Woah! Mazda to Destroy 4,703 Cars. Woah!

Until the many mishaps with my Mazda van, I was a die-hard Mazda fan (I'm a die-hard fan of most things that can be called "obscure," I guess). I think my faith in them has been renewed. Apparently a shipment of new Mazda cars were being sent on a ship that developed a really (really) bad list, and was like that for several weeks before being "righted." Mazda then had to consider the integrity of the cars, which had been strapped down safely but were at that odd angle for so long. Do they sell the cars and risk the lives of the drivers? Do they let them get into anyone's hands and risk the reputation of the entire company? After some consideration, the company decided... no. They won't give 'em (or sell 'em) to anyone, they'd just methodically destroy them. Three cheers for Mazda!

Check this out:



For once common sense wins, huh?

TV Online? Yeah! Free and Easy Too!

I missed an episode of my favorite show, House, which is on Fox. Since the writers' strike they've played repeats, but not the one I wanted to see. When I checked out the Fox site, they offered a "video on demand" feature, but only the most recent new episode, and my ep wasn't the most recent. So now what? House is not always self-contained, in that some of the stories run in the background and advance from episode to episode, so if I miss one, I miss part of a storyline. What to do, what to do...

SO... I found a new site I wanna tell you about. It's called hulu, and it allows you to watch stuff from (mostly) NBC and Fox shows. And guess what? They're all free. And legal. Woo hoo!!!!!! How great is that? No more downloading "illegal" copies and fearing you'll "get caught." No more missing out on stuff everyone else remembered to see. No more feeling lost when you watch the next episode and not knowing what's going on.

I can't even remember how I first heard of hulu, but last night, when I was just finishing up some household jobs, it was nice to sit down and finally see the House ep I missed. I just called up hulu, searched on "House," chose which episode I wanted, and sat back and watched it. I was viewing it on my laptop and even made it full-screen, so it was like watching it on a regular tv, but up close and on MY schedule.

There is one proviso, though (although I found it only a minor annoyance): there are ads "supporting" your viewing of the show/movie you're seeing. On the show I watched last night the sponsor was Tylenol, and the ads were actually pretty cool: they seemed to have been developed for hulu, meaning they were subtle and they were short. There were probably about 6 all tolled, but each one couldn't have been more that 10 or 15 seconds. So they didn't really interrupt the story that much.

Wikipedia says hulu features shows that play on USA Network, Bravo, Fuel TV, FX, Sci Fi, Style, Sundance, G4, and Oxygen as well as the aforementioned NBC and Fox (and the CBS show I found). They supposedly have over 400 different tv shows and also a bunch of movies (I have yet to check those out).

So the next time you've missed "your show," or just want to catch something fun (and FREE), check out hulu.com and see what you can find. I LOVE stuff like this!

My Memories Interrupted

When I was in college, and for a bit after, I was really into music, mostly British stuff and less commercial American stuff. I liked people like Depeche Mode (first two albums only, thank you), Clash, Squeeze, Strawberry Switchblade (!), and Heaven 17. After a while I also learned to appreciate bands like Ramones, PIL (and their precursor), and a few other more seminal groups like The New York Dolls.

I bring this up 'cause I saw a video today that really cracked me up. I sometimes find it hard to believe that every member of the "Ramones," save for one, are gone (they all died within 8 years of their official breakup). Some of their music is not for me, but I love a few of the classics, like "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" and "Rockaway Beach." Speaking of which, the latter is currently the ringtone on my cell phone.

Back to the video: it's of two guys doing their own version of a Ramones song, and it's scary and funny all at once. In my book, you can't possibly keep a straight face when presented with a punk song (or almost any song) played on a ukelele (or two):



Of course, for those of you purists, or those who can't remember the original, here's a video of the Ramones doing the same song ("Blitzkrieg Bop"):



Some of that good stuff never goes out, does it?

Woo Hoo! It's Shirley Temple's 80th Birthday!!

I'm the youngest of 7 children (5 girls, 2 boys). Growing up with a lot of older siblings gave me exposure to a bunch of things I wouldn't normally have seen with my peers, and for me, I most remember the pleasure of watching Shirley Temple movies on tv. I remember watching The Little Princess and Heidi a bunch of times and being amazed at all this little girl could do (yeah, even now, in this jaded cynical time, I still look at her in awe).

In celebration of Shirley Temple's 80th birthday, I couldn't decide which of my two favorite songs to post, so I'm putting them both up. The first is "Animal Crackers in My Soup" from Curly Top:



The second is "At the Codfish Ball" from Captain January. This is especially fun 'cause you get to see her dancing with - get ready - Buddy Ebsen, who at this point in his career was only known as a dancer (and singer too, maybe). Oh, and for those of you who only know him from "The Beverly Hillbillies," get ready to see him with black hair! Check it out:



So when you're looking at your children today, and you're thinking about them and their futures, remember when the beautiful woman above was once the beautiful singing and dancing girl seen here. Wow, Shirley!! You go girl!!

It's Earth Day!

In celebration of today, which is a bit of a throw-back to the hippie movement of the 60's and the environmental movement of the 70's, I present the video of the day:



It's kind of sad, but it's still a classic.

Happy Earth Day, kids! Go out and hug a tree and think of me...

Introducing Freecycle!

Hey, I haven't mentioned freecycle before, but I should introduce you to it. It's that great organization (rather loosely-knit) that aims to keep things out of landfills by encouraging people to give them away. OK, to be more concise: if I have something I no longer need, but is still in good shape, I list it on the local freecycle site, which then sends an email around to all members telling them my item is available. If anyone wants it, they send me a message expressing interest. I then write to one of the respondents and arrange pickup. The recipient then picks up the item and it's then theirs. No money changes hands, and everyone benefits (me, because I got the thing out of my house, and them, because they got something they needed/wanted for free!). It's a win-win propostion. Of course you need to be careful, and I am. I don't use my name, only an "alias," and although I do usually have pickup at my house, I always mention my very large dog and that although he's barking inside the window, as long as the front door is shut they should be fine. (Did I mention that my dog is a 100-lb Newf mix, who (although loveable to the core), has a VERY intimidating bark?).

Anyway, I love freecycle 'cause you can rid yourself of sooo much stuff, like clothes, toys, furniture, household stuff, and even food (!). Some folks have recently posted things like unused baby formula mix (the dry stuff) and diet food from those companies that help you lose weight (that one made me wonder why the person didn't want/need it anymore? did they fail to reach their goal and gave up? did they meet their goal and now eat other stuff? did they buy it and decide they couldn't eat it for some reason? oh the possibilities make my mind spin...).

When you post an "offer," the responses you receive are often interesting. Most people tell you why they want the thing you're offering, and that's what intrigues me. Why exactly do you want my bucket of old baseballs? Or my custom-made curtains that may not fit anything other than my window? Why do you want my son's old school shoes? Do you really give my kids' old books to your pre-school class in an Abbott District? Will your kids really fix our dead basketballs and use them in your yard? And what about those slate tiles from my yard? Will you really use them to finish your backyard project? I do wonder sometimes...

And often people post "wanted" messages, and those can be fun too. The usual requests are things like "kids clothes size xxx," and "computer, any operating system as long as it works," but sometimes you see really odd ones, like "cell phone charger for Nokia phone model xxx," or "car or truck, recent," (!) or "flat screen tv (recent)." That one shocked me. The whole idea you'd ask for something as specific - and as recent and as expensive - as a flat-screen tv just floors me. That is NOT what freecycle is about, in my book. It's one thing to give that away, but it seems rather... I don't know... selfish? to ask for one for free. Maybe I'm wrong there...

Anyway, if you're interested in clearing out some stuff and want to get it to people who'll use and appreciate it, try our local freecycle chapter at yahoo: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FreeholdNJFreecycle/ You have to become a yahoo member and then "request" membership, but that's all easy.

One proviso about freecycle: you can NOT sell the stuff you get. The purpose of the organization is to keep useable stuff from ending up in landfills, and part of the rules is your acknowledgement that you won't sell the stuff you receive. I understand it's happened before, and it was not taken well by the members of the group. Everyone is very nice and civil, but they are that way because there's a certain level of trust among the members, and as such they expect everyone to obey the rules. Don't, and everyone will know really fast...

Give it a shot! You'll be surprised at what you can get rid of (and what you can get!!!).

PS Most fun thing I've gotten from freecycle: a couple of Commodore 64 computers with all the peripherals (power cords, printers, etc). Who would have thought that anyone would have kept them this long? What are they, maybe 25 years old? 30? That's why I loooooooove freecycle!

Beautiful Dog Video

I love black dogs. Big black dogs. Big beautiful black dogs with mellow personalities. And If I had my way and was more organized (and less inclined to sit at this computer), I'd have two big beautiful Newfoundlands. All black, not Landseers (which are also brown and white). A couple of big beautiful furry black teddy bears. Just like the dude in this video I just watched. It's just a beautiful video, and it made me smile sooo many times. It starts slow, but keep with it and it picks up.. It's just this guy's two Newfs, playing, pulling, and doing Newf stuff. They're the most calm, mellow dogs on the planet, and I'm proud to say that our dog, pictured to the upper right, is 1/2 Newf (the best half, of course!). Check this out:

Cheap GPS

This is from one of the online comics I check out now and then. It's a bit geeky, and usually pretty fun. The strip is called xkcd, and this is from Monday. It's titled "Cheap GPS." Get it?

http://xkcd.com/407/

Tombstones, Fun and Not

OK, now that I've gotten over my bento phase - somewhat - I'm moving headlong into my kawaii phase. That's what I see going on in Japan lately. Kawaii = cute. Cute here, cute there, cute cute everywhere. And the epitome of that is our old almost-35-year-old friend, Hello Kitty. And to prove my point, I present to you, get ready, a Hello Kitty tombstone (real as far as I can tell).

That's from http://japansugoi.com/wordpress/hello-kitty-tombstones-in-japan/ and the page there also features video of a tombstone shop with another Hello Kitty with a soccer ball. Oh my. Can you imagine being remembered by future generations as the family member who chose to be buried under Hello Kitty? Yikes. I can see HK on clothes, and toys, and bento boxes. Tombstones? I don't know. I'd have to get used to that for a while...

PS To give you a bit of background on my feeling on tombstones, we found out a few years ago that the first member of my family (on my father's side) settled in Tennent, NJ, just outside Freehold. He and several members of his family died and are buried there, and you can see their family plot at the Old Tennent Presbyterian Church. He was buried before the Revolutionary War and had part of his tombstone shot off by a British cannonball (!!!). I'm therefore partial to standard, boring stones. Long-lasting ones. Ones that will hopefully be here, as those ones have, for 250 years. Wow.

YAY!!! Gap has brought back Classic Jeans!!!

OK, everyone has one or two features about themselves they like.  In my case, it's my legs.  They're chicken legs, granted, long and skinny, but I like 'em.  And I've come to realize that most pants, especially boot cuts and flares, make me look downright silly.  They end up looking like those wide, old-lady palazzo pants that belong with a big old flowered polyester blouse.  So I try to stick with straight-leg pants, preferably with a regular- or medium-rise waist.   

A few years ago, when searching for new jeans, I settled on Gap Classics, 'cause they were stick-straight, and with just enough lycra to stay stick-straight.  I bought them on and off for a few  years, only for them to mysteriously disappear one day.  Poof!  Gone!  No more fun jeans for me!

I then found and settled on Levi's 512's, which were essentially the same style, but the denim was heavier and sturdier (yay!).  I ran through them in a couple of years, though, and couldn't find replacements 'cause, yeah, they also went poof.  Levi's no longer seemed to put them into stores.  Any stores.  Even online.  I did mange to find a few pairs in an outlet late last year and snarfed the only ones I could find in my size, but as a result I'm now always "on the hunt" for similar styles.

Well today after a "coffee date," which I'm starting to love, I took a hike to the nearby Gap and GUESS WHAT?  They've brought back my beloved Classic Jeans!  Mid-rise, very straight, and with a slight flair (hmm?).  The price is up there ($50), but I'm so excited at the mere prospect of them being back that I might pick up a few just in case they go away again.  Beautiful dark blue and a medium-rinse lighter blue.  Just my style, just for me.  Yayayay!!!

Ya know, you can never underestimate the value of a good pair of jeans.  Especially fun ones!!!

Hee Hee - New Venture from Google (posted 4/1)

Did you all see this yesterday?  It's one of the great online enterprises posted yesterday.  If you don't get it, let me know.  Check out this site about a joint venture between Virgin and Google:

http://www.google.com/virgle/index.html

Speaking of yesterday, there were a bunch of similar posts that I looooove: Virgin Blue airlines out of Australia offered discounts for those who would stand for a flight.  Google Australia announced a new feature that allows you to search for content before it's created.  And the best to me, 'cause I find this man intriguing, Britain's Independent newspaper announced that foul-mouthed chef Gordon Ramsay was banning swearing in his restaurants 'cause Sydney refused to allow him to set up a restaurant on the grounds of "decency."  I love that!  That man has to have the foulest mouth on this planet.  He uses it to great effect, but still...

Security at Disney Freaks Me Out...

I'll babble on more about our trip to Disney World, but I saw an article today that reminded me of something that really bugged me about Disney: they now require you (in most parks) to give them a fingerprint in addition to your ticket when you enter the parks. They say it's because they want to make sure that only one person is using each ticket, but it worries me still. What do they do with those fingerprints once the ticket expires? Does the print ever get destroyed, or held somewhere for future use? And if it IS stored, can someone hack in, steal them, and find some way to use them?  If governments lose stuff (NYC lost my mother's info last year), and corporations lose stuff and also have them hacked into, why should I trust The Mouse and The Duck?

(Quick one that I know someone will mention: yes, some of the parks will accept photo id instead of the fingerprint, but not all of the gate people know this. I was given grief at one gate (by more than one person) when I complained about the fingerprint and the gentleman said to me "it only captures biometrics." I had this urge to ask him what that meant, as he appeared to have no idea, but I decided not to cause further upsetment. You'd think that with all the training Disney supposedly provides, they'd explain to the operators exactly what the system does and what it's capturing.)

This whole thing freaks me out 'cause I'm starting to worry about all the places that have my personal info. Think about it: I used to live in New York, where your Social Security number was your driver's license number (and I think they had mine for oh, maybe 11 years!). And I attended Brooklyn College for some post-bacc courses, and they somehow used my SS number as an id as well. And how many times have you given your SS number or some other identifying info over the phone or at a store? Doesn't that worry you that someone is gonna steal it and use it?

The prevalence of this information-gathering is making me very worried about what can happen in the future. I'm not saying I'm totally paranoid, but the possibilities are endless...

And remember kids, "short of amputation, a biometric identifier [ie, a fingerprint] can't be revoked or changed." (from Boingboing 4/1/08: Hackers publish thousands of copies of fingerprint of German Minister who promotes fingerprint biometrics)

Here's the article I saw today:

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/03/hackers-publish.html

And here's the original one I saw a bit ago:

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/03/15/fingertip-biometrics.html

Make your own decisions, but that's why neither my blog nor my email addresses contain my name. I don't have a "shady past," but I don't want anyone to steal what I do have.

Next blog: room keys at our hotel