add one Rage Tank (TM).
Check out the Hulk-bot my loving mother selected for her grandson. Comes complete with seven projectiles!
Grandma also found one of these for her older granddaughter ...
Saturday, December 24, 2005
It's not you, it's me
I had decided not to send holiday cards before reading this column, because of time contraints ... this article offers a better argument why others might take this action ...
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Monday, December 05, 2005
Thursday, December 01, 2005
day-after dui
I'm not sure whether this 'experiment' would stand up to more rigorous, statistically significant scrutiny -- especially taking in account differing metabolic rates -- but it's an interesting question ...
Posted, Nov. 30, 2005
Updated, Nov. 30, 2005
Updated, Nov. 30, 2005
Al's Morning Meeting
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2&aid=92915
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2&aid=92915
Thursday Edition: Day-after DUI
By Al Tompkins (more by author)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2&aid=92915
Day-After DUI
Travis Mayfield, from KXLY-TV in Spokane, Wash., dropped me a note about a story his station aired.
We did a story for November about the dangers of drinking and driving. The catch -- doing everything right the night of a holiday party (taking a cab
home, trying to sleep it off, etc.) but then getting up the next morning to drive to work and getting pulled over for DUI.
In our experiment, we went along with a group of revelers as they went out partying. We made them stop drinking and go to bed when the bars closed (in
Washington, that's 2 a.m.) then we woke them up at 7 a.m. the next morning and had a sheriff's deputy [test their blood-alcohol level]. Three of our
participants were still legally drunk. One was even twice the legal limit. If they had tried to drive to work, they would have been at risk for DUI.
After our story aired, we were contacted by a local DUI attorney who shared with us that he's seen a dramatic increase in morning-after DUIs. We also
heard from a county DUI trainer who did the math with us and showed us just how long it would have taken for our participants to sober up entirely.
We did it post-Thanksgiving, with the hopes of educating folks heading to holiday parties this season. Below are the links to the video for our two
stories.
Drunk the Next Day: Part One
Drunk the Next Day: Part Two
We did a story for November about the dangers of drinking and driving. The catch -- doing everything right the night of a holiday party (taking a cab
home, trying to sleep it off, etc.) but then getting up the next morning to drive to work and getting pulled over for DUI.
In our experiment, we went along with a group of revelers as they went out partying. We made them stop drinking and go to bed when the bars closed (in
Washington, that's 2 a.m.) then we woke them up at 7 a.m. the next morning and had a sheriff's deputy [test their blood-alcohol level]. Three of our
participants were still legally drunk. One was even twice the legal limit. If they had tried to drive to work, they would have been at risk for DUI.
After our story aired, we were contacted by a local DUI attorney who shared with us that he's seen a dramatic increase in morning-after DUIs. We also
heard from a county DUI trainer who did the math with us and showed us just how long it would have taken for our participants to sober up entirely.
We did it post-Thanksgiving, with the hopes of educating folks heading to holiday parties this season. Below are the links to the video for our two
stories.
Drunk the Next Day: Part One
Drunk the Next Day: Part Two
Monday, November 28, 2005
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Monday, November 21, 2005
Saturday, November 19, 2005
memo to staff
More layoffs on the way at a fictional newspaper that seems oddly familiar.
http://poynter.org/forum/view_post.asp?id=10668
http://poynter.org/forum/view_post.asp?id=10668
college journalism
So, college journalists are vilified, thanks for the opportunity that the Internet provides to professional journalists to skewer their work? I dunno about this one ... but the article permitted a chance to reminisce about idealistic days of yore.
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Come for the crabs ...
stay for the rebranding. Check out the attempts to put a shine on the outward face of B-more, and some suggestions for replacement slogans.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
a&f
I kinda wonder about marketing techniques that make me want to throw up on products. Warning: you'll have to subscribe or watch a commercial to read this link.
http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/index.html?blog=/mwt/broadsheet/2005/11/03/girlcott/index.html
http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/index.html?blog=/mwt/broadsheet/2005/11/03/girlcott/index.html
Thursday, November 03, 2005
google maps pedometer
The redhead and I used to live very far apart.
from Google Maps:
| Start address: | Baltimore, MD |
| End address: | Rochester, NY |
| Driving Distance: | 359 mi (about 7 hours 56 mins) |
Now our mailing addresses are close enough to walk between them.
Just hit "start recording" and double-click on the map to place markers. This thing even has a calorie counter! You just have to turn it on ...
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
what I'm not reading
As every day passes I accumulate more and more material that I have not read. Here is a selection of things I fully intend to consume:
1. Friday Night Lights, by H.G. Bissinger
2. Four (4) issues of Granta
3. Indeterminate back issues of The New Yorker (plus the remaining unread parts of some issues)
4. Three (3) NYT magazines
5. The Beach by Alex Garland
6. No Logo by Naomi Klein
7. And Still We Rise by Miles Corwin
8. The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro
9. Learn Malayalam in a Month (Indian Language series)
10. One Up on Wall Street by Peter Lynch*
11. Beating the Street by Peter Lynch*
12. Gutenberg by John Man
I'm not sure how to rectify the upward trend. What aren't you reading?
*These books have been on my shelf the longest, and they aren't even mine, so I think they count as stolen now. Oh, wait. What about Rosencratz and Guilderstern are Dead, by Tom Stoppard? I guess there is another list -- of books, etc. that were borrowed with yet-unrealized intentions of return to their proper owners. Hopefully Pat will forgive me ...
1. Friday Night Lights, by H.G. Bissinger
2. Four (4) issues of Granta
3. Indeterminate back issues of The New Yorker (plus the remaining unread parts of some issues)
4. Three (3) NYT magazines
5. The Beach by Alex Garland
6. No Logo by Naomi Klein
7. And Still We Rise by Miles Corwin
8. The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro
9. Learn Malayalam in a Month (Indian Language series)
10. One Up on Wall Street by Peter Lynch*
11. Beating the Street by Peter Lynch*
12. Gutenberg by John Man
I'm not sure how to rectify the upward trend. What aren't you reading?
*These books have been on my shelf the longest, and they aren't even mine, so I think they count as stolen now. Oh, wait. What about Rosencratz and Guilderstern are Dead, by Tom Stoppard? I guess there is another list -- of books, etc. that were borrowed with yet-unrealized intentions of return to their proper owners. Hopefully Pat will forgive me ...
what are you doing?
or, what are you not doing because you're reading this? tell the world. someone else might be not-doing the same thing.
Sunday, October 30, 2005
racial insensitivity?
I feel like these debates are all too familiar ... but isn't it better to debate than to ban free thought outright?
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Friday, October 21, 2005
Sunday, October 16, 2005
a happy medium?
Can't a family encourage its children to follow their own dreams, while still teaching them the discipline and hard work necessary to attain those goals? Do you have to live an isolated life, shielded from any and all distractions, in order to achieve?
Beer Pong (AKA Beirut)
This article fails to mention what a horribly disgusting pastime this can be ... Reportedly Beirut is a lovely city, but this game seems to be designed to promote the spread of disease and the consumption of filth.
Consider: opponents bounce balls into cups of each other's beers, prompting their consumption. The drinker fishes out the ball (leaving behind any amount of lint, sawdust, grass, peanut shells or other debris collected during various missteps during its travels) and pounds said beer. Then the same ball is bounced toward other beer cups, repeating the cycle.
Ok, I've thought too much about this.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/16/national/16games.html?ei=5070&en=2e06cb2b52e4a490&ex=1129608000&pagewanted=all
Consider: opponents bounce balls into cups of each other's beers, prompting their consumption. The drinker fishes out the ball (leaving behind any amount of lint, sawdust, grass, peanut shells or other debris collected during various missteps during its travels) and pounds said beer. Then the same ball is bounced toward other beer cups, repeating the cycle.
Ok, I've thought too much about this.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/16/national/16games.html?ei=5070&en=2e06cb2b52e4a490&ex=1129608000&pagewanted=all
Saturday, October 15, 2005
small batch baking
I love ReadyMade magazine ... here's just one good idea included within ...
http://www.readymademag.com/feature_19_monkey.php
The recycling bin is no place for your highly useful tuna can. Debby Maugans Nakos, author of Small Batch Baking, uses hers for making tiny cakes, like this decadent chocolate gâteau.
Start by removing the top (use a super-sharp can opener like Oxo Good Grips to make a clean tear), then rip off the label and scrub out any fishy remnants. For a two-layer cake, use a 14- to 14.5-ounce can; for a single layer, use an 8-ounce can.
Butter every crevice inside the can and line the bottom with parchment paper. Drop small dollops of batter off the tip of a narrow rubber spatula into the center of the can. Fill it no more than one-quarter or one-third of the way up, and smooth the top of the batter with the spatula tip.
Bake for 20 to 35 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean). Let the cake cool for 10 minutes in the can, then run the tip of a sharp, narrow knife around the edges. It should slip out easily onto your mini platter.
http://www.readymademag.com/feature_19_monkey.php
The recycling bin is no place for your highly useful tuna can. Debby Maugans Nakos, author of Small Batch Baking, uses hers for making tiny cakes, like this decadent chocolate gâteau.
Start by removing the top (use a super-sharp can opener like Oxo Good Grips to make a clean tear), then rip off the label and scrub out any fishy remnants. For a two-layer cake, use a 14- to 14.5-ounce can; for a single layer, use an 8-ounce can.
Butter every crevice inside the can and line the bottom with parchment paper. Drop small dollops of batter off the tip of a narrow rubber spatula into the center of the can. Fill it no more than one-quarter or one-third of the way up, and smooth the top of the batter with the spatula tip.
Bake for 20 to 35 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean). Let the cake cool for 10 minutes in the can, then run the tip of a sharp, narrow knife around the edges. It should slip out easily onto your mini platter.
Saturday, October 08, 2005
Katrina: the largest mass diaspora in U.S. history
... according to ePodunk.com. While you're there, look up Boring, Md. and Intercourse, Pa. ...
http://www.epodunk.com/top10/diaspora/index.html
http://www.epodunk.com/top10/diaspora/index.html
Monday, October 03, 2005
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
food you feel good about! Oct. 2!
It's here! It's finally here (in greater Baltimore, at least) ... who's
going to be there, 7:30 a.m.? Well, not me, but I'll be there soon enough
...
http://wegmans.com/news/flash/huntValleyGrandOpening.asp?sd=home&dt=huntvalley
Sunday, September 18, 2005
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