tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86879587073099227512024-03-14T04:12:38.482-07:00Lunch with George!Paul and George meet to enjoy lunch in the Valley of the Sun and discuss whatever we feel like.Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-82110787892438879392016-09-05T22:42:00.001-07:002016-09-05T22:42:33.041-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-BrOzDCzgpUoifFhc7IvLiiUfYmKHF7JxLFsHy5XmpAG9Gs8X2o2UfmktyJVEQP6W_3hcvaMZnIS0jdIJQ4c_JNDTLLH_MnoDIuY982ijfwATKtPTeKw843xYPbq3bfS4uBQch83qT0/s1600/laser.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-BrOzDCzgpUoifFhc7IvLiiUfYmKHF7JxLFsHy5XmpAG9Gs8X2o2UfmktyJVEQP6W_3hcvaMZnIS0jdIJQ4c_JNDTLLH_MnoDIuY982ijfwATKtPTeKw843xYPbq3bfS4uBQch83qT0/s320/laser.jpg" width="310" height="320" /></a>Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-3470988598996338872012-10-27T14:07:00.000-07:002012-10-27T14:07:31.816-07:00<i>this entry is cross-posted from <a href="http://elevenpoint2.blogspot.com/">Eleven Point Two</a>.</i><br />
<br />
I've read a lot of articles lately (or at least I've seen their headlines) lamenting the fragmented way many people now consume information. It seems everyone who is "connected" via social media splinters their time so much that they are unable to do a deep dive on anything, failing to learn something beyond a soundbite of information.<br />
<br />
I have personal experience with this problem. A few years ago, I discovered RSS, and began constructing an intimidating list of bloggers and journalists that I wanted to follow. Like everyone else, I was unable to keep up. The number of back-logged readings grew to the point that I was incapable of clicking on my favorite feeds because I knew I could not possibly read through even a small fraction of the hundreds of articles still marked as "unread."<br />
<br />
More recently, I created a twitter account and began following three or four hundred astronomers, space program writers, and space enthusiasts. Of course, unless you sit with a Twitter window open and continuously scan these tasty morsels, you're gonna miss something. And when I do follow a link to an interesting bit of longer-form writing, I don't have the time to read it. Off it goes to my Instapaper account, where it sits forever unread (for much the same reason).<br />
<br />
There was a time when I blogged. And I mean I really did blog-- my weekly recaps of my lunches with George were long, painstakingly researched, and always fun to return to later. I also <a href="http://xcavations.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">blogged about my journey as an archaeology student</a>, and these were sometimes pretty lengthy posts.<br />
<br />
What is the state of my writing now? The metaphorical fields of my blogs lie fallow, and all I make time for is tweeting (or re-tweeting) interesting original work by others, much of which I have not read in its entirety (see earlier remarks). Not only am I no longer capable of dedicating time to reading longer works, I'm also unable to dedicate time to creating anything exceeding a sentence in length.<br />
<br />
The internet and social media have created attention-deficit symptoms that I never experienced before, a malady I've come to believe might only be cured by a 28-day program that excludes all information sources, save possibly a daily newspaper.<br />
<br />
I feel I might also benefit from a similar approach with regard to writing: Allow myself to only create written work that exceeds some arbitrary word count significantly longer than a tweet or a Facebook post. Naturally I want to be clever about it, so I set about picking a number that tied to some familiar idea, and that was very Mama Bear-like in size. The very familiar adage "a picture is worth a thousand words" appealed to me, but 1000 seemed too long... so I decided to name my series of writings "Worth half a picture."<br />
<br />
There's no way I can write 500 words every day (certainly not on topics that are interesting to anyone), so these will be a weekly effort. Let's see where it goes.<br />
<div>
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Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-75745846472202625592012-01-06T20:09:00.000-08:002012-01-06T20:16:57.838-08:00Inspiriation!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wired.com/geekdad/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/liftoff-660x639.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="http://www.wired.com/geekdad/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/liftoff-660x639.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Here is a link to a Wired article about the launch of QU8K, an amateur rocket that reached an altitude of 121,000 feet in an attempt to claim the Carmack 100kft Micro Challenge prize.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/10/amateur-rocket-qu8k-reaches-121000/">Amateur Rocket QU8K Reaches 100,000</a><br />
<br />
<br />
Here's a short video of the launch:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5HTwbpjBUOk" width="560"></iframe>Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-88690943156136118342012-01-05T21:05:00.000-08:002012-01-05T21:05:29.848-08:00The Jones Boys<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://jonesboysrocketry.info/Jones_Rocketry_Site/Welcome_files/shapeimage_4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://jonesboysrocketry.info/Jones_Rocketry_Site/Welcome_files/shapeimage_4.png" width="150" /></a></div>I came across a wonderful rocketry site about a man and his son, and their passion for rocketry. Their site is full of great stories and photographs chronicling their journey. They started small, and now the Dad is up to Level 2 certification in High Powered Rocketry.<br />
<br />
Check out <a href="http://jonesboysrocketry.info/Jones_Rocketry_Site/Welcome.html">Jones Boys' Rocketry</a>, where they "poke holes in the sky one rocket at a time."<br />
<br />
Follow them on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/JonesBoysRoktry">@JonesBoysRoktry</a>Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-64946002382495220702012-01-05T20:49:00.000-08:002012-01-05T20:49:17.660-08:00They Have Arrived<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2PpfXZIqRxY/TwZ8oOyyMDI/AAAAAAAAAGY/q4q428mUXY8/s1600/Rockets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2PpfXZIqRxY/TwZ8oOyyMDI/AAAAAAAAAGY/q4q428mUXY8/s320/Rockets.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>My Amazon shipment arrived today, and it contained an <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B003WXLHP4/lunchwithgeor-20">ESTES Rascal & Hi Jinks Model Rocket Launch Set</a> (see unboxing photo).<br />
<br />
George and I will try to launch both of these beauties this weekend, Wind and equipment willing. Naturally, we'll be adhering to the <a href="http://www.nar.org/NARmrsc.html">NAR's Safety Code</a> at all times!<br />
<br />
We'll be sure to take some video at the launch area.Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-9267518315123737872012-01-05T13:26:00.001-08:002012-01-05T13:47:30.415-08:00Video Camera Experiment on a small rocket<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.teamten.com/lawrence/projects/video-camera-on-model-rocket/key_chain_camera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="144" src="http://www.teamten.com/lawrence/projects/video-camera-on-model-rocket/key_chain_camera.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Here is a link to a blog post by a guy who was given a key chain camera, and went looking for things to do with it. He decided to buy his fist Estes rocket! A little bit of duct tape later...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.teamten.com/lawrence/projects/video-camera-on-model-rocket/">Video Camera On Model Rocket</a><br />
<br />
Here are the <a href="http://chucklohr.com/808/index.html">exhaustive reviews of these 808 keychain DVRs</a> mentioned in the post.Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-48087783380549869922012-01-01T13:47:00.000-08:002012-01-06T12:21:40.135-08:00Amateur Rocketry Links<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yoO7erf5u8Y/TwDUYirbdLI/AAAAAAAAAGI/7vXMSYBfzvg/s1600/rocket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yoO7erf5u8Y/TwDUYirbdLI/AAAAAAAAAGI/7vXMSYBfzvg/s1600/rocket.jpg" /></a></div><b>National and Local Organizations/Clubs</b><br />
<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.nar.org/">National Association of Rocketry</a></li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://www.tripoli.org/">Tripoli Rocket Association</a> - dedicated to high-powered rocketry</li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://www.space-rockets.com/arsainfo.html">Amateur Rocket Society of America</a></li>
</ul><ul><li>Rick McKee's <a href="http://rick-mckee.blogspot.com/">Arizona Rocket Consortium</a></li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://www.sssrocketry.org/">Superstition Spacemodeling Society</a> (awesome project: Upscaled Estes Cherokee-D)</li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://www.ahpra.org/">Arizona High-Power Rocket Association</a> (Tripoli) launches large Estes to M's monthly</li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://www.ahpra.org/complaintform.htm">Experimental Rocket Association of Arizona</a> (Serious shit)</li>
</ul><br />
<br />
<b>Reference Info</b><br />
<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_rocket_motor_classification">Rocket Motor Classification</a> at Wikipedia</li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://www.rocketry.org/faq/faq.php">FAQ on Amateur Rocketry</a> at Rocketry.org</li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://www.flyrockets.com/index.asp">Good introductory reference</a> at Fly Rockets (includes legal issues, certification, where to buy)</li>
</ul><div><b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Instrumentation</b><br />
<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://wingedshadow.com/products.html">Winged Shadow Systems</a> provides altimeters, airspeed, and other instrumentation designed primarily for R/C aircraft.</li>
<li>Apogee Rockets carries the <a href="http://www.apogeerockets.com/AltimeterOne.asp">AltimeterOne</a> and other cool stuff.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.adeptrocketry.com/ALTIM1cart.htm">Adept Rocketry</a> sells instruments, including a $20 altimeter!</li>
</ul><br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div><b>Buy Rockets</b></div><div><ul><li><a href="http://www.estesrockets.com/">Estes official site</a></li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_sr_toys-and-games?_encoding=UTF8&node=165793011&field-brandtextbin=Estes">Estes at Amazon</a></li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://www.dynastar-rockets.com/index.html">DynaStar official site</a> - makers of Mid-Power Model Rockets (D, E, F)</li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_sr_toys-and-games?_encoding=UTF8&node=165793011&field-brandtextbin=DynaStar%20Mid-Power%20Model%20Rockets">DynaStar at Amazon</a></li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_sr_toys-and-games?_encoding=UTF8&node=165793011&field-brandtextbin=Quest%20Aerospace">Quest Aerospace at Amazon</a></li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Quest-Aerospace-High-Q-Advanced-Rocketry/dp/B002TWBXIA">High-Q Rocke</a>t by Quest (higher power rocket)</li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="https://discountrocketry.com/index.php">Discount Rocketry</a></li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://www.flyrockets.com/buy.asp">Other sellers of larger rockets</a> at FlyRockets.com</li>
</ul></div>Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-4665801117322967282011-05-21T19:54:00.000-07:002011-08-21T21:03:18.779-07:00Lunch at Five Guys - May 11, 2011<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Did we really go to Five Guys again? It must be good!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">George was telling me about a new film about Temple Grandin (the autistic cattle expert we talked about at <a href="http://www.lunchwithgeorge.com/lunch_020509.html#temple">World Noodles back in 2002</a>), starring Claire Danes. Watch the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpkN0JdXRpM">trailer</a>.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Teri and I went to a new comedy club in Scottsdale called <a href="http://www.standupscottsdale.com/">StandUp Scottsdale</a>. The headliner was Andrew Norelli, and you can see pretty much the same act we saw in this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMhUNOiMni0">clip from the Jimmy Kimmel show</a>.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I also was telling George about the new low-res game called <a href="http://www.minecraft.net/">Minecraft</a>, that a lot of my friends are playing. People in Minecraft do some crazy stuff, such as this one guy who built a TNT-powered cannon to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeV0XB-w_yM">shoot animals into space</a>.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">George told me about <a href="http://leafsnap.com/">Leafsnap</a>, an amazing site from Columbia University (and others) that is an electronic field guide to leaves and blossoms, fruit, and bark from New York City and Washington, D.C.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">George also sent me a link to a <a href="http://www.kodo.or.jp/general/index_en.html">Japanese Kodo drum video</a>. Crank it uo!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Let's wrap with a great parody of the death of Osama bin Laden: <a href="http://www.galacticempiretimes.com/2011/05/09/galaxy/outer-rim/obi-wan-kenobi-is-killed.html">The Empire finally brings Kenobi to justice</a>.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<br />
Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-61868853560400481912011-04-29T16:08:00.000-07:002011-08-19T16:09:13.428-07:00Lunch at Five Guys - April 28, 2011<b>Bedtime Stories </b><br />
<br />
George pointed me to a new children's book: <a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2011/04/26/go-the-fuck-to-sleep.html?dlvrit=36761">Go the Fuck To Sleep</a>. I also found a reading of it by one of my favorite orators: Samuel L. Jackson. The <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW0A6L9kx4c">video </a>shows the pages of the book as he reads (here's one of his <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PeyiU3uWJ8">speeches</a> in Pulp Fiction (FF to 2:20).<br />
<br />
George also noted: "<u>Motherless Brooklyn</u>, whose author is quoted at the top of the cover, is the book I've mentioned before about the detective with Tourette's."<br />
<br />
<b>If Animals Could Speak</b><br />
<br />
And you really should watch the best talking dog video of all time: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nGeKSiCQkPw">Ultimate Dog Tease</a><br />
<br />
<br />
Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-57222188389784899532011-04-21T23:10:00.000-07:002011-08-18T15:14:55.369-07:00April 21, 2011 - el Pollo LocoTotal immersion swimming (George got the book from the library and the dvd from amazon):<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Total-Immersion-Revolutionary-Better-Faster/dp/0743253434/ref=sr_1_1" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/Total-<wbr></wbr>Immersion-Revolutionary-<wbr></wbr>Better-Faster/dp/0743253434/<wbr></wbr>ref=sr_1_1</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Total-Immersion-Swimming-Perpetual-Freestyle/dp/B003X2O79W/ref=sr_1_1" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/Total-<wbr></wbr>Immersion-Swimming-Perpetual-<wbr></wbr>Freestyle/dp/B003X2O79W/ref=<wbr></wbr>sr_1_1</a></li>
</ul>Kaiman goggles (we didn't talk about these, but George picked up a pair. They were recommended by Ferriss as the only ones that don't leak):<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ENMN76/ref=ox_ya_os_product" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/gp/<wbr></wbr>product/B000ENMN76/ref=ox_ya_<wbr></wbr>os_product</a></li>
</ul>critique of Lustig's 'bitter truth' video and summary of subsequent debate:<br />
<ul><li> <a href="http://www.alanaragonblog.com/2010/01/29/the-bitter-truth-about-fructose-alarmism/" target="_blank">http://www.alanaragonblog.com/<wbr></wbr>2010/01/29/the-bitter-truth-<wbr></wbr>about-fructose-alarmism/</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.alanaragonblog.com/2010/02/19/a-retrospective-of-the-fructose-alarmism-debate/" target="_blank">http://www.alanaragonblog.com/<wbr></wbr>2010/02/19/a-retrospective-of-<wbr></wbr>the-fructose-alarmism-debate/</a></li>
</ul>Michael Pollan marijuana story:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=W_L_2yTfOEEC&pg=PT143&lpg=PT143#v=onepage&q&f=false" target="_blank">http://books.google.com/books?<wbr></wbr>id=W_L_2yTfOEEC&pg=PT143&lpg=<wbr></wbr>PT143#v=onepage&q&f=false</a></li>
</ul>2 alarm chili:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wick-Fowlers-Products-2-Alarm-3-625-Ounce/dp/B000H2998U" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/Wick-<wbr></wbr>Fowlers-Products-2-Alarm-3-<wbr></wbr>625-Ounce/dp/B000H2998U</a></li>
</ul>How do they cool the seats in cars I can't afford? Paul found this quote on the internet: "Thermoelectric Peltier effect device manufactured for GM by Amerigon" <br />
<br />
<br />
<ul></ul>Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-5489697866496350912011-04-14T20:45:00.000-07:002011-08-18T15:09:43.950-07:00April 13 - Five Guys Burgers and Fries<ul><li>George talked about <a href="http://thechive.com/">The Chive</a>. He finds many random and funny posts there.</li>
<li>George mentioned the fruit stand founded in 1959 by six-year-old Robert: <a href="http://www.robertishere.com/xcart/home.php">Robert is Here</a>.</li>
</ul>I brought nothing to the event that I can remember. <br />
Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-29428672080158972032011-04-10T21:35:00.000-07:002011-04-10T21:35:32.616-07:00Lunch at Five Guys -- April 6, 2011The Jott service is <a href="http://jott.com/jotters/">shutting down May 3</a>. they were bought by Nuance, the makers of Dragon Dictation software, who does not seem to be replacing it with anything equivalent. I found a possible replacement: <a href="http://www.dial2do.com/">Dial2Do</a>.<br />
<br />
George checked and found that coal burger is now open, and they've removed the phony testimonials from their home page. "I'm happy to see they use grass fed beef, and pictures of the burgers and shakes sure look good:" <br />
<ul><li><a href="http://coalburger.com/" target="_blank">http://coalburger.com/</a></li>
</ul>George also remembered that he ran across The Queen's Gambit after reading a really good review by Jesse Kornbluth of The Art of Racing in the Rain. "I was looking at some of his other reviews and after reading his review of The Queen's Gambit ("Rocky for smart people") decided I had to give it a try:"<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/RRNTEWEVAAVV1/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#RRNTEWEVAAVV1" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/review/<wbr></wbr>RRNTEWEVAAVV1/ref=cm_cr_pr_<wbr></wbr>viewpnt#RRNTEWEVAAVV1</a></li>
</ul>Here's the rock climbing deal George mentioned:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.kgbdeals.com/phoenix/deals/16545/69-off-climbing-trip--gear-and-guide-from-front-range-climbing-co" target="_blank">http://www.kgbdeals.com/<wbr></wbr>phoenix/deals/16545/69-off-<wbr></wbr>climbing-trip--gear-and-guide-<wbr></wbr>from-front-range-climbing-co</a></li>
</ul>And here's the juggling quadrocopter video: <br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CR5y8qZf0Y" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?<wbr></wbr>v=3CR5y8qZf0Y</a></li>
</ul>Here's the link again for the Kenji hamburger video, and the link for his french fry article (probably too long to read, but definitely worth a scan through the photos):<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.americastestkitchen.com/video/index.php?docid=25369&Extcode=L1CN1AB00" target="_blank">http://www.<wbr></wbr>americastestkitchen.com/video/<wbr></wbr>index.php?docid=25369&Extcode=<wbr></wbr>L1CN1AB00</a></li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/05/the-burger-lab-how-to-make-perfect-mcdonalds-style-french-fries.html" target="_blank">http://aht.seriouseats.com/<wbr></wbr>archives/2010/05/the-burger-<wbr></wbr>lab-how-to-make-perfect-<wbr></wbr>mcdonalds-style-french-fries.<wbr></wbr>html</a></li>
</ul>George's sister sent the following photo showing the line outside The Shake Shack:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOJh2YRTKEYSgVOh8IRudqzSQy40k-cJ5NXE89Che7pIz9fJfp9wvBS3c04kIdAuwRMm6JriA4u-f_i3dUtdweVnL9tY2pbnzsEjXO4sowqxgUamSkykj5CLMPPy-ErBp7VQWUvgRMZc/s1600/ShakeShack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOJh2YRTKEYSgVOh8IRudqzSQy40k-cJ5NXE89Che7pIz9fJfp9wvBS3c04kIdAuwRMm6JriA4u-f_i3dUtdweVnL9tY2pbnzsEjXO4sowqxgUamSkykj5CLMPPy-ErBp7VQWUvgRMZc/s320/ShakeShack.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-18596750905185986372011-04-03T10:23:00.000-07:002011-04-03T10:23:45.571-07:00Lunch at El Pollo Loco - March 31, 2011Hi Paul -<br />
<br />
Here's the Dilbert strip we talked about: <a href="http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/1995-01-25/" target="_blank">http://dilbert.com/strips/<wbr></wbr>comic/1995-01-25/</a><br />
<br />
And here's another one I found that I call Life at Amex (top line anyway): <a href="http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2009-10-11/" target="_blank">http://dilbert.com/strips/<wbr></wbr>comic/2009-10-11/</a><br />
<br />
Here's an article on the artificial cloud (with animated video) (I want a personal-size version of this, to follow me around in the summertime): <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/9435268.stm" target="_blank">http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/<wbr></wbr>hi/football/9435268.stm</a><br />
<br />
And how much energy *does* it take to fire a pound of bacon into the asteroid belt?: <a href="http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=538411" target="_blank">http://boards.straightdope.<wbr></wbr>com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=<wbr></wbr>538411</a><br />
<br />
Remember, today is April Fools day. Keep your guard up!Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-43592932754398706582011-03-23T22:24:00.000-07:002011-04-03T10:27:35.227-07:00Lunch at Paradise Bakery - March 23, 2011The Art of Racing in the Rain (check out the top review on the page, by Jesse Kornbluth): <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Art-Racing-Rain-Novel/dp/0061537969/ref=sr_1_1" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.<wbr></wbr>com/Art-Racing-Rain-Novel/dp/<wbr></wbr>0061537969/ref=sr_1_1</a><br />
<div> </div><div>Faster than the wind article (still have yet to read): <a href="http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/02/ff_fasterthanwind/" target="_blank">http://www.wired.com/<wbr></wbr>magazine/2011/02/ff_<wbr></wbr>fasterthanwind/</a></div><div><br />
</div><div> Laser cat bowling (18 seconds): <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFztjgfDWDA" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.<wbr></wbr>com/watch?v=aFztjgfDWDA</a></div>Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-38713812513949825282011-03-16T22:27:00.000-07:002011-04-03T10:35:57.437-07:00Lunch at Five Guys - March 16, 2011<span class="il">Links</span> from today's episode:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>John Scalzi's thread on best <a href="http://whatever.scalzi.com/2011/03/16/reader-request-week-2011-4-old-mans-war-and-the-best-sff-novel-of-the-decade/">Sci Fi novel of the decade</a>:</li>
</ul><ul><li>The<a href="http://instapaper.com/"> instapaper site</a> says he won't be doing an android app:</li>
</ul><div style="margin-left: 40px;"><i>At the moment, there are no plans for native apps on other mobile platforms. I simply don’t have enough time to develop and maintain more native clients, especially for devices that I don’t own.</i></div><br />
But it turns out other people have developed them, and according to this guy the <a href="http://thenextweb.com/apps/2010/07/07/everpaper-android-finally-has-a-great-instapaper-client/">EverPaper app</a> works great.<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Dan Benjamin's awesome online <a href="http://5by5.tv/%20">network of talk shows</a>. Dan's weekly show with Marco Arment (Instapaper dude!):<a href="http://5by5.tv/buildanalyze/16" target="_blank"> http://5by5.tv/buildanalyze/16</a> </li>
</ul><ul><li>Paul got an <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/8499000606/lunchwithgeor-20">S107 Helicopter</a>!</li>
</ul><ul><li>Roger Ebert's Review of the film <a href="http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101117/REVIEWS/101119967/1023">Monsters</a>.</li>
</ul><ul><li>The novel <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0441009425/lunchwithgeor-20">Revelation Space</a> by Alastair Reynolds.</li>
</ul>Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-10482036864369232382011-02-24T19:36:00.000-08:002011-04-03T10:41:06.213-07:00Lunch at Five Guys - February 24, 2011Links from today's episode:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Global Buckets: <a href="http://www.globalbuckets.org/" target="_blank">http://www.globalbuckets.org/</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUmXHFS28pM" target="_blank"></a></li>
<li>The Confidence Song: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUmXHFS28pM" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?<wbr></wbr>v=fUmXHFS28pM</a> </li>
</ul><ul><li>Sociopaths, Clueless, and Losers: <a href="http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/10/07/the-gervais-principle-or-the-office-according-to-the-office/" target="_blank">http://www.ribbonfarm.com/<wbr></wbr>2009/10/07/the-gervais-<wbr></wbr>principle-or-the-office-<wbr></wbr>according-to-the-office/</a><br />
</li>
<li>Kanye and Taylor Swift: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z8gCZ7zpsQ" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?<wbr></wbr>v=1z8gCZ7zpsQ</a> </li>
</ul><ul><li>Kanye Meme Extreme: <a href="http://imaletyoufinish.com/" target="_blank">http://imaletyoufinish.com/</a> </li>
</ul><ul><li>Christian Bale weighs in on Kanye: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r8xTkbKtEs" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?<wbr></wbr>v=8r8xTkbKtEs</a></li>
</ul>Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-60021132833041780672011-02-09T22:41:00.000-08:002011-04-03T20:55:45.169-07:00Lunch at Pork on a Fork - February 9, 2011<b>Links from George: </b><br />
<br />
<ul><li>superheated water: <a href="http://www.bookofjoe.com/2011/01/helpful-hints-from-joeeze-water-can-explode-in-your-microwave.html" target="_blank">http://www.bookofjoe.com/2011/<wbr></wbr>01/helpful-hints-from-joeeze-<wbr></wbr>water-can-explode-in-your-<wbr></wbr>microwave.html</a> </li>
</ul><ul><li>mafomufu: <a href="https://news.fidelity.com/news/news.jhtml?cat=Opinion&articleid=201101200900KIPLNGERFINANCE__20110119100245&IMG=N" target="_blank">https://news.fidelity.com/<wbr></wbr>news/news.jhtml?cat=Opinion&<wbr></wbr>articleid=<wbr></wbr>201101200900KIPLNGERFINANCE__<wbr></wbr>20110119100245&IMG=N</a></li>
</ul><br />
<ul><li>I remembered another "didn't make much difference" experience -- the Shangri La diet, where you're supposed to get an appetite suppressant effect from consuming flavorless cooking oil. And I remembered one thing that did, finally, seem to have a positive effect -- the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pain-Free-Revolutionary-Stopping-Chronic/dp/0553379887/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301852770&sr=8-1">Pain Free</a> exercises. Thank heavens.</li>
</ul><br />
<br />
<b>Links from Paul:</b><br />
<br />
<ul><li>Possible privatization of Shuttle Fleet?<a href="http://dvice.com/archives/2011/02/space-shuttles.php" target="_blank"> http://dvice.com/archives/<wbr></wbr>2011/02/space-shuttles.php</a> George's response: Here's the link to the photos of the Russian space shuttle today (link to it said "for fans of industrial decay"): <a href="http://drugoi.livejournal.com/3259344.html" target="_blank">http://drugoi.livejournal.com/<wbr></wbr>3259344.html</a> </li>
</ul><ul><li>Humans better runners, Neandertals better walkers:<a href="http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-02-early-humans-won-neandertals.html" target="_blank">http://www.physorg.com/news/<wbr></wbr>2011-02-early-humans-won-<wbr></wbr>neandertals.html</a></li>
</ul>Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-5139087413346140362010-10-23T10:59:00.000-07:002010-10-23T10:59:06.689-07:00Bigelow Aerospace - Private Space Exploration<a href="http://www.parabolicarc.com/2010/10/20/photos-bigelows-plans-commercialize-space/">Cool photos</a> of Bigelow's plans for a private LEO space station. Also checkout Bigelow's <a href="http://www.bigelowaerospace.com/">homepage</a>. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.parabolicarc.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/bigelow_scale_module.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.parabolicarc.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/bigelow_scale_module.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-27775444601037297022010-10-19T09:19:00.000-07:002010-10-19T09:19:27.364-07:00Grains Were Significant Part of Human Diet 30,000 Years AgoGeorge and I have both dabbled in the "Paleo" diet, so it is interesting to me that I ran across this article through my Anthropology sources:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://archaeology.about.com/b/2010/10/18/grinding-flour-in-the-upper-paleolithic.htm">Grinding Flour in the Upper Paleolithic</a><br />
<br />
Multiple academic papers are cited, and the predominant grain seems to be cattails.Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-76057585707071466672010-10-13T20:11:00.000-07:002010-10-13T20:17:27.062-07:00Million Dollar BabyA favorite scene from a favorite movie: <object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HYJnFQE7evQ?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HYJnFQE7evQ?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-36293339692253871132010-10-13T20:10:00.000-07:002010-10-13T20:10:07.975-07:00Water droplet bouncing on a superhydrophobic carbon nanotube arrayYep, just what it says. The video is embedded below, and there's more information <a href="http://www.thoughtware.tv/videos/watch/5426">here</a>. <br />
<br />
<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3-MFrM-ubvA?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3-MFrM-ubvA?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-19281045879726457412010-10-13T09:27:00.000-07:002010-10-13T09:28:16.629-07:00You too can be a Moon scientistNASA's<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/main/index.html"> Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter</a> (LRO) has provided us with an unprecedented closeup view of Earth's closest neighbor (objects as small as 50cm are visible), and now Moon Zoo wants you to help.<br />
<br />
Join <a href="http://www.moonzoo.org/">Moon Zoo</a>, and you can be a part of a huge "crowd sourcing" activity, designed to analyze the huge number of marrow angle camera photographs, putting a pair of eyes on every one of them.<br />
<br />
SETI@Home was fun, but all you could contribute was spare computer CPU cycles. This time, you can directly contribute! Here's their training video:<br />
<br />
<object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11583128&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11583128&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/11583128">Moon Zoo: Crater Survey</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/arfon">The Zooniverse</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-3387946233853926292010-10-12T22:52:00.000-07:002010-10-12T22:52:11.989-07:00John Cleese on Creativity<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zGt3-fxOvug?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zGt3-fxOvug?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-68907858748245793792010-10-12T14:31:00.000-07:002010-10-12T14:31:18.823-07:00Paleo Diet: Another Fast Food OptionI just finished my <a href="http://wendys.com/food/BLT_salad.jsp">BLT Cobb salad</a> from Wendy's. It was delicious! Various greens are topped with bacon, diced tomatoes, chopped egg, grilled chicken. Just tell them to "hold the blue cheese" and choose the vinagrette instead of the avocado ranch dressing, and you're all set to go.<br />
<br />
The ingredients were all fresh and tasty.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAnrf2QekiTBCeM8giWpw-2Xmb2KO2fdA7H2NvRTwhEunSpXPN7RhoQVaMf9QhwF1Qx4VuQo7YVCi-WNHApuZnHKs7Lv1CPGGemjpHx8CYw_DilDQd3O9huPuilD6v8rGO-6MNGl7LEgs/s1600/BLT_Cobb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAnrf2QekiTBCeM8giWpw-2Xmb2KO2fdA7H2NvRTwhEunSpXPN7RhoQVaMf9QhwF1Qx4VuQo7YVCi-WNHApuZnHKs7Lv1CPGGemjpHx8CYw_DilDQd3O9huPuilD6v8rGO-6MNGl7LEgs/s320/BLT_Cobb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8687958707309922751.post-42370151463482555712010-10-09T15:05:00.000-07:002010-10-09T15:08:00.680-07:00This Just In: Google Cars Drive ThemselvesBoy, this would be great for getting home when you are tired, drunk, or sick! Amazing.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://techcrunch.com/2010/10/09/google-automated-cars/">Google Has A Secret Fleet Of Automated Toyota Priuses; 140,000 Miles Logged So Far.</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2010/10/09/google-automated-cars/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="332" src="http://tctechcrunch.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/10googlegrfxa-popup.jpeg?w=617&h=513" width="400" /></a></div>Paul Wrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06609006306944829120noreply@blogger.com0