Wouldn't you want one in your town?

The Awesome Foundation funds cool projects. Check it out.

And here is a video of a project funded by the foundation:

Evidence that U.S.A. has not cornered the market on strange

This is fascinating and confusing. At first I thought it must be a put-on. 



I really love the investment these guys have put into their outfits. I do wonder a little about whether they might put some extra effort into their "choreography."

(found on the Craft blog)

Cell Saga

Being a modern woman, you have all kinds of gadgets with all kinds of cords. And sometimes those cords get misplaced, moving them as you do from here to there and back again. So just say, in the wake of a fruitless house and office search for your phone charger, you decide that charging your phone in the car is not a long term solution. After doing some research you realize that now that there are iphones and blackberries and other smart phones in the world, you basically can not buy a good quality just-a-cell-phone phone. You pine a little for the nokia that was your first cell phone.

You are committed to getting a new phone, as your phone is literally falling apart (not to mention only chargeable in the car). Too bad your cellular company isn't offering any phones that aren't aimed at text-crazed teenagers or people afraid of technology. You think about it some more but aren't sure it is a financially good idea to leave your current plan, which is a very good deal of a family plan that you share with your "uses no more than 10 minutes a month and rarely even that" husband (I am not kidding, the man never uses his cell phone).

After looking at $450 smart phones, you realize that for what you want, an iphone is as good as the androids and others, and less spendy in terms of the phone purchase. Too bad the at&t reception is terrible at your house. But wait, your friend tells you about these little personal cell towers you can buy, for not too much money, which have done wonders for a neighbor's cell reception. So you reconsider the viability of an iphone.  (The friend also passes on rumors that your carrier will likely be the second company to offer legit iphone service, but he has no news regarding when exactly this might happen.)

But there is still the matter of your husband's phone. Will he limp along with his hated but almost never used phone and thus probably keep the same plan you've been on for several years? Will he get a pay-as-you-go-since-you-rarely-ever-go phone? And then it happens. Pulling the clothes out of the washing machine, you realize you've inadvertently washed his cell phone, rendering it, well, even more useless than it was when it sat uncharged and ignored in your husband's jacket pocket.

So I guess Chris needs a new phone. I need a new phone. Looks like we will be getting new phones.

Take That! (or: Everyone Wins!)

To find out who won the growth chart, click here.

I have a few things for the rest of you too. I find these things, as I am sure you do, but who do I send them to? I can only send my sister so many emails titled look at this.

So instead, I say to you, LOOK AT THIS!

Quite possibly the best Star Wars movie ever. Even better, you can participate in making part of another of these. Click here to see how.

Months after I saw this, I am still horrified and amused by vajazzling. I suspected I was not alone, but now I have proof.

As a follow up to my recent "good animal" query, here's a reason you might not want to put Pandas at the top of your list.  (Thanks to @TheBloggess)

Another friend posted this on Twitter, and I think I am in love.

We want to be, your crew of entertainment

Wow, '80s funk channeling Pirates of the Caribbean. Truly a musical (and video) treasure:

Oh What a Wookie

I heard Chris play a weird song on his computer, so asked how he'd gotten there. He said:


I was reading the Blazers' blog.

Then I decided to go to the Bobcats' blog, to see what they thought of the game.

The pre-game post has a quote from Clerks.

Watching the clip I heard this song in the background, so then I went to find the song.



And to think that some people think the internet is a wasteland.

Untweeted

I have a twitter account. I don't use it much, because I don't have a desk job or an iPhone. (Okay, I HAVE a desk job, but I won't be at it for another month.)  But the other day I thought, "things must be getting better. I cleaned a toilet for the first time in 7 months." Then I thought, I would tweet that, if I wasn't cleaning the bathroom. Some of the other things that I would have tweeted recently if I had been near the computer when the thoughts occurred to me:

Who set the rule that at least one of the 5 of us must be crying at all times?

care.com is better than craigslist for finding a nanny. but is it $30 better?

Am I the only one who gets a name or phrase stuck in her head for a day, only to have it replaced by some other word the next?

Ian thinks it is hilarious when I mock his crabby cries. Good to know.

Who keeps googling "scroti rhode island" and finding me? What is that about?*

I told Chris we should keep the temp cooler in the evenings, but now I'm cold.

Whenever I read a post about some newly potty-trained kid my stomach does a sad flip-flop.

Keeping the leftover Halloween candy in the freezer is no impediment to me eating it all. 

Is it terrible that I want to hire someone because they said two kids were "as different as chalk and cheese"?

Ada and I have been talking about trees a lot lately. 

Writing this post is making me wonder "so why didn't I just post these to twitter?"


*I figured it out. Rhode Island School of Design's mascot. 

Neighborhood Pigs

Spotted within a seven block area:

Lost and Found

Lost: my keys (house, bike lock, friends' houses). I might have left them at the coast, or they might be in the bottom of a diaper bag, or somewhere in the car. It has been more than two weeks.

Found: the shirts I thought I accidentally donated to Goodwill have resurfaced. I put them away when I got pregnant, but then forgot where. I searched all the closets several times and then gave them up for lost. This week while looking for something else in the closet I thought, "hmm, what's in this storage box labeled blankets?" and YAY! My summer wardrobe has been more than doubled. Just in time for fall.

Lost: the clicker for my car. One of the things we most wanted in a minivan was remote key-less entry. Without the clicker, no auto-sliding doors. The crazy thing is that I lost the clicker in my front yard. (I think. That's the thing about something being lost, right?) I used the clicker while standing near the car, and then walked back up the sidewalk to the porch.  I looked at my key and saw the clicker was not looped to the little flimsy metal connector dealie. My first thought was that I could call it. This is what I do whenever I can't find my phone, but as you might have realized, this won't work for the clicker. Then again, neither did walking around muttering "fuck. fuck fuck fuck."

Found: my keys. Well, Chris found them (while I was midway through constructing this post), but I am thrilled nonetheless. Still no sign of the clicker.

Cut Corner Calculus

As the wife of a mathematician, I am always on the look out for fun math songs. Stop laughing, math is fun. (and cool too, haven't you heard of the math prof rock star?)  This was on the radio today - apparently the band - the Saturday Knights - is playing at sxsw. "Count it Off" features the random quote-worthy lyrics "street mathematician scientists, learn that cut-corner calculus".

You can thank me later.

The Saturday Knights - "Count It Off" from Lincoln Leopard Films on Vimeo.

Oh yeah, and - happy spring!

What I am Thinking While They are Talking

Why did I agree to shlep out to a tree farm on what is promising to be the coldest day of the year so far? (To be quickly followed by an even colder day, which MIGHT just bring a dusting of snow.)

The stye in my left eyelid is really bothering me. Why won't it go away already? Would it REALLY help to hold a warm compress against my eye, or is that just something to distract me? Why does the above picture not bother me even though I know if I had that few eyelashes I would be freaking out?

Why did Chris eat the last of Ada's bunny crackers, even though he must know that I want them?

How many people noticed that my pants were rolled up in an odd way for several hours this morning, until I noticed that what I thought were cuffs (on borrowed maternity pants) were really just turned up ends?

After hearing Bill O'Reilly say he tends to "bloviate" I now have the word rolling around in my head. Bloviate, bloviate, bloviate.

Is every 3.5 year old as directive as mine? As we walked to her school, Ada informed me that I should pick her up with the trailer and a yogurt drink. I am a little frustrated that she thinks getting a yogurt drink is part of her pick up routine, thanks to Chris often getting her one. He's definitely the "nice" parent. When I pick her up the routine is more like: look up from computer to notice the time, run around pulling on sweater, shoes and jacket before rushing out to get her in time. "Buy yogurt drink" does not fit in that  schedule.

The stye is still bothering me. Maybe if I poke at it, it will go away. Nope, still there.

I wonder if the teachers notice that I never do anything about Ada's crazy hair. I wonder, but do not care enough to deal with her crazy hair.

Bloviate.

I am not totally sold on the new Morning Becomes Eclectic DJ, but willing to give him a chance. I liked the Ozomatli/Charlie Tuna song he just played.

I just can't seem to get enough hot water with lemon and honey.

I am completely charmed by the animal cards someone stapled along the phone poles in my neighborhood.

What is rolling around in your head today? No really, I want to know.

The Most Delicious Spam

Looking for a lost email, I found a number of good subject lines in my spam filter.  I see a pattern emerging:

Britney Spears' New Hair Extensions Are Lindsay Lohan's Pubes

Pope Benedict to Exorcise George Bush and Britney Spears on US Visit

Dalai Lama denies receiving fellatio from Britney Spears

Britney Spears shaken but unhurt after failed suicide bomber attack

Britney Spears Confession: 'I'm the Father of Anna Nicole Smith's Baby!'

 

 

Walking In A Stranger's iPod

What was that saying about knowing someone only after you have walked a mile in her shoes? Well today I listened to a stranger's ipod, but I am still not sure who he is, other than a fan of rap music.

And of Steve Winwood.

What would you do with a found iPod? I went right for the "25 most played" playlist. Something is wrong with the screen (hey, it was dropped at least once, right?). Only the bottom-left corner of the screen works. I can read the first word or two of the song titles, but nothing else. After a half-hour of assorted (and to my ear, second rate) rap, all of a sudden a fast-paced remix of "Call On Me" comes on. A quick search turned up the name Eric Prydz as the artist. And then, as quickly as it came on, it was replaced by more nameless hip hop.

Truthfully, it was a little disappointing, this iPod full of music that means nothing to me. I like rap, but it is not so good as office music, especially while I finish up edits on a report eight months in the making. When I saw the iPod lying in the street, I hoped that I would be transported into someone else's world by the music I found on it. Well, first I hoped that no cars ran over it before the light changed. But then I hoped to get a musical ride. Mostly I was bored by what I found, though maybe I will dig a little deeper to see what else is on this guy's playlist.

No doubt if the tables were turned, and this unknown rap fan found my nano, he'd be equally confused by my choices. Bon Iver? Neko Case? What the fuck? Natalie Portman's Shaved Head? I wonder if he'd turn the iPod over and see that it has "Nonlinear Girl" engraved on the back? (Chris ordered it for me when we got the new computer.) Maybe he'd google the name, and find me. He'd comment on a random quote post and we'd forge a lasting bond between people who frequent the corner of 12th and State. I would give him his iPod and take mine back. We'd laugh at our good luck and shake our heads at the other's taste.Or not. I feel bad that I can't return the iPod to this guy. Even if he knows where he lost it, what is the point of putting it back there now? Anyone need a half-broken iPod? Free to a good home.

Can you Kirtsy on a Bike?

(or: Look, some GOOD news!)

You may or may not know about the web site formerly known as Sk*rt. Due to a legal kerfuffle started by a magazine (also called Skirt), the women who run Sk*rt needed a new name. (The backstory is easy to find. For a funny recounting, see Jenny's version.)

A contest was held, and now the site is called Kirtsy. But, before the brouhaha and name change and and and, the site had a "Young at Heart" contest. By leaving a comment on the site's blog saying what I do to remain young at heart, I was entered. (Apparently I said that I eat dessert first. Innovative, huh? Not sure it keeps me young at heart, but it does help ensure Chris doesn't eat all my cookies before I can get to them.)

Right, the contest. Well apparently I won! Good thing one of the Kirtsy gals sent me an email to let me know. I haven't exactly been keeping up on my internet life lately. So, yay! I won a bike and some tea. Weird combo, but I am sure I can put the tea in a bottle and sip it while I tool around on my new bike.

So, thanks Kirtsy gals (and your random number generator)! Really, already I would have done anything for the fabulous Laurie, but now? Well, I'd let her ride my bike, that's for sure.

Peeps Show

How I could have missed this, I don't know. I do know that I am incredibly amused by the idea of a contest that has people creating dioramas featuring peeps.

Last year the Washington Post ran a peeps contest. This year the Chicago Tribune has one. Deadline is March 6, so get cracking, er, peeping. In the mean time, check out the winners of the Washington Post's contest. Made my day.

Casting a Wide Net

Today's doctor visit went better (I'm still on the slow boat, but I have 9 or 10 teeny egglets growing and my estrogen level is up. I feel good enough to share the following, non-fertility-related item.

Initially I thought this was just run-of-the-mill spam, but now I see it is more than that. It is spam, in that they guy found me by googling something like "nonlinear analysis" but as far as I can tell it is not a come on to get my money. My ideas, but not my money.

* ** * ** *

You are kindly invated to Participate and submit an Abstract to:

CHAOS2008
Chaotic Modeling and Simulation International Conference
(Chania, Crete, Greece, June 3-6, 2008)

Call for Abstracts/Papers (Deadline: January 31, 2008)

The forthcoming International Conference (Chaos2008) on Chaotic Modeling, Simulation and Applications will take place at the MAICh Conference Centre,
Chania, Crete, Greece (June 3-6, 2008).

The general topics (You will find the detailed list in the Conference web site: www.chaos2008.net) and the special sessions proposed for the Conference
Chaos2008 include but are not limited to:

1. Chaos and Nonlinear Dynamics
2. Stochastic Chaos
3. Chemical Chaos
4. Data Analysis and Chaos
5. Hydrodynamics, Turbulence and Plasmas
4. Optics and Chaos
5. Chaotic Oscillations and Circuits
6. Chaos in Climate Dynamics
7. Geophysical Flows
8. Biology and Chaos
9. Neurophysiology and Chaos
10. Hamiltonian systems
11. Chaos in Astronomy and Astrophysics
12. Chaos and Solitons
13. Micro- and Nano- Electro-Mechanical Systems
14. Neural Networks
15. Chaos, Ecology and Economy


More information from the conference secretary at: (email@address) or by using the facilities of the conference web site: http://www.chaos2008.net.

Sincerely

Name, CHAOS2008 Chair
Address, University
Chania, Crete, Greece

* ** * ** *

Sadly, I am not that kind of nonlinear girl. Then again, this looks right up Chris' alley.

Fine, and you?

Have you seen this? It is a project (called We Feel Fine) that searches blogs all over the world for sentences that contain the words "I feel" or "I am feeling". You can look at random phrases, make montages with favorite phrases, or search for the saddest, guiltiest or sexiest cities. Oh, and you can click on a sentence and find the blog from which it originated.

I found this:






Strangely addictive and fascinating. And someone found me through this. How do I feel about that? I feel fine.

Go Meat!

I am not as ashamed as I should be to be completely amused by this ad:

Got insomnia? I might know why

In the mean time...

I am working on several real posts, including one responding to Mother-Woman's call for me to participate in the "real moms" meme, a post with some navel gazing, and some other stuff. But today I am working, and I really need to prepare for a presnentation. Plus I have to finish putting together a hagaddah for passover at my house next week. And there is some gardening to do. And I found some cool things to stencil. So here's what you get instead of real writing: thanks to a cool tool from dumpr I can seem my photos hung in museums!


It looks like they have some other interesting toys as well. Worth checking out.

Oh, and while I am sharing, I thought I'd tell you that while there is a ton of great stuff on youtube for kids (Ada continuously asks for the Sesame Street segment in which a girl takes her llama to the dentist), the following SS animation made her cry. She did have a fever at the time, but even in a healthy state, it is kind of sad and scary. Chris cried too, when I told him about the video and Ada's response.

Thanks for hanging in there while I procrastinate ruminate.