More Clear Springs pics

As I'd mentioned earlier in the week, here are a few pics.  As usual, click to embiggen.
Home away from home:

 The woods are so beautiful this time of year.

 Even the areas where there's recently been a control burn are beautiful.

 Hit the tree so hard that I bent it.

 A nice little waterfall just left of the center of the picture.  Hard to see in a still, but even in real life it sounded better than it looked.

Mmmm, staying out of the woods this weekend to give my arms a few days to heal (nothing bad, just deep-sore).  Maybe something post-worthy will occur anyway.

Today's Term: Heckler's Veto

This being an election year, heckler's veto is a term you need to know.  As used it has two meanings, legal and laymen's:
legal: official restraint of free speech due to concerns over potential reaction by an audience.
laymen's: the action of an audience (note, singular or plural) to shut down free speech through tactics on a spectrum ranging from heckling through violence.
More detail – as usual – at Wikipedia.  Get ready, I think we're going to see a lot of the heckler's veto in coming months.

Clear Springs for the weekend.

And it was very nice.  But I am very, very tired and will blog more fully about it later.  In the meantime, have a little slice of peace:

Yes, it really was that green.  Click the picture to embiggen, because it's even better that way.

Moonlander: not rushing out to buy one, but...

...it is a pretty cool bike, and I can see its uses.  Maybe someday I'll need one.  At the moment it's a tad pricy for something I wouldn't use all that much.

Here's a link to its page at Surly Bikes.  And here's a preliminary review at Dirt Rag.

WSM Nashville

I'm ordinarily not a big country music fan, but WSM Nashville plays good stuff.  Interesting music (current playlist via tunein) from an interesting station (website & Wikipedia article) with an interesting history (oldradio). And it's not hard to pick up here next to the Gulf, though a side-order of voodoo does clean up the signal considerably.

Funky tower, yeah?

First Rock and Roll Concert, 60 Years Ago Today

First rock' n'roll riot too, at the Moondog Coronation Ball.  Article over at the BBC.  Promoted – and mis-handled – by Alan "Moondog" Freed at WJW.  Kind of sad to think that America's original rock station is now just another ESPN affiliate, but they'd ditched rock by the mid-60's.  Talk about missing the boat!

But I don't care about history, 'cause that's not where I wanna be.  It's time for a Ramones song.  Or two.  Enjoy.

another Monday night in the Bay

Listening to Rochelle Harper on WQRZ-LP, enjoying a Bayou Teche Biere Noir.  71 degrees outside, with the house all opened up.
I've had worse days.

CX bike to the woods today.

No particular reason, just wanted to see how the cyclocross bike handled on real singletrack.  As to expected, it was very different than a mountain bike.  In the twisties and sand (Briar Patch & Couch trails), it wallowed like a pig.  In the more open stuff (Badlands, Pine Lizard), I could open it up and knock out the miles.  Surprisingly, it handled better when I grabbed the handlebars in the drops.  This lowered the center of mass, gave best access to the brakes, and the extra bends in the bar gave a little more flex than, say, riding up on the brake hoods.  Riding in the drops all the time gets tiring, but it does allow the bike to carve. 

Ultimately, this bike has the soul of a road machine, but it can handle dirt just fine too.

Is that an ACME logo on the suit?

Skydiving from 120,000 feet.  Well, he's (Felix Baumgartener) working up to it anyway, as described here in USA Today.  The big jump(s) will be this summer if all goes well.

You know, it actually looks kind of fun.
ps: more on the topic – with video – at the BBC.

Oddball Thursday: coffee that grows without caffeine.

As seen here in this article at Nature.  These sorts of things always bring out the question of what is the point?  I guess this opens the possibility of a truly tasty and worthwhile late-night cup.  We'll see.


On an interesting side-note, I hear that they brewed the beans for taste tests using non-alcoholic vodka.

It's Pi Day!

Had to post something.  Here are 10 ways to celebrate pi day.

Just couldn't let this day slide without posting.

Spring Garden

Yeah, it's small, maybe 80 square feet.  But it was easy to do in one day, and it's even easier to water.
Step 1: figure out the footprint of the sprinkler.

Step 2: turn the footprint over, ring with bricks, throw in some compost, and plant that sucker.

Now watering will be trivial: flip on the pump for a half-hour or so in the evening.  Sure, some plant types may get over-watered while others get the right amount, but it should all be close enough.  The point here is to get it done, and to make it easy to maintain.


And the plants?  Tomatoes (8), banana peppers (4), strawberries (4), cilantro (2, but they're big), and turnip seeds (myriad) just to see what they'll do.
Well, we'll see how it works out.  More pictures as events develop.  Remember, I never said I knew what I was doing with all of this.  Results are not guaranteed.

Oh, look! Chocolate Cthulhu idols!

Found here.  But probably not quite in time for Easter.  Sorry kids, maybe next year.

Don't really need the calories, personally, but it is really cool.  Now, if it would mystically take off the equivalent weight that 2 lbs of chocolate would normally add, the $30 price tag would be a real bargain.

My Great Fear

Actually, my talk this week went somewhat better than this guy's.

Quantum Mechanics Explained

In less than two minutes and with a beat here at youtube.
There, got all that?  No?  Well then, go listen to it a couple more times.

Visit to NOMA

Took off from work a shade early yesterday to see a couple of exhibits at New Orleans Museum of Art: Self-Taught Artists and Hard Truths: The Art of Thornton Dial.  Got there a shade late to finish the latter, but it runs through May 20th so I'll be back.  Good stuff, highly recommended.
Just watch out for the gargoyle.  I saw it eyeing me as I walked past.

March 4th Ward Cleaver is up

One more note for today, just a reminder: the new issue of http://www.bslfourthward.com/ has landed on a web link near you.

Blue Mountain @ the 'bird

Blue Mountain will be at the Mockingbird this Saturday.  Be there or... be regretful.
Who?  Here, do some reading at Honest Tune.  And here's a poignant article about the predecessor band The Hilltops at Oxford American.  And another article at the same mag, but this one with an mp3.

You need this: real gasoline.

Maps & info telling where to find it at
http://pure-gas.org/
Pushing cars down the road is a job for dead dinosaurs.  Alcohol made from corn has a far, far more noble calling.  Silly Congress!  You and those whacky lobbyists have been at it again.