My new car

Whelp, I finally bought a new car.... 2008 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder (13 miles on it).

I asked them about putting the spoiler from the Limited Edition (a little more sporty than this one) onto it - and they all looked at me in amazement and wonder... they have made it their personal challenge to try to get that done in the next couple weeks because they have never seen it done and think it would look so cool...

However, here's a pic of it pre-spoiler :)

Scorpio

Sometimes you just have to love these horoscopes ;)

Sometimes, when you are close to an object of love, you want to merge with it so you can intensify your experience. These days, however, you are easily distracted by a variety of possibilities, making it difficult to decide which one is most worthy of your attention. Your best strategy now may be to see where the tides take you, for no decision is necessary yet. The pressure to make a choice stems from your fear of missing a clue to the secrets of the universe.

By Rick Levine

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Voting

I know. It isn't like me to post a MySpace Bulletin here... but this was too good to pass up. Thanks Eric.


Who ever you choose, make sure you get out and vote!!!

Drachten: A plan for Portland?

I was watching Beyond Tomorrow, and they had a spot on Naked Streets. The basic idea is simple - get road of street signs and markings. The host even commented that there was almost no distinction between roadways and walkways. In Drachten, they replaced a standard 4-way intersection (stop lights, crosswalks, etc) with a roundabout and no signage. Only rule is that pedestrians get priority. They have a fountain that gets higher as traffic increases, thus drowning out the sound. I think the real key is that they were talking about how many accidents they had with the old system - and NO accidents in the last 4 years since they changed systems. I could definitely see something like that going over well in Portland (or Ashland).

A short yet fun read

Bored? Need some form of information you can browse and wet your appetite? I found this to be a quick yet enjoyable read.

DataStorm

Ok, there are definitely some funny parts to this... if you are watching it at work, I should warn you that the volume is pretty inconsistent.

Make a Chickensaurus Skeleton

I thought this was kinda kewl...

Synopsis: As a lesson in anatomy, my son and I reassembled a chicken skeleton from the bones remaining after a chicken dinner. We cleaned and dried the bones, then hot-glued them together. It came out pretty cool. A chicken is a lot bigger than you'd think. We gave it a pouncing pose. From the proper angle it does have a dinosaur look about it.

Acacia berlandieri

As most of you know, I randomly browse places like Wikipedia looking for something new to learn. Today I came across something that I thought would make you say 'well, now that's interesting'.

Today we learn about Acacia. I came across the Wikipedia page about the bean/blossom shrub Acacia berlandieri from Southwest US.

1. It's toxic to goats. You heard me right - it's something goats can't eat.
2. In a recent study, researchers identified thirty-one alkaloids in samples of plant foliage, including trace amounts of five amphetamines previously believed to be human inventions:^[5] amphetamine, methamphetamine, N,N-dimethylamphetamine, p-hydroxyamphetamine and p-methoxyamphetamine. Other trace alkaloids include DMT (found in many related species), nicotine, and mescaline (found in many cacti but infrequently in other plants).
3. If you click on the link to the Genus 'Acacia' you'll see that some of the food uses include Fresca, Barqs and Altoids.
4. In The Bible, burning of acacia wood as a form of incense is mentioned several times.
5. The Acacia is used as a symbol in Freemasonry, to represent purity and endurance of the soul, and as funerary symbolism signifying resurrection and immortality.
6. Smoke from Acacia bark is thought to keep demons and ghosts away and to put the gods in a good mood.
7. According to Easton's Bible Dictionary, the Acacia tree may be the “burning bush” (Exodus 3:2) which Moses encountered in the desert.^[10]
8. According to the Book of Exodus, this was used in the construction of the Ark of the Covenant.
9. Egyptian mythology has associated the acacia tree with characteristics of the tree of life (cf. article on the Legend of Osiris and Isis).
10. if exposed to an enzyme which specifically splits glycosides, can release hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in the acacia "leaves."^[60]
    

Apparently, it still can't beat the Venus Fly Trap for meat consumption rates.