An empty earth

2009 November 9
by Shannon

I find this artwork by Alexis Rockman to be both disquieting and inspiring. What will our Earth look like after we are gone?

Hollywood at Night

Please visit Alexis Rockman’s online gallery to view all of the artwork.

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Look out! Here comes the future: Cars that drive themselves

2009 November 6

I have often said — usually to myself because I am generally alone — that I don’t have to worry about my son starting to drive, because in 15 years cars will drive themselves. Well, I am right yet again. According to this NBC story, car manufacturers are introducing more and more features that cede control from the driver to the automobile, with an eye toward developing a fully autonomous car. If it eliminates such assholery as tailgating, swerving from lane to lane without warning and passing on the right, I am all for it. Even if this is just the next step in the inevitable robot uprising.

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Lots of Google news and link love (but I’m not kissing up)

2009 November 5

Google’s march toward world domination continues apace, and so they continue to make news pretty much every nano-second. Rather than take the time to write an in-depth piece, I’m just going to give a whirlwind tour of all the Google stuff that’s been cluttering up my Delicious bookmarks.

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I hate marijuana, Sanford & Son and San Francisco, so vote for me!

2009 November 3

Ok, I usually try to avoid politics on this blog, but this is close to home, so I couldn’t resist writing about it. This guy, George Hutchins, is actually running for Congress in my district. The same district where the very liberal David Price has been our Representative since I learned who our Representative was in grade school. The same district that includes Chapel Hill, a town that our late Senator Jessie Helms suggested be fenced in like a zoo to keep the animals from escaping.

Not only is he running as a gen-u-wine tea-bagging conservative, but he also has the worst website ever. Go on over and take a look. Tell me if that doesn’t make you think GeoCities circa 1994. All that’s missing are the animated GIFs.

I thought this was a parody at first, but apparently this guy is for real. Check out the anti-Obama page, with its pictures of Obama juxtaposed with Fred Sanford from “Sanford & Son.” Or the culture wars page, where he decries the “gay male homosexual,” including James Dean and the dad from “The Brady Bunch.”

I wouldn’t even be aware of this guy if he wasn’t being made fun of all over the Internet. Hey, conservatives, if you want to be taken seriously, here is a case study in exactly how not to do it. This guy gives wingnuts a bad name.

Just a thought on ending Daylight Savings Time

2009 October 31

A wise old Native American once said:

Only the government would believe you could cut a foot off the top of a blanket, sew it to the bottom and have a longer blanket.

Good-bye, 5:00 p.m. daylight. I’m going to miss you. Hello, seasonal depression.

By the way, don’t forget to fall back one hour tonight. Unless you are lucky enough to live in Arizona or Hawaii. Or you are feeling particularly rebellious and want to extend summer time indefinitely! Do I sense a grassroots movement starting?

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