Yellow hats, overnight campers, full parking lots, and a Valkyrie greeted shoppers at the opening of the East Palo Alto Ikea.
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The Seattle library's collection of old menus was perused by a Seattle Times food writer. The food and drink trends of past decades are revealed in the pages of long gone dining selections, along with their tiny prices. (past related link: Los Angeles Public Library searchable menu index)
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It took me a few weeks, but I finally had the revelation that with Amazon.com headquartered in Seattle, the local menu selection for their restaurants feature would be very thorough. And indeed I've been able to pull up the menus for many places that I've noticed and wondered about. Now I can select Thai places which have a broad range of salads and search for yummy words like "risotto."
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Thursday, August 28, 2003

Fry's in Renton is indeed open; in fact some eyewitnesses reported a Tuesday opening. We made it down on Wednesday and happily soaked in the familiarity of their usual displays, the electronic player piano, the rows of soda fridges along one wall, and pallets in the aisles stacked with merchandise. There is no clear theme, but enlarged historical photos of the area line the upper walls. From the copious stock of certain products I can take a guess at what the loss leaders (or "break evens") may be on grand opening day. The unfamiliar aspects were the lack of boxes with "returned merchandise" stickers and the uncountable number of times we were asked if we needed assistance. But as usual there was a loss prevention specialist to check our receipt on the way out. We now have our retail therapy for homesickness.
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The success of Vanilla Coke has prompted rival Pepsi to launch its own vanilla version. 90 million cases of Vanilla Coke were sold last year in a very successful introduction. Pepsi Vanilla and Diet Pepsi Vanilla arrived in stores earlier this month. Pepsi claims a "lighter and smoother" version but their advertising campaign is emphasizing the young, fun Pepsi image. The disappointing Pepsi Blue, intended for that youthful fun-seeking market, sold only 17 million cases last year.
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The NY Times continues its Steinway articles with a look at the difference between the Steinways produced in Germany and those made in the U.S. The Germany factory, opened by one of the elder Steinway's five sons, is still making Steinways an ocean away from its New York relative. Most experts will claim that the German Steinways are different in tone and sound than their American counterparts. Over the years however, their suppliers and materials have converged (American woods, an Ohio iron foundry) and differences in the final product have more to do with the unique variations in the piano itself, not where it was made. But still musicians claim to hear consistent differences between the two production lines. At that level of quality and pricing, perhaps the hairs are worth splitting.
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Wednesday, August 27, 2003

Two new peanut varieties have been developed containing higher amounts of oleic acid, a "healthy" fat. The fat in typical peanuts is comprised of 50% oleic acid. These amount in these new peanuts is 75%. However, the saturated fat content remains the same at 20%. Peanuts have already been touted as a healthy food with studies showing that they may increase metabolism and lower triglyceride levels.
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Following through on the revival of interest in the designs of Russel Wright, two books of his own material have been published. First is "Russel Wright's Menu Cookbook: A Guide to Easier Entertaining " with complete menus for 15 meals, including table setting recommendations. It was put together by his daughter from his own collection of recipes. The publisher has also re-released Russel and Mary Wright's "Guide to Easier Living" a bestseller in the 1950s.
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Tuesday, August 26, 2003

You may have stumbled across General Electric's eye-catching online ad which featured an animated marker and drawing program. Viewers could draw their own little sketches and watch the marker animate the lines back to them. The email to friends feature further increased the visibility of the ad. This simple, but compelling advertisement went on to win industry awards and had a click-through rate three times higher than average. The email option had a 28% higher "opening rate" than average. Happy with the results, GE is planning something new but similar for January 2004.
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A new Charlie Brown television special is airing this Friday on ABC. In "Lucy Must Be Traded Charlie Brown" the ever suffering manager of a team with 900 straight losses (our zig-zag shirted hero) must deal with his incompetent right fielder who has never caught a ball. A trade is proposed and the usual Peanuts brand of angst and humor ensues. The special kicks off ABC's annual Charlie Brown season which will continue with the Halloween, Thanksgiving, Chirstmas, and Valentine specials. David Benoit interprets Vince Guaraldi's jazz piano themes for the newer programs.
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Monday, August 25, 2003

TV Picks reports that West Wing DVDs (yes, the U.S. ones, finally) for Season 1 are available for pre-order from Amazon. Release date is November 18, 2003, which makes me wonder what Bravo's $1 million per episode syndication deal stipulated about the DVD release conditions. They did not get much time.
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Throughout grade school we were often treated to filmstrips of picture books. Sometimes the teacher read the book aloud to the projected images but more often there was an accompanying cassette tape with a "ding" to indicate when the strip should be advanced. There were many eagerly raised hands when the teacher asked for a volunteer to run the projector. These filmstrips were usually branded with a familiar three-triangle logo, symbolizing the trees and "W" of the company Weston Woods. Weston is a little town near my Connecticut hometown and I never considered that these filmstrips from a local company were being sent to schools across the U.S. I ran across their logo again recently and looked them up. Weston Woods became part of Scholastic, Inc in 1996. It was founded in 1953 by Morton Schindel who went on to found the Weston Woods Institute, "a nonprofit group that supports innovative techniques in educational and cultural communications with children."
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Friday, August 22, 2003

Anniversary Dinner #2
For our second anniversary dinner, far from our "known quantity" Bay Area restaurants, my husband selected Cafe Juanita in Kirkland, Washington. Set on a side road with a non-descript exterior, the restaurant has a cozy interior with just enough light to see your companions and meal. Service was professional but not overly formal, and dress was business casual.

Overall the dishes were a study in contrasts, with textures and flavors working together in a superb melange. Here is the menu I selected:

Grilled Octopus with Fennel, Chickpeas and Green Sauce
Long thin pieces of octopus grilled to an almost crispy texture contrasted well with neutral chickpeas. The spicy fennel was yet another contrast and the green sauce served mainly as a backdrop with olive oil dominating.

Arugula, Grilled Nectarine and Fennel with Pinenuts, and Shaved Cured Foie Gras
Strong, fresh arugula sat in the middle covered generously with thin, buttery foie gras slices. The grilled nectarine was surprisingly not very sweet, but a nice match for the other flavors. The fennel and pinenuts added additional layers of flavor, but the scrumptious foie gras ruled over all.

Rabbit Braised in Arneis with Pancetta, Chickpea Crepe and Arugula
The rabbit was presented both on the bone and in small boneless pieces, effectively creating two different meats. The dark meat was of course the more flavorful, with a salty pancetta flavor outside. The chickpea crepe was large, folded into crisp quarters. Again, spicy arugula provided the right contrast.

Valhrona Chocolate Truffle Cake with Fresh Mint Gelato, Espresso Sauce and Sara's Thin Mint
The cake was a small warm circle, gooey on the inside. The cold gelato scoop on top was a perfect match as it melted onto its dark chocolately pedestal. A surrounding ring of espresso sauce was perhaps too sweet and gooey, but for a dessert that may be a silly complaint. The slice of thin mint was a crystalline green layer of minty sugar sandwiched between a dark chocolate coating.
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Thursday, August 21, 2003

Further proof that if it's collectible, it's on the Internet (and what isn't collectible?): The Museum of Coathangers. (via Bifurcated Rivets)
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The Matrix Revolutions international trailer is up at the official site.
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Mike Spangler has the best reason for collecting art deco bikes from the prewar years: "If I'm in a bad mood, they actually make me happy." (via Obscure Store)
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Wednesday, August 20, 2003

"Every day, 56 Californians move to Washington state." However, that's down from the 1995-2000 statistics of 2,600 every month. I think it'd ease the lines at the licensing bureaus if they swapped California drivers' licenses for Washington's without question and accepted California vehicle smog check certificates. In return, we all promise to disconnect our car horns.
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In California our homeowner's insurance policy had lengthy earthquake exclusions. It seemed like anything breakable (crockery, glass) wasn't actually covered and there was much fine print to read through. Here in Washington we instead have definitions regarding "Volcanic Actions." For example, they will pay for the removal of "the initial deposit of ash, dust or particulate matter" but not for any subsequent deposits that may occur from wind or "other means." Also, any number of volcanic eruptions during a 72-hour period counts as one eruption. In related news, Mount Rainier has been called "A monumental threat" by a USGS scientist, albeit in a 500 year timeframe.
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Tuesday, August 19, 2003

I am astounded that LifeSavers is retiring all the citrus flavors from their five-flavor roll. Orange, lemon and lime are gone in a little splash of publicity. I could understand perhaps lemon or lime, but both? The roll now consists of cherry, pineapple, watermelon, raspberry, and blackberry. The only remaining citrus is tangerine, available in the "Five Tangy Flavors" roll and the Tropical Fruits roll. Considering that the public supposedly voted for the new five-flavor lineup, I'm not sure what clamor is necessary to bring back the classic five, but I would certainly put my vote in for an all-citrus roll: orange, lemon, lime, tangerine, and how about pink grapefruit?
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Astronomy Picture of the Day covers the NYC blackout. Scroll right to see the full effect of a skyline gone dark.
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Monday, August 18, 2003

I didn't want to register for access to the Financial Times article on IKEA catalog distribution, but the statistics quoted in two weblogs are eye opening: The catalog is the biggest free publication in the world with 130 million copies distributed this year. Stacked, that's 1,300 kilometers. IKEA headquarters claims the world's largest indoor photo studio. Almost every household in Sweden gets a copy, and various delivery considerations need to be made for areas without mailboxes and for harsh climates. (via penmachine and seattlepi Buzzworthy)
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Adding some smidgen of hope to my attempt to grow lemons and limes in the Northwest, a Seattle Times gardening writer yearns for the Meyer Lemons and Bearss Limes of her mother's Palo Alto home. These are the exact same varieties that are currently enjoying the warmth of a Pacific Northwest summer in our front yard. Both have taken well to the uncharacteristic heat and are producing flowers and, as I refer to them, "limelets" and "lemonlets." When the weather turns, I will bring them indoors and all three of us will sit under "gro-lites" to tough out our first Seattle winter. Hopefully none of us will droop.
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Friday, August 15, 2003

For one of my address change phone calls (most of which I could do online, thank technology), I obviously reached one of those fabled call centers in India. The woman I spoke to was unable to understand questions outside of her limited repertoire. I was reminded of a recent article making the rounds about the high burn-out rate at Indian call centers. It seems that new hires arrive with high expectations for advancement. Instead they are faced with working bad hours (since demand is high during U.S. daytime) and having to assume false names and accents. Fifty percent turnover is common. The increasing market and awareness of the job's realities may force employers to address these issues.
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This year's Kennedy Center Honorees have been announced: musician James Brown, actress Carol Burnett, singer Loretta Lynn, director Mike Nichols, and violinist Itzhak Perlman. That combo should make for a rousing awards show in December.
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Thursday, August 14, 2003

People cleverer than I am have checked craigslist and the help wanted classifieds for clues to the Renton Fry's opening date. Sept 1 is the rumored target day. On our last drive-by, we noticed that signs were going up inside, so they are definitely close.

The Help Wanted ad

"Room to rent" ad by a Fry's employee who says "need a room to rent by Mid August."

(No, we are not obsessed, we are just geeks.)
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A N.Y. Times article on the new designer duds for budget airline Song (part of Delta) reveals some of the requirements for flight attendant uniform design. The designers, Kate and Andy Spade had to choose fire-retardant fabrics and closed-toe, closed-back shoes (they ended up with Mary Janes). The NTSB's report on the 1995 ValuJet accident (PDF format) includes a short statement on the attire of the flight attendant who received burns. She was wearing shorts and a short sleeved shirt and the Safety Board recommended that the FAA advise airlines to make their attendants aware of the passenger clothing guidelines in their "Fly Smart" brochure. According to an Aviation Today article, there are no regulations regarding the flammability flight crew uniforms although there were recommendations and a proposal process for them in 1975-1978 which were dropped in 1981.

Thus, airlines have varying degrees of compliance with the recommendation of the Association of Flight Attendants which states:

4. Uniforms
All flight attendant uniforms, and any part thereof, should be flame retardant and fire resistant, in line with the current state-of-the-art.
a. Those uniform materials known to be highly flammable shall be brought to the attention of the air carrier and it shall be requested that they be discontinued and replaced. A listing of such flammable materials is available and can be obtained by the air carrier or flight attendant from any Regional FAA office or the AFA Air Safety, Health and Security Department. (BOD 2002)
b. Flight attendant uniforms should be distinctly different from the traveling public, convey authority and avoid features that create personal security threats. (BOD 2002)

Bonus link: A CBS Early Show story on the history of Delta's uniforms. Link from the past: One man's "stewardess uniform collection".
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Wednesday, August 13, 2003

3M has been watching me, and probably many other forgetful people, stick Post-It note reminders to all sorts of unsuitable surfaces: purses, TVs, doors, kitchen cabinets. Sometimes they stay up; often they fall off. Sensing the despair and market opportunity, 3M has introduced Post-It Super Sticky notes. These are designed to stick to more difficult surfaces and should still pull off cleanly. Now we just need special super-sticky printer paper for printing online directions to attach to your car dashboard.
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The cover story of the September Wired magazine hits straight to the DeBeers diamond cartel jugular. Two U.S. startups are manufacturing diamonds. And these aren't the ol' tiny crystals suitable for coating drillbits and sawblads. These are gem quality, perfect diamonds. So perfect, in fact, that some jewelers look for a lack of flaws to distinguish them from natural ones. Gemesis is starting with yellow diamonds which are faster to create than white, and offering gems weighing up to three carats. Their technology comes from Russia; the same machines you may have seen on a Nova's "Diamond Deception" episode. Apollo Diamond is growing diamonds with a process called chemical vapor deposition. While both companies are dealing with the gem market, their eyes are firmly on the real long term prize: diamond computer chips. The high thermal conductivity of a girl's best friend means that diamond semiconductors are on the horizon.
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Tuesday, August 12, 2003

Where's the weather? Here in Seattle, of course. The broadcast meteorologists are in town for their convention. Part entertainer, part scientist, these weather watchers are talking shop and discussing techniques for improving their 90% accuracy rate. The American Meteorological Society is also holding their annual meeting in Seattle in January. I've heard there will be even more weather then, so much so that I've been advised to travel to Hawaii.
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The latest Blue Man Group project, The Complex, is on the second leg of its tour with three Texas performances sold out this week. It sold out in all eight cities of the first leg, including Seattle. Music videos and a tour journal are on their site.
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Monday, August 11, 2003

Kiwifruit are fuzzy on the outside, green on the inside. Right? There are actually many varieties in the family of the "Chinese Gooseberry." New Zealand farms have been producing the green variety since their import from China in the early 1900s. California began producing quantities of kiwi in the 1970s. A few years ago, the golden kiwi, a fruit with a yellow flesh, was introduced. Created from sibling plants of the green kiwi, the yellow fruit has a pointed top and a slightly sweeter flavor.
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There's gummi bear vitamins and Flintstones vitamins but apparently kids still need incentive to swallow their daily RDA. Enter Vitaball the new vitamin gumball. Chew one for 5-10 minutes and you're all set. Blow your vitamin-rich bubbles in cherry, grape, watermelon, or bubble gum flavors.
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Friday, August 08, 2003

The structure of music may have its roots in the tonal sounds of the human voice. Music theory may be a mathematical activity, but despite differences in the intervals of scales developed by different cultures, "all cultures favour certain intervals from the chromatic scale, and listeners judge these same intervals to create the most harmonious combinations of two tones." The frequency peaks from samples of human language match the most significant invervals in the scales from many cultures. (report abstract)
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When I attended college in the Boston area I was able to get $10 and $20 bills from all the ATMs (or as we called 'em "Baybanks"). There was even an ATM on campus that gave $5 bills. Upon moving to California I was faced with machines that only gave $20 bills, the denomination some refer to as the "yuppie food coupon." I also was miffed that despite the California car culture, drive up ATMs were few and far between. So it was with some surprise when we drove up to our bank's branch in Redmond, WA and discovered that not only was there a drive-up ATM, but we could ask it to give us amounts such as $10 and $50. How nostalgic! And adding to the quaintness, I noticed that the bank's drive-through teller lanes were equipped with pneumatic tubes.
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Thursday, August 07, 2003

Canstruction, run by the Society of Design Administration, is a competition where architects and engineers design and build sculptures out of canned foods. The construction materials are then donated to charity. I spotted this on the Food Network a while ago. The complexity of the creations is amazing. (via /usr/bin/girl)
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J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5) wrote up a suspense-filled account of the night he spent rescuing a kitten from drainpipes. Full of determination, he called in the fire department and a 24-hour plumber. He knows how to mew. It's a real tear-jerker.
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Wednesday, August 06, 2003

Seattle's new performance venue, Marion Oliver McCaw Hall comprises 75% new construction and 25% renovation. Home to the Seattle Opera and Pacific Northwest Ballet, the new hall had it's operatic debut on Saturday with a performance of Wagner's "Parsifal." As with all concert hall renovations, it took a real performance to truly put the new acoustics to the test. In the opinion of the N.Y. Times' Critic's Notebook, this one is a winner with thanks to Jaffe Holden Acoustics (who, by the way, are next to my CT hometown).
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Prompted by a reader inquiry, I did some research a few months ago about coinless slot machines. Wired News has delved into the topic with a report on the continued adoption of the "Ticket-in/Ticket-out" system which is replacing the clatter of coins. These newer machines save labor and time. Gamblers aren't shying away from them, though some dedicated coin droppers dislike the loss of the metallic sounds of money changing hands.
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Tuesday, August 05, 2003

There's a Mustard Museum in Mount Horeb, WI. "4,000 jars, bottles, and tubes from all 50 states and more than 60 countries." That's a lot of mustard. Take a look at the online galleries. (via Simmer Stock)
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As I was re-entering our Tivo "season passes" I noticed a show on the Food Network titled "How to Boil Water." That may ring a bell for longtime Food Network viewers. Years ago I would stay up late to watch Sean Donnellan learn how to cook basic dishes with helpful chef Cathy. I learned about the existence of grill pans. I loved the silly little theme song and Sean's magical mystery oven (they had not bothered to install an oven in the studio so he had to pretend). Well, someone decided to bring "How to Boil Water" back, but not with Sean. This time it's a female comedian and a male chef. Reviews on the message boards are mixed. However, Sean himself posted to the board, explaining that after Food Network president Reese Schonfeld left, they eventually stopped communicating with him about plans for another food show. But Sean's still making a living with TV commercials and voiceover work. He's got his own website now. And Schonfeld has a weblog!
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Monday, August 04, 2003

Our broadband is finally up, so I am back to posting. It took most of a day, a reinstall of XP, two tech support calls, a trip to troubleshoot with a friend's working service (thanks!), and a purchase at Best Buy for my good geek husband to determine that Comcast gave us a bad modem.
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Tivo Usability Note: The Tivo channel lineup selections for our new location were listed as: Basic, Expanded Basic, Rebuild Basic, Rebuild Expanded Basic. Thinking "Rebuild" was an action of some nasty or labor-intensive sort, we ignored it, and had trouble finding the proper channel lineup. But it turned out that "Rebuild" was not a command, but the name of a channel selection. Our cable network had undergone a "rebuild" and if we had only known the cable lingo we'd have been less confused. Now would it have been incorrect for them to use "Rebuilt" instead?
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When is the Renton, WA Fry's opening? Even journalists are befuddled. On our way down to IKEA, I spotted several cars clustered in the Fry's parking lot, so we drove over to investigate. There wasn't much to see, but there were a few workers sitting outside on a break, and we could peer through an open door at stacks of furnishings. Considering the number of cars and the hour (a late Friday evening), I am guessing they are trying to hit a date not too far away. The sheer size of the building is promising: 152,000 square feet. The Fry's in San Marcos, CA opened without advertisement, with faithful fans flocking in before the announced grand opening (one fan circled the parking lot every day for months).
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