Beer bong technology saves your vodka!!!!

It's well known fact that you can revent blindness by filtering your homemade moonshine, but it can also really help take the edge off a cheap vodka. Since this knowledge made it into the mainstream a gray kangaroo has actually statred selling liquor filters . But you can accomplish this yourself really cheaply with a home made activated charcoal filter. The easiest way to do it is to get about a 3 foot section of wide tubing (2") at a hardware store and put in a screen and ball valve at one end, then fill it (reasonably tightly packed) with activated charcoal. At the other end put in a funnel. Tighten with hose clamps, pour your vodka in, and enjoy. If I had an apartment I'd have one of these running at all times

Go north my boy!

So, for all of you that were looking (Funzo, Hubris, etc.) , there is yet another reason to move from our wireless-backwater to our fair socialst neighbors to the north. Slashdot reports that Rogers and Bell canada are joining forces to provide nationwide wireless broadband.

(BTW the picture is of an inukshuk, it'll all make sense if you take the link)

Everything's bigger out here

So a few people have mentioned it in various blog comments, and it's true. I am no longer an international man of mystery. The assignment that pulled me away from the 3 months in London is a six month posting in Dallas Texas ( I feel that this should be punctuated by a Yee Haw!). I thought I'd share a few little tidbits from my first two weeks out here.

• Out here they like both types of music ( Country, and Western)
• It's humid, I mean armpit after a marathon humid
• They have a conspiracy museum here ( and a grassy knoll)
• People are much friendlier than LA, SF, or NYC ( I think I've heard about 15 unsolicited life stories this week)
• Texas is all about beef barbequeue, so pulled pork and pork ribs just aren't as popular. Hell, out here people use beef as a condiment( for their beef), and a staple.
• Looking European is not acceptable at the office (time to leave the jacket and shirts that fit well in LA)
• There are a lot of good restaurants around, even plenty of foodie worthy stops
• Driving in Dallas is easier than expected, they have LA type traffic, but none of the expected agressiveness.
• A lot of people dig Jesus and will mention God/Jesus in conversation
• You can actually see people wearing cowboy hats just walkin around on the streets

And now responses to the two things people always say when I mention I'm in Dallas for six months

• No, I don't look much like a longhorn, your command of the obvious is staggering.
• I am, in fact, hot on the trail of who really shot J.R.

Xwing step by step

Yes geeky readers, the next time you visit Paris you will remember this post, and you will all consider building an X-wing , and possibly even a TIE playmate for it. Of course CoG cause she's usually the first with links like this ( though lately much of my stuff has come from u)

Nanu-Nano?

Hey guys, Apple's done it again with the ipod nano I may have to update to this thing and just make sure I regularly update my music list and relegate my huge (size, not storage) ipod to the car

Coppola to make "On the Road"

I saw this story on bbc online about Coppola making Kerouac's "On the Road" into a movie, and I'm not sure he'll be able to do the book justice even if he covers all of the plot elements. Just like the progression of Hunter Thompson in fear and loathing in las vegas, I think a lot will be lost in the feel of the book when it maes it to the screen. But that said I'll still wait and see. I loved the book and hope the movie carries the same sense of urgency, confusion, and dissatisfaction.

Softcore American Apparel

So I don't know how many of you are familiar with American Apparel but they started pretty small in LA. Most of the time when you got a tshirt from them it'd be as merch from a show you went to. The ads were always a little seedy with the models (who I understand all hold other positions for the company) in slightly sketchy poses, but still not too bad. Somewhere along the line they started expanding...fast, now there are stores all over the place ( LA, NYC, SF, Montreal, etc.). With the expansion, the ads have gotten sketchier. Now there are ads allover theplace that have fairly scantily clad models with the faces cut out of the picture. I appreciate that they are a very good company in terms of how they treat their workers, and where they buy their cotton, but the ads are getting shadier than abercrombie these days.

Trouble Brewin

I think we have a bit of a problem with Rehnquist being with us no longer. I really hope the bench situation doesn't get too ugly.