Bitter Brew
Bitter Brew: I opened a charming neighborhood coffee shop. Then it destroyed my life. [One reason I don't follow through on my dream to open a restaurant.]
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Bitter Brew: I opened a charming neighborhood coffee shop. Then it destroyed my life. [One reason I don't follow through on my dream to open a restaurant.]
From this week's New Yorker comes Far from Narnia: Phillip Pullman's secular fantasy for children
Harry Knowles raves about The New World. Should I find this re-assuring or should I find it worrisome?
Best flotch in a long time: the world's flags given letter grades. Fun stuff!
From Dave comes a pile of links on governmental surveillance: Judge grants government request for warrant-free cell tracking; Spy agency mined vast data trove; Bush was denied wire taps, bypassed them; and, finally, Britain will be first country to monitor every car journey. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING!
The hottest curry in New York — I love hot curry, but as I've aged my stomach has become less able to, well, digest it...
Thanks to the spammers, I am closing comments in the flotch. I will also close comments in most of the old weblog entries, leaving open only those with enduring popularity. I hate spammers.
Information on Crockett Johnson's Barnaby, a nearly-forgotten comic strip from the man who brought us Harold and the Purple Crayon
I published this in the old flotch, but I just found it again and it's worth repeating. This is a comic geek's ultimate dream: collector amasses complete DC collection.
Heaven for Kris Gates: a remarkably thorough Upstairs, Downstairs web site
Peanuts meets Marvel: Peanuts characters re-imagined as Marvel superheroes. Frickin' awesome.
Spot-on Kong review, more even-handed than mine (though still negative), which notes some of the film's strengths (something I neglected). This quote sums it up: "The unrelenting computer-animated action suffocates what seems to have been the movie's main purpose, to expand on the Kong-Ann relationship."
A couple of rave reviews for Steven Spielberg's Munich, which is also seeing some negative reaction. Ebert loves it, calling it "an act of courage and conscience". I want to see it, and I warrant it will be up for Best Picture come February.
ASIMO, the humanoid robot, runs at 6 km/h — Blade Runner, here we come
Roger Ebert's ten best films of 2005 — no surprise that King Kong is #8: Ebert has a long history of being a sucker for films with flashy visual effects
Little diversion: Christmas helicopter game
Woohoo! Civ IV is coming to the Mac! (World of Warcraft will take a backseat to this.)
AskMe: Photoshop tips for a newbie — I feel like I need a Photoshop class; I'm so lost in it most of the time
EatingWell Magazine special report: Faux Foods: where have all our nutrients gone? [via AmyJo, of course!]
Ken Pierce Books — a simply jaw-dropping collection of comic book and comic strip compilations for sale (sorted by character) — you cannot even believe how overwhelmed I am by this find. Astounding.
Awesome AskMe: What do I do about my food-addicted boyfriend? This question strikes very close to home. I would call myself food-addicted but trying not be...
Mighty Foods — a site about natural foods, organic ingredients, fair-trade products, veg-friendly recipes, sustainable farming, whole grains, organic wines, ingredient spotlights, news, profiles, reviews, gift ideas, new product information, culinary travel ideas, studies and trends - information and inspiration, all wrapped up in one food-loving bundle. Updated often. [via AmyJo]
Grist: environmental news and humor [via AmyJo]
Retro Toys is an awesome site: it offers "toys inspired by the past" [via Lisa]
diagnose-me.com: The Analyst is a diagnostic tool, now accessible online, that fills the gap between what you need and what busy, human doctors can offer. [via frykitty]
I've posted photos of Isabel Pilar, Kim and Sabino's new daughter.
Is a 39-megapixel digital camera big enough for you? [via Dave]
Perhaps my favorite piece of news all year, for a variety of reason: chimpanzees beat out children in a reasoning test (NYTimes link)
Pocohantas saves John Smith: a short clip from The New World, the film I'm most looking forward to this season
Hillbilly Housewife isn't really what it sounds like: "The focus here is on low-cost, home-cooking from scratch. The recipes are all tested in a real kitchen with hungry children, stalking cats, begging puppies and a playful husband underfoot."
An elaborate in-game funeral held for a World of Warcraft player who died in real life. I love this game.
A list of year-in-review lists, both good and bad, in a variety of subjects.
There is news of a 14-day plan to improve memory, which sounds like something I could use. Give me details! Details!
Big Screen Version is an odd, but fun remix of Fox News. I like it.
Reminder to self: King Kong (1933) is on this afternoon
250,000 bouncing balls on the streets of San Francisco [via Paul C.]
It's been a while since I posted an animal intelligence link: Honey bees can recognize human faces (simplified version)
Extreme macro photography on a budget, as in with a Pringles can [via Josh]
Falling George (George W, that is), a variation on a theme [via Jim]
Inuit sue U.S. over climate change!! [via Dave]
Strange but funny comic strip: The rise of the pagan right
Diaper Free Baby is a network of free support groups promoting a natural approach to responding to babies' elimination needs.
WTF? Prepare for the world's first musical sandwich [via betsy]
Ever since we went bowling with the Gineriches, I've been craving more ten-pin action. Here are some bowling tips.
The 1949 NWCA Candy Salesman Book is fun to look at. Combine this with Lisa's Old Time Candy store for a fun shopping experience.
From NPR: The Laws of War ("Treat them with humanity.")
Reportedly this is a good HDTV digital indoor antenna. The last one I bought sucked. We got nothing.
Three minutes from King Kong. Any surprise that Peter Jackson has once again created a film filled with unbelievable (as in "impossible to believe") CGI action? I'm torn. Yes, this will probably be fun to watch, but god I hate Jackson's CGI masturbation.
News Flash! That "moderate alcohol consumption is good for you" line you've been using to justify your glass of red wine every evening? It may not have any basis in fact.
Two fine poems: the amazing One Ordinary Evening [via] and the amusing Heavy Breather Zoo
Phillip K. Dick: How to build a universe that doesn't fall apart two days later
Dick Tracy, eat your heart out: a 64mb USB watch for $15 and a 1gb USB watch for $100 are available. (Prices drop after rebates!)
Outstanding: Soul Train, circa 1974. Best of the web! Though I was only five — and white — I remember these heady days.
The Handpuppet Move Theater presents: Serenity
