This won’t make much sense to anyone outside the state, but here goes:
See this picture? I can’t ever walk past a “Win This Car!” banner without at least inquiring as to the price of the raffle tickets. In this case a chance to win the 2008 Nissan Versa being given away a month from now [...]

The Persians are coming, the Persians are coming

I did something different today, bought a brushcutter/line trimmer at Sears. On the way to the dentist, no less, and both bills were the same!
It’s huge and weighs a ton. There isn’t even a place to put it, but I have one now. I just wanted to be able to cut the weeds and tall [...]

Retreat, a strike, or practice?
For the last few days I’ve felt I wouldn’t mind if the Internet completely disappeared, if I never sent or received another email, never visited another Web site. I have no idea where this comes from, but it’s been very satisfying to let it flow to the ends of my extremities [...]

We’re still looking for a rental with more solar gain and a better woodstove. I’m feeling lucky, too.
I like heating with wood, athough it won’t do for the studio my wife needs for her glossy-black baby grand piano. In the long run, I think we’ll have to buy some land and build a couple of [...]

Well, crank up the worry machine. (Or not! read on…)
What I find most interesting about using the Internet for finding news is how much of what the rest of the world sees never makes it into American media consciousness. For example, all but a rear guard of 800 Australian troops just came home from Iraq [...]

This is an amazing subversive thing for all you urban cyclists. No kidding! I once knew a man who made a habit of putting sunflower seeds into sidewalk cracks. The Bloom thing is a whole lot better.

Well, it’s only taken a whole year, but I’m finally mostly done with a new website for a very talented musician, Stanley Greenthal of Seattle, Washington. You can see it in all its nearly-completed glory at StanleyGreenthal.com, of course.
Stanley counts a couple of excellent professional photographers among his friends, and I’ve used as many of [...]

And that’s in local driving!
That’s what we got on the last tankful of gasoline in the Vibe. Well, a little less, but rounded up, you bet. I’m liking this all right. Yes, it costs $337 a month to buy the car that saves on gas. Ah well. The old ‘89 Dodge Spirit was an [...]

This is very cool: solar cells plus magnifiers in one unit, 5 cents per kWh! Commercial production in about a year. (Thanks to Morgan Maher at Reality Sandwich.)