Want Want WANT

Photos taken by some friends of mine, interpreters at the Hickory Ridge Homestead, on a "field trip" to Old Salem, in Winston-Salem, NC.

Woodshop

Woodshop

Woodshop

In Which I Am In Agreement With Abraham Lincoln*

(via Lockwood DeWitt)


*Me being in agreement with Abraham Lincoln, as I know him to have been, is not especially noteworthy, but I needed a title for this post.

Latest Projects

It's hard to see, and this is the best shot my poor li'l camera could manage, but at the left end of the kitchen bar, there is a shelf (covered with stuff already, of course).  The new shelf allowed us to move all the spices and such from on top of the microwave and thereby move the coffeemaker from the bar to the microwave.  Which allows a lot more open space on the bar.   Which, I'm told, looks better.  :)

 Another project, a bit more complicated (c'mon, a shelf is just a chunk of board after all), was to build a little desk for the girls' room, so we could put the computer that had been living on one end of the dining table -- with its massive CRT monitor -- in their room.

Jen's boss gave her a couple of old (non-funcional) solar panels  -- or, as Julia calls them "panner solos", with the remark "Bob could use one to build a desk."  And so I did.  To the right we see one of the panels.

And here are some of the pieces/parts, preparing to be assembled into the new desk.

And, finally, a shot of the (mostly) finished desk, set up in the girls' room, where it is being enjoyed immensely.  Well, not at the moment, because it's the weekend, which means the girls aren't here.  The girls will be painting the desk (the panel/top lifts right out of the framework, so they won't paint it)... I believe the latest plan is "black with white musical notes".

We hope to do some upgrades soon and be able to get rid of the CRT, which will make the desk even more usable.

The End.

Introducing.....

The New Kitteh on the Block:

Yet to be named, 'cause for we just got her from the shelter an hour ago.

She and Raxi have been introduced, and the expected growling and hissing has commenced -- although Raxi's protestations are already seeming a bit de riguer, so I 'spect all will be well very soon.

Эти образы невероятно! (Eti Obrazy Neveroyatno!)

Well, that's what Google Translate says the Russian is for "These Images Are Incredible!" and I must agree.

Stealing the blockquote, as I have the post, from Lockwood DeWitt:

...Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (1863-1944) undertook a photographic survey of the Russian Empire with the support of Tsar Nicholas II. He used a specialized camera to capture three black and white images in fairly quick succession, using red, green and blue filters, allowing them to later be recombined and projected with filtered lanterns to show near true color images.

Go to Boston.com's Big Picture to see the whole incredible full-size gallery of images.

To Boldly Evolve...

Via FB....

From Lockwood DeWitt's Sunday Funnies.  You must check them all out.

All-Time Obstructionism

I knew the Republicans in Congress were doing all they could to block presidential nominees, but holy crap!!

And so the government limps along, not being able to be effective, and the same Republicans who cause the problem claim -- without admitting they caused it -- that it's proof that government is ineffective.

Sheesh.

Tiny House Movement

This makes the old Secret Lair ( aka '73 Winnebago) look big... and the house we live in here in Costa Rica positively HUGE!!

Watch the full episode. See more Need To Know.

Pics from Granada

Here's a sampling from my latest "border run" to Granada, Nicaragua (to satisfy my passport status):

Mid-day in Parque Central

Capitalism at work

The garden (courtyard) at the Garden Café

Waiting for the bus outta town, there's a lumber yard across the street

The municipal building, complete with helpful policeman.

More Childish Childhood Memories

Remember LPs?  Records?

I know all of you do.


When I was a kid, I used to listen to records all the time.  My parents' and my "own" (I didn't buy them , and many of them were a part of the household before I even came along, but as my sibs were all muuch older [or so it seemed at the time] than me, the records were mine).  So at a young age I was well-versed in The Sons of the Pioneers, Harry Belafonte, Bing Crosby -- and lots of the Walt Disney records.

Which brings us to tonight's memory:

Kipling's Just So Stories, read by the inimitable Sterling Holloway (who was also the voice of Pooh Bear).

Can't you just hear him saying "the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River"?

Kitteh Pics

Guard Kitteh -- "protecting" the front step

Carred Kitteh - Raxi likes to be in the car, as long as two conditions are met.  1) no one else is in the car and, 2) the engine isn't running... because if those two things happen, that means she's going to the place with the metal table and the man who pokes and prods at her.  Kitteh no like that.

Does Your Dog Bite?

One Years Ago

A year ago today, I got a kitteh:

Look how much smaller I am now:

Oh, wait. I guess it's Raxacoricofallapatorius has gotten bigger.

Happy Raxi Day*, everyone!


(*aka, my birthday)

Something About This Isn't Right

...but I can't quite put my finger on what it is.......

Can't Let the Opportunity Pass By...

...to post something from The Bestest Movie EVAH^tm, aka 1776.



Happy Independence Day to all you subjects citizens!

And now we're off to the beach....

Photo Dump

I used my camera today, and found some left-overs from ... the past.  Some were worth posting, and so here they are:

Two months ago I went on a "Passport Run" to Nicaragua.  It was a three day visit and I took a grand total of four photos, all at the bus stop crossing the mountains between here and the Pacific region in Costa Rica....

This one is from about two weeks ago, when I managed to catch Raxi chillin' on the car....

And these last two from today. It got very foggy and then rained hard for about 20 minutes, then cleared off....

Almost A Shame They Changed the Name....

Anyone remember what the former name (in the US, at least) of the petrocompany responsible for the current oil disaster was?

Irony, it is here.

This'll Make You Smile

I've Seen The Mountains of NC... They're Real

As all'a y'all know, before I moved to Costa Rica I had lived my entire life in Teh Mountains of North Carolina. Now, what most'a y'all don't know is that as far as the State (as in official, gummint-type things) is concerned, the mountains and, indeed, most of "Western North Carolina" get short shrift. Politics by the rich and for the rich is far from a new concept in NC and, historically, it was landed gentry in the eastern portions of the state that controlled things.

I had thought that was not so much anymore, but I followed a link to a news story earlier today, and couldn't get past the banner at the top of the page:

Here's a map of NC (with some crude annotation):

(Sandhills area is part of the Coastal Plain)

Does anyone notice what part of that map is missing from the banner of "N.C.'s only statewide news channel"???


Oy.

Ever wonder how fast your connection really is?

I like to doublecheck from time to time, and make sure we're getting what we pay for.


(click the pic to test your own connection)


We are.
.

Memory Lane

I remember reading, when I was a wee lad, a book about a steam shovel that dug a hole it couldn't get out of. Now, when I say remember, I really mean I have vague recollections, so I couldn't recall any more of the story (and I know that the memories were from over 4 decades ago). Every once in a while I would recall these snippets, but couldn't ever remember more.

Just now, I had a thought of it and -- finally -- used Teh Google to see if I could find it.

Anyone else remember this book?



Here's the Wikilink for the book.

And the first page of the story:



And a funny re-reading of the story (which shows the illustrations from the book):

Out Like a Lion?

Okay, it's May, not March, but we just had another temblor here. This one a 6.1 magnitude in basically the same spot as a 5.9 mag a couple weeks ago. There was also a 4.9 last week, near the same location, and a 4.8 about 100 miles up the coast, off Nicaragua, within the last week.

Tonight via Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica (National University Vulcanology and Seismic Observatory):



The one tonight wasn't as strong here in the house as the 5.9 the other day, but the waves propagate differently ... or some such thing. I really need to become more knowledgeable about terrremotos (earthquakes), since I'm now a first-hand observer on (apparently) a regular basis.....

Science: Still So Cool

(photo taken by Cassini spacecraft, click to enlargimacate)

The big moon is Rhea, seen from 1.2 million kilometers (750,000 miles) away, and the little one below it is Epimetheus, from 1.6 million km (990,000 miles) away. Perspective makes them look right next to each other, but in reality the distance between them is the same as the Moon from the Earth! Saturn and its rings provide the backdrop for this stunning alien portrait.

From here, with more info for the spacially-inclined.

It's Not News Unless It Fits the Narrative

Did you hear about the terrorist attack in Florida last week? Unless you live in Jacksonville, you probably haven't. Outside of local news (and, now, online), there's been no mention of this act -- even dismissed as a "deranged individual" or a "one-off".

Despicable.

This is the direct result of profit-driven news divisions.

Revisionist Much?

You may remember the Texas Board of (mis)Education, controlled by people with -- at best -- a tenuous grasp of reality ... and a huge rightwingnutty bent? We've seen before that they removed Thomas Jefferson from the Enlightenment influences, the term "capitalism", and inflating the importance of Conservative Causes over the last 30 years.

Well, I just came across this tidbit:

The education board has dropped references to the slave trade in favour of calling it the more innocuous "Atlantic triangular trade", and recasts the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as driven by Islamic fundamentalism.

As disgusting as this is, it does give me the opportunity to post a clip from Teh Bestest Movie EVAR, aka 1776:

Pay No Attention, For This Shall Likely Be Deleted Momentarily

Having issues with the page and the refreshing thereof.

Don't Hear This Much Anymore

Reading this post by Zymurgian over at Pygalgia's place, about the use of recordings of train horns at railroad crossings (because the real thing is, apparently, too much for the neighbors to bear) reminded me of a couple things.

This:

Tweetsie Railroad (located just outside of Blowing Rock, NC)

which I used to love hearing when I lived in Boone (and the wind was blowing in the right direction),


This All Things Considered piece from 2005 about recordings of train whistles (and photos),

And visiting my (maternal) grandmother in West Virginia. Her house was next to the railroad and the trains whistle sound is an integral part of my memories of my Grandmother.

What IS the Nature of the Danger?

Via Crooks & Liars, Ezra Klein interviews economist James Galbraith (Washington Post online):

EK: You think the danger posed by the long-term deficit is overstated by most economists and economic commentators.

JG: No, I think the danger is zero. It's not overstated. It's completely misstated.

EK: Why?

JG: What is the nature of the danger? The only possible answer is that this larger deficit would cause a rise in the interest rate. Well, if the markets thought that was a serious risk, the rate on 20-year treasury bonds wouldn't be 4 percent and change now. If the markets thought that the interest rate would be forced up by funding difficulties 10 year from now, it would show up in the 20-year rate. That rate has actually been coming down in the wake of the European crisis. [emphasis by Bob]

So there are two possibilities here. One is the theory is wrong. The other is that the market isn't rational. And if the market isn't rational, there's no point in designing policy to accommodate the markets because you can't accommodate an irrational entity.

Hmmmm, does that mean all the "Reduce The Deficit NOW!!" cries are simply a magician's flourish to distract from what the other hand is doing????

C&L has a video that goes along with this also, of another interview (link above)

An Amusing Little Quiz For D&D Geeks

I Am A: Neutral Good Human Druid (7th Level)


Ability Scores:
Strength-12
Dexterity-15
Constitution-16
Intelligence-18
Wisdom-18
Charisma-14


Alignment:
Neutral Good A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. He is devoted to helping others. He works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them. Neutral good is the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order. However, neutral good can be a dangerous alignment because it advances mediocrity by limiting the actions of the truly capable.


Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.


Class:
Druids gain power not by ruling nature but by being at one with it. They hate the unnatural, including aberrations or undead, and destroy them where possible. Druids receive divine spells from nature, not the gods, and can gain an array of powers as they gain experience, including the ability to take the shapes of animals. The weapons and armor of a druid are restricted by their traditional oaths, not simply training. A druid's Wisdom score should be high, as this determines the maximum spell level that they can cast.


Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)

USA: Home of the Proudly Stupid

Oy. Via LGF, comes this:

Today’s right wing jawdropper: in Alabama, the “True Republican PAC” is running an advertisement mocking Republican gubernatorial candidate Bradley Byrne for supporting the teaching of evolution in schools.

Yes, you read that right — these “True Republicans” are so proudly, invincibly ignorant that they’re making fun of a fellow Republican for not being a moron.

Except — Byrne actually is a moron too, just like the “True Republicans.” And he’s outraged that his moron credentials were questioned.

Byrne responds to this “despicable attack” with a statement: “I have never wavered in my belief that this world and everything in it is a masterpiece created by the hands of God… I fought to ensure the teaching of creationism in our school text books.”

[...]

The group that’s funding the “True Republican PAC?”

The Alabama Education Association.

Kitteh Tacks!!!!

Lockwood's weekly feature, Sunday Funnies, is up and here's my personal fave of this excellent batch:

Go have a look-see fer yerselves....

The Empire NAS Strikes Back

Via Little Green Footballs, I find this:

Open letter: Climate change and the integrity of science

We are deeply disturbed by the recent escalation of political assaults on scientists in general and on climate scientists in particular. All citizens should understand some basic scientific facts. There is always some uncertainty associated with scientific conclusions; science never absolutely proves anything. When someone says that society should wait until scientists are absolutely certain before taking any action, it is the same as saying society should never take action. For a problem as potentially catastrophic as climate change, taking no action poses a dangerous risk for our planet.

[snip]

Many recent assaults on climate science and, more disturbingly, on climate scientists by climate change deniers, are typically driven by special interests or dogma, not by an honest effort to provide an alternative theory that credibly satisfies the evidence....

The letter is signed by 255 members of the (US) National Academy of Sciences, and the complete text is available at The Guardian online.

Resistance is Futile

I'm not normally a big fan of GIF animated images, because the go and go and go and go, but the intersection of ST:TNG and the BSOD is irresistable. (h/t to Lockwood)
GIF moved to here.

As the Man Said, Like...

(click image to read small print)
"the Man" being Lockwood DeWitt, over at his blog.

Sangin'

I think I might have posted this here before, but the subject came up in discussion elsewhere,... so, here again by popular -- well, not unpopular -- demand, me singing as part of a quartet, during the pre-show entertainment for Horn in the West, August 1996:



The song is "Knock Under", which is a sometime part of the play (it wasn't at that time). Also, apologies for the bad quality, it's a recording of the TV playing the VHS tape.

Lluvia Grande

Remember that video I posted about a year ago, of a torrential downpour? Well, it's that time of year again. My camera batteries need recharging, so I couldn't do video today, but I did take a couple still photos afterward, one of which turned out okay....

That catches the darkness of the rain-soaked wall and the fog off towards the mountaintops rather nicely, I do believe.

Why I Like Reading the Christian Science Monitor

The option included destinations such as asteroids, Lagrange points on the Earth's orbital path around the sun that could be sites for space stations, and Mars.

How many of you know what a "Lagrange point" is?

(it's this)

I'm not so thrilled with the Obama Administration's plans for the US' future presence in space -- not so much the whats, but the whens... article here.

Monday Music

Little Feat - "Let It Roll"

Ominous Wallbird Breaking; A Post in Three Pictures

Looking North just before sunset a couple days ago

There were four birds, three of them fighting, and a gust of wind blew one off the wall.

Raxi is weird.  And broken often.

Yea Duke!!

Congrats to the Blue Devils, 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Champions!!

...You Know Where To Find Me

A year ago today, I typed "If Anybody Needs Me...", clicked PUBLISH POST and got on a plane bound for San José, Costa Rica.

The plane landed a year ago and a couple of minutes.

Guess I'm not a newbie any more!

And Now I Know -- Finally

About 12 years ago, my good friend Micheal burned me a mix CD before moving from Asheville, NC to Albuquerque, NM. It was filled with all sorts of musical goodness, including, of course, a couple of tracks by the Grateful Dead, and ended with a beautiful track that combined percussion, cellos and Navajo chants.

When I listened to that track I was mesmerized. It was so totally different and fantastic. Unfortunately, Michael didn't get the name of the track (he found it online), and ever since then I've been trying -- on and off -- to identify it.

Enter tonight. Jen's sister is here for a visit and has an unidentified CD that we were trying to find out what it was (we haven't been able to yet), and in the course of that attempt, I came across a free program that claims to be able to id songs by the sound. After I tried Lisa's CD, I put in that mix CD and ....

The song is Yehe-Noha, on the album Chants and Dances of Native Americans, by the German artist Claus Zundel, performing under the name "Sacred Spirit". It was apparently a worldwide sensation when it first came out. A couple years ago I uploaded it to a free music hosting site that has since gone out of commission, but there's a sample of the song here.

Where's My Coonskin Cap When I Need It?

I guess it depends on your age (and where you're from, to an extent) as to which of the following means most to you, but the singer of the first and the one who appears in both videos is Fess Parker -- Davy Crockett or Dan'l Boone, your choice -- and he died today at the age of 85.

Being from NC, and having lived just a few miles from where Daniel Boone lived before moving to Kentucky and opening the Wilderness Road, I'll always identify Parker with "ole Dan'l".

Chanelling Copying Roger Ebert

From a couple days ago comes Roger Ebert's masterful takedown of Glenn Beck. Here's my favorite bit:

Beck even went so far as to cite Jesus Christ, saying, and I quote: "Nowhere does Jesus say, Hey, if somebody asks for your shirt, give your coat to the government and have the government give them a pair of slacks." Well, Beck has me there. It is quite true that nowhere does Jesus say that. Nor, for that matter, does he ever say, A wop bop a lu bop, a wop bam boom!

Tutti Frutti, thy name is Glenn Beck.

(h/t to PZ Myers, who needs me linking to him like I need to gain a few pounds, but there it is)

I Wonder If Any Of Them Were Moving?

Once upon a time, I drove a Volkswagen Beetle (1974 model). It was a dozen years old or so when I bought it, and, as was normal for them, there were little things that would go wrong with it from time to time. A couple of times I literally fixed it with duct tape and/or bailing wire. I loved that car and drove it to death -- when I traded it in for the first of two Suzuki Samurais I owned, I coasted the last 1/2 mile to the dealership with a completely dead engine.

I used to be pretty handy at fixing things on whatever vehicle I owned, up to and including adjusting timing and replacing head gaskets and such.

But not any more. Cars today are run by computers, and the mechanical parts are supplemental to the computers. Which makes this story pretty much inevitable:

In the college town of Austin, Texas, a disgruntled hacker apparently managed to override a remote vehicle-immobilization system called Webtech Plus, effectively shutting down dozens of cars and setting off alarms on dozens more.

I tried to convince some people with money (aka potential investors) that the time was right to bring back the Model T -- well, a comparable but not-quite-the-same vehicle, because I wouldn't be doing it for the Ford Motor Corporation's benefit.

Think about it. A car that gets you to where you're going without all the extra crap that all cars have now. And could be fixed by the owner without a computer hookup. Maybe I should try again.

There Is No Pie in This Post, But If There Were It Would Be Green

Céad Míle Fáilte!*

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!**

Erin go Bragh!*

And other various Gaelic sayings apropos to the day!

Reel Around the Sun (the opening number from Riverdance)

Kiss Me I'm Irish, Gaelic Storm


Johnny Tarr, Gaelic Storm


Midnight Walker, Davey Spillane


Derry Air (aka Danny Boy), Davey Spillane and Sinead O'Connor



*a thousand welcomes
**the blessings of St. Patrick upon you
***Ireland forever

Your Daily Pie Update

Today's update is ... there's no more pie.

We done et it all.

4.1415927 or Pi Day Plus One

So we shared some of The Pie with the girls for dessert tonight (they were at their dad's last week), and a) they pronounced it The Best Pie Ever (can't really argue with that as it's always been the favorite of all the pies my mom makes, and b) they wanted to know why it's called "Chess Pie" (the chocolate part was self-apparent).

Turns out no one really knows why it's called Chess Pie. There are theories, including the possibility that it's a corruption of Cheese Pie, and that in the South, whence comest this culinary delight, pies used to be stored in a piece of furniture called a "pie safe":




But my favorite theory (which, as a native Southern speaker, makes total sense) is that the name derived from saying it was "just pie" ---> "jes' pie" in the vernacular, and that became chess pie.

Anyway, I also found (whilst searching for the why) this old recipe from Martha Washington's Booke of Cookery

To make very good chee[secakes without] cheese curd
Take a quart of cream, & when it boyles take 14 eggs; If they be very yallow take out 2 or 3 of the youlks; put them into [the] cream when it boyles & keep it with continuall stirring till it be thick like curd. [Then] put into it sugar & currans, of each halfe a pound; ye currans must first be plumpt in faire water; then take a pound of butter & put into the curd a quarter of [that] butter; [then] take a quart of fine flowre, & put [the] resto of [the] butter to it in little bits, with 4 or 5 spoonsfulls of faire water, make [the] paste of it & when it is well mingled beat it on a table & soe roule it out.. Then put [the] curd into [the] paste, first putting therein 2 nutmeggs slyced, a little salt, & a little rosewater; [the] eggs must be well beaten before you put them in; & for [your] paste you may make them up into what fashion you please..."

Pretty cool ,eh?

The Time Has Come, The Walrus Said

To speak of many things.... ...Of Broken Cats and Pi(es).

Happy Pi Day, everybody!!

In honor of this estimable day, I baked a Chocolate Chess Pie, using my Mom's recipe (which I've uploaded to AllRecipes.com, btw). When it came out of the oven, I got Jen to take a couple pictures (hers is the better camera for indoor close shots):





And here's a shot of Raxicoricofallapatorius ("Raxi", for short), in her usual "broken" sleep pose:

(click on the photos to enlarge them)

Quick Note

Blogging shall resume, my phriends. Never fear. I've been a bit frustrated by the sheer inanity of what's happening up there in the United Corporations States of America lately, but I'm sure the words will start flowin' soon.

Plus I was feeling puny a good bit of the last week, so....

So Simple Even A Reporter Should Be Able to Figure It Out

This is what I wonder. I wonder if there are any journalists left in the United States, and if there are, WHERE THE HECK ARE THEY? (pardon me for shouting) Allowing blatant lies -- not prevarications or hedges, but blatant, bald-faced lies --to not only pass unquestioned, but to be repeated as Gospel ad nauseam (and it doesn't take much of the regurgitating to ad my nauseam) is as closely related to being a journalist as I am to being a String Physicist (and the closest I get to String Theory is the TV show Big Bang Theory (Bazinga)).

UPDATE: Nicole Belle, over at Crooks and Liars, has posted about Craig Crawford getting fed up with "point of view reporting" and quitting MSNBC. She ends her piece with this:

I do think that collectively we're reaching a form of critical mass on being tired of opinion media masquerading as journalism. There will always be a certain percentage of the population that needs their pre-conceived notions reinforced, but by and large, Americans don't trust "journalists" any more, with reason. And this stand of Crawford's--as contradictory as it appears on its face--may be another crack in the dam.

I agree totally with the ending clause of the penultimate sentence, and hope the dam bursts soon -- but there's no way I'm going to hold my breath.

Not Wow Like The Last Post, But Still Wow.

10:50pm local time and that was a strong tremor. It scared Raxi. Her li'l tail is all puffed up. Woke Jen (who's feeling poorly, btw) up, too. A fairly strong jolt and then rattle for about... oh, 3 seconds, I'd say. I'll update this with more info once the seismological sites I know have had time to update.

UPDATE ONE: First data -- from the OVSICORI (Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica), same place as the info in the last post. See the jolt?


UPDATE TWO: Also from OVSICORI, preliminary magnitude of 4.3, epicenter about ten miles from here on the east side of San José