Useless Trivia

I have a buy one, get one free special on trivia today:

The collection of spikes on the end of the tail of dinosaurs like the Stegosaurus is known among scientific circles as the 'Thagomizer' - a term coined not by a paleontologist, but by cartoonist Gary Larson in a 1982 Far Side drawing, where it was explained (by a caveman) that it was named 'after the late Thag Simmons'.

Lieutenant Colonel Jack Churchill held the unusual distinction of being the only British soldier in WWII on record as having killed an enemy soldier with a longbow. 'Mad Jack' Churchill insisted on going into battle armed not only with the medieval bow, but also a claymore sword. After WWII, he got into surfing, and became the first man to ride the River Severn's tidal bore.

Welcome!

A couple of welcome's are due.  First, welcome to the world Eliana Crawford.  I'm now an uncle to a beautiful, healthy little girl.  She was tired when I met her and slept most of the time.  She only had the energy to briefly crack one eye open and give me the stink eye and then it was right back to sleep.  I'm trying to get a photo up on Facebook, but the mobile upload is giving me problems at the moment.  Hopefully soon.

Next, I would like to say welcome to the US to Burton Cummings of The Guess Who.  According to recent reports, he aced his citizenship test.  I must admit that I don't know enough about the process to know what comes next or how long until he's officially a citizen, but welcome anyway.  Here is, in my opinion, their best song.

Various Miscellany

Just in time for Valentine's Day, the Goodwill has announced a new promotion:  Dump your ex's stuff.  What better way to get into the spirit of the "holiday".  Nothing will make you feel better than knowing that even though your ex hates you, Goodwill still loves you.  Also, if you are in the market for a future ex, you can pick up a wedding ring from their web site.  Nothing says I love you like a ring from the Goodwill with the stench of a failed relationship still on it. 

Today I find myself intrigued by all the news of a Tesla Motors IPO.  Thus far, the company has failed to make any money, and by their own admission are still several years away from profitability, however they appear to be the first company to possibly have the technology to mass produce a somewhat affordable electric car.  Their Model S sedan, which I believe will be available next year, will set you back $50,000.  Out of my price range, but comparable to other luxury sedans on the market.  And unlike other attempted electric vehicles, Tesla's vehicles will feature high performance.  The Model S will accelerate 0-60 in 5.6 seconds, have a top speed of 120 mph, and a range of up to 300 miles on a charge.  Tesla estimates that a charge will cost you $4 in electricity at current rates.  The primary concern for me would be that the battery packs are expected to last 7 years, or 100,000 miles.  I haven't been able to find what they cost, but you can be sure that it isn't cheap.

It remains to be seen whether Tesla can scale up production to become profitable, but they do have some encouraging backing.  Daimler has contracted with them to suppled power trains and batteries for vehicles to be used in Europe, and the company has been given long term loans by both the US Department of Energy and the California Department of Energy in order to develop alternative fuel vehicles.  This is significant since the government denied similar loans to both GM and Chrysler because they are not seen as viable companies.  I see a lot of promise in Tesla and hope that they can help to revive the US auto industry.  I am anxiously awaiting the reception that Wall Street has for the IPO.

I also feel like this is an appropriate time to voice my objection to people who wait until the bus gets to their stop before fishing around in their pockets for the correct fare.  If you are on the bus for the 40 or so minutes it takes to get from downtown to the east side during rush hour and can't find the time to get out your fare so as not to keep a bus full of people waiting for the 2 minutes it takes to count your change, then you sir or madam are rude.  It may be time to implement mob rule to insure that common courtesy is once again common. 

Finally, I have been looking at 30 year fixed mortgages recently in the hopes of procuring financing to buy a condo and have entered some numbers on a few bank web sites.  What I've found from the few I've looked at is that there are exorbitant fees associated with a mortgage.  Bank of America was far and away the leader with more than $8,000 in loan origination fees, points, appraisal fees, and half a page of miscellaneous 'screw you' fees.  But my question at this point is, what should I expect to pay in fees on a loan?  Admittedly I haven't done a great deal of research online, primarily since the information I have found is a little spotty.  Anyway, I would appreciate any informed advice from someone who may have been through the process recently.

Dream Analysis

I had a dream the other night that I drove by the closest gas station to my house and gas was $2.18 a gallon, and even though I had half a tank and didn't really need to stop, I did anyway.

Has my life really become so mundane that I no longer even have interesting dreams?  What does it say about my psyche?  If I can't rely on my dreams to be interesting, I guess I'm going to have to do something interesting in the waking hours, however unlikely that may seem.

3D TV

With 3D movies all the rage, it stands to reason that talk of 3D tv shouldn't be far behind.  Surely, as soon as Avatar is released on blu ray, everyone will be clamoring for 3D tv.  Not so according to the Motley Fool.  Their argument is that between limited availability and high prices, it will take a few years before the technology gains a foot hold.  Personally, I don't understand why a specially designed television set would be necessary to watch 3D.  Why can't you just put on the dumb looking glasses and watch movies on a standard set?  Perhaps the new polarized glasses replacing the traditional red & green lenses require some additional coding in the television set.  A cursory search of the internet yielded no answers. 

The bigger question in my mind is, is there really much demand for 3D tv sets?  Sure it's a novelty to watch a movie in a theater, but I personally don't imagine myself wanting to spend much time watching 3D movies & tv at home.  Avatar was a long enough movie that I was growing weary of wearing the glasses toward the end.  I don't really have a desire to spend a great deal of time watching 3D programming.  One caveat being that I would really like to watch sports in 3D, that of course being in the situation that I haven't watched sports in 3D yet. 

In related news, Tinto Brass, known for directing the controversial film Caligula, has announced that he would like to be the first director to film an adult movie in 3D.  You knew that sooner or later the opportunity would arise to see some double Ds in 3D.  I'm just a little surprised that the announcement came so soon.

iPad

Obsessive Apple fanboys around the world today had a collective iGasm as unquestioned geek overlord Steve Jobs appeared publicly to announce the iPay - excuse me - iPad.  The long awaited and much hyped tablet PC has the appearance and listed functionality of a giant iPhone without the ability to call someone.  The new devise allows users to watch movies, play games, listen to music, read e-books, and browse the internet.  I have heard it touted as a competitor to the Amazon Kindle, however battery life and price are not on par. 

Honestly, I have a hard time imagining a market for tablet PCs.  They are less functional than laptops, and with prices starting at $499 for a 16 GB model, $599 for 32 GB, $699 for 64 GB along with an additional $130 for 3G wireless capability, it will cost you a lot more for that reduced functionality.  Ergonomically, I wouldn't want to be hunched over a tablet for any extended length of time, say, long enough to watch a movie.  And typing anything of length with a touch pad would be tedious.  So using the iPad for any productive functions would require an additional purchase of an external keyboard and stand. 

Many companies have dipped their toes in the waters of the tablet PC market over the years, including Apple with their failed Newton and none have caught on.  I just don't see a market for tablets when the modern cell phone does everything a tablet can do and can fit in your pocket.  I don't want to discount Apple too soon, they have a history of success with new products, but I don't see anything revolutionary or compelling about the iPad. 

The Wall

For some reason I have been hearing Pink Floyd's The Wall a lot recently and it's really got me thinking. For those unfamiliar with the song, at the end there is a line,"if you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding. How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?" And so it is that I've been spending the better part of the last week pondering whether any provisions have been made to allow vegetarians to have pudding. Are they just denied the sweet goodness due to their choices? If you have a doctor's note stating that you can't eat meat for health purposes can you get an exemption? Are vegetarians simply limited to jello? Or do they just listen to different bands? Calls to Pink Floyd have thus far gone unanswered. I only hope I can get to the bottom of this mystery soon so I can once again sleep at night.

How Do You Get This Job?

Friday I posted something about Applebee's and in under an hour had a comment from an Applebee's employee.  In addition, last summer I posted something about Windows 7 and quickly had a comment from a Microsoft employee.  The point of all this?  How do I get a job searching the internet and reading and posting on blogs for a living?  I feel that I am very qualified to do this, and am pretty sure I would enjoy it more than my current position.  I have quite a bit of experience reading and posting to blogs, and I am eloquent enough that I could represent any company in a positive light.  References and a resume are available upon request.

Is Applebee's Doomed?

According to Forbes, the answer is yes.  DineEquity, the corporation that owns Applebee's is struggling financially and may be the next victim of the flagging economy.  The chain recently discounted prices in an effort to attract more customers, a move which resulted in a 4.3% decrease in sales, and apparently their next move is going to be remodeling their restaurants.  I find it odd that the concept of selling edible food has not been discussed as a way to turn around the franchise.  I have a group of acquaintances who are regular patrons and in order to socialize, I am forced to eat there more often than I care to and can say unequivocally that the food there is sub par.  Lobbying to eat elsewhere has proven ineffective, so it could turn out that bankruptcy could come to the rescue.  To me, this article is just proof of mismanagement.  If any Applebee's executives stumble upon this, please forget pricing structures, remodels, and other peripheral issues and just improve your menu.

On the other end of the spectrum, Burger King is planning a change to increase business which I personally think will be far more effective.  They are planning on opening "Whopper Bars" in trial locations that will sell beer along with their greasy food.  Even though I don't drink, I'm surprised that more fast food chains don't sell beer.  I assume it has to do with the fact that they would have to hire employees over 21 to legally serve the beer, and those employees would demand a higher salary than the 16 & 17 year olds most fast food joints typically employ.  I have a feeling this will catch on though.

Tillamook

Whilst perusing Costco the other day, I found myself, as I often do, pining for some good cheese.  I set out hoping to find some Wensleydale, since my mom had picked some up prior to Christmas.  She had gotten a variety containing cranberries, which was good but a bit too sweet.  No Wensleydale was to be found, and just as I was beginning to feel disappointed, something caught my eye.  That something was a wheel of Tillamook 100th Anniversary extra sharp cheddar, aged three years.  I love Tillamook cheese, and may move to Tillamook when I retire, so finding this was an absolute delight. Not to mention that it has always been a goal of mine to own a wheel of cheese, one bigger than the mini Laughing Cow gouda wheels anyway.  The other great thing about it:  only $12 from Costco while it would set you back $23 plus shipping to order it directly from Tillamook. 

Well, tonight was the magical night where I cracked open my Tillamook wheel and it is indeed delightful.  First of all, trimming away the casing to get to the cheese proved more challenging than I had anticipated, but thinking I was home free once that feat was accomplished proved erroneous.  Slicing something round with a wire cheese slicer just wasn't going to happen.  I had to resort to the much less elegant knife.  As you may already know, aged cheddar is crumbly, and this crumbled all over.  At this point, however, that was no longer a concern as I had reached the long sought 'putting it in my mouth' portion of the event.  While sharp, it isn't as biting as the Special Reserve Extra Sharp.  It's a little bit creamier with small, almost crunchy bits here and there.  I think it would literally melt in your mouth.  It also has a faint sweetness to it, almost a honey flavor.  I think it would be excellent with some salami or other cured meat.  Quite delicious and I'm considering going back for more before it sells out.  I need to stock my wine cellar with such luxury items for the impending (or so I'm told) disintegration of society.  When the dollar is valueless, gourmet food will be the currency of the day.  But I'm getting off topic - I have to stop talking to Shelvis. 

Anyone wishing to sample the pinnacle of the cheddar making arts needs only to come over and shower me with gifts and compliments, and you must sound sincere.  Or maybe just bring some salami since I don't have any on hand.  I also have some of the blue label Tillamook Vintage White Medium Cheddar which I am quite fond of.  I see there are still several intriguing varieties yet untried.  The black pepper white cheddar and habanero jack sound interesting, but I must try the garlic white cheddar and garlic chili pepper cheddar.  I have yet to see those at the store but will be on the lookout from now on.