Monthly Archives: January 2011

Wallpaper Monday

Posted on 31 January 2011 by

In honor of the Egyptian protesters, today’s wallpaper is of Cairo. Photographer Wael Saad writes: Nowhere in the Muslim world can you find such a profusion of domes and minarets as in Cairo. Rising from the haze of crowded, crumbling … Continue reading →

Posted in wallpaper | 2 Comments

Saving our history

Posted on 29 January 2011 by

One of the greatest stains on my nation is the 2003 looting of the Iraqi National Museum, which lost 170,000 artifacts to thieves because the US Army would not protect it. Thousands of years of history — not Iraqi history, … Continue reading →

Posted in good news | 2 Comments

Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty

Posted on 28 January 2011 by

I remember way back when I first got my hands on a book of the original Brothers Grimm stories, and how shocked I was that they weren’t the sweet, unicorn-and-rainbows versions that Disney had taught me. The short film below … Continue reading →

Posted in humor, video | 2 Comments

The Portuguese elect morons, too

Posted on 27 January 2011 by

I sometimes get a little too embroiled in the towering idiocy of US politics, and forget that other countries have their own idiots, incompetents and outright crooks as well. Portugal just elected its president on Sunday, or perhaps I should … Continue reading →

Posted in politics, Portugal | 9 Comments

A state gun?

Posted on 26 January 2011 by

There are two debate topics which have special heat among my European friends: the death penalty, and gun ownership. In general I have defended gun ownership, because I’m a western American who was taught proper gun handling, safety and ethics … Continue reading →

Posted in politics, USA | 8 Comments

Life imitates art

Posted on 25 January 2011 by

In my January 10 post about Duck football and the fans shaking Autzen Stadium, I indulged my imagination and wrote: If the crowd can shake an apartment half a mile away during a regular season game, just think what it … Continue reading →

Posted in life | 2 Comments

Wallpaper Monday

Posted on 24 January 2011 by

It has suddenly come to my attention, now that an 11-inch MacBook Air lives in our house, that grand scenic wallpapers don’t do very well on small screens. So I’ll be mixing it up with photos on a different scale, … Continue reading →

Posted in wallpaper | 4 Comments

Saturday picture show: Eight bioluminescent sea creatures

Posted on 22 January 2011 by

Ctenophores, or comb jellies, are gelatinous organisms that cruise the oceans using the rows of cilia which line their bodies. They’re simple in design, and very beautiful to watch as the cilia produce shifting rainbows of color. We occasionally had … Continue reading →

Posted in life, science | 7 Comments

The new baby

Posted on 21 January 2011 by

At approximately 3:30 this afternoon, all productive activity in our home came to a halt due to a delivery. Yes, after all the research and anticipation and waiting, the stork brought us a brand new baby, 11.8 inches long and … Continue reading →

Posted in tech | 7 Comments

Kill the drill

Posted on 20 January 2011 by

A few days ago, I was sitting in a dentist’s chair getting a broken molar fixed. This necessitated what felt like twelve hours of drilling, all of which was spent with the drill motor — and that awful, high-pitched whine … Continue reading →

Posted in science | 7 Comments