When you walk down the street
Through the new-fallen snow
Do you look at the footprints
You see as you go?
Do you wonder who walked there,
And how long ago?
And whose footprints you see
In the new-fallen snow? [Read more…]
A couple of years ago, I bought Cuttledaughter a necklace for cephalopodmas. It was beautiful, and she loves it. Being the altruistic cuttlefish I am, I thought I’d let everyone else in on the find, and share Noadi’s art with you. [Read more…]
Ok, I’m not supposed to be online, but I did see something I just had to share. If you are like me (I pity you), you have all of Roy Zimmerman’s CD’s, most of them signed. And you sing along. To all of them but maybe one, because your mouthparts can’t quite move that fast. And speaking of that song, it’s just about the season to give it more play: [Read more…]
The young folk say it’s all about branding. Me, I just like everything about it, from the smell, to the texture, to memories from childhood. And yes, I do remember melted wax seals from my childhood, and no, I’m not 400 years old. I guess my parents were weird, too.
It’s on its way–Now all I need is a local supplier of sheepskin vellum, and I can get off the internets for good and just tuck scrolls of pentametric verse into the knotholes of trees and bottles tossed into the North Atlantic. The way it was back when poets were real poets.
(Click to embiggen) This is a pic of the actual stamp, as I understand it. Nice of them to send a preview!
Cuttlecap tip to commenter “Artor” at Pharyngula–the marvelous Jonathan Coulton with the first (that I know of) squid-based love song… that really works: [Read more…]
Ok, no verse right now, I just stumbled on something I just have to ask you about. Now, I am well aware that different accents pronounce different words differently–that’s pretty much what the definition of “different accents” means. And I have no illusions that I am immune from this (a colleague has recently begun teasing me about how I pronounce “dinosaur”, a pronunciation which betrays my quasi-Appalachian roots–yes, I’m looking at you, KD). [Read more…]
There could maybe be some trouble
If you’re running, in a bubble,
From Miami to Bermuda (that’s a thousand miles, plus!)
It’s a fairly silly notion
Ultramarathon-on-ocean
In a hamster-wheel contraption as your private magic bus
High above, the sun is sunning
And you’re running, running, running,
In a tiny little solar powered sauna on the sea
Getting hotter, hotter, hotter
While you’re running out of water
And the middle of the ocean is a nasty place to be
Not quite running, not quite boating
What you mostly are, is floating
On the North Atlantic Current, and you’re going with the flow
First it’s fun, but then, not funny
When your hamster-ball’s too sunny,
Overheating in the tropics is a nasty way to go!
Yeah, so… who among us has not wanted to take a giant inflatable hamster wheel and cross, say, a thousand miles of Atlantic Ocean with it? But Reza Beluchi actually tried it.
The Coast Guard rescued a man Saturday from the Atlantic Ocean after they advised him earlier in the week he did not have enough supplies in his hydro pod bubble vessel to make a trip to Bermuda.
Officers with the Coast Guard 7th District command center received reports Wednesday that the man, Reza Baluchi, was disoriented and asking for directions.
When officers arrived Wednesday, they told him the trip was dangerous and he did not have enough supplies on the floating bubble to sustain him. He only had protein bars, bottled water, a GPS and a satellite phone, according to a Coast Guard news release.
He at first refused assistance from a Coast Guard rescue vessel, but was forced to activate his emergency beacon 3 days later, and was safely rescued earlier today (Saturday). I really hope his insurance is up to date, or that he just happens to be independently wealthy, cos I expect him to owe a substantial pile of money for the trouble he put the Coast Guard to.
Mind you, XKCD had it covered years ago. Actually, twice.
So the cuttledog and I were walking, just a bit ago, and there were bats! [Read more…]
Well, not quite available yet, but it’s on its way! [Read more…]
It’s time to determine what’s “Genius”—I mean, yes,
The talented people, deserving of grants
MacArthurs, of course—they give dollars to scholars
And artists, and authors, and folks who can dance;
Lawyers, musicians, mathematics, dramatics,
Inventors of this or the other device
Each year, I think “hey—sepielling? No telling!”
Each year, I conclude, “well, it would have been nice” [Read more…]