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December 16, 2005
Update regarding TypePad
I understand that all Typepad blogs suffered some kind of a breakdown a few days ago, and what you see here now may be an earlier snapshot. Hopefully no data is being lost, as I have composed over three weeks of pre-written material. For whatever it is worth, Typepad will be posting updates to status.sixapart.com.
Please check out this page later for fresh postings.
(By the way, New Zealand is stunningly beautiful. I'll follow up on my trip later.)
December 16, 2005 in Website News | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
London’s Pubs
“The 61,000 pubs in Britain have over 25 million loyal customers. Over three-quarters of the adult population go to pubs, and over a third are ‘regulars’, visiting the pub at least once a week”. London's traditional and historic pubs. A guide to British pub etiquette
An intimate look into the employee make-up of about 95% of the restaurants you're eating at, by Alex Blagg. Next time you sit down and order that Chilean Sea Bass, remember - these are the people who are preparing it for you. (From ”Waiter rant”)
Little Chef - "The food is bad, the service is terrible, the prices are overpriced and they haven't kept up with the times in terms of menu, style or cleanliness"
"During our world-record North Pole trek in 2005, we lived off ever-depleting rations. Matters became worse when the dogs ate much of our supplies. When we arrived at the Pole there was just enough left for a celebratory bowl of spaghetti Bolognese. Food never tasted so good." From 50 Ultimate Food Moments. Also there: "I have a friend called Stefan who constantly tries to introduce me to eating odd things like herring sperm, or elk. I prefer my food to be normal, but last time I visited him I thoroughly enjoyed some donkey sausage. The only other things on offer that evening were testicular, so I can only hope that this wasn't a theme night, and that the donkey meat came from somewhere a little higher up"…
Mama's - The Best Sandwich in all of New York
Brûlée: the Dessert Experience, a dessert-only restaurant. (From ”Damn Interesting”)
Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert are Waiters who are nauseated by food
Bald patrons eat free at Gary's Uptown Restaurant (Wednesday only. From Ed Rants)
Habib's, Brazil's biggest home-grown fast-food chain specialising in Middle Eastern cuisine
I am on vacation and am possibly writing on my new Moving to New Zealand blog. This item had been pre-posted for your enjoyment. Many More Unusual Bars and Restaurants Here
December 16, 2005 in Food - Restaurants & Bars | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 15, 2005
Head Box Study
In the sense of the war on Terrorism, who do you think should be the next county to invade? On The Streets Of America. Italy! Sri Lanka! Cuba! Iran! Israel! North Korea! France!
There’s no question that the transition to a headless society will be physically challenging, but we must also take into account the pyschological impact on the bodiless patient and the caregiver. To this end, we created the Head Box
Dude's Fish Store at 1600 Amphiteatre Parkway in Mountain View, CA. Yahoo Maps pranks Google. Also, Google's dentist
The new Mp3 Experiment from ‘Improv Everywhere’
Breathtaking bravado foils speed camera
'I Will Eat Your Dollars' To the cyber scammers in Nigeria who trawl for victims on the Internet, Americans are easy targets. But one thief had second thoughts
Last fall I visited the University of Manitoba armed with homemade wooden frames. The result was framed wonder of the everyday.
I am on vacation and am possibly writing on my new Moving to New Zealand blog. This item had been pre-posted for your enjoyment.
Many More Hilarious Pranks And Many More Outrageous jokes Here
December 15, 2005 in Pranks | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 14, 2005
Fly LA-Air
Villa Romanza and Antonio D’Attellis’s highly-fresco’ed Villa Fiona, 2 upscale properties for sale for the well-heeded individual. (Both from "Forkbender”)
Great Los Angeles Restaurants That Ain't There No More. Well, maybe "great" is the wrong word for some of these. These are places I've dined in the past that are now defunct. Some I miss, some I don't, some I miss for reasons other than the food. A large percentage of them were on La Cienega Boulevard
Panoramas from The Problem of Urban Historical Knowledge
Near Downey, there is an abandoned hospital campus situated near a residential area. From random clues and records found at this site, it appears as if the hospital has been abandoned for at least 10 years. Already the buildings show signs of advanced aging, by way of vandalism, marauding plant growth, leaky roofs and overall neglect
Eye in the L.A. sky, traffic-related airborne images
Re-post: Abandoned & Little-Known Airfield in Central Los Angeles Area and The Aviation History of the San Fernando Valley. (From “The Skunks of Los Feliz”)
Shag’s LA by Day & by Night
I am on vacation and am possibly writing on my new Moving to New Zealand blog. This item had been pre-posted for your enjoyment.
Many More Unusual Links About Los Angeles and Orange County Here
December 14, 2005 in Los Angeles | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 13, 2005
Wow!
Like the wooden clocks below, here’s a mechanical ass chewer on eBay - You must watch the 2 videos on loud, and see all photos at the bottom of page!
This is a Hand Carved kinetic sculpture; Made from American Black Walnut. Height of the "Mechanical Ass Chewer" is just above 5' tall.
Perfect for: Parents of teen agers, Managers with high production quotas, Law Offices, or anywhere where additional motivation is needed.
This is a Brand New, Completely Hand Carved, #15 from the Artists Lot of A very limited supply. This is your exclusive chance to own an intricately designed device which caters to a broad range of uses, including Abstract Art collectors, Humor Connoisseurs and seekers of Stress Relief devices. (From quonsar)
Many More Unusual Inventions & Discoveries Here
December 13, 2005 in Science & Inventions | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Leap Seconds
Get a lesson in prime numbers when you own the only clock in the world that actually keeps Prime Time, and which displays the time only if it's a prime number
Sixties Magician using many watches
Frank Lloyd Wright inspired clocks
Clayton Boyer's Homemade Wooden Clocks
Alarm clocks are bad. How to wake up and feel better
The first Seiko watch that uses flexible e-paper
From Mark Headrick's Horology Page - Escapements in Motion
Pong clock - one round of Pong every minute
Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come…
Stop All the Clocks by W.H. Auden
Blowfly by Ena Macana
Goodbye! I am leaving on a 3-week vacation. However, I prepared daily posts that will continue both here and on my new blog (Details tomorrow). So, keep reading as usual. Many More Unusual Clocks and Watches Here
December 13, 2005 in Clocks & Watches | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack
December 12, 2005
Birthplace of the bungee jump
Lucha va voom, Mexican wrestlers who hate to take their masks off and women who love to take their shirts off
The Winkler Collection of old boxing photographs. Also, Vintage Young Physique, Volume 1 Number 1, August 1958. Over 22,000 images, sorted by studio/photographer
A video of the worlds first jet assisted, level, sky dive by some crazy Finn. (From Rod Drury)
In 1988, following extensive restoration work, A.J. Hackett opened the world's first commercial bungee site outside of Queenstown, New Zealand
NZ finds Black Cocks hard to swallow. It was a bloody silly idea in the first place, but New Zealand's badminton world may finally have to concede that calling the national team the "Black Cocks" really is a bit too strong
Rose City Rollers, All-girl roller derby from Portland, OR. (Look under 'Team & Staff'. Via Whole lotta nothing)
The Precision Lawn Chair Marching Dads are a group of Illinois businessmen that get together on a normal basis to entertain parade goers and get some exercise
Different types of bicycles from The Bicycle Forest: The Hula Bike, The Treadmill Bike, The Couch Bike, others
Pretty triathletes: Kelly Cook, Rachel Sears, Julie Swail,Joanna Zeiger, Sheila Taormina, Laura Reback
Never too late to get in shape. (From Attu)
Many More Unusual Links of Extreme Sports Here
December 12, 2005 in Extreme Sports | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Bookstore Hall of Fame
Robert Teeter's Bookstore Hall of Fame is his list of great bookstores. They are characterized by a large selection of books in numerous subjects, with a particularly wide range of literature, and independence of spirit
The History of Gay Bookstores
Library humor (Library-related cartoons, advertisements, pictures, photos, comics) by Library Mistress
Book Hunting in Britain: The best bookshop in the world is Tindley and Chapman at 4 Cecil Court, an all-antiquarian pedestrian lane in the West End, just off Charing Cross Road, the old center of the London book trade. (Part 2 of a 5 part series)
Illiterate man seeks books so poor can read
Biblio, the online marketplace for buying and selling used, rare, and out-of-print books
Many More Unusual Bookstores and Unusual Literary Links Here
December 12, 2005 in Bookstores | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 11, 2005
Hungry Planet
Keep it simple: You want a Round Thing with Salt or not?
The Hungry Planet - What the World Eats. The new book by Peter Menzel (Who was prominently featured here a few times as the author of Man Eating Bugs. Found on a Salon review)
How to braid garlic. (From ”Fawn Jotters”). Cold pressed garlic juice spray
(Since for some Googly reason, I’m the 2nd result for this culinary search), here is the new gallery of creations from Grant Achatz Alinea Restaurant in Chicago. The latest idea from Alinea: Gastronomic Reversals
A Toast to the Art of Emily Rosamond. (From ”Art for housewives”)
Hot Rock! Cook your food on your own tableside volcanic stone
Toasted mayonnaise sandwich. One of the many readers-submitted “Utterly Outrageous Recipes” from LavaMind - That's right. A slice of bread covered in Mayonnaise and toasted to perfection. Mmmm... I eat it almost every day
Chew by numbers Children Gum Art
Antique Toasters & Small Kitchen Appliances for sale
Many More Unusual Recipes and Meals Here
December 11, 2005 in Food | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 10, 2005
Heavy drinking
"What is it about a beautiful sunny afternoon, with the birds singing and the wind rustling through the leaves, that makes you want to get drunk?"
Elvis coffee. Old postcards about coffee
Pickle Juice - Mmmmm… Don't Pour Out the Pickle Jar: Plenty of Uses for Pickle Juice
Vodka in A Tube. Like Wine in a can, but faster
A giant list of Liquid Links from Malt Maniacs
National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month, 2005 - A Proclamation. (Thank you, Braddy)
The Myth of Fernet-Branca and how it became the toast of San Francisco. The legendary liquid in that emerald bottle is more than merely San Francisco's preferred method of self-medication; it's an intoxicating fairy tale
The History of Tea
Breaking news: Eugene McCarthy, the groundbreaking comedian whose profanely personal insights into race relations and modern life made him one of Hollywood’s biggest black stars, died of a heart attack Saturday. He was 89
Quote above is "A Deep Thought". Many More Unusual Drinks Including Unusual Beers Here
December 10, 2005 in Beverages | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack
December 09, 2005
All I know is what I read in the papers
Playboy in Braille: "Elka leans against a wall, wearing only a carpenter’s tool belt. She’s hot. Believe me..."
50 years of The Village Voice - First cover from October 1955
This page provides links to some of the major Dada-era publications before 1923. The list is divided into two sections. The first section includes some of the major periodicals of the Dada movement in Zurich, Berlin, Paris, and elsewhere. The second section includes books by some of the participants in the Dada movement, as well as some of the more ephemeral Dada-era publications
Skin Deep, UK’s best selling tattoo magazine
Waste Age; a garbage industry trade mag
Many More Unusual Newspapers and Magazines Here
December 9, 2005 in Newspaper & Magazines | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Bogus Science
A One Dollar Compound Microscope. In this article, they describe the construction of a very simple low-cost compound microscope
Illinois Gear Collection. A set of 15 models built by the Illinois Gear & Machine Company of Chicago that was acquired by Cornell University
Reflect-A-Sketch. Unique drawing tool is a fun way to develop children's artistic talent
Replace all the elements of the periodic table with photographs of the letters that represent each element
Pimped Out Megaphone Helmet
Gigantic QTVR's from Inside a Wind Tunnel. (From ”Hippo Blog”). Also, QTVR of Large Hadron Collider at CERN
The Birdman of Lincolnshire. I have for the past 30 years been developing a machine that will enable man to fly like a bird
Did Al Gore invent the Internet, or did he claim to do so? Robert Kahn and Vinton Cerf clarify in a forwarded message dated 28 Sep 2000
The Seven Warning Signs of Bogus Science. (From ”Presurfer”)
Alex Steinweiss, the man who invented album covers
By the way, my friend Jeff Abbit The Average is a talented magician in Orange County, California. I met him a few years ago doing a hilarious sidewalk show outside a coffeehouse in Brea. If you want him to entertain you & your party this holiday season, give him a call and get some details. He is still available for Sat. Dec. 17th and New Year’s Eve
Many More Unusual Inventions & Discoveries Here
December 9, 2005 in Science & Inventions | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 08, 2005
12/8/80
Imagine there's no heaven
it's easy if you try
no hell below us and
above us only sky.
imagine all the people
living for today
imagine there's no countries
it isn't hard to do
nothing to kill or die for and
no religion too.
imagine all the people living life in peace
imagine no possessions.
i wonder if you can
no need for greed or hunger.
a brotherhood of man.
imagine all the people sharing all the world
you may say: i'm a dreamer
but i am not the only one
and i hope some day
you will join us and
the world will be as one
Many More Unusual Links About John Lennon Here
December 8, 2005 in Music - Beatles | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack
December 07, 2005
"A spider the size of a Buick"
Woody Allen turned 70, and the weakness of his recent films obscures the fact this is one of the great American filmmakers. We take him for granted, think of him as a cottage industry producing little boutique films, one a year, like clockwork. But since 1969, he has racked up so many masterpieces, so many near-masterpieces and so many just plain good movies that there's no denying his place among the great writer-directors: Sturges, Welles, Keaton, Chaplin.
Woody Allen mask by Canadian artist Patrick Lundeen
The complete script to Annie Hall
Anemic Cinema by Marcel Duchamp (1926, 26.1 mb AVI)
A comprehensive listing of all the locations which John Hughes filmed at
1950's Sci-Fi Vintage Lobby Cards
“250” helps you manage the movies you've seen from the IMDb Top 250
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Online Adventure
Grow-a-brain’s Extensive Collections of Best Film Directors including Charlie Chaplin and Alfred Hitchcock Here
December 7, 2005 in Cinema - Directors | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Jamaica in Babylon
Listen to ”Tamally maak" sung by the Egyptian singer Amr Diab, "the Ricky Martin of the Arab World." (From a Metafilter thread about Arabic Salsa)
Abdel Halim Hafez - king of Arabic Music. (From ”Szanalmas”)
Matisyahu Miller, the Hassidic Jewish reggae artist, sings King Without A Crown. Here’s a video card version. Clips from his Concert in Paris. The lion of Zion
Other Jewish Reggae and Ska artists
Israeli Birdsong, for Creative Home Recordings
More About Music From The Middle East Here
December 7, 2005 in Music from the Middle East | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack