MedWorm: Anesthetists

the underwear drawer — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

(Source: the underwear drawer)

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the underwear drawer — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Appeasement. (Source: the underwear drawer)

the underwear drawer — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

So far, on time. (Source: the underwear drawer)

the underwear drawer — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Thank god we got a window seat. It's like free entertainment. (Source: the underwear drawer)

the underwear drawer — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Just landed. (Source: the underwear drawer)

the underwear drawer — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Made it. (Source: the underwear drawer)

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the underwear drawer — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Welcome home. (Source: the underwear drawer)

Wasabi ice cream

bookofjoe — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Mmmmm. Falls Church (Virginia) chef Leland Atkinson's super-premium ice cream "... sounds bizarre but is surprisingly delicious," according to an item in yesterday's Washington Post Food section. $5.99 a pint at at Balducci's, select Whole Foods Markets in Virginia and at Willoughby's Market in Sandy Spring. (Source: bookofjoe)

Kinder, gentler: how to get an innocent person to confess to a crime

bookofjoe — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Long story short: "Make a kindly suggestion of guilt." And: "The more plausible the alleged act... the likelier the false confession." The May 2008 issue of The Atlantic magazine featured an item about a recent study in the psychology literature about guilt and confession in its "Primary Sources" feature; the piece follows. Confessions of a Non-Dangerous Mind The best way to get someone to confess to a crime may be to make a kindly suggestion of guilt — even if the suspect is innocent. Three researchers gathered 219 students and asked them to take a typing test. The subjects sat at computers and typed out letters read aloud by the experimenter. Some of the participants were warned that if they pressed the Alt key, the program would crash and all the data would be lost. The system was rigged so it would shut down after the experimenter asked the participants to type the Z key (which sits just to the left of the Alt key). The experimenter then interviewed the volunteers individually and asked each to sign a statement admitting he or she had ruined the test. “Don’t worry,” the experimenter said. “You didn’t mean to hit the Alt key. Several participants so far have pressed the Alt key during this task. Are you sure you didn’t press it?” Seventy percent of the participants — all innocent — eventually confessed. The professors then repeated the experiment, substituting the Esc key for the Alt key. But since the Esc key sits much farther away from the Z key, only 23 percent of participants admitted to hitting it. The more plausible the alleged act, the authors conclude, the likelier the false confession. The study also found that participants in both tests who were interrogated in a more intimidating manner (“It looks like the entire project may be delayed now. Why did you press the key?”) were less likely to falsely admit to the offense, suggesting that a light hand may be the best way to elicit a false confession..................... Here's the abstract of the paper, which appeared in the February 2008 issue of Legal and Criminological Psychology. Effects of personality, interrogation techniques and plausibility in an experimental false confession paradigm Purpose: The goal of the present study was to investigate the effects of personality variables, interrogation techniques and the plausibility level of an alleged transgression on the experimental elicitation of false confessions. Methods: Two hundred and nineteen undergraduate students assessed on measures of compliance, self-esteem, locus of control and interrogative suggestibility participated in the Kassin and Kiechel (1996) paradigm. Experimental manipulations included minimization and maximization interrogation techniques and high and low plausibility of the alleged typing mistake to examine rates of false confession and internalization. Results: The overall false confession and internalization rates across all conditions were 43 and 10%, respectively. An increased likelihood of false confession behaviour was associated with higher Shift scores on the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale, the use of minimization interrogation techniques and an increase in the plausibility of the allegation. Females were more likely to falsely confess than males in the high plausibility condition, whereas Caucasian and Asian participants were equally likely to falsely confess. Personality variables, such as compliance, most influenced the behaviour of males and Asians. Conclusions: The results of this study offer insight into false confession behaviour, suggesting that individuals who have a tendency to change their responses in the face of negative feedback may be more prone to false confession behaviour. The findings also serve to highlight the dangers of using minimization interrogation techniques and elucidate the limited generalizability of the paradigm to situations in which the alleged transgression is less plausible. (Source: bookofjoe)

Custom european license plate — totally illegal in europe, but we're not there, are we?

bookofjoe — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

For once something's legal here that's forbidden there. From the website: Custom European License Plate Ever wanted to create your own custom European license plate and install it on the front of your car? How about your garage or office wall? Well, I know this guy who has this plate making machine — he uses original plates, has authentic registration stickers, and with one phone call he can make up a few for you. Of course this would be totally illegal in Europe — but we're not in Europe, so who cares? Create any plate you want using up to nine letters, numbers or characters. The best one I've seen yet reads "REVO EVOM," which says "MOVE OVER" to the idiot doing 50mph in the fast lane when he looks in his mirror. Choose which "home" country you want in the blue area and your 9 characters. 21" wide..................... Your choice of 11 countries: Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and Ireland (below). $39.99. (Source: bookofjoe)

Bookofjoe visits google trends

bookofjoe — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Google Trends, the company's latest freebie, is either a game-changing threat to ComScore and its ilk or, if you listen to Comscore CEO Magid Abraham, nothing to worry about. Above, where Google Trends says I'm most popular. Good fun. Free, the way it should be. (Source: bookofjoe)

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Ammonite sink

bookofjoe — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

From Made in Mundo: Ammonite Esta publicação é dedicada a todos aqueles que gostam de lavar as mãos. A HighTech resolveu inovar inspirando-se na beleza arcaica dos Ammonites. Ammonites? O que é isso? Quando não se sabe é necessário procurar, investigar, perguntar. Não há mal nenhum nisso. Ammonites (ver aqui uma imagem) eram uns moluscos de 100kg e com 1 metro de diâmetro que viveram muito felizes nos mares do Cretáceo, no período Devoniano dos mesmos antepassados que os belemnites (+/- 400 milhões de anos). Perceberam? Ainda bem. Continuando o meu pensamento de copy-paste…os Ammonites ficaram famosos durante a era Mesozóica (bons velhos tempos!!!). Infelizmente, os nossos amigos e em conjunto com os dinossauros, não resistiram ao fim do período Cretácio. Hoje em dia, os parentes mais próximos são os Nautilus, que vivêm pacificamente…no Pacífico. O corpo suave dos Ammonites ocupavam a última câmara da concha espiral, juntamente com água e gás que faziam o mesmo flutuar. Eles flutuavam na água como um disco vertical com grupos de tentáculos que saíam da sua concha. Comprimindo a água e expelindo-a, um Ammonite poderia “cuspir” a água como um jacto de propulsão. Os tentáculos procuravam presas como peixes pequenos, passando-os para o bico com o qual os esmagavam. Depois deste fabuloso momento de história, posso dizer que o lavatório tem as formas de um fóssil de um…Ammonite, estando disponível em diversas cores e pode ser instalado em diversas estruturas. Para informações mais detalhadas sobre o parente dos belemnites... HighTech..................... From HighTech: Ammonite Washbasin The natural beauty of a fossilized ammonite shaped in patented concrete creates the uniqueness of this washbasin. Available in several colors for table- or wall-mounted tap. Sink dimensions: 1200 mm-1590 mm x 560 mm. Fossil size: 640 mm. (Source: bookofjoe)

Bob dylan's day job — 'the most interesting radio show to hit the airwaves in decades'

bookofjoe — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Who knew? Not me, that's for sure. Long story short: Dylan hosts a weekly hour-long show on XM satellite radio, each time choosing a topic out of the air upon which to base the songs and commentary that follow. Here's Terry Teachout's June 21, 2008 Wall Street Journal story about Dylan's pretty much under-the-radar gig. Bob Dylan's Day Job A '60s troubadour turns postmodern disc jockey Satellite radio is the open secret of the new media. If you're one of the 17 million Americans who owns a satellite-equipped car or home receiver, you have access to a staggeringly diverse variety of round-the-clock programming that ranges from reggaeton and Howard Stern to Frank Sinatra and "The Shadow." Yet for most of the rest of us, satellite radio is still barely more than a whispered rumor. But now that FCC chairman Kevin Martin has given a thumbs-up sign to the merger of XM and Sirius, the two U.S.-based satellite services, the chances that satellite radio will finally become a major media player have taken an upward tick — meaning that you may be on the verge of discovering "Theme Time Radio Hour," the most interesting radio show to hit the airwaves in decades. "Theme Time Radio Hour" is heard on XM's Deep Tracks channel every Wednesday at 10 a.m. EDT, then repeated several times each week on various other channels. The host is none other than Bob Dylan. Yes, that Bob Dylan. Not that he has to vouch for his identity on the air: The raspy, nasal honk of his voice is instantly recognizable to anyone who knows anything about American popular culture. So is the fascinatingly wide-ranging musical sensibility that informs his program, which was launched two years ago and has racked up 75 episodes to date. Each week Mr. Dylan plucks a topic out of the air — colors, trains, death and taxes, spring cleaning — and plays recordings of a dozen songs whose lyrics relate to it in some way. In between songs he chats about the music and its makers, interspersing his gnomic mini-lectures with a cornucopia of old radio-station promos, celebrity vignettes and phony phone calls and email readings. On a recent episode devoted to doctors, Mr. Dylan played, among other things, Jackson Browne's "Doctor My Eyes," B.B. King's "Walking Doctor Bill," Doc Pomus's "Send for the Doctor," the Rolling Stones' "Dear Doctor," the White Stripes' "Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine," an obscure 1955 calypso song by Lord Lebby called "Dr. Kinsey Report," and "Hadacol Boogie," a jumping ditty recorded in 1949 by Bill Nettles and the Dixie Blue Boys whose subject was the once-celebrated patent medicine touted by its maker as a cure-all for "stomach disturbances, gas, heartburn, indigestion, nagging aches and pains, and certain nervous disorders." Mr. Dylan's crisp, pungent commentaries were as listenable as the songs he played. Toward the end of the show, he introduced a gospel number by the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi by gently chiding listeners who turn up their noses at songs on religious themes: "Any time people sing about what they believe, it elevates it. You don't have to be a junkie to enjoy the Velvet Underground song 'Heroin.' You don't have to have horns and a pitchfork to enjoy 'Sympathy for the Devil,' but it does help. The thing is, it's all music, and when the people believe what they're singing, it's just better." Part of what I find so engaging about "Theme Time Radio Hour" is that it flies in the face of the conventional wisdom about radio in the 21st century. Teenagers and college graduates are less likely to listen to radio nowadays, a decline that media consultants attribute to the rise of the iPod, which allows its owners to choose from thousands of previously downloaded songs at will instead of settling for whatever a disc jockey cares to play. The assumption is that under-40 listeners are now choosing to withdraw into gated communities of musical taste, behind whose electronic walls they listen only to what they already know they like. That's how most of the hundreds of existing satellite-radio channels work. Each one is devoted to a narrow stylistic sliver — show tunes, New Age, old-school hip-hop, even 24/7 Led Zeppelin — so that when you tune it in, you know just what you're getting. Not so "Theme Time Radio Hour," which gives you what Mr. Dylan thinks you ought to get. Nor is his taste predictable: He likes nothing more than to throw musical curve balls, and if you don't like the song he's playing now, all you have to do is wait three minutes for the next one to come along. To listen to "Theme Time Radio Hour" is to rediscover the sense of musical adventure that old-fashioned disc jockeys with strongly individual personalities offered in the days before big-money stations pinned their fiscal hopes to the rigid Top 40-style playlists that took the fun out of radio. Now that America's public-radio stations are abandoning musical programming in favor of news and talk, such shows have grown hard to find in many major markets. That's what makes satellite radio promising. Because it has so many different channels, it has room for everything — including unpredictability. After listening to a few episodes of "Theme Time Radio Hour," it occurred to me that Mr. Dylan and Eddie Gorodetsky, his producer, had inadvertently come up with a model for other musical genres. Why not, say, a show hosted by the classical violinist Hilary Hahn, an articulate young woman whose musical tastes are as wide-ranging as Mr. Dylan's? Instead of reheating the same old casserole of drive-time leftovers, Ms. Hahn could dish up an eclectic stew of classical music, pop, bluegrass ... or whatever. That, after all, is the point of "Theme Time Radio Hour," which is dedicated to the admirable proposition that no well-rounded cultural diet is complete without a weekly dose of whatever..................... Have a listen here to his riff on "Joe." Have a listen live at 10 a.m. ET tomorrow (Wednesday, July 1) on XM satellite radio's Deep Tracks channel. (Source: bookofjoe)

Lidpunch jar opener

bookofjoe — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

That's different. I've heard of punching your ticket but this is ridiculous. From websites: LidPunch Jar Opener Simply place this ingenious device on the lid and tap the top. It punches a tiny hole in the lid, releasing the vacuum seal and relieving pressure on the lid. Now the lid can be easily unscrewed. Includes 4 magnetic sealers to seal the hole and an easy-to-use, 4-in-1 can/bottle opener..................... Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall.... $14.99. (Source: bookofjoe)

'log on to...' — how to let everyone know you're not with the program

bookofjoe — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Listening to the TV announcers at Wimbledon telling me to "log on to nbcsports.com blah blah blah" it occurred to me that no one under the age of 20 "logs on" to anything. They're online all the time but they haven't the foggiest what "log on" means. Time for the majordomos in TV production to pick up the clue phone if they want to retain any portion of the coveted young audience they supposedly crave. (Source: bookofjoe)

Helpless

i'm so sleepy — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:54:00 +0100

On Saturday I was at a popular nationwide-chain arcade/restaurant/bar and playing around trying to win enough tickets to get a stupid little trinket.I heard a bit of a commotion. Apparently a young girl fell to the ground off a seat and her mom and little brother were screaming and crying (respectively). I rushed over because it didn't look like anyone was really helping (though there was a small crowd gathered). The girl seemed unresponsive.... I felt for a pulse and put my ear to her back to see if she was breathing... she was. I asked the mother what happened... she said it looked like she had a seizure, though she was a healthy kid and never been sick in her life. I made sure someone had called 911 and really didn't know what to do next. I'm pretty used to dealing with rough situations in the operating rooms, but in a restaurant I have no equipment, no IV, no drugs, not even any monitors other than my own senses....The bartender came over and said he was also an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) I let him take over, some other doctor came over, but I didn't catch what kind of doctor she was. I let him step in because I figured he was used to those situations, and besides she was breathing and had a pulse so I really didn't think i would do anything different otherwise. I hovered a bit until the ambulance arrived and she seemed to be waking up a bit. The rest of the evening was uneventful, but I couldn't help but wonder if she was okay, and also knowing my own weaknesses outside my usual work environment. (Source: i'm so sleepy)

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the underwear drawer — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

goodbye, hello Not to make this seem like some sort of but-everything-turned-out-OK coda to the entry from yesterday, but...Cal did great last night. He was happy and chatty as always, actually requested bathtime at my parent's house (despite the change in locale from his usual), and happily tucked himself into bed at the end of it all. Kids are so weird. That said, I wish I were three again. Life is easier when you're three. The transition is a little more traumatic in some ways for the adults, I reckon (note: SOUTHERN TALK), despite the wider perspective and the fact that we can rationalize the reasons for difficult changes. Joe told me that he was taking out some last vestiges of house-moving detritus yesterday evening, among them Cal's retired crib mobile, which has a broken motor. While he was wheeling the stuff down to ground level in our old lady cart, Joe accidentally activated the base of the mobile (which plays music), and the sound of that crib music actually got him little teary. Or at least I got a little teary when I heard the story. A lot of nice memories in that house of Cal (and Cooper) growing up. It's hard to leave. Thanks for all the comments, by the way, and I do mean all of them. I respect and appreciate all the different points of view. I by no means purport to be an expert in The Ways of Children, but at this point, at least until he hits puberty and starts getting all secretive, I think I am sort of an expert in my child, and you know, I think he's going to do great. There is an instinct to want to shield your kid, especially your first, from all the world's hurts, and in the big scheme of his short, thankfully uneventful life, this move is a pretty huge event, and all I want to make it as smooth and easy for Cal as possible. This does not mean pre-chewing his food for him or covering him with bubble wrap, but it does mean making sure that he is not exposed to more than I think he can reasonably understand, and taking measures to ensure that he is out of the way when five burly guys are lifting heavy furniture overhead and pushing hundreds of pounds of boxes on poorly-balanced dollies. Probably the next time we move, Cal will be five and we will approach things differently then. (For example, perhaps he can actually help us pack up his stuff. PLEASE LET HIM BE OLD ENOUGH TO HELP PACK. Best case scenario, he can drive the moving van.) But for right now, he's doing an admirable job of rolling with the punches. Better than his parents, anyway. * * * The new first-year anesthesia residents started yesterday. I believe the first day is usually purely administrative, but the second day starts their training in the ORs, and it is (RECURRING THEME!) a difficult transition for everyone. The quantum leap from being a second-year to a third-year resident for the new seniors, the loss of the most experienced residents from the work pool for the attendings (means more oversight required and more fretting for everyone), and of course the switch into a completely different field for the incoming first-years. Some of the scariest moments of my medical career I remember from my first few months as an anesthesia resident. Of course now, in retrospect, it's hard to remember how I could possibly be scared about some of the things that freaked me, but it's not difficult to remember that feeling of being pushed so completely out of my comfort zone and expected to take a lot of responsibility despite the fact that I didn't feel confident at all in my role or abilities. I think medicine makes you feel like that all the time. I'm sure I'll feel like that again in a month, when I start my new job. Good luck, new gas-passers. You're going to be awesome, and even though I know you don't believe me, these next few years are going to pass by before you even realize it. I wouldn't have believed it either, but somehow, I blinked, and the next thing I knew, they were handing me this thing: (Source: the underwear drawer)

Stealth garment rack

bookofjoe — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

From the website: Hang 'N Hide Wall-Mounted Garment Rack Hang freshly ironed clothes or create an instant guest closet with a wall-mounted clothes rack The Hang 'N Hide wall-mounted clothes rack quickly and easily creates extra space for your clothes. Hang it on the wall or the back of a door to provide guests with a convenient place to hang their clothes or place shirts and slacks after they've been pressed. Holds up to 17 hangers and folds flat when not in use. Made of durable chrome and heavy duty plastic, the rack installs easily with the included hardware. A full 25"-wide, it extends 11-1/8" away from the wall when open and magically folds to just 2"-deep when shut..................... $24.99. (Source: bookofjoe)

Notes on the u.s. olympic trials

bookofjoe — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

1) The new Speedo LZR swimsuits (above and below) may be superfast but they're also super ugly — dull grey and black with crazy duct tape-like stripes running helter skelter in every direction. Let's hope the Olympics iteration is tarted up and far more eye candy-ish. 2) Why is it that seemingly every swimming race is a potential world record breaker? Are the new suits that fast? Are the records that soft? I just don't get it. 3) In the past we've heard about how "fast" a pool was when world records fell by the handful. Then how is it that the pool in Omaha, erected in two weeks inside the Qwest arena and scheduled to be dismantled after the trials and moved across the country to a permanent location, is the scene of WR after WR? How can a great pool be thrown up and taken down that easily? Is the party line about fast pools just another urban legend? 4) Why is it that there is so little Olympic Trials programming on TV? An hour of swimming and an hour of track and field max daily just doesn't cut it for me. What with hundreds of channels on both satellite and cable, you'd think one or two could be devoted to just the trials so that sports junkies like me could watch to our hearts' content. Yeah, the announcers are always telling us to log on to NBCOlympics.com for more coverage but it isn't nearly the same on a computer screen as on a giant flatscreen HDTV. Maybe in 2012 they'll figure it out, and stream everything to any screen we like, whether it be our iPhone Gen X or our home holographic 3DTV. 5) The track and field announcing and camera work is sensational, tons of up close slo-mo and knowledgeable commentators and analysts. Swimming is horrible, with boring commentary and terrible video, mostly a big camera looking down from the middle of the pool and following all the swimmers back and forth. What happened to those cameras that move along with the swimmers along the pool, bringing them right into our faces larger than life? Maybe by Beijing NBC'll figure it out. (Source: bookofjoe)

Ipod gramophone

bookofjoe — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Think different. From the website: iPod Gramophone Handcrafted entirely of slip-cast ceramic to replicate the curvature and passive amplification of a French horn, this iPod gramophone augments sound from an iPod without requiring auxiliary power or speaker components. The gramophone projects music using authentic horn acoustics — simply place Apple earbuds on the gramophone's integrated cradles and music channels through the coiled tube and resonates out of the flared bell, resulting in warm, amplified sound up to 55 decibels (near the sound level of laptop computer speakers). The gramophone is compatible with all iPod models and similar in size to a desk lamp, allowing for use on a nightstand, credenza or desktop. The unit is best suited for amplifying blues, folk, classical, jazz and other music genres that do not produce heavy base frequencies. White ceramic with a clear glaze finish. Includes adapters for earbuds. 20"H x 12"W x 13"D. 10 lbs..................... Kind of a post-Steampunk-retro-throwback mashup, what? $499.95. (Source: bookofjoe)

Bookofjoe is a bayesian website

bookofjoe — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Noodling around the internets last night I happened on the following in some obscure tube from five years ago: "The fundamentally random, statistical/Bayesian structure of quantum reality, which, after all, undergirds our daily existence and all of our world, is a testament to the ultimately unknowable." Even a blind, anosmic pig finds an acorn every now and then. (Source: bookofjoe)

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Led flashlight with integrated in-lens magnetic pick-up tool

bookofjoe — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

I mean, I love mashups but this is ridiculous. I'm still trying to get my head around it. From the website: LED Flashlight with Integrated In-Lens Magnetic Pick-Up Tool This is a cool magnetic pick-up tool that also functions as a flashlight for use under the hood. It's wonderfully machined from aluminum with a knurled body for grip and a hex head so it doesn't roll. The six LED lamps last 100,000 hours and last up to 16 hours on fully charged batteries. But the coolest feature is the high-powered magnet that extends out of the lamp housing. The 20-inch flexible telescoping rod has a high-powered magnet that will retrieve up to a 3 pound object. A handy retrieving tool that frees up your other hand because, let's face it, you always need light to find that part deep down in the engine compartment. Four lithium batteries are included so you can leave it in your glove or tool box and not worry about the batteries going dead until you use it. Flashlight is 6-3/4" in overall length..................... $19.99. (Source: bookofjoe)

It's in the manual. wait a minute — where's the manual?

bookofjoe — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Of course, that's never a problem for you — you always put your manuals into a drawer or folder so they're always instantly available. A few people aren't that clever and either throw them away, misplace them or lose them. There's a difference between misplacing and losing something, by the way: when something is lost it might be found but the implication is that it's gone forever; misplaced means far more likely to turn up unexpectedly. But I digress. ManageMyHome.com has a feature called "Find Product Manuals." Follow the instructions and get access to those that have gone missing. [via Suzanne Barlyn's June 26, 2008 Wall Street Journal "Quick Fix" feature] (Source: bookofjoe)

Heart like a ... cucumber?

bookofjoe — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

From the website: .................... Heart-Shaped Cucumber Mold Set First it was square melons but then some creative folks in Yamagata Prefecture made our cucumbers into hearts and changed our salads forever! If you grow cucumbers at home — or want to give the perfect gift to a gardener friend — these Heart-Shaped Cucumber Molds will let you grow your young cucumbers into perfect heart shapes. Have unique salads for dinner parties and special occasions or use your imagination to create something else entirely! Includes three molds along with instructions (in Japanese). .................... Please tell me this is not a cucumber pizza. Please? $59. [via J-Walk Blog] (Source: bookofjoe)

Coworking.pbwiki.com — co-working headquarters u.s.a.

bookofjoe — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Wait a minute, joe — you're going too fast. I get that all the time — not. Anyway. Co-working is the practice of sharing dedicated working space with others who, for one reason or another, don't want to work at home and don't have an office to plunk themselves down in. Sort of the 21st-century equivalent of ronin — in feudal Japan, samurai who'd lost their master and forever after wandered the countryside, leaderless. Lisa Belkin wrote about the new new thing in office space in a June 26, 2008 New York Times story, noting that "The defacto Internet co-working headquarters, coworking.pbwiki.com, shows at least one site in more than 30 states." I counted 31 countries with sites. Who knows, there might even be one near you. Great movie. (Source: bookofjoe)

the underwear drawer — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

i'm between homesSo, the move.The moving company (they are called "Schleppers," very New York) showed up promptly at 9:30am, and proceeded, very efficiently and with good cheer, to dismantle our lives. First they took out all the boxes. Then they took out all the office furniture. Then the disassembled the crib and the dining room table and wrapped everything in layers and layers of moving blankets and plastic wrap. Then they took out the mattresses. And then, they drove away.I hope they know our new address is all I have to say.We tried to minimize the trauma for all involved--Cooper went to Doggie Day Care (their term, not ours) for the day, and Cal was fed, watered, and kicked out of the house before the movers arrived. I didn't want him to get stressed when he saw all our stuff being carted out. I didn't want him to feel scared when he saw the house all empty. He had a fine day out with our nanny, going to the playground and the zoo and feeding all manner of animals in Central Park, avian and rodential. (ducks and squirrels, people, not pigeons and rats--though honestly, I'm not quite sure why we think one pairing is somehow more hygienic than the other.) I met him early in the afternoon at my parents house, where he and I will be staying for the next few days before our flight to Atlanta on Thursday morning. He was excited to be there, excited to see everyone, happy to run around and jump on all the furniture and generally be fawned over.Only later that night did he start asking to go home.I think it is difficult to understate how little you can prepare a not-quite three year-old for a big move, and how difficult it is for them to even understand the concept. With respect to our old apartment, Cal has lived there all his life. It's the only home he's ever known. He knows every room and hallway, he knows the neighborhood, he knows the names of the doormen in the lobby and he knows where all his toys are. With the exception of some limited locations in the outside world (playgrounds, school, other people's houses), our home was his whole world to him. So it was a little difficult telling him that we wouldn't be going back there.I've been telling him about the move to Atlanta for months, of course, trying to get him ready so that these next few weeks wouldn't come as a complete shock. I've been talking to him and showing him pictures of our BIG NEW HOUSE and THE SWIMMING POOL and the BIG PARK right nearby, and how we're going to a FUN NEW SCHOOL and how we can go to the aquarium EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND. In fact, I worry that I've been building it up a little too much, to the point that Cal told me blandly that there was going to be a castle with fireworks in Atlanta, making me wonder if he was equating Atlanta with Disneyland. However, I have to admit that I have been minimizing that aspect of the move that entails us leaving our old home and everything else that that involves. It is difficult to explain to such a young kid that, with the exception of his parents and his dog, everything he has ever known and taken for granted is about to change.We haven't even left the city yet, but already, the transition has been rough. Cal did not want to take a bath at my parent's house last night, for instance. He was not against the idea of bathing itself, but as he screamed over and over again, "I want to take a bath in my own home!" Going to bed too was rough. "Want to sleep in my own home!" And a few hours after he fell asleep, he actually woke up screaming and crying, which he never does, telling me that he doesn't want to stay here, that he wants to go home. I don't know how staying at my parents house for a few days is different for him from when we stay at a hotel on vacation, but maybe some small, prescient part of him is realizing that all this talk about "moving to Atlanta" is something more than just a fun story that we tell before bedtime. Anyway, it's been a little rough for all of us. Joe got the rental car early this morning and he and Cooper are now on the road, in Virginia somewhere by this point. He's going to stop overnight at his dad's house in South Carolina, and make the final push into Atlanta tomorrow morning, hopefully getting in before or maybe a little after noon. There, he will take care of some stuff (picking up our lease car, going to the supermarket, that sort of thing), and will be able to meet our flight when Cal and I land at Hartsfield Thursday afternoon. Our moving van should arrive in about a week to a week and a half. I wish it could be sooner--I think it would help Cal adjust to the new house to see all the familiar furniture, be able to have all his books and toys around him (as it is, half of the rental car that Joe is driving down is filled with Cal's "continuity" stuff, most of the heavy-rotation toys and books at least). But what can you do? Scream and cry and demand to go back to my own home, I guess. (Source: the underwear drawer)

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What is it?

bookofjoe — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Answer here this time tomorrow. (Source: bookofjoe)

Prime numbers — by les murray

bookofjoe — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Normally I live in the country, work, garden, parry thrusts from the Herald, but two days a week I fly in to a cubicle in the Stacked City, an every-coloured brick university that is built on top of itself like a brain's lobes and evolutionary layers on the last rock before Botany Bay. The inner streets of this oppidum are paved with grey carpet, and inmates lie on them for cool negotiations or to write in big pads. Footsteps with vocal animate the stairs and little squares; odd walls not yet built over catch sun and frecklings of leaves; a coffee shop may form round a stairwell... Back above the racehorse-named streets in Overlap City, I'm really a specimen, a mountain to geographers... (Source: bookofjoe)

Knitted china

bookofjoe — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Porcelain teacup and saucer by Dutch designer Madieke Fleuren. (Source: bookofjoe)

Amy winehouse strikes back

bookofjoe — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Last Saturday night at the Glastonbury music festival she punched a fan who tried to grab her (above). Talk about walking the tightrope without a net — every day is a life-threatening experience for the British star. (Source: bookofjoe)

Digital pest repeller nightlight

bookofjoe — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Now here's a mashup to conjure with. Even if it doesn't eliminate your vermin at least you'll be able to see them. From the website: Riddex® Plus Pest Repeller Just plug in this digital pest repeller and the wiring in your house becomes an invisible pest control field. Rats, mice, roaches and other household pests are chased away so no disposal is necessary. Effective throughout an entire floor of your home, approximately 2000 square feet. A safe, effective and economical alternative to expensive pest control companies. No irritating pesticides or chemical fumes. Includes a built-in nightlight. $19.99. (Source: bookofjoe)

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The complete mythbusters — results from every episode ever aired

bookofjoe — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Right here. [via ketchup packets — now that's what I call deep cover] (Source: bookofjoe)

Body tape

bookofjoe — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

100% vinyl packing tape, 60 meters long, printed black on white. "Can be worn as a bangle or used to accessorize clothing... or for packing!" Three row chain, Chain bracelet, Watch or Belt. £9–£11. (Source: bookofjoe)

Drive like a spy

bookofjoe — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

(Source: bookofjoe)

Morphing travel tray

bookofjoe — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Where'd you put your room key? If you had one of these, you'd know. From the website: .................... Travel Tray Don't empty your pockets onto the top of hotel dressers without our flat-folding Travel Tray. Organize your loose valuables (coins, keys, wallet, jewelry, eyeglasses) in this handy tray to keep them from falling behind the dresser or disappearing into the trash basket. It lies perfectly flat in your bag and assembles with four quick snaps into an 8" x 5" x 2"-deep basket with a separate eyeglass compartment. Weighs 3 oz. .................... Black, Olive or Periwinkle. $8.85. (Source: bookofjoe)

What's the best root beer?

bookofjoe — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Eric Asimov, in a June 25, 2008 New York Times Dining In section front page story, wrote that the Times panel of experts chose, from a field of 25, Sprecher's (above), "... a wonderfully balanced and complex brew" made in Wisconsin, as its No. 1 overall, with "... the restrained and flavorful" IBC out of Plano, Texas coming second. Asimov also pointed out that Anthony Schorr's rootbeerbarrel.com, "... perhaps the leading root beer Web site," has reviews of 261 different root beers. The Times story was accompanied by an interactive feature in which Asimov elaborates about root beer and the panel's favorites, listed above. (Source: bookofjoe)

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Ipod ac charger

bookofjoe — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Should be standard equipment with every iPod. There's always an electrical outlet somewhere. Same can't be said for your — or anyone's — laptop. Compatibility: $4.95. (Source: bookofjoe)

Fabled battlefields that never saw war

bookofjoe — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Eric Jansson's haunting June 14, 2008 Financial Times article described his hike on Cheswick Beach, on the coast of Northumbria's North Sea, which in early 1940 was seen as a likely beachhead for an imminent German air and sea invasion of England. The piece follows. Fabled battlefields that never saw war The sign was anything but welcoming. “Explosive hazard,” it read, and a little cartoon showed shrapnel flying. “Localised quicksand.” Then, in bold font: “Former military target area. Do not touch any metallic objects. They may explode and kill you.” Under a slate-grey sky, narrow footpaths tracked by sheep’s hooves ran around pale sand dunes, cutting here and there into patches of tall grass. I heard rustling up ahead, beyond the sign, and looked to see a startled sheep scurry between two dunes. A pause. No explosion. Had the sheep sunk into the ground? I followed gingerly. I knew exactly where I was going, having plotted carefully in advance my walk on Cheswick Beach, on Northumbria’s North Sea coast. But one steps a bit more gently when advised to watch out for bombs and quicksand. The lurid warnings were welcome. I had not gone to the beach for unspoilt beauty; it was spoilt beauty I was after. Not many people visit this great, lonesome expanse of sand and water. A few birdwatchers go there because of its location within Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve, a mecca for migratory birds. Others make the pilgrimage to Holy Island, the offshore monastic site that played a key role in the seventh-century Christian evangelisation of the north of England. I went there because Cheswick Beach is heavily polluted by junk left over from the second world war. I had the place to myself — miles of it, battered by the sea wind. Not just old bombs can be found on the dunes, but pillboxes and observation towers. At low tide, so I am told, one can also find the wreckage of a crashed Spitfire. Yet the casual visitor is unlikely to recognise any of these wartime features. Zipping down a motorway, oblivious, we pass the fabled battlefield, the famous castle or the important ruin. It is hidden behind a barrier, lost in peripheral vision, or simply ignored. Demystifying such landscapes is rewarding work for a tourist. In early 1940, the British Army, RAF and Home Guard scrambled to prepare for an imminent German air and sea invasion, Operation Seelöwe. Eventually, thanks to the summer’s Battle of Britain, Hitler and Göring called off their plan in September of that year. But tens of thousands of British anti-invasion features had already been built, and many of them remain today. They are gross physical reminders of past horror, yet in places like Cheswick Beach one finds that, over time, they have merged permanently with the pleasant English coastal landscape. These anti-invasion defences are a world to explore, hints of the past that invisibly shape our present. My path snaked through the dunes until I reached a clearing and found my first objective, a concrete and brick pillbox topped by a two-tiered RAF tower. The pillbox was buried in sand up to its loopholes, as the gun slots are called. To enter, I would have needed to slide in on my belly. So instead I climbed the stairs up the half-shattered tower and found a platform on top, damp and crawling with snails. It offered a fine view of the scraggly dunes, immense sands, tidal pools and waves crashing in the distance. One could begin to make out the military logic of the beach. Such exploration has never been easier. In 2002 the Council for British Archaeology completed an eight-year project, a Defence of Britain database, now searchable online, that pinpoints such sites. Add to this the satellite imagery published by Google Maps, and even an amateur like me can plan a rewarding day of discovery. Not far from the tower I found a long row of anti-tank blocks. Had I not known what these great cubes of concrete were, I might have mistaken them for crude post-modern artwork. Dumped across a break between the dunes, like child’s building blocks, they formed a line parallel to the sea. I walked along the line until it began to disappear into the ground. The last visible block poked just an inch or two above the sand. The earth, shifting imperceptibly over time, was swallowing the blocks. A mile or so down the shore, I found an immense crater, 31 paces across. Standing in the middle, I wondered if this was the work of an RAF test bomber or a Luftwaffe attacker, both busy in the area during the war. I struggled to suspend belief. Could this hole, which mangled one side of a grass-covered dune, really be a bomb crater? On a different excursion, 12 miles inland at the market town of Wooler, which had been heavily fortified during the war, my search proved simpler. The town was ringed by pillboxes, and some remain. My favourite was a little lozenge-shaped one all but hidden in the bushes above a bridle trail. From within, looking out over a narrow valley, soldiers posted there would have been well placed to pin down anyone trying to take Wooler from behind. One pillbox, a great hexagonal structure, was now located inaccessibly in someone’s backyard. Reaching another, on a construction site, necessitated a little discreet trespassing. Yet it was worth it, partly for the challenge of getting there, partly to crouch inside and look out of the loophole, wondering who “Doris” was. Graffiti on the wall had memorialised her. But it was back at Cheswick Beach that my explorations yielded the greatest reward. A local expert had advised that the wreck of the Spitfire was only accessible when the tide is out . But because of the quicksand warnings my steps were extremely cautious. As I searched for something other than driftwood and seaweed, an almost-full moon peaked through the clouds, shining brightly. And I found it, or would like to believe I did — a heavily rusted metal form, mostly submerged in the sand. If it was in fact the crashed Spitfire, then it was a small part of the cockpit I saw, poking out of the sand, for fitted into it were surf-worn panes of glass, shattered. I wondered what I would find there with more time, but left the beach as darkness deepened. A landscape, like a life, guards some secrets more closely than others..................... The Defence of Britain Database is here. The legend for the figure up top reads: "Map of Anti-Invasion Defences. This map, generated from the DoB database shows some 11,500 sites, of which approximately 7000 are pillboxes and anti-tank gun emplacements and 2000 anti-tank and other roadblock obstacles. All the other categories of anti-invasion works are also represented here — for example, anti-tank ditches, anti-landing obstacles, coast artillery batteries, petroleum warfare sites, auxiliary unit operational bases, observation posts, spigot mortar emplacements, Home Guard shelters, underground battle headquarters...." (Source: bookofjoe)

Lobster claw harmonica

bookofjoe — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100

"Let the good times roll! Our lobster harmonica is for young and old, just don't leave it on the table with your lobster dinner, someone will crack it open it's so real." $1.99. [via immortalyawn] (Source: bookofjoe)

Wallfa — what you get when a wall mates with a sofa

bookofjoe — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Designed by Jordi Canudas. "Wallfa is a two-sided piece of furniture that is both wall and sofa. It offers a comfortable sitting area that becomes playful when users interact from both sides of the wall. Movement, sound and touch hint at what might be happening on the other side." This prototype can be seen at the Exchange Tower in Canary Wharf, London. [via Made in Mundo] (Source: bookofjoe)

Piso vase

bookofjoe — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Designed by Olav Slingerland. "With its angled neck, square base and vibrant, contrasting colors, the Piso is a playful, scuptural porcelain vase, carefully handmade to ensure the highest standards of original design. Use alone as an accent... or group several together in different directions to create a surreal and striking look." Quantity has its own quality. 2.5"W x 2.5"L x 11"H. Red, Orange, Blue, Green, Night Blue, Vanilla or White. $109. (Source: bookofjoe)

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Aztec whistle of death — listen to it

bookofjoe — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Roberto Velazquez is a 66-year-old expert in pre-Columbian sounds who "... has devoted his career to recreating the sounds of his... ancestors, producing hundreds of replicas [above and below] of whistles, flutes and wind instruments unearthed in Mexico's ruins," wrote Julie Watson in a June 29, 2008 Associated Press story. Go here, then click on "Hear sounds from a variety of instruments" to listen to a compilation of eerie, frightening and otherworldly sounds Velazquez (below) believes were employed by the Aztecs for a wide variety of purposes beyond heralding human sacrifice — among them starting ceremonies, communicating strategies during battle, hunting, and treating illnesses. The AP article follows. .................... Researchers make noises of pre-Columbian society Scientists were fascinated by the ghostly find: a human skeleton buried in an Aztec temple with a clay, skull-shaped whistle in each bony hand. But no one blew into the noisemakers for nearly 15 years. When someone finally did, the shrill, windy screech made the spine tingle. If death had a sound, this was it. Roberto Velazquez believes the Aztecs played this mournful wail from the so-called Whistles of Death before they were sacrificed to the gods. The 66-year-old mechanical engineer has devoted his career to recreating the sounds of his pre-Columbian ancestors, producing hundreds of replicas of whistles, flutes and wind instruments unearthed in Mexico's ruins. For years, many archaeologists who uncovered ancient noisemakers dismissed them as toys. Museums relegated them to warehouses. But while most studies and exhibits of ancient cultures focus on how they looked, Velazquez said the noisemakers provide a rare glimpse into how they sounded. "We've been looking at our ancient culture as if they were deaf and mute," he said. "But I think all of this is tied closely to what they did, how they thought." Velazquez is part of a growing field of study that includes archaeologists, musicians and historians. Medical doctors are interested too, believing the Aztecs may have used sound to treat illnesses. Noisemakers made of clay, turkey feathers, sugar cane, frog skins and other natural materials were an integral part of pre-Columbian life, found at nearly every Mayan site. The Aztecs sounded the low, foghorn hum of conch shells at the start of ceremonies and possibly during wars to communicate strategies. Hunters likely used animal-shaped ocarinas to produce throaty grunts that lured deer. The modern-day archaeologists who came up with the term Whistles of Death believe they were meant to help the deceased journey into the underworld, while tribes are said to have emitted terrifying sounds to fend off enemies, much like high-tech crowd-control devices available today. Experts also believe pre-Columbian tribes used some of the instruments to send the human brain into a dream state and treat certain illnesses. The ancient whistles could guide research into how rhythmic sounds alter heart rates and states of consciousness. Among Velazquez's replicas are those that emit a strange cacophony so strong that their frequency nears the maximum range of human hearing. Chronicles by Spanish priests from the 1500s described the Aztec and Mayan sounds as sad and doleful, although these may have been only what was played in their presence. "My experience is that at least some pre-Hispanic sounds are more destructive than positive, others are highly trance-evocative," said Arnd Adje Both, an expert in pre-Hispanic music archaeology who was the first to blow the Whistles of Death found in the Aztec skeleton's hands. "Surely, sounds were used in all kind of cults, such as sacrificial ones, but also in healing ceremonies." Sounds still play an important role in Mexican society. A cow bell announces the arrival of the garbage truck outside Mexico City homes. A trilling, tuneless flute heralds the knife sharpener's arrival. A whistle emitting cat meows says the lottery ticket seller is here. But pre-Columbian instruments often end up in a warehouse, Velazquez said, "and I'm talking about museums around the world doing this, not just here." That's changing, said Tomas Barrientos, director of the archaeology department at Del Valle University of Guatemala. "Ten years ago, nothing was known about this," he said. "But with the opening up of museum collections and people's private collections, it's an area of research that is growing in importance." Velazquez meticulously researches each noisemaker before replicating it. He travels across Mexico to examine newly unearthed wind instruments, some dating back to 400 B.C. and shaped like animals or deities. He studies reliefs and scans 500-year-old Spanish chronicles. But making replicas is only part of the work. Then he has to figure out how to play them. He'll blow into some holes and plug others, or press the instrument to his lips and flutter his tongue. Sometimes he puts the noisemaker inside his mouth and blows, fluctuating the air from his lungs. He experimented with one frog-shaped whistle for a year before discovering its inner croak. Renowned archaeologist Paul Healy, who made an important discovery of Mayan instruments in Belize in the 1980s, said many of the originals still work. "A couple of these instruments we found were broken, which was great because we could actually see the construction of them, the actual technology of building a sound chamber out of paper-thin clay," he said. Still, their exact sounds will likely remain a mystery. "When you blow into them, you still can get notes from them, so you could figure out what the range was," Healy said. "But what we don't have is sheet music to give us a more accurate picture of what it sounded like." (Source: bookofjoe)

Video screen boroscope

bookofjoe — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100

What the heck is a boroscope? The word's not in the dictionary. Oh, now I see: "... this too has a borosilica image bundle inside." It's a synonym for a fiberoptic scope — "boro" refers to the boron component of the glass light-conducting fibers within. OK, then. From the website: .................... Video Screen Boroscope One of the most useful tools you can have in your garage, it lets you see everything When I showed my son how dirty his ears were he just about passed out. His ears are spotless now, With this new Video Screen Boroscope you no longer have to get things close to your eye to see the area you want to inspect. Now, even those standing around you can see what you're seeing. Let's examine the many benefits of having a Boroscope. First off, before you spend thousands of dollars on an engine rebuild, put this Boroscope down your spark plug hole and verify that it actually needs rebuilding. Use it for inspecting rust in your rockers or previous body damage behind interior panels where you can't see it with the naked eye. (Using this instrument is exactly how experts identified a "recreated" 1959 Ferrari 250 SWB.) But don't stop there — this tool has hundreds of other uses around the house. Use it for pest inspection, to see the extent of clogged drains, find dry rot and lack of insulation behind walls, location of wiring and studs — the list is endless. Teenagers lock you out of their room? Push this under the door to see if they're smoking your cigars. The full-color, high-resolution screen is 1-7/8" by 1-1/2" and built into the tough, impact-resistant case. In the padded storage case is a standard composite video output jack that can connect to a PC and store low resolution video (cable not included.) The fully flexible shaft is 36" long to reach the most remote places and the 3/8" diameter tip is small enough to enter just about any opening or crack. The shaft tip has two bright white LED lights for working in dark recesses. 4 AA batteries, accessory mirror and small part pick-up magnet included. .................... $369. (Source: bookofjoe)

Faux speed bumps of philadelphia

bookofjoe — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Look at the photo above. What do you see? Better slow down if you're approaching those, what? No worries if you don't 'cause they're optical illusions on a piece of flat plastic on a street in Philadelphia, intended to slow down speeding drivers at a fraction of the cost of real speed bumps or obstacles. Here's Sara Ganim's June 27, 2008 Associated Press story with the details. US officials try faux speed bumps to slow drivers Cathy Campbell did a double-take and tapped the brakes when she spotted what appeared to be a pointy-edged box lying in the road just ahead. She got fooled. It was a fake speed bump, a flat piece of blue, white and orange plastic that is designed to look like a 3-D pyramid from afar when applied to the pavement. The optical illusion is one of the latest innovations being tested around the country to discourage speeding. "It cautions you to slow down because you don't know what you are facing," Campbell said. A smaller experiment two years ago in the Phoenix area found the faux speed bumps slowed traffic, at least temporarily. Now, in a much bigger test that began earlier this month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration wants to find out if the markers can also reduce pedestrian accidents. The fake bumps are being tested on a section of road in a business and residential area in Philadelphia's northeastern corner. But soon they will also be popping up — or looking that way — on 60 to 90 more streets where speeding is a problem. The 3-D markings are appealing because, at $60 to $80 each, they cost a fraction of real speed bumps (which can run $1,000 to $1,500) and require little maintenance, said Richard Simon, deputy regional administrator for the highway safety administration. On one of three streets tested in the Phoenix trial, the percentage of drivers who obeyed the 25 mph speed limit nearly doubled. But the effect wore off after a few months. "Initially they were great," said the Phoenix Police traffic coordinator, Officer Terry Sills. "Until people found out what they were." Learning from the experience in Arizona, authorities are adding a publicity campaign in Philadelphia to let drivers know that the phony speed bumps will be followed by very real police officers, said Richard Blomberg, a contractor in charge of the study. Even after motorists adjust, the fake bumps will act like flashing lights in a school zone, reminding drivers they are in an area where they should not be speeding, he said. "After awhile the novelty wears off, but not the conspicuous effect," Blomberg said. For increased nighttime visibility, the markers, made by Japan's Sekisui Jushi Corp., contain reflective glass beads. They are the latest in a long list of traffic calming devices in use across the country, including various types of real bumps, dips, traffic circles and roundabouts. Proponents say fake bumps require little engineering or planning and can work in places where real humps or dips in the road may not be acceptable — such as near a firehouse. Philadelphia officials said they at least want to give them a shot. The Associated Press interviewed about two dozen people who have driven over the fake bumps, and only a few said they braked for them. Al Stevens and his 17-year-old son Andrew live nearby and said they both encountered the illusions but with different results. Al Stevens saw them and kept going. His son, who has had a license for just two weeks, braked for them. "I thought it was art," Andrew Stevens said. "I noticed they slow you down." Michael Serendus said his 80-year-old father has recently found it much easier to get out of his condominium complex because traffic has slowed down. But he attributed the change to the real speed bumps nearby, not the fake ones that drivers see first. "It gives an extra warning that the speed hump is coming," Serendus said..................... Watch a video of the speed bumps in action here. Julian Beever, call your office: the city of Philadelphia wants to give you the key to the city. (Source: bookofjoe)

Apple dish

bookofjoe — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Designed by Olav Slingerland. "An ingenious take on the traditional fruit bowl, the ceramic Apple Dish is designed to specifically hold... well, apples, of course! Use the fruits themselves as an accent color for your kitchen, dining room or living room." Confound your friends by putting green apples in the version shown. 13"Ø x 2.75"H. Vanilla/Red (above and below) or Vanilla/Green. $189. (Source: bookofjoe)

Blast from the past: 'what is man?' — by r. buckminster fuller

bookofjoe — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100

It originally appeared here on March 27, 2005, the opening of Chapter 4 — "The Phantom Captain" — of Fuller's 1938 book, "Nine Chains To The Moon." The original post follows. What is Man? A self-balancing, 28-jointed adapter-base biped; an electro-mechanical reduction-plant, integral with segregated stowages of special energy extracts in storage batteries, for subsequent actuation of thousands of hydraulic and pneumatic pumps, with motors attached; 62,000 miles of capillaries; millions of warning signal, railroad and conveyor systems; crushers and cranes (of which the arms are magnificent 23-jointed affairs with self-surfacing and lubricating systems, and a universally distributed telephone system needing no service for 70 years if well managed); the whole, extraordinarily complex mechanism guided with exquisite precision from a turret in which are located telescopic and microscopic self-registering and recording range finders, a spectroscope, et cetera, the turret control being closely allied with an air conditioning intake-and-exhaust, and a main fuel intake. Within the few cubic inches housing the turret mechanisms, there is room, also, for two sound-wave and sound-direction-finder recording diaphragms, a filing and instant reference system, and an expertly devised analytical laboratory large enough not only to contain minute records of every last and continual event of up to 70 years' experience, or more, but to extend, by computation and abstract fabrication, this experience with relative accuracy into all corners of the observed universe. There is, also, a forecasting and tactical plotting department for the reduction of future possibilities and probabilities to generally successful specific choice. Finally, the whole structure is not only directly and simply mobile on land and in water, but, indirectly and by exquisite precision of complexity, mobile in air, and, even in the intangible, mathematically sensed electrical "world," by means of the extension of the primary integral mechanism to secondary mechanical compositions of its own devising, operable either by a direct mechanical hook-up with the device, or by indirect control through wired or wire-less electrical impulses. _______________________ So begins Chapter 4, "The Phantom Captain," of Fuller's 1938 book, "Nine Chains To The Moon." This book electrified me when I read it while I was in college. Rereading it now brings back wonderful associations as well as the magical inventiveness of Fuller's unique take on man and the world. Well worth the $13.99 it costs here. (Source: bookofjoe)

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Magnetic paper towel holder

bookofjoe — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100

What took so long? This coulda shoulda been invented 50 years ago. From the website: .................... Magnetic Paper Towel Holder Lets you have shop towels anywhere there's steel I like trick stuff ... and this product is no exception. Our new Magnetic Paper Towel Holder allows you to have your favorite paper or shop towels hanging off the end of your toolbox or workbench with its super-strong magnets. Simply mount the magnetized arms on any flat steel surface and start enjoying a cleaner work environment and dry hands. Powerful magnets, compact design, plus it can be moved in a flash. Supports any normal 5"-diameter roll. .................... Think outside the workshop space, for example: laundry room (washer or dryer); kitchen (fridge); metal doors; etc. Me, I'm getting one for my steel-sided anesthesia cart — w00t! $19.99. (Source: bookofjoe)

Behindthemedspeak: the heimlich maneuver — revisited

bookofjoe — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100

The other day I read the following in the autobiography of the late British businessman Charles Forte: "I had been invited to lunch there, and found myself sitting next to Lord Mountbatten. We got involved in a vigorous argument about the merits of a certain politician, whom I was denouncing loudly and he was defending. I got so carried away that I began to choke on a piece of meat. I rushed from the room, but my wife saw what had happened, followed me, and banged my back hard. The meat was fortunately dislodged. When I returned, I found that Mountbatten had taken the whole event extremely seriously. He had had a friend in India in the army who had died in such a way and he advised me always to keep a large glass of water by my plate to avoid any recurrences. When I next went to Broadlands, his home, the vital glass of water was by my plate." Well. In no particular order, some comments on the passage above. 1) More often than not, when an adult chokes on food in the manner described above, they've been drinking. This results in the ingestion of a piece of meat too large to be conveniently masticated which, along with the loss of coordination of upper airway and pharyngeal musculature due to alcohol's effect on the brain, can end in a potentially catastrophic anatomical obstruction as the meat comes to rest on the opening of the trachea behind the epiglottis. 2) If you suspect such a thing has happened to someone in the vicinity, DO NOT offer them a glass of water or bang on their back or ask "Are you OK?" Rather, the one question to ask (assuming they are still conscious, which will be the case if nothing is done for up to a minute) is, "Can you talk?" If the person shakes their head "No," immediately perform the Heimlich manuever (top). 3) In the event you are alone and find yourself with an obstructed airway, do not panic: you can perform the Heimlich manuever on yourself. Stand up in front of a table or chairback, then ram your upper abdomen as hard as you can against the edge. I mean really hard, so that it hurts. If it doesn't work the first time, do it over and over until the chunk of food pops out. You'll thank me for this. Trust me.... (Source: bookofjoe)

What are they?

bookofjoe — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Answer here this time tomorrow. (Source: bookofjoe)

Cintra does beretta

bookofjoe — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100

That would be the inimitable Cintra Wilson (above), New York Times "Critical Shopper" columnist extraordinaire, who last week produced one of the funniest, most mordantly original pieces I've ever read in the Grey Lady. Wilson is Tony Kornheiser in stilettos with a rapier-like wit and gimlet eye for the most telling detail. Her June 26, 2008 column about her adventure shopping at the Beretta store in New York City is a classic, and follows. I’ll Take the Shiny One With Bang! It was panting-hot the day I shopped for guns, so I ran into Nello, a sidewalk cafe on Madison, for a bottle of sparkling water. The thick cylinder of glass gave me an inkling I was about to get soaked, but even preclenched, I was unprepared for the bill to be $18. Ordinarily I would flip the safety off my silver tongue and give the maître d’ a new air vent, but it stopped me cold. I wasn’t even appalled; I was tranquilized. Like a disastrous ticket from parking unawares in a handicapped Pope-only zone, this unwanted extravagance was a twist so novel as to be more a source of awe than upset; an existential dimension shift. I was forced to relocate myself on my inner GPS and to re-evaluate my entire contextual landscape in light of $18 bottles of water. The Italian firm Fabbrica d’Armi P. Beretta S.p.A., or simply Beretta, has been run by the Beretta family ever since Bartolomeo Beretta began making hand-hammered muskets for the doge of Venice in the mid-1500s. Although Beretta was granted another contract to provide M9 pistols to the United States military earlier this year, the company caters primarily to hunters. Wars come and go; the Berettas learned this lesson when orders from Napoleon’s army dried up after Waterloo. Fetishists and Italians alike nurture a cultural tendency to idolize objects by making them ever more baroque. The Beretta store is an ornate, sentimental shrine devoted to the hunting-lodge aesthetic and the sport of shooting things. One step inside, dirty looks from the glass eyes of a riot of taxidermy tell you that you just lost all your friends at PETA. His and Hers safari khakis and grouse-hunting tweeds reside on the first floor, as do Hapsburg linen suits and offerings from the Susanne von Dörmberg Country Classics line of pricey German tweeds (jacket, $975) — very Queen Elizabeth when worn with Wellingtons, an Hermès scarf and corgis. A hallowed display case contains Ernest Hemingway’s actual S03, the weapon he used for duck hunting in Venice and around Finca Vigía, his retreat in Cuba. Hemingway is clearly Beretta’s man-god, the embodiment of the Beretta mystique. In thrall to the image of this hero of letters and adventure, Beretta provides all the equipment a would-be Hemingway needs. Zebra throw pillows ($350) go with zebra-hide ottomans ($6,500). Horned matter from a variety of beasts decorates pewter beer steins and magnifying glasses ($75). A leather Game Book records Shoot, Guns, Bag and Remarks ($185). For the man who hates ostriches, there are wallets, as well as large eggs on an ornamental chrome stand ($250). Perusing the silverware and cocktail tumblers, I asked if Beretta had a bridal registry. The counterwoman was so nonplussed I was tempted to ask where they kept the weapons of feminine protection. On the second floor there is small gallery of framed limited-edition paintings, such as “Devoted,” a tribute in oils to the dewy-eyed obedience of the noble Labrador retriever ($895); a grouse-hunting scene is also available for your home or hotel wall. The American Waterfowlers line on the second floor is distinctly butch: Indiana Jones hats, lots of Gore-Tex and leather straps. On third floor: racks of rifles and shotguns (the store does not sell handguns on the premises), alongside black-and-white photos of handsome markswomen with dead cheetahs, and a photo of George H. W. Bush loading an SO6 EELL (Extra Extra Luxo Luxo) with members of the Masai. “So, how do I buy a gun?” I asked Beretta’s affable master gunsmith, Ed Anderson. I was fantasizing about an Xtrema2, Max-4-camo-print 12-gauge to match my Xtrema Gear Decoy Gloves and Gear Bib with 18-inch overboot cover flange and high-back kidney warmers. “For a rifle or shotgun, you’d have to go down to Kew Gardens, Queens, and get a permit.” “What about a regular handgun?” “You’d have to get a permit at One Police Plaza. Do you drive?” To my dismay, I learned that even with a permit, one can’t take one’s rifle on the subway. Good news for the staff at Nello. Mr. Anderson was a font of expertise and cautionary tales for the skeet shooter: “She was a very smart woman, a lawyer! I said, ‘Hey, you might not want to lay your gun down like that.’ She says, ‘But it’s only a target load.’ ” He rolled his eyes — my cue to cluck my tongue. “A target load will liquefy anything within range! I said: ‘Listen, the priest who died did exactly the same thing you just did. He shot himself in the ankle. He died because they couldn’t put the tourniquet on his leg fast enough and he bled to death.’ ” Mr. Anderson opened a display case and showed me an obscenely terrific $130,000 shotgun with enough minute currency-style engraving to have previously belonged to Sir Walter Raleigh. Killing clay pigeons with quarter-million-dollar guns is apparently all the rage these days. “All the guys on the front of the business pages are in shotgun clubs that cost $100,000 just to walk in the door,” Mr. Anderson explained. Enviable shooting is largely determined by the free time you can afford to devote to it, and customizations like the carving down of the walnut butt to minimize impact on your face during kickback. It is a strange romance of conspicuous consumption that Beretta indulges, but rich guys apparently love dressing up like Ernest Hemingway and shooting things just as much as little girls love to wear tutus and dance around like prima ballerinas. A champion marksman I know said he can shoot just fine with a $1,000 gun, but that’s beside the point. That $18 bottle of water hydrated me more than I ever thought possible. All about living the dream..................... Full disclosure: I do not know Cintra Wilson. I have never met nor spoken with Cintra Wilson. I have exchanged email with her, perhaps a year or two ago. I did buy her book, "A Massive Swelling: Celebrity Re-Examined As A Grotesque Crippling Disease And Other Cultural Revelations," and found it totally representative of her rather, shall we say, unique take on herself and the great world. Highly recommended for those who, like me, can't get enough of that sort of thing. (Source: bookofjoe)