Random trivia item of the week: When researching bed & breakfast inns on the island of Maui you will discover that inns with B&B; licenses from Maui County are not allowed, by law, to bake or cook breakfast for their guests. They still serve breakfast, of course, but it typically consists of fresh fruit, baked goods from local suppliers, and the old standby of granola or cereal. Guests are allowed to toast their own bread and bagels, and, I’m going to guess, cook their own entire meals if the hosts allow it.

Almond growers need honeybees, and lots of them. The interesting workings of almond agriculture are revealed as almond farmers discuss the bee shortage. 80% of the world’s almond supply is grown in the Central Valley of California, and it takes 1 million hives of bees to pollinate the 530,000 acres of almond groves. The state has 440,000 bee hives and beekeepers from other states drive their hives in each year to supplement them. One farmer reported paying $54 to rent a hive, up from $44 last year. The growth of almond acreage is not the only factor for the bee shortage. Parasitic mites are taking a toll on hive populations and an estimated 10,000-15,000 hives were burned in Southern California fires last year. The Gilroy Beekeepers website blames the yearly mass migration of bees to the almond groves for spreading the mites and other diseases among hives. Approximately one-third of the human diet is derived directly or indirectly from insect-pollinated plants.

Seattle’s Museum of History & Industry is offering a one-time tour of the city’s neon signs. Jay Blazek from Western Neon will lead the tour to old city signs that many natives hold close to their hearts. The museum has been trying to collect neon signs that have outlived their buildings and businesses.

Eclectica, most of it vintage, is gathered together at the Tick Tock Toys Archive. Browse the Kids Food archive to see packaging from decades past. Hundreds of cereal boxes are gathered together for your perusal. And there’s store displays galore. (via memepool)

Perhaps the hype was too hot. Per Se, Thomas Keller’s much anticipated “French Laundry on the east coast” suffered a kitchen fire on Saturday (NY Times link). It was a small electrical fire, put out in 15 minutes, but among the casualties may be the $85,000 custom made Bonnet cooktop and oven which was completely doused with water. Open only six days prior, Per Se now has the unfortunate task of informing diners that their coveted reservations will not come to fruition. The estimated time to reopening is “at least” two weeks, with the famed perfectionist tendencies of Mr. Keller no doubt playing a large role in the uncertainty.

It’s almost Oscar time, so the GirlHacker’s Random Log search ‘bots are busy compiling our annual list of the contents of the coveted gift bag from press releases and news reports. Look for a posting later in the week (and our ‘bots are hoping some nice media outlet will help out with an almost complete list by then to make their job easier). The bag is already plenty full with lovely products of five figure value. As a preview of sorts, this little news item caught our eye. Singer Alison Krauss will be attending the Oscars carrying a Treo 600 smartphone. Designed by Stuart Weitzman and palmOne, the phone will be encrusted with 3,000 clear and cognac-colored topaz cut Swarovski crystals. But the phone pales in comparison to her matching Weitzman shoes which are decorated with diamonds, including a 5-carat amaretto diamond, and valued at $2 million. The press release claims the phone and shoes are a matched set, but shouldn’t the phone be clad in diamonds too then? Well, some reports state that although Alison has to return the shoes after the show, she gets to keep the phone and a replica of the shoes covered instead with Swarovski crystals, so her takeaway will truly be a matched set, if not as pricey.

Founded in 1877, Schoenstein & Co. creates and repairs pipe organs. Its Mission District building is a San Francisco Registered Landmark. Records of all 151 organs the company has built are kept in filing cabinets. Organs are designed specifically for their future residence and the final voicing process once one is installed can take three months. The waiting list for a new organ is currently at four years. With annual sales of $2 million to $3 million, Schoenstein & Co. isn’t poised for riches, but the owner and employees treat their work as a labor of love, receiving immense enjoyment from the challenge and variety of their craft.

Archeologists excavating caves near the Dead Sea discovered a cache of women’s accessories dating from the 6th century B.C. There was a makeup kit consisting of an alabaster bowl for powders, applicator stick, and a bronze mirror. Metal detectors turned up a gold necklace with 130 beads of semiprecious stones, a scarab, an agate medallion, and a silver pendant with an engraved crescent moon and pomegranates. It’s a fascinating look at what was in vogue 2,500 years ago.

Despite hopes for a fall 2004 launch, NASA has decided to postpone the next space shuttle launch until at least March 2005. Backup safety plans for the flight include having a second shuttle ready to launch on a rescue mission if necessary. All future shuttle flights will focus on the International Space Station, which allows them to have a “pit stop” to inspect the shuttle and perform any repairs. Engineers are working on repair kits and inspection booms. Shuttle Discovery has been picked to be the next up.

“It was an exacting mission. Gruelling. If I break it down, it was the hardest thing I have ever done for a film. Sword fights and all that sort of thing are nothing compared to learning the violin.” So says Russell Crowe, speaking of his experience learning the instrument for his role in Master and Commander. He had three violin coaches for the film, one of which was fellow Australian (though, strictly speaking, Crowe was born in New Zealand), Richard Tognetti. The two met when Crowe pulled out cash to sponsor the drinks at Tognetti’s Australian Chamber Orchestra concert at Carnegie Hall in the early 1990s. When the original drinks sponsor backed out, audience member Crowe was approached to be the hero. He and Tognetti made a connection and are now close friends. Tognetti speaks well of Crowe’s efforts to learn the violin in a mere four months, enough so that he could appear to be playing in sync with the soundtrack. Tognetti contributed to the score of the film and also plays what Crowe appears to be playing.