I didn’t know that the original Slinky was black, not silver (of course I knew it wasn’t made out of plastic).

As Hawaii’s new SuperFerry continues to run up against legal action keeping it from docking in Kauai and Maui, a smaller passenger ferry, TheBoat, has begun service in Honolulu. Since it’s much smaller, not interisland, and is intended to reduce the number of cars, the environmental folks haven’t been up in arms.

There’s a nostalgic post on Serious Eats that mentions “a weeklong school trip to a rustic retreat in the Catskills for some kind of environmental education and natural history program” and the pig that ate all the scraps. It brought back memories of a similar (perhaps the same) program I attended in Connecticut known as Nature’s Classroom. I remember that week of sixth grade extremely well because for some reason my parents decided not to pay for it, and in order to attend along with my friends I had to dip into my own savings (luckily my aunt gave me $50 every Christmas which I put in the bank). At a couple hundred dollars it was the first significant expense I had taken on myself. I paid for it so I could belong and not be the only kid left out. I wasn’t really thinking about any educational value. But I did experience it with a different perspective knowing that I had paid my own way. We made a geodesic dome, cared for fragile egg babies, learned sign language, took long hikes, sang campfire songs, and did skits. I didn’t leave much on my plate for the pig to eat.

Will gas prices, air travel hassles and traffic jams spur funding for high-speed rail in the United States? We’ve funneled money into cars and highways while other countries developed 200mph rail systems. Of course it will take billions to upgrade our railways to support high speeds. And that money may be better spent on research into alternative sources of power and transportation (but probably not Star Trek transporters…not yet anyway). The Acela Express route from Boston to Washington D.C. is doing well, with a 20% rise in ridership in May thanks to gas costs. And a Philadelphia to Harrisburg 110 mph route also rose 18%. California is still championing plans for a 220 mph train from San Francisco to San Diego (a mere 3 1/2 hour train ride!), but voting on the $10 billion bond issue keeps being postponed.

I read Judy Blume books just like all the other girls did, but I read them because all the girls did, not because she was a favorite writer. Still, those rites of passage, “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret” and “Forever” were significant milestones in my reading life. Now almost 70, Blume has been feeling the creative urge again and she has a new book out “Soupy Saturdays With the Pain & the Great One” and is on her first national tour in ten years. Booksellers are hopeful that her new book will spur sales in her back catalog, though her old books still sell quite well anyway. Blume started writing in the 1970s as a creative outlet, and a release from her boredom as a suburban housewife and mother. She says “writing changed my life and saved my life.” (Judy Blume’s weblog)

The typewriter art of Paul Smith, who passed away in June. His spastic cerebral palsy did not impede his artistry. (via Bifurcated Rivets)

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels would like to equip the city with motorcycle medics. The faster response time would allow medics to stabilize a patient quickly and await the arrival of an ambulance. As part of his 2008 budget proposal, Nickels has allocated $570,000 for a two-year pilot of four motorcycle medic units. The medics would be equipped with motorcycle airbag vests, reducing their own chance of injury. I used to laugh at my friend You Mon whenever he described his “personal airbag” idea, but he had something there because in addition to the motorcycle airbag vest, Wired has made mention of an Airbag Lifejacket designed for construction workers.

Food Network is here in the Seattle area this week casting for the next “The Next Food Network Star.” Actual chefs from restaurants I’ve eaten at actually showed up! I hope they realize this show has little to do with being a good chef, or even a celebrity chef.

The European Union had been extending Great Britain’s deadline for full conversion to the metric system, and now they’ve completely dropped the requirement, placating sticklers for the mile and pound. EU officials now say that Britain’s continued use of imperial measurements won’t impede trade, and thus there’s no reason for the strict change. But Britain is still further along than the U.S. in adopting the metric system for most products, packaged and bulk. And in 1963 the drachm, scruple, minim, chaldron, quarter, rod, pole and perch were retired.

Flat-panel TV maker Vizio seemed to come out of nowhere to take on big players like Sony, Samsung, and Sharp. Founder William Wang’s experience selling screens to Gateway Computers gave him a step up in leading the company to success. With only 85 corporate employees, Vizio’s strategy has been to sell their TVs primarily through wholesale club stores like Costco. Wang also strategized that although people may purchase an expensive set for their living room, they would likely buy cheaper models for other rooms. However they are building out their line to include higher end models. Recent sales figures place Vizio at the top North American flat-panel sellers. They’ve added Sears and Circuit City to their retailers.