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Sesame Street Old School Volume 1 DVDs contain the episodes from 1969-1974 which some of you may consider the true classics. It's 7 hours of pre-Elmo fun. I'm still trying to find CDs that will duplicate the two different Sesame Street record albums me and my best friend had.
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Throw away the remote
I've decided to design my own television channel. I figure there are so many now anyway, why not one just for me? Here is the programming schedule starting at weekday 6pm, which is kind of silly since I rarely get home before 7. The interesting thing is, assuming I had access to all of these shows, the creation of this "channel" can be done in-house with technology available right now.
6pm: pre-Elmo Sesame Street alternating with Electric Company and Muppet Show (which are 30 min shows)
7pm: rotation of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Babylon 5.
8pm: 80s nostalgia hour: Moonlighting, MacGyver, Hunter, Murphy Brown, Square Pegs
9pm: the Aaron Sorkin Hour
10pm: a Julia Child cooking show
1030pm: cartoon (Simpsons, Family Guy, PowerPuff Girls, Foster's Imaginary Friends, South Park, etc)
(uh, you should go to sleep now)
11pm: Star Trek TNG
12pm: The State sketches
1230pm: Infomercial about a cooking gadget or ridiculous beauty product
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Monday, October 30, 2006
Are "literary salon" author events another nail in the coffin for local bookstores? There are bookstores who depend on big-name author events to bring in sales. Some of these readings are now going to cushy venues. Are these salons attracting new readers who wouldn't go to bookstores anyway? And are existing bookstore patrons going to buy fewer bookstore books if they're not attending author events?
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The U.S. Mint in San Francisco produces collectible coins, not currency for circulation. Back in gold rush days the S.F. Mint turned nuggets and dust into coins and survived the earthquake and fire of 1906, earning its building the nickname "the Granite Lady." After operations moved to the current facility in 1937 the Granite Lady became known as the "Old Mint," surviving as a surplus government building. In 2003 the city of San Francisco bought the building from the federal government paying with a silver dollar that was minted there 124 years earlier. The Old Mint will be leased to the S.F. Museum and Historical Society and needs $86 million of renovations before it opens as a museum housing the history of San Francisco. Commemorative silver and gold coins with the Granite Lady on the back are an important part of the fundraising efforts.
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Friday, October 27, 2006
The Seattle Fire Department has purchased five sets of respirator masks for animals. Each set has small, medium and large sizes to help rescue pets caught in house fires. Other fire departments have had masks donated by local animal rescue groups.
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600 bolts. 12,000 pounds. Alexander Calder's Eagle sculpture was recently installed at Seattle's Olympic Sculpture Park. It previously stood outside the Seattle Asian Art Museum.
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Thursday, October 26, 2006
The original pews in the historic Salt Lake Tabernacle were made out of pine in 1867 and carefully grained with chisels and paint to look like oak. In an ongoing renovation these pine faux-oak pews will be replaced with real oak pews. The choice has raised controversy with some people who do not want to part with a significant, though admittedly uncomfortable, piece of the Tabernacle and LDS history. (full article at NY Times)
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Kitchen store Sur La Table has secured $12 million in financing to open more stores and revamp their online store. Competitor Williams-Sonoma is far ahead with 256 stores compared to Sur La Table's 56. The plan is to open 10-20 stores a year for the next 3 years. Sur La Table deliberately slowed down their physical store expansion this year to focus on growing their website which is doing very well. Lucky for me, they're looking into a downtown Bellevue location.
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Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Scrabble lovers, don't miss the Boing Boinged Scrabble furniture post.
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While she was a student at Amherst Academy, a young Emily Dickinson pressed 424 plant specimens onto 66 pages of an album. This book was her personal herbarium and her fondness for this hobby was reflected in letters to friends, some of whom sent her plants from exotic locales. Harvard's Houghton Library owns this fragile treasure in addition to some loose specimens and a smaller herbarium of 23 plants. In September, the Harvard University Press published a fascimile edition of the large album. The pages are in full color and at full size. It's a pricey $125, perhaps for that cross-section of serious Dickinson fans and botanists.
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Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Here are some tidbits on what Pepsi is up to. Their cola packaging graphics will rotate every few weeks as part of their campaign to appear innovative. The Tropicana Essentials juice line will feature omega-3 fatty acids. And new Gatorade AM will appeal to "morning exercisers who want milder flavors" (that has "focus group" written all over it). Oh, and their new Pepsi ad slogan for 2007? "Feel the Pepsi" Yup, you read that right. (AdAge article)
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I've just discovered the existence of rice dispensers. I suppose it's tidy but I don't think we'd get much additional benefit over our scoop and pour from the bag method.
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Monday, October 23, 2006
LED Lightbulbs on clearance at ThinkGeek. My future is here though it's still a little 'spensive. (thx Matt!)
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Operatic parodist Anna Russell, who portrayed Wagner's Rhine Maidens as "aquatic Andrews Sisters" in her famous Ring Cycle synopsis, died Wednesday at the age of 94. For a musician, keeping tempo is everything. Russell's sense of comedic timing was her special musical weapon. (NY Times obit)
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Pay six bucks admission at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas, a little more if you want to rent some tools, and you can keep anything you find. Bob Wehle from Wisconsin took home a 5.47 carat canary yellow diamond a couple weeks ago. Originally under private ownership, the park's property was turned into a tourist attraction after previous diamond mining ventures came to misfortune. Arkansas bought the land in 1972 and since then over 2 million fortune seekers have tried their luck at spotting a sparkly stone. Hundreds are found every year, but only a handful are over a carat. The 37 acres of diamond bearing soil are plowed about once a month, unscheduled.
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Friday, October 20, 2006
The Museum of Glass in Tacoma is presenting Dante's Inferno in their hot shop ampitheater this and next weekend. "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."
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Although it appears I will be deprived of the opportunity to list the contents of the official Oscar gift bag in 2007, all is not lost. Today my husband received the Official Target Pharmacy Gift Bag when he went in to fill a prescription at the newly remodeled store in Redmond. How wonderful to have a gift bag right in front of me that I don't have to spend long hours researching. And all the contents came in a lovely paper bag with the Target logo and genuine string handles. So here, without further ado, are the contents of the Official Target Pharmacy Gift Bag 2006:
Disclaimer: GirlHacker's Random Log is not responsible for any damage incurred as a result of discrepencies between actual bag contents and the above list. contents may vary by event and location. red logo on bag is not to be used for actual target practice.
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Thursday, October 19, 2006
A pet sitter in Pierce County, WA has been charged with 34 counts of theft. While homeowners were away she allegedly stole blank checks, credit cards, jewelry and guns. Perhaps stowing away identity theft related items is a good idea when you leave on vacation.
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Television alert: CNBC's airing a documentary called "Inside American Airlines: A Week in the Life". It premiered Wednesday but will be shown again, so check listings. CNBC was given unprecedented access behind the scenes at American Airlines. "CNBC deployed 11 crews at various American bases and locations nationwide, working as many as 14 hours a day, for a week." They even installed tiny cameras in a cockpit. American did employ PR "minders" to follow the crew around constantly and negotiations for the documentary took many months.
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Tuesday, October 17, 2006
There's a unique and not obvious characteristic of the IKEA in Renton, Washington. Unlike the other IKEAs in the U.S., this one is owner-operated. The two co-owners, Anders Berglund and Bjorn Bailey, were high ranking IKEA executives in the early 1990s when the company proposed they run their own store. They renovated a Boeing plant because they could not afford to custom-build (it's the only IKEA store in North America that was not custom-built) and opened the doors in 1994. After a slow first year the store blossomed. They expect to lose 7% of sales to a new Portland IKEA next year and predict a new location north of Seattle will exist in 5-10 years. But they won't be involved in either one as they decided from the start to own and operate the one store.
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Cocoa farmers are on strike in Ivory Coast. As the farmers hold back their crop seeking higher prices and a lowered export tax, analysts claim that these strikes never last very long and it would take many weeks before the world supplies are affected. Previous strikes in 1999 and 2004 lasted for about a week.
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Someone stole Dori's CA "WEB GEEK" plates. Please return, no questions asked. If you've dealt with the DMV in CA you'll know of what she speaks. Here's a gallery of geek plates.
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Dear Google Toolbar folks, Thank you for listening to your users and bringing back the Dropdown Search History.
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Monday, October 16, 2006
I thought I already had the world's easiest no-bake cheesecake recipe (cream cheese, condensed milk, lemon juice) but now Kraft has Philadephia Ready-To-Eat Cheesecake Filling. Just stick it in a pie crust and it's done. And if you want any extra ingredients (mix-ins!) just stir them into the tub first. It's so ridiculously easy that I'm going to go back to baking "Lindy's (or is it Rueben's) Cheesecake" from scratch which calls for "beating the cream cheese vigorously with a wooden spoon." Take that Kraft! By the way, cheesecake, a popular dish in ancient Greece, was served at the first Olympic games in 776 B.C.
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Things have turned downright nasty behind the scenes at the Seattle Symphony. The renewal of music director Gerard Schwarz's contract caused some initial internal grumblings, including a survey conducted by orchestra members that was critical of Schwarz. Now someone is sabotaging orchestra members who are Schwarz supportors. The main victim is the principal horn player who has had his car keyed, his horn dented, a razor blade and hot coffee placed in his orchestra mailbox, and threatening phone calls at home. These acts will only fuel the discontent already present amongst the musicians. Schwarz has overwhelming support from the board of trustees. The musicians' lack of power is unlikely to change if they employ such immature behavior.
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Friday, October 13, 2006
Round bales or square bales? Stonyfield yogurt's dairy farmer blogger answers a reader inquiry about hay bale shape. Round bales, the newer of the forms, are easier to produce and require less manpower. They're much larger than square bales also so there are economies of scale involved. Square bales stack neatly, however, and the smaller ones are easy to tote around. So, as with many things, you pick the shape best suited to the situation with an eye towards the bottom line.
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Seattle's Museum of Flight is hosting the exhibit "Leonardo da Vinci: Man, Inventor, Genius" now through January 28. Separate tickets are needed. The show consists of reproductions: sketches, paintings and more than 50 models of his machines. There is one item from Leonardo's own hand, a page from the Codex Leicester, courtesy of local guy Bill Gates.
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Thursday, October 12, 2006
From those who know their stuff (the Hall of Fame) here's A History of the Baseball Uniform. Most impressive is the searchable database of uniforms. (via Coudal Partners)
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David Bowie will be guest-voicing on "SpongeBob SquarePants" in an episode airing next year. His daughter, now six, is a fan of the show. Also coming up, Bowie is Nikola Tesla in the movie "The Prestige" directed by Christopher Nolan of Memento fame.
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Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Thanks to my speed-loving toddler I've gone down more slides in the past few months than in the rest of my life (have I mentioned that I'm scared of heights?). He would surely want to visit the Tate Modern's astounding slide installation by Carsten Höller. Unfortunately he's too short to go on most of them. There are five slides installed in spacious Turbine Hall which previously held the generators of the power station that was renovated into the museum. The biggest slide is about 182 feet long and the sliders, using canvas sacks, reach speeds of 30mph. Höller is Belgian and has a doctorate in biology. All his works have a touch of whimsy.
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What's the trick to outdoor Dutch Oven cooking? "If you can't smell it, it's not done. If you can smell it, give it five minutes." That's the advice of Gary Butterfield, director of the Puget Sound chapter of the International Dutch Oven Society. Members of the chapter have Dutch oven gatherings, aka "DOGS," where they cook (of course) and taste the results. There's some nostalgia and history involved with this hobby with memories of family camping trips and the Boy Scouts.
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Tuesday, October 10, 2006
I enjoy visiting new playgrounds almost as much as our toddler. Two fancy play structures that caught my eye recently: the Infinity Climber from Little Tikes Commercial, a twisty climbing strip, and the Kompan Supernova, a slanted spinning ring. (a short Supernova video)
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In a warehouse 20 miles south of L.A., New York Times automobile reporter Jerry Garrett found that the $50 Porsche is an urban legend and bargains at higher price tags are just as rare. But the fun of people-watching at the "U.S. Department of the Treasury Auction — Seized Exotic, Luxury and Classic Vehicles" makes up for the lack of deals. Hiding behind sunglasses and trying to avoid photographers, "the shadier elements in the crowd were soon melting out the door." One buyer who did agree to be interviewed didn't want his last name published in case the previous owner wanted his Lamborghini back. Credit cards are accepted up to $99,999.99 and bundles of cash are fine too, after all "it's just the Treasury getting back what it prints."
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Wednesday, October 04, 2006
The Chicago Sinfonietta's Monday premiere of David N. Baker's "Concertino for Cell Phones and Orchestra" took audience participation to new heights as cell phone owners were instructed to literally chime in with rings when directed. For a review of this unique event let's go to the Siskel & Ebert counterparts in the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune. In the Sun-Times, Marta Tonegutti seems neutral about the symphony, placing its motifs in the context of 20th century compositions. She appears to be neither delighted nor disappointed, so let's call that a "thumbs sideways" vote. John von Rhein of the Tribune sits firmly in the "thumbs down" camp. The piece "turned out to be less than the sum of its silly, noisy, sometimes funny gimmicks" and he calls attention to the audience phones that rang out of turn. But audience participation is always a crowd pleaser and the volunteer cell phone musicians gave their "thumbs up" with thunderous applause at the conclusion.
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October advertises the impending arrival of Halloween by bringing us the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book. I'd have to rate the 2006 edition as rather boring. Oh sure you can book a trip to space with Virgin Galactic, bid on a batch of six pro sports events (All-Star games, SuperBowl XLI and the US Open Women's final), or buy a sculpture made out of precision-sharpened No. 2 pencils. But what about rarities like vintage one-of-a-kind jewelry, custom-made attire, and personalized rare-jewel manicures? And what's with the Hello Kitty watches, gloves, and doggie sweater? What dog is going to agree to wear a sweater with a cat on it? OK, the backyard water park is cool. But the only truly notably unique item this year is the archives of the couturier Jacques Fath. Fath was a contemporary of Dior, dressing celebrities and costuming movies such as The Red Shoes, but he developed leukemia and died young. The archive includes 26 volumes of his sketchbooks and three of his couture dresses.
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Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Movie sequel I can live without: War Games 2
Movie sequel I can live without but will watch anyway: The Power of the Dark Crystal
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The ultimate Duran Duran collection ("more than 1,500 posters, nearly 10,000 magazine articles and pinup photos, 150 books and thousands of other memorabilia") sits in a 10x20 foot storage unit in Bellevue, WA (probably just a few miles from my house). Collector Andy Golub (aka "Durandy") also sends balloons and pizza to a local radio station on band members' birthdays. My little David Bowie shrine looks even tinier now.
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Monday, October 02, 2006
Whatever Happened to the Overture? asks the NY Times of the modern musical. Their "unscientific survey of 30 recent, current or forthcoming Broadway musicals" turns up only seven true overtures. Partially a result of pop music's hold on Broadway, partially a factor of shorter attention spans and expectations set by MTV for visual accompaniment, the endangered overture may not be missed by the new generation of show-goers. Smaller orchestras are also blamed. Synthesizer replacements can't produce the same build-up to a climactic show-stopper when unadorned by belting vocals. As a practical matter the overture allows a buffer for tardy arrivals and a transition into the scenes to come. But the article fails to mention the best part of the overture for the musicians: it's your only chance to be center stage and show off the power of the music itself.
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An acquaintance once mentioned that she had started taking blacksmithing classes because when (not if, when) civilization fell the skill of ironworking would be critical for rebuilding. As she described how the first task in becoming a blacksmith is to make all your own tools, I decided I'd better learn how to start a fire without matches as my own meager preparation for if (when) civilization fell. I then promptly forgot about the conversation. It came back to me as I read this profile of blacksmith Eric Clausen. He practices "the master of all trades" in Oakland, California, turning out decorative commissions to local landmarks and homes. Calla lilies, rosettes, pomegranates, figs, grapes and ginkgo leaves decorate the railings, gates and other architectural pieces he creates. Clausen's great-grandfather was also a blacksmith, perhaps with commissions of the more traditional tool and equipment sort.
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