How to Travel the World with 10 Pounds or Less
How to travel the world with 10 pounds or less — I didn't pare things down to ten pounds, but I tried.
How to travel the world with 10 pounds or less — I didn't pare things down to ten pounds, but I tried.
Major and minor pests of the strawberry — We have a spit-bug infestation, and it's affecting our strawberry crop. (Not to mention grossing me out.)
Google Image Labeler: is it a game? Or is it unpaid labor? [via Stumpf]
This is awesome: The ten most magnificent trees in the world
This is one of my favorite entries from Lisa in a long time: Holly's Dress. I'm not sure I can explain why. I think it's because it reminds me of my childhood...
How to be a gardener with Alan Titchmarsh looks awesome. (I love Titchmarsh — form whom I learned the word "twee" — and miss seeing him on BBC America.)
A recent profile of River Road from The Oregonian [via stumptown]
PhpGedView, "online genealogy at its best" [via amberlynn]
Video: Dice Stacking — I never knew there was such a thing
I look forward to this every year: Uncle Mark's Gift Guide & Almanac is out now, and it's filled with great recommendations for techie things
Okay, this is just nuts. It has been raining non-stop since Sunday morning. Right now it's coming down in torrents. The National Weather Service says Portland has had more than five inches of rain in November, and that doesn't include the inch (or so) we've had today. It is wet wet wet.
Skyacht, the world's first practical personal blimp. Buy one for me, won't you? [via Dave, of course]
Very handy - for me, anyhow: Cricket Explained (an American viewpoint)
The customer is NOT always right — I've been saying this for years, though not in the context that is discussed here (that employee morale is more important than customer morale)
A handy family relationship chart, though the readability leaves much to be desired.
Not for the faint of heart: car crash kings [via rich, sort of]
The Phrontistery: a compendium of lost words
Where the hell is Matt? This short video really makes me want to travel.
I need a new flotch category: J.D.'s Big Dream. This article on the top ten questions investors asked us (when we were pitching our new company) has lots of interesting points for any business start-up. Or book project.
Most amazing hole-in-one ever!
For Jeff: Super-mower cranks up the RPMs, self-esteem [via Dave]
The Oops List — movies and images of crashes
The Portland Urban Adventure League looks like it has some fun stuff going on. [via stumptown]
World Cup Kickoff has great downloadable schedules that you can import into your favorite calendar program. USA! USA! [via lifehacker, my new best friends for a variety of reasons]
The shaving cream racket [via mefi]
Just a reminder that the 2006 FIFA World Cup is only about a month away! Woohoo! Prepare for soccer talk around here...
Wes Anderson American Express ad — this makes me want to go watch Rushmore
Dave has gone berserk. Look at all the stuff he sent me this morning: Man accused of euthanizing neighbor's cat (this is relevant because there's a similar thing going on now in Canby), New York is deploying 500 new security cameras, qsewing machine controlled by a Game Boy (why?), a 500-lb potato battery (double-why?), and info on becoming a certified financial planner (just for me...). Thanks, Dave!
AskMe: My long-lost father is trying to contact me. Should I bother? Awesome thread. Read it to the end, where the poster gives the results of the contact.
This is not good stuff for me to be reading (I'm very death-phobic), but it's interesting nonetheless: stories of lucid decapitation, a list of top 25 craziest deaths (though surely there are crazier), and the strange deaths page [via lookit]
Bunny Guide! Bunny Guide! Nicole has kindly responded to my hounding and posted a guide about keeping rabbits as pets. Now I just need to convince Kris (and the cats) that this is a Good Idea.
Yo, baseball fans! Check out this amazing video: 1986 World Series game six re-enacted in RBI Baseball on the Nintendo. (This is the famous "Bill Buckner error" game in which the Red Sox pitching staff imploded.)
More stuff my wife should knit for me: cute knitted kittie kats. No, wait! This one! (More here.)
Big Fat Facts — the truth about fat, obesity, gastric bypass, and weight loss. "In the decade since Koop's alarmist moral panic, the freedom to live in bodies larger than contemporary culture deems proper has been increasingly threatened." [via frykitty]
eBay sniping FAQ. I am a sniper. Inspired by this AskMe.
Yay! Hank's Ode to Joy. The little guy has come a long way. He's going to be playing piano in church for a long time to come...
Yo! All you haters out there! (This means you, Jenn and Pam.) I used my precious weekly AskMetafilter question to ask: Beach? Coast? Shore? Also: is the Puget Sound a part of the Ocean? I want my five dollars.
The story of Banker John is a terrific anecdote, a little gem from AskMe.
Strange new products — there are some real gems here.
This in from Lynn: Denise gave birth today. Baby Chase arrived at 8lb 2oz and 21 inches long. He has all his fingers and toes and is healthy and happy to be out. Ryan is still adjusting and isn't sure what he thinks, though. Congratulations, Denise!
Dark portrait of a 'painter of light'. What a surprise! It turns out that Thomas Kincade not only creates foul 'art', but he's an asshole, too. [via scrubbles]
Kevin Kelly's excellent overview of consensus web-filters, from which a lot of this flotch is drawn.
Entrepreneurial proberbs — nuggets of wisdom about staring a business. I've been thinking about these topics lately, believe it or not. [via haughey]
MeFi: Ascaris lumbricoides — According to estimates, about 1.5 billion people — about a quarter of the earth's population — are hosts to the Ascaris lumbricoides parasitic worm.
I am a benevolent experiencer. Fine, fine: I get it already. I am an extrovert. I will quit claiming to be an introvert. Sheesh. (You can take the personal DNA test here.)
Despite the presence of Bob Costas, NBC's Olympics coverage always sucks. This year is no different. It's maddening. I'm not the only one who thinks so.
My favorite event at the Winter Olympics? Would you believe Ice Dancing? It's true. I love it more than any other event. It'll be on NBC three nights: Friday, Sunday, and Monday. I'll be glued to the tube.
Biker/blogger with a helmet-mounted video camera films car crashing into her as she rides her motorcycle. (Not gross, just interesting.)
Shocking! Toilet water cleaner than ice at fast food restaurants [via bb]
Word-for-word from waxy, because it's so damn good: Video: Top Gear trashes a Toyota Hilux (increasingly insane tests of strength; also: Top Gear Turismo and more)
Comics! Games! Teaching Company lectures! Visit J.D.'s eBay auctions. (This item will stay at the top of the flotch for several days.)
PayPal fee calculator, which is useful for eBay sellers
Yo, Will! Look what I googled! A Perfect Storm: Retailing and the Middle and Upper-Middle Income Consumer, from the web site of Kaplan's Ben Hur
The Ultimate Showdown [via Mac]
Not for the weak of heart. Perhaps not even for the strong of heart: car crash videos
The champagne chair contest features lots of little model chairs made from champagne corks. The winner is a model of elegance and simplicity. [via Lisa]
Sayings and phrases, meanings and origins — for example, the whole nine yards or, my favorite, minced oaths
StepMania, a free dance simulation game for PC, Mac, and Linux. I've never played one of these games, but they look fun and are very popular. I'm thinking it might do the trick to get me to exercise.
Must see! This is just about the coolest thing ever: Mario Unleashed: the Super Mario theme played on Marimba at a high school talent show. Apparently the three marimba players practiced this all year during marching band. [via everywhere — this is another one that's been floating around for weeks]
A monkey and a cat, friends: We must learn to live together as brothers or perish as fools
Forget your competitors — this brief piece argues that one ought not worry what the competition does. Instead, focus more on making your company the best it can be. [via airbag]
Dating: Positive Thinking &mash; this woman "[spent] one year responding positively to all flirting and saying yes to literally anyone who asked her out. The ensuing 150 dates included a homeless man, several non-English speakers, 10 taxi drivers, two lesbians and a mime." [via kottke]
Be careful what you say around talking animals: Mouthy Parrot Reveals Sex Secret
Dashiell Hammett's parable of the falling beam (from a Sam Spade story) is fascinating [via ml]
Grist: environmental news and humor [via AmyJo]
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]
A list of year-in-review lists, both good and bad, in a variety of subjects.
The most amazing Christmas light display I've ever seen. (Link opens a WMV file.) Also: instructions for recreating this yourself!
There are some cool ideas in MAKE's Mostly Under-$100 Gift Guide
This may be a repeat, but it's worth it: Scary Squirrel World!, your source for all things squirrel
Golden age cartoons features all sorts of juicy cartoon information
Bad Vibes: the hunt for the worst sound in the world (a dog barking? I hate that)
The Hidden Door Company — I've never seen an actual secret door, but the entire concept fascinates me
Handy reference: Flowchart for determining when U.S. copyrights expire. General rules of thumb: 1. Anything published in 1922 or before is in public domain. 2. Nothing else will enter public domain until 2018. 3. There are a very few odd exceptions.
This guy uses craigslist to trade computer repairs for sex. And he has plenty of work. Amazing.
Pet a kitten: the adorable Fenno the kitten (and here, too)
The ultimate ungulate page: your guide to the world's hoofed mammals. (But where are the tauren?!?)
Amazing video: 2005 yo-yo world champion
For Kris: Goats help boy cope with ADHD. Goats are the miracle pet!
The dish on the Bushes. I found this NYT Magazine feature amusing.
AskMe: What sort of neat things and convenience features would you design into your dream home? There are some great ideas here.
100 web sites for women> — 100 web sites for men (both from the UK)