80s Mustang Dec 4, 2008
I'm not a car person, but I've always felt that Ford Mustangs from the 1980s are like the ugly cousin of the Mustang family.  What Wikipedia calls third-generation Mustangs have big-nose-like front ends and abrupt, angular rear windshields.  For a classic muscle car, they're far from looking aerodynamic or even remotely attractive. 
[Image: mustangs.png]
That's the 80s one on the left, followed by the 1994-2004 version and the 2005-now version. #travel
Computerized ordering (1) Dec 4, 2008
I can't even begin to describe my love for computerized ordering systems at eateries in places like Wawa and Quick Chek.  Not having to talk to a person; pressing buttons that correspond to what I want; getting exactly what I want with a printed record of exactly what I ordered.  I don't understand why these things aren't in restaurants. #food
Veolia infection Dec 4, 2008
Veolia is a company that manages drinking water testing and wastewater treatment.  But every time I see the company's name on a van or a building, I can't help but think it's some sort of disease or infection, as in "Susie has a bad case of Veolia."  I get the same feeling from the word caucus. #language
Eating for sustenance Dec 3, 2008
Today for lunch, I had the conference room special:  A half-sandwich with tuna, and a half-sandwich with ham and salami.  The tuna one was excellent.  The ham and salami surprise almost made me gag.  There was too much meat, the tomato was constantly trying to escape, and the bread was soggy.  But I ate it.  All of it. 

I find myself doing this sometimes -- eating solely to get rid of hunger, even if I hate what I'm eating.  I don't do it often.  We live in a rich enough country that it's not hard to find something good to eat.  But sometimes I'll be at a friend's house and I'll be served something unfamiliar, or I'll order something at a restaurant and have it come out different than how I expected.  Instead of pushing it aside and remaining hungry, I'll force it down my throat to satisfy my hunger.  It's not like I'm eating dirt or rocks, which provide absolutely no nourishment.  I'm eating food that essentially gives my body what it needs, though it's not necessarily pleasant.  It's a weird practice, but it's not an isolated incident. #food
Cats unrolling toilet paper (3) Dec 3, 2008
Many cats take up the wonderful pastime of completely unrolling entire rolls of toilet paper.  This past weekend, my dad casually identified the solution:  Kill all cats Turn the roll around (assuming you have it installed properly, where it unrolls from the front).  If it unrolls from the back, cats will paw at it for a few seconds, then get bored when it doesn't unroll for them. #nature
Calexico Dec 3, 2008
The town of Calexico, CA is directly across the border from the Mexican town of Mexicali.  It reminds me of the town of Texarkana, TX, which is right on the border between Texas and Arkansas, and the town of Cal Nev Ari, NV, which is close to the borders of California, Nevada, and Arizona. 

Update:  Wikipedia has a list. #travel
No more acorns Dec 1, 2008
The tiny plot of rocky, barren land that surrounds my house has a tendency to collect more than it creates.  The few trees that reside on the edges of my property manage to dump billions of leaves and acorns on every square inch of lawn.  My leaf blower works great ... for leaves.  But small, rock-hard, aerodynamic seed containers are no match for propelled air.  The fall of 2007 was like trying to save the Titanic with a spoon; those damned acorns accumulated faster than I could remove them.  My lowest point came sometime in the winter, when I assumed the waterfall of acorns had stopped for the season, and I attempted to suck them off the semi-frozen ground with a shop vac (though it sort of worked). 

This year, the harvest seems to have dried up.  And it's not just my yard.  Botanists and naturalists are a bit worried that it could be something serious, but they're worried less about the health of oak trees and more about the health of small animals that feed on the wretched fruit.  Thankfully (I guess) the scourge seems not to be affecting all areas of the country.  My parents live in rural Virginia, and they say their oak trees are producing quite a bounty. #nature
Political comparison matrix Dec 1, 2008
This is over a month late, but I need to express my admiration and respect for my wife's method of selecting a presidential candidate (and it's not because she's my wife; I literally really like her method).  Just like a product comparison matrix, where different features are compared and weighted to select the most desirable product, a political candidate can be chosen based essentially on a mathematical formula.  I mentioned this in my post about product comparison matrices, but I actually saw it carried out in the recent presidential election.  The benefit of a political comparison matrix is that it takes emotion out of the equation.  Many people vote because they have a "feeling" about someone.  But as any rational person knows, feelings change (especially in reference to political candidates, who often have a habit of changing).  Wendy selected a few specific issues that were important to her, then gathered information about each candidate's position on these issues.  Certain issues had more weight than others, and each candidate's position was given a numerical rank (and not everything is either a 0 or a 1; some issues could have a "totally agree, somewhat agree, neutral, somewhat disagree, totally disagree" type of scale).  At the end, a final number was calculated that summarized each issue, each candidate's position on each issue, and the weight of that issue.  Based on that final number, Wendy made her decision. #politics
XLerator (1) Dec 1, 2008
The XLerator is a hand dryer found in [usually] upscale bathrooms.  It claims to dry hands in 10-15 seconds and use 80% less energy (than conventional hand-dryers, I'm assuming).  For people that live near me, it's that thing in the new Rockaway movie theaters that feels like a jet engine mounted on the bathroom wall.  I almost don't mind paying $10 to see a movie, provided that I get to play with one of these machines.  I can't not laugh when the air passes through my fingers and makes funny noises.  That will absolutely never get old. #products