I'll be taking a blogging break for the holidays. Enjoy the remainder of 2007!
archive location

Seattle's Theo Chocolate offers public tours twice a day, three times on Saturday & Sunday, plus they've noted an "extended tour schedule during the holidays."
archive location

Putting on a ballet performance takes a lot of rehearsals. Filming a ballet perfectly also takes careful preparation. For the high definition recording of the San Francisco Ballet's "Nutcracker" the producers and directors hired an experienced camera crew, broke down each shot carefully to corresponding beats of the music, and taped a matinee performance for their own rehearsal. The veteran cameramen find the work pleasantly challenging, as they are guided through a large number of speedy shots, following the rhythm and motion of the dancers through their viewfinders. The results are currently being shown in select movie theaters and will be broadcast by PBS' "Great Performances" next holiday season.
archive location

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Fake home buyers steal from luxury homes during tours and also case properties for burglaries. But some just pretend to be luxury home buyers for the thrill of the fantasy. One imposter went so far as to sign actual title papers before he disappeared. The realtor later discovered that he had pulled the same con before.
archive location

At certain Whole Foods Markets you can get your purchases cooked to order and served to you with a cloth napkin and silverware. The service targets singles, couples, travelers, people who can appreciate a convenient meal with quality ingredients but who don't want the overhead of a night out at a restaurant. The chefs enjoy the challenge of not knowing what the next customer will bring for them to whip into a meal.
archive location

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Vacuuming kills fleas (96% of adult fleas, 100% younger fleas) say insect specialists at Ohio State University. The study involved vacuuming up fleas at different life stages from a carpet and was partially funded by the Royal Appliance Manufacturing Co.
archive location

PosterWire has a nice write-up on the teaser poster for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Drew Struzan, poster artist extraordinaire, had another official release this week with his cover for the DVDs of BladeRunner: The Final Cut.
archive location

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

A cool gift idea or memento for yourself, the Fluid Earth Bowl is shaped based on the topology of the map location you choose.
archive location

The quiet pavement project along 520 didn't just happen out of the blue. I now have a person to thank for advocating the Washington State Dept. of Transportion's testing of different road surfaces to reduce noise. Walter Scott took on a grass roots effort six years ago to reduce the noise at his home near I-5. His coalition obtained Gov. Gregoire's support in directing the DOT to test quieter pavements. We're still enjoying a much improved environment in our home thanks to the test pavement. I hope one or more of the surfaces holds out through our wet winters. (my earlier Vox entry on the 520 paving)
archive location

Monday, December 17, 2007

If your everyday duct tape is boring the heck out of you, perhaps a version in plaid would perk you up. You have a choice of red with black or green with black. Or go crazy and buy both. (I can't find it on the L.L. Bean website though, just their camo and wildlife prints.)
archive location

The Seattle Symphony's dirty laundry has been aired out for all to see in a newspaper of record. The New York Times has run a detailed account of the politics, in-fighting, factions, favoritism, lawsuits, and reported verbal abuse during Gerard Schwarz's tenure as music director. The drama even spilled over onto the Internet with a musician writing accusations against Schwarz on his weblog. This article also reveals the results of the orchestra committee survey which were not publicized. Players had voted 61 to 8 in favor of new artistic leadership and 61 to 12 in favor of forming a search committee for a new director. The national exposure is not likely to calm any of the still ongoing tensions. Meanwhile, Schwarz recently broke his leg skiing and will be conducting the remaining performances of the year while seated. (NYT article in Seattle PI)
archive location

Friday, December 14, 2007

When I give my cat pills I put them in some cream cheese. But these "pill pockets" look even better (and a lot less messy!). They're treats for cats and dogs that you can hide a pill. Do they make them for kids too? (thanks Medley!)
archive location

Sur La Table is carrying a cute sterling silver charm bracelet with cooking-related charms such as a stand mixer, colander, whisk, and measuring cup. Other food & wine charms are available; I can see a wine themed bracelet all ready to be put together in that set. (via luxist)
archive location

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Seattle Fun Forest, the small amusement park area next to the Space Needle has not been able to bring in enough money to pay its lease for a while. They've agreed with the city to close up shop at the end of 2009. Our toddler enjoys the surprisingly sufficient selection of rides suitable for tots, and two more years of those will be perfect for us.
archive location

Hackers at MIT added board games to various campus locations on Monday. The side of the Media Lab became a gigantic Scrabble game. Cranium, Mouse Trap, and of course chess made an appearance.
archive location

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Blogger Anita Rowland brought people together sincerely, genuinely, and altruistically. She passed away yesterday and as her memorial page fills with the thoughts of those whose lives she touched it's apparent that she not only gathered people together but also took the time to form an individual relationship with each person, whether through email or personal conversations at events she arranged. Our days are filled with often rushed prioritizations of the tasks we find most important. Some of us overlook the significance of maintaining and building the connections between people. Anita will be greatly missed.
archive location

Monday, December 10, 2007

Behind the scenes at the Omaha World-Herald (Omaha.com) the day of the mall shooting that left nine people dead. President Bush had been in town, with numerous reporters dispatched to cover his various engagements, and his plane had departed only about 40 minutes prior to the shooting. 50 of the 200 person newsroom staff pitched in to cover the incident, working well into the night. The paper's web server bogged down, additional hardware was brought online while advertisements and video feeds were turned off to reduce unnecessary overhead. (via Romenesko)
archive location

The Lighthouse for the Blind in Seattle is a non-profit organization that provides training and employment for the visually impaired. More than just a resource, it's a manufacturing plant that holds contracts with Boeing and the U.S. military. Incoming CEO Kirk Adams is ready to grow and publicize the Lighthouse which has been operating in obscurity. Along the way he hopes to "redefine to the public what it means to be blind."
archive location

Friday, December 07, 2007

Sublingual immunotherapy is an alternative to allergy shots that is being used in 40% of allergy treatments in Europe. Hayfever sufferers in the U.S. can subject themselves to allergy shots to desensitize their immune systems to pollen, but the sublinqual technique hasn't caught on yet. Administering the allergen under the tongue may not be as effective as a shot, but a regular doctor's visit isn't required to administer it, not to mention the lack of a needle.
archive location

Is Subaru about to enter the motorcycle market? Parent company Fuji Heavy Industries has supplied an engine for a "new single-cylinder sportsbike" called the HS500sa. It's not exactly a high-performance bike, and nobody knows exactly what the story is, but there have been rumors going around for a couple years that there will be Subaru-branded motorcycles in 2008.
archive location

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Macy's Herald Square in Manhattan has a few wooden escalators which I mention to friends from time to time. I never describe them adequately, but of course the Internet can come to the rescue with a page devoted to these antiques escalators, including photos.
archive location

I felt compelled to comment about this Boston Globe article that was called to my attention regarding the lone male attending Wellesley College. When I started at Wellesley in 1987 we had three "coeds" in our dorm. Yup, we called the male exchange students "coeds". They were in my dorm, I presumed, because on my housing form I checked off that I would not mind living in the same dorm as males. I figured I grew up in a house with three males, it really wouldn't be a big deal. And it wasn't. This guy now at Wellesley is lucky, apparently he gets his very own bathroom (!!??). We shared bathrooms, and, suffice to say, there are plenty of other occasions, best not discussed with the students' parents, when men were using our bathrooms so that also was not a big deal. Also, there were male MIT students attending classes through the cross-registration program, so the student population wasn't limited to the coeds. It's sad to me that the exchange program seems to have dwindled in popularity with men, as this student is the first in a few years. It's a unique opportunity to attend an excellent college.
archive location

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

It's not really a revelation that women like to relax by playing games, is it? And that these games happen to be on the computer, Internet, and mobile phone nowadays just comes along with the tools of our era. Casual video gaming is a $2 billion industry with an estimated 200 million players. Women are the dominant players and, according to this article, 74% of the payers.
archive location

Steinway & Sons has released a line of luxury watches designed by Fabrizio Cavalca. The watches feature 12 hand-fitted "strings" on a piano-shaped soundboard and a second hand shaped like a tuning fork. (via luxist)
archive location

Monday, December 03, 2007

'Tis the season for the Kennedy Center Honors. On Sunday the following artists were recognized for lifetime achievement: Leon Fleisher, Steve Martin, Diana Ross, Martin Scorsese and Brian Wilson. Fleisher, the pianist who lost use of his right hand but kept on going, has the most compelling story of musicianship.
archive location

You may have taken note of the nice story about the 86-year-old woman who finally received a Girl Scout Golden Eaglet award she should have received in 1938. She missed the final requirement, a camping trip, because she had the mumps. But over the years she told everyone in her family about the missed opportunity and a daughter-in-law rallied the local Girl Scout council to make things right. What struck me was what they had to do to get an actual Golden Eaglet pin. After losing an eBay auction that closed at $800 (wow!), they dug a pin out of a mosiac that was in their council office and had it repaired. That $800 had me thinking that I should rescue my Girl Scout pins and insignia from whatever box they are in and hermetically seal them for my great grandchildren. Alas I don't have a Gold Award, the current equivalent to the Eaglet, but maybe my Silver will be worth a small amount one day.
archive location