Optical Illusion
Which way is the train going? Can you make it change directions?
Lion and Elephant
Two new "sculptures" at a new park nearby the house.
If you've got vertigo, this video isn't for you. But if not, it's worth watching to see just how good the view from the top of the Washington Monument is. The last of the scaffolding that's enclosing the 555-foot-tall Washington Monument is in place, part of the repairs being done to the structure in the wake of the August 2011 earthquake. And on May 13, the workers putting that scaffolding in place donned helmet cams ... Needless to say, the views are stunning.
Yes, it's an advert. But, it's the best advert of all time. OF ALL TIME!
Game Shows are Weird in Japan
Porsche Cayman
A Month of Coffee
For the month of February I tried to take a photo of every cup of coffee I drank. Here, at the end of the month, is the full set:
Fire and Ice
Bloop
Eight and Four
People Are Awesome
Crazy, but awesome.
Nothing to worry about
12/12/12
Albuquerque
Everyone Sing!
2012 Oregon State Homecoming Bonfire
Happiness--in your business life and your personal life--is often a matter of subtraction, not addition. Consider, for example, what happens when you stop doing the following 10 things ...
Spontaneous Synchrony
How it works, with pictures!
Nine Ten
The life of George Washington was characterized by a scrupulous regard for punctuality.
When he asked a man to bring by some horses he was interested in buying at five in the morning, and the man arrived fifteen minutes late, he was told by the stable groom that the general had been waiting there at five, but had now moved on to other business, and that he wouldn’t be able to examine the horses again until the following week.
When he told Congress that he’d meet with them at noon, he could almost always be found striding into the chamber just as the clock was striking twelve.
... And when Washington’s secretary arrived late to a meeting, and blamed his watch for his tardiness, Washington quietly replied, “Then you must get another watch, or I another secretary.”
A Man Is Punctual: The Importance of Being on Time
Colorado has lost one of its most thoughtful and colorful characters," said Curtis Hubbard, editorial page editor. "For decades, Ed's humor and keen eye shed light for Denver Post readers on topics ranging from our current politics to the state's rich history.
Denver Post Columnist Ed Quillen dies at 62. Ed was the last columnist in the Post I read regularly. He will be missed.
There’s no limit to what can be planted in the ground.
Finals Week
It's Final Exam time!
The second oldest town in Wyoming, Buford originated in the 1860s and was a semi bustling town of about 2,000 residents, but the rerouting of the transcontinental railroad sealed its fate. Buford’s most famous moments date back to the 19th century. President Ulysses S. Grant visited in 1869, and outlaw Butch Cassidy robbed a store there about a decade later (he was caught and served time in Laramie). Since then, Buford hasn’t made the news much.
*snap*
Happy 2/1/12 Day!
Like a Boss
Just a man ironing a shirt.
Go Speed Racer Go
Toast Poster
Rich Chiaraluce would love this
Little Boat from nelson boles on Vimeo.
Optical Illusion
Try to count the number of black dots on the image below...
Shave
August
August is the eighth month, renamed by the Romans from Sextilis', meaning sixth, to honor their emperor, Augustus.
August is the height of the summer time in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. The longest days of the year is passed, but the hot days remain. In the northern regions and mountains, cool nights and early frosts lets one know that the summer is about to come to an end. In the Southern Hemisphere, August means the winter will soon be over.
The Anglo-Saxons called it Weod monath, which means Weed month, because it is the month when weeds and otehr plants grow most repidly. The birds are already planning to fly south for the winter. The insects are more noisier and numerous than in any other month.
- The sardonyx and peridot are the gems for August.
- The poppy and gladiolus are the flowers for the month of August.
- Colorado became the 38th state, August 1, 1876.
- William Clark, a leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, born August 1, 1770.
- Francis Scott Key, author of "The Star-Spangled Banner," born August 1, 1779.
PV Sunset
How the Warner Bros. Logo has changed in each Harry Potter Movie.
All tunnels leak, but this one is a sieve. For most of the last two decades, the Rondout-West Branch tunnel ... has been leaking some 20 million gallons a day. Except recently, when on some days it has lost up to 36 million gallons... The most immediate tasks are to fix a valve at the bottom of a 700-foot shaft in Dutchess County so pumps will eventually be able to drain the tunnel ... For this, the city has enlisted six deep-sea divers...
An effort by deep-sea divers to Repair a New York water tunnel. It's amazing what they have to go through to prepare for the fix, as well as the logistics and effort needed for such a large-scale project.
Machine vs Man
Escher in Real Life
UN TOUR DE MANEGE from alexis liddell on Vimeo.
Bandsaw Magic
40 40 40
My Co-Worker Joe is taking his motorcycle over 40 mountain passes in 40 hours... because he turned 40 this year. Follow along today and tomorrow via his twitter feed.
Charlie Oscar Oscar Lima
Useful for spelling words and names over the phone. I printed this page, cut out the table containing the NATO phonetic alphabet (below), and taped it to the side of my computer monitor when I was a telephone help desk technician.
Great Illusions!
Relax. Enjoy.
Today is August 9, 2010. At 11:12:13am it will be 8,9,10,11,12,13.
Mile High Bucket List
Top 10 things to do in Colorado before you die.
NOTE from Kerry: I have done all ten of the top list! Guess I can kick the bucket now...
Stamp Out Hunger
Today is the USPS Stamp Out Hunger food drive. Postal carriers across the country will be picking up non-perishable goods left by patrons and delivering it to local food banks. We'll be joining the scouts of Troop 130 in helping sort food this afternoon.
Nova Car Show
This weekend the troop ran a fundraiser at the Rocky Mountain Nova Club Auto Show. I had a chance to look at the cars during a break, and snapped a few photos. There were 120+ cars on display, but I only was able to photograph six before I had to head back to our booth. Click the image below to see all the photos.
Snow day
A small tree pokes out from a blanket of snow covering the ground in Blue River on December 19, 2009. One Colorado Photo a Day: 3.24.2010
Do not mess with chemistry professors
Pop! Pop! Pop!
It's National Bubblewrap Appreciation Day
And it's also the 50th anniversary of the invention of this fun/practical item.
Boulder Exodus?
Today's date is a palindrome in US format 01-02-2010
Pedal Power!
Compassion, Fortitude, Courage, Grace
Best Made Co.: Axe as Fashion?
Today is 11/20. (1120) = (1 × 2 × 3 × 4 × 5 × 6 × 7 × 8) / (1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8)
Google Maps show the town of Argleton, Lancashire, with photos of local businesses. But there is no such place. via Factlets on Twitter
Piano Stairs! Exercise can be fun!
Happy November 1! Did you remember to fall back?
Aids for Multi-tasking 2: Reading Tray
Can we build it? Yes we can!
While the economy is dead right now, there are two high-rise buildings going up in Denver. Tall cranes tower over the construction site. I've always wondered how the cranes are assembled. Wired Gadget Lab has the answer with an article and video: How a Construction Crane is Erected
You couldn't blow one this big with a wand and some soapy water, no matter how long you huffed and puffed. The shimmering giant, thought to be the world's largest free-floating soap bubble, was created with a piece of rope between two sticks and a top secret bubble solution. It is the work of 'bubbleologist' Samsam Bubbleman, 37.
"Bubbleologist" creates world's largest free-floating bubble
Look Closely!
Below is a painting of a tiger in the jungle, but can you find the hidden tiger in the picture?
I've been alerted to an event that will take place later today, something that happens once and only once over the course of history. Shortly after noon on July 8, comes the moment that can be called 12:34:56 7/8/9.
It's not exactly true that this sequence of time/date happens only once. If you follow the day/month/year convention, you can observe the same sequence next month, on August 7.
And even though it appears to be a rare occurrence, such interesting patterns aren't that unusual. Consider these from the past:
01:23:45 6/7/89
12:34.56 7/8/90
01:02:03 04/05/06
In a couple of years we'll have 11:11:11 11/11/11.
Making lemons from lemonade...
"Only in Boulder" is a derisive phrase used to put down the city and its quirky inhabitants. Now it's the title of a new exhibit at the Boulder History Museum.
Young girl, dying of vascular cancer, gets her wish to see Up. Good on you, Pixar. Good on you.
McDonald's goofs. Custer figures included in Happy Meals in South Dakota.
Happy Birthday, Eric!
My vertigo is acting up!
Sears Tower will add "The Ledge" to its Skydeck. It's a glass-bottomed shelf with a view 1,353 feet down. Yikes!
A Small Detail with a Big Impact
A sign that the end of the year is coming--
Many boxes of IRS tax forms are piled up in the entrance of the local library.
This woman lives in Broomfield
Happy Birthday Walt Disney
Now all we need is some snow...
Don't forget to "fall back"
Do you have problems remembering about Daylight Savings Time? Think of the difficulties of Brewster, Kansas, a small town near the Colorado-Kansas border. Half of the town is on Mountain Stardard Time and half is on Central Standard Time.
Some good from the hurricane?
A big fossil was found in the debris from Hurricane Ike. Wasn't it lucky it was in a paleontologist's front yard?
Through all the years of garage saling, I have always wanted, but never found, a Schwinn Stingray. Previously, I have encountered only three ... Recently, I have figured out that we are in an odd secondary era for this stuff. During the 1970's and 1980's, garage sales were probably lousy with Schwinn Stingrays, but those virgin bicycles have long been sold, garage saled, garbage dumped or reclaimed by the original owner. Now, when we find novelty bowling statuary, Apple IIs or strike front matchbooks, they are being sold by somebody who paid through the nose on eBay only to get tired of it for the second time.Garage Sale Report - September 29, 2008
What's cool is we have a girl's model Stingray we pulled out of Cameo's Uncle's barn many years ago. The seat is torn, and probably missing the chain guard, but other than that it's in good shape.
The Big Picture reflects: Seven years since -- looking back and forward on 9/11
Remember "go outside and play?" Overbearing parents have taken the fun out of childhood and turned it into a grind.
As the world watches the Beijing Games, enthusiasts from Hong Kong have unveiled their own Olympics - built entirely from Lego.On your marks, get set, Lego!
More than 300,000 Lego bricks and 4,500 Lego people were used to create the display, by the Hong Kong Lego User Group.
Alert Dilbert
This is the 40th anniversary of the invention of the office cubicle.
It's the 100th anniversary of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."
It's also the 100th anniversary of the Model T Ford.
Simplify!
Every increased possession loads us with new weariness.How to Live With Just 100 Things
- John Ruskin
Just one of those number sequences...
Today's date is 06/07/08, as it is sometimes written in America.
The U.S. Postal Service is coming out with a series of "Flags of Our Nation" stamps. The first 10 stamps in the series will be released June 14 - Flag Day - and Colorado is among them.New stamp to feature Colorado's flag, mountains
As part of Won't You Be My Neighbor Week, and to celebrate Fred Roger's 80th birthday, today is Wear a Sweater Day. I've got a comfy cardigan on myself.
Flip the calendar over
March is--
National Women's History Month
National Poetry Month
Irish American Month
National Peanut Butter Month
Music in Our Schools Month
More Trivia Time
Why was the first boardwalk built at Atlantic City?
According to my "365 Amazing Trivia Facts calendar", it was to keep vacationing beachgoers from tracking sand into local hotels!
The original boardwalk was built in 1870 and was a mile long and eight feet wide. It could be dismantled and stored in sections during the stormy winter months.
Trivia Time
What city has the zip code 12345?
Schenectady, New York.
In my opinion it's good that they have an easy zip code since the spelling of the city name is HARD to remember!
What Color is the Empire State Building
The top of the Empire State Building is lit up every day, and some days they use special colors (today it's pink, red and white for Valentine's day). If you don't live in New York, you won't see these special colors. However, thanks to the internet, now you can: WhatColorIsTheEmpireStateBuilding.Com.
Ponderisms
Can you cry under water?
How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?
Why do you have to "put your two cents in".. But it's only a "penny for your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going to?
Why does a round pizza come in a square box?
What disease did cured ham actually have?
How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?
Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up like every two hours?
If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?
Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?
Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?
Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?
If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?
If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?
If Wile E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME crap, why didn't he just buy dinner?
If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?
If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?
Do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?
Why did you just try singing the two songs above?
The Delta Shelter. What a gorgeous piece of architecture.
A subtle protest
During the Nazi occupation of Norway in World War II, Norwegians wore a paper clip on their lapels. This device, which they considered a Norwegian invention, represented national unity (as in, We are bound together).
from "365 Amazing Trivia Facts"
Do not call redux
Did you register for the National Do Not Call List? If you did, and you registered when it first came out, you may be dropped off the list soon. Turns out it's not a "forever" list, but only good for 5 years. Fortunately, you can re-register and be free from telemarketing calls for another half-decade.
Check!
Plumbing
I HATE HATE HATE plumbing issues. It's not that I can't figure out how the parts and pieces go together, it's the small, cramped, awkward positions I have to get in to make the repairs.
The flush handle on the downstairs toilet broke - it wa
Corn.
Myth... busted
DEVELOPMENT!!!
Big Box Watch - tracking new retail construction.
... we are plotting developments from Wal-Mart, Target, Kohls, JCPenney, Ikea, Best Buy, Home Depot, and Lowes. These national retailers all ha
The Schmidt Sting Pain Index
Confessions of an Empty-Nester
Once upon a time we lived in the woods - and in anonymous suburbs. We lived in cold climates and hot, in major metropolises
They say if March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb, but what if March comes in like a big, blustery, freezing, ice-encrusted polar bear? Then what happens?
Thirty days hath...
Heat!
Yesterday we replaced the 30 year old furnace with a new, smaller, more efficient model. The job took most of the day, but the sun was shining and kept the upstairs warm most of the time. The install crew found that some of the duct work had big gaps i
Air Jam
One degree isn't much...
This interesting item was included in my most recent Xcel Energy bill:
If everyone in the United States had turned down their thermostat by one degree last winter, it woud have resulted in an energy savings of $3.3 billion according to stati
Denver International Airport: Before and After the Blizzard.
Chilly Rider
My little car is acting up so I decided to trust the arrival of El Niño to make today a warmer day and ride the motorcycle in to wo
The Autograph Man. A baseball player answers his fan mail 15 years later.
Just in case...
100+
I had some free time this afternoon and was able to take the bike out for an extended spin. I've now put over 100 miles on the motorcycle and feel I'm riding better with each trip. I know I still have a lot of room for improvement (like taking corners
"The Retreat at Wolf Valley Ridge"
Guide to Suburban Denver Subdivision Names. I came across this new blog focused on Denver Development and Infill. Their Subdivision Names chart is spot-on:
Old Yeller
Early Christmas Hint
The Press-Bot - a coffee press for Nalgene bottles. This would be very useful on camping trips.
The Most Incredible Knife - 85 tools, including a toothpick.
You can make it with LEGO
LEGO's New Print Ads. I like how they are trying to go back to being an "imagination enhancement" toy. I think my favorite of the series is the boat.
Scooter mania!
One in 6.5 Billion
Vrooooooom!
Strange Vehicles. Also: Concepts Cars.
Three Six
For all you numerology fans and seekers-of-patterns, today is an interesting date: It's 06/06/06.
It's also the last day I'll be 36.
mushroom
Today as we were heading to Cheyenne we drove up Federal Blvd. I didn't realize the amount of development in the area! An unfortunate victim was the "mushroom tower" - an old water tower that for decades was a family landmark - which was beind dismantl
Colorado's Commemorative Quarter will be struck for the first time tomorrow, and will be in circulation by June 14th. Still, the controversy rages on: what mountain range is depicted o
Bill Frist: Doctor, Politician, Animal Surgeon
Money
Ever wonder who's picture is on the $10,000 bill? (It's Salmon P. Chase, Secretary of the Treasury from 1861-1864). Ever wonder what a $10,000 even looks like? Check out the Bureau of Engraving and Printing's Posted by Jason to Misc
Thanks!
How to write a thank-you note. Tradationally, December 26th is Thank You Note Day at our house.
Good, Bad, Ugly
Good: Buying a Ford GT.
Bad: Having to wait two years and spending $200,000 on said car.
Ugly: Wrecking it into pole after only having it for 2 days
Coin, coin
2006 is the year the Colorado Quarter comes out, and in preparation I did an inventory on the quarters I have now, and I've got all but Posted by Jason to Misc
A measure of time
this timer uses a clever design in its operation, and would be a useful device for tracking a ShovelGlove workout.
The Slanket - a blanket with sleeves. Lets you eat popcorn, work the remote, knit, etc, while staying wrapped up in a cozy blanket.
During World War I, the British and Americans faced a serious threat from German U-boats, which were sinking allied shipping at a dangerous ra
Gopal Hadar is an Indian man who, malnourished as a ch
"Spanning 35 hectares (86 acres), the mostly underground fungus is believed to be 1,000 years old ... 'The majority of the fungus is an underground ne
Ahhhh... that's better!
little red caboose (chug chug chug),
Little red caboose behind the train
Smoke stack on it's back (back back back),
Comin' down the track (track track track),
Little red caboose behind th
Making the rounds: sit in a chair, lift your right foot slightly off the ground and move it in clockwise circles. Now draw the numeral 6 in the air with your right hand. Your foot will involuntarily reverse d
It's 61° today, so no need for shoveling today!
Let those who want to, leave
Let those who want to, stay
Without harm to me or mine
from Elves in Posted by Jason to Misc
Picture a PEZ dispenser. Any one will do. On the side is the word PEZ, made up of pieces of PEZ candy.
It takes 44 pieces to make the word PEZ.
The IMAX tickets were a little higher price than normal, but the theater did not run ads
A gigantic nuclear furnace
Where Hydrogen is built into Helium
At a temperature of millions of degrees
Singer Tom Glazer
Well.. yes and no...
Once on the page, click the tracking info link in the lower left for the proof
I've been working on the site since the summer, and am proud of the new look and the backend code. I'm just glad the project is
A: No, Windows is not a virus.
Here's what viruses do:
1.They replicate quickly - okay, Windows does that.
2.Viruses use up valuable system resources, slowing down the system as they do so - okay, Windows does th
Congratulations!
Check out this Optical Illusion
Amazing how the brain can be fooled. I had to download the image and open it in photoshop to prove to myself that the claim is true.
Read it. Learn it. Live it.
It
Here in Colorado, it reached 101° yesterday, making July 1st
Scary fish invades Maryland.
or: DSL makes you dumb
I don't think Hollywood could have composed a better shot.
A little joke I enjoyed today:
A school teacher injured his back and had to wear a plaster cast around the upper part of his body. It fit under his shirt and was not noticeable at all.
On the first day of the term, still with the cast under
Spring's in charge and summer isn't far behind
I received this little tale from a Grad School mail list I'm subscribed to:
In a forest a fox bumps into a little rabbit, and says, "Hi, junior, what are you up to?""I'm writing a dissertation on how rabbits eat foxes," said the rabbit.
RAMA
Funniest. Review. Ever.
Now they just need to review the
So does the Backstreet Labs
Happy Valentine's Day!
Cows dissapear from Burns, Colo. Lawmen baffled!
2:02:02 2-02-02
However, a more focused resume submission campagine sometimes is effective. I have seen an increase in the number of people look
Steven Spielberg, Kate Capshaw and Harrison Ford reveal that Indiana Jones 4 is a go. The Indiana Jones trilogy is
Two Egyptian Mummies are burried under a McDonalds in England.
manufacturers are already scrambling to meet demands to produce this coming holiday season's coveted must-have impossible-to-acquire sold-out gift item: Cipro.
Benjamin enjoys building thing
Happy Palindrome Day!
I guess I should get new batteries for My laser pen now...
Heinz announces purple ketchup to compliment it's red and (ewwww) green varieties.
I know I don't ride as much as I'd like, but Sarah loves her bike and we are looking for a replacement bike for Ben to move up from
How much is too much? Where is the line between personal responsibility and the obligation of companies to protect us from oursel
Can we ever find someone to challenge, and possibly defeat, "The Tsunami"?
This is a poem made up entirely of actual quotations from George W. Bush. These have been arranged, only for aesthetic purposes, by Washington Post writer Richard Thompson. Too good not to share, especially during National Poetry Month.
MAKE THE
June 16, 1944
The American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers has started notifying organizations that run summer camps, such as the Girl Scouts, that they n
An interesting article on Yahoo talks about the near future of telecommunication: the Baby Bells won.
Not that I'm a big Aikman fan, but I was in Texas when he was just starting and everyone kept going on about him. He never was as big as John Elway
Just how many ads does a person see in a day?
New Earth Time - a replacement for GMT and the 24 hour day.
Taco Bell is running a promotion: if MIR hits a target they have floating in the Pacific Ocean, the company wil
A sand-tracing pendulum creates an unusual and elegant pattern during the Seattle earthquake.
A new mirrored sculpture in the UK will have to be shielded with umbrellas so not to barbeque passing birds
The United States mint announces the 2001 Golden Dollar will be in banks soon, and that last year the Mint distri
Some people feel Umami is the fifth flavor the human tongue can identify, along with sweet, sour, bitter, and salty.
and lives to tell the tale, that is, lives to have the tale told.
A rogue shrimp is killing off the displays at a local aquarium.
A Giant Monolith has been sighted in Seattle!
More information and pictures
Happy New Year!