Puff piece journalism

This was in the wapo: http://twp.com/news.jsp?key=393846&rc=en

"Prince Harry gets play time on 2nd day of NYC trip"
By VERENA
Updated: Saturday, May 30, 2009
NEW YORK -- Prince Harry has been all business on his first official trip to the United States, but he'll have an opportunity for fun before wrapping up his two-day visit to New York.On Saturday afternoon, the 24-year-old prince is to participate in a polo match on Governors Island in New York Harbor, facing off against Argentine polo player and heartthrob Nacho Figueras.

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When I face off against some hearthrobing Nachos, its not news

"Today William Li wore a hat, according to a source familiar with the situation. A spokesperson for Mr. Li explained that, in fact, he was just wearing a hockey sock on his head to amuse his kids. The Princess and Little Buddy could not be reached for comment as it was past their bedtime."

Jason has discovered that "I have an idea!" Makes me drop everything and listen to him.

First impression of Bing

Here are some screenshots: http://news.cnet.com/2300-10805_3-10000934.html?tag=mncol

a) A product named after the least popular "Friend"... inauspicious start.
b) Looks jumbled and confused
c) Looks designed to sell more ads, not to be more useful to end users.
d) I'd rather use "Dogpile" on printed out index cards than this search engine.
e) If I intentionally tried to create a bad internet experience, it would still be better than this pile of Zune. Oh wait, I already did that.

I am not running for Mayor

Dear Anthony Weiner,

I'm not a candidate for mayor of New York City either. But you don't
see _me_ announcing my non-candidacy in a New York Times editorial,
despite the fact that you and I have exactly the same chance of
winning.

Sincerely Yours,

William Li
Houston, TX

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Fighting Pink Eye

Jason recently recovered from pink eye. It was a memorable experience, I'm sure, in part because of the trip to the night-time children's clinic and Jason being such a good boy about taking eye drops. Or maybe it was the yellow eye boogers that would squirt out in a sudden sticky discharge when the medicine was applied.

Under Dakota's theory, the pharmacological effect is that the membrane of the uninfected cells are given multiple layers of resistance against the infected cell's attack. Note the realistic depiction of the canal of Schlemm. (pink)

If my father could see this, I am sure he would be extremely proud of this fantastic illustration of drug disposition and metabolism happening on a cellular level.

Joke musical keys

B sharp
C flat
D Snyder

"That joke was dumb"

It wasn't dumb it was ..... TWISTED!

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The benefit of blogging and driving is that it almost keeps me from giving that bastard the finger.

My subconconscious is also a cat person.

The Slate discovers that people outside of California like sci-fi

Here's the video:
Don Omar - The Chosen & Virtual Diva [ IDON : System Upgrade ]


Here's the article in Slate.
First of all, the older cyberpunk gets, the cornier it seems; like Will Robinson lost in space levels of corny, but I still have a nostaglic affection for being in middle school and having subscriptions both to "Isaac Asimov Science Fiction Monthly" and "Analog" There was a time when 2400 baud and people like Steve Lowell Inness were dreaming up touch-screens and B1ff really was kewl b/c Amigaz rox!!!1 c u l8r...

Second, I confess that I freakin' love reggaetón; ever since Houston Press put me onto Daddy Yankee. I drove a lot during law school, through constant construction on  I-10 and 59. The radio in my Jeep developed a problem with the antenna such that I could only get NPR and Mega 101. During NPR pledge week, would switch over to Mega 101. I would thrill to recognize the six words of Spanish that I know in lyrics, and many of the song lyrics were partially in English anyway. It was a welcome break both from the law, and my Jeep breaking down on the side of the road, and obsessing over whether my missed class would trigger the ABA-mandated "5 absences and you must fail" policy. Listening to some rhymes that I don't understand was preferable to being crushed by the enormous pressures that I both put on myself and kept bottled up inside. Mostly, I just heard the moderate tempo bass carrying the man shouting over the loops which skip a beat every 3 1/2 beats. I can relate to that beat.

Here's an aside: when Dakota was little, she used to bang on stuff in the kitchen. Now that she's a big girl she does it less. I used encourage her to make percusive noises. When she would stop, I'd say "Dakota, bring that beat back. Bring. That. Beat. Back." Then I'd smile to myself at what a hip funny joke I made. Eugene heard me do that once and just sighed. I never did it again after that. Anyway, Dakota has moved on to liking actual music. Time marches on. On to the point of this blog entry...

Dear Slate,

It is not necessary to be a snotty dork from Silicon Valley in order to like science fiction. Crimony! Your ethnocentric condescension hangs off you like stinky cheese.


And by the way: Rock on, iDon!

Lunchtime thought

Does lettuce have any nutritional value? I am skeptical.

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Did you know Mr T spent the winter in Valley Forge with George Washington and crossed the Delaware with him?

Lunchtime thought

Remember smart drinks?

I want to see "brain snacks" a line of edible non-food compounds
(think hot molded foam) that are laced with neurotoxins that
temporarily deaden the amaglyia (causes fear) or serrotin reuptake
(causes depression) or other "bad" feelings while temporaily
introducing co-enzymes that stimulate "good" neurochemical reactions.

Ideally it would have no calories maybe it wouldn't even be
metabolized fully (as its not food)

Wouldn't that be a great snack food?

I think it would be difficult to make it not an FDA controlled
subtance but (and this is my point) VITAMIN PILLS are like this
already.

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Putting the shun in Fashion

Cushion
Pincushion
Parishioner

Anyhow. I heard that Tim Gunn is pushing to extend copyright to
clothing design as (I suppose) sculptural work. I think this is a bad
idea although I can see other protections against counterfeiting, like
maybe on the sewing patterns.

Still, clothes are difficult to copyright similiar to recipes. In that
vein, I feel as if anything that is possible must inevitably be
fashionable.

Therefore

If they ever allow it, I want to protect my design for a dinner
jacket, with a nehru collar and a zipper instead of button, made of
kevlar. Matching formal trousers are have cargo pockets and optional
thigh holster for a gun or a cell phone. And tevas with vinyl toughes
to make it look like patent leather

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Birdstrike! We are ok. Did not need make emergency landing. But there is birdskid on my car.

File under: no duh

<A href="http://mobile.nytimes.com/section?s=110">Mexican Data Say
Migration to U.S. Has Plummeted </a>

"The trend emerged clearly with the onset of the recession and,
demographers say, provides new evidence that illegal immigrants from
Mexico, by far the biggest source of unauthorized migration to the
United States, are drawn by jobs and respond to a sinking labor market
by staying away."

Wow, Really? You mean that Mexicans weren't breaking the law and
risking their lives to be in the United States because they love the
being subjected to contempt and scorn?

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Commuter note: Arthur heard both "Writers Almanac" and "Engines of our Ingenuity" and OD'ed on pretense. Found dead in his Pruis, still gripping latte

N.C.S. ... I Lie to M3ntalist Bone

You know what we need? Another procedural drama about a made-up
profession (or a ridiculous distortion of a real one) and so in that
spirit

"Gray Guy Solves Crime"

About a Dr. Gray Guy (pronounced Gee as in rhymes with fee) a PhD in
mysteriologisticsismisology. He is extremely misanthropic and has a
bemused staff of professionals to make up for him including:

Faith Angel: she's blond, an chracteracture of evangelical
chistianity and every episode for some reason she is in a state of
undress and or wearing fetish garb. She endlessly teases Dr Guy with
her brains and her celibacy

Justice Symbolic. He's the cool punk with a nose ring, a bad attidude
and is dr guys protoge but always disgagrees and is generally a bigger
jerk than dr guy

John Blowhard: the boss. He's got a crewcut and a pocket protector
and only cares about paperwork, not solving crime.

Jacque Bruin de Nez: the obsequious foil to Justice. Not as talented
but more obsequious. Oh... The drama! Its so dramatic.

This would have to be on FOX or FX. These are channels of gritty
realism, man.

Gritty

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And now a poem about self rehab of Achilles tendon

My calves are aflame
Moo
But they both feel the same
Yay
And at least I'm not lame
That's right
Not like this poem
Boo.

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You know what you can do instead of closing schools for pandemics? Videoconferencing.because videoconferencing is just like being there. Hahaha! Whew. Funny

Jason says he likes "alphahat song" but "letters words tricky" and he prefers to sing it as a puppy with me singing as a chicken.

Gorillaz Flu Type

Hello? Is anybody there? Hello?

M1A1. Thousand miles an hour
Gorillaz on the bass drum.
Gorillaz says he wants some. Some!

I say:

La la la la la la la la la la. Hey!

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Torture Memo (breaking the bee's knees)

We had a swarm of bees a few weeks ago. I will post a photo in a bit.
Check this post again tomorrow.

Some of the bees came back and tried to go into my roof. At least one
made it and got into the interior of the house.

Kaneda and sophia hunted the bee to the window, where they laughed
(cattily) at the bee crashing into the glass and getting confused.

Then the cats tortured the bee to death.

How does a cat torture a bee? Punch the bee in the face. Roll out of
the way of the dive attack Bat the bee with a paw. When the bee is
down, stand on the legs (breaking its knee) and as the bee gets tired,
bite its wing. As the bee lay on its back buzzing in agony, the cats
batted the bee along the sill for some death throes knock-hockey
action. When the bee stopped moving, they just walked away... Bored.

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Chocolate Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Batches

Batch 1
  Actually these came out ok, but it tastes a bit undercooked in the middle. Not in a bad way, its the molasses.
Dakota's comment: Next time you should do something like the crust of a pie.
Jason's reaction: wildly enthusiastic
Adjustments: More flour and baking soda


Batch 2
  Headed in the wrong direction here. These came out dry and crumbly. Also the almond extract flavor is now very noticable. Almond extract is a curse; a pox on my cookies. Fie! Fie! Yarrrrrrrr.
Dakota's comment: Next time use tortillas instead of oatmeal. Why? You might as well have used tortillas the way you are covering up the good chocolate flavors!
Jason's reaction: wildly enthusiastic
Adjustments: added cinamon, dark corn syrup, mayo, cook for 12 minutes rather than 10.




Batch 3
 This is more like it, but they just don't taste as yummy as I want them to taste
Dakota's comment: Hey these tast great!
Jason's reaction: wildly enthusiastic
Adjustments: FOUND THE DAMN BROWN SUGAR! Also going back to 10 minutes and making the footprint of the cookie smaller on the tray


Batch 4
 Like the American auto industry, I have burned through all my dough. This last batch was a little sticky but very very taste-tay!
Dakota's comment: Wow!
Jason's reaction: wildly enthusiastic




Lessons Learned: Cookie dough is like pancake batter, in the sense that if it tastes lousy in the bowl, it won't get magically better in the oven. Also, there are many subsitutes for different ingredients and mayo seems to work ok for eggs and oil but there is no good substitute for brown sugar. Almond extract? Its bad, horrible. If you ever buy oatmeal cookies rather than another type because you think its healthier, then you are fooling yourself.

Adventures in single dad cooking

No oatmeal cookie recipe. Used internet
No eggs. Use mayo
No vanilla extract. Used almond extract
No measuring
Didn't like batter flavor... Added white wine (works for frying and
sautees. Why wouldn't it work here?)

Can't find brown sugar (I know its somewhere...) instead I mixed in a miasma of dark corn syrup, light corn syrup, molasses, and cocoa powder

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