Still looking for some fantasy and escapism? Take a stroll through Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale. Nothing affordable here. In fact, I think these rank beyond the “expensive” scale and plow into some stratosphere of “unattainable”.

I forget sometimes what a liberal area I live in, socially anyway. The Houston Chronicle ran the San Jose Mercury News’ (my local paper) story about the funeral of Mark Bingham, the man who called his mother from the hijacked flight which subsequently crashed and said he and other passengers were planning to “do something“. But, as reported by the Houston Press, references to Bingham being gay were edited from the story. Perhaps it was too long. Perhaps the Chronicle didn’t want to intrude on his privacy since it really isn’t anyone’s business. Perhaps the Chronicle doesn’t think its readers should believe a man held up as a hero could be … different. Whatever the reason, it’s good reminder not to take my environment for granted. What is a fact of life for the status quo here may be regarded differently in other places. (via MediaNews)

There is some superb art in these photos of snow sculptures from a yearly competition in Colorado. See what emerges from 20 ton, 12 foot blocks of snow. (via Larkfarm)

Here’s every New Order video ever made. Plus movie bits. I had no idea the video for True Faith was so spectacular. I highly recommend viewing that one if you haven’t seen it (unless you don’t like New Order, of course). It’s by Philippe Decouflé who also did the Fine Young Cannibals’ “She Drives Me Crazy”. You may recognize his style and choreography. (thanks Zannah!)

Gloria Foster, known to many now as the Oracle from The Matrix, has died. She was 64 and died of complications from diabetes. She had reportedly filmed most of her scenes for the sequel but not the third film, and the Oracle was integral to the series. It’s more sadness as the production team is already mourning Aaliyah’s death. The Oracle taught Neo the phrase “know thyself”, perhaps the key lesson to take away from the film.

The Science Behind the Song Stuck in Your Head is being studied by a marketing teacher (warning: I think this means the results will be used to sell you more things!). He surveyed 1,000 students at four universities and gathered characteristics of the stickiest songs.
Excessive repetitiveness, musical simplicity, and incongruity are some of the factors common the songs you can’t get out of your head. The article also describes the syndrome of auditory hallucinations which is a rare condition whose sufferers are often elderly and partially deaf. In the student survey, the sticky songs that prevailed were often from childhood. One guy claimed that a tune from a videogame had been playing in his head “since 1986.” Sometimes I remember the sound of Pac-Man swallowing dots, but I don’t think that’s a tune.

Perhaps you feel the need for escapism and fantasy. Well, the 2001 Neiman Marcus Christmas Book is out. Topping the “getting away from it all” fantasy items this year is an eight day trip to a private castle in England. There, you can experience life at three points in time: 1775, 1815, and 1907 with authentic costumes, hot air balloons, music, and, of course, food. To top it all off, the guest who stays in character most accurately will receive a legal title of “Lordship” and be able to pass it on to his eldest male heir. (Does this mean a woman can’t win the title? I guess you don’t travel into the future on this fantasy.) All this for only $120,000.00. Airfare is not included. Hmph.

My brother sent me links to information on Nu Shu, a written language developed by women in China back when they were denied an education. The secret language was developed in Jiangyong county, Hunan province, and consists of 700-1000 characters. Examples of the writing on are this page, which also describes some of the social traditions that allowed women to gather together to learn and use this language. A documentary has been produced which focuses on one of the few remaining women who can read and write in Nu Shu. Because there was no longer a need for it, the language has died out. That’s a good indication of progress, though it is important to pass on the history.

If you’re feeling spurred on to contribute something good to the world around you, don’t forget to check VolunteerMatch. Their list of U.S. regions covered has grown a lot since I first discovered them.

The NY Times confirms the unfortunate facts for those without cable TV. As I mentioned previously, my parents have only been receiving a couple television stations since the tower came down. Channel 2 (CBS) is on top of the Empire State Building, so at least they are getting one NY station. But the relocation of other stations to a New Jersey antenna probably isn’t improving the reception in Connecticut much. There’s no room for additional stations at the Empire State and other solutions will be expensive and take many months. But having less TV is not something to fret much over. There are more important issues to consider, though television is one of the unifying features of our nation. Six broadcast engineers were killed in the attacks.