september

09.30.03

i just finished getting tested on my 42 form in taiji. my sifu, hao zhihua, was a former member of the beijing wushu team as a teammate of jet li. i'm excited to report that she's letting me move onto sword next month!

in the event that i wind up having some weird accident with the weapon, i'm coincidentally getting certified in cpr/first aid classes up at the ranch with a co-worker of mine. hopefully i won't ever have to use the sword or the cpr... but at least i'll be prepared for the apocalypse.

south africans come up with a bizarre deterrent for carjackings. i think they've been watching too many schwarzenegger movies.

every single weblog in the world is probably pointing here, but i feel compelled to post it anyway.

do you live in new york? do you own a monkey? well, then... you should take your monkey for a boat ride.

09.21.03

i just saw lost in translation the other evening. it's quite a lovely movie and having just returned from japan, there were quite a few moments when i sat there in the theater thinking "oh yeah, i remember that feeling of alienation." bill murray's performance is great and i don't think i've ever heard anyone sing elvis costello on the karaoke machine before.

despite all the legal problems, this is a really funny idea for a luxury hotel. if i had the money, i would totally stay there. (link via metafilter)

aside from astronauts, be thankful that you don't hold one of the worst jobs in science.

as much as i am so in love with the concept of biosphere 2, i believe that the project is cursed. columbia university has just announced that it will no longer be involved with biosphere 2.

joe tells me that kamato hongo's longevity is due to her japanese genes. i disagree. i think it's the food. therefore, i will start eating even more sushi and udon. (link via jory)

this looks like it might be an old link, but it's still a good source of comedy. it's also very useful as far as showing how to leave good ebay feedback (although, i have to wonder what the items bought were...)

i think steve is onto something. he found this link on the flat earth society's explanation of the springfield effect and i believe it may explain the dilemma all simpsons fans face across the globe...

my kid sister, who lives somewhat inexplicably in helsinki, finland, proves that we have the same "look at the weird stuff i can find at the flea markets" gene; she found some disgusting finnish recipe cards from 1973. fortunately, she also has the "now i will put it up on my website" gene.

speaking of the little bugger, she's forwarded me this link on how to knit a tom baker scarf.

09.16.03

i just got back from camping and i was crushed to learn that johnny cash has died. live in folsom prison is one of my favorite records of all time, and it's the only cassette i keep in my car (with a 6 cd changer, i don't really need too many tapes). the news reports say that he died as a result of complications from diabetes, but i suspect he died of a broken heart.

apple gets sued by apple. it looks like tricky territory they're treading...

bread! bread is so exciting!!!

i was looking to buy some magnets. strong magnets. i found this cool site. now my plans for world domination are almost complete. (don't tell anyone)

09.06.03

the wave administers philip k. dick's voight-kampff test to san francisco's mayoral candidates. although i was already going to vote for ammiano, i'm glad to be reassured that he is indeed, the right person. (link via isbister)

salon interviews gary trudeau about masturbation.

i have to admit, i've always been a little bit obsessed about levittown, american's first suburb. here are the tekula family's pictures of levittown from the 50's. (link via gmtplus9)