I’ve been thinking lately about changing the schedule I use for writing up Dave’s Picks. I’ve been posting seven days a week for quite a while (it was late in March when I last took a weekend off, and that was to go to Toronto), and there are mornings when I just don’t feel like it. So far, I’ve just been skipping a day when it really bugs me (though still posting something or other), but I’m thinking that I might take weekends off entirely through the summer. Maybe that’ll be the kind of break I need to get me writing the longer pieces I like to write.
I’m not positive that weekends are the right time to skip, but I get fewer hits on the weekends, as many of my regular readers know they can catch up on Monday. Then again I get more irregular readers over the weekend. And I know from experience that it’s nice to find updated things on a lazy Sunday afternoon. In any case, I think I’m going to try taking the next few weekends off from doing a fixed daily-update. I might post something longer on those days, or I might shut off the computer on Friday evening and not power it up again until Monday. I guess I’ll figure that out in a few days. But I wanted to mention it ahead of time so folks don’t think I’ve gone missing, so consider this your official “don’t panic” warning if you see me not posting over the weekend.
In other news, I drove the truck out to St. Boni yesterday to pick up the tabs from the dealer. While I was out there, I got Tim to wire up an accesory power connector (a lighter socket) in the back end. Now I can use the powered cooler/warmer if I want. I also got the little lego pieces that you need to put the garage-door-opener into the cool panel in the ceiling that holds it. A little more work organizing the tailgating supplies in the back end of the truck, and I think I’ll feel completely settled into it.
I haven’t decided what I’m going to do with the Camaro yet. I’m torn between spending the money to get it fixed up again and just selling it off and keeping my eyes open for another cool car. I need to get it insured before the 6th of July if I’m not going to sell it off for junk, though.
- Giving
the rattlesnake a poke with a stick just one more time
, Kim du Toit lists 25 People, Places Or Things That Are Popular, For No Apparent Reason. Me, I like about a third of ’em. Probably for no apparent reason, but hey, that’s one of the great things about this country, right Kim? Later, the Inexplicable, Explained clears up why Kim doesn’t like those 25 things. At least in the case of the Camaro, I think he’s mistaken. Mine always cornered pretty well. And I don’t think thattrailer-park Ferrari
is necessarily a slur. - In Escalator To Serfdom, Evan describes the real-life case that inspired Spielberg’s The Terminal. I’d heard about Nasseri before, but I hadn’t heard that he’d gone ’round the bend and decided never to leave the airport. But at least he’s not broke, since he was paid a rumored quarter-million for the rights to the story. (As for accessing an account, ever hear of ATMs, Evan? I hear they have them in airports now.) [101-280]
- Is this any real surprise? Natty air marshals discover it’s hard to stay undercover - In the casual skies, crew cuts and ties stand out. I haven’t flown enough to spot an air-marshal yet, but on most of the flights I’ve been on, dressing in a suit (and keeping your jacket on during the flight) is going to stand out. [cryptogram]
- That good old Old Search Engine, the Library, Tries to Fit Into a Google World. There’s a ton of information that isn’t available on the web yet, but libraries are working on making more information available to search engines like google, because people aren’t going to libraries as much anymore. Even professors are using online searches rather than going to the library. [nyt]
- With all the rain we’ve had in the past month, I’ve been griping to myself about the number of mosquitoes outside, even during the day, lately. Well, apparently someone else is thinking about ’em, too: No Skeeters, No Problem? Not So Fast. Apparently we’d be just fine if we could somehow exterminate the species of skeeters that find humans tasty. It’s just the problem of how to kill them that’s complicated. [nyt]
- The Strib asks W-w-where’s M-M-Minnesota’s s-s-summer weather? Well, I’ve been a little upset with the weather people so far this week. They’ve been going on about how cold it was going to be, and we had temperatures over 80 both days so far [update: I’ve been informed that the official temperature hasn’t been over 80 in the past week. The thermometer on the north side of my house did read over 80 both yesterday and Monday. Sorry.]. That feels fairly summerlike to me. I don’t really mind if we don’t get the days near 90 with dewpoints in the 70s at all. I did get my air conditioner set up finally, but I still haven’t turned it on, and would just as soon not have to. Today and tomorrow are supposed to be similarly “scary”, but I don’t think I’m going to worry much about it, other than maybe wearing long pants to the Saints game this evening. [strib]