The Passenger Services Act of 1886, established to help the U.S. shipping industry, has outlived its intended purpose. Cruise ships with foreign registries that take on passengers in the U.S. must stop in a foreign country before returning them to the U.S. In order to fly a U.S. flag, a ship must have been built in the U.S. The industry the Act was designed to protect no longer exists. This law is the reason why most Alaskan cruises originate or at least stop in Vancouver B.C. And it is probably also why practically no cruises start in San Francisco. Legislation has been introduced to amend the law, but it has been slow going. The current downturn in tourism may help give some attention to the proposed changes. Meanwhile, in order to attract passengers unwilling to fly to Vancouver, Princess Cruises has added a 10-day Alaskan cruise from San Francisco to their 2002 itinerary and Crystal Cruises is continuing to sail under the Golden Gate. 7-day cruises to Alaska (without the necessary Vancouver stopover) and direct cruises to Hawaii could be next, legislation permitting.

Dell Computer’s surfer dude guy is helping them win the battle against Gateway. “I would chose a Dell over a Gateway because Steven is cuter than Gateway’s cow,” says a 17-year-old female student. Hey, cows are cute too! While actor Benjamin Curtis is certainly pleased to be the focus of the successful ad campaign, he doesn’t want to suffer the typecasting that still plagues Keanu Reeves. And as “Dude, you’re gettin’ a Dell!” becomes the latest slang for “You rock!” Gateway really should find a new marketing hook that conjures up more than peaceful mooing. Got Gateway? Hmm, no, that’s not it. (via Obscure Store)

Continuing on the condiment theme, here is The Condiment Packet Museum. Ketchup, mustard, relish, attention to details, it’s all there except for sugar. (via /usr/bin/girl)

My friend, Lisa, sent me the news that she had seen blue squeeze Parkay at the local supermarket. Feeling a little horrified, and still recovering from that purple ketchup news, I responded “What’s next? Colored mayonnaise?” Well, as I looked for online proof of this new blue spread (it also comes in pink), I found a blurb in Prepared Foods that had a photo of the “Fun Squeeze Parkay” (you’ll have to scroll down a bit), and this rather frightening piece of information: “As a side note, in South Africa, Nestle has been testing Gloob! mayonnaise, which is not only colored blue but also bubblegum flavored (not a concept likely to make it Stateside).” What, I ask you, is the point of mayonnaise that is flavored like bubblegum? And why isn’t it pink?

I caught part of a PBS documentary on the local currency that is being used in Ithaca, New York. Now in its tenth year, the Ithaca Hours program is like a barter system, but with its own currency. Founder Paul Glover began Ithaca’s local currency program during the 1991 recession to boost community spirit and keep dollars in a local economy. Now you can use Ithaca Hours to pay for almost anything, or at least as part of your payment. The local Ben & Jerry’s even accepts Hours for full payment. Other communities have taken heed and started their own systems. There’s Berkeley Bread, Brooklyn Greenbacks, and many others, even in other countries. What does the IRS think of the barter system? Not a surprise, it’s still taxable income. You have to wonder how much of it actually gets reported, though.

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts has a beautiful online exhibit called Modernism. It covers my favorite periods in the history of decorative arts, starting with Arts and Crafts, passing through Art Nouveau with a midpoint of the superb Wiener Werkstätte, and ending up with Art Deco. The website has many layers of information, with informative links within links (as a good website should have!) which describe locations, define terminology, display photos of the designers, and zoom in on details. The Museum’s Modernism collection originally belonged to Norwest Bank (which has since merged with Wells Fargo) and was begun in 1987 and gifted to the Museum in 1998. The design of the website itself makes the exploration of the 250 objects all the more interesting. You can even send e-cards of each item. Don’t miss the Curator’s Corner for entertaining facts, quotes, and a nifty family tree of modernism’s designers. (via Yahoo’s New and Notable)

You know where Webvan went, but did you know where the Webvan vans went? Ann’s Trailer Equipment Sales Inc. in Grantville, Georgia is storing, leasing and selling 144 Webvan trucks for GE Capital Equipment Financing. Surprised passersby stop at the storage lot for photos and many call her posted number from their cellphones. Some Atlantans really miss Webvan. (via Wired News)

Are 250 spins enough to judge if the new Belgian one Euro coin favors heads? 56% of those spins came up that way. But some statisticians say more spins need to be made. At least the students doing the spinning are learning about statistics, and I hope their most significant lesson is that you need to know the circumstances that produced the results. The new Euro coins are the same on the front and country-specific on the reverse (Belgium has King Albert). But are “heads” and “tails” the same in every case, especially if “the front” is never a head? Time for Kids calls the country-specific side “heads” as does the New Scientist article. It’s clear that the head of the King is heads. But what about when that side has a tree or a harp? Is this written up in the European Nation documents? Will new terminology be invented? I suppose what a specification calls “front” and “reverse” doesn’t need to match up with “heads” and “tails”.

Although I no longer follow Dave Letterman’s doings with a religious fervor, the few minutes of any “Late Show” I’ve caught recently made clear what his current goal in life is: Get On Oprah. Or at least: Get On Oprah’s Nerves. His quest has caught on, with fans showing up outside NBC’s Today show window, Oprah’s studios, and sporting events with handmade signs reading “Oprah Call Dave!” For two months, Dave has jotted notes in his “Oprah Log”, a notebook listing each show’s lack of communication from the queen of daytime talk. Newspaper commentary has been written; some think Oprah is secretly amused, others believe she needs to loosen up and give Dave a call. Perhaps it’s just that Dave doesn’t fit into her target market. Or maybe she is holding a grudge. But it is possible that she is working the timing to maximize the exposure of the quest and its ultimate fulfillment in, I hope, a candid and revealing look at Letterman’s life in an hour long (including commercials) interview. Call Dave, Oprah! But only when you know the time is right.

The necessary attention to detail in “The Lord of the Rings” movie included jewelry designs (besides the One Ring) that had to be realized from a few sentences of Tolkien’s text. New Zealand jeweler Jasmine Watson created much of the Art Nouveau inspired Elven jewelry, such as Arwen’s Evenstar, Galadriel’s ring Nenya, and the cloak clasps given to the Fellowship by the Lothlorien Elves. The clasps can be clearly seen in the movie though they are not explicitly referred to in any scene (yet). Unlike some movie and TV props, which in real life bear more resemblance to junk shop jewels, the accessories in this movie would be perfect for any Middle, or actual, Earth gathering. Her CV hints that she’s working with a merchandising company to duplicate the jewelry, so perhaps elf crowns will be available at a store near you soon. You can already buy a licensed version of The One Ring. (via memepool)