Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Blogging Will Wait

Thanks for stopping by my site. I'm not here right now, but if you'd like to leave a message in the comments box at the end of this post, I'll get to you when I can.

I am trying to settle an estate and make funeral arrangements and keep members of my family from killing each other at the moment. They seem determined to thwart my plans in that direction. Plus, there's no internet connection at my Mom's.

I'll get back as soon as I can. Promise.

Saturday, October 01, 2005

Blogs, Boobs, and Bold Ideas

Baring It All for Breast Cancer

(Link to story here)

I'm looking at the photograph of my breasts and thinking, "Wow, do I really look like that?" They're half-floating in the hot tub, nipples growing taut in the chill of the San Francisco morning.

Sounds good, doesn't it? But I'm unhappy. You can see my veins through my skin, and the tan line separating breast from chest makes them look saggy, even bobbing gently on the water.

I realize that I'm almost too vain to publish these. It's not the photographer's fault. Because yes, I really do look like that.

But then I remind myself that this isn't about being hot. These photos are not intended to titillate; or, not exactly. Rather, they are part of a titillating idea that started as a joke but soon became a bona fide bosom buddy to breast cancer researchers.

And as soon as I decided to participate in this year's Blogger Boobie-Thon, I knew I couldn't do it halfway.

What I like about this idea is that it's for both men and women. Men can get breast cancer, too. It's a rare event, but it can happen.

I had never seen or heard of this before, and I just kinda stumbled on it. I'm posting it to help promote it. Go hit the story link, read both pages, check out the links, and post it on your own site. Such a novel way of raising funds to defeat a killer deserves to be spread around the blogosphere! E-mail the link to your friends. E-mail the link to your political representatives!

And don't forget to "buy" your password...

For the Lottery Winner Who Has Everything Else

Nieman Marcus Sells the Skycar

If you're itching to get your butt into the pilot's seat of a Skycar, you'll have to wait a little longer. Right now the company is merely selling purchase agreements, and they probably won't be delivering to consumers for up to three years. As for me, I'll be waiting another decade beyond that. I'm just a few million bucks short right now.

Best Brewers in the World Also the Laziest Drinkers?

From Ananova:

Thinking beer mat invented

A beer mat that calls for a refill when the pint is almost empty has been invented by scientists in Germany.

The electronic beer mat was created by computer scientists Andreas Butz of the University of Munich and Michael Schmitz of Saarland University.

Beneath the cardboard surface is a small, flat baseplate which conceals pressure and acceleration sensors that react to the weight of the glass and the position and movement of the coasters.

The microsensors then pass on this information via radio link to the bar, where the signal is picked up and decoded by a waiting computer

The customer can speed the order up by "flapping" the beer mat, and can order more beers by using a stack of mats to express the number of drinks ordered.

The inventors say the thinking beer mat is also capable of more than just ordering a refill.

It could also for example be used to judge the performance of a karaoke singer or to give an opinion on referee decisions on big-screen matches in sports bars.

A "Yes" vote, for instance, could be registered by raising the glass, causing the sensors to move.

A "No" would be registered by raising the glass and then turning the cardboard mat over and replacing it on the baseplate, thus causing a telltale double movement of the sensors.

Next thing you know, someone will invent a whole conversational code, and ways to interconnect tables electronically, so that no one ever has to talk to anyone else ever again. At least as long as they're drinking beer...

...which, having just remembered several boozy conversationalists, may not be an altogether bad thing!

I Want One Of These!

No More Backing Up With Nissan's New Egg Shaped Car

I want everyone else to have one, too! As a driving instructor, I always taught my students that backing up was the most dangerous manouver they could perform other than playing chicken with a train. This little beauty will take care of that problem, no problem...