancer" tells the story of my mother's battle with metastatic lung cancer. It's not a "how-to" manual about treating the disease. If I've learned anything, it is that every cancer, patient, physician, and outcome is unique. Rather, "Mom's Cancer" focuses on how a serious illness can affect patient and family, both practically and emotionally, in ways that I've discovered are very common. Many readers have written to tell me how surprised and gratified they were to learn they weren't alone.

Posted on 22 November, 2004

Dog Dental Products

Keep your dog's teeth looking white and his breath fresh-smelling: Doggie Dental Solutions.

Posted on 22 November, 2004

Tucson Home Still For Sale

Back in February, I posted a link to a $17.5 million home for sale in Tucson.

Well, it's still for sale and now it's listed on eBay: "22nd Century" Tucson Arizona Estate. They've also lowered the price to a much more affordable $13.5 million.

Nick Antonicello of Unique Homes magazine says if Campbell Cliffs were placed in Los Angeles, the price tag would rise to $75 million.

Even so, don't expect the price to stay flat for long, as the price of real estate in the Foothills continues to appreciate as more luxury homes are being built. Though seven figure prices for Foothills property were a rarity five years ago, the value of lots alone have appreciated by 51% in just the last 12 months.

Posted on 22 November, 2004

Martha Stewart's Prison Diary

Keep up to date with Martha's life: Martha Stewart's Prison Diary.

An excerpt:

I apologize for the lack of communication during the past week, but as you know, I spent my first time in "the hole" for being involved in a minor prison altercation. The hole is much like a prison version of a "time out," and, as always, I was determined to make the best out of what appeared to be a bad situation.

To me, "the hole" was not just a cement-lined vault filled with the uncirculated stench of a thousand women who proceeded me, it was a place for solitude and reflection. A time to take stock of my life and figure out what I may have done wrong or who I may have hurt along the way. After about five minutes of that, I spent the rest of the time combing my hair and having a conversation with a pile of rat droppings, crudely constructed into a bust of Larry King. Even in prison, creativity cannot be stifled.

It's a spoof, of course. And Bob From Accounting is responsible.

Posted on 22 November, 2004

For Llamas Llovers Llike Llaura

All Llamas, all the time. Nothing but llamas. More llamas than you can shake a stick it. Llama stuff for every member of the family. It's Llama Trivia.

These pages are a collection of odd pictures and trivia about llamas.

This 1954 book is just one of about a million llama items.

Posted on 22 November, 2004

As Seen On TV

Presented as a public service...

If you want to buy something, first check to see if it's listed at As Seen On TV. If it's on the list, don't buy it.

AsSeenOnTV.com the Official Site for the Worlds Largest Retailer of As Seen On TV Products. We Currently Offer Over 800 Plus As Seen On TV Products and Other Speciality Items.

You're welcome.

Posted on 22 November, 2004

Wine Tower

In London, Radisson's Wine Tower.

Taking pride of place in the atrium is the 'Wine Tower', standing at over 13m tall and home to 4000 bottles of wine. A high-speed computer controlled winch system transports �wine angels' up and down the tower to retrieve chosen bottles of wine before delivering them safely to the tables, providing a constantly moving backdrop to the light and airy space.

Posted on 22 November, 2004

100 Things

From Maxim: 100 Things Every Guy Must Know.

As a guy, you're expected to know a lot about a lot of things. But who has time to sift through all the crap of the information age and uncover the really critical stuff-like what to do if you're snake-bit, the long-lost lyrics to the Bonanza theme song, and the final word on one-handed bra unfastening? We combed a million sources to compile this definitive list and had one hell of a lot of fun doing it. From the practical to the intriguing to the sublime, here are more than 100 things we think you'll be very glad to know.

For example:

  • You can have long hair, you can have a mustache, and you can wear a pink shirt, but not all three at the same time.
  • When smashing a beer can on your forehead, don't forget to pinch the sides before making contact. Otherwise you'll end up with an embarrassing "reverse coaster" on your noggin that will outlast the hangover.
  • When making chili, drop in a cinnamon stick, then remove it before serving. Not cinnamon sugar or that powdered eggnog-dusting stuff, but the real deal. It adds a very cool complexity that guests can't put their finger on�and can't get enough of. Trust us.

Posted on 22 November, 2004

Image Not Available

This Google search shows various images used as placeholders.

Posted on 22 November, 2004

Windows Tips

I haven't read all of this, but it looks like some good advice: A Faster, Better Behaved Windows XP.

If you've been hunting around for stuff on Windows XP lately, you've surely noticed that there are about 500,000,000 web pages with material on the subject. maybe 500,000,000 and 1... but that might be stretching it. Why then am I adding to that number?

I'm not in this just for the cheap thrill of building a new web page; I have a suspicion (now confirmed by some emails I've gotten) that the effort will turn into something worth the while of someone other than the author. Then too, I like to gab about computers, Windows in particular, and I don't get to do a lot of it in real life. So here is where I will talk about Windows XP and imagine that someone is listening. And you are (you're here after all, right?:)), so thanks for dropping in.

Posted on 22 November, 2004

Screen Resolution

A question at Ask Metafilter:

Windows users: What's your screen resolution? Are you using clear type? Sometimes I find I cant get anything done unless I'm at 800x600 and with clear type off, but when I'm not working, coding, writing, etc I really like the higher resolution and nicer fonts. What gives?

I'm using 1600 x 1200 (my monitor's native resolution), with Clear Type enabled. On my old SGI LCD monitor, I didn't use Clear Type because it made the images worse.

Here's a summary of screen resolutions used by visitors to this blog:

Robert Scobel also wrote about screen resolution recently: Dave, your screen is blurry!

He suggests using the Windows "large fonts" setting if the text is too small. Unfortunately, using that setting has lots of undesirable side effects. If you create custom Excel UserForms, you'll find that some of the text is cut off when viewed with the large fonts setting.

Posted on 22 November, 2004

Extreme Accounting

I think some readers will like this: Extreme Accounting.

Welcome to the home of Extreme-Accounting: a new phenomenon that pushes accountants to their limits - and beyond!

Are you bored with the everyday routine of extreme sports?

If so, then maybe you should try injecting the adrenaline rush of accounting into the whole experience...

Posted on 22 November, 2004

Evolution Survey

This explains a lot. From the Gallup Organization: Third of Americans Say Evidence Has Supported Darwin's Evolution Theory.

Only about a third of Americans believe that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is a scientific theory that has been well supported by the evidence, while just as many say that it is just one of many theories and has not been supported by the evidence. The rest say they don't know enough to say. Forty-five percent of Americans also believe that God created human beings pretty much in their present form about 10,000 years ago. A third of Americans are biblical literalists who believe that the Bible is the actual word of God and is to be taken literally, word for word.

Posted on 22 November, 2004

Springfields

From FTL Design: Springfield.

It's been said that every state in the USA has a Springfield. This isn't true; 35 states have a Springfield or a close cousin; but the following states are Springfield-deficient:

Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.

Posted on 22 November, 2004

241 Movies

At Amazon: The Criterion Collection.

Now available for the first time, The Criterion Collection is proud to present its prestigious collection of films together in one gift set! Totaling 282 discs, The Criterion Collection Holiday 2004 Gift Set consists of all of their published DVDs through October 2004 (except for the out-of-print editions): that's 241 titles on 282 discs and includes a Certificate of Authenticity. This much sought after collection of films is the most significant archive of contemporary filmmaking available to the home viewer.

List price: $7,500. Your price: $4,999 -- that's slightly less than $20 per movie. Not such a good deal, it seems.

I'd rather spend that money on movies that I'd actually want to watch.

Posted on 22 November, 2004

Tastes Like Chicken

From the Annals of Improbable Research: An explanation of why things taste like chicken.

The field of culinary evolution faces one great dilemma: why do most cooked, exotic meats taste like cooked Gallus gallus, the domestic chicken?

It is curious that so many animals have a similar taste. Did each species evolve this trait independently or did they all inherit it from a common ancestor? That is the burning question.

The highlight of this research is a graphical phylogenetic tree, with species arranged by taste.

Posted on 22 November, 2004

Lucy The Cover Girl

A huge collection of magazine covers that feature Lucille Ball.

(via Exclamation Mark)

Posted on 22 November, 2004

Tingle-Tron

How to Make a Tingle-Tron.

Now I'm going to be quite blunt about this. This project is ONLY for those who really know and understand what they are doing. It involves passing AC current through your body in a path that may affect your heart adversely, and as such the choice of components and the quality of assembly is absolutely paramount.

Posted on 22 November, 2004

Respected

From Price Waterhouse Coopers:

Posted on 22 November, 2004