Continuous Air Fare Checking...

Interesting daemon written in Perl that continuously searches for the best fares for a particular trip.  Might be quite useful for someone in a long-distance relationship!

North American Dialects...

Here's a fascinating little web site that's chock full of information about the English dialects of North America.  There are even audio samples you can listen too!

Rain, More Rain...

Check out the rain gauges at right – we're now over 30 inches for the year with the 1.25 inches we got yesterday and last night. 

Our ground is saturated, there's standing water all over the place, and our temperatures are down near the freezing mark.  Meanwhile, all the plants have decided it's spring, and they're growing like mad – we have hundreds of bulbs growing in our yard, and the thickest blanket of actual grass (instead of weeds) that we've seen in ten years or so.  If we get a hard frost (quite possible in the next few days), some of these plants are going to suffer...

Digital Nativity...

If you have even a passing acquaintance with the modern online world, this will make you laugh until you hurt.  Via Frankie T.:

Primes, Visualized...

Here's a nice post about the Ulam spiral and related visual patterns made from primes – along with the code to generate them!

Romance Novel Material?

My wife forwarded this short story to me, with the subject line “Romance novel material”:

He grasped me firmly, but gently, just above my elbow and guided me into a room, his room. Then he quietly shut the door and we were alone. He approached me soundlessly, from behind, and spoke in a low, reassuring voice, close to my ear.

"Just relax..." Without warning, he reached down and I felt his strong, calloused hands start at my ankles, gently probing and moving upward along my calves, slowly, but steadily. My breath caught in my throat. I knew I should be afraid, but somehow I didn't care. His touch was so experienced, so sure. When his hands moved up onto my thighs, I gave a slight shudder, and I partly closed my eyes. My pulse was pounding. I felt his knowing fingers caress my abdomen, my ribcage. And then, as he cupped my firm, full breasts in his hands, I inhaled sharply. Probing, searching, knowing what he wanted, he brought his hands to my shoulders, slid them down my tingling spine and into my panties. Although I knew nothing about this man, I felt oddly trusting and expectant. This is a man, I thought. A man used to taking charge. A man not used to taking "no" for an answer. A man who would tell me what he wanted. A man who would look into my soul and say...

"Okay, ma'am," said a voice. "All done." My eyes snapped open and he was standing in front of me, smiling, holding out my purse. "You can board your flight now."

What is she trying to tell me?

Caring for Your Introvert...

This resonates strongly.  Nobody who knows me well will be surprised.

One of My Heroes Died on December 23...

I first read about Fred Hargesheimer about 15 years ago.  Fred was a P-38 pilot in WWII, shot down over Papua New Guinea, hidden and nurtured by natives.  He survived the war and went on to become a successful businessman (with ERA and Univac).  Later he went back to the natives of the Nakanai tribe, and offered to help.  He started with a school, but did much, much more for the tribe, trying to repay them for saving his life (at great risk to themselves).  Eventually he was given a great honor by the tribe, and just a few years ago the wreckage of his plane was found (after all these years!).  Fred was, of course, an old man by then – but the tribe knew he'd really want to see the wreckage.  So they cleared a helicopter pad in the jungle nearby the wreck, and arranged for him to be helicoptered in, and then carried through the jungle to the wreck.  Fred was able to positively identify the plane.  Here's a more detailed version of his story.

There's much more to Fred's story, of course.  I recommend his book The School That Fell From the Sky; read it and you'll see why I call Fred one of my heroes.

Fred Hargesheimer died on December 23.

More Linux Tricks...

A dandy little collection...

Cassini Visits Rhea...

Cassini is still traipsing about the Saturnian system, producing vast quantities of quality science.  As it gets nearer to the end of its mission (in particular, as it runs out of fuel), the mission planners are sending it on ever more risky endeavours.  Most especially they are sending it closer and closer to Saturn's satellites (this is risky because the gravitational field of these satellites attracts more space junk that could kill Cassini, and because some of these satellites even emit dangerous materials).

Just in time for the holidays, Cassini snapped this closeup of little Rhea, looking a bit like a Christmas tree ornament...

Milk and Butter are Good for You?

Nutritionists change their mind so frequently, and offer conflicting results so unashamedly, that a lay reader has a great deal of difficulty keeping track of what's good and what's bad.  I've basically given up myself, and have pursued a course of mindless eating for pleasure, moderated only when my body gives me unambiguous feedback or when my wallet runs out.  But I still read about the scientists hard at work trying to understand all this.  The latest missive: turns out that milk and butter may help you resist diabetes.  Well, that's nice – I drink a lot of milk!

So You Lost Your Election...

Iowahawk does it again.  Put down your morning beverage and cruise on over to read his latest masterpiece.  My favorite line (hard to pick just one!):

I removed my Congressional experience from my resume. How do I explain the 28-year gap?

Claim you were in prison.

Morning Walk...

Cold and clear this morning; the barometer is rising and you'd think we're in for a typical wintry sequence of mornings like this one.  But the forecast calls for rain on Wednesday, cloudy days through the end of the week, and more rain on Sunday...

Out with the dogs at 3:20 am, and my old friend Orion hangs just above the southwestern horizon.  Another week or two and he'll disappear.  The moon was high overhead and very bright, even though it's less than half lit.  I could see colors in the yard, and the distant mountains were clearly visible.

The three field spaniels focused on one particular spot alongside our driveway, doing their usual intense olfactory absorption.  Today I got down on the ground with them and smelled the same patch of ground.  I could only smell the earth and the grass, nothing else.  The dogs were fascinated by my joining them; didn't quite know what to make of it.

Race, the border collie, did something quite unusual for him.  A neighbor's dog was barking, objecting to our presence.  Race got his hackles up, and took off out the gate (unlike the field spaniels, he was off-leash).  He ran up the patch of ground between my neighbor's fence and our fence, and headed over to the neighbor's fence to get in his dog's face.  Much growling and posturing ensued.  With some difficulty I managed to call Race back.  Next time, he's going out on the leash.

As we walked back toward the house, I heard the low call of an owl nearby.  With some effort (as the calls were very intermittent), I located it – high in one of our eucalyptus trees.  I could just barely make out his silhouette against the bright sky; from the size and shape and call, it had to be a barn owl.  Be afraid, little mice...

Have a Doggy, Doggy Christmas!

'Cause we sure are...

From all of us, to all of you:

Merry Christmas!

Rain!

The graph at right says it all – nearly 8 inches of rain, in just 5 days.  Several times during this storm, the rainfall rates were amongst the highest we've seen here in 11 years.  Awesome storm!

Today, our creeks are running strongly, the moss on all the rocks is bright green, the seeps on the hills are starting to flow (making bright shiny spots on the rocks), the sky is blue and clear, it's cold, the birds are chirping...life is good in Lawson Valley!

And more rain is forecast for this weekend...

Another Obituary...

Via Debbie:

Please join me in remembering a great icon of the entertainment community. The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday of a yeast infection and trauma complications from repeated pokes in the belly. He was 71 and rollin in dough.

Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin. Dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry Jack, the California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the Hostess Twinkies, and Captain Crunch. The grave site was piled high with flours.

Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Doughboy as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded. Born and bread in Minnesota, Doughboy rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers.. He was not considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half- baked schemes. Despite being a little flaky at times, he still was a crusty old man and was considered a positive roll model for millions.

Doughboy is survived by his wife Play Dough, three children: John Dough, Jane Dough and Dosey Dough, plus they had one in the oven. He is also survived by his elderly father, Pop Tart.

The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes.

Rain...

Just over 4" (10 cm) storm total – and two more days of storm to go.  Woo hoo!

Rain...

We've still got three more days to go, but we're over an inch and a half (4 cm) at this point.  Another half inch and calendar 2010 will be the wettest year we've seen since we moved out here some 12 years ago...

If I Didn't Have Any Pets...

Via Debbie:

If I didn't have dogs and cats, I could walk around the yard barefoot in safety.

My house could be carpeted instead of tiled and laminated.

All flat surfaces, clothing, furniture, and cars would be free of hair.

When the doorbell rings, it wouldn't sound like a kennel.

When the doorbell rings, I could get to the door without wading through fuzzy bodies who beat me there.

I could sit on the couch and my bed the way I wanted, without taking into consideration how much space several fur bodies would need to get comfortable.

I would have money, and no guilt to go on a real vacation.

I would not be on a first-name basis with 6 veterinarians, as I put their yet unborn grandkids through college.

The most used words in my vocabulary would not be: out, sit, down, come, no, stay, and leave it ALONE.

My house would not be cordoned off into zones with baby gates or barriers.

I would not talk 'baby talk.' 'Eat your din din.' 'Yummy yummy for the tummy'...
My house would not look like a day care center, toys everywhere.

My pockets would not contain things like poop bags, treats and an extra leash.

I would no longer have to spell the words B-A-L-L, W-A-L-K, T-R-E-A-T, O-U-T, G-O, R-I-D-E, C-O-O-K-I-E.

I would not have as many leaves INSIDE my house as outside.

I would not look strangely at people who think having ONE dog/cat ties them down too much.

I'd look forward to Spring and the rainy season instead of dreading 'mud' season.

I would not have to answer the question, 'Why do you have so many animals?', from people who will never have the joy in their lives of knowing they are loved unconditionally by someone as close to an ANGEL as they will ever get.

How EMPTY my life would be!

That Explains It!

Via Debbie:

Some of you will recall that on July 8, 1947, a little over 62 years ago, witnesses claim that an unidentified flying object (UFO) with five aliens aboard crashed onto a sheep and mule ranch just outside Roswell, New Mexico.

This is a well known incident that many say has long been covered up by the U.S. Air Force and other federal agencies and organizations.

However, what you may NOT know is that in the month of April 1948, nine months after that historic day, the following people were born:

Albert A. Gore, Jr.
Hillary Rodham
John F. Kerry
William J. Clinton
Howard Dean
Nancy Pelosi
Dianne Feinstein
Charles E. Schumer
Barbara Boxer

See what happens when aliens breed with sheep and jackasses? I certainly hope this bit of information clears up a lot of things for you.. It did for me.

No wonder they support the bill to help illegal aliens!