GirlHacker's Random Log

noreply@blogger.com (Lilly) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:45:00 +0000

"In 2009, AMC will present The Prisoner miniseries starring Ian McKellen as Two and Jim Caviezel as Six." Yup, they're really (re)doing it this time. And there's a production weblog. It can't suck with Ian McKellen, right?

noreply@blogger.com (Lilly) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:22:00 +0000

If you haven't visited Astronomy Picture of the Day recently, go see the Moon+Venus+Jupiter smiley face. And search for more on flickr.

noreply@blogger.com (Lilly) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:18:00 +0000

Two things I've learned as a result of having an offspring with Chinese + Caucasian genes: 1) Caucasians typically have wet ear wax, which is, alas, dominant (I first thought the weird gunk in my son's ears meant he was sick). 2) Caucasians don't have "shovel-shaped" teeth like most Chinese people do (I don't have a great web link for this one). My genes appear to have won in the teeth department, but I'm not aware of any benefits there.

noreply@blogger.com (Lilly) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:48:00 +0000

Art class may not seem relevant to a medical school curriculum at first glance, but take a deeper, analytical look, and you'll find why Visual Thinking Strategies has found a place at University of Washington and Swedish Medical Center. It's not art history, but observational skills that this training seeks to sharpen. The medical students and doctors look at photos and paintings and are taught to observe "objectively and critically, filtering out bias and assumptions that can cloud their perception." There's no proof that the class has long term impact for better diagnoses, but art is often beneficial for balancing out a scientific education.

noreply@blogger.com (Lilly) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:12:00 +0000

It's the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day and in Seattle the non-profit Rise n' Shine is in its 20th year of providing support programs for children affected by HIV and AIDS. They run a summer camp, match kids up with mentors, and provide support groups. The stigma of AIDS is still with us, and unfortunately strong, even after all this time.

noreply@blogger.com (Lilly) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:53:00 +0000

Bees Without Borders teaches beekeeping "to groups of people in economically depressed areas of the globe as a means of poverty alleviation." Its founder Andrew Coté of Norwalk, Connecticut (his dad tended Martha Stewart's Westport bees) travels to other countries spreading his knowledge of how to maintain happy pollinators. He's even been to Iraq, returning with the statistic that 500,000 hives have been reduced to 20,000 since the Gulf War in 1991. He'll be in Uganda in January. Back at home, Coté tends hives in Connecticut and New York (he's looking for a good spot in Brooklyn if you've got one) and sells honey at farmer's markets.

noreply@blogger.com (Lilly) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 08:23:00 +0000

Acknowledgements
I'm taking a break from posting while I become all domestic for Thanksgiving. But first, I want to note that this weblog turned nine last week. Nine years! There are a few people I want to thank whose popular sites I don't cite here very often: Jason Kottke, Matt Haughey, Andy Baio, thank you for the readership, inspiration, and links. As always, I owe much of this output to my husband and son (who has no idea what mommy stays up doing long after he goes to sleep). Thank you to Seth and Halflab for being marvelous hosts. Thank you secret cabal who shall remain nameless. And a huge thank you to my readers!

noreply@blogger.com (Lilly) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 07:56:00 +0000

At Wellesley College, the carillon housed in Galen Stone Tower was a lovely addition to my day whenever the bells sounded with the alma mater or, even better, a rendition of a contemporary tune (the Sesame Street theme is one favorite). A student organization plays and maintains the 32-bell carillon and they held an open house this past Halloween (featuring the theme song from the Addams Family). The bells for Wellesley's carillon were made by Cyril Frederick Johnston, an English bell founder. His daughter Jill Johnston has written a biography of his life called "England's Child, The Carillon and the Casting of Big Bells." (Bonus link: play the virtual Yale Carillon in your web browser; Yale also has a student guild of carillonneurs)

noreply@blogger.com (Lilly) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 07:31:00 +0000

Last week's New Yorker Food issue has a profile (reg req'd) of Bob Kramer, Master Bladesmith. I recalled Greg Atkinson had written about Kramer's knives for the local paper's Sunday magazine a few years ago. While looking that up I discovered that, perhaps spurred on by the New Yorker publicity, the Seattle Times had just run a short write-up and slideshow of him working at his Olympia shop. Kramer used to be a cook, then turned to knife sales and sharpening, and then to knife making. There's a long wait for his pricey chef's knives which are composed of 1,800 layers of metal.

noreply@blogger.com (Lilly) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 07:40:00 +0000

The American Museum of Natural History in New York is opening a skating rink this weekend. It's made out of synthetic ice (saves energy) and will feature a 17-foot-tall polar bear made out of stainless steel.

noreply@blogger.com (Lilly) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:40:00 +0000

Book your spot on the Legoland Inside Tour, the real deal in Billund, Denmark. June 2009, 3 days of Lego insider info, time with the model designers, behind the scenes at Legoland, and of course a factory tour. (via BrainLog)

noreply@blogger.com (Lilly) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:12:00 +0000

A cat spent a weekend on a power pole in Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood. Seattle City Light finally dispatched a two utility crews and two bucket trucks to get him down before someone else risked the 26,000 volts of electricity to do it. Photos.

noreply@blogger.com (Lilly) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:03:00 +0000

At Theo Chocolate in Seattle, Andy McShea uses his molecular biology background to make chocolate from actual cocoa beans. Other local chocolate makers are actually chocolatiers who start with purchased chocolate, not beans. He's truly making chocolate, like the folks down at Scharffen Berger (he doesn't have nice things to say about their parent company Hershey's), and he does it with fair trade and organic chocolate beans.

noreply@blogger.com (Lilly) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:54:00 +0000

Despite taking multiple precautions for fire-proofing their house, the Haroutounians of Yorba Linda, California still lost their home in the Orange County fires. A barrel tile roof, boxed eaves, brick and stucco siding and clean rain gutters may have helped stop the fire, but an ember got in an attic vent and all was lost. The vent had a mesh with quarter-inch holes. An eighth-inch hole mesh is recommended. Other fire hazards that can set off a house: wooden patio furniture, ornamental plants, mulch, and palm trees.

noreply@blogger.com (Lilly) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:15:00 +0000

Growing up in Connecticut, the Mystic Seaport was a popular field trip for social studies class. A maritime museum with an emphasis on 19th century seafaring life, the highlight of a Seaport visit is stepping aboard the Charles W. Morgan, the last wooden whaling ship in the world. At 167 years old, the ship has just been taken out of the water for restoration. The 3 year project actually began 10 years ago with the replacement of the shipyard's lift dock, needed to haul out the 340 ton Morgan. Wood from oak trees felled by Hurricane Katrina will be used for replacement lumber along with yellow pine scavenged from around the southeast. The N.Y. Times has an article and slide show on the impressive haul out.

noreply@blogger.com (Lilly) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 07:49:00 +0000

2008's Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is in place in New York City, ready for holiday festivities. The 8-ton, 72-foot Norway Spruce came from New Jersey. After using it as their Christmas tree in a pot indoors for a few years, the Varanyak family planted the tree outside in the early 1930s. It was bundled up and cut down last week, then taken on a secret route out of town and into Manhattan, via the George Washington Bridge (neither tunnel into the city being big enough). I found a "bird's eye" view of the tree at its old home on Live Maps as I did with last year's tree. Popular Mechanics has an explanation of how it was hoisted upright and installed at Rockefeller Center. The tree will be lit on December 3rd.

noreply@blogger.com (Lilly) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 06:32:00 +0000

It's no surprise that Sharelle Klaus, founder of Seattle's DRY Soda, had just given birth to her fourth child when she came up with the idea of a nonalcoholic, not-so-sweet soda. The significant stretch of pregnancy plus nursing time is the longest I've gone as an adult without alcohol and Klaus was on #4. I mentioned DRY Soda here in 2005 and they've recently added Vanilla Bean and Juniper Berry to their flavor line-up. Their Pioneer Square headquarters has a tasting room with champagne flutes. No ice please. Fun fact: Klaus' signature is part of the minimalist design on the first four flavors, but the two new flavors instead feature the signatures of her first two employees.

noreply@blogger.com (Lilly) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:24:00 +0000

Toscanini’s belt driven ice cream maker heads off the N.Y. Times' tour of places for science lovers in Boston. The museums at MIT and Harvard are noted, alongside the famed Boston Museum of Science (you really can't beat a one million volt Van de Graaff generator demonstration for entertaining science). The recommendations are capped off with suggestions for places to rub shoulders with the local geeks including MIT hangout, Mary Chung's restaurant. (bonus image link: Make Way For Dumplings by Craig Swanson).

noreply@blogger.com (Lilly) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:09:00 +0000

The low tire pressure warning light in my Subaru came on yesterday; we think it's because of the dip in temperature. This was the second time I've seen the light. The first time my tire had picked up a nail. So I finally decided to look up how the sensor works, especially since I was complaining that it couldn't tell me which tire was low. The Subaru "tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS)" consists of a sensor and transmitter in each tire, connected to the valve stem, and a receiver under the driver's seat. The sensor batteries are expected to last 10 years or 100,000 miles. If the receiver doesn't receive four signals, the warning light will flash, and although each sensor does have a separate ID code, there's no method to determine where that tire actually is. All cars sold in the U.S. now must have TPMS and fancier cars do let you know which wheel is low.

noreply@blogger.com (Lilly) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:17:00 +0000

In time for Thanksgiving, the TSA is adding a family lane to most airport security checkpoints. This line, while slower, will allow families with children to relax and take things at their own pace. Travelers with "medically necessary liquids" above the 3 ounce limit will also use the lanes. Our son became such an expert at removing his own shoes and listening to directions that we'd probably stick to the regular line, but multiply him by 2 or 3 at various ages and the line would be a huge relief.

noreply@blogger.com (Lilly) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 08:49:00 +0000

There was an actual, working farm close to our house in Mountain View, California. A relic in Silicon Valley's Santa Clara County, where at most you'll find a few acres of fruit trees retained for historical reasons, the farm on Grant Road was held in fond regard by locals. I used to stop by their fruit and veggie stand. Seth told me last week that the farm is now a vacant field. The owners sold it a couple years ago and it will likely become another cluster of too-close-together houses. The good news is that the farm's shiny windmill was dismantled and put back together at the Rengstorff House in Shoreline Park. It stands next to the replica tank house, providing an accurate picture of how water used to be stored for farm irrigation.

noreply@blogger.com (Lilly) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:23:00 +0000

The 'Studio of Exhaustion From Diligent Service' is the fancy name for the retirement home the Qianlong Emperor built within the Forbidden City, but never used much, preferring to keep close watch over his son's rule. The quarters were shut off and neglected when the City became a museum and the artwork within deteriorated over the years. A $3 million restoration, run jointly by the Palace Museum in Beijing and the World Monuments Fund, is now complete and will soon be open to the public. It reveals intricate craftsmanship, amazing both for its antiquity and its handiwork by present day artists who were brought in to recreate almost lost techniques.

noreply@blogger.com (Lilly) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:29:00 +0000

The Star-Spangled Banner, the large flag that reportedly inspired Francis Scott Key to write what became our national anthem, underwent a preservation project that began in 1998. Extensive and painstaking, including the hand removal of 1.7 million stitches to get rid of a linen backing, the restoration concluded in 2005. The Smithsonian National Museum of American History, home of the flag, closed in 2006 for major renovations including the creation of a new gallery to display the flag in an environment that will continue to preserve it. The flag has such historical value that the museum was originally designed with it as its centerpiece, and the renovations maintain the flag's role as the primary attraction. Mary Pickersgill, her daughter, and two nieces created the 30 by 42 feet flag which flew at Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. 400 yards of cloth were used, each stripe being two feet wide, and Pickersgill pieced it together on the floor of a brewery. The U.S. Army paid her $405.90. Unlike today's respectful flag keeping, portions of it, including a star and full swath of the fly edge, were clipped off for souvenirs so it's now smaller.

noreply@blogger.com (Lilly) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 09:11:00 +0000

Asphalt, the sticky stuff used to pave roads, comes from the "bottom of the barrel" of crude oil, what remains after gasoline and other substances are removed. There's currently an asphalt shortage that has delayed road repairs across the U.S. Two factors are cited. One is oil refineries installing cokers which can refine lower grade crude oil into gas and diesel, bringing in more profits than asphalt leftovers. Second, refineries have also cut back production of a polymer that's added to asphalt to increase durability. Concrete producers may find their pricier alternative becoming more in demand for roads.

noreply@blogger.com (Lilly) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 08:38:00 +0000

Winterizing becomes a daunting challenge when you're in charge of 1,600 towers that carry high-voltage power to customers in New York. Con Edison workers inspect each tower for damage, pilfered grounding wire, damaged ceramic insulators (sometimes shot by frustrated deer hunters), and bird nests. Winter's snow, ice, and wind add extra stress. With the help of Lidar they track the distance between cables and trees and remove any that may take down a line.