The Random Log is taking a week-long break and will return on June 7.
archive location

Friday, May 28, 2004

Plucked from the N.Y. Times Home section: A flowerpot that doubles as a light. Each of these recycled plastic containers has LEDs inside so they serve double-duty as landscape lighting. And if you're going to make a feather duster out of real ostrich feathers, you may as well shape it like an ostrich. "Ostrich feathers are the only feathers that have millions of statically charged follicles."
archive location

Steve's Ice Cream popularized the mix-ins concept in the 1970's. Cold Stone Creamery franchises are capitalizing on it nowadays. Steve Herrell, the founder of Steve's stayed out of the ice cream business only as long as he was told to. A month after the non-compete clause in his agreement with the buyers of Steve's expired, he opened Herrell's. There he uses his original recipes and offers Smoosh-Ins, kinda sorta exactly like the old Steve's Ice Cream. Mmmm.
archive location

Thursday, May 27, 2004

Alton Brown is answering member questions on eGullet.com this week. Upcoming show topics: "sauce making, chocolate, oysters, chili, cheese, doughnuts, sourdough, melons, and wontons" Food Network has nixed shows on making your own baby food and game (wild meats).
archive location

Watermelon season is underway and a scan through watermelon news uncovers the following facts: Seedless watermelon is overtaking the traditional variety better suited for seed-spitting contests. Consumers also want smaller sizes, so those large, seeded melons may become relics. Florida, Texas, California, Georgia and Arizona are the leading watermelon growing states. Cordele, Georgia calls itself the Watermelon Capitol of the World. Looking at worldwide statistics, however, China and Turkey surpass the U.S. production.

I spotted "personal sized" watermelons on sale at the market; the price brought them closer to the regular seedless variety (no seeded was available at this market!), so I bought one to try out. The rind is definitely thinner and the flavor is great, but what you'd expect from a good watermelon. It's not worth the extra price if I can buy a pre-quartered seedless for less (there's also the advantage of being able to see inside the pre-sliced ones!).
archive location

Wednesday, May 26, 2004

Taiwan received its first bullet train, delivered from Japan on Tuesday. The line will shorten the commute time between Taipei and Kaohsiung from four hours to 90 minutes. Service is scheduled to begin in October 2005 and 29 more trains are on order.
archive location

Borders and Barnes & Noble are just about equally convenient for us to get to if we need to quickly pick up a book. The simple fact that Borders allows you to search their in-store inventory online and B&N does not makes the decision of where to go (and specifically which Borders store!) extremely easy. An article from the Wharton School reveals that Borders' growth strategy included a software program to manage store inventory. The tracking system grew to include forecasting capabilities, making for a highly efficient ordering process. This enabled their speedy growth (and, likely, their online inventory system). Barnes & Noble, however, stuck to the standby superstore formula of economies of scale. They stocked stores with known best-sellers and bargains and lots of them. Both strategies have been successful in achieving growth. However, one has been more successful in supporting my book buying habits. (Wharton School article link, but registration required)
archive location

Tuesday, May 25, 2004

With his Per Se restaurant in New York finally reopened after a kitchen fire, Thomas Keller has the French Laundry back to business as well, opening its doors last week after a $1.8 million remodel. The SF Chronicle has taken the opportunity to do a sort of "compare and contrast" exercise on the two extolled eateries, listing the differences in decor, square footage, even projected revenues. As may be expected, Per Se exudes a characteristic New York indulgence while Yountville's French Laundry retains its intimate Napa Valley quality.
archive location

Shag, Arch, Blossom and Harding are the littler siblings of Alcatraz, named rocks in the San Francisco Bay that experienced "bar pilots" know to steer around. They were originally larger knobs of rock, blasted down in size to accomodate 19th century vessels, but remain menacing to modern container ships. Other characteristics of the floor of the bay can be seen in the new 3-D maps created by the US Geological Survey. "Multibeam mapping" with sound pulses was used to reveal the bottom of the bay. The maps and a report on the transformation of the underwater surfaces are available online.
archive location

Monday, May 24, 2004

The smell, sound, and feel of a baseball mitt are all part of the mystique of the game, as described in depth by the Seattle Times. Pro players have habits, rituals, downright superstitions with their gloves. Some use the same glove for years, developing a close bond with the well-worn leather. Others have a regular replacement schedule, with game performance sometimes playing a part. For those with a long-term relationship, there are glove repair specialists. Fran Fleet, who particularly enjoys the dog chewing repair work, has her own recommendations for breaking in and caring for your glove.
archive location

Briefly noted in recent articles on the impending opening of Seattle's Science Fiction Museum was the name of the director, Donna Shirley. "That's got to be the same Donna Shirley" I thought. Indeed it is. In her 32 years at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Shirley managed numerous projects, culminating in the Mars Pathfinder and Sojourner Rover missions which explored the red planet in 1997. In interviews about her life she tells the story of her first meeting with her college advisor who told her "Girls can't be engineers." She went on to earn a BS and MS in aerospace engineering. Shirley retired from NASA in 1998 and embarked on a speaking and consulting career. Now she's nabbed what I hope is a dream job, managing a museum of the dreams that inspire those she used to work with.
archive location

Friday, May 21, 2004

A Danish fishing boat caught more than it bargained for last week when its fishing nets brought up a German submarine. The sub was too heavy for the nets, but it took a while for a rescue team to untangle the two.
archive location

They're even cute when they're sleeping. Check out the tiger cub webcam at the National Zoo. The three male cubs were born on May 2.
archive location

Thursday, May 20, 2004

Odds and ends (but mostly odds) of jewelry news: Jasmine Watson, jewelry designer for the Lord of the Rings movies, told convention fans that she will be designing the jewelry for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe movie. First Lady of California, Maria Shriver, has launched a line of California jewelry. Proceeds go to the California State Protocol Fund). Luxury retailer Tiffany has, for reasons that escape me, decided to open a chain of stores that focus exclusively on pearls. Called Iridesse, the stores will carry a spectrum of pearl types in "an innovative, exciting new retail format." Lastly, a company that makes jewelry out of natural items is taking advantage of an opportunity that comes around every 17 years to sell pins made out of cicada shells. Each shell is covered in copper and is, of course, one of a kind.
archive location

Dancers and musicians suffer injuries somewhat unique to their professions, and although a specialist in sports medicine may be a good enough practitioner for certain ailments, there are now 20 clinics in the U.S. specializing in performing-arts medicine. At places such as the Clinic for Performing Arts at Seattle's Virginia Mason Medical Center, artists can seek out physical therapists, orthopedic surgeons, and otolaryngologists who are familiar with the rigors of music and dance, and sensitive to the need for artists to continue the pursuit of their craft.
archive location

Tuesday, May 18, 2004

Smith College has conferred its first engineering degrees to 20 graduating seniors. It's the first women's college in the U.S. with an engineering program. The program has grown to 135 students, more than its anticipated 100. Onward to even more great achievements!
archive location

Official weblog for "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" movie..."bringing news and enlightenment to lifeforms around the galaxy."
archive location

Monday, May 17, 2004

Ahh the knuckleball pitcher. New Yorker staff writer Ben McGrath takes us into the lives of those who pursue that quirky baseball pitch. The knuckleball has no spin or rotation and is prone to sudden, nonsensical motion. Pitchers who excel at the knuckleball can outlive their fastball-dependent peers in their pro ball careers as the pitch doesn't require arm stamina, just the right control. Not only the batter, but the catcher as well suffers from the erratic nature of the knuckleball; tracking it for the catch is as difficult as hitting it. Back when I was followed baseball, knuckleball meant Niekro, either Phil or Joe. Nowadays, it's the hallmark of Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield. Hitters have flattering quotes on their attempts to hit the pitch (and probably more words for it you won't see in print): "like eating soup with a fork", "It giggles as it goes by", "like trying to catch a butterfly with a pair of tweezers." Catchers are equally eloquent: "Wait'll it stops rolling, then go pick it up."
archive location

Last March I posted about the EightStar company's "ideal" diamond cut. The S.F. Chronicle has now taken a closer look at the company owners and learned more about their efforts to promote the 58 facet cut, available through 63 jewelers. Others in the industry are reluctant to proclaim the EightStar cut as being the best, at the risk of devaluing all other cuts on the market. Each EightStar takes an average of 32 hours to produce, and retails at 40% more than a typical diamond, most of which are faceted in 45 minutes. The cut also sacrifices weight for brilliance. Assuming EightStar's publicity efforts are successful, it's up to the consumers to decide whether the "ideal" cut is worth the price. There always seems to be room for extra cachet on the high end. But hefty carats always garner the attention. Interestingly, diamonds have become so mass-market that Walmart now sells the most in the U.S. (March 2003 entry on EightStar)
archive location

Friday, May 14, 2004

West Wing viewers may have wondered where this week's Gaza Strip scenes were shot (not at the real Gaza Strip of course). An area near the Salton Sea in southeastern California was the natural backdrop for the desert scenes, filmed in late March. The Salton Sea is the largest lake in California and efforts are underway for its restoration from the effects of agriculture and rising salinity.
archive location

Australia seems to be leading the way in SMS barcode ticketing. Tickets for concerts and, later this year, the cinema, are being offered to patrons as barcodes sent to their mobile phones. Retailers are also considering the technology as a new kind of "coupon" to lure shoppers into their stores with special offers sent to phones. This tactic has been used in conjunction with a concert ticket, as the same bar code was good for 2 for 1 drinks at the bar.
archive location

Thursday, May 13, 2004

Sign posted on the sandwich counter in the cafeteria yesterday:

Due to extreme bitterness, cucumbers are unavailable.

archive location

Another nifty visual design trip from designboom: Writing Lamps History. Inside the counterweight balance section is the almost too classic Tizio lamp that I used to see ads for every day in the paper. (via Antenna)
archive location

Wednesday, May 12, 2004

Since Aaron Sorkin left West Wing I've been curious about his next creative endeavor. New Line Cinema recently announced their purchase of his movie script "The Farnsworth Invention," the story of the inventor of the television. Thomas Schlamme, longtime Sorkin collaborator, will direct. Philo Farnsworth faded into obscurity after RCA, headed by David Sarnoff, successfully launched television as their baby.
archive location

What happens when Frank Gehry designs an organ? Perhaps it comes as no shock that the pipes end up curved. The organ in the Walt Disney Concert Hall, a collaboration between architect Gehry and organ builder Manuel J. Rosales, is being prepared for its debut. The instrument, with its uniquely curved wooden facade (but functional) pipes, was installed last year in time for the opening of the hall, however voicing and tuning on all 6,134 pipes has been taking place since then. The pipes and other parts were made by the Glatter-Götz Orgelbau company of Germany. Now Rosales and his associate are spending many hours tweaking the sounds to perfection.
archive location

Tuesday, May 11, 2004

My latest ultimate dream television show would be Alton Brown as a guest on Mythbusters debunking food myths -- or any myths would be fine actually.
archive location

A couple cats crossed the country in confined quarters. Pip, from Connecticut, was sealed into a FedEx box (you know how much cats love to sit in boxes), and rescued in Indianapolis after his owner realized he had hopped inside while she was packing it up. He was inside for two days. Lilly, a Siamese from Tarrytown, N.Y., survived a two-week trip inside a drawer in a moving van to Reno. I think Pip got the better deal.
archive location

Monday, May 10, 2004

We happened to have a book of the first Peanuts strips when I was growing up, so I knew how different Charlie Brown and the gang had been when they started out. Strips always evolve, so it's no surprise that the early ones have a slightly different tone and characters. But as with all visual things they lose something in description, so now I can point people at the first volume of Complete Peanuts which Charles Schultz's widow has authorized despite her husband's misgivings. The kids started out much younger, including the puppy Snoopy. And once in a while an adult actually had something to say. Also available is a book of Schultz's earlier work, including the Li'l Folks strip.
archive location

Newsweek has a tidy little interview online with Madeleine L'Engle. In other articles she's declined to comment on the movie version of "A Wrinkle in Time," airing tonight, but she speaks her witty mind here on her low expectations and other topics such as the Harry Potter books and faith.
archive location

Friday, May 07, 2004

We've all heard that Mother's Day is the busiest "calling holiday" of the year for phone companies. This article on the call volume clears up the actual numbers, based on Verizon's data. On a regular workday, 1.5 billion calls are made at Verizon and on a regular Sunday it's 870 million calls. Mother's Day is expected to bring 1 billion calls at Verizon, which serves 29 states. And Mother's Day is the second highest day for collect calls. Number one? Father's Day.
archive location

The duck tours are everywhere! I first saw the amphibious vehicles taking passengers around Boston a few years ago. I don't know which city had them first, but it seems that they are spreading across the U.S. and the world. The Boston tour site credits tours in the midwest with starting the phenomenon, however another site claims that the first documented tour using an amphibious vehicle was in Massachusetts in 1950. A web search will pull up duck tours in Austin, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Singapore, Tampa Bay, Washington D.C., Dublin, Chicago, Oahu, Baltimore, London, the Caribbean, a rainforest in Australia, Liverpool, Bay of Islands New Zealand, Providence, Wisconsin Dells. Most of the vehicles are the General Motors constructed DUKWs and before you start wondering if these numerous tours will use up the available supply, don't worry, over 20,000 were built starting in WWII.
archive location

Tuesday, May 04, 2004

The Daughters of the American Revolution Museum in Washington D.C. has put together a special exhibit titled "Something Borrowed, Something Blue: the Invention of the American Wedding." Along with wedding attire from the early years of the U.S., the origins of various traditions: the bouquet & garter toss, bachelor party, and white bridal gown are unveiled.
archive location

Some time after the "something borrowed, something blue" some couples find themselves in a situation where they may want one of these: an heirloom birth certificate. Washington State is offering a $2,000 prize for a new design for their fancy certificate. The current one can be purchased for $25. $14.50 of that is a donation to the Washington Council for Prevention of Child Abuse & Neglect, and the rest goes to the state Department of Health. And you don't need to be a newborn to order one. If the state you were born in offers an heirloom certificate, you can order one for yourself. Only a handful have them, but a quick search turns up Texas, Alaska, Oklahoma, Ohio, Oregon, Delaware, Massachusetts, Indiana, Maryland, New Hampshire, Illinois, bills passed in Missouri and Michigan.
archive location

Monday, May 03, 2004

The original, uncut Godzilla, is being shown at various movie theaters around the country beginning on Friday. This is not the cheesy dubbed version that Americans are accustomed to. The American release was practically wiped clean of the central message of nuclear horrors that Japanese audiences needed little imagination to relate to. 40 minutes of the film were edited out, and scenes with Raymond Burr inserted. A love triangle subplot was almost entirely removed. Even special effects scenes were trimmed. But now the monster is back in all its original glory and without the distraction of that pesky dubbing.
archive location

55 of the "Seattle Rosies", women who worked for Boeing during WWII, gathered to reminisce at a luncheon last week. Although some women were eager to work and contribute to the war effort, Boeing needed still more hands and used advertising, daycare help, and other efforts to remove the social taboos of women working. The company had 30,000 women on the payroll in 1944. The female factory workers dealt with male co-workers and even family members who felt their place was back in the home. Ultimately, the Rosies agree, their work experience broadened their view of the world, providing a unique education.
archive location