Caltrans has spent over $500,000, perhaps close to $1 million, spreading the word that the Bay Bridge will be closed during the upcoming Labor Day weekend. A major connector between Oakland and San Francisco, the double-decker bridge’s seismic retrofit projects began after an extensive study following the 1989 earthquake, when a section of the upper deck collapsed. This weekend the Yerba Buena viaduct, a 350-foot-long, 90-foot-wide section, will be demolished and replaced. This task, daunting enough without the 81 hour time restriction, has been planned for maximum efficiency. Concrete-saws will divide the viaduct into 63 pieces. A crane will lift the pieces onto trailers, with trucks standing by to tow them away immediately. The replacement viaduct will be pushed into place with a roller system. And with luck all will be ready for Tuesday morning’s busy commute.

Two bulls escaped from their pen at the California State Fair as children were exiting the arena. Rodeo clowns and police officer Pam Irey distracted the bulls and got the remaining kids to safety. Irey was flung by a bull and is in the hospital with broken ribs.

Electronic toll collection has practically become a requirement for road toll situations. The new Benicia-Martinez bridge, northeast of San Francisco, of course uses FasTrak, California’s ETC system. But the bridge is unusual in that it has open-road tolling, meaning that drivers don’t have to slow down to have their FasTrak pass identified. Two FasTrack Express lanes handle cars going by at the speed limit of 55mph. The system actually works on vehicles going up to 100 mph and a license plate photo is snapped for back-up. Highways in the U.S. with open-road toll setups have been in around for a few years, but the Benicia-Martinez is only the third bridge to employ it. Speed limitations don’t stem from the electronics but the road layout. Existing toll structures retrofitted for electronic collection weren’t designed for cars going the speed limit. Tollbooth lanes are narrow and rebuilding costs are high. The Benicia-Martinez bridge had the advantages of space and new construction to enable speedy toll collection.

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder are not as likely to yawn when they see someone else yawn. In the study, 24 children with autism spectrum disorder and 25 normally developing children watched videos of people yawning. There was no change in yawning frequency in the autistic group.

Treehouses aren’t justs for kids anymore. Adults are having treehouses built for “home” offices and cigar retreats. With electricity, Internet, insulation, and heating, these hideaways offer every amenity except plumbing. Bugs, squirrels, and strong winds are hindrances. But there’s just something about being up in a house in a tree.

A nice follow-on to yesterday’s recycled traffic signals, artist Jerry Kott takes empty wine bottles, cuts them apart, and reassembles them into hybrid bottles and hanging lamps. (via luxist)

Modern furniture lovers will ooo and ahh over MiniatureChairs.com where the designs of Eames, Mies Van Der Rohe, Noguchi, and several others are available in small scale. Faithful reproductions of the Ball Chair, Joe (the baseball glove chair), and the Marshmallow Sofa are ready for your desk, shelf, or mid-century dollhouse.

Greenlight Concepts takes glass discarded from upgraded stoplights and turns it into lighting fixtures. Recycled Glassworks (I’ve mentioned them here before) turns them into plates.

Whole Foods agreed in February to buy Wild Oats for $18.50 a share, totaling $565 million. Since then the FTC antitrust wheels have been grinding away. A lawsuit filed in June resulted in a decision to allow the merger to proceed, however the FTC decided last week to appeal. The merger is on hold but additional arguments must be quickly filed by Wednesday, leading some to believe that the appeal is not expected to succeed. But if a stay is granted, the merger could be in limbo for months longer. The stores’ defense claims that mainstream markets now sell plenty of organic produce, so consumers will still benefit from competition.

David Letterman may have jokingly advertised “Hot Toast on a Stick” but the Illinois State Fair has brought breakfast on a stick to life with a “Breakfast on a Stick” competition. Beverly Cutler took the blue ribbon in the adult division with her Sensational Sunrise Dippers (sausage, egg and cheese wrapped in a biscuit with a side of gravy). Anthony Karas also won for Bacon-Wrapped Savory Buttermilk Crepes. The junior division ribbon went to Rachael Eden’s Wonton Eggs (eggs, curry, bean sprouts and snow peas in a wonton wrapper).