farkleberries

Terrorist-Proof Toilets

2011-06-17T15:11:00.005-05:00

Dear readers of this blog (however rarefied your ranks may be by now),

Certainly the best way to return from a lengthy hiatus is with a hearty war, crime, and bathroom-related posting, and this piece from Mother Jones does not disappoint. From Vancouver to North Carolina, privies are bearing the brunt of these near-Apocalyptic violent times, as humanity's sensibilities and bowels suffer the consequences.

Perhaps Mother Russia has a thing or two to teach us about [E]sc[h]atology...these are no mere stainless-steel jailhouse crappers, but

"...self-maintaining, solar-powered, and terrorist-proof toilet cabins, as reported by the Moscow Times. This Swiss Army knife of a potty is made of a fibrous concrete that can withstand a bomb blast. Demonstrated as part of Moscow's Clean City expo in June, 'its appearance can be modeled to fit the architectural surroundings, even in the old part of the city,' the Times reported chirpily. My takeaway: If I'm ever in Moscow and feel the ground trembling, I'll dive into the nearest loo."

Bombs away? "Мы вас похороним!" Indeed.

Something strange is definitely going on: Boulder, CO didn't warn residents about erupting toilets
Exploding toilets surprise some Palo Alto, CA residents
The Strange Case of the Exploding Toilets: Japan residents on high alert

"You Get What Anyone Gets - You Get A Lifetime."

2011-03-05T09:54:00.005-06:00

[Note: this is a post I wrote today on the Brady McTigue Memorial Page, here on facebook. Brady was an old friend from Plattsburgh days, who I learned yesterday was killed in a hit-and-run accident while riding a bike near his home in Jacksonville Florida. I don't know many details, but he died six days after the accident, and as far I can gather the driver has not been found. There is a brief account of the accident and a Crimestoppers call for witnesses at JAcksonville.com. Brady's essay, "Fatwood," from one of his now-deleted blogs Camera and Sickle no longer exists, but 8 years ago I had posted an excerpt [here] (Easy Trip to Splitsville) The photos here are some of my favorites of Brady's work, found at his (still active) DeviantART page under geshe451. If you haven't seen his pictures before, why not have a peek, before they fade into the past? ]

Seeing the "how I met Brady" stories on this page, I have to confess, I don't remember exactly how we met. It was around 1988 or so, I was a DJ and student at SUNY Plattsburgh, and I think Brady was a member of a student group or peripherally involved with the WPLT 94.9 station there.

Back then, we'd have rambling discussions on experimental artists I'd never heard of at that point; he introduced me to bands like Throbbing Gristle, Brian Eno, The Jazz Butcher, Genesis P-Orridge, Coil, The Fall, Helios Creed, Jim Thirlwell's myriad Foetus permutations...the list was seemingly endless. Brady had a rare gift for imparting enthusiasm and passion for challenging, unusual music with the "unschooled." I have to give Brady credit for introducing me to musical genres that have since become favorites like dub, ambient, hard bop and classic jazz.

He eventually moved away from Plattsburgh, as did I and many of our cohort; for a number of years we lost contact, but with advent of the Internet we crossed paths with our blogs about 7-8 years ago, a mutual interest in photography (Flickr), and eventually, Facebook. Years ago, I saw mocked-up examples of visual art he'd created using mirror-imaged color copies of photos, matting and other traditional analog techniques; later I was amazed at how the digital imaging revolution amplified those possibilities.

One of the most inspiring things about Brady's photos was his innate skill at capturing transcendence within decay and disintegration of natural and man-made objects, and distilling the kinetics of fire, water, stone, wind and steel into still images that seemed to live and breathe. I think both the Adirondacks (see his essay, "Fatwood") and the Florida coastline provided rich artistic potential. Oh, and he had a great sense of humor, too (the photo I'm thinking of is "Doggles," a real-life "Dastardly and Muttley" shot :) ).

This is "Fatwood":

getting to the fatwood factory is not something you set out to do. all of a sudden, it is possible to split every piece of wood. "split" implies a certain sense of halving, but here it's more akin to "splitting up." making parts for distribution. or burning. more surface area; hotter fires from the same amount of wood. i filled a wheelbarrow full of a number of very hot, fast fires. my general rule of thumb is that if i can stand the piece of wood up on the block, it gets split. two things happen when i find myself in fatwood factory. the first is i become more concerned with accuracy than power. as each piece of wood gets thinner, the need to power through it decreases. it's a direct proportion: less is less. it's a well placed tap that does the job not a swift cut. that's because, in the end, splitting wood is not about cutting. it's about separating the wood from it's structure and order. you are taking it one step closer to chaos. you can "read" the wood. the ends of the sectioned wood can give you a road map to easy trip to splitsville. the cracks indicate places where drying has loosened the bond betweens cells that hold the tree together. what was once a aqueous network of structure and exchange becomes a brittle dotted line that says "cut here." a mindful examination of the wood's surface will reveal untold tales of potential cleavings. you can almost see into the heart of the wood. adventures en flambe await: pop me big boy, what are you waiting for? instead of cutting the wood in two with a heavy sharp object, you're directing force through a focused locus, transferring it and liberating kinetic energy latent in each log section. bone wielding space oddessy ape guy becomes wheelchair scientist guy with the tilt of your head. most folks would prefer the wood that they have to split be uniform and "straight." no burls and the like making for hard splitting. you hit one of those hard spots and the axe can sing out like a bell. in the crisp winter air, the bang echoes off the trees and warps around the drifts in the snow. it accents the howl of the coyotes in a flurry filled afternoon as the light wanes. most times, a big gnarled old log section is a long burner. no splitting much more than quartering. the density of the wood, at a place where two or more directions of growth merge (more or less), is insane. the wood locks in on itself, making a near indestructable fist. wood like that burns for a long time. some twisted bastard of a log that, dry, gives you a hernia slogging to the stove is just the ticket for couple of hours of uninterupted, untended fire, warmth, running water...... you can leave the house. -- Brady McTigue

I only learned of Brady's death yesterday, many months late. Sadly, I hadn't suspected his absence of web posts was because he was no longer here. I'm grateful to have met friends like Brady over the years: people whom we may not see or hear from physically for decades, but whose influence as creative kindred spirits uplifts us, even in absentia.

Perhaps this isn't the right place to address this, but I so hope for the sake of his wife Sally, and his family that someday the driver of that truck is found or does the karmically right thing and comes forward. Probably, Brady understood as well as anyone how Universe is ever-changing and impermanent. I remember he sometimes wrote he thought his life would be short, as many of the male relatives in his family passed on early. Unfortunately that prediction came to pass, in an oblique way.

A Latin quote from Neil Gaiman's 'Sandman' that's stayed with me over the years is "Omnia Mutantur, Nihil Interit" - everything changes, but nothing is truly lost. May it be so. To Brady's family, and his wife Sally, I wish peace, love, and healing. Namaste.

Our Trash Got Flash, Part 2: The Bidet in the Alley

2010-07-09T14:46:00.007-05:00

A ~~couple of~~ four months ago, I posted a photograph of a discarded hot-pink sofa in the alley behind our apartment. Well, yesterday brought another interesting garbage photo-op: next to the dumpster was a seemingly brand new tan bidet complete with shiny chrome spigot (uncannily similar to the one shown here) that some unsophisticate removed from their domicile.

Unfortunately the local junkman - who roams the alley in a old red pickup chock-full o' old tires, barbed wire, and rusty bedframes - snatched it up before I could grab my normally ever-present camera. He picked it up and put it *on top* of the already-groaning 6-foot-high pile of junk in the truck bed that heaves precariously over every speed bump in the alley.

The junkman made quite the find that morning: that bidet was probably worth its weight in gold, or at least domestic Wagyu steaks. These babies retail for over $500.00 apiece. That's almost as much as a government-issue toilet seat*.

Edgewater neighbors: if you see the junkman's red pickup, run, don't walk! Before the tan bidet falls off and lands on your car/head/dog/baby stroller.

* Correction: according to Wikipedia, 'President Reagan held a televised news conference in 1987, where he held up one of these shrouds and stated: "We didn't buy any $600 toilet seat. We bought a $600 molded plastic cover for the entire toilet system." '

Manx Chicken in a Pan

2010-07-01T11:15:00.003-05:00

{with apologies to my vegetarian/vegan readers}

"Three chicken leg quarters simmering in a pan like the Isle of Man flag, albeit widdershins." For those into heraldry, this configuration is a triskelion.

Please Do Not Smell The Flowers: What's the Scoop?

2010-06-10T14:14:00.002-05:00

Seen yesterday next to the Foster Hall-SSRB ramp on 59th Street at the University of Chicago. I doubt it's genuine (there really aren't any flowers here to smell, per se, barring a few overripe tiger lilies).

Click to view full size, where the lines "All Activity is Being Monitored" and "In Cooperation with the Initiative for Community Protection" are clearly visible. Googling the term turns up nada, so it's clearly a red herring rather than an attempt to razz an existing UC organization.

Scav Hunt relic? Emergency phone-camera kiosk backlash? Subtle jab at the "Chicago School" and capitalism? "All Your Smell Are Belong to Us"?

Should There Be an X-Files 3 Movie?

2010-04-03T18:15:00.003-05:00

(SPOILER ALERT - and a disclaimer. I've watched "X-Files: I Want to Believe" three times so far - the first time in a standard theater, and twice afterward on DVD. For some reason, I seem to rack up more complaints with each viewing. Maybe I should give it a rest, and revisit the film in a year or so to see how it has aged. Mind you this post comes from someone who considers The X-Files to be one the finest series to grace the Boob Tube, so my expectations may be overly high. Please take these words with a grain of saltpetre.)

Only if the screenplay makes it worthy of the investment in big screen running time and real estate. Case in point:"X-Files: Fight The Future" made excellent use of big-screen FX and integrated well with the Season 5 mytharc. "X-Files: I Want to Believe" was essentially a long-form MOTW episode, muddied by the fact there several monsters.

Which "monster" triggered more audience consternation? Was it the Russian "Frankenstein doctor," the dying gay assassin seeking a nubile female body upon which to graft his head (love the "Married in Massachusetts" throwaway quip), or the now-cliched pedophile priest who "castrated himself at 28"?

XF:IWTB might have worked better as a TV/cable movie/series reboot rather than a feature film. Granted, XF:FTF rode the series' popularity wave nicely (rather than "jumping the shark" - ouch) but oh, my, XF:IWTB could have been SO much better, even without aliens, the 2012 theme, or William.

As Garrison Keillor says in his Lake Wobegon tales: "It could have been worse." But not much.

Pink Trash Sofa: Edgewater, Chicago

2010-03-18T16:23:00.002-05:00

Say what you will about the Edgewater neighborhood: our trash got flash.

Lynch-ian Lamp

2010-03-18T16:07:00.001-05:00

Willow Springs Woods in Winter

2010-03-09T08:35:00.000-06:00

A place where I find peace.

59th Street Underpass at Lake Park (or, It's All Greek To Me)

2010-03-08T08:42:00.000-06:00

A Cronenbergian Dream of the Sixth and Seventh Chakras

2010-02-23T19:03:00.006-06:00

Last night I dreamed that I pulled a hard one-inch-long plug of whitish fat or flesh from the center of my forehead, from where my 6th (Ajna) chakra should be.

In the dream, as I looked in the mirror, I noticed a large jagged hole in the crown of my head on the right-ish side that exposed my skull, roughly where the 7th (Sahasrara) chakra should be. There was no pain or anxiety, and when I looked more closely at the slightly bloody opening, all I could see was a dark hole - no dura mater or brain tissue. I thought to myself, hmmmm...this looks sort of serious...I wonder if I should see a doctor?

Haloscan Going Dark on February 11th

2010-01-27T11:24:00.004-06:00

Sadly, Haloscan, the commenting application Farkleberries has used for over eight years, will be shutting down operations in a few weeks. I received this notification in my inbox this morning:

Haloscan is being shut down on: Feb 11, 2010
The Haloscan hardware and software is physically failing and we have no choice but to discontinue the service. Two Options: Switch to Echo or Export your comments FREE.
Although we can't rescue Haloscan, we are trying our best to limit the negative impact on users. To do this, we have worked hard to provide 2 options for Haloscan sites.

For now, I'm exporting all comments for possible future use rather than switching to the replacement service, Echo, but I wanted readers to know that their past comments will likely disappear (at least for a time) from Farkleberries and my other Haloscan-supported sites as of 2/11/10. If you're a fellow Haloscan user, now's the time to export and backup.

Haloscan helpfully provides a link to the EchoWiki FAQ.

The University of Chicago Quads in Winter

2009-12-29T11:57:00.002-06:00

Where frosted glass frames the winter sun's fire
We watch the flickering light 'twixt tree and spire

Is That a Bomb in Your Pants, or Are You Just...

2009-12-28T15:19:00.002-06:00

A rather unfortunate (but appropriate) dynamic ad appears on the right side of this CNN story on the Northwest 253 attempted bombing, where suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab unsuccessfully tried to detonate an explosive device secreted in his trousers, badly burning himself in the process.

Blue, Blue Christmas Lights

2009-12-21T11:49:00.008-06:00

Glad Jul! This set of Christmas lights purchased last year at Target remind me of an old imported Italian light set my family had when I was a child. Those Italian lights had a set of three concentric colored plastic "crowns" that reflected and transmitted the colored light from the bulb in a magical fashion. I used to stare into the tree and unfocus my eyes, watching the lights' myriad colors coruscate across the tinsel and ornaments like a kaleidoscope.

We used that set of lights for over ten years, until several bulbs burned out and the electric current running through the remaining ones increased to the point it overheated the others, causing some of plastic "crowns" to melt over the bulbs. Not the safest design, but they were the most beautiful Christmas lights I've ever seen. I'm pretty certain that 1970 set was not UL Listed (ha!) but they were still a sight safer than the actual wax Christmas tree candles my parents and grandparents used to have on their (natural) trees when they were kids.

Both of them have hair-raising stories of trees that caught fire and threatened to burn down the family home, if not for a quick-thinking relative that doused the burning branches with water or tossed the flaming tree out the door into the snow. Those were the good old days...

Rosehill Cemetery, May Chapel

2009-12-17T08:27:00.003-06:00

The gates have been opened...

...they have arisen? Where have they gone?

mattandsam

2009-12-17T08:22:00.001-06:00

sometimes stillness othertimes

Let's Dance: The Willowbrook Ballroom

2009-12-15T17:03:00.003-06:00

Willowbrook Ballroom on Archer Avenue in Willow Springs, IL: place of legendary music (from Count Basie to the Village People) and hauntings, notably the story of Resurrection Mary.

Prescribed Burn Ahead in Willow Springs Woods

2009-11-25T08:24:00.006-06:00

If only a photo could convey the sharp, evocative scent of burning brush in Willow Springs Woods (FPDCC.gov Region 6 - Palos Division) last week; a perfect fall day in the southwest suburbs.

Traveling a bit further west on Archer Avenue to the Red Gate Woods forest preserve area, we found this old mossy stone wall or foundation, partially buried under what could be a century or two of accumulated soil and undergrowth.

Who lived here in the woods along Illinois' most haunted highway? Early Polish or Irish immigrants who built the roads and canals along this ancient native American trail? We do know what's buried here today in Red Gate Woods: the remains of CP-1, the first sustained nuclear "reactor" built by Enrico Fermi at the University of Chicago.

No Diamonds in the Dumpster

2009-11-05T14:02:00.001-06:00

The Vancouver Severed Foot Mystery continues

2009-10-30T14:52:00.002-05:00

A little over a year ago, we posted on an eerie series of severed-foot sightings near Vancouver Island, six at last count. The phenomenon has never been satisfactorily explained (though foul play is generally suspected), nor have any suspects been named to date.

This Tuesday, the Vancouver Sun reported foot number 7 was found:

RICHMOND - A right foot has been found inside a running shoe on a beach in Richmond, the seventh foot found along B.C.’s coast in two years, RCMP said Wednesday.

Two men walking on the beach Tuesday evening found the foot in a white size 8.5 Nike running shoe on the beach at No. 6 Road and Triangle Road, the RCMP said.

The BC Coroners Service confirmed the remains were human through a forensic autopsy and will conduct more forensic tests in its investigation with the RCMP. [read full article]

I Iz Not Ded, I Iz on Twitter

2009-05-15T16:35:00.002-05:00

Greetings, Farkleberries fans: it's been a long time. While full time posting will not resume just yet, I've dipped my toes into the pool with Twitter's short and sweet 140-character limit.

Sometimes, less IS more.

http://twitter.com/reznicek111

Bonnie Beehive, aka. Miz Moo

2008-12-17T13:42:00.000-06:00

Pork Rolling

2008-12-11T14:15:00.002-06:00

A fine selection of pork roll at the Manasquan (NJ) ShopRite: Taylor Ham, the true classic Trenton pork roll; Case's (aka "Jersey Ham") regular and Tangy, and for the ~~cheapskate~~ budget-conscious, ShopRite Brand Pork Roll. Who knows, maybe it's just as good ... but when you're indulging in artery-clogging processed pork, why skimp?

Having a 2-lb. Taylor chilling out in our freezer, I opted only to purchase two small packs of pre-sliced pork roll for holiday enjoyment (and tormenting our guests). Taylor classic in the 6-slice red box, and the 8-slice "thin" Case package.

I also picked up a 16 oz. brick of Dietz & Watson Philadelphia Scrapple for our next pancake breakfast. No, they had no Habersett's Scrapple, unfortunately.

What's your favorite kind of Pork Roll?

The Golden Anus in the Walker Museum Basement

2008-11-14T15:46:00.003-06:00

Well, I'm not sure what else to call this...the "Golden Grommet"? If anyone knows the title of the piece and the name of the artist, please let me know in the comments. Otherwise, just admire this for what it is ... and understand why it kept in the basement of the University of Chicago's Walker Hall, away from light and prying easily offended eyes.

I'm half-tempted to invite a couple of people to take a picture with a hand on each side of the...er...artwork. Instant "Golden GOATSE"!

This piece of wisdom comes from the women's room wall in the Social Sciences Building, University of Chicago, home of the History Department (and no longer the home of the Economics Department. No indeedy.)

Why We Love Archer Avenue!

2008-11-07T10:29:00.009-06:00

For the uninitiated, Archer Avenue (also known as IL-171) is a stretch of road in the southwestern Chicago suburbs with an extraordinarily haunted reputation. From the legend of Resurrection Mary, the quintessential "ghost hitchhiker," to reports of mysterious chantings and ephemeral hooded figures gliding up a bluff at St. James Sag Cemetery, Archer Avenue is considered by many aficionados of the paranormal to be the "Ground Zero" of Haunted Chicago.

We visited St. James Sag (above, the bluffs where the mysterious hooded figures reportedly disappeared) right around Halloween, but the Willow Springs area is spooky year-round, from what we hear.

The intersection of Willow Springs Road and Archer Avenue, where we photographed these whimsical hearses outside the Ashbary Coffee House is a remarkably charming, quirky small town area near the Cook County Forest Preserves. If you find yourself at the Ashbary, be sure to check out the café library and upstairs meeting room - and try one of their delicious peanut butter lattés, a perfect warm-up for a chilly hike through the Willow Springs Woods.

(Be sure to click on the image for full resolution - the license plate reads "GREYL 80," and yes, the sign on the door does say, "Hearse Chicks Get More Stiffs". Claire from "Six Feet Under" would be proud!) For a fascinating look this eerie little corner of the Midwest's largest city, check out Ursula Bielski's excellent book Chicago Haunts: Ghostlore of the Windy City.

As Homer Simpson might say: "Mmmm...ghosts..."

Found Shopping List, University of Chicago

2008-10-17T16:28:00.003-05:00

Judging from the condition of the note, can see why "wipes" are on this shopping list - but I'm fairly sure you won't find any in the Bursar's office at the University of Chicago.

One Darn Big Cadillac Coney Dawg: Not a Michigan!

2008-10-15T12:21:00.011-05:00

If you happen to find yourself in Cadillac, MI, try this: "Da DaShound" is one darn big (half-pound!) "Coney Island Dog," the reputed inspiration for the North Country "Michigan Hot Dog." While both have a meat-chili based sauce (the DaShound seems to contain Hormel™ chili), chopped onions, and mustard on a hot dog in a bun, their similarity ends there.

You see, the Coney Island (NY) Dog is from Michigan, and the Michigan Hot Dog is from New York. Confusing, no? It makes one wonder, was there once a Great Hot Dog Exchange between the two states?

The Northern New York "Michigan" has a mysterious history and a nearly impossible-to-duplicate taste. That's because the Michigan sauce recipe has been a closely-guarded secret for generations, and true Michigans are invariably prepared with local Glazier™ hot dogs and New England (top-cut) hot dog buns - the kind normally used to make lobster rolls.

Now, if you find yourself in Plattsburgh, NY (or vicinity), try a real Michigan "with, buried": that's local code for "with onions," "buried" under the hot dog rather than sprinkled on top. Locals all have their favorite spots, all quite good in my opinion: Nitzi's, Gus', Clare and Carl's, McSweeney's, Ronnie's, and Michigans Plus being the best known.

Note: the utensils here are a standard size restaurant knife and fork. Seen (and eaten) at Da Dawg House, on M115 in Cadillac, MI.

Tuesday Puzzle

2008-10-14T12:42:00.006-05:00

What do these pictures have in common? Hint: what do they depict?

Friday Confession Time

2008-10-10T11:40:00.007-05:00

I have something a tad shameful to admit, and this blog seems the ideal place for a confession of this nature.

I have a laptop bag fetish.

Yes, while some women have a dozen pairs of strappy sandals in their closet, or get a momentary high from purchasing yet another cute little Coach bag - I love a nice boxy black laptop bag, with a comfy padded shoulder strap - with bonus points for leather and a RFI-protective cellphone pocket.

Some might say, "you only have one laptop, there's no need to own five different bags to schlep it around in."

My response to that argument is, "people who own a closet full of shoes still only have two feet." So there.

A Midwestern Moment...

2008-10-08T16:50:00.005-05:00

"Maybe the moment
has something to do
with what's going on
in Kalamazoo.
everyone's leaving
the town is in shock
where are they going?
To Manitowoc."

-- Ken Nordine, in a 2001 Salon interview with Michael Monteleone.

Odd but true: the Nordines are our next door neighbors (I've met him twice, once at a neighborhood association function a few years ago, and once as he was walking to his garage) and their lovely old home looks like the house that often appears in my dreams as an avatar of my subconscious. As I walk by with our pup Sammy, I often wonder what treasures and mysteries its shutters conceal.

I was introduced to him by a mutual friend (who also once worked in the entertainment industry) at that function. A charming gentleman, we spoke for a few minutes about radio and the media, and at the end he imparted these words of wisdom regarding freedom: "no one ever really gives you freedom - you have to take it," his hand making a snatching gesture in the air.

How true, I thought. How very true.

Friday Random Ten: The (Jesus) Jonesing for the Nineties Edition

2008-10-03T11:06:00.010-05:00

Milt Jackson - "Angel Face"
Brian Wilson - "Song for Children"
Apoptygma Berzerk - "Rebel"
Fugees - "The Score"
Ulf Sandberg Quartet - "Bolivia"
Rodriguez - "Inner City Blues"
Sad Salamanders - "Dirty Martini Time"
Foo Fighters - "Headwires"
Hugh Masekela - "If There's Anybody Out There"
Pretenders - "Talk of the Town"

If nothing else, that's a rather geographically and ethnically diverse Friday Top Ten. Say, remember the band Jesus Jones, of "Right Here, Right Now" renown? For some reason, I've been thinking about the Nineties a lot (wink wink). Probably all the Twin Peaks we've been watching. Here's one of the Jonesers' more obscure-but-enjoyable tracks (which you've likely never heard if you didn't listen to college radio back then, or own the Doubt cassette), "Who? Where? Why?" from the Doubt album:

(P.S.) I'm not sure of the origin of the "Evil Apple" logo above, but it's now my Windows background image. There's an even better "Evil Apple" image here.

We Interrupt This Silence For A Short Message

2008-09-18T14:21:00.007-05:00

No, dear readers, farkleberries has not ceased to exist - it has merely gone into a state of somewhat suspended animation. We hope to resume regular posting shortly.

In the meanwhile, I ask you for your interpretation of this dream:

I am standing in a stairwell with bright yellow walls behind a very short, hunched-over elderly person of indeterminate gender who speaks in an East European accent; I can't recall everything said, except for the fact this person mentions they are a Holocaust survivor. I never see this person's face. He/she is wearing a bright green crocheted wool beret that looks like a tree canopy, and a matching crocheted jacket with a tree trunk design, complete with white flowering buds and crocheted ants crawling up the brown wool trunk of the tree. I follow this person outside, into a slushy snow-covered supermarket parking lot (which looks suspiciously like da Jewels on Chicago Avenue in Evanston).

Suddenly, the tree-suited senior citizen is gone, and I see six foxes, evenly spaced several paces apart, skating (or cross-country skiing) in a straight line towards the north end of the supermarket lot. As they slide through the slushy snow, each fox turns sideways and glances at me.

Perhaps I should mention we've been watching Twin Peaks DVD's rather obsessively the past few weeks. The dream almost sounds like one of Agent Dale Cooper's apparitions..."brought to you by the letter....S!"

"Herding 10,000 Half-Wild Short-Hairs"

2008-08-01T08:23:00.002-05:00

You think a day on the prairie herding cattle is tough? Well, that ain't nothin', pardner... [Thanks, Daphne!]

Ruby Tuesday: The Mikado Room at the House on the Rock

2008-07-29T12:57:00.002-05:00

Here's my contribution to this week's Ruby Tuesday photo blog meme: a shot of the Mikado Room at the House on the Rock, in Spring Green WI. About as ruby-red as pictures get!

farkleberries Links du Jour 182: The Original Word Edition

2008-07-24T12:57:00.013-05:00

Fascinating: a new paper by Rabbi Mark Sameth posits that the Tetragrammaton (יהוה) is actually intended to be read in reverse, creating the sounds for both "he" and "she," suggesting the original meaning contains an androgynous concept of the divine. [read more at Just Call Me Chaviva]
Now read this: Wordle is a cool Java based typography art generator that takes words from blocks of text, URLs, or del.icio.us tag clouds and creates a striking image (with variable colors, fonts, alignment, etc.) you can save or post to the Wordle gallery! Here's one created from the farkleberries post, "9/11 + 1." [via ha.ha.nu]
I just heard a remarkable piece of experimental music - this clip by UK electronic artist Delia Derbyshire sounds strikingly like today's minimal IDM. However, the amazing thing is - it was created 40 years ago! [via Kottke]
112-year old Kevin Calloway of Alabama is still creating fascinating folk-art murals, and the World's Oldest Blogger, Olive Riley, passed away last week at the age of 108.

The Demand for Pork

2008-07-23T16:10:00.005-05:00

Found in a 1954 copy of "The Demand for Meat," by Elmer J. Working [JSTOR], published by the University of Chicago School of Business' Institute of Meat Packing.

Note that while the demand for pork ebbs and flows between the war years with the economy as a whole, whole ham's popularity never reached the pinnacle of sliced bacon. No surprise there.

However, salt pork seems to remain the "red-headed stepchild" of the pork family, never matching the elegant Post-War cachet of chops. In fact, its levels drop below the horizon by the early 1950's, suggesting salt pork carried the shameful whiff of poverty.

An interesting find from the age when Meat was King in Chicago. I love the font used to caption the graphs: wouldn't that make a great T-shirt?

Six Feet...er, Five Feet Under?

2008-07-21T08:16:00.004-05:00

An update on the Canadian severed foot saga (not to be confused with the Canadian rock band, Saga) from friend James - in his apropos words, "a footnote" - "One of five feet that have mysteriously washed up on the shores of British Columbia over the past year has been linked to a depressed man who disappeared a year ago, police said Saturday." [MSNBC]

The House on the Rock: World's Largest Carousel

2008-07-08T08:33:00.011-05:00

Here's video from our first time at the legendary House on the Rock - a destination far stranger than I'd expected, like a day-long visit to the inner psyche of an extremely-creative-but-not-quite-sane individual. It's huge, dark, colorful, and packed to the gills (often three and four stories high) with STUFF. If this collection of collections ever had to be moved, the effort would be Herculean.

This minute of footage is the view as you enter the Carousel Room, the threshold between Tour 2 and Tour 3 at the The House on the Rock ... actually, we didn't get to Tour 3. Three-and-a-half-hours of endless ephemera was just too much for one visit, so we bailed and took the "this way to the egress" door towards sunshine, fresh air, and a semblance of sanity.

Have you ever seen the anime feature, Paprika? One of the recurring dream images virtual-reality psychotherapist Paprika faces is a juggernaut-like "Parade of Everything Under the Sun" - I have a feeling that director Satoshi Kon and writer Yasutaka Tsutsui may have been at least a little inspired by the House on the Rock for that particular part of the film.

One caveat if you plan visiting the House on the Rock...it's a bit close and pungent in many of the rooms. There's a cloying hazelnut-ty deodorizer pumped into the warren-like rooms, to ward off the stench of decay, no doubt - I'd almost rather smell mold than that saccharine crypt perfume. It's a bit offputting (note to HotR management: ventilate, ventilate, ventilate) but no need to tie an orange peel under your nose, a la the age of the Black Death. However, I would avoid any mind-altering substances while on the tour unless you want to pay a short stay at the nearest asyl..er...psychiatric facility.

Trust me on this one. One forty-something guy we kept running into apparently had a few beers at the pizza shop on Tour 2, and could have used a little straitjacket therapy.

More House on the Rock trip photos at my place on Flickr.

The House on the Rock: The Mikado Room

2008-07-07T17:49:00.009-05:00

Imagine you've just come home from an all-you-can eat Chinese buffet with a rowdy bunch of friends. Okay; so you overindulged a bit on the General Tso's Chicken and the Dragon and Phoenix Plate. No biggie.

Then the real fun began: not only did you have a few too many Shaoxing-and-Tsingtao boilermakers, you decided to get adventurous. You had to sample the fried pork intestines, the shark's fin soup, and the jellyfish salad, didn't you? Even the octopus balls and sea cucumber started to look appetizing. Little did you know that your friend's buddy visiting from the West coast spiked those Mai Tais with something...a little extra.

You come home with raging heartburn and an aching head. The room spins, and you plunk down on the couch in front of an old Hammer Horror flick.

This is what you dream.

Actually, it's audio and video of the two-story (or is it three?) Mikado, one of the "music machines"* at the House on the Rock in Spring Green, Wisconsin. The structure is based on a Dutch Mortier dance organ mechanism, packed with gilded gargoyles, a full battery of robotic/animatronic instruments and leering mannequins lit up by a riot of red and gold lanterns. With a flash, it looks like this:

More House on the Rock photos at my place on Flickr.

[*Some call them "music machines." I call them "Calliopes from Hell."]

Garbanzo-Sized Hail in Chicago

2008-06-23T12:51:00.002-05:00

I narrowly ducked into the foyer before hail the size of chickpeas (some larger) started battering down on the street Sunday afternoon. About halfway through the video, note the unfortunate, umbrella-less pedestrian running down the street.

The Canadian Severed Foot Mystery

2008-06-17T12:50:00.009-05:00

SECOND UPDATE: It wasn't a foot, it was a "skeletonized animal paw."

UPDATE: A SIXTH severed foot was found yesterday near Vancouver Island, CNN reports:

The Vancouver Sun newspaper said the first four feet found in the area were all right feet, making the foot found Monday the only left foot. Experts told The Sun there could be explanations that did not suggest foul play. Ian Buckingham, a retired coroner, told the newspaper the ankle joint can come apart easily if a body is decomposing at sea. Curtis Ebbesmeyer, an expert on ocean currents, told The Sun a foot wearing a buoyant athletic shoe could float as far as 1,000 miles.

Yes, six severed feet popping up with increasing frequency over the past year along Canadian island shores sounds like a "natural occurrence" to me - but then, anything is possible, right? Right.

A strange headline once again has appeared in the news: a severed foot, clad in a sock and running shoe, has washed ashore near a small island in Canada. One severed foot washing up on shore is a bit macabre, but not unheard of. Two severed feet? Somewhat more strange, especially considering they were almost identically shod, and both were right feet.

When the third foot and the fourth foot were found earlier this spring, investigators speculated they may have come from a February 2005 small plane crash near Quadra Island, British Columbia, that claimed the lives of all four aboard.

Now, a fifth severed foot has been found, and investigators know something very strange is afoot, but are not yet definitively stating foul play is involved, pending DNA test results. However, that fact that feet are washing ashore on different islands would make me a bit suspicious something other than piranhas or possessed boat propellers are to blame.

Who are the five people missing their right feet? I hate to say it, but something about this mystery stinks.

Losing It Big

2008-06-11T17:09:00.004-05:00

What's worse than buying over a hundred lottery tickets?

[Seen in the muck between parked cars on my street...]

XIII. Století, Live at Nosferatu Night 19.IV.2008, Prague

2008-06-11T16:22:00.004-05:00

Czech gothic rock band XIII. Století has returned to the stage after a four-year hiatus; YouTuber schma88 captured all seven-and-a-half minutes of their opus "Elizabeth" on video.

I Can't Believe It's Church™!

2008-05-30T13:39:00.003-05:00

Do they serve bran muffins instead of communion wafers? Is the priest Fabio?

"Total Crap."

2008-05-28T13:12:00.001-05:00

Fron CNN: classy, very classy.

Gobbler Gala Set for June 6th, in Johnson Creek WI!

2008-05-23T11:10:00.004-05:00

Gobbler Motel and Restaurant Fans have an exciting date to mark on the calendar - the Gobbler Gala is coming to the one-of-a-kind former restaurant on June 6th! Wisconsin State Journal's Doug Moe give us the details:

...On June 6, The Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin Tourism Program will host "The Gobbler Gala," a dinner and discussion at the building in Johnson Creek, just off Interstate 94, that was once the Gobbler Supper Club.

There will be a catered gourmet turkey dinner and speakers will include Jefferson architect Helmut Ajango, who designed the Gobbler, and Wright historian Sidney Robinson, formerly of the University of Illinois-Chicago, now with the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. As one who rarely missed an opportunity during a Madison-to-Milwaukee run to duck off the highway and seek refreshment at the Gobbler, I am both amused and pleased by this development.

The idea came from Jack Holzhueter, retired after many years with the Wisconsin Historical Society, and a Wright Tourism board member. He enlisted another board member, Margo Melli, a Madison attorney and law professor, and together they persuaded the current owner of the Gobbler property, Jefferson attorney Raymond Krek, to go along. Though the restaurant has been closed for several years, much of the interior is still in place and Holzhueter said there's even a chance they'll get the revolving bar operating.

The only real problem is explaining the uniqueness of the Gobbler, which for most of its years had a motel adjacent to the restaurant, to those who never experienced it... [read the full article at the Wisconsin State Journal]

You can read more about the Gobbler's Motel's history and 2001 demise at our sister site, Requiem for the Gobbler Motel.

Watch This: UK Wants to Record All Phone Calls, Emails, Websurfing

2008-05-22T14:54:00.024-05:00

Perhaps the most surprising thing about this news story from the UK is how unsurprising it seems today, in 2008:

A government database holding details of every phone call made, email sent and minute spent on the internet by the public could be created as part of a centralised fight against crime and terrorism, it emerged [May 20th]. News of the proposal prompted alarm about the country's growing surveillance culture and raised fears of "data profiling" of citizens. It follows on from plans for databases for ID cards and NHS electronic patient records.

Telecoms companies and internet service providers would be compelled to hand over their records to the Home Office under proposals that could find their way into the new data communications bill. The information would be stored for at least 12 months and police, security services and other agencies across Europe would be able to access the database with court permission. [Read full article in Guardian UK, and others, via Schneier on Security]

Which brings me to my main point. I've noticed an unsettling trend in the comment sections of blogs and websites reporting on intrusive government proposals like the one above.

I see fewer expressions of outrage at the idea that our private communications could be intercepted, monitored, shared and stored by government agencies - and more "what, are you paranoid?" joking, more "what's the big deal, everyone's doing it, get used to it" dismissals. Why should this be the case? Do we actually value our electronic privacy less today than we once did?

What I suspect is happening is a gradual downward shift of privacy expectations in this less-than-a-decade since 9/11, and public acclimation to pervasive surveillance. Being watched is no longer the exception: it's the norm.

Corporations routinely buy and sell our private personal and financial information amongst themselves, public spaces and private establishments surveil and record activity as a matter of course. Any time we enter a store, a bank, a sports arena, or an airport we expect to have our actions and movements electronically observed and recorded. When we dial a customer service number, the canned preamble more often than not warns us "this call may be recorded."

A friend whom I normally held to be an advocate of individual privacy rights recently offered the apologist's trope, that those who are guilty of nothing have nothing to fear by being watched. I found this surprising and a bit disturbing - after all, if our calls and emails are recorded, then yesterday's innocent act could become tomorrow's documented transgression. It also occurred to me that these days even I rarely notice the increasing number of dark, shiny watchful hemispheres on the ceilings and walls of nearly every store and public place I go. They're just there, like light bulbs and fire sprinklers.

Outside of our homes, we have virtually no expectation of privacy of action to speak of, but this broad proposal is different: it hits us where we communicate, emote, express, think. It's not just surveillance of behavior; it's the closest thing we have today to surveillance of thought.

You know, I think those commenters are right. We're starting to care less and less that we're being watched because we're all being watched.

In The Bathroom @ Sultan's

2008-05-21T21:18:00.001-05:00

Very tasty Mediterranean eats (in the restaurant, of course), and a fascinating "pilgrimage" bathroom, to boot. On North Avenue, in Chicago.

farkleberries Links du Jour 181: the Ants in Your Phone Edition

2008-05-16T15:31:00.014-05:00

Crazy Rasberry ants [Paratrechina sp. near pubens] have invaded Houston, and they're eating the electronics. "Crazy" refers to their erratic swarming movements, unlike many species' neat linear lockstep; and "Rasberry" comes from Tom Rasberry, the Texas exterminator first credited with noticing them on a job:
"I think they go into everything, and they don't follow any kind of structured line. If you open a computer, you would find a cluster of ants on the motherboard and all over. You'd get 3,000 or 4,000 ants inside, and they create arcs. They'll wipe out any computer." [Rasberry in Computerworld, via iTWire]
Patsy Morphew of Pearland, Texas told the Houston Chronicle,
"They crawl through the eaves of the house and go into the bathroom. You know what it's like to sit down on the commode with crazy ants running everywhere?"
They're also chewing up wiring at NASA's Johnson Space Center, they're poison-resistant, and they eat fire ants for lunch. [Image from Super Toy Archive Collectible Store, "Blue Army Ants"]
"Cupcakes" made of meatloaf, with mashed potato icing. Mmm. [via Slashfood]
Ancient Geeks [like moi] can get detailed pinout schemata for thousands of obsolete audio, video and computer connectors at Pinouts.ru.
Want to improve the subtle flavors of Two, Three, Four Buck Chuck? You may not have to splurge on plonk, just your MP3 collection: according to a Heriot Watt University study, the type of music played to accompany wine can influence taste perceptions by almost 60% [BBC]:
The researchers said cabernet sauvignon was most affected by "powerful and heavy" music, and chardonnay by "zingy and refreshing" sounds. ...

The white wine was rated 40% more zingy and refreshing when that music was played, but only 26% more mellow and soft when music in that category was heard. The red was altered 25% by mellow and fresh music, yet 60% by powerful and heavy music. The results were put down to "cognitive priming theory", where the music sets up the brain to respond to the wine in a certain way.

...[Previously] Prof. North [of Heriot Watt] conducted supermarket research which suggested people were five times more likely to buy French wine than German wine if accordion music was played in the background. If an oompah band was played, the German product outsold the French by two to one [Emphasis mine - LR].
According to the story, Montes Wines recommends you listen to Blondie's "Atomic" when sipping Chardonnay, Vangelis' "Chariots of Fire" alongside Syrah, and "Sitting On The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding to put some soul in your Merlot. [via Clusterflock]
Smithsonian Magazine's Joan Acocella contemplates why New Yorkers are perceived as being so rude:
In my experience, many people believe that New Yorkers are smarter than other Americans, and this may actually be true. The majority of people who live in New York City were not born here. Indeed, more than a third were not born in the United States. New Yorkers, then, are people who left another place and came here, looking for something, which suggests that the population is preselected for higher energy and ambition. ...

But I think it's also possible that New Yorkers just appear smarter, because they make less separation between private and public life. That is, they act on the street as they do in private. In the United States today, public behavior is ruled by a kind of compulsory cheer that people probably picked up from television and advertising and that coats their transactions in a smooth, shiny glaze, making them seem empty-headed. New Yorkers have not yet gotten the knack of this. That may be because so many of them grew up outside the United States, and also because they live so much of their lives in public, eating their lunches in parks, riding to work in subways. It's hard to keep up the smiley face for that many hours a day.

It is said that New Yorkers are rude, but I think what people mean by that is that New Yorkers are more familiar. [read full article]
Full disclosure: I myself am a former New Yorker.

Stormdrive

2008-05-14T16:09:00.004-05:00

On Route 264 near Manassas, Virginia, during a pounding rainstorm that eventually flooded highways in the region last weekend. Click to view the full-resolution image, which reveals some interesting things about traffic lighting viewed over time. The 2-second exposure of road lighting was taken while rotating the camera's body clockwise.

Dendrobium

2008-05-09T21:49:00.003-05:00

[Why, yes, I am a fan of Georgia O'Keeffe's work - why do you ask? ;) - L]

Galena (IL) Staircase

2008-05-09T20:19:00.002-05:00

"Price Gouge'n" in Valpo

2008-05-06T15:29:00.002-05:00

This guy's taken the gas-price blues to a whole new level:

VALPARAISO, Ind. -- A Valparaiso man climbed atop a convenience store with a guitar and megaphone Monday night to sing a song protesting high gasoline prices. Police halted the impromptu 15-minute concert at a Family Express store and took singer Jay Weinberg to jail.

Weinberg's song, called "Price Gouge'n," resonated as he sang from above pumps dispensing fuel at $3.78 per gallon. Dozens of supporters chanted: "I can't afford it. I'm banging on my dashboard. I can't believe they think I'm a fool." Eventually, three Valparaiso police officers arrived and arrested Weinberg on charges of criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct.

Some of the listeners, including his wife, Danielle, drove to Porter County Jail to bail him out. Weinberg left the building around 7:30 p.m. and was greeted with cheers. [via AP/Google]

[With apologies to the creator of the above cartoon; I've seen it several times before but this version lacks a signature. Anyone who knows the name of the artist that should be credited, feel free to leave a comment]

sodiumflaregranville

2008-05-06T15:02:00.002-05:00

Old Scioto Mills, Lena, IL

2008-05-05T16:26:00.004-05:00

A treasure from the golden age of the Illinois Central Railroad, seen along the Jane Addams Trail in Lena, IL. From a perfect sunny Sunday hike in the swampy, froggy Pecatonica River basin, accompanied by the loves of my life; camera in hand.

Out of Paint; or, Taggers Make Excuses

2008-04-21T13:07:00.002-05:00

Next time, maybe they'll bring an extra can. [Seen April 21, 2008, under the 59th Street Metra tracks in Hyde Park]

Wanted: 1970's David W. Teske Celestial Star Chart

2008-04-17T13:58:00.007-05:00

For several years, without success, I've been trying to locate a copy of a beautiful wall poster that has hung for nearly thirty years on a family member's staircase wall. It's a Celestial Chart (catalog #1024-A) drawn by David W. Teske, printed in the early 1970's by a small Corte Madera, CA, publishing company named Pomegranate. The phone number and address listed in fine print at the poster's border are dead ends, but from following a few Google tracks, I suspect this company may have become Pomegranate Communications of Petaluma, CA. Unfortunately, they no longer carry this item.

The poster is about 4'x5' in size, printed in white and blue on heavy black background matte paper, has an intriguing characteristic: all the text is in regular typeface, except for the label "Pleiades," which is set in italics.

Anyone know where I could find a copy?

Roberts Field Shadows

2008-04-17T13:45:00.002-05:00

Who needs to stand on the shoulders of giants, when the Sun can stretch you all the way to the horizon?

Sloughing the Skin

2008-04-11T09:46:00.002-05:00

Rosenwald Hall Desire Path

2008-04-04T16:12:00.002-05:00

A University of Chicago desire path from the side door of Rosenwald Hall leading to the main sidewalk toward the Quads. Despite repeated efforts to discourage desire path creators (putting up orange plastic fencing at the side door, adding shrubbery), the ad hoc walkway persists. I say - cobblestone it and make it permanent!

X-Files Movie 2: Chris Carter Dishes at Paleyfest 2008

2008-03-28T08:40:00.003-05:00

For us X-Philes, it's been a long dry spell of cable reruns and Hollywood red herrings about the release of the second X-Files feature film. Well, apparently, it's happening. For reals, man. Click above to watch Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz, and Mitch Pileggi ("FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner") spill some beans on the new movie at Paleyfest, set to release July 25th, 2008.

BONUS: Ain't It Cool News reveals the putative teaser poster for XF2. [Via BD Horror News]

Killdozers in Tutus

2008-03-27T16:59:00.004-05:00

Forget Esther Williams and her synchronized swimmers. Forget the Weeki Wachee Mermaids. The British JCB Dancing Diggers are the shite: diesel poetry in motion!

Yes, choreographed construction diggers. Something about that just tickles my fancy. [Via ha.ha.nu]

The Streets Flow With Milk and Honey. and the Fish Jump Into Your Boat! No, Really.

2008-03-25T14:50:00.003-05:00

Ah, Illinois...the Sucker State, home of the Sears Tower, and now, the land of flying Asian carp:

[Via Scribal Terror]

Orchids by Candlelight

2008-03-23T09:12:00.001-05:00

[Herndon, VA - on Flickr]

Chicago's Twin Black SUV Mystery

2008-03-12T21:39:00.007-05:00

I have a burning question for Chicagoans in the know: which bigshot rides around town in a pair of shiny black Chevy Suburbans (with tastefully concealed blue and red emergency lights and police-style sirens, used at strategic moments to slice through traffic like a knife through butta') both bearing the SAME rear license plate, Illinois registration 321-6024 - with a DIFFERENT license plate on the front?

The rear windows are deep-tinted, and through the lightly tinted front window glass you can spy a Blues Brothersish goomba behind each wheel. Two identical Suburbans in tandem, with the same rear plates?? This wouldn't fly without the express consent of Chicago PD.

I've seen these Suburbans twice now - riding alongside me on northbound Lake Shore Drive just past the river, in the afternoon rush hour.

Who do they belong to? Da Mare? Certainly not Blowdryevich; he flies on our nickel.

[Image courtesy of a Colorado limo service - the only photo of two Black Suburbans I could filch off the Web. Gracias!]

10 Things That (Potentially) Keep Me Up at Night

2008-03-10T13:31:00.014-05:00

Earworms; especially those hatched from old Steely Dan or Duran Duran songs.
The Yebeg Tibs Watt I had for dinner.
Is Black Sigatoka fungus the reason we have no bananas in the house?
Our dog Sammy's flatulence after consuming an entire roast beef Nylabone™ (no relation to #2). "Organic!" plus "wholesome!" does not equal "odorless!"
Toasti Toes™ (see picture). It's like a David Lynch film: you know Super Mario the lumberjack and his axe are somehow responsible for those dismembered toes appearing in a toaster. "With Adhesive!" All the better to stick to your ribs, dearie! And why the hell is that rabbit skiing?
"Kenmore's on fire again!" Why do all the fire engines take a short cut down our peaceful street at night?
The concept of a Vice President named Huckabee.
Our upstairs neighbor moving furniture at 2:00am, because stylish interior design waits for no man (or woman).
The effect of Daylight Savings Time versus Earth's rotation slowing down.
Eliot Spitzer Admits Involvement in Prostitution Ring: was he bolstering NY's budget by running one? Then yes. Patronizing one? Meh; not so much.

Them Must Be Hyde Park Squirrels

2008-03-05T14:34:00.011-06:00

From CBS2 Chicago:

Squirrels Harass Owl In Buffalo Grove - Neighbor Calls Police
BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. (STNG) ― If you thought Buffalo Grove was just another quiet village, think again. Nights in this northwest suburb can get pretty wild.

At about 2:55 a.m. Wednesday, police were called to the 300 block of Willow Parkway when a resident reported an unusual noise in her back yard, according to a report from Buffalo Grove police.

Investigating officers found that two squirrels were harassing an owl and causing the ruckus. No injuries or arrests were reported.

(Source: Sun-Times News Group Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2006. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Ah, where was this kind soul when Kitty Genovese gasped her last?
Call police on squirrel gangs? Nah. Send Mike Huckabee after them with a popcorn popper. [YouTube link]
Note to owl: wings. Use 'em.

(Uncredited image from kwc.org blog) BONUS: CBS2 Chicago has devoted a page on their site to that grand Midwestern Lenten tradition, the Chicago Fish Fry directory.

Sunset on LSD

2008-02-28T08:02:00.003-06:00

Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, that is.

University of Chicago Humor Meets Lost Item of Clothing

2008-02-27T16:06:00.001-06:00

farkleberries Links du Jour 180: The Nightmare Cauliflower Edition

2008-02-26T12:54:00.013-06:00

Cauliflower lovers, rejoice! Chou-fleur breeders have developed new strains of the underappreciated veggie that'll charm skeptics with their psychedelic neon-green, orange and purple heads. If their day-glo colors don't make your mouth water, their nutritional profile should:
In America, where colour cauliflowers have been available for several years, they have been a big hit with foodies. The orange cauliflower has higher than normal levels of beta carotene, a form of vitamin A that encourages healthy skin. The purple colour comes from anthocyanin, which may help prevent heart disease by slowing blood clotting. Tests of the orange cauliflowers in America found that they contained 25 times the concentrations of beta carotene in normal cauliflowers. [Daily Mail UK]
More on the genetic mutation that causes cauliflower to glow at the Biotech Weblog.
An oldie, but a goodie - the still unauthorized Red Meat Construction Set!
This morning, NPR had a fascinating piece on yellow fever, "Lessons From America's Tropical Epidemic." Years ago the dread disease carried away young and old, but today, global warming also carries the risk ushering in its return to normally temperate areas. I always associated the term "Bring out your dead!" with the Black Plague and a classic Monty Python skit [YouTube] - but apparently the carts rolled in the streets during America's yellow fever epidemic, as well.
The cellphone: not just a cool toy that's brought us instant portable communication (and more annoying bus rides), but an innovation that's creating profound change in the way human beings live and understand their connections to one another around the globe. Check out this Gardner Writes blog post discussing the Joel Garreau WaPo article "Our Cells, Ourselves":
Twenty-five years of cellphone technology have brought us to the point that Google CEO Eric Schmidt can say, "Eventually there will be more cellphone users than people who read and write. I think if you get that right, then everything else becomes obvious."
Apocalypse knitters - purl yourself a swanky (Non-Functional) Gas Mask Hat and be the envy of your neighborhood's Homeland Security fan club. [via Boing Boing]
Speaking of frightening-but-playful scenarios, Dark Roasted Blend's photoessay "Nightmare Playgrounds" travels to Cold-War Era European (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Israel, to name a few) parks and playgrounds that bring the line "stop crying, kid, or I'll really give you something to cry about!" to garish unnatural life. Think Disney-meets-Hieronymus Bosch.
Help save GINA! GINA stands for the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, legislation currently on hold in the Senate that would provide Americans a degree of protection and privacy against discrimination based on genetic information in employment, health insurance, and other areas. Read the full article at the Genetic Genealogist.

Shhh...I'm Listening.

2008-02-22T13:52:00.006-06:00

And now...a plug: I've been a fan of the Last.fm site for a couple of years - it's a delishable interactive social music site that allows you keep detailed track of your cumulative listening habits and share them with friends using the Audioscrobbler tracking system (thanks, Daphne!) - but creating your own personal listening charts, and having exhaustive, anal-retentively accurate records of everything you play on your computer is just the tip of the iceberg with Last.fm. I've also learned that my listening habits are:

a) somewhat similar to my real-life friends', and
b) quite similar to 20-something Scandinavians and Brazilians. Go figure? Must be all that Apoptygma Berzerk I've been listening to lately.

If you use iTunes, Winamp or a similar media player* you can get started by clicking here - the basic Last.fm service is free (the UK-based company charges a nominal monthly charge for their enhanced service, if you wish to upgrade).

* No, Last.fm doesn't know where your music comes from - as long as your tracks are properly tagged with artist, title, and album information, no one need know just how you managed to get a copy of the latest ______ album four months in advance, capisce?

Q: Why is this blog called "farkleberries"?

2008-02-21T16:48:00.006-06:00

A: That's the #1 question I get about the blog. Actually, when I started the blog I tried other names, but for some reason all were taken on the Blogspot domain (clearly, I wasn't being very original). "Farkleberries" was the 6th or 7th naming attempt, and to my joy I found a unique name!

Well, it could have been called "trilled postalveolar fricative."

That's the linguistic name for the uniquely Czech consonant, Ř, which the first initial of my last name if I care to spell it correctly.

I think that would have been a lot worse.

By the way, the serpent-eating-its-tail logo on the right side of this page is an ancient Mesoamerican symbol called the "seven-segmented ouroboros." That name would be almost as unique...

Glass

2008-02-19T20:31:00.009-06:00

Not fragility; not
Retreating
Not defeated but
Descending

Fused and fragmented
Captured in flow endlessly slow
Transparency is no barrier to strength, as any skyscraper knows

Happy 5th Birthday, farkleberries!

2008-01-10T11:38:00.000-06:00

That's five whole years, not counting its earlier 2001-3 incarnation as Unzen Koans ~~(now sadly deleted even from the Wayback Machine, alas)~~. Actually, a number of pages (sans images) still exist at Archive.org.

Perhaps the posts haven't been spilling from these pages as quickly as they once have, but if you believe the adage that each picture tells a thousand words, farkleberries has been as wordy as ever - if not more so. Lately I've let my trusty little digital camera describe the scenes and sights around me. This red C7 bulb, all fiery glow to warm a winter's night, is part of my latest photo series on Flickr.

Coincidentally, as of tomorrow (Jan 11th) my thirties will leave the building. I am oddly relieved.

The great thing about getting older is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been. ~Madeleine L'Engle

The first forty years of life give us the text; the next thirty supply the commentary on it. ~Arthur Schopenhauer

As fellow Capricorn Elvis always says, thanggyaverramuch....

A New (Year's) XIII. Století - "Elizabeth" and "Fatherland" from 2003 Castle Party

2008-01-04T13:24:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year, everyone...yes, I know it's a few days late, but you know how things get in the Midwestern Dead of Winter. It takes a few hot javas to melt the synapses. Enjoy this live version of XIII. Stoleti's "Elizabeth" from the 2003 Castle Party in its full 7:35 glory. A little less grand than the original, but more spontaneous - and Petr Stepán cuts loose with a rare guitar solo jam at the end. [Thanks to Torquemado for uploading the "Elizabeth" video to YouTube, and x4nthi for "Fatherland"]

Minivan Crashes Chicago ABC Newscast

2007-12-24T11:48:00.000-06:00

A minivan crashed into the glass-windowed ABC-7 news studio in downtown Chicago last night, just in time for the opening of the 10pm nightly news:

Police are investigating what caused the van to jump the curb and slam into the studio’s bullet-resistant glass, but a witness said the crash appeared deliberate. There were no known injuries, police said.

Steven Parnell, 37, a sergeant with STAR detective agency, said he was patrolling the CTA Red Line subway when his boss called him about a suspicious vehicle parked in the middle of State. Parnell came up, spotted the minivan and approached it. "He waved me off and rolled up his window," Parnell said of the driver, who then briefly began driving up and down State making U-turns. The man then drove into the studio’s southeast corner -- about 15 to 20 feet from the anchor desk. The driver stayed in the car until police arrived and took him into custody. [read full article on Sun-Times Online]

[Photo above taken by yours truly, this morning]

Slow As A Swimming Three-Toed Sloth

2007-12-19T14:27:00.000-06:00

About as cute and strange as you would expect. [via Neatorama]

Moon Over Lake Michigan (November's Full)

2007-11-29T15:25:00.001-06:00

Aussie Email Bum's Rush

2007-11-27T12:01:00.001-06:00

Lesson: crappy generic email generates crappy generic response.

Thank-you. Your correspondence has been received and will be dealt with shortly.

Recruitment
Human Resources Division
Chancelry Building 10A
The Australian National University
Canberra ACT 0200
Australia

Friday Random Ten: The Leaves Meet The Pavement Edition

2007-11-16T15:26:00.000-06:00

Ladytron - Last One Standing
Fields of the Nephilim - At the Gates of Silent Memory
Koko Taylor - Up in Flames
Tal Farlow - Lorineqsue
Kraftwerk - Kometenmelodie 2
Anna Ternheim - My Secret
The Cloud Room - We Sleep in the Ocean
Talking Heads - Don't Worry About the Government
Telepopmusik - Nothing's Burning
Jocelyn Montgomery w/David Lynch - O Tu Illustrata (from Lux Vivens: Songs of Hildegard von Bingen)

Still Lighter and Fluffier!

2007-11-15T14:58:00.000-06:00

Spotted recently on State Street in Chicago, across from ~~Marshall Field's~~ Macy's: an unusual use of our city's JC Decaux "Street Furniture" bus shelter ads, using real popcorn to fill the space where the electric advertising rollers normally reside.

Although poor old Orville (a native son of Valparaiso, Indiana, which hosts an annual Popcorn Festival in his honor) is long dead and gone, his Jimmy Carter-esque grin still adorns jars and bags of his company's corn products - but bus stops in Chicago?

There's just one small problem. If you view the full-size photo (go ahead, click - it only leads to the Flickr page), you may notice that the Orville Redenbacher popcorn, in the left bin, looks amazingly similar to the generic THEIRS popcorn in the right bin. So similar, you'd be hard pressed to notice any difference at all - in size, color, "lightness," or "fluffiness." It's the same damn corn on both sides! All they did was pour more of it in the Orville Redenbacher side!

Couldn't they at least emphasize their snack products' reputed superiority by tossing a few handfuls of "old maids" into the THEIRS bin? Maybe a cockroach or two for extra effect?

We, the Consumer, deserve more than more popcorn. We deserve LIGHTER and FLUFFIER POPCORN, especially if you're going to parade it out on State Street in Chicago for [insert Winter holiday of your choice].

The X-Files Movie is Out There..Somewhere

2007-11-02T14:20:00.000-05:00

I'll believe it when I see it, but the scuttlebutt on the street is that the long-awaited (Note - 10 years is an eternity in TV-Land, C.C. - Ed.) sequel to the X-Files: Fight The Future movie is in the pipeline, slated for a July 2008 release.

Why now, after years of proposals and stalled contracts? Reports say the impending Hollywood writers' strike is pushing up production deadlines on a number of gridlocked projects, including XF2. According to Hollywood Insider:

...[Chris] Carter, who will direct the movie and co-write the script with X-Files exec producer Frank Spotnitz, [said] years of contract disputes with Fox were resolved when the threat of an impending writers' strike came to a head. "If we don't do it now and the strike was protracted, it would force the movie to come out several years from now," he says. "And that was too late. It was either now or never."

And, oh happy rainy day! The show's creators will apparently return to its moody Canadian roots to film the sequel, the Vancouver Sun reports:

David Duchovny will be reaching once again for his umbrella, and so will at least 100 crew members in the city as 20th Century Fox made it official: the sequel to 1998's The X-Files movie will shoot in Vancouver. The movie, as yet untitled, brings together Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as special FBI agents Fox Mulder (Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Anderson) who, in the original television series and in the first movie, encounter paranormal activity in their investigations. Duchovny and Anderson starred in the long-running TV series The X-Files (1993-2002), which shot its first five seasons in the Vancouver area.

Happy Day of the Dead!

2007-11-01T12:18:00.000-05:00

Today is Dia de Los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. Raise your glass, sing a song, crunch a sugary skull and remember those that have passed before us. Wikipedia sums it up:

Though the subject matter may be considered morbid from the perspective of some other cultures, celebrants typically approach the Day of the Dead joyfully, and though it occurs roughly at the same time as Halloween, All Saints' Day and All Souls Day, the traditional mood is much brighter with emphasis on celebrating and honoring the lives of the deceased, and celebrating the continuation of life; the belief is not that death is the end, but rather the beginning of a new stage in life. In Mexico and Mexican immigrant communities in the United States and Europe, the Day of the Dead is of particular cultural importance.

It's also celebrated in Eastern Europe (albeit in a slghtly less colorful way); Czechs know it as Dušičky. Memento Mori.

Chicago What Radio?

2007-10-31T16:28:00.000-05:00

Things got a little, ahem, hairy today over at Boing Boing:

My Bloglines aggregator captured the RSS feed's original typo, but the post's title has been corrected on the actual website. However, if you look at the post's URL, it's still:

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/10/31/chicago-pubic-radio.html.

(Sorry; I have a soft spot for Beavis-and-Butthead-type humor. If you think that's bad, consider the fact that I recall once making the same typo on an undergrad term paper - which the professor thankfully ignored or missed. - Ed.)

The Ghost Balloon of Graceland Cemetery

2007-10-25T14:20:00.000-05:00

We're big fans of cemeteries (great places to visit, wouldn't want to live there), and we recently discovered Graceland (at Clark and Irving Park) just reopened after a major cleanup following August's violent tree-felling storms.

While it's not as large or old as our old fave, Rosehill, it's much, much creepier for some reason. We took a short trip there this past weekend, and had the strange feeling we were being followed, even though no one was around whenever we looked behind us...probably just a trick of the acoustics, as the "L" tracks adjoin Graceland's east wall and the wind seems to play odd tricks.

It doesn't help matters that one of the first monuments that greets you is the tomb of Henry Graves, one of Chicago's first settlers from Ashtabula, OH. (read Henry Graves' obituary from the September 1st, 1907 edition of the New York Times) Nothing wrong with Graves' grave, except that it's fronted by the spectacularly eerie Lorado Taft sculpture*, "Eternal Silence" (above) - an amalgam of Destiny from Neil Gaiman's Sandman, Dickens' Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come, and the Grim Reaper sans scythe. A cursory bit of research confirms that yes, the statue does indeed represent Death.

Lovely.

Graceland Cemetery is reputed to be one of Illinois' most haunted, but normally I don't place too much stock in that. However I do have a rather freaky story. We were followed - slowly - for several minutes...by a white balloon.

The balloon eventually blew over to the razor wire separating the train tracks from the "cheap seats" and died a violent death. Click the YouTube links, and watch the carnage for yourself. I wish I could say that no balloons were harmed in the making of this video, but I'd be lying.

* If you don't think "Eternal Silence" is creepy, consider the fact the figure stands about 9 feet tall. RuPaul's got nothin' on old E.S.

Friday Random (Lake) Ten: The Harvest Banquet Edition

2007-10-19T16:10:00.001-05:00

Lovely goat models courtesy of Spieker's Pumpkin Farm, Rt. 57 in Random Lake, WI.

Division Kent - Plein Sud
The Crüxshadows - Marilyn, My Bitterness V2.0
London After Midnight - Trick Or Treat
Soulive - Never Know
Philip Glass - Reting's Eyes
Beck - Cellphone's Dead (Jamie Lindell Limited Minutes Remix)
Infected Mushroom - In Front of Me
William Ackerman - Garage Planet
Thievery Corporation - Tomorrow
Cannonball Adderley Quintet - Music, Y'all

"Would You Take Fruit From a Snake?"

2007-10-19T14:16:00.000-05:00

via videosift.com

After all, what's an eternity in hellfire compared to good healthy dose of fiber? A little Australian theological silliness.

Sharp-eyed 80's music fans will note a cameo by Australian Shadow Minister for the Environment Peter Garrett, who takes an apple from the snake at about 2:08. You may remember him as the gangly bald leader of Midnight Oil. [via Neatorama]

False Alarm 6:20pm

2007-10-19T13:21:00.000-05:00

University of Chicago's Prof. Roger Myerson: Dude, You're Going To Stockholm!

2007-10-15T12:07:00.000-05:00

Farkleberries offers our heartiest congratulations to the University of Chicago's Prof. Roger Myerson on winning this year's Nobel Prize in Economics, jointly with Prof. Eric Maskin and Prof. Leonid Hurwicz.

My apologies for the slightly blurry photo taken at this morning's press conference at Mandel Hall, but it was the best I could do without flash. From left: Prof. James Heckman (won the Nobel Prize in Economics 2000), Prof. Roger Myerson, Prof. Gary Becker (1992), and Prof. Robert Lucas (1995). Missing is Prof. Robert Fogel, who won the prize in 1993.

Strange to come to work with news crews waiting outside the Prof's door, awaiting the newly announced laureate's arrival. Even stranger is the fact the University's Department of Economics now has five - count them, five - current Nobel prize winners (not counting professors passed on, or emeriti). Five laureates out of 38 active faculty members means...13.2 percent of our department has won the Nobel Prize. That's just kind of...extraordinary.

Friday Random Ten

2007-09-21T11:36:00.000-05:00

Dusty Springfield - Breakfast In Bed
Black Box Recorder - Brutality
Soulive - Morning Light
The Crystal Method - Comin' Back
Hidria Spacefolk - Symetria
Panjabi MC - Sweeter
Beastie Boys - B For My Name
Duran Duran - Hungry Like The Wolf
Tangerine Dream - Origins of Supernatural Probabilities
Depeche Mode - Black Celebration

When I Said We Need a Toilet Snake, That Wasn't What I Meant

2007-09-17T15:58:00.000-05:00

PLAINFIELD, N.J. (October 21 2005) -- Six Foot Snake Found In Toilet

A blocked drain at a home in North Plainfield, N.J., led to the discovery of a 6-foot snake in a family's toilet. Pete and Debbie Bias suspected there was a problem with their home's plumbing system after nearly a week of messy backups. The blockage moved mysteriously from the toilet in the basement to the second-floor bathroom, according to the report. The couple decided to move the toilet off its base to investigate the problem and found a 6-foot Brazilian Rainbow Boa named "Freddy."

"I called my wife over, she took a look at it and she said, 'Yeah, it looks like we have a snake in the drain,'" Pete Bias said. Police called in a local pet store owner Craig Ost to remove the reptile. "Luckily I grabbed it by the head," Ost said. "If I grabbed it by the tail, the thing probably would have scurried down the drain." It was not determined how Freddy wound up in the toilet but the Bias family suspects it entered the home through the sewer system.

Okay...it's old news. But tell me you don't appreciate a Monday good laugh at the expense of New Jersey.

farkleberries Links Du Jour 179

2007-09-14T13:47:00.000-05:00

I hate to say "I told you so," but it sounds as though there is evidence that implanted RFID chips may be linked to the development of cancerous tumors, at least in animals. Some counter that the glass-encased RFID implants are merely passive devices, and do not emit energy or signals unless triggered by a proximate RFID reader device. My take: 1) is it possible that there is enough electromagnetic energy in the ambient atmosphere to cause the copper coil antennas in these devices to emit some "signal" even in the absence of a trigger from an RFID reader - which may be a yet-unknown health hazard? 2) What if the implanted glass capsules themselves may be causing the tumors? Stay tuned; the jury's not in yet on this one.
Too cute for words: the Ukrainian melon-eating kitten [via Neatorama]
Art, or dinner? Girls With Meat Hair, an art installation by Julia Kissina
Not your typical NPR story: woman claims to have found the Chupacabra
The "I Am Legend" Archive - Richard Matheson's story inspired the schlocky 1971 Charlton Heston cult hit, the "The Omega Man," which I once saw on TV when I was around five or so...I used to get that film confused with another one that featured cannibalistic, pasty-faced pyrophobic night dwellers - "The Time Machine." Yay for cult movies!
CourtTV News: Bald Man Caught Running Away From Pharmacy With Hair-Loss Products
What can happen if you place metal objects in the vicinity of an MRI machine? Bad things, very bad things that are fun to watch. [Google Video]
Selling Chicago: Your Ad on Everything in the City, thanks to Mayor Daley? Could we at least get some CTA money out of it, huh?

An Especially Choice Series of Comments

2007-09-14T13:37:00.000-05:00

* Arlene: Dolls really scare some people. Not usually me, but this picture does.
* Ryan Thompson: The "War on Christmas" is inside Bill O'Reilly's head.
* James: Any wagering on when "wide stance" enters the Oxford English Dictionary?
* Alan Truism: I recently discovered Liver Cheese in my local grocer's deli section and am quite delighted with it....
* J.A.: I'm guilty of several things on your list, though we're going to marry too because we're likely to m...
* gregor: that looks like it was taken just after crossing the Walt Whittman into NJ from Philly.
* Dajvid: Rumor has it that Marianna Faithful is god. Can you confirm?

Chicago's Signs of the Times

2007-09-07T15:07:00.000-05:00

Seen scratched into the stall wall in the UC Bookstore ladies' room:

All it takes is a few careless jokes: you get the sidewalk laughing, and next thing you know...

I thinks the persons who is responsible will thinks its ment to be offensive.

Wherefore Art Thou, My Humps?

2007-09-06T14:20:00.000-05:00

Just received this in my inbox, bereft of explication:

It is important to note that the placement of the humps is determined by a multitude of factors including location of catch basins, and most important, the dimensions of the block to ensure a regular hump location pattern. In other words, it is almost impossible to guarantee that humps will not be placed in front of any specific building.

Eh?

Ooops, wrong Alanis Morrissette video: I guess the e-mailer was referring to the new speed humps (otherwise known as "speed bumps" in the the rest of the civilized world) that will be installed in my 'hood soon.

Oopsie! Nuke-Equipped B-52 Flies Over Midwest Last Week

2007-09-05T14:51:00.000-05:00

Any of you Midwestern folks out there have a funny feeling last week? You know, that something might have fallen out of the sky? Nope, no reason. Just askin'. From WIRED News:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A B-52 bomber was mistakenly armed with six nuclear warheads and flown for more than three hours across several states last week, prompting an Air Force investigation and the firing of one commander, Pentagon officials said Wednesday. The incident was so serious that President Bush and Defense Secretary Robert Gates were quickly informed and Gates has asked for daily briefings on the Air Force probe, said Defense Department press secretary Geoff Morrell. He said, "At no time was the public in danger."

Rep. Ike Skelton, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, called the mishandling of the weapons "deeply disturbing" and said the committee would press the military for details. Rep. Edward J. Markey, a senior member of the Homeland Security committee, said it was "absolutely inexcusable. Nothing like this has ever been reported before and we have been assured for decades that it was impossible." ...

The plane was carrying Advanced Cruise Missiles from Minot Air Force Base, N.D, to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., on Aug. 30, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of a Defense Department policy not to confirm information on nuclear weapons. The missiles, which are being decommissioned, were mounted onto pylons on the bomber's wings and it is unclear why the warheads had not been removed beforehand.

This reminds me of an apocryphal story/urban legend I once heard regarding a nuclear near-catastrophe that supposedly occurred at Plattsburgh Air (NY) Force Base - once a strategic missile site - in the late 1980's, where a technician accidentally armed an ICBM warhead during routine maintenance. Allegedly, the error was discovered and corrected only minutes before the warhead was set to detonate.

I haven't found any independent evidence to corroborate the story, but it still gives me the willies to think what might have happened: at the time was living in Plattsburgh, barely a mile from the facility.

Mikula on Craig: "Innocent"

2007-08-31T14:19:00.000-05:00

He said, he said: the Craig arrest interview with Sgt. Dave Karsnia. [on CNN.com August 31st, 2007]

Chicagoans Get Hammered In Storms

2007-08-24T09:15:00.000-05:00

You've got to hand it to Chicago - we know how to weather stormy weather:

(CNN) -- Severe weather in the U.S. Midwest and Southeast overnight bedeviled air traffic, knocked out power to large sections of Chicago, Illinois, and pushed rivers and streams out of their banks...Thousands of passengers at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport were significantly delayed early Friday as 90 percent of departures were running late or very late overnight...The weather also cut power to parts of the O'Hare complex, witnesses said Friday, following a day when severe thunderstorms moving slowly through Chicago knocked out power to more than 300,000 customers.

The storms kept people huddled inside businesses -- including taverns -- in Chicago.

"It was out of control," bartender Nick McCann told The Associated Press. "People would not leave. ... We had $2 margaritas, and people were getting hammered."

"Whotshhhh...shtorm?"

Res Ipsa Loquitur?

2007-08-17T10:26:00.000-05:00

Perhaps you have been wondering about the scarcity of new posts here on Farkleberries for the past little while, and maybe your RSS feed hasn't been delivering very many fresh nuggets from this little corner of the Internet. There have been many major changes and business afoot (regarding work, school, and family) at Chez Farkleberries this summer that have occupied my attention - not the least of which is that I've just started law school, while continuing to work full time and commute back and forth across Chicago on a daily basis.

As a newly-minted 1L, life is freshly busy, crazy, exhausting and exhilarating. Many people have told me it takes a few months to "hit your groove," and I tend to believe them - at other times in my life when I've been faced with big changes, I've always been surprised at the human organism's capacity to adapt. Also in the equation is the fact I am significantly skewing the age distribution of my class upward, as a non-traditional age student.

During our introductory days, an administrator provided us with the Part Time Evening Division law class demographics, which indicated that for the 20th year in a row, more than half of the student body at my school was female - and the median age of incoming 1L's this year was 26. Considering the fact that the youngest students are likely at least 22, even if fresh from undergraduate work, I am a definite outlier lying a few standard deviations above the mean. But few worries about that...just a little grise, no so much eminence yet.

With all the brain work we'll be doing, I'm sure I'll have a lot to say along the way...